Learn to love cats and hate capitalism (if you don’t already)! Curious about the fascist coup going on in the United States? Want to get the low down with punchlines because this world needs a spoonful of sugar to go down? Ron Placone has been a political comic (their designation, not his) since 2007, and he’s been witnessing the decline pretty much ever since the Iraq War jolted him awake. Ron will take you on a journey through politics, culture, travel, relationships, and just to give a bit of relief, how he copes with it all. A comedy show for the lefties, the weirdos, the freethinkers, the peaceniks, the dreamers, or anyone who wants to join us, ffs we need more of us! Pasta Yay, Fascism Nay! *Pasta is not actually included.

August 26, 2026    EdFringeReview

Ron Placone's Anti-Fascist Pasta Night - half stand-up set, half political commentary - is a well-executed and informative, if slightly panic-inducing, hour. Armed with the facts, Placone dissects the daunting and bizarre state of affairs from across the pond in a show that is urgent, if not always funny.

Placone has made a name for himself as an American 'political comedian' and you feel in safe hands with him at the helm, navigating the tempestuous subject matter of the current state of America. A lot of the time I wished he was joking, but he really wasn't. He breaks complicated ideas down into digestible pieces, and the audience clearly valued hearing it from the horse's mouth - a Q&A section halfway through gave them the chance to ask any burning question.

The construction of the set, however, could do with tweaking. The stand-up segments that break up this unconventional news broadcast are jarringly disjointed in tone and scale. He moves from conversations about ICE, food recalls, fossil fuels, and disease to anecdotes about cat litter and Duolingo streaks results in tonal whiplash, and these lighter bits can’t support the weight of the political material surrounding them. His political commentary, in fact, feels strong enough to have stood alone, and his comedy is most impressive when he finds a punchline amongst the turmoil.

That disjointedness makes me wonder what the intention of the hour really is. I've left other stand-up shows built around similarly serious subjects feeling energised, with a sense of action and a slightly clearer view of the world. Anti-Fascist Pasta Night prioritises informing its audience instead, even if that leaves us a little overwhelmed by what to do with everything we've just heard.

That said, Anti-Fascist Pasta Night is an important show with a real mission and real stakes. Placone is passionate, articulate and unapologetic. His unwavering dedication to the careful delivery of truth, with comedy as his way in, is admirable. This gathering of people dedicated to confronting and resisting an uncomfortable reality is a defiant act in itself - and therein lies the glimmer of hope within this show. Click Here For Review

August 23, 2026   Fringe Review

Recommended Show

Low Down
Ron Placone is back at the festival, having been here in 2023. This time round he has brought a railing against the current state of politics and life in America. In an hour of anecdotes and observations he takes us on an amusing wander through why cats are anti-fascist and things make little sense in the US to the point where he tells us of the origin of the title of the show. Mussolini banned pasta and so partisans held regular Anti-fascist Pasta Nights and there are apparently some in the UK including one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh.

Review
Placone is an engaging performer and his stand-up is easy to like and enjoy. The material tonight meandered a little at times but followed a flow. Instead of telling flat-out jokes, Placone highlights the absurdity of a current political administration that is very difficult to satirise given that it is satirical by its own very nature.

The venue was pretty odd. Downstairs at Westport there is a small space used for their shows which on one side is filled with aircraft seats. It makes looking at this stage from anything apart from the side aisle quite difficult, but it doesn’t detract from Placone’s set.

It was never going to be a circus act that you might lose some perspective on.

The stories told are really interesting and I came away wanting to know more about this filmmaker’s podcast with his father for example. I wanted to know more about his filmmaking! The question and answer session as well I found interesting and Placone is well able to work a crowd, though perhaps given the small nature of the venue he got less of a crowd than he was used to.

Technically there was not much to it, as there are not always in Free Festival shows, though Placone gave a warning halfway through as to what was going to come at the end obviously wanting to make sure he had his airfare home, which he continued to use to make amusing commentary upon. One wonders of ICE will meet him at the Terminal, given his subject material.

Anti-fascist Pasta Night introduced me to a phenomenon I had not been aware of – the resistance through food – and in the context of where we are just now it is vital to understand our fight against fascism is one that should always be at the forefront of our mind. They don’t go away, they just adopt a different suit, a different hairstyle and they may even mimic what you wear. Vigilance is key. Anti-fascist Pasta Night does exactly what it sets out to do. This is a stand-up which amuses. Click Here For Article

May 1, 2026   Broadway World

ANTI-FASCIST PASTA NIGHT To Be Presented at Edinburgh Fringe 2026 The Free Fringe show wins the Inspiring Social Justice Award at the Inspire Performing Arts Festival.

Anti-Fascist Pasta Night is a political stand-up hour that takes audiences on a journey through politics, culture, travel, relationships, and the small coping mechanisms that keep us from fully losing it. The title was inspired by real anti-fascist pasta nights in Italy, a little-known post-Mussolini tradition rooted in another little-known bit of trivia: Mussolini hated pasta and felt it was at least one of the causes of society's ills that he sought to correct with his authoritarian regime. Therefore, pasta is anti-fascist. Also, Ron is Italian so is obviously uniquely qualified to speak on both topics. You'll learn to love cats and hate capitalism, if you don't already. Ron has been a political comic since 2007, tracing the country's long decline from the Iraq War to whatever fresh hell we're calling the present, and he invites you to join him in a show for the lefties, the weirdos, the freethinkers, the peaceniks, the dreamers, or anyone who wants to reclaim pasta's anti-fascist roots while also fighting the power. Click Here For Article

May 1, 2026   Broadway World

ANTI-FASCIST PASTA NIGHT To Be Presented at Edinburgh Fringe 2026 The Free Fringe show wins the Inspiring Social Justice Award at the Inspire Performing Arts Festival.

Anti-Fascist Pasta Night is a political stand-up hour that takes audiences on a journey through politics, culture, travel, relationships, and the small coping mechanisms that keep us from fully losing it. The title was inspired by real anti-fascist pasta nights in Italy, a little-known post-Mussolini tradition rooted in another little-known bit of trivia: Mussolini hated pasta and felt it was at least one of the causes of society's ills that he sought to correct with his authoritarian regime. Therefore, pasta is anti-fascist. Also, Ron is Italian so is obviously uniquely qualified to speak on both topics. You'll learn to love cats and hate capitalism, if you don't already. Ron has been a political comic since 2007, tracing the country's long decline from the Iraq War to whatever fresh hell we're calling the present, and he invites you to join him in a show for the lefties, the weirdos, the freethinkers, the peaceniks, the dreamers, or anyone who wants to reclaim pasta's anti-fascist roots while also fighting the power. Click Here For Article