The Power of the Niche

For my final post sharing reviews from the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, I’m circling back to stand-up comedy. If there’s one lesson this genre hammered home, it’s this: find your niche, and lean into it hard.

Case in point: David Benaim. He was the very first person to ask me for a review. His show? A full stand-up hour about Microsoft Excel. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine anything less appealing. I ran into him a few times at the festival- seemed like a genuinely nice guy- but still, Excel jokes? Not for me.

Then, near the end of the festival, with ticket sales flagging one day, he asked if I’d come just to help fill seats. I agreed. And I was shocked: the show was tight, funny, and- most importantly- knew exactly who it was for.

This wasn’t a broad-audience show. It was laser-focused on math and data geeks- the kind of people who live inside spreadsheets all day. And here’s the kicker: they showed up. They were organized, reliable, and had disposable income. By the end, he had sold out his entire run. Let me repeat that: a newcomer to stand-up SOLD OUT his very first Edinburgh Fringe run. That almost never happens.

The takeaway? Knowing your niche and unapologetically serving it can be a winning strategy. But it only works if you understand that niche inside and out, commit fully, and- if you’re lucky- find an audience that’s ready to show up for you.

Thanks for reading.

(Note: These reviews were originally published as part of my 2025 Edinburgh Fringe coverage for FringeReview. I’m archiving them here for readers who don’t follow that site.)

Excel Comedy and Mathem-antics

TL;DR

In Excel Comedy and Mathem-antics, Microsoft MVP David Benaim transforms his mastery of spreadsheets into a Fringe show that’s part stand-up, part magic act, and part storytelling. Packed with puns, live Excel tricks, and audience interaction, it’s a celebration of nerdiness that makes office tools feel cool, while leaving audiences unexpectedly moved.

Review

You wouldn’t think a stand-up show about Microsoft Excel could make a comedian’s Fringe debut a sell out run, but David Benaim proves otherwise. As an official Microsoft Excel "MVP" (Microsoft considers him to be amongst the top 100 or so Excel experts worldwide), Benaim has found a way to fuse spreadsheet wizardry with comedy, technology, and storytelling. What could have been a one-note gimmick is instead a clever, surprising, and entertaining hour.

As we entered the cave where the show was set, Benaim is on stage, hunched over his laptop, projected screen behind him, so engrossed in his spreadsheet that it’s as if he doesn’t notice the audience is there. It’s a pitch-perfect way to set the tone: half tech-guru, half deadpan comic. Wearing an “I ♥ Excel” sleeveless shirt, he launches into a set that is 80% comedy, 20% tech demo, though the boundaries blur. His riffs mix puns, parody, and wordplay with live Excel tricks that genuinely wow the crowd. Shortcuts, formulas, formatting sleights of hand: in another context this might feel like an office meeting, but here, it’s closer to a magic show.

Audience interaction is a big part of the fun. Benaim quizzes the room on Excel solutions, rewarding correct answers with prizes. You can tell instantly who the hardcore spreadsheet fans are by the involuntary gasps of delight when he unveils a quicker way to do something. And even if you don’t know Excel, the show is welcoming. It’s pitched so that Excel nerds feel cool for once, but casual users still laugh along.

What keeps it engaging is Benaim’s confidence in knowing his audience. He rarely forces eye contact, leaning into the persona of someone who lives inside their computer, but when he does look up, we know he’s right there with us. The balance of tech focus and human connection is consistent with the subject itself.

And then, unexpectedly, the show shifts gears. In its final stretch, Benaim moves away from spreadsheets and into something more personal. Sitting on the steps, he speaks directly to the audience about his role models, history, and the values that shaped him. Without spoiling the details, it’s one of the most vulnerable, affecting turns I’ve seen at this year’s Fringe.

Excel Comedy and Mathem-antics is Highly Recommended for being funny, geeky, and sneakily moving. It’s a show that knows exactly what it is, and yet manages to surprise you with more. You’ll laugh at the puns, marvel at the shortcuts, and it might even leave you reflecting on history, humanity, and how something as ordinary as a spreadsheet can connect to much bigger stories.