Amanda Knox’s debut Edinburgh Fringe show has opened to mixed reactions, with critics describing it as “sincere” and “painfully unfunny”.

The show, titled Cartwheel, arrived at the festival as one of this year’s most talked‑about productions, attracting criticism from Meredith Kercher’s sister Stephanie ahead of its first performance.

Knox, from the US, was convicted and later acquitted of murdering British student Meredith in Italy in 2007.

Early reviews suggest the show, which Knox told the BBC focuses on “how the world is unsafe and unfair towards women,” is more of a personal, one‑woman piece than conventional stand‑up.

The Guardian awarded it four stars, external, praising its “spirit of defiance”, while The Times only gave it two stars, external, calling the show “sincere” but “stilted”.

The Daily Telegraph also only gave it two stars, stating Knox’s performance was “so very far from great stand-up”., external

That particular opinion was echoed across several reviews, which argued that Knox is less a stand‑up comedian and more of a storyteller.

And the story she tells is extraordinary.

Knox, from Seattle, was 21 when she was arrested in Italy over the murder of her flatmate, Meredith Kercher, a student from Surrey, who was the same age.

Kercher was found dead in the house they shared while studying abroad in Perugia.

Knox’s then‑boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, was also arrested.

The pair spent almost four years in prison before they were acquitted on appeal in 2011.

A retrial briefly reinstated their convictions in 2014, but Italy’s top court overturned them again in 2015.

Ivory Coast-born Rudy Guede served 13 years of a 16-year sentence for Kercher’s murder after his fingerprints were found at the scene.

The case’s notoriety still follows Knox; since Kercher’s death, Knox has written two books about her imprisonment and served as an executive producer on the biographical drama The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox.

According to The Guardian, external, she opens Cartwheel by telling the audience: “Welcome to the most controversial show at the Fringe.”

The publication noted that those expecting insensitive remarks about Kercher would be proved wrong, describing Cartwheel as a “respectful” attempt to reclaim her story.

Broadway World, external gave the show three stars, emphasising that it is not “jokes about murder”, but a piece about how Knox might one day explain the case to her young daughter.

Like other reviewers, it argued that the issue lies in billing the show as stand‑up comedy.

The outlet said the material is not offensive or inappropriate but was “just not very funny.”

The Times, external also questioned the show’s framing, saying Knox needed a director and describing Cartwheel as “more of a one‑woman show than stand‑up”.

The Daily Telegraph, external echoed that a “decent director” was needed, concluding that the show is “delivered with too much act­orly poise, and no sense what­so­ever for comic tim­ing”.

Taken together, the reviews paint a picture of a show shaped more by personal reflection than conventional comedy, something Knox herself acknowledges.

She told the BBC she is using comedy to explore trauma and motherhood.

“I hope people will honestly engage in my work and recognise the deep heart and sensitivity that I bring to it as I tell a very personal story,” she said.

But Kercher’s sister told BBC Breakfast she fears the show risks “normalising and trivialising” violence against women, and her sister, in particular.

A petition set up by a friend of Meredith Kercher gathered nearly 5,000 signatures before the show launched, arguing the show disrespects her memory.

The Fringe show has an 11-day run in the Gilded Balloon Teviot.

Its title Cartwheel references a story that once claimed Knox did cartwheels in the police station after her British roommate’s death.