New Edinburgh act of the day: DeAnne Smith

The shtick: Nerdy but perky Canadian comic DeAnne Smith talks lesbianism and intelligent design, strums a uke and compulsively deconstructs her own act. Where has she been until now? Briefly, on NBC's Last Comic Standing. Constantly, on international tours of her standup, which saw her nominated this year for the prestigious Barry award at the Melbourne comedy festival. Just for Laughs? Far from it. Smith's show starts with a detour into philosophy and existential angst, provoked by an Australian waiter using the (inappropriate) phrases "no worries". Best moment: Describing a moment in conversation where – distracted by her own internal monologue, noisily congratulating her on being such a good listener – she stopped actually hearing what the other party was saying. We've all been there. Low moment: There's nothing terrible, but second-hand material about babies being "crazy" and grandmothers being racist is beneath her. You'll like it if ... You enjoy non-aggressive audience interaction. Smith has dedicated six-and-a-half "bonus" minutes of her show to material prompted by suggestions from the crowd – which is one of the jolliest sections of the show. You won't like it if ... You're a fundamentalist Christian. Or allergic to winsome ditties sung-spoken to primitive ukulele accompaniment. The buzz: "Consistently rated among Montreal's Top 10 comedians," says Wikipedia , which is somewhat faint praise. The reality: Cheerful, confident and smart standup, whose running self-commentary comes at the expense of forward momentum. How do I book? Gilded Balloon (0131 622 6552) to 29 August.