Comedy, Marissa Burgess
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Run, Deaf Boy, Run!
8 Aug 2011
Engaging, heart-warming tale told with skill from deaf comedian Steve Day
Finding himself in his late 40s, deaf comedian Steve Day was feeling like he was falling apart at the seams, so he responded by deciding to run the London Marathon. Despite the fact that the only thing that defined him as a runner was that he owned a…
Police Academy's human sound effect set for Edinburgh - Michael Winslow interview
26 Jul 2011
2011 Fringe debut from actor best-known for iconic 80s comedies
It’s been 27 years since the first film, yet Michael Winslow is still roundly known as ‘that guy who made the noises in Police Academy.’ Though Police Academy 8 is mooted for next year, he’s unperturbed by the enduring connection to the movie series.
Jenny Fawcett
2 Aug 2012
Unhinged nerd wrings constant laughs
As the audience streams in, Jenny Fawcett’s already rummaging amongst us, noting our names on a bit of paper. A gawky, bespectacled figure sporting a criminally uncool Nigel Kennedy t-shirt, Fawcett tells us of the momentous day -- September 11 2001…
Iszi Lawrence skirts around the other ‘f’ word at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2012
25 Jul 2012
Feminism, gender and swearing. Sounds pretty interesting.
‘The one thing I’m not going to say is it’s about gender identity, which is totally what it is about.’ So, technically, we probably weren’t meant to quote Iszi Lawrence on that, but rest assured Wotnot isn’t going to be a man-hating rant, nor all about…
Steve Gribbin: Laugh at First Sight
23 Aug 2011
A gag-heavy and tack-sharp set
Displaying the skills learnt from 30 years on the circuit, Gribbin’s set is gag-heavy and tack-sharp. He uses the structure of his own comedic journey on which to loosely hang his musical satire with routines on the royal wedding and riots. It’s always…
Hannah Gadsby - Mrs Chuckles
23 Aug 2011
A mistress of the subtle one-liner
Having been talked into doing a bungee jump, Gadsby now knows what her deathbed words will be and they’re a disappointment. Armed with tea and biscuits, Mrs Chuckles is exquisitely delivered. A mistress of the subtle one-liner, she credits the crowd…
Simon Munnery: Hats Off for the 101ers, and Other Material
23 Aug 2011
Fringe institution is ever-innovative
There aren’t many acts that can fill The Stand on a weekday afternoon, but then Munnery is a Fringe institution. Ever-innovative via daft songs, silly props and monologues, absurdist highlights include his punk rock homage to the R101 airship of 1930…
The Quotidian Revue
23 Aug 2011
Interesting, absurdist comedy lacks cofidence
With its database of sneeze counts, Twirl stats and celebration of a multi-storey car park’s midweek solitude, this show swings between the absurd and the beautiful. Where it falls down is in the delivery, with two out of the three performers seeming to…
Olver: Portrait of a Serial Killer
16 Aug 2011
Stand-up show/theatre experience has potential to be brilliant
It’s difficult to tell how much Mark Olver would ordinarily diverge from his script as on this performance there were a series of hitches which he handled with admirable good humour. But should he tighten up this stand-up show/theatre experience it has…
John-Luke Roberts and Nadia Kamil
15 Aug 2011
The comedy duo present the new, adjective-less Behemoth show
It’s no ordinary sketch comedy that we’ve come to expect from the Behemoth pair. Their material is innovative, invested with a delicious sense of the absurd and whilst in places it employs some of the rules of comedy, elsewhere it deliberately bends…
Jason John Whitehead
15 Aug 2011
Turning romantic failure into comedy gold
In 2010, Whitehead was unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend of five years. He’s put the 12 months since to good use with a lot of curling-up in a foetal position and penning this show. Structured around the reasons ladies have broken up with him…
The Gentlemen of Leisure
15 Aug 2011
Lit-loving sketch comedy
Turns out that this show is less about the Death of the Novel and more about why it’s still breathing. It may be an irreverent look at literature but you get the impression that these guys have a genuine love of books. There’s an introduction to Don…
Don’t Trust Salmon
15 Aug 2011
Unfunny surrealism that falls short of Boosh-y aspirations
Pretty much every year at the Fringe there’s a sketch troupe or a stand-up who attempts surreal comedy by simply stringing a series of random words together. The Mighty Boosh and the like may have made it look effortless but there’s an art to it and…
Carl Donnelly 3: Carl Donnelier!
12 Aug 2011
Meandering tales that finally pay off
It’s easy to see why critics and award judges have heaped plaudits on Carl Donnelly. But on this occasion, his easy style of stand-up is muddied somewhat by his inability to stay on topic. In the initial few minutes he becomes preoccupied chatting to…
Sanderson Jones
8 Aug 2011
Pleasingly foppish semi-shambles
This is one of those shows that you’re loathe to have to put a put a star rating on. There’s no telling what’s going to happen on any one night, though you can probably predict some Venn diagrams, a bit of Phil Collins and gleefully bad taste jokes.
Pope Benedict: Bond Villain
8 Aug 2011
Provocative and brilliantly witty hour on religion and economic meltdown
He’s already tackled Jesus: The Guantanamo Years and toured with Eco-Friendly Jihad, and this year Abie Philbin Bowman is still looking at the bigger political landscape with an provocative and brilliantly witty hour drawing parallels between religion…
Bob Downe: 20 Golden Greats
8 Aug 2011
Lively hour of high camp, but with only a handful of gags
Celebrating his 20th Fringe anniversary, Aussie polyester sensation Downe presents his usual shtick of fine-voiced covers of popular song, high camp, face-pulling and silly dancing interspersed with DVD giveaways and quiz questions. It’s a lively hour…
Indoor Fox Hunting
8 Aug 2011
Some lovely ideas, but tightening up of content and delivery required
There are some lovely ideas to be found here, with several leaps of the imagination and a nicely absurd viewpoint. But stretched out across 50 minutes, the material wears very thin and a tightening up of both content and delivery is required. You…
Zeus’ Pamphlet
8 Aug 2011
Enjoyable show combines familiar with the more inventive
This five-piece sketch troupe isn’t bringing anything spectacularly new to the genre but nevertheless it’s an enjoyable show that’s worth seeing. Where some characters are familiar – rude girls on the back of a bus – there are a few ideas that are more…
Busybody - Shazia Mirza interview
26 Jul 2011
The comedian discusses being both a busybody and the go-to girl for Islam
As a female Muslim stand-up, Shazia Mirza would often find herself asked to comment on current affairs. Around 9/11 she was quoted left, right and centre but soon tired of being the go-to girl for Islam. ‘I always get people ringing up asking my opinion…
Nick Sun
23 Aug 2010
The most gloriously disconcerting experience you’re likely to see
Sun defies categorisation: firstly he’s Australian of Nepalese extraction but speaks with a north American twang. Then there’s the material; his is easily the most gloriously disconcerting experience you’re likely to see at the Fringe. During the course…
Dead Cat Bounce
23 Aug 2010
Poised to go from cult hit to Minchin-like stardom
Last year they certainly had the rock stylings off pat but this time around they’ve nailed the comedy too. This four-piece from Dublin is the finished article, with songs about running with midgets, one that pokes fun at the cute frontman and a lovely…
Pension Plan
23 Aug 2010
A pleasure to see a middle-aged lady dicking about
Leisa Rea has been feeling a bit glum so she’s gathered together all her life failures in one big show and celebrated them through the medium of dance, song and a series of absurd short films. There are plenty of lovely touches from random victory jigs…
Michael Fabbri
23 Aug 2010
An amiable and engaging storyteller
His show may be called Fabrications but the only apparent untruth in the show is the big lie told by his former best friend that led to Fabbri being chased by investigative journalists. He is an amiable and engaging storyteller and his tales from…
Gordon Southern
18 Aug 2010
An enjoyable hour with a cheeky chap
On the night we popped into Southern’s show, the audience were a touch rowdy. Still it gave him chance to display his well-honed crowd-control skills. Audience pacified and on with the show, one with the theme of borders, inspired by his Australian wife…
