Edinburgh Festivals

Edinburgh Fringe set for administrative reform

21 Jan 2010

FROM a homosexual Jesus to Jane Austen’s Guide to Pornography, the Fringe has never been short of controversy when it comes to its acts. There was disappointment then, last year, when the headlines still focussed on the Fringe’s administration over the…

Will Self - Liver And Other Stories

Moments of brilliance are too often lost

17 Sep 2009

'If you are offended by a certain four letter word beginning in 'c' and ending in 't',' Will Self addresses his salt-and-pepper Edinburgh Book Festival audience, 'I suggest you leave now. If you are of a nervous or emotional disposition, I suggest you…

Homecoming at Henderson's

Graceful homecoming at a fine old Edinburgh powerhouse

17 Sep 2009

Henderson’s is an Edinburgh stalwart whose vegetarian power base, begun on Hanover Street in the early sixties, has slowly but surely expanded to dominate an entire street front. There are reasons for its success. It’s a business built with love, and…

Peter and Wendy

A Caledonian Pan with puppets

17 Sep 2009

Perhaps the weightiest problem that confronted Mabou Mines in bringing this long-established production (first conceived in the mid-80s and running for 14 years) to Edinburgh was the issue of how many tons of coal Newcastle could take. Putting up a…

Stuck in a rut

Utter nonsense

17 Sep 2009

For many of those students graduating in the centre of recession, the prospect of unemployment and mountains of debt to repay is a very real and current problem. This show is very loosely based on the dire situation much of the class of '09 are facing…

Admeto, re di Tessaglia

Exit, pursued by a butoh sheep

11 Sep 2009

Opera is a medium well placed to embrace the ridiculous, and sometimes to render it sublime. Strained voices, high drama, grand sets, expensive costumes and expensive tickets: they all have their place, and it can be a fine line between spectacular and…

Actus tragicus

Bach in a dolls house

11 Sep 2009

'I meant to write about death, only life came breaking in as usual.' Virginia Woolf's sentiment is one the characters in Actus tragicus might well understand - though her black humour would probably be lost on them. Filling the stage is an impressive…

The World is Too Much: Posthuman Satire Slash Romance

Fresh writing taking on stale language

10 Sep 2009

In an island of lamplight bounded by the dull beat of a nightclub’s ‘throbbing ego’, a drug-dealer, his blind wife and a mate shout, shag and think their way into a tangle of words. This is Chris Hannan’s contribution to the Traverse Theatre’s early…

Afterplay

Haunting Chekovian elegy

3 Sep 2009

Over the years, there have been a number of examples of dramatists borrowing characters from other writers’ works and giving them life elsewhere, but no version of this kind of experiment could be as striking as Brian Friel’s reflection on the later…

Bedtime Stories

A fun tribute to an essential piece of furniture

3 Sep 2009

One double bed and nine darkly comic vignettes form the basis for this show, which has returned to Edinburgh with a brand new cast. A talented team deliver stories as diverse as a stressed bed salesman, to an unbelievably embarrassing one night stand…

Visual Art hitlist

3 Sep 2009

Agnes Martin, Alan Davie, Cerith Wyn Evans with Throbbing Gristle, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, Henry Coombes, Agnes Martin, Dani Marti, Thomas Hirschhorn

Ward No. 6

Entertaining and tragic adaptation of Chekov's work

3 Sep 2009

Chekhov’s classic tale of insanity and ruthless ambition is brought to the stage in this slick and energetic interpretation by DogOrange. Highly physical and original, this adaptation is both entertaining and tragic as the concepts of alienation and the…

Warehouse 364

Clichéd and flat

3 Sep 2009

A case of mistaken identity leads a part time prostitute to the doors of Warehouse 364, a place where ‘good things happen to bad people.’ Clichéd and flat from the very beginning, this piece is let down by its underdeveloped and repetitive plot.  This…

Margaret Atwood - The Year of the Flood

Author launches new work at Edinburgh Book Festival

2 Sep 2009

The Flood which Margaret Atwood brings to an already soggy Charlotte Square gardens is, in fact, a waterless one. It is not sent by a punitive, Old Testament God but rather by scientists of the near future playing Him. Two isolated women, Toby and…

Bamboozlement

Audience interaction with much charm and wit

1 Sep 2009

Not the first act to blend comedy and magic in the same show, although they may just be the youngest. Unusually dressed in lapels and dinner jackets along with finely tended facial hair makes these boys look more like Amish school kids than magical…

Breakfast with Burns

Finally, a few words from the lassies in his life

1 Sep 2009

250 years after his birth, more Scottish girls than ever have got the hots for The Bard. Alicia Devine sure does. The triumph of this raucous one-woman show is that as we hear from Burns’ mother, wife, and lovers. And from all the blethers between…

Catch

Finding love is not as easy as buying it on the internet

1 Sep 2009

A show surrounding the upsurge in the mail order bride industry is, if nothing else, an bizarrely original concept. The show incorporates comedy, dance, acting and ,ahem, simulating oral sex with a suitcase, in an attempt to understand why people resort…

Dan Atkinson: Death by One Thousand Pricks

Compelling and entertaining thesis on the current state of Britain

1 Sep 2009

Dan Atkinson is sick of pretending. He's through with being nice, kaput with repressing his desires, and done with right-wing 'pricks' that moan and whine on radio call-ins. Charmingly presenting the stage as a realm in which the truth runs free, and…

Il Ritorno Di Ulisse In Patria

Austere, beautifully performed homecoming for a not-so-wily Ulysses

1 Sep 2009

It's hard at first to know where to look on this stage. The story of Ulysses' return, as written by Monteverdi, is played out by puppets, but close behind them are their puppeteers, their heads only a few centimetres apart and a few centimetres larger…

Or[f]unny

Sibling power games with willies and mustard

1 Sep 2009

The blurb promises a story which ‘asks something of everyone: to rediscover the meaning of our existence’. Whether this is indeed the most obvious question raised by Or[f]unny is perhaps a matter of opinion, but if you want to psychoanalyse, there's…

The Testament of Cresseid

Classic Scots poem, recited with a modest touch of theatre

1 Sep 2009

If broad strokes of theatricality are to your taste this new translation of Robert Henryson’s 15th Century Scots riposte to Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, directed by David Levine, might not be entirely to your taste. There’s a strong sense of the…

The Yalta Game

Love story in duologue

1 Sep 2009

The giddiness of love, as well as the dark cynicism that can sometimes undermine it, is a thematic concern to which Brian Friel’s work frequently returns. In this loose theatrical adaptation of Chekov’s short story ‘Lady with Lapdog’, we see an…

Tim: Against All Odds

Truly entertaining and adventurous show

1 Sep 2009

Having reached the conclusion that the Tim's of the world tend to be a little boring, unnaturally unlucky and generally have little to boast about; our hapless hero Tim is relentlessly determined to buck the trend and make a credible name for himself…

Unknown Album

New play promises much but delivers little

1 Sep 2009

Four disparate characters’ lives are briefly touched by one song. It’s a simple premise that could deliver much, but this production of Fred Gordon’s play lacks direction and ultimately loses its way amid one too many clever stage manoeuvres. Themes…

Miles Jupp: Telling it Like it Might be

Mr Nice Guy is generous with the laughs

28 Aug 2009

Playing on his persona as a harmlessly posh good egg, the sort you’d happily leave your kids with, Jupp crafts tales of his failings and faux pas, mishaps visited on him and his own ineptitudes into a rolling onslaught of rib-tickling yarns. Designed to…

Edinburgh Comedy Award nominations

Who's up for the Fringe's top prize?

27 Aug 2009

The name may be up for debate, but what isn't in doubt is the prestige of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards and the impact it can have on a comic's career. Known in its most memorable form as the Perrier Award from 1981 to 2005, followed by a brief stint…

The Other Side

Hefty political issues and rational solutions

27 Aug 2009

Tackling some of the hefty political issues surrounding Israel and Palestine is no easy task when we consider the immense and often brutal circumstances of the conflict between the two nations. This is done very cleverly however by The Other Side, which…

The Bone House

No sleep tonight

27 Aug 2009

The cult celebrity of serial killers and the average person’s ability to become one is the subject of this new horror play by Marty Chan that questions our fascination with the macabre. Beginning as an informal lecture by self professed ‘Mind Hunter…

Cabaret Whore

Sex, revenge and Katie Price

27 Aug 2009

The themes of sex, revenge and Katie Price are just some of the topics tackled in Sarah-Louise Young’s all female cabaret show. Performed with passion from the very beginning, Young’s interchanging characters - Southern belle, socially inept librarian…

Crave

Raw and powerful from the very beginning

27 Aug 2009

Royal Holloway Theatre’s restaging of Sarah Kane’s penultimate play explores four characters disillusioned with life due to excess, abuse and loneliness. Raw and powerful from the very beginning, Kane’s fluid, poetic script dominates a piece that makes…

I'll Be Bert

Funny and touching one man show

27 Aug 2009

Hero worship and unwavering loyalty are faithfully remembered in this funny and touching one man show by Bill Cronshaw. Charting his lifelong devotion to Manchester City FC, this piece recalls life in 50s Manchester by focusing on Cronshaw’s childhood…

Kim Noble

Unfettered lunacy?

27 Aug 2009

Of the near 600 shows listed under Comedy in the Fringe programme, there will be absolutely nothing in there like Kim Noble Will Die. Indeed, whether the return of the man who was once one half of the Perrier Best Newcomer winning double act Noble and…

Moscow State Circus

Backbends aplenty; smiles and spontaneity in short supply

27 Aug 2009

The Moscow State Circus is full of extremely talented performers. High above the audience, Alexander Doktorov stands on his head, his hands and legs spread wide into the open air. Lots of people can do headstands, but I haven’t seen many executed on a…

Russell Kane: ‘Fakespeare: The Tragicall Saveings of King Nigel’

More bard theory than he's letting on?

27 Aug 2009

Russell Kane’s second ‘Fakespeare’ play tells the story of Nigel, a vile Essex banker torn between his fat orange wife – ‘the Gorgon’ – and his ‘semi-chav’ secretary, Donna. Nigel also has to choose between suicide and the nefarious investment in Sudan…

Faith No More

Massive shots of musical adrenaline that have the crowd and band pumping

27 Aug 2009

Surely the crowning glory in this year’s Edge Festival - the reunited Faith No More returning to Scotland after a long, long absence. Firstly, Manchester youngsters Oceansize kick things off in suitably fuzzy prog metal style, reminiscent of oor ain…

Eric's Tales of the Sea

Moving, humbling, and comic

26 Aug 2009

Breathtaking, poignant, suspenseful, and hilarious, Eric's tales are enthralling, told by a gifted storyteller who will draw you into the murky depths of his world. Self-deprecating and never boastful, he gives an account of the bravery of his fellow…

5 Questions: Terry Alderton

Terry Alderton once played in goals for Southend FC before turning to comedy. There’s nothing in our

26 Aug 2009

What five words best describes your show this year? No format, just full on. Can you name a comic who should be more famous than they are now why? Me. What bugs or delights you most about Edinburgh in August? The weather bugs me; it…

Comedy Hitlist

26 Aug 2009

Brendon Burns In years gone by this mouthy Aussie could have started an almighty battle in an empty room. He doesn’t have that problem anymore given the number of dates he’s added to this sold-out run. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 25–29 Aug…

Up

Crisp and elliptical with a killer closing line

26 Aug 2009

Edgy production about a young gay teacher who’s in hospital recovering (or perhaps not) from a mental collapse. There he recalls a haunting incident from his youth, involving a student and a pair of sharpened pencils. Debut playwright James Ley’s script…

Scottish Paintings: Old Masters to Contemporary

Great works undermined by staid and debilitating presentation

26 Aug 2009

This closed and muted historical survey covers a time span of around 400 years and reaches from the dark, still-life ages of William Gow Ferguson in 1632, to the rarely exciting contemporary abstract paintings of Callum Innes. Chronicling Scottish…

Tap and Chat with Lionel Blair

Does exactly what it says on the tin

26 Aug 2009

This show does exactly what it says on the tin. Lionel does a little tap dancing, which given his antiquity is impressive, then goes into a series of showbiz recollections of days gone by about everyone from Brucie to Liza, adding songs and bits of film…

The Tale of Lady Stardust

Meditation on religious extremism

26 Aug 2009

Convinced that David Bowie is a prophet, Ziggy and Gary are eagerly awaiting the Rapture in their grotty flat when their bubble is pierced by the appearance of a drugged-up clubber. As a meditation on religious extremism, it has little new to say but…

Sweeney Todd: His Life, Times and Execution!

Enjoyable, atmospheric adaptation

26 Aug 2009

Lashings of fake blood, ample busts and bawdy thrusts characterise this enjoyable and suitably grotesque adaptation. The twist here is that the killings are largely accidental, the killer a meek, clumsy and rather sweet boy. The puppetry is perhaps an…

RE

Strong performances and an over-ambitious script

26 Aug 2009

Frustrating piece about three people trapped with each other and the ghosts of their pasts. Confusion arises from a script trying to do too much in such a limited time frame, but the show is saved by beautiful staging and strong performances, which keep…

A Promised Land

Weighty dramatisation of post-Holocaust Europe

26 Aug 2009

Thought provoking by virtue of its subject matter (post-Holocaust Europe, the early days of the Israel-Palestine conflict), this play is weighty and worthy. Despite much originality and skilful performances from Corinne Harris as two very different…

The Play About Charlotte

Emotional story of mental illness told from different perscpectives

26 Aug 2009

A successful young playwright struggles with a lack of inspiration in her life and marriage until her work suffers and mental illness blurs the boundaries of reality. A plot which twists back on itself to revisit scenes from a different perspective…

The One and the Many

Cliched and repetitive philosophical rom-com

26 Aug 2009

An ill-advised trip to a massage parlour leads to the discovery of the mysterious ‘virgin whore of Prague’ in this philosophical rom-com. The concept of a successful virgin prostitute is just one of several twists in a show that attempts to question…

Micaela Leon: Kabarett Berlin

An underwhelming tribute to eight 'Weimar Girls'

26 Aug 2009

As Micaela Leon takes you through her top eight ‘Weimar Girls’, you get a real feel for her respect for these women – it’s just unfortunate that her tribute is an underwhelming substitute for the real thing, and her telling of their stories comes across…

Don Juan in Soho

An energetic young cast but no Rhys Ifans

26 Aug 2009

When the the Guardian calls a show a 'Top ticket', it tends to sell well. The picture accompanying their list of five such tickets features Rhys Ifans as Don Juan in the 2006 premiere of Patrick Marber's Don Juan in Soho (after Moliere); the caption…

Under Milk Wood

Visually appealing production of Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices'

26 Aug 2009

A group of girls from Youth Arts Leicestershire, all in their late teens, all dressed as wood nymphs, rock slowly back and forth as we file into the theatre. Their synchronized movements suggest the ebb and flow of the tide. 'To begin at the…

Weepie

Remarkably assured piece of theatre

25 Aug 2009

For a hard-hitting portrayal of emotional violence and its shocking physical manifestations, this play is awfully funny. For an exploration of how we seek transcendence through love, religion, or acts of murder, it is rooted surprisingly firmly in the…

Words with AL Kennedy

Meanders delightfully

25 Aug 2009

AL Kennedy proves herself a consummate storyteller in this sharp meditation on the power of words. A largely autobiographical look at her love affair with language, Kennedy meanders delightfully from paranoia about her recent Costa award win through her…

A One Way Street

Eco-friendly yummy mummies in sketch form

25 Aug 2009

The preoccupations of suburban housewives are presented in four, well-observed sketches. Sarah and Lois, trapped in a larder during a kids’ party, argue the merits of ‘genuinely sustainable’ party bags. Paula and Cathy, rehearsing their pitch for a…

A Year’s Hard Labour

Sound performances make this an engaging free show

25 Aug 2009

Goldsmiths Drama Society showcases a diverse array of talents in this marathon-paced play. As six jurors discuss an immigration case, their daydreams meld into reality, though slick staging ensures the audience is never confused. And, despite the…

Emptymouthing

Doesn’t cohere into anything substantial

25 Aug 2009

Susie Campbell’s one-woman show takes the Hansel and Gretel fairytale and deconstructs it to show society’s preoccupation with food, mixing in her own tale of eating disorders. Using storytelling, movement and props her analogy holds, and live music…

Forever Young

WWI through letters, diaries, poems and song

25 Aug 2009

Remembering WWI through letters, diaries, poems and song there are some wonderful performances here from the Yvonne Arnaud Youth Theatre’s young cast. While the ‘war is hell’ message may be clichéd, in these troubled times it’s truer than ever, while…

God: A Comedy by Woody Allen

Deliberately unsatisfying, disposable feeling

25 Aug 2009

UCLU Runaground re-create Woody Allen's neurotic mannerisms with startling clarity in this polished student production of his 1975 play God . The shambolic way in which its narrative blurs the audience/actor relationship may not appeal to theatre-goers…

The Works of Fate

Makes up for its rough edges with major gusto

25 Aug 2009

This bawdy and at times comical take on De Sade follows the awaited return of a prodigal son, turning, by an outrageous contrivance, into a meta-theatrical re-enactment of the sordid life of his stepmother, with much emphasis on its violence and sexual…

Third Breast

Hampered by ham-fisted direction

25 Aug 2009

Hampered by ham-fisted direction where outbursts of ‘dramatic’ music punctuate any significant utterance, any poetry in the lines is garbled by actors who don’t understand either their characters or the meaning of the words. This magical realist…

Edinburgh festival delivers a good innings

Steve Cramer's Festival Blog

24 Aug 2009

I seem to have touched a nerve with my last blog. Today, I received an (admittedly second hand) report that it had been said of me that I was clearly a narrow minded little Scotlander for speaking ill of London. The actor friend on the receiving end of…

Jason John Whitehead

This rambling show needs a little more coherence

24 Aug 2009

JJW is having a crisis: now in his 30s, his body clock is ticking but he has no real affection for kids, and a string of jokes about beating other people's children compose the core of this routine. His quirky delivery steers him past slower moments but…

Jason Byrne

Life-affirming offbeat madness

24 Aug 2009

The Fringe just wouldn't be the same without our favourite angry Irishman. This year's offering is more hysterical rantings, more rubbish magic and the heart-warming wonderment of a hyperactive child. At times the energy seems to dip below his normal…

Ivan Brackenbury

Often-amusing ailment-themed gags

24 Aug 2009

Saying you prefer a band's early material may be a cliché but this year's 'all-new' hospital radio show makes 2008's Brackenbury-induced tears of laughter seem like a dream that can never be recaptured. The inappropriate song choices are still there as…

Guy Incognito

A muddled execution that feels unfinished

24 Aug 2009

A series of sketches set over one public school term, the former BBC New Talent Pick of the Fringe act has a more interesting conceit than material. Though wonderfully empathetic at times (the English teacher defining 'love' nearly brought tears not…

Greg Behrendt

Predictable material

24 Aug 2009

This is the American comedian's UK debut and comes on the back of his co-writing success with He's Just Not That Into You. Behrendt describes the gig as like a date where he'll 'talk about himself without listening to you'. While he's overflowing with…

Gary Little

Storytelling is not his forte

24 Aug 2009

Having served a year in Barlinnie, Little should really have more to say than this. Storytelling is not his forte and what should be top drawer material for a comedian is muddied by poor delivery and structure. Constant digressions don't help matters…

Fredrik Lloyd

Blessed with neither presence nor charisma

24 Aug 2009

You can see what Lloyd was aiming for with this unlikely account of bionic boy turned super featherweight cage fighter. He's meant to represent, rather than actually embody, a deluded waif holding court with tall tales and a YouTube fixation, but the…

4 Poofs and a Piano

A seemingly inexhaustible supply of sexual puns

24 Aug 2009

The four poofs of Jonathan Ross's house band are affable enough but their hour of musical comedy is suffocated by a seemingly inexhaustible supply of sexual puns. A few energetic dance routines - after which these pre-Brüno stereotypes nearly collapse…

Elis James

Sex, drugs and rock'n'rollercoasters

24 Aug 2009

Join Welshman James for an endearingly tentative foray into the world of sex, drugs and rock'n'rollercoasters. The Welsh comic makes a confident stand-up debut with an engagingly honest hour of chit chat. In places, he is a touch rough and ready but…

Des Bishop

A show of empathy, if not quite originality

24 Aug 2009

Spending his teenage years in Ireland after growing up in New York has not only given Bishop a mongrel accent, but a complex mix of Queens confidence and Blarney charm all wrapped in a self-effacing confusion. It's a confusion that invades the intimate…

Dead Cat Bounce

The overall effect is enjoyable

24 Aug 2009

Taking the idea of musical comedy to the extreme, these Irish lads not only perform sketches but are a four-piece band too. It's nicely presented but much of the actual comedy hasn't a lot of substance, instead relying on the music to carry it through.

Daniel Rigby

Frenzied and wilfully bizarre one-man character sketch show

24 Aug 2009

Despite the musical pieces proving fresh and genuinely funny, there is something classically British about Rigby's frenzied and wilfully bizarre character sketch show. The forceful pace brings a certain shambolic charm to proceedings; indeed we could…

Colm O'Regan

An effortless talent abounding

24 Aug 2009

You can just about hear the voice of David O'Doherty in your ears every time O'Regan pulls out another charming anecdote or dwells on a whimsical image or two. This softly-spoken young comic claims to have written some alternative Mills & Boon and…

Edinburgh Free Fringe round-up

24 Aug 2009

In a festival where Ricky Gervais can charge whatever he wants for a show in the Playhouse and sell out comfortably, as well as expecting to pay £10 for a half-decent comedian nobody's heard of, it's nice to see the free alternatives still going strong.

Tom Basden

Damn fine, damn funny show

24 Aug 2009

A damn fine, damn funny show combining quirky songs on guitar and banjo (plus a couple of invented instruments) with strange slide shows, photo stories and suggestions for a new dance craze. Learn about the former if.comedy Best Newcomer's suspiciously…

Wilson Dixon

Wryly amusing and peppered with plain silly songs

24 Aug 2009

It's a pleasure to spend an hour in the company of this affable, laidback, slightly dopey country singer from Cripple Creek, Colorado (perhaps by way of the Antipodes). During it, Wilson recounts the story of how he took off to make his name in…

Carey Marx

Everything from global warming to fisting cows

24 Aug 2009

Marx offers a relatively fresh take on that peculiarly British obsession with doom and gloom in a routine that takes in everything from global warming to fisting cows, Susan Boyle's hair and bum sex while trampolining. While his writing betrays an…

Tiani Ghosh

Deeply irritating sketch show

24 Aug 2009

All the humour in this deeply irritating sketch show is constructed in the 'I didn't mean that, I meant this' word play. If Tiani Ghosh and Raph Shirley raise any laughs from the audience, it's because these jokes are so tortured and forced that they…

3 Gaga Heads

All quite barmy

24 Aug 2009

The trio of Japanese nutcases showcase their largely none speaking style of inventive tricks and amusing oddities. There are pink aliens, a rubber glove overture and Godzilla recreated through a red lycra bodysuit and with a little help from two mates.

Bec Hill

The banter and inventiveness of a burgeoning comic talent

24 Aug 2009

Bec Hill is great fun. Her energetic romp through the world of superheroes - the necessary requirements, pitfalls, and her own attempts to be one - is fun more than funny, but she certainly can entertain with the banter and inventiveness of a burgeoning…

Sirqus Alfon

An hour of sheer lunacy

24 Aug 2009

In what can only be described as an hour of sheer lunacy, Sirqus Alfon present a charmingly ridiculous, transfixing 90s dance explosion cum human computer game with Eurotrash. Impressive timing and energy turn what could easily have been a painful…

Andrew Maxwell

Sparkles with charm and wit aplenty

24 Aug 2009

With many a comedian taking the new offender route, Maxwell proves it's possible to be sharp and boundary-nudging without simply being obnoxious. A friendly presence onstage, our Irish raconteur has the crowd eating from the palm of his hand, amusing…

Alistair Barrie

Elicits chuckles rather than belly laughs

24 Aug 2009

Towards the end of his show, Barrie alludes to his self-perceived status as a comedy underdog, but that assertion is betrayed by the previous hour of assured material. Frequently plunging into well-rehearsed staccato rants, he handles his topics with a…

Adams & Rea

Music in their blood but only mildly amusing

24 Aug 2009

These girls have got music in their blood, capable as they are of switching effortlessly from pop to rock and rap via medieval ballad and Japanese folk song. But while their playing of guitar, ukulele and banjo impresses, it's not clear whether or not…

Simon Donald and Maff Brown

The funniness of the sketches quickly faded

24 Aug 2009

If shouting 'you've got AIDS' at latecomers, listening to a wide boy plumber-to-the-stars ramble, and helping a diligent market researcher complete a survey by Geordie teenagers sounds like fun, you'll probably enjoy this show. Some people laughed…

Shirley & Shirley

Can't fault either of the performances

24 Aug 2009

This female duo's sketch offerings are technically, meticulously executed and you can't fault either of the performances. But the material sways from pitch perfect writing to packing little punch plus being a little too reliant on stereotypes for…

Abi Roberts

Not much in the way of comedic writing

24 Aug 2009

There's little doubt that Roberts can sing and her range of styles is wide but there's not much in the way of comedic writing here. Her show whizzes through her life story and along the way she throws out a myriad of impressions of singers with the…

Aaron Barschak

A monstrosity of a show

24 Aug 2009

In this monstrosity of a show, Barschak's tasteless jokes - crudely handling 'shock-factor' issues such as the Holocaust, terrorism and incest - are made worse only by his self-delusional conviction that he is vaguely humorous, and the fact you are…

Shed Simove

Intriguing subject, awkward performance

24 Aug 2009

This is, if nothing else, unique. In Ideas Man, the nerdy Simove discusses his novelty products and occasional Gorman-esque stunt with an ungainly arrogance. There are some truly funny gems but the slick PowerPoint and overbearing posters make this a…

Sarah Bennetto

Rarely sparks hilarity

24 Aug 2009

An early show and intimate venue work against confessional tales that cry out for a little hubbub to soak up the fluctuations in pitch and smooth over some of the timing. Aussie Bennetto's golden ticket endeavours thus often ring true but rarely spark…

Ross Lee

Sometimes entertaining but mostly depressing

24 Aug 2009

A fame junkie since his gauche childhood in Leeds, Lee presents a video documentary of his own obsessive attempts to be on TV, culminating in a stint as a Nickelodeon UK host. His evident monomaniacal lust for the merest crust of renown is sometimes…

Patrick Monahan

Would be a pleasant quarter of an hour

24 Aug 2009

This show manages to over-run by ten minutes which is no mean feat considering the dearth of material on offer. This would be a pleasant quarter of an hour in the hands of the jovial Geordie comic but stretched over an hour it becomes tortuous. Getting…

Matt Price

Cleverly constructed, highly personal story about love

24 Aug 2009

My Girlfriend Was Attacked by a Small-Time Wannabe Gangster and This is What I Did About It is a vividly descriptive title, but there's more to this surprisingly tender confessional directed by John Gordillo. The lovely Price performs a cleverly…

Marigold

An audible dearth of jokes

24 Aug 2009

The three young members of sketch group Marigold have an unenviable task; entertaining a very small audience in a hot C venue studio at midnight, and they face it with high energy enthusiasm. Yet with their questionable writing skills, and a show full…

Matt Green

Hard to fault any specific aspect of his act

24 Aug 2009

Green's material is fine. His delivery is fine. It's hard to fault any specific aspect of his act. Yet the fine whole flatly refuses to be more than its parts' sum. Eagerness to please moves him to defang his more interesting, darker stuff with giggles…

Luke Toulson

Frequently unexpected and inventive

24 Aug 2009

It's thoroughly refreshing to see a comic unwilling to pander to his crowd or make them love him, even the reviewer who in a stroke of genius positioned herself in the middle of the front row. Consequently, Toulson's often cruel humour - whether in his…

Lucy Porter

A performance that is assured if a little safe

24 Aug 2009

Though her youthful looks and childlike attitude hide it, Porter has had more experience than most at the Fringe. It all makes for a performance that is assured if a little safe, never in danger of falling flat but equally never challenging any…

Kevin Tomlinson

Laughs and poignant moments

24 Aug 2009

'I'm not sure if this will be comedy or drama,' says Tomlinson as he conjures up another character for his 'seven ages of man' improvisation. As it happens there are both laughs and poignant moments in this theatrical display, although audience…

Kent Valentine

Pleasingly energetic

24 Aug 2009

This chummy Star Wars-obsessed Aussie is sick of the arseholes who rather inconveniently populate the world. When the truth dawns that he might actually be one himself, the only place to hide is behind his toy lightsaber. His pleasingly energetic set…

Jon Richardson

Very funny anecdotes

24 Aug 2009

There's no doubt whatsoever that Richardson is destined for McIntyre-like levels of fame, which will be a sorry shame because an intimate (or brutally hot) venue is where his tight-knit comedy works best. Following up on last year's spiffing Dogmatic…