Issue 687
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- Issue 687
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Steal Compass, Drive North, Disappear
23 Aug 2011
Minimal and moving life awakening
Against a minimalist background of black walls and a scattering of blank chalkboards, Rachel Blackman unravels the story of Martin Charon, philandering video artist, university professor and father of two. Through the four women in his life (each…
Some Small Love Story
23 Aug 2011
A gem with a young but talented cast
Theatrical tales about love – particularly love lost – can so easily be overly saccharine, lacking the depth and sentiment to truly engage. Not so here. Stripped back simplicity is to the fore, as four excellent young performers reveal two great love…
Little Matter
23 Aug 2011
Charming, dark puppetry
In their delightful purpose-built gypsy caravan/tent venue the River People weave a story of hope and despair using puppetry and song. The performers overflow with wit and charm, interacting with each other and the puppets comfortably. While the…
3rd Ring Out: the Emergency
23 Aug 2011
An intelligent audience-led thriller
If it’s not perfect in execution, this piece is both intriguing and thought-provoking. The audience is ushered into a container functioning as an emergency response room and required to make life-and-death decisions about an ecological catastrophe in…
The Overcoat
23 Aug 2011
All-Scottish cast lead excellent classic satire
An up-to-the minute, fast-paced version of Gogol’s great satire, Catherine Grosvenor’s sharp and hilarious translation (for Finnish companies Rhymäteatteri and Ace Productions) finds us in the world of Edinburgh banking. A fine, all-Scottish cast is led…
Hotel Methuselah
23 Aug 2011
Stunning and inventive multimedia production
In a war-time hotel night porter Harry delves into his memories in this tense, mysterious multimedia work from Imitating the Dog. A frame around the stage offers limited views of the actors who work in tandem with pre-filmed dialogue and supplementary…
Richard Herring: What is Love Anyway?
23 Aug 2011
The "King of Edinburgh" at his scintillating best
Back to his scintillating best, Herring delivers a barrage against our notions about love despite (or because of) his own admission that he may have found ‘the one’. She plays a key role in a typically lengthy sequence about Ferrero Rocher pyramids and…
Alun Cochrane: Moments of Alun
23 Aug 2011
A reliably hilarious hour
When it comes to a reliably hilarious hour, Cochrane is fast becoming the go-to guy. While he can’t see himself selling out stadiums, he’s more than happy to plough his furrow in ‘proper’ comedy environments. He’s the only one in the room who seems…
Randy is Sober
23 Aug 2011
A puppet with incredible range and comedy timing
For an inanimate puppet, Randy’s capable of an enormous range of expression. He’s a captivating flirt and turns his shortcomings (his eyes don’t work) into moments of joy. With a deft turn of phrase and subtle shift in posture, he reacts with impeccable…
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…
Lights! Camera! Improvise!
23 Aug 2011
Invention, energy and singing show where audience chooses the theme
Invention, energy and singing are all rolled into one fun-flecked show, in which the audience chooses the theme, location and title of a movie and the talented Scat Pack improvise the rest. Here, we were transported to a rom-com in a Scunthorpe…
Peacock and Gamble’s Emergency Broadcast
23 Aug 2011
Childish mischief and stupendous invention
Combining the childish mischief of John Belushi with the victimised protestations of the underdog, Ray Peacock almost walks away with this show. But Ed Gamble is the perfect foil, selflessly teasing out moments of stupendous invention. Their take on…
The New Conway Experience
23 Aug 2011
Bringing hilarity to the masses
Appearing haphazard while remaining in control isn’t easy. John Conway is the genial host for an assortment of skits and bits that feels more like post-pub drinks at the house of a funny friend. Balancing the well-crafted with the pleasingly…
Lloyd Langford: The Cold Hard Facts of Life
23 Aug 2011
Relaxed and honest hour with pub-quiz enthusiast
Pub-quiz enthusiast Langford promises an evening of facts but there was nothing cold or hard about them. There were snippets about mouse-catching and Welsh TV, but the greatest fact learned was that Langford has funny bones. It’s wonderfully rare to see…
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…
Matt Green: Too Much Information
23 Aug 2011
Perfectly-paced hour with affable and intelligent Green
Not only charming and affable but also disarmingly intelligent, Green slips more than a few references to global economics into his very funny show. The internet, family and sex are also studied to see why the human race has become so easily distracted…
Neil Delamere: Divilment
23 Aug 2011
Confident, mischievious anecdotes
Japes are rife in Divilment, not only in Delamere’s anecdotes but with the mischief he has with his audience: nip to the loo at your peril. His improvisational skills and comic timing are tested and this engaging and confident comedian passes with…
Asher Treleaven: Matador
23 Aug 2011
Fresh, exciting and energetic
There’s no explanation for the rose-trimmed, front-lawn stage Treleaven spends the hour dandying around, but this seems to fit in with his marvellously peculiar persona. His bittersweet harangue on racism is as intelligent and heartfelt as it is funny.
Fringe 2011 theatre blogs: Biding Time
23 Aug 2011
Can we find alternative models for making theatre at the Fringe?
Market’s crashing, Somalia’s starving and London’s burning; Are we fiddling in Edinburgh while Rome burns this August? It takes a mental leap to see any real connection between the Edinburgh fringe festival and the state of the wider world, except…
Interview: Greg Proops - First word
23 Aug 2011
The US comic on Cormac McCarthy, Rupert Murdoch and medical marajuana
US comic, and Whose Line is it Anyway? mainstay, Greg Proops chats Cormac McCarthy, Rupert Murdoch and medical marajuana
The Missing
23 Aug 2011
John Tiffany's National Theatre of Scotland production of Andrew O’Hagan book
‘The passage of time has been really necessary. I needed to get some distance,’ says Andrew O’Hagan. He is referring to the 14 years which have passed since John Tiffany (then literary manager at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, now associate director…
You Wouldn't Know Him, He Lives in Texas
23 Aug 2011
An innovative concept that needs thinking through
The title of this show refers to the boyfriend of Lizzie, who will, if you buy a ticket, invite you to her party. The purpose of the gathering is to introduce us (her 'friends') to her beloved Ryan, all the way from Austin. But of course, he won't be…
An Evening with David Sedaris
23 Aug 2011
Bona fide literary superstar reads from his works
David Sedaris is that rarest of beasts: a bona fide literary superstar and recording artist who regularly appears on TV shows such as Letterman, has performed at Carnegie Hall and has the fanbase to be able to sell out a week-long run at Edinburgh’s…
Do Not Take Advice From This Man - Jim Smallman and Friends
23 Aug 2011
Four comedians try to sort out your life
Hosted by veritable tattooligan Jim Smallman, four comedians each day gather in the back of a pub, build a bank of combined knowledge and try to sort out your life. Joined by Diane Spencer, Naz Osmanoglu, Tony Jameson and Danny McLoughlin, Smallman…
