Category Archives: 4*

‘Mrs Roosevelt Flies To London’ (Assembly Rooms: Drawing Room, until AUG 24 – not AUG11 or 18)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2025, Rated: Nae Bad, Theatre by

“Eleanor Roosevelt certainly makes an admirable subject for a dramatized life story. “

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

Written and performed by Alison Skillbeck, this one-woman show is based on her exclusive access to the diaries of the woman who, as the spouse of FDR, became known as “the First Lady of the World”. Set in October 1942, the story focuses on her visit to wartime Britain, but there are flashbacks (and forwards) to provide glimpses of her life as a whole.

The show is very much in the traditional mould of worthy single-handed biographical shows about great women of history, which have been a prominent feature of Fringe drama for many years. These days, such productions largely appeal to a Boomer demographic, which was reflected in the nearly full house of which I was part in the Drawing Room: a medium-sized auditorium at the Assembly Rooms on George Street.

Skillbeck is a seasoned theatre performer who also has an impressive back catalogue of TV work, including many well-known shows ranging from Doctor Who to The Crown. On radio, she was even in The Archers for a while. As one might thus expect, her performance was engaging, thoroughly professional, and (becoming increasingly rare at the Fringe) audible.

Eleanor Roosevelt certainly makes an admirable subject for a dramatized life story. She was an extraordinarily energetic campaigner for a variety of causes, ranging from civil rights to child poverty and international diplomacy. Credited with defining the role of the First Lady in US politics, she nonetheless had more than her fair share of personal problems as FDR’s wife. Heartbroken by her philandering husband’s affair with her own social secretary, she soldiered on to support his political career, and helped to conceal the polio that crippled him physically and which could have rendered him unelectable in the eyes of the American public of the 1930s.

This, though, creates something of a problem. So eventful was Roosevelt’s life at the epicentre of world affairs, that her story – told in dramatic monologue – can too easily become a festival of name-dropping along with much box-ticking documentary of historical events. Whilst some of these drew murmurs of recognition from some members of the audience, it doesn’t create much in the way of visual theatre. Mobile as Skillbeck’s performance was, the ambience was very much that of a radio play.

Winning various awards in the past, this play is now on its third visit to the Fringe at Assembly. I’m sure there will continue to be an audience for shows of this type for some years to come, but is this style of leisurely-paced, low-tech production perhaps just beginning to feel a little dated? In her publicity, Skillbeck seeks an edge of contemporaneity by noting that the values Roosevelt upheld during her lifetime are under attack in our dangerous present-day world. That may be true, but I fear that this play’s undertone of rose-tinted nostalgic reminiscence offers little in response to such concerns.

Nonetheless, for those who like their drama cosy and informative, this is an agreeable enough way to spend an hour and fifteen minutes (a little longer than the typical Fringe show) on an Edinburgh morning. I dare say it will continue to draw good houses for the rest of its run throughout most of August.

 

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‘In The Black’ (Stephenson Theatre at TheSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, until AUG 23 – not AUG 10 or 17)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2025, Rated: Nae Bad, Theatre by

“Degraft’s snappy verbal delivery makes strong use of vivid comic irony to show how American society can be too geared up for stereotypes which can inflict roles on us all.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

Quaz Degraft describes his show as “a dark comedy solo play about an ambitious Black accountant fighting for a seat at the table in the high-stakes world of Wall Street”. Presented in a light and lively style, Degraft plays a first-generation immigrant Ghanaian kid called Kofi whose traditional and ruthlessly ambitious father uses his belt to drive his son into the “respectable” profession of accountancy. The parental idea of the key to the American dream is to acquire qualification as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

The fact that the play opens and closes with Kofi in the fluorescent orange jumpsuit of a Federal Prison inmate is a vivid indicator of how the American Dream can turn into a nightmare. It’s a story about a search for identity as much as success, but from what Kofi’s family can see of life in New York City, financial success is identity.

However, the street culture of New York offers too many tempting distractions for the young Kofi that pull him away from the direction in which his father points. Degraft’s snappy verbal delivery makes strong use of vivid comic irony to show how American society can be too geared up for stereotypes which can inflict roles on us all. But is the system of huge corporate behemoths in the city’s financial district designed to admit kids like Kofi? He is working class as well as black – will those two things make him too much of an outsider? Will getting a CPA license solve his problems?

Dressing himself in the uniform of his target profession – a suit – Kofi talks his way into an entry-level position that he hopes will lead him to becoming “the (pre-slap) Will Smith of Wall Street”. But as this pacy drama quickly reveals, the rarified atmosphere of high finance has as many pitfalls as life at street level; and it’s not just white-collar crime that’s committed by the masters of the universe in their plate-glass corner offices.

This engaging one-man drama offers its audience two contemporary themes: that of the immigrant experience of finding a way to be admitted into a new culture; and the shock of toxic cultures that outsiders can experience once doors are opened to let them in.

Well worth a look, but the Stephenson Theatre in TheSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall is a small, intimate venue and seats will only get harder to come by. The show runs for most of August, but don’t leave it too long to grab a ticket.

 

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‘Smile: The Story of Charlie Chaplin’ (Pleasance Below, until AUG 25 – not AUG 13)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2025, Pleasance, Rated: Nae Bad, Theatre by

“Cole’s performance wrings every ounce of humour and pathos from the story.”

Editorial Rating:  4  Stars (Nae Bad)

As a massive Chaplin fan, this one-man tribute to one of the world’s greatest entertainers leapt out at me from the poster. I’m pleased to say it didn’t disappoint.

Marcel Cole is a talented actor, dancer, and mime artist who puts all of his physical skills to work in this highly visual and engaging show. Tracking Chaplin’s career from birth in the slums of Victorian London to international superstardom via Hollywood, Cole’s performance wrings every ounce of humour and pathos from the story. Bearing much more than a passing resemblance to his subject – especially in his familiar guise as “the tramp” – Cole is much more than a mere impersonator. Every movement and mannerism evokes the presence of the master comedian.

The early part of the show, which establishes Chaplin’s formative years in the silent movie era, necessarily depends strongly on creative and entertaining use of mime. Cole’s elastic face and expressive gestures quickly connect with the audience. Then, with the arrival of the talkies, both Chaplin and Cole find their voice, adding verbal humour to the visual. One way in which Cole is even able to improve upon his subject’s act is by getting some members of his audience to participate. Chaplin famously broke “the fourth wall” in his films by looking directly at the camera; Cole goes a stage further by inviting volunteers on stage (and not just from the front row!) to help him enact short scenes from his life and works. Under Cole’s politely subtle direction, a lady and three gentlemen took turns to re-enact scenes from Chaplin’s biography and works such as ‘The Gold Rush’ and ‘The Great Dictator’, even involving a chase around the auditorium at one stage.

One criticism often levelled at Chaplin’s work was his tendency to include too much tragedy as a counterpoint to the slapstick. Cole wisely avoids this, steering clear of overdoing the pathos: it’s there, but a smile is rarely too far away. Nor does the show shy away from Chaplin’s political views, which were rather radical for Hollywood in his day. His film The Great Dictator is featured, convincingly recreating its biting satire of Hitler, but Cole goes above and beyond Chaplin’s critique, wryly situating it within the wider scope of global politics in the 1950s.

Performed in Pleasance Below, a small to medium-sized space at Pleasance Courtyard, the production shows what magic can be created with imaginative use of film clips, sound effects, screen captions, quick costume changes, and the sheer physicality of Cole’s performance. Most of the audience were on their feet to give rapturous applause at the end of the show.

My only minor quibble would be that the first ten minutes of the performance I saw maybe wasn’t quite as slick as it could have been, with the pace and the changes of focus being perhaps a little on the slow side. But it’s still early in the show’s run and I’m sure this will improve; in any case, later in the show things soon pick up speed, when changes of mood provide much light and shade. The show runs for the full length of the Fringe and is well worth a look – and not just if you’re a Chaplin fan.

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‘ARCADE’ (Venue 26, until AUG 26th)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2024, Rated: Nae Bad by

“Thanks to smart sets, soundscapes and sensory effects, it all feels unsettlingly real.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

I was a kid in the 80s and have fond memories of the video games of that era. They might look terribly basic to today’s youth, but at the time they were new and exciting. We played Pac-Man, Frogger, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong and the like over and over, bashing away at the simple controls as we climbed levels and knocked one another off the leaderboards.

So, I was intrigued by the prospect of Darkfield’s Arcade at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. Billed as drawing on the 8-bit aesthetic of the 80s, it offers the chance to “enter the world of the game and choose your own unique journey.” My expectations were quite high. I’ve been to two previous Darkfield productions – Séance and Flight – and enjoyed both. This team specialises in innovative 360 degree audio experiences. Shipping containers are transformed into highly immersive theatre spaces where you find yourself a participant in a Victorian séance, or strapped into a cramped airplane seat as a passenger on an unconventional journey. Thanks to smart sets, soundscapes and sensory effects, it all feels unsettlingly real.

Arcade sticks to the formula with its shipping container venue, but this is a much less passive experience. With Séance and Flight you take a seat, and take it all in. Here, you’re literally at the controls. Each audience member (player) takes their place at a different arcade machine. You’re given headphones and instructions to press a button to respond to yes or no questions and pointed towards the coin slot where you can use tokens, when prompted, if you choose. The room is then plunged into total darkness, and the game begins.

I won’t comment too much on the actual content. Spoilers could influence your decision-making, and indeed by all accounts the story varies significantly based on the choices you make – choices that have immediate consequences. For me, suffice to say I witnessed an unpleasant murder, played guitar in a band and may have inadvertently joined a cult.

The narrative does feel a bit disjointed at times. It isn’t always entirely clear who’s doing what, and why. But – much like the video games of my youth – the ‘why’ doesn’t always really matter. Arcade is totally immersive – characters seem to approach from all directions, barking instructions in your face, or whispering questions in your ear. It’s creepy and disorienting, standing there in the dark trying to decide which voice to trust.

Arcade is not the nostalgia trip you might expect. It’s pitch dark in every sense and there’s little real connection to the retro, 8-bit world of the 80s. But it’s also thought-provoking, creepy fun. If you’ve never been to a Darkfield production before I suspect you won’t have experienced anything quite like it. If you have, you’ll have an idea of what to expect, but that won’t help you pick the right path.

Get your jean jacket coats on and try it for yourself!

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‘In This Body of Flame’ (Venue 29, until AUG 25th)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2024, Rated: Nae Bad by

“Charlie Grant as Pepys reflects the hubris and nemesis of a superbly talented man going places but treading on important toes as he rises. Grant is a Pepysian’s Pepys.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

Student drama is special. Student drama is important. The first appearance of a Stirling University Drama Society (SUDS) production at EdFringe is both special and important, an opportunity to plant a flag and sow a seed. The artistic choices made matter and SUDS’ first choice, to stage a drama centred on the diarist Samuel Pepys is, in my (not especially humble) opinion, an excellent one.

Hands up, cards on the table, I’m a massive card-carrying, club-tie-wearing Pepysian. And why not? Pepys was the confidant of Royalty, a correspondent with Newton, and the saviour of the navy. Pepys was a lover of music, a book collector, and a very regular theatre-goer. Oh, and he also kept a diary – a meticulous record of people and place in his time, a vital record of earth-shattering events, a most honest catalogue of marital infidelity and human weakness.

Sofia Sculati was introduced to the life, work, and world of Samuel Pepys on a recent tour of London. After researching the diarist more, Sculati was inspired to undertake a historical retelling of his adult life. Together with Madelynne Kestner, Sculati wrote and directed an experimental historical drama about Pepys, his diary and the people from his life. Their script is sound, pacy, and absolutely captures the big and little dramas that make The Diary such a compelling read and re-read.

45 minutes is a very narrow time frame in which to fit so much quality source material and there are several moments when less might have been more. The production design is dark, brooding, and bloody – who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? It’s not always an easy fit but provides a springboard for some strong character work. Charlie Grant as Pepys reflects the hubris and nemesis of a superbly talented man going places but treading on important toes as he rises. Grant is a Pepysian’s Pepys. Oliver O’Hare as The General and Callum Edwards as The Monarchy are the commandant Ying and campy Yang buttressing the narrative.

Ailsa Tully and Freya Stevenson are the women in Pepys’ life. Ours is an age with such divergent morality from Pepys’ own, which cannot be a bad thing. So it’s strange that the writers treat his infidelities with such a scolding traditionality. Emilia Finucane as The Plague stole the show, either breaking out of the design or realising its true potential.

Student drama is never dull. The choices are big, bold, rarely precise, occasionally in harmony, often brilliant, occasionally dazzling. Here is a show that needs a few more trips to the tailors. What matters is that SUDS’ collective instincts are demonstrably pointed in the right direction. I’m not the only auld hack in Auld Reekie who will be looking out for SUDS productions in Fringes yet to come.

Here’s hoping that what has been planted will grow into a regular return. For in the maelstrom of the world’s largest arts festival, it is grand to see a fearlessly Fringey production featuring so much local(ish) talent bringing life to new writing. If EdFringe is to survive as the world capital of Fringe Theatre it needs producers like SUDS who can be relied on to deliver something completely different. Get your frock coats on and go see this!

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‘Don Quixote’ at Venue 20 until 25th AUG (not 19th)

Posted in 4*, Comedy, EdFestivals 2024, Rated: Nae Bad, Theatre by

“Knockabout slapstick; quick changes of scene, costume, and prop; melodramatic mime; abrupt changes of mood, from absurd whimsicality to reflective melancholy to quickfire gags; all accompanied by live music and song.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

The Finland-based Red Nose Company has been entertaining international audiences since 2008, garlanded with many awards for the quality of their productions along the way. This is their second visit to the Edinburgh Fringe with Don Quixote, the evergreen tale of the deluded would-be knight of the title and his faithful servant Sancho Panza.

The story is a four hundred year-old literary classic, exploring the human mind’s capacity for folly. Quixote is a minor aristocrat, driven by too much reading of chivalric romances to believe himself a knight errant. Recruiting a lowly farm labourer as his “squire”, he sets off on a journey, seeking adventure, romance, and a heroic reputation. This framework of soaring delusion being undermined by grim reality is a perfect set-up for what is essentially an extended Renaissance sitcom. Misunderstandings abound, with innkeepers’ daughters being mistaken for princesses; country pubs being mistaken for castles; and most famously, distant windmills being taken for fairytale giants. At every turn in the dialogue, Quixote’s lofty rhetoric is brought crashing down by the earthy, cynical realism of Panza’s wry observations and mockery of his deluded master.

As their name suggests, the Red Nose Theatre perform as clowns – but not the largely silent mime artists one might see in a circus. These clowns speak and there is much interaction with the audience. Timo and Tuukka play all parts, including the two adventurers. As might be expected, there is much physicality in their humour: knockabout slapstick; quick changes of scene, costume, and prop; melodramatic mime; abrupt changes of mood, from absurd whimsicality to reflective melancholy to quickfire gags; all accompanied by live music and song.

A simple set consisting of a pair of red curtains upstage is all that’s needed for a setting; everything else is created by the actions of the two-man cast and the imagination of the audience. One slight drawback with this production is the choice of venue. The Bijou Theatre at Assembly on George Street is situated in The Spiegeltent, that well- known “big top” marquee with a 1920s cabaret-style interior that’s been a feature of the Fringe for years in various locations. Whilst suitably reminiscent of a circus tent, the wooden framework requires numerous fairly wide columns to hold it up, two of which are immediately either side of the forestage. These can cause a few sightline problems from certain seats, so maybe get there early to ensure you get a good view?

The performance I saw was their opening afternoon of a run that will see them here for the full Fringe season. The pace was very slightly on the slow side, but I have no doubt that the show will gather momentum as word gets around. Well worth a visit.

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‘Napoleon’s 100 Days’ (Venue 29, until AUG 17th)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2024, Rated: Outstanding by

“Andy is paced and pacey bringing us fresh and battle-ready for each new stage of the drama but at no point do I feel frogmarched.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Outstanding)

Andy D has a deservedly growing reputation as an out-of-left-field comic with a knack for telling tall tales that really happened. The 100 days in which Napoleon (almost) restored his former glory after his disastrous withdrawal from Russia are a gloriously tragic chapter which ended on the field of Waterloo. In the comet’s tail of one man’s superhuman ego was left a trail of death and destruction that boggles the mind and scarred Europe forever and a generation. The obvious stuff of comedy it is not. This is where Andy D’s drier than a glass of Bordeaux Blanc poured on the sand during a Sahara heatwave style comes in.

Andy is Little Boney’s unaccountably Mancunian but understandably laconic friend, telling us the story of how he survived the retreat from Moscow and how, along with Fido the dog, he was an up close and personal witness to the events of 1815. It is a feat of genuine historical insight to present one of the most colourful personalities of modern history in such a straightforward and unadorned manner. It is a feat of expert theatricality to bring such momentous events to life with nothing more than a Napoleonesque hat. There’s a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to cover it in. Andy is paced and pacey bringing us fresh and battle-ready for each new stage of the drama but at no point do I feel frogmarched.

The history on offer is properly researched and credentialled, although there are no known 19th-century recipes for the dish of beef first recorded in 1903 (in the L.A. Times) as ‘fillet of beef, à la Wellington’ which might be jarring if you are a ‘Sharpe’ mega-fan with a penchant for pastry wrapped tenderloin – which I am.

This is an exactingly minimalist production in need of a better frame. A more developed lighting design, one that could convey the sheer distances travelled by Napoleon and his armies in this short space of time, might be appropriate. Antoine-Henri, Baron Jomini, one of the earliest leading military writers on the Napoleonic art of war, cites epically bad weather as a major factor in Napoleon’s ultimate defeat on 18 June 1815. Would a change in the lights not help underscore that point? What really does work are the onscreen quotations attributed to Napoleon which add a perilous sense of vertigo to this tightly delivered tightrope act. “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” “If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing.”

Come for the solid history. Stay for the as solid performance. Get your redcoats on and go see this!

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‘Sent’ (Venue 29, until AUG 19th)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2024, Rated: Nae Bad by

“As the wronged party, Áine Collier pitch perfectly plays the Faustian Hamlet of the piece.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

This is a cracking show full of craic, sass, fizz, and pop. Four teenagers, besties for life (or this week at least), navigate the darker side of sociability in the age of instant social media takedowns. When a night on the tiles leaves one of our quartet publicly shamed the gang plot their cold and anonymous revenge – hell hath no fury and all that.

As the wronged party, Áine Collier pitch perfectly plays the Faustian Hamlet of the piece, a go-along-to-get-along type quickly out of her depth, possessed of a failing moral compass, and with a hurricane about to blow. Shauna Brady, Caroline McAuley, and Anna McLoughlin as the bitchy brattish buddies are the devils on her shoulder – goading, persuading, convincing and conniving. It takes real cajones to present such toxicity so unflinchingly. The honesty of this piece is as brutal as being sucker-punched by an iron-fisted gang of sea otters. Who would have thought that beneath such sweet and innocent exteriors lurked so much malice?

The performances are a highlight. The plot twist and reveal at the final curtain is genius. What is less successful is that this is still a production trying too much to be like something else comfortingly familiar. I would like to see this troupe searching harder for their own distinct voice. When they find it, sparks will fly, and a sparkling new set of talents will step into the limelight as EdFringe favourites. Still, you’re going to want to see this so as how you can boast that you were there in the beginning.

Get your coats on and go see this!

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‘How a Jellyfish Saved the World’ (Venue 33, until AUG 18th)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2024, Rated: Outstanding by

“A wonderfully absorbing, visually compelling, always funny, and often thought-provoking piece of workshop work by a company I hope to see much much more of in the years to come.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Outstanding)

There is a lot of plastic in places it shouldn’t be. There is too much plastic in the sea. Something needs to be done to minimise and mitigate the impact on the creatures with which we share our homeworld. Clyde the orphaned jellyfish is not alone in the world. He is surrounded by weird and wonderful companions with whom he shares an ocean of possible adventures. But is there someone truly special for Clyde?

Jam Jar Theatre Company presents some of the most compelling, thoughtful, and entertaining puppetry to be seen anywhere this EdFringe. There’s plenty fewer fish and crabs in the sea since so many have turned up in Pleasance Courtyard to take part in this fine example of family-friendly programming.

We enter to discover an arched white screen on which some properly magical shadow puppetry will happen, flanked by two of the best-painted theatrescapes any of us have seen in an age. The art of backdrop painting for theatres has not exactly been lost, but it needs rediscovering in this age of big, cheap and cheap looking TV screens. This is a tech lite production until one of the songs which was disappointingly pre-recorded. Did someone miss their train to Waverly or their flight into Turnhouse. It’s a jarring note in a production that is otherwise lively and fluid performed by a cast of bright young things with a story to tell and a message to share.

In her EdFringe notebook, the one with Copenhagen’s statue of the little mermaid on the front cover, Daughter 1.0 (9yrs) wrote: “I went to How a jellyfish saved the world. In the show there was lots of shadow puppets as well as normal puppets to show the undersea characters apart from the two hilarious crabs who helped the young jellyfish make his friend happy. There was also a stylish crab who decorated himself with plastic witch was beaing thrown into the sea! The moral of the story is to look after the undersea creatures and their home.”

There are times when this script feels like an underwater camel, a seahorse designed by committee. The really rather fascinating asexual reproductive ability of jellyfish is touched on but bounces past the bouncy people in the front row with the speed of a Tiger on a trampoline on a jet ski. Clyde’s backstory and his romance are not as well connected as they might be. Still, this is a wonderfully absorbing, visually compelling, always funny, and often thought-provoking piece of workshop work by a company I hope to see much much more of in the years to come. With my school governor’s hat on this is a production I would urge colleagues to very seriously consider adding to any programme of live events.

Come for the wonder, stay for the delight, leave with a hopetomistic sense of what is possible. Get your coats on and go see this!

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‘The Kids Always Win’ (Venue 24, until AUG 25th)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2024, Gilded Balloon, Rated: Nae Bad, Theatre by

“Strong stage presences, very funny and excellent with kids”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

We arrived at The Patter House early and I had time to witness a crime against humanity. £6.80 of His Majesty’s Pounds for one of the worst pints of Guinness I’ve ever had in my life served in a plastic cup. This was not the fault of the lads behind ‘The Kids Always Win’. I had to suffer that pint. It is only fair readers understand the things I suffer for my art.

But what of the show? The concept is simple. A game show – spinning around deep audience participation – where, you’ve guessed it, the kids always win.

Tom and Max are strong stage presences, very funny and excellent with kids. Numerous kids get up on stage and they are all made to feel at home.

The games are gleefully funny (I was thrashed by my eight-year old). There are switcheroos, goalposts are shifted and adults are thrown curveball after curveball. There are a nice few running gags throughout. My two are experienced Fringe goers now and they enjoyed this show both commenting on how fun it was and how much they laughed. The show was also about 50 minutes long rather than an hour. This is not a criticism. For kids from 4-8 this is probably the ideal length – other performers who aim their work at children really should know this.

The kids loved the result and I won’t spoil a small surprise every kid will love towards the end. Admittedly, there were a couple of moments that didn’t quite land as well but that is to be expected in any show that relies entirely on audience participation. Overall this was a grand wee show that deserved the full house and deserved to be at a bigger audience. Just the sort of silly, puerile, crackers show that the Fringe needs for kids. No, it isn’t massively deep. No, it doesn’t really have a core message to connect with our core. It was a good old fashioned kids show that had them laughing throughout. And there is nothing wrong with that. Quite the opposite.

Come for the gameshow. Stay for the raucous interaction. Get your coats on and go see this.