Category Archives: EdFestivals 2022

All our coverage from the 2022 festivals.

‘Al Murray: Gig For Victory’ (Assembly Square Gardens – Palais du Variete, until AUG 29)

Posted in 5*, Assembly Hall, Comedy, EdFestivals, EdFestivals 2022, Rated: Outstanding, Stand-Up, Theatre by

“It is a joy to watch and is even better in the flesh. Go if you have the chance”

Editorial Rating:  5 Stars (Outstanding)

Earlier in the week I’d attended a Fringe show. There were three of us in the audience. Two on stage. I felt for them. I’d guess they felt for me. Audience participation with three audience members his hard yakka for all concerned.

It did seem odd then that my next show was Al Murray, arguably the biggest name at this year’s Fringe. I got there half an hour early and the already the queue for the landlord snaked out of Assembly Gardens and down the roads towards Underbelly. That is the Fringe for you – in all its ridiculous sublimity. If you come to Edinburgh genuinely do try to see as much as you can – from the big names to the small, from the old to the new.

But to our tale… how do you review Al Murray? In a way it is pointless. You don’t analyse our national treasures. You bask. You understand that he is a very British sort of genius – he couldn’t have come into existence anywhere else – and you enjoy.

The crowd was large and boisterous. The circus tent in the gardens crackling in anticipation. And then it began. He ambles in from the back of the venue, gently caressing the bald heads he passes by and bounds on stage. Beer covers the first few rows. Some are surprised. Really?

And there he is before us resplendent in that burgundy blazer, swinging a pint pot, gleaming, celebrating us those that bested Covid, happily throwing crisps at an overweight man that he admits he is surprised made it through the pandemic. The yeoman of all he surveys. A man sure of his opinions but confused with how the world is going: the character is eternal.

The pandemic has been good for the landlord. He has waited all his life for this moment. Covid was as he says ‘’our blitz’’. The moment we stood as one and did our bit for Queen and Country. For the first time we join the ranks of British heroes. We, he tells us, are the survivors and he wants to learn who is in the lifeboat with him: who made it through? So much of Murray’s show is unique to the night itself.

There’s little point telling you what happened or highlight particular gags because there’s just so much audience work. There’s no one better at it. Many try. Many manage for five minutes or so… but for the majority of the show. That isn’t high-wire stuff. How anyone can elicit so many laughs from two questions: ‘’what’s your name? What do you do?’’ I’ll never know. Flitting back and forward, weaving their lives together, Ollie in the corner must know Evelyn the gynaecologist and the jaeger bomb Durham boys. The strokers who go for a wee within ten minutes. None of these people will be there tonight. They won’t happen tonight. Something though will.

Throughout the course of the evening we meet Rod in finance, Dim Dave who ‘works for a solicitor’, a sheep farmer, a slow brick maker, a family lawyer (‘and a cold wind whips through the hall”) and many more. At one point he speaks to Deborah who has a play on at the fringe about WWII. The landlord lets loose a stunning two minute summary of the relatively obscure war story the play is about and then back to the important things of talking to the audience.

Of course, the badinage ends up back to the themes of the pandemic, our leaders, our survival against the odds of Covid and in the end he moves from the audience to the central theme that the last the two years we have had to endure.

Al’s theory of how each generation is perfect for the challenges the world throws at it. Our grandparents fought Nazism singlehandedly without help whilst we rose to the challenge we faced, a challenge only our generation could face: staying in the house watching TV for four months.

Twice.

Whilst being paid by the government.

Tonight’s show will be similar yet entirely different. Where he goes is entirely dependent on who shows up. Only a handful of comics could pull this sort of show off and fewer still relentlessly hit such heights.

There’s little point dwelling on the technicalities. Murray is one of the cleverest, quickest-witted comics out there. You know that. Everyone knows that. It is like explaining Monty Python or David Attenborough or David Gower’s cover drive. His character allows him to explore areas of life that others shy away from or – if they do – tend to veer to shock or righteousness.

One minor point: for an act so on the button of current affairs and with such an intuitive understanding of what the British public thinks… I was a little surprised that there was no mention (in the show I attended) of that other comedian who plays a character that happens to use the actor’s real name: Jerry Sadowitz. I’d have thought that was ripe material for the landlord particularly given some of the gags early on about the various genders of grandchildren that we might boast about our Covid heroism too.

But let’s not dwell too much on this. That is a throwaway thought rather than a criticism.

His character is timeless and needs no introduction: the garrulous British blowhard who almost knows what he is talking about and has a view about everything. It is a joy to watch and is even better in the flesh. Go if you have the chance. Just make sure you know your job and don’t try to claim you are an acrobat.

Come for the crisps being flung at you. Stay for the white wine for the lady. Get your red blazers on and join him in his lifeboat.

 

‘Bee Story’ (Underbelly Bristo Square Cowbarn, until AUG 28)

Posted in 5*, Comedy, EdFestivals 2022, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre, Underbelly by

“Bee Story is everything you would want in a children’s show. It is charming. It is lovely. It is magical”.

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

All good things come to an end and my Edinburgh Fringe 2022 finished with Bee Story. This is an Australian non-verbal circus show… there seems to be a lot of them about this year. Have they given up on beating us at sport? Is there something different in the Vegemite? Who knows? This trend is very welcome.

So yes, I have seen a few similar shows this year. I haven’t though seen a better one. Bee Story is everything you would want in a children’s show. It is charming. It is lovely. It is magical.

I doubt there is a better opening to any Fringe show than that of Bee Story. They may return – or you may see it elsewhere – so mum is the word but the first time you see Queen Bee was a moment of stunned delight. Neither I nor my youngest could believe it nor did we guess immediately how they did it.

It doesn’t stop from there. Over the course of the next hour there are unicycles, clowning (the facial expressions are simply wonderful), juggling, juggling with knives, some astonishing floor work, ballet, physical comedy (there’s a great scene with a snake and another with a net), acrobatics, gymnastic, and buckets of fun. Neither I nor the youngster could take our eyes off it. It was as if a mini-Cirque du Soleil had landed in Bristo Square. We were far from alone: there were spontaneous rounds of applause and whooping and hollering throughout.

The team at Arc Circus – Robbie Curtis and Lizzie McRae are seriously talented. Where else will you see a woman dressed as a Queen Bee being held in a series of bizarre positions whilst playing pop songs on a flute? You know, and I know, the answer is nowhere.

We meet Queen Bee and Worker Bee. Her Royal Highness – usually accompanied by God Save The Queen – wants more honey and poor old Worker Bee is doing his darnedest to get it but can’t quite. Then, from nowhere, the hive is hit by a bushfire.

Queen Bee has to lose her heirs and graces whilst Worker Bee enjoys a new friend as they work together to build a new hive. Of course, that is harder than it looks.

A magical hour with important messages. Teamwork and collaboration matters, friendship is key, that we need to care for our environment and that bees really do matter.

There’s probably some important British-Australian analysis on overcoming class divisions too but leave that to the grown-up reviewers.

The important part was my daughter and I loved this show and she said it was her favourite of the Fringe. She particularly loved it when Queen Bee poked her toy bee with her flute. I mean, that’s the sort of wonder you only get at the Fringe… and the sort of thing that makes children fall in love with theatre. A genuinely lovely little thing that I’d recommend to anyone.

Come for the buzz. Stay for the seizing of the means of production. Get your yellow/black coats on and go see this.

‘The Elephant in the Room’ (Assembly Rooms, Powder Room, until AUG 27)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals, EdFestivals 2022, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“Shetty’s vigorous physical style, expressive face, and radioactive eyes draw the audience into the action as she regularly makes direct eye-contact with everyone in the auditorium.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

After a very successful tour of the USA including the prestigious Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, this is the Fringe debut for a lively and engaging one-woman play, written and performed by Priyanka Shetty. Here for just the one week in a smallish studio auditorium in a marquee on George Street, be prepared for the driving force of Ms Shetty’s electrifyingly physical performance.

The seemingly autobiographical story tells of what it’s like to grow up in India as a young girl and then defy your family to try and make it as an actress as “a brown girl in Trump’s America”. Shetty’s vigorous physical style, expressive face, and radioactive eyes draw the audience into the action as she regularly makes direct eye-contact with everyone in the auditorium. There is much humour at the expense of the stereotypical features of a female south Asian upbringing: aggressively aspirational parents, judgemental aunts, religion (sometimes in the shape of the elephant-god Ganesha), and Bollywood movies.

Shetty makes full use of the small stage and basic set to vividly re-enact her story in a number of physical styles, including everything from yoga to Bollywood dance and song. As the show progresses, the emotional tone gradually changes from one of youthful optimism underscored by the heartaches of family life and romance, to the stark realities of the American theatre audition circuit. Shetty’s wry depiction of the serial rejections that can be experienced will raise a rueful smile to any fellow Fringe actors seeing this show. As an Asian woman, she often refers to her “otherness”, sometimes self-deprecatingly, sometimes not. This aspect of her life doubles as a significant factor in her own life story and a revealing perspective on everyone else from the perspective of an outsider.

Single-actor shows are quite common at the Fringe, but this one stuck in the mind for me due to Shetty’s often almost conversational delivery. At no time did it seem like a stagey dramatic monologue; rather someone I’d just met showing me the story of their life. Use of props and time-consuming costume changes are sensibly kept to a minimum to maintain pace and story development.

The phrase from which the show takes its title is a common metaphor for embarrassing problems which everyone knows exist, but are scared to mention. After one or two red herrings along the way, we’re left in no doubt at the end by Shetty’s now angry tone what the identity is of this particularly problematic pachyderm – I won’t spoil things for you by giving it a name. This show is only on until the end of this week, so:

Come for the elephant. Stay for a whirlwind performance. Leave having seen a great Fringe debut. So get your coats on and go see this!

 

ALL our recent coverage? Click here!

‘Earwig’ (Assembly Rooms, Front Room, until AUG 27)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals, EdFestivals 2022, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“The three energetic performers beetle away to pack a lot of fun into an hour’s traffic on the stage.”

Editorial Rating:  Stars (Outstanding)

Whilst perhaps not the most attractive of titles, this is one of the most unusual and interesting pieces of theatre I’ve seen at this year’s Fringe. After successfully touring throughout the UK, Manchester-based theatre company Time and Again bring us the quirky story of entomologist Marigold Webb, whose deafness excludes her from conversations not directly before her face.

Laura Crow’s script makes much use of insect life as metaphor, with characters being likened to wasps, hornets, golden tiger beetles, and the like. The production by directors Catherine Cowdrey and Samantha Vaughan offers an hour that is both entertaining and informative without taking itself too seriously. Robyn Greeves anchors the show as the protagonist, calmly and wryly narrating the difficulties faced in the 1920s by a woman who is not only deaf, but trying to make her way in the male-dominated scientific world. Adam Martin-Brooks first comes across as a Bertie Woosterish toff, but as the play progresses he mutates into Marigold’s domineering and abusive husband. Beth Nolan gives eye-catching performances as both Marigold’s down-to-earth mother and as Bryony Varden, the very personification of a flighty jazz-age flapper. A projection screen at the back of the set is used very much as if it were another character, with its captions often interacting with both the cast and the audience.

This is also a very visual and physical piece of theatre. One of the high points was a vividly choreographed set piece between Marigold and Bryony supposedly reading quietly in a library. Their exchanged looks, messages, and attempts to ignore each other and do some studying are expressed with increasingly terpsichorean verve and at one stage even break into a Charleston. Along with the screen captions, the pacy action often has the feel of a silent movie of the era in which the play is set. Throughout the action, we are subtly reminded of Marigold’s deafness and the problems it causes in a number of inventive and dramatically effective ways.

Performed in a smallish black-box auditorium in George Street, this is a little gem of a play, with the three energetic performers beetling away to pack a lot of fun into an hour’s traffic on the stage. Come for the entomology. Stay for the Charleston. Leave with ants in your pants and a spring in your step. Get your coats on and beetle along to see this!

 

ALL our recent coverage? Click here!

EdFringe Talk: Ideation

Posted in EdFestivals 2022, Written Interviews by

“Aside from the flattery, we want you to talk about our play because that is what it’s about.”

WHO: Lowenna Wagstaff: Company Artistic Director

WHAT: “Hypothetically speaking, if you were in a boardroom with a ticking clock, the survival of humanity on your shoulders and a growing sense of a darker reality, would you succeed… no matter what? A group of corporate consultants battle morality and mystery with logic in this hilariously dark play. Do hypothetical actions have very real consequences? Is everything just as it seems and how do you know that? Can we trust you to let the paranoia sink in, as comedy and thriller distort the truth of this hypothetically real Ideation!”

WHERE: theSpaceTriplex – Studio (Venue 38) 

WHEN: 13:20 (80 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our first time to Edinburgh as both a company and a production and, while it has been a LOT of work alongside our degrees at Exeter, it has been worth every minute of sweat, tears and (thankfully no) blood. The Edinburgh Fringe offers a completely different environment to our previous Exeter venues in which we can spark the play’s discussion around the “delineation between fact and fantasy.” With its sheer number of people and perspectives, this venue allows us to instigate the ripple of enquiry that the play demands: what do we know, what don’t we know, and who is in control? We hope that this will continue past our audiences and into the wider crowd at Fringe. Aside from the flattery, we want you to talk about our play because that is what it’s about.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The biggest thing we have learned is adaptability. Having had our slot at the Space booked since 2019, EUTCo’s trip to Fringe has been a longgg time coming but we have certainly stuck with it. Due to restrictions, our Fringe show last year was re-organised to be performed in an Exeter festival instead, and in 2020, we didn’t get further than online performances. But, we remained adaptable, and this has only strengthened our practice as a company to deliver intimate, small-scale productions with high-quality acting on our way back to perhaps larger spectacles.

Tell us about your show.

Our director Chlöe Hallsworth first came across and read the script (by Aaron Loeb and published in 2016) about four years ago. As a play that is not widely known in the UK, Chlöe was excited by the possibilities that could take it from page to stage. When the opportunity to pitch it as a Fringe play for Exeter University Theatre Company came about, it had to be done. Although produced by EUTCo, the production company is made up of students across various years and degrees, some of whom have just graduated having never studied drama! As such, our previous performances were local to Exeter but we are thrilled with the reception we’ve been receiving in Edinburgh and hope that our team will continue with their talent and abandon their seemingly safe(?) career path from a history degree.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

There are so many brilliant shows here this year and Show Me What You’re Maid Of and the Last Words are just two of our fellow groups from Exeter (us, biased…?). But new company favourites from further North for have been ‘When We Were Normal,’ Leaves on the Line,’ and ‘Careless’. All five shows (and our own!) have brilliantly strong female minds behind them and are putting raw, thoughtful characters on stage. Plus, they’ve been friendly faces amongst the chaos!

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: REDEEMher – How I Screwed Up My Perfect Mormon Life

Posted in EdFestivals 2022, Written Interviews by

“This is truly a full-circle moment for me to be bringing such a personal story to Ed Fringe. I will never forget this.”

WHO: Tatum Langton

WHAT: “Tatum, a university student, becomes the virgin bride of her sweetheart, entering an eternal marriage in the the Mormon church. Her big dream is to move to London with her husband but years begin to slip by, and so does London. The pressures of marriage, money and their Mormon community, the couple gets into discord. Dejected, Tatum becomes vulnerable to the overtures of another man. After just one night of illicit sex, Tatum is plunged into a deep well of guilt, sorrow and remorse.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Dram (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 15:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Not only is this my first time to Edinburgh, it’s my first time acting in the UK, which if you see my show you know it’s been a dream of mine for a while. This is truly a full-circle moment for me to be bringing such a personal story to Ed Fringe. I will never forget this.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The big things I have learned are: I am more capable then I give myself credit; there’s no time like the present; community is everything. I wrote my show in 2021, decided to bring it to Ed Fringe March 2022, and miraculously raised the money to get it here with help from an amazing community back home. Not to mention the incredible community that is Fringe. I have found my people!

Tell us about your show.

REDEEMher is autobiographical. I wrote and perform this one-woman show about my first marriage, being Mormon, and the infidelity that screwed everything up….seemingly. It was directed and developed with Jessica Lynn Johnson in Los Angeles, and had a soft premier at the Hollywood Fringe Festival before having it’s world premier here at Edinburgh Fringe. Ines Wurth came recommended to me. She loved the show and came on-board to produce for Ed Fringe. No plans as of yet on what’s next, but I think I’m now addicted to fringe and may have to check them out all over the world.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

The Funny Thing About Death by Kim Kalish. It’s another stand-out one hander that will make you laugh and cry and hold the ones you love closer.

Vermin by Triptych Theatre Co at Gilded Balloon Teviot. It’s dark-comedy-drama done exceptionally well. Top-notch storytelling and thrilling performances that have you on the edge of your seat.

Hannah Pilkes: A Woman on the Verge. Underbelly. A clowning comedy show that is delightful and somehow relatable in its absurdity. She reminds you why the world is so funny and you instantly want to be her friend. In fact, you should follow her on instagram. Comedy gold.

Famous Puppet Death Scenes at Assembly Roxy. Incredibly talented, dark, funny, and charming. It’s not every day you get to see puppetry at this extraordinary skill level. Take advantage while at Fringe.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: KITES

Posted in EdFestivals 2022, Written Interviews by

“The festival is incredible in its diversity – the open-access nature of it allows all styles and experience levels to share their work, which I love!”

WHO: Tzarini Meyler

WHAT: “‘Come on Angel, don’t you ever want to fly?’ 1948. Cork City’s crying. Rations. Unemployment. And those unforgiving clouds. But two girls are plotting a new planet. Kitty’s a native, desperate for adventure, and Angel’s a blow-in searching for home. Through flying kites, dress-up and play, they leave behind their broken families and war-time grief, and let their fantasies find wings. But what happens when the line gets caught and reality beckons? KITES is a fast-paced, visually striking play about the rite of passage from girlhood to womanhood in post-war Ireland, exploring gender roles, sexuality, friendship, love and rage.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Dram (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 14:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I did a short run in 2018 as a director, but this is my first time performing, as well as my first long run. As an Irish playwright, it is a wonderful opportunity to share my work with a UK and international audience and gain their feedback. As a performer, it is a real workout, and every day I feel sharper, not only in my acting capabilities but in my resilience and strength, both physically and emotionally. The festival is incredible in its diversity – the open-access nature of it allows all styles and experience levels to share their work, which I love! However, with the huge amount to see, there is great competition amongst the acts to promote their show, which makes it harder for young artists with limited funding to stand out.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

We never know what life can throw at us, so I just want to keep telling stories that speak from the heart. Art and entertainment is what brings us all together and keeps us sane in hard times. I wanted to explore this in my play KITES, how the power of pretend is sometimes our strongest weapon.

Tell us about your show.

KITES is all about longing to escape. As a writer, my work begins with a physical stimulus. I was fascinated by the childhood object of a kite, how it can be both flimsy and fragile, and yet strong enough to withstand storms and fly away. I wanted to explore the icon of a kite through the lens of womanhood. I had grown up hearing about my great grandmother who longed to be an actress and travel the world whose brothers became performers; one a musician in Australia and the other a magician in Canada, whilst she stayed at home in Ireland and became a housewife. That longing to be somebody else, and to escape, feels incredibly relevant to women today, well to anyone today in fact, our generation has so much pressure to ‘have it all’ and yet all these things (housing, stable income) seem to be so out of our reach. This show is all about growing up from young girls to women in a suffocating society that only offers two options: conformity or the big bad world.

I wrote the play – I was awarded a residency earlier this year at the Pavilion Theatre in Dublin to finish my script. Ana produced it and plays Angel, whilst I play Kitty. We are a small Irish company formed in 2016, we have been steadily growing and have produced many works. Most recently a sold-out run of ‘Dublin in a Rainstorm’ at the Smock Alley Theatre. It is our goal to create work that is truthful to the artist and vital to the audience. After Edinburgh KITES will return home to Cork. Next year we hope to do a small Irish tour.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

For some incredible dance theatre, head to ‘Night Dances’ at Zoo Southside. Fellow Irish company United Fall have created something truly unforgettable.

For laugh-out-loud comedy check out Elf Lyons’ show Raven at Gilded Balloon.

For gorgeous new writing head to Summerhall for the wonderful Eva O Connor’s Mustard.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

‘Dave Johns: A Comic’s Tale’ (Guilded Balloon Teviot, Wine Bar, until AUG 28)

Posted in 5*, Comedy, EdFestivals, EdFestivals 2022, Gilded Balloon, Rated: Outstanding, Stand-Up by

“His journey from the streets of Byker to the red carpet of the Cannes film festival is beautifully encapsulated in his comment upon encountering a incredulous Meryl Streep at a star-studded buffet: “Hey, Meryl – it’s all free!””

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

To anyone who follows stand-up comedy closely, the name Dave Johns ought to be familiar: founder of Newcastle’s first comedy club, and as such co-facilitator of several of his contemporaries’ glittering careers; and veteran of both the Fringe and the year-round club circuit. Though not quite – yet – a household name, his face is much more familiar since starring in the title role of I, Daniel Blake, and a subsequent movie career including Fisherman’s Friends.

Johns is on top comic form in this hour-long one-man show, which combines general observational patter with reflections on his rags-to-riches life. As his close relationship with his audiences suggests, he prefers working in small, intimate venues where he can chat with the punters – indeed, there won’t have been a dry seat left in the front row, judging by the helpless laughter of two ladies he focused on. As Johns tells us, no two nights of his show are the same as he tries out slightly different material each night to see what goes down well. Highlights of this particular evening were a surreal shaggy dog story about an orphan midget; audience participation in a chorus of The Pirate King; and the reason why he’ll never be in a Stephen Spielberg film. His journey from the streets of Byker to the red carpet of the Cannes film festival is beautifully encapsulated in his comment upon encountering an incredulous Meryl Streep at a star-studded buffet: “Hey, Meryl – it’s all free!”

For a man who’s spent so many years wielding a microphone, there is inevitably some sage reflection on the nature of what he does. Rightly disparaging the vast, impersonal arenas played by some of his contemporaries, and the slick glitz of Live at the Apollo. Johns champions the unpredictable intimacy of small venues. “I’m at the two-tickets-for-the-price-of-one end of the market”, he notes disparagingly, adding ironically that the more five-star reviews he gets, the fewer the people who come to see him.

I came away from this show not having laughed out loud so much in years. Give me heart and soul stuff like this rather than an arena any day. So come for the authenticity. Stay for the non-stop laughs. Leave with a great big cheeky-chappie smile on your face. This is Geordie humour so, even if it’s baltic out, leave your coats at home and go see this!

 

ALL our recent coverage? Click here!

EdFringe Talk: Cat

Posted in EdFestivals 2022, Written Interviews by

“I first wrote a five-minute monologue in the character of Cat for a competition, and then I decided I liked her too much to leave her there!”

WHO: Connie Harris: Writer/performer

WHAT: “Cat is a one-woman, twisted comedy show by Connie Harris. A razor-sharp, subversive exploration of life at its darkest; ranging from the benefits of tapeworms to what to do with an unwanted grandparent.”

WHERE: RSE Theatre – Welcome East (Venue 431) 

WHEN: 14:00 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, this is the first time I’ve ever been to Edinburgh! I was really little when I first heard about the Fringe, and I imagined it to be just a big field where everyone brings tents to pitch up and perform (you can tell I’m from Norfolk!) – and now I’ve realised what a beautiful city Edinburgh is.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Try not to think too much. I know it sounds weird, but if you get on with life and just do it, instead of always thinking everything through a hundred times, things usually turn out alright in the end.
Only sometimes put it into practice though!

Tell us about your show.

I first wrote a five-minute monologue in the character of Cat for a competition, and then I decided I liked her too much to leave her there! I find there’s something really refreshing about playing someone who’s a little bit twisted, and whose morals aren’t quite right. I can make her say all kinds of horrible, outlandish things but justify them for her character. My play premiered at the Fringe, and at the moment I’m not planning to take it anywhere after – but I’m always open to offers or suggestions!

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Everyone needs to see Medea the Musical! I keep saying this because it needs to be said! It was amazing – honestly indescribably good.

The Anniversary at The Pleasance was such brilliant physical comedy, and so so funny!

And for people with darker senses of humour (like me!), The Tiger Lilies’ One Penny Opera is perfect – I love the perfect combination of hauntingly good music and pitch-black stories.

A great one-woman show is Pash, which was fast-paced, honest and hilarious!

There are so many more!

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

‘Chores’ (Assembly Piccolo, until AUG 28)

Posted in 4*, Assembly Hall, Circus, Comedy, EdFestivals, EdFestivals 2022, Rated: Outstanding, Ratings by

“How many comics can make a few hundred people of all ages laugh consistently barely uttering a word.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Outstanding)

For all the flyering and social media that happens at the Edinburgh Fringe, it really is word of mouth that matters: the talk of the steamie in Edinburgh can make or break a show. Walk around George Square, you’ll get twenty leaflets. All the shows sound good. The posters make every show look must see. So how do you decide? Of course, you should read GetYourCoatsOn but many recommendations are over a pint and that’s who we grownups listen to – a person who has seen it, not a person who is in it.

Turns out though that it isn’t just the steamie* or the pub. The primary school playground is vital. My kids had been talking about ‘Chores’ for days, just as last week all the talk was about ‘Fashion Spies’. By the looks of sold-out Piccolo theatre, every kid in Edinburgh has heard the news of ‘Chores’. What did we learn today kids? Word of mouth matters.

[*noun. Scottish slang. a public wash house. I hope that helps any Aussies reading this.]

‘Chores’ is a simple concept. Our stars play the roles of two children. Their parents who we never see but do hear from want the kids to tidy their room. Every parent in the place realises the battle the poor saps are having. I’ll confess. I wondered how they could spin this out for an hour?

As many an English batsmen has discovered over the years it is better just to stop questioning Australian decision making and let the inevitable happen to you. Shannon Vitali and Christian Nimri own the stage and wow the audience consistently. The kids are rapt. After all which kid here hasn’t been in this situation? Which kid hasn’t said ‘I’ll tidy my room now’ only somehow moments later for the room to have become a toy explosion they cannot explain with an exasperated parent mouthing ”HOW?!’ at them.

The adults are rapt too. The show has it all and the actors keep us in the palm of their hand barely saying a word. The children loved the toilet paper guns and water sprays but they were all screaming ‘’it’s behind you!’’: a lack of Pantomimes these last two years hasn’t killed this British tradition.

There are some stunning set pieces: the box trick in particular was genuinely brilliant. There aren’t too many shows that involve roller skating, bed sheets, mime, mini bikes, physical comedy and good ol’ fashioned clowning. My youngest enjoyed the bit where they sneezed into the pants. I won’t spoil it any more than that.

Both of these performers are talented. First and foremost this duo are funny. How many comics can make a few hundred people of all ages laugh consistently barely uttering a word? Physical comedy, funny faces, and props are a lot harder than a rude gag that can be the go to for many a kids’ entertainer. Yes, of course there are a couple of fart gags but this is old school Chaplin style comedy. It isn’t easy. It is hard, hard yakka.

But more than funny there is real, deft skill. Acrobatics, strength, gymnastics, clowning, strength.  All I could think about as I grinned was the hours of practice, the mistakes and the – one assumes – drops and injuries. This show looks effortless but is based on trust and commitment. It shines through. Whether the kids are chatting about it in the steamie, the pub, or the primary school playground they are right. This is a proper, tight, quality show.

Could they do more? Well in terms of activity no. I wonder if the show would have been even better if the characters had slightly more interplay: one being the goody two shoes trying to tidy up whilst the other consistently undermining them? I suppose there approach is more realistic – both trying to tidy at points, the other accidentally undermining their effort or, on occasion, the room getting messier despite both of their intentions. There were moments of repetition, I think, that perhaps could have been cut down to make the show slightly shorter. That is to quibble though unduly. I doubt any of the kids who after all are the primary audience give the slightest of hoots about this.

Come for toilet paper guns. Stay in the hope your kids might tidy their room. Get your coats coats on and see this, you can tidy your rooms later.