Category Archives: EdFestivals

EdFringe Talk: John Franklin: My Dad’s Advice

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“I was battling a hangover (and losing that battle, I should add) when an advertisement for Fringe popped up on my Instagram. I said to myself, “F*** it.”

WHO: John Franklin

WHAT: “A beautifully hilarious stand-up about the memories of his dad’s best stories, Netflix star John Franklin intends to keep you laughing as he weaves tales of his father’s life advice into his own experiences. Every topic your dad gave you advice about, John will talk about from the scope of his own dad. From advice on girls to how become a man, John’s stories will have you laughing and remembering the stories your own father used to tell you. You’ll be transported to a time when the funniest person you knew was your old man.”

WHERE: Greenside @ Infirmary Street – Sprout Studio (Venue 236) 

WHEN: 20:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, this is my first time in Edinburgh! I love it here. The culture is amazing and fascinating; the people are just wonderful. I will say that the city being so hilly is very helpful to toning my legs all day. I’ve always had a dream to perform at Edinburgh Fringe. There’s something so magical about it. It’s like the city turns into Disney World for performers for a whole month!

I just put out my first comedy special this year, and I wanted to do something special for my next big comedy venture. I was battling a hangover (and losing that battle, I should add) when an advertisement for Fringe popped up on my Instagram. I said to myself, “F*** it. If there was ever a time to do it, it’s now.” I’ve been in the process of writing a pilot script about my dad and I, so I decided to take that pilot and rewrite it into a storytelling standup special. That’s how I got here! The thing that makes a festival like this so great is meeting people. I’ve made friends with fellow performers from the UK, various places in the USA, and all around the world. That wouldn’t have happened if not for Fringe!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that other people’s success is not your failure. In the era of social media, it’s so easy to compare yourself to your peers. If they do something big, you feel like a lesser person.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. Your train is on your track, and every train around you is on their own track. Some trains are moving faster than others, but it’s not a race. You’ll reach the destination of success that life intends for you, in the time that it takes to get there. Enjoy that ride. Embrace it. Because at the end of the day you only have so much time for these awesome experiences.

At this point in my career, I’m having fun. I’m not putting pressure on myself or anyone around me to get to the next step. I’m in Edinburgh performing a new hour set! That’s unbelievable! Do I feel pressure sometimes? Of course. I wouldn’t be human if I never felt pressure. But I am enjoying my life so much more by putting my mental health first and just embracing my first Fringe!

Tell us about your show.

My show, My Dad’s Advice, is written, produced, and performed by me. The show is debuting in Edinburgh, but I did three closed-door runs for some comedians in New Jersey to refine it before coming. The show is all about the things my dad taught me when I was a kid, and how he believed everything he said to be fact. Dads are seemingly all the same in that regard. Every person that has seen the show has come up to me and told me a story about the stories/lies/advice their dad used to tell them! It really has started to build a fun community. My goal after Edinburgh is to take this show on a tour of the Fringe Festivals in the United States. I’ve only performed the show in small rooms to create a cool, intimate, vibe. I want the audience to feel like they’re just at a friend’s house listening to stories. I want to take that vibe all over the USA (maybe even the world) and get back to writing the pilot with it.

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

I hope there isn’t a word count on this question! I’ve seen so many amazing shows so far, and I’ll happily tell you about a bunch of them.

Eigg the Musical: Before we even talk about how great this show is, I just have to mention that the cast is full of wonderful people. So down to earth and so talented! The show itself is AMAZING. The music is awesome, the story is lovely, and it’s chock full of humor, love, and strength. If you want to see a wonderful musical based on a true story, this is the one!

Mark Pleases You: This is the most chaotic one man show in the best way possible. Mark Vigeant is truly a master at the art of a one man show. It’s so relatable to all of us that went through that AWFUL teenage awkward phase. Mark’s energy fills the room and creates an amazing atmosphere.

Abbey’s Box: This one woman show is so relatable and honest. For anyone who dated during the pandemic, this is for you. It’s empowering to the introverts, and it teaches us to remember that all human beings are different. We handle things in different ways, and we have different opinions on things. This show is one of my favorites of the Fringe!

The Extras Strike Back: It’s Star Wars and it’s HILARIOUS. The whole show is a musical from the perspective of background characters from the beloved Star Wars series. I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time, and not to mention how catchy the music is! I’ve had the song about Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma stuck in my head since I left. Just BRILLIANT. Can’t say enough good things, just go SEE IT!

I’m Sexy and I Know It: Anna Friend is a brilliant writer, and it shines in this show. The beginning will have you rolling on the floor laughing, but by the end it’ll remind you to love yourself and embrace the change in your life. Anna has told me she intends it to be a comedy, but it’s so much more than that. You will leave this show smiling and reminding yourself that, even though you’ve been hard on yourself, you have to love yourself!

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EdFringe Talk: Crap Ballet

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“I feel lucky that people get to step into my brain for an hour each night.”

WHO: Lil Wenker (not a joke)

WHAT: “Chekhov’s Gum is making their Fringe debut with an all-new clown show, Crap Ballet! One’s big, the other’s small – both suited up and ready to strut, stretch, and shimmy for an hour of stupid. Join us!”

WHERE: theSpace @ Niddry St – Studio (Venue 9) 

WHEN: 18:20 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

The first time I (Lil Wenker, not a joke) came to Edinburgh, I was 19, never kissed, and eager to see as much CULTURE as possible in my month. In the course of the festival, I saw 60 shows ranging from clown acts to a stand up show where a man made salad in a cement mixer.

Not it’s my first time brining a show up to the festival, and I feel a tremendous excitement that I’m contributing to its madness. Last night, a group of high schoolers came to our highly irreverent clown show, CRAP BALLET, and left happily scandalized. I’ve always loved theater because it opens a door into people’s imaginations for an hour or so. Here in Edinburgh, you can see into countless people’s wild creativity several times a day, every day. It’s intimacy on a large scale meets unbridled creativity that I fell in love with at 19, and now being back at 23 (yes, I’ve been kissed now), I feel lucky that people get to step into my brain for an hour each night.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Edinburgh is a hard but rewarding place! Being in a new country, no one knows us. We started by playing to tiny audiences. Though it could have felt discouraging, the average fringe show’s five person audience speaks to there being so many wonderful things to see this month! What a gift! We usually live in a world where art feels like a luxury, a rare indulgence to break up the monotony of life. But here, people stand in lines to get into shows, run across the cobblestone streets, stay up well past their bedtimes. So we feel grateful, always, to play to any audience.

Tell us about your show.

In 2019, Lil Wenker and David DeRuiter were fatefully cast in a puppet show for children. Lil constructed the puppets with cardboard she found on the side of the road, and David played a talking volcano.

Since then, they have been the best of friends, almost-lovers, and the co-founders of Chekhov’s Gum. They’re a new work theater and comedy production company that specializes in repurposing recyclable material, writing dick jokes, and packing audiences into spaces where performance of any kind could be considered a fire hazard.

CRAP BALLET was born when Lil and David were accepted into a start-up business program at Yale University. As the only arts venture, they found themselves immersed in the world of crypto bros, app developers, and venture capitalists. That summer, the members of their cohort inspired the characters CRAP BALLET. Each character in the show is based on a real person, all of whom have had the fun of seeing themselves depicted on stage!

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

(.)(.) It’s funny and SMART! These girls handle the audience like pros and control the space from the moment you walk in. There is never a second of boredom or uncertainty. They have us in the palm of their hands!

Furiozo: Piotr is a master storyteller. He combines a rare level of rowdiness with equal amounts of love and wonder. Something undeniably childlike always rises to the surface in his performance despite the energetic rock and roll beat that underscores the entire performance. Absolutely electric.

Trash Salad: Rosa Garland, aka trash salad, is becoming a cult classic at fringe and deserves every ounce of attention. She is witty and clever, wonderfully weird, and will give you a performance unlike any other. She has a great amount of sensitivity toward the audience, and she makes everyone feel a part of something bigger than themselves.

The Amazing Banana Brothers: The sheer amount of energy Bill exerts in the opening sequence, before the show even begins, is enough to humble most anyone. But the show has only just begun. He goes on to deliver a shocking, surprising, yet still hilarious performance. The show is smart and well written, but above all masterfully performed.

Knight, Knight: Madeleine is a clown from Minnesota ready to blow fringe out of the water. Though this is their first fringe, it surely will not be their last as they deliver, time and again, hilariously unmatched performances. They could do little more than walk across the stage and have everyone in stitches.

Jeremy Segway: I’ve seen the Duncan brothers countless times perform their beautiful hour of chaos, and I love it every time. You go to see a story about the man who created the segway, but you instead are greeted with hilarious disaster after disaster as the show inevitably goes wrong. The brothers play together masterfully.

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‘Alice in Wonderland Musical’ (Greenside @ Riddle’s Court)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals, EdFestivals 2023, Musical Theatre, Other, Rated: Outstanding by

“SOME REAL STARS HERE AND SOME REAL STAR TURNS”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

It would be fair to say my youngest daughter is an Alice in Wonderland aficionado. She has various copies of the bookd. She knows every word of the Disney film. Burton’s work is on her radar. Her World Book Day get-up is normally Carroll-esque.

It was pretty clear  as soon as spotted an Alice-based show in Fringe we would be off to Riddle’s Court – a suitably Carroll-esque venue for the show – and down the rabbit hole of corridors to watch.

The show was packed and we were told that the show was a sell-out. My daughter sat next to me in full Cheshire Cat costume holding a Cheshire Cat stuffed toy. Breath, as they say, was baited. Few Fringe goers are as dedicated as this.

Over the next 45 minutes the young cast sing, dance, and dazzle their way through a range of songs whilst sticking to the well-known story of Alice. All of the famous characters join us as we build up to the famous croquet scene. (NB: there was post-show debate as to whether Tweedledum and Tweedledee are considered ‘canon’ as they appear in Through the Looking Glass but they appear in the Disney and Burton films. On balance their omission was considered acceptable).

There are some real stars and some real star turns. Charity Bielicki as Alice has a stunning voicewhilst Avi Walton is a wicked Queen of Hearts: she played the audience extremely well and her back and forth with the Playing Cards was very funny.

The songs though are strong throughout. The first song Let’s all go to the fair was a good, strong show tune starter although I’ll confess I wasn’t sure how it related to the story. Things picked up from there though The Song of M was clever and became suitably madcap when all the characters sing different songs at once. Everyone is Mad was fun as was the White Rabbit’s ‘Backwards Song’.

The director, Tim Nelson, treats us to some swing, some blues and some barbershop throughout and almost everything comes off. Ultimately it really whistles along with humour and brio.

I asked my Alice addict what I should give it out of 5. She said a hundred. This may seem like special pleading: she loves Alice and therefore would always give it a strong score. That is to misunderstand a true expert in her field: she went in a little worried that they would do it wrong; concerned that it wouldn’t be good enough. That she sat utterly rapt, no demands for snacks, whooping and cheering throughout suggests it really was a good show. I thought it was just lovely.

At the end of the show Alice went outside to have pictures with any children that wanted one. Mine, of course, went hunting out Cheshire Cat. The entire cast seemed utterly delighted the show was sold out and couldn’t have been friendlier or kinder to the children who went to speak to them at the end.

 

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‘Colonel Anne: Jacobite Heroine’ (Venue 45, until AUG 19th)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals 2023, Rated: Nae Bad by

“Despite many nettle dangers, the Dunn Players have stretched every fibre of their artistic being and plucked a flower – success.”

Editorial Rating:5 Stars (Nae Bad)

There is a grandeur about Scotland and Scottish life that is nought to do with the scenery. It comes from an ancient nobility of character and an elegant refinement of living. Like Livy’s Romans of the ancient Republic, the Scots of yesteryear were superior beings contrasted with their dowdier, less upstanding descendants who are but inheritors and not surpassers. It was those folk to be found in the North British baronial halls and urban drawing rooms of the 18th and early 19th centuries who built so much of what we now appreciate to be Scotland. We petty men walk under their huge legacy and peep about. It is no mean ambition to recreate their world as it was at the ‘45, to breathe life into characters as dynamic as Charles Edward Stuart, Butcher Cumberland, and Colonel Anne Mackintosh. Despite many nettle dangers, the Dunn Players have stretched every fibre of their artistic being and plucked a flower – success.

A cast of eleven in EdFringe terms is a cast of thousands. Together, marshalled under the direction of Kevin Purvis and under the watchful eye of James Shirreff as prompt, they deliver a spectacle as intimate as if Charles Martin Hardie had painted it and as lyrical as if Eddi Reader sang it. The true (and truly astonishing) story of Anne Mackintosh is of a heroine of that rising which won immortality for Bonnie Prince Charlie, if not the restored crown he sought. Colonel Anne defied her husband, the laird of Mackintosh, to raise and lead troops for the Jacobites. The neglect of Anne’s memory is a travesty only now being put right. This production is part of the campaign to provide a fitting memorial to Anne in Leith where even her grave is now lost. Considered alongside a similar movement to erect a statue honouring Dr Elsie Inglis, it seems Auld Reekie is finally doing something about the dearth of monuments honouring the great women of Scottish life. Barring the occasional fluffing of author David Shirreff’s excellent lines, this play is a strong sure step in the right direction.

As Colonel Anne, Carol Robson is the perfect balance of strident and seductive. She commands the stage as Boudiccea might have commanded a battlefield. Her delivery is a claymore thrust into the pomp and circumstance of the men she must outmanoeuvre. Not the least of them is Jerry Ponder as Lord Loudoun. Offstage Ponder, I have no doubt, is a fine fellow. Onstage he so perfectly inhabits the bumptious British Commander in the North that I find myself hoping a chandelier falls on him.

Peter Lerpiniere as Anne’s husband is another great balancing act. Neither too meek nor too mild. A man of peace in a time of war. As his mother, Lady Mackintosh, Fiona Drewery adds fierce gravity to what might otherwise be mistaken for a blousey costume drama. Genny Dixon, as love rival Elizabeth Campbell, is the ideal foil to Robson. Their chemistry is the spring in the step which keeps the drama on a human scale. Caught between them is Richard Jones as Alasair MacGillivray. Jones does not share much more time and space with Lerpiniere than Byron did with Foscolo, but the two big beasts circling one another make the jungle a more interesting patch of earth.

The humanising effect of Graham Bryans, as Anne’s blacksmith, as well as the young chap playing Mackintosh’s nephew, serve to contextualise the drama as an earthshaking event making ordinary folk tremble. Given the mighty fine performances of both Chris Drewery, as Cumberland, and John McEwen, as the Prince, there is a need for honest, ordinary folk to offset the great men of history being portrayed with such dash and style, vim and vinegar. But it’s the costumes, by Upper Circle Costume Hire in Kelso, which truly steal the show and make for an unmissable 80 minutes of spectacularly performed spectacle.

Come for a story which deserves to be told and retold till the rocks melt with the sun. Stay for performances which do more justice than Cumberland. Get your Justacorps on and go see this!

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‘Apple of My Eye’ (Venue 29, until AUG 19th)

Posted in *Written Interviews, 5*, EdFestivals 2023, Rated: Outstanding by

“A tight and pacy insight into genius, spotlight with songs that even the most pompous and jaded critic of musical theatre as a legitimate genre cannot overly object to.”

Editorial Rating: 5 (Outstanding)

One year, and I’ve been telling myself this for a decade now, I’m going to spend a day at EdFringe at just one venue and see all the shows performed there from sunup to sundown. Doing so, I reckon, will be the best way to encounter great scripts and performances that I would otherwise miss. A trawler net in place of a fishing rod. If I ever do make good this plan, I hope the results will be as pleasantly surprising as ‘Apple of My Eye’ which I went into on my way out of the previous show at my favourite EdFringe venue.

Chances are that you’ve heard of Steve Jobs. The people untouched by this genius and innovator are now curiosities, clutching their Nokias like anyone would bother to steal them. Jobs rose and fell young then rose, phoenix-like, again before succumbing to a tragically early death. A true trailblazer he achieved astounding professional successes despite infamous personal shortcomings.

Early Mornings Productions is the vehicle for Joel Goodman and Jan Osborne’s musical mini masterpieces including their acclaimed biography of Alan Turning – and no, the Turing connection to the Apple logo is just a legend. What’s delivered in ‘Apple of My Eye’ is a tight and pacy insight into genius, spotlight with songs that even the most pompous and jaded critic of musical theatre as a legitimate genre cannot overly object to. The signature refrain ‘Abandoned, or Chosen’ roots this fine portraiture in the character and contradictions set in motion by Job’s adoption as a baby.

As Jobs, Stephen Smith owns the stage exuding a confidence and magnetism both authentic and essential. Smith is more reflective than apologetic, treading a fine line between ego and mania. Despite a technical glitch – one of the four auld iMacs used to amply Smith’s performance with AV is on the fritz – we are treated to a sense of just how much work has gone into doing justice to a life spent in pursuit of design simplicity. This is a show that sticks in the mind for all the right reasons.

Come for the portrait of a titan of our times. Stay for a production that hits all the high notes. Get your turtlenecks on and go see this!

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‘Upstart! Shakespeare’s Rebel Daughter Judith’ (Venue 24, until AUG 27th)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2023, Rated: Nae Bad by

“Rachel Kitts sparks and sparkles throughout, her relationships making the drama”

Editorial Rating: 4 (Nae Bad)

Who was Judith Shakespeare? Did she have an identity beyond her close personal orbit around her father, England’s greatest teller of tales? Mary Jane Schaefer’s script takes a scholarly approach to the many possibilities, weaving the plausible threads into a monumental drama of ordinary lives lived in the shadow of a blazing star.

Together Rachel Kitts and Susannah May, representing the young and auld Judith, portray a woman frequently disappointed with her lot, the keeper of Shakespeare’s most infamous secret – the true identity and significance of The Dark Lady described in his sonnets (sonnets 127–152). May remains on stage throughout, a widowed country lady sitting in her easy chair, toying with her memories as they play out stage left. It’s the first of some bold decisions which make for a rather cumbersome and cluttered production saved by a very strong script and some excellent and memorable performances.

This is an unusually big show for a Fringe show. Big cast, big set and, at 80 minutes, it’s also a long one. Kitts sparks and sparkles throughout, her relationships making the drama: with the splendid Aisling Groves-McKeown as the peevish Anne Hathaway; with the debonair Angus Bhattacharya as her life’s true(ish) love Tom Quiney; with the fabulous Becky Sanneh as the mystery woman and as Judith’s sister Susanna; and with the cerebral Luke Millard as William Shakespeare. Roddy Lynch and Oscar Blend add strength and depth to the ensemble as a solid host of supporting characters.

The strong script hangs on familiar assumptions. That Mr and Mrs Shakespeare had an uneasy marriage. That their unhappiness was compounded by the tragic early death of their son, Judith’s twin. That scandal attached to the marriage of Judith and Tom. That Shakespeare’s infidelities as a travelling player caused much distress. That Shakespeare’s last will and testament is the key to unlocking his domestic circumstances. To these Schaefer’s script adds a bold and daring innovation concerning Judith which makes this show a must for every true Shakespearian.

Come for the bigness. Stay for some exquisite character work. Get your doublets on and go see this!

 

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EdFringe Talk: Acceptance Pending

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“Finishing this show will be a great milestone for me emotionally.”

WHO: Gabriel McDerment

WHAT: “World premiere of Gabriel McDerment’s new mental-health work! As Andrea, a high school senior, fights through the daunting US college application process, she experiences the mental-health strain that affects so many students. The cast, a mix of university students from NYU and other NYC-area schools, is honoured to present an element of the current youth mental-health crisis that has impacted them so much. At their Fringe debut, this cast invites you to step into Andrea’s world and witness not only their mental-health struggle, but the hope they have found together.”

WHERE: Stockbridge Church – Church Hall (Venue 317) 

WHEN: 15:00, 16:30, 19:00, 20:30 (40 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes! For me, the community at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is unparalleled. I am a part of Students at the Fringe, and the group has been so wonderful and supportive. People have been there for me at every turn, and I’m really grateful for the chance to bring the show to Edinburgh! I’m most excited about having as much fun as I can bringing “Acceptance Pending” to as many people as possible with some of my best friends in the world.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Yes! I’ve learned to be critical of non-supportive mental health environments. The underlying theme of this show is that anyone, no matter their mental health state, is worthy of love and acceptance. In my opinion, there are too many mental health narratives in theater that focus on fixing people, which plays into negative stigmas and pushes people farther from belonging. While I support finding solutions to mental health issues, I wanted to put something out that really highlighted the okay-ness of not being okay and the acceptance one must feel in that.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote it and am producing it (through my publishing company, Test Dummy’s Publishing Co.)! It’s been a great experience, and definitely one where I’m learning a lot. I started writing it two years ago, as I underwent the college admissions process. Finishing this show will be a great milestone for me emotionally, and I feel like premiering the piece in Edinburgh will feel like setting a project free that I’ve held really closely for a long time. The next thing for “Acceptance Pending” is definitely a cast album! I’m excited to bring the team together again to let the music live on. Beyond that, we are looking at US premiere options for the near future, and we’re hoping to make some exciting announcements soon. 🙂

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

I’d wholeheartedly recommend “What Can Indian Look Like” and “Your Children Will Follow”. These two shows have the absolute best people running them. “What Can Indian Look Like” is a one-person show alternating between Shaharah Gaznabbi and Natalia Advani Thangkhiew. “Your Children Will Follow” is a student-written play from Sacred Heart University, and their entire team is wonderful. Go see these great, deep, brilliant shows!

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‘Madame Chandelier’s Opera Party for Kids’ (Venue 13, until AUG 15th)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals 2023, Rated: Outstanding by

“As extra-curricular activities go, this is the bee’s knees and spider’s ankles.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

Look, you’re busy. I’m busy. It’s halfway through EdFringe which was exhausting enough in our 20s before kids. So let’s just say what needs saying and try to get Tabbitha and Ossian through their next 8 shows without any more tears – clears throats, goes for fortissimo – ‘Madame Chandelier’s Opera Party for Kids’ is the one show you cannot, must not miss.

It is art. It is artistry. It is informative. It is bucketloads of fun. Where else are you going to watch a classically trained opera singer gag on one of the Harribos she’s given to the kids in the front row to throw into her mouth when she hits the high notes?

As Madam Chandelier, Canadian-British opera singer and comedian Delea Shand is the best discovery at the Fringe us parents and carers can make. It’s opera, so it’s classy. It’s opera done well, so it’s really good. It’s opera done clever, which makes it comprehensible. It’s opera done knowledgeably, which makes for a lot of in-jokes buffs can smugly chuckle at. As extra-curricular activities go, this is the bee’s knees and spider’s ankles.

Daughter 1.0 (8 years) wrote this in her notebook, the one with Elsa dressed as la fille du régiment on the cover: “I went to madam chandelier’s opera party for kids! When I walked in there was a big suitcase on a stool and a lady standing next to it. Madame chandelier talked about lots of opera singers and we Played a few games. I also liked when she was a mermaid and we had a pool party with fish and bubbles and pretend warter! She played the accordion. I realy liked the bit when we had to throw gummy bears at her (only on the high notes). and she got to be all of the charecters! I liked when we had a party at the end. I really enjoyed it”

There’s no filter on children. It’s what makes them unlike grown-ups. Grown-ups know how to pretend to like things. Grown-ups don’t tell you they’re bored or fidget when stillness is what’s needed. Grown-ups compromise themselves to conform with expectations. It’s what makes children impossible and impossibly fun to be around. So when you are in a room with dozens of happy, laughing children who are enjoying themselves too much to notice they are also learning, you know you’re on to a great and wonderful thing.

Come for the opera because opera is high art which good for you. Stay for a biggest, bestest, sometimes bizzarest show that reminds us why we have kids and will travel many miles to see great performers hitting all the high notes. Get your opera capes on and go see this!

 

‘Sh!t-faced Shakespeare®: Romeo and Juliet’ (Venue 150, until AUG 27th)

Posted in 4*, Comedy, EdFestivals, EdFestivals 2023, Pleasance, Pleasance, Potterrow & Teviot, Rated: Outstanding by

“A Fringe Institution”

Editorial Rating: 4 (Outstanding)

Gone are the days where you can have a glass of lunch and return to work. It is hard enough to get a way with a couple of snifters let alone get full-blown trollied. So as one of those who hanker for the good, old days it was pleasing to see the old ways continuing at Sh!t-faced Shakespeare.

The premise is simple. A cast of classically trained actors perform a whistle-stop Shakespearean play (this year: Romeo and Juliet). The twist being that one of the cast is, well, shit-faced.

And boy was she shit-faced.

The compere got the audience going outlining exactly how much the actor had put away. She explained how some audience members could get involved. There was a genuine buzz (NB: not easy in the EICC! A venue that is generally reserved for dreary conferences about tax).

How much had she drunk? A bottle of lager and half a bottle of voddie. That’s a decent knock. A cider was also mentioned.

The compere was involved throughout to intervene throughout as an ad hoc health and safety consultant: running on to ensure the drunk actor doesn’t actually play with a sword; ensuring the drunk cast member didn’t fall into the crowd; reminding the cast to do some Shakespeare etc.

The show started with a small dance scene. It was very obvious, very quickly which one of the cast was drunk. The evening I went along it was Benvolio (Maryam Grace) although I believe the night before it had been Juliet.

She, of course, absolutely steals the show whilst the rest of the cast desperately try to keep up as she does everything in her power to knock them off track. If there was any semblance of a fourth wall Grace rampages through it at every turn.

There was one hilarious moment of audience dialogue where Grace drops the ‘C bomb’, the compere runs on to tell her off and Grace  gets the audience to agree that in Scotland the word really is a friendly greeting. At another point she whipped the audience into a frenzy by shouting ”Fuck the patriarchy”. Throughout she is gold-dust and the audience absolutely love her.

Admittedly, at points some actual high-quality Shakespeare breaks out but never for too long as Grace tramples in.  The other actors just about manage not to be put off entirely and adeptly manage the mayhem that is ensuing around them and improvising their own gags.

Somehow, despite all this, the show just about runs to time and the feels incredibly slick. I’d be keen to see it again to see Grace sober and one of the others drunk (Romeo leathered would, I think, be quite something).

It is easy to see why this is a Fringe institution. The venue was full and the crowd cackled away throughout. It was clear that many have seen the show, or at least the concept, before and return for more… but isn’t that quite something when there is so much competition here in August?

I was as sober as the rest of the cast and, I suspect, that had I sunk a few beforehand the show would have been an entirely different beast.

Come for the concept. Stay for the Shakespeare. Get some beers in and go and see this.

 

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‘Ancient Coins of Forgotten Kingdoms’ (Venue 605, until AUG 27th)

Posted in *Written Interviews, 3*, EdFestivals 2023, Rated: Nae Bad by

“A masterclass in infotainment done right.”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars (Nae Bad)

Hands up. I picked this one. Hammered coins are beautiful and children should be supported to see their artistry and know something of their history. Few everyday objects have such capacity to give one chronological vertigo. Time bends around them. Lost voices. Lost stories. Lost lives. To hold one is to form one link in a chain of transactions that might have bought a horse in a steppe-side community long ago, been plundered from a burning city, lost on the Spanish Main or been used to illustrate a parable about what does (and does not) belong to Caesar.

Mark Saltveit is a stand-up comedian (of which there are many) and prominent palindromist (of which there are fewer). He’s also a collector of ancient coins. In this cute little show, performed in the Fringiest of Fringe venues, his enthusiasm is enthralling and (I’m so glad to say) contagious. His description of how the design of the tetradrachm of Philip of Macedon – with which Alexander the Great’s father paid his Celtic mercenaries – morphed and adapted down the centuries is a masterclass in infotainment done right.

Less successful is his reference to Celtic FC as an “English” club, which he almost compounded into a spontaneous lynching, “but surely when they get good enough they can get promoted to the premier league?” Also, don’t forget your laptop charger.

Daughter 1.0 (8 years) wrote this in her notebook, the one with a tetradrachm on which the obverse horse has morphed into a unicorn on the cover: “I went to The Roman coins show. When I whent in I saw lots of chairs and a man talking. He talked about Roman coins and what they had on the front. Then he made a place for children to make play-doue coins. And a place to look and hold the coins. I like the bit where we got to hold the coins.”

Saltveit did exactly what he promised on the tin and I could not be more grateful. He has planted a seed which an over-produced public museum event would never have germinated. Like a bag of recently minted silver Gloucester half pennies carefully buried in the fens to appropriately age, this production needs a little TLC to be shown off to best effect. But this is the real deal. Authenticity guaranteed. In what other show can children handle authentic pirate’s treasure?

Come for the open window into eons passed. Stay for passion as performance art. Get your coats on and go see this!