Tag Archives: EdFringe

‘King Lear’ (Venue 33, until AUG 24th)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, 5*, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“An uncondescending condensing of the immortal classic by the acknowledged king of festive Fringe storytelling.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

Pip Utton is the Edinburgh Fringe. His productions are insightful, playful, joyful, and memorable. He’s the most respected player among his fellow professionals and the most beloved among his devoted followers from across the footlights (me included). Getting out of a Pip Utton performance takes several ages of man. You go from mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms to second childishness and mere oblivion in the time it takes for everyone ahead of you in the exit line to gush their appreciation to the master. Utton is best known for his candid biopics. Churchill, Hitler, Dickens, Bacon, Thatcher, and Bob Dylan walk into a pub and the barman asks, “What will you have, Mr Utton?  This year we have simply Lear in an uncondescending condensing of the immortal classic by the acknowledged king of festive Fringe storytelling.

We enter to find no king, just Lear. Bereft of the trappings and dignity of power, here is a man who has learned the hard way that it is folly to grow auld without having first grown wise. In the depths of depression, with all his charms o’erthrown, Lear ponders on the cruel reversal of his fortune. Across town, at the National Portrait Gallery, nestled among the artistic jewels of Shakespeare’s great royal patron, James VI and I, are early sketches for the proposed flag of the newly reunited kingdoms of England and Scotland. This was one part of the Jacobean undoing of what, at the time, was seen as the historic Lear’s legacy – the disunion of the island of Britain. Lear is written as a deliberate contrast to James, the author, scholar, and father of sons, although, fun fact alert, it is through James’ only surviving daughter, married to the winter king of Bohemia, that we owe our present royal family.

Lear is Shakespeare’s other Shylock, a publicly bad character to whom bad things publicly happen. Utton’s instinctive feel for the humanity of the great and the good characters he uncannily inhabits downplays the madcap Toby Belchery of the recent retiree. Instead, Utton emphasises the subsequent family drama and ensuing unvirtuous betrayal. Although Catholic missionaries had begun arriving in China from the 1580s, precise knowledge of Confucianism and its emphasis on filial piety, moral governance, family and hierarchy was limited to a few pioneering Jesuits with whom Shakespeare could have had no correspondence. Yet there are uncanny parallels, not undisimilar to the Swan of Avon’s synthesis of the Florentine Machiavelli, who would not be translated into English until the 1640s. Truly, Shakespeare was not of an age, but for all time. Utton’s minimalist edition of Lear reopens the text like a scythe to an overgrown, weedy meadow.

Truth be told, I haven’t liked Lear since I first saw the play. It was that 1997 staging at the Leicester Haymarket, the one in which Kathryn Hunter became the first woman to play the title role professionally (I’m still amazed anyone could get paid for a performance that bad). Ponderous, maudlin, a script written for achktors to perform more than for audiences to be entertained by. Lear can bring out the worst kind of feet-apart shouty overemphasis when done to death. By stark contrast, EdFringe’s quiet legend, Pip Utton, brings the play and the role to life as never before or not in a long time. “Walk softly, and carry a big stick”, advised Theodore Roosevelt. Among his properties Utton has just such a big stick. His performance is as soft and rich as an ostrich egg boiled for an hour and is best enjoyed in the cheerful company of friends who know they are in for a big treat.

Come for the familiar megastar doing something a bit different. Stay for an intelligent, gentle performance. Get your magisterial cloaks on and go see this!

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EdFringe Talk: Help! I’m Trapped in a One-Woman Show

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I suppose the lesson I’ve learned is to follow through on your dreams because they actually can come true.”

WHO: Kate Skinner

WHAT: “Alone in the world – as only a widow can be – Broadway actor, Kate Skinner’s moving journey through love, loss and online dating at 70. Navigating a landscape where ‘Man, 67, seeks woman under 30,’ her stories are wickedly funny and deeply poignant. Through it all, her love for Ron McLarty remains ever-present. ‘Kate touches on the deepest themes of our lives with the lightest of touches. If you’ve ever loved, lost or dared to love again, this is theatre not to be missed’ (Terry Johnson).”

WHERE: 10 Dome at Pleasance Dome (Venue 23) 

WHEN: 13:25 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I have heard about the Fringe for decades. Friends have performed here and people I know have attended shows here and they always extolled the virtues of it as completely unique and a once in a lifetime experience, In the back of my mind I thought perhaps a show I was involved with would be asked to the Fringe but that never happened. So I was forced to bring my own show to the Fringe to make my dream come true.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Well, one is that in 2024 at a dinner party I was asked where do you see yourself in 2025. And out of my mouth came the answer–“I am going to take my one person show to Edinburgh” without actually having one to take! So I then had to create a solo show. I called upon a writer friend I’ve known for 45 years and got him to write it with my assisting and then we brought a director on board I’ve also known for 45 years and we managed to fashion a play that we were all proud of. And I suppose the lesson I’ve learned is to follow through on your dreams because they actually can come true.

Tell us about your show.

My friend, the writer Mark Hampton wrote it for the most part taking what I have told him in great detail about my life and recent experiences in the online dating world and fashioned it into something stage worthy, Then we brought the director Michael Edwards on board and he became intimately involved in the process from that point on. Before that I was introduced to Anthony of the Alchemist Arts Collective as a possible producer for the show at the Fringe by Terry Johnson (playwright and director). Anthony has been a godsend and I couldn’t have come other the Fringe without his expertise. He has guided me along with way for over a year in preparation of this moment. He also brought on board Fergus, who is our ace stage manager who does our lights and sound as well. I did a presentation in upstate NY at a small theatre that was doing a SoloFest in mid March and then another one in NYC in June. I have no current plans to bring it anywhere else but one never knows what the future holds!

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

Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to see much as I’ve only been here a few days but I did see OUT OF MY HEAD at the Pleasance starring Jeremy Stockwell who is a superb actor and great storyteller. It is a show about Alan Watts who was a philosopher in the 60-70’s. I wanted to see THE CUT with Ben Pope today but it was sold out. I hope to see more over the next 10 days as there are so many splendid and interesting shows on in every direction!

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EdFringe Talk: Bad Immigrant

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I’ve learned to embrace the experience more fully. Last time, I was so focused on ticket sales, reviewers, and the nerves of performance that I didn’t give myself enough space to enjoy being part of the wider festival.”

WHO: Jennifer Irons

WHAT: “It’s a roller disco about immigration. Obvs. Jennifer Irons, a UK immigrant from Canada, is told after Brexit to “go home”. But she hasn’t lived there in 25 years, and the kicker: Canada doesn’t want her either. Apparently, she’s too old, too broke and not sporty enough? Channeling her childhood hero, ‘Canada’s sweetheart’ Elizabeth Manley, Jennifer straps on roller skates and dives helmet-first into a glittering world of freewheeling misfits. With German techno, dancing salmon and absurd humour, award-winning choreographer and dancer Jennifer embarks on a chaotic, darkly surreal quest through colonialism, identity and the search for belonging.”

WHERE: Studio Two at Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17) 

WHEN: 15:35 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, we love Edinburgh – and Scotland in general. I actually first came here within a couple of weeks of landing in the UK. I remember taking an overnight bus and waking up just as the sun was rising over the castle. It felt cinematic – like I’d stumbled into a movie. That first impression has always stayed with me.

The Fringe itself is indescribable. Everyone tries to pin down what makes it so special, but I think part of the magic is that you can’t. I call it a gameshow where no one knows the rules or what the grand prize is, but we’re all (shows and audiences) playing our hearts out. It’s a kaleidoscope of experiences: I have memories of drinking cocktails out of a skull, accidentally injuring the ref during an arm-wrestling competition, bumping into a Royal as they casually stepped out their helicopter and hearing bagpipes on a mountaintop. Cliché, yes, but unforgettable when it happens in real life. I grew up as a Highland dancer, so hearing bagpipes played just on the street felt like a wild flashback.

Festivals, and the Fringe in particular, are both exhilarating and exhausting. As a punter, it’s endless discovery: one moment you’re watching a singing pirate dinosaur, the next you’re weeping at a heartfelt story about a shark (that turned out to be about a father / son relationship). As a performer, it’s a marathon. You work so hard to make the show you want, but it only truly comes alive when you share it with audiences. Their reactions complete the work, and performing night after night for a month is when the real magic happens.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Haha! Have I?! If I’m honest, I’m a slow learner. It’s taken five years to make this new show, and part of me wonders if I’ve learned anything at all – if I had, maybe I wouldn’t be back! That said, I’ve definitely realised that doing 22 shows in a row is probably not going to happen these days. 7 is a good number.

More importantly, I’ve learned to embrace the experience more fully. Last time, I was so focused on ticket sales, reviewers, and the nerves of performance that I didn’t give myself enough space to enjoy being part of the wider festival. This year, I want to balance being a performer with being a punter, to celebrate the joy of being around other artists. As an independent maker, you often work alone, so to suddenly be surrounded by a community of creatives is energising – it really fills the well.

Tell us about your show.

The show was conceived after my last Fringe, when a reviewer wrote about how my work resonated with their experience as an immigrant. That planted the seed. The piece is mostly written by me, but our director, Tom Roden of New Art Club, insists I acknowledge that the funny bits are his. Working with Tom has been awesome. I actually emailed New Art Club straight out of dance school, asking if I could ever be their support act, so collaborating 20 years later feels pretty cool.

I’ve brought together long-time collaborators like composer Stew Baxter (Life Band), dramaturg Lou Cope, and designer Lucy Hansom, alongside new collaborators like projection designer Harshi Karunaratne, whose approach to starting with the body before layering in tech resonated deeply with me. I stalked them on Instagram. I have been fortunate to collaborate with artists exploring identity; Majid Dhana and Sophie Passmore. The conversations around immigrant/ indigenous/ settler have been incredible. We’ve also had input from cognitive anthropologist/ cultural psychologist Dr. Martha Newson, whose research into group identity and belonging helped ground the show’s themes, while Tom ensured we approached heavy ideas with humour and joy.

The show itself is part-documentary, part-roller disco. It explores the absurd expectations placed on immigrants; often to be “better” than everyone else– through the equally absurd lens of trying to become a championship roller skater. It’s glitter, rhinestones, and a banging soundtrack, but underneath, it’s about community, belonging, and questioning the systems that ‘other’ people. We’ve previewed the piece twice and are touring it to Cities of Sanctuary across the UK. Alongside the show, I run Skates4Mates, a project that provides skates, gear, and lessons for people seeking sanctuary. That community work has given the show even more meaning and taken it beyond being “about me.”

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

Definitely check out A&E Comedy’s “Do All The Things” – it’s wild, joyful, and unexpectedly moving. I laughed, disco-danced, hugged a tree, and, yes, got pegged by a stranger (which was more fun than it sounds!).

I also recommend Vic Melody’s “Bubble Double Trouble Bubble and Squeak” – Vic always creates work that’s funny, tender, and surprising.

And I’ll be going to see Ontroerend Goed because they scared the crap out of me last time, and clearly I didn’t learn my lesson about cramming too many shows into the schedule! I’ll be on the hunt for dinosaur pirates too.

Supporting fellow artists is part of the joy of the Fringe.

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EdFringe Talk: Edie

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“If you love lesbians and history, you’ll love this 1 hour play!”

WHO: Jessica Toltzis

WHAT: “Never underestimate the power of a lesbian in love. Edie is based on the fabulous life of Edith Windsor and her sexy and tumultuous relationship with Thea Spyer. Edie sues the United States of America and convinces the Supreme Court to recognise the love that she and Thea share, changing the very definition of marriage. In her ground-breaking, decades-long journey, Edie struggles with the pain and joy of being herself while proving, once and for all, that love is love. This remarkable one-woman show stars award-winning actor, Jessica Toltzis.”

WHERE: The Annexe at Paradise in The Vault (Venue 29) 

WHEN: 21:10 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my second time, but the first time on my own, with my show, Edie. The first time I was at the Fringe was in high school as part of the American High School Theater Festival, playing Touchstone in As You Like It! Fringe is so special–it’s filled with incredible performers, artists, and like-minded people who want to come here and change audiences–I had to come back again. Now, as a producer, writer, and actor, it’s a lot more work (and fun)!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

ENJOY IT AND TAKE YOUR TIME! There’s a lot to do at Fringe–too much, in fact–and you have to give in to the fact that you can’t do it all! Once I arrived in Edinburgh, it took me a few days to remember and accept this truth, but now that I have, it’s made the festival more fun!

Tell us about your show.

Edie is inspired by the fabulous Edith Windsor, who sued the US government, won, and went on to legalize gay marriage in the US. So if you love lesbians and history, you’ll love this 1 hour play! I wrote, produced, and am starring in it! I have an amazing director and associate director/stage manager who have helped this piece come to life. We sold out off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters and are now at the Fringe! After Fringe, the hope is to continue performing this show and turn it into a TV show or movie!

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

You have to see The Marriage of Alice B Toklas by Gertrude Stein, Jack Offerman’s Big Uncut Flick, and Shell! These shows are funny, moving, and worth the ride!

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EdFringe Talk: The C Word

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“You have to really believe in a story to devote yourself to something like that, and that is what I think connects all Fringe performers in this very tangible way.”

WHO: Claire Houghton Renoe

WHAT: “Back by popular demand! The C Word is a radical awakening to the extreme objectification, competition, and overall nonsense women face today. This play explores the hypothesis: All women Hate themselves with a capital H. Trapped in a museum while waiting to interview for an Associate Curator position, five young women must select a tribute to fight a terrifying C-word monster. In a reality where women are constantly pitted against each other, what must we learn about ourselves to truly know and love one another?”

WHERE: Upper Theatre at theSpace @ Niddry St (Venue 9) 

WHEN: 18:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my second time at Fringe and my second time directing The C Word, which made its international debut last August. I absolutely jumped at the opportunity to return to the festival. The community of such uniquely passionate, devoted, determined artists and storytellers is unlike any other arts event I’ve experienced. Being in a city teeming with creativity, bursting at the seams with performances in alleyways, classrooms, and storage closets, proves that fantastic theatre can be made by anyone, anywhere, with any budget.

I am incredibly grateful that our company gets to further develop this show, and that I, as an individual artist and lover of theater, have the opportunity to return with some understanding of the scope of opportunity here. I hope to take advantage of every second this year, and to soak in the vibrant, glorious community that surrounds me. Just SEEING the shows here! So many make me think– ‘Yes! This is why I do this!’

There would, of course, be more time to see things if I weren’t working on a show of my own, but that is the other half of the rich experience at Fringe. Coming together with a group of people you respect and admire to ship yourselves and your set overseas, to rehearse in the park, tech in two hours, and open to an international audience. It’s thrilling like nothing else. You have to really believe in a story to devote yourself to something like that, and that is what I think connects all Fringe performers in this very tangible way.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I feel I’m returning to Fringe this year with a greater sense of camaraderie and community. It has been amazing how many people, artistic friends and collaborators, have descended on Edinburgh from a multitude of places and from so many chapters of my life. I trust that the people I meet this summer will become the familiar faces of future years.

I’m learning the importance of this network– of finding the people whose work ethic and collaboration style feeds your own. You never know when the opportunity might arise to work with them, maybe in six months, maybe in five years. Maybe here, or in New York or LA. This feels like the origin point for so many opportunities and relationships, and how exciting that it is the same for thousands of artists all around me.

Tell us about your show.

The C Word asks: “Is it possible to be a ‘girl’s girl’ in a world determined to make us hate ourselves and each other?” A feeling of never enough-ness has been ingrained so deep within us that we don’t notice it anymore. Sarah Lina Sparks began developing this play at UCLA, before it was picked up by Los Angeles Theatre Initiative for its run at Fringe last year. I think Sarah Lina’s writing is brilliant because it uses magic and laughter to uncover tensions, the ones that are supposedly “fixed,” that rest just beneath the surface.

We’ve been lucky enough to perform the show to sold out audiences at Hollywood Fringe since our run last year, and witnessing people connect intimately to these characters has been incredibly rewarding. The show unearths the complexity and ugliness that can exist in female relationships, and in doing so can also discover their beauty. Sarah Lina’s writing investigates what women must overcome to really love one another. To selflessly root for another woman’s success. Is it even possible? The C Word argues that it is.

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

One of my favorite shows I’ve seen at Fringe is Xhloe and Natasha’s A Letter to Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First. The story is nuanced and beautifully written, the choreography and design stunning to witness, and the audience left the theater incredibly connected to the characters while discussing their interpretations of the gripping final moments. I recommend anyone go see this show.

I also highly recommend Liv and Ken Productions’ The Family Copoli: A Post-Apocalyptic Burlesque Musical. Incredibly music, amazing performances, and a blast to watch while leaving the audience real themes and questions to consider. So well produced and performed, an exciting new piece of theatre.

I very much enjoyed Kate Barry’s intimate storytelling performance, Kate, Allie and the ‘86 Mets. I felt invited into the story and was absolutely touched. I was completely absorbed and loved the design and the personal touches from Kate’s childhood.

I also loved the one person comedy show, Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England. It uses humor to explore toxic masculinity in such an effective way. I’ve heard so many people rave about this show. Highly recommend it!

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‘Sketch Show Bingo!’ (Venue 53, until AUG 23rd)

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

“Delivered with confidence by three performers whose grip on their material is tighter than a skinflint clutching a fiver in a tornado.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

Quirks & Foibles – Katie Bennett, Amy McCann and Amelia Stephenson – are ones to watch, which is good cos they’re in a show. It’s called ‘Sketch Show Bingo!’ and it does what it says on the tin and does so really rather well. On entering, we are handed a bingo card and a dabber (mine’s run out of ink, which is fine because I get less than half). One of the trio rolls the cage, out comes a sketch and off we go. First to get a horizontal line, first to get a full house. Simples.

It’s 50 minutes worth of short, snappy, smart ideas delivered with confidence by three performers whose grip on their material is tighter than a skinflint clutching a fiver in a tornado. If you saw Quirks & Foibles’ entry for last year’s Eurovision, then you’ll get their style. Big contrasting personalities paired with big shared commitment. That material is always on target, even if there isn’t a slam-dunk goal every time. It’s the Fry and Laurie, Mitchell and Webb sketch snob in me. I like to feel that a good half shelf of background academic research has gone into an idea. There needs to be depth to even the shallowest of silly ideas. Still, there is so much promise here.

The Bingo! concept really works. It gets the audience involved and interested from the start. The trio’s delivery is lithe and lively, spontaneous but pacy. The banter between Bennett, McCann, and Stephenson is what makes this show properly stand out, and I would like to see much, much more such Rat Packery between the numbers. This is a solid group yet to find their Brian Epstein, someone who (or something that) can focus all the energy and all the talent into a more consistent, playful whole. There’s a hesitancy, but I am hesitant to say exactly how it manifests except that it does.

Come to see smart, funny people being smart and funny. Stay for a format that’s unlocking this trio’s obvious talent and potential. Get your green stripy double-breasted blazers on and go see this!

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‘Evelyn’ (Venue 39, until AUG 23rd)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, 5*, Rated: Outstanding by

“Elena Guitti (as Evelyn) brings an extraordinary depth and clarity to the ordinary humdrum in this satire of daily life and routine.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

Daily life sucks. So many things to wipe, dust, dry, and so forth. Too little time to do it all in. Plus, there’s the whole… you know… finding meaning in a seemingly vast and incomprehensible universe to be getting on with. Our protagonist, Evelyn, emerges onto the stage from inside of a washing machine. Cramped, hot, bothered, she is relentlessly bombarded by external noise which confuses without comforting.

Elena Guitti (as Evelyn) brings an extraordinary depth and clarity to the ordinary humdrum in this satire of daily life and routine. Guitti is the Artistic Director of Piccolo Teatro Libero, in Brescia, Lombardy. There she is at the centre of a vibrant cultural community space and respected theatre school which give this (undeniably) out there production a rooted and grounded feeling.

The show is written and directed by the storied and storytelling Giacomo Gamba, the versatile Italian actor, director, playwright, and teacher whose work blends movement, storytelling, and visual theatre. Gamba has created several award-winning productions such as ‘Petrol’ (2012) which won First Prize at the Valleyfield International Festival in Montreal, Canada, before landing at EdFringe16. This year’s show showcases movement and physicality that looks and feels like how humans look and feel. There is none of the uniform, artificial camp which dominates the mainstream. By the time Evelyn gets back in her washing machine, we have been on a journey into ourselves and back again.

Here is Fringe theatre doing what it is supposed to do. Challenging yet always engaging. Visual by visibly pushing ordinary boundaries. Here is a confident stride down a highend catwalk to who can tell exactly where. Here is a paced and pacy production that is as tight a use of the time as I am guessing Guitti finds the fit inside her domestic appliance. Come for a piece of physical theatre that is not afraid to be entertaining. Stay for a masterclass from some of the best and the brightest in the sector. Get your tabàros on and go see this!

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‘Hidden Powers’ (Venue 39, until AUG 23rd)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, 4*, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“An intensely unassuming stage presence blossoms like it’s midnight in a garden closely planted with cereus flowers.”

Editorial Rating: 4 5 Stars (Outstanding)

Warwickshire’s own Angus Baskerville is a wonder. Active since 2014 and a member of The Magic Circle since 2020, Baskerville’s reputation is rapidly growing under the grow lamp and hydroponics of his neurodivergency, combined with a total commitment to the past, present, and future of the magician’s art. An intensely unassuming stage presence blossoms like it’s midnight in a garden closely planted with cereus flowers and with spectacular results.

We enter to find a table on which are a few properties, as well as a whiteboard prominently showing the free wifi info – which will be needed for one of Baskerville’s more incredible feats. Over the next 50 minutes, we will watch him ascend to ever greater heights of mindblowing relatability using his neurodivergency like a rock climber uses magnesium carbonate – it’s what gives him such a firm grip, absorbing any nervous energy, reducing slips and keeping him focused like a laser pointer cellotaped to an eagle

There’s no escaping the fact that this still feels like early days. Baskerville is still to hit his full stride as a performer. The moments when he totally loosens up and starts to really enjoy himself on stage are a promise of what’s coming in EdFringes yet to come. This is an act whose confidence doesn’t yet match the considerable ability being demonstrated – a comforting contrast and inversion of many lesser shows across the genres. Baskerville gets rid of his cape early in the show; this is about magic, not about spectacle. Perhaps it’s the corporate hotel venue, or because we’re watching a jobbing local magician (available for weddings, functions, private parties, etc) but there’s something there that’s missing a polish and or sparkle that’s not quite up to speed (yet).

Still, here is an EdFringe legend so obviously in the making. A personable performer with something deep and meaningful to say on a subject about which much more is said than understood. Come for the insight into neurodivergency as the superpower that it is. Stay for tricks that will have you shaking your head and wondering if Baskerville oughtn’t to be reported to the witch-finder general. Get your capes on (or not) and go see this!

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‘The Listies: Make Some Noise’ (Venue 17, until AUG 25th)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, 5*, Rated: Outstanding by

“Australia’s other great kids’ entertainment export.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

Is it even EdFringe if you haven’t seen The Listies? Richard Higgins and Matt Kelly are Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis before the bromance soured. Their formula is part The Goons, part Python, with a triple unfiltered shot of classic Roald Dahl added to the mix. If you’ve ever rewatched clips of Dahl performing to a crowd, then you have some idea of agitation and excitement charging through The Listies’ audience of 4-400 year aulds before, during, and after the magic and mayhem.

This year’s edition hasn’t got the same narrative arc, and I kind of wish it did, but I’m guessing I’m the only one. This show runs like a W.A.W.I.P. (Wacky Arm Waving Inflatable Person), it’s light but durable material through which so much energy is being pumped that it just stands up and does its thing. Even without a plot – have they lost it? – the onstage chemistry between the sardonic Higgins and the effervescent Kelly is what makes this the standout show of the moment – Australia’s other great kids’ entertainment export.

In her EdFringe notebook, the one with Lano and Woodley on the cover, Daughter 1.0 (10yrs) wrote: “I thought that the Listies was really funny. It had me constantly laughing really hard for a long time. I especially liked the part where the baby (which was accidentally bought on Amazon) sand a song while being sent to sleep. In the end, Baby would have to go to Space! It seemed the right place for him to go though. I also liked their adience Interactions like the orchestra they created. THe orchestra included: A squeaky crab, a triangle (played with a spoon) and burping. The worst part of the show was the end though, I could happily watch the Listies all day! I highly recommend this show.”

This show is a burptastic fartathon with off-colour jokes aplenty of which my sainted grandmothers would not have approved. Still, it takes intelligence and class to be this consistent. This is a silly show for smart people as well as for people who haven’t tried being smart yet. Life is short and childhood especially so. Parents and carers can rely on The Listies to make memories worth remembering. Come for the best comic pairing since Whoopee met Cushion. Stay for unarguably the best kids’ comedy show in town. Get your ripstop nylon coats on and go see this!

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‘Biff to the Future’ (Venue 3, until AUG 24th)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, 5*, Rated: Nae Bad, Theatre by

“Butt-head-ressed by a pedantic depth of knowledge of and nerdish insight into the immortally classic original material.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Nae Bad)

Blockbuster (yet cult) movie franchise PLUS double Olivier Award-nominated direction PLUS writing and performance by a Reduced Shakespeare Company alumn EQUALS theatre so sensational it might have been routed through a flux capacitor. “Tell me, Future Boy, who’s President of the United States in 1985?” There’s a charm and an innocence to the movies, none of which is generated by one of the greatest movie villains of all time, the bozo bully Biff Tannen – the possibly probably love child of Shooter McGavin and Dr Evil.

Here are elements of the trilogy mixed, mashed, and lovingly upcycled into a homage worthy of the great Thomas F. Wilson himself. The stories are told from Biff’s perplexed and (rather unpolysyllabic) perspective. As all of the parts, Joseph Maudsley, hits all the notes, from Marty McFly on C6 (≈ 1046.5 Hz) down to the irascible Mr. Strickland on C2 (≈ 65.4 Hz). It’s like Maudsley’s playing an 80s electric keytar – which he is at one point. There’s prop gags, word play, surrealist riffs and improv, plus some properly totes hilar audience interaction, all butt-head-ressed by a pedantic depth of knowledge of and nerdish insight into the immortally classic original material.

Biff in the movies is a rather two-dimensional character – more Gilray than Hogarth. The genius of Maudsley’s approach is to add on existential dimensions that have you feeling pangs of sympathy for Hill Valley’s gobbiest gobshite like he’s sitting in his tent the night before Bosworth Field feeling sorry for himself.

I properly love Piccolo Tent at Assembly George Square Gardens, but it’s not quite the perfect stage for this staggeringly affectionate tribute. There’s one prop gag which is impossible to see from the back, which is a shame because it’s one of the funniest. Maudsley fills the space like he’s filling a 1946 Ford Super DeLuxe with manure. The comedy piles on and on, for the first and only time this Fringe, I am wishing the running time was longer.

Come for the nostalgia. Stay for the freshness. Put your custom-made red quilted puffer vests on and go see this!

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