Tag Archives: EdFringe

EdFringe Talk: Rory Cargill: Television 1

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“Despite the all-consuming physical and mental battering, I love it here.”

WHO: Rory Cargill

WHAT: “100 years of television in one hour. Comedian Rory Cargill celebrates the centenary of national broadcaster Television 1 in a multimedia sketch and parody show that spans decades of British TV evolution. ‘A blissful 60 minutes of silliness.’ ***** (BroadwayWorld.com). ‘Really well made.’ **** (ThreeWeeks). ‘Truly exemplary.’ (AYoungishPerspective.co.uk). ‘Excellent, professionally slick visual mania.’ (TheQR.co.uk).”

WHERE: Assembly Roxy – Downstairs (Venue 139) 

WHEN: 19:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my second full run in Edinburgh. Despite the all-consuming physical and mental battering, I love it here. Having the chance to reset and give the show another bash every day is very freeing. It’s a place of kindred spirits too – most of my friendship group I met at previous editions here.

I came as a punter for years before finally taking the plunge with a concept I felt was worthy of a run here at the ripe old age of 32. I wish I’d done it sooner but better late than never.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I have not absorbed this lesson but I’m working on it. My show is quite physical so I’m grabbing power naps wherever I can – in parks, pub booths, in the middle of my show, in the middle of other people’s shows. It’s good practice to sleep in the front row of a show so the performer can clearly see not to disturb you.

Tell us about your show.

My show is called Rory Cargill: Television 1. It’s a narrative sketch, character and spoof comedy that parodies 100 years of British television in 1 hour. I do a new show and character for every decade starting from the 50’s, including Blue Peter, Big Brother and How to Look Good Naked.

It’s packed with pop culture references from over the years and combines live and filmed portions that interplay with each other. It’s very silly and high-energy and features some cool tech and AI gimmicks.

It’s written by me and it’s first version premiered in Edinburgh in 2023. This is it’s 3rd version and it’s quite different now – I’ve since attached a main character – a Noel Edmonds parody ‘Beau Creme’ , who hosts the show -and moved it from a more traditional sketch show to something with a narrative arc that connects each sketch.

I’m looking to attach a production company for future outings in London and beyond and am already looking towards Edinburgh ’25 for version 4.0.

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

Tom Lawrinson is the funniest standup in the U.K. His show ‘Buried Alive and Loving It’ is his best work yet – you’ll laugh so hard.

Cecily Hitchcock and Jen Nolan are my other favourite stand ups. They’re doing a split bill called ‘Schrödinger’s Yats’ that’s extremely fun.

For sketch – Grubby Little Mitts, Bishops.
For clown – Ollie West and Claire Parry (unfortunately her run is done but check her out in London, my fave new discovery of the Fringe.)
For plays – Chokeslam and Don’t Call me Chinadoll – both by WWWC.

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EdFringe Talk: Window Seat

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“eing one project among many and tapping into this collective experience is thrilling – we rarely get that in everyday life.”

WHO: Cleopatra Coleman

WHAT: “‘I became the Jeremy Clarkson of tits.’ In this tender off-beat comedy, a mother and daughter survey the changes in their lives while waiting onboard a plane. One is getting used to an empty nest, the other to adulthood. They both hold high hopes for the coming trip together but, with their flight delayed, reunion proves more turbulent than anticipated. Like passengers eavesdropping, we overhear a relationship in need of renewal between two women unsure of how to navigate change. Negotiating emotional crosswinds, they surprise each other with a mischievous, zigzagging honesty.”

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

WHEN: 11:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time at the Fringe, both as attendee and as show-maker, although various members of my company have participated in the festival before. What a revelation the Fringe is! Being one project among many and tapping into this collective experience is thrilling – we rarely get that in everyday life. It’s carnivalesque, varied, surprising; you never know what you will find or who you will meet. To quote a friend who regularly works at the festival, Edinburgh during the Fringe is ‘a sexy, pumped up place’. Agreed.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

As a 22-yr-old newbie to the scene, developing ‘Window Seat’ for EdFringe has surpassed the rigorous education I longing for. At every stage in the process, but particularly during the festival itself, there has been no other option but to learn and adapt – on the spot. This is hugely exciting and leaves me feeling very lucky.

It’s also great fun. Of course, there’s A LOT of work in putting together a show and finding a public, but fun is what makes it irresistible, to audience and performer. Both in what I have watched at the Fringe and what I have sought to bring to ‘Window Seat’: playful remains paramount.

Maud May and Helen Rose-Hampton, Window Seat’s two actors, have taught me so much. We’re at different ages and came to the project with various artistic, personal and professional experiences, but their openness and their willingness to be challenged has been inspiring.

Other golden advice I keep returning to:
– It’s about doing what you love, being courteous and open, and staying in the game.
– Without fear there can be no courage!
– Never be shy asking for advice. People love to help where they can, especially if you start with a manageable request…

Tell us about your show.

I first wrote and staged ‘Window Seat’ as a university production last spring, at the Burton Taylor studio in Oxford. We were on for 5 nights and were delighted by our audiences. Shout out to the amazing cast at the time: Avanthika Balaji and Marianne Nossair (who is currently at EdFringe starring in ‘Placeholder’ @roselaneproductions and ‘Bucket List’ @showdonttellproductions).

I wanted to tell the story again, to adapt and re-write it, this time casting an age-appropriate duo. The scenario still interested me – mum and daughter at a cross-roads in their lives, forced to sit next to each other – as did the tongue-in-cheek, ever-revolving and highly “fem” mode that ‘Window Seat’ tunes into.

I joined with Nick Yale just before Christmas, co-producer and a student here in Edinburgh, to form Swoop Productions. We held open auditions, and eventually found the wonderful Maud and Helen. The ball was rolling, fund-raising under way, and as rehearsals kicked off, my brilliant peers Hortense Duchemin and Comfort Maseko completed the team as co-producers/marketers.

We would love to bring ‘Window Seat’ to a theatre after the Fringe, to follow on from all the creative fermentation and insights gained here at the festival. It’s a simple (and highly portable) show: two airplane seats will do. The festival has brought us confidence in ourselves and in our audience. Thank you, Edinburgh!

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

Where to start!

Playfight – fast-paced and extraordinarily performed by three very talented women. Too absorbed to realise you are crying and then lights are up!

A Silent Scandal – emerging from Trinity College Dublin. Very well-written and Eoghan Quinn masterfully portrays a very conflicted headmaster.

Free Footlights – hilarious, dark, imaginative sketches devised by the young comedians themselves. Especially love Frankie Browne’s!

Dick. – Not afraid to tackle tricky issues and very well acted. We especially enjoyed the story about the sandwich.

Umbilical Brothers – Cerebral, whacky and mesmerising

With All My Fondest Love – a young man’s beautiful exploration into his grandfather’s life

Suitcase Show by Trick of The Light Theatre – timeless multi-media story telling about journeying

Mythos: Ragnarök – Epic norse mythology told through WWE wrestling

Carter Morgan: The Death of Cool – I haven’t yet made it to Carter’s show yet, but after standing next to each other in a queue for several hours, I say GO!

Same goes for Intelligent Bisexual Woman – some wicked comedy coming out of NYC atm!

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EdFringe Talk: In This Body of Flame

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“Performing at an open access performing arts festival is a unique experience because it gives emerging artists the ability to perform and allows them to connect with audiences around the world.”

WHO: Madelynne Kestner

WHAT: “‘Oh good God prepare me!’ were the last words Samuel Pepys dedicated to his companion of ten years, to whom he gave his life and sight: his diary. The stage is the precinct of his mind and all he witnessed, intimately retelling a decade that shaped London. From the Plague to the Fire, and the people that wandered the pages of his journal: fact, memory and fiction dance swiftly, ignited by the light of a candle. The stage is desolate, every word is a step, entrancing you into the consciousness behind the flame.”

WHERE: Paradise in The Vault – The Vault (Venue 117) 

WHEN: 18:10 (45 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, this is my first time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Fringe is unique because it gives a platform to new performs and writers. Performing at an open access performing arts festival is a unique experience because it gives emerging artists the ability to perform and allows them to connect with audiences around the world.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I personally was not apart of the Fringe last year. However, 2023 was a big year for my writing. I am developing my playwriting skills since I primarily focus on screenwriting. In the last year, I began working on smaller stage scenes and developed my writing into this play. A large lesson I learned is the difference between film and theatre. I am very excited to bring our show to a live audience.

Tell us about your show.

In This Body of Flame is an experimental historical drama about Samuel Pepys, his diary and the people from his life. I wrote and co-directed this play alongside Sofia Sculati taking inspiration from his diary entries. Our idea for this show was to meld history with drama. We wanted to showcase how all elements of theatre can create an immersive experience, we focused a lot on sound and how that helps performers and audiences to navigate shows. The University of Stirling Drama Society is a student led theatre group that performs multiple shows year round. As a committee, we decided it was time to take our work to a larger audience and premier our new show. We do not currently have plans to take a further step with this show, however, we are thrilled to see its audience reception and continue from there.

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

I think that audience members should go and see plays by other student societies as I believe it’s really important to give a platform to emerging young artists who are trying to step into theatre professionally and supporting them at The Edinburgh Fringe can open so many opportunities to new writing and new performers. A few of our members went to see The University of Edinburgh’s play ‘Slash’ at Bedlam Theatre and we really enjoyed the powerful and professional performances that each of the students gave. It was funny yet dramatic and had us excited waiting for the twist! We are also excited to see PASS (Edinburgh College’s) take on Steph Del Rosso’s play ‘The Gradient’ We wish the best of luck to all the other university societies!

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EdFringe Talk: Shower Chair

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“The Edfringe inspires creativity, serves as a stage for performance, and unites a community of artists.”

WHO: Ben Fallaci

WHAT: “Writer and comedian Ben Fallaci strips down and gets vulnerable while recounting how he lands broken and stuck in a geriatric shower chair. With irreverence and self-deprecation, Fallaci adds humour to a tale about a toxic friendship, slippery events, and a broken ankle. Where better to come clean than in the shower?”

WHERE: Greenside @ George Street – Lime Studio (Venue 236) 

WHEN: 20:50 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Edinburgh is where I started performing. During a semester abroad at the University, I performed with a sketch group (The EdRevue) and started stand up comedy. My first ever open mic was at the Wee Pub in Grassmarket. Five years later, I’d return to Edinburgh and pass the Wee Pub flyering for my one-man show Shower Chair during the 2023 EdFringe. Debuting my one man show at the festival, inspired my move to London and my decision to return to the festival this year for the entire run. The Edfringe inspires creativity, serves as a stage for performance, and unites a community of artists.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The biggest lesson from performing in 2023/ 2024 is to have fun. After an entire day of flyering and networking about your show, the only thing left to do is to perform it. The Fringe is such a unique opportunity to workshop, experiment, and play with your performance each night.You have to let go and have fun to stay in the moment. Finding routine in performance is rare, so I try to appreciate it as much as possible while here.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote Shower Chair during a 3 month long dog sitting gig in Los Angeles. I work best with collaborators, so I invited my director and personal friend, Fiona Kelly to come on board. Together, we turned a family home into the ultimate rehearsal space complete with a mic stand in the living room, various rewrites in the home office, and choreography sessions in the backyard. In addition to my director, Shower Chair was sculpted by countless conversations over coffee in the kitchen with patient East Side comics, who listened to hours of rambling that eventually were whittled down to a crisp 60 minute monologue.

After previewing Shower Chair at the Broadwater Theatre in Los Angeles, it debuted at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it played 14 performances. Shower Chair reached diverse audiences in Edinburgh and it was met with emotional responses. Last year at the festival, I connected with Zoe Novello and Sophie Visscher-Lubinizki (Speakerphone Productions) who came on board as creative producers, and have helped to shape and develop the show – assisting the team in growing it from a humble stand up comedy set to a full theatrical experience.

The show continues to grow as a consequence of including more creative thinkers. Shower Chair is a queer production. Directed, produced, and choreographed by queer theater makers, it is a true product of queer collaboration and storytelling.

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

After Shower Chair, check out Elen Mcneil’s History of a Heartbreak – a show that heals raw emotions like a warm cup of Yorkshire tea. Serena Freda’s one woman show NO NO NO GOD PLEASE NO is another piece of creative storytelling that explores the psychology of hurt and healing.

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EdFringe Talk: Rollercoaster

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“A great festival is one where you’re going to be constantly surprised.”

WHO: Wes Peden

WHAT: “Ultra-modern pop-punk juggling! Surrounded by a huge inflatable blue structure and accompanied by electro beats composed of distorted rollercoaster sounds, Peden shares his cutting-edge tricks inspired by corkscrews, adrenaline and high-tech seatbelts. The show features a four-meter transparent tube making balls spiral around Wes’ body, contemporary spinning-plate rituals, epic three-ball disco juggling and invisible seatbelts providing the safety to perform some of the most difficult juggling ever done on stage!”

WHERE: Assembly Roxy – Central (Venue 139) 

WHEN: 17:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Last time I performed in Edinburgh was with the trio juggling show Water on Mars back in 2016. We had an incredible time! The shows had some of the most enthusiastic audiences we have ever performed for. The Fringe audience is really special. It feels like everyone there is curious and excited to experience something new. Luckily for me, tha’s exactly the type of person who’s likely to appreciate contemporary juggling inspired by rollercoasters!

A great festival is one where you’re going to be constantly surprised. Where you’ll see art forms you’ve never heard of and have real-life experiences that tickle your brain so much that you forget about your email inbox.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I moved to France from Sweden in 2023 and since then I have learned that French people sometimes make a sandwich with baguette and a piece of chocolate bar. I’m happy to say that I have absorbed this lesson many times.

Tell us about your show.

Rollercoaster was written by Wes Peden, who is also the guy pushing the lettered buttons on his computer to write this. I have been juggling since I was 5 years old and have been part of the creation of over a dozen juggling shows including 4 solo shows. This show is by far my best solo work and I’m excited to share it with the Edinburgh crowd!

I’m very lucky to be working with the legendary company Gandini Juggling who are touring Rollercoaster and bringing it to Edinburgh this year. This will be the Scottish premiere of the show. I’ve performed the show 100 times around Europe and the US just to prepare for the Fringe. This is not a drill!

After Edinburgh we’ll tour in Switzerland, Ireland, France, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and hopefully Japan. There are some really good rollercoasters there I’d like to check out.

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

Only Bones v1.9 by Matt Pasquet – Kallo Collective

Matt is an incredibly talented handstand artist and mover. The combination of his boundless
creativity, attention to detail, and humor creates a truly unique universe on stage. I highly
recommend checking out  ‘Only Bones’

Julieta by Gabriela Muñoz

Gabriela is a world-renowned clown, celebrated for her powerful, delicate, and hilarious stage
presence. The generosity and honesty in her performances consistently move me to tears. Make
sure you check the dates for her show as she'll only be at the festival for a week and I'm sure the tickets will go fast!

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‘Window Seat’ (Venue 29, until AUG 24th)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals 2024, Rated: Outstanding by

“As Trix, Helen Rose Hampton puts the slightest of American spins on this very English two-handeer.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

“It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on Earth has ever produced the phrase, ‘as pretty as an airport. ‘ Airports are ugly. Some are very ugly. Some attain a degree of ugliness that can only be the result of a special effort.” Air travel is neither glamorous nor relaxing. It’s an endurance test – travelling with family doubly so.

Cleopatra Coleman’s script features a mother and daughter grounded on a flight to Florence. The contrast between the romance of the intended destination and the utilitarian claustrophobia of the present is the first of several carefully choreographed juxtapositions which keep this thoughtful and elegant script briskly moving even as not a lot of anything actually happens. Trix, the mother, has a past she wants to share. Like the Via di Francesco that she once traversed, this journey into her past will open up new vistas and perspectives of understanding for her daughter, Lois, who is struggling with the inertia of life post-graduation.

As Trix, Helen Rose Hampton puts the slightest of American spins on this very English two-handeer. Rose Hampton inhabits the part honestly and sincerely. Her authenticity is the confident choice of a classical dab hand and the key that unlocks the depths of this smart funny drama. Coleman’s direction is to still but not to silence Trix’s Eddie and Patsy incline. Instead, the focus is kept on the character’s abiding maternal bond rather than milking her bold and brassy personality for easy laughs.

As Lois, Maud May is an ideal counterweight. She’s equally poised and self-possessed. It’s the carefully curated contrasts which make Trix and Lois’ similarities shine through with the crystal clarity of dawn’s first light caressing the Arno. Louis could have been presented as a brattish nag. May does something smarter, picking up and picking out her character’s qualities, many of which (we can assume) have been natured or nurtured from Trix.

There is conflict. There is tension. There is uncertainty. There are geese on the runway. Here is a cracking script crackling with craic. It’s storytelling done right. An auld skool kitchen sink drama cross-checked by a one plus one equals five performance by two assured and assuredly most talented actors. Cleopatra Coleman is cleared for take off as a writer to watch out for.

Get your raincoats on (there’s a thunderstorm predicted for Tuscany today) and go see this!

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‘Doktor Kaboom: Man of Science!’ (Venue 33, until AUG 26th)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals 2024, Rated: Outstanding by

“It is hilarious!!! I hope that I will be able to go every singe fringe.”

Editorial Rating: 7 out of 5 Stars (Outstanding)

A year ago, and for only the second time in our history, GetYourCoatsOn crowned ‘Doktor Kaboom: Man of Science!’ with a 7 (out of 5) star rating. I wrote that, “Doktor Kaboom is enlightening Scotland’s capital with a show that promotes learning for learning’s sake and which demonstrates that science done proper is really, really fun. To the mix he’s added an essential and urgent parabasis about how vulnerable our kids’ mental health is and what can be done to strengthen it.”

So is this latest instalment equally groundbreaking, breathtaking, and memory-making? SPOILER ALERT! Yes, this is an act that is getting better, but no less bonkers, with age. If anything the opportunity to encounter so many young minds on tour across the US and further afield has underscored Herr Doktor’s sense of urgency about his mission.

Lockdown hurt. It hurt our pockets, it hurt our sociability, it hurt our kids. In the buildings around George Square and elsewhere, historians will debate the rights and wrongs, the pluses and the minuses of Lockdown. The future, as Prof. Tom Devine likes to quip, is not my area of expertise. What matters now is the present, and there is a clear and present danger that the impact of Lockdown on our kids is being globally underestimated. Their confidence in themselves is not what is was or what it could be. Enter Doktor Kaboom the greatest comic creation since Professor Proton.

Some of the demonstrations are familiar – the makeshift hovercraft made out of an auld poker table ridden by a kid holding the most powerful electric leafblower money can buy remains the absolute crowd-pleasing favourite. It’s the pickle light bulb that reduces Granny to a helpless heap, she hasn’t laughed so hard since the ‘Wonkey Donkey’ viral incident of ‘14. On the cab ride home she keeps muttering, “Want more light? Add more pickles!” and she’s off again.

In her EdFringe24 notebook, the one with an etching of David Hume and Benjamin Franklin walking up Arthur’s Seat on the cover, Daughter 1.0 (9yrs) wrote: “I went to Doktor Kaboom at eh edfringe we went there last time and had soooo mutch fun and this time it was even better!! I loved seeing the hover craft zooom across the stage and seeing a pickle-powered Light-bulb and failed-pie-tin-alien-invashion! But one of my favourite bits was seeing his head getting bigger and smaller when our brains play a trick on us. It is hilarious!!! I hope that I will be able to go every singe fringe.”

There is (still) no escaping the boorish charm, the refined mayhem, the high nutritional value of this brain-smart and heart-healthy show. If this production were a number it would be 73 “The Chuck Norris of Numbers?” “Ha! Chuck Norris wishes.” Do I miss the Wheel of Even More Science? Yes. Is one essential prop not set? Sure. Are there fewer demonstrations and is one slightly dampened by braided hair? A little. However, this to the gunnels packed hour remains the gold-pressed latinum standard before all which other kids shows must bow, tremble, and scrape. Ya? Ya!

Get your white tie and tailcoats on and go see this show deserving of a Nobel Prize in science education.

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

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

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

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Outstanding)

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

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

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

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

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

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‘Sent’ (Venue 29, until AUG 19th)

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

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

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

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

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

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

Get your coats on and go see this!

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‘Holy Sh*t I Lived: A Solo Show’ (Venue 29, until AUG 25th)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals 2024, Rated: Outstanding by

“Those little rubber duckies have significance, they are the cute lynchpin that holds the show together in an hour that rushes on by like a very fast thing going very fast.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars ( Outstanding)

Billed as “comedy (storytelling, improv)” here’s a cracking wee show that might better be described as “comedy (storytelling, sketch)”. Sketch comedy can be hit and miss. It’s unusual, especially later in a run, for all the performers to be firing on all cylinders and it’s not usual for one or two skits in a set always to fall short of the mark. So here’s a cracking wee show where our one comedian is most definitely fired up and ready to go and where every scene is a winner.

George C. Owens was born in Tulsa, attended Loyola University, Chicago and recently moved to L.A. His material is smart, funny, self-deprecating, and what you might call accessible high-brow. What makes this show stand-out from the EdFringe crowds of standups are his superbly contrived audience work at the bookends as well as the storytelling and life insights dotted throughout the show. Those little rubber duckies have significance, they are the cute lynchpin that holds the show together in an hour that rushes on by like a very fast thing going very fast. There’s this one bit with no spoons and no bells that has to be seen to be believed. 

From the moment Owens takes the stage his mastery of his craft is evident. What’s really chuffing impressive is that the data points from his improvised audience work stick in his little grey cells all the way to the end. Reflections on neurodivergence, idiosyncrasy, grief, follies, flaws and foibles are batted out of the park with that confident humility which is the mark of a solid left footing in Jesuit training.

A couple of centuries ago a bloke like Owens was probably to be found hiding out in a piteously uncomfortable priest hole in what’s now a stately National Trust country house. England’s Elizabeth I warned her northern neighbour, James VI, “suffer not such vipers as the Jesuits to inhabit your land”. Far be it from me to argue with Gloriana, but Scotland (and the world) needs comedy of the quality of Owens and that ain’t going to happen without a solid education, a talent for people, a disciplined memory, a message to share, and a passion to share it.

This show is a masterclass of live performance expertly scaffolded from the tech board by Sara Stock, moonlighting from her day job at Chicago’s prestigious Second City, as well as direction by Andel Sudik who has been performing and teaching sketch comedy plus improvisation for the last 10 years. There is no mystery as to why this show is so good. There is no better bang for your comedy buck this EdFringe. This show is quality.

Get your coats on and go see this!

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