Tag: Edinburgh Fringe

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‘Definitely-Not-Everyman’ is also definitely-not-what-is-expected. Moving from an absurdist office comedy to the tale of a man – Mr Everyman – who must, after a meeting with Death (for a reason not completely explained), try and repent for his sins before dying. This is a shame because some elements – such as the surrealist comedy aspect of each office worker robotically entering at exactly the same time – work extremely well, whereas the attached plot about Everyman trying to top himself doesn’t. Gags drawn from current pop culture, including ones about Amy Winehouse, are also poor – not because they are sensitive matters, but because they are done with little tact, wit or intelligence. Definitely-not-to-everyman’s liking.

theSpace On Niddry St, 8 – 18 Aug (not 14), times vary, £3.00 – £5.00, fpp255.
tw rating 2/5

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As the announcer booms out the various countries the audience has travelled from to arrive at the Tattoo on this misty August evening, our anticipation grows. This isn’t just a military procession but a spectacular showcase – the Royal Netherlands Regiment enter playing musical instruments whilst riding bicycles, Royal Navy Piracy Patrol rappel down the walls of Edinburgh Castle in a staged battle against the scourges of the seven seas, and at the end, everyone joins hands and sings Auld Lang Syne. Perhaps most striking is the variety of performers from all over the globe, who come out en masse at the end whilst a lone bagpiper plays a hymn for those lost in conflict against the backdrop of the starry night sky.

Edinburgh Castle, 7 – 29 August, 9.00pm (10.30pm), £23.00 – £55.00, fpp n/a.
tw rating 4/5

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When Ed Byrne is only the very first act of many, you know that you’re in for a good night. Coming from the producers of Amnesty International’s other massive comedy charity event, The Secret Policeman’s Ball, the line-up was going to be nothing other than stellar, with the aforementioned Byrne, Holly Walsh, Mark Watson and David O’Doherty on it, to name but a few. It’s a shame that, with all of these great comics, some are given barely any time before we’re whisked off to another, whilst others seem to be given far too much time; but this is more an indication that I wanted the night to last as long as possible, so hilarious and importantly varied were the performances.        

Venue 150 at EICC, 17 Aug, 9.30pm (12.00am), £16.00 – £18.00, fpp154.
tw rating 4/5

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As someone smugly quotable once quipped, “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity.” David Kear’s manic creation Charlie Chuck, with his frazzled hair and squinting eyes, does not only cross this line, but drags half a dead donkey along it, too. The set begins with a ‘traditional’ drum kit beat-up and becomes more absurd as the night continues. Kear’s talent in bringing to life this surreally believable lunatic is particularly evident when, in the middle, he brings on a different comedian for a guest spot and the audience falls quiet until Chuck returns. Although several of the jokes are hardly original, it’s the man you come to watch, and what a messed-up man he is.

SpaceCabaret at Venue 54, 5 – 27 Aug, times vary, £7.00 – £8.00, fpp55.
tw rating 3/5

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This is set in an actual tearoom – stocked with free tea and cakes for the audience –  and we follow the lives of several visitors to the room as they chat amongst themselves and enter and exit as they please. It’s much more staged than expected – the area for actors is separate from the audience, although the fact that the audience is placed around the actors means that there will always be a point where you won’t be able to see what is happening. The effect of this staging is to suggest that the audience are eavesdropping on other people’s conversations, rather than listening to actors. Although slightly too long, this is still worth it for the tea-sing (apologies) glimpses into the lives of others.

Lauriston Hall, 22 – 28 Aug, times vary, £14.00 – £15.00, fpp302.
tw rating 3/5

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Snuggled at the back of a delicatessen, Ron Butlin, the poet laureate of Edinburgh, reads aloud tales from his published poetry book ‘Vivaldi And The Number 3’ whilst Anne Evans and Dick Lee play an accompanying soundtrack to choice moments on stage, with a flute and bass clarinet respectively. The charming stories, following the real life musician Vivaldi, are wonderfully absurd, as Vivaldi finds his gift for writing music, in-between, of course, watching the Sergio Leone trilogy on his 24” plasma television. With poetry as his profession, Butlin rolls out each syllable expertly in his expressive Scottish brogue; and Lee and Evans’ melodies build subtly underneath, creating a symphony of poetry and music which is fit for four seasons.

Valvona and Crolla, dates vary, times vary, £8.00 – £10.00, fpp309.
tw rating 4/5

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“We bounce,” spouts Hermia to her new bo’ DJ Zander, and off they swagger-jagger to the woods to elope. I’m not up on the ol’ hip and the hop, but even I found myself enjoying Pineapple Performing Arts School’s production, where street dance shakes up Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. As expected, the dancing is bursting with energy – but this comes at a price, as the spoken scenes fall flat in comparison – especially when flatulence jokes are resorted to for humour. Special mention goes to Ashton Henry as the Lil’ Prince, but all the cast bring such enthusiasm that you can’t help but find yourself tapping your feet to the ol’ bard.

theSpace at Venue45, 15 – 20 Aug, 3.15pm (4.45pm), £5.00 – £7.00, fpp289.
tw rating – 3/5

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In this world of constant distractions, anything requiring some level of concentration, such as a silent comedy, is often found fighting a losing battle to hold the attention of its audience. Not so with this silent adventure about three men trying to rob a bank. It contains all the expected tropes of the great silent films – the background piano soundtrack and blackboard tiles with titles such as “Earlier…” scrawled on them. Yet the element that takes this show to another level is the expressive cast members’ faces which vividly bring each situation to life and mark each character apart from one another. Occasionally the miming is not completely polished, but overall this slapstick shtick is too good to miss.

theSpaces at Surgeons Hall, 15 – 20 Aug, 6.10pm (6.55pm), £2.50 – £5.00, fpp253.
tw rating 4/5

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Jumping on stage wearing a Hawaiian shirt, jeans, trainers and a cheeky grin, Dean Friedman doesn’t appear like the average singer-songwriter from the 70s, but that’s because he isn’t. Soulful songs about wishing a friend with a fatal disease well are weaved with those depicting the likes of light-hearted teenage crushes on a McDonald’s girl (an ‘angel in a polyester uniform’). Completely relaxed one minute, he breathlessly whispers tunes into the microphone as he gently strums his guitar; the next, he pounds on the keyboard and stomps his feet on the pedals with a smirk on his face as he sings ‘Death To The Neighbours’. The audience sat enraptured and enthralled in this small venue, making for a magical evening.

Malmaison Hotel, 17 – 21 Aug, 9.00pm (10.30pm), £15.00 – £18.00, fpp204
tw rating – 5/5

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This musical follows the historical tale of the northern village of Eyam, which, during the 17th Century, was affected by the bubonic plague; it’s the village famous for placing a ring of stones around the exterior so that no one would enter or leave the area. Sadly, this musical falls short of the compelling journey its tale promises. This is a shame, because all twenty-two original songs are sung with great enthusiasm by the cast, but the singers are unfortunately often drowned by the booming music. This means that jokes and even basic melody is often difficult to hear. Even with a likeable rogue for a narrator, the joy in this musical is, unlike the plague of the story, barely infectious.

theSpaces at Surgeons Hall, 16 – 20 Aug, 4.15pm (5.50pm), £8.00 – £10.00, fpp231.
tw rating 2/5