Friday, August 21

Tag: Assembly George Square

Nurse Georgie Carroll: Sista Flo 2.0 – Assembly George Square Studios
Scotland

Nurse Georgie Carroll: Sista Flo 2.0 – Assembly George Square Studios

Georgie absolutely nailed it with this show! From start to finish, the laughter was non-stop, and I wasn't alone—everyone in the audience was in stitches. She had us all howling with laughter, barely giving us a chance to catch our breath. This performance easily ranks in my top three comedy shows of the Fringe this year. Don’t worry if you’re not in healthcare; you don’t need to be in the medical field to find her material hilarious. Her humor transcends professions and speaks to something everyone can relate to. That said, if you are in healthcare, especially the NHS, you're in for an extra treat. About half the audience seemed to be in the medical profession, and they were practically falling out of their seats, laughing so hard. Her stories, especially about giving the wrong dru...
Rahul Subramanian: Who Are You? – Assembly George Square
Scotland

Rahul Subramanian: Who Are You? – Assembly George Square

Rahul Subramanian’s comedy show was an absolute delight—a perfect blend of humour and insight, making it a total entertainer from start to finish. He kicked off the evening with a hilarious take on Indian parents and their expectations, particularly their classic line about not wasting food because "kids in Africa are suffering." Rahul then twisted this familiar statement by imagining a child’s response: "What about Indian kids?" The punchline— “That’s for African parents to tell”—was both unexpected and brilliantly funny. Rahul steered clear of sensitive topics, keeping the show light-hearted and accessible to all. His observations on the journey of becoming a software engineer and the reactions of nosy relatives had everyone in stitches. Another highlight was his bit on sales c...
Deadheads – Assembly George Square
Scotland

Deadheads – Assembly George Square

Miriam (Maria Pointer) hasn’t seen her sister, Jade (Gráinne Dromgoole) for two years. Their mum is about to remarry, and the sisters awkwardly reconnect while sorting through boxes of memories in the loft. The conversation is interwoven with scenes from their childhood. The sisters have a five-year age gap, and nearly-four-and-a-half-year-old Jade looks up to big sister Miriam. Miriam nurtures Jade and gives her advice. Sometimes she messes with her, like when they play hide-and-seek and Miriam pretends that Jade is invisible. As they get older, Miriam becomes the rock of the family, supporting their mum when times get tough. She’s strong in public, but vulnerable deep down. No wonder she moves away to focus on her career. When the sisters reunite, Miriam is outwardly more successf...
Out of the Blue – Assembly George Square
Scotland

Out of the Blue – Assembly George Square

Out of the Blue, as always and forever, parade a cacophony of happy harmonies, joyous jingles and merry melodies. They stem from Oxford university, and they’ve been coming annually year in, year out to the Edinburgh festival to raise money for their chosen charity. It is an explosion of joy and a wonderous, marvellous experience. 20 young guys with perfect harmonies, a great sense of joy, a great sense of fun and a vibrancy that makes the building shake. The tone, the attitude, the approach is irresistible, endearing and beguiling. These guys know what they're doing. They've been residents of the festival for years. I first saw them in 2007 and was blown away. It's simple. It's clean. It's family fun with joyous songs from across the years and a smorgasbord of music! And the voca...
In The Sick of It – Assembly George Square
Scotland

In The Sick of It – Assembly George Square

In the interest of transparency, I must declare from the start that I worked as a nurse in the NHS for over forty years.  But this show, which I will struggle to define adequately, is by no means of interest only to NHS workers.  We all use the NHS, we all care about the NHS, we all complain about the NHS and we all agree with the values of the NHS – “free at the point of need, providing care from the cradle to the grave.”  Not only would everyone be entertained, amused, informed and moved by this show, but I almost feel attendance should be mandatory! “In the Sick of it”, presented by Wake the Beast, is a fusion of laugh out loud comedy, serious drama, audio newscasts, recorded interviews, audience participation, and some pretty cool music and crazy dancing.  Th...
Bronwyn Kuss: Sounds Good – Assembly George Square Studios
Scotland

Bronwyn Kuss: Sounds Good – Assembly George Square Studios

Bronwyn Kuss makes her highly anticipated solo debut at Edinburgh, bringing her signature dry charm and sharp wit to the stage. Known for transforming everyday misadventures and questionable life choices into comedic gold, she captivates audiences with her deadpan delivery and wry observations. A writer and comedian celebrated for her masterful storytelling, Kuss has already earned accolades like the Director's Choice Award and Pinder Prize at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. With her sharp and perceptive observational comedy, Kuss is sure to leave you laughing long after the show ends. The X-rated music playing before she takes the stage gives Kuss her opening gag, setting the tone for a deep dive into her past traumas. She scrutinises memories of her younger self, including her enco...
The Last Laugh – Assembly George Square
Scotland

The Last Laugh – Assembly George Square

A standing ovation at a Fringe show speaks volumes. Paul Hendy's (writer and director) The Last Laugh deserves loud applause and whoops of appreciation. It is funny and touching. The set is perfect, the lighting spot on and the performers are wonderful.  Bob Golding as Eric Morecambe has that lovely little bounce perfected; Damien Williams channels the late Tommy Cooper brilliantly and Simon Cartwright’s Bob Monkhouse looks and sounds just like the man himself, right down to the mahogany tan. The warm-up music is a sound bath of Bernard Cribbins, which my neighbour joyously sang along with. Songs about a man digging a hole or Ernie and his horse and cart … there are few silly comedy songs these days, if any. Aimed at a predominantly baby boomer audience with money to spare and...
Reuben Kaye: Live and Intimidating – Assembly George Square
Scotland

Reuben Kaye: Live and Intimidating – Assembly George Square

Self-described “actress, model and award-winning cry for help” Reuben Kaye brings his new show to the Palais du Variete for its UK debut. An experienced and talented cabaret performer and comedian, Kaye has been impressing audiences and critics alike at the Fringe for several years now. He not only performs his own show, but also curates a late-night variety show amusingly titled The Kaye Hole. He welcomes the audience individually at the door, towering above the crowd in sparkly stilettos and a ruffled shirt split to the waist. There isn’t a hint of the intimidation mentioned in the title of the show – but then the performance starts. Kaye stalks amongst the front rows like some sort of impossibly glamorous praying mantis looking for its next victim. Audience members are serenaded,...
Finding Splashman: Aunty Ginger – Assembly George Square Studios
Scotland

Finding Splashman: Aunty Ginger – Assembly George Square Studios

At last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, I was lucky enough to review Aunty Ginger’s highly entertaining show I Consent. So, I was excited, if a tad nervous (what if it didn’t live up to last time?) to go and see Finding Splashman. I’m thrilled to say that I was not disappointed. Aunty Ginger is as engaging, sassy and stupendously fun as ever. This time round, she’s hired a director, and it shows. Mikey Smith brings an element of fluidity to the performance that was slightly absent last time. Now her hilarious gags and segments, including ‘Aunty Ginger’s Problem Area’, in which she solves all kinds of explicit sexual problems, flow seamlessly from one another. It no longer feels like she’s jumping from sketch to sketch, but rather a complete performance. Another welcome addition was the int...
Beats on Pointe: Masters of Choreography – Assembly George Square
Scotland

Beats on Pointe: Masters of Choreography – Assembly George Square

In this extravaganza of fabulousness, the outrageously skilled members of the Australian dance company, Masters of Choreography, seamlessly combine a boundless range of dance and performance disciplines including hip hop, ballet, commercial, breakdancing, and more. Sometimes they synchronise with each other’s moves in different styles, with the ballerinas adapting newer dance styles to perform en pointe. A particularly exciting moment involves a break dancer spinning on his head while, behind him, three ballerinas pirouette in unison. The athleticism of the performers is astounding, with gymnastic backflips, leaps, and lifts galore. The ballet team enters a dance showdown with the hip-hop team, and the hip-hop group seems to win, though I’m not sure why. Even seemingly casual movements ...