Edinburgh Fringe Archives - Page 12 of 15

Are You Being Murdered? – Pleasance at EICC

9Aug

By Anna ChiariNo Comments

Scotland

Are You Being Murdered? – Pleasance at EICC

What would happen if Agatha Christie met Father Brown? This seems to be asked by David Semple, the acclaimed writer of the famous series branded BBC ONE, in bringing to the stage the one man shows entitled "Are You Being Murdered?" A show focused exclusively on the talents of "Allo Allo" actor Arthur Bostrom, capable of bringing together comedy and mystery, suspense and social satire. Set in the golden age of old BBC sitcoms, the show proves to be marked by a glossy nostalgia that winks at a specific generation and targets that generation specifically. Although with its lively monologue and ready wit, the show seems to take up, like a dress worn out by too much use, certain stereotypes of a genre unable to speak to a contemporary audience with sharper and more irreverent tastes. The...

Christian Brighty: Playboy – Pleasance Below

9Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

Scotland

Christian Brighty: Playboy – Pleasance Below

I wasn’t sure what to expect as I sat down to watch Christian Brighty: Playboy. I’d read the synopsis, a scandalous Lord in the 18th century falls for a duchess and must try and reform his rakish ways to win her hand. And I’d seen the poster, Lord Christian Brighty standing with an enormous padlock covering his crotch. But other than that, I was clueless. I thought I was in for something special when I was handed a ball of socks at the door and told it was a cannonball. If the audience weren’t aware of exactly what they’d got themselves into, it became apparent very quickly. Brighty entered covered in a hood as the sounds of an orgy played throughout the venue. He tells ‘naughty Susan’, a recurring character in the sketch, that he must sadly leave. I haven’t seen many a funnier start to a ...

Drag Queens Vs Zombies – Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose

9Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Drag Queens Vs Zombies – Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose

A dragtastic, B - movie, comedy, schlock horror romp with a twist of cabaret! Kate Butch and Crudi Dench skilfully and hilariously take the audience on a ridiculous adventure through a queer pop culture, so- bad- it’s- good, zombie extravaganza. With quick fire jokes right out of the gate and some impressive vocal stylings this show has it all - stand up, audience participation, prop comedy, lip sinking, singing and more. Drag Queens vs Zombies embraces traditional “Carry On “style British comedy and plenty of nostalgia but adds a sharp modern update and a biting edge. Whether you're a seasoned drag fan or if this is your first foray into the drag scene, you will find yourself in safe hands as these queens expertly guide you through this hysterical journey. As a B- movie cult h...

9Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

The Queen’s Cartoonists – Assembly Roxy

The Queen's Cartoonists are six jazz musicians currently part of the New York City jazz scene (the eponymous Queen's being the location over there, rather than the person over here). Their show aims to make jazz music more accessible by performing a live soundtrack (which sometimes involve folley too) to classic and contemporary animation, synchronized with the projected films. With a seemingly extensive repertoire of music and shorts, their Fringe show feature prominently Classic Warner Bros cartoons, accompanied by some (probably less well known here) shorts from Russia and Korea. For their British audience they have also teamed up with Aardman Animation to include four of their pieces starring their three most famous characters, a no doubt canny move judging by the awed murmur which ...

8Aug

By Kat CliffordNo Comments

Scotland

Buffy: Revamped – Pleasance at EICC

As a long-time fan of Buffy, I had high hopes for this show, and I was not disappointed. This show is a rip-roaring ride through 90’s nostalgia. Brendan Murphy is like a one-man time machine pulling in jokes and references from all branches of the fruitful 90’s tree. He is an amazing storyteller, and you can feel his passion for Buffy speak for itself through his energetic performance. This is a well-crafted piece of theatre that uses all manner of media to set the scene, songs, video clips, theatre, props, poems, audience participation, lighting, sound effects and stand up, this show has it all! This show leans hard into the cult, campy fun of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and gives it a silly, original update for the 2020’s , Buffy: Revamped is a very self-aware show that manages to poke f...

8Aug

By Ella CatherallNo Comments

Scotland

Lizard Boy – Gilded Balloon

The premise of ‘Lizard Boy’ is certainly unconventional. Trevor is a 20 something who, as a result of a childhood run-in with a dragon, is covered in green lizard scales and has shut himself off from the World. However, on ‘Monster Fest’, he decides to venture out of his isolation and meet up with a guy he met on Grindr. Things escalate very, very quickly from there. There are many factors contributing to how, somehow, this show works, one of which is the extraordinary talent on stage. All three performers I saw had insane vocal and instrumental talent (This is an actor-musician show), being able to cover the reasonably wide range of styles and tones that the score covers. They were all also able to imbue their characters, who could have so easily been played as one-note cartoons, with ...

Joe Wells: I am Autistic – Banshee Labyrinth

8Aug

By Ella CatherallNo Comments

Scotland

Joe Wells: I am Autistic – Banshee Labyrinth

Joe Wells is Autistic. About two years ago, he had a video about Autism go viral online and was unwittingly thrust into the role of Autism Spokesperson. This show is part of his effort to fulfil this job by talking about his experiences as an Autistic person. Whether covering directly Autism-related material, such as the Spectrum 10K debacle, or more standard fare, such as conspiracy theories and Vladimir Putin, Wells is clearly a masterful comic. As well as being just very funny, he has a great stage presence and is incredibly engaging, despite never relying on direct audience engagement, going as far as to have a notice at the beginning saying this won’t be happening. A further indicator of Wells’ mastery of comedy is the balance he’s able to strike between getting the laughs a...

War of the Worlds (On a Budget) – theSpace@Surgeons Hall (Venue No. 53)

7Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

War of the Worlds (On a Budget) – theSpace@Surgeons Hall (Venue No. 53)

Guffaw. Chortle. Grin. Giggle. Take your pick. You are guaranteed to leave this show with a Cheshire Cat smile. Lamphouse Theatre’s Tom Fox and Becky Owen-Fisher bring contagious joy and silliness to HG Wells’ War of the Worlds (on a Budget) with songs, dance and incredibly silly physical theatre… oh, and there are delightful homemade props. The child inside will love this infectious, playful condensed classic. There’s a nod to Monty Python’s screechy voiced, Eric Idle, a plethora of characters and a bucket-load of improvisation jokes. The sense of immediacy on stage leads to an anticipation of anything could happen at any time. The urgency is brilliantly uplifting. I loved the match an action to every phrase sequence. It’s a bread-and-butter improvisation game. Here it’s jam on t...

7Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Comedy Sassafras – Pleasance Courtyard

Hosted by Richard and Greta, alter egos of Nina Conti and Shenoah Allen, Comedy Sassafras is basically a variety show with only a couple of other acts, which change from night to night. As such one imagines the overall feel of the show might be slightly different every time, though the big role played by Richard and Greta and the largely consistent style of the performers suggests that may possibly not be the case. There was a very improvisational and loose feeling to the night, with the audience seemingly relishing the throw-stuff-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach (the closing number was performed by Richard playing guitar with Greta singing on his shoulders because why not?), even on the occasions when it didn't quite work. The small number of overall acts also contributed t...

Twelfth Night Lite – Paradise in Augustines

7Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

Scotland

Twelfth Night Lite – Paradise in Augustines

Twelfth Night is my favourite Shakespeare play, so, I was intrigued when I came across Twelfth Night Lite, a three-person, hour long version of the show brought to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by Evoke Productions. How would they tell the at times complicated and weaving plot with so few performers? Overall, I think they did an admirable job at cutting the play so drastically, while still making it easy to follow. The plot was streamlined, focusing on the love triangle between Olivia (Francesca Firman), Viola (Susie Garvey-Williams) and Orsino (Matthew Leigh). Characters including Sir Toby Belch, Feste and Sir Andrew Aguecheek were cut entirely. This, I think, was the weakness of the play. It felt like something was missing. For instance, character arcs were left unresolved, primarily ...