Greater Manchester Fringe Archives

29Jul

By Harry AltyNo Comments

North West

Nuns of Fury! – Seven Oaks Pub

What happens when you combine the criminal-catching of Charlie’s Angels with beloved women of the cloth of Sister Act? Rocket Whip’s Nuns of Fury offers a unique look into the world of a crime-fighting, habit wearing, God-backed group who are on a mission to steal from the rich and give to the poor. This comedic musical, presented with blessings and favour from up above, is a great addition to this year’s Greater Manchester Fringe line-up. This show’s holy word comes from writer and co-director Liv Burton. Throughout the one-act musical, the plot falls into common tropes expected from a crime genre parody; a rag-tag-team of crime fighters, a cocky duo of criminals and over-exaggerated kung-fu fighting. Where this show differs and excels is when it breaks the fourth wall with a wink ...

26Jul

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

The Invocation – The King’s Arms

In one of the most suited theatres for such a performance, the King's Arms welcomes "The Invocation", a bizarre twilight zone-esque evening by Casino Improv, an Improv troupe from Wigan as part of Greater Manchester Fringe.As the audience settled into their seats, the cast, clad in black clothing and red capes, began engaging with the audience in a ceremonial fashion as they asked for "requests" that could be improvised into a horror story. The requests chosen were randomly selected via an iPad and then the stories began!The evening then essentially became the presentation of a bunch of improvised horror stories in a hilarious "off the cuff" style by the comedy quintet. Eerie music and various sounds to accompany stories were used throughout. There is no denying the talent on stage and the...

Your Therapist is Clueless – The King’s Arms

19Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Your Therapist is Clueless – The King’s Arms

Holding an audience rapt for any period of time where the subject is the meaty, nuanced and personal elephant that is mental health support in the UK is a very big ask of any performer. One thinks of writers such as Adam Kay, who’s book and tour, This is Going to Hurt, vividly brought to life the warts and glory of being an NHS doctor. Or copper turned stand-up comic Alfie Moore’s It’s a Fair Cop in which, by allowing the audience to play police, he highlights the idiosyncrasies and impotencies of the criminal justice system. Tonight, performer Nathaniel Tresise shares his experiences of working for a Greater Manchester mental health charity where a dreadfully under-resourced service attracts people with all the quirks you expect, often risking those with genuine, urgent need bei...

14Jul

By Harry AltyNo Comments

North West

Patience – Social Refuge

July in Manchester means the return of the Greater Manchester Fringe - an opportunity for a variety of comedic performances to grace the many stages within the area. As part of the festival, Chip Slap Comedy brings this production Patience to the quirky venue of Social Refuge. This two-person comedy piece stars Rachael Dennis as a doting Mum trying to secure a spot at the local state school for her son. Her co-star is Marianne Walsh, takes on the increasingly difficult and unhelpful assistant to the headteacher, and is also the writer of the play. Both show impressive character work as they quickly bring reality and authenticity to their characters - for better or for worse, these are both characters you can picture in real life. The duo has great comedic chemistry, and it is clear ...

10Jul

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Wannabe – The King’s Arms

Following on from Amy Webber’s awarding winning show ‘No Previous Experience’, Wannabe is an autobiographical exploration of her lifelong desire to be famous in the form of a one woman opera -standup - spoken word- pop song. Webber is extremely warm and welcoming to her audience, immediately putting them at their ease and instantly engaging them with her funny, quirky, humble and open style. From the moment she enters the space in the wonderful Kings Arms, she owns it and shares it in equal measure. Inspired by a visit home during which her mother ‘sorts out’ some of her childhood memorabilia, Webber uses her box of ‘junk’ - the trinkets, mementos, diaries, letters, poems and songs of her childhood, to shape a hilarious tale of longing, searching and learning that is utterly enga...

Phil Green: A Broken Man’s Guide to Fixing Others – Seven Oaks Pub

6Jul

By Peter RuddickNo Comments

North West

Phil Green: A Broken Man’s Guide to Fixing Others – Seven Oaks Pub

At one stage in A Broken Man’s Guide to Fixing Others, Phil Green acknowledges that he could spend an hour talking about the shocking rates of male suicide. However, he tells his Greater Manchester Fringe audience he has had another, tonally different, idea on how to fill the show. The good news: it is a great idea. Complete with a genuinely funny PowerPoint-style presentation, Green outlines his plan on how to save middle-aged men from themselves. It is something he has experience of. Partly because of his own breakdown (although he is fine now by the way - totally fine, actually) and partly because he’s had to help a few of his mates who’ve ended up in need themselves. There’s a really endearing opening section about luring these troubled men away from danger with trails of ...

Bloody Marvellous: A Comedy Show about the Middle Ages to tour UK Fringe Festivals this summer

26May

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Bloody Marvellous: A Comedy Show about the Middle Ages to tour UK Fringe Festivals this summer

Bloody Marvellous brings together Luke Connell’s academic and comedic personalities to offer something distinctive: a comic tour of the medieval world. Rather than the tired medieval themes of kings and battles, it is about medieval ideas, stories and inventions. Featuring props, songs and games, Bloody Marvellous introduces audiences to creatures like sea-centipedes and manticores, dogs with names like Havegoodday, and characters like Eilmer the flying monk. Luke shows off the old world’s taste in tourist tat, and tries to convince audiences that medieval medicine – with treatments involving things like dragons’ blood – was more exciting than the modern kind. The show will be performed at the Newcastle, Durham, Buxton and Greater Manchester Fringes in July before it hits the Edinburgh ...

Yoga and sex (for Women over 40) – The Peer Hat

31Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Yoga and sex (for Women over 40) – The Peer Hat

There are probably very few circumstances where a woman will sit watching her husband kneeling on a yoga mat with another woman’s bottom thrusting towards his face, whilst discussing the physics of positions in the Kama Sutra, and her reaction be hysterical laughter. But that’s where we find ourselves, in the company of spunky Aussie yoga instructor Kath (aka Kathryn Haywood) who may still be trying to find the perfect ‘Brangelina’ word- combo for the sex lecture (‘Slex-ture?’) that she is here to deliver. Clutching three yoga-based self-help manuals from the 1960s, Kath whooshes us through reflections on dating, staying young and, naturally, mastery of basic yoga. And it’s an absolute riot. Despite the slightly saucy audience participation (which, wonderfully, people are happy to...

25Jul

By Amelia PhillpottsNo Comments

North West

NeuroChatter – The Fitzgerald

Three personalities, one body, one actress, one act. One great performance. Written and performed by Sara Harvey is a one woman show following three personalities all inhabiting one body, all battling for control. Along with the unnamed Host of the body, broken by an undisclosed previous trauma, alters Mike and Elliott constantly bicker. Mike acts as the egotistical intellectual, attempting to use psychological academia to understand the three’s collective situation. Elliott is the complete opposite, as the foul-mouthed artist, who leads with their heart and prioritises emotional freedom. As the show develops, the individual relationships between the three personalities grow, revealing each character’s main motivation to help Host in the best way they know how. Despite the deeply tragic st...

Madame Chandelier Saves Opera – King’s Arms, Salford

22Jul

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Madame Chandelier Saves Opera – King’s Arms, Salford

As part of Greater Manchester Fringe Festival 2024, The Kings Arm in Salford welcomes the flamboyant, some would say ‘Diva’, Madame Chandelier, aka Delea Shand. With her one woman show, it’s safe to say this performance certainly does what it intends – Madame Chandelier, and her bright pink very high wig, single handedly throws her heart and soul into her mission to ‘save Opera’. Shand is a proud Canadian and full of charisma. She has many accolades to her name and previous sell out shows at The Edinburgh Fringe. She was also nominated for best newcomer in the 2019 Manchester Fringe and is clearly master of her craft which was instant as she performed as ‘Madame Chandelier’, immediately captivating the audience. Shand is open with the audience from the beginning in a most comedic wa...