Thursday, December 26

Tag: Pleasance Courtyard

Garry Starr: Classic Penguins – Pleasance Courtyard
Scotland

Garry Starr: Classic Penguins – Pleasance Courtyard

Returning to the Fringe with his third solo show, comedian and clown Garry Starr attempts to perform every Penguin Classic novel in the space of an hour, to save literature from extinction. This seems like a bold claim; however, this is a man who has previously performed every style of theatre and all of Greek mythology and managed to make both incredibly funny. This year he has even branched out into children's theatre, albeit with an underlying narrative about mental health. Starr arrives onstage naked, save for a top hat, a dinner jacket, an Elizabethan ruff and a pair of flippers. He builds an instant rapport with the audience, riding the waves of laughter before gently encouraging some participation. There is a great deal of skill involved in his crowd work, never ridiculing an...
Gwyneth Goes Skiing – Pleasance Courtyard
Scotland

Gwyneth Goes Skiing – Pleasance Courtyard

One day in 2016, Gwyneth Paltrow went skiing. The Hollywood starlet and celebrity sex toy saleswoman collided on the slopes with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson. A high-profile lawsuit soon followed. On the day of the collision, Sanderson claims to have suffered life-changing injuries. Gwyneth, meanwhile, lost half a day’s skiing. And Awkward Productions gained the inspiration for this hilarious fringe show. I think I know who the real winners were. Paltrow (Linus Karp) and Sanderson (Joseph Martin) are as different as can be. He likes boiled eggs for breakfast. Gwyneth prefers jade eggs. But they both like skiing. Sanderson falls and is rescued by our angelic Gwynfluencer. She takes him to her chalet for a pep talk and some bone broth. Sadly, things sour between them, and then ...
Abi Clarke: (Role) Model – Pleasance Courtyard Beneath
Scotland

Abi Clarke: (Role) Model – Pleasance Courtyard Beneath

Abi Clarke rose to fame overnight via a TikTok video that went viral, ever since she has been climbing the social media and stand-up comedy ladder, but with all this new found fame she is left with one major dilemma: does this mean that she should have to be a role model now too? In this rather funny stand-up comedy show Clarke addresses what it means to be a stereo typical “role model”, the limitations to being an influencer by trade and pressures that we women put on ourselves in this day and age. We learn about how fame has changed her as a person and question if one can truly be a role model when their favourite TV moments are those of pretty girls getting their hair chopped off on American’s Next Top model. Abi is a natural performer, her energy is infectious and she is just...
Me For You – Pleasance Courtyard (The Green)
Scotland

Me For You – Pleasance Courtyard (The Green)

‘Me for You’ is a fascinating play about two women who are in love. It has a sparkling, very funny script and is beautifully performed. The climate emergency provides an intriguing backdrop to this contemporary drama. Holly has been seeing Jake for quite some time. Now they want to have a child together. But Jake comes to regret the day he introduces Holly to his friend and workmate, Alex. The two women quickly fall in love. For a while Holly continues to sleep with Jake but, as she’s also having an affair with Alex, she stops taking the pill. Holly finally tells Jake the truth. Understandably he’s very upset. And Holly’s assurance that “It’s you, not me” and that she still cares about him, doesn’t really help Jake to feel any better. Two people had loved each other. But the r...
The Sex Life of Puppets – Pleasance Courtyard
Scotland

The Sex Life of Puppets – Pleasance Courtyard

An interesting title, and an even more interesting show.  Brought to the stage by Blind Summit Theatre, the play does exactly what the title suggests, it gives an insight into the private lives of a selection of puppets which sounds a wee bit twee, but this play is anything but twee!  The puppets are not string puppets but hand-held puppets, which I assume would make them easier to manipulate for the subject of the show.  The puppeteers use a table to sit the puppets down and the rest is down to the script and the puppeteers’ imagination.  The puppets are all human puppets whose characters are brought to life by their handlers, they discuss subjects such as sexual wellbeing, what they like to name their genitals, nursing home sex, lesbian sex and many more. ...
Sheeps: The Giggle Bunch – Pleasance Courtyard
Scotland

Sheeps: The Giggle Bunch – Pleasance Courtyard

This 3 for 1 offer is for the most part good value. Sheeps with pedigree, Ladhood creator Liam Williams, Stath Lets Flats star Al Roberts and writer Daran Johnson. Former Fringe favourites return after a six year hiatus with a new suite of sketches which are in turn brilliant, tricksy, silly and just plain weird, in what they promise is their final Fringe run together (probably!). Given their already high-flying status, this is more of an excuse for the ‘boys’ to get together one last time, rather than a serious career or financial move. There’s an intriguing boy band dynamic and comedic palsy bickering throughout the show which is part of the show’s charm. The quality of the sketches is varied to say the least, the opening skit, possibly the high point of the show, features a...
Ania Magliano: Forgive Me Father – Pleasance Courtyard
Scotland

Ania Magliano: Forgive Me Father – Pleasance Courtyard

Magliano is moving up the roster at the Pleasance, last year she was in a container, today she is in a proper raked auditorium with 3x the capacity, and it is full. I see a real progression, a maturity, in her material, and her delivery. Last year she braided a lightweight tale about getting a haircut. This year she has knitted a gorgeous monologue, about life, forgiveness and moving on, as fine as the olive green waistcoat she wears: perhaps a bit baggy and saggy in places, but quirky, stylish and unique. Magliano’s fresh face and natural colour choices, down to her russet cords, have led some to assume she is a Vegan, but as she explains, she left that dietary choice behind 12 years ago when she came out as bi-sexual. She is not a fussy eater anymore! Magliano’s ‘nice girl’ who...
Patti Harrison: My Huge Tits Huge Because They Are Infected NOT FAKE – Pleasance Courtyard
Scotland

Patti Harrison: My Huge Tits Huge Because They Are Infected NOT FAKE – Pleasance Courtyard

I really wasn’t ready for this. I thought this was just another comedian. How wrong I was, and how old this made me feel! In the packed 250-seater, all are welcome Patti tells us as she races frantically up and down the aisles, bi, trans, binary and those with allegations. America’s most famous trans comedian, the 33-years old Ohioan veers between a school teacherly persona with a Mall girl drawl to a self-obsessed and terrifying monster involved in a bizarre sexual relationship with children’s character, Stuart Little. Yes, you heard that right! Whilst also giving us a sneaky peek of her ‘in progress’ side hustles, her theatrical masterpiece-in-the-making about growing up biracial, complete with thrash metal song, or her ‘Emily In Paris’ remake that is nothing like the origin...
Isobel Rogers: How To Be Content – Pleasance Courtyard
Scotland

Isobel Rogers: How To Be Content – Pleasance Courtyard

Former Camden Roundhouse resident artist, writer, composer and comedian Isobel Rogers makes her much anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut, with her existential musical comedy show How To Be Content. I’m Not Really That Intense, she jokes at one point, when of course she actually is. Mini powerhouse, Rogers, in deep-soled open-sided sensible shoes, rattles through a musical Odyssey rolling from Weddings to Polygamy, To living with my mum, (with my boyfriend!) and on to To baby or not to baby. With guitar in hand and a head full of condensed clever lyrics the delivery is safely professional, but hardly ground-breaking. Maybe if you are a thirty-something woman with your eggs on a timer this will strike just about the right chord. However, in reality this is a music show with some ...
The Daughters of Róisí­n – Pleasance Courtyard: Bunker 1
Scotland

The Daughters of Róisí­n – Pleasance Courtyard: Bunker 1

Taking a difficult subject and balancing the harsh reality whilst still including comedy is a hard task, but The Daughters Of Roisin have done this masterfully. Taking a look into the hidden and darker history of Ireland, this one woman show tells us the truth about how the young pregnant women were often treated. It tells of women being locked up for 9 months in their homes without being seen as to hide the disgrace and “sickness”, and the powers the church held over its people. This is a difficult watch as one may expect, you should as an audience feel uncomfortable. But what this play does masterfully is weave the horror and hard to swallow truth amongst song this is in no way a cheesy musical) and lighter humour. Our Lead actress (Aoibh Johnson) and writer divides the story i...