August 31, 2024    Theatre and Arts Review

Review of Sam See: And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

Sam See: And I Can’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore.

When your native home no longer feels like a safe place for you to live and be yourself there, then it’s understandable why comedian Sam See a native of Singapore created his latest comedy show called And I Can’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore about his thoughts and feelings about leaving to pursue his comedy career abroad.

Previous shows by Sam See have been focused on his sexuality and growing up in Singapore where until two years ago it had been illegal. He felt pushed out and wasn’t going to hide who he was at risk of being arrested and who could blame him, so he decided to hit the international comedy stage.

Sam See offers an informative and energetic show. Explaining how the immigration process works and all the forms he has faced filling in the name of comedy and seeking to make a home in the United Kingdom. However, some of the questions on those forms should have their own comedy set!

And I Can’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore is billed as a part-comedy and part-storytelling show. See explains to the audience that if “you’re not laughing then that’s the storytelling part” it’s up to the audience to decide which parts of the show fall into the comedy section! It will be a different show for everyone.

With everything that the Edinburgh Fringe has to offer it is hardly surprising that Sam See feels like he has found his tribe and can “feel at home” amongst all the other talented comedians during August. If he returns to Edinburgh Fringe next year then I highly recommend fitting the show into your timetable.

The Fringe has a way of accepting everyone who feels slightly on the cusp of life and the range of comedy across the festival has something for everyone’s taste.

For more information about Sam See please check out the links below.

Four Stars. Click Here For Review

August 29, 2024    One4Review

Review of Sam See: And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

The hidden gem of the Fringe.

From his trap door entrance you realise Singapore comedian Sam See is going to be different. 24 shows on the Fringe bootcamp down, the energy of this bow tie pixie like sprite is infectious. Lots of the audience arms are starting to be uncrossed, they are onboard already.

Sam explains the title show comes from a Christian song covered by The Carter Family because he wanted the whitest title ever to confuse people. It hasn’t, he has the right crowd tonight. Let the ceremony begin.

Describing his show as Storytelling and Stand Up, the main framework is his life story, from his early life in Singapore, his love for old movies and watching British shows like ‘Allo ‘Allo! which inspired him to do comedy.
He describes the Singapore comedy scene a hard sell, and being gay means he would more often get a staring ovation from hostile crowds.

Deciding to move away he has a few options, Australia “Brits invented racism, the Aussies perfected it”, USA – An Asian assailant Chinatown shootings in LA put him off due to what he thought was cultural appropriation.
His comedy peers tell him tales of a magical city that for a month sprouts up like a cultural Brigadoon, where anyone can perform and be themselves. He comes to Edinburgh and decides to move the UK.

The next part of the show is his journey getting a Global Talent Visa and the trials, tribulations and hoops to jump through. We also get stories of the way of life in Singapore, the description of highest grossing movie in Singapore propaganda movie called Ah Boys to Men (2012) is a highlight.

His stories of life in the UK are brilliant, shining a light on accents, food and inadvertently being invited to a Polyamorous orgy at New Year.

What is so good about this show it seems so fresh. Comparisons could be made to another great Asian comedian Nigel Ng but this a new voice which needs to be heard.

Overall, it’s a show about hope, but as he says “life is like marmalade, we all need to get sticky sometime”

A must see. Click Here For Review

August 29, 2024    Bruce on the Fringe

Review of John Robertson: The Human Hurricane

Earlier yesterday evening I went back for more electrically distorted ukulele with John Robertson: The Human Hurricane. God, he is so much fun!! Every show is so unique as he plays around with the audience, this time there was a chap with a melodica, he kind of, em, tried to menace John with it?! Of course, it was taken up on stage where John attempted to play it and his ukulele at the same time. See, if Laughing Horse @ The Counting House continued until the final Monday, The Human Hurricane would be a great show to end my Fringe. Click Here For Review

August 29, 2024    Mix Up Theatre

Review of Yes-Ya-Yebo!

This 'memorable', 'dynamic and vibrant' show fills the stage with 'charisma' and 'boundless energy' as 'natural-born performers' dance to 'an upbeat tune of elation' (Entertainment-Now.com), (BroadwayWorld.com). An all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza celebrating South Africa's 12 official languages, sprinkled with that incredible township vibe. Audiences commented that the talent was infinitely prevalent and the hour was most definitely well spent! A celebration of something much bigger than just a show that will give you a spring in your step when you leave. Click Here For Review

August 29, 2024    Mix Up Theatre

Review of PG Hits! The Best in Family-Friendly Stand-Up Comedy!

Three top stand-ups perform their very best routines just as they do in comedy clubs up and down the country and abroad, just without the swearing! PG Hits is a professional stand-up comedy compilation show that leaves out the really rude bits so everybody can enjoy the show. Comedy fans of all ages and all tastes will have something to enjoy as we bring you a diverse line-up from the very best the festival has to offer, at a relaxed lunchtime performance. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024    Jewish Renaissance

Review of The Worst Jew

The quick-witted Brit takes audiences on a personal journey via identity, self-discovery and a very un-PC pudding
In the mid-2020s, Jewish actor and comedian David Ellis auditioned for Joshua Harmon’s soon-to-be-hit play Bad Jews. He didn’t get the part, but questioning the reasons why led him to this very stage in a room in Edinburgh, which looks like a budget airline – complete with actual plane seats, cramped leg room and zero storage – mourning a role he never played.

“Maybe you don’t look Jewish enough,” suggested a friend. Ellis responded flabbergasted, insisting that he looks like Woody Allen shtupped the entire cast of the Big Bang Theory. What is Jewish enough anyway? And is David Ellis it? Is he a ‘bad Jew’? Perhaps he’s the worst Jew? Thus sets up his latest show, a journey in observational comedy about identity and heritage.

Delivered in an erratic outpouring of amusing anecdotes, Ellis proceeds to weave a personal history that involves an abusive relationship, racist desserts, reasons why there’s never a good time to watch Schindler’s List, and the day he inadvertently disrupted the Queen Mother’s memorial service. It’s quick, it’s funny and whatever you consider Ellis’s Jewish credentials to be, The Worst Jew is certainly worth an hour of your time. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024    Jewish Renaissance

Review of Henry Ginsberg: Cuddle Slut

A sincere yet amusing take on the somewhat needy nature of humanity
It’s a quiet Tuesday night at the Fringe and there are only two of us in the stuffy upstairs room at The Counting House. Tough crowd doesn’t even begin to cut it. Thankfully two more stragglers wander in, but not until Henry Ginsberg is half way through his set. Despite the, frankly, terrifying circumstances, the Jewish comic perseveres with confidence and affability.

This is just one of three shows that Ginsberg is fronting at Edinburgh this year, alongside Hyper-Masculine Cookery Show (about food, unsurprisingly) and Late Night Comedy Death Camp (a midnight showcase of comedians from this year’s festival). Cuddle Slut sees him tackling toxic masculinity, loneliness and whether or not it’s possible for individual body parts to be racist. It’s searingly honest and heartfelt. He openly discusses his social anxieties, the late age at which he lost his virginity and the heartbreak he felt over the closest thing he’s had to a relationship.

His delivery is somewhat erratic and a couple of the lines are fumbled, but ultimately this solo show is a charming offering that examines the nature of human frailty and fallibility, with amusing punchlines scattered throughout. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024    Squirrel Comedy

Review of Gentlemen's Club

3.5 stars

The two comedians, Lotte Allan (who plays Barry) and Susanna Pukkila (Joni), each perform a 30 minute character-based comedy play.

Barry is an old man in London talking about his life and the people around him. He needed a lot of help from the audience (me) during the play. He is your standard crotchety old man, but one who has just discovered the joys of London’s Freedom Pass (free bus travel all round London). This was a fun act, but as I was on stage for most of it, I did feel I’d turned into a cast member instead of someone dragged away from their friends.

Joni is an ice hockey player (I assume, even though she/he was on roller blades) who is retiring after this big match and wants to go out a winner. Lots of inspirational speeches to the team before the game (ie me and Lotte), and a bit of bribery to the referee (again, me), a couple of national anthem type songs, the game itself with all its ins and outs agressively acted by Joni on stage, and the big finale of drinking from the winners cup.

A great show with lots of humour that deserves a bigger audience. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024    Squirrel Comedy

Review of The Chaos Queens of Reykjavik

3.5 stars

This is two 30ish minute sets from Icelandic comics Louisa Lara and Mekkin Roff, which takes place in a small basement room (about 20 seats – get there early for the comfy benches along the wall rather that the hideous wooden benches on the floor). Both comics have changed their appearance drastically since the flyers were printed.

Lousia was first, talking about living in Iceland and being shocked at the smallness of her home country when visiting other countries (apparently it has a population smaller than the NYPD). She also spoke of her recent divorce and having to start using dating apps.

Mekkin moved from Iceland to the USA when young, and talks about the cultural differences, living in London with friends and the joys of having a boyfriend. Tonight, it appeared most of Mekkin’s family was in the audience, which made her stories about her dad doing a runner from a restaurant and Grandad’s interesting style of racism extra funny.

This was a fun entertaining hour of stand-up from two confident women, and it deserves a larger audience. Hopefully they will get some extra exposure during the Fringe. Highly recommended. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024   Edinburgh Inquirer

Article about John Robertson: The Human Hurricane

However, it’s an hour of joyful, deliciously wild, crowd work you seek, then look no further than John Robertson and ‘The Human Hurricane’ at Laughing Horse@The Counting House. John, best known as the host of the internationally-acclaimed ‘The Dark Room’ is a master of improvised comedy. Armed with his wits, and a grungy ukulele, he takes aim at the audience and…builds them up. That’s right: this is empowering, raucous, and carefree comedy of the first order. It’s tough love though, amongst his songs is a banger called ‘Anime C**t’ - if that sounds reasonable to you, don’t miss John. Click Here For Article

August 28, 2024    Jewish Renaissance

Review of A Chip Off the Gold Block

A fun debut show from the American expat comic
Hailing from New Jersey, Jewish comedian Leslie Gold now resides in the UK. In fact, she’s been here so long that when she first moved, “YouTube didn’t exist, Jimmy Saville was still a national treasure and everyone thought George W Bush was going to be the dumbest US president”. This snappy observational wit is the kind you can expect in Chip off the Gold Block – her debut show. “I read that half of comedians do their first show on identity and the other half on dead dads,” she explains. “Well, I have a dead dad too, so I’m doing both.” If you can’t tell already, this is a set about Gold’s life, heritage and family, who apparently “put the FU in dysfunctional”.

Commanding a modest upstairs room at Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe, Gold’s delivery is as bold and warm as her aesthetic. Her hair is dyed purple and silver, and her shirt is a busy paisley print. She delivers her punchlines adeptly entwined in stories about everything from US politics to weird UK place names, nature versus nurture and uncircumcised penises. Plus, of course, her “lovely dead dad”. It’s a warm, inviting and affable show, with a smattering of dick jokes (and DBDs – dick-based decisions), relatable family neuroses and, ultimately, a lot of fun. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024    The QR

Review of Soness: Big in Japan

Soness Stevens is the English voice of Hello Kitty, and a well-known voice in the entertainment wonderland known as the video games industry. She comes to the Edinburgh Fringe with ‘Big in Japan’, a show about Soness herself – not her job.

Once you understand that you’ll enjoy this show a great deal, not least because of Soness’s immense heart as a performer. Yes, it turns out that the English voice of the world’s most famous, entirely wholesome animated cat is also a lovely, warm person. Sometimes the Wizard turns out to be the real deal.

It’s immediately clear that Soness loves people: talking to them, getting to know them, and finding common ground. I’m quite certain she could spend the entire hour just making merry with her newest room of friends.

“It’s immediately clear that Soness loves people: talking to them, getting to know them, and finding common ground.”

However, ‘Big in Japan’ is a comedy show, told in orbit around memories of Soness’s mother, and to a lesser extent, her current life in Japan with her husband. It’s not quite a rags-to-riches story, more sleeping in a car to comfort. Neither is this comedy as therapy. No, this is a warm and knowing look back on her formative years.

On the other hand, anyone expecting more time spent on her voice-acting career may be a little disappointed. It is why she is ‘Big in Japan’ but this is a show about journey, not destination.

Ultimately I doubt many people will be able to resist Soness’s charm as a storyteller, joke-teller or human being. It’s not a gag-fest, but it is like meeting someone you’re pretty sure could be your new best friend – someone you actively look forward to spending time around.

That said, do expect to laugh at her ‘if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em’ approach to AI, and her ongoing relationship with Japanese architecture.

Ultimately, if ‘Big in Japan’ is more comedic storytelling than standup, with a healthy dollop of love for the crowd, it still offers one of the most genial hours on offer at this year’s Fringe. If the fiery loving wrath of John Robertson’s ‘Human Hurricane’ is too much, ‘Big in Japan’ is a warm and cuddly alternative. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024   Midlothian View

Article about Laughing Horse CLEAN Pick of the Fringe

"Perfect for all ages"

The Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024 team is offering free comedy every day at The Three Sisters ‘Maggie’s Room’ at 3:15pm. Bringing their favourite comedians from this year’s Fringe they showcase up to four stand-up comedians a day, but this time, it is completely PG. Surprisingly, keeping the comedy clean, it is the perfect show for all ages.

Bringing on up to four talented stand-up’s, it gives the comedians a chance to entertain a crowd for up to 10-minutes and promote their own shows. The quality of stand-up, despite being held back by a £5 fine if they are rude on stage, was amazing, making the panto style crowd of heckling family’s roar into laughter. With each comedian engaging with the crowd and talking to children in the audience it was very much a show, despite not lacking the Fringe quality of comedy, tailored for children and teens.

On my visit to the show on Monday the 12 th , David Chawner hosted followed by three acts, Rik Carranza, Dom Hattingwood and Oliver Coleman. All acts, despite only on stage for around 10 minutes, put on a quality act engaging with the audience but mainly focused on the children in the room. Edged on by the comedians, the crowd of the old cobbled tunnel of ‘Maggies Room’ were loud throughout the show with heckles and jokes made by members of audience making the show loud and electric.

The jokes were vast in style and content with each comedian bringing their unique performance. Making jokes at adults in the crowd, they also involved many children in the room, asking them to tell jokes and making jokes towards them. The comedies content was up to date and raunchy at times with the style of comedy still be entertaining to the adults in the room with some slightly inappropriate jokes going over the children’s heads.

Despite the show being made to share comedy with children and families, the host David Chawner, was overly dramatic and annoying at times, creating more of a panto style show that got the family’s involved. This overly-dramatic hosting was saved by the quality of comedy performed by the other comedians on stage, still engaging with the audience but mainly focused on their stand-up routine’s.

CLEAN picks of the Fringe is a show made for families. So, if you are out for The Fringe with the family or trying to introduce your kids to stand-up comedy this show is for you. Click Here For Article

August 28, 2024    Midlothian View

Review of Two Guys One Pub

Richly Sheehy and Mark O’Keefe are at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe providing their late-night Irish craic in the mid-afternoon everyday at 2:45pm through their creative mix of dark stand-up and musical comedy, running on a pay what you can basis.

Playing in the old-timely pub, The Brass Monkey, just off Edinburgh’s Nicolson Street. The award-winning Irish duo filled out the pub’s side ‘cinema room’. The duo’s Mark O’Keefe provided satirical and controversial stand-up comedy from the get-go, making jokes at the crowd and getting to know the audience. His edgy style of comedy brought up topics, such as Epstein’s Island, making the drunken audience crushed into the small room of big square sofas and bar booths roar into laughter. Enraging with the crowd well he brought up close to home Scottish topics like the Glasgow Edinburgh rivalry which both tourists and locals in the room enjoyed.

Swapping with Richy Sheehy twice mid-show the second of the duo provided more comedy but in the form of parody’s of popular songs. Despite Richy’s audience interaction and jokes before the songs being just as good as his counterpart Mark, the comedic songs just weren’t on par with the quality of Mark’s stand-up.

Creatively adding a unique twist to a stand-up show, the song parody’s singing about BDSM, Epstein and posh areas in Edinburgh were cringe-worthy with a portion of a parody consisting of the comedian making weird noises. A drop in interest from the crowd was seen between the switch from stand-up to songs with the audience showing a clear interest towards Marks standup.

The amazing performance from Mark O’Keefe was ruined by the switch to Richy Sheehy’s comedic music, being a complete switch from the creative stand-up to cringe-worthy parody’s.

The award-winning Irish duo have been praised well in the comedy scene but there was a sense during the hour long show that Mark O’Keefe was of a different standard than Richy Sheehy. I recommend 2 guys 1 Pub for the entertaining
performance from Mark O’Keefe being worth a few cringe-worthy moments alone just for Mark’s performance. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024    One4Review

Review of Cyclopath – Stand-Up and Songs

Canadian Dion Owen is a conundrum is the nicest possible way. He’s good, very good at so many things. His passion as the show title suggests is cycling but this is isn’t all spokes or blisters, it’s about journeys, improvised songs and great jokes.

He describes himself a bit harshly as a budget Jason Mamoa. Of course he’s a strapping good looking man but comes across more as a cuddly Jim Henson, just with more dick jokes.

He’s engaging, polite and damn funny. He lets the narrative flow well with audience participation with stories of Scotland – late night train experiences, the Dutch being needlessly arrogant, German men come across as a bit creepy (to the gasp of a women who is married to a German, and more worrying she kinda agrees with him) and sexy cheese (hmmm mature cheddar) are a highlight.

The songs, based on audience members are also fun, whimsical and kind(ish). A lovely moment of unity and support is Canuck great Tom Stade in the audience, adding some lovely ad hoc improv banter with Owen.

Don’t worry cycling fans, there is plenty for you too.
How should we deal with a stolen bike situation like an ex? and the app, Warm Showers, where cyclists can find refreshing washing facilities from kind individuals. 90% of the audience (including this reviewer) thought something a lot darker.

This is the ideal show for a mid afternoon in the Fringe. Get on your bike and catch him. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024    One4Review

Review of Adam Greene – Healthy Beast

3.5 stars

Adam Greene is going through some forced lifestyle changes. He’s had a kidney out and is questioning how much minimal change he actually needs to live a fulfilling life. For example, can he still binge drink if he exercises as well? When a Doctor suggests he’s overweight Greene asks for more specifics and qualifies it as basically a black pudding running around his system.

He’s also dating someone who’s a big deal in a certain in vogue TV series (Google it), who is also performing at the Fringe, something that the crowd picks up on with his subtle hints, which becomes a talking point with one or two very excited fans of the series.

Back to reality (that’s a hint there), the jokes come thick and fast “Fife – A name that sounds aggressive and a musical instrument at the same time” and a bipolar joke that has the potential of being the one liner of next year’s Fringe.

The Fringe is a bootcamp and kudos to anyone who brings a work in progress to Edinburgh for 24 days. Greene has more than done his time and earned his stripes.

Think of this as trailer/sneak peak to potentially an excellent main feature.

One to watch. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024    The Wee Review

Review of Life or Death

A mixed bill that is as strong on camaraderie as it is comedy.

This is not, as the title suggests, a solo show (one that, incidentally, Zetina sold out at the Glasgow Comedy Festival in March). Rather it is a mixed bill of comedians, with the aim of exploring the darker, messier side of the Fringe and life in general. Consciously edgy shows are a staple of Edinburgh, but what feels less usual to witness is the amount of love and support that the performers here have for each other. Such an atmosphere creates a feeling of friendly rather than full throttle anarchy, and allows for easy intimacy with the crowd.

Craig Campbell (previously of Live at the Apollo and Russell Howard’s Good News) comperes, and immediately delights in irking the entire front row (who all bizarrely work for Scottish Water) by expertly dunking on one of this country’s sacred cows. Ryan McCready follows and has a good line in why there are certain kinds of porn you might not want to download at your granny’s house. Kyle Lucey of Toronto, and Jordan MacDonald of Austin, both explore fish-out-of-water material. Lucey has fantastic golden retriever energy, interspersed with moments of unhinged frenzy, while MacDonald fires quick witticisms while slinking across the stage in a more relaxed manner. Zetina’s own style is carefully measured and full of skilled misdirection, with a soft velvet-like tone to his delivery.

The stand-up takes turns with burlesque performances, which slot nicely into the overall mood. Madame Hazey especially brings a strong comic element to her routine, stripping to reveal endless layers of googly eyes – some tiny, some huge – in strategic places, all soundtracked by songs heavy on eye lyrics (‘Hungry Eyes’ etc). Fearne Fatale keeps things deliberately messier, with an extremely fun routine that leaves the stage sticky and covered in foam.

With so much to enjoy, what the show deserves is a better venue (in terms of location rather than layout) and, at times, a better audience. Zetina’s closing set is interrupted by the bafflingly confident ramblings of someone who is in some way out of it (it’s hard to tell by which particular substance) and who can’t grasp that jokes need a set-up before you get to the pay-off. Zetina handles the heckling with consummate skill, mining the interaction for several minutes of improvised material, but it sadly eats into a bill which has already overrun. It’s a small blot at the end of an otherwise fun, energetic and charismatic hour. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024   Fringe Review

Article about Mr Diagonal – Join the Dots

Must See Show

Low Down
A genre defying spectacle, full of consummate musicianship, humour dryer than the average desert and a vocal performance that was beyond dexterous. Mr Diagonal – Join The Dots harks back to a time when almost excessively lyrical songs told a story with a beginning, middle and end. And this was a set of songs that contained real characters who conversed with their listener, all brought to life with exquisite precision by our live performer as the music flowed like a fine wine.

Review
Mr Diagonal? Who is he and just why have I come to review him? OK, so his PR must have emailed me and I must have said I’ll take a look – it’s the approach I’ve taken this year, don’t look for anything, let people pitch to me. And it’s really worked. I’ve seen some great stuff. But this?

I can’t even find the place either, even though Laughing Horse’s splendid Free Fringe venue The Raging Bull is actually hidden in plain sight on Lothian Road. But an extravagantly attired, dapper gent points me in the right direction and, moments later I’m seated on a most comfortable settee. I suppose I could always nod off if what is billed as “enchanted evening of mutant music-hall on the Brecht/Bowie/Broadway spectrum” doesn’t cut the mustard. Yeah, yeah, heard all that fluff before. I’ll eat my hat if that actually turns out to be true.

Fifty minutes later, having been royally entertained by said extravagantly attired, dapper gent and I’m looking for the salt and pepper after one of the zaniest, wittiest, cleverest, most absurd pieces of I don’t quite know what that I’ve seen at this Fringe, indeed at any Fringe in recent memory.

It’s a genre defying spectacle, full of consummate musicianship, humour dryer than the average desert and a vocal performance that was beyond dexterous. And the lyrics, oh those lyrics. I don’t know what Mr Diagonal (Daniel Barbenel’s alter ego, or is it the other way around?) was smoking when he wrote this set, but would he please share a bit of it around so that us mere mortals can acquire a little of his genius for lyrics and the ability to form a perfect rhyming couplet. Or two. Or twelve in the case of one song.

Mr Diagonal – Join The Dots harks back to a time when almost excessively lyrical songs told a story with a beginning, middle and end. We were treated to a set of songs that contained characters who conversed with their listener, brought to life with exquisite precision by our live performer on the stage as the music flowed like a fine wine. Whilst it’s invidious to liken Mr Diagonal with anyone, there are hints of Noel Coward, Richard Stilgoe and even Neil Innes (he of Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band fame) in this set.

Mr Diagonal, the self-styled Prime Minister of Pop, starts us off with “Kangaroo on the Moon”, appropriately enough with a kangaroo puppet to help him play the piano. That sets the zany tone for numbers that include a discussion on the health, or otherwise of a bewildering array of the world’s leaders (at least disease is still democratic, folks), a warning on the dangers of drinking milk from The Midnight Milkman, and a quite unique take on Once In Royal David’s City.

We also had a finale featuring Dumbo, the circus elephant, that mixed Barbenel’s craziest lyrics with moments of real pathos and poignancy. Two more standouts worth mentioning; Hedges, a song that somehow linked topiary with a popular financial services product – hilarious, accurate and apposite; and Tartan Dinosaurs, focused around this Scottish born, now Belgian resident’s knowledge of footie which contained the aforementioned dozen perfect rhyming couplets featuring the song title – pure genius.

But what really took the biscuit was a unique, avante garde five movement sonata for clarinet which was, one has to say, note perfect. Without a note being played. No spoilers, if you want the answer to this puzzle, go seek him out.

I’m always loathe to herald something as a “must see” show. It’s hyperbole thrown around at times like confetti. But this really is a “must see” – actor, singer, clown, peerless lyricist, pianist supreme and all round engaging eccentric. Barbenel’s a concert grade pianist who delivers fifty minutes of his original music from memory. When he’s not on the piano he’s giving a consummate performance with guitar. And that unique, five movement clarinet sonata, all laced with lyrics that tell a story in perfect rhyme and that are as absurd and surreal as they are dark and apposite.

Look, I could go on. But I won’t. Just go seek him out. And the best things in life are free, so they say. This is one of those things. You might also want to stick a tenner in the hat and you’ll get a free CD, so you can appreciate much of what you’ve just heard again and again. I did. Click Here For Article

August 28, 2024    All Edinburgh Theatre

Review of The Devil Went Down To Gorgie

New grassroots company Pasuz Productions play everything just about right for their debut production, The Devil Went Down to Gorgie a piece of comedy horror framed in a dreadful office-workers bonding day, playing the West Port Oracle for the final week of the Fringe.

Mac and Beth are in the team-bonding day from hell, stuck on a mountain with only their hyper- enthusiastic colleague Will. Fortunately he is a wee feartie, so when he misplaces his agenda for the day, Beth has a line in spooky stories that is ooglie enough to make the time pass faster.

With a “Well, it was like this…” from Victoria Hopkins as Beth, and not a wavy fade in sight, they’ve left the tiny stage of the 27-seat venue for Stephanie Boyne and Patch Connarty as Rosie and Peter. The young pregnant couple are hanging out in their Gorgie flat of an evening when there is a knock on the door and Rosie sees a strange visitor enter the room…

Paul Blanchfield’s script is nicely turned in the proper tradition of such stories, with each successive element become increasingly scary.

To set the tone, Finn MacMillan’s manic Will has the first stab, with an almost throwaway piece about a file that always makes its way to cabinet 666, that has Beth and Fiona Hourston’s cynical Mac falling asleep within seconds.

bite
Beth’s tale has a lot more bite, with Connarty’s slobbish Peter, nicely incredulous when Rosie says she can see a “visitor” – the puck-like Scott Adair-Grabas as the Pasuz, who leaps around, flirting silently with the audience, mocking Peter and generally acting the loon.

A hospital scene where the couple go for a scan is pure B-Movie schlock. And all the better for it, with a bathing-cap-bedecked Blanchfield as the glaikit Doc Naptime, Ennae McKnight as a cackling Nurse Hatchet and a strange man with a chopping knife in his head. They are, of course, number 666 in the queue.

The format allows the office trio to leap in when things get a bit too spooky for Will. And provides a nice framing for the jump-cut to six years, six months and six days after young Damon’s birth, when Rosie is called to see his teacher, Miss Carr (McKnight again), as he seems “troubled”.

The ensuing rounds of improbable scenes involve tarot readings, live exorcism on Morning TV (MacMillan and Hourston do a lovely little parody as presenters George and Barbara Daytime) and the return of Blanchfield as a defrocked priest.

This is mostly about delivering comedy well, which the cast do in what can be an unforgiving room. Aside from the central couple, there isn’t a huge amount of space here for any kind of character development. But there are strong performances all round and characters are clearly established, particularly by those doubling.

well handled
The company’s use of simple costumes, bad wigs and basic props to help signpost character is thoughtfully done. The projected backdrops, while not always as visible as you might like in the rudimentary lighting scheme of the room, are more than most Free Fringe shows can muster.

The key performances from Kit Young as the troubled Damo and Scott Adair-Grabas as the Demon Pasuz – rather less benign that the usual childhood invisible friend – is very well handled. Although, of necessity, you do fear that those at the back will not be able to see their child’s-play on the floor of the stage.

Blanchfield’s script works well, despite introducing far too many strands that are left dangling and unresolved for comfort. It could also include a few references to make it specific to Gorgie and other Edinburgh localities: the only real one is in the title.

What is important is that the whole piece obeys the three key rules for success of comic theatre on the Fringe: great performances, great timing and an auspicious room.

everything zings along
Playing your debut in the room where the Stand held its first stand-up gigs is a solid start. The performances are believable (within the scheme of such things, at least). And Blanchfield’s direction ensures that everything zings along at pace, switching logically and quickly between scenes, so that, at 40 minutes, it leaves everyone wanting more.

Pasuz Productions has been put together by folk who met at classes with Acting Out and Edinburgh Acting School. The Devil Went Down to Gorgie is a great testament to all concerned: the company and their tutors alike. A delicious morsel of well-constructed and well-timed devlish entertainment. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024    One4Review

Review of Ashley Haden: Political and Correct

Off the bat London’s East End award nominated comic Ashley Haden is a talent, and something you don’t often find at 6pm in the Fringe these days – dark, uncomfortable, well researched political comedy which is also funny and thought provoking.

To make sure the audience knows what they are in for the ground rules are set early and rattles off a gag about the cost of assisted suicide, which hits the mark and a gauge of what is to come.

The doors are closed, let the cynicism begin.

For the first third of the show there is a review from 2010 to present day, – the Tory government standards and the inept alternatives that were on offer at the election
“Brexit – Stupidity Apartheid”
“Lib Dems – They are just imaginary friends, Reform Party manifesto – basically a vision board”

Then Cost of living crisis, housing, anti-vaxers, social media, brat summers, climate change are also dispatched with the same piss and vinegar.

Then you are hit with the really dark stuff – Israel, Palestine, Sudan, poverty. He isn’t exploitative of these terrible events for cheap laughs, it’s more shining a light on the hypocrisy and double standards connected to these events. This is where Haden shines in the blackness. Festival great Bill Hicks would be very proud.

Of course there is time to get everyone back on board with just a little chink of hope. For some of the audience it has been an uncomfortable ride but others it’s just what was said on the tin.

Haden has been compared to Frankie Boyle but I’m seeing more Mark Thomas in this talented youngster, crossed with the cynicism of Neil Youngs “Rocking In The Free World” cranked up to 11.

He’s going places and I can’t wait to see what he does next. Just put him on at a later time. Click Here For Review

August 28, 2024    One4Review

Review of Alex Camp: Songs About Love and Food

Hitting the right notes. A major artist in the making.

Alex Camp (and he’s not) is on his first year at the Fringe. He brings a wealth of experience, various 90s indie bands and has been on the circuit earning his stripes, winning the Comedy Rooms New Act of the Year 2022.

To the act itself, it’s a lovely 1990s onwards journey through his life. However, this is not a (clear throat) me-me-me-me show. It covers his family (“mum and dad work hard in the VHS Factories in the 90s”), traveling, working in Japan, relocating to Manchester. Jokes fly fast and furious, working the crowd well when things perhaps go over the younger in the audience.

And there is the original songs. They are good, bordering on genius.
Blues ballad I’m White is a highlight. Other leftfield choices include Paedo Swans, I’ve Got Your Dog and Hungry Butts.

Comparisons will be made quite rightly to The Flight Of The Concords and Tenacious D.
However, there are songs, about Vin Diesel’s Riddick and Kamala Harris remind me of Adam Sandlers song structure in his early career.

Edinburgh can be a boot camp for first time artist to hone and tweak their act, this is not the case here, this guys the real deal.

A hidden gem in the lofts of the Fringe. He is going to have his time in the sunlight shortly.

Get a ticket “Throuple” fast (see the show to get the meaning). Click Here For Review

August 25, 2024   Entertainment Now

Article about 20 Years of the Free Fringe Festival – Charity Gala Show

ISH Awards: Horses, Deconstructed Comedy, a Tent and a Year’s Supply of Shoes

Joint winners of the Panel Prize were, Alex Petty of Laughing Horse, champions of working class comics Best In Class and the Funny Women Glitter Project as well as comic Elaine Robertson, who spent the entire festival camping to cut costs. Click Here For Article

August 25, 2024    Chortle

Review of Ahh I Appear to Be Having a Breakdown – The Debut Hour From Peter Bazely

Such is Peter Bazely’s disdain for middle-of-the-road stand-up, dismissed as podcasting about family and relationships while doing routines about your awful wife, that he decries having a daughter, a self-own of his hackiness that he sarcastically summarises as ‘cool’.

In his tired misanthropy, bordering on complete disinterest for the actual act of stand-up, Bazely is an exemplar of anti-comedy, perpetually false-starting his show with his pottering admin. Routines are eventually teed-up and ticked off like chores and he treats laughter and audience indifference with almost the same incurious shrug. He does, he acknowledges, prefer having a show at the Fringe to actually performing it.

As is fast becoming the way, he suggests that he was unofficially diagnosed as autistic by an audience member last year. Some comics have built entire shows, even careers around their neurodiversity. Yet Bazely presents it as a passing thought, not even a particularly irksome or enlightening one.

The sense that he’s potentially having a breakdown is exacerbated by the disparity between his over-6ft height and the claustrophobic confines of his room, a hellish box from which there’s no escape from his audience. Except that on more than one occasion, he does leave the room, shuts the door and performs in the corridor, offering a rudimentary puppet show or audibly slagging some of those still within.

Performing low-key, opening snatches of songs on his guitar, sardonically introduced as 'classics', they’re either gnomic little nuggets of wit or simply trail away into nothingness, their reception once again almost immaterial.

He does stoke a bit of engagement and unpredictability by handing out cards with pre-prepared heckles on for the audience to deliver at a moment of their choosing. These range from half-hearted expressions of encouragement to mild slams, with set-ups for other Silly Little Bits of business.

The interaction emboldens some in the crowd. And on more than one occasion, Bazely teeters close to losing control. But that suits the show’s flimsy, ramshackle nature, with the definition of what would constitute a successful performance highly subjective.

While evoking his mental health struggles and the prospect of suicide, he never lingers too long in the darkness for it to get truly bleak. And there are some decent, bona fide jokes among all the disassembling and deconstruction. Still, he’ll deliberately drive a routine through the floor if it looks like getting too much traction, sucking the oxygen out of his already airless cage with perverse compulsion.

Confessing a debt to the self-challenging comedy of Stewart Lee, he nevertheless immediately undermines it by asking, and to a tortured extent guessing, the favourite acts of those around him, the import of what’s revealed a meaningless subversion of the idea of influence.

This nihilistic brand of comedy can’t be for everyone – his room uncomfortably seats less than 20 – but Bazely’s a distinctive act. There’s a glimmer of something inspired in his potential and I look forward to seeing how or if it develops. Click Here For Review

August 25, 2024    Chortle

Review of Meshida: My Japanese Perspective

Given the extent to which Little Britain is now pilloried for its racially suspect sketches, it's ironic that Matt Lucas and David Walliams' show is the reason that Meshida became a comedian.

The Japanese stand-up was recommended the series by an English tutor, and Meshida delighted in its propensity for saying the unsayable, so different to the polite, disciplined, rules-based society at home.

With the benefit of hindsight, his lawyers are now in pursuit of that teacher for the association. But Meshida continues to be persecuted by the chalk-handed. After jacking in his corporate job to perform English-language comedy in Tokyo to expats, almost invariably English teachers, he grew accustomed to polite appreciation for his vocabulary rather than his jokes.

Happily, he's now continuing his education at the Edinburgh Fringe, where he's at least guaranteed an honest appraisal of his humour if not an escape from cultural stereotypes, he protests, from his karaoke room venue. All while sporting his print shirt of the famous The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai.

He opens a little tentatively by gently belittling the adjectives 'Great' and 'United' in Great Britain and the United Kingdom, before admitting that Japan has been purloining some GB branding. Branching out into a run-through of other nation's mottos, it's more interesting than funny. But he draws a line under it with amusing, resigned acceptance that when it comes to calling the shots in South East Asia, China is in charge.

He doesn't fear invasion from the censorious superpower particularly, because Japan's rules about comedy are already pretty intractable – no political jokes and nothing 'controversial', whatever that means, he doesn't really elaborate. Beyond adding, absolutely nothing about sex.

With a declining birth rate and rapidly ageing population, Japan can't afford to be so reserved about carnal matters and frankly, frigid. He mocks another country for statistically being the lustiest in the world, suggesting a correlation with their unemployment figures. But he appreciates that it's a Pyrrhic snark.

And it's surely another dubious international correspondence that it was an English comedian who introduced Meshida to tentacle porn. The scales fell hard from his eyes as he came to realise that not only is it one of his nation's weirdest exports, against some stiff competition, but Hokusai was producing it 200 years ago, along with progressive prints of lesbian lovemaking.

He is principally a cultural commentator, who patently sees his role, to a sizeable extent, as a guide for Western audiences to such things as the traditional Japanese religion of Shinto and the wonder of his nation's toilets. Yet he doesn't have the observational acuity of, say, his compatriot Takashi Wakasugi, to generate big laughs from the latter phenomenon. Wryly, he notes the comparative levels of technological achievement and hygiene standards globally but struggles to elicit deeper levels of meaning.

He could also afford to open up more about his own journey, as he currently offers mere glimpses of the burnout that led to him becoming a comic, the workaholic and alcoholic pressures of his office role that he wilted beneath. Shallow material about the on-the-nose, literal translation of his name is all very well but it doesn't truly reflect the man.

That's to be lamented, because Meshida is a genial, animated host in his glorified karaoke booth, even breaking into song at one point. And he offers a proud introduction to his homeland, albeit with crucial, knowing caveats. Click Here For Review

August 25, 2024   Edinburgh Evening News

Article about Ian Stone is Keeping it Together

10 Jokes From the Final Week of This Year's Fringe

2. Ian Stone
Ian Stone, whose Ian Stone Is Keeping It Together show is on at Laughing Horse at The Counting House - The Ballroom, 4pm until August 25 told this funny football-related joke: “As a surprise on their honeymoon, my dad took my mother to a Bournemouth against Brentford football match in the fourth division. I can’t believe she stayed with him for 20 years. Actually, I can’t believe she stayed with him for the second half." | Elliot-Minogue Stone Click Here For Article

August 25, 2024   Edinburgh Evening News

Article about Dima Watermelon: Ukrainian Dream

10 Jokes From the Final Week of This Year's Fringe

4. Dima Watermelon
Ukrainian comedian Dima Watermelon is on at Laughing Horse @ The Raging Bull - Cellar – 5.15pm until August 25. In his show he joked: “Whenever people ask me, 'Dima, where are you from?' I always have to answer, 'Well, originally, I’m from Ukraine, but just to be sure, let me check the news'.” | JV publicity Click Here For Article

August 25, 2024    The List

Review of Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far

It’s a big gig, the Fringe, and Olaf Falafel is a well-known staple on the kids’ comedy circuit, and so this year he has brought a warm-up act with him. Ronald Fingerchin looks uncannily like Falafel, except he’s from ArkanTexasawRhodeIslandAlabama and has rubber fingers protruding from his chin. Hence the name. And if that doesn’t give you a flavour of what you’re in for with this show, I don’t know what will.

Falafel has built up a huge following with good reason as he’s simply brilliant at what he does. His world is one of zany, quickfire voyages through wordplay, puns, the best and worst of dad-jokes, madcap games and surreal pranks.

One minute we’re playing pass the parcel, where the prizes are elaborately described, very specific feelings (such as finding a strawberry in your spoonful of jam), the next we’re watching videos of him flinging Swiss cheese at a book and reading the poetry that emerges within its holes. The ingenuity of his stupidity knows no bounds. There are a few lulls and an extended skit about his attempts to have his home-made art valued might lose some younger kids. But in a Fringe packed with shows full of self-importance or which promise self-improvement, Falafel’s is a welcome island of unashamed silliness. Click Here For Review

August 25, 2024    The List

Review of Sian Davies: Band Of Gold

Gay marriage was a massive step in LGBTQIA+ equality but Sian Davies isn’t that much of a fan. In fact, she’s a much bigger proponent of gay divorce. The Northerner’s stand-up is an unserious hour where she shows and tells her most regrettable tattoo (a ‘tribal’ symbol, naturally), and shares the story of how a random stranger got a tattoo of Davies and her then wife. Most of her jokes are laced with originality, and only sometimes does her audience seem to not quite get them. Her anecdotal gags are great, and she throws in a few bad puns and dad jokes here and there that are received surprisingly well. Indeed, her gags tell us a lot about herself: gay divorcee haunted by a sleep-paralysis demon of Sylvester The Cat from Looney Tunes.

While not every single joke lands, Davies’ audience is clearly entertained for her full comedy hour with minimal seat shuffling. While her more niche gags get less reaction, her stories are hilarious, and would seem far-fetched if she didn’t have photographic evidence (her face tattooed on the aforementioned stranger). If you’ve got a list of gay and lesbian comedians to see this year, Sian Davies should absolutely be on it. Click Here For Review

August 23, 2024    Chortle

Review of Ian Stone is Keeping it Together

3.5 stars

There are several comics who have been on the circuit for such a long time that they’re in danger of being taken for granted. Ian Stone – Stoney to his pals – is a good example. He’s such an accomplished and likeable practitioner that he makes this job look like a doddle.

He eases us in with twinkly charm, suggesting that ‘I’m keeping it together’ is the best way to respond when someone asks how you are, given that ‘I’m fine’ is simply not a true indication of the amount of effort life requires.

We get some fun stories about how much racism you can tolerate, the joys of being able to deploy the ‘wanker' sign in UK traffic without being shot, what it’s like playing five-a-side with Jewish pals of a similar age (he’s 61 now), and what the game teaches you about life. There’s also a gorgeous gag about Keir Starmer’s charisma.

Stone then draws us into a fascinating story about his parents’ backgrounds, delivered in part to illustrate why his nonagenarian dad is still the ‘selfish prick he always was’. We get a brilliant tale about his father phoning in a bomb threat to the postal sorting office where he worked so he didn’t have to go back to work after lunch, and a jaw-dropping glimpse into old Ken’s idea of romance during his November honeymoon in Bournemouth.

Applying the lightest touch to family history, he shares insights about how, when and why his parents’ families moved from Poland to the UK, and it all sounds like a movie - as his knowing reference to Fiddler On The Roof confirms.

You could enjoy this laugh-heavy hour from this likeable pro as a straightforward, easy stand-up set, or you could listen closer and appreciate the subtle message: that little problems get bigger if you don’t address them quickly. Either way, you’ll walk away feeling satisfied. Click Here For Review

August 23, 2024   Fringe Review

Article about Yes-Ya-Yebo!

Must See Show

Low Down
A smorgasbord of entertainment with a rickety structure but one which acts as a platform. On that platform exudes happiness. To be there, to share, to dance, sing and entertain. Singing with no amplification and filling a room, dancing with great joy and filling you heart – and part of the Free Festival – you would be a fool to miss it.

Review
Eight youthful and exuberant performers from South Africa have been brought from a place which inspires fear to Edinburgh to dance. They bring with them the cheek of youth and the knowledge of experience. All of them are under 25 years of age, their youngest is 17, and with such vitality they just dance. And I mean dance. They dance like their lives have depended upon it and thanks to the Imibala Trust, that might be true as they have been taken from real threat. They took themselves away from the troubles which were all around them and have come to know the joy of creativity and its opportunity.

OK, so interspersed with the dance and some of the explanations are the stories to tug on your heart strings but this the fully formed expressive moment which makes it all sing with expectation and joy. I counted, in just under an hour, about 30 different examples of dance. Some of them are snippets but all of them have a youthful enthusiasm – these are kids dancing like their lives depended upon it and hoping that everyone notices!

And so, we began outside where one of them came to give out contact details for the company where we could go online thanks to a QR code and look at our performers and their profiles. Then we arrived in a non-descript and plain room with chairs which had a young woman at the back dressed in a wonderful orange dress was seated. Once we were seated, she was up and singing with a spotlight shining. Nothing was amplified and the rawness was its passionate secret. The harmonies, added to the solo performers, were pitched perfectly. Once she had introduced us to our evening and herself, we got that cheeky young chap from outside who came onstage to introduce the different languages of his country. It was a hint at what was to come as we then sashayed our way through dances from Venda, Tswana, Afrikaans, Zulu, Sesotho, a song of the coal mines – reminiscent of a tin can dance I saw once being taught in Glasgow that I was told came from Soweto – and so much more.

I was entranced. My daughter, a dancer, was too. She lives too far away from Edinburgh to take advantage of the lessons on offer during their run but it was a lesson in steps and poise for her, in laughter and joy for me. As a man of a certain age who has a view of South Africa which is old and should be long forgotten this focused my attention on the new country with voices that demand to be listened to whilst reminding us of the poverty in their townships and communities. This is not a pity party but a celebration of more than survival – of incredible joy in dance. They perform above their years with an attention to pace which slows when they need to make a point but also never drops when they want to show off their abilities and dance.

And so, I loved their catwalk, the wedding dance and the old coal miners and I laughed out loud when they suggested that they all spoke Scots! This was pitch perfect work that also included short sketches to accompany their dances which included the birth of a child and a Safari Camp piece showing they were older than their years. They were more mature than the old fellas who held their country down so much in the past. There was just simply onstage. Joy. It was terrific. But don’t just believe an old man – just go and see for yourself. As part of the Free Fringe, you will not be disappointed, though you might want to contribute your life savings – they have already contributed the equivalent in themselves. Click Here For Article

August 23, 2024   Fringe Review

Article about 3 Queens of New York

Recommended Show

Low Down
Three Queens from New York. This comedic showcase highlights three very different comedians from three very different parts of New York City. These three women all bring a different style and energy to their comedy, but at the end of the day, it’s all very New York.

Review
The premise of the show is simple; share a range of black New York lives and culture through three black female comedians from three very different parts of New York City. This aim was admirably fulfilled by Meka Mo, Onika McLean and Glorelys Mora who provided a hugely entertaining hour of stand up and stories to a more than full house on the first Friday night of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Don’t be wrong-footed by the title – these are not the gay male kind of queens, these are New York female queens. This is a very heterosexual show !

The show started with Onika McLean dressed as a New York subway police officer barking orders at passengers, which was very apt seeing as we were crammed into this tiny venue at Laughing Horse at Three Sisters (more on the venue later) like sardines in a New York subway carriage. Instantly we realised we were going to be fully immersed in NYC slang, accents and speed of delivery, with no concessions for Europeans less familiar with that lingo. I could keep up (almost always) throughout the hour but a few did not at times.

After the subway cop intro, Glorelys Mora took to the tiny stage, just inches from the audience of 30 people. She’s of Dominican heritage but very much a New Yorker. Her slick schtick was both modern and old-fashioned and occasionally cleverly customised to being in Scotland. For example, she understands why Scotland has produced so many stellar writers, “your weather is perfect to write about your pain.” The hilarious modern angles included having a white woman inside her and seeing it as her feminist duty when she has a boyfriend that she must teach and train him “for the next bitch”. The throw backs to pre-feminist thinking and comedy (redolent of Eartha Kitt) surfaced when she owned up to liking guys who paid for everything “I didn’t know he was ugly until he stopped paying for everything.” Even in NYC, old attitudes die hard.

Meka Mo was the easiest of the trio to understand. Her delivery is less machine gun and her comedy is more based on storytelling. She shared clear, rich pictures of growing up in such multiculturalism that for years she had no idea there were huge swathes of white only America. She also had UK-specific material when she spoke of her problem with Columbus Day in the US “Christopher Columbus was a rapist who worked for Spain. So, may be you should have a Prince Andrew Day?!” Brave and clever comedy.

To end the evening, Onika McLean returned as herself and, despite speaking at breakneck speed in her unadulterated NYC patter, as if she was performing to a local New York audience, most of us followed the tales of her actually being rather respectable, in a long marriage, despite having a teenage daughter who likes to portray herself as a gangsta-rapper. Her routine ranged from dealing with the menopause, racism and the sexual claims of her daughter. Racy and hugely entertaining.

All three performers showed their professionalism and experience (no doubt learned in NYC late night comedy shows) being adept at dealing with a very annoying rather drunk lesbian, bragging she was on a first date. She soon shut up when each comedian (yes she tried with each) closed her down nicely but firmly. A masterclass in dealing with hecklers without losing the audience.

The show mixes universal themes that we can all identify with, along with uniquely NYC challenges, realities and idiosyncrasies. Together this gives us a flavour of many of the realities of living in different parts and cultures of the Big Apple as black women; somethings we knew already but there discoveries too. Job done! Click Here For Article

August 23, 2024    The Wee Review

Review of Alex Berr: How to Kill a Mouse

At 11:30 in the morning, a charming Alex Berr is able to corral a nearly full room into rooting for her from the get go. Throughout 45 minutes of comedy that she’s still working through in her work-in-progress, ‘How to Kill a Mouse’, Berr chronicles her journey to a career in science. But behind a woman in STEM—a crowd work mechanism Berr uses to cheer on her fellow female scientists — Berr is also a daughter who lost her mother.

As she reckons with her mother’s death and the fact that she couldn’t cure her mother’s rare form of cancer, despite coincidentally studying it from when she was 16 years old, she manages to make a room of early risers laugh in the process. Now, Berr is a glorified exterminator (of sorts), which she jokingly reminds us of through a hilarious act-out.

Berr is still developing her debut hour and as she searches for the message of her show, despite its already strong underlying emotional core, there is potential for her to have an ironclad debut in 2025. The jokes are witty, but with more call-backs and full circles drawn in the show’s still-to-be-seen final 15 minutes, ‘How to Kill a Mouse’ could rise to a much greater height.

Berr’s energy alone is infectious, more infectious than the lung cancer she injects into lab mice. (In all fairness, cancer is not technically infectious at all). What we mean to say, of course, is that Berr’s natural charm is a bright way to start any day, despite her dark subject matter. She lights up the room with her smile and naivete, and we just want the world to turn in her favor. She became a scientist to save millions of lives; perhaps she’ll save them with laughter instead. Click Here For Review

August 23, 2024    North West End

Review of Richard Cobb: Running Joke

Richard Cobb’s Running Joke is an entertaining hour of stand-up comedy, perfect for passing the time in the early evening. Performing in an intimate venue, Cobb’s natural delivery creates a friendly atmosphere almost akin to a chat at the pub. The show centres around various challenges Cobb had to overcome before he faced the challenge from which the show derives its name: running the Edinburgh marathon. It’s a relatable premise, allowing the audience to empathise with his journey and feel present in the stories he told. This isn’t an absurdist, existentialist or political stand-up. Rather, Cobb derives humour from real situations that happen to real people (mostly himself).

He was perhaps a little nervous at the beginning and spoke very fast as a result. Unfortunately, this meant some of the jokes didn’t land as they perhaps should have done. However, he soon relaxed into it, slowing down his speech and giving the jokes some time to settle before he moved on.

That being said, the show needs some polishing, a fact Cobb even acknowledged at one point. But, when we’re on to the second week at the Fringe, a self-aware joke doesn’t make up for a rough-edged performance. The very best stand-up ebbs and flows, building cleverly to a crescendo of punchlines and pay offs of earlier jokes. While there are a couple instances of this in Running Joke, they’re few and far between. For the most part, there seemed to be little connection between his various stories, as funny as they might be. And, when there is a connection, he doesn’t do a good enough job of building them subtly and cleverly into the piece. For instance, at one stage he repeated the phrase: ‘Another thing I’m competitive about’ before around four stories (I lost count of the precise number). I couldn’t help but wonder whether there was a more entertaining way to seg-way between these stories, preferably so it felt like there was a true through-line to the piece.

The jokes themselves were often very good, I laughed a lot. But again, it was all a bit rough round the edges. Cobb slightly rambled trying to set up a few punchlines, which killed any momentum he’d bought himself. And, with stand-up, momentum is essential. The audience want to be taken on a hilarious journey. Unfortunately, Cobb, despite having a lot of the material, doesn’t quite manage that.

Overall, Running Joke is certainly enjoyable, and worth checking out if you happen to be at the Raging Bull pub. Richard Cobb certainly has talent and promise but, if he wants to truly compete with the best of Edinburgh Fringe comedy, he has some work to do. Click Here For Review

August 22, 2024   The Scotsman

Article about 20 Years of the Free Fringe Festival – Charity Gala Show

Comedians’ Choice Awards

Last night, in an Awards Ceremony held at The Counting House, British Comedy Guide in association with Angel Comedy and The Museum of Comedy announced the winners The Comedian’s Choice Awards 2024, as voted by comedians at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The award for Best Person (intended to recognise anyone working in any capacity at the annual festival) was awarded for a second time to Alex Petty - co-founder and director of the Laughing Horse Free Festival. Click Here For Article

August 22, 2024    The List

Review of Louis Katz: Bountiful

A foolproof litmus test can be applied to any US comic visiting the Fringe for the first time: when they encounter British audiences who don’t whoop and cheer at the drop of a hat, do they a) pander to the few Americans in the room; b) grow aggressive towards the crowd after a few days into the run; or c) suck it up and trust that the strength of their material can loosen the reserve of even the most tight-lipped of punters?

It’s to Louis Katz’ credit that he chooses the latter option in his tussle with an emotionally conservative crowd, joking about adjusting his material but proving himself a craftsperson whose punchlines can win people over in any country. Anyone who watched HBO specials in the 1990s and 2000s will be familiar with the tone in this tightly constructed hour, which breathes the air of those following in the footsteps of George Carlin and Bill Hicks, tackling big themes in a bolshy way and eliciting cartoonish anger to bolster sturdy political rhetoric.

It’s a strangely unfashionable mode (particularly at an arts festival which generally favours comedians with personal stories over political sentiment), but one he executes formidably and with an incisive intelligence. Even his gags about dogs’ testicles are cleverer than most other acts across Edinburgh in August. He’s lacking a USP that will elevate him to the upper ranks of stand-up (something even he seems acutely aware of), but there’s no denying that Louis Katz is a formidable joke writer. Click Here For Review

August 21, 2024    All Edinburgh Theatre

Review of The Devil Went Down To Gorgie

 Click Here For Review

August 21, 2024    Edinburgh Reviews

Review of Bubba-Licious

This was kiddo show number six of Fringe 2024 for me and my 17-month-old daughter. I had high hopes as some friends had been last weekend but I’d missed the opportunity to nab a ticket, then noticed the whole run had sold out! When I got the chance to take my little one today I made sure to listen to a friend’s advice and sit right down at the front to get the best view.

Since the show is part of the Free Fringe there is tiered pricing for tickets which makes it very attractive to parents trying to save some cash when having to pay for parent/s and your babe/s.

It’s also a well known and loved show which sold out Ed Fringe in 2022 and 2023 and won Best Kids Show in Adelaide Fringe in 2023 so, of course, it was going to be a popular pick.

The vibe

You get a good feeling for this show from the outset because the performers make you welcome from the minute you step into the venue.

Then the fun really starts… come close, sing-a-long, pop some bubbles and stare in wonder when caterpillars, sharks, butterflies, frogs and teddy bears pay a visit to The Pear Tree.

The show itself

No need for high wire performers here when you can delight every child, and adult, in the room with bubbles, a pupating caterpillar and some Australian dad joke chuckles.

First we were lead into the venue by colourfully dressed, cheerful, smiling performers. Then invited to cosy up to the front of the stage and everyone was officially welcomed with a Native Australian Aboriginal Welcome song called Wanjoo.

From then it was hit after hit of songs to delight your infant including Twinkle Twinkle, I’m a Little Teapot, Baby Shark… I know there may be some parents groaning at the ‘same oh, same oh’ but these songs were interspersed with puppetry, dancing butterflies, floating balloon sharks, juggling, shadow puppetry, signing, jokes, projections, full on bubbles and topped off with a brilliant balloon rave party.

Everyone in the place (not just the kids) was transfixed by the expressive performers. They’ve totally nailed the storytelling, sing-a-long, sensory feast which you truly hope for when booking a show at the Fringe and it’s all done with the simplest of materials. (Bravo from this mum)

And remember those balloons? Well, every kids gets to take a balloon home with them at the end of the show and adults are invited to give a top up donation to the performers, if they wish.

Overall

I can’t fault this brilliant, well thought through and evolved kiddie production. Every element has the children’s entertainment as the goal and it seems the writers and performers know what works and perform it with gusto.

Not easy when doing two shows a day for the run of the Fringe. Thirty minutes were filled two the brim with simple and effective laughs, singing and hi-jinks and everyone left smiling. I couldn’t ask for more for my daughter (nor me). Click Here For Review

August 21, 2024    Broadway Baby

Review of Decomposing, Live

Alec Snook is incredibly hyper aware. He shares that he is ‘decomposing’ because he has tinnitus, colour-blindness and is “like genetically-modified grapes: completely seedless.” Off top, he lets us know that “this is a show about loss in its different forms, largely because I keep losing pockets of the audience throughout the hour.” He is so hyper aware, he goes as far as having a ‘lull bell’ that he rings when a joke doesn’t land as well and encourages us to also get up and ring the bell if we feel necessary (though he does warn he will lash out if anyone approaches). This from a man who starts his show with an interpretative dance and bursts into song by way of seemless transitions.

Simply put, Alec’s show isn’t a typical ‘dead parent’ show; he actually describes his mum’s funeral as the second-best one he’s ever been to, so it’s not him excavating that for an hour. Instead, we get his whimsical takes on the truer aspects of his life coupled with absurdist left turns, made even funnier in his droll, Bristolian lilt.

Each line seems to have been painstakingly crafted, but unfortunately some quips (like “that one word would be ‘partially colour blind’”) don’t get the laughs they deserve from a midday crowd, who for some Decomposing, Live is their first show of the day.

Alec says he is socially awkward which comes across with some of his attempts at crowdwork, which also breaks us out of the stable loose cannon persona we are expected to buy into in order for the more offbeat jokes to work. A minor quibble for what is overall a great debut solo show.

At the time of writing, Alec has made two ‘Funniest Jokes of the Fringe’ lists, which is a testament to some of the hidden gems that the Free Fringe helps unearth. Alec may claim to be decomposing (live) but he takes us on a joyous ride while doing so. Click Here For Review

August 21, 2024    Chortle

Review of Ashley Haden: Political and Correct

3.5 stars

There’s really no topping Ashley Haden’s description of himself as a ‘dark, bleak, uncomfortable, political comedian’.

Before he gets into the rough ride of his brutal material, he warns his audience: ‘If you have happy memories, do try to hold on to them…. hope is an illusion, reality is pain.’

His pugnacious delivery has echoes of the late Ian Cognito, with vicious gags that punch hard, delivered with an air of unpredictable foreboding.

He’s also been likened to Frankie Boyle, though his nihilism makes the Glaswegian appear to sparkle with joie de vivre. Haden’s jokes are less artful, more brutish and blunt, if you can envisage such a thing.

You laugh because he makes things sound so grim, that’s the only sane response, rather than in admiration of an elegantly crafted punchline. This said, he does come out with the occasional classy gag, which he claims shows he can write them, but it seems he would rather not offer us that easy release from the harsh truth.

We start relatively soft with a few icebreakers about the election campaign – Ed Davey’s publicity stunts and Rishi Sunak doing a prescient press conference in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter – but this, aptly enough, is the tip of the iceberg.

Though driven by a fiery passion, Haden’s material is also well-researched. Tackling the far-right’s ‘great replacement’ conspiracy theory, he delves deep into birth rates and the economic consequence of an ageing population. Jokes come at the expense of older audience members, but the comedy plays second fiddle to the political impetus.

That’s especially true in a substantial joke-light section towards the end, calling for more wealth taxes over income taxes, which plays like a paper from the Institute for Public Policy Research think-tank but with more C-bombs.

Haden will wade into the Israeli-Palestine conflict, after making great strides to separate attacking the Netanyahu government from criticism of Jewish people – even he doesn’t really want to be cancelled if he can help it. Then he turns his eye toward food banks, terrorism and female genital mutilation with no care for your sensibilities.

A bit about plastic contamination gets a bit garbled in the telling, but other than this, his directness and power of his unbridled cynicism proves an irresistible force. It’s ugly comedy for an ugly world. Click Here For Review

August 21, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of Sex and Drugs and Getting Old 2

Andy Zapp knows more than most about each of these things and is very generous in the sharing of his knowledge. He is, it would seem, getting increasingly potty-mouthed as he gets older. He has also developed an in-depth, close up and personal knowledges of hormone replacement creams and patches. There are immediate challenges for Andy – a goodly proportion of his audience have not heard of Ian Dury and most of them are strangers to Oscar Wilde. Strange combination in an opening routine, you might think, but that is the kind of show this is.

We get peeing in the sink and colonisation, drugs on the NHS and chubbies in priority seats and every so often he apologises for not having started the show yet. To say the show is sexually graphic in its language is like saying heroin is relaxing. It is quite something watching him perched on his high chair chucking little shock grenades at us. It is fun, watching an older bloke taking his naughty parts for a gallop. You will never see a picture of an aardvark again without thinking of Andy Zapp. Or, indeed, order a KFC. Kate Copstick Click Here For Review

August 21, 2024    One4Review

Review of 60 Minutes About Scotland

4.5 stars

Scottish comedy awards winner Vladimir McTavish hosts a one-hour spectacular with comedian friends that change daily. This good old, right in your face stand-up comedy does not beat about the bush!

The first young male comedian (Joe) was vibrant and lively and got the audience right in the mood. Have you ever gone to the doctor with an addiction to your phone? Have you ever challenged the strength of your password, literally? With talking farts and missing kitchen utensils, it was fifteen minutes of non-stop hilarity.

The second older female comedian (Yvonne), continued the show and discussed a very unusual dilemma, which recycling bin do you put your old and used dildo in when throwing it out?

With one more slot left, Vladimir McTavish the Billy Idol lookalike, takes to the stage with an accent self-described as drunk and similar to Glaswegian. When his wife asks him to move to Edinburgh, everything is not as it seems. He has a pop at the tourist industry in Edinburgh before informing the audience he used to go to City University Newcastle upon Tyne, but when abbreviated T-shirts are made up of the university name, it has hilarious consequences! A popular dig at the prime minister merry go round also goes down well with the audience. McTavish delivers an outstanding performance leaving the audience in stiches.

This stand-up comedy show is raw and just what you need to have a right good laugh, with hilarious jokes and topical subjects ripped to shreds, it’s a show not to be missed! Click Here For Review

August 21, 2024    One4Review

Review of Nathan Cassidy: International Man of Mestory

Nathan Cassidy is funny. Very funny. That is not in doubt. To call him a veteran of the comedy circuit would be doing him a massive disservice, primarily because longevity doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve been good all the time.
Tonight, he is on fire.

Life circumstances mean he’s living back at his mum’s house and he’s at his lowest ebb, listening to Phil Collins songs, and questioning his life choices. However out of desperation comes inspiration that with the lows great art can be created (just like Phil). Plus in his new abode his 1960’s loving mother brings up small tit bits about her life that doesn’t add up. What did she get up to in the swinging sixties and what secrets are potentially going to come to the surface?

In this framework Nathan expertly takes us on this journey. This is not a pity party, jokes come left right and centre all in the audience can relate to.
“Took my daughter to Taylor Swift. I had restricted view in a car park”.

Where he’s strongest is interaction with the audience and his timing is spot on as we are working up to the question about what secret is his mother hiding.

Go watch a master of the genre weave his tales and Against All Odds his love for Phil Collins. Click Here For Review

August 21, 2024    Three Weeks

Review of Comedy for the Curious: Family Friendly Edition

Robyn Perkins is on a mission to preach science and convert the incurious through the medium of comedy. She cleverly draws us in with the science of cats and dogs, having been prompted by her and her wife’s indecision: she took too long to do the research and ended up with the wrong choice (cat) but, in showing her working, she gets the young audience thoroughly engaged. There are good gags and plenty of audience interaction and the pace keeps up while the themes widen. Some variation, too, towards the end, as a daily guest contributor comes on for a bit – an expert on pigs in our case. Educational, informative and entertaining: public service comedy at its finest. Click Here For Review

August 21, 2024    One4Review

Review of Nathan Cassidy: International Man of Mestory

Nathan Cassidy : International Man Of Mestory 4**** - One4Review

Nathan Cassidy is funny. Very funny. That is not in doubt. To call him a veteran of the comedy circuit would be doing him a massive disservice, primarily because longevity doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve been good all the time.
Tonight, he is on fire.

Life circumstances mean he’s living back at his mum’s house and he’s at his lowest ebb, listening to Phil Collins songs, and questioning his life choices. However out of desperation comes inspiration that with the lows great art can be created (just like Phil). Plus in his new abode his 1960’s loving mother brings up small tit bits about her life that doesn’t add up. What did she get up to in the swinging sixties and what secrets are potentially going to come to the surface?

In this framework Nathan expertly takes us on this journey. This is not a pity party, jokes come left right and centre all in the audience can relate to.
“Took my daughter to Taylor Swift. I had restricted view in a car park”.

Where he’s strongest is interaction with the audience and his timing is spot on as we are working up to the question about what secret is his mother hiding.

Go watch a master of the genre weave his tales and Against All Odds his love for Phil Collins.

**** Click Here For Review

August 20, 2024    Broadway Baby

Review of Decomposing, Live

Decomposing, Live

Alec Snook is incredibly hyper aware. He shares that he is ‘decomposing’ because he has tinnitus, colour-blindness and is “like genetically-modified grapes: completely seedless.” Off top, he lets us know that “this is a show about loss in its different forms, largely because I keep losing pockets of the audience throughout the hour.” He is so hyper aware, he goes as far as having a ‘lull bell’ that he rings when a joke doesn’t land as well and encourages us to also get up and ring the bell if we feel necessary (though he does warn he will lash out if anyone approaches). This from a man who starts his show with an interpretative dance and bursts into song by way of seemless transitions.

Alec has made two ‘Funniest Jokes of the Fringe’ lists, which is a testament to some of the hidden gems that the Free Fringe helps unearth

Simply put, Alec’s show isn’t a typical ‘dead parent’ show; he actually describes his mum’s funeral as the second-best one he’s ever been to, so it’s not him excavating that for an hour. Instead, we get his whimsical takes on the truer aspects of his life coupled with absurdist left turns, made even funnier in his droll, Bristolian lilt.

Each line seems to have been painstakingly crafted, but unfortunately some quips (like “that one word would be ‘partially colour blind’”) don’t get the laughs they deserve from a midday crowd, who for some Decomposing, Live is their first show of the day.

Alec says he is socially awkward which comes across with some of his attempts at crowdwork, which also breaks us out of the stable loose cannon persona we are expected to buy into in order for the more offbeat jokes to work. A minor quibble for what is overall a great debut solo show.

At the time of writing, Alec has made two ‘Funniest Jokes of the Fringe’ lists, which is a testament to some of the hidden gems that the Free Fringe helps unearth. Alec may claim to be decomposing (live) but he takes us on a joyous ride while doing so. Click Here For Review

August 20, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of The Devil Went Down To Gorgie

Edinburgh Fringe theatre reviews: Táin | Nobody Meets Nobody | It’s The Economy, Stupid! + more

 Click Here For Review

August 19, 2024    The Wee Review

Review of 2 Slut Drops and a Chicken Burger

It’s only just gone half seven, but the crowd in The Counting House attic is already pretty rowdy. In less experienced hands, the well-meaning but boisterous group on the front row could spell disaster, but it’s perfect fodder for Kirsty Munro. She takes immediate control, and soon has the worst offenders up on stage dancing, and eating out of her metaphorical hands. It’s a great opening, and sets the tone for the next 50 minutes. Munro’s confidence and joyous exuberance is infectious, and her first few minutes of establishing crowd work actually provides some of the best moments of the show.

The show is loose – sometimes distractingly so – but the theme and atmosphere of ‘2 Slut Drops and a Chicken Burger’ is never in doubt. You’ll certainly never see a final bucket speech quite like this one.

The “B plot” for Munro’s show – a discussion of mental health – provides some of the strongest comedic material, as well as an opportunity for more long-form storytelling, but it ultimately peters out without a real conclusion. Munro deals with all of it with a deft and light-hearted touch. She treads a fine line of allowing the frequent friendly heckles and general audience contributions that come her way, without outright encouraging them. The show is a body-positive and sex-positive celebration of the word ‘slut’ – a word that Munro is happy to reclaim as an affirmation. Ultimately, the show shies away from any more overtly political or feminist exploration, but it doesn’t really need it. It’s a simple but raucous hour of fun and partying that leave us all feeling ready for the weekend, even if not all of us are capable of the titular dance move just yet. Click Here For Review

August 19, 2024    Corr Blimey

Review of The Totally Improvised Musical

‘Confessions of a Hotel Cleaner: The Musical‘ is weirdly not the most niche musical title at this year’s Fringe. The Totally Improvised Musical team puts on a brand new show every evening, creating an hour-long musical spectacle from an audience suggestion (come prepared with a suitable title; the chosen one gets a pin).

Title acquired (although I would also have liked to see second-place suggestion ‘The Disappointing Bang‘), our players work through everyone’s first thought when considering hotel cleanliness with the vampy opening number ‘Don’t Turn on the Blacklight‘. Other highlights from this mayfly production included ‘I’m a Sexy Man/Oh My God (He’s Ripped)‘ and ‘The Bed of Love‘, as well as ‘The Bed of Love (Reprise)‘ and ‘The Bed of Love (Finale Megamix)‘. Given the nature of the beast, these bangers are now consigned to history. But if you like absurd silliness and musicals, the revolving cast of players is sure to bring the same joy every night. The stars of tonight’s production were Brainne Edge, Sean Mason and Chris Tajner, accompanied by musical director Felix Janeway (a deserved shout-out also went to doorman Joe, playing the vital role of keeping the door closed against the Saturday night crowd at Three Sisters). Janeway on Keys is the show’s offstage guide, listening intently for expositional notes upon which he encourages the performers to elaborate as he starts up a tune. Janeway is responsive and generous with this quick-thinking, moulding and complimenting of the performers’ whims.

Edge, Mason and Tajner are a triumphant trio, each getting big laughs and pushing the narrative forward. Edge strikes the perfect balance between off-the-cuff hilarity and actually-quite-well-constucted-given-the-genre songs, leading excellent solo numbers and vocally elevating songs from the side of the stage.

If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing your niche interest or fantasy turned into a musical, take your title to the Totally Team. Will all of the lyrics rhyme? Not likely. Will all of the narrative threads be tied up? Don’t hold your breath. Will anyone take Confessions of a Hotel Cleaner: The Musical to the West End? Unfortunately not. Will you have a whale of a time? Undoubtedly, yes. Click Here For Review

August 19, 2024   UK TV

Article about Decomposing, Live

U&Dave's Joke of the Fringe 2024

U&DAVE’S JOKE OF THE FRINGE 2024

10 FUNNIEST GAGS OF THE 2024 EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL REVEALED

Comedian Mark Simmons wins ‘U&Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe’ Award with: 'I was going to sail around the globe in the world’s smallest ship but I bottled it’.

When asked to select a top three, U&Dave’s Top 10 Funniest Jokes of the Fringe Festival 2024 revealed:

- I was going to sail around the globe in the world’s smallest ship but I bottled it. - Mark Simmons

- I've been taking salsa lessons for months, but I just don't feel like I'm progressing. It's just one step forward... two steps back. - Alec Snook

- Ate horse at a restaurant once - wasn’t great. Starter was all right but the mane was dreadful. - Alex Kitson

- I sailed through my driving test. That’s why I failed it. - Arthur Smith

- I love the Olympics. My friend and I invented a new type of relay baton: well, he came up with the idea, I ran with it.- Mark Simmons

- My dad used to say to me “Pints, gallons, litres” – which, I think, speaks volumes - Olaf Falafel

- British etiquette is confusing. Why is it highbrow to look at boobs in an art gallery but lowbrow when I get them out in Spoons? - Chelsea Birkby

- I wanted to know which came first the chicken or the egg so I bought a chicken and then I bought an egg and I think I've cracked it. - Masai Graham

- My partner told me that she’d never seen the film Gaslight. I told her that she definitely had - Zoë Coombs Marr Click Here For Article

August 19, 2024    One4Review

Review of John Robertson: The Human Hurricane

I’ve been to a number of John Robertson’s shows over the years, and I’ve always really enjoyed them, though mindful in reviews that even amongst the ‘offbeat’, ‘quirky’ and ‘alternative’ shows, John’s were never going to be mainstream, or for everyone. But he’s built a following, and it’s been fun being part of an ever increasing audience of aficionados.

Despite the fact that the shows were good, it always felt a little bit like a sculpture in progress: there was a well-formed bit of an arm or a foot revealed by every show, but the dazzling brilliance of the final form was never quite clear, still obscured in the stone. Which brings us to this show, in which a (very) loud platinum-blonde man yells insults at individual members of the audience and appropriates them for improv, interspersed with ukulele songs, climbing the walls, poetry, and other nonsense. It’s exactly what we’re here for.

John, like most performers, really wants to be liked, but he also has genuine affection and respect for his audience. It just so happens that his affection is expressed in very specific and tailored insults and so it is a delightful and joyful confluence that the audience are (mostly) here to be insulted.

The show is built from crowd work, taking a mere technique and elevating it to an art. The insults never cross the line into offense, and often the interactions develop into longer and recurring bits of greater hilarity than some scripted shows. John revels in connecting with the audience – he spends as much time off of the stage as on it – and even the on-stage parts have refrains for us to sing along to and be part of the show. The show ended with a poem (which I hope he publishes somewhere) and a standing ovation which he looked genuinely touched and surprised about: an audience reflecting back his affection and respect, and celebrating a brilliant, finally revealed, work of art. Click Here For Review

August 19, 2024    Entertainment Now

Review of Yes-Ya-Yebo!

Watching this show is an extraordinary experience. Joy rolls off the tiny stage in great waves and every dopamine receptor in your system dances to the beat.

Yes-Ya-Yebo is an hour that goes straight to your heart.

Performed by a group of young South Africans, who have been part of the ongoing work of of the Imibala Trust, who work with children from the most impoverished townships there. One of their programmes is Creative and Performing Arts and this cast have come through that.

Siphosethu, Avuyile (known as AV), Salizwa, Simnikiwe (known as Goodwill), Timeka, Ahlume and Dondre sing and dance and drum their way through this hour and it is a body and soul thrill. There is minimal cohesion as such: the barest hint of narrative thread and a slight problem with audibility in the few links that there are mean that we are allowed simply to enjoy the energy, the rhythm and the happiness. We are introduced to the twelve languages of South Africa through everything from traditional dance to more modern.

The sheer positive energy emanating from these young men and women feels as if it could save the planet. The work of the Imibala Trust, it seems, has certainly saved them.

I am impressed to learn that The Pear Tree pub are paying for their accommodation and their flights are taken care of by Mervyn Stutter’s fundraising Gala.

You really should make space in your day for this show.

Spike Milligan wrote “Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu. When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.” Go and get yourself a dose. Click Here For Review

August 19, 2024    Chortle

Review of John Robertson: The Human Hurricane

3.5 stars

With his booming, bombastic delivery and aggressive friendliness, John Robertson conveys a real force-of-nature energy, so it makes sense that he's now styling himself as The Human Hurricane.

He rips around his sizeable room for extended bouts of audience interaction. It's a big space and he suffers from occasionally being miles away from your vantage point, so you can't always see the object of his loud but affectionate derision.

That's no great matter, though, as the Australian's sheer volume precludes the need for a microphone, and he's in perpetual motion, simply moving onto another target if the conversation or his inspiration threatens to dry up. There's an intimidating aspect to it, sure, and all but the bravest dip their eyes when he ventures into their vicinity.

Yet if he characterises his crowd as losers and perverts, freaks and deviants, well it's a group the black-clad comic is delighted to lead, strutting about and looming above them like David Bowie's Goblin King in Labyrinth.

Evidence of sub-cultures on T-shirts and physical similarities to fictional characters delight him. And he establishes running, criss-crossing relationships and narratives that he keeps returning to even as he shifts from improvisation into his prep-prepared poems and punk tunes on the ukulele. ... Click Here For Review

August 19, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of Dima Watermelon: Ukrainian Dream

Not a clown, despite his name, Dima Watermelon is a Ukrainian stand-up who's established himself on Berlin's burgeoning live comedy scene. Indeed, before the war with Russia, he could claim the hip German capital as an aspect of his personality. And he now feigns annoyance with Vladimir Putin for giving him the burden of representing an oppressed people.

Contrasting the pithy way he characterises himself for Western audiences in a manner they'll appreciate, his stand-up is characteristically world-weary and cloaked in cynicism, openly expounding on the corruption and limited horizons of his homeland, while enjoying the fall of Western European living standards that are gradually equalising the continent. Joined by his mother in Germany, he immediately turns anti-refugee. Yet born in Chernobyl, he ultimately can't escape the generational trauma of his nation and doesn't try to. His barbed, baiting geopolitical satire isn't always the easiest to listen to as it occasionally tips into rant. Yet it's rendered with impressive feeling and he closes with a powerfully articulated desire for the deliverance of his people. Click Here For Review

August 18, 2024   The Scotsman

Article about 20 Years of the Free Fringe Festival – Charity Gala Show

The true spirit of the Fringe straight from the horse’s mouth - Vladimir McTavish

Laughing Horse Comedy, the people behind the Free Festival are celebrating their 20th year on the Fringe this August.

Since 2004 the company, under director Alex Petty, have totally changed the landscape of the Fringe, offering a much cheaper alternative to the ticket prices charged by major venues like Underbelly, Pleasance and Assembly Rooms. In those far-off days, entry was free and the performers would take a cash collection at the end of the show, rattling a bucket as the audience filed out of the room.

Of course, not all the shows were brilliant, in fact some were undoubtedly awful. However, the same could be said of a lot of the entertainment on offer at the big venues. The difference was that if you went to a terrible show at Assembly Rooms, you’d already shelled out top dollar for your ticket, so were left with the choice of walking out mid-performance or resigning yourself to an hour of boredom.

With the Free Festival, you could leave whenever you liked if it wasn’t your cup of tea, and you didn’t have to pay a penny. Obviously, if you had a good time you would stay until the end and leave a generous donation in the bucket. And those donations could be very generous indeed. A lot of comedians did much better financially than their peers at the paid venues and the punters were getting value for money into the bargain. Over the years, more and more big names were attracted to do shows on the Free Festival.

In the mid-pandemic Fringe of 2021, very few people were carrying cash and numbers had to be strictly controlled so most shows went over to the “pay what you can” model where the public could reserve a seat in advance and choose their price. The buckets may be less common but the value-for-money ethos still remains.

Last week, Alex organised a number of events to mark the anniversary, starting last Sunday when they did two shows in a horsebox in the courtyard of Drop Kick Murphy’s. The Laughing Horse Box ran shows on both Sunday and Monday, with enough room for an audience of six and one comedian inside the box at any given time. Now that’s the true spirit of the Fringe. Click Here For Article

August 17, 2024    One4Review

Review of Seymour Mace – Looking Stupid, Dressing Up and Saying C*nt a Lot: 35 Years of Being a Fool

Seymour Mace’s show Looking Stupid, Dressing Up and Saying C*nt a Lot: 35 Years of Being a Fool* is a chaotic, unfiltered journey through the mind of a self-proclaimed “professional f*cking lunatic.” With 35 years of experience in the comedy world, Mace invites the audience to join him in a raw, unscripted performance where each day is dictated by whatever he pulls out of his metaphorical “Questionable Bag of Sh*te”!

The show is a mix of hilarious anecdotes, melancholic reflections, and sharp misanthropy, all delivered with Mace’s signature irreverence. His background, from growing up in South Tyneside to his early days in drama clubs, has clearly shaped his unique comedic style. Mace doesn’t shy away from darker topics, including his experience of almost being groomed, but he manages to find absurdity in the pain, creating a show that’s both poignant and painfully funny.

His drole delivery and rambling North East accent only add to the sheer uncomfortableness at times, and the show swings from deep & dark to flippant & light-hearted several times.

A well-travelled comedian and an Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, Mace’s act is as unpredictable as it is engaging. It’s a trawl through his life, digging out elusive nuggets of comedy gold. If you’re looking for something different, deeply personal, and occasionally uncomfortable, this show is an unmissable experience from the most Seymour Mace of all comedians. Click Here For Review

August 17, 2024    One4Review

Review of Sian Davies: Band Of Gold

Sian Davies’ Band of Gold is a brilliant new show from the award-winning, working-class queer comedian. This heartfelt and hilarious performance dives into the complexities of love, weddings, and the unexpected turns life takes, particularly when it comes to gay divorce. Davies, with her superb comedy timing, effortlessly blends humour with poignant observations about the pressures of traditional family expectations and the realities of queer relationships.

Her witty storytelling is both relatable and deeply personal, exploring how families react when the wedding bells ring and what happens when the “happily ever after” doesn’t go as planned. Davies doesn’t shy away from the messier aspects of love, making her reflections on divorce both refreshing and authentic. Her unique perspective, underscored by her working-class roots, adds depth to her humour, making the show resonate with a broad audience.

Visually, Davies is as captivating as her comedy, with her tattoos adding an edge to her stage presence, symbolizing the stories and struggles she carries with her. Band of Gold showcases Sian Davies at her best—sharp, insightful, and unapologetically herself. It’s a show that will leave you laughing, thinking, and maybe even rethinking love. Click Here For Review

August 17, 2024    EdFringe Review

Review of Olaf Falafel Asks: Has Anyone Ever Actually Woven A Sigourney?

In answer to Olaf Falafel’s question yes, at least one person has actually woven a Sigourney – and that is, of course, absurdist comic, Olaf Falafel.

Absurd is probably the best way to describe his performance. The lightest of light entertainment, Falafel’s show is full of silliness. He judges his audience to be so silly that they’ll enjoy a skit from one of his recent kid’s TV shows – and he’s spot on, they find it hilarious.

Indeed, one of Falafel’s greatest strengths is his excellent knowledge of his own audience, leading to a confident and well-received performance. He has brilliant stage presence, aided by an excellent voice that’s somehow both loud and commanding yet easy-listening at the same time – this man was made to entertain.

Perhaps the most unique element of the show is his constant integration of audience participation. He has the audience constantly on their toes playing games, singing songs - even playing characters in his skits. You’re not just watching the show, you’re part of it and all the memories that come with that (including winning some physical prizes). Falafel even greets the audience before they enter, warming them up and getting to know people, a smart way to set up later crowd work. It’s a brilliant way to engage a room and works nicely in this fairly intimate Fringe venue.

The other impressive aspect of Falafel’s show is the variety that he brings to the performance. As an author and illustrator with his own kid’s TV show, Falafel has a lot of skills to bring the table and this hour really showcases this. Beyond making jokes – which are frequently puns – he integrates visual jokes involving his own art, amusing songs he’s created, video he’s made of his previous antics, even a little mime. He cleverly integrates a slideshow into his performance to showcase some of these aspects, complementing his stage work almost similar to how you might use VTs to illustrate certain points in a magazine TV show…. Click Here For Review

August 17, 2024   Entertainment Now

Article about Mattia Sedda: Choin

Edfringe Comedy: Mattia Sedda: Pure, Selfless Idiocy

Mattia Sedda is a Sardinian clown whose absurdist show ‘Choin’ is about a Sardinian trying to break through as an actor in the UK. Whimsical and ridiculous, he is playing as part of the Free Festival. You can find him at The Raging Bull.

Tell us about your show. Why should we go and see it?

My show is the story of a Sardinian immigrant who dreams of becoming a professional actor in the United Kingdom. After years of training and auditioning without booking any significant roles, he decides to create “CHOIN: A Professional Showcase.” However, as the showcase unfolds the audience starts to understand why our protagonist doesn’t get many call backs…

Inspired by reality, “CHOIN” is a joyful celebraon of passion, failure, idiocy and aspiration. A whimsical clown show blending absurd humor and ridiculousness with a yearning for meaning and nostalgia for home – you should come if you want surprises, belly laughs and an a performer who will try anything to make you laugh.

(As a Sardinian I am allergic to self-promotion so I made a friend answer this for me.)

What makes you laugh?

I think what makes me laugh it’s pure, selfless idiocy. For me, comedy is the celebration and sharing of our failures. I grew up in Sardinia, Italy and our comedy speaks directly to our inner misery, our little “tragedies”. There’s no space for wittiness, and when a character is smug, usually they will be punished by the writers by the end of the movie or the play.

What three words best describe your performance style – and why?

All in, always.

Do you have nerves about going on stage and how do you cope with them.

Yes, I do. I try to convert the energy from the nerves into performance energy; and within that, I consider myself very lucky because the more I suffer, whether I’m angry, upset or frustrated, the more people laugh.

What’s your idea of a perfect Fringe feast and where will you eat it?

Whatever is not a kebab. Please no more kebabs.

How will your audience think/feel differently after an hour in your company?

Usually the audience feels smarter and more confident after my show. Mainly because after they met me they genuinely think I am an idiot.

When did you first realise you were born to be on stage?

I never thought I was born to be on stage, I just know I love it and I keep doing it. That’s why I was called “The Sardinian Forrest Gump”. I just keep going. Although I know it’s stupid.

Why do you think Edinburgh Fringe is so important to performers and artists around the world?

It’s the biggest fringe of the world, there are some of the best performers from all over the world. It’s like Toy Land from Pinocchio. With all the temptations included.

How do you plan to relax and enjoy the city when you’re not performing.

“Plan” is a big word for me. Just the word stresses me out. I do what I enjoy at the moment.

Who is your showbiz idol and why.

Massimo Troisi and Peter Sellers are the first names that come to mind. They were human, simple yet extremely funny. Never a sign of arrogance, and what makes us laugh about them is how honest and vulnerable they are.

What is your idea of a perfect Fringe moment?

A whole room of people from different backgrounds laughing together at the same time. That’s it. Click Here For Article

August 16, 2024    The Real Chrisparkle

Review of Sam See: And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

Edinburgh Fringe 2024 Reviews

Sam See’s new show, And I Can’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, is an account of how he decided to uproot from Singapore where he had lived for 30 years and start a new life in the UK. He explores the reasons why he felt he needed to leave, why he chose the UK over anywhere else, and what his hopes are for his new life in Britain. His is a fascinating story, both hilarious and sad; and his hugely likeable stage presence has us all rooting for him from the very beginning. A sparky, effervescent and dapper chap, Sam sets a tone of affable inclusivity, very much at odds with the homophobic experiences he had as a stand-up comic in Singapore. Only time will tell if he’s made the right move, but this most entertaining hour of comedy is a delightful mix of funny stories and personal confession. Click Here For Review

August 16, 2024    On the Mic

Review of 6 Steps To Success From The 'Award Winning' Dave Chawner

In the age of AI, is it possible to review a show without actually seeing it?

Dave Chawner agreed to send me a recording of his show, 6 Steps To Success From The “Award Winning” Dave Chawner along with the Press Release. I then fed both to ChatGPT, with instructions to create a three hundred word review.

Below is the AI review of the show performed on 2nd August. It is published in full and unedited. I withheld publishing until I’d seen the show in person. It’s a good, if oddly written review, which I broadly endorse. Humans will really enjoy the show. The star rating is mine.

We urgently need to have a conversation about the impact of AI on reviewing, and its wider implications for comedy and the arts.

Martin Walker

Dave Chawner’s latest show, “6 Steps To Success,” is a refreshing dive into the world of self-improvement with a comedic twist. Presented at The Counting House during the Edinburgh Fringe 2024, this free, unticketed show draws on Chawner’s own life experiences, blending humour with poignant reflections on mental health and the concept of success.

Chawner, an award-winning comedian, mental health campaigner, and author, takes the audience on a journey through his crisis of confidence sparked by receiving an ironically titled award. This experience serves as the backdrop for his exploration of what success truly means in a world obsessed with positivity and self-improvement. The show is cleverly structured around six steps that promise to deliver success, happiness, and fulfilment, all while questioning the unrealistic expectations set by society.

The performance is packed with Chawner’s signature “darkly funny” humour, which Broadway World praises for its ability to tackle weighty topics with a light touch. His insights into toxic positivity and imposter syndrome resonate deeply, offering a cathartic release for anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by societal pressures. Chawner’s comedic style shines through as he navigates topics like wellness trends, the absurdity of self-help mantras, and his personal anecdotes with a sharp wit and genuine relatability.

A standout segment involves Chawner’s reflections on his work as a suicide prevention trainer and Lived Experience Researcher. This adds a layer of authenticity and depth to his comedy, making the audience feel both entertained and enlightened. His ability to intertwine personal struggles with broader societal issues, all while maintaining a humorous narrative, is truly commendable.

“6 Steps To Success” is more than just a comedy show; it’s an insightful commentary on the pressures of modern life, delivered by a performer who has mastered the art of using humour to heal and connect. Dave Chawner’s blend of comedy and mental health advocacy makes this show a must-see at the Fringe, promising an evening of laughter, reflection, and perhaps even a few steps towards true success. Click Here For Review

August 16, 2024    British Theatre Guide

Review of Love is Revolting!

Mowten wants to start a religion, a religion based on love. Although love is found in some way in all faiths, his will be without legislation, as he notes that it's the rules around observance and how to practice that drive division—the antithesis of love.

Mowten wants us to love unconditionally, without motive or agenda. The kind of love that is not an action, rather it is the foundation of all connection between people.

Part stand-up manifesto, part discussion group, he makes an excellent claim for the convenient inversion of God is Love to Love is God. However, Mowten is not some hippie idealist (though his musical references might suggest otherwise), nor is he convincingly starting a cult (though the existence of this and his previous work might suggest otherwise).

Instead Mowten quite rationally sets out the argument that genuine love has been suppressed and subjugated to the point that to advocate for it would appear to be revolutionary, even though it's the one thing we all want and need in life.

Insightful and genuinely funny, Mowten’s ambitious project needs to reach significantly more people than the Games Room in the back of the Brass Monkey if he is to be successful in his mission. I’d heartily recommend going along and signing up (in an entirely non-legally binding way) to Lovinnity. I'm certainly game! Click Here For Review

August 16, 2024    North West End

Review of 1 Cent Comedy presents: Black Widows

Black Widows is a comedy show that is not afraid to explore the darker areas of comedy, the stuff that not all comedians would dare to joke about. With a line-up of female only comedians without a filter in a very small room, straight men must enter at their own peril.

Leading the show is our host Moni Zhang who is joined by an ever-changing line up of female comedians. Moni herself is the perfect comedic host: to the point, charming and with a good no nonsense attitude. Her jokes are fast, direct and she’s very good at singling out her prey without making them too uncomfortable. Her support for her fellow artists shines through which really helps the space to feel less like a group of strangers stuffed into a karaoke room and more like a group of friends sharing a laugh together.

As for our guest acts, well its guaranteed in comedy shows that some jokes will land, some will fit their audience, and some comedians just won’t be for you. Our line-up of the night included 4 comedians each having their own short set.

Our first guest being Gabrielle MacPherson, who’s dry comedy hits just the right spot. What she lacks in enthusiasm she certainly makes up for in comedic timing and wit. She is definitely one to look out for at the fringe this year.

Our follow up performer Sofia May unfortunately wasn’t for myself, but her style is much more “oops can I say that?”. Judging by the rest of the audience’s reactions some of the comedy hit well but a good chunk seemed to leave us awkwardly laughing from time to time out of politeness. This being said she is very charismatic and has some good material brewing.

Our third guest has asked to remain anonymous so I shall not go into too much detail other than to say that she was brilliant.

Finally, we had Mia Minkova, a favourite of the line up for myself. Her comedy is seamless and seems very natural to her. Her set felt polished and well ordered whilst her personality is one that you would immediately want to be friends with.

This all being said the guest roles will change from night to night so it is no real guarantee as to who you would see other than Moni herself. Either way it’s an hour of good fun and not for the easily offended. Click Here For Review

August 16, 2024    The List

Review of Decomposing, Live

Alec Snook: Decomposing, Live comedy review – Revelling in strangeness

In a world of trauma dumps and overshares, there’s something comforting about Alec Snook’s approach to mining his misery for comedy. There are no critical moments of revelation in his ragtag hour about death, nor is there a sudden moment when jokes dissipate to reveal a searing inner truth about his night terrors or disastrous marriage. Instead, he’s happy to play the oddball with off-the-wall gags, sudden bursts of song and lascivious silliness about his time in a petting zoo.

Grounding 'Decomposing, Live' is the passing of Snook’s mother and his sudden urge to be funny while delivering her eulogy. Yet much of his material is unapologetically leftfield, seemingly satisfied with some of his punchlines unsettling audiences more than making them laugh (although plenty unambiguously hit the mark). Amidst his low-key strangeness, there are plenty of strong gags and a few anecdotes that are crying out for a sturdier anchor.

Alec Snook: Decomposing, Live, Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters, until 25 August, noon; main picture: Oli Bussell.
 Click Here For Review

August 16, 2024   The Guardian

Article about Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far

Interview: ‘This isn’t going to be sensible!’ Olaf Falafel, Edinburgh fringe’s king of one-liners

Children’s author, YouTuber, ‘sausage bird’ designer … the comic who was born Derek Chickpeas (maybe) talks about cooking up his hilariously daft alter ego – and we pick some of his funniest gags.

They say that, for comedians, the Edinburgh fringe is a ruthless trade fair, where sharp-elbowed acts bankrupt themselves in pursuit of the right demographics and a slot on Live at the Apollo. Well, there is that. But there are also comedians such as Olaf Falafel, a one-man art/books/comedy cottage industry, ploughing his eccentric furrow on the Free Fringe, to an audience of kids, adults and everyone in between. Some comedians would kill their granny for an Edinburgh comedy award. Falafel would make yours laugh for a tilt at that prestige-free gong, the much-derided Dave’s Joke of the Fringe.

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Falafel’s particular brand of nonsense begins, but does not end, with all those daft one-liners. (Today’s example: “I started off with a fetish for head-to-toe Lycra. Then I bought myself a bobsleigh. Where does it go next? It’s a slippery slope.”) But he’s about antics (“titting around,” he calls it) more than wordplay. Much of our interview is spent elucidating a new stunt he’s working on involving an umbrella and some eggs. Elsewhere, conversation pauses for a video on his phone of the “sausage bird” he designed, built, then had valued (for the audience’s pleasure) as fine art.

Younger readers may recognise the sausage bird from Art Club, the inspired YouTube series (Falafel calls it “Horrible Histories but for art”) that got many of us, and our kids, through lockdown. “It got me through lockdown,” says the man himself. “It gave me a structure and something to do when comedy had gone, school visits had gone, my football coaching had gone.”

A devoted Luton Town fan, he has just decorated a giant ornamental hare in the club’s most iconic kits for an art trail through the town. As for the school visits, well, Falafel is a children’s author with a string of books to his name, including two adventures for Trixie Pickle: Art Avenger. It was via his literary activities that the hirsute comic first twigged he might perform standup for juniors, too.

“Publishers get you to visit schools, and literary festivals,” says the dad of two. “I’d no idea what authors do at festivals, so I just did a standup-ish set with bits about my books. And I had to make it kid-friendly. That’s when the penny dropped that actually I could do a kids show in Edinburgh.” This year as ever, he’s performing both a kids show (Olaf’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far) and one for grownups (Has Anyone Actually Ever Woven a Sigourney?), differentiated by little more than the occasional swearword. (For clarity: in the latter.) Both are on the Free Fringe, which Falafel prefers, “not out of principle, but because it fits the DIY aesthetic.”


It’s quite the niche he’s carved out, and he couldn’t be cosier in it. With no obligations to the comedy club circuit, he keeps his hand in performing not in theatres, but in schools. “I get lots of emails from teachers and parents,” he reports, “saying that their child doesn’t like reading or isn’t academic. But because I’d visited they were buzzing.” Art educator, YouTuber, comedian and author: “I do like to have lots of little things happening here, there and everywhere,” he beams, coffee drained. “I never want to give up any of them. I enjoy it all, and I hope that comes across.” Click Here For Article

August 15, 2024    Broadway Baby

Review of 2 Slut Drops and a Chicken Burger

Kirsty Munro has created an engaging show with her delightfully naughty stories in Two Slut Drops and a Chicken Burger, making the whole room cringe in the sweetest way possible. From tales ranging from bikini waxing mishaps to hilarious accounts of navigating life with depression. Her high energy and infectious giggles created an atmosphere where everyone let loose and enjoyed the wild ride, she took us on.

The show also had interactive elements, as Munro invited the audience to guess which mental health disorder she is medicated for. This light-hearted yet bold approach set the tone for the rest of the evening. She then regaled us with the hilarious tale of how her trip to a mental hospital turned into an unexpected adventure in Ibiza. Dropping pills and having uncomfortable bathroom encounters with women she had just met—who may have been her nurse—Munro’s candid storytelling had everyone in stitches.

Not one to shy away from personal topics, Munro also opened up about her relationship with her fiancé, particularly their sex life. With a mix of humour and honesty, she recounted their attempts to spice things up with bondage, which somehow ended in a role-play session where she imitated a crab, pinching her fiancé’s bottom while crawling side to side. This bizarre yet hilarious anecdote is a perfect example of Munro’s ability, to make even the most outlandish scenarios feel relatable.

Her quick wit and real-life experiences give her stories a sense of authenticity that resonates, especially with the women in the audience. While the delivery of these stories is anything but conventional—she is bubbly, bold, and utterly unfiltered—Munro’s charm lies in her unapologetic embrace of her quirks. She doesn’t just tell jokes; she shares parts of herself with the audience, making it impossible not to fall in love with her at the end of the night.

By the time the show wrapped up, everyone in the room felt like they were in on a private joke as if their slightly bonkers friend had just gotten up to share a string of crazy stories at the pub. And what can I say about the finale? In a surprising twist, Munro re-enacted a strip tease she once performed for her partner, complete with Britney Spears playing in the background. I didn’t expect a Free Fringe show to end with pink sparkly nipple covers, but I can’t say I was mad about it!

One of the standout aspects of Munro’s performance is her ability to engage with the audience. The participation is just right—not too overwhelming, but enough to make everyone feel involved. Munro has mastered the art of oversharing in the best way possible, making her cringe-worthy yet lovable.

By the end, you’d be more than willing to throw it back and share a chicken burger with her on her next night out. The show not only entertains but makes you feel as though you’ve made a new, albeit quirky, friend. Click Here For Review

August 15, 2024    Entertainment Now

Review of Twonkey's Basket Weaving in Peru

In the beer spattered back room of the Dragonfly stands one Twonkey with his myriad of knick knacks that have no rhyme or reason to be next to each other. The absolutely barmy Twonkey leads the audience on his journey to Peru with the help of his collection of puppets and dolls.

As Twonkey is stood at the front of the room, he resembles a candidate from the Monster Raving Loony Party after losing a local election. He’s clad in a wig with a predisposed bald spot, a captains jacket, and an unsettling necklace of bones with a disgruntled look about him.

For the first five minutes, I thought I potentially stepped into an alternate dimension where words like “pouching” make sense in the context of sex. Alas, it’s just Twonkey’s unbeatable vocabulary that put a smile on your face, even when you don’t know what’s happening anymore.

A highlight of this cracking one man show includes an appearance from Steve Martin, I mean a papier mâché version, but still. Twonkey also performs original songs about death and even a misunderstanding about an unborn spider. The eclectic mind of Twonkey is indescribable and confusing, but his charisma and showmanship is second to none. Click Here For Review

August 14, 2024   Entertainment Now

Article about Twonkey's Basket Weaving in Peru

Twonkey’s Basket Weaving in Peru – A Strange Exhilarating Dream

Paul Vickers, aka Mr Twonkey takes his audience on a hilarious, wildly imaginative trip in his Fringe shows – which are always unpredictable, frequently shambolic and reliably very funny indeed. The former lead singer and song writer of indie band Dawn of the Replicants, Vickers creates original songs for his marvellous creations – as well as bringing back old favourites so the audience can sing along.

Tell us about your show. Why should we go and see it?

The show is called Twonkey’s Basket Weaving in Peru this year is about a trip to Peru with my usual characters but something terrible happens when we arrive there and we have to decide if we want to make money out of various pursuits or suffer financial ruin and perhaps be forced to return home, crushed.

It’s one of my personal favourites. I think it’s up there with Twonkey’s Night Train to Lichtenstein, which I was particularly pleased with. I feel it’s always important to enjoy performing your own show and I have certainly been enjoying performing this one so far. The audience reaction has been good people seem relaxed and sync themselves into the absurdity of the situation, there’s some good tunes this year that are both thought-provoking and catchy.

What makes you laugh?

Mistakes normally make me laugh whether it’s a mistake in language or a mistake in performing an activity, but I would say the main thing that makes me laugh Is something going slightly askew.

What three words best describe your performance style – and why?

silly saucy fuckwit.

Do you have nerves about going on stage and how do you cope with them.

Yes, I get nervous every day. In fact, I’m very nervous now as I’m writing this, I’m falling apart but in a nice way, I find it difficult to avoid nerves, but they can help you as sometimes have a cup of coffee and try to clear my mind, but it doesn’t always work. It’s hard not to think about the fact that you’re going to be throwing yourself around a small function room with some puppets and wearing a large painful headpiece.

What’s your idea of a perfect Fringe feast and where will you eat it?

I like taste of Italy because the milkshakes are absolutely delightful. Really enjoy malts but they’re very difficult to get hold of in Scotland, there to be a place at the ocean terminal. They did excellent malts, but sadly, the whole building has been made semi redundant by a development by a large company who wished to build luxury apartments, so a lot of the original businesses, including the one that supplied excellent malts have now disappeared entirely.

How will your audience think/feel differently after an hour in your company?

They often appear slightly starstruck, but also joyful as if a woken from a playful but exhilarating dream which has made them think slightly differently about reality and our purpose in the universe as a whole.

When did you first realise you were born to be on stage?

I used to perform simple plays for my mother and my family and I used to sing along to Ceefax music and pretend I was a famous country and Western singer. In fact, I thought I’d convinced my grandma of this but then she said to me “I’m sorry, Paul. I know it’s you.”

Why do you think Edinburgh Fringe is so important to performers and artists around the world?

It’s a melting pot of all kinds of different disciplines of creative expression. The fringe is something we can all be incredibly proud of. I think the word-of-mouth aspect of it is amazing because you can do something in a small room and people talk.

How do you plan to relax and enjoy the city when you’re not performing.

I will enjoy the city in my own time due to my own set of requirements. This may involve times of relaxation and it may also involve times where I wish to invigorate my senses, fully and awaken myself to the world and how it is now.

Who is your showbiz idol and why.

Spike Milligan is one of my heroes. I like the fact he was actually incredibly miserable a lot of the time, but in a very extraordinary way he managed to refine his thought process to override his own reality and then dip into the absurdity of his own perverse nature, Now that’s showbiz.

What is your idea of a perfect Fringe moment?

I’ve just glued a football to a large gardening glove. I think that’s a fairly Fringe thing to do. I plan to work it in tonight. Click Here For Article

August 14, 2024    Broadway Baby

Review of Twonkey's Basket Weaving in Peru

Twonkey has been bringing his surreal shenanigans to the Fringe for over a decade, and now he’s decided it’s time to up sticks and move to Peru. So, after some introduction from concierge, Lucky Arthur, who appears to be a small doll nailed to a snooker cue, Twonkey sets off to South America, and we get to follow him on his journey like a Road To... movie where Bob Hope and Bing Crosby are a frazzled surrealist and a sad lion puppet with Lenny Henry’s eyes.

The following hour encompasses song requests from elderly fans, erroneous facts about alpacas, incomplete thoughts which hint at future shows, the now legendary ship's wheel of knickers (which raises a cheer from the audience when it appears), tunes on a shruti box, and a sudden segue into a separate narrative in the form of a Transylvanian Finger Fantasy – think polystyrene finger puppets and a sinister voiceover. Indeed, there are a lot of puppets in the show including the aforementioned sad lion Chris Hutchinson, a tiny vampire, and a strangely accurate Steve Martin formed out of sanitary pads and a leftover piece of wood decking.

If, like me, you’re a Twonkey fan and have previously experienced his particular brand of unique storytelling, then this is another wonderfully weird hour to enjoy. If you’re new to this type of clowning, then imagine an episode of Jamie and the Magic Torch where everyone is a little mouldy and Jamie is a middle-aged man. At one point, he can’t locate the pan pipes he needs and crawls around the stage looking for them before heading backstage and opening a huge suitcase to locate them. It’s indicative of how bizarre this show is that we’re not sure if this is part of the show or a genuine mistake. Either way, it’s very funny. Click Here For Review

August 14, 2024    EdFringeReview

Review of Sam See: And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

Sam See: And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore Review

Sam See starts his set. There is a flat screen behind him with the show title in a small but flashy graphic which he stands in front of, at the end of a small room, slightly unassumingly.

What follows is not a comedy set with somewhat of a story, but more so a vast story that occasionally has a joke. This is by no means an insult, in fact, quite the opposite. Sam See is a humble and captivating figure who can hold your attention whether there is a punchline waiting or not.

In their hour set, Sam delivers an odyssey of what it’s like being an openly queer comedian from Singapore, as well as the 'adventures' that being a queer comedian gets them in. But then again, with infectious happiness, he talks about his experiences of Fringe’s gone by, the comedy circuit, and how much fun that they bring him.

‘No nonsense.’ Sam says when recounting a story of him and a friend unintentionally stumbling into a pub that most definitely was not the kindest to foreigners. Quipping, he goes on, ‘We are the nonsense.’

Continuing, he chats about another story of his almost published book, a book in which he wrote about his experiences at previous Fringe festivals and was long listed for a prize. When he met with a Singaporean publisher they told him his comedy book was 'speculative fiction' for suggesting that in the future there would be more Singaporean comedians.

I will not spoil any more of the set but just as it started, Sam says this is his new show and that with his old show he had a slideshow with stats and figures that went with it. It did well in Edinburgh but when he performed it elsewhere he was told that 'it wasn’t real comedy.' I must admit, when I saw the graphic on the flatscreen behind, I wanted more slides to appear, and was slightly disappointed when nothing did.

If Sam this year has changed his style to accommodate this criticism, then I hope he changes back. He shines when he is unabashedly himself, telling stories brilliantly. I argue his style would fit better in spoken word or theatre or perhaps that is why it works well at the Festival Fringe because the show itself is on the fringe of comedy, in the best kind of way. It refuses to be put into just one box and sit idly.

And I Can’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore fittingly flutters across the world, taking culture stops in places not often seen and making observations not often properly heard. I hope to see Sam See again. Click Here For Review

August 14, 2024    Broadway World

Review of Off With Your Head!

EDINBURGH 2024: Review: OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!, 32 Below

In a world where theatre often conforms to traditional actors and spectators, Off with your Head is a breath of fresh air - a delightful fusion of art, comedy, choose-your-own-adventure and interactive gaming that redefines the boundaries of live performance.

Audience members are not passive observers but active participants - you all live in a kingdom and (alongside two comedians) embark on various quests. Each experience is unique dictated by decisions you and your fellow adventurers make resulting in unpredictable twists and turns keeping you on the edge of your seats... or possibly your throne.

I'm not a huge Dungeons and Dragons person, but facilitator Sam See makes the experience an absolute delight. With his quick wit and warm charm, he skilfully guides the audience through the story, keeping everyone feeling engaged and valued. Supported by video game designer Stephen Case, See's ability to read the room and improvise added a layer of hilarity to the piece, with audience members consistently laughing as the play went on. Every night has a different guest comedian 'ruling' the kingdom - when I was there it was Tom Crosbie, who presented strong, amusing banter with Sam.

Off with your head is a hidden Fringe gem that dares to push the envelope, offering an entertaining, innovative night out. It's 18+, so don't bring your kids (although Sam mentioned the possibility of creating a future version for children). Whether you're a thespian, gamer or someone wanting some fun, this is the show for you. It could easily become cheesy, but it really doesn't. Not only is it super fun, it's also free - a must-see at the Fringe this year!

Off With your Head! is at 32 Below until 25 August Click Here For Review

August 14, 2024    Chortle

Review of Louis Katz: Bountiful

3.5 stars

Obviously an intelligent guy, Louis Katz’s Fringe debut is a pushback against dumbing down, primarily in the reduction of every complex issue to an us-versus-them binary: we’re the good guys, they are the Nazis, with the boundary conveniently moveable.

Essentially, Bountiful is a plea for more nuance, or at least just the basic acknowledgement that life is not so black and white. That’s true of his own stand-up, which often makes smart connections to produce rewarding punchlines, but is just as likely to feature a lowbrow dick joke. And there’s no surprise in which land better, with audiences embracing gags with the least complexity, so underlining his central complaint.

A stand-up purist, the American comic wants to earn his spurs in front of crowds, telling jokes. He has no time for the shortcuts of winning fans by posting crowd-work clips, being offensive or getting angry over some fake, trivial issue. That said, he does become enraged by the semicolon; he thinks it unworthy of its prime place on the keyboard as he expresses in a rant hilarious for its overreaction.

The Jewish stand-up enjoys playing in the grey areas of uncertainly, such as confessing a love for Kanye West despite his antisemitic outbursts. Likewise, he acknowledges that he has some capability for homophobia, purely because of the society most of us grow up in.

Counterintuitive thinking yields the best rewards, such as his bit on the one sex act where ‘consent makes it worse’ – a routine that started with what ‘the other Louis’ in comedy got up to. Other close-to-the-edge material, such as jokes about his wife’s weight, have a tricker passage.

Despite his plea to see the bigger picture in life, he can also understand the truth of the maxim ‘ignorance is bliss’, imagining what a cacophony of concerns would babble through your head if you were aware of the moral consequences of every minor action you took in your every day.

Katz seems to have a similarly astute awareness of everything in his show, frequently pausing to dissect how a joke went down. And even a week in, he hasn’t got used to the vagaries of performing in a makeshift free Fringe venue rather than a nice air-conditioned club – and certainly the sweatbox atmosphere in the Counting House does nothing to help the hour build momentum.

But he has command over his material, while his skills as a sharp joke-writer with a love of the craft of comedy are self-evident. You can see why he has a reputation as a comedian’s comedy back in the States. Click Here For Review

August 14, 2024    Chortle

Review of Joshua Robertson: Enable Me

Joshua Robertson’s sweet and often filthy show is billed as kind of a confessional, purporting to 'explore the ups and downs of being a disabled dad' and 'shed a unique light on daily life through a once able-bodied person’s eyes'.

These blurbs are often written long before work starts on writing the actual show, so no shade should be cast for deviating from the plan, but Robertson’s show is interesting in that it’s almost a spoof of the show he initially pitched.

Enable Me instead plays out as a kind of bawdy farce. After Robertson’s wife invites another man into their bedroom, the couple are set on a series of twists and turns involving mothers-in-law and sex dungeons that have more in common with a kind of tavern story. I’m a pretty gullible person, but it didn’t have the ring of truth to me.

His opening material comes from a more familiar place. Robertson is profoundly disabled following a motorbike crash when he was 11 years old that left him in a coma for more than four months, and a lot of his club material brings to mind early Rosie Jones or Lost Voice Guy – riffs on life as a disabled person that challenge the audience’s expectations while getting them comfortable with laughing at jokes that no one else could make.

This material is often broad, and the dick jokes not as creative as they might be, but his impact is generally greater the harder he goes. His interactions with a game audience member are a clear highlight. 'Robbie, does your mum wank you off? I would recommend it.'

His open, appealing performance style and lack of guile let him get away with questions and interactions that would be hair-raising for anyone else.

As for the rest of it, you can’t help feeling it would have more impact if there was a greater sense of realism to the narrative, but it’s peppered with fun lines throughout, and Robertson deserves credit for following his muse rather than giving people the show they might think they want. Click Here For Review

August 14, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of Mad Ron's Character Comedy Carnage

Mad Ron himself is a delightfully unreconstructed hardman. Not that hard. But definitely hard enough to register on the geezer scale. He despises those who vape, yearns for the days when soap was solid and has funny diatribes about vegetarians, Liverpool, lettuce and France.

He is an excellent MC, pushing on through the show because the hour has three characters crammed into it, first of which is Kitty Cassis, astrologist/beautician, followed by Mr French Fries, who crams more visual gags and sound effects into his set than would seem possible. The randomness actually helps the comedy a lot, as you feel he is as clueless as we are. The room gets quite competitive over his game of Catchphrase but before things get too heated, Ron introduces Jerry Bakewell whose Mexican wrestler outfit belies the cleverness of his act.

Ron and Jerry do a two-hander, I am told, and on the basis of tonight I think it might be rather good. Jerry just might be the only comic you will see this August doing quality accountant material, long form “shape-based gangs” gags and alliterative tongue twisters about Portobello. Impressive stuff. Kate Copstick Click Here For Review

August 14, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of Circus Sonas Presents: Down with Gravity

Jugglers Martin Mor and Logy Logan are natural comedians, experts in audience engagement and the art of having a good time. Circus Sonas: Down With Gravity is the tonic you didn’t know you needed. This show is for children, and for your inner child. Here, joy abounds, indiscriminate and ageless.

With flushed cheeks and broad smiles, the double-act embarks on a series of “indoor and outdoor” stunts. A yo-yo increases in size, while an axe introduces an element of danger. Luck is on their side, it seems. The pair increase the difficulty of their routines, but still the juggling balls fall where they’re aimed. “Do you want a fancy trick, an easy trick, or a hard trick?” they ask, exchanging their clubs for cigar boxes, their cigar boxes for knives.

The two are forever competing with one another, and this creates numerous opportunities for comedy. One stand-out moment sees Mor soothe a crying baby with Mongolian throat singing (apparently, parents, it is as easy as that), but Logan’s magnanimity means that balance is always restored. True to its title, their show is sure to have you buoyed up, feeling brighter and lighter, than before. Josephine Balfour-Oatts Click Here For Review

August 14, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of Rik Carranza Presents: Marvel vs DC

Kudos to enthusiastic comedian Rik Carranza, who manages to corral a roomful of feisty kids into proving who can nerd out the hardest while most of them gleefully and desperately battle to claim ultimate geek knowledge over the rest. In fact, there’s little doubt that one or two of the parents have a stack of Bronze Age comics in the attic and are only too keen to get in on the act.

They’ll get their chance. No doubt mindful of copyright issues with some of the biggest entertainment companies in the world, Carranza doesn’t lean visually on imagery of Robert Downey Jr, Christian Bale and co in his feverishly-paced interactive gameshow to assemble the greatest superhero team in the room.

Instead, his onscreen display uses images from the ‘Big Two’ of American superhero comics, allowing him to pit household names like Batman and Iron Man together, while also slipping in nerdy jokes about unknowns such as Squirrel Girl and Green Arrow.

Taking pairs of young volunteers from the audience to represent each brand by testing themselves in a fastest-finger-first superhero knowledge round or a race to put each character’s costume on, it’s plenty of fun as long as there’s a healthily-sized crowd in and a few brave parents are game enough to take part in Nerf gun target practice or a pool noodle battle with some frenzied pre-teens.

David Pollock Click Here For Review

August 14, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of Projection

She’s 37, in a venue that’s really a karaoke bar full of her 20-year-old ‘flatmates’, aka the audience, looking for love with an unsuitable man who can barely pick up the phone. “Shall I text him,” she asks. “No!” says Natalie from Glasgow, “Do. Not. Text. Him. Never Text Him.” Aideen McQueen is very funny, playing glamourous wine swigging Lucy, in a piece that she’s written with her sister, which, as she tells us at the end is “largely based on us.”

With Paul, a 25-year-old from her yoga class doing the tech, it has the relaxed mood of stand-up and a story structured around a delusional, but also very likable, woman projecting large-scale romantic dreams onto a generic man from Tinder who clearly isn’t interested. “No drama,” he says – and so Lucy creates her own, capturing a bizarre one-sided chase and making fun of both the men and women involved. With her Irish storytelling charm, she gives a female perspective on a type of woman who’s often dismissed as a ‘bunny boiler’ or derided with a smug sense of self-satisfaction. While it doesn’t delve too deeply into where her desperation might come from, it’s a theatrical and very funny affirmation for all of those who would like it to stop.

Sally Stott Click Here For Review

August 14, 2024    Three Weeks

Review of Dorks 'n' Orks: 4 Kidz!

There are a few Dungeons & Dragons-adjacent shows on this year. This one has a digital element, using a Table Top Roleplaying Game platform to display the action on large screens. Whilst visually arresting, it does jar a little in not fully aligning with the live experience – for instance when you have a fearsome looking giant on the screen voiced by a comedian stood right in front of you. That said, it’s an entertaining intro to the game, with a mix of puzzle-solving, interaction, exploration and combat all moved along by our engaging dungeon master and supporting cast. The adventure we played certainly emphasised the importance of checking for traps, but there are no major pitfalls to be found with this show. Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    Chortle

Review of Devin Gray: How To Get Away With Marriage

3.5 stars

‘Take my wife… please.’ Stories and gripes about cohabitation are as old as stand-up itself, but established South African comic Devin Gray delivers a gold standard of the genre with his punchy, pacy Fringe debut about his relationship.

His wife is German, which unlocks clichés galore about efficiency, love of paperwork, and a very literal approach to life. There’s not a gag on this topic he won’t do.

Meanwhile, he falls into the laddish stereotype of being unromantic and inconsiderate. He’s happy with beer, his best mate and the Xbox, but just three words will strike fear into his soul: ‘Notice anything different?’

We all know that whatever follows will involve Gray putting his foot in it, especially given how anything he says in the marriage seems prone to misinterpretation. The familiarity of such arguments is key to his appeal.

So while How To Get Away With Marriage is not pushing into new territory, Gray attacks it with faultless confidence, pace and cadence - energetic, but to too much to overwhelm the audience crammed into a karaoke booth that passes as his Fringe venue.

The hour is gag-heavy, never getting tied up in anything but the minimum explanation required to set up a punchline (that’s why he leans so heavily into German stereotypes) with unforced callbacks adding to the joke rate.

The domestic focus covers their lockdown dates, his inability to stick to a shopping list, rows over free-range chicken, her love of true-crime podcasts and a running thread about posting ephemera into a memory box to represent their marriage. They are all rooted in the relatable with broad appeal – although the confusion over one particular grocery item is hilariously unique.

There’s a sting in the tail, too, which I won’t divulge here, but it’s just one meta-punchline for an hour that’s full of them. Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    One4Review

Review of Ask A Stripper: No Holes Barred

3.5 stars

It is what it says on the tin! The small and intimate setting is aptly located close to Edinburgh’s strip clubs. This two woman show starring writer and performer Stacey Clare starts with some mild nudity before settling down to an informative chat about the world of stripping.

Stacey gives an insight into her stripping career from the London area and explains the ups and downs of what it’s really like to be a stripper. As you can imagine, it can be a lucrative profession but there is also an often-hidden dark side with many club owners underpaying their staff with sometimes very poor working conditions. She then explains how conditions have changed over the years with some notable court cases for sex workers rights and the implementation of a sex workers union.

The audience made up of a wide range of male and females are then invited to ask any questions, such as how old was your oldest client? How much money have you earned in one night? Do you get sick pay and What is the worst experience you have ever had as a stripper? The answer to the last question raised a few eyebrows and made you realise the dangers of such a profession these women have endured.

Overall, an informative insight into a hidden yet well-known profession which gives the audience a better understanding and an opportunity to ask direct questions and receive direct answers. Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    Three Weeks

Review of Rik Carranza Presents: Marvel vs DC

Our charismatic host’s introduction to comic book characters is interrupted by news that a terrifying villain is on their way to the venue, and so he must quickly assemble a team of superheroes. This is achieved over a series of rounds in which child volunteers (and, on occasion, their parents: fair warning) take the stage to compete as various members of the respective franchises in tasks vaguely related to key heroic attributes, from superhero knowledge through to assorted nonsense involving balloons and nerf guns. The winners of each round are added to the team, which takes the stage together for the very silly finale.

It’s all very pleasingly and interactively chaotic, Carranza does a fine job of keeping up the energy in the room up throughout. Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    Edinburgh Reviews

Review of John Robertson: The Human Hurricane

Walking in, John’s not hiding in the back like a diva until everyone’s seated and waiting patiently for his performance; he’s right there and raring to go. He then starts the show as he means to go on, with frenzied ukulele playing, gags, audience interactions/slagging, endless wit, and just sayin’ it like it is.

For around 45 minutes, we’re treated to a few unique and original songs performed on the ukulele, as well as a couple of bits of spoken word. John made it clear that the songs aren’t actually the same every night, likely due to his undiagnosed ADHD. But I enjoyed the ones I did hear!

Some of the highlights for me included Anime C*nt, Shut Up You Tiny Fool (on a side note, it warms my heart to see all the many acts hating on JK Rowling this year), and Meow Meow Meow (door humour seemed to be a theme tonight – but I highly suspect that particular theme was a one-night only thing).

John also did a bit of middle-class crowd surfing (you really have to be there to understand what that is), made his way to the back of the room and climbed up to a high spot he’d never been up to before, decided he liked it better there, and then upper-class crowd surfed his way back to us in the front.

One thing you won’t appreciate until you’ve seen John in action is just how comfortable he is in front of a crowd (after years of The Dark Room, he’d have to be), how easily and naturally he can read a room, and how he can zero in on various individuals in a way that always leads to belly laughs – and that you can never really fault him on. He’s never truly mean; it’s always kind spirited and a fun time.

The performance finished on a high note, with really quite a powerful, uplifting piece of spoken word, which I also really enjoyed and again, brings the chaotic good John is best known for.

You can’t help but be on John’s side for the entire performance, and you leave feeling energised because his energy is just that infectious. As for John, he’s taking photos, selling hats, and then racing off to his next show, The Dark Room, which starts in about 20 minutes! What is he, the Energiser Bunny?

Overall I had a great time at The Human Hurricane, but then, I knew I would. I also left feeling curious about the song John didn’t play tonight; the one that Glenn Wool gave him a weird look for practicing before the show. Who knows, maybe I need to go back to hear it.

If you want to experience the force of nature that is The Human Hurricane, don’t hesitate to get along to The Counting House and experience the legend that is John Robertson for yourself. Highly recommend! Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    Edinburgh Reviews

Review of Cheekykita: An Octopus, The Universe 'n' Stuff

The vibe of this show is bizarre, funny and just a little bit off the chain. Cheekykita has brought friends with her, including a malfunctioning battery powered dancing cat (pssst! Try replacing the batteries), a stuffed badger, and a little mermaid with a blowhole you can finger if you want to (nobody did).

Cheekykita’s vibe of ‘this is happening, just roll with it’ is both charming and just really funny, and she gets a very willing audience to play along through some of the silliest moments.

We get introduced to several characters from Cheekykita, including her being “in bread”, an octopus, a shark, a fly (which an audience member is encouraged to swat – just not on the head, face or back!) and an anus.

I’ve got to say, the octopus is still my favourite, but the shark comes in a close second; especially when the JAWS-esque music starts to play.

There’s a good amount of audience participation, with not only fly swatting, but a live interpretation of the Netflix show My Octopus Teacher, with the actual audio cut and edited whilst Cheekykita acts out the octopus role, and a member of the audience plays the videographer.

It will help you watch the documentary in a new light, as we get to hear it from the octopus’s perspective.

Cheekykita’s comfortable brand of nonsense will have you laughing out loud throughout this show, and the audience were singing along – sometimes with chants of ‘shrimp’ thrown into the mix (you had to be there).

At one point, I was given the character name of ‘mackerelle’, which I was happy to take.

There is a little bit of a plot, and we go from Cheekykita’s ‘front room’, to deep under the sea, before heading into space! And eventually we do get back safe again, in time to have a singalong and punch around a blow-up globe of the Earth. Perfect.

Overall I had a great time at Cheekykita: An Octopus, The Universe ‘n’ Stuff, and I hadn’t actually realised that tomorrow is the last day! So, if you want to see this show, get your tixsies now (or just turn up tomorrow) and get ready for a surreal and memorable comedy journey.

One of the Fringiest things you’ll see this year, if you’re lucky enough to make it down to Bar 50 tomorrow. Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    One4Review

Review of Comedy Cluedo

Australian performer Lucy Henderson excels in this remake of the popular 80’s board game Cluedo. The game play is similar to the original game however the characters, location and murder weapons have been changed.

Lucy has been murdered but her ghost has returned for one hour to try and leave enough clues for the audience to solve her murder. On arrival, the audience are given a clipboard and clue sheet so they can jot down any clues they pick up during the performance in the hope they can solve the murder at the end. The game rules are then explained before audience members are asked to select a suspect, location or murder weapon and Lucy then tells a story relating to which ever one has been selected.

There is an adult theme throughout the performance with references to drugs and sexual encounters, but the references are mostly tongue in cheek and often funny. At the end of the show the audience are asked who they think is responsible for the murder, where it happened and what weapon was used, once the result is revealed, Lucy looks back at the clues the audience should have found during the performance.

The idea of turning a popular board game into a stage performance is brilliant, however you really need to pay attention to detail to find the clues as its too easy to get wrapped up in the story and miss the key evidence.

A very confident and quirky performance from a talented young female. You do not need to have played the original game to understand it, you just need to put your detective head on, solve the murder and have a laugh at the same time! Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    The Wee Review

Review of Bailey Swilley: Gimme a Sign!

A gently powerful hour of comedic storytelling with universal resonance.

The Wee Room at the Three Sisters is a suitable space for this intimate hour of comedic storytelling from charming New York resident Bailey Swilley. A show of this kind of vulnerability wouldn’t have the same impact in a larger room. A candid tale of grief and growing up, it’s the kind of show that will be familiar to practically everyone. But there will be parts of the tale that will have a similarly universal resonance.

Young Bailey was a precocious child convinced she was going to be a star. She was indulged by her father but ignored by her theatre teacher, the target of her ambitions. That is until her teacher discovered Swilley’s dad was Taiwanese and suddenly she was cast in an Asian role despite her mother’s genes dominating her appearance. But Bailey’s dreams of being Tennessee’s answer to Scarlett Johansson were curtailed by a death in the family, and the first of three ghosts she had to exorcise in various ways.

Whether you’re a believer or not, Swilley’s tales of teenage rebellion, menstrual mishaps, and ghostly grandmas are vividly painted and studded with fine gags. Her solipsistic younger years she depicts with a certain ironic wryness. There are still traces of young theatre kid Bailey visible, as… well, she’s at the Fringe telling her story. It kind of goes with the territory. She adopts a light, irreverent tone throughout that understandably slips a little when she gets to the more painful parts of her story. If you couldn’t guess, the relationship with her dad builds to something crushing, and the compact nature of the room is all the better to see the eyes of some audience members glitter with empathy.

But ‘Gimme a Sign!’ isn’t a maudlin show by any means. From the darkest of times comes further amusing tales of mean Taiwanese grandmothers with penchants for witchcraft, and unsuitable boyfriends who prove stubbornly difficult to jettison. Although it’s a show that stems from grief, it’s a story of resilience and humour that clearly remains a very potent method of healing for its creator.

‘Gimme a Sign’ is a sweet, intimate, and frequently moving piece. It’s well-structured and paced and the familiarity of its themes and format prove little hindrance to enjoyment. Bailey Swilley is an innately likeable performer, and though it’s obvious that the show has been honed to precision with hardly a pause or stumble, she never comes across as rote. You can tell it’s still a deeply emotional journey every time. Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024   Neurodiverse Review

Article about Twonkey's Basket Weaving in Peru

Quick Fire Questions

Fringe stalwart and former frontman of Dawn of the Replicants Paul Vickers (AKA Twonkey) returns to his solo cabaret roots after years of experimentation with theatre, pandemics and an autism diagnosis.

Why did you make this show?
Over the last year or so largely by slowly replacing the good ideas with even better ideas, Having a really good idea often means you have bring the rest of the show up to that level which can mean losing a lot of content you thought was good at start . I often find it’s about not being afraid to just dive in deep and drag up the pearls from the deep but sometimes you have work out which pearls suit you and which are just stones.

What is the part of the show you’re most proud of?
My Steve Martin puppet is wonderful, made by Grant Pringle, his wife hates when he makes a new puppet for my show as he makes the house messy and appears to lose his mind for a short period of time . Over the years he made some crackers like the Wobbly Waiter and Mothra the monster made famous for putting Godzilla on the ropes. He uses odd materials, like Steve Martin’s hair is made from a sanitary towel. He also steals clothes from his children to dress the puppets, lol 😂

As a disabled practitioner, what do you want to see change at The Edinburgh Fringe?
It would be nice if the venue costs came down and accommodation costs are through the roof but that has an on impact everyone not just the disabled. Being Autistic can make handing out flyers tricky, as I’m a being shy 🙈 person when not on stage and I don’t like getting in people’s hair.

Why should we come and see the show?
Because I personally feel it’s my best show in years since Twonkey’s Night Train to Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 it’s got a nice flow and feeling about it this year. Sometimes the chips just land the right way up or the wrong way up but for the right reasons. I know my shows better than anyone so if say I’m happy with it, it’s a good thing, I’ve not had a normal job recently which has really helped, I’ve had the time to work on it and I’ve not rushed it, that’s a real luxury. Click Here For Article

August 8, 2024    Binge Fringe

Review of Sam See: And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

The trials and tribulation of immigration are made funny but remain heartbreaking in Sam See’s new show about his recent immigration to the UK. As recent as December 2023! Get ready to learn about Singapore Propaganda films, how NOT to find the best pub in Birmingham and whatever a ‘New Year Cow’ is.

Did you know that a Grammy is not considered a high enough award to be used as evidence for an “Exceptional Global Talent” visa by the British Government? Well, Sam found out the hard way during his immigration to the UK, though Sam is exceptional. As the only openly gay stand up in Singapore, he stood out, and he looked to the UK a place he could fit in. Yet over here he’s seen as an exception in his foreignness, so it seems he can never win.

From false promises of headlines, a particularly dodgy New Year Party and general racism – Sam tells the tale of his rocky first few months in London as well as all the reasons he chose to leave Singapore behind. Ever optimistic, he tries to find the joy and hope in the trials of immigration and assimilation, but that task feels insurmountable at times and his optimistic facade begins to crack as his journey evolves.

His frustration grows and he does everything perfectly to no avail. To Sam, immigration not only about finding oneself in another culture, but also about evolving within a career, within a community and the loneliness that can bring. Sam talks about comedy as a way to feel accepted, but there are pitfalls to this, allowing others to use homophobic slurs to introduce them onstage in Singapore, for example. It hits quite close to home and a fear I think many comedians outside of the norm can relate to, the pressure to make light of one’s differences and struggling not to dehumanize oneself in the process.

Sam is brilliant on stage, and although the show is billed as stand up, it reminded me of the Hannah Gadsby special Nannette, in that it sometimes felt more like a one-hand show with a humorous tone than full stand up. There are a few long moments of darkness and raw emotion, where Sam allows the tension and emotion to build without breaking the atmosphere with a cheap joke. Good storytelling is integral to comedy, and Sam is a fantastic storyteller as well as a comedian, so even when the jokes die down during the darker parts, the audience is still enraptured with the tale itself.

...

It’s a rough diamond right now, but Sam’s talent shines through and I think this story will speak to anyone who’s felt the need to perform perfection to be accepted. Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    Entertainment Now

Review of Ian Stone is Keeping it Together

IF you want to know what it would be like to hear Sir David Attenborough commentating on Arsenal fans visiting Wolverhampton in the late 70s in the style of one of his celebrated nature documentaries, you need to head along to Ian Stone.

In fact, you should just head along anyway.

I hadn’t heard of “Stoney” as he calls himself before seeing him last year but he’s now one of my Fringe favourites.

He won the Spirit Of The Fringe last year for a simply hilarious hour, and for my money – and this is a pay-what-you-like Free Fringe show – this year’s hour is just as good.

Stoney is described as a master of self-deprecating Jewish humour but he’s much more than that and is simply one of the sharpest and funniest stand-ups on the circuit today.

And he brings both of those angles together at one point when a bit of audience interaction threatens to backfire. Asking what various members of the near-capacity crowd last protested about, there’s an audible gasp when one young fella says “Palestine”.

But Ian simply shrugs and grins, “Fair enough!”

I don’t know if it’s just the comics I’ve opted to see this year but a fair few are bemoaning getting older and directing some good-natured vitriol at those who haven’t orbited the suns quite so many times.

Stoney berates one 18-year-old chap, grousing, “You, with your firm skin and your hair – you can run up the stairs and have sex four times a night rather than it being one or the other.”

Four? Blimey.

I’m not here to reveal his best gags, and you really need to hear about his dad Ken’s attitude to work and Stoney’s racist fishmonger, but one line that rang a huge bell with me was, “We didn’t have FOMO cos fuck all was happening!”

Stoney makes comedy look effortless, so make the effort to see him. Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of Best in Class

Best in Class is a fantastic crowd-funded initiative which brings working-class comics to the Fringe; it won the Edinburgh Comedy awards panel prize in 2022. This year it has recruited eight new voices, who provide a rotating line-up for each nightly show at the Free Festival. First up is Amanda Hursey, a Glasgow girl who quickly warms up the crowd. Hursey has a great story about getting arrested for something which should not really be regarded as a crime. She quickly identifies an ex-cop on the second row – something that becomes a gift for all the comics on the bill.

Next up is Kelly Rickard, who is Welsh but who lives in the North East. Rickard has excellent delivery and a likeable, slightly eccentric manner. She has a very funny song about dating posh boys at university and discovering that they are not really all that. Finally is Sean Gorman from Salisbury. He is an assured stage presence and ventures into some personal territory about having fertility problems as well as engaging in knockabout fun with the crowd.

The other comics who will feature on the bills during this year’s Fringe are Maxine Wade, Tasha Cluskey, Garrie Grubb, Louis Etienne and Sam Ayinde. In a world where it is increasingly difficult for performers to afford the cost of staging a Fringe show this is a life-changing opportunity for some and the quality of the acts on the bill is excellent. By the time comics get into the main venues they often have management, agents and PR people working behind the scenes so this is genuinely the place to catch new talent. It is also a fun, free night out: although people are lining up after the gig to make donations. Claire Smith Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    Edinburgh Reviews

Review of Glenn Wool: Luv (sic)

3.5 stars

Love (Sic) is about heartbreak, divorce and finding your best coping mechanisms to deal with the s*** life throws at you. Free and fun comedy that’s particularly relatable to divorcees. Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    Three Weeks

Review of Adventures! Journey Through Dungeons with Dragons

As the trademark infringement-dodging title suggests, this show derives inspiration from the famous tabletop roleplaying game (of which no prior experience is required). Donal is our genial Irish Dungeon Master, the game’s storyteller and referee. He is joined onstage by one guest comedian and two young audience members taking the role of the characters. Their story is shaped by audience suggestions regarding the treasure they seek and the nature of their enemies, with the outcomes of their actions determined by the roll of a dice. That’s enough moving parts to cause some chaos, which Donal embraces and renders hugely entertaining with enough quick wit to get laughs out of the kids and the adults in equal measure: a critical hit. Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024    Edinburgh Reviews

Review of 2 Wongs and a White

3.6 stars

...An awkward title but an easy joke. In fairness, I was packed into that room in the middle of the day, with a multi-generation audience, so the “2 Wongs and a White” line clearly had managed to lure in plenty of people.

There are no edgelord jokes, no posturing, no one complaining about cancel culture or that they can’t get away with the slur jokes they used to. Phew.

Instead, “2 Wongs and a White” is a three-for-one for which you can pay as little or as much as you want. I think 15 quid, 5 per comedian, is a great price. You could even go higher and still get value for money.... Click Here For Review

August 8, 2024   The Scotsman

Article about Dima Watermelon: Ukrainian Dream

Dima Watermelon brings debut show Ukrainian dream to Edinburgh Fringe

The best comedy comes from tragedy. For Dima Watermelon, being from Ukraine was already tragic enough… and then the war started.

In his debut Edinburgh Fringe comedy hour Ukrainian Dream, Dima makes fun of Putin, Berlin techno clubs, interracial relationships, shark attacks, nuclear war, and other funny subjects. It's wild, hilarious, and he doesn't hold back!

Dima is a Ukrainian stand-up comedian currently living in Germany, but don’t worry - he hasn’t lived there long enough to lose his sense of humour.

He also has a dream. And it's not just the destruction of Russia.

The show brings Dima’s unique and hysterically honest Ukrainian perspective - so often overlooked in current political discussions - to Edinburgh Fringe audiences.

Dima’s comic style was described as ‘deadpan absurdity’ by Stewart Lee when he watched Dima’s split show From Ukraine With Laughs with Pavlo Voytovych in 2022.

Ukrainian Dream is on every day at Laughing Horse, The Raging Bull, throughout August. Advance tickets (PWYC starting at £5) are available.

Dima Watermelon is a 33-year-old Ukrainian residing in Berlin. And yes, Watermelon really is his real surname, simply translated into English.

Being naturally funny, Dima discovered his comedic appeal when pranking friends after he moved to study Computer Science in Finland in 2013.

After spending two winters in Finland Dima started feeling a bit homesick, but not homesick enough to go all the way back to Ukraine. Berlin seemed like the perfect compromise, particularly East Berlin, which Dima has called home since 2015.

Within a few years, Dima established himself as a regular comedian in the Berlin stand-up scene. Over the course of his career, Dima has performed in more than 20 countries, including renowned locations like the Gotham Comedy Club in New York, the Comedy Store London, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Living in three different countries, and visiting over 40, Dima is no longer simply Ukrainian, but not quite European either. Stuck in this absurd cultural limbo, he finds laughter to be his best coping mechanism.

Dima produces regular hit comedy shows in Berlin and tours around Europe. Click Here For Article

August 7, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of Simon Hall: 4 Big Cs

Blending well-honed observations and assured personal storytelling, Simon Hall's handling of the big topics of love and cancer is capably done. A former teacher, with a sideline in poetically reimagining fairytales, his booming voice and long, flowing locks afford this relatively new act an intermittent aura of authority and vulnerability, not a bad couple of modes for the tales he's imparting. A vegan and bisexual, he asserts his moral and progressive superiority with confidence, even if he knows precisely when to undercut himself. Pitched back into dating after his long-term relationship ended, with fascinated horror he explores the modern phenomenon of “dick pics”, projecting such crimes into more serious police scenarios in a way that's daft rather than dark. The abiding memory of his hour though, is a bittersweet account of falling head over heels in love again but then finding his partner's cancerous growth. Related with sensitivity but deft humour, it culminates in a superb routine about desire and consent that Hall takes you right into the bed for, a comedy of manners but with some of the highest stakes conceivable. Inspiring his carpe diem move to London and pursuing stand-up, a postscript about him compering a pretentious music festival feels lightweight by comparison, yet this remains a solid debut.

Jay Richardson Click Here For Review

August 7, 2024   The Telegraph

Article about Decomposing, Live

Funniest Jokes from the Edinburgh Fringe 2024, from Ed Patrick to Alec Snook

Funniest jokes from the Edinburgh Fringe 2024, from Ed Patrick to Alec Snook
We asked comedians at this year’s comedy festival to send in their best lines – vote for your favourite below...

The Edinburgh Fringe is a rite of passage for many comedians. Despite the yearly moans about rent costs, clueless punters and the ever-shrinking pool of decent places to get a kebab at 5am, comedy’s young guns – and old hands – still flock up north every August to try their luck.

But a comedian is only as strong as their last gag. Of course, lots of other factors are also at play – delivery, ambience, how p–ssed the punters are – but ultimately a set stands or falls on the quality of the joke. If it doesn’t make you laugh when written down, in the cold light of day, is it even funny?

This, then, is a brutal test of witticisms. Comedians headed to the Fringe this year sent in their best shots – and you get to make the call on which is funniest.

Alec Snook
I’ve been taking salsa lessons for months, but I just don’t feel like I’m progressing. It’s just one step forward...two steps back.

Alec Snook: Decomposing, Live, Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters, 12pm, Aug 10-25 Click Here For Article

August 7, 2024    The Real Chris Sparkle

Review of Sameer Katz: Whether Conditions

There aren’t many Indian men who, unmarried and with no children, would have the courage to have a vasectomy. But of those that have, I doubt any of them would have told their parents. That’s just not the usual run of events! But Sameer Katz did (have a vasectomy that is, definitely didn’t tell the parents), and that bold decision is just one aspect of his slightly unconventional life – he’s a comedian, not a doctor, after all. With a very relaxed, quiet style, he gives us his comic observations on safe topics like not finishing his PhD, and dangerous topics like suicide. There is an edge to some of his material that is perhaps more probing than downright funny, but it’s still an enjoyable hour of confidently delivered material from a Californian/Indian perspective. Click Here For Review

August 6, 2024   Daily Record

Article about Rik Carranza Presents: Star Trek vs Star Wars

Edinburgh Fringe comedian forced to bring son on stage after childcare plans fall through

A performer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was unexpectedly joined on stage by his toddler son after a last-minute childcare mishap. Comedian Rik Carranza found himself in a bit of a bind while hosting his Star Trek vs Star Wars show at the Three Sisters venue in Cowgate on Thursday.

The Edinburgh-born comic revealed that his wife had become ill before his backup babysitting plan fell through. To make sure Rik was still able to perform, three-year-old Jonah came along to the show and was sitting with a friend in the audience.

But the youngster was restless and wanted to be with his dad, leading to Rik holding Jonah for most of the show. Posting about the unusual incident on TikTok, Rik joked that "even comedians have bring your child to work days!"

Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Rik said: "My plan was that I'd collect Jonah, take him to the show and that he could sit in the audience with a friend who had rushed to the venue to try to help out.

"Unfortunately, after a long day at nursery, Jonah was a bit overwhelmed by everything, so I took him up on stage with me at the start of the show, hoping that he'd go and sit with my friend as the show progressed.

"I'm not sure if Jonah liked being in front of the crowd or he just wanted some daddy cuddles, but he spent the entire show on stage with me and at least half of it in my arms".

Rik praised Jonah for being the perfect co-host, noting that he was quiet and well-behaved throughout the performance. The Star Trek vs Star Wars audience also warmly welcomed Jonah's impromptu addition to the show.

Rik said: "I think that Jonah might be taking after me in terms of enjoying being on stage. His reports from nursery say that he enjoys making the other children laugh, so in years to come we might well end up doing a father and son show at the Fringe!"

Rik told how Jonah was well-behaved until the bucket speech at the end of his free or pay-what-you-can show at the Fringe. The comic said to his audience: "What happens, is some of you have bought your tickets in advance - I really, really appreciate that you did that, thanks a lot.

"It does cost, even though this is a free festival, it still costs a lot for us to put on these shows, plus I've got a little one to feed, and pay for a babysitter right?"

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The audience laughed at Rik's clever joke about his childcare issues, before the comedian mentioned that he would be at the back for donations. At this point, a squirming Jonah put his hand over Rik's mouth, earning a round of applause from the crowd. Rik then affectionately said: "I love you, little man!"

The comedian also revealed that Jonah's passion for superheroes has influenced his performances at this year's Fringe, inspiring Rik's debut children's show, 'Rik Carranza Presents: Marvel Vs DC', which kicked off on Thursday.

He said: "Seeing Jonah discover the superheroes I loved as a child and still love was pretty special for me. It was fascinating to watch him decide on his own favourites from quite a young age, and he has some pretty strong opinions about who he does and doesn't like".

But Jonah's perferences have caused a bit of an issue for his nostalgic dad. Rik explained: "I'm a huge Batman fan. My wife and I even had a Batman-themed cake topper on our wedding cake and I must confess I was hoping that Jonah would love Batman too.

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"I even tried some subtle indoctrination in the form of dressing him in Batman romper suits when he was a baby, but it doesn't seem to have worked and he's totally obsessed with Spiderman instead!"

Star Trek vs Star Wars is running until August 16 at The Three Sisters. You can fine more information HERE. Click Here For Article

August 6, 2024    Corr Blimey

Review of Pam Ford AKA Spam Ford

Making her yearly return to the Fringe, Pam Ford’s one-woman biographical show is filled to the brim with honest Australian charm. Detailing stories of her childhood flicking between Birmingham and Melbourne, it is clear from the onset that the power of Ford’s joie de vivre is what fuels her whole performance; echoing the clients she used to have as a hairdresser, Pam’s light-hearted pragmatism becomes a testament to her past and her wider, hard-learned promise to “have a wonderful life.”

Travelling halfway across the world for a tenner in the 1970s, Ford’s story is a testament to a time no longer conceivable to the modern imagination. That doesn’t stop her, though. Every moment carefully constructs an impression of her and her family’s wilful approach to creating a life for themselves in a foreign country, even if it comes with obstacles, dealing with xenophobia, bullying, and hormones; the comedy shines when Ford is at her most relatable. The moments her comedy falls short, however, is when she points out ironies in countries mainly foreign to her audience, which, although funny in their own right, there are points which drag for too long, diminishing their initial comic effect.

I can safely say that starting Fringe 2024 with this show felt right. The Free Fringe, in particular, is a risky game, but Ford’s show triumphs in its genre; her story tells itself with a conversational informality that is too organic for anywhere but a small room under City Café. Needless to say, I didn’t enter her show expecting to find a heartwarming core, but her final note on finding belonging across the continents epitomises the spirit of our festival. Even if Pam’s sense of humour felt unrooted at times, it is clear that she doesn’t; in a world where the concept of ancestral roots has proven messier than we once thought, stories like hers emerge as excellent reminders of embracing the chaos. Click Here For Review

August 6, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of Glenn Wool: Luv (sic)

Glenn's wife left him in December last year and they are divorced. There are only two other divorces in the room tonight, so Glenn doesn't get much empathy. But he gets plenty sympathy, because he is a lovely guy, and he gets laughs, because he is a very funny lovely guy. His decades are talking him through his trauma, and he is coping well enough to bring us some quality 'genius jokes'. Few comics attempt that particular comedy niche, but Glenn's Einstein material achieves the Holy Trinity of stand up – funny, clever, and shocking. He has thoughts on British colonialism, hates acronyms, is not at all fond of Ipswich and has some breathtaking stuff on the Royals. This part of the hour is proper old school, stand-up rage and it is wonderful to see. Luckily and legally, truth is an absolute defence to an allegation of libel up here. Fans of Russell Brand are also in for a shock. Glenn is much 'craftier' than he looks with his set. The highs and lows, the tirades and the silences, are cleverly put together. Still getting shivers about Charlie's fingers.

Kate Copstick Click Here For Review

August 6, 2024   Edinburgh Live

Article about Rik Carranza Presents: Star Trek vs Star Wars

Edinburgh Fringe performer 'forced to bring son on stage' after childcare mishap

A performer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was forced to bring his toddler son on stage - after his childcare fell through at the last minute.

Comedian Rik Carranza, who is hosting Star Trek vs Star Wars at the Three Sisters venue in Cowgate, was left in a pickle after his wife fell ill, and then his backup plan failed.

The host, who is from Edinburgh, shared his struggles on TikTok, says his three-year-old son Jonah refused to sit in the audience with his friend - meaning he had to hold him for the majority of the performance.

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Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Rik said: “My plan was that I’d collect Jonah, take him to the show and that he could sit in the audience with a friend who had rushed to the venue to try to help out.

“Unfortunately, after a long day at nursery, Jonah was a bit overwhelmed by everything, so I took him up on stage with me at the start of the show, hoping that he’d go and sit with my friend as the show progressed.

"I’m not sure if Jonah liked being in front of the crowd or he just wanted some daddy cuddles, but he spent the entire show on stage with me and at least half of it in my arms”

Rik says Jonah was the perfect co-host and was quiet and well behaved throughout the show, and the audience were accepting of the extra performer taking part.

“I think that Jonah might be taking after me in terms of enjoying being on stage," Rik said.

“His reports from nursery say that he enjoys making the other children laugh, so in years to come we might well end up doing a father and son show at the Fringe!”

Rik says Jonah behaved until the bucket speech at the end of the show, which is a free or pay-what-you-can show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The comic said: "What happens, is some of you have bought your tickets in advance - I really, really appreciate that you did that, thanks a lot.

"It does cost, even though this is a free festival, it still costs a lot for us to put on these shows, plus I've got a little one to feed, and pay for a babysitter right?"

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The audience laughs at this point as Rik is holding his wriggling son. He then goes on to say that he will be standing at the back for donations, but Jonah firmly puts his hand over Rik's mouth which gets a round of applause from the audience.

Rik then said: "I love you, little man!"

The comedian said this isn’t the only impact Jonah has had on Rik’s shows at this year’s Fringe. The three-year-old’s love of superheroes was the inspiration behind Rik’s debut Fringe show for children, Rik Carranza Presents: Marvel Vs DC which also began its run on Thursday.

As Rik explains, his decision to create a show aimed at young superhero fans was inspired by watching Jonah become interested in superheroes.

He said: “Seeing Jonah discover the superheroes I loved as a child – and still love – was pretty special for me. It was fascinating to watch him decide on his own favourites from quite a young age, and he has some pretty strong opinions about who he does and doesn’t like”

But seeing your son choose his own favourite superhero can be a bittersweet experience, as Rik discovered.

He explained: “I’m a huge Batman fan – my wife and I even had a Batman-themed cake topper on our wedding cake – and I must confess I was hoping that Jonah would love Batman too.

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"I even tried some subtle indoctrination in the form of dressing him in Batman romper suits when he was a baby, but it doesn’t seem to have worked and he's totally obsessed with Spiderman instead!”

Star Trek vs Star Wars is on until August 16, at The Three Sisters, more information here. Click Here For Article

August 6, 2024   Edinburgh Evening News

Article about Rik Carranza Presents: Star Trek vs Star Wars

Edinburgh Festival Fringe comedian left holding the baby as childcare falls through on his opening night

It was a case of “the show must go on” for comedian Rik Carranza as he was left literally holding the baby on the opening night of his Star Trek Vs Star Wars comedy debate Fringe show.

With most comedians worrying about first night nerves, Edinburgh-based Rik had a bigger problem to deal with on Thursday, no childcare.

With his wife ill at home and unable to do the nursery pick up, and their planned childcare falling though at the last minute, Rik had no option but to take his son, three-year-old Jonah, with him to the show.

Rik said: “My plan was that I’d collect Jonah, take him to the show and that he could sit in the audience with a friend who had rushed to the venue to try to help out.

“Unfortunately, after a long day at nursery Jonah was a bit overwhelmed by everything, so I took him up on stage with me at the start of the show, hoping that he’d go and sit with my friend as the show progressed.

“I’m not sure if Jonah liked being in front of the crowd or he just wanted some daddy cuddles, but he spent the entire show on stage with me and at least half of it in my arms.”

Rik added that Jonah was the perfect co-host, and was quiet and well behaved throughout the show, and that the audience – having had the situation explained to them before the show got underway – were fully onboard with an extra performer taking part.

He said: “I think that Jonah might be taking after me in terms of enjoying being on stage. His reports from nursery say that he enjoys making the other children laugh, so in years to come we might well end up doing a father and son two-hander at the Fringe!”

Now in its sixth year, Rik Carranza Presents: Star Trek Vs Star Wars is a Fringe favourite and is also in demand both on the sci-fi convention circuit and on Rik’s popular Twitch stream.

Every day Rik is joined by two comedians and fellow geeks from across the Fringe, who battle it out to discover which is the best franchise, Star Trek or Star Wars, in the ultimate clash of the fandoms.

This isn’t the only impact Jonah has had on Rik’s shows at this year’s Fringe. The three-year-old’s love of superheroes was the inspiration behind Rik’s debut Fringe show for children, Rik Carranza Presents: Marvel Vs DC which also began its run on Thursday.

As Rik explained, his decision to create a show aimed at young superhero fans was inspired by watching Jonah become interested in superheroes.

He said: “Seeing Jonah discover the superheroes I loved as a child, and still love, was pretty special for me. It was fascinating to watch him decide on his own favourites from quite a young age, and he has some pretty strong opinions about who he does and doesn’t like.”

However, seeing your son choose his own favourite superhero can be a bittersweet experience, as Rik discovered.

He added: “I’m a huge Batman fan, my wife and I even had a Batman themed cake topper on our wedding cake, and I must confess, I was hoping that Jonah would love Batman too.

“I even tried some subtle indoctrination in the form of dressing him in Batman romper suits when he was a baby, but it doesn’t seem to have worked and he's totally obsessed with Spiderman instead!”

With dad Rik on team DC and son Jonah mad about Marvel, the idea for the new Marvel Vs DC show began to evolve.

Rik Carranza Presents: Marvel Vs DC is an interactive and action-packed hour-long show, aimed at children aged eight and over and will see kids battling it out in fun-filled tests of speed, strength, and courage in defence of their favourite franchise.

Rik Carranza Presents: Star Trek Vs Star Wars, 1 – 16 August, 5.15pm, at venue 272 – Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters – Maggie’s Front Room. Show suitability age 12 and over.

Rik Carranza Presents: Marvel Vs DC, 1– 18 August, 11: 45am, at venue 170 – Laughing Horse @ The Counting House – Lounge. Show suitability age 8 and over. Both shows are ‘pay what you can’. Click Here For Article

August 5, 2024    North West End

Review of Twonkey's Basket Weaving in Peru

4 Star Review

What would happen if an achingly cool cocktail bar in the vicinity of Edinburgh’s Public Triangle made available a small function room for Mark E Smith and Don Van Vliet? (Difficult to predict, the results probably tricky to discern, but definitely must-see.) Click Here For Review

August 5, 2024    The Arts Desk

Review of Sian Davies: Band Of Gold

The tenth anniversary of Sian Davies’ wedding has just passed – but then so has the seventh anniversary of her divorce. It’s a grabber of an intro, drily delivered and neatly setting up Band of Gold, her latest hour of observational comedy.

Davies looks at her own life to ruminate on the choices we make and the errors of judgement we have to live with. But she’s a positive soul, preferring to own her mistakes, even including the naff tattoo she had on an 18-30 holiday some years ago.

And then there’s the short-lived marriage, about which she’s more waspish. But at least there’s fun to be had, she says, in wondering where her ex-wife is now - until she finds out the location for her former partner's second honeymoon. (The show's title, by the way, is a nod to the song of the same title, often played at weddings but the lyrics of which are anything but loved up, as Davies gleefully points out.)

Along the way Davies talks about her working-class family - some of whom have a fractious relationship with public transport - losing her middle-class in-laws in the divorce, mental health and accidentally becoming a dog owner.

Davies has a great rapport with the audience - and clearly likes guying men of a certain age - and has some smart observations to make about lesbian life, families and relationships.

It’s an entertaining hour and one that ends with a short video which, while cleverly pulling the show’s strands together, means it ends with a fizzle rather than a bang. Click Here For Review

August 5, 2024    Broadway Baby

Review of Ask A Stripper: No Holes Barred

Ask a Stripper challenges you to rethink everything you know about stripping and sex work. This free comedy show invites you to engage with two charismatic and articulate female strippers. At best, it is empowering and refreshingly honest – yet it could be funnier.

Stacey Clare is the author of The Ethical Stripper, which takes a detailed look at the sex industry, rejecting notions of victimhood and stigma. She also promotes sex workers’ unions in the UK. Gypsy Charms, the creator of Illicit thrills, was replaced on the opening night by another Scottish talent Roxy from Glasgow.

The show kicks off with a taste of their stripping talents, followed by more witty banter in the Q&A session, where they share stories and anecdotes from the industry. The comedic elements were somewhat rough around the edges, perhaps due to the cast change or opening-night nerves, but these will undoubtedly improve as they get more shows under their belt.

Ask a Stripper relies heavily on intriguing questions. On the opening night, they were rather predictable: career choices, best stripping venues, industry exploitation, and whether there are catfights between the girls. Perhaps the most interesting conversation revolved around the disproportionate number of neurodivergent people in the sex industry and the reasons behind it.

Ask a Stripper is a boldly feminist statement that breaks down barriers, asks important questions about societal morals and provides a new appreciation for the art of stripping. These ladies will deliver a mental lap dance to be remembered. Click Here For Review

August 5, 2024   Entertainment Now

Article about Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far

Fringe for Kids – Top Talent from Around the World

If you’re out and about in the early morning and afternoon you’ll often meet a completely different kind Fringe audience – with hordes of young excited happy faces lining up outside theatres, tents and venues around Edinburgh.

Tons of Fringe comics, circus acts and even cabaret stars put on special shows for kids alongside their adult offerings – so if you’re doing the Fringe family style you’ll be pleasantly surprised at some of the talent on offer.

...Comic author and illustrator Olaf Falafel, frequently on the Best Jokes of the Fringe list, will be bringing sausage birds, bogies and truth-telling cheese to audiences from the ages of 3-13 at Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far at Laughing Horse@ The Counting House as part of the Free Festival.

... Click Here For Article

August 5, 2024   Entertainment Now

Article about Shaggers

And She Said Yes…. Comedy Fan Proposes to Long Time Girlfriend in Free Festival Show ‘Shaggers’

Free Festival stalwart Nik Coppin helped a comedy fan propose to his girlfriend in his comedy show Shaggers on Saturday night.

Riaz Karim got down on one knee to ask girlfriend Angharad Campbell to marry him… and she said yes

Audience members clapped and cheered and the bar manager of the Three Sisters venue rushed off to find a bottle of champagne.

Host Nik Coppin said: “They’ve been coming to Shaggers for a few years now and it’s one of their favourite shows on the Fringe.

“Riaz got in touch with me and said he had got this idea to propose to Angharad at Shaggers – and I said to him: ‘Are you sure’?”

Brighton-based Coppin has been running Shaggers since 2008. The popular late night show features a line up of comics telling material about sex.

“I got them both up on stage with the pretence that I needed a couple to try out a new bit of material.

“I asked them a couple of questions, then Riaz said: ‘I’ve got something I want to ask you.’

In front of the Saturday night Free Festival crowd he said: “We’ve been to this show about eight times. We had one of our first dates here, and every time we come back I love spending this time with you.

“You are the most beautiful, wonderful person in the world. Will you marry me?”

The bride to be said yes – and accepted a ring her boyfriend had been hiding in his pocket.

The proposal was photographed and filmed by members of the audience who were standing on chairs and cheering.

Coppin said the couple, who live in Edinburgh, had been together for several years: “She knew he was going to propose but she expected it to be on a beach or on a hill somewhere. Riaz came up with this idea so it would be a surprise.”

Sharing the footage on social media Brighton based Coppin said it was: “A truly momentous, delightful and brilliant thing. It’s been a nice wee start to the Free Festival this year but the marriage proposal at Shaggers was totes amazing and will be hard to top.”

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/shaggers Click Here For Article

August 5, 2024    Neurodiverse Review

Review of Twonkey's Basket Weaving in Peru

5 Star Review

Autistic singer, storyteller and absurdist Paul Vickers, has been part of the Edinburgh Fringe landscape for well over a decade. So much so, that if you ever get in the way of his tractor beam you may end up coming back year upon year to bask(et) in his glory. Click Here For Review

August 5, 2024    Chortle

Review of Sam See: And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

Much of Sam See’s previous work has revolved around his sexuality, which was, until two years ago, illegal in his native Singapore. For that, and many other reasons, he increasingly felt like he didn’t belong there, and so has sought to make the UK his home.

With its unwieldy title, And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore – the name of a gospel song that’s also inspired an indie comedy-thriller film – is therefore See’s immigrant journey. One he made because of the opportunities on the British comedy circuit, as well as sharing our sarcastic sense of humour, unlike so many of his ever-businesslike countrymen.

Where the dapper, elfin See might not quite fit the stereotypical British personality is that he’s relentlessly upbeat. While he’s always impeccably dressed in suit and bow tie, the one accessory he nearly always sports is a broad smile, emblematic of his charming, welcoming style. It’s a bone of connection that he was always the host, never the headliner back home – but it’s understandable, given his affable personality would be a boon for any gig he was compering.

...

the lesson he draws from his experiences is one worth learning, and hints at greater depths beyond the effusively warm demeanour that makes him such good company, especially when coupled with an authenticity he’s increasingly seeking in his work. Click Here For Review

August 5, 2024    Fest

Review of Sian Davies: Band Of Gold

A drolly delivered hour from an increasingly ambitious storyteller.

How Sian Davies came to find her own face tattooed onto a stranger's midriff is only the most bizarre strand in this patchily linked but drolly delivered hour about where she finds herself in life. Essentially driven by the ongoing fallout of her familial legacy of mental health issues and, more impactfully, her divorce seven years ago, it's fair to say that the break-up still truly impinges on the comic, not least as she grudgingly took custody of the dog after the split. If her love-hate relationship with this canine afford the otherwise dryly cynical Band of Gold its heart, Davies nevertheless amusingly frames it via her suspicions about the dog's political leanings, the antennae of her class consciousness forever twitching. Elsewhere, she muses on body art as a signifier of status and aspirations, but chiefly, youthful folly and regrets, an ever-present link to a past she can't fully put behind her. And why should she? Revelations about the limits of adultery in the eyes of the law seem a staggering injustice and equality loophole that she incredulously dissects for all its worth, while elsewhere she's wryly witty about the limits of middle-class allergy remedies when you live in a deprived inner city. Righteously pugnacious, especially for her socialist ideals, Davies nevertheless has a healthy sense of her own ridiculousness and is an increasingly ambitious storyteller. Click Here For Review

August 5, 2024    One4Review

Review of Ian Stone is Keeping it Together

Ian Stone has been a well-respected stalwart on the comedy scene for decades, so it is no wonder that in what was his first show of 2024, the queues for his venue were long, well before start time.

Stone is a relaxed performer, happy to greet his audience, organise his room, chat to some, all the time probably sussing out the dynamics of the crowd, also provide sources of material for him to ‘play’ with.

The amiable Stone chats, and let’s be honest draws multitudes of laughs on a whole host of subjects including rating anything and everything, getting older, his family and heritage, politics obviously, relationships and a number of stories about his beloved football. Well, he does host a very popular podcast on TV after all, not to mention radio shows too.

Ian uses the audience sparingly, but to effect. He has the nouse to involve without embarrassing. He appealed to a diverse age range and went down well with a large crowd of well-lubricated Austrians too.

It is always a good thing I feel when the gig is winding down and one feels that it has only just started and we want more. This was certainly the case here. His well-crafted set was a joy to behold.

As part of the Laughing Horse Free Festival, entry is free, however donations at the end should be made. Dig deep you would pay a lot of money elsewhere for inferior fare Click Here For Review

August 5, 2024    The Scotsman

Review of Twonkey's Basket Weaving in Peru

4 star review in the Scotsman from Kate Copstick

We are a small, but representative audience when I visit this year's version of the Twonkeyverse : two first timers, one ardent fan, and me. Paul Vickers – aka Twonkey – turns shambles into an art form. Props are dropped or thrown away, only to be needed later requiring a frantic search, his new head keeps falling off while Steve Martin's has broken already (it is only the first show) but we plough on, having been warned that the show has been rated as requiring 'moderate concentration'.
It doesn't. It requires not so much a suspension of your disbelief as launching it into orbit. Just go with Twonkey. The seemingly bottomless toybox of his hour is full of your favourites – Chris Hutchinson, the pan pipe playing Tootie Patootie, your Transylvanian Finger Fantasy troupe and the sooth-saying ship's wheel which, tonight, reveals the mild-mannered looking Twonkey virgin in the front row to be into 'pouching'. We do get to Peru, although there is minimal actual basket weaving (possibly because of the chainsaw). One of the reasons Twonkey's shows are such a glorious experience is that, in a world where so little in comedy is unique, Twonkey is. His world is wonderful if you let go of yours for an hour.
One of our Twonkey virgins says that he didn't 'get' the funny. That it is like looking at a surrealist masterpiece, that you know is a masterpiece, you just don't understand why.
When we get back from Peru, unusually, Paul Vickers emerges for a short chat, and the stories he has about performing with Dawn of the Replicants and why he was banned from the Stand ( treacle and Daniel Sloss) bring a whole new dimension to a show which is already, quite simply, a multi-dimensional marvel of mirth.
 Click Here For Review

August 5, 2024   Entertainment Now

Article about Bubba-Licious

Fringe for Kids – Top Talent from Around the World

If you’re out and about in the early morning and afternoon you’ll often meet a completely different kind Fringe audience – with hordes of young excited happy faces lining up outside theatres, tents and venues around Edinburgh.

Tons of Fringe comics, circus acts and even cabaret stars put on special shows for kids alongside their adult offerings – so if you’re doing the Fringe family style you’ll be pleasantly surprised at some of the talent on offer.

...Finally, for the really really tiny ones comes Bubba-licious – a show full of gentle light, colour and movement, this show at the Laughing Horse@The Pear Tree has been described as the “perfect show for babies and toddlers.”

Start them young and keep them coming back for more.... Click Here For Article

August 5, 2024   Entertainment Now

Article about Olaf Falafel Asks: Has Anyone Ever Actually Woven A Sigourney?

Olaf Falafel: Farts, Toilets and Fighting Seagulls

Olaf Falafel is a stand up comic, illustrator and children’s author, whose knockabout surreal shows have made him a Fringe favourite. He is doing a show for adults and another for kids and often features on the Best Jokes of the Fringe.

Tell us about your show. Why should we go and see it?

My show is perfect for anyone who wants to hear some actual proper jokes, wants to see a cross between the board game Battleships and a clogged toilet and also wants to join in with a rap about a Sausage Bird. I also do a kids comedy show at the Fringe and there is a lot of content crossover between both shows so it’s perfect for people who haven’t fully grown up yet!

What makes you laugh?

It may well be the cheapest, most base-level of humour but a well-timed fart will always be funny to me!

What three words best describe your performance style – and why?

Warm, loud and daft which also sounds like three characters from a Snow White reboot

Do you have nerves about going on stage and how do you cope with them.

I don’t any more but in the months leading up to August I do frequently have an anxiety dream where my show starts in 10 minutes time but I’m stuck the other side of Edinburgh – not sure what that means.

What’s your idea of a perfect Fringe feast and where will you eat it?

A few years ago, the comedian Justin Moorhouse told me about a meat-free Vietnamese restaurant and it has been the place I go to for a good filling Fringe feast at least once a week.

How will your audience think/feel differently after an hour in your company?

I’d like to think I give them license to not take life so seriously. There’s far too much time wasted on being sensible, I hope to change all that with a bit of non-pretentious nonsense.

When did you first realise you were born to be on stage?

I was always a cheeky, naughty child to the point where my nan would often tell my mum that she needed to, in her words, “knock it out of me” – I’m glad she didn’t. Luckily my mum is also a bit daft so encouraged my messing about.

Why do you think Edinburgh Fringe is so important to performers and artists around the world?

It’s just so special, it’s a warm pitta pocket of creativity where performers feel safe to take risks and audiences are (mostly) experienced enough to expect the unusual.

How do you plan to relax and enjoy the city when you’re not performing.

I always try and do something arty – last year I saw the Grayson Perry exhibition at the Royal Academy and the year before we went to a Barbara Hepworth exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art

Who is your showbiz idol and why.

I adore Bob Mortimer – who doesn’t?

What is your idea of a perfect Fringe moment?

Last year I filmed three seagulls fighting over a battered sausage which I thought was either a brilliant metaphor for the Fringe or, more likely, just a funny video!

Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far, 11.30 Laughing Horse Counting House, August 1 – 25

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/olaf-falafel-s-stupidest-super-stupid-show-so-far

Olaf Falafel Asks Has Anyone Ever Actually Woven a Sigourney, 15.45 Laughing Horse, August 1 – 25

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/olaf-falafel-asks-has-anyone-ever-actually-woven-a-sigourney Click Here For Article

August 5, 2024   Entertainment Now

Article about Best in Class

Sian Davies: Where Are All the Working Class Comics?

You can tell I’m working class from the tattoo on my leg. Apparently, this means I also eat kebabs and frequent two star resorts in Benidorm. So says a (now deleted) review recently published on a theatre blog. In which rather than reviewing Clinton Baptiste’s show, the writer chose to critique the largely working class audience.

I wasn’t surprised when I read the review, just eight per cent of people working in the arts are working class. So being treated with contempt is par for the course when you are a marginalised community.

But why is class at the Edinburgh Fringe so important? And what can we actually do to make a difference?

I’ve been talking about class at the Fringe since 2018, when I set up Best in Class to support working class comedians. There are a lot of barriers for working class people in the arts, but for me, it boils down to three main things:

Money
Time
Contacts
The first one is easy, the Fringe costs a lot. For a full run at a big venue with professional production you’re looking at around £10,000. Most working class people don’t have this sort of money lying around, nor do their family. The financial risk when you don’t have independent wealth to dip into means that much less working class people perform at the fringe. I know working class people who have done sex work, medical trials and sold their belongings to raise the money to bring a show to Edinburgh.

Working class people are usually in low paid, precarious jobs, and pay more for their rent than middle class folk do on their mortgage. This means to earn the 10k needed for a Fringe show they need to work harder and longer. They won’t have as much free time to develop their work, write their show and gig. They are also unlikely to have the benefits of remote work, career breaks and flexible schedules. Less time to work on your show, means you are already starting on the backfoot. In a competitive environment like the fringe, this can influence the fine margins between success and failure.

I went to an average comprehensive school, none of my classmates work in the arts. There are no famous school alumni. None of my family show up in blue on my wikipedia page. I don’t even have a wikipedia page. I never played kiss chase with someone who now runs a production company. My uncle can’t give me a leg up with a job at the BBC (he can get me meat off the back of a lorry but that is a different story).

The Fringe has long been a launch pad for careers within TV and Radio. In August the London centric industry moves en masse to Edinburgh and set up temporary offices in tenements and student flats. Talent is spotted, meetings are had, stars are made, deals are done and shows are commissioned. All off the back of successful fringe shows.

A fictional TV panel show has a diverse lineup of comedians. Team A has Phill Wang, Mel Gedroiyc and Richard Ayoade. Against them are Sophie Duker, Al Murray and Sally Phillips. Now what if I told you that all of Team A went to Cambridge, all of Team B went to Oxford and every single comedian on the show was privately educated. Not quite as diverse as you first thought, is it?

That’s not to say those comedians aren’t talented, but it does magnify the lack of meritocracy within the industry.

How about a panel show with Jayde Adams, Darren Harriet and Lindsey Santoro facing Thanyia Moore, Josh Jones, and Jordan Gray (Ok, I’ll host). Is that too many regional accents in one room for the general viewer to cope with? Too many leg tattoos, too much appetite for kebabs? What are we frightened of?

Working class people are not a homogenous group. They are naturally diverse, with intersectionalities that check the tick boxes we endeavour to fill in our quest for representative line ups. More working class people means more diversity, it really is that simple.

Authentic working class voices are what the industry is crying out for. To get this we need to put resources into working class talent at all levels. The Keep It Fringe Fund recently offered £2,500 bursaries to 180 fringe acts. The Fringe Society proudly boasts that one in three of the recipients were working class. Which of course means that two thirds were middle or upper class. 120 recipients, or £300,000 to people who are more likely to afford to be at the fringe in the first place. That’s not to say that those recipients were not all deserving of the money, a middle class artist who needs adjustments for their disability or someone trying a new creative way of delivering their show. But when working class people cannot even afford to be at the festival, it would have been far better spent with a commitment to supporting a majority of artists with a financial disadvantage.

For the few that do make, they are up against what can seem like a network of people which they will never be part of. Without the old school tie, or the correct handshake grip, without the friends in high places maintaining the status quo. Working class artists are pushed into novelty and variety roles, rather than writers rooms and panel shows. But the more people that break through, the larger the pool of working class talent to choose from. It really is a numbers game. In 2018 I brought 8 working class acts to Edinburgh, now we have a network of over 60 who we support with workshops, bursaries and advice. If I’m not the right working class act for you, then I probably know someone who is.

Sian Davies: Band of Gold, 16.15 Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, August 1 – 25

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sian-davies-band-of-gold

Best in Class, 19.00, Laughing Horse @ Three Sisters

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/best-in-class Click Here For Article

August 5, 2024    The QR

Review of John Robertson: The Human Hurricane

This will be a short review (thank you John – you are a true friend to the reviewer). Best known to Fringe audiences as the legend behind the legendary Dark Room, John Robertson’s ‘The Human Hurricane’ finds him with ukulele in hand and crowdwork on his silver-crowned mind.

He’s a force of nature, a grinning jester out to flatter, not puncture with his wild yet curiously accurate observations. This is the ‘oh no, the comedian is looking at me’ show for those with reservations about such things. Also when I say flatter, don’t get the wrong idea…one of John’s strummed bangers is entitled ‘Anime C*nt’. John Robertson honours your given social tribe, but don’t expect kid gloves.

“He’s a force of nature, a grinning jester out to flatter, not puncture with his wild yet curiously accurate observations.”

Of course, every single show will be different, so reviewing the specifics of my experience on the 1st of August is pretty pointless. Suffice it to say he made gorgeously merry with everyone including yours truly, a 17-year-old kid halfway back, and a chap essentially dressed as Pikachu. No one left unscathed or undelighted by being scathed.

Topics included kneecaps, Jason Momoa, bondage, big yacht energy, and John’s questionable competence when it comes to charging pieces of kit. That is to say, whatever came to his mind, filtered through his splendid (and twisted) wit to be regurgitated with ridiculously funny results. One thing that didn’t come to his mind was the slogan printed on the hats he’s brought along as merch. Contextless merchandise is the future judging by the queue to acquire one.

So do go and see John. His schtick is deliciously wild, his songs give no f**ks whatsoever, and his twisted heart is made of gold. Please go and dive in – also just sit at the front. John will find and delight you – that sounds creepy, but I’m leaving it – wherever you are. ‘The Human Hurricane’…that’s about right. Click Here For Review

August 5, 2024    The QR

Review of Accordion Ryan's Pop Bangers

4.5 stars

I’ve owned Accordion Ryan a review for a year or two. It turns out I was doing myself a huge disservice. What a barrel of musical joy.

The show is precisely what he promises and more. He does indeed perform bangers from across the pop spectrum in ways you’ve never heard before. He doesn’t change the lyrics, he just switches synths, drums, and bass for his accordion.

Give the boy a time machine, and Ryan with his long flowing locks and merry squeezebox could probably find audiences in the taverns and bars of any time. His rampant renditions of ‘Hey Nonny Nonny’ would become the thing of legends.

Of course, given his talent for sweeping an audience away in an all-singing, all-dancing PARTY, one fears that he would be burned as a witch. However, his memory would live on, a spark of unbridled happiness in the minds of the last peasants who heard him. Ryan is absolutely free to put the following quote on his posters: So good, our ancestors would probably have burned him as a witch.

“Give the boy a time machine, and Ryan with his long flowing locks and merry squeezebox could probably find audiences in the taverns and bars of any time.”

Ryan is such an engaging, charming performer that the stoniest of Boomers+ who wander into the show will be won over sooner or later. From Britney Spears ‘Baby One More Time’ to the dirty version of Khia’s ‘My Neck, My Back’ Ryan gives his all, prancing here and there like a shoe-wearing satyr. I can’t imagine an audience not getting on board with his open-hearted invitation to join in or dance.

Personally I and the younger Mrs.QR would have enjoyed a slightly more diverse range of genres, and if Ryan wants to give back to Edinburgh audiences, he’ll have more luck with the Proclaimers than Gerry Cinnamon. These are small notes on what is the finest accordion party in town this August. So fine that other accordionist pop afficianados needn’t apply.

I close with a demonstration of Ryan’s alchemical abilities with song. Readers, I actually enjoyed a rendition of W.A.P. for the very first time. The combination of his fine accordion playing, merry (not silly) voice, and the party atmosphere stripped it of its rather icky (in my opinion!) overtones, and left only a slightly risque singalong.

With that I leave you, open mouthed with amazement. For more amazement you can always go along to Accordion Ryan’s Pop Bangers! Click Here For Review

August 5, 2024   iNews

Article about Sian Davies: Band Of Gold

The 33 best shows to see at Edinburgh Fringe 2024

Sian Davies: Band of Gold

She’s the founder of Best in Class, an organisation which brings a cohort of talented working-class comedians to the Fringe every year, but Sian Davies is also a skilled stand-up in her own right. Her third solo show promises an hour of laughs about regrets, inspired by a Northern Soul playlist. Click Here For Article

August 4, 2024    Neurodiversereview

Review of Ashley Gutermuth Is Hard To Pronounce

Ashley Gutermuth is Hard to Pronounce

Even though Edinburgh includes the West-End, the idea of venturing toward the New Town, puts off many a punter. Cut to, me running down back alleys trying to find the venue, and then trying to find the room in said venue. But to those adventurers, the spoils. Because walking in a few minutes late to Ashley Gutermuth I was greeted with a ‘here’s the re-cap. I’m autistic, I have ADHD, my hairs too short, are you someone who judges what other people wear?’ And I thought – I’m home!

Gutermuth is incredible, everything that comes out of her mouth is inherently funny. No matter what she’s talking about it is delivered with perfect precision. So much so, that the framing of the hour isn’t really a framing; that of her estranged aunt’s obsessive journals. Gutermuth spends a lot of time talking about her age-gap relationship, which was hilarious, and shows what she does with quite a well-worn subject. There are many anecdotes which are unbelievable, watch out for the ‘hidden bars of gold in the cubby-hole’ and ‘uncle’s home movies’.

The audience were so enamoured with Ashley, hanging off every word. It’s a testament to an accomplished comedian, that in the most overcrowded of genre’s at the fringe, Gutermuth is someone you want more and more of, even after the show ends.

I can’t say just how much I enjoyed the show, it was a powerhouse performance, and an absolute must-see at the fringe Click Here For Review

August 2, 2024   European Comedy.com

Article about Decomposing, Live

Alec Snook May Be ‘Decomposing’ But His Comedy Is in Tiptop Shape!

Late on the Sunday night of an intensive weekend of Fringe preview shows, Alec Snook’s debut solo hour, Decomposing, Live, has garnered a cosy crowd of 15 or so. Luke Messina, Alec's good friend and a local favourite comedian and producer, has warmed up the crowd nicely.

Alec comes onto the stage in a typically untypical way, immediately setting the tone for the show before even saying a word. But hang on a minute: it seems like something is amiss…

Alec Snook looks at camera against blue background
And thus we are launched face-first into an hour-long “joyous journey into general decline through short tales, absurdist detours and outraged storytelling”. We hear about the various ways Alec is ‘decomposing’, such as tinnitus, colour-blindness, and the long-term effects of too much hotdog brine; we discover what he has in common with street artist Banksy; we learn that he’s divorced (“Little bit of gossip for you…”); we hear about his forays into the world of dating apps (but trust me, I can 100% guarantee you’ve never heard this angle from any other comedian); and we find out why his mum’s funeral was only the second-best one he’s been to…

Yes, there is a poignancy underpinning Alec’s show: he tells us how he began writing his first comedy set in parallel with writing his beloved mum’s eulogy, as a coping mechanism. But this isn’t your typical ‘dead parent show’. Or any kind of typical show, come to that. Every second of it is delightfully surprising, as he weaves together moments of sincerity and true (but still absurd) stories with the gleefully surreal ones.

It’s a wild and wonderful ride. The audience is fully there for it, with the top down and the hilarious, weird wind in our hair.

Decomposing, Live’s blurb reads: “Expressed as an equation, Snook is: whimsy x wordplay ÷ dark absurdity – integrity.”

Don’t believe the last part though. Between you and me, Alec Snook’s personal and artistic integrity are unrivalled. Just don’t leave your jar of bratwurst unattended …

Decomposing, Live runs Aug. 2-25 at Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters in the Wee Room. Pay-what-you-want and ticket information can be found on the Edinburgh Fringe website. Click Here For Article

August 2, 2024    The Quinntessential Review

Review of Accordion Ryan's Pop Bangers

EdFringe Review: Accordion Ryan’s Pop Bangers

I’ve owned Accordion Ryan a review for a year or two. It turns out I was doing myself a huge disservice. What a barrel of musical joy.

The show is precisely what he promises and more. He does indeed perform bangers from across the pop spectrum in ways you’ve never heard before. He doesn’t change the lyrics, he just switches synths, drums, and bass for his accordion.

Give the boy a time machine, and Ryan with his long flowing locks and merry squeezebox could probably find audiences in the taverns and bars of any time. His rampant renditions of ‘Hey Nonny Nonny’ would become the thing of legends.

Of course, given his talent for sweeping an audience away in an all-singing, all-dancing PARTY, one fears that he would be burned as a witch. However, his memory would live on, a spark of unbridled happiness in the minds of the last peasants who heard him. Ryan is absolutely free to put the following quote on his posters: So good, our ancestors would probably have burned him as a witch.

“Give the boy a time machine, and Ryan with his long flowing locks and merry squeezebox could probably find audiences in the taverns and bars of any time.”

Ryan is such an engaging, charming performer that the stoniest of Boomers+ who wander into the show will be won over sooner or later. From Britney Spears ‘Baby One More Time’ to the dirty version of Khia’s ‘My Neck, My Back’ Ryan gives his all, prancing here and there like a shoe-wearing satyr. I can’t imagine an audience not getting on board with his open-hearted invitation to join in or dance.

Personally I and the younger Mrs.QR would have enjoyed a slightly more diverse range of genres, and if Ryan wants to give back to Edinburgh audiences, he’ll have more luck with the Proclaimers than Gerry Cinnamon. These are small notes on what is the finest accordion party in town this August. So fine that other accordionist pop afficianados needn’t apply.

I close with a demonstration of Ryan’s alchemical abilities with song. Readers, I actually enjoyed a rendition of W.A.P. for the very first time. The combination of his fine accordion playing, merry (not silly) voice, and the party atmosphere stripped it of its rather icky (in my opinion!) overtones, and left only a slightly risque singalong.

With that I leave you, open mouthed with amazement. For more amazement you can always go along to Accordion Ryan’s Pop Bangers! Click Here For Review

August 1, 2024    Lancaster Guardian

Review of Angela Bra: Social Calendar Girl

Winner of Critics Choice Award at Morecambe Fringe

Critic's Choice Award 2024

Social Calendar Girl (Morecambe Fringe)

Glance at Angela Bra's Social Media and they are busy busy busy and deservedly so. This new show is part sex ed talk, game show, comedy and song parodies via Adele and Kylie, seamlessly blended together. Audience participation, which is essential, is handled expertly despite the early time slot. Having seen previous shows this one builds on them. Angela Bra just gets better and better...go see this.

Christian Ainscough 5/5

----

Social Calendar Girl (Carnforth Fringe)

A sex education lesson for adults through the media of spoken word and song. I loved the show. The audience quickly availed itself of the opportunity to sing along with some shamelessly reworked popular hits with Angela Bra’s edgy amendments. Lots of laugh out loud moments – I wish my Sex Ed had been this funny.

Chris Smith 4/5 Click Here For Review

August 1, 2024    Lancaster Guardian

Review of Annie and Angela's Dumbgenz and Dragqueenz

Winner of Critics Choice Award at Morecambe Fringe

Dumbgenz and Dragqueenz by Angela Bra and Annie Sup

Our heroines fall through a lip sync hole into a parallel world full of crazy characters and dungeon masters. In many ways this was the fringiest-fringe show I've seen this year. Perfectly silly and delightful. Great songs, gags and characters.

Marty Simeon 5/5 Click Here For Review

July 31, 2024    Londra Notizie

Review of Mattia Sedda: Choin

"CHOIN by Mattia Sedda: the clown, the buffoon, and the commediante."

In the first five minutes of his show CHOIN, Mattia Sedda performed, through magnificent body gestures, the piece that for us millennials represented the boundary between adolescence and adulthood: the theme song What’s My Destiny Dragon Ball. He sang it very poorly (and in Italian), exactly as you readers are singing it (mentally or out loud). "I know you know it."

He did it in front of a diverse audience, half of whom, not being Italian, not eating Italian, not speaking Italian, and not living Italian, had no idea what was happening. Yet everyone was completely immersed in that hilarious gag. How is this possible?

The Perfect Combination of the Medieval Buffoon and the Comic of Art
It's possible because Mattia Sedda reincarnates, in a contemporary way, the perfect blend of the medieval buffoon and the comic of art: through his performances, which are absolutely not realistic but "real" and never predictable, Sedda the clown moves away from the text-centric and literary conception of theater to rediscover one linked to presence rather than representation. Nothing in Sedda's show, from the attention-seeking T-Rex to the fascist comrade who wants to conquer Leicester Square with strictly I-T-A-L-I-A-N pizza and mozzarella, seems scripted or premeditated, even though the most surreal gag seems believable. This is the key to Mattia Sedda's show, and in general, to the comic Mattia Sedda, along with the balanced mix of simplicity, rhythm, and precision.

Being a Clown is a Very Serious Thing
Mattia's provocative and grotesque physicality alternates with gentle movements, imbued with a purity that provokes hilarity but also a certain nostalgia for childish behavior.

As children, in fact, the maximum potential of our bodies reaches its peak, being free from control and inhibition. We are clumsily spontaneous, more "real than real," dragging reality by the hand and mixing it with our imagination, giving it no escape. As adults, this superpower is lost, not nurtured, abandoned. Mattia, on the other hand, has evidently taken care of it, training with great consistency. Being a clown, and knowing how to make people laugh, is a very serious thing. Because Mattia Sedda the buffoon makes us laugh from start to finish, but Mattia Sedda the man opens small cracks here and there, taking on the responsibility of making us think that being migrants, "fitting into" a rotten society, and no longer even recognizing ourselves in our gestures is not so "normal."

Humility Outside the Character
After the show, I went to talk to Mattia, and there was one thing that struck me: his humility outside the character. It was as if, after the performance, he slipped into the role of a good host, ensuring that everything proceeded smoothly. The same humility I found in the only line spoken by the female version of Monsieur Hulot, the actress Malin Sofia Kvist, who opened Mattia Sedda's act: "I am Swedish" – meaning – by observing my natural and unnatural gestures, my perfect musculature at the service of completely nonsensical actions, you must have wondered who I am and where I come from. Well, she is Swedish.

An opening that functioned like a pre-film trailer in the cinema hall. You watch it with curiosity while waiting for the show you've carefully selected. CHOIN!

Go see it at the Edinburgh Fringe 2024. Click Here For Review

July 30, 2024   AllEdinburgh Theatre.com

Article about Rik Carranza Presents: Marvel vs DC

EdFringe 2024: Theatre for children & young people

Edinburgh-made theatre for children & young people at #EdFringe 2024

There is a strong showing of theatre for children this year, with 18 shows in the listing, aimed at audiences ranging from babes in arms to early teens.

There are a lot more Children’s shows in the programme, we know, performed by many talented individuals. However, this listing is primarily for theatre-based shows – with a smattering of other tempting treats.


A scene from a previous tour of Shark in the Park. Pic: Nonsenseroom Productions
There are 184 shows Made in Edinburgh at #EdFringe this year. In order to make things clearer, we have divided the listing up into seven parts. On this page you can find an alphabetical listing of all the theatre for children and young people made by Edinburgh-based companies.

Here are the links to the other six listings pages:

Theatre by Edinburgh’s Amateur companies.
Theatre by Edinburgh’s Grassroots companies.
Theatre by Edinburgh’s Youth and Student companies.
Theatre by Edinburgh’s Professional & Funded companies.
Edinburgh-made Musical Theatre & Opera.
Edinburgh-made Music, Cabaret & Dance.

We are also proud to work with EPAD to produce and publish their annual listing of shows “created, performed or produced by Edinburgh’s theatre professionals” which is here. Click Here For Article

July 24, 2024   

Article about Rik Carranza Presents: Star Trek vs Star Wars

Edinburgh Fringe: 6 Shit-Hot Must-See Acts

The Fringe guide reads like the phone book these days, with so many acts lining up to entertain you, but which ones should you invest your time and hard-earned dosh on? Sure, it’s a matter of taste. I mean, some folk will pay hundreds of quid just to see a middle-aged man in a fake hot air balloon, singing theme tunes from 70s TV shows. Each to their own, I guess.


But that’s not what the Fringe is about. It’s like that holiday in Thailand when you took that hooker back to your apartment and learned a new meaning to the phrase “gender reveal”. Roll the dice man, take a chance! Sure, it’s down to personal taste, but the Fringe is like a swinger’s party; there’s something for everyone.

So, throw your keys in the bowl. Here are six acts not to miss if you want to get some comedy diversity and proper belly laughs.

Lou Taylor: Jeans and a Nice Top

Lou Taylor is an online sensation, with nearly 20 million views of her sketches. She comes to the Fringe for the first time, and with the following she has, I’d expect to see her shows packed out. 90s fans are in for a treat., Lou will take you back to a time when life was so much simpler, more fun, but still a bit shite.

How much? £12

Where and when? Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker Three 8:30 (1 hour)

What to expect: 90s nostalgia, and plenty of proper laughs


Mark Nelson: Getting Better Man

Multi award-winning comedian Mark Nelson has built a huge reputation in the comedy scene, but for me, he still hasn’t got the recognition he fully deserves. Expect plenty of football banter; Mark confesses that even though he’s a huge fan of his national team, he’s found it very difficult to hate the England team recently. He managed to, but it was difficult. He came out the other side of COVID a new man, despite having to home-school his kids; a time so stressful, he was certain he’d be the first person to be involved in a home-school shooting.

How much? Pay what you want, but it’s a good idea to get tickets in advance.

Where and when? Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Hive). 19.05 (1 hour)

What to expect: Pure Nelson


Rik Carranza Presents: Star Trek vs Star Wars

I’ve been to a few of these and I’ve never seen a bad one.

We all know Jar Jar Binks is a better sci-fi character than Mr Spock. Don’t agree? Then let’s settle this af the Fringe. So, which is better- Star Trek or Star Wars? There’s only one way to find out…go check out this innovative gem of a show which is back for its sixth run at the Fringe. Host Rik Carranza invites comedians from across the Fringe get their light sabers and phasers out to sort it out once and for all.

How much? Pay what you can

Where and when? Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters 17.15 (1 hour)

What to expect: Geek wars


Phil O’Shea: Never Pretend to Be an Owl!

If you like your “Reeves and Mortimer” you’ll love Phil O’Shea. Phil is one half of the popular Soup Group comedy duo and takes his one-man show to the Fringe. One of my favourite Phil O’Shea jokes involves a man who invented the world’s most powerful binoculars. They were so strong that he could see right around the world. Unfortunately, when he looked through them, all he could see was the back of his head. Take your time…

How much? £10

Where and when? The Stand Comedy Club- Club 2 21:30 (1 hour)

What to expect: Owls


Martin Mor: Three Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty Nine Weeks

Mor knows how to work the crowd and this brilliant showman showman is back again, with another must-see show. Never one to hold back on a hot topic, Northern-Ireland funnyman Mor is looking at living to at least 80-years old. He’s already had 3,129 weeks of that, but what will he do with the 871 weeks that he has got left? It’ll be well worth the tenner to find out.

How much? £10

Where and when? The Stand Comedy Club- Club 5 and 6 20:20 (1 hour)

What to expect: Plenty of side-splitting banter with the audience


Bella Humphries: Square Peg

Bella Humphries' star is on the rise, so catch her now. Originally from Swindon, but now based in North Wales, this is her debut Fringe show. It’s the story of someone trying to find their feet in life, before being given an unexpected diagnosis. No spoilers here, but when life throws shit at you, perhaps the best thing to do is laugh at it. You’ll come away well entertained, and maybe even educated too.

How much? £8

Where and when? Just the Tonic Mash House – Just the Bottle Room 18.10 (1 hour)

What to expect: Why you sometimes have to work your arse off just to be yourself


Fred Spanner will be appearing at Ray Fordyce’s Vibrant and Vivacious Variety Show, West Oracle, Edinburgh Fringe, 6.15pm, Saturday 3rd August 2024. Click Here For Article

July 23, 2024   Fest Mag

Article about Sam See: And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

Edinburgh Fringe 2024 – Top Picks: Comedy

From mistaken identity to medieval saints, these comedy shows will have you in stitches:

Sam See: And I Can’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore
Laughing Horse @ Counting House, 1-25 Aug (not 6, 13, 20), 5.45pm

Once a government-mandated sex educator, Sam See's latest hour is more personal and will strike a chord with anyone who’s felt a disconnect between where they grew up and where they feel at home. Click Here For Article

July 22, 2024   BroadwayWorld

Article about Sam See: And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

SAM SEE: AND I CAN'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE - Q&A

BWW caught up with Sam See about bringing And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore to the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

How did you first get started in the world of comedy?

I started when I was eighteen going on nineteen in Singapore. At the time I really wanted to be a jazz singer/crooner, no one else was really doing it and I thought I could get in that market. Trouble was, I never had really done it live. I did covers on YouTube and such, with not much traction or interest. Then, I found out that a local gay interest group were running a talent competition, which would be a great way to get out there and maybe show some folks. Also, everyone who participated would get a year’s free entry to the local gay club, so I was already a winner.

The issue was I needed to fill eight minutes of stage time, and my song only ran for four, so I needed to fill that extra four minutes. I really loved watching stand-up on YouTube as well, so I thought “What the heck, let’s do some stand-up.” I wrote a godawful four-minute set, performed it to no reaction in the audition, but thankfully the singing was good enough to get me in. Funnily enough, one of the other competitors, a drag queen, also did stand-up and invited me to an open mic, which was genuinely the first time I ever heard the term. I followed her a week later and watched the best comedians in Singapore perform, some bombing, and I thought “What the heck, I can do better than them!” I signed up for the following week, which was serendipitously also April 1st, and enjoyed myself so much that I just kept coming back. The dream of singing faded in the rearview mirror, as my love of stand-up started to shine in the distance.

I did come in second in that talent competition, losing to that very drag queen. So I suppose singing is the fallback career.

What made you want to create And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore?

Honestly, a bit of spite. My last hour show, Government Approved Sex, was something I really enjoyed, but I got flak for it behind my back for not being “real stand-up.” The show used slides, crowd work and education to make something I’m proud of, but comics and audiences did turn their nose up at it. I’m also known as a crowd work comic back in Asia, so I didn’t get respect from some acts for my work. I wanted to write this show as proof and also a “take that” to those acts, to show I can do the general stand-up hour, but I just choose not to so I can have fun in my own world of creativity.

Thankfully in the end - and after some performances of it - the show has now become less about bitterness and more about positivity, which I think makes better art in my case. Also, it makes me drink far less whisky when writing the show.

What is your creative process like for a show like And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore?

This has been a show that has been cooking in the background for years - bits of material I’ve always wanted to do or stories I wanted to tell, but couldn’t when I was still based in Singapore. I sketched out the core story elements first, then slotted the bits I wanted to do in-between, where it makes sense energy and flow-wise. Adding in more jokes and stories to flesh it out, and then once it was finished, I then went in with a large razor and cut out any jokes or bits that I felt were just not up to the mark. After, it was the WIPs, where it’s more testing, removing, adding in riffs that work and make sense, and then a few more shows and it was done. There’s still more to iron out, but I feel you only have a proper hour show after 30 performances, so we’ll be there before the middle of the Fringe.

The best part is looking back at early notes and seeing weird lines like “seven inches” and trying to figure out what the heck that was about. Do I need to add in seven inches to my show? Oh crap, now I’m really wondering if I have to.

What is it like sharing your own story as a comedy show?

It’s really strange, especially for this one. I wrote in the emotional, pathos-inducing moment at the forty-minute mark, because I do like having those moments of honesty in an hour show, and it became REALLY personal. I haven’t been that honest and raw on a stage before, even if it’s more a minute. It’s so wild to do it and then have to get back to the comedy afterwards, but I really need that, I suppose, as a performer and as a human. I love sharing my life in jokes because I very rarely make up stories for the stage. For this hour, it’s really about the comedic honesty, hopefully with enough comedic in it.

You’ve performed in over 25 countries - what is it like performing internationally?

People would think it’s difficult, but for me, I thrive in it and on the road. My stuff has never been too “local” for Asia - I’ve always written for an international audience, so there weren’t many translation or reference issues. Plus, I love to create stuff just for the city, town or just for the gig itself. I feel it adds that “something something” to a show, the feeling like you’re watching something happening in the now and here, a club show that can’t quite be repeated 100%, so I spend time writing, walking around, and writing some more. I also love seeing people from all over in their own space, what they eat, where they go. An artistic voyeur of sorts, if I can make it sound not so creepy.

What is it like bringing a show like this up to the Edinburgh Fringe?

It’s a thrill for me. A festival where every day and every show is different, with audiences ranging from the fans to the bored, drunks and druggies, kids and pensioners, and it’s my job to entertain them the best I can. With a show like this too, it’s hopefully showing people the journey I’ve taken to literally get up on that stage in that festival, all the way from Singapore. It’s going to be cathartic by the end of it. I hope. I could also have a dreadful festival, but I know I’ll find a positive spin to it.

What do you hope audiences take away from And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore?

My merchandise.

Also, the want to look for their own home, a place where they enjoy, a place where they belong, and fighting for it with positivity and optimism in a difficult world.

But mostly, my merchandise.

How would you describe And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore in one word?

Hope.

As in I hope you people buy some tickets to this show.

Sam See: And I Can’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore runs from 1 to 25 August (no performances on 6, 13 or 24 August) at Laughing Horse @ The Counting House - The Lounge at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Click Here For Article

July 21, 2024   Buxton Fringe

Article about Angela Bra: Social Calendar Girl

Social Calendar Girl Nominated for Best Comedy Show at the 2024 Buxton Fringe

Social Calendar Girl was nominated for Best Comedy Show at the 2024 Buxton Fringe, just one of six from over fifty comedy productions. Click Here For Article

July 17, 2024   European Comedy

Article about Michelle Ahern: We've Had A Good Run

“If Not Us, Who? If Not Now, When?” — Michelle Ahern and Iain Anderson Talk ‘Traumedy’

Michelle Ahern is taking her solo show, We’ve Had a Good Run, to the Edinburgh Fringe this year. It’s pretty impressive for someone just over 18 months into comedy. Click Here For Article

July 15, 2024   theatre and Art Reviews

Fringe venue update and Alex Petty speaks to Theatre Review abut this years Free Festival

Fringe venue update and Alex Petty speaks to Theatre Review abut this years Free Festival Click Here For Article

July 14, 2024   Buxton Fringe

Article about Angela Bra: Social Calendar Girl

Review from Buxton Fringe

Musical comedy drag queen Angela Bra (pronounced to rhyme with candelabra) is also a primary school music teacher so it’s no surprise that her new show Social Calendar Girl, delivered as a Sex & Relationship Education special lesson, feels so particularly assured.

Angela had us in the palm of her hand (she would probably find an innuendo in that) as she guided us through an authoritative PowerPoint presentation under three headings - Hatches (when we come out of our shells), Matches and Dispatches with topics including gender reveal parties, hen nights and the dangerous side effects of cocktails.

There were plenty of Angela’s bawdy trademark songs like her version of Adele’s Hello ('Hello from the park and ride') plus enjoyable audience participation through singalongs and games such as Snatch Phrase, her variation on the popular TV game. Some of the content was X-rated but never nasty and there was smut-free fun to be had with her lesson on what to say and what not to say to people as they reached landmark ages right up to 90.

Throughout it all, Angela had a great rapport with the audience indulging in some clever banter whether it was asking a guy from Northern Ireland whether he 'went down south regularly' or gee-ing us up to play a betting game, 'Cool or bald?', in reference to a man with a hat on.

Performing on Carnival night is always something of a risk but I like to think that we proved lively but not detention-worthy as an audience. After a polished performance, Angela finished off by taking a selfie with us (which she told me not to mention, so actually that is me in detention) and a fond invitation for us to follow her online or 'in a dark alley'. I would go further to say you that if you are not too easily shocked and in the market for a fun night out, you should try and catch the second performance of this polished show (on July 19th) and/or her post-pub crawl adventure with Annie Sup on July 20th.

Stephanie Billen Click Here For Article

July 13, 2024   Buxton Fringe

Article about Annie and Angela's Dumbgenz and Dragqueenz

Review from Buxton Fringe

Angela Bra is a regular and popular performer at Buxton Fringe. In this show she and her BFF Annie Sup find themselves on an underground adventure when they fall down a lipsync-hole on the way to an Indian restaurant, the intended final destination of their pub crawl. At the bottom of the hole, hungry and disorientated, Angela Bra finds her companion has disappeared and she is faced with a quest to find her Annie and return to the surface (and dinner).

In a high energy show involving catchy songs and rapid costume changes, the audience were exhorted to use their imaginations to fill in the scenery as we explored the subterranean world, which included zombies, several generations of RuPaul, and sword-fighting (at least I think it was a sword…). There was also a cameo for an audience member playing the part of a parrot.

This is a fun show which doesn’t take itself too seriously. Click Here For Article

July 7, 2024   BuxtonFringe.org.uk

Article about Nathan Cassidy: The Spine That Shagged Me

Buxton Fringe Review 2024

Hugely entertaining.... 'Probably his best show I’ve seen here' was one comment I heard afterwards. It was a smashing show. Click Here For Article

July 7, 2024   Skinny

Article about Twonkey's Basket Weaving in Peru

13 Scottish Acts to see at the Fringe (Skinny)

Make room for Twonkey (Laughing Horse @ Dragonfly, 1-25 Aug (not 5, 12, 19), 8.15pm, Free/PWYC). Unlike anything else you’ll see all Fringe, the cult comic was once banned from The Stand for “treacle misadventure”. Click Here For Article

July 6, 2024   The Seagull

Article about Marcus Dean: Has Anyone Seen My Dad?

Best Stand Up 2024 Winner - Brighton Fringe

It's been a while since a comedy show has made me laugh so hard that I got a stitch, but that's exactly what Marcus Dean's Has Anyone Seen My Dad? achieved. Click Here For Article

July 4, 2024    Morning Star

Review of Alvin Liu: Rice

‘The house of commons is a posh white peoples’ rap battle’

ALVIN LIU is from China, where a thriving stand-up scene has developed in the past few years in Shanghai and Beijing — though your entire venue might get shut down if someone makes a joke that could even vaguely be construed as a slight against the motherland.

No such problems in Britain — yet — and there are some very funny Chinese comics up-and-coming on the London scene, including Chin Wang and the brilliant Blank Peng. Liu definitely has the chops to join them, with his by turns universal and deeply personal observations building up to an excellent debut hour.

The set begins as all comedy shows should: with the performer’s mother singing a karaoke song in Mandarin, and it’s Liu’s relationship with his mother, across decades, continents, viewpoints, and languages, that form the backbone to his material.

He is charm personified, putting this multinational and multilingual crowd immediately at ease — even the people who weren’t expecting it to be in English. We’re hooked into his world with a barrage of well-honed gags interspersed with quieter, more reflective, but still subversive material — some of which flies over the head of the audience, who seem occasionally unsure of how they are supposed to react.

Particularly brilliant are sections on depression — knowingly presented as a decadent Western indulgence — and Chinese schooling, in which one learns that one plus one equals China has a thriving agricultural sector.

Crowd-pleasing dunks on Japan — his perspective on Oppenheimer is worth the price of admission alone — are leavened with clever, unexpected observations on cultural differences over body image, sex, and sexuality. Liu’s thoughts on oppression, and how self-identity is policed even in the very young, are important in any language.

The conclusion to this hour is strong, but could perhaps be better seeded early in the narrative. The bits on racism are beautifully observed but could do with being further unpacked; Liu’s relationship with the West, via English teachers and American hip hop, is a rich seam worthy of further exploration.

And so, too, is the material about the country Liu and his mother find themselves in.

“Sure we can’t buy freedom, but you can’t buy eggs,” points out Liu in a gleeful reversal of orientalist assumptions. Britain’s economic, cultural and political decline is skewered brilliantly here, and I’m curious to see how it goes down in, say, Dunstable, or Doncaster.

Liu punches up and exposes the ludicrous nature of our own Parliament, and of our “two party” system — jokes that seem beyond our current, home-grown comedy establishment, but in a way that is inclusive, easy to access, and very, very funny.

He’s definitely one to watch, and I don’t mean in a surveillance-state kind of way. Click Here For Review

July 4, 2024    Lilithia Reviews

Review of Sam See: And I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

Sam See: And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore Review

Have you ever felt that you don’t belong where you live now? That your country, where you have lived all your life, is so familiar to you and yet you still don’t fit in? Have you ever thought maybe you’d be happier and prosperous elsewhere? This is how Sam See feels.

In his new show – And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore, Sam shares about his birth home, his home to be, and his aspirations.

Taking to the Jade Room, Chinese Museum stage in Melbourne, neatly dressed in a snazzy coat, collared shirt and his signature bowtie, Sam See beamed at his intimate and attentive audience, ready to wear his heart on his sleeve and showcase his most raw and honest show yet.

And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore is worlds apart in comparison to Sam See’s show predecessor Government Approved Sex. This new show has no hilarious power point presentation, scientific facts, or eyebrow raising instructions. Instead, the show is just him with a microphone stand that doubled as a coat rack. With a microphone in hand, Sam See is left with nowhere to hide.

Taking us on a journey, we follow Sam through his life in Singapore, his frustrations about an Asian propaganda movie he can’t stand, the process of applying for a special visa, an interesting night out at a New Year’s Eve party, a dodgy pub in the United Kingdom, and his desire to relocate his presence, his craft and his dreams to London. His descriptions are so detailed, sometimes you can even picture these scenes happening in your mind as Sam is telling them to you.

Sam See is the best storyteller when he’s at his most vulnerable. Listening to Sam in an intimate room felt like being reacquainted with that familiar friend you had every intention on catching up with for coffee but the plans never eventuated. Everyone has different layers that they hide behind but Sam is fearless, unfiltered, and he peels these layers all back so that you can see and understand who he is, not only as a determined artist but as a person.

There’s just something special about Sam See’s shows that always makes me want to know more. With And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore, we’re only at the beginning of Sam’s journey with the story constantly evolving. This is not to say that the show feels incomplete. Instead, And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore seems more like the first few volumes of an exciting saga.

Sam See is a rare comedian that glows with style and sincerity. His content is super relatable but is especially significant for anyone who has ever felt lonely in a crowded room. We’re very lucky to have this well-spoken talented comedian and his heartfelt new show come to our shores, and I genuinely look forward to the next chapter of his self-inflicted solo adventure. Click Here For Review

June 27, 2024   Pepper & Salt

Article about Richard Cobb: Running Joke

Pepper & Salt: Interview with Richard Cobb

 Click Here For Article

June 24, 2024   POW! Showbiz

Article about Bailey Swilley: Gimme a Sign!

Bailey Swilley Explores Family, Grief and Ghosts

Bailey Swilley, a New York City-based writer and performer is bringing her one-hour autobiographical comedy, GIMME A SIGN!, to the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Inspired by the aftermath of her father’s unexpected passing, the show combines standup and storytelling. Let’s dive into her creative process and what audiences can expect from her show.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind “GIMME A SIGN!”
When my father unexpectedly passed away, I began to convince myself that the signs were all there leading up to his death. And then, I was sure that he would show himself to me through various “messages” from the beyond (dimes, feathers, dreams). I found myself constantly searching for him through everything I did, trying to feel closer to his presence without… his actual presence. Basically, I thought my life was going to be like Ghost Dad—that 1990 movie starring that one comedian whose name rhymes with Schmill Schmosby.

Your show combines standup and storytelling. How do you balance humour with the more serious aspects of grief and loss in your performance?
It really is that: A balance. When my dad passed, we spent the week prior to his death in the hospital, surrounded by family and friends. Not only was it the longest and most surreal week of my life, but with every dark moment of despair, there was always an accompanying moment of silliness or strangeness that I held onto, for both my spirit and selfishly, my comedy writing. I cannot really explain it, but there really is humor in everything.
I’ve also found that when it comes to big life events—weddings, births, funerals—a different side of people comes out. You begin to see your family and friends in a new way and often, the ways they show up make for very good stories and jokes later. Sorry, friends and family!

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What has been the most challenging part of transforming your personal experiences with grief into a comedy show?
Sometimes, in the midst of rehearsing, memorizing, and performing, I can forget that this all actually happened. That these stories are real memories I had to process, and every now and then, the emotions hit me again—sometimes live, onstage. Accepting and living in those feelings is a challenge but at the same time, it’s honest.

“GIMME A SIGN!” explores family dynamics and the search for signs from above. Can you share any particularly memorable or funny incidents that made it into the show?
Leading up to the first performance of the show, I went to see a psychic in the West Village. I wanted to know if my dad knew I was going to be talking about him in this show and if he… approved? She kept pulling card after card and making all these wrong guesses about why I was there.
“You have a sister?” No.
“You’re an only child!” Nope.
“Your parents are both living, right?” Absolutely not.
Finally, she just threw her hands up and said “Just tell me what’s going on.”
Gotta love that raw New York honesty.

Your show was recommended by The New York Times during its run in New York. How did that recognition impact you and your work?
I am so grateful to Sean McCarthy for making it an NYT pick! That moment felt validating and certainly brought in some audience members that would not otherwise have had an awareness of the show. Unfortunately, COVID-19 hit NYC about a week and a half after the run, so further plans to perform it were put on pause. And now four years later, here we are!

How has your experience as a performer in New York City’s vibrant comedy scene influenced your work and your approach to comedy?
New York has a constant rotation of new performers, comedians and storytellers who I am always learning from. They’ve also encouraged me to just be truthful and let go of shame—nothing is too personal or too gross to share, for better or for worse.

What do you hope audiences take away from “GIMME A SIGN!” after seeing it at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
To be honest, I hope they call their family members and best friends and tell them they love them. To be even more honest, I hope they follow me on Instagram and tell me they love ME.

What are your plans for “GIMME A SIGN!” after its run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe? Do you have any other projects in the pipeline?
I want to perform this show at more festivals! Additionally, I have another piece I am working on called YOU’LL REGRET IT, a comedy about not having children, that will be focusing on more post-Edinburgh. We need more discussions around being kid-free

Bailey Swilley: Gimme a Sign! will be at The Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters, The Wee Room 1st – 12th August. Tickets are available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/bailey-swilley-gimme-a-sign
 Click Here For Article

June 11, 2024    North West End

Review of Gaslighting is My Love Language

Gaslighting is My Love Language at Just The Tonic

 Click Here For Review

June 8, 2024    Starburst

Review of Dorks 'n' Orks: Live!

Dorks n Orks

Dorks and Orks is the first attempt we’ve seen at actually trying to turn fantasy TTRPGs into a game-show-style affair. The show uses a custom-made Virtual Table Top to show rather than tell the audience what’s going on in the fantasy adventure. There are also puzzles built into the adventure, some of which are hilariously obvious to the audience and less so to the comedians. Very funny and worth seeking out.

Live performance table-top gaming is a relatively new format for stage shows; of the countless improv shows at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, only five or six can be described as D&D adjacent. As such, the actual format is still being explored by performers. For every ‘comedians at a table’-style show, such as Tartan Table-top or Character Building Experience, we have something more experimental, such as Mistakes Were Made or The Twenty-Sided Tavern.
Dorks and Orks is the first attempt we’ve seen at actually trying to turn fantasy TTRPGs into a game-show-style affair. The result is an interesting mix between Oxventure and the classic kids’ TV show, Knightmare. The show uses a custom-made Virtual Table Top to show rather than tell the audience what’s going on in the fantasy adventure. There are also puzzles built into the adventure, some of which are hilariously obvious to the audience and less so to the comedians.
Our host is Gary Colman, who is a rakish, sardonic host. He’s assisted by a small band of skilled improv comedians, and as always, the characters are pretty silly. Colman is the seemingly reluctant Dungeon Master, hosting the show in an almost panel show style. Gary Colman’s approach is more Game Show Host than Dungeon Master, though he’s not bad at the latter, happily spinning tall tales and trying to keep his players in line. On the game’s mechanic side of things, the show mostly uses an oversized twenty-sized die as a sort of comedy firework, rolled only to serve as punctuation for a gag and not really changing the narrative. This is very much ‘on rails’, thanks to the use of graphics on the show.
This deflates some of the anarchic spark common in these shows. Dorks and Orks do a good job of blending technology with table-top gaming, though that does take away some of the creative magic that we see in shows such as Questing Time. It is still very funny and worth seeking out if you can.
 Click Here For Review

June 8, 2024    Edinburgh Reviews

Review of Dorks 'n' Orks: Live!

Review Dorks n Orks Live!

“Feeling dorky? I think you should consider levelling up and multi-classing to Dorks ‘n’ Orks. “Ideal for geeks, gamers…. and anyone who likes a bit of impro comedy.” “Dorks ‘n’ Orks is an excellent show to take tweens to. If you have D&D curious kids, then this is a critical hit.” Click Here For Review

June 7, 2024   BuxtonFringe.org.uk

Article about Nathan Cassidy: International Man of Mestory

Buxton Fringe Review 2024

Multi award winning comedian and podcaster Nathan Cassidy has some seriously impressive accolades, he had set my expectations high and did not disappoint.
Nathan’s intention to make this the best show we had ever seen was finally realised.
Nathan is someone you should make it your absolute mission to see. Click Here For Article

June 6, 2024   Comedic Gold

Article about 2 White Guys Rapping: Whose Rhyme is it Anyway?

 Click Here For Article

June 6, 2024    Fringefeed

Review of 2 White Guys Rapping: Whose Rhyme is it Anyway?

Best show this Fringe Season

"Award-winning comedian, Daniel Delby is a comic who can rap, while Macshane is a rapper who can make jokes. Together they make the perfect pair of entertainers. You will not be able to stop laughing as they cleverly create hilarious raps about random topics. This original show is made even more unique by the interactive and varied games throughout."

You never know what you are going to get with this impromptu show. The artists look like they're having fun while performing, creating a nice energy that the audience is able to bounce off"

If you enjoy comedy and rapping, this is the show for you. I believe it is o Click Here For Review

June 6, 2024    FringeFeed

Review of 33 Years Single

How is he still single?

 Click Here For Review

June 6, 2024   The Brighton Seagull

Article about Nathan Cassidy: International Man of Mestory

Brighton Fringe Review

Great art comes out of great pain, or so says Cassidy in International Man Of Mestory: a comedic retelling of crying in bed after losing the love of your life (and staying with your mum for a week). And this show really does prove it; it's in his eyes—I oft wonder whilst watching Cassidy just how close to the truth his comedy is. Does he wonder if anyone stays together anymore? Two-time winner of Seagull's Fringe Friday best standup, Cassidy delivers once again with the play-by-play of making small talk with his mum and his love of Phil Collins. Go and see him! It's the least you can do. Click Here For Article

June 4, 2024   Theatre Weekly

Article about 6 Steps To Success From The 'Award Winning' Dave Chawner

Theatre Weekly - An Interview With Dave Chawner

Award-winning comedian, mental health campaigner and author Dave Chawner will return to Edinburgh Fringe 2024 with a brand new show, ‘6 Steps To Success From The “Award Winning” Dave Chawner’. Running from 1st August to 25th August at The Counting House, the afternoon show starting at 6:15pm is free and unticketed (pay on donation).

Last year Dave won an award whose title felt like a back-handed compliment. That led to a crisis of confidence and an exploration of what ‘success’ really means; “After all, everybody gets Imposter Syndrome…right? We all feel like a teenager trapped in the body of an adult…don’t we?”.

Alongside his work on the stage, Dave’s credits include hosting the BBC series ‘Tomorrow’s World’, appearing as a regular guest on ITV and Channel 4, and on prime shows including BBC Breakfast and Lorraine, which have made him a regular on Good Morning Britain.

With ‘6 Steps To Success From The “Award Winning” Dave Chawner’, the comedian questions toxic positivity, asking; “Why is no one talking about this? And, why, if you do, are you made to feel like you’re the only one? Or (perhaps worse) you’re just told that you need to ‘manifest more’ or ‘to be more positive’”.

The #1 best-selling author will answer these questions and more during the show, in which the “hilariously entertaining” comedian – as defined by Mail on Sunday – will share 6 steps to success, happiness, healthiness and complete fulfilment in life.

Dave’s work as a suicide prevention trainer and ‘Lived Experience Researcher’ – working to improve NHS Mental Health services – has given him the tools to tackle weighty topics using his signature comedy style called “darkly funny” by Broadway World.

Known for his “banter-rich performance” – according to the Edinburgh Reporter – alongside his “sharp, insightful, touching, but above all really, really funny,” material as described by Three Weeks Edinburgh – Dave’s impeccable zest for playing with words is well documented in his remarkable book, “Weight Expectations: One Man’s Recovery from Anorexia”.

His first Edinburgh show, ‘Normally Abnormal’, used humour to explore his own experience with anorexia sensitively. Well-received by critics – a run of sold-out performances lead to a sold out UK tour and the recognition of its impact with an award The UK Eating Disorder Charity at The House of Parliament and the delivery of a viral TED Talk.

Collaborating with academics from four of the most important public research universities in Britain, including King’s College London, Dave is developing a stand-up comedy course for mental health patients. Backed by the NHS, the project won an award from The British Academy. Click Here For Article

June 1, 2024   Edinburgh Magazine

Article about 6 Steps To Success From The 'Award Winning' Dave Chawner

Edinburgh Magazine - Dave Chawner's New Show About 'Success'

 Click Here For Article

May 15, 2024    Perth Happenings

Review of Amy Hetherington: Juggle (An Aussie Guide to Keeping a Toddler Alive)

Amy Hetherington: Juggle Review: Fringe World Perth 2023

What could be better than leaving the kids at home on a Thursday night and heading to see a comedy show about motherhood, chaotic toddlers, and nipple tassels? Seriously, not much.

Amy Hetherington shares her story of being a new mum and the never-ending roller-coaster ride that goes with it. After having a baby and losing her sexiness, Amy goes on a Facebook filled quest (because where else would you go for sound advice??) to find it again. And so begins the ups and downs that are inevitable when you listen to mums in an online help group. Full of hilarious and graphic anecdotes, a bit of poking fun at her husband (in a loving way of course), so much honesty, and just a smidgen of over sharing, you would be absolutely kicking yourself to miss this one!

As a mum, I have honestly never seen a more relatable show. There were so many “Omg, yes, me too!” and “oh crap, tell me you didn’t!?” moments throughout. Make sure you hold on to your pelvic floor ladies, this is definitely a laugh till you pee kind of show (easier for some of us to achieve than others!).

Amy is just so much fun. Vibrant, down to earth, and full of crazy toddler energy that she’s possibly stolen from her daughter, she’s got to be, without a doubt, the funniest person in Darwin.

The vibe she creates is so friendly and welcoming, Juggle is more like a laugh between friends than a comedy show.

So whether you’re a mum, a dad or just someone who is up for a good laugh (especially at someone else’s expense) this show is for you. With so many shows to choose from at Fringe, you have to make sure Amy Hetherington is on your list! Click Here For Review

May 5, 2024   The Brighton Seagull

Article about Nathan Cassidy: The Spine That Shagged Me

Brighton Fringe Review

The Seagull’s Best Standup two years running, Nathan Cassidy’s relentless pace has not let up as he brings the first of two new shows to the Fringe this year. We’re treated to a hilarious meander through The Life Of Pi, the wonders of diazepam and stealing from the Post Office, with an underlying darkness that complicates and unsettles without ever throwing you off entirely. He even managed to make his adlibs—from dealing with a heckler to borrowing our editor’s dog-shaped handbag—loop back and feed into the classically Cassidyan big finale. You know what the deal is by now, readers: if you see there’s a Nathan Cassidy show on, go to it. Click Here For Article

April 20, 2024    Frankly My Dear UK

Review of The Totally Improvised Musical

TOTALLY IMPROVISED MUSICAL

Improv comedy group Comedy Sportz is bringing their monthly comedy show, TOTALLY IMPROVISED MUSICAL, to Waterside Arts. The show is exactly what it sounds like—an improvised musical. The audience and cast turn up, the audience suggests musical titles that they want to see, and Comedy Sportz improvises an entire musical based on the chosen title. They then come back after the interval and do it all again with a new title!

This musical starred host Sean Mason, Chris Tavner, Rachel Wareing, John Cooper, Vicki Mitchem, and Ben Hodge. The musicals in question? Colonic Irrigation Superstar and Nursing Home Nightmares.

Colonic Irrigation Superstar stars Chris Tavner as the owner of a colonic irrigation clinic that wants nothing more than to run off into the sunset with his colleague, played by Rachel Wareing. How can he achieve this? By having John Cooper’s character perform an illegal colonic irrigation on Charles, the evil dentist (played by Sean Mason), achieve his license, and take over the clinic. Meanwhile, characters played by Vicki Mitchem and Sean Mason have an astounding amount of illegally obtained three-meter-long pipes they need to get rid of and a TikTok account that could answer the clinic’s problems.

Standout performances of Colonic Irrigation Superstar come from Tavner, Mason, and Cooper. Tavner’s improv is quick, hilarious, and wonderfully eccentric. He and Mason play off each other expertly, particularly in Mason’s performance of Charles the evil dentist’s song Mind Games. With their combined physical comedy and Mason’s surreal, bizarre, and hysterical vocal performance of Mind Games, they create one of the best musical numbers of the evening.

Another excellent physical comedy performer is Cooper, who gave another standout number in the form of the love ballad, I Know My Own Mind. His characterisation and storytelling offered a sympathetic note to an otherwise fantastically ridiculous storyline.

How the cast can put together a story and songs on the spot that is equally hysterical and harmonious is outstanding and makes for an ideal Friday night watch. Combined with the quick, upbeat, and clever musical accompaniment of the musicians, who the evening wouldn’t be complete without, Totally Improvised Musical is a masterclass of improvised entertainment. And the fact that the audience, cast, and musicians have no idea where it’s going only adds to the charm.

After the interval, we’re treated to the hilarious Nursing Home Nightmares. Starring Tavner as the manager of a disillusioned and debt-ridden nursing home, Wareing as a confused and crass resident, Mason as a retired war hero, Mitchem as fearful and forceful resident Hyacintha (who also goes by Rosemary), and introducing Ben Hodge as the optimistic activities coordinator.

Wareing and Mitchem gave standout performances of Nursing Home Nightmares, creating absurd and recognisable characters. Their performance of Is This Death? is the highlight of the musical, featuring two pensioners experiencing virtual reality for the first time, including dinosaurs and a black void. Wareing and Mitchem’s use of physical comedy and command of the scenes help drive the piece forward even when it lost its way. They are an unstoppable force, and Wareing’s ingenious inclusion of absurd backing dance moves to some of the other musical numbers ensures that every moment is fulfilled to the utmost.

The best bit of Nursing Home Nightmares is all of the cast callbacks to Ben Hodge’s reference to the Falklands being on the nursing home’s history quiz and his obvious lack of knowledge about it. With repeated references to the “advanced age” of those who remember the Falklands and putting Hodge on the spot to sing about events that happened in the sixties, this is the joke that keeps on giving and really frames the performance. The cast’s ability to laugh at themselves, to use a running joke for all its worth, and to bring an improvised piece full circle is outstanding and showcases improv comedy at its finest.

Totally Improvised Musical is performed monthly, and venues can be found on Comedy Sportz’ website. It’s a fun, carefree, and memorable night out that guarantees hilarity, absurdity, fantastic vocals, and catchy songs that you won’t hear anywhere else. They also offer workshops and short courses on improv comedy and their award-winning competitive comedy show, ComedySportz, which takes place at Waterside Arts every month.

TOTALLY IMPROVISED MUSICAL was performed at Sale Waterside Arts on 19 April 2024 Click Here For Review

March 4, 2024    Morning Star

Review of Alvin Liu: Rice

‘The house of commons is a posh white peoples’ rap battle’

ALVIN LIU is from China, where a thriving stand-up scene has developed in the past few years in Shanghai and Beijing — though your entire venue might get shut down if someone makes a joke that could even vaguely be construed as a slight against the motherland.

No such problems in Britain — yet — and there are some very funny Chinese comics up-and-coming on the London scene, including Chin Wang and the brilliant Blank Peng. Liu definitely has the chops to join them, with his by turns universal and deeply personal observations building up to an excellent debut hour.

The set begins as all comedy shows should: with the performer’s mother singing a karaoke song in Mandarin, and it’s Liu’s relationship with his mother, across decades, continents, viewpoints, and languages, that form the backbone to his material.

He is charm personified, putting this multinational and multilingual crowd immediately at ease — even the people who weren’t expecting it to be in English. We’re hooked into his world with a barrage of well-honed gags interspersed with quieter, more reflective, but still subversive material — some of which flies over the head of the audience, who seem occasionally unsure of how they are supposed to react.

Particularly brilliant are sections on depression — knowingly presented as a decadent Western indulgence — and Chinese schooling, in which one learns that one plus one equals China has a thriving agricultural sector.

Crowd-pleasing dunks on Japan — his perspective on Oppenheimer is worth the price of admission alone — are leavened with clever, unexpected observations on cultural differences over body image, sex, and sexuality. Liu’s thoughts on oppression, and how self-identity is policed even in the very young, are important in any language.

The conclusion to this hour is strong, but could perhaps be better seeded early in the narrative. The bits on racism are beautifully observed but could do with being further unpacked; Liu’s relationship with the West, via English teachers and American hip hop, is a rich seam worthy of further exploration.

And so, too, is the material about the country Liu and his mother find themselves in.

“Sure we can’t buy freedom, but you can’t buy eggs,” points out Liu in a gleeful reversal of orientalist assumptions. Britain’s economic, cultural and political decline is skewered brilliantly here, and I’m curious to see how it goes down in, say, Dunstable, or Doncaster.

Liu punches up and exposes the ludicrous nature of our own Parliament, and of our “two party” system — jokes that seem beyond our current, home-grown comedy establishment, but in a way that is inclusive, easy to access, and very, very funny.

He’s definitely one to watch, and I don’t mean in a surveillance-state kind of way.

Alvin Liu performs Rice at Museum of Comedy, London, on May 4, and then tours Click Here For Review

February 9, 2024    FringeFeed

Review of 33 Years Single

How is he still single?

How is he still single?!?



From the beginning, Delby embraces the stage with his charm and wit, all the while, beaming a smile to make you blush. He is authentic in his approach and tells you real stories of his dating life, albeit not much of one, and how it came to be. Recounting stories, old and new, with punchlines peppered throughout, he tells these in a way that you can see reflect his hilarious personality.



Occasionally laughing at his own thoughts, he spoke out loud, he pulls memories and turns them into jokes, making himself cackle in the meantime.



I was on the edge of my seat, even spitting my drink out at one point.



Involving the crowd, but without heckling, he pulled suggestions and turned them into hilarious rap songs to compliment his show.



Delby is a must-see for your fringe experience. He will have you leaving the show with a grin, wanting to see his next show too. Click Here For Review

February 6, 2024   The Brighton Seagull

Article about Nathan Cassidy: International Man of Mestory

Brighton Fringe Review

Great art comes out of great pain. And this show really does prove it. Cassidy delivers once again. Go and see him! It's the least you can do. Click Here For Article

February 3, 2024    GLAM Adelaide

Review of After the Bell on the Last Day of School

Fringe Review: 3:30pm on the Last Day of School

Being a teacher has a unique set of challenges, not the least of which is trying to avoid being seen by students outside of school, and pretending to not be hungover during class. Ty Gray, a teacher of the unusual combination of high school drama and legal studies, shares his highly relatable experiences as a teacher in this 45-minute stand up show.

Ty’s storytelling is well-paced and well-structured, thankfully avoiding a common stand-up pitfall. He keeps the show moving, even through moments of audience interaction, and tells stories that are all too relatable, including dealing with teenagers both in school and in the street, the various kinds of teachers found in schools, and the different challenges teachers face in the private versus the public system. The jokes were funny, and while there were plenty of moments that would never be said aloud in a school setting, Ty also never crossed the line into jokes that might get him fired from his day job.


The audience was stacked with teachers and those who work in education, which is no surprise considering the show is really aimed at teachers and those who know the ins and outs of the education system. This show may not land as well for an audience of non-educators, but if this packed performance is anything to go by, finding an audience will be no issue. I definitely recommend this for any teachers who need a laugh and to feel seen after a stressful week in the classroom. Click Here For Review

February 2, 2024    Fringefeed

Review of 33 Years Single

How is he still single?

How is he still single?!?



From the beginning, Delby embraces the stage with his charm and wit, all the while, beaming a smile to make you blush. He is authentic in his approach and tells you real stories of his dating life, albeit not much of one, and how it came to be. Recounting stories, old and new, with punchlines peppered throughout, he tells these in a way that you can see reflect his hilarious personality.



Occasionally laughing at his own thoughts, he spoke out loud, he pulls memories and turns them into jokes, making himself cackle in the meantime.



I was on the edge of my seat, even spitting my drink out at one point.



Involving the crowd, but without heckling, he pulled suggestions and turned them into hilarious rap songs to compliment his show.


Delby is a must-see for your fringe experience. He will have you leaving the show with a grin, wanting to see his next show too. Click Here For Review

January 31, 2024    Fringefeed

Review of Andrew Silverwood: Alive on Stage in a Dead Man's Shirt

With his new show, Andrew Silverwood manages to brighten up the crowd and give them a show to remember. Having already braved the likes of Edinburgh and Adelaide he brings ‘Alive On Stage in A Dead Man’s Shirt’ to Perth.



In the intimate venue that is the Pleasure Garden’s The Little Palais, his fast-paced comedy lit up the room. He brings a distinctive London charm to Perth but is well-versed in Aussie culture enough to entertain everyone from the start.



I won’t spoil the bait and switch that he uses to open the show, but it truly sets the tone for his eclectic comedy. He takes on all manners of subjects from conspiracies to coat hangers, to create a fast-paced show that will keep you guessing as you laugh. Visit to hear his thoughts and to find out what wee Scottish grannies really think of the arts. On this particular night, he even had a support which added an extra layer to the show and he also peppers in just enough crowd work to make the show feel fresh without distracting from his act.



The highlight of the show has to be his conspiracy theories which begin with Harry Potter and continue until you feel he has dismantled the world just a little bit. On this note, he is actually too funny to need to use as many props as he does but they do provide a good backdrop. In particular, the conspiracy theory board is an effective way to track the wildly ranging subjects of the show as he hits all his points with style.



If nothing else, the show might just make you reevaluate your relationship with vintage clothes and the dead old people you got them from and provide some laughs along the way.
 Click Here For Review

January 20, 2024    Fringefeed

Review of After the Bell on the Last Day of School

3:30pm on the Last Day of School

Lovable larrikin Ty Gray regaled us with tales from the life of a school teacher - both as seen by the kids and when letting their hair down (literally and figuratively). Many of the stories Melbourne-based Ty recounted centred on his own experiences, and the way he tells it he certainly seems to have had a fun time over the years.



Teachers are professionals and Ty gave the impression that at certain times they are almost obliged to be full-time actors especially when responding to some of the ridiculous interactions that occur in and out of the classroom. And the way Ty expounded them I was frequently crying with laughter.



As might be expected given the promotional material, there were quite a few teachers in the audience and, judging by the roars of laughter, they identified with many of the shenanigans Ty described. But don’t worry we have all spent enough time in classrooms over the years for the jokes to work just as well for non-teachers.



Who would have thought that teachers are actually human beings with flaws and quirks and weird habits all of their own? How far should teachers go to hide this fundamental truth from their students?



There are a few contradictions in Ty’s delivery and presence as he is both relaxed but also a little bit hyper, a sort of yogi party animal. And here’s a little survey/ quiz for everyone to mull over:

What is the worst class to have to teach with a hangover?
If you could ask any question, anonymously, in your sex education class, what would you ask?


Great teachers are so important for our kids and I am encouraged by seeing a character such as Ty in the profession, although I fancy that Ty is eyeing up a full time career in standup comedy. Catch him at the Comedy Garden before he gets seriously famous. Click Here For Review

October 8, 2023    North West End

Review of MATES: The Improvised 90s Sitcom

MATES is an improvised theatrical performance which takes it’s inspiration from the 90s sitcoms we all know and love. Complete with the over the top characters, stereotypes and of course a New York back drop.
Unlike the classic sitcoms this team doesn’t need a laugh track to tell its audience when it’s funny. These three talented performers had the audience laughing from the get go with their charisma and overall likability. Just like the characters from everyone’s favourite sitcoms, this cast are charming, funny and a little goofy at times, you really do feel immediately that you’re amongst a few mates.
In this improvised performance the audience choose the name of the episode by shouting out random words or locations for a double bill episode of this amusing sitcom. Once selected the all too familiar Friends episode name is created: “The One With The …”. In our performance it become “The One With The Funeral, Fancy Dress Party And Video Store”, Fashioning into a beanie bear deal gone wrong and a run in with a member of the Back Street Boys.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show as did the audience from what I could tell. The crew really understood the formatting of a 90s sitcom and made sure to drop in plenty of 90s references throughout which made for a very entertaining 55 minutes of comedy and a sitcom I could very much see myself watching on the television.
 Click Here For Review

October 8, 2023   The List

Article about The Spanish Gentleman Juggler

The Spanish Gentleman Juggler kids review: An unpolished but trick-heavy spectacle

 Click Here For Article

August 17, 2023   Broadway World

Article about Yes-Ya-Yebo!

EDINBURGH 2023: Review: YES-YA-YEBO!, Laughing Horse @ The Counting House

 Click Here For Article

August 3, 2023    All Edinburgh Theatre

Review of CeilidhKids at the Fringe

CeilidhKids at the Fringe

★★★★★ Perfection

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House (Venue 170): Thurs 3 – Sun 27 Aug 2023
Review by Torya Hughes

CeilidhKids return to the Counting House with their popular family dances, aimed at providing the youngest audiences with a taster of traditional Scottish dance.

Compere Caroline Brockbank has been running CeilidhKids for around 16 years, after finding a lack of accessible ceilidhs when her own children were young. The company operates in and around Edinburgh throughout the year, even branching out into seated ceilidhs for the elderly and special events for those with dementia. This emphasis on accessibility makes for a very welcoming atmosphere, with no pressure to take part and an emphasis on fun.

The Counting House Ballroom is a good size for a busy group of dancers, with around 60 children and grown ups in attendance. The suggested age range is 3-7yrs, but there are some young teenagers who are happy to join in, and several babies who seem to enjoy just bouncing along to the music. Although there are some seasoned dancers in attendance, there are also first time participants from as far as China and Philadelphia.

Caroline leads her audience through a series of simple rhythm games to get started, clapping and stamping at first, then patting their bottoms in time to the beat – cue much hilarity from the younger ones! After a warm up, it’s time for the only ceilidh dance using the original steps, a traditional Gay Gordons. As with all of the dances, there are modifications to allow one adult to dance with two children, or to accommodate smaller children who might get tangled up with the original moves.

There are plenty of other traditional dances included, but in much simpler arrangements to allow everyone to join in. The Swedish Masquerade becomes Giants, Trees and Frogs, with some freestyle jumping at the end, while a Flying Scotsman leaves out some of the more complex moves but retains the basic shape of the dance. The whole thing ends with a variation of the Circassian Circle, thankfully without any of the progression of the original!

Caroline tailors the set perfectly to her young audience, including plenty of water breaks and taking the time to walk every dance through before starting. The music is recorded, but the lack of a live band does not detract from the atmosphere. I took my 5yr old, who said that she liked jumping and spinning the best, and wants to go back again. This is the perfect way to introduce young children to ceilidh. Click Here For Review

July 28, 2023   UK Times

Article about Gaslighting is My Love Language

My Toxic Marriage

 Click Here For Article

November 5, 2022   Notts Comedy Review

Article about UK Pun Off

The UK Pun Off

Tonight I was at the Playwright for the first ever live UK Pun Off, which was debuting as part of the Nottingham Comedy Festival. Although there was some unavoidable noise bleed from the bar, John Morris had laid the room out well and it’s well suited to comedy.

It was nice to see what is effectively a showcase for one-liner comedians, as puns don’t always get the respect they deserve. The format of the night was that there were five categories to be punned: music, zoo, Europe, films and fruit and veg and each act would take it in turn to pun the topic of that round and this would be completed three times to complete the round. This was then followed by MacDonald taking puns from the audience, which was nicely interactive and helped everyone to feel invested in the show, especially an audience member on the second row, who was really into this. With four contestants and five rounds, scores were level until the final category, which meant that the winner of the medallion was undecided until right to the very end.

Iain MacDonald

I can remember seeing MacDonald at the UK Pun Championships in 2017 and I was impressed by him then and I’ve admired his work ever since, so seeing him at this event was a real pleasure. Tonight, resplendent in his UK Pun Off tshirt, he had what was probably the hardest job of the night. Not so much keeping the show on schedule and balanced between contestants, which he achieved seemingly effortlessly, but to not get carried away and dominate proceedings. MacDonald managed to be funny, authoritative and to let the others shine, which was good going. He had a great night.

Lin Smith

This was Smith’s debut on the Pun Off, but you wouldn’t have known it. She’s a musical comedian, who appeared tonight sans instruments, but as her word play was good, the lack of musical kit didn’t hold her back. There were some good jokes on display and the toppers – underused by the other acts – added a lot to what she was doing. It might have helped her a touch if she had spoken a little bit more slowly, as I don’t think everyone heard every word she said, but she still did well.

Richard Pulsford

On his fourth show of the day, you’d have expected Pulsford to look more tired than he did. Either way, it didn’t interfere with the sheer quality of his output. In terms of construction, writing and delivery, he really does remind me of Tony Cowards and that I do like. I’d argue that he had the best quality jokes of the contestants. In terms of construction, he was well ahead of the rest. Meerkats was arguably the best joke of the whole show.

Stevie Vegas

With his R2D2 suit and props, Vegas stood out. Whilst he had some decent jokes, such as hippo, he didn’t really get chance to make the most of the props and it might have benefited him to have injected a bit more of his personality into proceedings.

Friz Frizzle

Friz was the well deserved winner of the show. They were a real presence in the room and whilst this might be partly due to them being sat in the corner (with keyboard) and being left with the contestant’s mic at the end of each round, they were happy to heckle, ad lib and generally throw themself more into the night than the rest, who kept the funny to their own parts. This ensured that they were great fun and had more chance to be funny throughout. Perhaps half of their answers were in the form of songs, which gave them the chance to work in 2-3 punchlines on each. I was impressed by their nous in getting an audience volunteer to assist in one joke. This really kept what they were doing fresh and different to the others. Frizzle was the most entertaining of the panel through the entire course of the night. Click Here For Article

October 4, 2022    The Age

Review of Nick Schuller: Still Dry White

In comedy newbies vs comedy veterans, youngsters win

There’s no hyperbole in stating this is the strongest Comedy Zone ensemble of rising stars yet – no mean feat considering the line-up hand-picked by the festival has previously showcased Hannah Gadsby, Celia Pacquola and Ronny Chieng.

Nick Schuller’s snail-paced drawl was perfectly timed as he deconstructed Cardi B’s WAP and the backstory of Eminem’s most famous lyric, alongside a conversation with Beethoven about his compositions now being used to soothe crowds at McDonald’s. Click Here For Review

October 4, 2022    The Age

Review of Nick Schuller: Still Dry White

In comedy newbies vs comedy veterans, youngsters win

Nick Schuller’s snail-paced drawl was perfectly timed. Click Here For Review

June 19, 2021    The fourth wall

Review of Comedy Striptease

FRINGEWORLD 2021 | Comedy Striptease | 4 Stars

Just when you thought comedy couldn’t get better – or maybe that should read – just when you thought stripping couldn’t get funnier. Combining the two things that most of us all love about FRINGEWORLD, Comedy Striptease gives us the sexy sizzle and bared belly laughs we all enjoy.

The premise is simple, make the crowd laugh or get your gear off. Leaving us hoping that the sexier comedians aren’t actually the funnier comedians.

In a short amount of time we are given a lot of laughs and a lot of leg. If you want a show where you can see some very inventive dance moves and very unique gyration, this could be right up your alley. Having a lap dance by a comedian sporting a turtleneck and a beard could be just the thing you never realised you wanted.

The Laugh Mob bring us a line up of some of the best comedy acts in the festival, giving us a very tasty taste of the fringe festivities.

The perfect way to get your partner to the strippers without getting yourself into too much trouble. It’s racy, it’s provocative and a great night out. The show takes us through all of the highs and lows of ‘take some of it off’ to the ‘put some of it back on’, and has us all laughing at some of the greatest moves in town.

Magic Mike was never as funny as this and the showgirls of the Moulin Rouge have never been able to diversify their act quite like the girls and guys that can make you laugh and make you blush.

Does it get any better than laughs and nudity … I certainly don’t think so! And neither do the lucky few on the couches in the front row! Click Here For Review

September 2, 2019    The Wee Review

Punkish Barcelona clown offers spectacular fun for kids

 Click Here For Review