Fringe Coverage Edited by Andrew Doyle & Martin Walker. Reviews by Tony Challis, Andrew Doyle, Simone E, Jodie Fleming, Jean Genie, Chris MacKay, Stephen Mathieson, Martin Powell, Selina Smith & Martin Walker Theatre **** Adventures of Butt Boy and Tigger Pleasance Dome Two guys on a gay website find each other, start chatting, and then the fantasies begin. And what fantasies! The Adventures of Butt Boy and Tigger is a very interesting and entertaining piece of the theatre and extremely funny in parts. I like the way Angus Brown gets across the naivety of the character Butt Boy when it comes being gay and to internet chatting. This is contrasted by the character Tigger played by Felix Allsop. Tigger is cocky, self assured and knows exactly what he wants when it comes to sexual fantasies, and goes for it with great energy and expression when turned on. After a while Butt Boy needs more from Tigger and wants to meet the man behind the monitor. Will Tigger be so confident when it comes to responding to Butt Boy’s request? I found the play very engaging throughout and liked the way the relationship developed between the two characters. The audience response showed what a captivating piece of theatre this is with plenty of laughter when the two come together. Likewise, there was silence during the moments when both men showed their vulnerability. A thoroughly enjoyable experience. SM Comedy * Adventures of Pink Peter Sweet Teviot Place Stuart Miles is a former presenter of Blue Peter and, by all accounts, a pretty good stand-up comedian. For the Edinburgh Fringe though, he has decided to hit us with a drag show. We have the ‘outrageous’ Stella Ratner, High Street fashionista; Annette Curtan, a do-gooder with a prosthetic finger; Dr Noreen McAvity, a classically-trained vet turned top-flight cut-price cosmetic surgeon, and Ms Vera Singleton, sister of the former BP presenter, Valerie. In between acts we see pre-recorded segments of Stuart changing clothes. If all that sounds pretty bad, it’s because it is. Drag performances are so much more than simply throwing on a frock and putting on a voice. Drag is an art form that needs to be learned and honed like any other. If this act was in the corner of a gay bar, people would simply turn away and start demanding the karaoke. SE Comedy **** Aeneas Faversham Forever Pleasance Courtyard The Penny Dreadfuls are an imaginative and talented trio of young men who specialise in Victorian comedy sketches. For this, their latest melodrama, they tell the story of a children’s author who finds himself thrown into a bleak and surreal adventure after his wife is ‘murdered to smithereens’ in a ‘horse-and-cart’ bomb. Armed only with the remains of his dead wife’s umbrella, he infiltrates a sinister underworld group known as The Brotherhood, led by the cartoonish villain Mr Frost. It may sound ridiculous in the extreme, but that’s the point. The overblown cinematic soundtrack serves to highlight the absurdity of the whole affair, and before long you find yourself sucked into a world of macabre caricatures and incongruous scenarios. Elements of the story are told through the medium of cardboard cut-outs in silhouette, a delightfully old-fashioned conceit that enables some wonderfully fantastical moments, in particular a Temple of Doom style mineshaft chase scene. A highly enjoyable and original show. AD Comedy *** Alyssa Kyria: Woman of the Year? Pleasance Dome Kyria presents herself as self-indulgent, egotistical and shallow, and one gets the impression that this is really no act – she puts picture upon picture of herself on screen and asks the audience to pick her best shots and to give reasons why. However, she conducts herself with such elegance and finesse that one can’t help but warm to her, despite her blatant heckling and mock insults of audience members. Very few people have the charm to carry this type of humour off, but Kyria manages it beautifully as she presents her Brits Abroad Greek package holiday sketches. She excels as Greek gold-digger WAG Ariadne, rouses hilarity as Misty the American Pie holiday rep, and has the audience almost on the floor as Lynn the Clayvon Rep singing ‘Glaswegian Boi’. This show is hilarious, with a range of humour from edgy to risqué and everything in-between, round about and inside out! JF Comedy ***** The Angry Puppy Pleasance Courtyard Dressed in stark red and black, the four young women of The Angry Puppy open the show with a hilarious sketch about the creative restrictions of synchronised swimming. From thereon it’s laughs all the way. Although the scenarios for the sketches are hardly groundbreaking, the natural comic timing and excellent scripts ensure that this is one of the funniest hours on the fringe. The four young women in this show – Susan Calman, Leah MacRae, Kirstin Mclean, and Marj Hogarth – complement each other brilliantly. They each have a distinct style which enables them to present a wide range of characters. The altercation that arises when two women attempt to buy a stereo system is a particular highlight; a wonderfully observed study of overreaction and hypersensitivity. Much of the humour in other sketches derives from the obsessive nature of the outlandish characters, but the more measured sketch about the effects of small-town gossip is just as effective. Ultimately, this show works because it is consistently funny. That is the show’s sole purpose, and it delivers. It is unpretentious, fast-paced, intelligent, and considerably funnier than most recent TV sketch shows. Not to be missed. AD Theatre *** Answers C Chambers St A marvellous political satire, based on a party’s redress of an attempted blackmail plot. When a politician aiming to introduce a bill to ‘out’ members of extremist parties is discovered to have attended BNP rallies in the past, his cabinet go all out to thwart his political assassination. The story is clever and gripping, and over all too quickly. It provides a fascinating glimpse into a world of few loyalties, where careers can be built or crushed in the course of a day. The performance was on the whole insightful, powerful and impressive, especially in the delivery of passionate speeches. However, it was let down by the weak dialogue of some characters. JF Theatre ***** Architecting Traverse Theatre The director of Architecting, Rachel Chavkin, has described the piece as ‘a requiem for modern America’ and has noted the company’s recurrent leitmotif of ‘moments of apocalypse’. In Architecting the focus is on cultural shifts, and how individuals either adapt to or resist societal fluctuations. Architecture is presented as a metaphor for reconstruction in an ever-changing world. This is theatre at its most thought-provoking and vibrant. The TEAM have won their third Fringe First award for this incredible piece of work, and it’s a well-deserved hat trick. Architecting offers a fragmented narrative surrounding a new cinematic adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind. Mitchell died in 1949, but for the purposes of Architecting she is still alive, and openly resistant to the changes being suggested to make her text more palatable to a twenty-first century audience. The case of Margaret Mitchell, played by Jessica Almasy, is especially relevant to the idea of the shifting moral zeitgeist. Her writing is very much a product of its time, although the producer of the new film in Architecting brands her a bigot and insists on mitigating the perceived racism in her text. He does so for the wrong reasons, of course, more concerned with the commercial value of the film rather than its ethics. At the heart of this piece is the young architect Carrie Campbell, played brilliantly by Libby King. She yearns to ‘make architecture the response to zones of crisis’, providing a beautifully optimistic tinge to the apocalyptic imagery we have seen on stage. By the end of the piece, the set has been dismantled, but there is a sense in which this might be the beginning of something more worthwhile. Architecting is a powerful meditation on the human impulse to reconstruct, to finds the seeds of hope in the heart of chaos. A bewildering and potent theatrical experience. AD Dance ***** Balé de Rua Assembly Hall An exhilarating and passionate spectacle, blending capoeira with synchronised hip-hop and Brazilian street dance to incredible effect. This show is pure entertainment, and once these sixteen gloriously toned and joyous performers shimmy their way onto the stage it is impossible to avert your eyes. The show explores a range of scenarios. One minute there is a thunderous dance-off between five men in their underwear, the next moment the full company are cross-dressed for a melodramatic group salsa to the strains of a Latino version of Bach’s Ave Maria. There are elements of physical theatre too, with a genuinely moving set piece aboard a slave ship. Above all, Balé de Rua is an awe-inspiring demonstration of the capabilities of the human body. I have to admit feeling rather humbled by it all, especially given the fact that I had been out of breath having climbed the hill to the venue. AD Comedy *** Beautiful People Don’t Travel Economy Sweet Teviot Place On paper, this show reads similar to that of Caroline Reid’s Pam Ann. Written and performed by Robert Yule, this is a camp character comedy show which sees the audience as passengers onboard the budget airline ‘Sleezy Jet’. He introduces us to a selection of camp characters, who do raise more than a few laughs as they proceed through their (occasionally predictable) routines. Is this a similar show to Caroline’s? Yes it is, but a smaller, more intimate, venue lends to a real sense of audience participation. We benefit from being much closer to the action. And unlike Pam Ann, Head Hostie Ms Alexis Van AirBust is a man in drag, giving a very different edge to the performance. I liked it. SE Comedy **** Beth Becomes Her Underbelly’s Baby Belly Bethany Black challenges every audience preconception. When one images a lesbian goth who’s undergone life-altering surgery, ‘positive, upbeat and with a smile almost as sparkling as her eyes’ is not exactly what you’re expecting. But Beth is all these things, with a razorblade style of risqué wit that embraces all things alternative. The woman has manners and style as she greets every audience member at the door on the way in and out with a huge smile and a handshake. She manages to inject wit into subjects like abortion, suicide and gender reassignment surgery, without coming across as crass and controversial. She combines a frisson of sarcasm, a soupcon of satire, and a resoundingly funny outlook to take the sting out of these topics and leave the audience entertained and wiser. There were moments where this uber-confident woman appeared to drop the mask, and to pull the momentum back there were a few predictable gags that were beneath her natural flair for funny. This performance will get better and better the more it’s shown. JF Theatre ***** Boys of the Empire C Chambers St Sam Pyke (Christopher Birks) is a naive wannabe fag at St Ethelred’s School for boys, but he’s having a bit of bother settling in. Seems that the other boys aren’t as ‘beastly’ as he is. However, before he knows it he’s up to his neck in a terrorist plot to defeat the empire by killing the offspring of the British Establishment who attend the school. Taggart creator Glen Chandler’s laugh out loud story rattles ahead with great pace and energy. Director Patrick Wilde’s cast are universally excellent. The exchanges between Pyke and Overday (James Mavor) are particularly fun, as the former openly craves the latter’s affections to good comic effect. Mark Farrelly’s Gamekeeper and Terence Barton’s Poacher are both played with wonderfully exaggerated sinister glee. The Arab Kamal (Matthew Runham) and the Jewish Ascher (Oliver Jack) never come anywhere near offensive, as both actors manage to depict some real depth alongside their characters innate over-the-top silliness. James Whittle is simply brilliant as both Mathers and the sixth former Morley - who likes to deliver a thrashing to younger boys, whenever he can. Set in the 20s after the Great War – “Great because we won!” – Boys of the Empire is so much more than a silly gay romp. It’s a satirical tour-de-force, which reminds us how all this business in Iraq started in the first place (and who started it). Even the play’s programme is excellent. The whole thing is faultless. The funniest play I have seen on the fringe in quite some years. MW Comedy **** Bridget Christie - The Court of King Charles II The Second Underbelly’s Caves For most of the festival last year, Bridget Christie’s The Court of King Charles II was a little known highlight for those lucky few that found it. Then on the last week of the 2007 fringe, it received a clutch of great reviews (including one from ScotsGay) and won the inaugural Funny Women Fringe Award. So this year Charles II returns and you get the chance to see what you missed. Notable figures of the 17th Century, like Christopher Wren, Samuel Pepys and Charles II himself, are lampooned with great inaccuracy. The Great Plague is depicted using sounds and movement that can only be described as lunatic. And then, as if to show her range, Christie plays an Appalachian dulcimer (a fretted stringed instrument from the 1800s) enacts stage sword fighting, and depicts a dog that ‘dances itself to death’. All of this is executed with a cheeky smile and some lovely, off the cuff, deft banter. It is all very silly, but the capacity audience is delighted to be sharing the joke with her. Indeed, we all laughed pretty much non-stop for the entire hour. MW Comedy **** Britishness Laughing Horse @ Espionage Shelley Cooper’s new show is part of the Free Fringe, but that doesn’t mean we’re not getting quality. So, what does it mean to be British? There are jokes aplenty, as the absurdity of ‘British Identity’ is put before us. From the hypocrisy of John Major’s attempted ‘back-to-basics’ Victorian revival to the myth of the Great British Empire, she proffers her own inimitable definition of ‘culture’. Why, as a race, do Brits struggle so vehemently with religion, race and ethnicity? This is a fascinating and often funny journey from the Celts and Britons to Princess Diana via “a Queen who couldn’t get laid and a King who couldn’t speak English”. Very much in the tradition of Rob Newman or early Ben Elton, Shelley’s observations are informed and satirical. She does sometimes lose the audience with the sheer volume of detailed information and very occasionally a joke falls flat, but at best, Shelley Cooper is a force for comedy good that demands to be reckoned with. MW Theatre *** Bully The Gilded Balloon Bully is about one man’s journey from childhood to adulthood. He tells us, in verse, about the violence he encounters from some of his family members and other pupils at school as he’s growing up. We hear of the beatings his mother took from his father. Davey shares the good times he spent with his mother and older brother. On what started out as a happy occasion full of joy and excitement it gets shattered quite suddenly. Things now can only get worse. Gaining financial independence means Davey can leave home. On reaching adulthood he searches for the man of his dreams and despite his violent upbringing he is determined not to repeat the cycle. That is until… I really enjoyed this hard-hitting verse drama written and performed by Richard Fry. His choice of words, range of emotions (yes, there is also humour) and performance along with subject matter all make for a very engrossing hour. An hour that goes too fast for my liking. I could have stayed and listened to more. The audience were gripped by the story he was laying out in front of them. And who wouldn’t be? SM Musicals *** The Butler Did It? - The Musical Gilded Balloon A hotbed of promiscuity, money-lust and murder is the scene of this jolly musical with an all-singing, all-dancing cast. It presents panto-type features like squeaky shoes and replica guns with classy, sophisticated style. The story behind this musical is simply ingenious, with its murder and intrigue weaving twists and turns the whole way through. The songs featured are nothing less than brilliant, despite the occasional dip in sound quality. The eclectic, sparkling characters are fantastic, like gay Dick and his transvestite boyfriend Frank/Fifi, and copulating cousins Cuthbert and Gertie. A cheery mid-afternoon performance that perks up the afternoon. JF Theatre **** A Californian Seagull. C Chambers St Alison Carey’s adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull brings the play up to date and makes it very accessible. Many productions accentuate the ennui of late 19th century Russia. Here we are in the world of the Californian movie industry. The discussions about what are valid ways of living and being become more immediate and absorbing. Daniel O’Neill as Cameron conveys the desperate striving of his character very well. He is all restless nervous energy, unable to look life calmly in the face. He is always looking for recognition, especially from his actress mother, who resents the fact that she cannot hide her age in his presence. A family and its associates, immersed in the film world, struggle to make sense of their lives, inhibited by a tendency to live in a more glamorous past or future, usually failing to appreciate the present. A number of characters reveal themselves briefly but in depth. Christine Mangone, as director, should be proud of this production, which has a striking vitality. It conveys the many insights of the original without being even slightly laboured. TC Comedy **** Charlie Ross - Just One Word Beehive Inn I’ve got to be honest - the editor forced me to see this show. Martin has become such a fan of Charlie’s work over the years that he now feels ‘too close to the subject’ so to speak, and so he (probably rightly) insisted that ScotsGay takes a fresh look at his act. My reluctance concerned my own prejudices about the free fringe. It’s free, I thought, so it’s likely to be a bit rubbish. In fact, this is one of the best comedy shows I have seen this year. He’s a gay ex-PE teacher, football supporter from Glasgow, and a Dr Who fan. I’m a bookish English transsexual lesbian without a telly. His brilliance is that he had me laughing, even when the occasional cultural reference and his accent eluded me. His secret is that he’s just impossible not to like. When he ‘comes out’ as gay during his act, nobody cares cos we love him so much. When he selects three straight guys from the audience and gets the rest of us to choose which he should date, everyone is delighted to play along. The odd gag did fall flat, and I personally missed out on some the interactive elements as I couldn’t always see the TV screen from the back row, but nevertheless, this is a strong show from a talented performer with a future. SE EIF Debate ** Christopher Hitchens and Dr John Lennox – “The new Europe should prefer the new Atheism” Usher Hall This was the first of a series of debates under the general title “Borderlines,” which concern themselves with issues relating to the enlarged EU, as part of the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF). The motion was proposed by Hitchens, though perhaps under duress – he claimed not to like it, and called it “broken backed.” Lennox described himself as an “Ulster Scot”, a scientist, and evidently a very committed Christian, and more of a local boy. James Nauchtie, in the chair, took an audience vote beforehand; the large audience seemed equally divided, but with many abstentions. In the end Lennox won the vote, and the motion was lost, with many abstainers going his way. The rather narrow and arid nature of the debate played into Lennox’s hands. There was dispute over relative “evils” - the then Pope’s support for fascist Spain under Franco versus the evils of Stalin’s atheist state, and so on. That kind of knockabout gets nowhere. Hitchens made much of the threat to Enlightenment values of resurgent religion. He’d have been in a better position to deal with later accusations if he had emphasised the positive aspects of those values, rather than attacking religious oppression. Lennox used Sartre and others to suggest that religion was needed for morality – a calumny on unbelievers that should have been firmly put down. Given what has been happening at Lambeth and in the “gentle” Church of England, religious attitudes to personal freedom might have been raised. It would have been interesting to mention the hidden agenda of the homophobes of GAFCON – the gay issue is a populist one for them; their opposition to women bishops reveals other concerns, which will spread through abortion to divorce and maybe further. I don’t think that the word “woman” was mentioned once in this debate. Hitchens was at times arrogant, and thus lost support. Twice he claimed only to hear white noise when faced with a pious question. If Lennox had faced a scientist, his repeated assertion that “miracles do not break the laws of nature” - somehow on the grounds that these laws were man-made, it seems! - would have been trodden into the ground. Altogether, a lost opportunity. TC Theatre **** Copenhagen Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall This is an established play by Michael Frayn, and has been made into a film. It concerns three characters, speaking after their lives are over and covering their long association. The special focus is on their crucial meeting in 1941 in Nazi-occupied Copenhagen. The meeting is between Nils Bohr and Heisenberg, two of the greatest physicists of their time, as they discuss the uncertainty principle, quantum theory, and atomic research. It lasted two hours, was almost wholly discussion, and there was hardly any set. Oh dear, you may say. Well, it was really gripping – because of the brilliant way the dialogue was structured, moving between theoretical and personal, with the background of a world war and different loyalties. The cast were excellent, each actor taking you inside their role. Anna Barnett as Margrethe, Bohr’s wife, provided insights into what was happening and into the other characters, and encouraged Bohr to inspect his thinking. The almost father-son nature of the relationship between Bohr and Heisenberg, how this foundered when Bohr realised what the other came seeking, and the echoes of the loss at sea of Bohr’s own son, gave flesh and blood to the discussion. Warwick Symes as Bohr and Steve Bond as an almost manically intense Heisenberg deserve high praise. The theatre was packed with an enthusiastic audience who were treated to rare insights into the struggle towards knowledge and into human relationships. TC Comedy **** Count Arthur Strong - The Man Behind the Smile Assembly Rooms If you haven’t met Steve Delaney’s character before I think you should. It is difficult to describe the Count, but the best description I can come up with is a foul mouthed grumpy Stanley Unwin for the 21st Century. He is utterly chaotic, and nothing that goes wrong (and almost everything does) is ever his fault. His use of language, incorrect yet intelligible, is particularly clever. He is here to tell us about his fifty years in show business, of how good he was, or rather thought he was. There are some entertaining extracts from TV programmes that somehow never got broadcast, and he is assisted by Terry Kilkelly, in his character Malcolm, and Dave Mountfield. I laughed throughout. MP Comedy *** Craig Hill Makes Your Whole Week! Gilded Balloon Another fringe year, another show for our Craig, darling of the Scottish gay community. Actually, maybe I simply haven’t noticed this previously, but he seems to have turned a little nasty. Perhaps it was just a bad night, but in amongst the usual gags and camp stories there was some really ill-judged audience participation, which left his targets and those around them feel more than a little uneasy. Some people actually walked out, an occurrence I simply hadn’t witnessed at a Craig Hill show before. I mean, he’s hardly Scott Capurro, is he? MW Dance **** Dance Base Presents... Alan Lucien Oyen & X Factor Dance Company National Centre for Dance This performance was in three parts. The first was Crazy in Love with Mr Perfect by Icelandic Steinunn Ketisdottir and American Brian Gerke. This started in the usual depressing way with slow dance, but then developed with dialogue between the characters. It rapidly became clear that we were not at a dance performance but a rehearsal full of banter between the performers. This was brilliantly funny and of course in order to keep up the illusion of a rehearsal there had to be quite a lot of very good dance. What I totally failed to notice until the finale was that there was no music. It was only when the music started at the end I noticed it. One of the most innovative, funny and interesting pieces of dance I have seen. The second work was Unspoken by X Factor Dance Company, a reworking of their 2000 piece. A voice announces “a body was found in the water yesterday in the river”. As expected from X Factor there was beautiful movement and top quality dance, but I couldn’t really see the relationship with the topic. Finally, In Time it will Snow by Winter Guests, a Norwegian Company not only used text but radio microphones. Two ill people tell their stories both in words and in utterly haunting dance. Well worth seeing. MP Dance *** Dance Base Presents... Irish Cream National Centre for Dance Another three-parter from Dance Base. The first part was Beatbox Bingo by Catapult Dance, which was unusual in having live music. It was based on corporate teambuilding games and this came across. There was also an interesting bit where the musician’s body was manipulated while he was playing a wind instrument which changed the music. Very good dance but in the end it said very little to me. The second piece, Hanging in There by Legitimate Bodies was unlike anything I’ve seen before. As we came in after the interval we were invited to take our seats and told we could sit where we liked, on our own or in groups. The dance that followed was similarly strange; two men who couldn’t stand up without hanging on to each other, depending on each other for their vertical position, and explaining all this to us in words that almost sounded like a choreographed political interview. It was very funny and well done. At the end of the piece there was not so much an interval as a press conference where questions were taken. Here it was revealed that the words had been taken from the Good Friday Agreement and they had decided to reinterpret it as dance. Brilliant. The third piece, Match by Fearghus O’Conchuir, was originally created for a dance film set at Croke Park, Ireland’s home of Gaelic Games. While the background was obvious it really didn’t seem to work for me on stage. Maybe it’s better on film. MP Dance *** Dance Base Presents... Rosie Kay Dance Company & Odd Johan Fritzoe National Centre for Dance This was very much a game in two halves. The first part, Balls by Odd Johan Fritzoe, did not inspire me. A series of shapes on stage and from them bodies emerge. It turns out the shapes are balls with speakers inside them from which emerge the noise - one could hardly call it music. Technically competent yet uninspiring dance. By contrast, Double Points: K by Rosie Kay Dance Company was a joy to behold. It is a reinterpretation of Emio Greco’s Double Points: Two. The K obviously comes from the choreographer’s name and if I’ve understood the piece correctly the other two words are a couple of clever jokes that I won’t give away here. There are two dancers, and much of the piece involves closely coordinated movement without actual physical contact. A hugely demanding undertaking for the performers. Just when you thought you knew the style it moved off in another joyous direction. I particularly liked what I can only describe as the clock dance. I believe they had some difficulty in reworking the piece for the Dance Base space. It didn’t show. Rosie Kay is certainly a name I’ll be looking out for in the future. MP Theatre *** Dark Grumblings Underbelly On stage Big Wow are Tim Lynskey and Matt Rutter. Behind the scenes is work written and directed by Robert Farquhar. However, while there may only be two actors there are far more characters. In this demented play, Kenny, a talkative security guard, new to the job, has to work with Higgins, an older and grumpier one. Their job is to look after a largely unpopulated tower block until the existing residents can be moved out. The residents include a couch potato who is forever changing channels, a Polish TV repairman who seems to be forever there and a mad old woman. What emerges is a hilarious story of what could happen if TV horror became real life, or perhaps the reverse. Really good fun. MP Theatre *** The Darkling Plain The Underbelly Bristol University’s Bloody Lovely Productions present us with an original play inspired by the works of Noël Coward. Billed as an irreverent 1940s romp, it follows the fortunes of the Carruthers and the Smiths as the two families face the trials and confusions of the Second World War. This is intelligent funny stuff, with the entire cast deserving praise. Izzy Steane in particular is outstanding as the young man who goes to war and finds love with another male. The parallels drawn here between WWII and today’s so called ‘War on Terror’ are stark. It’s bullets from the clumsy US military that hurt our heroes in an all too familiar ‘friendly fire’ incident, and the following ‘non-apology’ will be recognised by most. With some gender-blind casting, and a beautiful gay love sub-plot to boot, this is a fine black comedy, which reminds us of the futility of war. I’ll certainly be keeping my eye on writer Bea Roberts from now on. MW Theatre *** Darning Jilly C soco This is a bizarre post-feminist twist on Jack the Ripper, presenting a rape victim who wreaks vengeance on the whole of patriarchy by offing rent boys with chicken wire and tights. It delves into the darkest recesses of a murderous mind, evoking the age-old nature/nature debate and concluding that the act of murder is ‘an ache to be someone’. The dynamic between the creepy psychiatrist and the female lead (known only as ‘L’) is powerfully played out, dripping with intense emotion and with good special effects. The presence of the two lesbian friends seems somewhat irrelevant to the plot line, and one wonders what exactly they’re doing there, other than to titillate the audience. This seems completely bizarre in a play which claims to ‘strike at the phallus for the good fight’ of feminism! JF Music ***** David Benson Sings Noël Coward Assembly Rooms This has to be one of the most entertaining shows on the fringe. Those of us who have seen David Benson in Edinburgh over the years will already have high expectations, but his decision to perform selections from the Noël Coward canon is nothing short of inspired. Benson’s effortless charm and flamboyant stage presence is an ideal conduit for Coward’s wit. He is blessed with a powerful voice and instinctive comic timing, bringing these songs to life without resorting to straightforward impersonation. This is a wise choice. As Benson tells us in the show, he did play Coward in an episode of the TV sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart, and his portrayal of Kenneth Williams in his hit show Think No Evil of Us made it clear that he has a prodigious talent for imitation. Yet here we can enjoy Coward’s work through the prism of Benson’s own personality, and the show is all the better for it. His camp banter with his pianist, the wonderful Stewart Nicholls, is both endearing and irresistibly funny. A must-see show. AD Theatre *** Dear Theo Bedlam Theatre This is a challenging piece of theatre, by STaG from Glasgow. It deconstructs what exactly constitutes art now, and questions whether work borne of a mind of madness is fundamental to success. The main character, Gary, is a gifted ‘fine artist’. Quite sane, he draws inspiration for his beautiful and talented works from people watching. However in order to succeed, he must sell his soul and his work as a pompous, pretentious modern art it was never intended to be. Gary muses on the works of Michelangelo and Van Gogh, reflecting on how their madness drove their career whilst destroying them personally. A fantastically insightful look at how the worth of art is judged, as it forces the audience to question why being excellent is no longer excellent enough. These young actors are quite brilliant, giving a strong emotional and passionate performance. It’s beautiful and elegant in places, and harsh and destructive in others – a juxtaposition which combines to make this an absorbing theatrical event. JF Theatre **** Death By Chocolate: An Interactive Murder Mystery Zoo Southside This production is an IMMI – interactive murder mystery installation. As I waited in the queue of over fifty people to get in, two things crossed my mind – how can this possibly work with so many people in one room, and will more people mean less chocolate? Well, on all counts I was blown away with the professionalism and sheer ingenuity of this concept! It was a magnificent few hours that went by all too quickly. The fifty plus audience members are trainee detectives, who analyse clues and interview seven suspects who ad lib and interact with the audience and each other. The audience must overcome red herrings and downright lies, delve into numerous in-depth plots, and separate which feuds were motive to murder to finally discover the true identity of the killer. I urge every wannabe sleuth, this is an experience you must not miss. And there was a veritable abundance of high quality James of Arran chocolates on offer! JF Comedy **** Deborah Frances-White’s ‘How To Get Almost Anyone To Want To Sleep With You – The Advanced Class’ Pleasance Courtyard When I read the name of this show, I admit I was sceptical. But, after being in the company of Deborah Frances-White for just sixty minutes, I’m now convinced that the mating game is exactly that – a game that anyone can manipulate to their advantage! I haven’t encountered a better confidence boost than Deborah Frances-White since burlesque went neo. No matter what your size, shape or preference, Frances-White has invaluable advice on how to make yourself irresistible to your chosen sex! The show consists of 100% interaction between Frances-White and the audience. Very quickly she assimilates info on the status of the audience, and then works magic in facilitation discussion on what men and women really want. Just at the moment where I started to fear the show was heterosexist, it was as if Frances-White read my mind. She stated that it was too complicated to accommodate every preference, so they would conduct the show on a he/she basis because, ultimately, ‘straight people need more help’. Can’t argue with that one! Deborah Frances-White exhibits a rare brand of astute humour and social awareness which distinguishes and elevates her show above others. Whether you’re single, married or a self imposed celibate, you will love this show. JF Theatre **** Deep Cut Traverse Theatre Between 1995 and 2002 four young soldiers died at the Princess Royal Barracks in Deepcut, Surrey. Each inquest returned the verdict of suicide, but there are strong grounds to suggest that a full public enquiry might uncover evidence of murder. After the death of Private James Collinson in 2002, Surrey Police re-opened the investigation, causing a media storm. The revelation that the Army had destroyed some of the forensic evidence only served to heighten suspicions of a cover-up. Writer Philip Ralph has conducted a number of painstaking interviews in order to create Deep Cut, a captivating verbatim theatre piece which seeks to offer a voice to the families of the victims. In particular, much of the action revolves around the parents of Private Cheryl James, played with an adroit sensitivity by Ciaran McIntyre and Rhian Morgan. The title of the piece deliberately plays on the metaphorical quality of the tragedy’s location; this play is concerned with the deep cuts in a family left bereaved, in a society protected by lies, and the widening rift between the truth and what some would prefer to be true. There have been some tremendous examples of verbatim theatre in recent years, most notably Moisés Kaufman’s The Laramie Project, David Hare’s The Permanent Way for the National Theatre, and Davey Anderson’s Tipping Point for 7:84. These were successful pieces because the playwrights in question reshaped the material to enhance the theatricality. Ralph’s achievement is certainly comparable, and even though by his own admission verbatim theatre is often considered to be ‘passed its sell-by date’, Deep Cut proves beyond doubt that it remains a potent dramatic form. The entire play is set in the living room of the James’s home, reminding us constantly of the human tragedy at the heart of the story. An unashamedly polemical piece it may be, but I defy anyone not to be moved. AD Theatre *** Discipline & Punish C soco Brighton theatre company SUDS deliver an original and occasionally thought-provoking piece of theatre. Six people imprisoned in a room, with rules written on the wall, attempt to rebel against the rules in various ways against a backdrop of shrill bells. The show is exceedingly well researched, and this is where its depth lies. The characters come alive as they demonstrate interrogation techniques and ‘stress and submission’ poses. There are also snippets of testimony from prisoners and prison guards, giving the audience a glimpse into the psychology of imprisonment. The characters react in different ways to the emotional toll of their imprisonment, and it is fascinating to reflect upon. These were the more interesting moments, but unfortunately on the whole it all felt painfully slow and disjointed. I can see what the performance was attempting to achieve - a Blair Witch Project style audience interpretation. However, the lack of pace and continuity just made it seem a bit vague. JF Theatre *** A Dog Called Redemption Underbelly’s Baby Belly The blurb in the fringe programme describes this play as Brokeback Mountain meets Of Mice and Men. I’m always suspicious of advertising gambits that attempt to fuse disparate works of art in this way, as though they are mere ingredients to be poached by other writers. Thankfully, Matthew Landers can write very well, and his play about two vagrants on the streets of London is an entertaining and thought-provoking piece about finding love in the most unlikely of circumstances. Landers plays an opinionated Big Issue seller with a quick-tongue and a penchant for cheap alcoholic drinks. He meets another homeless man, a slow and neurotic Monty-Python enthusiast played by Graham Elwell. To be fair to their literary reference, the interdependence that develops between the two characters has shades of Steinbeck’s itinerant ranch hands, and the eroticised element is a neat touch. Landers creates the impression of two lonely men whose worlds have come to an end, finding solace in each other, both physically and emotionally. Whilst not overtly didactic, the play does convey the idea that we are all entitled to love, irrespective of our position in society. Appropriately enough, the dénouement makes unpleasant viewing. It is somehow at once inevitable and unpredictable. With such focused performances and a strong script, this is a worthwhile way to spend an hour. AD Comedy **** Domestic Goddi Pleasance Courtyard Joan and Jean dissect the myth of the Domestic Goddess, through cleverly produced comedy sketches, song and a rather impressive Irish jig! Barnsley’s answer to Trinny and Susannah capture the audience immediately with their relaxed and easygoing cheery humour. It’s impossible to leave this show unaffected by the warm and fuzzy atmosphere created by Joan and Jean. This show tackles with humour what being a woman is all about. It compares the expectations (‘size 0 diets and painful beauty treatments’) against the reality (‘cheating partners and an anniversary cruise of a pedalo in Skegness’) and reaches a candid but hilarious conclusion, via their own rendition of the Bridget Jones song. These women are fabulous and insightful, taking life as it comes with their very own post-feminist charm. JF Theatre *** Dybbuk King’s Theatre The sets for this play were wonderful. The intermittent vivid mythological backdrop was brilliant. The acting was at all times intense and precise. At the end, half the audience gave a standing ovation. And yet, for me it really just didn’t come together. We are told a traditional story about a ghost that possesses its victims – it possesses a bride at her wedding, it possesses a man who struggles not to let it pass to his new-born son. The relevant scenes are explicit and affecting. What put me off, I think, was the first twenty minutes or so, when six actors – three male, three female – face us on chairs and tell stories between each other. Each story is three or four minutes long, some scriptural, some gossipy, involving different strange names and seeming unconnected. I felt an outsider, not drawn in. I thought, “Oh god, is the whole tale to be told in this way?” By the time the action began I was alienated. Very quickly, the interaction of excellent actors gripped me, but something had been lost. The “exorcism” of the bride’s spirit was very long. Though, as this was more therapy for the ghost rather than an expulsion, this was perhaps appropriate. There were a number of references to therapy. This was an ancient story in a very modern setting, with modern preoccupations. The shadow of the Holocaust and of Polish complicity in that hung heavy over the play. It may be a failing on my part that I failed to see the point of the American Buddhist. Andrzej Chyra as Chanan/Adam was riveting in his dilemma and agonised struggles. The human mysteries and aspirations were very moving, as were the doomed attempts to achieve loving unions. This might have been a magical experience if only that opening section had not alienated me. TC Theatre *** East Side Story C Chambers St The actors of the New Vic Ensemble are nothing short of spectacular. Their passion and belief in the subject matter shines through via the media of song, expressive dance and one hell of a catchy and eclectic sound track. The show opens with a short film featuring public opinion on safety on the streets of London, and gang culture. The story evolves as opposing gangs who interact in a series of high energy, aggressive and emotive dances. Songs are featured in which the young actors sing and rap about being portrayed as ‘no good’, lazy, high, robbers… and about gangsta music being scapegoated for society’s ills. The performance captures the far reaching effects of gang culture, on the gang members, their families and society as a whole. The piece de resistance is when the audience are forced to choose who should die in a knife fight. The ensuing tragedy leaves the audience feeling shockingly chilled, jolted into the sudden realisation that on so many levels we’re all responsible. Every one of these actors are brilliant, and several are exceptional. This show will continue to get better the more it’s performed. JF Musical *** Edges C Chambers St This musical is set to the back drop of New York City and follows the lives of four twenty somethings: Mark, Sally, Amy and Jonathan. They sing about their expectations, challenges, relationships and search for identities. I think most of us will be able to relate to at least some parts of the journeys these four go through. There are some cleverly written lyrics. The song about Facebook is especially good. The actors make good use of the minimal stage props throughout the performance. What starts as a bed finally ends up forming the letters the shows title. I believe having live music definitely contributes to making any show more attractive. Edges would not have worked without it, however, the band’s volume meant it was difficult to hear what was being sung. I was in the front row so I should have heard everything! Aside from this technical problem, this was an assured production. SM Musicals * En-Suite Charity Sweet Grassmarket Despite the pun in the title, this show has nothing in common with the 1966 Broadway musical Sweet Charity. Instead it concerns a small charity shop, raising money to support the orphanage situated next door. It’s hardly the most exciting premise for a musical, and even with such a likeable and enthusiastic cast the result is disappointing. The composition of the music is reminiscent of a children’s television show: simple, catchy, but ultimately unsatisfying. Indeed, for the first half hour I wondered whether En-Suite Charity had been wrongly advertised, as I’m sure that some children might enjoy the cartoonish quality of the piece. However, my suspicions were thwarted when, in a particularly inexplicable scene, one of the characters cried out ‘fuck you!’ So perhaps not one for the kids, after all. The writers have deliberately presented us with a series of two-dimensional stock characters, the sort of line up you would expect in a 1970s sitcom. In itself, this is not a problem, only there is a serious dearth of gags. The style of the piece leads you to believe that you’re watching a comedy, but you end up waiting for a joke that never actually comes. The central love story in the piece is likewise problematic. We are expected to empathise with James and Emma’s mutual affection, but the superficiality of the characterisation makes this impossible. Lyrics such as ‘I know it’s a cliché, I know it sounds crazy, I just wanna find someone caring and kind’ are perfunctory and banal. One to avoid. AD Physical Theatre ** The Factory Zoo Southside This multimedia affair by Precocious Theatre Company is an uninspiring exploration of the pernicious effects of commercialisation on humanity. The setting is an Orwellian factory, overseen by the projected face of the manager who intones Shakespearean rhetoric and the kind of motivational cant familiar to any of us who have worked for a global corporation. The cast are athletic and vigorous, their stylised movements reminiscent of puppets or automata, presumably to emphasise the motif of authoritarian control. There are some powerful images, most notably the women who are dragged on stage in plastic cases only to be suspended upside down from a rack. All too often, however, the imagery is obvious; the projections of human beings on conveyor belts, for instance, or the barcode bearing the words ‘BUY ME’. One woman working on the factory line is deemed to be a “failed product”, and is ceremoniously wrapped in a diaphanous sheet and discarded, but not before she regales us with an appeal to her essential humanity. It’s at moment like these that the weakness of the script begins to grate. Lines such as ‘we kneel before our rightful lord: the money God’ are none too subtle, and in any case are preaching to the converted. This is the essential problem with The Factory; the ground has already been well and truly covered. Do we really need to be told that the commodification of the self is a bad thing? Or that consumer culture depends upon our anxieties and fears? It’s no great revelation. AD Comedy ** Feasting on Flesh Assembly Rooms Billy Brown, our host/ringmaster urges us to polish our silver and sharpen our knives. Yes, we’re dining at the Ass Rooms with acrobatics. Some of this stuff is pretty good. Circus and physical theatre should be loud, pacey and naked whenever possible, and this show certainly delivers that. The problem is that is has all been done before, and better. It has neither the grotesqueness of Jim Rose nor the danger of La Clique. Nor does it have the sustained suggestiveness of any number of burlesque shows that are currently doing the rounds. Sadly a few laughs and the occasional hot naked body do not sustain the show. MW Comedy ***** Felix Dexter - Not Just Another White Guy Lost in the Shuffle Pleasance Courtyard Best known for his role as Saffy’s boyfriend in the classic comedy sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, and a stalwart on the comedy circuit selling out his own tours and sizable London venues like Bloomsbury Theatre and The Hackney Empire, Felix Dexter makes his second visit to the Edinburgh Festival with his brand new show. Felix’s distinctive fusion of acutely observed characters and high energy satire has kept him at the top of his comedy game. Not Just Another White Guy Lost In The Shuffle covers religion, Barack Obama, British culture (including 24 hour licensing laws), Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty, political correctness, new immigration, and the lighter topics like being upstaged by a Hollywood star, internet addiction, and the Olympics. His routine on homophobia in the black community was the icing on the cake. Go See! MW Comedy *** The Gadabouts Pleasance Dome Welcome to the Pleasance Dome. Joe Bor, Luke McQueen and Matt Rudge are three twenty-something lads who make up the sketch troupe, The Gadabouts. This is (mostly) funny stuff. Their humour is hardly cutting edge; you get the impression that the three of them were brought up watching Saturday morning kid’s television. The funniest moments involve a recurring skit about an allen key looking for somewhere to belong, whilst the Chubbs and the Yales keep taking the piss out of him for being different - the payoff had me in stitches. All the Diet Coke stuff was pretty funny too, though I’ll probably never drink it again. Seen very early in their run, there were one or two weaker moments and mistakes, but these were covered with some pretty funny improvised banter so nobody complained. MW Theatre **** George Orwell’s Coming Up For Air Assembly Rooms Hal Cruttenden delivers a resoundingly powerful performance of one of Orwell’s classics, with a voice that appears destined for such a narration. The beauty of Orwellian language slips with ease from Cruttenden, as he raises laughs from the audience as well as inspiring a passion on the themes closest to Orwell’s heart. Coming Up For Air is, in essence, a story of growth and development; an acknowledgement that as we change, the whole world changes with us – and not for the better. With lashings of Orwell’s love of the working class underdog, the central character delves into details of middle class shackles, living through a war and keeping a family in virtual squalor. A wonderful portrayal of a classic, not to be missed. JF Comedy ** Girl & Dean Pleasance Courtyard This show features Jess and Sarah, two girls attempting to find a mechanism of communication to clear their frustrated dynamic. Dean presents the straight-laced moral conscience, and Girl conversely appears as a flighty fun-lover, precociously tackling topics of sex, drink and bad language with unapologetic humour. The show worked as both girls are funny – although Girl excels in natural humour, whereas Dean seems a bit more rehearsed. As a result, although the sketches were on the whole quite funny, the humour seemed all too much like a forced Vicar of Dibley with sidekick Alice. Girl’s puppet, Jane, was introduced later in the show, and this seemed to perplex matters further. JF Theatre *** Going Down Rocket @ Demarco Roxy Art House A provocative delve into the lives of the people we encounter on a daily basis which asks the question: is anyone really innocent and pure? Six people, in a lift that only goes down, all with their own hidden tales of intrigue. Sounds like it’s been done before, but there’s a darker, chilling edge to these secrets that is far from predictable. A mysterious, dishevelled figure operates the lift, condemning each character to a fate of their own imagining. Sibling rape, exploitation and numerous original and imaginative murders keep the audience gripped with anticipation of how it will all end. This creative plot is brought to life by the convincing portrayal of this talented group of actors. Passionate, powerful and gripping, with an ending teetering on the obscure. Well worth the price of a ticket. JF Theatre ***** Golden Rocket @ Demarco Roxy Art House Theatre With Teeth bring us this scintillating modern-day political adaptation of Macbeth. It’s simply ingenious; a literary master-stroke which is performed with edgy passion, humour and more than a glimmer of Shakespearean tragedy. Matthew Golden is an MP, who sells his soul to the media in exchange for the political assassination of his colleagues. This enables him to reach the dizzy heights of party leader, but as with all favours, the media soon expect reciprocity. Spurred on by his celebrity-crazed wife, Golden gets in deeper as he is pressured into influencing party politics in favour of the media figures who put him where he is. The small, cosy and intimate Roxy theatre is an ideal setting for this wonderful show, which needs no props to carry it off. All five of these performers give every ounce of their heart and soul in their performances, and achieve total brilliance in this magnificent little piece of theatre. JF Comedy *** Grease Lightnin’ Drag Show Gilded Balloon Teviot The Drag Queens have come back from Australia for their second show at the Fringe. This time it’s Grease Lightnin’ with the main theme based around the story of Danny, Sandy and their school friends. Now those familiar with the story are used to Danny being a masculine type of guy. Here, he’s transformed into a much camper version, but like the original Danny can he move! And there is nothing virginal about this Sandy; she is a lot chubbier, cheekier, naughtier and ruder. There are a number of different songs thrown in that aren’t from the original musical, and some licence has been taken when it comes to substituting words. All this keeps the show entertaining from start to finish. There are fantastic, over the top costumes and great lip syncing. With a much deserved bigger venue than last year the audience cheer, laugh, clap and sing along to the extravaganza taking place in front of them. My only criticism is that not all the words of some songs were clear enough to make out. SM Theatre **** I Love You, Bro Pleasance Dome This is the true story of a 14 year old boy who discovers his sexuality in an internet chat-room. As he indulges in on-line chat with one of his town’s footie players, he finds himself mistaken for a female and makes the decision not to correct the mistake. The relationship escalates to one-sided cyber cam sex, and before Johnny knows it he finds himself inextricably drawn into a full-blown and dangerous infatuation. It’s the performance by Ash Flanders which brings this show to the heights of greatness. I can’t imagine any other actor who would play the part of Johnny better than Flanders, who adopts the increasingly unhinged persona perfectly. His performance is convincing, emotive and sparklingly brilliant as he transports the audience into Johnny’s head as he experiences the full spectrum of emotions this young lad undergoes in the lead-up to the planning of his own death. JF Theatre ** The Idiot Colony Pleasance Dome Bizarre, surreal, bordering on pretentious, yet still there’s something captivating about the whole concept of this performance. The cast of three present in a most precocious manner the murky subject of women who were locked in asylums and treated as having a mental disorder, when there was absolutely nothing wrong with them. Woman A is a lesbian, locked away because of her sexuality. She develops an oral fixation, and throughout the show sucks, swallows and vomits healing crystals. Woman B was raped by her piano teacher and gave birth to an illegitimate child. Woman C is a sex addict, discovered by her mother-in-law as she fornicated with a GI. The women are subjected to inhumane examinations, force-fed medication, given ECT and even lobotomies. This is fascinating subject matter, but the performance teeters precariously on the edges of the ridiculous. JF Dance & Physical Theatre *** I’m Not Convinced Holyrood Too “Punk is alive and well in New York, and in Edinburgh too, thanks to the stunning and controversial ‘Bambi Killers’!” For those of you who are ‘very alternative’ and ‘kinky’ in your tastes, and who still retain their ‘punk’ roots and an understanding of what ‘punk’ stands for, then make sure you check out The Bambi Killers from New York the next time they are in town. Their Edinburgh Festival Fringe offering for this year was I’m Not Convinced. This was a short run of only five nights due to the extortionate and outrageous accommodation and venue rental costs that performers, production teams and visitors to the Fringe have to bear. This extortion robbed many of you from experiencing the delightful head-fuck that is The Bambi Killers. They left me desperate for more horror and with an insatiable desire to be shocked terrified into satisfaction! This is a very controversial piece of performance art from New York that fuses social commentary with a hallucinatory montage of song, dance, theatre, and delightfully lurid behaviour.  It reminded me of a good night out (well, my kind of good night out). Performed by three astonishingly versatile women, who are sisters, this is where vaudeville, cabaret and classical theatre meet punk rock!  Definitely not for the faint hearted! This performance was directly inspired by the tragedy of female exploitation, within a ‘Polygamous Cult’ in the USA, which was recently in the news headlines. It is a hyper charged depiction of the female role in today and tomorrow’s society – one more chaotic and controlled than we know. Three women on the brink of insanity endure imperceptible confinement and experimentation in a windowless cell. When the opportunity to escape comes to them in the form of a mysterious pill, they must trust each other and themselves. Separating reality from their subconscious becomes imminent as they fight for control against an esoteric captor. They take a fantastic journey to find freedom, and themselves. The final act is a musical performance that took me right back to when Sid Vicious first picked up a Bass Guitar; and when our beloved Siouxsie Sioux was just a slip of a girl and full of anger, irony, fuck you, reality is shit, and a good dose of humour. I am delighted that I didn’t miss this truly off-the-wall performance. JG Comedy **** The Improverts Bedlam Theatre Improvised comedy is ten-a-penny at the Fringe, but these Edinburgh University Students are better than most. They jump from set piece to set piece, as you’d expect, with energy and verve. The audience laughed hysterically throughout, and I was happily laughing along. The whole thing only threatens to fall to pieces during the a ‘Should have Said’ routine. The idea is that The Improverts perform an improvised sketch, and when a performer says a line the audience doesn’t like, they scream out ‘should have said’ forcing the performer to change the line. All this is a red rag to a bull if you’re a pissed student in the audience, trying to show off to your girlfriend. It’s a measure of the team’s composed but quick thinking improvisational skills that he was quickly silenced using the medium of comedy alone. The rest of us wanted to punch him. MW Comedy **** Isabel Fay: Don’t Let A Gift Horse In The House Pleasance Courtyard Isobel Fay is exuberant and energetic in this dynamic and unabashed performance. She’s a passionate woman with sparkling wit, intelligent humour and isn’t afraid to make a fool of herself. In fact she makes such a fool of herself, in a somehow sophisticated manner, that the audience warm to her immediately. Throughout the performance, Fay interacts both with the audience and with the characters in a series of well-produced sketches playing on an LCD TV. She is well polished, fast paced and convincing as she plays a spider handler scared of spiders, a synchronised swimmer and a child celebrity – to name but a few. Fay’s natural energy and zest for life is contagious in this performance; it’s impossible to leave without a huge smile on your face. JF Comedy *** It Is Rocket Science Gilded Balloon Helen Keen is a loveable geek, who manages to combine the history of space travel with a fuel-injection of humour. A subject that could potentially be quite boring, given the detail Keen goes into, is brought to life by her vivacious personality, sparkling adorable humour and faux self-deprecation. Keen’s set is ‘low budget’, but there’s something about her masses of home-made space paraphernalia and shadow puppetry that makes us so much more appreciative than if her set were high tech and new-fangled. It all contributes to Keen’s sense of energy, enthusiasm and deep love of all things scientific. With a few in-jokes for those of a rocket-science persuasion, this is a charming, witty little treat of a show. Keen is undoubtedly funny, and this show is likely to go from strength to strength. JF Comedy **** Jason Byrne - Cats Under Mats, Having Chats With Bats Assembly Hall Jason Byrne returns for his twelfth consecutive year at the Edinburgh Fringe, and his third year in what I’m told is this year’s biggest fringe venue - the 800 capacity Assembly Hall. During the show Jason discuses the age gap between his two young sons. He talks about moving home and DIY disasters. He shares stories about his marriage and how he tries to please his wife in bed. He also tells us of his visits to confession. This is all familiar stand up stuff, executed very well. Where he really shines, though, is when the audience get involved. This is a master class in audience participation. He plays with individuals without ever resorting to cheap abuse, indeed I was very happy to be at the receiving end of some of his funny stuff, and delighted to join him on stage for his own version of the Riverdance at the end. Just don’t ask me what the show’s title is about. MW Comedy **** Jerry Sadowitz: Comedian, Magician, Psychopath II Underbelly’s Pasture Jerry Sadowitz is a nasty piece of work. His venomous tirade is relentless, consisting of unabashed racism, homophobia, misogyny, anti-semitism, xenophobia, and every other kind of prejudice known to humankind. If it exists, he hates it. The man is a monster. He’s also one of the best showmen on the Edinburgh fringe. There’s a huge difference between this kind of humour and, say, Bernard Manning. With Manning, the audience would laugh out of endorsement for the views he represented. With Sadowitz, we are supposed to detest him, and we do. It’s like watching an explosion of hate on stage. Anyone and everyone is a target, so it is difficult to be offended. It is a prurient and compelling spectacle, and it’s also hilarious. His unpleasant invective is interspersed with some astounding sleight of hand card tricks. Sadowitz seems disdainful of his own show, rattling through his magic with feigned reluctance. “Let’s get this fucking thing over with,” he tells the crowd, before performing a trick involving the queens and kings from the pack entitled “royal cunts”. This man does not do subtlety. If you can stomach an hour of unmitigated bile, you won’t be disappointed with this show. At the end, I felt as though I’d be thrown about like a rag-doll in a tornado. As a final act of cruelty, Sadowitz recommended the truly catastrophic Jim Rose Circus to his audience. It would seem his lack of taste knows no bounds. AD Comedy * Jim Bowen – Look At What You Could Have Won Udderbelly’s Pasture The famous Bullseye theme tune echoes around the packed venue. There’s a dartboard on stage and a ‘Bendy Bully’ on the table. All of I sudden I feel as though I’m eight years old again, sitting cross-legged in front of the television on a Saturday night. By the end of the show, I come to the conclusion that I must have had very questionable taste as an infant. To be fair, when Bowen emerges he is the first to admit that Bullseye was ‘a pile of crap’, which begs the question: why he is making us endure it all over again? Admittedly, the majority of the hour takes the form of a traditional chat show, but in the final twenty minutes, Bowen chooses members of the audience to participate in a recreation of the quiz that made him so famous. It’s almost as difficult to endure as the chat show element with comedian John Bishop and the trio from Ha-Ha-Hamlet. Let’s face it, Jim Bowen is no Michael Parkinson. Much of Bowen’s opening stand-up routine consists of him reminiscing about comedy from the seventies, which is exactly what he’s delivering. He rants about the ‘PC brigade’, but like most people who complain about political correctness, he doesn’t quite understand what it is. For instance, he whinges about ‘all this talk about global warming’, which suggests that he is confusing political correctness with raising awareness about the realities of climate change. You can see why he’s so defensive. His idea of a good joke is to describe Les Dawson as having ‘a face that had been lived in… by gyppos.’ Needless to say, the audience were lapping it up, howling with laughter and applauding. It’s a shame that some people are so easy to please. AD Comedy *** Jim Jeffries - Hammered Underbelly’s Pasture The abrasive Australian is back for yet another no holds barred take on life. This time his show centres around rape, religion, race, suicide, burns victims, gay pandas, women, and he even tells of his interesting encounter with Kelly Osbourne at this years NME awards, of which he was host. Jim takes great delight in making his audience squirm, by generally being vulgar and downright offensive at times. He enjoys bragging about his sexual conquests and how he humiliates women. He genuinely seems obsessed with sex and prostitutes, although probably no more so than your average thirty-something single male. However, he’s also not afraid to bear his soul and admit his own inadequacies either. He’s isn’t the funniest comedian I’ve ever encountered, nor is he particularly good at bantering with the audience. But I do like the ‘no moral boundaries rule’, as I’m getting a little sick and tired of everyone being so ‘politically correct’ all the time and there’s certainly nothing ‘PC’ about this man. Jim lacks energy and enthusiasm when performing, he’s so laid back. I was waiting for Tracey Emin’s bed being wheeled out, so he could have a nap midway and regain some of his energy. Definitely a lads’ night out or for others who aren’t of a sensitive nature. SS Theatre *** Jim Rose Circus Underbelly’s Pasture It’s been roughly a decade since Jim Rose and his merry band of depraved misfits descended upon the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, causing anarchy, controversy and mayhem. The new show Stairway to Hell - The Musical is directed by Randy Weiner of The Donkey Show fame. The show starts off well, with a ‘razor sharp’ monologue by the master himself – Jim Rose, who plays the character Satan. You are then thrust into being introduced to ‘Warthog’ an eighties metal band, who whilst trying to break the record for the most pyrotechnics used in a show, they unfortunately end up dead and somehow in Heaven, instead of their preferred habitat of Hell. The Band then has to go through a series of tests to be accepted into Hell, all whilst under the supervision of Satan. The lead singer Billy Love puts out a descent performance, despite the adverse playing conditions. The band play some rock classics, including Queen, The Scorpions, Black Sabbath and the aptly titled and timed ‘Dude Looks Like a Lady’ by Aerosmith - which does steal the show. Although Satan’s methods of getting Billy to increase his vocal range is somewhat unorthodox and definitely not advisably – it is effective! The show isn’t as edgy and doesn’t elicit the real shock value as the original did back in the late nineties. But it also didn’t have to compete with the internet either. There’s no sword swallowing, weight lifting using various pieces of anatomy or regurgitating body fluids. But I get the feeling it’s meant to be more amusing and entertaining than shocking, a bit like Spinal Tap meets Rob Zombie. There is however an appearance by ‘Buck Angel’ in the guise of Barracuda. Yes there’s nudity, sexual suggestiveness, fake blood, knives, pain. There’s also laughter, anguish, and general disgust. And that’s just from the audience. If you can cope with a bit of masochism, misogyny and some menacing madness, then go see it, if not, then try one of the kids’ shows. SS Comedy ***** Jo Caulfield: Two-Faced Bitch? The Stand Comedy Club III The title of Jo Caulfield’s new show poses a simple question. It’s based on a series of reviews she has received in national newspapers since her last Edinburgh show, all of which use the adjective ‘bitchy’ to describe her act. Caulfield wonders if this is fair, but lets the audience draw their own conclusions. At the end of the show there’s a vote. I won’t tell you which way the consensus went on this particular evening, but instead urge you to go along and find out for yourself. Whether she’s a bitch or not is in many ways a redundant point. What matters most of all is that Jo Caulfield is at the top of her game. She writes a brand new show every year, so even if you’ve seen her before you can expect to laugh all over again. She is one of the most consummate stand-ups in the business, and one of the most consistently funny. There is an acerbic intelligence underlying Caulfield’s best material that accounts for her popularity with audiences. Her jokes and observations are so well crafted that she makes the whole endeavour seem effortless. It’s true that her comedy is laced with a dark and acerbic edge, but she’s too likeable to dismiss with the epithet ‘bitch’. But don’t just take my word for it. Go and judge for yourselves. AD Comedy **** Joanna Neary’s Magic Hole Assembly Rooms Joanna Neary is the modern-day Joyce Grenfell. The sheer range of her characterisations is extraordinary, from the modern-day Celia Johnson (of Brief Encounter fame) to the celebrity-obsessed dolphin flicking through a decidedly damp copy of Heat. Neary’s particular brand of observational and surreal character comedy is nuanced and hilarious, and well worth the price of a ticket. Much of the effect lies in Neary’s attention to detail. Each character has her or his own idiosyncratic traits, obsessions and agendas. She has the ability not only to make you believe in these characters, but to care about them as well. Despite the fact that her characters are only ever on stage for a matter of minutes, she is able to infuse each persona with the illusion of authenticity and depth. But her silliest roles are often the most enjoyable. Her smug domesticated cat is sheer brilliance, and her impersonation of Björk singing about the credit crunch has the audience in hysterics. If you haven’t seen Neary before, I demand that you buy a ticket immediately. AD Theatre **** Jumping and Other Thoughts Underbelly This original play follows the story of two strangers, who accidentally become connected when they both learn that a local tramp has died. This recently deceased man becomes the unlikely focus of their obsessions. One of whom happens to be an amateur photographer; she discovers that the local tramp is featured in every one of her pictures. The other is a synaesthesiac (a condition in which hearing a sound produces the visualisation of a colour) who becomes fascinated by his colourful world. In their quest to retrace the last few days of this man’s life, these two strangers find themselves considering the significance of their own existences in the world they live in. This delightful play offers an insightful and fresh look at life’s mishaps and precious moments, and that they can be captured in the process of photography development and how this intertwines with social interaction. The young cast demonstrate admirable acting ability; the script is thought provoking and is flawlessly executed. It leaves you with a feeling of warmth and happiness. I personally can’t think of a more pleasant way to spend an hour in the afternoon. SS Music ***** Just Like A Woman – Barb Jungr Sings Nina Simone The Queens Hall Internationally acclaimed vocalist Barb Jungr has a reputation for putting her own unique and quite often unusual interpretation on songs written by such greats as Bob Dylan (Barb is a professed Dylan fanatic) and Jacques Brel. This time Barb turns her attentions to a collection of songs recorded by the late, great legend that is Nina Simone. Barb has enormous vocal capability and flexibility. She manages light, delicate arrangements and can mix it with up tempo blues. My particular favourite includes ‘Just Like a Woman’ which has a reggae feel to it and ‘Here Comes the Sun’ which joins the vocal harmonies of pianist Jenny Carr and multi-instrumentalist Jessica Lauren. I feel the key to Barb’s talent is not only in her flawless singing ability, it’s the fact that she is able to narrate in between each song, telling interesting and quite often amusing anecdotes which relate, giving the song its own personality. ‘Angel of the Morning’ is one such example, in which Barb describes it as the other side of the story to Rod Stewarts ‘Maggie May’. Barb Jungr is truly one of the highlights of this year’s Fringe Festival, and a must for anyone who appreciates this women’s talent for taking timeless classics and in her own unique vocal style making them her own. The evening was simply enthralling and by the looks on the audience’s faces, they felt the same. SS Theatre *** Just Out Of Reach Rocket @ Demarco Roxy Art House This is a well-intentioned piece of theatre, based on three Greeks who angered the Gods. They are each meted out a punishment of eternal torment, with the option of suicide for good behaviour. The quality of singing and musical accompaniment (flute, clarinet, violin, violincello and piano/synth) is flawless and of an extremely high standard. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine being at the opera. The acting too was spectacular, particularly Sisyphus who injected a cheeky humour into proceedings. There was also some very homoerotic dancing between the three rather camp buff Greeks. The outstanding talents of the actors and musicians were the strong point of the performance, carrying a weak story line. The comedy elements of the show appear to jar slightly against the serious themes of the performance, detracting from the sense of torment I feel was the intended portrayal. I was baffled by the sudden introduction of a high-tech psychiatry game show and a manacled puppet, and I couldn’t help wondering why exactly they were there. All round, a spectacularly entertaining performance, oozing with classical talent. JF Comedy **** Karen Dunbar Gilded Balloon Once again, Dunbar is sensational right from the start and has the audience howling for a full sixty minutes. Bounding on stage with a thick mop of blonde hair, Nike high tops and flowery joggies, she immediately descends into a rant on ‘Now how the fuck do we kill Mamma Mia?’ It’s hard to pin down exactly what it is that elevates Dunbar so far above her competition, because everything about the woman is pure comedy. Perhaps it’s her demeanour, her facial expressions, her impromptu dancing to dodgy 80s pop tunes, or her unapologetic litany of adventures - like narrating to her audience how ‘pish comes oot when I sneeze and cough’, as she goes on to tell of pissing herself whilst on stage in Australia. Or her social observations, like warnings on the side of vodka bottles ‘You may end up crying hysterically, shaggin an ugly bastard and throwin up in yer handbag’! Whatever it is, Karen has done it again! JF Comedy *** Kerry Godliman – This Isn’t What I Was Expecting Pleasance Dome Godliman delivers a fast-paced social observation on the subject of expectations. She delves with ease into a variety of topics such as public transport, gravity-defying face cream, fast food that looks like ‘cold human shit’ and casual sex, which is apparently not casual because ‘casual’ sex is what you have when you’re in a relationship! Godliman muses on how culture manipulates our expectations, as she reels off family anecdotes and the logistics of raising a child whilst in a non-committed relationship. She has a comfortable yet edgy, laid back yet sophisticated brand of humour, and this show will only get better the more it’s performed. JF Comedy *** Ladies In Waiting: Brownie Reunion Pleasance Courtyard This show delivers a silly, slapstick humour throughout a series of sketches based on Brownowl Val’s 25th wedding anniversary. Her husband has long since left her for 22 year old Darren, however her twelve Brownie ladies-in-waiting promised on her wedding day to re-unite twenty-five years later. And a Brownie promise must be kept! The show presents each of the girls as they are now, with some results funnier than others. There’s the lazy gym instructor, the brash unhelpful tourist help desk, the ignorant careers officer, and many more! The funniest sketch was the abuse victim reporting past crimes to the police. Funny in that, ‘it’s oh so wrong but oh so funny too’ way. However because the show lacked any other such overtly risqué humour, the topic matter jarred a bit and left an uncomfortable air. Still, a generally high quality show. JF Theatre *** Like A Virgin Gilded Balloon The play opens in a family setting and we witness a relationship coming to an end. There is a stark contrast between the person that has moved on and the one that’s left behind. The play mainly centres on the relationship of best friends Angela (Anita Suchdev) and Maxine (Rebecca Shorrocks). Both teenagers are desperate for fame and all that goes with it. They have written the songs, found a band and a venue for their first performance. It is at this longed-for debut that Angela’s illness first makes itself known. Its impact affects all those close to her. Compared to the other characters it is Angela that shows the most courage in coming to terms with her fate. The relationship between Viv (Frances Stiles) and Angela becomes clear towards the end of the play as Angela’s estranged father (Marc Jaskin) reappears and, despite the circumstances, it is still too it difficult for him to show his feelings. This play is about families and relationships and how they impact on the lives of the characters. The difficulty that occurs when it comes to facing loss and finding the strength to move on. The actress Rebecca Shorrocks has a great stage presence and I look forward to seeing her in further productions. SM Comedy **** Literally The Zoo This is a one man show about the abuse of language and about travelling from A to B. You see a list of the world’s worst offenders when it comes to misusing the word “literally”, with many examples and much use of slides - such as a vision of one football team actually camping out in the goal area of the opposing team – sports commentators come off worst! The fact that everything is delivered in a very dead-pan, unexcited manner adds significantly to the hilarity. The audience laughter was much louder than Paul Parry’s delivery, which makes a great contrast to some shows. The journey from A to B took Paul cycling from northern Norway (A) to the American mid-west (B). He was advised to use a tandem, and thus picked up many “passengers” who enlivened his journey. This was intriguing, but didn’t get the big laughs of the language-based material before and after. If you want something really entertaining and different, hilarious and thought-provoking, which brings home the ridiculous ways we use language, get along to Paul Parry’s show. Strongly recommended! TC Theatre *** Lucidity C soco This is a fascinating perspective on mental health, which features lead character Julian entering a private rehabilitation clinic following a drug and alcohol-fuelled suicide attempt. As Julian craves answers and assistance, he’s met with madness and corruption and a set up so rotten to the core that it forces him to analyse his own values and belief systems. There are moments of intense passion and despair, as well as comedic Withnail and I sketches which lift the mood when it all gets too serious. A happy ending and reflection on clarity makes for a neatly packaged performance which will challenge the audience’s preconceptions. JF Comedy *** Lucy Porter - Bare Necessitates Pleasance Courtyard According to Lucy Porter, there are thousands of books out there advocating a return to basic values and the rejection of consumerism. Self-help gurus that would have us into believing that we would be mentally better if we could only spend more time with our friends and families, and less time trying to achieve material success. Are these people telling us the truth? Is a life lived quietly and modestly for the good of others more satisfying than the coke-fuelled trolley-dash that constitutes the life of a modern reality TV star? Psychologists seem to suggest that being a farmer with a big family is the key to utter bliss - “Have these people,” asks Lucy, “ever watched Emmerdale or listened to The Archers?” Lucy share her views on these and other matters, and her capacity audience laps it up. She’s lovely, smiley and it has to be said, really rather cute. Her delivery is laid back and relaxed, perhaps, occasionally a little too laid back for my tastes. She’s clearly a very talented writer though, and her material is mostly top notch. Her 70s Radio Times letters page routine had me chuckling for some time. MW Theatre ** Lynn Ferguson – Heart and Sole Gilded Balloon A somewhat surreal piece of theatre about a woman and her love affair with a fish. As Ferguson takes liberalism to its greatest heights, she duo-plays the very comical Glaswegian Elaine and her fish-loving friend Carol. As Carol narrates details of her relationship with David, her tub-gurner love, it’s a tad like listening to the delusions of a mad woman. At one point Carol plays out a teacher/classroom dynamic with the audience, forcing us into a rather humiliating age-play rhetoric which felt rather patronising. Undoubtedly Ferguson is talented and very natural on stage. I just didn’t care much for the style of this particular performance. JF Dance **** Meli Melo II Universal Arts Theatre, Freemasons Hall Chicos Mambo makes a welcome return to the Edinburgh Festival with the colourful spectacular, Meli Melo II. This wry and witty performance provides a perfect showcase for their unique talent for parody. Ever more than just a dance troupe, these four cheeky chicos treat the audience to a delightful journey of the joys of physical theatre that incorporates drama, cabaret, mime, theatre, puppetry and even circus skills. Aided by props that are minimal yet effective, each scene seamlessly morphs from one hilarious homage to the next. Almost no dance style escapes their affectionate tribute; flamenco, tango, classical, Indian, and even Swan Lake en-pointe are all sent up with humour and intelligence. By turns both comic and graceful, these seasoned performers demonstrate their technical skill and training with precision timing and attention to detail, all made to look effortless. With an array of appropriate costumes, from baton-twirling drum majorettes in knee-high boots or pink suited matadors complete with well-placed castanets, this show is a visual delight. The audience appreciation, evidenced by laughing, clapping along, and even gasping in all the right places, was well deserved. As well as the excellent choreography, I particularly enjoyed the more subtle elements, and found that with just the raise of an eyebrow or a tilt of the head, the expressive face of Philippe Tarride could have me laughing out loud. It is testament to the professionalism of the cast that the show seems as much fun to perform as it does to watch. Bravo! CM Theatre *** More Lives than One – Oscar Wilde and the Black Douglas Augustine’s This is a bravura one-man performance from Leslie Clack where, indeed, one man gets to play many parts. This includes, very entertainingly, Lady Bracknell, where a wholly new character appears before us. As well as excerpts from plays, there are sections from the trials, friends and enemies, and even George Bernard Shaw makes a brief appearance. It is all excellently done, with various characters appearing very convincingly. However, this story has been told many times, even if rarely so well, and I’m wondering if I want to hear this central story again. Or maybe I only want to see and hear something that explores an aspect of Wilde that has not been covered before. But if you have not heard a great deal about Wilde before, and you want to be taken into his world, believably and amusingly, then this show has much to offer you. TC Theatre ***** Nocturne Traverse Theatre Adam Rapp’s play about a young pianist who inadvertently kills his sister in a car accident is a powerful and unsentimental exploration of the irreducible nature of regret. The play was first produced in 2000 at the American Repertory Theatre in Massachusetts, but has since been redeveloped into a monologue. The sense of intimacy that results is where the power of this play lies, and thanks to an astonishing performance by Peter McDonald, and the slick direction by Matt Wilde, we feel somehow implicated in the story as it is related to us. The direct address monologue form enables the playwright to enrich his language with metaphors and imagery that might otherwise seem overblown. The lines are beautifully crafted; there is an undeniable poeticism to Rapp’s work that engages the heart, allowing the audience to share in the vulnerability of the young man as he tells his difficult story. The evocative music by Phillip Neil Martin complements the mood of the piece as it fluctuates through an emotional spectrum of desperation, hope, and lamentation. Nocturne is a touching and plaintive piece that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. AD Dance & Physical Theatre ** Nycht-Hemeron C Chambers St I wanted to enjoy this performance because I have nothing but sheer respect for people who can perform high energy dance routines at 10am in the morning. Their stamina was impressive, however their routines were, on the whole, unoriginal. Not to mention that a ‘trio’ had been advertised, and there were only two dancers performing – one of whom was naturally gifted and elegant, and the other was mediocre and rather clumsy in places. The performances were interspersed with classical readings of poetry on the theme of creation, nature and divinity. The performance was inspiring in that ‘now I want to go out and be a ballet dancer’ type of way. The variations in dance as they expressed ‘the passage of a day’ was fast-paced in places and slow and meandering in others. On the whole, an enjoyable experience. JF Theatre *** Outward Bound Rocket @ Demarco About Turn Theatre’s Dan Hyde is back at the Fringe alongside Michele Flatto in a brand new play. Written and performed by the cast, it depicts two teachers; a gay male in his twenties and a Jewish woman in her forties, supervising a school camping trip. Forced to spend the night together, the two bicker, fight, and finally accept each other. On the way we explore how the education system copes with homosexuality in 2008, compared to the bad old days of Section 28. We also see two people, in different ways, failing to cope with aging. Michele Flatto, plays both teacher Ms Levy, and child Laura with a professional touch. With clever use of lighting, costumes and some excellent acting, it’s easy to forget they are played by the same person. Dan Hyde, too does a great job as both adult and child. Perhaps these are issues that have been explored often before, but given that this is an original piece of work, with a first time co-writer, actor and director, there is a great deal of promise on show here. MW Comedy *** Pam Ann – Terror at 41,000 ft Assembly Rooms The high camp of Caroline Reid’s alter-ego is always a pleasure to experience. She has become a regular feature on the Edinburgh fringe, her extravagant style and caustic humour winning her a loyal fanbase who return to her shows year after year. They are unlikely to leave Pam Ann’s current show feeling short-changed. As ever, Pam’s interaction with the audience is her strongest point. Her quick mind and waspish retorts make her a formidable and sometimes intimidating presence, rivalled only by the likes of Jerry Sadowitz, Scott Capurro, and David Hoyle. Her range of characters, all of them flight attendants from different nations, has ensured her longevity. There’s the decidedly equine “Mona” from British Airways, the voluptuous “Valerie” from American Airlines, and the Burberry-clad “Donna” from Easyjet. So popular are these characters that it’s got to the point where members of the audience spontaneously applaud when one of them appears on stage. It’s all very Happy Days. Some of Reid’s characterisations, however, suffer from crude stereotyping that does no justice to her intelligence and panache. For instance, the undeniable racism of her Chinese character “Lily” is somewhat off-putting, its humour derived solely from the infantile notion that Chinese people have funny eyes and voices. All of a sudden it feels as though we’ve travelled back in time to the seventies and are watching an episode of Mind Your Language. It’s a curious low-point in an otherwise hilarious show. AD Theatre *** The Picture of Dorian Gray C soco This is a really enjoyable performance. The all-female cast, plus some puppets, have no set. They rely purely on high quality acting skills, voice, movement, costume and an imaginative use of picture frames. (Do place your drink upon one, sir. They so elegantly furnish a room!) The storyline is very clearly expounded (and I’m sure it’s well-known, with the beautiful Dorian so in love with the image in his portrait that he wishes to remain like it – and does, with his portrait ageing as he goes from debauch to debauch). The range of characters is also well-expressed. Darren Tunstall, as director, has brought out the distinctive qualities of his appealing and talented cast. TC Theatre ** Plastic Pleasance Courtyard This isn’t so much a piece of theatre, as an art installation, with actors. Sounds, projected images, unlikely looking structures, high healed shoes and lots of jars of pickled eggs. Created by acclaimed writer and director Mehrdad Seyf, it attempts to depict the story of a man who wants a sex change. It seeks, it says here, to show how far a man would strive to become a ‘domestic goddess’. As a piece of art, it’s pretty impressive. The damp smelly arches under the Pleasance have been transformed in a way you wouldn’t think possible. The actors separated the women from the men, then lead us around showing us art, playing us music and other sounds, and talking occasionally. However, as a transsexual woman myself, I just didn’t get it. They appear to have turned the reality of transsexuality into pretentious piffle. SE Theatre **** Pornography Traverse Theatre This is a fragmented play for a fragmented time. Set in London in July 2005, Pornography charts the stories of eight characters against the backdrop of the G8 summit, the Live 8 concert, the announcement of London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics, and the atrocities of 7/7. The script makes it clear that the text can be performed ‘in any order’, and director Sean Homes has reconfigured the play skilfully to highlight the subtle connections between six ostensibly unrelated stories. The characters occupy the stage together, moving in and around each other, a kind of re-enactment of a shared psychological space. There are mutual observations, hints of recognition, moments of eye contact between people who will never meet. It’s a conceit that says a great deal about the nature of the city. This is essentially what Stephens’s story is all about. The city swamps its denizens to the point of disillusion, and there are elements of pornography in every life. A young racist boy flirts with his teacher, a foul-mouthed elderly woman studies sex films with a bitter resignation to changing times, a brother and sister destroy their own relationship after a night of copulation. The play seems to be suggesting that the city is on a course to self-destruction, and it is notable that the suicide bomber comes across as the most moderate and thoughtful character of all. Pornography feels like a didactic and moralistic piece, but the message is opaque. That said, it is beautifully written, and the actors carry it off with flair. This is a sporadically brilliant piece, thoughtful and challenging, albeit with a slightly insecure sense of purpose. It merits your attention. AD Comedy **** A Portrait of Shazia Mirza Pleasance Courtyard Internationally acclaimed, award winning stand up Shazia Mirza returns to the Edinburgh Festival this year with another funny show. As in previous years it’s about her life - except back then her picture wasn’t hung in the National Portrait Gallery next to Nelson Mandella. It’s that event that takes the shows premise. Performing is a small hut, with tents on top, in the middle of a dreadful rainstorm, the first fifteen minutes of the show was improvised banter. It’s usual for a comic to spend five minutes warming the audience with ‘where are you froms’ and ‘what do you dos’ but Shazia has enough experience to know that today’s soaking wet customers might need more heating than usual. And it was all very funny too - this woman knows how to grab and keep control of a room. Eventually we get to the show, a mixture of satirical one liners and longer ironic stories. She held my, and everybody else’s, attention throughout. MW Music **** Ratatat Cabaret Voltaire This quirky Brooklyn-based duo have earned a reputation for producing and playing stylish electronic music. They’ve been hand picked by bands such as Daft Punk and Franz Ferdinand to open for them and they’ve also been headlining shows all around the world. They’re an interesting mix of layered synthesizers, guitars (Mike Stroud), electronic keyboards (Evan Mast) and even bongo drums. All set to a psychedelic backdrop. I’ve been looking forward to seeing this band play live for a while now, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. My only complaint is that the venue was a bit small, but it didn’t stop the majority of the people attending jumping about, making lots of noise, and just generally having fun. I highly recommend going to see Ratatat if you get the chance, especially if you like electronic, atmospheric, instrumental rock music which wouldn’t look out of place in any ‘indie’ dance clubs. They are a fabulous example of musical genius. SS Theatre *** The Real Inspector Hound C Chambers St Tom Stoppard’s well known, and oft performed play is interpreted here by the Cambridge University ADC. A play within a play, it concerns two theatre critics, Mr Birdfoot (a womaniser) and Mr Moon (a stand in for Mr Higgs, who has gone missing). The two are here to review a murder mystery, which is also played out before us. But soon, the fourth wall disappears as they get caught up in the action on stage. The whole thing is supposed to be totally over-the-top, and for the most part the actors get enough laughs from Stoppard’s script to keep the thing ticking on nicely. For me, perhaps the play isn’t over-the-top enough, but it still kept me smiling, in between a couple of hearty laugh out loud moments. MW Theatre *** Reasonable Doubt Assembly Rooms A very well written, polished performance by two actors in a hotel room. The story concerns the events surrounding the meeting of two jurors two years after a trial. Since their last meeting, sexual intrigue, love and jealousy has intertwined in both their lives, with deathly consequences to those around them. The whole performance is set in the hotel room, and very quickly their motives surrounding the meeting become deliciously dark and twisted. The story continues to mesmerise throughout, as the character’s paths cross, twist and turn. Both actors bring enthusiasm, passion and plausibility to an intricate web of a plot. They convey a plethora of emotions, building a slow cooker of tension into a crescendo of anger and passion. Definitely worth a look. JF Comedy **** Reginald D Hunter - No Country for Grown Men Pleasance Courtyard Reggie has been at the top of his game for some time now. He’s as bright as a button and as cool as a freezer. He is on stage who he is in real life. This year he asks where men are supposed to fit in now we’re well into the 21st century. He talks about how much stronger us guys need to be, telling jokes about incest and rape along the way. They are, he explains, ‘just jokes’. And so they are. You may have seen Reggie on the likes of The Culture Show, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and QI and has a frequent guest on Have I Got News For You. He shines on the TV, but live on stage he sparks. Unusually for a stand up he keeps audience interaction to a minimum. Those who are generally afraid to sit on the front row will feel very safe here, despite some of his material. MW Theatre **** Regretrosexual Sweet Grassmarket I approached this one a little reluctantly. Here is the true story about a guy who, apparently, was gay for two years. ‘Regretrosexual?’ This play could have been a Daily Mail reader’s dream. Fortunately, it’s not homophobic, in fact, quite the reverse. Dan Rothenburg wanted to be gay. His best friend was gay, his life, his stand-up comedy act, even his sex life was gay. He went as far as coming out to his parents. ‘The bisexual option never occurred to me, I just exclaimed that I was gay and that was that.’ Dan was having a great time. The gay party scene in San Francisco can do that to a man. Eventually he figured it out. Having deep urges for the opposite sex, he had to make the most difficult decision of his life and be true to himself, ‘You can’t help who you love’. So he moved to Los Angeles to ‘come in’. Then he met Colleen, the person he would eventually fall for. ‘But how do you tell your potential wife to be that you were gay for two years?’ Colleen and Dan are both comedians in their own right. Whilst Dan narrates his story centre stage, Colleen plays a plethora of characters from Dan’s past and present. The whole thing had me hooked from the start. The message of acceptance and love never gets too sentimental or icky. The pace is fast and energetic, and the next laugh is never far away. The gag around ‘a little bit of basil’ still had me chuckling days later. Indeed, the only thing that stops me giving this show five stars is the rather clumsy title. MW Comedy *** Rob Deering – Boobs 2008 Underbelly’s Baby Belly Rob Deering is charming and likeable in a cheeky school-boy kind of way. The name for his show was inspired by making rude words out of numbers on a calculator, and this sets the tone for Rob’s brand of humour. His performance is fast-paced, enthusiastic and dynamic, and liberally interspersed between gags on naked men, naked women and the world of celebrity media are songs played to the backdrop of some pretty skilful guitar playing. Rob claims he’s a feminist, a fact I was sceptical about when I saw the poster of his churlish face photoshopped onto a bikini girl with huge assets. However his musings on lads’ mags and send ups of both the writer and the readers do work somewhat in boosting his feminist credentials. This show is a must if you’re a fan of silly, sparkly and reliable humour. JF Theatre **** The Root of Minus One C soco I’m a sucker for intellect, so this play appealed to me from the very start. This production is a master-stroke as it manages to mingle the rules of mathematics with the subject of loss and relationship dynamics. As Colwyn and Rachel struggle to hold their relationship together, they turn to the realm of mathematics when they find that they have ‘no other language in common’. This is done seamlessly and convincingly, dealing with the subject of loss in a sensitive, poignant and empathetic manner – ‘the normal rules that hold our day together just fall away’. And with all that talk of calculus, algorithms and numbers as a promise of order and certainty, there was a frisson of passion in the air as the couple pulled together stronger than ever. A production which proves that maths can be useful, fun and even sexy! JF Comedy *** Roy Walker – Goodbye, Mr Chips Assembly Rooms There is a moment in Roy Walker’s new show when an image of the original line-up of 1970s Granada television series The Comedians is projected on the upstage wall. The old familiar faces are all present and correct: Bernard Manning, Jim Bowen, George Roper, Frank Carson. For some reason, Walker’s style of stand-up has aged best. Perhaps it’s the unhurried, deadpan delivery, or the fact that he radiates amiability. More likely it’s the strength of his material. His traditional set up and punch line formula may be old-fashioned, but it is still tremendously effective, and it is the intelligence behind the jokes that keeps the audience laughing. But this show isn’t only about the laughs. After an accomplished stand-up set, Walker takes us on the journey of his life: from his Belfast upbringing to the Saturday night ITV phenomenon Catchphrase, a success story that lasted for fourteen years. This is a touching trip down memory lane, made all the more affecting by the old sepia photographs projected behind him. When Walker pays tribute to the late George Roper, the effect is genuinely poignant. Inevitably, the show closes with a few rounds of the famous quiz show. This is an unnecessary gimmick for such a talented performer, but let’s face it, it’s what most of the audience have paid to see. Ultimately however, it’s Walker’s talent as a comic and a storyteller that makes this show such a memorable experience. AD Theatre ***** Saving Tania’s Privates Pleasance Dome Tania Katan describes cancer as ‘the one night stand that turns into a re-occurring bad date. You never know when it’ll call, or leave you for good.’ But no, this isn’t just another depressing story about cancer. Tania embraces her struggles with style and finesse, accepting what is and rationalising her fears and anxieties about everything this illness entails, from losing body parts to its effects on family, friends and lovers. She portrays a plethora of emotions in quick, fast-paced succession, with a wit which carries her through the rough memories and a brutal honesty that makes us immediately empathise with her. Empathise, sympathise, but not pity. This woman is a survivor, and to call her brave would seem patronising. Respect is quickly earned as she regales us with almost funny tales of how she first discovered the lump on her breast. Katan gyrates against the stage wall in a pseudo-sex demo, as she describes how her girlfriend found a lump on her breast whilst performing oral sex. Tania is an amazing, inspirational woman whose style of performance on such a raw, emotive subject is refreshing and breath-taking. A must-see show. JF Comedy ***** Scott Capurro Goes Deeper Underbelly Unbelievable, unstoppable and most definitely unmissable! Just when you thought Scott couldn’t shock any further, he delves deeper and delivers this outstanding soliloquy of vitriol which challenges every belief system you hold dear. Your head says ‘it’s oh so wrong’, but your face says ‘it’s oh so funny’, and Scott knows this is what makes for outstanding comedy. ‘Who else would fuck the toothless hag?’ he quips about the Austrian in the basement. His musings on Maddy are just as incendiary: ‘You just know she’s wearing leather shorts and doing the Mc-cancan for Japanese businessmen. Just get her off our fucking front page!’ Scott isn’t just a cutting edge comic; he made the edge. And as he tackles the gritty world of politics and religion, he inevitably ruffles the feathers of the PC brigade. But anyone with sense can see that his most absurdly racist and bigoted remarks are a blatant send-up of the people who really believe these things. If you only see one show this festival, it must be this one. JF Music ** Scouting for Girls Edinburgh Corn Exchange Their songs are catchy, upbeat and full of enthusiasm. However, live, they certainly are not the best band I have ever heard – far from it. They coped well with singing their own songs – ‘Heartbeat’, ‘She’s So Lovely’ and ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’. They even changed the words in ‘Glastonbury’ to ‘T in the Park’ and drinking cider to ‘Iron Bru’ which went down a treat with the hoards of screaming teenage fans. They can a least play their instruments well, which is more than I can say for some bands I’ve listened to lately. The gig in my opinion took a downward spiral when they tried to cover ‘Why Does It Always Rain on Me’ by Travis. It sounded like a drunken karaoke version. It was sacrilege. Overall, they had the crowd jumping about and singing along, which counts for something. Personally I’ll stick to the radio to listen, but I can understand their appeal. I’m sure they will continue to do well. SS Comedy **** 7 Sins Gilded Balloon James Judd is a camp Jim Carrey, with the energy of a Duracell bunny. His performance is energetic and seamless, as he delivers an hour of spectacular comic repertoire. 7 Sins is a reference to a visit to the opera, and the affirmation that James could create a much more interesting show based on his own experiences. A self-confessed lover of the spotlight, James regales the audience with anecdotes of how this has developed throughout this life. From performing soap operas for his mother, to oral reports at school, and then a stream of almost-successful jobs, James’s punchy style will have you in hysterics. This show is a must-see – and for ladies of a certain age, I recommend a Tena Lady! JF Theatre ***** Shakespeare for Breakfast C Chambers St Now in its 17th year this show returns and I finally make it. I was told how good this was several years back and probably should have made it for the coffee (excellent) and croissant (OK) alone, but it is at 10am and some years I’ve not even known that time exists during the Fringe. Over the years I’ve also noticed how many fine actors have this show in their CV. This is Shakespeare for laughs. Normally when I want to get a laugh from Shakespearian tragedy I turn to Northern Broadsides, and I write as a fully paid up member of their fan club, not that you would know this from their web site - I checked. However where they are happy to abridge the words of the Bard but never change them C Theatre take a more radical approach to the work. I was unfamiliar with The Weakest Link, Dr Who, or Eastenders being part of the Bard’s work, and it appears that Sir Alan Sugar is a Shakespearian character. I was familiar with Macbeth and his wife, played at her most demented by Faye Billing, and Romeo and Juliet, played at her most dim by Stephanie Willson, but not in this context. Great performances by all the actors. My main complaint is no writer(s) are credited, which means I can’t check out their other work, but that’s a minor concern. I’ll be back to see next year’s reinterpretation. Absolutely brilliant. MP Theatre * Shakespeare Shorts C Chambers St Sixteen actors on stage means they must be students - no professional company could afford such a cast. When they first opened their mouths it appeared clear they weren’t drama students. Ham acting at its worst. Various extracts of Shakespeare intertwined with mostly 80s pop music, for no apparent reason. Some bits were reasonable, on the same basis that a stopped clock is right twice a day, but mostly dreadful, although to be fair most of the audience seemed to like it more than I did. At one stage a guitar was brought on stage although the actor with it clearly couldn’t play it. Then I read the press release: “our cast are drawn from graduates of Britain’s finest theatre schools”. Standards must be slipping. MP Theatre **** Simon Callow – A Festival Dickens Assembly Rooms The Dickens canon is so immense that you probably haven’t come across the stories of Dr Marigold and Mr Chops the Dwarf. But even a true Dickens devotee would be forgiven for not having read them. Simon Callow has deliberately selected two of Dickens’s most obscure stories, and thanks to Patrick Garland’s adaptation is able to bring them to life on stage. Some of Dickens’s most fanciful moments are in his short stories (if you don’t believe me, read the preposterous Captain Murderer), but even then he has something to say about human beings and their place in society. In Mr Chops the Dwarf there are ruminations on social status, and Dr Marigold turns out to be surprisingly poignant. Of course, Callow’s credentials as an actor are beyond question, so it comes as little surprise to see a nuanced and highly entertaining performance. He tells each story in role, giving him the full opportunity to demonstrate his impressive range. For the first story, Mr Chops the Dwarf, he plays a cockney circus master called Toby in top hat and tails. After the interval he returns as Dr Marigold, a “cheap-jack” who sells his wares from the back of a cart. This show has the quality of a Jackanory for adults, and Callow throws himself into each role with zest. There are few actors who could animate these old stories with such success, but Callow is amongst them. Whether you like this show or not will depend very much upon literary taste, as the direction and acting are flawless. But from where I was sitting, this was time well spent. AD Theatre ** Split Ends C soco A rather elusive performance which lasts only thirty minutes despite claims that it plays out for fifty. It’s always a bad sign when the cast stand for their ovation and the audience are wondering what exactly is going on, thinking ‘is that really it finished’? The performance is essentially a charming piece of theatre, with bags of potential if they actually drew the story out. It tells the story of a creepy hair fetishist student who befriends a superficial and lonely girl. They interact on a level neither of them has before experienced, which ‘breaks the pattern’ for whatever creepy fate he had originally intended for her. In the background, a darker and more elusive version of the girl mimics her movements and fires mocking sentiments to creepy hair man, which the audience presume is some kind of paranoid delusion. A reasonable play which has definite potential for development. JF Dance and Physical Theatre. ***** State of Matter Udderbelly Pasture This is a show not to be missed by anyone who wants entertainment that makes them feel more alive! For almost an hour, eight guys hurl themselves around a large open space, using tricks and turns from street, break and contemporary dance in an electric explosion of classical and urban styles. Their energy is just stunning, as is their athleticism and their fluidity of movement. They fly over and around each other, pair and carry each other, all to an absorbing variety of music. A great debt is inevitably owed to Tamsin Fitzgerald, who began the company ten years ago, providing workshops for kids in a deprived area of Hereford. This year they are a professional company. Tamsin has worked with many names, including the Caesar Twins. She says that urban forms, rather like football, are very popular but are sneered at as a “lower form”. She believes they are “a really powerful discipline in their own right”. Get along to the Pasture and see just how powerful, beautiful and exhilarating these forms can be. And some of these guys have muscles where some people’s pheromones might not reach! TC Comedy **** Stephen K Amos - Find the Funny Pleasance Courtyard Stephen is a great favourite of mine, has been since 2001, and when he came out on stage a couple of years ago, I practically fell in love with him. To tell a coming out story on stage, to a massive straight audience, and to keep them onside, was just phenomenal to witness. He really is the best in the business in controlling a crowd. For the last two years his shows have been the highlight of my fringe. All of Me and More of Me were both outright successes. Heartfelt, personal and with more laughs per hour than any other show around. This year he has ditched any sort of theme and instead simply opted to tell jokes, seeking simply to Find the Funny. And here, he has lost something. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still very funny - he proves it by getting a posh guy to measure the laughter and applause on a clip board throughout the show. It’s just for once all the laughs seemed rather aimless. The show simply didn’t go anywhere. A shame that, as Stephen K Amos is one of the very best stand-ups working in the UK today. MW Theatre *** The Straight Man Pleasance Dome This sitcom-style Keeping Up Appearances type performance features the son of a Jewish bigot who’s afraid to introduce his non-Jewish fiancé to his mother. His ingenious plan is to pretend to be gay, whereupon his mother will then be only too happy to accept his relationship with a woman of any variety. However all does not go according to plan, leading to life-changing events for the whole family. Some of the scenes were over-the-top and annoying, however the audience lapped up the mostly predictable gags like ‘he can’t be gay – he likes red meat, and wouldn’t touch a salad’. However there are definite chuckle-raising features, and this show is definitely not a bad way to spend the afternoon. JF Theatre *** Strippers and Gentlemen C soco Set in a dark and dingy nightclub atmosphere, with flickering neon lighting, Strippers and Gentlemen takes you on an interesting journey, delving into the world of sexual politics within Gentlemen’s clubs through the eyes and voices of the women behind the scenes. You begin to observe the continuous blurring of the ‘fine line’ between professional and personal relationships. The main dialogue is neatly interwoven with video images, dance and mime. It’s well choreographed (Julia Barnett) and executed by the performers, which at times can be difficult to see (if you choose the wrong spot to stand), as the action evolves all around you. Challenging, thought-provoking and yet it still manages to tastefully reveal an interesting perspective on a subject which is all too often stereotyped as being sleazy. If you get the chance, it’s well worth a look. SS Theatre *** Surviving Spike Assembly Rooms Four huge screens adorn the stage bearing some of Spike Milligan’s bizarre ink sketches. They are a tribute to both his eccentricity and his genius, and serve as a constant backdrop to Richard Harris’s play, based on the memoir by Milligan’s manager Norma Farnes. Michael Barrymore does some justice to Milligan’s memory, bringing to life his famous irascibility in a focused performance. Jill Halfpenny is an excellent Norma Farnes, although as the choric figure of the play we never uncover too much of her personality. Writer Richard Harris has her interjecting continually during scenes, commenting on the action directly to the audience. Too often this has the effect of deadening our emotional connection with the characters, which is a shame given the inherent pathos in the Milligan biography. The script rattles through this intriguing life story in the manner of a true enthusiast, omitting as little as possible. The problem with this is that we rarely have the opportunity to invest in any given scenario. Although the writing is accomplished, the piece often sacrifices its potential theatricality to a desire to be faithful to the source text. That is to say, it feels like a memoir at all times. Richard Baron is a hugely talented director who wisely keeps the pace rapid, all the better to bring the comedy alive. The most fascinating moment comes when Barrymore performs some of Milligan’s stand-up. For a second, we cannot be sure whether we are supposed to be watching Milligan or Barrymore himself. Not for the first time, the obvious parallels between the actor and the role are made apparent. Barrymore performs with the kind of zest he exhibited when at the height of his popularity. We are at once reminded of the ephemeral shelf-life of comedy, and the inevitability of decline. It’s a powerful moment. Fans of Milligan and Barrymore will absolutely love this play. The younger generation will be sceptical. But maybe that’s the point. AD Comedy **** Susan Calman - Maybe it is Your Fault The Stand IV “The ‘Calminator’ is a great wee Scottish power-house of a performance ‘Lesbitarian’!” Yes, Scotland has produced yet another great lesbian performer. We already have the fabulous and well established Karen Dunbar and Rhona Cameron, and now we have been blessed with more stand-up heaven in the cute wee form of Susan Calman. She can even stand upright in a taxi! Remember her name and that you first read about Susan Calman here in ScotsGay. I predict she has a great future. This is Calman’s first one woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and she assures me to my delight that it will not be her last. Her ‘gaydar’ is working as she attracts, and spots, lesbians in her audience; they come in pairs and on dates to Susan’s show, how interesting! Susan is an expert at getting a crowd into the groove, regardless of the venues limitations, and works the room with ease. In Maybe It Is Your Fault this emotional woman of extremes, and precision planning, takes us on an interesting self effacing exploration of taking responsibility for ourselves and our actions in relationships. And as she is a Glaswegian we are reminded that ‘Captain Revenge’, her super-hero alter-ego, will ‘get you’ if you are on her hate list. You don’t want to go there… This highly entertaining journey is thought provoking and very funny, ending with a hilarious twist, a wee dance to a cool tune. Almost complete sell-out by day three of the Fringe, this is a not-to-be-missed jaunt. JG Theatre ***** Terminus Traverse Theatre Irish playwright Mark O’Rowe began the process which led to Terminus with the image of a woman plunging to her death from a crane. You would think this was something of a dead end for a play, but thankfully the character lives on, her fall intercepted by a demon whose corporeal form is composed entirely of earthworms. It’s all fantastical stuff, of course, but for all the eschatological mythologizing there are some very human stories at the heart of this incredible new play by Dublin’s Abbey Theatre. The play takes the form of overlapping monologues, delivered by three unnamed characters played by Andrea Irvine, Karl Shiels, and Eileen Walsh. The esoteric nature of their interlocking tales is highlighted by the stylised language; the entire play is written in a complicated rhyming verse form. Surprisingly, this does not alienate the audience, but rather draws us into an unfamiliar world. Rowe’s territory is like a dreamscape, a place where reincarnation is a reality, and souls who have escaped from Hell engage in hand-to-hand combat with angels. Yet there is a striking simplicity to the piece that makes the emotional journey all the more touching. The stage is transformed into a broken mirror, with the characters standing on shards of glass for the duration of the play, telling their stories through direct address. The imagery is frequently vivid and disturbing, but the script is so strong, and the acting so assured, that our empathy for these characters is sustained right until the end. AD Theatre Tied Up In Knotts *** Gilded Balloon This is a charming, sweet American pie story about the product of celebrity and quest for self identity. Karen Knotts muses on life as the daughter of a comedic acting genius, how this affected her own life choices and her struggle for self recognition. Knotts has a natural comedy personality, and her anecdotes are interspersed with quips, photos and video footage which bring the show to an emotional crescendo. The show is something of a tribute to her late father, which is ironic given that the overwhelming theme running throughout is of Knotts attempting to escape living in his shadow. A gem of a performance, laid back and entertaining. Karen Knotts leaves the audience with that delightfully contagious, warm and fuzzy feeling. JF Comedy **** Tina C Udderbelly’s Pasture Tina is running for the post of Commander in Chief of the USA this November, and so we are invited to a presidential election rally. There are balloons, songs and an audience question and answer sesion along the way. The night I attended, Edinburgh’s Loud and Proud Choir were present too. At first I feared for them, thinking Christopher Green’s wit may make them the butt of a few easy gags, but not a bit of it. In fact, they functioned pretty well as cheer leaders, backing singers and even had a few numbers of their own. The difficulty with the show the night I was there was that the purple upside down cow (aka Udderbelly’s Pasture) was only partially full. The show simply needed more from its audience. This is entirely possible if you choose to go late in the run or at the weekends, when the show is sure to sell out. MW Theatre *** Titus Andronicus C Chambers St From the opening moments of this production, you know that you are in the hands of people who can really act. The voice work is excellent from the beginning. The use of movement to create horror and sense of place is also very good. The play rattles along from atrocity to atrocity, as it should, but all is played straight not, as sometimes, for comic effect. The 1980s gothic approach draws the audience in, and I felt swept along. Company director Alexandra Spencer-Jones has really brought this text to vivid life. Though when blood was squeezed from a sponge over bodies, causing a mess that had to be quickly cleaned up in a pause, I thought, “Not a great bit of business.” This is a very good one to catch if you fancy lots of blood and gore combined with excellent acting, speech and movement. TC Theatre **** Volpone C Chambers St Ben Jonson’s classic comedy is performed with energy, enthusiasm and sparkling brilliance by these six fantastic actors. Set in Venice, this comedic fare features greed, corruption, lust and mistaken identity as the great libertine Volpone attempts to extort money from the city’s wealthiest inhabitants. Aided by wily servant Mosca, they almost succeed in their villainous plans. But the plot thickens as lies abound, and ultimately their greed and lust lead to their downfall. Spectacularly acted in slapstick panto fashion, this performance is hilarious, intricate and ridiculous, holding the audience’s rapt attention right to the end. I didn’t want to leave! JF Comedy **** Wendy Wason – Things I Didn’t Know I Didn’t Know Gilded Balloon A sparkling and vivacious performance by a beautifully natural, funny and confident woman. Regaling us with sophisticated anecdotes of her marriage breakdown, life as a single parent and being ‘the middle class product of working class parents’, Wason comes across at first as a cosy mumsy type. However she very quickly blows her cover, as she discusses her flyers and observes that Holly Golightly was a reference to ‘her technique over a cock’. Wason’s performance continues to challenge the boundaries of the PC brigade, as she unapologetically discusses how being abused would have made her more successful, the ego-boost she gets from her son’s ‘little morning stiffie’ and the semen-like quality of probiotic drinks! Wason exudes natural humour and class. Not to be missed. JF Theatre ***** What’s Wrong With Angry? C Chambers St I once knew a man who had spent two years in prison for loving an eighteen-year-old man. He seemed recovered, but then killed himself. I say that because, now that things are significantly better for gay people, it could be thought that this play is melodramatic and hyperbolical. Not a bit of it. It concerns Steven, a schoolboy desperate to explore his sexuality, who meets his (by reputation very hetero) Head Boy in a toilet. Steven is regularly bullied for his sexuality; the Head Boy lacks the courage that might bring change; the supportive teacher is made to fear for his career, and the clouds darken ominously over Steven. The play is set in 1992, when Section 28 was making things very difficult for young gays. Though bullying and queer-bashing are still with us. There are light moments, and Steven is given to sharp and witty comments, as when a closeted ex turns up with a pregnant girlfriend. The play takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride in which it is difficult to stay dry-eyed. The superb and tight direction of writer Patrick Wilde brings out the best in a dynamic cast. With a few opening gestures, Oliver Jack as Steven takes you into his story and keeps you on that rollercoaster with him. This is a deeply felt and moving performance. It is difficult not to feel the distress of Head Boy John when he faces the truth about himself. Christopher Birks embodies the conflicted emotions of this character very effectively. See this play and realise why the gay political struggle was, and is, absolutely essential. At the same time, enjoy some intense, convincing and exhilarating acting. TC Comedy ***** Will & Greg – A Sketch Show Pleasance Courtyard This is without a doubt one of the best sketch shows on the fringe. The audience enter to the sight of Will Andrews and Greg McHugh pedalling away on their exercise bikes, sweating profusely. They run the risk of exhausting themselves before the show can get started, but their performances are so energetic that it would seem their stamina is limitless. The sketches are presented with rapid-fire momentum; no blackouts or costume changes to slow down the proceedings. They give the audience no time to reflect on any given sketch, but quickly throw themselves into the next, the change indicated by the simple conceit of a television screen presenting a variety of titles. Will and Greg want us to relish in the hilarity of the moment, and by the end of the show you’ll wonder where the time went. The characterisations and situations presented from sketch to sketch are endlessly imaginative. The police interrogation scene is inspired, as is the agency for ‘spooky kids’. And I for one never thought that counting to ten could be so funny. If it’s fresh and frenetic laugh-out-loud comedy you’re after, this is the show for you. AD Comedy **** Wil Hodgson: Chippenham on my Shoulder Pleasance Courtyard Approximately halfway through Wil Hodgson’s show a latecomer enters and takes a seat. Hodgson transforms immediately into a strange parody of an old-fashioned gag-orientated stand-up comic, chatting to the audience about their marriages, and impersonating Al Pacino, badly. The latecomer finds this tedious, and leaves. Hodgson doesn’t comment on what has happened, and there is an air of general bewilderment in the audience. It’s a great moment. Of course, it’s all been staged. But the theatricality behind this idea is what lies at the heart of Hodgson’s style. He’s actually more of a storyteller than a comedian, which means that the show isn’t exactly laugh-a-minute. I loved it all the same, mostly because Hodgson is such a compelling and articulate character. There isn’t anyone on the circuit remotely like him, and he doesn’t need traditional jokes to hold an audience’s attention. A fascinating and unique experience. AD Theatre *** Yasser Assembly Rooms A Palestinian actor Yasser Mansour (William el-Gardi) prepares to play Shylock in his dressing room and reflects on what it is to be a Jew or a Palestinian, on his respect for Yasser Arafat, and the way people don’t understand the plight of the Palestinian people. For someone who knows little about the Middle East this is probably quite a useful introduction, but for me it told me little I didn’t already know. A very impressive performance in this solo show by el-Gardi and a bloody annoying lighting design when all that was needed was for the lights to go up at the start of the show and down at the end. MP Comedy **** Zoe Lyons - Mangled Mantra of the Messed Up Modern Mind Pleasance Courtyard There is so much great comedy around this fringe, and lesbian comedian Zoe Lyons is part o