The Assembly Rooms

Aug 11-16, 18-30

22:30

*****

*****

In the middle of the multi-studded maelstrom of comedy that is the Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, last night I found two true gemstones. The first was the salubrious, clipboard-usher’d lushness of the Assembly Rooms, opening itself to the grubby masses far from the darkling broom-cupboards of many an August venue. The second was The Man, whose social commentary is nothing short of astounding, a genuinely brilliant survey of these our modern times which cuts through the modern brainwash like a surf-skimming jetboat.

*****

Beneath the chandeliers of the Assembly Rooms, The Man transports us neatly to Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner, which since 1866 has given every person capable of speaking a chance to freely air their views in public – & boy does The Man take advantage. Spoiler alerts are kicking in here, & I don’t want to give away any of the material, for the conglomerated effect of his attacks on the modern ‘Kardashian’ Age, where Britain’s Got Talent is won by dogs, is an amazing experience. Although some of his material is decidedly dodgy, a delicate mixture of offensive subjects that even the hardest heart will be pricked by at some point, The Man somehow gets away with it & proceeds through his ‘case against’ with the liberty that his station at Speaker’s Corner dictates. FIVE STARS

*****

Reviewer : Damo Bullen

Just the Tonic at The Community Project (Venue 27) ​
16:15
Aug 11-17, 19-30
Buy a ticket in advance to guarantee entry or Pay What You Want at the venue

****

*

As I circumvented the bee-busy hoards of festi-revelers scampering about the Cowgate, ‘There was no better way,’ I thought to myself, ‘to celebrate the diversity of the fringe than spend an hour with the perfect buffoonery of Louise Reay (pronounced Ray).’ Her offering at this year’s Fringe is an alternative take on the little-known fact that ninety-three percent of what makes us laugh is actually non-verbal. After spending said hour with Reay I have to agree… I swear down, the way she peppers her jestering physical theater with sly looks at the audience, the tiniest raise of an eyebrow set me off in fits of giggles.

Louise conducts ‘Its Only Words’ entirely in mandarin – well, perhaps it’s mandarin, but whatever language she is speaking, made up or no, here delightful chirupping patter accentuates her series of skitches (not quite skit, not quite sketch) with the most billowing beauty. Entering here stage with big 80’s hair an Arthur Daley jacket, Reay whisks us through her funky set-pieces with aplomb… experiencing the Peggy Mitchell- Frank & Pat Butcher love triangle from Eastenders in madcap Mandarin is, well, one of those moments.

In the tradition of the greatest clowns, she properly utilises props along the way, whose chief artefact was a white sheet which used with such diverse ways as turning her into an Opera singer & a chaste, immaculate-conception-seeking nun… before being ‘born’ out of her lady-garden with a great deal of extended hilarity, then swaddled up into a new-babe born. She is also an expert at audience interaction – five members of the audience joined her on stage throughout the show, none of whom looked awkwardly placed, so adept was Louise at making them – & us – feel comfortable.

I would love to go back in time to that drunken moment in a pub when she said, ‘do you know what – I’m gonna try & write a comedy show entirely in Mandarin,’ & do you know what, she’s bloody succeeded, n’all.! FOUR STARS

****

Reviewer : Damo Bullen

Assembly Roxy (Venue 133)

15, 22 & 29 August

11pm

£14 (conc £12.50)

Late night comedy showcases can be hit or miss in the Fringe.  Poor line-ups and boozed up audiences can ruin what should be a chance for fringe comedians to put on an excellent mini-set and entice you to go and see their full length show in all its glory. I am relieved to say that they quality of both the comics and audience was of a very high standard and certainly enticed me to go to see the artists solo shows. This night was ably compered by Gordon Southern, a likable cheeky chappy with a quick witted mind.  He first introduced Tamar Broadbent whose comedy song routine about the Walk of Shame kicks us off nicely.

We are then treated to Edinburgh’s own ex-GP turned comic, Paul Sinha, his use of the element in surprise in his set won him many laughs as he sprayed gags out quickfire stylee. The self-described Huggy Bear of Asians really got the crowd going.  Great jokes and a cracker about how the British aren’t racist and we treat everyone as equals “When it’s your round it’s your fucking round whether you are black, white, gay straight.”  True dat.

3^rd up was Patrick Monahan, who cuddled his way through the audience before starting his material.  He continued the mirth with a good sketch about post club female urination which seemed to strike a chord with the ladies.  His use of the audience was great as well and added much to his set.  Who knew Aphex Twin was watching?!

A fine night was rounded off by the hilarious Marcus Birdman.  I had had an eye on his show, Grimm Realities in the Free Fringe and this has further encouraged me to go.  Marcus set tonight paints with a broad brush covering strokes (he’s had one), his job as a teacher, and forgetting there’s a cock in your arse.  Effortlessly watchable, homeward bound we went, full of the giggles.

Reviewer David McCaramba

The Banshee Labyrinth

Aug 9 – 30 (all except Monday’s)

18:00

FREE

So outlandish you have to laugh. You can try and stop yourself and wonder how something so bizarre can be funny, or, even more weirdly, how his advice can be right, but it just is. Its so absurd and so unexpected it’s hilarious.

Morgan Berry is Bafrican – born in Barnsley, raised in Africa. And if it couldn’t get any more random he is a pet bereavement counsellor specialising in Rabbit deaths! Prepare for impressions, farcical stories, obituaries, nonsensical metaphors and a fabulously comical re-meet and greet. How Joe Rowntree keeps a straight face with this unconventional character I do not know.

The shows success relies on audience participation. After all what can a counsellor do without having people to counsel? Tambourine in hand Morgan Berry uses the most ludicrous examples and methods for his counselling but the final messages are spot on. There is a method to the madness. You may start out unconvinced but you will leave with some valuable counselling lessons – remember at the end of the day “it’s just prawns”!

Smart and strangely helpful, the whole show keeps you guessing, bemused and most importantly laughing. This is what the Edinburgh Fringe is all about. Genius free comedy. FOUR STARS

Reviewer : Louise Mason 

Gilded Balloon – Wine Bar

Aug 9 -17 

20:15

£10 – £14 

Having not seen Adrienne Truscott’s award winning show “Asking for It,” I found that I was on the back foot. Going in to a comedy show blind but with a previous successful show being mentioned at several points, I spent much of the time thinking, I wonder what her first show was like? And can I see that please?

Sadly, this wasn’t Adrienne’s night. There was an air of impatience as an entire Snow Patrol song was played to open the show. Was that a technical glitch? Oh no, sorry it was irony, but at the beginning of a show? Such a start meant I was waiting to be impressed even more and the anti climax to a turbulent show was disappointing.

I could see the potential by the end but with technical glitches, fumbled jokes and forgotten material it was confusing, lacked flow and even a purpose. It seemed as though Adrienne was out to verify the show title and it wasn’t until the second half of the show that she really got into the swing of things. And even then she openly worried about whether she had time for the best bit. I understood and admired her thoughtfulness for the next act but I wanted to shout “we’ve come to see your show, give us the show”. Thankfully she did and it was worth it – who doesn’t want to see some female on male wrestling whilst singing to Alanis Morissette?

I was completely lost with some of the material but found some of it brilliant. Her observations on feminism, ironic racism and argument for abortion to be allowed beyond birth are funny and some of her stories, including once stealing pancakes from children, are great. She clearly feels comfortable with such material. That and her body which she exposes confidently. And why the hell not? But if you don’t want to see Adrienne’s “pussy” as she kicks her legs in a tiny minnie mouse esc dress, perhaps don’t sit on the front row. Equally if you don’t want to feel her boobs, the front row isn’t for you either.

Swigging on a can of Fosters with vigour, I wondered whether it would serve a purpose but it never transpired. It seemed like a prop to distract from awkward moments.

A negative about the venue for Adrienne’s performance, and it’s not just the pole in the centre of the room which she jokes has always been something she has aspired to in a venue(!), is that not everyone can see her properly. Particularly as at one point she goes into the splits; I found myself standing up to see what was going on.

Adrienne is incredibly likeable and the oversized gloves and plastic lips together with strategically placed hair pieces and unapologetic nudity are novel and original. She seems great fun and is clearly a talented woman. But sadly this was puzzling and lacked the edge that must have been present in her previous show. Perhaps as the nights go on it will improve to a degree and it won’t just be the mad ending that saves the show.   TWO STARS

Reviewer : Louise Mason

Laughing Horse @ the Counting House – the Loft

Aug 8th – 30th (except 18th)

13:15

Free

In a dark, packed out and rather sweaty loft, Juliet Meyers ran through the corridor shouting and “welcome to the stage….Juliet Meyers”. The anticipation was immediately taken up a notch and her energy continued to flow throughout. Her baggy black t-shirt with stars, galaxies and orange writing reminded me of Back to the Future and immediately made me think this woman is quirky, where will she take us? Her jokes were no different and we were constantly kept wondering how far she would push the next topic in her gag driven show about being an outsider.

What would a show about being an outsider be without jokes about religion, race, politics and feminism? Juliet uses her Jewish heritage and Iraqi Jew father to her advantage here and laughs at peoples narrow-mindedness. Relatable and original. She tackles pigeon holing and touchy subjects like the Scottish referendum with wit and good intentions. Even when she shocks you can’t help but smile and understand where she is coming from. Her chatty and expressive nature makes the audience feel at ease and fully involved. The audience are certainly not just there to watch this one, she wants to know us too.

Juliet’s observations about life and people who want to appear different or obscure are spot on. Laughs were in abundance. Her playful acting a joy to watch. Energy was certainly not lacking.  My only criticism would be her invisible child, a creation (the reason for which becomes clear) that is understandable. However, a couple of times the sudden use of the invisible child was lost on me slightly and seemingly the audience too. I am not sure she needed it. Otherwise, Juliet had a charm and jolly nature about her that made me want to go for a drink with her afterwards. A fun and entertaining way to spend an hour.

Juliet may even have the answer for how men have (apparently) become better at foreplay in the past 10 years! Let’s just say I will never look at a man and a computer the same way again. A pun that you repeat to everyone – now that’s worth seeing.

Reviewer : Louise Mason

Udderbelly, George Square

5th – 23rd Aug 2015,

10.55pm

Gideon and Hubcap, life-long friends and self proclaimed “modern-day troubadours” lead their lives from one living-room to the next, literally – travelling between the homes of strangers, moving across states, and now continents, on the strength of recommendation and suggestion, on waves of goodwill, to play to gatherings of friends, and friends of friends, to anyone willing to open up their home for the night.  This is all wonderfully bohemian, and wildly romantic of course, but would the intimacy at the heart of it all translate amid the gray plastic seating and MDF walls of the Udderbelly’s “wee coo?”

Well, yes. Absolutely, yes. The atmosphere, by the time the hour was up, buzzed with camaraderie, the opportunities for audience interaction are charming, non-invasive, genuinely magical. No one is going to be picked on here, everyone is going to leave feeling -at least a bit- better about the world and their place in it.

The Gideon and Hubcap show is a soul-warming slice of what the pair call “stove-top folk.” They’re supremely talented, both instrumentally, lyrically, musically, vocally and were these songs just beautifully sung and played it would be enough, the harmonies are rich and drip like honey, they move smoothly from banjo to squeezebox to musical saw, keyboard, and more, each piece is engaging in an entirely different way. But there is so much more happening here. There are many laughs, of many kinds, visual puns, slapstick, observational humour, the sweet shock of genuine vulnerability, a song about BDSM so sweet you’d happily have them sing it to your granny. There is much that is self deferential, and a mirror is held gently but firmly to the audience too, with much needed pokes at first world “problems” we will all flinch to recognise having complained of. There is life-affirming stuff here, stuff that reminds you of the beauty of friendship, the pain and brilliance of love and perhaps most of the importance of kindness, all in a way that is a lot more genuinely moving and less cliché than that all sounds. If you want to make someone fall in love, take them to this show… it’ll happen. It might not be you they fall in love with though. FIVE STARS- would give it more if I could. Cannot recommend this show enough.

Reviewer : Katie Craig