Pleasance Courtyard
3^rd-20^th August 2016

Material :  Delivery :   Laughs :

It has always amazed me how someone can produce consistent humour week after week. That’s what a cartoonist does, often more frequently than that. “Drawing’s the easy part, being funny’s the hard part,” Harry Venning said to me after the show. For those of you who do not know him, Harry produces the cartoon strip ‘Clare in the Community’ in the Guardian, the (mis)adventures of a rather dour, humourless, ‘politically-correct’ social worker and her long-suffering, slightly overweight husband. He also draws ‘Hamlet’ a theatre-going pig, usually seen at the theatre bar – another dour, humourless character – for The Stage. Dour or not, they get laughs, and that’s the main thing.

Harry has been doing this release-your-inner-cartoonist routine, in one form or another, for some time now, so it’s not actually a new show he’s giving at the Pleasance. It is, however, one adapted for a family audience. It’s the kind of thing you might have expected to see advertised as ‘For kids of all ages’, meaning adults too, and indeed it comes with the warning ‘Parental guidance advised’. That means blood will be spilt, and occasionally there’ll be something slightly rude – but then kids love that sort of thing! The show or, more precisely, the audience-participation workshop, takes place in one of the little studio venues at the Pleasance, up several flights of stairs. It’s a small, intimate space, and is just about right for cramming the level of participation Harry aims for into an hour. Harry takes up his position – everybody’s slightly scruffy, eccentric, excitable uncle – at the front, with a flipchart and pens, we sit opposite, each of us with a clipboard, a few sheets of blank paper, and a pencil, and he kicks off with the story of Michael the Tiger. Michael the Tiger was so badly-drawn that no one even realised he was a tiger. That’s where the blood comes into it.

With the help of The Sad Puppy, Wayne Rooney, and The Eskimo Brothers, we are conducted through a quick and easy way to draw cartoons, starting with the eyes. The show’s humour isn’t side-splitting, nor is it at all cutting-edge, in fact it leans towards the Christmas-cracker, back-of-matchbox standard, but what the hell! I’ll give you a wonderful example. The kids in the audience join in with gusto while Harry draws a cartoon alien to order, responding to demands for twenty-eight eyes and fifteen ears by sticking the former on stalks and the latter in two rows of seven down the side of the alien’s head… making fourteen. The fifteenth he puts in the middle of the alien’s forehead. “You see,” he says gleefully, “I left space for the final front ear!” Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. There are twentieth-century cultural references left like Easter Eggs in the material for older members of the audience, perhaps making a gap between them and the youngsters, but overall Harry pitches it all just about right. That’s not easy to achieve.

I won’t bother with much more commentary, but I will mention a device which, for a cartoonist, serves many useful purposes. I refer, of course, to the humble asterisk. It’s because of that humble asterisk that I now have an original, signed cartoon of a dog’s bumhole. I shall treasure it forever. I’m going to be kind and give the event four stars across all categories – material, delivery, and laughs – with the proviso that groans are as valuable as laughs when we’re dealing with this kind of humour, and that its appeal is obviously limited. Go to it, and take kids. If you have kids that like to scribble on pieces of paper, or you’re an adult who likes to scribble on pieces of paper, and you’ll find it very enjoyable.

Reviewed by Paul Thompson

Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire

4^th – 28^th August

4.45pm

PWYL

Material :  Delivery :   Laughs :

Nestled in a pigeon hole which looks as if it’s Cab Vol’s flyer distribution office the rest of the year I find myself awaiting Conor Drums (@conordrum) one man show.  The venue is packed to the rafters (Capacity: 25) and the audience are keen to discover whether this slice of Free Fringe will prove to be worth throwing money in the bucket or throwing another hour of your life away.

Dubliner Conor quickly settles into his obcom routine, a skilled raconteur he rarely stumbled on words and in such an intimate venue his story-telling style worked well with the proximity aiding eye-contact with the audience  He’s a young  35 and this mirrors in the comedy staples that provide his material (is there anyone who doesn’t do a joke on dating websites?).

The title of his show refers to watching all his friends get married off and that he’s got hardly anyone left to go out on the sauce with to be his wingman with the ladies.   Housemates,snoring (she sounded like Darth Vader swallowing an apple) testicles, cheese, heroine and Netflix get covered but it’s his story about the stag do in Prague that is the most skilfully written and performed and also gets the biggest laughs and, you suspect, is probably true. I wish I had got the contact details.

He’s no Fringe virgin having been coming since 2012 and was completely unawed by an intimidatingly small venue and yes- I did put my money in the bucket (pint glass actually).

Reviewer : Dave McMenemy

Bannermans 

PWYL

Material :  Delivery :   Laughs : 

Award winning 8 out of 10 Cats writer James Farmer can certainly pull a crowd, 12.30 on a drizzly afternoon is no deterrent for fans hoping to see his festival debut “Can’t Adult, Won’t Adult” at the free fringe. We arrive at the venue 25 mins early to find there is already a queue winding from the Cowgate up Niddry Street; this show seems to be proving popular with people being advised to come back tomorrow; he could have filled the room 3 times over. Proclaiming his affinity with childishness, Farmer doesn’t fail to deliver. He opens the show with some audience participation; prompting the crowd to shout out their favourite word for penis; TODGER! BOABY! COCK! echo around the room, this gets the crowd giggling like little kids.

James takes us on a nostalgic journey through growing up, teenage angst and a bit of time travel back to 2003 where we reminisce about life before I- Tunes. The hour long show is gag heavy and he really packs a lot into it …if not at times predictable with some typical jokes and one liners. He is a likeable character and his delivery is enthusiastic and well received, with the biggest laughs coming from the younger members of the audience, as maybe the over twentysomethings have heard “the postman being your Dad” joke more than enough times. The sentiment behind the show reminds us of the struggle to become an adult, revisiting our childhood and the refusal to accept life’s obligations. This show is rude and silly and although might not make you belly laugh it is definitely full of giggles.

Reviewers : Laura and Emma Murray

  The Pleasance

 3rd – 28th August

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Material :  Delivery :   Laughs :

With a title like Lazy Susan: Crazy Sexy Fool my imagination was running wild. As we entered a military-like bunker at the far end of the Pleasance Courtyard and took our seats, the show began in earnest. Darkness became light and with that two animated figures burst from a corner, propelling themselves onto stage with criminal intent. Straightaway I knew this was old school sketch comedy at its best! Taking a trip through this comedy maze of slapstick jokes and hilarious facial expressions you are soon taken in with this wonderland of fun that is at hand; from cocaine-induced gangster squirrels, news reporters, police officers and slappers in a club, these two had the audience in bouts of laughter. With  quick costume changes and backing tracks fitting like a glove, this show had something for everyone… .

Bringing us back to the early days of sketch comedy, it was heart warming to see such effort being put into their art – the show was well thought-out and planned with the audience ever in mind, is easy to get along with and delivers a catalogue of shocking but fascinating wee jokes. With Steve Coogan  and a friend sitting next to me, I took the opportunity to ask them what they thought of the show and on answering he said ‘its nice to see comedy sketches from such young talent, totally enjoyed it.’ Enough said…

With an ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ feel to proceedings, the girls poking fun at feminism along the way, there are no places to hide if you are part of this audience.  Laugh, giggle, chuckle, gasp or be shocked, take this show in your stride and be transported back to days past when comedy was comedy. Consistent, courageous , calculated and clever with good delivery, this show is worth its weight in gold. Spend your money sensibly and buy a memory  by going to see this mind-curdling show by two elegant ladies. Fantastic entertainment !!!!

Reviewed by Raymond Speedie

Pleasance Courtyard

Aug 11-14, 16-29 (16.45)

Laughs:    Material:    Delivery:

25 year-old Rory O’Keeffe is a refreshing wee marvel in the panoply of stars that shine into Edinburgh each August. A soft-spoken, quick-witted geezer, he builds an immediate rapport with his audience that never falters, taking us on a merry ride through his theme – the comedy latent in language, something we can all relate to. Indeed, some of his own contributions to the English language are simply brilliant & should definitely become a part of all our perfunctory patois. A central motif is of this show is his adventures in learning Italian, & when one is shown the Italian hand-signal for the Risorgimento, one knows one is being entertained by a clever fellow. O’Keeffe was trained as an actor, & where many before him have attempted the cross-generic saunter into comedy & failed, he has actually gained something in the transition – a platform for his absolute mastery of the spoken word. He’s funny too – you know as soon as he begins to say summat about summat, then when he says summat else about that particular summat, you’ll be laughing – every time!

Rory explores his theme with an adept credibility & a knack of connecting with our personal, subconscious comedy observations. Working his room without getting too involved with the audience, he is assisted by a supreme confidence in his material which cements all essences together. He also uses a power-point with precision, & just as Sean Dyche got the Burnley FC managerial job with a brilliant power-point presentation to the board, then led them to the riches of the Premier League, so too is O’Keefe’s canny use of said equipment propelling him into the higher reaches of the comedy universe that is twinkling over Caledonia’s capital right now. This guy is definitely mid-blossom, on his way to being one of the better comedians around, & when you hear the sound-engineer still chuckling nine shows in, you just can tell that he’s gonna go far.

Reviewer : Damian Beeson Bullen

48 Below

Aug 11-15 : (00.30)

PWYL

Material :  Delivery :   Laughs : 

Watching Geneva Rust-Orta’s first ever performance at the Edinburgh was a bit like gazing at  a Leonardo Da Vinci sketch. There is genius there, clearly she has the gift for comedy, but her youth & her inexperience still dominate both performance & material. She is only 21, and although her patter is of a woman twice that age, her life experience is such that is a scanty bed-soil from which to feed her talented eye for fun. Credit where credit is due, however, she’s only been doing comedy 9 months – a recent graduate in theatre down Yorkshire way, her end-of-year show had comedy elements in it, & her tutor suggested a spot at  the Edinburgh Fringe. The spot she got was at half-past midnight, & trust me some of her stuff really does need to be on this late – she’s a bit, well, ‘open’ & a bit too ‘raunchy’ for anything earlier – but its all, well, rather hilarious.

Before arriving in Edinburgh, Californian Rust-Orta has already been pronounced as the UK’s second funniest Jew. Checking this & other stereotypes with a  cheeky grin, Rust-Orta offers a unique insight into life, with realism rising out of every breath.  A romantically-minded, comic poetess trapped in a neo-modern cage, I have a funny feeling that if Geneva sticks at it, her place in the comedy pantheon is assured, & her juvenilian sketches grow into a masterpiece even Da Vinci would have been proud to call his own.

Reviewer : Damian Beeson Bullen

Pleasance Courtyard

Aug 3-28 : (22.45)

Laughs:    Material:    Delivery: 

Throughout 2016, it seems, women are slowly taking over the western world. Teresa May owns the UK, Clinton should take the States, Merkel dominates Europe & in the world of comedy, the Mumble has noticed that the best comedians at this year’s fringe have been, in the main, female. Last night I saw the veritable queens of these amazonians – a couple of intensely brilliant feminazis who strut onto stage in cat-suits barking, ‘I am woman, hear me roar!’   Bouncing off each other like lightning bolts thrashing a perfect storm, this is a comedy couple working at the highest possible pitch; sociopathic comedy, dramatic soliloquies, sexy vignettes are all stitched together to form a never-ceasing tapestry of fun, which the girls’ sheer excellence in accent-variation rises to the fore.

For me, the highlight of their material was Jackie Cooper Clarke, based, of course, on John Cooper Clark — a parody that was better than the real thing. The girls use classic songs, slightly tweaked, to accentuate their set – Black Velvet, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, for example – which are all played on a keyboards by the wonderful Christoph, who also pipes in from time to time with some deep-throated stage directions or a joke of his own. Dangerous & dirty, brash & bolshy, wild & wicked, to N&P all men are fuc£-puppets – such as those two wine merchants from Windsor – & basking in their own sexuality they portray an absolute unfloundering confidence in their comedy. A true treat.

Reviewer : Damian Beeson Bullen

Apex Hotel , Grassmarket

4th – 28th August (21.00)

£6.50 – (£5.00)

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Material :  Delivery :   Laughs :

On a cold wet miserable Edinburgh night I found myself upstairs in the Aprex Hotel, awaiting the wonder that is Paul Vickers.  We were here to witness the birth and demise of Twonkey’s Mumbo Jumbo Hotel & with a name like Twonkey  I was not sure what to expect.   My curiosity was getting the better of me. Emerging from behind a black curtain with puppet in hand, which looked like it had just come out of a witches cauldron, the room ballooned with instant laughter! The stage before us contained a minature set which reminds one of a child’s bedroom, while our host resembled a 1970’s children’s TV presenter. All this made a direct impact with the audience, that with a bewildered look on their faces looked completely baffled…

This is a comedy show with all the trimmings, mixing puppetry with accompanying soundtracks, we were cascaded down a waterfall of laughte – being tossed back and forward from sketch to sketch you are soon caught up in the mayhem of Twonkey’s Hotel.  With a coconut duck and a singing tree stump, one audience member looked dumb-founded.  This was an intriguing piece of comedy. Like a mad professor from another planet, he appeared to be more nutterey than Nutella. With psychic knickers, finger-puppets, miniature people, dynamite, and a chainsaw this allowed the audience the chance to participate in the madness at hand. Mumbo Jumbo Hotel is a throw back to childhood fun, with humour that punches you in the head, & in the bruise linger fond memories of days long gone.

With the puppet sketches, well-written hilarious songs and crazy dance moves, Mr. Vickers did get the unsuspected audience in stitches of laughter. Caught up in a wonderland of toys, mad impressions, miming, crazy jokes, this was all rather gob-smacking. An imaginative piece of theatrical comedy that will have an impact on all who see this show. If you have a cheeky one hour to spare at 9PM this August, take a journey back to your youth with Twonkey’s Mumbo Jumbo Hotel and you wont be sorry….

Reviewed by Raymond Speedie

Cowgate, Bar 50  

Aug 5-27 : (16.45)

PWYL

Material :  Delivery :   Laughs :

Comedians are clever people, yes, but Phil Mann is a genius. Not a comedy genius, although he is a pretty funny geezer, but seems to possess a wikipedia’s worth of fun & imagination in the creative whirpools of his soul. This is Mann’s tenth year in Edinburgh – he’s a highly-trained actor as well, so he must lead something of a romantic life, one thinks.

Loosely based on the theme of the abstract state of ‘nothingness’ Mann’s show is essentially one-man improv session, but remarkable in the fact the only person he really has to bounce off is himself. Beginning the show by nicking someones phone in order to create the soundtrack of the hour, & after the audience filled the blanks in several ‘read out’ cards, Mann proceeded to imagine this wee wonder;

And this quick-thinking wit ninja did all it so bloody well…

Reviewer : Damian Beeson Bullen