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Laughing Horse @ 32 Below
Aug 8, 10-15, 17-22, 24-28 (12:30)

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Two hours ago I was walking thro the mid-day sun of an Edinburgh heatblast – a true rarity – taps aff & everything thinking I’m still too hot. Seeking respite from the invisible duvet I saw that there was Free Fringe on at the 32 Below venue, with all its connotations of being quite chilly. I was in.

The only show on at the time I arrived was Life Drawing With a Comedian. Now recently I’ve got reyt into painting, & it turns out I’m pretty good at circles & colours, but ask me to do a flower or a dog or owt & I’m completely useless. Comedy & training – this show seem’d perfect.

And so it proved – light jazzy piano tinkled into a room of eager folk, pencils in hand, hangovers dissipating into a new day, especially those of our two chaperones – Sean Michaels & Ruven Govender, from Sydney’s in-your-face Laugh Mob. Right nice lads n’all these two.

The ‘show’ if you can call it as such, is a really relaxed hopscotch thro a series of poses by Sean & Ruven, which evolved into incorporating themes such as anthropomorphism & abstract cubism. After each round, a selection of the group’s work were held up for all to see – including mine to what wasn’t mortification, just a pleasant reality that there are many levels of art ability & we’re all in it together. A part of that must be put down to our hosts’ ability to make us all feel dead chilled – it really was a pleasant & peaceful room & proof that going to see a comedy show isn’t about falling about in hysterics, giggling like schoolchildren – its about feeling good about yourself & possibly drawing like schoolchildren.

Damo

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Underbelly, George Square – The Wee Coo
Aug 9-16, 18-28 (20:50)

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‘Surprisingly homophobic,’ ‘Faggy humorous,’ mullet-sporting, possibly gay comedienne Eli Whatever tries to heed the advice of a Kiwi tv producer and stick to two gay jokes an hour. And fails. Hilariously. Runner up in ‘South Island Pandemic Mullet 2020’, narrator of ‘Reverse Parking for Queers’ and one time Voice of the New Zealand Tourist Board (Try something New New Zealand) this fella sticks it to the Man onstage and doesn’t get arrested.

After his father comes out to him, this slightly light-on-the-loafers commediatrix delves deep into the big questions of nature vs nurture and finds himself extolling the the benefits of homophobia (as without it he probably wouldn’t be here) and ponders the vexed question of why everyone in a Skyline is a C**t.

No boo-hoo biographical bleating. Only a little bitching and a gag a minute.

Worth a tenner just to hear a Kiwi try and pronounce AIRBnB.

5 stars for this guy. Polished professional entertainment. Fuc£ing hilarious!

Adam McCully

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Underbelly, Bristo Square (Dairy Room)
3rd – 28th August (19.45)

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The last time that I received my calling to review Myra Dubois, was in 2019. Ms Dubois show was called “Dead Funny” where she invited us to experience her demise and plan her wake and funeral. Dark comedy disnae come much darker, especially when she changed her mind about the demise, hexing her audience for good measure instead. I thought then that Myra was going through a 3/4 life crisis. Displaying that darkness through art and comedy. Gothic Horror Comedy doesn’t come much darker. or funnier. Indeed a very challenging but brilliant performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_0PfZtUrYQ

Having taken some time out to ponder the success of “Dead Funny,” which would have a three-week residency at Sydney’s Royal opera House directly after her Fringe run in 2019, Myra made peace with her 3/4 life crises shadows and in 2020 devised her come-back as a resolved witch offering salvation to her fans. Inspired by becoming a stellar online presence during the Pandemic, Ms Dubois, with the help of Guru Grahah (from Rotheram), her success accelerated, & Myra was runner up on Britain’s Got Talent in 2020. After wowing Simon Cowell and co the Audience both off and on the telly gave Myra a standing ovation. This new direction and stage production, A Problem Shared, Is inspired by Ms Dubois’s amazing rise, which can can only be a good thing, Divine is delighted to say, that it was brilliant.

As we waited in the queue for our Healing, in The Underbelly Courtyard Nurse Lavender Rose was giving out disclaimers and pens for us to sign and write a problem that one would wish Myra Dubois to offer heart-felt guidance from her newly acquired insight. It was ever so exciting. The last time I saw Ms Dubois here, she was performing in a shipping container. We were ushered up and into the The Dairy Room, to be welcomed into the Dubois boudoir. The Dairy Room was much more fitting for a celebrity of Myra’s standing. OOooo I thought this was going to be a tonic.

Divine had front-row seats so I could really take in this theatrical therapy session. Yorkshire nurse Lavender Rose kept us all busy and entertained right up until the entrance of tonight’s hotly anticipated demonstration of the higher power in action. In an instant, I was mesmerised and inspired by how perfect Ms Duboir’s eye makeup was and how beautiful her eyes. Hmm, they were lovely. However enlightened this lady has become, Myra has lost none of her razor-sharp wit as she answered each question in turn. As one can guess it was really funny and untied her with her audience. Guru Graham has done a really good job.

Myra Dubois The Rebirth is a sensation that truly is welcoming, with audience singalongs and a celebrity guest spot. It was all totally glamorous darling. With just a little darkness. Indeed a splendid night. The Old Girl is back to bring her new enlightened offering to the masses And we loved it!

Mark ‘Divine’ Calvert

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Laughing Horse @ The Counting House
Aug 7-15, 17-28 (15:15)

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What’s the sound of 40 eyeballs rolling? You’ll know if you are in the audience when a comic starts off the show by entreating the audience to ‘just take a minute.. close your eyes and breathe….’

What’s the sound of twenty people sighing with relief? It’s when the audience realise that the comic (Jacob Hatton in this case) is taking the piss.

Phew.

After a slightly wobbly start due no doubt to the Qatar indentured labour type atmosphere in the sweltering attic, Mr Hatton soon gets into his flow. The ‘Relax‘ conceit is simply to tie the show together, and in-between there is plenty of great gags, a beautifully worked interior monologue during ‘meditation,’ and some social comedy including a revolutionary answer to the Monarchy’s current woes… this one has legs.

It is the Free Fringe – Jacob Hatton is worth every penny you’ve got in your pockets.

Adam McCully

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Banshee Labyrinth – Cinema Room
Aug 7-28 (20:55)

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Sam ! Sam ! Sam Nicoresti ! Fuc£ing Sam Nicoresti ! Proper geezer like – well, perhaps not so much these days, as his Edinburgh Fringe show concerns his own very spiritual & tangible entry into the world of gender politics. It’s called ‘Cancel Anti Wokeflake Snow Culture,’ & is a far more cerebral affair than other comedy offerings on the Fringe – & also funnier than the vast majority, for Sam is a bona fide comedy genius – a rainbow hole rather than a black hole, but with the same effect of sucking you into the transdimensional cosmos of his talents. In full flow he’s like a thrilling-to-watch Olympian Figure Skater busting out soliloquy moves. I really dig his work – where odd-ball-ality & fecund articulation combine under an explosion of curls. Each Fringe he wipes clean his etch-a-sketch & creates something new, something shiny, something profoundly important for all those who witness it. For 2022 we have a veritable modern Ragnarok, where liberal woke-lefties are battling radical right-wingers for Sam’s very soul. If he even believes he has a soul.

I’m straight & white like a piece of chalk

Cancel Anti Wokeflake Snow Culture is a daring shedding of the skin that slops a dollop of awkward reality on our Fringe buffet.  Instinctively manifesting the various & funniest shades of his personality, Sam can strip himself down to being a simple stand-up comedian – only briefly of course, his talents project way beyond such proletarian mundanity as simply telling jokes -, but I relish most his mastery of rapid-fire verbosity, sharing such sophisticated & funny lines as, ‘the inner sanctum sanctorium of the Waggamamma loos’- he actually said that – & ‘get out of the bus lane you fucking bus.’

The tech was stunning – a nice mix of professionally excellent pre-made videos & a weird live-streaming projection where his image careered into the distance like the start of a Bohemian Rhapsody face-beam. All his shows have aesthetical qualities, a gimmick or two, its Sam’s style; but it’s his performances that have untold merit. The only drawback with this show, in the second half especially, is the intensity of thought which is needed during certain segments to figure out what the hell Sam’s going on about exactly. The general gist is of course him coming to terms with & celebrating his sexuality, but we also kinda get the reaction of the universe to his decision. As he thunders forth at such a pace, occasionally throwing in unexpected broadsides of electric visuals & soundscapes, its pretty full on at times, & a tad difficult to sit back & be, well, entertained.

But who are we slatterns really to question the beauty of Sam Nicoresti? Early in the set, Sam described comedians as the ‘self-anointed philosopher kings of the new era,’ & by the time he’s white & Gandalf-bearded, I expect Sam to be our only Socrates.

Damo

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The Pleasance Dome
August 10 – 21, 23 – 29 (19.00)

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Tucked away in an upstairs room at The Pleasance Dome (the Jack Dome) on Bristo Square was a man waiting with a suitcase and a shock of hair that would make Goldilocks jealous. Alasdair Beckett-King was calmly observing his incoming audience for the evening’s show, Nevermore. We were about to witness the bardic of storytelling in a comedy context, where good subject matter is key – and Alasdair nailed it.

A journey through Alasdair’s life was like swimming with sharks, you never knew when the next bite was coming in this rollercoaster of a show. If we were the chips, his tales were the salt; as he sprinkled us with accounts of childhood swimming scandals, cloned transport workers and certain mermaids that were sure to give any fisherman a heart attack… & then, insults hurled at you by sea-shells pulled huge laughter from an already giggly audience.

With the positivity of a proper optimist, stating the obvious can be a personal awakening, and Alasdair’s claim to being an Englishman in a Scotsman’s body couldn’t have been more true. Welcome to Edinburgh mate, you’re one of us. Hilarious & side-splitting, this is a tongue-in-cheek masterpiece & an hour passes like a hurricane on roller blades. ‘Forget anxiety and stress, life’s too short,’ says Alasdair, better hop aboard his comedy & have the ride of your life. Excellence is an understatement !!

Spud

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Gilded Balloon Teviot
Aug 10-28 (20.30)

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Blonde-haired Grant Buse is an Australian comedian who writes songs as part of his show ‘SentiMental’ & is performing at the Fringe Festival’s grand Gilded Balloon Teviot venue as part of his extensive European travels as a musical/comedian

We settled into a set of songs about just about everything in existence (just about), with lyrics rattling along to his melodic guitar. The air was heavy with a need for enjoyment and he soon had heckling to deal with. But keeping up the heart of kindness he stared into the dark and smiled wisely.

Grant stands on the very pulse of the zeitgeist & pours emotional content into a show in which he is very much personally involved. Being an experienced & widely-flung performer, his stage mannerisms – every quirky look, smile and laugh – were keenly timed. Manoeuvre after manoeuvre he had all the levers of comedy on the go, skilfully guiding us along worldly and down-to-earth deliberations that were cut to fine humour

He had a very relaxed approach to performances, even though at times he was riling the audience to really laugh at his absurdity. As things rolled along, the set started to become fabulous, & we were now connecting with Grant as both a comedian & a human being. His songs numbered many, & he even brought a poor member of the audience to sing along to Halleluiah by Leonard Cohen with him.

Then of a sudden he shouted death and disappeared into the darkened stage… are we to applaud yet, we asked quietly? Not quite. He ran back on in full Mr Motivator body suit and began a skit of dancing to free-flowing songs we all knew from his favourite era the 1990s. Throughout this astonishing finale his dance moves and facial expressions were impeccable.

So, the show’s title, ‘SentiMental,’ was just that, a nostalgic exploration into life on this planet as it is seen today thro the eyes & galloping imagination of Grant Buse.

Daniel Donnelly

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Jacob Hatton wants people at this year’s

Edinburgh Fringe to relax & have a laugh

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Hello Jacob – so where are you from & where do you live at the moment?
Catford in SE London, where I’m from and live. It has a nice statue of a cat in it.

When did you first get into comedy?
I’ve always been in to comedy, comedians were very much my rockstars growing up and I loved Sean Lock, Bill Bailey etc as much as any musician.

Which comedians inspire you, both old skool & contemporary, & why?
The late great Sean Lock is my all time hero, and right now I love another Sean, (Sean McLoughlin) who is the best to do it

You were in Edinburgh with Ozymandias a few Coivd years ago – how did you find the experience?
Both loved and was overwhelmed by it. It was a lot of fun to do, but a huge gamble and not one that really paid off. Needless to say, I’m back this year.

How has your comedy evolved during the years of Covid?
I didn’t enjoy doing any comedy during COVID to be honest. I hated online gigs, or making silly TikTok sketches. I like live performance, and I’m just grateful its back.

This year you were a finalist at the Hastings Comedy Festival Newcomer of the Year, how did you find the experience?
The competitions are nice to have, but they are to be honest, pretty meaningless. It’s a gig and it’s fun, but it’s only ever just a gig. Not to get too on my high horse about this, but every audience is as important as each other, and I’m interested in the crowd, not the judges.

You are coming back to Edinburgh with a show this Fringe, can you tell us all about it?
It is a show about how I’ve learned, finally after 30 years, to relax a little bit.

Quite eclectic then – but what are the recurring themes?
It’s a “state of the generation” show about anxiety, the environment, war and creeping existential dread, but I should also say it’s very gag heavy and very funny.

What will you be doing in Edinburgh when not promoting & performing your show?
I do the hard yards in Edinburgh, so basically nothing else. I flyer for 3/4 hours a day minimum, plus I perform on at least 3 or 4 shows a day. I’ll try and fit a few shows in between all of this of course.

You have 20 seconds to sell your show on the streets of Edinburgh, what do you say?
Hey man, Relax! We all need to. This is how I learned.

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Jacob Hatton: Relax! (Exclamation Mark)

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House
Aug 7-15, 17-28 (15.15)

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Gilded Ballon Patter Hoose
August 3rd – 28th (6.30pm)

With his trade mark “unbranded” yellow shirt, Patrick Spicer bounces onto the stage for his hour at the Edinburgh Fringe. Even with a moderate audience, the room had an energetic feeling about it and you could tell from the outset that this was a young, cheeky laddie with a lot to get off this chest. With no time to waste, Mr. Spicer had the crowd heating up like a fresh chilli running around your mouth with nowhere to go. Patrick is a man of principle. Laugh with him, laugh at him, but one thing for sure, you will laugh through the entire 24 years that he has walked this earth…

Strong, brave, lucid and cool, this is a totally relatable comedy masterclass. Addressing all of his life’s ups and downs from anxiety, younger muggings, kebab-trading, cafe dating, teenage branding (there is that word again), Tik Tok, bum doctors and death, you certainly were made to feel you could relate to one or more of these tribulations of growing up. Delivered with a constant smile and excellent audience interaction, Patrick Spicer can definitely hold his own. Most comedians revolt at the thought of being heckled, but this young man takes it in his stride bringing the audience ever closer to his heart…

Growing up is not easy, unless your Patrick Spicer !! This is classic comedy at its finest. Raw, witty, direct, yet heart-warming. The journey Mr. Spicer takes you on is as much educational as it is funny. Subjects that others would steer well clear of seem to bloom under his spell, I mean, who needs to know about radioactive body fluids? Patrick’s ultimate moral is, life is beautiful and this is why death is in love with it, so make people laugh and maybe death wont be so crap. Great, hard-hitting fun delivered with fantastic dialogue and charm. A true wee gem of the Edinburgh Fringe.

Spud

Assembly George Square – The Box
Aug 8-16, 18-28 (19:45)

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Tonight I went out for a double bill from Zach Zucker’s Stamptown empire, one of the most prodigious & highly thought-of comedy umbrellas, which sends its Kraken-tentacle acts all across the world. Looking at the Fringe guide I’m like I can do two in a row in the Assembly Quarter of Edinburgh. Man & Woman was first, after which I had half an hour to get a butty a brew & a seat in the Box for BriTANicK. I was in a reyt good mood after my first slice of Americana, a buzz which was grabbed by Emmy-nominated writers Nick Kocher & Brian McElhaney, crush’d up into an energy ball, stretch’d out with phallic rolling pins & folded up into a funny-looking hat which they placed on their heads for an hour of sophisticated tandem clownerie.

It’s going to last about 2 seconds & quite possibly kill you

At its simplest BriTANick is sketch comedy, but as their show delved deeper & deeper into the wells of their shared creative genius, it slowly dawn’d on me I was watching an extremely well-woven & innovative tapestry of leitmotifs & running gags, all glued cleverly together by the natural chemistry of two consummate performers.  I especially loved the Wild West Saloon scene with its multiple characters & the potential man kiss between a father & his daughter’s suitor. The surreal memory-loss sketch is also a joy to behold, followed not long after by the tornado vortex of the the rip-roaring finale. As it erupted into the room, there was actual adrenaline running through my veins – proper exciting, like -, & I was genuinely fearful of being abducted into the show! 

So… its comedy, & its art, & its pretty entertaining stuff. Nick & Brian got the crowd proper cooking with their athletic performances, smart writing & infectious appetite for fun & I think everyone will leave the Box in a reyt good mood for the rest of their Fringe.

Damo