Q : When is a Fringe show not to be treated as a Fringe show?
A : When it involves an SNP politician....
Salmond is, for now, no longer an elected politician, so should his show be judged for it's political content, or as an entertainment? In part he's created this dichotomy himself by including the word Unleashed in the title, suggestive of surprise revelations, yet the hour itself belies this with the feel of an old fashioned light entertainment show. There's a house band (The Carloways, who have nice Country vibe to their sound) to provide mood music and some jokey interaction with the start, a mystery guest to interview, and a comedian to provide a turn.
See it in this light and it's a pleasant enough way to pass the time. Salmond has long been one of the few senior politicians who can be genuinely funny, and he's a genial and amusing host, with a deep fund of anecdotes. His guest on this occasion was Fatima Manji, the Channel 4 News journalist. She made Alex look a bit uncomfortable when she asked about the joke which had got him into trouble a few days before, but he was soon back in control of the interview and there was a very interesting and relevant discussion on racism in society. The audience were, unsurprisingly, impressed that she felt Muslims generally felt more a part of society in Scotland than down south. Top Scottish comedian Janey Godley then came on to do a short set, including one of her famous video voiceovers, with Salmond wrapping up proceedings out in the audience.
Unleashed? That's the misleading bit, for there were none for the hoped for stories about Trump (although he certainly got plenty of mentions) or other political figures. Instead we got an entertaining and often informative show that doesn't create any shock waves, but is still well worth going to see. Not that you could decide to do so now - all tickets have been sold out for some time.
Alex Salmond... Unleashed? is on the Assembly Rooms at 13.45 until 27 August.
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