Big Bite-Size Breakfast Menu Two, Pleasance Beyond, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

In my review of this years Menu One, I commented that Bite-Size had "never let me down so far". So was it then inevitable that the next show, Menu Two, would be disappointing? While the quality of the acting remained as high as usual, that of the scripts did not, with all of the first three of this quintet failing to deliver the usual punch. Fortunately the final pair brought a return to the usual high standard.

HONK!

A cynical Detective Sergeant, an overly-enthusiastic new DC, and a suspect brought form the park wearing only a blanket. A flasher or streaker maybe? The DC's unusual approach to questioning reveals something a bit different, and explains why a mallard got hurt in the process. It's an interesting idea, but felt like a stretch of silliness too far.

OF THEIR OWN

An Austen-period ball, and two thirty-something sisters who have fallen far behind in the marriage market. If they don't meet their matches tonight maybe some more drastic course of action is required. Otherwise they could end up in Birmingham. This all felt a bit contrived, with a clumsily predictable ending.

THE NEW NORMAL

There's a new Big Boss heading up the company, and sweeping changes ensue. But is what is happening really normal? Just how different will the building, and the people in it, be as security tightens and new rules make life a lot less tolerable? Another script that takes a thin idea a bit too far, although it could be seen as a parody of the evils of billionaire crazies like Bezos and Musk.

THE IMPROV CLASS

This was more like it. A trainee improv artist struggles to cope with the curve balls her acting partner throws at her. But is her goal to improve her performance for an audience, or could there be something much more important behind her desire to learn? An interesting reminder that artistic skills can sometime be transferrable into more basic human situations.

CHARITY

Like The New Normal, the final offering brought all five members of the cast onto stage. We've all learned to be wary of chuggers on our streets, but are there some who really are best to avoid? Charity collections gone extreme as matters escalate for one woman caught in their trap.

Of course you still get the coffee, croissant and strawberries, so some things never change, and there were more than enough enjoyable moments for the audience not to feel short changed. But if you can only get along to one Bite-Size performance, this might not be the best one to choose. 

The Big Bite-Size Breakfast shows, with 3 alternating menus, are on at 10.20 in Pleasance Beyond until the 28th.