It's Nice Up North

A 20th anniversary screening of the spoof documentary featuring Graham Fellows character comic John Shuttleworth.  Always bumbling and inapropriate, Shuttleworth sets for Shetland to prove his theoiry that people are nicer in the UK the further north you travel.  To record this he's recruited photographer Martin Parr, along with a tech team, to make the film of his journey and investigations.  Of course, John being John, it isn't all slick and predictable, as he makes his way around in an old Austin Ambassador...

The result is often badly filmed, awkward, full of minutae, with rambling commentary and moments of unexpected sadness.  Plus some arguments between subject and cameraman!  And it's still, after 2 decades, hilarious.  Fellows clearly has a lot of warmth and affection for his comedy creation, and for the people he talks to in his 'investigation'.  The best moments are often improvised, frequently with people in the street they hadn't even planned to talk to.  It's all beautifully done as parody of the real thing, and fun to see so much going wrong.

There was a chat with Fellows after the screening, which told us more about the making of the film (which mentioned that the on-screen tension between Fellows and Parr was often real!), the unintentional additions which made things worse (better!), like the helicopter cameraman they hired who turned out to genuinely awful.  Shuttleworth still has a life on stage, and will for some time to come.

And yes, he did find people were nicer up north!

John Smith: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?, 3 Old Monks, PBH Free Fringe, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Smith is a likeable Geordie, who tells us immediately that his show has no overriding storyline, but is simply an hour of jokes and anecdotes, with the emphasis on dark humour.  Nevertheless he did mange to fit in a call back as part of his routine.  It's a slightly shambolic hour, but none the worse for that, although it gets a bit too slow paced at times.  His audience interaction is deent enough, and there are some pretty good jokes in there.  Dark?  Yes, quite often, sometimes to the point of feeling old fashioned,  but there's enough laughs in there to feel like this was time well spent.

He also has a guest making a brief appearance with her own routine - Very someone?  I didn't catch the name.  Very rushed, almost embarrassed by her own performance, and a bit weird...

Mark Watson: Sometimes People Are Being Over-Cautious When They Say Work-In-Progress, But This Truly Is Rough, Stand 3, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

It might be a WIP, but the structure was clear and the show hilarious.  It centres on a tale of Mark's inability to stand up to a debt collector, despite a mistaken identity being involved.  Along the way are featured taking Nelson Mandela to Brighton, a non-appearance on Question Time, the politics of Kashmir, a donkey, and numerous other digressions.  

Watson is likeable, open, self-deprecating, and persistently funny.  He can smoothly riff off a bit of audience interaction, but keeps it minimal, concentrating on his material.  A very enjoyable hour.

Susan Morrison: Swearing, Shit and Shagging - Scotland's Filthy History, Stand 4, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 Morrison is well known on the Edinburgh, and Scotland, comedy scene, but also as writer and broadcaster. More importantly for this show, she's also an enthusiastic historian, often focusing on the seedier aspects of society. So this is a show that's not only entertaining, but informative.

She takes us through Scotland's massive contribution, real and apocryphal, to the worlds of swearing sex and bodily functions, complete with on-screen illustrations, at a rapid pace. And she answers the big questions like how did women manage to have a shit whilst wearing a crinoline, and what sort of activities did Edinburgh's 'gentlemen' get up to when left to their own devices? There's even a bit of audience participation to illustrate the former...

Fast, filthy and funny. And excellent.

Churchill's Urinal, EICC, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Rosie Holt has built up a huge online following in recent years with her sharp parody videos of a Tory MP character.  Good satire walks hands in hand wirth reality and perhaps her biggest tribute is from the huge number of people fooled into thinking she was the real thing.

This play takes that original format, and twists the character into a Labour MP who becomes the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer (with apologies to Rachel Reeves!), and picks up on a real life fact and plays with the idea that it could turn into a viral incident.  In the Chancellor's en suite is urinal, a symbol of the patriarchy she'd prefer to do without.  But there's a problem. Churchill used to piss there so would it be an insult to national hero if it were to be removed?

The story is leaked, an interview ends badly, and immediately the media turns on her, along with the full propaganda force of the far right's social media, whipping up a frenzy of fake 'patriotism'. A Chancellor under siege. And a talking urinal, as the old war leader speaks from both grave and porcelain, along with a few other voices. Is there a strategy to turn things around?

The basic premise is sound enough, but this isn't sharp satire I had hoped for. Although sprinkled with contemporary references, there's an old fashioned feel to the script, descending into farce at times. Some of the humour seems laboured (pun intended), it's rarely hilarious.

It's certainly not all bad though. There's an effective attack on the hagiographical mythologising of WC, who truly was a racist alcoholic, and an effective demonstration of the power of social media to blow everything out of perspective. Plus a few decent jokes, especially the one about Fabricant. Holt's performance is energetic, and engages with her audience, but tends towards the chaotic at times. There's excellent support from Michael Lambourne as the vocal urinal and other voices.

Maybe it was the expectation of something akin to her viral hits that left me feeling disappointed, but I was left with the impression that a solid ten to fifteen minute sketch had been stretched a bit too far...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Cathy, Traverse, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Tommy is dead. He was husband, father and grandfather. But he was also the family peacemaker, and with his influence gone they are free to fracture apart, driven by grief. Cathy misses her man and takes it out on those around her. The daughter she's never really liked. The granddaughter heading for single motherhood. And her well meaning but ineffectual son in law. She's no time for vague concepts like 'trauma', or sharing . She's too busy correcting people.

It takes happenstance, and connection from an unexpected place, to change direction, to begin healing. Realising that sharing grief is beneficial, and the empathy to see how other people suffer as much as oneself. In this sense Cathy has a fairly predictable redemptive story arc, with a cosy ending. But it's a bittersweet ride to get there. And very, very funny. There are sharp lines, digs at sectarianism, generation gaps and a suitably traumatic event to bring people together.

At the centre of it all is Elaine C Smith's Cathy, sharp edged and brittle, with a soft centre, and a wonderful comic performance, backed up by a strong cast. If you don't expect anything revelatory this is a laugh out loud hour with some uplifting emotional moments. You come out feeling better about yourself, and that's always nice, isn't it?

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

DYING STARS

Two people in a field in the dark.  He's trying to find a supernova in the telescope.  She's brought the hobnobs.  Two friends interested in astonomy.  Or is one of them for another reason?  Some men can be a bit slow to catch on.  Vary funny.

BORE

A girl sits reading in a pub.  She sees a couple come in and sit near her, and it seems that not all is well between them.  But their conversation is interrupted by an unwanted visitor.  Can Greg get rid of him and save the situation?  Or is he too boring?  A laugh out loud look at social awkwardness.  And the bookreader gets the punchline...  

HERE SHE COMES

It's almost time for the bride to go down the aisle, so it's natural that she's nervous.  Her brother and stepfather both help and hinder, and the wedding adviser keeps butting in.  There are laughs, but sadness too.  A bittersweet little drama.

STARDUST

 A woman calling roadside asssistance finds the AI chatbot to be a bit oversensitive, and unwilling to provide the help she needs.  A humourous comment on the way AI is taking over so many aspects of life. 

NARRATIVELY SPEAKING

What would we sound like if we spoke like caharcters in a novel, complete with thoughts and asides and descriptions?   Could we handle that level of honesty?  Three women find their speech conventions challenged when one of them decides to revolt.  A comedy that plays on the boudaries between life and fiction.

And that's another look at the Bite-SizeBreakfasts for another Fringe.  Some new faces in the cast, and plenty of exceelent writing.  Lots of laughs, and some subjects to ponder.  It remains a must see for us, and one of the most reliably entertaining shows.  If you only have time to see one of thier shows this year, I'd recommend Menu 1.

See you next year guys!

Daniel Petrie and Valeria Vulpe, The Caves, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Petrie is a likeable Glaswegian, if a little nervous on this occasion. Some good observational comedy derived from his own life, and generally enjoyable, but no big laughs in there.

Moldovan Vulpe is a class act. Her slow dead pan delivery belies excellent timing, and her punchlines often come out left field. Or she'll leave the audience to fill them in for themselves, which is often funnier. I found myself wishing for a lot longer than her allocated half hour.

I wouldn't normally blame an audience for a flat atmosphere, as it's up to the performer to adapt. But in this case I did feel Vulpe deserved better. You get the best rewards from her humour if you're prepared to put in a bit of effort yourself, which most seemed unable to do. If you love comedians who make you think different, and bring in a dose of the unexpected, then Vulpe is waiting for you.

Big Bite-Size Breakfast Menu One, Pleasance One, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 VOWEL MOVEMENTS

A couple moving in together and very much in love.  She's from Surrey, he's from Leeds, and there's some north/south banter between them.  Then his sister turns up unexpectedly and brings the unexpected with her.  An amusing look at the power of accents and concepts of social class..

COUCH TO NO WAY

A jogger turns up, still looking fresh.  Shortly followed by her friend, who doesn't.  There's some tension between them and it's not just because of their differing speeds.  When a man joins them, looking like he's totally exhausetd, things get even tenser.  A complex love triangle where someone is going to get hurt.  Jealousy, challenges and laughs.

LOVE (TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY)

A dystopian view of the future dating scene.  Two potential mates have ten minutes to make up their minds, guided by the algorithm.  He wants to analyse, she wants feeling, can they find any common ground in such a short time?  Played for laughs, but there's a chilling edge to this one.

IN TWO MINDS

A cosy night in on the couch, films, maybe a takeaway, but a text message threatens to derail the evening, and maybe more.  What makes this one so funny is that we see 4 actors on stage - the couple and, stood behind them, their inner thoughts.  While the sitting duo say the things they think they should say, the voices behind tell us eactly what they are thinking.  A little slice of domestic disagreement made hilarious by this clever device.  One of the funniest Bite-Size offerings I've seen.

THE MALTESE WAITER

A man asking a psychiatrist for help.  His problem?  He's a superhero... of sorts.  His superpower is be able to turn any situation into a piece of film noir, and it's ruining his realtionship.  Can she help him resolve his issue and make the right choice?  Lighting changes help enhance the switches in mood, the American accents set the scene, and deliver a weird and funny story with a twist.  Great fun to end on.

Another enjoyable quintet of playlets, with In Two Minds standing out as one of the best I've seen over the years I've been going to watch this group.

Big Bite-Size Breakfast Menu Three, Pleasance One, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Here we are again.  Another Festival Fringe, and another three shows from the Bite-Size breakfast team to enjoy.  The usual format, of strawberries in the queue, coffee and croissants indie, and five mini-plays ro entertain.  Five actors, three of them familair faces from past shows.  This was a preview show, but, apart from one brief stumble over a line, you wouldn't be able to teel that they weren't already half way through the run.  I remain a fan.  Today's quintet were...

RUNAWAY DRESS

A woman in a wedding dress, seeing how she looks.  A panic when she hears a knock at the door.  All is not what it should be, as two old friends end up sitting down and making a decision.  Some good laughs, certainly an enjoyable watch, but perhaps a tad predictable. 

THE COMMUNITY GROUP

Four members of a neighbourhood chat group relate their posts and interactions.  One is selling a wardrobe, one looking to connect with an old flame, another is seeking attention, and the last is happy to give his views on what's wrong woth the world.  While there's a bit of stereotyping going on I find that forgiveable in a ten minute play where character needs to be dlearly defined very quickly.  And the characters are very recognisable to anyone who has experienced these groups.  Very funny, very familiar, and a sharp comment on the low quality of socail media intercourse.

A PERFECT TWO.

Such a happy couple, they seem to have been made for one another.  But when she suggests they each give the other a mark out of ten it's a clear invitation for things to go wrong, and it will take a lot of numerical working out to try and get back to where they were.  Beautifully played two hander that shows up the dangers of ego within a relationship.

CAFFEINE

A couple sit to have coffee after their meal, looking uncomfortable.  Why are they there?  To meet up with frinds who are late, or is there something else going on here?  As they explore the possibilities there is something happening between them, but will it become more than just chat?  An enjoyably awkward mini-tragedy.  

ON MUTE

It's Greg's big moment, a conference call that could lead to a promotion. But things quickly start to go wrong in a most unexpected manner, and he finds his chances of success dependent on more than just his own talents.  A good one to end the set on, pure farce with a lot of laughs as the unexpected unfolds.

Bite-Size is as worthy of your attention as ever.

Inside No 9 : Stage Fright, Playhouse

 A stage adaptation that combines the essential base ingredients of the renowned TV show - comedy and horror - with a dose of nostalgia and references for the cognoscenti.  Not only references because, broken across the show, they recreated the TV episode Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room.  Not only references to their own show, but to other comedians too, such as Morecambe and Wise.  And then there was that night's guest star, with a different one appearing for every show, and indulging in a bit of improv with Reece and Steve.  (Jonathan Watson was ours, and played up over Steve's character's inability to get the name of 2 Doors Down right.)

The opening sketch set the tone beautifully, with that comedy/horror mix, a dose of shock, and a strong warning to the audience on theatre etiquette, all in the opening five minutes.  From then on it was Reece and Sheersmith having fun with words, wordplay, sometimes heading for the groanworthy route, often clever.  Great fun for fans, potentially confusing for the newcomer to their world!  (And for young people, who might be wondering who'd miss a lot of the jokes, rootted in the culture of past TV.)  

Even the curtain call turned into another macabre sketch.  Laughs ands scares from beginning to end, and a sense of satisfaction that this was a wrthy tribute/follow up to one of the great TV series of the century.

Feis (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Deirdre (Louise Haggerty) runs an Irish dance school, but it's struggling to make a profit, so she supplements her income giving online 'lessons'.  But her costume sporting nipple tassels is a clue that the site is something similar to OnlyFans.  But she thinks she has a way of making her school a success a way - training the winner of the next world championship.  And she'll go to any lengths to make it happen.  Her mother Maura (Julie Coombe) want to help, but is sceptical of Deirdre's plans.  And daughter Aoife (Leah Balmforth), once their star dancer, has left and won't come home.  Or will she?  

With onstage musical accompaniment from Brian James O'Sullivan, this is a black comedy with a thin and farcical plot, and jokes that come complete with big signposts. Subtle it's not, at times reminiscent of a '70s sitcom.  And Balmforth's more naturalistic performance sits uneasily with the OTT delivery of the other women.  O'Sullivan is good though, with perfect timing of music and sound effects, and some hilarious announcements.

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh.  It was fun at times, and very much in the light entertainment mould.  But  I've come to expect more from PPP offerings, so it does suffer in comparison.  One of the least memorable in the series.

Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak, Pleasance Above, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 A solo show written by, and starring, Victoria Melody.  She enters wearing, as she explains, an accurate recreation of a woolen musketeer's outfit from the 17th century.  On a hot summer day.  Suffering for her art!

Melody started off script, and seemed genuinely surprised, and very grateful, that so many people had turned up to see her final Fringe performance this year.  But she soon got going into a fascinating tale.  

Her response to life crises is to immerse herself into a new activity.  In the past this has led her into pigeon fancying and beauty pageants.  When divorce entered her life she became fascinated by the Diggers, the grass roots radical action group that sprang up in England in the mid 1600s.  With no active Diggers society to join, she did what flet like the next best thing - English Civil War re-enactment groups.  An activity she is totally unsuited to, but still gets herself involved.

The story switches to a deprived council estate in Brighton, where she gets involved in projects to improve the life of the community.  They provide meals, a space to meet, advice and help in dealing with the autorities, and space where groups can get together.  With some amazing personal stories lying behind these achievements.

The culminaion of the tale is the bringing together of these two worlds, and the surprising success that it brings.  

Melody brings all this to life with her impressions of various important characters (some of them represeted on stick portraits), some imaginative props, and audience interaction through key jangling.  It's lovely, funny, inofrmative and inspiring, and creates a seamless link btween the revolutionaries of more than four centuries ago, and modern community action groups.  

Simply wonderful.

Margolyes & Dickens: More Best Bits, EICC, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Outspoken, hilarious, talented and with her heart in the right place, Margolyes is always good valuie to watch.  This show mixed stories from her life, with short performances of Dickens characters, bring them fully to life within a few seconds.  Her ability to swap around during dialogue, to introduce the right levels of pomposity, or avarice, or innocence, the swiftly changing body language, is a mini master class.  And the intonation and expressiveness of her voice shows just why she is in such demand to record audio books.

As an added bonus there was a short Q&A session, with her tour manager reading out a few queries from the audience.  As unfiltered as ever Miriam was swift to give her opinions.  It was good to hear a prminent Jewish voice condemning outright the current criminal and genocidal actions of the Israeli government, and saying what needs to be said about the likes of Trump and Farage - she is very defintely not a fan of either of these manipulative liars.  

Wonderful entertainment, a standing ovation, and it all felt far too short a time...

James Gardener : Jockney Rebel, Le Monde, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Gardener is a weegie, living in London, and very much a Scot while he's there.  But a Scot with some Indian heritage as well.  So can he do an Indian accent and not be racist?

Through incidents from his upbringing and life Gardener questions identity, relationships and what it means to be a man.  There's some moving family material, about his brother who has severe cerebral palsy, but this is all about the laughs.  He has some good punchines, smart observations, and makes the point that it isn't imkjigrants who are the problem, it's the rich.  An endearingly socialist rant gets strong support from the audience.

There's no killer humour, but it's always enjoyable.  Good without being great.

Mark Thomas Comedy Counterattack, Stand 3, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Not stand-up from Thomas, but a talk about his career, both in comedy and as a political activist, and how the two form a common thread.  Beginning with three early experinces that shaped his attitude to life.  Realising the power of getting a laugh, seeing how a stage drama had the power to change views, and becoming aware of the power of collective action in forcing change.  

So this talk is often politic, but often funny too.  He takes us through some of the highlights of his activist activites, and the prolific use of absurdism to bith confuse and defy those in authority.  How he learned to adjust tactics to suit the tagets identified, to have purpose in protest.  That effective action is communal, cooperative, based on solidarity with those being affected by the injustices being fought.  And that the despicable criminalisation of Palestine Action, a legitimate protestt grouo against genocide, is going to be fought and fought.

Hilarious, inspiring, smart and informative.  With one final message - fuck 'em.

Ordinary Decent Criminal, Summerhall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 Frankie (Mark Thomas) is in prison.  Maybe not your typical con, as he's botha writer and a political activist.  But also a drug user, and, the thing that got him inside, drug dealer.  He's in a new prison, a much nicer one than the old Victorian institutions, with one prisoner to a cell and decent sanitation.  Frankie looks to survive as best he can, make firneds weho might protect him, make himself useful.  A writer is often in demand. 

There's a wide range of characters he interacts with, some violent, some needy and vulnerable, and a female prison officer with her own agenda.  Thomas plays them all, all carefully crafted and well delineated.  He also goes off script, true to his stand-up roots, and interacts with the audience to provide extra laughs.  It's a high energy performance (in a very hot room) that never falters and keeps the aiudience constantly engaged.  There's prison politics and the poutside world.  Reminders of revolution, of British political violence in Northern Ireland (one of the characters may, or may not, be a previous member of the IRA), the excesses of the Thatcher period, a prisoner who is in touch with the realites and hardships of the real world.

Funny. scary, thought provoking and never dull, this is an impressive perfromance of a wide ranging and well considered script.  Great stuff.

Jo Caulfield : Bad Mood Rising, Stand 3, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

She's been told to be grateful for life - but there are too many fucking irritating people in the world.  The arch bitch is back with a nother doe of stories about friends, family and the people she meets.  And what's wrong wiyth them all...

Sharp observations on relationships, a sharp tongue against the world, despiser of fascists and brexshit, and hilarious audience interaction.  One of the funniest shows you'll see, and one of the bitchiest.  Always recommended

Luke Wright : Pub Grub, Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Pub Grub as the opening poem, the sometimes-need to slum it a bit, to ignore the fine dining and go for the comfort food.  And if there's a theme then maybe that's it, but this show ranges far and wide, covering family and friends and the past and telling stories.  All done with sparkling verses and bucket loads of humour.

There's also fun ways for Wright to show off his technical mastery of the language and form.  A poem using no vowels but 'O'.  Another where every noun, vern, adjective and adverb staerts with 'D'.  And then there's the pub joke - an old fashioned one, mildly amusing at first telling.  But as the show goes on further versions emerge, five in total, so that the joy of wordplay becomes far funnier than the joke itself.

It's a joyful hour, witty, clever, and sometime sthought provoking.  With the ocaasional groan at the lunguistic tortuosity he indulges in to make hsi monovowel verses work out!

I've loved Luke's work since first seeing him over a decade ago, and this show is one of his best.  Not to be missed.

Big Bite-Size Breakfast Menu One, Pleasance One, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 For us the first was last, completing our viewing of this year's menu trio with number one on the list.  Which turned out to be the best of the set.

SUCH DREAMS AS STUFF IS MADE ON

When robbery and snobbery work together.  If you're going to be robbed you want it to be one that's going to impress the neighbours.  Even if that means giving the thieves a helping hand.  An amusing satire on social climbing and class pretensions.

THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING ON THE PHONE

Two people on a bus, both on their phones, each with their own issues to deal with.  The one-sided conversations interlace to hilarious effect, but underneath are two tales os sadness.  Clever stuff, beautifully played.

THE GAFFER

It's the FA Cup final so you'd expect everyone to be keyed up and ready to go.  So why is the manager of the underdogs sitting it out and not bothering to give a team talk?  His assistant, and the club's psychiatirst, trt to understand to cajole, to bully if neccessary, but nothing seems to work.  A surreal twist provides the truth, in a world where reality and virtual reality are so hard to tell apart.  

EMERGENCY CONTACT

His ex has turned up at the hospital because she's still, years after they split, listed as his emergency contact.  So when she finds that it's only a broken arm she's not too happy at having to come.  And even less happy when there seems to be some manipulation going on.  Very funny comedy with a twist and killer punchline.

ANNND SCENE (OF THE CRIME)

When the police are called to the theatre to invesigate a murder within an improv group, they find that the actors are not going to behave like normal witnesses.  So if you can't beat 'em...  Very funny comedy with some excellent dialogue and an interesting premise.