In Loyal Company, Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 Actor and stand up David  William Bryan plays his great-uncle, Arthur 'Joe' Robinson, in a (mostly) true story.  Joe is a young man in Birkenhead in 1939.  He has a job.  And there's a girl in his life (almost).  But experiencing a Luftwaffe bomb attack on the Liverpool area dirves him to join the army.  He's trained, shipped about, and ends up heading for the Fra East, only for his ship to be sunk by Japanese bombers.  Rescued, and taken on to Singapore... just as the island is foreced to surrender.  Robinson has to endure 4 years as a POW, working as lave labour, seriously ill, his fellow prisoners dying.  But he survives, just, and finally makes it home.  What kind of life can he expect?

Bryan portrays this in dramatic and energetyiuc fashion, with several on stage costume changes, and giving voice to host of peoplein Joe's life.  He does a good job of bringing across the horrors of war, has his characters well deliniated, and there's a clear narrative arc.  He even manages to work a few laughs into a very sad subject.  The performance deserved the standing ovation he received in the end, if only for the physical toll each perfomance must take on his body.  

It's good to see a war story that is not about sucess of glory, but simply celebrates survival.

Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me, but Banjos Saved My Life, Summerhall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Can a show ever live up to such an eye-catching title? Keith Alessi is from an Italian American family,so tomatoes played a bit part in his family life. He was also, from a young age, a fan of bluegrass music, especially the sound of the banjo. But an early attempt to play the instrument soon ended in failure. He want on to have a successful career in business, which came to a halt with a sudden illness (in part doe to all those tomatoes...) that would change his life completely, and revive that banjo playing desire.

It's an interesting story, which he tells well, interspersed by his now-competent banjo playing and a hilarious moment of puppetry. And there's a moral to the tale too, as he discovered the concept of 'enough', an important step in life. But. There's a self-satisfied air about his delivery that can grate at times. It's enjoyable, interesting, and there's some great music playing a times, but there was always that 'but'...

The Kingmaker, Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Advertised as a Work in Progress, and the unfinished nature of the piece was strongly emphasised by the performer ('Mouse') before she began. This will end up being a much longer performance when completed, so this was only the first half. Despite which...

This is a fascinating hour and only left me wanting more. Mouse is a charismatic performer and is sure to be engaging once the show has some polish applied. It's her tale of joining, belonging to, and eventually leaving, a religious cult in the US. That fascination comes from her explanation of how ordinary people can be attracted into these movements, and then persuaded to stay. She went willingly, stayed willingly, and... well, sadly, it's how she left that is the big missing element. And one of several reasons why I sincerely hope that The Kingmaker, in it's completed form, is back for Fringe '27.  

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...

Ben Target : Lorenzo, Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 This one was fascinating from the moment you entered the room. Target is there, doling out cups of coffee from the hip, and asking you to write down your perfect death. So you sit, and you think, and you notice the fascinating workbench in the middle, with some other intriguing props scattered around the stage. And that's all before the show begins.

This is the story about an old man dying, and Target becoming his live in carer. Yes, it gets to be very sad at times, but so well told that it is always riveting, and full of the laughter they would often share. Plus a great deal of silliness, in line with the character of Ben himself, and the dying Lorenzo.

It's Target's story, Lorenzo's sory, family history, relationships, stresses and joys, genuine love and emotion. With live carpentry, acrobatic skills and a surprise toilet. Even a little audience involvement (although nothing that could make anyone feel uncomfortable).

This is one of the great shows of the Fringe, the kind you wish everyone could see, but leaves you feeling privileged that you had the chance, and which lives with you thereafter. A story of deep humanity, the power of love and silliness, and hanging out with old people. 

See it!

Why Am I (Still) Like This, Surgeons' Hall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 Nicole Nadler, an Edinburgh resident, but originally for the US, created a surprise success of a show at the '23 Fringe, based around her experience of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. This follow up goes back to that source material, and expands upon it because knowing is one thing, but being the different person she hoped it would make her is something else entirely.

She combines elements of storytelling, theatre, stand up and generally having a rant. Speaks too fast at first, which can make her difficult to understand at first, but is a part of the persona. And this multi-syllable per second style does make for a very in-your-face experience for the audience.

It's a well structured show, with a history of her symptoms as both child and adult, and the impact it had upon her, notably self-hatred. Having a diagnosis helps, explains, but doesn't solve. And, having had some experience of working with a few people like her, I recognised much of her story and associated difficulties.

It's very commendable, but it's a hard show to really like. Such an intense and personal subject does need some light relief for the audience. But the few laughs were neither frequent enough or big enough to do the job. It ends up feeling like we're watching something akin to a therapy session for the performer. But I suspect it must be helpful to anyone with a similar diagnosis.

One further criticism. In her thank yous at the end she missed out the sound person, who had done a great job of following some quite complex cues.  

England and Son, Traverse

Something a bit different, at least in terms of format. For the section before the interval Mark Thomas emerged without fanfare, sat in a chair centre stage, and chatted to the audience, as himself. He explained how he first met the writer (Ed Edwards) of the play we were about to see, and the origins of the play itself. An important element of their working relationship is that both work with addicts at a centre in Manchester, teaching them drama and giving them the means to express themselves in a more literate fashion than they might have managed previously. Thomas being Thomas, this comes complete with impressions of the people he worked with, and was hilarious. But also gave a flavour of what it's like to be a recovering addict.

The play itself follows, where Thomas plays the 'son' of the title, as well as myriad other characters as they crop up. It's an often moving portrayal of an abusive childhood, and how the lack of self-worth that engenders that can feed into addiction and repetition of the cycle. The action is set during the eighties, where the actions of the Thatcher regime resulted in mass unemployment, the growth of the black economy, and an exponential increase in drugs use.

That Thomas' character is surnamed England, in the eponymous country that was in such great social decline, seems a heavy handed way of hammering home the metaphor we're presented with. But the script largely avoids a swerve into didacticism, and generates sympathy for 'son', very much the victim. It helps greatly that Thomas is the performer, with his trademark high energy, motormouthing style, his ability to improvise interactions with the audience, and deliver laugh upon laugh, yet still wring the pathos from the character's sodden lifestyle.

Hugely entertaining, and makes it's point well. Definitely worth seein

Dear Billy - A Love Letter to the Big Yin, Traverse

 Everyone usually remembers the first time they saw or heard Billy Connolly. He wasn't easily ignored. For most of us that meant seeing him on screen or stage, or listening to a recording. But plenty of people have first hand memories of meeting Billy, living alongside him, working with him.

Gary McNair is the front man for this show, accompanied by two musicians, and backed up by the usual creative team that's always involved in these productions. But behind that is a small army or story gatherers and researchers who found, listened to, and recorded the words of, many people across Scotland who'd encountered Billy in some way or other.

McNair has taken the best of these interviews/stories/reactions, and woven them into a compelling one man performance. Albeit one man portraying many characters. He's energetic, convincing in his multiple alter egos, and hilarious. And, occasionally, very moving, as in his relating the words of a woman whose husband also had Parkinsons, and was touched by Billy's empathy.

And there's McNair's own brief encounter with the great man - both real and imagined! Plus all the characters who new him before he became The Big Yin loved by millions, who could see he had something special about him, even if they didn't always want to admit it.

Ninety minutes flies by, and even McNair's going off script at one point didn't spoil the performance, indeed enhanced it, for he's got a great ability to keep audiences on side and take the piss out oh himself. Much like his hero.

Salute Ukraine!, Usher Hall

 A big gala event bringing together Scottish and Ukrainian musicians and writers.  Plus video messages from Ukrainians both here and back home in the war.  The number of acts was too long to list here, but it really did have something for everyone.  Scottish folk, Ukrainian pop and opera, storytelling and poetry, with three songs from the mighty Lau to close the event, before the Ukraine national anthem was sung - are there were a lot of emotional Ukrainians in the audience to add volume.  

There were a few technical hitches, but that felt entirely forgivable on such a worthy occasion, and one that had had to be thrown together at short notice.  With so many acts to cope with the sound check must have been a lengthy nightmare!  And the occasional glitch served as a reminder that this was an event with real human urgency behind it, that there are innocent people dying in this war, as we sat there and enjoyed the tunes and the words.  

Memorable.

Leah MacRae : My Big Fat Fabulous Diary, Multistory, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 As if the castle backdrop and sparkling sunshine weren't enough, here's MacRae bursting on to the stage to a bit of raucous pop, resplendent in tight fitting pink tartan suit and big grin.  While the framework of the show is hung around entries from her childhood 'diary', that structure is simply a vehicle for her big personality.  Stories, jokes and songs, interacting with the audience, being herself.  It's very funny at times, and, not having heard her before, her singing voice is a big and very pleasant surprise.  A fun and resolutely silly way to spend an hour.

Hannah Gadsby : Douglas, Theatre Royal, Glasgow

Douglas is Gadsby's dog.  And, in the Pouch of Douglas, a relatively obscure female body part.  We learn this early on.  Indeed we learn much of the content of the show early on, for Hannah kindly itemises the routines that make up her set.  Spoilers?  No, just a very clever set up to bolster later punchlines.  It might not have the shock factor of her previous show, the astoundingly successful Nanette, but Douglas is just as much a comedic and informative masterpiece.  There are deserved attacks on the patriarchy, but also a monologue on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the seriousness of her message in constant contrast to the frivolity of some of the material, producing a rollercoaster of laughs and thoughts.  Plus her take on her own autism is fascinating  It might go some way to explaining her unique world view.  It's worth letting her share it with you.

Iain FM Smith Presents... My Finest Hour!, Riddles Court, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Storytelling with laughs and some interesting, oft obscure, facts.  Smith combines the story of his larger than life, war-hero grandfather with his unusual upbringing, and a childhood wish to live up to his ancestor's reputation.  Espionage, torture and incredible survival stories mix with puppies, goats and massed nettles.  Something for all tastes, especially hairdressers (you'll have to see the show to understand that one...).  Iain's style is warm, friendly, inclusive, and the warm tones of his voice keep the interest levels high.  There's even a decently groan-inducing pun in there.

One of the Fringe's quiet pleasures.

Iain FM Smith  Presents ... My Finest Hour! had it's final performance at Riddles Court on 25 August.

Ex-Batts and Broilers, Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Gail and Gemma are puzzled why only one of them has been invited to Jim's birthday party, but they're happy for their new friends, the audience, to decide which of them should go.  Gail and Gemma are rescue chickens, the former having been a prolific egg layer, the latter once destined for the pot.  And to help us decide who is going to the party they will tell us more about themselves, and their chequered pasts.  Stories told in flashback, demonstrations of their varied talents (Gail writes poetry), a tragic love affair and a lot of corn, paint in the details of their lives and personalities.

Interesting contrasts abound.  The chickens have very human experiences and emotions, but also real memories of the horrors of industrial farming.  They, Gail in particular, think themselves sophisticated in the ways of the world, and remain totally naive throughout.   They are locked into their cage and frequently break the fourth wall.  And both speak in weird unplaceable accents that make them both cute and slightly alien.  There's storytelling, drama, farming facts, dance, poetry (Gail's of course), live music and song, and an extensive (free?) range of chicken related puns.  Both Jess Dupré (Gail) and Sophie Taylor (Gemma) are excellent, both individually and as an instinctive team, drawing the audience into their cage bound little world.  High energy, very physical, full of laughs, imaginative, unexpected and with a surprising dose of pathos, this is Fringe entertainment at it's best, and the memory of seeing it will stay with me for a long time.  And did I mention how funny it is?

Unmissable.

No, really - you should go and see this, it's wonderful, one of 2019's hidden gems.  And take all your friends.  They'll love you for it.

Exposing Edith, George Square Studios, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Australian cabaret star Michaela Burger, backed by guitarist Greg Wain, tells and sings the life story of the legendary Edith Piaf.  Key moments from the chanteuse's career and the characters she's involved with are told/acted out, interspersed with her most important songs.

The script avoids the trap, common to many of the genre, of becoming a Wikipedia entry with musical interludes, and the stories are interesting and relevant.  Burger has an excellent voice and comes close to the Little Sparrow's delivery.  Her acting skills don't shine quite as brightly (although her accents were very convincing), and the performance needs a bit more pace and humour to lift it.  But overall this is an enjoyable and informative show, and Wain's skill on the strings contribute a lot towards creating the Piaf atmosphere.  If you've got an interest in Piaf this is worth giving a go.

Exposing Edith is on in George Square Studios until 26 August.

In Conversation with... David Hayman, New Town Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Hosted by comedian Susan Morrison, a chance to listen to, and question, the veteran actor talk about his career, charity work, political views and plans for the future.  Morrison began by asking how a Glasgow East End 'schemie' ever made it into acting.  It wasn't the obvious choice from a working class boy whose father was suspicious of his son's career, until he became a 'name' on the telly.  From drama college in his teens through the legendary Citizens Theatre Hayman emerged as a significant talent, a working class man in a middle class dominated profession.  He's made his own choices (and does most of his own stunts), and established himself as actor, director and documentary maker. He's particularly proud of the latter, covering subjects like the decline of the Clyde shipyards and Scotland's role in the slave trade, with plans to look at toxic masculinity. Hayman is conscious he plies his craft in a privileged line of work and wants, needs, to give something back to society.  The educational value of those documentaries is one thing, but his highly successful humanitarian charity Spirit Aid is a more practical expression of this desire to help neglected elements of societies, both here and in other countries.  He's also a weel kent supporter of Scottish independence, and has toured one man shows in support of that aim.

What the above outline of the show fails to do is bring out just how funny Hayman is, how self-effacing about his creative achievements, how full of evangelical zeal for his charity work, and his strong passion for the need for Scotland to make our own way in the world.  Add in the hilarious and curious Morrison (a self confessed fan from her teens) and some intriguing audience questions and this added up to the fastest hour I've spent at a Fringe show this year.

In Conversation With... is on in the New Town Theatre until 24 August, with a wide variety of guests - although I'd challenge any of them to be as funny, interesting and inspiring as Hayman.

Craig Campbell's Joyful Pain, New Town Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Rock 'n roll comedy from the wild-maned Canadian.  Conversing with the audience (he's a fan of weegies).  Storytelling (more on that in a moment).  A bit of singing (Biggie and Dylan both featured).  Some physical comedy (skidooing off into the night).  And great seagull impressions (at inappropriate moments).

All of it funny.  Stories include a Scot holidaying in Canada who failed to receive the usual levels of Canuck hospitality, and why seabirds aren't always the natural suspects.  He's a big fan of the Scottish way of looking at life, although a gig in Oban proved a step too far.  And he's less of a fan of our customer service.  His tales are ridiculous, embarrassing, angry, gregarious, name dropping, weather observing, lived on the road,  manically delivered, well constructed, well acted and chest-achingly hilarious.  And looking at Scotland, and Britain more widely, in a way we natives can't.

I'm a fan.  Recommended.

Craig Campbell's Joyful Pain is on in the New Town Theatre until 25 August.

Mark Watson : How You Can Almost Win, George Square Studios, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

In 2017 Watson found himself taking part in the Channel 4 programme Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls, as part of a group of 'celebrities' left to survive on a remote island.  Whilst I'm not disputing that Mark himself deserved the epithet, he gave us a few of the other names who were with him and only Sharron Davies met with much recognition.  Mind you, not many of us had watched the programme either.  Or heard of it.

It should really have been "Without Bear Grylls", because the eponymous survival expert was off after about half an hour, possibly to spend more time with his money.  Watson gives away a few trade secrets, and something of the personalities of the people he was stranded with.  And tells of the lessons the experience taught him.

He takes a while to get into this story, after a period of audience interaction, and explanations of why this is unlike any of his previous shows, and just how bad he is at Powerpoint (there's a presentation throughout the show that backs up his claim...).  Watson has always been open about his own weaknesses, his mental health struggles and anxiety, and he carries that candour into describing his island travails.  The strong phobia he had to deal with for nights in a row, his own physical state and lack of supposed leadership skills, the effects on his body and mind of going for days without food, water and sleep.  It might sound grim, but he's able to raise a laugh from every situation, however unpromising, but still reveal something of what the group had to endure.

It changed his attitude to his own everyday existence, and gave him a strong revulsion for the "I'm winning at life" mentality we see so often nowadays.  There's a moral to the story certainly, but delivered with Watson's usual diffidence preventing any hint of sententiousness.

A different kind of 'self help' perspective, and a very, very funny one.  Highly recommended.

Mark Watson : How You Can Almost Win is on at the George Square Studios until 11 August (but appears to be fully sold out).

Gary McNair : Work in Progress, Traverse

What it says on the tin.  Very much the performer trying out part-finished new material on an audience, although McNair's falsely modest statement that he'd get more out of the evening than we would proved false.  Call it honours even.

Throwing his trainers on to stage by way of introduction, it was clear this wouldn't be a conventional couple of hours of theatre.  Sat a desk he explained he'd been given an open commission to develop an audio piece for a big company, and he wanted to use the night to try out a couple of ideas and see what reaction he got, maybe modifying the work along the way.

The first was a character piece where he'd set himself the task of writing a character he didn't like.  John proved to be a self-justifying psychopath, and angry violent man heading towards an ill-judged career as a vigilante.  Funny, but increasingly sinister as the monologue revealed more and more about the man.  It definitely had potential, and McNair later explained some of John's backstory, and where the plot might be headed.

There was no proper interval, just a chance for people to take a loo break while the performer jested with the remaining audience, and was happy to interact.  The second piece required him to bring in a few different voices as he told a very personal story in two disparate and interwoven strands.  One took him back to his teenage years and faltering attempts to form a band, until he recognised that his severe lack of talent got in the way.  The second took place a few years ago when he seized upon the opportunity to work in the US for the chance to visit the home town of his musical idols, REM.  His insistence that this was a shaggy dog story (with his own amusing recollection of how he'd once thought that phrase had related to Scooby Doo...) proved correct, and the switching from one story to another was far from seamless at this stage in their development.  But both tales had a strong tension built in, especially the more recent one, and he explained at the end how they would fit together in the end.  As before, the potential is clear.

Shambolic maybe, but McNair is a charismatic presence on stage, funny, thoughtful, honest.  Sharing a sentence that had all the sense of a cocaine drenched Tory contender was hilarious, showed how the creative process works for him, and made us aware he's not afraid of ridiculing himself.  I'm sure he got lots out of the show.  But so did we, and everyone left with a smile on their face.

Iain F M Smith Presents.... My Finest Hour!, Southsider, Edinburgh Free Fringe

Smith began by telling us he was more of a storyteller than a comedian, and sells himself short for this is a very funny show.  His grandfather was a WW2 hero, whose portrait now hangs in Edinburgh Castle, and this is partly his tale, but mostly about Smith's thoughts on how he himself measures up to the legacy.  His tale takes us through some of the more bizarre episodes from his childhood, a coming of age, and discovery of his own kind of fighting spirit.

It also contains practical jokes, embarrassment, goats, nettles and lot of puppies. Indeed it's not only entertaining but also informative, and you'll leave with some new knowledge in your brain.  It might not always be useful knowledge, but it is new... and you'll love the facts about goats.

Smith is a charming and engaging storyteller who's put together a lovely, warming show that reflects on our differences and similarities as human beings.  Well worth making the trip to this slightly off the beaten track Free Fringe venue.  Highly recommended.

Iain F M Smith presents... My Finest Hour! is in the Southsider at 14.05 until 25 August.

PS This show has a strong anti-fascist message, so is not advised for Daily Mail readers...