Tuesday 30 August 2016

Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show (Menu 1), Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Fringe

My third helping of the Bite-Size guys this Fringe, and just as enjoyable as Menu 2 and Menu 3.  There were six playlets this time covering a wide range of subjects and issues.

Broken stood out as the most overtly serious piece, and it was impressive to watch an atmosphere of suspicion and confusion with such a short work.  All You'll Ever Want delivered a satire on the data acquisition and profiling techniques big companies use to market to us as individuals, and the way in which consumers are manipulated and controlled.  The final pair, Surprise and Ten Reasons Why Hamlet Was Gay are both hilarious, but with surprising depth to the latter.

It's definitely been worthwhile making time to see all three offerings.


Thursday 25 August 2016

Lost Voice Guy : Disability for Dunces Volume 2, Stand 5, Edinburgh Fringe

A stand up comedian who can't speak and has some difficulty fulfilling the standing up part of the job sounds an unlikely prospect.  LVG has cerebral palsy, and has turned his so-called disability into the central plank of his act.  His synthesised voice comes from a pre-programmed iPad, and if it's good enough for Stephen Hawking....

Taking some of the stupid, patronising questions he frequently gets asked as a starting point, the show takes the audience through the dos and don'ts of interacting with people who are seen as being further outside the physical norm than the majority.  There are some great jokes, his timing is excellent, and the disembodied voice is mined for it's own comic elements.  But he's informative too, and there's a lengthy serious passage that will leave you questioning your own actions.

In much the same way that Tourette's Hero uses comedy to promote greater understanding of her condition, Lost Voice Guy is doing the same, making a living out of it, and being highly entertaining.  And you certainly won't want to upset him once you've heard how he deals with the guy who thought it would be a good idea to take his hand and help him cross the road.

If you want a laugh he'll deliver.  If you want to learn something too then this is one of the best shows on the Fringe.  Recommended.

Lost Voice Guy : Disability for Dunces Volume 2 is in Stand 5 until 28 August.





Wednesday 24 August 2016

Nick Cody : Come Get Some!, Assembly George Square, Edinburgh Fringe

A beautifully crafted set from the confident, beardy Australian.  There's nothing innovative or adventurous about Cody's routine, just a man doing 'proper' stand up observational comedy.  And, done well, that's still one of the most satisfying art forms to see live.

Learn about his fiance's incredible ability to tell what he's going to say three sentences before he does; his gangsta nan who died age 102; and what it feels like to be 29 and not have a driving licence.  There are smart callbacks that ensure the hour has a coherent feel to it, and he's happy to indulge in a bit of audience interaction, improvising laughs from very little.

Cody is a class act.  Recommended.

Nick Cody : Come Get Some! is in Assembly George Square until 28 August.

Christopher Macarthur-Boyd and Rosco McLelland, The Counting House, Edinburgh Fringe

Short stand up sets from a couple of Glasgow's promising young comedians.

McLelland opened by saying he didn't really have a set and he'd just be talking shite to us.  He delivered on that promise, but it was, in the main, quite funny shite.  Ten minutes of audience banter which started and stuttered, but he followed that with some decent stories and then tried out new material on us as the ideas came to him.  You get the feeling his set will be very different every night, with big variations in the quality of his act.  But when he gets it right he can be very funny, and I enjoyed his lengthy tale of a four day argument with his girlfriend.

For this one night the pair brought in a mate to do a guest spot.  Stuart McPherson wanted to try out his material prior to trying for a prestigious comedy award.  He'll need to do a lot better than this to get anywhere as he never really got the audience behind him and most of his material was half hearted.

Last up was the elfin Macarthur-Boyd who proved to be by far the most polished of the trio.  His story of living with his No voting mother during the 2014 referendum led to the smartest punchline of the night.  He has an enjoyably self deprecating style, and a wide range of facial expressions to back up his words.  On this evidence he's the only one of the line up who we might be hearing a lot more of in future.

Christopher Macarthur-Boyd and Rosco McLelland are in The Counting House until 29 August.

Tuesday 23 August 2016

The Life Scientific (Ian Wilmut), BBC Tent, Edinburgh Fringe

A staple of the Radio 4 schedule in which Physics Professor Jim Al-Khalili interviews leading scientists to share some understanding of their work.  Today's interviewee was Ian Wilmut, famed as the "father" of the world's most famous sheep, Dolly, who was born twenty years ago.  The two talked for an hour and there was time for some questions from the audience at the end, but all that has to be edited down into less than thirty minutes of air time so it will be interesting to hear the finished product.

Wilmut has, unsurprisingly, developed an amusing set of responses to media questioning about Dolly so he proved to be an entertaining speaker.  The discussion covered his early career, the events leading up to the successful cloning, and what he has been involved in since.  Along the way they covered the practical applications and ethics of cloning science, the difficulties of communicating science in the face of journalistic hyperbole and politicians with a disregard for truth, and the importance of international cooperation in scientific research.  Al-Khalili is sharp in ensuring that obscure terms get explained so that a layman can follow the more technical aspects of the discussion.  The result is far from dry and entirely accessible.

The programme will be broadcast during the Autumn.

Ears on a Beatle, Greenside @ Infirmary Street, Edinburgh Fringe

The Beatle is John Lennon, the 'Ears' are the FBI, the time is the early seventies.  Now more than a decade old, Mark St Germain's drama uses contemporary news reports and publicly available FBI files to create the fictional relationship between two of the 'Feds'.

Howard is a Bureau lifer, an indurate cynic who will do what's necessary to defend the status quo and sees himself as a Bogart character.  Daniel is the youngster assigned to him to work as an undercover agent in the circles surrounding the rock star.  The action begins in 1971 when Nixon wants opposition to the Vietnam War minimised and hopes to have peace advocate Lennon deported, and moves through the decade, ending with the Beatle's murder in 1980.

While much of the story concerns the evolving relationship between the two men, their personal problems and attitudes to the 'subject' they are observing, underlying this are some serious and still relevant questions.  How do these agents retain an emotional distance from their targets?  Who watches the watchers, who controls their actions?  And why must they always be so paranoid and uncaring in their approach?  There are echoes of recent cases in the UK in which undercover policemen, infiltrating peace and environmentalist groups, have taken their role too far and caused damage to many in their wake.

There's an effective use of news bulletins between scenes to create the sense of time passing, but it helps to know something of the history of the period, and the significance of names like Nixon, Watergate, Carter.  The final scene, built around Lennon's death, feels too much like an add-on and the dialogue is stilted, but otherwise the play flows coherently and there are a surprising number of laughs pulled from the script.  Paul Broesmith is excellent as the older man, displaying a degree of human uncertainty under the hard boiled exterior.  Ben Adwick's Daniel comes across as too innocent to have been selected for a difficult undercover role and needs a bit more aggression in his nature.

It's a thought provoking hour that will stay with you for some time after, the flaws outweighed by the considerable strengths.  Well worth a look.

Ears on a Beatle is at Greenside @ Infirmary Street until 27 August.

Monday 22 August 2016

Asian Network Comedy, BBC Tent, Edinburgh Fringe

Hosted by DJ and TV presenter Tommy Sandhu, the evening brought together five Aisan comedians to do short sets, recorded on camera.  Sandhu did a good job of warming up the audience, while also making sure we had some idea of our role in the TV programme.

First of the five was a Geordie, Rahul Kohli, who made some play of his Mexican sounding forename, and reckoned that the EU Referendum result had brought in a new game - Paki-Man Go.  He's an engaging comedian, but there seemed little in his material to mark him out as a man to watch out for,

He was followed by Sindhu Vee with stories of inter-generational family conflicts, and the very different approaches to the Santa Claus myth that she and her Danish husband have.  This was the second time I'd seen her in little more than a week and although some elements of the two routines were identical I found her slow burning delivery style kept it fresh.

Bilal Zafar started slowly, but was immediately likeable.  He has achieved some fame through the Muslim-only cake shop spoof he used to wind up the lunatic right on Twitter, and his retelling of how that evolved was hilarious.

The most unconventional act of the night was Mawaan Rizwan, a grinning clown who played games with the audience and made use of popcorn and baby wipes.  An act of continual silliness with some clever, sometimes surreal, lines and clever use of repetition to build up the laughs.

With the final act held up in traffic recording was suspended for a few minutes and Sandhu did a bit of Asian Blind Dating which ended up with a likely couple on stage.  Well, I think she thought it might be likely....

Australian Nazeem Hussain completed the line-up.  The most self-assured of the bunch, he had a ready supply of material as he sought out the measure of his audience and found the laughter spot.  An excellent end to an enjoyable show.

But the lasting memory is of Rizwan's shyly seductive grin and the sheer daftness of his performance.  He'd certainly be the one I'd most like to see again.

The recording will be available on the red button on 3 September.

Sunday 21 August 2016

Will Franken : Little Joe, Stand 4, Edinburgh Fringe

Surreal, satirical, bizarre, imaginative character comedy.  Yorkshireman Little Joe has some outlandish ideas, but his words find echoes in strange places.  There's a dying woman, a New York lawyer, a Wall Street CEO, even Will Franken himself amongst an array of strange personalities and corner bending plot lines.  A story, of sorts, with live music and pictures, and definitely an experience.

It's an impressive performance, not a word is wasted and the pace never drops.  Franken's self-confidence brings forth a range of clearly delineated characters obliquely dealing with subjects ranging from the EU Referendum to perceived political correctness.  He demands close attention from his audience, and much of the joy in watching comes from picking up on the recurrent themes and phrases that circulate through the script.  There's some excellent work from the tech guy to keep up with events on stage.

Little Joe is a long way from being mainstream comedy, but if you're prepared to put in the effort there's a lot to take from this show.  Recommended, if you're a fan of the surreal.

Will Franken : Little Joe is at Stand 4 until 28 August.

Every day I Wake Up Hopeful, Sweet Grassmarket, Edinburgh Fringe

Written by John Patrick Higgins, this is a one man play featuring Irish stand-up Christian Talbot.  He plays Malachy, a middle aged man in crisis.  A life lived without making waves, unremarkable professionally and personally.  He's experienced tragedy though, and feels he's had enough.  He'd end it all, if it wasn't for hope.

Despite the dark subject matter there are a lot of laughs in the excellent script with some memorable lines throughout.  Talbot certainly looks the part, but maybe he's adopted Malachy's underachieving persona a bit too enthusiastically because the performance lacks emotional range and doesn't fully reach the blackness at the heart of the character's situation.  That said, it's still an enjoyable hour and it would be a hard hearted audience member who didn't feel some twinge of recognition in Malachy's dilemma.  Talbot's ability to extract the humour from the lines has made me want to see his stand up show too.

Every Day I Wake Up Hopeful is on at Sweet Grassmarket until 28 August.

Saturday 20 August 2016

John Gordillo : Love Capitalism, Stand 2, Edinburgh Fringe

Ever felt pissed off by websites and forms which insist you rate your 'experience' of something you had little choice in anyway?  Mr Gordillo certainly has and he relates, and shows, some of the worst examples. Highlighting the way in which big companies like Virgin Trains and Pret A Manger try to manipulate our emotions to cover up their essential rapaciousness.  He's honest about his own failings and how, despite knowing what is being done to him, he too succumbs on occasion to corporate blandishments.

This is isn't the funniest show on the Fringe, although there are plenty of laughs, but it is one where you find yourself nodding in agreement and recognition a lot.  Gordillo takes the thoughts we've all had and expresses them better than we ever could.  With punchlines.  If you despair of the rabid monetisation of everything in life then this is the show for you.

Recommended.

John Gordillo : Love Capitalism is at Stand 2 until 28 August.

Poetry Can F*ck Off, Stand 3, Edinburgh Fringe

A celebration of the power of language to help bring about change, the show weaves a narrative of resistance and revolution against oppression across the centuries.  With musical accompaniment the speakers quote poets from Catullus to Ginsberg and beyond and link their words to events they helped precipitate and the tyrants they pissed off along the way.  It's an intriguing concept and mostly works well, making a strong case for the power of the poet.  A couple of guest versifiers each day add contemporary voices on current issues.

The music added value at times, but was too often repetitive to the point of being soporific and made it hard to concentrate.  And although the coverage of events spreads across continents, there isn't a single mention of Burns, never mind the whole Scottish tradition of radical verse, which felt a strange omission for an Edinburgh show.

Despite these flaws it's an entertaining hour and well worth a look.

Poetry Can F*ck Off is in Stand 3 until 28 August.

Thursday 18 August 2016

Gusset Grippers, Woodland Creatures, Edinburgh Fringe

What do you get when you cross a comedian with a previously incontinent physiotherapist?  The answer to that rarely posed question appears to be Gusset Grippers.

Powered by a desire to help women, and men, take charge of their bladders, and a pronounced funny bone, Elaine Miller has created an educational, evangelising show about one of the least promising comedy topics.  I saw an earlier version of the routine a couple of years ago when it was both informative and amusing.  In it's latest incarnation there's a bit more erudition, with the science explained, and much, much more laughter.  Where once there were dead spots when the comedy dried up, now the show flows smoothly and the jokes are well crafted and honed.

Treating a potentially uncomfortable subject with humour opens it up to discussion, and the show has received praise from health professionals (there were several in the audience).  But the primary job of a stand up show is to make the audience laugh and Miller has this covered.   And you'll never forget her unexpected use for a rubber chicken nor the costume she dons to close the show.

Even if you don't fancy being educated this show is well worth seeking out for the laughs.  And that poor chicken.  Recommended.

Gusset Grippers is on at Woodland Creatures until 28 August.

Blazin' Fiddles, Queens Hall, Edinburgh Fringe

Although billed as a Fringe event, this was the first gig of a tour of Scotland in August and England in November.  A performance that confirms that the Blazers remain on top form as both musicians and entertainers, and you should go see if them if they come your way.

Six of Scotland's finest traditional musicians, including three previous winners of the Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, each bringing with them the characteristic music of their own local styles of playing.  Four fiddles and a solid rhythm section of guitar and piano.  Complex, often fiery, ensemble pieces are interspersed with solo performances, each of the fiddlers showing off their own heritage and skills.  A hauntingly beautiful Ivan Drever composition from Kristan Harvey was a particular highlight.

On top of the virtuoso musicality and imaginative arrangements is what makes the BF experience so special.  You are left in no doubt that you are watching performers who passionately love what they do and have bonded as a group.  That sense of joy is ever present throughout, and there are several anecdotes to bring some laughs.  Anna Massey demonstrates genuine comic ability with her facial expressions, reminiscent of a young Jennifer Saunders.

 Rowdiness, beauty, comedy and bundles of energy make for a special experience.  If you can catch Blazin' Fiddles on tour I'd urge you to do so.

Tuesday 16 August 2016

A Boy Named Sue, C Nova, Edinburgh Fringe

Three gay men relate interweaving monologues, and occasional dialogue, in a striking depiction of having to live in a world where the norms conspire against you.  All three find that the fragmentation of the real world gay community into the virtual on-line world has taken something from their lives.  Teenager Louie is trying to find his identity with only casual pick ups to guide him, Ian laments the loss of real meeting places finding the superficial standards of the internet scene demeaning, and Sid feels defeated in his efforts to live his life as Sue.

The dialogue scenes, between Ian and Louie, and Ian and Sid/Sue, add something to the sense of loneliness, but feel too much like a distraction from the main event, and monologues offer greater insight into the pressures they face.  It's a powerful piece, with an excellent performance from Jack Harrold as the defiant Sid, but with a flawed script.  But this is a play worth seeing for the core message it delivers.

A Boy Named Sue is on at C Nova until 29 August.

The Kagools, The Caves, Edinburgh Fringe

This wordless duo perform a show suitable for all ages, as long as you bring your imagination.  A series of seemingly simple conceits are played out with wit and lots of audience involvement, their instinctive comic timing and acting talent ensuring a steady flow of laughs.  The synchronised swimming sequence was especially impressive, and who doesn't want to see a dancing unicorn?

There aren't that many shows around that can be appreciated by both young children, and adults who are looking for originality in comedy, but this one hits the mark.  The Kagools are a clever means to simple fun.  Recommended.

The Kagools at in The Caves until 28 August.

Mark Thomas : The Red Shed, Traverse, Edinburgh Fringe

A show in which I found myself with an unusual viewing point.  As the queue forms Thomas comes out, chats to a few people, and asks if they would be willing to help him out on stage.  So six of us found ourselves being invited out of the audience to sit at tables on either side of the stage, and hold up masks to our faces when the characters we represented appeared in the story.  A chance to see Mark working from close up, and to observe the reactions of his audience.

The Red Shed is in Wakefield, a Labour Club in which Thomas performed many of his early gigs.  To help celebrate the building's 50th anniversary Thomas wanted to find evidence for a memory he had of the Miner's Strike in 1985, which had become mythologised over time, and that search forms the basis for the drama.

Recorded voices, the masks of the selected six, and audience singalongs play their part.  But mostly it's just Thomas' powerful storytelling, taking on characters, painting scenes, and indulging in some beautifully constructed ranting.  There is, naturally, plenty of socialist wisdom and illustrations of the ways in which the current government are removing our rights, plus the surprise that Greggs sausage rolls have an ethical dimension.  Oh, an there's a lot of laughter.  Thomas is still one of the sharpest comic brains in the UK.

The story itself is intriguing and moving, but there is a further dimension which asks us to look at how we spin the story of our own lives, of how we can sometimes falsify our own memories until the revised version becomes as much a part of truth as the reality.  The truth is never simple, not even when it's our own truth.

Thanks, Mark, for letting us be a part of it.

Not to be missed.

Mark Thomas : The Red Shed is on at the Traverse until 28 August.

Paul Currie : FFFFFFFMILK!, The Hive, Edinburgh Fringe

Currie is a man of extravagant facial hair, a white boiler suit, a surreal mind and a wild imagination.  This is far from being a conventional stand up show.  Indeed there are only two actual jokes all told, and both are groan inducing puns.

Because this is very much visual comedy.  Mr C's performance belongs to the traditions of mime, slapstick and clowning.  Using cheap props, a strong sense of the dramatic and the audience as his tools, he creates comedy scenarios that are just the right side of bizarre.  You'll believe a man can fly, a snake can dance and that cereal shouldn't be eaten when you're unhappy.  It's consistently hilarious and ridiculous in equal quantities.

Currie wants to free your imagination and will bring you in on the act.  He charges up and down the room and no row misses out on his attentions.  It's all done very much in fun, but you might not want to wear your best clothes....

A special mention to the sound man who is a key element in several of the routines and did a tremendous job of synchonising with the man on stage.

If you enjoy a bit of silliness, if you enjoy Buster Keaton-like antics, if you want to feel you've found an alternative universe, then this show might just be for you.  It's definitively an adult show, but with a childlike core to it, and there's something very lovely about that.

Paul Currie : FFFFFFFMILK! is on at The Hive until 28 August.

BBC Radio New Comedy Award - Final, BBC Tent, Edinburgh Fringe

With more than 700 entrants aiming to be on this show, the final six had to be good.  You can listen to the full radio show here and make your own mind up.

Warming up the audience was the job of Bristol comedian Mark Olver who did a fine job working the crowd and performing a double act with the show's host, Mark Watson. They also made sure we knew how the evening would be structured so that we felt a part of the event.

All six contestants were excellent, and made the choice for the judges a difficult one.  George Lewis' innocent-at-large persona seemed a bit too familiar.  Catherine Bohart had some good lines on the practical uses of being bisexual and Irish.  Michael Odawale was the most political of the bunch and came up with some striking observations, but playing on the rough area he came from felt like something from the past.  Lauren Pattison also made play of her roots in Byker, so it was a surprise when one of her best lines featured a moat.  Jethro Bradley had a slow, underplayed style and highlighted the need for greater understanding of autism with some sharp observations on how the condition is often perceived.  And Sindhu Vee told tales from her inter generational family life in a form that screamed sitcom.

While the judges did their thing, and Radio 4 Land listened to The Archers (much to Mark Watson's bafflement) Olver staged a live version of the Tinder dating app in which, to his amazement, the final two left standing were both from Glasgow.  And we were all left wondering if they met up after the show.  We also had brief sets from last year's winner of the award, Yuriko Kotani, and the excellent Dane Baptiste.

At 7.15 we were back on air and Watson announced the result.  My personal favourite had been Odawale, but, with hindsight, I can see that Bradley was chosen for having the most original style of the group, and several excellent and well worked punchlines.  You can hear the second programme here.

There's a lot more to these broadcast sessions than listeners get over the airwaves, and I'd definitely recommend going to one if you get the chance.

Monday 15 August 2016

John Robertson : Arena Spectacular!, Stand 2, Edinburgh Fringe

Robertson's show is about not having a show, not having a mainstream career, not being on TV panel shows.  And from those unpromising beginnings a show that isn't a show develops.  Loud, flashy, energetic, distinctive, manic, insulting, Australian are all applicable adjectives.  As are hilarious and nonsensical.

The act will certainly be different each day, with John swiftly bringing the varied characteristics of his audience into play, and painting his chosen few into absurd scenarios.  Underneath this improvisation, and non-show gimmick, a structure emerges leading to a climax that lives up to the show's title.  En route we take in a sex dungeon and why Michael McIntyre moves like that.

Not for the easily embarrassed, Robertson provides a high laugh count and a few thoughts on what makes for comedy.  Highly enjoyable.

John Robertson : Arena Spectacular! is in Stand 2 until 27 August.

Friday 12 August 2016

Orkestra Del Sol & The Jellyman's Daughter, Summerhall, Edinburgh Fringe

An odd mix of genres, which in the end didn't quite work.

The Jellyman's Daughter are always a pleasure to watch.  Graham Coe's cello work make him one of the most fascinating musicians on the Edinburgh scene, allied to Emily Kelly's bluesy vocals and an eclectic approach to arrangements.  It's imaginative, varied, and fell too much on the deaf ears of a section of the  audience who'd only come for the main act.  This made for a rather flat set, and less than their talents deserved.

Orkestra Del Sol are a nine piece brass band mixing jazz, latin, funk and a range of world music influences.  They are eccentric, theatrical, humourous, crazy, as much cabaret act as band, and play danceable beats throughout.  Their energy outshone the support act, their music less so.  It's certainly competent, but there's no real thrills to be had, no melodic risks being taken.  And it all begins to sound a bit the same after a while.  I even found myself - whisper it - slightly bored by it all.  Although, looking around me, I was very much in the minority.  So maybe it was just me?

Disappointing.

This was a one-off event.

A Play, a Pie and a Pint - Silence in Court, Le Monde, Edinburgh Fringe

With eleven members of the audience cast as the jury, a brief courtroom drama is played out.  Only the accused and the alleged victim will be questioned, and no further evidence is available.  Can the jury deliver a Guilty or Not Guilty verdict with any hope of getting it 'right'?

The initial courtroom scene, with judge, prosecution and defence lawyers, feels stilted and lacking in any real sense of drama. Things improve when the court usher, who gives by far the best performance, leads the jury in their deliberations, and invites the rest of the audience to join in.  He's adept at keeping things moving, deflecting some of the more ludicrous audience suggestions for questions, and getting laughs from the situation.

Finally the jury gets to question the two protagonists themselves, then must come to their verdict.  It's a mildly frustrating experience, for it feels like it should be  a part of something bigger, but time contraints deliver an over simplified version of the justice system.  It's enjoyable enough, but lacks bite.  Nice pies though.

A Play, a Pie and a Pint is on in Le Monde until 28 August.

Thursday 11 August 2016

Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show (Menu 3), Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Fringe

The same food and drink, the same cast, the same format of five playlets in an hour as I reviewed last week, but a different feel to this performance.  Less laughter, but more depth.

An actress auditioning finds that more than just her acting ability is open to comment.  Trying to spice up your marriage with more adventurous sex doesn't always end well.  How being truly alone alters our ability to make judgements.   A ring of the doorbell that brings back the past.   And a melodramatic look at how not to run a meeting.

The biggest laughs come from Nice Try, with Annie Harris impressing as the wife who has her own ways to manage her marriage.  While in Contact we're confronted with the games the mind must play to combat the loneliness of being cut adrift from the world, a moving solo performance from Javier Rasero.  And there's much fun to be had from the outright silliness of Humble, with Billy Knowelden excellent as Jeremy, the person none of us would want in our meetings.

Changeovers between each performance are rapid, and the need to pick up on a wholly new scenario every ten minutes or so means audience interest never flags.  You might even emerge with a few new ideas to ponder on.  A great way to kick off the day.

Bite-Size Breakfast is on at Pleasance Dome until 29 August

Wednesday 10 August 2016

Mark Steel's in Toon, Assembly Hall, Edinburgh Fringe

An hour of the oddities of life in Britain.  Although the focus is largely on Scotland there are several detours to England and even the odd visit to Wales and Northern Ireland.  Steel sees the things we see, but never look at properly.  His scrutiny takes in Robert Burns, Andy Murray, graffitti and Captain Oates.  Plus a few pictures up on screen, quotes from the most obscure of books, and some poetry of dubious origins....

This quickfire tour of eccentricity is delivered from an astute comic brain and Steel is consistently funny.  And of course he can't resist a few references to recent political events, with the lies of Leave and subsequent fiasco.  His conversational style, bad accents and immediately appealing personality draw in his audience and the punchlines hit the target.   An upbeat, professional and always entertaining hour of comedy.

But I'm sorry Mark, I'll have to take issue with you on one thing.  It isn't "brown sauce" - It's "chippie sauce" we have here in Edinburgh.  These things matter.

Recommended.

Mark Steel's in Toon is on at the Assembly Hall until 28 August.

Death and the Maiden, C Too, Edinburgh fringe

A production of Ariel Dorfman's 1990 classic from the Sevenoaks School Theatre Company.  A quarter of a century on and it still retains it's power to shock and raise the questions that have been so difficult in societies moving from brutal dictatorship to democracy.  Dorfman is Chilean, but the issues raised have been the same in Spain and South Africa as much as in the Americas.  If you torture the torturers are you no better than them?  If you don't have the rule of law applied then what was the point of the change?

Once you've got over the, initially jarring, youthful looks and cut glass English accents of the performers this becomes an engrossing production.  The direction shows some sparks of imagination and although there were a few minor tech glitches they didn't detract.  The two men occasionally look out of their depth, Gerardo lacking the confused exasperation his situation demands, the Doctor needs to exude greater ambivalence.  It's Paulina who's the stand out of the trio, getting close to the cocktail of suffering, madness and revenge that drives the character.  (I was unable to find out the performers' names so I've used the characters.)

This won't be the greatest version of the play you'll ever see, but it probably won't be the worst either.  And if you want a reminder of the capacity of Dorfman's words to lead you into the hell of totalitarianism (something we all need to be aware of in the current political situation) then this will do very nicely thanks.

Death and the Maiden is in C Too until 13 August.

The Notorious Mary Bourke, Stand 5, Edinburgh Fringe

As in Notorious like the Notorious B.I.G.  A lover of 90s rap music, this is the Irish housewife's version of rappers' advice on life, but without the misogyny.  Having zero knowledge of the rap genre, and never having heard of any of the artists she mentioned, I wondered if this hour was going to be completely lost on me.  But my ignorance proved no handicap, and after a slow start Mary had the room on board.  There's a lot of good anecdotes and some quite well crafted jokes, some musical accompaniment, and possibly the most unusual cookery book you'll come across.

Bourke gets the audience involved in her routine, but in wholly non-threatening manner (which didn't stop your reviewer from making a complete arse of himself....).  She's likeable, sometimes extremely funny, and it's a well constructed and very enjoyable show.

The Notorious Mary Burke is in Stand 5 until 30 August.

Stewart Lee : Comedy provider, Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh Fringe

Rambling, shambolic, ill-prepared.  A work in progress, copious notes ready to hand.  Building up material for the next big tour, the one that pays the mortgage, especially now his TV series is not being recommissioned.  Oh, and he says himself, plenty of "pretentious, metatextual analysis".

All of which might be unforgiveable if you've paid your money to see a top comedian.  Except that this show is, flaws notwithstanding, chest-stretchingly funny from beginning to end.  Lee is predictably sharp and scathing on the subject of the EU referendum outcome.  He dissects his own career before your eyes.  And even tells a few jokes, complete with their own deconstruction of course.  It's a routine that will no doubt vary hugely every night, but always full of memorable phrases, his trademark repetitive build ups and that unique, oblique slant on the world that can even shine a new light on urban foxes.

Watching Stewart you can understand why many people just don't get him.  It's a light year away from being a conventional Michael McIntyre style joke parade and all about asking the audience to fill in gaps for themselves.  If you're a fan, and I certainly am, then you'll find his genius undimmed.  Unmissable.

Stewart Lee : Content Provider is in the Stand until 29 August.

Monday 8 August 2016

Jonathan Pie : Live, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Fringe

It's Children in Need night, John Barrowman has had to cancel, and standing in at short notice is Political Correspondent Jonathan Pie.  With just a few short pieces to camera to deliver, Pie's main job is to entertain his studio audience.  But what can a reporter do by way of light entertainment?

Jonathan Pie is played by, and the satirical creation of, actor Tom Walker.  Videos like this one



have gone viral on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and many people initially believed that he was a real reporter.  His off-camera rants speak the truths we want to hear, but never get, from our main stream media.  But how do you take a short-clip internet character and build a one hour show around him?

The charity appeal scenario works brilliantly, allowing Pie his trademark transformations from smooth professional to raving cynic and back again, and scope to joke with, at and for his audience whilst sounding off on a few political tirades.  Whilst his main target is the Tories, Labour and the Lib Dems don't get away with it entirely, and neither do the British public....

It's a polished, high energy performance, and a smart, pacey script, full of insights that
inspire justified anger, but also consistently hilarious.  The stage Pie takes his internet progenitor and fleshes him out, and remains just as believable.  A must see.  Even if, perhaps especially if, you're a Tory.

Jonathan Pie : Live is at Pleasance Courtyard until 28 August.

Max Dickins : My Groupon Adventure, T-Bar, Edinburgh Fringe

His girlfriend has dumped him because he's not spontaneous enough, and his life is boring.  And then Max Dickin discovered Groupon, a new world of discounted activities.  Hoping to become the impromptu, adventurous soul he thought his ex wanted, he threw himself into the varied challenges that the site offered up.  Communing with exotic animals, alternative medical treatments and narcissistic vanity purchases extended his horizons in unexpected directions.

Did it change the man within?  Did he become a creature of impulse?  And he get the girl in the end?  Dickins provides the answers through a series of anecdotes backed up by powerpoint.

It's an intriguing conceit, and one Dickins handles well.  He's always engaging and there's a bit of audience interaction.  The quality of the punchlines varies, but there are more than enough winners in there to make this an enjoyable experience.

This is a Free Fringe show so you can roll up at short notice.  If you find yourself showless on the Cowgate around six one evening then My Groupon Adventure is definitely worth a look.

Max Dickins : My Groupon Adventure is at T-Bar until 27 August.

Aidan Goatley : The Joys of Retail (and How to Escape Them), Sweet Grassmarket 3, Edinburgh Fringe



Goatley's long journey, from a degree in script writing to professional comedian, took an unexpected detour through the strange landscape of retail management.  With the scenery revealing uncaring management, bewildering customer complaints and plenty of corporate bullshit.  Most of us quickly recognise the world of petty points scoring, management incompetence, customer non sequiturs and pointless team exercises that Aidan describes.

His naturally gentle and caring manner may not meet with the full approval of his gung ho boss, nor does his flippancy, but it does provide us with some great punchlines.  Health and safety disasters, baffling sizing policies and tedious management conferences all provide material for his comic observations.

Delivered with the same joyful exuberance of his other 2016 Fringe show, Joys of Retail is a fun and funny hour of enjoyment.  Especially if your name is Sandra.

Highly recommended.

Aidan Goatley : The Joys of Retail (and How to Escape Them) is at Sweet Grassmarket until 28 August.

Saturday 6 August 2016

Aidan Goatley : Mr Blue Sky, Sweet Grassmarket 3, Edinburgh Fringe



Like a 10 year old unwrapping their Xmas presents and finding they'd got every one of the 17 Lego sets they asked for, Aidan Goatley is both astonished and delighted to be a stand up comedian.  I know because he told us so, with an infectious enthusiasm that carries you along into his world.

If you have a fear of being picked on by comics then this man might be the cure.  In a small venue like this it feels like Aidan is getting to know each one of us personally, and his self deprecating style makes for a non-threatening audience interaction.  There's a strong thread of optimism running through his meandering storytelling (only slightly tempered by the sudden sonic intervention from the castle fireworks up above) as he takes you through some of the good things in his life and the reason for choosing the show's title.  Along the way there's the one thing he (allegedly) has in common with Hitler, the awesomeness of his daughter, a drunk's impressive ability and a Jason Statham impression.  Oh, and some well crafted jokes throughout.

If you're looking for cutting edge, caustic comedy that will stoke up your righteous anger then this isn't your show.  But if you want to end your stressful Fringe day with a feeling of warmth, a good laugh and a smile on your face, then Goatley's gentle humour is the perfect answer.

Highly recommended.

Aidan Goatley : Mr Blue Sky is at Sweet Grassmarket until 28 August.

Friday 5 August 2016

Katherine Ryan, Stand 6, Edinburgh Fringe

TV raises expectations.  When you see a comedian on the screen it's easy to forget that you're seeing them at their best.  A short set, edited if necessary, an audience that's been asked to be responsive.

So maybe the problem is with me, and my own expectations of "TV's Katherine Ryan" (as she referred to herself, several times).  I was anticipating an hour of sharp, acerbic, political comedy.  Which, I admit, was to ignore the clue in the title of her show - "Work in Progress".  So maybe it was just me?

Not that Ms Ryan isn't funny.  She has some very clever observations sprinkled throughout the show, and I will never be able to look at a tearful Oscar Pistorious in the same way again.  There's some excellent role-reversal with a feminist slant, and a lot of honesty about her own conflicting views of life.  But there's also too much about various celebrities which is hard to appreciate if you know nothing more about them than their names.  I've honestly never wanted to know who the Kardashians are....

So maybe it's an age thing.  She lost a bit of this sixty year old when she suggested that turning 33 was 'growing old'.  Ryan is entertaining, but I left feeling she could have delivered more.

Thursday 4 August 2016

Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show (Menu 2), Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Fringe

A civilised start to a Fringing day.  Fresh strawberries brought to you in the queue, coffee and croissant to pick up on the way to your seat.  Which would be little more than a gimmick were the show which followed were a let down, but fortunately the comestibles are just the icing on an already excellent cake.

Five playlets in one hour from a cast of seven.  The subject matter varies widely : a marriage guidance session that reverses expectations; two couples show the narrow dividing line between success and failure in relationships; a mafia hit man is presented with an unexpected request; an elderly couple discuss the new animals in their life; and policemen who more interested in tea and biscuits than doing their job.  All five are very funny, but there's some serious intent too.  Clown Therapy questions our view of what constitutes 'normal'.  The interweaving dialogues of Double Dana are smart, effective, and challenge the skills of the four actors involved.  Favour for the Boss brings an unexpected feminist twist to the underworld.  And although Suspicious Minds is the silliest of the bunch it gives Javier Rasero a chance to show off his excellent comic timing.

An enjoyable start to any Fringe day, Bite-Size Breakfast is on at the Pleasance Dome until the 29th, with three 'menus' on offer, each featuring different short pieces.  Recommended.