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.

The Swansong (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 A young woman (Julia Murray) in the park, heads for the duck pond, her aim to end her life which feels like it's alll gone horribly wrong.  But an unlikely intervention from a talking swan (Paul McArthur) convinces her to think again, at least for a while.  And if there's time to think, says the swan, there's time for a night out.  Cue a series of bars and clubs and drunken soliloquys.  And songs, lots of songs, for htis is very much a musical.

And that's the problem, at least for someone like me.  When they could be expanding the plot, and exploring what is at heart a very dark theme, they're too busy singing.  he lyrics do help move things along, but not nearly as much as well written dialogue would have.  This cocktail of human frailty, fantasy and redemption deserved a little more depth, less froth. 

Disappointing.

The Events, Traverse

 A warm, happy group, having fun and laughs and tea, bringing the audience into the atmoshpere, by distributing tea and bsicuits.  They sing, a rough and ready choir, there for the enjoyment of using their voices, the minister directing them with humour and affection. 

And then He arrives, The Boy, and all changes.  The choir fade into the background, the conforntation between their leader, Claire, and the stranger, slowly taking shape, him chipping away her secuity with his own insecurities.  He the perperpetraro of a mass shooting, she a survivor, and it become sclear how he has marked her life, changed her.  He offers explanations for his actions, a litany of far right fantasy themes on race and immigration.  She unravels as the memories seep through, the fear and horror of the moment.  The choir, the community, the only anchor she has.

It's a poerful journey.  Sam Stopford is excellent as The Boy, constantly switching in and out of other characters in the story, a threat not through his presence but from his beliefs.  Claire Lamont's Claire gets a little too lost at times, but reamins the humane centre of the tale.  And the choir are there to remind us that events like these affect us all.

Davie Greig wrote The Events in 2013, but the themes it raises are still all too contemporary.  

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.

Righ Aisgair : The Fisher King (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 2 young women hiking acorss the moors of Lewis.  Lexie (Fiona MacNeil) is on a mission, to fish in the loch where she used to go with her dad.  Effie (MJ Deans)  is, it seems, relauctantly chumming along, and not happy with the pace her pal expects her to go at.  Along the way there are tales of fairies and ghosts and some songs and jokes.  All tied in with a mix of happy and sad memories, and delights and fears.  And as secrets come out the pair learn about one another, and the mysteries of the land.  Ca they make it back safely in the dark, when the mist is swirling and confusing?

This is about the power of myth and how it can relate to real world issues, and about facing up to fears and secrets.  Gaelic is woven into the script, which works quite well, but the jokes lack punch, and the narrative loses it's way at times.  It's an interesting concept, and well acted by both parties (there is a third actor, but their appearance is brief - and weird), but lacks cohesion and a real conclusion.  Enjoyable enough, but not memorable.   

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

 

The PPP series provides 50 minute shows with fairly limited production budgets.  Before I get into reviewing the drama, it feels important to comment on the set.  This provided a really strong visual impact before we'd even begun, with a nod to the chess based theme of the play, and a hint at how impactful the story would be.

Jamie (Testimony Adegbite) turns up in KFC, fast food in hand, portable chess set in his bag, and still in his school blazer.  He's there to play his regular game with his pal.  But, confounding his expectations, the opponent today is Kyla (Yolanda Mitchell), who doesn't even play chess.  She is, though, the girl he has reported to the police as a victim.  Surely that's a good thing?  Kyla doesn't think so, because it's losing her her friends, and social status matters more than truth.

And so the game begins, but with higher stakes and no rules.  Jamie wants to do the right thing, Kyla wants to be popular, both want the other to change their mind.  For such a short play this script offers a lot to think about, concerning the pressures on teenagers today.  Misogyny, racism, sexual objectification and social conformity, with some uncomfortable themes exposed.  

Strong performances from both actors, with some complex choreography to deliver too.  The script has also been given a few Edinburgh references, to make it more identifiable to a local crowd, a nice touch.  Cheapo is the best of this PPP series to date, and sits comfortably in the long line of these productions that have tackled tough subject matter and left the audience with much to ponder on.  Excellent.

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.

Our Brother (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Pol Pot, communist dictator of Cambodia, has agreed to meet with a US journalist, and a Scottish academic.  The American only gets a short time granted her, and is frustrated, but not surprised,  by the lack of cooperation.  But the Scot is a different matter.  He’s written about Pot, about the revolution, and supports the policies of returning Cambodia to an agrarian society.  He’s there to learn the truth first hand, to prove to the rest of the world that the Khmer Rouge are not the brutal regime that the outside world sees them as.

The structure gives us snippets of the discussion between the Scot (Bobby Bradley) and the self-styled Our Brother (David Lee-Jones), and the frustration of the journalist (Nicole Cooper) at her companions inability to see through the propaganda version he’s being fed.  She also provides linking and background narration, and there photos from the period displayed..  

Lee-Jones gives an enjoyable performance as the the seemingly reasonable dictator with a sharp edge to his moods.  But his closing speeches feel heavy handed, and no real conclusion is drawn.  We already know that brutal dictators are bad men, and that often the ideologues are the worst of all, but there’s nothing new here.  Or am I asking too much from a 50 minute drama?

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...

LOLA: A Flamenco Love Story, EICC, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

A Spanish widow leaves Franco's Spain for London, seeking a job which will allow her to send money back to her poor parents and children.  She gets a job as a cleaner, is miserable, desperate, and then finds love.  That's about it for a plot, simply conveyed with screen subtitles over the Spanish narration.

But this isn't really about the story, less so than an opera might be.  This is the vehicle for dance and music, prinairly flamenco style, but with modern touches.  The dancing is impressive, especially the male lead.  The music is good, and the use of flute for solos was a nice touch.  The singing is traditional flamenco style, well done, but an acquired taste.

It did get repetitive at times, and I'm not sure diehard flamenco fans would be impressed by the 'flamenco lite' approach.  But overall it was entertaining enough to avoid boredom, and had several highlights in the dance..

The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness, Surgeon's Hall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Starring Jasmin Gleason as the eponymous Philomena, this is the story of Irish nurse, reluctantly so, in Britain during the second world war.  She has drifted into the profession, largely because her mother had been one before her, but McGuinness is a different character to her mum.  She's a bit more of a dreamer, like her dad.  She describes herslef as a poet (despite haven written no verse), others are always calling her 'flighty'.

But she's faced with the harsh realities of nursing in wartime, of trying to fit in, of making friends, and of trying to remain who she sees herself as.  If she feels a bit of a phoney at first there is more than enough opportunity for that feeling to pass.  Her experience grows, but can that poetical soul, that flightiness, survive?

This is a story about who we are, how we, and others, see ourselves.  About women in wartime, and wider society, having to be so many things to different people.  Gleason is superb in making us feel we know this young Irish woman, and in portraying several other characters along the way.  She even finds time for a bit of audience interaction.  

A tremendous acheivement, an hour of laughs and sadness and a sesne of questioning.  Highly recommended.

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.

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.

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

 Strawberries, croissants and coffee.  And the next five plays on the menu.

SOMEPNE'S SITTING THERE

She's on a Tinder date, in a busy pub, and he's late.  The battle to keep him a seat is getting on her nerves.  So when he does eventually turn up... will it work out?  Because she has already shown us her high expectations.  This one was fun, farcical at times, but with a feelgood factor.

DADDY ISSUES

Finding the right sperm donor for a gay couple's pregnanacy can be tricky.  But what if the answer is close at hand?  Maybe you can even keep it in the family...   An unexpected proposition has unexpected consequences, and a moral dimension that's given as much thought as you could expect from a ten minute drama.  A nicely balanced piece.

FIGHTING MISS RIGHT

A first date, and she's sure she's found what she's looking for.  But the other she has bneen bured too often, and she has rules, hurdles to be overcome, before a relationship can move on.  Is there a way to jump those hurdles faster?  She'll do everything she can to find out...  Awkwardness, inventiveness, the minefield of dating, an intrgiuing take on what people will do to find and resist love.

TOP FLIGHT

On a plane to Gdansk two people are brought together into sharing the reasons for their being there.  Escape being one of them, so when the flight is forced to turn back there's reason to be concerned.  But sometimes the solution presents itself, and offers something neither party had thought might happen.  A short play with a twist.  A special mention to Rosie Edards for her hilarious cameo as the stewaress.

THE APPLE INSPECTOR

A farcical black comedy set on a cider farm.  Apples, romance, murder and legal complexities.  A bit daft really, and probably the weakest of the quintet, but a bit of fun to ned the show on.

Homo (sapien), Assembly Roxy Snug, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 A one man coming of age play written by, and starring, Conor O'Dwyer.

Joey is a bad gay.  At least he thinks so, primarily because he's in his early twenties and still hasn't had sex, despite several opportunities.  But maybe life is a bit more complicated than one night stands?  Maybe he just needs to understand himself a bit better.

O'Dwyer gives an energetic performance, with a cast of characterts well delineated, and emotional depth.  There are a lot of laughs, moments of pathos, and a solid reflection of what it's like to gorw up 'different', when you're not too sure who'll accept you as you are.  

Highly recommended, as both entertaining and thought perovoking.

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

Onwards and upwards for the Bite-Size crew, this year moving to Pleasance One.  Another three 'menus', with differing offers of short, sharp playlets.  A mostly familiar cast (two men, three women) with only one newcomer from previous years.  And the same offerings of strawberries, coffee and croissant before the show begins.  Still a delight.

For Menu 2 the five courses are...

THE THIRD WHEEL

A young couple of a Ferris wheel.  Him annoyed that a third person has been placed in their pod, her puzzled as to why.  He's got it all planned, the most romantic proposal ever.  But plans don't always work out, and that extra person is suddenly an important part of the scenario.  A sharp little comedy commenting on how easy if it is to find yourself with a different vision of your future to that of the person you want to share it with.

FOOD BANK

The only people at a food bank are those providing the service, and those in dire need of it.  But can you be both?  A new helper has turned up, and wants to turn everything into a drama.  Maybe he hasn't got the hang of it?  Or maybe he has...?   Played for laughs, but there is a side ordering of pathos in this one.  We aren't always what we pretend to be...

PROOF

A parcel arrives, the courier takes the photo of proof.  But then you relaise it's the worong hand in the pic...  Farce ensues, the gas man gets roped into the silliness.  Maybe a bit too silly?

BOTTOMLESS

Three old friends get together for pre funeral drinks  - something their dead pal had very much wanted, organised.  |A happy and sad occasion.  And argumentative.  And surprising, very surprising.  But old friendships remain strong - don't they?  A quick rollercoaster ride through pasts and presents.

WHATEVER, THE WEATHER

A US news channel, with an English weather presenter.  He just wants to tell the truth about the weather and what's causing it, while his co-presenters want to keep the sponsors sweet.  Who's going to break down first?  This one isn't the funniest, but it does point at one of the reasons why we still have climsate change deniers... (Also the only one of the five where all five cast memebrs made an appearance.)

Another excellent quintet from the Bite Size crew, always entertaining, and occasionally thought provoking, with scenarios that take the truth and stretch it a little.  Always worth seeing.

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

Scarlet (Alice Glass) is a climate activist.  So when her mother Sarah (Laura Harvey) wants to get her a big surprise for her 21st she knows it has to be related to her daughter’s passion.  And Ivor is very big, and very very surprising.  But also an indication that spending a lot of money on a gift  doesn’t guarantee that you’ve fully understood what the recipient is really all about.  Scarlet isn’t about to give up on her plans to tend to Ivor, she and partner Judith (Betty Valencia) have a planet to save.

Mothers and daughters, the generation gap, and the lack of real understanding surrounding climate change are all tackled in this ambitious metaphor.  I won’t give away the nature of the mysterious Ivor, but he is much more problem than solution, a reflection of the misunderstanding of climate issues.  Surreal, often darkly funny, the script doesn’t fully hit the mark, but does provide some food for thought, partly spoiled by an unnecessarily confusing ending.  The acting is decent enough,with some excellent timing. Harvey does the controlling parent well, Valencia perhaps the best in conveying her frustration and desperation with a world that is going down the tubes.

Not the best PPP, but still interesting.

Dancing Shoes (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Donny (Stephen Docherty) is getting on in year.  Craig (Ross Allan) is approaching 40.  Jay (Craig Mclean) is the baby of the trio, But they have a common bond- addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, and a desire for recovery, and that turns the unlikely group into pals.  Trying to support one another as best they can.

That bleak sounding scenario is the background for one of the funniest plays the PPP series has ever opffered up.  Breaking the fourth wall from the start, the audience are immediately drawn in, to a world where humour is one of the strongest lifelines available.

Donny reveals his secret, the reason that keeps hime going.  He dances.  Alone in his room he dances to keep ther world at bay.  When he demonstrates Jay videos, and then posts, and 'Dancing Donny', the internet senastion, is born.  This will test the friendships, and, more worryingly, the commitment to not repeat past behaviours.

It's hilarious.  An excellent script and some great comic timing.  Physical comedy skills too, from all cast members.  There's a lot of action and choreography that keeps the play going at a rapid pace.

But pathos too, reflecting the sensitive nature of the underlying subject matter.  As Craig says, everyone laughs at junkies and alkies, and not in a good way.  The serious moments are brief, by work as sharp counterpoint to the stream of laughs.

Breathtakingly wonderful.

Afterlife, Traverse

Intriguing take on the ‘afterlife’ concept.  Everyone who dies has six days in a facility where they get to choose what happens to them next.  Guides help them figure out what was the memory they want to live in for the remainder of infinity.  But that’s hard to figure out, and sometimes there are rebels against the system.

Lively, well choreographed, often with many on stage performing multiple actions and dialogues.  Engaging.  Simplistic, but not too much so for a 75 minutes performance.  The leads were generally competent, with a stand out performance by Amelie Berry as the Guide supervisor, who also acts as a narrator.  Her off-the-ball acting was excellent.

There’s not much of a point being made, except that we need to keep our good memories alive. And that it can be difficult to recall what really were the best moment sin a life.

There was an unusual gimmick of giving all audience members a ticket with a number on.  When numbers were called and individuals emerged from the audience, it made audience think they might be.  They weren’t, but I found this distracting from the play itself - I started to think about which memory I would wnat to live over and over!

Interesting.