Monthly Archives: August 2015

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2015 – Feast

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After a lunch break, I’m not entirely sure it’s good timing for us to go and see Feast, 15:55 at the Zoo – Sanctuary. You’ll understand why when you read the blurb: “A show about food. The evolution of humanity through the triptych of a daily routine: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Multi award-winning Clout Theatre return with their most ambitious project to date: a visual feast which traverses drastically different styles from primal movement to clown, to multimedia. This excessive, anarchic and wordless piece is peppered with absurdity, gourmandise and overtones of cannibalism. ‘Experts in the grotesque’ (Exeunt). ‘Ridiculous, hilarious, baffling and unnerving … a sheer pleasure’ **** (Scotsman). Developed with support from Battersea Arts Centre, Jackson’s Lane, Tiyatro Medresesi, The BikeShed Theatre and Arts Council England.”

Clout’s website has a video trailer for the show and I must admit it looks pretty grotesque. My favourite review quote was from Everything Theatre “Left me unable to look at a melon the same way again”. But I’m really fascinated to see this show to find out what it has to say about man’s relationship with food, the excesses, the exploitations, and the harm. As one who is partial to occasional overloading in the eating department, I’m hoping it will curb my appetite for later – but I’m also hoping it will be a visceral theatrical experience which will have a longer lasting impact. Let’s see! Check back some time after 5pm to see if we’re reaching for the Rennies, and also to see what show is next on our agenda.

Update:

Grotesque is a polite word for what that is. Elements of humour drowned out by sheer tastelessness, but, above all, thoroughly boring! What a shame. I wonder if he ever did extract that cherry tomato from his arse? Mrs C didn’t go for the simulated sex between a cucumber and a melon. I thought that was one of the better parts. Says everything you need to know. Pretentious twaddle!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2015 – Madman Marathon Man

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So next, we’ll be watching Tops and Tales’ Madman Marathon Man at 12:35 at TheSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall Theatre 3 on Monday 17th August – its first performance at Edinburgh. Here’s the blurb: “Matt has been losing his best friend Sam to sport for years. In order to save their friendship, he’s going to become the one thing that’s been driving a wedge between them – a modern sports star. His aim is simple – encapsulate everything that a modern star represents and take it to the extreme. Glory, pride, discrimination and tabloid disgrace multiplied by 10. How far will he go? Only one way to find out. ‘Hilarious and heartfelt’ **** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Weird but wonderful’ **** (EdFringeReview.com).”

This sounds like a very intriguing little play. A satire on a society that idolises sports stars and worships everything about them, no matter how crass or stupid their behaviour. Mrs Chrisparkle and I are not big on the cult of celebrity, but are rather partial to armchair sport so I think this is going to suit us right down to the ground. Written by Matt Squance and performed by him and his friend Sam Tomlinson, I suspect this will be a subtle blend of fiction and reality – will be fascinating to see how well it works. Check back around 1.45 to see our instant reactions. And by then the next preview blog should be available.

Update:

A quirky little play, with two guys trying to out-do each other in the fitness stakes, in the quest to achieve super sports stardom – and I think it’s fair to say that might elude them! Some very funny moments, especially when Matt started to chat up Mrs C in his search for a suitable WAG; and I loved the creation of the sports star potion. The show gels together on the strength of the guys’ likability and I will never think of Jessica Ennis the same way again!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2015 – Women of the Mourning Fields

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One of our favourite productions from last year’s all too brief visit to Edinburgh was Aulos Productions’ First Class, and on the strength of that show I was happy to book for this year’s Aulos offering, Women of the Mourning Fields. From the promotional blurb: “Slandered by history. Forgotten as women. Rome’s final curtain has fallen, yet three women still linger in the wings. Tainted by Emperor Nero’s legacy, Agrippina fights against the injustice of history. Forced onto the stage with Octavia and Poppaea, another unwelcome performance is imminent… But scripts can always be rewritten. From the writer of First Class (Best New Writing, Buxton Fringe 2014) comes a tale of intrigue, desire and ambition. What happens when you pry the real people from between the pages of history? What happens when the story of these women is finally told?”

To be honest, I don’t think I would have chosen this play were it not for the brilliance of First Class last year, but I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt and I’m delighted to see that this play has also been nominated for an award at the Buxton Fringe. I’ve read a review that suggests the play might be hard to follow if you don’t have a good knowledge of the history of Rome… that slightly worries me. Still, I’m sure we’ll be fully alert for the challenge when we see this on Monday 17th August in the morning at 10:30 at the Paradise at the Vault. Please check back shortly after half-past eleven when I will be able to give our instant reactions to the play. And you will also find the preview for our next show.

Update:

What a fascinating and intricate play! Ideally you’d see it at least a couple of times to understand fully all its ins and outs, but it really holds your interest and asks loads of questions about rewriting history and the creative experience. And there are seven fantastic actors’ performances to appreciate! Highly recommended.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2015 – The Iraq Pack – Live from Das Vegas (or Dead)

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OK so our final show of the day might not be one of the most tasteful but if it works, it should be one of the funniest things ever: The Iraq Pack – Live from Das Vegas (or Dead). Here’s the blurb: “Back from their unsuccessful world tour, the singing dictators of dark cabaret have come to Edinburgh. The comedy war machine that is Frank Sanazi, Dean Stalin, Saddami Davis Jnr and Osama Bin Crosby, or the Four Crooners of the Apocalypse, as they are known, will unleash such extreme renditions as Strangers on My Flight, Arranged Marriage, Ain’t That a Shot in the Head, and Mein Way on an unsuspecting public. This show is not for the faint-hearted. ‘Brilliantly stupid, fantastically wrong and ridiculously funny’ (Scotsman).”

This cabaret from hell takes place at the Ballroom at the Voodoo Rooms at 23:05 and if it’s as slick as Frank Sanazi’s website it’s going to be a really clever parody of Rat Pack performances with a dictatorial twist. This show could test one’s ability to laugh further than one’s usual taste boundaries – I hope it does. Check back after midnight to see just how Reich-shattering it was. And I’ll also be previewing the first of tomorrow’s shows. Thanks again for following our progress today, if you’re in Edinburgh, I hope you’re having fun!

Update;

That’s definitely a contender for the most offensive show I’ve ever seen and that includes The Book of Mormon! Frank Sanazi and the team leave no pun untold with their witty rewritings of the Rat Pack classics. The fact that they can really sing in the style means that it genuinely works, and I thought Osama bin Crosby’s voice was superb. Dino Stalin was unavailable so in best Fringe tradition, someone stepped in to help – Christ himself, fresh from his Christ on a Bike show. Sickeningly un-PC, and brilliant.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2015 – Tats Nkonzo: The African With Wifi

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I like to go out on a punt (not just on the River Cherwell) with comedians who I don’t know from Adam in the hope that they will be good. Something about the description about Tats Nkonzo gave me confidence to book: “’One of the best acts to happen to South African comedy’ (Argus).’I wrote this show so I could tell the world how Simba really felt after Mufasa’s death. The people deserve to know the truth’ (Tats Nkonzo). Fresh from the Ebola ward (joking), and now performing his UK and Edinburgh debut (not joking), Tats Nkonzo: The African With Wifi will have you laughing whilst changing your perspective on everything you thought you knew about the continent of Africa. And yes, there’s wifi. Unlimited.”

So there you go, not much more I can say really. The show starts at 21:30 at the Pleasance Courtyard – The Attic and I’m hoping for lots of laughs. He shares tweets with Trevor Noah so he must be pretty good! I believe he has a guitar. This can be both a good and a bad thing. Check back after the show, shortly after 10.30 and I’ll let you know. There’s not a lot of time before our last show, so if I don’t get round to my “instant reaction” then, I will before bedtime, promise! Check back anyway, so you’ll find out where we are going to end up this evening.

Update:

Well I played a couple of parts in that one – AIDS and sufferer of Erectile Dysfunction. Like,  great. Tats is a brilliant communicator and naturally very funny guy. He had a spectacular walk-out by a very drunk and aggressive git, which can’t have been easy to cope with. More fool him. We loved his act and will certainly watch for him in the future!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2015 – Close Up

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And so to the first show of our Edinburgh week to come under the category of “Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus” – Close Up, performed by Australian circus troupe Circa at 20:00 at the Underbelly, George Square. Here’s the blurb: “How close do you want to be? Four extraordinary circus artists. Acrobatic mastery at its most extreme. Circa, the company behind five-star productions Beyond and multi award-winning Wunderkammer, challenge everything you’ve thought about circus as they wrench back the curtain and bring you the glorious, chaotic abstraction Close Up. See. Hear. Feel. Everything. Nothing’s off-limits in their most intimate show. Interactive video and powerful music set the scene for moments of raw beauty, unbearable tension and savage physical intensity. Discover why ‘watching Circa has become my new favourite Fringe pastime’ ***** (Scotsman). Close Up? You’ve never been closer.”

There’s a very interesting piece in the Guardian about this production which tells you everything you need to know about it. So it appears that four circus performers will do acrobatics at very close quarters to the audience – I can’t quite imagine how that will work. I hope we don’t get thumped a lot by stray limbs; but I’m sure they’ve thought this through. “Raw beauty, unbearable tension and savage physical intensity” – what’s not to like?

Check back shortly after 9.00 to see how close up we got to the action. Although there isn’t a lot of time between this show finishing and the next one starting, so please bear with me if you have to wait a little longer for our reactions. You’ll see the details of the next show by then too.

Update:

Very exciting show with four very strong and entertaining acrobats doing some amazing things! Not quite sure how “close up” it was in all honesty but it was a sure crowd pleaser! Watch out for the Chinese pole and the guy who bends his feet backwards!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2015 – Nicholas Parsons’ Happy Hour

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Just as Bob Monkhouse was the big name in entertainment when I was growing up, Nicholas Parsons was always there too, playing the straight man to Benny Hill, (before that, Arthur Haynes if you can remember that far back), and of course always associated with Sale of the Century and Just a Minute. I read his autobiography some time ago, and found it fascinating. He seems like a really nice guy! And here he is, back at the Edinburgh Fringe, presenting his Happy Hour at the grand old age of 91. That’s absolutely amazing.

Here’s what the blurb says: “Celebrating 15 years on the Pleasance stage join West End, screen and radio star Nicholas Parsons for his most magnificent show yet! The host of BBC Radio 4’s Just a Minute invites you to come and join the fun and laughter at his sell-out improvised comedy and chat show with a host of special celebrity guests. Past guests have included Jason Byrne, Michael McIntyre, John Bishop, Sue Perkins, Shappi Khorsandi, Gyles Brandreth, Micky Flanagan and Russell Kane. Not to be missed.”

I’ve seen Nicholas Parsons’ twice before – once when we went to see a recording of two episodes of Just A Minute, and once when he was the Narrator for the Rocky Horror Show. He’s a complete natural on stage and I’m really looking forward to seeing him do his comedy chat show at the Fringe, 17:10 at the Pleasance Courtyard Cabaret Bar. No idea who his guests will be – I guess that’s all part of the fun. Check back around 6.30 to find out how it went. And you can also see what our next show will be too.

Update:

What a charming way to spend an hour. Nicholas Parsons has a delightful avuncular but still very cheeky manner who regales you with lovely old stories, and introduces his guests like an old pal. His guests were Richard Vranch and Suzi Webster from Paul Merton’s Improv show, Sue Kelvin and Alex Young singing some Bette Midler, and cricket’s very own Blofeld and Baxter. Huge fun – and Mr Parsons is a legend!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2015 – The Man Called Monkhouse

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For someone of my era, Bob Monkhouse was a permanent fixture in everyone’s entertainment calendar. I mainly remember him as a gameshow host – The Golden Shot, Celebrity Squares, Bob’s Full House; and also for hosting Opportunity Knocks and many chat shows – and he was always brilliant value as a guest on chat shows too. It was a very sad day when he died.

But he comes back to life in this show, The Man Called Monkhouse, which we’re seeing at 15:15 at the Assembly Hall – Rainy Hall. Here’s the blurb: “Alone in his cramped study among thousands of show business artefacts, film stock and memories, the comedian’s comedian ponders his life. The technician. The obsessive. The smile. The tan. The cuff. The wink. The sincerity of the man called Bob Monkhouse. Alex Lowe writes and Bob Golding directs Simon Cartwright in the part he was born to play. What happens when the unique handwritten joke books are stolen? This new solo play is a hilarious and poignant delve into the life of one of this country’s best loved and possibly most misunderstood comedians.”

I’ve seen a youtube trailer for the show and it looks amazing. Mr Cartwright seems to have Monkhouse’s mannerisms and voice to a tee. I’m really looking forward to seeing it. I’m hoping it will be a terrific mix of hilarity and pathos – that would be a fitting tribute to the man. It’s produced by Cahoots Theatre Company, who were also responsible for the extremely hard-hitting but satisfying Audience with Jimmy Savile, so that’s a very good sign. Check back around 4.30pm to see what we thought, and check out also what we’re going to see next!

P.S. Made a slight mistake with booking this one – as it’s coming to our local theatre in September, and there are other shows I would have liked to see in Edinburgh that we could have fitted in instead! Too complicated to change the programme of events now though!

Update:

Simon Cartwright’s performance is extraordinary – a really convincing Monkhouse with all the delicate textures of the cadences of his voice. Visually he’s slightly scary – his look suggested what he might have looked like after the morticians had finished with him. It’s a very reflective and inward looking play, and it ended rather suddenly, I felt; but it’s very good and if you liked Bob Monkhouse there’s plenty here to keep you interested. But, if I’m honest, perhaps not quite fascinating enough a play.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2015 – The Wedding Reception

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Here’s something a bit different! Not only do you get to see a show, you get a meal too – and it ought to be quite a good meal as we will be taking part in The Wedding Reception at 12noon at the B’est Restaurant. “They may share the names of the world’s most famous couple, but this Will and Kate are far from royal! Their dream was for a small intimate wedding, but with everyone else planning something huge, the couple eloped. Now they’re back for the big reception, to which – like it or not – everyone is invited. As a guest at their wedding party, enjoy a three course meal and a rollercoaster ride as fun and frolics unfold … and hopefully not much fighting! A brand new immersive comedy from the producers of Faulty Towers the Dining Experience.”

Many years ago I saw a Murder Mystery play performed as part of a dining experience and it was incredible fun. I’m hoping this is going to be similar. We’ve already placed our special request for a gluten-free meal for Mrs Chrisparkle, and I have every confidence they will get it right (she’s in trouble if they don’t). Produced by Interactive Theatre International, I have high hopes for this one. I understand four actors take on nine roles so there should be a lot of manic running around and light-hearted fun. I also expect a bride to be in tears at some point – they usually end up that way in my experience. I hope we get on ok with our fellow dining guests – I’m sure we will, after all, everyone is going to be there to enjoy some good fun.

It runs for two hours so please back around 2.15 to see if we got indigestion, and if we think the marriage is going to last. By then the next show preview should be available too.

Update:

Well that is every bit as extraordinarily hilarious as I’d hoped. We laughed and laughed and laughed. I ended up being Bob, who had made the cake (which was a bit of a disaster) and also revealed as the groom’s mystery sperm donor father. I can’t recommend it more strongly. And the cast of four, who take 9 roles between them are totally brilliant. A must see.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2015 – old man’s Gift

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A new day and an early start for our first show on Sunday 16th August – 10:00am at Venue 13, Lochend Close, Canongate for Laughing on the Edge Theatre’s production of old man’s Gift. I’ve deliberately not given the “old man” capital letters, because the theatre company doesn’t – and I’m not sure if that’s significant or not. Anyway, here’s the promotional material: “’Did you know that the German word gift means poison? It used to mean present – like in English – but then people started using it sarcastically.’ A group of friends have organised a birthday party for their former abuser. Their intentions are less than benign. In the emotional turmoil running up to midnight their relationships are strained beyond breaking point. A fast-paced black comedy about revenge and the attempt to escape the past.”

This all sounds very sinister, and I’m suspecting the former abuser isn’t going to come out of it very well; but that also sounds like justice. I’m expecting a very black comedy and a number of rather painful themes, but I’m hoping it will all be handled with a lightness of touch and that the humour will be used to highlight the damage done by the abuse. Whatever, it could be a riveting start to the day! Laughing on the Edge theatre is made up of drama students from Trinity Saint David University in Carmarthen – Sara Heart, Lawrence Schrader, Daniel Sean and Sarah Beth Davies. The play is also written and directed by Sara Heart.

Check back shortly after 11.00 to see how we enjoyed it, and by then the preview blog for our lunchtime show should be online.

Update:

Very difficult subject matter and a very engrossing play with a surprise ending. I think it could be extended into an even more rewarding and revealing story. A few unexpected laughs too. This one will stay in your head for some time. Not for the faint hearted!