Monthly Archives: August 2019

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – The Lost Musical Works of Willy Shakes, 20th August 2019

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Here’s something that could be very funny – or a total disaster (I’m hoping the former.) Next up is The Lost Works’ production of The Lost Musical Works of Willy Shakes, at the Assembly Rooms – Front Room, at 22:40 on Tuesday 20th. Here’s the blurb: “It’s 1616. Shakespeare and his Fair Youth – bent on being remembered through the annals of history – have set about spicing up his plays with one missing ingredient: showstopping musical numbers. Creators Guy Hughes and Joe Leather bring a wealth of Bardy experience, including The RSC, The Globe, and of course The Best of George Michael. Straight outta Stratford with a noughties pop twist, join The Bard for busting tunes, scandalous backstories and hot Tudor gossip. Think Flight of the Conchords with an Elizabethan makeover: two bawdy bros in doublet and hose.”

Is this our third, or fourth show to spoof Shakespeare so far this week? I’ve lost count. Don’t know much about this one, so it’s a fingers crossed punt, but often they’re the best. Check back around midnight to see how good it was. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Sometimes all the elements of a show come together and create something that’s 100% joy. If you love your Shakespeare and your musical parodies, this is utter genius. Would happily see it again tomorrow night!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – There Will Be Cake, 20th August 2019

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From dark comedy (possibly?) to light-hearted silliness (almost certainly!) It’s Chambers Touring’s There Will Be Cake at the Auditorium, Gilded Balloon at the Museum, at 21:00 on Tuesday 20th. Let’s see what the blurb has to say: “An all-star improv show from award-winning improvisers Marcus Brigstocke (Live at the Apollo, BBC Two), Rachel Parris (The Mash Report, BBC Two), Pippa Evans (Tonight At The Palladium, ITV) and Paul Foxcroft (Cariad & Paul). There Will Be Cake brings together four of the best improvisers in the country to play with your ideas. Each evening will be a brilliant, one-off, never-to-be-repeated, dazzling, hilarious, silly, exciting, dangerous, innovative show featuring real fire (candles). And there will be cake. Actual cake.”

We’re not normally that attuned to improvisational comedy, but the four comedy actors involved meant that this sounded just irresistible. I hope the cake is gluten-free. Check back around 10.15 pm to see how great (or otherwise) it was. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Given we don’t normally care for improv, this was about as good as it gets. Four terrific performers who cram their sketches with brilliant characterisations and as much humour as they can. A winner!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – And Then They Died, 20th August 2019

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After an afternoon catching up with old friends, our next play is Riddled Image’s And Then They Died at Ivy Studio @ Greenside @ Infirmary Street, at 19:35 on Tuesday 20th. This is what the blurb says: “Riddled Image have been invited to a funeral, but something quickly becomes clear when they arrive: the funeral is for one of them. Through an arresting collision of live music, storytelling and flamenco striptease, And Then They Died takes its audience along for a fast-paced, anarchic account of five friends trying to tell their last story the right way, whoever’s story it may be. Riddled Image is an emerging company from the South West of England with a passion for silly ideas and strange stories: unhinged, evocative, hilarious. Part of University Centre Weston Graduate Showcase.”

Well who knows what to make of that description? Done well this should be highly entertaining. Check back around 8.45 pm to see what we thought of it. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

So…. they had the germ of a great idea, and the performers are incredibly likeable and versatile, but, really, the material they gave us went absolutely nowhere. I’d love to see them perform a decent play written by someone else!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Level Up, 20th August 2019

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Next is a very intriguing and potentially superb play. It’s Full Breakfast Productions and New Celts Productions’ Level Up at Space 3 @ TheSpace on the Mile, at 14:05 on Tuesday 20th. This is what the blurb says: “Newly engaged Jimmy and Natasha feel they’re the perfect match. However, the state-controlled social credit system thinks otherwise. Jimmy has two weeks to improve his score or the couple face eviction. Is it possible to be both model citizen and model partner? And how far is Jimmy willing to go to become the person the state wants? Inspired by China’s social credit system, Level Up explores a near-future utopia where real love is impossible to measure, doing good becomes an obsession and not everyone plays by the rules.”

This sounds like a very creative and alarming mildly futuristic play – a reality that could be just around the corner. Hope they do a good job of it! We’ve seen New Celts Productions before and they’ve always been excellent. Check back around 3.30 pm to see what it was like. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Nicely constructed and performed, the play shows how a totalitarian state can get way out of hand and destroy the relationships of its inhabitants. Smart work by all and very enjoyable!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Joe Wells Doesn’t Want to Do Political Comedy Anymore! 20th August 2019

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Our first show of the day is one of the best reasons to come to the Edinburgh Fringe – it’s Joe Wells Doesn’t Want to Do Political Comedy Anymore! at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Sneaky Pete’s, at 12:05 on Tuesday 20th. Here’s the blurb: “The news is too horrible to joke about, so Joe’s looking for a new shtick. Support for Frankie Boyle, Stephen K Amos and Alexei Sayle. Writer for BBC1’s Have I Got News for You. As seen on BBC3’s Quickies. ‘Some of the most surprising and thought-provoking material coming from any comedian’ (Guardian). ‘A genuine hidden treasure of the Fringe’ **** (Chortle.co.uk). ‘Recommended’ (Heat).”

We started catching Joe Wells at Edinburgh a few years ago as a word of mouth success, and, boy, was that word of mouth correct. If you like your comedy intelligent, incisive, and on the nose, he’s your man. Check back around 1.15 pm to see if he’s as great this year as in previous years (no pressure, Joe). By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Another cleverly crafted show where Joe regrets that political comedy is virtually redundant in this Trump/Johnson age, so searches deeper into his family and childhood to mine more great comic insights. Intelligent and incisive as always, and I loved the metaphor for not having labels in life. It’s not spoiling anything if I say Mrs Chrisparkle chose the can… Highly recommended!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Spank! 19th August 2019

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Now it’s time for the show that we look forward to the whole year round. It’s the amazingly wonderful James Loveridge and the totally fantastic Evan Desmarais presenting Spank! at Belly Dancer @ Underbelly, Cowgate, at 23:55 on Monday 19th. Here’s the blurb: “Spank! returns for an incredible 16th year with hilarious hosts, awesome comedians and gratuitous nudity. Showcasing the most exciting comedy and cabaret on the Fringe, don’t miss the ‘best wild night out’ (Scotland on Sunday) at the festival! ‘Comedy and legendary party night… if you haven’t experienced this night, get down there right away!’ (Time Out). ‘It’s raunchy, raucous and ridiculous. Utterly and absolutely hilarious’ ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Everything you could hope for in a late-night comedy showcase… absolutely must-see show’ ***** (ThreeWeeks). ‘Atmosphere is electric… you just don’t quite know what is going to happen next… superb’ ***** (One4Review.co.uk).”

This will be our first of three visits this week, and to say we’re excited is to say a very considerable underestimate of how we’re feeling. Check back around 3am (or maybe early on Tuesday morning) to see who were the guests, who got naked and how much fun we had. By then the first preview blog for Tuesday should be available to read too.

I can’t resist a Spank! An excellent night, with everyone on great form. James and Evan were the hosts with the most, introducing the always reliable The Establishment, the amazing James Phelan, the unique Lost Voice Guy, the sassy Sikisa, the hilarious Tony Cantwell, the smart Ginnia Cheng and the one and only Dulcé Sloan. Great audience input from young psychologist Dr Harrison and 20 year old student Toby who did the naked promo in aid of testicular cancer research. A brilliant night out!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Atomic Saloon Show, 19th August 2019

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Next up is one of those shows that could go anywhere, depending on the quality and pizzazz of its performers. It’s Spiegelworld’s Atomic Saloon Show at the Palais du Varieté, Assembly George Square Gardens, at 22:10 on Monday 19th. This is what the official blurb says: “The wildest watering hole in town. Madam Boozy Skunkton has been collecting the prettiest, sexiest, dumbest, drunkest troupe of entertainers and acrobats on earth, and is determined to create the greatest saloon show the world has ever known. Moulin Rouge meets Blazing Saddles, and America’s Got Talent meets Westworld. From the creators of the hit Las Vegas show Absinthe. Featuring some of the best names in variety and physical comedy, this world premiere is a must-see before it heads to its permanent home on the Las Vegas Strip. Directed by Cal McCrystal (One Man, Two Guvnors).”

The decider that convinced me to book for this one is that it’s directed by Cal McCrystal who always delivers a fun and creative production. Check back after it’s finished shortly before 11.45 pm to see if we enjoyed it. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

That’s a winner! Sometimes these innuendo-based circus variety acts can miss the mark, but this one really doesn’t. Sharp, sexy, funny, and with some incredible acrobatic, dance and comedy burlesque acts, this is a sure shootin’ success!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – The Good Scout, 19th August 2019

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Time for another serious, meaty play. It’s Boys of the Empire Productions’ The Good Scout at the Grand Theatre @ theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, at 20:20 on Monday 19th. This is what the blurb says: “Inspired by true events. In the 1930s, Baden-Powell and Von Ribbentrop, Hitler’s ambassador, decreed that British boy scouts and Hitler Youth should learn from one another. In Bassington, England, the local troop play host to a cycling party of Hitlerjugend – but are the German boys cyclists or “spyclists”? For Will and Jacob, two Rover Scouts on the cusp of manhood, it is a visit that will change their lives forever. As war looms, a heart-wrenching, darkly humorous drama about espionage, scout’s honour and forbidden love unfolds. From writer/director of Kids Play ***** (Bobby Award winner, BroadwayBaby.com).”

This could be a really stunning experience; searing, unsettling, challenging drama. Can’t wait! I think this is the longest production we’re seeing this year, at One hour Twenty minutes long. Check back around 10 pm to see what we thought of it. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Another very cleverly written play that conceals its big twist right till the end. First rate performances throughout; and you sense it has something of a message for today as well. Highly recommended!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Bismillah! An ISIS Tragicomedy, 19th August 2019

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Here’s something that I’m really looking forward to because it sounds challenging but hilarious. It’s Wound Up Theatre’s production of Bismillah! An ISIS Tragicomedy at Belly Button, Underbelly, Cowgate at 18:40 on Monday 19th. Let’s read the blurb: “Radicalisation, disenfranchisement and the rock band Queen. Dean joined the army, ‘Danny’ joined ISIS. One’s from London; the other, Leeds. Bismillah! is their hour together in an Iraqi cell. ‘A Black comedy of the highest order’ ***** (TheReviewsHub.com). Discussing Islamophobia, Wetherspoons and the increasing price of a standard meal deal, which circles an awful truth – they just want to go home. Fresh from a national tour, Pleasance run and sell-out 2018 VAULT Festival run, the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award-shortlisted show returns, with its hilarious and compassionate look at modern Britain.”

This could be very special and very exciting; I can’t wait to find out. Check back around 8pm to see what we thought. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Very powerful and cleverly written and with highly charged, spirited performances. Perhaps a little shouty, which occasionally made it hard to understand everything that was said. But it went down very well with the audience and we enjoyed it!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Bollywood and Birmingham to Berlin and Brexit, 19th August 2019

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In a last minute change of plan we caught the engaging Dharmander Singh’s autobiographical account of growing up part Sikh, part Hindu in a Church of England school, and how it’s helped to identify himself today as a full on Brummie living and working in Berlin.

A very enjoyable personal journey; Dhar (we can call him that) is a citizen of the world whose lifestyle will be cramped (at best) by Brexit, but it’s a story of hope more than despair. He’s a great performer with a very likeable presence and the hour just flies by. It’s on at the Laughing Horse @ Bar 50. Recommended!