What’s on the list of shows for today? I’ll tell you!
Here’s the schedule for 9th August:
12.00 – Yoga with Jillian – A New Comedy, Pleasance Courtyard. From the Edinburgh Fringe website:
“’Such a discovery is playwright Lia Romeo’ ***** (TheaterMania.com). A new screwball comedy about how Gwyneth Paltrow, guru culture, green juice and your best downward-facing dog can save us all! Brought to your yoga mat direct from its sell-out Off-Broadway season by the team behind laugh-out-loud Edinburgh smash-hit Trump Lear and one of the most exciting new US writers. ‘This play is VERY funny’ ***** (NPR). ‘The laughs come hard and fast and the audience adore it’ (ITV News on Trump Lear). ‘A gem, a brilliant gem!’ (TheatreThoughtsAus.online on Trump Lear).
Trump Lear was great, so let’s hope this is too! We did our first ever yoga lessons in Edinburgh, so it’s only appropriate that we should pay homage to that fact by seeing this show.
14.05 – Nuclear Children, Pleasance Courtyard.
“Winner of the 2021 Platform Presents Playwright’s Prize. Nuclear Children, written by Ezra England, directed by Seán Linnen, is a dark comedy about mental health, a submarine accident and a melon. Following the death of her father Isla is struggling to cope; plagued with intrusive thoughts and her deteriorating mental health, she runs away to university in the hope of staying sane. As Isla finally begins to find her feet, her world, quite literally, stops making sense. Jenna Coleman says of the play, ‘A stunningly gifted writer who chimed straight into my heart with such a startling debut’.”
Plays that enlighten us all on the nature of mental health are always welcome, so I’m hoping this will be a helpful addition to the genre.
15.40 – Unforgettable Girl, Pleasance Courtyard.
“Money can’t buy love, but £19.99/month can get you a mail-order bride directly from the wasteland of Asian stereotypes. Follow her journey as she strives to become unforgettable, but what lies beneath her shiny surface? And how is she forced to transform, destroy and rebuild herself in order to survive? An irreverent, no-holds-barred, bouffonesque myth about the violence our culture inflicts on bodies of colour. Winner of the Pleasance’s Charlie Hartill Fund, Best Show (Offies, 2021) and Best Performer in a Play (The Stage Debut Awards, 2022). ‘A stand-out show’ ***** (Stage). ‘Beautiful’ **** (BroadwayBaby.com).”
Another play that sounds like it will tell a vital story, hope it’s a success!
19.00 – Almost Adult, Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose.
“Hope’s leaving her hometown up north for the bright lights of London. It’s going to be mind-blowing. Attractive Hinge dates. Mature new friends. A job at a dinosaur-themed bar. Hell. Yes. Okay, her manager’s a creep. And her housemate seems to hate her… But we don’t need to talk about that. With a hilariously naïve protagonist, ‘blisteringly funny’ (Indiependent.co.uk) Almost Adult combines quick-witted character comedy with touching vulnerability. That’s right, Charlotte Anne-Tilley (Winner of Everything Theatre’s Award for Ingenuity and 4theatre’s Best Debut Performance) is returning to Gilded Balloon for 2023. ***** (@TheatreAndOtherThingsLDN, Instagram).”
This sounds like a relatively straightforward modern comedy designed to make you laugh, and that’s always a good idea!
21.00 – Joe White: Ethiopian and Still Not Hungry, Gilded Balloon Teviot.
“Winner of Best Comedy Weekly Award four years in a row at Fringe World, and Perth Critics Choice award, Joe was also selected as one of the top six comedy shows to watch with American superstar Chris Rock as number one. With a slew of awards and achievements under his belt such as Australia’s Got Talent, ABC TV, radio, articles, billboards, Just For laughs ComedyPro Conference, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe. He has also appeared in the world-famous New York Times. ***** (WAF).”
Joe White is a brand new name to me but what an accolade-strewn pedigree he brings with him! Hopefully he will be a great laugh.
Check back later to see how we enjoyed all these shows!