What’s on the slab for today? Seven shows – a busy day!
Here’s the schedule for August 5th
9:20 – A Fire Ignites, TheSpace @ Surgeons Hall. From the Edinburgh Fringe website:
“A Fire Ignites tells the story of a brave teenage girl, Parisa, in modern-day Iran who sets her hijab on fire in public. Attacked by the morality police for her rebellion, she desires nothing more than to free her country from oppression. Her best friend, who shelters her, is exhausted from fighting and lives in fear. She and Parisa are opposites, as Parisa still believes that human beings are good despite all she has endured. Parisa’s mother fears for her daughter’s life, and conflict emerges. This story is inspired by the brave young women in Iran today.”
A serious play to start the day. One hears about the extraordinary protests in Iran from women who set fire to their hijab and the penalties they face, and one can only imagine how terrifying it must be and how brave they are. I’m hoping this will be a powerful and moving play and performance.
11:35 – Malion, TheSpace @ Surgeons Hall.
“A feminist retelling of the Pygmalion and Galatea myth. Malion, a sculptor, is presenting his work to his male friends, a statue of the most beautiful woman in creation. He rejoices in his achievement over drinks with some male friends. However, the conversation cannot move away from sexual fantasy and lust for the statue. Meanwhile, brought to life by Aphrodite’s kiss, Galatea awakens. Galatea seeks the love of her creator but he is changing, falling in line with his comrades and forgetting his pure vision of love. Will Malion see Galatea, or fall into the ranks of masculine identity?”
Perhaps a slightly unusual choice of play, but my curiosity was piqued by its premise! Athens meets Edinburgh – but who wins? Have very little idea of what to expect, but I hope it’s good!
13:20 – The Last Laugh, Assembly George Square Studios.
“The Last Laugh sees three legendary comedians – Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse – sitting in a dressing room, discussing the secret of life, death, comedy and what it means to be funny. Written and directed by the award-winning Paul Hendy and starring Edinburgh Fringe-legend Bob Golding as Morecambe, Damian Williams as Cooper and Simon Cartwright as Monkhouse, The Last Laugh is warm, funny, nostalgic and poignant. Not to be missed.”
I’m a great admirer of these three comic actors; we’ve seen Simon Cartwright’s impersonation of Bob Monkhouse before and it is truly uncanny, whereas Bob Golding is a mainstay of the pantos at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, and there wouldn’t be a Sheffield panto without the master Dame, Damian Williams! I think this is going to turn out to be a big Fringe Highlight!
15:10 – A Jaffa Cake Musical, Pleasance Courtyard.
“Time to decide once and for all… cake or biscuit? Inspired by the 1991 tribunal which determined the true identity of a Jaffa Cake, multi-award winning Gigglemug Theatre (Scouts! The Musical, RuneSical, Timpson: The Musical) present a brand-new family-friendly musical comedy that takes the biscuit (or cake…?). Praise for previous productions: ‘Incredible!’ (Bear Grylls); ‘Laugh-a-minute silliness’ (Daily Express); ‘Winning songs’ (Guardian); ‘Blistering wit’ ***** (TheatreWeekly.com); ‘Simply brilliant’ ***** (NorthWestEnd.co.uk); ‘An utter masterpiece’ ***** (BoxOfficeRadio.co.uk); ‘A comedic triumph’ ***** (WestEndEvenings.co.uk); ‘Absolute bangers’ **** (Stage); ‘Genius’ **** (BroadwayBaby.com).”
Many years ago I used to work for Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise and I remember the constant arguments about whether a Jaffa Cake was a cake (food for VAT purposes) or a biscuit (confectionary) and they could never define it precisely enough so as to definitely apply the tax or have it zero-rated! For that reason alone I was fascinated by the idea of this show – and I do hope there will be some samples so that the audience can help decide whether it is… or isn’t!
18:20 – To Watch a Man Eat, Greenside @ George Street.
“Firefighter Micky and investment banker Andrew are choked by their respective blue and white collars. Micky puts the ‘man’ in manual, content with trifle for breakfast and all things analogue. He’s perplexed by people like Andrew, permanently in competition to keep his bum on his desk chair the longest, all in pursuit of the lifestyle his partner Melissa thirsts for. A wolf in a frilly apron, she lives to serve Andrew dinner and watch him tear it apart. In a world where ambition and personal values continuously butt heads, who will let themselves starve?”
This play is produced by the same team behind last year’s show Pressure Cooker which I really enjoyed, and that alone convinced me that it was worth giving this play a try! The class war examined at the dining table? Sounds excellent!
20:20 – Colin Hoult: Colin, Pleasance Courtyard.
“The acclaimed comedian and 2022 Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee returns with a stand-up show about family, fatherhood, and a formative childhood experience with a Ouija board and a gorilla. As seen in Afterlife (Netflix), Avoidance (BBC), Ghosts (BBC), This Time With Alan Partridge (BBC), and judging the 2023 BBC New Comedy Awards. ‘Terrific… you will laugh yourself silly throughout’ ***** (Telegraph). ‘Genius… one of the funniest comedy shows I’ve seen’ ***** (Times). ‘Superb’ ***** (TheArtsDesk.com). ‘Hilarious’ **** (Scotsman). **** (Independent). **** (Guardian). **** (Evening Standard).”
I was so sad last year when Colin Hoult finally killed off his hilarious comedy alter ego Anna Mann; but Mr H is such a funny guy that I know he’s going to have something equally hysterical up his sleeve for his new show all about himself. Early last year we saw a Work in Progress session with Mr H which I expect he has now developed up into this show – and I, for one, can’t wait to see it.
22:20 – The Shadow Boxer, TheSpace @ Niddy St.
“Portsmouth’s most promising featherweight boxer races towards his ultimate goal – competing in the 1968 Olympic Games and proving himself as a true champion. But can anyone control how their story will be told in an uncertain future?”
I don’t know why, but boxing frequently crops up in Fringe plays and it’s always a fascinating subject to include in theatre. Maybe it’s the balance between essentially physical violence but it has to be played within a framework of gentlemanly rules. I’ll be fascinated to see where this play fits in the scheme of boxing dramas.
Check back later to see how we enjoyed all these shows!