Category Archives: Eurovision

The Edinburgh Fringe 3-Nighter – Who Shot Hitler?

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Our penultimate show of the day is the Banana Collective in Who Shot Hitler? It’s categorised under Comedy Sketch/Absurdist, and that’s more or less what I’m expecting – something you might see late night at the weekend on Channel 4. This is how it’s described: “Join exciting sketch group, The Banana Collective, as they journey through time – via 1980s TV show Law of the Land, easily the best anachronistic neo-noir detective procedural of its day – to answer the question that has never been asked … and some sketches.” I’m expecting thorough silliness, and hoping that it will be really funny. It starts at 22:20 at Just the Tonic at the Mash House, and I hope to be back with some reaction shortly after it finishes, around 11.30pm. Hopefully the preview of our final show of the day will be online then too.

Not many in to see Who Killed Hitler, which is a big shame, as it would have been much funnier with a decent audience. As it is, it’s a sketch show with some hits and some misses, but the hits are very funny and the misses perfectly forgivable. The second half was ruined (too strong a word? No not really) by two p*ssed up girls who thought they were much funnier than the performers and weren’t afraid to show it. The way the guys carried on despite them was worthy of a medal. Very likeable performers, I’d like to see them do something else – definitely worth the benefit of the doubt.

The Edinburgh Fringe 3-Nighter – Salon Mika

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Moving back into the world of burlesque and cabaret – I think – next we have, all the way from New Zealand, Salon Mika. This is the description: “Award winning cabaret king returns for ninth Festival Fringe. Burlesque-Haka, tribal erotica mingle amidst electronic-beats. Salon, that rare place where all forms of life, love, lust, and loss are embraced, with stories spoken from the dark side. Sexual passions collide with human failings in fleeting moments that are ‘hard yet soft, gentle yet rough’. Mika, your ringmaster guides you through musical vignettes, eye-catching noir gems of dubious lustre and deceptive motifs. Come see something beautifully raw. Dress to express!” Really not sure what to make of all that, but I’m expecting something decadent, like an Aubrey Beardsley print, and it definitely sounds like there’s a bit of circus in there too. It’s due to start at 21:00 at Dance Base, so I hope to come back with some instant reactions shortly after 10pm, but there’s only a twenty minute gap between its finishing and our next show, so I might be a bit late. You can see the preview for our next show around the same time.

Well, what was lacking in the Best of Burlesque Show was more than made up for in this stylish, witty, adult cabaret show, starring the amazing Mika, who just oozes sensuality without losing his common touch. A really classy evening where Maori meets Milf, if I can put it that way. Mika’s supported by a brilliant Haka troupe, who scare the sh*t out of you as a heavy juxtaposition to Mika’s torch songs. Plus the amazing Chairman Siche on keyboards. Missing a big audience on the show we saw, it’s definitely worth your attention!

The Edinburgh Fringe 3-Nighter – Lace Up

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Continuing our rather male-dominated day at the Edinburgh Fringe, our next show is the very interesting looking Lace Up from Trig Point Theatre. Here’s its description: “Lace Up, written by up and coming playwrights Mikey Burnett and Joseph McCann, is a captivating tale about a young boxer from Edinburgh who has the world at his feet. Trained by his brother and put under immense pressure by his promoter, young Stuart Macmillan punches his way to a world title shot. But a shocking event in the ring casts doubt on whether Stuart is as determined as he seems. As pressures mount and the biggest fight of his life looms, Stuart has one decision to make – what price would you pay to achieve your dream?” Not quite sure what to expect from the play itself, but I hope it will tackle the issues of ambition versus reality, and whether you have to sacrifice your integrity to get what you want. I’ve often thought the boxing world could be a fruitful source for intense drama – we’ll see if I’m right! It’s on at 18:45 at The Space at North Bridge. Instant reactions on here by 8pm hopefully, which is when the next preview will also be available.

Really gripping story, engrossingly told. Three excellent performances, and if you’ve ever wondered if boxing is a barbaric sport (personally I don’t think that but I know many people who do) this play might change, or confirm, your thoughts one way or another. It ended on a cliffhanger – I really wanted to know what happened next! Great stuff!

PS I’ve written a fuller review of Lace Up here if you’re interested!

The Edinburgh Fringe 3-Nighter – Paul Savage Finds Every Joke in the Bible

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Time for our final Stand-up comic of this mega-weekend, Paul Savage, who apparently, Finds Every Joke in the Bible. It’s described thus: “Savage’s dad (a Baptist preacher) claims there’s only one joke in the Bible. It’s not a good one. The award-winning comedian finds the others. Features wizard battles, talking donkeys, invincible warrior monks and their throwaway one liners. Also contains enough incest, genocide and gangrape to keep any Game Of Thrones fans happy. 100% biblically accurate.” It’s a funny idea, and Mr Savage is new to me so I don’t know if it’s going to blasphemous in the extreme or mildly ironic – I’m looking forward to finding out! Due to start at 16:20 at the Dragonfly, so I hope I’ll let you know how it went about an hour later. Preview for the next show will be available about the same time.

Funny show, jam-packed with material, offering a sideways look at well known Bible stories and characters. I obviously had my “help the comedian” face on, as I ended up in stage reciting poetry to Mrs C in the style of the Song of Solomon, not a sentence I ever thought I’d write. Fun, fast delivery, and I really enjoyed the personification of God as an East End gangster. Recommended!

The Edinburgh Fringe 3-Nighter – Travesti

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As soon as I read about Unbound Productions’ play Travesti, I thought it sounded like it had terrific potential. Here’s what it’s all about: “Slick, warm, laugh out loud funny: Travesti takes the everyday lives of 21st-century women and puts them into the mouths – and bodies – of six male actors. The guys gossip, dance and sing their way through women’s real experiences of sexual violence, being groped on public transport and unruly body hair. This verbatim show respectfully and hilariously engaging with the hot topic of gender equality and which ‘turns on a knife-edge’ (FemaleArts.com).” I’m expecting a smart production and a witty collection of stories, and I’m hoping that the disconnect between the words spoken and the actual speakers will bring a new emphasis to familiar issues. It’s on at 14:50 at the Pleasance Dome, so hopefully I’ll try to post a few comments by around 4pm. Our next show will also be previewed by then.

Fascinating show. It was indeed really curious to hear women’s words coming out of men’s mouths. The actors conveyed the faltering, natural conversational style really well too. Not 100% certain why five of them ended up in their undies, I guess it just stressed the sexualisation of women. Both Mrs C and I thought a companion piece where women speak the words if men would work well too. Well worth seeing.

The Edinburgh Fringe 3-Nighter – The Curing Room

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Sunday will begin with what I expect will be the second of two dramatic highlights of this weekend, Stripped Down Productions’ The Curing Room. This is the description: “Spring 1944 – seven Soviet soldiers have been captured by the Nazis, stripped naked and abandoned in the locked empty cellar of a monastery in southern Poland. Deprived of all ties to their world, the prisoners redefine their concepts of order and human nature. In order to survive the men resort to murder and cannibalism. How do they reconcile rank, faith and dignity? Powerful, thought-provoking and darkly funny, The Curing Room by David Ian Lee and directed by Joao de Sousa is a bold, shocking thriller based on true events.” I’m expecting it will be very harrowing and a difficult watch, but if it’s done with sensitivity and integrity then it could be quite astounding. Not sure how we’re going to feel about having lunch afterwards! It’s on at noon at the Pleasance Dome, so I hope to post instant reactions from about 1.30pm onwards, at which time I’ll be previewing the next show.

Well, as the elderly American tourist said after 4 hours of the NT’s Tamburlaine the Great, “more of a play than a show really”. Immensely powerful, incredibly dark, a play about survival at its grittiest. Hugely brave performances from the cast, and the kind of experience that will stay with you for days. Mrs C’s guts are frappéd though. Sounds superficial to say I loved it, and actually I didn’t. But I really appreciated it. A must see if you’re strong enough.

The Edinburgh Fringe 3-Nighter – Best of Burlesque

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Can’t think of a better (theatrical) way of spending the end of the evening than with an hour’s worth of the Best of Burlesque. We love the Burlesque Show that regularly comes and titillates us in Northampton, but this Edinburgh show is courtesy of a different provider of Burlesquerie, Impresario Chaz Royal of London Burlesque Festival fame. He promises “an all-star roundup of the best burlesque at the Fringe. Sultry strip tease, cutting edge cabaret and vaudeville variety collide. Surprises and titillation at the ready!” Sounds good to me. Kick off is at 23:55, Assembly George Square Gardens is the place. After that, and the nine previous shows today, I’ll be ready for my bed! Still, I’ll be here with some instant reactions before turning the light off, and there’ll also be the preview for the first of our Sunday shows.

This showed how classy and sophisticated the Burlesque shows we get in Northampton are! The first and final acts got it, but the majority of the others were very rough around the edges, including possibly the most boring act I’ve ever seen. Mrs C wanted to leave halfway through – but we stayed, probably not that wisely. Ah well, you can’t win them all!

The Edinburgh Fringe 3-Nighter – Babysitters

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Next up – if we get there on time – is Thrust Stage’s Babysitters, a black comedy that won Best Play at the Durham Drama Festival in 2013. It’s described: “Tommy and Dave, babysitters for a violent crime-boss, while away the hours playing Cluedo, eating Chinese food and wondering what’s going to happen to the man tied up in the cupboard. Their job is simple: lie low, keep watch and await instructions. But when their orders finally come through, boredom turns to mayhem as the pair are plunged into a hilarious, blood-fuelled nightmare with disastrous consequences.” Sounds like a latter day Joe Orton piece, and I’m hoping for some great Ortonesque observations. If I have a fear, it’s that it will be like Mojo, of which I wasn’t particularly fond. It’s on at C Cubed at 22:30, so I’ll try for some feedback before midnight, and the final preview of the day will be up around the same time.

Not very Ortonesque really. A rather odd and unbalanced play which started well but deteriorated somewhat. I liked the two hopeless guys at the beginning, but when Barry and George join them later on, I didn’t really find them credible I’m afraid. Nice try, but it didn’t work for me.

The Edinburgh Fringe 3-Nighter – Margaret Thatcher, Queen of Soho

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Hopefully we will have had time for a quick bite to eat before going off to see Margaret Thatcher, Queen of Soho. To be honest, I’m not expecting much in the way of political satire – the promotional photo tells you it’s going to be a huge send-up with not an insubstantial amount of drag. But that’s fine with me. It’s described thus: “She’s back! Britain’s first female prime minister stars in a drag comedy musical extravaganza like no other! On the eve of the vote for Section 28, Maggie gets lost in Soho and accidentally becomes a cabaret superstar, but will she change her mind about the homophobic bill before it’s too late? A camp odyssey about gay rights, the 80s and disco!” I’m hoping it’s going to be as fully tasteless as it sounds. It’s on at the Assembly George Square Gardens at 21:10 – and we have very little time between its finishing an hour later and the start of our next show so I’ll try to feedback here at 10.10pm but if I can’t, it might have to be after the following show, a preview of which will be up here at about 10.00pm.

Bit later than expected – but what a treat. Whoever it is who plays the late Baroness has got the condescending mannerisms off to a T, which when mixed with her doing disco numbers and the story of her becoming an enlightened liberal creates one of the funniest shows I’ve seen in a long time. Great adlibbing too – and a well deserved standing ovation at the end. Maggie the Magnificent!

The Edinburgh Fringe 3-Nighter – Russell Grant: Strictly Edinburgh

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Well you can’t deny I’ve put together a varied programme for us at Edinburgh! We’re off to the Gilded Balloon at 18:45 to see Russell Grant’s Strictly Edinburgh show, which I’m sure will be packed full of song and showbiz, and a few nifty dance moves in between – plus a lot of Russell’s legendary camp humour. Here’s the description: “Reach for the stars as the nation’s darling rockets into town with a showbiz extravaganza that’ll have you dancing in the aisles. Filled with magic and sparkle, get ready for a barn-storming, foot-tapping, feel good hour to lift your spirits and have you wreathed in smiles. This is the ultimate happy hour! It’s a fun-packed party! Come in feeling blue and leave feeling strictly fablas! No room for party-poopers! Leave your worries at the door and your dancing feet well and truly on the floor!” Well if it delivers all that, we will be well chuffed! I’ll report back around 8pm and also preview our next show around the same time. By the way – this marks our halfway point in Edinburgh – ten shows done, ten to go!

Well both Mrs Chrisparkle and I have danced with Russell Grant – although she got a bit closer with a cheek to cheek waltz! (I just showed him my disco moves) Very enjoyable show where Russell takes a trip down memory lane reflecting on his career and giving us all the maximum chance of joining in. Great if you’re a Strictly fan!