The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2016 – Kevin Dewsbury in Kev’s Komedy Kitchen, 23rd August 2016

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For our next show, it looks like it’s going to be stand-up with a twist – Kev’s Komedy Kitchen, at Just the Cask Room @ Just the Tonic at the Mash House, at 15:40 on Tuesday 23rd. Here’s what the website has to say about it: “Seasoned comedian Kevin Dewsbury returns to the Edinburgh Festival to host a new TV cookery show, featuring special guests from the Fringe, exciting recipes and a few surprises. No two shows will be the same! The perfect afternoon Fringe show. Kevin has brought critically acclaimed solo comedy shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the past. Now, with the popularisation of food, he’s here to combine the ingredients of comedy and cookery. There’ll be something to tickle everyone’s taste buds. ‘A real treat of understated deadpan humour’ (ThreeWeeks).”

We’ve seen Kevin Dewsbury perform a few times before and he’s brilliant, both at the stand-up and the compering. This is going to be something a little different, I think; Mrs Chrisparkle and I don’t do cookery programmes any more – not since we gave in to the God of Eating Out – but I don’t think that’s going to matter. Check back about 4.00 to see if it was a fine feast of humour and by then the preview blog for our next show should be available to read too.

Post-show update:

Absolutely brilliant! Beautifully structured disastrous cookery show where everything that can go wrong does. Kookery Kev does his best to make a go of it but who could survive the over enthusiastic floor manager, special guest, celebrity chef and that art house actress! We laughed solidly the whole hour through. One of the funniest shows this year.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2016 – Kursk, 23rd August 2016

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Our first show for Tuesday is Kursk, a hard hitting play about a dreadful event in maritime history, performed by Airlock Theatre (pun intended, I expect), at Bedlam Theatre, Bristo Place, at 13:25 on Tuesday 23rd. Here’s the blurb from the website: “’Captain, contact’s engine noise ceased… she’s on her way down.’ The year 2000. A Russian submarine, the Kursk, explodes in the Barents Sea. Nearby, a British vessel on a secret military mission witnesses its final minutes. The crew must decide whether to blow their cover and go to the survivors’ aid or obey orders and leave them behind. Inspired by true events, Kursk explores the secrecy, camaraderie and hardship of life in the sea’s depths.”

I’ve heard about this play before, when it ran at the Young Vic a few years ago. I’m hoping this will be highly dramatic and be one of those plays you talk a lot about afterwards. Check back about 2.50 to see if it soared or sank without trace and by then the preview blog for our next show should be available to read too.

Post-show update:

A really engrossing play by Bryony Lavery that gives a fascinating insight into what it must be like to spend months in a submarine on top secret work. The balance of seriousness and levity works really well and the cast of five all turn in top quality performances. I loved the strong sense of claustrophobia and also the moral dilemmas that faced Captain and crew. Highly recommended!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2016 – Spank! 22nd August 2016

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Just like last year, we’re going to see Spank! on Monday night because there’s no finer way to end the perfect day. If ever there was a justification for the old saying, You can’t have too much of a good thing – this is it. Our midnight show at Underbelly Cowgate (Belly Dancer) tonight is only the first of three that we have booked for this anarchically wonderful comedy melange.

Here’s what the blurb has to say: “Spank! returns for an incredible 13th year with sexy hosts, awesome comedians and the inevitable gratuitous nudity. With the most exciting comedy and cabaret talent on the Fringe, don’t miss the ‘best wild night out’ (Scotland on Sunday) at the festival! Spank! You love it! ‘This is what the festival should be about’ (List). ‘Legendary party night? Get down there right away!’ (Time Out). Previous acts include Rhys Darby, Jack Whitehall, Katherine Ryan, Josh Widdicombe, Adam Hills and many more! Ages 18+.” Our hosts, like last year are the incredible Mr James Loveridge and Miss Abigail Schamaun, and I genuinely can’t wait. It’s going to finish at Whenever o’clock so check back much later on – or maybe tomorrow morning – to find out how much spanking took place. And you can also find out about our first show for Tuesday. Are we halfway through the week yet? Not quite!

Post-show update:

I don’t know what it is about Spank (you love it) that I enjoy so much, but all through August before we came up to Edinburgh, I’ve been jealous of the people watching it whilst I was watching it patiently at home.  Tonight, as well as the fabulous Abigoliah and the sensational James, we had Ben who had an argument with Baccara, Martin Crozier who insisted I was a doctor, Conor (?) who had very slow cum, Andrea Hubert, who was so sensitive to her cancer suffering boyfriend, Lauren Pattison, the pride of Newcastle, Alex Kealy, who’s mum is fit and baby-faced Matt Green. Plus we had a real life fight – huge kudos to Paddy for taking control – and the Naked Promo was Ryan who was promoting a bar – Pollyanna’s I think. Fantastic night as always. Why weren’t you there??

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2016 – The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show, 22nd August 2016

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Here’s a show I really wanted to see last year but just couldn’t fit it into our schedule. It’s the Cafe Debris Company’s production of The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show, on at Attic Two @ The Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, West Nicholson Street, at 21:45 on Monday 22nd. Here’s the blurb: “Forget puppets! The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show is a hysterical, murderous live action romp, so leave your sensitivities at the door and enjoy this wicked adults-only spectacle. Based on the 1832 puppet show by Collier and Cruikshank, The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show is a viciously dark comedy inspired by burlesque, vaudeville and grotesque theatre. This is a no holds barred assault on masculinity and what it means to be a white male.”

Here’s an extract of one review I read: “With elements of Brecht savagely intertwined with Restoration bawdiness this is a surprisingly sophisticated deeply tongue in cheek utterly filthy piece of perfectly timed understated crude, rude and provocative brilliance.” Not quite sure what to expect, but I’m not expecting subtlety. Christine Firkin, Les Asmussen, Jimmi Mercieca and Brent Thorpe will no doubt be performing their socks off for us. Check back about 11.00 to see if we’re still laughing and by then the preview blog for our final show of the day should be available to read too.

Post-show update:

Ok well the first thing to say is this is NOT for the easily offended. It’s possibly not even suitable for the moderately offendable! However, park your inhibitions at the front door, remember that Punch and Judy is, essentially, a murderous psychopathic romp, and add a touch of sexual ambiguity to the whole thing and Bob’s Your Uncle! We thought it was very funny and performed with an inordinate amount of spunk. (You know what I mean). A good many people left before the end, but I’m sure you, gentle reader, will want to see how Mr Punch is an excessively lascivious and disgusting person right to the bitter end. Take a risky chance!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2016 – Partial Nudity, 22nd August 2016

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After a much needed afternoon nap (I hope!) we’ll be out again this evening for our next show, which is Fandango Productions’ Partial Nudity, at Monkey House @ Zoo, 140 The Pleasance, at 19:55 on Monday 22nd. Here’s the website blurb: “A Bolton pub. One stag do. One hen do. Two strippers forced to share a dressing room. For Darren, a local lad, this will be his first full strip. For Nina, an international student at Manchester, it’s just another stag to pay off her student loans. Over the course of this claustrophobic 50-minute drama, these two strangers descend into a territory that leaves the audience feeling as exposed as they are. A Fringe debut for Anglo-American Fandango Productions, this play explores gender and sexual politics and the inequality that affects us all today.”

Fandango Productions are Kate Franz and Joe Layton, and the play is written by Emily Layton. As soon as I read the basis of this play I thought it sounded really fascinating, and I look forward to hearing what it does have to say about sexual politics, exploitation, equality and that sense of exposure. Done well this should be dynamite. Check back about 9.00 this evening to see how it went and by then the preview blog for our next show should be available to read too.

Post-show update:

That’s a perfect little play! Wisdom versus naïveté in a most unlikely setting. Really thought provoking and very funny yet also unsettling. Two excellent performances and an insight into a world most of us will never see. Highly recommended!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2016 – Andy Zaltzman: Plan Z, 22nd August 2016

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First stand up of the day is Andy Zaltzman: Plan Z, at Stand 3 @ The Stand Comedy Club, York Place, at 15:40 on Monday 22nd. This is what the blurb has to say: “The marginally less successful half of global hit satirical podcast The Bugle, performed with John Oliver since 2007, returns to the Fringe to plot his planet’s path to and/or from preservation and/or perdition. In a show encompassing national identity, hope, fear and live action democracy, Zaltzman will address diverse issues such as the past, the present, and the future, body-surfing the unending volcano of confused fury that is modern global politics. ‘A master satirist’ (Time Out). ‘Political comedy at its best’ (Sunday Times).”

This is another complete leap of faith, based on a friend’s recommendation that if you see one Edinburgh Fringe show, this has to be the one. Well, we are nothing if not compliant! Check back about 4.00 to see if we agree and by then the preview blog for our next show should be available to read too.

Post-show update:

Our lovely comedy club in Northampton rarely goes near politics, so to see Andy Zaltzman tackling the dreaded Brexit head on is a dream come true! No political target is out of bounds with his slightly aggressive, slightly geeky approach. Brilliant comedy, served up with confidence and imagination. A perfect recommendation!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2016 – Jumping the Barriers, 22nd August 2016

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Next up is another play, Jumping the Barriers, produced by the Courtyard Players at Space 2 @ The Space on the Mile, High Street, at 13:50 on Monday 22nd. Here’s the blurb: “Jumping the Barriers tells the story of a chance meeting on a train between a young graduate and a homeless man. James seemingly has it all – a good job, a nice flat in London and a girlfriend who loves him. Everything is sorted. And that’s the problem. Nothing exciting ever happens to him. Enter Nathan, a streetwise scouser who is homeless and has just bunked on the train. Their short journey shows us how first impressions can be deceiving, how often we take a lot for granted and that we always have a choice.”

I don’t know much about the Courtyard Players – in fact I don’t know anything. So this show is a complete leap of faith. There was something about it though that said I just had to book! Let’s hope my judgment is good. Check back about 3.00 to see what we thought of it and by then the preview blog for our next show should be available to read too.

Post-show update:

My judgment was sound! This is an engrossing and elegantly written play that takes a couple of what you expect to be stereotypes and switches them around to challenge your prejudices and preconceptions. One train journey can change your life for good! Two superb central performances from Adam J S Smith and Chris Daley. Lovely feel good ending too. Very enjoyable and we’d thoroughly recommend it.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2016 – Lest We Forget, 22nd August 2016

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Next up I’m hoping for some meaty drama in the form of Aulos’ Productions’ Lest We Forget, at the Studio @ Paradise in Augustines, George IV Bridge, at midday on Monday 22nd. This is how the website describes it: “From award-winning Edinburgh writer James Beagon, one family struggles to reconcile memories of their son with the truth in the aftermath of WWI. When Harry Ashwood died in battle, he was hailed as a hero. Yet his surviving siblings strive to cast off his shadow as they take care of their ageing mother. Meanwhile, Edith relentlessly campaigns against the army for the right to bring her beloved boy home to rest. But is the boy she remembers the same man she lost at the Somme? ‘Breathtakingly ambitious’ **** (FringeGuru.com). ‘Very satisfying’ **** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Fascinating’ **** (AllEdinburghTheatre.com).”

This will be the third time we’ve seen an Aulos Production, having really enjoyed First Class in 2014 and Women of the Mourning Fields last year. Once again the play is written and directed by James Beagon and arrives at Edinburgh by way of the Buxton Festival. The cast comprises Sophie Harris, Grace Gilbert, Andrew Weir, Heather Daniel and Rob Younger; and I’m expecting this to give emotional and rewarding insights into the scars left by wartime loss. Check back about 1.15 to see how moving it was and by then the preview blog for our next show should be available to read too.

Post-show update:

Very intense and emotional play that specifically deals with a family coming to terms, not only with their son and brother dying in the First World War but also with the fallout with the Imperial War Graves Commission and the debate over where their final resting place should be. An extremely elegant production, with all five roles immaculately and sensitively performed; thought-provoking and very rewarding. Congratulations to all!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2016 – Shakespeare for Breakfast, 22nd August 2016

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It was actually Mrs Chrisparkle who spotted this little nugget in the schedules, and she didn’t even seem put off by having to get up early to see it. It’s Shakespeare for Breakfast, on at +1 at C Venues – C, Chambers Street, at 10:00 am, on Monday 22nd. Let’s look at the blurb: “The bardic breakfasters are back! C’s sensational Shakespearience returns, for its 25th sell-out year, with free coffee and croissants! A pleasing plethora of pentameter, puns and pastry. Perfect for hardened Bard fans, blank verse virgins or those just after some quality fun over freshly-brewed coffee and freshly-baked coissants. ‘A bouncy and boisterous take on Willie’s work’ (List). ‘Well worth getting out of bed for’ (Independent). ‘No holds Bard’ (FringeGuru.com). ‘Irreverent humour… clever’ (Stage). ‘Side-splitting… glorious’ (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Full of fun’ (RemoteGoat.com). ‘Sizzling’ (Scottish Daily Express). Free coffee and croissants! Book early.”

If it really has been going for 25 years, and who am I to doubt, it must be doing something right! I believe this year we’re in for a dream of a Dream, so I am expecting a lot of Bottom humour and some very rude mechanicals. Check back around 11.15am to see if the cast of Emily Jane Kerr, Roseanna Connolly, Jonathan Davenport, Laura B Mortermore, and Noah Young were as funny as they sound, and by then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Post-show update:

That was just the funniest thing! How come we’ve never heard of this before? Five brilliant actors take A Midsummer Night’s Dream and make a totally different play out of it, with so many hilarious cultural references and not a little audience participation. One of the best dishes of Shakespeare ever served. No wonder it’s been going 25 years. If anything is worth getting up for early on a Monday morning – this is it!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2016 – Me, Myself and ISIS, 21st August 2016

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Looking at the shows we could have chosen to end our Sunday, there were a few options but in the end I plumped for Me, Myself and ISIS, performed by the Banana Collective, at T-Bar, Cowgate, at 23:00 on Sunday 21st. Here’s the website blurb: “American cop Frank Law lost his partner two days before retirement. British sketch group Banana Collective lost the plot two days before Edinburgh. But what connects the homoerotic adventures of a 1980s detective with the mental breakdown of bunch of pretentious wannabes? ISIS. Banana Collective may have written an insightful play about the battle between western neoconservatism and religious fundamentalism… or they could be just another sketch group courting controversy with an inflammatory show title. Either way it’s free, so it’s worth a punt, right? Expect themes of solipsism, alcoholism and magnetism.”

Banana Collective are Stoph Demetriou, Daniel Mimms, Dave Tozer and Timmie Blunt – we saw their Who Shot Hitler? a couple of years ago and laughed a lot, so we’re giving them another crack of the whip, so to speak. They promise to take a look at modern culture through their decidedly distorted lens, providing a fresh insight into reality via the medium of total nonsense. If nothing else, they promise free biscuits. Check back shortly after midnight to see if our lenses were aligned and by then the preview blog for our first show on Monday should be available to read too.

Post-show update:

It’s a totally hare-brained hour of surrealist nonsense but it absolutely works! Alongside another ropey episode of Law of the Land (I remember those late night 70s TV series, no cop was ever as good as Frank Law) the Banana lads come together to meet Stoph’s Artistic Vision including Mid-Point Low and Catharsis. I really love how they don’t care how stupid they look on stage (nice thong, Stoph) and running gags like the polite builder and the racist bassist just keep the adrenaline on high. If you saw Who Shot Hitler…. this is funnier! Normally when you see a sketch show at least one of the sketches doesn’t work at all – not in this show. We really loved it all the way through. Free biscuits is a con, mind.