Alvin Liu: Rice, Laughing Horse at the Counting House.
A bright start to the day with forty-five minutes in the company of Alvin Liu, who delivers a fascinating series of comparisons between his new life in the UK and his childhood and upbringing in China. With entertaining curiosities about use of the English language, Alvin gently points out the delightful differences and surprise similarities between us. And just how do you tell your parents, who survived famine, that you’ve got mental health issues?! Rice is a strongly positive show with the main message being that although we’re all very different, we’re even more same-same. This is a Work in Progress in preparation for a fuller, more polished Edinburgh show next year, but even so it’s full of warmth and hilarious observations, and Alvin’s stage persona is charming and friendly, with a great connection to the audience. Thoroughly enjoyable!
Mhairi Black: Politics Isn’t For Me, Gilded Balloon at the Museum.
Everyone (if you’re interested in UK politics, that is) knows that Mhairi Black was the youngest ever MP when she was elected to Parliament in 2015. What you may not know is that she is one helluva live wire out of politics as well as in it, and her first foray into the Edinburgh Fringe is a hilarious delight from start to finish. She admits she’s no stand-up comedian, although she’s funnier than many; and she undoubtedly is a brilliant storyteller who gives us a fascinating insight into the backstage life at the House of Commons and shows us what it’s really like on the inside. Instantly likeable and completely relatable, the hour flies by in an intriguing mix of laughter and parliamentary documentary. Give this woman a TV chat show this minute! And keep an eye out for returns, as the entire run of her show is currently sold out.
Goose’s Quizzes Elimination Game, Assembly Rooms.
Our first ever exposure to what is clearly a highly popular quiz show, this is the perfect way to spend the first hour or so of your Fringe evening. Don’t bother sitting down, you’ll soon be up on your feet in the middle of the stage floor to answer questions. You do this by simply standing in either the red, green or yellow section of the floor. If you get the answer right, then you carry on to the next round, and so on until one person is the winner – they don’t call it an Elimination Quiz for nothing. And the prizes are well worth winning – from food and drink offers to – well, in fact, yours truly was the winner in one round and ended up with a voucher for a Whisky Tasting experience! Hosted by Goose himself (that’s Andrew Wildgoose), the show is enormous fun; the questions are a good range from the reasonably obvious to the distinctly challenging, and I can completely see how this can become a very addictive show to return to again and again – as there are different questions every night. Very good humoured and welcoming – and a good way to make new friends too! We loved it!
Cabaret of Filth, Laughing Horse at the Three Sisters.
Cabaret of Filth is one of these late night, variety-cum-burlesque shows that the Fringe does so well. The featured acts change every night, but all I can say from the lineup we saw is that this production is one of the better examples of the genre. Hosted by the fabulous Kirsty Munro, we had a mixture of stand-up, burlesque and boylesque, all of which was of a very high, not to mention hysterically funny standard. Diva Delicious, Aaron Twitchen, Carlos Sandin and Anna Beros were the guest stars; among that lineup there was a speciality act that I don’t think I’ll ever quite be able to forget – I’ll say no more!! Very funny and a great vibe; an excellent way to end your Edinburgh day.