Continuing that endless quest for pre-Edinburgh perfection, those nice people at the Comedy Crate treated us to two more work in progress shows on probably the hottest night of the year, so the comedy stars had to be good to keep our attention. Fortunately, they were!
First up was Felicity Ward, who is brushing up her material for her Edinburgh show, I Wish I Could Come Out of My Shell, on at the Cabaret Voltaire from 17th to 30th August. It’s a lovely ironic title as there are few people who have abandoned their shell more than Felicity. A recent ADHD diagnosis (no, really?!) after becoming newly divorced, and, after a year or so of quietly coming to terms with it all, she’s now hit the dating apps, thereby discovering all sorts of new things about herself. She has some great material about bi-dating and the different vibes you get from different apps; she also reflects on her favourite TV show, Alone, gives all the inside information on her appearances in Australia’s Dancing with the Stars, and a no-holds-barred sequence of needing to do a poo when her son also needed one – let’s just say necessity was the mother of invention. A fast and exhilarating delivery of well-structured and very funny material, there’s very little further tweaking needed before she hits Edinburgh – this will be a comedy highlight of the Fringe I’m sure.
After the interval we welcomed Lindsey Santoro, an effervescent presence of uninhibited comic ideas, who hits the ground running with frenetic attack, a wonderfully confiding nature, and some bold material that takes us where angels fear to tread. She’s preparing for her Edinburgh show, It Was Like That When I Got Here, also at the Cabaret Voltaire, from 19th to 30th August. Much of her material is based on surviving married life as wife and mother; and she includes a hilarious sequence of going to a Haven Holidays Caravan Site, the unusual selfies she was advised to take when pregnant, and the secret pleasures of women in the jacuzzi. There’s some refinement needed to make all the material dovetail and choose exactly the right words at times, but that’s just what a Work in Progress show is all about; and Ms Santoro has the benefit of being a naturally outrageously funny person who holds the audience in the palm of her hand from start to finish.
A terrific blend of comedy and aircon! There are yet more Edinburgh Previews coming in the weeks ahead.