Tag Archives: fringe

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – (Some)Body, 24th August 2019

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Now for some thought-provoking and atmospheric dance, with Alyona Ageeva’s PosleSlov Theatre’s production of (Some)Body at C Venues – C Aquila – Temple at 15:25 on Saturday 24th. Let’s read the blurb: “Does a body make us human? Does it have a soul? What hides beneath nudity? What is nudity itself? Nudity is extreme openness and vulnerability and, at the same time, an incomprehensible power connected not only with sexuality. The magic of Eros, the compelling power of nudity, the way up and the way down, transcendence and co-creation, fragility and strength. Life, death, pain and love – all of this complex and unspeakable physical phenomenon is what we are researching in (Some)Body. ‘Hypnotic’ (Guardian). ‘Bold, sensitive and meaningful’ (FringeReview.co.uk). ‘Compelling’ ***** (BroadwayBaby.com).

We saw this company last year with their creative Sky Labyrinths and it was excellent. Check back around 4.30 pm to see if this production is too. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

A very interesting piece for number of reasons. At first the dynamic is full of impact and tension; but after a while you sense that there is no sense of progress or development. Choreographically it’s largely slow and stylised, and totally devoid of expression. In one sense, that’s disappointing, in another that’s what the whole show is about. Thought-provoking for sure; it could have gone even further.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Smoke, 24th August 2019

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With immaculate planning, it’s straight onto another rather hard-hitting kind of play. It’s Boundby Theatre’s Smoke at Playground 3 @ Zoo Playground at 13:35 on Saturday 24th. Here’s the blurb: “‘You know you get to choose what happens to you, right?’ That’s what John tells Julie when they meet at a kink-play party in New York City. She’s an aspiring college drop out living in the shadow of her famous artist parents; he’s her father’s too-old-to-be-unknown intern. The two instantly connect and, with knives bared, wits at the ready and sex an open question, tensions run high as Julie and John teeter between pain and play, fear and fun. The audience is left questioning: who really has the power?”

The poster promises a refreshingly honest and edgy exploration of sexual taboo, and it stars Kristin Winters and Vincent Santvoord as the two protagonists. Check back around 3pm to see what it was all about. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Immense commitment from the two performers, exploring this sexual kink at such close quarters to the audience. A smartly written, surprisingly funny play but with moments that have you clenching every imaginable muscle. Very good indeed – entertaining although not especially *nice*!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Marrow, 24th August 2019

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First up today for what I think could be an unsettling and upsetting play, but it’s got to be seen. It’s Craig MacArthur with Flying Solo Productions’ Marrow at Haldane Theatre @ theSpace @ Surgeons Hall at 12:05 on Saturday 24th. Here’s the blurb: “Welcome into the hallucinogenic and feverish mind of a physically traumatised dancer struggling to make sense of his horrific brutalisation and the aftermath. A visceral and poetic condemnation of LGBTQ violence, Marrow is a homage to the countless queer artists who make a positive impact on the world and those we know and love. You, the audience, are asked to witness the aftermath of violence and encouraged to access your power to condemn and prevent similar acts of hatred.”

Starting the day with a rather serious play, by the sounds of it. Knowing LGBT people who have been beaten up simply for being gay, this could be a hard watch. Check back around 1.30 pm to see what we thought. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

A true acting tour de force that includes every emotion under the sun. It’s structured as a stream of consciousness as our dancer slowly emerges from a coma, which requires terrific acting and writing alike. Hard hitting, compelling and memorable.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – TGIF, 23rd August 2019

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Next up should be a good twist on role-playing and comedy theatre. It’s Y-Axis Theatre’s production of TGIF at 22:30 on Friday 23rd at Haldane Theatre @ theSpace @ Surgeons Hall. Let’s read the blurb: “TGIF is the best worst episode of Friends you’ll see this summer. Four best friends meet every Friday night to play their favourite games. This Friday, the gang has two new members. One of them is hiding a dark secret which is about to be revealed. The perfect anti-sitcom is finally brought on stage – hilarious, surprising and twisted, this play will show you how toxic friendships can become and how, in one night, your life can be changed forever.”

This intrigues me; I think there’s going to be a lot of interpersonal savagery going on which might be quite hard to take! Check back around midnight to see what we thought of it. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Funny, savage little play which nicely highlights the problems when people from different friend circles try to overlap. Great physical comedy too. We really enjoyed it.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Garry Starr Conquers Troy, 23rd August 2019

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Time now for what should be one of the comic highlights of the Fringe. It’s Garry Starr Conquers Troy at Belly Button @ Underbelly Cowgate at 20:00 on Friday 23rd. Take a look at the blurb: “Having single-handedly saved the performing arts in 2018 with his multi award-winning debut solo show, comic wunderkind Garry Starr delivers another anarchic drama masterclass to remember. Acting was invented by the ancient Greeks. Before that, people were just pretending. With the release of his groundbreaking new book An Actor Pretends, Starr delves deep into his Greek ancestry to enlighten us all with the ancient art of Pretendism, thus saving the performing arts from the evil clutches of Method Acting. **** (Guardian). **** (Scotsman). **** (Evening Standard).”

We saw Garry Starr Performs Everything last year, for which he won the coveted Chrisparkle Award for Edinburgh – Best of the Rest – and it was an absolute riot from start to finish, and we can’t wait for this year’s Starr Factor! Check back around 9.30 pm to see how much fun it was. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Garry back in absolutely top form in an hour long riot of silliness and hilarity. As usual he exposes the parts other dramatic actors fail to reach; it’s an indescribable act but about as funny as you can get. If you’re up in Edinburgh you just have to see his show!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Hitman and Her, 23rd August 2019

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Here’s another play that sounds like it’s a cross between black comedy and searing drama; it’s Stage D’Or’s Hitman and Her, on at Q2, PQA Venues @ Riddles Court, at 17:50 on Friday 23rd. Here’s the blurb: “Following the success at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe with the five-star show After Today, Stage D’Or returns with their latest work from acclaimed playwright Tim Connery. Donna Ryeman’s friend meets a hitman in a pub as she wants her husband dead. He is reluctant to accept, particularly as it seems that Donna Ryeman’s friend may not be ‘all there’ even though she has a certificate to prove her sanity. Will he take the job? What’s with the Post-it Notes? Why is the pub suddenly so empty? And who is having an affair with her husband?”

This is going to be another of those plays that could be absolutely brilliant or fall flat on its ar*e. Time till tell! Check back around 7.15 pm to see how much we enjoyed it, and by then the preview blog for our next show should be available to read too.

Brisk, content-packed, full of surprises, this is a very enjoyable play with two very good performances. It’s not going to change the world but it’s very entertaining!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Drowning, 23rd August 2019

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Enough humour, it’s back to the serious drama with our next play, Dark Lady Company’s Drowning at 14:30 on Friday 23rd at Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Above. Let’s check that blurb: “What makes a killer? What makes the yearning for connection and friendship so great that you would do anything? How does a mind justify the most terrifying act? In 1991, four Austrian nurses were charged with murdering 49 patients in their beds, but were suspected of killing up to 200. The world premiere of this blistering new play by Jessica Ross, directed by Steven Roy and executive produced by Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss, forces us to confront all we deem evil, horrible, and hideous. Look carefully enough, and we might just see a little bit of ourselves.”

I sense this could be a chilling, harrowing drama, possibly one to give you nightmares. Just as well it’s a daytime slot! Check back around 3.45 pm to see what we thought about it. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Wow! Don’t leave me in the care of any of those nurses, I beg of you! Beautifully acted, smartly staged and with terrifying content. I loved the juxtaposition of the jolly 80s music with the savagery of murder; and with the individual imaginings of what each nurse’s motivation might be. Gripping and first class!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Andrew White: Retirement Tour, 23rd August 2019

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After what I think might have been quite a hard-hitting play, it’s time for a bit of comedy jollity. The next show is Andrew White: Retirement Tour at Just the Cask Room @ Just the Tonic at the Mash House at 13:05 on Thursday 23rd. Here’s the blurb: “What do you do when life comes to a crossroads? Write a show about it, of course! At 19 years old, Andrew White can’t help but question his next steps: should he keep slogging it out on the stand-up circuit? Or should he leave it all behind for further education? Is this truly the Retirement Tour? A brand-new comedy show from ‘one of the most talked about rising star comedians’ (EssexMagazine.co.uk). Weighing up his future, Andrew takes a hilarious look at the value of comedy vs the benefits of university. ‘Not to be missed’ (Daily Record).”

I love the idea that a 19-year-old should be planning his retirement tour. Good man! I’ve not seen Andrew White live before but a video I’ve seen shows a lot of promise – so here’s hoping he’s a great new find. Check back around 2.30 pm to see how funny he was. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Just the Cask Room can be quite a tough venue if you have a small audience; somehow it exposes any weaknesses in your material. Andrew White has a nice, gentle, confiding style but we didn’t feel there was enough to sustain an hour. Plenty of chuckles, and I enjoyed the will-he won’t-he aspect to the structure, but it just lacked a certain something.

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – White Girls, 23rd August 2019

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We kick off the day with an interesting and potentially challenging play. It’s Laughing Mirror’s production of White Girls at The Turret, Gilded Balloon Teviot, at 11:00 on Thursday 23rd. This is how the blurb describes it: “Two girls go on a journey. They want to annoy their Tory parents. They want to make a difference. But as they find themselves in the middle of an international refugee crisis, they realise they are going to need to do more than just a fun run to help. White Girls explores voluntourism within the Calais Jungle from 2016 to the present day and questions the notion of white charity. **** (BroadwayBaby.com). **** (VoiceMag.uk). Shortlisted for New Writing South’s Best New Play at Brighton Fringe 2018.”

This is a great subject for a play, and a fascinating new subject to consider. The play won some great reviews last year so I’m very keen to see it for myself. Check back around 12.15 pm to see if we enjoyed it. By then the next preview blog should be available to read too.

Beautifully crafted and structured, with a great balance between the middle-class awks element of roughing it and the genuine horror of refugee life. The two engaging performers work superbly well together. Food for thought but great fun too. Highly recommended!

The Edinburgh Fringe One-Weeker 2019 – Pussy in Boots: The Adult Panto, 22nd August 2019

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Let’s wind the evening up with a little more sauciness, wrapped up in the familiar experience of the family panto. It’s Pumpkin Pantos’ Pussy in Boots: The Adult Panto, at Grand Theatre @ theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, at 23:25, Thursday 22nd. Let’s read the blurb: “Join us for a naughty night out in which the world of pantomime will be spun on its head in this hilarious, innuendo-filled show packed with sauce, smut and shocks. The Kingdom of Clitopia is in peril from a giant ogre, but with a little help from the magical Puss in Boots will our hero Dick save the land? Will he slay the ogre? And more importantly will he finally have it off with the fair princess? It’s cheeky! It’s sexy! It’s raunchy! It’s everything a panto shouldn’t be!”

Done well this should be brilliant; if it misses its mark it might be ghastly. Fingers crossed! Check back around 1 am to see what we thought. By then the first preview blog for tomorrow should be available to read too.

Someone’s been to see the Sheffield Panto! A show like this, the bigger the audience, the funnier it is; and although we weren’t a massive audience we did rather put our backs into it. I ended up being the Queen’s boyfriend, a demanding job, but someone’s gotta do it. Funny, delightfully traditional in structure, and with plenty of adult humour. I enjoyed it a lot! Oh, and they really pushed the boat out with the “If I were not upon the stage” routine. Top commitment!