What the F*ck Happened to Love and Hope, TheSpace on The Mile.
Faye and Nina are trying to play it cool at school, both of them fancying Harry – but it’s clear that Harry prefers Faye to Nina, so Nina’s brave attempt to ask him out is fruitless. Still, she can (just about) forgive her for stealing her not-yet boyfriend and have a giggle at sexting and dickpics instead. But a real night out on the town gets disastrously out of hand for both of them. Powerfully written and performed, the play highlights the vulnerability of young women and girls when boys and young men don’t care about the consequences of their own actions. Rape can take many forms, but – no excuses – rape is always rape. Excellent performances from Heidi Steel and Olivis McGeachy, who also wrote the play. A painful watch, but an important one.
Phil Henderson: Space Cowboy, Just the Tonic at the Mash House.
Do you know what a white cowboy hat signifies? I didn’t, but I do now, thanks to Phil Henderson’s Space Cowboy show. To be fair, there’s not a lot of actual cowboy content, but Mr H does have a huge amount of extremely funny and original material, exploring sexuality, politics, prejudice, and what it was that really appealed to him about his late cat. Phil Henderson has a terrifically unhurried yet confident style; his material flows naturally and often brings us back to his love of wordplay – which is superbly judged (not too much, not too little). A very likeable persona on stage with some first-rate punchlines and observations – many of which take you by surprise as being unexpectedly challenging. A great show that deserves a bigger audience!
Ben Miller: Volcano, Just the Tonic at the Caves.
Ben Miller (not THE Ben Miller – as he points out in the show) takes us through an illustrated journey of his time as Artist-in-Residence at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. As well as facts about volcanoes, Mr Miller also includes topics such as the dumb questions that people ask Volcano Park Rangers, the poverty of Pompeiians, and when does magma become lava. Who says the Fringe isn’t educational? Ben Miller has a charming, wry, laconic delivery and the show is full of very funny lines and observations as well as… well… more stuff about volcanoes. An unexpectedly entertaining and undoubtedly unique show!
Annaliesa Rose sings the Peter Allen Songbook, Speakeasy at the Royal Scots Club.
Here’s a show that does exactly what it says on the tin. As Annaliese Rose points out early in her set, it’s a huge surprise to most Australians that the British have absolutely no idea who Peter Allen was. However, as Mrs Chrisparkle was brought up down under, Peter Allen is no stranger to our household, and the show is a delightful reminder of some of his amazing songs. They wanted to bring some of his less well-known numbers to the Fringe, and there are certainly a few songs in the set that were new to us; but you’ll enjoy hearing old favourites like I Still Call Australia Home, Tenterfield Saddler and Quiet Please, There’s a Lady on Stage. However, in their quest to bring his more obscure songs to our attention they omit I Go to Rio, which really ought to be a sackable offence! Annaliese Rose has a great jazz voice and is accompanied by her musical director Daryl Wallis on the keyboard. A charming and nostalgic afternoon’s show.
Werewolf, Summerhall.
Welcome to the containing room; a room that is your safe haven. Enter the room and sit on a seat with a card on it. The information on the card is for your eyes only, and for you to act on it, when the time is right. Before long, it becomes clear that two wardens are patrolling and looking after the people in the room. They’re there for our safety, right? A third warden arrives late. Suspicious? Perhaps. And we’re there for seven days – unless the werewolves get us first. Part immersive theatre, part role-play, part improvisation; these all combine to make a thrilling and scary hour where you’re confronted with questions of trust, conspiracy theories and a spot of lycanthropy. New Zealand’s Binge Culture cast guide us all through this spooky and alarming set-up, with bags of uncomfortable and awkward laughter and sudden unexpectedly missing audience members. Stella Reid, Hannah Kelly and Joel Baxendale are brilliant as our helpful wardens, and this is a hugely entertaining and totally unique theatrical experience.
Pali and Jay’s Ultimate Asian Wedding DJ Roadshow, Assembly George Square Studios.
Love, respect and generational differences are highlighted in this rather charming and emotional little show about an uncle and nephew DJ team, bringing a bit of Bhangra and Bollywood to the wedding parties of Southall. Older Uncle Pali has his problems, with an imminent divorce, fertility problems (a big no-no to confess when it’s the man who is “to blame”) and an unlikely and illogical fear of his audience and clients. The younger Jay has no fears and few boundaries but he’s too lazy to wash his own clothes and gets videoed throwing up outside a gig after drinking too much – such behaviour is not good for business and is not what the nice folk of Southall are willing to put up with. Cleverly put together with two likeable performances from Tez Ilyas as Pali and Viraj Juneja as Jay (who also wrote the play); my only criticism of the show is that it probably could lose a quarter of an hour and be a little punchier as a result. But it’s an entertaining look at the Southall showbiz scene and a heartwarming portrayal of a family dynamic.
4 girls the first letter e, Greenside at George Street.
I was at a severe disadvantage watching and appreciating this show. Firstly, I have no experience of gaming online against live opponents (things have moved on since I started playing Tetris and Mah-Jongg); and I’d never heard of the Slenderman or the event when two girls stabbed their friend on his instruction. As a result, I watched this play in total bafflement as to what was going on; I appreciated that the four girls were playing a game and that the goal was trying to please The King, but that was as far as it went; in fact, at one stage, I wondered if it was a religious allegory. It was only in conversation on the way home that – I think – I understood part of it; that The King is a paedophile who uses “the game” to entrap vulnerable children. Sadly, I think I’m forty years too old to appreciate this play. I’m afraid I also found it rather boring. That said, I can now see that it’s a clever way of telling its story. But more than that, I am not qualified to comment!