Tag Archives: Rob Auton

Edinburgh Fringe 2024 Reviews – Bailey Swilley: Gimme a Sign!, Common is as Common Does: A Memoir, Rob Auton: The Eyes Open and Shut Show, Pillock, Robin Grainger: Refurb, and A Play by John

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Bailey Swilley: Gimme a Sign!, Laughing Horse at the Three Sisters.

3-stars

It’s not a coincidence that that you enter The Wee Room at The Three Sisters to the sound of Ghostbusters, because Bailey Swilley’s Gimme a Sign is all about ghosts – even those who are still alive! Bailey is a terrifically authoritative storyteller, and everyone present was caught up on her stories about her family life (part American, part Taiwanese), her parents, her grandparents, and the wonderful boyfriend whom everyone loved except her. She has a very entertaining raconteuse style, dotting her reminiscences with funny stories but also not shying away from the emotional pitfalls that come from loving someone who is no longer with us. There’s also a salutary tale about why you should never attend a funeral without underwear. Effortlessly enjoyable!

Common is as Common Does: A Memoir, Zoo Southside.

3-stars

21Common’s new show seems a little perplexing at first. We’re clearly in the Wild West, all blue jeans and Stetsons, with a bunch of guys and gals all ready for a spot of line dancing. The Man introduces us to the main players of the piece: himself – naturally; The Woman – second fiddle but she has her uses, The Rascal – an unpredictable cove who might or might not kill you, and The Boy – definitely at the bottom of the pecking order (for now). Through various songs and various scenes, some of which are in Cowboy Country but some are in any deprived estate you might find in the UK, we see poverty and violence, forming a stark contrast with our rather romantic view of an old John Wayne western. The most striking (literally) scene is where The Man physically abuses The Woman (on video) whilst she sings Dusty Springfield’s You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me to him; it’s an awful, horrible moment – and then you realise how powerful that image is. All this story is told through the narration of The Man, mixed with song and dance. Think TV’s Shameless but with a western twist set to contemporary dance. Very clever indeed; sometimes a little scruffy around the edges, but it produces impactful theatre.

Rob Auton: The Eyes Open and Shut Show, Assembly Roxy.

4-stars

One thing (there are others) that unites all of Rob Auton’s shows is that you never know quite what to expect. Even when you’re halfway through the show, you still don’t know what’s ahead in the second half. I think Mr Auton likes to keep us on our toes; but possibly not as much as he likes to keep himself challenged, always coming up with brand new ideas from which to launch a show. Early on in The Eyes Open and Shut Show Rob invites us to close our eyes and listen to his instructions – following thoughts around the body and enjoying how comfy our eyes feel. But there’s no point my giving you any more details about the act; it’s of such a philosophical slant that it would be impossible for me to provide a description anywhere near it. Rob Auton is always a man of whimsy more than stand-up jokes, and he always makes you see familiar things from an unusual angle. A class act!

Pillock, Assembly Rooms.

4-stars

Meet Pillock – his name for himself, not ours; a jobbing actor who’s happy to take the unimportant minor roles so long as there’s a bit of cash coming in. Projecting ADHD in his every move, he hurtles around from one end of the stage to another, dropping his little gossipy bits of information, purely confidentially of course, whether it’s via the medium of a downward dog or a Grindr swipe. Into his life comes Eugene; handsome, mature, rich – what’s not to like? Pillock tells us about their slowly evolving relationship, including the fact that there’s three of them in this set-up – the other being Eugene’s late husband Peter. Where will this journey take them? Only Pillock has the answer. This is a beautifully written monologue, both hilarious and sad in equal measure, delivered with a lively joie-de-vivre and masses of energy by Jordan Tweddle. Simply but effectively designed, the text is full of wonderful comic observations; one that stood out for me was the reason why you can’t consider ADHD to be a superpower. A great piece of writing and a very fine performance. Highly recommended!

Robin Grainger: Refurb, The Stand Comedy Club 2.

Wasn’t it Fred Astaire who said – and I think it was – pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again? That’s basically the premise of the brilliant Robin Grainger’s new show Refurb – those moments in life when you think you need to have a bit of a smartening and shaping up to face the new challenges of life. Robin’s challenges started early – three months early in fact, as that is how much gestation period he and his mum missed out on. The perils of prematurity are the starting point for a lot of his issues – which have very much influenced his approach to life. Needing physiotherapy sessions as a boy, hiding away from school sports, and being too scared to go on the slide in the park – he’s needed a lot of Refurbs to get to his current happy status. Mr Grainger has that rare gift of being simply, innately funny; the comic observations start from the first second and don’t let up till the final minute. He populates his ideas with marvellous moments of local colour; they’re not vital to the thrust of his comic argument, but add brilliant side-insights – for example, his re-enactment of phoning his mum in the wilds of Aberdeenshire creates a hilarious image of windswept isolation. Refurb is beautifully structured – all the ideas littered throughout the show come together in the final moments to make a very satisfying whole. And he’s spot on about toilet seats. It’s a privilege to spend an hour in his company.

A Play by John, TheSpace at Surgeons’ Hall.

As you enter the auditorium, Matteo is busy with his woodwork. Noisily banging nails into chipboard, he seems to know what he’s doing – but it’s not as good as the finished piece of work on the far side of the stage. When Reggie joins him it becomes clear that they’re building their own coffins; they toy with each other over the idea of killing each other too – makes sense, I guess, in an unconventional way. And if you’re going to be building your own coffin, there’s only one likely outcome at the end of the play. Mule Productions’ A Play by John has the germ of an idea for a great play, but it’s not quite there yet. Inspired by the likes of Pinter’s Dumb Waiter and Beckett’s Godot, you can see the tensions between the two trapped characters with no obvious way out of their emotional and physical cul-de-sac; but as the play currently stands, it suffers from a lack of subtlety and a prolonged, awkward ending. It needs to make more of the realisation that they are characters in a play, and it would be far more effective simply with less shouting. It’s a clever idea, and not without its charm, with good performances from Marc Wadhwani and Jules Smekens.

The Edinburgh Fringe All Month Long – 6th August 2024

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What’s in store for us in Edinburgh today?

Here’s the schedule for August 6th

10:45 – Bailey Swilley: Gimme a Sign! Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters. From the Edinburgh Fringe website:

“In this vulnerable yet irreverent debut, Bailey Swilley shares how she got through the darkest time in her life – the death of her father – with the help of family, pop culture and an obsession with looking for signs from ghosts. Come for the sweet stuff, stay for the weird facts about celebs!”

So here’s an up and coming comedian of whom I know very little – but if you can’t take a risky punt at Edinburgh, where can you? Family, grief and ghosts? That basically covers everything that life has to offer. I’m quite partial to believing in ghosts myself, so I hope to find someone who’s also prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt!

12:30 – Common Is As Common Does: A Memoir, ZOO Southside.

“Fringe favourites 21Common return for a dance spectacular, mashing karaoke carnage and feats of physical endurance with chucking-out time at the Grand Ole Oprey. Using tropes of Western movies, it explores how poverty and violence shape a man. This is a deep and dirty dive into a family circle that more often resembles a ring of fire. Part saloon (there’s crooner country classics), speakeasy (brush/scuffing danceathons) and bare-knuckle boxing ring (it’s going to kick off`), join us in our Wild West sitting room with the ones who spit. Part of MadeInScotlandShowcase.com”

That’s a very full description of a Fringe show! Essentially I’m expecting a rather immersive dance show that blurs the boundaries between other art forms – and with a bit of Yee-ha! thrown in! It’ll be fascinating to see exactly what it’s all about.

14:15 – Rob Auton: The Eyes Open and Shut Show, Assembly Roxy.

“This is a show about eyes when they are open and eyes when they are shut. With this show I wanted to explore what I could do to myself and others with language when eyes are open and shut. After writing ten shows on specific themes, I wanted to think about what makes me open my eyes and what makes me shut them. ‘A genuine original’ (Guardian). ‘The mother freaking greatest’ (James Acaster). ‘Very hilarious’ (David Shrigley). ‘A genius’ (Bridget Christie). ‘Makes laughter out of wonder. We need him’ (Scotsman).”

In all the world of stand-up comedy, Rob Auton has carefully carved out a unique space for himself; a cross between guffawingly hilarious observational comedy and gentle philosophical whimsy. I can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for us this time!

18:25 – Pillock, Assembly Rooms.

“Pillock has ADHD. His brain works faster than his bowel when he’s had a Babybel. And he’s lactose intolerant. He’s trying to keep his head above water, but he’s drowning in loneliness, hook-up culture and medical role plays. He feels stagnant and it’s going to take more than a yoga class to help. But, when he meets Eugene everything changes. His shot at the sort of love people write poems about. But will he be Mr Right, Mr Right Now or even Mr Wrong? Pillock wants to trust his gut, but his can’t even handle a Muller Corner.”

This sounds like one of those quirky Fringe shows that will either be a sensational new find or something that everyone should have left alone! I’m erring on the Sensational New Find side, and trust that it will be well-written and classily performed comedy.

20:10 – Robin Grainger: Refurb, The Stand Comedy Club 2.

“As seen on The One Show (BBC One), BBC News, BBC Scotland. As heard on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio Scotland, Heart, Forth One. Featured in The Telegraph, The Scotsman, Metro, British Comedy Guide, Chortle. ‘It’s dope… it says a lot about what your future will be… as a comedian, you have no choice but to shine’ (Kevin Hart). ‘You can’t fake this level of likability. A magic hour of comedy’ ***** (TheRealChrisparkle.com). ‘An excellent way to spend an hour’ ****½ (One4Review.co.uk). ‘He’s a brilliant stand-up… he effortlessly blends poignancy in with the laughs’ **** (List).”

Oh look – a quote from me! We saw Robin Grainger for the first time last year and I absolutely stand by my five stars for that show, and I can’t wait to see what he’s been brewing up for this year.

22:10 – A Play by John, theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall.

“How is it possible: we all watch this, we all agree, we all shake our heads, yet we all get up tomorrow morning and do it all over again? Matteo and Reggie, fuelled by John’s suggestion, build their own coffins. This new writing unfolds as they grapple with existence, hope and fate. We invite audiences to think about why we’re here and what it all really means, wrapped up in a simple act…”

This play is described as being like a cross between Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Pinter’s Dumb Waiter, both of whom sound fine by me. Surreal and absurd; if the writing and performances are both top quality, this should be sensational!

Check back later to see how we enjoyed all these shows!

Edinburgh Fringe 2023 Reviews – Four, Rob Auton: The Rob Auton Show, Marlon Solomon: How to be an Antisemite, Shenanigans Cabaret, and Rosie Holt: That’s Politainment!

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Four, Gilded Balloon Teviot.

Let’s start with the positives! It’s a terrific premise for a show. Leonard, the lead violin of a string quartet, has died and the three remaining members had made a pact not to carry on after he’d gone, but to quit the quartet. But Hassim, their spivy, untrustworthy manager has recruited a new member, Kiki, to replace Leonard without telling the others. They decide, eventually, to allow a four-month trial, to see if they get on together and want to carry on. And the result? You’ll have to watch the play to find out! The play takes a variety of themes – grief, loyalty, the value of the arts, the need to move forward and change with the times, trust, and more – and deals with them pretty well. However, if you do decide to watch the play, there are five performers on stage and I regret to say that only one is a good actor. One is – and I hesitate to say this – very wooden indeed. The others give performances that are just about adequate. One of those tricky judgments – an intriguing play that’s not very well executed. Given the range of terrific shows on offer at the Fringe, I cannot recommend this show because of the acting. But it’s your choice!

 

Rob Auton: The Rob Auton Show, Assembly Roxy.

Having performed shows built on various subjects over the years, Rob Auton’s newest show is about the topic he knows best – Rob Auton. He takes us through personal moments over his formative childhood years, like the simple pleasure of watching a lava lamp with his sister, or his excellence on the cricket field, through his first experiences with the opposite sex and finding his feet as The Crab Cake Kid. Rob Auton is nothing if not engagingly honest; his flights of both fancy and fantasy take wing as he taps into his natural philosophical poetry and brings out many of the more ludicrous of his observations. His humour is not for everyone; few people have that kind of universal appeal. But personally I love wallowing in his mental somersaults; and, like all his shows, there is a journey to be followed and both the route to get there and the final end point are thoroughly enjoyable.

4-stars

Marlon Solomon: How to Be an Antisemite, Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose.

Marlon Solomon delivers a well-researched and entertainingly illustrated talk about the history of antisemitism which goes right back to the Bible and the earliest art, and is more engrained in human brains than I could ever have imagined. It’s a very informative  show – for example, I’d never encountered the word “jew” as a verb before – and it’s never used as a complimentary term. And isn’t that David Icke a horrendous stain on humanity? I’m glad to know nothing about him. Entertaining and educational, this is a fascinating and enlightening hour that never gets over-serious despite the seriousness of its topic.

4-stars

Shenanigans Cabaret, The Space on the Mile.

A brash, funny and talented burlesque show included circus stunts (I think that’s the right phrase), boylesque and some terrific routines. The cast change from tomorrow, so I can’t say how it will be next week, but tonight’s show was very enjoyable! Classic burlesque and cabaret at its best.

4-stars

Rosie Holt: That’s Politainment! Pleasance Courtyard.

I love Rosie Holt’s social media videos where she pretends to be a feckless and condescending Tory MP – they’re priceless. But how well does the character transfer to live theatre? We saw her show last year and it worked really well – not too much reliance on her pre-recorded material and plenty to laugh at. This year, however, it isn’t so successful. I commend her for using no pre-recorded material at all, so all the material was fresh and new; and the structure of the show is clever, with a right-wing shock jock TV and radio presenter warming up the audience for Rosie’s appearance as a bigoted MP and then reappearance as a stand-up comic. Unfortunately, the show never goes far enough in any one direction to be truly funny – the TV presenter holds back from being truly foul, the MP doesn’t quite make the social and political gaffes we might expect, and the “stand-up” sequence is full of padding and repetition and just doesn’t hit the jackpot. There’s still a lot to amuse and the characterisations are frighteningly believable; I just wanted more.

3-stars

The Edinburgh Fringe All Month Long – 20th August 2023

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Wanna know what’s scheduled for today in Edinburgh?

Here’s the schedule for 20th August:

12.45 – Four, Gilded Balloon Teviot. From the Edinburgh Fringe website:

“In this poignant and compelling new work, an ambitious manager introduces a new first violinist to a longstanding string quartet with an uncertain future. As the reconstituted quartet plays, over twelve weeks of rehearsals and performances, it becomes evident that this new blood has disrupted the settled dynamics of the group. The award-winning playwright of Four, Clé Holly (Parallel Lines, Stretch, American Standard), is herself a violinist, and it shows in the verisimilitude of this sharply written drama. Featuring live music.”

This sounds like an interesting combination of genres. What happens when a new person disrupts a happy team?

14.25 – Rob Auton: The Rob Auton Show, Assembly Roxy.

“The Rob Auton Show is a show about Rob Auton. Rob Auton has written nine hit Edinburgh Festival Fringe comedy/theatre/spoken-word shows on specific themes including yellow in The Yellow Show, and sleep in The Sleep Show. In his tenth show Rob turns the pen on himself to explore the memories and feelings that create his life on a daily basis. ‘A genuine original’ (Guardian). ‘Makes laughter out of wonder. We need him’ (Scotsman). ‘Charming, eccentric and uplifting’ (Independent). ‘Brilliant’ (Stewart Lee). ‘One of my absolute favourites’ (Daniel Kitson).”

I’m a big fan of Rob Auton’s quiet, unconventional style so I’m looking forward to seeing what his new show is all about!

16.20 – Marlon Solomon: How to Be an Antisemite, Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose.

“From the maker of Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard’s Tale – **** (BroadwayBaby.com), **** (TheWeeReview.com) – comes Marlon Solomon’s highly anticipated second show. A black comedy about the current rise of antisemitism, where it comes from and what we can do about it. Marlon explores his own experience being a target and how it changed his life. Told in his own unique style, How To Be An Antisemite is a wry piece of storytelling which exposes a shocking underbelly in society that few know exist. It’s another comic tale which is no laughing matter.”

The last time we saw Marlon Solomon live was in the remarkable The Curing Room at Edinburgh a few years back. This will be a very different kettle of fish, and I’m looking forward to hearing everything he has to say about antisemitism.

18.15 – Shenanigans Cabaret, The Space on the Mile.

“East London’s five-star variety show comes to Edinburgh for the third year in a row, bringing you top-class cabaret acts from across the performing arts industry, including circus, burlesque, sideshow, acrobatics, live music, drag, dance and anything else we can get our hands on. From the weird and wonderful to the sublime and ridiculous, showcasing a diverse cast of both new and established performers, anything goes at this show and, indeed, anything can happen… Hold onto your hats as they’re about to be blown away! ‘Highly entertaining’ , ‘hilarious’ and ‘a revelation’ ***** (Audience Reviews).”

I don’t know why it sounds funny to associate burlesque with East London, but I’m sure this will be a great show!

20.00 – Rosie Holt: That’s Politainment! Pleasance Courtyard.

“The worse the political career, the more lucrative the subsequent entertainment opportunities. Matt Hancock may have slaughtered millions but now he’s making a killing. So can Rosie Holt’s viral hit MP follow “politainers” Dorries, Farage and Rees-Mogg and leap from the pages of Hansard to Heat? After her sell-out Edinburgh show last year, Rosie returns to tightrope the thin line between politics and entertainment. ‘The Thick of It levels of writing and performance applied to a very current flavour of political bullshit’ (Times). ‘Beautifully observed and performed’ (Guardian). ‘A character comedy treat’ **** (Time Out).”

We saw Rosie Holt’s Edinburgh show last year and it was a breath of fresh air – terrific political comedy. Hoping for great things again this year!

Check back later to see how we enjoyed all these shows!

 

Review – Rob Auton, The Crowd Show – Underground at the Derngate, Northampton, 3rd March 2023

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Wasn’t it Barbra Streisand who said, and I think it was, People – People who need people – are the luckiest people in the world…. I’m sure that’s an attitude that Rob Auton would 100% get behind. It’s a sentiment that always reminds me of a great Tommy Cooper line: A friend in need… is a pest, get rid of him.

If anyone treads the thinnest of lines between stand-up comedy and spoken word, it’s Rob Auton. We saw him at the Royal and Derngate four years ago with his Talk Show, which I described at the time as an intelligent, thoughtful and emotional hour’s comedy. Since then, not only have we had the Covid pandemic and a plethora of Prime Ministers, but also the return of Rob Auton with his Crowd Show. And, guess what? It’s another evening of intelligent, thoughtful and emotional comedy. I guess I didn’t really expect him to change.

As before, the gentlest of first halves brings Rob to the stage, delighted to be performing again, and genuinely thrilled (I really don’t think he’s pretending) to meet the good Burgers of Northampton on a Friday night out out. He quickly elicits which of us have seen him before (a good third, I would estimate) and he’s chuffed that we’ve returned. Front row John had already seen his Crowd Show in Edinburgh, and Rob is gobsmacked that he’s come back for a second helping. He’s easily distracted by sweet-rustlings; he has to investigate the nature of the individual sweet concerned (Maltesers). He has a well-prepared riposte for the guy who leaves shortly before the interval, assuming he couldn’t wait to nip to the Gents; but in fact he’d gone to place a wine order for the interval. Pinot; although he never clarified if it was noir or grigio. The riposte was, therefore, inappropriate and not used.

I’m going into this kind of detail about the audience behaviour, by the way, because Rob himself takes a lot of time considering what his individual audience members get up to during the show. He sees it as a shared experience; what the audience does is just as vital to the nature of the performance as what he does. And he’s right; before the second half starts, a chap from the back of the crowd runs up and places a box of Maltesers on the stage. It’s all integrated.

Meanwhile, back to the show. Mr A takes us on a journey through his career to date; how he moved from advertising to performing, initially via the medium of poetry, through all his one-man Shows, to where he is today. He remembers aspects of those performances, his content and his intentions with each. It’s a cross between Rob Auton’s Greatest Hits and This is Your Life.

He returns after the interval as a heckler for his own show, sitting at the back calling for it to start, setting up a chant of We Want Rob! which he naturally obliges by eventually returning. The Crowd Show, as such, starts. It’s based on a Google search regarding advice on Speaking To A Crowd Of People (which is what he’s doing). A mangled file of papers in his hand, to which he apparently frequently refers, he goes through the list of individual pieces of advice one by one, showing how he is conforming to Google’s suggestions. It’s charming, frequently funny – although rarely belly-laugh inducing – and strangely reflective. He also plays some games with us; it’s a way of cementing the bond between audience and performer that probably works best when the audience is fully behind the idea. I’m not entirely sure we were.

Rob Auton has an almost unique ability to tell a universal truth in a quiet but winning way. As an example, he remembers an occasion where he saw his (then) fiancé at a distance texting someone and looking really happy to be doing so. Whoever it is she is texting must mean a lot to her, he thinks internally. And then he receives her text and realises it is he of whom she is thinking lovingly. And that’s a perfect, simple, totally natural moment of sheer joy.

I must be honest though – The Crowd Show didn’t fully engage me in the same way that The Talk Show did; whether it was due to his sticking rigidly to the structure of the Google Advice throughout the hour, or whether his observations and thoughts weren’t quite so revelatory, I’m not certain. He’s drawing very near the end of his tour, but no doubt he’ll be back with more reflective emotion soon!

Review – Rob Auton: The Talk Show, Underground at the Derngate, Northampton, 17th May 2019

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I guess when a show declares itself under the category of comedy/theatre/spoken word, you ought to realise you’re not in for an evening of typical stand-up comedy. And, indeed, Rob Auton doesn’t give you a typical evening of stand-up comedy. But don’t be alarmed, gentle reader, there are good things to follow…

He starts the show as his own warm-up act, getting to know the front row a little, talking about his previous shows, sharing with us some of his more dubious reviews, reading poetical gems from his books, and generally relaxing himself into the rest of the evening. After an interval he wanders back on to the stage; there’s no “welcome back ladies and gentlemen, did you have a good interval” type of showbiz introduction, rather it’s straight into his themes for the Talk Show – it even took a few moments to realise he’d started, as people were still checking their phones.

He talks a lot about his parents, with affection and understanding of their funny little ways; but, primarily, he talks about talking. He gets us to talk to strangers, and when we pluck up the courage to chat with our neighbours, he celebrates it as a great achievement.

Unusually, he stands in front of us with what I presume is a detailed script in his hand, that he tipped out of his Sainsbury’s bag earlier on, even though you never for once think he’s going to lose his place or not know what to say next. Perhaps it is his comfort blanket. Projecting a very engaging personality, but also exuding an air of great vulnerability, you sense that quite a lot of this material is joint therapy for both the audience and the performer; and that it’s all from personal experience. There’s humour at every turn; whether you choose to laugh at it or wryly recognise that it’s what makes the world go round, is up to you. And by that I don’t mean that it isn’t a show full of laughs – quite the opposite, he frequently had us all in hysterics. But there is meaning and pathos behind each laughter moment.

There are passages of great sensitivity and stillness, where he holds us in the palm of his hand waiting for his next word. The emotions are so strong that at one stage I thought he, or I, was going burst into tears. Neither of us did, but you could see the wetness in his eyes. There’s nothing forced or false in this show. His main message seems to be to make sure that those you love and care about know this fact. That can be a hard lesson to learn, but once learned, you don’t forget it. There will sadly come a time when you can’t tell them you love them anymore.

Rob Auton has a compelling style of delivery; measured, careful, each word chosen for its suitability. As a result, you have complete confidence in his mastery of his own material. He’s been taking shows up to Edinburgh for ages, so I’m very surprised not to have come across his work before – but I’m very glad I have. He’s still touring with the Talk Show, and also work-in-progressing this year’s Edinburgh show. Catch him if you can for an intelligent, thoughtful and emotional hour’s comedy.