Fringe history

How would you like your Shakespeare, madam?

bruceonthefringe Edinburgh Fringe, Fringe history, Shakespeare, Uncategorized Tags: , , 1 Comment

As you can imagine there’s plenty of Shakespeare at the Fringe, in all manner of states, pruned,  punked, as panto, in the park, on bouncy castles, and occasionally the odd straight down the line, no messing, performance of the bard’s work.

Probably the first company who took pruning the Bard to a new art form were the Reduced Shakespeare Company. I never actually saw that show, but in 1996 I saw them perform The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged). I did see them again, no idea which show it was, I just remember a rousing song of “Everybody hates the French” which pops back in my head every year around the time of the Six Nations Rugby. Anyway, I digress…

In any year there’ll be a variety of takes on the likes of Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this year take your pick of two Comedy of Errors. One is by a “vibrant young cast (who) bring the story right up to date”, the other is “Shakespeare meets Ska, Two-tone and Rudeboy”, all sorts for everyone. Personally I reckon Mr S would have approved of these adaptations  (so long as he saw some royalties!)

I do like to try to see something of Shakespeare each year, makes me feel cultured, y’know. Besides that endeavour,  since 2002 I’ve had Shakespeare for Breakfast once each Fringe – it starts at 10 o’clock in the morning, that’s ridiculously early when I’m on a day off work. S4B are a great company and though I don’t “recommend” shows generally (more on that later), this is one show that is sooo Fringe, go see!

Well, it’s very late so I’ll say toodle-pip, more on old Shakey next time.

 

The secret love child of Brian Cant?!

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Ok, so I know he’s not but that’s what my buddy and I both said as we left after seeing Felix Hayes in The Pickled King back in 2003 and when he returned to the Fringe in 2006 with two shows, nothing we saw dissuaded us of this fact. They look similar (well, two eyes, a nose and a mouth) but the essence was the same. Essence? Have you ever met someone who was so incredibly like someone else but as much inwardly (if not more) as outwardly in appearance? That to me is the essence and Felix’s smile, his infectious almost childlike joy in absurdity was so Brian Cant.

The Unsinkable Clerk was a great romp of a play but Them with Tails was absolutely wonderful, so good we went twice! Them with Tails was improvised stories for kids, and out of the mouths of babes came weird and wonderful suggestions, things beyond the reasoning of rational adults. We did later contemplate how funny an adult version of the show would be but decided that what made it so good was the totally innocent suggestions which made for some tricky storylines, as opposed to a too-knowing adult crowd who would be trying too deliberately to set up laughs.

There’s a little game I sometimes play, Desert Island Fringe Shows, where I’m shipwrecked with various Fringe shows, well sometimes I go for the companies so that they can put on other shows and other times it is just the one show they have to perform over and over again! Either way Felix Hayes would be there.

An inner child mourns

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Like many others of a certain age I felt a strange devastation at hearing the news that Brian Cant has died. He was one of those reassuring voices of my childhood, along with Oliver Postgate, narrating some of the best children’s programmes in the golden era of children’s television. His on-screen antics on Play School and Playaway were wonderfully silly and now looking back, rather quaintly British and Python-lite.

I had the great pleasure of seeing the great man on stage at the Fringe in 2007. Phil Jupitus and he had a lovely cosy chat along with extracts from Trumpton, Camberwick Green and Chigley and if my memory serves me right I think there was an audience vote to pick an episode from one of the three series to be screened at the end. I can recall the atmosphere in the room, it was a total love-in, there was so much palpable affection in the air for this man, he did seem genuinely touched by the standing ovation by his adoring fans at the end.

Thank you Brian Cant for being part of my life  💛

Veni, vidi, venues

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Fringe venues – there are rather a lot but not as many as at first glance! If you’d look at the map of last year’s venues they were numbered up to 464, but hang on some numbers are missing!?

So I pondered on the missing numbers and dug out my old Fringe progs. Ah, my very first Fringe in 1985, there were venues numbered 1-148 with just 123, 124 and 125 not there, so 145 venues in total. After a few years away, my next Fringe was 1990. In those five years nine more venues had appeared, but now eighteen were gone. By 2000 there were venues numbered up to 198, but by now thirty one had fallen by the wayside. But then I noticed some numbers were later being reused for other venues. I take it that a venue keeps it’s designated number, which it holds on to even if for a year or two it isn’t used, but if a venue is definitely gone, turned into student flats, demolished, made into a carpark, then the number will be reused, which means even more venues have come and gone.

By 2010, the number was up to 389 with almost a third unused, probably at least a few hit by Health & Safety problems (which sadly means some of the quirkier more eccentric, rickety venues disappearing) and many of the new venues form part of the ever more popular Free Fringe, often in pubs. As I mentioned at the start, last year saw number 464, but again, almost a third are unused.

So are some venues better than others, luckier than others, or just plain crap? Well, tune in again and join me for a moose eye tour of the best and worst Fringe venues.

Rules are made to be broken

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Last post I mentioned that I wait for the full Fringe programme to come out before taking a peek through, but last year I had to check out Susan Calman’s show (yes, had to). Well I’m tempted again thanks to my Saturday paper, which has a “best 40 shows to book in Edinburgh” feature. After a few years of doing his thang in the wilds of the Free Fringe (very successfully with no advertising other than the Fringe programme and in an obscure, tricky to find venue), Brendon Burns is back in a pay-to-enter venue, and he’s bringing his chum Craig Quatermaine with him.

This, for me, will be a great show, I say for me as Brendon is definitely not for everyone. For those unfamiliar with him, think of Adam Hills, well Burnsy is the antithesis of him. He’s uncouth, fairly unkempt and not for those of delicate dispositions. Love him! Though it wasn’t quite love at first sight, that first time was a preview show around 17 years ago at what is now the Roxy. My, I thought I was prepared for anything, not quite anything. I’ve always smirked at the word tramlines ever since.

And Craig Quartermaine? Great bloke, an indigenous Aussie, journalist turned comedian I think. Last year he turned up to be part of Brendon’s show and found himself with a Free Fringe show slot of his own. His quickly put together flyer was a pic of his face when he first heard there was a slot he could take due to a cancellation, he was a very happy man, big cheesy grin.

So, do I book a preview ticket early or wait? Nah, it’s fine, the fringe gods won’t let me miss out on this beaut.

 

 

Who are you?

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Day four suggests I identity my audience. Moose lovers! Edinburgh fringe-goers past, present and future, be you a fringer or fringee (though I’m not sure which are the performers and which the audience). If you like quirky, dark, slightly surreal, humorous, then I’m your moose. If you want gritty, social commentary, worthiness, sorry, but the Fringe is my escape from all that. I have been known to dip my toe in occasionally, like Henry Naylor’s last three works, all three were riveting and discomforting and I’m glad I went off piste for them.

As the time draws nearer I shall offer advice on how to sift your way through the programme and find those nuggets of gold. And maybe I might figure out how to show you some of my old fringe pics! Ho hum.

 

Please do not read this rubbish

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Back in 1997 I went to an Edinburgh Fringe show called Marvin Hanglider -The Power of Negative Advertising. The blurb in the programme warned people not to see the show, not to waste their money on a ticket, it was rubbish. Needless to say he did pretty well, thanks to the contrariness of Fringe-goers.

I furnish you with this fact just to practice my blogging, indeed, you’ll hopefully get to see a photo of yours truly if I can follow the instructions right. A wee pic of me in a favourite spot, Dr Neil’s Garden by the side of Duddingston Loch. A peaceful bolthole about a half hour walk from the Pleasance Courtyard.

Ok, so no picture yet, apparently I have no media, but there is a photo there, honest, I just saved it like forty minutes ago when I started this post. Ho hum. It will be a pleasure for another time!