Fringe reviews

A dame and a clown

bruceonthefringe 2025, Edinburgh Fringe 2025, Fringe reviews, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The line of giant posters down the side of the Pleasance was taken down today, there’s still a few boards fastened around streetlights and traffic signs, not noticeable unless you look directly at one. Instagram posts have shown Fringe folk leaving Edinburgh, returning home. Was it a farewell hug that left me with a sneaky little present? … my throat has been threatening me for the last three days, it may be winning. It really started niggling late Tuesday night but I wasn’t going to not see The Scat Rats at Binkies at midnight, a nice final bookend to my Fringe. Hell, I hadn’t seen them all August! It was right at the start of the Fringe when I saw them in Stramash (hence bookends).

My Fringe proper finished with two class acts, that wonderful class antipodean Dame Granny Smith followed by Mr Tuck’s sublime Scaramouche Jones. Hahaha, can’t believe I didn’t spot that before, Smith and Jones, in the same afternoon (certain age groups will put Alas and Alias before those two names to make a couple of great tv series from once upon a time). Both shows had full audiences, marvellous, fringing to the very end.

An Evening with Dame Granny Smith was so so lovely and bittersweet, almost nostalgic for something past. And David Salter, such a lovely, talented guy, a saint for putting up with her! Mind, it’s easy to get swept up in the Dame’s aura, the afternoon’s participating audience member really got into the role and I think went over and beyond what Salter was expecting (from his reaction, anyway). I’m very glad I caught the show, that early afternoon time had a lot going on that I fancied this year, too many annoying five, ten minute overlaps (oh, to have Hermione’s watch).

I managed to grab a quick pic with the Dame, before heading over to the Big Yurt (I’m not sure if she was all agog to meet me or silently screaming in fear of being eaten)

As I walked through the Potterow Underpass I heard a hearty laugh ahead, oh yay! I’d know that laugh anywhere, Will Seaward was in the queue for Scaramouche Jones; how marvellous to bump into him again! (Had to get a pic, of course) The old clown himself, Scaramouche Jones, was mingling wordlessly with the milling crowd (I fancied to ask for a quick photo with him, but time was short, and I felt a tad unworthy).

Oh, Scaramouche Jones is a most marvellous tale. Thom Tuck holds the audience in the palm of his hand, entranced, as he recounts Scaramouche’s one hundred years. Truly it could have been written for him, Tuck is so brilliant in the part, and I say this having seen him play it ten years ago, a performance that has stuck in my mind since (I look forward to seeing it again in 2035). It would be a marvellous thing if one performance had been filmed each decade passed, how wonderful to see the progression 💛

I also paid another visit to the final performance of Finlay and Joe: Pretend It’s Fine at Dovecot Studios on the Sunday afternoon. Now I could be wrong but I think one of the guys from Crybabies was in the audience; such a shame they couldn’t make it up with their new production. This time round I saw the overall arc better over the sketches; I must say, those two have amazing voice control for the length of their woahs between bits (that probably reads really weird, but if you ever get to see Finlay and Joe: Pretend It’s Fine you’ll know what I mean). Sometimes shows can seem to overally point out their own cleverness, Finlay and Joe don’t do that, the funny flows naturally and abundantly with these two – and they were lovely when I asked for a photo with them!

While I’m on a roll here (the Chilean Gewürztraminer I opened is helping somewhat!) I’ll mention The Mothman Cometh, that I saw in the final week. It was amongst my cuttings and then I noticed him on a few occasions flitting madly around the Cowgate early evening, odd and kinda sweet, and occasionally on the Half Price Hut list. I hadn’t been in The Subway in donkeys (for many years), some bits were very familiar, like the stage area (back last century it was a place to go after an evening shift in Pizza Hut, with tips enough for a couple of drinks).

I’d vaguely heard of the Mothman myth, and my sightings of this strange creature, well, I had to go find out more. It was very dark in there! A lot of the time we could just see two red circles and hear his voice, only a mere hint of his body shape in the misty darkness. He was troubled by odd glitches when pop songs would burst out of him, and a strange Void was always close by, but despite these troubles the Mothman was actually a benign, humorous creature that just wanted friends that understood him. Oh, that sounds a tad maundling, The Mothman Cometh was very funny with plenty of audience participation, you just had to be willing to embrace the surreality.

It’s very late, again! Edinburgh Farmers Market in the morning, I must to sleep. Next time I’ll wrap up this year’s Fringe, oo, maybe even some awards! It will be my 499th blog post, who’d have thunk it!

Sweet dreams, toodle pip, mes amis!

Watching the sun go down on another Fringe

As promised last time, and more

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Heading towards Bristo Square, I overheard two older gents behind me discussing where to go for a drink, Bristo Square?Too noisy and plastic. Teviot Row and the Library Bar? Much nicer. I did briefly consider not saying anything, no, no, come on now; so I turned round and mentioned it was closed for renovation, they thanked me and headed elsewhere to find a pint in a glass. Ah, good deed done for the day!

I was actually going to the Mosque Kitchen for a chicken bhuna and rice (rather nice!), then across to the Counting House for Stand-up Philosophy with the most genial of hosts Alex Farrow with guest stand-ups Omar Badawy and Daman Bamrah. An entertaining and interestingly informative hour.

I had already seen Alex Farrow: New Order and, as usual, thoroughly enjoyed myself (Stand-up Philosophy is like a diluted version of Farrow’s own show), as we were treated to a flowing stream of philosophical thoughts with babbles of hilarity. There’s always some cracking anecdote from Farrow’s teaching days, this one’s a real doozy! His broken vacuum cleaner story had me nodding in recognition, he is one of us. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

How happy was I to see Rob Kemp was back with a new show, Beatlesjuice? And how happy am I that he’s putting on a one-off performance of the Elvis Dead this afternoon at four thirty? Very, very happy! But Beatlesjuice, oh my heartses, it’s soooo good! Now I should clarify, this is very much a WIP (Work In Progress) but I loved it with all it’s flaws (I actually saw it last week when Kemp was still figuring a lot out, I expect by now it’s a lot smoother, but more fun? nah).

If you’ve seen The Elvis Dead, it’s a similar premis with Beetlejuice retold through Beatles music with Kemp’s lyrics and onscreen moments from the film. Kemp’s lyrics are so bang on, you’re laughing at the humour and marvelling at his genius wit at the same time. Yes, it has a way to go, but it was perfectly imperfect! Beatlesjuice had my face grinning and my soul singing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just time to mention another show, saw it last night, another bullseye for my Fringe-dar. Iago Speaks is Shakespeare Meets Meta. It has the wordplay of a Shakespeare play, wonderful comic acting and a tricksy meta-ness that kept me enthralled. The Jailer was a wonderful character, yin to Iago’s yang, and he does talk an awful lot, well, the play does start after Iago swore he’d never speak again, but like Gromit he doesn’t need words for us to know he’s thinking. Oh, Iago does eventually speak but definitely with a forked tongue. I knew how it would end, yes, the end and then the very end, but the journey there was amazing theatre ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Time for a spot of lunch, methinks. Should I cook or go out?

Toodle-oo for now!

Puffins, potatoes and a fish called Swimothy

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When I saw the puffin on the poster I knew I’d go see Stuart Laws Is Stuck, yes, I’m a sucker for a puffin, and a comedy/murder/mystery with a puffin? I immediately thought, the puffin did it, why? Did you see Dr Dolittle Kills a Man last year? The puffin turned out to be the big bad, so this time round I’d be ready.

Our guy is the only human on an island inhabited by 1004 puffins, he took the job of caretaker after a bad break-up; but one of the puffins is missing, Titus. Oh yeah, they all have names, and he can talk to them, and they talk back (Kate Hammer is hilarious as puffins Milo, Angie and D’Angelo). Missing becomes possibly murdered as Stuart investigates and soon things start to unravel…. And if you’re not 100% paying attention you may get lost in it all!

The show swaps between the story on Puffin Island and stand-up in the Fringe Venue; there are prompts to know the swaps, not always obvious to folk sat further back (another time when a slightly higher stage would help!) As the puffin mystery is being solved we start to become aware that there’s something else behind it all, the clues are in the stand-up. Oh, there’s more levels here than first meet the eye, all well constructed and well written, and Laws and Hammer are great together. If you do see this, don’t just put aside the cards on some seats, it’s excellent artwork depicting the characters, Milo is adorable! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From puffins to potatoes, Batisfera are back with another short play Tale of a Potato to enchant, bemuse and leave us mulling over our own human nature. The stage is a square wooden table with just one light, Valentina Fadda presides over all as narrator, voices, puppeteer and knife-wielder (some of those veg are trouble!), oh, and bringer of sight (nails for eyes! ironic for a potato). She had the audience spell-bound as she told the story of a potato called Protagonist.

We follow Protagonist’s through his life, loves, trials and tribulations, and by god, we feel for that little fellow before the end. There’s a supporting cast of a variety of vegetables, including an antagonistic aubergine. The show may only be half an hour long but there’s a lot packed in there; Fadda’s voice and this little table-top world, take us through a gamut of emotions. It’s profound and whimsical and will dwell with you long after ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Batisfera are also performing The Gummy Bears’ Great War again – and you thought vegetables were small to perform with! I loved it, but be warned, if you felt for Protagonist, those little bears may leave you floored.

Time for one more before I head out to Binkies for some late night sounds. A fish called Swimothy, no, it’s not called that, mind his role has gotten rather bigger than it was in Moon Team IIIV at the start of the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, he even has a song this year (I’m pretty certain that wasn’t there last time!?). Will BF has said that this is a fully finished copy, hmmm, we’ll see. Moon Team IIIV has been tweaked, rejigged, upgraded, but it’s still as silly and bonkers as it was, still with the talking head mockumentary parts intertwining with the action on stage. Will Will ever truly settle on a completed version? Will Swimothy become tyrannical and take over the whole film? It’s funny, it’s highly entertaining and totally Fringe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Next time, a little philosophy and a guy into a black and white striped suit. Toodle pip!

Third week already!?

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It’s the start of the third week, the final Monday for some, as the majority of shows will finish sometime this weekend with only a few going through to the bitter end that is the English bank holiday Monday. I have one show definitely lined up for it (if you’ve been paying attention you’ll know the one) and that might actually be it for the last day. The day after the end Thom Tuck has proposed an unrehearsed read-through of the second half of The Princess Bride (it was started the end of last year’s Fringe and halfway was as far as it got). The first half was an hilarious hotch-potch, so I may well meander along (the triangle bit of seating across from the Pleasance Dome).

If you’re thinking I haven’t been mentioning many shows recently, sorry, my bad, it’s a strange balancing act, enjoying time Fringing and making time to write about it, the last couple of years seem to have dunted my Fringe focus and stamina, or maybe I’m just getting old and jaded, haha. I’ve also been slightly overwhelmed by emails popping up from Fringe shows inviting me along to review them, like, huh? It is flattering to be asked, but as I keep reiterating, I’m not a professional reviewer, I’d hate for someone to expect a fancy highfalutin review and then read my musings. Of course, that would kind of point out that they’d not actually read my blog, haha.

As I received more emails, I realised that there’s a good chance that it’s a standard invite with my name at the top (well, that would explain some stuff), phew, relief. A friend told me that those emails aren’t particularly expecting replies unless it’s yes, please. So I’m very sorry to anyone who has taken the time to email me, but hasn’t heard back, yet. And who’s to say my musings would have put any more bums on seats, anyway?

I had to go out at that time. Carl Marah was playing at the St James Quarter Sessions, excellent as usual. An intimate setting in the top foyer/bar area with a small but very attentive audience. Now it’s time for the Moanin’ Bones at Stramash followed by Carl (again!) at the Cow Shed. A rather fine evening there!

Toodle-oo!

An impersonator, a barista and the real deal

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Sunday was ladies day, not that I planned it like that, but casting an eye over my Fringe calendar I realised I had three one woman shows in a row (hmmm, another trio)…

I had Motorhome Marilyn as a possibility but really wasn’t sure, until Gilded Balloon once again had their Locals offer, yay. I was intrigued, it’s always interesting when someone so well-known from the telly comes to the Fringe. I mean, why? Will they feel very exposed in a small venue with the audience up so very close? What were they expecting? Is it a lifelong dream they’ve finally gotten to do?

Wow, Motorhome Marilyn is great, Michelle Collins plays a Marilyn Munro impersonator, getting on a bit, realising it’ll never get any better, especially with her past catching up to her. She may be in Vegas but she’s still a Southend girl and a survivor, with a snake called Bobby for company; we’re listening in as she tells the snake all her dreams and darkest secrets. Collins’ voice rings perfect in this, but then it was she who came up with the original idea and the part was written for her; of course, that’s not to say it would necessarily be any good, but by’eck, it bloody is!!

Motorhome Marilyn is a duck with the eye in the right place (to paraphase David Lynch) – it’s funny, it’s dark, it’s poignant, it’s sharp. And what a set, the motorhome interior is so well realised. It was a feast for the eyes with all the kitsch Marilyn Munro paraphernalia. Collins sashays through the story and gets to sing too (with a couple of costume changes thrown in); with a wonderful script to work with, Collins brings out Denise’s vulnerabilities as she lives defiantly independently, oh, and there’s the odd interesting reveal about Denise along the way! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl was previously performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015, writer/performer Rebecca Perry has brought it back for tenth anniversary run and why not? It’s a funny, playful hour’s escape. Our barista, Joanie, (like many others who work in coffeeshops) is a graduate hoping for better, wanting to use that degree in Anthropology, wanting to be like her hero Jane Goodall. We hear about life at the coffeeshop, her daydreams, her crush!

She’s a joyful soul, happy to burst into song (like musical interludes to gently break up the monologue), and what a voice! Of course, it had to be in there, Black Coffee (no, not the All Saints song, the one written back in 1948), a favourite of mine and boy, she did it justice, wowzah! Like I said, a sweet, joyful hour ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve saved the best for last, The Other Mozart, an incredible production about the life of Mozart’s older sister, Maria. I wasn’t even aware he had one, nevermind that she too was a brilliant musician and composer, were you? Sylvia Milo became aware of her existence and created this work so that others could know about this extraordinary woman. And wow, I was blown away by it all; first off, the incredible dress that covers the stage, the music (new compositions for the show and music from the time period), the lighting and sound, all perfectly complimented and brought a deeper richness to the performance and story.

Maria tells us about her life from before her little brother was born, how the two of them toured and performed across Europe with their father whilst quite young, but then societal mores saw her left behind, expected to be respectable and marry. Sylvia Milo shares the part of Maria with Daniella Galli (who I saw in the role), alternating days, well, at seventy five minutes long, solo on stage, it makes sense! Not that it felt that long, Maria’s life was so fascinating (the play uses historical facts, and letters sent between the family); Galli was stunning in the role, really bringing it to life. Probably one of the best things I’ll get to see this Fringe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💛

A few finishing scenes

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So, how did I finish my Fringe, with a bang or a resigned sigh? Did I make it to the Farmers Market early doors? Ha, best intentions but I wasn’t there until about one, I’d been to a show late morning, hmmm. I’m not saying it was a turkey, maybe a lame duck! The curry I made with the chicken thighs from Brewsters had more meat in it than that play; but as the Fringe is over I won’t give name to the offenders.

The show I took a chance on that evening more than made up for the morning’s disappointment, phew. An Evening with Mere Mortals was a blast, well two blasts, two short plays in fifty-five minutes, not a second was wasted, both packed with crazy full-on plotlines and great characters delivering deliciously sharp dialogue.

Stjälkar was like an early 70s espionage movie (okay, so the eyeball bit may have been a bit excessive?!) Inbound is more of an action movie, and special mention to the Tech here, wow, the effects really added big time to the energy of this section, impressive. The three actors were all very versatile and highly entertaining to watch. Good to know my Fringe-dar was still working fine! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

No time for a proper tea, so I had yet another vegetarian pizza slice from the Tony Macaroni pizza stand at Hunters Square (they are very tasty) on my way to the Voodoo Rooms. Aidan Sadler was performing their show Melody for the last time, only they, and we the audience, decided to go off piste for the last night, so instead, it was chat with the songs from Melody. And it was utterly delightful! Aidan is one of my favourite humans on the Fringe, warm, funny, smart, and a hugger! 💛

Sunday wasn’t a time for risks, I needed happy. Plus I was very tired from being out ’til after four in the morning dancing to The Scat Rats in Whistlebinkies. First up, brilliant and bonkers Will BF: The Last Gun, for one last time that antipodean whirlwind John Robertson with his fuzzed up uke, finishing with the ever delightful Accordion Ryan in what felt like a sauna (he gave a “it gets toasty”warning and handed out some mist spray bottles at the start!) My soul was soaring after that, a shame my body needed a lie down, so no ACMS for me (truly I couldn’t).

And on to the final day, the fizzle out. Absolutely definitely I was going to see Will BF: Moon Team IIIV again; three weeks since I first saw it and boy, there’s been some tweaking going on! (I was aware there’d been a few changes through the run, one of the reasons I wanted to see it again, yeah, a few plus a few more) Unfortunately the multimedia tech acted up a bit, but no mind, it just seemed to add to the surreal silliness of it all. Indeed, a fine note to finish on if I chose to, or?

I was vaguely meandering over to the university area, just flicking mentally through my Fringe as I walked; I remember realising I had only seen Thom Tuck in passing on the street this year (he seems to have developed guerilla Fringe tactics), oh well. Next thing, there’s Mr Tuck in the fenced off chill area by the Pleasance Dome, well, think of the devil and…! He noticed me walking up, probably looking a tad bemused, “Oh hello, are you here for the unrehearsed reading of the screenplay of The Princess Bride?” Er no, but hell, why not?

So I found myself listening to Thom Tuck acting as narrator reading all the directions, with a motley crew reading and vaguely acting out the roles. They got as far as Fezzik falling down dead, it seemed like a good place to stop after possibly one of the best scenes in the film (“never get involved in a land war in Asia”). What a most enjoyable, delightful Fringey way to end the Fringe! Sure, I could have gone on to another show, but my soul felt nicely sated.

A big thanks to all who kept my spirits up through this Fringe, you crazy, brilliant, sweet fools. Missing you already! Toodle pip!

《More analysis on my Fringe this year will follow, and maybe a few Brucies, but I’m shortly back off to Yorkshireland, I shall be a tad busy》

The final weekend, again

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It’s late-ish on the final Friday of the Fringe, the sounds of the traffic let me know it’s very wet out there. Yeah, I’ve no wish to go out, and I do want to be up early tomorrow (really, it will happen, it will). I’d say there’s still three more nights to go, but we all know that’s a joke! Oo, I can hear the bangs and crackles of the end of Tattoo fireworks, you know I haven’t seen them at all this year, at one time I would make tweaks to my evenings just so I would be on the Royal Mile to see them!

I was out late last night to see The Blueswater at The Jazz Bar, a mighty fine time, the joint was swinging! If you like a ginger beer, then definitely try their mix; it’s not just a ginger beer from a bottle or can, this is The Jazz Bar’s Ginger Beer, wow, it kicks! At £14 this is the most I’ve spent on a Fringe show ticket – but that is ninety minutes of the best sounds, so worth it. Indeedily ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Earlier yesterday evening I went back for more electrically distorted ukulele with John Robertson: The Human Hurricane. God, he is so much fun!! Every show is so unique as he plays around with the audience, this time there was a chap with a melodica, he kind of, em, tried to menace John with it?! Of course, it was taken up on stage where John attempted to play it and his ukulele at the same time. See, if Laughing Horse @ The Counting House continued until the final Monday, The Human Hurricane would be a great show to end my Fringe. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was also back the Delhi Belly in the Underbelly yesterday morning, my third show there (Bishops and Dr Dolittle), how would Michael Kunze: Infinity Mirror measure up? After such quintessentially British shows, Infinity Mirror is brashly American. Mind, I did wonder if I’d gone into the right show at the start, as he was on stage making sandwiches! No worries, his character Mitch Coony works in a deli, he had a story to share with us…

It’s a rise and fall tale of a young actor and his brother (who’s a horse), and trying to get into the VIP rooms at Tom Hanks’ sex parties (did I mention it’s a tad surreal and silly?) The story arc is good, sometimes overtaken by the sketches, but the payoffs are great, very nicely done. Kunze interacts well with an audience, but it was when he was shooting off one-liners that he had me in stitches. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve been think of my Fringe end, honestly, so much is over and already packing up on the Monday. I could finish with a bang on Sunday night, there’s The Human Hurricane, then I could catch Accordion Ryan’s Pop Bangers (note to self, would have to remember to queue in good time, he’s so popular he’s having to turn folk away!) Later on to the Alternative Comedy Memorial Society? It’s the final one, so awards time, very very silly awards ’til about three in the morning. Well, it’s a plan, and not too bad for making Will BF‘s final Moon Team IIIV just after noon on Monday.

G’night!

A Casio-carrying comic and a Volcano

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Another rainy night in Edinburgh, it’s late but just time for a couple of musings….

Huge Davies: Album For My Ancestors (Dead) is billed as “musical comedy, stand-up” and yes it is, stand-up with a huge Casio keyboard slung low in front – personally I think a ukulele would be so much easier. Oh, and Huge is correct, not a spelling error. Huge is also very deadpan, very. He’s that guy you can’t suss out, does he hate you, everyone in general, or is he actually just taking the piss? Does he just enjoy being miserable and moany?

Apparently, we were the worst audience ever (sure, I bet he says that to all his crowds!), and woe betide anyone not clapping or finger-clicking as required, or disrespecting his family; the deadpan delivery also continues in his songs. Huge is obviously quite an accomplished musician (a strong one too, carrying that thing around) and his comic lyrics are sharp to the point and wickedly funny, some even a tad catchy.

It took me a while to warm to him (or was it a Fringe version of the Stockholm syndrome?!) but with songs about pokemon, aliens, Pearl Harbour, Grampa Joe (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Huge really had a bee in his bonnet about him!), well, I do like a witty ditty. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was intrigued by Volcano: Ben Miller, a Pay What You Want show on at Just the Tonic at The Caves. Yes, of course I realised it wasn’t the Ben Miller but I bet I wasn’t the only one who went along anyway thanks to the non-connection. The show zipped along, Ben was pleasantly personable and engaging, but while it was quite interesting and entertaining, there could have been more, well, oomph. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oops, definitely time for bed. Sweet dreams!

Deep in the Belly….

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This Fringe I’ve been rediscovering my love of Green & Black’s Organic Intense Dark 70% cocoa chocolate. Oh, it’s a tad too intense to start, but then it oozes in and canoodles your senses; I don’t leave the moose cave now without a piece slowly melting in my mouth. A very pleasurable sensation!

And a pleasure it was to see those men of the cloth again and with a new show, Bishops: Farewell Bruce Porcelain. Another very funny show, this time sketches with a narrative running through (well, loosely skipping through). I was utterly delighted that they revisited one of my favourite bits from last year, but I can’t believe how long it took me to twig it was that again!! No, I won’t say which bit, to say anything would give it away, but boy, it killed me, twice. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Staying in the Underbelly in the Cowgate, I went to see My Last Two Brain Cells in the Iron Belly, which reminds me, I was rushing to the show, tore up the stairwell unsure which floor it was on (note to Underbelly, it would help to put signs on the stairwell doors through to each floor), gasping I asked an Underbelly employee sat in the stairwell which floor Iron Belly was on – I got a vacant look and shrug back! Jeez, not a lot of brain activity there.

Anyhoo, My Last Two Brain Cells starts with Brain Cell 64,928,460,783 (with clipboard in hand) welcoming us to the first tour of Gary’s brain; then Brain Cell 12 turns up wanting to liven things up a little. Hmm, a brain cell buddy show?! Indeed, 64,928…. is the efficient but dull worker (useful but you wouldn’t go for drinks after work with him, and from here on in known as Clive), while 12 is fun, fun, fun (but you’re glad you don’t work in the same team as him). Oh, and of course these two have a history together…

MLTBC is very silly and surreal; Joe Pike and Tom Hazelden are such a talented pair, the energy of these two is full-on but oddly charming. They seem to pack a helluva lot into an hour, did all that happen in one hour? A crazy exhilarating hour ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Ah, I seem to have inadvertently stayed in the Underbelly in this post. I’ve also stayed with the theme of absurd silliness, it must be something in the air there. Dr Dolittle Kills a Man (and Reads Extracts From His New Book) was recommended to me, oh, such a sweet call! My god, another brilliantly bonkers show – what a great Fringe it’s been for me!

Dr Dolittle Kills a Man just ticked so many boxes: comedy that’s silly but sharp too, a ridiculous plot reminiscent of an 80’s movie or two, a pitch perfect performance, a great baddie, a surprise cameo, oh and great incidental music and visuals (loved all the maps). If this is what Aidan Pittman can do for a debut solo show, well, just, wow ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Must fly, another show to see. Toodle pip!

Music, murder and mind-reading

bruceonthefringe 2024, Comic theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2024, Free Fringe, Fringe reviews, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

It’s Sunday evening of the second Fringe week, I’m feeling somewhat peeved as I’ve just lost two days fringing to a lurgy! Oh, it’s my own personal lurgy that likes to pop up and lay me low at the most annoying times. It wasn’t going to stop me seeing Logan’s Close last evening though, oh no, an afternoon dozing on the couch sipping lemon and honey was just enough to pep an old moose up.

The lads along with two other acts were meant to be playing on a stage on an open area at the top of St James Quarter, but this is Edinburgh in August. Yeah, no, that wasn’t going to happen, of course the weather was not going to play ball! So the bands played on the third floor, but hey, it was grand, the Close were on top form; a lush intro going into Babestation and they were off. Previous LC drummer Alex was filling in for Gavin, busy elsewhere at the Fringe. What’s happening in the pic? Check it out on Instagram! What an utter joy, a mid Fringe dose of Elsie. A much-needed tonic 💛

I’ve done absolutely zilcharoony today, so now as my head is starting to clear, a few more Fringe musings…

First up The Grim a darkly comic piece of theatre. I really enjoyed it, the banter between the two undertakers, one a real geezer type and the other a more timid Irish Catholic lad, was great but one couldn’t help looking at the covered over corpse on the table and wondering… This is the second play I’ve seen by Edmund Morris, I very much look forward to his third. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Surreal: The Mind-Reading Show From Berlin! is something very different. Even as we sat waiting for the show to begin the animated vintage-style projections were incredibly beautiful and set the tone (at the end of the show we learnt that they were created by Vivian). Roman Von Thurau and Vivian Sommer are like creatures from another era, almost otherworldly, their storytelling pulled the audience in and their mind-reading kept us all enthralled. I like to think myself as open-minded with a healthy dose of cynicism; that was some show, quite unnerving ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Musical theatre, anyone? The Man Who Wouldn’t Be Murdered is performed in the round (or, more square in this case), and impressively without mics. Centre stage is the musical accompaniment, keyboards played by the writer/composer Lily Blundell who also plays a character too! She is Josephine, wife of Tony Morino, owners of a bar in 1930s America. Business is not good, Tony comes up with a plan to get some money, but Death has other ideas. A little different to my usual fare but again my Fringe-dar hit the mark, a deliciously dark, funny tale, brilliantly performed by all ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

It’s late, I need my bed. I’ll leave you with one last mention, John Robertson: The Human Hurricane quite simply, bloody awesome!! The last time he did free Fringe show he had an old guitarist to accompany him, this time he’s playing an electric ukulele himself. John is as brilliant and gleefully manic as ever. The evening I saw him there was a dog in the audience (he is all inclusive) and a gentleman who kept John supplied with shots of whisky – a fine, fine show for us, quite what The Dark Room would have been like after it is another matter! I’ll definitely go see The Human Hurricane again ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

He’s a big softie at heart