Fringe Venues

Eels, eggs and bolognese

bruceonthefringe Comedy, Comic theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2025, Fringe Venues, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Finally yesterday morning there were only the lightest of breezes, so I took myself off to the Park and up Moose Ridge. There was a wildfire up over the other side of Arthur’s Seat on Crow Hill a few days ago, great plumes of smoke could be seen for miles! Of course, the most popular joke was that the volcano had come back to life (Arthur’s Seat is a very old very extinct volcano), I had intended to go and check out the damage. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten my water so at the top of Moose Ridge (I’m gonna keep calling it that until it catches on), I took Pipers Walk back down, and home via Old Wood Cafe at St Leonard’s to try their Eggs Benedict, not bad.

The afternoon saw me stepping into the darkness of the Banshee Labyrinth Cinema Room to bear witness to The Night Mouth. I had no idea what to expect, certainly not the Childcatcher! Ye gods, the stuff of nightmares, oh, and two school dinner ladies from hell (Lady Bolognese) popped in. Silly, and comically disturbing, mind, it was Pittman and Hughes behind it; and as you can’t have too much of a good thing, I later popped into Carbon to see God’s Longest again (it was the last of three shows, and being impro it’s always different). Hmmm, some folk’s deepest, darkest secrets really should remain secret!

My childhood trauma came a-knocking!

Evening time found me at that fine old institution the Bedlam Theatre to see Eelmageddon by Intrepid Fools. Yes, it’s as it sounds, the imminent end of the world as we know it, brought about by eels (some days looking at the news, would it be that surprising?!). Only a mad scientist and his assistant stand in their way, one wants to understand them, the other wants to eat them; but they’re running out of time and the super secret underwater science bunker is developing cracks.

Eelmageddon is a laugh-out-loud comedy with a great plotline running through the silliness, and oh, Mother Eel is a fine big bad with a voice to send chills through her enemies (it had me back to watching Dr Who as a young calf). For a small theatre company, they’ve put together a great show, just one thing grated by the end (and if they’re reading this, I bet they know what I’m going to say) – the professor’s voice, obviously a well-travelled scientist as the accent went everywhere and beyond, which, yes does have comedy value, but for me it tipped over into grating. Sorry, that’s just me, but I did love the creativity of Intrepid Fools, their comedy, the sound and lighting (a lot more important to making a production well-rounded than many realise, but then, if you don’t notice, then job well done!), and a cracking song to end on, what great voices! This is grassroots theatre, I look forward to whatever they do next. ⭐️⭐️⭐️½

That’s enough from me for now, I have another show to see. Toodle pip!

I pondered lonely as a moose

[Edit. It helps if I press the Publish button twice as instructed!]

A Barr, a king and a clown

bruceonthefringe 2025, Comedy, Edinburgh Fringe 2025, Fringe Venues, Theatre, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

So far Edinburgh has had pretty good temperatures this Fringe (touch wood!), but I do wish all the crazy winds would calm down. See, I like to have my windows open a smidgen in summer, but even only having the top sash down a wee bit will result in all my Fringe cuttings being strewn everywhere whenever I’m out awhile. No, I can’t put them away, really. Back home from the Farmer’s Market, I picked the latest windfalls, oh, the picture of James Barr looked reproachfully back at me, oops. It had been right at the front to remind me, yeah, let’s do it….

James Barr: Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex to My Mum) was at the Fringe last year, I remember pondering on seeing it, but never went. Time to give it a shot, and yes, another success for my Fringe-dar! James Barr opens up to the audience about his life and the domestic abuse he suffered in a four year relationship; it sounds like quite a personal and harrowing subject for a Fringe comedy show, but Barr injects plenty of quips and wit into his narrative. This is his story and he tells it well; he would take us down into the darkness, then neatly bring us back up with a deliciously funny quip, a roller-coaster of a show! I walked out feeling quite buoyed up, and I got a badge too! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How times change, in years past the Pleasance Courtyard and Dome were regular features on my Fringe Calendar, especially during the previews, but last year I saw nothing at all at the Pleasance Dome and this year there’s been one (I’d say, so far, but that could well be the only one). Mind, that one was great fun! Up the stairs in the King Dome is Alasdair Beckett-King: King of Crumbs, oo, three kings there! Wow, an hour packed full of laugh-out-loud one liners, surreal silliness, a dollop of whimsy, and, as he called them, some “sad jokes”. There were plenty of nice little call-backs and a continuing phone gag that just kept on giving! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

It’s late, again, but I mentioned last time that I’d report on Scaramouche Jones – it’s brilliant! And it’s on until the very last day of the Fringe (excluding Monday 11th), I may well be back, ‘twould be a great way to round off my Fringe. The part could have almost been written for Thom Tuck, he inhabits it so well; and the Big Yurt, with it’s makeshift nature, is the perfect setting for this picaresque tale. It’s a story that spans the twentieth century, an old clown has just come off stage from his final performance and speaks for the first time in fifty years as the time ticks towards the final midnight of 1999, the first stroke of which will be exactly a hundred years since Scaramouche’s birth on a fishmonger’s slab in Port of Spain.

The script is full of vibrant descriptions of the places and people in Scaramouche’s life, and Tuck’s lustrous tones paint them even more vividly, his talent for accents comes in as Scaramouche journeys around the world meeting all manner of people. When Tuck expresses young Scaramouche’s delight in knowing his father was an Englishman, his youthful pomposity is sweetly hilarious. There’s so much to love about this production – I’m already looking forward to seeing Scaramouche Jones in ten years time! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Toodle pip!

After breakfast things improved

bruceonthefringe 2025, Absurd comedy, Comedy, Comic theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2025, Fringe Venues, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I was talking Fringe with a friend, about how to choose which shows to see. Reviews are a handy measure, of course, then my friend said that they tend not to trust reviewers who always give high ratings to everything, like a sickeningly sycophantic tv host (oh yeah, I know which they meant). The conversation has lingered about in my head, were they including me in that? Hey, I’ve been Fringing for thirty plus years now, my Fringe-dar is finely tuned, thank you very much.

And yes, it might look like I’ve been throwing stars around willy-nilly on Instagram recently, but they were all acts that I’ve enjoyed at previous Fringes; a damn fine first Fringe Friday was the plan. Mind, sometimes returning acts can be disappointing….

Friday morning was an early rise (for Fringe time) to make it to Lauriston Halls for Shakespeare For Breakfast at ten o’clock in time to grab a coffee and croissant on my way in. The thing with Shakespeare For Breakfast is that while the premis of goofing around with a Shakespeare play is the same, the actors and writers are always different from year to year, so the feel and style is very varied; the faithful returning audiences rely on the company getting it right, again.

For me, this year it felt a bit lame, a bit little one of those Radio4 afternoon comedy plays at times (if you know what I mean), oh, some parts were pretty funny but not enough to really raise it up. The performances were enjoyable enough, and the torch song to a croissant was brilliantly sung, but it lacked something for me. Oh well, it’ll be something different next year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Next up were Finlay and Joe: Pretend It’s Fine at the Dovecot Studios where used to be Infirmary Street Baths (more on the venue later). I saw them two years ago performing Past Our Bedtime, in my Fringe diary I put, “Will see these two again in the future”, and indeedily, yes I have!

Off to a great start, opening with a song to the music of the Beach Boys’ I Get Around (great choice of tune and wow, they have great singing voices!) and looking very dapper in blue suits with flames flickering up the bottom of the sleeves and trouser legs. Pretend It’s Fine is a sketch show but there’s a story arc going on, and a bit of improv thrown in for good measure; some sketches are surreally stitched together, other times we’re jolted back to the story, like, oh yeah, that’s where we were; it’s sharp, silly, surreal, full of quick, good-humoured wit and warmth. It says family-friendly in the programme blurb, and it is, British humour at it’s best ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After a late lunch of scrambled eggs (with leek and cheese) on toast, it was up to Appleton Tower (the latest Gilded Balloon venue while Teviot is still closed) for Ironing Board Man, well I really enjoyed it last time and reckoned there would be changes from last year’s show, so why not? Jody Kamali has created a wonderful parody of an 80’s action/romance blockbuster movie with an amazing soundtrack; I’ve no doubt the soundtrack was a labour of love (like making the perfect mixed tape where the right order was vital!) but that hour of sound must have taken sooo long to get just right. Good choice to go back, even better this year! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

One more return for the day Bad Clowns seen last year, twice actually, I saw the unrehearsed Role Swap version of Hostage and then the proper version (I actually preferred the role swap version, it was hysterically funny!). This year it’s Bad Clowns: Long Live the King! actually the King dies at the start of it and our clowns are all contenders to be the new king! These three guys are all very funny in their own right, but the dynamic and chemistry between them makes comedy gold (see, that alchemy again!). Long Live the King! is a silly, gleeful romp with plenty of audience participation and laughs a-plenty, loved it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Now, I did those four shows in one day (there was another one too later in the evening, but I reckon it fits in better with the next two shows, and right now it’s quite late!), but like I said I’m a seasoned Fringer, if you attempt those last three shows in one day, please wear a girdle or your sides may literally split, you have been warned!

G’night, sweet dreams!

Norse men, bears and a bard

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

August, the month of short, intense bursts of exercise, well, covering distances in a quarter of the time it would usually take. Oh, it’s not just about speed and stamina, there’s sidestepping obstacles, anticipating numpties, spotting and slipping through the slightest gaps in sprawling crowds. That was me tonight trying to get to the Gordon Aitman Theatre at George Square in time for Mythos: Ragnarok. Reader, I made it! Only because as I dashed out, 20:55 morphed into 20:50 in my head (yeah, I wouldn’t have made that).

So how was Mythos: Ragnarok a tale of Norse gods told by wrestlers? Bloody entertaining, that’s what! This particular venue often feels quite dull and sterile to me, but tonight was very different, the backdrops and effects really gave the place an atmosphere; the action was dramatic and powerful with plenty of humour and wit. Wrestling isn’t usually my thing at all, but as it’s Fringe, why not; so don’t be put off if it’s not yours either, it’s a great storyline and that noise as they slam down is something else (honestly, it sounds so painful, just as well they’re all professionals and incredibly well rehearsed). So glad I went!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½

From Norse gods to Gummy Bears – only at the Fringe! As gummy bears are very small, so the timelength of the show is short, but The Gummy Bears’ Great War packs a lot of punch into thirty minutes; also, despite being tiny, the room layout means all the audience can see the stars of the show (the room being in C Alto aka The Quaker House). While we start off laughing and chuckling, the chuckles become wryer and sparser as the mood changes to a sad pathos for the absurdity of it all and the inevitable end. I was reminded of Henry Naylor’s plays on the human, personal consequences of war. Those gummy bears moved me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½

Time for one more, Shakespeare For Breakfast at C Aurora (aka Lauriston Halls). The ten o’clock start is a hard one, inevitably always a rush to get there no matter my intentions the night before! This year it’s The Tempest getting the C Theatre treatment where pentameter blends nicely with modern speech, and the setting is quite farcical. You don’t have to know anything about the original play to enjoy this take on it, honest. Always a joy, it wouldn’t be the Edinburgh Fringe without Shakespeare For Breakfast one morning! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Time to hit the sack, more reviews tomorrow, promise!

What are the odds?

bruceonthefringe 2023, Comedy duos, Comic theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2023, Fringe Venues, Reviews, Theatre, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

… On being sat a few seats away from the same person at your first show of the day and then the last show you see?! No, I don’t know him but he was pretty distinctive, so definitely the the same chap. Well, you obviously have similar tastes, Bruce. Erm, the first was Max Norman: A Pirate’s Life For Me, a jolly silly romp, and the last was Fabulett 1933 on the life of a gay man in early 20th century Germany. A day of light and dark, my third show of the day was Tom GK: Chemodian, a lovely upbeat guy whose body is riddled with tumours, for the darkest of subjects it’s quite an upbeat show, oh, with plenty of dark humour ☆☆☆½

Back to Max Norman: A Pirate’s Life For Me a show for all the family. Max Norman has a sense of gleeful wonder about him, he has silly in spades with a creative, make-do attitude that almost seems quaintly old-fashioned (dare I say it, I was reminded of Brian Cant). If you have kids they’ll love it, if you don’t, then just take your own inner child and be pirates together! ☆☆☆☆½

Another odd coincidence in the last couple of days, two mentions of Cornish pirates. Max Norman mentioned Pirate Captain was Cornish, the old stereotype for a pirate (they do say aaarrr a lot); just the day before I know I was told the origin for the accent (by a man dressed as a Cornish pixie) in Tre, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was, dammit. I gave this a bash as I have a soft spot for Cornwall, but well, I did quite enjoy it, it’s not bad, but… ummm. Tre is just on until Saturday 12th, interesting Cornish facts in there.

Fabulett 1933 was excellent. Felix is the emcee at Fabulett, a cabaret club in Berlin, it’s February 1933, the club is about to be closed down by government order. Throughout the performance there’s reminders that the clock is ticking down, Felix uses the hour to recount his life from childhood, conscription to fight on the Western Front, to Berlin. Much of his story is told in song (accompanied by pianist, Hans), well naturally, we’re in a cabaret club! The music perfectly sets the scene, the singing spot on, the story fascinating and powerful ☆☆☆☆☆

I was actually in the same room an hour and a half before, I did mention last post that Monday was my Underbelly day. The two shows before those two were through the same outer door, two venue rooms next to each other – a warning for Clover and Daisy goers, make sure you’re queuing for the right show! And Clover people, unless you have a long body and upper half, best be in the queue early or almost last. If you’re three or more rows back good luck seeing what’s happening, but the back two rows are on higher seats so you can see really well there (I will having a full-blown rant about seating in a post very soon!).

Did you read my last post? To write or not write about shows I haven’t enjoyed so much, that is my predicament. Especially I feel that stand-up comedy is such a personal vibe, not getting a stand-up doesn’t mean they’re rubbish (or maybe they are!). So, I’m not really on the same vibe as Tom Lawrinson but he did go down very well with the crowd. I did laugh plenty, you know that hyena laugh, when you’re joining in with the pack and part of your brain is thinking “yes, I can see the amusement value of what was just said, but I’m not half as amused as this sound I’m making would imply”. I certainly didn’t walk out thinking I’d wasted an hour of my life, but neither will I probably go see him again.

Well, I’ve waffled quite enough for one post. Yes, I still haven’t gone back and completed my previous reviews I know, but the sun is shining out there! I will just mention the other show from yesterday (just to complete the set). Finlay and Joe: Past Our Bedtime was so much fun! The second show of my day opened and finished with a song with lots of silly inbetween. Now, these guys are on my wavelength, inventive, bonkers, with an occasional slight hint of whimsy ☆☆☆☆ I can’t believe I didn’t figure out the author’s name! I realised there was a joke in there but I couldn’t see it, bah.

Now where are my sunglasses? Toodle pip!

Silliness, Inc.

bruceonthefringe Absurd comedy, Comedy, Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe 2022, Fringe 2022 reviews, Fringe Venues, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Come on, moose, focus! No playing out in the sun ’til you’ve written up a few more reviews. Well, as I stuck that pic up of The Establishment poster form 2017 at the end of my last post, let’s start with them. Yesterday I caught up with Neil Frost’s and Dan Lees’ latest Fringe offerings. The Establishment may have disestablished itself but these two have plenty going on. I had already PWYC for Neil Frost: Nan’s House of Fun, then just a couple of weeks ago I spotted that The Flop: A Band of Idiots was back (I failed to see it last year, yes failed, I did try hard) at Banshee Labyrinth, yay.

Neil Frost is at the Blundabus, a fitting setting for such an anarchic silly sense of humour. It is a small venue and he will talk to you wherever you choose to sit, but he’s very lovely and friendly so don’t let that put you off seeing this delightful show. You may wonder five minutes in what the show’s title is about, he’s still on his first riff dressed up like a scary psycho mouse, it’s actually a bittersweet look back at parts of his childhood. Neil Frost is obviously around ten years younger than myself as he thought Timmy Mallet was great in the 80s, really, he wasn’t. The show is on at 8pm in the Blundabus, which is next to the Potterow underpass (its passed by all the time by folk going between the Old Town/ Cowgate area and the university area around Teviot); definitely worth pausing there for 45 minutes to recharge your funny bone ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

The Flop: A Band of Idiots wasn’t listed in the Fringe programme (it is now in the online version) but if there’s one thing I’ve learnt these last few years it’s that the Absurdists like to keep folk on their toes, always check the free fringe stuff regularly, the silliest comedy is worth the hunt. The Flop are the other half of The Establishment, Dan Lees, a third of Privates Tom Curzon and Cammy Sinclair, three gents who can make you laugh just by standing still. What a wonderfully musical and cathartic hour! Again, some friendly audience interaction, the front row seats are not to be feared, embrace your inner child and have fun. Besides being rather good at physical comedy our trio are musicians also, Dan on electric guitar, Cammy on percussion and Tom on strings, yes, he’s brought his double bass along again and a violin. If you’re not grinning from ear to ear by the end of the show, well, there’s no hope for you, I’m afraid.⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

The Flop: A Band of Idiots is the perfect follow-on to Neil Frost: Nan’s House of Fun, and time for a beer or two in between. Be warned though, like last year this is going to get very popular so head to Banshee Labyrinth up to an hour before and pick up a token from the bar to ensure you’ll get in; they’ll appreciate it if you stay in there drinking but you can toddle back a while.

And while I’m talking silly, Grubby Little Mitts at Assembly George Square Studio 4 at 14:45 is very silly. Sullivan Brown is a lovely chap (Russian Roulette) and this year he’s up with a new show with Rosie Nicholls, obviously I was going to see it. Funny, subversive, charming, dark, daft; Sullivan does blustering magnificently and Rosie is marvellous, I like her, excellent character acting both of them, the two make a great team. The chaise longue plays its part well and doesn’t seem to mind being pushed and nudged around, I wonder did it come up with them or did they audition local chaise longue for the part? Oh, and this show may make you think twice before ordering a coffee anywhere later. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Now where’s my sunblock?

Toodle pip!

A hard act to follow

bruceonthefringe 2022, Edinburgh Festivals, Fringe Venues, Music in Edinburgh, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

The National Theatre Live had a new screening last Wednesday, nice timing to whet the appetite for some theatrics at the Fringe, only eight days away now! Apparently it was the highest grossing event cinema release in the UK, not surprising as the star (and only person in it) is Jodie Comer of Killing Eve fame; Prima Facie is her West End debut and boy, she is bloody tremondous in it! A hundred minutes of monologue and she kept us hanging on every word – a high bar for any one to reach in the next month.

Jodie Comer plays Tessa a brilliant young barrister who specialises in defending men accused of sexual assault, the start of the play sees her swagger and treat the job like a sport to be won, winning points (there’s something of a reminder of Villanelle); then, after being raped by a male work colleague, she comes the realisation that someone else will be trying to score all those same points if she presses charges.

The set is two large, grand wooden tables and leather chairs which Comer moves around herself during her monologue, she also has slight changes of clothing to gracefully and unobtrusively manage whilst speaking. She takes books and ledgers down from the walls to later replace them again, files light up signifying the number of cases of sexual assault, but our eyes stay on Comer and her brilliant performance. An amazing piece of theatre but it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the truth of how courts work and how little truth can mean in a court of law.

Now I did say at the end of my last blog post that that would be it on local live music for a bit, but last Friday night was a tad special at Stramash. I mentioned that the Willie Dug Band had been moved from the 7pm slot to the 10pm slot; it was Willie Dug‘s other band the Miracle Glass Company who were playing on Friday, and boy they were good. I got into them thanks to a playlist by Logan’s Close on Spotify that I listened to a lot during the first Lockdown (I was being cheap and listening for free). The MGC are back playing together again and have two gigs next week, if it wasn’t the start of the Fringe I would have tried to get a ticket. Oh well, there’ll be more opportunities.

Last night saw the end of the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival and I saw the ever delightful Nicole Smit and her Travelling Tent Show. Unfortunately it was a drizzly evening so I stayed under one of the big umbrellas until the queue had gone and I could dash straight into the Piccolo Tent. It’s rather nice in there, red velvet drapes on the walls and well-padded tiered seating (There used to be another old spiegeltent, the Bosco, which just had wooden benches, rather numbing on the bottom!) Locals the Tenement Jazz Band were backing our chanteuse; there was also the bonus of Kat Brooks singing a few numbers and shimmying around in white fringed dress (oh my!). Blind Boy Paxton popped in for one song, it was quite a show all in all.

The Assembly George Square Garden stays open this week, hoping the footfall won’t fall too much between the Festivals. The other bar area in Teviot Square is up and running too, it opens a few weeks early so that all the graduates have somewhere to celebrate straight after walking out of the McEwan Hall (literally next to it!). This shows the power of advertising – I really can’t say whose beer garden it is! I walk past it a lot, every year, but to me it’s just “the bar bit in Teviot Square”, I assume one of the big names has it?! The Pleasance Courtyard are busy getting ready, the big 33 sign still wasn’t up yesterday.

The town is getting busy now, not long to go. Must dash, just noticed on Facebook that The Scat Rats are playing Stramash tonight, something of a departure for them, on a Monday!

Toodle pip!

《Didn’t click hard enough last night – it’s been hanging half published, oops!》

A Fringe beyond zero

bruceonthefringe Bands, Covid restrictions, Edinburgh Fringe 2021, Fringe In Person 2021, Fringe Venues, Music in Edinburgh Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Alas, I didn’t get to see The Flop: A Band of Idiots last night and it was their last night, unless, like many things in this fluctuating Fringe, they decide to do more shows (pretty please?!) Nah, it’s unlikely, at least I have the third Private to see today, Christian Brighty: Playboy. Its like a minibusload of absurdists came up for a week and now they’re all packed ready to head back south just as soon as Christian has taken his bow and said his thank yous. Him and his stuff will be bundled into the bus and with ringmaster, Dan Lees at the wheel, they’ll be gone. Imagine if the outside of the minibus reflected the minds of those inside?!

I had been intending to head to Stramash after the show, wow, drinking and dancing in a no doubt busy room, a blast from the past. How would Stramash be now? Well, it was weird going to the bar, rather than six deep around it, there were two queues stretching across the room. To folk entering it wasn’t immediately obvious so they’d head straight to the open space at the bar, then they’d kinda look round at us, it would click that we were stood in a line, “Er, is this a queue for the bar?”,”Yup!” and they’d head the other way to find the back of it. God, it was interminably slow. Now Stramash has an upstairs balcony area that I’ve rarely been in, I was pretty certain there was a bar up there but not 100% certain, striking up a conversation with a chap alongside me in the other queue I ascertained yes, there was a bar upstairs but the queue was even worse up there, that’s why he was queuing where he was. Considering how quickly my drink (a pint of Holyrood Pale Ale, very nice) was bought and paid for, I don’t understand why it took around twenty minutes to get it! It looks like Stramash has gone cashless, everyone was paying by contactless or their phones, so no fumbling around for cash and change.

It was busy but the doormen were making sure everyone was using the CheckIn Scotland app on entry. I guess its become another habit for some, click in and mask up. I did notice a few folk keeping their masks on awhile once inside, like they couldn’t really believe it was okay to remove them. It is a bit confusing, different places have different rules, many folk I think keep masks on until they’re pretty its ok to remove them. Some Fringe venues are fine with unmasking during performances, well, if there’s a bar many will have brought a drink in. Some venues do make an announcement asking that folk stay masked (half then have to put their masks back on), yes, it’s confusing.

Assembly Roxy has attendants at the door to enquire the size of your bubble and then lead people to appropriate seating. Similar was done at Monkey Barrel Comedy Club; they also have a temperature scanner there (only one I’ve seen so far) and they administer a squish of hand sanitiser to everyone who enters. Many venues certainly started the Fringe with seating spread out in groups of twos and fours, I wonder if some have made the spaces between smaller now to accommodate more seats; certainly some venues now have the usual rows of seats. Some folk do look uncomfortable when strangers sit right next to them, but as the In Person shows are selling out a fair bit, it happens, are they thinking “would it look insulting if I put my mask back on?”?

So, back at Stramash, pint in hand I found a good spot to watch the band come on for the second spot, a band called The Kennedy’s Project. I almost spilled my drink – it was the band from Waverley Bridge! It was great to see them indoors in a proper venue and, my, they were good, really good. As usual both the rhythm and lead guitarists shared out the vocal duties, as their voices suit very different songs it works well across the songs they cover. The crowd (and me too) loved them, plenty were on their feet dancing. Highlights for me were Hound Dog, Bring it on Home To Me and, as awesome as the last time, Minnie the Moocher. My, that guitarist was hot, growling out the words, hotter than Idris Elba even!

💛

If you just stumbled accidently upon this blog post and have enjoyed it, I always post a link on Facebook, I’m Bruce T Moose. New friends and followers always welcome (and no, the T isn’t for The).

Some bad news, sad news, good news and reviews

bruceonthefringe Comedy, Edinburgh Fringe 2021, Edinburgh Fringe reviews 2021, Fringe In Person 2021, Fringe Venues Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Godammit! I was too late to get a ticket to see The Flop: A Band of Idiots tonight! There’s now a highlighted note on my Fringe calendar to be outside the Banshee Labyrinth ten minutes before the hour before tomorrow evening. The sad news is Barry Ferns has cancelled his Arthur’s Seat shows, I was perusing what was on today as I breakfasted and spotted it; good to know, but as it was already it in my head that I’d be ascending the Seat I decided to head up anyway. It was a good day for it – warm but overcast with a pleasant breeze.

Good news, the lovely Tim Fitzhigham is doing a show (a as in just one) at the Pleasance Courtyard Cabaret Bar and I have a ticket for it, huzzah! It’s not listed in the Fringe programme (well, not as yet), I happened to be looking at something else on the Pleasance website, then of course, I fell down the rabbit hole, at least it wasn’t another waste of time!

This year’s Fringe has been odd for trying to keep up with all the updates, no doubt at some point I’ll find out that I missed something I would have dearly loved to have seen. The Free Festival announced today that they have added a significant number of extra shows, extended the run a day to end on the 30th and earlier this week added a new venue at Bar 50. Things are obviously going very well for them, yay! And speaking of updates, there’s four shows I’ve seen but not mentioned yet, so, in chronological order this time (it would be hard to call between three of them).

I saw A Highly Suspect Murder Mystery in theSpace @ Symposium Hall. Umm, it was fun but the interactive part of it worked better for some than others. They had printed sheets for audience members who couldn’t access the clues and stuff that were online (new phone, me, I joined up with two ladies next to me). There were a few questions to ponder and solve, and plenty of interacting with the characters between their set pieces. Interestingly, the set-up had Dr Watson, a few years after the death of his wife and Holmes (almost deja vu!), he’s moved back into Baker Street; Mrs Hudson, Inspector Lestrade and Mycroft Holmes are with him trying to solve the mystery – but could one of them be a killer?!

We had to figure out the how & why for not one but two murders! I was very impressed when one of the ladies next to me seemed to quite easily spot one of the how’s, it really was not obvious at all. I did enjoy the show, the actors stayed in character well. They could have had something telling us where to go online before the show began to save some time (many folk had turned their phones off what with being in a theatre!)

Next up, Joke Thieves at the Counting House, so a PWYC show, I’d already done that online to get a ticket. This year a lot of folk are booking and paying in advance for PWYC shows (Pay What You Can), there haven’t been many seats left for walk-in’s at the shows I’ve been to, so booking is a good idea (there are usually a few different prices you can choose from, just like you would choose what to give at the end of a free show).

Joke Thieves is an interesting concept hosted by Will Mars, four comedians perform their own jokes, then each others’. Will asked a member of the audience to pair up the comedians to show that nothing could have been rehearsed for the second part. Obviously every show will be completely different; some comedians may be meaner than others with the material they set their pairing up with; the second two of the second of the pairs (are you still with me here?) may want to retaliate somewhat for how the first two pairings of the second half have retold their jokes. I hadn’t really thought about it much before I went in, other than thinking it could be fun. It was! As I said every night will be different but its worth a punt.

Last night I saw Nathan Cassidy: Bumblebee in Bar 50. He’s been around the Fringe a number of years but I’ve never seen him before. Okay, so with the shortage of In Person shows, I decided to give him a shot and am pleased I did, he was really rather good; I would go and see him again next year. The pacing of the narrative was good, I enjoyed his delivery, and I would agree, Idris Elba is way hotter than Bradley Cooper.

So I didn’t see Barry Ferns today, but I did see Adele Cliff at 32 Below. She seems to be doing very well, extra shows added on for her. She’s rather sweet and so young! I did worry a bit if I’d just not be on the same level as her, like, what common areas could we possibly share? Well, there’s mothers who want to know everything, I feel her pain there. It was a light, entertaining hour in which she managed to confound many of my expectations. Nice one!

That’s it for another evening, I must away to my bed. If you’ve enjoyed reading this and would like to catch more reviews and other tales, I always post a link on Facebook, look up Bruce T Moose.

Toodle pip!

On top of the world! Well, Edinburgh.

A duo of monologues

bruceonthefringe 2021, Edinburgh Fringe 2021, Edinburgh Fringe reviews 2021, Fringe In Person 2021, Fringe Venues, Theatre, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I’m counting this morning’s show as my Shakespeare foray for this Fringe! It wasn’t one of his plays but there were plenty of his lines quoted and it was called Shakespeare’s Fool, so yes, it counts. I was back for a second time in the Main Theatre at theSpace @ Symposium Hall, the bar was set pretty low after the last production I saw here. No worries, it was a superb performance! The audience were hung on to his every word (which we could hear clearly whether he spoke loudly or softly).

This was Will Kempe recounting his life story to a mouse called Maurice (who performed his part admirable) in one final performance before passing away with the name of his first love on his lips. Who he? William Kempe was one of the most famous clown actors towards the end of the sixteenth century, a contemporary of William Shakespeare, his buddy, he brought to life Shakespeare’s characters, some they say written just for him; then they fell out. This one man play tells a tale of what might have happened with plenty of the historical facts around it. Fascinating stuff! Robin Leetham plays the part so well; it always astounds me how actors can stuff so many lines in their heads and bring them all back out in the right order, especially monologues (and this one was seventy five minutes long!). He also looked rather splendid in his fool’s garb, top marks for wardrobe.

One thought did pop into my head from time to time – much as I was enjoying Robin Leetham’s performance, I would love to see Thom Tuck have a shot at it. I think he’d make a fine Will Kempe, well, he’s not dissimilar in character! Perhaps it was also that Shakespeare’s Fool reminded me of Scaramouche Jones that Thom played so well (four years til the next time if he keeps to his plan).

Can I rewind a bit to yesterday now, please? That show I was heading to, another brilliant example of how to deliver a monologue and keep your audience mesmerised, was Watson: The Final Problem playing in Assembly Roxy (I do like the Roxy, it’s a fine old building, originally a church). The setting is three years after Holmes’ death at Reichenbach Falls, Dr Watson recounts his life (yes, another life story!) right from being a young soldier wounded in Afghanistan. It’s a cracking tale, of action, intrigue and poignancy, but ultimately at the end, after a full account of the past Watson looks forward to the future (unlike Will Kempe dying broken on a street corner).

Tim Marriott is excellent as Dr Watson, fans of Sherlock Holmes will not be disappointed at this story angle; Watson deserves more limelight! The show is only on until Sunday 22nd at 12:45 in the afternoon. Shakespeare’s Fool is on at 11:20am right up to Saturday 28th. Definitely my top two theatre shows this Fringe (sorry, Guy!)