Batisfera

Puffins, potatoes and a fish called Swimothy

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

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!

A few happy returns to the stage

bruceonthefringe 2025, Comic theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2025, Returning Fringe shows, Theatre, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I have a table covered with cut-outs from the Comedy section of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival programme, but before that, a few more theatrical musings….

I knew I recognised the name, yup, three years ago I gave him five stars, so I reckon I’ll give Ben Moor: A Three Thing Day a go; I remember he had a wonderful voice that whisked you away into his stories. Henry Naylor is back with a new play, Monstering the Rocketman which sounds interesting; as the name gives away it’s about Elton John, him and that big kerfuffle with The Sun, could be pretty juicy (Naylor does do his research).

Looking back through my Fringe diary (I must remember to buy a new notebook, the last one’s full), it was also 2022 when I saw Space Hippo, an epic sci-fi adventure told in the medium of Japanese shadow puppetry. I notice the company name is different, has the story also had changes made? It was a wonderful experience last time, I am rather tempted, maybe late on, see how things go.

And a few pages later I wrote about Neil Frost: Nan’s House of Fun (omg, this is getting silly, it was also the year I last saw one of Henry Naylor’s plays!) A wonderfully silly, but bittersweet, show that’s morphed into The Door (well, that is the very disturbing Ricky Mouse in the picture). I gave the original 4½ stars, if I only had Hermione’s watch I’d go see Mr Frost again, truly a joy. Mind, he’s here for the whole month so I’ll keep an eye out for him popping up elsewhere, he’s that type, you know!

Those defiant wee bears are back and they’ve brought a bag of tatties with them. Yay, Batisfera are back with two short plays this year; The Gummy Bears’ Great War was one of my highlights from last year’s Fringe (4½ stars), can Tale of a Potato possibly be as good? I’ll let you know, I already have a ticket for this one! I also have my ticket for that great Fringe institution Shakespeare For Breakfast, always entertaining, okay, so some years have been better than others, but I wouldn’t miss it (or the croissant and coffee).

One last happy return, Scaramouche Jones is back, as Thom Tuck said, ten years later (he first performed it twenty years ago and declared that he intends to perform it every ten years, maybe even reaching the clown’s old age if he’s lucky). Scaramouche Jones is a 100 year old clown, born on the stroke of midnight 1899 and now a hundred years later on the eve of a new century, after not speaking in fifty years, the old clown speaks to tell his life story before he dies. Ten years ago I wrote “Thom Tuck at his very best” and gave him five stars.

I’m starting to get a bit excited about this Fringe. Toodle pip!

How to cook scallops and other news

bruceonthefringe 2025, Another European Trip, Edinburgh Festivals, Edinburgh Fringe, European trip 2025, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Hi peeps! It’s the first full weekend in June, so that means it’s Meadows Festival time, but this year I’m going leave off going until tomorrow. There’s heavy downpours out there, you know, already been caught in two just going to the Farmers Market, thank heavens for my oversized brolly! When I’ve finished this I’m going to pop along to Whistlebinkies where Jed Potts and Nicole Smit will be starting the afternoon set soon. There’s lots of music going on down in Leith for the Leith Jazz & Blues Festival this weekend; indeed, the Scat Rats are playing some place called The Volley at four o’clock today and tomorrow (I have no idea where it is, besides in Leith), I may pop down tomorrow, make that, most likely will pop along.

If I’d just gotten up when I first woke, around nine, I could have been home before the first deluge, but, well. So glad to get some eggs (never buy them from supermarkets these days), also some chicken thighs and honey from Brewsters, then across to Annanwater to see what they had left, oo, cutlets (exquisitely tasty) and two small frozen packs of liver (very handy as one pack is perfect for a solo meal, and it will defrost very quickly in a bowl of water). A chap behind me asked if I was queuing for a mutton pie like himself (they are exceedingly popular), oh no, I was holding off for scallops from Creelers for my lunch; as so often happens, that prompted a follow-up question of how I cook them, in butter first, then add a slosh of dry white wine, a little salt and black pepper, some frozen chopped parsley, finally double cream. Bloody marvellous if I do say so myself!

Oh, and a slice of bread of butter with a glass of the wine. He said he’d be round at twelve! Haha. Scallops in bag, last port of call was Thistle and Churn for another fine ice cream, this week’s was a Clootie Dumpling, with some actual clootie dumpling as part of the garnish!

I think partly the reason why I’m not fussed about getting to the Meadows Festival is that I’ve already had a big flea market fix just last week in Brussels, oh my god, it was so wonderful to gaze on it all! If you enjoy a good rummage and you’re ever in Brussels, head to Place du Jeu de Balle, and of course, being away means you can’t actually buy that ridiculous wotsit, ’cause how would you get it home?!

Yes, that is a pogo stick! ~~~~~ Some might call it junk ~~~~~~ I was tempted!

Similarly, I feel like my Fringe started early this year, not only did I treat myself to seeing Grubby Little Mitts performing Eyes Closed, Mouths Open when I was in London, but back four weeks ago I went to see John-Luke Roberts: It Is Better + Best Of at the Monkey Barrel. Honestly, I’m not quite sure what month it is, Meadows Fair, so it’s June. Yes, I have picked up copies of the Fringe programme, yes, I’ve done an extra quick sweep of comedy and theatre, and yes, I’ve bought my first eight tickets! I’m somewhat disgruntled that the box office has now upped the maximum booking fees for one purchase from £5 to £7.50, grrrr (yes, I know it’s not much to quibble over but it irks me). My purchases? A few previews, the new one from Batisfera, thought I should get in quick as Luke Rollason is only doing a few dates, and a ticket for Troy Hawke who is usually rather expensive but yay, he’s doing a WIP this year (been loving his stuff on Instagram).

More later, right now, there’s two rather talented musicians making sweet sounds, that I need to see. Toodle oo!