Just a week to go now! The poster boards are going up everywhere and this afternoon I was handed a flyer! Yes, the earliest ever. To be fair I was dawdling as I passed the Pleasance Courtyard as they have boards outside listing all the shows in all of their venues, a lady was obviously making some content with her phone by one of the boards….I was nosey, she was lovely, A Better Memory has been added to my pile of possibilities. But what of my certainties?
Hooray, the ridiculously talented Voloz Collective are back again, another double bill, REDACTED: The Cover-up of a Cover-up of a Cover-up and the brilliant The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much. I’ll be kicking off my Fringe with REDACTED, yay, and ending my first day yelling “Ya die, ya die, ya die!” at someone called Darren (if you know you know). My second day starts with another promising production The Crimes of Pete and finishes with Hudson Hughes: At Your Service which I’m confident will bookend the day very nicely. Friday will start with the return of Tom Neenan, it’s so important to start your Fringe well, you know. At least, I’m pretty damned certain these will all be great, not sure about the others, time to see if my Fringe-dar is still in working.
How to start your Fringe well
Wonderfully silly and totally Fringe Will BF is back with space epic Moon Team IIIV again, no doubt he’s most likely made a few changes since last August (I wonder how Swimothy is getting on). There’s also new show Will & Noah: Dinner Dinner ChickenWinner with Noah Geelan, oh yes, I’ll be seeing that for sure, loved them together last year. Ironing Board Man is back for a third year, an 80’s action movie homage with an excellent soundtrack and more ironing boards than you’d ever ordinarily see at once; but I’ve seen it twice already, so it’s the new show Jody Kamali: This Is My Dad that I quite fancy seeing, hmmm.
My Fringe-dar favours these
One return that I can’t decide whether to see is Jeremy Lion, some things are best left as memories. He was achingly funny the first couple of times I saw him, but the third time was not as good, that was, oh, fifteen or so years ago! To go or not to go? [Edit. Turns out its cancelled, debate over!] No such question about ThomTuck’s latest theatrical outing The Wolf of Poyais, and, of course, the Tuck has two more shows (and maybe the odd other thing, too), a WIP stand-up show and a chat show, huh, if he announces who the guests will be each day, maybe.
Later than I intended (it’s been another gorgeous day outside) but here’s a few musings on what’s caught my eye in the Theatre section of the Edinburgh Fringe 2026 programme. Oh crikey, there’s a lot of cuttings, the majority will be bin bound (especially once I’ve taken my scissors to Comedy), but I prefer having groupings of faint possibilities that can be discarded than wondering if I should have another look through the programme, if it’s not been cut out, tough (besides, there’s always more chances of consideration once the Fringe is underway).
The classics, kinda. Five hovering around Shakespeare, I’ve often enjoyed these sorts of productions; two have puppetry as a keyword, the whimsy in me is a sucker for that stuff; and 11½ Angry Men, just because I saw Guy Masterton’s 2003 comedians production of 12 Angry Men, mind, only a preview ticket. Prices are certainly going up now, but that’s partly because the booking fee is now included in the ticket price, so no getting annoyed at the extra fee, but hey, if you buy more than six tickets at a time then you’ll pay slightly less as there’s still a cap of £9 booking fee on a single order (slight whoop there). Still, at £25.00 within a bunch of tickets, nope, that’s two other shows I can see.
I always have a pile of Half Price Hut hopefuls to keep an eye out for once the Hut is up and running. Some of the pile will be potential previews too, but as the preview prices are generally just the first Wednesday and Thursday (Friday was a preview day until very recently, damn them), I can’t see as many as I used to. The Half Price Hut is once again operating from the Fringe Box Office and so shuts at six in the evening, still bloody stupid, I say (I’ve done a full blown rant on this before, it irks me).
The vast majority of tickets in the Theatre section are set prices, checking through I’ve no Free Fringe possibles, oops, one! It jumps between categories a lot, this is a Theatre year, that perennial A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla….17, as usual, one performance only, on Tuesday 18th. Could this be the year I see it?! I have just two Pay What You Want and two Pay What You Can in my possibilities. Quick recap, PWYW gives one ticket price to buy in advance to guarantee entry while PWYC gives four price options to pay in advance. A word of advice/warning, if you’ve bought a ticket in advance to one of these shows you’ll probably find yourself apologetically bleating “honest, I bought a ticket” as you exit past the bucket.
There’ll always a few shows that aren’t on until the final week, that’s a separate pile of it’s own. No need to think about them just yet, and a lot can happen before the last week of Fringe. There are some possibilities that don’t fit any where particular in my head, they’re probably looking at each other thinking, how did I get stuck in a pile beside you?! And I seem to have created a pile of best publicity pictures, when I’ve reached for the scissors at first glance; yeah, Film Noir Frog is very appealing (come on, it’s a frog, they’re always great).
Yeah, these six shows all have a high chance of getting on my calendar; and then there’s five absolute definites, oo, I’m looking forward to these…
REDACTED: The Cover-up of a Cover-up of a Cover-up is the new show from the brilliant Voloz Collective, physical theatre at its very best. Their previous Fringe shows were among the best of all Fringes for me, really (and they’re performing The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much again this year, honestly, I could be tempted to see it again, I love it’s style and sass). That most august of Fringe institutions Thom Tuck is playing The Wolf of Poyais, nuff said, I’m going. The Crimes of Pete is the latest play by Hughie Shepherd-Cross, I thoroughly enjoyed his previous three plays, don’t let me down Hughie! The creepy, unnerving Flabbergast Theatre are back again, this time with Endgame by Samuel Beckett, always a mesmeric watch this theatre company. And Top Gunchained because Yippee Ki Yay was so damned awesome, both years (different actors) I saw it.
No picture of all my other possibilities in the Theatre section, too many will have to go unseen, and after all, there’s no science to how I picked them, just my Fringe-dar twitching. Next time the Comedy section of the Edinburgh Fringe 2026 programme. You have been warned.
I’ve been under the weather somewhat since the end of Fringe. First my throat, then after what seemed like a full recovery, bam, my sinuses mutinied, usually the two run alongside a wee while before passing the baton. Not this time, just far enough apart for some false hope, but also a chance to the Scat Rats on Wednesday midnight at Whistlebinkies; by seven the following evening I was in no fit state to see the Rats again in Stramash, boo. At least I had the immense pleasure of a spur of the moment rendition of Fantastic Man (a song by William Onyeabor that Logan’s Close made a cover video of during one of the lockdowns), I do hope they play it again sometime.
The last couple of days Facebook memories have reminded me that it’s the time when I’ve previously announced the Brucies. What’s the Brucies? They’re the Bruce on the Fringe Fringe Awards, I was inspired after attending the ACMS Awards in 2022 (a silly, nonsensical, absurd event hosted by the Tuck); so just a light-hearted look back at my Fringe (it didn’t happen last year, those reading my blog at the time know why). And so without further ado…
Mesdames et monsieurs, ceux entre et ceux au-delà, bienvenue! The awards that nobody asked for, and mean absolutely nothing to anyone (except the little mooselets in my head), I give you the Bruce on the Fringe Fringe Awards 2025. Ta-dar!!
The Sublime: The Other Mozart
Most August: Thom Tuck
Best Veg-Rom-Dram: Tale of a Potato
Best Supporting Sidekick: Swimothy
Best Evening in an Afternoon: An Evening with Dame Granny Smith
Best Badge: Will & Noah: Too Much Time on Their Phones
Most Suave and he knows it: Troy Hawke
Best Musical Moments (all the nominations and the winner): Rob Kemp (Beatlesjuice and The Elvis Dead)
Best Use of a Building Since it was Public Swimming Baths: Finlay and Joe: Pretend It’s Fine
The Inevitable Award: Bad Clowns: Long Live the King
The Gromit Trophy: Iago in Iago Speaks up until Iago spoke
Oddest thing on the Cowgate: The Mothman Cometh-ing towards me
The Stuff of Nightmares: Aidan Pittman dressed as The Childcatcher
The Ridiculous: God’s Longest
And there you go, from the sublime, through to the ridiculous.
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 DavidSalter, 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. ThomTuck 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, TheMothman 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!
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! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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!
This time last week I was in Stramash watching The Scat Rats, another damn fine performance as we’ve come to expect from them. The early evening band was Nicole Smit and Jed Potts doing their thang (the first time I’ve seen their double act outside of Binkies) ranging from country, blues, rock’n’roll, and this week Jed went lounge (honestly, eyes shut he sounded like he should be wearing velvet and ruffles!) on a couple of numbers.
Last night I had been expecting to see The Blueswater but alas they had to cancel, well, some of them, so instead Nicole and the Back-up Crew (there are a few overlaps there) did the late night shift at The Jazz Bar. No, I didn’t go, I went to bed at a reasonable time instead! I do hope things are okay again for their Fringe shows (the first one is Wednesday 9th).
I had been wondering at a seeming lack of Tuck this year, nothing in the programme! Surely he’d be up? What anarchy would ACMS descend into without him? And This Is Your Trial without a single Tuck appearance? Surely not. Oh, and TIYT is with Laughing Horse this year, in The Counting House at half past five in the afternoon. It is very random depending many factors but hey, it’s free, definitely worth a punt!
And then, midweek he shared a pic on Instagram of his Fringe schedule so far, yay! Thom Tuck will be in the building, well, a building, a number of buildings, around Edinburgh during August. I like his use of colours, if a tad rough, but curious what Dom and Wogan mean!? 2110 Ginzel’s I think I’ve figured out, some serious acting? I’ll let you know.
This morning I headed up Moose Ridge in Holyrood Park, after a week of slow ambles with old dogs I’ll have to get back into the long climb up, ready for Arthur’s Seat Comedy Extravaganza on Saturday 19th. If you’ve never been up to the top, then that’s the day to do it! Catch a 45 minute free Fringe show with four stand-ups and the most spectacular view in town (unless there’s very low cloud!)
Hot news of the week, Logan’s Close have released another succulently scintillating single from their forthcoming album Heart-shaped Jacuzzi, for which they have also announced a Release Party date in late December, oh yay! So that’s Hot Blondes In Your Area Tonight available now on Spotify and other music streams; and Liquid Room on 29th December.
Alas, I was away on Monday when they invited fans to go along and be in the video for Hot Blondes, hopefully it’ll be out before too long. In the meantime, I have put a clip on Instagram of The Scat Rats doing an acoustic version in Stramash.
Anyhoo, time for bed, just three sleeps to go. I’ll leave you with the Rats from last week…
Its all done for another year, everyone’s left town, so many venues already look like there’s not been anything happening at all, even the streets are looking cleaner (yes, the binmen went back to work yesterday – was it really a strike or a dirty protest against the Fringe?!). At least I was able to console myself watching the Scat Rats yesterday evening in Whistlebinkies, and at the reasonable time of half nine! It’s Scotty boy’s birthday today, I’m sure there’ll be shenanigans afoot; just as long as he’s recovered by Friday when there’s a double dose of Marah and Rough – at five in Binkies, then down in Stramash at seven, sweet!
Anyways, you probably popped in for some end of Fringe waffle, like, did Accordion Ryan do a new song? Yes, he did and very good it was too, all about him seemingly giving off long term relationship vibes when, well, sometimes it’s nice just to have a bit of fun! Another clever, funny, slightly bittersweet song. It was a brilliant last show, a total blast, it’s gotta be ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. As is the usual with these things venue staff came along for a final send-off, I’m sure Ryan brought plenty of sunshine into their lives this last month (mine too!)
Earlier that evening walking up Blair Street I noticed that the Alternative Comedy Memorial Society Awards 2022 were taking place that night, obviously I had to get a ticket, what better way to round off the Fringe (especially in case nothing turned up on Monday)? Needless to say it was very silly, rather anarchic and quite random, like any evening at the ACMS. ThomTuck managed to keep some semblance of order (Professional), or did a good impression of doing so. Throughout the show various nominees for Best Song went up and performed, my favourite was definitely John Robertson’s, short and very much to the point BINS!! As this was ACMS Awards there wasn’t actually an award for Best Song, of course not. The whole thing was done and dusted by around two thirty, a very reasonable time, considering.
announcing the winner of the Least Likely award
Monday? The few flyerers left descended on the remaining Fringers, by god, they had one last show to flyer and they were determined to got some bums on those seats! They circled around us like seagulls going for discarded chips, saying you already had a show to go to almost felt mean. Oh, I wasn’t just saying it, I did, the chaps from Out To Lunch were quite engaging so I bought a ticket, and that was my final Fringe show, in the afternoon! No final night, didn’t even bother with Binkies Open Mic Night, this slow, wheezing demise of the Fringe is no fun. Just end everything on the Sunday night!!! The last Monday gets more tragic each year.
Out To Lunch was rather good, by the way. It’s a comedy-musical but there’s not too much singing in it. Indeed, when the first song started I’d forgotten that it was a musical it was a fair way into the play, oh and the two male actors weren’t particularly musical when they tried to sing but that just made it funnier. Emily Cairns playing Angie made up for them, she has an awesome voice. I was amused by the main protagonist Marcus Tuckwell, a failing food critic, when I realised he was coming across like the bastard love child of Bernard Black (Black Books) and Jack Whitehall! Yes, I had that going on in my head.
Must finish, I’m hungry. There may be a ranty post later, possibly; well, a Fringe round-up that may become ranty. I may even get round to some Bruce T Moose awards this year, I’m feeling a tad inspired by the ACMS, Best Song nominees welcome!
Today is the start of the second week of the Edinburgh Fringe, the day that a lot of full run shows take off; if not today, tomorrow or a few take Wednesday off. Certainly all the Just The Tonic shows are not on today – are they all having like a huge works party somewhere?! Thunder rumbled through yesterday evening and night heralding the end of the heatwave, this evening we have torrential rain forecast from around nine o’clock onwards, settling down to steady rain from first thing Tuesday morning until sometime in the early evening. All the wetness should be cleared by Wednesday when most shows are back on, it’s how it often goes, an August institution.
Another August institution is the ever delightful Thom Tuck, who is, of course, here again, yay. Indeed, I just went this afternoon to see his show, Thom Tuck: An Even More August Institution. He’s only doing it for three days, this was the first one – almost like he knew in advance that the weather would be rubbish, so folk would want to head indoors! Well, he knows how August in Edinburgh pans out, he’s been here for plenty of them, and his show this time features a number of tales of Fringes past. I could have quite happily sat listening to him for another hour, the man is witty, erudite, silly; always a pleasure ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thom did mention that he studied philosophy at university, couldn’t help wondering if he’s ever a guest comedian at Stand-up Philosophy? I’d definitely go to that, the chap could wax lyrical on anything I reckon. I have actually been to Stand-up Philosophy once already this Fringe but it is one of those, a different show every night. The afternoon I went along the topic was identity, the host had three comedians lined up to do short pieces on the topic, after each he’d join them to chat and get questions from the audience, it’s an interesting idea for those wanting something a bit different from stand-ups. ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Late morning today I went to see Rachel Creeger at The Globe Bar (PBH’s Free Fringe) on the basis of seeing her doing Stand-up Philosophy. Good choice, she comes across well; the raconteur style of stand-up rather than jokes, and there is plenty to laugh about in her stories. Probably not to everyone’s tastes but I had a lovely hour in her company, oh, and she’s an orthodox Jew, there’s a few mentions about food – you will be feeling hungry by the time you head out. ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Just time for another mention before I head out to see Aidan Goatley, a show that I saw as a WIP last year Rob Kemp: Agenda. Until this year I don’t think I’ve ever been in The Hive in Niddry Street, in the last two weeks I’ve seen three shows there, all great. The Hive rooms are an extension to the Monkey Barrel Comedy Club, so tickets can be bought in advance or PWYC at the end of the show. Anyways, Rob Kemp: Agenda is a great show, he’s great, great legs too. This is an autobiographical show about Rob dealing with societal expectations versus his identity as a man who likes, when the mood takes him, to wear sequins and make-up, a pansvestite (his term). It’s honest and blunt, also very funny and touching, loved it last year, loved it this time too ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It’s Friday evening, I’ve just had a rather splendid tea of spaghetti and a homemade pasta sauce – why do people buy that stuff in jars? It’s so easy to throw something together. The Scat Rats should be back at Stramash at seven o’clock but I suspect the place will be dead again, it’s still a hot and sunny out there, go figure. Oh, and the George Square Garden has opened today for the start of the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, it’s probably rather busy right now. I’ll be in there myself later on, I’ve treated myself to a ticket to see Tom McGuire & The Brassholes in the Speigeltent, yay! Okay I’ve only seen bits and pieces but I’ve definitely liked those morsels, so why the heck not?
I’ve taken full advantage of Assembly’s locals offer again and bought my full allowance of six tickets. While checking through the Fringe programme I noticed that a lot of previews are only on the Wednesday and Thursday, the Friday is full whack weekend prices (guess how I feel about that, go on!); my Assembly offer tickets run through Friday to Sunday when the offer ends. And that’s another thing – they have a great long list of shows included in the offer, around two hundred, erm, certainly four of those shows don’t start until after the 7th!! That’s just a few I checked, how many more have they bumped the list up by? I only noticed because Rich Hall is back (yay) and his show is on the list, only it doesn’t start the 13th, huh? Naturally I was curious, check a few others, yup, there were more that started after the first weekend.
Turns out those Underbelly folk have decided to jump on the bandwagon and is offering a number of £5 tickets on all their shows from the 3rd til 7th. The offer is only on until midnight Sunday so I’ll have to check quickly tomorrow; this will be cheaper than the preview prices too, oo and it didn’t mention an upper limit of tickets allowed per person, interesting. Now if only the Pleasance and Gilded Balloon felt the need to attract the early-comers too. OMG, just realised Messrs Tuck and Fitzhigham are back with their Macbeth in the Underbelly this time (pricey) but this opens my options of when to see them a bit!
And on Thom Tuck, that wonderful August Institution has a show at the Monkey Barrel that isn’t listed in the Fringe programme, it’s a good job I had a peek at their own website! Will Tim Fitzhigham sneak in a last minute show at the Pleasance like he did last year? I was very lucky to spot that on the Pleasance’s own website and snaffle a couple of tickets. You’ve really got to be on the ball with these things!
Crikey, the time! The lads could be on, or having a drink in an empty bar. Toodle pip!
Bruce on the Fringe 