Funny People: My Journey Through Comedy (Roy Smiles)

Written for Exeunt “Never judge a book by its cover,” someone once famously said. But the ineffectual grin that Roy Smiles is aiming at his readers is actually a pretty good description of what is between his book’s bindings. The same simple straightforwardness that defines Smiles’s expression is what makes Funny People an amiable but rudimentary [...]

Read Full Post »

Gone In 60 Minutes: Edinburgh

Last week the iron grip of the 1 hour show was dissected by Matt Trueman in his Guardian blog “The Fringe seems to favour the sort of short and punchy show that is easy to package. But, in most cases, an hour can only achieve so much” he concluded.  And he’s right; in an hour [...]

Read Full Post »

Belt Up: Outland

Written for Total Theatre One of three shows Belt Up are presenting at this year’s Fringe, for Outland the company jumped headfirst down a rabbit hole into the wonderful world of Lewis Carroll. They surfaced, a little crumpled, to create a frantic three-hander vignette that feels a bit concertinaed but is never dull. In a [...]

Read Full Post »

Edinburgh is like a box of chocolates, or it should be…

‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.’ I spent most of this year’s Edinburgh with Forest Gump’s infamous hallmark card platitude twanging through my head. It may be a statement that stinks of cheese to high heaven but in terms of the Fringe it’s something we could learn [...]

Read Full Post »

Nigel Barrett and Louise Mari: One Man Show

Written for Total Theatre There is one moment of One Man Show when Nigel Barrett mouths off about the horrific attraction of the self-obsessed actor. His face is covered in a bandage with only his wide eyes showing, whilst a projected and grotesque set of lips and teeth move with disturbing urgency and a rumbling voice proclaims [...]

Read Full Post »

Bryony Kimmings: 7 Day Drunk

Written for Exeunt The crazy world of artists, bohemians and rock and roll stars has always been fuelled by substances both legal and illegal. Just what is the relationship between art and drugs? It’s a question that’s been asked before, but one which hit Bryony Kimmings squarely in the face as she began to address [...]

Read Full Post »

Paul Daniels: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Written for FEST Paul Daniels and “The woman who is restoring the economy of Scotland singlehandedly”(that’s Debbie McGee to you and me) are bringing some old-school variety charm to the Fringe. Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow is a family-friendly hour that feels like you’re settling down in front of the TV in your slippers, except that here the [...]

Read Full Post »

Medea

Written for FEST Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Never has this statement rung truer for a character than Medea. Granddaughter of the sun god Helios, she’s abandoned by Jason for a princess and banished by a heartless king. So Medea takes events into her own bloody hands, invoking horrible atrocities that include, [...]

Read Full Post »

RashDash: Scary Gorgeous

Written for Fest RashDash artistic directors Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen have created a no holds barred mash-up of music, dance and performance which attempts to explore ideas of teenage sexuality. Fronting a band and lacing killer vocals with even sharper heels, Abbi and Helen are two sassy, sexually precocious girls. Interweaving their story with [...]

Read Full Post »

Junction 25: I Hope My Heart Goes First

Written for Total Theatre An army of teenagers throw themselves around on stage as an operation takes place to dissect the concept of love. I Hope My Heart Goes First is an impassioned look at this most powerful of emotions from those who are its starting blocks. They dance it out, fight it out, sing it out, [...]

Read Full Post »