What ever happened to…The Fear?

Christian McRae
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What ever happened to…The Fear?

The Fear by Tom Carswell

‘The Fear’ by Manchester Musical Revue was a musical comedy plying at C Venues at Fringe 18 about the lives of university students during their final year. The show got some great audience feedback, and a five star review from Musical Talk. Co-creator and production manager of ‘The Fear’ Tom Carswell talks to us about his Fringe 2018 experience and what the future holds in store for himself and the show.

Today, we welcome Tom Carswell of the comedy musical ‘The Fear’. Tom – tell us a little about your show.

The Fear is a new comedy musical by Carswell, Pearce and Pope. This rip-roaring pop/rock musical takes the audience into the student house of Ash, Ferg and Sam as they struggle to cope with the ups and downs of their final year of university with drink, deadlines, distractions and a pet hamster, named Arthur Schopenhauer. Described as ‘A hilarious and poignant must see – 5 stars’ by Musical Talk, the UK’s leading Musical Theatre podcast, it is a nostalgia ride for all those who have been through the university experience, complete with a live, onstage band. Hold onto your hamsters, embrace the absurd, it’s a bumpy ride!

A. About Your Fringe 2018!

1. In three words, how was the Edinburgh Fringe 2018 experience for you?

Exhilarating, Mad, (Too) Fast.

2. What was your Fringe highlight?

Our first standing ovation on our 4th show. It was that moment that we knew we had a special show on our hands. Getting recognised around Edinburgh was pretty cool as well.

3. And your lowlight?

We had a few struggles with our venue (That’s probably all I’m allowed to say on that).

4. We are interested to know your thoughts on flyering. Is it still an effective strategy? Did other marketing tools such as social media or positive reviews succeed more in getting bums on seats for your show?

We found flyering a hard task this year. We were on at a really late slot (23:10) and so trying to find people who weren’t already heading home or nearly blackout drunk was a hard task, and too many families were out earlier in the day which wasn’t any use due to the nature of the show. Our audiences did pick up after we had our first couple of reviews and we had a big social media presence which helped a lot. Ultimately flyering is still needed, especially in that hour lead up to your show, it’s a great way to usher people in through the door as there are lots of people who wander about just looking to stumble into a show they know nothing about

5. Tell us about your audiences this year. Was your typical audience member who you would have expected to come? Any surprise audience moments?

Our show is very student based, it is about students and written by students, and so we naturally believed it would solely appeal to that demographic. However, we were surprised that we had all ages coming and loving the show. We had a lot of older audience members saying how glad they were that university life hadn’t changed a bit since they were there, and made them very nostalgic about their experiences of student life. Our favourite audience members were groups of Americans and Canadians as they would get most involved in the show, whooping and cheering along to songs. They even at one point told me my shirt was sexy mid-way through a scene which was very kind of them.

6. What was the best show you saw at Fringe 18?

Six the Musical was just incredible, it is just non-stop fun and the talent on that stage in phenomenal. We were lucky enough to have a drink with one of the writers Toby Marlow, after one of The Fear, shows and he was so great to talk to and offered us lots of advice for our own show.

7. What tips do you have for first time performers at the Fringe?

Do as much of the work and planning as possible before you get to Edinburgh, if you plan correctly beforehand you can just enjoy yourself when you’re there. Live in the moment. It’s one of the best experiences a young creative can have. Throw yourself in, meet as many people as possible and you’ll never forget your time there.

8. What was your relationship like with the reviewers / media and what could be improved?

We had a wonderful time with reviewers, they were all so lovely and so willing to send us any feedback on our shows. Christopher Pope (one of my co-creators) and myself recorded a lovely podcast with Musical Talk, one of the UK’s leading Musical Theatre podcasters. Thos Ribbits, our interviewer and reviewer, was great to talk to and we ended up recording an hour long podcast just on our show, which was an amazing experience and opportunity for us and our show.

9. How has the Fringe helped your career?

We’ve created lots of contacts through it, and there is genuine interest now for The Fear to have a life after Edinburgh, which is extremely exciting. We’ve had lots of people register their interest in helping our show get bigger audiences, and without the Fringe that never would have happened.

B. A few questions to get to know you better…  

10. When you are not performing how do you like to unwind?
There was a lot of napping at Fringe, we had such a late slot and trying to keep your energy up at 11pm was a hard task when you wouldn’t get back, even on a quiet night, until past 2am. I personally like to listen to a lot of music or watch some Netflix, just to take my mind completely off the show, otherwise The Fear just plays on a continuous loop in my head.

11. What is your favourite tipple?

A Gin and Tonic at the end of a night.

12. Edinburgh is famous for its Harry Potter landmarks. Which Harry Potter character are you most like?

I’m probably Dobby, mainly cause finding a clean sock whilst I was in Edinburgh was almost impossible.

13. What is your pet peeve when performing?

People taking photos doesn’t bother me that much, mainly because if they want to take a photo of it, it generally means they’re enjoying the performance, and we had a few parents taking sly photos during our run. Someone who’s got their head in their phone, especially when it’s on full brightness, or a phone going off can be an annoyance, luckily I didn’t spot or hear any phones during our run this year.

14. Would you ever go on stage naked?

If it was a necessary part of the plot or character development, I don’t see why not. My mother’s said she won’t be in attendance though…

15. Where in Edinburgh is your favourite place to eat out, and where to dance the night away after?

I had to ask the rest of the cast this question, cause I’m sure I would get the vote as most boring during the run as I always went home earliest to sleep. Our first choice bar was always Finnegans Wake. Great live music, half price drinks with our Fringe passes and just a great atmosphere. Sneaky Pete’s and Mash House were also favourites. Our favourite food was a 24hr bakery we found 5 minutes from our digs. A drunken chicken curry pie at 4 in the morning never tasted so good.

C. What next?

16. What have you done since the Fringe and what is the next big thing in your calendar?

I am personally off to start an MA course at Guildford School of Acting, so that is my main focus for the next year. However, the other two writers and myself are busy working on The Fear’s return so keep your eyes peeled on all our social media pages for some exciting announcements.

17. Will you be back to Edinburgh next year?

I personally won’t be able to due to GSA commitments, but I am hoping you will be seeing The Fear and our company there in some way shape or form.

Thank you!

Christian McRae
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Thank you!

As the sun sets on another season, we would like to thank everyone who has made this Fringe special for us.

In no particular order, we would like to thank:

  • The comedians, artists, actors, musicians, dancers, acrobats, jugglers, and performers of all types who have worked tirelessly through the year to put on some fantastic performances.
  • The technicians who have worked so hard to bring the sets to life in light and sound.
  • The writers who have crafted a myriad of stories through script, song and verse and brought new perspectives on issues old and modern.
  •  The marketeers and street crews who have come out rain or shine to entertain us at sites across the city.
  • The designers who have created posters and flyers that are works of art.
  •  The Fringe Society for organising the impossible every year.
  •  The audience members, journalists, bloggers, photographers and Fringe enthusiasts who have provided us with valuable insights, camaraderie and laughter.

This was a toe in the water year for us; to find out what it truly meant to report the Fringe. And you know what? We loved it! We have some ideas on the direction we want to take next year and they are detailed below. We would value your feedback on them, but first a little ask from us.

Please, please, please can you do us one small favour? Our site will not continue to grow unless we get support on social media. To do this, we need you to like and follow our Facebook page. It will literally take 30 seconds to do and you just have to click here, and then click ‘like page’. Thank you so much!

We will of course be back next year, and we will hopefully be bigger and better than last year. But what does it mean to be better? We have some ideas below, but would really value your insight too. We will continue reviews next year, but will not set out to review thousands of shows – there are existing sites that do that well. We will concentrate on the quirkier, niche and unusual acts, plays and performers that represent the spirit of the Fringe. Additionally, we will focus on the human interest stories behind the shows and the Fringe experience itself.

We are based in Edinburgh so will continue to write stories all-year round. If you have an idea for a story, comment on our focus or suggestion on what we should cover, we welcome your feedback. You are welcome to email: [email protected]

Some thoughts on our Fringe this year : 

Street performers do not perhaps get the recognition they deserve

Krzysztof Ratkowski http://krisjuggling.com

We noticed a great street musician called Hugo Bladel and wrote a 5 star review on him. He deserved it. Street performers face the same costs and risks of coming to Edinburgh, but receive barely any critical praise or feedback. Next year, we will seek to redress that imbalance and seek out more opportunities to see the performers in action, and write more about their work on our site.

 

Càit a bheil a’ Ghàidhlig?

Map created and copyright of Wee Ginger Dug https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/

Gaelic is all around us. The map of Edinburgh by Wee Ginger Dug shows the plethora of Gaelic place names in the Lothians. Yet there is very little Gaelic to be seen or heard at the Fringe.

We are committed to preserving the Gaelic language and making it visible to a wider audience. We will therefore strive to include Gaelic in our marketing and content next year.

 

Our website name and branding

We get that our website name does not exactly trip off the tongue. So at some point this year we will rebrand to a shortened name of TheEdinburghFringe.Com

We will always pay our way

For any show we have reviewed this year, we have always paid full ticket price. For non ticketed or free shows, we have always given a minimum of £5 to the performer at the end of the show. We believe this is the right thing to do and will continue to pay our way next year.

The street teams handing out flyers deserve our thanks

The street teams bring Edinburgh to life. Without them, the Fringe would just be a collection of shows behind closed doors. They bring the vibrancy, colour and excitement of the Fringe shows onto the Royal Mile and beyond. And for that they deserve our thanks. Here are some of the ‘Royal Mile All Stars’ we met this Fringe Season. See you all next year!

Sam Walls of badclownscomedy.com looking very worried when we ask for a photo of him tied up for our website
Lip Sync Lollapalooza We definitely want fries with that! Check out their website at hausofdench.co.uk

 

Seb Christophers going multimedia to advertise Romeo and Juliet by Boxlit Theatre
Two for the price of one : Margaret Thatcher Queen of Club Nights and Virgin
The storm clouds gather for Donald – Trump’d
Why flyer and put up a poster when you can do both at the same time? Out of Place

The Maids by Sudden Impulse Theatre Company
A family affair
Lying down on the job : Stiffs by Marcus and Wilhelm
Street Stalwarts : ‘Drifting Towers’ by Cambridge University Amateur Dramatics Club
Grafters -‘Paraguay’ by Bristol Revunions

 

 

 

Review – Generation Y Us? (Tom Elwes) – Just the Tonic at the Mash House

Christian McRae
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Review – Generation Y Us? (Tom Elwes) – Just the Tonic at the Mash House

‘Generation Y Us?’ was a show of two performers : Fiona Ridgewell and Tom Elwes. As the two halves were very different, Fiona is discussed separately in this review, and we will focus on Tom’s show below.

Tom presented the first half hour of the ‘Generation Y Us?’ show. The premise of the show is that two millennials talk about the trials of tribulations of being part of a generation that struggles to get on the housing ladder or secure long-term employment. Plenty of material to cover and important topics to discuss.

And yet, despite asking the audience to challenge our preconceptions of millennials, Tom struggled to convince us otherwise.

Part of this is probably not his fault; Edinburgh and London are very different cities, and bouncing on stage to talk about flat shares in Islington may work well down South, but perhaps less so in the Scottish capital where statistically people tend to buy a house, marry and settle down with kids at a much earlier age.

That being said, Tom did not come across as a very convincing struggling millennial. Perhaps I am wrong, but he just came across as a public school boy talking about other people’s problems. He got some laughs, but it felt like a weak warm up act for Fiona.

Whereas Fiona had a great website with photos ready for the media, Tom had an out-of-date Twitter account and an Instagram profile with some selfies. Maybe he was just in Edinburgh helping out a mate, and if this was the case, I wish him all the best. But if he wants to take his career further, he needs to work on his branding, and in building up a more convincing stage presence with material we can all buy into.

 

 

 

The Edinburghfringe.Com 2018 Poster Competion – And the Winner is…

Christian McRae
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The Edinburghfringe.Com 2018 Poster Competion – And the Winner is…

There were 10 final posters, of which the final four went to a public vote.

And the winner is….


#1 Antigone na h’Éireann (65%)

The runaway winner of our poll was Antigone na h’Éireann’s beautiful poster that took the celtic cross and green, white and red colours of the Irish tricolour and made a stunning poster that was both visually appealing and reflected the play’s themes of family and faith and a woman’s journey to bring her family the honour they have long sought. A well-deserved win for the Aulos production team!

”Driven by faith to resurrect the IRA, Annie battles to bring her family the honour they deserve. A new Northern Irish adaptation of the myth by multi award-winning writer James Beagon. In the not too distant future, a hard-border Brexit has severed Ireland in two once and for all. Annie and her siblings will not let this stand. An unshakeable shadow lingers over their journey as faith, family and factions collide: the shadow of their father and the memory of the Disappeared. Inspired by Sophocles and other sources.”

 

#2 Stardust (28%)

The poster for ‘Stardust’ took an early lead but sadly could not sustain it. The cinematic look of the poster captured the play’s tense drama well, and the illuminated white dust falling on the lead’s head was inspired. A worthy silver placing!

”Stardust shines an unflinching light on Colombia’s heart of darkness. Mixing together new writing by Immersive Ensemble founder Daniel Dingsdale, physical theatre and hand-drawn animation, Colombian artist Miguel Hernando Torres Umba and Blackboard Theatre bring you an irreverent, entertaining and impassioned investigation into the human cost cocaine production and consumption has in Latin America and further afield.”

#3 Stripped – John Partridge (6%)

John’s poster was striking and unusual. His face realistically etched onto the mannequin was both familiar and unnerving.

”Stripped is a new beginning. A reintroduction of myself. Life has a way of hardening you, at least mine has. This is my attempt at shedding those skins, saying goodbye to part of myself and embracing someone I knew a long time ago. Through film, music, poetry, song and dance, I share my story and in turn ask the audience to consider theirs. From boy to man, sexuality, sobriety, success, love and loss. My pictures, memories, moments. Featuring original music and choreography alongside the soundtrack of my life. Bowie, Bush, Buckley and more..”

#4 The Divine Ms Jayde – Jayde Adams (1%)

I am surprised this poster did not do better as it has a real stand-out quality and is  a poster for a comedian with legions of followers. It’s divine imagery perfectly encapsulates the show. Better luck next year Jayde!

”Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee 2016. Comedian Jayde Adams is going full diva with glorious gowns, acerbic charm and show-stopping music by Olivier Award winner Richard ‘Jerry Springer: The Opera’ Thomas. Directed by Matt Peover. ”

 

The posters from fifth to tenth place were ranked by TheEdinburghFringe.Com’s judging panel.

#5 Why Even Bother – Joakim Gunby

This poster was just one vote off making the final four and the public vote. Which is a real shame because I love the simplicity of the design. The poster really stood out on the Royal Mile and branded the show perfectly. ‘Why even bother’ with fancy graphics and artwork if simplicity looks this good!

”In this dark one-man comedy we get a glimpse into the world of Main Character and the everyday struggle of his normal life. Please hold and someone will be with you shortly. The ever-growing apathy of life can feel crushing. Even the best of us will end up asking ‘why even bother?’ when faced with Co-Worker and his collection of cat pictures, or when Flatmate greets you with ‘we’re out of food. I’ll be in my room watching Amish MILF porn’. This witty exploration of sound and voice-over is created and performed by Joakim Gunby. ”

#6 Twelfth Night – Some Kind of Theatre

This stunning poster was used for Some Kind of Theatre’s Twelfth Night. Unfortunately, and very surprisingly for a theatre company that had produced such terrific art work for its poster, it was not used on the Fringe website which had a bland silhouette. Still the poster perfectly captures the Victorian era and is a beauty to behold.

”Love, hysteria and deception reign in this Victorian reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic. Cesario is in love with Orsino, who’s in love with Olivia, who’s in love with Cesario, who’s really Viola in disguise. There’s cross-dressing, crossed lines and cross servants. The situation’s complicated, and that’s before Viola’s missing twin turns up! Societal masks, hidden identity, unrequited love and the perils of Victorian psychiatry form an intricate web of heartbreak and despair. Can love prevail against the mores of Victorian society? Make of it what you will.‘

#7 When the Friendship has Sailed – Weird Sister Theatre Company

There was something very endearing about this poster. A little goldfish with lovely sad eyes that enticed everyone passing by into the blue poster tank where the lonely little fish resided. And kudos to the marketing team because this poster was everywhere around Edinburgh!

”A comedy about the impossible task of making friends. It follows the story of one woman who, after becoming fed-up spending night after night talking to her goldfish Christina (Aguilera, because she’s a fighter) she makes a pact with herself that she put herself out there and make new friends. What follows is a hilarious, cringeworthy and ultimately heartbreaking story about the courage it takes to genuinely look for true friends, and the pain of living alone. This show features songs, dancing, puppetry and bubbles.”

#8 Any Suggestions Doctor? – Any Suggestions Improv

This entry is not an obvious choice for the competition but the poster is a superb example of comic graphic art and really mirrors the fun and adventure of the show.

”The hilarious improvised Doctor Who parody returns! Featuring a live radiophonic workshop and a crew of hysterical performers, join us for an entirely new adventure every day based entirely on your suggestions. Nominated for Best Show in The Barry Awards 2017. ”

 

#9 An Act of – The Toasted Peacocks

This poster intrigued many. An Act of…? Pink goo on head? And like ‘Why Even Bother?’ and ‘When the Friendship has Sailed’, the Toasted Peacocks must have put a lot of leg work in running up and down the streets of Edinburgh over the three weeks, as this was again a very visible poster.

”You’d usually begin with the start, but here the end explodes first. At the end there is always a party: some good, some not so much. This being the latter. There will be confetti. The Toasted Peacocks aim to give you 101 questions but leave you with zero answers. Bringing weirdness and whimsy, they have a passion for the amusing, the comedic and the truly bizarre.”

#10 Little Lost Lad – Jake Lambert

The unusual colour scheme really worked on this poster and again the visual effect of Jake looking wide-eyed and upwards really linked up with show’s central theme. Every time we saw the poster, we just wanted to reach out and ask ‘you alright love?’ and take him to McDonalds for a milkshake!

”Jake lives alone, cuts his own hair, has an ability to remember the exact date he first tasted each specific food for the first time and has a one-eyed cat. If this sounds like it needs some explaining and, let’s face it, it probably does, then this is the show for you… Hotly anticipated debut from Leicester Comedy Festival Best Show nominee 2018. Writer for 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week and The News Quiz. Official tour support for Seann Walsh, Kerry Godliman and Tom Allen. ”

 

Here are a couple of the winning posters in situ. Hopefully you will agree they really stood out and delivered on raising interest in the shows they were advertising.

Well done again to Antigone and to all our top 10 finalists; to the posters designers and the marketing teams who spent hours putting them all up across town.

We certainly enjoyed seeing al, the posters around Edinburgh this Fringe, and look forward to  more inspirational designs for Fringe 2019!

 

Review – Generation Y Us? (Fiona Ridgewell) – Just the Tonic at the Mash House

Christian McRae
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Review – Generation Y Us? (Fiona Ridgewell) – Just the Tonic at the Mash House

‘Generation Y Us?’ has two performers : Fiona Ridgewell and Tom Elwes. As each presented a very different half hour show during the hour slot, I will review each segment separately.

Fiona Ridgewell is a Disney loving TGI Friday waitress from Kent who has been a Piccadilly Comedy Grand finalist in 2017/18 and from her website looks to have been a hard-worker across the Kentish and London pub and club comedy circuit.

Charisma and personality positively shine out from Fiona and she has that likeable cheeky London humour that draws audiences in.

Her act centres on having to live with her grandma and Mother in an intergenerational house share. Whilst her Doric accent was shaky, she was on much firmer ground when talking about the pitfalls of Amazon deliveries and dating. It was a solid half hour performance that had the audience laughing from beginning to end.

Overall, Fiona’s enthusiasm for the art of comedy comes across into her act and she delivers some solid set pieces with good audience interaction. I could easily imagine seeing Fiona as a panellist on ‘Eight out of 10 Cats does Countdown’  or ‘Would I lie to you?’ in the near future. She has the confidence, charisma and humour to take her far. Definitely, one to watch!

 

 

Review – Scott Bennett : Leap Year – Just the Tonic at the Mash House

Christian McRae
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Review – Scott Bennett : Leap Year – Just the Tonic at the Mash House

August 26th – 17:55 – £5

Scott brings a lot of credentials to Edinburgh. He has supported Rob Brydon (and as we find out in the show Engelbert Humpeldinck), appeared on Radio 4 and has written for both the BBC News Quiz and the Chris Ramsey Show.

The comedian from Pontefract has had a busy year making the ‘leap’ into self -employment. His show revolves around the two central themes of leaving a corporate job to pursue a dream and the resultant impact on family life.

If I am honest, the start to the show was a bit rocky. Scott’s daughters doing a pre-recorded audio intro was difficult to hear and it all felt a tad awkward. By contrast, the ending using exactly the same technique of using a recording of his waif children asking for people to put money in the bucket to buy new children was genuinely funny.

The pre-recorded start was luckily just Scott’s comedy jet taxiing before he engaged full thrusters and the show took off proper. And like a holiday charter plane taking off from Leeds Bradford airport, you knew with Scott you were going somewhere familiar, sunny and with guaranteed smiles.

Scott in his lovely broad Yorkshire, as smooth as a pint of mild, talks us through the changes he has made in his life over the past year. How approaching forty he decided to quit his £65,000 corporate job as a product designer to devote himself fully to his previous side hustle of being a comedian. This theme will resonate with many of a certain age; how the demands and disappointments of corporate life have led many to wondering if there is a plan B. Whereas for ninety nine per cent of people, plan B of being a photographer or travel writer will be a passing flight of fancy, and maybe a life regret at seventy, Scott is that rare one per cent who has quit his job and lived out his dream.

This genre is not new. You see it in every airport bookshop; book covers with Asian men dressed in Gucci stood next to a speed boat telling you how you can easily swap your life as an Account Manager in Kirkcaldy for being an online exotic currencies trader from a laptop in Bali. What Scott does, however, is something new with the genre. He takes it from the stand point of his family and the effect of his decision on his wife and daughters and creates a cleverly crafted comedy hour from it. There is plenty of material here we can all relate to; from wheelie bins to crazy golf and free parking. His Yorkshire comedic voices  added to the charm too (though his impression of his Mum did remind me a bit too much of Pauline from the League of Gentleman!)

Whilst at times he fell into the doting Dad trap a bit much, and he could perhaps have been less risk averse to interacting with the audience (which he actually did quite well), this was a show that kept the audience entertained throughout. His tale was compelling, and he laid bare to the audience the difficulties of starting a new a career at forty, and the audience liked him even more because of it, and wanted him to succeed.

Overall, a well-spent hour from a likeable comedian who has a warm gentle humour that will entertain audiences of all ages.

Review – Gayface – theSpace on North Bridge

Christian McRae
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Review – Gayface – theSpace on North Bridge

Gayface had somehow passed me by this year, and it was only in the last couple of days of the Fringe that word had got back to me how good it was, so I made the trip to see the Seeing Other People Production theatre company on what was their last performance of their run at the Fringe.

The key theme of this play is perception. Does the director perceive that a gay man can play a gay role? Does the playright perceive the leading star to be attractive? Will the audience perceive a big hairy bear as a leading man and want to buy into the show?

Sadly, life in some ways imitated art for this play, and there were probably some lessons learnt here for future Fringes around perception of the show, and how to bring audiences in. Firstly, I am not sure the photography used on the Fringe website and brochure did the show any favours. Whilst Scottish audiences might be aware of the word ‘pramface’, they probably would not have heard of ‘gayface’ before and equated an angry young single mum pushing a pram (Editor’s note : Urban dictionary’s definition not ours!) to the angry gay man in the photo, and therefore misinterpreted the play as something dark and sombre. In truth, the play was comedic and the brochure photo unfortunately did not reflect that.
Secondly, the play was not categorised as an LGBT production on the Fringe Website/app or in the brochure, so when people searched the website under ‘genre’ as LGBT it simply did not appear. It was therefore sadly invisible to those theatregoers at Fringe searching through the thousands of shows by filtering on the Fringe website or app, and the play’s core audience probably missed out on finding it.

All of which is a real shame because the production, writing and cast deserved a sell-out show every night.

Hal and Jason

The play opens with Hal, played by Chet Wilson, delivering his audition speech. He fears that his size will hold him back from playing the leading man in a romantic role. The guy playing his boyfriend is straight; from which the title of the play is derived; ‘gayface’ – a straight man playing gay.

The play twists and turns around the web of deceit that Hal has constructed to get the part. It turns into a well-written comedy farce around whether or not the director (played by Amity Hanson) will discover Hal’s secret, if the producer (played by London Bauman) and Hal will ever get together and whether the straight actor Jason (played by Ethan Cockrill) will see through Hal’s ‘performance’.

My only quibble with the play is the ending. If this is truly a celebration of diversity of body types, it only seemed right that the play would end with the producer and Hal ending up on stage at the end as lovers; a confirmation that Hal had accepted he could be loved, and that others would love him. Instead he ended up with Jason, somehow signalling that he had chosen the unobtainable straight male athletic body as his ideal. One could also argue though that the ending is also Jason’s and the audience’s acceptance of Hal as a leading man. My point regarding the ending is only a minor quibble though, and the ending they choose was a brave one, and I admire them for doing so.

There was some real acting talent on display here. Chet Wilson give an assured, powerful, stand-out performance as Hal, and London Bauman and Amity Hanson showed great ability and conviction in their roles. Rising star to watch here would I suspect be Ethan Cockrill; it is not easy to act well and ‘bad’ in one play, but he pulled it off with aplomb. Special mention too to the actor standing in for the flatmate; a great performance and seamless transition given the last-minute ask!

I really wanted to stay behind and talk to the company about their time in Edinburgh and the themes of the show, but alas another show was about to start across town! I really hope to see Seeing Other People Productions back at the Fringe next year and hope they enjoyed their first time performing here in Scotland!

All-in-all a first-rate production that will make you think as well as laugh. This play represents the Fringe as it was intended. Well-acted, well-scripted, well-worth seeing!

 

Review – Larry Dean : Bampot – Assembly Checkpoint (5pm) & George Square Studios (11pm)

Christian McRae
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Review – Larry Dean : Bampot – Assembly Checkpoint (5pm) & George Square Studios (11pm)

Until August 26th – £8

The first thing you notice about Larry is his eyes. His intense blue eyes. And it is an intensity he brings to his shows.

I first saw Larry at the Fringe in 2015 and was really impressed. Gay Scottish working class comedians are possibly outnumbered by pandas in Edinburgh, so it was great to find someone exploring this ‘niche’. I predicted good things for him, and sure enough he has recently returned from a sell-out international tour and last year he appeared on BBC1’s Live at the Apollo and new Comedy Central UK show ‘Roast Battle’.

Back at the Fringe with a new show ‘Bampot’, we find out that his Fringe run this year nearly did not happen as he recently broke up with his Australian boyfriend and was worried the material for his hour long show was no longer relevant. Luckily for us, his material worked whether he was single or coupled, and the show went on with some minor tweaks.

The show twists and turns through a variety of subjects including train station toilets, child therapy and confidence issues. The set-piece around his posh Mum’s Scottish accent sounding like a whale and comparing it to his Dad’s Glaswegian I had heard before; mostly at his 2015 show. But this was a minor quibble; the main piece this year about his break-up was told from the heart and endeared him to his audience.

Overall, a must-see performance from a rising Scottish star who will scare, humour and get you misty eyed all in one show!

 

A master class in how to deal with hecklers

Christian McRae
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A master class in how to deal with hecklers

We hope you have had a stress free Fringe so far with audiences clapping and shaking your hand at the end of a show. Perhaps even buying your merchandise?

Ok, let’s be realistic. Not every show will be filled with happy-clappy Ned Flanders clones cheering your every line.

There may have been the odd show that has not gone exactly the way you wanted it to go. For those of you performing stand up especially, maybe a heckler who threw you off your lines or calling out punchlines. For those of you performing past 10pm, maybe those hecklers had been in the bar since early evening and were not particularly good at managing their off switch.

Now imagine dealing with a group of drunken hecklers, a woman having a panic attack and something unpleasant thrown at your face. All within a few minutes of a show.

This video is not from this year’s Fringe but it still serves as a master class in how to deal with hecklers with dignity and grace!

Mr Doyle – we salute you!

Review – Glenn Moore: Glenn Glenn Glenn, How Do You Like It, How Do You Like It – Just the Tonic at the Tron

Christian McRae
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Review – Glenn Moore: Glenn Glenn Glenn, How Do You Like It, How Do You Like It – Just the Tonic at the Tron

Until August 26th – £6

I had recently watched Mean Girls and was sat outside the Tron Church in the rain eating Currywurst thinking about the film as three ‘Plastics’ went by.

I am sure everyone who has visited the Fringe at some point has done this (by this I mean both watched Mean Girls and sat outside in the rain eating Currywurst).

The dreich misty rain turned into a downpour so I scrolled through my Fringe App looking for a nearby show. Like some comedic version of Grindr, I managed to find a young lad called Glenn wanting to offer me a fun filled hour just 100m away. ‘Fetch’ I thought and hurried to the shelter of the Tron.

The Tron venue is perfect for stand up, and Glenn was already there welcoming the audience. You go Glen Coco!

Unlike the non-speaking role of Glen Coco in Mean Girls, Glenn Moore actually had a lot he wanted to talk about in his show. And I honestly admire his ability to deliver an hour long show without hesitation or pause. Glenn is a comic express train and he wasn’t stopping until he screeched to a halt at Waverley.

His self-depreciating humour swirls around themes such as drunken surgeons, pyjamas, moving to London, housemates and Tim Peake. The two main subjects though are his application to live on Mars and secondly his inability to tell the whole truth during his sets. Frankly, the show might have worked a little better with slightly more on the Mars theme and a little less on the truth theme which came across as a little nonsensical at times.

That being said, there were very few moments in the show when the audience were not laughing and his ‘little boy lost’ charisma and stage presence won everyone over. Glenn is definitely a star in the making and one to watch for future Fringes

You go Glenn Moore. Four candy stars for you!

 

 

 

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