On to day two of the Fringe and I was still up for taking a risk or two. Not every risk this year has paid off so far, but I knew it was only a matter of time.
I managed to pick up a ticket for How to Make a Killing in Bollywood and when I found out it was in the debating hall at the Gilded Balloon, I knew it would be a pretty big show (that's the room they use for Late and Live).
As you'd expect, the show has a fair bit of Indian Bollywood dancing - which generally wouldn't be my thing, but it was all in short bursts and it was fun, light-hearted and endearing and very much in context and necessary for the show.
The story is about two fast food workers/actors who are fed up being offered acting jobs as shop owners or taxi drivers so they head to Bollywood where they hope they'll have more success.
From the beginning when they set the scene in the take away, right to the end of the show, the actors keep your attention with their energy, enthusiasm, and comic timing. The flow of the play is very easy to follow and well planned and the space they have on the bigger stage gives the actors the space they need to express themselves well.
With it being a show made by people of Asian origin, racial stereotyping was mentioned, but it was all in context and not at all uncomfortable. The dialogue was very realistic which only added to the charm of the play.
As it was only a preview, the crowd was modest but by the end of the show everyone, including me, was clapping along to the music - and that was with last night's hangover still in full swing.
I expect this show to do really well.
Thursday, 1 August 2013
Free Festival Launch Party
Heading to the Free Festival Launch Party has been a habit for me on the first day of the Fringe!
After one comic stayed with me during the Fringe I got to know a few of the people involved in organising it so I get to rub shoulders with some minor celebrities and up and coming acts.
This year it was held at the Three Sisters, or the FREE Sisters as it's known in August, in a tent outside, rather than in the Counting House.
They have around 10-12 acts on stage for 4-5 minutes each and the line up was the best I've seen! Not even the rain spoiled the show.
Anil Desai was my favourite act by far. He did a 2-3 minute routine that would have been worth the entrance fee alone if his show wasn't free! He is on at the Counting House at 9.15pm and I hope to get along.
My buddy and temporary flat mate Nik Coppin was compering and I also got to see Imaan, who I reviewed last year do a decent little set.
I finally got to see Kunt and the Gang do a couple of numbers and he didn't disappoint and I was impressed by Sofie Hagen. Normally when I see a female comic doing fat jokes about herself I roll my eyes but she was totally different. She absolutely nailed it.
I also got to meet loads of other acts who I hope to see at some point during the Fringe! Thanks again to Alex Petty for inviting me along!
After one comic stayed with me during the Fringe I got to know a few of the people involved in organising it so I get to rub shoulders with some minor celebrities and up and coming acts.
This year it was held at the Three Sisters, or the FREE Sisters as it's known in August, in a tent outside, rather than in the Counting House.
They have around 10-12 acts on stage for 4-5 minutes each and the line up was the best I've seen! Not even the rain spoiled the show.
Anil Desai was my favourite act by far. He did a 2-3 minute routine that would have been worth the entrance fee alone if his show wasn't free! He is on at the Counting House at 9.15pm and I hope to get along.
My buddy and temporary flat mate Nik Coppin was compering and I also got to see Imaan, who I reviewed last year do a decent little set.
I finally got to see Kunt and the Gang do a couple of numbers and he didn't disappoint and I was impressed by Sofie Hagen. Normally when I see a female comic doing fat jokes about herself I roll my eyes but she was totally different. She absolutely nailed it.
I also got to meet loads of other acts who I hope to see at some point during the Fringe! Thanks again to Alex Petty for inviting me along!
Doug Segal - I Can Make You a Mentalist *****
A bit of disclosure before we start... I've met Doug Segal a few times since I first saw his show in 2011 and he is a thoroughly nice bloke. I met him at the Pleasance and he invited me along to his show and although I don't like to see one performer too many times, I have been following his progress and I was interested to see how his act had evolved.
He's got five stars from me in 2011 and he has improved his show since, so as I can't give him six or seven, it has to be five again.
The 2011 show was in a small room in the Three Sisters. He's now got himself a decent sized room in the Gilded Balloon. He's also got a giant projection screen and more elaborate props, generally adding to the slickness and professional appearance of the show (although on day one he didn't know exactly where to put them all - an endearing and forgiveable problem on the first day of the Fringe).
Last time he was trying to make predictions and read people's minds... this time he managed to get an audience member to do the whole thing adding a whole new level of difficulty! He really does turn THEM into a mind reader.
I don't have a huge amount more to add to the previous review that I linked to above. I still have literally no idea how he did any of his tricks. He's still fantastic at what he does.
When I spoke to him before the show and he was worried because he got so much press coverage last year that the same people don't want to feature him again... But he managed to create queues out the door in his first year through word of mouth alone so I have no doubt that he'll do the same again this year!
He was also worried during the show because he randomly picked an audience member and it happened to be another performer - comedian Bec Hill. I can confirm that she was picked totally at random by another audience member.
He worries far too much. The rest of the audience loved the show as much as me... the chatter has already started and once again he'll be the name on the lips of all the punters who want a fun packed hour of comedy mind reading.
He's got five stars from me in 2011 and he has improved his show since, so as I can't give him six or seven, it has to be five again.
The 2011 show was in a small room in the Three Sisters. He's now got himself a decent sized room in the Gilded Balloon. He's also got a giant projection screen and more elaborate props, generally adding to the slickness and professional appearance of the show (although on day one he didn't know exactly where to put them all - an endearing and forgiveable problem on the first day of the Fringe).
Last time he was trying to make predictions and read people's minds... this time he managed to get an audience member to do the whole thing adding a whole new level of difficulty! He really does turn THEM into a mind reader.
I don't have a huge amount more to add to the previous review that I linked to above. I still have literally no idea how he did any of his tricks. He's still fantastic at what he does.
When I spoke to him before the show and he was worried because he got so much press coverage last year that the same people don't want to feature him again... But he managed to create queues out the door in his first year through word of mouth alone so I have no doubt that he'll do the same again this year!
He was also worried during the show because he randomly picked an audience member and it happened to be another performer - comedian Bec Hill. I can confirm that she was picked totally at random by another audience member.
He worries far too much. The rest of the audience loved the show as much as me... the chatter has already started and once again he'll be the name on the lips of all the punters who want a fun packed hour of comedy mind reading.
Sad Faces Threw A Party ****
This show has a simple premise. Three guys hosting a party, but there is a better party downstairs.
The Sad Faces by the looks of things are a pretty experienced sketch troupe from London, so you'd expect a pretty high laughs per minute and that's exactly what this show delivers.
They keep your attention for the full hour, it's surreal in a good way, and some of the "Icebreaker conversation starters" that people could go either way on, got more and more ridiculous as the show went on but they were a particular highlight from me.
Although I wasn't totally blown away at any point (maybe I've seen too much of this type of comedy at the Fringe), but I still enjoyed it a lot.
A very safe bet for an afternoon show. They won't disappoint.
The Sad Faces by the looks of things are a pretty experienced sketch troupe from London, so you'd expect a pretty high laughs per minute and that's exactly what this show delivers.
They keep your attention for the full hour, it's surreal in a good way, and some of the "Icebreaker conversation starters" that people could go either way on, got more and more ridiculous as the show went on but they were a particular highlight from me.
Although I wasn't totally blown away at any point (maybe I've seen too much of this type of comedy at the Fringe), but I still enjoyed it a lot.
A very safe bet for an afternoon show. They won't disappoint.
Don't Drop The Egg ****
Some shows at the Fringe take themselves really seriously. Too many do actually. Far too many.
You can sometimes feel the intensity of the performers trying desperately hard to get noticed, suffering for their craft, even when they are putting on a pretty silly comedy show!
Other times, you get a bunch of lads who just want to arse around on stage and play exaggerated versions of themselves to see how they get on. Don't Drop The Egg is very much that. Three ex-rugby players, acting like rugby players, but turning it into an hour long play.
Certainly in the UK, pretty much everybody has either played rugby, dated a rugby player, or at least watched a bunch of rugger-buggers "on the lash" - quite possibly ruining everyone else's night out, so everyone can relate to these guys pretty much straight away.
The players welcome you in to the venue by psyching you up and asking for a "big game performance" and for the rest of the show, you are one of them; transported into the changing rooms as the "Clapham Falcons" prepare for the biggest match in their history.
The show evolved from a youtube clip which went viral and this is the first time they have ever performed live. There were one or two signs that this was the case, mainly in the structure of the play which had an ideal ending around 40 minutes in (which I can't mention without spoiling the play) which was followed by a "job interview" sketch that could have gone in far earlier and was much lower energy than the previous part.
But that didn't take away from the fact that it was a great little show in a great little room for this type of comedy (Pleasance Cellar). I've seen some brilliant stuff in there over the years including Adam Riches and "Bad Play" who are both five star shows and whilst these guys aren't at that level just yet they certainly have a similar brand of comedy which is unadulterated pretentious-free fun.
An absolute must see for all rugby types!
You can sometimes feel the intensity of the performers trying desperately hard to get noticed, suffering for their craft, even when they are putting on a pretty silly comedy show!
Other times, you get a bunch of lads who just want to arse around on stage and play exaggerated versions of themselves to see how they get on. Don't Drop The Egg is very much that. Three ex-rugby players, acting like rugby players, but turning it into an hour long play.
Certainly in the UK, pretty much everybody has either played rugby, dated a rugby player, or at least watched a bunch of rugger-buggers "on the lash" - quite possibly ruining everyone else's night out, so everyone can relate to these guys pretty much straight away.
The players welcome you in to the venue by psyching you up and asking for a "big game performance" and for the rest of the show, you are one of them; transported into the changing rooms as the "Clapham Falcons" prepare for the biggest match in their history.
The show evolved from a youtube clip which went viral and this is the first time they have ever performed live. There were one or two signs that this was the case, mainly in the structure of the play which had an ideal ending around 40 minutes in (which I can't mention without spoiling the play) which was followed by a "job interview" sketch that could have gone in far earlier and was much lower energy than the previous part.
But that didn't take away from the fact that it was a great little show in a great little room for this type of comedy (Pleasance Cellar). I've seen some brilliant stuff in there over the years including Adam Riches and "Bad Play" who are both five star shows and whilst these guys aren't at that level just yet they certainly have a similar brand of comedy which is unadulterated pretentious-free fun.
An absolute must see for all rugby types!
Minnie and Mona Play Dead ***
My first day of the Fringe had more surrealism than most and Minnie and Mona Play Dead certainly had a degree of weird about it.
It's a play about suicide, but it's funny... says the flyer.
When I took the ticket I knew it was a bit of a gamble... How funny can a play about suicide be?
It turns out that the warnings about the play being about that are overstated. It's mentioned a few times and there are 1-2 deliberately provocative mentions but overall, it's pretty tame compared to other stuff I've seen at the Fringe that didn't have such warnings... and there were quite a few laugh out loud funny moments in the play as well.
The best bit of the play was the two actors who were very into their characters, had a high degree of professionalism and didn't even come close to fluffing a line (an achievement on day one).
The worst part for me was that the storyline was slightly over-layered. When you get a play about people putting on a play things can get confusing and although I followed the plot and the sub-plot it was kind of hard work to keep up. I like to relax into a show and enjoy the performance without having to think too hard and when the actors go from playing themselves (but still in character) to playing their actual character you feel you have to concentrate a little bit harder.
Again that's very much just my opinion and others might enjoy the complications and call me too simplistic.
But overall I was impressed with the show and I definitely would see the same theatre company put a different play on (although I wouldn't be so keen to see a different theatre company put on the same play).
It's a play about suicide, but it's funny... says the flyer.
When I took the ticket I knew it was a bit of a gamble... How funny can a play about suicide be?
It turns out that the warnings about the play being about that are overstated. It's mentioned a few times and there are 1-2 deliberately provocative mentions but overall, it's pretty tame compared to other stuff I've seen at the Fringe that didn't have such warnings... and there were quite a few laugh out loud funny moments in the play as well.
The best bit of the play was the two actors who were very into their characters, had a high degree of professionalism and didn't even come close to fluffing a line (an achievement on day one).
The worst part for me was that the storyline was slightly over-layered. When you get a play about people putting on a play things can get confusing and although I followed the plot and the sub-plot it was kind of hard work to keep up. I like to relax into a show and enjoy the performance without having to think too hard and when the actors go from playing themselves (but still in character) to playing their actual character you feel you have to concentrate a little bit harder.
Again that's very much just my opinion and others might enjoy the complications and call me too simplistic.
But overall I was impressed with the show and I definitely would see the same theatre company put a different play on (although I wouldn't be so keen to see a different theatre company put on the same play).
In The Words of Meatloaf... **
My first show at the Fringe this year was character comedian Joe Fairbrother.
His show is set in a small performance area in the McEwan Hall, or "Daisy" as it's known by the Underbelly team.
Around 13 other people joined me for what was going to be a tricky show at the best of times as lunch time crowds are not known for their liveliness.
Fairbrother is certainly a very likeable chap, his appearance is fairly similar to Simon Amstell, he's slim with dark wavy hair and he has a similar smiley way about him.
My problem was that his character comedy just didn't work in a room so small with so few people. It doesn't have any punch lines, instead he relies in getting laughs from a kind of David Brent style of awkwardness which didn't bear much fruit on this occasion.
I always feel bad giving two stars to a comic that has potential to do better, but was unable to when I was there due to the general circumstances. I could see his act working in a friendlier space at a later time slot with a bigger audience, but at that time, with that crowd in that space, it didn't.
It's a massive, massive challenge for comedians to go from friendly comedy clubs at night time, to soulless temporary performance spaces during the day and still get the same level of response from the crowd. It's a particularly hard ask on day one of the Fringe.
He certainly isn't the first to have a bad opening day and he will no means be the last. But it was a bad opening day.
His show is set in a small performance area in the McEwan Hall, or "Daisy" as it's known by the Underbelly team.
Around 13 other people joined me for what was going to be a tricky show at the best of times as lunch time crowds are not known for their liveliness.
Fairbrother is certainly a very likeable chap, his appearance is fairly similar to Simon Amstell, he's slim with dark wavy hair and he has a similar smiley way about him.
My problem was that his character comedy just didn't work in a room so small with so few people. It doesn't have any punch lines, instead he relies in getting laughs from a kind of David Brent style of awkwardness which didn't bear much fruit on this occasion.
I always feel bad giving two stars to a comic that has potential to do better, but was unable to when I was there due to the general circumstances. I could see his act working in a friendlier space at a later time slot with a bigger audience, but at that time, with that crowd in that space, it didn't.
It's a massive, massive challenge for comedians to go from friendly comedy clubs at night time, to soulless temporary performance spaces during the day and still get the same level of response from the crowd. It's a particularly hard ask on day one of the Fringe.
He certainly isn't the first to have a bad opening day and he will no means be the last. But it was a bad opening day.
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