Edinburgh Fringe 2014
Friday
Yacine Belhousse: Made in France
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
We were loitering around the Pleasance Courtyard and were offered some free tickets. Yacine, a French Comic who has supported Eddie Izzard, started with some fairly standard jokes around language differences, but moved into a running joke about fighting a dragon and the ghost of a chicken he had once seen die. You can very much see why he works well with Izzard.
Saturday
How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
A man working at an advertising firm, under pressure to deliver and doing a lot of cocaine is feeling trapped by the stress of his life. An old acquaintance helps him disappear and we explore the futility of changing your circumstances if you don't change yourself. Ably performed, especially by the lead and the pathologist.
Twins
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Spontaneous choice as we had a gap in the schedule. Ended up sat at the front watching the first performance of the Twins. Whilst not on par with their arch-rivals the "original comedy twins" they were a funny pair to have a talent for slightly mistime delivery to reinforce the joke. If you want to know why David Cameron wears Angel Wings, check them out.
Improv Musical
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Improv seems to be a big thing at the Fringe this year, and it is a lot of fun to go an see. Our particular musical was set at a Circus, and featured a Fortune Teller and a Lion-Man. (The heavy Scottish accent of the boy who suggested Iron-Man lead to a misunderstanding that added a challenge to the troupe!)
Dracula
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Billed as "Steampunk" And it isn't, except for the odd goggles on hats trope. What it is is a combination of 80's Rock Musical, Rocky Horror and a splash of the New Romantics. Vampire babes singing Toxic and a powerful Guns & Roses rendition. Dracula steals the show, even when not on centre stage, he was climbing and hanging from the set.
Sunday
The Odyssey: An Epic Musical Epic!
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Offered the flyer on the Royal Mile, and thought we would check it out. It is a very young cast, but a talented one. There are a bunch of subtle jokes if you know your Greek History and quite a few jokes for people who don't (Looking at you chief Navigation Tomtomius). The sound balance was a little off unfortunately so the music could overwhelm the songs, but I'd assume that was a single night glitch. For me, the girl playing Eris Goddess of Discord was the stand-out performer.
Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Offered free tickets to this one. Not something I would normally have chosen, but it was a very well done one man show. Performing as the eponymous Quentin Crisp, an out gay man in the 1930's and the history of his live. There was a lot of biting wit and a lot of compassion. Strong show.
Axis of Awesome
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Awesome as always. Mostly new material and an introduction to the new dance craze of Chanking. The energy between the three of them is infectious. They are always good and always worth watching.
So you think you are funny
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
A comedy competition sponsored by Fosters that runs through the Fringe month. Its always going to be a bit hit and miss as the performers change every night. We had a good selection of performers up on stage, though I didn't agree with the ultimate winner. The compere is excellent though, so the interludes are always good, even if you are unlucky with the acts that evening.
Monday
Woyzeck
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Absolutely fantastic. Woyzeck is a difficult play to follow as it is incomplete and there is disagreement over the ordering. Splendid Productions resolved this by having 1920's style queue cards to reference. Performed with a clear inspiration from French Mime and Physical Comedy with lots of audience participation, including a sing-a-long as the voices in Woyzeck's head entitled "Stab. Stab. Stab the Bitch dead!"
My recommendation for the Fringe Theatre options.
Anything's Better Than These C**ts
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Free performance at the Beehive Inn's comedy festival, two Scottish comedian's talk about why they want independence. Billed as Anti-Westminster not Anti-England, I have to agree that is true, there was nothing that made me feel unwelcome as an English Tourist, though I don't agree with their arguments. Worth coming along to if you are in the area.
Working Title: The Orpheus Project
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Definitely the strangest performance we saw, it is a piece of new writing, with some impressive lighting, fast costume changes and a lot of bodywork. Interesting, but maybe trying to do too much in the limited time.
Guilt and Shame: Going Straight
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
My recommendation for the Fringe Comedy shows, hilarious two man show centered around the Church of Clarkstianity and the gayest mine you will ever see.
Best of Scottish Commedian of the year
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Delivers what it says on the tin.
Tuesday
Frank Sent Me
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Compelling outline of a ex-Hitman waiting for his executioner and being disappointed with who is sent.
Café Ruse
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
Manic performance by the cast of four, creating thirty or fourty odd distinct characters. Persons in the front row may be hit with breadcrumbs....
FanFiction Comedy
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
A new show every day, and definitely one for the nerdy. Each day the performers read out the fan fiction they have written with a focus on silliness.
One Man Star Wars
https://tickets.edfringe.com/w...
A Fringe icon. A one man performance, with no costumes, props or sound effects of the original Star Wars trilogy. Absolutely incredible, but it helps to have seen the trilogy first....!
Wednesday
GhostCop
Spoof 80's movie about a policy detective who is murdered and returns as a Ghost Cop! Surprisingly fun!
