EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Atlantic - A Scottish Story at the Assembly Hall

A girl looks across the ocean and longs to discover. But if she is left behind, she must still find a way to live. Is it a curse to stay? What if we couldn't travel, could never leave home and see the world? Can we still be happy?

A superb cast bring to life this breath-taking piece of new writing. The cast is 16 strong and lead by the fearless Caroline Lyell as Evie. We see Evie grow from a boisterous child to a strong courageous woman with a secret. I was absolutely mesmerised by her performance, when she was happy the audience smiled with her and in the more solemn moments the audience were moved to tears. Caroline held us in the palm of her hand from start to finish. 

Reed Lancaster is charming and charismatic as Quinn. He breathes life into the character and is equally believable as both a young excited child and a captivating adventurer. His vocals seem effortless and his story telling truly excellent. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Losers at the Underbelly Cowgate

The ever growing rise in the need for instant fame and fortune, regardless of talent, is a subject that is currently being covered a lot in theatre. Frequently, the pieces become quite similar and struggle to tread the line of entertaining and not preachy. In order to overcome this obstacle, the piece would need to be original, exciting and completely different to something we’ve seen before. Step forward Tit4Twat and their new show Losers. 

Four friends, tired of being talented and not getting the attention they believe they deserve, devise a new game show that they will film, with an audience, to send off to a casting director. This casting director will then hopefully cast just one of them, the winner, in a new reality show, granting them the sudden fame they crave. The audience are each given a voting devise when they enter, with four buttons matching the colour of clothing for each contestant. At the end of each round, you decide who wins and who loses and has to face the losers forfeit. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Thrill Me - The Leopold & Loeb Story at the C Too

Chicago, 1924. A Shocking true story of two law students who kidnapped and murdered a 14-year-old boy in their desire to commit the perfect crime.

Recent graduates Ellis Dackombe & Harry Downes play beautifully opposite each other in this thrilling production. Downes impressively captures Leopold’s seeming vulnerability in his performance and Dackombe’s Loeb is the perfect concoction of psychopath and charmer. Superbly directed by Guy Retallack, the two gentlemen manoeuvre around the stage with ease taking the audience on a journey of love, mystery, murder and deceit.

Special mention must go to Musical Director Kris Rawlinson, who plays pretty much none-stop for almost 90 minutes. He pours life into the score and brings a huge amount of animation to the piece, moving the musical along and proving to be the final element to complete this fantastic production. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Showstopper! The Improvised Musical at the Pleasance Grand

The Pleasance Grand was heaving with people on my trip to see Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. Now in it’s 10th year, the Olivier award winning troupe have made a name for themselves as a must see during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The premise is similar to that of other improvised shows, the audience decides the fate of the musical that will be performed that night. Luckily, that means no spoilers, as the show I saw is unlikely to ever happen again. 

Set in an Ancient Greek gladiator arena, “Glad” the musical, followed the story of two best friends trying to impress the stuttering, Emperor Caesar. The opening number, “We do it all for Caesar”, made you realise just why the Showstopper team have such packed out audiences – they’re incredible. Our 60 minute musical took inspiration from the music of (thank you audience suggestions), Fame, any Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Dear Evan Hanson and Pirates of Penzance. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Atlantic: America & The Great War at the Assembly Hall

“Atlantic: America & The Great War” tells the story two African American sisters who on the eve of WWI uncover their complicated European ancestry. When one disappears while tracing their lineage overseas, the other must leave home for the first time to find her. 

A leading cast of 4 actors, supported by an ensemble of 12. From the moment they stepped on stage I was captivated. Although this is a new musical, it felt familiar and welcoming. It was easy to follow and immerse oneself in.

Annabelle (Abigail Stephenson), Jane (Mariah Copeland), Jesse (Neal Davidson) & Martin (Preston Smith) lead this fierce cast in an exciting hour-long adventure. Seamlessly Directed by David H. Bell, there isn’t a moment in the production where the energy dipped. With a very well utilised minimal set the audience is transported on ships, trains, coaches & into the battlefield. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Gutted at the Pleasance Jack Dome

A shameless tale of love, laughs and lavatories” describes co-creators Liz Richardson and Tara Robinsons 60-minute coax into the living world of ulcerative colitis, but I feel this description is only the tip of the iceberg white porcelain toilet seat. 

Gutted feels personal from the moment you enter the space, beautifully designed and littered with loos it essentially presented as an English country garden (I was half expecting Mary Berry head to emerge from one of them). This quaint design sums up Tara and Liz’s brilliant take on Richards story – taking something were usually uncomfortable or giggly or embarrassed talking about and putting it out in the front garden for all to see. 

Were taken through her trials and surgeries through a constant swap of characters (all beautifully portrayed by Richards herself) from Flower hating nurses to meaning well friends who simply just don’t understand. None of these characters seemed pushed, everyone had meaning and brought relatability to her story. There was also some audience participation led by Liz which would usually make me cringe but due to her beautifully open energy the audience (including myself) were eager to help.

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: KIN at the Underbelly’s Circus Hub

Barely Methodical Troupe’s latest show, KIN, is an engaging, comedic, exhilarating piece of family-friendly circus. Perfectly at home in Underbelly’s largest big top, the tremendously talented cast of six burst onto the stage in an hour of entertainment that flies by.

The concept sees the five men competing in some sort of sinister Olympics-come-Hunger-Games, while a stern, straight faced woman looks on. Their competition takes the form of shows of physical prowess, strip-teases and (bad) trumpet playing. When they are deemed to have done well there is a reward; a banana. They are marked as they go, attempting to charm and impress their judge. 

The judge herself, Nikki Rummer, has some beautiful moments, equally as skilled slinking across the stage in an enthralling acrobatic solo or in physically controlling the group of boys as if reminding them of their place in this particular hierarchy. One of the most memorable sequences involves her riding the heads of the group as if on a wave, or standing atop a horse. The strength and skill on display here is astonishing. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Dust at the Underbelly Cowgate

I’ve been struggling to write a review for Dust. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s because a few days after seeing it, it’s still seems to be affecting me, a true sign of a good show. Before the show, I knew it would be quite tricky, with a subject matter like suicide, but I wasn’t ready for the powerhouse of a performance, that was Milly Thomas. 

The self-penned one woman show, follows Alice’s journey in afterlife following her suicide. Thomas effortless throws herself around the stage, into other characters and positions some actors would shy away from, but that’s what makes it so brilliant. Her performance is brave and real and so very honest. She had the audience in the palm of her hand from the first scene and didn’t let go until the lights went out. The monologues were beautifully crude at points, and whilst I thought it might alienate certain members of the audience, one quick glance around proved me wrong. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Circa: Humans at the Underbelly Circus Hub

The latest offering from contemporary circus heavyweights Circa, Humans, is a beautifully stripped-back knockout. Created by Yaron Lifchitz, it puts the spotlight on the bodies of ten acrobats as they physically explore what it means to be human. 

As the audience enter the large circus tent at Underbelly’s delightful Circus Hub on the Meadows, the performers also trickle in one by one. They move into the performance space and change into their costumes for the show – a simple affair. This perceptively reminds the audience that these incredible performers are humans, just like us. It is from this that the audience are invited in to the world of the piece. From a thrilling trapeze sequence, to towers of people higher than seems possible, to seeing these performers try to lick their elbows, Humans becomes a love letter to the human body, and the ways our bodies allow us to connect. Lifchitz is not simply captivated by the amazing things these bodies can achieve, but also by their frailties and it is in this marriage that the piece truly succeeds.

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Nassim at the Traverse Theatre

Nassim Soleimanpour’s self-titled fourth play is a fantastically exciting theatrical experiment which sees a different performer take the stage each day, unrehearsed and having never read the script. This was Monica Dolan’s turn. Known for her appearances on television, including W1A, and premiering her own solo show The B*easts in Edinburgh this summer, she bravely launched herself into the unknown. 

Introduced by a producer of the show, Dolan was told to open a large box to find within it the four-hundred-page script for the performance. She opened the box; within it was a simple page containing an instruction. Her first response… ‘Do I have to obey it?’ This wonderfully set off the piece in which both performer and audience are asked to be complicit in its making.

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Thus Spoke… at CanadaHub @ Kings Hall in association with Summerhall

At the first ever incarnation of CanadaHub at the Fringe, a new venue giving the cream of Canada’s art world a platform, two of Montreal’s most celebrated and influential theatre artists have come together to present Thus Spoke… and it is a thrilling thing to behold. This is not your grandmother’s theatre; the audience are not left passive in the dark, nor ignored by the performers. There is no narrative, as such, and not everything can be intellectually understood or explained. But the atmosphere is enthralling, drawing you in to this charming and bizarre piece.

Directed by Frédérick Gravel and Étienne Lepage, with movement by Gravel and words by Lepage, it is a patchwork of philosophy, political rants, movement and song. With topics covered as diverse as the problems with assassinating Trump to the social taboo of female masturbation, as well as a speech reclaiming the label of being an arsehole, the company of four performers have a captivating dryness and manage to somehow not take themselves too seriously. This prevents the piece from becoming heavy or laboured; they know it is a piece of avant-garde theatre, and keep their tongue planted firmly in cheek about it. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Into The Woods at Assembly Hall

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s musical theatre graduates once again provide a sterling effort in their production of Sondheim’s classic, Into the Woods. 

Productions of Into the Woods have boomed since the Disney film’s release, and director Michael Howell’s production is a great effort to find some different angles on a now rather well known piece. Christopher Rowney’s charming Narrator, clad in walking boots and a windbreaker as if he’s been out in the highlands, is not consigned to the side-lines; he conjures the world, never leaving the stage. This works successfully, locating at least the telling of the story in perhaps a contemporary Scotland. Richard Even’s set eschews representational trees, hardly making a concession to the woods themselves at all. Rather, the story is played out in a rather decrepit old cottage, creaky floorboards and crumbling walls galore, used to the full by the cast. It is not always appropriate, but it is a well-executed design that helps to frame a different approach to the show.

The very large cast sound tremendous under joint Musical Directors James Harrison and Robert Wilkinson, as do the impressive eleven-strong band who play Sondheim’s challenging score with style and flair. Very few musicals on the fringe sound this good! It is also pleasing to hear the performers encouraged to use their own accents in both dialogue and song. Some of the large ensemble numbers felt somewhat rushed, particularly the opening number, and EJ Boyle’s choreography occasionally made the stage feel overcrowded and chaotic, which risks losing clarity in what is a busy plot. The well-drilled cast, though, didn’t seem flustered by it at all.

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: 5 Guys Chillin’ at the Assembly Roxy

Between runs at London’s King’s Head and across three continents, 5 Guys Chillin’ is back for its second Fringe. The set up of the piece is as expected; five guys arrive to ‘chill’, take drugs, and have sex. The night takes a darker turn, though, as the thin veneer comes away and we see what lies beneath.

The cast of five – David Palmstrom, Gareth Watkins, George Bull, George Fletcher and Tom Ratcliffe – portray a cross section of ‘gay scene’ tropes. They are an energetic bunch, who take the bull wholeheartedly by the horns. Plates of white powders litter the stage, a dildo is tossed about, jockstraps are worn and there is plenty of bare muscle on show. Sometimes the acting leans towards the demonstrative, but Tom Ratcliffe stands out with a sensitive, endearing and nuanced performance. There is good work, too, from David Palmstrom’s host.

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Showstoppers Kids Show at Pleasance Courtyard

5 Actors, 2 Musicians, Multiple Cardboard Boxes, 100% audience participation and you have the recipe for the most fantastic hour of family fun The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has to offer. 

On walking into the theatre I was greeted by the Actors singing a little ditty and making observations on audience members. This set the mood straight away, the kids loved it, the grown ups loved it and right from the word go the Showstoppers had their audience in the palm of their hands.

For those unfamiliar with Showstoppers; they take ideas from the audience and transform them into an all singing all dancing 1-hour interactive musical adventure performed by 7 extremely talented individuals. For example our musical was about a Haunted Fireplace in which lived several ghosts with names such as ‘Newt’ & ‘Bob The Dumb Crank’. We were taken on a journey to meet Flying Sandwich making Unicorns & Sharks who enjoyed behaving instead of being silly. All the suggestions stemmed from the active imaginations of the excited, captive audience of children.

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Newsrevue 2017 at the Pleasance Courtyard

Another Edinburgh Fringe brings another incarnation of solid festival favourite, Newsrevue. A raucous, irreverent musical sketch show – and longstanding holder of the Guinness World Record for longest running live comedy – it satires and lampoons every hot political topic and personality of our times. From Brexit to Trump, Jeremy Corbyn to Theresa’s fields of wheat, no one is safe from Newsrevue’s sharp wit and musical aplomb. 

It’s a simple format. Two boys and two girls, supported by a large team of writers and accompanied by musical director Tom Barnes on piano, rattle off the musical sketches as rapidly as machine gun fire. This year’s selection is certainly more hit than miss. What better way to start this year than with a reworking of Beyoncé’s Irreplacable, getting all the mileage possible out of those famous lyrics ‘To the left, to the left…’. From that tone setter, we’re launched into Arlene Foster turning C’est la vie into a celebration of the DUP (rhymes abound), Boris Johnson proving he is the very model of a modern foreign secretary (assisted by patter lyrics Gilbert and Sullivan would surely approve of), and Assad, Putin, Kim Jong-un and Trump forming the unlikeliest of boy bands to be Bad Guys even Bugsy Malone couldn’t handle. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Impromptu Shakespeare at Just the Tonic

Knowing that the show I just saw will probably never happen again makes this review seem almost obsolete, but here I go regardless. Firstly, go and see this show. It's intelligent, it's funny, it's all of the adjectives for brilliant.

On our arrival we were asked to pick an orange ball from a bucket. Written on each individual ball was a different word or phrase. As the show opened, we were asked to throw out balls on stage and one of the cast would catch as many as he could in his breeches. Once this was over the rest of the cast had a delved in and picked 5 balls. These then became the basis of the Shakespeare that we would see. I'm still not sure how they did what they did. The play was so slick and hilarious, I forgot for moments that it was improvised until something even funnier messed them up. From not being able to do Welsh accent, to bringing a cannon to a sword fight, Impromptu Shakespeare is a show I will most certainly return to.

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Curse of the Mummy at Just the Tonic (2017)

Walking into The Big Cave at Just the Tonic, it’s hard to think of a better venue for Last Chance Saloon’s “Curse of the Mummy”. The old caves create the perfect setting for their jaunt to Ancient Egypt. Boasting of musical mash ups and outrageous humour, I was ready for what sounded to be my perfect show. 

Working their way through classic hits, with an archaeological twist, were Jack Gogarty, Sam Dunham and Jack Faires. Dunham, takes the role of Montana Jones, our Lecturer who longs to make the next big discovery. Faires and Gogarty, flitter between a number of roles, from Montana’s parents, Egyptian/Italian or Egyptalian as they liked to call it, street merchants, or the cursed mummy itself. Whilst the show is undoubtedly an ensemble piece, Gogarty steals the show. With his snappy comic timing and impressive vocal skills, you realise just how much he is missed when he’s backstage. Gliding across the stage as the sequined, camp secret Nazi Dean, he makes it a performance to remember and for all the best reasons.

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: The Eulogy of Toby Peach, Underbelly

When he was 20 years old, roughly two and a half thousand days ago, Toby Peach was diagnosed with cancer. Now in remission for the fourth year, his self-delivered eulogy is the story of his life, how he fought cancer twice and how he lived to tell the tale.

It’s a superb solo show, written with care, emotion and strangely bags of wit and energy. We laugh throughout and then are left icy cold when Peach’s storytelling demands it. 

Scenes set in the Cancer Club depict cancer as a sleazy but alluring character, mixing cocktails for the audience and making Toby feel special at his inclusion in the club. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Tether, Underbelly

Focusing on one man’s desire to win Gold, Tether tells the story of athlete Mark who unwillingly becomes a guide for blind marathon runner Becky.

Proud and egotistical, Mark is far from the warm heart needed to support prickly Becky and the two quickly lock horns as a power battle ensues. Over time, the two find a common ground and Mark spies opportunity in supporting Becky to fulfil his quest for medal validation. 

Writer Isley Lynn has clearly done extensive research into the sport and has dug deep into the world of Paralympic athletes and in doing so, has created an authentic and honest script. 

EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: Bruce, Underbelly

Who knew a block of yellow sponge could be so engaging?!

Bruce is a simple but compelling story of love, action and adventure displaying some wicked storytelling and performed by The Last Great Haunt.

Just two performers, one puppet and a few change of eyes is all that is needed to bring this rich and colourful tale to life which whizzes by leaving the audience desperate for more.

Uplifting, laugh out loud funny and immensely warm, the success of this piece is its simplicity. Amazing vocal skills and strong physical performances make Bruce seem incredibly human this show is by far one of the most feel-good in Edinburgh.