Scared of spiders? A warning that there is a lot of spider talk and Ange may be dressed as a spider at the start of the show, but we must stress, there are NO Actual Spiders.
We DO get 99 problems in Ange’s life, but luckily most of them wiz past us as she presents them in song form to save time. There is a satisfying narrative arc to the cleverly written show with some incisive comments on the zeitgeist and really excellent zingers. She is clearly using this show to work through some issues. The main afflictions that Ange focuses on involve an ex-boyfriend and spiders. The spider problem is explored via a delightful retelling of the classic story Charlotte’s Web, while the boyfriend problem is demolished in both song and story. She gets some help from the audience and doesn’t put too much pressure on them thank goodness.
The happy but crowded audience is jammed into rather small hot box (even more so than most Edinburgh venues) so take a flyer or fan to keep cool. Ange is a seasoned performer with a confident and assured manner in her tales of woe and arachnids and there were laughs aplenty in the stories to help us forget our own problems for an hour.
The 75th Edinburgh Fringe Festival begins this week and, after a bit of an enforced break, there will be a strong contingent of Australian acts (as well as Aussie Expats and adopted Aussies) back in Auld Reeky town raring to tread the boards again. Here is a list of those we could find along with any reviews we have previously written.
Our British Correspondent Ron will be seeing a whole slew of shows and reviewing them for us.
To all those performers in Edinburgh, Chookas from The Squirrels and have a wonderful Fringe.
1. People should see this show if they’re arachnophobes because I personally guarantee there are no actual spiders in this show. Which means, statistically, you’re more likely to meet one by not attending. It’s not advice, but it is something to think about.
2. People should see this show because frankly 99 problems was too many problems to try to squeeze into an hour, and it might be fun to watch me struggle with that.
3. People should see this show if they have ever been personally attacked by the Duolingo owl.
4. People should see this if they like their comedy clever, offbeat and silly, with something to say.
5. People should see this show if they’re sick of seeing the same stories on stage, told in the exact same way, because this show is definitely something else.
Despite the dark edge to this show, Ange is a bright and perky performer who reflects upon her youth in Bathurst (sort of near Sydney), while trying to work out which aspects of her complex personality will be remembered by others at her passing.
Final Form contains stories of youthful enterprise (where she was engaged in mass slaughter – of snails), her relationships with her family, friends and loved ones, being single, living life to the full, her passions and fears. We get the full gamut of emotion in an hour. Phew. There is also a bit of classical cello playing and some video screen action. I especially loved the seahorse.
This was Ange’s first show in Edinburgh, the day before the Fringe officially begins, so it was still a little rough round the edges as she got used to her performance space and the tone of the audience, as well as fighting a little jet lag. The room, The Wee Coo, is small and intimate so expect to be very close to the stage. There is a little audience participation, but the responses are scripted so it’s actually a lot of fun and the embarrassment factor is low. Once Ange has the room and audience sussed out (say, by the time this review is published),she will get into her groove and have an absolute hoot.
As well as the comedic stories, there are a few scary scenes, a possible haunting and some slightly freaky songs to round out the hour. Well worth the money and an excellent way to end the night.
Scotland’s capital city is bursting at the seams with talented artists as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe begins this week. As is usual many Australian acts are heading up to “sunny” Edinburgh to show the world what they’ve got. If you’re in town, be sure to check out some of these fabulous funny folk listed below.
We’ve compiled a list of all the acts we could find, along with links to the reviews of those shows that our Squirrel writers have seen at previous festivals. As usual we give the disclaimer that Festival shows are ever evolving beasts so the show that we saw could be rather different to current iteration.
If we’ve missed anyone, feel free to drop us a line (or contact us on social media)…
It’s not long now until the world’s largest fringe arts festival begins in warmer climes and again a massive contingent of Australians and expats are headed to The Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Many have traveled the Australian festival circuit and have been whipped into shape for international audiences. Some have been previously reviewed by Squirrel but remember they will have been further polished and may have been revised and reworked.
Hannah Gadsby
Last year Australian, Hannah Gadsby won Best Comedy at the Fringe, she’s had to cancel her Edinburgh Fringe run this year but there’s a lot more amazing comedy talent coming up from down under. If you are travelling anywhere near Edinburgh this August, have a look at the following list of shows and consider going to see an Australian act.
