Category: Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Anna and Helen : Stuck In A Rat

By Ron Bingham

Stuck in a Rat was a fun and life-affirming show from two talented comedians. The theme of the show is all about trying to get people enjoying life once again.

Anna O’Grady and Helen Cripps go through survey responses about how enjoyment can be achieved, trying each option out (either on each other or an unsuspecting audience member) and assessing its worth. During the show they cut to video footage of themselves out and about trying out activities, and their playing with the screen/room intersection is a delight to behold. They have obviously done a lot of rehearsal practicing the interactions with their on-screen versions to make it seamless.

Anna & Helen also perform a couple of songs, one of which is worth the price of the ticket on its own (Who’s that tiny bitch?). The audience was having a great time, and we all sang along gustily to the closing number. This is definitely a show that will brighten up your spirits.

Stuck In A Rat is on at Pleasance Courtyard until August 26
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/anna-and-helen-stuck-in-a-rat

Lucy Pearman: Baggage

By Ron Bingham

Looking for a show full of prop based craziness? Come along to Lucy Pearman’s show, get your bag checked by the security guard at the door, and prepare for take-off to a journey into hilarious surrealism.

There is a lot of audience participation, a little water may get sprayed, there is some simulated nudity (which goes a little too far) and by the end of the show, you will be wondering how Lucy survived in all those layers.

The plot of the show is that Lucy wants to get away but she is carrying too much baggage, so we see her removing layers of herself until she is just right. Possibly a metaphor or just a premise to wrap all those props around. It doesn’t matter as the show is hilarious and the audience was having a great time. Good luck getting a ticket as there may be only one or two left for the rest of Lucy’s run by now. An absolute cracker of a show.

Baggage is on at Monkey Barrel Comedy until August 25
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/lucy-pearman-baggage

Tony Law: Identifies

By Ron Bingham

Tony Law is the very definition of absurd comedy. There wasn’t a theme to this year’s show and the humour didn’t come so much from jokes with punchlines but from his constantly switching accents and the word salad of crazy coming from his mouth. There was a large map of the world on the wall behind him but I don’t recall him referring to it in the show. There were a couple of songs (very loose definition) and a cameo appearance by his son (I’m guessing about ten years old) dressed in full Scottish regalia and lip synching along with the classic Talking Heads song Once In A Lifetime. No reason was given for this (apart from Tony claiming this should get any desire for performing out of his system so he can concentrate on a proper career at school).

If you are a fan of semi-organised chaos by a large Canadian madman, you can’t go wrong with this lunch-time extravaganza. Tony tries not to swear (unless it’s in a foreign accent, in which case it doesn’t count apparently), as his son is backstage. The room was full of fans and I recommend getting a ticket as available seats for his show are becoming scarce.

Identifies is on at Monkey Barrel Comedy until August 25
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/tony-law-identifies

Jess Robinson: The Jess Robinson Experience

By Ron Bingham

Jess Robinson’s forte is musical impressions of famous divas, but she is also a dab hand at other vocal impressions and a very funny conversational comic to boot.

Featuring an on-stage band, this year’s show looks back at Jess’ life – her origin and influences. The songs are reworkings of well known tunes with adapted lyrics, that tell the stories of her musical and film heroes, growing up in a small town (Aldbury) in Hertfordshire (or, as she described it, Brexit central), and her grandmother, who was a remarkable woman (and who managed to escape from Germany in 1939). There is even a very special tribute to Kate Bush with a “special guest dancer”.

The venue is a wooden “tent” featuring wood pillars with mirror panelling a central seating area and booths around the edges. I recommend trying to sit somewhere in the middle as the pillars block the view of some of the action on the sides. Jess wore a bright costume with sparkly bits (and some impressive sparkly boots). The audience was raucous in their applause and even joined in on most of the singalong bits. The big finale song featured Jess singing along with a number of other Jess Robinsons on the big screen, which was the best way to break from the poignant version of Climb Every Mountain that Jess sang for her grandmother. This was a very entertaining show and it was hard to believe how much they crammed into one hour. If you’re a fan of musical comedy songs, then this is definitely the show to see.

The Jess Robinson Experience is on at Assembly Rooms until August 24
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/jess-robinson-the-jess-robinson-experience

Bart Freebairn: Maximum Delicious

By Ron Bingham

This show will make you hungry. Bart talks about his love of food, giving us examples of some of his favourites (not literally, sadly). He also tries to explain why employing a personal trainer is the perfect justification for being able to eat an entire cheesecake.

His stand-up comedy, while mostly food based, (and who can’t relate to food based comedy?) does also delve into first impressions of the UK from an Australian visitor and a number of other subjects. It is an hour of confident, funny and sharply observed humour, which should appeal to most comedy lovers.

Bart has been performing a bit under the radar in Australia for a few years now and it’s a shame, because he’s a charismatic performer who can bring audience members to tears of laughter. It’s fantastic to see him pulling full houses here (so buy a ticket if you want to be sure of a seat)  and the audience was certainly having an excellent time at the show I saw. Then finally, everyone was further rewarded with a Jaffa Cake at the end of the show. YUM.

Maximum Delicious is on at Just the Tonic at The Caves until August 25
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/bart-freebairn-maximum-delicious

Jayde Adams: The Ballad of Kylie Jenner’s Old Face

By Ron Bingham

This year Jayde Adams has moved out of her comfort zone, removed her diva costumes, put down her singing voice and donned a turtleneck jumper, to deliver a lecture on the history of feminism and a little of her family history, as seen through the Jenner/Kardashian family. I was a little surprised as I only knew her through her songs, but this was an excellent show.

Jayde came out with her Serious Black Jumper (you can buy a SBJ after the show, so you too can be taken seriously), to explain her theory of how people listen to those wearing turtlenecks. She is also carrying a cane, as she said she stuffed her knee up on the second day of the run. Using the big screen on the stage, she explains how last year’s hugely successful Edinburgh show led to no further bookings as well as a change in her agent and the direction of her comedy. We are given a short history of the Jenner/Kardashian family, which was very handy for some of us (me), and how Kylie completely changed her facial structure using just some of her own-brand cosmetics (which led to her becoming a billionaire). Cue a number of scathing comments, a short history of feminism and a call to arms of the young. We also had a story of an embarrassing trip to a very posh restaurant in Paris and a slightly depressing family Christmas party.

Despite the lack of singing which I had expected, I really enjoyed this show. Lots of laughs, some interesting points and some very funny stories. Now I just have to remove all that information about the Jenner/Kardashian family from my brain and I’ll be happy. I highly recommend this great new direction from an established comic.

The Ballad of Kylie Jenner’s Old Face is on at Pleasance Courtyard until August 25
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/jayde-adams-the-ballad-of-kylie-jenner-s-old-face