Gilded Balloon – Squirrel Comedy

Abigail Rolling: Shit Lawyer

By Ron Bingham

Not so much an hour of comedy, as a horrifying 60 minute lecture on the imminent collapse of the British Criminal Justice system.

Abigail has a plethora of stories to share of “interesting” cases, notorious miscarriages of justice, and the activities of serial offenders known to her. The performance was peppered with the occasional dark joke to lighten the tension, but no rolling laughs.

Abigail is self-deprecating at times (see the show’s title), articulate and obviously knowledgeable in her field of expertise . She tells a story well and keeps the audience engaged throughout, especially when dealing with her own cases, she gets across how desperate the situation is for British justice, in particular for those who need it most and can least afford it. However, it really gets political in a heavy handed way at times and overall the show can’t be classed as comedy.

It was fascinating hour for those interested in legal matters or justice, and it’s fantastic that Fringe is a safe place to share these horror stories, but this is not really one for the people looking for a good laugh or quality standup comedy at the Fringe.

Shit Lawyer is on at Gilded Balloon Patter House until August 25

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/abigail-rolling-shit-lawyer

Chris and Seán Are Two Sailors Who Are Nuts

By Colin Flaherty

Chris and Sean have come ashore to regale us with tall tales and true from the sea. They self identify as Nuts (and we LOVE Nuts!) so anything can happen.

You know you’re in safe hands when Chris Locke and Sean Cullen are creating improvised mayhem. Cullen has been performing since the 80s, since rising to fame with Canadian trio Corky & The Juicepigs, and is a legend of the impro scene. Locke is no slouch, keeping up with every non sequitur despite feeling under the weather this evening.

There is more to this performance than on the spot banter. With Locke on bongos and Cullen on guitar, this crazy duo conjure up bespoke musical numbers. Obviously sea shanties feature with tunes about nautical adventures but we also hear gentle serenades directed to certain “ladies” back on land as well as those in the ocean.

It usually takes a while for an audience to get on this wacky pair’s wavelength and on this particular night, the crowd was a little timid. Prompts for questions were met with some baffled silence but the boys ploughed on regardless, going off on odd tangents that produced plenty of weird and wonderful lines. They regularly cracked each other up which was infectious nonetheless.

This is improvised madness at its finest. You may not dig every single thing and a hell of a lot will not make logical sense in the slightest, but you will feast on enough whimsy to sate your thirst and will no doubt, come to love the cut of their jib.

Chris and Seán Are Two Sailors Who Are Nuts is on at Gilded Balloon Patter House until August 26

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/chris-and-sean-are-two-sailors-who-are-nuts

We Forgive You, Patina Pataznik

By Colin Flaherty

After getting humiliated by the high school It Girl, Liv and Jake (Olivia McLeod and Jake Glanc) find a way to stop the most catastrophic event in their lives. What follows is a high energy romp through the year 2013 through the eyes of this pair of drama queens and their fragile teenage egos.

They play things very big and broad often verging on pantomime territory, an apt method reflecting the heightened emotions of teenagers. The plot twists and turns like a snake with ADHD keeping everyone on their toes. This duo flit about the stage bringing scenes to life beautifully through mime and the occasional prop.

This is a very self aware fringe festival piece that regularly breaks the fourth wall. We get self critiques, re staging of scenes and many witty lines about the festival performance experience. Even though fellow performers will be laughing more heartily than the normies, everyone will enjoy the absurd hyper-reality.

Music of the period features heavily so if you were a teenager at the time a flood of nostalgia will hit you in the face. This soundtrack also allows our duo to dance up a storm, gyrating, bumping and grinding at every opportunity. It was also a clever transition device between scenes that kept the energy level in the red.

A video backdrop transports us to various locales as well as being a kaleidoscope of colour during dance numbers. A video of Patina Pataznik in her prime is disturbing in all its AI generated glory and a roadtrip takes a chique route – a lovely contrast to the juvenile shenanigans surrounding it.

It’s a wonderfully silly farce by a pair of pert and perky performers. The script, especially the finale, is a little bit on the flimsy side but you’ll have a great time if you allow yourself to get swept up in the excitement of this perpetually hormonal pair.

We Forgive You, Patina Pataznik is on at Gilded Balloon Patter House until August 25

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/we-forgive-you-patina-pataznik

Juliette Burton: Hopepunk

By Ron Bingham

The show is titled Hopepunk, which is defined as giving hope to people in non-traditional ways. Juliette has had some ups and downs in her life and this is her way of fighting back against the universe. We get some background from Juliette’s life, how she overcame the obstacles thrown in her way, illustrated with some pretty graphs and a rude pointer.

It’s a long life story involving multiple mental health issues, breaking up with a fiancee close to their wedding, bad boyfriend experiences, poverty living in London, CoVid-crushing comedy-career momentum and so much more. She illustrates it all amusingly with pictures, some science and a little safe audience interaction.

It is an uplifting, joyous journey with a seasoned performer who will make you feel better about the world and your life by the end of the show. A little naughty but nothing shocking. There are heaps of jokes along with the self-deprecation, lots of glitter, and badges at the end. Highly recommended for those looking for a pick-me-up and/or some positivity.

Hopepunk is on at Gilded Balloon Patter House until August 16

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/juliette-burton-hopepunk