Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThis fantastically silly show by writer-actors Valen Shore and Alison Zatta reflects on the adrenalised rise to fame for young pop starsOn the face of it, a musical about ’NSync from the point of view of Chris Kirkpatrick …
Continue ReadingRoundabout @ Summerhall, EdinburghIn Miriam Battye’s comedic tour de force, Her and Him go through the motions of getting to know each otherGiven the survival of the species depends on it, the mating game is surprisingly hard. After so many millennia w…
Continue ReadingSummerhall, EdinburghEloina Haines’ performance considers her own – and other women’s – labia and the obscene pressure to make this body part conformIf the Edinburgh fringe has never really begun until the obligatory shock of full-frontal nudity, this …
Continue ReadingTraverse, EdinburghLaurie Motherwell’s avoidance of cliche is commendable, but it does leave this tale of a get-rich-quick scheme with little sense of jeopardyPlaywright Laurie Motherwell is sensitive about stereotypes. In a comedy about two working-cl…
Continue ReadingUnderbelly Cowgate, EdinburghUS comedians Anne Gregory and Rebekka Johnson front a satire of girl bossing, with guest acts including the British pop starIt’s a bit of one thing and a bit of the other, this spoof corporate-retreat comedy from a stellar …
Continue ReadingTraverse, EdinburghIsobel McArthur’s gag-filled farce takes place in a bland modern hotel with a previous life as an opera houseEarly in Isobel McArthur’s head-spinning new comedy, there is a gag about the uniformity of hotel decor. The joke is plain t…
Continue ReadingOnce I performed to thousands; now I tell jokes to 50 people in a basement, but leaving my dream role felt like freedom, not quittingWhen you have an experience that’s elevated to the level of “magical”, there’s a sense that people don’t want to hear w…
Continue ReadingAssembly Hall, EdinburghIs the fringe veteran stretching himself? No, but his laconic style is deceptive: he’s never less than beadily alertMight knob gags be defended on the basis of cultural inclusion? Frank Skinner claims they were the primary means…
Continue ReadingPerforming at the Edinburgh festival is hugely stressful, but the things I learned there have been useful offstage tooIf the beginning of September still makes me think I need a new notebook and pencil case, the beginning of August makes me think I sho…
Continue ReadingMusical whodunnits and political backstabbing dominate the escapist agenda this yearA sleuth in search of clues to putting on a successful show at the Edinburgh fringe will not need to reach for a magnifying glass. There is already proof positive that …
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