Lorna Rose Treen: 24 Hour Diner People review – ‘best joke of the fringe’ winner serves up silliness

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe character comic returns with another daft set of surreal characters and sharp one-liners – this time stuck in an open-all-hours cafeWhen Lorna Rose Treen won the best joke of the fringe award two years ago with a cheet…

Continue Reading

When Billy Met Alasdair review – two Scottish giants happily collide

Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh Alan Bissett embodies both the expansive Big Yin and the detached author of Lanark in a thoughtful, entertaining search for their connectionThere is a scene in Alasdair Gray’s landmark novel Lanar…

Continue Reading

Every Brilliant Thing review – Lenny Henry gets audience on board for list of life’s joys

@sohoplace theatre, LondonHenry is the first of a group of star performers taking Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe’s hit show about depression into the West EndSince its premiere in 2013, Duncan Macmillan’s one-person play about depression has gradua…

Continue Reading

Wodehouse in Wonderland review – less than spiffing portrait of the artist as a light comedian

Assembly George Square Studios, Edinburgh Robert Daws stars as the great comic author in this one-man show but is let down by lukewarm humourRobert Daws has lots of previous form on PG Wodehouse: he has played in various Jeeves and Woosters through the…

Continue Reading

‘Casually jaw-dropping’: at an Edinburgh fringe of tricks and treats, Ben Hart has the magic touch

The sense of wonder never wavers in Hart’s charming ‘best of’ set, a fringe favourite in a year of crowd-pleasing card work, mentalism and a hidden-squirrel routineMagic is addictive. The more you see, the higher the bar rises, but the itch to be astou…

Continue Reading

Solitude Without Loneliness review – bad dates, frenzied flyering and the spirit of the fringe

Dance Base, EdinburghMalcolm Sutherland’s meta production about isolation and the search for intimacy knowingly ties its themes to the experience of the fringeThe dry title belies a show with spark. Solitude Without Loneliness can feel like several fri…

Continue Reading

Palestine: Peace de Resistance review – an absurdist response to an abominable situation

Pleasance Dome, EdinburghIn an impressive show, Sami Abu Wardeh delivers a collage of historical storytelling, jokes about colonialism and clowningWhen Sami Abu Wardeh performed his hit show Bedu at the fringe three years ago, his Palestinian heritage …

Continue Reading

She’s Behind You review – Christmas comes early to Edinburgh with panto songs, sweets and subversive spirit

Traverse theatre, EdinburghPanto dame Dorothy Blawna-Gale is sharp-tongued and lovable but the hilarity is underpinned by creator Johnny McKnight’s personal storyShe stands before us in a blue gingham frock, towering wig and a “hideous yet age-appropri…

Continue Reading

She’s Behind You review – Christmas comes early to Edinburgh with panto songs, sweets and subversive spirit

Traverse theatre, EdinburghPanto dame Dorothy Blawna-Gale is sharp-tongued and lovable but the hilarity is underpinned by creator Johnny McKnight’s personal storyShe stands before us in a blue gingham frock, towering wig and a “hideous yet age-appropri…

Continue Reading

Creepy Boys: Slugs review – howling existential rave through modern life’s mayhem

Summerhall, EdinburghIn its aim to avoid big topics – politics, gender, climate – the Canadian pair’s superb show attempts an escape from contemporary chaosIf the end of the world is a party, I want these two feral slugs to be our hosts. Fever-dreamed …

Continue Reading