I always look forward to Paul Merton’s Impro Chums. This year they had competition from Clive Anderson’s What Does the Title Matter Anyway?. A battle of improvisational comedy! The Impro Chums are the same as ever – Suki Webster, Richard Vranch, Lee Simpson, Mike McShane and, of course, Paul Merton. It’s good to see the […]
Review of Tommy Rowson: Down and Out in Powys and London, Fringe 2014
Tommy Rowson’s act begins with an intro video splicing images of bad behaviour, tattoos, snippets from the bible and a rock and roll soundtrack. This was an intro that got me excited about seeing a comedian with stories to tell, and a unique way of telling them. After all, the title Down and Out in […]
Review of McNeil and Pamphilon Go 8-Bit, Fringe 2014
How often are you told that it’ll be worth the wait? How often does that prediction come true? McNeil and Pamphilon Go 8-Bit really is worth the wait. Hopefully there won’t be any more late starts. On Friday night, at the Pleasance Dome/Potterrow, we had to wait some extra 30 or more minutes for the […]
Review of Dan Nightingale is Trying His Best Not to be a Dick, Fringe 2014
The odds may not be stacked in Dan Nightingale’s favour as he prepares for his awkward tea-time slot in a stuffy room in the Pleasance Dome conservatory. The heat is challenging. The venue is confusing (the Pleasance Dome is at Potterrow rather than The Pleasance). And 5.30 is an awkward time of day, too late […]
A review of Mark Watson’s Comedywealth Games, Fringe 2014
It’s not often you go to a comedy gig and get to watch an audience volunteer have their nose unexpectedly split open on impact from a thrown fruit and have to cope with the resulting flow of blood. I wasn’t that member of the audience. I had fun. In fairness to Mark Watson and the […]
A review of What Does the Title Matter Anyway?, Fringe 2014
The host for the night is Clive Anderson. He’s often on TV but I first encountered him in his role as host for the TV show “Whose Line is it Anyway?” In “What Does the Title Matter Anyway” Anderson works with four improvisational masters and the audience through a series of games. On the opening […]
A review of Knightmare Live – Level 2, Fringe 2014
Do you remember the kids TV show from about 20 years ago in which kids would explore a dungeon together? The dungeon was a mix of poor CGI and props. One of the kids had to wear a “helmet of justice” and couldn’t see out from it while his friends tried to navigate him (or […]
A review of the Fright Bus Service, Fringe 2014
This was a good idea. The Ghost Bus (it’s not ‘the ghostbusters’ it is The Ghost Bus Tours) does not just run during the Festival Fringe but the savvy company is doing something special for the event. The result? Tickets can be bought from the EdFringe.com website. Whoever made that happen deserves a pat on […]