A review of Alphabet Soup, Fringe 2023

Birdy made her way to the Shanghai at Le Monde, George Street, for what promised to be the most fabulous LGBTQIA+ comedy brunch/lunch.

Comedy shows at the Fringe? Ten to the dozen. LGBTQIA+ comedy variety BRUNCHES at the Fringe? Now, that’s a rarer thing.

When I was offered a ticket for Alphabet Soup, featuring LGBTQIA+ comedians, drag performers, prizes, gourmet brunch and drinks, I found it very hard to say ‘no’. The show is created – and hosted – by 7G and Alyssa Poteet.

I might also add here that, out of interest, I noticed the Alphabet Soup gang have been in the news recently for staying in a disused nuclear bunker to combat the cost/financial non-sustainability of Fringe – how genius is that?!

With that out of the way, look at how fabulous this trailer is (below):

If that doesn’t sell it to you, I’m not sure much else I’ve got to say will (but it’ll certainly reinforce it if you like what you see above).

The format

So, as you might be able to tell, the format with brunch/lunch (it’s a 1pm show) involved works a little bit differently than a standard variety show. And I need to tell you right now that you’ll only get brunch if you pay the £40 for a VIP ticket.

I need to tell you that, because when I rocked up, I was met by a couple of gents at the door who were just leaving, as they’d got there fully expecting to be fed and not realising it didn’t work that way. If you pay the full or concession price (£15/£10 respectively) it does NOT entitle you to brunch.

Regular seats are at the front, whereas the tables for people having the full brunch experience are at the back. Aside from that, the format works just like a standard comedy variety show.

The vibe

Got to say, Le Monde Hotel’s Shanghai nightclub is a great venue for it, so the vibe is already good right off the bat. They do great mocktails, which is what I choose to have with my brunch. Having grabbed myself a raspberry no-jito upstairs, I manoeuvred downstairs in the rain to where the action was.

When I first arrived, I was quite impressed by the setup. Because it was Sunday, the brunch side of things was really quite busy, which was great for the organisers – and there was quite a diverse crowd in, too.

It was less busy in the standard seats, and most of the audience had gravitated to the middle for the best view. We at the back were then asked for our drinks preferences, and it was time to start the show!

The show itself

I’ve got to admit, I’m really not used to eating at the same time as watching a comedy show – any comedy show. Makes me wonder if this is what corporate dinners feel like – although, obviously this is a lot more fabulous than most of those.

The hosts, 7G and Alyssa Poteet, are great at keeping the tempo going throughout, as each of the acts are called on stage. Both hosts perform their own sets, which go down a treat – 7G in particular was a great set, and one of the more interesting of the night, talking about his background and his experience being intersex.

Other standouts of the show for me included Antjuan Tobias, Janaya Future Khan, William Penelope Strange, and the Dancing Queens. Hank Chen‘s particular energetic form of comedy really livened up the room.

However, Fifi Dosch was my favourite, and although she wasn’t the only one to come for JK Rowling, she certainly did it the hardest and made me laugh out loud. Her comedy around trans rights – especially in America – was spot on, and I found her really likeable.

Another of my favourite moments was ‘Give JK Rowling a Heart’! Of course, we can’t perform miracles, but it was still hilarious. There’s also some audience participation, and some prizes for audience members.

I suppose I should also mention I got fed really, really well. I mean, there was a LOT of food, and I certainly didn’t leave the show hungry. The whole show had a premium feel to it, from the venue and the food/drinks right down to the professionalism of the show itself and all the great acts involved.

Overall

This was a great, welcoming, diverse and inclusive show for LGBTQIA+ and allies (like myself) alike. I should mention, the show IS two hours long, which is a bit unusual for Fringe, so definitely work that into your calendar and allot plenty of time to get to your next show if (again, like me) you’re Fringe-hopping about the joint.

Fantoosh, and BRAVO!