If you’re planning to see Garry Starr: Classic Penguins, prepare yourself for an evening of non-stop hilarity, clever absurdity, and, yes, a whole lot of nudity. This show is unapologetically bold, embracing full-frontal nudity as an integral part of its comedic arsenal. From the get-go, Starr dives into the world of Penguin Classics with unrestrained enthusiasm, baring it all to both parody and celebrate literature’s revered status. Expect a journey through classic novels with a humorous twist that leaves nothing to the imagination. Literally. Garry Starr, the comedic genius behind this insanity, delivers a masterclass in combining absurd humour with…
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Writer: Zoe Brownstone There are many methods that performers may recommend as ways to prepare for a Fringe show. It’s unlikely that getting stranded outside the theatre because a security alert means that large parts of Pleasance are closed, is one of them. But this is what Zoe Brownstone and several other performers had to deal with on the first Tuesday of the Fringe. To her credit, it seemed that Brownstone coped far better with the disruption than large parts of her audience did. Riding initial silent responses to her questions, she quickly settled in to delivering her routine with…
Presenter: Torrey Shine It’s always great to discover something in Edinburgh that’s a little hidden away, especially if it has the potential to develop into something rather special. So it is with this free daily digest of solo shows from the Fringe, curated and hosted by the writer and performer Torrey Shine. As she explains, the concept is simple: to do for the solo show what has long been done for comedy. Offer a selection of extracts from various shows, thereby providing performers with an additional promotional outlet, giving audiences a ‘try before you buy’ opportunity and, of course, creating…
Writer: Yilong Liu The more shows you see at the Edinburgh Fringe, the more you realise how many are about processing grief. In this instance, Chinese American Raymond has flown to New York City from San Diego to spend time with Andrew, boyfriend of his dead son Archie. From the beginning, there’s a twist. Despite being a show focusing on the absence of someone, we are privileged with flamboyant vignettes of Archie throughout the show, which enrich it by providing context, personality and humour. He gives the first of a series of references to the Chinese Classic Of Mountains And…
Writer: Adam McGuigan Director: Adam McGuigan In 2020 as the Pandemic swept through the country and theatre doors closed, Adam McGuigan landed an unusual job, to support healthcare staff exhausted by the pandemic through creative activities and verbatim theatre. The project In Our Own Words was initiated by Dr Sue Gibbons and saw McGuigan and co-creator Kemi Coker working with Clinical Psychologists in three London NHS Trusts and four Care Homes. The real-life stories of more than 500 NHS staff and care workers they have spoken to since form the basis of this superbly powerful piece of theatre as McGuigan…
Writer: Kelly Bachman Kelly Bachman could have been a comedian who achieved 15 minutes of fame and then slipped away unnoticed in 2019, were it not for the fact that the event that brought her to attention was a stand-up show in New York where Harvey Weinstein, then awaiting trial on multiple rape charges, was in the audience. Bachman addressed the elephant in the room, speaking as a rape survivor as well as someone who was not prepared to ignore his presence at the private event. Her jokes, along with a visceral verbal assault on Weinstein by Zoe Stuckless, an…
Writer: Will Duggan Will Duggan is not a household name. If he was, he wouldn’t be able to do a show about his failure to live up to his early potential. Instead, acknowledging that most of his audience will only be there because they had a spare hour to fill before Ivo Graham comes on, he makes a lot out of never really making it to the top in one of the few professions where you can be deemed unsuccessful if you aren’t in the top 1% of people who enter it. Duggan is the ideal warm-up man, amusing enough…
Writer: Michael Porter Michael Porter died three times in one day. And unlike many comedians at Edinburgh, he is not talking about a set that didn’t land well when he says this. His deaths were literal not metaphorical and followed a childhood accident where he was hit by a passing vehicle and then dragged up the road by it with his head stuck underneath a mud flap. As sources of inspiration for an hour of stand-up go, it’s fair to say that Porter’s is likely to be one of the most unique at the Fringe this year. His set doesn’t…