The Fosters* Edinburgh Comedy Awards Shortlistees

The five names of the shortlisted comedians for the 2010 Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Awards have been announces. They are (clockwise from top left):

• Sarah Millican - who was the 2008 Best Newcomer
  
• Bo Burnham - who started doing his comedic songs on YouTube (he's only turned 20 in the last week)
  
• Greg Davies - Who plays Mr Gilbert, head of sixth form, in the Inbetweeners
  
• Josie Long - won the BBC Young Comedy Award at the tender age of 17
  
• Russel Kane - who recently pointed out there were too many Russel's in comedy

Here's a little glimpse of each of them in action.













* Others lagers (and for that matter real ales) are also available.

So Long Fringe, See You Next Year #edfringe

I know there is still a week to go of the International Festival but yesterday for me marked the end of Festival season here in Edinburgh. No longer will I have to hear a comedian mentioning trams and bin collection, at least I hope my next August these two issues will have less impact on the Fringe. Also in a weeks time I'll no longer have that worry of having to battle the flow from the Royal Mile to the the loads of coaches parked on Chambers Street.

So what did may Fringe consist of? Eleven shows, one complimentary in preview, one on the free Fringe, the rest paid for. Several nights of star spotting around the Pleasance, when I say spotting often going up and talking to them as well in my case. Several drinks purchased at many temporary al fresco bars, yes even in the rain, and on one night outside on the veranda of permanent pubs.

It's been a mix of the established Marcus Brigstocke, Peter Duncan, through the rising Pappy's Fun Club, Pippa Evans. The next big thing Daniel Sloss and the good youthful productions Why Not? with Slice of Saturday Night and Jigsaw with Johnny Meister and the Stitch. There was the weird and wacky in Lady Bug Warrior and the constantly changing Scratch - The Reduced Edinburgh Fringe Improv Show. Also the bet winning Marc Hogan, kept that pound safe now.

In the middle of all this Edinburgh has kept moving. I've been at work the whole Fringe, something I intend to rectify at least in part next year. Lib Dems have carried on meeting, Edinburgh Central had a short business meeting in the Pleasance Courtyard one evening. The Bloggers and the Scottish Researchers Group of H2G2 also had what appear on both counts now to be an annual pilgrimage to the Festival city.

I know from the comments and links through that many have found my reviews helpful, and in case of a number of performers cheering as all sorts of links from them have appeared. I'll not be so crude as to list the top hits of the reviews. However, recently Johnny Meister and the Stitch has been picking up a lot of interest ahead of their run at the Dublin Fringe this month, if you can get along an see it, you'll have a great evening.

Comedy doesn't leave Edinburgh for the year of course, nor do musicals and theatre. Some of the venues are temporary but some are permanent. So until next year this is the end of my Fringe coverage for 2009.

Fringe Review - Lady Bug Warrior #edfringe

Spaces @ Royal College of Surgeons 20:05 (Last show was last night)

Vicki Ferentinos is the Lady Bug Warrior, so big is her personality that our paths kept crossing even from a distance for much of this fringe, and I did feel somewhat guilty for not turning up to see her show. However, when Graeme Sharpe put out a call on Twitter for anyone to turn up for her last night I joined him, Adam Sawers and Andrew Gourley of the cast of Slice of Saturday Night. They turned up dressed as a Lady Bug tribute act, much to Vicki's delight (it was also their fourth time seeing the show).

The premise of the show is how she unearthed her inner superhero through a quirky, witty look at the characters that have made up, or influenced her life. The costume changes are merely an aide memoire that this is someone different in her monologue or observations about life, impoliteness and her failings as an Italian American from New Jersey, but told though her new found philosophy of telling the truth to herself as a Lady Bug Warrior.

My sides never stopped splitting as noted by Mr Sharpe, not for the first time this Fringe, I have a big laugh. It wasn't just the things she said but the way she said them and the hour just flew by. It wasn't so much a sprinkling of one liners but a flowing of observational humour and some short vignettes thrown into the mix. The set was minimalistic and wanted to get a starring role when it wobbled on the last night, but that was all part of the charm.

It was the sort of show you wouldn't know just how it would work from the description, even from Vicki doing her own flyering, but when you got into that room you saw just how well it did work.

Before we knew it us last nighters were given a special addition a hastily put together ode to Scotland. Which while telling the stereotypical stuff done by Vicki was delivered superbly and fresh.

Vicki will be flying home, not a favourite pastime, shortly having had a great time over here in Edinburgh, even with our weather this month. She certainly has lightened up a large number of peoples' day by her presence.

Fringe Review - Peter Duncan's Daft and Dangerous #edfringe

Pleasance Beyond 18:30

Yes Blue Peter's Peter Duncan is on the fringe with his Daft and Dangerous show. He's is doing a self deprecating look back over his whole career from his first nude appearance on the cover of a baby's knitting pattern. It is a real cabaret performance with audience participation. He mixes, humour, song, a Blue Peter make, pantomime, video playbacks and his tightrope skills learnt for playing Barnum.

Even seeing as it is a one man show, ok with interaction from his tech guy and pianist, he also uses the screen to interact with Brain Cant and Andy Hamilton, as God and the Devil. The reminiscences are some that all of us can share to differing degrees. Last night, and probably most nights, my audience shouted out 'Not that One' when Peter's scene from Flash popped up on screen.

As well as doing his own career he does an excellent transformation into Charlie Chaplin's little tramp, the star of cabaret discovering the character who would make his big, and a song sung as the late Danny La Rue about the plot of musicals.

But this is an hilarious rump and one where the talent is sweating because he is still an action man. It also may have been advisable for Richard Bacon to watch his fellow former Blue Peter presenter before doing his 10 minutes of stand up, because Peter did not have a silent room. Even we he is singing and walking the tightrope for his Grand Finale.

Fringe Review - Pippa Evans - Your Evenings Entertainment #edfringe

Eek just found this still as a draft and it should have been published on the 15th. But having sent Ruaraidh to see the show it's a shame that mores haven't seen my review of this show.

Pleasance Beside 18:20

Even the build up to this show at The Pleasance's 'premier porta-cabin' is used for comic effect, the normal dour safety notices are springled with joke. Then when the lights finally go down we are introduced to the first of Pippa's three character of the night, the recently widowed cabaret performer. She sings some of the songs dedicated to her late man, including her part of their favourite song together, classic as you try and work out the rest of the words.

The songs are comedic, as are the characterisations. Pippa may well turn out to be the Victoria Woods of the new generation of comediennes. Her 'guest' performer from the states has turned her back on meat, depite some of her other violent lyrics. She asks for like minded people in the audience so I was the brave veggie to put my hand in the air (Update so was Ruaraidh) and ended up having a song sung to us, which eventually leads to her craving a Big Mac by the closing bars.

This show may have been in the porta cabin beside the Courtyard but there is nothing temporary about the act you will witness. Even Mr Horton of Horton Meats the show's sponsor (a poor unknowing member of the audience) gets a cameo role. In my case he was sat beside me and did a splendid job of reading out the letter 'he' had left in the dressing room. Get along to see it, you really will enjoy this evening's entertainment.

The Bloggers Have Their Picnic

If you go down to the Pleasance tonight, you better go in disguise.

If you do down to the Pleasance tonight, you're in for a big surprise.

For every blogger that ever there was*

Is gathered there this evening because

Today's the day the MacBlogosphere has its fringe meet up.

Yeah, rumours that I will once again be propping up the bar at the Pleasance Courtyard may well be true. I've only talked to a few famous people there over the weeks Marcus Brigstocke, Lionel Blair, Paul Merton, Mike McShane, Stephen K Amos, Peter Duncan, Jon Richardson.




But tonight I add some other famous names from 6pm. Jeff, DoctorVee, Malc, Holyrood Patter, Wendy, to name but a handful. There will also be Lionel there (see pic) to help anybody who doesn't know us recognise us.

Was it really only last year that we had the first of our meetups and managed to collectively fail to leave the bar to get to a show. This year the vote went against a show but the banter will be up there with last year I am sure.



*Ok Not every blogger but not a bad selection of the best of the Scots.

Fringe Review: Daniel Sloss -Teenage Kicks #edfringe

Pleasance 10 Dome 19:00

When you turn up to stand up with someone who knows the talent the safest place to be is cowering in the corner. So last night when Callum and I turned up to seen the teenage comic we obviously chose the sensible option and sat front and centre under the mike stand, after all what is the point of stand up if the comic doesn't engage you directly.

Don't be put off by Daniel's age. Obviously has he says his reminiscences are confined and he can't boast of his sexual conquests of women half his age but that doesn't mean that there isn't material to fill the hour; and what good material it is. He bounces, shuffles and runs through a string of material, of life for a teenager, both on the stand up circuit and in Fife. All good stuff, even defending his picture of Fife being rough against claims that St. Andrew's is in Fife and therefore posh. Yes he says there 'they beat you up with golf clubs instead of scaffolding poles'.

The laughs do come think and fast as did the audience engagement. We counted at least 10 people directly drawn in to the humour. Of course when he launched into bowlers I did heckle, he'd already established I was old, merely getting older and now but my 30 year on again, off again bowling career down to a mid-life crisis.

Yeah he tells one wank joke, but as he says he's a teenager and the show is an hour long what did we expect. He's already a 2 year veteran on the circuit but there will be a bright future for him. There are still tickets for some of the remaining shows he told up later. If you haven't already try and get along and experience teenage live, you own, your kid's as well as Daniel's through the masterful comedic phrasing and physicality that is Daniel Sloss.

You know at this stage I wish I'd started to issue star ratings at the start, but I haven't so just go. You know you want to.

Fringe Review: Marc Hogan -Actions Speak Louder than Birds #edfringe

Cabaret Bar, Zoo Southside 19:15

So what makes a corporate speaker become a stand up at the Fringe?

The influence of Dave Gorman? No.

Copious amounts of alcohol and an open mike? Well possibly but not in this case.

A bet for £1? Could be!

Yeah Marc Hogan himself persuaded me in the Fringe Box Office queue to go and see his show. He wasn't speaking directly to me but to he people stood behind me. But it was enough for me, even if a PowerPoint presentation based comedy show is a bit of a busman's holiday. But hey I like Dave Gorman and the guy in the queue was funny.

Funny he remained. He basically did a presentation on how to give a presentation, but was self-deprecating on the number of jokes included. They were not merely confined as his 'agenda' stated to the slot between 19:50- 19:55. Along the way we learnt about safer sex, and how cuddling Koala's may not be be best idea to remain STD free, as well as an interesting way to determine Good and Evil from the side of their entrance. The latter brought up some interesting observations. Who'd have thought it of Mary Poppins?

But as Marc said when taking the best last year a pound was a lot of money. However, with the credit crunch maybe hitting on corporate luxuries maybe corporate presentations may dry up, to a sigh of relieve from many desk jockeys. However, even with the box office's share of the takings taken out I'm sure that the original £1 bet is the least of Marc's financial rewards for this show, though there were still a few empty seats last night so I suspect tickets are still available, so get along and have a right old laugh.

UPDATE: I found through backlinks that Marc has a blog about his endeavour, and has linked to this blog. If I tell him that I was the person he looked at to his extreme right on Saturday he will know just why he got such a 'good' review off me.

Fringe Review - A Slice of Saturday Night #edfringe

The Space @ The Royal College of Surgeons (no more 16:45 slices remaining)



Well it is Saturday night, or at least early evening when I finally catch my slice of Saturday Night, by the Why Not Musical Theatre Company.. As the audience walk I'm greeted by a frozen cast tableaux one of whom has his trousers down by his ankles revelling his Union Jack boxers, only once we are all seated does the music begin and the cast all complete preparations for their night at Club a-Go-Go.



But when they get going you are toe-tapping along with them intermingled with an hilarious mix of lyrics from the Heather Brothers. If you ever wanted to hear a song about premature ejaculation song with total professionalism and comic expression and timing, amongst other teenage angst, this young production certainly shine. There is the hesitancy of shy love, the over confidence that a girlfriend will forgive all indiscretions and the bravado that one can pull any girl 'even frigid Brigid'.



Of course while the boys are over compensating for lack of wham bam thank you ma'am, the girls are trying to appear more innocent than they are. But they can rely on Eric de Vene their host to help out his regulars with some advise, if not always sound. Advise for the guys on how to cope with tenting in the groin through dance steps, or that the best way to keep the girl is the 'pork pie'.

All to glorious music the tunes of which are strangely familiarish but the lyrics most certainly are not. Or at least not when you first hear them, me I'm still humming them.

However, no matter how much you like this review sadly I was one of those indulging in the last Slice of Saturday Night for this fringe. But I will be looking out for their future productions. If they are of this standard I'll be back.

Fringe Review: Johnny Meister + the Stitch #edfringe

The Spaces @ The Royal College of Surgeons 20:35

This is a fast, frenetic drama carried out as two monologues by the young stars John Travers as Johnny Meister and Brain Markey as David 'Stitch' Brown. That someone can bring together the humour, pathos and poetry of a Belfast brogue in a mark of the genius of Rosemary Jenkinson the writer, and the two young stars are able to hold the audience draw them in (even those for which the slang is not native) and excite and lead them on a emotive journey. To do that in isolation for most of the hour is true greatness in the writing and brilliance of the acting.

The world these two bad lads inhabit is a little mixed up to say the least there are drugs, underage sex, sex with MILFs, fights and drink. But despite wanting to stay out of each others paths they are inextricably linked in so many ways. Their lives are brutal, yet both want to be a father. There is an amazing amount of poetry through the play, couplets of fierce Belfast tones, the street talk of the fighters on the streets. The hoola hoops* they encounter, the tatty crisps. young lads going on the tare.

The stars move the show along both physically by their movement around the stage at the end they were both dripping sweat having given it their all. You are drawn into their world through their language (no doubt the Americans would want to subtitle it). By letting us inhabit their space, learning of the conversations they have, what makes them tick, what riles them, what burns them up, the audience is taken on a roller coaster so luxuriant that the end, though you see it coming, still hits you by surprise; while doing the same to the characters both figuratively and narratively.

This show is only on for the week so the last night is tomorrow, but if you see the show or the Jigsaw company in anything, anytime give it a try. It deserved a bigger audience than it got tonight, but you would never have told that from the standard of the acting. They could have been filling the Waterfront Hall with all the gusto they give their performance, indeed with this show they deserve to fill the Waterfront in Belfast many times over.

This blog hasn't been giving stars put it it did I'd need a few constellations for Johnny Meister and the Stitch.

*Celtic fans

Fringe Review: Scratch - The Reduced Edinburgh Fringe Impro Show #edfringe

Pleasance Baby Grand 20:15

I suppose after doing reviews of the two shows I saw last night I should really back track and do the one I saw on the first night of the previews. After sweet talking the flyer for a bit I did manage to get tickets for myself, LYS President Ruaraidh Dobson and Kieran Leach to see an improvisation show.

Some people say you should never expect much if you've been given a free ticket, but then that is just how I got to see Michael McIntyre's first ever fringe show so I'm never that way inclined. The premise of the show is simple, one Fringe Festival programme is available for members of the audience to rip a page out of a circle a show they would like to see, but are sitting in a different venue. In fact if you want a grand tour of the fringe it is as good a way as any to take a high speed sightseeing tour, just don't expect the real things to bear any resemblance to what you may see in this show.

The Scratch team mix up the ways they set up the sketches, including one three parter that they will come back to throughout the night. Of course with improv one of the best ways to tell how good it is happens to be seeing how hard the performers themselves are trying to prevent themselves corpsing* just look at Peter Cooke making poor Dudley Moore crease up when he improvises. There were numerous times this lot were fighting to stay in the scene, if you colleagues don't quite see it coming despite setting you up it's good.

Even the keyboard player was bemused at some of the directions the sketches veered off in and often looked into the audience as perplexed or laughing as loud as the rest of us. Considering one of our party was being a grumpy guts, saying he'd walk out if it was no good, yet came away after staying the whole way and liking the show I think speaks volumes for the work these guys did.

Improv is hard but they did at times make it look effortless, at times darn awkward but their persevered, at times just downright funny, especially when imagined props were forgotten or transferred to another character.

*That is laughing on stage and breaking down the fourth wall of this being some bizarre reality.

Fringe Review: Marcus Brigstocke - God Collared #edfringe

Richey Hall, Assembly 20:40



It wasn't until I started to hear Marcus speak for this long on a religious theme that I realised just how much he sounds like the Rev. Steve Chalke, Baptist Pastor and often TV Godspot personage. I recall me and my friend Rob performing a skit about Chalkie in front off him in Nurneburg in 1992. But I digress.



As the title of the show suggests Marcus does indeed talk about one of those things you shouldn't talk about, religion, and does so more or less for the entire set. For the more sensitive among you look away now.

He has a go at all belief systems especially atheists and worshipers of the iPhone. For Richard Dawkins whose book The God Delusion is on the stage he gives the following review:

"When I started reading it I was an atheist when I finished I was agnostic."

Oh but don't think because you're agnostic that you are going get away from Brigstocke's tongue lashings, oh no. For most of you he says you haven't done enough research, which clearly he himself has as the content of the show bears out.

But he meanders through the various belief systems use of buses, the Humanist's with their "There is probably no god" slogan, the Christian response and the muslims.....yeah we all groaned at the third one too, at least once everyone caught up.

Brigstocke manages to lead us through his theme though linking comedy, with tragedy. With personal familial anecdotes as well as observation. If you are of faith, of none or just not sure you'll still laugh even when the humour is directed at you.

I know this is a popular show and close to, if not already sold out. But if you have a ticket, hold unto it, not like Callum Leslie who decided to drop his in the already tight gap between shows requiring search and recover, and enjoy the show. Though as it is premiering in Edinburgh you may catch it around the country later.

UPDATE: Damn you Marcus Brigstocke! I didn't sing "I am C., I am a C.H. I am a C.H.R.I.S.T.I.A.N." at all last night. But haven't been able to get it out of my head since I wrote this review.

Fringe Review: Pappy's Fun Club World Record Attempt #edfringe

Pleasance One 19:20

You turn up and wonder is is possible that you will truly see 200 sketches before 20:20, the time not the year. But when the Troupe open with a song which they themselves sing is too long, and is more suitable for Sesame Street than the Edinburgh Fringe you do start to panic for them just a bit.

However, soon they find some sort of momentum, if that is indeed what it is but the odd distraction, from a Time Machine and the group’s newest friend Dean, who is a bit out of his time, Eon even. It would make you worry about the record attempt if you weren’t too busy laughing to keep an eye on their time.

The time machine does allow the guys to ask advice of record breakers Robert Pershing Wadlow and Pauline Musters, the world's tallest man and shortest women, who are brought to 2009 convenienly rather than us travelling to their time. They advise was not to become a world record holder as it only leads to loneliness. Surely there is some potential Rom Com value in that.

However, also to assist them in their task last night the boys called upon Terry Quaker founder of the church and porridge oats company. Who is also a close friend of the founder of the Christian faith.......Terry Christian. However, he turns out to be not quite what you'd expect but just what one of the cast expected. He attempts to sabotage the show. But......

No I won't spoil it for you. However, inviting Terry Quaker is probably the sort of thing you don't want to do again, but as the lads said, in a masturbationary joke, it is a long festival, and this is a sketch show not reality.

UPDATE: As a blogger I was impressed to find that the team and one of their members Matthew Crosby have blogs of their own. They even have done a comedy show via Twitter.