Yeh, as mentioned before went to Edinboro festival, loved it, hav had these little reviews I jotted down on the way back home plastered to my bedroom for a while...
- 1000 Years of German Humour - 3.5/5 - two mad Krauts treading the careful line between embracing of and rebuttal of their national stereotypes. Particularly inspired section came when one of the guys' trousers fell down as he payed the flute part from Wagner. Won an award for that, so he did. We chose this show on a whim based on it was the first I saw up on the big board at the Smirnoff Underbelly. Glad I did!
Count Arthur Strong - 4/5 - possibly the funniest comedy character created in the last 10 years, Arthur has become most famous to listeners of Radio 4. Can't really explain his genius without u hearing him. the premise of the character is that he is a faded showbiz grandee coping with senility. sounds odd rite? it is, but brilliant!
the show didn't really add much in value for seeing the character in the flesh. quite upsetting to see him doddering around tbh! the real bonus was the ingenious doctoring of old TV footage to include Arthur in his glory days. hilarious!
Espionage free gigs - 3/5 - stumbled upon two of these. the club just up from our hostel ran shows which didn't charge entry, just a donation, every night, which was well convenient1
mixed bag really. don't really remember the first night, was well pissed, but there was definitely an ill looking Geordie telling nice little Vic n bob esque jokes and a classic Scotsman rattling off carefully rehearsed, brilliantly cutting one liners as fast as the audience could keep up with him.
the second night we went in relatively sober, and had a very surprising, and for me, wonderful, experience. the performer was a transsexual, which I only really clocked when she mentioned it. her act was very esoteric and consiered, taking in themes and identity politics...again, really difficult to descirbe but laugh out loud funny. made me come to some big realisations in my life as well.
Rhod gilbert - 5/5 - the funniest man in the UK today, hands down. the pride of Wales, Rhod was absolutely flawless. anyone who's seen this show will attest the man is verbally, physically and stylistically stunning. he tells the story of his mental breakdown at Knutsford service station and it is a joy to behold. takes in the demands of trying to sexually satisfy a much younger woman, the Taleban, bunch of other stuff. left the theatre wanting to be him. also was chuffed to see him milling round outsdie the theatre waiting to go in with the rest of us! wasn't a bit bothered by me staring at him! i think! also, even got a bit of banter in there with him, somehow! don't ask!
Oxford Imps - 2/5 - very boring family-friendly improv by oh so very clever oh so very smug Oxbridge scum. the only member worth a damn was a Yank, very gifted he was too. the far better improv effort was...
...The Shrimps - 4.5/5 - filthy geniuses. again ,was raging drunk when i saw them but was blown away by their skill. for every dud(dish) gag that came along they hit us back with another gem, mind-blowing! several future stars in the making there I think. how they didn't blanche at my drunken suggestion that they parody a 'Ukrainian abortion drama' I do not know! amazing
E4 Laughs At Edinburgh - 4/5 - nice little showcase at the ungodly hour of 10 in the morning. Rhod was compering, his rattattat style to the fore, made my friends insanely jealous of me that i'd got tkts for him and they hadn't! his pal Lloyd Langford was up first, very amusing South Walean, hilarious accent! then came a superb agitprop poet called Luke Young, hope he goes far, gave a dizzying demolition of MySpace, excellent. then some little bastards called the School of Comedy were up, just swore uncontrollably, not nice. i hate this trend in modern comedy of people thinking it's simply funny to swear and that's it. where's the craft. Sure, Bill Hicks, the best stand up of all time, swore, but it was with beauty, wit and passion.
last guy was some Oirish crooner/comic, very 'nice'.
Hamlet - 5/5 - I feel so priveliged to have seen this. a three-hander, it focussed on just the scenes involving the protagonist, still no mean feat! really honed in on the tragedy and passion of the piece. there was magic in that hotel bar, no denying it!
Tudur Owen - 3/5 - we'd done South, we had to do North. Tudur is from Anglesey like us, now a big TV star in Wales. this was his solo show in English, a very very amusing story about a 'zoo' his father opened on Anglesey. again, can't really explain, the whole thing was very...Anglesey!
Street Theatre - 4/5 - thoguht I'd mention this as we saw practically a whole show whilst standing in the sun one day. the guy's name was Pedro Tencho, and what that man can't fashion out of simple balloons and air isn't worth knowing! he roped my mate into playing an orge in his little show - as I say, just using 'balloon' props. magical.
Do's and Don'ts of Dating - 3.5/5 - nicely crafted little piece about, erm, dating. sassy three string cast go thru all the rituals of dating, stretching a different scenario to its most ridiculous conclusion. very funny, they all deserve to be stars. the two girls involved also had another show, kinda wish i'd seen it. they were excellent; my friend thoguht not; so i called him a comedy misogynist. but not one in general! haha, we're still friends.
P.S. -
Had meant to go see Jerry Sadowitz, whose videoed show from 1988 i hav and fucking love, but he was apparently ill so i spent £12 for nothing! arrrrgh!!!!!
THANKS FOR LISTENING ONCE AGAIN!
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