I'm sure everyone will pleased to know that the birthday cake turned out great and my grandfather almost recognised it as his old bowling club...
So I'm back now with some more reviews from my time in Edinburgh.
Four and a half star show that I forgot in the previous post...
Rock the Ballet at Assembly on the Mound
I saw so many shows that I forgot about this one which was one of the first I saw. I can't sum this up much better than my original tweet, this is some really hot men and a seemingly token hot girl, doing some of the hottest and freshest choreography I've seen to some rocking tunes. I loved their Argentinian tango with an unusual choice of partner... I switched between laughing, jealousy and drooling in this show and recommend it for anybody who likes dance, it's not just for ballet fanatics. My only point to note is you need to get there early to ensure that you get a good seat and if you're up by the turn on the mound in the queue then head straight upstairs for a clear view.
Four star shows that I enjoyed but not as much as the five and four and a half star shows
Street Dreams at the Underbelly
This was actually the start of my serious day at the Fringe and I went to see it on my brother's text recommendation (which I miraculously received in the Underbelly!). this show documents the life of a little old man living on a rubbish dump, there are no words and the show is accompanied by some lovely haunting tunes from a harmonica, ukele? and flute. What I loved about this show was the fact that although the little old man puppet didn't have a moveable face he somehow changed his expression in line with his mood. I also loved the way the two puppeteers working the puppet were almost part of him but also looking down on him and reacting as an external onlooker a strangely moving facility. I loved the inventive use of rubbish particularly the plastic bag birds and the cheeky banana skins. The one downside was that at 40 minutes I'd kind of got over my wonder a bit but not enough to make me regret seeing this and I would recommend for a quiet morning in Edinburgh.
NewsRevue at the Pleasance Courtyard
Another old favourite this was the last show I saw at the Fringe and was a great way to finish my four days. If you like Have I Got News For you and a bit of Broadway then this is the show for you. You don't even need to follow the news as this summarises all the key stories from the last year so you probably know them all as I'd be surprised if you missed the wedding of the year and Osama Bin Laden's death. I laughed my way through the show although at times I just didn't get it or felt they cut a bit too close to the bone. But a fab way to spend an evening if you've got one spare.
Three star shows that I enjoyed but probably wouldn't see again
David Reed: Shamblehouse at Pleasance Courtyard
The third of the Penny Dreadfuls up at the Fringe with a debut solo show, David's set includes an amazing array of chairs which was incredible but a bit confusing. I saw the preview of this show and it was very much a ramble through the back alleys of David's mind, which I'm not sure was a place I wanted to be... I didn't really get the ghost at the end, it all felt a bit too surreal for me. That said I did laugh at most points through out the sketch and my friend that I was with loved this show. I ran into one of David's team a couple of days later who said they'd been working on it and it was much improved so I'd give it a go and see whether you are compatible with David's sense of humour.
I'm slowly getting through all my reviews and hope to get some more up later in the week. Enjoy your Fringe...
So I'm back now with some more reviews from my time in Edinburgh.
Four and a half star show that I forgot in the previous post...
Rock the Ballet at Assembly on the Mound
I saw so many shows that I forgot about this one which was one of the first I saw. I can't sum this up much better than my original tweet, this is some really hot men and a seemingly token hot girl, doing some of the hottest and freshest choreography I've seen to some rocking tunes. I loved their Argentinian tango with an unusual choice of partner... I switched between laughing, jealousy and drooling in this show and recommend it for anybody who likes dance, it's not just for ballet fanatics. My only point to note is you need to get there early to ensure that you get a good seat and if you're up by the turn on the mound in the queue then head straight upstairs for a clear view.
Four star shows that I enjoyed but not as much as the five and four and a half star shows
Street Dreams at the Underbelly
This was actually the start of my serious day at the Fringe and I went to see it on my brother's text recommendation (which I miraculously received in the Underbelly!). this show documents the life of a little old man living on a rubbish dump, there are no words and the show is accompanied by some lovely haunting tunes from a harmonica, ukele? and flute. What I loved about this show was the fact that although the little old man puppet didn't have a moveable face he somehow changed his expression in line with his mood. I also loved the way the two puppeteers working the puppet were almost part of him but also looking down on him and reacting as an external onlooker a strangely moving facility. I loved the inventive use of rubbish particularly the plastic bag birds and the cheeky banana skins. The one downside was that at 40 minutes I'd kind of got over my wonder a bit but not enough to make me regret seeing this and I would recommend for a quiet morning in Edinburgh.
NewsRevue at the Pleasance Courtyard
Another old favourite this was the last show I saw at the Fringe and was a great way to finish my four days. If you like Have I Got News For you and a bit of Broadway then this is the show for you. You don't even need to follow the news as this summarises all the key stories from the last year so you probably know them all as I'd be surprised if you missed the wedding of the year and Osama Bin Laden's death. I laughed my way through the show although at times I just didn't get it or felt they cut a bit too close to the bone. But a fab way to spend an evening if you've got one spare.
Three star shows that I enjoyed but probably wouldn't see again
David Reed: Shamblehouse at Pleasance Courtyard
The third of the Penny Dreadfuls up at the Fringe with a debut solo show, David's set includes an amazing array of chairs which was incredible but a bit confusing. I saw the preview of this show and it was very much a ramble through the back alleys of David's mind, which I'm not sure was a place I wanted to be... I didn't really get the ghost at the end, it all felt a bit too surreal for me. That said I did laugh at most points through out the sketch and my friend that I was with loved this show. I ran into one of David's team a couple of days later who said they'd been working on it and it was much improved so I'd give it a go and see whether you are compatible with David's sense of humour.
I'm slowly getting through all my reviews and hope to get some more up later in the week. Enjoy your Fringe...
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