Comedy! It’s the biggest category of shows at the Fringe, and we love it. You’ll find everyone from first-timers to seasoned professionals telling jokes in front of Edinburgh’s brick walls these days. Here are the ones we’ve seen this year.
Zoe Lyons: Mustard Cutter
Zoe Lyons was one of the best comedians we saw in 2013, so we were excited to see she was back again for 2014. She’s clearly had a good year, as this time she’s doing her stand-up in a much bigger venue with much bigger crowds.
Lyons jumps straight into her routine, with none of the getting-to-know-the-audience schtick of which Fringe audiences tire so quickly. She has recently moved into a better neighborhood and hates her snotty neighbors; in contrast she’s a big fan of the EU and is out to convince her audience that Britain should embrace its European neighbors – she makes such compelling arguments on this front that I can’t help but think this show has changed more than a few minds on the subject. Lyons doesn’t shy from controversial issues, skipping easily from UKIP to death to drinking to the Scottish Referendum. She’ll also teach you a thing or two about getting the most out of a box of wine.
Making us laugh from start to finish, this year Zoe Lyons easily maintains her spot as one of our favorite comedians of the Fringe.
Venue notes: tight seating, good stage visibility.
Zoe Lyons: Mustard Cutter is on daily at the Gilded Balloon through 24 Aug.
★★★★½ from Julie
★★★★½ from Scott
link to this review
Katsura Sunshine, Sit Down Comedy – Japanese Style!
A Canadian who now lives in Japan, Katsura Sunshine is the only non-Japanese practitioner of the Rakugo traditional storytelling style. Sunshine opened the show with some cheerful accordion music, and then sat down at a low table, as this is how Rakugo is performed. He does an excellent job of introducing the audience to the art of Rakugo, explaining its essential characteristics and how one goes about becoming a Rakugo storyteller (it involves a long and intense apprenticeship). He is energetic and engaging throughout, and his love and respect for Japanese culture is infectious. We laughed, we learned some new Japanese vocabulary words, and we left happy to have been introduced to this engaging form of traditional Japanese storytelling.
If I’m being completely candid, word combinations such as “traditional storytelling” usually send me skipping in the other direction – I tend to assume traditional forms of entertainment are likely to require a longer attention span than I possess. Still, there was something intriguing about the description of Sunshine’s show, so we gave it a try. This was a very good idea. Sunshine is truly masterful in his ability to entertain with his art.
Venue notes: Intimate setting with good sight lines from all seats
Katsura Sunshine, Sit Down Comedy – Japanese Style! is on daily through 24 Aug.
★★★★½ from Julie
★★★★½ from Scott
link to this review
Funny for a Grrrl
It was a soggy afternoon, and the rain drummed on the top of the yurt (Stand in the Square is a big tent in St Andrew’s Square). Four charming, vagina-having comediennes came out one by one to entertain us. It was good. We saw Viv Groskop (the MC), Mary Bourke, Sofie Hagen, and Tiffany Stevenson. I believe Viv and Mary are there every night, while the other two slots are rotating comediennes.
We figured out during last year’s Fringe that shows of this type are very likely to please us. When you’ve got four or five stand-up comedians packed into a one-hour show, each one tends to use their time well, filling it up with funny.
Julie adds: I’m a little pissed off at these women (Mary and Tiffany, in particular), because during the course of the show they taught me a lot of things about the Kardashians, ripping me from the comfortable cocoon of ignorance which I had previously inhabited.
Funny for a Grrrl is on most days at 17:15 at until 25 Aug.
★★★★½ from Julie
★★★★½ from Scott
link to this review
The Axis of Awesome: Viva La Vida Loca Las Vegas
Unlike the rest of the world, we had never heard of Axis of Awesome until a couple weeks ago. This Australian musical comedy trio have been virally popular on YouTube for a while now. They are best known for 4 Chords, a song demonstrating a stunning sameness to pop songs over the years.
In Viva La Vida Loca Las Vegas, the trio come out to a blast of Katy Perry music (something about roaring) and proceed to entertain the enthusiastic audience with original songs and banter for one of the most high-energy hours we’ve ever spent at the Fringe. Their songs are witty and entertaining (Scott’s new favorite is Phone$), and at times catchy. They do an excellent boy band love song parody.
The Axis of Awesome: Viva La Vida Loca Las Vegas is on most days at 21:00 through 24 Aug.
★★★★½ from Julie
★★★★½ from Scott
link to this review
David O’Doherty Has Checked Everything
David O’Doherty is on the search for the thing that will make him happy, the thing that will make the anxiety go away. Is it a girlfriend? Faster internet? David walks us through his quest via stand-up comedy and simple, highly amusing songs. He plays a small electric keyboard to accompany his songs.
I’m a big fan of this show for two reasons: 1) I laughed, a lot, and 2) David’s stand-up addresses the navel-gazing anxiety most of us feel about the unhappiness in our daily lives, while simultaneously acknowledging that his life is pretty damn good. Although I’m probably at risk here of reading too much into things, this examination of one’s problems from various perspectives is one of the more interesting trains of thought that I’ve come across at the Fringe so far. But most importantly, this show is damn funny.
Venue notes: a big lecture hall with several hundred seats. Pitched seating, so pretty much everyone has a good view.
David O’Doherty Has Checked Everything is on most days at 19:15 through 25 Aug.
★★★★½ from Julie
link to this review
Umbilical Brothers: KiDSHoW (not for kids)
How much fun was this? Our two energetic protagonists are staging a kids show but things just keep going wrong, starting with the fact that the audience is a bunch of adults. Things become decidedly un-kid-friendly rather quickly, as we peek backstage at the KiDSHoW. The performances are enhanced by some cleverly-used lighting, sound effects, and of all things, mime.
Apparently the Brady Bunch was never big in the UK. There’s a segment of the Umbilical Brothers’ show which includes them, but Edinburgh audiences aren’t quite getting it (though the Australians and Americans seem to enjoy this bit just fine). Even without knowledge of Mike, Carol, and the gang, you’ll admire the sound effects and miming in this bit, and throughout the show. And everyone’s sure to recognize their other guest star.
Venue notes: proper stage, reasonably comfortable seating.
Umbilical Brothers: KiDSHoW (not for kids) is on most days at 19:30 at Gilded Balloon through 16 Aug.
★★★★ from Julie
★★★★½ from Scott
link to this review
Glenn Wool: Wool’s Gold
Glenn Wool doesn’t seem old enough to have a greatest hits show (he’s our age ffs), but that’s indeed what this is. A Canadian who has lived in the UK for a while, Wool is a likeable, Jack-Black-esque character who happily goes on about religion, pedophilia, and cocaine. This isn’t a show for the easily-offended (don’t be misled by his folksy-looking posters all over town).
He delightfully skipped getting to know the audience and got straight to the entertaining. Oh, and it all starts with a mustache montage. You won’t want to miss it, so be sure to arrive on time.
Venue notes: a block away from the other Underbelly venues, Topside has a very limited bar but is otherwise a nice venue with comfortable seats, clean toilets, and all that good stuff.
Glenn Wool: Wool’s Gold is on most days at 21:30 at Underbelly Topside through 25 Aug.
★★★★ from Julie
★★★★½ from Scott
link to this review
The Only Way is Downton
Scott says: If you are a fan of Downton Abbey, then this one-man-show is a don’t miss. Luke Kempner is a skilled impressionist who doesn’t just wow you with his talent. This show is a compelling spoof of Downton as well as other British telly and celebrities. Luke did a particularly good job of reacting to the mood of the room.
Julie says: Listen up everyone, an American is about to have an opinion. I didn’t go into this one expecting much (it just didn’t sound like my kind of show), so it was a pleasant surprise to be so very entertained. This guy knows what he’s doing. The show goes beyond impressions, unraveling a silly and entertaining plot which drags the characters of Downton on an odyssey through a series of British TV shows. Americans will be a little lost during the brief references to Pointless and The Only Way is Essex, but if you’re familiar with Downton Abbey then you’ll be entertained nonetheless.
The Only Way is Downton is on most days at 18:20 at Pleasance Above (Venue 33) through 25 Aug.
★★★★ from Julie
★★★★½ from Scott
link to this review
Harvey, Garvey and The Kane
This is sketch comedy done by professionals. Stephen Harvey, Marcus Garvey, and Gareth Kane keep the audience laughing from one vignette to the next in this fast-paced hour. With only three chairs on an otherwise empty stage, we’re taken from a doctor’s office to a family home to a haunted house to a press conference. New characters are brought to life without costume changes or props, the one exception being the colorful backwards baseball caps which transform the trio into three-fourths of the reunited boy band M4. One sketch involved some reasonably-convincing American accents, and what was for me the funniest line of the show (uttered by a very particular ghost).
Venue notes: tight but reasonably comfortable seating with good sight lines.
Harvey, Garvey and The Kane is on daily through 24 Aug.
★★★★ from Julie
★★★★ from Scott
link to this review
Off the Top
This unique free fringe show from white middle-class Canadian rapper Baba Brinkman and his neuroscientist wife Heather Berlin combines rap, creativity, and brain science in a surprisingly compelling way. Baba raps while Heather explains what goes on in our brains as we perform memorized or freestyle creative works. There are also some guest appearances from other Fringe performers, followed by Heather’s analysis about what might be going on in their brains, as well. We learn a little about creative flow, optical illusions, and what cognitive functions the brain can perform simultaneously.
Julie adds: As a creative person who studied cognitive science, I was all excited to nerd out to this show. And while I enjoyed it, I left wishing it had offered something more – a deeper analytical insight into the creative process, maybe; something juicy to take away and ponder over. My fingers are crossed that Brinkman and Berlin will come back with something more challenging next year.
Venue notes: comfortable, good sight lines, excellent beer on tap (one of the benefits of a show held in a proper pub).
Off the Top is on daily at 12:10 through 24 August. Free Fringe.
★★★½ from Julie
★★★★ from Scott
link to this review
Fall Girl
Fall Girl is a four-person show with some songs. Its quirky, likable cast cycle through scenes about the main character’s tendency to fall for scams and give in to pushy people. The value of the show wasn’t in the singing but rather the comical situations and lyrics. It’s fast-paced, with a few snorty laughs and a couple very clever bits. We left in a good mood, with a song stuck in our heads.
Fall Girl is on most days at 13:45 at The Wee Room at Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14) through 25 Aug.
★★★★ from Julie
★★★½ from Scott
link to this review
Steen Raskopoulos: I’m Wearing Two Suits Because I Mean Business
Steen runs onto the stage full of energy and demanding that the audience join in. He’s put together an eclectic set of sketches that made us laugh, cringe, and cheer.
The Honourable Husband says: Steen gets a four for originality and performance, three and a half for material. Here is a man who is gifted at getting his audience to participate in ways that leaves them helplessly smiling. The scripted bits were nowhere near as engaging and funny as his antics in the aisles. In the grand tradition of many Australian comedians—Barry Humphries and Los Trios Ringbarkus spring to mind—he never breaks character, no matter how involved the interaction with an audience member.
Steen Raskopoulos: I’m Wearing Two Suits Because I Mean Business is on daily at 20:10 through 25 Aug.
★★★★ from HH
★★★★ from Scott
★★★½ from Julie
link to this review
Jason Byrne in You Name the Show
If you already know and love Jason Byrne, as most of the audience clearly did, then you’ll no doubt enjoy the show. If you’re new to him, as I was, you might not be quite as convinced. He spent the better part of the hour responding to and laughing at the drunk people in the audience who were shouting at him; I wish we had heard more of his actual material (the material we did hear was mostly of the my-wife-never-wants-to-have-sex-with-me variety). His entrance, which he ended up performing three times during the show, is not one I’ll soon forget.
The gimmick of the show is that it doesn’t yet have a name. Each night, three audience members come up with name suggestions. The best one of the night goes onto a big whiteboard on the stage, and at the end of the run, the best one overall will win a prize. Each night the show is different, thanks in part to a big wheel of topics and antics which is spun by an audience member. Byrne is clearly a seasoned professional, and it’s hard not to be taken in by his sense of humor.
Venue notes: the large Assembly Hall theater, with comfortable theater seats and good visibility.
Jason Byrne in You Name the Show is on most nights at 21:00 through 24 Aug.
★★★½ from Julie
link to this review
Titty Bar Ha Ha: Hard Time
In what appears to be a sequel to last year’s show, our protagonists Hope and Gloria find themselves in prison, and we the audience are about to be recruited to help them escape. There are no actual titties to be seen in this cabaret-style show (much to the disappointment of some of their audience members, we imagine), but there are plenty of laughs. The girls keep us entertained with bawdy jokes and raunchy songs, yet somehow there’s an aura of innocent fun which persists throughout the show.
There’s a bit of audience participation to Titty Bar Ha Ha (remember, we’re breaking out of prison), so show up ready to play along.
Venue notes: tight seating, good stage visibility.
Titty Bar Ha Ha: Hard Time is on most days at 22:45 at Gilded Balloon through 24 Aug.
★★★½ from Julie
★★★½ from Scott
link to this review
Rhys James: Begins
This show is called Begins because, while young Rhys has had considerable success in certain areas (such as the fine art of attracting Twitter followers), I believe this is his first full-length stand-up show. We saw his first preview on the first day. The show wasn’t quite ready, but it had potential. I’m guessing that a week in, it will be grand. I appreciated Rhys’s sense of humour and sense of his place in the world. He routine includes some poetry, which is at times very clever but at times a bit boring and self-important, making us wish he’d get back to the jokes already.
Venue notes: Seats are ridiculously cramped. Good visibility.
Rhys James: Begins is on daily at 16:45 through 24 Aug.
★★★½ from Julie
★★★ from Scott
link to this review
Best of the Fest Daytime
We went to this show last year and really enjoyed it, so it was easy to go for it again this year. Best of the Fest Daytime is an ever-rotating sampler of four acts performing in various Fringe shows – it’s like packing the best of four shows into one hour. Damian Clark hosted (as last year). I saw these guys:
- The Nualas – an Irish trio in big glasses and sparkly dresses who perform jokes and funny songs. From the looks of it, their full show is a good time.
- Mark Grist and MC Mixy – a rapper and a poet from rural England (I think?) who perform rhymes about dead writers in their show Dead Poets’ Death Match. This one seemed to have potential, while not quite being my kind of thing. I’m guessing Scott would love it.
- Phil Wang as The Unbelievable Hao – After this taster, I can’t decide if I would want to see more. Maybe if tickets were at the Half Price Hut and it fit well into a hole in my Fringe schedule one day.
- Paul McCaffrey – gave me the impression that he’d be a solid choice if you were looking for a stand-up to go see. Polished and professional.
Venue notes: A big tent in George Square, comfortable seats and good visibility.
Best of the Fest Daytime is on daily at 14:15 at George Square Gardens through 24 Aug.
★★★½ from Julie
link to this review
Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show 2014: Real Feelings
Guest reviewer The Honourable Husband says:
My companion leaned toward me, giddy, and asked, “Which one do you think is the cutest?”
It was hard to decide. The lads are incredibly cute. Wrinkles of cynicism, so common on the comedy circuit, have yet to gouge their way onto these five fresh, young faces. (Faces so fresh, one resembled Tom Daley. That was one of the jokes.)
Next to us, a gaggle of very young women shrieked with laughter at every punchline. One almost fainted when the performers said hello to her during the audience participation bit. I saw stars form in the eyes of my companion, a woman of some experience, as she was transported back to her teenybopper days.
Then it struck me. Perhaps we weren’t watching five undergraduates from one of Great Britain’s most prestigious universities. We were watching the Monkees, with a guest appearance by Peter Sellers. Not so much the Fab Four, as the Quite Nice Five.
(By the way, are there women students at Cambridge? Just checking.)
Their subject matter betrays their social milieu: inter alia, flatmates, yummy mummies, American celebrity culture, little chuckles about gay stuff, and that newfangled texting thing. One of their sketches even assumes a knowledge of O-Level French. That’s the minimum poshness you must achieve, in order to get their jokes.
The material carries on the decades-old Footlights tradition of educated cleverness, with considerable polish. But the artists don’t take it anywhere new, particularly. To put the show in its historical context, we reach the level of Jonathan Miller’s trousers-in-the-post story from Beyond The Fringe, but never quite the excellence of Alan Bennett’s famous my-brother-is-an-hairy-man speech. (Google it, lads.) A respectable gentlemanly effort. I would give the boys a borderline four stars.
Note my careful use of the subjunctive. I would give them four stars, but I shall give them three. Because they committed a stage-crime which, in a show like this, is unforgivable.
In a word, overacting. What would their Footlights forebears think? The dead ones will be rolling in their graves, the live ones will be rolling their eyes.
Yes, Peter-Tork-guy, I’m looking at you. The Prison Guard Whisperer sketch had a punch line straight out of a Boy’s Own Annual. If the lines aren’t funny without a silly voice, unlikely that they will be funnier with one. And hey, Micky-Dolenz-guy, that bit where you dressed up as a witch. What the hell is that about? The sets are minimalist, but what few there are, get eaten. Save your considerable acting chops for that sketch about the chameleon, which is a highlight of the show. Thank god for the tall Mike-Nesmith-guy, who, like his namesake, admirably refrained from silly voices and let some of the quite charming jokes speak for themselves.
Oh, and speaking of silly voices, the Peter-Sellers-guy did the required American-accent piece, in which he portrayed Tom Cruise. The schtick is a bit complicated, and involves mistaken identity between Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones. I think it is improvised. The problem with improvised sketches, alas, is that the actors seldom know how to bring them to an end. Pete, during that sketch, please set your iPhone to vibrate, set the timer to three minutes, and carry it in your pocket. Your audience will thank you.
In summary: From me, three stars, but dial the overacting down from eleven, and it could be four. As far as the young ladies are concerned, though, don’t change a thing. You’re perfect tens.
Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show 2014: Real Feelings is on most days at 16:00 at Pleasance Dome through 25 Aug.
★★★ from Honourable Husband
★★★★ from Cindy
link to this review
Ben Verth: Anxious
Ben Verth is anxious about a lot of things. So am I, so I was ready to nod and laugh along in agreement with him. He had a lot of promising-sounding premises, such as the silly things that you believe as a child, and ways to keep people from sitting next to you on a train, but something seemed to get lost in the telling. His anecdotes felt like the kind of thing that would be hilarious if he were enthusing them while you were all sitting around a table at a pub (and indeed, he came across as someone with whom you’d be happy to have a drink or three), but not quite polished enough for a stand-up routine. Enough lines landed to make for an entertaining hour, but I left not entirely satisfied.
Venue notes: Gorgeous old Victorian room upstairs from the main bar. A tiny bit too warm. Comfortable seating.
Ben Verth: Anxious is on most days at 14:55 until 24 Aug.
★★½ from Julie
link to this review
Also see our 2014 Edinburgh Fringe reviews for Theater and Musicals & more.