Here's a collated list of all my reviews from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016.
Wednesday 17th August 2016
Hardeep Singh Kohli’s Mix Tape
Zoe Lyons: Little Misfit
Felicity Ward: 50% More Likely To Die
Lili La Scala: Another F*cking Variety Show
Thursday 18th August 2016
The Three Belles: In The Mood
Lucy Porter: Consequences
Alice Fraser: Resistance
Lili La Scala: Another F*cking Variety Show
Friday 19th August 2016
Virtual Reality Showcase
Shappi Khorsandi: Nina Is Not Okay
Funny For A Grrrl
Shappi Khorsandi: Oh My Country! From Morris Dancing To Morrisey
Saturday 20th August 2016
Briony Redman: Secret Show
Croft & Pearce Are Not Themselves
Royal Military Tattoo
Lili La Scala: Another F*cking Variety Show
Sunday 21st August 2016
Alice Fraser: Savage
Erin McGathy: Love You Loudly
Sophie Willan: On Record
Tiff Stevenson: Seven
Wednesday, 24 August 2016
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #20 - Tiff Stevenson: Seven at Upstairs @ Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, 21-Aug-16
The last of my shows, and one of the biggies. Ms. Tiffany Stevenson is something of a goddess Chez Mikey. I saw her show last year and it was brilliant - I also walked away with some unusual memorabilia (a souvenir Madman tampon) and the vivid memory of her shouting "Vagina House! Vagina House!" at me. So of course I was going back for her new show.
FULL DISCLOSURE - if you've read any of my previous reviews then you'll know I wasn't really in a good place coming in to this show. Apart from beating myself up about Naked Girls Reading the Trilogy Of Terror had left me rather shaken and quite upset. As I stood outside the Assembly Roxy supping a pint (I managed not to spill it this time) I was musing. Had a wander then joined the queue my mandatory minimum 25 minutes before the start.
The Assembly Roxy Cellar is quite a big hall - could probably seat around 200 - 300 maybe. There were perhaps 30 of us in the audience - as it turned out this day was one of the quietest days in recent Fringe history. But in such a big space with so few members of the audience any performer was going to struggle.
Not that Tiff did. The consummate professional she performed a brilliant, funny, engaging and thoughtful set. The show was inspired by the fact it had been seven years since her first Fringe show, and structured around draft Tweets she had mulled about over the Paris attacks earlier this year. Lots of very interesting points, lots of extremely funny jokes, ending up with a spectacular story of drunkenness and vomiting in Paris shortly before the attacks and combining the fact that no woman EVER wants to receive an unsolicited dick pic.
I tried my best to laugh and clap and cheer (which was easy with such a good performer) but even someone my size can't fill a hall and despite her fantastic performance the atmosphere was rather against us. She apologised at the end which I felt she didn't need to do - it was everyone else's loss who hadn't come to see her. A full house the previous night, an empty barn the next - such is the performer's lot in the Fringe.
We filed out at the end. She was standing up at the top of the stairs. I wanted to go and say hello and ask for that ever-elusive selfie but didn't. I did Tweet her later and she replied, which was nice.
Shuffling out into the twilight I had one more show to go - Massaoke at the Gilded Ballon at midnight. But I had had enough at that point. I went back to Rose Street and the Kenilworth and had a mixed grill before the restaurant closed and, a couple of pints and a cheeky vodka or two later, Sorrowful Sunday came to an end and Fringe Binge 2016 was over. I shambled back to the hotel and, next day, I went home.
Later I had a Twitter exchange with Ms. Stevenson - she remembered me from last year, which was nice.
FULL DISCLOSURE - if you've read any of my previous reviews then you'll know I wasn't really in a good place coming in to this show. Apart from beating myself up about Naked Girls Reading the Trilogy Of Terror had left me rather shaken and quite upset. As I stood outside the Assembly Roxy supping a pint (I managed not to spill it this time) I was musing. Had a wander then joined the queue my mandatory minimum 25 minutes before the start.
The Assembly Roxy Cellar is quite a big hall - could probably seat around 200 - 300 maybe. There were perhaps 30 of us in the audience - as it turned out this day was one of the quietest days in recent Fringe history. But in such a big space with so few members of the audience any performer was going to struggle.
Not that Tiff did. The consummate professional she performed a brilliant, funny, engaging and thoughtful set. The show was inspired by the fact it had been seven years since her first Fringe show, and structured around draft Tweets she had mulled about over the Paris attacks earlier this year. Lots of very interesting points, lots of extremely funny jokes, ending up with a spectacular story of drunkenness and vomiting in Paris shortly before the attacks and combining the fact that no woman EVER wants to receive an unsolicited dick pic.
I tried my best to laugh and clap and cheer (which was easy with such a good performer) but even someone my size can't fill a hall and despite her fantastic performance the atmosphere was rather against us. She apologised at the end which I felt she didn't need to do - it was everyone else's loss who hadn't come to see her. A full house the previous night, an empty barn the next - such is the performer's lot in the Fringe.
We filed out at the end. She was standing up at the top of the stairs. I wanted to go and say hello and ask for that ever-elusive selfie but didn't. I did Tweet her later and she replied, which was nice.
Shuffling out into the twilight I had one more show to go - Massaoke at the Gilded Ballon at midnight. But I had had enough at that point. I went back to Rose Street and the Kenilworth and had a mixed grill before the restaurant closed and, a couple of pints and a cheeky vodka or two later, Sorrowful Sunday came to an end and Fringe Binge 2016 was over. I shambled back to the hotel and, next day, I went home.
Later I had a Twitter exchange with Ms. Stevenson - she remembered me from last year, which was nice.
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #19 - Sophie Willan: On Record at The Cellar @ Pleasance Courtyard, 21-Aug-16 at 1645
The last of The Trilogy Of Terror that day (though there is an epilogue) which I had gradually started to realise was dragging me down somewhat. Between this show and the last I had popped to The Library Bar in the Gilded Balloon (a quiet oasis of calm in all the mayhem) for a pint and had received a message about a show called Naked Girls Reading. Already feeling a bit dumped after Alice and Erin (not because of their shows, which were brilliant) I could have done without that (and if you want to hear the mental journey I went on you can can see it on Youtube).
Another kinda random punt (which is what the Fringe is all about) which fitted into timeslots and geography. The write-up seemed interesting, the ideas intriguing, so why not?
She was fabulous.
A veritable bundle of nervous energy and bounciness, Ms. Willan entered the small room over the seats, dancing and gyrating and GETTING THE PARTY STARTED! Which is hard at four in the afternoon with a largely middle-aged audience in chinos and summer frocks. She's from Bolton and working-class, themes that would permeate the show. She had also, as it turned out, had a "troubled" upbringing. She came into possession of her entire social work file in her early 20s and noted it's strange to have your entire life so comprehensively detailed and documented - the show was based around various notes and documents from this file with the words "Rebellious. Defiant. Rude" (which I thought would have made a better title for the show) a constant refrain.
Her Mum wasn't dead, for once. But WAS a heroin-addict with no teeth. Dad was nowhere to be found. She had an eccentric extended family and was brought up largely by aunts and grandmas and foster parents. Cheery.
However she put a layer of comedy over it all and her energy and enthusiasm diverted attention from the fact her story is pretty grim. Compelling, but grim.
She did wind things up in a positive and moving-forward way, but as we filed out and thanked her for her performance (she was standing at the door as we exited) I couldn't help feeling a little lost and despairing. I thanked her, she smiled at me, and I walked out into the Pleasance Courtyard. I had an hour and a half 'til the next show and had never felt so lost and alone in my life ...
ADDENDUM
With regards to twerking ...
I was in my usual place, where I like to be, at the front (not just because I like to actually see and hear the performer, but because if I'm in the front I'm negatively impacting the fewest people around me). Ms. Willan bounced on and the first few minutes of the show was banter with the audience. She came to me ...
"Oh, you're tall!"
"Yes, I am."
"Hear that Ladies and Gentlmen? 'Yes I am' - straightforward, factual. I like that. Did you like my dancing love? Three simple moves, easy. Would you like me to teach you? Come up on stage love and I'll show you ..."
So I went up on stage and was taught the chest-shimmy (you look down at your tits, act surprised and try to shake them off), the hip square (thrust your hips into each corner of a square, then try and circle) and twerking (stand still, feet planted on the floor, bend over, tummy in, arse out, and run without moving your feet). We put it together in a routine. I didn't see anyone leaving or vomiting (and a chap afterwards congratulated me afterwards and said I had done well) so I can only hope I didn't ruin the show. I did quite like being up there under the lights ...
Another kinda random punt (which is what the Fringe is all about) which fitted into timeslots and geography. The write-up seemed interesting, the ideas intriguing, so why not?
She was fabulous.
A veritable bundle of nervous energy and bounciness, Ms. Willan entered the small room over the seats, dancing and gyrating and GETTING THE PARTY STARTED! Which is hard at four in the afternoon with a largely middle-aged audience in chinos and summer frocks. She's from Bolton and working-class, themes that would permeate the show. She had also, as it turned out, had a "troubled" upbringing. She came into possession of her entire social work file in her early 20s and noted it's strange to have your entire life so comprehensively detailed and documented - the show was based around various notes and documents from this file with the words "Rebellious. Defiant. Rude" (which I thought would have made a better title for the show) a constant refrain.
Her Mum wasn't dead, for once. But WAS a heroin-addict with no teeth. Dad was nowhere to be found. She had an eccentric extended family and was brought up largely by aunts and grandmas and foster parents. Cheery.
However she put a layer of comedy over it all and her energy and enthusiasm diverted attention from the fact her story is pretty grim. Compelling, but grim.
She did wind things up in a positive and moving-forward way, but as we filed out and thanked her for her performance (she was standing at the door as we exited) I couldn't help feeling a little lost and despairing. I thanked her, she smiled at me, and I walked out into the Pleasance Courtyard. I had an hour and a half 'til the next show and had never felt so lost and alone in my life ...
ADDENDUM
With regards to twerking ...
I was in my usual place, where I like to be, at the front (not just because I like to actually see and hear the performer, but because if I'm in the front I'm negatively impacting the fewest people around me). Ms. Willan bounced on and the first few minutes of the show was banter with the audience. She came to me ...
"Oh, you're tall!"
"Yes, I am."
"Hear that Ladies and Gentlmen? 'Yes I am' - straightforward, factual. I like that. Did you like my dancing love? Three simple moves, easy. Would you like me to teach you? Come up on stage love and I'll show you ..."
So I went up on stage and was taught the chest-shimmy (you look down at your tits, act surprised and try to shake them off), the hip square (thrust your hips into each corner of a square, then try and circle) and twerking (stand still, feet planted on the floor, bend over, tummy in, arse out, and run without moving your feet). We put it together in a routine. I didn't see anyone leaving or vomiting (and a chap afterwards congratulated me afterwards and said I had done well) so I can only hope I didn't ruin the show. I did quite like being up there under the lights ...
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #18 - Erin McGathy: Love You Loudly at Ballroom @ Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 21-Aug-16 at 1400
Another random punt, a show I booked because I had a slot and it was in the area at around the right time and fitted my search criteria (comedy/cabaret/music + female). I'm really glad I did because Ms. McGathy was splendid.
Standing having a pint in the upstairs bar at the Counting House (getting twitchy because I had been told to wait in the bar rather than stand in line) a tall, striking woman walked up, brushed past me and asked for a glass of water. While not having seen her live before I had done my research online and immediately knew it was Erin McGathy. At this point I should have at least said hello, wished her luck or something ... I, of course, didn't.
Anyway ...
We filed in and the show started.
At this point I didn't realise I was in the middle of The Trilogy Of Terror - still quite shaken at young Ms. Fraser's show earlier. So was just looking forward to a bit of cheery light stand-up bantz. Ms. McGarthy started by saying she needed to pick three audience members - a boyfriend, a gay best-friend and the ghost of her dead mother. Sadly, despite sitting in the front row with these needy panda eyes she didn't pick me for any of these roles. The "boyfriend" got to perform a therapy scene on-stage with Erin, the other two were largely forgotten about. Perhaps in another show they would have been used. Anyhoo ...
Ms. McGathy is American, from San Diego (Yay! I have friends there) and the show's structure was a guided tour around her relationships starting from school and ultimately ending in ... well, I''ll get to that.
Lots of very funny (sometimes painful) anecdotes about early dating, early crushes, passion, romantic disasters (as ever I was forcefully struck by how much experience everyone else seems to have had) leading up to a detailed and serious examination about her relationship, marriage and divorce from Dan Harmon (when she said the name I misheard Dan Hartman and couldn't get "I Can Dream About You" out of my head). It went dark. Very. She took it to a dark place and suddenly she said something very touching and profound about agoraphobia, which really informed the whole rest of the day and I haven't been able to shake since, and the whole show took on a new meaning for me. She clambered back out of that one ... into the light and acceptance and redemption ...
And just as I thought it couldn't get darker, she went there. She told us about why the show is titled "Love You Loudly". Yep, dead Mums again ...
Oh, don't get me wrong. She was brilliant. Extremely funny, hugely engaging. Very intimate too - a tale about "desperation-sex-while-menstruating" was something I had never heard, and I thought I'd heard everything. Ruining her boyf's flatmate's pristine white cotton sheets was funny enough, but her soon-to-be-ex boyfriend being haemophobic was a cracking punchline.
I hadn't realised it was a pay-what-you-want show (as I'd already bought a ticket) so as we all filed out I grabbed what I had from my wallet (which wasn't that much), placed it in her bucket and said, "Thank you! Great show" and walked away.. I was heading from there to the Pleasance Courtyard and after two emotionally wringing shows I thought, "Well, the next one is about mental health and social deprivation so THAT WILL BE A BLAST!"
Standing having a pint in the upstairs bar at the Counting House (getting twitchy because I had been told to wait in the bar rather than stand in line) a tall, striking woman walked up, brushed past me and asked for a glass of water. While not having seen her live before I had done my research online and immediately knew it was Erin McGathy. At this point I should have at least said hello, wished her luck or something ... I, of course, didn't.
Anyway ...
We filed in and the show started.
At this point I didn't realise I was in the middle of The Trilogy Of Terror - still quite shaken at young Ms. Fraser's show earlier. So was just looking forward to a bit of cheery light stand-up bantz. Ms. McGarthy started by saying she needed to pick three audience members - a boyfriend, a gay best-friend and the ghost of her dead mother. Sadly, despite sitting in the front row with these needy panda eyes she didn't pick me for any of these roles. The "boyfriend" got to perform a therapy scene on-stage with Erin, the other two were largely forgotten about. Perhaps in another show they would have been used. Anyhoo ...
Ms. McGathy is American, from San Diego (Yay! I have friends there) and the show's structure was a guided tour around her relationships starting from school and ultimately ending in ... well, I''ll get to that.
Lots of very funny (sometimes painful) anecdotes about early dating, early crushes, passion, romantic disasters (as ever I was forcefully struck by how much experience everyone else seems to have had) leading up to a detailed and serious examination about her relationship, marriage and divorce from Dan Harmon (when she said the name I misheard Dan Hartman and couldn't get "I Can Dream About You" out of my head). It went dark. Very. She took it to a dark place and suddenly she said something very touching and profound about agoraphobia, which really informed the whole rest of the day and I haven't been able to shake since, and the whole show took on a new meaning for me. She clambered back out of that one ... into the light and acceptance and redemption ...
And just as I thought it couldn't get darker, she went there. She told us about why the show is titled "Love You Loudly". Yep, dead Mums again ...
Oh, don't get me wrong. She was brilliant. Extremely funny, hugely engaging. Very intimate too - a tale about "desperation-sex-while-menstruating" was something I had never heard, and I thought I'd heard everything. Ruining her boyf's flatmate's pristine white cotton sheets was funny enough, but her soon-to-be-ex boyfriend being haemophobic was a cracking punchline.
I hadn't realised it was a pay-what-you-want show (as I'd already bought a ticket) so as we all filed out I grabbed what I had from my wallet (which wasn't that much), placed it in her bucket and said, "Thank you! Great show" and walked away.. I was heading from there to the Pleasance Courtyard and after two emotionally wringing shows I thought, "Well, the next one is about mental health and social deprivation so THAT WILL BE A BLAST!"
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #17 - Alice Fraser: Savage at City Cafe, Edinburgh, 21-Aug-16 at 1230
I had seen, almost by accident, young Ms. Fraser last year in her free-festival "Love Bites" show and while I may have been a little disappointed in that show (which had more to do with the environment and especially one obnoxious drunk couple in the sparse audience) I most certainly wasn't disappointed in Ms. Fraser. She was doing another show that year - "Savage" - in addition to this one and I remember being disappointed that I couldn't see that as I was going on to another show.
So Alice was very much on my radar for the last year or so. I had seen she premiered a new show, "Resistance", down in Australia and when I saw she was coming back to the Fringe to perform that show that was one of the first tickets I bought. You can read my review of "Resistance" elsewhere, suffice it to say I thought it was marvelous.
FULL DISCLOSURE - her "Resistance" show was in the Wee Room at the Gilded Balloon. When I arrived - bear in mind I am so OCD if I'm not in line at least 25 minutes before the start I get nervous - she was standing outside the venue chatting to a couple of attendants as the previous show in the room had yet to finish. I immediately recognised her, walked towards them then turned right and stood quietly and furiously stared at my phone at the Gilded Balloon entrance. I couldn't even say hello and chat. Feckin' idiot ..
Anyway, after the show she said to the audience she was doing a week revival of her "Savage" show at the City Cafe as part of the Free Festival, starting on Sunday. That immediately was scheduled on to the diary (given I tend to eat breakfast/brunch there most days anyway, but also she is fantastic).
This was the first performance of "Savage" for a while (looking online it may have been May since she last performed this one but could well be wrong) so she charmingly chatted to the small audience about how this was rusty and this was almost a preview - she had printouts all over the stage floor and there were problems with the lighting in the venue that she apologised for ... but, to be honest, all the wee teething troubles just made it better.
Also an interesting insight into Fringe performers if you're not fully up to speed. They do lots of things - not just their "headline" show, they do free shows, turn up at panel chats, compere best-ofs ... as well as all the setup and tear-downs, travelling, etc. etc. The skill is to appear all slick and calm on the surface ...
After this incredibly long-winded introduction you might be thinking "Just review the fucking show Mikey!". And that's where I start to run out of superlatives and smarts. This show was the first of three-in-a-row which I'm informally calling the Trilogy Of Terror - three shows which hit me fair-and-square where it hurts. The main theme of this show was about Alice's dead Mum - she played various interview snippets with her Mum through the show, recorded in the weeks before her death. Her Mum had been diagnosed with MS from before she was born so she had only ever known her Mum ill (while still being a vibrant, skilled and loving human). She was writing and preparing a new show for the Melbourne Comedy Festival the previous year when the call came ... and in four days re-wrote that show to be about her late Mum - which is what "Savage" became.
Oh, it's not morbid. As ever it goes all over the place, touches on various topics, Ms. Fraser sings and plays the banjo (very well) and muses philosophically on the infinite. There are some proper laugh-out-loud moments and very open and honest anecdotes about Ms. Fraser's early dating life. It's a cliche to say "I laughed! I cried!" but that's pretty true. A harsh, brutal, intimate but ultimately wonderful celebration of life and the opportunities it presents. Yes, I was shattered after it, but in a good way.
It's the Free Festival so as you file out there is the anticipation that you will make a donation - at that point I couldn't give her enough. She was giving out hugs and thanks to the audience as we filed out. We hugged. It was nice. But as I walked out into the (for once) sunlight I thought "Well, that was a brutal start to the day. It'll get cheerier from here ..."
I was wrong.
Just as an aside, while waiting for the show to start I think I experienced Maximum Hipster - a bearded youth holding a green space hopper emblazoned with a Space Invader ...
So Alice was very much on my radar for the last year or so. I had seen she premiered a new show, "Resistance", down in Australia and when I saw she was coming back to the Fringe to perform that show that was one of the first tickets I bought. You can read my review of "Resistance" elsewhere, suffice it to say I thought it was marvelous.
FULL DISCLOSURE - her "Resistance" show was in the Wee Room at the Gilded Balloon. When I arrived - bear in mind I am so OCD if I'm not in line at least 25 minutes before the start I get nervous - she was standing outside the venue chatting to a couple of attendants as the previous show in the room had yet to finish. I immediately recognised her, walked towards them then turned right and stood quietly and furiously stared at my phone at the Gilded Balloon entrance. I couldn't even say hello and chat. Feckin' idiot ..
Anyway, after the show she said to the audience she was doing a week revival of her "Savage" show at the City Cafe as part of the Free Festival, starting on Sunday. That immediately was scheduled on to the diary (given I tend to eat breakfast/brunch there most days anyway, but also she is fantastic).
This was the first performance of "Savage" for a while (looking online it may have been May since she last performed this one but could well be wrong) so she charmingly chatted to the small audience about how this was rusty and this was almost a preview - she had printouts all over the stage floor and there were problems with the lighting in the venue that she apologised for ... but, to be honest, all the wee teething troubles just made it better.
Also an interesting insight into Fringe performers if you're not fully up to speed. They do lots of things - not just their "headline" show, they do free shows, turn up at panel chats, compere best-ofs ... as well as all the setup and tear-downs, travelling, etc. etc. The skill is to appear all slick and calm on the surface ...
After this incredibly long-winded introduction you might be thinking "Just review the fucking show Mikey!". And that's where I start to run out of superlatives and smarts. This show was the first of three-in-a-row which I'm informally calling the Trilogy Of Terror - three shows which hit me fair-and-square where it hurts. The main theme of this show was about Alice's dead Mum - she played various interview snippets with her Mum through the show, recorded in the weeks before her death. Her Mum had been diagnosed with MS from before she was born so she had only ever known her Mum ill (while still being a vibrant, skilled and loving human). She was writing and preparing a new show for the Melbourne Comedy Festival the previous year when the call came ... and in four days re-wrote that show to be about her late Mum - which is what "Savage" became.
Oh, it's not morbid. As ever it goes all over the place, touches on various topics, Ms. Fraser sings and plays the banjo (very well) and muses philosophically on the infinite. There are some proper laugh-out-loud moments and very open and honest anecdotes about Ms. Fraser's early dating life. It's a cliche to say "I laughed! I cried!" but that's pretty true. A harsh, brutal, intimate but ultimately wonderful celebration of life and the opportunities it presents. Yes, I was shattered after it, but in a good way.
It's the Free Festival so as you file out there is the anticipation that you will make a donation - at that point I couldn't give her enough. She was giving out hugs and thanks to the audience as we filed out. We hugged. It was nice. But as I walked out into the (for once) sunlight I thought "Well, that was a brutal start to the day. It'll get cheerier from here ..."
I was wrong.
Just as an aside, while waiting for the show to start I think I experienced Maximum Hipster - a bearded youth holding a green space hopper emblazoned with a Space Invader ...
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #16 - Lili La Scala: Another F*cking Variety Show at QueenDome @ Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, 19-Aug-16 at 2300
FULL DISCLOSURE - I met up with an old pal who, if possible, loved this stuff more than me. It's incredible how much more enjoyable something is when a) you're actually in someone's company and b) they're loving it too. Anyway ...
A packed QueenDome on a Saturday Edinburgh Festival night, and a huge line-up. Plus, of course, Lili, who I'll get to later. We were late starting (actually about 2315) and given the number of acts we went way beyond the allotted time. I'd have happily sat for another couple of hours (okay, with a loo break). Haven't enjoyed a show so much since ... forever.
The line up (*IMPORTANT NOTE - as these artists only have 5 - 8 minutes each then these are hugely abbreviated versions of their full shows*):
- Lady Rizo - absolutely fabulous (intended) cabaret chanteuse. Incredible presence, stunning voice, just recently became a Mum (her Fringe show is actually pretty much about this topic). Great chat and an incredible presence. She did two songs. The first as she made her dramatic entrance was a superb version of "If I Was Your Woman", but her second - "I Google You" - was absolutely stunning, a torch-song for the digital generation. Oh, and she licked my bald head as she was walking down the stairs to the stage, so that was nice. Her use of a member of the audience as a microphone stand was inspired. I want to say more about how good she was but I was more annoyed I couldn't go and see her show at the Fringe.
- Harriet Dyer - I was unsure initially about this act as, for the briefest of moments, I thought I was witnessing a literal mental on-stage breakdown. Eccentric? Yeah ... just a bit. But once I got my bearings it was brilliant - fantastic performance and absolutely hilarious ("How long is my arm?" "A dolphin got on at Taunton ..."). Helped immeasurably by the fact my companion was absolutely ending herself. Brilliant!
- La Poule Plombée - wonderful cabaret from a hugely charismatic performer (ably backed up on the piano). She takes the piss out of Edith Piaf then proceeds to ape her in an incredibly affecting manner. Can't quite remember the songs now but they were brilliant - one was about "baggage" (pronounced as "bag-aj") and how it builds and builds on the carousel of life which was both touching and pertinent.
- The Three Belles - Gosh, The Belles again Mikey? It's almost as if you planned it ... *cough* Yes, the girls were on but only had time in a packed schedule for one song (Seafood Mama). As good as ever, and I got a cheeky wee wink from Gail and Betty Belle so that was all right ... Moving on ...
- Malia Walsh - a rather startlingly good hula-hoop act (she does so much more but only had a short time) who was performing over in the Circus tent. Very charismatic, worked the crowd well, incredible co-ordination and core strength and very entertaining.
- Tom Walker - an odd one this, and possibly the only one of the acts tonight I didn't really "get" (although the packed crowd seemed to love it). He appeared on-stage, all awkward and looking a little geeky (the pished guys opposite me seemed to find this hilarious) and, eventually, launched into an impression of Bon Jovi's keyboard player playing "It's My Life". Which was funny for a minute or so but he played the whole song and, for me, it overstayed its welcome quite a bit. A good act but didn't really work with me ...
- Bettie Bombshell - AT LAST, I finally get to see some tastefully-tasseled female burlesque flesh in the wonderful gyrations of Antipodean Ms. Bombshell. Starting out as a 20s flapper and seguing into all manner of less clothing it was a well-done and charismatic performance.
- The Beatbox Collective - I had already seen these chaps on the Thursday night show and had been surprised how much I enjoyed them. Tonight was no different. Very talented. And in a packed hall (with much ale and wine having been consumed) it didn't take much to GET THE PARTY STARTED (i.e. lots of middle-class repressed people stand up, sway and clap). Really good.
And then, of course, there was Lili. I had seen her act twice before on this trip out so was familiar with it and have written up the previous two shows, but for the record: four frock changes (my favourite is still the sparkly green dress, though the opening split-thigh plus fishnets cream number is not without its charms) and four torch-song reinterpretations of popular songs ("Let Me Entertain You" by Robbie Williams, "The Bad Touch" by The Bloodhound Gang, "Space Oddity" by David Bowie and the "The Importance Of Being Idle" by Oasis). All splendid and all with Lili's trademark posh/mucky sense of humour and style, ably supported by Tom Barnes on the piano. She is, quite simply, magnificent.
If you get a chance to see one of Lili's shows you should go.
ADDENDUM - my companion had pinged Lili earlier via Facebook to ask if she would pose for a selfie with this sad old fat bald man she knew. Lili was more than happy to.
Lili didn't seem to mind too much fortunately ...
A packed QueenDome on a Saturday Edinburgh Festival night, and a huge line-up. Plus, of course, Lili, who I'll get to later. We were late starting (actually about 2315) and given the number of acts we went way beyond the allotted time. I'd have happily sat for another couple of hours (okay, with a loo break). Haven't enjoyed a show so much since ... forever.
The line up (*IMPORTANT NOTE - as these artists only have 5 - 8 minutes each then these are hugely abbreviated versions of their full shows*):
- Lady Rizo - absolutely fabulous (intended) cabaret chanteuse. Incredible presence, stunning voice, just recently became a Mum (her Fringe show is actually pretty much about this topic). Great chat and an incredible presence. She did two songs. The first as she made her dramatic entrance was a superb version of "If I Was Your Woman", but her second - "I Google You" - was absolutely stunning, a torch-song for the digital generation. Oh, and she licked my bald head as she was walking down the stairs to the stage, so that was nice. Her use of a member of the audience as a microphone stand was inspired. I want to say more about how good she was but I was more annoyed I couldn't go and see her show at the Fringe.
- Harriet Dyer - I was unsure initially about this act as, for the briefest of moments, I thought I was witnessing a literal mental on-stage breakdown. Eccentric? Yeah ... just a bit. But once I got my bearings it was brilliant - fantastic performance and absolutely hilarious ("How long is my arm?" "A dolphin got on at Taunton ..."). Helped immeasurably by the fact my companion was absolutely ending herself. Brilliant!
- La Poule Plombée - wonderful cabaret from a hugely charismatic performer (ably backed up on the piano). She takes the piss out of Edith Piaf then proceeds to ape her in an incredibly affecting manner. Can't quite remember the songs now but they were brilliant - one was about "baggage" (pronounced as "bag-aj") and how it builds and builds on the carousel of life which was both touching and pertinent.
- The Three Belles - Gosh, The Belles again Mikey? It's almost as if you planned it ... *cough* Yes, the girls were on but only had time in a packed schedule for one song (Seafood Mama). As good as ever, and I got a cheeky wee wink from Gail and Betty Belle so that was all right ... Moving on ...
- Malia Walsh - a rather startlingly good hula-hoop act (she does so much more but only had a short time) who was performing over in the Circus tent. Very charismatic, worked the crowd well, incredible co-ordination and core strength and very entertaining.
- Tom Walker - an odd one this, and possibly the only one of the acts tonight I didn't really "get" (although the packed crowd seemed to love it). He appeared on-stage, all awkward and looking a little geeky (the pished guys opposite me seemed to find this hilarious) and, eventually, launched into an impression of Bon Jovi's keyboard player playing "It's My Life". Which was funny for a minute or so but he played the whole song and, for me, it overstayed its welcome quite a bit. A good act but didn't really work with me ...
- Bettie Bombshell - AT LAST, I finally get to see some tastefully-tasseled female burlesque flesh in the wonderful gyrations of Antipodean Ms. Bombshell. Starting out as a 20s flapper and seguing into all manner of less clothing it was a well-done and charismatic performance.
- The Beatbox Collective - I had already seen these chaps on the Thursday night show and had been surprised how much I enjoyed them. Tonight was no different. Very talented. And in a packed hall (with much ale and wine having been consumed) it didn't take much to GET THE PARTY STARTED (i.e. lots of middle-class repressed people stand up, sway and clap). Really good.
And then, of course, there was Lili. I had seen her act twice before on this trip out so was familiar with it and have written up the previous two shows, but for the record: four frock changes (my favourite is still the sparkly green dress, though the opening split-thigh plus fishnets cream number is not without its charms) and four torch-song reinterpretations of popular songs ("Let Me Entertain You" by Robbie Williams, "The Bad Touch" by The Bloodhound Gang, "Space Oddity" by David Bowie and the "The Importance Of Being Idle" by Oasis). All splendid and all with Lili's trademark posh/mucky sense of humour and style, ably supported by Tom Barnes on the piano. She is, quite simply, magnificent.
If you get a chance to see one of Lili's shows you should go.
ADDENDUM - my companion had pinged Lili earlier via Facebook to ask if she would pose for a selfie with this sad old fat bald man she knew. Lili was more than happy to.
Lili didn't seem to mind too much fortunately ...
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #15 - Royal Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, Edinburgh, 19-Aug-16 at 1930
My first time at the Tattoo and I still don't know quite what to make of it. Deathly dull in places, staggeringly moving in others, always impressive ... and I was absolutely frozen and shivering which didn't help. But getting ahead of myself ...
Earlier that afternoon I had met m'pal Krisztina and a gang of her pals and we'd spent a pleasant hour or so drinking in Greyfriars Bobby's pub. We then wandered back up to the Royal Mile and queued to get in.
For a good half-hour before the show the compère was chatting away over the PA, giving all sorts of interesting facts and figures and then started a (well-practiced) build up to the show by inviting various nationalities to cheer if they were present. I was amazed just how many people were there from all over the world. The biggest (by volume) I think was England, closely followed by the US, Japan, Australia, Ireland ... France was playfully booed (by me, in my head, but that's just tradition) ... not that many in from India or South America but still plenty from all over. South Africa, Canada, Germany ... all got good shouts. Us Scots gave a good cheer at our turn but I was amazed, yet again, just how cosmopolitan Edinburgh is at this time of year.
The massed pipes and bands of various British regiments were all present and correct (and looking splendid) and joined this year by, among others, the King's Guard of Norway, the New Zealand Army Band, the US Military in Europe Band, the Jordanian Army Band and performing troupe, a number of Scottish country dancers and the Lochiel Marching Drill Team.
Much of it was very traditional as you might expect, but some of it was a little surprising - there was something rather camp and endearing about the US Military band performing and singing Dolly Parton's "9 To 5" along with various soul and pop standards, definitely bringing the sass and 'tude to proceedings. The massed bands played a rather startling and incredibly moving tribute to David Bowie, playing "Life On Mars" while The Dame was projected on to the Castle. The Lochiel Marching Drill Team (world champions from New Zealand) were absolutely stunning in their skill and timing. The dance off between the Scottish Country dancing girls and the Marching Band team was a brilliant sight to see. An odd (to me) bit where we celebrated the Arab Revolt during WW1 which seemed to sit oddly with the rest but I suppose we're all friends now.
The traditional things were still rather amazing, and I don't mind admitting that any time the Highland dancers came on even I was stifling back a solitary stoic man-tear. The Crown and a Royal Carriage were paraded around the Esplanade by a mounted contingent from the Royal Cavalry reminding us it was Queenie's 90th birthday. And then there was the end with everyone out and playing/dancing ... genuinely impressive and moving stuff.
Finally the lone piper on the ramparts of the Castle, and if you'd managed to choke back the tears up until now that's when you lost it. Very moving.
They all gradually marched off and the crowd slowly dispersed. I was, and remain, a little confused as to what I made of it all. I will admit I was freezing throughout the whole thing - genuinely shivering and trying desperately to keep my ungloved hands, if not warm, at least not blocks of ice. Scotland in the middle of summer, huh? So that might have influenced my opinions ...
But walking away I knew I'd seen something deeply impressive and hugely moving. I just ... didn't ENJOY it. I'm glad I went and I'm glad I've done it. But I doubt I'll go back.
Earlier that afternoon I had met m'pal Krisztina and a gang of her pals and we'd spent a pleasant hour or so drinking in Greyfriars Bobby's pub. We then wandered back up to the Royal Mile and queued to get in.
For a good half-hour before the show the compère was chatting away over the PA, giving all sorts of interesting facts and figures and then started a (well-practiced) build up to the show by inviting various nationalities to cheer if they were present. I was amazed just how many people were there from all over the world. The biggest (by volume) I think was England, closely followed by the US, Japan, Australia, Ireland ... France was playfully booed (by me, in my head, but that's just tradition) ... not that many in from India or South America but still plenty from all over. South Africa, Canada, Germany ... all got good shouts. Us Scots gave a good cheer at our turn but I was amazed, yet again, just how cosmopolitan Edinburgh is at this time of year.
The massed pipes and bands of various British regiments were all present and correct (and looking splendid) and joined this year by, among others, the King's Guard of Norway, the New Zealand Army Band, the US Military in Europe Band, the Jordanian Army Band and performing troupe, a number of Scottish country dancers and the Lochiel Marching Drill Team.
Much of it was very traditional as you might expect, but some of it was a little surprising - there was something rather camp and endearing about the US Military band performing and singing Dolly Parton's "9 To 5" along with various soul and pop standards, definitely bringing the sass and 'tude to proceedings. The massed bands played a rather startling and incredibly moving tribute to David Bowie, playing "Life On Mars" while The Dame was projected on to the Castle. The Lochiel Marching Drill Team (world champions from New Zealand) were absolutely stunning in their skill and timing. The dance off between the Scottish Country dancing girls and the Marching Band team was a brilliant sight to see. An odd (to me) bit where we celebrated the Arab Revolt during WW1 which seemed to sit oddly with the rest but I suppose we're all friends now.
The traditional things were still rather amazing, and I don't mind admitting that any time the Highland dancers came on even I was stifling back a solitary stoic man-tear. The Crown and a Royal Carriage were paraded around the Esplanade by a mounted contingent from the Royal Cavalry reminding us it was Queenie's 90th birthday. And then there was the end with everyone out and playing/dancing ... genuinely impressive and moving stuff.
Finally the lone piper on the ramparts of the Castle, and if you'd managed to choke back the tears up until now that's when you lost it. Very moving.
They all gradually marched off and the crowd slowly dispersed. I was, and remain, a little confused as to what I made of it all. I will admit I was freezing throughout the whole thing - genuinely shivering and trying desperately to keep my ungloved hands, if not warm, at least not blocks of ice. Scotland in the middle of summer, huh? So that might have influenced my opinions ...
But walking away I knew I'd seen something deeply impressive and hugely moving. I just ... didn't ENJOY it. I'm glad I went and I'm glad I've done it. But I doubt I'll go back.
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #14 - Croft & Pearce Are Not Themselves at The Wee Coo @ Underbelly, George Square, Edinburgh, 20-Aug-16 at 1440
Croft & Pearce are a duo, Hannah Croft and Fiona Pearce, who have done quite a bit of work on Radio 4 but I really didn't know them at all. However the timings fitted in so I thought, like the previous show, I'd take a punt on them. And jolly splendid they were too.
Structurally it was similar to the previous show I'd seen (Briony Redman), namely a series of seemingly disconnected sketches all becoming intertwined and shedding light on each other until, gradually, the big theme emerges. Except in this case there really didn't appear to be much of a theme other than making clever observations and saying funny lines, which is perfectly admirable.
The humour seemed very traditional, based almost entirely on class-based absurdist situations and stereotypes. Indeed many of the sketches could easily have had Joyce Grenfell starring in them, if there weren't references to iPads and Red Bull. Perhaps this was why the crowd was noticeably older than I've previously seen at comedy gigs ...
The were very very funny and worked well as a duo, that effortless slick timing that only comes after years and years of writing and rehearsal. It was all very well acted, very well performed, and if it may have been a little lightweight and whimsical in this day and age that's no bad thing.
Recommended.
Structurally it was similar to the previous show I'd seen (Briony Redman), namely a series of seemingly disconnected sketches all becoming intertwined and shedding light on each other until, gradually, the big theme emerges. Except in this case there really didn't appear to be much of a theme other than making clever observations and saying funny lines, which is perfectly admirable.
The humour seemed very traditional, based almost entirely on class-based absurdist situations and stereotypes. Indeed many of the sketches could easily have had Joyce Grenfell starring in them, if there weren't references to iPads and Red Bull. Perhaps this was why the crowd was noticeably older than I've previously seen at comedy gigs ...
The were very very funny and worked well as a duo, that effortless slick timing that only comes after years and years of writing and rehearsal. It was all very well acted, very well performed, and if it may have been a little lightweight and whimsical in this day and age that's no bad thing.
Recommended.
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #13 - Briony Redman: Secret Show at Pleasance This @ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 20-Aug-16 at 1300
As ever with the Fringe, it's the random punts that sometimes give the best value. And this was the first of two in a row. I had never heard of Ms. Redman before but was looking for a show to fill my empty wasted slot (insert joke here)
It was a thoroughly enjoyable one-woman sketch show with elements of stand-up and audience participation. Regarding the latter Ms. Redman turned up at the queue before the show with a traffic-light set of sticky dots for her audience to show how willing they were to take part - green for "up for it" to red for "leave me alone". It was only later she revealed she was red-green colourblind (a very decent gag). Needless to say I was green ...
Ms. Redman is a former lawyer, but has managed to overcome that crippling handicap. The show is loosely based around the concept of fate, with Fate as a character. A series of characters and situations are then introduced, all of which seem quite separate but are gradually drawn together in funny and amusing ways. Ultimately The Terminator got there most memorably ("No fate but what we make") but Ms. Redman did it in a highly amusing and always-engaging way.
A very pleasant way to spend an hour.
Before going in I had bought a (highly expensive) pint and then went to queue (I was first, natch). I put my plastic cup down on the ground and turned to my phone like a friend to check if any Pokemon were about. As I was scanning around I shuffled and knocked my pint over. I stared at the amber nectar spilling down the cobbles and was dismayed - I literally could not hold my drink.
Fortunately Ms. R made me forget these troubles for a very pleasant hour and was a cracking setup for the rest of the day.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable one-woman sketch show with elements of stand-up and audience participation. Regarding the latter Ms. Redman turned up at the queue before the show with a traffic-light set of sticky dots for her audience to show how willing they were to take part - green for "up for it" to red for "leave me alone". It was only later she revealed she was red-green colourblind (a very decent gag). Needless to say I was green ...
Ms. Redman is a former lawyer, but has managed to overcome that crippling handicap. The show is loosely based around the concept of fate, with Fate as a character. A series of characters and situations are then introduced, all of which seem quite separate but are gradually drawn together in funny and amusing ways. Ultimately The Terminator got there most memorably ("No fate but what we make") but Ms. Redman did it in a highly amusing and always-engaging way.
A very pleasant way to spend an hour.
Before going in I had bought a (highly expensive) pint and then went to queue (I was first, natch). I put my plastic cup down on the ground and turned to my phone like a friend to check if any Pokemon were about. As I was scanning around I shuffled and knocked my pint over. I stared at the amber nectar spilling down the cobbles and was dismayed - I literally could not hold my drink.
Fortunately Ms. R made me forget these troubles for a very pleasant hour and was a cracking setup for the rest of the day.
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #12 - Shappi Khorsandi: Oh My Country! From Morris Dancing To Morrisey at Stand 1 @ The Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh, 19-Aug-16 at 2030
FULL DISCLOSURE - Shappi is something of a crush of mine. I had seen her at the Fringe in 2014 and if I hadn't fallen in love already I did then. At her book event earlier this day I had pretty much been a drooling fanboi (and she signed my book! Yay!), but she had also done a lot of stand-up at the show so I was concerned much of the material done then would be repeated here.
Which it was. But that's okay when it's this good and delivered so well.
I had been queuing for at least 30 minutes so I was in the front row. Shappi didn't recognise me (or at least pretended not to) but I did, for a moment, detect a hint of existential terror in her eyes.
Shappi is one of the finest stand-ups you can see on the circuit. She is highly engaging and charismatic with a fascinating family history and backstory. Ignorant people might try and pigeon-hole her as multi-cultural and PC, but I don't - she's pro-human (she's the President of the Humanist Association after all) and this show, celebrating her Englishness and how she feels after her family fled Iran when she was four, is about HER place.
Lots of really good stories. The tale of the first and second meetings she's had with Jeremy Corbyn, twenty+ years apart, was brilliant. She was really upset at some of the Twitter hate she was getting and shared this with her Father, who proudly asked her "Twelve people have insulted you on Twitter? I had fifty-thousand people in Tehran chanting 'Death to Khorsandi!' ... you haven't even had a death threat"
The general theme (a theme many comics have touched upon this year) was embracing who you are and where you are, not where you think you might come from or what's expected from you. Ach, I'm putting this clumsily, she put it better. But you would do yourself a real favour if you can see her live ...
Afterwards I had another show to go to - Best Of Burlesque down in the Assmembly Gardens Piccolo Theatre. But it didn't start until 2350, I had seen it last year (here) and I was already a bit fed up so bailed out at that point. Tomorrow would be another day ...
QUICK POINT ABOUT THE STAND 1 - It is HORRIBLE. Really, as a venue it is awful. Horrible L-shaped room, they sell way more tickets than they put out stools and seats, tiny wee stage ... it's just rubbish. Getting through a gig there is more about masochism ...
Which it was. But that's okay when it's this good and delivered so well.
I had been queuing for at least 30 minutes so I was in the front row. Shappi didn't recognise me (or at least pretended not to) but I did, for a moment, detect a hint of existential terror in her eyes.
Shappi is one of the finest stand-ups you can see on the circuit. She is highly engaging and charismatic with a fascinating family history and backstory. Ignorant people might try and pigeon-hole her as multi-cultural and PC, but I don't - she's pro-human (she's the President of the Humanist Association after all) and this show, celebrating her Englishness and how she feels after her family fled Iran when she was four, is about HER place.
Lots of really good stories. The tale of the first and second meetings she's had with Jeremy Corbyn, twenty+ years apart, was brilliant. She was really upset at some of the Twitter hate she was getting and shared this with her Father, who proudly asked her "Twelve people have insulted you on Twitter? I had fifty-thousand people in Tehran chanting 'Death to Khorsandi!' ... you haven't even had a death threat"
The general theme (a theme many comics have touched upon this year) was embracing who you are and where you are, not where you think you might come from or what's expected from you. Ach, I'm putting this clumsily, she put it better. But you would do yourself a real favour if you can see her live ...
Afterwards I had another show to go to - Best Of Burlesque down in the Assmembly Gardens Piccolo Theatre. But it didn't start until 2350, I had seen it last year (here) and I was already a bit fed up so bailed out at that point. Tomorrow would be another day ...
QUICK POINT ABOUT THE STAND 1 - It is HORRIBLE. Really, as a venue it is awful. Horrible L-shaped room, they sell way more tickets than they put out stools and seats, tiny wee stage ... it's just rubbish. Getting through a gig there is more about masochism ...
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #11 - Funny For A Grrrl at Stand in the Square @ Stand in the Square, Edinburgh, 19-Aug-16 at 1620
This was a compilation show for female comics. It's important to set the context.
The previous show ("Shappi Khorsandi: Nina Is Not Okay") was good fun but when I walked out, the skies had clouded over and it was spitting. Fine. It's unreasonable in Scotland to expect more than two days of decent weather. I walked back up to Rose Street and to the Kenilworth, which was a reasonable distance from the George Square Theatre. I was desperately trying to knock a review out so I was late (for me) leaving the Kenilworth and heading up for my minimum 20 minute Fringe queue. As I stepped outside on to Rose Street it was absolutely pouring. But I was late and had no choice - I ploughed on. Hardly Captain Scott. Obviously I was soaked by the time I got up to St. Andrew's Square but, more than that, I had had a fall. Into a muddy puddle. So when I turned up at the Stand In The Square I was wet, cold, sore, muddy and angry (at myself mostly for being a clumsy idiot). And then had to stand in a queue for 15 minutes getting wetter and angrier.
I wasn't in the best of moods when we were finally allowed in and I took my seat (in the front row, natch, where I like to be).
Fortunately the bill was good. Here who was on:
The compère was a girl called Kiri Pritchard-McLean - a funny vivacious lass . She did the usual audience interaction bit - going through folks at the front. I was sitting next to a Spanish couple - she got good mileage out of them. Another whose name I forget. Then she turned to me ...
"Your name is ...?"
"Michael."
"Nice to meet you Michael. And what do you do?"
"I'm a freelance IT manager"
"IT ..."
She looks at the audience. Then says, "Let's just leave it there ..." I killed a comedy routine stone dead. That didn't really cheer me up either ... Anyway, each act had around 8 minutes so, at best, they could only do a snippet of their material ...
First act up was an Israeli comic called Daphna Baram. Suffice it to say I wasn't keen on her act. As ever I keep returning to my admiration for people just willing to put it out there, but I didn't really like her material. Not the target demographic ...
Second act was much more my thing - Sindhu Vee, a rather striking tall female Indian comic, married to a Danish man, spent a lot of time in America .... a veritable global culture clash. She was very good, very funny. Of course she played on the kaleidoscope of influences on her and her family. But told some really funny tales: trying to get people to remember her name; falling out with her husband and destroying Christmas for their child in a way only Indian mothers can ... really very funny.
Third act was Mary Bourke, whom I have seen and loved before (here). She was just as good as I had seen previously - she did the Fem Fresh routine and a few others but didn't really have the time to do much more.
Final act was a girl called Jayde Adams. She's a big lass and I was a bit concerned her routine would be all about that, but after the start it was ignored. What she was was very funny, and then she only bloody well turned out to be an opera singer with a very funny story about a Megabus trip where she intimidated a bunch of chavs into shutting their interminable music off by singing, at the top of her lungs, Nessun Dorma at them which was rather surprisingly and impressively repeated for her soggy audience.
A good show then. Very enjoyable. But as the show ended and the realisation I would have to head back outside into the pouring rain and mud, already soaked and muddy and sore from my fall ... my heart sank. I felt I had had enough. I had a show at 1755 (Viv Groskop: Be More Margo) but I did what any lone man in my position would do - go to the pub.
The previous show ("Shappi Khorsandi: Nina Is Not Okay") was good fun but when I walked out, the skies had clouded over and it was spitting. Fine. It's unreasonable in Scotland to expect more than two days of decent weather. I walked back up to Rose Street and to the Kenilworth, which was a reasonable distance from the George Square Theatre. I was desperately trying to knock a review out so I was late (for me) leaving the Kenilworth and heading up for my minimum 20 minute Fringe queue. As I stepped outside on to Rose Street it was absolutely pouring. But I was late and had no choice - I ploughed on. Hardly Captain Scott. Obviously I was soaked by the time I got up to St. Andrew's Square but, more than that, I had had a fall. Into a muddy puddle. So when I turned up at the Stand In The Square I was wet, cold, sore, muddy and angry (at myself mostly for being a clumsy idiot). And then had to stand in a queue for 15 minutes getting wetter and angrier.
I wasn't in the best of moods when we were finally allowed in and I took my seat (in the front row, natch, where I like to be).
Fortunately the bill was good. Here who was on:
The compère was a girl called Kiri Pritchard-McLean - a funny vivacious lass . She did the usual audience interaction bit - going through folks at the front. I was sitting next to a Spanish couple - she got good mileage out of them. Another whose name I forget. Then she turned to me ...
"Your name is ...?"
"Michael."
"Nice to meet you Michael. And what do you do?"
"I'm a freelance IT manager"
"IT ..."
She looks at the audience. Then says, "Let's just leave it there ..." I killed a comedy routine stone dead. That didn't really cheer me up either ... Anyway, each act had around 8 minutes so, at best, they could only do a snippet of their material ...
First act up was an Israeli comic called Daphna Baram. Suffice it to say I wasn't keen on her act. As ever I keep returning to my admiration for people just willing to put it out there, but I didn't really like her material. Not the target demographic ...
Second act was much more my thing - Sindhu Vee, a rather striking tall female Indian comic, married to a Danish man, spent a lot of time in America .... a veritable global culture clash. She was very good, very funny. Of course she played on the kaleidoscope of influences on her and her family. But told some really funny tales: trying to get people to remember her name; falling out with her husband and destroying Christmas for their child in a way only Indian mothers can ... really very funny.
Third act was Mary Bourke, whom I have seen and loved before (here). She was just as good as I had seen previously - she did the Fem Fresh routine and a few others but didn't really have the time to do much more.
Final act was a girl called Jayde Adams. She's a big lass and I was a bit concerned her routine would be all about that, but after the start it was ignored. What she was was very funny, and then she only bloody well turned out to be an opera singer with a very funny story about a Megabus trip where she intimidated a bunch of chavs into shutting their interminable music off by singing, at the top of her lungs, Nessun Dorma at them which was rather surprisingly and impressively repeated for her soggy audience.
A good show then. Very enjoyable. But as the show ended and the realisation I would have to head back outside into the pouring rain and mud, already soaked and muddy and sore from my fall ... my heart sank. I felt I had had enough. I had a show at 1755 (Viv Groskop: Be More Margo) but I did what any lone man in my position would do - go to the pub.
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #10 - Shappi Khorsandi: Nina Is Not Okay at Omnitorium @ Assembly George Square Theatre, Edinburgh, 19-Aug-16 at 1300
As Shappi asked right up front, "How many people know this is a book event and not my stand-up?" Me and a couple of others raised our hands. "Ah," she said, "this might be awkward ..." But, of course, about half of it was stand-up and banter. The other half was talking about her second book and first novel, "Nina Is Not Okay", reading extracts and taking a bit of Q&A.
She asked if anyone had read the book. I raised my hand, then clarified I'd only just bought it so wasn't far in. "Where have you got to?" "Errr, I'll show you", pulled out my copy and opened it at Chapter 6. Yes, I'd brought my copy for her to sign (which she happily did - I bought another copy and she signed it for my niece).
I also asked the first couple of questions as the only one who was familiar with the book.
Anyway it was a splendid hour, good fun, plenty of stand up (much of which I'd hear repeated that evening) and my love for Shappi was very much reinforced. No selfie but this is just as good ...
She asked if anyone had read the book. I raised my hand, then clarified I'd only just bought it so wasn't far in. "Where have you got to?" "Errr, I'll show you", pulled out my copy and opened it at Chapter 6. Yes, I'd brought my copy for her to sign (which she happily did - I bought another copy and she signed it for my niece).
I also asked the first couple of questions as the only one who was familiar with the book.
Anyway it was a splendid hour, good fun, plenty of stand up (much of which I'd hear repeated that evening) and my love for Shappi was very much reinforced. No selfie but this is just as good ...
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #9 - Virtual Reality Showcase (part of the Digital Entertainment Festival) at Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, 19-Aug-16 at 1000
Busy Day 3 became busier with a sudden decision to go to this VR session ...A late addition to the schedule - only deciding to go in the morning. I'd never tried VR before so thought I'd give it a go. In many ways I wish I hadn't bothered ...
I had hoped there would be full Oculus setups going, perhaps a technical presentation or two, that sort of thing. Instead we were ushered into a room, given a Samsung Gear VR loaded with an S7 and a pair of Beats (ugh) headphones and basically told to get on with it. Which would have been fine if there hadn't been network issues with Virgin Media that morning and most of the content was unavailable (no local servers?) which I thought was a bit of a drawback for a "digital entertainment festival".
I couldn't get the Gear VR to sit nicely with my glasses, it sat better without but either way I couldn't really get the damn thing to focus. Anyway, the little content I could get to play was quite impressive in its own way, fairly immersive but hugely limited in interactivity (i.e. none). After a while I got bored and left.
Apparently in the "Tech Hub" (which my ticket did get me entry to but I was on a schedule) they did indeed have a full Oculus setup. But why that wasn't part of the "VR Showcase" is anyone's guess.
A very frustrating experience for £12, especially when I could have got a better demo by wandering into the Samsung section of my local Carphone Warehouse
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #8 - Lili La Scala: Another F*cking Variety Show at QueenDome @ Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, 18-Aug-16 at 2300
Second night in a row for me at AFVS, mainly because they had a certain act on the bill but you seldom need an excuse to spend time with Lili ...
Six acts on the bill tonight. They were ...
- The Three Belles - I'll come back to them.
- Aaron Calvert - a pretty good mind reader act. Brought a member of the audience onstage and proceeded to carry out a long trick involving dice and momopoly stations. I'm selling it short - it was very well done and I enjoyed it but I'm sure his full show is better (they only get about 8 - 10 minutes each).
- Patrick Monahan - funny Irish comedian who completely ripped the pish out of a group in the audience mainly because one of them had been picked out by Lili at the start of the show to shout at the climax of her "warming up the crowd" routine at the start, "Lily! Who's your daddy!?" (look, it works in context). Anyway, he was good fun.
- Ulrike Storch - very good gymnast/circus type act who juggled, with her feet, an assortment of hoops, tubes and umbrellas, then did them all together while not wearing many clothes. Most impressive.
- Jesus L'Oreal (aka Christ On A Bike) - saw him last year and it was the same act. A good act though. Basically Disco Jesus reimagined as a comedy burlesque act if I was to pigeonhole it. Good clean fun.
- Beatbox Collective - didn't imagine I'd like this but it was excellent. Five guys beatboxing. In a collective. But very clever and skillful with loads of sound effects and gags thrown in. Really good.
Back to the Belles. They only had time to perform two songs and they did them to backing tracks this time (different outfits too) - "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and 'Seafood Mama" (complete with shouted "FISH" audience participation). I was a bit disappointed they could only do two tunes but that's cabaret I guess. They were splendid and wonderful as always. The Belles were first on but stayed to watch the whole show.
And of course there was Lili. Songs, frocks and general patter were the same as the previous night with a few changes depending on what the audience gave her. Still great and Lili remains as staggering as ever.
As we were walking out Lili was wishing everyone well at the door. My head was going "ask for a selfie ask for a selfie ask for a selfie ..." but I didn't. I just mumbled "Thanks for another great show Lili", she just smiled and was already looking past me. The Belles weren't doing greetings or flyering but were milling around outside. "Right, just go over and say hello. Nothing creepy about that." So I took a deep breath, strode purposefully forward then veered sharply to the left to avoid them. Those decades of stomach-dropping nerve-shredding muscle-memory still in fine working order ...
Good show, nice eclectic line-up and any show that has Lili AND The Belles on it is a good show.
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #7 - Alice Fraser: The Resistance at Wee Room @ Gilded Balloon , Edinburgh, 18-Aug-16 at 2015
Ms. Fraser is an Aussie comic, raconteur (raconteuse?), singer, musician, actress, pod-caster ... as young people tend to be these days. I saw her last year at the Free Fringe and while I may have been disappointed in the show I most certainly wasn't disappointed in her. So I kept comedy tabs on her and I was looking forward to this new show.
This is a difficult show to describe. It's not stand-up (though it's very funny), it's not theatre (though it gets dramatic), it's not a musical (though she sings a number of songs). The general theme is setup via an extensive backgroud section about her rather unorthodox upbringing and her family history - Hungarian Jewish on Dad's side, English Christian on her Mum's ... obviously she would be brought up as an Australian Buddhist in a ramshackle old guest-house owned by her grand-mother in a suburb of Melbourne. It gets stranger from there.
Living with the family in this guesthouse were three others who her gran had taken in over the years: a manic-depressive Chilean gardener; a Hungarian Christian writer and an always-veiled Indian woman who kept blurting out mystic advice about love and beauty and sex. Unusual you might think, but young Ms. Fraser accepted this as normal.
The story them went in various different directions but always coming back to these strange people who she never knew anything about really but just accepted.
Then her Mum died and she found her Mum's notebook in the wardrobe (very uncomfortable for me at this point) which shed a LOT of light on this odd domestic arrangement. And that was the rather shattering conclusion of the show.
The general theme is about not conforming, about questioning, about fighting authority, about ... well ... resistance. And, as such, I found it a deeply affecting work.
Oh, there were loads of good lines, e.g. "Twitter is for learning to hate people you don't know. Facebook is for learning to hate people you do.", and her music was funny and she was good ... ach, go see it.
She gave out free hugs and chocolate at the end (it's not called the Wee Room for nothing). As I was walking out she hugged me and said, " Aww, your happy face kept me going through that!". As I walked away, for a few moments, I almost believed her.
This is a difficult show to describe. It's not stand-up (though it's very funny), it's not theatre (though it gets dramatic), it's not a musical (though she sings a number of songs). The general theme is setup via an extensive backgroud section about her rather unorthodox upbringing and her family history - Hungarian Jewish on Dad's side, English Christian on her Mum's ... obviously she would be brought up as an Australian Buddhist in a ramshackle old guest-house owned by her grand-mother in a suburb of Melbourne. It gets stranger from there.
Living with the family in this guesthouse were three others who her gran had taken in over the years: a manic-depressive Chilean gardener; a Hungarian Christian writer and an always-veiled Indian woman who kept blurting out mystic advice about love and beauty and sex. Unusual you might think, but young Ms. Fraser accepted this as normal.
The story them went in various different directions but always coming back to these strange people who she never knew anything about really but just accepted.
Then her Mum died and she found her Mum's notebook in the wardrobe (very uncomfortable for me at this point) which shed a LOT of light on this odd domestic arrangement. And that was the rather shattering conclusion of the show.
The general theme is about not conforming, about questioning, about fighting authority, about ... well ... resistance. And, as such, I found it a deeply affecting work.
Oh, there were loads of good lines, e.g. "Twitter is for learning to hate people you don't know. Facebook is for learning to hate people you do.", and her music was funny and she was good ... ach, go see it.
She gave out free hugs and chocolate at the end (it's not called the Wee Room for nothing). As I was walking out she hugged me and said, " Aww, your happy face kept me going through that!". As I walked away, for a few moments, I almost believed her.
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #6 - Lucy Porter: Consequences at Forth @ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 18-Aug-16 at 1730
I've been a fan of Ms. Porter for a long time so was brilliant to see her in the flesh. She didn't disappoint - a very impressive set. Thematically it had similarities with Zoe Lyons' as much was about accepting and celebrating who you are and the age you happen to be.
A series of initially unconnected series of tales followed after a very pleasant opening audience interaction bit involving a drinks trolley and free shots of sherry and chocolate bon-bons. Very good stories about, among other things, moving from Croydon (Zone 4) to Pinner (Zone 5); explaining London Zones and how she felt like Katniss from the Hunger Games; her 80s BBC sitcom neighbours Pat and Ken, questions that mean nothing to the under-40s ("Sex or sleeping?" "What's your favourite A road?"), getting thrown out of a sheep-shearing display at Willow Country Farm. That kind of thing.
The point became apparentl in three letters: the first, a letter a magazine had asked her to write, a "letter to my 16 year-old self""; the second a "letter from my 16 year-old self"; the third a "letter from my 10 years older self" which pulled everything together very nicely.
All in all a very pleasant way to spend an hour.
ADDENDUM - As I normally do I tweeted her afterwards to thank her for the show and to say how much I enjoyed it (I do think it's important to show support, even if it's in such a trivial way). She responded and then followed me on Twitter! No pressure then ...
A series of initially unconnected series of tales followed after a very pleasant opening audience interaction bit involving a drinks trolley and free shots of sherry and chocolate bon-bons. Very good stories about, among other things, moving from Croydon (Zone 4) to Pinner (Zone 5); explaining London Zones and how she felt like Katniss from the Hunger Games; her 80s BBC sitcom neighbours Pat and Ken, questions that mean nothing to the under-40s ("Sex or sleeping?" "What's your favourite A road?"), getting thrown out of a sheep-shearing display at Willow Country Farm. That kind of thing.
The point became apparentl in three letters: the first, a letter a magazine had asked her to write, a "letter to my 16 year-old self""; the second a "letter from my 16 year-old self"; the third a "letter from my 10 years older self" which pulled everything together very nicely.
All in all a very pleasant way to spend an hour.
ADDENDUM - As I normally do I tweeted her afterwards to thank her for the show and to say how much I enjoyed it (I do think it's important to show support, even if it's in such a trivial way). She responded and then followed me on Twitter! No pressure then ...
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #5 - The Three Belles: In The Mood at St Andrew's and St George's West @ St Andrew's and St George's West, Edinburgh, 18-Aug-16 at 1430
I have history with The Belles as anyone who's known me for more than five minutes will testify. So was really looking forward to this.
And it was mostly great.
The girls of course looked and sounded fab. Beautiful harmonies, good banter among themselves and they quickly built up a good rapport with the audience (to be fair I was one of the younger ones). Standout tracks were a self-penned song from the new album "Belles A-Swinging, a sensationally moving "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time", "Si Si Si", "Seafood Mama" which I always think is dripping in innuendo but IS actually about fish, and no matter how many times I hear it their version of "In The Mood" is great. Was sad to hear Dorothy Belle is married and Betty Belle is engaged but former-fiery-redhead-now-blonde Gail Belle is still available ...
Oh and The Bevin Boys were fine.
The bad was the venue. Absolutely beautiful former Church, wonderfully and sympathetically restored and now a performance space. But the acoustics did the Belles and the band no favours - very toppy with little middle. Only so much you can do on a budget I guess but was a shame.
Didn't detract too much however from a thoroughly enjoyable performance and great to see the girls again.
No sefies yet but will try later ...
And it was mostly great.
The girls of course looked and sounded fab. Beautiful harmonies, good banter among themselves and they quickly built up a good rapport with the audience (to be fair I was one of the younger ones). Standout tracks were a self-penned song from the new album "Belles A-Swinging, a sensationally moving "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time", "Si Si Si", "Seafood Mama" which I always think is dripping in innuendo but IS actually about fish, and no matter how many times I hear it their version of "In The Mood" is great. Was sad to hear Dorothy Belle is married and Betty Belle is engaged but former-fiery-redhead-now-blonde Gail Belle is still available ...
Oh and The Bevin Boys were fine.
The bad was the venue. Absolutely beautiful former Church, wonderfully and sympathetically restored and now a performance space. But the acoustics did the Belles and the band no favours - very toppy with little middle. Only so much you can do on a budget I guess but was a shame.
Didn't detract too much however from a thoroughly enjoyable performance and great to see the girls again.
No sefies yet but will try later ...
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #4 - Lili La Scala: Another F*cking Variety Show at QueenDome @ Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, 17-Aug-16 at 2300
Any day with Lili in it is a good day. And both her and her eclectic ever-changing cabaret ensemble did not disappoint. The first of three dates this Fringe with La Scala ...
First off, the line-up:
- Tom Crosbie - self-confessed nerd and his "nerd show" which may become a must-visit this year if I can find a slot. Very engaging and some sensational "magic" with a Rubik's Cube which built into a brilliant understated climax.
- Hannah Cryle - Aussie hula-hooper ... no, stay with me. Clearly only a snippet of her full show but very engaging and talented. She pulled a couple of chaps from the audience to help at the end and I was quite pleased she didn't pick me.
- Baghdad's Got Talent (actually a pair called Duo Bogof doing a section of their material) - amusing and clever burka-based humour.
- Esquire De Lune - male burlesque act. Very talented chap, started off very intensely and then he introduced a lot of humour, pulled a lass from the audience and danced around her (which I *think* she really enjoyed). Good fun.
- Pete Sweet - clown/mime act. Initially when Lili said "clown" my heart sank but he was very good and his miming skills with a crystal ball were amazing.
- Laura London - magician. Very engaging (and pretty in bright pink wig - hey, I notice these things). Did a couple of excellent tricks in a very nice low-cut split-thigh black strappy frock. Recommended.
- Jess Robinson - very impressive musical comic with a fantastic voice and very good mimicry skills. However if you saw Christina Bianco last year you saw a better act. Not saying Ms. R isn't very good - she is - just Bianco's better.
- Axis Of Awesome - Aussie musical three piece fronted by a big chunky guy in a dress. They sang a couple of very clever songs - the first about gender balance in songs was amusing but out-stayed its welcome; the second about how pretty much all hit songs are formed around four chords was brilliant.
- Tom Crosbie - self-confessed nerd and his "nerd show" which may become a must-visit this year if I can find a slot. Very engaging and some sensational "magic" with a Rubik's Cube which built into a brilliant understated climax.
- Hannah Cryle - Aussie hula-hooper ... no, stay with me. Clearly only a snippet of her full show but very engaging and talented. She pulled a couple of chaps from the audience to help at the end and I was quite pleased she didn't pick me.
- Baghdad's Got Talent (actually a pair called Duo Bogof doing a section of their material) - amusing and clever burka-based humour.
- Esquire De Lune - male burlesque act. Very talented chap, started off very intensely and then he introduced a lot of humour, pulled a lass from the audience and danced around her (which I *think* she really enjoyed). Good fun.
- Pete Sweet - clown/mime act. Initially when Lili said "clown" my heart sank but he was very good and his miming skills with a crystal ball were amazing.
- Laura London - magician. Very engaging (and pretty in bright pink wig - hey, I notice these things). Did a couple of excellent tricks in a very nice low-cut split-thigh black strappy frock. Recommended.
- Jess Robinson - very impressive musical comic with a fantastic voice and very good mimicry skills. However if you saw Christina Bianco last year you saw a better act. Not saying Ms. R isn't very good - she is - just Bianco's better.
- Axis Of Awesome - Aussie musical three piece fronted by a big chunky guy in a dress. They sang a couple of very clever songs - the first about gender balance in songs was amusing but out-stayed its welcome; the second about how pretty much all hit songs are formed around four chords was brilliant.
A good line-up. But above it all was the magnificent Lili ably supported on the piano by Tom Barnes. 4 frock changes, all glittery make-up, sex-appeal, mucky banter and a stunning voice and stage presence. Can't be many better chanteuses working the circuit ...
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #3 - Felicity Ward: 50% More Likely To Die at Pleasance Above @ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 17-Aug-16 at 2100
Felicity Ward is a slightly manic (we'll get back to that) Aussie comic who I was vaguely aware of so took a punt on this show. And for the most part it was pretty good.
Loads of energy and very engaging, Ms. Ward certainly came across well. She was clinically diagnosed with severe anxiety as well as other issues such as OCD and a tendency to micromanage (she should have gone into IT) and her show did tend to fall back on this quite a bit (straight after this show she was heading off to host a gala for mental health which sounded like a blast ...)
Her stories were all very good - such as the difficulties with maintaining a long-distance relationship over Skype and etiquette in swimming pools and in general.
The big latter half anecdote of the show focused on a long story about losing a bag on the bus (which goes against all her natural anxiety and OCD) and how it was recovered. Which was all amusing.
Then however she started singing like a chicken (she had mentioned how she and her boyf had started doing this around the house). Now, that was funny for a bit but grew tedious very quickly - she flogged it into the ground then flogged it some more. I was expecting a comedy pay-off somewhere but, no, she just likes singing like a chicken. Combine that with a tendency to over-use an airhorn sound-effect then some of my goodwill evaporated.
A very good set, just tainted somewhat by that godawful chicken bit ...
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #2 - Zoe Lyons: Little Misfit at Dining Room @ Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh, 17-Aug-16 at 1900
Ms. Lyons should be familiar to most panel comedy-show addicts and her show was good fun if oddly unmemorable, full of energy and good comedy but nothing particularly planet-changing
Her stories were fun and engaging. She married her long-term partner last year (she's one of those lesbians they have now) so much of the comedy, but by no means all, came from that (e.g. a routine about titles now she's married). Her wife is Dutch so lots of (not very heavy) Brexit stuff. But lots of other material - living in Brighton ("Of COURSEI do" she exclaimed) there was lots of PC-gone-wrong stuff (worrying about whether your dog was racist for example) and an obsession about people abandoning things next to, but not in, the communal bins.
Nice conclusion though - having never fitted in anywhere she found herself now happy and accepting and not feeling the need to fit in with anything, a brief and unexpected happy moment. Struck a chord ...
Recommended as she's a very funny comic, but not hugely memorable.
Fringe Binge 2016 Show #1 - Hardeep Singh Kohli’s Mix Tape at Ace Dome @ The Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, 17-Aug-16 at 1720
Fringe Binge 2016 kicked off with the now-traditional Hardeep show. And as tradition dictates it was slightly disappointing. Perhaps I’m just too familiar with much of his shtick now.
The show is loosely based around a mix-tape – Hardeep would play a bit, riff and storytell about it, relate it to him/the crowd/politics/whatevs. I say loosely – most of the show was him just interacting with the audience (we only got to one song – Iron Maiden’s “Nunber Of The Beast” – which had a nice anecdotal conclusion that I was unfamiliar with).
Much of it was, as I said, free-form. Several people in the audience had the pish ripped out of them; he recognised me and pulled me in to a couple of the tales; much reminiscing. And there was a wee touching bit at the end where he listed the three albums that “saved his life” after his marriage broke up – “Frank” by Amy Winehouse and the first albums from local-lass Amy MacDonad and Bon Iver.
Plenty of anecdotes about recording the charts BITD, how Edinburgh folks have “nae patter”, and so on so forth. Pleasant hour but I guess I’d heard much of it before.
Better than last year, not as good as ’14 (yes, I preferred his earlier stuff).
Friday, 5 February 2016
The Force wobbles
A review of Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Michael Donnelly, aged 46 and 19/20s, as seen on Wednesday 3rd February 2016 at the Glasgow Showcase Cinema in Uddingston.
Non-spoiler brief review
I liked it. I didn't hate, but I didn't love it. It was ... all right.
Non-spoiler extended review
It wasn't until later that day in a nerdy conversation with a good pal o'mine in my local that I concluded I liked it rather more than I thought I did. Leaving the cinema my overwhelming feeling was ambivalence (see Context). But later, with a little distance, I was quite impressed with it.
The good things - seeing the old gang back on-screen. The return to proper practical effects (albeit teamed with state-of-the-art money-no-object CGI and post-production special effects that only a limitless budget and the cheapest contractors can provide). New characters who are actually interesting and that you care about and invest into. The ever-so-brief sobbing when key moments and images flash up on screen and you know you're watching a fan-boy homage. Daisy Ridley shooting to the top of the Potential-Mrs-Donnelly charts (but then I am genetically predisposed to love posh English girls). Solo and Leia. BB-8, who is AWESOME.
The bad things - hard to get into this without getting into spoiler territory. So I won't. There's A LOT wrong with TFA. But not enough to put you off watching.
Conclusion - better than Phantom Menace as a series kick-off; a decent enough film in its own right even if it's so clearly a set-up for a massive franchise. Makes me want so see Rogue One and Episode VIII and visit the Star Wars theme parks and pay silly money for Cantina Brew beer; so it did its job - you'll do the same.
Spoiler-filled extended anal review
Can't really be bothered to be honest. Which says something ...
Context
I can't separate Star Wars with the context within which I saw each movie. OF COURSE my expectations were through the roof in the build up to release. They were for Phantom Menace. And they were for the first silly little movie which some call A New Hope but I just call Star Wars.
Star Wars blew my mind open. Phantom Menace wedged it tightly shut. The Force Awakens didn't impress.
In 1978 a nearly-nine year-old Mikey stood in the chilly January rain with his Dad and Brother around the block at the Glasgow Odeon in Renfield Street. This wee sci-fi film had opened the summer before in the United States (which was - and in many ways still is - impossibly exotic to me). We managed to get in - Dad had parked in the multi-storey up by the bus station and we'd queued for what seemed like hours - and settled down to watch. It's fair to say that a few hours later as we emerged things had changed and my mind had been somewhat rewired. We all headed home for ice-cream and treats and couldn't stop chattering about what had just happened. In many ways I never stopped.
Fast-forward to 1999. It's a cinema in Santa Monica CA and a little film called The Phantom Menace had just opened. A thirty year-old Mikey took his seat in the AMC on the Boulevard next to the girl not just of his dreams but of his craziest, wildest fantasies. It's fair to say that a few hours later as we emerged things had changed and my mind had been somewhat rewired. We sat in a Chinese opposite for a late-dinner and I held my head in my hands. My galpal, the dream of my entire life, chomped on her chow mein and cheerfully suggested, "It wasn't THAT bad ..."
Fast further forward to 2016. It's a cinema in the shit-end of nowhere on a bleak Glasgow February morning and a forty-six year-old Mikey took his seat on his own in one of the smaller cinemas in a multiplex well past its sell-by date just off a motorway. It's fair to say that a few hours later when I emerged things had not changed and my mind had been not at all rewired as I fired up the car and headed off to see Mum at the hospice.
I have history with Star Wars. Some of you will remember about a year ago I suggested I would be in Santa Monica come première night for TFA. That clearly didn't happen. There are a load of reasons for that, but this time, for once, I had a decent one. Family's like that - it kinda stops you. Maybe for Rogue One ...
Non-spoiler brief review
I liked it. I didn't hate, but I didn't love it. It was ... all right.
Non-spoiler extended review
It wasn't until later that day in a nerdy conversation with a good pal o'mine in my local that I concluded I liked it rather more than I thought I did. Leaving the cinema my overwhelming feeling was ambivalence (see Context). But later, with a little distance, I was quite impressed with it.
The good things - seeing the old gang back on-screen. The return to proper practical effects (albeit teamed with state-of-the-art money-no-object CGI and post-production special effects that only a limitless budget and the cheapest contractors can provide). New characters who are actually interesting and that you care about and invest into. The ever-so-brief sobbing when key moments and images flash up on screen and you know you're watching a fan-boy homage. Daisy Ridley shooting to the top of the Potential-Mrs-Donnelly charts (but then I am genetically predisposed to love posh English girls). Solo and Leia. BB-8, who is AWESOME.
The bad things - hard to get into this without getting into spoiler territory. So I won't. There's A LOT wrong with TFA. But not enough to put you off watching.
Conclusion - better than Phantom Menace as a series kick-off; a decent enough film in its own right even if it's so clearly a set-up for a massive franchise. Makes me want so see Rogue One and Episode VIII and visit the Star Wars theme parks and pay silly money for Cantina Brew beer; so it did its job - you'll do the same.
Spoiler-filled extended anal review
Can't really be bothered to be honest. Which says something ...
Context
I can't separate Star Wars with the context within which I saw each movie. OF COURSE my expectations were through the roof in the build up to release. They were for Phantom Menace. And they were for the first silly little movie which some call A New Hope but I just call Star Wars.
Star Wars blew my mind open. Phantom Menace wedged it tightly shut. The Force Awakens didn't impress.
In 1978 a nearly-nine year-old Mikey stood in the chilly January rain with his Dad and Brother around the block at the Glasgow Odeon in Renfield Street. This wee sci-fi film had opened the summer before in the United States (which was - and in many ways still is - impossibly exotic to me). We managed to get in - Dad had parked in the multi-storey up by the bus station and we'd queued for what seemed like hours - and settled down to watch. It's fair to say that a few hours later as we emerged things had changed and my mind had been somewhat rewired. We all headed home for ice-cream and treats and couldn't stop chattering about what had just happened. In many ways I never stopped.
Fast-forward to 1999. It's a cinema in Santa Monica CA and a little film called The Phantom Menace had just opened. A thirty year-old Mikey took his seat in the AMC on the Boulevard next to the girl not just of his dreams but of his craziest, wildest fantasies. It's fair to say that a few hours later as we emerged things had changed and my mind had been somewhat rewired. We sat in a Chinese opposite for a late-dinner and I held my head in my hands. My galpal, the dream of my entire life, chomped on her chow mein and cheerfully suggested, "It wasn't THAT bad ..."
Fast further forward to 2016. It's a cinema in the shit-end of nowhere on a bleak Glasgow February morning and a forty-six year-old Mikey took his seat on his own in one of the smaller cinemas in a multiplex well past its sell-by date just off a motorway. It's fair to say that a few hours later when I emerged things had not changed and my mind had been not at all rewired as I fired up the car and headed off to see Mum at the hospice.
I have history with Star Wars. Some of you will remember about a year ago I suggested I would be in Santa Monica come première night for TFA. That clearly didn't happen. There are a load of reasons for that, but this time, for once, I had a decent one. Family's like that - it kinda stops you. Maybe for Rogue One ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)