Stephen K Amos has been running these Talk Shows at the Fringe for many years now. He does a bit of stand-up and banter with the audience, invites a number of his comedy chums for a chat on-stage, sometimes they do a snippet from their show, and it's all very pleasant. I'd been meaning to go to one for a while - the line-up is announced on the day via various Twitter feeds but you can't follow everything so I had no idea who was going to be on. This particular one was also being recorded for a podcast.
There were four comics in the show (in addition to the very congenial Mr. Amos) - one I tolerate, one I loathe and two I worship the ground they walk on. See if you can guess which is which ...
First up was Mark Thomas. A veteran of the 80s anti-Thatcher alternative-comedy movement and still, apparently, fighting those same battles thirty-plus years on. He was interesting but oh so virtue-signalling ... "Yeah, when I got involved in the Miner's strike ...", "When I walked the wall between Israel and Palestine" and other tedious tales. I'm sure he's earnest and means well, but I already found him annoying back in the mid-80s and my opinion has not changed ...
Second up was the magnificent Tiff Stevenson. Regular readers will be well-aware she is something of a comedy goddess to me and she was good value here. Having already seen her show, Bombshell, last week some of what she was saying was familiar but there was plenty of wide-ranging chat too and she was immense value. She was heading off to do her own show at 1730 so she didn't get as much time as Thomas, which was a real shame. Please go and see her.
I had noticed Tiff in the sidelines as the show had started so I knew she was coming on. I had also seen the fourth. So the third guest was something of a surprise - only bloody Alice Fraser! Like Tiff, I think Ms. Fraser is one of the good 'uns - rather than have a chat she did an all-too-brief little bit of stand-up then sang a song accompanying herself on the banjo. She is wonderful. Still tickets available for Empire in this run so do yourself a favour and go and see her.
The final guest was Tom Stade. I had seen performances from him before on television and he was exactly the same here - appearing as a perpetually stoned loud Canadian. He had a good rapport with Mr. Amos and the chat was good fun, but after the double-whammy of Tiff and Alice I found him something of a let-down. Still might go and see his show though not sure I could stick an hour of him.
With that the show concluded. I was very pleased to have seen Tiff and Alice again - if I try to do a greatest-hits day before my time here is up then their shows will be very much on the agenda if tickets are available. Mr. Amos was a fine and charismatic host - he's doing a solo show too so I might try and schedule it in. The Talk Show runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the Fringe and, as it starts at 1600 and runs 'till about 1715 is a pretty convenient time to either kick-start an evening at the Fringe or transition you from day-mode to night-mode. You do need to take a chance on the line-up as it usually sells out each day, but it's worth a punt.
I had another show to go to after this - Phil Wang at the Pleasance Courtyard - but my heart just wasn't in it - neither were my feet, knees or back. That Fringe Wall very definitely staring me in the face. I hobbled back to the flat a little dejected. I had no tickets bought for anything until the following Friday - I was meant to be spontaneous now - but just wanted to sit down in a dark room for a while ...
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