I feel a little unqualified to even write a review as they could have been speaking the most profound words ever spoken and I wouldn’t know. Sadly, I fear there aren’t many people at the Festival with enough of a grasp of the French language to understand more than I did.

The act is a showcase of the songs and poetry of Georges Brassens, performed by three women and three men. Costume changes are made in front of the audience or in the shadows of the church hall which houses the production. This gives the impression of a game of dressing up, and the whole thing made me think of a group of enthusiastic youngsters putting on a show for their parents. There are some catchy numbers in the set, although they’re not likely to appeal to the masses.

Consisting of the kind of thing you would hear in a musical or a variety show, they are pretty unchallenging and will possibly only be of interest to people who are already fans of Brassens.

3/5

Hegley is guaranteed an audience when he ventures North for the Festival, as he has developed a strong following over the years with his witty comic routines. He has wide appeal, providing entertainment that people of all ages can enjoy without feeling either patronised or overwhelmed. His mix of irreverent comedy, childhood stories and poetry performance combine perfectly with his relaxed and jovial delivery.

Hegley is one of those performers that manages to persuade an audience to get involved with the show without fear of embarrassment. He’s here again, and we can only hope he’ll be back next year. Hegley is one of the best performers that come to the festival and this show is a great way to start your day.

4/5

Managing to escape the confines of a boarding school education, Sutton headed (via the RAF) for a career in theatre, working with socialist drama groups and getting involved in politics and civil rights movements. It’s encouraging to see someone with the nerve to speak about political issues at the Fringe, as so many acts appear to be watered down to avoid causing offence.

Sutton punctuates stories about his past with songs and poetry performances that highlight his mastery of language and talent for music. He is a veteran performer, notable for far more than being ‘Tinker out of Lovejoy’, and he still has a lot to give. Sutton is an immensely interesting and likeable person, it’s a shame that more performers don’t have the passion and charisma to speak about things that they really care about.

5/5

McIntyre’s delivery is competent, although a lot of his punch lines are followed by a ridiculous smug grin which contorts into a gargoyle like grimace as he congratulates himself for completing another joke. Audience members seem to be divided between loving and loathing him and many would no doubt disagree on my review.

It’s not a case of not getting the jokes or misunderstanding them, it’s more a case of expecting more from McIntyre act at the Fringe. If you want some safe, inoffensive laughs then this show is for you. If you want to see something innovative and different, with any kind of meaning or political content, give it a miss.

2/5

Khorsandi talks a lot about Iran and the history of the region and seeks to educate the audience of some of the misconceptions that people have of her country’s culture and beliefs. She holds a humorous appeal for everyone in the audience, and doesn’t always rely on her quirky experiences as a minority in Britain as punch lines to every joke, as a lot of comics from different cultures tend to.

She is one of those incessantly upbeat people and is difficult to dislike her. She has a terrific presence as a stand up comic and builds a great relationship with the audience early on in the performance which carries through the whole show.

Khorsandi blends humour and tragedy to perfection, and when you leave you have learned something new, while laughing all the way.

4/5

The show comprises of three spoken word artists, all entirely individual and each compelling in their own way. Welsh actress Rhian Edwards starts the proceedings with her spellbinding poetry and song. Her voice has a real maturity to it and her honest and cool deliverance give her words such significance and beauty that it is impossible not to feel touched by them. Her songs, which break up her poetry, are completely absorbing as her unique voice cuts to the bone.

Nathan Penlington is a different kettle of fish altogether. Combining stand up comedy, performance, poetry and magic, Penlington builds a genuine rapport with the audience, encouraging participation and amusement. He seems a little out of place in between two acts which are both more edgy and experimental, but Penlington does his best to keep people entertained.

Suzanne Andrade provides more surreal entertainment. Performing alongside the sinister and somewhat psychedelic animations of Paul Barritt, Andrade has created an act with a strong identity which combines visual and musical elements that compliment her words and stories, bringing everything together in a bizarre and humorous world. This is one of the most honest and innovative productions I’ve seen in recent years. It deserves bigger audiences, so take a chance on it.

4/5

Carter bases a lot of his material around music and it is his quest to find the happiest song in the world (the theme tune from Dogtanian is the current forerunner). This isn’t a particularly original concept, yet Carter has managed to carve his own niche and it’s easy to forgive him. Actually, given his flamboyant energy, it would be hard to pin anything on him.

While the musical search isn’t the main theme of the show, Carter is at least consistent about one thing – his humour. It falls into two distinct camps, extremely daft and extremely dark, with the latter being the far superior brand.

The only thing that let the show down was Carter’s insistence in having a three-minute interval – a period that is too short to go to the bar, yet long enough to jar the performance. Possibly he just needed a pee but this break does disrupt the action and it takes Carter a while to get back into his flow. This by no means ruined the show, but it certainly could have done without it. Overall though, I’d say that this is one of the highlights of the Fringe this year.

4/5

The Pavel in question is an experimental animator from a tiny Eastern European country who has travelled to Britain in search of work but he is having difficulty finding an audience in viewers brought up on Spongebob Squarepants and Pokemon.

Buxton gives an excellent performance as Pavel (undoubtedly helped by the unwieldy beard he is sporting this year), managing to keep up the ridiculous accent throughout the entire performance. While I’m sure that this isn’t his best material in recent years, it is a brave attempt at character-based comedy and is a welcome departure from the old stand up comedy routine.

There are some fine jokes throughout the script, which don’t rely on the character to be funny and were warmly welcomed by some members of the audience who didn’t seem sure what to make of the show.

It seems like a bit of an odd choice to write a show around experimental animation, as a lot of people aren’t familiar enough with the concept to really see the humour that Buxton has. It is, however, a very strong performance, which is worth catching before the end of the festival.

4/5

The structure of this play reads very much like a piece of cinema, jumping between past and present as the common link between the characters gradually becomes clear. The characters themselves are generally well developed by strong lead performances, though there are points when things become slightly overacted.

Through the exploration of these increasingly complex relationships, Use Once And Destroy manages to open up its main theme – frustration. While exploring various facets of this – frustration at events in the past, at the people they used to be, and most of all, frustration at each other – Squidge Productions also tap into the theme of transition and how social changes can really determine who you are as a person.

3/5

Set in bonny old ”Scotchland”, this amazing play follows the actions of the evil Ubu as he strives to become king, no matter how many lives are lost along the way.

It is an incredibly physical piece of theatre that builds in momentum as it follows the exploits of three grotesque characters in their quests for power. In fact, grotesque is certainly the word to describe a lot of the action, and indeed the dialogue, as each potty-mouthed sentence becomes cruder and more offensive than the last. This is not theatre for the faint of heart; it is frantic and explosive and so ridiculously over the top that it can’t help but get into your head.

There are elements of pantomime thrown in, which really shouldn’t work but the actors actually make the audience take part and, in doing so, inextricably link them to whatever they do next. This is no mean feat for a theatre company, as breaking the fourth wall can actually have audiences making for the door (I too am guilty of this), so the fact that they can pull off this sort of behaviour with a good deal of aplomb stands testament to just how good this production really is. Go and see it now!

5/5