Dyball and Kerr are hardened Fringe veterans and dutifully shun what they call ‘’surreal fashionable bollocks” to concentrate on their series of characters that are off the beaten track. Despite their sketches being fresh and enticing, there seems to be something lacking in the formula. It could be a script thing, or sheer nerves, but the D&K machine isn’t firing on all cylinders. It would only take a little spark of imagination or presentation and this duo would be playing with the big boys.

Essentially brilliant, Crouching Ferret Hidden Beaver needs to be housetrained before they can fulfil their destiny.

4/5

Pleasingly, this adaptation has effectively condensed Pratchett’s characteristically sprawling narrative into a lithe character driven piece while, rather wisely, maintaining the wonderful and idiosyncratic mechanisations of the Discworld universe in the background.

Wyrd Sisters effectively lampoons, amongst other staples of popular culture, Macbeth but looking upon the tragedy of the murderous king from the alternative perspective of the three witches. The eclectic cast all have impeccable comic timing and have the ability to pull off anything from farcical tickles to wounding satirical stabs.

The only downside of this joyous romp is you can’t but crave to see Pratchett’s vision on a much grander scale. Even though the performances evoke the Discworld environment effectively, it would be brilliant to see this unlikely universe on a much larger canvas.

3/5

If anything, Otis is better than ever before. It’s as though he’s grown to fill the cavernous interior of the Scotsman Assembly’s Music Hall with his dynamic blend of jailhouse humour and song. The intelligent satire is glossier than before and his backing group, The Black Liars, have swelled in numbers.

Freedom seems to have been good for Otis, as the jailhouse is less prevalent in his set nowadays. Hall’s brand of biting satire seems to have rubbed off on his alter ego slightly, as Otis’s set takes on all comers, with President Bush setting firmly in his sights. It also seems open season on hecklers as Crenshaw’s wickedly sharp improv skills quickly despatch anyone foolhardy enough to attempt and assault.

It’s clear that Crenshaw isn’t fully rehabilitated yet, but if he keeps to this fantastic standard there’s little chance he’s going to end up back in the state pen.

5/5

On the face of it, the answer is clearly no. This year’s show seems to be a series of half formulated sketches that don’t go anywhere and only lead the audience into sporadic bursts of nervous laughter. This is not good. Hitchcock once said, “A confused audience is an audience who is not emoting.” and nothing could be truer of this crowd.

However, if you take a step back from the immediate madness, Noble & Silver have managed to break one of live performance’s biggest barriers through the delineation of their act. By slowly piecing the snippets of their act together into the correct timeframe it is clear to see that they are geniuses, but this will probably be lost on most people until the next morning.

Unfortunately, most people go to see comedy for enjoyment in the present tense, so the duo’s act is stripped down into seemingly bizarre acts of complete randomness coupled with Noble & Silver’s unique blend of video/live action trickery. Quite frankly this isn’t enough for most people.

Noble & Silver still show a lot of promise, but are far too smart for their own good. You cannot fault them on their attempts to try something new, but they are ultimately before their time. If they’re not careful, their genius is going to be wasted and the names of Noble & Silver will not exist outside the minds of a few hardcore fans.

3/5

Keeping true to Shakespeare’s text, the musical witches proclaim Macbeth to be the next great kingpin. The news kick-starts his ambition of power and pulls him into a web of deceit, murder, paranoia and despair. Filled with a series of brutal slayings, this production rips along at a steady pace and keeps the audience on its toes by taking action into the seating area.

Brilliantly portrayed, this violent and dark production is let down by bad video production and the script. This may sound ridiculous to suggest that the Bard’s work is sub-standard, but this is meant to be an adaptation and having gangsters situated in London discussing Scottish places is ridiculous.

Judicious editing of place names and titles would be forgivable, but it would make more sense to set this production in Glasgow.

Ultimately, this is a brave folly into a dangerous arena and could be superb with a couple of tweaks.

4/5

Stripping the tale of sexual awakenings, inadequacy and jealously to the bone, MAT have managed to keep the core of the story and breath some extra life into the colourful characters. Through a mixture of narration and straight dialogue, the deepening of the Chatterley’s divide and the blossoming of her affair with Mellors come across beautifully.

In fact, there is nothing to fault this simple production. The characters and social attitudes come across perfectly – Clifford is wonderfully pathetic and slimy, Mrs Bolton suitably matronly and Mellors and Constantine undoubtedly in love. This tight performance is a joy to behold and worth a look, especially if you haven’t read the book.

4/5

This warts and all look at Gene Roddenberry and his creation is deeply engaging and gives a brief glimpse into the back-stabbing, ass-kissing, keep-on-smiling world of TV production.

The constant flitting between pre-production, famous scenes and personal problems sets a furious pace to the action, which helps to amplify the often manic, always determined potrayal of Roddenberry.

Tightly written and performed I am Star Trek delves where Trekkies fear to tread and is all the better for it. It may not be the funniest show on the Fringe, but it is deeply engaging and satisfying.

4/5

This is a show that promises new concepts in theatre, the deconstruction of society and a solution and, quite frankly, the audience are hooked! The dry wit and larrikin spirit that made Little so popular through The Big Breakfast are ever present and allow him to pull the audience in any direction he chooses. From convict poetry to a justifiable Neighbours rant, Little is a dynamo of focused energy and Aussie spirit.

Besides a hugely successful rendition of “The Dance of the Happy POHM”, Little offers no real answers to the problems of globalisation et al except the age old Aussie gem “No worries mate!” We weren’t expecting answers, but The Dance is as good a starting block as any.
Mark Little’s approach is easy going and accessible, but with a lively spark to keep things interesting. He sets himself against a background of magnificent antipodean beauty and stellar constellations, but the only true star on the stage is Little himself.

4/5

Their animated performance culminates in a fine portrayal of a rugby match. This is in itself is no mean feat, as the six strong cast portray the battle between fourteen players with a believable accuracy. This scene is almost enough to rescue the play from mediocrity, but it’s hard to forgive the poor script.

Technically a fine performance, as this band of relative newcomers breath life into a sorry band of Northern lads, but save your money and rent the video instead.

2/5

Tokyo Triangle in Tantra Vision explores the philosophy of tantric sex through a courtship between the performers and the audience. At first they flirt, then slowly become more intimate with the audience, before ecstatically climaxing in a furiously kinetic cohesion of music and motion.

The subject matter might feel esoteric to some, but the sheer vitality of the performances should wash over the reservations some might have for this accomplished piece.

4/5