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Circolombia – Intimo Urban

Ian Armstrong — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:15:48 +0000

Half of Circolombia’s profits feed back in to the circus school for Colombian street children where this afternoon’s nine performers graduated from, and there is a raw, threatening authenticity that inhabits the show. As the excellent Latin hip-hop soundtrack begins, an enormous, half-naked, painted figure enters to preside over the streets; you wouldn’t want to bump into the Spirit of the Barrio on a dark Colombian night!
This feeling of danger, however, doesn’t always translate to the circus stunts that make up the show. The flips and jumps of the skipping rope section are impressive enough – like a scene from a nightmarish school playground – but leave you wishing for more. Similarly the aerial work, which sees the girls swooping around over the front row, or hanging upside down from a suspended metal pyramid by the tongues of their Hi-Tops, is good but not great.
The acrobatics of the men are more spectacular though, as they are breathtakingly thrown between each other’s shoulders (the highlight being a mid-air double somersault). A couple of the landings are missed this afternoon but they are easily forgiven, considering the level of difficulty of the tricks being attempted.
The Spirit of the Barrio gets in on the act in the finale, balancing a huge metal hoop on his forehead as a girl climbs up him to perform staggering handstands and balances on it, eliciting huge gasps from the audience, which turn to cheers as the performers tumble out for a well-earned curtain call.

3/5

Milton Jones: Lion Whisperer

Ian Armstrong — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:15:13 +0000

1996 Perrier Comedy Award winner Milton Jones hasn’t exactly become an overnight success. He has had regular series on Radio 4 since winning the prize every Fringe comedian desires, but let’s face it – who hasn’t? No, it was the new Holy Grail of career achievement that has sold out the Assembly Hall tonight – appearances on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and Mock the Week.
The loud shirts, tousled hair and crazed eyes seemingly create an eccentricity that he trades on but on closer inspection there is nothing strange or peculiar about his act. Jones is a good, old-fashioned, one-liner merchant, and the crowd love him. The air is filled with squeals, giggles and delighted groans for an hour as Jones effortlessly glides through his well-honed material. It is simple (“To help me with my history exams I hired a Private Tudor”), absurd (“I used to think a Kuala Lumpur was a cross between a koala and an Oompa Loompa – clingy but hardworking”) and corny (“They say manure is good for tomatoes but I think it ruins the sandwiches”). He sporadically breaks up the routine with the use of props, music, a flipchart and even a rare ad-lib but what makes the show work is the sheer fun of hearing this classic form of stand-up done very, very well.

4/5

King of Scotland

Keira Farrell — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:48:52 +0000

Scottish drama sometimes tends to focus either on miserable social realism or bitingly black comedy; King of Scotland attempts both and doesn’t quite manage to do justice to either.
Tommy McMillan has been unemployed for 28 years, something he regards as quite the achievement. But a government “social inclusion” scheme forces him into training and then work, situations he is ill-equipped to handle. Slowly his mind begins to unravel.
The text is littered with references to Scottish politics – Tommy’s boss is Sir Alec whose daughter Annabel is going out with Murdo. Tommy ultimately comes to believe that he is the King of Scotland, underscoring the gulf between the classes while drawing a parallel between those at the very top and those at the very bottom: overblown self-importance and a life of idleness.
Tommy is played by Jonathan Watson, a familiar face in Scottish comedy, playing the character with gentle sympathy as he spirals into mental illness. Watson never forgets that Tommy was hired specifically to act as a ‘feather in the cap’ of boss Sir Alec; he was not viewed as a human being, his wishes were ignored and no attempt was made to integrate him into the working world. This does not, however, render Tommy likeable. Ultimately Watson’s performance is not funny enough for satire nor serious enough for drama, and ‘King of Scotland’ is left floundering between the two.

2/5

Simon Callow in Tuesdays at Tescos

Keira Farrell — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 07:17:21 +0000

A halo of neon encircles a stage adorned with a pink dress which hangs from the skeleton of a tree. Enter Simon Callow in drag. He deftly makes his way centre stage in high heeled shoes and announces, “Everybody stares at me on Tuesdays.” So opens the tale of Pauline, a transvestite who spends her every Tuesday caring for her ageing father, a man who desperately wants his son Paul back.
That Simon Callow’s performance is electrifying will surprise few familiar with his work. Pauline’s demeanour is that of feminine geniality, but the mask slips frequently as flashes of sarcasm and fury reveal a seething miasma of pain and bitterness beneath.
Mr Callow shares the stage with a piece-of-furniture pianist who provides discordant accompaniment to the manic dancing seen whenever Pauline’s emotions go beyond words. This is the weakest aspect of the performance, raising titters rather than the audience’s emotional involvement. Further, the pianist’s constant presence on stage detracts from the themes of disconnection and loneliness evident in both Pauline herself and in her father.
The conclusion of the play is also rather strange, taking an abrupt turn for the overly melodramatic. Nonetheless, Pauline’s plaintive closing words strike a chord. Ultimately this is a quietly sad reflection on the gulf that too often lies between parents and their grown-up children.

3/5

Soweto Gospel Choir

Lee McRonald — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:35:23 +0000

If you’ve seen the Soweto Gospel Choir before, you’re hopes will be understandably high, your ears ready to be lavished with soaring vocals and wonderfully uplifting songs. An internationally renowned, Grammy award winning outfit, they regularly have audiences moved and on their feet with applause.
Alas, something’s missing from this year’s lacklustre show. Maybe it’s the songs, which seem less memorable than before. But on the basis of this performance – and it feels almost heretical to say so – it seems more to do with the eighteen or so performers themselves, who run through the show’s routine professionally but with little of their usual passion, soul or energy. It’s as if we’re watching a rehearsal, a proficient but somehow blasé practice session, with the heart on hold for the main event.
There are certainly glimpses of this spirit and at some points that spark returns, but always briefly, and the show settles into a nice, pleasantly enjoyable but entirely unexceptional experience.
Yes, some of the vocals still impress – there are truly some beautiful voices on display – and some of the dancing and African drumming is impressive but the overall impact seems muted, an effect not helped by the fact that, for most of the show, the choir remains passively at the back of the stage, as if unwilling to let rip, have fun and engage or move the audience.
As with so many concerts, the audience takes its cue from the passion and energy of the performers, and the politely composed audience is never in danger of being so moved or uplifted that they leave their seats. Towards the end of the show, the choir do start to deliver but by then it’s a little too late.
Not a bad show by any means, but for nearly twenty quid a ticket, it’s rather a disappointment.
Pleasant rather than inspirational.

2/5

Adam Hills Mess Around

Adrian G. Velazquez — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 11:00:52 +0000

A master of stand-up comedy, Adam Hills returns to this year’s Fringe with an unscripted show. The idea behind it, he says, is that people in the audience are actually funnier than anything he could come up with, and as such, he just wants to chat with them, and find the funny side of the everyday man.
Though someone could say that Hills is just going for the easy and lazy solution, not pre-planning his 2010 run, it is actually laudable that he has decided to go without a script. It is solely on his on the spot puns and jokes that this whole hour of comedy relies on, and Hills has to be quick witted and fast-thinking to be able to pull it off. Thankfully, he does this flawlessly, constantly getting the biggest laughs from the audience.
Either when he picks on some Americans for their looks, or an Irish family for their accent, Hills humour is never malicious, nor insulting, and the public responds to that. You are not too worried that Hills decides to bring you to the stage, since he will not embarrass you in front of a massive audience, but he will banter with you, and find jokes where you wouldn’t expect him to.
Hills has brought another fantastic show to the Fringe, and he knows he is onto a winner. Hopefully, next year, he will do something similar.

5/5

Mark Watson – Do I Know You?

Yann Chalmers — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:25:17 +0000

There comes a certain expectation with an established act like Mark Watson. After a number of years at the Fringe, including his renowned 24 hour shows, and various TV and radio appearances, Watson returns with his more manageable “Do I Know You?” and he certainly doesn’t disappoint.
After a crowd-pleasing laptop-written commentary as the audience filters into the 750 plus venue, Watson embarks on an hour of text-book stand-up comedy. After a bit of a slow start as the crowd and Watson warm up, he soon has the audience rolling about with his characteristically rapid, bumbling tales of human interaction, his obsession with Derren Brown and an advert for a certain pear cider.
The show really ignites around half way through, when a quick check of the time and an audience member going to the toilet leads to a ten minute barrage of digression and improvisation, including chasing the returning man up the aisles, and by the time he goes back to his planned material, the endorphins are running so high around the room that he finishes his set with an easily mustered rip-roaring response from the crowd.
All in all, Watson certainly matches the expectations, but he doesn’t exceed them. His performance is most impressive in the unplanned section, and perhaps the restrictive format of a one-hour show stifles a comedian that clearly thrives off the sort of spontaneity his long shows and other projects allow for. Nonetheless, a great performance, and certainly will be a favourite for this year’s Fringe.

4/5

Tony Tanner’s Charlatan

Zander Bruce — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:25:07 +0000

At the end of a climb into the Edinburgh skyline, there is a tiny darkened stage, where magic awaits to be discovered.
This is what theatre at the Fringe should be about. Original, evocative material performed by a renowned actor/director/writer that delights and endears, transporting the audience back 101 years to another performance – that of the Russian Ballet’s opening in Paris.
Tanner vibrantly brings to life the real-life character of Sergei Diaghilev, the self-described Charlatan of the show’s title, in the final moments before his death. His recounting of his upbringing as a Russian army brat to his rise as an Impressario and international triumph at the head of the Ballet Russes. Along the way are tales of love and lust, Coco Chanel and all of the backstage scandal both witnessed and instigated by the man himself.
The dialogue in this one-man show meanders sweetly along through anecdotal gossip of the prima balerinas, bittersweet recounts of lost lovers and the occasional confession of a gentle soul which has been capable of dark thoughts and deeds.
One small stumbling block in the show is Diaghilev’s distracting accent. This results in the audience having to translate and sometimes laughing by the time Tanner has moved onto his next monologue.
Regardless, this charming piece of theatre is well worth partaking of. In an age of mass-produced entertainment, this feels like a special secret to be cherished, a rare glimpse into a forgotten world and bygone age.

4/5