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Camille O’Sullivan – Chameleon

Martin Miller — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:28:40 +0000

Hairline have long been champions of Camille O’Sullivan, being one of the finest singers you will ever hear. She takes the songs of the likes of Jaques Brel, Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave and dramatically moulds them into her own gutsy, emotional interpretations. The results are spectacular and Camille more than deservers her five star rating she gets from practically every reviewer out there.
Chameleon is her latest show, many of the old set list highlights that have followed her for years are gone, such as ‘Kirsty MacColl’s ‘In these shoes,’ and Nick Caves’ ‘Are you the one’, and they have rather boldly been replaced with a more rocky sound which slowly settles into a fragile mood and only beings to really impress around the half way mark. As she delivers a stunning A Capella cover of Jacques Brel’s ‘The port of Amsterdam’. The new songs are all impeccably performed but lack the ferocious, playfulness of previous years. There is not many songs that comes even close to her version of Bowie’s ‘Rock and roll suicide’ which had the crowd stunned just last year.
New song choices aside, Chameleon feels far more like a theatrical show than ever before, and it’s all the better for it, creating a magical world using costume changes, a lit up swing and a beautiful and effective moment with her opening a suitcase laid flat on the floor, that lights up when open.
But something is seriously a miss tonight, this kitten seems to have had her claws cut. Sipping water instead of her trademark bottle of red she gives a decent if unspectacular performance. With her fiery temper only showing in a flash when an someone in the crowd boos her and she challenges him for it, demanding the crowd stop clapping while she hunts out the culprit. It looks like things are about to explode, but then she bursts into tears sobbing through her final song. Thankfully the audience are behind her and give her a loud, thunderous standing ovation which of course she deserves.
Camille O’Sullivan is one of the most awe inspiring singers you will ever, ever see. But this is one of her weaker shows that doesn’t quite impress as it should. However even Camille on a bad night can still knock out the competition.

4/5

Gutted. A Revenger’s Musical

Martin Miller — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:30:44 +0000

Revenge is a dish best served cold – or in this case with some toe-tapping musical numbers. For when a young girl named Sorrow is witness to the death of her parents at the hands of the Bewley family, she decides to take matters into her own hands: fifteen years later she plots to marry into the family, rob them of their fortune and kill off them one by one. Obviously things don’t quite go to plan and there are some neat little twists to this enjoyable if rather formulaic show.
What may read like a jet black story is actually a lot of camp fun, with bright colourful characters, good humour and a few musical numbers that wouldn’t be out of place in the new season of Glee.
All of this is helped along by brilliant performances from the cast, including Helen George as Sorrow. Despite being relatively unknown she manages to delight as the femme fatale. The Penny Dreadfuls also take a break from their wonderful sketch show to star as three characters who cheer her on, and they delight with their playful adlibs. Praise must also go to Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine’s Jim Bob, who is brilliant as a lounge singer.
The show is a lot of fun, with some great tunes, but it doesn’t quite leave the impact it aims for, coming over as enjoyable rather than spectacular.

3/5

Arj Barker – Let Me Do the Talking

Martin Miller — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:25:08 +0000

Arj Barker won the Perrier Award way back in 1997, but at only thirty six he has come a long, long way. Performing to huge audience numbers in gigs all over the world, he is now on his third DVD release of stand-up shows. His popularity no doubt put into the stratosphere by starring in a little show called, ‘Flight of the Conchords’. While his name might not ring any bells he is instantly recognisable as the scene-stealing laid back Dave from the pawn shop.
Mixing dead beat delivery with gentle surrealism he gives a very funny hour of stand up. Right from the off he has the audience roaring with laughter as his jokes link back to each other, ranting about the Death Star in Star Wars and berating NASA for shooting things at the moon. It is the simple, throw away comments about letter fonts and his views on climate change that keep the audience grinning from ear to ear.
His jokes are tight, his delivery spot on and he’s just so effortlessly laid back as he recounts a very funny, gloriously odd hour of stand up that has the audience in the palm of his hands from start to finish.

4/5

I, Elizabeth

Sandi Hunter — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:30:36 +0000

I, Elizabeth is a moving, emotional and passionate production. It shows Elizabeth I, frustrated and pondering, after receiving a letter from the nobles and Lords of England with regards to matters concerning her marriage and her heir. She has a dilemma at hand, and is unsure as to whether to speak out or keep quiet.
Rebecca Vaughan plays a five star role as Elizabeth, giving her all and more to the performance, confiding in the audience as though they are her closest confidants. The audience feels as if they have been transported back in time to the late 1600s, and are actually there with Elizabeth I, in her privy chamber, listening to her predicaments, thoughts and problems, and have been trusted with the position of giving council to her majesty. You are made aware of, and drawn into, the catch 22 situations which were experienced by the strong, sarcastic, yet amusing monarch during her reign.
Throughout the show you become aware of just how difficult a job this Queen had, balancing her nobles and advisers, and keeping everyone satisfied so as not to create a situation where she is turned against and replaced. The difficulty of her relationship with Robert Dudley and how that affected her as a woman and queen, her perplexity with how to handle the situation with her cousin Mary Stuart, and how she felt disinclined to marry as she felt that she was married to England is all explored.
The costume is fantastic, the acting superb, and the content brilliant. A definite must see for history and theatre addicts.

5/5

New Art Club – Big Bag of Boom

Sarah Grant — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:50:58 +0000

‘Sweaty spandex dripped in humour’ is a phrase that springs to mind when thinking of New Art Club’s show at the Assembly, ‘Big Bag of Boom’. Self-dubbed the ‘best-of’ collection, this show is a great way to experience the double act, Tom Roden and Pete Shenton, if you’ve never seen them before. When the twosome announce at the start of the performance that routines such as ‘Gnome Sex Attack’ did not make it to the final cut, it leaves you wondering what routines DID make it to the show, and nervous (in a good way) as to what you are about to observe.
Although a comedy contemporary dance show, it does not seek to poke fun at the contemporary dance movement; with Tom and Pete both coming from a choreographic and dance background, there is a relative amount of skill to support this show. Indeed, it brings the world of modern dance to those unfamiliar, cushioned by comedy to ease us in gently. The audience weeps with laughter as Tom and Pete perform routines such as ‘Girl with the Shitty Shoe’, leaping around the stage pokerfaced.
Branded the ‘Reeves and Mortimer of Contemporary Choreography,’ the on-stage chemistry between the two is an imperative ingredient to the show. Pete Shenton is an evidently skilled comedic performer, drawing similarities to the style of Julian Barratt (Mighty Boosh), and is perfectly paired with the more submissive side-kick Tom.
If you love off-the-wall humour then this show is definitely for you. Its an hour well spent with one of the most innovative and bizarre comedy shows at this years Fringe.

4/5

Jennifer Coolidge – Yours for the Night

Adrian G. Velazquez — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:35:45 +0000

If there is one word to describe Coolidge’s stint at this year’s Fringe, that has to be: underwhelming. With a great entrance (and ‘Bad Romance’ playing in the sound system, accentuating the beat of the moment), she has the audience at the palm of her hand. But then, she slowly drops them.
Jennifer Coolidge in person is everything you would expect her to be at first, a bigger than life, brassy, sassy persona. But with time you realise that she runs out of steam quickly, and her routine turns out to be pleasant, but not hilarious.
When she talks about drinking three espressos every morning, you wonder if she has become immune to caffeine, Coolidge on stage being a much more sedated character than Coolidge on screen. And here lies the problem. The audience are expecting to see the Jennifer Coolidge they know from films like American Pie or Legally Blonde, and the fact that she goes back to talking about those films every now and again, only accentuate the fact that she isn’t as out and loud as those characters are.
But, don’t be fooled, this doesn’t mean that she isn’t good. Her whole hour is pleasantly interesting, and while she doesn’t have the audience roaring with laughter, she doesn’t have them bored either.

3/5

Circus Burlesque

Emily Carson — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:35:20 +0000

Lola La Belle’s manifesto of her new burlesque shows tells us that this well-renowned art is both an expression of female empowerment and a raunchy striptease, and strong female characters is exactly what the audience gets, both in terms of personality and physicality.
Tempest Rose is the ringmaster of this titillating extravaganza and totally encapsulates the madam persona, referring to the audience as her “darlings” throughout the proceedings. The theme of the show is the seven deadly sins with the acts portraying each one accordingly. The show is not simply an exposé of flesh but also of acrobatic talent. The fabulous Tina wows the crowd with both her fantastic hula-hooping skills and seemingly endless ability to touch her toes to her head in all manner of difficult positions.
The women who perform the more standard burlesque routine of feathered fans and nipple tassels are far from being as Lola La Belle puts it “lollipop pop stars” and instead represent an incredibly sexy yet far more average sized woman. Something that surely eased the minds of all the women arriving with their husbands!
Overall this show offers something both classical and very different in terms of entertainment this Fringe Festival. There is plenty of audience participation, with wolf-whistling and oohing and aahing being encouraged at every opportunity, Circus Burlesque gives you the chance to be a bit naughty without having to resort to the far less classy realm of Lothian Road.

4/5

Charlyne Yi – Dances on the Moon

Martin Miller — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:45:09 +0000

Twenty-something Charlyn Yi takes to the stage and immediately wins over the audience with her wide eyed innocence and infectious smile as she awkwardly begins her odd, yet endearing hour of stand-up.
Combining guitar-based musical numbers, video projections, audience interaction and almost achingly sweet observations about falling in love, this is a show that doesn’t even attempt belly laughs – instead giving a playfully fun performance that allows Yi’s unique sense of humour to shine and which will have the audience chuckling along at her random stand up.
This may not be to everyone’s taste – she serenades an audience member with a song that uses grunting instead of words, and playfully mortifies an unsuspecting audience member by encouraging him to sing a song with her – but those willing to go along with Yi’s awkward style of stand up will find themselves utterly captivated.
Many people took Yi to their hearts on the strength of her beautiful film, Paper hearts, which amalgamated a documentary about being in love with a mockumentary were Yi actually falls in love while filming the piece. It danced around the notion of what is real and what isn’t and Yi continues this theme in her show. As she admits, she loves to confuse the audience, deliberating telling long stories about her life with her husband then later admitting she isn’t even married. It’s an interesting notion that makes you question where the performance ends and the comedian begins.
This is a thought-provoking, enjoyably silly and refreshingly un-cynical hour of stand up and while we may not know how much of what we’ve heard is true, you can’t help but believe her every word.

4/5

Paul Zerdin – Sponge Fest Revisited

Ollie Green — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:50:29 +0000

This show pretty much delivers everything you expect from a top class ventriloquist. Paul Zerdin is not a stranger to the Edinburgh Fringe festival and although his material is laugh out loud, side-splitting funny, it is recycled content and has been used in his stand up gigs throughout the years.
If you’re a Zerdin Virgin then you are in for a treat: The use of 3 puppets brought to life with his genius voice-throwing skills adds up to be an hour of cram packed entertainment. Zerdin is a mastermind and in a league of his own in what he does, and in this show he really gets involved with the audience. Not only does Zerdin have talent, he is also genuinely funny, a great stand up comedian who happens to play with dolls for a living. And it works!
If you have seen Zerdin before then the shows content is nothing new. It’s all been done so please don’t hold your breath for jokes you haven’t heard before. But for the beginners don’t let that put you off, you won’t be disappointed!
The characters used in this show have personality, charm and tricks up their sleeves. You have been advised to take caution: you never know when little Sam or the granddad rapping MC Albert will go for you!
Be warned though if you manage to get a front row seat, you will not be safe from the witty antics and borderline remarks. Go and see this show, Zerdin is underrated and it’s well worth it.

3/5

Just Macbeth!

Sydney Arber — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:45:32 +0000

If you think plastic dog poo is a brilliant invention and can’t help but giggle at the thought of a whoopee cushion, then this show is definitely for you. Just Macbeth! is a brilliant adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous play, that is guaranteed to leave a smile on your face for the rest of the day.
Written by one of Australia’s most successful and popular children’s writers, Andy Griffiths, the audience gets to experience Shakespeare with the added bonus of an unashamed indulgence in silliness. Clad in more tartan than even the Royal Mile could produce, the Bell Shakespeare company portray a group of school pupils, whose attempts to recreate the famous witches’ brew goes terribly wrong. Finding themselves in the 11th Century, the students suddenly realise their lives have been swapped with those of the main characters of Macbeth, and laughter, adventure and Scottish accents ensue.
With some of the most talented actors to be seen in this year’s Fringe (and possibly the best use of a OHT Projector since 1983) this is a production not to be missed. With touches of Summer Heights High, the cast all let their inner child out to play. Patrick Brammall and Justin Smith shine particularly well as juvenile pranksters, bringing back fond memories of everyone’s school shenanigans. But, by far, the star of the show is John Leary, whose performance is flawless and entertaining at every turn.
Indulge your inner-child (and perhaps your outer-child) and make sure you see this show. You will never see a man shove more marshmallows in his mouth, nor laugh so hard at a soliloquy ever again.

5/5