For the past couple of years I’ve reviewed shows in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In case you can’t decide what to see, here are reviews and profiles of my favourites.
This Year’s Favourites
Eric’s Tales of the Sea
Breath-taking, poignant, suspenseful, and hilarious, Eric’s tales are enthralling, told by a gifted storyteller who will draw you into the depths of his world. Self-deprecating and never boastful, he gives an account of the bravery of his fellow submariners that is moving, humbling, and comic. Even if you’re not in the least interested in life aboard a submarine, I thoroughly recommend it.
Dave Gorman’s Power Point Presentation
Dave Gorman’s Power Point Presentation is a treat. Candid, self-effacing and zany, it’s a glimpse into his life of cake-bingeing, the weird world of twitter, and accidental Jewishness. A ponderer extraordinaire, he takes tangential thinking to new heights with a naughtiness that is infectious and hilarious. There are so many lines I’d love to quote, but that might spoil the fun, so much of which is in the ingenuous delivery.
Last Year’s Favourites – Back Again This Year
Zoe Lyons
Self-confessed middle class binge (and minge- after she’s had a few) drinker, foie gras eater, and veal muncher with a clown shoe carbon footprint, Zoe Lyons makes hilarious even the seemingly most quotidian of concerns. From eco-parents and the bitterness they spawn to Chanel knockoffs and the megabus, her timing is sharp, her delivery is by turns mirthful and belligerent, and her jokes are intelligent and gleeful.
Helen Arney
Helen Arney’s show is a hilarious parade of stalking, dysfunctional relationships, Jean-Paul Sartre, washed-up accordions, over-eager dates, and death by disastrous marriage proposal, set to music – piano, ukulele and a pimped glockenspiel. Charming, witty, and warm, with great one-liners and every hope and heartache you might ever have had, it’s like spending an evening with a funny, interesting, quirky friend.
