5th - 26th August 2023 (not 17th, 21st, 23rd),
12.40pm - 2.10pm
"A vibrant, stimulating showcase of talent."
SATURDAY 27th AUGUST 2022
Pleasance One, Venue 33
12.40pm-2.10pm
Tickets: £15.00
TODAY'S SHOWS
The Bush
Theatre (comedy, political)
Writer, actor and theatre-maker, Alice Mary Cooper, presents new show The Bush, following the success of her previous solo work Waves, described by the Observer as 'a miniaturist gem'. In this one-woman performance, Alice recalls the inspiring true story of 13 1970's "housewives" who battled for 10 years to save bushland in their native Sydney – starting a nationwide movement of Green Bans, protecting land and the natural environment from destruction across Australia. A timely celebration of community environmental action that promises to entertain, encourage and empower.
Just These Please: Honestly No Pressure Either Way
Comedy (sketch show)
With three five star sell-out Edinburgh Fringe runs, over 60 million views online and a tendency to list things in threes, Just These Please are back with 25 brand new sketches and songs where 'the gags are packed tight and as always the performance is faultless' (Chortle.co.uk). If you're looking for a 'tight hilarious hour of sketch comedy' (BeyondTheJoke.co.uk) with 'solid laughs throughout' (Scotsman) and 'countless highlights' (ThreeWeeks) then you should absolutely get tickets before they sell out – but honestly no pressure either way. ***** (ThreeWeeks). ***** (TheArtsDesk.com). ***** (VoiceMag.uk).
Look at Me Don't Look at Me
Theatre (cabaret)
A two-hander featuring a piano, a synth, two microphones, a shaky egg and 14 original songs that takes the audience from Lizzie Siddal "being discovered" by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood to her being exhumed by her husband, Dante Rossetti. A conversation between Lizzie and Dante – still obsessed with each other – as Lizzie struggles to tell us about her work and not just her boyfriend. At only an hour long, this bare-bones cabaret has profound things to say about biography, desire, illness and art. Part of Horizon: Performance Created in England.
Thunderstruck
Theatre (storytelling, music)
Thunderstruck is an international award-winning production concerning the legacy and mythology of a Pitlochry bin man, who flew beyond the summit of his art and changed Scottish music forever by defying established tradition and pushing to the absolute edge of what was possible. Take whatever romantic notions you have of the bagpipes and leave them at the door. Herald Angel and Scottish Arts Club award-winning show returns to Edinburgh. Written by David Colvin. Directed by Tom Freeman. ***** (ScottishField.co.uk). ***** (TheWeeReview.com).
BOLERO – EXTENDED
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus (contemporary)
Boléro was written in 1928 as ballet music and the work is one of Ravel's last and most famous. Palle Granhøj has transferred the music's intensifying signature to a deconstructed version – and finally in its full length. The intensity of the melody and dancers increases throughout BOLERO – EXTENDED, giving it a powerful, uplifting, trance-like quality in a unique and iconic performance with nine dancers and eight cellists live onstage.
Ian Stone: Righter of Wrongs
Comedy (stand-up)
So many wrongs, so little time. 'Seriously funny' (Guardian). 'Ultimately, it’s the sheer quantity of funny material that impresses' (List). 'I had high hopes for Ian Stone’s show. He’s a seasoned performer and he has a brilliant line in political humour. Not only was I not disappointed, he blew all my expectations away. Stone’s beautifully crafted stories, peppered with gags and asides were hilarious throughout. Not a word is wasted in his clever telling of his world view' (Chortle.co.uk). 'One of the top ten comedians in Britain' (Independent).
Geraldine Quinn: BROAD
Comedy (cabaret, international)
Nominee: Best Show 2022 Melbourne Comedy Festival. Agnes Moorehead. Vivienne Westwood with a tit out. Quinn grew up idolising bold, brassy older women. Now she's becoming one. In an award-nominated, explosive new cabaret, Quinn returns to Edinburgh to release your inner DGAF Dame. Whether you want to unlock the Auntie Mame within, polish your brassiness or your knees are stuffed and you need to be near someone who understands; all are welcome in The Broad Church. Sold out – Melbourne.
Mervyn Stutter
Host and Compere
Mervyn has been in the entertainment industry since 1974. He started in theatre where he acted, wrote scripts, songs, and directed for around 14 years. In the 1980s, he became the 'regular topical song bloke' on the BBC TV's first ever daytime show, 'Open Air', fronted by a thin Irishman called Eamonn Holmes. Over the years he has performed weekly topical songs on many TV current affairs programmes and more of the same on radio. In the late 1980s, he took his comedy songs onto the Comedy Circuit and then touring theatres. Merv's first Edinburgh Fringe was in 1986 and he has been every year since. 'Pick of the Fringe' started life as 'Have you seen anything good?', a show to help answer the perennial Fringe-goer question. The title was changed to 'Pick of the Fringe' in 1994 and it he has built it up into one of the must-see Fringe shows.
“Mervyn Stutter is very, very good as compere of this chat show, for to make such a showcase work requires skill, talent and quick reactions. Stutter works the crowd like the showman he is.”
THE OBSERVER
