Venue 33, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance One,
3rd-24th Aug (not 15, 22), 1.30pm-3.00pm
"A vibrant, stimulating showcase of talent."
SATURDAY 5th AUGUST 2023
Pleasance One, Venue 33
12.40pm-2.10pm
Tickets: £15.00
Thirst
Theatre (storytelling, music)
Everyone has heard of the 27 Club. In July 2018, two months shy of his 28th birthday, Callum Hughes was nearly added to that list. Journey from a small Oxfordshire town to the bright lights of London as Callum attempts to rediscover himself without looking through the bottom of the bottle. Featuring original songs, Thirst is both a love letter to sobriety and a celebration of all things alcoholic. So pull up a barstool, order Callum a 0% lager and listen to his incredible story. 'One the best storytellers I've seen' ***** (AskTheUshers.wordpress.com).
Dane Simpson: Didgeridoozy
Comedy (stand-up, storytelling)
Straight outta Wagga Wagga, Australia – the star of hit show Aborigi-LOL makes his Fringe debut with a swag of gut-bustingly funny stories, fun facts and big laughs. Bonus didgeridoo content. Winner Adelaide Fringe 2022 Best Comedy and Fringe World 2023 Critics Choice Weekly Awards. 'A masterful storyteller and infectiously upbeat presence' (Chortle.co.uk). 'Side-splitting down-to-earth humour' ***** (GlamAdelaide.com.au). 'More presence in his pinky finger than most of us could ever dream of' ****½ (Sunday Mail). 'Simpson is hilarious – his ability with the didgeridoo is both special and unexpected' **** (Advertiser, Adelaide).)
Luke Wright's Silver Jubilee
Theatre (poetry, stand-up)
Crack out the bunting! Someone you've barely heard of has been doing something you're scarcely aware of for a reasonably long time. Award-winning poet Luke Wright tries to celebrate his 25 years of service on the literary frontline but ends up taking a deep dive into himself and the England that raised him. New poems on class, excessive consumption, love and adoption. 'Visceral, poignant and riotously funny' ***** (Scotsman). 'One of the funniest and most brilliant poets of his generation' (Independent). 'Cool poems' (Patti Smith). ***** (Stage, List, Time Out). **** (Guardian, Telegraph, Mirror, Mail).
Let the Bodies Pile by Henry Naylor
Theatre (new writing, drama)
What connects two seemingly unrelated killings, 27 years apart? In 1993, Steve's mother dies suddenly; can he trust GP Harold Shipman's 'Natural Causes' diagnosis? And in 2020, when dozens die in a Yorkshire Care Home; is Covid responsible, or something more sinister? Three-time Fringe First winner Naylor has won over 45 major international fringe theatre awards, and currently holds the IFES World's Best Fringe Theatre title. Bobby Award-winning, and Outstanding Theatre Award-winning (Brighton Fringe) actress Emily Carding stars, and it's directed by the SoHo Playhouse (New York)'s Artistic Director, Darren Lee Cole.
Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story
Theatre (comedy, lgbtq+)
Do you know the story of Diana? Probably. But do you know our story of Diana? We very much doubt it. Join Diana in heaven as she shares the untold and untrue tale of her extraordinary life. Combining drag, multimedia, audience interaction, puppetry and a lot of queer joy – this unique celebration of the People's Princess is as hilarious as it is tasteless. 'Hilarious, joyful and ridiculous to the point of sublime' (Deborah Frances-White, The Guilty Feminist – podcast). 'The most unhinged piece of theatre in existence' ***** (BroadwayBaby.com).
Steve Bugeja: Self Doubt (I think)
Comedy (stand-up)
The creator and star of ITV2’s hit sitcom, Buffering, returns to the Fringe following five critically acclaimed shows. He’s appeared on Stand Up Central (Comedy Central), Zoe Ball On Sunday (ITV), Love Island: Aftersun (ITV2) and was the host of BBC Radio 4’s Economics With Subtitles. This year he’s discussing babies, eye tests and the time he went on holiday with 20 women. 'Steve's a charming, likeable stand-up with a set packed with gags' (Sunday Post). 'An eye for comic detail that's all his own' (Guardian). 'Plentiful jokes and compelling storytelling' (Scotsman).
The Beatbox Collective: What's Your Sound?
Music (a cappella, vocal)
Witness mind-blowing sound, energy and vocal dexterity performed by international touring beatboxers and world champions, The Beatbox Collective. Featuring a team of the UK's top vocal artists, individually they have won almost every beatbox competition on the planet. 'If you didn't think you were a beatbox fan before, they will prove you wrong' ***** (EdFestMag.com). This vocal supergroup creates a polyphonic masterclass that leaves you buzzing. They return with a show that includes 72 new sounds, x2 the interaction, 30% more music and 100% fresh vocal wizardry!
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