Venue 33, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance One,
3rd-24th Aug (not 15, 22), 1.30pm-3.00pm
"A vibrant, stimulating showcase of talent."
THURSDAY 10th AUGUST 2023
Pleasance One, Venue 33
12.40pm-2.10pm
Tickets: £15.00
You and Me
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus (dance, lgbtq+)
Man meets man... discovering happiness he has never known before; but he has a wife and family at home. A dance piece choreographed from a south Asian feminist perspective, developed from AKDC's programme of workshops with women's community groups. The women shared their real-life experiences of a marriage where their partner could not express his sexuality for fear of bringing shame to the family. This experience was developed with two LGBTQ+ performers from their imagining of his perspective. You and Me is a highly energetic piece bringing the spectacle and intensity of Kathak with physicality.
Lulu Popplewell: Actually, Actually
Comedy (stand-up)
In her debut solo show, failed child actor and now successful comedian Lulu Popplewell explores the links between Love Actually, smoking crack, the Daily Mail and sunburn. Is love actually all around? Why is addiction more relatable than recovery? Which drug would Mr Bean be most likely to take? None of these questions satisfactorily answered and more!* A daft, rude and thoughtful hour of jokes, actually. *One song.
Lady Dealer
Theatre (dark comedy, new writing)
For Charly, every day is the same. They used to be different, when there was Clo, but there isn't Clo anymore and she doesn't want to dwell on that. She just wants to chug coffee, blast Beastie Boys and deal drugs. Simple. But when Charly suffers a power cut, she's forced back into the real world; a world of knockoff Morrisseys, disapproving mothers and, ultimately, a world she has to navigate alone. Lady Dealer is a mile-a-minute poem play by Martha Watson Allpress about self-forgiveness, the exhaustion of trying, and mistaking self-destruction for self-preservation. It's also about weed.
Sophie's Surprise 29th
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus (circus, cabaret)
Sophie is turning 29 and we’re celebrating. Imagine if The Spice Girls never broke up, Cirque du Soleil had sunstroke and No. 10 had actually known how to throw a party. This interactive circus and cabaret show is stumbling into Circus Hub with its Fringe debut, featuring world-leading performers from Cirque du Soleil, Britain's Got Talent, Gogglebox and more. Expect Twilight fan fiction, unicycling drug dealers, and death defying feats. Put on your acid wash jeans and halter tops. Party starts at 9.45pm sharp, but remember – don’t tell Sophie.
Tickbox 2
Theatre (family-friendly, storytelling)
Actress-comedian Lubna Kerr explores her family's journey, sharing the challenges encountered with humour and emotion. Tickbox 2 raises issues about race, perception and identity. Like many migrants they used food to make friends, but when no one had heard of a samosa, how could the barriers be broken down? This newly updated version, which is re-directed by Jairus Obayomi, explores the lived experience of growing up as a person of colour in Scotland. It has the potential to engage a wider, non-traditional, non-white theatre audience whilst sharing an important story of race and stereotyping to more traditional audiences.
Dan Tiernan: Going Under
Comedy (stand-up)
He's 27, gay and riddled with dyspraxia. Dan's had a big year, quitting his job as a dinner lady, going full-time in comedy and finally leaving home, yet somehow he still feels he's completely going under. The reigning BBC New Comedy Awards winner and British Comedian of the Year presents his gag-heavy, high-energy debut hour. Tour support for Micky Flanagan and Jamali Maddix. As seen on BBC, Channel 4, Comedy Central, Dave and ITV2. 'Raucously entertaining' (Guardian). 'A force-of-nature who sweeps the room up in his exhilarating performance into a frenzy of laughter' (Chortle.co.uk).
Spirit of Ireland
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus (dance, music)
An incredible night of Celtic music, hilarious comedy, thrilling dancing set in the greatest pub in Ireland. An authentic five-piece band from Dublin. The finest dancers and choreographers from hit Irish shows, Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. Come on down to the Irish Celtic pub, meet charismatic landlord, and hear the legends of this 1,000-year-old pub whose history is rich and old. It's the Irish Choir of Man. Journey to the Emerald Isle for a mystical, magical and enchanting theatrical experience. Great craic and the best lock-in of your life.
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