I first saw Hari Sriskantha at the Edinburgh University student comedy festival in 2013 where he headlined the stand-up night, and he ended brilliantly. I was interested to see where he had got to two years later.
He has a very tightly written, packed 40 minute show on the subject of immortality making effective and efficient use of his time. It's a cleverly written, well performed show with plenty of material on ethnicity, mortality and making a name for oneself.
He has a nice mix of wordplay, misdirection and anecdotes which together do well to keep his audience engaged in an unbelievably hot and tiny room (performing in true Edinburgh style).
Although very funny, there's no boundary pushing or belly-aching sets, but it's a very assured, confident and well honed 40 minutes. Give him a couple of quid, at least, at the end.
Score: 7/10
Venue: Laughing Horse At The Counting Horse
Dates: 8th-30th August (not 19th)
Time: 15:20
Price: Free
Tuesday, 18 August 2015
Show 5: Sketch Thieves
Sketch thieves is the sister to Joke Thieves, where stand up comedians are paired up, they perform their sets and then the comedian they have been paired with performs their set. Sketch thieves does the same, but with sketch troupes. It's a precarious format, with great potential or it could fall flat on its face.
Today's show had Daphne (Phil Wang, Jason Forbes and George Fouracres), Thunderbards (Glenn Moore and Matt Stevens), Anna Morris, and Norris and Parker.
Daphne, an eclectic trio united by a University of Cambridge degree, start with a Spanish monologue (probably more to screw over their paired performer, the Anna Morris) before moving to an amusing if protracted sketch about Peter Pan's death (it's funny, honest).
Norris and Parker, a female duo dressed in what appeared to be black catsuits, perform an interesting medley about deceased husbands to an array of modern pop songs, including single ladies (alongside alluring dance moves, and, bizarrely, a recorder), perhaps also a trap laid for their thieves, Thunderbards?
Anna Morris performs as Georgina, a very privileged, pompous wedding planner whose mission it is to sort out all ladies' dream weddings in the UK. It's a great character, well crafted character, ending with her own anthem. It does leave one wondering what Daphne will make of it.
Lastly, Thunderbards have quite a witty fast-paced, slick sketch about working in a greeting cards shop followed by a reasonable parody take of local news shows.
Daphne do a bizzare but quite funny improvisation involving a 4-armed man and they somehow managed to dodge having to do much with Anna Morris's anthem.
Norris and Parker start off well by mocking Thunderbard's "conventionally handsome" selves but don't quite manage to hit it off with their take on the greeting cards and news sketches.
Anna Morris gives a valient and entertaining effort at performing as all three members of Daphne, but even she couldn't save the protracted stage death of Peter Pan. A good performance though.
Thunderbards end with a haphazard but ultimately very funny cack-handed run through Norris and Parker's musical number.
Overall this particular show was decent - one only wonders what mayhem would ensue if Pappys, The Pin or Beta Males were to participate.
Score: 6/10
Venue: Laughing Horse at City Cafe (19 Blair Street)
Dates: 15th-30th (not 18th)
Time: 13:45
Price: Free
Today's show had Daphne (Phil Wang, Jason Forbes and George Fouracres), Thunderbards (Glenn Moore and Matt Stevens), Anna Morris, and Norris and Parker.
Daphne, an eclectic trio united by a University of Cambridge degree, start with a Spanish monologue (probably more to screw over their paired performer, the Anna Morris) before moving to an amusing if protracted sketch about Peter Pan's death (it's funny, honest).
Norris and Parker, a female duo dressed in what appeared to be black catsuits, perform an interesting medley about deceased husbands to an array of modern pop songs, including single ladies (alongside alluring dance moves, and, bizarrely, a recorder), perhaps also a trap laid for their thieves, Thunderbards?
Anna Morris performs as Georgina, a very privileged, pompous wedding planner whose mission it is to sort out all ladies' dream weddings in the UK. It's a great character, well crafted character, ending with her own anthem. It does leave one wondering what Daphne will make of it.
Lastly, Thunderbards have quite a witty fast-paced, slick sketch about working in a greeting cards shop followed by a reasonable parody take of local news shows.
Daphne do a bizzare but quite funny improvisation involving a 4-armed man and they somehow managed to dodge having to do much with Anna Morris's anthem.
Norris and Parker start off well by mocking Thunderbard's "conventionally handsome" selves but don't quite manage to hit it off with their take on the greeting cards and news sketches.
Anna Morris gives a valient and entertaining effort at performing as all three members of Daphne, but even she couldn't save the protracted stage death of Peter Pan. A good performance though.
Thunderbards end with a haphazard but ultimately very funny cack-handed run through Norris and Parker's musical number.
Overall this particular show was decent - one only wonders what mayhem would ensue if Pappys, The Pin or Beta Males were to participate.
Score: 6/10
Venue: Laughing Horse at City Cafe (19 Blair Street)
Dates: 15th-30th (not 18th)
Time: 13:45
Price: Free
Sunday, 9 August 2015
Show 4: Marriage
Thanks to social media, I learnt that Tom Parry of Pappy's fame had adapted a mid 19th century Russian play by Gogol called Marriage.
Yeah, me neither.
But it promised a star studded cast of Ben Clark (Pappy's), Adam Riches, the members of Lazy Susan and two of BEASTS, which is surely a recipe for great comic theatre.
The play is held in one of my old lecture theatres, oddly (one of the George Square lecture theatres) which made me wonder what the learning objectives of the session would be.
Light jazzy piano sets the scene. Peter (Ben Clark) plays a taxman contemplating ending his days of drinking and leisure with the assured life of marriage, but the problem is, who shall he marry? His good friend (played by Riches) is initially astounded that his friend would even contemplate entering the institution, himself seemingly trapped in marriage, but he sets out to find his friend a suitable wife.
Enter a potential wife and three competitors: a womaniser, an obese auditor and perhaps the most dull man to have ever visited the Isle of Sicilly.
What ensues is a delightfully comic adventure as Riches' character attempts to sabotage his friend's competitors while persuading Peter to actually marry.
While the play has excellent acting and writing, it also throws up interesting questions: what really is the point of marriage? Is it for convenience? Do we really want it, or do we enter it due to social expectations? Is there really love between a married couple?
The intentions and motives of Riches' character are also questionable, and Riches' superb acting leaves the audience wondering what really are his feelings towards Peter.
Something has to be said too about the actors - a delightful set of sketch and character comedians well versed in creating memorable comic creations, and the whole ensemble worked extraordinarily well together.
A great production and thoroughly enjoyable, it was great to see some well known comedians in the more conventional theatrical setting and still make an engaging piece.
Score: 8/10
Venue: Assembly George Square Studios
Dates: 8th-30th August (not 19th)
Times: 14:00
Price: £13 (£11.50) weekends, £12 (£11) weekdays
Yeah, me neither.
But it promised a star studded cast of Ben Clark (Pappy's), Adam Riches, the members of Lazy Susan and two of BEASTS, which is surely a recipe for great comic theatre.
The play is held in one of my old lecture theatres, oddly (one of the George Square lecture theatres) which made me wonder what the learning objectives of the session would be.
Light jazzy piano sets the scene. Peter (Ben Clark) plays a taxman contemplating ending his days of drinking and leisure with the assured life of marriage, but the problem is, who shall he marry? His good friend (played by Riches) is initially astounded that his friend would even contemplate entering the institution, himself seemingly trapped in marriage, but he sets out to find his friend a suitable wife.
Enter a potential wife and three competitors: a womaniser, an obese auditor and perhaps the most dull man to have ever visited the Isle of Sicilly.
What ensues is a delightfully comic adventure as Riches' character attempts to sabotage his friend's competitors while persuading Peter to actually marry.
While the play has excellent acting and writing, it also throws up interesting questions: what really is the point of marriage? Is it for convenience? Do we really want it, or do we enter it due to social expectations? Is there really love between a married couple?
The intentions and motives of Riches' character are also questionable, and Riches' superb acting leaves the audience wondering what really are his feelings towards Peter.
Something has to be said too about the actors - a delightful set of sketch and character comedians well versed in creating memorable comic creations, and the whole ensemble worked extraordinarily well together.
A great production and thoroughly enjoyable, it was great to see some well known comedians in the more conventional theatrical setting and still make an engaging piece.
Score: 8/10
Venue: Assembly George Square Studios
Dates: 8th-30th August (not 19th)
Times: 14:00
Price: £13 (£11.50) weekends, £12 (£11) weekdays
Show 3: Pajama Men: 2 Men and 3 Musketeers
The Pajama Men are Fringe legends, always well loved and there's also an exciting anticipation of what madness they'll bring to the festival. They do not disappoint this year with an inventive interpretation of the story of Dumas' The Three Musketeers.
As ever there are absurd characters, with Cardinal Richelieu and Milady being particularly memorable, and excellent physical comedy. The show starts strongly with the duo lightly bickering over how the show starts and there's more meta-comedy when they portray ditzy American audience members who are baffled by the plot.
One wonders though if they had bitten off slightly more than they could chew as the show lulls somewhat toward the end as the plot become ever more twisted and convoluted, and it doesn't have quite the same emotional gut wrench as their 2009 show Last Stand To Reason had. Unfortunately there are no technical difficulties this year - they sublimely ad-libbed and improvised in their 2013 show Just The Two Of Each Of Us when their microphones stopped working (one of the most memorable and hilarious 5 minutes I've ever experienced).
Nevertheless this is a delightful hour and a thoroughly enjoyable show from these two masters of physical comedy.
Score: 8/10
Venue: Assembly Roxy
Dates: 8th-30th August (not 17th and 24th)
Times: 20:20
Price: £15 (£14) weekends, £14 (£13) weekdays
As ever there are absurd characters, with Cardinal Richelieu and Milady being particularly memorable, and excellent physical comedy. The show starts strongly with the duo lightly bickering over how the show starts and there's more meta-comedy when they portray ditzy American audience members who are baffled by the plot.
One wonders though if they had bitten off slightly more than they could chew as the show lulls somewhat toward the end as the plot become ever more twisted and convoluted, and it doesn't have quite the same emotional gut wrench as their 2009 show Last Stand To Reason had. Unfortunately there are no technical difficulties this year - they sublimely ad-libbed and improvised in their 2013 show Just The Two Of Each Of Us when their microphones stopped working (one of the most memorable and hilarious 5 minutes I've ever experienced).
Nevertheless this is a delightful hour and a thoroughly enjoyable show from these two masters of physical comedy.
Score: 8/10
Venue: Assembly Roxy
Dates: 8th-30th August (not 17th and 24th)
Times: 20:20
Price: £15 (£14) weekends, £14 (£13) weekdays
Show 2: Johnny Pelham: Before and After
The 2012 runner-up of the Chortle Student Comedy Award and So You Think You're Funny has his debt Edinburgh hour, it's a very solid effort. Pelham starts and ends rather abruptly, like he's making a comic getaway attack on his audience, but leaves us with great laughs and a well structured set.
His show deals with the before and after effects of jaw realignment surgery he had as an adolescent, sprinkled liberally with numerous anecdotes about how he and others have dealt with his disabilities. His assured, self-deprecating, gentle style suggests that this is a comedian who has found (or is very close to finding) his voice.
This is well rehearsed material that hits the mark well. A great effort for this comedian's first hour.
Score: 7/10
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard
Dates: 8th-31st August
Time: 18:45
Price: £9.50 (£9 concession) weekends, £7.50 (£7 concession) weekdays
His show deals with the before and after effects of jaw realignment surgery he had as an adolescent, sprinkled liberally with numerous anecdotes about how he and others have dealt with his disabilities. His assured, self-deprecating, gentle style suggests that this is a comedian who has found (or is very close to finding) his voice.
This is well rehearsed material that hits the mark well. A great effort for this comedian's first hour.
Score: 7/10
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard
Dates: 8th-31st August
Time: 18:45
Price: £9.50 (£9 concession) weekends, £7.50 (£7 concession) weekdays
Saturday, 8 August 2015
Show 1: Daniel Kitson: Polyphony
Daniel Kitson has written a play, but it is so ambitious, so daring that he couldn't possibly give his script to actors; instead he's recorded every voice, apart from the main character's, and the recordings, meticulously edited and one each given to an audience member to hold, form the majority of the performance.
His new hour has all the hallmarks of Kitson: it's meta, it touches on the profound (such as the futility of love and relationships), it's masterfully crafted and performed, imaginative comic characters spring from the story, it's filled with jokes and superb comic timing and, as with any of Kitson's work, he takes delight in mockingly reveling in his his oeuvre and his stage persona.
It's a dizzying performance, with some rather well known comic voices (who knew the famous recluse was so well connected?) which brings you into a play about a play about a play.
That the venue is a circular theatre and the audience almost within touching distance of Kitson adds to the intimacy of the piece - this work demands that atmosphere, and it works exceptionally well. Are the audience really part of the performance?
It doesn't have the same level of depth or heart as some of Kitson's previous work, and he hasn't indulged us in the same amount of profound musings of life as After The Beginning, Before The End, but it's still a performance to leave you breathless.
Score: 8/10
Venue: Summerhall, Roudabout Theatre
Dates: 7th-30th August (not Tuesdays)
Times: 12:15
Price: £12 (sold out - check twitter and the venue for people selling tickets)
His new hour has all the hallmarks of Kitson: it's meta, it touches on the profound (such as the futility of love and relationships), it's masterfully crafted and performed, imaginative comic characters spring from the story, it's filled with jokes and superb comic timing and, as with any of Kitson's work, he takes delight in mockingly reveling in his his oeuvre and his stage persona.
It's a dizzying performance, with some rather well known comic voices (who knew the famous recluse was so well connected?) which brings you into a play about a play about a play.
That the venue is a circular theatre and the audience almost within touching distance of Kitson adds to the intimacy of the piece - this work demands that atmosphere, and it works exceptionally well. Are the audience really part of the performance?
It doesn't have the same level of depth or heart as some of Kitson's previous work, and he hasn't indulged us in the same amount of profound musings of life as After The Beginning, Before The End, but it's still a performance to leave you breathless.
Score: 8/10
Venue: Summerhall, Roudabout Theatre
Dates: 7th-30th August (not Tuesdays)
Times: 12:15
Price: £12 (sold out - check twitter and the venue for people selling tickets)
Edinburgh 2015
A new year, a new festival and a new schedule.
Last year was filled with exceptional delights and great finds, and I was particularly pleased when I discovered that Alex Edelman had deservedly won the newcomer award. He'll be making a repeat appearance this year, provided that there are tickets left when I book them. I'm also delighted that I managed to get tickets for the legendary Daniel Kitson for my first day, with The Pajama Men following later in the night; it's going to be excellent (fact).
Last night was a slightly chaotic journey. The pricing wisdom of the British rail industry is such that a direct train to Edinburgh from Sheffield costs twice as much as getting a train to Manchester Piccadilly then getting a train to Edinburgh. Obviously, I'm going to buy the Manchester connection.
The fates had deigned to offer me a tumultuous journey for my first Edinburgh weekend: the Sheffield train was late by 40 minutes meaning I had missed my connection, which was also the last train to Edinburgh from Manchester. The solution: the train company organised a taxi to take me to Edinburgh. One 4 hour car journey later, I had come back home.
Hopefully the next three weekends won't be as dramatic.
Also, staying in my friend's very nice flat has made me realise that my Sheffield place is less than grand. I hereby vow to utilise my new-found earnings to their greatest renting potential next year. Also, it'd be nice not to have a place with frequent snail/slug visitations in one's bedroom (even on the 1st floor). I did accidentally step on a snail last night - perhaps that is an omen of times to come? Who knows?
Top tips for this year:
Liam Williams (as ever, he encapsulates the current generation in biting mockery)
The Pin (outstanding sketch duo with a very intelligent, beautifully crafted hour)
Alex Edelman (will this year's show live up to the hype and promise of last year?)
Joe Lycett (a reliably funny, charismatic stand up)
Pappys (excellent sketch trio - they're doing a variety of things this year)
Pajama Men (exceptionally funny physical comedians with elegantly written character shows)
Adam Hess (he's a bit mad and hyper, but very funny)
Last year was filled with exceptional delights and great finds, and I was particularly pleased when I discovered that Alex Edelman had deservedly won the newcomer award. He'll be making a repeat appearance this year, provided that there are tickets left when I book them. I'm also delighted that I managed to get tickets for the legendary Daniel Kitson for my first day, with The Pajama Men following later in the night; it's going to be excellent (fact).
Last night was a slightly chaotic journey. The pricing wisdom of the British rail industry is such that a direct train to Edinburgh from Sheffield costs twice as much as getting a train to Manchester Piccadilly then getting a train to Edinburgh. Obviously, I'm going to buy the Manchester connection.
The fates had deigned to offer me a tumultuous journey for my first Edinburgh weekend: the Sheffield train was late by 40 minutes meaning I had missed my connection, which was also the last train to Edinburgh from Manchester. The solution: the train company organised a taxi to take me to Edinburgh. One 4 hour car journey later, I had come back home.
Hopefully the next three weekends won't be as dramatic.
Also, staying in my friend's very nice flat has made me realise that my Sheffield place is less than grand. I hereby vow to utilise my new-found earnings to their greatest renting potential next year. Also, it'd be nice not to have a place with frequent snail/slug visitations in one's bedroom (even on the 1st floor). I did accidentally step on a snail last night - perhaps that is an omen of times to come? Who knows?
Top tips for this year:
Liam Williams (as ever, he encapsulates the current generation in biting mockery)
The Pin (outstanding sketch duo with a very intelligent, beautifully crafted hour)
Alex Edelman (will this year's show live up to the hype and promise of last year?)
Joe Lycett (a reliably funny, charismatic stand up)
Pappys (excellent sketch trio - they're doing a variety of things this year)
Pajama Men (exceptionally funny physical comedians with elegantly written character shows)
Adam Hess (he's a bit mad and hyper, but very funny)
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