Show 5: Sheeps: Ten Years, Ten Laughs

Harking from Cambridge Footlights, sketch trio, Sheeps, can't resist having clever layers of irony and meta-comedy in their shows. Their 2014 show 'Wembley Previews' was a genius of sketch comedy though I fear they may not match that dizzy height of narrative sketch shows.

This show, a retrospective, pulls together highlights of the previous ten years with some knowing commentary in between. A highlight of the show for me came from a presumed walkout as the trio made light ironic jibes at the 'woke' movement, with Liam suggesting the innocent punters were 'snowflakes' and Darren breaking character and quite rightly pointing out they could have been on either side of the argument with the irony being 'wafer thin'. They're certainly self-aware.

At times the meta-comedy threatens to be overly-clever and pretentious though the trio manage to tread the line to keep it entertaining.

The final 'three cowboys' sketch does well to play on Al's absence after a falling out and the subsequent substitution by a hapless audience member, overall it's an entertaining hour.

 
Score: 7/10
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard, Forth
Dates: 7th - 14th August
Time: 19:00

Price: £14 (£11 concessions) weekends, £12.50 (£10) weekdays

Show 4: Foil Arms and Hog – Hogwash

Festival veterans Foils, Arms and Hog return once more and the 3 year absence has done nothing to dent their clowning abilities.

Some light audience banter and (hopefully) consensual borrowing of various garments starts off the show with gusto. It's a show of swift daftness and moments of playful audience interaction. The suitcase sketch and the opening séance sketch being personal favourites of the night, it's a flawless show that can't fail to delight everyone.

Score: 9/10
Venue: McEwan Hall, Bristo Square
Dates:  7th - 28th August
Time: 21:15
Price: £18 (£17 concessions) weekends, £16 (£15) weekdays

Show 3: Ivo Graham: My Future My Clutter

Last time I watched Ivo Graham he was in the Pleasance Courtyard, Cabaret Bar, and unfortunately the show was cut short by a fire alarm. Thankfully this year's show wasn't so rudely interrupted.

This is a stunning, deft, brilliant performance, arguably his best show yet. Tightly written pieces bringing together the past couple of years of being a father, dealing with a break up and facing the clutter of his past stored in his childhood home. The joke rate is high and the energy never drops in this show, there's even a moment of audience interaction which was expertly handled without dropping the momentum. Articulate, witty and smart without being pretentious, this is an outstanding hour of comedy which surely begs for at least a Best Show nomination.

Just a shame there weren't any crisps at the end, like 2019's offering.

Score: 9/10
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance One
Dates: 7th - 28th August
Time: 19:30
Price: £15 (£13 concessions) weekends, £13 (£12) weekdays

Show 2: Mark Watson: This Can't Be It

Mark Watson's nervous, excitable energy effuses through with an almost infectious quality. He's got a lot to cover, including a divorce, trying to be a good parent, and grappling with his own mortality, triggered by a 'predict when you'll die' app he downloaded during the lockdowns.

Watson's verging-on-chaotic navigation of his material could be quite charming but it doesn't quite hit during this performance. There are some entertaining moments and an in-depth exchange with an audience member whose Twitter profile Watson had checked out before the show. Nevertheless the show left me wanting for something more cohesive and tighter, but maybe that's just not Watson's style.

Score: 6/10
Venue: Pleasance courtyard, Pleasance One
Dates: 7th - 28th August (not 15th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd)
Time: 21:00
Price: £16 (£14.50 concessions) weekends, £14.50 (£13) weekdays

Show 1: David O'Doherty: whoa is me

Despite a 20 minute late start to the show (apparently a puppet malfunction in the morning causing a knock-on effect for the rest of the day) the DoD isn't fazed, he's just glad to be back at the festival performing again.

It's a joyous hour of whimsy, charming ditties and a quintessentially DoD impression of a bat being eaten (who can forget about the past 3 years - it's sure to be a common theme throughout the whole Fringe). 8 months of isolation on Achill island with his elderly parents may not sound like great comedy fodder but DoD finds moments of bizarre circumstances and humour in amongst the desolation (you'd be surprised what you can find on the beach at Achill!).

As ever DoD's relaxed, assured performance marks him as one of the really great comics of modern times. A terrific return to the Fringe.

Score: 9/10

Venue: Assembly George Square, Gordon Aikman lecture theatre

Dates: 7th - 29th August (not 15th)

Time: 19:30

Price: £17 (£16 concessions) weekends, £16 (£15) weekdays

Edinburgh Fringe 2022

Who'd have predicted that we'd have to wait 3 years for the Fringe Festival to pick up again proper? In the mean time we've had a global pandemic with covid-19 (arguably still ongoing), a new threat with monkeypox, I've finally finished my specialty training and I'm in the midst of multiple slightly stressful life maneouvres (starting a year-long job in Leeds, finding a flat in leeds, finding a lodger in Edinburgh, applying for a consultant job in Edinburgh for next year, anxiously awaiting my keys to my flat after accidentally leaving them back home in Manchester and getting my mother to post them back to me, having my 125cc motorbike stolen and dealing with insurance, and doing the paperwork for finishing training...now that I write it all down, it does sound like a pretty busy 2 months).

Whilst all that's going on, we've had yet more omnishambles from BoJo so much so that he's finally resigned, and what the great British public have in store is one of two quite remarkably out of touch people that I really despair at the state of British (read English) politics currently. And with the Scottish Independence referendum threatening to occur once again in 2023, who know what will happen with the UK.

But to dstract us from the doom and gloom of reality, we have the delights of the Edinburgh Festival running again. Having been detached from the comedy scene for the past two and a half years (save for the occasional Pappy's zoom flatshare slamdown) I've no sense of who's hot in the comedy circuit new acts these. If I manage to watch at least one nominated show I'll be happy.

Given my previous inability to keep up with my pre-determined schedule and actually write about all the shows I've seen, here's a list of the shows I've booked for posterity:

 

Wed 03 Aug 2022

David O'Doherty: whoa is me 19:30

Gordon Aikman Theatre at Assembly George Square

 

Mark Watson: This Can't Be It 21:00

Pleasance One at Pleasance Courtyard

 

Thu 04 Aug 2022  

Ivo Graham: My Future My Clutter 19:30

Pleasance One at Pleasance Courtyard 

 

Foil, Arms and Hog: Hogwash 21:15

McEwan Hall, Bristo Square

 

Fri 05 Aug 2022  

Sheeps: Ten Years, Ten Laughs 19:00

Forth at Pleasance Courtyard

 

Eli Matthewson: Daddy Short-Legs 20:50

The Wee Coo at Underbelly George Square

 

Alex Franklin: Dinosaurusesuses 22:50

Just The Wee One at Just The Tonic at the Caves 

 

Sat 06 Aug 2022

Tony Law: A Now Begin in Again 12:00

Monkey Barrel 3 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Stuart Goldsmith: A Shared Illusion (WIP) 13:25

Monkey Barrel 3 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Amy Gledhill: The Girl Before The Girl You Marry 15:30

Carnivore 2 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Carnivore)

(Venue No. 180) 208 Cowgate, EH1 1LL

 

BriTANicK 19:45

The Box at Assembly George Square  

 

Jordan Brookes: This Is Just What Happens 21:55

Monkey Barrel 3 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Sun 07 Aug 2022  

Eleanor Morton Has Peaked 12:40

Carnivore 2 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Carnivore)

(Venue No. 180) 208 Cowgate, EH1 1LL

 

John-Luke Roberts: A World Just Like Our Own, But... 15:35

Monkey Barrel 4 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Lou Sanders: One Word: Wow 17:40

Monkey Barrel 3 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR 

 

Drunk Women Solving Crime 20:20

Friesian at Underbelly Bristo Square

 

Jordan Gray: Is It A Bird? 22:25

The Box at Assembly George Square  

 

The End of the Pier, at the End of the World 23:59

Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR 

 

Mon 08 Aug 2022

Avenue Q 20:10

Alba Theatre at Hill Street Theatre (Venue No. 41) 19 Hill Street, EH2 3JP

 

Tue 09 Aug 2022 

Police Cops: The Musical 19:00

Assembly Square Gardens Studios - Studio 1

 

Mat Ewins: Danger Money 22:30

Just The Big Room at Just The Tonic at the Caves

 

Wed 10 Aug 2022

Chloe Petts: Transience 18:00

Upstairs at Pleasance Courtyard

 

Ed Gamble: Electric 21:00

Gordon Aikman Theatre at Assembly George Square 

 

Thu 11 Aug 2022   

Olga Koch: Just Friends 19:35

Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Alfie Brown: Sensitive Man 21:00

 Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Oliver Coleman: Sublime 22:35

Carnivore 2 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Carnivore)

(Venue No. 180) 208 Cowgate, EH1 1LL

 

Sun 14 Aug 2022

John Robertson: The Dark Room 22:00

Dining Room at Gilded Balloon Teviot

 

Tue 16 Aug 2022 

Angela Barnes: Hot Mess 19:00

Cabaret Bar at Pleasance Courtyard 

 

Thom Tuck and Tim FitzHigham: Macbeth 20:35

Belly Button at Underbelly Cowgate 

 

Alice Cockayne: Attention Needed 22:25

Just Up The Stairs at Just The Tonic at the Caves

 

Wed 17 Aug 2022 

Alasdair Beckett-King: Nevermore 19:00

Jack Dome at Pleasance Dome 

 

Phil Wang: The Real Hero in All This 21:00

Gordon Aikman Theatre at Assembly George Square 

 

Thu 18 Aug 2022 

Fin Taylor: Daddy Self-Care 20:30

Queen Dome at Pleasance Dome 

 

Mon 24 Aug 2022

Alternative Comedy Memorial Society 23:59

Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR 

 

Tue 23 Aug 2022 

Josie Long: Re-Enchantment 14:50

Monkey Barrel 3 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Sofie Hagen: Fat Jokes 16:15

Monkey Barrel 3 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Atsuko Okatsuka: The Intruder 18:00

Bunker Three at Pleasance Courtyard  

 

Nish Kumar: Your Power, Your Control 21:00

Gordon Aikman Theatre at Assembly George Square  

 

110% John Kearns and Pat Cahill23:20

Monkey Barrel 3 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Wed 24 Aug 2022  

Pat Cahill: Work in Progress 13:25

Carnivore 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Carnivore)

(Venue No. 180) 208 Cowgate, EH1 1LL

 

Microscope: Live 16:15

Monkey Barrel 3 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Tim Vine: Breeeep! 18:00

Pleasance One at Pleasance Courtyard

 

Tim Key: Mulberry 22:00

Forth at Pleasance Courtyard

 

Sam Campbell: Comedy Show 00:05 (actually Thu 25 August)

Monkey Barrel 4 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Thu 25 Aug 2022

Lauren Pattison: It Is What It Is 12:30

Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Glenn Moore: Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, Glenn I'm Sixty Moore 16:05

Cabaret Bar at Pleasance Courtyard

 

Maisie Adam: Buzzed 17:30

Dining Room at Gilded Balloon Teviot 

 

Larry Dean: Fudnut 20:30

Monkey Barrel 3 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Norris and Parker: Sirens 21:15

Monkey Barrel 4 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Fri 26 Aug 2022 

The Delightful Sausage: Nowt but Sea 12:45

Monkey Barrel 4 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Olaf Falafel: STOAT 15:00

Main room at Laughing Horse @ The Pear Tree

(Venue No. 257) 36 West Nicholson Street, EH8 9DD

 

Paul Williams: In the Moonlight 16:30

Downstairs at Assembly Roxy

 

Chris Gethard: A Father and the Sun 18:00

Billiard Room at Gilded Balloon Teviot 

 

Elf Lyons: Raven 20:30

Dining Room at Gilded Balloon Teviot

 

Sat 27 Aug 2022

Catherine Bohart: This Isn't For You 15:20

Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR

 

Tom Rosenthal: Manhood 17:20

Forth at Pleasance Courtyard

 

Christopher Bliss: Captain Words Eye 18:40

Beneath at Pleasance Courtyard  

 

Joz Norris: Blink 20:20

Jack Dome at Pleasance Dome 

 

Ciarán Dowd: King Rodolfo 21:50

Queen Dome at Pleasance Dome 

 

Sun 28 Aug 2022

George Egg: Set Menu (The Best of George Egg) 16:25

Piccolo Tent at Assembly George Square Gardens 

 

Alternative Comedy Memorial Society 23:59

Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy

(Venue No. 515) 9-12 Blair Street, EH1 1QR