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Written by Neil Simpson
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 Having never been on one of Edinburgh’s Tour buses it’s hard to tell how interesting they’d be - and how quickly the idea of an open-top bus on the East coast of Scotland would be exposed as lunacy. Presumably it would be a lot less interesting if the bus was (say) a small theatre with no windows, and the guide kept desperately trying to entertain us.
This is what Ruth Bratt attempts with less than spectacular results. We are initially taken over Waverly Bridge, along Princess Street Gardens, then (all the way back) to Our Dynamic Earth and eventually (somehow) along Rowe Street. At each stop characters (such as Nikita the Russian café owner or generic fat American tourist) appear and chat away to us. Eventually this ends with a very sad performer dressed as a Bee. This made your reviewer briefly consider the cruelty of a bad review in the face of such a pathetic performance.
This empathy soon dissipated. These shows, after all, cost money, and in a sea of average comedians a little guidance helps. Sitting for an hour in the stuffy little venue, with an unresponsive audience and a tragic stand-up, is in no way enjoyable and eventually becomes embarrassing for all involved. Try the real thing – it’s cheaper and is bound to be more interesting.
- Ruth Bratt …And on your left
- Pleasance Dome
- August 3rd – 25th
- 14:30
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