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Paul Merton's Impro Chums

Written by Sarah Riddick | 22 August 2011

alt It’s difficult to imagine a show that caters more to audience satisfaction than Paul Merton’s Impro Chums. Performing twice daily in the massive Pleasance Grand, in an hour filled with audience suggestions, the Chums have found just the right approach to inducing big-scale laughs without compromising their crucial connection to the crowd.

Delete the Banjax

Written by Amiel Clarke | 22 August 2011

alt Delete the Banjax may have left their pigs and ponies at home, but if this show is anything to go by they are more than capable of filling their allotted shed (the Beside) - no farmyard animals necessary.

Colin Hoult

Written by Sarah Riddick | 22 August 2011

alt Character comedian Colin Hoult promises another installment of his theatre-and-comedy blend at this year’s Fringe. Unfortunately, each genre falls short in his frantic sketch show, Inferno.

Claudia O'Doherty

Written by Caroline Whitham | 21 August 2011

alt How do I love Claudia O’Doherty? Let me count the ways.

1. She has chosen a remarkably dull, incredibly niche topic for her show, i.e. soil erosion, and put together one of the most creative, funny and downright weird hours on the Fringe. And by God, she genuinely will give you a lot of facts about soil erosion.

The Adventurers' Club

Written by Amiel Clarke | 21 August 2011

alt I feel almost unfair writing a review of this show when there were so few children in the audience, and those who were there were so very young that they could hardly understand it, let alone thrive on it.

Vive le Cabaret

Written by Kelly Rae Smith | 21 August 2011

alt Vive le Cabaret is a rolling cabaret and so you won't get the same show twice, but it seems that one can rest assured that the team is dedicated to delivering top entertainment in extraordinary variety.

Craig Hill

Written by Caroline Whitham | 21 August 2011

alt Craig Hill bursts on to the stage and out into the audience, throwing himself into a series of fantastic moves to Lady Gaga’s Born This Way. If producers are looking for entries for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, Hill would be a brilliant choice. He claims he wants to dispel any doubts over his sexuality. With a reputation as solid as his, there’s really no need.

Nathan Caton

Written by Amiel Clarke | 19 August 2011

alt Nathan Caton is a burly-looking bloke but, as his show makes clear, judgments based on appearances are often deceiving. Indeed Caton is as charming as he is chatty and is as likely to punch a kitten as Rolf Harris is: yes, he may tell little girls they are adopted if they smash him at his own ‘your mum’ jokes battle, but that is as ruthless as this guy and his comedy gets.

Andi Osho

Written by Amiel Clarke | 19 August 2011

alt Following the success of her 2010 Fringe debut, Andi Osho is back with her second stand-up show All the Single Ladies. As the eponymous title suggests, this confessional show is all about her solitary status and why, after three years, it still remains.

The Boy With Tape On His Face

Written by Caroline Whitham | 19 August 2011

alt Last year, nobody was quite prepared for The Boy With Tape On His Face. An hour of mime? Isn’t that akin to having your brains slowly pulled out through your eyes, knowing all the while that you paid for the privilege? Why would anyone put themselves through that?

However, despite the tough sell, guest spots at a number of late night gigs plus rapturous reviews convinced audiences to give him a try, and saw the Boy become a sell-out on his first rodeo, with an inevitable return with the same show and a bigger venue for this year’s Fringe.

Edward Aczel

Written by Sarah Riddick | 19 August 2011

alt If there can be a comedic personification of “If love is wrong, I don’t wanna be right,” I'd like to nominate Edward Aczel.

Marrying the body of Milton and the “um” usage of the boss from Office Space, Aczel appears to be the total package of what shouldn’t work for stand-up, including - but absolutely not limited to - a listless, droning monotone, a microphone that looks down on him, and an aversion to eye contact (he did, however, sustain some nearly normal levels of eye contact with one audience member during a lengthy perusal of Michael Caine’s career). The result was complete audience adoration.

Russell Kane

Written by Sarah Cooke | 18 August 2011

alt I’ve seen Russell on TV before and I’ve never really been impressed – he comes across as slightly arrogant and even a little false, so I was prepared not to enjoy this show. However, I was really quite impressed with the way that he instantly charmed the audience and, despite a wide demographic before him, had everyone laughing.

Stuart Goldsmith

Written by Amiel Clarke | 18 August 2011

alt Stuart Goldsmith is one of those comedians that an audience cannot help but warm to: he is the fleece-wearing, night-bus-fearing godfather who loves his godson Tom so much that he secretly plots ways to usurp Tom’s father so that he can “keep him.”

David Sedaris

Written by Kelly Rae Smith | 17 August 2011

alt Whether he’s reading a story about a dog licking his nether-regions (Squirrel Seeks Elephant) or a youth sporting a ‘Funky Motha Focka’ T-shirt (Standing By), Sedaris still manages to do so intelligently, and, were it not for the farting airline stewards (aka ‘crop dusting’) and the infinite piles of sh*t rampant in China, you’d be fooled into thinking this talk was all a very civilised affair.

BBC Radio 1's Fun and Filth Cabaret

Written by Amiel Clarke | 17 August 2011

Lashings of talent all under one roof being streamed live can only mean one thing: Radio 1 is in town and ready to unleash their ‘Fun and Filth Cabaret’ on Edinburgh’s Fringe crowd and the nation at large.

Dressed to the nines in suitable ringmaster garb, Nick Grimshaw and Scott Mills will be your delectable hosts for the next four evenings, bringing you the best acts the Fringe has to offer. And, just to begin with, The Hoff is getting in on the act as guest host.

When Women Wee

Written by Amiel Clarke | 17 August 2011

alt This voyeuristic comedy boasts a strong all-female cast, an insight into the nightly break-ups, break-downs and break-throughs that happen in the space of a toilet cubicle, and ‘Shewee’ as their proud sponsor.

Richard Herring

Written by Sarah Riddick | 16 August 2011

alt When comedy is so moving, so dimensional, and so bloody entertaining that it requires six bows to satiate the audience’s laudatory applause, you want to do it justice. Thus, I’ll admit I am daunted by the task of adequately conveying the pleasure I experienced at Richard Herring’s What is Love, Anyway?

Barry and Stuart

Written by Sarah Riddick | 16 August 2011

alt How did no one think of this before? Barry and Stuart’s concept for this year’s Fringe - a two-part show that focuses first on the ‘show,’ then on the ‘tell’ - is so simple it verges on sexy. Okay, so it’s highly unlikely that this is the first execution of this concept, but, boy do Barry and Stuart own it. From customized suits and well-coifed hair to trashy magazines and an overall sinister air, this duo is hell-bent on making magic feel fresh, and they are well-equipped to do so.

Lloyd Langford

Written by Kelly Rae Smith | 15 August 2011

alt You know it’s been a good show when you hear the words ‘Good night everyone’ and it hits you with great disappointment, and a bit of disbelief, that it’s already over.

Marcel Lucont

Written by Amiel Clarke | 15 August 2011

alt Alexis Dubus’s Gallic creation - bon-viveur raconteur Marcel Lucont - is back and ready to interrogate his guests for your délectation.

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