A little touch of Fringe

[smokingboot]

Stand ups:

Mark Thomas: brilliant though like most political comedians,possibly too topical to age well. Proper close-to-the-audience comedy club, also proper angry comedy.

Reginald D Hunter: slower, more measured, good though a bit of filler (I hate shaggy dog stories) very good value.

Rich Hall: excellent always, odd start, but gets into his stride, same stage as Reginald. Probably the best in terms of material.

Shows:

The Strange Undoing of Prudentia Hart (see separate entry)

We Were Promised Honey
This was the most perfectly put together show I saw, perfect performance, perfect marriage of venue with material, consummate story telling with a deeply involved and participating audience. With my neutral hat on, I would say this is the best all round piece of theatre I have seen in many years, but for me, loving folklore based stuff, Prudentia's right beside it.

Famous Puppet Death Scenes
I wouldn't dare create any expectations at all for this, except to say that it was very good at being what it was. I loved it. (https://vimeo.com/270138652)

Eulogy
Another show that is best not described (turns out I am not really reviewing anything after all) you're in a shipping container in the dark. The rest is better kept quiet, macabre in its cleverness. Or, as Mallory'_Camera described it, 'that was wild!'

Hamlet with Ian McKellen
Hmm. Ok, so this was more a ballet/contemporary dance with Hamlet's major speeches thrown in, as IM gamely wandered around the stage close to and occasionally draped over handsome young men. It was our most expensive ticket at the Fringe and, as a way to pull people back after Covid, a generous gesture on the part of its star. But the trouble is, gratitude aside, it could be better. I enjoyed the show,but it had faults, the main one being what appeared to be what seemed like a brain freeze on the part of the director when realising he had the great thesp and a whole bunch of dancers with which to create something. There was dancing and declaiming. And there we leave it.

The Tragedy of MacBeth
Physical theatre. My companions loved it, I, well, I could be talked into not hating it. There were some things that really worked, the smell of stale wine at the banquet, the psychotic fool, the dreaminess of it. But I am literary and verbal and for me, MacBeth is not quite MacBeth without the text. Still, this is the point of the Fringe, to take what's known and turn it around. It certainly did that.

Things worth avoiding
A man whipping a potato called Hamish next to the National Gallery.

Things I wished we had gone to see
A play about Gaugin written by the keenest,sweetest playright ever.

Overall verdict?
Love my friend for providing me with the reason to stop worrying at my PC! And also, love the Fringe, glad it's back!