The
Adventures of Alvin Sputnik, Underbelly. Hilarious and tearjerking, this puppet
show will melt the coldest of hearts. A must see. 5/5
The Adventures
of Wound Man..., Pleasance Courtyard. Chris Goode enchants with this quirky,
tender and frequently side-splitting tale. 4/5
Agnes
& Walter, Zoo Southside. A glorious dance eulogy to the idea of growing old
with someone. Free-spirited, life-affirming new work. 5/5
Aisle
16 R Kool, FF Banshee's Labyrinth. See the three best poets of the Fringe, as
they work best: in a dungeon, for free. Real cool. 4/5
The
Alchemystorium, Bedlam. A dazzling tour-de-force of puppetry and mime that is
as side-splittingly funny as it is achingly touching. 5/5
Alex
Horne, Pleasance Dome. Wildly inventive and very funny, Horne pulls off his
ambitious concept with considerable aplomb. 4/5
Alma
Mater, St George's West. Innovative use of an iPad in this atmospheric
installation. Creepy and lovely in equal bursts. 3/5.
Alphonse,
Pleasance Courtyard. A generous paean to the imagination, this simple, fluid
story is told effortlessly well. Easy viewing. 3/5
And
The Birds Fell From The Sky, C eca. Totally immersive and genuinely powerful,
this video-goggle piece is as original as they come. 4/5
Around
the World in 80 Quid, Pleasance Courtyard. Funny, intoxicating storytelling
from a musical vagrant. A hedonistic twist of genres. 3/5
Asher
Treleaven, Pleasance Courtyard. Ingenious, highly original set. Socially
responsible rhetoric + cock jokes = a winning formula. 4/5
Bane Trilogy,
Pleasance Dome. Bane keeps raising the bar for solo performance, and its gag
rate takes no prisoners. Totally magnificent. 5/5
Bepo
& Co, C. Youngsters in greasepaint shout their way through a frustratingly
unintelligible play. You've probably seen it before. 2/5
Body Of Water,
Pleasance Courtyard. Anarchic squat drama with a nicely eked out story, but the
flat staging and substance of a TV drama. 3/5
The Boom
Jennies, Pleasance Courtyard. The constant dancing & physical gags became
samey or lost purpose, although they worked for some. 2/5
Bluebeard,
Underbelly. A famously horrible story re-told with irony and a bag of tricks,
but sadly lacking in humour or heart. 2/5
Body of Water,
Pleasance Courtyard. A cool play with an even cooler soundtrack. Riots, raves
and drugs. Skilful, slick and savvy. 3/5
Bones, Zoo. A
strong script and a photorealistic performance are constrained by a lack of variety
and tone in this chilling monologue. 3/5
Broken
Wing, Venue 13. A crowded set muddles a simple story; some winning cultural
observations can't make up for a lack of depth. Fair. 2/5
Cabaret Whore,
Underbelly. Four eccentric stars for the price of one silken-voiced
Sarah-Louise Young. Guaranteed to get you guffawing. 4/5
The Caroline
Carter Show, Zoo. Pleasant if unexciting. An irresistibly likeable Carter
becomes much funnier as the whiskey goes round! 2/5
Choose Death, Just The Tonic. An inspired set
of disturbing characters in this dark comedy. At points repetitive, but
enjoyable overall. 3/5
Christmas For
Two, Just The Tonic. Promising female duo have hilarious comic presence and
strong characters, but some skits need a trim. 3/5
Clockheart Boy,
C. With its slick performances and gentle treatment of loss, this is a very
special fable, and a slick little treasure. 4/5
Comedy Zone,
Pleasance Courtyard. A perfectly chosen variety box of impressive stand ups.
Each very different, each totally hilarious. 5/5
Dead Cat Bounce,
Pleasance Courtyard. Enjoyable as ever with some good new songs, but old
material shines brightest. 3/5
Death Song,
Udderbelly. Inspired stagecraft, impassioned performance work and a unique
aesthetic, punctured only by an imperfect plot. 3/5
Devil In The
Detail, Zoo Roxy. A comedy that 8-year-olds might enjoy - but marketed at
adults and bearing a 12+ rating. Unfortunate. 2/5
Doris Day Can
Fuck Off, Zoo Southside. Behind its barmy facade, this challenging show is
packed with insight. Provocative and uplifting. 4/5
Dr Brown,
Underbelly. Mr Bean and Andy Kaufman's love child has made a show, and it/he is
mental/genius. Sell your money for a ticket. 5/5
Dream Pill,
Underbelly. Carefully directed, bravely performed, this short issue-based play
balances charms and chills. Bracing. 4/5
Dry Ice, Underbelly. Poetic monologue on life
in a strip club. Each rapid-fire rhyme hits its target; don't miss this.
4/5
The Ducks, Pleasance
Courtyard. The stakes seem high but we have absolutely no idea why in this
morbidly confusing little thriller. 2/5
Edward Aczel,
Underbelly. Aczel remains the definitive anti-comedian. Terrible comedy,
beautifully executed. Very funny. 4/5
The End,
Pleasance Courtyard. Hypnotic and poignant, this rewardingly dense piece tugs
at both your brain stem and your heart strings. 4/5
Eric Lampaert,
Pleasance Courtyard. Autobiographical comedy with more self-commentary than
story, but that's part of the charm. Warming. 4/5
Flirt Fiction,
Space North Bridge. Like a Marmite dildo - not to everyone's taste. Vulgar,
misdirected, although oddly pleasurable. 2/5
Forgetting
Natasha, Zoo Southside. Pretty spectacular projection is dampened by
comfortable dance and an earnest, unnecessary script. 3/5
Free Time
Radical, Pleasance Courtyard. Great ideas and impressive design are unbalanced
by an awkward narrative. Doesn't hold water. 2/5
Frimston and
Rowett, Just The Tonic (Store). Herculean punning lifts a few sketches, but
most fail to take off. Needs some sharpening. 2/5
Gagtanamo Bay,
Royal Mile Tavern. Unique, hilarious and best of all, free. A blinding hidden
treasure that subverts expectations. 5/5
Grisly Tales
From Tumblewater, Pleasance Courtyard. Dickens meets Dahl in this lovingly
written, nimbly performed adaptation. Flies by! 3/5
Guilt & Shame, Just The Tonic. For
'depraved comedy' this is far cleverer than the title suggests. Hilarious, if
not inspired. 4/5
Heavy
Like the Weight of a Flame, Underbelly. A noble idea doesn't redeem this
over-long, over-complicated and over-acted solo show. 1/5
Hit Comet,
Bedlam. 'Dunk your heart in the dipping sauce of my love.' Head to this comic
take on the pop industry for the lyrics alone! 3/5
Humphrey Ker,
Pleasance Courtyard. Ker charms as a storyteller and impresses as a writer with
this persistently funny Boys' Own parody. 3/5
I Hope My Heart
Goes First, St George's West. Strong performances all round from a scarily
young company, but show needs more insight. 3/5.
Ian D Montford -
Spirit Comedium, Pleasance Courtyard. Phoney psychic attempts to entertain with
three tricks - and even fewer jokes. 2/5
In
The Dust, Zoo Southside. Fierce choreography and impressive physical feats, but
there's an absence of heart in this dance triptych. 3/5
John Peel's
Shed, Underbelly. Unique and sincere, this beautifully observed hour will leave
you emboldened and enraptured. Affirming. 5/5
Josie Long,
Pleasance Dome. Ever heartfelt, ever intelligent comedy from the Fringe's
loveliest stand-up. You'll wish she was family. 3/5
Idiots of Ants,
Pleasance Courtyard.Don't break any comedy boundaries, but by George these boys
can work a crowd. Slick as they come. 4/5.
The
Improverts, Bedlam. Improv on hyperdrive - wired performers and a consistently
up-for-it crowd make for a cracking late-night treat. 4/5
The Infant,
Pleasance Courtyard. A little too ambiguous, but the high-octane performances
keep this creepy play suspenseful and slick. 3/5
The
Investigation, Zoo Southside. Committed performances, but the physical and
musical accompaniment woefully overeggs the pudding. 2/5
Kalagora, Zoo
Roxy. Rich-voiced Bose is a charismatic performer - unfortunately his poetry is
packed full of jarringly empty metaphors. 2/5
La Putyka, Zoo
Southside. A visual treat: inventive and acrobatic clowns, plus some seriously
sexy trampolining. Needs pulling together. 3/5
Late Night Gimp
Fight, Pleasance Courtyard. All-male sketch troupe, too many wanking jokes.
Very little in the way of funny or clever. 2/5
Leeds Tealights,
Just the Tonic. Traditional sketch comedy at its finest, and an impressively
high gag rate to boot. Goes down a treat. 4/5
Lights. Camera.
Improvise!, C venues. Improvising a complete and hilarious movie every day that
always raises the roof. 4/5
Little Matter,
Bedlam. This weird, adventurous fairytale will propel you to another time and
place: a unique and unmissable experience. 5/5
Love Songs For A
Timewaster, Gilded Balloon. An uninspiring story sung with mixed metaphors
aplenty. It would baffle if it didn't bore. 1/5
Mark Olver, Just The Tonic. A dark narrative
runs nicely alongside traditional stand up. Likable and often very funny. 3/5
Matt
Tiller, Just The Tonic. Like watching a caught fish flap impotently on the
deck, before, at last, its eyes glaze over, and it dies. 1/5
Moon Horse and
the Mars Men From Jupiter, FF Buffs Club. Impossible to dislike for its
amateurish, free-spirited optimism. Catchy songs! 3/5
Morgan and West,
Gilded Balloon. The genial pair pull some neat mind-reading and Victorian
banter into a cohesive, family-friendly hour. 4/5
Movin' Melvin
Brown, C. Friendly evening with a music legend who has plenty of stories to
tell. Most of which are pretty titillating. 3/5
Muscle, Zoo
Roxy. Moving and neatly layered exploration of men and manliness. Bursting with
strong solo work and tight ensemble scenes. 4/5
My Big Gay
Italian Wedding, C. Not for everybody, but as fun as they come. Camp, raunchy
slapstick with an exceedingly warm heart. 4/5