Festival Radio Project 2005 : Week Two Reviews |
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Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four Here are a selection of reviews of Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows, written by the participants of Week Two (8th - 12th August 2005) of Media Education's Festival Radio Project. REVIEW : Jobless Satisfaction'Jobless Satisfaction'Fringe Guide : Page 40 Venue: Smirnoff Underbelly (Venue 61) Address : 56 Cowgate Reviewers : By Julie and Jennifer Jobless Satisfaction was an irreverent comedy about two producers in the weird world of daytime TV. It features two Irish women trying to come up with a formula for a successful daytime chat show. Performed and written by Brona C. Titley (award winning writer) and Aisling B. O'Sullivan. Greeted by Queen's 'I Want To Ride My Bicycle', the play opened with a bare stage and two chairs, two women and a low screen. The two actresses managed to successfully work their way through the performance with witty gags and realistic sarcasm, although having said that, at times the jokes did roam into the realm of the obscure and unfunny. Although some of the material baffled the audience at times, Titley and O'Sullivan proved to be talented actresses who worked their way through the play with ease. The characters used throughout slightly lacked subtlety and depth. They were occasionally over-exaggerated and the personas presented felt under-developed and immature. However, it is our opinion that Titley and O'Sullivan have a bright future ahead of them in the world of acting. By Julie and Jeniffer REVIEW : Flipped To The Funny Side'Flipped To The Funny Side'Fringe Guide : Page 10 Venue: The Stand Comedy Club II (Venue 5) Address : 16 North St Andrew Street, EH2 1HJ Reviewers : Eve and Lucy 'Flipped to the funny side' is a great interactive show for the younger generation. Personally I would say it is aimed towards 4-7 year olds, but don't let that stop you if your looking for a fun, light comedy with slapstick jokes and audience participation. It's a one man show, using mainly puppets and cartoon figures. There's a lot of funny story telling and sound effects. It's about a young boy called Hugo. He is sent to the funny side after being naughty and playing a trick on the prince. It is up to Hugo to learn his lesson and get back home with only a tool box and some imagination. It is a funny, vibrant show which offers children the chance to join in and help tell the story. I think Flipped To The Funny Side will engage and delight parents and children alike, it is a great family comedy and if you have children, or you yourself just fancy a funny short show, then check this out. Flipped To The Funny Side is showing on August 6-28 (not 15) at 14:30 (50 mins long) in The Stand Comedy Club II. Written By Eve & Lucy aged 12 REVIEW : Enola'Enola'Fringe Guide : Page 146 Venue: Smirnoff Baby Belly (Venue 88) Address : The Caves, Niddry St South Reviewer : Joanne Enola is a 5-star breathtaking show! It's a powerful and upsetting drama which is unmissable. The actors are fantastic, they fill the whole room with their clear and echoed voices! Enola is a delight to watch and i recomend that you go and see it before it finishes! It's on at the Smirnoff Underbelly at 12:10pm and it's on for about 1 hour. The drama started on the 4th of August and it finishes on the 28th of August! The tickets cost about £7.00 and you can buy the tickets at www.smirnoffunderbelly.co.uk or go the box office on the day of the performance! Written by Joanne REVIEW : Short Stories and Shortbread'Short Stories and Shortbread'Fringe Guide : Page 14 Venue: Hill Street Theatre (Venue 41) Address : 19 Hill Street, EH2 3JP Reviewers : Lucy and Eve 'Short Stories And Shortbread' is a show involving 4 short stories all with different themes. They involve an overly catchy lyric passed on in a chain, a scary tale by Edgar Allen Poe and a kidnapped boy who wanted to stay kidnapped, plus you get a free bit of shortbread. Short Stories And Shortbread is acted out by 3 men who are obviously incredibly good at their jobs , despite this I would say that parents would enjoy this show more than the kids that it's made for as the show is advertised for kids aged 5 yrs+ but really is best for 8-12 year olds especially if they like story time, but as I say the parents would also enjoy it just as much as kids (if not more). The last story is the best one, we give it 8/10. Although the show is ok there are far better shows for little kids out there so I wouldn't rush out to buy tickets for them. By Lucy and Eve (aged 12) REVIEW : The Bicycling Comedian's One Man Show'The Bicycling Comedian's One Man Show'Fringe Guide : Page 23 Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14) Address : 13 Bristo Square, EH8 9AL Reviewers : Alexander, Patrick and Magnus The Bicycling Comedian's was a one-man show done by Tom Scnyder. It was at the Gilded Balloon in Bristo Square (venue Number - 14) He is on from the 7th of August until the 28th of August (excluding the 14th of August). The show was about all the places he had been to and he was telling us all about where he had been riding and he showed us some funny road signs from different countries. As a group I think we all thought that he was telling us more a life story and about him than doing a comedy show. We though it could have been much better and that it was a bit boring when we were watching the slides on the road signs. A disappointing ** (2 stars) Alexander, Patrick and Magnus. REVIEW : The Crazy World Of Harry Potty'The Crazy World Of Harry Potty'Fringe Guide : Page 9 Venue: Diverse Attractions (Venue 11) Address : Riddles Court, 322 Lawnmarket, EH1 2PG Reviewer : Rebecca 'The Crazy World Of Harry Potty' is a one-man poetry show for 6-11 year olds. David Mackay is 'Harry Potty'. Dressed in a tweed jacket he makes the claim that he is the only grown up child in the world. He tells his own animal poems such as 'The Sloth' : "The sloth is often colored brown, He sees the world from upside down, He has a topsy turvey view, And so looks down on me and you." I think that although this show is aimed at 6-11 year olds, it is more suited to younger children (3-6). Harry Potty also comes out with lots of jokes in his show; although he moves on quickly so that the punchline is often lost. The children seemed entertained and were occasionally included in the act. It's a shame that the show is so fast moving and perhaps needs some of it cut so as to not be in a frantic rush to finish in the allocated 35 minutes. 2** By Rebecca REVIEW : Suessical The Musical'Suessical The Musical'Fringe Guide : Page 125 Venue: Church Hill Theatre (Venue 137) Address : Morningside Road, EH10 4RR Reviewer : Hazel On the 10th of August I went to see 'Seussical the Musical' at the Church Hill Theatre and I thought it was a spectacular production. It is part of a programme from the American High School Theatre Festival and this group come from Abraham Lincoln High School, California, USA. The songs were really catchy and were very well performed. For a cast of such young people their voices are so strong and they are so confident which I think helps a lot. There was a great variation of songs and styles, which made it entertaining for people of any age. There was also a friendly atmosphere between the cast members and the audience. The costumes were amazing and looked very well made. I would give this performance 4 out of 5 stars! Seussical the Musical is on at the Church Hill Theatre (venue 137) It is on from the 8 till the 13 of August. So book a ticket now! By Hazel, aged 14 REVIEW : Chinese State Circus'Chinese State Circus'Fringe Guide : Page 138 Venue: Meadows Theatre Big Tops (Venue 189) Address : The Meadows, Melville Drive, EH9 Reviewers : Patrick, Alexander and Magnus We went to see the Chinese State Circus, which was located in the big top tent in the Meadows. This show started at 15:00 and lasted a very well used, 2 hours. It also included a 15-minute interval. It was a bit different from a normal circus because there were no animals and no traditional clowns, but a lot more acrobats and it also had the amazing Shaolin Warriors. For the whole two hours the performers continued to dazzle the audience with many different acts ranging from acrobats doing a number of flips then diving through a 4ft hoop which was 10 feet from the ground, to breaking 4 bricks over someone's head using a sledgehammer, to 5 people juggling heavy jars whilst doing acrobatics. I have never seen a show like it. It was an exciting, dramatic and graceful performance and the only time I was disappointed was when I realised it was finished. 4**** Patrick, Alexander and Magnus REVIEW : A Clean Sweep'A Clean Sweep'Fringe Guide : Page 9 Venue: Dance Base - National Centre for Dance (Venue 22) Address : 14-16 Grassmarket, EH1 2JU Reviewer : Sarah On the 11th of August I went to see 'A Clean Sweep' at Dance Base and I thought it was a hilarious production. I have never seen such a funny mime using household cleaning items. It is well rehearsed and funny for all the family no matter what age you are. There was a friendly atmosphere between the two cast members and the audience. The costumes went well with the characters and the music was right for the atmosphere of the show. I would give this performance 4 out of 5 stars! A Clean Sweep is on at Dance Base (venue 22). It is on from the 11 - 20 August (except 15) at 10:00 am Tickets: £10 (£6) So book now!! Reviewed by Sarah Age 14 REVIEW : Acetylene'Acetylene'Fringe Guide : Page 67 Venue: C Venue (Venue 34) Address : Chambers Street, EH1 1HR Reviewer : Hazel Yesterday afternoon I went to see Acetylene at the C venue in Chamber St. It was a very physical contemporary break-dancing performance. The show was performed by six guys from "The 2 Faced Dance Company" and runs everyday at 15.05hrs, from 3rd to the 20th (excluding 14th). More details can be found on page 67 of the Fringe Guide. This was highly enjoyable because it the only show in the Fringe of its kind - purely break-dancing!! As a reporter for the GO4IT Festival Radio Project. I have seen several musical and physical theatre performances and by far this is the most entertaining and "up-beat" show yet! The audience was varied from young to old, which suggests that there is something for everyone. It doesn't matter whether you have an interest in this kind of dancing- go and see it, cause it will inspire you and have you wowing, oohing, gasping and applauding at the flexibility and energetic stage act. The Festival Radio Project would give Acetylene a 5 out of 5 star rating. Reviewed by Hazel, Age 14 REVIEW : Lunch Time Live'Lunch Time Live'Fringe Guide : Page 43 Venue: Smirnoff Underbelly (Venue 61) Address : 56 Cowgate, EH1 1EG Reviewer : Ailidh Lunch Time Live consisted of five groups of comedians, all very different but all funny in their own way. I found the last group the best. They were a duet consisting of a man and a very dim lady! The man was on guitar and the Lady, Krysstal played a variety of instruments! The variety increasing as their show went on! I thougt that the comedians were all very original and very entertaining! By Ailidh REVIEW : Where Spirits and Fairies Dwell'Where Spirits and Fairies Dwell'Fringe Guide : Page 190 Venue: C Venue (Venue 34) Address : Chambers Street Reviewers : Luisa and Fiona The show is about Japanese culture. It was a puppet show, but human actors were also included. There was an assortment of stories, all following the theme of magic and folklore. It included traditional music and clothing, and the puppets interacted with the actors. The settings were all different and changed very quicky and professionally. The show followed Japanese family life. We thought that the show was quite original and different from most things you would come across at the Fringe. It was very peaceful and refined. It seemed to need a great deal of skill to control the puppets. We thought it was amazing. 3 *** By Luisa and Fiona REVIEW : Rupelstiltskin's Daughter'Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter'Fringe Guide : Page 13 Venue: Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) Address : 54 George Street, EH2 2LR Reviewer : Rebecca and Eilidh This show was for younger children, but you couldn't tell when you were watching it. There was lots of bright colours and wonderful singing with great performers, dancing and very funny. A show that I would highly recommend going to see. It was very good and I loved the colourful characters, singing and dancing. This show is for younger children but it was very good. I'd go and see it again! By Rebecca and Eilidh REVIEW : Hansel and Gretel'Hansel and Gretel'Fringe Guide : Page 11 Venue: The White Tent (Venue 119) Address : George Square Gardens Reviewer : Rebecca and Eilidh The show was very funny and there were great acrobatics. Only two of them were performing and they made the show their own and performed it really well. When they spoke French no one in the audience understood and when Gretel killed the witch there were a few worried glances from the mothers in the audience! REVIEW : Back To Your Roots'Back To Your Roots'Fringe Guide : Page 132 Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14) Address : 13 Bristo Square, EH8 9AL Reviewer : Caitlin 'Back to your Roots' was really good as the title linked to the show in two ways: it was set in a hairdressers, but it was also about the manager of the hairdressers trying to kill off his family roots, as he hates his mother because she gives him a hard time for being gay. The other characters in the show are a very del boy like character who is two timing with the girl who works in the hairdressers. She was also the girl who wrote the play. She plays a very dopy character who doesn't get very upset when she found out her fiance was two timing her with her best friend, but Andy also calls himself Colin hoping that the two girls won't find out he's going out with them both. The characters were all very funny. I really enjoyed the show and I thought it was a good story told in a funny way. By Caitlin, age 13 REVIEW : Snow White'Snow White'Fringe Guide : Page 14 Venue: C Venue (Venue 34) Address : Chambers Street, EH1 1HR Reviewer : Patrick, Alexander and Magnus We went to see Snow White at the C venue (venue 34) on Chambers Street. It was on Friday 12th at 11:20. It was the classic fairy tail of Snow White where Snow White has a horrible step mother who tries to kill her but Snow White runs away and meets a seven headed troll instead of the seven dwarfs. The seven headed troll worked well, and younger kids found it very funny. I thought it was a very good show, one of the best children's shows I have seen.
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