Pleasance Courtyard

Darktales

2016DARKTAL_PA

29/08/16

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh

I was attracted to this show mostly because I liked the look of the poster, and also because we had a spare slot to fill on the final day of the Fringe. I’m glad we took the opportunity, because it’s really rather good.

The third show we’ve seen this year that uses the device of the portmanteau, it relates the story of former author, turned creative writing tutor, Alex Crowley (Andrew Paul), who, after an interval of twenty one years, is finally readying himself to release a sequel to his debut collection, Darktales. Crowley has invited a former student, Jack Langton (Sean Ward), to interview him about the upcoming release for the online blog he produces. But their conversation is interrupted from time to time by the interjections of Lucy (Carrie Marx), another former pupil – is she real or merely a figment of Jack’s imagination?

The show is beautifully put together, with chilling sound and lighting effects and Tim Arthur’s labyrinthine storyline will keep you guessing right up to the very end. Andrew Paul is particularly good as the repellent Max and, though the story falters a little with the appearance of Jack, it soon recovers and builds towards a delightfully satisfying ‘twist in the tail’ conclusion .

It’s too late now, of course, to trumpet its presence on the Fringe, but should it turn up at a venue near you, take the opportunity to see it. It’s an effective and inventive chiller.

4.2 stars

Philip Caveney

Loyiso Gola: Dude, Where’s My Lion?

2016LOYISOG_ACF

20/08/16

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh

Loyiso Gola’s show, Dude, Where’s My Lion? manages to be both gentle and uncompromising, challenging the “not at all diverse” audience to think about what racism is, and just how privileged we really are.

He’s friendly and charming, but he doesn’t pull any punches. Two (white) audience members reveal they used to live in South Africa. One says she is from Eastern Transvaal. “We don’t call it that any more,” Gola says with a smile,. “That’s an apartheid name.” The other says he was in the mining industry. Gola shakes his head and replies, ruefully, that miners were expected to live on £300 a month. “It’s not enough to eat.”

It’s a funny, carefully crafted show, making some very important points. The tale of his encounter with a homeless man in London, for example, is particularly sharp, highlighting the false narratives that we are fed, and which colour our impression of ‘Africa.’ Likewise, a bit about Gola’s education in a Muslim school shows that knowledge is vital for understanding. If this all sounds very serious, that’s because the underlying message is serious, but Gola’s comedic skill is what drives the show – and what makes his message accessible.

And it’s an important message. This isn’t a ‘preaching to the converted’ show. I’ll bet that most of us inside this little bunker consider ourselves liberal and anti-racist. But I, for one, leave feeling challenged and humbled, and with a determination to find out more about the countries and cultures that make up our world.

4.6 stars

Susan Singfield

Orlando Baxter: Suspensions, Detentions and Summer Vacations

2016ORLANDO_PE

13/08/16

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh

Orlando Baxter used to be a teacher, the sort of teacher whose vocation is founded on a desire to ‘give back,’ to provide the same inspiration to troubled teens as a former mentor did for him. Mr Miller, name-checked in the show, clearly did a good job: young Orlando rose from his disadvantaged roots (absent father, drug-addicted mother, poverty, the projects) to be the first in his family to graduate from high school, then college, before making a career for himself as an educator.

It’s clear throughout that he really cared for the kids he taught, even if, ultimately, his ambitions lay elsewhere. Comedy was, he tells us, always where his heart really lay – and his students called him out on his ‘follow your dreams’ inspirational shtick, pointing out he wasn’t following his own advice. And so he did. And education’s loss is comedy’s gain.

Okay, so he doesn’t seem quite like the finished product: a lot of his set is purely anecdotal, sounding a lot like the unvarnished truth without that extra push towards a punch line that would elevate its comedic impact. But he had a strong stage presence and is immensely likeable; he certainly has the potential to be very good indeed. He has an easy manner and interacts effectively with the audience, generously allowing time to explore one particular man’s response to what must surely have been intended as a rhetorical question. He handles this well, making space to find the joke without derailing the show.

Baxter may be critical of the US education system, but ultimately he’s a good ambassador for it. I think this man is one to watch.

3.9 stars

Susan Singfield

James Acaster: Reset

james acaster web

09/08/16

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh

James Acaster establishes a positive atmosphere within seconds of appearing on stage. ‘You’re my ideal audience,’ he tells us, ‘Exactly this audience. Each of you. Sitting in those exact places.’ It’s a ridiculous conceit, but it works – and ensures an easy rapport that serves him well throughout the set.

Despite being in one of the Fringe’s larger venues (the 320 seat Pleasance One), the show’s a sell-out and that’s no surprise. Acaster’s TV presence means that people have heard of him and, when there are so many shows to choose from, familiarity is a simple short-cut in the selection process. But his popularity is deserved: his observational humour operates on a micro-level of scrutiny, and his flights of fancy are charming and well-controlled.

The concept here is ostensibly starting over, ‘resetting’. What would you do differently if you could erase the past and begin again? But it’s not really much about that at all. There’s an extended bit about a honey-scam that’s very funny indeed, and some wry asides about Brexit and peppermint tea. It’s all very accessible and good-natured, and the hour flies by far too quickly. My nephew, who’s with us tonight and has seen Acaster live before, says the 2014 ‘Recognise’ show was even better, but this one is well worth watching nonetheless.

I’d urge you to get a ticket, but you probably can’t. He seems to have sold out his whole run. Kudos to him; he deserves it.

4.7 stars

Susan Singfield

Sophie Pelham: Country Files

UnknownUnknown-2

25/08/15

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh

Down the stairs in the cellar of the Pleasance Courtyard, Ms Vanessa Bluwer is waiting to greet you with a glass of cheap sherry and a miniature sausage roll. It’s a wonderfully informal start to this affectionate slice of character comedy. Ms Bluwer is, of course, just one of several people played by Sophie Pelham, all of them from rural Wiltshire and all doubtless based on observation of real people – or at least, so it seems. The characters include retired model-turned-Mum, Sulky Waterboat, the lecherous Lord Ponsonby and a pony-mad eight year old girl addicted to biscuits. There’s even a couple of animal characters thrown in for good measure, a relocated urban fox and a rapping badger (yes, really!)

There’s a meagre crowd for this event, which is a great shame because this charmingly ramshackle show is all based around Pelham’s hilarious exchanges with the audience and in the intimate confines of the cellar, this would have worked a whole lot better if there’d been more people for her to talk to. Her characters are nicely drawn and there are some genuinely funny lines in there, but it’s by no means perfect. She needs to find a way to streamline the proceedings and give us something more to do during her many costume changes, but overall there’s loads of potential here and I rather enjoyed the performance (even the bit where Ms Bluwer chose me as an assistant with whom to demonstrate mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!)

If you’re looking for something quirky and eccentric, this could be just the thing. And if you’ve a taste for sherry and sausage rolls… this line is made for you!

3.5 stars

Philip Caveney

That’s the Way, A-ha, A-ha, Joe Lycett

Unknown

09/08/15

Cabaret Bar, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh

The Cabaret Bar is sold out, and that’s the way (a-ha, a-ha) Joe likes it. He’s on good form this evening, positively oozing with wit and mischief; he makes stand-up look easy and the audience is on his side.

I’ve seen him performing a short set quite recently at a charity event, so I’ve already heard some of this material, but that doesn’t matter. It’s interesting to see how the routines develop and how they fit in to a broader context. There’s a theme of sorts (living in Birmingham), but it’s very loose; it’s more ‘what Joe’s been doing recently’ than anything else. And, honestly, what he’s actually been doing is pretty mundane: going on a stag night, having breakfast at a coffee shop, and messing around on social media. But, of course, it’s all in the telling, and the telling here is very good. Joe Lycett is seriously talented, I think; he engages effortlessly with the audience, and looks like he is having fun.

OK, so it’s a gentle form of comedy. There’s a moment – when he starts to talk about Fox News’s erroneous description of Birmingham as “100% Muslim” – when I think we might be heading towards something more challenging; he begins to question why Fox News presume – if this were true – it would be negative, and goes on to explore the idea of how the language we employ colours our views. But he doesn’t take this very far, soon wandering back into more comfortable territory, such as Cheryl Fernandez-Versini’s social media posts. Personally, I’d like to see more of the demanding stuff, but I’m sure Lycett knows his audience, and tonight’s punters seem more than happy with their lot.

Worth seeing, then – but you’ll need to be quick. The tickets for this one are selling fast.

4 stars

Susan Singfield