#Review by Lou – #EdFringeReview of Gang Bang – A Comedy About the Mafia Who Ended Up In Blackpool #FringeReview @edfringe #FringeEdin #WhatsonEdi #Edinburgh #Fringe #Comedy #Edinburgh Venue 33

Gang Bang – A Comedy About the Mafia Who Ended Up In Blackpool
Presented By Tinned Laughter – Hughie Shepherd Cross

Pleasance Courtyard – Beside Venue 33 – 12:55am (1hr)
31st July – 25th August (not 14th)

Review by Louise Cannon

In 1945, when Sicilians were pouring onto boats for America, one man by the name of Don Lambrini accidentally boarded an all-inclusive Thomas Cook cruise to Blackpool, England. A mob comedy from the writer of Ringer, Out To Lunch, Goons, Frog’s Legs and Boondocks.

If The Godfather is serious mafia, with a bit of dark humour, Gang Bang is the flip-side of the coin. It’s a comedy of errors and it is hilarious, with mafia type music playing intermittently in the background.

First they get on the wrong boat. Blackpool in Lancashire, England, where they end up sure is a far cry from America and there after there is much fun to be had.

After the death of the head of this Mafia mob, the question is, who will take over? There’s Aldente Panino, Jack Lambrini, Fray Bentos (yes, there are jokes about pies). Lambrini wants his revenge, bringing some classic scenes of this genre but in a more farcical way.

Fabian Bevan, Hannah Johnson and Fred Trenholme excel at telling this madcap story and their comic timing is excellent. The jokes and references keep coming one after another, each being very humorous and the acting also played on this.

The narrative throughout is great and the setting the scene at the beginning was rather interesting. The writing is sharp and these are most definitely people to keep looking out for. The talent of writing and acting is slick in this performance.

This show is entertaining and full of energy throughout, never missing a beat!

Tickets can be purchased here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/gang-bang#

#Review By Lou of A Montage of Monet #FringeReview @edfringe #FringeEdin #WhatsonEdi #Edinburgh #Fringe #Edinburgh Venue 236

A Montage of Monet

Greenside @ George Street – Mint Studio

Review by Louise Cannon (Lou)

Monet’s paintings are world famous. We all know his water lilies, but how much do we know of the man? This new play explores his life and loves: his two marriages, the devastating death of his first wife, followed by the erratic behaviour of his lover and the desperation prompting his suicide attempt. We become privy to his thoughts on fellow impressionists and how he coped with his failing eyesight, which tormented him. It could have stopped him painting… or did it? This one-man montage of his life will be performed by award-winning actor Stephen Smith.

Review

Monet, we all know him for his most famous painting showing waterlilies. A Montage of Monet begins in 1923 and he is old, unwell with failing eye-sight. Stephen Smith takes the audience through a history of art, his art and the connections he had with other artists and their styles through the ages, such as Manet, Turner, Constable and more to the point where Impressionism was born.

Stephen Smith had good charisma and knowledge about his subject and sounded convincing. You could hear a pin drop in the room. The storytelling was enthralling in style and fascinating in depth as we learnt about his private life too, the good times and the harder times. His life story is one of rags to riches and acknowledging those who helped him and befriended him along the way.

#Review By Lou of Can Duggan? Should Duggan? By Will Duggan #FringeReview @edfringe #FringeEdin #WhatsonEdi #Edinburgh #Fringe #Edinburgh Venue 302

Can Duggan? Should Duggan?
By Will Duggan

Underbelly, Bristo Square, Friesian 3:50pm (1hr)

The stand-up comedy starts off laugh out loud funny. He cleverly blends comedy with clothing styles, colours, world topics, including a touch of politics that have been seen recently on the news, the climate, navigating being a dad and more. He talked about the first 4 minutes being that moment when anything can happen. You literally cannot even guess what direction he’s going to go in.

Many of the jokes are very humorous, some even self-deprecating and ends in a hopeful message.

It’s a strong performance, but there are a couple of unnecessary, cheap jokes in there which missed the mark a bit in the darker topics as he tried to be “edgy”, which was a shame really as it lowered the standard a bit, but then it picked up again. That aside, the rest of the show is a good one, so still worth a watch.

Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/can-duggan-should-duggan-will-duggan

#BookReview By Lou of The Perfect Place By Amanda Cassidy @AmandaCassidy @LoveBooksTours #Thriller #Suspense #ThePerfectPlace

The Perfect Place
By Amanda Cassidy

Today I am on the Love Books Tours blog tour for a suspenseful novel, The Perfect Place. Not everything is as perfect when you dig under the surface of the ‘good’ deals and the people.

Blurb

‘Immersive story, sublime storytelling… top-class’ Andrea Mara, author of No One Saw a Thing

What you see isn’t always what you get.

Elle Littlewood can barely believe her luck when her producer tells her about the chance to get her hands on a dilapidated chateau in Aix-En-Provence, France for a rock bottom price. It seems too good to be true, but as a home interiors influencer, she knows this would make incredible content.

Lately, Elle has noticed the cracks start to show. Her life is the envy of thousands, and her social media posts show a beautiful, accomplished woman. Yet this wasn’t always the case. If they knew the truth about her past, they would never look at Elle the same way again.

Elle needs this house. She doesn’t care that it comes with huge strings attached. And when people get in her way, there’s nothing Elle won’t do to protect her brand. After all, she’s survived by doing things that people could never imagine – and knows she would do them again.

A dark, voyeuristic and utterly captivating crime thriller that fans of People Like Her and Sun Damage will love from CWA Debut Dagger shortlisted author Amanda Cassidy.

Review

What a fabulous debut ‘The Perfect Place’ is. It’s mysterious with great suspense.
The setting of a dilapidated chateau was fantastic, full of possibility and inspiration. At a rock bottom price too, what’s not to love?
The endless possibilities of potential is a source full of great joy for Elle and her social media, until things turn dark and the downsides of social media. Elle is fierce when it comes to protecting what is hers, she will do anything it takes to do this.
Secrets and more cracks than the chateau itself start to appear and the atmosphere grows more intense in places.
The characters are ones that are easy to get absorbed in, a bit like how we get absorbed in social media in a way and time just disappears. It disappears into this great read, where you just don’t know where it’s going or what’s behind the pictures etc of some people.

#Review By Lou of Kevin Quantum Anti Gravity @kevinquantum #GildedBalloon #FringeReview @edfringe #FringeEdin #WhatsonEdi #Edinburgh #Fringe #Edinburgh Venue 24

Kevin Quantum – Anti-Gravity

Magic, The Gilded Balloon, Patterhouse – Doonstairs – 2:30pm 1hr

I saw Kevin Quantum last year and was delighted to be invited to his new show, Anti-Gravity. It’s fun for all the family.

Slight of hand, close magic with willing members of the audience and the piece de resistance, his ‘Anti-Gravity Machine’.

Humour mixes with magic as he increases the levels of complexity to his amazing grand-finale when he defies all that you think is impossible, in what is a quick hour.

This is a highly polished show that has warmth, charisma and amazing skill as Kevin Quantum captivates the entire audience into the wonder of the power of magic and levitation.

Kevin Quantum’s Anti Gravity will leave you enlightened and enchanted.

You too can find the magic here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/kevin-quantum-anti-gravity

#Review of The Interval #FringeReview @edfringe #FringeEdin #WhatsonEdi #Edinburgh #Fringe #Edinburgh Venue 53

The Interval

The Haldane @TheSpace, Venue 53 is where I saw this play in Edinburgh.

Suitable for 16 plus, For anyone who has ever had to “hold it in” to protect their reputation, take a quick break and relieve yourselves. An attempt to make it through yet another one without going completely off script, The Interval is a dry-witted, no filter, one-person struggle to just keep playing along. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show. And you get to choose how many times you see it. She works here…

Review

At the interval of your play or musical we all see the person who sells the ice creams and directs people to the toilets etc, but how many of us consider the person behind the job? Enter the world of the front of house team at the theatre in this pertinent, thought provoking, poignant, very funny one woman show.

The Interval is a study behind the facade of the person who is smiley and politely serving you, whilst also inside, there’s a whole host of other pent up feelings and a bit of vulnerability going on and a very irritating boss to contend with. There’s a lot that people will be able to relate to, whether they’ve worked front of house in a theatre or not. There are a couple of themes, such as assault and suicide you may want to be aware of, but they are handled with care and sensitivity. They are a small part of the show, in terms of time spent on this and there’s nothing especially graphic about either. It is skilfully written and the humour shines through and wins out.

It was brilliantly clever, when so much was addressed that people talk about when they go or have been to a theatre, like someone filming when they aren’t supposed to.

All these pertinent subjects and many more interweave what is a hilarious comedy.