#Review By Lou of Claire Parry, I am Claire Parry @ClaireLPParry #FringeReview @edfringe #FringeEdin #WhatsonEdinburgh #Edinburgh #Fringe #Theatre #Comedy

Claire Parry, I am Claire Parry

Assembly Roxy – Snug Bar – Venue 139
2nd Aug -15th Aug at 14:50 (1hr)

I am Claire Parry (very funny stand-up). ‘Mesmerising clowning’ ***** (Express). ‘Seriously silly’ ***** (Everything-Theatre.co.uk). ‘Hysterical’ **** (VoiceMag.uk). ‘Masterful’ **** (TheatreWeekly.com). ‘Very funny stand-up’ ****** (Claire Parry). Made with directorial and dramaturgical support from Cecily Nash and Alex Prescot.

Review

Claire Parry, I am Claire Parry is very funny physical, interactive theatre. Discover the entertaining Claire Parry and what it takes to put on a show.

Ever been one of those people who have sat in the wrong seat or can’t find your seat or seen people try to find their seat? This forms part of the beginning as she becomes part of the audience before jumping on stage. She then takes the audience through many emotions of sheer joy and the downs of putting on a show and talks about Arts Council Funding. She splits the audience in parts to be part of her music and sings some songs, including one about a notebook. Stay with that, there’s a funny point and twist at the end.

Claire Parry, I am Claire Parry has lots of humour as well as some serious points about the state of the arts and funding, which adds a certain amount that is though-provoking.

For fun, laughter, clowning around check out tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/i-am-claire-parry-very-funny-stand-up#

She also has another show called Boorish Trumpton, which I highly recommended in 2023.

#Review By Lou of The Last Laugh – 5 stars – @djwilliamsact @Bobsickle @simplysimon321 @ARedinburgh @assemblyfest @LastLaughPlay #TheLastLaugh #FringeReview @edfringe #FringeEdin #WhatsonEdinburgh #Edinburgh #Fringe #Theatre #Comedy

The Last Laugh
By Paul Hendy

1:20pm (1hr 10 mins) 1st August to 25th August 2024 @ Assembly George Square Studio 1

Review By Louise Cannon (Lou)

Meet Tommy Cooper, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Morecambe in a dressing room. Sounds a bit surreal, right? But this is where a sparkling kind of magic occurs.
The Last Laugh is full of amazing acting and atmosphere. This show excels at bringing 3 talented comedians back to life.
Find out what it’s all about and then the rest of my review below and how you too can see this wonderful show below… :

Synopsis

The Last Laugh sees three legendary comedians – Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse – sitting in a dressing room, discussing the secret of life, death, comedy and what it means to be funny. Written and directed by the award-winning Paul Hendy and starring Edinburgh Fringe-legend Bob Golding as Morecambe, Damian Williams as Cooper and Simon Cartwright as Monkhouse, The Last Laugh is warm, funny, nostalgic and poignant. Not to be missed.

Review

Meet Tommy Cooper, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Morecambe together in a dressing room. Sounds a bit surreal, right? But this is where a sparkling atmosphere occurs. It’s comedy gold!
Each of the actors have the comedians they play down to a “T”. They all look and sound very convincing. The energy oozes off the stage in what is highly humorous and very poignant play, with the balance spot-on.

From the moment Damien Williams walked on stage as Tommy Cooper, with the famous chuckle that builds and builds, it got off to a strong start. This strength never dipped throughout the show. By the time Simon Cartwright as Bob Monkhouse and Bob Golding as Eric Morecambe enter the theatre dressing room, the show is made. The repartee and banter between the three comedians is fantastic! It has warmth, some “ribbing” of each other and all humorous and and in good jest that warmed the heart and can’t help but smile at. There’s also music and in general, so much fun to be had.

As the audience reminisce about this talented trio in their hey-day, they too remember other comedians, who are since gone, so as well as their own jokes as there are jokes from others too.

There’s insight into more poignant moments of their health, the pressures of going out on stage to be funny and about the perils of fame and a joke not working, brings a different side and realism to the play and yet is still cleverly punctuated with humour. The ending, oh, the ending couldn’t have been more perfect!

I highly recommend The Last Laugh. You’ll come away still smiling and with a warm glow of joy for this play.

Tickets: https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/578-the-last-laugh/performances

#Spotlight By Lou on #EdinburghFringe Favourite and Regular, Arthur Smith @ArfurSmith Reunites with Phil Nice in new #EdFringe Show, Oof! #WhatsonEdinburgh #Edinburgh #Oof @ThePleasance Venue 33 #PleasanceTheatre

written by Louise Cannon (Lou)
Arthur Smith has reunited and teamed up with fellow actor and writer, Phil Nice to bring their new witty and relatable comedy drama about age, friendship and more to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. You can find the duo at The Pleasance Theatre – Venue 33 – Cabaret Bar between 2:30pm to 3:30pm from 2nd to 18th August. See further details and tickets below.

Oof takes audiences on a comedic, reflective journey. “Legendary double act Fiasco Job Job, Arthur Smith and Phil Nice, having surprisingly beaten the visitation of the grim reaper, reunite for one final time to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Two old men on a bench reflect on religion, politics, life and happy slapping, but it transpires there is more to their relationship than we realise. Hilarious sit-down drama about age, showbiz and the cartography of friendship.”

Arthur Smith says Oof is “Waiting for Godot meets Morecambe and Wise.”

Arthur Smith has been a stalwart of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for years. His debut was in 1978 and here he stays with his quick-wit for the whole of August with his shows. This time, he is joined by his fellow comedian and actor, Phil Nice.
The pair have known each other for decades and even worked on tv together in Arthur and Phil Go Off… Separately, Arthur Smith has appeared on The One Show and comedies such as People Just Do Nothing, Grumpy Old Men and voices animated tv show, The Rubbish World of Dave Spud and many more…Phil Nice has appeared in tv shows such as Outnumbered, Broadchurch, Doctors and many more… Both are also writers.

You can purchase tickets from the show’s page on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival website here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/arthur-smith-and-phil-nice-in-oof

*please note I am not affiliated to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and nor been asked to produce this piece. I solely wanted to just to be nice and think it’s worth promoting.

#EdFringe News of Comedy Show – Volcano By #BenMiller @Justthetonic #EdFringe #UnleashYourFringe #Volcano #Comedy

NEW YORK – Scientist turned stand-up comedian Ben Miller’s new comedy hour ‘Volcano’ is making its Edinburgh Fringe debut. Tickets are available here.

What happens when a comedian walks into a volcano?

In February 2023, Ben Miller was the artist in residence at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, the first stand-up comedian ever selected. The program typically selects painters, poets, Grammy-nominated musicians, you know, real artists. But somehow a silly joke boy managed to secure this coveted spot.

He spent the entire month on the Big Island, exploring the national park, learning from volcanologists, entomologists, archeologists, and local Hawaiians about the science, culture, and history of Hawai’i. Almost every night, he gazed into the fires of Kīlauea, the burning lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater and also wrote some jokes. Incredibly grateful for the opportunity provided to him by the National Parks Arts Foundation, Ben decided to take this comedic residency very seriously and turn it into an hour of stand-up comedy.

Building off his experience with his previous science comedy hour that had a 50 city tour across the US and Europe as well as a completely sold-out 23 show run at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, ‘Stand-Up Science Presents: Volcano’ continues to develop Ben’s nerdy yet approachable style. This multimedia science comedy hour drills deep to the core, delivering explosive laughs with fire-tested jokes.

About Ben Miller

Ben Miller is an NYC based comedian who has been working for the past 8 years and in that time, he’s performed at all the top clubs in the city such as Broadway Comedy Club, Stand Up NY, Dangerfield’s, Carolines, and The Stand. He was once ranked as the top roast battler in NYC. He also has a degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Columbia University. He’s worked with electron microscopes, been a teacher on a science bus, 3D printed cookies, and diffused a few bar fights while on stage. His jokes are sharp and self-deprecating, and he was once called “one of NYC’s best pound-for-pound joke writers” which isn’t saying much considering how little he weighs. www.benmillercomedy.com

Listing Information

Venue: Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just Up the Stairs

Ticket Price: £8.00/£6.00 concession

Date: Aug 1-25 (not 12, 19)

Time: 13:05 (1:05 PM)

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/ben-miller-volcano

Teaser Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HRAi3ADK2Q

#EdFringe News – ShakeItUp – The Improvised Shakespeare Show #ShakeItUp #UnleashYourFringe #EdFringe @gildedballoon

ShakeItUp:

The Improvised Shakespeare Show

Gilded Balloon Patter House (The Dram), 3 Chambers St, EH1 1HT

Friday 2nd – Monday 26th August 2024, 13:00

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The raucous improvised Shakespeare comedy led by the audience will return to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. Using the language of Shakespeare, audience suggestions, and the actors’ imaginations, ShakeItUp perform a completely new and made-up Shakespeare style play live on stage, complete with music and songs. The audience are invited to pick their genre: Epic History, Romantic Comedy, or Gruesome Tragedy, as well as name the lead character, side characters and location of the play. As an added bonus, the audience get to play the Bard by penning their own wittiest Shakespearean line for the brave actors to pull from their breeches when they need a helping hand – despite having no idea what the line will be before they say it. Created to be accessible and enjoyable to all, The Improvised Shakespeare Show is designed for everyone to take part in, from Shakespeare aficionados to novices, with laughs, drama, and plenty of bard-based Bedlam.

James Dart, Artistic Director said, “It’s brilliant to come back to Edinburgh and the Gilded Balloon in 2024. We have an extended month-long run this year, meaning double the number of hilarious improvised epics – every show is based on audience suggestions, meaning every show is totally different! Audiences are in for a real treat as we bring our own brand of Bard-based Bedlam to the world’s greatest arts festival. This is Shakespeare as it was meant to be seen: completely improvised and utterly bonkers.”

You can purchase tickets here: ShakeItUp

ShakeItUp Theatre Company was formed in 2018 by graduates from The Guildford School of Acting, who loved Shakespeare but hated learning lines, so decided to try making up their own! The company’s first performances took place in a tiny room above a pub in Putney, and since then they have gone on to perform at The Brighton Open Air Theatre, The Hen & Chickens Theatre, Camden Fringe, Larmer Tree Festival, Byline Festival and the world-famous Minack Theatre in Cornwall. Additionally, ShakeItUp have taken part in the pioneering New Normal Festival in the summer of 2020, and appeared in the inaugural season of the Thorington Open Air Theatre in 2021. ShakeItUp has also gone international, and so far they have performed their unique improvised Shakespeare plays in Italy, Poland, and Germany. 2024 is set to be just as big a year for the company: prior to their Edinburgh Fringe return, ShakeItUp will make their Off-West End debut with a week’s run at London’s esteemed The Other Palace in July, they will also be performing at several well-known venues across the country for the first time this year, including Theatre Royal Plymouth and Theatr Clwyd in Wales.

Purchase Tickets Here:ShakeItUp

#Interview By Lou with Darrell Martin – Time To Celebrate Just The Tonic Comedy Club 20 Years At The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the comedy club’s founder @Justthetonic @EdFringe #UnleashYourFringe #EdFringe2024 #Comedy #Theatre @aDarrellMartin

JUST THE TONIC

20 YEARS AT EDINBURGH FRINGE

Written by Angela Allen, celebrated with Lou at Bookmarks and Stages

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Just the Tonic and 20 years of Just the Tonic at Edinburgh Fringe.

Based in Edinburgh, the company has grown from humble beginnings as a Sunday night club into one of the largest comedy producers in the UK, with a huge presence at the Fringe spread over 5 venues.

At a time when the Fringe is becoming more and more expensive for both performers and the public, Just the Tonic boasts one of the most affordable programmes of the festival.

As well as low ticket prices and a Pay What You Want model, there are shows such as the Big Value Comedy Show, Headliners for £10, Comedy in the Dark, Best of Cabaret and All Stars Burlesque where you can see several performers and big names on the same bill.

Just the Tonic has a reputation for supporting new talent and has helped launch the careers of many comedians including Romesh Ranganathan, Johnny Vegas, Jason Manford, Josie Long, Gary Delaney, Sarah Millican, Jon Richardson, Rob Beckett, Sean Walsh.

This year you could discover the next comedian to make it big, catch a theatre

production making its debut in the UK, or enjoy a magical family show.

The 2024 programme is packed with almost 200 shows from comedy and cabaret to theatre and kids events.

Highlights include comedians Andrew Maxwell, Kai Humphies, Lucy Porter, Craig Hill, Clinton Baptist, Alfie Brown and Scottish favourite Connor Burns. US comedy stars Chanel Ali, Titi Lee and Michael John Ciszewski make their Fringe debuts and there’s fresh new

comedy from the UK including Jake Donaldson – ‘a must see’ (Huffington Post) – and Dave Durkom – ‘a young sketch comedian to watch’ (Telegraph).

Theatre includes The Heaven’s Favorite Murderess, an adaptation of the Greek story of Medea, Jewels, a subversive spectacle of indestructible womanhood, and groundbreaking productions from Edinburgh’s own Theatre Paradok.

Family-friendly shows Pure Imagination: A Willy Wonka Parody and 6 Impossible Things: A Comedy Magic Show based on Alice in Wonderland, will delight all ages and there’s robots, escape rooms and mysteries to solve.

Founder Darrell Martin says: “Not one of the ‘big boys’, we are proud to remain in keeping with the spirit of the fringe. Not one of the smaller venues, we also pride ourselves at hosting some of the best new comedy you will find. With 30 years of running comedy clubs and 20 years of producing Edfringe shows, we are proud to be part of this amazing festival.”