Flamenco for Kids – 4****

Getting children from age four to fourteen to do the same thing can seem like herding cats. Yet if that’s the case, guitarist Ricardo Garcia and dancer Frederic Gomez, aided by costume lady Julie Gunn, rounded up twenty or so … Read More

Hate ‘n’ Live – 2**

The concept of this show is just great. Comedians ranting about the stuff they hate. As opinionated creatures, this could be brilliant, but as a partly improvised show, this obviously depends on the wit, and writing speed of the performers, … Read More

Bob Blackman’s Local – 3***

This show is almost impossible to describe, without spoilers. It’s packed with silliness, changes of pace, and random, utterly surreal moments. I don’t even know if this is a recommendation or a warning. Not every gag or skit hits the … Read More

James Dowdeswell: Wine, Ale and I – 4****

I was sold on this show by the promise of learning how to get free wine, but there’s so much more to it than that – an education in wine and beers, and also plenty of gags.

Dowdeswell is a … Read More

Here Come the Uglies! – 4****

The bold bright colours in the fringe guide appealed so much to my four year old, that the venue being slightly further than most was quickly dismissed. And for that, I’m glad.

This show is about what happens to the … Read More

The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast with Stuart Goldsmith – 3***

The premise of this show is simple. Comedian Stuart Goldsmith interviews a fellow comedian – in this case Bridget Christie – about the art, business, or simply life of being a comedian.

Obviously each show is different, as the guest … Read More

Thom Tuck: The Square Root of Minus One 4****

This show wasn’t in the Fringe guide, but is under of one of the free festival umbrellas, so I’m counting it as Fringe. However, that means you might only know about it if you know about Thom Tuck, … Read More

Kindred Spirits – 1*

Kindred Spirits – 1*

The blurb is quite promising with lots of good words promising good things. However this is an overly-long confusing mish-mash of very amateur theatre which was quite uncomfortable to watch.

The storyline is slightly surreal and … Read More

Parade – 4****

This slightly cut down version of Parade was, in the main, very good.

The main part of Leo Frank is a big task, it requires a specific accent and also quite a specific build of actor and Steve Nicholson carries … Read More

The Improv Musical – 3***

To say this is a low-budget student version of Showstopper! may be slightly unfair but is the easiest way to describe this hour of improvised musical comedy. The students do very well and are almost completely at the mercy of … Read More