It’s been showpalooza for the past couple of weeks so we haven’t had time to blog. But here’s a selection of the best of some amazing stuff we’ve seen (in Maeve’s words, obviously, as will become evident as I gush about a variety of gorgeous women I’ve seen):
- Lady Rizo. Oh Lady Rizo. Stunning, hilarious, bizarre, a fabulous mix of odd and honest and glamourous and talented. Her Dolly Parton / Blondie mash up is inspired and the original songs stand strong among the fabulous covers. We can’t talk about the show without mentioning that I had the honour of being invited onto the stage (ok, so I enthusiastically volunteered), where I witnessed the Lady’s costume change, was interviewed about how I lost my virginity, enjoyed a spontaneous Ani DiFranco cover and generally had some of the best minutes of my Fringe behind a screen in front of a live audience. But while this was the fun part of the show, the real glory was in the beautiful arrangements and soulful performances, the comic timing and mischievous air to the whole affair.
- Frisky and Mannish: 27 Club. We managed to score some last minute tickets to Frisky and Mannish and we weren’t disappointed. They had some of the best on stage banter of all the cabaret we’ve seen and their songs were fabulous, creating a sound that felt like much more than just two voices and a piano. Totes have a crush on Frisky now too.
- A Donkey and a Parrot. In contrast with all the cabaret and comedy we’ve seen, Donkey and a Parrot is a sweet, generous piece of theatre which warmly invites you in to its world. A one woman show, Sarah Hamilton is gentle and wide-eyed without being saccharine. Also, she has the coolest set we’ve seen, a barrel packed with bells and whistles and hidey holes.
- Asher Treleaven. Ok, so I am really including this in honour of a select 6 minutes in the middle of Asher’s show in which he does the best and funniest diablo routine I’ve ever seen. The rest of the show is fine, but the diablo is glorious and worth your money.
- Bec Hill is More Afraid of You Than You Are of Her. Bec Hill’s brand of comedy is gentler, self-deprecating and pleasingly geeky, with pop up art flip books, fun props and a lovely awkward tone which endears you to her immediately. She was just what we needed on an exhausted Tuesday afternoon.
- The Showstoppers’ Improvised Musical. Tuesday afternoon was for fun, geeky comedy, but the night before kicked off with gins in hand at Showstoppers, which was clever, hilarious and musically pretty great. Loads of fun. Want to go again so we can see how much is improvised and how much rehearsed!
- Tom Thum. This guy is amazing, a fantastic beatboxer with a show that will blow you away. He is loaded with stars, all well deserved.
- Fork: Electro Vocal Circus. This one gets an honourable mention as it’s one of Phoebe’s top shows (she saw it twice) but not one of Maeve’s. Phoebe loves a cappella choirs and found this odd Finnish quartet’s use of electronic looping and effects fun and wonderful. While I was VERY taken with the use of capes and unitards (if Sarah has the best set, these guys have the best costumes), I thought the electronic effects actually took too much away from the vocals and I just felt like I was in a nightclub. A weird, funny nightclub in Finland is hardly something to be sniffed at though!
We’ve got a bunch to see before we finish up in less than a week (eep!) including Reginald D Hunter, Susan Calman, Kemble’s Riot, Mae Martin, SexyTime, Briefs and more. ARGH!
