Articles by Louise Jones

NOTFLIX

Remember that bit in Silence of the Lambs when Bob the prison guard finally faces up to his feelings for co-worker Janine? Me neither, but this isn’t a film on Netflix: it’s an…

Adele Cliff : Sheep

Adele Cliff is no mindless follower, a point she’s very keen to address.

Accidents Happen to Sasha Ellen

Few people can turn the (vividly graphic) tale of a dead rabbit into stand-up, but Sasha Ellen is somebody who’s learned the hard way to take life’s hurdles with an incontrover…

Jack Left Town: The Improvised Rock Documentary

An improvised rock documentary is a tall order, and Jack Left Town sets out with boundless enthusiasm, a strong absurdity curve and sick air guitar to deliver, even if some areas a…

Planet Earth III

David Attenborough meets clowning in this low-budget romp through the Earth’s depleted natural world.

Beardyman: One Album Per Hour

Starting a show with a song containing the lyrics “it’s a stupid idea and it’ll never work” feels somewhat disingenuous when the song’s fully orchestrated and lit.

Our Man

Anybody who finds themselves rooting for a couple in a film or show will love the responsibility handed out by Ae-Ja Kim in Our Man.

Ashley Storrie and Other Erotica

“I don’t want your opinions printed,” Ashley Storrie says to any potential reviewers in the audience.

A Sketchy History

Huddled underground in a nuclear bunker, Three Men in a Boot attempt to recreate history as best they can whilst staving off hunger (and potentially another Ice Age).

Tony Law: A Law Undo His-elf What Welcome

Sometimes you wonder if you need the context of a previous comedian’s shows to really ‘get’ their most recent work.

Scarlet SoHandsome and Fiends

For a drag queen, Scarlet SoHandsome is a real sweetie.

Gillian Cosgriff: This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Gillian Cosgriff is an absolute sweetheart with the pipes of a jazz singer and a wicked sense of humour to match.

JOAN

Too often Joan of Arc is depicted as a very quiet, very pure young woman who keeps her gaze firmly on her feet or to the Heavens: not very fun at all.

Gabriel Ebulue: Hip-Punk

What’s your favourite music album? It’s something that not everybody puts a lot of thought into, but for Gabriel Ebulue it’s a make-or-break situation when making a first imp…

Beth Vyse: As Funny as Cancer

Beth Vyse’s show opens in a truly Fringe fashion: handing out ping pong balls to the audience, dressed in a voluminous blonde wig and a huge pair of joke-shop boobs, singing alon…

Bourgeois & Maurice: How to Save the World Without Really Trying

2016’s been a bit of a bumpy year to say the least so, it was only a matter of time before we started receiving advice from extra-terrestrials.

Character Tålks

Pernilla Holland’s debut solo show is an ambitious but bumpy foray into character comedy.

Lewis Macleod is Not Himself

Lewis Macleod’s impersonation skills are unlike anything I’ve seen - though they are like plenty of things you will have heard.

An Act of Godley: Janey Godley

A status as Fringe favourite and a viral stint for her infamous “Trump is a cunt” sign at the businessman’s visit to the Trump Turnberry golf resort mean that Janey Godley’…

Callisto: A Queer Epic

Callisto: A Queer Epic is a thoughtful piece of theatre which explores social conflicts that coincide with the queer lifestyle.

Lolly 2

Thirty seconds in and an audience member is on the stage already: Lolly Adefope doesn’t mess around.

Apocalypse Cruise Ship Love Affair

Beach Comet have secured themselves as masters of a B-movie musical genre, inviting guests aboard a doomed cruise liner for a riotous hour of exaggerated figures and fantastically …

A Regular Little Houdini

Houdini came to Newport twice in the early twentieth century - not a piece of information you’d find at the top of Houdini’s Wikipedia page, but of utmost significance to young Ala…

Axis of Awesome: Won't Ever Not Stop Giving Up

In terms of their brand of comedy rock, Axis of Awesome fall more into the rock than comedy genre: there’s far more liberal use of a smoke machine than your average musical comed…

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Hysterical Woman

Standing defiantly under the glare of a neon working men’s club sign, Kiri Pritchard-Mclean tackles schema in a bold and impressive solo hour.

Shit-Faced Showtime

It’s not too likely that a straight production of The Pirates of Penzance would garner that wide an audience at the Fringe – a Gilbert and Sullivan musical isn’t the most buz…

Max & Ivan: Our Story

Max & Ivan are celebrating the anniversary of when they met – and having in recent years become a staple of the Fringe, it’s easy to understand why.

Mr Swallow – Houdini

It’s not every day you find yourself leaning forward on your seat due to the sheer suspense of a show.

Jamali Maddix: Chickens Come Home to Roost

Jamali Maddix creates a buzz when he enters the stage, and why not? He’s a cool guy.

Kinsey Sicks: Lady Cocks of Bang Boys

I have binge-watched six series of RuPaul’s Drag Race on Netflix and I love drag queens.

Rachel Parris: Best Laid Plans

Parris has a seemingly natural knack for creating comedy imbued with emotional depth that doesn’t feel forced or insecure.

Neal Portenza. Neal Portenza. Neal Portenza. Tracey.

I’ve been mulling over more scholarly words to describe Neal Portenza and his show, but I honestly cannot fight the urge to call it batshit.

Norris & Parker: See You at the Gallows

Dark humour isn’t in short supply this Fringe - in case you hadn’t noticed, celebrity and political news of late has had a tangible effect on performers.

Rowena Hutson: Strong Female Character

Rowena Hutson owes her feminist outlook on life to action heroes of the 1980s.

Bella Younger’s Deliciously Stella

Deliciously Stella is what you expect her to be: if you’ve seen the Instagram account which has become a viral hit with its piss-take of ‘fitspiration’ and other smug hashtag…

Nick Hall: Szgrabble

Nick Hall’s one-man cold war thriller is an active piece, darting through London, Amsterdam, and under the Iron Curtain to the heart of the Soviet Union, all in the pursuit of a …

Tim Drain: I Know How to Make the Women I Sleep with Laugh

I went into Tim Drain’s show fully prepared for some offensive stuff.

The Graduettes

The Graduettes starts with a great farce premise: flatmates wake up on Christmas morning to find their home robbed and their landlady dead on the floor.

Toys

Jack BK’s original written piece deals with class struggles, privilege and ignorance in a clear and effective way.

Death Actually: A Necromantic Comedy

Death Actually sets out to bring ‘lethal puns and dead funny songs’ in a larger than life musical.

What a Load of Skit

Review
★★★
Louise Jones
Edinburgh Fringe
Chiquito
26th Aug, 2015

It’s clear that the sketch trio made of Oli Gilford, Edd Cornforth and Jake Shoolheifer have good comic potential, and bounce nicely off each other.

BEINGS

Review
★★
Louise Jones
Edinburgh Fringe
Cowgatehead
24th Aug, 2015

Susan Harrison and Andrew Gentilli are clearly good improvisers, and their joint credentials imply that BEINGS should be a highly entertaining and swift hour of long form improv co…

Login

Create Account

Username or Password Reminder

Articles by Louise Jones

Most Popular See More

Popular Articles

Popular Sections

Contact Us