Articles by Andy Smith

Six Billion Suns

Alzheimer’s is a disease close to the hearts of many people, as it affects so many of such a wide variety of ages, cultures and societies.

McNeil and Pamphilon Go 8-Bit!

Returning to an even bigger venue this year, sketch duo McNeil and Pamphilon reprise their geekalicious gameshow for this year’s Fringe: once again McNeil and Pamphilon Go 8 Bit …

Alice

The twists and turns of the topsy-turvy world of Alice in Wonderland are well known and loved by many, enshrined in literary pop culture.

Unicornucopia

Unicornucopia is James Ross’s insane and breakneck hour of Free Fringe stand-up, in which he rattles with hilarious speed through topics of colleagues, love, dreams and some hila…

Riptide: The Slasher Musical

Fringe musicals are often incredibly hard to get right but with a score as sizzling as the sun on the beach and some incredibly skilled performers, Riptide: The Slasher Musical hit…

Pioneer

Curious Directive have hit the Fringe this year with epic sci-fi drama Pioneer, a space-exploration thriller of stunning proportions.

The Sons of Pitches: Boiler Alert!

In the recent explosion in popularity of a cappella it seems like you can’t walk up the Royal Mile without tripping over a group of symmetrically dressed singers who’ve lost th…

Casual Violence: The Great Fire of Nostril

In this farcical one-hour romp through the troves of storybook tropes, Fringe sketch regulars Casual Violence treat the audience to a kids-show-for-adults style adventure into a wo…

Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale is given a family-friendly and wonderfully whimsical adaptation in this new production by Fourth Monkey.

I Promise You Sex and Violence

Northern Stage’s production of I Promise You Sex and Violence is a critique of modern attitudes to homophobia, racism and sexuality.

SmallWar

SmallWar, a piece adapted from actual accounts of events and experiences from conflicts spanning from WWI to Afghanistan, is an interestingly understated exploration of the emotion…

Guilt & Shame: Going Straight

With more raucous energy than a crate of Red Bull sprinkled with cocaine, Rob Cawsey and Gabe Bisset Smith under the collective guise Guilt & Shame bring their new show Going Strai…

Tomas Ford Stop Killing People

With a strange, original and interesting production, Tomás Ford brings his Patrick Bateman of the Fringe to the Mash House to tell a one-man-musical tale of double crossing deceit…

Alistair Green: Nobody’s Twisting Your Arm

One of the lesser known but better versed performers in The Stand’s programme at this year’s Fringe, Alistair Green’s show Well Nobody’s Twisting Your Arm is a no-frills …

He Had Hairy Hands

Having taken the Fringe by storm last year with their debut piece The Boy Who Kicked Pigs, young and incredibly talented theatre company Kill The Beast returns to The Pleasance wit…

Ian Smith – Flappable

The chatty Yorkshire patter of Ian Smith’s comedy offers an incredibly relatable show in the Pleasance comedy programme at this year’s festival.

Sam Simmons: Death of a Sails-Man

The king of surrealist stand-up, Sam Simmons, brings his incredible and irreverent style to the Udderbelly in Death of a Sails Man, the gut-achingly funny tale of a windsurfer lost…

The Beta Males: Happenstance

Fierce, fast, farcical and ferocious, The Beta Males certainly pack a punch in their new show Happenstance.

Alex Edelman: Millennial

Up in Pleasance’s intimate stand-up venue Attic, there is one young comedian who is making waves on the comedy scene as he manages to cement himself as a firm Fringe favourite ev…

Dracula

Vampires never seem to go out of fashion.

Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show 2014: Real Feelings

Stepping into some pretty big comedy shoes, Cambridge Footlights have brought a fast-paced sketch and improv show to this year’s Fringe.

The Secret Garden

3Bugs Theatre Company return to the Fringe with a new adaptation of this classic children’s story.

Omid Djalili Live

Somewhat of a fringe legend, Omid Djalili has graced many a theatre on his national tours over the last 20 years since he performed his very first Edinburgh Fringe show.

Project Lolita

In amongst the more controversial theatre on at the Fringe this year we have emerging playwright Sophie Foster’s new work, which dissects the media culture surrounding suspected …

1,000 Suns

The Cold War is over, but this time America lost.

FOX

Children and adults alike will be familiar with Roald Dahl’s timeless story of Fantastic Mr Fox.

Gobsmell: The Musical

Review
★★
Andy Smith
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
16th Aug, 2013

With an admittedly clever pun for a title, this misplaced family comedy misses the mark in its attempt to entertain, both musically and humorously.

McNeil & Pamphilon Go 8-Bit!

Mario Kart, Street Fighter and Bomber Man are all names that strike nostalgic excitement into the hearts of many of a certain generation.

On Hold

The world of PR is one ripe for comedy gold, Izzy Tennyson’s new play has taken this, using it not only for its humour but also to paint a dark portrait of the professional world…

The Circus of Terror

Genuinely scary theatre can be hard to get right but this young theatre company has hit the balance of scares and gags bang on in this exciting and innovative show.

God of Carnage

Yasmin Reza’s modern masterpiece is here brought to life in the most frenetic, extreme and exciting way.

Rouse Ye Women

This inventive piece of devised physical theatre is the rousing story of a group of female workers in 1910 who went on strike from their jobs as chain-makers, demanding higher pay …

Birdhouse

Taking the story of four elderly women who have been entangled in a freak attack by a murder of crows and take refuge in the Coronet Cinema this is a strange, intriguing and entert…