Articles by Emma Banks

Game

The rising trend in ‘poverty porn’ suggests that there’s money in laughing at, scorning at and ultimately punishing the socially and economically deprived.

The Rove

Stories have always been at the heart of cultural inheritance – the myths we pass on about self, family and nation – and today is no different.

A Taste of Honey

It was 1958 that saw Sharagh Delaney’s first play hit the stage, and it isn’t hard to imagine how totally stupefied the contemporary audience must have been.

The Light Princess

Review
★★★★
Emma Banks
London Fringe
11th Feb, 2014

Is that a bird? A plane? No, it’s Rosalie Craig, and what a soaring, magical flight hers is.

Blurred Lines

Review
★★★★★
Emma Banks
London Fringe
20th Jan, 2014

Blurred Lines is a cutting reference to Robin Thicke’s chart-topping hit that had us all grimly singing along to ‘you know you want it’.

Keith Farnan: Fear Itself

Review
★★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
23rd Aug, 2013

Keith Farnan’s appeal is that he is both a loveable Irish rogue and an acerbic politico.

Faustus and the Snakes

Review
★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
23rd Aug, 2013

This revision of Marlowe’s classic Doctor Faustus draws on the timeless story of the man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power.

A Midwife Crisis

Review
★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
21st Aug, 2013

The NHS: you just don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Power Games

Review
★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
20th Aug, 2013

Power Games pays homage to the classic notion of the Fatal Flaw in its depiction of a banker’s fall from grace.

Laughter On the Outskirts - Free

Review
★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
19th Aug, 2013

Every twenty years or so, comedy re-vamps itself.

Mixed Doubles

Review
★★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
19th Aug, 2013

Facebook culture is without a doubt the comedic subject du jour and, admittedly, I have begun to grow tired of seeing mimes of the ‘like’ function three times a day during this…

Stupid Hair and Skinny Jeans - Ryan McDonnell

Review
★★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
19th Aug, 2013

Ryan McDonnell has never quite fitted in.

Stephen Carlin: Gambling Man

Review
★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
17th Aug, 2013

In his new Fringe show, Stephen Carlin sheds light on a unique problem that comes out of gambling addiction; while most addicts can feasibly avoid their choice drug for evermore, g…

American Gun Show

Review
★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
13th Aug, 2013

Chris Harcum is loud, brash, theatrical and oh so American.

How to be a Modern Marvel®

Review
★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
12th Aug, 2013

Tupperware: it’s robust, it’s light, it seals, it’s stylish and it’s modern.

Dan & Dan Live: The First Sign of Madness

Review
★★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
11th Aug, 2013

Comedy duo Dan & Dan, famous such YouTube hits as Requiem for a Wardrobe and the brilliant Daily Mail Song, have graduated to the real world of live comedy.

Blackwell's Writers at the Fringe

Review
★★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
10th Aug, 2013

Once a week during the Fringe, Blackwell’s is hosting evenings dedicated to celebrating Scotland’s rich literary scene.

Paul F Taylor Presents The Greatest Show In The World Ever

Review
★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
9th Aug, 2013

Paul F Taylor is like a puppy: he has very fluffy hair, oodles of energy and even when he slips up, we still like him.

Invisible People Journeys

Review
★★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
8th Aug, 2013

3rdThought, the renowned over-65’s theatre company, have bestowed upon the public an utterly charming new idea that revolves around personalised one-to-one performances.

Upstairs Downton

Review
★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
8th Aug, 2013

When people say that period dramas aren’t their thing, I just don’t believe them.

Sandi Toksvig My Valentine

Review
★★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
7th Aug, 2013

As Toksvig scurries excitedly on stage, she triumphantly proclaims that she is returning to Edinburgh after over thirty years since her first Fringe Festival.

Verb Garden: The Decent Chat Show

Review
★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
7th Aug, 2013

The premise behind the Decent Chat Show is a good one, but unfortunately what I experienced didn’t even come close.

Theo Gibson

Review
★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
6th Aug, 2013

What happened to rock n’ roll? What happened to ruddy passion? Theo Gibson is a perfect example of a new age of Sheeran-sheeps who sing – and rap, we can’t miss that out – …

Am I

Review
★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
6th Aug, 2013

Geared towards raising awareness of human rights violations, Am I is most effective in its ability to turn its question back on the audience: who are we, and what part do we have t…

Marcus Brigstocke: 'Je m'accuse - I am Marcus'

Review
★★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
6th Aug, 2013

If you want to know how it came to be that Marcus Brigstocke became a part-time podium dancer while also working on an oil rig in Scotland, this show is definitely for you.

BOBBY WINNER

The Play That Goes Wrong

The Play That Goes Wrong is an impeccably glorious spoof of such amateur disasters, that centres upon Cornley Polytechnic’s production of ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’ as it de…

It's Me Dayne

Review
★★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
5th Aug, 2013

It’s Me Dayne is thoroughly awkward, cringe-worthy and even gob-smacking, but boy, is it funny.

Desdemona, a Play About a Handkerchief

Review
★★★
Emma Banks
Edinburgh Fringe
5th Aug, 2013

This refreshing re-interpretation of Shakespeare’s Othello sees the handkerchief drama played out from a female perspective, a comedic take on the tragedy that we’re used to.

Dressing Down

If you ever forget why it is that everyone has heard of the Cambridge Footlights, Dressing Down will remind you.

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