Articles by Kate Wilkinson

Bench

Corner Talk theatre really manage to capture the chaos of life with their devised piece of compiled short scenes all centred round the single piece of set: a bench. The cornucopia of existence on display includes a student addicted to Bonjela, an arguing couple, drunk friends playing would-you-rather, and a man in a park whose wife can’t have children...

Be Better

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Bedlam Theatre
27th Aug, 2015

‘This is the gospel of the modern age’ announces Elena, the exultant girl goddess. ‘I am pregnant with myself’ declares Saskia, acolyte of the me-me-me generation. Are you ready to #bebetter? You better be if you go to see The Urban Foxes Collective’s captivating new piece of devised theatre...

A Little Man's Holiday

A Little Man’s Holiday tells the tale of an office worker with a big imagination. Under the gaze of his nasty boss Mr Grumbles, will his day-dreams about sailing the seven seas ever become a reality? This talented children’s theatre company, PaddleBoat, has an imagination to match Little Man’s, and they tell his tale using a magical combination of song, audience interaction, and highly creative prop use...

SherwoodJam

Review
★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Black Medicine
25th Aug, 2015

It’s James Sherwood’s first gig of the run, and it tells. After arriving late and delaying the start time by ten minutes, he explains that this is more like a preview. SherwoodJam is stand-up with musical comedy, and Sherwood has a number of dextrous songs on his belt...

Aspects of Joy – Free

Review
★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Hispaniola
24th Aug, 2015

Joy Carter’s stand-up centres around a cute theme that works well for its midday slot. As the title suggests, Carter explores both her own autobiography and the emotion of joy. Apparently adults laugh on average fifteen times a day, as opposed to children’s two-hundred times...

Lazy Susan: Double Act

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Pleasance Dome
24th Aug, 2015

Deceptively sweet, Lazy Susan bring a cheeky malevolence to their character-driven sketch comedy. The double act has a cute, compact aesthetic, complete with breeches and theatrical make-up...

The Oxford Revue: Issues

The Oxford Revue’s 2015 Fringe offering is a confident display of strong student comedy. David, Barney, and Will are a charismatic trio and have all the makings of a truly outstanding sketch troupe...

Twisted Loaf Present Stale Mate

Libby Northedge begins Twisted Loaf: Stale Mate on her hands and knees, crawling onto the darkened stage, starkers but for her underwear, smudged make-up, and a pair of glittery high heels...

Aaron Twitchen: Deadlines and Diets

Aaron Twitchen’s bright smile lights up the pub throughout Deadlines and Diets. His show, he tells us, is for the ‘Traceys of this world – those who work nine ‘til five and live for the weekend...

Alas, Poor Darwin...?

Alas, Poor Darwin…? may be officially listed as a ‘spoken word’ event, but don’t let that make you think it’s a poetry show. No, this is a biology and psychology lecture delivered by two academics, Lewis Dean and Kate Cross, on the subject of evolutionary theory...

In Case We Disappear – Free

Vanessa Smythe has a bit of a ‘downer hobby’: she worries about disappearing. Since childhood, she and her brother have always made lists of things they should do before they vanish from the earth, such as using their Subway voucher or going on a family outing...

Today is My 100th Birthday or The Disappearance of Ubu Roi

Monochrome make-up, over-sized cigars and manic choral singing are only a few features you’ll find in the stylised theatre of the Dead Iconics. The company tend to favour style over substance and the visual feast is worth a look...

Massive Dad 2.0: Step Up 2 Massive Dad

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Pleasance Dome
21st Aug, 2015

Massive Dad (Liz Kingsman, Tessa Coates, and Stevie Martin) have a sense of humour like Japanese fusion cooking, with their combination of social detail and zaniness. Their sketches range from of-the-moment skits on contemporary etiquette to absurd 1870s cop shows...

Thünderbards: Chapter III

From the sweaty depths of their library on Cowgate, Matt Stevens and Glenn Moore give an entertaining hour of sketch comedy. The show’s quirky premise revolves around the pair’s fundraising attempts to save their local public library from demolition...

That Pair: Letting It Go

Sketch duo That Pair offer warped children’s entertainment that all adults can enjoy. They’re the unhinged double act who arrived drunk at your niece’s fifth birthday party and had to be escorted off the premises after flashing your elderly uncle...

Camden Comedy Free Lunchtime Showcase

Review
★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Whistlebinkies
20th Aug, 2015

An hour of lunchtime comedy could be worse spent than with this quirky collection of occasionally promising comedians. Unfortunately, the showcase is too unsure of itself and rough around the edges to stand out among the mountains of other comedy at the Fringe...

Daphne Do Edinburgh

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
20th Aug, 2015

Any budding sketch group could do far worse than give Daphne’s show a visit. Phil Wang, Jason Forbes, and George Fouracres not only deliver a smart, surprising, and jaw-achingly hilarious hour, they also provide their audience with a thorough education in the art of sketch comedy...

Tom Toal in Sunshine on Bexleyheath

A strange but beautiful evening rainbow shone over Edinburgh just before I went to see Tom Toal’s gentle stand-up. It was an apt omen for the show, even if it didn’t match the title’s ‘sunshine’...

Daphna Baram: Something to Declare

Review
★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms)
19th Aug, 2015

Daphna Baram plays the outsider in England, reflecting on what makes people British from her own standpoint as an Israeli woman. The problem here is that we’ve been told what we’re like so many times before and unfortunately Baram has little new to add...

Get Your Own Back: Live!

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Gilded Balloon
19th Aug, 2015

As the bombastic theme tune starts playing, waves of nostalgia roll across the audience. The nineties children’s game show is back and naffer than ever! Gunge, games, and grown-ups prove a winning formula...

Nish Kumar: Long Word... Long Word... Blah Blah Blah... I'm so Clever

This is a big year for Nish Kumar. We know this because it’s one of the first things he tells us. It’s the 10th anniversary of his stand-up career and the summer of his 30th birthday...

We Can Make You Happy

‘A good way to be happy’, Alice Keedwell tells us, is ‘you’ve got to silence the critic inside your head for a moment or two’. As a reviewer, this is a difficult thing to do...

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