Articles by Kayleigh Blair

Alistair Williams and Daryl Perry Love You

Review
★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
St John's
22nd Aug, 2014

Two comedians with quite different styles split an hour to give you a quick shot of what they are all about. They even provided snacks. The show’s material doesn’t really follow any particular theme, except for the occasional reminder that Perry and Williams love us all and want to show their gratitude...

Alex the Mind Reader

This show combines lighthearted, clean comedy with some spooky mentalism and a little bit of silliness. Alex McAleer, dressed in a slick suit and with a charismatic and welcoming air, asks his guests to fill in a short card revealing things such as what they do for a living, what their hobbies are or a fact about themselves...

Jack Dee's Help Desk

Jack Dee's Help Desk sees Dee and a panel of surprise top comedians address problems that audience members put to them. Everyone in attendance is asked to fill out a card upon entering the show with any problem that they would like the panel to help them with...

Someone's Pinched Me Yoghurt!

Review
★★
Edinburgh Fringe
George Next Door
20th Aug, 2014

Adam Broomfield-Strawn has a confident and cool energy about him and when he entered the small venue I had high hopes that this good energy would be reflected in his comedy. Unfortunately it did not...

Deborah Frances-White: Half a Can of Worms

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Pleasance Dome
19th Aug, 2014

Australian born Frances-White was adopted into a loving family as a baby. She never knew much about her birth mother - or any of her biological family- until a few years ago. With a few scraps of information, the ball suddenly began to roll and after a few twists and turns, she found out about her past piece by piece...

Comedians' Cinema Club

This improv show sees stand up Eric Lampaert direct a series of movies with a cast of Fringe comedians that changes daily - some of whom have never even seen the movie they are performing...

The Alleycats: Contemporary A Cappella

The Alleycats say that they love the Edinburgh Festival so much that they create an entirely new show of material just for coming here each year. This year's show combines classics and very recent pop tunes to make for a pleasant hour of listening...

Lead Pencil: In Full HB

The Lead Pencil sketch show is colourful, unabashedly silly and highly hyper. Maddie, Louise and Dave burst onto the stage with such a high level of energy that it’s doubtful the trio will be able to maintain it for a whole hour - and yet somehow they do...

Josh Widdicombe's XFM Show Live!

High energy, witty and often silly, Josh's weekly XFM radio programme hits the stage, bringing the humor and voices that you usually hear through speakers into the room. It puts forward the same concepts and contributors as the radio show - as well as some added guests - and the result is a high quality Fringe comedy show...

Bromance

Bromance sees three young guys (the Barely Methodical Troupe) hang out onstage dancing, larking around and performing a few jaw dropping stunts and acrobatic tricks. The show starts with an edgy opening sequence introducing the trio to the stage and already you can tell that there’s an interesting and dynamic team at play...

Rhys James: Begins

James’ appropriately named debut show at the Festival is fast paced, anecdotal and comfortably funny throughout. It begins with a short video looking at the planning and promoting processes for the show which is witty and sets up high hopes for the rest of the hour...

Sy+

Sy Thomas is the usual host of this show, introducing his friends from the rest of the Fringe as well as doing a section of his own material. However, on the day I attended we were put in the capable hands of Joey Page as MC...

The Brendon Burns Show

Review
★★
Edinburgh Fringe
The Liquid Room
9th Aug, 2014

Fans of Burns already know his distinctive style. The Monster-drinking Australian is gruff, loud, unbounded and uses expletives instead of punctuation. His fans love it, but unfortunately I did not...

Imran Yusuf: Roar of the Underdog

After two years away from the Fringe, Imran’s style has changed slightly, but his show The Roar of the Underdog, demonstrates that change isn’t necessarily negative. This show is poignant, interesting and makes you think, which is understandably not what I automatically expected from a stand up...

Ellie Taylor: Elliementary

Ellie's first foray into the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is certainly a treat. You may recognise this Essex girl from popular TV shows such as Snog, Marry, Avoid, but Ellie proves with this show that she is a capable stand up comedian as well as a TV host...

The Cat in the Hat

This production of The Cat in the Hat brings the beloved Dr Seuss tale to life, almost as if the characters have stepped straight out of the book.The story is of Sally and her brother who, one rainy day when their mother is out, let a talking Cat in a Hat into their home, who promises to give them a day of fun games and tricks...

Eric and Little Ern

The year is 1999 and Ernie Wise is in hospital, 15 years after the death of Eric Morecambe. An apparition of his late comedy partner appears at his bedside, glasses and all, and the beloved duo embark on a reminiscent jaunt through their best memories- with both new material and original favourites...

Andrew Ryan: The Life of Ryan

Review
★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Gilded Balloon
8th Aug, 2014

Andrew Ryan’s show this year sees him look at where he is in his life, how he got here and how he’s enjoying it - or not enjoying it, as the case may be. Andrew looks to his life that he has set up in England, his family back in Ireland and frets about his unmarried status among a rabble of married siblings...

The Legend of the Little Mermaid

Sticking close to the original story by Hans Christian Anderson, a cast of five use dialogue and contemporary style dance to tell this dark story of the sea and love.The tale is that of a young mermaid who, when she reaches the age of 15, is allowed to swim to the surface of the ocean and see the world above the water...

Greg Proops: The Smartest Man in the World

Proops greets every guest that enters the theatre with a personal handshake, a touch that shocked and pleased the audience. He then vanishes behind the curtain before boogying out over the stage to take his seat behind a small table, to welcoming applause...

Peter Pan

Porty Youth Theatre have taken on a classic tale, and have done it very well indeed. For such a young cast they are enthusiastic, well rehearsed and look like they're having great fun...

Ben Hart - The Vanishing Boy

Ben Hart is the kind of magician that makes sceptics become believers. After huge success with his show at the Fringe last year, The Vanishing Boy sees him return to astonish us yet again with his unbelievable talent...

Dorothy

Everyone knows the story of The Wizard of Oz, but you don't know it quite like this. A fresh take on the tale of Dorothy and friends, this play completely restructures and twists the classic...

Chris Cook: Charlatan

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Voodoo Rooms
5th Aug, 2014

Chris might be new to the Fringe but it certainly looks like he will be back again. The crowd were initially uncertain as to what was to come, however he captured their attention from the first trick...

Magic and Tea with an Evil Genius

Review
★★
Edinburgh Fringe
The Street
5th Aug, 2014

John Henry Blackwood plays the Evil Genius in this show, tucked away in a cosy pub room. He mixes card tricks with conversation and because the venue is small the performance is kept quite intimate...

The Seussification of A Midsummer Night's Dream

The Seussification of a Midsummer Night's Dream sees an all female cast embark on a speedy but delightful adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy. Not only have they altered the language so that it will be easier for kids to understand, they have done so in Dr Seuss style rhyming which makes for fun listening...

Shappi Khorsandi: Because I'm Shappi...

Shappi Khorsandi is set to take Edinburgh by storm at this year’s Festival with her show, Because I’m Shappi. Sorely missed at the Festival last year, she is back with a bang. Effortlessly witty and cheeky as ever, Shappi graces the stage with a new set of anecdotal, sometimes rude and always hilarious ponderings...

Shakespeare in the Garden: A Midsummer Night's Dream

This production of Shakespeare’s classic and well loved comedy is set in the pretty garden of a church. Though it is on the edge of a very busy road it is a lovely and appropriately nature-filled scene for the play...

Mark Cooper-Jones - Geography Teacher

Review
★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Globe Bar
5th Aug, 2014

Set in Edinburgh's Globe Bar, Mark Cooper-Jones embarks on an hour long reminder to all of us that Geography is much more than just colouring in. This is a great show for people who, like myself, are fans of Cooper-Jones' other festival appearance, WitTank, and demonstrates that he is just as credible as a solo stand up as he is in his sketch group...

Minor Delays

Minor Delays can be described as simple but tremendously effective. Three fabulously talented comedians participate in a train of witty and snappy comedy sketches which equate to 45 minutes of laughter...

Patrick Monahan: Adventures in Monahan Land

Before the show had even began, I overheard a young man in the front row say ‘I can’t sit here, he’ll pick me!’ Fans of Patrick Monahan know what’s coming- and to be sure, ten minutes later that same boy had been pulled up onto the stage by the loveable Irish/Iranian himself...

The Rat Pack Stand-Up Comedy

The Rat Pack Stand Up Comedy features swing hits and a changing line up of comedians from the Fringe catalogue. Host Nathan Cassidy is back in the Free Sisters with the show which has gotten better since I saw it last year at the Fringe...

Lockdown

In this year’s concoction, The Tealights have brewed up another fast paced set of sketches. The five funnymen mix both intelligent and more silly material, tickling the audience with a well-studied wit...

The Oxford Imps: Pun and Games

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Gilded Balloon
31st Jul, 2014

You can never predict what’s going to happen next when it comes to the Oxford Imps – and that’s precisely what makes their show such a great success. This year, six young and upbeat comedians again put themselves at the crowd’s mercy with energy and zeal, introduced by a charismatic and charming host...

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