Articles by Nancy Napper-Canter

Ad-Lib: Spontaneous Genius

‘Who are you here for?’ asks the Assembly ticket-tearer as he works his way through the sizeable queue.

The Way to Keep Him

This play has a great plot.

Hashtag #DoubleStandards - Twitter on Trial

Presented in a university lecture hall, Hashtag Double Standards: Twitter on Trial is a talk given by Paul Motion, a solicitor since 1984 with an interest in social media.

Steve Bell: Rose Bladder - How did Cameron get to look like that?

Given that Edinburgh is something of a Glastonbury equivalent for guardianistas, Steve Bell’s show seethes with lively, middle-aged enthusiasm.

The Reluctant Doctor

‘Fed up with grim, hand-wringing, one-man shows?’ asks this production’s flier: ‘Go and see something funny.

Piracy! Comedy on the High C's

Pirates, exclamation mark.

Cape Wrath

Cape Wrath is an intimate one man show.

Shhhh - An Improvised Silent Movie

I watched Shhhh in a state of complete bafflement.

Beside the Greenside

Despite the promise of five ”appenings’ on the poster, on arrival at Beside The Greenside, it is immediately clear that very little is ‘appening there at all.

The Boss of It All

The ‘office comedy’: mastered in ‘The Office’ and storming the Fringe this year in Blam!; here that well-loved genre takes on a new guise in the first theatre adaptation of Danish …

Darts Wives

The writers of Darts Wives bring a new concept to the comedy circuit.

Amazing Amber

One of the most memorable pieces on show at Amazing Amber is a beautiful piece of genuine Baltic amber containing a small, perfectly preserved fly.

The Table

This puppet’s nose isn’t growing when he comments that The Table is,‘difficult to put your finger on, as you’ll discover when you try and tell your friends what you came to…

Nights at the Circus

You should brace yourself before seeing Nights At The Circus, and not just because of its circus setting.

We Love Comedy

When a show is going badly, repeatedly telling the audience that they’re a tough crowd only ever exacerbates matters.

Dirty Hands

Only a few things feel strained in this transposition of Les Mains Sales to 1982 Northern Ireland.

BDOOL (Best Days of Our Lives) - Free

James and Craig - the comedy duo behind Best Days of Our Lives - earn their stars as much through likeability as humour.

Tartuffe

The most prominent feature of this production’s adaptation is its swingin’ sixties setting.

Celia Pacquola - Delayed

I’d never been enticed by terrible dancing before I saw Celia Pacquola.

Mary Bourke: Hail Mary!

It’s a relief when Mary Bourke promises that she won’t be doing any clichéd ‘female comic’ stuff.

Well Done You - Free

‘Well Done You’ calls itself a character sketch show, but Lucy Trodd and Ruth Bratt are in character even when not doing sketches.

Jackson Voorhaar's One True Love(s) - Free

Jackson Voorhaar’s set details the things he loves and loathes.

Rubberbandits

Not long ago, the Rubberbandits were just a couple of schoolboy pranksters.

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum

The 1960s hit A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a fast-paced, rollicking farce.

Peer Gynt

Peer Gynt is, according to our storyteller, ‘the most self-centred, egotistical liar in literary history’.

Hannibal Buress: Still Saying Stuff

Hannibal Buress is a really chilled-out entertainer.

Treasure Island

Dominic Allen’s adaptation of this old pirate classic is fast paced and good fun.

Believe - Starring Shane Dundas from the Umbilical Brothers

For the first ten minutes, Shane Dundas’ material revolves entirely around his fear of a solo show.

Shirtwaist

Shirtwaist is a brilliant piece of grim theatre.

Baby With the Bathwater

There’s a difference between absurdist theatre and ridiculous theatre.

Sara Pascoe - The Musical!

In her white shirt, grey knee length skirt and black brogues, Sara Pascoe looks like a schoolgirl.

Catriona Knox - Hellcat

First impressions can be misleading.

Jenny Fawcett

Louise Ford’s character Jenny Fawcett has an earnest, alarming smile, slightly mad eyes behind unsexy specs and a gurgling voice.

Roisin Conaty: Lifehunter

Roisin Connaty may describe herself as ‘almost good looking,’ but she has a weapon of attraction quite independent from her sunny, open expression or her bleached blonde hair.

Sally-Anne Hayward: The Inbetweeny Lady

It’s not why she’s called the Inbetweeny Lady, but Sally-Anne Hayward’s set details what happened to her in between last year’s Edinburgh Fringe and this year’s.