Articles by Troy Holmes

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

In the appropriately grand setting at Assembly Roxy, this adaptation of The Great Gatsby fuses modern music, simple but effective set design, exquisite dancing and decadent costume to capture the 1920s mood of Fitzgerald’s classic with heaps of style... 

Owen Jones: The Establishment

Owen Jones: The Establishment

In the ironically grand setting of the Assembly Rooms, Owen Jones gave a rallying and convincing cry against the establishment. Encouraging the audience to tweet and get their phones out to respond throughout the talk, Jones is not only a household name but also no stranger to controversy and debate in his career as a journalist... 

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tripped Theatre’s stylised adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream fits one of the Bard’s most famous and fun plays into the space of one hour, with only four actors filling all of the parts... 

Nick Helm's Two Night Stand in The Grand

Nick Helm's Two Night Stand in The Grand

Nick Helm’s Two Night Stand in the Grand is an epic comedy rock show worthy of its massive venue. The atmosphere, in what must have been a sold out show, was utterly vibrant. ‘Strap in’ warns the opening titles; Helm’s clever use of multimedia throughout the show really adds something to this heavy metal, high budget show complete with live band and fireworks... 

Foul Play. The F*cking Nasty Show

Foul Play. The F*cking Nasty Show

Foul Play offers up the filthiest material from the most daring comics, and it really doesn’t disappoint. Expect a lot of fucking swearing. Each night different comics will be bringing their most outrageous sets, and I was lucky enough to see Mark Nelson, Desmond O’Connor (no not that one), Mark Dolan, Marcel Lucont and Tom Stade, with compere Mick Ferry... 

John Robertson: A Nifty History of Evil

John Robertson: A Nifty History of Evil

In addition to coming back to the fringe with last year’s critically acclaimed The Dark Room, John Robertson is also performing a more traditional stand up show, A Nifty History of Evil... 

Goose (An Odd New One-Man Comedy Whodunit)

Goose (An Odd New One-Man Comedy Whodunit)

How do you go about describing Goose (An Odd One-Man Comedy Whodunnit)? It’s one of those shows that you just have to see with your own eyes to understand it’s sheer awesomeness... 

Winter Is Coming

Winter Is Coming

Winter Is Coming is a ludicrous take on the popular TV series, Game of Thrones. If you’re a GoT fan, then this show is a lot of fun. Created and performed by Backwards Anorak - otherwise known as Michelle Brasier, Vince Milesi, James Baker, Leo Milesi and Laura Frew - this strong cast takes us through their ideas and scenes for a Game of Thrones musical, competing for the best role (Daenerys Targaryen, obviously) and performing renditions inspired by the already pretty ridiculous plot of the television show... 

Kai Humphries: Stuff Protocol

Kai Humphries: Stuff Protocol

Many will be thrilled to see that the infectiously funny Kai Humphries is back at the Fringe with his new show Stuff Protocol. This cheeky Geordie just bubbles with energy, feeding off the crowd and clearly loving every moment... 

I am, I am

I am, I am

Clever, funny and adorably weird, Harry Mitchell and Lowell Belfield, otherwise known as I am, I am, are already one of this year’s Fringe highlights. Their witty songs, impeccable comic timing and infectious energy make these two former Cambridge Footlights immediately likeable... 

Dracula

Dracula

In a small, dark room on a sparingly set stage, four figures stand frozen, their eyes wide and their mouths stretched into clown-like smiles, their bodies tense and hands splayed in a disturbingly crazed fashion... 

Dave Griffiths: C U In Court

Dave Griffiths: C U In Court

Dave Griffiths is clearly a determined man. In this show he tells the true story of how he, a very minor comedian with a passion for t shirts, took on one of the biggest clothing brands in the world... 

Armada

Armada

Armada is a musical about war, love…and telepathy. This strange musical by Rob Winlow is set in the Elizabethan era, just as the Spanish Armada approach England. From the very beginning, the cast’s ensemble singing stands out as the saving grace of this performance... 

Simon Donald - Butch Straight Poof

Simon Donald - Butch Straight Poof

Simon Donald is clearly a funny man. He can clearly write good jokes and deliver them with skill and a likeable and endearing charm but his show, Butch Straight Poof rests uneasily with me... 

New Art Club: Feel About Your Body

New Art Club: Feel About Your Body

Dynamic, physical, moving (literally), touching (even more literally) and hilarious; this is the New Art Club, Tom Roden and Pete Shenton, two men who are on a mission to make you feel better about your body... 

The Lunchtime Special

The Lunchtime Special

Including some of the newest and brightest stars, you’ll be hard pressed not to enjoy having an early afternoon pint and listening to these entertaining, hilarious and new young comics to get you in the mood for a day at the Fringe... 

Dead Famous

Dead Famous

Imagine if Edgar Allan Poe and Marie Antoinette presented an hour of painfully terrible stand up, inviting guests to join them to plug their equally terrible shows, read poetry and generally annoy the meager audience... 

Stephen Tobin: Industrial Nature - A Solo Exhibit

Stephen Tobin: Industrial Nature - A Solo Exhibit

Although at first you can’t quite tell why, there is something different about Stephen Tobin’s prints. These aluminium-printed pieces glisten in reaction to the natural light that floods in upon them, but they have a cold, harsh finish to them that looks like slate or stone... 

The Pageantry and Heraldry of Scotland

The Pageantry and Heraldry of Scotland

In the beautifully grand setting of St Mary’s Cathedral, a small and seemingly unimportant collection of objects are grouped together in the side chapel. These objects hold secrets, pasts, memories... 

Bench Bites

Bench Bites

Who knew that a park bench could be the site of comedy? Sketch group Jam Sponge Comedy are determined to show us just how funny a park bench can be. This 6 person sketch show, where a rotation of characters interact on or near a park bench, can be a really good laugh... 

Mark Olver: Dancing About Architecture

Mark Olver: Dancing About Architecture

David O’Doherty, Jenny Éclair, Joe Lycett and Pierre Nouvellie joined Mark Olver for Dancing About Architecture, a friendly live afternoon chat show where comedians talk about comedy... 

Split Shift

Split Shift

Owen Hughes and Mabel Slattery have very different styles. Where one is observational, chatty and relaxed, the other is psychotic, extremely loud and completely absurd. These two comedians are not only performing a show together but are apparently exes and though neither of them ever actually refers to this in the show, perhaps their subtle hints about ex boyfriends and complete utter insanity are nods to this fact... 

The Dark Room

The Dark Room

You awaken to find yourself in a dark room: so begins John Robertson’s interactive comedy hour of live text-based gaming that is so much more fun than it sounds. Returning to the Fringe after his free show last year, this bundle of energy burst onstage in a corset and leather trousers, warming up the crowd with his delightfully strange take on the childhoods of different decades, delivering jokes with a snappy and original style and engaging the audience at every opportunity... 

The Little Soldiers

The Little Soldiers

It’s fair to say that, to a lot of people, mime consists of a man in makeup, wearing white gloves and a stripy top, making big-fish-little-fish-cardboard-box style hand gestures. But Theatre Re is here to show us how it should be done... 

Brian Appleton's History of the World in 3 Darts

Brian Appleton's History of the World in 3 Darts

Musical history has been unfair to Brian Appleton, the rock musicologist who claims to have been instrumental in the development of prog rock, The Smiths and Phil Collins. Various famous musicians who would listen in from behind his garden fence or crouch on the roof as he played his melodica as a child, he claims, stole his contribution... 

Stu and Garry in The Catchily Titled Improv Show

Stu and Garry in The Catchily Titled Improv Show

Stu and Garry in The Catchily Titled Improv Show is an hour of absolutely roaring comedy that will have you crippled with laughter. Stu Murphy and Garry Dobson are masters of their art, working flawlessly together with razor-sharp wit and quick imagination that will completely knock your socks off... 

151st International Exhibition of Photography

151st International Exhibition of Photography

In a modest room, 202 photographs specially selected by a panel of judges from thousands of entries are hung on temporary boards that line the walls. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t know these had been handpicked by experts, because the collection is a disappointment from several perspectives... 

Luke Benson: Legendary Feet

Luke Benson: Legendary Feet

In an intimate venue in Pleasance, the commanding figure of Luke Benson stepped out in front of the modest but enthusiastic audience full of vibrant energy. His unconventionally hilarious show is loosely (very loosely) based upon Benson’s own take on legends... 

Does My Face Look Big In This

Does My Face Look Big In This

Does My Face Look Big In This is a one-woman show with Caroline Hardie, a relatable, witty and energetic comedian. Observing that we think the same thoughts again and again as we live our routine lives, Hardie attempts to brighten them up with a mixture of stand up comedy, wacky sketches and impressions... 

You All Know Me - I'm Jack Ruby!

You All Know Me - I'm Jack Ruby!

This powerful and intense one man show tells the story of Jacob Rubenstein, also known as Jack Ruby, the man who shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald just days after Oswald himself assassinated President Kennedy... 

Unholy Trinity

Unholy Trinity

Featuring a compelling trio of dancers, watching Unholy Trinity is a powerful and raw experience. The show begins with Avatara Ayuso’s Salome, a provocative retelling of Salome’s infamous dance for King Herod... 

Laugh & Cry / Kokon (Double-Bill)

Laugh & Cry / Kokon (Double-Bill)

Laugh & Cry is an exploration of public and private personas, choreographed by Evangelia Kolyra, and performed by three dancers. The dancers’ animated facial expressions conveyed a series of changing emotions, acting as a coherent group and then developing their own movements as the piece progressed... 

Faileontology

Faileontology

A strange looking white-coated scientist examines an odd assortment of objects on the floor. He carefully and slowly moves the top hat an inch to the left, turns a trumpet slightly to the right and shifts an old fashioned alarm clock back just a fraction... 

Instant Sunshine

Instant Sunshine

Instant Sunshine can really brighten up someone’s day with their old time sounds, musical talent and light comedy. Peter Christie, David Barlow, Alan Maryon Davis and the newest and youngest member, Tom Barlow, delighted the small audience with comedy songs played on guitar, banjo, double bass and percussion... 

Elegant Nymphs

Elegant Nymphs

Although the name might imply a show about nymphs, the Bristol Revunions simply used their nymph characters to introduce an hour of fun filled sketches by asking, could this be the year of the Nymphs? Previously ignored by Tolkien and J K Rowling, these four nymphs came to Edinburgh to grab a slice of the action that the dwarfs and elves had been getting so much of... 

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