A gaggle of children charged into Paradise at the Vault for Scotch Broth, promised sing-a-long fun with long-time Fringe performer Dennis Alexander. A tartan trouser-clad Alexander bearing a guitar, kazoo and innumerable yo-yos gave a creditable effort of balancing the twin concerns of organising the children and letting them have fun. He did at times fight a losing battle for their attention when up against the delights of having just discovered how to play a kazoo, ‘I’ll bet you go to bed really early tonight’ he quipped after one particularly cacophonic effort halfway through a song, but his romp through a selection of folk tunes largely had the children clapping, singing and dancing along with his efforts.
The appeal was obviously aimed at, but not entirely limited to children, he drew a chuckle from some of the assembled mums when announcing that his opener was ‘A cover of a Lady Gaga song, except I didn’t like the words, so I changed them… As well as the tune’. There were far more touches designed for children: a section involving a yo-yo challenge delighted, whilst a supplied Postcard containing pictures that allude to each song drew woops from the excitable children as they spotted the ‘Three Crows’, the ‘Twenty Story Tower Block’ and ‘Sam the Glasgow Cat’ in pictographic form.
The whole affair, as is to be expected of an event relying on unplanned children’s participation, edged towards shambolic at times. A girl invited up to learn to play kazoo fled to her mother during the first notes, leaving Alexander standing comically alone for the remainder of the song. However this didn’t detract from the performance and indeed much of its humour was derived from the near farcical elements and Alexander’s tragi-comical asides. Honest and unpretentious fun is to be had for people of all ages interested in classic tunes and a good sing-a-long.
