EDINBURGH 2023: Review: SHANE DANIEL BYRNE: BUT HE'S GAY, Gilded BalloonAugust 15, 2023But he's gay... The award-winning Shane Daniel Byrne is Irish comedy's new wonderkid (in his mid-30s). Back in Edinburgh for the first time after winning second place at So you Think You're Funny 2019. Once considered an exciting talent of contemporary performance art in Dublin he messed that up and now he's a comedian.
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: CAROLINE RHEA: I IDENTIFY AS A WITCH, Gilded BalloonAugust 15, 2023Hi, it's me, Caroline Rhea. I'm thrilled to return to Scotland, my part-time childhood home, and not just because it's the only place you can get tablet and no salad. Yes, you know me as Aunt Hilda on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and I've been a stand-up comedian for 34 years. I'm here to do my new show, I Identify as a Witch, because at this point I seriously do, so does my 14-year-old daughter. My new show covers everything from parenting a teenager to dating (it's super fun).
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: KATY BERRY: DIAMOND GODDESS CRYSTAL PUSSY, Just The TonicAugust 16, 2023Katy Berry grew up on Long Island, the land of Billy Joel and baked clams, but she never fit in. After a staggering revelation that her mom slept with Poseidon in the 80s, it finally makes sense: she's been a demigoddess all along! Now Katy's done doing human shit and out to help other repressed goddesses unleash their power.
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: LIAM WITHNAIL: CHRONIC BOOM, Monkey BarrelAugust 15, 2023Join the gifted comic storyteller with over 10million TikTok and Instagram views as he battles chronic illness and hilariously reckons with his new reality during a hospital stay. This enlightening stand-up show about how we adapt when life throws a curveball takes audiences on a rollercoaster of laughter and packs an emotional punch.
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: KUAN-WEN HUANG: ILHA FORMOSA, Gilded BalloonAugust 15, 2023In his debut hour, Leicester Comedy Festival Best Show nominee and 'Taiwanese force of nature' (Chortle.co.uk) Kuan-wen tells how he traded his beloved Taiwan for the rainy British Isles, what it means to be Taiwanese and what it symbolises through generations of migration and shifting identities.
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: LET THE BODIES PILE, Gilded BalloonAugust 15, 2023What connects two seemingly unrelated killings, 27 years apart? In 1993, Steve's mother dies suddenly; can he trust GP Harold Shipman's 'Natural Causes' diagnosis? And in 2020, when dozens die in a Yorkshire Care Home; is Covid responsible, or something more sinister?
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: THE COLLIE'S SHED, Gilded BalloonAugust 13, 2023Based in a Men's Shed in East Lothian, The Collie's Shed follows four retired miners as they discover how a review into the policing of the '80s mining strikes and a potential Miners' Pardon Bill by the Scottish Government suddenly affects them, their friendships and their relationships. Journey with us through time as we hear how one unforgettable and violent day of striking at Bilston Glen Colliery leaves our characters wrestling with what is right and wrong. Learn who our characters are, who they once were and where they stand on the picket line...
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: CHEVALIER: HOBBYHORSE CIRCUSAugust 13, 2023An irresistibly charming homage to the magnificent circus horses and the silent movie era. Inspired by the history of traditional horse circuses, the skilful ringmaster performs acrobatics, juggling and balancing with an amazing cast of hobby horses. As the horses take centre stage, part of the story is told in short silent movies. The artist's innovative and playful work with the hobby horses brings the magic of circus alive!
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: POLKO, SummerhallAugust 13, 2023As teenagers, Emma, Joe and Polko thought they’d never grow apart. Then time passed. When Emma returns to the suburb of their childhood 10 years later she discovers nothing, and everything, has changed. Joe is stuck, living with his mum while working part-time in a hotel; and Polko has vanished, leaving a cloud of stories and misremembered nights in his wake. Set in the front seats of a parked car, Polko is a modern memory play about the places we call home, and the people we leave behind.
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: GAIL PORTER: HUNG, DRAWN AND PORTERED, AssemblyAugust 13, 2023Gail can laugh at her life now she's won a BAFTA for 'being mental' (Being Gail Porter, 2020). She's been famous, homeless and sectioned with two guys both claiming to be Jesus. She's even lost her hair, but no need for sympathy, she gets so many travel upgrades as people assume she's dying. By sharing the stories of her mental life and mental mind she hopes to show how, with love and kindness, we can all thrive. She's a wee Scottish ninja back in her home town – it's time to go Gail force.
EDINBURGH 2023: John Hastings Q&AAugust 11, 2023BWW caught up with John Hastings to chat about bringing The Times They Are A John Hastings to the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: EIGG THE MUSICAL, GreensideAugust 11, 2023Situated in Scotland's Inner Hebrides, the Isle of Eigg has a fascinating history of sovereignty. Not long ago, the inhabitants on Eigg faced a different type of invader; a celebrity Laird looking to create a Gaelic island utopia. Will the citizens support his vision? Can they put up with his antics? Can he accept that a medieval landlord mentality no longer works on Eigg? The transfer to community ownership hatched on Eigg is arguably the most captivating example of Scottish land reform. Come celebrate this small island tale at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August!
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: GARRETT MILLERICK: NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD, Monkey BarrelAugust 10, 2023I’m sick of everyone moaning all the time, so I’ve written a show about how bloody great everything is. I haven’t actually written it at the time of going to print and in previous years I’ve made all sorts of promises in the blurb. Not going to fall into that trap again! But look, I’m going to put a real shift in for you guys, you’ll get value for money. I’m very good at stand-up, I’m actually one of the best at it. Seriously, Google me. I’ve been on telly in America.
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: MIDNIGHT BUILDING, GreensideAugust 12, 2023Following an NYC preview run, Midnight Building is a contemporary drama that is guaranteed to spark debate and make you question your morals. Watch as a selfish hero and a heartless lover battle for the ethical high ground.Think you're a good person? Think again.