EDINBURGH 2013 - Reviewer Kevin Sherwin's Awards!

My Fringe was a bit of a mixed bag... I had high hopes for some shows that I felt quite let down by in the end and I was also pleasantly surprised by others, as detailed below.

Also quite annoying to have cancelled plans to see one particular comedy show - Adrienne Truscott's Asking For It - and then to see it win awards all over the shop. Win some, lose some and all that.

The high points of my trip this year were:

Best Play: Howie the Rookie
Being from Dublin, this beautifully-written show might have had special resonance for me, packed as it is with some of the most dense - not to mention hilarious - Dublinisms ever heard. But even leaving that aspect aside, this production of Mark O'Rowe's play is an exhilarating rollercoaster ride, with nothing onstage but one man. Truly incredible stuff.
(Runner-up: Gardening for the Unfilfilled and Alienated)

Best Comedy: Stewart Lee, Much A-Stew About Nothing
I expected to enjoy this, having liked his previous 'proper' show Carpet Remnant World, but this - some work in progress for the new series of his BBC show Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle - pretty much blew me away. Brilliant, uncompromising stand-up which is admittedly an acquired taste, but one to savour.
(Runner-up: Bo Burnham: What?)

Best Musical: Between Empires
I wasn't sure what I'd make of this show, a brand new musical set during the British colonisation of India, particularly since I know nothing about that whatsoever, but I was completely enthralled by the strength of singing on display here. Performances of a West End quality are hard to come by at the Fringe, and this had at least five of them. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
(Runner-up: Blood Ties)

Best Actor: Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Howie the Rookie
Vaughan-Lawlor's performance in this already exceptional play raised the piece to new heights. Playing two young ruffians, he rattled around the stage, ducking and diving, sucking the audience into a day in working-class Dublin and, ultimately, breaking their hearts.
(Runner-up: Richard Corgan, Gardening for the Unfulfilled and Alienated)

Best Actress: Barb Johnston, Blood Ties
Blood Ties is a riotously campy and sometimes unsettling tale of a bloody hen party gone wrong, and Johnston was excellent as its leading lady with a secret to hide. Paired with a terrific singing voice, her wide-eyed faux-naive portrayal of Sheila was a treat.
(Runner-up: Claire Marie-Hall, Between Empires)

One To Watch: Claire-Marie Hall and the Company of Between Empires
This show has its eye on the West End, and with talent of this quality onstage, there's not a lot to stop it. Claire-Marie Hall's central performance was one of several great ones, but the clarity and beauty of her vocal made her a stand-out for me.
(Runner-up: Red Oak Theatre Company, Merrily We Roll Along)

To post a comment, you must register and login.