EDINBURGH 2015 - BWW Reviews: NEWS REVUE, Pleasance Courtyard, August 15 2015

Now in its 36th year, News Revue is the razor sharp news commentary reflecting on the last twelve months. Assuring us in the blurb that nobody is safe from their satire, they really kept their word on this!

Opening with an excellent musical number about the financial situation in Greece, the bar is set high for the rest of News Revue. They don't miss a beat in launching from one scene to the next, most in the same musical style. News items from the last year are picked apart with the likes of the General Election, birth of the royal baby and Hillary Clinton's presidential run. Between full length sketches there are snippets of news articles which are witty and sharp.

The majority of News Revue is hilarious. The likes of politicans and the royal family feel like fair game for parody. However, there were several gags that were a little too close to the bone and from the audience groans I assume I'm not the only one that thought they were tasteless; for example the reference to the Alton Towers accident.

Several of the sketches were a bit underwhelming but due to the fast paced nature of the show, none of these cause the performance to lag. It can be a little controversial but I think that's the point!

Ticket information is available on the edfringe website.