EDINBURGH 2018: Review: YANA ALANA- BETWEEN THE CRACKS, Assembly

The first thing you may notice about Yana Alana is that she's blue. Secondly, you might notice that she's not actually in costume and is instead naked and covered in body paint. Kicking things off getting uncomfortably close to the audience she tells us that she wants to get vulnerable and show us her private parts.

The cabaret element of Between The Cracks is fantastic. With big belting vocals, Yana Alana certainly knows how to command a room. The songs are a mix of well-known ones such as Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and original material.

The topics covered in the show are issues like body image, mental health and not being defined by your sexuality. While the sentiment is excellent, the execution isn't ideal. The performance gets very messy at times and certain gags are drawn out too long such as an ongoing feud with one of her band members. Between The Cracks ran over by fifteen minutes which isn't ideal at the Fringe, especially when there doesn't seem to be a reason for it.

This is a show with a lot of potential and a great message but it could have done with being a lot tighter and without the improvised filler in the middle.

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/yana-alana-between-the-cracks