Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022
Freedom Ballet of Ukraine present BALLET FREEDOM
A cavalcade of raw sexuality and dark glamour shot through with wry humour, gorgeous cabaret costumes and ingenious staging
BALLET FREEDOM follows a series of loosely narrative vignettes based around a boudoir wardrobe, scored by an eclectic mixture of music from classical to alt-pop including an homage to Belleville Rendezvous and an entertaining blast of The Tiger Lillies. A poignant and exuberant show that explores the darkness and voraciousness of human desire
Even without knowing that the production almost didn't make it to Edinburgh due to its male performers requiring special permission from Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture to leave the country, this feels like a must-see recommendation. My only concern is that my 2022 Edinburgh Festival may have peaked too soon!
★★★★★
4th - 28th August, 9pm & 4pm, at Pleasance at EICC
Tickets on sale now at Pleasance.co.uk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDMkQloCwUQ
Mythos: Ragnarok
Billed as the only theatre show in the world to use professional wrestlers, Mythos: Ragnarok is a raucous, riotous mixture of action, comedy and Norse mythology - and you won't find anything else like it at this year's Fringe
The cast in this production have the unenviable task of fulfilling triple threat roles - to look the part, to be great wrestlers and to be able to act. It's no mean feat and they carry it off admirably well. Particular standouts for me were the half-brothers Odin and Loki at the centre of the story, acting as the narrative and comedic lynchpins of the piece
The direction is tight, with almost every moment forming a classical tableaux, and along with effective costumes and lighting there is the feeling of something of a far higher budget than it presumably is
Whilst the insanity of the high-energy wrestling up close (unnervingly so at times) is undoubtably the main draw, the presentation of it as a theatrical production is what makes it stand out. The show perfectly balances the plot and the poundings so that neither aspect drags, and the script combines a clear love of the traditional tales with enough Marvel-informed humour to keep even the most accidental audience member engaged
In fact it's been a long time since I was in a theatrical audience quite this engaged - whooping, cheering, yelling - the atmosphere was, deservedly, rabid. At one point, just as everyone's favourite God of Mischief was about to do something suitably mischievous, someone behind me let out a 'Yassss, Lokkiiii' under their breath in anticipation
If you get a chance to catch this one please do, but be quick because I would put money on it becoming the word-of-mouth hot ticket of the Festival
★★★★★
Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose - Other Yinrn22:15, Aug 15-28rn1 hour 10 minutes
Get tickets here
Freddie Hayes: Potatohead
If the elevator pitch of 'Doctor Faustus but starring a potato' isn't enough to get you in the door then the promise of surreal puppetry, sing-along karaoke and more spud based puns than you ever knew existed should be. Not to mention the shocking revelations concerning Garry Linekar's darkest secret.
Interspersed with out of character asides about her real life love/hate relationship with (and occasional crushes on) puppets this is a bonkers, charming and completely unique trip around the stranger corners of one woman's fantastical psyche
Freddie Hayes is a delight to watch and, despite including a surprising and mount of puppet based innuendo and a fairly grotesque depiction of what doing a line of Smash looks like, the overall feeling of the show is a strangely sweet. A sweet potato
★★★★
Murder Ballads - The B Collective
There seem to be an unusually high number of shows that fall loosely under the bracket of 'country' at this year's fringe, but this is likely to be the only one with such a gleefully twisted approach to manslaughter. Using the 1996 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album of the same name as its springboard this production is a blackly comedic, and somewhat irreverent, reinvention of the source material. To describe the record as a cult classic would be doing its success (and infamy) something of a disservice, but it certainly has its fanatics and adapting it is not for the feint hearted
Adopting a darkly humorous tone serves the show well and it thankfully avoids any whiff of tribute act, or any slavish re-enactment of Cave's delivery and appearance. Some songs, such as The Curse of Millhaven, become highlights in unexpected ways, whilst the iconic Where The Wild Roses Grow is almost thrown away in jest. The graver moments could perhaps have been delivered more straightly at times and there is a sense that the show is afraid to completely 'go there'. Each death (and there are many) is undercut with an almost immediate comedic salve which, enjoyable in the moment, make it hard to feel an emotional connection with the brutality of the story. An audience who choses to see a show titled Murder Ballads can surely not be surprised to see something nasty, but perhaps that is the knowing twist in its tale - that you leave amused and entertained rather than disturbed. Certainly there is more than a dash of wry humour buried in the source material to mine from too
The performances are uniformly fantastic with the sole, frequently murdered, female cast member in particular giving it 110%. The sheer energy and chaos on stage by the final act is something to behold. Whether you are drawn to it by the music or dragged there by a friend, this is a show that should hit the spot for both fans of the album and strangers to the material - a clever and unique reworking that pays homage without being weighted down by deference
★★★★
Ballet FreedomrnThe Freedom Ballet of the UkrainernA cavalcade of raw sexuality and dark glamour shot through with wry humour, gorgeous cabaret costumes and ingenious staging
★★★★★
Read more »
Mythos: RagnarokrnThe Mythological TheatrernA raucous, riotous mixture of action, comedy and Norse mythology – you won’t find anything else like it at this year’s Fringe
Read more »
★★★★★
Freddie Hayes: Potatohead rnFreddie HayesrnIf the elevator pitch of ‘Doctor Faustus but starring a potato’ isn’t enough to get you in the door then the promise of surreal puppetry, sing-along karaoke and more spud based puns than you ever knew existed should be
Read more »
★★★★
Murder Ballads – The B CollectivernThere seem to be an unusually high number of shows that fall loosely under the bracket of ‘country’ at this year’s fringe, but this is likely to be the only one with such a gleefully twisted approach to manslaughter
Read more »
★★★★
Joffrey! The PantomimernQuintuple L
A thigh-slapping, topsy turvy vision of Game of Thrones season one ('before it got shit') as seen through the eyes of everyone's most hated child despot. The cast, and most notably kitten-jumper wearing King Robert, power through the material with great enthusiasm, and the odd ad lib thrown in where fitting. Knowing nods towards the original source, several entertaining running gags and more than a dash of Starkid in the lead performance make this a thoroughly enjoyable show that you don't need to be a GOT geek to appreciate
★★★★
PlaguernSidgwick and Sanders
A notably larger cast than most fringe productions helps add to the already credible 'broadway' feel of this show. This is a mostly light and humorous take on the pandemic / plague metaphor, but it does have its moments of bleakness. These darker undertones are perfectly, and eerily, embodied by the twisting, silent masked figure that appears with increasing frequency as the situation grows more dire. There are shades of Les Mis, both in the score and the theme, but with considerably more laughs and an unexpected, scene stealing, singing carrot
★★★★
PillowsrnSam Adlam
Billed as must-see for 20 somethings, Pillows is in fact far more universal than that. Honest, raw, blackly funny and horribly relatable to anyone who has ever had one of those down-the-rabbit-hole 'is our relationship broken beyond repair' conversations. Naturalistic, believable performances from the actors and a script that kept me gripped from beginning to end make this one of my fringe highlights of the year
★★★★★
You're Dead, MaternEdmund Morris and Harry Duff-Walker
It's inevitable that a show dealing with the immediate confusion, panic and surprising bureaucracy of the afterlife will fit somewhere under the banner of 'black humour', but whilst You're Dead, Mate is without doubt holler-out-loud funny it's also warm, confrontational and touching. From the comforting revelation that G&T still tastes good on the other side to the less comforting suggestion that even Death doesn't know what happens when you die, this is a jagged exploration of mortality, and by extension living, delivered through strong performances and a tight, intelligent script
★★★★
Dot Dot Dot DashrnTwo Ladders Productions
Part 'Allo 'Allo! style farce, part vintage spy radio play, Dot Dot Dash is a frenetic production that makes the most of both its actors versatility and that of the props. The staging is inventive and witty, becoming almost a star of the show in its own right, whilst the cast bring a chaotic feeling energy to what must in practice be a tightly choreographed piece
★★★
Once Upon a Midnight DrearyrnQuids In Theatre Company
Unlike many productions of its scale Once Upon a Midnight Dreary is at its best during the musical numbers. Eschewing a typically 'west end' score for something that leans towards bluesy pop rock, it has a surprisingly full sound for having only three cast members. In the dramatic moments a strong lead performance by the actor playing Poe, delivered with the rigid, morally indignant confusion of Hugh Grant in Polanski's Bitter Moon, helps to anchor the play whilst madness descends around him
★★
The Ecstasy of Victoria WoodhullrnOwl & Pussycat Theatre Company
A fascinating first-person monologue (as long as you don't include the other spirits that join in from time to time) detailing the extraordinary, and mostly forgotten, life of Victoria Woodhull. Delivered through the, pun intended, medium of seance, it is lightly comedic but with a dramatic, theatrical sensibility and should hit the spot for feminists, historians and paranormal spooks alike
★★★
Laurel and Chaplin: Before They Were FamousrnJordan Conway, Matt Knight and Crazy Comedy Company
A delightful and suitably slapstick depiction of this little known chapter of movie history. Mostly hilarious but frequently moving, the two leads deliver energetic and charismatic performances backed by a small but equally strong cast. By rights the success of this company will go on to mirror that of the titular characters, rather than the overlooked and forgotten story of how they met - and parted
★★★
007 Voices Of BondrnNight Owl Shows
A delightful tour of both classic and more recent Bond themes interspersed with behind the scenes trivia and history. Maia Elsey has a stunning voice and powers through even the biggest of the numbers, but really excels when she shifts gear for the smoother songs such as Nobody Does It Better. The band are fantastic and Another Way To Die was an unexpected highlight for me for this reason, despite not liking the song itself all that much. I particularly appreciate that they put their own stamp on the tracks rather than tried to mimic the original recordings, Elsey included, and controversially in the case of No Time To Die I even preferred their version
★★★★
It's Fraser Brown, I'm AfraidrnFraser Brown
A highly entertaining, and occasionally close to the knuckle, tour of Brown's psyche from post millennial nihilism to necrophiliac family members. Despite being occasionally edgy this is on the whole an empathetic hour of comedy where you laugh with not at, other than when the glare of scrutiny is turned upon himself
★★★
The Greatest Hits of Lily and JohnrnTritone Theatre
Bleakly funny, with as much if not more drama than either comedy or music, this is an offbeat exploration of depression and anxiety told via a not-so Happy Horse singing songs about suicidal intent. The meta, meta, meta structure - albeit one that refuses out loud to break the 4th wall - comes alive when the music happens, and for me it was the highlight of the show. Two emotional, raging, theatrical numbers sung by Lily in particular left me wanting more. A sweet play that seems to encapsulate much of the ennui of the modern age, the eternally complex tangle of dealing with the emotions of other people, and the importance of allowing yourself to be looked out for
★★★
Joffrey! The PantomimernQuintuple L
PlaguernSidgwick and Sanders
PillowsrnSam Adlam
Dot Dot Dot DashrnTwo Ladders Productions
Once Upon a Midnight DrearyrnQuids In Theatre Company
