comedy – Page 6 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

THE SHOW THAT PUTS THE JOKE IN WOKE!

Gabby Killick’s new comedy show Game of Thongs is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe

Award-winning comedian Gabby Killick is set to debut her new show Game of Thongs at the Edinburgh Fringe where she’ll take a hilarious frolic through the modern-day jungle of sex, drugs and cancel culture.

It’s the show that puts the joke in woke with Gabby speaking what others dare not say. It includes her viral pandemic anthems Masturbation in Isolation and Pose and tells the social media generation the truth they don’t want to know, at least not from one of their own.

Performing at the Wee Coo in the world-famous Underbelly George Square tent, the hour-long show will run from 3rd to 29th August* at 7:20pm. It comes with a cast of extraordinary characters from ‘The Apps’ to ‘Shocking Diseases’ and every minute is mesmeric.

Gabby Killick’s previous show was voted one of the Top 3 at the Funny Women Awards and Gabby was described by the Edinburgh Evening News as “one of the most authentic voices of her generation.” Gabby’s shows have also featured in both Time Out and GQ Magazine’s 10 Coolest Things To Do In London.

Game of Thongs is brutally honest, offensive, hysterical and unapologetically about to cause a storm at this year’s Fringe.

Gabby says, “Everyone is so obsessed with cancel culture that, in the social media age, few dare to tell the truth. The great thing about comedy is that it gives us a platform to explore taboos and say it like it really is.

“Game of Thongs is offensive and shocking but it is also hilarious. The characters are a reflection and commentary on the darker aspects of our society in this digital age. I wouldn’t advise coming if you’re easily offended.”

Gabby first played the Fringe back in 2014 and since then has worked on a variety of stage and film projects and has begun releasing her comedic songs on Spotify and YouTube.

Local hero Dolly the Sheep to be celebrated at Festival Fringe 2022

The cast has been announced for Hiya Dolly! ahead of its Fringe 22 run at the Space @ Surgeons Hall.

The true story of how a cute, attention-seeking lamb became the most famous sheep in history, the world’s first cloned mammal. Lab created and born at the Roslin Institute outside Edinburgh, Dolly lived the good life.

A worldwide celebrity who never left her farm. Mother to six lovely lambs. She changed biology forever – and irrevocably changed the lives of all her human parents. Who were they? How did they do it? Where are they now? Come find out how to clone a sheep in this new play by Vince LiCata, laced with Dollified Scottish tunes and plenty of woolly humour.

Hiya Dolly! is a play with live music that explores the science, human relationships, and public reaction surrounding the remarkable cloning of Dolly the sheep at the Roslin Institute outside Edinburgh. At the time many high profile scientists had declared that cloning a mammal was impossible.

It’s a whirlwind excursion through the creation of the world’s most famous sheep and the story of the people who made it happen. Itmixes science, human drama, music, humour and a talking sheep. Its songs are set to traditional Scottish folk tunes arranged by Edinburgh based musician Ciaran McGhee.

Writer Vince LiCata says, “The explosion of publicity about the cloning of Dolly the sheep was outrageous: scientific advances just don’t get that type of public hype.

“And yet all that mania included little about the actual cloning. So Hiya Dolly! is an attempt to tell the story of the cloning itself, but in a way that retains the atmosphere of the runaway circus that surrounded it.”

Director Andy Jordan comments: “I am delighted to be directing Hiya Dolly!, a highly unusual play about a truly remarkable animal. Dolly is an Edinburgh icon who was created, lived and died just outside the city, so I feel honoured to be involved in telling her truly astonishing story.

“This play brings a talking Dolly to the stage with chutzpah, wit and charm, in a way that can only happen in theatre. I can’t wait to meet her.”

Hiya Dolly!

Written by Vince LiCata,

Directed & Produced by Andy Jordan

Music Direction by Ciaran McGhee

Listings info

Venue: theSpaceUK @ Surgeons Hall (Grand Theatre)

Dates: Friday 5 to Saturday 27 August No performance 14 Aug

Time: 20.00 Running time 70min

Previews Aug 5-6 £5.00

Aug 7 £10.00

Aug 8-13,15-27 £12.00 (£10.00)

Family ticket all perfs £32

2for1 on Mon 8

Fringe 2022: Liam Withnail – Hot Sauce

Brett Vincent for GetComedy proudly presents

Liam Withnail: Hot Sauce

Venue: Monkey Barrel Comedy

Time: 7:40pm

Date: 3^rd – 28^th August

Winner 2019 Outstanding Fringe Show (Amused Moose)

Winner 2018 Scottish Comedy Award – Best MC

Finalist Scottish Comedian of the Year

Finalist English Comedian of the Year

Nominated 2018 Best Fringe Show (Amused Moose)

Nominated 2019 Scottish Comedy Award – Best Mc

Nominated 2019 Scottish Comedy Award – Best Fringe Show

Having amassed tens of millions of views online, multi-award-winning comedian Liam Withnail brings his new show, Hot Sauce, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and is delighted to be returning to favourite venue in the city Monkey Barrel Comedy.

Hot Sauce is an hour of Withnail in his element, deftly juggling the big themes of the day in an accessible and always hysterical way. In this show he questions the true cost of the modern conveniences’ that the lockdowns had us accustomed to, be they Deliveroo, Uber, Amazon – or even PornHub.

The big questions raised is … When we’re free to indulge without consequence, can it be good for society? The finale of the show highlights a personal health scare which brings this question into laser focus, all handled with Liam’s typical affable charm.

Liam Withnail has been entertaining international comedy audiences for almost a decade. The award-winning act has performed as far and wide as Japan, Iceland and Australia – as well as regularly around the top clubs in the UK.

A stalwart of the Edinburgh Fringe, his critically acclaimed one man shows have cemented his place as one of the most exciting new voices in UK Comedy. Winner of Best Compere at the Scottish Comedy Awards in 2018, and Outstanding Fringe Show in 2019, Withnail is as comfortable riffing with the crowd as he is with his wide-ranging sharp material.

Within the last year, Liam’s popularity exploded online – clips of his legendary crowd work have amassed tens of millions of views. Often filmed at Monkey Barrel Comedy where he is a resident compere. His TikTok (70k+) followers in particular has alerted a new, far reaching and enthusiastic fanbase.

A regular panellist on BBC’s Breaking The News, Liam has also branched out into writing – with sketches featured on BAFTA winning Scot Squad

What the press have said previously

“Has us constantly in stiches!” ★★★★★ Adelaide Advertiser

“An hour of consistently hysterical comedy” ★★★★★ – The Wee Review

“One of the most complete and affirming shows I’ve seen this year” ★★★★★ Ed Fest Mag

“Fantastic writing. An important story told with humour, humility and style” The Scotsman

Social media:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/liamwithnail | Twitter: https://twitter.com/liamwithnail

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liamwithnailcomedy | TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/liamwithnail

Listing information:

Show: Liam Withnail: Hot Sauce | Dates: 3rd – 28th August (not 16th) | Time: 7.45pm

Venue: Monkey Barrel Comedy – Carnivore 2 | Address: 208 Cowgate, Edinburgh, EH1 1LLPrice: £6 – £9 | Box Office:https://www.monkeybarrelcomedy.com/ 0845 500 1056

Fringe 2022: Dan Rath – Cockroach Party

Brett Vincent for GetComedy by arrangement with Junkyard Artists

Proudly Presents

DAN RATH: COCKROACH PARTY

Nominee – Best Newcomer: 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival

VENUE: Studio 5, Assembly, George Square

TIME: 10.40pm

DATES Previews: 3^rd & 4^th August

Cockroach Party: 5^th– 28^th August

TICKETS: https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/dan-rath-cockroach-party/book-now

Cockroach Party will be a rambling tour through a mind that is on its last legs. It only takes one cockroach to ruin a bowl of cherries. But it takes a cockroach party to save the world. Will include crowd work but don’t worry the water’s warm. Have you ever gone on incognito mode to Google symptoms of multiple sclerosis? Well let’s get this party started.

Topics covered will include:

a) Insomnia (haven’t slept for a year),

b) Getting diagnosed with glaucoma,

c) Being thrown under the bus,

c) Respect,

d) Revenge,

e) Redemption,

f) Regret.

“Hilariously maladjusted hour” ****1/2 Chortle (Melbourne Comedy Festival 2022)

Dan Rath has enough parking ticket debt to cripple a small European country and he has watched his car get cubed by the government. He has been disrespected by his colleagues and is bruised and battered with nothing to lose. His low status means he has heightened cortisol production and is not equipped to take a gentle ribbing. He has a diverse set of interests including prime numbers.

His comedy will appeal to:

a) burnouts with no driver’s license

b) folks who have paid a visit to marijuana island

c) scumdogs

Dan Rath is ready to capitulate to the desires of the audience. All this stammering boob wants is a playmate.

“Meta funny” Herald Sun (Aus)

Read Dan Rath review of Cockroach Party from Chortle at the Melbourne Comedy Festival 2022

https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2022/04/18/50595/dan-rath-cockroach-party

Fringe 2022: Dan Kelly – How I Came Third in the North Korean Marathon

What happens when you try to run 26.2 miles in the most secretive nation on earth?

In 2018 Dan Kelly came third in the North Korean Marathon. That means he beat over 1,000 other runners to get on the winner’s podium.

To achieve that he had to negotiate a voluminous application and vetting process to gain access to the country. He also discovered what happens when you run out of malt loaf the night before the big race, and, what happens when you hit the wall in front of 50,000 North Koreans who are enthusiastically cheering you on. There may even have been some physical training involved too.

Dan created an event team with four friends, each with their own area of specialism: meet Mark (nutrition), Tarek (communication), Martin (numbers) and Hugh (speed).

This fast-paced hour of unique, intelligently comic storytelling incorporates video from the race (official North Korean government provided footage) and real-life scenes of BBQ clams and last-minute flapjack shortages.

Marvel as Dan and his team discover the answers to the burning questions of the day like:

‘How do you convert miles into kilometres…and then back into miles!?’

‘What’s North Korean for ‘is that a real gun?’’

‘Just how much voltarol gel is too much voltarol gel?’

How I Came Third in the North Korean Marathon is directed by Joseph Morpurgo, co-creator of smash-hit improvised comedy Austentatious (winner of multiple 4 and 5 star reviews) and Comedy Award nominee.

Dan said ‘As a keen runner I’ve run marathons in places like Marrakech, Snowdonia, Madeira and Valencia but entering North Korea’s was one of the more unusual experience and was my toughest challenge yet.

“For a start, are flapjacks even allowed in North Korea? This show is an attempt to tell audiences about the thrills, spills and downright absurdities of running a race in the most secretive nation on earth”.

One-time Edinburgh University student Dan is no stranger to international travel. In his day job he travels the world to investigate the cost of living in different countries, checking and recording prices of day-to-day goods.

If you want to know the price of a box of tea bags in Belarus or a pack of pasta in Peru, Dan’s your man. He has visited supermarkets in over 140 countries. Any unusual finds?

‘Last year, on the top shelf in a tiny, run down corner shop in Burundi I saw a very dusty, and most unexpected bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale…’

Listings information:

How I Came Third in the North Korean Marathon

Venue: Just the Tonic @ The Caves, Venue 88

Dates: 4-28 (not 15) First review date 4 Aug

Time: 16.10 (55 mins)

Tickets: £5 advance or pay what you can on door

Venue Box Office: 0131 226 0000

www.justthetonic.com/edinburgh-festival

Fringe 2022: Done To Death By Jove!

Gavin Robertson & Nicholas Collett

Done To Death, By Jove!

BRITISH DETECTIVE GENRE GETS A COMEDY MAKEOVER …

“The 39 Steps” meets “An Inspector Calls” via Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and Midsomer Murders. A cast of six brings a comic flurry of suspects and characters together to discover who done what, and why …

Except, well … four of the cast are stuck by the side of the road in the van, and only those two knights of the Theatre – Sir Gavin of Robertson and Sir Nicholas of Collett have managed to get to the venue… but ‘the show must go on’…

Comic clichés from the Detective genre abound in this genre-busting comedy from the masters of inventive silliness! That’s if the two of them can get through the play at all without losing the plot. Literally.

It’s not a new idea – it’s been DONE TO DEATH, BY JOVE – but not like this! Promise.

From touring in USA, Australia and beyond, they’re now at the The Space!

After two years of inaction while covid killed off live performance, investigating a murder seemed appropriate!

But how? With no income and no production funds in the bank, what to produce and how?

Nicholas Collett & Gavin Robertson found a solution – produce a show for six actors but manage with two! With almost no budget and a dearth of necessary actors this was a case of writing a Whodunnit, rehearsing the ACTUAL storyline – then working out how to sabotage themselves at every turn!

The result is this show – a storyline complete with bickering, audience on-the-spot interaction, and laughs a-plenty. And many hats!

Gavin and Nicholas now have 9 shows as a partnership, with Gavin best known for his West End hIt, THUNDERBIRDS F.A.B. (first seen at Edinburgh in 1987!) and Nicholas in the award-winning ‘Black & White Tea Room’ in 2019.

★★★★ Broadway Baby “Comedy gold” ★★★★ Bath Echo “Great fun”

Listings information

Venue: theSpace Triplex

Dates: Aug 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27

Time: 17:05 (1hr)

Ticket prices: £11.50 / concessions £9.50 / children £8.50 / Family £8.00 Student £8.50

Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com

Fringe 2022: Pauline

Pauline

Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 2), 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ

Wednesday 3 August – Monday 29 August, 12:20pm (not 15th)

From Breakthrough Memoir award winner Sophie Bentinck comes Pauline, a new dark comedy about finding your nan’s suicide note. Written and performed by Bentinck, directed by Fred Wienand (Twelfth Night, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre), with sound design by Anna Short (Folk, Hampstead Theatre), lighting design by Ali Hunter (Orlando, Jermyn Street Theatre), and presented together with producer Emma Blackman (Bobby & Amy, Fringe First Award 2019), this powerful autobiographical piece explores learning to dance with the skeletons in your family closet.

Pauline is the story of three generations of women in one family – and the story of the writer who went digging in the secrets file in order to bring them all on stage. Witness a brutally honest and joyfully hilarious glimpse into what it has meant to be a woman in the Bentinck family as far back as 1921.

Runner up at the prestigious Screenshot 2020 competition, the judging panel which included Olivia Colman and Lolly Adefope, said of Pauline “it is important this story gets told” and Phoebe Waller-Bridge praised the play as “captivating.” Sophie was also selected by acclaimed writer Cathy Rentzenbrink as Curtis Brown’s Breakthrough Memoir Scholar for the adaptation she is writing of the play.

In 1967 Pauline prematurely died from an overdose, and fifty years later Sophie found and read her diaries. This led to a journey of self-discovery, exploring mental health, loneliness and half a century of female voices, with no holds barred.

Actress and writer Sophie Bentinck said: “I’m the thirty-four year old daughter of Anna, who is the seventy-four-year-old daughter of Pauline. Pauline is dead, Anna has Alzheimer’s; I am writing our story.

Sophie continues: “Covid struck the night before I was due to perform my one woman show for the very first time. A show in which I tried to deal with the inherited trauma of losing my eccentric, guinness and champagne-loving grandmother to suicide.

“However, as I tried to keep the memory of Pauline intact during the pandemic, my mum’s memory faded fast, following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. The show has now become, through interwoven conversations with mum and my nan’s diary extracts ranging from 1944-1967, an endeavour to give a sense of the interlapping of memory: my own, my mother’s and my grandmother’s, before she decided she had nothing left to say.”

“Over the pandemic many families were forced to bury their dead without proper funerals or goodbyes. Loss does not always mean physical absence, it can be psychological too. As we begin to take stock of the impacts of Covid, Sophie attempts to combat them and shine a light on some of the darker times.

“From the postponement of this show in 2020, to the ambiguous grief of losing someone to Alzhiemer’s as well as to suicide, Pauline charts Sophie’s journey, against all odds, to get on that stage at the Fringe and tell the story of all of the women whose shoulders she stands on.

Fringe 2022: Waiting For Hamlet

A vain, pompous buffoon who doesn’t know when to go: How Shakespeare’s grudge destroyed the kingdom he once ruled …

A former king with a lust for revenge is about to murder the entire cast of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet – and a new comedy at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe seeks to discover what has driven him to contemplate this brutal tragic killing spree.

Hamlet’s father’s ghostly return from the grave leaves a string of stabbed, drowned, and poisoned corpses of his family and friends – but Shakespeare never tells us why the dead king makes the fatal mistake that leads to the death of his brother, ex-wife, son, and chief advisor, among others.

Fortunately, Waiting for Hamlet, at the Space Triplex throughout August, does. It’s because he’s a vain, pompous buffoon who doesn’t know when it’s time to lie down and die.

Accompanied only by his Fool Yorick, the King plots revenge for his foul and most unnatural murder. Can Yorick stop him making the biggest mistake of his afterlife?

Waiting for Hamlet imposes itself on the public of the Edinburgh between August 6 and August 26.

Ladies’ Day at Inverleith St Serf’s!

Look at our beautiful poster for our Festival Fringe production of Amanda Whittington’s Ladies Day! Designed by the multi talented Stephen, who is also the lighting and sound director for the production.

Work, love and life are just one long, hard slog for the fish-filleting foursome Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda. A day at the races to celebrate Pearl’s (not) retirement finds them looking for fame and fortune.

Dressed in their finest, they head off to the races for a drink, a flirt and a flutter. If their luck holds, they could hit the jackpot – and more besides. An exuberant, poignant comedy about female friendship and what fortune really means, come and join the ladies at the race course and share their story.

An amateur production In association with Nick Hern Books.

Please join us at Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre,Clark Road, Edinburgh from Saturday 6 August. Tickets are now available from the Fringe Box Office.

@edfringe @NickHernbooks

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/ladies-day

Ladies Day by Amanda Whittington

Saturday 6th August – Saturday 20th August 2022 (not Sundays)

£15 (£12 con) (£10 preview Sat 6th August 7:30pm)

7.30pm Sat 6th and Mon-Fri 8th-12th, 15th-19th

2:30pm Sats 13th and 20th

Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre, 1A Clark Rd, Edinburgh EH5 3BD

Marion Donohoe

Fringe venues join together to launch ticketing and reviews platform

EIGHT Edinburgh Festival Fringe producing venues – Assembly, Dance Base, Gilded Balloon, Just the Tonic, Pleasance, Summerhall, Underbelly and ZOO – are coming together for the first time to launch an updated show ticketing and reviews platform, edfest.com – providing audiences with a central hub for easy booking, information and reviews of ‘the best curated shows on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’.

With tickets now on sale, edfest.com provides a centralised booking and reviews hub providing access to 1,159 shows across comedy, dance, theatre, and music at 140 venues, featuring performers from 32 different countries.

Some notable performers and shows in the 2022 edfest.com line up are:

Assembly: Choir of Man, Beats on Point, Friendsical, Love Loss & Chianti and Queenz

DanceBase: Ballet Ireland, Scottish Dance Theatre, Dan Daw Creative Projects

Gilded Balloon: Late’n Live, Maisie Adam, Leith Social, Henry Naylor, Jack Docherty

Just The Tonic: Jimeoin, Tom Stade, Aliya Kanani, Jack Gleadow, Anthony Deveto

Pleasance: Freedom Ballet of Ukraine, Sophie Duker, Ben Hart, Tim Vine, SK Shlomo

Summerhall: Learning to Fly, Life is Soft, Mama Love, Talisk, Efterkland

Underbelly: La Clique, Rhys Nicholson, Dragons & Mythical Beasts, Circa: Humans 2.0, Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch

ZOO: Night Dances, Runners, Rocky, Sad Book, Far Gone, Every word was once an animal

The new edfest.com website has been designed to give audiences a more bespoke experience, allowing them to search and find shows they will love.

Companies and venues will update information on a regular basis and the public will be encouraged to review shows and share with their friends. The new experience gives ticket buyers a more rounded view of what’s on offer, replacing what word of mouth and poster clippings have done in the past.

Speaking on behalf of the eight edfest.com venues, Jim Hollington, CEO of Dance Base, comments: “The last two years have been incredibly hard for everyone in the arts and entertainment sector. It’s therefore critical that this year’s Edinburgh Fringe is a success, to protect the future of our own organisations, of the performing artists who make the Fringe, and of our contribution to the city of Edinburgh overall.

“As producing venues, we invest a huge amount of time, energy and money curating and producing some of the best entertainment in the world and bringing that to Edinburgh. Whilst the pandemic created numerous challenges, it did allow us to stop and think about how we could collaborate and do things better.

“Across the eight edfest.com venues we share a similar vision and so it made sense for us to pool our sales and marketing resources to drive efficiencies across our own operations and ultimately make things easier for customers. Our box offices will also all be linked and audiences will be able to buy for multiple venues.

“Crucially this year we are going on sale earlier than usual to increase the sales window for bookings and generate much needed revenue.

“Putting the last two years behind us we would like to encourage everyone from Fringe loyalists who turn up every year, to Edinburgh locals and first timers to visit edfest.com, book some spectacular shows and once again enjoy the best possible Edinburgh Fringe experience this August. We can’t wait to get going!”