Friday 9 August 2019

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019 - Colin Cloud



I’ve been going to see Colin Cloud at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the last five years now. And every year he never fails to entertain, amaze and astound.

The illusionist extraordinaire has appeared on the Royal Variety Performance and recently appeared on America’s Got Talent. His shows at the Fringe are one of the highlights of the three-week arts and entertainment extravaganza and this year has proved to be no different.

This year’s show is called Sinful and for the first time he has a special guest – his fiancĂ©e Chloe Crawford.

The great man begs the question – are you an honest person? And, having answered – did you just lie to yourself? Believe me Colin Cloud will know – he knows everything about you.

He listens to your whispers and gleans those innermost secrets.

Without giving too much away, I can say that Colin Cloud is at his most brilliant this year. I always leave his shows asking myself ‘how the heck did he do that?’ I don’t know – and, if truth be told given what he knew of some of his unsuspecting audience the other night, I don’t want to know.

His shows are utterly compelling – he is simply a genius. His show is well worth the rather lengthy wait in a queue outside the Grand at the Pleasance, even allowing the stewards rather messing up the queuing system for Tuesday evening’s performance.

Colin Cloud – Sinful is at The Pleasance until 25th August 2019.

Saturday 3 August 2019

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019 - Something About Simon



Fans of Paul Simon will want to ensure they catch Something About Simon, the story of the American singer songwriter, which is on at the Assembly George Square Studios as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

In this brand-new show, fellow singer songwriter Gary Edward Jones recites the music of one of his idols and, between songs, tells the story of the great man from his early days in England to his partnership with Art Garfunkel and his ground-breaking album Graceland.
A natural storyteller, Liverpudlian Edward Jones weaves together songs and stories that cross the Atlantic from New Jersey to the North West of England. He traces the sometimes-poignant moments in Paul Simon’s life and career that occasionally mirror his own.
There are no fancy gimmicks or expensive sets on the show. Just one talented musician with an array of guitars in the intimate setting of Studio One at the Assembly George Square studios. Edward Jones is an accomplished singer and musician and he effortlessly glides through classic Simon ballads such as The Sound of Silence, America, Homeward Bound, Wristband and the classic Bridge Over Troubled Water.
It’s a hugely enjoyable performance and one perfect for a late afternoon when thoughts perhaps turn to a glass of wine or two to relax. Something About Simon is not a tribute show but simply a recognition of one the greatest singer songwriters of the last century. If you enjoy the music of Paul Simon you’ll love Something About Simon.
Something About Simon – The Paul Simon Story is in at the Assembly Rooms George Square Studios (Venue 17) from Aug 3-11, 13-18, 20-26. 


Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019 - Faulty Towers - The Dining Experience





One of the more positive elements of those satellite television channels showing endless repeats of programmes from the 1970s and 80s is that they bring true classic shows from that era to the watching audience today. One of those shows is Fawlty Towers, the hilarious comedy set in a Torquay hotel with John Cleese playing the hotel owner Basil Fawlty. He treats paying guests with a mixture of rudeness and reverence and his daily battle with all that life has to throw at him resonates with many today.

I am a huge fan of the show so when the opportunity came to see the Faulty Towers – The Dining Experience at the Edinburgh Fringe I went unabashed even though I had doubts that the players would struggle to make the same impact as Cleese and the other cast members of the television show such as Prunella Scales, who played Fawlty’s unbearable wife Sybil and Andrew Sachs who played the hapless but loveable waiter Manuel.

The setting is the impressive Principal Hotel in George Street and such grand surroundings are at odds with the television’s setting in a small crumbing Torquay hotel – but such is the demand to see the show it does need to be held somewhere as grand.

Fawlty Towers the television show was made forty years ago so it’s possible – although unlikely – that some people may not have heard of it despite it being constantly repeated on the satellite channel Gold. Those who loved the television show probably knew what was coming as they firstly assembled in the waiting area where Basil Faulty ( a subtle change in the spelling of the surname) – played by Jack Baldwin who mimicked Faulty’s eccentric behaviour perfectly – announced the seating plan, passing surly comments on those he felt had not dressed appropriately for the occasion. Baldwin’s physical comedy was brilliant – it’s worth watching what he does particularly when Sybil and Manuel are hogging the limelight.

Inside the dining area the hapless Manuel – brilliantly portrayed by Oliver Harrison – created havoc with guests who loved his antics, nonetheless. Harrison stole the show and his performance was such I feel sure the late, great Andrew Sachs would surely have approved. The domineering Sybil Faulty was played with some style by Karina Garnett and her love-hate relationship with her husband underpinned the show.

And what makes this performance different from so many others is that not only do you see brilliant comic actors at work you are served a delicious three course meal, the quality of which was far superior to the service provided by a certain Spanish waiter (he’s from Barcelona…)

What followed before, during and after the meal was what most of the paying guests came to see – the chef’s loss of a personal item in someone’s soup; the fire drill, Manuel’s escaped hamster which is really a rat; Basil’s attempt to hide his bet on the horses from Sybil and his rant against Germans.

Whilst the food was delicious – albeit the menu was limited – and the performances sublime my only small gripe was the performers would have benefited with being fitted with a small microphone. I struggled to hear some of the dialogue when the action took place at the other side of the dining room.

That said, Faulty Towers – The Dining Experience is two hours of brilliant entertainment. Be prepared to be ridiculed, be prepared to be part of the slapstick action. But, above all, be prepared to be thoroughly entertained. But not a word to the dragon!

Faulty Towers – The Dining Experience is on at the Principal Hotel, George Street until 26th August 2019. 




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