Aaaaaaagain, it’s my Edinburgh Fringe Programme Review

The annual treat of reading and digesting the Edinburgh Fringe programme is once more upon us, and yet again it thrills in a way that’s impossible to describe to anyone who’s never been. As readers of this blog will know, we first went to the Fringe in 1984*, and have been looking back at that programme and its successors virtually every year since. (*As punters, that is. I first took a show, The Sitcom Trials, up in 2001, and the Scottish Falsetto Socks made their Edinburgh debut in 2007).

The growth of the massive programme for this, the World’s Biggest Art Festival - Official, has stalled. From 1984’s 74 page programme to 2015’s 440 pages, I noted that the guide had been growing an average of 20 pages a year. However last year (2017) it weighed in at 458 pages, which is exactly the same as this year. Shock horror, the Fringe isn’t growing out of control!

What size the Comedy section? It’s 142 pages, exactly the same as last year. (At which point I had to double check I wasn’t reading last year’s prog. I’m not). Comedy reached a peak of 143 pages in 2012, dipping to 137 in 2015, but much of this variation is down to the amount of ad space taken. The first year I had a show on, 2001, there were 33 pages of comedy. In 1984 the subjects weren’t separated out, but comedy seems to have accounted for only a few pages worth.

What has mushroomed in 2018 is Variety. 1984’s programme listed such categories as Revue, Cabaret and even Mime, all giving Theatre and Comedy a run for their money. 34 years later, cabaret, burlesque, drag and various other performance genres have returned in force.

Assembly in particular seem to have dropped stand up considerably, in favour of musical comedy and variety. Competition will be stiffer this year between be-sequinned and heavily-made-up hoofers and harmonisers than at any time I can remember. It’s apt that the highest profusion of camp shows are taking place in the Assembly Gardens’ row of tents.

So to the parade of the best punny show titles. Here’s my favourite 15:

Brexit Through The Gift Shop - Matt Forde

Carey Carey Quite Contrary - Carey Marx

A Few Good Jen - Jenny Collier

Gagster’s Paradise - Gary Delaney

Twat Out Of Hell - Gary G Knightley

Slattery Will Get You Nowhere - Tony Slattery

Thea-Skot Through The Heart & You’re To Blame - Alison Thea-Skot

There’s No i in Idiot - Olaf Falafel

Last Night A Weegie Saved My Life - Matt Price

Speaky Blinder - Chris McCausland

Bra Trek - Charmian Hughes

The Art Of The Dil - Dilruk Jayasinha

A Kealy’s Heel - Alex Kealy

Float Like A Butterfly, John Hastings Like A Bee - John Hastings

See Novellie, Hear Novellie, Speak Novellie - Pierre Novellie

And my favourite?

All I Wanna Do is [FX: GUNSHOTS] With a [FX: GUN RELOADING] and [FX: CASH REGISTER] and Perform Some Comedy! - John-Luke Roberts

Sadly I couldn’t include Josh Glanc’s Karma Karma Karma Karma Karma Chamedian because last year Mickey Sharma beat him to the punch with the slightly punnier Sharma Sharma Sharma Sharma Sharma Comedian. I’m sure both shows are great, so do please come and go. (Do you see what I did there?)

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre* are Superheroes at The Gilded Balloon at the Edinburgh Fringe from August 1st to 26th - ON SALE NOW! 

*Winners of the Bath Comedy Festival Lovehoney Best Joke Award 2018

Previews:

June 20 - Ludlow Fringe

July 11 - Neath
July 19 - Bedford Fringe
July 29 - Derby Bar One
July 29 - Sheffield New Barrack Tavern

 - with more preview dates to be announced