Socks in the Daily Record "...will knock your socks off"

An excellent review in today's Daily Record.

• By Barry Gordon

Theatre review: Space age comedy involving puppets will knock your socks off

23 Aug 2013 11:47

THE popular Scottish Falsetto Puppets are back at the Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh, until August 25.

SOCK it to me. The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets are back. Only this time, the googly-eyed pair are boldly going where no item of loose-fitting footwear has ever gone before – outer space and the world of science fiction.

Sticking a couple of socks on your hands for a laugh is the kind of thing you might get up to with your pals after a drunken night out.

For Falsetto Sock creator Kev Sutherland, however, it’s a critically-acclaimed Fringe sell-out. No fancy theatrics here, thank-you very much, just a rickety stand, some cheap costumes and a room full of laughs.

The sketches run from Star Trek to Star Wars and along the way there’s a brief glimpse of Scotland’s answer to the big blockbuster sci-fi movies.

Movies like Avatartan and Bladescunner, for example. Iron Man becomes Irn-Bru man at one stage, and as things get sillier you feel like you’re going through an out-of-sock experience.

The highlights, though, come via interaction with the audience, which ensure the fast-witted Sutherland’s shows are different each time. When he – sorry, the Falsetto Socks – got hit with a movie title they didn’t recognise, it merely ramped up the laughter rippling through the hall.

New Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi, gets the sock treatment, while David Bowie pops up to receive the starman effect. The ‘ship in a bottle’ routine got dragged out over the hour-long performance without ever losing its humour and no cheesy end-of-pier show would be complete without a couple of songs, either.

Tourists might struggle with the Scots references occasionally and you really need to get close to the front of the stage in order to fully appreciate the act. That said, even if the sound of squeaky socks seems too lowbrow, rest assured you’ll be laughing your own socks off by the end.

BARRY GORDON

★★★★ "Astronomical fun" - Broadway Baby

Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre - In Space

142 Venue Number 14. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Teviot Row House,13 Bristo Square , EH8 9AJ. 31 July - 25 August 22:15 (1 hour). Suitability: 12+. Mild language suitable for 12 and over or PG

Broadway Baby Rating:

The stars of stage, screen and YouTube bring you a new hour of songs, sketches, socks and violence. ‘Had every single audience member ... laughing until they cried’ ** * ** (Edinburgh Evening News). Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot Year: 2013 Genre: Comedy Production Company: UT Productions Ltd URL: http://www.edfringe.com/event/SCOTTIY

BROADWAY BABY REVIEW
Astronomical Fun	Broadway Baby Rating:

If you are attracted by the glittering diversity of shows offered by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, then this is one for you. The energy pouring from the small tartan puppet theatre filled both stage and room, as the chatter bouncing between the two sock puppets had the whole audience in stitches. For the sci-fi buffs amongst us, this is a must, but even if you don’t think that’s you, it’s difficult for the hilarity of a sci-fi-based-sock-puppet show to go unnoticed. The socks certainly seem to enjoy the theme, from their animated impersonations of related characters, to exuberant remakes of popular fantasy films. Amusing sock-based discussions of ‘green screen only’ serve to remind the audience of the impressive nature of the show’s effervescence, as these puppets need no special effects. The generous sprinkling of tongue-in cheek songs amp up the energy even further. Parodies, tongue twisters and improvised melodies delight the audience in equal amounts, and slot comfortably into the show’s fast paced variety. However the funniest moments erupt in improvisation, which establishes a solid rapport between the conversing sock puppets and their audience. It provides space to breathe, a break amongst a whirlwind of exuberance. It also introduces the audience to the man behind the puppets, whose voice and muffled laughter is perceptible behind their musings upon the relative success of their jokes. Quips such as ‘don’t pretend you know how this works’ demand cheerful admiration in acknowledging the plethora of personalities that emanate from just one voice and two sock puppets. Unfortunately the weakest moments of the show also rumble amongst its improv, as some jokes are drawn out for too long whilst others simply fall on their head. However, the puppets remain constantly alert to the atmosphere they conjure, and deftly trick the audience back to joviality in the welcome return to their sci-fi based jokes. Dynamic and delightful, this is not a show to be missed.   "Space age comedy to knock your socks off" ★★★★ 4 stars The Daily Record  "Astronomical fun" ★★★★ 4 stars Broadway Baby "A must see show yet again" ★★★★★ 5 stars York Mix "Some of the finest-written and performed (comedy) on the Fringe" ★★★★ 4 stars Edinburgh Spotlight "The unparalleled pinnacle of comedy puppetry" ★★★★★ 5 stars Venue (Bath preview) "Brilliant night of entertainment" ★★★★ 4 stars The Fiction Stroker (Manchester preview) "Will have you literally laughing your socks off' ★★★★ 4 stars The Public Reviews (Warwick Arts preview) "Gloriously anarchic act" ★★★★ 4 stars Latest 7 (Brighton preview) "My face hurt from smiling" ★★★★ 4 stars Broadway Baby (Brighton preview)

Reviewer: Milly Reilly Milly Reilly has written 18 reviews for Broadway Baby since joining the team in 2013.

Edfringe reviews - the difference they make

 
This year the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre are having a brilliant Edinburgh, and their show Socks In Space is probably their best yet. Audiences are loving it and we've had a good few sellouts with more still to come.

But to be honest we've not had as many sellouts as we've had in the past, and I think there's a big reason why. Nobody knows about us.

We've had the listings, the posters and of course the flyering (my god there's been a lot of flyering), but the big difference between Edinburgh Fringe 2013 and previous years is the reviews. We've had two reviews, which is our fewest ever.

And the major importance of a review, especially in The Scotsman, is that it tells people how good this year's show is. Last year's 5 star review in the Edinburgh Evening News certainly saved our show from the Olympics ticket drought that killed so many other shows (we are, by the way, selling twice as well as we did that year, as is everybody else. Ooh them Olympics were a bad bad thing for the Fringe).

And by this time last year we'd had 5 star reviews from the Evening News, Fringe Review, Broadway Baby and A Younger Theatre as well as 4 star reviews from one4review, The Public Reviews, Broadway Baby again (we had 2 shows on last year remember), Giggle Beats and Edinburgh Spotlight. All of which helps put those bums on those seats.

So, like a tree falling in the forest, our show keeps knocking them dead every night, and the only reviews that are reaching the outside world (apart from a lovely 5 star from York Mix and 4 star from Edinburgh Spotlight, for which many thanks) are the kind words on Twitter (Goggle them, they're out there).

Any reviewers who'd like to make an appearance on our 2014 flyers still have the chance to see us for 9 more shows. We're missing you, try not to miss us.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre In Space, 10.15pm July 31st - Aug 25th at The Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh Fringe 2013.

Socks Capaldi Dr Who in The Guardian

Who knew our video had made it into The Guardian's Media Monkey?

The Guardian Media User comments

Doctor Who: Malcolm Tucker turns the Tardis even bluer

Watch videos mashing up Peter Capaldi's character from The Thick of It with the sci-fi series

• theguardian.com, Wednesday 7 August 2013 11.09 BST 
•  
Malcolm Tucker and Doctor Who mash-up. Click here if you are reading on mobile 
  Well, it had to happen. The news that Peter Capaldi was to star in Doctor Who has prompted a slew of spoofs mashing up the sci-fi show with the star's sweary character in The Thick of It, Malcolm Tucker. One of the first off the mark was Pete Nottage with a trailer cleverly together splicing the two series. Monkey particularly likes the cut between Clara saying "Run you clever boy" in Asylum of the Daleks and Tucker responding "Oh fuck off!" Monkey's attention has also been drawn to a skit by the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, who are performing at the Edinburgh festival fringe, with some choice Doctor Who references – the joke about The Silence is especially good. Be warned, though: the language in both clips is not for the faint-hearted.

Our news story on Gigglebeats

Only one thing worse than being talked about...

 

News

Peter Capaldi Fringe sketch censored after walk out

August 14, 2013 by John-Paul Stephenson in News with 0 Comments

A sketch featuring Malcolm Tucker as Doctor Who has been removed from a show following three complaints and a walk out.

Artist Kev F. Sutherland created the sketch for his Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre Edinburgh Fringe show following the announcement that Peter Capaldi will replace Matt Smith as The Doctor.
The announcement immediately led to a deluge of jokes across social media about how Malcolm Tucker, Capaldi’s character in The Thick of It, is known for swearing.
Sutherland quickly created the sketch for the show, which begins at 10:15pm at the Gilded Balloon.

However, after performing the sketch for a week, a family walked out of last night’s performance, with further complaints logged with the Gilded Balloon.

Sutherland told Giggle Beats that he thought that he was easing in younger audiences gently.

He said: “Surely every kid has Googled Peter Capaldi and has seen the real thing.”
“The socks got a bit carried away. When you do Malcolm Tucker as Doctor Who, you do get carried away!”

Sutherland says that the venue gave him the option of either removing the sketch, or raising the show’s 12A age restriction.

As it was only a minute in length, he chose to remove the sketch rather than turn away younger audiences.

Last year, the Falsetto Socks performed two Fringe shows per day: a children-friendly morning show, with an evening performance which was more appropriate for adults.

Judge for yourself; watch the offending sketch:

It is not work safe or suitable for children under 12.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre are appearing at the Gilded Balloon until the 25 August (not 21).

Peter Capaldi's Doctor Who "too much for 12 year olds"

It would seem Peter Capaldi as Doctor Who is too much for 12 year olds to take, if the audiences for the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre at the Gilded Balloon are anything to go by.

Performing their sixth successive brand new show, Socks In Space, the Scottish Falsetto Socks have started including a short routine featuring Peter Capaldi's incarnation of The Doctor (see video clip) which they introduced on the night he was announced, the fifth night of their Edinburgh Fringe run. And it would seem The Doctor, in the style of The Thick Of It's Malcolm Tucker, is too strong for some members of their sellout crowds.



For the first time in 6 years at Edinburgh, the Socks have received a complaint. Not one complaint, but three in fact. All protesting that the language in the show was too strong for the 12 year olds that had been taken to see them (the show is advertised for ages 12 and over and is on at 10.15 at night).

So, to conform with their 12A rating, the Scottish Falsetto Socks will now be removing the Peter Capaldi routine from the show. At less than a minute long, it leaves 59 minutes of sci-fi themed comedy which is almost entirely free of strong language and still manages to tackle every genre of sci fi from Star Trek to Star Wars via Alien, The Avengers, Gerry Anderson and dozens more.

Anyone wishing to catch the Socks' not-safe-for-work take on Peter Capaldi's Doctor can see it here on Youtube.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre In Space, 10.15pm July 31st - Aug 25th at The Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh Fringe 2013.



"A must see show yet again" ★★★★★ 5 stars York Mix
"Some of the finest-written and performed (comedy) on the Fringe" ★★★★ 4 stars Edinburgh Spotlight
"The unparalleled pinnacle of comedy puppetry" ★★★★★ 5 stars Venue (Bath preview)
"Brilliant night of entertainment" ★★★★ 4 stars The Fiction Stroker (Manchester preview)
"Will have you literally laughing your socks off' ★★★★ 4 stars The Public Reviews (Warwick Arts preview)
"Gloriously anarchic act" ★★★★ 4 stars Latest 7 (Brighton preview)
"My face hurt from smiling" ★★★★ 4 stars Broadway Baby (Brighton preview)

My Edinburgh double life

Here are the Socks, in their Space costumes, courtesy of Nigel Thurgar in the audience the other night. And we have had some cracking shows this Edinburgh, including our biggest sellouts ever. (Thanks to the expanded capacity of our venue, we're now able to sell 106 tickets and, by golly, we have done.)

Though, to be honest, we're not doing that every night. Oh to be sure we're whupping last year's Olympics-throttled ass as far as ticket sales are concerned, but last night for example we saw a bit of a slump. Now I know, better than most, how to get round a slump in ticket sales at the Edinburgh Fringe - you flyer. I am the God of flyering. I love flyering, and I long ago worked out the maths, that 300 flyers equates to 30 bums on seats. And the more I flyer the more seats we sell (though, paradoxically, I did no flyering on Friday and we saw our biggest day-on-day sales of the season so far).

But this year I have made a rod for my own back, tied my own hands, and given myself an excuse for loads of mixed metaphors because, as well as doing Socks In Space every night at 10.15, I'm doing a day job teaching Comic Art Masterclasses in libraries. Last week I did three days at Balerno school, an afternoon at Currie library, a day where I was at Drumbrae in the morning and Kirkliston in the afternoon, then on Saturday I went to Glasgow to draw caricatures in the Dr Martens store for a Beano promotion, yesterday I did an afternoon at Colinton library, and today I'll be in Granton in the morning and Muirhouse in the afternoon. All of which being paid work, which is good, and hard to turn down, but all of which means time I can't spend flyering. I'm looking at the figures now and wondering would I make more money through the bums on seats I'd be generating by extra flyering than I make doing these daytime sessions. An interesting question that I can't really answer till the end of the month.

Anyhoo, it's hard bloody work, but of course I'm enjoying it. And by the way, the Socks In Space show is now in cracking shape. All we need is to keep those full-houses coming (and some more reviews, we've only had two so far) and we're looking at a classic year.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre In Space, 10.15pm July 31st - Aug 25th at The Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh Fringe 2013. 



"A must see show yet again" ★★★★★ 5 stars York Mix
"Some of the finest-written and performed (comedy) on the Fringe" ★★★★ 4 stars Edinburgh Spotlight
"The unparalleled pinnacle of comedy puppetry" ★★★★★ 5 stars Venue (Bath preview)
"Brilliant night of entertainment" ★★★★ 4 stars The Fiction Stroker (Manchester preview)
"Will have you literally laughing your socks off' ★★★★ 4 stars The Public Reviews (Warwick Arts preview)
"Gloriously anarchic act" ★★★★ 4 stars Latest 7 (Brighton preview)
"My face hurt from smiling" ★★★★ 4 stars Broadway Baby (Brighton preview)