Venue 33, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance One,
3rd-24th Aug (not 15, 22), 1.30pm-3.00pm
"A vibrant, stimulating showcase of talent."
FRIDAY 23rd AUGUST 2024
Pleasance One, Venue 33
1.30pm-3.00pm
Tickets: £17.50
TODAY'S LINE UP
Diary of a Gay Disaster
Musicals and Opera (musical comedy, lgbtq+)
Ellis wakes up in a turbulent fever dream created by the Gods of Sapphic Desire. Mia and Finlay, self-proclaimed expert angel dykes, say she's expected to "reflect" on her life or some crap like that. One magic diary and twelve comical tunes later, these three hot queers learn something important: being a disaster is not a unique talent, it's just embarrassing. Oh well, at least there are sexy togas! Don't miss the debut of this new musical comedy show, featuring a disconcerting amount of oversharing despite the fact that literally nobody asked.
Ellie MacPherson: Babe Lincoln
Cabaret and Variety (musical comedy, historical)
Only one person can save the Union now, and it's comedic historian Ellie MacPherson! Inspired by her historical hall pass, Ellie wants your vote and she's getting it the only way she knows how, by singing and sharing stories from America's past. Stories which sound eerily like America's present. And that's a gift no one wants. ‘Exceptional and outstanding… a human glitterball’ ***** (Musical Theatre Review). ‘Genre-defying historical satirist’ ***** (The Student). ‘A wit that could wither a sitting president’s goolies’ **** (Theatre Weekly).
Ever Yours
Theatre (new writing, lgbtq+)
When a grieving Olivia is suddenly left alone in her apartment, her only companion is a painting she stole in a desperate demonstration of love for her partner. Well, the painting and – unexpectedly – the ghost of the man who painted it: Vincent van Gogh. As she does her best to hide the stolen art from a suspecting gallery owner, her girlfriend’s family implore her to hide the true nature of their relationship. Oh! And there’s a bird trapped in the house. What else can she do but throw Vince a party?
The Last Incel
Theatre (dark comedy, comedy)
Log into the world of the incels: a terminally online community of toxic men that blame women and society for keeping sex from them. That is until one of them sleeps with a woman who invades their group chat. And all hell breaks loose. Strap in as this wild satire turns over one of the darkest stones of the internet to reveal the strange fleshy humans wriggling underneath.
Out of Woodstock
Theatre (new writing)
He's your typical 90s teenage boy. Loves Nirvana. Hates chick-flicks. But when he's dumped by his childhood sweetheart, he starts chasing a summer to forget, and books his ticket for the infamous Woodstock '99 music festival. Based on real events, and 25 years on from the festival that ended in anarchy, this volatile psychodrama follows one man's substance-fuelled odyssey, and his spiralling moral descent. Featuring music from Limp Bizkit, Chilli Peppers, and more. Written and directed by Tom Foreman, 'one of the most exciting playwrights of this generation' (TheatreWeekly.com).
Finlay Christie: I Deserve This
Comedy (stand-up, storytelling)
Money, followers, religiously forbidden relationships. Does Finlay Christie deserve everything he gets? At 19, he became the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny competition. His sketches and stand-up have been viewed over 200 million times on YouTube, his debut Edinburgh show OK Zoomer was nominated for NextUp’s Best Show award. TV includes 8 Out of 10 Cats and Stand Up Sketch Show. 'Outstanding… he will be taking the comedy world by storm, catch him now while you can' (One4Review.co.uk). 'The voice of his generation' (Chortle.co.uk).
A Lot To Unpack
Cabaret and Variety (dance, theatre)
A Lot To Unpack: Join Seattle’s dynamic Suitcase Dance Theatre as four alluring dancers and beatbox rap artist Maceo Sky take the stage and unpack the “baggage” they carry. Concocting a unique blend of contemporary, ballet and tap styles, A Lot To Unpack reveals pieces of the human condition in a riveting, passionate and sometimes tongue-in-cheek presentation, ushering in a revolutionary new vision of dance theatre. Unconventional vocal prowess and dazzling rhythmic footwork elicit a connection between audience and performer, asking a question of us all: who is in charge of our fate?
Mervyn Stutter
Host and Compere
Mervyn has been in the entertainment industry since 1974. He started in theatre where he acted, wrote scripts, songs, and directed for around 14 years. In the 1980s, he became the 'regular topical song bloke' on the BBC TV's first ever daytime show, 'Open Air', fronted by a thin Irishman called Eamonn Holmes. Over the years he has performed weekly topical songs on many TV current affairs programmes and more of the same on radio. In the late 1980s, he took his comedy songs onto the Comedy Circuit and then touring theatres. Merv's first Edinburgh Fringe was in 1986 and he has been every year since. 'Pick of the Fringe' started life as 'Have you seen anything good?', a show to help answer the perennial Fringe-goer question. The title was changed to 'Pick of the Fringe' in 1994 and it he has built it up into one of the must-see Fringe shows.
“Mervyn Stutter is very, very good as compere of this chat show, for to make such a showcase work requires skill, talent and quick reactions. Stutter works the crowd like the showman he is.”
THE OBSERVER