Venue 33, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance One,
3rd-24th Aug (not 15, 22), 1.30pm-3.00pm
"A vibrant, stimulating showcase of talent."
THURSDAY 8th AUGUST 2024
Pleasance One, Venue 33
1.30pm-3.00pm
Tickets: £17.50
TODAY'S LINE UP
A Jaffa Cake Musical
Musicals and Opera (comedy, family-friendly)
Time to decide once and for all... cake or biscuit? Inspired by the 1991 tribunal which determined the true identity of a Jaffa Cake, multi-award winning Gigglemug Theatre (Scouts! The Musical, RuneSical, Timpson: The Musical) present a brand-new family-friendly musical comedy that takes the biscuit (or cake...?). Praise for previous productions: 'Incredible!' (Bear Grylls); 'Laugh-a-minute silliness' (Daily Express); 'Winning songs' (Guardian); 'Blistering wit' ***** (TheatreWeekly.com); 'Simply brilliant' ***** (NorthWestEnd.co.uk); 'An utter masterpiece' ***** (BoxOfficeRadio.co.uk); 'A comedic triumph' ***** (WestEndEvenings.co.uk); 'Absolute bangers' **** (Stage); 'Genius' **** (BroadwayBaby.com).
Will Sebag-Montefiore: Will of the People
Comedy (satire, stand-up)
With over 62 millions views across his digital platforms, Will Sebag-Montefiore brings his sharp musical, comedic and satirical prowess to the tangible realm of the stage 27 days after a General Election. Will is an actor, writer and satirist who turns the news into sketches and songs and Will of the People is his debut solo show. Watch him struggle to keep up with the ever-changing news cycle as he tries to make the world a better place (for him).
Virtuoso
Comedy (character comedy, clown)
WINNER 'Take a Chance Adelaide' Award, Adelaide Fringe 2024. Tobias Finlay-Fraser is the greatest actor of his generation. Only problem is, he's played by little-known actor/comedian Casey Filips. Virtuoso is a one-man comedy hour following the trials and tribulations of a pretentious idiot doing anything he can to win over the crowd, finally claim his overdue Oscar and save theatre from the cultural abyss. 'The Australian Genius' (Philippe Gaulier). 'Outrageously funny' (Time Out, Melbourne). 'Delightfully delivered with all pretensions by a very talented performer' **** (GlamAdelaide.com.au). '... an absolutely stupid and hilarious show. Don't miss it' (TheatreTravels.org).
Sisters Three
Theatre (new writing, theatre)
Inside Chekhov's masterpiece, Olga, Masha, and Irina are trapped in a cycle of disappointed hopes, heartbreak, and inertia. But this time, it's going to be different. Looking for answers, this trio investigate the trope they have been written into, from Greek mythology to the Sugarbabes. Harnessing the raucous energy of girlhood and the wildness of three women on the brink, Sisters Three sets ablaze a construction of femininity drawn by men, to find hope in its ashes. TheatreGoose return to Summerhall following their OFFest-nominated and BBC Popcorn Award-longlisted debut Her Green Hell.
Ni Mi Madre
Theatre (dark comedy, lgbtq+)
An over-the-top Brazilian with too much botox scrambles to raise her queer son in a backwards American culture where children get time outs instead of chancletas. Ni Mi Madre bares the secrets that threaten to tear one immigrant family apart. 'An aching heart wrapped in laughter and a long white dress' (New York Times). 'It’s a lampoon, a tribute, and reckoning all in one' (New Yorker). 'Shines like lacquer... an impersonation that’s kinetically exquisite' (Vulture). 'An explosively energetic performer, Soria manages to capture the unique mania of the American immigrant experience' (TheaterMania.com).
Colin Hoult: Colin
Comedy (stand-up)
The acclaimed comedian and 2022 Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee returns with a stand-up show about family, fatherhood, and a formative childhood experience with a Ouija board and a gorilla. As seen in Afterlife (Netflix), Avoidance (BBC), Ghosts (BBC), This Time With Alan Partridge (BBC), and judging the 2023 BBC New Comedy Awards. 'Terrific... you will laugh yourself silly throughout' ***** (Telegraph). 'Genius... one of the funniest comedy shows I've seen' ***** (Times). 'Superb' ***** (TheArtsDesk.com). 'Hilarious' **** (Scotsman). **** (Independent). **** (Guardian). **** (Evening Standard).
Look at Them!
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus (dance, contemporary)
Everyone has a wall in their heart. A gap and a connection between the inner world and the outside. A show recording the life of contemporary youth and truly presenting young people’s perceptions, thinking and exploration of themselves and those around them. Directed by award-winning independent choreographer Wen Xiaochao and featuring top contemporary dances including Li Yu, Hao Ruoqi, Zhang Zhenguo, Ji Xin. Featuring a post-show talk.
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