Venue 33, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance One,
3rd-24th Aug (not 15, 22), 1.30pm-3.00pm
"A vibrant, stimulating showcase of talent."
TUESDAY 20th AUGUST 2024
Pleasance One, Venue 33
1.30pm-3.00pm
Tickets: £17.50
TODAY'S LINE UP
DIVA: Live From Hell!
Musicals and Opera (comedy, lgbtq+)
Following a critically acclaimed, sell-out run at the Turbine Theatre, Luke Bayer gives a tour-de-force performance in this blood-stained love letter to Broadway – a solo musical about rivalry, vengeance, and killer ambition. As President of the Drama Club and star of every school show, Desmond Channing spent his short life in the spotlight, until a hotshot transfer student from NYC arrived to challenge his throne. Desmond responded as any diva would, with lethal force... Now stuck in the Seventh Circle, Hell's most squalid cabaret venue, Desmond is forced to relive his disturbing tale of woe.
Is This Thing On?
Theatre (comedy, drama)
What's better, sad songs or sh*tty poetry? Meet flatmates Mary and Liz, one a musician and the other a poet, as they battle over integrity, ownership, the spotlight and whose turn it is to buy the freaking toilet roll. As their friendship reaches boiling point, one fateful open-mic night forces them to confront each other over whose right it is to tell someone's story. This two-hander dramedy blends stand-up, song, spoken word, rap and storytelling.
Chokeslam
Theatre (comedy, solo show)
A knockout solo show about one woman's love of pro wrestling. Part confessional, part exuberant oral history of sports entertainment's greatest matches and most loved characters. Acclaimed comedian Tegan Verheul leaves no Stone (Cold) unturned in her unflinchingly raw autobiographical debut that grapples with heartbreak, friendship and the healing power of bloodsport. Riotously funny, unexpectedly touching, brilliantly human. You will leave a wrestling fan.
Holy Shit Improv
Comedy (improv, theatre)
'LA's very best improvisers' (TheComedyBureau.com) create an hour of comedy so funny you'll be screaming 'Holy Shit!' See why Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) says 'Holy Shit Improv is fucking great!' and Scott Auckerman (Comedy Bang! Bang!) claims they're 'the funniest people alive, and they might be even funnier than the dead ones!'. Fast, funny, silly and smart. As consistently hilarious as any written show. You won't believe it's improv!
James Roque: Champorado
Comedy (stand-up, storytelling)
What actually matters in life? What should we really care about? And what do these questions have to do with a breakfast chocolate rice pudding? New Zealand-Filipino comedy veteran James Roque serves up an hour of his trademark sweet-and-salty comedy. 'The epitome of slick… a comic at ease onstage' ****(Chortle.co.uk). 'My favourite show of the festival' (Metro Magazine, NZ). 'See him before we pretend he's from Australia' ***** (Peril.com.au).
Neil Delamere: Neil by Mouth
Comedy (stand-up, storytelling)
Following his 100-date international tour, including sell-out shows at SSE Belfast Arena, Neil is back in Edinburgh with his hilarious tall tales, razor-sharp observations and quick-witted improvisation. Neil’s comedy ensures a much-needed night of non-stop hilarity and entertainment for comedy lovers of all ages. From Live at the Apollo, Countdown, News Quiz, The Blame Game, Fighting Talk and viral videos on TikTok and YouTube. 'No TV camera could accurately measure the lightning speed of Delamere's wit' (Irish Times); 'Simply put, he is a master' (Scotsman).
The Jive Aces
Music (swing, blues)
Together for over 25 years, The Jive Aces have been keeping the show on the road and are renowned worldwide for their high-energy live show in over 40 countries. The band spread smiles and cheer with their swingin' music and classic vintage style, from crooning smooth swinging ballads to blasting the roots of rock'n'roll. Having played for Her Majesty the Queen, selling out the Royal Albert Hall and becoming the first band to reach the finals of Britain's Got Talent, they continuously showcase why they are the UK's No 1 jive and swing band!
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