Edinburgh In August

I had an email asking for information on staying in Edinburgh in August for the festival and the fringe. I passed on some information, but then decided that I may as well post up a personal guide for both August and other months:

Firstly there is in fact a BBC guide to doing Edinburgh on the cheap …… it contains a few snippets although is aimed at a slightly different audience. So now you’ve read that and you are still wanting more …..

Edinburgh Attracts Visitors From Around The World

Best Of The Fringe - 2014

Well we at PC towers are back from our August sojourn to Edinburgh ..... and although slowly recovering from the vast amount of alcohol and walking .... so as usual, here are the personal *ratings / the 'Best Of Our Fest' from the shows we personally saw:

Austentatious: (5 Star)

Improvised Jane Austen style playlet (but with largely professional and well practised cast) - Truly excellent and well performed - and worth every penny ... great reviews and you can see why.


On the Box: (5 Star)

Comedy musicians 'Bowjangles' in a TV station parody. Well performed, inventive and slickly written, its truly excellent and worth your time in even the most crowded schedule.


Henning Wehn 'Eins, Zwei, DIY': (4 Star)

Does what it says on the tin and makes you laugh. He is now a consummate comedy performer and far funnier than when on TV.


One Man Star Wars: (4 Star)

Mime, Mouth, Hands and Hans Solo. Very similar to his 'Lord of the Rings' to which he makes some allusion but still very good.


Frisky and Mannish: (4 Star)

Still very good, but compared to earlier versions of their shows there was a little bit of flatness, especially in the middle, where a 'dream sequence' seemed designed to fill a lack of material.


Winter Is Coming: (3 Star)

Australian comedy group but don't let that put you off .... however you need to watch 'Game of Thrones' to truly get all the references, and the gratuitous use of the 'C word' for no purpose, mean rating not higher.


Casual Violence: (2 Star).

Much the same as when we saw them a couple of years ago. Could do with a professional writer to harness some undoubted talent. Won't see them again.


Bears In Space: (2 Star).

Puppetry, comic skills and music. We were unimpressed, but many in the audience seemed enchanted by it. So we accepted that we 'just didn't get it' and give them 2 stars because it isn't always about us.


Neil Hamburger: (0 Star).

Apparently a Cult Icon - actually a turgid little act, obsessed with bodily fluids and foul imagery of ancient pop and film stars being forced to ingest them. When were Gene Simmons or Marilyn Manson ever 'legendary' in the last 30 years? The worst we have seen since Terry Clement: Din Times 8, for whom we once very generously gave a 1 star, but this one was so terrible, it just stinks the whole hour out and leaves you wanting a shower.

The reviews expressed on this post represent the 'personal opinion' of this blogger or those who expressed an opinion about shows to this blog only, and do not necessarily agree with other reviewers opinions. Similarly, the review stars are based on the criteria described below.

*The personal ratings system on this page are:
5 star - Exceptional
4 star - Very Good
3 star - Good or Better
2 star - Average to Good
1 star - Poor
0 star - Shouldn't be at Festival 

Two Old Farts Meet A Legend

While wandering around the 'Pleasance Courtyards' (a major venue area), my mate Kenny and I were approached by a jocular old fellow handing out flyers (along with hundreds of others). 

A Living Legend Walked Amongst Us.

He described his show as "two old farts talking about cricket" and "Jolly Good Fun" ..... but as soon he opened his voice I knew who he was.

The Best Of Our Fest Reviews

Well we at PC towers are back ..... and slowly recovering .... so as usual, here are the personal *ratings / the 'Best Of Our Fest' from the shows we personally saw:

Slightly Fat Features. (5 Star)

Described as 'Monty Python, meets Cirque du Soleil', and that's about right - but very very funny, and a very polished act. Laughter guaranteed and given from start to finish.


The Play That Goes Wrong. (5 Star)

A play goes wrong with multiple problems, with the players gamely trying to bring it to a successful completion, or in the case of the girls, pursuing an increasingly violent personal duel ..... a joy to watch and with great timing and humour.


Its Me Dayne. (4 Star)

A strange weird psychopathic socio-path up on the stage ..... its a slow burner, but slowly it hits you that all is not as it might seem.


The Thinking Drinkers Guide To Alcohol. (4 Star)

Good pro act, says what it is on the label, and the 'free drinks' were a hit with Kenny, who was fairly 'pished' later in the evening ....


Farce Noir Presents: The Big Sheep at The Wee Coo. (3 Star)
Dark detective tail from the Big City ..... good cast performances (especially the femme fatal and the baron), but the miniscule stage and the irritating side story about the actors and an imaginary 'film agent' meant the mark is lower.


The Beta Males in Superopolis. (3 Star).

A large cast and stage, well performed but a little bit hit and miss on the laugh front.



Mat Ricardo: Showman. (3 Star).

Essentially a juggling act, tied together by some neat patter. Might have benefited from a higher ceiling in the venue, but nothing really new in terms of juggling tricks. Felt a bit like a street act transferred to a venue, but that was just an impression.


Ian Fox: Shutter Monkey (free). (3 Star).

A free show about photography and the back story pictures tell, which we took in that was surprisingly good. Not sure if Mr Fox has another trick for a show next year, but the show we saw was entertaining, and in a nice air conditioned venue as well.


Casual Violence Presents: House of Nostril. (3 Star).

Another sketch team with and extended play. However the story was disjointed and again a bit hit and miss (e.g. the plays best laughs came with a lady in the audience, who laughed at some strange times). The lack of decent props, and a suitable venue may have impacted the otherwise energetic performance.


Terry Clement: Din Times 8. (1 Star).

Described on one bill poster as "You'll be amazed at the energy he brings to his performance" Toronto Star (or another Canadian paper). The winter nights must be long in Canada if he's considered funny. We were 'amazed' all right .... that he didn't get booed off the stage. There was once probably an act in there, but its long gone, and what's left shouldn't be a paid for show. Barely a laugh from the eight who turned up (and if you can't get a laugh out of people who want to laugh, then you are a bad act).  Other reviewers have apparently thought much the same thing.


Other Peoples Recommendations:

A staff member in 'Smithies Ale House' very strongly recommended "Captain Morgan And The Sands Of Time" which is playing from the "The Fiddler's Elbow" pub which is at 4 Picardy Place. I understand from her description that its a fast-paced comedy with two actors playing over 30 characters in a tale of life on the open seas to rave reviews.

And a follower of this blog, highly recommended a play to us (but sadly I may have misheard the title / subject - it was a long festival), so hopefully I am quoting the correct play "That is All You Need to Know" .... not a comedy, but a drama about the untold stories of Bletchley Park - the code breakers.

The reviews expressed on this post represent the 'personal opinion' of this blogger or those who expressed an opinion about shows to this blog only, and do not necessarily agree with other reviewers opinions. Similarly, the review stars are based on the criteria described below.

*The personal ratings system on this page are:
5 star - Exceptional
4 star - Very Good
3 star - Good or Better
2 star - Average to Good
1 star - Poor
0 star - Shouldn't be at Festival