As we left Paisley, the weather was wet and drizzly, and it only got wetter. The sat nav took us to Silverburn to join the M74 and then bypassed the M8, continuing on until we reached the M73, only later joining the M8. By then, the surface water was horrendous, and every flare of brake lights in front of me triggered a pedal slam from me, too, because I couldn't see what lay beyond. Eventually, the rain thinned, and the clouds lightened, so by the time we reached the Park and Ride, it was dry. And warm. Seriously warm. I had three layers on, two of which were unnecessary. We bought the tram tickets at the machine (the kiosk closed at 3.30pm, though the assistant was still sitting there scrolling on her phone).
The tram trip was way more relaxing than the drive. However, travelling on a 'train on the road' did feel a bit weird, passing shops and pedestrians instead of railway embarkments and the backs of buildings. We got off at St Andrew's Square and made our way to the Pleasance, the venue for all of today's shows.
Apart from the unexpected heat, the first thing that struck me was the number of names on the show listing boards that I'd never heard of. I used to think I was quite comedy-savvy, but I had no clue who most of these people were. It also felt quieter, but then I remembered it was Monday.
The benches in the Courtyard are a good place to people-watch. We noticed Alan Davies, Nina Conti, and Chloe Petts passing by. I also noticed that the number of young women not wearing bras seems to have shot up since I was a young lad. This is a fashion statement I applaud, but I didn't know where to look. So perhaps I missed other celebrities wandering by as I distracted myself on my phone, trying to avoid a dirty look or slap (from them and my wife).
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| Melanie Bracewell - Attack of the Melanie Bracewell 17.50 Baby Grand, Pleasance Courtyard |
The first show we took was at the Baby Grand. This venue is located in an alley outside the courtyard, accessed further down the road. It's essentially a very hot container box with power, seats, and lighting. Earlier that day, I'd received an email from Fringe Customer Services warning me that the show description for Melanie Bracewell's "Attack of the Melanie Bracewell" had changed, now including 'Swearing, Adult Content and Mild Audience Participation'.
Melanie is a story-telling comedian from New Zealand (friends with Urzilla Carlson, it turns out, as she made a couple of guest appearances on video). This show's story is about Melanie's need to recover her missing earpods, which she believes have been stolen. As you'd expect from any hour-long show, it's not a simple tale, with lots of twists and turns. The humour is likeable, with most of the craft coming from the structure rather than the wordplay.
It was okay. A pleasant appetizer.
Ticket Price: £12 (2for1)
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| Jin Hao Li - Swimming in a Submarine 19.10 Below, Pleasance Courtyard. |
This is Jin Hao Li's debut hour at Edinburgh. He's Chinese-born, Singapore-raised, and educated at St Andrews (or Standrews, as he called it). He first came to my attention at the BBC New Comedy Awards in 2023. I loved his softly spoken wordplay, creatively using pauses for misdirection. His surreal vision was engaging. I had high expectations for this show.
Which, unfortunately, it didn't meet.
It still felt like a work in progress. It was good, but some bits missed the mark. A good director could shape this into something better, as the writing is brilliant, and his audience control is fantastic. He can still save it, but for me, it didn't quite hit the top marks I was expecting.
He did make my wife jump, though, during his bit about ghosts. That was a first. I used to think she lacked an autonomic nervous system as she never falls for any jump scares in the movies, whereas I always do.
Ticket Price: £12 (2for1)
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| Elf Lyons - Horses 21.20, Above, Pleasance Courtyard 2for1 £15 |
Elf Lyons is a performer I've wanted to see in person for a long time. I had tickets for her Raven show at the Glasgow Stand but contracted Covid and had to cancel. I had no foreknowledge about this year's show, Horses, except the title and that it was "highly regarded".
When the time came to enter the venue, she greeted us at the theatre door. She was tall, barefoot, wearing a leotard and a colourful, diamond-shaped waistcoat. She had grease paint on her upper face and forehead and lipstick reminiscent of a mime. She looked clownish, and that was the point. She was setting a tone.
The show itself is magnificent. She told us from the off that she was going to bring a horse onto the stage, and she did - in our minds. She is a fantastic performer, using movement to build and create her imaginary worlds. She engages us with playful but safe audience interaction. The subject matter can go quite dark (I've never felt an audience feel so nervous about an imaginary old horse facing an imaginary farmer's imaginary gun). She's also clever in the way she subverts the form, throwing out funnies like a muck spreader. Between scenes, she mimes the words playing on a backing track, involving conversations with her family members, which lays the foundation for the show's underlying theme.
The whole show ties up beautifully at the end, and the message (SPOILER!): it's okay to play, even if we forgot how to when we grew up. We can all still be horses, just like some of the bolder audience members at the end—beautiful, pert young colts and fillies who gently cantered about the stage unbridled. (Yeah, sorry, I should have looked away).
The trip home was horrendous, with multiple M8 closures at locations I'd never driven through before. Having to get the tram back to the car didn't help either, so we didn't reach home until 12:40 a.m. It was worth it, though, just to catch 'Horses'.
All tickets were purchased from EdFringe.com. The booking fee was capped at £5.
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| She looks exactly the same in person |
Addendum: Elf Lyons wins two awards: The Comedians Choice Award 2024 and the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award 2024
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