I've decided to review all the Fringe shows I go to this year. As I'm only going to 3 that shouldn't be too difficult to achieve
The Alleycats - Greenside venue 231 until Saturday 21st, 9:40pm £5
The Alleycats are a young a cappella group from St Andrew's University who have made quite an impact over the last few years, appearing in the finals of "Last Choir Standing" and the "Festival of the Voice" in London. Their performance is a brilliant mix of fine ensemble singing and slick dance routines which complement the music. Soloists are also strong and, even in the dull acoustic at Greenside, every syllable is clear. The arrangements are innovative and should really be written out and published - apparently the group learn by rote. School choirs in particular would appreciate a printed arrangement of the haunting "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon, for example. High School Musical and Glee have, in recent years, popularised vocal harmony singing amongst youngsters whilst being far too removed from reality to be truly inspiring. The Alleycats are truly inspiring. Only one night left on the fringe but it would be worth checking this lot out in the future!
ps - I must admit to being biased as 2 of them used to sing in my school choir and a third was at the school I work at but, having said that, this was a truly classy performance by anyone's standards.
The Emperor's Quest
This is a show aimed at children but, like all the best children's entertainment, it works on many levels. There is, of course, a strong moral message ie be true to yourself & cheats never prosper but there are also plenty of laughs and beautiful songs. The singing and acting is excellent from all cast members though for me Andy Fraser as the Emperor stands out for his touchingly eccentric portrayal of the elderly monarch. Richard Lewis leads a fine instrumental ensemble. It is a shame that Edinburgh schools have gone back after the holiday as this show really appeals to Primary school pupils in particular. Try to go on the weekend and you won't be disappointed.
Elis James
My wife took the children to see Elis James performing a children's comedy set at The Bongo Club. He was so good she took me to see him do his "real" show. £5 for an hour of laughs was fantastic value. OK, as he and I are Welsh I maybe got the running joke about Gorki's Zygotic Mynki more than other audience members, but James had a way of bringing everyone into his warped world. The funniest thing was a joke about croissants. If you see him and he mentions the audience member who replied "Can't argue..." I'm afraid that's me. His self deprecating approach, brilliant accents and truly odd diary entries made this a super show which deserved more than 15 people in the audience.
No comments:
Post a Comment