What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?
Excited (as haven’t been for 5 years and keen to share my show with people).
What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?
It’s about the friendship of my grandad (world renowned town planner Walter Bor) and his best friend (world famous actor Herbert Lom) and their journey from Nazi-occupied Prague.
What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?
It required a lot of research, filming and a lot of actual work. As a comedian, I am not used to this!
Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?
Yes, since being a dad, it has been more of a challenge and commitment, but I feel like I have a show this year that is really worth it.
Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?
I am looking forward to seeing James McNicholas, Arnab Chanda, Tom Parry, Ian Smith and Luke McQueen.
What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?
I’m really excited to be coming back to the Fringe because I haven’t performed in the UK for a while and since then, I think the culture of being a female comedian has shifted slightly but significantly. In Australia it’s been a really exciting time so it’s going to be nice to see in Edinburgh.
What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?
It’s a safari party that starts on a cruise ship. The show explores female friendship in a non-traditional and absurd way.
What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?
Re-imagining the show for an international audience without losing our Australian-ness.
Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?
I’ve always loved the Fringe. It is pretty magical to be near a castle. We don’t have those in Aus. I think as the Fringe grows it obviously becomes harder to make ends meet for everyone but I’ve been pretty privileged and lucky in the past. Hopefully we can find a way to keep the Fringe accessible to younger artists. It made a huge difference for me when I was first starting out. I’d hate to see up and coming people priced out.
Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?
I directed Demi Lardner’s Ditch Witch 800 so I’d love you to see that! I’m also really in love with Snort, an improv group from New Zealand. Zach and Viggo are always a treat, so is Stamptown and Late Night Lip Service.
Where would you like to be in a year’s time?
I’d love to keep working on the TV show i’m working on and maybe be able to bring my dog to set. That’s the dream.
Where? Gilded Balloon at Old Tolbooth Market – Top (Venue 98)
When? 13:00
What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?
Really looking forward to this year’s Festival. I always learn so much from doing Ed Fringe, that I am excited to see where another one under my belt can take me. There really is nothing like it, a comedy bootcamp if you will… I am taking two shows up this year; one stand up, one sketch, so I do need to remind myself of the fun that is to be had, because right now I am in the thick of gigging and previewing two shows, so it’s quite intense at the moment.
What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?
Eat Sleep Shit Shag is anecdotal of my ex career as a showgirl, working on cruise ships, and of my time working in India as a Bollywood dancer! I tell tales of my youth in Essex, and how it came about that I even became a professional dancer, and what made me leave that behind for a career in Comedy.
What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?
My first couple of Fringes I was performing character comedy. Girl On Fire & HaveA Word saw my love child Stephanie Vange hold court telling tales of her Essex failings. After a couple of years off, I came back with my first hour of straight stand up as ME. That was the biggest obstacle, getting out of my own way, and realising that I could just be up there with a mic and my stories and that would be enough. I just about believed it by the end of last year’s Fringe, so I am back this year to cement in what I learned, and build on that new confidence.
Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?
In some ways yes, I used to think the Edinburgh Fringe was open to all, even if you didn’t have huge financial support behind you, if you were prepared to work hard – which I did, holding down a job 6 days a week to be able to afford to do the festival! I felt I had proved wherever there was a will there was a way. I am now on my 4th festival, still fully self funded, and tbh it is taking it’s toll! Now I realise in that way the festival is privileged, because without a tonne of gumption (and cash) you can take part, but you will struggle to be consistently do so – Hence the couple of years off I had in the middle. SO, yes the financial side of Ed Fringe I have now seen and experienced, is suffocating new and or developing talent.
Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?
Can I say my own Sketch Show? (Just did) LOL Beg Borrow & Bitch Ridiculously silly, British camp, mixed with retro 80s nostalgia – Think Dynasty on steroids! We are on every night 22:30 at Old Tolbooth Market Bothy Bar! I am also looking forward to seeing Maddie Campion’s solo hour Truly Maddie Deeply, I have seen her gigging the London Circuit and think she is very good. Also I am a big fan of Olga Koch, looking forward to catching her show If/Then during the run! Ooo and Joz Norris, he’s up to something good and different this year! His show is at Heroes of the Hive Joz Norris Is Dead. Long Live Mr Fruit Salad – I mean, what is not to like about that title!
Where would you like to be in a year’s time?
This time next year? Shooting the sitcom I have penned – that would be nice… especially as it is set somewhere sunny! But honestly, as long as I am still dabbling and progressing as a stand up, actor and as a writer of all things comedy, I don’t mind, it’s what makes me happiest. Life! It’s a right laugh ain’t it…
Angela Barnes is becoming a bigger comedy name with each passing month. She is a regular on television panel shows such as Mock the Week and has also appeared on 8 out of 10 Cats and Live at the Apollo. She is currently touring the UK with her latest stand-up show, Rose-Tinted, supported by Phil Jerrod.
Barnes is a powerful speaker. Her ideas are projected forward with strength and her delivery is relaxed. Within seconds her audience feels assured that they are in safe hands for the next hour, and they are.
Rose-Tinted is a show concerned with trying to find positives in a world that seems rather dismal and often quite terrifying. Barnes confesses that she is no ray of sunshine, generally speaking, but it is only natural to assume that most of us aren’t. Angela’s mission, however, is to find the silver linings in the day to day dreariness of UK living. She reflects on the political landscape, along with the #MeToo movement and the state of the NHS, but this is no depressing, political rally because the main focus is Angela’s own personal experiences throughout her teenage, and more recent, years.
In fact, Barnes’ show is remarkably up-lifting. This is largely down to the predominant focus being on day-to-day silver linings, from Barnes’ happy relationship to her recently completing the Couch to 5K. Effortlessly amiable, Angela has her audience rooting for her. This likability comes from her directness and the fact she never feels the need to pander to her audience. As a comic this shows a great amount of creative confidence. Not only this, but her down-to-earth demeanour means that we, perhaps predominantly her female audience, begin to see a part of Angela in ourselves.
Barnes is very open about her faults and is clearly incredibly self-aware, recognising that change needs to come from inside of us and work its way out into the world we live in. The contrast of personal anecdotes and political comment gives the show a freshness, although there is certainly more room for the comic to delve deeper into her own personal narrative, when the time comes.
Rose-Tinted is an honest, uplifting recognition of the important role we each play in our own happiness, regardless of what is going on in the world around us. It’s fast-paced, honest and packed with solid jokes; a highly enjoyable piece of comedy.
The second series of Fleabag, in a similar tradition to the first, is a heartbreaking portrayal of the complexities of family. It shows a repressed group of individuals, some bound by blood, others marriage, who don’t say what they mean and won’t admit what they feel to themselves or to each other. The viewer can understand why they all can’t stand each other, but that doesn’t make it any easier viewing.
Each character has repulsive aspects on the surface, with their sincere, human-like aspects being somewhat hidden deeper down. Fleabag herself is gangly, awkward and sly. She always says the thing that nobody wants to hear (whether that be regarding miscarriage, anal sex, or death). In other words, she is a liability. But deep down, she just wants to be loved and to love. The issue is that she’s surrounded by people who can’t quite work her out.
Despite being forever unsupported by those around her, Fleabag is the most supportive of her family and friends. She lets her sister steal her jokes, and even covers up her miscarriage for her. This genuine, heartfelt kindness emerges in glistening flashes throughout this second series, often taking viewers off guard. In between the unbearably awkward silences and instances of morally questionable behaviour, there is a softness that shines through.
The intense orchestral strings give Fleabag haunting theatrics, building the tension that is already on a knife edge. This aids the religious subtext well, presenting a tense, sexual backdrop to the will-they-won’t-they relationship between our protagonist and the hot catholic priest. The religious influence takes the series into a somewhat unexpected direction, and the question of whether Fleabag is a victim in this situation is an interesting one to consider. Is this love? Or is this emotional manipulation, control and exploitation?
The unanswered questions, I think, only add to the complexity of Fleabag and the way in which it depicts the protagonists relationship with herself and those in her life.
Fleabag is a beautiful and rather tragic take on how one individual struggles to understand and rationalise her own repressed pain. It is subtle, intricate and bitterly funny.
On his latest UK tour, writer and journalist Jon Ronson presents stories from his recent podcasting projects: The Butterfly Effect (2017) and The Last Days of August (2019).
A self-effacing yet straight-talking Ronson introduces his audience to a man called Fabian Thylmman. Thylmman is the starting point of The Butterfly Effect, which explores the impact of one single monetising move on the entire porn industry and all its workers.
When Thylmman founded the company MindGeek, which owns the world’s biggest free porn sites including Youporn and Pornhub, the effect on the porn industry was rather catastrophic. Those making and performing in porn films suddenly had their livelihoods taken away, as there was no longer a market for paid-for porn. The result, rather bizarrely, is the emergence of bespoke porn. Jon recounts tales of clients paying porn stars to cover themselves in condiments or even stamp on the client’s own stamp collection, with clips to accompany them that are unusual and amusing in equal measure.
Ronson’s more recent podcasting venture follows on from his exploration into the dark realities of the porn industry. He tells the story of porn star August Ames, who took her own life in December 2017. The show sees Jon attempt to investigate the factors that may have had an influence on August’s mental health, thus potentially being the cause of her death, including events that took place on porn sets, altercations on social media, and also the effect of certain, potentially negative, individuals in her life.
Ronson’s ability to weave a story from a string of different events occurring at different times and in different places is uncanny. And he makes his stories personal too. Not only was he there asking the questions, probing uncertainties and challenging certain viewpoints (he provides audio clips of this), but he also interweaves his own personal experience into the narrative. Audiences learn how the experience was for him, along with his own hunches and worries, which takes this beyond classic investigative journalism and into the realms of memoir.
Not everything in life has concrete, determined answers. In fact, most things don’t. Sometimes we can never know what truly happened between certain individuals because first-person testimony is often unreliable or drenched in untruth. But Ronson’s skill for constructing a narrative, and building an argument whilst also considering other possibilities, makes us feel like we have a genuine, tangible connection to the story.
Jon Ronson has bravely entered a domain that most people don’t like to talk about, and this makes for a truly unpredictable and at times astonishing storytelling experience.
The Horne Section begin their show in the most unpredictable of ways, beginning with a faux sound check, where drummer Ben Reynolds is called to check the sound levels of the bass drum. Booming around the room is the mischievous voice of frontman Alex Horne, and his audience soon learns that this is no ordinary sound check. This serves as a very efficient way of introducing his extensive live band, consisting of Ben, Joe Auckland on the trumpet, Mark Brown on the saxophone, Will (or Willip) on bass and Ed Sheldrake on keyboards. Soon the band are joined by Alex as he’s carried onto the stage by four willing audience volunteers, and the madness begins.
Horne’s comic imagination fuels the folly. He dances around the stage with infectious childish glee and surprising energy, cheekily taunting and mocking his band members in order to get reactions out of them. The Horne Section provide a smorgasbord of jazz, puns and zumba. Seeing these sensible-looking, suited men doing such ridiculous things is hugely entertaining. The group are certainly not afraid of making fools of themselves. And they include their audience in a friendly, non-invasive way and this ensures a very comfortable feeling in the room.
The greatest joy of musical comedy is when the two integral elements are genuinely equally matched. These musicians are hugely talented, harmonising with each other with ease, performing with unpredictability and versatility. The show runs smoothly, as it is by now a well-oiled machine, and this is what allows the spontaneous quips and exchanges to shine brighter. Although we trust the group to lead us through the show comfortably and enjoyably, the off-script interludes are joyous because they give the show an exhilarating uncertainty.
And the Horne Section are excellent at manipulating their audience’s expectations, whether that be Alex appearing from underneath a giant top hat, or trumpeter Joe morphing into Henry Hoover. This show is full of surprises, and the group slather on the layers of ridiculousness as though they are icing a cake. There is no time to rest during this noisy, vibrant comedy extravaganza, and that’s what makes it so thrilling.
Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.
Chris McCausland is a stand-up comedian and actor from Liverpool. While Chris refers to himself as ‘the blind comedian’, he doesn’t want to be defined by this. His blindness and attitude towards his blindness, however, makes his stand-up all the more compelling to witness. The nerve of a blind person who willingly stands on stage in front of an audience he cannot see, is undeniably impressive. And hearing anecdotes from the perspective of a person without sight is a unique experience in itself, as McCausland is able to show his audience a new way of approaching ideas.
Here we have a comic who is unwaveringly calm and collected on stage, appearing as though nothing could ever faze him. In this way, Chris is able to take his audience under his wing and we immediately trust him to deliver consistent and genuinely enjoyable observations from own life experiences.
Chris McCausland’s comedy is playful, tongue-in-cheek, and if he isn’t a household name within the year I will be surprised. Chris’s Live at the Apollo set from January 2018 is still available on BBC iPlayer
For more information, follow Chris McCausland on Twitter, or visit his website.
Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.
Alfie Brown is confident comic performer who is not scared of being the loser of the story. Ambitious with his writing and a fan of complex and sometimes difficult ideas, this comedian is loudly offering his audiences something new and exciting.
There’s something about Brown’s onstage demeanour that seems somewhat tortured, but it doesn’t feel like a dramatic pretence. His candidness makes him an amicable performer, with his painfully honest anecdotes serving as a means for his audience to get to know him. His stories are often crude, but not unbelievable or contrived, and this is incredibly refreshing to see. There isn’t too much ego here, as Alfie is a rather self-deprecating performer, making him likeable no matter how challenging the jokes may be.
Alfie, alongside fellow comedian Jessie Cave, created the YouTube comedy series Chop Logic in which they documented the ins and outs of their relationship. At its best, the series is breath-taking, capturing the minutiae of life as a couple, with all its ups and downs. The pair are brutally honest about their relationship, in an enjoyably exaggerated fashion but there is a definite sense of genuine feeling and truth deep in there.
Alfie Brown is currently touring his latest show Lunatic across the UK.
For more information, follow Alfie Brown on Twitter, or visit his website.
Ricky Gervais has completely shaken up our perceptions of what he is capable of with his latest series After Life, showing how this comic can do heart-breaking as well as hilarious.
Set in the height of a beautiful English summer, After Life follows Tony, a middle-aged man who becomes suicidal after the death of his wife leaves him without purpose and without joy. He works as a features editor for a free local newspaper, cares for his dog Brandy, and visits his senile father (David Bradley) each day. In the fog of his depression, Tony decides to abandon all rules of politeness when it concerns people whom he deems undeserving. He chooses say what he wants, to whoever he wants because he no longer cares about the consequences.
After Life, at its core, is about the loneliness of losing that one person that makes the rest of the world fade into insignificance. It’s the kind of loss that forces you to look out into the world and take accountability for your place within all of that. The death of his wife Lisa completely shakes Tony’s world because he no longer has the excuse of locking the front door and turning the TV on, safe in the comfort that it’s those two against the world. In a strange way, the death of Lisa has forced him to acknowledge that he too is a participant in the world. And it’s this realism that makes After Life so terrifying. Gervais is not presenting us with anything particularly out of the ordinary; this is a real, genuine tragedy that many of us will endure at some point in our lifetimes.
Viewers will no doubt have an inkling as to where the narrative will end up, and After Life is almost the modern day A Christmas Carol that the trailer suggests it might be. Some of the dialogue is clunky in places, particularly Tony’s self-righteous, morbid verbal attacks, which are more frequent during the first episode as the programme begins to establish itself.
The words spoken do, however, consistently feel as though they are aiming at truth. Gervais’ personal passions are at the forefront of this series, more so than ever before. His love of animals and contempt of religion are prominent themes. In the moments where the writer’s personal views are most prominent (such as when Tony informs Sandy that ‘humanity is a plague’), criticisers of Gervais’ stand-up will no doubt have a field day. Yes, some of Tony’s arguments seem to be lifted straight from Gervais’ past stand up shows and old XFM Radio podcasts, but why not? They remain relevant because Gervais remains passionate about the ideas, and articulates them so persuasively.
The cast is made up of many of Gervais’ regulars, and is saturated with an abundance of strong female talent, from Mandeep Dhillon, to Roisin Conaty, to Diane Morgan. Whilst most characters arguably exist as pawns for After Life to drive its message home, they are still relatively complex and each have their unexpected quirks. Penelope Wilton in particular delivers a brilliant and emotive performance as Anne, a widowed senior who exudes the compassion that Tony doesn’t know he needs. Another character refreshingly overt in her moral judgements is Tony’s father’s nurse (Ashley Jensen), who, like Anne, doesn’t take any of Tony’s shit.
These outspoken characters are pivotal for Tony’s own journey, as they highlight how Tony’s grief is making him selfish and leaving him failing to remember (or care) that every person is hurting in some way, to some extent. At the end of the day, Tony isn’t really a Scrooge. In fact, as the series progresses it becomes increasingly clear that there’s a bit of Tony in all of us. He has a hatred of idiocy and a contempt of pointless conversation, but he is also kind, quick-witted and down to earth.
Gervais perfectly captures the rage that can come with feeling depressed. He subtly and intricately depicts how everything can feel like an offence, everyone else is an obstacle that reminds us of our own pain, and yet what hurts more is turning the mirror and reflecting on one’s own actions. But as the series develops, the genuine, pure humanity in each character is allowed to shine through. After Life shows human nature in its best light. The vast majority of people are kind and generous people who suffer and live.
After Life is a stunning and heartbreakingly poignant depiction of love, loss and the human condition. And with the soundtrack being enough to induce tears alone (including the master, Nick Cave, as well as Mogwai and Daughter), it is an undeniably moving dramatic feat. The overwhelming message is that good people (and dogs) really can remind you that you are good too. And what could be more beautiful, or important, than that?
