So silly, loved it. Quite tightly constructed/plotted so not one for those who like loose off-the-cuff comedy.
Alice Snedden
Super personable and a great storyteller. Possibly my fav ending to a standup show ever.
Ania Magliano
Genuinely think Ania might be the most naturally funny person in the world right now. This show was not quite as strong as the last two shows she’s had but still well worth seeing (although i think she is all sold out now).
Kemah Bob
She’s hilarious and I loved some of her inflections. There was something slightly off about the set though and one of my group pointed out that it felt like two shows put together, which I think was the issue.
Catherine Cohen
God, I found this absolutely hilarious but I think I might be in the minority. Depends on your mileage for a narcissistic millennial woman playing songs between rambles.
Reuben Kaye
This was a cabaret thing, worth going to if that’s your bag. Fun end to the night.
Jobsworth (literally no idea, going with a friend)
Didn’t make this.
Pentheselia
Greek tragedy with live music at EIF. The actors intermittently picked up instruments (or rather received them from the rafters, which was cool) and played songs by Joy Division, U2, Perfume Genius, think there was even an Ethel Cain song at one point. I thought it was pretty mid, and tbh, quite cringe at times. Not camp enough to be silly fun or actually cool. Kinda reminded me of a Nicolas Winding Refn film. Also they absolutely BUTCHERED She’s Lost Control, was like a shreds video.
I got into a couple of sold out things last time just by queueing up and waiting to see if anyone didn’t turn up for their seat.
Got knocked back a couple of times too, depends how much free time you’ve got i guess
Rose Matafeo - great as always, love her energy and hair. Crowd was maybe a little flat, but I’m comparing that to her WIP show last year, which i forgot would basically only be full of her bigger fans
Abby Wambaugh - unexpectedly great show which i picked solely because i liked the name “The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows”. By turns silly heartfelt odd raw and just plain funny, the various show titles alone would send me into fits of giggles. Plus it really came together into something coherent at the end despite the scattershot set up.
Decent amount of audience participation but she makes it seem very easy and fun, everyone she picked was right up for it and made it all click tbh. Big recommend
Just gonna emphasise how good this was. Felt pretty unique and, as JP says, managed to have me in tears of laughter and tears of emotion. Probs gonna be banging on about it to anyone I speak to.
2 shows that have finished and 1 that’s basically sold out, so not all that useful. But still!
Patti Harrison - right on the edge of my comedy comfort zone, and was quite a lot of build up to get to the punch lines. But there were pretty fantastic weird left-field peaks, never really knew where it was going, enjoyed the madness
Please Right Back - childhood stories and escapism and the lies we tell to avoid harsher realities. Felt a bit childish to start when we were inside the children’s tales (though I loved the noir feel to it) but then obviously grew a lot of depth as we expanded to draw in the characters real lives. Amazing use of on-screen animation combined with the live actors, and some real political fire and anger by the end. Made me tear up, so even if it was tonally uneven if still hit hard
Natalie Palamides - pretty amazing one-woman 90s set rom-com-drama. Hilarious, unsettling (felt like it was toying with darker themes, very knowingly), cringe-inducing, warm, and thoroughly impressive. Really believed these two characters within minutes of them being on stage. Very very glad I wasn’t chosen for audience interaction though
Jordan Brookes: Fontanelle (best show)
Kate Cheka: A Messiah Comes (best newcomer)
Josh Thomas: Let’s Tidy Up (best narrative)
Stuart Laws: Has to be Joking? (most jokes)
Zoë Coombs Marr: Every Single Thing in My Whole Entire Life (most hope)
Bi-Curious George: Queer Planet (most queer)
Shows I saw but were limited WIPs whose last shows are today:
Desiree Burch: The Golden Wrath (this show is already extremely good and will be will be even better when she’s done)
Joz Norris: You Wait, Time Passes (saw this WIP a few weeks ago & went again because it’s excellent)
Shows that were definitely fun but weren’t really my thing:
Aaron Chen: Funny Garden (decent jokes, no narrative)
Ginger Johnson: Blows Off! (camp fun, felt like a club set stretched out to an hour)
I also saw two musicals because my little brother is in both. They were great & I highly recommend them but I’m not doxxing myself by saying what they are.
Finally, the best performance I saw was actually Joelle Taylor reading from her novel at the book festival. I’ve never seen a reading like it. So much energy & connection with the audience. Really incredible. Go see her if/when she tours next.
Oh nice! Yeah my partner and me both enjoyed it, we were at the show with the Christian aid (?) parents of her friend who is mentioned in the show a fair bit, was pretty funny considering the content!
Hyper - exploration of trans experience and art through the lens of hyper-pop and vocal manipulation. Tiny room (maybe 30 seats in the audience) meant that we were about a foot from the performers at any given time, which gave it a real visceral punch. Funny and sad and combative but also generally warm-hearted and hopeful.
little rough round the edges but in the best way felt like seeing an upcoming band at a dive bar - you got all the passion and enthusiasm and energy of something new. And if it wasn’t 100% fully worked out or polished yet, so what. Really good
The Disappeared - burlesque about queer Latin experiences, and freedom and expression under dictatorship and government violence. Very sexy and fun in parts for such a heavy topic, vogueing through the pain at times basically. In total contrast to Hyper, the staging here was a big room where the performer wound through the audience, setting up at opposite sides of the venue at various times, with the audience shifting or following them around. Made it feel very inclusive even without direct audience participation.
This one felt even less “for me” than Hyper for whatever reason, more in the appreciate than enjoy category - maybe more down to the type of show than any of the message or experiences tbh. But my friends were affected by it a lot, so clearly worthwhile if anything about it appealed to your tastes
