I liked most of it, but it did get a little samey after a while. As far as I can tell, it appeared to be a mix of traditional dance skills, break dancing and other hip hop elements. The way they were able to move their bodies was fantastic, twisting
themselves like pretzels and creating these incredible body shapes. After a while though they were just repeating themselves and the show seemed to run out of steam before the end."
Chris Eastson, 29, systems engineer, Balerno: "I saw Stewart Lee (above] at the Stand. You constantly hear other comedians talking about how great Stewart Lees is so I finally thought I'd go and see for myself. I have to admit I was impressed. He's not a flash comedian like some but his material is ten times sharper than anything else I've seen so far. Most of it seems just like a stream of consciousness, but there's always something behind it. I'd definitely say if you like intelligent comedy you should go along."
George Thornton, 56, accountant, Currie: "We saw a fascinating and touching show called The Tailor of Inverness at the Assembly Rooms. It was about the performer's father and how he survived in Poland during the war and his subsequent life in Scotland. By the end you can't help but find yourself warming to his father despite realising that he's been less than candid about his past. I'm an aficionado of one-man shows and I'd say that this is one of the best I've seem in some time."
Sue Gordon, 38, receptionist, Corstorphine: "I saw Goodbye Goodbye at Sweet Teviot. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this show, as I really only went to kill time between two other performances. I have to say that it actually turned out to be the best one of the night. The idea wasn't particularly new, it was about an agency that hires out assassins, but the act themselves brought a lot of charm and fun to it. There were a few fluffs and some corpsing on the night I went, but it just added to good-natured feel of the whole thing."
Katy Sullivan, 24, admin assistant, Stenhouse: "I went to see Torn Out Pages at the Gilded Balloon. I was a bit uneasy about seeing it, as it deals with the subject of child abuse. I was very glad I did go because it manages to approach the subject without being offensive and at the same time it's able to use its black humour to break any potential tension at the right moments. I've seen a few plays, films and TV programmes that have attempted to tackle the subject and they usually fail to make the characters rounded, but the girl here is very well drawn indeed."
Theo Murray, 20, student, Newington: "Jason John Whitehead at the Underbelly was really funny. He did some great material on his girlfriend and his dad, which the crowd really loved, but he didn't have much of an audience so he couldn't really riff off them enough. It didn't help that the venue was like a furnace. There were a couple of times where he should have got a round of applause, but people were so busy fanning themselves they weren't able to clap."
Margaret Jeffreys, 51, marketing manager, Morningside: "When I read the blurb in the Fringe programme I thought Please Don't Feed The Models at Underbelly's Baby Belly was going to be a lot camper, in an Ugly Betty sort of way, than it was. It was a very funny piece and the actress was great at going in and out of the various roles, but it was slightly too fast paced and frenetic at times. It's basically a soufflé of a play, it doesn't have any deep meaning for you to take away at the end, but it never pretends to. I'd say if you want a good chuckle you should go along."
Simon Fraser, 24, barman, Tollcross: "My girlfriend and I saw Glenn Wool (left] at the Underbelly. I think he might have broken up our relationship, because whilst I was laughing my head off she just found him incredibly offensive. He is offensive and gets some of his laughs from jokes you wouldn't tell at work, but he does it with enough charm to make you laugh anyway. I'd never heard of the guy before going to see his show, but if he comes back I'll definitely go next year. I don't think I'll be going with my girlfriend, though."
The full article contains 785 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
