Ten Comedy Shows to see at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe

Well that time is upon us once more.  The three weeks of the year when the grandmother that is our city gets out of her rocking chair and dances!

S and I love the Fringe.  Well we love all the festivals, the Jazz Festival, Film Festival, Book Festival but for many people, Edinburgh means comedy and having seen around 25 comedy shows so far this year, I though I would give a rundown of my top ten faves:

1.  Idiots of Ants – Model Citizens.    We LOVE these guys and have seen them now on 5 consecutive years plus a few gigs at other times of the year.  The Idiots of Ants are a four-piece sketch group whose writing is as clever as it is silly with great use of technology.  The four lads are obviously great friends and love what they do and their enthusiasm is infectious.  Each show allows the audience to feel like the fifth member of the group and this year is no exeption with everyone involved in the smiley happy finale!  If you haven’t heard of them, why not check them out on youtube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFdOz1Mj8Q

Pleasance Courtyard

2.  Chris Ramsey – Offermation.  Chris Ramsey is scarily young and scarily talented.  We saw his debut Edinburgh show last year and it was clear he would soon be onto bigger things and as expected he has already started appearing on various panel shows.  Honest, charming and optimistic humour from a guy you kind of wish was one of your best mates.

Pleasance Courtyard

3.  The Noise Next Door – Their Finest Hour.   A first-see for us this year and a bit of a gamble, having heard nothing about this five piece impro-group.  We were not disappointed, as they masterfully took audience suggestions and drawings(!) to create sketches and songs.  The musical interludes were definitely the highlight of the show and it is great to see something different from improv and a move away from the usual Whose Line is it Anyway? style games.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XLwebG0r6Y

Pleasance Courtyard

4.      The Axis of Awesome.  This Australian musical comedy act is becoming more and more well known as “Four Chords” gets shared on facebook status profiles but they are not just a one-trick pony and can turn their hands to many different styles of music from boyband to garage!  Awesome!

Gilded Balloon

5.      Dave Gorman’s Powerpoint Presentation.  Okay, a seasoned professional like Mr Gorman was always going to give an entertaining Edinburgh show but the sheer brilliance of his Powerpoint Presentation and the way he deftly segues between topics deserves high praise indeed.  Nice bloke too!

Assembly

6.      Paul Sinha – Looking at the Stars.  Another Fringe regular and a regular in our ticket basket for the past few years, Sinha does not command the large audiences that the likes of Dave Gorman enjoy but provides an hour of intelligent and thought provoking comedy.  Very underrated and deserves a wider audience!

The Stand

7.      Alex Horne – Seven Years in the Bathroom.  Having seen most of Horne’s previous Edinburgh shows, this one did disappoint slightly in that the format seemed to restrict his brilliant wit and didn’t quite allow his very likeable persona to come though as much as usual.  Still a highly entertaining way to spend an hour though!

Pleasance Dome

8.      Phil Jupitus Quartet – Made Up.  Perhaps I was unfair on the old Whose Line is it Anyway? style improve.  After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and judging by the crowds packed into the Gilded Balloon at 3.30 in the afternoon, we all want to see the masters at work!  Phil Jupitus is joined by three familiar faces from the old WLIIA days and Comedy Store Players line up and they show us exactly how it is done with style and infectious sense of joy!

Gilded Ballon

9.      Tom Price – Say When.   If, like me, you were staring at Tom Price’s poster for a while before realising he is Torchwood’s PC Andy, you may be tempted to write him off as an actor pretending to be a comedian.  Do not make this mistake.  Price proved to be great company in a dark Pleasance basement, telling tales of embarrassment in both childhood and as a jobbing actor.  Hilariously frank!

Pleasance Courtyard

10.  I love the 1990s.  It’s a free show!  And it’s only half an hour!  That said, the writing and performance is so good that you’ll want to pay and wish the show was longer.  Brilliant nostalgia for anyone who was a kid, teenager or otherwise lived through the 1990s.  Makes me long for a Britpop revival.  Now where is that Menswear CD?

The Three Sisters