Jessica Ransom: Ransom’s Millions

3 Stars

***

Jessica Ransom tells an almost plausible story of how a worker in a biscuit factory was tasked by her boss to give £1million to a person who had no links with him. This was due to some complex tenuous Italian connections.

This gives the set up for her to display her abilities as a comedy actress to play numerous characters who considered themselves worthy enough to walk of with the cash. Several of the characters were given one line descriptions but four gave longer, humorous monologues as their pitch to walk off with the cash. There was the avante-garde artist, the computer obsessed player of Quest, the female bounty hunter and the self help guru. This final character gives the show a lift with a volunteer from the audience benefiting from the advice offered.

A funny, well constructed hour of entertainment from a most talented actress but without any belly laugh moments.

Reviewed by Ben

Venue; Venue Number                  Pleasance Courtyard; V33

Dates                                                  4 to 30 August 2010 (not16)

Times                                                 16.45 to 17.45

Fringe Programme Page Number: 77

Ian D Montfort: Touching the Dead

4 Stars

****

Ian D. Montfort’s way of giving a literally spell binding performance is to talk slowly and precisely. His movement matches his delivery as he looks and assesses the individuals in the audience. Hailing from Sunderland, he describes himself as a spirit medium who is in touch with those on the other side.

With the help of his spirit guide, his ability to identify members of the audience and give personal details is uncanny. He can also put them in touch with famous celebrities such as Elvis Presley and John Lennon.

He performs several amazing illusions including an assist from William Shakespeare who helped him quote some lines from the Complete Works chosen at random. Between the extraordinary feats, he has a witty line of patter. This blend of humour and magic is a winning combination.

Reviewed by Ben

Venue; Venue Number                  Pleasance Courtyard; V33

Dates                                                  4 to 30 August 2010

Times                                                 14.15 to 15.15

Fringe Programme Page Number: 71

Adam Riches Rides!

4 Stars

****

Adam Riches superb, highly visual comedy comes from a selection of bizarre characters in a series of extended sketches. He opens with Pierce Brosnan as a singing and dancing centaur, his assistant playing the back end of the horse. A member of the audience is encouraged to ride the horse which eventually he achieves successfully. This sets the madcap tone for the sketches which follow. Volunteers from the audience are crucial to the play acting.

His energy never flags in his character roles, as he encourages and directs his volunteers to give a performance as well. There is plenty of room for hilarious ad libs. He reprises his super hero character, Victor Legit, who on this occasion is doing battle to fight against addiction to a certain make of drinking yoghurt. How Adam Riches gets away with all the silliness is his flamboyant, commanding stage presence and wonderful sense of timing.

Reviewed by Ben

Venue; Venue Number                  Pleasance Courtyard; V33

Dates                                                  4 to 30 August 2010

Times                                                 16.00 to 17.00

Fringe Programme Page Number: 22

Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre – on the Telly

4 Stars

****

This is a non stop show of puns and daft, funny comedy. Two sock puppets form the classic double act; one is sensible and trying to keep to a planned script whilst the other is anarchic doing his best to hog the limelight.

The pace is frenetic as they play out sketches of different TV genres involving numerous costume changes. There is the period drama with rival claimants to the beautiful heroine attempting to fight a duel. We just know the puppet master cannot physically do the walking 10 paces apart and the compromise is hilarious. A sketch with the mixing of dialogue from a cookery programme and a gardening programme along with the appearance of superman calls for split second timing and dexterity. Between the sketches, songs are performed to rock classics with the lyrics twisted and made very adult.

The perfect synchronisation of the hand movements and the delivery of the lines bring the puppets to life. Undoubtedly, there are a number of very corny puns but with so many fired at you, there are some classics.

Reviewed by Ben

Venue; Venue Number                  Gilded Balloon Teviot; V14

Dates                                                  4 to 29 August 2010

Times                                                 21.15 to 22.15

Fringe Programme Page Number: 120

The Bruce Collective

2 Stars

**

There is a lot going on this show – improvised comedy against a green backdrop with computer wizardry to produce a science fiction film on a projection screen. Chris Harvey-John directs with his laptop as location scenes flash up on to the projection screen.

Suggestions and objects from the audience give the three performers, Jarred Christmas, Mike Wozniak and Simon Young, the ideas to work into a plot of good versus evil. There are some impressive special effects, talking heads for example. However, working the comedy into a pre-set framework meant that Chris Harvey-John’s direction seemed to cause confusion all round. Much of the fun of improvised comedy is when performers run and run, bouncing ideas of each other. Just as I felt they were going in a good direction, they had to move on because of the demands of the story. For me, it was a show that never quite took off.

Reviewed by Ben

Venue; Venue Number                  Gilded Balloon; V14

Dates                                                  20 to 30 August 2010

Times                                                 18.30 to 19.30

Fringe Programme Page Number: 38