Catch up....

Well it's been a while since I've had time to give my thoughts on the shows I've seen. Wednesday was another mixed bag.

All In The Timing. Began on shoddy ground with a sketch of 3 monkeys in a room with typewriters, but picked itself up with a sketch about Trotsky, which became the same set up for the next sketch, different ending, and so on, until they'd done 14-15 sketches all about Trotsky dying from a Mountain axe in his head. Cleverly done.

The Defiant Thomas Brothers A duo from Chicago. There was some clever stuff here too, but again it wasn't sustained all the way through. There best sketch was based around a French horn player in an orchestra. The conductor was half way back in the audience conducting an invisible orchestra, whilst on stage all we can see and hear is a lone French horn player, playing just a few notes occasionally. It's hard to explain, but it worked.

Andrew Maxwell He's one of those tipped to get a Perrier nomination. (The first meeting is tomorrow.) He's in my top 5, but whether the other judges agree I do not know. He covers an amazing amount of ground in the hour he is on stage. An on going sound fight between him and the 12 year old drummer of the Trachtenburg Family Slide Show, playing in the venue above means that as the Trachtenburgs threaten to drown out Maxwell on stage, he asks his sound guy to hit them with the creaking door. And sure enough there is a deafening sound of a creaky door, and silence from above.

Ben Willbond. Character comedy, helped out by other Fringe stars Katy Brand and Jim Field Smith. It was alright, but hardly cutting edge. No doubt he's being tipped as the next big thing.

Jackie Loeb. Oh dear one of the worst shows I've seen. Stripping at the beginning down to your pants and bra on some flimsy pretence is not necessary, especially if your in your 40's and on the fat size. Supposedly she does singing impressions. They were amazing. I had no idea Bjork was a cockney. Her Shakira was just another excuse for her to take her clothes off again and waggle her belly around. Again sounding nothing like Shakira. And as for her Shirley Bassey, that to me sounded more like Jackie singing very loudly, and that's it. Awful. God spare me from ever seeing the woman again.