August 21, 2024  The Scotsman

Review of Sex and Drugs and Getting Old 2

Andy Zapp knows more than most about each of these things and is very generous in the sharing of his knowledge. He is, it would seem, getting increasingly potty-mouthed as he gets older. He has also developed an in-depth, close up and personal knowledges of hormone replacement creams and patches. There are immediate challenges for Andy – a goodly proportion of his audience have not heard of Ian Dury and most of them are strangers to Oscar Wilde. Strange combination in an opening routine, you might think, but that is the kind of show this is. We get peeing in the sink and colonisation, drugs on the NHS and chubbies in priority seats and every so often he apologises for not having started the show yet. To say the show is sexually graphic in its language is like saying heroin is relaxing. It is quite something watching him perched on his high chair chucking little shock grenades at us. It is fun, watching an older bloke taking his naughty parts for a gallop. You will never see a picture of an aardvark again without thinking of Andy Zapp. Or, indeed, order a KFC. Kate Copstick Click Here

August 8, 2024  One4Review

Review of Comedy Cluedo

Australian performer Lucy Henderson excels in this remake of the popular 80’s board game Cluedo. The game play is similar to the original game however the characters, location and murder weapons have been changed. Lucy has been murdered but her ghost has returned for one hour to try and leave enough clues for the audience to solve her murder. On arrival, the audience are given a clipboard and clue sheet so they can jot down any clues they pick up during the performance in the hope they can solve the murder at the end. The game rules are then explained before audience members are asked to select a suspect, location or murder weapon and Lucy then tells a story relating to which ever one has been selected. There is an adult theme throughout the performance with references to drugs and sexual encounters, but the references are mostly tongue in cheek and often funny. At the end of the show the audience are asked who they think is responsible for the murder, where it happened and what weapon was used, once the result is revealed, Lucy looks back at the clues the audience should have found during the performance. The idea of turning a popular board game into a stage performance is brilliant, however you really need to pay attention to detail to find the clues as its too easy to get wrapped up in the story and miss the key evidence. A very confident and quirky performance from a talented young female. You do not need to have played the original game to understand it, you just need to put your detective head on, solve the murder and have a laugh at the same time! Click Here

August 8, 2024  Edinburgh Reviews

Review of 2 Wongs and a White

3.6 stars

...An awkward title but an easy joke. In fairness, I was packed into that room in the middle of the day, with a multi-generation audience, so the “2 Wongs and a White” line clearly had managed to lure in plenty of people. There are no edgelord jokes, no posturing, no one complaining about cancel culture or that they can’t get away with the slur jokes they used to. Phew. Instead, “2 Wongs and a White” is a three-for-one for which you can pay as little or as much as you want. I think 15 quid, 5 per comedian, is a great price. You could even go higher and still get value for money.... Click Here

July 17, 2024 European Comedy

Article about Michelle Ahern: We've Had A Good Run

“If Not Us, Who? If Not Now, When?” — Michelle Ahern and Iain Anderson Talk ‘Traumedy’

Michelle Ahern is taking her solo show, We’ve Had a Good Run, to the Edinburgh Fringe this year. It’s pretty impressive for someone just over 18 months into comedy. Click Here

July 6, 2024 The Seagull

Article about Marcus Dean: Has Anyone Seen My Dad?

Best Stand Up 2024 Winner - Brighton Fringe

It's been a while since a comedy show has made me laugh so hard that I got a stitch, but that's exactly what Marcus Dean's Has Anyone Seen My Dad? achieved. Click Here

June 8, 2024  Starburst

Review of Dorks 'n' Orks: Live!

Dorks n Orks

Dorks and Orks is the first attempt we’ve seen at actually trying to turn fantasy TTRPGs into a game-show-style affair. The show uses a custom-made Virtual Table Top to show rather than tell the audience what’s going on in the fantasy adventure. There are also puzzles built into the adventure, some of which are hilariously obvious to the audience and less so to the comedians. Very funny and worth seeking out. Live performance table-top gaming is a relatively new format for stage shows; of the countless improv shows at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, only five or six can be described as D&D adjacent. As such, the actual format is still being explored by performers. For every ‘comedians at a table’-style show, such as Tartan Table-top or Character Building Experience, we have something more experimental, such as Mistakes Were Made or The Twenty-Sided Tavern. Dorks and Orks is the first attempt we’ve seen at actually trying to turn fantasy TTRPGs into a game-show-style affair. The result is an interesting mix between Oxventure and the classic kids’ TV show, Knightmare. The show uses a custom-made Virtual Table Top to show rather than tell the audience what’s going on in the fantasy adventure. There are also puzzles built into the adventure, some of which are hilariously obvious to the audience and less so to the comedians. Our host is Gary Colman, who is a rakish, sardonic host. He’s assisted by a small band of skilled improv comedians, and as always, the characters are pretty silly. Colman is the seemingly reluctant Dungeon Master, hosting the show in an almost panel show style. Gary Colman’s approach is more Game Show Host than Dungeon Master, though he’s not bad at the latter, happily spinning tall tales and trying to keep his players in line. On the game’s mechanic side of things, the show mostly uses an oversized twenty-sized die as a sort of comedy firework, rolled only to serve as punctuation for a gag and not really changing the narrative. This is very much ‘on rails’, thanks to the use of graphics on the show. This deflates some of the anarchic spark common in these shows. Dorks and Orks do a good job of blending technology with table-top gaming, though that does take away some of the creative magic that we see in shows such as Questing Time. It is still very funny and worth seeking out if you can.  Click Here

June 8, 2024  Edinburgh Reviews

Review of Dorks 'n' Orks: Live!

Review Dorks n Orks Live!

“Feeling dorky? I think you should consider levelling up and multi-classing to Dorks ‘n’ Orks. “Ideal for geeks, gamers…. and anyone who likes a bit of impro comedy.” “Dorks ‘n’ Orks is an excellent show to take tweens to. If you have D&D curious kids, then this is a critical hit.” Click Here

October 4, 2022  The Age

Review of Nick Schuller: Still Dry White

In comedy newbies vs comedy veterans, youngsters win

There’s no hyperbole in stating this is the strongest Comedy Zone ensemble of rising stars yet – no mean feat considering the line-up hand-picked by the festival has previously showcased Hannah Gadsby, Celia Pacquola and Ronny Chieng. Nick Schuller’s snail-paced drawl was perfectly timed as he deconstructed Cardi B’s WAP and the backstory of Eminem’s most famous lyric, alongside a conversation with Beethoven about his compositions now being used to soothe crowds at McDonald’s. Click Here

October 4, 2022  The Age

Review of Nick Schuller: Still Dry White

In comedy newbies vs comedy veterans, youngsters win

Nick Schuller’s snail-paced drawl was perfectly timed. Click Here