Officially the Fringe doesn't start for another two days, but everything is in full swing with most shows in preview and big crowds already out and getting into the previews while the going (and the price) is good...tickets are cheap anyway IMO with most under £10 (about $15 aud), and a large number of shows are totally free. The place is just buzzing with High St a hive for flyer hander-outers, street performers, buskers, photographers, tourists and everyone is into it. For Melbourne Comedy Festival this year, I saw (if I remember correctly) 17 shows and i have tickets for 10 shows here this week alone (not even counting last night or the free ones I have planned. It's going to be a big month.
So I've been in the city for less than six hours and my Edinburgh Comedy Festival experience has gotten off to a cracking start - one show down and i am already wondering if i will see a better one-man show than "Dymock Watson:Nazi Smasher". Anyone who knows me would know that this premise is right up my alley, (War stuff like the great Armstrong & Miller sketches tickle me) and this show was genuinely hilarious. Telling the story as Dymock Watson (a clueless intelligence officer), Humphrey Ker flexes his impressive comic acting skills by bringing to life an array of hilariously bent characters including a Scottish detective with a penchant for swearing, a roguish Special Operations operative, a Romanian resistance fighter, various camp Nazis, a sexy female American and even a dog (although the dog was a miss, for me) which he does all with only 1 costume change in the whole show. The set is simple but extremely effective - an old grenade box, a chalkboard and a flag are all that it is but they are used to great effect thanks to a couple of clever lighting changes and the occasional sound effect. This is a well thought out show that manages to both parody and still show great respect for those old war movie cliches by turning them on their head cleverly. This show deserves to do well and judging by the rousing reaction from the small crowd, word of mouth will make sure it does.
Daily Show Count : 1
Total Shows Seen : 1
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