logo
#

Latest news with #ThePleasance

Edinburgh Fringe review: Mhairi Black slides into stand-up comedy with ease
Edinburgh Fringe review: Mhairi Black slides into stand-up comedy with ease

The National

time2 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • The National

Edinburgh Fringe review: Mhairi Black slides into stand-up comedy with ease

If you get a chance to see the ex-SNP MP's new Work In Progress show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, you'll find yourself asking similar questions. How has this woman who has spent the best part of the last 10 years at archaic and snooty Westminster managed to adapt to the world of stand up like a duck to water? Black's walk onto the stage at the university's Appleton Tower with a pint in hand accompanied by Cigarettes and Alcohol by Oasis was a sign she was well versed in comedic timing given the Gallagher brothers had just spent the weekend playing to crowds at Murrayfield. READ MORE: The Pleasance to reopen after 72 Edinburgh Fringe shows cancelled I did worry for a second we were going to get an Al Murray 'Pub Landlord' style set but as Black quickly explained, after leaving politics, she simply needed to find another career she could pursue that allowed to day drink and 'talk shite'. Rest assured she did no such thing for the next hour. Audiences are treated to a stellar performance full of witty quips, as well as side-splitting stories about her getting high in Amsterdam when Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minister and ever-so-slightly outlandish policy ideas she's been exchanging with her new gym trainer Andy. She packs a lot into an hour. At the start, I did briefly think she was jumping from story to story a little too quickly, but it seems she was taking the approach of settling everyone in with a bunch of sharp one-liners before moving onto more detailed and relatable stories about language misunderstandings between the older and younger generations, awkwardly getting recognised during sensitive health appointments, and crude messages on spoiled ballots which lifted the veil on a mysterious aspect of politics – something Black does many times throughout the set. (Image: NQ) What I was taken aback by was the ease with which she linked jokes together like stand-up comedy was something she'd been doing for years. While there is a lot crammed in, she seems to have got a real knack for creating threads between stories, and you can't help but admit the performance is pretty seamless. It was nothing like a new comedy set – there were no awkward moments of silence and everything landed. She might have quit the SNP and Westminster, but Black seems to have found a new world she could really shine in. She mentioned early on that it was a WIP (work in progress) show, what she described as a 'half-baked idea' she wanted to test out. But there is nothing 'half-baked' about it – it's smart, engaging and downright hilarious.

Watch: Pleasance director speaks on closing Fringe courtyard for first time in 41 years due to Storm Floris
Watch: Pleasance director speaks on closing Fringe courtyard for first time in 41 years due to Storm Floris

Scotsman

time04-08-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Scotsman

Watch: Pleasance director speaks on closing Fringe courtyard for first time in 41 years due to Storm Floris

The closure is the first in the Pleasance's 41 year history Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Fringe venue The Pleasance has closed its Courtyard venue for the first time in its 41 year history due to the high winds driven by Storm Floris that have hit Edinburgh. Pleasance director Anthony Alderson has spoken to The Scotsman about the closure, which has led to 72 shows being cancelled. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The venue is due to make a decision at 4pm about whether it will reopen this evening. Mr Alderson said: 'We've never closed the Pleasance Courtyard for this amount of time before. This is the first time in 41 years. Pleasance Courtyard. | Pleasance Courtyard, where The Green is situated. 'This is entirely precautionary. It's a complicated site, the Pleasance Courtyard. It's a lot of little theatres around an enclosed space and they're historic buildings. We have a very thorough safety management plan in terms of wind. We've just got to wait until we can make a decision later this afternoon. 'We're all different. Every venue has its own plan.'

Review: Trump's least favourite comedian Rosie O'Donnell rocks Fringe
Review: Trump's least favourite comedian Rosie O'Donnell rocks Fringe

The Herald Scotland

time04-08-2025

  • Entertainment
  • The Herald Scotland

Review: Trump's least favourite comedian Rosie O'Donnell rocks Fringe

Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower, until August 10, 8.45pm. Below Audre Lorde and just above Billie Jean King. That's where Rosie O'Donnell sits on my list of lesbian icons and role models. But how would the legendary 63-year-old actress, comedian and talk show host fare on her Edinburgh Fringe debut? Common Knowledge, promised an hour of stand-up and story-telling. Reflections on Rosie's current life and her reasons for decanting to Dublin. Good comedy requires light and shade. For the first ten minutes, she embraces the shade. Memories of her mother's death, four days before Rosie's 11th birthday, leave many of the sell-out crowd in tears. 'Don't worry, you haven't bought the wrong ticket. This isn't Angela's Ashes, The Musical. There will be jokes,' she promises. And there are. Jokes and anecdotes and gentle whimsy. She conducts the tempo and tone of this show like a maestro. We all lean in. Rosie may now have a home in Ireland but her registered address still appears to be living rent-free in President Trump's head. We're shown a statement in which he describes her as a threat to humanity and says he's considering revoking her US citizenship. There's a laconic shrug before Rosie displays just a few of the 700+ portraits she's painted of the President. It could definitely be described as the artist's 'orange period'. Their twenty-year-old feud shows no signs of abating. Read more Fringe reviews When she's talking about family and friends - old and new - the love and warmth is palpable. There's an incredible intimacy. Characters in her new neighbourhood are fleshed out and brought to life. Joan the pharmacist. Angela the lollipop lady. The little boy from across the road who turns up on her doorstep late at night. Lyrical prose sprinkled with sarcasm and self-deprecation. Less Cider With Rosie, more Side-eye with Rosie. But it's Clay, the youngest of Rosie's five children who provides not only the show title much of the funniest and sweetest material. Twelve-year-old Clay's honesty is something we should all aspire to. Here's my truth. This was a simply magical evening. Other Shows I Recomend Week… Chloe Petts: Big Naturals, The Pleasance, Four stars Tamsyn Kelly: Hot Titty Bungalow, Monkey Barrel, Four stars Marjolein Robertson: Lein, Pleasance Dome, Three stars Ria Lina: Riabellion, Monkey Barrel, Three stars Amy Mason: Behold! The Pleasance, Three stars Alex Stringer: Happy Hour, The Pleasance, Three stars. To purchase tickets for the festivals, please click here

The 7 Edinburgh Fringe shows cancelled at The Pleasence
The 7 Edinburgh Fringe shows cancelled at The Pleasence

The National

time04-08-2025

  • Climate
  • The National

The 7 Edinburgh Fringe shows cancelled at The Pleasence

The Pleasance has closed its outdoor venue, The Green in the Pleasance Courtyard, while organisers said they were 'pro-actively monitoring the situation' over further closures. The decsion comes after the Met Office said much of Scotland will be battered by heavy rain and winds of up to 85mph throughout Monday. A yellow warning for wind for the whole of Scotland became active at 6am on Monday and will last until 6am on Tuesday, and warnings have been upgraded to amber from 10am to 10pm in northern and central areas. READ MORE: Storm Floris Live: Latest warnings, transport cancellations and road closures Some trains and ferry services have already been cancelled with more likely to be affected. Seven shows have been cancelled at the venue, after the Fringe by the Sea also cancelled all shows for Monday, and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo cancelled its 9.30pm performance on Monday. The venue said it was 'investigating exchanges' for any audience members who had shows booked at any Pleasance venues. The cancelled Pleasance shows are: toooBKid Always Win Benny Shakes Shame Show Lunchbox LEI – LDN Body Count The Edinburgh International Festival's Ceilidh Sessions event on Monday night is also cancelled as Princes Street Gardens is closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the storm. A spokesperson for The Pleasance said: 'With Scotland on amber warning, the Pleasance Theatre Trust has cancelled shows in The Green in order to ensure the safety of our staff and audiences. The Pleasance has a robust wind management plan and if the wind reaches dangerous levels, we will close our sites or change how we manage our venues. 'We are pro-actively monitoring the situation and have several plans that can be deployed dynamically. If you have tickets booked for a show at Pleasance and can't get to us or we have to close, we still want to make sure you can enjoy our shows on other days and are investigating exchanges and other 2-4-1 moments.' READ MORE: The 7 things you need to know before seeing Chappell Roan in Edinburgh A Fringe by the Sea spokesperson said on Sunday night: 'With Storm Floris incoming, we have taken the decision to close Fringe By The Sea tomorrow. We will reopen on Tuesday 10am. 'Ticket holders for events on Monday 4th August will be notified by email of cancellations or rescheduled events [where possible]. Cancelled events will be refunded automatically – please bear with us while we work with our ticketing agent to process these transactions.'

Storm Floris: Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows cancelled at The Pleasance as amber wind alert comes into force
Storm Floris: Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows cancelled at The Pleasance as amber wind alert comes into force

Scotsman

time04-08-2025

  • Climate
  • Scotsman

Storm Floris: Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows cancelled at The Pleasance as amber wind alert comes into force

The Pleasance has cancelled some shows and says it is monitoring the situation around Storm Floris. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Fringe shows at one major venue have been cancelled and venues have warned further closures could be announced later today as the Met Office's amber wind warning for Storm Floris comes into force. The Pleasance said it had closed its The Green venue in the Pleasance Courtyard, which is a temporary, tent-like structure. Venue organisers said they were 'pro-actively monitoring the situation' over further closures. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Seven shows have been cancelled on Monday at the venue. An amber weather warning is in place for the majority of Scotland between 10am and 10pm on Monday as Storm Floris batters the north of the UK. The venue said it was 'investigating exchanges' for any audience members who had shows booked at any Pleasance venues, but were unable to attend due to the weather, which has caused widespread transport cancellations. The cancelled shows are toooBKids, Always Win, Benny Shakes, Shame Show, Lunchbox, LEI - LDN and Body Count. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The update comes after Fringe by the Sea also cancelled all shows for Tuesday, while the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has also cancelled its 9.30pm performance on Monday. The Edinburgh International Festival's Ceilidh Sessions event on Monday night is also cancelled because of the city council's decision to close Princes Street Gardens due to the storm. Pleasance Courtyard, where The Green is situated. | Pleasance Courtyard, where The Green is situated. A spokeswoman for The Pleasance said: 'With Scotland on amber warning, the Pleasance Theatre Trust has cancelled shows in The Green in order to ensure the safety of our staff and audiences. The Pleasance has a robust wind management plan and if the wind reaches dangerous levels, we will close our sites or change how we manage our venues. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are pro-actively monitoring the situation and have several plans that can be deployed dynamically. If you have tickets booked for a show at Pleasance and can't get to us or we have to close, we still want to make sure you can enjoy our shows on other days and are investigating exchanges and other 2-4-1 moments.' A spokeswoman for Fringe by the Sea said on Monday night: 'With Storm Floris incoming, we have taken the decision to close Fringe By The Sea tomorrow. We will reopen on Tuesday 10am.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store