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I left the flat at lunchtime and met up with David. After a brief stint in the pub, where we watched Manchester United murder Newcastle, we went for a wander and parted company when David and his other half found a Chinese buffet. I decided that I'd try to find the Squonk Opera show that I'd been recommended to see. I regret this decision now. A couple of hours stuffing my face full of noodles would have been greatly preferable.
Leaving Squonk Opera feeling mystified, I proceeded to waste another £12 of my hard-earned money on a Ukulele. It seemed a good idea at the time - a replacement for my existing one, which has fret damage. However, this one is really not all that much better. I realised this after a most enjoyable conversation in the Pleasance Courtyard with a lady from San Francisco ended with her rushing off, rather late, for a show (we overran) and me resorting to my new instrument for company. Never mind.
After some food and a remarkably curious conversation with a lady who served me at a bar, I went off to meet the gang who would be seeing Dave Gorman. This gang included two of the 6 student union sabbatical officers I served with back in 1995. We were quorate! Almost. Of those, I'd already seen Tom a couple of times, but I hadn't seen Simon since 1996 when I left the union. We got to play the "you've changed" game, which was fun. I've lost weight and he's lost hair.
After Dave Gorman, we had drinks and chat around the Spiegeltent (whatever that is) and then went to see a show called Hot. It was just two letters different from its correct description.
We ended the evening in the bar of C Main, listening to the talented Liam, playing long-winded covers... very well.
It had been an expensive day and one of a couple this fringe where the bad shows outnumbered the good. Still, you learn by doing!
Show: Squonk Opera
Performed by: BigSmorgasbordWunderWerk
When: 15:00
Where: Gilded Balloon Teviot
Cost: £11.50
Utterly mystifying. This show made no sense to me. It was like an hallucinatory experience with bizarre singing, quite rhythmic music, performed live on midi drums, midi wind instruments, real drums, double bass, electric bass, accordion and keyboard - not all at one. The singer was very much in the cast of Bjork, but seemed to have abysmal diction... or maybe she was singing gibberish.
They created a wealth of sights and sounds. The finale involved the singer cycling onto stage on a bizarre horse-shaped contraption which she then used to fire marshmallows into the audience using a drill with plaster mixing attachment on the end. No, it defies explanation.
The high ticket cost cannot be justified by entertainment value... it was not really all that entertaining. However, the complex props, heavily reliant on puppetry or mechanics, probably cost a lot to make and I suspect this production, with its limited audiences, needed all the money it could raise.
If you get the chance to miss this show, do!
Show: Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure
Performed by: Dave Gorman
When: 19:45
Where: George Square Theatre
Cost: £13
Dave's show got unanimously good reviews. The audience were enthralled. The story was exciting and interesting and had much more dark twists and turns than his previous adventures.
I had tried to pretend that it was okay that I could not get a ticket for this show, since I would be able to see it in its longer form when it goes out on tour after the festival. However, now I've seen it, thanks to someone's group booking going over quota, yielding a spare, I'm prepared to admit that I would have been disappointed otherwise.
Show: Hot!
Performed by: Fringe Circus Cabaret and Club
When: 00:00
Where: Gilded Balloon Teviot
Cost: £10
Essentially a bunch of circus style acts, which seemed exceedingly lack-lustre in the atmosphere of a late night club. Perhaps I wanted something funny or exciting, or perhaps they were rubbish. This is the first fringe show I've ever bailed out of, joining an "escape to the bar" committee.
The general consensus was that the street performers in Edinburgh could have done a better job.
Spent £34.50, saw 3 shows. At the day's end:
Total shows seen: 60
Total shows performed: 10
Total spent: £426.75
27 August 2003
Ashley Frieze