Tuesday 1 May 2012

Going Underground



About half of the shows for this year's Fringe take place at the collection of spaces in the cellars of the Old Hall Hotelknown as Underground Venues. From around 5pm to midnight every day throughout the Fringe something will be going on in the Pauper's Pit or the Barrel Room. There will be music and theatre in some of the cosiest, most-intimate spaces around - but here we're concentrating on some of the comedy on offer. 


There are some top-notch acts booked - with people you will have heard of and seen on your telly (I might be giving my age away there - you can also try myspace, youtube and twitter and all those other things that young people know about. If you know any 7-year-olds ask them).

There are a number of shows under the general title of GSOH running throughout the Fringe. Seewww.gsohcomedy.co.uk to find about everything. Amongst their performers are James Sherwood who is/was a choral singer and has contributed to Radio 4's The Now Show andThe News Quiz. He has garnered reviews to die for. Also on is Andrew O'Neil - who was in Steve Coogan's Saxondale (I thought that was pretty tedious in truth but hardly Andrew's fault - sometimes someone needs to tell writers that this material is too thin to stretch over hours of screentime). Anyway, Andrew O'Neil offers a different comedic take to most. These shows will sell out - get your tickets as soon as you can.

The lovely Mrs Barbara Nice is coming back to Buxton and is entertaining between 18-20 July in her show Hiya and Higher. You can learn more - and read her own Blog - atwww.mrsbarbaranice.co.uk.

Now may not be the time for an MP to launch an alternative career as a comedian. High Peak's Tom Levitt is doing just that. Now I've known Tom for 20 years or so and he's all right. (He said a nice thing about me once too). So I really wish him well and I hope that he isn't unemployed this time next year.

Also returning is Tam Hinton (between 10-17 July). Now anyone that has seen the Hinton experience will need no encouragement from me. It would be silly for me to say that I've any idea what to expect from Tam this year - but he'll make you think, work hard and laugh. His recent gig in Manchester got rave reviews: "Utterly compelling... extraordinary, mind-bending and exhilarating" (seewww.studiosalford.com/pages/press.php).

Now not strictly comedy, neither strictly magic is/are High Jinx doing five shows between 8-20 July. A young brother and sister team will juggle, unicycle, escape, eat fire, swallow razor blades. This could be one of the shows of Fringe 2009 - check out the dates and put it in your diary (and book your tickets!) For more seewww.highjinxmagic.com


by Keith Savage - Published 01/06/2009

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