Day 25: Go big, or go home...
Having set aside Sunday as a much needed day of rest (to recover from August), this was to be my last day at the Fringe. So I thought I may as well do it properly! First up...
1 Woman, a Dwarf Planet and 2 Cox: Samantha Baines, 11.45am (extra show) @ Pleasance Courtyard
Iâd seen Samantha Baines before as part of â2 Girls, 1 Cup of Comedyâ, she was quite charmingly funny then, so Iâd earmarked this show early on.
Heavy on the story-telling, with a more than a small dose of feminism, but light on the laughs. That said, itâs hard not to like her. If anything, her likability is probably what got her through the hour unscathed.
The show has a message (girls can do science stuff too - in case anyone was wondering), which Iâm not against, but in the end it was more of a TED Talk than stand up. Which again, Iâm not against, but would rather know thatâs what I was letting myself in for.
A sold out show throughout the Fringe might be an indication that people think otherwise, but it could also be because sheâs on the telly, which seems to help ticket sales no end. Hopefully sheâll be back next year with some new material and preferably some jokes.
A brisk walk from The Pleasance down to the new town took us to...
Lost Voice Guy: Disability for Dunces Volume Two, 1.15pm @ The Stand 5
I had read about this show and was intrigued, I imagine being a stand-up comedian is difficult enough, let alone when you canât speak.
Lost Voice Guy (also known as Lee Ridley) didnât disappoint. An honest account of some of the ridiculous situations heâd been in, as well as answering questions heâd been asked regarding his disability, all done in an amusing and quite brutal manner.
You could tell a tremendous amount of thought had been put into the material and preparation, which paid off.
Lost Voice Guy is a very funny guy.
After some refuelling we were on our way back to the old town for...
Susie Youssef â Check Youssef Before You Wreck Youssef, 5.15pm @ Assembly George Square
When I read that Susie Yousseff had been off to Chicago honing her skills in the same way Tina Fey and Amy Poehler did, I knew I had to check out her debut.
Immensely likeable, charismatic, funny, and an excellent story teller. She did some sketches, assumed a couple of different personas, told some jokes, and mixed it all together with some personal stories which drew the biggest laughs.
When she says she loves what she does, and thanks you for being there and allowing her to do it, it seems to come from a very genuine place - which made it all the more enjoyable.
Laughs throughout, and a properly hilarious finale. We loved the show.
Hopefully sheâll be back next year, but I wouldnât be surprised if sheâs moved onto bigger and better things before next August.
Mild exhaustion setting in...we hauled ourselves along to the Pleasance for the next show which was...
Larry Dean: Farcissist, 7.15pm @ Pleasance Courtyard
I have now seen Larry Dean at the Fringe the last three years running. The first year he was part of AAA Stand Up, and I thought he was an excellent stand-up comedian. The second time, I thought he was funny but desperately needed some new material. This year...Iâm wondering how heâs still managing to sell out shows and win awards by peddling the same old tired jokes.
Straight from the Kevin Bridges school of âham up your accent, everything will sound funnierâ, heâs still making jokes at his own expense and opening the show with a big reveal that isnât really a surprise anymore.
He has a tried and tested style and way of telling a story, but it all feels a bit unoriginal. Not quite Billy Connolly, not quite Kevin Bridges, but a hybrid of all the comedians heâs trying to desperately to be.
I can honestly say I didnât laugh at all...I smiled a few times, but only because he looked directly at me and I panicked heâd lock on and engage with me if I didnât.
If you were seeing him for the first time, you probably thought it was great, and I wouldnât blame you. But, there are much sharper comedians with better material at the Fringe.
I donât think Iâll see him a fourth time.
A quick skip downstairs to the Cellar for...
Loren O'Brien: Who? 8.30pm @ Pleasance Courtyard
Weâd never heard of Loren OâBrien, but the time and location suited us perfectly. Why not?
I can sometimes struggle with American comedians, because they seem to get unnerved by quieter audiences (a bit like Ever Mainard earlier in the Fringe), and thereâs always a worry the humour or references wonât translate well for a U.K audience. About 15 minutes into this stand-up show, I thought it was going to be painful, she even stopped to ask why no one laughed at something that she had just said, and insisted it was funny. Ouch.
She settled in though, and eventually the humour shone through. A couple of jokes ran dangerously close to the bone but she carried it off.
I think once both myself and the rest of the audience started to get her, the laughs came a lot more easily and she ended strongly.
Decent bit of stand-up, and Iâd probably buy a ticket again.
Lastly...
Randy Writes a Novel, 10.05pm @ Underbelly Topside
So to describe this; itâs a puppet, whoâs going to rant at you for an hour.
Doesnât sound nearly as good as it was. Under the pretence of wanting to read us a chapter of his book, Randy the puppet distracted himself by giving us his thoughts on some of the big questions in life.
The guy under the table was quick witted to say the least, and handled a particularly irritating heckler (who heckles a puppet?!) with ease and a decent couple of take downs.
Even though I was knackered by this point he held my attention throughout, and it was nice to see something a bit different.Â
The puppetry was done so well I actually found myself forgetting that it wasnât in fact real, and panicked whenever I thought he was making eye contact (after a Fringe spent avoiding having to interact with performers).
Good effort, and a great show to finish on.










