IT'S THE THREEWEEKS PODCAST - WEEK ZERO EDITION
The ThreeWeeks Editors' Award winning Baba Brinkman guests and raps on this first edition of the ThreeWeeks Podcast from Edinburgh Festival 2014. He's back with a totally new version of his previous Fringe hit 'Rap Canterbury Tales', plus new show 'The Rap Guide To Religion' and science improv bonanza 'Off The Top' on the Free Fringe.
Also chatting about their new show are the guys from 'Mock Tudor', plus there's a sketch from Party Of Two, a snippet from musical theatre show 'Man Enough' and songs from Jay Foreman and 'Blues'. ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Chris Cooke hosts. Click here to download or listen. |
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THE FRINGE'S MEET THE MEDIA MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER, SAYS THREEWEEKS CO-EDITOR
The big Meet The Media event takes place at Fringe Central tomorrow – Saturday 2 Aug – the annual bash where performers from across the Fringe festival get the chance to pitch their shows to the amassed media.
ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Chris Cooke will be manning the stall for ThreeWeeks this year, and he says this: "We've always enjoyed the opportunity to meet with as many performers as possible at the start of the Festival – what with the ThreeWeeks mission of discovering and championing all the new and unknown talent at the Fringe – and, indeed, before the Fringe Society set up Meet The Media we used to do our own Meet The Reviewers event at the start of the Festival".
"Though this year", Cooke adds, "Meet The Media is more important for us than ever before, because we've made some significant changes to the way we review the Festival this year, which means we are making more editorial judgements as we assign reviewers to shows. And we've allocated a big chunk of review slots especially for the most exciting performers we meet for the first time at Fringe Central tomorrow".
Of course, with so many shows there is quite a bit of queuing to be done for performers at Meet The Media. Though in the ThreeWeeks queue performers will be encouraged to start their show selling before reaching the front of the line. We'll be handing out postcards and asking shows to provide a doodle or rhyme that sells their production. The best will be published by ThreeWeeks, with the creator of the overall best doodle or rhyme getting £350 of free advertising in our Week Three edition. So, if you're a performer, come ready to rhyme or doodle. |
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PATRICK MONAHAN ON HIS PREVIEW NIGHT SURPRISE
So Patrick Monahan may have won a ThreeWeeks Editors' Award two years ago, but this time round he gets the First Night Surprise award.
Well known for involving his audience in his shows, Monahan noted at the start of his first preview at the Gilded Balloon earlier this week that most locals were probably at a zumba class on a such a damp Wednesday evening, and therefore he would kick off the proceedings by picking the audience member who "most looks like a zumba teacher" to join him on stage for a dance class.
Says Monahan: "As the music played I ran through the audience onto the stage and glanced quickly across the front row and spotted a bloke in a nice colourful shirt and shorts and thought 'he looks perfect as my zumba teacher'. I grabbed him up and we danced on stage pretending to take a zumba class then I sat in his seat and he carried on alone".
"Me and the audience laughed and cheered while he continued to dance", Monahan goes on. "Then he sat down and I was laughing until I noticed something sticking out under his chair and saw it was a crutch. I panicked, lifted it up and showed it to the people sitting next to him, who were his son and daughter, and said 'is this his?'"
They nodded. "I said to the audience 'look what I found under his seat' and held up the crutch. The whole audience gasped! I asked why he had a crutch and he said 'because two weeks ago I had a new hip operation'. Everyone was laughing and cheering and I properly fainted. I kept apologising and said to his kids 'why didn't any of you stop him or tell me to stop him from dancing?' They said 'cos he was doing a good impression of a zumba teacher!'"
Monhan concludes: "The moral of this story is: if you do sit in the front row of my show, please, please, please let me know you have a mobility scooter, crutches or a wheel chair before I make you do some head spinning and break dancing!"
Send your performance mishaps and moments to TWnews@unlimitedmedia.co.uk
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FIRST DAYS AT THE FRINGE - SPECIAL TICKET OFFERS!
The Fringe is upon us and with over 200 hand-picked shows and events, C venues is the place to find the most extraordinary shows from around the world and around the corner! And we are pleased to announce our Fringe First Five days special offer:
• For performances taking place today (31 Jul) and tomorrow (1 Aug) we are offering 2 for 1 per show* (ie two tickets for the price of one)
• For performances taking place on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 Aug we are offering 3 for 2 per show* (ie three tickets for the price of two)
To redeem this offer say the code FFF-TW at any C venues box office on the phone or in person.
Full listings for our 2014 programme are available on our website at www.CtheFestival.com
*When booked at the same time for a single performance. Subject to availability and may not apply to all performances. |
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3 TO SEE: FREE ACTS YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD OF
The Fringe's free show strands are bigger than ever this year, with plenty of great acts to choose from. You get in for nothing, and leave what you think is appropriate in the bucket on your way out. And while there is lots of new talent in the free show programme, don't be thinking it's just newbies. Oh no. Here is ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Caro Moses with some comedy veterans offering pay-what-you-want entertainment this year.
Nick Doody vs The Debonair Assassin
You see, some people think that the free Fringe festival strands are full of people who aren't funny or first timers trying out duff material. Now, that absolutely isn't true at all (and there are loads of free shows included in all my other comedy picks, too) but I just thought I would hammer that point home by telling you about the free shows out there from comedians like this one, Nick Doody, an Edinburgh veteran that you've probably heard of via all the TV and radio stuff he's responsible for, and possibly through his appearance on C4's 'So You Think You're Funny' contest back in 1997 (crikey, was it so long ago?). Anyway, he is very, very skilled, and this show is guaranteed to be good.
Canon's Gait, from 2 Aug until 24 Aug.
Brendon Burns
Another Fringe veteran (or is it legend? Can never remember) headed for free Fringery this year is the inimitable Brendon Burns, who I am sure you will remember from appearances on the 'The 11 O'Clock Show' (if you are old enough), and about eight million different festival posters. The programme doesn't offer much info about the show – "Warning! May contain material that will never be commissioned and an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression that goes on for possibly 15 to 20 minutes too long" – but I seriously doubt this show will be a waste of your time. Of course, if you are a wrestling fan (or not) with some cash, you might want to head over to his other show, which isn't free, but which will be very funny.
The Brendon Burns Show, The Liquid Room, from 2 Aug until 23 Aug.
Brendon Burns and Colt Cabana Sit in a 150 Seater at 10pm and Provide the Commentary to Bad Wrestling Matches, Stand in the Square, from 1 Aug until 25 Aug. Tickets here.
Michael Legge and Robin Ince Are Pointless Anger, Righteous Ire 3: Ooh Stick You, Your Mama Too... and Your Daddy
What is it with these ridiculously long titles for shows? Anyway, moving on, not sure who you will be more familiar with, Michael Legge, or Robin Ince, but I feel certain you will have heard of one or both of them. Possibly Robin Ince is more recognisable, because everyone seems to know about the 'Infinite Monkey Cage' show he does with Brian Cox. But they've both been around for a good long time, doing more shows than I can possibly afford to mention here, in Edinburgh, London, venues and festivals everywhere. Anyway, they are good, and this show will be good. Despite their "Not suitable for most people, probably" disclaimer.
Wee Red Bar, from 2 Aug until 12 Aug. |
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