Briony Redman is Indecisive
I booked these shows so long ago I’ve forgotten why I made the choices. I think this one was because I’m interested in decision making. Briony was bouncy ad over the top from the very start. She presented a comedy routine where she acted out an adventure based on decisions from the small audience. Briony would hold up two decision cards and would follow the one we chose. Audience participation – oh no. She made the whole event hard work with a few touches of humour during the improvisation. I wasn’t impressed.
Scottish Parliament
After the disappointment of Briony Redman I decided to walk down to Holyrood and visited the Scottish Parliament. I’ve walked around the building before when Jane and I last came to the Fringe in 2011. This time I went inside where I was pleased to find a photographic journalists exhibition. The photographs were of excellent quality and the subject matter varied from was torn Syria to life protecting wildlife in Africa. I particularly liked a photo of a Mexican family climbing over the wall at the border – walls will not deter desperate people.
Nina Conti – Work in Progress
The last time I saw Nina Conti was at Lincoln Engine Shed. Her ventriloquism is secondary to the humour she brings to the interaction with the audience members she gets on stage and puts words into their mouths. The power of suggestion is so great the participants make gestures, dance and do things I’m sure they wouldn’t do normally if they weren’t wearing a mask and Nina was speaking on their behalf. The show was hilarious – enjoyed every moment. It was interesting she didn’t choose participants who were too keen, she chose people who would not dominate or be over bearing.
