Edinburgh Fringe Festival: Top five alternative Fringe shows

By RAY PHILP
Published on 06/08/2012 20:32

HAD your fill of run-of-the-mill television comedians at the Fringe already? These quirky acts may be just the ticket

Michael Winslow: Noizeyman

...aka the guy with all the voices from Police Academy. Having won unanimous praise for his Fringe debut last year, Michael Winslow returns to Edinburgh, bringing a new show full of his impressive repertoire of sound effects-assisted zingers.

The hard sell: “A hilarious whirlwind of staggering special effects, astounding sounds and extraordinary noises, from the star of Police Academy, Family Guy and The Simpsons.”

• Until 27 Aug, Underbelly, 9.40pm

Late Night Gimp Fight

The gloriously puerile, black comedy shtick of quintet Paul Biggin, Richard Campbell, Lee Griffiths, David Moon and Matt Ralph was well received at last year’s Fringe (and the year before that, too - both were sellouts), and is fast becoming one of those essential shows whose name escapes the lips of anyone within earshot of Bristo Square.

The hard sell: “The country’s most exciting sketch groups is back with their biggest, boldest and best show yet.”

• Until 27 Aug, 10.00pm

Rich Peppiatt: One Rogue Reporter

That the Leveson Inquiry would constitute the basis for a show at this year’s Fringe was inevitable, and there’s certainly a rich seam of comedy material from which to draw. Rich Peppiatt, a former Daily Star reporter who quit the paper after speaking out against the paper’s Islamophobic coverage in an open resignation letter, gives a sobering analysis of the British tabloid press, peppered with some withering asides aimed at his former employers.

The hard sell: “Rich Peppiatt’s Leveson evidence “reduced the gallery to hysterics” (Guardian). Now the ex-hack, a ‘petulant scoundrel’ (Telegraph), pursues redemption by hilariously turning the tables on the tabloid chiefs.”

• Until 27 Aug, Pleasance Courtyard, 5pm

Bridget Christie: War Donkey

Bridget Christie’s stand-up show has the hard-won distinction of bearing one of the most disquieting posters in town. The ‘war donkey’ mock-up - an amalgam of Christie’s eyes, a WWI-style army helmet and a donkey’s head - hints at a show that revels in the more subversive end of the comedy spectrum at the Fringe. Not a show for the high-minded among you, though - taped fart noises feature prominently.

The hard sell: “How did Hitler choose soups in restaurants? What are Tory feminists? Why no Spielberg donkey blockbuster? Bridget Christie knows.”

• Until 26 Aug, Assembly Rooms, 1.30pm

Mick Foley: Prisoner of Raw!

Mick Foley, a professional wrestler for 27 years, knows a thing or two about entertaining a mass audience. Although the environs of the Assembly Rooms will be a little more sedate than those of his WWE heyday, Foley’s likeable stage presence is sure to remain undimmed in the eyes of wrestling fans. Expect some fan-pleasing anecdotes, served with a side of chokeslam.

The hard sell: “With five New York Times best-sellers to his credit, pro-wrestler, turned author, turned comics explains why lessons learned in 27 years of sports entertainment provide a unique insight into politics, pornography and world peace.”

• Aug 8 - 11, Assembly Rooms, 10.25pm