Bella Merlin

The sense of atmosphere created in this piece was very delicious. The constant soundscape added tension and a dramatis personae to contribute to Rebecca Lincoln's gripping storytelling. If you like chill factor, you'll enjoy this, as Lincoln weaves the tale of a woman who... Ah, but that would be telling...... full review

DATING is truly heart-warming. Heart-warming for three distinct reasons - wonderful performances from Josh and Lindy. Delightful observations of humanity. Some glorious endings to the tales - happy and sad. This is top quality, slick, professional, engaging work, where the performers really care about acting, staging, the audience, and each other. I know they have an extended run at the Hudson after the Fringe, and I have no doubt the Fringe will create a following for this talented duo. ... full review

In one hour, 5 SIRENS takes you through a panoply of genres - from realism, to montage, to science fiction, with a tweak of 50 Shades, and some madness on the 405 in between. One of the delights of the Fringe is experiencing the range of stories that performance makers want to tell. And here we have five very distinct female voices share their particular obsessions, preoccupations and imaginations. Some thoughtful performances from a troop of versatile actors. And a real sense of the generosity o... full review

What a terrific show! Simon Coronel is fun, witty, urbane, incredibly impressive - and very generous. This was a joyful entr'act between new writing, classical reinterpretations, solo shows and Fringe Festivities! I can't imagine anyone of any age being anything but overjoyed that they experienced some Glitches in Reality! ... full review

There is no question that Amy Urbina is an indomitable force on stage. Incredibly personable, versatile, and stunningly beautiful! Brava! And she tackles challenging material with chutzpah. The challenge is that the play combines two Doras - a fictional Latina Dora trying to make it in Hollywood - and Dora Jordan, a real-life actress from 1760s' Ireland. It's a little tricky to tell at present whether Latina Dora is being haunted, if she's schizophrenic, if she's simply being playful with two ide... full review

This is one helluva lady! Eileen Weiner has written the piece, based on the demise of her mother with other autobiography drawn in, as well as 9 songs for which she has also played the piano. The highlight of this performance is the wit of the lyrics and the searing melodies. Very much in the manner of Tom Lehrer. I just wished she'd had a director (I couldn't see the name of one on the program...) It's just so hard directing yourself in a one person show, and a little more shaping - scenically a... full review

I first saw this show on Sunday 14th, and thought that this is quite the best show I'd seen at the Fringe so far. Vulnerability, generosity, utter compassion for humanity and a nostalgia for a time when photographs weren't sudden and disposable as they so often seem today. Ernest Kearney was compelling from start to finish, and the tears were streaming down my face after several of the tales of the characters whom he so clearly came to love. So compelled was I that I came back with my husband to ... full review

There's no denying Fierce Backbone are irrepressible! A highly democratic evening in which 26 writers are all given 2 minutes of stage time, with a team of energetic and versatile actors to embody more roles than I could count. This is a mix of sketch-show and short-play collective - all in the comic vein, as at the end of each piece the audience is prompted to shout 'You're so f*cked!' This is the kind of deliberately 'rough' theatre that Fringe Festivals enable at the end of an intense day of v... full review

This was an incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking piece, with a winning and evocative performance by Ryan Vincent Anderson and pithy, witty and touching writing from Rick Creese. Anderson's facility to whip from character to character is very engaging, though on occasion the 'type' took over from the 'truth'. By which I simply mean I wanted to feel a little more sympathy for the wife rather than gentle mockery. However, this is one of the pitfalls of one person shows: we want to tell the s... full review

Susan Tierney is magnetic! Her combination of fascinating stories, edgy physical staging (though remarkably simple) and dead-pan delivery is absolutely captivating. This 45-minute account of various tales of 'falling' (not least falling down an elevator shaft, and seeing bodies falling from the Twin Towers) is simultaneously shocking and alluring. The audience were literally on the edge of their seats, as her style really is to draw you in and leave you hanging...or falling...or flying. I hope to... full review