What I Saw at the Fringe: Day 5, August 9
I had a bit of a late start on Tuesday since I stayed out for ACMS last night, so I didn’t get to see any shows before flyering for John Allis: Motivational Sleeper and hosting the Broke in Barcelona compilation show.
I headed over to the Pleasance Courtyard to see Patti Harrison perform her WIP show to a sold out crowd. Although I had no clue what to expect, I wasn’t surprised by how the show unfolded. Known for her absurd, dark, and deadpan comedy, this show delivered exactly that. It started with an elaborate and hilarious trigger warning explanation, and even included a few weird songs sung in various styles of popular artists. Fans of the actress, comedian, and writer will enjoy this chaotic, and incredibly on-brand show from Patti Harrison!
Next up, I made it just in time to see Katie Price and Donna Landy: Oy Gay! The Queer Jewish Comedy Show. Katie started the show with some excellent crowd work, determining that around half of the room was queer, but there was just 1 other Jewish person in the audience other than myself and the two comedians. She brought on Donna, who spent a lot of her time trying to get someone in the audience to confess something horrible they’d done (apparently, the night before someone admitted to a war crime, and she chided that none of our confessions even came close). She also cleverly joked about her experience as a trans woman and a naughty Jew before bringing Katie back onstage to close out the show. Despite the extreme heat in the room, Katie’s stage presence is effortless, including the audience in her jokes about her recent breakup and trying to fit in with the straight girls she went to Catholic school with. I highly recommend you see these two hilarious acts, even if you aren’t queer or Jewish, but bring a fan!
My final show of the night was a very special one-off, Marcel Lucont: Le Best Of. After his show at the Comedy Clubhouse a few months ago, I became a fan, and was interested to see him perform in front of an audience that was very familiar with his work. In between his dry one-liners, quick crowd interactions, and downing almost an entire bottle of red wine, he performed his iconic dirty poems and read dramatically from his memoirs. He even begrudgingly took requests from the audience, and allowed for a Q&A portion of the night. His character of the superior Frenchman is flawless, not even breaking after the show to talk to and take photos with his fans. You can catch Marcel Lucont at his children’s show, or at his chat show, but move fast because he’s only doing a limited run for both, and I’m imagining this Fringe favorite will be selling out!
I’ve only got a few more days to see as much as I can, and I’m still open to suggestions! Til next time!