I saw two surrealist shows on one night so I applaud the skill of both acts who sustained the laughter levels and achieved greatness as part of our Edinburgh Fringe preview festival on the Good Ship Benefit.
The first of these shows was Alison Thea-Skot’s sequel to last year’s five star Edinburgh Fringe show Some Like it Thea-Skot. Just when you thought it could not get any madder on comes ‘Cher’ as an oddly miscast bat complete with wings made out of an umbrella… Love it!
There is something very brave about dressing up in ridiculous outfits and acting out surreal and improbable scenarios with the help of unwitting audience members. This is a skill in itself as the success or failure of the day’s performance hinges on making the right choice of participant. You cannot take it as read that the first person you choose will play ball and this is where the ‘practice makes perfect’ philosophy of previews can really pay off.
Alison is a skilled performer and improviser so has the technique off pat. There is no messing and her show is full of action and hilarity mostly aimed at making her look ridiculous even though it may look otherwise. While there is a lot of costume changing and character swapping Alison keeps up a narrative with call back at the end which makes it very satisfying from a comedic perspective.
You will not have to take off all your clothes either – unless you want to, of course, as I am pretty sure Alison would not mind! The clue is in the show’s title!
*****
You can catch Alison Thea-Skot It’s Getting Skot in here (so take off all your clothes) at the Edinburgh Fringe now! For more information click here!
