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Camden Fringe Special Edition
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This year's Camden Fringe opens on Monday, so we thought we'd do a special newsletter just for the occasion. You can also keep up with all our Camden coverage; reviews, interviews and podcasts, on our dedicated page here.
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For this special newsletter, we thought we'd ask not just some of our team for their recommendations, but also invite a very special guest, David Brady - Artistic Director of Proforca and the Lion and Unicorn Theatre - to share some thoughts on the shows he will be presenting.
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Amelia Gann’s debut comedy is a fever dream of iconic pop soundtracks, childhood dance shows and suburban village life.
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You can read our interview with Amelia here. We did this back in April, so it's great that the show is now getting another London run.
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This one woman play has absolutely nothing to do with cooking; it’s about finding your voice and saying the difficult stuff out loud as the seams of your existence slowly, but noticeably start to unpick.
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Anxiety. There’s a thing we can all relate to. Hal Cantor takes a breathtakingly honest, often hilarious look at himself and the state of his mental health as it pertains to grief, shame, sexuality, religion and career.
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Lion and Unicorn's David Brady
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Camden Fringe is always a busy time of year for us at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre - and we plan early to make sure we can turn a myriad different shows and performances from loads of great theatremakers into an eclectic mix of work you might not see any other time of the year.
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This year we’ve got 13 shows in for Camden Fringe, and there’s something unique and special about each of them, but in terms of what to catch from us in August we’d especially recommend:
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Last Wednesday’s Work Shirt - Dumb Found Theatre joined us last year for a brilliantly anarchic show about three artists. This year they might not be splattering paint everywhere but this latest comedy features big suits, loud ties and riotous dance routines.
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What’s Wrong With Me - The Musical - From BlahBlah Productions, this is a musical set in a five day self-help retreat. We don’t do musicals very much at all so I can’t wait to see this one - but book soon, as it’s about to sell out!!
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All This Must Pass is a time travelling story from Free School Lunch who came to us last year with the brilliant and touching Sisters of Charity. We love working with (writer) Aurelia Gage so we can’t wait to see what she’s put together this year! (Read our interview with Aurelia Gage about the show here.)
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Six The Musical started life at Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society and we welcome their newest effort The Man Who Wouldn’t Be Murdered. While the company have got previous, it’s great to see another musical at the L&U and here’s hoping this prohibition speakeasy production has the same trajectory as its famous older sibling!
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Finally for something a little bit more off the beaten path, try Sense & Compatibility which had its debut here at the L&U this year from Schlautlady INK. Nina & Sarah have conjured up a new show which teases “an accountant, a stripper, a baby, an astrophysicist, another baby, a hairdresser, a drug dealer, a random person, a fugitive, walk into a bar” Find out the punchline the second weekend in August!
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So whether you’re a seasoned festival pro or a Camden fringe newbie, make sure you check out the other great venues and shows taking place as part of the fringe this year, proving that the borough of Camden is more than capable of holding its own against Edinburgh for talent, storytelling and a good night out this August!
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Dave's Picks
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Being from Ireland, our reviewer Dave does keep an eye out for plays from his homeland. So unsurprisingly there is an Irish and European feel to some of his selections.
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Dog/ Actor
Etcetera Theatre. 3 - 6 Aug. We saw this in Liverpool earlier this year, see our 5 star review here.
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Kites
Lion and Unicorn Theatre. 1 - 3 Aug
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All This Must Pass
Lion and Unicorn Theatre. 18 - 20 Aug
The second nod for this play, after David Brady's above.
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Lily's Picks
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There are two things you need to know about our Lily. One, she loves a musical. Two, she is always likely to shed a tear in the theatre. We suspect her choices will reflect that.
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I interviewed Split Infinitive, creators of I Heart Micheal Ball for Everything Theatre's podcast recently, so I can’t wait to finally check out their show. I’m slightly concerned about just how immersive it will be, and I’ve been warned there’s fake blood involved at some point, so this could be slightly out of my comfort zone!
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The Party, Hope Theatre 1 - 3 August
Is it too soon for a play about Partygate? We'll have to see.
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Gentrif*cked, Camden Comedy Club 5 Aug
This stand-up show sounds like it will have me nodding in recognition throughout, as Kate’s debut show tackles thirty-something existential crises.
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Mary's Picks
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As both our Head Editor and a Liverpool lass, you don't argue with Mary. She spends a lot of her reviewing life in children's shows, but for Camden Fringe she has picked out some grown up shows for you.
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Etcetera Theatre, 21, 22 & 28 August
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It's Northern and has drag queens. I'm all in for that.
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Failure Studies
Etcetra Theatre 15 - 17 Aug
It's about editors, so it had to go in.
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Carmilla
Little Angel Theatre 16 - 20 Aug
Lesbian vampires at The Little Angel!!
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Wonder in Aliceland
Hen and Chickens 26 - 28 Aug
This show promises to be both funny and explore the #MeToo movement.
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Rob's Picks
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As the man who reads every email and press release we receive, trying to pin Rob down to just a few picks wasn't easy. Luckily, a lot of the shows he has his eye on have already been mentioned by others.
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A show about homelessness and how small things matter.
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You can read our interview about the show here.
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"When she was 21, Mary Henchard stood up in a bar and offered to sell her husband", as an opening line in the show blurb it certainly grabs the attention. I've never read the Thomas Hardy book but I'll give this play a go.
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I'm a big fan of spoken word, so how could I not include this show!
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A play about Oxbridge might at first glance feel a little stuffy and not the usual working class theatre I seek out, but this one looks to take a swipe at the elitism, so worth checking out.
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Read our recent interview about the play here.
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We'd love to hear what you're planning to see at Camden Fringe this year. Never know, we might include your recommendations in one of our regular Sunday newsletters. Feel free to email us here.
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We'll be back on Sunday with our usual weekly round-up, and then next Wednesday will be our Edinburgh Fringe Special. August is going to be a busy month!
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