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The freshest, funniest new sketch show at the Fringe. ‘If I had to compare these three to anyone … it would be the mighty Monty Python … Slick, original, intelligent humour’ - ****(Three Weeks). Our mums say it’s dead good. www.yardstick-productions.com

Marigold
Sketch Crunch

C Soco Venue 348
5 – 31th (not 17th) August
23.55 (50 mins)

£7.50-£9.50/concs £6.50-£8.50
C Venues Press Office: 0845 260 1060
Venue box office: 0845 260 1234 www.CtheFestival.com
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 www.edfringe.com

Press Release

Everywhere you look, the spectre of the “Credit Crunch” looms; from ever-present news coverage to ever bulgeless pockets, it seems you cannot escape. In their new show, ‘Sketch Crunch’, Marigold hope to offer some light relief in your hour of need – an antedote to all your problems. Be warned – this show has as much to do with the credit crunch as a blind monkey has to origami design; Less inspired by money then restricted by its evil nature, Marigold’s latest fare touches upon subjects as diverse as Arthurian legends, Cannibalism, and the perils of a Public school dictatorship. This is a return of sketch comedy to its roots – simple, easy, but most importantly, funny.

Biography
Marigold is made up of Huw Beynon (20), Simon Brant (22) and Richard Hanrahan (22), who have known each other nearly 18 years and thus have forged an on-stage chemistry second to none. At the Edinburgh Festival In 2007, the independantly formed Marigold unleashed its first revue show ‘Bit Sketchy’, which was received positively by critics. Since then, the three have honed their craft through university and stand-up and this year return to the stage with their most ambitious project to date.

Sketch Crunch

C Soco

Typically, sketch comedy is a hasty business.  That’s its appeal, of course.  If one particular sketch disappoints, there’s always the possibility that the next one will be funnier.  And so it is with Marigold’s Sketch Crunch, which has a frenetic, rapid-fire quality that compensates for its weaker moments.  It doesn’t break any new ground, but the sheer vitality of the performers – Huw Beynon, Simon Brant and Richard Hanrahan – makes for a good hour’s entertainment.

The opening sketch sees Hanrahan bewailing his excess weight to a barely sympathetic Beynon.  In their embarrassingly poor series for the BBC, Horne and Corden successfully proved that obesity in itself does not provoke laughter, except perhaps amongst infants and imbeciles.  For a moment, I was concerned that Sketch Crunch was going to follow a similar track.  Thankfully, the sketch does not outstay its welcome, and by the end of the show it is clear that Marigold have a decent range of comic ideas, and the versatility to pull them off.

The show is something of a mixed bag.  A few scenes are genuinely laugh-out-loud funny.  There is a terrific sketch in which a man proposes to a duck, and the three public school boys attempting to feign the stereotypical language of the council estate is effective, if not especially original.  The sketches that fall flat – such as the terse, stentorian headmaster, or the father who imagines that his son has an imaginary friend – feel somewhat half-baked, and cry out for further development.

It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, but there are enough laughs here to make it a worthwhile way to spend an hour.

***

I liked the words terse and stentorian. Plus we got the same rating as Russel Kane  - Russel Kane! Thank you again for coming to see us – do come back again!

During the Edinburgh Festival, the desire for fetid pig meat that grips most drunkards at midnight changes into a compelling urge to find a comedy act in the arse end of the C venues to laugh at. You could probably do worse than ‘Sketch Crunch’ – this comedy trio have plenty of energy and a couple of good gags – but you could certainly do much better. Most of the sketches are weakly written, fizzling out with poor punchlines, and there are few genuine big laughs to be had. Much like a greasy kebab or an intimate experience with an ugly stranger, mediocre sketch shows like this one are best enjoyed whilst heavily under the influence. Do not attend sober. C soco, 5 – 31 Aug, 11.55pm, prices vary, fpp 99 tw rating: 2/5 published: Aug-2009

I don’t know about you but I quite like a greasy kebab, almost as much as I like intimate experiences, even if the stranger is ugly.

Thanks for coming though!

Simon Munnery

Just brilliantly funny. He does a solo show and I just found this too

Tealights Are For Lovers

Lovely bunch of guys who are very funny. Good show this year too – guaranteed a good time. C Soco Studio 2 at 4.35

The Penny Dreadfuls

These edinburgh favourites have 5 stars coming out of their bottoms, but they have dropped the victorian theme; Still will be utterly brilliant.

Barry and Stuart

Im pretty sure one of these guys magic’d me in pleasance last year and i was dumbfounded – I have certainly seen them on tv and they have a really dark sense of humour.

Harbingers

Again, lovely guys and very funny. They got a random duck gimmick thing too which is cool.

Tom Basden

One of the Cowards, who I haven’t seen live, but have seen a few videos on the you tube and have not been dissapointed.

Richard Herring

Already a talking point, Richard Herring is undoubtedly one of the best comedians you can see at the moment. His show last year was one of only two 5 star reviews I gave for ThreeWeeks. Go see him.

What is it?

More stand up this time from one of Irish TV’s popular figures, star of  RETE 1s ‘The Panel’

Why Should I Care?

He is as good a comic as any of the big names on Radio 2; both of the Byrnes Andrew Maxwell – all these great Irish comics just happen to be better known – but this year he might just break through to the mainstream. Plus he is an absolutely lovely person so go see him now you will not be dissapointed!

Wit Tank

Ties done up to eleven. Shirts clean and pressed. Trousers, on. Witness the unacceptable mess as WitTank mix razor-sharp sketches with shambolic charm. And they look good. Well, alright. ‘Uniquely inventive … downright funny … brilliant’ -- **** (List, 2008).
venue:	Just the Tonic @ The Caves
group:	WitTank
category:	Comedy
related link:	www.wittank.co.uk
duration:	60 mins

What is it?

Sketch Group from guys based in Durham who set up an alternative group to the official Durham Revue.

Why Should I Be Excited?

I don’t say this lightly, but they are my favourite sketch group at the moment. It’s a little bit wacky, but it works. Every sketch is brilliant, and they never suffer from usual punchline problems, each has their own character and are funny in their own right, but the whole show works together amazingly well. Give it a year or two and I reckon these guys will be big so check em out now while you still can.

To Book Tickets, click here.

I couldn’t find the sketch I wanted, but this video gets the point across.

What is it?

A biography/drama produced by Guy Masterson.

Why Should I Care?

I don’t think there is a single show produced by Guy Masterson that I have seen and not been affected by – his shows are always proffessional , well acted and funny.   But a play based on the life of Eric Morecambe, one of Britain’s most loved comic performers, has an added allure  that has been missing from other Mastersn shows I have seen – for once it is a theme to a Guy Masterson show that I know something about and know I will enjoy before hand.

To book tickets now click here.

What is it?

A Chigaco based singer/songwriter who, sings viols and whistles through a plethora of beautiful music.

Why Should I Care?

Each year the Edge Festival goes through an overhaul and tries to make its place in the fringe calendar – but beside the big name acts like David Byrne and te Streets are some hidden gems. Andrew Bird is, I think, the perfect balance between obscurity and brilliance. Though I admit that I have only just discovered him through spotify, his career is four albums strong already and each one is superb. With a sound like his, live performances can be either dull or invigorating, and from what I hear,  Bird’s camp is the latter.

To hear him on spotify, click here.

What is it?

Silly sketches and stuff from one of the UK’s top sketch troupes.

Why Should I Care?

They’ve done a pilot for channel four as part of Comedy Lab, and if that went well they may be doing more TV soon. Plus, they’re planning to do 200 sketches in on ehour to break a world record… even if they are hit and miss, thats 100 hit sketches. Can’t say fairer then that!

And they’ll be on the radio 5 pm on the 5th August on Fresh Air! Here’s a video of the first part of their recent TV pilot -- yes, yes yes NO!

The Hotel

What is it?

According to the website it is ‘Installation art meets promenade theatre meets comedy in the boldest show on the Fringe.” What that means is anyone’s guess, but

Why Should I Be Excited?

Though not made by the exact same company as a similar venture to perhaps the best show at last year’s festival ‘The Meeting’, the two I would argue will be closely linked. Both are made by talented individuals, both are somewhere between pretentious site specific theatre and sitcom, but both no doubt are very very funny. And that’s without mentioning it is being directed by former footlight and Mr. Fringe himself, Mark Watson.

To Book Tickets, click here.

Here’s a video of the same sort of guys doing their we need answers show from last years Fringe (and subsequently on commisioned for BBC4)