Andrew Collins's Blog, page 66

Return to Edinburgh

Not literally. I have been back in non-Edinburgh, as the rest of the world is still officially called, for three days, and part of me misses parts of it. It's raining as I write, which of course takes me back. But not as much as The Illusionist, or L'Illusionniste, Sylvain Chomet's greedily-anticipated follow-up to Belleville Rendezvous, or Les Triplettes de Belleville, his exquisite first animated feature in 2003. These films take time. Because he made such an impact with the surreal, often ...

Play fair, steps

Last day in Edinburgh for me, and the last of the Collings & Herrin Podcast shows. [Nice shot by Gordon Hodgson, above.:] I must admit, it was a pleasure, for the first time this Edinburgh, to wake up in the morning and not have to think about doing Secret Dancing. After 16 consecutive shows, during which my life has hardened into a routine which allows for very little improvisation other than which outlet to sit and eat my mind-and-stomach-settling breakfast in (Foodies? Henderson's? Black...

Free, fringe

First, the important news.

Lovely Lisa Faulkner, with her tears and her neck and her lack of self-esteem, proved that she can act and cook on Celebrity Masterchef 2010. Because this year's actually fed into my Secret Dancing show, which I have been performing in tandem with the final stages of the competition, the two will always be interlinked. And watching the semi-finals with Tom Wrigglesworth, and the final with Richard Herring, will also imprint them on my mind. It's a shame I found out t...

Baby, grand

Because I felt much better last night, I decided to go out and see a show. I really want to see Greg Davies' first solo stand-up, Firing Cheeseballs At A Dog, but it is all sold out, so I tried the "text Greg Davies and beg" option. He couldn't sort me out.Nor could he sort me out for tonight, Saturday. I can see it isn't going to happen.

Because what we'll still call the Perrier shortlist is announced next week, performers are now trying to stop themselves speculating about who might be on...

Cowed gate

I like this shot, taken today, by Susan Beattie. Mainly because in it I am alive and standing. Last night, I was worried I might be too wiped out to perform today – although not performing isn't really an option. The show, as you may have heard before, must go on. I went to bed early, with only lemon and ginger tea, a simple penne arrabiata and a single spare rib from Tom Wrigglesworth's surprise Chinese inside me. I wondered if my croaky throat might lead to a lack of voice this morning but ...

Pried of Scotland

Thanks to Gordon Hodgson for capturing this now-familiar sight from the GRV gents. At least, for the last two days, nobody has attempted to defy the clear instruction.

Secret Dancing was a joy, despite an encroaching sore throat, which may be a symptom of emotional exhaustion, or just spending too much time breathing in the latent smoker's fumes of Simon Munnery and Stewart Lee at last night's Silver Stewbilee after-show party. (I had to eschew the offer of a ticket to the 1,500-seater...

Princes

Karaoke Circus returned, for one spectacular night only, to the Fringe. It started just before midnight last night, and ran until about 2am. It was one of the best. Held in its biggest venue yet, the Assembly Tent in Princes Gardens – which was, disconcertingly, not entirely sold out, but comfortably full of folk – the bill and the camaraderie and the judging and the playing and the joie de chanson grew to fill the space. Because Martin and Danielle and drummer David are relatively busy...

Ban a man

Thanks to PB O'Connor for this nice in-queue pic from outside Bannermans (or Ban A Teenager, as I call it) today. Interesting: another full house, but noticeably less forthcoming with laughter today. They seemed happy enough at the end and applauded loudly at the Secret Dance-off demonstration, but many of my favourite lines elicited very little in the way of noise. This is not me being a spoilt brat; I just genuinely find it fascinating that a house can laugh or not laugh so pointedly. I...

Wavily

Thanks to Cockbongo [above and below:] and to Sarah [bottom, with bag:] from Nottingham for these Secret Dancing pics, taken over the last couple of days. I can see little red lights blinking throughout the show, so I know pictures are being taken. I don't mind, as long as you're not flashing. It's quite instructive to see how it all looks. (Pretty minimal as you can see from the pre-show shot above – just imagine it with great dance tunes of the 80s and 90s playing through the PA.) William...

Lost and mound

Saw flatmate Tom Wrigglesworth's show, Nightmare Dream Wedding, last night, at the Pleasance Above. Now, I never saw his award-winning, career-sealing, love-generating, radio-adapted show about Richard Branson last year, which I am quite ashamed about now. So this was my first Wrigglesworth extravaganza, and I really enjoyed it. Tom has been saying, back at the flat, that it's not quite ready as a multi-media experience, but the raw material is, I can tell you. It's simply that: the story of ...