Reviews from the first ever Carnforth Fringe Festival

Here are the reviews from Carnforth Fringe Festival by ex-mayor and Carnforth Town Councillor Chris Smith:

Tom Short: The Stand Up Horror Show

Tom took to the stage in front of a packed house at The Brief Encounter Bistro Carnforth. It was an unusual mix of Tarot, knowingly inept magic, reworked fairy tales and all-round good-humoured silliness. With some laugh out loud moments the crowd loved it.

Tom thoughtfully tailors the show, with adult content reserved for more mature audiences. His rude Ouija Board spirit messages are strictly adult only. Lots of audience participation. If you want zany humour be sure to check this out.

4/5

Tina Sederholm: This is not Therapy

In this spoken word performance Tina took the audience through one of the more serious and thoughtful pieces of the weekend. Musing on what success means and whether it can truly be achieved, Tina ranged far and wide, to give a satisfying rounded performance which gave the listener much to ponder.

Best friend, daughter, sister, mother, Tina is going to get under your skin. An emotional rollercoaster and at the end you are probably going to need a hug.

‘This is not Therapy’ hmm … I think it might just be.

5/5

June Metcalfe / Steve Longstaffe

Two very different performances, June telling a story about a young man’s reluctance to accept his uncle as his new stepfather. No ‘spoilers’ here but suffice it to say all is not what it first appears.

Steve then takes Shakespeare, reciting some well-known and loved passages from the Bard and then giving them a very clever shake with help from the audience. Interesting, funny and very professionally delivered.

4/5

Renfield – Coryn Rhys Jones

A riveting tale of Dracula’s disciple who brings blood lust to England.

Corin delivers his story in period costume and keeps the audience mesmerised throughout this fabulously spine-chilling performance. The delivery of this original story is passionate and thoroughly believable. A show that is not to be missed and one I would watch again and again – 6/5 Corin if I can.

5/5

Mel Byron – Old Movies Saved my life

A performance fittingly presented at the ‘Brief Encounter’ Bisto Carnforth, on the station platform made famous by the film of the same name.

A show accompanied by a selection of chosen illustrative film clips which had the audience giggling on many occasions. Well-presented and thought-out you can't help but lovingly laugh at the old movie references.

Suitable for all, although it helped having a few more mature members in the audience who knew the films and could engage with Mel.

5/5

Stylophobia: The Stylophone Council

Very different, and very worthy of a Fringe slot.

A slighty bumbling journey through a new age where Stylophone is king. Very clever undoubtably, although the constant unplugging and replugging of props gave the show a bit of a stop/start feel. If you’ve ever wanted to see and hear what Jimi Hendrix would be like in a suit – check this out. Now where did I put that old Stylophone?

4/5

Dean Tsang: Our Anxious Measurements

Built around a wheel of fortune where poems about metrics are chosen by a spin of fate, the show is one of serious and thoughtful poetry. Dean has chosen the ‘luck-based’ ordering of the poems to give a mixed emotional texture to the show, with every performance having a different dynamic. I get it. Jump in for a ride, or just enjoy the poetry for what it is. A very clever show for those who are prepared to invest a bit more into listening.

5/5

Helen Logan

A-maz-ing! What a fabulous talent.

A one-person [note the politically correct ‘pronoun’ use] cornucopia of entertainment.

Helen moves seamlessly between theatre, poetry and song, accompanied by character and costume changes.

One of the songs has a rather adult theme so probably not one for the easily offended and the ‘Widow’ is a bit ‘dark’ but the range of content nicely reflects the spirit of the fringe, light and shade, serious and quirky. The end is a bit sad and you will want to leap up and give Helen a hug [to hell with politically correctness]. I love, love, loved it.

5/5