Edinburgh Festivals Diary: Clowns with cats and diva dogs

Cabbage the Clown and her cat Window Squeaky Melvina Moonchild | David Fletcher

It’s hard enough being away from the comforts of home when you’re performing at the Fringe, but it can be even tougher being far away from your pets, and this year quite a few artists have brought their companion animals along for mutual support. If you’ve spotted a clown with a cat in a pram that’ll be Eliza Nelson, AKA Cabbage, with her cherished Window Squeaky Melvina Moonchild in tow. Nelson couldn’t bear to leave her blue-eyed beauty at home for three weeks and the fluffball has turned out to be quite the asset on the flyering rounds.

Rocket, the 36kg standard poodle, is turning into a bit of a diva, according to his owner (or should that now be manager?) Sorabh Dhir, who has him on stage as part of his comedy show, Good Boy. Meanwhile, Mike Wozniak’s dog, Pamela, has been living her best life, scaling Salisbury Crags and enjoying the city smells.

Bit of a diva? Rocket, the poodle co-star of Sorabh Dhir's stand-up show Good Boy | Contributed

Not everyone’s animal experiences have been ideal, though. Poor Elf Lyons (who usually names her shows after creatures, but didn’t this year) accidentally killed a mouse when she stood on it getting out of bed last week. And stand-up Amy Matthews handled herself with remarkable poise when a service dog threw up dramatically during one of her shows.

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We’re not here to see you

While that puking pooch couldn’t help it, a few humans could do with etiquette lessons before the Fringe. I get disproportionately hacked off when people chat or use their phones when someone’s on stage giving it their all. I particularly hate it when a punter wants to make a show about them when they haven’t been invited to join in. We’re not here to see you, bozo!

It can be really tough on the artists when drink has been taken. Stand-ups doing late-night shows are braced for rowdy crowds, but when that behaviour is brought to solo shows that don’t invite it, it’s not cool. On her opening night, stand-up Sarah Roberts had to deal with some pretty aggressive behaviour. When she suggested they have a drink of water, they turned on her, swearing and using an unacceptable slur. Although the rest of the audience were on her side, and cheered when the miscreants left, the whole thing understandably put her off her stride.

Sarah Roberts was the recipient of an unacceptable slur from an audience member during her show Scary Movie 7 | Rebecca Need-Menear

Bilal Zafar’s also had some unexpected unruliness to deal with. One woman kept interrupting him and when he tried to make the best of it and incorporate her into the show, she – possibly while re-enacting a story – put her hands around his throat.

The critic’s lot

It’s always interesting seeing a show getting a range of different star ratings from various publications. Comedy is wildly subjective, and I’ve spent hours arguing with other critics about shows we’ll never agree on.

But, as well as individual preferences, there are countless other factors that can influence one’s enjoyment. We try to be as analytical and fair as possible, but if you’re in a room that feels like a sauna, have an uncomfortable seat, are squashed between manspreaders, stuck behind a giant or choking in a stinky venue, of course, your feelings will be affected.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Festivals Diary: Fringe show for Joyce and rain stops play

We have to be honest, too, about the fact that other shows we’ve seen on that day might make a difference to our state of mind. You can build up a certain type of momentum if you have a day of good shows, or, conversely, be so moved or indeed overwhelmed by something that you need a few hours – or days, even – to think about it properly before moving on to the next offering.

Similarly, if the people around you are annoying or it’s late at night and you’re the only sober one there, you have to be aware that you’re not necessarily “consuming” the work as a normal punter might. We need clear heads, but that first pint when it’s all over is going to be delicious.

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