Max Fulham’s Monkey Business ★★★★
Gilded Balloon Teviot
Rarely do I delve into the rich world of children's entertainment at the Edinburgh Fringe, but sometimes a scheduling snafu can pay dividends. I went to Gilded Balloon Teviot expecting to see a comedy play, but it wasn’t on that day. A quick scoot through the brochure revealed this show starting at the same time, so I took a punt, and I’m very glad I did.
There’s a particular joy in hearing a room full of children (and their adult minders) squealing with delight over fart gags, physical comedy, daft games, puppetry and ventriloquism, all of which feature in this show. The children loved cheek monkey Gordon, the puppet co-star of the show, while Max Fulham kept things rattling along.
The set-up is that the stage is his office which, unlike the boring places the children’s parents may work in, is dedicated to fun – even though everyone there must wear a tie. The item of clothing is, by the way, the source of a very good running gag.
There’s plenty of audience participation and, as one would expect in a family show, one parent is guyed mercilessly. There’s the occasional joke that doesn’t land for the kids, but this is a thoroughly enjoyable hour whatever age you are.
Endometriosis: The Musical ★★★★
Gilded Balloon Patter House
Full marks to Maria Bartholdi (book) and Kristin Stowell (music) the creators of this heartwarming and spirited musical, which won awards when it was first performed at the Minnesota Fringe Festival in 2022. It has found its moment in the UK as – finally – the debilitating condition that is estimated to affect one in seven women is being discussed more openly.
Jane (Sarah Henrichsen, leading the talented cast of seven) is an ambitious young woman hoping to make it big in business, but she suffers excruciating pain on the day she is tasked with making an important presentation to new clients.
Her colleagues rally round and perform an intervention, insisting she see a doctor. But – and this is something many audience members will relate to – her condition is dismissed as all in her head, or just not that serious.
We follow Jane's journey from doctor to doctor until she ultimately overcomes her travails.
There’s some knockabout, even absurdist, comedy and the tunes are mostly bouncy – although one ballad about how women learn to hide their pain, on which the four female members of the cast harmonise beautifully, is particularly affecting.
The subject matter is serious, but the show is great fun without trivialising the condition.
