by How many shows is too many different shows for one city in one month? I don't know the exact number, and neither do you (or do you?), but the Edinburgh Fringe kicked off its 2010 tonight with a schedule that includes 876 different comedy shows between tonight and the end of August. Bloody hell, that's a lot of comedy.
One of these Augusts that's not this one, I'm going to make it across the pond to experience Edinburgh for meself. From the testimonials of friends and other comedians, it's quite something, trying to do your shows, get people to come to your shows, and finding some way to pay for it all.
Of the hundreds, I did spot more than a few Yanks on the schedule this month. This year's American crop of comedy performers includes…with LINKS!
Arj Barker, Baby Wants Candy, Bo Burnham, Caroline Rhea with Costaki Economopoulos, Celebrity Autobiography, Charlyne Yi, Danny Bevins, Dave Hill (performing both his one-man show, Big in Japan, as well as The Dave Hill Explosion), the "Dirty Immigrant Collective" (Becky Donohue, Lee Camp, Desiree Burch, Katie Halper and Negin Farsad), Emo Philips, Henry Rollins, "The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A Romantic Comedy," Jennifer Coolidge, collegians Left Right TIM, Neil Hamburger, "Ronna and Beverly," Sandra Risser, and Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting.
Edinburgh is absolutely a bizarre experience. I performed there in 2005 and it’s one heck on an experience. It’s as if Fairy Of Creativity vomited from bad chicken all over the city.
Tell you what Sean, if neither of us have been to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in five years…let’s both go there together…
(Bad romantic comedies seem to start this way, don’t they?)