NewsRevue

7th – 11th & 13th – 26th August

NewsRevue, which is celebrating its 45^th year, returns to the Edinburgh Fringe again playing to large houses at the impressive Udderbelly.  This unique space which is the Underbelly’s purpose built venue inside an enormous upside down purple cow which has been a focal point of the Edinburgh Fringe since 2006 and makes for an idyllic, amusing setting. 

The world’s longest running live comedy is renowned as a current affairs parody song and sketch show and according to a quote from Chortle on the Canal Café (their London home) website, it is acknowledged as a “rite of passage for all comedy newcomers” 

The company boasts alumni which includes household names such as The League of Gentlemen, Sarah Pascoe, Bill Bailey, Saskia Reeves and Michelle Collins.  Cast members of the show have been described as having “Herculean levels of talent” and based on the show at Edinburgh this year, that would be hard to argue with. 

A fast-moving mix of sketches and musical theatre & pop songs with revised lyrics highlight the many morally bankrupt figures who find themselves in positions of global power.   

The show propels you through the world’s news and current events at breakneck pace and no-one is safe in this all-kicking, idol-burning comedy.

“This show will undoubtedly be a destination for many Fringe goers this summer and they won’t be disappointed”

At Edinburgh this year, the recent UK election was prime fodder and the show opened with an immediate lyrical attack, backed to live music from the hit show Wicked, on all major political parties with special treatment given to departing Tory MP’s and to Nigel Farage.  

It is a sixty-minute whistle stop tour of everything hitting the headlines and very few escape the eagle eye of the NewsRevue writers.  

Donald Trump, who appears with a suitable wig, hat and bandaged left ear is a prominent character, as is Joe Biden who is portrayed as a geriatric, frantically running the presidential race but getting nowhere until he finally throws in the towel.  

We meet members of the royal family, Vladimir Putin and various other controversial global leaders.  We even visit the Antiques Roadshow where Fiona Bruce is particularly amusing.  There are regular jibes at the NHS, disgraced BBC presenters and AI dating.     

The show comprises four extremely talented performers and a musical director who can play whatever is thrown at him and dragged into the action when required. The actors excel in impersonation, physical comedy and humorous songs and have us chuckling away throughout.  

This show will undoubtedly be a destination for many Fringe-goers this summer and they won’t be disappointed by this witty and entertaining musical comedy take on current affairs.

Stephen Cambridge