If Edinburgh’s got a castle, it must be a good hunting ground for princes – or at least that’s what Fanny and Annie think.
Fed up with Cinderella getting her man AND the best shoes, the Ugly Sisters have decided to decamp (or possibly just do camp) to the capital to try their luck. In this fast-paced pantomime pastiche David Kent and Dereck Walker discover that although Scotland’s laddies may not all be sugar daddies, they can still have a lot of fun on their own.
Let down by their dreary lodgings – ‘It didn’t look like this in the photograph!’ – the girls soon find consolation in food and fashion. Here Come The Uglies is a show that pleases everyone from young children (there were lots in Friday’s audience, and they lapped it up) to grannies (ditto): Fanny and Annie soon had everyone joining in the singing, and with lyrics like:
‘When I find my princy-wincy, he won’t be tinsy-winsy,
He’ll feed me yummy cakes, I’ll give him all it takes’
there’s more than enough entertainment for all ages. The great songs keep coming, with masterpieces such as ‘We’re Really Bad’ (complete with audience participation) and ‘Beautiful.’ Both girls have cracking (or could that be slightly cracked?) voices, and Annie is such an impressive alto that she could pass for a thinner version of a well-known opera singer. That would be a bit silly though, wouldn’t it?
The costumes are the third star of the show – the Uglies may not have glass slippers, but they do have an extraordinary collection of high heels, wild tights and an awful lot of pink.
There is of course a little message behind the slapstick and double entendres: it doesn’t matter what you look like or who you’re with – life can still be fabulous. Though as Fanny would be the first to admit, it won’t be too fabulous without cake.
So whether you are 3 or 93, give yourself a (calorie) free treat: call in on the Uglies and come out singing. It’s much more fun than standing outside in the rain….
Here Come The Uglies is a DK Productions production. It’s at Cafe Camino, Little King Street (at the side of St Mary’s RC Cathedral, behind John Lewis – Venue 65) at 1.15pm every day except 10th & 17th August, last show on 23rd August, and admission is free, though donations to the cake fund are more than welcome…
NOTE: Friday’s show was in a very small room owing to a booking issue – the show has now transferred to a much larger room at Cafe Camino, so there’s plenty of space for all.
