Jason Wood - My Anus Horribilis
Doug
Rating: 2/10
Oh dear, Larry Grayson incarnate. He falls back on the old, outdated, formula of extracting the urine from individual audience members. Yes he has tried to be very high tech and make sure everyone is included in the piss taking by filming them as the troop into the venue and then projecting it onto a screen so that we can all have a good laugh at how ordinary we look. The rest of the show consists of more home movies, poor acting and a bit of singing to complete the padding. My advice - save your money and go and see Topping and Butch who really do know how to take the piss.

A Slice O'Minnelli
Ramsay Ure
Rating: 9/10
Brace yourself! Here comes 'Liza with a Z' as you've never seen her before! Firstly, I have to admit that I am a hardcore Minnelli fan, who knows her music, movies and legend inside out and joyously witnessed her 2002 comeback at the Royal Albert Hall. This fanatacism naturally added to my total relish in watching Rick Skye's low-budget, but utterly hilarious take on the Liza, her life and it's many ups and downs in one of the worst venues I've seen. Skye's show has to be commended as one which manages to deploy biting musical satire whilst simultaneously coming from a place of love for the great diva herself. There is also brilliant piano accompaniment to Skye's act, provided by a very spirited (and gorgeous) musical director, which breathed as much life into the show as Skye's bravura performance itself. This show is more than a Minnelli drag act, it's a high-octane whirlwind of an journey through the life of a living legend!

End of The Rainbow
Ramsay Ure
Rating: 8/10
Caroline O'Connor's powerhouse performance as Judy Garland in her final stay in London has to be one of the musical highlights of this year's Festival Fringe. Without giving in to cheap sensationalism, 'End Of The Rainbow' successfully combines an outstanding homage to Garland's musical talent, whilst exploring many aspects of the damage wrought by a lifetime of alcohol and drug abuse. Initially we laugh with Graland at the excesses of her life, for at first it appears that she's enjoying the rollercoaster ride. However, when we realise she can't get off - physically, psychologically and financially - the fun subsides. Of the cast of three, O'Connor's performance is unsurprisingly the strongest. Less successful are the renderings of Mickey Deans, Garland's fifth and final husband and that of Anthony, her loyal accompanist. Of the latter, it is somewhat unfortunate that he bears more than a passing resemblance to David Walliams and is every bit as wet in his portrayal of Anthony as Walliams is in that of Andy's politically correct care worker, Lou in 'Little Britain'! I guess it must have been a tough call finding a skilled pianist who could also act well! Caroline O'Connor is more than capable of carrying a show like this alone - her charisma and interpretation of Garland as woman and performer is compelling and memorable.

The Gaydar Diaries
Ramsay Ure
Anyone who has run the gauntlet of the gay dating website Gaydar will enjoy this show. Performed as a musical comedy revue by a cast of six, the show touches on all the frustrations, contradictions and bizarre world that is Gaydar! Essentially light and fluffy, a deeper exploration of how gay men connect online and off could have made the show more interesting. Strangely the show managed to avoid any mention of HIV/ AIDS or commercial sex - both of which are highly relevant in any exploration of the Gaydar phenomenon. However, there were plenty of finely drawn and very funny observations on how gay men behave and one of the cast made for particularly fine eye-candy! Not a must-see, but entertaining nonetheless.

Jimmy James: Divas Dead or Alive
Ramsay Ure
Rating: 5/10
Jimmy James is undoubtedly talented. At will he can summon up spookily accurate vocal impersonations of Cher, Billie Holiday, Madonna, Judy Garland, Bette Davis and more. However his show is pretty lame. Arriving 10 minutes late on stage, his rambling links between songs frustratingly take up even more time. All we want to do is hear him sing! In the event, after a scant 40 minutes of performance - about 50% of which is taken up with fairly random chat - you feel pretty cheated. This performance didn't do justice to the performer or the audience. an opportunity lost.

Jack the Lad
adrian bernhardt
If the edinburgh production of this is a s good as the workshop performance I saw in london last year is anything to go then the audience is in for a very disturbing treat!