Roll up! Roll up! You’ll find a true mixed bag of tricks with the Best of Fringe Variety! The performance hosted at the May Wirth at Gluttony features all kinds of acts, including a musical duo, a hooper, a baller, an acrobatic duo, and a balloon girl, all MC-ed by a comedic magician.
As the Best of Fringe Variety, one can certainly expect a diverse range of acts, with some shining stronger than others. To begin with, the MC of the performance, the magically gifted Patrick McCullagh, did a sensational job presenting the other acts and giving them time to prepare backstage. Not only are his tricks astounding, verging on the edge of many other successful magicians at the Fringe, but his comedy is not too shabby either.
When six different acts perform for 10 minutes each, one after the other, the audience will naturally compare each one and weigh up how much they enjoyed them. Certainly, the overall show will give viewers a couple of acts they truly love, however, this means that there will be some acts that don’t quite hit the mark. Given the wow factor of all the other performances, I felt that the musical duo didn’t match the energy of the rest of the show. Singing jazzed-up covers of a couple of popular songs, some audiences may not quite agree with their creative interpretations. In any case, the music duo will allow the audience time to breathe before being amazed by the next act.
That being said, the highlight of the show was the final act. The balloon girl was a hit with the entire audience, sending giggles and wows rippling across the crowd. Turning your average balloon into a force of its own, the act began with the balloon girl showing excellent skills in physical comedy. This was paralleled in the second part of her act when a gigantic balloon appeared from behind the stage. As she worked her way to the inside of the balloon, I found my eyes welling with tears from laughing so hard. Overall, she was the true star of the show.
If you’ve never been to the Fringe before (which I completely understand as this is my first year to ever visit), this is an excellent show to start with, giving audiences the perfect taste of what they can expect.