Now, make no mistake, I love the Edinburgh Fringe. One thing I like about it is its freewheeling, hands-off nature. Anyone can perform at the Fringe; the Fringe Office itself merely acts as a central not-really-controlling-anything hub. They charge you to put your 40 word listing and perhaps an ad in the Fringe Programme. But it is very relaxed and freewheeling.
In theory.
Except for the fact that they appear to have thrown away the spirit of the Fringe and gone in for mindless bureaucratic stupidity this year. Two examples:
1. THE GREATEST SHOW ON LEGS
This admirably anarchic, occasionally naked-balloon-dancing troupe have already had problems, with the PBH Free Fringe refusing to allow one of their members appearing in a show on the PBH Free Fringe to appear as part of the Greatest Show on Legs in the Laughing Horse Free Festival. (It's complicated - I blogged previously about it.)
But the Greatest Show on Legs ARE now performing (with special guests standing-in for the missing member - yes, I said the missing member) at Bob Slayer's Alternative Fringe venue The Hive (administered as part of the Laughing Horse Free Fringe). When I left for China three weeks ago, they were going to be performing at the Fringe for three days in the final week (and on the Malcolm Hardee Awards Show). Now they will be performing for five days in the final week (and on the Malcolm Hardee Awards Show).
So they paid for their entry in the Fringe Programme, which includes a tiny photo. The words were:
Famed naked balloon dancers, The Legs return to Edinburgh with extraordinarily eccentric comedy sketches and surprise guests. "Surreal and anarchic comedy" (Huffington Post), "Anarchic high point" (Guardian), "Manic and riotous" (Chortle)
I have tried to reproduce the photo above at the size which it would have appeared in the Fringe Programme. I say "would have appeared" because the Fringe refused to run the photo, saying:
The man on the left of image, is not fully covered by his balloon. As this is a universal publication - one that is read by adults and children - we need to be sure that every image included is suitable. We therefore require you to either use a different image, or photo shop the existing one to ensure that the balloon is covering the entire area.
This was news to me as the photo has been run elsewhere, at a more visible size, before.
But, indeed, when I viewed the original image at full-size, I could vaguely see something and, indeed, if I looked at it at 300% original size, I could see what I think is the shape of the bottom of the late Malcolm Hardee's testicles. I suppose I should be more certain as, with most comedy-goers of a certain age, I saw them often enough.
Bob Slayer tells me: "I said to them (the Fringe) if they really had to Photoshop, then to do a very subtle blurring but don't add anything to the image." He also asked to see the Photoshopped result, but never did until a couple of days before the final deadline, after the Fringe Office was chased-up.
They had changed the photo to what you see above... with an entirely new third balloon plonked over the offending vague shape. A ridiculous piece of over-kill, not part of the Greatest Show on Legs' act and, as far as I can figure, it would be completely impossible to actually perform the act with this third balloon. Ironically, the Photoshopped picture is a load of bollocks.
So the new picture you see below was submitted,
although it is quite difficult to find colour photos of the Greatest Show on Legs with the late Malcolm Hardee (who is obviously a marketing point). This appears to have been accepted; but the Fringe appears to have gone control-freak mad. Which brings us to:
2. CHARLIE CHUCK
Cirque du Charlie Chuck is the new Edinburgh Fringe show from a man whose act goes far beyond utter nonsense. The words submitted for the Fringe Programme were:
Vic and Bob's sidekick, Fringe legend Charlie Chuck, back with cabaret, organ-playing, drum-smashing mixed-up magic, with burlesque bits of French songs and lady assistant. 'Masterpiece of oddity' (Scotsman). More scary, more weird. Plus a latex suit.
The response from the Fringe was:
Thank you for your recent registration for the Fringe Programme. I have taken a look at your form, and the copy for the Programme is over the word limit, as some words were missing, as per below:
Vic and Bob's sidekick, Fringe legend Charlie Chuck, IS back with cabaret, organ-playing, drum-smashing AND mixed-up magic, with burlesque bits of French songs and A lady assistant. 'Masterpiece of oddity' (Scotsman). More scary, more weird. Plus a latex suit.
These words are required to be added to make sure the copy is in our house style.
Warm regards,
Katie McKenna
Programme Production Assistant
Note the phrase "These words are required to be added". Not "suggested"... "required".
It is worth mentioning at this point that Charlie Chuck was paying almost £400 (OK, it was £393.60p) to have these words put in the Fringe Programme to advertise and promote his show. I can't imagine The Times or the Daily Telegraph or the equally respectable Guardian objecting to the grammar in a paid-for ad in their hallowed pages.
The Fringe also mounts 'roadshows' advising performers how to publicise their shows. One of their annual gems of wisdom is that the Fringe Programme entry is the most important and effective piece of publicity for your show and every word used should count in marketing your show. "Cut out every unnecessary word" is the Fringe's advice. No mention of adding in an unnecessary "is" or "and" or "a" or of having to use fully-grammatical sentences.
It is also worth mentioning that Charlie Chuck is secondarily listed under "Absurdist" by the Fringe Programme and his shows often start with the words:
"Ay and beway, flippin de bow-wow. Donkey. Woof-bark. Donkey. Woof-bark. Donkey. Woof-bark. Donkey. Woof-bark. Woof-bark."
And that is one of the more coherent parts of his act.
I think he could justifiably argue that being forced to write a fully-grammatically-correct Fringe Programme listing would be professionally damaging to his career.
When the Fringe was pushed on this mindless idiocy, the reply came:
It seems your show copy was over the 40 word limit when you resubmitted.
(It actually was not over the limit at all and it was resubmitted via the Fringe computer which does not allow over-length entries to be submitted.)
We do attempt to make the copy grammatically correct. Looking at your show copy, I woud (sic) suggest that the first sentence needs a verb, which on (sic) of our team has put in. I don't see the 'and' you refer to in the proof sent. I think 'and a lady assistant' reads fine. However, it largely up to you, (sic) as long as your copy adheres to the style guide found on edfringe.com, is grammatically correct and within the 40 word limit (including your show title) it can be run.
Martin Chester
Publications Manager
At the time I write this, the Fringe appears to have accepted an entry from Charlie Chuck which reads:
CIRQUE DU CHARLIE CHUCK
Vic and Bob's sidekick, Fringe legend Charlie Chuck's back with mixed magic, cabaret, organ-playing, drum-smashing, burlesque bits, French songs and lady assistant. 'Masterpiece of oddity' (Scotsman). More scary, more weird. Plus unexpected latex suit.
Let us hope they do not refuse to run the almost £400 paid-for ad on the basis that the last two sentences are not, in fact sentences. But, it seems, this year at the Edinburgh Fringe mindless bureaucratic stupidity rules.