Ah bollocks. I'm more than happy with that decision. It was just a complete buzz to be shortlisted with four fantastic shows from proper theatre companies that had things like a proper set and a proper cast!
Overall, I had a fantastic Edinburgh. I got what I came for. Got 3 five star and 5 four star reviews. Got loads of fantastic quotes coming out of my ears. Made loads of important contacts and more lovely friends. Plus, I've had loads of interest in me which is now going to take my career to the next level.
...And to think that I nearly didn't go...
Note to all: Don't listen to your insecurities - follow your passions - work really, really hard and it will pay off. Focus and discipline and belief.
OK, so before I left for Edinburgh, I knew I was nominated for the Amnesty Freedom of Expression award. This meant I was up against 40 other plays which dealt with human rights issues. The Amnesty board of bigwigs (and the most revered reviewers in Scotland) sat through all these plays and on Tuesday they announced the shortlist - and I'm fucking on it!!!! Down to the last five! Woo Hoo!!!! Scary stuff. The other four plays are proper full scale productions from proper established theatre companies and then there's me. How did that happen? Anyway, I'm not expecting to win but how brilliant to be up there with the best on my first Edinburgh outing - I am blown away! I am now going to get ready to go to the awards ceremony tonight. Waaaaaahhhhh!!!!
If it were possible to just write "See this now" as a review for this show I would. It seems strange to try to find words to describe an experience that leaves you shaking afterwards. Richard Fry is such a mesmerising performer that you feel like you've just read his diary and re-experienced the emotion he felt writing it.
He plays a young man, recounting the neglect of his childhood, his awakening realisation that he is gay and the torment and victimisation that he suffered throughout. This is all recounted in verse, with both cutting humour and mind-rocking humiliations. The beauty of the writing is such that you hardly notice that Fry is speaking in rhyme and, when you do, it adds such a powerful dimension of honesty and thought that it's spellbinding. And the spell's never broken with Fry's phenomenal performance.
An unparalleled experience of which it is only worth saying "See this now".
THREE WEEKS
Bully Richard Fry Gilded Balloon Teviot *****
If you can imagine a cross between Shakespeare's poetry and The Mighty Boosh's story telling style, then you might be somewhere close to the style in which this incredibly sad and moving story is told. To start with, you might not notice that the story is told in rhymes, but when you do realise, it adds extra charm to the show. The verse brilliantly conveys this story of growing up with domestic violence, homosexuality and grief, and with humour thrown into the mix, it is possible to be on the verge of tears one moment and then laughing the next. Let Richard Fry take you in and you will feel the tears rolling down your cheeks within no time.
FEST MAGAZINE
Bully Richard Fry Gilded Balloon Teviot *****
The Gilded Balloon's forsaken turret is where you have to go to claim what must be one of this year's Fringe's most special treasures
There is a meagre, solitary space at the top of all the Gilded Balloon's stairs, a room called The Turret, which, in spite of all its fun and colourful signage, reeks of danger. There is something abjectly foreboding about passing through those doors, as if you might candidly step on a dragon's tail or hear the lock turn sharply behind you. Anything could happen here.
But as fairytales have told us, the rarest, most precious things come hand in hand with peril, and this forsaken turret is where you have to go to claim what must be one of this year's Fringe's most special treasures.
Richard Fry is a little known actor whose portfolio counts just a handful of low key TV and film roles. The only evidence of his leanings as a writer comes in the form of homemade videos on his MySpace page that point more to a Sunday hobby than a serious pursuit. And before drama became his thing at age 30 he earned his bread collecting bins and chopping wood. But don't be fooled by the signs, Bully is top-drawer theatre that extravagantly belies his apparent inexperience.
It's a monologue in verse about the cycle of violence, told through the story of a boy who grows up learning that all humans fall into one of two discrete categories: bullies and victims. A taste for malice haunts the males of his bloodline and has vampyrically passed from grandfather to father to first-born son with the exactitude of clockwork. Playing the part of the timid younger brother and spanning his life from tragic childhood to tainted adulthood, Fry chants the inner afflictions of a well-meaning soul who tries to escape the cycle by becoming a sufferer. But can he ultimately curb his fall from grace and defy the cruel gods that be?
This is very different from the reinforced steel theatre of the Traverse kind. This is one man with a chair in a turret, with no resources other than his own sharp tongue to convey what is revealed to be a deeply moving and edifying study of the human condition. The sincere, eloquent rendering of a timeless theme brings to mind Greek tragedy in all its sturdiness, with the poetry ever-pleasing, never standing out as a forceful flourish. You will admire his art, his wit and his verbal dexterity, and be thrilled by the frequently vulgar, slang-addled story. Bully is a mesmerising experience and a most exemplary Fringe monologue.
EVENING NEWS
Bully Richard Fry Gilded Balloon Teviot ****
THE worst bullies are those that have been bullied themselves. But at what point do the tables turn? How much can one person take before they snap? Bully is a one man show that journeys through the life of a man taunted and mocked at every turn for being that little bit different. It becomes obvious early on that Richard Fry's comment that "life hasn't exactly dealt me a winning hand" is something of an understatement. Fry has a captivating talent at story- telling, taking on the role of his own character from childhood through to adulthood, as well as conveying with incredible vividness everyone else who features in this ill-fated man's life. The ability of one performer to hold an audience's attention alone for a whole hour, his only prop being a chair, is nothing short of outstanding, yet Fry seems to do so with a natural ease. Part verse and part prose means the pace is constantly changing, and the audience caught up in the same emotional rollercoaster as the character. It's funny, gripping and at times downright depressing, but makes for compelling viewing.
FRINGE REVIEW
Bully Richard Fry Gilded Balloon Teviot ****
It sounds grim, it is grim, but it is made by a bravura performance from Fry, who has a lightness of touch which belies the subject matter. A late recruit to the profession, Richard Fry is emerging as a very substantial performer indeed. He has written this in verse, which gives it a strong rhythm. He is a storyteller, with a harrowing story to tell.
A bare stage, a single chair and a solo performance leave him nowhere to hide. The subject matter is tough and uncompromising, leaving no room for sentimentality. But it is to the great credit of Fry that he held the audience absolutely focussed throughout the piece, and the extended applause showed the appreciation of his penmanship, and his stagecraft.
His piece addresses issues around abuse and domestic violence. It poses questions about cycles of violence across generations, the waste of brutalised lives it leaves in its wake. It addresses personal violence and abuse in gay relationships, and shows the parallels with more traditional accounts of heterosexual abuse.
Richard Fry has given voice to those normally only talked about. It is a voice which needs and deserves to be heard.
Look how flash I am. I just got one of those donation buttons from Paypal, so if you don't want to get involved in THE BIG BAD BULLY OFF or there's nothing you fancy in the auctions (Go to ebay and search for BBBO), you can simply make a donation by clicking on the button below.
OK, so I couldn't put the button in this blog - I tried and tried but it didn't work. I am a doofus. The button can be found on my main page. Thank You.
OK, so I'm doing everything I can to raise money for Edinburgh and this involves getting rid of some of the stuff I would rather keep... :-(
When I was filming TELLING LIES, the director - Antara Bhardwaj - gave everyone a T Shirt which had 'I love Telling Lies' printed on it. I've kept mine safe and never worn it. So, here's your chance to get your hands on some pretty spectacular unique classic cinema memorabilia ;-) You'll be sorry you missed out when it sweeps the board at the Oscars.
THE BIG BAD BULLY OFF - This is particularly brilliant.
Howdy,
Right, I'm finished up on my Bollywood film now which means I can get back on track with raising loads of money for Edinburgh.
THE BIG BAD BULLY OFF has just stepped up a gear. The rather spectacular Maggie De Monde has offered her services as a chanteuse. This is incredible. I still have one of her albums from the 80's.
For the younger ones among you, Maggie was part of Scarlet Fantastic and Swans Way. Scarlet Fantastic were responsible for the iconic anthem 'No Memory' - video below. Now, Maggie has offered herself and her partner, Leif as a 'singing surprise'. They will get all glammed up and will travel to your house/party/gathering/bar mitzvah (anywhere in London/South East area) and perform a fantastic rendition of 'Non, je ne regrette rien'. Woo Hoo! That is bloody special. THANK YOU, MAGGIE! If you want it - you know what to do. All details in the first BIG BAD BULLY OFF Blog (below)
MAGGIE and LEIF are MIGHTY K - They are brill - check them out, they are in my Top Friends.
The auction has started and is growing. I've got some new stuff, some old stuff, some signed stuff and some weird stuff so get on over to ebay and have a butcher's.
If you put BBBO in the search bar, all my things will come up.
THE BIG BAD BULLY OFF started with a plastic steak.
Don't ask! This used to give me hours of amusement. I used to hide it in people's beds, wrap it up and give it to people for their birthday... I've been given it back as many times (yes, thanks Sharon ;-)) I've had a lot of mileage out of this plastic bit of meat but there comes a time when a boy has to give up his toys so this was the first thing I put up for offer. Seeing it's potential, my mate Dave traded it for his...
AMAZING ROLLER BLADES. Not a bad swap there. Fancied keeping them myself. Just the thing to whizz to the pub on a hot Summer's day. Mind you, not the most intelligent thing to use to get home after a day in the pub. So, I threw in a box of plasters as well. Step forward (or should that be skate?) Rebecca who needed something to get to work after she wrapped her bike round a lamppost. Hmmm...perhaps I should have given her a crash helmet too. Anyway, this is fantastic - she gave me...
OK, so I forgot to get a picture (D'oh) but close your eyes and imagine a SIGNED BRITNEY SPEARS CD! This didn't last long in my possession as my mate Sharon was sat next to me who snatched it but guess what she gave me...
Only a BRAND NEW iPOD SHUFFLE (1GB) Thanks Sharon!! Right, who wants this very sexy little piece of technology?
email your offers to thebigbadbullyoff@yahoo.co.uk
One of the ways I am doing this is with THE BIG BAD BULLY OFF and I want everyone to get involved. This is following in the footsteps of Kyle MacDonald, an American chap, who managed to turn a paperclip into a house through a series of 'bigger and better' trade-ups.
Here's how it works:
Visit my Blog on my MySpace page and gasp at the current fantastic item on offer.
If you would like to get your hands on the item then email me with something bigger and better. Email thebigbadbullyoff@yahoo.co.uk - DON"T send me a message or comment on here, it will get lost.
NB - don't be restricted to items. If you're a photographer and would like to offer a photo session or a painter/decorator who could transform someone's bedroom or a film maker who could make a video for a band - these are all good - but items are good too!
I will then read all the emails and decide which proposal is the best offer.
A trade will take place.
The new spectacular item goes up on my MySpace page and it all starts again.
Come on and join in. Unlike BULLY which concerns the cycle of violence, THE BIG BAD BULLY OFF is all about a cycle of goodwill and brilliant things. It's like The Sound of Music, only without the singing. Or the nuns.
Throughout THE BIG BAD BULLY OFF, I will be auctioning off loads of goodies, so stay tuned. If you have anything that you would like to donate to the auction PLEASE get in touch. I have a LOT of money to raise so I need LOTS of help.
BULLY is there for all the people suffering miserably at the hands of bullies, homophobes, horrible parents, unhappy partners and Bucks Fizz fans.
Alternatively, you could simply make a donation. It won't be as much fun but I will love you FOREVER.
