Frisky and Mannish's School of Pop, Underbelly, Edinburgh
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Have you ever wondered what Chesney Hawkes mixed with Coldplay would sound like? Or who would win in a battle of the Kates (Nash and Bush)? Or how the Pussycat Dolls might have turned out if they'd met at the end of the pier rather than in the Viper Room?
All this and more can be discovered at Frisky and Mannish's School of Pop, the most purely entertaining hour to be spent at this year's Fringe.
The camp crash-course in pop semantics is led by two eccentric, and wildly talented, teachers: Frisky (Laura Corcoran), a dominatrix in a silver corset, mauve wig and orange PVC mortar board and Mannish (Matthew Jones), a fey figure with a streak of glitter across his eyes and a giant sparkly crucifix around his neck. Together they delve into the hidden meanings and humour of some well-loved tunes. In an hour where the hits – and gags – just keep coming, there's a spelling bee using anthems such as Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and Tammy Wynette's "Divorce", a lecture on the perils of song-writing while stoned and a compare-and-contrast exercise on Noël Coward and Lily Allen, all delivered with musical panache and spot-on timing.
In essence, it's a one-joke show, but when that joke is delivered so perfectly and in so many deliciously enjoyable pop permutations, who cares?
To 30 August (08445 458 252)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments