Get down the pub for Early Doors (12pm to be precise) and remind yourself of the fun that was once to be found in an old-fashioned boozer. Early Doors wallops you with all the best bits of pub action, condensed into one rollicking hour.
Walking into the pub on Fleshmarket Close – one of the Pleasance’s Pop-Up venues for this year’s Fringe – it was impossible to tell the actors from the bar staff or audience. For this site-specific show, some members of the cast ran the pub - serving drinks and clearing tables – while others masqueraded as customers, propping up the bar or chatting at tables. Loud rock music blared from the jukebox.
The action started when the doorman swaggered in, gave a piercing whistle and shouted ‘Turn your phones off now or I’ll take ‘em off you!’. Only then did the players distinguish themselves from the punters, as they burst into acapella chanting and humming, while clicking fingers and tapping bar mats and glasses in accompaniment.
What followed was all about the characters and their stories, each cameo adding its piece of the jigsaw to this colourful community, each one recognisable without resorting to stereotypes. There was gossip, broken love affairs and flirting, a bit of fighting and of course a pub quiz. In short this had all the ingredients of the traditional pub experience, that built up to a good old singalong to Tina Turner, with the whole cast doing some frenzied dance moves, to finish on a raucous high.
Great cast, great concept, a totally immersive experience that leaves you wanting more.
Runs until August 25th at 12pm (not 11th or 19th)