Hi Folks,

I'm up here at the Fringe performing my show nearly every day for the rest of this month.

I had my first review come out today and got 4 stars.

read all about it here.
//http://fest.theskinny.co.uk/article/96438-lighter-than-air

11.30 am 5-30th August (not 17 & 24), Pleasance Above.

I will also be on Scottish TV Friday 5pm and then on the internet... ot sure what it will be edited into.


danny

Good review !!! Well done  

Good for you....

THE LIST ****

It's amazing the fun that can be generated from a few simple props. When clown Danny Schlesinger plods on stage wearing a too-tight suit and a deadpan expression, his arms weighed down with three enormous yellow balloons, you wonder whether he will be able to hook his audience for a full 50 minutes.

Yet his daft physical comedy quickly proves a big hit with young folk and their parents. There are plenty of belly laughs to be obtained from the incongruity between Schlesinger's rotund body and deadly serious expression, and the folly of his attempted antics – a prime example being the sequence in which he attempts hula hooping to a disco soundtrack.

And it gets sillier, with the performer taking a visual gag and stretching it almost to bursting point. So, a balloon dog acquires a balloon lead and deposits a very realistic-looking balloon poo onstage. There's a High Noon-style showdown between Schlesinger and a balloon that stubbornly refuses to pop. And then there's the inept juggling: 'Oh look – the swirling balloons have knocked the funny man's glasses off!' And that was just the cry from this reviewer, through helpless chokes of laughter.

Hope everything is going OK for you Danny.

Hi Graham,

yes everyting is going well, some good reviews as I've posted. I've been on STV and will be again on Friday.

Learning loads about marketing, the press and mainly about doing the same show everyday.

Edinburgh is a beautiful city and its just a shame its not sunny. Still nothing wrong with August cloud wind and rain - its traditional!
 
I'm also seeing a whole load of shows, from the mediocre to the brilliant.

thanks for the Diamond Jam updates, interesting viewing!

d   :shock:

:shock:

five shows to go at the worlds largest theatre festival. Its been a rollercoaster ride.

If your up in Edinburgh do come and see the show and say hello afterwards.

11.30 am Pleasance Courtyard, venue 33 "Lighter than air"

I've had lots of interest from festivals and venues, will wait and see what it all inflates to!!


danny

Last show tomorrow - hurrah!

I also got a four star reveiw in the Scotsman - very important paper for reviews. I will post it up when its on their website.

Danny  :shock:

THE SCOTSMAN
Children's show review: Lighter Than Air
   * * * *

Published: 29/8/2009
   Edinburgh Comedy Festival

I HAVE to confess, I am not the world's biggest fan of clowns or clowning. Like many people, I find them a touch sinister, and usually not at all amusing. So all credit must go to self-styled balloon tamer Danny Schlesinger, who has produced an utterly charming and absorbing hour of children's entertainment without a red nose or a big floppy shoe in sight.

The action is incredibly gentle as the besuited and heavily perspiring Schlesinger goes through his motions. He juggles and tussles with a series of balloons of all different sizes, all the while playfully interacting with his audience. He utters few words, preferring almost exclusively to use physical gestures and his ultra-expressive face.

The children in the crowd don't seem to feel threatened, even the couple of youngsters he gets up on stage to help him with some of the routines, and the adults too all lean in for a closer view of the tomfoolery. Such an impressive level of audience absorption is a rare commodity indeed at any Fringe show, never mind one primarily aimed at children.

Schlesinger manages to achieve his strange harmony between circus clowning and Mr Bean-like capers without the resulting performance being anything less than captivating. The pace may be very sedate, but it takes real creativity to craft a whole hour's routine out of such humble materials as those with which Schlesinger works.

Thanks to simple but effective stagecraft, a healthy dose of natural charisma and a real flair for comic timing, Schlesinger's Lighter than Air is an undoubted joy for all the family, even those who are normally a little bit afraid of clowns.

Congratulations Danny. went on Youtube and had a peek at the fun things you do. It's brilliant. I love this kind of comedy. I don't know if you are interested in Busking festival, but there is one on the streets of some fine cities of Poland. It's called Busker Bus International Festival Of Street Art. Here is the link. //http://www.buskerbus.com ... I was on it for 5 years with my face painting, and it is fantastic adventure, and also quite ok financially. They had it this year, but I believe it will be next year too.

To perform at  the festival   artists come from such places as New Zealand, USA, GB, Japan, Germany (lots of european countries) and even such egzotic places as Mongolia ... and Wales  :lol:  That speaks for itself.

thanks CLown4fun,

my show at the moment is for indoor theatre venues. But I do have plans to maybe try and get a outdoor show together. I'm still thinking about it!

cheers
Danny