Sunny day!

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Edinburgh yesterday. I slept in and then decided to go to Calton Hill to take photos and read the paper. Calton Hill has a great view of Arthur's Seat as well as an observatory, a monument to Lord Nelson and an acropolis (an unfinished monument meant to be a replica of the Parthenon but they ran out of money and now it is known as Edinburgh's shame). I sat up there in the sun reading the paper trying to take a moment to breathe it all in. It's been so fast paced since we got here that I thought I needed a few hours of chilling. Then I walked over to the Calton cemetary, another beautiful old cemetary. Took some photos. Found a woman eating her lunch amidst the gravestones. Of course took a picture of her. I've been loving taking photos. It has been really relaxing. I'm going to get my film camera out today.

We all met at the theatre yesterday after our day off. Everyone filling each other in on their adventures. Jayne went to a seaside town called North Berwick yesterday. She loved it. She said she felt like Angela Fletcher (Murder She Wrote). We had a pretty good show. Deb and Jayne had relatives there. They loved it. I had dinner with Robin, Hendrik and Augie at a cute Italian restaurant in the Grassmarket area. Very quaint. Then I met up with Jayne and the girls at a pub that used to be a bank called The Standing Order. I had a drink with them and then came home. I wanted to make it an early night so I could get up earlier today. I feel a bit panicked at the thought that we only have four days left. So much still to do. I have to come back to this city. I must.

Theatre of the world!

Susan left this morning. So hard to believe a week went by already. It was a whirlwind that is for sure. We had a great time. I slept in this morning. I think I needed to. As I've said it's been non-stop since I got here almost two and a half weeks ago. Hard to believe that is coming to a close as well. I will miss it here. I do wish we were staying for the last week. I have a feeling that's when everyone comes to see stuff. Oh well. You learn.

Yesterday was lovely. We got up and went to see the Soweto Gospel Choir. They were incredible. Amazing voices, beautiful spirit and uplifting. Although the crowd in a typically reserved Scottish way didn't really errupt until the end. Funny that. We left there and did some last minute gift shopping for Susan. (See above photo of a little dog in a shop window) Then back to the apartment to get ready for the show Fuerzabruta. We got stuck in the rain making our way to Leith where the show was. Took a city bus which was fun and had to wait in the huge mall at the Ocean Terminal which sits beside the Royal Yacht Britannia. We had some tea and watched the rain. Funnily enough we ran into my friend Raoul who is doing his solo Hamlet and his director. They were using the free wireless internet at the mall. They are both pretty exhausted too. And Raoul misses his little boy, Alexander. It can be tough being away this long.

Then we made our way to the show ... which was amazing. Like nothing I'd ever seen before. It was really cool to have been to the Gospel choir from Soweto and then to see this piece from Argentina. There were some interesting similarities. Mostly in the passion of the people. And the dancing. Both Susan and I commented that there were some dance moves that were similar. We all have similar ways of expressing our spirituality and passion I suppose. I can't even really explain what the show was like except to say that we stood for an hour with about five hundred people watching it all happen above us. I took a photo (without a flash) during one piece where these four women were in this huge plastic water filled tank that slowly came down above our heads as they danced and ran and swam through it. The music was pumping, water spraying on us from time to time, smoke, flashing lights. Like theatre at a rave. Very cool. Not for everyone. But interesting.

I think today I'm going to take it easy. Maybe go for a walk and do some writing. We have a show tonight after having a night off. That will be weird. I want to take advantage of the few days that I have left but also need to keep the energy up for the show.

Edinburgh Castle

I've finally come down from my birthday. Sunday I was feeling a little worse for wear. The show was wonky as a result for me. But of course didn't slow down. We had a pot luck dinner after the show at Kathy and John and Liz's apartment. It was really fun. Everyone found stuff to bring. Colin made a lovely tomato salad, Kathy made pasta, Jayne made an avocado salad. Robin brought cheese and salami and strawberries. Susan and I picked up some scottish pies at a shop called the Pie Maker. They had all sorts of pies - veggie, meat, cheese. So great. We had a feast. The girls (Josie and Phoebe) were so excited. They made a sign that they put on the door that said "Welcome to the party of the broccoli head". Adorable. It was a perfect night.

Today Susan and I went to Edinburgh Castle. The line up to get in was monstrous. You'd think the Queen was in residence or something. But after about a half hour wait we got in. It is stunning. Amazing to read about how the Castle was built on the rock formed from a volcano. The detail and craftesmanship is amazing. You could just feel the history as you walked through every nook and cranny. It is huge! I almost had a stroke when a canon went off having totally forgotten that they do that every day at 1pm. I kept wondering why everyone was just standing around. After the castle we walked along the Royal Mile. We had to duck into a close because it started to pour. Honestly the weather changes by the minute here. It poured for about ten minutes then the sunshine appeared and it was a stunning afternoon. It will be raining when there's a blue sky. It makes no sense yet I love it.

It is so hard to believe that we only have six more days here. It has been stressful and sometimes frustrating but such a great experience overall. I'm going to miss it. I do miss home and everyone there but I have to say I love traveling. I just love it. Every time I do I say to myself I have to travel more. And then I don't. I'd love to be able to take six months off and just go. But I have a new house. And have to pay for it. I'd actually forgotten about it. Weird.

I've added lots of new photos. One of the ceiling of St. Giles church that is on the Royal Mile. And an adorable picture of Josie sketching. Some city shots, the castle, the usual everyday sights in Edinburgh. Tomorrow is our day off. Everyone is very excited. Colin, Deb and Luke left after the show to go to the first of two castles they are staying in. Jayne and the girls are taking a day tour to Inverness and Lochness. John, Kathy and the kids might take a day trip. Augie, Robin and Henrik are staying in the city. Susan and I are going to see the Soweto Gospel Choir in the morning, do some last minute shopping and then off to Leith in the evening to see the show from Argentina, Fuerzabruta. Then dinner after at Raj, an Indian restaurant that over looks the water. Can't wait.

What a night!

Yesterday was magical. I had a lovely birthday. I walked into the kitchen and everyone sang Happy Birthday. It was a rainy Saturday so I thought it would be perfect for a day at the art gallery. Susan and I had scones and tea at Henderson's then went to The Scottish National Gallery. It was so overwhelming. They have an immense collection. Three floors of some of the most amazing art in the world. Some of my favorites were Raphael's The Bridgewater Madonna, Van Gogh's Orchard in A Blossom, Gaughin's The Three Tahitians, Degas' sculpture The Tub and Titian's Diana & Callisto. So beautiful. Funnily enough I ran into someone from Canada. I was walking through the gallery when I heard my name. A student I taught improv to at McMaster so many years ago said hello. He's visiting Edinburgh and had tickets to our show last night. Which went amazing by the way. Our biggest house yet and very responsive. I had such fun performing last night. I had many moments on stage thinking about how lucky I am that I get to do what I love. Especially on my birthday.

Oh after the gallery we did my other favorite thing. We went food shopping at Harvey Nichols. That was REALLY fun. I bought lots of great food and treats.

We then raced to David Bann, the restaurant I chose, to meet the rest of the gang. There were 14 of us. After about an hour wait we got a table all together. The food was amazing and the company even better. We were there for hours and just talked and ate and talked and ate. Then I went out with Alicia, Olivia and Sara, Jayne's daughters and their friend. We went to a bar called Three Sisters. It was crazy. The highlight was that a 24 year old guy thought I was 28. That was a nice gift. Maybe he was just drunk. It was a great night. Truly memorable.

Holy crappers I'm 37!

So I haven't had a chance to write in a couple of days. Things have been busy. Trying to fit lots in while Susan is here. And of course today is my birthday! Very bizarre being here on this day. I have to say it's exciting. But still strange.

Yesterday Susan and I took a double decker tour bus around the city. It was great. The older Scottish guide was hilarious. He had lots of witty bits to add to the tour. He said that JK Rowling makes 77 pounds a minute. She makes more than the Queen. But honestly what has the Queen written lately? He was great. Then we walked along the Royal Mile. I handed out flyers and tried to give away some comps to the show as we had thirty to give out. It isn't the easiest job. Some people don't want to be bothered. Others were really nice. There are so many shows and people are being accosted by so many people. Last nights show was okay. Very small house but they really enjoyed it. A waitress we met last week who is from Montreal came to see the show and she joined us for dinner. Her name is Maija and she's a film student at Concordia. She came to Edinburgh to learn English. That kills me. I really liked her especially since when she asked how old I was turning I told her to guess and she said 28. Ha. At first it was a compliment but then I realized she's ony 20 and when you're only 20 you have no idea how old anyone is. Everyone seems in their 20's. But still I'm holding on to that one.

After dinner we wanted to go on the Mary King's Close tour. It's a tour of all the old underground closes that people lived in during the Plague. But we missed the last tour so instead we did the City of the Dead tour which involved a guide taking us through the scariest parts of the city and an old graveyard filled with criminals. It was hilarious. There was a creepy guy in a floor length black leather jacket on the tour who we soon realized was part of the "act". I started calling him Klaus. He smoked a cigarello and took his job WAY too seriously. He was walking right behind us and started freaking us out. Deb and Jayne were terrified. Susan too. Okay there were a couple of times I got scared but I acted like I wasn't. We ended up in this masoleum in pitch black with twenty other people listening to ghost and poltergeist stories. Then of course Klaus jumped out and scared the shit out of everyone when we least expected it. I knew it was coming yet I still screamed like a baby. It was quite amusing and a bit cheesy.

Today was a great day. We walked up to Arthur's Seat which is at the top of a hill looking over the city. It took about an hour to get up. Deb, Luke, John, Josie, Liz, Susan and I made it all the way to the top. I couldn't believe little Josie was leading the pack. She is such a brave little girl. Adorable. The view from up there was stunning (see above photos). So breathtaking. And the wind just about blew Deb right off. We could see Jayne, Kathy and Phoebe at the bottom.

Then Susan, Kathy, John and the girls and I went on a tour of Holyrood Palace which is the Queen's residence for a month every year when she's in Scotland. Beautiful architecture inside and out. And a very informative tour. I wouldn't really have wanted the life of a royal back then. Or now for that matter. Mary Queen of Scots had a pretty rough time of it. And boy were people short back then. Although Jayne says that Mary was supposed to have been six feet tall. Not sure how she fit into those tiny beds.

Tonights show was our best yet I think in terms of numbers and response. It felt like our old show again. People got all the beats and they were vocal meaning actually making sound when they laughed. That was a relief. After dinner and drinks in the Library Bar at the Gilded Balloon Jayne, Robin, Colin, Deb, Luke, Susan and I went to an amazing show in the Spiegeltent. An Irish singer named Camille (no last name like Cher, Madonna, etc) who we saw last summer at Just For Laughs in La Cliq. She was incredible! Sexy, funny, weird, amazing voice. She is the real deal. She sang Jacque Briel, Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, David Bowie. And her band was beyond. Add to it the fact that it was in this beautiful old tent filled with smoke and people drinking. I felt like I'd gone back in time. Such a great start to my birthday.

Must get some sleep as it's been quite a day. Missing everyone.

Susan arrives!

Susan arrived this morning. After a six and a half hour flight from Toronto to Edinburgh she found her way to 22 Albany St. at about 10:30am. She didn't sleep at all on the plane but was ready and willing to go for a walk on what was a most beautiful Edinburgh summer day. The weather was perfect today. Blue skies, nice breeze, sunny. I think the population has doubled in the last few days. Trying to make your way through the main streets is almost impossible. We went to Princes St. and walked past the mound where there are many performers and tourists gathered. Then along the park walk to see a nice view of the castle. We found Deb and Jayne sitting in the park sketching the castle view. They are both into sketching a lot on this trip and they are doing some amazing work. We had to be back at the house at 1:30pm to get ready to go hand out flyers at Harvey Nichols.

Back at the house we put our Women Fully Clothed t-shirts on and walked over to the very upscale department store, Harvey Nichols. They were nice enough to let us hand out flyers instore for an hour this afternoon. Susan stayed at the house to catch up on some sleep. We got to the department store and two very keen sales people took us to the basement of the store where I made an intercom announcement of our presence. Okay to say that was cool would be a huge understatement. I got to say, "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, my name is Teresa and I'm a member of Women Fully Clothed ... blah blah blah, today on the third floor women's handbags half price ..." Okay I just talked about the show but I did want to say that. It was one of those old fashioned intercoms too. And there were several lovely Scottish people trying to figure out how to work it. Finally I figured it out and before I spoke it actually chimed. It chimed! I loved it. Then we took to the different floors and started peddling our show. I usually hate stuff like that but I got over it quickly. Playing to a small audience is somehow worse than sticking a flyer in someone's face and telling them we're five funny ladies from Canada. Most people were very nice. One woman asked me what floor the lingerie was on. Not kidding. I told her. Why not. The store is beautiful. We kind of got distracted by the clothes but overall we did a pretty good job I'd say. The two keen sales people came to the show tonight. Don't know if it really helped but couldn't have hurt.

Susan came to the show tonight. Another smallish audience that was VERY quiet. Yet at the end of the show they cheer. I don't get it. I really don't. We're trying not to let it affect us too much but it is a challenge. Now I'm just entertaining myself on stage a lot. I actually almost missed a cue line because I was so taken aback when someone laughed out loud. Sad. After the show Susan, Jayne and I went to dinner at a beautiful old pub called the Guilded Arms. It was built in 1817 (see above photos) with all of the original architecture. It was stunning. It felt like we had gone back in time. They had fish and chips (see above photo) and I had soup and salad. Yummy. And great cider once again. My poor liver. The rest of the gang went to see another Canadian production that is here, Rick Miller's Bigger Than Jesus. Jayne and I had already seen it in Toronto. We walked home to a lovely sunset. And now just relaxing so we can get up early and see the sights.

Food food and more food ...

Okay, so I'm posting again today. Just got in from an amazing dinner. The restaurant was called All Bar One and the food was phenomenal. I haven't stopped eating since we got here. Truly mind boggling. But it seems to balance itself out with all the walking. Deb and I went shopping today in the Grassmarket area. Vintage shops, cute boutiques and cafes. I bought a great vintage 60's jacket. Deb bought some t-shirts and a few gifts. We walked along the Royal Mile and handed out flyers for our show. I took pictures of some of the people trying to promote their shows. We ate lunch at David Bann, the upscale vegetarian restaurant (see above picture of a yummy dosa) that we're going to for my birthday. Which is in four days by the way. Can't believe it. Thirty-seven years old. It's so strange that I'm here for my birthday. I love it but it's strange. Usually my birthday is spent hanging with friends usually at the beach or just having brunch and a nice dinner. Now I'll be wandering the streets in Edinburgh. Actually there is an afternoon tea and dance at the Spiegletent on my birthday. There is a group that gives dance lessons to 20's and 30's music and offers a tea. I love it. I want to go with Kathy's girls and dance in the afternoon. Then do the show. And then a great dinner with the whole gang. Thirty-seven. Okay I'll stop.

So we got another great review today. I mean great. It's amazing because the audiences are so quiet and reserved and then we get this glowing review. Makes no sense but hopefully we will get bigger crowds.

Show Rating: 4 stars
What an absolute pleasure to see five talented, experienced comic actresses in a polished, well-written, funny sketch show.

The audience was mainly middle aged and female, which is probably an unfortunate side-effect of the billing. Unfortunate as this is a great show, and men should not be deterred by an all-female cast doing sketches about family, relationships and sexuality.

Beneath these themes are hilarious characters portraying the worse kind of irritating mothers, wives and daughters, hitting the nail on the head with sympathetic characters we can all relate to.

I was particularly taken by Kathy Greenwood’s character, constantly trying to keep up with the other stay-at-home mums in the competitive parenting stakes. And everyone can identify with feeling trapped by a lonely parent’s needs in the sketch which has a woman desperately trying to get off the phone to both a clingy mother and granny. And without giving any more away, the sketch with three woman scattering their dead friend’s ashes was inspired.

Although the characters were quirky, funny and at times ridiculous (the French shop assistant Mona, for instance), they were portrayed with such respect and sometimes poignancy that you developed the type of empathy with them it would normally take a full-length show to feel.

Rarely have I seen this quality of sketch comedy on television here, let alone at the Fringe. So grab a chance now. Unless you can get tickets to Saturday Night Live in New York you are unlikely to see such good sketch comedy live for a while.

Reviewed by: Rosie Carnahan