EDFRINGE/COLIN CLOUD: DARE

Well... I'm sure you're wondering what the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has to do with books, and the answer is: nothing. I'm not going to lie, I was a little uninspired today and just couldn't find the motivation to get a bookish post up, and I put the blame entirely on the fact that I just can't stop thinking about a show I saw on Friday.

Now, whilst I did see my favourite Fringe show ever for the third year in a row, (Hi, 'The Improv Musical'. I love you guys and still want to be your resident suggester so I can witness every marvellous, hilarious creation!) this isn't the show I want to talk about (at least not today!) - I highly highly recommend you do go see it! It's amazing.

​Nope, today I want to talk about the show that fucked me over, had me join a cult and willingly reveal an embarrassing secret infant of probably 1000 people. The show that I just cannot get off my mind (or rather, stole it entirely) is Colin Cloud's, DARE.

This show was 100% a 5 STAR show for me. I'd give it 500 if I could.

I saw Colin Cloud's America's Got Talent audition earlier this year and pretty instantly fell in love. Let's be serious, this guy is Sherlock Holmes. In real life. It's incredible. He is also ten years older than me and I'm happy being a single crazy cat lady, so I want to be his platonic Watson, ok. (Why am I admitting this? He's read my mind once before, I'm sure he knows *insert wink emoji*)

I knew when I discovered he'd be at the Fringe this year I had to see him perform. I've always loved magic, illusions, mentalism and other things like that and have always wanted to see a show of those genres - and I couldn't have picked a better show for my first!

Obviously, I don't want to give away what Colin does in his show (THE OPENING - HOLY SHIT. So mad I didn't see it coming - well I did.. I made a joke to my mum and then it happened but like I was so sure it wasn't!!!!!!!) but what I can tell you is he does not use audience stooges or have people tell certain audience members to play along. How do I know this? Well, there is multiple audience participation moments and there is one particular part of the show where he asks the audience to tweet our most embarrassing memory and then a little later he gets us to shout out our usernames and think hard about what our memory is... so I tweeted this:

And of course... he blindfolds himself, has everyone shout their username... and after about three or four tweets he goes "@em... emmaferrierx? are you here? say hello" So, bucket list item ticked off for being called out but bloody mortifying I picked THAT to tweet instead of going for the time I went to a deli for a toastie and walked away without paying... wonderful. Best part? I was with my mum. Thankfully, she knew the story already but oh my days. He actually asked if it happened when I was a kid so I said "teenager" because I wasn't having people think 10 year old me discussed sperm at primary school and of course he had me stand up... Thanks, Colin hahaha!!

​The whole show was just incredible and I am still in awe. I love this sort of stuff and figuring out how it works. I've watched Penn and Teller's Fool Us (which Colin was also on - and actually where I first saw him but didn't realise until googling him after seeing his AGT audition!) and I love trying to figure out how tricks are done and seeing if I can spot the slight of hand etc; but with Colin, I simply have no idea. I mean I could take a guess at what methods he uses (I'm probably wrong anyway but I don't want to say and possibly give away his game!) but he executes his skills so well and has such a great performance that I didn't notice them. I've also zero clue how he knew my tweet as he had people check his ears for earpieces and his phone was out on stage but put on a table away from him so he couldn't even slyly check tweets - let alone memorise the 10 or so he called out!!

I think the absolute highlight of that night was at the end when we got outside the venue and I turned to talk to my mum and Colin was just walking next to me, saying thanks to someone and apologising for not being able to chat as he had to rush to another show. I told him the show was amazing and asked how he knew my tweet (response: "it's a mind reading show...." Aye a ken that, Colin. But how dae ye mind read??? hahah) He was rushing but there was a mass of people in front so I asked if we could take a "walking selfie" so he didn't have to stop and, although it's blurry, I love it!

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(The black line on my forehead is a string for the mask they give you for the show, not some random hairstyle hahah!)

I managed to catch up to my mum and she was like "what are you buzzing for" so I pointed to Colin who was just beside her... now, my mum doesn't get comedy (I had to explain the joke "Crime in multi-storey car parks... That's wrong on so many different levels"... she's no the brightest haha) and she doesn't like magic and things so I had shown her Colin's audition (which if you haven't seen, I'll pop down below) and convinced her to come along. She enjoyed it that much she went over to him ([READ] lunged at him) to tell him how fantastic it was. Colin Cloud converted my mother into enjoying mentalism/magic shows. If I wasn't already in love with the guy, that sealed the deal!

Please get yourselves along to see this guy if you're in Edinburgh. He is absolutely incredible and I am desperate to go again before the Fringe ends!