Due to Covid, Edinburgh's 2021 Fringe is more limited than usual – so what do the performers make of it? Lee Levitt found out from folk behind some of the Jewish shows
In this world nothing can be said to be certain in Jewish comedy, to corrupt a famous aphorism, except the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. At least until last year, when Covid put paid to the month-long festival for the first time in its 73-year history. But it's come back fighting, albeit in a smaller, hybrid way, with online events scheduled alongside in-person shows.
Ivor Dembina, the not-so-enfant terrible of the British Jewish comedy circuit, was back in the Scottish capital for an 11-day run of two shows: This is Not a Subject for Comedy and Old Jewish Jokes. Perched on a seat near an outdoor dance class, the 70-year-old founder and resident compere of the Hampstead Comedy Club in Camden reflected on comedy in the time of coronavirus. "I didn't think [the Fringe] was going to happen," he admitted, but as the vaccine kicked in across Britain, he was approached by the folk from Laughing Horse Comedy and he thought "I'll take the risk".
Ivor Dembina at the Fringe, 2021
In July the social distancing regulations in Scotland were reduced from two metres to one for most businesses, meaning venues were able to start the Fringe at almost half capacity, with a further easing from early August boosting audience sizes. However, it's still far from business as usual.
During Dembina's sold-out opening night, the show was overshadowed by the stipulated "enhanced air exchange" (aka large, noisy fans), which was so intrusive several audience members walked out. Dembina, half-blinded by the stage lights, couldn't figure out why until they told him after the show. "Because of the regulations about ventilation, the fans were a distraction," he said. "That was awful, to be honest. I'm not blaming [the organisers]; we did our best." As with many things Covid-related, the problem was tweaked and the sound issues disappeared.
Edinburgh Fringe, 2011 © Flickr / @cgoodey
More than 700 in-person and online shows opened this year's Fringe, though that's only a fraction of the 3,800 in 2019, with many venues closed and others operating at a limited capacity with scaled-down runs, some for one night only. Meanwhile, the usual flyering – normally a big part of the Fringe experience, with details of shows you'd never have heard of otherwise, thrust into your hands from all sides – is discouraged and real-life box offices are nowhere to be seen.
"The positive aspect," Dembina added, "is that after long periods of lockdown, it's been unexpectedly busy because people want to get out." During the past 16 months of on-off lockdowns, with venues closed for much of that time, "the middle layer – the gigging club comedians – have suffered", said Dembina, but it's also opened up new possibilities. Back in London, he's started performing by the river, near his home in Waterloo. "In some ways, the pandemic has offered creative opportunities. Some comedians have tried online comedy and others have been going to people's homes. Obviously it's been tragic too, but for a comedian it's an opportunity to try different things. It's no good sitting at home being miserable: you've got to embrace the change."
Dennis Krasnov
Very much embracing the free-spirited ethos of the Fringe is Dennis Krasnov, a 51-year-old, Moscow-born New Yorker, whose mother told him she was Jewish shortly before she died (the Krasnovs, it transpires, were not overly philosemitic). He's been performing in Edinburgh since 2003 and pitched up in Auld Reekie, as the city is known, without a venue or a show. His 2012 offering, Dennis Krasnov's Hour of Intellectual Filth, garnered a solitary star from the comedy website Chortle and he's hoping for more from his latest free show, Anything Goes, which he's performing under the moniker Jack Dennis.
Wearing his customary kilt and sporran, Krasnov said he liked the return to a smaller, less business-oriented Fringe. "It's definitely less corporate and there's more breathing space for the grassroots movement," he said, before lamenting former festivals. "I like the old way. The best events on the Fringe are unplanned and underground. I think the more physical stuff that happens, the better we'll resist sliding into a virtual world."
Melissa Center in Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal, live stream, 2021
Live streams and on-demand shows make up just over a third of this year's festival. Among the latter is Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal, starring Melissa Center, a "proudly 40-year-old" Illinois-born actor based in Los Angeles. Her debut play, directed by the Mexican-American film, TV and theatre director Michelle Bossy, was born of her mum Iris's obsession that she marry the Jewish US actor. The concept had been "brewing for several years", Center said, before a friend invited her to a writing group where it came "pouring out". It germinated at a 2019 conference run by Seed&Spark, a film-centric crowdsourcing company, after she pitched it to an audience of 400 and "the whole place went wild".
"This is my first Edinburgh," she said (by email from LA). "I had initially planned to bring my show over last year and then Covid changed everything. I had the venue, plane tickets, accommodation – everything!
Pipefest Parade, Edinburgh Fringe, 2015 © Flickr / Jim Monk
"In order to move forward safely, we decided to produce a live-streamed production from a theatre in Los Angeles with Covid-safe protocols. We filmed it and the stream was a huge success. It was one night only and we raised a few thousand dollars for artist-relief charities. When Edinburgh announced they'd be accepting online shows, I knew it was the next best step for us. It's very different to actually performing and I definitely feel this show will benefit from a live audience. However, I was struck by how many people felt I was speaking directly to them, as if they were in an actual theatre. This made me very happy. I'd done my job."
Born out of the disruption and restrictions of the pandemic, the mini hybrid Fringe brought in many people who otherwise would have missed performing or watching. Though remote performances might not be to everyone's taste – with the atmosphere sucked out of the experience in the manner of fan-free Covid-era Premier League football – the concept could end up being transformative, enabling those in far-flung locations or with mobility issues a chance to be part of the audience. The Fringe prides itself on being inclusive and, thanks to the pandemic, has just got more so.
By Lee Levitt
Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs until Monday 30 August. Times, prices and venues vary. Visit edfringe.com for further info.