F E S T I VA L F E AT U R E S | Cabaret Bar
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The Pleasance Courtyard Cabaret Bar is one of the most hallowed comedy rooms in all of Edinburgh. With its rich history featuring an array of award winners, the space still has a genuine allure for acts who perform there. Brian Donaldson hears from some of those who have trodden its boards down the years as well as those sampling its charms this August 12 THE LIST FESTIVAL 14–26 Aug 2019
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A head 2013’s Edinburgh Fringe, the chief comedy critics at The Guardian and Telegraph agreed in print which three rooms were the best for stand-up comedy in August. The Stand’s main room, The Tron and the Pleasance Courtyard Cabaret Bar were the chosen ones back then, and despite the proliferation of comedy rooms since, it would be hard to argue against that with any great venom now.
Often there’s a distinctive element to a room that gives it a certain something: the Assembly Rooms’ Ballroom with its mighty chandeliers or the main Monkey Barrel space where images of icons such as Steve Martin and John Cleese provide a potentially intimidating backdrop. But too often Edinburgh rooms feel like shipping
containers (because some of them are), or lecture theatres (because some of them are) or are too stifl ingly hot, have water (or other fl uids) dripping from the ceiling, or feature show- spoiling levels of noise-bleed from another performing space or an adjacent bar. The Stand, The Tron and the Cabaret Bar share some similar traits. They have bars at the back, avoid a linear approach to seating layout (all three could be classifi ed as cabaret bars) and once the doors are closed behind you, have a real underground feel to them (two of them actually are in basements).
They have also been the locations for some legendary Fringe shows across the years. The Tron hosted Dutch absurdist Hans Teeuwen, and became the go-to spot for Doug Stanhope (after one autumn gig there he made the news by helping talk a man down from the North Bridge), while in 2012 Hugh Grant was famously refused entry when trying to