Review by Steve Bennett

This is an endearing show which, unfortunately, has to be reviewed alongside  the highly professional shows on the Fringe.

It has the feel of a Women's Institute or Church 'do' about it, though it has actually developed from the Edinburgh Storytelling Forum.

Amiable grey-haired Scot Millie Gray tells humorous (and rather long) stories thought up by herself and her forum colleague Jack Martin, whether true or totally made up or a little of both is unclear. I suspect the latter.

Tanned and equally amiable Rose Starkey, now an expat living in Spain, tells monologues which aspire to Stanley Holloway status but lack their finely-edited edges, and sometimes their very exact metre, plus some of th e occasional straight gags  doing the rounds in Middle England.

It's all very amiable, cosy and leisurely and gentle.

But you couldn't call it a professional show. For that, I'm afraid, you need to have much stroger performance, material and on-stage persona.

Most shows on the Fringe aspire to have the Guardian and Private Eye's cutting edge. This show, perfectly happily and totally successfully, is the equivalent of Women's Weekly with knitting patterns.

Review date: 1 Jan 2005
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett