GLOWING review! Four and a 1/2 stars from Fringe Guru

Reviewed by Craig Thomson

Ben Lerman, a New York-based musical comedian, tells an illuminating story. Invited by Cosmopolitan magazine to perform on their digital radio station, Lerman was also hit with a list of restrictions, because "they were familiar with my body of work." With no swearing or mocking of the magazine allowed, he turned to the pages of Cosmo for inspiration, and came up with a lovely number called 'Multiple Orgasm Pam'.

Lerman's body of work, you see, is filthy: hilariously filthy, raucously bawdy, and, er... funnily dirty. It's also most often based on his experiences as a young gay man in New York city. After 'Pam', he announces "that ends the straight sex portion of tonight's show", to the obvious discomfort of some of the young guys sitting by the stage. He does get smuttier and gayer, but he also gets funnier and funnier, and he takes the audience with him. It's a pleasing thought that, every night, the people crammed into the basement of Cafe Renroc take part in a singalong about oral sex.

With some furore recently around the proliferation of offensive comedy, it's important to note that this doesn't really fall into that category. Some people may, understandably, be a little uncomfortable with such frank discussion of sexual matters, but this isn't a show that sets out to offend - it's actually quite tender at points, and is, in a sense, good clean fun. Well, perhaps there's just a smattering of bondage, crystal meth and 'chubby chasers'.

You could also, charitably, assume that the Size Matters title is about the two ukuleles Lerman alternates between. Most often associated on these shores with George Fornby (although he, research shows, actually played a banjolele), Lerman makes excellent use of the "guitar's two-year old baby". Lerman is an extremely talented singer-songwriter, and while some of the numbers are pushing at an open door (I could tell where the American Idol-inspired 'There's an Idol in Me' was headed before the first twang on the uke), he still goes for it at full speed, with nary an anal sex metaphor left unturned.

I kinda feel this is the sort of show about which many people would say "well, it isn't for everyone." Well, dammit, I think this is for everyone - who doesn't want to see this kind of charming, amiable comedian close up? Who doesn't want to take advantage of the best of the Free Fringe? Who doesn't want to laugh along with the story of an internet romance with someone whose online name suggests an "unconventional" relationship with a pig? On the Free Fringe point, be prepared with a sizeable donation: this is better than a lot of stuff you would pay upfront for.

Now, can I get a cookie for not saying "His name is Ben Lerman and he plays the ukulele?" Go see the show, you'll understand.

Woah. Sold out?

Last night my show was so packed we had to turn people away. I felt bad for the people who came all the way out to Leith, off the beaten track, just to see my show, and then there wasn't room for them. But I felt good for me. It was really fun. If I had tickets for sale, woulda been a sell-out. :-)

Then after the show, I went to perform at a burlesque variety show. The show had been cancelled, but I'd been out all day unable to check email. I arrived with a couple of friends, and there was a small crowd of people who also had not been aware that the show was canceled. Tanya convinced me and the small crowd that I should put on a spontaneous show for them. It was a nice little spirit-of-the-Fringe moment, where a fun little show popped up where there wasn't supposed to be one. The audience was appreciative and generous, and we went out and immediately blew the wad that I made from that second show on sandwiches, cigarettes, and pints of Grolsch.

Four more shows to go. Doing a variety show in just a couple of hours at the City Cafe. Then Tanya is insisting that the two of us get haggis somewhere. I don't know about that. I'm adventurous, but I don't think I can put that in my mouth. At the same time, I'm thinking about opening a chain called Fag Haggis. Could be a real money maker.

Matt Kirshen, Jessica Delfino, Tanya O'Debra, Marga Gomez, Mike Amato

Matt Kirshen is immediately likable on stage and off. His show is intelligent comedy, storytelling and jokes, taking the piss out of the wrongheaded desire of Brits to watch people fail, constructed into a solid hour show about self-confidence called, Shorter Than Napoleon. Matt was nice enough to give me a pair of tickets. I had a bad night that night, some talkers in the front seats at my show. And then I was late to pick up Chris, visiting me from London. When I was flyering earlier that day, someone called the image on my flyer (a picture of me naked) "disgusting." He repeated himself several times to get his point across. Nice. I was in need of a good laugh, so thank you Matt for cheering me right up. Hilarious. (Judges: 10!)

Jessica Delfino wants to be famous. There's no question about that. But does she want to be my roommate? I don't know. But she is. Until Wednesday. Then she's taking her lovely ass to the Reading and Leeds festival. Am I jealous? You betcha. Saw her show again this weekend. I love it every time. Don't know all of her songs by heart yet, but I'm getting there. (Judges: 10!)

Tanya O'Debra, formerly of the O'Debra Twins, strikes out on her own here in Edinburgh with an original 40s-era radio whodunnit called "Radio Star." I was worried that I wasn't going to like Tanya's theater piece for a couple of reasons: 1. Cafe Renroc (we're at the same venue) doesn't lend itself well to a theatrical production and 2. I had never seen Tanya perform by herself for such a long time. My fears were totally unfounded. Miss O'Debra's "Radio Star" is fantastic. She performs no less than six distinct voices, controls the sound effects with her laptop as well as a couple of live sound effects (a mini-door that she opens and shuts, and shoes for audible footsteps walking to and away from the action). In the end you remember more the strength of her performance than the plot, but the script is loaded with laugh lines. (Judges: 10!)

Marga Gomez in "All that Gomez" is performing nightly to sold-out crowds. I was lucky to get a seat at her show last night where she races between stand-up bits, storytelling, and one-woman show theatrical bits... all hilarious. She riffs about being in Edinburgh, unafraid to not know where it's going for a bit, sure she'll find her comic footing. Marga is a great performer, and it's easy to watch someone so comfortable on the stage. She tells the story of auditioning for a part as a maid in a Kathleen Turner–directed made for TV movie. Though, Marga never wanted play a made, she did want to meet Kathleen Turner, so she took the audition. Fortunately for us, her Kathleen Turner impression is spot-on. So funny. But my favorite character sketch was her Ti-ti (tia, aunt) who tells little girl Marga that she is a dirty little piggie girl (cochina! cochina! cochina), and when her mother dies, little Marga will be all Ti-ti's. Disturbing, hilrious, honest. (Judges: 10!)

Review #2: Four stars! "A truly sick and perverted individual... not to be missed!"

From Scotsgay Magazine
Ben Lerman’s Size Matters
Laughing Horse @ Café Renroc

Ben Lerman plays the ukulele. Oh yes, he does indeed. Passing well, too. He is also a truly sick and perverted individual performing songs that I feel sure he neither learned nor sang at mother's knee (unless he had an extremely tolerant mother). His pleasant singing voice combines with the product of considerable manual dexterity on his small but perfectly formed instruments to fill the converted subterranean bakery that adjoins Renroc's famed Rusty Water
Department. The cubby New Yorker sings of things he knows: love, loss, pirates, chubby chasers, online dating and much more... And has the intimate space rocking with not inconsiderable mirth. It's the intimacy which makes it work. And why he should be confined to the small stage - if not a padded cell. Contains strong language: not suitable for trendy bisexuals, vegetarians or the politically correct. Enter this open sewer with an open mind! As Edinburghers oft say of the last omnibus of the evening: not to be missed! —John Hein

Twentysomething, Titty Shake with Hettie Heartache, Debaucherous 2 AM Podcasting

(Above: Mocha Deluxe)

Twentysomething (Judges: 10!)
Yesterday, Delfino and I saw a play written, produced, marketed, and performed by six young British actors. It's called Twentysomething and it's a story of old high school friends reconvening after a year or so apart, reconciling that friendships that once seemed so solid are actually fluid and fragile. It had some big laughs and at its best, it was like The Big Chill meets Skins. At it's worst, it was a bad episode of Dawson's Creek. But there were more highs than lows. More levity than gravity. For a group of such young writer/performers it was truly impressive. And their marketing is unmistakeably brilliant. They look like American Apparel models and they are pulling large audiences every day. Bravo!

Titty Shake with Hettie Heartache
I've been performing on a variety show regularly called Kleine Komedie Kabaret. It's a mix of burlesque, music, comedy and drinking heavily. Like the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC. Last night a young lady who goes by the name of Hettie Heartache performed a dance called the Wings of Isis, and I caught a cool shot of it.

Debaucherous 2 AM Podcast
After doing three shows (my own then two variety shows) I met Delfino for a drink where I met the hilarious Phil Kay. He seems like a delightful lunatic and I'm looking forward to going to his show. Delfino and I proceded to our friend Stacy Mayer's house where her boyfriend (husband?) Anwar cooked up a mean feast and then we all continued drinking heavily and performed on Stacy's live video blog... It was loud. And fun.

Here's a nice photo, Renroc Pics, Stay gold Pony Boy

Here's a nice photo of me that Carolyn Castiglia took. Her show is at the same time as mine so we'll never see each other's shows. Boo.

Meet Pony Boy, my bicycle. I bought Pony Boy on day two off of Gumtree (the UK's craigslist) from a Polish Rastafarian and his wife and baby. They were very sweet and the dude offered to buy it back from me at the end of the festival. The chain keeps coming off, but for the most part, Pony Boy is getting me around this hilly city all right. I hear that bikes get stolen a lot. But I don't think anybody's gonna "nick" him, because he is a piece of shit that I bought off a Polish Rastafarian. Every time I park him, I say, "Stay gold, Pony Boy."

Here are a couple of pictures of my venue, featuring the outside patio, barman/waiter Nick, and the cozy performance space downstairs.

Ladybygs and Funerals

I saw two friends' shows today, my first "day off" since we started on the 6th. I went to meet a friend for an afternoon drink, then stressed about how things were going, then finally relaxed and saw two shows. My rating system is much like Reverend Jen's Antislam rating system. The judges always give the performance a 10.

Ladybug Warrior (Judges: 10!)
This is Vicki Ferrentinos' one-woman show. She explains how she ended up with a philosophy of living the life she chooses through playing a variety of characters from her life experiences, her dad, her mom, her early childhood crush. I laughed a lot, loved the show. There is something so immediately likeable about Vicki, self-aware of her Oprah-losphophizing and giggling at her own superpowers.

The Funeralogues (Judges: 10!)
Stacy Mayer plays many characters at a funeral, her 10-year old self, a southern storefront funeral director, an elderly civil rights movemnet era old man. Are they all dead? Are we all dead? The show is theatrical and open. Stacy's performance includes a lot of improv with audience members and their reactions to being at a funeral, wondering who's funeral it is that we're at... What would you want your funeral to be like? Really enjoyed the show.

Afterward I hung out with a cute boy and his merry band of 20-something thespians. They are a cast of 7 or 8 all living some sort of Big Brother scenario in a house somewhere round these parts. Tomorrow I'm doing two variety shows before my solo show, then going to try to see a show called "Misery Eats Company" by Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting, Kate and Leah.

I'm going to try to catch shows by Matt Kirschen, Carolyn Castiglia, Desiree Burch, Kurt and Kristen, and some other funny people. Also this week is Annabel Cooper's birthday party and some other fun things to do...

Get an agent? Let the agents come to me.