A Fringe Encore: Songwriter and storyteller Daniel Cainer explores his family's Jewish-British identity in his autobiographical solo show. A hit at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
See it if You want to see a memoir told through song about growing up Jewish in England. You want to hear stories told in a friendly manner.
Don't see it if You want a more traditional one-person show that has a crafted script. You don't like musicals.
See it if You like cabaret-style shows and sweet, mainly autobiographical songs.
Don't see it if You like a narrative, or find repetitive melodies boring. You don't want to do minimal call and response singing.
See it if You don't need to see traditional theater, and can enjoy music/a cabaret night that is very relatable
Don't see it if You don't like musicals
See it if you enjoy Jewish humor, enjoy one man plays that tell the story of their life thru song.
Don't see it if you are not interested in a one man story about his life, don't understand Jewish humor
See it if You want to have a joyful 80-90 minutes. There's a wonderful prepared encore that's a fitting coda. 1 man show, perfect on the small stage
Don't see it if You're a grump or want absolute perfection.
See it if You like intimate and sweet storylines and some audience participation.
Don't see it if You like big and splashy productions with a big cast.
"While it may not produce the belly laughs promised in his promo ads, it still draws chuckles, even from its gentile patrons…Cainer saves his best routine for last and uses his own father as the comedic target…You don't have to be Jewish (or British) to get a kick out of Cainer's routines, although it certainly would help."
Read more
"His lyrics show a sly sense of humor, and he’s never shy about letting us in on the joke…While his skills as a troubadour are to be admired, each song’s overlength is to the show’s detriment…His persona is engaging, and he’s a consummate entertainer. If there’s a hitch to the show, it’s that while clever, most of its humor is obvious, offering little in the way of irony or double entendre…Some will take to Cainer right off. For others, he may be an acquired taste."
Read more
"Cainer is presenting himself as a modern troubadour. The one downside of this style is that at times it feels like a song has gone on for too long. But then I’ll hear a cheeky bit of rhyming, and I’m sucked back in. The songs are funny and tragic and loving…It’s touching how appreciative and passionate Cainer is about his family…Do you have to be Jewish to appreciate the show?...The non-Jewish members of the audience were clapping and singing in Yiddish too."
Read more