The Scotsman reports today that there are record numbers of the usual big comedy names missing from this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, declaring this year one for the newcomer.
At first thought, this trend can be seen as a negative one, but it will be quite exciting over the autumn to see what talent emerges.
It is of little surprise that the established acts are giving the show a miss this year, with the constantly increasing costs of accommodation, venue fees, registration costs etc many comedians have stated that they only do the festival at all for the pure love of it mostly taking a loss over their run.
One would have to wonder, though, at what will happen to the larger venues if the trend continues in future years. Whilst the newcomers can make better use of the fringe to get them seen and heard without being overshadowed by the more famous acts, they are unlikely to be able to afford or fill the larger venues.
With increasing costs, the audience are having to pay progressively more for shows and are finding themselves having to decide between watching one show of a known act or being able to attend two or more shows of someone with less standing. Because the established comedians are so heavily exposed right now through television and radio, many are taking the risk on an unknown act, hoping to find a surprise future star.
You have to wonder, too, if the audience are growing weary of seeing the same faces and hearing the same voices time and again. In the current era of the panel show, it can seem sometimes that the same dozen or so people are appearing on something every day.
Maybe we need a good wave of new talent crawling up through the ranks. I can think of a few comedians who whilst still capable of turning out funny material are getting quite lazy with the complacency of having so many outlets for their work. Perhaps having a few newcomers chasing at them may scare them into working a little harder for our laughs.
Maybe we as an audience will start to demand more from our entertainers!
All-in-all, though, an exciting summer ahead for the world of comedy.
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