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Hoot 2 at Hoots @ The Apex
Hoots @ The Apex was a new one for me — nearly 20 years coming to the Fringe and I don’t think I’d ever been to the Apex Hotel in the Grassmarket as a Fringe venue before. You get in round the back, up the ramp, into what can only be described as a very hot and uncomfortable room. That said, credit where it’s due: a nice spot for a cup of tea beforehand, and I’m always a sucker for a comfy seat and decent lighting, so it wasn’t the worst way to kick off a three-show day.
Anyone For Tennis? is a returning five-star show from Pauline Eyre, a former Wimbledon line judge who’s been dining out on the gossip from behind the curtain — everything from the fragrant royal box to the distinctly less fragrant locker room. She’s clearly done the rounds too, with the show having popped up on BBC Radio 5 Live, Radio Wimbledon, NPR and ABC Australia.
The show starts before you’re even in the room. Pauline appeared in the queue in full Wimbledon line-judge kit and delivered a pre-match prologue right there, addressing us like her team about to march out onto Centre Court. From there it’s structured as a warm-up followed by three sets, taking us through what it’s actually like to be a linesman at Wimbledon and beyond — her love of tennis (and, very specifically, of Stefan Edberg — she really does love Stefan), her drive to make it up to the High Chair, and her 12 years at Wimbledon, several of them spent as Team Leader for the linesmen on Centre Court.
The jokes were good, if not quite rolling-in-the-seat territory, and she’s honest about why: tennis, it turns out, is a hard sport to write actual jokes about. Puns, sure, those come easy. Jokes are another matter. Her physical comedy picked up a lot of the slack though — she had the whole room’s heads swinging side to side as she worked the stage, like we were watching a rally rather than a stand-up set. A few bits ran on a little too long or landed flatter than intended, but none of that stopped me enjoying the hour.
Overall, a fun hour with some great hidden gossip from behind the Wimbledon curtain. Good fun if you’re after something easy to watch, and especially so if you’re mad about tennis.