Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Edinburgh Fringe Review: Carl Donnelly is a Nutter on the Bus you don’t want to ignore

Carl Donnelly brings his show The Nutter on the Bus to Edinburgh
Carl Donnelly brings his show The Nutter on the Bus to Edinburgh

NORMALLY if someone starts talking to you on a bus, your instinct is to tune out and hope they go away.

In the case of Carl Donnelly, however, you’re left wanting more from a man who’s experienced a lot in his 35 years and has plenty of stories to tell.

The Nutter on the Bus, his latest Fringe show, is something a little different for him. 

Usually used to packing out large venues, here Donnelly takes on something much more intimate with a crowd of just under 30 people on the top deck of a converted bus.

The BlundaBus’ home for the festival

The BlundaBus, a travelling double-decker venue currently parked up next to the Potterow Underpass, consists of a bar on the bottom floor and a cosy little theatre up top.

The venue is certainly an quirky one, Donnelly himself remarking that he had the rather unique Fringe problem when he arrived in Edinburgh of his venue not having shown up yet.

While the bus may be stationary, the show takes you on a journey through Donnelly’s mind and life, with a slight diversion into the spirit world.

The point of it, Donnelly explains, is to ‘work out if I’m a loony’.

It’s an hour of evidence that he admits would probably suggest that yes, yes he is.

Carl Donnelly performs on the top deck

The show explores his forays into psychedelic experiences, as Donnelly recalls a hilarious (and slightly stomach-churning) tale of his first experience with a hallucinogenic Peruvian tea, Ayahuasca, introduced with a don’t try this at home caveat.

He also covers the topics of his conversion to veganism, the difficulties of organising Christmas dinner with his family and a meeting with a shaman in south London for Peruvian tea: round two.

Unusual topics for a comedy show, but he’s self-aware enough to not sound pretentious when explaining his beliefs and quirks.

He is at ease, too, opening up about his experiences with mental health.

Carl Donnelly

Donnelly’s compelling storytelling, paired with the intimacy of the venue, makes it feel like you’re huddled round a friend telling deeply personal stories while also having a laugh at the same time.

If only all conversations with strangers on public transport were like this…

Verdict: ****

An immensely likeable and funny comedian, Carl Donnelly entertains and informs in equal measure as he opens up his mind to a room (well, bus) full of strangers.

It’s not a punchline-after-punchline style show, it’s something a lot more.

And a big thumbs-up for the BlundaBus!


Bobs Blundabus, August 17-27, 7:30pm

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/carl-donnelly-the-nutter-on-the-bus