Fest 2012 Issue 4

!

EE FR

WWW.FESTMAG.CO.UK

LETTER OF MASS CTIOEANR DESTEIRGU GOES NUCL DAVID GR

3: COMEDY, THEATRE, MUSIC AND MORE – YOUR DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE FESTIVAL ISSUE 4:

pAul imp merTon

Just for comedy

pleAsArov Chum ’s nCe - G s rAnd

eAven AsheredTrBAellloon - 4.30pm

CATrionA Knox 5.40pm

Gild ns sporTsmA

rd lloyd lAnGfo 7.45pm sTudio 2 AssemBly rooms

simo

n

The AmsTel BonG l o Cl uB

noAh TrevorsAnC e - 7.15pm

Just for the Fringe

underBelly - dAisy

4pm

pleA rs upsTAi

Ard lle w .20pm dAnplieeAsAnCem-e 8

8.30p m

o

Ten d

GAl douG sBAelloon 7pm GildedinG room - din

nTi ninA CoCe -

8.30pm

pleAsAn KinG dome

Bren

Just for Edinburgh dylAn mor edinBu An rG plAyhouseh

ple don B KinGAsAnCe urns dom e 10pm

miTmT iChAel ple ermei BAB AsAnCe er

reGinA ld pleA d hunT CABArsAnCe - er eT BAr 9.2 0pm

y Gr And

9.30pm

8pm

Just for Laugh s!

sArAh KendAll pleAsAnCe pleAsAnCe 2 8.30pm

JArr e

Gilde d Chri s dinind BAlloo TmAs G roo n 9.30p m

m

lloyd CAriAeAdsAnCe - 4.45pm pl

MICK PERRIN FOR

all k out Chec ails at et the d rin.com per k c i m

CellAr

arfringe.com 0844 693 3008

gildedballoon.co.uk 0131 622 6552

edinburghplayhouse.org.uk 0844 871 3014

underbelly.co.uk 0844 545 8252

pleasance.co.uk 0131 556 6550

edfringe.com 0131 226 0000

productions Underbelly Productions and Strut & Fret Production House present

HHHH HHHH HHHH

THREE HOURS OF IMMERSIVE LATE-NIGHT REVELRY IN THE UNDERBELLY vaults

‘GLORIOUS’ TIME OUT

‘AUDIENCE GRABBING’

Beatboxing virtuoso and star of Edinburgh hit Tom Tom Crew

TOM THUM

‘BRILLIANT’ EVENING STANDARD

THE TIMES

‘TRAIL BLAZING, HELL-RAISING CABARET’ TIME OUT

BOOM BOOM CLUB

THE

VOCAL

5.15PM 2-27 AUGUST

“Thum is truly phenomenal” The Independent

ORCHESTRA

12.30AM 8-26 AUGUST

“Tom Thum appears to have swallowed an entire orchestra and several backing singers”

CREATED BY SHLOMO

The Guardian

6.45PM 2-27 AUGUST

E TUMBLCIRCUS

UNDERBELLY PRODUCTIONS AND TUMBLE CIRCUS PRESENT

BRIEFS

£83

11.15pm 1 - 27 August

£52

WINNER OF THE CANADIAN SPOKEN WORD OLYMPICS

LATE SHOW

£52

12.15am 3-26 Aug (Thu - Sun)

Full line-ups at underbelly.co.uk/lateshow

ONE MAN LORD OF THE RINGS

ONE MAN STAR WARS

£52

£52 , HEATH FRANKLIN S

CHOPPER A HARD

TALK ROCKER LATE NIGHT LAUGHS HAND-PICKED BY UNDERBELLY

www.briefsboys.com | www.facebook.com/briefsallmalecircuscabaret

SPANK

SUSAN CALMAN

NOW IN ITS 11TH STELLAR YEAR!

£83

All Male ~ All Vaudeville ~ All Trash

3.40pm 2-27 August

£52 THE INTERNATIONAL HIT COMEDY

ER

FRINGE FIRST AWARD WINN KAHLIL ASHANTI IN

8.50pm , 1-19 Aug BASTARD S

BEST POETRY READING

SHAYNE KOYCZAN

The Scotsman

HE HAS AN ABILITY TO TAKE YOU STRAIGHT TO THE HEART....

GUIDE TO

BASIC TRAINING

LIFE (OR HOW TO BE LESS

OF A FUCKTARD)

Guardian

, AUSTRALIA S FUNNIEST

7.30PM 13-27 AUG

COMEDY CHARACTER

HHHHH SUNDAY MAIL

more info: www.laughingstock.com.au

B*tch Boxer

Chapel Street

4pm 2-26 August

2.50pm 2-26 August

YOU CAN’T CHOOSE YOUR FAMILY... BUT YOU CAN CHANGE IT...

HHHHH The Scotsman

6.10PM 1-27 AUG

www.kahlilashanti.com

Glory Dazed

One Hour Only

Strong Arm

5pm 2-26 August

5.20pm 2-26 August

4.10pm 2-26 August

BUY TICKETS ON FACEBOOK UNDERBELLYEDINBURGH

AT BRISTO SQUARE AND COWGATE

e

te

y n

Welcome to

Fest

FEST IS YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE EDINBURGH FESTIVALS Pick us up from venues across Edinburgh PUBLISHER Sam Friedman EDITORIAL

Editor Ben Judge Deputy Editor Charlotte Lytton Comedy Editor Stevie Martin Theatre Editor Caroline Bishop Kids Editor Caroline Black Editorial Consultant Evan Beswick

PRODUCTION

festcontents

SHAPING the fringe

e acts to describe what Fest asks some top Fring , through the medium of the festival means to them plasticine. Obviously.

Hannah Gadsby

Mary. She imentary Super Virgin I have fashioned a rud have of ic expectations one can represents the unrealist egrity but e, money and artistic int the Fringe. I want fam my hymen nce having a child with I would have more cha sional might represent profes intact. Her green skin xion of ple icate the average com jealousy or it could ind s. nth in festival condition someone spending a mo

Creative Director Matthew MacLeod Photography Editor Claudine Quinn Office Manager Hannah Putsey Web Editor Anna Feintuck

SALES TEAM

Lara Moloney, George Sully, Tom McCarthy, Michaela Hall CONTACT FEST hello@festmag.co.uk PUBLISHED BY FEST MEDIA LIMITED Registered in Scotland number SC344852

Cover Photo Claudine Quinn, www.lensonlegs.co.uk

REGISTERED ADDRESS 3 Coates Place, Edinburgh, EH3 7AA Every effort has been made to check the accuracy of the information in this magazine, but the publisher cannot accept liability for information which is inaccurate.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the explicit permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within this publication do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the printer or the publisher. Š Fest Media Limited 2012

4 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012

www.festmag.co.uk

festcontents 8 FEATURES

8 Letter of Last Resort

Evan Beswick has a nice, gentle conversation with Scotland’s top playwright, David Greig... about nuclear war.

12 Hi-Kick

Edd McCracken polishes his football skills with South Korea’s finest

16 Theatre Talent Scouting

Yasmin Sulaiman follows Steve Marmion, the director of the Soho Theatre, around Edinburgh looking for the next big thing.

21 COMEDY 24 Ben Target

The mad-cap comedian has a hit on his hands.

31 Trevor Noah

Hailing from South Africa, Noah tackles the issue of race and racism with wit and skill.

34 David O’Doherty

2009’s Edinburgh Comedy Award winner is back, doing what he does best.

39 The Committee Room

Ellis James and James Corcoran preside over this hilarious meeting.

41 THEATRE 43 Mies Julie

A reimaging of August Strindberg’s classic play as part of Assembly’s South African season.

45 Mess

A heart-wrenching tale exploring anorexia.

46 CountryBoy’s Struggle

A hip-hopera about a Cornish lad’s battle to make it as a rapper.

61 Tatyana

This stunning ballet is the highlight of the EIF programme so far.

62 MUSIC

62 Dead Cat Bounce!

The Irish pop-rock comics return to Edinburgh.

65 And They Played Shang-a-Lang

Scottish 70s nostalgia wrapped up in a musical.

66 KIDS

66 Monsters Got Talent

Toby Mitchell talks to Fest about talent shows, morals and flying by the seat of your pants

69 The Amazing Bubble Man

Our kid critics are blown away by the bubbly fun on offer.

70 LISTINGS

Your essential what's on guide to the world's biggest arts festival.

Advertise in fest www.festmag.co.uk

Contact sales@festmag.co.uk for more information

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 5

perfectday

y a d t c e f r e p e h t

ing that the ing to see or do everyth n at least Face it: you're never go a bit of planning, you ca th wi t Bu er. off to ve festivals ha perfect day e fest team plan your th let ll, sti r tte Be st. see the be Horrible Histories PLEASANCE COURTYARD

Edinburgh Larder BLACKFRIARS STREET lent range Start the day off right with an excel ns, from of locally-sourced breakfast optio ish breakfast. healthy porridge to the full Scott

Take the kids to see William Wallace, Henry VIII and Guy Fawkes get ready for battle!

12:00 0 :0 0 1

8: 00

15 :15

And No More Shall We Part TRAVERSE not to be You’d have a hard heart indeed story of moved by Tom Holloway’s quiet end of a couple coming to terms with the their time together.

6 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

l Kieran and Joe: Friends of Stee PLEASANCE COURTYARD Joe Parham Double act Kieran Hodgson and perfect the to key the know they n recko to pass friendship – it’s a secret they want sketches. on in this upbeat, pacy series of

www.festmag.co.uk

perfectday The Mojito Embassy 321 BAR, ASSEMBLY GEORGE SQ

Whighams Wine Cellars CHARLOTTE SQAURE Just a stone’s throw from the Book Festival, this cosy basement restau rant offers a variety of tasty contempor ary Scottish dishes.

21 :15

23 :0 0

na Make your way to the hip Hava to Mojito Embassy and learn how make the perfect Cuban Mojito.

18 :30

Boris and Sergey’s Vaudevillian Adventure PLEASANCE COURTYARD

17 :0 0

Boris and Sergey are two Eastern European confidence tricksters who also happen to be faceless leather bunraku puppets - a perfect evening of dark, surreal comedy.

Glory Dazed UNDERBELLY COWGATE Part of the Old Vic New Voices Edinburgh season, Glory Dazed is a powerful and affecting look at adjusting to life in the UK after military service.

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 7

NUCLEAR

SUMMER With Letter of Last Resort, David Greig returns triumphant to the Edinburgh stage. Evan Beswick talks to him about learning to love the bomb.

T

HE HYPE ain’t never what it’s cracked up to be. And so, it’s with an inevitable degree of wearied scepticism that one approaches the bible of bombast that is the Fringe programme. Still, in billing David Greig and David Harrower as “two of Scotland’s greatest playwrights” the Traverse might just have raised the PR bar this year.

“Well, it’s not... I wouldn’t have written that!” laughs Greig. What this definitely isn’t, however, is a denial. Pausing for a moment’s consideration, he continues, hesitantly: “I think they are trying to harness their feeling of excitement about me and David Harrower being on the same bill... and the feeling that it is a special moment. You know... I think I would agree! I think it is quite special. I wouldn’t use that language because I think it would be strange and hubristic to do so. But I’m very, very proud to share a bill with David Harrower. That’s certainly something that is exciting.”

Throughout our conversation, it’s a rare step back from assured eloquence for Greig – an eloquence all the more impressive given that, as we speak, the poor chap is languishing in bed with what he poetically diagnoses as “an incipient lurgy.” But even through the fug of ailment, it’s patently obvious that his excitement is genuine. And given the pedigree of both Davids, it’s pretty hard to deny: their pairing on the same bill is an exciting prospect.

Both CVs are exemplars of prolific— and prolifically acomplished—theatrical production. Harrower shot straight to success with his first play, Knives in Hens

– still performed professionally now, 17 years on. Alongside his original works (2003’s Dark Earth, another highlight), Harrower has wrought further acclaim adapting the works of giants of the stage (Brecht, Pirandello and Chekhov, amongst others) for modern audiences.

Greig, meanwhile, is perhaps best known for Midsummer: a play with songs, a rom-com beloved by audiences and, remarkably, critics alike. Let it never be said that either David draws back from a challenge.

Restricting themselves here to terse, tense dialogues, two short plays form the headline 80 minutes of the Traverse programme: Harrower’s Good with People charts a long-avoided return to Helensburgh, the home of Britain’s nuclear deterrent programme; The Letter of Last Resort, Greig’s two-hander and by many accounts the most startling of the playlets that comprised the Tricycle theatre’s collection The Bomb—a partial history, takes as its subject one of the more unusual of a new prime minister’s chores—the writing of a letter to be opened in the event that Britain suffers a nuclear attack. The nuclear question, it seems, has a particular allure for dramatic treatment by Scottish writers.

“David [Harrower] lives very near [the nuclear submarine base] Faslane,” Greig explains. “He has submarines going past his window, so that’s in his imagination.

And for me, although I was asked specifically to do nuclear, I chose to do this story because I’d seen the submarines too, and because Faslane is... it’s a strange kind of monster in the middle of Scotland.

8 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Photos above, over page: Claudine Quinn

www.festmag.co.uk

“Nuclear weapons are kind of complicated... I only began to write the play when I thought it was possible that I could support them.”

“I remember all through my childhood—and I also talked to David about this—growing up with this feeling that we had these... creatures on our doorstep. So it was inevitable in a way that we would both end up writing something about that at some point.”

Indeed, anyone who has seen one of the Navy’s crow-black nuclear submarines slinking around the Scottish coastline (or, indeed, beached bulkily and embarrassingly on a sandbank off

www.festmag.co.uk

the Isle of Skye in the manner of HMS Astute) will recognise “creature” as an apt metaphor for the hulking vessels.

“They move sort of silently like sharks or something,” he continues. “They move under the water invisibly and then when they emerge they are shocking in their size, and the feeling that comes off them when you see them.”

There’s a care and precision here with which Greig choses his words that makes a particularly strong impression. u

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 9

festfeature t What’s noticeable is that, despite their accretions of potential metaphor, his language throughout is strangely valueless. Indeed, in a single line of The Letter of Last Resort, Greig drives at the nub of the nuclear debate with a clarity rarely seen in the tit-for-tat staple of codphilosophical natter: “To write ‘retaliate’ is monstrous and irrational,” Greig’s prime minister observes. “To write ‘don’t retaliate’ renders the whole nuclear project valueless.” It’s a line which, one suspect, will earn Greig his slot in anthologies of British playwriting. It seems certainly to earn him his magniloquent billing at the Traverse.

“Nuclear weapons are kind of complicated,” he explains. “I only began to write the play when I thought it was possible that I could support nuclear weapons.

Otherwise it was pointless because if I really don’t like nuclear weapons, what am I going to say? I know there isn’t anything to discuss, really. But when I realised that there was actually a strong argument for nuclear weapons that I could be persuaded by, I thought well, OK, I might be able to write something.

Because there’s a fight, isn’t there?

There’s a fight between different voices, and that’s when you get a play.”

It’s an ambivalence that might also cause discomfort for Edinburgh’s more right-on theatregoers. But, perhaps, it’s a measure of Greig’s success that he’s able to take such risks: “Because I’ve been writing in Scotland for nearly 20 years, there is a thing where one begins to feel the possibility of being very brave because you think the audience will come with you on that journey.”

And with great power, presumably, comes great responsibility? There’s a level of hyperbole Greig won’t let pass: “If you ever start thinking ‘is this line worthy of an important playwright?’ then it’s just awful! All art is going to turn to ash in your hands if you have that thought. So you just have to... you have to have the same anxieties and neuroses that you always had.

“It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s always taking your clothes off in public.

And if you start feeling happy about taking your clothes off in public, then you’re probably on a spiral that you don’t want to go down.” f Traverse Theatre, times vary, 15–26 Aug, not 20, £18.00 – £20.00

10 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

www.festmag.co.uk

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 11

BOOT CAMP udine Quinn

Photos: Cla

With the annual Amnesty International Critics vs.

Comedians football match looming, Edd McCracken meets one of the Fringe's top sporting acts in the hope of learning tricks to defeat the funnymen

S

OME MIGHT consider it cheating.

As I clamber onto the craggy side of Arthur’s Seat on an overcast afternoon, I feel less of an underhanded sneak and more of a pilgrim honouring the patron saint of underdeveloped 1980s kids, Daniel Larusso from The Karate Kid. I too seek guidance and wisdom from the Far East. Hence, I have come to meet a group of skilful warriors who will endow me with the secrets of their art form.

Their name is Hi-Kick. They hail mainly from South Korea. Their Edinburgh show features unearthly footballing skills. They alone will help me vanquish the Cobra Kai of the Fringe: the comedians’ football team.

On Sunday 19 August at 2pm on the Meadows I will lead out a rag-tag bunch of critics against these more popular and talented individuals in the annual Amnesty International Critics vs. Comedians football match.

Frankly, we’re not very good. We critics hide behind pithy sign-offs and the threat of giving one-star reviews. In reality a life behind a keyboard has withered our arms to weedy dino-size and physical coordination stops at being able to simultaneously hold a pint and write disparaging, self-satisfied comments in our notebooks during gigs.

In contrast, the comedians have been known to “sweep the leg” with abandon.

Their captain, Mark Watson, rules with an iron fist. He insists his team call him sensei. Defeat does not exist in his dojo.

They strike first, strike hard. No mercy. He commands them to “put them in a body bag.”. u

12 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

www.festmag.co.uk

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 13

festfeature t Fear and desperation has led me to this moment on Arthur’s Seat: repeatedly heading a football against the ground with all the apparent sanity of a caged elephant, whilst holding the pose of an oversized chicken. Young children and dog walkers stop and stare. Hi-Kick’s resident strongman Ahn Jeongmo assures me this is a vital skill. This must be how young Larusso felt when presented with a car bonnet and some wax.

But I persevere. Hi-Kick should be the perfect show to help me prepare for the match. It tells the simple story of good versus evil through the medium of football. A sage-like footballer helps a bunch of no-hopers become maestros on the pitch and defeat their brutish, callous opponents. It’s like seeing Sunday’s game unfold on stage.

The show began life in Seoul, South Korea 18 months ago. San Theatre Company gathered together 12 performers from a variety of backgrounds. Former professional woman’s footballer? Check.

Ballet dancer? Check. Boxer? Come on in. Taekwondo expert? Fill your boots.

Two of the three girls hail from Thailand, where they played sepak takraw, a hugely entertaining mix of volleyball and football.

All are supreme athletes. What hope is there for a bald, gangly, uncoordinated journalist? Quite a bit, Hi-Kick believe. It is one of the Thai girls, Supakarnkamjorn Kasidinthorn—Maem to her friends—who coaches me through another spectacular if seemingly impractical trick.

She traps the ball mid-air in the cradle between the front of her foot and her ankle, then flicks it up, catches and balances it on her finger, then with a quick pointing action, rolls the ball along her arm. Easy. The practical application to an actual football match is unclear, but the rapid finger poke might help blind Watson and his crew, should the match get all South American derby on us.

With little spoken English but gallons of good-will, Maem teaches me the constituent parts. I quickly find out I have the most awkward arms in Christendom.

When they should be relaxed and flexible, they are either like ramrods by my side or arched like some demented piece of Gothic architecture. Despite this, thanks to my coach, I start trapping the ball and getting it onto my finger. Admittedly it stays there for a millisecond before I start careering around our grassy knoll trying to balance it, like Fawlty Towers’ Manuel overloaded with plates. But damn it, I did it.

Next up is the overhead kick. Choi Youngjo is my guide through the mysteries of this gravity defying, balletic move.

Despite his comedy bowl haircut, Youngjo used to be a boxer, can kick twice his own height, and is the closest thing Hi-Kick has to Jackie Chan.

He throws the ball in the air and then does an explosive somersault, attacking the ball in mid-flight, before landing perfectly on the ground. The ball has soared into the back of our makeshift nets. I start to wonder how many reviews one needs to do to qualify as a critic. He might not speak English, but I’m sure Fest could publish some of Youngjo’s musings on the Scandinavian comedy scene.

14 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Nanny, the other Thai girl, also has a go at the overhead kick. Again she completes it with astonishing grace and nimbleness.

Next up it’s me. When Peter Crouch, my kindred physical spirit, scored a spectacular goal against Chelsea last year, The Guardian memorably likened his blizzard of limbs to “a windmill falling down the stairs.” My attempts are more like a windmill imploding. There is no forward movement, no dynamism, no goal. Just 12 stone of emaciated writer hanging in the air like a sub-standard Turner Prize exhibit, arms and legs blindly searching for something, anything, in the void, before crumpling in on itself, leaving a groaning, mangled heap of bones on the ground.

Hi-Kick gasp. Youngjo runs over to make sure I’m okay. Gamely he talks me through the basic moves again. This time I nail it. I am on a roll. Giddy after that success, Hi-Kick talk me through a bevy of other tricks, from balancing the ball on my head, catching it behind my neck, rolling it around the circumference of my arms, doing a handstand and heading the ball. All of which they manage with metronomic efficiency in their stage show. I manage clumsy variations of some, others remain frustratingly far from my grip.

But, thanks to the skill and tutelage of Hi-Kick, by the end of our training session I emerge a more tricksy footballer.

As Daniel Larusso discovered, you must learn to stand before you can fly. Watch out comedians, Hi-Kick has given the critics some wings. f Assembly Hall, 4:05pm – 5:05pm, 15–27 Aug, not 20, £13.00 – £15.00

www.festmag.co.uk

COMEDY NEEDS A NEW ICON. Discover Southampton Solent University’s Comedy and Performance Degree www.solent.ac.uk/comedy E: fcis.registry@solent.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)23 8031 9536

THE NEXT BIG THING? Within the industry, the Edinburgh festival is the largest trade fair of the year.

Yasmin Sulaiman follows Steve Marmion, the artistic director of the Soho Theatre in London, as he scouts out the hottest new theatre shows.

I

T’S BEEN little over two years since Steve Marmion became Artistic Director at the Soho Theatre in London, but he’s always been clear about his vision for the venue. “It should feel like Edinburgh,” he tells me over lunch, during a packed day of Fringe shows. “It should feel like the best of Edinburgh actually.

We want to feel like a conservatoire of production whilst having an amazingly buzzy festival programme 365 days a year.”

And with six slots an evening to fill across three spaces, Marmion has his work cut out for him every August. In 2010, his first year in the job, he saw nearly 200 shows at Edinburgh. He only picked up two: Little Bulb’s Herald Angel Award-winning Operation Greenfield and Bryony Kimmings’ Sex Idiot, which won a Total Theatre Award and then went on to develop last year’s 7 Day Drunk with the theatre.

After that exhausting first year, he now relies on his network of colleagues and trusted associates to help him cover the Fringe. But his enthusiasm stems from his own experiences as a writer and director bringing work to the festival.

Marmion has been coming to Edinburgh every year since 1996, when he was a fresh university graduate who’d written a play about the 1989 Hillsborough disaster (he was at Hillsborough that day). It caught the eye of the National Theatre’s Jack Bradley but Marmion says that “other than that first year, I’d never managed to get anyone to see my work. Not anyone who would have given it further life.”

We meet on the first Monday of the Fringe; Marmion’s already been in town for a few days and seen around 20 shows.

So far, he’s most enthusiastic about Bitch Boxer —“It’s one of the proudest hours I’ve ever spent in the theatre”—and Boris and Sergey’s Vaudevillian Adventure, an adult puppet show recommended to him

by Mervyn Millar, puppet director on War Horse.

His next stop is Carnival of Crows, a free show whose company members

work with Marmion at the Soho Theatre.

Marmion is there to show his support, rather than because he’s had a hot tip about the work. It’s a macabre story about Victorian carnival sideshows, and Marmion is engaged by the play and impressed by the one-woman performance.

But—as with many plays he’ll see at the Fringe—he’s much more likely to build a relationship with the company off the back of this rather than give it a straight transfer to the Soho.

He explains the process: “I’ll have a drink with the guys in the company one evening up here or in London and ask what they’re up to, what their plans are and how we can support them. It’ll probably mean some rehearsal space here and there, or I’ll watch a run-through and offer notes or a script-writer attachment.

The one way I can’t help is with money.

We haven’t got any – no one has. But I can help with the artistic resources we’ve got.”

Knowing Marmion, or one of his trusted advisors, helps if you want to get his attention at the Fringe. But the theatre aims to see every Edinburgh show they’re invited to. So if you pitch your show correctly, it’s likely to get a viewing from him or a Soho associate.

“The people who tweet me to come and see a show are less likely to get there than the ones that have written me an email,” he admits. “The way to get me there is to know me already and have made contact. Come and see my work, too. Tell me, ‘I like what you’re doing at your theatre. I think my play would fit this space beautifully and this time slot.’

Make it impossible for me to say no, that’s the way people can really get me along to their show.”

For Marmion, Edinburgh is a two way street. In one direction, you’ve got the shows that the Soho Theatre has helped produce or develop to bring up to the Fringe. This year, that includes Phil Porter’s Blink at the Traverse, Joel Horwood’s I Heart Peterborough and Oh, the Humanity and Other Good Intentions by

16 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

www.festmag.co.uk

Above from top: Blink, I Heart Peterborough; Left from top: Bitch Boxer, Boris and Sergey’s Vaudevillian Adventure

Will Eno. And since the opening of its downstairs comedy and cabaret space, the theatre has also become influential in the comedy world: this year they’ve helped bring Bourgeois and Maurice and Doctor Brown’s Befrdfgth, one of this year’s hottest tickets, to Edinburgh.

The other direction is “pegging it from venue to venue and seeing who’s next”.

And although Marmion is resistant to having one-man shows in the main Soho theatre (“We do them already,” he shrugs, “and they’re called comedy”) he thinks there’s a space for the right solo pieces in the theatre’s more intimate upstairs venue, which is about “those young and emerging companies – that raw work, work that’s at the convergence point of genres.”

Coincidentally, the next show we see together turns out to be a one-man piece – Oliver Reed: Wild Thing. Over the

www.festmag.co.uk

two minute walk from our lunch spot to the venue, Marmion seems every bit the Edinburgh veteran, waving to or pointing out people he knows on every street. In the queue for the show, we bump into Ali Robertson—Marmion’s counterpart at the Tobacco Factory Theatre in Bristol—and, as the two chat frantically about everything they’ve seen so far, the extent of the director’s trusted network becomes clear.

Oliver Reed is an engaging hour and, again, Marmion admires the performance.

Yet, despite a brief scene in which the young Reed visits seedy Soho for a night of debauchery, it’s not edgy enough for him to feel it merits a transfer to his theatre.

But although today hasn’t brought any big surprises or exciting discoveries, he’s still convinced that Edinburgh is the only place to find the best new companies in the UK.

“Where else would you do it?” he says. I suggest Brighton’s own expanding Fringe, but he’s not convinced. “I don’t go to Brighton. There are other festivals, and things like Latitude and Glastonbury. But you couldn’t invent this festival from a blank page. What’s wonderful about Edinburgh is that it’s really democratic and open access. It’s up to you to make your splash and it’s up to me to find out what the buzz is and come and see the good stuff.

“And it’s not just up to me on my lovely Soho throne,” he continues. “It’s up to every single punter here to find their own Edinburgh. It doesn’t matter how many posters you’ve got on a lamppost, people will find it if the work’s right. If there’s a picture of someone in a Liverpool kit on a poster, my head turns. I can’t help it but that’s the work I want to see and it’s all here for me.” f

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 17

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB

0131 558 7272 | thestand.co.uk

THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS

54 George Street 0844 693 3008 www.arfringe.com

HHHH Get ready for some comedy mathletics in the standup's latest turbocharged show Page 30 Photo: Claudine Quinn

www.festmag.co.uk

festcomedy

NICK MOHAMMED

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 21

festcomedy

Pappy’s: Last Show Ever

HHHHH

Fair play to sketch troupe Pappy’s: the trio have done a fantastic job bigging up this year’s show as a last chance to indulge in an apparently significant moment in comedy history. Pay your money, folks, and hail for one last time the conquering heroes. But after an hour in their company, one is forced to admit that the self-made hype isn’t entirely

Casual Violence: A Kick in the Teeth

HHHHH

Tragicomedy sketch group Casual Violence are refreshingly dark. Their latest offering A Kick in the Teeth takes us to tense sketch comedy environments and isn’t afraid to explore their strangeness in search of a laugh. The result is a promising hour with strong performances all round and several memorable characters,

unjustified. Pappy’s cement their position here as the tightest, smartest and most consistently funny sketch troupe on the circuit – indeed, the steady realisation that this might not be curtains for them comes as a pleasant relief.

Ostensibly, Last Show Ever revolves around a neat conceit which sees the three aged performers reliving the fateful last show in an attempt to recall why it proved to be their swan song. There’s some fun to be had in playing

the old codgers, and in the various misrememberings which cloud their doddery minds (this baguette, it seems, is not just a baguette).

But to read too much into the narrative is to miss the point of this deliciously silly hour.

It’s a neat device to cover costume changes and link the otherwise unlinkable in a show which relies on pace, timing and a high laugh-perminute rate for its eminent success. Though well-worked recurring jokes (‘head,

shoulders, knees and toes’, for instance, is used inventively throughout), variation of tone and pitch, and judicious deployment of audience participation, the typical constraints of the sketch format are, if not completely overcome, then largely swept under the carpet. Pappy’s is dead; long live Pappy’s. [Evan Beswick]

the deranged ‘Poppyman’ selling Remembrance Day poppies a clear highlight.

Separating Casual Violence from the hordes of budding sketch comedy troupes at the Fringe is a comprehensive control of tone. James Hamilton has done a slick job of infusing the writing with their specific eeriness, further cultivated by their ‘keyboard sidekick’ who soundtracks the hour in a suitably unsettling manner. In truth, Adam

Felman’s role is more integral than musical background or sidekick, despite being trapped at his keyboard stool he comes to shine in providing an element of musical comedy between set changes and during sketches. Here, Casual Violence demonstrate they have a keen awareness of the boundaries of sketch comedy and are able to experiment within them, while still maintaining their particularly intriguing collective voice.

Some scenes fall a little flat, with a lengthy ‘cop who is constantly narrating rather than taking action’ sketch risking the audience’s patience. But it’s clear this experimentation with the form aims to capture our interest and, along with their strength as performers, shows serious promise for the future. [Gemma Flynn]

22 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Pleasance Dome, 8:20pm – 9:20pm, 15–27 Aug, £12.50 – £14.00

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 10:00pm – 11:00pm, 15–26 Aug, not 21, £8.00

THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS

54 George Street 0844 693 3008 www.arfringe.com

festcomedy Discover Ben Target

HHHHH

A suspicious welcome comes courtesy of Ben Target’s minions, swaddled in contamination suits and doling out sweets said to come “from the bottom of Ben’s aunt”. Or possibly “heart” – it wasn’t clear. We are promised something “a little bit different and altogether beautiful,” which in this case means an exercise in messy, prop-based idiocy.

So crucial is the element of surprise here that only so much can be revealed.

Target—a skinny, bearded goon who booms in thespian tones—has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, down his trousers and stashed in his Tardis of a jacket. Deadpan, he unfurls a repertoire of absurd visual gags, crap sorcery and brazen feats of audience coercion.

Physical comedy has bred a sort of arms race and Target enters it with gusto: who can push the crowd furthest without getting arrested or attacked? Though

Michael Mittermeier: A German on Safari

HHHHH

Talk about having your cake and eating it. Michael Mittermeier is quick to dabble in ironic Nazi references, branding his venue a bunker as soon as he takes to the stage and going on to suggest he has unfinished business with the roomful of allied audience members. We’re confident that he’s joking at these points, but as he staggers before us, groaning and contorting his face in what he says as an impression of a ‘handicapped’ person, it’s difficult not to at least question his views on eugenics.

It should come as no surprise that ‘Germany’s bestselling comic’ is happy to casu-

not the most extreme of its belligerents, he inflicts things on the paying public that surely warrant legal action.

The laughs elicited tend to be cheap, but there will always be a place for the sadistic pleasure of seeing a ticketholder terrorised or the satisfying sight of flotsam left strewn across the floor.

This familiar formula of orchestrated mayhem proves largely reliable, but alone it provides no guarantee of success. Presentation still matters, and while his plodding delivery lends impact to tricksy lines, it saps momentum as often as it adds tension. What really makes or breaks this pushy approach, though, is that the maestro must have an infectious energy, the charisma of a cult leader. And here Target, building to a scrappy, disorientating finale, gains his fair share of disciples. [Lyle Brennan] Underbelly, Cowgate, 4:55pm – 5:55pm, 15–26 Aug, £9.00 – £10.00

ally mock the most vulnerable people in society for the sake of a few cheap laughs. After all, his entire set is constructed around uninspired reactions to difference and otherness.

There is simply no room for the individual in Mittermeier’s hackneyed, nationalistic world view. We must all be defined and categorised.

Over the course of his Edinburgh debut, we learn that each country differs greatly from the next. For instance, Germany has no speed limit whereas the UK does, meaning that everyone in the former drives recklessly while we go at a slower pace.

Honestly, the people of each nation couldn’t be more different if they tried! When the comic reveals that phrases from certain languages don’t always survive translation

24 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

with their meaning intact, we interpret this as an explanation for the clumsiness of his own material. As he treats us to a comedy impersonation of an Indian man, however, it becomes clear that A German

on Safari’s many faults stem from Mittermeier himself.

[Lewis Porteous] Pleasance Courtyard, 9:30pm – 10:30pm, 14–27 Aug, not 20, £9.00 – £10.00

BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH LISA WHITE AT GLORIOUS MANAGEMENT ARE PROUD TO PRESENT

“You’re in the presence of a potential megastar” THE GUARDIAN

“One of the funniest shows you’ll see all year, anywhere” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

“A wonderfully crazy funny hour” THE SCOTSMAN

ED EXT RA SHO WS ADD 7.50 AUG 21 @ 5.10PM & AUG 23 @

DIRECTED BY MATT PEOVER

PM

www.gloriousmanagement.com www.nickhelm.co.uk

www.boundandgaggedcomedy.com

BoundAndGaggedComedy

@BandGComedy

festcomedy Michael Workman: Mercy

HHHHH

Michael Workman is listed under ‘comedy’ in the Fringe programme, but this multi-talented Australian stubbornly refuses to pander to genre in this affecting and effective storytelling tour de force.

Workman’s yarn is about Augustus and Freda – a young 1960s Cuban couple who are expecting a child.

Minutes after becoming a father, journalist Augustus is arrested for criticising Fidel Castro in print and set adrift on a boat (the Mercy of the title) as punishment. This exile is the cue for a series of fantastical adventures featuring comedic sharks, an angel called Keith and a ‘starmaker’ who constructs constellations from bad teenage poetry.

The lyrical monologue is only part of this multilayered treat – each part of the story is illustrated with

Workman’s witty drawings and soundtracked by his own original hypnotic score.

This isn’t joke-a-minute stuff, it’s a gentle meandering journey more likely to leave audiences choked with emotion than crying with laughter. When Workman sings, it’s not to deliver a cheap comedy song, but rather a heartfelt ballad to progress the journey.

Wry chuckles give way to goosebumps.

It brings to mind Daniel Kitson’s early experiments with whimsical theatre, intertwined with Demitri Martin’s sense of the absurd. Add in Workman’s intense, magnetic stage presence and this is a killer combination. He landed the Best Newcomer gong at the Melbourne Comedy Festival last year, and with Mercy, he might have to clear some more space on the mantlepiece. [David Hepburn] Gilded Balloon Teviot, 6:15pm – 7:15pm, 15–26 Aug, £9.00 – £10.00

Marcel Lucont: Gallic Symbol

HHHHH

Alex Dubus’ masterful comic creation Marcel Lucont is particularly robust in this latest session of Brit-baiting – this year the Kiwis get a tonguelashing as well.

Bookended by a pair of short films, it’s a performance of consummate professionalism where every small Gallic glance, shrug and leer elicits laughs.

The monstrous Frenchman sets his stall out early for the newcomers – opening musical number ‘I’m Better Than You’ distilling the very essence of Lucont’s arrogant yet loveable character into two minutes of sneering song.

An undoubted highlight is when Lucont sniffily deigns to try out some “English-

style” comedy. It’s a risky move for an English comedian to pretend to be a French raconteur pretending to be an English comedian, but it

26 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

successfully adds an extra layer to a performance which could otherwise be one joke stretched to breaking point.

It’s a danger that Dubus

is clearly aware of as there seems to be more variety than in previous shows. Childhood diaries give an insight into the young Lucont and his bendy friend Maurice, whose sexual talents are the subject of a number of nice callbacks.

Other songs also follow, including the only real low point in the set – a bafflingly puerile (even for the lascivious Lucont) number titled “Continental Breastfest.” He soon recovers though and, maintaining the obsession with all things base, concludes with erotic poetry and some dubious sex advice.

It’s a fun and filthy hour from a character who has now become a Fringe staple.

[David Hepburn] Underbelly, Cowgate, 10:25pm – 11:25pm, 15–26 Aug, £9.50 – £10.50

www.festmag.co.uk

festcomedy Jim Campbell: Nine Year-Old Man

HHHHH

The Fringe rarely lacks a surfeit of comedians who appear to be stumbling through some kind of second childhood, but selfawareness of one’s arrested development seems to be more of a theme than ever this year.

Perhaps it's the infantilisation of our culture, or the fact that the recession and recent government policies have made the experience of youth more brutally unpleasant than usual. Whatever the reason, the struggle to grow up, or a resistance to doing so, has been given centre stage by much of Edinburgh’s class of 2012.

Jim Campbell should arguably be at the head of that crowd, since he has found a happy equilibrium between an often well-founded fear of the real world and a witty, literate means of expressing it. As a stranger in the strange land

of adulthood, Campbell admits that the show is part of his plan to become a functioning grown-up. Whether he succeeds or not, the results on stage can be considered a modest triumph.

Campbell’s routines run through some fairly banal subject matter—the perils of being single versus “smug couples,” the unattainability of manic pixie dream girls, dealing with an ex-girlfriend’s somewhat odd religious beliefs and tales from his days at the job centre— but does so with a refreshing lack of misanthropy, so when he does unsheathe the cynicism, it’s all the more effective.

Though occasionally too polite for his own good, Campbell displays talent and intelligence, not to mention some unexpectedly proficient rap battle skills.

[Sean Bell] Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7:00pm – 8:00pm, 15–27 Aug, £9.00 – £10.00

The Pin

HHHHH The Pin are almost dangerously slick. Words like “immaculate” and phrases like “directed to perfection” are bandied about far too much these days but, in their case, it’s the only way to describe them.

Scene changes are conducted with almost mesmerising precision and while many a trio have attempted some sort of ambitious narrative structure, most have either failed or, at best, sort of succeeded. The Pin’s debut hour runs backwards; each sketch ending where the previous began, starting with an unexplained shoot-out and working backwards. Ben Ashenden, Mark Fiddaman and Alex Owen “rewind” proceedings with the sort of physicality normally spotted in physical theatre, while the sketches and skits themselves

www.festmag.co.uk

are equally flawless.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the writing—it’s excellent in places—but some sketches hit and some miss. A nicely executed dig at the crudity of Shakespearean fools and an unashamedy silly restaurant sequence are highlights, while a sketch involving buying a stereo reverts to the lazy

straight-man-weird-man formula done to death by every sketch troupe going. Similarly, the performances vary despite them all having their moments – Ashendon steals it with an impressive versatility, subtlety and perfect comic timing, Fiddaman has some great moments but is a little more one-note, and Owen in comparison to the others feels

far too reliant on volume as opposed to skill.

Overall, though, this is an impressively executed, promising debut from the trio; it’ll be interesting to see what they come up with next year.

[Stevie Martin] Pleasance Courtyard, 4:45pm – 5:45pm, 15–27 Aug, not 20, £8.50 – £9.50

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 27

festcomedy Jimeoin: What?!

HHHHH

Observational humour is often maligned for being shallow and safe. It’s a reputation which Jimeoin, one of the masters of the genre, playfully toys with at the beginning of What?!.

“You’ll be no wiser at the end of this,” he promises.

It’s a great start and segues into the kind of material the Irishman has been lauded for in the past – novel observations which provoke laughs, claps and thigh slaps of recognition. From the practicalities of a missing shirt button, to the revolving doors of the venue, Jimeoin succeeds in his admittedly modest aims.

Unfortunately it’s not long until the quality heads south.

The measured, controlled delivery remains, but the jokes become almost willfully prosaic – reaching the lowest point with a riff about women being similar to cats and men having more in common with dogs.

With 15 minutes remaining he digs out his notebook and tries out some new material. At first this seems like part of a more ambitious joke but it soon becomes clear that he is, genuinely, just reading out potential lines for future shows. “Do Chinese people ever get sick of Chinese food?” is one such quip read out from his Moleskine, suggesting there’s a reason these musings haven’t yet been worked into his full act.

He pulls it back at the end, delivering what is by far the best segment of the set and leaving the stage on a high, but it doesn’t make up for what has come before.

[David Hepburn] Venue150 @ EICC, 6:00pm – 7:00pm, 15–26 Aug, not 21, 22, 23, 24, £13.50 – £15.50

Sarfraz Manzoor: The Boss Rules

HHHHH

Objectivity can be a harsh mistress. Though one tries to keep personal prejudice from infecting the critical faculties, if someone had gone out of their way to design a theme for their show that would render your faithful correspondent helplessly biased, they couldn’t have done a better job than Sarfraz Manzoor’s paean to Bruce Springsteen.

You either get The Boss or you don’t.

Audiences will quickly be divided between those nodding along with Manzoor’s every breathless word of

Jim Smallman

HHHHH

“I don’t feel I have enough friends. So I thought I’d do a gig about making friends and by the end I’ll be friends with all 45 of you." Jim Smallman’s set is unapologetically, shamelessly life-affirming. He is, he informs his audience, attempting to balance out the misery of the set the year before – he wants his audience to leave feeling good about life.

Smallman is being overly harsh on himself here – this declaredly fresh brand of optimistic comedy is less

28 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Bruce worship, and those who simply put up with it, indulgently or otherwise. Nevertheless, Manzoor’s engaging, eloquent autobiographical lecture should find admirers everywhere, whether they have the good taste to be Springsteen fans or not.

Manzoor, a journalist and documentary-maker rather than a comic, begins by emphasising how The Boss Rules is not a comedy show, and should not be viewed as such.

While this may be so, Manzoor still manages to be funnier than the majority of standups at this year’s Fringe. Though Springsteen and his music are central to Manzoor’s unfolding story—the Boss ‘Rules’ of the

title are “like the Ten Commandments, but with guitar solos”—it also touches on growing up as a second-generation Pakistani immigrant in Luton (birthplace of the English Defence League), his marriage to a non-Muslim and the birth of his daughter.

Manzoor’s personal narrative keeps the audience rapt, while the life lessons he draws from New Jersey’s finest son never seem contrived, instead summoning a charming, even moving sense of how important music is to us while we’re young. [Sean Bell]

of a departure than he pretends. He has always been a storyteller of warmth and humanity, particularly on the subject of his personal life, from which Smallman draws most of his material.

Like many proud parents, he can’t resist discussing his “brilliant” daughter – about the time she bettered him in a battle of wits for instance, or the precocity of her puns.

Sometimes his stories sag a little, weighed down by his continued expressions of enthusiasm and, as comedy (rather than just a spot of nice storytelling), such routines are less successful. But they

are delivered with such guileless joy you can’t help but moved all the same – just not always to belly-laughter.

His pleasure in juvenile jokes is still very much in evidence; there are some knoboriented gags and musings over any number of puerile activities but Smallman, for all his tattoos, exposed y-fronts and razzled edges, resembles more an overgrown puppy.

And who can resist making friends with a puppy? [Miranda Kiek]

The Assembly Rooms, 3:45pm – 4:45pm, 15–26 Aug, £10.00

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 4:30pm – 5:30pm, 15–26 Aug, £9.00

www.festmag.co.uk

THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS

54 George Street 0844 693 3008 www.arfringe.com

festcomedy

Nick Mohammed is Mr Swallow: 2012

HHHHH

Nick Mohammed, polymath and character comic extraordinaire, is 164cm tall. But as a show-off of the highest order, what he lacks in stature he makes up for in just about everything else. He returns in the guise of Mr Swallow, the shrill and garrulous lifestyle guru whose 2010 outing taught us how to enhance our memories.

“What’s this year’s restrictive theme?” he asks, knowing full well that he will digress from the set subject of numbers. His height is one of a grab bag of digits thrown up via slides as he wages war on “mathematical bullshit”. With pace and pedantry Mr Swallow tears through supermarket deals and the Twelve Days of Christmas, taking issue with zero and infinity. His instinctive, turbocharged chitchat evokes a small-town gossip in the grip of a manic episode.

Mohammed has a whole menagerie of characters at his disposal, but here he lets Mr Swallow hog the limelight.

Threads of his backstory are toyed with and abandoned, and when Mohammed breaks off for a caricature of his absent-minded accountant it comes out of nowhere – but the show’s scattiness is part of its charm.

The work put into this show is plain to see, and not just in the arithmetical acrobatics of its finale. From the first words Mohammed squawks, he finds fun and innovative ways to earn our attention, whether he’s challenging us to rig a Countdown number round against him or asking inane questions to which we could not possibly know the answer.

An impressive, dense and relentlessly funny hour, this adds up to astonishingly good value. [Lyle Brennan] Pleasance Courtyard, 6:00pm – 7:00pm, 15–26 Aug, £11.00 – £12.00

30 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Vladimir McTavish and Keir McAllister

HHHHH

20 minutes into their politically charged double act, Keir McAllister promises us that the preceding Alex Salmond fat joke will be their last. “Why?” responds Vladimir. “Have you forgotten the rest of the script?”

This neatly sums up the contradiction of McTavish and McAllister's Look at the State of Scotland; while it aims to achieve something unconventional and necessary, many of the gags it pulls out are achingly familiar, and as comedy routines on Scotland go, tread some very well-worn territory.

McTavish and McAllister aren’t wrong, however, when they point out that the artistic and satirical response to Scotland’s upcoming independence referendum has been mysteriously muted. The pair conclude this is down to public apathy, something they find understandably disgusting when it

comes to the biggest decision in a nation’s history.

Though never so partisan it becomes alienating, the duo approach their topic with an obvious nationalist undercurrent—though the SNP get as many jabs as anyone else— which lends the performance a nice streak of antiauthoritarianism it might have lacked if their political sympathies lay elsewhere. Their best material is fired with righteous anger and wry cynicism, but relies heavily on punchlines and one-liners, the remainder of their monologues tending to wander and fizzle for far too long. Though anyone with more than a glancing interest in Scottish politics will find something to appreciate, the show falls far short of its intention. McTavish and McAllister will enliven little debate, but they do raise a few laughs.

[Sean Bell] The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7:00pm – 8:00pm, 15–26 Aug, £8.00

www.festmag.co.uk

festcomedy Trevor Noah: The Racist

HHHHH

Trevor Noah has no race. No, really: born in apartheid South Africa to a black mother and a white father, the state afforded the mixed-race child no racial status, a postnatal kick in the teeth which remains as a blank on Noah’s birth certificate. It’s hardly surprising, then, that the 28 year-old has spent much of his life thinking about issues of race and identity – or “teams,” as his thinking has led him to affectionately term them. What’s more, in between learning four languages he has clearly found time to think pretty damn hard about it, the result being a fresh and unusual reminder of comedy’s capacity to trade in a currency far more valuable than cliché and stereotype.

In particular, Noah is fascinated by the status and power dynamics which follow various racial labels.

So he speaks eloquently, for instance, about his grandpa Temperance Noah, a man “so entrenched in apartheid” that he couldn’t help but be deferential to his grandson, driving him around in the back of his car to show the “white boy” off. And yet all young Noah has ever wanted is to be “black” – “white” status, he cannily observes, being a pure and protected realm no half-cast can ever aspire to.

But where others might use this racial no-man's land as a position from which to lash out, Noah is too smart not to recognise the hypocrisy this would entail. His final satisfaction at being called the “black Hitler” in a German sandwich shop comes as the deliciously problematic culmination to a riotously funny hour from a performer reaching his stride as a class act. [Evan Beswick] Pleasance Courtyard, 7:15pm – 8:15pm, 15–27 Aug, £9.00 – £10.00

Pete Firman: Hoodwinker

HHHHH

Pete Firman has come a long way from 2007’s Hokum..

Once a fun, unashamedly geeky antithesis to the bland showmanship of suit-wearing mainstream magicians, Firman’s schtick is now that of the bland showman complete with the suit and the self satisfied narcissistic jokes and a penchant for mining his participants for cheap laughs through unimaginative insults. This direction may have worked for the TV producers (as seen on BBC One’s The Magicians) but we preferred Fun Geeky Pete. What happened to him?

Firman’s promising opener, a Rocky style video, gives us a glimpse of aforementioned Fun Geeky Pete, the guy who didn’t take himself too serious-

www.festmag.co.uk

ly while catching you off guard with some pretty cool magic tricks. Sadly, he’s exchanged the goofy fun for a slick TVready hour, and if you’re going to go all slick on us, your tricks had better be top quality. Sure, he’s a good magician—there’s some mindreading, some nice card tricks and a whole lot of other inventive stuff (running out of synonyms for “magic tricks” here)—but it’s not really

enough when everything else is so run-of-the-mill.

There are better illusionists out there, but Fun Geeky Pete made it, yknow, fun – mixing the odd great trick with a load of enthusiastic silliness.

Consummate professional magicians who take the piss out of their audience are pretty boring, to be honest; his old warmth and humour was much more entertaining.

As a technical magician, add two stars but, as a show, this is disappointingly lacking in heart and humour.

When thanking us after a flourishing finale, he seems sincerely happy we came. Why didn’t we get this all the way through? [Stevie Martin] Pleasance Courtyard, 9:10pm – 10:10pm, 14–26 Aug, £12.00 – £15.00

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 31

festcomedy Markus Birdman: Love, Life and Death

HHHHH

There’s no shying away from life’s big questions in this fiercely personal standup set from English comic Markus Birdman.

The generously quiffed vicar’s son was moved to contemplate his place in the world after suffering an unexplained stroke shortly after his 40th birthday - a birthday he celebrated by getting a large Mexican Day of the Dead skull tattooed onto his arm.

The same skull motif is repeated on a large, intricately hand-drawn poster used as a stage backdrop, such impressive artwork including illustrations and key words and phrases from the set. It’s a meaningful backdrop for a comic with a lot to say.

Birdman’s illness makes up the first half of the show and he talks in great detail about losing a quarter of his vision as a result of the stroke. Sure, it all sounds a little heavy, but it’s testament to his talents that even brain scans and injections of radioactive dye provide fertile ground for jokes.

A short section on religion, which includes some of his most razor-sharp barbs, makes way for a second half which is basically a self-help seminar with gags. He lists his recommended ‘tips for living’ which appear trite in isolation (take pleasure in the little things, don’t be scared, do what you love) but are made just about palatable by Birdman’s easy-going charm and obvious sincerity.

A rousing finish, sticking two fingers up to death, concludes a solidly satisfying hour. [David Hepburn] The Stand Comedy Club II, 9:20pm – 10:20pm, 18–26 Aug, not 20, £8.00

Sean Hughes Stands Up

HHHHH

“Let’s talk about the elephant in the room,” begins Sean Hughes, “I’ve put on a bit of weight.” But it’s not a beer gut, because the British-Irish comedian has recently quit booze – “quit everything in fact,” he reveals. A clean-up probably comes none too soon for the late Bill Hicks’ former drinking buddy, though perhaps his confidence and flow are taking time to find stimulant-free balance.

I’m all in favour of standups eschewing much of their prepared material in favour of

Denise Scott: Regrets

HHHHH

There’s not much that can charitably be said about Denise Scott’s Regrets. Her onstage presence is comforting and she certainly delivers an assured standup performance, indeed, her gentle command of the room puts her mature audience at ease.

Throughout her set, Scott frequently refers to her status as a beloved star in Australia and it may well be the case that her tales of husband John and observational humour work

32 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

bantering with the crowd, but Hughes’ ad-libs are of erratic quality tonight. Beginning by brazenly suggesting to a 17 year-old at the show with his dad that he shouldn’t be here but instead “fucking someone against a skip” sets an edgy tone, but his half-hearted efforts to noise-up an aircraft engineer and a jeweller in the front row are tame.

Granted, luck isn’t really with Hughes tonight – when one lady disappears to the toilet he tries that old chestnut of grilling her boyfriend for intimate details of her life to freak her out with when she comes back, but the guy isn’t especially forthcoming,

and his girlfriend takes an age to return. Still – Hughes should salvage better laughs out of the joke going wrong.

After having counted down for about half the set to the point when he “fucks off,” he ends up overrunning by about 10 minutes in search of a decent out, finally settling for a garbled routine about how sobering up has killed his libido. By most other comics’ standards this was still an entertaining show, but by Hughes’ own it has to rank as poor. [Malcolm Jack]

far better in bigger 2,000 seat arenas than in this cramped and stuffy room. It has seemingly drained all of the energy, giving her set the feel of a dramatic monologue.

But much of the blame for what is a rather unsatisfying hour lies with Scott, relying too heavily on tired post-menopausal cliché and frequently highlighting the lack of laughter by portraying herself as the cheeky comic there to make a joke out of everything. If the jokes are there, they are too well-hidden or at the very least, stifled by the atmosphere. Anecdotes

referring to previous gigs of Scott’s which have resulted in humorous audience interaction only leave this audience wondering when our own big laughs are coming. There does seem to be some form of catharsis in relating to Scott’s experiences, but there are unforgivably few genuine laughs in Regrets and Scott as the loveable mother-figure simply cannot count on so much charity from her audience. [Gemma Flynn]

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8:15pm – 9:15pm, 15–27 Aug, £13.00 – £14.00

Assembly Hall, 6:30pm – 7:30pm, 15–26 Aug, £9.50 – £10.50

www.festmag.co.uk

Best of the Fests 2012 2-26 August

14:15

23:59

23:59

Assembly George Square Spiegeltent – Teatro (Tuesday to Sunday)

Assembly George Square Spiegeltent – Teatro (Thursday to Sunday)

Assembly Hall Main Hall (Thursday to Sunday)

The perfect way to kick start your day sampling the very Best of the Fest! Suitable for all the family.

Hosted by the sensational Miss Behave, this late night extravaganza is a Pandora’s box full of comedy, cabaret, music, circus and all the wonderful worlds in between.

The biggest and best line-ups in Edinburgh! This Festival favourite maintains its status as the place to be ‘round midnight. Stellar line-ups listed daily.

festcomedy Jeff Leach: Boyfriend Experience

HHHHH

“I have no shame!” trumpets bad-boy comedian and TV presenter Jeff Leach about half-way through his act. But after last year’s exploration of his drink and drugs habits, he’s actually cleaned himself up.

Now it’s time to tackle his sex addiction and, after his several hundred sexual relationships, to discover whether he really is suitable boyfriend material.

Leach seems a bit desperate to tell us that he’s got problems.

But although he’s certainly cheeky and unafraid to talk about racy matters, he’s not as shocking as he thinks he is. He reminds us of naughty exploits several times during the show, while simultaneously coming across as likeably egocentric, albeit a bit needy as opposed to downright outrageous.

A lot of the show is surprisingly soft: his views on women, for example, or an endearing anecdote about taking a toddler to the loo. Some of it feels a little meandering, though. An overly lengthy routine on a Texan politician’s namesake with decidedly dodgy views doesn’t really go anywhere. He also has plenty of ire for critics, showing a video montage of his worst reviews and returning to the subject several times. This probably means a lot more to him than it does to the audience, as the laughter soon dissipates into a couple of indulgent chuckles.

So if the bad-boy stuff isn’t really true, what’s he got left?

Well, he’s quick, confident, and he’s got a great way with spontaneous banter. It’s certainly a good show, but he’ll need stronger, tighter material and a more convincing persona to make it a great one. [David Kettle] Gilded Balloon Teviot, 9:30pm – 10:30pm, 14–27 Aug, £9.50 – £10.00

Seize the David O’Doherty

HHHHH

There’s something to be said for the dependable comic.

No, they may not offer edgy innovations that will change the landscape of standup, but they can still put on a bloody good show. Enter David O’Doherty.

Seize the David O’Doherty doesn’t so much follow a narrative as simply addressing two major issues in his life: a recent breakup and an overwhelming fear of rodents. But the comic isn’t asking for sympathy, or reliving a

Simon Donald’s School Of Swearing

HHHHH

Simon Donald’s new show favours a style similar to Robin Ince that, to coin a phrase for the wordlover, could be classed ‘docu-comedy.’ His School of Swearing gives the history and evolution of swearwords while placing them in the comic context of his own quips. Cerebral filth this is, citing Germaine Greer, Ian Dury, and Johnny Rotten in its footnotes.

At 48, the co-founder of adult Beano mag Viz is still charmingly enamoured with the childish gag, though

34 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

horrifying return of his teenage years of sexual reticence (as is so common amongst male standups). Instead, the show functions more as a series of whimsical observations about everything from his distaste for vintage shops to his father’s ineptitude with chip and pin devices.

It is this comic simplicity that has cemented O’Doherty’s status as a Fringe favourite: there is no esoteric elitism to be found in his anecdotes, just a dishevelled Irish comedian with a rudimentary knowledge of keyboard playing and a deft ability to get his crowd onside within moments.

The energy does tend to dip a little in the second half of his set, though, but a brilliant segment in which he sings excerpts from “the Torah of the ladies”—a decades-old Cosmo sex tips book—livens things up again with a suitable dose of silliness. For a man who repeatedly states that he only has three “proper” jokes in his repertoire, O’Doherty’s ability to sustain an hour of irrelevant and irreverent comedy seems pretty impressive.

[Charlotte Lytton]

he doesn’t perform live his typical comic-book caricatures.

Dressed as an anarchic headmaster, Donald gives a mockterm at his School of Swearing complete with exams and zany last-day antics. He even wheels out a TV to keep the class interested with an interactive gameshow of Celebrity Swears, teaching the favourite profanities of Stewart Lee and the like. “Can anyone put that word in a sentence for me?” he asks the crowd with affected condescension gesturing at a compound obscenity.

Donald’s not just been browsing Urban Dictionary but reflecting touchingly on his own swearing biography.

Highlights include the magical Disneyland moment when he realised he could add an ‘e’ to ‘shit’. His passion further leads him to rail vigorously against targets such as censorship laws as well as the more obvious Piers Morgan-shaped digs.

Those looking for a solid hour of laughs may be disappointed. Early on Donald teaches us that swear words stimulate a different part of your brain than normal words.

This witty and scintillating smutfest stimulates all areas. [Catherine Sylvain]

Pleasance Courtyard, 7:20pm – 8:20pm, 15–27 Aug, £14.00 – £15.00

The Stand Comedy Club II, 10:30pm – 11:30pm, 14–26 Aug, £8.00

www.festmag.co.uk

Star of ITV Mad Mad World & Murray from Flight of the Conchords

WINNER

Fred Award Best Show, 2012 NZ Comedy Festival

8PM www.rhysdarby.com |

www.festmag.co.uk

“He’s just absolutely brilliant.

He’s got that Peter Sellers madness inside him”

1-27 AUGUST

Jim Carrey

AVAILABLE NOW

Except 8, 14 Previews 1, 2, 3

0131 556 6550 | www.pleasance.co.uk

@rhysiedarby |

rhysdarby

www.boundandgaggedcomedy.com

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 35

festcomedy Return of the Lumberjacks

Adam Hills: Mess Around

It’s been 14 years since Glenn Wool, Craig Campbell and Stuart Francis last brought their redneck roadshow to the Fringe. And they sure seem happy to be back.

With Francis a regular on TV panel shows, Wool a successful touring comic both in the UK and in North America and Campbell carving out a successful niche as a crowd pleasing audience handler, expectations for this year’s Return of the Lumberjacks are high. As far as Fringe triplebills go, this is a pretty big deal.

Things are not helped, unfortunately, by a tech delay meaning that this Friday night audience is less boisterous than it might otherwise have been. Campbell does an admirable job of warming them up, but the little energy that is generated is lost during the first change-over. This leaves Wool delivering his—objectively strong—material to a strangely lukewarm reception.

Perhaps it doesn’t help that he is also retreading the ground covered in his highly acclaimed 2010 show.

The appearance of Francis, however, shifts the dynamic of the audience completely.

Despite his one liners hardly being at the cutting edge of standup, tonight they’re lapped up with raucous belly laughs. Even Francis himself seems a little taken aback at this reception.

Coupled with an ill thought out appearance from prowrestler turned standup, Mick Foley, this is a strange return to Edinburgh by the Lumberjacks. Nevertheless, their obvious skill and poise make it a perfectly enjoyable hour. [Ben Judge]

This year’s Fringe sees regular Edinburgh highlight and nicest man in standup Adam Hills pare down his show to focus on us, the audience. Hills’ improvised exchanges are an extraordinary sight to behold; having honed a sense for where the laughs in the room might happen, he infuses this process with his friendly persona, delighting the crowd and providing a truly unique evening.

The only problem with placing the audience at the centre of the show in this compere-style approach is that Hills has to work with what he’s got, which due to his TV appearances are largely Scottish locals and Australians who revel in Hills’ astute comparisons between the two. The result is a very pleasant, but quite standard, 30 minutes which tends towards national stereotypes and cliché. However, the relatively small segment of standup material, which is masterfully executed and a testament to his craft, is then warmly embraced by the crowd who by this stage feel

HHHHH

The Assembly Rooms, 8:10pm – 9:40pm, 14–26 Aug, not 20, £15.00

HHHHH

Luke Benson: Backseat Hero

HHHHH

They say a week is a long time in politics but a mere hour can seem even longer in comedy – a fact fully demonstrated

by Luke Benson’s debut Edinburgh show.

The title of the set refers to a tale about ‘the Bensonator’ being pursued by an angry taxi driver after a prang with his bike. It’s a story filled with comic potential but he careers through it barely pausing for breath, never mind laughter.

So quick is the gangly Geordie’s delivery that the story

36 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

close to Hills’ heart.

The content of Mess Around isn’t going to challenge or provoke, but by developing the relationship between performer and audience, Hills is testing the art form while

providing an undeniably charming hour of comedy. It’s a crowd pleaser in the nicest possible way. [Gemma Flynn]

only takes up half of the hour; the other 30 minutes are filled with a range of confused musings backed by fairly pointless sound effects.

It’s exhausting. Snippets of material are successful and his accent, look and demeanor all bring to mind a young Ross Noble. Unfortunately that’s where the comparisons end. There’s no control, just a rambling stream of consciousness. Some of it’s good, some bad, most indifferent, but not a single line is allowed to hang in the air before the next takes over, which could perhaps work if the lines were all killer gags.

On a more positive note, there are some real gems among the comedy rubble for those that can keep up.

Benson also deals with the thorny issue of a less-thanfull venue with considerable aplomb but the overwhelming impression is that he just isn’t ready to front a full solo hour.

He’ll be one to watch in future years, though, after a bit more experience and a chance to rethink his overly pacy delivery and patchy writing. [David Hepburn]

Assembly Hall, times vary, 15–19 Aug, £12.00 – £13.00

Pleasance Courtyard, 8:45pm – 9:45pm, 14–26 Aug, £9.00 – £10.00

www.festmag.co.uk

Wine & Seafood our Specialities

WHIGHAMS WINE CELLAR 13 HOPE ST REET EDINBURGH EH2 4EL

Many Wines by the Glass Real Ales and Malt Whisky Locally Sourced Sustainable Produce Live Jazz Music Sunday Evenings

0131 225 8674 www.whighams.com info@whighams.com

P l e a s e v i s i t o u r w e b s i t e f o r s a m p l e m e n u s o r t o b o o k a t a b l e w w w. w h i g h a m s . c o m

HHHHH

‘A NEW MUSICAL EVERY TIME. TOP CLASS.’ TIME OUT CRITICS’ CHOICE

BEST MUSIC/VARIETY CHORTLE AWARDS NOMINEE GILDED BALLOON TEVIOT 11PM WWW.THESHOWSTOPPERS.ORG BOX OFFICE 0131 622 6552

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 37

festcomedy Neil Delamere: DelaMere Mortal

HHHHH

For all his fresh and clever scripted stuff, Neil Delamere never tops his rollicking first 10 minutes when the Irishman comes out all guns blazing, intent on warming up the crowd with some honest to goodness piss-taking. The sixfoot-plus guy immediately in his eye-line? “Not you, you’re a big fucker.” The long-haired bloke from Glastonbury? “I look at you, and I think ‘yeah.’”

The lady who “puts people on projects overseas”? “The IRA used to that in the 1970s.”

When Delamere describes how there’s nothing funnier in this venue than letting

latecomers climb the stairs to the side of the seating block without warning them it’s a dead end, a guy enters and just that happens. It’s freakishly perfect.

The premise for DelaMere Mortal was his realisation that, having just turned 33, he’s now lived in Dublin as long as he did his rural family home. What has Delamere learned in the 16 years since?

Handily enough, as a 16 year-old, he twice captained teams on Irish TV schools quiz Blackboard Jungle. The video footage – which offers ample opportunity not just for witty self-reflection, but also good-spirited fun at the expense of teammates and opponents – is a comedy

time-capsule cracked open to brilliant effect.

Straightforward standup – about the folly of getting lippy with Edinburgh cops when caught drunkcycling, and exchanging angry notes with a motorcylce owning neighbour over parking – fills much else

of the hour amply. The finale, featuring more video footage and we’ll say no more, is a lesson in how to neatly wrap up an hour. [Malcolm Jack]

worse. But 20 of the buggers will break down even the toughest resistence to a giggle.

There’s also some frankly delicious lines (“stop your Freudian mind games and give me a pint of mother”) which benefit from being delivered

as hammily as they are. Sure, the four students spend a little too much time making each other corpse, but it’s forgivable insofar as it doesn’t usually impinge upon the breakneck pace of this faux thriller. Armageddapocalypse sets itself a

target of driving an intelligent audience to laugh at a kick to the balls – and it largely hits its mark. [Evan Beswick]

Pleasance Courtyard, 9:00pm – 10:00pm, 14–26 Aug, £10.00 – £11.00

Armageddapocalypse: Threat Level Dead

HHHHH

To start with the the negatives: Armageddapocalypse: Threat Level Dead is wholly stupid. Taking a nerd’s delight in farting around with the ludicrous tropes of action films and espionage novels to a defcon level for which there exists no colour, this is comedy at its daftest. A show based around agent Jack Lang (“the renegadiest agent in the whole agency”) and his attempt to defeat #1 terrorist Dragomir Volkov, it’s a thick soup of terrible puns, outlandish stereotypes, and embarrassing bathos. There’s a simple answer to the question of how seriously to treat an hour whose narrative arc culminates in a good, hard kick to the balls: not very seriously at all.

The thing is, it’s also pretty funny. Helped by their wholehearted commitment to the ridiculous affair, the foursome from Cambridge sustain a tribute to the Hollywood monster which gets funnier by accretion. One bad pun isn’t very funny; two are even

38 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 9:30pm – 10:30pm, 14–27 Aug, not 15, £8.50 – £9.50

www.festmag.co.uk

festcomedy Marcus Brigstocke: The Brig Society

HHHHH

Marcus Brigstocke comes on stage dancing to the theme tune from High School Musical. No, seriously. While this brief moment of frivolity may initially seem questionable, its lyrics, “we’re all in this together” tie neatly into Brigstocke’s overarching theme, or rather subject for attack: Cameron’s Big Society. Clever, that.

Brigstocke sets about lambasting the failings of the coalition, the banks and all of the other Big Important Things People Are Outraged By. But while open about his own boarding school education, Brigstocke suffers from a growing problem amongst certain comedians – middle class guilt. So desperate is he to distinguish himself from ‘Cam-moron’ and his cronies, the vast majority of his set is spent bemoaning their sense of entitlement and feverishly trying to cement his status as their complete antithesis. There are flashes of self-awareness when Brigstocke ridicules his own privileged upbringing (beagling, anyone?), but these are comparatively scarce, making his tirade seem a touch hypocritical.

Much of his observational humour (crass impersonations of Chinese people aside) is spot on, and a rant towards

Chris Corcoran and Elis James - The Committee Meeting

HHHHH

the end of his set about the ineptitudes of public transport users is sublime in its simplicity. Brigstocke does have a tendency, however, to get so carried away in his own MPinduced vitriol that he loses the audience completely, and his own political persuasions occasionally hinder, rather than help, the show. The Brig Society is intended as a comedy, after all, and Brigstocke would do well to remember that during his next diatribe.

[Charlotte Lytton] Assembly Hall, 9:10pm – 10:10pm, 14–25 Aug, £12.00 – £14.00

An early afternoon dose of character comedy from Welsh talents Chris Corcoran and Elis James, The Committee Meeting is reliant on good natured audience participation.

As committee members, the crowd packed inside the Wee Coo today is expected to join in with in an introductory ice breaking game, take minutes as proceedings unfold, treat an old man to his first kiss in 50 years and catch a pervert hidden somewhere in our midst. Nominations for each duty must be seconded in what may be the Fringe’s most democratic show.

A slight but entertaining narrative revolves around a Mastermind showdown between our caretaker Rex Jones and his estranged brother Vernon, employed in the same capacity by the local

Conservatives Club. The fact that, because he is on first name terms with Rebekah Brookes, David Cameron and Jeremy Clarkson, the crowd is encouraged to express its disapproval of Vernon gives a good indication of the show’s target audience. The Committee Meeting is unquestionably utter nonsense, yet good old-fashioned fun, celebrating certain values with sincerity.

With Corcoran’s Mr Chairman creation presiding over the hour, James comes and goes as Rex and his cousin Steve. Both break character too many times to count and revel in the show’s brazen sloppiness. The pair may not take their roles particularly seriously, but there’s no doubting the work they’ve put in to making the show such a highly enjoyable hour. [Lewis Porteous] Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1:30pm – 2:30pm, 15–27 Aug, £9.00 – £10.00

AT THE FRINGE

CElEbRATING 10 yEARs oF FEmAlE ComEdy Specially curated ShowS with complimentary goodieS from the BENEFIT COSMETICS BENEBUS

Supported by

2012 funny women awardS Semi-finalS lara a king - people pleaSer WINNEr OF 2011 FUNNy WOMEN AWArdS

www.festmag.co.uk

3-26 AuG 2.00pm

funnywomen.com wearefunnywomen

@funnywomen

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 39

40 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

www.festmag.co.uk

HHHHH

A simple premise blossoms into an exquisitely realised ode to the women of World War II Page 48 Photo: Claudine Quinn

www.festmag.co.uk

festtheatre

WAITING FOR STANLEY

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 41

festtheatre Love Letters to the Public Transport System

HHHHH

One woman espousing her love for TFL and Northern Rail may not sound like everyone’s cup of tea. And on paper, Molly Taylor’s solo performance, Love Letters to the Public Transport System, has the potential to dissolve into twee schmaltz. Trains, buses, and how they ‘transport’ us?

Hmm. But in fact, this show is far from cutesy, carried by a thoughtful artist who falls into none of the typical pitfalls of solo-performer acts.

It would be an underestimation of Taylor to call her mastery of storytelling simply natural. A one-person show captained by a trained actor will always run the risk of getting hammy and becoming a vehicle (no pun intended) for ‘character work.’ Taylor’s restraint from becoming too theatrical is clearly engineered with surgical precision. And for this restraint, the hour with her in the Assembly Rooms becomes an unforgettable one.

We truly are hearing Taylor’s

Strong Arm

HHHHH Roland Poland has an unfortunate name. Overweight as a child, it didn’t take much imagination for bullies to make his life hell. After one particularly embarrassing incident, Roland joins a gym. Roland will become strong, strong enough to reshape his body, strong enough to reshape the world.

Roland’s transformation from human beanbag to Arnold Schwarzenegger is wittily told. There are some great lines, especially when parodying the bombastic language of supplements and training regimes. In addition to writing the monologue, Finlay Robertson convincingly embodies

stories—from the troubled artist desperate to reconnect with a newly high-profile friend, to a Glaswegian woman finding redemption through her bus driver, to Taylor’s own bittersweet Brixton love story—rather than witnessing a thesp showcase her versatility. There are only a handful of

funny voices, promise.

Taylor is aware that she could easily antagonise her audience with overwhelming charm (she has lots of it), and the strength of Love Letters... comes in its writing first and its performance second.

If a self-awareness of her medium comes off as preachy

at times—the final five minutes are arguably an unnecessary restatement of the the show’s more subtle themes—then it only fleetingly distracts from this poignant and engaging work. [Arianna Reiche]

Roland as both obese and ubermensch, despite his own slight frame. He gives Roland a heart as big as his biceps.

This is commanding work.

It is debateable how much insight Strong Arm gives into the world of bodybuilding, however, Roland’s obsession will speak to anyone that has tried to significantly change themselves. Strong Arm nails the nuclear fire of anger it takes to break yourself down, then remake yourself as something stronger.

Unfortunately, there are problems. Roland may wish to be ‘hardcore,’ but at the centre he remains too soft and sweet to be believable. Also the play moves back and forward in time in jerking motions that no

personal trainer would allow in the gym. What’s more, by the end Strong Arm collapses under the weight of its imagery, struggling to combine weightlifting, masturbation and the periodic table into something coherent.

Nevertheless this is an impressive debut from Robert-

son, presented as part of the Old Vic New Voices Edinburgh season. Lean and powerful, Strong Arm is evidence of a young talent flexing his muscles. [Jonathan Holmes]

42 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Assembly Rooms, 6:15pm – 7:15pm, 14–26 Aug, not 20, £10

Underbelly, Cowgate, 4:10pm – 5:10pm, 15–26 Aug, £10.00 – £11.00

www.festmag.co.uk

festtheatre Mies Julie

HHHHH In this stormy adaptation of August Strindberg’s classic play, Miss Julie, South African director Yael Farber, who’s been praised in the past for her adaptations of Julius Caesar (Sezar) and The Oresteia trilogy (Molora), has created a forbidding, intensely sexual landscape. It’s set wholly within a kitchen in a house in the Eastern Cape, and there’s a vivid sense of the dangerous world outside and the violent societal beliefs that still linger in South Africa nearly 20 years after the end of apartheid.

Farber really makes the work her own, so familiarity with Strindberg’s original story is unnecessary. Julie is the unbalanced daughter of a Boer landowner, who’s just been jilted by her fiancé. She turns up in the kitchen drunk, beseeching John—the son of the house

Woza Albert!

HHHHH

Thirty years after this defining political satire was first performed in South Africa, this supreme adaptation of Woza Albert! shows it hasn’t lost any of its power or poignancy. Written by Percy Mtwa, Mbongeni Ngema and Barney Simon in 1981, it presents a series of scenes from contemporary South African life and wonders what might happen if Jesus Christ (Morena) came to South Africa. It’s all performed by two astonishingly energetic actors, who flit from scene to scene with ease and play the multitude of characters here with just the right balance of humour, anger and desperation.

Earlier this year, this production played to packed out theatres in Johannesburg’s Market Theatre, where it made its debut three decades ago.

And although you don’t necessarily need to be familiar with the play’s context to appreciate

www.festmag.co.uk

cook, who she has known since childhood—to dance with her.

At first resistant, John’s life-long tangle with Julie’s existence is slowly laid bare until the strong sexual tension between them comes to an aggressive climax, and everything falls apart.

This is a stunning reimagining, its oppressive feel

enhanced by a bewitchingly eerie score, composed and performed by Daniel and Matthew Pencer. Hilda Cronje and Bongile Mantsai ooze chemistry as Julie and John, drawing us into their sticky web of emotions as they furiously renegotiate their relationship. But it’s the strength of Farber’s imagination that

really carries Mies Julie along to its blood-soaked finale, proving that it’s not just Shakespeare who can travel through time and space and still remain shockingly relevant. [Yasmin Sulaiman] Assembly Hall, 2pm – 3:30pm, 15–27 Aug, not 20, £14 – £16

this brilliant version, it helps to remind yourself that many of the more absurd scenarios here—for instance, during apartheid, black workers needed a “passbook” to work outside their designated “homeland”— are doused in truth.

Woza Albert!’s format demands a riveting performance from its two actors, who perform exquisitely here – though watch out for the occasional spray of sweat droplets if you’re sitting in the front row.

Despite its serious subject matter, there’s touching humour and a musical undercurrent which gives it a joyous rhythm and tempo. Ultimately, it’s a deeply spiritual play which highlights South Africa’s desperate need for salvation in the early 1980s, the severe frustrations of waiting for a revolution and, implicitly, asks how much things have really changed. [Yasmin Sulaiman] Assembly Hall, 4pm – 5:30pm, 14–27 Aug, £14 – £16

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 43

festtheatre Just A Gigolo

HHHHH

Angelo Ravagli was, to quote Alan Bennett, the fodder of art. The inspiration for virile gamekeeper Mellors in Lady Chatterley’s Lover gains a rare voice in Just a Gigolo from veteran film actor Maurice Roëves. But it’s a stilted voice and one whose grasp of English and of empathy is limited.

If writer and director Stephen Lowe means to humanise Ravagli with this monologue, he’s unsuccessful.

The Italian Ravagli is repugnantly seedy. No reference to food, nature, or vehicle is just that, but some thinly disguised metaphor for satisfying the needs of a frustrated woman – a woman like Frieda Lawrence whose affair with household handyman Ravagli allegedly inspired the infamous novel.

But by the play’s 1959 setting, Ravagli is sexually neutered by age. It depicts him struggling to gain the upperhand over the art that will outlive him, bartering obscene paintings by DH Lawrence to a Greek hotelier in New Mexico. A slideshow of the gaudy works is projected in the sparely staged production and each provokes some new reminiscence for Ravagli. These are disparate and difficult to follow and only a tale of his drinking alone with the ashes of Lawrence is memorable.

At 75, Roëves must be the oldest star of a one-man play at the Fringe. He brings a bracing sliminess to Ravagli but no sympathy. The frequent insistence he’s no gigolo is too easily cracked by a desire for recognition in any form.

Despite raising clear issues about art and its human subjects, this hour alone with him is ultimately unpleasant.

[Catherine Sylvain] Assembly George Square, 3:20pm – 4:30pm, 14–27 Aug, £14.00 – £15.00

Camille Claudel

HHHHH

Written, performed and directed with uniform skill

by Gael Le Cornec, this onewoman play examines the relationship between sculptor Auguste Rodin and his muse, fellow artist and protofeminist Camille Claudel.

The tragic tale is told entirely from the perspective of Claudel, incarcerated in a mental asylum in 1913 following an absinthe-fuelled descent into madness.

Whirling backwards and forwards in time, Le Cornec skips between characters with simply a flick of her dress or pirouette across the stage.

44 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Commentary on the doomed romance is provided by winesipping Gallic gossips – scandal, jealousy and pity following the highs and lows of her life.

It’s a sad account of a woman desperately trying to succeed in a man’s world.

“They say I sculpt like a man,” she laments before pleadingly asking the audience whether they can tell the sex of an artwork.

Returning to the mental asylum at regular intervals, Claudel’s version of events sees her betrayed by Rodin, who steals her ideas and even goes so far as to sign her works, claiming them as his own. Whether this is paranoia or something more concrete is

never made clear, as the play’s slippery grasp on reality mirrors the protagonist’s failing faculties.

Le Cornec lives and breathes the character in a sublime performance, whether singing and dancing, sharing a drink with the front row or cursing her devilish lover. The tone darkens as the end draws near but a hint of redemption tempers the bleakness.

This is clearly a labour of love for Le Cornec and a worthy tribute to the remarkable Madame Claudel. [David Hepburn] Pleasance Courtyard, 1:30pm – 2:30pm, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £8.50 – £9.50

www.festmag.co.uk

festtheatre Mess

HHHHH “This is not the real version of the play,” Josephine and Boris repeatedly insist. But this show is about as real as they come, with the painstaking neuroses plaguing an anorexic twentysomething played out in excruciating detail. Repeatedly breaking the fourth wall to inform the audience that they are performing a scaled down version of the show, one that will include zip wires and a revolving stage when they get to London, this production is sublime in its simplicity.

The premise of Mess is a play within a play: neurotic Josephine (Caroline Horton, named The Stage’s Best Solo Performer in 2010) enlists the help of friends Boris and Sistahl in a bid to bring her traumatic, anorexic years to a public forum. There is one extra layer, though, as in

www.festmag.co.uk

reality, Mess is Horton’s own autobiography of a disorder that notoriously trades on secrecy.

The poignancy with which she recounts each objectively mundane, but subjectively devastating, detail about a prized colour-coordinated calorie chart, or her struggle to eat an apple, comes from a place of

heartbreaking honesty.

An eating disorder may sound like a curious source for comedy, but there are many light moments during the piece which are remarkably selfaware: glimpses of rationality in Josephine’s erratic behaviour where she recognises an opportunity, a necessity, for

laughs. But this never detracts from the startling sincerity of the piece, centred round an issue that affects so many, yet is voiced by so few. [Charlotte Lytton] Traverse Theatre, times vary, 15–26 Aug, not 20, £17.00 – £19.00

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 45

festtheatre

CountryBoy’s Struggle

HHHHH

Rap has long been the musical genre most associated with redemption, providing the poor and the disenfranchised with a voice through which they can transform hardship into positive and inspirational messages. Though the ingeniously staged CountryBoy’s Struggle concerns itself with the rise of a white MC whose roots lie in

The Ugly Sisters

HHHHH

This reimagining of the Cinderella story is no fairytale.

Brash, angry and dark, it’s a parable for our manipulative times, in which the underdog is briefly championed before being humiliated and discarded.

The Ugly Sisters, in this case, are Emerald and Pearl – not ugly at all, but dishevelled, neglected twins, the victims of a difficult upbringing.

When their mum, Ruby, takes

remote Cornwall, it’s firmly in keeping with the traditional rap narrative and delights in spite of its obvious plotting.

Written by and starring Maxwell Golden, the one man show relates the life of Michael Crompton to us through a combination of storytelling and hip hop. In a bold move, we are introduced to the character immediately prior to his birth. He values the comfort and security provided by his mother’s

womb and longs to postpone his harrowing fate, his visceral and evocative description of the event establishing Golden as a writer of rare form. This scene is mirrored in impact by Michael’s account of his formative exposure to music. An outcast among his parochial peer group, our hero must achieve success in London’s rap scene before he can find true peace.

What makes CountryBoy’s Struggle such an affecting

work is Golden’s multifaceted performance in which he brings several characters to life with humour, sensitivity and affection. He possesses a keen eye for detail and an innate understanding of people. His work feels very much alive and his science is pretty tight to boot. [Lewis Porteous]

them to live with a new father and step-sister, Arabella, they become further dependent on each other’s company as Ruby treats Arabella like the perfect daughter Emerald and Pearl never were.

Accompanied by the band Not Now Bernard, the two sisters express their rage and hurt as though fronting a rock band, singing both thrashing, thumping anthems and sad, wistful numbers. It’s enjoyable, with a slightly deranged, Tim Burton-esque feel.

There’s nothing fantastical

about the modern twist, sadly. Desperate for approval, the girls apply for a reality show in which the winner— after a succession of humiliating games—gets to marry the Prince (C5 show The Bachelor anyone?). Pitted against their step-sister, they are, without knowing it, the comedy contestants, a duo of Jade Goodys the viewing public loves to laugh at. It’s an obvious comment on the superficiality and cruelty of our society, where vulnerable people are made famous for their flaws rather

than their talents.

This comment has been made before—Charlie Brooker’s recent Black Mirror springs to mind—but RashDash has an original style which engages the audience even if, towards the end, it becomes a bit wearing. Nevertheless, this is an energetic, fresh piece of storytelling from a talented duo. [Caroline Bishop]

46 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Pleasance Courtyard, 2:35pm – 3:35pm, 15–27 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 10:00pm – 11:00pm, 14–25 Aug, not 21, £14.00

www.festmag.co.uk

festtheatre Letter of Last Resort and Good With People

HHHHH

For the more prudent Fringe theatregoer, few productions offer better value for money than this Traverse doubleheader from two of Scotland’s leading playwrights.

Letter of Last Resort, by David Greig, is a philosophical exploration of nuclear deterence: the concept of mutually assured destruction, which carries the scarily prophetic acronym, MAD. It’s the new Prime Minister’s first day in office, when in walks a grey civil servant—John from ‘Arrangements’—who needs her to write a very important letter. In this letter, the PM must decide whether, in the event of a nuclear strike on London, the UK’s Trident nuclear submarines will retaliate or whether they won’t.

This is a fast-paced, almost Sorkinian, political dialogue: it’s honest, clever and entertaining. Greig is an expert guide through the subject, explaining the technicalities, procedures and processes of the UK military bureacracy in a way that is sparky, funny and surprisingly accessible.

But where Letter of Last Resort truly shines is in its engagement with the philosophical side of the nuclear weaponry debate. Its clear-headed, balanced and endlessly witty engagement with the ethical and logical dimensions reveals genuine complexity of thought; Greig’s portrayal of the conflict between international law, the logic behind mutually assured destruction and the morality of ordering the murder of 20 million civilians as high farce is magical to behold.

Shored up by faultless performances from Belinda Lang and Simon Chandler, Letter of Last Resort is yet another reminder of why David Greig is held up as one of the UK’s

www.festmag.co.uk

finest living playwrights.

On the other half of the bill is David Harrower’s Good With People, a kitchen sink drama set in the Scottish town of Helensburgh, which borders the Faslane naval base, home to the UK’s nuclear submarines.

This is something of a comedy of manners—albeit without the comedy—exploring the conflicts and snobbery between Faslane’s submariners, their families and the Helensburgh locals.

Where Letter of Last Resort deals with high politics, Good With People is much more local in scope. It focuses on two ordinary people: Evan, the grown-up and worldly son of a navy seaman, and Helen, who works at the B&B he is staying in during his brief return to

the town. In such a small community, inevitably the two have history.

Good With People examines the basis of social misunderstandings, of bitterness carried over for years—even decades—and the impact of living in the shadow of the military-industrial apparatus of the state. And it does so in a solid and compelling way. Blythe Duff’s turn as the uptight Scottish hotelier is the beating heart of the production, a picture of sincere reserve in contradistinction to Richard Rankin’s hot-headed visitor. The dialogue and character development is vintage Harrower, giving away only as much as is necessary. It is a subtle, intriguing work.

However, Good With People

suffers for sharing a ticket with Greig’s far more ambitious production. Indeed, one can’t help but feel that, as a doublebill, the two don’t quite work together. Though linked by a common thread—nuclear weaponry—it’s a link that feels a little tenuous. While Greig’s metaphysical exploration of political theory tackles the issue head on, Harrower has the Bomb very much in the background.

It’s an unsatisfying blend.

Then again, given the fact you’re getting two plays—one good, the other truly exemplary—for the price of one, this is a minor quibble that can be easily swallowed. [Ben Judge] Traverse Theatre, times vary, 14–26 Aug, not 20, £18.00 – £20.00

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 47

festtheatre Right Honourable Member

HHHHH

A school-age would-be Labourite gives a speech at the model EU parliament which should have sealed her rise within the party. Instead, victory turns to failure as her arch rival turns the room against her. Back at the hotel she takes solace in drink and, bizarrely, a rent boy.

What follows is a strange little piece which finds itself trapped between confused intentions: it’s not nearly believable enough to be dramatic, not nearly funny enough to be farce.

The central relationship between head girl Connie and escort Vince is particularly troublesome. Writer Tobias Wright sets up a series of oppositions (rich vs poor; academic vs earthy; Shakespeare vs Star Wars) and sets about translating these into witty repartee. Two problems: first, Wright is clearly more comfortable writing prosy monologues than dramatic dialogue. Second, the scene seriously lacks credibility: within minutes, the client and escort bear their souls in sassy back and forths, Connie waxing lyrical on her strategy for success while Vince responds in the wise, folksy narratives of the working-class savant. Connie’s rival, when she enters, fulfils her role as the ambitious other, but lacks the charisma to be believable as the next big thing in politics.

Perhaps the least appealing aspect of this self-styled study of success, education and reputation is its implicit investiture of some degree of significance in the rise and rise of its two political protagonists – both upper middle class, privately educated high flyers. One can’t shake the feeling that the role of artists is to challenge the world as they find it, not simply mirror it. [Evan Beswick] C aquila, 4:45pm – 5:45pm, 14–27 Aug, not 16, 17, £10.50

5

FEST BEST

Waiting for Stanley

HHHHH

The year is 1945, the war is over and a beautiful red-nosed clown (Leela Bunce) waits eagerly at a bunting-covered station, a banner in her hands lovingly embroidered with the words ‘Welcome Home Stanley.’ As you may guess, Stanley isn’t on the train.

What starts out as a simple premise blossoms into an exquisitely realised ode to the women of World War II, a one-woman homage to the mothers who watched their babies grow into children who had never met their fathers,

48 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

only to see them evacuated to the countryside; the women who rode motorcycles, worked shifts, kept their chins up and all the time waited for a husband who may or may not come home.

With endearing warmth and beguilingly subtle humour Bunce conjures up scenarios where Stanley has run off with a sultry French woman, imagines his war heroics in the field and pictures him as a tiny mechanical puppet writing her letters about his socks.

Her stage craft is as ingenious as any you’ll find at the Fringe but it is the depth of pride and hope she finds in her clown

persona that has us rooting for her from the bottom of our hearts.

Just as people in times of war have to find unique solutions to problems, so do clowns, and in this sense Bunce has found the perfect medium to honour both the terrible pain and the uplifting spirit of war wives. It’s a little embarrassing to admit that a clown show made me cry, but in this case it was for all the right reasons. [Lucy Ribchester] Assembly Roxy, 3:45pm – 4:45pm, 14–26 Aug, £10.00 – £12.00

www.festmag.co.uk

2012

Theatre

Gulliver’s Travels

Friday 17 – Mond august 8.00pm Sunday 19 augu

king’s Theatre, E

Tickets £30 £24 £16 £1

2 hours approxim

eif.co.uk/gulliver

AFTER JonaTHan SWIFT

‘purca˘rete’s mighty show Radu Stanca national Theatr delivers a visual and of Sibiu, Romania aural experience so jaw performed in Romanian with english supertitles droppingly bold that it Silviu purca˘ rete director makes most attempts Dragos¸ Buhagiar Set designer at immersive theatre Shaun Davey Music Directed by Silviu Purcărete seem like a paddle in the shallows’ After the Festival triumphsatire, of Faust in 2009 director Silv Fantastical viciously biting political The Scotsman on and Faust, returns with the Radu Stanca national Theatre of Sibiu fourth book, fromof the the world premiere of his version Gulliver’s Travels.

Festivalbased 2009 on Jonathan Swift’s artists who brought FaustIrishtowriter theJonathan Festival 2009.

Swift’s in savage political satire is se

Gulliver’s Travels Book now at eif.co.uk/gulliver 0131 473 2000

the eyes of visionary theatre maker Purca˘ rete with an o

by Irish composer Shaun davey. driven by davey's mu Purca˘ rete’s production gathers cultural and social aspe contemporary society and explores themes of voyage, exile, immigration, emigration, solitude and togetherne

Fri 17 – Mon 20 Aug King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Supported by Supported by

Photo: Sebastian Marcovici Charity No SCO04694

n Quee

t tree ver S Hano

32

t tree ver S Hano

1 Street Rose

33

Street Rose

reet es St Princ nd Mou The

St. hope

s rden a G t ee s Str e c n i Pr

rket nma Law

ce rra Te

ton ns Joh

race Ter

Assembly Hall

The Mound

23 Liquid Room

Victoria St

3

Assembly George Sqw

4

Assembly Roxy

n so w La

Street Sq BreadGeorge

24 Meadows Festival Big Top

ge Potterrow brid tain un Fo Forrest Road

BBC @ Potterrow

6

Bedlam Theatre

7

The Bongo Club

go Holyrood Road

8

C Venues

Chambers St

9

C Nova

ey Gr rl Ea

Bristo Sq

27 Pleasance @ Essential Edinburgh

George St

28 Queen’s Hall

Clerk St

The Space @ Surgeon’s Hall

Nicolson St

The Space @ Symposium Hall

Hill Sq York Place

s os llcr To st We

ro Johnstone u Terrace

33 The Stand II

York Place

Blair St

34 The Stand III & IV

Th orny bank

Grassmarket

B

gh a

Geo

York Place Summerhall

18 Gilded Balloon Teviot

Home Street

35 Summerhall

19 Jazz Bar

Chambers St

40 Venue 150 @ EICC

Morrison St

20 Just the Tonic @ the Caves

Cowgate

41 Zoo

St Leonards St

21

Hunter Sq

42 Zoo Southside

Nicolson St

16 Electric Circus Gilded Balloon @ Third Door

Lothian St Bristo Sq

reet Tarvit St

Grassmarket

37 Traverse Theatre

Cambridge St

38 Underbelly

Cowgate

39 Udderbelly’s Pasture

Bristo Sq

ce le Terra Lonsda

rr. leven Te

Just the Tonic @ The Tron

Market St

36 Sweet Grassmarket

e ac Pl

17

Leith Walk

Leven Street

Edinburgh Playhouse

am gh ou Br

15

Place Panmure

e ac t Pl Tevio

reet ers St Chalm

32 The Stand

30

Lauriston Place

Jeffrey St

Johnstone Terrace

Br ist oP la ce

6

10

The Space @ Jury’s Inn

31

et re St

14 Dance Base

26 Pleasance Dome

ens Gard ston Lauri

Cabaret Voltaire

The Pleasance

Lauriston Place

m

13

Victoria St

25 Pleasance Courtyard

29ce n Pla risto Lau 30

et re St

C Aquilla

Hig hR igg s

e Ri

eet Str ple Sem

5

The Meadows

et re St

Roxburgh Pl

m Cha

Forest Ro ad

George St

2

12

Can dle m ak

36

Sp itt al St ree t

W 22 Le Monde

dy La

George St

38

w Ro er

ort est P

Assembly Rooms

10 C gECA e

12

et ark ssm Gra t rke a ssm Gra

14

1

id br 11ntain C Too u Fo

11

23 9

ge brid

Ca m br id ge St .

a Street tori Vic

King Stables Road Grin dla yS Tre et

m

ill Castleh

IV rge Geo

le st Ca

n Road Lothia

37

Cockb

al M / Roy street High

st.

Bank

lace nd P Mou

h burg Edinastle C Ki ng St ab les Ro ad

rle Wavetio a St

et Stre ket Mar

2

40

34

Sq. drew St An

ridge rley B Wave

et Stre erick fred

eet le Str Cast

Street Rose

Sq. lotte Char

Street Rose

eet e Str thistl

22

eet e Str Georg

Sq. lotte Char 27

eet e Str thistl

et Stre erick fred

eet g Str Youn

ad h Ro oac pr Ap

t

treet Hill S

et Stre stle h Ca Nort

treet lme S St Co

drew St An eet n Str Quee

The Meadows

24

Terrace Glengyle

ld tsfie Brun nks Li

Melv ille Dr ive e park terrac warrender

M

Lei t 15

Place rloo Wate d Regent Roa

dge h Bri Nort

ey on

Calton Roa d

et Stre New

16

t East Market Stree Jeffrey Street

29

burn Street

e ngat Cano

31

n lso ho Nic

Lo th ian

treet ton S Crich

el ap Ch

3

t es W

n so ol ch Ni

.

St

et re St

42 West Crossc auseway

reet uch St Buccle

Place leuch Bucc

et tre dS on m ich tr es W

eet Str

w erro pott

18

ce d Pla mon Rich

ce l Pla Hil

26

are e Squ Georg

25

st.

t. ge S Colle

30

5

Pleasance

et tre dS on m m Dru 4

et tre

39

re Squa orge

41

ce Pla

South

Road Holyrood

St

gh bur Rox

27

ary irm Inf

h urg xb Ro

. ge St Colle West S

se ’s clo rtson Robe

t

t tree rs S mbe

20

8 19

7

e Cowgat

e Bridg South

Cowgate

tree Gu thrie s

et stre friars Black

eet ry Str Nidd

Street Blair

se Old fis market Clo

13

se ’s Clo Gray South

21

Mile

et Stre ary’s St M

Mile Royal reet / High st

35

auseway EAST Crossc

et tre rk S Cle

28

et Stre lor keil ran

gue nta mo

et Stre

Park pe Ho

eet Str lerk th C Sou

Terrace melville

festtheatre Captain Ferguson’s School for Balloon Warfare

HHHHH

The story of the US army’s attempts to use hot air balloons as weapons during World War One is an intriguing premise for a play, but unfortunately this one-man show doesn’t capitalise on it.

Based on real events, Isaac Rathbone’s narrative centres on the eponymous Captain, who is determined to show his army superiors that balloons can serve not only for aerial surveillance but for stealth weapon deployment as well.

This hour-long play follows him from instructing a ‘balloon school’ of young recruits to ordering his helium-filled fleet over Germany.

David Nelson, as Captain Ferguson, attacks the play with admirable aplomb, and there are some engaging moments—treating the audience as pupils in his balloon school comes off well—but the writing is just too thin to make it more than momentarily diverting.

The result is that whatever pathos and humour the subject matter could have provoked never materialises. Even a scene in which Ferguson tells of the vast loss of life in one initial operation fails to move, and another in which he ascends in his balloon basket against a backdrop of stars feels clichéd.

The production is visually pleasing, with an appropriately sepia-toned set and era-specific props, but the use of projections, to show Ferguson’s three superiors as talking heads, isn’t as interesting as it wants to be. Like the Captain’s somewhat misplaced grand ambitions for his balloons, this show never takes you to dizzy heights. [Caroline Bishop] Assembly Roxy, 11:15am – 12:15pm, 15–27 Aug, not 20, £10.00 – £12.00

Flâneurs

HHHHH Prismatic, restrained, humane and with all the spare beauty of a Haiku, Flâneurs, a new work by Edinburgh-based live artist Jenna Watt, is a meditation upon the bystander effect. Watt created the piece after hearing of a brutal attack on a close friend. What shocked her was less the attack itself than the fact that no-one did anything to help.

Watt is a narrator of quiet delicacy and warmth. From the moment she begins to the surprising twist at the piece’s conclusion, Watt shows her-

Amusements

HHHHH

“You are an audience,” the Sleepwalk Collective tells us.

“You are a machine for watching. Remember everything.”

Trust me: no one will have trouble remembering Amusements.

In a lecture theatre in a former veterinary school, Amusements’ audience members seat themselves, read an instructional pamphlet and put on the headsets provided.

The lights go down and the ‘ride’ begins. It is difficult to describe what follows, and if you are 16 or over and don’t suffer from claustrophobia or

52 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

self able to keep an audience’s attention without ever seeming to try. She never raises her voice – she has no need to, as the audience hangs onto her every word.

Using only subtle lighting effects and an overhead projectory, Watt creates artwork live on stage. In one particularly memorable scene, the audience listens to a recording of the friend who was attacked describing the injuries he sustained.

All the while Watt kneels by the projector and lets red ink from a pipette drip onto its screen. The effect is to make the white-washed walls of

Summerhall’s demonstration room seem to be blossoming blood.

A flâneur, according to Watt’s definition, is an urban explorer, someone who will investigate the crevices of a city. And although Watt never quite manages to draw all the strands of her work together, her audiences emerge as flâneurs of their own psyches. It would be impossible to leave the performance without having asked oneself: would I walk by? [Miranda Kiek]

panic attacks, it is absolutely worth experiencing. Imagine David Lynch aggressively trying to hypnotise you. Or if Laurie Anderson was 25, Spanish, and had you locked in a shed. If a theme is to be gathered from Amusements, it may well be manipulation.

“None of this is real,” narrator Lara Solano Arana tells us.

“But your body doesn’t know that.” And much of the show is indeed about manipulating our bodies – into a fear state. We are told we’re about to feel like we’re drowning. Arana’s voice transitions into a frightening man’s grumble – in line, we hear, with one of her dreams.

The subconscious, it seems, is

a spooky place.

This monologue covers what is meant to be the breadth of human experience via audio immersion, but it would be absorbed better by its audience if the Spanish Sleepwalk Collective wasn’t trying to scare the bejesus out of us. With 50 per cent fewer demonic voices, Amusements would have succeeded in becoming what it set out to be: an existential theme park attraction; a life-altering, surreal departure from the world outside the lecture theatre.

[Arianna Reiche]

Summerhall, 2:00pm – 3:00pm, 15–26 Aug, not 17, 18, £8.00

Summerhall, 5:45pm – 6:45pm, 14–26 Aug, £8.00

www.festmag.co.uk

festtheatre DDLE´S

WINSTON RU

CIRQUE

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 53

festtheatre Once in a House on Fire

HHHHH

Andrea Ashworth’s memoir about her traumatic childhood in Manchester, Once in a House on Fire, became a best-seller on publication in 1998. This dramatisation by Monkeywood Theatre’s Sarah McDonald Hughes—who once lived on the same Moss Side street as Ashworth—attempts to turn this decade-spanning tale into an hour-long show.

On the whole it succeeds.

McDonald Hughes plays Andrea, who, as the eldest daughter in the family, learns early that it is she who must hold them together. With a mother increasingly reliant on a succession of abusive husbands, too weak to break the cycle—“I’ve lost the knack of being my own person”—it’s left to Andrea and younger sister Laurie to muddle through childhood.

Infused with the energy and imagination of youth, this tale is vibrantly told. A thumping soundtrack of late 70s and 80s pop tunes denotes scene changes and sets the era, while references to the Yorkshire Ripper and the teenage excitement of visiting Yates’ Wine Bar place the piece firmly in its time period.

It’s well acted, too, by the cast of three. But the play has so much to cram into one hour that at times it feels rushed.

The family’s brief emigration to Canada is so sparsely treated that, in the following scene, it takes a while to realise they are back in Manchester. And though poignant, some emotional punch is lost by dealing in such broad brush strokes. This production has plenty going for it, but a longer running time would allow some necessary space for the story to breathe.

[Caroline Bishop] Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 2:40pm – 3:40pm, 15–25 Aug, not 20, £14.00

This Way Up

HHHHH Fringe audiences—usually well-stocked with idealistic performers and cultural aficionados—will probably be more automatically sympathetic than most to the plight of a young artist trying to hang on to dignity and integrity in a desolate economy. Nevertheless, the Antler Theatre’s blend of spaced-out romantic comedy and pointed social commentary could earn that sympathy from any audience by sheer merit alone.

The newly graduated Alex (a brilliant Daniela Pasquini) is determined to succeed as an

54 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

artist, and from the moment she steps on stage—moving into a flat that proves to be electricity-free—every problem and irritant she encounters is merely an obstacle on the way to that goal. While Alex struggles to maintain a battered optimism, we follow her through three strange years spent working in a purgatorial call centre, surrounded by grotesques damaged by a life of uninspiring monotony.

While avoiding the usual tropes of agitprop entirely, This Way Up still manages to be an impassioned theatrical portrayal of the lost generation, delicately expressing the daily humiliations of surviv-

ing, rather than living, in a part-time world. Yet it is the heartwarming, heartbreaking, adorably childlike romance between Alex and Mark (a quietly hilarious Nasi Voutsas), her boy-man co-worker, that truly makes the play special.

Their blossoming love, played out through imaginary space adventures and David Bowie, is what will capture your fascination as well as your sympathy. While at least one subplot could be sheared, This Way Up manages to be both moving and ridiculous simultaneously. [Sean Bell] C venues, 2:40pm – 3:40pm, 15–27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

www.festmag.co.uk

UNFOLDING THEATRE IN ASSOCIATION WITH NORTHERN STAGE PRESENTS

BEST WORL D I N T H E

“There can only be one word for it: magic theatre”

The Guardian

“Hits a bullseye for atmosphere and originality” WhatsOnStage

UNTIL 25 AUGUST 12:45pm Venue 73 NORTHERN STAGE AT ST STEPHEN’S Box Office 0131 558 3047 Book Online northernstage.co.uk

ns_festadvert_04_02.indd 5

August 20-27 0131 662 6892

www.zoofestival.co.uk www.edfringe.com

9:50 PM

www.metartmorphose.blogspot.fr

09/08/2012 13:54

THE STORY OF WOODY GUTHRIE

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 55

festtheatre Tumble Circus: This Is What We Do For A Living

HHHHH

If there is such a thing as a domestic circus scene, this is what greets us on entering the Udderbelly. A huge bed is strewn with cushions, and next to it, dangling above a dainty white kitchen table, hangs a trapeze. But then, as we discover from the opening five minutes, the duo who make up Tumble Circus are a couple who like a good domestic.

Over the course of the show, married pair Tina Segner and Ken Fanning lead us through break-ups, arguments and even attempts to incite jealousy in one another by seducing members of the audience. In the case of Fanning this is done by shimmying up a rope three times to collect a rose to the dulcet tones of ‘Je T’Aime.’

You may have guessed

by now that the pair have a glorious sense of fun and don’t take themselves—or each other—too seriously, sticking the odd kick or slap into a series of balances, swapping a dress from her to him while she is standing on his shoulders. Their talents, however, are deadly serious,

and this is borne out no better than in the fabulous final trapeze act which sees them clambering all over one another in a way that is so effortless it belies the amount of dedication, training and natural chemistry that has gone into the act.

In case we were in any

doubt, they do tell us at the beginning: 152, 352 hours of working together, travelling via 950 hotel rooms. But after all, this is what they do for a living. [Lucy Ribchester]

While the insight into the real people who became, say, Leopold Bloom or Buck Mulligan, certainly provides a fascinating view through a biographical lens, the more interesting artistic aspect of Donal O’Kelly’s script is its beautifully constructed homage to the Joycean stylistic innovations. From the free-indirect style of

young James at home with his family (faces don’t just appear in candlelight, they are “Rembrandted”) to piling on puns ad extremis, opening up imaginative doors with each variation, what could be frigid imitation instead crackles with invention. Daughter Katie’s one-person performance of that script is a masterclass in careful characterisation of

this large and motley cast of Dubliners. Special mention must go to her depiction of the young aesthete himself – a pitch-perfect model of haughty arrogance and adolescent mardiness. [Evan Beswick]

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 3:40pm – 4:40pm, 15–27 Aug, £12.00 – £14.00

Joyced!

HHHHH “Rescue Jimmy Joyce,” our narrator’s father tells him.

“He is in the labyrinth; the academics have him.” There’s one thing father and daughter team Donal and Katie O’Kelly don’t achieve in this frenetic whistle-stop tour of Dublin in 1904, and that’s to rip Joyce from the grasp of academia.

That’s no bad thing: this is a learned and thoughtful production, borne clearly from rigorous study of the language, devices and context of Joyce’s Ulysses. What it does achieve with utter assuredness is to bring those real-life characters who informed Joyce’s epic novel energetically to life. In doing so, we’re reminded that, behind the Irishman’s mastery of language and form lies a human drama of small lives amid the grimy metropolis of Dublin.

56 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Assembly George Square, 4:45pm – 5:50pm, 14–27 Aug, not 20, £10.00 – £12.00

www.festmag.co.uk

festtheatre Cover

Crypted

Two facts seem to uphold Cover playwright Ed J Smith’s world view: that all human beings subsist on deceit, and that The Artist was really, really great.

Two brothers take their dates to the cinema one evening in central London. When they cross paths at their absent father’s flat, the elaborate network of manipulation that has been holding together each brother’s life—from their childhood and student days, to ambitious Rebecca’s real motives for allowing herself to be courted by posh James, to bohemian waster Molly’s sexual practices—collapses. Intercut with brief moments of silent film-style narration (choppy lighting, vaudeville physical comedy, dialogue boards), the show is really a complex conversation between four people, running the gamut of class, relationships and ambition. But each individual is harboring their own secret. In particular, the mystery of who the brothers’ mysterious father really is lingers over their evening.

Cover’s premise is promising.

But when the show reaches its climax(es), the structural tools set up in the first act—including those jarring vaudeville cuts— seem to disappear, or perhaps simply fail to tie themselves up in a satisfying way. And while the more lighthearted moments of the performance are truly stand-out, some jokes seem dated by such a slight time margin as to make this critic feel overwhelmingly snarky – hashtag jokes, casual use of “wingman,” even the reference to 2011’s The Artist which is so present in the show’s structure.

See Cover for the talent, but expect more of a soap opera than a satisfying work of fiction. [Arianna Reiche]

Already an award-winning playwright and with a BBC3 sitcom in the pipeline, at 24 years-old Freddie Sybourn displays Tom Stoppard-like skill in taking an academic question (in this case the humanity of numbers) and using it as a structural and thematic device in his playwriting. Sybourn’s writing, however, is less cynical than Stoppard’s and his new play about the enigmatic codebreaker Alan Turing is one of some emotional power.

The cast is uniformly strong although special mentions should go to Harriet Green, who gives to the part of Turing all the tragic innocence of a holy fool, and Amani Zardoe, who is as captivating as she is convincing in the role of Turing’s wife, Joan.

Sybourn proves himself master of more than just the pen

HHHHH

C venues - C nova, 3:20pm – 4:15pm, 15–27 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

HHHHH

Razing Eddie

HHHHH

Horizon Arts—Britain’s “hottest young theatre group,” according to the BBC—certainly deal with a lot of fiery themes in Razing Eddie, a new play written and directed by the company’s Phillip Stokes, which combines social realism with ghosts in a sort of Gothic kitchen sink drama.

Razing Eddie does not provide a laugh a minute.

It’s the story of former football thug Eddie (played with tremendous brooding menace by Lee Bainbridge) who, on his release from jail, seeks out his ex-girlfriend Shauna (a heart-breakingly vulnerable performance from Chloe Mylonas) and is forced to confront his past misdeeds in the most unexpected of ways.

Stokes’ script is weighed

58 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

when he performs a couple of pitch-perfect cameos as a detective and a schoolmaster.

Inevitably the decision to cast a woman as Turing raises questions. Is it meant to emphasise Turing’s failure to fit in, his belief that something can be both one thing and another? Or is it simply a result of company constraints?

No matter how good Green’s portrayal, or how rigorous the thinking behind her casting – ultimately it serves as

an unnecessary distraction, which is a shame in a piece otherwise so well-judged.

“Music,” writes Sybourn’s Turing after the death of his schoolboy lover, “survives the individual instruments which play it.” Likewise this is a play which will continue to resonate with audiences long after the last curtain call.

[Miranda Kiek] C nova, 2:00pm – 3:05pm, 15–26 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

down by a an overbearing worthiness; the nagging suspicion that they’re trying a bit too hard to be ‘relevant’ with Northern youth culture. Perhaps it is due to its plethora of hard-hitting themes that the play feels relentlessly one note. It begins at emotional breaking point, continues at emotional breaking point and ends on numerous emotional breaking points. This is a shame because a lot of the writing, taken on a scene by scene basis, is truly excellent.

The play is performed with oodles of conviction by its young cast, and although Razing Eddie would benefit from more restraint all round, it still represents an admirable achievement for a youth theatre company.

[Miranda Kiek] Underbelly, Cowgate, 12:00pm – 1:10pm, 15–26 Aug, £8.50 – £10.00

www.festmag.co.uk

festtheatre Seeing Double: Vision

HHHHH

Vision is Greenlight Theatre’s companion piece to Seeing Double: Figures. These two ensemble plays share actors, subject material and temporality, the cast rushing from one stage to another as a theatrical company’s ill-fated update of Macbeth threatens to fall apart as opening night approaches.

Where Figures presents the scenario from the perspective of the production team—barred from Julio Buenaventura’s rehearsals, ostensibly because the director does not want to see his ex-wife, who is the costume designer—Vision takes place backstage among the actors. Figures is essentially a straight farce; Vision is more acerbic in its critique of theatrical pretentions, replete with earnest soliloquies and

over-the-top theatrical exercises (“you’re a feather drifting on the breeze”).

Buenaventura, it transpires, is an imposter, an East End spiv named Craig, who, clutching a copy of Directing for Dummies, attempts to bluff his way through Macbeth, with predictably disastrous results.

As with Figures, the closing 10 minutes descend into a mad-

cap dash between venues.

The conceit behind the Seeing Double plays is a reasonably fresh one, but for those who watch both shows it will probably feel a bit wearing. Both stories are variations on a theme, and the action, while enjoyable and light-hearted, is not enough to sustain what are basically two viewings of the same

play. Nevertheless, Greenlight deserves kudos for trying something different, and the energy of the performances suggests this won’t be the last we hear from this young theatre company. [Peter Geoghegan]

The conceit is that Buenaventura has barred all the production staff from rehearsals, necessitating the producers to resort to CCTV to spy on the wayward genius and his troupe. If this all sounds a little confusing on paper, in practice it is quite straightforward and it’s not long before the energetic cast is careering at speed between the Pleasance Hut and the

Baby Grand (where Visions takes place).

Figures is a none-toosubtle pastiche of pretentious thespians: nobody bats an eyelid when Buenaventura requests latex, black dildos and a baby covered in swastikas for his Macbeth.

Instead the vapid PR woman suggests renaming the show “Macsex.”

The content is less innova-

tive than the concept but it is all delivered with such high spirits and infectious energy that it impossible not to warm to Figures, even as it becomes increasingly madcap and chaotic. A triumph for style with a soupcon of substance.

[Peter Geoghegan]

Pleasance Courtyard, 11:30am – 12:30pm, 15–27 Aug, £7.00 – £8.00

Seeing Double: Figures

HHHHH

Some theatrical concepts are difficult to explain because they are daring and unorthodox; others because they are, well, a bit daft. The conceit behind Greenlight Theatre’s new production Seeing Double: Figures—and its sister play Seeing Double: Vision—is a mixture of the inspired and absurd. The two ensemble plays take place simultaneously with the same subject material and actors, linked by a two-way video that flickers into life at crucial moments in the action.

Seeing Double takes place on the set of a doomed contemporary version of Macbeth: in Figures, we watch the production team’s farcical attempts to hold the show together after the original director is replaced

by South American ‘genius’ Julio Buenaventura.

www.festmag.co.uk

Pleasance Courtyard, 11:30am – 12:30pm, 15–27 Aug, £7.00 – £8.00

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 59

festdance&physicaltheatre Rime

HHHHH Circus and sailing make a fine pairing, with more similarities than it would first seem: similar ropes, poles and rigging, and similar physical demands placed on their workers. So it is fitting that Square Peg has chosen to use circus skills to tell one of literature’s best known sea stories, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem is the story of a man interrupted en route to a wedding by a strange old sailor with a sorry tale.

Stranded in Antarctica, an albatross led the ancient mariner’s ship to safety but instead of thanking the bird he shot it, with disastrous consequences for the superstitious crew onboard.

The aesthetic Square Peg has created—an urban Victoriana with pastel corsets and black trainers— is lovely, as are the traditional sea props it uses: crates, poles and sails.

But the narrative it draws out is too slight to sustain the show’s momentum, with the long passages of dance and circus, graceful and impressive as they are, embellishing the story rather than driving it. Some of the most beautiful moments of aerials and dance come from Hazel Lam, with a slow energy that seems to saturate each of her perfectly controlled limbs.

But the connection to the narrative feels vague. There are some exceptions to this, the best of which is when Rosamond Martin’s albatross materialises out of nowhere into a wild duet with the mariner that quickly becomes a dance of death. And for sea-faring atmosphere Rime is certainly ship-shape.

[Lucy Ribchester] Summerhall, 5:30pm – 6:30pm, 14–15 Aug, £11.00

Caesarean Section: Essays on Suicide

HHHHH

The lights don’t go all the way down at the start of this piece. First, a woman draws chalk lines round her feet then steps aside for another to stand barefoot in them.

When the blackout is complete, however, it is total, making the accompanying sounds of glass smashing even more fierce and the subsequent image of the barefoot woman, flailing in a desperate tango, unable to step out of the chalk footsteps for fear of treading on broken pieces, even more arresting.

This piece from Teatr ZAR carries us through visions of people nearing the tipping point of unbearable pain and flinching back from it with a religious quality of violence and beauty. The urgency of it often makes for discomfiting viewing and and at times cuts to your blood. There’s a shocking intensity to the dancers’ bodies, crossing back and forth over a channel of illuminated broken

glass, banging shoes against their chests, or slipping from the balancing point of a chair with brutal repetition.

At the heart of the score an elemental chorus based on polyphonic Corsican songs seems to rise from the earth.

Nini Julia Bang in particular has the most strange and wonderful voice, sounding sometimes like she is singing in a cave or cathedral, while sublime

lighting bathes every strained muscle of the performers’ bodies in a spiritual glow. As a shaft of it pours down on dancer Kamila Klamut she reaches up, desperate to touch whatever salvation it might bring. In the final image, a broken pieta, her frozen silent scream is unforgettable. [Lucy Ribchester]

compounded by teacher Lisa Cheng, a split-personalitied larger-than-life villain who we go on to discover has a hidden wild side. Punkish schoolboy Franky McNugget is a natural comic and draws the biggest laughs, manically serenading Hong Wah before attempting to woo her with a bag of crisps.

The piece is driven by a bright Saturday morning cartoon vibe, and the routines are well choreographed; perhaps a

little too well choreographed, for at times it feels as though the cast isn’t quite letting go enough. But it is both joyously silly and extremely enjoyable, and will probably make most teachers breathe a sigh of relief they don’t have students as wild as these. [Lucy Ribchester]

Summerhall, 7:00pm – 8:00pm, 15–20 Aug, £11.00

Detention

HHHHH Schoolboy pranks are taken to a whole new level in this slapstick show from Tang Shu-wing’s Hong Kong based Theatre Studio. Two naughty boys kept back for detention reluctantly copy out lines from the blackboard before the teacher unwisely leaves them alone and a steady trickle of mayhem begins to erupt.

A battle of the iPods cedes into hammy Michael Jackson impersonations before the boys are joined by a couple of other rogue students, and all focus turns to trying to win the attention of the only girl in the group, Liu Hong Wah – who, in between fending off her suitors, gives us some impressive Chinese opera dancing. The chaos is

60 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Summerhall, 1:00pm – 2:05pm, 15–26 Aug, not 20, £12.00

www.festmag.co.uk

festinternationalfestival

5

FEST BEST

Tatyana

HHHHH Despite being taken under the wing of Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker, Russia is never far away in this adaptation of Eugene Onegin.

Pushkin himself even plays a central role, doubled by Colker and Dielson Pessoa as a lithe, powerful puppet master, a reminder that the characters’ decisions and emotions do not necessarily come from them. Colker has used Russian composers too: Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninov’s exquisite ‘Piano Concerto No 2’ which elevates her second act to a profoundly passionate level. Her costumes have a tactile 19th century edge: lush silks and sheer frills.

Spurning Tatyana’s declarations of love, rich, arrogant Onegin decides to flirt outrageously with her sister, Olga, inciting jealousy in Olga’s fiancé , resulting in a tragic duel

Speed of Light

HHHHH

“They look a bit like dancing Christmas trees, don’t they?” remarks Conrad, our burly Speed of Light walking guide, as ‘Walking Group 2’ turn their bemused gaze to a circle of illuminated performers cutting multicoloured shapes into the face of Arthur’s Seat.

Conrad’s interpretation of the EIF’s flagship production may not be the most sophisticated, but it neatly captures the extrordinary spectacle of Speed of Light and at the same time its curiously underwhelming aesthetic impact.

The kinaesthetic principle that inspired NVA’s production is certainly fascinating. Artistic Director Angus Farquhar wanted to create a piece of

www.festmag.co.uk

that Onegin wins. Years later he changes his mind about Tatyana but she has grown older and more sophisticated—dancing en pointe here—and against her deepest desires finds the strength to reject him.

Colker—who dances like it’s the most natural way in the world to communicate—draws a deep emotional range from

her cast, and her decision to represent each of the four main characters through multiple performers is both conceptually brilliant and visually stunning. Tatyana breathes as one, even when her various personalities and moods are stretching their own different limbs. When, in the second act, she allows herself one last

large-scale ‘public art’ which celebrated both his love for running and also used the landscape of Arthur’s Seat as its canvas. The result is a mass performance of running artistry, with teams of performers in specially-made light suits jogging (and occasionally staggering) through choreographed routines cut into the hill face.

The audience is also an integral part of the performance. Split into walking groups and armed with movement-activated light sticks, they slowly make their way to the summit, stopping every so often to catch a breather and watch the runners below.

The production is a truly vast operation, encompassing an impressive team of 4,500 volunteer runners and attracting audiences of 800 every

night. Yet the scale of the project also gives it a clinical feel, particularly at the tented basecamp where the setup is more like a theme park than a festival performance, and where the staff seem more interested in health and safety regulations than explaining the artistic principles behind the show. The performance itself is similarly impressive, but ultimately falls a little flat.

While the combination of light and movement is certainly sensually pleasing, it’s dwarfed by the majestic splendor of Edinburgh itself, which, sparkling in the distance, both steals the show and invariably the audience’s gaze. [Sam Friedman]

indulgent fantasy, she literally appears to melt as she is manipulated by the many-bodied Onegin, repetitions of herself appearing behind a gauze like torn thoughts, producing dance of the most complex and sensually charged kind. [Lucy Ribchester] Run ended

Arthur’s Seat, times vary, 15 Aug – 1 Sep, not 20 Aug, 21 Aug, 28 Aug, £24.00

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 61

festmusic&cabaret Dead Cat Bounce...

Howl of the sheleopard

HHHHH

Proud to be “the only act ever to have supported both Jason Manford and The Darkness”, Dead Cat Bounce are happily straddling the ever widening musical-comedy niche. Clad in skin tight trousers, bandanas and suede boots (all from women’s stores, natch), the trio prance around the stage, singing about confused Christians on their wedding night, tall women and homophobic penguins. Coherent, zeitgeisty humour this is not.

Like the floppier haired offspring of Axis of Awesome, this group are more rock and less roll than their musical forefathers. Their songs lack substance, though, as much of their humour trades on ideas a little too esoteric to entertain an entire crowd.

A suitably random opening number about Chinese people illegally bringing

food through customs in Australian airports is a prime example.

Where the real talent lies is in their musical prowess, with many of the songs proving incredibly catchy. Flitting from instrument to instrument and sharing the solos means each member gets their stint in the limelight,

and their collective talent is impressive. But the comedy arm of their act is not up to par, and future songs will need more widespread appeal to really make an impact.

Their best known song, ‘Rugby,’ is by far their most accessible number, and this is undoubtedly the reason for its success. Unless they pen

songs that the audience can in some way identify with, Dead Cat Bounce are better off going down the indie band route, where a little musical talent and a lot of stupid lyrics will suffice. [Charlotte Lytton]

one night stands, or spray half-chewed food at hecklers, or push the clichés of a beauty pageant to truly nightmarish levels.

Meanwhile in the live jazz club, sweaty people grind against sweaty people, and their sweat pools on the ancient ceiling, only to rain back down on their vile bodies.

All of the amusements are exhilarating, sexy fun. Besides

the set acts, there are numerous ‘experiences’, allowing you to talk to a mime or get married in a decidedly uncivil ceremony. The Boom Boom Club needs more of these diversions. It is disappointing to see several alcoves go unused. Between performances you run out of things to do, making the club feel more like a community hall disco than a bordello. The orgy risks

become boring.

Your enjoyment of the debauched Boom Boom Club depends on your attitude walking into it. Those willing to lose themselves and swap some fluids will feel at home within its oozing walls. [Jonathan Holmes]

Pleasance Courtyard, 10:30pm – 11:30pm, 14–26 Aug, £11.00 – £12.00

Boom Boom Club

HHHHH

Wandering through the damp caverns of the Underbelly, decorated with neon crosses and fetish gear, feels a bit like raiding Madonna’s crypt. Not that the Boom Boom Club is anything but lively. A night of music, cabaret and burlesque spread across three rooms, there is something for every perversion.

Throughout, there is a cheeky focus on the more unpleasant aspects of sex.

The side-show acts, including fire-eating and hula-hooping, combine sex appeal and a fuck-off attitude. Compere Dusty Limits fronts an everchanging revue of cabaret acts, man-handling the drunk crowd and stripping attractive audience members. The performers lampoon grotesque

62 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Underbelly, Cowgate, 12:30am – 4:00am, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £13.50 – £15.50

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 63

festmusic&cabaret

Rubies in the Attic

HHHHH

Some things are best left locked away, and sadly, that may be the case for Rubies in the Attic. Their trip down genealogy lane attempts to evoke the histories of each Doll’s forebears, but the show never gets beyond the twee and tiresome. So tiresome, in fact, that one audience member dropped off mid-way during the performance.

And They Played Shang-A-Lang

HHHHH

This production from Scotland’s Craft Theatre Company is a mawkish, comic ode to adolescent life in 1970s Edinburgh. Cynics may argue that it strives to dignify cheap, cloying nostalgia through the presence of a dead narrator, but there’s no denying And They Played Shang-a-Lang’s strange evocative power.

Essentially a loose series

Jen Doll (yes, they all use ‘Doll’ after their names. Sigh.) is one of the few saving graces of the piece, taking on the role of her eccentric, steady-older-man-hunting grandmother with aplomb.

But her engaging performance is drowned in a sea of synthetic smiles and matching Mary-Janes as the girls flit from scene to scene in a haze of dodgy accents and feigned enthusiasm. The ideas behind the show certainly have

merit, but the Dolls’ acting is not strong enough to cope with the demands of bringing their ancestors’ stories to life.

The songs from the South African portion of the performance, particularly ‘Asikhatale’, showcase the musical skill of the girls, and they are at their collective best when singing in close harmony. The musical interludes do not go on long enough, though, and as one number ends, so begins a

scene too short to really become invested in. By knitting together four very different tales into one show, the Dolls sever the opportunity for the audience to truly immerse themselves in each individual story, and this dilutes its potential to be a more emotive and gripping piece. [Charlotte Lytton]

of vignettes and songs strung together by the recollections of a portly man in an illmatched three piece suit, the musical shines thanks to the sheer energy of its cast. The unashamedly broad script, however, is often too obvious for its own good, frequently delivering references to obsolete things that people may be able to recall. Remember Buckaroo? Crackerjack? Jimmy Saville? To the writers’ credit, Spangles aren’t mentioned once.

Many of the situations depicted are just as obvious, yet conveyed so joyfully that it’s hard not to become swept up by the sense of communal nostalgia. One school misfit models himself on Donny Osmond and garners multiple new admirers as a result. A family Hogmanay causes consternation for all involved, while a trip to the disco necessitates complex, strategic planning from both sexes. Most impressive is a school nativity scene involving a born again

disciplinarian which causes pockets of the audience to literally weep with laughter.

Throughout all this action, hits of the decade transport audience members of a certain age back to their own formative years. Whether this is a good thing or not, the show is an entertaining 90 minutes that achieves all it sets out to do. [Lewis Porteous]

64 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Assembly Roxy, 6:30pm – 7:30pm, 14–27 Aug, not 20, £12.00 – £13.00

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 12:50pm – 2:20pm, 16–26 Aug, £10.00

www.festmag.co.uk

festmusic&cabaret Death Boogie

HHHHH

Watching Death Boogie feels something akin to a drugs trip - flashing images appear to slip from 3D to 2D, synthesised sounds saturate the auditorium and are capped by unceasing rhythmic, rhyming poetry-cumrap. Death Boogie is difficult to categorise – existing as it does at the nexus of performance poetry, graphic book and concept album. Whatever it is precisely, there can be no doubt that it represents a considerable choreographic and creative feat.

Death Boogie is, for the most part, the work of the elastic-voiced poet-actor Darian Dauchan and his two-man band of musicians, violinist Curtis Stewart and bassist Ian J. Burnett. During Death Boogie, Dauchan performs a series of hip-hop poems. These form the story (just about possible to follow, if you concentrate very hard) of one young American’s

journey from political inertia to activism. Alongside the poetry Dauchan uses synth-boxes to create dizzying live vocal loops and interacts with a continuously shifting backdrop of projected black and white graphic novel-style images (the work of artist David Allyon). Drawings of depressed spaces on beds are filled by his live body and cartoon-like wheeling-arm punches are accompanied by ‘Kapows.’

Death Boogie is clearly intended as a piece of campaigning theatre yet its poetry is less memorable than its pyrotechnics, and while it succeeds in impressing, it never quite compels. A work of cacophonous sound and visual fury, Death Boogie is certainly trying to signify something – it is just not always clear what.

[Miranda Kiek] Assembly Roxy, 7:50pm – 8:50pm, 14–27 Aug, not 20, £10.00 – £12.00

“Now’s the time to bow down at the altar of four-strong a cappella group FORK” METRO

2-26 AUG (NO SHOW 14) AT 22.25 (1 HR) GEORGE SQUARE - SPIEGELTENT TEATRO

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 65

festkids

MONSTROUS

AMBITION Toby Mitchell has been producing familyfriendly theatre on the Fringe for over a decade, but his new show is something of a risk. He talks to Tom Hackett about talent shows, morals and flying by the seat of your pants.

“I

JUST SLIGHTLY despair,” says Toby Mitchell, writer and performer of new one-man puppetry show Monsters Got Talent, “that kids are watching this and thinking it’s their route to success and fame, when it only really happens to one in a million or so.” He’s talking of course of the Britain’s Got Talent / Pop Idol / X Factor phenomenon, exceptionally popular among children and young people, that’s dominated the television schedules for the last few years.

Monsters Got Talent follows a young monster called Glurk, whose parents enter him for a TV talent show. “He’s a great singer, but he gets nervous singing in public,” says Mitchell. The tension of wondering whether or not he’ll succeed is twinned with some gentle questioning of “what the performers [on these shows] are actually going through,” and whether it is really the best way to get into performing.

“The reality is a lot more hard work and generally quite a lot of luck one way or the other,” he points out, so these shows are mostly “for the benefit of the TV companies and not for the benefit of the people in them. Having said that, this all sounds terribly serious - it’s going to be a fun, silly show.”

Mitchell has quite some pedigree in producing “fun, silly” shows for family audiences. A co-founder of the Tall Stories theatre company, which has been steadily turning out mostly child-friendly pieces

for over a decade at the Fringe, Mitchell is an old hand at getting the balance right between good storytelling and gentle moralising. He mostly wants children to have “a good, silly 45 minutes,” he says, and “if there are occasional points to be made, they should come out of the story.”

Mitchell talks with great enthusiasm about his influences: he loves Pixar for making stories with universal, age-diverse appeal; and for this show in particular, he follows the mighty Muppet Show. “I have a photo of me as a child with the genuine Kermit,” he says, from a visit to the old set in Elstree, Hertfordshire, before US networks put their faith into the project and gave them space to film at home. “I just love them for their pure silliness and invention and the fact that they’ll sometimes spend, I think, two days filming one five-minute sketch.”

Mitchell’s approach to puppetry is more ‘relaxed’ - he will have the puppets out on stage with him and won’t be attempting “classical ventriloquism.” Instead, “there’s a way of focussing on the puppet when it’s talking so people hopefully don’t look at my mouth.” This is partly because throwing your voice is “a tricky thing to get right,” and partly down to preference.

“I tend to think that ventriloquism can actually be more distracting than the idea of just playing with the puppet itself,” he says, and he suggests that he likes to pull back the curtain on his method a little more openly.

As well as Glurk, there will be a whole

66 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

www.festmag.co.uk

festkids

host of “slightly ‘loser’ puppets,” says Mitchell, whose failures will be paraded entertainingly in typical talent show style.

In a slight concession to what Mitchell calls “the Shrek approach” to children’s entertainment, where some jokes are deliberately thrown over the heads of children to their accompanying adults, these puppets “may well have the names of certain politicians or famous people, who it will be quite fun to put into a bin, quite frankly.”

Mitchell likes to keep his method a little bit improvised (“that’s part of the adventure”), so there will be an element of uncertainty as to the outcome of the show. “The audience will genuinely choose who they want to go through to the finals,” he says, though he admits there will be some Simon Cowell-style manipulation

www.festmag.co.uk

of this, with him ultimately acting as the “judge.” But even Glurk’s eventual triumph is not assured.

“The possibility is very definitely there... that he will fail,” says Mitchell, and the outcome might even change from night to night. This unpredictability even makes the show slightly nerve-wracking for Mitchell himself: “If I got scared, I would be scared.” But ultimately, it’s part of his subtly subversive approach to children’s storytelling and the moral of his tale.

“It shouldn’t always be triumph over adversity,” he insists. “Sometimes, it should be ‘no, this person wasn’t meant to be on the stage.’”

Pleasance Courtyard, 1:00pm – 1:45pm, various dates between 15 Aug and 26 Aug, £5.00

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 67

festkids

Paperbelle

HHHHH After taking off our shoes we go through a white curtain and find ourselves in what is essentially a large white paper box. But this box is a house; thick black lines making the shapes of a telephone, a fish bowl and table and chairs on the walls. We sit down on white cushions and watch Eric—played by the likeable Stanley Pattison—tidy up rolls of white paper that are strewn

Polly

HHHHH Polly starts with promise and excitement as we are invited in to what feels like someone’s living room—decorated with hats, scarves and lampshades—and make ourselves comfortable on the floor cushions. We are asked to pick a piece of paper with a key word on it and draw

round his home as he waits for Paperbelle to visit. Paperbelle is a girl made from paper, drawn with simple lines and who—to quote my young daughter—”doesn’t even have a mouth.” But it doesn’t seem to matter: the simpler the better when it comes to toddlers.

Eric and his companion Paperbelle aren’t sure what to think when colours start to creep into the house. First, a tiny red light appears.

Shocked, they hide it in the cupboard. But the colours keep

coming. Yellow, blue, green playful colours that just want to play. Slowly the two friends see that the colours are nothing to be scared of and begin to have great fun with them.

Paperbelle is undoubtedly reminiscent of Catherine Wheel’s show White—exploring the same themes of colour and adapting to change—but it’s a clever and magical show of its own. The construction of the set is ingenious, allowing Paperbelle to move around seemingly by magic,

popping up here and there.

The young audience was utterly enthralled, mouths open, laughing, pointing and shouting. The use of light and co-ordination of sounds together with the comic skills of Pattison make this a wonderful piece of young children’s theatre where everyone leaves with a smile.

[Caroline Black]

a picture to depict it. These pictures, we are promised, would be used later on in the story.

However what follows is not only disappointing, it borders on brazen considering the £9.50 adult ticket price. With no use of props and minimal accompanying music, the storyteller simply tells us about Polly – a little girl who is hidden from sight in a world without

creativity. At points throughout the story, she mentions the key words from earlier and we hold up our pictures. Yes, she did look at them and loosely work elements of them into her narrative, but to bill this as a story ‘built by the audience’ is pushing it.

The story finishes just as we meet the angel we are told about in the show’s synopsis.

It has no real conclusion and before we know it the show is over. But, as a parent, what I really object to is my child being told that they can find out what happens next to Polly by buying a ticket for the following week’s show. In my opinion, that’s not on. [Caroline Black]

68 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Assembly Royal Botanic Garden, times vary, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £7.00

C venues - C nova, 4:15pm – 5:05pm, 19 Aug, £9.50

www.festmag.co.uk

festkids By kids, for kids! ...

Fest calls in the miniature experts The Amazing Bubble Man

HHHHH

This is the third time I have seen the bubble man. I think he is great. There was a huge queue to get in and then all the kids sat at the front and the adults at the back. We all had to promise to stay back from the stage but some kids didn’t and kept going on the stage - I wished they wouldn’t.

He made so many bubbles - big ones, small ones, square ones, spinning ones, bubbles in bubbles, and ones that went really high. My favourite was when he made rabbit ears on a boy’s head, it was really funny.

Lots of people got a chance to help the bubble man, and he put some of them in bubbles.

One big boy got to squirt the bubble man with a big water pistol - it made everyone laugh. He showed us that you can use lots and lots of things to make bubbles, even a coathanger or rope. The bubble man LOVES bubbles and so do I! [Ailis Black, age 6] Assembly George Square, 12:05pm – 1:00pm, 15–27 Aug, £10.00 – £12.00 Untitled-2 1

Captain Codless and the Legend of Plunge Island

www.festmag.co.uk

27/07/2012 15:3

& other terrific tales from

Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler

HHHHH

This story was about pirates.

When Blackbeard dies his sons Captain Codless and Captain Peg Leg race to Plunge Island in search of the chest of jewels and the magic medallions.

Captain Codless’s crew visit the Olympics in London and the pirates held up hula-hoops to make the Olympic rings.

They competed in a running race done in slow motion, which was really funny. They also visit India and Egypt.

Some of the pirates get cabin fever and fell about and were dizzy which was thoroughly entertaining.

I really really really liked the whole show, especially when the pirates started sword fighting each other and the

Scamp Theatre & Watford Palace Theatre present:

Reviews for Stick Man - Live on Stage!

HHHHH

‘Wonderfully exuberant & imaginative’

HHHHH

parrot caused mischief. The sword fighting was very energetic and reminded me of The Pirates of the Caribbean and Jack Sparrow. The pirates are very loud and vibrant and extremely enthusiastic. Their energy was infectious. There is an exciting twist at the end that will leave you astonished.

This show has a lot of dancing, singing and comedy.

My favourite characters were Trixie and Brian the comedic parrot who was hilariously funny. [Billy Salters, age 6]

Time Out Critics’ Choice

‘Zesty and delightful’ Independent

HHHHH

Sunday Express

11.15AM (12.05PM)

C too, 2:25pm – 3:15pm, 15–27 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

2 - 27 AUG 2012 (not 9th)

19/04/2012 August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 69

AD277_Print_ChildrensShows.indd 1

12:48

festbooks

SPEAKING UP FOR THE VOICELESS

Anna Feintuck talks to writer and journalist Peter Popham about giving a voice to imprisoned writers all over the world.

F

ROM THE Book Festival’s now annual Imprisoned Writers series to the Fringe’s Stand Up for Freedom, Amnesty International’s presence in Edinburgh seeks to highlight both the importance of freedom of expression and its fragility.

Peter Popham, foreign correspondent at The Independent and biographer of Aung San Suu Kyi—the iconic leader of Burma’s National League for Democracy— has been an outspoken voice at this year’s

Book Festival. “It seems to me,” he says, “that, alongside people who have been published and are to some extent known to the public, to have the works of people who have suffered indescribable abuse in prison and under vile regimes—to have their words spoken—seems very valuable.

It’s a way of reminding us that the power of expression is very easily silenced, very easily stamped on, and it’s a right which is of huge importance and which Amnesty is always working to defend.”

70 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Popham does not have a professional association with Amnesty, but speaks of his great admiration for their work. “They have changed the climate of thinking about political issues over a very long period of time.” Having witnessed the casual racism of people towards refugees in London, where he lives, he says “the resentment of asylum seekers easily becomes a habit of mind. I think events like this do help to remind us of the terrible conditions that a lot of people have to endure, and we have this among us too.”

He believes that figureheads such as Suu Kyi play a crucial role in raising awareness: she is known, he says, “for her great beauty, but the way her compatriots have suffered perhaps isn’t appreciated, and her own commitment to democracy in Burma is very strongly linked to her awareness of Burmese suffering – not just over the last 20 years, but the last 50. Some people are tempted by the iconic celebrity, if you like – aspects of her and then are sucked into a greater awareness of what her life means to her and to her followers.”

In Mandalay, on one of his many visits to Burma—he first visited in the early 1990s, returning in 2002 to interview Suu Kyi, who would become the subject of his book—Popham met a poet, “the sweetest man, such a gentle person,” who had spent 12 years in jail simply because the authorities found a poem he had written in a private journal. “You know, it hadn’t been published anywhere,” Popham says, “but it had been regarded as being hostile to them. We walked down the main street in Mandalay together and I said ‘Are you sure you should be seen with a foreigner?’ and he said ‘It’s fine’ – he was completely serene despite all the years he spent in prison. You meet people like that who have managed to survive the experience and who have managed to turn the experience of jail into something positive.”

Although this anecdote is shocking, for anyone who has been to any of the Imprisoned Writers events it will be nothing new. This, in a way, speaks of Amnesty’s enduring influence on festival audiences.

“It’d be good if Amnesty could persuade other festivals to do similar things,” Popham says, although he acknowledges that, inevitably, “there’s a certain amount of preaching to the converted – the people who pay attention are the people who agree already with what you’re saying.”

Nonetheless, where better to appreciate the importance of free speech than a city teeming with performers and writers? f

www.festmag.co.uk

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 71

comedylistings

FESTIVAL

LISTINGS When it's this time...

...this show is on...

❤ Richard Herring HHHH

...on these dates...

10:00 1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

10:15 BBC: Front Row

BBC @ Potterrow, 22 Aug, £free

10:30 1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

... at this place...

...for this price

11:20 Card Ninja: ReDeal

Assembly George Square, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £9

11:30 Mind Reading for Breakfast

Sweet Grassmarket, 1327 Aug, not 18, 25, £9

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

11:40

BBC: MacAulay and Co

Underbelly, Cowgate, 12-26 Aug, not 15, 19, 20, 21, £9 – £10

BBC @ Potterrow, 7-17 Aug, weekdays only, £free

10:40 Humans v Nature: Engineering FTW

Assembly George Square, 7-14 Aug, £10 – £12

11:00 BBC: Loose Ends

BBC @ Potterrow, 18 Aug, £free

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

11:15 Mind Reading for Breakfast

Sweet Grassmarket, 1112 Aug, £9

The Durham Revue

11:45 Tommy Talks

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7 Aug, 9 Aug, 10 Aug, 11 Aug, 12 Aug, £5

11:50 Graters: Julian Ignores his Friend and Talks to a Pretty Girl

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £9.50

12:00 James Redmond and Ellie Taylor - Free Festival Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

The listings are arranged by type - Comedy or Theatre - and then by time. We've listed the dates that each show is running, but remember that it might be on at different times too - check our website for more information.

Dates and times can sometimes change, so check with the venue before planning ahead.

20:15 Underbelly, Bristo Square 7-26 Aug, £14 – £16

Fest is the only place you can get daily listings for all of the comedy and theatre shows at the Fringe.

If you're looking for a show to see right now, visit festmag.co.uk on your smartphone to find out what's coming up near your current location.

Croft & Pearce Do It Like A Lady HHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £8.50 – £9.50

Survivor - A Broad Irish Idiot

Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 7-11 Aug, £free

Lucy Cox: Attractive Audience Required - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

Juliet Meyers: Raised

By Fridge Magnets The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

BBC: Off the Ball

BBC @ Potterrow, 11 Aug, £free

Dancing About Architecture

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-12 Aug, £5 – £6

FunBags present Unusual Suspects

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £5

Austerity Pleasures

Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £free

Cheese-Badger presents... Midge (a Two-Man Musical) - Free Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Sally-Anne Hayward: The Inbetweeny Lady

Jerry Bucham: Freelance Activist

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

The Cradle of Comedy

Aaaand Now for Something Completely Improvised - Free

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 12, 16, £free Hill Street Theatre, 7-26 Aug, £5

Introducing Stu Introducing Will - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

The Aspidistras - Hi Noon!

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 13-26 Aug, not 14, £5

Eggball

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £free

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 7-26 Aug, £free

Black Monday - The Longest Laugh All Day Gong Show

The Shack Comedy Club & Nightclub, 13-14 Aug, £10

Ivo Graham and Liam Williams

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

Beast of the East - Free Comedy Showcase Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 13-17 Aug, £free

The Tourists - A Free Festival Sketch Show Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 19-26 Aug, £free

12:05 Failure and How to Achieve It

The Voodoo Rooms, 1525 Aug, £free

Jack and Nikki: Killing Machines The Voodoo Rooms, 7-14 Aug, £free

Gareth Morinan Presents A Wilmops Good Improv Show

The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-25 Aug, £free

12:10 Simon Munnery’s La Concepta

La Concepta @ Whitespace, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £11.50 – £13.50

Graham Rex

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9

Richard Wiseman: Psychobabble

The Canons’ Gait, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, £free

Domestic Science

The Canons’ Gait, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Politics Now. Politics Wow! Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

BUY TICKETS ON

72 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

FACEBOOK.COM/UNDERBELLYEDINBURGH

FOR ALL UNDERBELLY SHOWS

Anne Edmonds in My Banjo’s Name is Steven

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £8 – £9

12:15 Nick Hayman: Middle Aged, Useless and Talented! - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

The Comedian’s Comedian Live with Stuart Goldsmith

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 10-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, £7.50

Stu and Garry in The Lunchtime Show The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

About Comedy Stand-up Comedy Courses

Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, Various dates from 7 Aug to 25 Aug, £99

Cucu-rucu-cu in the French Alps

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

12:20 Crunch the News

The Voodoo Rooms, 7-18 Aug, £free

Bob and Jim - Go

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9

comedylistings 12:30 One in a Million - Free Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Jerry Sadowitz: Card Tricks and Close Up Magic The Assembly Rooms, 14-18 Aug, £15.50

Sam Fletcher - Good on Paper

Bannermans, 7-25 Aug, £free

Cirque du Charlie Chuck

12:45 Gordon Southern’s A Brief History of History

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7 Aug, 9 Aug, 10 Aug, 11 Aug, £12

12:50 Jenny Fawcett

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £8 – £8.50

Fragments of Monotony / An Audience With Sir Dickie Benson Whynot? , 7-25 Aug, £free

Tales from the Unaccepted

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-12 Aug, £free

Ted & Co The Dinner Show Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor, 11 Aug, 25 Aug, £39

Rock N Roll Politics presented by Steve Richards

Assembly George Square, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 21, £10 – £12.50

❤ Tony Law Maximum Nonsense HHHH The Stand Comedy Club, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £8

12:35 Man Feelings

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, £free

Because I Felt Like It - Free

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 11-17 Aug, £free

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £9.50

13:00 Anthony King: Songs of Love and Death Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9.50

Short & Curly: A Captive Audience

Ciao Roma, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £free

Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 14, 21, £9 – £10

Sad Faces Remember It Differently

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £9.50

Jim Smallman’s Group Therapy

Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £free

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

The Human Condition - Free

12:40 The St Andrews Revue

Amnesty’s Secret Comedy Podcast

Underbelly, Bristo Square, Various dates from 7 Aug to 27 Aug, £free

13:15

BBC: The Festival Cafe

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Cracking Yolks - Free Range Comedy

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 12-26 Aug, £free

Life, the Universe, Whatever...

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 15, 16, 21, £free

They Came With Outer Script - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-11 Aug, £free

The Three Half Pints Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 22, £free

Mike Sheer in Undergod - Free

C venues - C, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £6.50 – £8.50

BBC @ Potterrow, 7-17 Aug, weekdays only, £free

Soap Box - The Comedy Debate Slam

13:25 Bob Graham Work Ethic

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 19, 20, £free

The Look of an Angel on the Devil Himself

Sweet Grassmarket, 7-27 Aug, not 18, 25, £7

Jay Foreman’s Mixtape

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

Afternoon Delight

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £5

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £8 – £9

13:30 Gareth Morinan: Truth Doodler

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £9.50

A Coach Load of Lesley

The Voodoo Rooms, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £free

Back to School

Mugging Chickens

Jessica Pidsley’s I Can Make You Thin(k)

13:45

Adam Larter: Happy New Year - A Free Comedy Show

BBC @ Potterrow, 22-23 Aug, £free

13:40

George Ryegold’s God-In-A-Bag

Kelly Kingham: Goody Two-Shoes - Free

BBC: The Richard Bacon Show

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £free

Underbelly, Cowgate, 1926 Aug, £9 – £10

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-26 Aug, £free

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 7-26 Aug, £free

Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel

The Royal Mile Tavern, 7-25 Aug, £free Pleasance at Braidwood Centre, 10-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, £15

David O’Doherty Presents 403 Second Masterworks Gilded Balloon Teviot, 14 Aug, £11.50

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Josh Richards: Keith Looks Back in Anger - Free

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-26 Aug, £free

Control Alt Delete - The Funny Side of Computers

Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

Josie Long and Sam Schäfer’s Awkward Romance Mood Nightclub, 13-17 Aug, £free

The Joke Circus - Free Bannermans, 7-11 Aug, £free

Giant Talking Cat Free Festival

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 17-26 Aug, £free

Free Footlights

Bridget Christie: War Donkey

Le Monde, 7-25 Aug, not 15, £free

Mace and Burton: Rom Com Con

❤ Chris Corcoran and Elis James - The Committee Meeting HHHH

Lara A King - People Pleaser

13:10

The Canons’ Gait, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

Simon Munnery’s La Concepta

Kieran Hodgson: Supervillain

Gentlemen Bears

Sandi Toksvig Live: My Valentine

Ian Smith and Tom Toal

The Two O’Clock Show

Whistlebinkies, 7-25 Aug, £free

The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £free

California Beach Bungalow

This Arthur’s Seat Gala Belongs to Lionel Richie

BDOOL (Best Days of Our Lives) - Free

Summit of Arthur’s Seat, 7-27 Aug, £free

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Revill’s Selection - Free

Mr Susan’s ‘Cheeky Flippin’ Nice’ - Free

This Arthur’s Seat Belongs to Lionel Richie

Best of Edinburgh The Showcase Show

This Is Soap

Just the Tonic at The Tron, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £5

Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 7-26 Aug, not 12, £free

Stay at Home Dad - Free

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 19, £free

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, £free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-19 Aug, not 14, £6 – £7

The Comedy Sandwich

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-15 Aug, £free

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 12, 13, 20, £8 – £9

Frankie from the Valley - Free

Horse & Louis: The Curse of...

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £5 – £6

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Funk Rocket 5000

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

Tony Jameson and Katie Mulgrew Tell Tales

The Temps

13:05

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £5 – £6

Big Value Comedy’s Lunchtime Club

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 20, 21, £6

12:55

SpaceCabaret @ 54, 1325 Aug, £8

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

E4 Udderbelly Podcalf 2012

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £free

La Concepta @ Whitespace, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £11.50 – £13.50

Iszi Lawrence’s Wotnot

The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Bless You In Advance Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 17-26 Aug, £free

They’re Gonna Crucify Me

The Banshee Labyrinth, 11-25 Aug, £free

Working Men’s Club

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

The Voodoo Rooms, 7-25 Aug, £free

13:20 Will Marsh’s Ruination

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £5 – £8

Three for Free

Belushi’s, 7-25 Aug, £free

Bowling and Todd +1

The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-25 Aug, £free

The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10 The Hudson Hotel, 7-25 Aug, £free

C venues - C aquila, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £6.50 – £8.50

Pam Ford Salon Secrets - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

14:00 Assembly George Square, Various dates from 7 Aug to 26 Aug, £10

Pleasance Courtyard, 1723 Aug, £10 – £14

Summit of Arthur’s Seat, 18 Aug, £free

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

COMEDY, THEATRE, CABARET AND MORE www.festmag.co.uk

OPEN 'TIL 5AM

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 73

comedylistings All the Fun of the Unfair 2012

No Poofs No Piano

The Early Edition

Amused Moose Comedy Awards Final

Siglo, 7-25 Aug, £free Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £11 – £13

Dixon of Fogg Green - Free Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 19-26 Aug, £free

Amnesty International Comedians vs Critics Football Match The Meadows, 18 Aug, Free

Hannah Gadsby Mary. Contrary.

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 9-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, £9.50 – £10.50

Bristol Revunions: Destination Adventure

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7.50 – £8.50

Funny Women at the Fringe

Assembly George Square, 8-17 Aug, £10 – £12

Luke and Harry’s Dot Dot Dot Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9

Fliss Russell - Life is Fliss

Dragonfly, 7-25 Aug, not 16, £free

14:05 Amused Moose Laughter Awards Top Ten Semi-Final The Bongo Club, 17 Aug, £10

AAA Batteries (Not Included) - Free

Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 7-26 Aug, £free

theSpace on the Mile , 7-18 Aug, not 12, £5

The Bongo Club, 19 Aug, £12

Under Your Feet

Southsider, 7-25 Aug, £free

Helsinki

Nutters of the British Isles: The Complete Field Guide - Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £free

Best of the Fest Daytime

Assembly George Square, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £12.50

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free

14:20

14:15

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Roland Rides The Rail’s! (again) - Free

Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 7-27 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

Richard Herring’s Edinburgh Fringe Podcast

The Stand Comedy Club, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £10

It’s Not Us, It’s You - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

BEASTS

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9

Phil Buckley - Simple Things - Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, £free

Gagging for Attention

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £3

Eleanor Tiernan Rogue H

Silky: Nut Allegory

The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Tom Lauri: Good With His Fingers Sweet Grassmarket, 1127 Aug, not 18, 25, £7

The One Hour Plays Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9.50

Eric’s Tales of the Sea - A Submariner’s Yarn Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10.50

Jack Jerome’s Journey of Life Just the Tonic at The Tron, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8

14:25 Once Upon A Time...

Paradise in The Vault, 7-19 Aug, not 13, £7.50

Angela Barnes and Matt Richardson Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £free

The Birmingham Footnotes Drop Their Trousers Base Nightclub, 7-11 Aug, £free

Jessie Cave: Bookworm HHH

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Ian Fox - Shutter Monkey (The Comedy Show With Pictures) - Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

The One-Eyed Men’s Friendship Formula - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

BBC: Christopher Brookmyre’s Comedy Bookcase BBC @ Potterrow, 7-9 Aug, £free

The Edinburgh Revue Stand Up Show Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-26 Aug, not 16, £free

Reshape While Damp

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 7-12 Aug, £free

Tennyson Hanbury’s Condensed Cabaret

Activism Is Fun

14:30

Belushi’s, 7-25 Aug, £free

BBC: Comic Fringes

Sarah Jones: Does Not Play Well With Others

This Comedy Mob Belongs to Lionel Richie

Globe, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £free BBC @ Potterrow, 18 Aug, £free

C venues - C aquila, 19-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

The Scott Monument, 25 Aug, £free

Barbara Nice: Mrs Nice HH

Santa’s Dead and We Have Killed Him

Square Eye Pair

Slap and Giggle: Retrial

The Assembly Rooms, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £10 Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £8.50 – £9.50

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

14:35 Convicted

The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-25 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

14:40 Billy Kirkwood’s Show Me Your Tattoo 2012 Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Vinegar Knickers: On The Edge Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, 16, 17, £8 – £9.50

10 Films With My Dad

Opium, 12-25 Aug, £free

Best of Waterloo Comedy Club

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 18-26 Aug, £free

In Vino Veritas - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

And Still Rarely Rong Whistlebinkies, 7-25 Aug, £free

14:50 Hennessy & Friends: A History of Violence Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Fran Moulds: Significant Human Error

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

The Voodoo Rooms, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £free

15:00

14:45

RadioHead Redux 2012

Someone, Somewhere

The Royal Mile Tavern, 7-25 Aug, £free

American Girlfriend: Laura Levites

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £free

Bec Hill is More Afraid of You Than You Are of Her! HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £8 – £9

BUY TICKETS ON

74 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Opium, 7-11 Aug, £free

FACEBOOK.COM/UNDERBELLYEDINBURGH

FOR ALL UNDERBELLY SHOWS

Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

No Pressure to Be Funny Venue150 @ EICC, 18 Aug, £10

BBC: Crossing the Media BBC @ Potterrow, 26 Aug, £free

Gemma Arrowsmith: Defender of Earth Le Monde, 7-25 Aug, £free

comedylistings Rachel Stubbings Is Stubbing Out Problems

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9

Bristol Improv for Hire

Whynot? , 8-25 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

What a Weird and Wonderful Festival!

The Voodoo Rooms, 25 Aug, £free

Visual Aids

Rush Bar, 7-18 Aug, £free

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

Ship of Fools: Children of Twelchford

Bannermans, 7-25 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Mitch Benn: Reduced Circumstances HHH The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 13, £10

The Cradle of Comedy

Destiny Church Gorgie, 7-26 Aug, £5

2012: An Improv Odyssey

Rush Bar, 19-25 Aug, £free

15:05 Kaput

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £11 – £13

Men of Character - Free

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, £free

Tim Honnef - Life

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7-18 Aug, not 8, 12, £7 – £8

15:10 Parris and Dowler Know What They’re Doing Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

My Stepson Stole My Sonic Screwdriver Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £10 – £11

It’s Grimm Up North

theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, £6 – £8

Jamie Demetriou’s People Day (and Special Guests)

Dragonfly, 8-25 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

15:15 Comedy Brass - Free

Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 7-26 Aug, £free

BBC: The Unbelievable Truth BBC @ Potterrow, 13 Aug, £free

❤ Kieran and Joe: Friends of Steel HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Stand-Up at the Jekyll & Hyde - Free Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 16, £free

Katherine Ryan: Nature’s Candy HHH

Gilded Balloon at Third Door, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 26, £9.50 – £10

Ford and Akram: Bamp! HH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9 – £9.50

Luke Milford Things I Like Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

BBC: Front Row

BBC @ Potterrow, 15 Aug, £free

Plenty More Fish (But I Don’t Have a Fish Fetish) The Fiddler’s Elbow, 7-25 Aug, £free

The Intimate Strangers

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £9.50

The Oxford Imps

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, £10.50 – £12

Forget Therapy - Just Drink - Free Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Cirque du Charlie Chuck

theSpace on North Bridge, 7 Aug, £8

15:20 Kevin Tomlinson: Crazy Little Thing Called Love!

Just The Tonic at the Caves, Various dates from 8 Aug to 26 Aug, £10 – £11

Kevin Tomlinson: Seven Ages!

Just The Tonic at the Caves, Various dates from 7 Aug to 25 Aug, £10 – £11

Four Screws Loose in #screwtheworld Assembly George Square, 7-27 Aug, not 11, £9 – £10

The Comedy Manifesto

Ciao Roma, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £free

15:25 The Silky Pair: Happy to Help (Plus Special Guests) Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £6

15:30 Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards Show

Pleasance Courtyard, 26 Aug, £14

Dave McNeill: Canoe Ride 3000 Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8 – £10

No Turn Unstoned

The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, £free

Chris Henry: We Need to Talk!

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 24, £free

LOLympics Live - Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

Patterson and Ranganathan

Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 7-26 Aug, £free

Max and Ivan Are...

Con Artists Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £12

The Expeditionary Force in The First Supper

Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 7-12 Aug, £free

Ladies and Gentlemen - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, £free

Monumental Information’s Product of the Year 2017 Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 16-26 Aug, £free

Ladies Live Longer: Ladylike

C venues - C nova, 7-27 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

Nick Page: My Glorious Hypothetical Life As a Eunuch The Shack Comedy Club & Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £8

Liam Mullone: A Land Fit For F*ckwits The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

Michael Legge: What a Shame HHH

The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Helen Keen: Robot Woman of Tomorrow HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Thea-Skot’s Miss Adventures

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £8

15:45 David Mills is Smart Casual - Free

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-27 Aug, £free

The Tim Vine Chat Show

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £14 – £15

Sean Hegarty and Tom O’Mahoney Live - Free

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 7-26 Aug, £free

❤ Sarfraz Manzoor: The Boss Rules HHHH

The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Fark

RH: Live

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 15, 16, £free

BBC: Four Thought

Discograffiti - Free

15:35

Simon Munnery: Fylm-Makker HHH

C venues - C aquila, 12-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50 BBC @ Potterrow, 20 Aug, £free

Bruce Hammers’ Bananapocalypse

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £5 – £6

Through the Looking Screen Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £10 – £11

Peter Antoniou’s Psychic Circus

Sweet Grassmarket, 7-26 Aug, not 18, 25, £8

15:40 Sharron Matthews Superstar: Gold

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £12.50 – £14

Owen Niblock: Codemaker

The Voodoo Rooms, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £free

Phil O’Shea

Belushi’s, 7-25 Aug, £free

An Indie Boy’s Guide to Sex and Girls

Chiquito, 7-25 Aug, £free

Tom Goodliffe: All in Good Time

Just the Tonic at The Tron, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £6 – £7

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 11-26 Aug, £free

The Stand Comedy Club, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £10

I Am Google

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Free Improv Show The Discount Comedy Checkout Base Nightclub, 7-18 Aug, £free

Munfred Bernstein’s Cabinet of Wonder Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £8.50 – £9.50

15:50 Loughborough Players: Athletes of Comedy GHQ, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £free

Quiz in My Pants

The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £free

The Dog-Eared Collective: You’re Amazing, Now Look at Me HH Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Dec Munro’s Got Chutzpah

The Royal Mile Tavern, 15-25 Aug, £free

Mark Cooper-Jones: Geography Teacher - Free The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-24 Aug, not 14, 20, £free

15:55 Niall McCamley: Lemon Jousting and Other Shenanigans

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Dolly Mixture

The Voodoo Rooms, 7-25 Aug, not 15, £free

16:00 Jody Kamali: Dirty Filthy Rich - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

Paul Merton’s Impro Chums

Pleasance Courtyard, 1625 Aug, £13 – £14.50

Mae Day HHH

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 11, 14, £7

BBC: Christopher Brookmyre’s Comedy Bookcase BBC @ Potterrow, 7-9 Aug, £free

Matthew Crosby is Matthew Crosby in Matthew Crosby (The Show) HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £10 – £12

The Quadrantines

Opium, 7-25 Aug, £free

Kierkegaard Comedy Show Danish Institute, 8-19 Aug, £10

Daniel-Ryan Spaulding: How Dare You! The Hudson Hotel, 7-25 Aug, not 10, 11, £free

This Barry Ferns Belongs to Lionel Richie

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £free

Phill Jupitus is Porky the Poet in 27 Years On The Jam House, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £free

Pun Run

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 15 Aug, £12

The Cambridge Footlights: Perfect Strangers

Pleasance Dome, 7-27 Aug, £9 – £10

COMEDY, THEATRE, CABARET AND MORE www.festmag.co.uk

OPEN 'TIL 5AM

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 75

comedylistings Fred Cooke: Standing, tilted HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £9.50

The Oxford Revue Prattle Royale Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £9 – £10

Back to School

Pleasance at Braidwood Centre, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £15

Beard

Assembly Hall, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £8 – £10

Damien Crow: The World According to Damien Crow HH

The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Rob Auton: The Yellow Show

The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £free

Constant Craving - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

BBC: Just a Minute BBC @ Potterrow, 14 Aug, £free

6 Foot Silly - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-17 Aug, not 11, £free

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

Arguments and Nosebleeds - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 26 Aug, £free

Occupied

53 Frederick St Guest House, 10-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

16:05 Matt Forde: Eyes to the Right, Nose to the Left

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

16:10 Shirley and Shirley Unleashed

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

16:15 The Pigeon Hole Presents: Stand-Up Comedy - PBH’s Free Fringe Mood Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, £free

Making Life Taste Funnier

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

Rory O’Hanlon: A Bit of Craic in the Afternoon

Rush Bar, 7-25 Aug, not 13, 16, 17, £free

Do Not Adjust Your Stage

Whynot? , 7-25 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

Deborah FrancesWhite: Cult Following Assembly Roxy, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

John Hastings: UnRelentless

Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 7-26 Aug, £free

Genevieve Swallow is Sharing

Le Monde, 7-25 Aug, not 15, £free

Gerry Howell: Glorious Invention

Bannermans, 7-24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

16:20 Gráinne Maguire: Where Are All the Fun Places and Are Lots of People There Having Better Fun?

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £8.50 – £9.50

Gravity Boots

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8 – £9

An Austrian and Someone from Slough

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

Half of Next Year’s Show - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

16:30 Chris McCausland: Not Blind Enough Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £11 – £12

Paul Dennis’s Inappropriate Bits - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £free

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

The Bob Blackman Appreciation Society Presents - Free Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 7-12 Aug, £free

Jim Smallman: Let’s Be Friends HHH

Otto Kuhnle: Ich Bin Ein Berliner HH

Assembly George Square, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

❤ Mary Bourke: Hail Mary! HHHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

The McLough-Hess Monster

16:45

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 16, £free

Lead Pencil

The Fiddler’s Elbow, 1325 Aug, £free

Itch: A Scratch Event Pleasance Courtyard, 14 Aug, £8

Thomas Nelstrop: Great(ish) Hits HH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

McNeil and Pamphilon

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Aberdeen vs.

Glasgow vs. The World II - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 7-26 Aug, £free

Asher Treleaven: Troubadour HHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

Kevin Dewsbury: In...

Sane - Free Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 13-26 Aug, £free

16:50 Angus and Cameron: Village Idiots - Free

Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 7-14 Aug, £free

Lights! Camera!

Improvise!

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

Fat Kitten vs. the World

The Pin

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £8.50 – £9.50

Jackson Voorhaar’s One True Love(s) - Free

The Voodoo Rooms, 1625 Aug, not 22, £free

Fat Kitten Goes Speed Dating

The Voodoo Rooms, Various dates from 7 Aug to 14 Aug, £free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

Michelle de Swarte

Lewis Schaffer: No YOU Shut Up! - Free

16:55

Erich McElroy: The Brit Identity

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £9

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £11 – £12

The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek- All New Show 2012 Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £12

Cariad Lloyd - The Freewheelin’ Cariad Lloyd HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

Jigsaw: Gettin’ Jiggy HHH

Belushi’s, 7-25 Aug, not 15, £free

Alan Hudson’s Not So Secret World of Magic

Discover Ben Target Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Yianni: Numb and Number - Free

The Canons’ Gait, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £free

Simply the Jest presents Middle Class Tripe Chiquito, 10-25 Aug, £free

17:00 Bad Musical

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

The Pauly Show Episode One HHH

Just the Tonic at The Tron, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £10

The Tim and Pat Show

The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

The Great Big Comedy Picnic - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

John Robertson - The Dark Room - Free Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-27 Aug, £free

Geoff Norcott Avoids a Double Dip The Shack Comedy Club & Nightclub, 19-25 Aug, £7

Diane Spencer: Exquisite Bad Taste HHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

One Rogue Reporter HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £10.50

Jarlath Regan: The Audacity of Hope and the Inspirational Stupidity of Perseverance HHH The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Ferris Bueller’s Way of...

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

Britain’s Got F*ck All Talent!

The Shack Comedy Club & Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £7

Firenado! The Sketch Show

Fresh Faces at the Free Fringe

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

BBC: In Tune

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, £free

Morgan & West: Clockwork Miracles

Jem Brookes: Thumbs Up - Free

Born to be Mild

Not Treasure Island

No Country for Old Men

The Leeds Tealights: Sexy Chubby

Leads & Stern

The Noise Next Door: Bring The Noise HHH

Southsider, 7-25 Aug, £free BBC @ Potterrow, 24 Aug, £free

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £10.50

16:40 David Longley: My Favourite Things HHH

The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Holly Burn: The H Club

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £8

Dissecting Comedy - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £5 – £6

Computer Programmer Extraordinaire Globe, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £free

The Edinburgh Revue Sketch Show The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

BBC: The Unbelievable Truth BBC @ Potterrow, 13 Aug, £free

The Shack Comedy Club & Nightclub, 7-18 Aug, not 13, £7

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 11-18 Aug, £free Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

End of the World Show 2012

Ryan’s Cellar Bar, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £free

BUY TICKETS ON

76 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

FACEBOOK.COM/UNDERBELLYEDINBURGH

FOR ALL UNDERBELLY SHOWS

Buffs Club (RAOB), 7-13 Aug, £free

Passion, Pints and Potatoes - An Irish Guide to Life

Dropkick Murphy’s, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £free

German Comedian

Base Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £9

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £13 – £14

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

comedylistings 17:05 Rory & Tim: Good for Nothing

The Voodoo Rooms, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £free

Blind Date Ruined My Life

Sweet Grassmarket, 7-26 Aug, not 18, 25, £7.50

Stephanie Laing and Martin Croser: Greens!

The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-17 Aug, £free

Rosie Thorn and The Patsy Cornish Saga theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 21-25 Aug, £7

17:10 Nicholas Parsons’ Happy Hour

Pleasance Courtyard, 9-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £11 – £12

Monkey Poet - Potty Mouth

The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £free

Ben Verth: Alsatian and Chips

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-26 Aug, not 9, 16, £free

The Tim Vine Chat Show

Pleasance Courtyard, 21 Aug, £14

Sheeps - Dancing with Lisa

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

Josh Widdicombe: The Further Adventures of... Extra Show Pleasance Courtyard, 14 Aug, £11

David O’Doherty Presents 403 Second Masterworks Gilded Balloon Teviot, 20 Aug, £11.50

Man 1, Bank 0

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 11-26 Aug, £10.50 – £12.50

The Thinking Drinkers Guide to Alcohol

The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Michael Redmond: Mannequins, Fishmongers, Guacamole and Me ... and Other Things Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £8.50 – £9.50

Lucy Porter - People Person HHH The Stand Comedy Club, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £10

17:20 Laurence Clark: Inspired

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £11

Bad Bread: 2012 The Survival Guide

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £10.50

Hanks and Conran Pigs in Blankets Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7.50

17:30 Scientist Turned Comedian: Tim Lee HH

17:15

Assembly Roxy, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Christian Reilly: This Is Not A Love Song

The SomeNews Live Show - Free

Whistlebinkies, 7-18 Aug, £free

Do Not Trust the Animals - Free

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 7-26 Aug, £free

Cammy’s Teatime

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-27 Aug, not 16, £free

The Jazz Bar, 22-26 Aug, £5

Birth Order

Le Monde, 7-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

BBC: Dilemma

BBC @ Potterrow, 16 Aug, £free

Gadd and Winning: Well, This is Awkwarder

Opium, 11-25 Aug, £free

Folken Britain

BBC: Just a Minute BBC @ Potterrow, 14 Aug, £free

Jennifer Carnovale - Scraping the Barrel - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

James Christopher: Bring Me the Head of Russell Kane - Free The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Nik Coppin’s Caricatures - Free Festival

Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Laughing Horse Free Comedy Selection Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

Barry Cryer and Ronnie Golden Going Gaga

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-10 Aug, £12

Sean Hughes - Life Becomes Noises Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £13 – £14

Phil Mann’s Full Mind Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, £free

Benny Boot: Def-Con 4

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

❤ Nick Helm: This Means War! HHHH

Pleasance Dome, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £12.50 – £13.50

Lost Voice Guy and Jeff Lantern - Not Afraid of Tablets Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, £free

The Great Puppet Horn

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £9 – £10.50

17:35 Milo McCabe: Kenny Moon This Is Your Life

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £10

Ryan Withers - One Woman Showe - Free

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, £free

17:40 ❤ Catriona Knox Hellcat HHHH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

The Three Englishmen: Squares

Pleasance Dome, 7-27 Aug, not 11, £9 – £9.50

17:45 Ed Eales-White: Champions HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £7.50 – £9

The Kids We Used To Be - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 7-14 Aug, £free

Aaaand Now for Something Completely Wireless - Free Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 7-26 Aug, £free

The Magical Adventures of Pete Heat Gilded Balloon at Third Door, 7-27 Aug, £10 – £12

Ladystache

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 15-26 Aug, £free

Billy Watson - Sex, Drugs and Marriage - Free Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 7-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Chris Brain: A Better Place Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £8.50 – £9.50

Maff Brown’s Parade of This Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 13, £8 – £9

Chris Stokes: An Opera Written On Napkins

Stephen Carlin: Pandas vs Penguins HHH

Garrett Millerick: Which One’s Fergal?

❤ Josie Long: Romance and Adventure HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9

Southsider, 7-25 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Hill and Weedon

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 16, £free

3 Days Off Jesus - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Chris Dangerfield: Sex Tourist

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-26 Aug, £free

17:50 Wil Hodgson: Kidnapped By Catwoman

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Test Tube Comedy

Ciao Roma, 7-25 Aug, £free

Gavin Webster: Bill Hicks Wasn’t Very Good HH

The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

18:00 Big Value Comedy Show - Early

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

Xavier Toby: Binge Thinking

C venues - C nova, 7-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

The Fitzrovia Radio Hour

The Best of Irish Comedy

BBC: The Kitchen Cabinet

Ben Hustwayte & Jack Campbell: Get It On

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £10 – £11

BBC @ Potterrow, 26 Aug, £free

The Beta Males in...

The Space Race Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Well Done You - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

Matthew Highton’s End of the Road Siglo, 7-26 Aug, £free

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Globe, 7-25 Aug, £free

Trevor Lock’s Amateur Sex Tape Theory

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-26 Aug, £5

Nick Mohammed is Mr Swallow: 2012 Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, £11 – £12

Dirty Thirties

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, £free

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £11 – £12

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 18, 19, £11.50 – £12.50

Loretta Maine: Bipolar HHH

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

The Full Irish

Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 7-26 Aug, £free

All Star Stand-Up Showcase - Free

Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 7-26 Aug, £free

Fresh Faces at the Free Fringe Belushi’s, 7-25 Aug, £free

Rob Beckett’s Summer Holiday

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £10 – £12

The Six O’Clock Club

Kilderkin, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £free

Suzi Ruffell: Let’s Get Ready to Ruffell Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

Susan Calman: This Lady’s Not for Turning Either

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Jimeoin - What?! HH Venue150 @ EICC, 7-26 Aug, not 21, 22, 23, 24, £13.50 – £15.50

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

The Axis of Awesome: Cry Yourself A River HH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-19 Aug, £14 – £16

18:05 Richard Wiseman: Psychobabble

The Canons’ Gait, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, £free

COMEDY, THEATRE, CABARET AND MORE www.festmag.co.uk

OPEN 'TIL 5AM

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 77

comedylistings George’s Marvellous Medics theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 20-25 Aug, £6

Stewart Lee - Carpet Remnant World The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £15

Black Country Cider Lions - Free

Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 7-26 Aug, £free

Oliver Dean and His Fantastic Ego! Live

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £3

Sammy J and Randy The Inheritance

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £13 – £15

18:10 Basic Training

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 19, £11 – £12

Chris Dugdale’s 2 Faced Deception

Assembly George Square, 7-27 Aug, £11 – £12

Adam Strauss: Varieties of Religious Experience The Royal Mile Tavern, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £free

Rick Shapiro: Rebirth

Assembly George Square, 7-27 Aug, not 9, 12, 13, £13 – £14

Michelle Wormleighton - Bewildered Chiquito, 7-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

18:15 ❤ Michael Workman Mercy HHHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Nick Beaton Does Not Play Well With Others

You Are Being Lied To 2012 Base Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

BBC: The Philosopher’s Arms BBC @ Potterrow, 21 Aug, £free

18:25

Stuart Mitchell Presents ‘It’s Just a Phrase I Am Going Through’

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-26 Aug, £free

Matt and Ian’s Improv Show Sweet Grassmarket, 7-27 Aug, not 18, 25, £8

Frimston and Rowett: Huge Mistakes Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8

Inspired - Life 101

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

Sajeela Kershi: Regret-Me-Nots

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Helen Arney - Voice of an Angle HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £10 – £11

Tim FitzHigham: Stop the Pigeon HH Pleasance Courtyard, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £11

Greg Proops

Assembly George Square, 16-25 Aug, £15 – £16

18:20 Caimh McDonnell: The Art of Conversation

Just the Tonic at The Tron, 7-26 Aug, not 14, 15, £6 – £7

Marek Larwood Typecast

Jack Barry and Patrick Turpin: Your New Mild Friends

NewsRevue

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £6 – £10

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £9.50

Thatcher’s Death Party

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 12-26 Aug, £12

A Betrayal of Penguins - Harmed and Dangerous

Billy The Mime HHH

WitTank HHH

Alfie Brown: Soul for Sale

2 Facedbook 3

Buffs Club (RAOB), 7-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

GHQ, 7-19 Aug, £free

Gordon Southern’s A Brief History of History

The Shack Comedy Club & Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £7 – £8

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-11 Aug, £9.50 – £10

Norwegians of Comedy

The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-25 Aug, £free

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12 Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £12.50 – £15

❤ Carl Hutchinson: Acceptable? HHHH Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £6 – £7.50

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, £9.50 – £10.50

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-26 Aug, £free

Harrison Greenbaum: What Just Happened?

- CANCELLED Underbelly, Cowgate, 7 Aug, £10.50

18:30 Sex Ed: The Musical! theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £8 – £9

Peter Edwards: Love Everyone Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

Spring Day: Learn How to Take a Punch - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

Damian Kingsley: Work in Progress - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 12-26 Aug, £free

Rookie Mistakes

The Street, 15-25 Aug, £free

The Top Secret Comedy Club

Whistlebinkies, 7-24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

Denise Scott Regrets HH

Assembly Hall, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

The Durham Revue

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-21 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, £9 – £10

Max Fletcher: Delicious

Opium, 7-25 Aug, £free

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

Would You Let Your Daughter Marry A Weegie?

The Hudson Hotel, 7-25 Aug, £free

Distract and Conquer Amarone, 7-25 Aug, £free

Daniel Sloss - The Show

Venue150 @ EICC, 7-26 Aug, not 22, £13.50 – £15.50

❤ Jessica Fostekew: Brave New Word HHHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9.50

BBC: John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme

BBC @ Potterrow, 18 Aug, £free

18:35 Ian D. Montfort Unbelievable

Totally Wired!

Reunion Farewell (Welfare) Tour - A Sperm’s Tail and Other Tales - Free

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 19-26 Aug, £free

Phill Jupitus - You’re Probably Wondering Why I’ve Asked You Here...

The Stand Comedy Club, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £12

Absolute Improv!

C venues - C nova, 7-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Bus-ting to Laugh - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

Laughing Horse Free Comedy Selection Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 7-26 Aug, £free

Aidan Killian: Free to Obey - Free

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, £12 – £14

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-27 Aug, not 21, 24, £free

18:40

18:50

Overexposed: A Slightly Awkward Peep Show

Fingers Piano Bar, 7-18 Aug, not 13, £free

Mark Nelson - Under the Radar HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £10 – £11

The Harri-Parris - The Leaving Do Zoo, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £9

Chortle Presents: Fast Fringe

Pleasance Dome, 7-25 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Kerry Gilbert Triumphs

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £8.50

Totally Tom

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

Charmian Hughes: Charmageddon!

The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

18:45 Alexis Dubus: Cars & Girls HHH Assembly Roxy, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £10.50

Stories from the Middle

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-14 Aug, £free

Dan Nightingale: The 11 and a 1/2 Ill-conceived Edinburgh Shows of Dan Nightingale Pleasance Dome, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £10.50

Andrew Bird’s Global Village Fete HH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-25 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Would Like to Meet - Free

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 15-26 Aug, £free

Alistair Barrie: Urban Fogey HHH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £11

19:00 Trevor Browne - I Think ... I Am

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £9.50

101 Comedy Club - Free

Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 7-26 Aug, £free

Aaron Twitchen’s Quarter Life Crisis

Southsider, 7-25 Aug, £free

BUY TICKETS ON

78 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

FACEBOOK.COM/UNDERBELLYEDINBURGH

FOR ALL UNDERBELLY SHOWS

Seymour Mace: Squeg!

The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Elis James: Speaking As a Mother...

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £10 – £12

Celia Pacquola Delayed HHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £10.50

Funny’s Funny: Fantastic Fringe Finale - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

Suggs: My Life Story in Words and Music The Queen’s Hall, 21-24 Aug, £22.50

Vladimir McTavish and Keir McAllister Look at the State of Scotland HHH

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

1000 Years of Scotland’s Dark Past

The Edinburgh Dungeon, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £10.50

Henry Rollins

The Queen’s Hall, 8-10 Aug, £15

Karma Comedian Stella Graham - Free Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 16, £free

Amateur Transplants: Adam Kay’s Bum Notes Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £12 – £13

Bob Slayer: He’s A Very Naughty Boy

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £5

❤ Jim Campbell: Nine-Year-Old Man HHHH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

Itch: A Scratch Event Pleasance Courtyard, 13 Aug, £8

BBC: Tonight With Rory Bremner BBC @ Potterrow, 22 Aug, £free

Barry Castagnola in Where’s Barry

Gilded Balloon at Third Door, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

comedylistings 5-Step Guide to Being German 2.0 - Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Josh Widdicombe: The Further Adventures of... HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 23, £11 – £12

❤ Daniel Simonsen Champions HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £8.50 – £10

Tom Deacon: Deaconator HHH

Pleasance Dome, 7-25 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

This Time It’s Personal

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

Giacinto Palmieri: Pagliaccio

Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 7-26 Aug, £free

Heroes of Alternative Fringe Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 27 Aug, £5

19:05 Sploshy: A Sketch Show

Ciao Roma, 11-25 Aug, not 15, 22, £free

19:15 Marlon Davis: Enter the Davism Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

Perfectly Bananas

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-27 Aug, £free

Charlie Baker Freshly Baked HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

Andrew O’Neill and Marc Burrows Do Music and Comedy and Hideous Murders The Canons’ Gait, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

The 7:15pm StandUp Show - Free

❤ Trevor Noah: The Racist HHHH

Stinky Show

19:20

19:30

John Robins: Incredible Scenes!

Paul Foot - Kenny Larch Is Dead

Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 7-26 Aug, £free The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £free

A Theory of Everything - Free

Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 7-15 Aug, £free

AAA Stand-Up

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, £9 – £10

Light Relief

C venues - C nova, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £10.50

Manners Costs Nothing

Globe, 7-18 Aug, £free

Upstaging: A Modern Guide to Acting for Gentlemen and Gentleladies - Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

Barry Morgan’s World of Organs HH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £11.50 – £13.50

David O’Doherty: Seize the David O’Doherty

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £14 – £15

Danny Bhoy: Dear Epson

Venue150 @ EICC, 7-8 Aug, £16.50

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £10.50 – £12

Thomas Hardie Presents: Where’s Thomas, Hardie?

The Voodoo Rooms, 7-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Tim FitzHigham: Stop the Pigeon HH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £11 – £12.50

Bobby Carroll: Low Voltage - Free

Owen O’Neill: Struck

By Lightning

19:25

Baby Wants Candy: The Completely Improvised Full Band Musical!

The Royal Mile Tavern, 7-25 Aug, £free

Songs, Stories and Downright Lies Paradise in The Vault, 21-27 Aug, £8

The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Assembly George Square, 7-27 Aug, £13 – £15

Stuart Goldsmith: Pr!ck HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £9 – £10

Big Value Comedy Show - Middle

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

BBC: London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony Screening BBC @ Potterrow, 12 Aug, £free

Comedy Gala 2012: In Aid of Waverley Care Festival Theatre Edinburgh, 23 Aug, £25

Horne and Key and...

Pleasance Dome, 14 Aug, £12

Mace and Burton: Heartbreak Hotel

Buffs Club (RAOB), 8-25 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

Craig Hill - Jock’s Trap!

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £12.50 – £14.50

The Gubernaculum presents

THE EJACULATE CONCEPTION venue 145

C venues vibrant vivacious variety

0845 260 1234

Tickets £8.50 – £10.50 Concessions £6.50 – £8.50

INDIA BUILDINGS VICTORIA STREET

www.CtheFestival.com

19 – 27 Aug 8.40pm (1hr)

fringe box office 0131 226 0000 online sales www.edfringe.com

COMEDY, THEATRE, CABARET AND MORE www.festmag.co.uk

OPEN 'TIL 5AM

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 79

comedylistings The Funeral of Conor O’Toole HHH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8 – £9

Künt’s on Daytime TV - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, not 11, £free

Ted & Co The Dinner Show

Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor, 10 Aug, 11 Aug, 24 Aug, 25 Aug, £46

Bob Doolally’s Euro Crisis

The Stand Comedy Club, 13 Aug, £10

Yorkshire Comedy Cabaret IV: Jokers, Born and Interbred - Free Base Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

❤ Carl-Einar Häckner: Handluggage HHHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

Born to be Mild

The Shack Comedy Club & Nightclub, 19-25 Aug, £7

Bungo Menebla!

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 13-26 Aug, £free

Frisky & Mannish: Extra-Curricular Activities Assembly Hall, 16-26 Aug, not 20, 21, 22, £16

DeAnne Smith: Livin’ The Sweet Life HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

19:35 The Mysterious World of Clovis Van Darkhelm

The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-25 Aug, £free

Big In Dubai!

GHQ, 7-11 Aug, £free

Jen Brister - Now and Then Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

19:40 Chris Ramsey: Feeling Lucky HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 17, £8.50 – £9.50

Raymond Mearns - Rock’n’Roll Comedian - The Therapy Sessions

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

Rhod Gilbert: The Man With the Flaming Battenberg Tattoo

Venue150 @ EICC, 15-26 Aug, not 20, 21, £20

The Not Quite Quartet

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7.50 – £8.50

Adam Hills: Mess Around HHH

Assembly Hall, 7-19 Aug, £12 – £13

Andrew Ryan: Ryanopoly

Just the Tonic at The Tron, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £8.50

Nick Sun: Potty Time!

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Catie Wilkins: Joy Is My Middle Name

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £10.50

The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek- All New Show 2012 Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £9.50 – £12

Lloyd Langford: One Day in the Life of Lloyd Owen Langford HHH The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Can You Put This in the Bin for Me? - Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 14-26 Aug, £free

❤ Mark Watson: The Information HHHH

❤ Claudia O’Doherty The Telescope HHHH

Alan Davies - Life is Pain HHH

19:50

School of Comedy

The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, not 20, £free

Assembly George Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £15

Venue150 @ EICC, 9-14 Aug, £20 Assembly Hall, 20-26 Aug, £10

19:45 People Person

Opium, 7-25 Aug, £free

Fred MacAulay: Legally Bald 2 HHH

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £10

The History Girls Present: A Summary of Things So Far

Assembly Hall, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Dan Willis: A Comedian’s Life

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

Michael Downey Standing Up Again Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 13, 20, £8 – £9

Saskia’s Surprise Party

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Pattie Brewster’s Friendship Venture (For Some Friends)

The Quiz Show That Has Nothing to Do With Horses Sweet Grassmarket, 17 Aug, £5

Seann Walsh: Seann to be Wild Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 23, £11 – £12

Tiffany Stevenson: Uncomfortably Numb Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

Nice People Have Ruined My Life

Dragonfly, 7-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Hello Everybody!

Sweet Grassmarket, 16 Aug, £5

20:00 Reshape While Damp

Amarone, 12-25 Aug, £free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 17-26 Aug, £free

Brides of Comedy HH

Kumail Nanjiani

C venues - C aquila, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £10.50

Opinions Are Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-13 Aug, £free

Assembly Roxy, 14-27 Aug, £11.50 – £12.50

Dylan Moran: Yeah, Yeah

Edinburgh Playhouse, 15 Aug, 23 Aug, £24

Air Guitar Can Save the World Mood Nightclub, 7-18 Aug, £free

Andrew Doyle: Whatever It Takes HHH

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £6.50 – £7.50

Derek Ryan: Time Lord - Free

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

Rhys Darby - This Way to Spaceship HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £17.50 – £18.50

Lie. Cheat. Steal.

Confessions of a Real Hustler

The Fringe Comedy Academy: Class of 2012

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 20 Aug, £6

Daniel Sloss - Extra Shows!

Venue150 @ EICC, Various dates from 10 Aug to 25 Aug, £15.50

Him and Me: Sketch Circus - Free Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 7-25 Aug, £free

Bob Downe ...

Smokin’

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 14, 23, £12.50 – £14

Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit

Pleasance Courtyard, 14 Aug, £12

The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £15

20:15 Rob Deering - The One HH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £11 – £12

Two for None

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 12-26 Aug, £free

❤ Richard Herring: Talking C*ck - The Second Coming HHHH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, £14 – £16

Naz Osmanoglu: Ottoman Without An Empire HHH

GirlBand Improv - Free

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £10.50 – £12.50

20:05

Lewis Schaffer: No YOU Shut Up! - Free

Des Clarke: Final Destination HH

theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 7-11 Aug, £10

Zoo, 7-27 Aug, £10 – £12

Patrick Monahan – Shooting From The Lip!

Assembly George Square, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £13 – £14

Povs and Hefter Uncensored

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-16 Aug, £free

Bairns’ Night

The Assembly Rooms, 13 Aug, £20

Catch Comedy Presents: Edinburgh Fringe Showcase Sapphire Rooms, 13-17 Aug, £free

Jimeoin - What?! Extra Shows!

Venue150 @ EICC, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, £13.50

Sound & Fury’s Doc Faustus Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £9 – £10

So You Think You’re Funny? FINAL

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 23 Aug, £15

Hyde and Lyons

Mood Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, not 15, £free

Tom Stade Totally Rocks! HH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £11.50 – £13

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £9.50

Eric Davidson - The Only Way is Eric’s

Nothing to Show

theSpace on the Mile , 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £7.50

All About the Craic

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, £free

20:10 Vikki Stone: Hot Mess

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Kev Orkian in Concert - The World’s Favourite Foreigner theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 13-25 Aug, £10

Martin Mor: A Man You Don’t Meet Everyday HH

The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Steve Gribbin: Viva Gribbostania!

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Hannah Gadsby Hannah Wants a Wife HHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

Thom Tuck Flips Out Pleasance Dome, 7-27 Aug, not 12, £10 – £11

BUY TICKETS ON

80 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Return of the Lumberjacks (Back

by Poplar Demand) HHH

FACEBOOK.COM/UNDERBELLYEDINBURGH

FOR ALL UNDERBELLY SHOWS

Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Sean Hughes Stands Up HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £13 – £14

FNT Live presents...

The Jingling Lane Family Singers

C venues - C aquila, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £10.50

The Ferret’s Free Live Comedy Podcast Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-11 Aug, £free

Jo Caulfield - Thinking Bad Thoughts HH The Stand Comedy Club, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Joel Dommett Nunchuck Silver Medallist 2002 HH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, £10 – £12

BBC: Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section BBC @ Potterrow, 19 Aug, £free

Rob Deb - the Dork Knight Triumphant - Free

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 16, £free

BBC: Wondermentalist Cabaret

BBC @ Potterrow, 9 Aug, £free

comedylistings Alan Francis Expands Gilded Balloon at Third Door, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £9 – £10

James Acaster Prompt HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, £10 – £12

Gearoid Farrelly: Turbulence

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £9.50

Al Pitcher – Tiny Triumphs HHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 12, £9.50 – £10.50

A Good Catholic Boy

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 7-26 Aug, £free

Kemsley and Callaghan: Keeping Their Cool Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

20:20 Danielle Ward - Speakeasy / Playdead

Pleasance Dome, 8-26 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Cardinal Burns

Pleasance Dome, 20-25 Aug, £10 – £11

Mick Miller and Jimmy Cricket

Pleasance Dome, 18 Aug, £12

Amused Moose Comedy Awards Showcases

Pleasance Dome, Various dates from 8 Aug to 17 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Nish Kumar - Who Is Nish Kumar? HHH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

❤ Pappy’s: Last Show Ever! HHHH Pleasance Dome, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £12.50 – £14

The News at Kate 2012

Ciao Roma, 7-25 Aug, not 14, £free

20:25 Look at This Massive Picture of My Face The Canons’ Gait, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Bellylicious the Sequel - Confessions of a Belly Dance Diva Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 7-11 Aug, £10

20:30 Festival of the Spoken Nerd

Venue150 @ EICC, 7-9 Aug, £13

Abigoliah Schamaun: Girl Going to Hell Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £free

Phil Walker: Is This It?

Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

Danny McLoughlin - The Truth, the Half-Truth and Nothing Like the Truth Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £12

Shappi Khorsandi: Dirty Looks and Hopscotch Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Tim Roast’s Animals - Free Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £free

Simon Amstell: Numb The Bongo Club, 20-26 Aug, £16.50

Nina Conti: Dolly Mixtures

Pleasance Dome, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £13 – £14

Playing Politics

Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £10

Sarah Kendall - Get Up, Stand-Up Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

Carl Donnelly: Different Gravy HH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12

LOLd on a Minute!

Sweet Grassmarket, 1226 Aug, not 18, 25, £7

Joe Lycett: Some Lycett Hot HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £9.50

Nathan Cassidy: Free Pound

The Royal Mile Tavern, 7-25 Aug, not 15, £free

Pat Burtscher’s Patopotamoose

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £11 – £12

Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

The Cradle of Comedy

Destiny Church Gorgie, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £5

20:35 Stephen Bailey and Zoe Iqbal - Subject to Change - Free

Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 7-12 Aug, £free

20:40 Roisin Conaty: Lifehunter

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £9.50

The Ejaculate Conception

C venues - C nova, 19-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Pete Johansson Utopian Crack Pipe HHH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12.50

The Chris and Paul Show

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9

20:45 An Audience with the King

The Shack Comedy Club & Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Luke Benson Backseat Hero HH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

We Love Comedy

Base Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, £free

Alpine Horn with Flange Krammer - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

Newcastle University Comedy Society Showcase / PBH’s Free Fringe

Buffs Club (RAOB), 7-25 Aug, £free

Devvo Dole Queue Hero is Free

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-26 Aug, £free

Pick of the Fringe

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Unstable Fables Greenside, 13-18 Aug, £7

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

It’s the Monster Stand-Up Show - Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

Chris Martin - Spot the Difference HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £10 – £12

Magnus Betnér Live The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 16, 21, £10

Sex Money Death

The Shack Comedy Club & Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £7

20:50 Des Bishop Likes to Bang

Assembly George Square, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £11 – £12

Matt Price: Fugly.

The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-25 Aug, £free

Andrew Lawrence is Coming to Get You Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, £11 – £12.50

Lord Nelson Presents...

GHQ, 17-25 Aug, £free

Max Dickins: This Will Only Take A Moment...

The Cabaret Voltaire, 7-25 Aug, £free

Heath Franklin’s Chopper in A Hard Bastard’s Guide to Life HH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-19 Aug, £11 – £12

20:55 Al Murray - The Pub Landlord: The Only Way is Epic (Special Previews)

Assembly George Square, 13-25 Aug, £12 – £14

Musical Comedy Awards Showcase

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 10-11 Aug, £14

The Sensational Alex Salmond Gastric Band presents Oliver Pissed Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 8-26 Aug, not 21, £free

The Super Serious Show

Assembly George Square, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £13

Checkley and Bush’s Comedy Riot!

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £8

21:00 Phil Nichol Rants!

HHH

The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

The Pajama Men’s Improv Show

Assembly George Square, 7-12 Aug, £14 – £15

Dr Ettrick-Hogg’s Manly Stand-Ups - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

No Pants Thursday: T’il Death Do Us Party Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7.50 – £8.50

Chris Kent - Plugged In

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £9.50

Dear Dan Brown...

Dragonfly, 7-24 Aug, £free

Heroes of Alternative Fringe Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 7-21 Aug, £5

Hurt and Anderson: Scenes of a Vignetteish Nature - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8-26 Aug, not 16, 21, £free

The Fairytale Forest Ukrainian Club, 16-20 Aug, £8

Big Value Comedy Show - Late

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

Russell Kane: Posturing Delivery The Assembly Rooms, 13-24 Aug, £15

Alan Anderson: Whisky For Dafties

Just the Tonic at The Tron, 7-26 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, £9 – £12

Henning Wehn: Henning Knows Bestest

Just the Tonic at The Tron, 13 Aug, £6

Teeth In Eggcups

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-16 Aug, not 10, 11, £free

Glorified Disasters

The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, not 14, 15, £free

Neil Delamere: DelaMere Mortal

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

You Have Nothing to Fear...

Opium, 7-25 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

BBC: Radio 2 New Comedy Award BBC @ Potterrow, 11 Aug, £7

❤ Jim Jefferies: Fully Functional HHHH

Assembly Hall, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £16 – £17.50

21:05 ❤ Doctor Brown Befrdfgth HHHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £10.50 – £11.50

Magpie and Stump in Lolitary Confinement theSpace on the Mile , 20-25 Aug, £5

Luke Toulson - Luke Who’s Talking Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, £9.50 – £10.50

Andrew Maxwell: That’s the Spirit

Assembly George Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £15 – £16

Obsession - A Life With Magic

Zoo, 7-18 Aug, not 12, 13, £10

St Andrews Presents - Blind Mirth Improv Comedy theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £5 – £7

21:10

One Track Minds - Free

Darkness Rising

Amarone, 7-25 Aug, £free

theSpace on North Bridge, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £7

Aaaaaaaaaaaaarghh!

It’s the Greatest Show on Legs

Barely Legal: The 18-Year-Old Democracy

Alternative Fringe @ The Hive, 22-26 Aug, £5

Assembly Roxy, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £13 – £14

COMEDY, THEATRE, CABARET AND MORE www.festmag.co.uk

OPEN 'TIL 5AM

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 81

comedylistings Pete Firman Hoodwinker

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, £12 – £15

Marcus Brigstocke: The Brig Society HHH

Assembly Hall, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £12 – £14

Jonny & the Baptists Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £9 – £10

21:15 Henning Wehn: Henning Knows Bestest

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 15-26 Aug, £8.50 – £11.50

Rory Scovel: Illuminati Only CANCELLED

Assembly Roxy, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £11.50 – £12.50

❤ Sam Simmons About the Weather HHHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10.50 – £11.50

❤ Sara Pascoe - The Musical! HHHH

Assembly George Square, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £12

The Colour Ham HH

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-12 Aug, £9.50 – £10.50

The Suggestibles

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 7 Aug, £14

Kevin Shepherd: Thus Spoke Kev - Free

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 7-26 Aug, £free

Bob Doolally’s Euro Crisis

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 21 Aug, £9

Laughing Horse Free Comedy Selection Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 7-26 Aug, £free

Stephen K Amos Work in Progress

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-25 Aug, not 8, 13, 14, 20, 21, £10

Owen and Bettesworth: Sung and Unsung

Sweet Grassmarket, 7-26 Aug, not 18, 25, £7

21:20 Geoff the Entertainer HHH The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Jimmy Carr: Gagging Order

Venue150 @ EICC, Various dates from 16 Aug to 25 Aug, £18.50

Elaine Malcolmson: Relevant Experience

The Stand Comedy Club II, 20 Aug, £8

Markus Birdman – Love, Life and Death HHH The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £8

Danny Buckler: The Phantom Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

Paul McCaffrey: Pills’n’Thrills and Belly Laughs

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Sexytime!

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

Logic for a 5 Year Old theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7-11 Aug, £3

Frenemies

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-11 Aug, £free

Reginald D. Hunter - Work in Progress... and Niggas with John Gordillo Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £13

Always Be Comedy

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 12-26 Aug, £free

Jason Byrne: People’s Puppeteer HHH Venue150 @ EICC, 7-12 Aug, £17.50 – £19.50

21:25 Truth

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

21:30 Steven Davidson: Gamesmaster

Armageddapocalypse: Threat Level Dead

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £8.50 – £9.50

Word:Play

theSpace on the Mile , 14-18 Aug, £6

Graham Whistler: Stand-Up, Fall Down - Free Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 7-27 Aug, £free

The Blanks’ Big Break HHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 14, 23, £12 – £14

Mark Restuccia: How to Succeed at Internet Dating HH

Gilded Balloon at Third Door, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

The Big Comedy Gala in Aid of Macmillan Cancer Support Venue150 @ EICC, 13 Aug, £22

The Comedy Reserve

Pleasance Dome, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £8 – £9

Dodger’s Comedy Presents... - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-11 Aug, £free

Dan and Tom: Two for the Price of None Southsider, 7-25 Aug, £free

Simon Evans: Friendly Fire

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Michael Mittermeier: A German on Safari HH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £9 – £10

Don’t Like Each Other - Free

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-14 Aug, £free

Swedenborg, the Devil and Me

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 12-26 Aug, not 19, £free

Conor Drum - A Sense of Humour

The Constitution, 8-12 Aug, £6.50

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £free

The Jocks and Geordies

And Now for a Nice Evening With Wallan

Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 7-26 Aug, £free

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £9.50 – £10.50

82 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Applause

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 15-26 Aug, not 16, £free

Jeff Leach: Boyfriend Experience HHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10

Jarred Christmas: Let’s Go MoFo

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, £10.50 – £11.50

Dan Wright: Michael Jackson Touched Me HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Iain Stirling: Happy to Be the Clown?

HHH

❤ Hal Cruttenden Tough Luvvie HHHH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £11

John Shuttleworth: Out of Our Sheds

Alan Sharp: Careful What You Wish For

Pleasance Dome, 13-20 Aug, £10 – £12.50

Josh Widdicombe: The Further Adventures of... Extra Show Pleasance Dome, 9 Aug, 10 Aug, 11 Aug, 12 Aug, 22 Aug, £11 – £12

Michael Winslow Noizeyman

21:35

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £12.50 – £14.50

Gareth Morinan Presents the Saturday Debates (3+4)

Peacock & Gamble Don’t Even Want To Be On Telly Anyway HH

Ciao Roma, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £free

Gareth Morinan Explains How Ricky Gervais is a ‘Mong’ for Cutting Gareth Morinan Out of Life’s Too Short (BBC/HBO) Ciao Roma, 9 Aug, £free

Gareth Morinan Pitches a Better Version of Life’s Too Short (Starring Gareth Morinan) to BBC, HBO, C4, ITV, Sky, etc

Ciao Roma, 13 Aug, 16 Aug, £free

Gareth Morinan Presents the Saturday Debates (1+2)

Ciao Roma, 11 Aug, £free

Gareth Morinan Explains Why David Cameron Should Be Fired for Crimes Against Short People (Among Other Things) Ciao Roma, 20 Aug, 23 Aug, £free

Bogan Bingo / Free Festival

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 9-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Peter Buckley Hill and Some Comedians XVI The Canons’ Gait, 7-25 Aug, £free

21:40 ❤ The Boy With Tape On His Face - More Tape HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £12.50 – £13.50

Pleasance Dome, 7-26 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

21:45 Gareth Richards: Introvert - Never Been To Disneyland HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Eat a Queer Fetus 4 Jesus - Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, £free

Pretending Things Are a C*ck

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £9 – £10

Sam Fisher and Friends - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-8 Aug, £free

Chilly Gonzales

The Banshee Labyrinth, 7-25 Aug, £free

❤ Hannibal Buress: Still Saying Stuff HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 21, £10 – £10.50

My Damage is My Gift! - Free

Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 7-25 Aug, not 13, 14, £free

Abandoman - Party in the Key of C Major Pleasance Dome, 7-27 Aug, not 14, 26, £13 – £14

21:50 Alfie Moore - I Predicted a Riot

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, £10 – £12

All My Friends

Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 7-26 Aug, £free

Jayde Adams is Master of None

Sweet Grassmarket, 1324 Aug, not 18, £9

Paul Chowdhry What’s Happening White People Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Colin Mars: A Life Full of Lemons HH theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £7.50

The Queen’s Hall, 26 Aug, £14

22:00

I’m High On Life: What Are You On?

Bad Advice - Free

C Venues - C eca, 7-27 Aug, not 11, 12, £8.50 – £10.50

Marcus Ryan: Home and Away - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

Laughing Horse’s Funny Fillies

Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 7-26 Aug, £free

The Best Of Scottish Comedy The Stand Comedy Club, 7-26 Aug, £12

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

How the World Wags

C venues - C aquila, 16-26 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Late Night Gimp Fight Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £12.50 – £14

Casual Violence: A Kick In The Teeth HHH Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £8

comedylistings Liam and Owen - A Cracking One Off Show!

Car Crash Comedy 2012

Storytellers’ Club

22:15 Learning to Pray in Front of the Television

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-26 Aug, £free Pleasance Courtyard, 9-25 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, £10

The Late Night Shack Show

The Shack Comedy Club & Nightclub, 7-25 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12

Back to School’s Disco

Pleasance at Braidwood Centre, 10 Aug, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £6 – £10

Stand Up for Freedom

Venue150 @ EICC, 15 Aug, £18

Suggs: My Life Story in Words and Music The Queen’s Hall, 24 Aug, £22.50

News Smash

C venues - C nova, 7-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Paul T Eyres: T.Eyres of a Clown / Laughing Horse Pick of the Fringe - Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-27 Aug, £free

❤ Brendon Burns, Home Stretch Baby HHHH Pleasance Dome, 7-26 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £12.50 – £14.50

Art of Procrastination Paradise in The Vault, 7-19 Aug, not 13, £6

❤ Felicity Ward: The Hedgehog Dilemma HHHH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12

22:05 I’m Not Crying in the Bathroom: I’m Crying in the Supply Closet theSpace on the Mile , 13-25 Aug, not 19, £8 – £10

22:10 Believe - Starring Shane Dundas from the Umbilical Brothers

Assembly George Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £12 – £14

It’s Grimm Up North

theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 7-25 Aug, £6 – £8

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7-25 Aug, £free

Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 13-20 Aug, £8

David Whitney Struggling to Evolve Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Google / Complex

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-26 Aug, £free

John Robertson: The Old Whore Assembly Hall, 7-26 Aug, £5

KWAT: Greetings from KWAT

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8 – £10

Fat Whore HH

The Assembly Rooms, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

22:20 The Sitcom Double Bill Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, £9 – £10

Paul Ricketts - Ironic Infinity Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, 23, £6.50 – £7.50

Mark Little: THEbullsh*tARTIST HH

Assembly George Square, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £15 – £16

Sh*t-faced Shakespeare

C venues - C, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £11.50

The Wonderful World of Wilfredo

Just the Tonic at The Tron, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7.50 – £9.50

22:25 Oyster Eyes Presents: Some Rice

Marcel Lucont: Gallic Symbol HHH

Marcus Brigstocke: The Brig Society EXTRA SHOW

Best of Scottish Comedian of the Year

Mick Foley: Prisoner of Raw

Comedy Film Nights

Setlist: Stand-Up Without a Net

Jimeoin - What?!

(Whatever...)

❤ Simon Donald’s School of Swearing HHHH

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £10.50

The Assembly Rooms, 8-11 Aug, £15

The Assembly Rooms, 24 Aug, £15.50

22:30 John Scott - Totally Fed Up

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Best of So You Think You’re Funny?

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-11 Aug, £10.50

Hill Street Theatre, Various dates from 9 Aug to 26 Aug, £5 – £8

The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

Chortle Student Comedy Award Final Pleasance Courtyard, 13-14 Aug, £8

Terry Alderton

Gilded Balloon Teviot, Various dates from 17 Aug to 26 Aug, £10.50 – £12

The Joy of Sketch

Dan Mitchell - Free Egg

Dead Cat Bounce...

Howl of the She-Leopard

Cheap Laughs (Are Better Than No Laughs) - Free

Pleasance Courtyard, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, £12

Assembly Roxy, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £12

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 7-26 Aug, £free

❤ The Imaginary Radio Programme: Drennon Davis Presented by The Pajama Men HHHH

Assembly Hall, 16-19 Aug, £14

Assembly Roxy, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12

Greg Proops Podcast: The Smartest Man in the World Gilded Balloon Teviot, 16 Aug, 19 Aug, 22 Aug, £13

Künt and the Gang - Free Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 7-26 Aug, not 11, £free

Foil Arms and Hog - Late Night Sketch Comedy Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £9 – £10

So You Think You’re Funny?

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7 Aug, 12 Aug, 13 Aug, 14 Aug, 15 Aug, £10

Rubberbandits

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, £12 – £14

Jerry Sadowitz: Adults Only

Idiots of Ants ANThology

The Assembly Rooms, 17-18 Aug, £17.50

Assembly Hall, 24 Aug, £13

Pleasance Courtyard, 2325 Aug, £11 – £12

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

Scottish Comedian of the Year 2011 - Jamie Dalgleish

Tom Cottle’s These Twisted Folk

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £9

22:45 ❤ Andrew O’Neill is Easily Distracted HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 8, 14, £11 – £12

Michael Pope is Gay for Pay - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free

Davey Connor, Lucy Beaumont and Ed Patrick - The Big Comedy Showcase Show

22:35

Pleasance Courtyard, 22-23 Aug, £10

Ian Shaw - A Bit of a Mouthful HH

What Would Beyoncé Do? - Free

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Dana Alexander: Breaking Through

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

James and Amy: Dysfunctional Legends

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-25 Aug, not 12, £free

22:40 The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre - Boo Lingerie Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, £9 – £10

Comic Strip HHH

Assembly George Square, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £12 – £15

James Dowdeswell: Urban Wurzel HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 8, 9, 13, £8.50 – £9.50

Jon Richardson Funny Magnet

Things We Did Before Reality

Pleasance Dome, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 9 Aug, £5

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £9 – £9.50

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £10

The Boom Jennies: Mischief

The Special Reserve Comedy Benefit

Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £free

The Comedy Zone

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Late Night Laughs

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, £9.50 – £12

Splitting the Bill – Michael Workman & Tommy Little

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

David Trent - Spontaneous Comedian Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £12

Demitris Deech: Stop, Collaborate and Listen - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-25 Aug, £free

The Good, the Bad and the Irish!

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7-26 Aug, not 16, £free

Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

The Dirty Uncle Comedy Roadshow - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 14-17 Aug, £free

An Evening with Jay Sodagar Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-13 Aug, £free

Alistair Green: Jack Spencer - Why Anything?

Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £free

22:50 The Shambles

C venues - C aquila, 7-18 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Tania Edwards - Killer Instinct

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £10.50

Eddie Naessens: The Thing Is This...

Ciao Roma, 7-25 Aug, £free

23:00 BBC: Comedy Presents

BBC @ Potterrow, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 23, £12

Eric Hutton: Every Other Show in the Fringe Sucks - Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7-26 Aug, £free

BBC: Late Junction BBC @ Potterrow, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, £free

Shaggers - Free Festival

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-25 Aug, £free

Garrett Millerick: Sensible Answers to Stupid Questions

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £8.50 – £9.50

COMEDY, THEATRE, CABARET AND MORE www.festmag.co.uk

OPEN 'TIL 5AM

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 83

comedylistings Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-26 Aug, £free

BBC: Radio 1’s Fun and Filth Cabaret

BBC @ Potterrow, 13-16 Aug, £free

Rob Deering’s Beat This

Pleasance Courtyard, Various dates from 10 Aug to 25 Aug, £10

Iain Stirling: Happy to Be the Clown?

Pleasance Courtyard, 11-12 Aug, £8.50

Mark Watson’s Edinborolympics

Pleasance Courtyard, Various dates from 15 Aug to 21 Aug, £8

Aaaaaaaaaaaaarghh!

It’s the Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards Show with Miss Behave - and It’s Free!

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 24-25 Aug, £free

Steve Shanyaski’s Life-Survival Bible

Pleasance Courtyard, 7-26 Aug, not 12, 13, £8.50 – £10.50

Ward and Bartlett’s Double Impact

Globe, 7-18 Aug, £free

AAA Stand-Up Late Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, £9 – £10

Japanese TerminatoL Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 7-26 Aug, not 15, £free

Bring Me the Head of Adam Riches Pleasance Dome, 22-25 Aug, £12 – £14

23:05 Barbershopera: The Three Musketeers HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £11.50 – £12.50

Back and to the Left in the Turkish Prison

Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 7-15 Aug, £free

Monkey Toast: The Improvised Chat Show HHH

Pleasance Dome, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Absolute Stripping!

theSpace on North Bridge, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £8.50 – £9.50

Heavy Petting

Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 16-26 Aug, £free

23:10 Humphrey Ker is...

Dymock Watson: Nazi Smasher!

Pleasance Dome, 7-14 Aug, £12.50 – £15

23:15 Tim Key - Masterslut Pleasance Courtyard, 23-25 Aug, £14

I Am, I Am

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £8 – £9

The Horne Section - Live at the Grand!

HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 9-22 Aug, £10 – £12

23:20 COMX

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8 – £10

Pappy’s Flatshare Slamdown

Pleasance Courtyard, 7 Aug, 12 Aug, £8.50

Do The Right Thing

Pleasance Courtyard, 8 Aug, 9 Aug, 13 Aug, 14 Aug, £8.50

Voices in Your Head

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 9-25 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, £10

Simon Evans: Friendly Fire Extra Show Pleasance Courtyard, 17-18 Aug, £12

23:30 Battle Ducks: Activate!

C venues - C nova, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

Tim Key - Masterslut Pleasance Dome, 16-21 Aug, £14

Taylor Glenn Reverse Psycomedy Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8 – £9

LOL-ocaust

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

Scott Agnew: Tales of the Sauna The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

❤ Eddie Pepitone’s Bloodbath HHHH

Just the Tonic at The Tron, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8 – £10

23:45 Al Murray the Pub Landlord: The Guv’s Olympic Pub Quiz

Assembly George Square, 16-18 Aug, £15

Guardian Reader HHH

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £8 – £9

Frisky & Mannish: 27 Club

Assembly George Square, 20-22 Aug, £12

Guilt & Shame: Up All Night HH Underbelly, Cowgate, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £8 – £9.50

Denis Krasnov’s Hour of Intellectual Filth Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £9

Joe Munrow: One Big Joke - Free

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

23:50 Live At The Electric: Live At The Fringe Pleasance Courtyard, 17-19 Aug, £10

23:55 The Humble Quest for Universal Genius Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-10 Aug, £9 – £10

The New Conway Dimension

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 1127 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Eleanor Conway’s Midnight Rumble

23:40

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7-27 Aug, not 15, £9 – £10

Chris Ramsey: Feeling Lucky HHH

23:59

Pleasance Courtyard, 10 Aug, 18 Aug, £9.50

Ro Campbell: Midnight Meltdown

The Stand Comedy Club II, 7-26 Aug, not 13, £8

The Assembly Rooms The Very Best of the Fest The Assembly Rooms, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £15

Morgan & West: Lying, Cheating Scoundrels

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 20, 21, £16

Best of the Fest

Assembly Hall, 9-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, £14 – £15

Setlist: Stand-Up Without a Net

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 7-25 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, £9 – £11

Midnight Hour

The Canons’ Gait, 10-11 Aug, £free

A Little Perspective with Imaan

Midnight Comedy at Genting Club Fountainpark

Genting Club Fountainpark, 8-23 Aug, not 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, £free

Joz Norris is Matt Fisher: Überperson - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 8-13 Aug, £free

Life’s Short. I’m Not! - Free

Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 8-27 Aug, £free

Spank!

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-27 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-27 Aug, £13.50 – £15.50

The Death of Comedy

Julie Jepson Personal Triumph

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 20, 21, £8.50 – £9.50

Where Once Was Wonder by Daniel Kitson

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 9-13 Aug, £free

Leaves on the Line

The Room Assembly George Square, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, 27 Aug, £8

00:30 The Improverts Bedlam Theatre, 7-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £7.50

BattleActs!

Presents...

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7-28 Aug, £free

Hedluv and Passman: Two Cornish Rappers and a Casiotone HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-28 Aug, not 15, £10 – £11

00:40

The Stand Comedy Club, 7-26 Aug, not 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, £10

Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 8-13 Aug, £free

After Hours Comedy

The Stand Late Show

Just the Tonic Comedy Club’s Midnight Show

20, 21, 22, 23, £10.50

The Stand Comedy Club, Various dates from 10 Aug to 25 Aug, £15

Adam Hills: Mess Around HHH

Assembly Hall, 17-18 Aug, £13

Edinburgh Comedy Tour

www.walkingheads.net, 7 Aug - 2 Sep, £free

00:00 Liam Grahame Olsen: Half Pint - Live Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 16-19 Aug, £free

Unknowable Tantrum Wind Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 8-14 Aug, £free

Gay Straight Alliance Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 20-27 Aug, £free

Me My Selfish Self

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 20-25 Aug, £free

Becks Dugs and Rotten Hole

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 15-19 Aug, £free

School Night

Just The Tonic at the Caves, Various dates from 8 Aug to 23 Aug, £10

Just The Tonic at the Caves, 10-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, £10

DeadBadgers Sketchy Bits

Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 14-27 Aug, £free

00:10 Vikki Stone: Hot Mess

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 11 Aug, £11

Pleasance Dome, 10-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 15, 16, – £11.50

00:45 Leo and Stephen Go Down On You! Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

00:50 Spanktacular!

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, 26 Aug, £15.50

00:15

01:00

The Late Show

Not the Adventures of Moleman

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 10-27 Aug, not 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, £12.50 – £14.50

Harriet Dyer (Plus the Odd Pal) - What a Palaver!

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7-27 Aug, £free

00:20 The Beta Males’ Midnight Movie Theatre

Pleasance Courtyard, 11 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, £10

BUY TICKETS ON

84 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

00:25

FACEBOOK.COM/UNDERBELLYEDINBURGH

FOR ALL UNDERBELLY SHOWS

Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 8-27 Aug, £free

Late ‘n’ Live Gilded Balloon Teviot, 7-28 Aug, £13 – £15

01:15 Setlist: Stand-Up Without a Net Just The Tonic at the Caves, Various dates from 11 Aug to 26 Aug, £11

theatrelistings 08:00

09:30 One Minute Birdwatching - Free

How May We Be of Service?

West Princes Street Gardens, 8-9 Aug, £free

Everywhere, Anywhere, 12-17 Aug, £free

Platero Y Yo

24h

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10 Aug, £5

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

09:00

09:45

24h

After Orpheus

theSpace @ Venue45, 10 Aug, £5

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

Dream Plays (Scenes From a Play I’ll Never Write) Traverse Theatre, 14-26 Aug, not 20, £12

09:15 theSpace @ Venue45, 11 Aug, £5

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 21, £9 – £11

Grimaldi: King of the Clowns

❤ And No More Shall We Part HHHH

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8 Aug, 11 Aug, £5

Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 14 Aug, 18 Aug, 22 Aug, 26 Aug, £18 – £20

American Gothic: The Poetry of Edgar Lee Masters theSpace @ Venue45, 9 Aug, £5

Shakespeare for Breakfast

The Iliad, The Odyssey and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less

Theatre Uncut

C venues - C, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £6.50 – £8.50 Traverse Theatre, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, £6.50

theSpace @ Venue45, 8 Aug, £5

❤ The Letter of Last Resort and Good With People HHHH

09:20

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 24 Aug, £18 – £20

What the Heart Remembers: The Women and Children of Darfur

24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 9 Aug, £5

Frontline

Bullet Catch HHH

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-16 Aug, £5

In Tents

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-11 Aug, £5

10:15

Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, 26 Aug, £17

Mess

Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 24 Aug, £19

10:45

Dearly Departed

The Browning Version

Kaya - Dream Interpreter

Birds on a Wire

10:05

Born to Run

Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 12 Aug, 15 Aug, 19 Aug, 23 Aug, £18

The Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show

Pleasance Dome, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £10.50 – £11.50

Church Hill Theatre, 11 Aug, £5

Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro! HHH

Here! Internet Cafe, 8-27 Aug, £5

Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, £20

10:00 Traverse Theatre, 21 Aug, 25 Aug, £13 – £20

Suzanne

Morning HHH

Romeo and Juliet

theSpace @ Venue45, 21-25 Aug, £5

Machinal

theSpace on Niddry St, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, 24 Aug, £5

theSpace on the Mile , 8-11 Aug, £8

Oh, What a Lovely War

10:30 Monkey Bars

Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £17

❤ Blink HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £17 – £19

theSpace on Niddry St, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, £5

11:00 Invisible People

Around Edinburgh, 8-11 Aug, £1

Going Green the Wong Way

Allotment

Venue 13, 8-18 Aug, not 13, £8

The Crucible

Assembly Inverleith Allotments, 10 Aug, 14 Aug, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, £10

Story Shakespeare: All’s Well That Ends Well

Greenside, 20-25 Aug, £8

Angels HHH

Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, 14 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, £17 – £19

All That is Wrong HHH

C venues - C too, 13-18 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

Peep HHH

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, £17

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 17, £6

The Adding Machine Church Hill Theatre, 8 Aug, £5

Killing Time

Bedlam Theatre, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £6

The Stranger

Summerhall, 10-25 Aug, not 22, 23, £12

Afghan Days Babylon Nights The Royal Scots Club, 9 Aug, 10 Aug, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, £9

11:05 Under the Ladder

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-11 Aug, £5

Anon(ymous)

C venues - C, 8-11 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

All the Things I Never Said

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-16 Aug, £5

11:10 The Ride of the Bluebottles

theSpace on the Mile , 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £7 – £9

The Two Most Perfect Things Assembly Roxy, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £13

11:15 Forever Young

theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 13-24 Aug, not 19, £6

Sir Gawain, the Yellow Knight

Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5

Normal

Paradise in Augustine’s, 9-11 Aug, £8

The Hole

Church Hill Theatre, 11 Aug, £5

American Gothic: The Poetry of Edgar Lee Masters

theSpace @ Venue45, 8 Aug, 10 Aug, £5

The Iliad, The Odyssey and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less

theSpace @ Venue45, 11 Aug, £5

Noël Coward’s Tonight at 8:30

theSpace on Niddry St, 13-18 Aug, £7 – £9

SOS Courtship

Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5

Birds on a Wire

theSpace @ Venue45, 9 Aug, £5

11:20 I Never Saw Another Butterfly Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5

Grimaldi: King of the Clowns

Chicken Bones for the Teenage Soup

Captain Ferguson’s School for Balloon Warfare HH

What the Heart Remembers: The Women and Children of Darfur

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 9 Aug, £5

Assembly Roxy, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £12

Church Hill Theatre, 10 Aug, £5

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10 Aug, £5

Moth to the Flame

Miss Julie

All in the Timing

Dream On

Paradise in Augustine’s, 8 Aug, £8 Church Hill Theatre, 20 Aug, £5

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-18 Aug, £5 – £11 Paradise in Augustine’s, 14-18 Aug, £8

HHHH “Bloody, marvellous stuff!”

D. Express

LIVE ON STAGE!

®

pleasance 12 noon Daily 0131 556 6550

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 85

theatrelistings The Property Known As Garland

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £8 – £10

11:25

John Peel’s Shed by John Osborne

12:00

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-12 Aug, £11

Puellae (The truth about chips and other things)

Bye Bye World

Last Supper

Underbelly, Cowgate, 1526 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Miss Marchbanks

11:40

Greenside, 8-11 Aug, £6 Paradise in The Vault, 8-18 Aug, not 12, 13, £8.50

11:30 Seeing Double: Figures HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £7 – £8

Candida Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12

Two Dogs Sweet Grassmarket, 8-17 Aug, £10

Beyond Hillsborough

Summerhall, Various dates from 8 Aug to 15 Aug, £10

As Ye Sow

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11.50

An Audience With the Duke of Windsor - Bob Kingdom

Seeing Double: Vision HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £7 – £8

Pleasance Bytes

Pleasance Courtyard, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £4

Hell’s Bells by Lynne Truss Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 9, 10, 13, 20, £8 – £9

Female Gothic Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £12 – £13

Thin Ice HHH

Platero Y Yo

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8 Aug, 11 Aug, £5

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £9 – £10

Apocalypse or Bust!

The Ash Girl

Church Hill Theatre, 8 Aug, £5

11:35 Life Is Too Good To Be True HH

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-13 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

theSpace @ Venue45, 13-16 Aug, £8

Dearly Departed

Assembly Hall, 9-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £14 – £15

The Template for Lack of Conversation Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 8-18 Aug, £free

Bigmouth

Theatre Tasters - Free Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 8-12 Aug, £free

I Shall Be Remembered - The Story of Madame de Pompadour

Venue150 @ EICC, 15-19 Aug, £12

The Merry Wives of Osaka C venues - C too, 13-18 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £9.50

Allotment

11:50

Assembly Inverleith Allotments, 10 Aug, 14 Aug, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, £10

Built for Two

Les Impossibles

theSpace on the Mile , 8-18 Aug, not 12, £6

24h

Tam O’Shanter

Comedy Playhouse Balloon - Free

Summerhall, 19-26 Aug, £5 – £10

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 8-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £10

The Assembly Rooms, 11-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Sweet Grassmarket, 8-10 Aug, £9

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 17, £6

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 8-26 Aug, £free

The Knowledge Emporium

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 9-12 Aug, £free

Wild Allegations The Jhiva of Nietzsche

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £7

In Tents

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-16 Aug, £5

Salt and Pepper

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-11 Aug, £5

Firing Blanks

12:10

Double Edge’s Apples

Continuous Growth HHH

Zoo, 19-27 Aug, £9 – £10 Underbelly, Cowgate, 12-18 Aug, £8 – £9

Hunt & Darton Cafe

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £11

Hunt & Darton Cafe , 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

12:15

BOX

Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act by Athol Fugard HH

C venues - C nova, 8-26 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

❤ Horrible Histories - Barmy Britain HHHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £10.50 – £11.50

What’s He Building in There? HHH Zoo, 8-18 Aug, £8

Assembly Hall, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £14 – £16

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Sweet Grassmarket, 11-12 Aug, £9 Church Hill Theatre, 9 Aug, £5

Almost, Maine

Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5

King Lear

Zoo, 12-18 Aug, £7.50

Virginia Ironside: Growing Old Disgracefully Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £10 – £11

Wonderland

Church Hill Theatre, 20 Aug, £5

12:20 The Mermaid of Zennor

C venues - C too, 20-27 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

The Exonerated

Pilrig Studio, 8 Aug, £5

US Beef

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 15, £8.50 – £9.50

30 Neo-Futurist Plays From Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind Pilrig Studio, 9 Aug, £5

Lord of the Flies

Paradise in Augustine’s, 21-27 Aug, £8.50

Miss Julie

Church Hill Theatre, 10 Aug, £5

theSpace on North Bridge, 20-25 Aug, £10 – £11

Shirtwaist

Romeo and Juliet

Summerhall, 11-18 Aug, £10

Eastern Angles in association with

***** WHATSONSTAGE.COM, 2011 — WORLD POETRY SLAM CHAMPION

Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 12 Aug, £18

Les Impossibles

A Few Good Men

11:45 Venue 13, 8-18 Aug, not 13, £8

Churchill

❤ And No More Shall We Part HHHH

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10

theSpace on North Bridge, 20-25 Aug, £6

Plastic Beach HH

The Price of Everything

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Razing Eddie HH

Peep HHH

Assembly Hall, 8-27 Aug, £10 – £11 C venues - C eca, 12-18 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Oddlie

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

Zoo, 8-11 Aug, £7.50

12:05

Quaker Meeting House, 8-11 Aug, £8

Zoo Southside, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 21, £7

Traverse Theatre, 21 Aug, 25 Aug, £18 – £20

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

For the Love of Willie Quaker Meeting House, 13-18 Aug, £7

❤ The Letter of Last Resort and Good With People HHHH

theSpace on Niddry St, 8-11 Aug, £8

Key Theatre Peterborough

I PETERBOROUGH

PROPER POP–UP PURPLE PAPER PEOPLE HARRY BAKER

A dark ly ncom ic play by Writte

by Joel

Horwood. Direct Frinedge t win

by Firs Ivan Cuttin g ner & JoelJoel HorwoHor od wood

12.00, 6—24th August (exc. Sundaes) Royal Oak, 1 Infirmary St.

CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE

HHHH Independent

AUGUST 1ST - 27TH AT 5.35PM

Free entry, anytime...

0131 556 6550 WWW.PLEASANCE.CO.UK PLEASANCE COURTYARD/PLEASANCE TWO

ad.indd 1

86 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

08/08/2012 23:22

theatrelistings The Bravery of Miss Anne and Other Tales of Splendorous Adventure The Voodoo Rooms, 2125 Aug, £free

Machinal

theSpace on Niddry St, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, £5

Oh, What a Lovely War

theSpace on Niddry St, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, 24 Aug, £5

12:25 The Death of Chatterton

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-18 Aug, £8 – £9

Medieval Miracle, The Fall Of Man Paradise in The Vault, 8 Aug, £5

Ma Biche et Mon Lapin

Institut français d’Ecosse, 8-24 Aug, weekdays only, £5

The Fantasist HHH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 8-27 Aug, not 15, £8 – £9

12:30 Born to Run

Would Be Nice Though...

Pleasance at Essential Edinburgh, 8-18 Aug, £8 – £9

❤ And No More Shall We Part HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 15 Aug, 19 Aug, 23 Aug, £18

Round ‘ere

Venue 13, 19-25 Aug, £free

The Yellow Wallpaper Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 21-25 Aug, £8

❤ The Letter of Last Resort and Good With People HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, £20

Rut

Bedlam Theatre, 20-25 Aug, £7

Morning HHH

Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 14 Aug, 18 Aug, £18 – £20

12:35 Land of the Dead / Helter Skelter

Greenside, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £9

12:40 The Musicians

Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, 26 Aug, £18

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 20-25 Aug, £7.50

As You Like It

Jubilate! by Rosalind Adler

Zoo, 19-27 Aug, £5 – £8

All Turn! - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 13-26 Aug, £free

Soldiers’ Wives HHH Assembly Roxy, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12

Killing Time

Pleasance Courtyard, 14-25 Aug, £8 – £9

FAT

Pleasance Courtyard, 9-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, £9

The Silencer - David Calvitto

Bedlam Theatre, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, £6

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Spaghetti Junction

12:45

Bedlam Theatre, 13-18 Aug, £7

My Elevator Days

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £9 – £10

❤ A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum HHHH

C venues - C, 12-18 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Picnic Apocalyptic

Bedlam Theatre, 8-11 Aug, £8

A Servant to Two Masters

theSpace on the Mile , 8-11 Aug, £6

www.festmag.co.uk

Punch & Judy

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

The Institute

The Fiddler’s Elbow, 13-19 Aug, £free

Uncoupled

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

All That is Wrong HHH

Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, £19

Dubrovski

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-11 Aug, £7

The Boy with the Cuckoo Clock Heart HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £10

Utopia (Beyond the Words) and Clothes theSpace on the Mile , 14-18 Aug, £7

Bullet Catch HHH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, £17

The Turn of the Screw

Zoo Southside, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £7

Mess

Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, 14 Aug, 25 Aug, £17 – £19

Monkey Bars

Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £17 – £19

❤ Best in the World HHHH

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 8-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £14

Theseus and the Minotaur: A Love Story

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-18 Aug, £10

12:50 Just

C Venues - C eca, 13-18 Aug, £5.50 – £7.50

Why Do You Stand There in the Rain?

C venues - C, 8-11 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Locked In

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £7 – £10

Social Husbandry Inc - Breeding a Brighter Society Since 2012

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £4

Angels HHH

Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, 26 Aug, £17

My Wrestle Mania Princes Mall, 25 Aug, £free

Allotment

Assembly Inverleith Allotments, 10 Aug, 14 Aug, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, £10

Bullet Catch HHH

Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £17

Platero Y Yo by Juan Ramon Jimenez

Valvona & Crolla, 8-27 Aug, not 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, £12

Frontline

Him

Trojan Women

Spring Awakening (After Wedekind)

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-11 Aug, £5 theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 8-18 Aug, £9

Wild Turkey

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 20-25 Aug, £6

13:10 ❤ The Trench HHHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 25, £10 – £12

Quick! Save the Pizza! theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-18 Aug, £8

Textually Transmitted

Married With Snails

24h

Letter to the Man (from the Boy)

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

Peep HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 17, £6

Evil

The Bongo Club, 21-25 Aug, £6

Proof

theSpace on the Mile , 8-18 Aug, not 12, £7

Mess

Traverse Theatre, 19 Aug, £17

Six and a Tanner

The Assembly Rooms, 8-26 Aug, not 10, 13, £15

❤ Slapdash Galaxy HHHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11.50

Sweet Grassmarket, 8-17 Aug, £8.50

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £9.50

Photographing the Dead

Paradise in The Vault, 14-27 Aug, not 19, 20, 26, £7

The Spirit of Frances Wright (Love is an Action Verb)

Sweet Grassmarket, 8-27 Aug, not 18, 25, £8

Shakespeare Didn’t Write This

Sweet Grassmarket, 9-24 Aug, not 18, £8

13:15 Poe’s Last Night - Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 8-26 Aug, £free

Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro! HHH

Monkey Poet’s Murder Mystery

Everything Else Happened HHH

12:55

Detention HHH

Cancer Time

❤ Slice by Mel Giedroyc HHHH

Birds on a Wire

The Banshee Labyrinth, 8-25 Aug, not 14, £free

Double Edge’s Spring Awakening Underbelly, Cowgate, 12-18 Aug, £8 – £9

Hanafuda Denki (A Tale of Fantastic Traditional Playing Cards)

C venues - C, 12-18 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

13:00 Eat $h*t: How Our Waste Can Save the World C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £6.50 – £8.50

Assembly Roxy, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12 Summerhall, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £12

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £9 – £10

❤ Blink HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 24 Aug, £19

Bound

C venues - C aquila, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £10.50

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 24 Aug, £18 – £20

Venue 13, 8-18 Aug, not 13, £8 theSpace @ Venue45, 8 Aug, £5

Acts of Contrition

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £10

Mostellaria (The Haunted House)

Church Hill Theatre, 17-20 Aug, weekdays only, £5

Marat / Sade

13:05

Church Hill Theatre, 8 Aug, £5

Under the Ladder

Say You Love Me

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-16 Aug, £5

Cafe Camino, 8-12 Aug, £free

theSpace on the Mile , 21-25 Aug, £7 – £8

Paradise in Augustine’s, 14-18 Aug, £8

Educating Ronnie HHH

Assembly George Square, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £12

All in the Timing

Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5

Sir Gawain, the Yellow Knight

Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5

The Miller’s Tale: Wahala Dey Oh!

C venues - C, 8-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Night of the Big Wind HHH

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-25 Aug, £8.50 – £10

Unlucky for Some

Venue 13, 19-25 Aug, £free

Love Child

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £12

13:20 ❤ Dirty Great Love Story HHHH

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

13:30 The Economist

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

The Lad Himself HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-26 Aug, not 11, £9.50 – £12.50

❤ Camille Claudel HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £8.50 – £9.50

As You Like It

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £7.50 – £9

Dirty Barbie and other girlhood tales HHH

Assembly Hall, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £7 – £9

The Canterville Ghost Greenside, 8-10 Aug, £5.50

And the Girls in Their Sunday Dresses HHH Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £14 – £15

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 87

theatrelistings The Good Person of Szechwan

theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 20-25 Aug, £5

One Minute Birdwatching - Free

West Princes Street Gardens, 8-9 Aug, £free

Big Sean, Mikey and Me HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-27 Aug, £10

Hamlet and Other Theatrical Nightmares

Church Hill Theatre, 9 Aug, £5

Simple Matters HH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 20, £10 – £11

You Obviously Know What I’m Talking About HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £11

Give and Take

Church Hill Theatre, 10 Aug, £5

Ruthlessness

C Venues - C eca, 12-27 Aug, not 20, £7.50 – £9.50

Carnival of Crows

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8-24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

13:35 Country Air - A Contemporary Ghost Story Paradise in The Vault, 8-11 Aug, £5.50

Romeo and Juliet

Greenside, 13-18 Aug, £7

13:40 Botallack O’Clock

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £9

Pretty When I’m Drunk

theSpace on the Mile , 21-25 Aug, £5

13:45 End to End

Bannermans, 12-25 Aug, £free

Antigone

theSpace on the Mile , 8-11 Aug, £4.50

Stand Up, Woman - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 13-16 Aug, £free

Perle HHH

Assembly Roxy, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Urban Fairytale

theSpace @ Venue45, 20-25 Aug, £8

The Two Worlds of Charlie F

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-11 Aug, £12.50 – £15

I Shall Be Remembered - The Story of Madame de Pompadour Venue150 @ EICC, 8-12 Aug, £12

Wrong Place, Right Time

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8-12 Aug, £free

Unmythable

Zoo, 8-27 Aug, not 15, £10

13:50 Executive Stress / Corporate Retreat

C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £7.50 – £9.50

Irreconcilable Differences

Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £8

13:55 ❤ Othello - The Remix HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £12.50 – £15

Ellipsis

theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 1325 Aug, not 19, £5

Listen! The River

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £5 – £8

❤ Hand Over Fist HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 9-27 Aug, not 15, £10 – £11

14:00 My Sister

The Fiddler’s Elbow, 8-25 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

True Colours

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 21-25 Aug, £5

Bottleneck HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Shakespeare’s Queens: She-Wolves and Serpents

Exterminating Angel An Improvisation

Salome By Oscar Wilde

C Venues - C eca, 8-25 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £11

Couleur Café

Poison

The Celebrity

2008: Macbeth

❤ Flâneurs HHHH

Meine faire Dame ein Sprachlabor

Mon Droit

Gilded Balloon at Third Door, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £8 – £9

❤ Crypted HHHH

14:05

C venues - C nova, 11-27 Aug, £12.50 – £14.50 Lowland Hall, Royal Highland Centre, 15 Aug, £35

Lowland Hall, Royal Highland Centre, 17-18 Aug, £30

The List

Summerhall, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 13, 20, £12

❤ Coalition HHHH

Pleasance Dome, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £13.50 – £14.50

The Tempest

theSpace on Niddry St, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £8

Baby With the Bathwater

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 20-25 Aug, £10

Martin Dockery: Wanderlust

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

Anything But (A One-Woman Play)

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 15, £8 – £9

Forgotten Heroes

Mayday Mayday

theSpace @ Venue45, 9 Aug, £5

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £9 – £11

C venues - C nova, 19-27 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

Theseus and the Minotaur: A Love Story

Uninvited

The World’s Greatest Walking Tour of Edinburgh

After Orpheus

theSpace on North Bridge, 20-25 Aug, £10

Undateable

Whynot? , 8-12 Aug, £free

Bedlam Theatre, 8-25 Aug, not 15, £8

Endure: A Run Woman Show

Assembly George Square, 9-19 Aug, not 13, 14, £7

88 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Pleasance Dome, 9-27 Aug, not 13, 15, 20, 22, £8 – £9

The Half HHH

Assembly George Square, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £12 – £14

C venues - C nova, 12-18 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50 Summerhall, 8-26 Aug, not 17, 18, £8 Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 16, £10 – £11 C venues - C nova, 8-26 Aug, not 10, 13, £8.50 – £10.50

The Edinburgh International Circus Festival

Ocean Terminal Big Top, 8-26 Aug, not 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, £free

Grace!

St John’s Church, 8-18 Aug, £10

Werther’s Sorrows

Zoo Southside, Various dates from 9 Aug to 27 Aug, £8

Proof

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Kin

The Playhouse on the Fringe, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £10

Faulty Towers the Dining Experience

B’est Restaurant, 8-28 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £43 – £46.50

24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

Peep HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 17, £6

❤ Mies Julie HHHH

Assembly Hall, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £14 – £16

Zoo Southside, Various dates from 8 Aug to 26 Aug, £8 PASS (Performing Arts Studio Scotland), 22-25 Aug, £8

A Donkey and a Parrot

One Night Stand

theSpace on the Mile , 13-18 Aug, £7.50

The Yellow Wallpaper

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £5

Salt and Pepper

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-16 Aug, £5

Comedy Playhouse - Shopping for Bacon - Free Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 8-26 Aug, £free

Letters, Boxes and Other Things That Shouldn’t Be Opened C venues - C nova, 8-11 Aug, £9.50 – £10.50

Iron Assumptions

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-11 Aug, £5

Now.Here

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 15-26 Aug, £free

The Adult History of Great Britain Part 1 - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8-14 Aug, £free

Panning for Gold - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

theatrelistings Cut!

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £7.50

Blake’s Doors

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £5

When Alice (Cooper) Met (Prince) Harry Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8-26 Aug, £free

14:10 Whale Tale

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £7

The House of Shadows

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £7

The Wheelchair on My Face

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 21, £8 – £10

14:15 Scotsman Best of the Fest

Assembly George Square, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, £12

The Pilgrim’s Progress

❤ The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs by Mike Daisey HHHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Angels in Heels

Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

14:20 The Exonerated

Pilrig Studio, 9 Aug, £5

Love All HHH

Assembly Roxy, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £12

Satan’s Playground HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10

Sherlock Holmes and the Sound of the Baskervilles Paradise in Augustine’s, 21-27 Aug, £9.50

14:25 How Much is Your Iron? and Dansen

Sweet Grassmarket, 11-17 Aug, £7

Palmerston Place Church, 22 Aug, 24 Aug, 25 Aug, £10

3.2 Seconds

Sedition

14:30

Zoo, Various dates from 8 Aug to 26 Aug, £8

Almost, Maine

Church Hill Theatre, 20 Aug, £5

Village of Idiots

Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, 21 Aug, £5

Chariot: The Eric Liddell Story

Edinburgh Elim, 17 Aug, 18 Aug, 24 Aug, 25 Aug, £10

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £8

Trouble in the Tolbooth

Saughtonhall United Reformed Church, 11 Aug, £7

Ronnie and the Other World Quaker Meeting House, 13-18 Aug, £7

Visiting Time

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-26 Aug, £10 – £12

Cancer Time

Venue 13, 19-25 Aug, £8

Rosie Wilby - How (Not) To Make It In Britpop

The Bongo Club, 10-14 Aug, £8

Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History C venues - C aquila, 13-18 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Gulliver’s Travels King’s Theatre, 19 Aug, £12

Primer for a Failed Superpower

Comedian Dies in the Middle of Joke HH

The Sewing Machine

Three Words

14:45

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50 The Bongo Club, 8 Aug, £7

Assembly St Mark’s, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, £10

14:35

Kes

St Peter’s, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, £10

The Importance of Being Earnest

Greenside, 13-18 Aug, £7

Am I Good Friend?

As of 1.52pm GMT on Friday April 27th 2012, This Show Has No Title. HH

Biloxi Blues

Teach Me

Hill Street Theatre, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £9 – £12

Thread

Ne’er the Twain

The Hub, 24 Aug, £6

Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, 26 Aug, £12

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £13 – £14

The Cabaret Voltaire, 8-25 Aug, not 14, 21, £free Sweet Grassmarket, 8-10 Aug, £9

❤ CountryBoy’s Struggle HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £11.50

Paradise in Augustine’s, 21-27 Aug, £8

Winston on the Run Pleasance Courtyard, 9-27 Aug, not 15, 22, £9 – £10

❤ Dylan Thomas: Return Journey - Bob Kingdom, Original Direction by Anthony Hopkins HHHH

Assembly Hall, 8-27 Aug, £10 – £11

Krapp’s Last Tape

21A - Free

St Ninian’s Hall, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, £10

GHQ, 8-25 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

The Assembly Rooms, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Becoming Conocido

14:40

The Good, the Bad and the Extraterrestrials

MacBeth in Scots

Venue 13, 8-18 Aug, not 13, £8

Operation Stork

St Serf’s Church Hall, 18 Aug, £9

Miriam Margolyes Dickens’ Women

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-25 Aug, not 14, 21, £16.50 – £17.50

Deadly Medley

Pilrig Studio, 8 Aug, £5

Strawberry Sauce

C venues - C aquila, 8-11 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Adolf

The Assembly Rooms, 13 Aug, £12

Fables Here and Then Church Hill Theatre, 11 Aug, £5

❤ This Way Up HHHH C venues - C, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

The Static

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 20, £10 – £11

Once in a House on Fire HHH

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 11-25 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £14

Probably the Greatest Goal Ever Scored (and Other Tales)

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 8-26 Aug, £free

14:50 Double Edge’s Almost Nothing to Do with Frogs Underbelly, Cowgate, 12-18 Aug, £8 – £9

The Smoking Boy

Greenside, 8-11 Aug, £9

Jigsy HHH

The Assembly Rooms, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £15

Nikotine

Sweet Grassmarket, 2024 Aug, £7

Paradise in The Vault, 14-19 Aug, £8.50

Tea is an Evening Meal

The Prize

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 8-10 Aug, £10

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 8-26 Aug, not 15, £11 – £12

The Cagebirds

C Venues - C eca, Various dates from 8 Aug to 26 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Chapel Street HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Peter Panic

Pleasance Dome, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £8 – £10

Besides the Obvious

C Venues - C eca, Various dates from 9 Aug to 27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

14:55 Be My Baby

Paradise in The Vault, 8-12 Aug, £6.50

Self-Criticism

Paradise in The Vault, 21-25 Aug, £6

A Man for All Times: W. E. B. DuBois theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £8.50 – £9.50

15:00 As of 1.52pm GMT on Friday April 27th 2012, This Show Has No Title. HH Traverse Theatre, 8-23 Aug, not 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, £12

Villains, Heroes and Adventurers

Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@Jenners, 8-25 Aug, not 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 23, £15

Githa

C venues - C nova, 14-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Remember Me

Summerhall, 21-26 Aug, £6

Macbeth Unsexed!

C Venues - C eca, 8-11 Aug, £9.50 – £10.50

2.20pm @ Just the Tonic at The Tron. £8/£6

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 89

theatrelistings The Fastest Train to Anywhere C venues - C nova, 8-12 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

Pages from the Book of...

Summerhall, 10-24 Aug, £10

Bullet Catch HHH Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, £19

The Dead Memory House HHH Summerhall, 8-26 Aug, £10

24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

Peep HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 17, £6

Oedipus - The Hour

Paradise in Augustine’s, 8-19 Aug, not 13, £7.50

Holmes and Watson: The Farewell Tour

Valvona & Crolla, Various dates from 18 Aug to 26 Aug, £12

True Colours

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 21-25 Aug, £5

Tokyo Trilogy

C Venues - C eca, 13-27 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

Ruskin Live!

Scottish National Gallery, 13 Aug, 14 Aug, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, £10

Miss Havisham’s Expectations

15:05 The School of Night

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-26 Aug, not 15, £10 – £11

Karen’s Way: A Kindertransport Life

All the Things I Never Said

Murder, Marple and Me

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-11 Aug, £5

Journos

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 20-25 Aug, £6.50

Not My Cup of Tea

theSpace on the Mile , 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £7.50

Iron Assumptions

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-16 Aug, £5

15:10 Appointment With The Wicker Man HHH The Assembly Rooms, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £16

Titanic Sinks Titswilly theSpace on North Bridge, 13-18 Aug, £6

On the Edge

Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 13-19 Aug, £free

Miss Julie

theSpace on North Bridge, 20-25 Aug, £5

15:15

The Day the Sky Turned Black

Monkey Bars

Summerhall, 9 Aug, £12

Mostellaria (The Haunted House)

Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5

SOS Courtship

The Stranger

Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, 14 Aug, 25 Aug, £17 – £19

theSpace @ Venue45, 1325 Aug, not 19, £10

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 9-27 Aug, not 15, £10 – £11

Assembly Roxy, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

❤ Blink HHHH

Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5 Traverse Theatre, 18 Aug, 24 Aug, £19

The Darkroom

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £9.50 – £10.50

The Cactus Gulch Opry House

Church Hill Theatre, 9 Aug, £5

Angels HHH

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, £17

All That is Wrong HHH Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, £19

Porphyria

Zoo Southside, 8-20 Aug, £7.50

Rubber Dinghy

Zoo Southside, 21-27 Aug, £8

Sir Gawain, the Yellow Knight

15:20 Cover HHH

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £7.50 – £9.50

15:30

Eurydice

As of 1.52pm GMT on Friday April 27th 2012, This Show Has No Title. HH

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £14 – £15 C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

Treasure Island

Outward Bound

Nothing Is Really Difficult

C venues - C aquila, 8-27 Aug, not 12, £9.50 – £11.50 theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £8

I Never Saw Another Butterfly Church Hill Theatre, 20 Aug, £5

Excuse Me, I’m Trying to Please You

Zoo Southside, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £8

Chicken Bones for the Teenage Soup Church Hill Theatre, 8 Aug, £5

Bullet Catch HHH

Bedlam Theatre, 8-25 Aug, £9

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £14 – £16

Recent Tragic Events Sweet Grassmarket, 1924 Aug, £9

Mess

Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, 26 Aug, £17

90 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 21 Aug, 24 Aug, 25 Aug, £12

Still Life (or Brief Encounter)

15:25

I, Tommy HH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £9 – £10.50

Maurice Roëves: Just a Gigolo HH

Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5 Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £17 – £19

Molly Naylor and the Middle Ones: My Robot Heart

The Idiot at the Wall

Ma Biche et Mon Lapin

Institut français d’Ecosse, 8-24 Aug, weekdays only, £5

Rodney Bewes as A Boy Growing Up. An Entertainment from the stories of Dylan Thomas

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

C venues - C too, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £11.50

Assembly George Square, 9-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 20, 21, £10

Remember Me

Summerhall, 21-26 Aug, £6

The Softening of MAO-A

Summerhall, 11-26 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, £8 – £10

Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Angels HHH

Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £17

As You Like It

C venues - C, 8-18 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Oliver Reed: Wild Thing

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 9-27 Aug, not 15, £10 – £11

Cleansed

theSpace on North Bridge, 20-25 Aug, £7

NOLA

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

How a Man Crumbled HH Summerhall, 8-26 Aug, not 17, 18, £10

A One Man Hamlet

C venues - C aquila, 8-11 Aug, £10.50 – £11.50

Hamlet and Other Theatrical Nightmares

Church Hill Theatre, 11 Aug, £5

Serve Cold

Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 8-27 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, £8

❤ Blink HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 19 Aug, £17

Apocalypse or Bust!

Church Hill Theatre, 10 Aug, £5

Still Home

Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 23-24 Aug, £10

15:35 Sophie Shadow

Paradise in The Vault, 1426 Aug, not 20, £9

15:40 ❤ Tumble Circus: This Is What We Do For a Living HHHH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £12 – £14

Dirty Hands

Sweet Grassmarket, Various dates from 19 Aug to 26 Aug, £8

After the Rainfall HHH

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £12 – £13

theatrelistings ❤ Punch HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 9, 16, £10 – £11

A Clockwork Orange

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £13.50 – £14.50

15:45 Justine and Tony Paradise in The Vault, 8-11 Aug, £8

Dead Man’s Cell Phone HHH

C venues - C, 8-11 Aug, £9.50 – £10.50

As of 1.52pm GMT on Friday April 27th 2012, This Show Has No Title. HH

Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, £12

❤ Waiting for Stanley HHHHH Assembly Roxy, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12

16:00 True Colours

theSpace on Niddry St, 9-25 Aug, not 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, £10

A Modern Town HH

Fabled

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10

The Bongo Club, 8-25 Aug, not 17, 19, £5

East - by Steven Berkoff

Allotment

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 21-25 Aug, £5

Douglas House, 19-25 Aug, £8

Elephant Man

theSpace on Niddry St, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, £10

It’s So Nice

Institut français d’Ecosse, 8-24 Aug, weekdays only, £10

Sparkleshark

St Peter’s, 25 Aug, £6

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 20, £14 – £15

Mother Tongue Summerhall, 8-15 Aug, £9

Superheroes

Italian Cultural Institute, 10 Aug, £5

15:50 Spring Awakening (After Wedekind)

Paradise in Augustine’s, 19 Aug, £8

Tagged

C Venues - C eca, Various dates from 9 Aug to 27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Paradise in Augustine’s, 21-25 Aug, £8

The Indescribable Phenomenon Greenside, 20-25 Aug, £9

The Erpingham Camp

The Eighth Day

Venue 13, 19-25 Aug, £7

Mother to Mother

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £14 – £15

❤ Woza Albert!

HHHH

Assembly Hall, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £14 – £16

Assembly Inverleith Allotments, 11 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, £10

Attempts on Her Life - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 21-24 Aug, £free

Lingua Frank HH

The Playhouse on the Fringe, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £10

Angus: Weaver of Grass

Scottish Storytelling Centre, 16-26 Aug, £10

How’s About That Then? HHH

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-27 Aug, not 15, £11 – £12

Request Programme Inlingua Edinburgh, 11 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, £12

Punk Rock

Gods

Richard III

Cubicle Four

The Knowledge Emporium

I Am a Moon

Venue 13, 8-18 Aug, not 13, £8

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 13 Aug, £free

Irish Shorts Two

Duddingston Kirk Manse Garden, 8-18 Aug, not 12, 13, £6

B*tch Boxer HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

16:05 Anna.

theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 13-18 Aug, £6.50

You Left Me in the Dark

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £8

A Cry Too Far From Heaven

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £8.50

Fat Joe’s Chicken Shack

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £5

theSpace on the Mile , 21-25 Aug, £10

theSpace @ Venue45, 8-11 Aug, £5 theSpace on North Bridge, 8-9 Aug, £7

theSpace on the Mile , 8-18 Aug, not 12, £9 Paradise in The Vault, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £10

A Streetcar Named Desire

Party Time

Pilrig Studio, 8 Aug, £5

Strong Arm

Sleep to Wake: Robert Browning Remembers Elizabeth

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-18 Aug, £7 Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

The Sun is Not for Us

theSpace on North Bridge, 10-11 Aug, £7

16:15 Thread

Assembly St Mark’s, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, £10

Paul Dabek Presents Thurston

The Voodoo Rooms, 8-25 Aug, £free

Sister Annunciata’s Secret

Hill Street Theatre, 15-26 Aug, £5 – £11

Hill Street Theatre, 8-13 Aug, £10 – £12

16:20 Boy In a Dress HHH The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £10

Doll

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £4

A Thousand Shards of Glass

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 21-25 Aug, £14

25: 13 Red, 12 Blue

C venues - C aquila, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £10.50

16:25 Hervé - A Collection of Songs, Dances and Stories

Lady M

24h

Peep HHH

Maria, 1968

An Eggcellent Adventure

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 8-27 Aug, not 15, £10.50 – £11.50

Rod is God

16:10

❤ Juana in a Million HHHH

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £9

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1 Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 17, £6 Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 24, 26, £9.50 – £12

Nights at the Circus

Edinburgh

theSpace on Niddry St, 8 Aug, 16 Aug, 24 Aug, £10

Summerhall, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 20 Aug, £5

Kemble’s Riot HH

theSpace on Niddry St, 10 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, £10

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Subliminal Nonsense

Summerhall, 18-19 Aug, £10

❤ An Evening With Dementia HHHH

Dream/Life

Zoo, 8-18 Aug, £8

Strange Hungers

Divine Words

theSpace on the Mile , 8-25 Aug, £9

C venues - C, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

The House of Shadows

C Venues - C eca, 8-18 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £11.50

Lauriston Halls, 8-9 Aug, £5

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £7

Pleasance Dome, 9-26 Aug, not 15, 22, £9 – £10

Me Before Marilyn

Almost, Maine

Ellipsis

Village of Idiots

theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 20-25 Aug, £6 theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 8-11 Aug, £5

Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5 Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5

Metamorphoses: Fables from Ovid

Maurice’s Jubilee

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £12.50 – £15.50

The Hand-Me-Down People C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £10.50

presents:

Other Voices: Spoken Word Cabaret

A whirlwind of sumptuous wit and panache! Come and hear some wonderful words from the other side of the door...

14:50- the venue 15:50 Labyrinth 156 http://bit.ly/othervoicespbh

Banshee

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 91

theatrelistings 16:30 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Paradise in Augustine’s, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £8

Walk Like a Black Man C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Gilbert and Sullivan in Brief(s) Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 21, £10 – £12

Gob Shop

Sapphire Rooms, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 20, 21, £7

Wojtek the Bear

Hill Street Theatre, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £11 – £12

Would Be Nice Though...

Pleasance at Essential Edinburgh, 8-18 Aug, £8 – £9

Rainbow

Zoo Southside, 8-27 Aug, £9

Right Honourable Member HH

C venues - C aquila, 8-27 Aug, not 16, 17, £8.50 – £10.50

Dating George Orwell - Free

Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 8-18 Aug, £free

Best Served Cold

theSpace @ Venue45, 13-18 Aug, £7

Peter Piper - The Man Behind the Legend Princes Mall, 8-25 Aug, £free

❤ Joyced! HHHH

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £12

16:50

Deadly Medley

Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me

Shopping Centre by Matthew Osborn HHH

Misanthropy HH

Pilrig Studio, 9 Aug, £5

Gilded Balloon at Third Door, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £9 – £10

A Dirty Martini

Zoo Southside, 12-27 Aug, £8.50

The Adding Machine Church Hill Theatre, 11 Aug, £5

Fables Here and Then Church Hill Theatre, 10 Aug, £5

Swamp Juice

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 14-27 Aug, £11 – £13

Thinking of you - Free Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

Three by Poe

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

16:35 Little Women

theSpace @ Venue45, 20-25 Aug, £8

❤ What I Heard About the World HHHH Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 8-19 Aug, not 13, £14

Superheroes

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £7

16:45 Formby

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 21, £11 – £13

C Venues - C eca, Various dates from 8 Aug to 26 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50 C Venues - C eca, Various dates from 9 Aug to 27 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

Nothing Is Really Difficult

Assembly George Square, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 20, 21, £10

My City Saturday

Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 25-26 Aug, £7

A Brief History of Scotland - We Done Loads!

Sweet Grassmarket, 8-24 Aug, not 18, £9.50

There’s Absolutely Nothing Wrong With Oscar Pike

Sweet Grassmarket, Various dates from 20 Aug to 26 Aug, £7

The Edinburgh International Circus Festival Ocean Terminal Big Top, 8-26 Aug, not 15, 20, £free

❤ Glory Dazed HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 15, £10 – £11

Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade Zoo, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 21, £8

Allotment

Adolf

Assembly Inverleith Allotments, 11 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, £10

Queue

❤ The Letter of Last Resort and Good With People HHHH

The Assembly Rooms, 14 Aug, £12 Sweet Grassmarket, 8-17 Aug, £8

Made for Each Other - Free

Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 15-26 Aug, £free

Hearts on Fire HHH C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

16:55 The Submarine Show C venues - C too, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

17:00 The Girl With No Heart

Bedlam Theatre, 8-25 Aug, not 13, £8

True Colours

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 21-25 Aug, £5

Bhagwaan Dhoondo - An Indian musical interactive theatre performance Lauriston Halls, 27 Aug, £free

Primer for a Failed Superpower The Hub, 24 Aug, £6

Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, 26 Aug, £18

Rémy

Paradise in The Vault, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £6

24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

Peep HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 17, £6

Skye

Greenside, 20-25 Aug, £5

The Harmonettes Go Into Orbit Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £7

17:05

The Complete History of the BBC in 60 Minutes

Sweet Grassmarket, 8-19 Aug, not 18, £9

Threads

theSpace on the Mile , 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £8.50 – £9.50

A Sky Burial

theSpace on North Bridge, 16 Aug, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, 24 Aug, £7

A Soldier’s Song

Assembly Roxy, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £11 – £13

17:10 Town: a Spirited Story C venues - C, 8-11 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50

The Letters of Jane Austen

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £7 – £8

Marcel Pursued By the Hounds by Michel Tremblay theSpace on the Mile , 21 Aug, 24 Aug, £6

Playing Fate

We Are Not Here Summerhall, 11-16 Aug, £11

You Don’t Know Me Church Hill Theatre, 10 Aug, £5

SOS Courtship

Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, £5

Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £12 – £14

Sealand

Zoo, 8-27 Aug, £9

The Shape of Things

by Neil LaBute

theSpace on the Mile , 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £6

Marat / Sade

Church Hill Theatre, 9 Aug, £5

17:20 I Never Saw Another Butterfly Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5

Exit Stage Left

Greenside, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £5

Bane 1, 2 & 3

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £6

Pleasance Dome, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12

17:15

Greenside, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £7 – £8

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £7

❤ Dirty Paki Lingerie HHHH

Assembly Hall, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £8 – £9

Still Life: An Audience With Henrietta Moraes

We Are Chechens!

Whitespace, 8-26 Aug, not 14, 21, £12 Summerhall, 8-9 Aug, £10

The Cactus Gulch Opry House

Church Hill Theatre, 11 Aug, £5

All in the Timing

Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5

Her Right Mind

Dad Doesn’t Dance

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £8

One Hour Only

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £11

All That is Wrong HHH

Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, £17

99.9 Degrees

C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £7.50 – £9.50

❤ The Letter of Last Resort and Good With People HHHH Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 14 Aug, 18 Aug, £18 – £20

Hamlet and Other Theatrical Nightmares

Church Hill Theatre, 8 Aug, £5

The Madness of King Lear C venues - C, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £11.50

Mess

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, £17

Morning HHH

Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 19 Aug, £18

Monkey Bars

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-11 Aug, £8

Traverse Theatre, 25 Aug, £19

17:25

Script in Hand

Nikotine

Paradise in The Vault, 8-12 Aug, £8.50

Excess

C venues - C nova, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £8.50 – £10.50

Translunar Paradise

Sinful - Free

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8-26 Aug, £free

Burns: Rough Cut HHH

After the Accident by Julian Armitstead

92 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, £19

Chatroom

theSpace on North Bridge, Various dates from 13 Aug to 25 Aug, £7

theSpace on the Mile , 20 Aug, 23 Aug, £6

Angels HHH

Traverse Theatre, 23 Aug, £18

Swordy-Well

theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 8-25 Aug, not 19, £8

C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £11.50

Born to Run

Ma Biche et Mon Lapin

The Street, 8-25 Aug, £free

17:30 Icarus: a Story of Flight HHH

theSpace @ Venue45, 8-11 Aug, £7

Words and Women

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 20-25 Aug, £7.50

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £9 – £10

The Yarn

Pleasance Dome, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £10 – £12

A Grave Reunion

Don Quixote! Don Quixote! HH

Institut français d’Ecosse, 8-24 Aug, weekdays only, £5

Tea with the Old Queen

C venues - C aquila, 8-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Summerhall, 8-18 Aug, £9

Legs 11

Summerhall, 19-26 Aug, £10

17:35 Swan Song

theSpace on North Bridge, 20-25 Aug, £8.50

I Heart Peterborough HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 14, 21, £10 – £11

17:40 Educating Rita HHH

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £15 – £16

theatrelistings Bitesize Chekhov

Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 8-15 Aug, £7.50

17:45 Elephant Man

theSpace on Niddry St, 12 Aug, 16 Aug, £10

Amusements HHH Summerhall, 11-26 Aug, £8

Angels HHH

Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £17 – £19

Nights at the Circus theSpace on Niddry St, 10 Aug, 18 Aug, 22 Aug, £10

Leonce and Lena

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

Italia ‘n’ Caledonia

Valvona & Crolla, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 21 Aug, 22 Aug, 24 Aug, £12

18:00 Les Naufragés du Fol Espoir (Aurores) Lowland Hall, Royal Highland Centre, 23 Aug, 24 Aug, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, 28 Aug, £35

Dracula

PASS (Performing Arts Studio Scotland), 21-25 Aug, £7

The World’s Greatest Walking Tour of Edinburgh

Pleasance Dome, 9-27 Aug, not 13, 15, 20, 22, £8 – £9

❤ And No More Shall We Part HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 24 Aug, £18 – £20

Allotment

Assembly Inverleith Allotments, 11 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, £10

Bullet Catch HHH

The Trial

Platero Y Yo by Juan Ramon Jimenez

Reynard

Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 24 Aug, £19

Valvona & Crolla, 25 Aug, £12

Holmes and Watson: The Farewell Tour

Valvona & Crolla, 20 Aug, 27 Aug, £12

Divine Words

theSpace on Niddry St, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, 24 Aug, £10

Mess

Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £17

Morning HHH

Princes Mall, 8-11 Aug, £free Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 13-15 Aug, £8

The Dead Memory House HHH Summerhall, 8-26 Aug, £10

24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

Peep HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 17, £6

Desperately Seeking the Exit - Free

Monkey Bars

Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £free

Minotaur

Here’s What I Know About Humans, By Lulu the Dog

Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, £18 Traverse Theatre, 14 Aug, 19 Aug, £12 – £17 theSpace on Niddry St, 9-25 Aug, not 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, £10

❤ Blink HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, 26 Aug, £17

Unplugged

Zoo Southside, 8-27 Aug, not 15, £9 – £10

17:55 Villains, Heroes and Adventurers

Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@Jenners, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, £15

Love and Understanding C venues - C aquila, 11-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

www.festmag.co.uk

Princes Mall, 12-16 Aug, £free

Unneeded Baggage

Princes Mall, 8 Aug, £free

Katianna Was Here

Leith on the Fringe @ Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 16-18 Aug, £8

Blackbird

Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue, 17-24 Aug, £7

The Picture of Dorian Gray Princes Mall, 19-25 Aug, £free

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

The Royal Scots Club, 13 Aug, 14 Aug, 15 Aug, 17 Aug, 18 Aug, £12

❤ Mr Carmen HHHH Assembly Roxy, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £12 – £14

Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro! HHH

Traverse Theatre, 21 Aug, 25 Aug, £18 – £20

Romeo and Juliet

C venues - C too, 12-18 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

Peer Gynt

C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, not 15, 16, 17, £8.50 – £10.50

18:05 Lust in Translation

theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 14 Aug to 25 Aug, £5

Built for Two

theSpace on the Mile , 20-25 Aug, £6

The Complex: Oedipus

theSpace on the Mile , 8 Aug, 10 Aug, 13 Aug, 15 Aug, 17 Aug, £7 – £9

The Disintegration Loops

theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 13 Aug to 24 Aug, £5

The Complex: Electra

theSpace on the Mile , 9 Aug, 11 Aug, 14 Aug, 16 Aug, 18 Aug, £7 – £9

Stick Stock Stone Dead

theSpace on the Mile , 20-25 Aug, £10

The Society of Ethical Cat Burglars theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 13-18 Aug, £9

18:10 Happy

Greenside, 20-25 Aug, £5

Influence

theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 8-11 Aug, £6

The Music Box

Paradise in The Vault, 1427 Aug, not 20, £7

Salome

theSpace on the Mile , 8-18 Aug, not 12, £8

Pierrepoint - The Hangman’s Tale

Sweet Grassmarket, 8-24 Aug, not 18, £8.50

18:15 Moth to the Flame

Paradise in The Vault, 8 Aug, £8

Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro! HHH

Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, £20

Wonderland

Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, 21 Aug, £5

Doctor Faustus

The Royal Scots Club, 8-11 Aug, £10

❤ National Theatre of Scotland Presents Love Letters to the Public Transport System By Molly Taylor HHHH The Assembly Rooms, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 20, £10

Hinge Presents: Scooped

Hill Street Theatre, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £8

This Land: The Story of Woody Guthrie Zoo Southside, 8-18 Aug, £12

The Election: A Silent Comedy Bedlam Theatre, 8-18 Aug, £7

Tartuffe

Church Hill Theatre, 10 Aug, £5

Do You Still Throw Spears at Each Other? - Free

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 8-11 Aug, £free

Fables Here and Then Church Hill Theatre, 8 Aug, £5

❤ And No More Shall We Part HHHH

Belt Up Theatre’s A Little Princess HHH

Festen

All About Dickens

Repertory Theatre HH

Black Comedy

Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, £18

theSpace on North Bridge, 20-25 Aug, £7

C Venues - C eca, 8-18 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

18:20 Double Edge’s Flames Over New Jersey Underbelly, Cowgate, 12-18 Aug, £8 – £9

The Pride

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12.50

The Taming of the Shrew

Sweet Grassmarket, 1324 Aug, not 18, £7.50

18:25 We Got Rhythm

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £5

Mr Braithwaite Has a New Boy

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, £10.50 – £12.50

Mayfield Salisbury Church, 8-10 Aug, £9 Quaker Meeting House, 8-11 Aug, £7

The Boat Factory

Hill Street Theatre, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £11 – £13

Rubies in the Attic Assembly Roxy, 9-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £12 – £13

Macbeth on Inchcolm Island Summerhall, 10 Aug, 11 Aug, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, 19 Aug, £25

Bareback Ink

Bedlam Theatre, 20-25 Aug, £6

18:30 Nothing Is Really Difficult

Assembly George Square, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 20, 21, £10

Thread

Assembly St Mark’s, 8-26 Aug, not 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, £10

Tea With Terrorists - Free

Laughing Horse @ Captain Taylor’s Coffee House, 8-18 Aug, £free

Moondial

Whitespace, 11 Aug, 12 Aug, 13 Aug, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, £8

That Face

Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 8-9 Aug, £7

Don Juan

C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

18:50 The Wind in the Willows

Paradise in Augustine’s, 14-19 Aug, £8

The Lonely One

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £10 – £11

Back to the Future The Pantomime Paradise in Augustine’s, 21-27 Aug, £9.50

19:00

Dirty Blood

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £8

18:40

Oh, The Humanity and Other Good Intentions

Tissue

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £9.50 – £11.50

Going Green the Wong Way

Quick! Save the Pizza!

Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 8-19 Aug, £8

Deirdre and Me

18:35

The Weigh In

Twentysomething HH

Mood Nightclub, 12-13 Aug, £free

Whitespace, 22-24 Aug, £free

C venues - C aquila, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £9.50 – £11.50

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £8

18:45 Defunct Pig - Free

theSpace on North Bridge, 20-25 Aug, £5 – £7

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 9-25 Aug, not 13, 21, £10 – £14

Unhappy Birthday

Assembly George Square, 8-26 Aug, not 12, 13, 20, £10 – £12

A Real Man’s Guide to Sainthood Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 9, 10, £9.50 – £10.50

1984

Zoo, 9-27 Aug, not 15, 19, 22, £8

Venue 13, 19-25 Aug, £8

Remember Me

Summerhall, 21-26 Aug, £6

The Mungo Boys

Lauriston Halls, 9-11 Aug, £6

La Línea

Lauriston Halls, 24 Aug, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, £7

❤ Caesarean Section - Essays on Suicide HHHH Summerhall, 9-20 Aug, not 14, £11

Ben Okri’s The Comic Destiny Scottish Storytelling Centre, 14-26 Aug, £10

Secret Weapons

Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 22-26 Aug, £6

24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 93

theatrelistings Peep HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 17, £6

Alan Bissett: The Red Hourglass

National Library of Scotland, 15-25 Aug, not 17, £12

19:05 How to Start a Riot

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £7

Solve

theSpace on the Mile , 20-25 Aug, £6

Hitler’s Li’l Abomination

theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 1625 Aug, not 19, £9.50

Lysistrata - The Sex Strike theSpace @ Venue45, 8-11 Aug, £9.50

Food For Thought

theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 13 Aug to 24 Aug, £5

The Intervention HHH

The Assembly Rooms, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £15

The Most Dangerous Toy

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £8

Dragged Up

theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 14 Aug to 25 Aug, £5

Heaven’s Gate

theSpace on the Mile , 8-18 Aug, not 12, £7

19:10 One Month Early

On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco / Can Cause Death

C venues - C aquila, 8-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Macbeth on Inchcolm Island Summerhall, 10 Aug, 11 Aug, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, 19 Aug, £20

Meat

Paradise in The Vault, 8-19 Aug, not 13, £6

XXXO HH

Pleasance Courtyard, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £9 – £10.50

19:15 Elephant Man

theSpace on Niddry St, 8 Aug, 10 Aug, 18 Aug, 24 Aug, £10

Machinal

C venues - C nova, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £11.50

We Are Chechens!

Summerhall, 8-13 Aug, £10

The Pilgrim’s Progress

Palmerston Place Church, 22-24 Aug, £10

A Woman Inside

theSpace on the Mile , 21-25 Aug, £7

Small Narration

Summerhall, 13-23 Aug, not 20, £9

Nights at the Circus theSpace on Niddry St, 12 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £10

All in the Timing

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-18 Aug, £7.50

Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5

Hunger

Sir Gawain, the Yellow Knight

Paradise in Augustine’s, 14-27 Aug, not 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, £10

Church Hill Theatre, 20 Aug, £5

More Light

C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

The Hole

Church Hill Theatre, 8 Aug, 10 Aug, £5

19:25 C Venues - C eca, 8-18 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

Divine Words

The Last Fairytale

You Don’t Know Me

A Middle-Aged Man’s Uncertainty Theory

theSpace on Niddry St, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £10 Church Hill Theatre, 11 Aug, £5

Songs of Lear

Summerhall, 12-24 Aug, £11

Winfamy

Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 16-26 Aug, not 21, £free

Chariot: The Eric Liddell Story

Edinburgh Elim, 15-24 Aug, not 19, 20, £10

Mostellaria (The Haunted House)

Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5

19:20 I Never Saw Another Butterfly Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5

The Indescribable Phenomenon

Greenside, 13-18 Aug, £9

Mixed Doubles

The Edinburgh Academy, 20-24 Aug, £8

Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Musical - Free

Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 8-15 Aug, £free

Nggrfg

theSpace on the Mile , 8-18 Aug, not 12, £7

4.48 Psychosis

theSpace on Niddry St, 9-25 Aug, not 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, £10

MacBeth in Scots

Soddin Flodden

Operation Stork

Apocalypse or Bust!

St Serf’s Church Hall, 8-17 Aug, not 12, £9

Church Hill Theatre, 9 Aug, £5

The Original Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour

19:35

Blithe Spirit

A Geisha Samurai

St Ninian’s Hall, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £10

Presidential Suite: a Modern Fairy Tale

Sweet Grassmarket, 8-26 Aug, not 18, 25, £8.50

Outside the Beehive Inn, 8 Aug - 2 Sep, £10

C Venues - C eca, 19-27 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

Murrayfield Parish Church Centre, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £10.50

Montmorency

C venues - C, 8-27 Aug, not 16, 17, £9.50 – £11.50

30 Days to Edinburgh Summerhall, 26 Aug, £8

19:30

Ghetto

2008: Macbeth

❤ The Letter of Last Resort and Good With People HHHH

Greenside, 21-25 Aug, £6

Lowland Hall, Royal Highland Centre, Various dates from 11 Aug to 18 Aug, £35

Traverse Theatre, 23 Aug, £18

Wonderland

Royal Lyceum Theatre, 29 Aug - 1 Sep, £10

Villa+Discurso

The Hub, 20-21 Aug, £25

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (As You Like It) King’s Theatre, 24-25 Aug, £free – £12

Lowland Hall, Royal Highland Centre, 14 Aug, 15 Aug, 19 Aug, £30

Sweet Grassmarket, 1326 Aug, not 18, 25, £8

Remember Me

Summerhall, 21-26 Aug, £6

The Proposal

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £10

A Dastardly Fiction

Greenside, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, £9.50 Paradise in The Vault, 8-12 Aug, £12

19:40 People Like Us

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £7

19:45 ‘Allo ‘Allo

Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 8-11 Aug, £10

Fukushima - A Silent Prayer of Poetry

Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 15-19 Aug, £10

Request Programme

Bullet Catch HHH

Dancing at Lughnasa

Mess

Inlingua Edinburgh, 8-19 Aug, not 13, £10 – £12

People Show 121: The Detective Show

St Peter’s, 21-25 Aug, £6

Three Cities

Paradise in The Vault, 22-26 Aug, £5

Duddingston Kirk Manse Garden, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 20, 21, £10

Meine faire Dame ein Sprachlabor

Sparkleshark

The Tragedie of MacClegg

Paradise in The Vault, 14-19 Aug, £8

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, £10

Ne’er the Twain

St Peter’s, 8-17 Aug, not 12, 13, £10

Trouble in the Tolbooth

Saughtonhall United Reformed Church, 8-11 Aug, £7

Treasure in Clay Jars

Mayfield Salisbury Church, 20-21 Aug, £free

Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, £17

Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, £19

19:50 Death Boogie

Assembly Roxy, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £12

Half a Person: My Life As Told By The Smiths HH

Zoo Southside, 8-27 Aug, not 15, £8

Faust/us

Sweet Grassmarket, 8-12 Aug, £9

Hearts on Fire HHH C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

North London Collegiate School present

World Premiere of new Drama & Dance.

94 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

theatrelistings 20:00 Gulliver’s Travels

King’s Theatre, 17-20 Aug, £12

Watt

Royal Lyceum Theatre, 11-14 Aug, £10

Waiting for Orestes: Electra King’s Theatre, 11-13 Aug, £12

Elephant Man

Institut français d’Ecosse, 8-24 Aug, weekdays only, £10

Nothing Is Really Difficult

Assembly George Square, 8 Aug, £10

Return of the Close-Up Magician

C venues - C nova, 19-27 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

Captain Ko and the Planet of Rice

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

Dare I Say It?

Greenside, 14-18 Aug, £5

Interruption

C venues - C nova, 8-18 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

The Edinburgh International Circus Festival

Ocean Terminal Big Top, Various dates from 10 Aug to 25 Aug, £free

Faulty Towers the Dining Experience

B’est Restaurant, 8-28 Aug, not 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, £49

Bullet Catch HHH Traverse Theatre, 25 Aug, £19

❤ The Letter of Last Resort and Good With People HHHH Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 19 Aug, £18

24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

Mess

Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £17 – £19

❤ Grit HHHH

Bedlam Theatre, 8-25 Aug, not 12, £9

Monkey Bars

Traverse Theatre, 21 Aug, 26 Aug, £17

❤ Blink HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, £17

20:05 Those People My Parents

theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 8-11 Aug, £8.50

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Abridged theSpace @ Venue45, 9 Aug, 11 Aug, £8

Billy Liar

theSpace @ Venue45, 13-18 Aug, £8

In a Handbag, Darkly

The Trojan Women

Firebird

The Talented Mr. Ripley

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £6 – £8 theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 1325 Aug, not 19, £7

HURT

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £7.50

20:15 Midnight at the Boar’s Head Zoo Southside, 8-27 Aug, not 15, £9 – £10

Village of Idiots

Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5

Me and Mr C

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 8-25 Aug, not 13, 21, £10

Gotcha!

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £6 – £7

Monkey Bars

Traverse Theatre, 15 Aug, £17

❤ Blink HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £17

Three Tall Women

Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro! HHH

How to Climb Mount Everest

A Streetcar Named Desire

theSpace @ Venue45, 8 Aug, 10 Aug, £8

theSpace on North Bridge, 20-25 Aug, £7 – £10

The Tale of Nada

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 20-25 Aug, £7.50

Traverse Theatre, 26 Aug, £18

Pilrig Studio, 9 Aug, £5

Wonderland

Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5

One in Three

Quaker Meeting House, 8-11 Aug, £7

Church Hill Theatre, 11 Aug, £5

Angels HHH

Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 24 Aug, £19

❤ And No More Shall We Part HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 21 Aug, 25 Aug, £18 – £20

All That is Wrong HHH Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, £17

Bullet Catch HHH

Traverse Theatre, 14 Aug, 19 Aug, £17

❤ The Letter of Last Resort and Good With People HHHH Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, £18

Tartuffe

Church Hill Theatre, 8 Aug, £5

❤ And No More Shall We Part HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, £20

Hinge Presents: Ordinary Things

Hill Street Theatre, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £8

The Adding Machine Church Hill Theatre, 9 Aug, £5

Panga HHH

Hill Street Theatre, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £11 – £13

Platero Y Yo by Juan Ramon Jimenez Valvona & Crolla, 21 Aug, £12

Holmes and Watson: The Farewell Tour

Pornography

Almost, Maine

Greenside, 20-25 Aug, £10

theSpace @ Venue45, 20-25 Aug, £8 Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5

20:20 30 Neo-Futurist Plays From Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind Pilrig Studio, 8 Aug, £5

20:25 Tranquility, Serenity, Calm Zoo, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £7.50

Hill Street Theatre, 8-26 Aug, not 14, £7 – £8

20:30

The Beast HHH

Thread

Nobody Will Ever Forgive Us

Assembly St Mark’s, 8-26 Aug, not 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, £10

Venue 13, 19-25 Aug, £8

Valvona & Crolla, 16 Aug, 24 Aug, £12

20:10 Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

Romeo and Juliet

The Royal Scots Club, 8-11 Aug, £10

Zelda

Morning HHH

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, £18

Sancho Panza 2012

theSpaces @ Surgeons Hall, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £8

Born to Run

Traverse Theatre, 24 Aug, £20

Proof

The Royal Scots Club, 13-18 Aug, £12

Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro! HHH Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, £18

Rhinoceros

Venue 13, Various dates from 11 Aug to 18 Aug, £8

White Rabbit Red Rabbit

Summerhall, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, £10

20:35 The Company of Wolves

C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I’m Afraid to Tell You

Gryphon Venues at the Point Hotel, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 13, 19, 20, £10

How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

theSpace on the Mile , 8-11 Aug, £7

Sex, Lyres and Audiotape

theSpace on the Mile , 13-18 Aug, £5 – £7

20:40 Dracula: Sex, Sucking and Stardom Paradise in The Vault, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £8 – £9

Awkward!

theSpace on the Mile , 20-25 Aug, £6 – £7

20:45 Puellae (The truth about chips and other things) Summerhall, 19-26 Aug, £10

Future Tales (Sierakowski)

Summerhall, 15-26 Aug, £10

Morning HHH

Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, £18

r. harmonY with Your partne with the intent to live in “You leave the theatre missed!“

not to be

elle magazine

DJ TOm LOUD’S

HOT DUB Time macHine

Underbelly bristo sqUare : ermintrUde 3.30pm

www.festmag.co.uk

August 17 - 20 | edinburgh festival guide 2012 fest 95

theatrelistings Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro! HHH Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 14 Aug, 18 Aug, £18 – £20

20:50 Mod Girl

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 9 Aug, 11 Aug, £7

Practice, Memory and Song

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8 Aug, 10 Aug, £7

Kiss Me and You Will See How Important I Am HHH C venues - C aquila, 8-27 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Pinch in Love

Paradise in The Vault, 8-27 Aug, not 11, 13, 20, £7

20:55 One Man Star Wars Trilogy

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 13-27 Aug, not 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, £15 – £16

The Night Porters

21:05

21:40

Looby Loo: No Strings Attached

The Indescribable Phenomenon

C venues - C nova, 8-19 Aug, £9.50 – £11.50

21:45

Trojan Women

Hinge Presents: Dorian

Zoo, 20-27 Aug, £8 theSpace on North Bridge, 8-25 Aug, not 9, 12, 19, £7

Hardcore Pawn With Mick, Lewis and Shaun theSpace on the Mile , 8 Aug, £5

Swan Song

Sweet Grassmarket, 11-17 Aug, £8.50

Belt Up Theatre’s Outland

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, £10.50 – £12.50

Wuthering Heights theSpace on the Mile , 13-18 Aug, £8

It’s My Wonderful Life theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £5 – £6.50

Paradise in Augustine’s, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £10 – £14

Macbeth

One Man Lord of the Rings

21:10

Underbelly, Bristo Square, Various dates from 14 Aug to 26 Aug, £15 – £16

21:00 The Blind HH

Old College Quad, 8-15 Aug, £13 – £15

Bring the Happy

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 21 Aug, £14

The Rape of Lucrece Royal Lyceum Theatre, 22-26 Aug, £20

Sparkleshark

St Peter’s, 24 Aug, £6

Defunct Pig - Free

The Hudson Hotel, 14-25 Aug, £free

Confessions of a Grindr Addict

Assembly Hall, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

Closer

Zoo Southside, 14-26 Aug, not 18, 20, £8.50

24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

Rites and Regulations Zoo Southside, 9-13 Aug, £9

Planet Lem

Old College Quad, 16-26 Aug, £7 – £15

Greenside, 8-11 Aug, £9

Vitamin

C venues - C, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £11.50

Peaceful

theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 20-25 Aug, £7

21:15 The Sh*t / La Merda

Summerhall, 8-26 Aug, not 17, 18, £10

You Don’t Know Me Church Hill Theatre, 8 Aug, £5

21:30 Give and Take

Church Hill Theatre, 9 Aug, £5

Tenderpits

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £10.50

Hitler Alone

Inlingua Edinburgh, 9-23 Aug, £14

Monstrous Acts

C venues - C aquila, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £8.50 – £10.50

Riot Squat

Whitespace, 22-26 Aug, £9

Hill Street Theatre, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £7 – £8

The Three Faces of Doctor Crippen

C venues - C, 8-27 Aug, not 16, 17, £8.50 – £10.50

22:00 The Ugly Sisters HHH

Northern Stage at St Stephen’s, 8-25 Aug, not 13, 21, £14

That Old Noir Magic - A Film Noir Jazz Journey Into Night, in Story and Song Greenside, 14-18 Aug, £12

Rock HHH

Institut français d’Ecosse, 8-18 Aug, not 11, 12, 13, £10

Grim(m) - Unreal Stories for Real Times

theSpace @ Venue45, 20-25 Aug, £8.50

22:15 Settimana

Assembly Roxy, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £12 – £14

Dracula

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-18 Aug, £7.50 – £8

Beatle Mal’s Legendary Band Paradise in The Vault, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £8

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Church Hill Theatre, 9 Aug, £5

The Sidcup Family Portrait

Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 8-19 Aug, £6

Enter the Woods

theSpace @ Venue45, 13-18 Aug, £7.50

Dearly Departed

Church Hill Theatre, 8 Aug, £5

Of Mice and Men

theSpace on Niddry St, 20-22 Aug, £8

Greenside, 9-11 Aug, £7

22:20

24h

Piatto Finale

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

The Guild of Cheesemakers

Summerhall, 14-18 Aug, £20

Zoo, Various dates from 8 Aug to 26 Aug, £8

Centralia

Zoo, Various dates from 9 Aug to 27 Aug, £8

Jack: A Ripper’s Tale

22:25

22:05

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

Dirty Pretty Money

The World Over

Paradise in The Vault, 21-27 Aug, £6.50

theSpace on the Mile , 8-11 Aug, £8 – £9

Leather

The Awesome Show

theSpace on North Bridge, 13-25 Aug, not 16, 19, £6

22:10

Quantum Battlestar Deep-Space Voyager Tardis Wars: The Million-Dollar Space Epic

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £8 – £9

This is Who I Am!

theSpace on the Mile , 8-10 Aug, £5

Peaceful

theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 13-18 Aug, £7

Wrecked

21:35

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-25 Aug, not 12, 19, £10

The Bloody Chamber

Call Me!

C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, not 14, £8.50 – £10.50

Question No One

Sweet Grassmarket, 8-26 Aug, not 13, 18, 25, £7.50

96 fest edinburgh festival guide 2011 | August 17 - 20

Paradise in Augustine’s, 21-27 Aug, £9.50

22:30 The Blind HH

Old College Quad, 16-27 Aug, £13 – £15

All an Act

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-18 Aug, not 12, £7

Carmen Funebre

Old College Quad, 14 Aug, £10

DugOut Theatre’s Inheritance Blues HHH

Bedlam Theatre, 8-25 Aug, £8

Macbeth: Who is that Bloodied Man? Old College Quad, 8-13 Aug, £13 – £15

Pool of Blood

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-11 Aug, £6 – £7

Who’s Your Daddy?

Assembly Hall, 8-26 Aug, not 13, £11 – £12

The Barwell Prophecy theSpace @ Venue45, 8-11 Aug, £10

Holmes and Watson: The Farewell Tour

Valvona & Crolla, 17 Aug, 18 Aug, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, £12

The Table

Pleasance Courtyard, 11-14 Aug, £14

Adele’s Heart

theSpace on North Bridge, 8-11 Aug, £7.50 – £8.50

22:40 Re-Animator The Musical

Assembly George Square, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 20, £12 – £14

22:45

Beats

Traverse Theatre, 14-26 Aug, not 20, £12 – £19

❤ Boris & Sergey’s Vaudevillian Adventure HHHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 8-27 Aug, not 13, 21, £9 – £10

23:05 A Dastardly Fiction

Greenside, 13-18 Aug, £9.50

Strip Search

SpaceCabaret @ 54, 8-25 Aug, not 19, £12

23:15 Medea Hardcore

Assembly Roxy, 9-26 Aug, not 13, 14, 20, 21, £12 – £14

00:00 24h

Summerhall, 23 Aug, 26 Aug, £1

Couleur Café

C venues - C nova, 12-28 Aug, £12.50 – £14.50

01:00 24h

A Guide to Second Date Sex HHH

Summerhall, 23 Aug, 26 Aug, £1

Belt Up Theatre’s The Boy James

24h

Underbelly, Cowgate, 8-26 Aug, not 15, £9.50 – £10.50

C venues - C nova, 8-27 Aug, £10.50 – £12.50

23:00 Who’s Dorian Gray?

Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 8-26 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free

Tales from Edgar Allan Poe

C Venues - C eca, 8-27 Aug, not 13, £9.50 – £11.50

24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

Accidental Olympian

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 8-9 Aug, £8

Daughters of Lot

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 13-25 Aug, not 19, £5.50 – £7

02:00 Summerhall, 23 Aug, 26 Aug, £1

03:00 24h

Summerhall, 23 Aug, 26 Aug, £1

04:00 24h

Summerhall, 23 Aug, 26 Aug, £1

05:00 24h

Summerhall, 23 Aug, 26 Aug, £1

06:00 24h

Summerhall, 22 Aug, 25 Aug, £1

festbackpage

No Pressure to be Funny

a Amnesty International presents e. renc diffe a with w sho el pan comedy e...

Charlotte Lytton finds out mor

O

N SATURDAY, a number of the Fringe’s best loved faces will take centre stage to discuss the day’s hot topics. But No Pressure to be Funny isn’t your average panel show where comedians fight for the limelight.

The event, a joint venture between Amnesty International and its creators Nick Revell and Alistair Barrie, seeks to “cover the issues in a little bit more depth, rather than using them to move as quickly as possible to a dick joke,” Revell explains.

“That’s where the name came from,” adds Barrie, “as with a lot of these panel show formats, there’s a competitive pressure to get a laugh as soon as possible.”

Hosted by LBC presenter James O’Brien, the panel will consist of novelist Ian Rankin alongside comedians Dana Alexander and Mark Thomas. Some light musical entertainment will also be coming courtesy of Fringe favourites Phil Nichol and Loretta Maine, the queen of angst who describes her involvement as a bid to become “more like Bono.”

Revell and Barrie first developed the idea in late 2010, frustrated by a lack of panel shows that combined the forces of comics, journalists and politicians. Inspired by the success of The Daily Show in the States, No Pressure to be Funny started out at a pub in south London before transferring to various theatres around the capital. “We started out just asking people we thought would be suitable, and our past guests have included the likes of Ken Livingstone and Miranda Sawyer.

Everyone we’ve asked has been up for it because the show has a good vibe, and we like to bring in songs to add a bit of variety to things,” says Revell.

After coming to the show at the Soho Theatre, Amnesty approached the pair, suggesting a one off collaboration for the Fringe. “No Pressure to be Funny is right up Amnesty’s street. At first, it might seem that serious work to promote and protect

Above: Phil Nichol; Below: Ian Rankin

Top to bottom: Alistair Barrie, James O'Brien, Nick Revell

human rights around the world is not a natural fit with comedy, but we have got a long colourful history of working with some of the funniest people in the industry to remind people of how precious the freedom to speak freely is,” explains Shabnum Mustapha, programme director for Amnesty International Scotland. And this sentiment is clearly echoed by the show’s creators, who hope to pursue their work with the charity in the future. “It’s a great partnership because the audience we’re trying to attract is one that is interested in comedy and current affairs, and covering the issues in a reasonably intelligent way.”

And it didn’t take much to convince Nichol, who has been a supporter of the charity for years: “I’ve done Amnesty gigs for the last couple of years at the Fringe, and I think it’s a great idea. Most

comedians see themselves as thinkers, and we certainly have a lot of time to think—and drink—and you think when you drink!” Maine is similarly devoted to the cause, musing: “I’m the voice of the people, and doing Amnesty gigs gets me a lot of attention and makes people think I’m a good person. We’re all just doing this to get on Mock the Week; everyone on this show is very selfish.” Jokes aside, though, No Pressure to be Funny is set to make a real impact at this year’s festival.

Mustapha concludes, “the show is a rip roaring, irreverent look at some of the most pressing human rights issues of the day and the panel show is a real treat to be associated with.”

98 fest edinburgh festival guide 2012 | August 17 - 20

Venue150 @ EICC, 3:00pm – 4:30pm, 18 Aug, £10.00

www.festmag.co.uk

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ The Times

The Telegraph

The Independent

‘Relentlessly thoughtful and funny. But mainly funny’

Dylan Moran Chortle

MICK PERRIN FOR

yeah, yeah

15 + 23

AUG | 8PM

Telephone 0844 871 3014

www.atgtickets.com/edinburgh

Booking charges will apply

www.edfringe.com 0131 226 0000 dylanmoran.com

mickperrin.com

THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS

&

APPOINTMENT WICKER MAN MOLLY WOBBLY'S TIT FACTORY THE INTERVENTION JIGSY SIX AND A TANNER WITH THE

NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND

LYRIC THEATRE BELFAST

COMEDIANS THEATRE COMPANY

CHURCHILL

PIP UTTON

TOM KRAPP'S LAST TAPE OWEN

RETURN LUMBERJACKS STEWART LEE RUSSELL KANE JIMEOIN OWEN JERRY SADOWITZ MICK FOLEY O’NEILL OF THE

STEWART FRANCIS, GLENN WOOL & CRAIG CAMPBELL

MUSIC

LLOYD LANGFORD PHIL NICHOL BRIDGET CHRISTIE STU & GARRY THE THINKING DRINKERS GUIDE SARFRAZ MANZOOR KRISTINE LEVINE MAGNUS BETNÉR MRS BARBARA NICE JARLATH REGAN DAMIEN CROW

COMEDY

DAVID HAYMAN

LES DENNIS

BRAZIL BRAZIL PRESENTS LATIN LIVE THE BIG FAT ELECTRIC CEILIDH PIAF

CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN KAREN MATHESON

SHOOGLENIFTY THE LOST FINGERS SASKWATCH NEW ROPE STRING BAND BREABACH MICHAEL MCGOLDRICK, JOHN MCCUSKER & JOHN DOYLE JAMES GRANT SAFEHOUSE FLAP SONGS OF STRUGGLE JIMMIE MACGREGOR

CLUB SPIEGEL LA CLIQUE VIRGINIA GAY

PLUS LIZ LOCHHEAD KIDS

LADY CAROL MIKELANGELO FLAMENCO HIP HOP THE BOY AND THE BUNNET

CABARET

THEATRE

BACK ON THE FRINGE 2012

54 George St | Edinburgh | 0844 693 3008 | www.arfringe.com