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Contents
Comedy 24 Goose
“ The body becomes a prop”
8
The slickest sketch act you’re likely to see this Fringe
26 Sarah Kendall
Performance artist Lucy McCormick on the show that’s shocking the Fringe
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Our team of young guns give their take on Naughty Cat and the Cheesy Moon and Beards! Beards! Beards!
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The Maestro of Fringe 2016?
This beautifully crafted bilingual drama explores cultural identity and family life
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Forest Fringe’s one-onone show about human connection
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An immersive, revolutionary experience
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Counting Sheep: A Theatrical Revolution
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The master storyteller returns with a show about lies – or does she?
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Perfect Day Eat, drink and be merry with our guide to your ideal day at the Fringe
Bridget Christie: Mortal The Stand Comedy Club 11:00am – 12:00pm
Comedy about gardening? Might not sound like the most promising set of the Fringe but this is an impassioned, moving and extremely funny hour. Although Christie makes out she’s ditched politics and feminism, it isn’t long until they creep into this garden...
Breakfast: Urban Angel
On the Conditions and Possibilities of Hillary Clinton Taking Me as Her Young Lover
121 Hanover Street 9:45am
Summerhall 1:05pm – 2:05pm
Anywhere that serves brunch until 5pm is our kind of place. Go for the eggs Benedict – it will not disappoint. Locally sourced food that you can mix and match to make up your perfect 5-star breakfast.
Where Christie hides her politics in gardening, Arthur Meek presents his overtly with his alter ego, Richard Meros BA, in this hilarious comedy lecture that rationalises why Hils should take him to bed.
Prefect Day
6
Goose: Hydroberserker Assembly George Square Gardens
Prefect Day
festmag.co.uk
With barely enough time to catch your breath, this sketch act is dizzyingly fast-paced, expertly written and technically brilliant. The madness—a frenzy of improvisation, surrealism, satire, clowning and music—is too difficult to properly describe; it’s got to be seen to be believed.
7
Credit: Rah Petherbridge Photography
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Lunch: Illegal Jack’s
How to Win Against History
44-45 St Patrick Square
Assembly George Square Theatre
3.00pm
5:40pm – 6:45pm
Navigating your way around the Fringe can be tiring work, so refuel with a humongous haggis burrito at Illegal Jack’s. Who knew Scot-Tex-Mex would work so well?
Round off your 5-star day off with a piece of genderpunk antiimperialist musical theatre about the life of Henry Cyril Paget. Not to be missed!
“ The body becomes a prop” She’s used the most intimate parts of her body to satirise voyeurism, and smeared poo over a soulless apartment. In Triple Threat, Lucy McCormick turns her singing, dancing and acting prowess on the Holy Trinity
“I
’ve got the Church Times coming to review me tomorrow, and...” Performance artist Lucy McCormick trails off. Her rave-reviewed show Triple Threat would definitely send some churchgoers fleeing with cries of “Get behind me, Satan!” She’s anointed with Hellmann’s mayonnaise. She crowd surfs over her ‘congregation’. She’s proudly pantless. And she turns God into Goddess: a show-tune singing diva who makes sure her troupe of backing dancers toe the line. But she’s clear that Triple Threat “was never designed in opposition to Christianity, or aiming to undermine it. How else would I tell this story? Number one as a woman, which is already problematic, because Jesus is this ultimate man figure. But also because my life is so steeped in pop culture. I’m working with modern day references like pop music, trash TV, porn, so very everyday stuff.” In person, Lucy McCormick is a model of clean
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The name’s a tribute to the words a policeman screams in blind fury at the eponymous alcoholic actor in Withnail and I. And fittingly enough, the company has a reputation for the uncontainable, periodically infuriating way they play with the rules of theatre. In Big Hits they satirised the voyeurism of reality TV, before giving the audience a long look up McCormick’s arse. In Number 1, The Plaza, they unearthed some (fake) poo from a Tupperware box and smeared it over a soulless apartment. And since then, McCormick’s popped up solo at the grimier, artier end of cabaret nights, doing a riff on a notorious Big Brother scene with a wine bottle. The queer nightlife scene is a natural fit for her work – somewhere you can cheerfully give birth to baby Jesus on stage, or make free with a crucifix. But she’s birthed Triple Threat far away from the safe haven of cabaret clubs or avant-garde theatre hubs – into the stable of cow-themed mega-venue the Underbelly. This, like all her choices, was carefully considered. “My audience demographic has been quite niche so far, but I really wanted the work to be right in the middle of this typical big, very Edinburgh, very fringe-y context. It can speak to quite a wide range of people, which is really satisfying.” It’s a choice that reflects her political energy. “Because of the way I look, being white, conventional, I can quite easily fit into very mainstream society.” But although it might be tempting to hide her light under a bushel, she’s committed to owning it. “I’m three-dimensional. Of course one minute I can be naked and doing something radical, and living. When we meet, she’s sipping pea velouté in the next, I can be taking directions and keeping my the dining room of a fancy hotel, fresh from a gym mouth shut.” – like a Hollywood actor who’s trying to convince a She explains that when she was performing in a Vanity Fair interviewer that’s she’s firmly back on recent touring musical, “the producer came in one the wagon. But it feels churlish to be surprised. What day, looking really concerned and a bit shocked, and makes her work so exciting is the confidence with he said, ‘I’ve been looking at your Twitter feed. Your which she straddles multiple worlds. She’s trained photos are quite scary’. They had no idea about what in musical theatre, giving her both an incredible I did, and I did feel a bit funny about that.” toolbox of dance and singing skills to bring to her It is funny, but revealing too. The musical theatre performance art work, and the show title Triple world tore down Sheridan Smith for the apparently Threat, which suggests both the divine Holy Trinity, unforgivable crime of appearing to be drunk during and the rare performers who can sing, act and dance. her West End performance of Funny Girl. And its By contrast, performance art is often deliberately biggest hits—The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérascrappy, rejecting the skills of traditional theatre as bles—do their best to keep the old Madonna-whore an anti-mainstream artistic choice. But as McCorcomplex going long after the rest of the world has mick explains, “I like the idea of having a show that’s shrugged it off. McCormick seems frustrated by the both DIY and weirdly virtuosic and slick as well”. limitations of musical theatre, adding that, “I think It’s an aesthetic she embraced with her company we just categorise people too much”. continues GETINTHEBACKOFTHEVAN.
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Her director for Triple Threat is another woman who won’t stay in her box: the wildly funny comedian, cabaret star and live artist Ursula Martinez. After her red hanky striptease routine was leaked on YouTube, Martinez attracted hordes of pervy male fans, whom she satirises in her most recent show Free Admission – the name’s partly a comment on the sexual availability they read into her performance. Martinez’s contributions have helped McCormick tread the weird line between accessibility and message. “I’m subverting a lot of the images I see, and I’m trying to gain agency over my own body. But if people think, ‘Oh god, that’s a bit sexy’ or something, I think, ‘Yeah it is’. And sometimes it’s about owning that: it’s kind of a taboo to say nudity isn’t about sex. But then if you say it is about sex, people think you’re doing a live sex show or something.” Reviewers have struggled to find a polite synonym for the ‘sexiest’ moment in Triple Threat – “digital anal
penetration” seems to be the consensus. But McCormick is refreshingly straightforward about it: “The body becomes almost a prop, or just another way of demonstrating what’s going on in the story. Sometimes that can feel difficult or shocking for people, but people seem to be swept along by the humour of it too.” McCormick is frustrated by people who dismiss her work as “bonkers” or “crazy” without trying to understand its politics, though. “It’s interesting to see if people feel uplifted or very, very challenged, but for me it should be both. I try to manipulate them into having a good time, but I’m also going, ‘Oooh, was that okay?’” It’s one of many tricky dualities she’s trying to navigate: but caught between body and soul, she’s got critics and audiences alike singing her praises. ✏︎ Alice Saville VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:
Underbelly, Cowgate 8:10pm – 9:10pm, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 22 £10 – £12
assemblyfestival.com 0131 623 3030
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A Theatrical Revolution
Credit: Jeremy Mimnagh
Counting Sheep:
In the running for the prestigious Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award, Counting Sheep places Edinburgh audiences in the novel position of being potential revolutionaries. Evan Beswick speaks to creators Mark and Marichka Marczyk
It was 18 February 2014. Protestors had marched on the Ukranian Parliament in opposition to the president, Viktor Yanukovych. The Trade Unions Building in Kiev was on fire. Police had begun to fire live ammunition at protestors. The revolution that would depose the government and put in place an interim regime had begun. Marichka recalls: “We went to my apartment above my dance academy when the shooting and fires started. We didn’t know what we could do. It’s my city! My music academy! And now the square is on fire! And the church bells started ringing, and in this moment, we decided what to do. My brother said, ‘Okay, I must go. I must do something’. And he left. And then a couple of minutes later I said, ‘Mark, you’re Canadian; it’s my city. You can stay here. I’m going. Bye’. And I grabbed an army vest and ran.” That left Mark: “The church bells were ringing, and everything was on fire.” Mark was scheduled to give a news interview, after which, “I was standing there, and I didn’t know what to do. I shut myself down for a minute. Then I grabbed my laptop, grabbed my bag, put a bunch of medical supplies in, and ran out.”
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ave you ever had to choose between joining a revolution or standing by? Between hastening the fall of a state or protecting its institutions? Between throwing a brick or putting it down? Between tending those wounded in fires, or running from the blaze? Between standing up to the army’s guns, or taking the path of law and order? Probably not, right? For Mark and Marichka Marczyk, creators of immersive theatrical experience Counting Sheep, there’s a moment when this choice became very real.
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Counting Sheep attempts to make sense of this upheaval – to place audiences in the position of potential protestors and, as immersively as possible, force them to act. “We wanted to make a story about people, about humanity,” says Marichka. Mark agrees: “We wanted to give people a sense of that, sort of, border-transcending, politicstranscending understanding of our humanity, of what happens when we’re put under stress and come together.” It’s this focus on humanity in the face of grand historical forces that has placed the production in strong contention for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award. The prize is awarded in partnership with Fest every year at the Fringe to an outstanding play with a human rights message. This year, Mark Thomas is in the mix with The Red Shed, which charts his political awakening. Angel by Henry Naylor, about the war in Syria, is also in consideration, with the winner to be announced at a ceremony on 25 August. For Mark and Marichka, though, it’s important not to see their nomination as a celebration: “It’s very difficult for us, because we know we’re being awarded for something that people have died for,” says Mark. “It’s difficult to accept an award when we know what the cost is. It’s not something in the past. It’s still happening in people’s lives. So on one hand, it’s a sensitive point. On the other hand, the reason we’re putting on the show is to share this experience and the culture and the humanity we felt. “We know that Amnesty does such good work helping to spread the message of human rights, and if it helps get the message of the show into people’s minds and hearts, then we’re honoured. Ideally, this show would never exist.” That’s not to say there’s nothing celebratory about the piece. I’m interested in the use of Ukranian song, which pervades the production. Indeed, there’s dialogue, only singing. “It’s something that we don’t often get to speak about when we’re talking about the show, because people are so interested in how new it is in terms of space and audience interaction,” says Mark, “But for us it’s really important. When a person walks out, they’ve been given a very intimate portrait of the Ukrainian spirit. There’s hundreds of years of Ukrainian history and culture and language in the songs, and that’s something we’re really proud of.” Marichka agrees that music, rather than drama,
was their starting point: “We’re not theatre people, we’re not actors, either of us,” she adds. “But I have some theatre experience because I played for six years in [Kiev’s avant-garde] DAKH theatre.” Mark continues: “Marichka’s background is as an ethnomusicologist. For the last 16 years she’s been going on these research trips across Ukraine and singing with traditional folk choirs. So her mind is literally a Rolodex of central and eastern Ukranian traditional music; anything going back to 1,000 years ago. So when we started to think about how we might give a voice to the story of the revolution, it naturally came out that there’s so many of these songs that express the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. There are a lot of individual experiences that speak to this mass experience that a lot of people share.” I’m reminded of the famed and feted Alan Lomax, whose recordings of American folk and blues form the now legendary archive of american folk music at the Library of Congress. Marichka agrees, adding that there’s a similar unearthing process going on: “It’s just not a popular part of culture in Ukraine. It’s, like, underground now. Nobody knows these songs that we use in our show.” Mark adds: “They’re not songs that somebody would hear and say, ‘I know that song’, and sing along. They’re songs that are buried deep within the psyche and the spirit of Ukranian people. There’s the language, and the harmonies that are embedded, which is why we’ve chosen them.” The result is a production that feels truly immersive. It feels close, terrifying, out of control. “It’s really interesting to watch how people engage,” says Mark. “Some people are really adamant: ‘Yeah, we have to help’, and they come and they grab a shield or start serving food. Other people, you hand them a brick and they go, ‘NO! I’m not throwing a brick’. It’s styrofoam. But they get so into the moment, and so into the idea that this might actually be a real revolution that they won’t throw that brick because they don’t want to be part of that violence. What’s the point you will go to?” So how fine a line is it between this intense dramatic experience and a real revolution, I wonder? How close are Edinburgh’s Fringe revolutionaries to freedom fighters? Marichka responds bluntly, a reminder of the human cost of revolution: “Well, there’s no shooting.” VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:
Summerhall @ The King’s Hall times vary, 11–29 Aug, not 15, 22 £12 – £20
Could he be C the Maestro of Fringe 2016? To say it’s been a long time in the making is a bit of an understatement. Paul Fleckney speaks to Kieran Hodgson, whose symphonic show has been striking a chord this year
omedy and classical music rarely hang out together. In the past there have been parodists like Dudley Moore and Flanders and Swann, while more recently Bill Bailey has played around with it (memorably seguing from Bach’s ‘Toccata and Fugue’ into the Ski Sunday theme). Then there’s that clip of André Previn on Morecambe and Wise that gets wheeled out on compilation programmes. Comedian and actor Kieran Hodgson has done something rather different for his new Edinburgh show, Maestro. Hodgson has, since the age of 11, been writing a symphony. He’s 28 now, and while the symphony might not be complete, the show about it is – and it’s terrific. There’s not a trace of pretentiousness or superiority to it; in fact no knowledge of classical music is required to enjoy it. At its heart, Maestro is a coming of age story, covering 17 years, during which Hodgson finds both classical music and, more importantly, love. As is his style, Hodgson plays all the characters in the show, as well as the narrator. His symphony is in many ways the show’s backing track. And it turns out that there are similarities
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between the two styles of writing. “You have to start from little ideas,” says Hodgson. “With both of them it’s a combination of big and little. You have the big idea of what you want to write, the overall architecture, then I think, ‘What’s a nice tune?’ Or with comedy it’s, ‘What’s a funny routine?’ “I’m really not well-trained musically, so I was just following my nose. Writing a symphony requires far greater skill than I have, but the main thing is it’s very enjoyable, plonking away on a keyboard. This is part of the sneakiness of the show: if I get some notoriety for [having written a symphony], I might get a legitimate performance of it. I’m not as good as a real composer so it probably wouldn’t happen otherwise.” Hodgson broke through as a comedian last year, with his show Lance. It told the story of his growing up in West Yorkshire, via one of his big passions: cycling. It was nominated for the Fosters Comedy Award, got a national tour and was adapted for BBC Radio 4. You might recognise his face from TV though, as he has appeared on Jonathan
Creek and Count Arthur Strong, as well as playing a role in the Alan Partridge film, Alpha Papa. A man of many talents, then, and someone who could easily have chosen to move to a bigger venue this year, rather than staying in the intimate Voodoo Rooms, where the shows are free to enter. So with TV beckoning, will he be leaving the Fringe behind him? “Not at all. I’m happy to carry on. I might have a rest as it’s been fairly intense putting these shows together, but I still want to do live shows. I might have to rejig what the subject is, as the last three shows have all dealt with me coming of age and being a bit weird as a teenager. I think we’ve reached the end of a certain phase.” Happily, then, we can expect a return to Edinburgh at some point. By which time Hodgson might even have a finished symphony to his name. VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:
Voodoo Rooms 9:30pm – 10:30pm, 6–28 Aug FREE
Credit: Paolo Pellegrin
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Internationally Unconventional He’s messed with everything he touches – the conventions of German theatre; the text-is-king approach to Shakespeare. As Matt Trueman discovers, German director Thomas Ostermeier is always searching for a sweet spot between form and story
ritish theatre loves German theatre. For the last five years or so, young Brits have looked to Berlin for inspiration. Its stages seem swaggering and rigorous; defiantly non-literal and inherently theatrical. Our own theatre has shifted in response. “German” has become a byword for “good”. In fact, British audiences have seen precious little German theatre – most of it the work of one man: Thomas Ostermeier. For many, Ostermeier is German theatre. His chopped-up texts and contemporary revisions, his pop soundtracks and visceral stagings have come to stand for the whole. For audiences raised on RSC-style reverence, Ostermeier’s theatre can be thrilling and fresh. His Doll’s House ended not with a door slam, but with gunshots. His Enemy of the People opened out into a real, unscripted public debate. His Hamlet, a fat manchild mucking about in the mud, got stuck on repeat, endlessly asking that age-old question: “To be or not to be?” This month, Edinburgh audiences have the chance to see his reinvention of Richard III. Only, by his own admission, Ostermeier is “not particularly German” as directors go. “Usually, in German theatre, you have a lot of very advanced aesthetic or formal experiments without any storytelling, or you have”—this is in the commercial theatre, Germany’s West End—“very old-fashioned, conventional theatre that’s just telling a story. There’s nothing in between.” Nothing, that is, but Ostermeier. After Brecht, German theatre tended to pick itself apart; showing its mechanics until only the mechanics remained. This “post-dramatic theatre” often ended up dispensing with plot altogether. Ostermeier has sought to restore it, describing himself as “the deconstructionists’ little brother”, and piecing together the theatre they’d taken apart. “Story’s interesting,” he explains on the phone from Berlin. “Drama provides the possibility of talking about what’s behind the mask of civilisation. We all, in our daily lives, appear to be nice, smart, sympathetic people – but this isn’t the complete truth. Put people in a dramatic situation and they can’t hold their masks constantly. Then you see what’s behind.” That puts an emphasis on acting – none too common in a directors’ theatre where Regies [German directors] rule the roost. His Hamlet, Lars Eidinger has said, “I know no other director who puts the actor as much at the centre of their work.” By British standards, Ostermeier’s deemed a conceptualist, but he sees himself squarely as an actors’ director. “You could even call me a coach.”
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His company, the Schaubühne, and its actors are at the core of this work and he cites Simon McBurney as a major influence. It meant a lot when Ostermeier finally tempted him to Berlin, last year, to stage Stefan Zweig’s novel Beware of Pity. Ostermeier started out as an actor himself, but quit, aged 24, to take up directing. “I was too tall,” he laughs, only half-joking. At 6’4”, his love scenes were laughable and tragic heroes were off the table. “It was always ridiculous.” The experience did, however, fire him up against Germany’s old-guard. “I didn’t want to be in these shows with bad costumes, bad sets, bad music; old directors who didn’t know what they wanted to say to an audience, just taking care of their careers for the end of the biographies.” Two years after training, at only 28, Ostermeier took over the Barracke, a makeshift, flexible studio space, causing a splash with stripped-back stagings of ‘in-yer-face’ British plays by writers like Sarah Kane and Mark Ravenhill. Success won him the Schaubühne gig three years later, a move that sent shockwaves through cultural Berlin. He was 31, impossibly young in a city where artistic directors stick around for decades. With designer Jan Pappelbaum, Ostermeier split the Schaubühne’s vast aircraft-hanger space—90 metres long, 40 wide—into three studios, each endlessly reshapeable. “There is no better theatre building in the world. It’s as simple as that.” Under Ostermeier, it has looked outwards. He has brought the world’s best directors, from Katie Mitchell to Simon Stone, to Berlin, and committed to extensive international touring. “A lot of German directors don’t want to be part of that. They’re happy with their role in Hamburg or Frankfurt.” Ostermeier, for his part, wants to take a local view to “a bigger, global community”. “Berlin has this aura—like London in the sixties or Paris in the fifties—and we’re profiting from that reputation. When people invite my shows, they’re inviting some of that Berlin hype as well.” The key, he says, is specificity. Theatre’s a local art form, forged in its own time and place; its cultural milieu and its moment. “You can make references and find parallels, but if you try to talk to an international audience in a globalised way, that’s a trap. It doesn’t work.” At the same time, though, Ostermeier recognises that theatre “is more and more globalised”. Young directors, he says, “have seen all the continent’s so-called major artists. They’ve travelled. They’ve watched it on YouTube. They’re completely up on
“ Shakespeare didn’t respect the big masters – Hamlet was 600-years-old when Shakespeare adapted it. Shakespeare was sampling. He was a mash-up artist” what’s out there, so much so that you can’t even consider them British or German any more.” What, then, does a British history play look like in that context? Ostermeier’s not fussed. “It’s the psychology of the character that interests me. I’m interested in evil: how this man makes an entertainment of evil.” Sure enough, his Richard—Lars Eidinger again, “a smart, nice, charming guy who’s everyone’s darling; the counterpoint to this crippled asshole”— delivers his soliloquies into a low-hanging mic as if hyping himself to the crowd. Beneath the surface, strapped into his deformities, his insecurities are rancorous and bitter. “It’s the story of someone privileged in life, but excluded from it, especially in his body – from social life, from love, from glamour. He climbs the ladder and is, in the end, confronted with his own vanity, his self-love and his loneliness.” That seems almost conventional – British even. So much so that the show plays in a specially-made replica Globe at home in Berlin. Has Ostermeier gone British just as British theatre’s gone German? Well, not quite. He turned down the RSC when invited to apply as artistic director a few years back (“Guess why?”) and he’s still as scathing as ever about textual reverence. “Shakespeare didn’t respect the big masters: the writers or literary sources that came before him. Hamlet was 600 years old when Shakespeare adapted it and his version was one amongst many, so you can’t respect his text 100 per cent. We don’t even know if he wrote the words down himself, so why do we continue in this tradition? He can’t be an icon. Shakespeare was sampling. He was a mash-up artist.” VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:
The Lyceum 7:30pm – 10:00pm, 24–28 Aug £5 – £32
LEAD THEATRE CRITIC
Matt Trueman
This revolution is not televised, but staged. Alice Birch’s abstract play Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. provides a blueprint for feminist dissent. A series of short scenes, each as linguistically precise as a Caryl Churchill play, become a kind of instruction manual. They start with a title—Revolutionize the Language (Invert It)—that the action exemplifies. Imagine a staged aircraft safety card: a guide to crashing the patriarchy. It is not hectoring, but humorous – yet no less staunch for being (seriously) satirical. Rather than an organised coup—‘man’ the barricades and all that—Birch pushes for an uprising of individuals: an act of mass refusal. The first scene sees a woman (Emmanuella Cole) take ownership of sexual language. Rather than being fucked, she fucks back. He screws, so she scissors. He enters her, so she enters him. “I am on you before you are in me,” she snaps. Call it a locking of horns. Birch doesn’t just reveal the inequality, she counters it. At first, every scene works similarly. One woman refuses marriage: the request to “be my wife”. Another demands Mondays off work, simply to get the sleep she needs. As these acts accumulate, they disrupt the whole. Birch’s writing fragments and Madeleine Girling’s cleancut design grows disordered: a slash of paint across the back wall, a watermelon chopped in two. The red on black is alarming and vivid. Some have bemoaned the lack of fury in Erica Whyman’s production, flagging up the writer’s instruction: “This play should not be well behaved.” True, it is somewhat dated and detached, but the politeness—no, the civility—is part of the point. Revolt looks entirely reasonable. It makes sense. “Aren’t you tired?” the play asks. Wouldn’t it be better, for all of us, to sort this out? To stop following a system that screws us all? Revolt puts radicalism and resistance within reach. Yet, it does so while mocking ‘pick and mix’ feminism; the sort of online activism that wears its credentials like a badge of honour. Birch’s revolution will not be merchandised and, with references to North Korea, globalisation and the diamond trade, it takes everyone with it. “It may take years,” says one woman at the end. “Imagine if it took weeks.” If Birch’s revolution starts with language, Lucy McCormick’s begins with meaning. Triple Threat is—wait for
Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again «««« Traverse Theatre, times vary, 16–28 Aug, not 22, £8.50 – £20.50
Lucy McCormick Triple Threat «««« Underbelly, Cowgate, 8:10pm – 9:10pm, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £10 – £12
Scary Shit «« Pleasance Courtyard, 1:45pm – 2:45pm, various dates between 3 Aug and 29 Aug, £6.50 – £10
Lucy McCormick
festmag.co.uk
Reviews
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Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again
it— a live art reenactment of the New Testament laced with pop anthems. And yes, that really is Jesus getting finger-fucked by his doubting disciple Thomas. It’s not just that McCormick plays Jesus herself— putting a woman at the heart of the story—but also she insists that Mary gets a mother’s lament, so it’s not all about Father and Son. In covering herself in mayo and instant coffee, in stripping off, snogging Judas and waving her bits about, McCormick puts the body back into the Bible. She brings the passion to The Passion. These iconic images—birth, temptation, crucifixion—have become emptily familiar: the hallowed made hollow through repetition. McCormick restores them with a determined flippancy. Herod downs an Innocent smoothie; the Devil tempts with fags and booze. The glibness works both ways: a criticism and a renewal. Repurposing pop songs as a scriptural soundtrack— Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ and Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’ become theological treatises—not only flags our own false gods and pop idols, it reveals the way profound lyrics are put to profane tunes for profit. Nothing means anything any more. Against that, Triple Threat becomes a tirade against vacuity and its causes: profit, patriarchy and passive acceptance. Yet, though theologically lightweight, it’s also its own antidote. As we sing along, we become a congregation.
A decade ago, 63,000 people complained that Jerry Springer: The Opera was blasphemous. Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas put Jesus in a nappy. Again, (s)he’s fingered in the arse here. And yet, no protests, no boycotts. Not a peep. In a world without meaning, where anything goes, McCormick asks if anything’s sacred? Across town, Rhiannon Faith wants us to look out for ourselves – and each other. Despite the scatological title, Scary Shit is a fluffball of a show: sub-Bryony Kimmings with added sugar. Joined onstage by her friend Maddy Morgan, a silent scowl to Faith’s fullbeam smile, the pair lay out their anxieties – and it’s alarming to realise how many are specifically female. Not having children. Eyebrow threading. Smear tests. Faith’s phobia of phones comes from being dumped down the line. Playing out a course of cognitive behavioural therapy, Scary Shit advocates creativity as a cure: a way of expressing fears, rehearsing for life and building safe spaces. In homemade armour—Morgan’s gold shoulder spikes and Faith’s fluffy pink crash helmet— the two dance courgette dick dances and open up about their own anxiety disorders. Despite the best of intentions, however, it’s all so softly-softly. Revolt, you think. Revolt again.
COMEDY CRITIC
Marissa Burgess
During George W. Bush’s term of office the only silver lining was that political comedians rarely ran out of material before his next mistake. So though the current political landscape looks doom-ridden, thanks to Brexit, an unelected UK prime minister and the possibility of Donald Trump with his sweaty digit on the nuclear button, rest assured that there’s going to be plenty of source material for standup. Which is why on that fateful day Andy Zaltzman voted to leave the EU, he tells us. He didn’t really. Though such are his gag-making skills that Zaltzman would be able to find plenty of good material even from inside a socialist utopia, I’m sure. He’s been combining insightful political satire with a good dollop of contrasting absurdity for years. He’s also known for working with John Oliver on the Political Animal shows and The Bugle podcast. His former partner in crime is a major star these days, and Zaltzman conducts a straw poll of all in the room to check who’s heard of him. One hasn’t. “YES!!” he exclaims, on the grounds that therefore everyone has heard of Andy Zaltzman too. It’s typical Zaltzman silly. Plan Z is a fine hour showcasing the comic's apparently natural talent for taking very recent events and penning a fast-paced show of satirical brilliance with plenty of ludicrous similes: voting to leave the EU was like being offered a prawn sandwich and finding out it was actually two bits of polystyrene. To cut through the bountiful lies of the Brexit campaign he has created a ‘subliminal message interpreter’—which may or may not be a pineapple— to help him decipher what politicians are really thinking. And by the close of the show the ‘subliminal policy generator’—possibly a butternut squash—is to gather all the information and produce Plan Z. And let’s face it, we need someone with a plan right now. There was a time when Paul Foot could split a room. Thanks to some telly appearances upping his profile and having been around on the live circuit and at the Fringe for many years, he now has a sizeable following. Consequently it’s frankly disconcerting watching an audience produce the kind of reaction usually reserved for Michael McIntyre. But it’s also joyous, as it’s been a long time coming for Foot. He’s always been an incongruous figure onstage. But while he used to favour doddering about it like a pension-
Richard Gadd Monkey See Monkey Do ««««« Banshee Labyrinth, 9:45pm – 10:45pm, 6–28 Aug, FREE
Andy Zaltzman Plan Z «««« The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 3:40pm – 4:40pm, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £12
Paul Foot ‘Tis Pity She’s a Piglet «««« Underbelly, Cowgate, 7:20pm – 8:20pm, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £9.50 – £12.50
Andy Zaltzman
festmag.co.uk
Reviews
21
Richard Gadd
er, these days he adopts a physical stage persona akin to Joy Division’s Ian Curtis’ jerky dance moves. The opening routines of ‘Tis A Pity She’s a Piglet appear at first utterly random, with tales of his all-boys school. He even manages to turn compering on its head by focusing on talking about couples who aren’t occupying the empty chairs in the room rather than those that are. He helpfully signposts segments of material and self-referentially notes what he’s just done: “That was quite an abrupt changing of subject, wasn’t it?” But later more conventional routines surface, in particular a great bit of material featuring a middle-aged couple having a row on the beach. And there’s an astute take down of Oscar Pistorius’s trial defence. There’s a childlike joy to be found in Foot punching a stuffed toy monkey in its smiling face – playing on our love of anthropomorphising things with faces on them. The humour is heightened when he approaches one of the “miniature humans” (aka children) in the front row to punch it too. Whatever you do Foot, don’t ever change. As word got around about Richard Gadd’s anarchic and experimental show Waiting for Gaddot last year, people were lining up down the street to squeeze into his tiny venue. So there was always going to be a level of anticipation surrounding this year’s Monkey See
Monkey Do. While last year was an ensemble piece with Ben Target, Ian Smith and Ed Aczel, Gadd appearing largely on screen, this year’s sees Gadd alone on stage on a running machine throughout as he divulges his intense anxiety and fears of not being man enough. Though his use of multimedia tools is similar to last year’s show, this year the content is very, very different. Gadd has taken up jogging to literally run off his anxiety and metaphorically run from the gorilla it manifests as. Even going running itself sets off feelings of self-consciousness in Gadd, at which point the ape is conjured to life once more. Gadd’s also psyching himself up for a return to the ‘man’s man’ competition that he flunked out of last year after letting a bit of “gayness” creep in. The comic examines notions of masculinity, as parodied in this contest, questioning whether his feelings of homosexuality and anxiety somehow make him less of a man. Interspersed are sound recordings of the therapy he has undertaken to get to the bottom of the problem, gloriously illustrated with nonsensical faces made from upside-down chins. It’s full on and frenetic and teeters on confusing, as he desperately tries to dampen down the anxiety and prove himself a man. But all is to come clear. A brave, funny and frankly magnificent piece of work.
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Goose: Hydroberserker Extraordinary teamwork makes for an out of the ordinary hour of mayhem ««««« PAGE 24
Comedy Reviews
24 Comedy
League Table 1
Bridget Christie ««««« A show about gardening. Except it’s not. But it is hilarious and angry
2
Hydroberserker ««««« As mad as the name suggests: high speed, big ambition, collaborative lunacy
3
Goose Hydroberserker HHHHH
Kieran Hodgson
VENUE:
Assembly George Square Gardens
««««
TIME:
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Get queuing, because this unashamedly highbrow show in the tiny Voodoo Rooms has awards potential
4
Felicity Ward «««« The London-based Aussie is back, and on honking good form
5
Sarah Kendall «««« Kendall keeps getting better and better.
4–28 Aug TICKETS:
£8.59 – £12
Let’s get one thing straight. Goose is not, as billed, a “solo sketch act”. Star Adam Drake gets all the glory, but this irrepressibly funny, unrelentingly high-speed show is a testament to collaboration. There’s co-creator Ben Rowse, a seven-piece live band, a cast of guest performers—including the superbly droll Cath Hughes—and a tech team creating live AV throughout. That’s not a criticism: Hydroberserker is an absolute masterclass in ambitious teamwork pulling off super human feats. Propelled by the story of Drake’s first date with the woman of his dreams, and his quest to find her again through a cryptic note on a cabbie’s business card, Goose accomplish more in a breakneck hour than most sketch groups do in a
career. The show covers the gamut of comedic possibilities: improvisation, observation, surrealism, satire, clowning and music collide, often in the same moment. The ‘sketches’ last anywhere from a few minutes to a second, leaving the laughter to catch up. A rant about sexism segues into an argument about similes with Dan Brown. A pull-back-and-reveal comes and goes in moments. It’s not just tightly scripted and superbly rehearsed: some of Drake’s best moments are off-thecuff crowd work. It’s also structurally audacious. Every breathless stumble turns into a feint, ideas collapse and sketches smash together. And it builds, with every audience interaction and left-field sketch hurtling towards the grand finale. The biggest problem with Hydroberserker is describing its wild originality and high-speed lunacy to anyone who wasn’t there. It’s phenomenal. Just go. ✏︎ Will Young
Mark Steel’s in Toon HHHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Assembly Hall 9:30pm – 10:40pm 4–28 Aug, not 15 £12 – £14
festmag.co.uk
Post-Brexit, Edinburgh has become a safe haven for pro-EU voters spilling across our border. Many shows begin with a tribute to Scotland’s vote in the referendum. Of course we’re happy to have you (and not just to feel smug). After all, as Mark Steel points out, Scotland is a totally unified utopia. Plus, we love you English so, so much. An Englishman coming to Edinburgh with a show about Scotland’s regional differences is incredibly
brave, like Daniel making jokes about lions’ manes. But listeners to Mark Steel’s in Town on Radio 4 know there’s nothing to worry about here. Steel doesn’t temper his take-no-prisoners approach, but he backs it up with an eye for the absurd and a huge amount of research. Most comedians have some ‘local colour’ to sweeten crowds on the road, but Steel has turned this into an art form. Even locals are likely to learn something, and hearing gags this good about your hometown (or even better, Glasgow) is one of life’s purest pleasures. By the end, Smith is preaching to the choir – not that that was ever going to be an issue for Mark Steel at the world’s largest festival of luvvies and lefties. But this isn’t about political hectoring, or even stirring up local
rivalries. Underneath the teasing there’s a subtle message about how all of these divisions—Orkney/ Shetland, Edinburgh/Glasgow/ Paisley and yes, Scotland/England—are ridiculous: a joke that can go too far. There are enough borders these days. Let’s not make any more. ✏︎ Jonathan Holmes
Foil, Arms & Hog VENUE: TIME:
Reviews
TICKETS:
25
Underbelly, Cowgate times vary 4–28 Aug £10.50 – £13
With their own theme music that the audience is encouraged to sing along with, Foil, Arms & Hog make a confident entrance for a boisterous crowd. They deserve that confidence: this is well-conceived and performed sketch comedy that is high on ideas and delivered by the three with energy. What’s impressive is the attention to detail, which means that simple conceits develop into complex comic skits. A song mocking self-important bigheads (including critics) and a sequence imagining a human mobile phone could be one-gag efforts
Credit: Ste Murray
DoomDah HHHH
in the hands of less-skilled groups. But here the three demonstrate an awareness of how to build comic momentum, carrying the audience along with increasingly absurd logic. As such, a scene about a confused audience member at a one-person play belies real intelligence in how to construct a comic narrative. Furthermore, it enables all three performers to display their individual skills as well as evidencing the trio’s finely-honed onstage
relationship. There’s also lots of audience participation; it’s masterfully handled, functioning as genuine comic moments that build throughout, rather than relying on nastily belittling punters. A sketch drawing on national stereotypes seems a little lazy by comparison, even if it is better formulated than many other comics’ comparable fare. Overall, though, there’s a party atmosphere in the room that the three know how to create and sustain, and it’s all over far too quickly. ✏︎ Brett Mills
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VENUE:
TIME:
TICKETS:
Assembly George Square Studios, 6:45pm – 7:45pm 3–28 Aug £9.50 – £12.50
“Truth” can be an awkward word on comedy stages for anecdotal, confessional acts. It’s a standup truism that prefacing a routine with, “this is a true story” usually means that it isn’t, and even the most authentic performers invariably embellish their anecdotes, just a bit, to add a little extra juice. So keeping the audience’s trust intact is a tricky balancing act: which makes Sarah Kendall’s new show all the more impressive.
Chris Gethard Career Suicide HHHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Pleasance Dome 10:00pm – 11:00pm 3–29 Aug, not 15 £8 – £11
Mental illness, specifically depression, has sprung from the shadows of stigma and become a recurrent topic for standup at this year’s Fringe, with a proliferation of comics willing to tackle it on stage. You’ll find few that handle it as deftly and as amusingly as Chris Gethard, though. Career Suicide is his expertly pitched account of his own battles with disorders of the mind over the last 16 years. It’s beautifully crafted misery, finding the levity in all the right moments whilst anchoring it in raw emotion and
Having won an increasingly hefty audience with her previous hours of adolescent angst, Kendall returns with a show that should—according to the title and blurb—be about an earthquake that struck her native Newcastle, Australia in 1989. In fact, it’s really about lies, in particular one mighty whopper she dropped as a schoolgirl that gathered momentum like a wayward rock hurtling down a sceptical mountain. Teachers, parents, tough cops, psychologists and the media all get involved, while another massive fib complicates matters further. It’s a hell of a tale, beautifully delivered by a masterful storyteller – and, yes, there is also an earthquake, which sounds the least believable bit but turns out to be horribly true. As for everything else, well, it’s up to your own interpretation. “That’s the gist of what hap-
pened,” Kendall tells her therapist, who may or may not exist either. Shaken raises intriguing questions about truth in comedy, and in life, and whether that actually matters. And it works as a straightforward standup hour, too. Maybe Kendall is just a girl, standing in front a lecture hall, trying to make us believe her. ✏︎ Si Hawkins
consequence. His searing wit springs to life in the quietest of lulls, always tethered to a genuine depth of thought. The New Jerseyan comedian has found fame in goofball TV shows and CollegeHumor videos, but those roles are in stark contrast to the poignant musings offered here. This show is his Rubber Soul – his graduation from the juvenile to the masterly. From tales of his hilariously unprofessional psychiatrist, Barb, to darkly comic anecdotes about suicide, he balances the pathos and the ridiculous. As the hour progresses and the stakes are raised, it’s near impossible not to find yourself hanging on his every word, not caring if it’s a punchline or an emotional gut punch that follows. He’s candid in his storytelling and that’s what makes it so refreshingly intimate. It’s rare to see taboo-tearing comedy
find such optimism in times of despair. Here, Gethard seeks to elicit laughs from the low points, and he succeeds bigtime. ✏︎ Matthew Sharpe
Comedy
Shaken HHHH
Credit:: Kat Gollock
Sarah Kendall
Margaret Thatcher Queen of Game Shows HHHH VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:
Assembly George Square Gardens times vary, 4–28 Aug, not 15 £12 – £14 PRESENTING
the VERY BEST of
LIVE PERFORMANCE
Reviews
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at
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In a television landscape where Ann Widdecombe and Ed Balls can appear on Strictly it’s not inconceivable that Margaret Thatcher would present a highoctane glitter-infused Saturday night game show. This all-singing, all-dancing cavalcade of audience involvement not only functions as a crowd-pleasing spectacle but manages to make joyously barbed stabs at the British political system along the way. After all, as Maggie herself notes, the game show trope of forcing individuals to compete for consumer goods is the apotheosis of Thatcherism. As such, the crowd are divided into teams of skivers and strivers, and representatives compete in games based around Brexit, tabloid journalism and white privilege. Thatcher begins by revelling in all this unashamed social Darwinism, but unexpected moments force her to reflect on her ideology. As she is visited by a succession of other political fugures, as well as the ghosts of game shows past, she moves towards an epiphany. Who will, in the end, be the winner? This is a solidly political show, as shown by the audience’s divided reactions to the partisan gags. But all sides get it in the neck, even if it is Thatcher’s brand of anti-society rhetoric that is most held up for scorn. It has a joyous party atmosphere, until you suddenly realise you’re cheering on your team mate to be the fastest in a game involving dismantling the NHS. Thatcherism continues to haunt us and its status as derided profit-before-principle tactics is made showbiz here. ✏︎ Brett Mills
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TIME:
Laughing Horse @ City Cafe 5:30pm – 6:30pm 4–28 Aug, not 15
TICKETS:
FREE
VENUE:
Now bearded, married to a sometime model and living in LA, things are going pretty swimmingly for Eric Lampaert, a man who, as an FBI interrogator in one of this show’s enjoyable video skits suggests, looks like “Heroin Jesus”. Lampaert currently feels attached to three countries as he’s French, was brought up in England, and has an American wife. So one weighty issue has dogged his year: immigration, which turns out to be a major headache even if you’re
Kate Lucas Whatever Happened to Kate Lucas HHHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Pleasance Courtyard 10:30pm – 11:30pm 3–28 Aug, not 15 £8 – £12
“Come in, come in – we’re just talking about death,” says Kate Lucas with a grin, as a couple of latecomers wander into the bunker and wonder what they’ve let themselves in for. Lucas is a wolf in sensible clothing; nice with an undercurrent of nuts. Her full repertoire of sinister weirdness takes a while to fully emerge here, but it’s pretty evident from the outset that Whatever Happened to Kate Lucas is not for the easily offended. As our
genial-looking host explains, the show has a running theme about her fear of death, and the songs explore dark variations on it. One early composition involves her angrily haunting a chap in the audience who dared to move on after she died; which is fair enough, given how it mythically happened. Lucas won a prestigious best newcomer award earlier this year, and a fair bit of her material isn’t particularly nasty, just plain funny; both her songs and general repartee resound with fine wordplay. Although perhaps those more-accessible moments are just there to soften us up for the verbal uppercuts to come. There’s a song about a self-built boyfriend and dead celebs that screams ‘too soon!’, while an increasingly intense tune about wasting your time with someone boring contains one of the most
shocking lines you’ll hear all Fringe. The reactions are fascinating: belly laughs and wide-eyed did-she-really-say-that horror. It’s Lucas’s apparent normality that really gives these moments such clout, and though that theme holds this show together impressively, it does still end with an uplifting message. Don’t have nightmares, folks. ✏︎ Si Hawkins
Comedy venue like stars in the night sky, but there’s none of the awkwardness that such a scenario sometimes provides. Lampaert is evidently enjoying every minute of this ideapacked hour, and the enthusiasm is infectious. It’s probably the best intergalactic immigration party you’ll be invited to this year. ✏︎ Si Hawkins
Credit: John Griffiths
Alien of Extraordinary Ability HHHH
a citizen’s husband. And without a UK passport, Brexit confuses things even more. It’s a topic that’s understandably high on the Fringe agenda this year, but Lampaert takes it in unique new directions. Into space, in fact, as he’s developed a serious interest in astrophysics recently, and embarks on some enlightening big-screen cosmos chat here. An Eric Lampaert TED Talk? Well, only briefly, as he’s got a galaxy of brilliant silliness to cram in too. Even the dark matter is rich with comic potential: his therapist’s measured response to the voices in his head (“It’s the best place for them”) leads to some fine physical comedy capped by a fabulously crap pun. Now that’s how to write a bit. He’s working with a relatively small audience on this boiling afternoon, punters dotted around the
Credit: Steve Ullathorne
Eric Lampaert
Arthur Smith Mindlessness: A Beginner’s Guide HHHH VENUE: TIME:
Pleasance Courtyard run ended
Reviews
festmag.co.uk
Arthur Smith has earned the right to coast, his decades as regular weekend compere at London’s Comedy Store showing in the deep crevices of his craggy face. At this point in his life, he’s an unlikely fixture of the BBC, his unaffected Balham brogue marking him an outsider within the broadcaster’s cosy, middle-class confines. The fact that an early mention of Radio 4 elicits cheers from this afternoon’s audience suggests they’ve bought tickets on the strength of his latter-day branding.
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Were Smith simply to throw us a couple of anecdotes about running into Sandi Toksvig or John Humphrys in the staff canteen, the throng would likely go home happy. Instead, he offers up a far more impressive and challenging work than is really necessary from a man at this stage in his career. Essentially a comedy lecture on idiocy and enjoying life in the moment, the show doesn’t stick to an obvious episodic structure. Smith approaches his material with a poetic flair, breaking off from perfectly crafted cantankerous observations to indulge in surreal digression as though this was the most natural thing in the world. He challenges the audience to piece together the various strands of his imagination, and our attention is rewarded long after he’s left the stage in an endear-
ingly ridiculous jumpsuit. While his career has settled somewhat, Smith’s unique talent continues to grow. ✏︎ Lewis Porteous
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Foxdog Studios HHH
TIME:
TICKETS:
Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 11:15pm – 12:15am 1, 4–28 Aug FREE
Surely a unique mashup of comedy, music and computer geekery, Foxdog Studios is very much in the beta stage of development. But there’s a cracking, late-night event building here. IT consultants by day, Lloyd Henning and Peter Sutton have contrived a bizarre blend of audience interaction and hit-and-miss spectacle, which, despite their electronic wizardry remains a little clunky, as several longueurs exceed the point of being entertaining for crap’s sake. The initial premise of the show is that we’re all new employees of a metal recycling plant owned by
Mawaan Rizwan Gender Neutral Concubine Pirate HHH VENUE:
TIME:
TICKETS:
Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys 6:15pm – 7:10pm 5–28 Aug, not 15 FREE
We’re greeted by bubbles, lovingly dispatched by Mawaan Rizwan as a gift to selected audience members. This opening sets the tone of a show high on audience interaction that is always leavened by sweetness and frivolity. By the end of it you’ll be clear on what constitutes a gender neutral concubine pirate; and whether you want to be one too. There’s a stage, but it’s not used.
Mr Boxhat (Sutton, in a wonderfully disturbing helmet of cardboard and cameras affording horrific closeups of his features), which he runs with his nephew (Henning). Establishing the core inventiveness of Foxdog’s comedy, everyone in the crowd can use their smartphone to connect with, create avatars and contribute to the narrative as it unfolds on screen. Meaningless tosh about smuggling toffee cream liqueur into Leeds Festival notwithstanding, there’s nevertheless a giddy thrill in realising that, in a small way, you’re dictating the show whenever
your avatar is centre stage.The technology works far better than the lo-fi shambles around it might lead you to believe. Unfortunately, once that initial delight has settled, there’s a lot of simply waiting for scenes to unfold at a snail’s pace, and seeing your avatar pelt pointlessly around a mostly featureless canvas. Henning and Sutton retain an endearingly dry humour about this nonsense though and mix it up with some diverting musical interludes, suggesting that they’re ones to watch for the future. ✏︎ Jay Richardson
Rizwan is, instead, down in the audience, his manic performance within spitting distance. This is high campery that flits between threatening and absurd, often exhibiting both simultaenously. It turns out he’s a magician too, in a glorious bit of silliness that revolves around a quite different kind of trickery. And you might want to hide your drink if you’ve got one; alternatively, you could sample the homemade wine he whips up there and then. While there’s lots of lunacy to enjoy here, there are also hints at a darker motivation behind it all. The desire for identity fluidity is manifested via the pirate persona and digs at conservative parents splutter through at unexpected moments. It’s a shame there isn’t more of this splenetic bile. But the inventive deirium is what matters most; after all, there aren’t many
shows that could get away with not one but two sequences all about baby wipes. This is an energetic and engaging show deserving to be seen by a bigger crowd. ✏︎ Brett Mills
Credit: Sun Lee
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Class Act HHH VENUE: TIME:
festmag.co.uk
TICKETS:
Just the Tonic at The Tron 6:20pm – 7:20pm 4–28 Aug, not 15 £5
Fringe comics will often readily admit that they resolved to do Edinburgh ages ago, then eventually came up with a show. But you get the impression that James Meehan’s solo debut is a genuine passion project, albeit from unpromising beginnings. Meehan has enjoyed Fringe acclaim before with the quirky sketch troupe Gein’s Family Giftshop, but takes a more serious approach here. Something has stirred within, a spark ignited by, er, a posher comedian beating him to a coveted acting job.
Class Act gets off to a stuttering start all round, in truth. Meehan is slightly stiff in this format, and occasionally schmaltzy, although the reason for that soon becomes clear. The Lancashire-born comic is from an underprivileged background, a fend-for-yourself environment where emotions were frowned upon. Therapy helped, although he’s now bloody angry, about the way class affects both him and society generally. So, yes, missing that role may have inspired this show, but it really begins to fly when he gets properly enraged about the wider issues of race and class, plus some more serious family problems. There are a few left-field ideas too, including a promising film-related running gag that doesn’t quite build as hoped, and some abstract conversations that feel a bit shoehorned in to break things up. But he largely
Credit: Marta Julve
James Meehan
keeps the thematic plate spinning. In fact, it’s an almost tossedaway line about Meehan getting furiously proactive to help his disabled mother that proves most inspiring. Gripes aside, Class Act is a show that might just motivate you to take action too. ✏︎ Si Hawkins
Goodbear VENUE: TIME:
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33
Bedlam Theatre 9:30pm – 10:30pm 3–28 Aug, not 17 £8 – £10
The dilemma that all sketch shows encounter is whether to simply present a succession of unrelated skits, or to try and find an overarching theme that ties the seeming randomness together. Goodbear place themselves halfway between these two options, which makes for a confusing experience. A fast-forwarding clock implies that their show condenses a day into an hour, but there are many sketches whose chronology is unimportant. And a closing scene about mayflies refers back to previous scenes, but in a manner that strives for profundity rather than attaining it.
Credit: Steve Ullathorne
HHH
Perhaps they would have been better off simply offering up their cavalcade of comic moments. For the duo draw well on their individual talents. Henry Perryment does a good line in genuine emotion, while Joe Barnes performs youthful smarm.Their interplay is well-honed, and the whole is highly physical and deftly choregraphed. But it’s also overproduced, with incidental music and lighting changes overegging transitions that the performers themselves are well able to communicate.
Perhaps a slower, more strippedback approach would allow the characters and performers to breathe more, utlising more fully the duo’s evident dramatic skills. As it is, characters appear for a single gag and then are gone.The only recurring skit concerns two Swedish cyclists, who also seem like the least grounded characters on display. But there’s a lot that’s funny here, demonstrating invention and craft, once you get past the framework that gets in the way. ✏︎ Brett Mills
Mindwangler HHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Pleasance Dome 4:00pm – 5:00pm 3–28 Aug, not 15 £6.50 – £10
Magic has made a real comeback in recent years. From multiple prime time TV shows to West End runs and Hollywood blockbusters, the genre has been brought up to date by the likes of Derren Brown, hip-hop street magician Dynamo and indie darling Jesse Eisenberg in the Now You See Me films. Neil Henry seems like someone who preferred it before things got too cool. In a bow tie and sparkly jacket and armed with some cheeky banter (“I’m thinking of a
number two...”), he’s an old school entertainer. It’s certainly all good fun, and is warmly received by this afternoon family crowd. The tricks are variable. There’s a nice opening with an unpredictable Polaroid camera, but as the show goes on there are a few thinly transparent switches that stick out. It’s awkwardly staged, too. Most of the set involves close-up reveals that are only really evident to the front few rows, with the rest of us taking their word for it. The jokes are pretty cheesy, though he’s a natural with the kids and gets more genuine laughs when improvising off script. The show only really comes to life in the final 15 minutes, with all the best bits held back until last. Avoiding any spoilers—though it includes a penchant for canned goods—Henry makes it count with
Credit: Steve Ullathorne
Neil Henry
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an impressive final trio of tricks. All three are more visual and on a grander scale, involving the whole audience and finally “mindwangling” us all. ✏︎ Will Young
Heidi O’Loughlin
VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Underbelly, Cowgate 9:30pm – 10:30pm 4–28 Aug, not 15, 16 £9 – £11
Life in a cult may be no laughing matter, but thankfully nobody told Heidi O’Loughlin. Nominated for best newcomer at last year’s Barry Awards in Melbourne, the New Zealand-born standup has wasted no time in crafting an impressively elaborate setup for her new Fringe show, framing it as an orientation session for a small but fiercely dedicated sect devoted to the teachings of a mysterious Leader, who apparently enjoys a dabble in standup. Although O’Loughlin is a vital and welcome part of the evening’s entertainment, it is a little unjust
Credit: Daniel Quinn
Cult Comedian HHH
that her name should be the only one highlighted: the show would not be possible—nor would it be as successful—without the presence and efforts of her three-man backup team, tasked with such duties as compering, impromptu rapping, musical accompaniment, building robots and distributing squash. In particular, Stephen Boyce, her second in command, sometimes allows the façade to drop away, and turns in some winning segments of observational comedy, even if jokes about living in London are a risky proposition before an Edinburgh audience.
Still, O’Loughlin arguably has the toughest job, splitting the talents between her own forever earnest but easily frustrated character, and assuming the persona of their cult leader during the various iterations of his standup career (her parody of self-consciously ‘controversial’ comics destroys an entire breed of standup with her opening line alone). While the show is perhaps a little slow to get going, Cult Comedian is often a satirical delight. And the fairy bread is delicious too. ✏︎ Sean Bell
Sam Campbell The Last Dreamer HHH VENUE: TIME:
festmag.co.uk
TICKETS:
Assembly Roxy 8:15pm – 9:15pm 3–28 Aug, not 15 £9 – £12
Sam Campbell is a nervous young gentleman. On the one hand, his demeanor—perpetually on the verge of self-deprecating panic— makes you want to reach out and reassure him of his obvious talents; conversely, The Last Dreamer goes some way to proving the efficacy of that nebulous concept, ‘nervous energy’. If Campbell can be this funny when things go wrong (which, he is apparently convinced, they often do), one can
only imagine how great he would be with a confidence boost and a little more smooth sailing. Which isn’t to say that Campbell salvages every aspect of his act – his self-consciously surreal opening and closing, complete with wacky wigs and costumes, are surplus to requirements, but they don’t spoil the whimsical, distinctive and sometimes purposefully profane material that makes up the bulk of his set. Unlike many comedians overexcited by technological possibilities, Campbell does not include bells and whistles purely for the sake of it, but punctuates the show with carefully employed, effectively realised segments of animation, video footage and slideshows. They only work with his live guidance and, thankfully, they do, be they
memories of an ill-fated romantic cruise on a speedboat, or a theory of how the human body should be rearranged. His interactions with the audience are a mixed bag – Campbell’s far too pleasant to take the coward’s route of using them for fodder, but they tend to interrupt the show’s momentum. Nevertheless, The Last Dreamer is no disaster, contrary to what Campbell may think. It is a work in progress that is rewarding to behold. ✏︎ Sean Bell
David Elms
VENUE: TIME:
Reviews
TICKETS:
35
Pleasance Courtyard 9:30pm – 10:30pm 3–28 Aug £6.50 – £9.50
Midway through his show, David Elms complains that one of his best gags has been ruined by a reviewer who gave away the punchline. So I’ll avoid doing that here. Indeed, there’s not many punchlines to give away as his comedy is not primarily gag-based. He’s a slow-burn, hesitant performer who’s electrifying to watch in his simplicity. He appears to be thinking through his jokes at the same time as his audience, in a show that is clearly far more planned than it pretends. The occasional comic song reveals a studied playfulness, and there is audience
Credit: Oli Ford
Goody Boy HHH
participation which balances gentle ribbing with a sweet inclusivity. It’s a show that can be relaxed into yet requires engaged concentration for its subtleties to be unearthed. The show is ostensibly about Elms’s marriage, and is a love letter to his wife. But in his mangling of metaphors intended to illuminate wedlock he subtly but consistently hints at the institution’s imprisoning tendencies. Such fare could seem quite trite, but it’s worked through using a thoughtful simplic-
ity that means it never gets near to laddish humour criticising harridan wives. As the show’s title suggests, Elms is a good person, and he repeatedly reflects on his own persona, delineating between that he presents onstage and how he is in real life off it. It takes real skill to reveal the prickliness that can lie beneath niceness. In a Fringe crowded with bombastic attention seekers here’s a quiet man who deserves attention. ✏︎ Brett Mills
36 Comedy
Puddles Pity Party: Let’s Go! HHH VENUE:
TIME:
TICKETS:
Assembly George Square Gardens 7:25pm – 8:30pm 4–29 Aug, not 15, 22 £13 – £16
I’ve never seen someone look so nervous while eating a bakewell tart. But then it’s rare to be encouraged to consume cakes by a 6-foot tall clown whose motivations are unclear. Earlier, another punter appeared similarly discombobulated by being offered a cup of coffee. But in Puddles’ hands simple things such as hot drinks and cake become destabilised, in a show whose pleasures rest on a lack of transparency.
Puddles is a beguiling and unmistakable presence, who can often be seen traipsing around Edinburgh. White-faced and wearing a tiny crown, his appearance suggests physical comedy. But he’s a crooner, and the show is primarily centered around his show-stopping delivery of an eclectic set of numbers in unexpected musical styles.There’s no doubting he has a voice, and it’s one that would be at home in 1950s nightclub. But it’s here, coming out of the mouth of a giant clown, proferring pastries. And all this takes place in front of a giant screen
showing film footage that has, at best, a tangential relationship to the song being sung. A narrative of sorts concerning Hollywood film stars appears to be important, but then retreats from view. It seems wilfully pedantic to demand some kind of logic to all this when the singing is so good and the crowd is—for the most part—having a good time. But it does persistently feel like there’s some kind of revelatory payoff that never arrives. Just enjoy the songs and avoid eye contact when the clown’s on the prowl. ✏︎ Brett Mills
your twenties in 2016. Indeed, life hasn’t worked out quite how she hoped. She’s 29 and still single, having had various bad sexual experiences with fellas she met via Tinder and getting invited to weddings. She’s paying extortionate amounts for rent in London and, like so many, struggles with anxiety, depression and self-esteem issues. For all the negativity, she’s an exuberant, smiley performer, belting out West End-style tunes with backing from pianist Joseph Atkins. The humour is a little pe-
destrian but Brennan sells it well. In addition to her own penned songs there are cover numbers including a heartfelt version of The Beatles’ ‘Here Comes the Sun’, which brings tears to the eyes of the front row – she’s clearly striking a chord here. Given that she’s here resplendent in sparkling jumpsuit and eyeshadow to match, serenading a decent sized crowd on a Wednesday night, maybe Brennan is living her dream life more than she thinks. ✏︎ Marissa Burgess
Katie Brennan’s Quarter-Life Crisis HHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Underbelly, George Square 10:50pm – 11:50pm 3–29 Aug, not 15 £8.50 – £10.50
To those further on in life, the prospect of a quarter-life crisis may seem a little ridiculous. Brennan doesn’t help matters by referring to “we” and “us” when talking about her concerns, implying that all in the room are of a similar age to her. But it’s a perfectly valid viewpoint as here, in her musical show, Brennan offers a snapshot of this particular point in her life and, despite still being young, it’s not all prosecco and parties. The show also serves as a snapshot of what it is to be in
Gráinne Maguire Great People Making Great Choices HHH VENUE: TIME:
Reviews
festmag.co.uk
Credit: Idil Sukan
TICKETS:
Pleasance Courtyard 7:15pm – 8:15pm, 3–29 Aug, not 16 £7.50 – £12
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Are stories better than reality? This is the question Gráinne Maguire explores in a show that demonstrates her skill in revealing how fiction and real life intersect, and the dangers of spending too much time escaping from the quotidian. She begins by recounting her preference for tales, whether these arise from the romanticisation of history or the glamour of Hollywood escapism. But she also examines the stories we tell ourselves about our own lives, which enable people to convince themselves that abusive relationships are worth sticking with. It’s a neat conceit, enabling the hour to explore incendiary topics such as Ireland’s abortion laws in a manner that prevents the whole becoming too worthy. And she unpicks the myths that nations tell themselves, arguing that Brexit won simply because it had the better story. This is a smartly structured show which functions pleasingly as a cohesive hour rather than a ragbag of gags. The jokes themselves are similarly well-conceived, drawing on simile and metaphor to offer a lyrical comic voice. It’s a shame, then, that the delivery doesn’t quite hammer them home to their full potential, even if this is a likeable and committed performance. Indeed, there’s an original comic voice here, keen for humour to be politically engaged. A Twitter campaign Maguire started that inadvertently went global demonstrates her desire and ability to highlight ludicrous sexism in a comic and inclusive fashion. These are urgent stories, but ones that need a bit more oomph in the telling. ✏︎ Brett Mills
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Ursula Burns The Dangerous Harpist HHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Stand in the Square 12:20pm – 1:20pm 16–29 Aug £8 – £9
Expanding on the stories of her previous Fringe shows, The Dangerous Harpist finds Ursula Burns swapping the inexplicable South American vocals inspired by her Paraguayan harp for a more straightforward recreation of her life growing up on Belfast’s Falls Road in the 1970s. That’s a relative description though. The madness of everpresent bombs and religion inspires hysteria-fuelled songs
about heaven and hell, and a bizarre Hispanic romance between two characters who have a fetish for the local hospital, attracted by the angelic nurses who nevertheless leave their patients lying in the corridors. Burns’ cynicism about her upbringing is also referenced through an initially melodic number that begins in the womb and gradually swells with despair as it emerges that she’s going to be born into the strife and torment of The Troubles. Her misgivings about learning the harp over the piano are unequivocally shared in ‘I Do It for the Money’. And despite a life spent in the circus and amongst other travelling folk, she’s as uninspired by fey Celtic mysticism as she is by requests for her to play rock songs at weddings and funerals – even if
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she does belt out a bit of Queen. Performing the standout setpiece that first made her name in Edinburgh, making love to her harp to the tune of Snow Patrol’s ‘Chasing Cars’, it’s all a bit risqué for an early afternoon audience. Still, Burns retains a lovely, lilting voice, utterly unique act and enough spikiness and crazy glint in her eye to ensure that you can’t take your eyes off her. ✏︎ Jay Richardson
Scott Gibson
VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Gilded Balloon Teviot 2:45pm – 3:45pm 3–29 Aug £9 – £10
This is a genesis tale, as Scott Gibson recounts how he came to do standup. While a common trope and often hackneyed, Gibson’s route is more engrossing than most. A horrific near-death medical encounter made him see the urgency in following his dreams, and a heartfelt coda at the end of the hour acknowledges how trite all that may sound. But we should be glad he did; this is adroit storytelling which marks him as one to watch. He has a gift for storytelling, and onstage he is personable and open. At first, it seems his tales will follow hackneyed laddish routes as
Credit: Jo Donaldson
Life After Death HHH
he recounts his experiences on a stag do in Blackpool. But it is what happens after that trip which is the real meat of the show, as blinding headaches reveal themselves as significant health problems. The rest of the hour recounts his subsequent treatment and recovery – as he notes, it’s no spoiler to acknowledge that he survived. But this makes the narrative no less gripping, and there are particular descriptions of medical treatment that leave the
audience squirming. In comic terms, he has real skill in finding the humour in mundane details, which helps root the gags in lived experience. This is humour grounded in the everyday, delivered in a charming, conversational style. It’s also a highly cathartic journey, for both performer and audience. His illness gave him the impetus to start standup, and for that we should—just as he is—be grateful. ✏︎ Brett Mills
From Como to Homo HHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Sweet Grassmarket 2:15pm – 3:15pm 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 19, 22 £6 – £8
festmag.co.uk
“I had dreams covered in stardust,” announces Lynne Jassem, and it’s an apt summary of her autobiographical hour. Recounting her experiences as a child TV star in the States, she points to pictures of her seven-year-old self as a singer and dancer supporting Perry Como. Unsurprisingly this is a cutthroat business, and her pushy and limelight-grabbing mother looms large throughout. There are tales of her times with her singing coach
his material was stronger or more inventive. Drawing on contributions from the crowd he improvises a song about motor racing, which eventually finds some decent comic moments but takes a long time getting there. Another song recounts his love affair with a sheep, which contains some comic wordplay but feels like an idea other comedians have mined more thoroughly and savagely. The audience is asked to read out
the answers from Trivial Pursuits cards, for which he improvises comic questions – but these are no more quick-witted or creative than those a bunch of drunken bantering lads would proffer. He has fans, though. Half the audience has seen him before, and there’s a queue afterwards to sign up to his newsletter. There’s clearly space for this kind of laidback humour, and there’s a crowd at the Fringe keen to find it. ✏︎ Brett Mills
Indoor Fireworks HH
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that she only manages to cover her first few decades in the hour, and it’s a shame that the narrative is not brought up to date. But there’s a final duet that suggests resolution and is powerful in its symbolic simplicity. She’s not ready to be shunted off into the wings. ✏︎ Brett Mills
Silky
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and ballet teacher, and Jassem embodies her memories as she brings these formative years to life. So far, so showbiz. But there’s a twist. She sings ‘If I was a Boy’, and tells of her growing realisation of her attraction to her female costars. In an age of simplistic and limiting onscreen gender roles she discovered she liked being seen as a tomboy. And she develops a male alter ego—Billy—whom she serenades in the mirror. This is a highly theatrical show, evidencing decades of stagecraft. Jassem sings, tap dances and acts; you get your money’s worth. And it’s a cathartic experience, as she recounts long-standing medical problems that problematise her gender identity and which resulted in decades of psychotherapy. There’s so much to cram in here
Credit: Keli Squires Taylor
Lynne Jassem
The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4 1:15pm – 2:15pm 4–28 Aug, not 15 £7 – £8
The show may be called Indoor Fireworks but there’s little explosive here. Silky is a low-key comedian, welcoming the crowd as they enter the venue, and thanking them—by name—as they leave at the end. This is a gentle hour of comedy, which might be just what some punters need amid the chaos and energy swarming Edinburgh during its festival season. Silky has the demeanour of an amusing friend telling anecdotes in the pub, and he works hard to ensure the audience is at ease. As such he’s clearly a very nice bloke, and I feel churlish wishing
40 Comedy
Ayesha Hazarika Tales from the Pink Bus HH VENUE: TIME:
Gilded Balloon Run ended
Prior to her eight-year stint in the upper echelons of the Labour party working as Harriet Harman’s chief of staff and special adviser to Ed Miliband, Ayesha Hazarika cut her teeth on the comedy circuit. She attended the same coaching course as Greg Davies and Rhod Gilbert, but while those two went on to make names for themselves through panel show and sitcom appearances, Hazarika became a fixture in the bizarre, unstable world of mainstream politics. Her return to standup is wholly focused on her professional experience of the 2015 general election. Throughout this period, Labour
Jiggle & Hyde Present Sketchy Mother Pluckers HH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
theSpace @ Jury’s Inn 10:00pm – 10:50pm 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21 £5 – £7
There are some curious venues at this year’s Fringe—a shed, a truck, a hairdressing salon—but few odder experiences than awaiting a show at Jury’s Inn. Unsuspecting ticket holders find themselves lurking on a stairwell outside a toilet between two upper floors of the hotel, often in eerie silence, as is the British way. Which possibly isn’t the sort of audience warmup Jiggle & Hyde would prefer. Then again, they’re better equipped than most to magic
was haunted by calamity, making headlines with a series of gaffes that would have been laughable had the stakes not been so high. Hazrika was uniquely positioned to observe these goings on unfiltered by media spin. It’s unfortunate that what she’s chosen to present to us in Tales from the Pink Bus is a checklist of events we’re likely to remember, and a series of anecdotes that play to established public perception of her colleagues. Rather than criticise the media for its immature and
✏︎ Lewis Porteous
up some energy. This youthful duo—aka Jen Wakefield and Vicki Sargent—are making their Fringe debut with Sketchy Mother Pluckers, and bringing fresh attitude to the comedy section. They’re actually billed as ‘comedy/dance’, which sounds about right, as there are some fierce moves and beats between the sketches. Sadly the subsequent material frequently lets them down. In a sense, this is quite a classic comedy pairing, the type where you wonder how they ever met. Sargent is a regular middle-class aspiring actor; Wakefield a streetdance blogger and Vibe FM host. That tension seems ripe with comic potential. As the title suggests, though, the show is seriously sketchy, particularly when they veer away from fresher subject matter. There’s a recurring pastiche of Supernanny, a show that stopped being newsworthy years ago, and one bizarre bit
about a horrible Northern date that is just that: horrible. Jiggle & Hyde have a decent half hour of material, and with stronger writing you could imagine a supposedly youth-oriented channel like BBC Three taking a punt on some authentic beats and bants. Or would the Beeb cramp their style? ✏︎ Si Hawkins
unethical bullying of Ed Miliband, the comic uses this opportunity to belatedly stick the boot in. If you didn’t already know, he can be a bit awkward and clumsy. She ends her set by rightly condemning the monopoly affluent white men have on power and calling for more women and minorities to be represented in politics. Unfortunately, this reasonable point loses currency when tacked on to an hour’s worth of shallow tabloid-style pandering.
festmag.co.uk
Alex Kealy is an Idea Whose Time Has Come
amusement—but Kealy lacks the ability or perhaps even desire to put his material’s strengths across. Instead, he’s memorised a technically impressive script and HH is treating the gig as an exercise in recall. We can usually tell whenever VENUE: Underbelly Med Quad a joke’s been made because his TIME: 9:50pm – 10:50pm speech trails off, his eyes locking 3–29 Aug, not 17 upon the ground as he mutters to TICKETS: £8.50 – £10.50 himself. Occasionally he’ll offer up quips, generally those concerning Alex Kealy is a comedian in the sense that he stands before us with sex, in a booming tone of mock an act intended to provoke laughter. confidence for which he swiftly But he falls short of more romantic apologises. Dealing mostly with the Brexit definitions of the word. He’s no campaign, Kealy’s monologue natural clown and shows little shows a strong authorial voice, but evidence of comedy having been a falls on deaf ears as the audience calling for him so much as something he’s approached like a maths itches to escape his awkward presence. No effort is made to kickstart equation. All the trappings are in place—a microphone centre stage, the gig. Most troubling of all is that our an appropriately chequered shirt host seems to hold himself in and tousled hair, a crowd eager high regard over his peers. An onto be amused by a man peddling
the-nose running joke references the myriad comics whose show titles are little more than puns on their surname. Are these virtually indistinguishable acts hacks? They could well be, but at least they aspire to entertain us in some way. ✏︎ Lewis Porteous
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nificant age she’s about to hit. Not 25 is a trawl through the comic’s life so far, which has certainly been Not 25 eventful. In fact, it’s a little curious HH that she went for that ambiguous title and hasn’t made more of her VENUE: Southsider unique history. TIME: 8:15pm – 9:15pm This show could easily have 6–27 Aug, not 12, 19 been called I Lived with One DirecTICKETS: FREE tion, which she did while working “I’m being drowned out by Celtic in reality TV. Or Nearly Yoda’s Wife, again,” smiles Jo Coffey. Ah, the which she almost was, having glamour. Coffey, “the circuit’s been invited to audition by Star fourth shortest comic”, she reckWars’ highest-profile short person, ons, is indeed forced to compete Warwick Davis. with intermittent roars from this Unfortunately, rather than weavpub’s football-watching clientele, ing these fascinating stories—and but isn’t fazed. She gets pretty loud there are more—into one eventtoo, most notably while playing a filled narrative, Coffey really just Croatian Amy Winehouse imperuses them to introduce a series of sonator who winds up screaming characters, which invariably don’t at a dog. work. Just as you’re marvelling at Coffey is one of several acts some bewildering fact—Yoda was who’ve gone for a mock Adele almarried?—she curtails that tale by bum cover for their poster this year, wandering off to throw on an outfit. and here the title relates to a sigCoffey is a natural, confident
Credit: Matt Frost
Jo Coffey
storyteller, and by just cutting down the characters and upping the anecdotes this show could really make a splash. Which is one benefit of keeping it low-key: there’s always next year. ✏︎ Si Hawkins
42 Theatre
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The TOa d K ne w � JAMES THIERRÉE / COMPAGNIE DU HANNETON
‘FLAMBOYANT, HALLUCINATORY AND RAVISHINGLY BEAUTIFUL’
24–28 AUGUST BOOK NOW EIF.CO.UK 0131 473 2000
THE MAGICAL WORLD OF ACROBAT, POET, CLOWN AND MAGICIAN JAMES THIERRÉE
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THE GUARDIAN
On the Conditions and Possibilities of Hillary Clinton Taking Me as Her Young Lover Politics, sex and the intergenerational divide in one of the smartest pieces of writing at this year's Fringe
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Theatre
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44 Theatre
League Table 1
JOAN ««««« Joan of Arc, brought to vivid, funny life as you’ve never seen her before
2
Dublin Oldschool ««««« An exhilarating take on rave culture in the Irish capital, with two talented rapping actors as your guides
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On the Conditions and Possibilities of Hillary Clinton Taking Me as Her Young Lover ««««« An astute deconstruction of generational attitudes to sex and politics in the form of a hilarious performance lecture
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Walking:Holding ««««« Rosana Cade’s gentle one-on-one walking tour puts the power of human connection in the spotlight
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May-WeGo-Round? «««« Sex and dating explored through contemporary dance, physical theatre, clowning and storytelling
On the Conditions and Possibilities of Hillary Clinton Taking Me as Her Young Lover HHHHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Summerhall 1:05pm – 2:05pm 5–28 Aug, not 15, 22 £10 – £12
Richard Meros BA is the ultimate millennial charlatan. In his mind, he’s an academic; in reality he’s unemployed. This alterego of performer Arthur Meek delivers one of the smartest bits of writing at this year’s Fringe. Ostensibly, it’s a lecture rationalising why Hillary Clinton should take him as her lover, which includes getting the audience to send her letters. In fact, it’s an astute deconstruction of generational divides. Meek’s suave, smug performance as his conceited, right-wing alterego Richard Meros is spot on—“All I want is better transport, healthcare and education,” he tells us. “And lower taxes”—but it’s the stunning script, by Meek and Geoff Pinfield, that makes this show extraordinary. Every line is stuffed with blink-andyou’ll-miss-it wordplay, with a heady fusion of high and low-culture references. Meek debases the academic
veneer by stuffing the lecture with nods to Coleridge and Miley Cyrus in the same breath. It’s deeply, provocatively political too. The topics in Meek’s sights are many, all skewered with sharp satirical wit. The sexualisation of young women, particularly celebrities, is scrutinised and set against the straight-laced primness of politicians like Clinton. How absurd the idea, we’re supposed to think, that “America’s Next Top Momma” might take a young New Zealander as her lover. And yet how quickly we got over Bill’s indiscretion. In a dizzying climax, the lecture swirls into mise en abyme as Meros imagines himself delivering the lecture to Hillary herself, starting from the beginning over and over again. Meek and Pinfield manipulate language with masterful dexterity. Don’t be fooled into thinking that superb euphemisms and intelligent smut are all this is. It’s comedy for a generation of Googlers, with allusions that speak to breadth rather than depth of knowledge, and it’s top-notch satire to boot. ✏︎ Tim Bano
Walking:Holding HHHHH Out of the Blue Drill Hall run ended
festmag.co.uk
It’s difficult to overstate the brilliance of Rosana Cade’s exquisitely simple, radically generous one-onone walking tour. The premise— participants holding hands with a series of volunteers of different ages, genders, disability statuses, races and sexualities on a short stroll through the streets—invites reflection on how we read people in public and how we understand ourselves in different environments, as well as the fundamental importance of human connection. As a queer person, I’ve often been afraid to hold hands. I’ve always had a certain awareness of how welcoming and safe a space
We Live By the Sea HHHH VENUE: TIME:
Reviews
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Pleasance Courtyard 4:30pm – 5:30pm 3–29 Aug, not 15 £6 – £9
A small, overcrowded, swelteringly hot room at the Fringe is not exactly the ideal space for a show that discusses autism, but Patch of Blue make it work in this delightful ensemble piece. Building on solid groundwork laid out in Back to Blackbrick at last year’s festival, the company return with another moving yet gloriously mischievous show. 15-year-old Katy (Alex Brain) is autistic. She tells us that every question must have a correct answer. Every story must have a beginning, middle and end. Her own
Credit: Pari Naderi
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is – a sixth sense for danger that will be familiar to anyone in a non-heterosexual relationship. I’m also just not much of a hand-holder – blame the fear of sweaty palms, the awkwardness of squeezing past people on a narrow pavement, and the vulnerability that can come with sustained physical contact. Any nerves quickly dissipated as I met my first partner. Participants are welcome to chat with their companions, or to simply enjoy the silence. On my trip through the
Leith streets near Forest Fringe, I did a mixture of both – hand in hand around car parks, playgrounds and supermarkets. Without any pressure, I found myself in a series of surprisingly open and revealing conversations. One of my partners—who has agoraphobia—admitted that every time he holds someone’s hand for this project, he feels a little bit braver. Thanks to this experience, I’m feeling bolder and more connected too. ✏︎ Billy Barrett
Credit; Patch of Blue Theatre
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is set in a seaside town where she lives with her 19-year-old sister, Hannah (Alexandra Simonet), and her imaginary dog, Paul Williams (Elizabath Williams). Life has been lonely for the parentless sisters until the arrival of Ryan (Lloyd Bagley), who forms a lasting friendship with Katy. We Live By the Sea doesn’t shy away from frank discussions around the challenge of living with autism, but also celebrates the value of dismantling ignorance toward the condition. It humbly presents Katy’s life with nuance and con-
sideration, depicting her need for order, certainty, routine, but also her equal desire to lose control and have fun like everyone else. The coastal setting provides gorgeous imagery—full of picturesque cottages and warm sandy beaches—as accompanying folksy songs are performed by a live band. While there are definitely one or two things to work on— Ryan’s backstory is underwritten and his assimilation is slightly implausible—We Live By the Sea superbly captures a rich life in motion. ✏︎ Andrew Latimer
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Assembly @ Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh: West Gate 6:45pm – 8:30pm various dates between 6 Aug and 20 Aug £12 – £15
There are moments during the Fringe when you feel like there’s nowhere else you’d rather be, and nothing else you’d rather be doing. Sitting in the evening sun with a picnic in the Royal Botanic Garden while watching Shakespeare is one of those. In part, this is none of The HandleBards doing. Outdoor Shakespeare—especially when it’s not raining—is a British classic. There is a lot of hummous and
A Good Clean Heart HHHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Underbelly, Cowgate 6:40pm – 7:40pm 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22 £9 – £11
Bilingualism is buried in the genes of Alun Saunders’ beautifully crafted play, told in Welsh and English. It’s inspired, in part, by his own experience of adopting two children – and his realisation that so many birth siblings are fostered separately, growing up with completely different cultural identities. Jay and Hefin are one such pair: Hefin is a Welsh speaker with a loving nuclear family, while Jay lives with his chaotic birth mother in London. Carl Davies’ ingenious,
crudites being nibbled here. But what The HandleBards do makes this it all a little bit more special. Their ‘thing’—they have cycled 1,500 miles, dragging themselves and their sets the length of the country—is more than a gimmick. It lends to this energetic production the air of a travelling troupe of players, tapping into a long history of theatrical happening. Their performance of Much Ado About Nothing is not about breaking with the old, or mining the text for new meaning. It’s about revelling in tradition, making the most of the ribald sauciness of Shakespeare’s comedy – having fun with the words rather than worrying about the characters. And the four-strong team do indeed have fun with the words, which they know inside out and back to front. Of course, being a four-man troupe does have its limitations – however slickly they work together.
There are some nice touches used to delineate the multiple characters they must all take on – the ding of a bicycle bell providing a fitting and pacey marker of role change. But it’s a big obstacle, and you need to have read your York Notes or risk confusion. The cast engage out-of-character with the audience beautifully, and could use more of this time and skill to give a bit of a primer before they begin. They needn’t worry about it taking the sheen off a fun, fast freewheel through Shakespeare at his hey-nonny-nonniest. ✏︎ Evan Beswick
versatile set design morphs from a Welsh bus shelter to the New Cross living room where Hefin meets Jay, the mixed-race half brother he barely knows. James Ifan is volatile, but gentle as Hefin, an awkward teenager who’s prone to bursts of articulate fury. And Oliver Wellington’s charisma shines through the slightly less nuanced role of Jay, the caring older brother who’s still firmly off the rails. It’s a story that’s naturally bilingual, skipping between English and Welsh and privileging neither. Projected surtitles highlight the brothers’ misunderstandings as they learn to understand each other: when Hefin tells Jay “caru ti” (love you), he hears it as “cuppa tea?”. But the play’s linguistic tour-deforce comes when the brothers rap in Welsh and English to Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Bonkers’, in a riotous moment
of cross-cultural silliness. Although Jay’s home life with his birth mother is painted in bleak terms, he’s almost too good, never expressing fury or frustration at the life he’s trapped in. But the gulfs between the brothers’ two languages expose deeper cracks: the yawning injustice of the world they’re born into, and divided by. ✏︎ Alice Saville
Credit: Oliver Wellington
The HandleBards: Much Ado About Nothing
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Tobacco Tea Theatre Company The Accidental Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 8 – 29 Aug 14.00 C
A Series of Unfortunate Breakups
Grey Matter
Reviews
With more than 200 shows and events across our venues in the heart of Edinburgh, we celebrate our 25th Fringe with an inspiring international programme of cabaret, comedy, circus, dance, musicals, theatre and family shows. See it all with C venues.
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48 Theatre
The Vaudevillains HHHH
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TICKETS:
Assembly George Square Gardens 10:10pm – 11:20pm 4–28 Aug, not 16 £12.50 – £16
A solitary man dressed in a red top hat and frock coat appears on stage. He turns out to be the compere for tonight’s entertainment at the fictional EmpireTheatre. Ray the Blade, a knife-thrower, saunters on to join him.Together they sing the first of the show’s catchy songs, ‘Tonight at the Empire’, doing so with a suitably fin de siècle flair. Other circus artistes appear. First Gaston the mime, then the Siamese Striplets, a saucy trio in the widest costume you’ll see this Fringe, and so on and so on. All of a sudden a shot rings out
The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro HHHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
artSpace@StMarks times vary 11–29 Aug, not 16, 21, 23 £15
For the second year running Scottish company Stellar Quines have taken a Canadian story and given it a Scottish cast. And for the second year running, it’s a delight. Last year it was Jennifer Tremblay’s trilogy of monologues; this year Linda McLean’s adaptation of stories by Nobel laureate Alice Munro. It’s pure storytelling, narrated in the third person by a cast of five who adopt the roles of the Laidlaws, a 19th-century Scottish family crossing the Atlantic to start a new life in Canada. The Laidlaws
and, to our horror, we discover that Charlie, owner of the Empire Theatre, has been murdered. But who killed him? The show turns into a murder mystery, in which the various circus characters become suspects. Dark secrets from people’s pasts start coming to light as the investigation gets underway. Every one of them turns out to have a motive for doing away with Charlie. This is a show filled with convincing performances: the knife thrower has real menace as he swaggers; the Siamese Striplets combine
a soiled innocence with knowing laughter. Other roles are played with just as much conviction and finesse. The music, performed live by the actors, pulses with energy and mayhem. With so many red herrings, it’s impossible to work out who murdered Charlie before we reach the denouement. And we’re so involved by this stage that we’re desperate for some answers. “Through the smoke and the mirrors we are having such fun,” says one of the characters. The same is equally true for the audience. ✏︎ Helen Fowler
actually existed, as historical records show, just one family among the estimated million Scots who sought the New World. The stories that Munro collected expose the small joys and the simple tragedies of family life, but there’s also a chilling parallel with the millions of people still boarding, in Munro’s words, “leaky sepulchres” to escape poverty and war. Munro’s elegant, uncomplicated prose is the focus here, but it’s accentuated by careful touches of theatricality. When baby James goes missing on board ship, his aunt Mary (Nicola Jo Cully) runs up and down the aisles of St Mark’s Church in her desperate search for him. When a child dies on board, a white bundled sheet in the shape of a bairn is unravelled into nothing – followed, movingly, by total silence. Old hymns and new compositions by Pippa Murphy evoke the ancient Scottish landscape that
the Laidlaws are leaving behind. Under Marilyn Imrei’s direction it’s almost possible to feel the churning and listing of the ship as it crosses the Atlantic, its passengers facing the wrench of leaving an old home behind, and the tense excitement of building a new one on the other side of the world. ✏︎ Tim Bano
Credit: Alan McCredie
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Lost in Blue HHH VENUE: TIME:
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Summerhall 11:30am – 1:00pm 16–28 Aug, not 22 £9 – £12
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van Gogh in Arles. A loop station augments the story with a subtle soundscape. Nothing overbearing, just touches like a dripping leak or the hum of an aeroplane cabin. The Summerhall acoustics swallow her voice at times and some of the swifter phrases are tricky to hear, but Newbold’s warmth as a storyteller overrides any flaws. In its careful, colourful layers it’s as textural as a painting; in its use of motif it sings like a piece of music. ✏︎ Tim Bano
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Vivid symbols, like open palms and clenched fists, echo throughout each strand of the narrative, finding different meaning in each character’s story; and by referring so frequently to paint and to colours Newbold plays to the imagination’s instinct for creating images. As rooted in reality as the story is, it’s not without touches of magic and surrealism. Newbold takes us into the minds of all of these characters, including dad Paul who, in his comatose state, imagines he is living in the blue room of Vincent
Pleasance Courtyard 12:45pm – 1:45pm 3–29 Aug, not 10, 24 £6 – £9
Fiona Nash (Annie McKenzie) doesn’t know why she’s here. She has returned to a cliff top on the south coast, close to where her family ran a hotel. Upon hearing the news that her mother has died, she is preparing a eulogy. Has she come to Beachy Head for inspiration, contemplation or simply to escape from the stifling heat of London? Nash rummages around the bloody wound of bereavement and begins to question her sense of purpose; without her mother, she feels understandably lost and
Credit: AnnieMcKenzie
festmag.co.uk
Colours weave through Debs Newbold’s narrative and swirl in the mind’s eye, particularly red and blue, opposites and equals, as she tells the story of a fragmented family. Returning from Sydney to Birmingham with her mother, 18-yearold Annie attempts to find her feet in a strange place. Her father is in a coma, has been for 15 years, but Annie thinks her presence could change that. Like her dad, she wants to be an artist. Newbold brings a tight thematic unity to this skilfully told story.
alone. Shifting between spoken word and straight speech, she tries to make sense of a world that’s been dramatically torn apart. Existence is now precarious – perhaps hinted at a little too obviously by setting this play on the edge of a cliff. McKenzie gives a bruised, sincere performance as Nash, attempting to disentangle her discordant emotions but remain stern now that she has nobody to look to for support. Her lines are delivered at a startling pace, at times without enough opportunity for pause so
that we might take in her grief. There are moments of genuine hurt here, which are made to feel all the more poignant when McKenzie uses puppets to go on humorous detours. But this feels like 60 minutes of a much longer play. The narrative dots are never quite connected and we’re treated to an hour of disjointed reflections on loss. McKenzie is able to maintain the momentum with plenty of energy, but its over-simplistic vision of life without loved ones needs greater clarity. ✏︎ Andrew Latimer
50 Theatre
Pond Wife
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TICKETS:
Underbelly, Cowgate 1:20pm – 2:20pm 4–28 Aug, not 15 £8 – £10
The Little Mermaid is cast into the real world in performance duo Holly & Ted’s unusual retelling of the classic story. Here, in a piece about feminism where the top of the ocean is called ‘the glass ceiling’, the mermaid loses her voice in exchange for lungs, befriends a nineties popstar and helps her write a smash hit. It’s sort of a coming-of-age story, except slightly bizarre and with a huge number of nineties pop songs thrown in for good measure. Holly Norrington andTeddy Lamb recite lyrics as if they’re scripts, with snatches of All Saints, Spice Girls
Your Majesties HHH VENUE: TIME:
Dance Base run ended
In 2009, shortly after assuming office, Barack Obama stood in Oslo and accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. When he acknowledged that the decision to award him such an honour had been controversial, his understatement actually drew some laughs. It was as appropriate a response as any. The spectacle of the President of the United States accepting a peace prize while American forces were embroiled in two wars could only be processed so many ways. When Obama continued by speaking of “the world as it is”, and endorsing warfare as both necessary and acceptable, one could laugh or cry. It makes
and many, many more played over the top. Some lovely visual touches lift this show, like glitter and ribbons blown by a huge fan to create a swirling underwater world. But there’s a strange, slow awkwardness to the performances, particularly Lamb’s, which seems neither entirely natural nor deliberate. Using just an old bath and lots of sparkly things, Holly & Ted put
a familiar story through their own unique lens. Some of it works, some of it clunks.There’s a message in here about women and celebrity, especially that unique brand of nineties singer whose styles, songs, entire lives were dictated by male producers. Although fun—particularly hearing some blasts of nostalgia—it’s a bit slight and its message could be clearer. ✏︎ Tim Bano
little difference. In Your Majesties, the double-act of Marta Navaridas and Alex Deutinger re-enact Obama’s speech, using interpretative dance as a counterpoint to the President’s apparently earnest rhetoric. Deutinger, having impressively mastered Obama’s distinctive verbal mannerisms, acts as a human puppet to Navaridas, who stands above the action and the audience, pulling his strings and leading him on in a series of movements that range from metaphorical to emotional to clownish. The impossibility of Obama’s position, the disingenuousness of the military policies he has pursued, and the gulf between words and action are all highlighted, sometimes plainly, but more often with a welcome degree of subtlety. Using nothing but loose paper, a chair and the original text of Obama’s Nobel speech,
Navaridas and Deutinger strike a difficult balance between speech, hidden meanings, observed reality and private contemplation. As befits a dance of interpretation, the political conclusions of Your Majesties are left up to us. ✏︎ Sean Bell
Credit: Daniel Schmidt
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Credit: Will Patrick
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UNMISSABLE THEATRE MADE IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND
11.00am
EQUATIONS FOR A MOVING BODY
‘So interesting, engaging and relatable. Beautifully human.’ Audience member
1.00pm
PEOPLE OF THE EYE
A personal story following a family finding their way through the deaf world.
2.45pm
SACRÉ BLUE (6–16 Aug only) ‘a fun packed, punk rocking, poetry slamming play.’ NARC Magazine
2.45pm
600 PEOPLE (18–27 Aug only) Stand-up meets astrophysics, exploring the stories we tell to understand our place in the cosmos.
4.50pm
PUTTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER
Part riotous gig, part tender storytelling.
6.30pm
E15
A truthful retelling of the Focus E15 Campaign, Britain’s housing crisis and how one group of women refused to be marginalised.
8.15pm
TWO MAN SHOW
Two women play two women playing two men.
10.05pm WHERE
DO ALL THE DEAD PIGEONS GO? I could give you the answer right now… but it would ruin the show.
Book now:
Venue 26c
0131 226 0000
northernstage.co.uk/edinburgh 51
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★★ The Independent “Extraordinary” ★ The Stage
16:00
3-29 AUG (not 15)
“A total delight... See it, see it!” Total Theatre Magazine “Breathtaking… accomplished… hilarious” ★★ The Herald
Theatre
“Outstanding”
Terra Incognita VENUE: TIME:
festmag.co.uk
TICKETS:
Zoo Southside 1:50pm – 2:40pm 14–29 Aug £8 – £10
Climate change poses a problem for the performing arts. How can such a monumental threat to humanity ever be properly comprehended, interpreted and represented?There’s a difficult balance to strike between optimism and pessimism, and a decision to make on which is more likely to inspire audiences to try to affect change. This physical theatre piece opts for the morbidly apocalyptic.Temper Theatre offer a series of visions that choreographically imagine the destruction of the natural world, intercut with recordings and satirical sequences of politicians bickering
Fat Girls Don’t Dance HHH VENUE: TIME:
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Underbelly, Cowgate 2:50pm – 3:50pm 4–28 Aug, not 16 £8 – £10
Poet Maria Ferguson revisits one of her first artistic passions— contemporary dance—to explore the relationship between body image, fitness, beauty and performance. In this funny yet purposely exhausting one-person show, Ferguson puts her body through the wringer by enacting various dance and physical fitness drills. Ferguson explains that she always wanted to be a performer. On the surface, she realises this very ambition by singing and dancing along to
Credit: Harry Villiers
HHH
ineffectively over under-ambitious preventative measures. Dramatic scenes of urban violence erupt between the movement sections, as resources run dry and cities become uninhabitable.There’s clearly real anger and fear driving this piece—its programme is full of references to recent political and corporate failures to address the scale of the problem—but that rigour and detail doesn’t always come through particularly subtly in the work itself. However, the movement is technically impressive and often im-
aginative – strikingly lit, it’s certainly aesthetically pleasing and moving to watch.The sizeable cast develop some hauntingly beautiful motifs, at one point coming together to form a giant puppet of a ghostly, decaying fish drifting through the poisoned oceans; and at another holding an arrestingly still pose under a whirling snow machine.There’s a central narrative of a couple journeying through the ecological end of days, which puts a touchingly human—if a little sentimental—face on the issue. ✏︎ Billy Barrett
songs by Craig David and Culture Club. Yet beneath this, she also develops a language and discourse on imagination and dancers’ bodies; what punishing expectations dictate conventional definitions? It becomes clear that Ferguson is deconstructing the points at which impossible beauty standards for women, popular culture and the performativity of physical endurance intersect. She repeats and re-performs her lines and training routines over and over again to scrutinise how habit turns to control turns to loss of control. It’s particularly applicable at the Fringe, when performers have a fixed time slot for a whole month, a central point which all other routines orbit. Thus, the very act of performing a show about control gradually begins to convulse, before churning into chaos. Yet this conception of losing control against the social pressure
to maintain discipline is never fully challenged. Particular tropes, such as running on stage to the point of fatigue, have been used time and again by performers aiming to literally demonstrate—and thereby critique—endurance. Ferguson herself is completely disarming and intends to create neutral ground for dialogue, but too often does this performance rely solely on formula. ✏︎ Andrew Latimer
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TICKETS:
C venues – C south 5:15pm – 7:00pm 4–29 Aug £7.50 – £11.50
Theatre BreadHit and Samuel Baguette transport Hamlet to a slaughterhouse in South Korea, as competing capitalists vie for market control. What is at first an effective mutation of the original text—allowing the company to entwine gangster narratives with classic interpretations of mistaken identity—quickly descends into a farce. The struggle for the throne and
Faslane HH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Summerhall 7:15pm – 8:15pm 3–28 Aug, not 4, 15 £7 – £10
After communicating the storage location of British nuclear warheads near Faslane naval base, theatre maker Jenna Watt announces, “That’s not top secret. That’s on the MoD website.” Unfortunately, about 95% of Watt’s show on contemporary debates surrounding nonproliferation also involves a relatively academic recitation of facts. Members of Watt’s family work at the Faslane site on the west coast of Scotland. She attempts to connect the dots between her personal tie to the base, her family’s political stance and her engagement with political activists and
der the skin of its characters. They are all grossly prototypical and the actors effectively shout their lines for the full 105 minutes. This almost verges on endurance theatre for audiences, as the performances are often so comically overblown that we are given no moment’s rest. It’s clear that this in itself is not some connected commentary to the observation that we are basically all animals at root; instead, it comes across as ultra-macho and bland. ✏︎ Andrew Latimer
the wider resistance movement. She presents many sides of the nuclear case, careful to highlight any ethical or authorial dilemmas which might afflict her commentary with bias. But theatrically, Faslane is totally lopsided. Watt spends so much time feeding us the basics that the dramatic payoff never quite rings true. Her show is bursting with essential questions, particularly regarding how the younger generation may play a pivotal role in disrupting foreign policy, either through art, direct action or a combination of the two. But there is nothing here that audiences can’t get from reading the journalist Ian Jack or listening to an interview with Noam Chomsky. Watt is frustrated by failing to comprehend the enormity of nuclear war. But simply voicing this frustration is too cheap. Nobody can grasp the scale of the horror unless exposed to it; how else,
then, can live performance interrogate this sense of the terrible unknown, the petrifying threat of annihilation? A nimbler experimentation with form might voice an initial response. ✏︎ Andrew Latimer
Theatre
(after Hamlet)
the protagonist’s descent into madness is told as Hamlet’s father, chief executive of the slaughterhouse, is killed by Claudius. As he assumes control of the business and begins to literally wipe out any competition, Hamlet records the corrupt inner workings of the factory, threatening to expose its management. Still, nobody is prepared to believe Hamlet, denouncing his revelations as delusional hallucinations. The pursuit of holding power to account is what starts to drive Hamlet mad. In this, the audience is filmed and projected onto a large screen, as we become complicit in this corruption by our silent witness. It’s unfortunate that the play’s focus on bloody violence—including scene after scene of skirmishes, rape and murder—fails to get un-
Credit: Mihaela Bodlovic
The Song of Beast
Foehn Effect HH VENUE: TIME:
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Credit: Massay
festmag.co.uk
TICKETS:
C venues – C nova 7:00pm – 8:00pm, 14–29 Aug £7.50 – £10.50
The Foehn effect—a meteorological phenomenon resulting in a hot dry wind—has a lot to answer for. According to this bleak and unapolagetically gruelling monologue, the intense heat has been known to agitate people to such a degree that it’s often taken into consideration by the courts when putting someone on trial. The crime in question in this show is a horrific assault, robbery and rape. A lone woman walking to the airport on a hot Spanish night is attacked at knife point, leaving deep psychological as well as physical wounds. Her experience is recounted with fraught sincerity under the unrelenting light of a single lamp, a camcorder live feeding close-ups of her nervously wringing hands onto the wall behind. It’s disarmingly direct, and probes the experience with disturbing detail into how sexual trauma can cause long-term damage to a person’s relationship to their own mind and body. But as a piece of theatre, it’s frustratingly flat. Majorcan company Res de Res— whose powerfully atmospheric, 10-minute dance piece (remor) won a Total Theatre award at this venue back in 2012—seems to be only tangentially involved here, in a collaboration with Christina Gavel and En Blanc. It’s an entirely different theatrical proposition, but one which takes far fewer risks – the monologue format depends on captivating writing, and while this is certainly graphic and hard-hitting at times, it operates on only one fairly straightforward, underdeveloped level. ✏︎ Billy Barrett
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TICKETS:
Underbelly Med Quad 3:20pm – 4:20pm 3–29 Aug, not 17, £8 – £11
Plays are often praised for feeling timely. But Abbie Spallen’s new play feels anything but: it’s a satire of a Britain that’s obsessed with punishing paedophiles and criminals, at a time when the refugee crisis and atrocities overseas have just about made the country rediscover its collective social conscience. And the supposedly humane approach it proposes is anything but liberal. Poena 5X1 is a drug designed to inflict unimaginable pain on criminals, making them relive their darkest moments. Bryony Adams is an apparently liberal scientist who’s tasked with developing it, working
Cold/Warm HH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Pleasance Courtyard 12:45pm – 1:45pm 3–29 Aug, not 16 £6 – £9
Florence Read’s critique of mental health may well serve as a type of dramatic counterpoint to the abundance of direct, confessional shows about this subject at the Fringe. Her one-person play provides sporadically enlightening reflections on the way in which society creates outcasts of the mentally ill, but this is sadly lost in an often clumsy script and strained central performance. Cold/Warm’s reclusive protagonist (played by Ieuan Perkins) gazes down from his shabby tower block flat to a city that has rejected
in the bizarre belief that psychological torture is an appropriate way to reduce prison overcrowding, or to deter terrorists. Director Robert Shaw stages Spallen’s monologue as a lecture, presented by Adams to an audience of medical industry professionals. But although the lecturn, malfunctioning slideshow and power suit are all in evidence, there’s nothing scientific about the philosophical quandary she presents. It’s hard to think of someone of any political stripe who’d be happy with a situation where paedophiles were punished by being slipped a drug that out-nasties any medieval torture device, then let loose, still traumatised, onto the streets. And it makes even less sense as an anti-terrorism measure: how could the threat of a painful few hours of chemical torture ever hope to deter suicide bombers? Shaw directs a glitchy, dream-
like production suggestive of the weird grip that Poena 5X1 holds over its victims. And Cathy Conneff’s solo performance is strong, switching from iron resolution to self-doubt as she sees the drug slip into the wrong hands. But with logic this fuzzy at work, its attempts at psychological realism feel as torturous as a prison-sponsored bad trip. ✏︎ Alice Saville
him. He ponders the disconnection between his own existence and those of commuters, barking about failed relationships and odd neighbours, and spending hours writing disgruntled letters to the council. His rare contact with the outside world is via cold callers—from proselytisers to estate agents—as he also contemplates the treatment of his recently hospitalised mother. The problem is that none of these inner torments link up. As one grievance ends, the next begins, and a stronger sense of how this character slowly loses control would ensure that the final emotional payoff rewards audiences. Perkins himself gives an aptly neurotic, antsy performance as a man descending into despair. He constantly repeats himself, a blatant character quirk that comes
across as irritating after a while. Cold/Warm is struggling to articulate a message on the intersection of broken social relationships and depression. Read provides plenty of detail about the character’s life but fails to tie its importance to the reason for his suffering, to the extent that we’re frustratingly left in the dark. ✏︎ Andrew Latimer
Theatre
HH
Credit: Richard Davenport
Poena 5X1
Ten Storey Love Song HH VENUE: TIME:
festmag.co.uk
Credit: Jerome Whittingham
TICKETS:
Pleasance Dome 5:20pm – 6:35pm, 3–29 Aug, not 4, 16 £6.50 – £10
57
Middlesborough, massacred by Maggie Thatcher, is “a chain gang of chain stores” in Richard Milward’s second novel. Luke Barnes’ adaptation for Middle Child Theatre Company, backed by live techno, paints a bleak picture of post-industrialism as it follows the tangled relationships of one tower block’s residents. There’s Jonny, an unemployed dealer who bangs like a buck. His girlfriend Ellen might as well be a sex doll. One floor up is Alan Blunt, a bitter, racist ex-copper, living alone and left behind, often found hanging around at school gates. One down, off his head on pills, there’s Bobby the Artist and his sweet-toothed sweetheart Georgie. Picked up by a hip London gallery, he’s exhibited—and exoticised—as an incarnation of northern destitution and depression. On the page, these figures might have some space to think and breathe. They might seem like real people, sympathetic even. Onstage, however, they’re boiled down to stock – and grotty, patronising stock too. Fixating on sex, drugs and the northern soul, Millward wrings their lives for entertainment value. It’s a graphic novel of Broken Britain. It’s certainly engaging. Barnes finds a pulsing poetry and a raucous, relentless staging mirrors a novel written in one unbroken paragraph. But make no mistake, this is poverty porn—worse, anime poverty porn—and since it warns against elitist exoticism, that’s criminal. Doubly so in the context of a cosmopolitan, pay-to-play festival. Millward’s happy endings—tender sex for Jonny, salads for Bobby—are the fictional equivalent of gentrification. ✏︎ Matt Trueman
DEFYING REALITY Defying the norm since 1947 05-29 August 2016 | Tickets at edfringe.com
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Multiplied HHHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Assembly Checkpoint 6:55pm – 7:55pm 16–28 Aug, not 22 £12 – £15
From the moment she processes onto the stage, fairy-lit umbrella held aloft, in what can only be described as a ‘gown’, to the strains of Yair Evnine’s electric cello, you know you are in the presence of Fringe royalty. Lady Rizo may hail from a hippy commune in the Pacific northwest but she commands her titled status and presents to eager audiences as a combination of elegant grandeur and sisterly embrace. Once the diva, the bustle, and the train have made it to the stage she croons, ‘Help Me Make ItThrough the Night’ and
Stop the Train (The Musical) HHHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Paradise in Augustines 3:40pm – 5:10pm 15–28 Aug, not 21 £10 – £14
Among the slew of American college circuit and chamber musicals at the Fringe, Stop the Train by Rick Guard and Phil Rice stands apart for looking nearly London-ready. Its score, orchestrations, big cast and production values are all first-class so it’s beyond unfortunate that some of the lyrics are away-day, super-saver, railcard-discounted tosh that sound like they came from one of those we-make-it-up-on-thenight improv shows. Self-absorbed commuters
there’s not a man, woman or dog in the house who wouldn’t willingly do that. A more jazzily mashed version of ‘Mother’ by John Lennon follows. Which brings us to her central theme: since last appearing, Rizo has had a small person ripped from her “vagine”, and revels in fresh stories of pain, pleasure and plenty of bodily fluids. Her pipes, upstairs and down, are clearly in good order, but on top of her effortlessly pleasing vocals is now a layer of worldly observation alongside the usual filthy chat. She bends an original composition, ‘Loving in Colour’, then, following an anecdote about IKEA, pulls off a coup de théâtre that is suddenly, touchingly, so beautiful, tender and engaging that the entire audience catches its breath. And then she swigs from a cocktail, fans her voluminous skirt over the entire audience and tells us how she loves us. Immense. ✏ Johnny Fox
on their phones and tablets are interrupted by a man with an axe to grind. It must be zeitgeist-tempting to give him an actual axe and a more politicised motive, but he’s a shabby everyman with a homily about seizing the day. Isn’t that from Newsies? The somewhat stereotypical passengers each sing their inner dreams, and it’s no surprise that the pinstripe lawyer is a tassel-twirler. Production numbers are very well-staged, especially nail technician Amy’s ambition to become a full-time WAG in a Donna Summer-y disco routine. Everyone sings stongly, neatly embracing both musical theatre and pop, and the versatile chorus dancers really add to the impact. Some of the arrangements are too Alan Menken-grandiose for the songs’ contents – when the unlikeable yuppie couple finally sing
Music
Lady Rizo
a ballad, you’d really rather it was more simply underscored, although that would expose the dreadful “you went and left me on my own / and now I stand here all alone” lyrics. The show admits it’s still in development. You have a great concept: fix the words, and you may also have a hit. ✏ Johnny Fox
Roulston & Young Songs for Lovers (And Other Idiots) HHHH
TIME:
Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4:15pm – 5:15pm, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22
TICKETS:
FREE
festmag.co.uk
VENUE:
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Michael Roulston and Sarah-Louise Young are, they assure the audience, quite unequivocally, not a couple. But with the palpable natural chemistry they display in their latest Fringe cabaret, onlookers could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Their sparkling camaraderie might be the highlight of Songs for Lovers (And Other Idiots), were it not for the remarkable musical and lyrical flair with which they explore the terminally messy business of love. After a chipper and charmingly self-deprecating musical introduction, the pair breeze through a series of meticulously crafted songs with a seeming effortlessness that belies an exceptional musical proficiency. Roulston’s sprightly piano melodies weave through whip-smart punchlines and exquisite double rhymes, as the pair use familiar song structures and regular rhyme schemes to establish implicit expectations that they confound to brilliantly humorous effect. Their subject is hardly original, but Roulston and Young approach it with wit and ingenuity. A song bemoaning the distracting influence of technology on relationships could easily have been trite and facile, coasting on the cheap rewards of recontexualising familiar references, but in the hands of Roulston and Young the concept is made fresh and frightfully funny. But within their bright-eyed irreverence, the pair also infuse moments of poignancy, striking a careful balance between humour and pathos that enhances both effects. Their witty observations on procrastination slide seamlessly into a moving reflection on divorce, while a romantic ode to a lover is cut with comical asides just before it threatens to drift into earnestness. The sheer virtuosity with which Roulston and Young perform is deeply impressive to watch. It is clear that these are artists with an intuitive yet finely-honed mastery of their craft, and Songs for Lovers (And Other Idiots) sees them on dazzlingly brilliant form. ✏︎ Jordan Shaw
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Music
Reefer Madness HHH VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
theSpace on Niddry St 10:05pm – 11:20pm 22–27 Aug £7.50 – £10
In 1936, the arrival in America of an extremely dangerous new drug led to one of the most execrably dire, unintentionally hilarious films ever made. Reefer Madness warned that cannabis could lead to violence, murder, rape. “TELL YOUR CHILDREN”, screamed the film’s ending. Obviously, it got made into a musical. Bristol-based Impromptu Productions have revived Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney’s hilarious creation, written in 1998, with a slickly choreographed and completely
JoJo Bellini’s Kitchen Cabaret «« VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
The Stand Comedy Club 2 1:20pm – 2:20pm 4–28 Aug, not 15 £6 – £8
It’s unlikely that Harry S. Truman had JoJo Bellini’s Kitchen Cabaret in mind when he coined his favourite phrase, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”, but his advice has never been more apt. For those who relish baldly sexual food-based antics, the show is sure to delight, but audiences hoping for any degree of depth, subtlety or sophistication will find little to enjoy. Inspired by her Welsh heritage, Bellini soundtracks the preparation of classic Welsh dishes with enthusiastic covers of Tom Jones’
barmy show. Faithful to its insane source material, it follows Jimmy and Mary-Lane, two good Christian high school kids, who succumb to the ravages of reefer and up either dead or in the electric chair. There’s a clear debt to Rocky Horror here in the high camp silliness and catchy songs, and a premonition of Book of Mormon in its merciless mockery of authority, religion, conservatism and rank idiocy. Marco Andreas Lissoni’s choreography sees the cast engage in intense, sweaty skin-on-skin action
as they jive and writhe their way through the action. Almost every number ends in a blaring, full cast chorus line with the singers either half-naked or donning ridiculous costumes – angels, babies, even the Statue of Liberty makes an appearance. And two performances in particular—Jamie Dodd as innocent young Jimmy and Adam Stanford as the stern Lecturer, who narrates the show—make this a particularly strong production, finding real value in an obscure musical and showcasing real talent in its cast. ✏︎ Tim Bano
greatest hits. But for a show that relies so heavily on music, Bellini’s voice is surprisingly weak. She has little control over her severely limited range, and moments where her key happens to coincide with the song’s are rare. Her attempts to bulldoze over her vocal deficiencies with volume and forcefulness meet with little success. Her comic timing less than precise, she gains laughs most reliably through her aggressively sexual approach to the performing and culinary arts. Shouting her way through Jones’s songbook, she gurns with quasi-orgasmic pleasure while tossing chopped broccoli into her broth, before having her lascivious way with a fresh leek. Her attentions soon turn to a reticent audience, who are coaxed into participation with varying levels of success. The production at least partly delivers on its promise of ‘a hilari-
ous show filled with fun, food, and the songs of Tom Jones’, though the exact levels of hilarity and fun involved may depend on the individual’s tolerance for crudely sexual, and often physical, audience interaction. But while the belly laughs of much of the room are hard to deny, JoJo Bellini’s Kitchen Cabaret is a wholly unremarkable piece of performance. ✏︎ Jordan Shaw
THE
A dance spectacular from Nue Dance Company
HOWSTOPPERS PRESENT
tickets.edfringe.com
www.nuedancecompany.com
By phone: 0131 226 0000
★★★★★
festmag.co.uk
HHHHH ‘Had me weeping with laughter… you absolutely have to go.’ Mail on Sunday
HHHHH ‘So polished, it defies belief.’ Daily Telegraph
HHHH ‘Magical, properly funny. A triumph.’ The Times
3-28 AUG, 6PM EXTRA SHOW: 23 AUG, 9.50PM WWW.PLEASANCE.CO.UK | 0131 556 6550
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5-29 Aug (exc 10, 15, 22 Aug)
KID SHOWS CRITICS
Ruby & Alice
Kids
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Naughty Cat and the Cheesy Moon Ruby Foster, aged seven and a half, thinks Naughty Cat is fun and silly – and she loves the dog singing in dog language. Well, who wouldn’t? What happens in the show? There was this naughty cat who loved stories so its mum told it a story about some chocolate mice that lived on the moon. The next day Naughty Cat stole a rocket to get to the moon to gobble them up! Describe the show in five words Silly, musical, funny, dancy, energetic. Who was your favourite character and why? I liked Dog because he was very funny especially when he sang a song in dog language. Were there any characters you didn’t like? No, I liked them all really. What did you like most about the show? I liked that the story grew and got stronger as it went on. There was lots of silly stuff and songs at the start, which was fun, but it got more interesting as it went on.
What didn’t you like about the show? I thought it was really good but there were maybe one or two too many songs. What did you think of the songs? I thought they were really good and the singers were good too. What did your grown-up think of the show? It was a show full of chaotic energy, songs and laughs. You can easily see why the kids enjoyed it so much. Would you tell your friends to come and see the show? Yeah, I think I would.
VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Assembly Checkpoint 4:05pm – 5:05pm, various dates between 5 Aug and 27 Aug £8 – £11
Credit: Stephen A'Court
Beards! Beards! Beards!
You don’t need to have facial hair to enjoy this story of a smooth-faced little girl’s bid for a beard, finds nine-year-old Alice McGuire What happens in the show? A girl, Beatrix (or maybe Beard-tricks!), and her dads run the best barber shop in the world and they love everything about beards. Beatrix decided that she wanted to have her own beard because all the cool people seem to have beards these days, and because so many important people in history had beards, so everyone would like her and she’d also be taken more seriously. Sadly her dads are unable to help her grow a beard…because she’s a girl! A magic fairy helps her meet lots of famous beardy people from history to ask them how she can grow a beard, and she learns lots of things along the way. Describe the show in five words Funny, exciting, educational, silly, songs. Who was your favourite character and why? The Saint of Bearded Women was very funny and very weird (in a good way). Were there any characters you didn’t like? Not really, there weren’t any unlikeable characters.
What did you like most about the show? The songs, they were very silly and funny.They always included the word ‘beards’ and the words were silly, but the songs played an important part of the story, whilst still being all about the beards. What didn’t you like about the show? There was nothing that wasn’t fun, and nothing which was scary, so nothing really bad for me. What did your grown-up think of the show? My dad thought it was like Flight of the Conchords meets Horrible Histories. He also said that it works on several levels and he even figured out things about the story that hadn’t crossed my mind, so good for grown-ups too! Also, my dad has a beard. Would you tell your friends to come and see the show? Definitely, I think that all my friends would really enjoy the show. VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:
Assembly Roxy 4:15pm – 5:15pm, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22 £8 – £10
festmag.co.uk
life and colour as it tells the story of a trio of newly-minted teenagers with brand new superpowers to contend with. One can make ice, one can shoot fire, and one can «««« make the ground crumble. But they’re on shaky ground themVENUE: Roundabout @ Summerhall selves, as they try to make sense of TIME: run ended a world that’s tough enough without supernatural powers thrown into TICKETS: £10 the mix. Remy Beasley, Richard Corgan There’s a whole galaxy of starry and Andy Rush unleash perforsuperheroes out there: Batmans, mances as powerful as any superSupermans and Toxic Avengers villain. They spark off each other as glow neon-bright and give Hollythey morph from painfully realistic wood execs poundsigns for eyes, teenagers into a bubbling mix of inadorning the t-shirts of quite a few cidental characters: dinner ladies, young audience members at this show. But they’re a world away from doting parents and hair-flicking the 13-year-old protagonists of this Year 8 cliques. And they hold us tight through the endearingly weird joyful kids’ play – and what a relief twists and turns of Douglas’s that is. script. It’s only by fighting giant It’s a three-hander with no set, slugs and snotty gargoyles that no props and definitely no special these kids can learn to appreciate effects. But you don’t miss them. each other, warts and all. Katie Douglas’s script bursts with
Credit: Matt Humphrey
I Got Superpowers For My Birthday
The show’s smallest audience members leave smiling and clutching balloons. But older kids who wouldn’t be seen dead with a balloon in hand will get just as much from this super story, and its message that you don’t have to fit in to find your place in the world. ✏︎ Alice Saville
Head in the Clouds
performed by using decorated balloons filled with helium, which are tethered to a tent). As you can probably guess, it’s our job to VENUE: Royal Botanic Garden Edinretrieve them. burgh – John Hope Gateway Performers Sophie Rose TIME: times vary McCabe and Euan Cuthbertson, 8–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24 playing both farmers and narrators, TICKETS: £5 make their way around the edge There can be few venues as idyllic of the grass, introducing kids and non-threatening as Edinburgh’s to rattles, kazoos, puppets and Royal Botanic Garden. Its freshly towels – all sensory aids to the mowed grass runs through Ipdip’s story’s main thread. In fact, towels verdant 35-minute show for babies are transformed into an array of and toddlers: a gorgeously mulfarmyard animals and props, a neat ti-sensory, mindful performance puppetry trick which parents may which encourages wee ones to find themselves stealing for use at utilise all of their senses. home. The clouds fill up with rain Parents and children sit on cush- (mimicked via a domestic water ions in a semi-circle surrounding sprayer) and the wind blows (gena patch of lawn, as audiences erated by the audience itself). are introduced to Cirrus the dog Head in the Clouds strikes a puppet. His flock of sheep manage near perfect balance between to escape from their pen (cleverly storytelling and interactive
Reviews
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elements of play for very young audiences. The script is filled with lush imagery and soft sounds while plenty of suitable toys and objects are passed around for both babies and toddlers. Afterwards, kids are allowed to stay and play with the toys, and accompanying activity programmes help to entertain any otherwise distracted young ones. ✏︎ Andrew Latimer
Celeste’s Circus «««« VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Scottish Storytelling Centre 10:30am – 11:05am various dates between 4 Aug and 28 Aug £6 – £8
Toddlers are natural born hecklers, unafraid to fill the air with wails, boos or cries of “I don’t like it!” So it’s a real testament to the skill of Francisca Morton that the first kid to break her audience’s silence was a tiny, wondering voice saying, “This is funny!” And her Frenchaccented storytelling show genuinely is, whether you’re two, three, four or fighting off an Edinburgh
hangover with a grown-up sized vat of coffee. She’s chic and prim in a smart red outfit, with a matching handbag that turns into a bus and drives her off to the circus – starring a hippo, performing dogs, a seal and a friendly cat. But all these thrills and spills fit neatly onto a tabletop. Her artfully designed circus is a neat cardboard construction that conceals more surprises than an advent calendar. She lifts flaps, pulls levers and shakes clappers to bring her 2D stars to life. The younger portion of the audience are delighted; even the babies are on board with this small-scale spectacle. But there are plenty of enjoyably arch moments for adults
Kids
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to giggle at, too. When a paper dog does a paper poo, she bags it up and gives it to a parent with a nappy bag. And her tactful but firm insistence on decent audience behaviour pays off, too – with the exception of a man who seemed happy to let his toddler crawl up onto the stage and towards this delicate little world. But then, a performance that’s so tiny, bright and beautiful demands a closer look. ✏︎ Alice Saville
««« VENUE: TIME:
TICKETS:
Pleasance Courtyard 10:30am – 11:30am 3–29 Aug, not 16 £7.50 – £12
Okay, so the title of this kids show sounds a bit like a straight-to-DVD sequel. But whatever else you could make it walk the plank for, this bonkers piratical comedy is a stand-alone play that’s completely accessible to anyone who didn’t see 2015’s Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs. It’s masterminded by Les Petits, the kid-friendly arm of Les Enfants Terribles, grown-up purveyors of puppet-based whimsy par excellence. So that means we get real dinosaurs stomping across the stage, beautifully designed by
Credit: Graham Lewis
Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs 2: The Magic Cutlass
Max Humphries. Each member of the prehistoric pirate crew bursts with personality. Scenes offboard the ship are shown using shadow puppet sections. They feel a little ramshackle, but they’ve got enough charm to not lose us at sea. Unfortunately, Oliver Lansley’s script (adapted from the kids book by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto) frequently does. It opens at a primary school play whose young stars are whisked off to a dinosaur pirate’s ship – perhaps by their imaginations, perhaps by something rather stronger. They’re tasked with finding a magic cutlass for the
dopey dinosaur captain, who needs it to get unlimited fish, which he will use to make sausages to feed his herbivore crew. There are quite a few self-aware digs at the silliness of the story. But it’s hard to fully invest in a fight with enemies this feeble: these dinos are pussycats. Panto-style flourishes, chase scenes and high-energy silliness keeps the kids onboard at first – but after endless baffling twists, their energy starts to flag. And with more plot holes than portholes, the Jolly Roger stays firmly at half mast until the adventure ends – for now. ✏︎ Alice Saville
The Royal Mile, Edinburgh
Imagine... The Stories They Could Tell Tel: 0131 225 0672 realmarykingsclose.com Open 9am-10pm daily
“Epic shadow puppetry”
“Mermalade is a show with something meaningful in store for everyone, provoking laughter, fun and insight from all audiences.” Edinburgh Festivals Magazine
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Your Fringe Schedule Rob Deering’s Beat This Gilded Balloon Teviot, 25–29 Aug, £10 Cardinal Burns Presents Pleasance Courtyard, 24–27 Aug, £12 Midnight Show – Just the Tonic Comedy Club Just the Tonic at The Community Project, Various dates from 6 Aug to 28 Aug, £5—£10 Spank! Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–29 Aug, £13.50—£15.50 Spanktacular Pleasance Courtyard, 14 Aug, 21 Aug, 28 Aug, £15.50 Huge Davies and Sam Lake: Joking Hazard Just the Tonic at The Caves, 5–29 Aug, not 16, £5 Night at the Museum Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 20 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, 28 Aug, £12 Paul Johnson: The Cool Kids Just the Tonic at The Caves, 5–29 Aug, not 16, £5 Will Seaward’s Spooky Midnight Ghost Stories III Gilded Balloon Teviot, 4–30 Aug, not 11, 16, 21, 23, £6—£10 NeverMind the BusStops Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 3–30 Aug, £5 Late With Kate Canons’ Gait, 7–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free
00:15 Hate ‘n’ Live Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5–28 Aug, £free Sameer Khan: At the Zoo Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5–29 Aug, £free
00:30 This is Business Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 5–29 Aug, £free
Arielle Dundas: Moppet of Chaos Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 5–29 Aug, not 28, £free Best Of Teknicolour Smoof (With Roger Swift) Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–29 Aug, £free Free the Dolphin Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £free The Todd and Molly Show: Welcome to LA LA Land Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 17–29 Aug, £free The Improverts Bedlam Theatre, 4–29 Aug, £7—£8 Redmond, Cook and Bagshaw: The Smooth Hour Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8–26 Aug, weekdays only, £free
00:45 Panicky Tack Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5–29 Aug, £free The Madness in My Method Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, 4–28 Aug, £free
01:00 Richy Sheehy: People Are Strange Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 5–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free George McGoldrick: Hot Milk Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 5–29 Aug, not 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, £free Late’n’Live Gilded Balloon Teviot, 6–30 Aug, £10—£16 NeverMind the BusStops Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 3–30 Aug, £5 Licence to Laugh Comedy Club Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 5–29 Aug, £free Don’t Panic Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 13–29
01:30 Late Night Old Town Bloodbath City of Edinburgh Tours, Various dates from 5 Aug to 28 Aug, £12.50
02:00 NeverMind the BusStops Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 3–30 Aug, £5
09:00 BBC: @BBCEdFest BBC, 8–25 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, £free
10:00 BBC: @BBCEdFest BBC, Various dates from 5 Aug to 26 Aug, £free
Present and Correct Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 4–25 Aug, not 9, 15, 22, £free
Cook It How You Like, It’s Still a Potato! Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 4–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £free
11:30
Nick Elleray: More Memories Than Future Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free
Brenda Feuerle: A Firefighter Woman in Heaven Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22 Aug, 24 Aug, 26 Aug, £9 Brenda Feuerle: A Firefighter Woman at Work Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, £9
11:45 1 Woman, a Dwarf Planet and 2 Cox: Samantha Baines
HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 20 Aug, 27 Aug, £10
BBC: Janice Forsyth BBC, 8–25 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, £free
Help Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 5–27 Aug, not 11, 15, 20, £5
10:45
11:50
A Sketchy History Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 23, £5
Aaaand Now For Something Completely Improvised Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, £6—£10
11:00
David Callaghan: Let’s Get This Partly Started Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free
About Comedy: Stand-Up Comedy Courses Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, Various dates from 6 Aug to 27 Aug, £99
❤
Bridget Christie:
Mortal HHHHH The Stand Comedy Club, 5–29 Aug, not 15, 16, £12
11:05 Fat Head and the Big Dog Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 8–28 Aug, £free
11:15 Amy Annette: What Women Want Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 26–28 Aug, £free
Amanda and Madi: Buffering Just the Tonic at The Caves, 21–28 Aug, £6
11:55 Shaken Not Stirred: The Improvised James Bond Film Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£6.50
12:00 Drastic Measures Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£5 Variety Hour Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 24–28 Aug, £free
Aug, £free
Simon Lukacs Shows His Range Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 15–23 Aug, £free Heavy Petting: Bad Laughing Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, 4–28 Aug, £free Enter the Bagman Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5 When You Improv on a Star: an Improvised Disney-Style Musical Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £5—£10 Bristol Revunions: Mustard Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 4–23 Aug, not 17, £free A Sharma Sutra’s Tale Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 4–28 Aug, not 17, 24, £free
0131 556 6550
Susan Morrison: Walking Dead, Famous and Funny The Stand Monument , 5–28 Aug, £8 Ninkynonks and Bear Haters Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 5–29 Aug, £free Mystery Gimmick Stand-Up Show Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
12:05 Nicola Mantalios-Lovett: Cult Following The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 21–28 Aug, £8 It Just Takes One theSpace on Niddry St, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £8 I Am Wario Sneaky Pete’s, 6–27 Aug, not 17, £free Revan and Fennell:
Puppet Fiction Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free
Fan Club HHH Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£5
Josie Long and Martin Williams: Investigations The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 16–28 Aug, £10
Safe Places and How to Ruin Them Silk, 6–27 Aug, not 15, £free
Aaaaaargh! It’s the One-Liner Show – Free Show Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, £free Mostly David Ephgrave Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£5 Shit of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 5–28 Aug, £free The Oxford Revue: Free Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 16, 24, £free
PLEASANCE pleasance.co.uk
Daniel Kitson Presents an Insufficient Number of Undeveloped Ideas Over Ninety Testing Minutes Starting at Noon The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £5
Rachel Fairburn: Skulduggery Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 18–28 Aug, £5
12:10 ❤ Fern Brady: Male Comedienne HHHH The Stand Comedy Club 2, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9
The Edinburgh Revue Stand-Up Show Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 5–29 Aug, not 15, £free
Comedy
00:00
70
SH!T HOT PARTY LEGENDS
PRESENTING
THE BEST OF THE FEST
4 - 28 AUGUST - 1:30PM
NEW TOWN THEATRE
WWW.THENEWWEETHEATRE.CO.UK
FRINGE BOX OFFICE: 0131 226 0000
Sooz Kempner – Queen
12:30
Roof Laughing Horse @
The Funny Brothers
4–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
15–29 Aug, £free
HH
The Lunchtime Underbellyadvert Med Quad, BG - Pleasance - 16 OUTLINES final.indd 1 Cabaret Voltaire, 06/07/2016 11:15 Frankenstein Pub, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£9
12:15 Ambition Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £6—£11
festmag.co.uk
Always Be Rolling – Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 17, 24, £free Previously on Maff Brown Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 23, £free Woop Woop It’s Da Sound of That Pauly Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, Various dates from 4 Aug to 26 Aug, £free
12:20 Ursula Burns: The Dangerous Harpist
HHH Stand in the Square, 16–29 Aug, £9
Babushka: A Sketch Show Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£6
12:25 Stand-Up History Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 5–29 Aug, £free
Special Just the Tonic at The Tron, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£6 Macho Like Me Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £5—£12 Savage Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 21–28 Aug, £free Punel Show Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, not 16, 23, £free Can’t Adult, Won’t Adult Bannermans, 6–28 Aug, not 14, £free Andy Storey @ funnystorey Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5 Adventures of Tracey Tracey Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 18–28 Aug, £free
12:40 Richard Brown: Stop, Children, What’s That Sound? Everybody Look, It’s Richard Brown! Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£5
12:45 The Free Association Presents... Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, £5
Stewart Lee: Content Provider The Stand Comedy Club, 5–29 Aug, not 15, 16, £10 This is Soap C venues – C, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £7.50—£9.50 Comedy, Craft Beer and Curry: Live at V Deep Gilded Balloon at V DEEP, Various dates from 13 Aug to 28 Aug, £20
12:50 Paul Duncan McGarrity – Ask an Archaeologist Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Adam Larter’s Return on Investment Heroes @ The Hive, 6–28 Aug, not 15, £5
13:00 Briony Redman: Secret Show Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£9
Listings
Tom Houghton Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 22–26 Aug, £free Studs Ciao Roma, 6–27 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Doors to Manual Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£6 Tom Binns: Summertime Special 2016 With Ivan Brackenbury and Ian D Montfort Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, £6—£11 Big Thumb theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 23–27 Aug, £5 Neil McFarlane: Sightseeing With a Hangover Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£8
❤ Candy Gigi: If I Had a Rich Man
Pottervision! Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free
HHHH
A Poke in the Eye Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 12, 15, £6—£8
Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe Gilded Balloon Teviot, 6–28 Aug, not 15, 16, 25, £11—£12
10 Things I Hate About UKIP T-Bar, 6–27 Aug, £free
71
Gary Tro: SupercalifragilisticexpiGARYTROcious Sweet Grassmarket, 18–28 Aug, not 21, £free
Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £5
BROADCASTING EACH NIGHT ON SHOWBIZ TV SKY CHANNEL 266 AND ON YOUTUBE
Yaseen Kader: Smile Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5 C for free at ibis C venues – C soco at ibis, 3–29 Aug, £free
13:10 Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show Pleasance Courtyard, 4–28 Aug, £6—£12 Tom Little: Chicken Supreme? No, It Isn’t. Nightcap, 6–28 Aug, not 17, £free Peter Brush: Dreams with Advert Breaks
HHH Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, £free
Made in Cumbria Sweet Grassmarket, 5–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £8.50
13:15 Aaaaah! It’s 101 Clean Jokes in 30 Minutes – Free Show Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 4–28 Aug, £free Lost Voice Guy: Disability for Dunces Volume Two The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £8—£9 Champion of Comedy Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 4–28 Aug, £free Ivor Dembina: Old Jewish Jokes Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 4–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £free
Hilarity Bites Comedy Club Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, £free Middle Age Came Quick! Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 4–28 Aug, £free Bristol Improv Takes Over the World Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 4–28 Aug, £free Short & Curly: A Curly Night In Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £5 Afternoon Delight Just the Tonic at The Caves, 5–27 Aug, not 15, £3—£5 Variety Hour Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 18–23 Aug, £free Fit Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 4–28 Aug, £free A Dave Cohen Show: Music Was My First Love Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 24–28 Aug, £free Mulhollandland (Work in Progress) Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £free Robin Boot’s Rockomedy: Puns ‘n’ Poses Sneaky Pete’s, 6–27 Aug, £free A Comedy Tapas Opium, 6–27 Aug, £free
Over 200 shows every day! @ThePleasance
Your Fringe Schedule
72 Comedy
MISS GLORY PEARL
UNDER COVER
WITH THE NAKED STAND UP
‘FEEL-GOOD COMEDY AT ITS BEST’
BROADWAY BABY
5TH – 27TH AUGUST (NOT 14TH OR 21ST) 9:10PM (50 MINS)
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall Venue 53
BOXOFFICE 0131 510 2384
Silky: Indoor Fireworks HH The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£8
13:20 He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s Daniel Cook Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Rights and Responsibilities (or How a Horse Was Tried for Murder) Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £4—£7 Erich McElroy’s (US) Electile Dysfunction
HH Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 4–28 Aug, £free
We’re Sorry Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, £free The Durham Revue: Gigglebox Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10.50 Character Tålks Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9
13:25 Call of Dudey Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 23, £3.50—£7 Nerd Do Well Hispaniola, 6–27 Aug, £free
13:30
13:35
Richard Pulsford: Phrases Ready Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 5–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free
Cat Call Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
Cassie Atkinson – Supernumerary Rainbow Sabor, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
Elliot and Farhan’s Life Lessons Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free—£4.50
Apocalypse Cruise Ship Love Affair Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
❤
Ahir Shah:
Machines HHHH Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free More News From Nowhere Bourbon Bar, 18–28 Aug, not 23, £free Card Ninja Underbelly, George Square, 25–28 Aug, £9.50—£11 The Simpsons Taught Me Everything I Know, Free Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, not 15, £free Joe Hart: Internaut Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £5—£10 Mothers Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £4 BBC: Breaking the News BBC, 25 Aug, £free Edinburgh Fest Live! New Town Theatre, 4–28 Aug, £8—£12
13:40
Dyer and Whitney’s Supercalifragilisticexpialisketchshow Underbelly Med Quad, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£9
13:45 The GILF and The BuJew Opium, 6–26 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Man in the Miracle Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 4–28 Aug, £free Frugl Presents Classic Joke Club Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Sketch Thieves Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £free Laurence Owen: Cinemusical High Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, £free
❤ Pippa Evans: Same Same but Different HHHH Bannermans, 6–28 Aug, not 20, 21, £free
Alison Spittle Discovers Hawaii Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5 Off The Kerb Showcase Assembly George Square Gardens, 24–28 Aug, £10
13:55 Anatomy of Dating theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 23–27 Aug, £7 Who’s the Umpire theSpace @ Venue45, 22–27 Aug, £6
14:00 Boy Girl Brain Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, £free The Story of the Nervous Man C venues – C soco at ibis, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £free Aaaaargh! It’s 101 Naughty Jokes in 30 Minutes – Free Show Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 4–28 Aug, £free Ryan Cull: Brace Yourself Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
❤ Erin McGathy: Love You Loudly HHHH Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5
Rousha Browning: Jumble Sale Heroes @ Dragonfly, 5–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £5
Rotating Bill Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free Matthew Highton’s I, the Universe Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 19, £5 Simon Feilder: Die Trying Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £5 Late Night Laughs at Lunch Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free
14:05 Faye Treacy: Special (Work in Progress) Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–27 Aug, £free
14:10 Ali Brice Presents Home is Where Eric Meat is HHH Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 7, 8, 14, £5 Two Girls One... Mug! Frankenstein Pub, 4–28 Aug, not 14, 15, £free
14:15 Harriet Dyer – Barking Tales (Showcase) T-Bar, 6–27 Aug, £free Lynne Jassem: From Como to Homo
HHH Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 19, 22, £5—£8
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0131 556 6550
Lucy Frederick – Positively Livid Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free The Red Richardson Experience Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5
14:20 ❤ Laura Lexx: Tyrannosaurus Lexx HHHH Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £4—£5
Alex Hylton: I Came, I Saw, I Complained Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Simon Plotkin is Gerald Galbraith: Troubadour Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£6 Ellie Taylor: Infidelliety Just the Tonic at The Tron, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6
14:25 Eleanor Morton: Happy Birthday Katie Lewis! The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 16–28 Aug, £8
14:30 ❤
Seymour Mace:
Shit Title HHHH The Stand Comedy Club 2, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9
Worst Show on the Fringe – Free Movement, 6–28 Aug, £free Afternoon Tea With Ray Fordyce and Casual Acquaintances Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 4–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £free Adele is Younger Than Us C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £7.50—£9.50 Niche Rebels Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 23, £free
festmag.co.uk
14:35
Here’s Some Black for the Union Jack Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 4–28 Aug, £free
AAA Batteries (Not Included) Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Robyn Perkins (is a) Work in Progress Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 4–28 Aug, not 26, £free
14:40 Danielle Ward:
The Edinburgh Revue’s Tenth Birthday Bash Opium, 5–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
Croft & Pearce Are Not Themselves Underbelly, George Square, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £7—£11.50
❤
1 Last Dance With
My Father HHHH Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 3–27 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free Joanna Neary Does Animals and Men
HHH The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 16–28 Aug, £8
Gag Reflex Presents... Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Peter Dobbing: Armchair Futurologist III Sneaky Pete’s, 6–27 Aug, £free L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, Various dates from 3 Aug to 23 Aug, £free—£2 Juicer Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Joey Page: Jowie Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £5
Listings
Matt Green: Writing To Harvey Keitel – Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, £free
Stu and Garry’s Improv Show The Stand Comedy Club, 5–29 Aug, not 15, £5
Angel Comedy Showcase Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £free
73
The Prozac and Cons – Free Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, 4–28 Aug, £free
Seventeen HHH Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6
Rodney Bewes: Whatever Happened to the Likely Lad, Part Two HHH Assembly Checkpoint, 4–29 Aug, not 15, £8—£10 The Forbidden
HHH Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 16–28 Aug, not 22, £5—£10
Audible Presents Pleasance Dome, Various dates from 5 Aug to 28 Aug, £free Best Boy Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50 Live at the Pleasance Pleasance Dome, Various dates from 10 Aug to 25 Aug, £free Eric’s Tales of the Sea – A Submariner’s Yarn Just the Tonic at The Caves, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£10.50
14:45 The Late Night With Boabby Roaster Show Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£7
Gareth Richards: The Halo Effect Whistlebinkies, 6–28 Aug, not 18, £free Beautiful Ducks Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, Various dates from 4 Aug to 26 Aug, £free David Green: Celebrity Love Letters The Street, 7–27 Aug, not 15, 16, £free L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, Various dates from 3 Aug to 23 Aug, £free—£2 Ian Fox – Pictures of Things That Make Me Laugh – Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–27 Aug, £free Yolav and Graham’s Jovial Trauma: Refugee Stand-Up Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 23, 24, £free Scott Gibson: Life After Death HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £5—£10 Zero Quest 2: The Choosening Sabor, 6–27 Aug, not 15, 22, £free
14:50 Australia: A Whinging Poms Guide Liquid Room Annexe, 6–27 Aug, not 16, 23, £free Mitch Benn: Don’t Fear the Reaper The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £9—£10 The Ashes: Comedy Showdown Liquid Room Annexe, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, 28 Aug, £free
14:55 Switch: A Sketch Show Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50 Bob Graham Fifth Show Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 4–27 Aug, not 15, £free
15:00 Marny Godden: Where’s John’s Porridge Bowl?
HHH Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
The Oxford Imps: Hyperdrive Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £5—£10 Five Go Off on One! Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £7 Alfie Brown: Scissor Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 4–28 Aug, £free Dissecting the Joke With Matt Hutchinson and Haran X Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free Wisebowm: The Struggle is Real theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £7.50 David Anthony Wood: Mind Rats Sportsters, 6–28 Aug, £free Away Day Henry’s Cellar Bar, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £free Amée Smith: Relax, It’s Not About You
HH Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£10
Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 6–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Kill the Beast: Don’t Wake the Damp
HHH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 26, £6—£12
George Egg: Anarchist Cook Gilded Balloon Teviot, 23 Aug, £10
Katia Kvinge: Squirrel Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £5
❤ Thom: Foolery With Thom Tuck HHHH Heroes @ Dragonfly, 4–27 Aug, not 15, £5
The Noise Next Door’s Really, Really Good Afternoon Show Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 8, 9, 16, £5—£10.50
15:15 Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 6–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Are You Really Being Served? With Steve McLean Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 6–28 Aug, £free
Ken Do’s Success for Losers Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, £free
Giants Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50
Andy Stedman: Nine Months and Counting Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, not 20, 21, £free
Ed Gamble:
Californians Dreamin’ C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, £7.50—£9.50
Notflix Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £6—£10
Adventures of the Improvised Sherlock Holmes Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 SuZanna GonZo: Dark Lady Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–27 Aug, not 15, £3—£10 L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, Various dates from 3 Aug to 23 Aug, £free—£2 30 Minutes of One and Half an Hour of the Other Opium, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
15:05 Life and Death (But Mainly Death) theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 5–27 Aug, not 21, £5—£9
Stampede HH Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5
Gráinne Maguire: What Has the News Ever Done for Me? Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 5–28 Aug, not 10, 17, £5 Performance Anxiety Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, Various dates from 3 Aug to 23 Aug, £free—£2 Woody Allen(ish) Frankenstein Pub, 5–29 Aug, £free
15:20 Louise Reay: Que Sera HHH Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
15:30
15:10
Charmian Hughes – Soixante Mirth Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 15, £free
S&M Masterclass Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, not 15, £free
Chris Coltrane: Socialist Fun Times Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, £free
Beth Vyse as Olive Hands in All Hands to
Evelyn Mok and Katharine Ferns Present Katharine Ferns and Evelyn Mok! Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free
the Pump... HHH Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 10, 17, 24, £5
Over 200 shows every day! @ThePleasance
Your Fringe Schedule
1 Woman, a Dwarf Planet and 2 Cox: Samantha Baines
HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 6, £6—£10
Ditty Fiddler Globe Bar, 6–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Nick Hall: Szgrabble!
HHH T-Bar, 6–27 Aug, £free
Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 6–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Edinburgh Comedy Awards Show Pleasance Courtyard, 28 Aug, £14 Naomi Petersen: I am Telling You I’m Not Going Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£9.50 Knock Knock Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 4–28 Aug, £free
15:35 Nick Revell: Gluten-Free Christ; Seven Easy Steps to Mindfulness, Weight-Loss, Eternal Beauty, Spiritual Detox, Untold Riches, and Dealing with Disappointment The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £8
15:40 ❤
Andy Zaltzman:
Plan Z HHHH The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £10—£12 Comedians Cinema Club Just the Tonic at The Tron, 14–28 Aug, not 15, £10 Bilal Zafar: Cakes
HHH Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £4
John Robertson: Arena Spectacular! The Stand Comedy Club 2, 4–27 Aug, not 15, £8—£9
Laughing Stock Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50 Daniel Nicholas: Scripted Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free—£5 Kev’s Komedy Kitchen Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£8
15:45 Liars’ Club Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £free Matt Winning: Ragnarok Opium, 6–27 Aug, £free Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 6–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Barbara Nice: Raffle!
HHH The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 16–28 Aug, £9
Mark of Stupidity Two: Even Stupider Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free Loose Brie Filling My Tin, With Loose Brie, Phil and Martin Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Hilarity Bites Management Showcase Show Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, £free Pear Shaped Afternoons – Free Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 4–28 Aug, £free The Weaning of Life / Free Festival Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 17, £free L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 3–23 Aug, not 6, 10, 16, 17, £free—£2 Aaaaaaargh! It’s the Monster Stand-Up Show – Free Show Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, 4–28 Aug, £free
Mark Cooper-Jones: Geographically Speaking HHH Movement, 6–27 Aug, £free Andrea Hubert: Week
HHH Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 16, £5
Ship of Fool Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 4–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £free
❤ Stuart Goldsmith: Compared to What HHHH Liquid Room Annexe, 6–28 Aug, not 15, £free
❤ Richard Todd HHHH Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free
❤
Katie Mulgrew: Saboteur / Free Festival HHHH Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free
15:50 Matt Forde: It’s My Political Party (and I’ll Cry if I Want to) Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £9.50—£14 Cheekykita – Tittitutar Town Sweet Grassmarket, 15–28 Aug, £5
15:55 Walnut Sanchez and the Macaroni Saga Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £4—£7 Any Suggestions, Doctor? An Improvised Adventure in Space and Time Sweet Grassmarket, 4–27 Aug, not 15, 22, £8 Bluesy Woozy Man Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, not 17, £free Anna Morris: It’s Got to Be Perfect HHH Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, not 17, £free Freestyle Comedy 3 Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free
16:00 The Knockabout Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 4–28 Aug, £free Crack in Progress by Lucy Pearman Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 16, £free The Guilty Feminist With Sofie Hagen and Deborah Frances-White Gilded Balloon Teviot, Various dates from 15 Aug to 24 Aug, £10
❤ Daniel Piper is in Four Gangs HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
Peter Fleming and Wilbur Bilb: Over the Airwaves Heroes @ Dragonfly, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £5 Neil Henry: Mindwangler HHH Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10 Battle of the Supervillains: The Great Supervillain Debate Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 22–23 Aug, £free
❤ Simon Munnery: Standing Still HHHH The Stand Comedy Club, 4–29 Aug, not 15, £9—£12
Sam Fletcher: Daftwerk HHH Underbelly, George Square, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10.50 Tony Cowards: Daft Pun Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£7 Battle of the Superheroes: The Great Superhero Debate Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 22, 23, 24, £free Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £free
Around the World Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Omid Djalili: Schmuck for a Night Pleasance Courtyard, 23–27 Aug, £17—£19 Stephen K Amos Talk Show Gilded Balloon Teviot, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £7—£14 The Rat Pack Presents... Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free Dominic Frisby: Let’s Talk About Tax
HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£9.50
Rob Auton: The Sleep Show Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, not 16, £free Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 6–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Sooz Kempner – A Bit of a Character Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Jody Kamali is The Incredible Man of Mystery Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £6 Now We Are Sixty Sabor, 6–27 Aug, £free L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 3–23 Aug, not 6, 10, 16, 17, £free—£2 James Acaster: Reset Pleasance Courtyard, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £12.50—£14
0131 556 6550
The Ashes: Comedy Showdown Liquid Room Annexe, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £free
16:10 Wild at Heart – Free Henry’s Cellar Bar, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £free Adam Hess: Feathers
HHH Heroes @ The Hive, 5–28 Aug, £6
16:15 Weird Stuff Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, £free Angus Dunican: The Vanity Project Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£7 Siân and Zoë’s Luxury Cruise Through the Horrifying Vacuum of Space Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
❤ Olaf Falafel and the Cheese of Truth HHHH Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £free
Tom Neenan: Vaudeville Underbelly Med Quad, 3–28 Aug, £6—£10.50 Paul F Taylor: Sour Apes Bannermans, 7–28 Aug, not 13, 20, 27, £free
50% Liability C venues – C, 13–29 Aug, not 16, £free
48 Minutes, Another Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 4–28 Aug, £free
16:05
Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1
Penelope Solomon: I Was a Penis at the Royal Festival Hall The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 16–28 Aug, £10 4 Minute Warning Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
PLEASANCE pleasance.co.uk
The Coin-Operated Girl Liquid Room Annexe, 6–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
Andrew Hunter Murray: Round One
HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£9
L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 3–23 Aug, not 6, 10, 16, 17, £free—£2
Comedy
L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 3–23 Aug, not 6, 10, 16, 17, £free—£2
74
STICK
STONESS, ,
BROKEN BONE S “He reminds you what your imagination is for”
Dirty, Rotten, Irish Scoundrels Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, £free Abi Roberts: Anglichanka HHH Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, not 16, £free
festmag.co.uk
Oxford Imps vs Cambridge Impronauts: An Improv Battle of the Blues Gilded Balloon Teviot, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £10 Awkward Confessions of a Homeless Sex God Cowgatehead, 6–28 Aug, £free
16:20
Radio Active Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£15 Funny for a Grrrl Stand in the Square, 4–28 Aug, £9—£10
❤ Ed Aczel’s Foreign Policy HHHH Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £5
Luke Benson’s Big Night Out (In the Afternoon) Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, £free
Listings
FanFiction Comedy Assembly George Square Theatre, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10
16:30 2061 Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 Kat Bond: Loo Roll Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 25–29 Aug, £5 David McIver is a Very Fun Guy With Lots of Friends Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 15, 22, £free Juliette Burton: Decision Time
HHH
Tudur Owen: The LL Factor Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
75
16:25
Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50
Russell Hicks: Deadliner Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free Daniel Audritt and Sean Cannon: Breaking the Mould Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free
❤ Goose: Hydroberserker HHHHH Assembly George Square Gardens, 4–28 Aug, £6—£12
Becky Walker’s Mandatory Rest Break Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 20–24 Aug, £5
CARL HUTCHINSON. Three Weeks
5th–27th August The Stand 5
@cphutchinson Carlhutchinson.net
16:45
Kieran Boyd: Egg
Jack Evans: Melancholy Poontang Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 16, £free
Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5
AART Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£10
Sophie Willan: On
Will Mars: Schtick Shift Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £free Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Kevin Quantum: Illuminations Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 4, 22, £5—£12 Mirthquake Southsider, 6–27 Aug, £free Comedy With a Colour Blind Dyslexic Geordie Who Also Has an Underactive Thyroid Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, £free
16:35 Suzanne Lea Shepherd: Rapscallion Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £free Help Us Tom Toal, You’re Our Only Hope Ciao Roma, 6–27 Aug, £free
One4Review
9PM
Kids With Beards: The Curse of the Secret Ham Just the Tonic at The Caves, 16–28 Aug, £free
This Glorious Monster: Wrong ‘Uns Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, £7—£11
Broadway Baby
Record HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12 Alcohol is Good for You Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 16, £free
HHH
Tubby Tubby Dumb Dumb Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free
Rory O’Hanlon – You Are Where You Need
Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1
Laughing Horse Free Comedy Selection Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 5–27 Aug, £free
Rory O’Keeffe:
Katy Brand: I Was a Teenage Christian
Monoglot HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
HHH
Rhys James: Forgives
Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £7—£13.50
HHH
Phil Mann: Nothingism – Free Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 5–27 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free John Pendal: International Man of Leather HHH The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£8 Banging Fun Stuff Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£5 Annie McGrath: The Seven Ages of An
HH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£9
❤ Daniel Nils Roberts: Honey HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£9
Thrones! The Musical Parody Assembly George Square Studios, 3–29 Aug, £10—£14
Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£11.50
16:50 John Gordillo: Love Capitalism HHH The Stand Comedy Club 2, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9 Relatively Normal Nightcap, 6–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free
17:00 A Plague of Idiots Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£11 Steve Bugeja: Unpronounceable
HHH Just the Tonic at The Tron, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£7
Manic Pixie Dream Girls Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
to Be HH Opium, 6–27 Aug, £free
Wayne Carter Teaches You to Be Fabulous Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 4–28 Aug, £free Impromptunes – The Completely Improvised Musical Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£11.50 The Improvised Improv Show Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 4–28 Aug, £free Joe Davies: Who’s the Daddy? Heroes @ Dragonfly, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £5
❤
Sleeping Trees:
Sci-Fi? HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Infectious Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, 13–28 Aug, £free
Over 200 shows every day! @ThePleasance
76 Comedy
Your Fringe Schedule
Will Seaward: Magnificent Bastard Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, not 20, £5
❤
Jordan Brookes: The Making Of
HHHHH Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £free
James Wilson-Taylor: Ginger is the New Black HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, £6—£10.50 Pete Otway: Six Years from Then HHH Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Carey Marx, Hero of the People HHH Liquid Room Annexe, 6–28 Aug, not 17, £free Space Cat Pasta Bake Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 4–28 Aug, £free Fish Finger Fridays: A Sketch Show Kilderkin, 6–27 Aug, not 15, £free A Stage, a Mic, Some Jokes Sneaky Pete’s, 6–27 Aug, £free #Jollyboat: Seven Songs for Geeks Movement, 6–27 Aug, £free Go Go Power Rangeurs: The Movie, Live! C venues – C soco at ibis, 17–29 Aug, £free
Martha McBrier: Japanese Boy
HHH Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 4–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £free
James Cook: Ready, Steady, James! Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 4–28 Aug, not 17, 24, £free Komischer Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£7 Jen Carnovale Wronger Than You Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 14, 15, £free Totally Wired: Trigger Warning! The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9
17:10 The Best of Irish Comedy The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 5–28 Aug, £12
17:15 Ashley Storrie and Other Erotica Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free Mawaan Rizwan – Gender Neutral Concubine Pirate
HHH Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £free
Men With Coconuts: Improvised Bond La Belle Angèle, 6–28 Aug, not 16, 23, £free
Alex Smith – Not Even Trying Whistlebinkies, 6–27 Aug, £free Micky Bartlett: Blissfully Ignorant Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, £5—£10.50 Susie Youssef – Check Youssef Before You Wreck Youssef Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £7—£12 Get Your Own Back: Live! Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £8—£13.50 The Kagools Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£7 Ellis & Rose: Obsolete Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 5–27 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free The Attenborough Tours: Life on Fringe Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 5–29 Aug, £5 The Good, the Bad and the Weegie Outhouse, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £7 Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1 L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, Various dates from 7 Aug to 28 Aug, £2 Floss Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £free
17:20 Murder She Didn’t Write C venues – C, 3–29 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 David Mills: Shame! Underbelly, George Square, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£11.50 Alice Marshall: Vicious Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6 Hardeep Singh Kohli’s Mix Tape Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12 Topical Storm The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £9—£10
Adam Rowe: Bittersweet Little
Lucie Pohl: Apohlcalypse Now!
Lies HHH Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
HH
17:25
Rent Girl HHHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£11
Mixed Doubles: Fundraiser Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 27, £6.50—£9.50 Liam Withnail: True Defective Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free
17:30
Zach & Viggo: Thunderflop Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£11
Gordon Southern: Long Story Short Frankenstein Pub, 4–29 Aug, not 10, 24, £free
Spencer Jones is The Herbert in Proper Job Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12
Aladdin and His Magical Europe Refugee Tour 2016
Baron Fingolfin: The Stranger Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Pete Johansson: Good People HHH Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 16, 17, 18, £5 Christian Reilly: Rock’n’LOL Liquid Room Annexe, 6–28 Aug, £free
HHH C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £7.50—£9.50
The Oxford Revue: Hello You Assembly George Square Studios, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £5—£10 Josie Long: Work In Progress The Stand Comedy Club, 16–28 Aug, £12
❤
Eric Lampaert: Alien of Extraordinary Ability HHHH Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free
PLEASANCE pleasance.co.uk
0131 556 6550
Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £6—£10
❤
Maddy Anholt:
All My Friends Are Dead Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free Mark Smith: Old Smudge Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 17, £free Jenny Collier: Jen-Hur HHH Underbelly Med Quad, 3–28 Aug, £6—£10
❤ Lucy Porter: Consequences HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £7—£14
Merkin 9 to 5 Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 4–28 Aug, £free Poncho Orange CC Blooms, 6–28 Aug, £free Harriet Dyer: ‘We’d Prefer Someone a Bit More Mainstream’
HH Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, £free
L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 25–28 Aug, £2
Pat Cahill: D.O.T.T
HHH Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £5
Barbarians Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Looking Out for Linda (The Remix) Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, £free Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Tamar Broadbent: Get Ugly HHH Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £free Ed Night: I’m Amazed It Has a Title Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Tez Ilyas: Made in Britain HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12
festmag.co.uk
James Christopher – What’s the Tory? Mourning Glory Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
17:35 Salacious B. Crumb’s Luxury Biscuits Silk, 6–27 Aug, £free Lewis Schaffer: You Are Beautiful
HHH Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £10
17:40 Mike Newall: High on Gravy Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6 Phil Ellis is Alone Together (But Mostly
Bruce Fummey’s Alba: Scotland the Origins Stand in the Square, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £9—£10
Helen Duff: Come With Me Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
Joel Dommett: Pretending to Smoke With a Breadstick Pleasance Courtyard, 3–27 Aug, not 15, £7—£12
James Veitch: Game Face Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£11
17:50
Paul Foot’s Game of Dangers Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 7 Aug, 24 Aug, 25 Aug, 26 Aug, 27 Aug, £10—£12
17:45 Fraser Millward: Wasteland Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 15, £free
❤
Daphne’s Second
Show HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12 Beth Vyse: As Funny as Cancer Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£8 Rose Matafeo is Finally Dead Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£9 Luca Cupani: The Admin of Death and Other Confessions Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 4–29 Aug, not 10, £5 Künt and the Gang – The Final Küntdown Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 28 Aug, £7 Künt and the Gang – It’s a Bit Early for Künt and the Gang Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 26–27 Aug, £7 Grant Stott’s Tales from Behind the Mic Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 14, 22, £6—£12 Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1
Alone) HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£11
Diane Spencer: Seamless Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £5—£9.50
Guy Masterson: Love and Canine Integration Assembly Roxy, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£10
Jonathan Hearn: Jontitled Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 7, 8, 9, 10, £free
Listings
L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 25–28 Aug, £2
77
Clare Plested: Flock Up HH Ciao Roma, 6–27 Aug, not 17, £free Christian Talbot: C60 Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
17:55 Viv Groskop: Be More Margo The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£8
18:00 Alistair McGowan: 12th Impressions Gilded Balloon Teviot, 16–28 Aug, not 23, £17 Norman Lovett: Entertaining Moaner Heroes @ Dragonfly, 16–28 Aug, £8 Barry Cryer and Ronnie Golden Gilded Balloon Teviot, 23 Aug, £14 Henning Wehn: Westphalia is Not an Option Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 16, 22, £8.50—£12.50 Katharine Ferns is Faking It (Work in Progress) Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free Kriss Foster and the Very Small Museum Globe Bar, 6–28 Aug, not 23, £free Cam and Flora C venues – C nova, 4–29 Aug, not 17, £8.50—£10.50 Glenn Moore: Glengarry Glen Glenn
HHH Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
❤ Lolly 2 HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£10.50
Laugh Train Home Comedy Showcase Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 4–28 Aug, £free Phil Jerrod: Hypocrite Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10 Gusset Grippers Woodland Creatures, 5–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £5
Gareth Morinan: Graph Giraffe Banshee Labyrinth, 6–27 Aug, £free
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £10—£16.50
Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1
18:05
Bethany Black: (Extra)Ordinary
HHH The Stand Comedy Club 2, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9
❤ Stuart Laws: So Preoccupied With Whether or Not He Could That He Didn’t Stop to Think Whether He Should (1hr Show) HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£10 Rowena Hutson: Strong Female Character Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 18, 26, £5
❤
Brennan Reece:
Everglow HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£10 L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 25–28 Aug, £2 My Groupon Adventure T-Bar, 6–27 Aug, not 15, 22, £free Stellar à Trois – Free The Banana Skin, 6–28 Aug, £free Giacinto Palmieri: Nietzsche, Women and I Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Hysterical Woman HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50
Absolute Improv! theSpace on Niddry St, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 21, £6—£10 Luke Stephen: Commit No Nuisance Nightcap, 6–28 Aug, not 17, £free
18:15 I Should Have Listened to Ivor Dembina The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 16–27 Aug, not 21, £6
❤ Brendon Burns: Dumb White Guy HHHH Liquid Room Annexe, 6–28 Aug, £free
Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Laughing Horse Free Comedy Selection Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 24–27 Aug, £free Egg - Static Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 4–23 Aug, not 10, 15, £free African-Czechoslovakian / Free Festival Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 4–28 Aug, £free Price (still) Includes Biscuits theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £5—£8 Elliot Steel: Netflix ‘n’ Steel Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, £6
Darius Davies – Road to Wrestlemania Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Danny Buckler: Showman Shaman Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £free Green Bananas Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free While You Were Out Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 15–28 Aug, not 17, 24, £free A Taste of Planet Caramel Opium, 6–27 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Best of UCLU Comedy Club Movement, 6–27 Aug, not 16, £free SupercalifragilisticexpiGARYTROcious Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Ever Mainard: Let Me Be Your Main Man Gilded Balloon Teviot, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6.50—£12.50 zazU: Raisins to Stay Alive HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£10 Stuck in a Rut Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 4–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £free John Scott Smashes It to F*ck Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, £free
❤
Bob Blackman’s
Tray HHHH Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 14–27 Aug, not 21, £free L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 25–28 Aug, £2 Patrick Turpin: To Me, You Are Perfect
HHH Sneaky Pete’s, 6–27 Aug, not 15, £free
18:20 UCL Graters: Immature Cheddar Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free—£7
Over 200 shows every day! @ThePleasance
James Meehan –
Jimmy McGhie:
Class Act HHH Just the Tonic at The Tron, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
Apologia HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£11
Lunch Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10.50
L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 25–28 Aug, £2
Morning After Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £4
Crack Comedy Club’s Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free
Susan Calman: The Calman Before the Storm Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £7—£14 Peter White: Straight White Male Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£10
18:25 Kill the Beast: He Had Hairy Hands Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 26, £6—£11.50
18:30 Aloof! Sabor, 6–27 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5–27 Aug, £free Tyrannosaurus Sketch Greenside @ Royal Terrace, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £8 Shaggers (Free Festival) Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, £free Harriet Beveridge: 42 Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £9 Ari Shaffir: Ari
Pick of the Fringe The Sheraton Grand Hotel , 25 Aug, £180 Talk Hard Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 5–28 Aug, £free Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1
18:35 Living Luke Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, £4—£8 Bristol Revunions: Dolce Vita Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£7 Free Footlights Liquid Room Annexe, 6–28 Aug, £free Britney Assembly George Square Studios, 3–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £5—£8
❤ Andrew Doyle: Future Tense HHHH The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £9—£10
Eddy Brimson: Up the Anti Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
Joz Norris: Hello, Goodbye Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Global Pillage Assembly George Square Studios, 25–28 Aug, £10—£12 Fast Fringe Pleasance Dome, 3–27 Aug, £5—£10
18:40 Nish Kumar: Actions Speak Louder Than Words, Unless You Shout the Words Real
NewsRevue 2016 Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £9.50—£17
Loud HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £10
Katy Brand: I Was a Teenage Christian Pleasance Courtyard, 26 Aug, £13.50
HHH
Adam Kay – Fingering A Minor on the Piano Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £6—£14
HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50
The Leeds Tealights: Tension Just the Tonic at The Caves, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£9
18:55 Holly Burn: I Am Special HHH Underbelly Med Quad, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50 Light Relief Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, £8.50 Ed Patrick: Junior
Adventures in Menstruating with Chella Quint Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free
Sam Carrington: Awkwardly Mobile Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£7
Optimist HHH Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£7
Jack Barry: You Don’t
Nath Valvo: Happy Idiot HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 16, 17, £7—£12
The Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show 2016: Lagoon Assembly Roxy, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £7—£13
Know Jack HHH Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Jacob Hatton: Dreams of FitzRoy and Londis Just the Tonic at The Caves, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £8 Ruby Thomas: Chick Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
❤
Liz Miele: Mind
Over Melee HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
18:45 L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 25–28 Aug, £2
❤
Sarah Kendall:
Shaken HHHH Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, £7—£12.50 Normally Abnormal Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, £free I Was Mick Jones’s
S-P-E-C-T HHH Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, £5
Will Duggan: A Man Gathering Fish
Bank Clerk HHH Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 15–28 Aug, £free
Wendy Wason: Tiny Me HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12 Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Me, Me, Me Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 4–28 Aug, £free
❤ John-Luke Roberts Builds a Monster HHHH Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
Luke Kempner: Judi Dench Broke My Heart Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 26, £6—£12 Horace: We Are Family Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 16, £free An Act of Godley: Janey Godley Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free Des Clarke 3D The Stand Comedy Club, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 15, 16, £11—£12 Knightmare Live: The Game Has Changed Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £7.50—£12
19:00
Colin Hoult / Anna Mann: A Sketch Show for Depressives
Simon Evans: In the
HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£10
Rachel Parris: Best
Money HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £10—£14
Laid Plans HHH Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, £6—£11.50
Foiled HH Ruby Rouge, 5–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free
Houdini HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£14
❤
Isle of Edna: G Street Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £4—£8
Orlando Baxter: Suspensions, Detentions and Summer Vacations Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
18:50
Jake Yapp is One
in a Million HHHH Underbelly, George Square, 3–28 Aug, £6—£11 Daisy Earl: Scottish Comedian of the Year Winner 2015 Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 5–28 Aug, not 10, 11, 16, 17, 23, 24, £10—£14 Garibaldi Silk, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Masud Milas: Routes
HH
Paul McCaffrey: Fresh Hell Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free
Underbelly Med Quad, 3–28 Aug, £6—£10
Irish Championship Comedy Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 4–28 Aug, £free
Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£11
Zoë Coombs Marr: Trigger Warning
HHH
Comedy Reserve at the Courtyard Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£9.50 Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1
❤ Laurence Clark: Independence HHHH Assembly George Square Theatre, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £5—£10
Chris Forbes: Tall Needy Mutant Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £5—£10 ComedyOpoly: Board Games With Comedians Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 15–29 Aug, £5
PLEASANCE pleasance.co.uk
Mystery Gimmick Stand-Up Show C venues – C soco at ibis, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £free
0131 556 6550
❤
Mr Swallow –
Zoe Lyons: Little Misfit Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 25, £6—£11.50 Lords of Strut: Late Night TV Talk Show Assembly Roxy, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50 Andy Askins: The Man With No Name Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5
❤ BEASTS Present Mr Edinburgh 2016 HHHH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 13, £6—£11
L!ghten Up Your Life!™ Gayfield Venues, 25–28 Aug, £2
Comedy
78
Your Fringe Schedule
Comedy at the Portrait Gallery Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, 26 Aug, £12
Aidan Killian: The Money Shot Heroes @ Dragonfly, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £5
BBC: The One Show BBC, 24–26 Aug, £free
19:15
19:05
Fiona Sagar: Entitled Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £free
festmag.co.uk
Dave Lemkin: The Village Hall Ciao Roma, 6–27 Aug, £free Funny Bones and Wisdom Teeth theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 26–27 Aug, £7
Lazy Susan: Crazy Sexy Fool
Gary Little: A Little Bit of Personal
Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
HHH
HHHH
Rainbow Class Assembly Hall, 4–28 Aug, £6—£11
Susie McCabe: There is More to Life Than Happiness The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 17, 18, £9—£10
Coshowpolitan Globe Bar, 6–28 Aug, £free
❤ Geoff Norcott: Conswervative HHHH Underbelly Med Quad, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£11
Gavin Webster: Jesus Christ’s a Window Cleaner Now The Stand Comedy Club 2, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9 Tiff Stevenson: Seven
HHH Assembly Roxy, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12
Listings
❤
The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £11—£12
19:10
79
Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1
Craig Hill: Up and Coming! Venue150 at EICC, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 23, £8.50—£17.50 AAA Stand-Up Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, £6—£11 Michael and Roper: Three’s a Crowd, Four’s an Audience Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 11, 17, £free Lauren Pattison: Reet Petite – A Work in Progress Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, not 14, 15, £5
Gráinne Maguire: Great People Making Great Choices
HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£12
Smurthwaite on Masculinity Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, not 16, £free Sarah Bennetto: I Love You All and I Mean That Sincerely Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 4–27 Aug, not 15, 22, £free Rowena Haley: Three Chords and the Truth T-Bar, 6–27 Aug, £free Marc Jennings: Jentrification Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, £free
❤
Robert Newman: The Brain Show
HHHH Summerhall, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £10—£12.50
Bella Younger’s Deliciously Stella Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£12 Larry Dean: Farcissist Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12 Stuart Mitchell: Dealt a Bad Hand Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12
19:20 ❤
Paul Foot: ‘Tis a Pity She’s a Piglet
HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12.50
Stephen Bailey: Nation’s Sweetheart Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 7, 15, £5 Big Value Comedy Show – Early Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£10
19:25 Puddles Pity Party: Let’s Go! HHH Assembly George Square Gardens, 4–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £10—£16
19:30 07800 834030 Sneaky Pete’s, 6–27 Aug, not 8, 22, £free Just Jokes Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5–27 Aug, not 15, £free This is Your Trial Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £6.50—£14 Apocalypse Wow Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 4–29 Aug, £free
❤
David O’Doherty:
Big Time HHHH Assembly Hall, 4–28 Aug, not 16, prices vary
Twisted Edge Showcase / Free Festival Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 4–28 Aug, £free Running-a-Mock Presents: Facebook Official Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–28 Aug, not 16, 23, £free Mid-Brow: The Live Show Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £5—£7.50 Shayne’s Mom on Tour Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 23, 24, £free Committed to Mediocrity C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £8.50—£10.50 Jimeoin: Renonsense Man Venue150 at EICC, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 23, £8.50—£17.50 Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1
❤ Tatterdermalion HHHH Assembly George Square Theatre, 3–28 Aug, not 16, 22, £6—£12
Tommy Tiernan: Out of the Whirlwind
HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 5–28 Aug, not 12, 25, £9—£16
So You Think You’re Funny? Grand Final Gilded Balloon Teviot, 25 Aug, £15 Amazing (Probably) Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 4–28 Aug, £free
❤
James Acaster:
Reset HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £8—£14 Two Funny Lassies Kilderkin, 6–27 Aug, £free Chris Davis: Chinchilla Coats Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 4–28 Aug, £free Sharma Sharma Sharma Sharma... Comedian! Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 17, 24, £free Quiz in my Pants Movement, 6–27 Aug, £free Vladimir McTavish: Scotland In Sixty Minutes The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9 Your Beloved Alexander Bennett Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 15, £free 101 Comedy Club – Free Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, 4–28 Aug, £free
19:35 Kai Humphries: In Full Colour Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, £5—£12.50
Over 200 shows every day! @ThePleasance
Aidan Goatley: The Joys of Retail (and How to Escape Them) Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, £8 Jonny & the Baptists: Eat the Poor HHH Roundabout @ Summerhall, 5–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £9—£12.50
19:40 Danny Deegan is Taller Than Jesus, More Visible Than God Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Paul Currie: FFFFFFFMILK! Heroes @ The Hive, 5–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £5 How to Become a Poker Millionaire (and Still Be a Loser) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£5 Ed Cook’s Comedy Thing Spotlites, 21–28 Aug, £4 Steen Raskopoulos – You Know the Drill
HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£12.50
Iain Stirling: Onwards! Pleasance Courtyard, 3–26 Aug, £8—£12 Jarlath Regan – Arseways Just the Tonic at The Tron, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
Board Game Smackdown - Free Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 4–28 Aug, not 17, 24, £free Raymond Mearns is Feeling the Love Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 2–29 Aug, not 15, £free Pun-Man Two: Girls Just Wanna Hear Puns Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 5–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free Jocks and Geordies Whistlebinkies, 7–28 Aug, not 13, 20, 27, £free Laughing Horse Free Comedy Selection Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 5–27 Aug, £free Nathan Cassidy: 42 Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 16, £free Damian Clark Can’t Slow Down Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free
19:50 ❤
Jo Caulfield: Pretending to Care
HHHH The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 5–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £10
Andrew Ryan: Ruined Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£11
Vince Atta: Loopzilla Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £4—£6
Tim Renkow: King of
19:45
Elf Lyons: Pelican
Eleanor Conway’s Walk of Shame Frankenstein Pub, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Tight Ten The Titter Truck, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £1 Spontaneous Sherlock La Belle Angèle, 6–28 Aug, not 16, 23, £free Darren Connell: Trolleywood Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £6—£11
the Tramps HHH Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £5
HHH Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, not 16, 23, £free
❤ Sofie Hagen: Shimmer Shatter HHHH Liquid Room Annexe, 6–28 Aug, £free
20:00 ❤
Tony Law: A Law Undo His-elf What Welcome HHHH Assembly Hall, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£13
Patrick Monahan: That 80s Show HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£14 Robin Morgan: Free Man Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
❤
Pete Firman –
TriX HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £8.50—£15 Nish Kumar: Actions Speak Louder Than Words, Unless You Shout the Words Real
Loyiso Gola: Dude, Where’s My Lion?
HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
Nina Conti: In Your Face Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £10—£17.50 C for free at ibis C venues – C soco at ibis, 3–29 Aug, £free The Star Factory Just the Tonic at The Caves, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £5
Loud HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£12
The Gayest Thing You’ve Ever Seen CC Blooms, 6–28 Aug, £free
Jonathan Pie: Live Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12
The Eulogy Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 18, £6—£10.50
Nazeem Hussain – Legally Brown Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £7—£12
Anti-White PC Mangina Activate! Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 4–28 Aug, £free
Tom Binns is Ian D Montfort: How to Touch Dead People Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, £7—£12
Playing Politics Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, 26 Aug, £12.50
Ron White – Live in Scotchland Assembly George Square Studios, 26–28 Aug, £15 Andy Field: Roar
HHH Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £free
Christopher Macarthur-Boyd and Rosco Mclelland
HH Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5
Gillian Cosgriff: This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things Gilded Balloon Teviot, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£11 Pajama Men: 2 Man 3 Musketeers Assembly George Square Studios, 22–25 Aug, £15 Javier Jarquin: Hombre Al Dente Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £free
Jeff Seal: The Goddamn Truth – Free Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 22, £free Milo McCabe: The Unflappable Troy Hawke HHH Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Mark Dolan: Life Hacks HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 12, £6—£10
Alistair Williams: I’ve Started So I’m Finished Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
Neal Portenza. Neal Portenza. Neal Portenza. Tracey. Underbelly Med Quad, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
20:10
Fern Brady: Male Comedienne The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 28 Aug, £9
Chris Stokes – The Man Delusion Underbelly Med Quad, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£11 The He & She Show theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 12, 14, 17, 21, £6—£7
❤
Lou Sanders: What’s That Lady Doing? HHHH Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£9 Shite Club – The Downfall of Jellybean Martinez Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £free Tom Walker: Beep Boop Underbelly, George Square, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50 The Ruby Darlings Voodoo Rooms, 6–27 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free
20:15 ❤
Tessa Waters: Over Promises
HHHH Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, not 22, £5
Sam Campbell: The Last Dreamer HHH Assembly Roxy, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£12
Freedom of Speech Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free
Alice Fraser: The Resistance Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £5—£11
Des Bishop: Grey Matters Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £7.50—£13
❤ Jamali Maddix: Chickens Come Home
Sisters Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, £free
20:05 Improvabunga! theSpace on Niddry St, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £7—£8
to Roost HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
❤ Sam Simmons: Not a People Person HHHH Underbelly Potterrow, 3–28 Aug, not 8, £7.50—£15
PLEASANCE pleasance.co.uk
0131 556 6550
❤ Tom Allen: Indeed HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£11
David Longley: Everything I Hate About My Club Set The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–27 Aug, not 15, £7—£8 Eric Davidson – Ukedoodledandy
HH SpaceTriplex, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £10
The Reel Comedy Club Vintage Mobile Cinema, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £12.50 David Quirk: Approaching Perfection Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 4–29 Aug, £5 Lynn Ruth Miller: This is Your Future
HHH Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 16–28 Aug, £5—£6
Emma Sidi: Telenovela Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£9 Stephen Carlin: TV Comeback Special Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Mischaps Cowgatehead, 6–25 Aug, £free Jo Coffey: Not 25
HH Southsider, 6–27 Aug, not 12, 19, £free
Justin Moorhouse: People and Feelings Gilded Balloon Teviot, 20–28 Aug, £10.50—£12
Comedy
80
Your Fringe Schedule
20:20 Martin Mor: #RoadComedian The Stand Comedy Club 2, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9 24 Hours With Mary Lynn Rajskub Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£12 Madame Señorita: The Expector Heroes @ Dragonfly, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £5 Lost Voice Guy: Disability for Dunces Volume Two Stand in the Square, 23 Aug, £9 Michelle McManus: Pop Goes the Idol Stand in the Square, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 16, 22, 23, £11—£12
❤
Suzi Ruffell:
Common HHHH Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£6 Sarah Callaghan: 24
HHH Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12
festmag.co.uk
Max & Ivan: Our Story
HHH Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12.50
Good Grief Ciao Roma, 6–27 Aug, £free
❤
Henry Paker:
Guilty HHHH Assembly George Square Theatre, 3–28 Aug, not 14, 15, 21, £6—£11
Listings
Bob C venues – C cubed, 4–23 Aug, not 5, 6, £9.50—£11.50
81
Emily Lloyd Saini - Is This Part of the Show? Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–23 Aug, not 8, 15, £free Kane Brown: The Oath Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, £free Sean McLoughlin: Kamikaze Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£9.50 The Thinking Drinkers: Around the World in 80 Drinks Underbelly Med Quad, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£11.50 Thomas Green: That’ll Teach You Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £5—£7 St Andrews Revue Presents: Loop Assembly Hall, 4–28 Aug, £5—£8
❤ Shappi Khorsandi: Oh My Country! From Morris Dancing to Morrissey HHHH The Stand Comedy Club, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 15, £11—£12
Lloyd Griffith: Is a Keeper Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£10.50 Andrew Roper – Superhero Secret Origins: Special Edition Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 4–28 Aug, £free A Girl With Two Dicks T-Bar, 6–27 Aug, not 15, £free Carl Donnelly: Bad
20:30
Man Tings HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£10
Jess Robinson: Impressive Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £6.50—£12
Joe Fairbrother’s Power Hour Underbelly Med Quad, 3–27 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50
Loren O’Brien: Who? Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 16, £6—£10
Jonny Pelham: Fool’s Paradise Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£11
Monkey Barrel Comedy @ The Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Banana Skin, 3–28 Aug, £free—£10
Darren Walsh: S’Pun Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 8, 9, 15, £6—£9.50
❤ Andrew Maxwell: Slight Return
20:45
Assembly George Square Theatre, 18–28 Aug, £10—£15
JJ Whitehead: Fool Disclosure Liquid Room Annexe, 5–28 Aug, not 16, 23, £free
Andrew Lawrence: The Hate Speech Tour
Mike Ward: Freedom of Speech Isn’t Free
HHHH
HHH
HHH
It’s Thea-Skot in Here (So Take Off All Your Clothes) HHH Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, not 16, £free
❤
Spencer Jones Presents The Herbert in Eggy Bagel
Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 25, £5—£12
Gagster’s Paradise Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free
Chris Henry: Chris’ World Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £free
Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6
Matt Price: Poltroon Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free
❤
Barnardo’s 150th Anniversary Comedy Benefit Venue150 at EICC, 23 Aug, £20 Ella Woods: Stag Do Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 24–28 Aug, £free
20:35 23, Please: The Sketch Show That Never Was C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £8.50—£10.50 Stephen K Amos: Work in Progress The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–27 Aug, not 15, 16, 22, 23, £10 Shellshock! Improv Live! theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £6.50 Haggis McSporran: Is Out of His Box! C venues – C nova, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £9.50—£11.50 Bob Doolally Puts the Leg Into Legend The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 22–23 Aug, £12
20:40 Ross Hepburn is Beetlejuice’d Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, £free Daniel Sloss: So? Venue150 at EICC, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 23, £8.50—£17.50 The Invention of Acting Just the Tonic at The Caves, 16–28 Aug, £6
Mark Nelson: Smiley Face Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 7, 15, £5—£12.50
HHHH
21:00 Mat Ewins: Mat Ewins Will Make You a Star HHHH Heroes @ The Hive, 4–28 Aug, £5
Aatif Nawaz: Aatificial Intelligence
How Can I Drive to a Gig With a Jakey On My Bonnet? Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free
HH
Amir Khoshsokhan –
Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 4–28 Aug, £free
Abandoman: Life +
Shhhhhh HHH Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 4–28 Aug, £free
Rhymes HHH Underbelly, George Square, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £10—£15.50
Frigid Moan’s Diary The Street Bar, 5 Aug, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, 27 Aug, £free—£5
Clusterf**k Movement, 6–27 Aug, £free
LJ DA FUNK’s Anti-Fascist Counter-Terrorist Comedy Orgy Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free
You’re Welcome Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 17–28 Aug, £free James Loveridge: Castles in the Sand Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free Amy Howerska: Smashcat Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5 We Are All C*nts Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free Sarah & Saskia with Comedy Chums Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Fraser Geesin: Jack of All Polymaths Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 4–28 Aug, £free
Exposure HH Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Twonkey’s Mumbo
20:50
Assembly Roxy, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £5—£12
John Robertson: The Dark Room Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–27 Aug, £6—£11
Naz Osmanoglu:
Harmon Leon’s Big Fat Racist Show Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, £free
❤ Margaret Thatcher Queen of Game Shows HHHH Assembly George Square Gardens, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £10—£14
Vir Das’ Unbelievable: The Dishonest Indian Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 20–28 Aug, £12 Jason Byrne is Propped Up HH Assembly Hall, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22, prices vary
Jumbo Hotel HH Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £6.50 Carl Hutchinson: The Fixer The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 5–27 Aug, not 15, £9 Travels With Autism Just the Tonic at The Caves, 16–28 Aug, £8 Scarlet SoHandsome and Fiends Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 14, 15, 16, 23, £5
❤ Felicity Ward: 50% More Likely to Die HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £7—£13.50 Joke Thieves Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £free Axis of Awesome: Won’t Ever Not Stop Giving Up HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 15–28 Aug, not 25, £9—£12 Joe DeRosa: Zero Forward Progress Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £6—£11 Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5–27 Aug, £free Neel Kolhatkar: Neel Before Me Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £6—£12 Danny McLoughlin: Phillip Was Right Just the Tonic at The Tron, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5 Mark Watson: I’m Not Here HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £9—£16
Just the Tonic Comedy Club Just the Tonic at The Caves, 5–27 Aug, not 10, 14, 15, 16, £5—£10
Over 200 shows every day! @ThePleasance
21:05 Jamie MacDonald: High Vis Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£11
21:10 The Upper-Class Rapper Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, not 15, £free The Best of Scottish Comedy The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £12 Under Cover With the Naked Stand-Up theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £10 Alan Anderson: Whisky for Dafties Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 12–28 Aug, not 17, 24, £12—£18
21:15 Lloyd Langford: Rascal Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free Archie Maddocks: Shirts Vs Skins Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free
Myra DuBois: Self AdMyra Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12 Ria Lina: Dear Daughter HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £5—£10 Ali Hassan: Man Interrupted (Work in Progress) Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£7
21:20 ❤ Taylor Glenn: A Billion Days of Parenthood HHHH Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6
Rhys Nicholson – Bona Fide HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, £7—£12 A History, w Nowell Edmurnds Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 18, £4—£5 Stand Up & Slam!
❤ Bourgeois & Maurice: How to Save the World Without Really Trying HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£12
Harriet Kemsley: The Girl on the Wrong Train Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
21:30 John Hastings: Integrity Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
Evolution HHH Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 6–29 Aug, not 17, 24, £5
Circumcision Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free
Seann Walsh: One for the Road Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 16, 22, £10—£14
Gabriel Ebulue: Hip-Punk Heroes @ Dragonfly, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £5
Tom Ballard – The World Keeps Happening Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£12
❤ Rahul Kohli: Newcastle Brown Male HHHH The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£8
Scotland’s Pick of the Fringe Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £7
Comedy Reserve at the Dome Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£9.50
Desiree Burch: This is
Mae Martin: Work in Progress Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £free
Mark Steel’s in
Good Kids: On Tap Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£10.50
Bar HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£12
21:25
❤
Toon HHHH Assembly Hall, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £10—£14
Kitten Killers: Stallions Underbelly, George Square, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£10
Yeti’s – Demon Dive
Comedy Boxing Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 16, £free
Emily Tresidder: Crazy Is Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £5—£10
Mavericks: A Sketch Show (Of Sorts) theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £5
Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £4—£6
Nick Cody: Come Get Some! Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12.50
Hayley Ellis: FOMO
The MMORPG Show Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£8
Frenchy: World’s Worst Adult Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £6—£12
Paul McMullan: Alcopop Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12
21:35
Comedian HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 16, £6—£11
Rab’s Videogame Empty - Presented by Glasgow Film Festival Assembly Rooms, 27 Aug, £15
99 Club Stand-Up Selection – Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5–28 Aug, £free
HHH
Heidi O’Loughlin: Cult
❤
Marcel Lucont’s
Whine List HHHH Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12
❤
Kieran Hodgson:
Maestro HHHH Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, £free Paul Thorne: This Month’s Apocalypse The Stand Comedy Club 2, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £8—£9 Luisa Omielan – Am I Right Ladies?! Venue150 at EICC, 27 Aug, £17.50
Goodbear HHH Bedlam Theatre, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £6.50—£10
❤ Kinsey Sicks: Lady Cocks of Bang Boys HHHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £7—£12
❤ Baby Wants Candy: The Completely Improvised Full Band
HHH Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
Princes of Main: Cool Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 Bristol Underground Comedy Ciao Roma, 6–27 Aug, £free
21:40 LOLympics Live! Stand in the Square, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £11—£12 Garrett Millerick: The Dreams Stuff is Made of HHH Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50 David Stanier’s Silly Party Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£5 Big Value Comedy Show – Late Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£10 Nazeem Hussain – Legally Brown Assembly George Square Studios, 26 Aug, £12
21:45 Murder She Didn’t Write C venues – C, 12–29 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Phil Nichol: Twenty
Musical HHHH Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, £10—£15
HHH
Luisa Omielan – What Would Beyoncé Do?! Venue150 at EICC, 26 Aug, £17.50
Jay Handley: You Want the Truth? You Can’t Handley the Truth! Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, £free
George Egg: Anarchist Cook Gilded Balloon Teviot, 24 Aug, £10 David Elms: Goody Boy HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£9.50
Michelle Wolf: So Brave Pleasance Courtyard, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£13
Assembly Checkpoint, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£14
Johnny Cochrane: Appeal HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12 Sean Cannon: The Idiot Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–27 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free
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0131 556 6550
❤ Birthday Girls: Sh!t Hot Party Legends HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, £6—£10 Chris Turner: Observational Tragedy Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 26, 27, 28, £6—£10 Tiny Horse Comedy Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 4–29 Aug, not 15, £free Tom Ward: Sex, Snails and Cassette Tapes
HH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50
Police Cops Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£12 Tom and Will’s Open Swim Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 24, £6—£10 Rhys James: Forgives
HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 26 Aug, £11.50
Pierre Novellie is Cool Peter Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10 An Imp-revised History of the World T-Bar, 17–27 Aug, £free
❤ Richard Gadd: Monkey See Monkey Do HHHHH Banshee Labyrinth, 6–28 Aug, £free
21:50 Alex Kealy is an Idea Whose Time Has Come HH Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50
❤ Foil, Arms and Hog: DoomDah HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, £7—£13
50% Scottish, 100% Crazy, Let’s Laugh Spotlites, 4–28 Aug, £free Showstopper! The Improvised Musical Pleasance Courtyard, 23 Aug, £13
Comedy
82
Your Fringe Schedule
83
Listings
festmag.co.uk
22:00 The Voice of Ray Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 16, 22, £free Pete Inskip’s Return to the UK Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £5 My Big Dick is Making Me Thirsty Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 4–28 Aug, £free Hyprov: Improv Under Hypnosis Assembly George Square Theatre, 3–28 Aug, £6—£14 Daniel Sloss: So? (Late Shows) Venue150 at EICC, Various dates from 12 Aug to 27 Aug, £14.50—£17.50
Joe Jacobs: Orthodox Joe Frankenstein Pub, 4–29 Aug, not 8, 15, 27, £free
The Blind Date
Shane Todd: Holywood to Hollywood Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£9.50
Project HHH Zoo Southside, 5–28 Aug, not 16, 23, £8—£12
The Shambles theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £7
Hal Cruttenden: Straight Outta Cruttenden Pleasance Courtyard, 17–28 Aug, not 21, £14—£16
Peter Buckley Hill and Some Comedians: The Final Aardvark La Belle Angèle, 7–25 Aug, not 12, 13, 19, 20, £free
Nev: Guts Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, 4–28 Aug, £free
Scott Agnew: I’ve Snapped My Banjo String, Let’s Just Talk
HHH
Reality Check
Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5
HHH
Craig Campbell’s
Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 13–28 Aug, £free
Further Ted: Joe Rooney Heroes @ The Hive, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, 22 Aug, 23 Aug, 24 Aug, £6 #BiggerthanKanye Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 4–28 Aug, not 19, £free Adele and Tom’s First Birthday Party! Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free
❤
Chris Gethard: Career Suicide
HHHH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £7—£11
BattleActs! Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £free Jiggle & Hyde Present: Sketchy Mother Pluckers
HH theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £7
Aunty Donna: New Show Gilded Balloon Teviot, 16–29 Aug, not 25, £10—£12 Matthew Giffen, Cocaine and Potatoes Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 14–25 Aug, not 19, 20, £free
Molotov Cocktail Party Sabor, 6–26 Aug, not 15, £free
Maureen Langan: Daughter of a Garbage Man The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £8—£9
‘Easy Tiger’ HHH The Stand Comedy Club, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 15, £11—£12
Funny Cluckers – Best of the Fest – Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5–27 Aug, £free
Ari Shaffir: This Is Not Happening Heroes @ The Hive, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £5
Aidan Goatley: Mr Blue Sky Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, £8
Comedians Film Club Vintage Mobile Cinema, 5–28 Aug, not 24, 25, 26, £12.50
22:20
22:05 ❤
Dr Phil’s NHS
Revolution HHHH theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 5–27 Aug, £5—£10
❤
Randy Writes a
Novel HHHH Underbelly Potterrow, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £7—£12.50 ACMS: The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 7–24 Aug, not 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, £12
22:15 Shit-Faced Shakespeare Underbelly, George Square, 3–29 Aug, £7—£15
Samantha Pressdee: Sextremist HH Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£8 Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon HH Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £3—£7 Colum Tyrrell: The Hookers and Blow Show Just the Tonic at The Tron, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £4—£6 The Bear Pack Underbelly, Cowgate, 16–28 Aug, not 22, £7—£12 Carnal Desire Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10 Hell to Play Liquid Room Annexe, 6–28 Aug, £free
22:25 Woman Up Improv Show theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 23–27 Aug, £8
22:30 Gus Loomis: Still Live Cowgatehead, 6–27 Aug, £free Jayde Adams: 31
HHH Voodoo Rooms, 6–28 Aug, not 17, £free
Keep Out of My Box (and Other Useful Advice) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £5—£10 Set List: Stand-Up Without a Net Gilded Balloon Teviot, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £5—£14.50 The Sitcom Trials: So You Think You Write Funny? Gilded Balloon Teviot, 23–24 Aug, £10
The Establishment Heroes @ Dragonfly, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £5
Fright Bus Service Necrobus, 3–28 Aug, £7—£9
The Really Good Show Hour Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 4–28 Aug, not 19, £free
22:35
This Belongs to George Osborne Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 4–28 Aug, not 14, £free Joe Lycett: That’s the Way A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett Assembly Hall, 23–27 Aug, £15 Head Sets Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £free Colin Hay: Get Rid of the Minstrel Gilded Balloon Teviot, 15–28 Aug, £12—£14 Russ Peers: Bad Gay? Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5
❤ Kate Lucas: Whatever Happened to Kate Lucas? HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£12
Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets Do Shakespeare Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 23, £5—£11 Evan Desmarais: Bad Things, Right Reasons – Free Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free City Cafe Late Nite and Free Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 4–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £free
Will Franken: Little Joe The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£8
22:40 Simon Slack – The Fantasist HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50 Cook and Davies: Do Not Leave This Room Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £free—£3 James Nokise: So So Gangsta The Stand Comedy Club 2, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9
0131 556 6550
❤ Tom Allen: Indeed HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, 26 Aug, £11
Shit-Faced Showtime Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, £7—£12.50 Brendon Burns and Colt Cabana Do Comedy and Commentary to Bad Wrestling Matches! Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10 Eshaan Akbar and Friends Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £5 The Travelling Sisters Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50 Angela Wand: Wounded Animals
HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 12, 14, 17, 24, £8—£12
Bob Slayer: 24 Hour Shows Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 4–29 Aug, not 10, 24, £5 Let Dinki Die Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £5—£10
Omar & Lee Present: We Are All Idiots Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
Zoe Lyons: Little Misfit Gilded Balloon Teviot, 24 Aug, £10
The Very Nice Improv Show theSpace on the Mile, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £5—£7
22:50
Al Porter: At Large Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£11
22:45 Norris & Parker: See You at the Gallows
HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 21, £6—£9.50
Adam Kay – Fingering A Minor on the Piano Pleasance Courtyard, 25 Aug, £13
PLEASANCE pleasance.co.uk
Shaggers (Free Festival) Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free
The Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-In Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £7—£14 Katie Brennan’s Quarter-Life Crisis
HHH Underbelly, George Square, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
❤ Nicole Henriksen – Techno Glitter Penguins HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10
Comedy
84
Your Fringe Schedule
New Town Theatre
Mysterious / 96 George Street EH2 3DH +44 (0)131 220 0143
7 th, 8 th, 9 th AUG 2016 11:30am - 75min
Directed by
£10.00 / £5.00
Wang Xiaoying ☆☆☆☆
The Guardian Review of Richard III
☆☆☆☆
“...every bit as exciting as you could imagine” The Morning Star Review of Richard III
Hunan Kunqu Opera Troupe Presents Patrick Melton: My Least Favorite Everything Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50
22:55
festmag.co.uk
Adrian Gray’s The 007 Conspiracy: James Bond’s Terrifying Truth, Exposed! Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
23:00 Mark Watson’s Edinborolympics
HH Pleasance Courtyard, 18–27 Aug, £8.50—£11
lara A king: Not Broken, Just Bent Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–29 Aug, £5 Folie à Deux Pleasance Courtyard, 24–27 Aug, £9—£10 Michelle Wolf: So Brave Pleasance Courtyard, 20 Aug, 27 Aug, £13
Listings
Gavin Webster’s 11 O’Clock Bill Stand in the Square, 4–28 Aug, not 7, 15, £12
85
Twins: Two Balls in a Bag Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£9 Adele is Younger Than Us C venues – C nova, 18–28 Aug, not 22, 23, 24, £8.50—£9.50 Hammerton Community High Class of ‘75 theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, £5 Tez Ilyas: Made in Britain Pleasance Courtyard, 26–27 Aug, £12 Stuart Mitchell: Dealt a Bad Hand Pleasance Courtyard, 27–28 Aug, £12 Best of Scottish Comedian of the Year Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, £6—£13.50 Imaginary Porno Charades Sweet Grassmarket, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £7 The Two Mikes Assembly George Square Studios, 26–28 Aug, £20
Best of HUB Pleasance Dome, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £5
2 Girls, 1 Cup of Comedy Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 7–28 Aug, not 15, £5
Not Trying to Be a Dick Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free
Phil Dunning: The People’s Prince Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£9
AAA Stand-Up Late Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, £6—£11 Comedian’s Guide to Autism Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 20–28 Aug, £free Me, Myself and ISIS – Free T-Bar, 6–29 Aug, £free Cut the Chat Live Outhouse, 23–24 Aug, £free Star Trek vs Star Wars The Banana Skin, 19 Aug, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, 27 Aug, £5 Deirdre O’Kane: 1Dee Assembly George Square Theatre, 27–28 Aug, £10
Robom and Goremorrah Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free Can I Stop You There? Gilded Balloon Teviot, 22–28 Aug, £10—£12 A+ Underachiever Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 4–28 Aug, £free
The International Incident Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, 4–28 Aug, £free
23:45
23:50
HHHH
23:10
23:30
Foxdog Studios
HHH Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 4–28 Aug, £free
Irish Comedy – No Safe Space Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 4–28 Aug, £free
Jason Neale’s Footprint Heroes @ Dragonfly, 5–28 Aug, £5
Foil, Arms and Hog: DoomDah
This Is Our Summer Holiday Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
McWhiteface HHH Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 3–28 Aug, not 23, £5
❤ Rob Carter is Christopher Bliss
❤
You’ll Never Get This Time Back Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £free
Fin Taylor: Whitey
23:40
Comedy in the Dark (Late Edition) Underbelly, George Square, 11 Aug, 25 Aug, £14.50
HHHH
23:05
RLB: Real Life Broadcasting Laughing Horse @ The Crags Bar, 21–28 Aug, £free
Massive Lazy Girls Pleasance Courtyard, 24–28 Aug, £9—£10
The Mr G Summer Heights High Singalong Underbelly, George Square, 18 Aug, 24 Aug, £12.50
Pigeons and Things Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, 4–28 Aug, £free
Underbelly, Cowgate, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £11.50—£13
23:15
The Wimps Show Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 4–27 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free
Political Animal The Stand Comedy Club, 9–25 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, £12 Bearpit Podcast (Podcast): 100 Year Anniversary Pleasance Dome, 23 Aug, 26 Aug, £5 Brickhead: Yeah Yeah, Yeah? Sabor, 6–27 Aug, not 16, 22, £free Big Silly Mash-Up! Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, not 20, 21, £free
Just the Tonic at The Tron, 4–27 Aug, not 15, £4—£5
ACE! Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 4–28 Aug, £free Edinburgh Comedy Allstars Underbelly, George Square, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £10—£15
❤ Sam Simmons: Not a People Person HHHH Underbelly Potterrow, 19 Aug, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, 27 Aug, £15
The Stand Late Club The Stand Comedy Club, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £15 Beardyman: One Album Per Hour Pleasance Courtyard, 18–24 Aug, £12.50—£14
Bronston Jones – God Bless ‘Merica (Again) The Stand Comedy Club 2, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£9
23:55 Fright Bus Service Necrobus, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £9 Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrghhh! It’s the Increasingly Prestigious Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards Show – and It’s Free! Laughing Horse @ Ghillie Dhu, 26–27 Aug, £free
23:59 Best of the Fest Assembly Hall, Various dates from 5 Aug to 28 Aug, £12—£15
Over 200 shows every day! @ThePleasance
Comedy
86
87
Listings
festmag.co.uk
Your Fringe Schedule ❤
Breakfast Plays: Tech Will Tear Us Apart (?) HHHH Traverse Theatre, 16–28 Aug, not 22, £14.50
09:25
10:00 Us / Them HHH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £8—£10 Alice Gilded Balloon Teviot, 16–28 Aug, £8—£9
10:25 Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead theSpace on Niddry St, 22–27 Aug, £7
10:30 Milk HH Traverse Theatre, Various dates from 6 Aug to 26 Aug, £14.50—£20.50 The Forest Pleasance Courtyard, 22–25 Aug, £10 Daffodils (A Play With
Grand Guignol theSpace @ Venue45, 22–27 Aug, £7
Songs) HH Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 23 Aug, 27 Aug, £20.50
Shakespeare for Breakfast C venues – C, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £7.50—£9.50
Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, 20 Aug, 25 Aug, £14.50—£20.50
10:05 Eurohouse Summerhall, 16–26 Aug, £10
10:10 Waves Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £7.50—£9 The Sister Paradise in Augustines, 6–28 Aug, not 14, 21, £8
10:15 ❤ Stories to Tell in the Middle of the Night HHHH Summerhall, 13–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £10 The Girl with the Hurricane Hands (and Other Short Tales of Woe) Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–28 Aug, £free Green Tea and Zen Baka Dance Base, 5–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free
10:20 Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £8.50—£12.50
❤
The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro HHHH artSpace@StMarks, 11 Aug, 12 Aug, 13 Aug, 15 Aug, 29 Aug, £10—£15
❤ Mark Thomas: The Red Shed HHHH Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, 28 Aug, £20.50
10:40 The Country Wife theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £8—£8.50 King John theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £7
10:50
❤ Greater Belfast HHHH Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 24 Aug, £18.50
❤
Diary of a
Madman HHHH Traverse Theatre, 4 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £12.50—£18.50 Bull theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–27 Aug, £8 Wilde Without the Boy Assembly Hall, 4–29 Aug, £5—£10 Shakespeare Tonight Paradise in Augustines, 22–27 Aug, £14 In Fidelity HHH Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, £18.50
11:05 Eden theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £8
11:10 The Squire Sisters theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £6
11:15 Jane Eyre: An Autobiography Assembly Roxy, 4–29 Aug, not 10, 16, 23, £8—£13
11:20 Confetti Venue 13, 6–27 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £10 Perfidious Lion Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10.50
Lost in Blue HHH Summerhall, 16–28 Aug, not 22, £10—£12 World Without Us
HH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £10—£12
Once... HHH Assembly George Square Theatre, 4–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £10—£14 Rubber Zoo Southside, 6–28 Aug, not 17, prices vary
Hamlet theSpace on Niddry St, 22–27 Aug, £10
11:40 Troika SpaceTriplex, Various dates from 5 Aug to 25 Aug, £7 Change SpaceTriplex, Various dates from 6 Aug to 26 Aug, £7 Little Wolfie theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £8—£9 Northanger Abbey Underbelly, Cowgate, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10.50 The Taming of the Shrew Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 22–27 Aug, £10 Leftover SpaceTriplex, Various dates from 8 Aug to 27 Aug, £7
11:45 Finders Keepers ZOO, 5–27 Aug, not 15, £7—£9
11:25
Equations for a
Spill Your Guts Here theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £5—£7
The Echo Chamber Spotlites, 14–28 Aug, £6.50
Ears on a Beatle Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £9
11:50
❤
My Eyes Went
Dark HHHH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £18.50 Expensive Shit
HHH Traverse Theatre, 5 Aug, 11 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, 28 Aug, £18.50
11:30 The Happening Just the Tonic at The Caves, 21–28 Aug, £5 Krapp 39 Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 16, 23, £6—£10
Callisto: A Queer Epic Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
11:55 Fabric Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 Scapegoat theSpace on the Mile, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £8
12:00
11:35
11:00 Moving Body HHH Northern Stage at Summerhall, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £9—£11
The Six-Sided Man Assembly Roxy, Various dates from 4 Aug to 28 Aug, £6—£12
Happy Yet? theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £7 Escape from the Planet of the Day That Time Forgot
HHH Assembly Roxy, Various dates from 6 Aug to 29 Aug, £10—£12
Anything That Gives Off Light Edinburgh International Conference Centre, 26 Aug, £25 Jonas Müller Regrets Writing This F*cking Masterpiece HH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 11, 15, 22, £6—£10.50 Mushroom! Gayfield Venues, 25–29 Aug, £10 Lest We Forget Paradise in Augustines, 6–28 Aug, not 14, 21, £6—£8 Philip Pullman’s The Ruby in the Smoke Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6.50—£11 Early Doors Pleasance Pop-Up: The Pub, 5–29 Aug, not 15, 23, £7—£12 The Life and Crimes of Reverend Raccoon C venues – C nova, 21–29 Aug, £7.50—£9.50
❤ This Evil Thing HHHH New Town Theatre, 4–28 Aug, not 16, 23, £11—£13
All Might Seem Good C venues – C, 21–28 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 The Toyland Murders
HH Bedlam Theatre, 3–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £7—£9
Jerry Finnegan’s Sister C venues – C nova, 3–24 Aug, £7.50—£9.50
Luna Park Zoo Southside, 14–29 Aug, not 22, £5—£9
Oh Hello! Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £8—£12 Gefilte Fish and Chips Underbelly, George Square, 3–29 Aug, £6—£11 Mimes in Time Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, £6—£10 Wrecked HH Assembly George Square Gardens, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£13 Trolley Girls Laughing Horse @ Southside Social, 24–28 Aug, £free House and Amongst the Reeds HHH Assembly George Square Theatre, 4–27 Aug, not 10, 17, £7—£12
12:05 African Traditional Acrobatics and Cultural SpaceTriplex, 16–27 Aug, not 18, 21, 23, 25, £10
12:10 The Baffling Adventures of Question Mark Man theSpace on the Mile, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £7 Sticks Stones Broken Bones Underbelly Potterrow, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£12 Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Roundabout @ Summerhall, 5–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £9—£13
12:15 And the Rope Still Tugging Her Feet
HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £5—£10
Save + Quit HH Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£10 Dear Home Office Underbelly Med Quad, 22–28 Aug, £8—£9
BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 @AssemblyFest
#MyAssembly
Theatre
09:00
88
Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London HHH Assembly Hall, 4–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£12 Out of Our Father’s House Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–28 Aug, £5—£12
12:20
festmag.co.uk
A Regular Little Houdini Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, £6—£10 Shoot the Women First The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 16–28 Aug, £10
12:25 The Pianist HHH Assembly Roxy, 4–29 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £9—£13
12:30 A Divine Comedy Valvona & Crolla, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, £15 Tent Spotlites, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £6—£8 Slaves of Sleep theSpace on the Mile, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £7 5 Years Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 21–28 Aug, £free
All Aboard the Marriage Hearse Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£13 Grimm: An Untold Tale Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50 Playing Maggie... The Iron Lady Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, £6—£11 Something Borrowed Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 18, £6—£11
❤
The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro HHHH artSpace@StMarks, 17–27 Aug, not 21, 23, £15 Big Bite-Size Lunch Hour: Best Bites Pleasance Dome, 6–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £7—£10.50
12:35 Death and the Human theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £8 Just Let the Wind Untie My Perfumed Hair... or Who Is Tahirih? HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£13
Best of the Fest Daytime Assembly George Square Gardens, 5–28 Aug, £8—£12.50
12:40
Delivery #16 HH Theatre Arts Exchange, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, 23, £10—£12
Three Jumpers Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £7
Triumvirette Greenside @ Infirmary Street, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £8
12:50 Inferno Spotlites, 4–23 Aug, not 12, 13, £9 Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£12
Captured HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
Entrails theSpace @ Venue45, 12–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £7.50
Leftover SpaceTriplex, Various dates from 5 Aug to 25 Aug, £7
Coup de Grâce Sweet Grassmarket, 5–27 Aug, not 16, 17, £7.50
12:45 Jules Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages: Journey to the Centre of the Earth C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £8.50—£10.50 Happiness is a Cup of Tea HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 24, £6—£9 Concerning Mars Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £7 A Play, A Pie and A Pint Le Monde, 5–28 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, 22, 27, £12.50 Machina ZOO, 5–29 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, 28, £5—£9 Cold/Warm HH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£9
Erik Satie’s - Faction Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £7.50—£16.50
12:55 The Castle Builder Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£12 Fish and Chips with Edith theSpace on the Mile, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £6
13:00 The Wedding Reception The George Hotel, Various dates from 6 Aug to 28 Aug, £39 My Name is Gideon: Songs, Space Travel and Everything In-Between HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 The Magnetic Diaries ZOO, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £9
Mercury Fur C venues – C cubed, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £9.50—£11.50
Zero HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10.50
The Snow Queen Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £5—£10
❤ Zero Down HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 18, £6—£9.50
People of the Eye
HHH Northern Stage at Summerhall, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £9—£11
Operation Love Story Zoo Southside, 5–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £8—£10 Hari Ho Gati Meri Dance Base, 27 Aug, £12 Heads Up Dance Base, 25–26 Aug, £7
❤ Dublin Oldschool HHHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 18, 22, £6—£10
Spill: A Verbatim Show About Sex Pleasance Courtyard, 23–29 Aug, £7.50—£10
The HandleBards: Much Ado About Nothing Assembly George Square Theatre, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, £13.50—£15 The Opportunity Theatre Arts Exchange, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, £5 The HandleBards: Richard III Assembly George Square Theatre, 22 Aug, 24 Aug, 26 Aug, 28 Aug, £13.50—£15 Dropped HH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
13:05 A Remarkable Person
HHH Pleasance Dome, 5–27 Aug, £6.50—£11
The Bookbinder Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£10
The Game’s a Foot, Try the Fish theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 5–27 Aug, not 7, £5—£7
I Love Ursula Hamdress Spotlites, 21–28 Aug, £10
❤ On the Conditions and Possibilities of Hillary Clinton Taking Me as Her Young
Grey Matter C venues – C nova, 21–29 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Touch Theatre Arts Exchange, 26–28 Aug, £free
Lover HHHHH Summerhall, 5–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £8—£12
Listings
Troika SpaceTriplex, Various dates from 6 Aug to 26 Aug, £7
Change SpaceTriplex, Various dates from 8 Aug to 27 Aug, £7
MICHAEL GRIFFITHS: COLE
89
Assembly GeoRGe squARe
Assembly Roxy
Until 28 Aug, 18:00
Until 28 Aug, 20:20
The Herald
HOT BROWN HONEY The Scotsman
Your Fringe Schedule
Theatre
90
A Fête Worse Than Death Paradise in The Vault, 6–28 Aug, not 14, 21, £6 Attempts on Her Life theSpace on Niddry St, 22–27 Aug, £8 Trumpageddon Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £8.50
13:10 Troilus and Cressida theSpace on Niddry St, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £8 No Filter theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £7 My World has Exploded a Little Bit Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50 Twix theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £5
13:15 Shylock Assembly Roxy, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £10—£14
Communicate C venues – C nova, 21–29 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Milk HH Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 23 Aug, 27 Aug, £20.50 One for the Road Quaker Meeting House, 23–27 Aug, £8 Playback Impro Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £free Impromptu Shakespeare Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5
13:20 Pond Wife HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10 Children and Animals
HH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 7, 15, 17, £6—£10
The Nine Lives of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry HH Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, £6—£10
❤
Last Dream (on
Earth) HHHH Assembly Hall, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £10—£15
13:30 Mule Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £5—£11 In Tents and Purposes Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, not 15, 26, £6—£11 Hero Worship C venues – C, 21–29 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 The Starship Osiris Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£9.50
Overshadowed
Journeys HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 8–29 Aug, £8—£9
Beyond Price Summerhall, 16–26 Aug, £5
HHH
Daffodils (A Play With
❤ Mark Thomas: The Red Shed
The Trunk Underbelly, George Square, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10
HHHH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 13 Aug, 16 Aug, 20 Aug, 25 Aug, £20.50
The Elephant Man Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £6.50—£13 Expensive Shit
HHH Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 24 Aug, £18.50
Assembly Roxy, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£12
Medea Dream Silk, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
13:25 Kursk Bedlam Theatre, 22–28 Aug, £8
Songs) HH Traverse Theatre, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, 28 Aug, £20.50 Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, 21 Aug, 26 Aug, £20.50 The Marked HHH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £7—£12 Yokai Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£11
Wrecked HH Assembly George Square Gardens, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£13
13:45
13:35
Octopus HH Assembly George Square Theatre, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£11
Growth Roundabout @ Summerhall, Various dates from 6 Aug to 27 Aug, £9—£17
❤ Letters to Windsor House HHHH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 22, £6
F.R.A.N.C. The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £9—£10 Jekyll and Hyde Spotlites, 24–28 Aug, £9
❤
Love, Lies and
Taxidermy HHHH Roundabout @ Summerhall, Various dates from 5 Aug to 28 Aug, £9—£17
13:40 Abberline’s Artefact SpaceTriplex, 22–26 Aug, £12
❤ The Inevitable Heartbreak of Gavin Plimsole HHHH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£10 It Folds HHH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £12—£14 Girls Night Out theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £4—£7
Irons Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £10
Teatro Delusio HH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £8—£14.50 A Royal Flush theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 6 Aug to 26 Aug, £6—£9 Taiwan Season: Solo Date Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£10 The Unknown Soldier Assembly Hall, 4–29 Aug, not 22, £7.50—£11 In Fidelity HHH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £18.50 Tracy Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 20, £6—£10 My Romantic History theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 7 Aug to 27 Aug, £6—£9 Sweet Child Of Mine
HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £5—£11.50
All Quiet On the Western Front Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£9.50
❤ Greater Belfast HHHH Traverse Theatre, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, £18.50
❤
Diary of a
Madman HHHH Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, 28 Aug, £18.50
❤
Bubble
Revolution HHHH New Town Theatre, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £7—£10
13:50 Screw Your Courage! (or The Bloody Crown!) Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £5—£10 Jumping the Barriers theSpace on the Mile, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £8
❤ Empty Beds HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
Terra Incognita
HHH Zoo Southside, 14–29 Aug, £5—£10
The Man Who Built His House to Heaven Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £6 Éowyn Emerald & Dancers Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £5—£10 Red and The Wolf Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 17–27 Aug, not 21, £10
BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 @AssemblyFest
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13:55 A Streetcar Named Desire Assembly Roxy, 4–29 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £7—£10
14:00
Tink Tank Underbelly Potterrow, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£12
Raw Edinburgh International Conference Centre, 28 Aug, £20
We Paved the Streets With People PASS Theatre, 27 Aug, £free
Life by the Throat
Cautionary Kate
HHH
HH
Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 7, 9, 10, 17, £6—£10.50
The Fool C venues – C south, 24–28 Aug, £8.50—£9.50 Paperclips and Ammunition C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 10, £7.50—£9.50
❤
My Eyes Went
Dark HHHH Traverse Theatre, 4 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £12.50—£18.50
festmag.co.uk
The Accidental Adventures of Sherlock Holmes C venues – C, 8–29 Aug, £8.50—£10.50
Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£10.50
Rubber Zoo Southside, 6–28 Aug, not 16, 17, prices vary
14:05 The Calm Venue 13, 21–27 Aug, £9 Grandad Died theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £5 Foxtrot Paradise in The Vault, 15–28 Aug, not 21, £7
Every Wild Beast
One Hundred Homes
HHH
HHH
C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £9.50—£11.50
The Mindspace Lauriston Halls, 15–25 Aug, not 21, 23, £6 Hari Ho Gati Meri Dance Base, 25–28 Aug, £10—£12 Goggles HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£10 The Other Institut français d’Ecosse, 5–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£10 Faulty Towers the Dining Experience B’est Restaurant, 5–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £49.50—£54.50 Alice in Wasteland Studio 24, 26 Aug, £20 The South Afreakins Spotlites, 4–28 Aug, £3—£8
❤ Counting Sheep HHHH
14:10 Hamlet in Bed HH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 16, 23, £6—£11.50
14:15 Delphine HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£10 Generation Zero HH Zoo Southside, 5–29 Aug, not 15, £5—£9 Spaced: Whisky Theatre Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@ Jenners, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, 28 Aug, £15 Special Delivery Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 24–28 Aug, £7 Gulliver’s Travels Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£10
In Her Own Words: The Diana Tapes theSpace on Niddry St, 22–27 Aug, £9
Verge of Strife Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, £7—£12
Van Gogh Find Yourself Natural Food Kafe, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
Absence of Separation HH Bourbon Bar, 6–27 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Blood Will Have Blood
HH C venues – C nova, 9–29 Aug, £11.50—£13.50
Life According to Saki C venues – C, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £8.50—£10.50 Trolling Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £6—£11 The Chicken Trial
HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£10
14:30 Frankenstein Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £6.50—£13 The Handmaidens of Death – WWI Theatre of Its Time Quaker Meeting House, 22–27 Aug, £8 Anything That Gives Off Light Edinburgh International Conference Centre, 20 Aug, 24 Aug, £25 Songs and Stories of Scotland Sweet Grassmarket, 15–28 Aug, £8 Absolutely Legless Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 27 Aug, £10 Delivery #16 HH Theatre Arts Exchange, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, £10—£12
14:20
Dusty Horne’s Sound
Intergalactic Nemesis: Twin Infinity – A Live Action Graphic Novel Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 16, 23, £6—£14
and Fury HH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6.50—£11
❤ The Mission HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£11
Made Up HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50
Playing Soldiers C venues – C, 21–29 Aug, £7.50—£9.50
14:35 This is Japanese Iki! Sweet Grassmarket, 21–28 Aug, £10 Ubu on the Table
HHH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 10, 15, 22, £6—£12
No Exit (Huis Clos) theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 22–26 Aug, £7
14:25
14:40
Mairi Campbell: Pulse
The Hours Before We Wake Underbelly, Cowgate, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10.50
HHH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £11—£14
Hella Granger – Superstar Sweet Grassmarket, 21–28 Aug, £8
Blood for Blood HH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £6—£13
❤
Agent of Influence: The Secret Life of Pamela More
HHHH
Labels Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£10
Glasgow Girls Assembly Hall, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £12—£17.50
A Tale of Two Cities:
Bull SpaceTriplex, 23–27 Aug, £8—£9
Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
❤ Fossils HHHH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£11
The Supermarket Six theSpace on Niddry St, 22–27 Aug, £7
14:45
Immortal Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £8 How is Uncle John? Assembly Hall, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£11 The Moira Monologues by Alan Bissett Scottish Storytelling Centre, 20–29 Aug, £12 Ockham’s Razor: Tipping Point C venues – C scala, 3–25 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £14.50—£16.50 Nel HHH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10 Hess HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £6—£12
Hurricane Michael Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£11
Wrecked HH Assembly George Square Gardens, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£13
600 People HHH Northern Stage at Summerhall, 18–27 Aug, not 24, £11
Cosmic Fear or The Day Brad Pitt Got
14:50 Karen Hobbs: Tumour Has It Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50 Don’t Panic! It’s Challenge Anneka
Paranoia HHH Bedlam Theatre, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6.50—£9 You Tweet My Face Space Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £5—£10 They Built It. No One Came. Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
HH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 11, 22, £7—£10
Chopping Chillies Assembly Roxy, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £8—£12
Bubble Schmeisis
HHH
Fat Girls Don’t Dance
HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10
Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £6—£11
This Earth Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £5—£6
14:55
Bloody Mary C venues – C cubed, 4–29 Aug, not 10, 16, 23, £7.50—£9.50
❤ Team Viking HHHH Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £7—£10
Antigone theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £8
15:00 God’s Anointed Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £7
The Silence at the Song’s End Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 22–27 Aug, £8 Taiwan Season: NuShu Dance Base, 5–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £10—£12
Listings
Summerhall @ The King’s Hall, Various dates from 13 Aug to 28 Aug, £13
Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £8—£10
Yokes Night HH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£10
MICHAEL GRIFFITHS: COLE
91
Assembly GeoRGe squARe
Assembly Roxy
Until 28 Aug, 18:00
Until 28 Aug, 20:20
The Herald
HOT BROWN HONEY The Scotsman
Your Fringe Schedule
92 Theatre
FirstSprout Theatre
Deal with the Dragon
written and performed by Kevin Rolston
Dame Nature – The Magnificent Bearded Lady Assembly George Square Theatre, 16–29 Aug, £10—£11 Electric Eden Pleasance Pop-Up: The Club, Various dates from 3 Aug to 29 Aug, £6—£10 My Life in... Le Monde, 11–26 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, £10 The ME ZOO, 5–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £5—£10
15:05 Fran & Leni HH Assembly George Square Theatre, 4–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£11 Crazed C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £7.50—£9.50 Everyman theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £5
❤ Denton and Me HHHH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £8—£12
We Are Not Criminals theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 6 Aug to 26 Aug, £6—£9
15:10 Exactly Like You
HH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 19, £6—£11
Fingertips C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £7.50—£9.50
In Utero theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £6—£10 Three Layers of Meta and a Time Machine Paradise in Augustines, 22–28 Aug, £9.50 Swivelhead HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
15:15 ❤ A Simple Space HHHH
Brazil HHH New Town Theatre, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £8—£12
15:20 Poena 5X1 HH Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 Smother Zoo Southside, 5–27 Aug, £8—£12 Be Prepared HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£11
Underbelly, George Square, 4–25 Aug, not 10, 17, 22, £10.50—£15.50
15:25
Every Brilliant Thing Roundabout @ Summerhall, 6–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £15—£17
The Lounge HHH Summerhall, 3–27 Aug, not 4, 15, £10—£15
Remember Edith Cavell Palmerston Place Church, 27 Aug, £11
15:30
Some Voices theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 7 Aug to 27 Aug, £6—£9 Dreamcatcher theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £15
❤ Skin of the Teeth HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6.50—£11
Jules Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £8.50—£10.50
Sheets Silk, 6–27 Aug, £free
The Picture of Dorian Gray Bourbon Bar, 21–27 Aug, £free Robert Burns: Rough Cut Scottish Storytelling Centre, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £7—£9 The Elephant Girls New Town Theatre, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£11
❤ The Duke HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 8, 15, £free
You, Me and the Distance Between Us Paradise in The Vault, 22–28 Aug, £7 Lucy, Lucy and Lucy Barfield HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£10 This is Not Culturally Significant HH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 4, 16, 17, £6—£10 POP-UP Duets (fragments of love) National Museum of Scotland, 4–28 Aug, not 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, £free Dracula Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6.50—£11
15:35
15:45 Beryl Sweet Grassmarket, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, 23 Aug, 24 Aug, £7 Dead Awaken HHH Venue 13, 6–27 Aug, not 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, £10 The Enchanted theSpace on Niddry St, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £6—£8 One Day Moko
HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£13.50
The Meeting Sweet Grassmarket, 17 Aug, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, 26 Aug, 27 Aug, £7
❤
Diary of a
Madman HHHH Traverse Theatre, 24 Aug, £18.50
Meet Fred HHH Summerhall, 5–25 Aug, not 15, 22, £5—£10
16:00 Raw Edinburgh International Conference Centre, 27 Aug, £20 Anything That Gives Off Light Edinburgh International Conference Centre, 26 Aug, £25 Ada/Ava by Manual Cinema Underbelly Potterrow, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £7—£13 Cut Underbelly Med Quad, Various dates from 6 Aug to 28 Aug, £14.50—£15.50
15:50
Diary of a Madman Institut français d’Ecosse, 5–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£10
15:40
❤ Bucket List HHHH
Mushroom! Gayfield Venues, 24–29 Aug, £10
Noiseless and Patient SpaceTriplex, 16–27 Aug, not 21, £8
Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £6.50—£13.50
Vera Vera Vera theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 19–27 Aug, not 21, £7
Hang C venues – C nova, 3–27 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Sleeping Dogs Lie theSpace on Niddry St, 22–27 Aug, £7 Giant HH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6.50—£11
❤ Scorched HHHH
15:55 The Money Fish Paradise in The Vault, 5–28 Aug, not 14, 21, £4—£10 Carlotta de Galleon – A Fool for Love! Spotlites, 4–28 Aug, £5—£8 F*cking Men Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £10—£15
Expensive Shit
HHH Traverse Theatre, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, £18.50
My Dog’s Got No Nose The Royal Scots Club, 23–27 Aug, £8 Three Days’ Time C venues – C nova, 17–29 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 White Rabbit Red Rabbit Assembly George Square Studios, 4–28 Aug, £8—£12
Zoo Southside, 5–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £7—£9
BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 @AssemblyFest
#MyAssembly
In Our Hands Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, £6—£11 I Keep a Woman in My Flat Chained to a Radiator ZOO, 5–29 Aug, not 17, £5—£9 Macbeth: Without Words ZOO, 14–29 Aug, £8—£12 A Little Princess C venues – C cubed, 9–29 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Lovely Lady Lump Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£12 Alba Flamenca Alba Flamenca, Various dates from 5 Aug to 28 Aug, £14 Flesh Dance Base, 24–28 Aug, £10—£12 Chef: Come Dine With Us! Assembly George Square Theatre, 4–29 Aug, not 15, £8.50—£14.50
❤ Pss Pss HHHH festmag.co.uk
Assembly Roxy, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £9—£14
16:05 Chinese Women’s Whispers Spotlites, 14–28 Aug, not 17, 24, £8 The Berkovian Medea Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 22–27 Aug, £9.50 Decade theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £8 Wasted Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £8 The Telemachy Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £10 One Hundred Homes
HHH Summerhall, Various dates from 5 Aug to 28 Aug, £10
Often Onstage Pleasance Dome, 3–26 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£11 27 Wagons Full of Cotton by Tennessee Williams Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £6—£10.50
HHH Summerhall, 5–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £5—£10
Happy Dave HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6.50—£11
The F Words Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 22–27 Aug, £8
UTO theSpace @ Venue45, 21–27 Aug, £8—£10
Dolly Wants to Die Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£11
Daffodils (A Play With
Eight theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–27 Aug, £8
❤
Wil Greenway: The Way the City Ate the Stars HHHH Underbelly Med Quad, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50 Spoonface Steinberg theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £6—£8 Queen Lear HHH Assembly Roxy, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £10—£16
16:15 Numbers by Kieron Barry C venues – C nova, 15–29 Aug, not 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, £8.50—£10.50 Mr Kingdom’s Queen Victoria (Or a Little of What You Fancy)
HH Assembly Hall, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£12
❤ Mark Thomas: The Red Shed HHHH Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, 14 Aug, 17 Aug, 21 Aug, 26 Aug, £20.50
Adventures of a Redheaded
Songs) HH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 13 Aug, 16 Aug, 20 Aug, 25 Aug, £20.50 Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. Traverse Theatre, 18 Aug, 23 Aug, 27 Aug, £20.50
16:20 Arcadia Spotlites, 14–28 Aug, £8 Small Hours C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £8.50—£10.50 Epic Love and Pop Songs HHH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
Coffeeshop Girl HH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 12, 15, 17, 24, £6—£10
16:10 The Girl Who Touched the Stars Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 22–27 Aug, £9
Milk HH Traverse Theatre, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, 28 Aug, £20.50
Blushed Gilded Balloon at the Counting House, 8–29 Aug, not 17, £7
Broken Fanny theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £5
Hotel Europa Just Festival at St John’s , 25 Aug, £12
16:45
Hip ZOO, 23–27 Aug, £10
MOONFACE HH Zoo Southside, 5–28 Aug, not 21, £5—£9
Casting Call Woe
HHH Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 15–28 Aug, £8—£10
Stuff Assembly George Square Theatre, 4–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£12 Tandem C venues – C, 14–29 Aug, not 18, 19, £10.50—£12.50
❤ Greater Belfast HHHH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 14 Aug, 26 Aug, £18.50
17:00 About a Girl SpaceTriplex, 22–27 Aug, £3.50
❤ Swansong HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6.50—£11
Alana C venues – C nova, 14–28 Aug, £7.50—£9.50
L’Heure Fugitive Rose Bruford @ Upper Church, Summerhall , 25 Aug, £10
In Fidelity HHH Traverse Theatre, 4 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £12.50—£18.50
Jailmates New Town Theatre, 4–27 Aug, not 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, £10—£12
Jules Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages: The Lighthouse at the End of the World C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £8.50—£10.50
Fourth Monkey’s Genesis and Revelation: The Whale theSpace on Niddry St, 5–27 Aug, £8—£11
❤
Lady Shakespeare Paradise in The Vault, 15–28 Aug, not 21, £8
My Eyes Went
Leaf by Niggle Scottish Storytelling Centre, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, 23, £6—£10
Growing Pains H Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
Dark HHHH Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, 28 Aug, £18.50
Back of the Bus Assembly George Square Gardens, 5–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £8—£12.50
Prestwick Elvis theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 7 Aug to 27 Aug, £6—£9
Equus C venues – C, 21–29 Aug, £8.50—£10.50
Dracula C venues – C too, 4–29 Aug, not 11, 16, £9.50—£11.50
16:35
Munro HHHH artSpace@StMarks, 14 Aug, 28 Aug, 29 Aug, £15
16:50
❤ Infinity Pool: A Modern Retelling of Madame Bovary
❤ How (Not) to Live in Suburbia
❤
HHHH Bedlam Theatre, 3–28 Aug, not 19, £6—£11
Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 10, 15, 22, £8—£12
16:40
Putting the Band Back Together
16:30 ❤
The View from Castle Rock by Alice
We Live by the
Sea HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£9 I Am Yours theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 6 Aug to 26 Aug, £6—£9
❤
A Number by Caryl Churchill C venues – C nova, 14–28 Aug, not 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, £8.50—£10.50
Angel by Henry
Naylor HHHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £6—£12.50 Wrecked HH Assembly George Square Gardens, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£13 We Paved the Streets With People PASS Theatre, 27 Aug, £free
William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £6—£13 A Terrified Soul – Macbeth theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 25–27 Aug, £8 Mr Incredible HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£11 All the Things I Lied About Roundabout @ Summerhall, 5–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £9—£13
❤ Dancer HHHH Dance Base, 17–28 Aug, not 22, £10—£12
The Club Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, £6.50—£12.50
HHHH
HHH Northern Stage at Summerhall, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £10—£12
16:55 From the Mouths of the Gods HHH C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £10.50—£12.50 5 Out of 10 Men... theSpace on Niddry St, 5–27 Aug, not 14, £7—£9
Electric Eden Pleasance Pop-Up: The Club, Various dates from 6 Aug to 28 Aug, £10
En Folkefiende HH Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£11 Thanks But No Thanks Theatre Arts Exchange, 23–24 Aug, £10 Trashed Lauriston Halls, 8–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £free Rubber Zoo Southside, 6–28 Aug, not 15, 16, 17, prices vary
17:05 The Wall theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £10 Making Monsters theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £10
Listings
Krapp’s Last Tape theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £8
I’m Doing This for You
MICHAEL GRIFFITHS: COLE
93
Assembly GeoRGe squARe
Assembly Roxy
Until 28 Aug, 18:00
Until 28 Aug, 20:20
The Herald
HOT BROWN HONEY The Scotsman
Your Fringe Schedule
17:10 Cracked Tiles Spotlites, 4–28 Aug, not 5, 14, 26, £7.50—£8.50 Poe’s Last Night Sweet Grassmarket, 16–28 Aug, not 22, £8 In Defence of Hitler! Sweet Grassmarket, 16–28 Aug, not 22, £8
17:15 Twonkey’s Drive-In: Jennifer’s Robot Arm Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £5 Spaced: Whisky Theatre Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@ Jenners, 9–27 Aug, not 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 22, 25, £15 A Dream of Dying
HH theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £11
Remember Me: Horatio’s Hamlet Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £10 The Song of Beast (after Hamlet) HH C venues – C south, 4–29 Aug, £9.50—£11.50
❤ Adler & Gibb HHHH Summerhall, 3–27 Aug, not 4, 8, 15, 22, £12—£15
Girl HH C venues – C cubed, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £9.50—£11.50 Nuclear Family Assembly Roxy, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£13 Art of Reduction and Distillation of Humanity: Whisky Theatre Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@ Jenners, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £15 Hunchback Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £10
Taiwan Season: Lost in Grey Dance Base, 5–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £10—£12
17:20 Dead Wright Greenside @ Infirmary Street, Various dates from 6 Aug to 24 Aug, £7—£9 Deep-Fried Language C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 10, £7.50—£9.50 The Concept Venue 13, 19–27 Aug, £9 Boys Greenside @ Infirmary Street, Various dates from 5 Aug to 25 Aug, £7—£9 Ten Storey Love Song
HH Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 4, 16, £6—£10
17:25 All In HHH Summerhall, 16–26 Aug, not 22, £12 All of Me Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 22–27 Aug, £8 Two Spotlites, 24–28 Aug, £8.50 Anarchy at the Hearty Toadstool Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–24 Aug, £free Tomatoes Spotlites, 22–23 Aug, £5
17:30 Animal (Are You a Proper Person?) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £7—£13 Remember to Breathe Summerhall, 5–27 Aug, not 15, £8—£12 Bricking It HH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£10.50 Hotel Europa Just Festival at St John’s , 24 Aug, 27 Aug, £12 Travesty HH Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£11
Grace HHH Assembly Checkpoint, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 9, 15, 22, 23, £10—£14
17:35 The D-List Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£10.50
17:55 Call Mr Robeson Spotlites, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, £10—£11 Rose Silk, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
Fire Burn: The Tragedy of Macbeth theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 15 Aug to 27 Aug, £9.50
Fourth Monkey’s Genesis and Revelation: The Ark theSpace on Niddry St, 5–27 Aug, £8—£11
❤ Scorch HHHH
18:25
Roundabout @ Summerhall, 5–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £9—£16
Just an Ordinary Lawyer Spotlites, 24 Aug, 26 Aug, 28 Aug, £9—£10
18:10
17:40
18:00
The Marvellous Adventures of Mary
1984 theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 22–27 Aug, £7
Alice in Wasteland Studio 24, 23–25 Aug, £20
Rotterz theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 15 Aug to 26 Aug, £6
Labels Pleasance Courtyard, 28 Aug, £10
Canon Warriors Paradise in The Vault, 15–28 Aug, not 21, £7
Molhados&Secos – Wet and Dry HHH ZOO, 14–29 Aug, £7—£8 Droll theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 26–27 Aug, £5 Katsura Sunshine: Rakugo! Sweet Grassmarket, 7–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £8 Boris: World King Pleasance Dome, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £7—£13.50 The Winter Gift theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £12
17:45 Tell Me Anything
HHH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 15, £8—£11
The Wedding Reception The George Hotel, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 18, 23, £39—£43 Every Wild Beast
HHH C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £9.50—£11.50
Trainspotting Assembly George Square Studios, 4–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £10—£15
India Flamenco Alba Flamenca, 5–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £12 Three for Two by Phil Booth ZOO, 5–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £5—£9
Back of the Bus Assembly George Square Gardens, 5–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £8—£12.50
Blush HHHH
Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£11
Broken Serenity Cafe, 6–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free
The Murderer Zoo Southside, 5–29 Aug, £5—£8
4D Cinema Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 8, 15, 22, £4—£9
18:15
❤
17:50
Nicole Henriksen is Makin it Rain Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£11
Stunning the Punters (& Other Stories) Spotlites, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £5—£10
Dark Vanilla Jungle C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £free—£11.50
Posh Bedlam Theatre, 16–28 Aug, not 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, £8—£9
Darktales HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 3–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £6—£14
Dreaming of Leaves theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 16 Aug to 26 Aug, £8
Absolutely Legless Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 27 Aug, £12
Love for Sale HHH Assembly Hall, 4–29 Aug, £7—£12
Albatross Paradise in Augustines, 15–28 Aug, not 21, £12
Seacole HHH C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 16, 23, £9.50—£11.50
18:05 A New Case of Jekyll and Hyde theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 23–27 Aug, £4 Bit of Sunshine theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £8 Wonderman HHH Underbelly Potterrow, 3–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £6—£12
Happy Together C venues – C cubed, 4–29 Aug, not 16, £8.50—£10.50 Shakespeare in the Garden: Twelfth Night, or What You Will C venues – C south, 4–29 Aug, not 15, £7.50—£9.50 And They Played Shang-A-Lang New Town Theatre, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £10 The Tobacco Merchant’s Lawyer New Town Theatre, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £12
18:20 Ada/Ava by Manual Cinema Underbelly Potterrow, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, 29 Aug, £12
A Boy Named Sue C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £8.50—£10.50
18:30 The Gin Chronicles: A Scottish Adventure artSpace@StMarks, 8–25 Aug, not 21, £12 E15 HHH Northern Stage at Summerhall, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £9—£11
❤
Bird HHHH
Dance Base, 5–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £10—£12
An Evening with CS Lewis Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, £11 And Now… HHH Zoo Southside, 15–27 Aug, £10—£12
❤
Blank HHHH
Summerhall, 5–28 Aug, not 22, £10—£12
Hamlet, Ophelia – Part One Spotlites, 13–28 Aug, not 16, 17, 18, 19, £7—£8 Collateral Damage The Royal Scots Club, 22–27 Aug, £10
❤
Diary of a
Madman HHHH Traverse Theatre, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, £18.50 Taiwan Season: The Sacrifice of Roaring ZOO, 5–29 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £5—£10 The Great Gatsby Greenside @ Royal Terrace, Various dates from 6 Aug to 26 Aug, £8 Five Kinds of Silence Quaker Meeting House, 22–27 Aug, £10
18:35 Gratiano Spotlites, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 22, £7.50—£11
BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 @AssemblyFest
#MyAssembly
Theatre
The Rose of Jericho theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £10
94
Care Takers C venues – C, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £9.50—£11.50
18:40 ABCs to LSD theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 22–27 Aug, £5
❤
A Good Clean
Heart HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £6—£11 iDolls theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 16 Aug to 27 Aug, £6 Monkhouse theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 15 Aug to 26 Aug, £6 Unveiled Paradise in The Vault, 27–28 Aug, £8
festmag.co.uk
The Convolution of Pip and Twig SpaceTriplex, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £6—£8
The HandleBards: Romeo and Juliet Assembly @ Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh: West Gate, 21 Aug, 24 Aug, 26 Aug, 28 Aug, £13.50—£15
Daffodils (A Play With
Petrol HH ZOO, 5–29 Aug, £5—£9
Summerhall, 3–27 Aug, not 4, 15, £9—£11.50
18:55 Closer by Circa Underbelly, George Square, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 16, 23, £11.50—£18.50 xx HHH Paradise in The Vault, 6–28 Aug, not 14, 21, £7
HHH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 14 Aug, 26 Aug, £18.50
Your Own Man / Mad Notions Dance Base, 23–28 Aug, £10—£12 Sirqus Alfon: I Am Somebody HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £7—£12 Poetic Transformations of Existential Delight Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £5
Cafe Baile Lauriston Halls, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, £9
❤ Mark Thomas: The Red Shed
Milk HH Traverse Theatre, Various dates from 5 Aug to 25 Aug, £14.50—£20.50 Foehn Effect HH C venues – C nova, 14–29 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Trinity Theatre Arts Exchange, 22–26 Aug, £10 I Ran With the Gang: The Story of Alan Longmuir, the Original Bay City Roller Le Monde, 5–28 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, 22, 27, £15 At the Illusionist’s Table The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, 5–29 Aug, not 8, 22, £59
❤ O is for Hoolet HHHH Scottish Storytelling Centre, 12–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £10
Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 23 Aug, 27 Aug, £20.50
19:05 Keep it Real theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £8 Another Fine Mess theSpace on the Mile, 22–27 Aug, £8—£9
❤ Heads Up HHHH
Still Here ZOO at St Mary’s South Lawn, 3–24 Aug, not 4, 7, 13, 18, £7—£10 Sisu theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £8 Faslane HH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 15, £8—£10 Remember Edith Cavell Palmerston Place Church, 23–26 Aug, £11
Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 15, 22, £8—£11
Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. Traverse Theatre, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, 28 Aug, £20.50
19:10
19:20
Pale Imitations SpaceTriplex, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £9 Saturday Night Forever Underbelly Med Quad, Various dates from 4 Aug to 28 Aug, £6—£11 Bhumi theSpace on Niddry St, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £10
Doubting Thomas
HHH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 15, 22, £5—£10
❤ JOAN HHHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£11
First Lady Serenity Cafe, 15–28 Aug, not 17, 24, £free
19:25
Alix in Wundergarten
Natural Food Kafe, 6–27 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free
HH Underbelly Med Quad, Various dates from 3 Aug to 29 Aug, £6—£11
19:15 Family Values theSpace on the Mile, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £5—£10
Undercover Refugee
HHH
I, Who Have Hands More Innocent
HHH ZOO, 5–28 Aug, £5—£10
19:30 Richard III The Lyceum, 24–28 Aug, £10 Anything That Gives Off Light Edinburgh International Conference Centre, 16–25 Aug, not 21, £25 Stamp Zoo Southside, 5–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £8—£10
In Fidelity HHH Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, 28 Aug, £18.50
19:35 Deadline Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £5—£8
An Act of Faith The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps, 25–26 Aug, £7
2 Complicated Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £9
❤ Greater Belfast HHHH Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £18.50
Parish Fête-ality: A Game of Scones C venues – C, 8–29 Aug, £8.50—£10.50
Terry Pratchett’s Mort Paradise in Augustines, 15–28 Aug, not 21, £9.50 Not the Horse theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 6 Aug to 27 Aug, £9
Horse McDonald in Careful Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £6—£13.50
Sins Borne theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 5–27 Aug, not 6, 7, 14, 21, £8
Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour Outside the Beehive Inn, 1 Aug–4 Sep, £14
Unseen Spotlites, 4–28 Aug, £7 Dirty Glitter theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 5 Aug to 26 Aug, £9
Soddin’ Flodden Spotlites, 14–28 Aug, £10 Cradle King Scottish Storytelling Centre, 12–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £10 A Series of Unfortunate Breakups C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £8.50—£10.50
The Shepherd Beguiled Duddingston Kirk Manse Gardens, 11–28 Aug, not 15, 16, 22, 23, £10
19:40 Living a Little New Town Theatre, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £7—£10 Living a Little New Town Theatre, 5–28 Aug, not 16, £7—£10
Listings
The HandleBards: The Taming of the Shrew Assembly @ Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh: West Gate, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, £13.50—£15
Angel by Henry
The Tempest Inveresk Lodge Garden, 27 Aug, £11
Raw Edinburgh International Conference Centre, 27–28 Aug, £20
We’re All Mad in Here Leith Depot, 21–25 Aug, £free
Expensive Shit
❤
Naylor HHHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 25 Aug, £10.50
19:00
18:45 My Eyes Went
HHH
HHHH
Cut Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 16, £10—£15.50
❤
Snakes and Giants
Droll theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 15–25 Aug, not 21, £5
Brain Matter(s) Venue 13, 21–27 Aug, £9
Dark HHHH Traverse Theatre, 24 Aug, £18.50
Songs) HH Traverse Theatre, 4 Aug, 17 Aug, 21 Aug, 26 Aug, £14.50—£20.50
MICHAEL GRIFFITHS: COLE
95
Assembly GeoRGe squARe
Assembly Roxy
Until 28 Aug, 18:00
Until 28 Aug, 20:20
The Herald
HOT BROWN HONEY The Scotsman
Your Fringe Schedule Is It Tabu? C venues – C south, 4–29 Aug, not 15, £7.50—£9.50 A Passion for Passion Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £free
Two and One More Venue 13, 21–27 Aug, £9
20:05 Lifted HH theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £6.50
Unknown and Liminal Dance Base, 23–28 Aug, £10—£12
The Monologues of a Tired Nurse theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £6
Nightmare Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 22–27 Aug, £9
The Inspectors Call Spotlites, 15–28 Aug, £7—£8
Fourth Monkey’s Genesis and Revelation: Sodom theSpace on Niddry St, 5–27 Aug, £8—£11 The Gingerbread Lady The Royal Scots Club, 22–27 Aug, £12 Jen Stone and Megan Thompson Dance Project Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 23–27 Aug, £6
20:10 Pussyfooting Paradise in The Vault, 6–28 Aug, not 14, 21, £10
20:30 A Divine Comedy Valvona & Crolla, 24 Aug, 26 Aug, £15 Trainspotting Assembly George Square Studios, 3–28 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £10—£15 Only Bones Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 8, 15, 22, £7—£11
20:55 ❤ Bildraum HHHH
Dark HHHH Traverse Theatre, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, £18.50
HHH Dance Base, 23–28 Aug, £12
20:40
Adventure Quest Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £5—£10
A Common Man: The Bridge That Tom Built
Femmetamorphosis Spotlites, 4–28 Aug, £8
Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall Lauriston Halls, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, £8
Procrastinate theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 22–27 Aug, £7
Echoes ZOO, 5–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £8—£12
20:45
21:05
Scenes from an Urban Gothic Theatre Arts Exchange, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £10
Fémage a Trois theSpace on Niddry St, 22–27 Aug, £10
20:00
OwlTime C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £7.50—£9.50
Faulty Towers the Dining Experience B’est Restaurant, 4–29 Aug, not 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, £49.50—£54.50
❤ Two Man Show HHHH
❤ Counting Sheep HHHH
Every Day I Wake Up Hopeful Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, not 15, 18, £7
Summerhall @ The King’s Hall, 11–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £13
Alba Flamenca Alba Flamenca, 5–28 Aug, £14 Child’s Play ZOO, 21–29 Aug, £7 The Toad Knew King’s Theatre, 24–28 Aug, £12
❤
Stack HHHH
Bedlam Theatre, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £6.50—£10
The Underground: A Response to Dostoevsky Rose Bruford @ Upper Church, Summerhall , 25–26 Aug, £10
Northern Stage at Summerhall, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £9—£11
20:20 Villain HHH Underbelly Med Quad, 6–28 Aug, not 16, £10—£11
20:25 Holmes & Watson: The Farewell Tour theSpace on the Mile, 15–27 Aug, £9 Discretion Guaranteed Paradise in The Vault, 6–28 Aug, not 14, 21, £12
21:25
M.I.S. – All Night Long
21:00
20:15
Partial Nudity ZOO, 5–27 Aug, £7—£9
Nowhere Now Sweet Grassmarket, Various dates from 15 Aug to 27 Aug, £7
21:30
Unnatural Selection Sweet Grassmarket, 22–28 Aug, £5
C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 6, 7, 20, 21, 25, 27, £10.50—£12.50
21:20
Boris & Sergey: Preposterous Improvisation Experiment Assembly George Square Theatre, 3–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£12
Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £6—£12
HHH
C venues – C nova, 9–29 Aug, £11.50—£13.50
The Magic Cave of Salamanca Quaker Meeting House, 22–27 Aug, £6
19:55
The Wives of Others C venues – C, 14–29 Aug, £9.50—£11.50
HH
Summerhall, 16–28 Aug, not 22, £10
HHHH
Lucy McCormick: Triple Threat
Torch HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £6—£11
Blood Will Have Blood
Spoon-Feeders theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £9
Deal with the Dragon C venues – C nova, 5–29 Aug, not 15, £8.50—£10.50
❤
I’m Missing You Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £7—£11.50
Buzz: A New Musical
HH Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £8—£10
Mungo Park – Travels in the Interior of Africa Summerhall, 3–27 Aug, not 4, 8, 15, 22, £8—£14 The Road to Huntsville HHH Summerhall, 5–28 Aug, not 15, 22, £8—£10
20:50 Spool Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £8 Lippy theSpace on the Mile, 23–27 Aug, £7
21:10 I Will Speak for Myself theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–27 Aug, £10
❤ Camille HHHH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, £5—£10
The Rose and Crown theSpace on Niddry St, 22–27 Aug, £8
21:15 Hummingbird
HHH ZOO, 5–29 Aug, not 16, £5—£9
❤
Diary of a
Madman HHHH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 14 Aug, 26 Aug, £18.50
Pizza Delique Paradise in Augustines, 22–28 Aug, £7
Hotel Europa Just Festival at St John’s , 23–24 Aug, £12
❤
My Eyes Went
Waltzing Matilda Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–28 Aug, not 15, £10 Criminology 303 Venue 13, 6–27 Aug, not 8, 15, £9 Ubu Faust theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £5—£6 Beryl Sweet Grassmarket, 17 Aug, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, 26 Aug, £7 In Fidelity HHH Traverse Theatre, 24 Aug, £18.50
21:35 Penetrating Europe, or Migrants Have Talent Paradise in Augustines, 22–28 Aug, £7 Nosferatu’s Shadow Sweet Grassmarket, 4–28 Aug, £10 Tristram Shandy: Live at Scotland C venues – C nova, 10–28 Aug, £7.50—£9.50
21:40 Hyena Paradise in The Vault, 22–28 Aug, £10 Travesty Assembly George Square Studios, 25 Aug, £10
21:45 Identity Crisis Spotlites, 21–28 Aug, £10 As Yet Undecided theSpace on the Mile, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £5—£7 Expensive Shit
HHH Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £18.50
Ladies in Waiting: The Judgement of Henry VIII theSpace on the Mile, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £10
21:50 Bonita & Billie Holiday HHH Assembly Roxy, 3–28 Aug, £6—£13
21:55 No Help Sent C venues – C nova, 3–29 Aug, not 15, £8.50—£10.50
22:00 The Surge Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 8–27 Aug, not 14, 21, 22, £free Alice in Wasteland Presents CabaRave... The Closing Show Party! Studio 24, 26–27 Aug, £20 Of, or at, a Fairly Low Temperature Summerhall, Various dates from 3 Aug to 28 Aug, £4—£8
❤ Cuncrete HHHH Summerhall, 3–26 Aug, not 4, 8, 15, 22, £8—£10
Kara Sevda Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 22–28 Aug, £free I Used to Hear Footsteps Summerhall, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £4—£8 Oliver Reed: Wild Thing HHH Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £6—£13.50
BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 @AssemblyFest
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Theatre
19:45
96
The Master and Margarita ZOO at St Cuthbert’s, 5–29 Aug, not 8, 12, 13, 19, 20, 25, 28, £10—£12 Joe’s NYC Bar Just the Tonic at The Caves, 5–28 Aug, not 15, £11.50
❤ Mouse – The Persistence of an Unlikely Thought HHHH Traverse Theatre, 6–28 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, £8.50—£12
23:10
❤ Greater Belfast HHHH Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, 20 Aug, 23 Aug, 28 Aug, £18.50
Juice Straws Are Bleak Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £6—£9
22:20
23:15
Bang! To the Heart Zoo Southside, 5–29 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £10—£14
Death and the Data Processor Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 21–25 Aug, £free
The Craig Chalmers Experience SpaceTriplex, 22–27 Aug, £10
They Call Me Miss Commuter theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 22–26 Aug, £9
22:05
22:30
Howie the Rookie Paradise in The Vault, 15–28 Aug, not 21, £9.50
Skrimshanks HH Assembly George Square Theatre, 4–28 Aug, not 14, 16, 22, £6—£12
Ronnie and Jonny: Friends Disunited Laughing Horse @ 48 Below, 21–26 Aug, £free
The Naked Magicians Pleasance Courtyard, 8–29 Aug, not 16, £11.50—£15
23:30
Allison After a Fire Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 5–27 Aug, not 14, 21, £5—£7
❤
Where Do All the Dead Pigeons Go?
HHHH
festmag.co.uk
22:15
23:20
22:40
Northern Stage at Summerhall, 6–27 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £9—£11
Last Call HHH Summerhall, 3–28 Aug, not 4, 8, 14, 15, 19, 22, £8—£10
22:10
22:45
❤ The Vaudevillains HHHH
Trainspotting Assembly George Square Studios, 11–27 Aug, not 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, £15
Assembly George Square Gardens, 4–28 Aug, not 16, £11—£16
Royal Vauxhall
Predrinks | Afterparty Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 17, £6—£10
23:45 Seance Sweet Grassmarket, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £10
23:55 Fourth Monkey’s Genesis and Revelation: Ascension Part
HHH
23:00
Underbelly Med Quad, 3–29 Aug, not 15, 22, £6—£12.50
5 Guys Chillin’ C venues – C too, 4–29 Aug, £9.50—£11.50
2 HH theSpace on Niddry St, Various dates from 6 Aug to 27 Aug, £8—£12
We Are Ian HHH Pleasance Dome, 3–28 Aug, not 15, £6—£10
Fourth Monkey’s Genesis and Revelation: Ascension Part
Novel Experiments in Living theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17 Aug, 19 Aug, 22 Aug, 24 Aug, 26 Aug, £8
1 HH theSpace on Niddry St, Various dates from 5 Aug to 26 Aug, £8—£12
Private Manning Goes to Washington theSpace on Niddry St, 15–27 Aug, not 21, £8—£9 Christeene: Trigger Underbelly, Cowgate, 17–28 Aug, not 22, £11—£12 Yuri HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 4–28 Aug, not 10, 15, 22, £6—£11 1% theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 5–27 Aug, not 7, 10, 14, £9
Your favourite show might be just around the corner! ✏ Find out what’s on plus up-to-theminute Festival reviews on festmag.co.uk
23:05 Irrelevant Sweet Grassmarket, Various dates from 6 Aug to 26 Aug, £7 F*ckboys for Freedom Sweet Grassmarket, Various dates from 5 Aug to 27 Aug, £7
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MICHAEL GRIFFITHS: COLE
97
Assembly GeoRGe squARe
Assembly Roxy
Until 28 Aug, 18:00
Until 28 Aug, 20:20
The Herald
HOT BROWN HONEY The Scotsman
Photos by Kat Gollock
Fringe Fashion Georgeois Bourgeois and Maurice Maurice wear outfits by Julian Smith and Gemma Banks. Bourgeois’ black outfit has been designed specifically to be in keeping with Theresa May’s new government. Maurice also wears: multicoloured sequin catsuit by Ginger Johnson. SHOW:
Bourgeois & Maurice: How to Save the World Without Really Trying
VENUE: TIME:
Underbelly, Cowgate 9:25pm – 10:25pm, 4–28 Aug, not 15
TICKETS
£10 – £12
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