Fest 2015 Issue 2 by Fest Magazine

70+ Reviews | Full Listings | Venue Map INTRODUCING

SARAH FRANKEN

Plus:

Your FREE Festival Guide

14 – 17 August

festmag.co.uk

Brigitte Aphrodite Butt Kapinski Chris Thorpe Swallow

Preview

assemblyfestival.com 0131 623 3030

AssemblyFest @AssemblyFest /AssemblyFestival

The world famous circus trailblazers return to ‘rob you of your breath’! The Times

A show that mixes spectacle and storytelling.

festmag.co.uk

‘Dazzling, gravity defying displays’

The Guardian

Assembly HAll, 6 – 31 Aug, 18:00

360 ALLSTARS, BROMANCE, JOHN ROBINS,

A fitting eulogy to the tome everyone used to own Features

Le Gateau Chocolat: Black What’s On Stage

Assembly HAll 6 – 30 Aug, 16:50

PUDDLES PITY PARTY, PAJAMA MEN, LE HAGGIS AND MANY MORE!

Graham Clark Reads the Phonebook

Best of the Fest Daytime

The List Assembly GeorGe squAre 5 – 31 Aug, 17:20

ThreeWeeks Assembly GeorGe squAre 7 – 30 Aug, 14:00

Fest Team

Don’t Panic! There’s still time to promote your show! ✏ The Festival is a noisy place, but what better way to shout above the racket than through the biggest and best guide to the Fringe? ✏ High-impact, cost-effective advertising packages in print and online. An estimated 1 million people read Fest and festmag.co.uk every summer. ✏ Drop our sales team a line to find out how we can help you spread the word!

0131 467 4630 sales@festmag.co.uk george@festmag.co.uk

Editor Evan Beswick Deputy Editor Jo Caird Consulting Editor Sam Friedman Lead Writer Matt Trueman Production Manager John Hewitt Jones Sales & Brand Strategist George Sully Concept Designer Sigrid Schmeisser Artworker Kyle McPartlin Photographer Mihaela Bodlovic Writing team Tim Bano, Billy Barrett, Sean Bell, Graeme Connelly, Eve Green, Si Hawkins, Tom Hackett, Jane Howard, Laura Hunter, Catherine Love, Edd McCracken, Victoria Nangle, Lewis Porteous, Stewart Pringle, Lucy Ribchester Jay Richardson, Alice Saville, Matthew Sharpe, John Stansfield, Tom Wicker Radge Media Chief Operating Officer Lara Moloney Commercial Director Nicola Taylor Editor-in-Chief Rosamund West Sales & Marketing Nicky Carter, Claire Collins, Caroline Harleaux, Issy Patience, Becca Strahan

Your FREE Guide to the Edinburgh Festivals

Review edition street dates: Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 @festmag

Tuesday 11 August Friday 14 August Tuesday 18 August Friday 21 August Tuesday 25 August festmag.co.uk

/FestMagUK

General Manager Kyla Hall Contact festmag.co.uk hello@festmag.co.uk @festmag Published by Radge Media Limited, 1.9 Techcube, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 1PL. Every effort has been made to check the accuracy of the information in this magazine, but we cannot accept liability for information which is inaccurate. Show times and prices are subject to changes – always check with the venue. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprodiced in whole or in part without the explicit permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within this publication do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the printer or the publisher. Printed by Acorn Web Offset Ltd., Normanton. Distributed by doortodoordelivery.co.uk

Contents

Comedy 8

Sarah Franken Some will say everything’s changed. But to Franken, nothing has, and she’s as angry as ever

A strange, brilliant film noir adventure

31 Kyle Kinane Could the laconic American get any more relaxed?

B-Orders Just getting here has been an ordeal for the Palestinian Circus Company. They tell us why circus reaches beyond politics

festmag.co.uk

26 Butt Kapinski

Theatre 18 17 Border Crossings Fest’s lead critic loves this political travelogue

Chris Thorpe

46 My Beautiful Black Dog

He killed 2014’s Fringe with Confirmation. Now he’s back, and he wants to talk about death

Brigitte Aphrodite’s battle against depression is anything but sad

Music 68

Plus:

Venue Map & Listings The only place to find shows listed by start time, plus a handy map to get you where you need

60 Songs by Annie Lennox Sweet dreams are made of these

Kids 62 Kid Critics Know thine audience. Well, here they are, on their summer holidays

Perfect Day Struggling for ideas? Brain overloaded? Sit back and let Fest plan an ideal day at the Fringe

My Beautiful Black Dog Underbelly Cowgate 12:55pm – 1:55pm Now you’re warmed up, head over to Underbelly Cowgate for My Beautiful Black Dog, Brigitte Aphrodite’s joyful cabaret play about her battle with depression. It might make you shed a tear, but you'll definitely walk out with a smile.

Lunch at OX184 2:00pm

Daphne Do Edinburgh

Amid the bovine imagery of

Pleasance Courtyard

Cowgate and Underbelly this

3:15pm – 4:15pm

Cowgate

festival, there’s a relative newcomer of an eatery to check out.

Whether the afternoon is

From the people behind Red

sunny or cloudy, catch a bit of

Squirrel and Holyrood 9A, try

darkness with the animated

OX184 for lunch—so named for

quick-fire sketch comedy of

its address under South Bridge

Daphne Do Edinburgh. Smartly

where cattle were herded, once

blended skits and light-hearted

upon a time—and sample the

songs make for a tight, dynamic

wood-fired grill, craft beers and

show, and there’s even a bit of

seasonal menu.

slapstick to boot.

Perfect Day

Dinner at Kampung Ali Fountainbridge 8:00pm DINNER If you’re into Asian cuisine, Kampung Ali is a sure-fire bet for a great dinner. Specialising

festmag.co.uk

in Malaysian food, the sweet curry dishes at the restaurant are some of the best Edinburgh has to offer, and the stafff are extremely friendly. The delicious roti cenai—a Malaysian speciality of flaky flatbread and spicy sauce—is certainly worth a try.

Bromance Underbelly Circus Hub 6:25 – 7:20 Before dinner, why not work up an appetite by watching other people exercise. Except Bromance is more than just exercise: it's our first five-star review of the festival, and a

Perfect Day

showcase of physical prowess

that manages to be both technically impressive and full of heart and humour.

Phil Nichol: I Don't Want to Talk About It The Stand 9:30pm – 10:30pm End your day with an extravaganza of creative comedy. Drawing on a recent period of mishaps in his personal life, Phil Nichol propels the audience along with him on a set that teeters on the verge of implosion. Edgy and at moments unpredictable, this show is devastatingly funny.

824 Comedy Comedy

Photos: Mihaela Bodlovic

To be Franken Being yourself isn't as simple as it sounds. Sarah Franken tells Lewis Porteous about the highs and lows of coming out as transgender on the comedy circuit

he cliché surrounding character comedians is that they lack self-identity, suppressing their own personalities beneath layers of studied mannerisms, attitudes and behaviours. Not so Sarah Franken, whose one-person sketch shows have long enthralled audiences with their intense stream-of-consciousness fervour. Her public appearances are often closer to exorcisms than anything approaching conventional standup, the performer spewing forth her innermost rage, prejudice and nihilistic whimsy in the face of what she terms “a narcissistic society”. Franken’s work may lack explicit biographical detail, but spectators are left in no doubt as to her temperament and world view. “My mind’s a horror show,” she tells me over the phone, as though I couldn’t have guessed that for myself.

Last year’s hugely acclaimed Edinburgh offering The Stuff They Put in Sleep was bookended by blasts of The Beatles’ ‘I Am the Walrus’, and notable for its appropriately psychedelic flow and pacing. This year however, Franken has her sights on a more punk aesthetic. When declaring, “I want to be the Johnny Rotten of transgender standup,” her tongue is only partially in cheek. After years spent building a reputation under her birth name Will, this is the first show in which Franken will appear as Sarah. It represents a new start for her, just as punk did for

beat music in the late ‘70s, with her performances fuelled by an even greater sense of fearlessness and aggression than before. “Being out as a transgender, it feels like you’re on stage the whole time,” she explains. “So I’m actually in a constant state of nervousness because people say shit and people stare. The only time I feel I can happily relax is on stage, and so the frenetic nerves that have happened as a result of this have helped in some way. The stage almost seems secondary, so I come on thinking ‘fuck it, at least no-one’s going to hurt me’.” When Franken came out, she issued a statement explaining that performing as Sarah made her happier in ways that she couldn’t comprehend. Several months later, she reflects on this feeling. “It’s made me more authentic. Not necessarily happy, because I do stick out like a sore thumb. It’s not an easy life. I’ve actually taken on more fear and resentment than ever just by coming out. I’m looking forward to the festival because after four months of being out as a woman, it’s going to be nice being in a place where all the weirdos are around.” Of course, it’s cruelly ironic that as Franken finds herself relying on the stage as a safe space on which to present herself, narrow-minded industry players

festmag.co.uk

Features

are striving to place obstacles between the two. “There was one promoter who told me to change. That was the stupidest thing in the world. Then apparently he refunded money to people based on the fact that Will Franken technically wasn’t there. That’s what I heard, the theatre gave money back to people. I’m the same person! “One other guy, after I had to follow a magician and had a bad night, said ‘I think it was too much Sarah too soon.’ So what does he say when someone isn’t transgender and they have a bad night, what do they blame it on then? My transgenderism is completely incidental. It’s not what I’m about, it’s just who I am. I’m a tall transgender American who lives in Britain.” Franken is understandably keen to refute the idea that her transition has had any direct influence on her material or approach to performance, yet it does provoke some interesting issues relating to power dynamics within comedy. No longer perceived as a white male, she has lowered her status within a patriarchal social order. Whether her material will sit differently coming from a visibly marginalised member of society remains to be seen. “Some of my bits about the state of feminism in the west, I don’t know if they’ll have greater or lesser impact and it’ll be interesting to see. I’m taking on ISIS in this show and if you come at it from one perspective people say, ‘oh, that’s a white, male, privileged perspective’ – which I always thought was rubbish because I come from a trailer park in Missouri. But now – my friend from the States says, ‘you’re almost black now’. I say, ‘yeah, well I’m not intending to be’.” I think of the point in last year’s show when Franken portrayed Sigmund Freud as a jive-talking black man, obsessed with “pussy”. It was a brilliantly profane flight of fancy, but the racial caricature at its heart left Franken open to criticism. What ultimately absolved her from charges of poor taste was that she made no effort to justify the monologue, or to couch it in irony. It was perhaps the boldness of Franken’s approach that struck a chord with the audience. The material would have been more defensible in the hands of an oppressed racial minority, but less funny for it. “I think political correctness has screwed up our minds so much that we inadvertently make excuses for totalitarian fascists,” she says. “When the Charlie Hebdo thing happened, I was just irate. When I talk to people now, who say, ‘I believe in freedom of speech, but...’ that terrifies me. To live in a world where because of an atrocity they’re going to start putting parameters on freedom of speech, that to me is just ridiculous.”

Elaborating on our collective need for satire, the comedian reflects on her formative years. “When I was a kid, I was terrified of God. My mother was one of these neurotic Christians who was into end of days and Jesus coming back. By the time I was five-years-old, I was scared shitless. So some of my earliest characters were preachers and they gave me a sense of power over the people that terrorised me. Once I got into the habit of mocking them, it changed my perception and took away my fear.” The libertarian concept of equal-opportunities offence is hardly exclusive to Franken, but few practise it on such a deranged, all-encompassing scale. She’s that rare thing, a Chris Morris fan who can just about match the man’s talent and conviction. “I believe the best comedians were slightly insane. Richard Pryor was a complete loose cannon and was funny as hell. In those days you could be insane and funny on stage. No one expected you to be sane and know how to start a website or make your own flyers. Now you’ve got to be half business person and half artist. We have to normalise ourselves.” It’s lucky for us that, in an industry characterised by spineless careerism, Sarah Franken seems too far gone to normalise herself. “I’d sell out in a heartbeat,” she sighs dreamily. “I don’t know how to do that show where you’re just talking about your life for an hour. I have to accept that I just do what I do.” ✏︎ Lewis Porteous VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:

The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6 9:00pm – 10:00pm, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17 £8

A World with

B-Orders Crossing borders to bring pioneering art to the world is no easy task. Lucy Ribchester meets a Palestinian circus company making its Edinburgh debut

Theatre

Photos: Mihaela Bodlovic

ing one another, and it’s clear that their bond as performers is strong. But then, as circus performers in Palestine, they are rare kindred spirits. Palestine, they explain, has no tradition of circus, and so when Zmorrod co-founded a circus school in Birzeit in the West Bank (of which Muallem was one of the first students), it was a pioneering move. “I believed that it could be something very healthy for the society. My brother was working in the Jerusalem circusschool – Israeli kids and Palestinian kids learning together. Then they built the wall and the Palestinian kids couldn’t reach the school.” Along with his brother Shadi, Zmorrod established classes, taking outreach programmes to refugee “In Europe for me,” says Muallem, “life is too camps even as he himself continued to train. The tusimple. What are people concerned about here?” tors were sourced from an open call within Palestine; Zmorrod jumps in: “Yeah, why complain?” while it could have been easier to invite practitioners “In Europe you can travel without borders,” from overseas to lead the way, Zmorrod was deterMuallem says. mined that this would be a homegrown project. Compared to the trials of daily life in Palestine, it “The idea was to put a seed in Palestine, doing seems these theatrical hiccups are mere trifles. Muallem everything with Palestinians. Most of the time in Paldescribes the show, B-Orders, as based on both their estine there are a lot of people who come for flying experiences growing up in Palestinian society, with the projects. They come and they go with the experience title containing a double meaning: not just “borders” but – and nothing is left for us. They come for three “orders”, the rules of living in occupied territory. weeks and they make something and then they leave, Within the show these themes bear out in but once they leave there’s nothing there. We wanted continues various ways. One segment sees wooden building to go in another direction.” blocks create a wall of dominoes. Muallem, despite limbs contorted into a pose of restraint, manages to topple one with the tip of her toe. Zmorrod puts it back up and she pushes it down again. Later the pair repeat sequences of movement, appeasing an invisible authority, each repetition increasing in its anxiety and indignity as they are compelled to reveal more skin every time. Later still they squat on their heels for what seems like an agonisingly long stretch, bored and waiting. And yet despite this Zmorrod insists that the company’s work is not political, or at least was never intended to be. “I don’t like politics,” he says. “But if you want to talk about my life everything is political. I don’t like to talk about politics but if you ask me, ‘how are you?’ I will tell you how I am. And if I tell you how I am, there is always something about how I feel that is connected to the situation, the oppression.” Muallem cuts in to demonstrate. “‘How w as your day?’ ‘It was good, I passed the checkpoint, I stayed for five hours or so…’” “You cannot separate them,” says Zmorrod. “It’s there in your daily routine.” As we talk, the pair overlap frequently, finishing each other’s sentences, clarifying and interrupt-

Features

festmag.co.uk

t hasn’t been an easy first Fringe so far for Fadi Zmorrod and Ashtar Muallem. The first three shows by the Palestinian circus company were cancelled due to technical issues, and on the day we are due to meet an emergency technical rehearsal scuppers our interview. Two of their technicians, at the last minute, were not granted permission to leave Palestine, and the company is still finding its feet with a new one. It’s a wonder that when we finally manage to snatch some time together in the backstage trailer of the Underbelly’s Circus Hub, while Zmorrod is getting changed and Muallem is in the middle of cool-down stretches, both not only have smiles on their faces, but are sharp, relaxed, and happy to chat in detail about the ideas behind their two-person show.

›

In order to further their own skills to bring to the school and company, both Zmorrod and Muallem spent time training overseas, Zmorrod in Italy for two years and Muallem in France for one. It was here that they learned about some of the technical equipment used in the show, such as the Chinese pole. Zmorrod however asserts that while the raw building blocks may be imported, the heart of their circus ethos and practice is entirely founded within their society. “We learn the technique but the story is our story.”

“ In Europe, life is too simple. What are people concerned about here?” The personal elements in B-Orders certainly reach beyond the realms of politics, and in fact the show’s quieter, dreamlike sequences have as much if not more potency than those dealing with day-today oppression. Muallem is a gorgeous aerialist and uses the silks at achingly slow pace, floating high and stretching with all the freedom she can reach

Theatre

Photos: Mihaela Bodlovic

for. There is melancholy beauty in it, but also a sense of defiance that the mind can never be locked down – it will always rise in its own imagination. “Circus was the tool for me to get out of my country,” Muallem says. “So my silk is the way I went up from reality. I leave reality and go up to a higher space, to my own space. We always feel like we want to say something, and the text and the music and the theatre and the dance, these are the elements that help us put ideas on stage.” Both are adamant that these ideas will transcend borders as they tour internationally. Already the show has been seen in Belgium, France, Germany and Brazil. “You create images,” says Muallem, “and the images are not direct but people can interpret them the way they want. We’ve got images in the show that could be interpreted differently.” “We are talking about us,” Zmorrod continues. “Okay, we come from Palestine, so it’s referenced, but it’s not only Palestine. It’s everywhere.” ✏ Lucy Ribchester VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:

Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows 4:25pm – 5:25pm, 10–29 Aug, not 13, 18, 25 £11 – £12

14 Theatre

Photos: Richard Davenport

“We might be the last generation to actually die” In his latest show, Am I Dead Yet?, Chris Thorpe examines the only certainty in life: death Am I Dead Yet?

that’s not what theatre’s for. Or telling people that I’ve got the right answer to something? That’s not theatre, that’s church.” With a clutch of Fringe Firsts to his name and collaborations with the likes of Belarus Free Theatre, ForIf Thorpe knows the right thing to say, that’s only est Fringe, Slung Low and RashDash, there are plenty to be expected because death is something he’s been of people who’d worship at his altar. Besides, there’s coming to terms with recently. His latest show, Am something almost religious, even messianic, in his inI Dead Yet?, written with fellow theatre-maker Jon tense and charismatic performance style. But ultimateSpooner, looks at the moment of death from differ- ly he’s not offering answers. Instead it’s about showing ent angles through stories and songs. his audience his workings. “I’m comfortable with never It’s not the most cheerful topic, but Thorpe finding the answer but at least maybe I’ll come up with explains the theme came from the fact that “we a different way of reframing the question.” don’t talk about death in a healthy way”. So what is And unlike church he can’t tell us what happens a healthy way? “It’s not about thinking about it all after death; but he’s become well-versed in what the time. For me it’s acknowledging that it is going to happens during it. The how and the when of dying happen and not separating it off as a different part of have significantly changed in recent years: “You’re the process of being alive.” probably going to be alive for a lot longer than most Right across his remarkable body of work, Thorpe people have managed throughout history.” The show takes a theme and digs deep from an academic peris as much about right now as it is about the universpective, a human perspective and—most profound- sality of ceasing to be. “Death weirdly looms larger ly—he taps into it on a personal level so that a show and larger the further away it might be because it will speak to individuals in a far-reaching way. He takes away more. It puts even more pressure on confronts the micro and macro. the time that you’re here. The great unspoken can “I choose to engage with things that don’t make almost become this invisible puppet master that’s sense to me. If it’s something that I think I’ve got guiding your everyday life. And I don’t want that.” sorted and other people haven’t, then what am I Assisted suicide, euthanasia, Dignitas – this doing? Just trying to teach people what I know? Well, morally contentious issue is more prevalent than

y cat died today. At one indeterminable moment he just stopped being. “It’s very tempting to go, ‘it’s just a cat’ but that’s never the truth,” Chris Thorpe reassures me over the phone. He’s absolutely right: it’s a triviality to everyone else but me.

festmag.co.uk

Features

ever because we have found ways to live longer. And the longer we live, the more susceptible we are to incurable, degenerative diseases. That topicality feeds into the show. “Human beings have this tendency to feel like we’re living on the cusp. If you imagine something like mining asteroids or viable colonies on Mars, they feel like possibilities, but possibilities that might happen in a future in which we’re not here. I think we’re in a similar position with death and resuscitation at the moment. We live with technology in our grasp, but there’s still a feeling that we might be the last generation to actually die.” Despite the universality of death—we’re all going to face it one day—Thorpe insists that the show is as much about individual people as it is about the human race. “We could have all the machines and drugs that could ensure a full recovery from a massive heart attack. But if one ordinary person falls down from a heart attack and another ordinary person who witnesses does not know immediately what to do, then all those drugs, all those machines are entirely useless and the person’s going to die.” The moral responsibility of the individual is confronted on a practical level with someone teaching CPR to the audience – which means this must be one of the only shows at the Fringe that could help save someone’s life. But “it’s not a public service show,” Thorpe warns, “it’s still a theatre show, and that subject works really well for the way that we like to make theatre. We make theatre that doesn’t pretend we’re anywhere else. Same with Confirmation, the underlying principle is that we’ve all turned up here in this room so let’s make it count.” Confirmation is the blazing, blaring monologue about confirmation bias that won a Fringe First in 2014, which Thorpe is resurrecting this year. Billed as an honourable dialogue with a political extremist, it may seem like a world away from soul-searching stories about death, but the two shows complement each other in strange ways. Running alongside Am I Dead Yet? is a Death Cafe where people come together over food and drink to talk about death. “We did this in London and the widest variety of opinions and beliefs and philosophies turned up within the people who came, from a hardcore atheist sitting next to a Hindu priest. There were people who were facing the end of their lives talking to people nowhere near death but almost paralysed by fear of it, and it helps. It really helps.” This plays into what Confirmation is about: people who have a diversity of opinion getting together and having a dialogue in a respectful way. But after a

year of performing the show, Thorpe is increasingly aware of the way people surround themselves with others who reinforce their own views, everyone convinced that their reality and their community is right. I wonder whether this is not only true of theatre, but actually one of its strengths. “It can be tremendously positive. If we weren’t able to do this, if we didn’t have these biases then we wouldn’t get anything done. It’s utterly necessary to have both sides of that coin, but once you’re aware that there is a coin with two sides you need to be able to ask yourself at any given point, ‘what am I seeing, what is that other person seeing, and what might the reality be?’ because both our realities feel equally real, but they’re kind of both wrong. But I agree, there’s a tremendous positivity in people coming together for a shared purpose.” Parishioners, political parties, theatregoers – we all do it. We seek out the communities that comfort and reassure. We live, unthinking and unchallenged, until we die. And then what? We’ll just have to wait for Thorpe’s next show to find out. ✏︎ Tim Bano

SHOW: VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:

Am I Dead Yet? Traverse Theatre times vary, 18–30 Aug, not 24 £12 – £18 Confirmation Summerhall 11:50am – 1:15pm, 22–29 Aug £15

Theatre

PROUD PARTNER OF THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 2015 Russian Standard Vodka Hub Sessions – an exciting programme of contemporary music throughout August Aug 8-9 - Chambers – Chilly Gonzales/Kaiser Quartett Aug 10 - Robert Glasper Trio Aug 13 - All Rise – A Joyful Elegy For Fats Waller – Jason Moran

Join us at the The Hub, Edinburgh’s Festival Centre, to try a delicious Russian Mule cocktail.

Aug 14 -15 - From Scotland with Love – King Creosote Aug 18-20 - Anna Calvi and Heritage Orchestra Aug 22 - Magnetic Rose – Oneohtrix Point Never Aug 27 - Alexi Murdoch Aug 28 - Wave Movements Aug 29 - Sufjan Steven’s “Round-Up” – Yarn/Wire

RUSSIAN STANDARD VODKA WILL ALSO SPONSOR THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FFS (FRANZ FERDINAND AND SPARKS) CONCERT ON 24 AUGUST.

Crafted from the finest Russian winter wheat, the purest glacial water from Lake Ladoga and distilled 200 times in our state of the art distillery in the heart of St Petersburg.

THIS IS VODKA AS IT SHOULD BE DRINKAWARE.CO.UK for the facts

DISCOVER MORE AT VODKA.COM

www.facebook.com/russianstandardvodka

www.eif.co.uk

Features

THE

VAMPIRE CABARET

festmag.co.uk

LEAD THEATRE CRITIC

Matt Trueman

A reminder, quickly, that our home secretary Philip Hammond warned of “marauding” migrants on Monday. David Cameron spoke of “a swarm” Good-o. Thaddeus Phillips’ solo show introduces us to the passport controllers of the world: from humourless Americans in sterile interrogation rooms to slovenly Serbs on the take. In Italy, they’re friendly (“Americano? Alpacino? Roberdeniro?”); in Jordan, laid-back to inept. Columbians get handy with cocaine; the French, well, they like to frisk. Over 90 minutes, Phillips puts a girdle round the earth. One minute he’s riding a train into Bosnia, sharing a carriage with a smuggler and his cargo, the next he’s roaring over the Sahara in a Boeing 747. He bikes us into Brazil, beating stray dogs away with a hired stick, takes a chair lift into Austria and sneaks into Cuba on a toy train passport stamp. Each short story, some just a minute or two long, is crafted with lightness and wit. Imagine a bucket of KFC being smuggled, by tunnel, beneath the Kerem Shalom crossing from Egypt into Gaza, or a Bosnian town engaged in a sound war: minarets wailing adhan on one side, churches banging bells on the other. The best channel the eloquent precision of Italo Calvino. It’s a brilliant travelogue: pacey, funny and beguiling. He’s a born raconteur, Phillips, capable, I’d guess, of making almost any material sing. These, however, are exquisite miniatures, full of life and character, and staged with an effortless ‘empty space’ theatricality. At one point, he recreates a Balinese coffee high merely by shaking a torch in front of his face, casting jittery, far-out shadows on the back wall. Planes, trains and automobiles materialise out of a table, a chair and a homemade lighting rig made of domestic lights. Nations are conveyed with a keen sense of simple specificity: sickly communist greens, sleazy red lights and perky Europop. He’s chased around Europe by Ace of Base. It all adds up—though it’s such a joy to sit through that it wouldn’t matter if it didn't—to a thoughtful enquiry. He prods at the arbitrary oddity of borders— new countries drawn up over drinks—and grumbles at the petty authoritarianism and bureaucracy with which they’re policed. A potted history of the passport—invented, did you know, by Henry V—leads to the new microchip tracker. Phillips popped his in the

Theatre

If there’s one thing to take from 17 Border Crossings, it’s that the way a nation mans its borders reveals much about the country you’ll find on the other side.

17 Border Crossings

17 Border Crossings «««« Traverse Theatre, times vary, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £18

How to Keep an Alien ««« Summerhall, 6:35pm – 7:50pm, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 10, 17, 24, £14

B-Orders «« Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows, 4:25pm – 5:25pm, 10–29 Aug, not 13, 18, 25, £11 – £12

immigration crisis”, it all starts to seem a bit lightweight. A strand about Kate’s Irish ancestors—letters sent from the ship to Australia—adds some oomph, musing as it does on commitment, but it’s hard to shake the nagging thought of #firstworldproblems. Some borders are stricter than others. Two Palestinian circus performers express the precariousness of life in Gaza physically in B-Orders. Ashtar Muallem and Fadi Zmorrod balance themselves on building blocks, stacking small towers, then holding handstands on top: shaking bodies on wobbly foundations. There’s a huge gulf between the stark Chinese pole and the soft aerial silks on which they perform: one luxurious, the other hard and cold. Zmorrod plummets down the pole in an alarming freefall. Muallem unfurls down the silks. A harsh, hammering soundtrack echoes the barked orders of border guards. What Muallem and Zmorrod don’t manage is a physical language of their own, a way of pushing stock circus acts into specific metaphors. In another context, another show, every routine could mean something else entirely. The space doesn’t help: a pop-up stadium that drains the piece of atmosphere and robs the performers of personality. Nothing here has the poetry or the precision of that KFC bucket, whizzing its way into Gaza underground. ✏︎ Matt Trueman

How to Keep an Alien

Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

festmag.co.uk

Reviews

microwave; traceable no more. Some of us, of course, are freer to move than others: José Matada, frozen stiff on a suburban street underneath the Heathrow flight path, where he’d fallen from the landing gear of a BA flight from Angola, while Phillips (mostly) breezes through border control. Back to that “marauding” “swarm.” Sonya Kelly is an Irish actor and comedian. She looks a bit like Sarah Millican and Harry Hill melted together, and, while rehearsing a Russian play in posh English accents, she fell in love with Kate, an Australian stage manager on a temporary work visa. To make it permanent, you have to be earning over €60,000 (£42,500) a year, with all the tax that entails. At the Fringe, you probably don’t need telling that stage managers—Australian or otherwise—don’t really do that. How To Keep An Alien is a cute, cuddly account of butting up against the Irish immigration system. Mostly, though, it’s a love story: a Richard Curtis romcom with added paperwork. Proving their relationship means compiling a dossier of receipts and testimonials, the springboard for a story or two told with the aid of Kelly’s friend Justin. Kelly has a cracking turn of phrase and puppyish demeanour that’s just oh-so endearing, but I found myself craving a bit more mettle. Given the “global

EDITOR

Evan Beswick

What does it mean to live your art? We’ve all heard the stories about Daniel Day-Lewis learning Czech, or canoe-making, or becoming a full time arsehole for the duration of a picture. You may be familiar with Yukio Mishima, the Japanese artist whose final performance involved his own ritualistic suicide. Or of The Only Way is Essex, where... anyway. But what of comedians, for whom a good day at the office involves eliciting laughter from a room of strangers? Can life imitate art, or art, life? Especially when the potential for an easy fart joke is tantilisingly within reach. Well, yes. Particularly in the case of George Egg, who manages to squeeze in the odd naughty joke while demonstrating, oh-so-memorably, that art can seize hold of the world as we find it, and force us to think about it in different ways. Because, you see, over the past few years Mr Egg has been squirreling himself away in the rooms of Premier Inns and Travelodges, studying, experimenting, alchemising and, erm, dining. The three-course meal he prepares for us today is the philosopher’s stone of his travails – cooked using only the equipment found in a standard hotel room. It may be a Morphy Richards Voyager 800 kettle to you and I. But to Egg, it is a world of culinary possibility. To reveal la carte here would be to dull the surprise of the final feast – which, yes, you may sample. If you’ve ever seen one of those spectacularly dull cooking demonstrations at a right-on food festival, you’ll wish for Egg to give them a lesson in stagecraft. A mixture of technical wizardry, showmanship and wry, warm offhand comments (plus, annoyingly, an out-of-place and pointless kidnap joke) make this a thoroughly enjoyable hour. But to call this all about spectacle would be to miss the point. Egg’s years of anarchist cooking are a tough lesson for all of us. His skill is in making it quite as palatable as he does. One other thing: props to George Hughes & Son Fishmongers (197 Bruntsfield Place) and the Wee Boulangerie (67 Clerk Street) for providing Mr Egg with his loaves and fishes for the show, free of charge – and to Mr Egg for giving them the platform to stick it to the big boys. Speaking of whom...it’s the big boys who loom large but unseen in Natasha Noman’s Noman’s Land – a tale of a New York City journalist’s move to Pakistan, her father’s homeland. She encounters an all-male workplace with colleagues who see her as anything

George Egg Anarchist Cook ««««

Comedy

Gilded Balloon , 2:45pm – 3:45pm, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £8.50 – £9.50

Natasha Noman Noman’s Land ««« Gilded Balloon , 7:45pm – 8:45pm, 5–15 Aug, £9.50 – £10.50

Holly Burn I am Kirsty K ««« Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6:20pm – 7:20pm, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5

Reviews

festmag.co.uk

Natasha Noman

but equal; Taliban thugs who murder her editor; oh, and the small matter of the police and security services from whom she must hide her sexuality. “Times are tough in Pakistan,” she drawls, “for single ladies who like ladies.” There are two things going on here: Noman draws attention to the double standards of, say, the blanket coverage of the Charlie Hebdo shootings (11 dead) compared to the passing mentions of the attack on the town of Baga by Boko Haram militants (2000 dead). That’s shocking. But Noman (with co-writer and director Veda Kumarjiguda) takes a more interesting turn here, demonstrating that the point is less about how it impacts on our Western sensibilities, and more about the impact on those for whom the threat of terrorism is an everyday reality. How can Noman’s Tinder date, Jamal, talk so idly about her father’s kidnapping at the hands of the Taliban? Why does the Pakistani elite seem to care so little about a country which, against all odds, retains “oases of gentility in a desert of extremism and anarchy”? For Noman, it’s a question of coping strategies – you either become a victim, or a sociopath. And, despite best intentions, that’s exactly what happened to her before she left. “Pakistan chips away at anyone’s framework,” she laments. It’s a first-hand tale of human failure against forces beyond the ken of individuals. But Noman’s Land is, surprisingly, rarely maudlin. What a smart choice to present this informally – part standup, part theatre. Noman hasn’t even troubled to remove her venue lanyard. Sure, sections of this are still somewhat dry and preachy (a cod philosophical discussion on the difference between “compromise” and “compromising oneself”,

for instance). But mostly, this is warmly delivered with gentle comedy deployed at mostly the right time to grease the squeakier wheels. Over at Just the Tonic, Holly Burn has given up being herself. Entirely – at least for the entirety of the Fringe. Burn is, 100 per cent, Kirsty K, a chirpy, squeaky little bundle of dumb energy from Tyneside. We’re all attending the funeral for our friend, and K’s nan, Barbara. Kirsty—with a little help from Barbara’s friends—is delivering the eulogy. It’s unclear quite how Burn is going to maintain such heights of hyperactivity, 24/7, without resort to industrial quantities of Haribo. Mostly, though, it’s unclear what the point is of such commitment to the cause. At times, it all seems little more than indulgence. What should have given Burn hours and hours to flesh out Kirsty’s character appears instead to have given her a skewed perspective of what the passage of time feels like in the company of the young lady. There’s a long middle section during which it drags. There’s only so much mugging and yowling an hour can sustain. Where Burns pulls it back from the brink is with short demonstrations of how good a writer she can be. Excerpts from Barbara’s diary are beautifully observed mini travel thrillers, delivered (in character as Barbara) with icy sophistication – and a mouth made small from excessive oboe practice. K also plays a bit of a blinder towards the end with a madcap audience adventure (and by audience, I mean yours truly) involving hide and seek and elaborate rice painting. She found me very quickly. I was giggling like a little girl behind a bar table. ✏︎ Evan Beswick

OUR LADIES of Perpetual Succour Based on The Sopranos by Alan Warner Adapted by Lee Hall Directed by Vicky Featherstone

Traverse Theatre18 - 30 Aug 2015

Box Office: 0131 228 1404 traverse.co.uk Touring to Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, Kirkcaldy, Musselburgh and Newcastle.

Age recommendation: 16+ Contains swearing, sambuca & singing National Theatre of Scotland is core funded by

@NTSonline #OurLadies

nationaltheatrescotland.com

The National Theatre of Scotland reserves the right to alter casts, performances, seating or ticket arrangements and latecomers may not be admitted. National Theatre of Scotland, a company limited by guarantee and registered in Scotland (SC234270) is a registered Scottish charity (SC033377). Photograph of the cast by Simon Murphy.

Phil Nichol An hour or so of high-octane gags that transforms personal misery into masterful comedy HHHHH PAGE 24

Comedy Reviews

24 Comedy

League Table 1

Phil Nicol ««««« The Canadian comic returns to the Fringe with a new show that lurches spectacularly from catharsis to carnival

Butt Kapinski «««« US clown Deanna Fleysher investigates as private dick Butt Kapinski, casting her audience as every other role in her hilarious take on film noir

Trygve Wakenshaw «««« Everyone's favourite mime returns in Nautilus, 90 minutes of high-energy silent comedy that'll have you rolling in the aisles

James Acaster «««« Nominated for the Comedy Award for the last three years running, this masterful performer is long over due a gong

Diane Spencer «««« After a 2014 Fringe spent at the creative beck and call of Nancy Dell'Olio, Diane Spencer is back and she's tearing that experience to shreds

Phil Nichol I Don't Want to Talk About It ««««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

The Stand Comedy Club 2 9:30pm – 10:30pm 6–30 Aug, not 17, 18, 19 £8

There are bad Fringe shows, there are good Fringe shows, and there are happenings, those rare feats of creative chutzpah that make you want to surreptitiously switch your phone back on for some serious “OMG!” action. Which is actually fine at this one, as you inexplicably find yourself marching musically across a square, joining an al fresco hoedown then forming the VIP section of another gig altogether, which is also a bit of a happening. Such a turn of events certainly doesn’t seem likely for much of Phil Nichol’s new show. I Don’t Want to Talk About It is supposed to be a cathartic hour in which the usually ebullient Canadian tells us about a recent wretched period in which his long-term girlfriend turned out to be having a long-term affair with

one of his best pals. It’s all true, apparently, and there are clues as to who that scoundrel might be, comedy scandal fans. Nichol—who now sports a goatee that has transformed him, freakishly, into a Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark doppelganger— insists he’s now over it. He tries to appear upbeat but “I’m not well” is a regular between-routine mantra, and the whole show seems likely to implode at any moment, until it spectacularly does. Then, everything makes sense. Although, ironically, given the show’s title, it can’t really talked about without ruining it. Just be sure to keep a few hours free afterwards, as your evening may fly off in an unexpected direction. Audiences: assemble! ✏︎ Si Hawkins

5th-31st Aug 5.10pm pleasance.co.uk 0131 556 6550 Jack Dome

PRESENTING

the VERY BEST of LIVE PERFORMANCE

THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE 2015

THE BIGGEST NEW WRITING PROGRAMME INCLUDING: THEATRE COMEDY DANCE & PHYSICAL THEATRE MUSICALS & OPERA CABARET SPOKEN WORD SKETCH MUSIC CHILDRENS’ FESTIVAL A CAPPELLA & LOTS MORE… THE LARGEST PROGRAMME ON THE FRINGE

匀琀甀愀爀琀䰀愀眀猀⸀

圀栀漀猀愀椀搀愀渀礀琀栀椀渀最愀戀漀甀琀猀琀漀瀀瀀椀渀最椀琀㼀 ⠀㄀栀爀猀栀漀眀⤀

吀椀洀攀伀甀琀䰀愀甀最栀伀甀琀䰀漀渀搀漀渀吀漀瀀䘀爀椀渀最攀㈀㄀㔀匀栀漀眀

䘀刀䔀䔀㄀㔀㨀㔀 Ⰰ 䄀甀最甀猀琀㠀琀栀 ⴀ ㄀㔀琀栀䌀愀戀愀爀攀琀嘀漀氀琀愀椀爀攀 25

@theSpaceUK Box Office: 0131 510 2381

www.thespaceuk.com

«««« VENUE: TIME:

Liquid Room Annexe 2:10pm – 3:10pm 8 Aug – 30 Aug, not 18, 24, 26, 29

TICKETS:

FREE

The messy-entranced Liquid Room Annexe is an unlikely enclave of acclaimed-elsewhere but littleknown-here North American nutcases this year, and Butt Kapinski is arguably the oddest. A hard-bitten private dick, Kapinski is so film noir that a street light emanates from the back of his trench-coat collar hover permanently above his head, which

Alex Edelman

also proves handy for conducting impromptu interrogations. It’s a strong look, and this is a bewilderingly strong show, albeit not for the nervous, prudish or anti-social. Although, hey, it might just do you people good, and you’ll definitely learn something, about duct tape if nothing else. A one-woman show with a large, variable cast—whoever turns up to watch it, basically—Butt Kapinski follows the eponymous detective as he investigates a series of grizzly moiders which have occurred in various seedy locations, all of them on or around the audience’s seats. Kapinski is really part dick, part dodgy drama teacher as he encourages this sometimes reluctant reservoir of questionable talents to

Photo: Phil Mcintyre

Butt Kapinski

Everything Handed to You «««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Pleasance Courtyard 8:30pm – 9:30pm 5–30 Aug £9 – £12

Cultural identity is a universally relatable subject, and it’s one that Alex Edelman handles with aplomb. This Jewish Bostonian, who lives in New York and has a penchant for British sensibility, has crafted a witty examination of upbringing, sibling rivalry and man’s innate need to belong. On the surface it perhaps doesn’t aspire to much; making

jokes about how one’s roots shape the person they become is hardly uncharted comedic ground. Edelman still manages to mine new nuggets of wisdom from this laboured notion, though, as he bristles with zinging punchlines and well-told anecdotes. His delivery is nonchalant, drawling even, but that only adds to his persona of relaxed raconteur.

play everything from kinky priests to gushing corpses. The resulting noirrative starts off almost family-friendly, then definitely isn’t, and come the end we’re straddling a troubling line between comic fantasy and dark reality. By then Kapinski has revealed himself to be the accomplished US clown Deanna Fleysher (and, boy, does he reveal her), who previously directed and co-wrote the infamous Fringe sensation Red Bastard. Her own creation is terrifically inventive and invariably hilarious, but Fleysher’s finest achievement is to somehow keep all that compulsory audience interaction curiously non-confrontational. A master craftswoman at work. ✏︎ Si Hawkins

It’s loosely structured around one particularly formative family experience, which becomes a useful framing device for the introduction of the recurring topic: his relationship with his two brothers. Often these segments feel like an outlandish betrayal of the realism to which the rest of the show is tied, with his family characterised as slightly too larger-than-life to suspend disbelief. The material about his Jewish childhood is also a little hackneyed, with tales of summer camp (“the good kind of Jewish camp”, he assures us) resembling something even Woody Allen would cut from his film for being a bit too clichéd. It remains a poised hour of standup that strikes a chord with our natural insecurities surrounding identity. Edelman’s is a conflation of orthodox religion and transatlantic uncertainty, and he harnesses all this to produce a playful insight into how our heritage defines us. ✏︎ Matthew Sharpe

Comedy

Lazy Susan Double Act «««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Pleasance Dome 8:10pm – 9:10pm 5–31 Aug, not 19 £8 – £10

John-Luke Roberts Stdad Up «««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Voodoo Rooms 6:55pm – 7:50pm 8–30 Aug FREE

You’ll know what to expect from Stdad Up if you’ve seen John-Luke Roberts before. It’s pretty much a given that he’ll read insults off note cards, have a lever-operated mouth on a stick lip sync to pop music, and insist members of the audience debase him on stage. Here he adds public nudity to his arsenal and reprises many of the innovations from last year’s effort, most notably shouting into a mirror.

Lazy Susan offer up a plethora of characters using little more than wigs and hats. Their clown-inspired make-up is evident throughout the show, hinting at the non-realist nature of the worlds they conjure. This is a universe of dirty surgeons, whistling stuffed toys and micropigs. While that may indicate whimsy, their comedy is more grounded than that, and the range of working-class accents they employ point to their interest in the ordinariness of personae that might at first glance seem absurd. The pair are clearly fascinated by the idiocies of masculinity—especially that of teenagers—and they swagger around the stage embodying laddish heft. But adolescence is also a time when boys try to be men, and they mine the comic

mileage in those who fail that transition. Even the female characters exhibit bullishness, such as a motivational speaker bragging about her material success. Links between these skits are hinted at and themes recur, but even if this coherence is not as secure as it might be, the parts are pleasurable enough to be enjoyed distinctly. The whole is presented at blisteringly high speed, with a velocity that sometimes makes keeping up and hearing every joke tough. But the simple joy of clowning oozes off the stage, and the punchlines are hammered home effortlessly. There’s nothing lazy here: more like high-class inventiveness from two performers at ease with their skills. It'll be fascinating to see where they go next. ✏︎ Brett Mills

This is the performer’s ‘dead dad’ show. At once elusive and rawly honest, it sees him test the limits of our sympathy, while blurring the line between fact and fiction. He suggests a strained relationship with a man prone to violent outbursts, but later concedes that his father’s generosity and support have proven immensely valuable to the development of his craft. Resurrecting his parent by donning a suit stuffed with balloons and chewing on an pair of fake teeth, Roberts proceeds to deliver a standup set in a mock Liverpudlian brogue. Bitterly reciting his father’s favourite dinner party quips, he pays disrespectful tribute to a presumably irritating man. If his grieving process makes us feel uncomfortable, it could well be because of the comedian’s balanced honestly. We’re so used to eulogis-

ing the dead that to speak of them as we do in life seems like a moral transgression. This is anything but a self-serving display of growth and understanding. ✏︎ Lewis Porteous

Comedy

Adam Riches Is Coach Coach «««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Pleasance Dome 9:45pm – 10:45pm 5–30 Aug £10 – £14

“Go Centaurs!” Crikey, there can’t be many events at this year’s festival that reach a crescendo quite like Adam Riches’ latest high-concept effort. The Tattoo, maybe. A leftfield winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2011, Riches is enjoying his second successive Fringe at the Queen Dome, and really working that sizeable space. Where his previous shows were stop-start sketch affairs, Coach Coach goes feature-length and cinematic. You’ll laugh, you’ll cheer, you’ll possibly end up performing a nerve-wracking athletic task that will make or break the whole

evening, but let’s not dwell on that. This is the story of Eric Coach, a gum-chewing, grammar-eschewing trainer of an abysmal college sports team – it’s basketball, basically, but a stunted, stage-friendly version. Like all the best sports movies this isn’t really about sport, but relationships, the human condition and overcoming adversity. Having two left hands, for instance. Rather than conscript the audience into supporting roles, as he did last year, Riches employs an impressively hefty cast here and often leaves them to it, although that does cause an occasional lull: it’s

his blissfully grizzled performance that lights up the, er, stadium. Indeed, he’s clearly given much thought to maximising the Dome’s arena-like potential. The cleverest scene sees Teen Wolf (don’t ask) take Coach’s daughter to watch a stadium comedian, a setting Riches recreates in a wonderfully silly, surreptitiously star-bashing fashion. This is a bit of a sprawling epic, messy in places, but by the close you’ll be yelping at the stage like a proper wild-eyed US sports fan. Go Coach Coach. ✏︎ Si Hawkins

Kyle Kinane Ghost Pizza Party ««« VENUE: TIME:

festmag.co.uk

TICKETS:

Underbelly, Cowgate 10:10pm – 11:10pm 6–30 Aug, not 18 £10 – £12

There is something to be said for the pure unadulterated standup of a comedian with nothing but a microphone and a head full of good stories and wit. Low key, Kyle Kinane ambles onto the stage sans intro music or fuss, and declares an amnesty on bar and toilet visits. He lets loose his awe at a castle being right outside the venue – and he’s away. There’s an everyman spirit about Kinane that allows him to be conspiratorial from the off. He’s one of us. Direct-hit punchlines drop with a careless precision. He brings us into his world with disarming honesty and uncomplicated immediacy, sharing stories of his worst offences.

The Story Beast «««« VENUE: TIME:

Reviews

TICKETS:

Pleasance Courtyard 10:30pm – 11:30pm 5–31 Aug, not 19 £7.50 – £9.50

John Henry Falle is best known as ‘the funny one’ from reliable Fringe stalwarts the Beta Males, and to say this is no slight on his colleagues. Each plays his own part in the group’s dynamic, but it’s Falle’s incorrigible theatricality that leaves the most lasting impression. He’s their wild card,

Unsurprisingly, many of Kinane’s references are American, drawing attention to the Scientology building in Los Angeles near to where he lives, and to Bill Cosby’s recent disgrace. But for the most part the transatlantic gap makes no difference. His stories are personal enough to be state-less and his ideas large enough to be international. Kinane enjoys the seediness of life, and there’s something deliciously meaty about getting down and dirty with him. It’s visceral and satisfying. Skilfully constructed, Kinane’s snapshots of “white trash”

moments provoke the instinctive and natural laughter that lives deep in the belly. He toys with his craft, changing the gag tempo as he tangents off onto Bob Newhart-like monologues and dialogues. Kinane questions the illogical parts of our brains and takes them to playful and unnatural conclusions. It’s a great take on arachnophobia and a subtle way to ask questions about the human condition. The man wears his background casually, but his comedic talent will not sit so quietly. ✏︎ Victoria Nangle

a constant threat to the carefully controlled artifice of each sketch. It’s interesting, then, to watch how his unpredictable, disruptive qualities translate into this solo outing. Here is a literate, tightly constructed hour that offers few opportunities for improvised grandstanding. The star’s every movement and expression is carefully honed, to the point where his blustering discipline has a suffocating effect on the audience. A sweating, constipated hulk whose booming tenor lies somewhere between that of Brian Blessed and Orson Welles, few other comics would dare open their shows

with intense, borderline nonsensical recitations of Beowulf, much less get away with it. To see Falle physically grapple with himself as he channels Ray Winstone’s cockney persona is a thing of wonder. What follows isn’t always quite so dense or hard-going. ‘The Beast’ delivers a hack standup set rife with observations only a mystic versed in classical literature could relate to, before enacting a murderous scenario among the toys that lie scattered across the stage. Some set pieces are more memorable than others, but the joy here is watching Falle bring a bizarre, fully formed character to life. ✏︎ Lewis Porteous

ST ANDREW

SQUARE GARDEN

Returning for a second year this outdoor arena has proven to be the bestandbrightestnewFestivalhubinthecity.StAndrewSquareGarden will also play host to The Spiegeltent, plus the best in free outdoor entertainment, fantastic bars and mouth-watering food concessions!

16 jul - 31 aug

www.thestand.co.uk | tickets: 0131 558 7272 www.arfringe.com | tickets: 0844 693 3008

VOODOO ROOMS BOX OFFICE

THE STAND

COMEDY CLUB

STAND 5 & 6 STAND 3 & 4

STAND 1 & BOX OFFICE

THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS HARVEY NICHOLS

HARD ROCK CAFE STAND 2

& BOX OFFICE

LE MONDE

Chris Martin This Show has a Soundtrack ««« VENUE:

TIME:

TICKETS:

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters 8:45pm – 9:45pm 5–30 Aug, not 19 FREE

You can’t help but be intrigued by the concept here, although soundtrack buffs be warned, this show hardly goes OTT on the OST. It does indeed boast an original soundtrack, commissioned from a composer acquaintance of Chris Martin’s (who hopefully didn’t think he was contributing to Coldplay’s

Ali Brice Eric Meat Has No Proof, Only Memories of Pasta ««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Heroes @ The Hive 1:30pm – 2:20pm 6–30 Aug £5

In a market saturated by risk-free comedy, shows such as Eric Meat Has No Proof, Only Memories of Pasta (performed by Ali Brice) can offer a unique appeal. Through a series of characters, he guides us through the eponymous Mr Meat’s search for his absconded wife. It’s an odd experience, but he sells the oddities convincingly enough that we want to remain in his world of personalities for as long as he’s embodying them. While his abstract style has its charms, it doesn’t completely

new album), in order to add oomph to his observations. But that score proves to be more incidental music than a major theme, as Martin’s soundtrack-related material is really a pre-show short before the feature presentation. The chirpy Londoner begins with some fun stuff about movie music and action flicks, but then largely ignores the background score as he embarks upon the major issue: his parents’ marriage. It’s a slightly jarring change of pace, but the subsequent tales prove to be surprisingly revealing, even moving – although thankfully the soundtrack remains schmaltz-free. Martin is getting married soon, which gives him a clearer view of his folks’ often dysfunctional

dispel the aforementioned risks that absurdist humour carries: the story is disjointed and the jokes often feel eccentric for the sake of eccentricity. Brice doesn’t so much stray into wackiness as envelope his audience in it throughout. He’s amongst the seated observers as often as he is in front of them, to the point where the audience’s role is more participatory than spectatory. The voices are lively, the props are inventive and the costumes are charmingly silly, but it’s all in service of an unsatisfying plot. It’s more a series of successive events than an interconnected storyline, which isn’t consolidated by enough witty material. Brice is more a merchant of empathy than humour, and he does succeed in creating instantly intriguing characters. The shortcomings of the show lie in his failure to employ them in aid of any real satire or story, and

relationship; sometimes literally, through the patio doors, as he currently lives in a shed at the bottom of their garden. Decent gags pepper the narrative, but what really resonates is the comic’s rare insight into the travails of a lengthy marriage. Sometimes the trailer doesn’t fit the film. As for that accompanying soundtrack, it’s a wonder that incidental music hasn’t become more commonplace in comedy. Tom Stade’s show And Relax tried something similar a few years back, and it works rather well, taking the pressure off punchlines and removing those awkward between-routine silences. They might all be doing it next year. ✏︎ Si Hawkins

the result is an array of contrived idiosyncracies dotted among amusing monologues and passable plotting. ✏︎ Matthew Sharpe

Comedy

Kevin J Council Estate of Mind ««« VENUE: TIME:

festmag.co.uk

TICKETS:

Gilded Balloon 10:15pm – 11:15pm 5–30 Aug, not 19 £10 – £11

How have you not heard of Kevin J? The guy has played up and down the country. His previews consisted of six dates playing for Tinie Tempah at the rapper’s glitzy Ibiza parties. He’s played to packed houses in Nigeria, dammit. The man has gone global. If you’re still in the dark, chances are you’re not familiar with the UK’s urban comedy circuit – a circuit which sees mostly (but not exclusively) BAME performers playing to big audiences and not getting Radio4 gigs. Mr J sits firm-

Adrienne Truscott's A One Trick Pony ««« VENUE: TIME:

Reviews

TICKETS:

Gilded Balloon 8:15pm – 9:15pm 5–17 Aug £12 – £14

ly within that bracket. Accordingly, his is a voice that many Fringegoers may be unused to. Hailing from the Broadwater Farm Estate, North London (most famous for its riots in 1985), J speaks of growing up cheek by jowl alongside Asian and African families, and of the unique perspective that brings. “If anyone thinks I’m making this up, meet me afterwards,” he advises, reading verbatim from his school yearbook. The only white guy in a very multi-racial school, the stories of his contemporaries’ low aspirations and expectations of hurried matrimony (“if Mum gets her way”) are authentic, novel – and a bit shocking. Problem is, they’re often more interesting than laugh-out-loud funny.Too often J relies on his rapid-fire delivery and a cutesy giggle to skirt around the need for a punchline. When he does see the need, they’re often a bit ropey.

Adrienne Truscott’s 2013 Fringe show, Asking For It, which she performed naked and which tackled the ugly rise in rape jokes, propelled her into a buzz of acclaim, criticism and vicious internet trolling. And that experience has rippled into her latest show, a mix of performance art and comedy, as she clenches a sparkler between her legs and “blows up” her vagina. Arriving on stage with a dress swinging from a hanger around her neck and spitting out a pair of huge plastic lips, she does the splits while swigging a can of Fosters. She cuts through the labels she’s been given with a dangerous smile and breezy attitude, showing us her ‘one-trick pony’ (a great visual gag) while ripping into every sneering judgement lurking behind such language.

He could, surely, be stretched beyond Nando’s jokes? Kevin J brings loads to the table. But he’s forgotten to polish the silverware. ✏︎ Evan Beswick

But while Truscott is great, the material here is thin – more like an extended coda to her last show than comprising a new one. It relies heavily on her charisma to keep things going. But that doesn’t stop what she’s doing from being funny. Her crudeness is deliberate and politically loaded. Playing the audience like a friendly enemy, Truscott challenges us to try to bracket her as she talks about abortion, reclaiming “sucks dick” as a positive phrase and her glee at the idea of downing a “cumshot”. Her punchlines hang like questions. There’s no fixed ground, no performative resting place, as she uses her body to ask: why does this matter so much to you? ✏︎ Tom Wicker

Alfie Brown -ism ««« VENUE:

TIME:

TICKETS:

Assembly George Square Theatre 7:20pm – 8:20pm 5–31 Aug £10 – £11

The comedy circuit is always on the lookout for the next ‘voice of a generation’, and plenty of standups have been lumbered with the accolade. It wouldn’t be fair to saddle Alfie Brown with that description because his interests are much wider and more interesting than simply claiming to speak on behalf of his peers. But there is a consistency in his viewpoint and a certainty to his anger that

Sarah Bennetto Fritters Away an Hour of Your Life... Mmm, Fritters ««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Laughing Horse @ Bar 50 8:30pm – 9:30pm 6–29 Aug, not 17, 24 FREE

suggests he might be interested in being the voice of something. The show concerns his rage at simplistic, black-and-white approaches to complex problems, whether such views are espoused by his friends or the media. Brown insists we should accept things are typically more fuzzy than conventional partisan thinking allows. His evident comic skill reveals itself in his ability to take an audience with him even when his jokes don’t have simple, comforting punchlines. He uses metaphor very well; not many can explain debates about abortion by references to cake. There’s a strong confessional element to the show too, as Brown recounts the unconventional origins of his recent fatherhood. The honesty outlined here could easily be reduced to shock for

With so many high-concept, award-baiting, ambitious-to-thepoint-of-hubris standup shows cluttering the Fringe programme each year, it’s refreshing to see a perfectly competent, likeable comic aiming for not much more than to play around with the crowd in the room, tell some interesting and funny stories and send us home with a smile on our faces. Sarah Bennetto does all this with aplomb in her Free Fringe show. It may disappoint punters attracted in by her blurb and its promises of ‘character comedy’ and ‘a truly epic finale’ (presumably these are descriptions of a previous, and very different show), but will keep anyone with a funny bone and a willingness to get involved happy and giggly throughout. Getting involved is pretty essential, in fact, as Bennetto is obsessed with games: we are in the company of a woman who owns eight Scrabble sets. Much of the

Comedy

the sake of it, but instead it is a genuine call for the unvarnished truth; it’s also very funny. It’s a shame, then, that the whole hour doesn’t stitch together into a more solid narrative, for there is a clear opportunity here for the show to tie together both the personal and political. ✏︎ Brett Mills

first 15 minutes is dedicated to setting up some audience participation games that run throughout the set, from the familiar ‘Wink Murder’ to the less well-known ‘Get Down, Mister President!’ Bennetto is so warm, flirtatious and personable that no one in the room is shy to get involved, and much of the joy of this set is the atmosphere she creates amongst the audience: we are participants rather than spectators. The material itself is mostly witty, rather than hilarious: there are tales of Bennetto’s surreal experience of “immersive theatre”, odd characters she’s met at folk festivals, and a rather wicked “social experiment” that she likes to conduct on buses. The show positively glows with her playful personality throughout, and it would be a niggardly punter indeed who resents spending an hour and a small donation for the benefit of her company. ✏︎ Tom Hackett

NAOMi PAUL

‘Terrific deadpan delivery... topical and relevant. Audiences loved it!’ Pulse Ensemble Theatre

Aug 7-29 (not Sundays) | 08:05pm (50min) | Price £8.00 (£5.00)

Edith Dark in the

By Philip

Meeks

Inspired by

Edith Nesbit’s ‘Tales of Terror’

4.25pm

5-30 August (not 18)

Momentum Playhouse Venue 166

www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk/edithinthedark

Tom Parry Yellow T-Shirt ««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Just the Tonic at The Tron 6:20pm – 7:20pm 6–30 Aug, not 18 £5

Tom Parry is having a lot of fun tonight. And why wouldn’t he be? Essentially, he’s playing a game with himself – namely, to set as many obstacles in his path towards a successful comedy show as he can muster, and then one by one knock them down. And, holy moly, he’s winning. An elaborate opening

involving a relatively vanilla rock star? Nailed. A theme based, openly, around five jokes and six thoughts (“a thought is just a joke without the punchline”)? Apparently, entirely workable. A laborious pre-rehearsed climax? As it happens, it’s unfeasibly climactic. Parry may never escape being referred to in the same breath as Pappy’s – the Fringe sketch gift that keeps giving. And he may be entirely happy with that. But there’s a lot he’s left behind since the early days of the then-named Fun Club at Kent Uni. Here is an assured, commanding performer, who can stand proud on his own two feet. Rarely content with a single laugh,

Ben Target Imagine There’s No Ben Target (It’s Easy if You Try) ««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Heroes @ The Hive 3:00pm – 3:50pm 11–30 Aug, not 18 £5

Are you bored of sitting down at comedy gigs? Tired of comedians standing on stage insisting on being funny? Do you dream of engaging with your fellow audience-members in a team-based sports competition? Need something energetic to wake you up mid-afternoon following a morning

of fomulaic Fringe fare? Ben Target might be the thing for you. It’s best to know as little as possible before the show about what you’ll be doing and who you’ll be doing it with, but suffice to say that the fact that I have size 10 feet put me in the frame for a particular duty until it turned out

he stomps over punchlines to get to the next. Audience participation is effortless. Trumpet playing is perfectly, hilariously awful. But, and here’s the rub, there’s also a fair bit of the student union left in Tom. He gives the game away frequently: “guys, here’s a question...”. “Guys, hear me out...”. If you were being generous, you’d dismiss it as an unspecific turn of phrase. Except it isn’t. In a set about the joys of fancy dress, and university parties, Parry is still chatting to the lads over a tin of beer and a game of Goldeneye. He’s pretty good at it – a high-flying student. But he’s got to graduate at some point. ✏︎ Evan Beswick

someone else had size 11s. Being the tallest, or having large hands, might get you tapped on the shoulder too. But none of these tasks are embarrassing or onerous, and the activities undertaken by all serve to bond everyone rather than pick on a victim. Certainly I felt at the end of the show that I knew quite a bit more about the person I happened to be sitting next to. But what is Target doing in all of this? His ringmaster activities belie considerable activity around geeing everyone along, and the ramshackle nature of the whole is cleary more thought through than appears at first glance. Still, it is an odd feeling to look around you and realise it is the audience that seems to be doing most of the work. The promo material for the show advises you wear sensible shoes. You have been warned. ✏︎ Brett Mills

Comedy

Charmian Hughes When Comedy Was Alternative (The Laughs and Loves of a She Comic) «« TIME:

Banshee Labyrinth 3:10pm – 4:10pm 8–30 Aug, not 17

TICKETS:

FREE

festmag.co.uk

VENUE:

There’s a number of questions which arise from an hour in the delightful company of Charmian Hughes. A collection of anecdotes about the birth and heyday of the alt comedy scene in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Hughes is clearly a mine of information. Who else did you see at the Tunnel club? Just how exhausting was Malcolm Hardee’s 24/7 anarchism? How much did

Iain Stirling Reviews

Touchy Feely «« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Pleasance Courtyard 7:40pm – 8:40pm 5–29 Aug £8.50 – £10

they fleece you for a pint at the Edinburgh Fringe back in the ‘80s? Hughes has been there and done it all – a walking, talking scrapbook of comedy’s recent history. For the present purposes, though, there’s a more pressing question: namely, how can Hughes have been doing comedy for so long and remain so consistently and spectacularly unable to deliver a punchline? Her comedic training comes from a time before the long form, convoluted narrative shows of modern repute. Where “jokes” were discrete units, to be written, bought, sold, set up and then knocked down. Job done. But time after time, meandering setups fade to nothing or trip over their own endings. In essence, this is a show ‘about’ comedy, rather than a show which delivers much of it.

Never mind that it’s clearly a routine occurrence tied into a rehearsed ending, coming on stage to loud dubstep music is “the most mental thing [Iain Stirling’s] ever done!” The man’s bonkers and so, he repeatedly tells us, are the subjects of his show. Vegetarianism, the Scottish independence referendum, teetotallers, microwave ovens, Spain, the appearance of former Labour party leader Ed Miliband, the fact he’s able to earn a living from his tepid comedy - all mad! So crazed is our host’s world view that it actually induces vomiting in one unlucky member of tonight’s audience. Stirling would have us believe the disruption caused by the incident was to the detriment of his performance.

But in spite of that significant omission, Hughes remains an engaging presence. There’s undoubtedly an outlet for her first-person history of alternative comedy. A book or a television documentary, perhaps? An hour of standup? Perhaps not. ✏︎ Evan Beswick

After all, he was only just getting his teeth into what was no doubt a thoughtful, well researched routine on Hinduism. (Something about gods with elephant heads, it sounded fresh and promising.) Instead, he manfully bantered around the event while venue staff infiltrated the crowd to mop up puke. Lesser comics wouldn’t have fared so well in such a situation, and Stirling is to be commended for standing his ground. He twisted the event in his favour and many left impressed by this feat. Still, there’s no getting round the fact that a man’s involuntary expulsion of bodily fluid was responsible for more laughs than anything the performer’s thoroughly dull imagination could offer. ✏︎ Lewis Porteous

Uncensored «« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Assembly Roxy 8:10pm – 9:10pm 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24 £10 – £12

Throughout this sustained attack on the state of Britain, and the country’s comedy scene in particular, Andrew Lawrence is careful to temper his opinions with the phrase “I could be wrong”. He does this for two reasons. The first is so audiences may think him an open-minded, reasonable man, eager to engage in civilised discussion. The second is that part of him must realise he’s mistaken on nearly all counts.

Alun Cochrane A Show with a Man In It «« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

The Stand Comedy Club 6:30pm – 7:30pm 6–30 Aug, not 17 £10

He isn’t wrong because his opinions fly in the face of an imagined liberal establishment, but because he says things which are provably inaccurate. Never mind prevailing social trends, logical fallacy has led to the well of bitterness from which he presently drinks. “I’ve not had a lot of luck in my career,” he opines before a paying audience of respectable size. The bulk of Uncensored addresses Lawrence’s part in a recent series of social media controversies. Among other things, these saw the Live at the Apollo star express support for UKIP, criticise immigration policy and blame his perceived lack of TV exposure on equal opportunities initiatives. For a performer to take on his industry in such public, undignified terms requires a great measure of bravery. Unfortunately, Lawrence

The title of Alun Cochrane’s show is knowingly mundane, pointing to the ordinariness of his comic persona. He is the kind of performer you can imagine living next door to, waving to in passing as he hangs the washing out on a blowy day. This normalness is Cochrane’s selling point, and in a Fringe bursting with angry miserabilists or absurd experimentalists it somehow becomes radical to be so insistent on having no quirks. So, this show is about ordinary life and domesticity, especially that kind encountered by someone in their forties: children, Antiques Roadshow, greying hair and dinner parties. The comedy is observational, but less in that excitable Michael McIntyre manner and more functioning as a gentle prodding that encourages the audience

squanders this by labouring under the misconception that we suffer from a deficit in reactionary rightwing comedians. Furthermore, if the room’s mood is ‘tranquil’ tonight, it’s because he’s barely written any jokes into his baffling, inconsistent tirades. ✏︎ Lewis Porteous

to nod in recognition. Without pyrotechnics or an identifiable idiosyncracy Cochrane instead mines his daily routines for material. His inoffensivess is such that he queries “too far?” for material that for other comedians would be well within acceptable limits. It’s a man-of-the-people performance, and Cochrane is charming. It’s easy to see why he works well on panel shows and BBC Radio 4, where he represents much of the viewing audience. But an hour of such homilies feels a real stretch, especially as he fails to offer any surprising or meaningful insight into the mundanity he acknowledges he represents. He says, “I’m a nice person”, and I don’t doubt it; but 60 minutes of ‘nice’ is a bit too pleasant. ✏︎ Brett Mills

Comedy

Andrew Lawrence

Photo: Steve Ulathorne

The Grin of Love «« TIME:

Sneaky Pete’s 1:15pm – 2:15pm 8–29 Aug, not 18

TICKETS:

FREE

festmag.co.uk

VENUE:

Surreal humour, at its best, can dance the line between logic and farce, keeping audiences guessing as it subverts causal reasoning. At its worst, as sketch-comedy duo Beard ably demonstrate, it spills over into alienating nonsense that deceives viewers into thinking they’ve heard a punchline. With The Grin of Love, Beard offer a series of off-the-wall skits, rooted more in amiable simplicity than any complex ideas or dialogue. If there is an underlying theme to the sketches, it’s not conveyed with

Viv Groskop Say Sorry to the Lady «« VENUE:

TIME:

Reviews

TICKETS:

The Stand Comedy Club 3&4 8:20pm – 9:20pm 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17 £8

It’s a quirk of this year’s Fringe guide that the writers Virginia Ironside and Viv Groskop are side-by-side in the comedy section. Ironside, the author and agony aunt, doesn’t begin her promisingly frank-sounding show until the 18th, but Groskop is already packing people in. You can imagine struggling full-time comics sounding

Photo: Sun Lee

Beard

enough clarity for general audiences to connect with. The end result is something resembling either conceptual art with none of the stylistic value, or absurdist humour with none of the wit. There might be an innocent charm to proceedings if this were a college drama production, but instead the sketches appear half-baked. There are some unique concepts here, and the two performers are clearly talented, but the ideas aren’t developed enough to produce convincing laughs. With the exception of a few that are inventive enough to maintain interest, most of the routines feel like rejected scenes from The Mighty Boosh that got cut for being a tad flakey. The pair, Matilda Wnek and Rosa Robson, earnestly elevate bare sketches to the point where you get the sense that they’re reluctantly performing someone else’s material. The performance space isn’t ideal either,

as it limits their movements as well as obscuring many attendees’ views. Physical surroundings shouldn’t dictate viewer experience, though, and, regardless of the setting, the skits are too often directionless and lacking in substance. ✏︎ Matthew Sharpe

furiously Farage about it. “Fringe comedy is full. Close the borders…” A prodigiously talented and popular journalist, Groskop turned to standup a few years back and certainly put the hours in. And yet her debut Fringe show is infuriatingly unsatisfying, as it showcases little of the insight, opinion and well-honed wordplay you’d expect from a prolific columnist. Most of the big laughs here originate from the audience, in fact. Say Sorry to the Lady is about apologising, and Groskop spends a hefty chunk of the show reading out the audience’s thoughts, gathered in the bar beforehand: who should they apologise to, and who do they think should say ‘sorry’? She also

appoints several ‘ministers’, and it’s often their responses that garner the guffaws. Her own material kicks off the show, and often kicks at lazy targets. There are some wince-inducing lines about Scottish pregnancies and people with tattoos, while an interesting opening section about her intriguing surname manages to boast about her educational achievements but skirts too quickly over a potentially fascinating topic, her hidden Jewish roots. Still, that could be a fine topic for a later show, and Groskop certainly has the outward confidence to take her audience into much more challenging territory. ✏︎ Si Hawkins

“Possibly the most beautiful act currently performed in Europe” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

FIRST TIME EVER IN UK. MULTI AWARD WINNING INTERNATIONAL CIRCUS WINNER 2015 PARIS - WINNER 2013 JAPAN - WINNER 2012 CANADA

bigsexycircuscity.com

venue 347, fountainbridge AUG 12-16 3PM DAILY Venue 150@EICC 7th Annual! 5 DYNAMIC DANCE COMPANIES FROM THE USA IN ONE SHOW!

bookingdance.com

THE OVERCOAT 0131 560 1581 summerhall.co.uk

PG | SummerHall (Venue26)

11:00am ~ 11:55am

AUG 5 -30 (not 17) 9:45am (55m) 06 AUG - 30 AUG (not18)

Bromance Visionary young circus trio Barely Methodical Troupe offer a stunning exploration of male friendships full of drama and conflict HHHHH

Reviews

Photo Credit: IStock

festmag.co.uk

PAGE 44

Theatre

Reviews

44 Theatre

League Table 1

Bromance ««««« First to bag a Fest five star this year is a physical, funny and fresh take on male relationships

Traces

Bromance

«««« Explosive gymnastics meet dance and theatre in this high-tensile feast of acrobatics

This Will End Badly «««« Uncompromising new writing that explores the snarling identity of modern masculinity

A Gambler's Guide To Dying «««« A moving tale about the fragility of life and family relationships

Now Listen To Me Very Carefully «««« This thrilling geeky romp centres on an obsession with sci-fi and Terminator 2

HHHHH VENUE:

TIME:

TICKETS:

Underbelly's Circus Hub on the Meadows 6:25pm – 7:20pm 7–29 Aug, not 12, 17, 24 £15

It's a joy to see a show that feels as though it's doing something genuinely new – and Bromance generates exactly that excitement. With skill but also with humour and pathos, young circus trio Barely Methodical Troupe have crafted something fresh, funny and original. Their genius is to take the trust and intimacy inherent in the highstakes feats of circus and acrobatics and use it to explore modern male friendships. It starts with a handshake and snakes out into acts that unpack all the uncertainty, bravado and tension in how men relate to each other physically. Charlie Wheeller, Louis Gift and Beren D'Amico make brilliant use of Beauty, the smaller tent in Underbelly's new Circus Hub, to pace out the shifting dynamics of their onstage personas. This is circus as physical theatre, even silent comedy at times – particularly Wheeller's Chaplin-esque haplessness as he tries to fit in.

Photo: Chris Nash

From their discrepancies in height to their differing physiques, the three men leave nothing out of their act. The force of their chemistry hits the audience with the same energy used to spring into one another's arms. Sometimes it's hilarious; other times, there's real beauty and vulnerability in their breathtaking acrobatics. Every move tells a story. Wheeller's use of the Cyr wheel is a show-stopping moment, graceful and poised as he circles the floor in it. But from cheesy dances to backflips, what really makes Bromance extraordinary is how ringingly true it feels. As the three men cling to each other, this is circus with its finger on the pulse of today. ✏︎ Tom Wicker

Photo: Richard Davenport

The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven HHHH VENUE: TIME:

Reviews

festmag.co.uk

TICKETS:

Summerhall 10:45am – 11:35am various dates between 5 Aug and 30 Aug £12

It's a service, not a show. It's an autobiographical one-woman play, as writer Jo Clifford describes her journey towards coming out as transgender, but it's also a rare and beautiful reflection on the life of Jesus, a female Jesus, or perhaps a transgender one. Clifford arrives as a traveller, hiking pole in hand, perhaps newly returned from wandering the desert. And from nativity to ascension, she describes the life of the outcast's outcast, part sermon, part confessional, but everywhere an oasis of tolerance and love. Clifford's Gospel is like a warm embrace. It's an act of communion and healing, but it's angry too. As funny and outrageous as her rewriting of the Good Samaritan as an old queen with cum on her lips can be, her invocation of Golgotha and the Passion is agonising. Clifford turns her back on the audience and barks "Faggot!" "Tranny!" as she lights a row of votive candles: the words she and so many other transwomen face as they traverse their own stations of the cross towards acceptance in their true gender. Originally condemned for blasphemy when it premiered in 2009, Clifford's story is in fact the absolute opposite. It's a deeply spiritual, almost sacred hour, preaching kindness and bravery in the face of cruelty, ignorance and fear. ✏︎ Stewart Pringle

Fake It ‘til You Make It HHHH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Traverse Theatre times vary 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24 £18

One of the conditions under which Bryony Kimmings’ partner Tim Grayburn—formerly an accounts manager at an advertising agency— agreed to take part in this new autobiographical show about his battle with clinical depression was that he wouldn't have to make eye contact with the audience. Cue a series of hats, masks and face-obscuring props silly enough to dissipate any initial awkwardness around this difficult subject. But Grayburn's outlandish headgear serves a serious purpose too: his face obscured, Grayburn is an everyman figure, his story the story of the millions of young men in this country struggling with mental illness but too ashamed to seek help. Fake It ‘til You Make It is an intensely personal show, but it's also a resolutely universal one. Songs about the way we raise

our sons to be strong and silent, and dances about the side effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are intercut with poignant recordings of the couple speaking frankly about their experiences of Grayburn's depression. Not all Kimmings’ theatrical gambits are entirely succesful: the dialogue-free dance scenes—too serious for their own good—feel self-indulgent and break the rhythm of an otherwise well-paced show. Kimmings only found out about her partner's illness relatively recently, coming across a packet of his antidepressants by chance many years into their relationship. The subject is therefore almost as new to them as it to us, making for a piece of theatre that is still powerfully raw. The title may be Fake It ‘til You Make It, but there's no faking it here. ✏︎ Jo Caird

46 Theatre

Swallow HHHH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Traverse Theatre times vary 7–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24 £20

There's Anna, cocooned in her flat, having ripped up the floorboards, not eating a morsel; Samantha, struggling, quietly, to transform herself into Sam, the man she feels she really is; and there's Rebecca, with a self-inflicted scar on her face serving a constant reminder of an unexpected, agonising break up. Stef Smith's lyrical triptych is almost—almost—a companion piece to Chris Goode's Men in the Cities, a big Traverse hit last year. Certainly, Orla O'Loughlin's production references the same Robert Longo artwork. Between speeches, the three women settle into angular, twisted poses: bodies in a bomb blast perhaps, or caught mid-fit. Swallow diagnoses the same urban atomisation and anomie. These women shut themselves off from the world, stewing in their own spaces. It's by coming together, their scar tissue on show, that they coax each other out again. True, Smith slips into sentimentality right at the end, and O'Loughlin indulges the writing with a pretty-pretty snowstorm, but mostly the poetry of the writing matches up to the physical poetry of bodies in space. It's a slow, patient climb to something hopeful. Yet it's really made by the performances: Emily Wachter's chipper Anna, who somehow makes her healthy body spindly and angular; Anita Vettesse is earthy and humorous as Emil; and Sharon Duncan-Brewster, superb as Sam, finds a still, slack-shouldered confidence in her male gait. ✏︎ Matt Trueman

My Beautiful Black Dog HHHH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Underbelly, Cowgate 1:55pm – 2:55pm 6–16 Aug £9.50 – £10.50

My Beautiful Black Dog might just be the cheeriest show about depression you'll ever see. That's not to say it doesn't take its subject matter seriously, but Brigitte Aphrodite refuses to wallow as she tells the story of own battle with mental illness – and the show is all the better for it. Aphrodite and her boyfriend/costar/MD, Quiet Boy, storm through their tale via a series of rock songs, spoken word interludes and the occassional moment of fourth-wallbusting self-reflection. Her performance is somewhat shambolic, but adorably so – she's the sort of performer you could watch all day. Her lyrics comes thick and fast, the poetry peppered with puns, pop culture references and witty rhymes that demand concentration and reward it richly. It's not always

easy to give her words the attention they deserve – between Aphrodite's eccentric costume choices and Quiet Boy's own quietly magnetic performance, there's an awful lot going on here. A touch more enunciation wouldn't go amiss. The show is beautifully paced, swooping from the toxic thrill of ‘Pop This Party’—a song so catchy I'm still humming it now—to a low so desperate that the music stops altogether. It's hard to get across the isolation of depression to those who haven't experienced it for themselves – Aphrodite's retreat to silence, broken only by a soundtrack of plaintive, loving voicemails left by worried relatives, is a remarkably effective route in. And the music, when it returns, is all the more joyful in comparison. ✏︎ Jo Caird

THE RADICAL URBAN CIRCUS WHERE STREET MEETS ELITE

World champion athletes and award winning performers exploring all forms of WATCH THE VIDEO rotation bit.ly/360fringe

BOX assemblyfestival.com 16:15 47OFFICE 0131 623 3030 6 - 31 AUG

ASSEMBLY HALL

trauma and abuse that's never explicitly spoken, but implied through allusion and ambiguity. It's hidden behind Sue MacLaine's words, smuggled into her sentences, and suggested by the precise tone of Nadia Nadarajah's gestures. Easily missed at first, once it lands it's glaring – a stark, galling metaphor for abuse itself.The women ring bells that come to seem like shrill signals. Pain was particularly problematic for Wittgenstein: felt privately and never shared, yet communicable nonetheless. MacLaine stresses the importance, but also the impossibility of doing so in full. How do you make sense of abuse? How do you take it apart to process it? This profound and poetic piece— almost a performance sculpture— makes a start. ✏︎ Matt Trueman

carefully used: sudden swings in her voice from screeching to whimpering; jiggling leg; permanent HHHH pout. She baits the weak teacher (Wesley Lineham) and he falls for VENUE: Bedlam Theatre it each time. But to be truly brilliant TIME: 9:30pm – 10:30pm Duffin needs to rein it in slightly. 5–30 Aug, not 18 Aaliyah (Akila Cristiano) is the TICKETS: £9 polar opposite: boredom and resigGoodbye, Mr Chips, and fuck you: nation suffuse her face. Cristiano your twee world is dead. Children plays with her character's silence, are no longer there to be inspired, using it to suggest the sense of a or even taught. It's damage control. character in hiding. Holly McKinlay's satire on the In McKinlay's writing are waves education system takes the boiling that build to intolerable, vertiginous pot of a contemporary classroom peaks until they break and the seto its extremes. Two students are crets spill. It's Grange Hill writ large, in an “intervention session” for tackling the personal problems of undisclosed misdemeanours. They children today, the difficulties posed don't get on. But they both smell by multiculturalism for a generation the blood of their weak, ineffective of ignorance that drips down into young teacher. the idle prejudices of their children. Taylor (Olivia Duffin) shouts, But mostly it's about the impossibilscreams and manipulates like a ity of teaching. petulant child, the details of her There's no real sense of direction, performance carefully chosen and a minor structural complaint, and

the confessional moments of each character are too expository, but the shifting allegiances between these three is masterfully woven. It's that best of Fringe discoveries: rare, raw new writing. ✏︎ Tim Bano

Photo: Zoe Manders

and curlicues in the gap between them. One speaks, the other signs. You can't tell who's interpreting for whom; it's more symbiotic than that. They quote Wittgenstein: “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.” Can I Start Again Please looks, initially, like a piece about otherness – about the impossibility of speaking for, or even to, another person. It turns linguistic philosophy—that we learn how to apply labels through experience and resemblance—into nonsense. Words mean different things to each of us. They morph in translation, in the gap between speaker and listener. How, then, can we ever communicate anything or understand anyone? Beneath the surface, there's something else: an account of past

Can I Start Again Please HHHH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Summerhall 2:50pm – 3:45pm 5–30 Aug, not 10, 17 £10

Two women sit side by side, one white British, the other Sri Lankan. They share a script, which spools

S.E.N

Theatre

Tristissimo HHHH VENUE: TIME:

This is the second instalment of Italian company C&C's Trilogy of Pain. Where last year's Maria Addolorata looked at physical agony, this time around the trauma of doomed love—loosely, Wagner's Tristan and Isolde—is the stimulus to the duo's idiosyncratic response. It's a mistier piece than brassy Maria, not just because of the litres of smoke lingering onstage, or the acres of hemp hair used as a tragic blonde motif, but also in the palette of colours and the fuzziness (sometimes literally) of the imagery. We have to work hard to earn our connection with

Photo: Paul McHale

festmag.co.uk

TICKETS:

ZOO Southside 12:20pm – 1:05pm 7–15 Aug £9

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Family HHH VENUE: TIME:

Reviews

TICKETS:

Underbelly, Cowgate, 4:40pm – 5:45pm 6–30 Aug, not 18 £10 – £11

How do you bridge the emotional distance you've always felt has existed between you and your dad?

Tristissimo, but it is worth it. The opening is a powerful vision of western heroism: two nudes, earthy and godlike, posturing to the skies. At first seemingly ancient, the image becomes recalibrated into something from the future as the pair reverse themselves into modern clothing, and become contemporary lovers caught in a tangle of shyness, lust and hurt. There is some stunning partnering here, the two dancers in exquisite harmony with each other, and with the score. Wagner's roaring climaxes are matched with slow

backbends; doom is foreshadowed with uneasy gesture. Part of C&C's appeal is the surprise factor of their images, so it would be imprudent to give too much away. But expect pop culture references and classical tableaux – most of all expect to make whatever you want from it. For a show about one of life's most powerful emotions, Tristissimo is cerebral, but C&C are brave in making original sense of their subject, and in their determination not to frown in the face of sorrow. ✏︎ Lucy Ribchester

If you're Ben Norris, you hitchhike it – down the M1. With a handful of signs and a backpack full of memories (and one stuffed toy), Norris recounts the journey he took from the family home in Nottingham to Wembley.The aim? To get to know his Luton FC-loving but closed-off father better by travelling to the places of his youth. Norris makes for an engaging narrator of his own story, his words a semi-poetic mix of travelogue and reminiscence. He unpacks his relationship with his dad with affecting sadness as he talks of its defining silence. But he's also energetic and funny, dashing about the stage, headbanging to family-holiday car music and offering KitKats to the audience. The show's multimedia approach

also works well. Director Polly Tisdall has created a buzzy blend of live performance with videos from Norris's trip—mostly his enthusiastic but futile thumbing for lifts—and amusing animations signalling his various stops and introducing the people who did actually help him out. And yet an air of contrivance hovers over this production. Car journeys with his father are a touchstone for Norris, but that doesn't really explain the hitchhiking. And the stories of those he meets (apart from family members) feel more like diversions than significant inroads. In many ways, this is a great show. But it's hard to shake the feeling that it doesn't quite all hang together. ✏︎ Tom Wicker

50 Theatre

Raz HHH VENUE:

TIME:

TICKETS:

Assembly George Square Studios 4:00pm – 5:00pm 6–31 Aug, not 12, 24 £12.50 – £13.50

If Dylan Thomas had decided to scrap Under Milk Wood and write about a boozy Friday night out in a northern town instead, it might have sounded a bit like this. Playwright Jim Cartwright (Little Voice) finds the poetry in a pub crawl, the exhilarating beat and rhythm of escaping the daily grind of the 9-5 for another weekend. In this one-man show, James Cartwright (son of Jim) is Shane, whom we meet as he's getting ready for a big one with the lads. He's a charmer and a chancer, a six-pack playboy with an aviary of ‘birds’ in his phone. Cartwright Jr shines, rolling in charm and flirting with the audience as he

Poker Night Blues HHH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Summerhall 5:05pm – 6:10pm 10–30 Aug, not 18, 25 £12

What begins looking like extreme Morris Dancing, with performers prancing, cracking sticks together and arranging them into halfformed sets, turns into a bizarre dance-infused retelling of A Streetcar Named Desire. English surtitles translate a script written in Mandarin, which

Photo: Oliver Rosser

introduces his gang and enthuses about his tanning sessions. The play paints a picture of a town humming with life as the past jostles with the present – from inheriting drinking spots from your parents to glimpsing ex-girlfriends through windows. Booze-stained carpets hold memories and you can disappear into a pint glass until morning. Cartwright Sr.'s pen portrait of Shane's well-trodden steps is evocative, sad and funny.

The production conjures the night out with spotlights, snatches of music and ringtones, and lets Cartwright Jr. do the rest. His vulnerability when suddenly confronted by his ex is aching. He shifts between moods beautifully. The problem is that ultimately, you want more from the play than just that – and more than we ultimately get. It's poignant and moving, but this picture needs more story. ✏︎ Tom Wicker

heavily reworks Williams’ original. Each of the characters is given a chance to talk to the audience via their inner monologues, inverting all the repression of Williams’ lines and filling in unnecessary backstory. Jazz and blues—as well as audio extracts from the 1951 film—play overhead while the performers turn critical moments into precise and expressive dance. Every movement has a clear purpose, a message, an aspect of the play it's trying to emphasise. Somersaults and flips are particularly impressive in such a small space. Theatre Movement Bazaar and Tinhouse Productions have distilled the familiar themes and the

plot to their concentrated form. It's an audacious move. But what becomes clear as the piece goes on is that it does not take itself seriously enough to be a desecration. There's deadpan humour in the dances and the play acknowledges its own heavy-handedness: after a subWest Side Story dance by the men, Stanley takes centre stage and asserts, “I'm a man”. Immediately he dresses up as a woman. Amid acrobatic skill and precisely choreographed mime, a new Streetcar emerges, almost The Comic Strip Presents...Streetcar. An adaptation that's been dumbed down, but in an intelligent way. ✏︎ Tim Bano

#EDINTFEST



‘AN AURAL AND VISUAL DELIGHT’ FINANCIAL TIMES

THE ENCOUNTER COMPLICITE / SIMON MCBURNEY

Directed and performed by Simon McBurney

Until Sun 23 August Edinburgh International Conference Centre

Thrilling and immersive story-telling, that takes you to the source of the Amazon.

Funded by

Sir Ewan and Lady Brown through the Edinburgh International Festival Commissioning Fund

BOOK NOW | EIF.CO.UK 0131 473 2000

Charity No SC004694 | Photo Gianmarco Bresadola

Campbell, supposedly abducted to Pakistan by her father but really the victim of nothing more than a splintering family. Back in 2006, that family was caught up in a ferocious media storm. My Name is… tries to get behind the headlines. It takes the words of Molly/ Misbah—here Gaby/Ghazala—and her estranged parents, threading

them into a shared but conflicting narrative. Beneath the sensationalism, we hear the story of an ordinary romance subjected to the immense pressure of two colliding cultures. Meeting in Glasgow in the 1980s, Farhan and Suzy are barely more than kids when they have to start defending their love. Suzy becomes Sajida, converts to Islam, starts wearing a hijab. But the stress of becoming someone else soon creates cracks. In Philip Osment's quiet staging, mother, father and child all share the same space, moving closer together and further apart as their narratives overlap, intertwine and contradict one another. It can be a little inert at times, but the sad complication of these true stories drives the show forwards. What the headlines can't grasp —and what Tamasha respectfully conveys— is that there are no heroes and villains here, only people making impossible choices. ✏︎ Catherine Love

and pioneers of his craft. In Kally Lloyd-Jones's two-hander, text and dance are woven together to tell the story of Nijinsky's mental decline and explore the nature of psychological instability in creativity. It's a path that has been trodden before when examining the legacy of artists. But in LloydJones's production the dance helps to make sense of Nijinsky's journey, speaking the language in which he was most articulate. Dancer Darren Brownlie gives a fine-tuned performance as young Nijinsky, moving from the precise sequences of the ingénue at the barre through to the fragmenting of his sense of self—brilliantly

done with a puppet Petrushka—to the frustrated routines of the asylum. Old Nijinsky, James Bryce, is excellent too, addressing his younger self with tenderness, throwing up ideas of the different selves we become throughout life, and the maddening age-old irony of wanting the wisdom of later years in the turbulent young ones. But the script relies heavily on feeding us the questions it wishes to explore, and the repetition of sage soundbites. As a result Nijinsky's Last Jump is not a portrayal of mental illness that will break the mould. But it is touching, striking and hugely heartfelt in its compassion for its subject. ✏︎ Lucy Ribchester

My Name is... VENUE:

TIME:

festmag.co.uk

TICKETS:

Northern Stage at Summerhall 7:25pm – 8:45pm 8–30 Aug, not 19, 26 £14

What's in a name? Well, more than you'd think. For a teenage girl torn between parents, between nations, between religions, the gulf between “Gaby” and “Ghazala” is vast. And that's what Tamasha's verbatim show draws out: distance and proximity, identity and difference. Writer Sudha Bhuchar was fascinated by the story of Molly/Misbah

Nijinsky's Last Jump HHH VENUE: TIME:

Reviews

TICKETS:

Dance Base 2:00pm – 3:00pm –23 Aug, not 10, 17 £10

Vaslav Nijinsky was only 29 when diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1919. He retired from public dancing and spent the next 30 years in and out of psychiatric care. And yet, despite what seems like a relatively short time of creative productivity, he is still revered as one of the greatest practitioners

Photo: Helen Maybanks

HHH

A Cinema in South Georgia HHH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Pleasance Courtyard 1:00pm – 2:00pm 5–30 Aug, not 17 £10 – £12

The title of this show is a little misleading. The real-life shipping of a cinema projector from the Alhambra theatre in Leith, Edinburgh, to a whaling outpost in the island of South Georgia kicks things off, but

Allie HH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Gilded Balloon 5:00pm – 6:00pm 5–31 Aug £12.50

this warm-hearted piece is really about the community forged between whalers in the icy Antarctic wastes in 1959. Based on verbatim accounts from the time, Jeffrey Mayhew (who also directs) and Susan Wilson's play is more of a dramatised history lesson, detailing the hardships and escapades of four particular whalers: Jim, Fraser, Robbie and Archie. If this sounds dry, it's not: Mayhew's production bursts with life, as the cast slip in and out of song and intersperse their scrapping with wry observations.

The show's structure is fairly ramshackle, dropping in anecdotes and introductions to characters haphazardly. But a strong vein of salty humour keeps things buoyant, and the actors—particularly Euan McIver, as as a twinkly-eyed Jim—bond like brothers as they bicker, play cards and get pissed. They make for great company and their performances add piquancy to the touching Skype call that ends the play. Mayhew and Wilson sometimes let their research run away with itself, leading to a few overly textbook-style moments. (You'll learn more about how whalers brewed their beer than you'll ever usefully need). But there's a truthful charm to this production that blows the dust from the pages. Its abiding respect for its subject matter translates into a joyful experience on stage. ✏︎ Tom Wicker

The poster—a heavily made up woman's face, bloodied and beaten—makes a promise of slick violence that this tasteless new offering from writer and comedian Ruaraidh Murray more than delivers. He's scored comparisons to Irvine Welsh and Quentin Tarantino for his previous Fringe shows Big Sean, Mikey and Me, and Bath Time, which chronicled the lives of tough men spitting and swearing their way through the mean streets of Edinburgh. Allie is an equally manful attempt at a female perspective. It moves from noir to just nasty thanks to its use of domestic violence and rape as fodder for laughs and voyeuristic thrills. Scottish actor Megan Shandley is brilliantly fierce, compelling to watch and even able to make the wooden animal collection that comprises her only personality

quirk feel believable. But as her spat-out stories of shit-smearing playground revenge turn abruptly into tales of cartoonish hyper-violence at the hands of her initially loving boyfriend (played by Murray himself) shit gets rather too real. Tim Stark's direction encourages a rapid-fire style that bounces with energy, Murray's Timberland boots stamping on the earth or onto softer adversaries with an almost joyful aggression. But the psychological motivations behind his abuse are as thin as his worn-down soles. We're shown that he's as cool, calculating and nasty as the toy crocodile Allie clings to, but although this tale flicks aggressively from shock to plot twist, there's none of the real heart or insight that would make it more than a man-sized Punch and Judy show. ✏︎ Alice Saville

Theatre

HHH VENUE:

TIME:

festmag.co.uk

TICKETS:

Underbelly's Circus Hub on the Meadows 3:25pm – 4:25pm 10–29 Aug, not 12, 18, 24 £15.50 – £16.50

Dolls and the uncanny—that unsettling blend of the alien and familiar— go hand in hand. The very concept of the uncanny started with a doll: the captivating clockwork girl in E.T.A. Hoffmann's characteristically messed-up story The Sandman. And Cirk La Putyka's new show, with its strange meeting of humans and objects, follows the trend. Dolls has one of those aesthetics so bleak it's beautiful. The set—half doll's house, half bunker—houses an unhappy collection of sparring lovers, its cramped interiors bathed in a nightmarish neon glow. It's all

Eating Seals and Seagulls’ Eggs HH VENUE: TIME:

Reviews

TICKETS:

Pleasance Dome 1:05pm – 2:10pm 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24 £7 – £10

The title of this bittersweet, meandering piece of local history refers to the diet of the Gaelic-speaking inhabitants of Blasket, an island off the west coast of Ireland. And their feasting didn't stop there, with seaweed and wrens—roasted 15 to a skewer over open fires— also on the menu. Or so Peig Sayers would have us believe. She was the real-life chief chronicler of the life of the

Photo: Tomáš Třeštík

Dolls

post-apocalyptic chic: dirt and dust and gloom. There's a soundtrack to match, all throbbing beats and rumbling bass. Against all of this, performers struggle and embrace – sometimes with one another, sometimes with the mannequins in their midst. Individual movement sequences, if raggedly linked together, are frequently heart-stopping. In one stunning scene, a performer becomes a human puppet, limbs manipulated by jerking cables. In another, a man and woman are lashed together at the wrist as marriage becomes literally binding. The show also has one of the most astonishing trapeze sequences I've ever seen, the bodies of two of the acrobats writhing and wrapping around one another in mid air. Sheer strangeness, though, is not always enough to sustain interest. Despite the evident virtu-

osic skill of the company, there's some tightening up that could be done between the—admittedly dazzling—tricks. Uncanny it might be, but even the unnerving has its limits. ✏︎ Catherine Love

25 households that made up the island's community, and the storyteller responsible for over a million Gaelic words of Blasket island folklore, customs and horrendously depressing reminiscences. Playwright Caitríona Ní Mhurchú plays Peig herself, and Louise Lewis takes the part of one of the millions of schoolkids who came to hate her stories of dead children during her decades on the Irish school curriculum. Ní Mhurchú is a well known Irish language children's author and actress. But this is her first original play, and it shows: the fascinating questions of Irish identity, false nostalgia and whether Peig was just a virtuoso lier, not a storyteller, are muddied by her slow-paced, directionless narrative. Further

laden with Adam Gibney's video art and music from Bird in Snow, the piece often loses its way. We're told, in a long interlude of archive recordings more suited to a radio play, that the last residents were forcibly evacuated from the island of Blasket in 1953, after being bedevilled by storms and hunger. Like the schoolchildren's grudging encounters with Peig, this piece doesn't leave you longing to return. ✏︎ Alice Saville

56 Theatre

I Gave Him An Orchid HH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Summerhall times vary 11-29 Aug £12

Heart smoothie, anyone? Sarah Calver slices through a heart and loads it into a blender, adding banana and fruit juice for taste. She fires it into life, shredding this muscle to such tiny pieces that it becomes drinkable, then pours herself a glass. That she never drinks it—there is, I think, a bit of a switcheroo— says a lot about I Gave Him an Orchid. It's an exploration of heartache that refuses to go anywhere too painful, preferring to goof and clown around the subject, than to really open up about it. The upshot is that we learn little – and feel even less. Calver returns to the story of a

Night + Daze H VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Underbelly, Cowgate 7:20pm – 8:20pm 6–30 Aug £9.50 – £11

Mark ‘Sheffy’ Sheffield is kicking off. He's an unapologetic lad and “that's that”. But this sweaty pub philosopher is more than a misstep from his creator, playwright Philip Stokes: he's a spilt pint's puddle of damp, sticky machismo. Lee Bainbridge bellows Stokes's poetry in an endless rant of a

Bristolian woman, Sarah Henley, who, in 1885, threw herself off a suspension bridge after a break up – only for her crinoline skirt to balloon like a parachute, breaking her fall and saving her life. She went on to marry someone else, proof that hearts heal just like bruises and broken ribs do. It's unfocused and tangential; a word cloud or spider diagram of

a show. Sex recurs, almost as if heartbreak starts out in the loins. A slide show of self-aware snogs catches the oddity of dating again and an impromptu onstage hookup, matchmade in the moment, is sweet for its simplicity – until Calver pops up to puncture the mood. It's never a good sign, when you wish the artist would get out of the way though, is it? ✏︎ Matt Trueman

performance, his microphone painfully unnecessary. He's Sheffy to the nines: a coke-sniffing lager lout who charges through his night on the town with all the finesse of a Pamplona bull. He gets skewered by a dealer on the way, but what really gets him is a girl called, with admirable subtlety, Angel. Stokes's text could be a primer on Freud's Madonna-whore complex. Angel is perfect and untouchable, whereas the girl who actually wants to sleep with Sheffy is a “cheap Primark whore”. The two are played by crop-topped dancer Ella Daley, who fawns and throws herself over him in completely silent submission.

Things get still weirder when he uses her body as a handy prop to explain the far from complicated storyline. He demonstrates his dad's heart attack by pushing her breast in and out, or looks down the front of her leggings to show us exactly where his dealer keeps his stash. This isn't physical theatre, it's physical assault. Stokes must be aware of the irony of Sheffy spouting Sartre while trampling on a century of feminist thought. But any satire is lost on a production that uncritically makes his fantasies flesh. When you're at the mercy of a lad this obnoxious, some apology is needed. ✏︎ Alice Saville

A dark comedy about three recently deceased characters experience of hell by Jean Paul Satre, winner of the Noble Prize for Literature. M+E version is both funny and cruel with sublime twist.

eeeee

17th - 29th August, 21.05 (50 Minutes) Tickets: £12 (c £10)

3 for 1 ticket deals everyday bigsexycircuscity.co.uk

A new play about the impact of war on women

www.thespaceuk.com

17-22 August @ 11:00 24-29 August @ 13:25 SanctuaryThePlay.com

I M P E R M A N E N C E DA N C E T H E A T R E

DA-DA-DARLING ‘POETIC ENERGETIC RACY VINTAGE STYLISH’

SIMON CASSON DUCKIE

7 - 31 Aug (except 17) 10.15pm (1hr) zoofestival.co.uk

KEY CHANGE

MY NAME IS...

OPEN CLASP 12.30pm

TAMASHA 7.25pm

‘absolutely gripping... a drama of terrific integrity’ THE SCOTSMAN

★★★★ ‘exquisite’ THE GUARDIAN

★★★★

NORTHERN STAGE AT SUMMERHALL (VENUE 26) UNTIL 30 AUG (NOT WED) northernstage.co.uk/edinburgh • 0131 226 0000 57

HHHH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Summerhall 8:20pm – 9:20pm 7–30 Aug, not 17, 24 £12

Will Pickvance enjoys playing music as an end in itself.Though it is apparent from the moment his fingers first touch the ivories that he is a musician of prodigious skill, it is equally clear that he plays as much for his own joy as anyone else’s. Such an attitude lends his performance an unconcerned, unpretentious air, leaving the audience undoubtedly impressed, but never alienated from the friendly, savant-like talent before them.This is vital for the back-andforth upon which the show hinges: in explaining what the piano has meant in his life, Pickvance expresses that life through music.

Dandy Darkly’s Trigger Happy! HHHH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

CC Blooms 6:45pm – 7:40pm 8–30 Aug, not 19 FREE

Nothing beats the all-American smile – Americans are happy! But the toothpaste commercial turns into a sour grin when New Yorkbased teller of tales and rock-poet Dandy Darkly gives the USA a raunchy root canal treatment – without anaesthetic.

With Thelonious Monk’s assertation that “there are no wrong notes” as his credo, Pickvance presents his autobiographical reflections free-form, with many tangents and improvisations. From a fascinated but undisciplined childhood, noodling aimlessly on the keyboard, delighted by the secrets he might accidentally unlock, to an equally meandering adulthood, Pickvance determines not only to articulate why the piano is such a passion, but the technicalities of how it has achieved such a hold. In this, he succeeds utterly. Pickvance can be very funny, but it isn’t a comedian’s humour: it comes from a natural, conversational honesty, free of any artifice where getting laughs might trump human connection. Still, the recollections of his time as house pianist at Skibo Castle, a retreat for the rich and famous, are worth the price of admission alone. For fellow musicians, Alchemy of the Piano

will be hilariously recognisable; for everyone else, it will be simply and brilliantly illuminating. ✏︎ Sean Bell

His perfectly-timed narrative is a rollercoaster ride through the hidden pain and panic of American society. Dandy Darkly is absolutely adept at almost absurd alliterations. They acquire ample attention from the audience, but it’s well rewarded by the wonderful wordplay he exhibits. He gives us a warning at the beginning of the show: this is cabaret, but it’s not exactly Liza Minnelli. Dressed as a rodeo clown he criticises celebrity culture, big corporations, internalised homophobia and the Grindr generation. The faint-hearted might not like the high death toll or abundant bodily fluids—semen squirts out of discarded used condoms like

mayonnaise out of a sachet—but the scenes that fold out on stage before us are simply mesmerising in their rawness and realism. Much is due to a prerecorded soundscape that sweeps us along with it – it’s Darkly’s third Fringe and he has clearly mastered his own unique style. At one unfortunate moment, his iPod stops working when his snakeskin cowboy boots get tangled up in its wire. But even without the soundtrack, Darkly’s personality is potent enough to conjure us away across the Pond. His critique keeps resonating long after the show is over. If you want to watch a wicked wordsmith at work, this is your show. ✏︎ Arnoud Breitbarth

Music

Alchemy of the Piano

Photo: Peter Dibdin

Michael Griffiths in the acclaimed cabaret that will play with your heart.

WINNER BEST CABARET ADELAIDE FRINGE 2014

festmag.co.uk

18:00 06 - 31 AUG

Ludwig

Live

“A DEEPLY FELT REFLECTION OF THE MAN. SAVOR EVERY MINUTE.” – NEW YORK TIMES

NOMINA TED FOR A 20 15 DRAM A DESK AW ARD IN NEW YO RK

0131 510 2385 www.thespaceuk.com theSpace @ Symposium Hall

He’s written operas, sonatas and symphonies Now he brings his epic piano skillz to the cabaret circuit

Reviews

WITH THE MUSIC AND LYRICS OF JOHN LENNON LENNON & McCARTNEY

JOHN WATERS with STEWART D’ARRIETTA 6 – 28 AUGUST

22:30 6–27 AUGUST

Extra shows 19:30, 10, 17, 28 August Extra Shows 14:30 17 & 24 August Extra Shows 21:00, 24 August

Sweet Dreams

VENUE:

TIME:

TICKETS:

Assembly George Square Gardens 6:00pm – 7:00pm 6–31 Aug, not 18 £10 – £12

Michael Griffiths is Annie Lennox. He’s also a stubbly Australian man without the merest hint of her cool, immaculate eyebrow poise, but that doesn’t stop him pulling off a slick cabaret set of her greatest hits, stripped down for voice and piano. At last year’s Fringe he gave the same treatment to Madonna and it’s clear why the formula is worth repeating: without the blare of synth, the lyrics take on a new emotional power that Griffiths’ honeyed, versatile voice is more than capable of exploiting. He makes full play of the rich religious imagery that haunts her songwrit-

A Storm in a D Cup HH VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Music

Songs by Annie Lennox ««««

Assembly Roxy 9:30pm – 10:30pm 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24 £10 – £12

ing, too: he slows down his opener, ‘Missionary Man’, to milk it for every drop of sexual power, and lights a candle to sing ‘There Must be an Angel’. Thank heaven he decided not to replicate the song’s ecstatic falsetto trills. The dark magic of Lennox’s superb songwriting suggests she must have made some kind of fiendish pact to take her from Scottish Presbyterian-raised classical flute student to electro-pop demon. But Griffith’s narrative chooses light not darkness, exploring the singer's love for her partner, then artistic collabo-

rator Dave Stewart. Their rocky relationship during the Eurythmics years explains the gutsy power and complexity of songs like ‘Sweet Dreams’. And in Griffith’s hands, the ‘Why’ of her 1992 hit, freed from its cheesy orchestration, becomes a croon of utter despair. The strangeness of Lennox’s androgenous presence, unsmiling, head flaming like a match, is lost. But Griffiths lights another fire, warming through her cool energy with the emotion that smokes through her lyrics. ✏︎ Alice Saville

When Amelia Ryan sings about how perfect life could have been with the ex who dumped her, it is one of the few moments in her performance when she is honest, frail and outright impressive. A Storm in a D Cup is an autobiographical show about all the challenges Ryan has faced. The problem is, it hardly ever feels sincere. Her ‘I’m such a clumsy girl’-act, with mismatching socks and inside out T-shirt, grows tired within the first minute. On stage is a seasoned performer and a great singer in her thirties, who claims not to know how a mic stand works. Frankly, it’s uncomfortable to watch. This foolishness overshadows her talent: Ryan’s stories are

strong, the jokes are funny and she knows how to get a message across in a song. She made this show when she was younger, writing lyrics on existing melodies and catering for a younger audience who might be impressed by the struggles of someone who stumbles through her teens and early twenties. But she has clearly outgrown her material and it’s evident she can do more than she gives away. She wrote another show, with original music, as a sequel to this one. It’s a shame she chose not to perform her newest material – if she didn’t hide behind the silly girl character, Ryan could well be sensational. ✏ Arnoud Breitbarth

festmag.co.uk

Penny Arcade Longing Last Longer ««« VENUE: TIME:

Reviews

TICKETS:

Underbelly, Cowgate 8:50pm – 9:50pm 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24 £10 – £12

Penny Arcade is not nostalgic. The performance art veteran’s latest show might look to the past—the radicalism of the 1960s and ‘70s—but it’s not through rose-tinted specs. Nostalgia is romantic; longing, she argues, is much more powerful. Longing Lasts Longer rails against an altered urban landscape, where a cleaned-up New York has gone from the Big Apple to the Big Cupcake. But it’s not just the gentrification of our streets that we have to worry about now, says Arcade; it’s the gentrification of the mind. Capitalism has created

a world of political apathy and meaningless choice, a place where “mediocrity is the new black”. Arcade is full of such sharp one-liners, aphorisms that pithily combine wit and insight. Strung together, they form an impassioned tirade against the advance of consumerism, brilliantly underscored by long-time collaborator Steve Zehentner’s live-mixed soundtrack. It’s wide-ranging territory, taking in everything from the worship of youth to cultural amnesia. Arcade’s passion on these topics is clear and contagious.

The show, though, always seems on the cusp of breaking free into something more theatrical, more anarchic, without ever quite taking that leap. The rhetoric is forceful, but the performance feels oddly reined in. And without that theatricality, Arcade’s complaints—urgent and important though they might be— run the risk of descending into a pure rant. Charismatic and persuasive company as Arcade is, Longing Lasts Longer is more opinion piece than performance, all content at the expense of form. ✏︎ Catherine Love

Thrones! The Musical «« VENUE:

TIME:

TICKETS:

Assembly George Square Studios 5:00pm – 6:00pm 5–31 Aug £13 – £14

In another spate of Game of Thrones-inspired shows this festival, the Baby Wants Candy improvised musical team brings us a new, non-improvised production lampooning the globally successful HBO TV series. Alas, they should’ve stuck with the improv. In fairness, hidden amongst the awkward writing, off-key singing, and puerile gags there are some

fleeting gems. The targets of its mockery may be mostly easy (the much-flogged horse of its malegaze sex scenes; the merciless murdering of major characters), Thrones! does have moments of insightful cynicism and clever irony, and the seasoned cast is one the audience warm to very readily. Unfortunately, for every well aimed jab, there are a dozen wide misses. The opening scene’s potential (a full-cast song about addictive TV shows and their spoilers – how meta!) is squandered; the rest of the performance is just crass jokes about incest, Peter Dinklage’s accent, and winter (literally) coming. The musical is essentially a series of sketches, loosely strung together as a GoT “crash course”: all phony wigs,

The Bakewell Bake Off A New Musical «« VENUE:

TIME:

TICKETS:

Assembly George Square Studios 5:00pm – 6:00pm 5–31 Aug £13 – £14

Towards the end of The Bakewell Bake Off you will realise you’re not actually watching a story being told: you’re observing a pretend baking competition. The contestants are introduced, they present their creations, and eventually there’s a winner. That is as close to a beginning, middle and end as the play can offer. Initially, it seems the bake off is

meant to illustrate the variety of the Bakewell community and provide a vehicle for the ensemble’s respective character arcs. Instead, after introducing its cast of broadly drawn local eccentrics, the play inexplicably loses interest in giving any of them a conclusion. One contestant, a trans character played as a kind of panto dame, is never anything but a source of

cheesy numbers, and pantomime accents as they initiate a friend into the sprawling series, but the net result is a bit confused. The shoehorned narrative isn’t strong enough to stand on its own, but then neither are the jokey skits or the clumsy songwriting, leaving little else to engage with. There’s nothing wrong with a lo-fi production (the Jon Snow wig is, admittedly, pretty funny), and for something so unashamedly on-trend (for the Netflix generation, at least) it can’t afford to—and doesn’t—take itself too seriously. But beyond the cheap laughs, and the few performers who can actually sing, Thrones! The Musical is neither a polished production nor an inventive parody. ✏︎ George Sully

mockery, a portrayal that teeters on the edge of offensiveness until a sub-Dad’s Army German accent pushes it over. She yearns for acceptance, but hers is one of several stories that never gain resolution. Another baker, born in England but of Indian extraction, also hopes that participating in the bake off will help the community look at her with something other than barely disguised bigotry. She has one laugh-out-loud moment when she is unwillingly made the centre of a tacky Bollywood number, but does she eventually change how she’s perceived? Who knows? The list goes on. If the point of the production was to remind cosmopolitan Edinburgh residents of everything tedious, twee and close-minded about life in a rural small town, it almost works. Except the parody is so bafflingly affectionate, it ceases to be parodic. ✏︎ Sean Bell

Music

CalArts Festival Theater

JUMP ABOARD THE

WORST AIRLINE IMAGINABLE

-12th Season on the fringe-

Bayou Blues

Your favourite show might be just around the corner!

w ced Ne k-Pa Quic Comedies

15:45

Francesca,Francesca...

Explore the mythology surrounding the remarkable Francesca Woodman.

17th-29th* @ 12.45pm £8.00 (£6.00) *no performance 23rd from rting Depa eTriplex Spac e 38 Venu

Enter the dream a girl named Beauty in the bayou of New Orleans.

Find out what’s on near you, plus up-to-theminute Festival reviews on festmag.co.uk

@BuckleUpTheatre

From the creator of 2014’s hit Pomegranate Jam 18:45

IamI A multimedia dreamscape within the Eversphere, following an eclectic group discovering life after death.

21:30 Bayou Blues 15:45 Francesca, Francesca... 18:45 IamI 21:30 £8.00 General | £6.00 Concession

£6-8 Study at Pleasance Dome

12.15pm 5-15 Aug

11.00am 16-31 Aug

Your FREE Guide to the Edinburgh Festivals festmag.co.uk /FestMagUK @festmag

On Lochend Close - Just off the Royal Mile 100m past Cannongate Kirk

venue13.com Aug 8-29 | tickets: WWW. 07074 20 13 13

www.venue13.co

KID SHOWS CRITICS

Ruby & Alice

Alice McGuire, age 8, loves Michael Jordan's mixture of magic, imagination and participation – especially the bit where her dad gets to join in What happens in the show? The show is a mixture of magic and illusions, with dancers and the audience joining in. Describe the show in five words Impressive, exciting, scary, dangerous, magical. Who was your favourite character and why? Michael Jordan, the magician. What did you like most about the show? The final trick where he made snow appear from a wet, torn-up paper tissue. I don’t know how he did it and it looked really cool. What didn’t you like about the show? Nothing, definitely not! Well, my dad asked if I thought it was funny: I didn’t think it was meant to be funny… Would you tell your friends to come? I would tell them that they should go straight away because I think all of my friends would like it, even if they’re not really magic fans, or if they just like shows where you can join in. The show isn’t just watching magic tricks, some of it is all about the audience using their own imagination, which most children like to do. What did your grown-up think of the show? I think my dad thought it was okay, like magic shows he saw when he was my age. I think that my dad’s favourite bit was when he got to go up onstage and show off, and he even had the magician sitting on his shoulders! ✏︎ Alice McGuire (age 8)

VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:

Assembly George Square Gardens 5:40pm – 6:40pm, 6–16 Aug £9 – £10

Kids

High Jinx Magic and Illusion Show

Photo: Steve Ullatrhone

festmag.co.uk

The Scarecrows’ Wedding Ruby Foster, age six, is inspired to read the book after this lovely show about a rural romance What happens in the show? It was about two scarecrows who come to life. They are in love and want to get married but must go on a hunt around the farm for all of the lovely things for their wedding. The pink flowers are very important! Describe the show in five words. A very happy scarecrow wedding! Who was your favourite character and why? Both of the scarecrows were my favourite because they were very happy and in love!

Reviews

Were there any characters you didn’t like? I enjoyed all of the characters.

What did you like most about the show? I liked that it was about scarecrows that came to life and not real people. It was fun to imagine that things could have a life when we are not looking!

What didn’t you like about the show? I liked all of the show, but when it first started I wasn’t sure what the story was about. But I figured that out quite soon. What did you think of the songs? The songs were good, I especially liked how the actors played instruments! All the songs used the same tune though! How did the show compare to the book? I didn’t know that The Scarecrows’ Wedding was already a book. I wouldn’t mind reading it now. I still enjoyed the show even though I hadn’t read it before. Would you tell your friends to come and see the show? I think all of my friends would enjoy the show, but probably more girls than boys. What did your grown-up think of the show? I thought the show did a fantastic job of encouraging children to use their imagination, mostly through rather inventive use of props (or lack thereof in some cases). Ruby was prompted to fill in the blanks and come to conclusions on the story by herself, which I think she really enjoyed. ✏︎ Ruby Foster (age 6) VENUE: TIME: TICKETS:

Underbelly, George Square 2:50pm – 3:50pm, 6–31 Aug, not 19 £10 – £11

Deadly Dungeon Murder Mystery! A thrilling Fringe return from Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction 2014. Last year’s sell out show returns with a brand new mystery to solve!

Join the Secret Society of Scottish Scoundrels on 7th, 12th, 14th, 19th, 21st, 26th & 28th August Limited tickets available – book now!

thedungeons.com/Edinburgh

Dr Seuss’s

5 30 August 0131 556 6550 䤀一䄀匀匀伀䌀䤀䄀吀䤀伀一圀䤀吀䠀

吀䠀䔀

䰀䄀䰀倀䠀䄀䈀䔀吀䰀

䜀椀刀䰀

The Skinny Showcase 31 Jul–23 Aug at Hill St Design House

䀀㜀琀栀 ⴀ ㈀㤀琀栀䄀甀最甀猀琀㄀㜀㨀㄀ ⠀攀砀挀攀瀀琀㄀㘀琀栀 ☀ ㈀㌀爀搀⤀ ꌀ㄀⼀ ꌀ㤀挀漀渀挀⸀ ⠀ꌀ㠀瀀爀攀瘀椀攀眀猀⤀ 䀀嘀攀渀甀攀㌀㤀漀爀䘀爀椀渀最攀䈀漀砀漀昀昀椀挀攀

Need more

after the weekend? Issue 3 hits the streets Tuesday 18 August

Free Entry Mon–Sun, 10am–6pm

Funny Bones Trash «««« VENUE: TIME:

Reviews

festmag.co.uk

TICKETS:

Gilded Balloon times vary 5–30 Aug, not 18, 25 £9

The team behind Funny Bones Trash have never met a fart joke they didn’t like, or a magic trick that couldn’t be made better by showing the mechanisms behind how it’s done. “Oh, there’s a hook!” exclaims the five-year-old girl next to me, as performers Chris Peters and K-Bow stumble out of an illusion where a mug happens to be suspended by the stream of water poured from a bottle. We see a milk carton change from green to red, only to be accidentally turned around and revealed to be green on two sides. A young boy from the audience is made to disappear, picked up and carried off stage. It’s all delicious fun.The kids eat up every reveal, every “whoops”, every moment when they are made to feel in on a secret.They feel wonderfully intelligent, and they laugh and laugh at the two bumbling clowns. Deeply imbued with the tradition of street performance, the work is less engaging when it strays from this track: an extended musical sequence using roles of tape to make props starts to drag. But when the performers find their feet again the children are straight back on board. Peters and K-Bow find fun and excitement in the downright silly. Their magic tricks are clever; their reveals cleverer still. And yet, sometimes it’s the simplest things that work the best. As Peters brings a broom to his lips and plays the bamboo flute it disguises, the girl next to me gasps: “Now that’s real magic!” ✏︎ Jane Howard

Comedy Club 4 Kids «««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Assembly Roxy 4:15pm – 5:15pm 6–30 Aug £9 – £10

A festival mainstay for 10 years now, the always worthwhile Comedy Club 4 Kids should be on the schedule of any self-respecting, chuckle-loving young Fringegoer. It does exactly what it says on the tin, giving pre-teens a chance to sample the raucous, taboo-challenging, free-wheeling atmosphere of a good comedy club without any (really) rude words, adult material, or heavy drinking (unless you count Fruit Shoots). Organiser and compere Tiernan Douieb is a rambunctious, assured host who knows exactly where to hit kids’ funny bones – his interaction with young punters, challenging their natural pedantry by wilfully misinterpreting their words, glorying in the hilarious non-sequitirs that often fly back at him (one child tells us that he’s from nowhere, and “appeared from the atmosphere”), is a joy to behold. Every act on the bill at todays has a well-received adult show at the

Fringe with the exception of eightyear-old Samson Read, a graduate of Douieb’s children’s comedy workshops whose self-possessed stage presence and well-crafted, if bonkers, flights of fancy belie his tender years. Elsewhere, Beta Males stalwart John Henry Falle, aka ‘The Story Beast’, brings an air of menace to proceedings as he imagines the implications of the song ‘Teddy Bear’s Picnic’—“every bear that ever there was”? Literally?—with horrific but rib-tickling results. Private eye Butt Kapinski drops in to solve a murder, hilariously asking one girl to impersonate a knife (a challenge that she rises to admirably) and the heavily tattooed Jim Smallman closes the afternoon with some cute tales about his young daughter and a spirited finale that sees 90% of the young audience coming down on to the stage to impersonate a “whirlpool” (who needs a reason?). An essential treat. ✏︎ Tom Hackett

(and Other Funny Stories) ««« VENUE: TIME:

TICKETS:

Pleasance Courtyard times vary 7–18 Aug £9 – £10

Isn’t it strange, muses Jay Foreman in his Disgusting Songs for Revolting Children (and Other Funny Stories), that we all know what a “round of applause” is? Are there people from another country that would come see a show and be absolutely baffled by everyone banging their hands together? Why do we bang our hands together, anyway? We should try something new, he concludes. From now on, instead of clapping at the end of each of his

Anonymouse ««« VENUE:

TIME:

TICKETS:

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh times vary 10–21 Aug, not 18 £5

they are. Or they hold their faces in their hands, hiding away from the absolute shock of it all. ✏︎ Jane Howard

In a light-filled room above the Royal Botanic Garden, pieces of woollen fruit fly up into the air. Small squares of coloured silk float over our heads. Warmed rocks are passed around. Cold ice is shaved to make snow. A small, nervous mouse peeks out and then hides away again. Anonymouse is a work for babies and their grown-ups from Ipdip Theatre, blending storytelling, movement, song and play. A woman and her imaginary friend play in the magical forest, and the children are deeply engaged in this world that sets to light up their imaginations. Anonymouse opens up a world of magic for both very young children and their adults alike. The show struggles a little in straddling the zero-to-three

age range. Toddlers are engaged throughout the work but the attention of the babies wanes during the storytelling sections. Performers and divisors Charlotte Allan and EmmaClaire Brightlyn are skilled at using the strong visual and tactile elements of the work to re-engage their young audience, but children and parents will get more out of the work when the company finds a way to gently maintain attentiveness throughout. In its finest moments, the world of Anonymouse encourages the babies’ curiosity absolutely. Children who want to explore are free to do so and those who wish to stay with their parents are engaged in exploring this world together, before all getting up to say goodbye to the little shy mouse. ✏︎ Jane Howard

Kids

songs, we should blow raspberries at him. And so we do. Anyone caught clapping is admonished with a pointed finger, a ferocious stare, and a raspberry. To a chorus of cheers and ewws, Foreman sings songs about stealing food, about a man who walked around covered in jam, about playing a real life game of Angry Birds. He’s a wonderfully personable performer: performing barefoot with just his guitar in an intimate venue, he connects with the children right on their level. Often, when he makes the audience laugh he catches himself in a little chuckle too. He brings them in on the conversation, intelligently engaging with everyone – and the adults are having almost as much fun as the kids. Throughout, the children hold ridiculous grins on their faces, glancing back to the adults seated behind them to make sure their parents are hearing the same songs

Photo: Steve Ullathonre

Jay Foreman’s Disgusting Songs for Revolting Children

9:10PM AUGUST 6TH - 30TH carlhutchinson.net @cphutchinson BROADWAY BABY

ONE 4 REVIEW

THREE WEEKS

“BRILLIANT” MICK FOLEY

“NO WORDS! JUST APPLAUSE!“ SO IN LD 32 O U CO T UN SHO TR W IE S S!

THREE WEEKS

PLEASANCE BEYOND

3:15PM

5–31 AUGUST (NOT 17)

0131 556 6550 WWW.PLEASANCE.CO.UK

es c

D an

w k Ro

Te De rr an ac e Pa rk

125 artSpace@StMarks Le 322 Assembly Checkpoint nn ox 3 Assembly George Sq Gardens St reGeorge Sq Studios 17 Assembly et Assembly Hall Cla35 Qu ren rra ee139 Assembly Roxy ce 20 The Assembly Rooms 49 Bedlam Theatre nt 347 Big SexytoCircus City n E 34 C es c en t 50 C cubed 145 C nova 81 C soco at ibis ller R 58 oCwsouth Bells B 32 Cowgatehead rae ndolph C 22 Dance Base Edinburgh Playhouse ad59 Ro 208 Edinburgh Ski Club d or 98 Electric Circus 1 Fringe Shop and Box Office 2 Fringe Central 14 Gilded Balloon et re St 236 Greenside @ Infirmary Street e ll vi 209 Greenside @ el Nicolson Square M 231 Greenside @ Royal Terrace t 127 just Festival at rSt eeJohn’s St t 88 Just the Tonic at The Caves m cen ia es ill C r Mash House 288 Just the W Tonic atsThe 51 Just the Tonic at The Tron lC 27 Just the Tonic at ol At h The Community Project 7 New Town Theatre 33 Pleasance Courtyard Torphichen 23 Pleasance Dome Street 372 Stand in the Square Lane Dewar Place 26 Summerhall 87 The Famous Spiegeltent 72 The Queen’s Hall 5 The Stand Comedy Club n Comedy Club 2 5 The Stand Lin ry P 12 The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4 lac ad e 319 The Stand Comedy Ro Club 5 & 6 h 260 theSpace @oJury’s Inn ac pr Surgeons Hall p@ 53 theSpace A t es @ Symposium Hall 43 theSpace W 45 theSpace @ Venue45 9 theSpace on Niddry Street 39 theSpace on the Mile 15 Traverse Theatre 358 Underbelly Potterow 360 Underbelly’s CIrcus Hub on the Meadows 61 eet Underbelly, Cowgate r t S 300 Underbelly, George Square ee nd 150 Venue150@EICCath u p D ow 124 ZOO l T naal a C n 82 d ZOOonSouthside a n

re St

STRE

Ox fo rd

HOWE

208

Terr a ce

N STR

EET FRED

QUEE

REET K ST

Bri

R GE ST G E OR

cen res t

EET

ROSE

E STRE

PRIN

CES S

T TREE THE M

OUND

fo af

127

EET

REET

ERIC

an De

R GE ST GE O R

T VER S HANO

en t resc d nC oa do rry R fe ns

EET N STR QUEE

NR LOTHIA

GRIN

OAD

DLA Y

ACE TERR TON NS H JO

AC E

STR

TE RR

ET RK MA SS A GR

EET

REET MORRISON ST

t ree

Mor r i s

t ve S Gro

150

WES

BREAD STREET

ST EA

N TAI UN

ID BR

LAUR

ve Gro

ACE

Place

N PL

HOME STREE

eet St r

io Un

ISTO

347

iel Unin

inf

T PO

LACE ORE P

GILM

MELVIL

LE D R IVE

CA ST LE

Co at e

e nt

Edinburgh Castle

125

319

231

Calton Hill

LEITH ST R

EET

E PLAC YORK

e rra

372

87 Ab be yh i

ACE OO P L

RL WATE

C PRIN

REET ES ST

H BRI

W rse

NORT

JEFFREY S T

260

45 COCKBURN STRE E

236

139

PLEASA

4 12

ET TRE

209

S ON

UARE GE SQ GEOR

NCE

OLS NIC

2 17 EON

ST L

Queen's D

A RD

TREET

T REE S ST

CLE RK STR

ET STRE

360

S LEUCH BUCC

H LEUC BUCC

300 8

EET TH C SOU

Meadows

K ST L ER T

REE

TON LUT

CE RRA

CE PLA

D TE

NAR B ER

lyr

PLACE

358 E STRE PEL CHA

TON LAURIS

CE T PLA

D 's

e Qu

50 145

O TEVI

D OA

BRIDG

TRE

RS S

MBE

CHA

H SOUT

288

E COWGAT

TREE

LYR HO

S RY‘S

1 ERRACE IA T OR CT

A ST M

TREET HIGH S

TE NGA

ET RE

T TREE

S KET MAR

O CAN

e Que

DGE

y nd

EAST MARKET ST

ALL NEW LUNCHTIME SHOW!

www.bite-size.org

THEBIG

BREAKFAST 10.30am 5-31 Aug

00:00 Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho Assembly George Square Gardens, 15–16 Aug, £14 Spank Underbelly, Cowgate, 8–31 Aug, £13.50—£15.50 BAGMAN Pleasance Courtyard, 8–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £5 Best of the Fest Assembly Hall, Various dates from 8 Aug to 31 Aug, £10—£15 The Room Assembly George Square Theatre, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 31 Aug, £8 Just the Tonic Comedy Club – Midnight Show Just the Tonic at The Caves, 8–30 Aug, not 19, £10 David O’Doherty: We Are All in the Gutter, But Some of Us Are Looking at David O’Doherty Assembly George Square Theatre, 15–16 Aug, £15 Twins: Pret A Comedy Pleasance Courtyard, 8–31 Aug, not 18, 19, 25, £5 Aardwolf Presents: Wet Behind the Ears Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7–31 Aug, £free FLUU Pleasance Courtyard, 8–31 Aug, not 18, £5 Will Seaward’s Spooky Midnight Ghost Stories II Gilded Balloon , 6 Aug–1 Sep, not 18 Aug, £6—£9.50

The Beta Males: Alpha Sketches Pleasance Courtyard, 21–24 Aug, £9—£10 Shane Todd – Sick Bro! Pleasance Courtyard, 8–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £5

00:10 Late Show Pleasance Courtyard, Various dates from 8 Aug to 30 Aug, £10—£15 Karl Schultz: Matthew Kelly – Hypnagogia Pleasance Courtyard, 8–30 Aug, not 18, 25, £5 Birthday Girls: Party Vibes Pleasance Courtyard, 25–31 Aug, £5

00:15 KINGS! Pleasance Courtyard, 8–31 Aug, not 21, 22, 23, £5 Foxdog Studios Ltd Cowgatehead, 9–30 Aug, £free Big Silly Comedy: Midnight Mash-Up! Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7–31 Aug, £free Kirsten MacGregor: Hello Cruel World Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 7–31 Aug, £free

00:30 Spanktacular Underbelly, George Square, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, 30 Aug, £16.50 This is Business Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 8–31 Aug, not 18, £free

Ronan Linskey – Cult of Personality Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7–31 Aug, £free BlundaBus: Never Mind the BusStops Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 7 Aug–1 Sep, £5 The Improverts Bedlam Theatre, 6–31 Aug, £7—£8

00:45

BIG LUNCH HOUR THE

12.10pm 9-31 Aug

01:15

10:30

11:45

Trevor Feelgood: The Dork Knight Rises in 3D Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 9–23 Aug, £free

BBC: Kaye Adams BBC@POTTERROW, 10–27 Aug, not 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, £free

Newcastle Brown Male Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 10 Aug, 13 Aug, 14 Aug, 17 Aug, 29 Aug, £free

09:00 BBC: Front Row BBC@POTTERROW, 17 Aug, £free BBC: @BBCEdFest BBC@POTTERROW, 7–30 Aug, £free

Adam Vincent: Careless Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, Various dates from 23 Aug to 30 Aug, £free

10:45

BBC: Shaun Keaveny BBC@POTTERROW, 21 Aug, £free

Present and Correct: Fan Club theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £5

ABC of Musical Comedy – Luc Valvona – Free Show! Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7–31 Aug, £free

10:00

11:00

Phill Jupitus: Sketch Comic Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 14–20 Aug, £free

Bridget Christie: A Book For Her The Stand Comedy Club, 8–31 Aug, not 17, £9

01:00

Phill Jupitus: Sketch Comic Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 21–27 Aug, £free

Irish Comedy Carnage and TedFest Toilet Duck Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7–31 Aug, £free

(Manson) Family Values Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 10–16 Aug, £free Boob-a-rang Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 18–19 Aug, £free Mixology Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 12–21 Aug, £free The Inflatable Colonel and the Prisoner of Azkaban Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 20–31 Aug, £free

10:15

Quivertip Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, £free Pundamental Christian Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 6–30 Aug, £free

Life Gives You Lemons Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free

BBC: Loose Ends BBC@POTTERROW, 15 Aug, £free

The Dispute Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 11–14 Aug, £10

11:15

10:20

The Room: The Musical Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 7–31 Aug, not 12, 17, 24, £free

I Hat Lenny Henry – 50p a Ticket Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £0.50

Late’n’Live Gilded Balloon , 8 Aug–1 Sep, £10—£16

Alice Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 10–15 Aug, £8

David Callaghan: No Momentum Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 24, £free

11:40 Shaken Not Stirred Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £2.50—£6.50

12:00 Underwhelmed Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 16, 23, £free Hurt and Anderson: Sketchbombs Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 6–30 Aug, not 11, 17, 24, £free Groan Up Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 6–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free About Comedy: Stand-Up Comedy Courses Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Various dates from 8 Aug to 29 Aug, £99 Aaaand Now For Something Completely Improvised Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, £6—£9 Georgie Carroll: Nurse Case Scenario Gilded Balloon , 5–16 Aug, £5—£10 1 Given Head Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5 Kind Hearts and Cormorants theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, Various dates from 8 Aug to 15 Aug, £5 The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Audio Tour Outside the Tron – Hunter Square, 8 Aug, 30 Aug, £free

Comedy

festmag.co.uk

What the Dickens! Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£9

12:15

12:30

Comedy Mash Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free

Not Disabled... Enough! Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free

Uncanned Laughter Sportsters, 8–29 Aug, not 18, 19, £free

Spring Day: Kept in Stitches – Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, £free

Henry Ginsberg – 28 Years Later Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free

Mo Gilligan and Kae Kurd Present: Ticking All the Boxes Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 22–29 Aug, £free

The Maydays Present: Oh Boy! The Quantum Leap Show Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

12:05 The Walking Dead: Advanced Tactics Cabaret Voltaire, 8–29 Aug, £free Scurochiaro Cabaret Voltaire, 8–29 Aug, not 10, 18, 24, £free James & Seaburn Piano Chocolat Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 7–16 Aug, £free

Listings

Kishore Nayar Has a Go New Waverley Arches , 17–23 Aug, £free Return of the Danish Bagpipe Comedian Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

12:10

Doors to Manual Cowgatehead, 22–29 Aug, £free

Fern Brady: People Are Idiots HHH The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8

The Discount Comedy Checkout – Improv Show Cowgatehead, 8–21 Aug, £free

Michael Legge: Tell it Like it is, Steve The Stand Comedy Club 2, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8

Camden Comedy Free Lunchtime Showcase Whistlebinkies, 8–30 Aug, £free

The Edinburgh Revue Stand-up Show Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £free

12:20

Off the Top Canons’ Gait, 8–30 Aug, not 18, £free

Now That’s What I Call Stand-Up #2 Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 6–30 Aug, £free

Tobias Persson and the Drivel Rights Movement The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 7–30 Aug, not 17, £10

Zach & Viggo: Thunderflop CC Blooms, 8–30 Aug, £free Joe Wenborne: Fight Back at 50 Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 19, £5—£12 James Farmer: Ultimate Worrier Bannermans, 8–30 Aug, £free Stu and Garry and... The Stand Comedy Club, 7–31 Aug, not 17, £10 Danielle Ward: Dani Frankenstein Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free That Silly Show Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 16–21 Aug, £free The Lunchtime Special Just the Tonic at The Tron, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £3—£6 Hilarity Bites Comedy Club Showcase Show Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7–30 Aug, £free James Bran: Invisible Badminton and Other Dreams Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, £free The Underbelly Radio Shows Underbelly Med Quad, 5–28 Aug, weekdays only, £5

12:35 Baron Sternlook’s Improvised Musical theSpace on Niddry St, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £7.50—£8.50

Lunchtime of Champions Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £3—£6

12:40 Tom Binns: The Club Sets Assembly George Square Gardens, 6–31 Aug, £6—£11 Mark Silcox: No Women Plenty Of Cry Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5

12:55

13:05

Cassie Atkinson and Oh Standfast: Comedy in Progress Southsider, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

Animal House theSpace on the Mile, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £7

13:00 Tony Law: Frillemorphesis The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 7–30 Aug, not 17, £12

13:10 Rowena Haley: My Green Astra Banshee Labyrinth, 8–30 Aug, £free F-Holes Paradise Palms, 7–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free

Set Menu with Hardeep Singh Kohli V Deep, 14–30 Aug, not 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, £30

Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show Pleasance Courtyard, 6–30 Aug, £6—£11

13:15

12:45

Masters of the Yoniverse Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Various dates from 17 Aug to 28 Aug, £free

Nina Conti: Talking Comedy The Assembly Rooms, 21 Aug, £12

Jo Coffey: Curiously Caffeinated Ciao Roma, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free

Alexei Sayle: Talking Comedy The Assembly Rooms, 20 Aug, £12

Big Value Comedy Show – Lunchtime Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £3—£6

Mummy’s Gone a Bit Parental Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £5

Matt Parker: Now in 4D The Assembly Rooms, 14 Aug, £12 David Sheeran: Lights, Camera... America! Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, not 8, £free 25 Stories Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, £7 Man Up, Jonny Fluffypunk Electric Circus, 17–21 Aug, £free Jo Brand: Talking Comedy The Assembly Rooms, 19 Aug, £12

Gurpal Gill: India’s Strongest Man (1982) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe Assembly George Square Studios, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 18, 25, £11—£12 Erich McElroy’s Imperfect Guide to Picking the Perfect President Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 6–30 Aug, £free Fashion C venues – C nova, 5–22 Aug, not 8, £7.50—£9.50

Vampire Hospital Waiting Room Sin, 7–31 Aug, £free Caroline Mabey: Chaos Is a Friend of Mine Opium, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free Mike Wozniak: One Man Dad Cat Band Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free Lost Voice Guy: Disability for Dunces The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 10, 17, 24, £7—£8 Beard: The Grin of Love Sneaky Pete’s, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free Ed Gamble: Lawman Canons’ Gait, 8–30 Aug, £free Faye Treacy Worries Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free Afternoon Delight Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £2.50—£5

Nicky Wilkinson and Friends Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 18, £free

Have a Word Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7–30 Aug, not 19, £free

Sy Thomas: Jumper Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

13:25

Late Night Laughs at Lunch Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 6–31 Aug, not 16, 17, £free Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel Underbelly, George Square, 6–31 Aug, not 18, £7—£12.50 Ivor Dembina: Old Jewish Jokes Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 6–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 17, 23, £free I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday... Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 7–29 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free Upstairs Downton – The Improvised Episode Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–31 Aug, £free Amused Moose Comedy Award Grand Final theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 23 Aug, £12.50 Juliet Meyers: Through the Pigeonhole Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free

13:20 Sameena Zehra: Homicidal Pacifist The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8 Caimh McDonnell: Bride and Prejudice Cabaret Voltaire, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free Eleanor Morton: Allotted Mucking Around Time The Stand Comedy Club 2, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8 Welcome to Tiddleminster Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £3—£5 Alastair Clark: Getting Better Cabaret Voltaire, 8–29 Aug, £free

Jennie Benton Wordsmith Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

13:30 This Is Soap C venues – C, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £7.50—£9.50 Japanese Samurai Don Quixote Challenging Against English Giant Windmills! Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free All American Boy New Waverley Arches , 7–15 Aug, £free Bob Blackman’s Tray Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 24–30 Aug, £free Ali Brice presents: Eric Meat Has No Proof, Only Memories of Pasta HHH Heroes @ The Hive, 6–30 Aug, £5 The Oxford Revue Presents – Free La Belle Angèle, 8–30 Aug, £free At Least 100 Jokes Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, £free Leeds University Comedy Kabaret Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 6–30 Aug, Leggoland HH Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free Diary of a Dating Addict Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, £5—£9.50 Comedy Death: Comics Talking About Their Worst Gigs Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 8–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 18, 24, £free

13:35 Jordan Brookes: Adventures in Limited Space Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £3—£6

Tony Jameson: Football Manager Ruined My Life (Data Update) The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £9—£10

13:40 All Made Up: This Time It’s Social Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£11 Foolball Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£9 Elvis McGonagall: Countrybile Stand in the Square, 17–30 Aug, £8 Bob Graham: It’s Easy to Be Cynical Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7–29 Aug, not 17, £free

13:45 Will Seaward Has a Really Good Go at Alchemy Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 Laurence Owen: Cinemusical Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £free I Would: A Hypothetical Sketch Show Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, £5—£9 Journey to the Centre of Dead Cowgatehead, 7–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £free Claire Ford: Box Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 18, £free Relatively Normal Opium, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free Aaaaaahhhh, it’s 101 Clean Jokes in 30 Minutes – Free Show Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 6–30 Aug, £free Pippa Evans: There Are No Guilty Pleasures Bannermans, 8–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Sketch Thieves Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free Alex Hylton and Sarah Keyworth: Chasing Tales Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free

13:50 The Durham Revue: Cirque du Sillý Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£10

14:00 BBC: Janice Forsyth BBC@POTTERROW, Various dates from 10 Aug to 27 Aug, £free Welcome to Clown Town – At the Fringe! Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free Susan Calman: Talking Comedy The Assembly Rooms, 18 Aug, £12 Mark Thomas: Talking Comedy The Assembly Rooms, 16 Aug, £12 That Silly Show Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 8–15 Aug, £free Joz Norris: Hey Guys! Heroes @ The Hive, 6–31 Aug, not 19, £5 Rhinoceros New Waverley Arches , 7–30 Aug, not 8, 12, 19, 26, £free Conor O’Toole and Alison Spittle Frankenstein Pub, 24–31 Aug, £free Going Underground The Rabbie Burns Whisky Bar, 3–31 Aug, not 18, 19, 20, £10 The Humble Quest for Universal Genius Assembly George Square Gardens, 21–30 Aug, £12 Stephen K Amos: Talking Comedy The Assembly Rooms, 17 Aug, £12 Is This the Best of Jack Campbell? Banshee Labyrinth, 7–31 Aug, £free Haven’t a Clue! - Free Frankenstein Pub, 17–23 Aug, £free Richard Melvin Presents… Live at The Stand Podcast The Stand Comedy Club, 5–20 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8 Mark Watson: Work in Progress The Stand Comedy Club, 21–30 Aug, £10

The Dead Secrets Present... The Curiositorium Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£9.50

David von Jones: Ethically Adventurous Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Various dates from 6 Aug to 28 Aug, £free

Best of the Fest Daytime Assembly George Square Gardens, 7–30 Aug, £8—£12.50

Expect the Unexporcupine Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free

Jay Lafferty: Mockingjay The Stand Comedy Club, 17 Aug, £10

14:20

This Arthur’s Seat Belongs to Lionel Richie On Top of Arthurs Seat, 22 Aug, £free Safe Eyed Coalminers Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free Möglich Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5—£7 Richard Brown: Art is Easy Dragonfly, 8–29 Aug, £free

UCL Graters - 2015: A Sketch Odyssey Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, £free—£7 Mark Stephenson: Amsterdam Banshee Labyrinth, 8–30 Aug, not 17, £free Geoff Norcott: The Look of Moron Just the Tonic at The Tron, 10–29 Aug, not 18, £5 Showstopper! The Improvised Musical Pleasance Courtyard, 18 Aug, £14

14:25

The History of Gluttony Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, £8.50

David, Tom and Sophie: Live in Scotland Chiquito, 8–29 Aug, not 19, £free

The Improveteers! theSpace on the Mile, 10–15 Aug, £5

14:30

14:05

Kids With Beards present... ¡Niños Con Barbas TV! Just the Tonic at The Caves, 17–29 Aug, not 18, £free

14:10 The Exeter Revue: Sketchup Ciao Roma, 8–29 Aug, not 13, 20, 27, £free

Sajeela Kershi: Shallow Halal Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 17, 24, £free Worst Show on the Fringe Movement, 8–29 Aug, £free All Killa No Filla Live Cowgatehead, 8–18 Aug, £free

Butt Kapinski Liquid Room Annexe, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 18, 24, 26, 29, £free

Baron Sternlook’s Improvised Musical theSpace on Niddry St, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £8—£8.50

14:15

Tiernan Douieb: The World’s Full of Idiots, Let’s Live in Space Liquid Room Annexe, 8–30 Aug, not 18, £free

Kevin Precious: Gecko Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 6–30 Aug, £free Stewart Lee: A Room With a Stew The Assembly Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 17, £12.50 Songruiner Globe Bar, 8–29 Aug, £free

Aidan Killian: Holy Trinity of Whistle Blowers Heroes @ The Hive, 7–31 Aug, not 18, £5 Seymour Mace Niche as F*ck! The Stand Comedy Club 2, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8

Comedy

Late with Lance! Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £free Elaine Malcolmson: Arrangements The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8 Paul Duncan McGarrity – Today is the Good Old Times of Tomorrow Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free Aidan Goatley’s 10 Films With My Dad Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 18, £free Laugh Train Home Presents: Chick-Ass Comedy Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 6–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Aaaaaarrgghh! It’s 101 Naughty Jokes in 30 Minutes – Free Show Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 6–30 Aug, £free

festmag.co.uk

Sheeps Skewer the News Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 21–30 Aug, £free The Notorious Mary Bourke The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8 The Edinburgh Revue: Sketches in Scarlet Opium, 8–29 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free Guruguru Sneaky Pete’s, 8–29 Aug, £free Instant Sunshine Pleasance Courtyard, 22–29 Aug, £11—£12 Orry Gibbens and Red Richardson Better Than Crap Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, not 22, £free Daphna Baram: Something to Declare Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 7–29 Aug, not 10, 18, 24, £free

Listings

Bisha K Ali: Ridiculous New Waverley Arches , 12–23 Aug, £free

14:35 Suzanne Lea Shepherd: Dorothy Was Never from Kansas Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free Dan Mitchell: Plate Expectations Cabaret Voltaire, 8–29 Aug, not 17, £free

14:40 George Zach: Greek Tragedy Cowgatehead, 7–31 Aug, £free Laughing Stock Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Old Men in Black Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £free Aspects of Joy – Free Hispaniola, 8–29 Aug, not 19, £free

14:45 Free Footlights La Belle Angèle, 8–30 Aug, £free Everything That’s Wrong with the Universe Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10.50 Deborah Frances-White: Friend of a Friend of Dorothy Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 6–29 Aug, not 9, 10, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24, £free Jake Lambert and Dom Lister Exist Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £free Gary Colman: Tickling Mice Whistlebinkies, 8–29 Aug, £free Joe Hart: Dirty Rotten Apples Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, £5—£10 David Tsonos: Walking the Cat Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 18, £free Jamon Iberico and Other Short Stories Fingers Piano Bar, 18–20 Aug, £free

The Noise Next Door: The Really, Really Good Afternoon Show Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 18, £5—£10.50

Clandestine Sketch Show Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 6–30 Aug, not 11, 23, £free

Lou Conran: Small Medium at Large Assembly George Square Gardens, 6–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£8

Helen Duff: Smasher – Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free

George Egg: Anarchist Cook Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£9.50

Winter is Coming. Again. Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £6.50—£13

Read All About It! Cowgatehead, 7–31 Aug, £free

The Clinic: An Afternoon of Serious Stand-Up Gilded Balloon , 18 Aug, £5.50

Phil Kay ‘n’ Russell Hicks: Psychedelicious Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 13–23 Aug, £5

Lily Bevan – Pheasant Plucker Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£11

❤ Daphne Do Edinburgh HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50

The Stupid Show for Idiots Opium, 19–29 Aug, £free

Jo Burke: iScream Cowgatehead, 16–29 Aug, £free

Trudelights of the Fringe Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 18, £free

Mambalsa – One Man’s Quest to Launch a New Partner Dance Pilgrim, 8–29 Aug, £free

Live in the Staff Room (Sex, Fairy Tales, Serial Killers and Other Stuff) Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £free Ian Fox – Shutter Monkey (A Comedy Show With Pictures) – Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free Puppet Fiction Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Carl Donnelly and Chris Martin Comedy Podcast: Live! Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , Various dates from 9 Aug to 30 Aug, £free

The Sunny Side Show Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £3.50—£6 The Story Of The Nervous Man (A Silent Comedy) Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 27–31 Aug, £5 Adventures of the Improvised Sherlock Holmes Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5

14:50 ❤ Megan Ford: Feminasty HHHH

Imagine There’s No Ben Target (It’s Easy If You Try) Heroes @ The Hive, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5

Underbelly, George Square, 5–31 Aug, not 12, 19, £6—£9

Haus of Chi-Chi St John’s, 7–25 Aug, not 18, £free

Australia: A Whinging Pom’s Guide Liquid Room Annexe, 8–30 Aug, £free

Unexpected Items in Badinage Areas Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

John Robertson: Let’s Redecorate! HHH The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £9—£10

14:55 History’s Greatest Monster Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £4—£5 Imaginary Colin Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 25, £free

15:00 Mitch Benn: That Was the Future The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £9—£10

Lifeshambles Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£11 Magnum Hopeless Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 6–30 Aug, £free The Wonderful World of Lieven Scheire Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£10.50 The Oxford Imps Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, £5—£12 David Mulholland’s Conspiracy Cowgatehead, 7–31 Aug, not 19, £free Australia is F*cked George Next Door, 16–22 Aug, £free

French Fried Comedy Edinburgh Sportsters, 8–29 Aug, £free Mickey D: Good Bloke Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

15:05 Night of My Life theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10–22 Aug, not 16, £7 Notflix SpaceTriplex, 24–29 Aug, £9

15:10 Double Dipp’s Pick ‘n’ Mixx theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 17–22 Aug, £6 Gamer Gamer Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £2—£6 Charmian Hughes: When Comedy Was Alternative (The Laughs and Loves of a She-Comic) Banshee Labyrinth, 8–30 Aug, not 17, £free Joe Fairbrother: We Can Do Anything Dragonfly, 8–29 Aug, not 17, £free

15:15 Cardinal Sin Sweet Grassmarket, 17–23 Aug, £free Jellybean Martinez: Mr Saturday Night TV Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5—£7

Rory O’Keeffe: Job’s Worth Southsider, 8–29 Aug, £free Shut Your Cakehole Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7–30 Aug, not 19, £free The Improvised Improv Show – Free Show! Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 6–30 Aug, £free

15:20 Nick Purves is a Recovering Snob Ciao Roma, 8–29 Aug, £free The Kagools Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5 Hari Sriskantha: Like Breath on a Mirror Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £free Goose: Kablamo Assembly George Square Theatre, 6–30 Aug, £5—£10

15:25 Comedy Manifesto Liquid Room Annexe, 8–30 Aug, not 17, £free AAA Batteries (Not Included) Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5

15:30 Matthew Collins: The Benefit of Several Doubts Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7–30 Aug, not 18, £free Flick and Julie: PopUp Penny Pinchers Cowgatehead, 10–29 Aug, not 19, £free Hydrophobia (Free) Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 7–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

Gag Reflex Presents Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free Nick Coyle’s Guided Meditation Lauriston Halls, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free The Amazing Sketch Show C venues – C, 23–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 David Mulholland’s Conspiracy New Waverley Arches , 7–31 Aug, not 19, £free Julia Sutherland is World’s Best Dad The Stand Comedy Club, 17 Aug, £10

❤ Candy Gigi – Chicken Soup

HHHH

Heroes @ The Hive, 7–31 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £5

Simon Munnery: And Nothing But The Stand Comedy Club, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £9—£10 Jenny Bede: Don’t Look at Me HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 6–30 Aug, not 8, 24, £6—£11 Free Gaza! The Assembly Rooms, 16 Aug, £10 Chris Coltrane: Left-Wing Propaganda Machine Banshee Labyrinth, 8–30 Aug, £free Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards Show Pleasance Courtyard, 30 Aug, £14 Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio Idiot (Free) George Next Door, 15–22 Aug, £free

Simon Donald: Barry Twyford Isn’t Meant The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 5–16 Aug, not 6, £7—£8 Markus Birdman – Grimm Realities Canons’ Gait, 8–30 Aug, not 17, £free Yianni: Why Did the Chicken Cross the Line? The Stand Comedy Club 2, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8 Eric’s Tales of the Sea – A Submariner’s Yarn Just the Tonic at The Caves, 7–29 Aug, not 18, £7—£11 Comedians’ Cinema Club Just the Tonic at The Tron, 12–29 Aug, not 18, £8 What a Load of Skit Chiquito, 23–29 Aug, £free

15:45 Nathan Cassidy: Back to the Future III Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 16 Aug, £free Kevin McMahon – Quantum Magic Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, £5—£12 Matt Winning: Mugabe and Me (3D) Opium, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free Nev – $cum Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free Paul Harry Allen’s Retro Delights Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 6–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free

15:40

Stella Graham – Fox Sake Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free

Giraffe: Raisin’ the Hoof Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

Alistair Barrie: No More Stage 3 Movement, 8–29 Aug, not 17, £free

Jim Smith: Farmed and Dangerous The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 18–30 Aug, £8

Routines Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free

Dan Nicholas: Reverb (The Love Story of Terrance the Crocodile and Julia the Mannequin) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5

Gabriel Ebulue: Armchair Anarchist Cowgatehead, 7–31 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

The Rat Pack Stand-Up Comedy Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, Various dates from 9 Aug to 30 Aug, £free

16:00

Paul Kerensa: Back to the Futon Pt2: Dude, Where’s My Hoverboard? Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–14 Aug, £free

Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7 Aug, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, 26 Aug, £free

Nathan Cassidy: Back to the Future Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–29 Aug, not 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, £free Card Ninja Sin, 7–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £free Comedy With a Colour-Blind Dyslexic Geordie Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 6–30 Aug, £free The Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show 2015: Love Handles Underbelly Med Quad, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 Robin Morgan: Guten Morgan Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £free Luke Toulson: Grandpa, Hitler and Me The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8

15:50 Stuart Laws: Who Said Anything About Stopping It? (1hr Show) Cabaret Voltaire, 10–14 Aug, £free Matt Forde: Get the Political Party Started Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£10 Quiz in my Pants Cabaret Voltaire, 8–29 Aug, £free

15:55 Anna Morris: It’s Got To Be Perfect Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 18, £free

Paul Merton’s Impro Chums Pleasance Courtyard, 13– 22 Aug, £12.50—£14.50

Juliette Burton: Look At Me Gilded Balloon , 16–21 Aug, £10 Tamar Broadbent: Brave New Girl Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 9, 19, £free

Rob Auton: The Water Show Banshee Labyrinth, 8–30 Aug, not 18, £free Sam and Tom from TV! Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £3—£6 Lucie Pohl: Cry Me a Liver Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, £5—£9 Battle of the Supervillains Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 20–21 Aug, £free The People’s TV Show Fingers Piano Bar, 22–30 Aug, not 24, £free

Niamh Marron – Stand Up Chameleon Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

The Bumper Blyton Improvised Adventure Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–20 Aug, £free

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical Pleasance Courtyard, 17 Aug, £14

16:05

Rodney Bewes: Whatever Happened to the Likely Lad? The Assembly Rooms, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £10 BlundaBus: RoadShow Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 26 Aug, £5 Battle of the Superheroes Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 8–29 Aug, not 12, 19, 20, 21, 26, £free Gyles Brandreth: Word Power! Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £8—£18 LOLympics Live – Free Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 6–30 Aug, £free Ismo Leikola: Observing the Obvious Gilded Balloon , 7–30 Aug, not 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, £5—£10 Born To Fail Thistle King James Hotel, 7–17 Aug, £free

❤ LetLuce in Sea Men (A Naval Tale) HHHH

Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 18, £free

Neil Henry’s Magical Mindsquirm Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10

The Coin-Operated Girl – A Sex Worker’s Real Life Revelations of Frivolous Fornications Liquid Room Annexe, 8–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £free Laura Lexx: Lovely Underbelly Med Quad, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10.50 Tiff Stevenson: Mad Man The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 6–29 Aug, not 17, £9—£10

16:10 Tanyalee Davis: Actual Size Heroes @ The Hive, 24–31 Aug, £5 Pete Johansson: Just Google Me Heroes @ The Hive, 6–17 Aug, £5 Freestyle Comedy Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7–30 Aug, £free Moby Alpha Assembly George Square Studios, 6–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£12 Michael Brunström: The Golden Age of Steam Heroes @ The Hive, 18–23 Aug, £5 Kitten Killers: Woof Underbelly, George Square, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£9

16:15 Charlie Dinkin: Child Star Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–19 Aug, £free Karl Spain: A Time for Jokes Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 18, £5—£9.50 Barry Cryer and Ronnie Golden – Old Masters Gilded Balloon , 16–26 Aug, not 20, 21, 22, £12 Abi Roberts: Downtown Abi Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 18, £free The Clean (as Possible) Comedy Show Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 7–30 Aug, £free Brydie Lee-Kennedy Loves You Two Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free The Missing Hancocks: Live in Edinburgh! (Show B) The Assembly Rooms, Various dates from 6 Aug to 30 Aug, £10—£16 Best Boy: Bested Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 17, £free Stephen Bailey: Should’ve Been a Popstar Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 19, £5—£11 Minor Delays Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 Ray Bradshaw: I Dare Ray to... Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£10 48 Minutes / Free Festival Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 6–30 Aug, £free Louise Reay: It’s Only Words Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free—£5 Stephen K Amos Talk Show Gilded Balloon , Various dates from 7 Aug to 29 Aug, £7—£14 The Missing Hancocks: Live in Edinburgh! (Show A) The Assembly Rooms, Various dates from 5 Aug to 29 Aug, £10—£16 Cake and Other Things Opium, 8–29 Aug, not 20, £free

Comedy

Bat-Fan Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12

Dyer and Whitney: You and I Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free

16:20 Martin Croser is an Evil Robot Sent from the Future to Destroy Us All Dragonfly, 8–29 Aug, £free Stand-Up Philosophy – Free Silk, 8–29 Aug, not 13, 17, 25, £free Funny for a Grrrl Stand in the Square, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £9—£10

Compose Mantis: The Duo-plicity of Improv New Waverley Arches , 7–31 Aug, £free BBC: In Tune BBC@POTTERROW, 21 Aug, £free Rose Matafeo and Guy Montgomery Are Friends Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free Ollie and Susie’s New Year’s Shindig Southsider, 8–29 Aug, £free Hall and Edhouse: The Two Syds Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 16–20 Aug, £5

festmag.co.uk

Comfort and Joy New Waverley Arches , 7–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free The Discount Comedy Checkout – Improv Show George Next Door, 8–15 Aug, £free James Veitch: Genius Bar Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£10.50

Scott Bennett: About a Roy (Stories About Me Dad) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £3—£6

Get Your Own Back: Live! Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 6, 20, £7—£13

Beth Vyse: As Funny As Cancer Heroes @ The Hive, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5

16:35 Tania Edwards: Electrifying Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£9.50

Rhys James: Remains Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£11

That Pair: Letting It Go Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5

16:25 Literary Death Match The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 23–30 Aug, £10 Katherine Ryan: Kathbum The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 6–22 Aug, not 17, £10—£12

16:30 ❤ Lolly HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£9.50

Jason Neale is Proper Funny: Fact Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 21–25 Aug, £5 Daddy and Robin I Love You (Featuring the Little Snowman) Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 10 Aug, 11 Aug, 27 Aug, 28 Aug, 29 Aug, £5 John Lloyd: Emperor of the Prawns Assembly Checkpoint, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£13 Suzy Bennett Gumption! Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

Listings

Tiny Horse Comedy Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 7–30 Aug, not 19, £free

Christian Schulte-Loh: Return of the 50 Foot German Comedian Sin, 7–29 Aug, not 19, 26, £free

Howard Read: Man (Work in Progress) Banshee Labyrinth, 8–22 Aug, £free

Sophie Pelham: Country Files Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£9

16:40 FanFiction Comedy Assembly George Square Theatre, 6–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Sad Faces Present The Dawn Chorus Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£10 The Leeds Tealights: Discuss Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5—£9

16:45 BEASTS: Live DVD Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 James Ross – Leopardoptera Globe Bar, 8–29 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free Ken Crystal Afternoon Showcase Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 6–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Mid-Brow Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£9

16:50 ❤ Michael J Dolan: Miserable Guts

HHHH

The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8

John Scott Presents Dissent The Stand Comedy Club 2, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8

Messrs Brimson and Wilson in Lofty Expectations Cabaret Voltaire, 6–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Mark Thomas: Trespass – Work in Progress Summerhall, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 20, £10—£12

Kelly Kingham: Inside Out Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free Asp Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, £free

The Maydays & Friends: Unplugged Thistle King James Hotel, 18–30 Aug, £free

Ivor Dembina: New Jewish Jokes The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8

BBC: Simon Mayo Drivetime BBC@POTTERROW, 17–20 Aug, £free

Devil’s Door Bell Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 18, 23, £free

Sleeping Trees: Mafia?/Western? Pleasance Courtyard, 5–22 Aug, £6—£10

Rosie Wilby: The Science of Sex Sneaky Pete’s, 8–15 Aug, £free

Twisted Loaf Present Stale Mate Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5—£8

Big Mouth Strikes Again Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–31 Aug, £free

Shit of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7–30 Aug, £free Thrones! The Musical Assembly George Square Studios, 5–31 Aug, £10—£14 An Audience with Harry Deansway Just the Tonic at The Tron, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5

17:05 The Secret of My Failure theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £7.50 Shellshock! Improv Live! theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £7 Luke and Harry’s Jaws theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 21–22 Aug, £8

16:55

Thünderbards: Chapter III Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £6—£10

Stuart Goldsmith: An Hour (Free Show) Canons’ Gait, 8–30 Aug, not 19, £free

Jenny Say Qua Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free

Nicholas Parsons’ Happy Hour Pleasance Courtyard, 7–16 Aug, not 11, £6—£13

Martha McBrier: Pigeon Puncher Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 6–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free

Muswell Hill theSpace on the Mile, 17–22 Aug, £6.50

17:00 Never Been Better Opium, 8–29 Aug, not 19, £free An Irishman Abroad (Live) Jarlath Regan Interviews Jason Byrne The Stand Comedy Club, 17 Aug, £8 Lucky Strike Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5—£9.50 Paul Sinha: Postcards From the Z List The Stand Comedy Club, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £5—£10 Evelyn Mok: Idiot Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

So That’s What We Voted For? The Assembly Rooms, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £9—£10 Laughing Horse Free Comedy Selection Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7–29 Aug, £free Man-ish Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 20–30 Aug, £free Christian Reilly: Songs of Insolence Liquid Room Annexe, 8–30 Aug, £free Jollyboat: Nerdplay Movement, 8–29 Aug, £free

17:10

17:15 James Dowdeswell’s Perfect Pub Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free Myrtle Throgmorton, Ancient Heckler Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £6—£10 Aaron Twitchen: Deadlines and Diets Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 6–29 Aug, not 19, 26, £free Jonathan Grant: Social Intercourse Cowgatehead, 14–21 Aug, £free

Jon Cozart – Laughter Ever After Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£11 BEINGS Cowgatehead, 22–28 Aug, £free Sam Brady: Kindness The Assembly Rooms, 5–16 Aug, not 6, £9—£10 Abigoliah Schamaun: Post-Coital Confessions Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 19, £5—£10 Milo McCabe: Genesisocide Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, £free Gareth Cooper: Mishmash Fingers Piano Bar, 7–30 Aug, not 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24, £free Katsura Sunshine – Let Me Tell You a Story About Japan! Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free Greg Shapiro’s Pick of the Fringe Fingers Piano Bar, 14–16 Aug, £free Lucy Frederick – In the Wild Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, £5—£8.50 Alex Smith - The Art of Grooming Whistlebinkies, 8–29 Aug, not 17, £free Micky Bartlett: Narcissilly Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 7–29 Aug, not 18, £free David Mills: Don’t Get Any Ideas / Free Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, £free Next Year’s Show (50% Abridged Version) Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free Virginia Ironside: Growing Old Disgracefully The Assembly Rooms, 18–30 Aug, £12

17:20 Marny Godden: Flap ‘em on the Gate Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Passing Places Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 10–15 Aug, £9

Yve Blake: Lie Collector Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6.50—£10.50 Adam Hess: Salmon Heroes @ The Hive, 7–31 Aug, £5 Charles Booth: Deer in the Spotlights Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £3—£6 A Jam-Maker’s Guide to Self-Preservation theSpace on the Mile, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £5.50—£7.50 Tom Allen: Both Worlds The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £9—£10 Shakespeare’s Avengers Assembleth: Age of Oberon Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 7–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £4—£7 Hardeep Singh Kohli: Big Mouth Strikes Again Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£12 Graham Clark Reads the Phonebook Assembly George Square Studios, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

Lou Sanders: Excuse Me, You’re Sitting on My Penis Again Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 7–30 Aug, not 19, £free At Least 100 Jokes Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free Matthew Collins: My Favourite Waste of Time New Waverley Arches , 7–30 Aug, not 17, £free Rosie Holt: (No) Strings Attached Frankenstein Pub, 7–31 Aug, not 19, £free Ed Aczel: The Random Flapping of a Butterfly’s Wings Heroes @ The Hive, 7–30 Aug, not 19, £6 James Christopher’s Annual Cry for Help Banshee Labyrinth, 9–30 Aug, not 15, 22, 29, £free BlundaBus: RoadShow Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 26 Aug, £5 Nick Hall: Dodekahedron Underbelly, George Square, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£10

17:25

Jessie Cave: I Loved Her Underbelly, Cowgate, 8–30 Aug, £9—£10

Oxford Comedy Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7–31 Aug, not 17, £free

Larry Dean: Out Now! Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12

Patrick Morris: Fairly Premature Bucket List Underbelly Med Quad, 5–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£11

Dead Ghost Star Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 18, £free

17:30 The Oxford Revue: Issues Assembly George Square Studios, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£10 A Life in Progress Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 6–14 Aug, £free Paul Savage: Tired and Emotional Dragonfly, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free BBC: The Verb BBC@POTTERROW, 27 Aug, £free The Giggle Dungeon Take Over! Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 15–30 Aug, £free

Aidan Strangeman: Horsey Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, £5—£10 Anything Can Be a Podcast Podcast Returns! Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, £free Will Durst: BoomeRaging From LSD to OMG Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 18, £5—£12.50 Amir Khoshsokhan – Milk and Hedgehogs Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free Alfie Moore: A Fair Cop Stands Up Assembly George Square Studios, 5–31 Aug, £6—£11

Bec Hill: Caught On Tape Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 19, £5—£9.50

The Beau Zeaux: An Improvised Comedy Pleasance Courtyard, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £6—£12

Let’s See Jen Carnovale Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

17:35

Croft & Pearce – There’s Always Something Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, £5—£10

Silky: The Shrieking in My Mind The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8

17:50

Fin Taylor: Stink HH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£9.50

Lewis Schaffer is Free until Famous, £5 Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5 Al Lubel: Al Lubel Free Voodoo Rooms, 12–30 Aug, £free

17:40 Christian Talbot is Shite at Being Irish Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Bruce Fummey: A History of Scotland Stand in the Square, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8

17:45 Luca Cupani: Still Falling Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 6–31 Aug, not 12, 26, £5 Andrew Bridge: AART Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 15–30 Aug, £free When the Sh*t Hits the Fan Assembly Hall, 6–31 Aug, not 17, 18, £5—£10 Tatterdemalion Assembly Roxy, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£12 Harriet Kemsley: Puppy Fat Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£9.50 Christian O’Connell: You’ve Ruined My Morning... and Other Fan Mail Gilded Balloon , 7–29 Aug, not 19, £6—£12 Light Relief Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, £8.50 Damien Slash: Übermen Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£9.50 Kayfabe Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 6–14 Aug, £free Cerys Nelmes Presents Pick’n’Mix – Free Southsider, 8–29 Aug, not 17, 24, £free

Clare Plested: The Essential Collection Ciao Roma, 8–29 Aug, not 19, £free Sarah Callaghan: Elephant HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12

17:55 Jim Smallman: My Girls Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £3—£6

18:00 Mark of Stupidity Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 6–30 Aug, £free The Best of Irish Comedy The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 7–30 Aug, £12 Keith Farnan: Anonymous Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, 25, £6—£11 Sam Gore: The Cryptid Crossword Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 6–30 Aug, £free Ivo Graham: No Filter Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£11 Ria Lina: Taboo Raider

The Stand Comedy Club 2, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8

Songs with Phil New Waverley Arches , 7–30 Aug, not 12, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, £free Brennan Reece: Marvel Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7–29 Aug, not 17, £free Comedy in the Dark Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£12

David Elms: Mister Boy Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£9.50 Nina Conti: In Your Face Pleasance Courtyard, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £12 Morgan Berry: Watership Down Banshee Labyrinth, 8–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Bucket HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 13, 14, £6—£10 Trygve Wakenshaw: KRAKEN Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 17, 24, £7.50—£12.50 Phil Wang: Philth Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£10 Soho Comedy at the Fringe Sin, 7–31 Aug, £free Loch Ness Monster Hunter Bedlam Theatre, 24–30 Aug, £8 One Man Breaking Bad: The Unauthorized Parody Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 6, 17, 25, £6—£15 The A to Zed Of Loving A Ned Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £6 BBC: Jazz Line-Up BBC@POTTERROW, 15 Aug, £free Mark Smith: Log Flume Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 19, 26, £free

18:05 Abandoman – Hot Desk Underbelly, George Square, 17–19 Aug, £14.50 Bristol Revunions: Cream Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £3—£7

Time at the Bar! theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £6

18:10 The Happy Accidents: Cheer Up, It Might Never Happen – Free Chiquito, 25–29 Aug, £free

18:15 Matt Price: The Boy with Cake on His Face Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 6–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Wyatt Nixon-Lloyd Has 200 Voicemails Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Sunshine and Lollipops (and a Creeping Sense of Existential Terror) Cowgatehead, 21–31 Aug, £free Becky Brunning and Bethan Roberts Are Not Men Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 7–29 Aug, not 18, 24, £free Vladimir McTavish: Scotland, 45 Events That Shaped a Nation The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8 Kevin Day: Hairline Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£11 Dave Griffiths: C U in Court Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free The Brendon Burns Show Again Liquid Room Annexe, 8–30 Aug, £free Love Bites Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free UCLU Comedy Club Presents... Movement, 8–29 Aug, not 19, £free Jewish Cockney Caribbean Female Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 7–30 Aug, £free Katharine Ferns: Conscious Incompetent Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, £free

Comedy

A Very Tall Storrie Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

Centred: A One Clown Comedy About Stuff C venues – C south, 6–31 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

Hey Hey 16K Sneaky Pete’s, 8–22 Aug, £free

Life Jim (But Not as We Know It) theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10–15 Aug, £8

Five Childmen and It – Don’t Wake the Psammead! Sneaky Pete’s, 23–29 Aug, £free

festmag.co.uk

How to Win a Pub Quiz Kilderkin, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free George and Co (the Solo Tour) C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 The Wild Card Kitty Show Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 6–30 Aug, not 18, 25, £free Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio Idiot (Free) Cowgatehead, 17–22 Aug, £free

18:20 Matt Forde’s Political Party Podcast Pleasance Courtyard, 17 Aug, £8.50 Rory O’Hanlon: It’s Great to Be Here Cabaret Voltaire, 8–30 Aug, £free Sam and Helen: Out There Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5—£7 Sooz Kempner – Character Activist Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free

Listings

Holly Burn: I am Kirsty K Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5

Tom Parry: Yellow T-shirt HHH Just the Tonic at The Tron, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £4—£5 Baby Wants Candy: The Graduation Show Assembly Checkpoint, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £10

Not Just a Funny Turn Gilded Balloon , 25 Aug, £15 Shaggers Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free Davey Connor – So, There You Go Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, £5—£8.50 Alun Cochrane: A Show with a Man in It The Stand Comedy Club, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £9—£10

18:25

Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7–29 Aug, £free

Murder, She Didn’t Write Sweet Grassmarket, 7–29 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £6.50—£8.50

Paul Currie: Re-Release the Baboons Heroes @ The Hive, 6–31 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £5

18:30 McNeill of Tranent – The Fastest Man in the World Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6 Aug, 7 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £free Gone with the Inflatable Colonel Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 19–30 Aug, £free 99 Club Stand-Up Selection – Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 8–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free NewsRevue 2015 Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £9—£16.50 Huntington & Hutt: Insignificant Other Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 18, £free

Festival of the Spoken Nerd: Just for Graphs Assembly George Square Studios, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12 Permission to be Me Fingers Piano Bar, 7–16 Aug, not 10, £free Super-Fragile-Nihilistic-Sexy-and-Atrocious (and Other Poems) Fingers Piano Bar, 18–22 Aug, £free Supermassive Face Palm La Belle Angèle, 8–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

18:35 Absolute Improv! theSpace on the Mile, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 23, £6—£10 Steve Hall: Zebra The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £5—£8

Chris Kent Stop Stalling Assembly George Square Studios, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £5—£9.50

18:40 The Thinking Drinkers’ Guide to the Legends of Liquor Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £7—£12.50 Tom Neenan: The Andromeda Paradox Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£10 Fred MacAulay: Him Off the Radio The Assembly Rooms, 6–30 Aug, not 22, £14—£15 Brody and Chadwick’s Great Blimp Deception Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 23–30 Aug, £5 Fast Fringe Pleasance Dome, 5–29 Aug, £5—£10 Mark Dean Quinn: More Observation Without Comedy Is Not On Today Banshee Labyrinth, 18–19 Aug, £free Pat Cahill: Panjandrum Heroes @ The Hive, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £5 John McKeever: Multifarious Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 21, £6—£11 The USOL Best Friends Club Dragonfly, 8–29 Aug, £free

18:45 Ste and Dave in Training Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free Bristol Improv Steals the Show – Free Sportsters, 8–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Derek Ryan: The Slaughterhouse Rules - Uncut! (Work in Progress) New Waverley Arches , 8–14 Aug, £free

Nocturnal Sunshine of Their Spotless Minds Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free Will Mars: Outspoken White Guy Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free

❤ Diane Spencer: Power Tool HHHH Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 12, £6—£9.50 Jonny Pelham: Before and After Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, £6—£9.50

Shit-Faced Showtime Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £7—£12

Private Harris Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free

Jody Kamali – Spectacular! Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£10

Born To Fail New Waverley Arches , 7–17 Aug, £free

Nicky Wilkinson’s Happy Hour Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 18, £free WOMANz: Jou’re Welcome HHH Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 19, £5—£10 Sarah Kendall: A Day in October Assembly George Square Studios, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£12 Amy Howerska: Sasspot HHH Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, £5—£11 Jamon Iberico and Other Short Stories New Waverley Arches , 18–28 Aug, not 20, 21, £free Rik Carranza: Charming Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

18:50 Chris Dugdale: Sleightly Dishonest Assembly George Square Studios, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£12.50

❤ Massive Dad 2.0: Step Up 2 Massive Dad HHHH

Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£9.50

Richard Soames Does the Right Thing Underbelly, George Square, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£10 Cosmonaut by Ryan Good Underbelly, Cowgate, 7–30 Aug, not 17, 18, £6—£10

18:55 How to Be Fat Zoo Southside, 7–31 Aug, not 17, £7.50—£8.50

80 Explore Edinburgh’s Hidden History

Experience More in 2015: Tour | Café | Shop

EDDYANK PRODUCTIONS present

Comedy

FANTI ACROBATS INT.

Come and watch the hottest & unique African Acrobatics & cultural show

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh

£10 (7)

Imagine... The Stories They Could Tell

17 – 22 Aug

24 – 29 Aug

11.15 - 12.15 pm

14 - 15 pm

Tel: 0845 070 6244 www.RealMaryKingsClose.com Open 9am-10pm daily

Peter Brush: Older Than the Oldest Dog That Ever Lived Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £3—£6

My Two Years in Tokyo Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free

John-Luke Roberts: Stdad-Up Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, £free

Phil Jerrod: Neanderthal Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

19:00

Normally Abnormal Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, £free

GingerbeToast On Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free BlundaBus: RoadShow Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 26 Aug, £5 Looking Out for Linda Southsider, 7–31 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free Comedy at the Portrait Gallery Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 14 Aug, 21 Aug, £10 The Half Naked Chef Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 6–31 Aug, not 12, 26, £5

Sheffield of Dreams Cowgatehead, 10–29 Aug, not 12, 17, 25, £free

Alex Horne: Monsieur Butterfly Pleasance Courtyard, 15–29 Aug, £12 The Wee Man Syndrome Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 18, 23, £7 Alex Williamson: That Guy from the Internet Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 19, 26, £7—£12 Justin Moorhouse: Destiny Calling Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£11.50

Michelle McManus: Reloaded Stand in the Square, 6–30 Aug, not 8, 17, 24, £10—£12

Lou Conran: Small Medium at Large Assembly George Square Gardens, 6–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£8

Oliver Suddon – For One Night Only! Festival Radio, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, 29 Aug, £10

Lost Voice Guy: Disability for Dunces Stand in the Square, 24 Aug, £8

Love Sick Assembly Hall, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £5—£9.50

Ian Smith – Whereabouts Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10

Laugh Train Home Comedy Showcase Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 6–30 Aug, £free BBC: Asian Network’s Big Comedy Night BBC@POTTERROW, 23 Aug, £free

Jack Barry: This Title Came to Me in a Dream Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, £6—£9 Dan Lees: Brainchild Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

The Pin: Ten Seconds with The Pin HHH Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£11 The Sinister Tales of Doctor Synistra Spotlites, 16–31 Aug, £5—£7.50 BBC: Live Music With Radio Nan Gàidheal BBC@POTTERROW, 28 Aug, £free Phill Jupitus: Sketch Comic Scottish National Gallery, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, 27 Aug, £free Fernando – Carry On Campervan Sweet Grassmarket, 29–30 Aug, £10

19:05 Aidan Goatley: Year of the Goat Ciao Roma, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free Accidental Death of an Anarchist theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 17–22 Aug, £8 Danny Ward – St Vitus Dance Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£9.50

19:10 The Large HArdon Collider Serenity Cafe, 8–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Sofie Hagen: Bubblewrap Liquid Room Annexe, 7–31 Aug, £free Space Carrots Present: Where’s Keith? Silk, 8–29 Aug, £free

Tim Drain: I Know How to Make the Women I Sleep with Laugh theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 25–29 Aug, £6 Susie McCabe: The Drugs Don’t Work The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8 Gavin Webster: The Sexist’s Sexist The Stand Comedy Club 2, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8

19:15

Nish Kumar: Long Word... Long Word... Blah Blah Blah... I’m so Clever Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£12 In Cahoots: Two White Guys Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, £7—£10.50 AAA Stand-Up Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, £6—£11 Moj Taylor Is in: The Pursuit of Crappiness Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £7.50—£10

Craig Hill: Playing With My Selfie! Venue150@EICC, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 25, £8.50—£17.50

Philip O’Shea Turns 30 – Live Banshee Labyrinth, Various dates from 8 Aug to 30 Aug, £free

JAM Comedy Globe Bar, 8–29 Aug, not 18, 26, £free

SomeNews: The Misstakes Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 6–30 Aug, £free

Stand Up & Slam! – Free Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 19, £free Cut the Mustard C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £8.50—£10.50 SherwoodJam Black Medicine, 23–29 Aug, £free The Knowing Smirk Comedy Show theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 11–15 Aug, £5

❤ Dane Baptiste: Reasonable Doubts HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£13

Nicole Henriksen – Honeycomb Badgers on Acid Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free

David O’Doherty: We Are All in the Gutter, But Some of Us Are Looking at David O’Doherty Assembly George Square Theatre, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £8—£15 Tez Ilyas: TEZ Talks Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12 Stephen Carlin: The Gospel According to Stephen Canons’ Gait, 8–30 Aug, not 18, £free Eric Davidson – It’s a Wrong Way to Ukulele SpaceTriplex, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £10

19:20 Ronny Chieng: Chieng Reaction Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12 Big Value Comedy Show – Early Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5—£10 Alfie Brown: -ism

HHH

Assembly George Square Theatre, 5–31 Aug, £6—£11

Al Murray: The Pub Landlord’s Summer Saloon Assembly George Square Gardens, 21–30 Aug, £19.50 Paul Foot Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12.50 Comicunication Te Kore, 11–15 Aug, £7

19:25 Pelican: A Sketch Show Just the Tonic at The Caves, 10–29 Aug, not 18, £5

19:30 Jimeoin: Yeehaa! Venue150@EICC, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 25, £8.50—£17.50 For the Love of God... LifeCare Centre, 13–15 Aug, £2.50 My Favourite Words in the English Language Just the Tonic at The Tron, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5—£8.50

Henning Wehn: Eins, Zwei, DIY! The Queen’s Hall, 6–16 Aug, not 10, 11, £10—£15.50 Jim Davidson - No Further Action Edinburgh Playhouse , 14 Aug, £16 Plague of Idiots Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, £5—£10 Liam Williams: Bonfire Night Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 20–30 Aug, £free Kate Lucas – Work in Progress Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 6–31 Aug, not 12, 21, £free Comedy Gala 2015: In Aid of Waverley Care feat. Adam Hills & Marcus Brigstocke Edinburgh Playhouse , 16 Aug, £25

festmag.co.uk

Totes Inappropes! Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 6–30 Aug, not 18, 26, £free

HHH

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–31 Aug, £free

Simon Caine: Buddhism and Cats Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 7–29 Aug, not 18, £free

❤ Ahir Shah: Distant HHHH Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, £free

Tina C: Herstory Underbelly Potterrow, 5–17 Aug, £10—£13

The Rat Pack Stand-Up Comedy Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 13–19 Aug, £free

Andrew Maxwell – Yo Contraire Assembly George Square Theatre, 18 Aug, £13

Iain Stirling: Touchy Feely HH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–29 Aug, £6—£10

Matthew Crosby: Smaller Than Life Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £4—£5

Alan Davies: Work in Progress 2 Gilded Balloon , 9–15 Aug, £15

Milton Jones and the Temple of Daft Assembly Hall, 7–21 Aug, not 10, 17, £16.50—£18.50

Dr Professor Neal Portenza’s Catchy Show Title Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free

Champagne Socialist Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 19, £free

Kelly Ford’s Kapers Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 27–30 Aug, £free

QI Presents: No Such Thing as a Fish Underbelly Potterrow, 26– 30 Aug, £11.50—£12.50

Simon Munnery’s Fylm School Heroes @ The Hive, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £5

Michael Che: Six Stars

Adam Hills: Clown Heart Assembly Hall, 22–30 Aug, not 28, £14—£15

Barry Cryer’s 80th Birthday Roast Gilded Balloon , 23 Aug, £12

19:40

Jena Friedman: American C*nt The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 18–30 Aug, £7—£8

Joby Mageean – Billy No Immune System Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 6 Aug, 21 Aug, £free

Jo Brand Gilded Balloon , 17 Aug, 19 Aug, 21 Aug, £15

Listings

Alice Fraser: Savage

Don’t F*ck with Me Gweilo: Stories from a World Citizen The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 6–16 Aug, £7—£8

So You Think You’re Funny? Grand Final Gilded Balloon , 27 Aug, £15

Adventures in Menstruating with Chella Quint Stafford Centre, 8–28 Aug, not 12, 14, 17, 25, £free

Tommy Tiernan Alive in Edinburgh Gilded Balloon , 16–30 Aug, not 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, £15—£16

HHH

The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 6–20 Aug, £10—£12

Breakfast Epiphanies Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–28 Aug, not 18, £3—£6 Heidi O’Loughlin: A Woman Talking Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Baby Wants Candy: The Improv All Star Explosion! Assembly Checkpoint, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £13 Imran Yusuf: Super Roar of the Underdog Turbo X: HD Remix The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 21–30 Aug, £12 Revan and Fennell: Fan Club C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £8.50—£10.50

19:45

Musical Comedy Awards Showcase Underbelly Potterrow, 20–21 Aug, £12

Gearoid Farrelly: Gearoid Less Travelled Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 18, £5—£9.50

Alexander Bennett: I Can Make You a Moron Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free

Natasha Noman: Noman’s Land Gilded Balloon , 5–15 Aug, £5—£10.50

Imaan After My Own Heart The Assembly Rooms, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £9—£10

Jocks and Geordies Whistlebinkies, 9–30 Aug, not 15, 22, 29, £free

19:35 The NHS: Don’t Ask, It’s Private theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10–15 Aug, £7.50

Papa CJ: Naked Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–23 Aug, £free Honest to Godley! Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, £free

Class Clowns 2015: The Final Gilded Balloon , 18 Aug, £5 It’s a Good Day to Damo Sin, 7–31 Aug, not 14, £free Joanna Neary: Faceful of Issues HHH The Assembly Rooms, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £9—£10 Laughing Horse Free Comedy Selection Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7–29 Aug, £free Private Harris St John’s, 7–31 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free Katia Kvinge: 140 Karakters Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 12, 18, £free

19:50 ❤ Andrew Doyle: Minimalism!

HHHH

The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £9—£10

Andrew Ryan: Perfectly Inadequate Assembly George Square Studios, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 Elf Lyons: Being Barbarella Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 24, £free Tim Renkow: Kim Jong-Un, Muhammad, Jesus and Other Power Hungry Maniacs Heroes @ The Hive, 7–31 Aug, not 12, 26, £5 Jonny and the Baptists: The End Is Nigh Roundabout @ Summerhall, 7–30 Aug, not 18, 25, £9—£12 Freddie Farrell: Today Was a Total Waste of Makeup Dragonfly, 8–29 Aug, £free

19:55 Raymond Mearns Is Growing Old Disgracefully Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 4–31 Aug, not 17, £free

20:00 Reginald D Hunter: Bitchproof Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 12, 18, 24, £9—£17 John Robins: Speakeasy Assembly George Square Studios, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12 Superhero Secret Origins Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit Pleasance Courtyard, 18 Aug, £12 Nathan Caton: Straight Outta Middlesex Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£11

❤ Emma Sidi: Character Breakdown

HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£9

Hal Cruttenden: Straight Outta Cruttenden Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £9—£16

Steve Bugeja: Day Release Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5 Joe Lycett: That’s The Way, A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £6—£12 Kai Humphries: How to Be Happy Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, £6—£12.50 Rob Beckett: Mouth of the South Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £7.50—£13 Sparrow-Folk: SuBIRDia Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, £5—£10 Joe Lycett: That’s The Way, A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett Pleasance Courtyard, 24 Aug, £10 An Improvised Murder New Waverley Arches , Various dates from 16 Aug to 22 Aug, £free Playing Politics Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, 28 Aug, £12.50

Adam Benjamin and Victor Preda: Icomeclasts Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 6–30 Aug, £free

Joey Page: Catastrophe Party Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£11

HUB Fresh Pleasance Courtyard, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £free

Stereotypist Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free

Pete Firman: Super Duper Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £8.50—£15 The Big Comedy Gala in Aid of Macmillan Cancer Support Venue150@EICC, 28 Aug, £18 My First Laugh Sportsters, 8–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Wheely Wheely Wheely Wheely Wheely Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free BBC: Sketchorama BBC@POTTERROW, 19 Aug, £free Gilded Balloon 30th Anniversary Gala Gilded Balloon at the Edinburgh Playhouse, 15 Aug, £20

Super Villain Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 13–30 Aug, £free Annie McGrath and Nico Tatarowicz #Pray4AnnieAndNico Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 7–29 Aug, not 18, 24, £free Jo Caulfield: Awkward Conversations The Stand Comedy Club, 7–30 Aug, not 17, £10 Patrick Kielty: Help Assembly George Square Studios, 24–30 Aug, £12.50—£14 Frequently Asked Questions Scottish Storytelling Centre, 6–30 Aug, not 8, 10, 17, 24, £6—£8 BBC: Sue Perkins’ Big Night Out BBC@POTTERROW, 22 Aug, £free

Marc Jennings: Disconnected Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, £free

Angela Barnes: Come As You Are Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£11

20:05

Cheeky Irish Pups Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

Price Includes Biscuits theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £8

20:10 Lazy Susan: Double Act Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£10 Stewart Francis: Pun Gent The Assembly Rooms, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £14—£15 Andrew Lawrence: Uncensored HH Assembly Roxy, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£12 Bruce Fummey: Scottish Comedian of the Year Winner 2014 Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £3—£10 Pop Pop Underbelly Med Quad, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50

20:15 Pun Run Gilded Balloon , 17 Aug, £7 Joel Creasey: The Hurricane Assembly Roxy, 18–29 Aug, £10—£11 Greg Proops: The Smartest Man In The World Gilded Balloon , 24–26 Aug, £12 Clare Harrison’s 15 Minutes of Shame Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 13–14 Aug, £free Cocaine and Potatoes Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 22–30 Aug, £free Waking Up in Trees and Trucks George Next Door, 8–28 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Evan Wonders of the World Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free Sean McLoughlin: Whatever It Takes Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£9.50

Accident Avoidance Training for Cutlery Users – Level 1 Southsider, 23–29 Aug, £free Small Town Heroes Southsider, 8–22 Aug, £free Dumped Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–17 Aug, £4 Adrienne Truscott’s A One-Trick Pony!

HHH

Gilded Balloon , 5–17 Aug, £7.50—£14

Just the Tonic Comedy Club Just the Tonic at The Caves, 7–29 Aug, not 18, 26, £8—£10 Lost Property Cowgatehead, 8–22 Aug, not 19, £free Patrick Monahan – The Disco Years Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12 Jarred Christmas is Hotfoot Papa Gilded Balloon , 19–23 Aug, £10 Joseph Morpurgo: Soothing Sounds for Baby HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10.50 Abi Roberts’ Musical CID Gilded Balloon , 27–30 Aug, £8 Mark Steel: Who Do I Think I Am? Assembly George Square Studios, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £10—£14

20:20 Max and Ivan: The End Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£12.50 Pajama Men: 2 Man 3 Musketeers Assembly Roxy, 7–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £10—£15 Jimmy McGhie – Winged Goddess of Victory Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50

Improvabunga: Funny Side Up theSpace on the Mile, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £8 Rhys Nicholson – Forward Underbelly, George Square, 5–31 Aug, £6.50—£11.50 Corey White: The Cane Toad Effect Assembly Hall, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 Viv Groskop: Say Sorry to the Lady The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8 Kate Smurthwaite: The Wrong Sort of Feminist Ciao Roma, 8–29 Aug, not 17, £free Martin Mor: Away Gallivanting The Stand Comedy Club 2, 7–30 Aug, not 17, £8 Jamie Kilstein: Sober Song Rants and a Cat Story Stand in the Square, 18–31 Aug, £12

20:25 ONEymoon Liquid Room Annexe, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 24, 26, 29, £free Eric Davidson – It’s a Wrong Way to Ukulele theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £10

20:30 ONEymoon George Next Door, 24 Aug, 29 Aug, £free Darren Walsh: Punderbolt Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£9 Pun-Man’s Pun Party Frankenstein Pub, 8–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

❤ James Acaster: Represent HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£12 Archie Maddocks Ain’t Got No Behaviour Cowgatehead, 7–29 Aug, not 17, £free Phil Kay MegaBusy Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 13–23 Aug, £7 Alex Edelman: Everything Handed to You Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£12

Testify Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free Eleanor Tiernan – Don’t Cry for Me Eleanor Tiernan Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 6–30 Aug, not 24, £free

The Heist theSpace on the Mile, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £9 Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman Chiquito, 23–29 Aug, £free

20:45

Femmetamorphosis Spotlites, 6–31 Aug, £6—£8

Clusterf**k Movement, 8–29 Aug, £free

Carl Donnelly: Jive Ass Honky Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

Stuck! Gilded Balloon , 17–30 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Natasia Demetriou and Ellie White are Mother and Baby Banshee Labyrinth, 8–30 Aug, not 23, £free Tom Toal in Sunshine on Bexleyheath Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£10.50 Sarah Bennetto: Fritters Away an Hour of Your Life... Mmm, Fritters Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 6–29 Aug, not 17, 24, £free The Old Fella theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 25, £9 WinstonsWow The Boards, 5–29 Aug, not 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 23, £10 Lloyd Griffith: Great Grimsby’s Big Turn On Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£10.50

20:35 Peablossom Cabaret Thistle King James Hotel, 7–23 Aug, £free All Our Friends Are Dead Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, 24, £6—£10

20:40 Charlie Baker: Just the One Assembly George Square Theatre, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 John Robertson – The Dark Room: Symphony of a Floating Head Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £6—£10.50 Daniel Sloss: Dark Venue150@EICC, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 25, £8.50—£17.50

Prey Liquid Room Annexe, 24–30 Aug, £free The Warwick Revue Present: Sketch Education Liquid Room Annexe, 8–20 Aug, not 12, £free Shaun Buswell’s Random Orchestra Challenges Cafe Camino, 8–29 Aug, £free Jacobs and von Jones: Best of the Fest! Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 6–30 Aug, £free Luisa Omielan: Am I Right Ladies?! Assembly George Square Theatre, 13–15 Aug, £16.50 Craig Campbell: Don’t Look Down The Assembly Rooms, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £9—£10 Some Like It Thea-Skot Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 19, £free Chris Martin: This Show has a Soundtrack HHH Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £free Jeff Green: Happiness Gilded Balloon , 5–16 Aug, £6—£12 Rory McSwiggan Wants Nothing to Do With Himself Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, £free Andrew Watts – How to Build a Chap Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free Chris Ramsey: All Growed Up Assembly George Square Theatre, 20–30 Aug, £12.50—£15

Conor Drum – Adult Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, £free Peter Dobbing: Armchair Futurologist Kilderkin, 8–28 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

20:50 Maxine Jones: Full Circle Cabaret Voltaire, 8–29 Aug, not 19, £free Bobby Mair: Filthy Immigrant Heroes @ The Hive, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £5 Desperately Seeking Attention Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £free—£8

21:00 Gay Furnish Flirt Coach Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£12 Super Shaggers Laughing Horse @ New Empire Bingo, 21–22 Aug, £free Nina Conti: In Your Face Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £9—£15.50 Queens of Comedy Sin, 14–30 Aug, not 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, £free Sunshine and Lollipops (and a Creeping Sense of Existential Terror) Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 21–30 Aug, £free Fresh Blood Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, £5—£10 Ed Byrne – Outside Looking In Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, 27, £10—£15 Latex and Roses Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £free—£5 Julian Deane Just the Tonic at The Tron, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free Sam Simmons: Spaghetti for Breakfast Underbelly Potterrow, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £7.50—£14 Two Thirds of a Trio Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 6–20 Aug, £free

Comedy

Jason Byrne: 20 Years a Clown Assembly Hall, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £8—£19.50 Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho Assembly George Square Gardens, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £10—£14 Felicity Ward: What If There Is No Toilet? Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£12 BlundaBus: RoadShow Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 12 Aug, 26 Aug, £5 Sean Cullen: I Have Returned... Briefly! Gilded Balloon , 17 Aug, £12 Harmon Leon in Porn, Corn, and Body Slamming For Jesus Banshee Labyrinth, 7–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Chris Fitchew – Ooops! Sin, 7–27 Aug, not 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, £free Funmbi Omotayo: Legal Immigrant Gilded Balloon , 6–30 Aug, £5—£9.50 Spencer Jones Presents: The Herbert in Proper Job HHH Heroes @ The Hive, 6–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £5 Bodell and Maxwell’s Chromatic Character Menagerie Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 17, 25, £free Burt Lancaster Pierced My Hymen (When I Was 11) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £5 Künt and the Gang – Künt’ll Fix It Laughing Horse @ New Empire Bingo, 28–29 Aug, £6 Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7–29 Aug, £free Savage and Ralph: Joyful Erotica Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, not 19, 26, £free

Ben Fairey: Floe-Joe’s Faces Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free—£5 Alex Kealy and Friends Dragonfly, 8–29 Aug, not 19, £free The Big Charity Gala! - Free Laughing Horse @ New Empire Bingo, 19 Aug, £free Blind Mirth Paradise in The Vault, 8–22 Aug, not 16, £6 Joel Dommett: Conquer Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–29 Aug, not 28, £free

21:05 Jamie MacDonald: Oblivious Assembly George Square Studios, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £5—£10

21:10 Carl Hutchinson: Learning the Ropes The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £9—£10 Scotland’s Pick of the Fringe Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £5 Bob Doolally Football Legend The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 17 Aug, 25 Aug, £10 Stephen K Amos: Work in Progress The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 6–29 Aug, not 17, 18, 24, 25, £10 Kieran Hodgson: Lance Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 19, £free

Bafflesmash Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £free Alasdair and Nick: Dangerous as Milk – Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free Barnardo’s Big Comedy Benefit The Assembly Rooms, 18 Aug, £15 Loving Linda Smith Gala Concert: In Aid of Target Ovarian Cancer The Assembly Rooms, 19 Aug, £20 Glenn Moore: Nephew to Three Gorgeous Uncles Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, £free Mark Nelson: Older than Jesus Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12.50 Tom Ballard – Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred Assembly George Square Studios, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£11 Mae Martin: Us Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free Christian Steel – Gloom Hunter Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, £free Mark Simmons – Laugh Yourself Thin Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£9.50

21:20 The Secret of My Failure theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £7.50

Zoe Coombs Marr: Dave Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£11 Rob Beckett: Mouth of the South Pleasance Courtyard, 19–22 Aug, £12—£13 Ian D Montfort: Under Sciencey Conditions Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£14.50

21:25 Church Night theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £5 Garrett Millerick: A Selection of Things I’ve Said to Taxi Drivers Underbelly Med Quad, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 Jerry Sadowitz: Comedian, Magician, Bawbag! The Assembly Rooms, Various dates from 20 Aug to 30 Aug, £16

21:30 Phil Nichol: I Don’t Want to Talk About It The Stand Comedy Club 2, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 18, 19, £7—£8 James Loveridge: Funny Because It’s True Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 24–30 Aug, £free The Pleasance Comedy Reserve Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£9.50 Hailey Boyle: Manimal The Stand Comedy Club 2, 18–19 Aug, £8 Gabriel Bisset-Smith Tells the Most Original and Funny Joke in the Universe! Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£10

21:15

Alex Lacey is Killing Jim Sweet Grassmarket, 6–29 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £8

Elaine C Smith’s Burdz Eye View The Assembly Rooms, 13–16 Aug, £15

Ally Houston: Shandy Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free—£4

Sean Nolan: The Retrospective Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free

Pappy’s Live at the Cabaret Bar! Pleasance Courtyard, 27–29 Aug, £9

Aaaaaarrgghhhh! It’s the Monster Stand-Up Show – Free Show Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 6–30 Aug, £free

Lee Nelson: Suited & Booted Pleasance Courtyard, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 15 Aug, £15

Katherine Ryan: Kathbum Pleasance Courtyard, 12 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, £14

Glenn Wool: Creator, I am but a Pawn Assembly George Square Studios, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6.50—£12.50

James Hamilton Is So Lonely – Free Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 17, £free

Neel Kolhatkar: Truth Be Told Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 19, £5—£11 Al Porter Is Yours Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 18, £5—£9.50

Waking Up in Trees and Trucks Cowgatehead, 7–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Calypso Nights: Juan, Two? Assembly Roxy, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 WeddingBingo – Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 16–23 Aug, £free

❤ Brett Goldstein: Burning Man

HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£11

Pierre Novellie is Anxious Peter Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Marcus Brigstocke: Why the Long Face? Assembly Hall, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £10—£14

❤ Aisling Bea: Plan Bea HHHH Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 19, £7—£12

Dyspraxia and Politics: The Two Sides to Don Biswas Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–16 Aug, £free Baby Wants Candy: The Completely Improvised Full Band Musical Assembly George Square Studios, 5–30 Aug, £10—£15

❤ Tats Nkonzo: The African With Wifi HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50

Gary Little: Just Trying to Be Friendly The Stand Comedy Club, 7–30 Aug, not 17, £10 Paris Communal Shower Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7–31 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free Shazia Mirza: A Work in Progress The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8 Mark Forward presents Mark Forward Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 27, £5—£12 Sketch Club: The Final Gilded Balloon , 19 Aug, £10 A Ward Winning Storey Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 12, 20, £free

21:35 Goodbear Underbelly, George Square, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£10.50 Shit-Faced Shakespeare Underbelly, George Square, 5–31 Aug, £7—£14.50 Nick Doody: T’ai-Po Canons’ Gait, 8–29 Aug, not 17, 24, £free

21:40 Ben Russell: The Tokyo Hotel Pleasance Dome, 5–29 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£11 John Hastings: Marked from the Start Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£10 Follow the Faun Spotlites, 6–31 Aug, £8.50 Australia is F*cked Cowgatehead, 19–29 Aug, £free The USOL Hyper-Bowl Silk, 8–20 Aug, £free Jess Robinson: The Rise of Mighty Voice Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6.50—£12 St George is Cross Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Abnormally Funny People Stand in the Square, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £9—£10 Tom Stade: You’re Welcome! The Assembly Rooms, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £14—£15 Nick Cody – Beard Game Strong Assembly George Square Studios, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12.50 Matt Reed – Stalked Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5—£10 Big Value Comedy Show – Late Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5—£10 Ben Champion: Don’t Look Down – Free Liquid Room Annexe, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, 28 Aug, 30 Aug, £free

Comedy

Will Franken: Who Keeps Making All These People? The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8

21:45

22:00

Luke McQueen: Double Act Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50

Confessions of a Peculiar Mind Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–31 Aug, not 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29, £free

Chris Turner: XXV Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, £6—£10 Tim Key: Work-inSlutgress Pleasance Courtyard, 15–31 Aug, not 17, £10 Honky Bonk History of The Beatles Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 27–31 Aug, £5 Mancunian Rhapsody C venues – C cubed, 6–29 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 zazU: A Fête Worse Than Death Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£10

Henry von Stifle’s Enter the Dragon Cowgatehead, 7–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £free

Sex, Hugs and Gender Roles: A Panel Show About Sexuality Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £free

Foil, Arms and Hog: Skiddlywup Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £7—£12

festmag.co.uk

Jem Brookes: Punisment Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free

❤ Adam Riches is Coach Coach

HHHH

Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, £7—£14

Chris Betts: Social Animal Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£9.50

Oh It’s That Guy! Comedian Matt Henry Freestival St Mary’s, 7–31 Aug, £free

Daniel Sloss: Dark: Extra Shows! Venue150@EICC, Various dates from 14 Aug to 29 Aug, £14.50—£17.50

Hell To Play Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free

Fright Bus Service Necrobus, 5–31 Aug, £9

Failure Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £free Instant Sharma Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 19, 26, £free

22:05 Your Aunt Fanny Just the Tonic at The Caves, 19–29 Aug, £7—£8 Female Personality of the Year C venues – C nova, 16–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Nick Revell: Feminist Porno Jihadi The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£8

If Men Ruled the World – Free Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 6–30 Aug, £free

Free Comic: Volume Two Dragonfly, 8–29 Aug, £free

The Barry Delusion Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 7–30 Aug, not 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26, £free

Paul Ricketts: West End Story Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 6–15 Aug, not 12, £5

The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society Heroes @ The Hive, 9–27 Aug, not 14, 15, 21, 22, £5

Stephanie Laing: Nincompoop Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

BattleActs! Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

Mat Ewins: Day Job Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5

Diane Chorley: Duchess of Canvey Underbelly Potterrow, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £7—£12.50

22:10 ❤ Kyle Kinane: Ghost Pizza Party HHHH

Joy is the Enemy of Progress Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–26 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

21:55

Kevin J: Council Estate of Mind HHH Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 19, £5—£11

Trygve Wakenshaw: Nautilus Pleasance Courtyard, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 17, 24, £7—£12

Bronston Jones: God Bless ‘Merica – Free Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 6–30 Aug, £free

Joshua Ladgrove Talks at You for 52 Minutes in Exchange for Some of Your Money Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 16–25 Aug, £5

Listings

Chortle Student Comedy Award Final Pleasance Courtyard, 24 Aug, £8.50 BBC: The Radio 2 Arts Show BBC@POTTERROW, 14–15 Aug, £free

Daphne Do Edinburgh Pleasance Courtyard, 13–14 Aug, £9.50—£10.50

Elliot Steel and Jake Lambert: Lark! Kilderkin, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

The Shuffle Show Assembly George Square Theatre, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£12

Il Puma va a Edimburgo Heroes @ The Hive, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, £5 Aunty Donna Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, £5—£12 Immigrant Diaries: Sajeela Kershi and Guests The Assembly Rooms, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £9—£10

Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£12

22:15 We Are Goose Present Complimentary Gin! Sweet Grassmarket, 29–30 Aug, £5 Stuart Black – Lemsip and Cigarettes Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Miss Behave’s Gameshow Assembly Checkpoint, 6–29 Aug, not 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, £8—£15 Die Roten Punkte – Haus Party Assembly Checkpoint, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, £10—£12 Angus Brown: Get Ready. Get Set. Ahhh F*%k It C venues – C south, 6–31 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Joke Thieves Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 28, £free

Dysfunctionally in Order Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free Anil Desai – Impressions of a Hindude Sin, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Aatif Nawaz: Muslims Do it 5 Times a Day Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 7–29 Aug, not 19, £free Jonny Awsum: Everything is Awsum Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£8.50

22:20 Mick Ferry Is Just a Bloke Just the Tonic at The Tron, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £3.50—£6 Good Kids Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–23 Aug, not 18, £4—£8 Barry from Watford’s Bingo Bonanza Pleasance Courtyard, 13–29 Aug, not 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, £10—£12 Omar Hamdi: In the Valleys of the Kings Assembly George Square Studios, 5–30 Aug, £6—£12 Mixtape Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £6—£10 2 Girls, 1 Cup of Comedy Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5 The Shambles theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–29 Aug, not 16, £6—£8

22:25 Dead Funny Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 7–30 Aug, not 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, £free

22:30 ❤ The Story Beast HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£9.50

22:40 The Horne Section’s Questions Sessions Gilded Balloon , 15–29 Aug, £13—£15

The Best of Scottish Comedy The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6, 7–30 Aug, not 17, £12

Ro Campbell: Exercise Ze Demon The Stand Comedy Club 2, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £7—£8

Samantha Pressdee: Consume Shit and Die Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 6–30 Aug, £free

Chaos Theory Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £6—£10.50

Stand Rising The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 7–30 Aug, £8 Jokes About Things (Redinburgh Fringe) Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 6–30 Aug, £free Trevor Noah: Lost in Translation Assembly Hall, 28–30 Aug, £15 Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre – Minging Detectives Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, £5—£11 Andrew Maxwell – Yo Contraire Assembly George Square Theatre, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 18, £7—£15 Fairy Tale Theatre: 18 & Over Assembly George Square Studios, 9–30 Aug, not 17, £10

Piff the Magic Dragon – Breakfast at Piffany’s Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows, 14–29 Aug, £12.50—£13.50 Imaginary Porno Charades Sweet Grassmarket, Various dates from 7 Aug to 29 Aug, £7 Franks and Skinner Present: Myself and Myself Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 18, £5—£7 Qyeen sweeTs: NorthernXposure The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 18–30 Aug, £8

22:45 Josh Widdicombe’s XFM Show Live! Assembly George Square Studios, 22–25 Aug, £15

BBC: Radio 1’s Fun and Filth Cabaret BBC@POTTERROW, 17–20 Aug, £free

The Jest: The Five Humours HH Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£10

The Man The Assembly Rooms, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £9—£10

Liz Fraser’s Podlaughs... Live! Gilded Balloon , 24–26 Aug, £7.50

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £10—£15

Jarred Christmas and Hobbit: The Great Comedy Beat Box Party Gilded Balloon , 19–23 Aug, £10

Titty Bar Ha Ha: Club Titticana Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free The Colour Ham – One. Last. Time. (A Best Of) Gilded Balloon , 14 Aug, £15 Frenchy: Live’n’Lanky Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 19, £5—£11 Cassandra: Mary Canary Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 10, 18, 24, £free

Comedy, Craft Beer and Curry: Live at V Deep V Deep, Various dates from 6 Aug to 29 Aug, £10 So You Think You’re Funny? Gilded Balloon , Various dates from 9 Aug to 18 Aug, £10 Lee Nelson: Suited & Booted Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £10—£15 The Labour Of Laugh Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, £5—£8

The Wow Wow Show! with Dan Clark Assembly George Square Studios, 27–29 Aug, £12—£14 Dave Callan – A Little Less Conversation 2: A Little More Less Conversation Gilded Balloon , 6–30 Aug, not 18, 19, £5—£10.50 aLOne – Loren O’Brien Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, £6—£11 Best of So You Think You’re Funny? Gilded Balloon , Various dates from 7 Aug to 30 Aug, £10 #BlurredMinds – Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 15, 22, £free Chris Stokes: Altruism in Birds Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£9.50 Gein’s Family Giftshop: Volume 2 Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£9.50

23:00 Comedy Club 4 Kids 4 Grown-Ups Assembly Roxy, 14–15 Aug, £7 All American Boy Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 6–14 Aug, £free Simon Slack – The Fantasist Banshee Labyrinth, 8–30 Aug, not 19, £free Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrghhh! It’s the Increasingly Prestigious Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards Show – and It’s Free! Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 28–29 Aug, £free Alternative Paradise in The Vault, 24–30 Aug, £5 The Naked Stand-Up Spotlites, 6–15 Aug, £10 Hof With His Head Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 15–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £free Late Night Bedlam Theatre, 7–30 Aug, £7 Love Hate Relationship Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 6–15 Aug, £free

Brickhead: Yeah Yeah Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 17, 23, £free

Folie à Deux Pleasance Courtyard, 19–23 Aug, £9—£10

Seymour Stiffs – The Undertaker Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, £free

AAA Stand-Up Late Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, £6—£11

22:50 Pajama Men: Pterodactyl Nights Assembly George Square Studios, 14 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, 22 Aug, £12.50 The Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-In Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £7—£14 Anarchy Cabaret (Return of the Tight Six) Ciao Roma, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free Lights! Camera! Improvise! - The Improvised Movie Live on Stage Pleasance Courtyard, 28–30 Aug, £15

22:55 The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast Live Black Medicine, 16–29 Aug, not 19, £free

Princes of Main Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£9 Afterhours Comedy Assembly Roxy, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, 29 Aug, £14 Molotov Cocktail Party Globe Bar, 7–31 Aug, not 17, £free Yo Mama Battle! Laughing Horse @ New Empire Bingo, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, 29 Aug, £free

Bombs, Booze and Haggis Strikes Back Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 7–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

Maff Brown – On Demand, Live Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 6–29 Aug, not 15, 22, 23, £free

Set List: Stand-Up Without A Net The Stand Comedy Club, Various dates from 9 Aug to 30 Aug, £12.50

The Kinsey Sicks: America’s Next Top Bachelor Housewife Celebrity Hoarder Makeover Star Gone Wild! Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £6—£12

Augustus and the Holy Grail Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £free Bob Slayer: Fat Jockey Heroes @ Bob’s BlundaBus, 7–29 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £5 The Free Association Pleasance Courtyard, 12–16 Aug, £7—£8 BBC: BBC Presents… BBC@POTTERROW, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, 25 Aug, 26 Aug, £free Lydia King: A Date with Density Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£9 Edinburgh Comedy Allstars Underbelly, George Square, Various dates from 7 Aug to 30 Aug, £10.50—£16 Gilded Balloon 30th Anniversary Comedy Walk Gilded Balloon , 24–26 Aug, £12.50 I am, I am Gilded Balloon , 26–27 Aug, £9 Giving Head Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £8 Cariad & Paul: A Two Player Adventure Pleasance Courtyard, 25–29 Aug, £8—£11 Vegas Nocturne Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£12

BBC: Jazz on 3 BBC@POTTERROW, 24–25 Aug, £free

Ari Shaffir: This is Not Happening Pleasance Dome, Various dates from 6 Aug to 30 Aug, £6—£12

BBC: BBC Presents... Edinburgh 2015 BBC@POTTERROW, 29–30 Aug, £free

The Super Serious Show Stand in the Square, 16–17 Aug, £8

Brendon Burns and Colt Cabana Sit in a F*cking Yurt at 11pm and Provide Comedy and Commentary to Bad Wrestling Matches Stand in the Square, 6–31 Aug, not 9, 16, 18, 23, 30, £9—£10

Best of HUB Pleasance Dome, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, 26 Aug, £5 The Wrestling Pleasance Courtyard, 18–19 Aug, £20

23:10 Voices in Your Head Assembly George Square Studios, Various dates from 7 Aug to 29 Aug, £6—£10 Phil Nichol’s Cray Cray Cabaret The Assembly Rooms, 6–30 Aug, not 18, 19, £10—£12.50

23:15 Dark Side of the Mime Assembly Roxy, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£12 Luke Stephen: Peace, Love and Not Understanding Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 18, £free Mark Watson: Flaws Pleasance Courtyard, 28–29 Aug, £15.50 Casual Violence: Om Nom Nom Nominous Pleasance Courtyard, 20–23 Aug, £12.50 Shaggers Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, £free Generation whY? Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free Beardyman: One Album Per Hour Pleasance Courtyard, 13–17 Aug, £13—£14 Digest TV: The Temp Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 24–29 Aug, £8 A to Z Improv Comedy Kilderkin, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free Feminazi Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, £5—£12 Late Night Dark Show Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–31 Aug, £free Rotating Bill Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 6–30 Aug, £free

23:20 Best of Scottish Comedian of the Year Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 18, 19, 25, 26, £6—£13.50 Foil, Arms and Hog: Skiddlywup (Extra Performances) Underbelly, Cowgate, Various dates from 7 Aug to 29 Aug, £12

23:25 Satan’s Cocaine, Miscellaneous Fellatio Dragonfly, 8–29 Aug, £free

23:30 Liam Williams: Bonfire Night Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–19 Aug, not 17, £free Hate ‘N’ Live Sin, 7–29 Aug, £free Richard Gadd: Waiting for Gaddot Banshee Labyrinth, 8–30 Aug, not 17, £free Hilarity Bites Comedy Club: Late Night Feast New Waverley Arches , Various dates from 7 Aug to 30 Aug, £free Nathan Cassidy: Back to the Future II Gilded Balloon , 5–29 Aug, not 16, 17, 18, £6—£8 This Is Your Trial Assembly George Square Theatre, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12.50 Magners Comedy Festival Winner – Jim Brewsky Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 22–30 Aug, £free Bearpit Podcast (Podcast) Gala Show Just the Tonic at The Caves, 26–27 Aug, £5 The Assembly Rooms Very Best of the Fest The Assembly Rooms, Various dates from 14 Aug to 29 Aug, £15

23:40 Kinetic Comedy – Edinburgh Special Underbelly, Cowgate, 27–29 Aug, £10

23:45 Laughter with Njambi McGrath and Guests Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Alistair Williams and Edd Hedges – The Late Show Cowgatehead, 18–30 Aug, £free Funny Women Awards 2015 Semi-Final Voodoo Rooms, 14–15 Aug, £free The Stand Late Club The Stand Comedy Club, Various dates from 7 Aug to 29 Aug, £15 Mimi Goes East Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free Sharma Sharma Sharma Sharma Sharma Comedian! Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 6–30 Aug, not 19, 26, £free Jayde Adams’ Kahuzzi! Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £free

23:55 Fright Bus Service Necrobus, Various dates from 7 Aug to 29 Aug, £9 Pappy’s Presents...The Secret Dudes Society Pleasance Dome, 11 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 25 Aug, £7 Set List: Stand-Up Without A Net The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, Various dates from 7 Aug to 29 Aug, £12.50

Comedy

Adam Blampied: I am Mr Children Man Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £free

Room 2 Manoeuvre presents

Squish Squared Dance meets squash!

14th - 23rd Aug (not 18th) 1130 & 1300 (50 mins) £5 preview (£8/£6) Venue 457 | ZOO Grange Tickets: www.zoofestival.co.uk t: 0131 662 6892

00:00 I Went To A Fabulous Party... C venues – C too, Various dates from 15 Aug to 30 Aug, £11.50

09:00 Traverse Breakfast Plays: (in search of) Tomorrow Traverse Theatre, 18–30 Aug, not 24, £14

festmag.co.uk

09:05 Cracked Tiles Spotlites, 18–31 Aug, not 21, 22, 23, £6.50

10:00 Happily After Ever Paradise in Augustines, 15 Aug, £5 Tissue theSpace on Niddry St, 25–29 Aug, £7 old man’s Gift Venue 13, 8–29 Aug, not 17, £8 Playback Impro Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free The Money City Chambers, 27–28 Aug, £10 Real Life Becomes a Rumour theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £7 Theatre Uncut Roundabout @ Summerhall, 24–30 Aug, £12

The Red Chair Summerhall, 24–30 Aug, £12

10:05 A Haggis Queen Abroad theSpace on the Mile, 18–22 Aug, £8

10:10 The Maids theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £8

10:15 Daze of My Life Paradise in The Vault, 15 Aug, £6 Beautiful, Terrifying, Love Paradise in The Vault, 9 Aug, 14 Aug, £6

10:20 DNA Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 17–22 Aug, £8

❤ Swallow HHHH Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, 30 Aug, £14—£20

Women of the Mourning Fields Paradise in The Vault, 8–30 Aug, not 16, 23, £5—£8

The Christians Traverse Theatre, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £20 An Oak Tree Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 14 Aug, £20 Big Bite Size Breakfast Show Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £7.50—£12.50 Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour Traverse Theatre, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £14—£20

HHHH

Open ZOO, Various dates from 8 Aug to 28 Aug, £6—£8

Summerhall, 5–30 Aug, not 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, £7—£12

Cheque Please ZOO, Various dates from 7 Aug to 31 Aug, £6—£8

10:55

I Am Not Mark Twain Basic Mountain, 20 Aug, £10

Current Location Summerhall, 17–30 Aug, not 20, £11 Spur of the Moment C venues – C nova, 17–22 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

Marching for Necie theSpace on the Mile, 12–15 Aug, £8

Othello C venues – C too, 17–22 Aug, £7.50—£8.50

11:00

A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £20

Bump Gilded Balloon , 16–31 Aug, £7—£8

10:35

Richard III Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 24–29 Aug, £9

Naked Knotted Neurons C venues – C nova, 10– 15 Aug, £9.50—£10.50

10:40 Some People Talk About Violence

HHH

10:30

❤ The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven

The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew theSpace on Niddry St, 10–15 Aug, £8

Summerhall, 5–23 Aug, £7—£10.50

Avicide SpaceTriplex, 17–22 Aug, £7 The Communist Threat Zoo Southside, 7–31 Aug, £7—£9

10:45 Cinema Northern Stage at Summerhall, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £8—£10

Listings

Shakespeare for Breakfast C venues – C, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £7.50—£9.50

The Beanfield theSpace on the Mile, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £7

360 ALLSTARS

Assembly HAll 6 – 31 Aug, 16:15

Tomorrow Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, 28 Aug, £20

Sunshine! Japanese Rakugo Comedy in English! Spotlites, 6–31 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £6 The Taming of the Shrew C venues – C south, 17– 22 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Wilde Without the Boy Assembly Hall, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £5—£10 Hamlet (A One Man Play) Spotlites, 6–22 Aug, £8 Sanctuary theSpace on Niddry St, 17–22 Aug, £8 Sequamur The Assembly Rooms, 18–24 Aug, £10

Radical urban circus where street meets elite

Pirates and Mermaids Scottish Storytelling Centre, Various dates from 10 Aug to 31 Aug, £10 Stan C venues – C nova, 16– 21 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Oliver Twist theSpace on Niddry St, 24–29 Aug, £7

❤ Fake It ‘til You Make It HHHH Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, 28 Aug, £18

11:05 The King of Monte Cristo theSpace on the Mile, 17–22 Aug, £8 Consumption theSpace on the Mile, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £5—£9

Pardon / In Cuffs Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £18

11:10

11:20

Re:member theSpace on the Mile, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £6—£8

Edmund the Learned Pig Summerhall, 24–30 Aug, £10

Music for Dogs Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 18–29 Aug, £free

Rebounding Hail Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£10 You’re Not Like the Other Girls Chrissy Pleasance Courtyard, 22–29 Aug, £9—£12

11:15 Closing Time The Jinglin’ Geordie, 14–21 Aug, £free

❤

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying HHHH Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, 30 Aug, £18 How to Keep an Alien Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £18 Shazam! theSpace on the Mile, 17–22 Aug, £7.50 Crash HHH Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £12—£18

11:30 As Is Bedlam Theatre, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£10 Have a Heart Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5—£9 The Happiness Project Summerhall, 26–30 Aug, £8—£10 Blood Wedding Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 24–26 Aug, £7

RAZ by Jim Cartwright The Guardian (9/8/2015)

Assembly GeorGe squAre 6 – 31 Aug, 16:00

LABELS

A GRAEAE THEATRE COMPANY & THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH CO-PRODUCTION

5th-31st August (Not 17th) Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker 1, 12.35pm (60mins)

“Powerful, important & funny” - Emma Thompson

5 - 30 Aug 4pm (80 mins)

www.pleasance.co.uk

0131 556 6550 | pleasance.co.uk Female Transport C venues – C, 16–22 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Nudity, Free Beer, Good for Kids Venue 13, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 17, 18, 25, £8

11:35 Macaroni on a Hotdog theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £6—£8 Codpieces: Hamlet, Part II and Prince Lear theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11 Aug, 13 Aug, 15 Aug, £8

11:40 Boys SpaceTriplex, 25–29 Aug, £8 Codpieces: Fatal Loins theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10 Aug, 12 Aug, 14 Aug, £8

11:45 A Very British Childhood Pleasance Dome, 7–30 Aug, £6—£9 The Sea Child Gilded Balloon , 18–30 Aug, not 25, £8—£9 Bullet in the Brain SpaceTriplex, 10–15 Aug, £10 Peter/Wendy theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £free—£7.50 I, Elizabeth Assembly Roxy, 7–31 Aug, not 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, £8—£13

11:50 Confirmation Summerhall, 22–29 Aug, £15 Mrs Shakespeare Paradise in The Vault, 8–30 Aug, not 16, 23, £10

11:55 The Usherettes theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £6—£8 Can’t Spell Right theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £7 Raymondo ZOO, 24–29 Aug, £10

12:00 Paradise: Lost theSpace on Niddry St, 17–22 Aug, £8—£10 Jo Romero Scenes of a Sensual Nature Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, £free Angel in the Abattoir Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 18, £5—£12 Antigone: An Arabian Tragedy Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 10–15 Aug, £8.50

@worklight_uk #LABELS A Matter of Life and Debt Paradise in Augustines, 24–29 Aug, £8 Pip Utton: Playing Maggie The Assembly Rooms, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £9—£10 Storytape Gilded Balloon , 11–28 Aug, weekdays only, £free I Am Not Mark Twain Basic Mountain, 19 Aug, £10 This Time Tomorrow Sweet Grassmarket, 10–15 Aug, £12 The 56 HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 6–31 Aug, not 16, 17, £5—£10 The Wedding Reception B’est Restaurant, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, £39 Fiction Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £7—£13.50 Twelfth Night C venues – C too, 6–31 Aug, not 18, £8.50—£10.50

❤ Tar Baby HHHH

The Tell-Tale Heart C venues – C nova, 16– 22 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £5—£10

Wild at Heart Thistle King James Hotel, 19–31 Aug, £free

A Little Respect theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £6

The Norman Conquests: Living Together C venues – C cubed, 6 Aug, 9 Aug, 12 Aug, 15 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Cartography C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £8.50—£10.50

The Norman Conquests: Round and Round the Garden C venues – C cubed, 8 Aug, 11 Aug, 14 Aug, £9.50—£10.50

The Norman Conquests theSpace @ Venue45, 14–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £5—£8

The Stolen Inches C venues – C nova, 5–26 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Two Tired Paradise in The Vault, 8–15 Aug, £6

12:10

Since Maggie Went Away theSpace on the Mile, 12–15 Aug, £8

Eggs Sin, 7–30 Aug, not 18, 25, £free

12:05 Consumption theSpace on the Mile, 17–28 Aug, not 23, £9 Plain English theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 25–29 Aug, £10 The Kitchen Sink by Tom Wells theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £6 Kafka’s Ape Assembly George Square Studios, 6–31 Aug, not 12, 24, £5—£10 Portraits in Motion Summerhall, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£10 Ursula Invents Old Woman C venues – C nova, 10– 15 Aug, £9.50—£10.50 Charolais Spotlites, 6–30 Aug, £5.50—£8 Two Thirds C venues – C nova, 16– 31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 This Language theSpace on Niddry St, 25–29 Aug, £7 O! Glorious Youth theSpace on the Mile, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £3—£5

Chopping Chillies Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, not 17, £free

Bump Gilded Balloon , 5–15 Aug, £5—£8

Umrao – The Noble Courtesan Assembly George Square Studios, 6–31 Aug, not 17, 18, £10—£12 One Above theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £7

Shazam! theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £7.50 Wing It, Dusty theSpace on the Mile, 10–15 Aug, £5

Islands HH Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10.50

17 C venues – C, 23–30 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

Can’t Spell Right theSpace on the Mile, 17–22 Aug, £7.50

My Name is Saoirse Assembly Hall, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £5—£10

Big Bite-Size Lunch Hour: Lunch in Cairo Assembly Checkpoint, 9–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £8—£12

A+E Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 12, 19, £6—£9 Beethoven in Stalingrad Spotlites, 16–31 Aug, £9

12:15

Vanity Bites Back Gilded Balloon , 16–30 Aug, £10—£12

Wasted Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£11 Polyphony Roundabout @ Summerhall, 7–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £12 Tony’s Last Tape Pleasance Courtyard, 7–30 Aug, not 13, 20, 27, £7—£12 The Escapade of the Burmese Burglary Gilded Balloon , 18–30 Aug, not 24, £8—£9 The Comedy of Errors C venues – C, 16–22 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Wojtek: The Happy Warrior New Town Theatre, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £7—£11

12:20 Pilgrim Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£10 The Jennifer Tremblay Trilogy Part I: The List Assembly Roxy, Various dates from 6 Aug to 30 Aug, £10—£14.50 Othello: An All-Female Production Underbelly Potterrow, 6–31 Aug, not 13, 20, £6—£11.50 Scaramouche Jones Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £6—£11

BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 /AssemblyFestival

AssemblyFest

@AssemblyFest

Theatre

The Jennifer Tremblay Trilogy Part II: The Carousel Assembly Roxy, Various dates from 7 Aug to 31 Aug, £10—£14.50

12:25 Dead Man’s Cell Phone Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–23 Aug, £6—£9 Pope Head (The Secret Life of Francis Bacon) Summerhall, 7–30 Aug, not 13, 20, £12 We This Way Summerhall, 5–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £8—£10 Who’s Afraid of the Working Class? C venues – C, 7–15 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

12:30 ❤

Valiant HHHH

C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

festmag.co.uk

A Divine Comedy Valvona & Crolla, Various dates from 10 Aug to 30 Aug, £15 Ross & Rachel Assembly George Square Theatre, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 The Night Watch C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £9.50—£11.50 The Free Meditation Class Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 10–24 Aug, £free Current Location Summerhall, 30 Aug, £11 Key Change Northern Stage at Summerhall, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £10—£12 Scarlet Shambles: It Used to Be Me Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–26 Aug, not 10, 18, £free How I Became Myself (by Becoming Someone Else) Cowgatehead, 8–29 Aug, £free Romanovs theSpace on the Mile, 17–22 Aug, £8

A Midsummer Night’s Dream theSpace on Niddry St, 8–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £5—£9

12:35 Madman Marathon Man theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £9 Two Sore Legs Assembly George Square Studios, 6–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £8—£13

12:45

To She or Not to She

The Soaking of Vera Shrimp Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£9.50

Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£9

Buckle Up SpaceTriplex, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £8

Gruesome Playground Injuries HHH Basic Mountain, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, 29 Aug, £10

Bismillah! An ISIS Tragicomedy Just the Tonic at The Caves, 10–21 Aug, not 18, £5 Girl from Nowhere Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, £6—£11

The Flying Ship Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 17–22 Aug, £9

The Wild Man of Orford Sweet Grassmarket, 10–23 Aug, £7

Wild Bill: Sonnet of a Bardsterd theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £9

All’s Well That Ends Well Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 10–15 Aug, £6

...and This is My Friend Mr Laurel HH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £7—£12 Labels Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£9 Let England Shake SpaceTriplex, 17–22 Aug, £7 Reclaiming Vietnam Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £8

12:50 Piaf theSpace on Niddry St, 24–29 Aug, £7 A Matter of Life and Debt Paradise in Augustines, 17–22 Aug, £8 Dog Play Dead theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £7—£8

12:55

Cracked Tiles Spotlites, 11–15 Aug, £6.50

Fausted C venues – C, 9–15 Aug, £9.50—£10.50

12:40

Not the Horse theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £10

Sea Wall Paradise in The Vault, 18–22 Aug, £5 Writing Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–15 Aug, £4.50—£6 Some Big Some Bang Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 The State of Concrete theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £5 Avicide SpaceTriplex, 7–15 Aug, £7 The Backside Monologues Spotlites, 31 Aug, £5

13:00 Rhapsody In Green by Mike Maran Valvona & Crolla, 12 Aug, 14 Aug, 19 Aug, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £12 Face to the Wall theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £6 Hair Peace Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£11 A Play, A Pie and A Pint Le Monde, 7–31 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, 29, £12.50 Daniel Cainer: 21st Century Jew Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £6—£10

Listings

What Would Spock Do? Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £6—£12

Storytape Gilded Balloon , 11–28 Aug, weekdays only, £free

360 ALLSTARS

Assembly HAll 6 – 31 Aug, 16:15

HHH

Ndebele Funeral Summerhall, 5–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £9—£13

Fault Lines Basic Mountain, 14 Aug, 23 Aug, 30 Aug, £10 Early Grave, Fashionably Late Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, 10–29 Aug, not 12, 16, 23, £8—£10 Things My Mother Never Told Me Basic Mountain, 16 Aug, £12 Landline Out of the Blue Drill Hall: Outside, 29–30 Aug, £free Labyrinth theSpace on the Mile, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £3—£5 Institute Pleasance Courtyard, 5–29 Aug, not 8, 12, 18, £8.50—£14.50 501 Things I Do in My Bedroom Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5—£8 Cleansed C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £8.50—£10.50 The Selkie and the River God Sweet Grassmarket, 10–23 Aug, £8 Filthy Talk for Troubled Times Basic Mountain, 9 Aug, 22 Aug, 31 Aug, £10 A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride Traverse Theatre, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, 30 Aug, £20 Storytape Gilded Balloon , 11–28 Aug, weekdays only, £free This Time Tomorrow Sweet Grassmarket, 10–15 Aug, £12 Treacle Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6 Aug, 7 Aug, 10 Aug, 13 Aug, 14 Aug, £free

Radical urban circus where street meets elite

A Cinema in South Georgia Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12

This is Mary Brown Paradise in The Vault, 8–30 Aug, not 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, £7 The Gospel Inquiry The Assembly Rooms, 5–16 Aug, not 6, £9—£10

13:05 Tales from Ovid C venues – C, 16–22 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Follow/Unfollow theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £8.50 Detached theSpace on the Mile, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £10 What a Grimm Tale! theSpace @ Venue45, 17–22 Aug, £7

Black is the Color of My Voice Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 12, 19, £6—£10.50 Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour Traverse Theatre, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £20

❤ Swallow HHHH

Eating Seals and Seagulls’ Eggs Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£10 Dendritical theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £7

Traverse Theatre, 14 Aug, £20

Romeo and Juliet theSpace on Niddry St, 17–22 Aug, £8 Rope The Edinburgh Academy, 12–19 Aug, £10

Talking with Angels: Budapest, 1943 Summerhall, 5–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 18, 24, £6—£10

13:20 I Gave Him an Orchid

Complex theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 17–22 Aug, £7 Styx theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £4—£8

13:10 One Above theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £7 Happy Girl theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £5—£6

Summerhall, 5–22 Aug, not 16, £6—£12

The Count of Monte Cristo Spotlites, 23–31 Aug, £5 An Illuminating Yarn theSpace on the Mile, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £6—£7 Impossible HH Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £7.50—£15 Hannah and Hanna Assembly George Square Studios, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 The Hideout C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £8.50—£10.50

13:15

Chopin’s Last Tour ZOO, 7–31 Aug, £6—£9

RUN HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50 The Diary of Thomas Pooler Cafe Camino, 16–29 Aug, £free Hooray for All Kinds of Things The Assembly Rooms, 18–30 Aug, £10

Ten Pound Tale C venues – C, 23–30 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Breaking Voices Paradise in The Vault, 10–15 Aug, £7 Giving Up the Ghost theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 25–29 Aug, £7—£8

Tomorrow Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £20 An Oak Tree Traverse Theatre, 15 Aug, £20 How to Keep an Alien Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 16 Aug, £18

Billy Through the Window Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Tomorrow’s Parties Summerhall, 24–29 Aug, £8—£12

RAZ by Jim Cartwright The Guardian (9/8/2015)

Assembly GeorGe squAre 6 – 31 Aug, 16:00

Portrait Pleasance Dome, 5–29 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£11

Of Mice and Men Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, £5—£12

13:25

Dylan Thomas – The Man, The Myth Assembly Roxy, 6–22 Aug, not 19, £10—£14

Black Magic: Songs Unchained Spotlites, 6–31 Aug, £5—£10 Downton Scabby Paradise in Augustines, 24–29 Aug, £8 Sanctuary theSpace on Niddry St, 24–29 Aug, £8 White Rabbit Red Rabbit Assembly George Square Studios, 6–16 Aug, £6—£11

13:30 SpectreTown Assembly Hall, 6–31 Aug, not 12, 17, 24, £8—£14 Under Milk Wood (Semi Skimmed) Assembly Roxy, 23–31 Aug, £13—£14 Some Thing New C venues – C nova, 5–22 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

One Day When We Were Young by Nick Payne Assembly George Square Theatre, 6–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £7—£10

Doorbells Spotlites, 16–22 Aug, £8

Strictly Balti Gilded Balloon , 7–31 Aug, not 12, £6—£11

Soapy Smith’s Alaskana Extravaganza Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, 20 Aug, £5

Sherlock and Watson: Best Friends Forever Sportsters, 8–29 Aug, £free

The Frantic Canticles of Little Brother Fish Bedlam Theatre, 17–22 Aug, £10

A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride Traverse Theatre, 18 Aug, £20

❤ Fake It ‘til You Make It HHHH Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £12—£18 13:35 Things Can Only Get Bitter Spotlites, 6–15 Aug, £8 All’s Well That Ends Well theSpace on Niddry St, 17–22 Aug, £8 The Cupboard Paradise in The Vault, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £7.50

Victoria Wood + Me Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £6—£10 Real Life Becomes a Rumour theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £7

Bug Bite Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £10—£12

Birdland by Simon Stephens SpaceTriplex, 17–22 Aug, £8

The Gambit Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £4—£8

The Nina Variations SpaceTriplex, 11–15 Aug, £10

❤ A Reason to Talk HHHH

Don’t Say That theSpace on the Mile, 24–28 Aug, £5

Sex Rated G Gilded Balloon , 5–30 Aug, £5—£11

Flossy and Boo’s Curiosity Shop Bedlam Theatre, 5–16 Aug, £8

Quiet Violence Zoo Southside, 16–30 Aug, £6—£8

❤ Swallow HHHH

13:50

Can’t Care, Won’t Care Banshee Labyrinth, 8–30 Aug, £free

Summerhall, 7–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, 26, £10

The Lost Girls Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 10–15 Aug, £8 The Hampstead Murder Mystery! Pleasance Dome, 7–22 Aug, £6—£9.50 The King of Monte Cristo theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £8 Giant Leap HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10

Eclectically. Arranged. Poe and The Tell-Tale In Part Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 10–15 Aug, £5

❤ A Gambler’s Guide to Dying HHHH Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £18 Tether Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 The Jennifer Tremblay Trilogy Part III: The Deliverance Assembly Roxy, 6–31 Aug, not 12, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, £10—£14.50 Posh Te Kore, 10–15 Aug, £9 Richard III Just Festival at St John’s , 12–31 Aug, not 16, 17, 23, 30, £8 May I Have the Bill Please? by Robin Mitchell The Boards, 5–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £10

Marriage Assembly George Square Studios, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£13

Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime theSpace on the Mile, 17–22 Aug, £7

The Money City Chambers, 27–28 Aug, £10

Every Brilliant Thing Roundabout @ Summerhall, 8–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £15—£17

Cleansed in Blood Thistle King James Hotel, 7–31 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £free

Skins and Hoods Institut français d’Ecosse, 7–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£12

This Time Tomorrow Sweet Grassmarket, 10–15 Aug, £12

14:05

Faulty Towers The Dining Experience B’est Restaurant, 7–31 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £45—£49.50

Death by Shakespeare theSpace on Niddry St, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £7—£8

13:45

So It Goes Underbelly, Cowgate, 24–30 Aug, £12.50—£14

Fully Committed Starring Marcus Brigstocke Underbelly Potterrow, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £7.50—£15

The Christians Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, 28 Aug, £20

Broken Windows Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10

How to Keep an Alien Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, 28 Aug, £18

❤ My Beautiful Black Dog HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–16 Aug, £6—£10.50

Scarfed for Life Just Festival at Central Hall, Various dates from 14 Aug to 22 Aug, £12.50

To Sleep To Dream Summerhall @ Tom Fleming Centre, 22–23 Aug, £15

Pardon / In Cuffs Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £18

Grav Assembly Hall, Various dates from 6 Aug to 30 Aug, £7—£11

Bathtime C venues – C nova, 5–22 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Storytape Gilded Balloon , 11–28 Aug, weekdays only, £free

Women’s Hour Summerhall, Various dates from 5 Aug to 30 Aug, £6

Oh Hello! Assembly Hall, Various dates from 7 Aug to 31 Aug, £7—£11

Storytape Gilded Balloon , 11–28 Aug, weekdays only, £free

Ventoux Summerhall, 13–30 Aug, £5—£10

The Do’s and Don’ts of Online Dating C venues – C cubed, 6–31 Aug, not 15, 16, £7.50—£9.50

14:00

13:40

The Double Life of Malcolm Drinkwater Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 23, £free

Last Call for Providence Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5

Teaset Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, £6—£9.50

Boris: World King Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£10.50

The Last Laugh The Assembly Rooms, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £9—£10

Lisa Gornick’s Live Drawing Show Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 12, £5—£10

13:55

Womenswear C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £8.50—£10.50

The Mountain Top Venue 13, 8–22 Aug, not 17, £8

Crash HHH Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, 30 Aug, £18

Be Better Bedlam Theatre, 24–30 Aug, £10

Iphigenia In Splott Pleasance Dome, 24–30 Aug, £13—£15

Stain theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £10

CUT Underbelly, George Square, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £9—£13.50

Wild Bill: Sonnet of a Bardsterd theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £9 Complex theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £5—£6 Carapace theSpace on the Mile, 17–22 Aug, £5

Mill Girls On Tour Pilrig Studio, 28–29 Aug, £7 Block theSpace on the Mile, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £3—£6 Goodstock Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£9.50

The Intriguing Imagination of Arla Bell theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, 29 Aug, £6 My Name is Rachel Corrie theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24 Aug, 26 Aug, 28 Aug, £6

Titus Andronicus Spotlites, 24–27 Aug, £10

The Effects of Solitude Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, £7

Births, Deaths & Marriages HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£9.50 Mitch’s Movie Pitches Summerhall, Various dates from 6 Aug to 29 Aug, £5 Love and Information by Caryl Churchill theSpace @ Venue45, 13–15 Aug, £7 The Jennifer Tremblay Trilogy Part II: The Carousel Assembly Roxy, 17 Aug, £12.50

Islands Summerhall, 22–29 Aug, £10—£15

14:10 C’tait la Nuit Paradise in Augustines, 17–22 Aug, £8 Lear Inc. theSpace @ Venue45, 17–22 Aug, £8 Bench theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 17–22 Aug, £7

Traverse Theatre, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £20

BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 /AssemblyFestival

AssemblyFest

@AssemblyFest

90 Theatre

Going Viral Northern Stage at Summerhall, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £10—£12 18 Foot Story theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10–15 Aug, £5

12.10.15 Momentum Venues @ St Stephens, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £8—£10

The 229 is Never on Time theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–20 Aug, £5

14:25

14:15

The Backside Monologues Spotlites, 23–26 Aug, £5

Idiots Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 The Terrible Tale of the Twiddly Widdlies Pleasance Courtyard, 6–21 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

The Fiery Path Spotlites, 27–31 Aug, £5

The Hobbit Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5

14:30 Lost Voices Te Kore, 11–15 Aug, £5

Heartbeats & Algorithms Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£9

Whisky Galore South Leith Parish Church Halls, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, £10

Around the World in 80 Days C venues – C south, 6–31 Aug, not 18, £8.50—£10.50

Clickbait C venues – C, 5–15 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Anon(ymous) Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, £5

festmag.co.uk

Checkpoint 22 Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £6—£10

The Misfit Analysis Pleasance Courtyard, 23–31 Aug, £9—£11 The Art of Reduction and the Distillation of Humanity: Whisky Theatre Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@Jenners, 20 Aug, 27 Aug, 30 Aug, £15 Boxed In HH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 20, £6—£11

The London 2012 Games Closing Ceremony Closing Ceremony C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £8.50—£10.50 The Cheshire Cats Saughtonhall United Reformed Church, 15 Aug, £7 The Adventures of Nellie Bly Cafe Camino, 8–22 Aug, not 17, £free The Fairmer Wants a Wife Mayfield Salisbury Church, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, £10

Scour Clouds & Soil, 8–29 Aug, £free

Darkness Falls – John’s Gospel Palmerston Place Church, 21–22 Aug, £10

14:20

Disorder C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Crusoe ZOO, Various dates from 9 Aug to 28 Aug, £12 Mata Hari: Female Spy ZOO, Various dates from 7 Aug to 30 Aug, £6—£12 Invisible Woman Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £4—£8

Noises Off St Ninian’s Hall, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, £12 Hoors theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 9 Aug to 29 Aug, £6—£9 The Girl Who Fell in Love With the Moon Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

Raft Quaker Meeting House, 17–29 Aug, not 23, 24, £5—£7 Titus Andronicus C venues – C, 16–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

14:45 Cornermen Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Eurydice Sweet Grassmarket, 10–15 Aug, £7

The Pilgrim’s Progress Edinburgh Elim, 20–21 Aug, £11

Tonight with Donny Stixx Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £7—£12

Rossetti’s Women Spotlites, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £5

High Torches Paradise in The Vault, 17–22 Aug, £6

TalkFest 2015: 02 Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, £6

Pramkicker Assembly George Square Studios, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£11

Storytape Gilded Balloon , 11–28 Aug, weekdays only, £free Ernie Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Bold Girls theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 8 Aug to 28 Aug, £6—£9

14:35 Savage theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £7

14:40 Unmythable Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 12, 21, £6—£10 The Cherry Orchard: Beyond the Truth C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £9.50—£11.50 Divas Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £7—£12 Captain Morgan 1: The Sands of Time Pleasance Dome, Various dates from 5 Aug to 31 Aug, £6.50—£11

Dear Cassandra and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 24–29 Aug, £5—£7 bright ideas Paradise in The Vault, 8–15 Aug, £9 Frame Narrative theSpace @ Venue45, 25–29 Aug, £8

14:50 Tribute Acts Assembly Roxy, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£10 Cross the Shifting Sands C venues – C nova, 9–31 Aug, not 18, £9.50—£11.50

For Queen and Country theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £7

Since You Went Away St.George’s School for Girls, 26 Aug, £10

Joan, Babs & Shelagh too Zoo Southside, 7–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£8 Magdalen Paradise in The Vault, 8–30 Aug, not 16, 23, £7

15:00 Waitless Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 9–22 Aug, not 16, £12 The Tales of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny Inveresk Lodge Garden, 29 Aug, £7.50 Splitting Sweet Grassmarket, 24–27 Aug, £9.50 We May Have to Choose Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 7–29 Aug, not 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, £free

Leper + Chip HHH Assembly Roxy, 6–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £5—£10

Fault Lines Basic Mountain, 9 Aug, 27 Aug, 28 Aug, £12

Filthy Talk for Troubled Times Basic Mountain, 12 Aug, 20 Aug, 23 Aug, £12

The Garden Traverse Theatre, 18–30 Aug, not 24, £18

Chapters of Chekhov C venues – C cubed, 8–15 Aug, £8.50—£9.50

Shh! It’s The Very Perry Show Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 19–30 Aug, £6—£7.50

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £10

Storytape Gilded Balloon , 11–28 Aug, weekdays only, £free

Staircases theSpace on Niddry St, 23–27 Aug, £6

14:55

360 ALLSTARS

Assembly HAll 6 – 31 Aug, 16:15

Manalive! Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £5—£10

Radical urban circus where street meets elite

The Private Ear Sweet Grassmarket, 28–29 Aug, £7

Gruesome Playground Injuries HHH Basic Mountain, 10 Aug, 13 Aug, 16 Aug, 19 Aug, 26 Aug, £12

❤

The Trial of Hermann Ethé Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 10–15 Aug, £9

Derby Day Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, £6—£10

Mrs Tobit Tells All St Cuthbert’s Church, 20–31 Aug, not 22, 24, £free

Eau de Toilette Thistle King James Hotel, 7–29 Aug, not 11, 16, 17, 24, 25, £free

Captain Morgan 2: The Sea of Souls Pleasance Dome, Various dates from 6 Aug to 30 Aug, £6.50—£11

BED Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £6—£8

Linking Rings Le Monde, 7–31 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, 29, £8—£10

Eat Me! Drink Me! Buy Me! C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £7.50—£9.50

The Cagebirds Paradise in Augustines, 25–30 Aug, £5

Trans Scripts Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£10

Ada Bedlam Theatre, 5–30 Aug, not 7, 12, 19, 26, £6—£8

The Eulogy of Toby Peach HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 Can I Start Again Please HHHH Summerhall, 5–30 Aug, not 10, 17, £8—£10

I’m Backing Britain Lauriston Halls, 10–14 Aug, £8

A Divine Comedy Valvona & Crolla, 26–28 Aug, £15

Miss Sarah ZOO, 7–31 Aug, not 17, 21, 24, £6—£9

Listings

Adam Long’s Dickens Abridged Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£13.50

Lifted Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 6–20 Aug, £free

PAN Assembly Hall, 6–31 Aug, not 9, 17, 24, £10—£15

Corium Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 17–22 Aug, £8

ménage Underbelly, George Square, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 18, £10—£14 Things My Mother Never Told Me Basic Mountain, 14 Aug, £12

15:05

Circular - Strada Circolare Italian Cultural Institute, 7–21 Aug, not 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, £7 I Am Not Mark Twain Basic Mountain, 21–22 Aug, £12

Ruskin Live: The 1853 Edinburgh Lectures Scottish National Gallery, 10 Aug, 11 Aug, 13 Aug, 14 Aug, £10

The Wendy House Trilogy: Edmund Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 24–29 Aug, £10 A Midsummer Night’s Dream C venues – C cubed, 16– 31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 The Wendy House Trilogy: Peter Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–22 Aug, £10

RAZ by Jim Cartwright The Guardian (9/8/2015)

Assembly GeorGe squAre 6 – 31 Aug, 16:00

Wild Bill: Sonnet of a Bardsterd theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £9 A Traffic Jam on Sycamore Street theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £7

15:10 Somebody Out There Loves Me theSpace on the Mile, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £6—£7 A Fine Line Assembly Hall, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£11

The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£9 A Glass Half Full Spotlites, 24 Aug, 26 Aug, 28 Aug, 30 Aug, £10

15:20 Much Further Out Than You Thought Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£11

The Lost Art of Lost Art Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£10.50

❤ This Will End Badly HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, 25, £6—£10.50

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase SpaceTriplex, 10–14 Aug, £8

Gomaar Trilogy Summerhall, 7–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £10

The Also-Ran theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £8 The Dock Brief theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £5

15:15 All the Nice Girls Sweet Grassmarket, 6–29 Aug, not 17, £7 God’s Waiting Room theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10–15 Aug, £5 Woodbine Willie Palmerston Place Church, 29 Aug, £11 Rope The Edinburgh Academy, 12–19 Aug, £10 Bruce Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £6—£12.50 Comfort Slaves New Town Theatre, 6–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £7—£10 Oh Gumtree C venues – C nova, 5–22 Aug, not 13, £7.50—£9.50 The Man Called Monkhouse Assembly Hall, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £10—£14 For the Love of Chocolate Spotlites, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, 29 Aug, 31 Aug, £10 The Bench theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–20 Aug, £5

Acts of Redemption Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10.50 I Am Beast Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£11

15:25 La Merda by Cristian Ceresoli, starring Silvia Gallerano Summerhall, 25–30 Aug, £10 The Dream Sequentialists ZOO, 7–30 Aug, not 18, £9

15:30 Dust Never Settles in Torchlight theSpace on Niddry St, 23–27 Aug, £6 The Element in the Room: A Radioactive Musical Comedy about the Death and Life of Marie Curie Pleasance Courtyard, Various dates from 5 Aug to 31 Aug, £6.50—£10 Tate Postmodern C venues – C nova, 5–18 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Mutually Assured Destruction Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, 19 Aug, 20 Aug, £5

Garden HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 Filthy Talk for Troubled Times Basic Mountain, 29 Aug, £12

Soapy Smith’s Alaskana Extravaganza Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, 21 Aug, £5

Scattered C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £8.50—£10.50

15:35

❤ Swallow HHHH

Storytape Gilded Balloon , 11–28 Aug, weekdays only, £free

Walking the Tightrope: The Tension Between Art and Politics Underbelly Potterrow, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £11—£15.50

Back to Blackbrick Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

The Kitchen Sink by Tom Wells theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £6

The Ghost of Sadie Kimber Spotlites, 6–22 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

In The Company Of Women Spotlites, 6–31 Aug, not 7, £8.50—£10

The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Survival of (R)Evolutionary Theories in the Face of Scientific and Ecclesiastical Objections: Being a Musical Comedy About Charles Darwin (1809-1882) Pleasance Courtyard, 15 Aug, 19 Aug, 22 Aug, 26 Aug, 29 Aug, £10—£11

Paradise: Lost theSpace on Niddry St, 24–29 Aug, £8—£10

Blind Man’s Song Pleasance Dome, 6–30 Aug, £6—£12 Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking Pleasance Courtyard, 16 Aug, 20 Aug, 23 Aug, 27 Aug, 30 Aug, £10—£11 The Rhum Plants Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, not 19, 26, £8 Wendy Hoose by Johnny McKnight The Assembly Rooms, 17–30 Aug, £15 LOTTO: Karma of the Alchemist Assembly George Square Studios, 6–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £10—£14 Gruesome Playground Injuries HHH Basic Mountain, 31 Aug, £12 Attempts on Her Life C venues – C, Various dates from 6 Aug to 30 Aug, £9.50—£11.50 The River C venues – C, Various dates from 5 Aug to 31 Aug, £9.50—£11.50 I Gave Him an Orchid

Summerhall, 24–29 Aug, £12

The Human Ear Roundabout @ Summerhall, Various dates from 6 Aug to 30 Aug, £9—£15 Lungs Roundabout @ Summerhall, Various dates from 7 Aug to 29 Aug, £9—£17 Savage theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 21–22 Aug, £7

15:40 Sweeney Todd: The Panto theSpace on Niddry St, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £4—£7.50

❤ Little Thing, Big Thing HHHH Assembly George Square Studios, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £10—£14 The Jennifer Tremblay Trilogy Part III: The Deliverance Assembly Roxy, 17 Aug, £12.50 ménage Underbelly, George Square, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 18, £10—£14

15:45

Dark Lantern Just Festival at Central Hall, 24–31 Aug, £10 Denial Just Festival at Central Hall, 7–15 Aug, £10

Traverse Theatre, 15 Aug, £20

These Troubled Times C venues – C nova, 5–22 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Pardon / In Cuffs Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 16 Aug, £18 Secrets of Us C venues – C, 10–15 Aug, £8.50—£9.50 The Accidental Adventures of Sherlock Holmes C venues – C, 16–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Elective Affinities Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 10–30 Aug, £8 Horrids Cafe Camino, 8–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride Traverse Theatre, 14 Aug, £20 Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies The Assembly Rooms, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £10—£12

Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons Zoo Southside, 7–22 Aug, £9

❤ Swallow HHHH Traverse Theatre, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £20

Jane Austen’s Forgotten Stories Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 21–30 Aug, £free Counting Stars by Atiha Sen Gupta

HHH

Assembly George Square Studios, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

Fife Youth Arts Hub Fringe Picks The Edinburgh Academy, 16 Aug, 20 Aug, 21 Aug, 22 Aug, £10 Double Bill Duddingston Kirk Manse Gardens, 11–22 Aug, not 16, 17, £6

❤ Fake It ‘til You Make It HHHH Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, 30 Aug, £18

15:50

Pardon / In Cuffs Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, 28 Aug, £18

Touched by Fire theSpace on the Mile, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £8

Things My Mother Never Told Me Basic Mountain, 15 Aug, £10

Beowulf Sweet Grassmarket, 10–23 Aug, £8 Subsist Sweet Grassmarket, 26–30 Aug, £9 Electric Dreams Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£11

15:55 Clairvoyant C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Bayou Blues Venue 13, 8–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £8

16:00

Tomorrow Traverse Theatre, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, 30 Aug, £20

Happily After Ever Paradise in Augustines, Various dates from 14 Aug to 20 Aug, £5

How to Keep an Alien Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £12—£18

The Christians Traverse Theatre, 12 Aug, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £20

Jack Rooke: Good Grief Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 1972: The Future of Sex ZOO, 7–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£9

❤ The Solid Life of Sugar Water HHHH

Pleasance Dome, 5–30 Aug, not 12, 17, 24, £6—£10

Dorian Gray Pleasance Dome, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£9.50 RAZ by Jim Cartwright HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 6–31 Aug, not 12, 24, £10—£13.50

BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 /AssemblyFestival

AssemblyFest

@AssemblyFest

Theatre

Filthy Talk for Troubled Times Basic Mountain, 17 Aug, £12 Rowan James: Easy for You to Say Zoo Southside, 23–30 Aug, £10 A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride Traverse Theatre, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £20 Storytape Gilded Balloon , 11–28 Aug, weekdays only, £free Descent Just Festival at Central Hall, 16–23 Aug, £10

festmag.co.uk

16:05

16:10 Brute Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 19, £6—£11 The Times They Are a Changin’ Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 24–29 Aug, £7 Beyond Expectations Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–15 Aug, £4—£8 The Orchid and the Crow Assembly Roxy, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 24, £7—£12 Death Actually: A Necromantic Comedy Paradise in Augustines, 24–30 Aug, £9

Heads theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £7

Reunion Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £6—£10

Academy of Risk SpaceTriplex, 24–29 Aug, £6

Tension Square theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £7

Sweetness and Light SpaceTriplex, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £8

16:15

The Next Moon Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £8

Hearts of Folk Paradise in The Vault, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 16, 23, £8

Gagarin Way theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 9 Aug to 29 Aug, £6—£9

I Am Not Myself These Days HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£11

Five-a-Side Theatre theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10–14 Aug, £free Elysium Fields Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 24–29 Aug, £8 Noel Coward and Friends Live in Las Vegas Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 7–15 Aug, £6—£10 Hell Hath No Fury theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £5—£6 Dead Letter Office theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 8 Aug to 28 Aug, £6—£9 Cross Wire theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £8—£10 My Friend Peter C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £8.50—£10.50

Anon(ymous) Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5 Phaedra’s Love C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £8.50—£10.50

❤

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying

HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £18

Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, 20 Aug, £5

16:20 God’s Waiting Room theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–20 Aug, £5 ménage Underbelly, George Square, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 18, £10—£14

Wil Greenway – For the Ground that Grew Me Underbelly Med Quad, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 The Bench theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10–15 Aug, £5

16:25 Edith in the Dark Momentum Venues @ St Stephens, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £8—£11.50 The Hobbit Church Hill Theatre, 21 Aug, £5 Roaring Boys Te Kore, 10–15 Aug, £6

16:30 Tomorrow Traverse Theatre, 18 Aug, £20 An Oak Tree Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, £20 The Rape of Lucrece Assembly Hall, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £5—£10 Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, 28 Aug, £20 Crash HHH Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £18 Fourth Monkey’s Grimm Tales: Rapunzel theSpace on Niddry St, 7–29 Aug, £8—£11 Big Shot Bedlam Theatre, 5–30 Aug, £6—£10 Violence of the Lambs Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free The Daily Tribunal Sweet Grassmarket, 17–30 Aug, £10 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10 The Bad Arm: Confessions of a Dodgy Irish Dancer Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£12

Lunch Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5—£7

16:35 2 Up, 2 Down, 1 Back Paradise in The Vault, 8–15 Aug, £5 CELL Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £6—£11

16:40 Molly Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£10 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Family

HHH

Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£11

Awakening, Sweet and Sour Sensory Composition HHH Spotlites, 6–22 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£8.50 Storm in a Teacup Spotlites, 6–15 Aug, £7.50

360 ALLSTARS

Assembly HAll 6 – 31 Aug, 16:15

Inglorious Insinuations of Insanity C venues – C nova, 23–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Impromptu Shakespeare Thistle King James Hotel, 7–17 Aug, £free

Filthy Talk for Troubled Times Basic Mountain, 14 Aug, 28 Aug, £12

The History of the World Based on Banalities Summerhall, 7–14 Aug, £10

I Am Not Mark Twain Basic Mountain, 18 Aug, £13 Backstage in Biscuit Land Pleasance Courtyard, 24–30 Aug, £9—£11

I Got Dressed in Front of My Nephew Today ZOO, 7–22 Aug, not 17, £5—£9

Stories, Told C venues – C, 23–30 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

16:55 Bedsocks and Secrets Spotlites, 23–31 Aug, £10 Nell Gwyn: An Epilogue Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, £9

❤ What I Learned From Johnny Bevan HHHH

Summerhall, 7–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£12

Radical urban circus where street meets elite

Bones theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £5—£10

TalkFest 2015: 02 Traverse Theatre, 17 Aug, £6

Holly and Ivy Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 14–23 Aug, not 18, £free

Le Gateau Chocolat: Black Assembly Hall, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £8—£12

17:05

Paintings and Cake C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £8.50—£10.50

The Furies C venues – C nova, 16–31 Aug, £9.50—£11.50

16:50

ménage Underbelly, George Square, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 18, £10—£14

Titus Andronicus: An All-Female Production Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 13, 20, £6—£11.50

16:45

Angelus Te Kore, 11–15 Aug, £8

To Sleep To Dream Summerhall @ Tom Fleming Centre, 27–29 Aug, £15

17:00

Citizen Puppet Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£12

10x10x10 Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 Aug, £6—£12

Listings

Mind the Gap Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 7–21 Aug, not 16, £10

Desperate Measures: Moonfleece C venues – C cubed, 6–15 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Fair Cruelty Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, 18 Aug, £5

Father Time SpaceTriplex, 10–15 Aug, £5 A Face That Fits theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £5—£9 Chicken Roundabout @ Summerhall, 7–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £9—£16

17:10 Secret Honour theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £5—£8

The Wedding Reception B’est Restaurant, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £39 Allie HH Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, £6.50—£12.50 To Space Summerhall, 10–30 Aug, not 18, 25, £6—£10 The Trials of Galileo New Town Theatre, 6–30 Aug, £9—£13 Gruesome Playground Injuries

HHH

Basic Mountain, 7 Aug, 22 Aug, 30 Aug, £12

Fault Lines Basic Mountain, 12 Aug, 20 Aug, £12 The HandleBards: Secret Shakespeare Bedlam Theatre, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, 26 Aug, £18

Eclipse Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 7–15 Aug, £6 The Canterbury Tales theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £7 John Lennon: In His Own Write Voodoo Rooms, 8–30 Aug, £free The Frida Kahlo of Penge West C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £9.50—£11.50 Nelson: The Sailors’ Story ZOO, 7–31 Aug, £7—£10 The Alphabet Girl theSpace on the Mile, 7–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £8—£10 The School of Night: Rhapsodes C venues – C, 5–17 Aug, £9.50—£11.50 Spillikin – A Love Story HHH Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 12, 24, £6—£10

RAZ by Jim Cartwright The Guardian (9/8/2015)

Assembly GeorGe squAre 6 – 31 Aug, 16:00

Jethro Compton’s Frontier Trilogy: Blood Red Moon C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £11.50—£13.50 The Society of Strange C venues – C, 18–30 Aug, £9.50—£11.50

17:15 A Life With The Beatles Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, £9

17:25 Me, as a Penguin theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £8 The Titanic Orchestra Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £9—£16.50 18 Foot Story theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–20 Aug, £5 The 229 is Never on Time theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10–15 Aug, £5

The Art of Reduction and the Distillation of Humanity: Whisky Theatre Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@ Jenners, 11–29 Aug, not 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 24, 27, £15

17:30

A Walk on the Wild Side C venues – C nova, 23–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Faust Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 17–22 Aug, £7 Mr Poe’s Legendarium C venues – C nova, 5–22 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Dark Matter Venue 13, 8–29 Aug, not 17, £8 Exhibit This! The Museum Comedies Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5 Bad Boys: Whisky Theatre Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@ Jenners, 20 Aug, 27 Aug, £15 And Then I See You... The Edinburgh Academy, 14–15 Aug, £7 Down Came the Rain Church Hill Theatre, 17–18 Aug, £5

17:20 Do Not Go Gentle Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, 20 Aug, 21 Aug, £5 Forever House Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 24–29 Aug, £7 It’s a Woman’s War Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–15 Aug, £3—£5

Façade theSpace on the Mile, 9–23 Aug, not 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, £7

Playback Impro Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free

The Paradise Project Northern Stage at Summerhall, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £10—£12

CUT Underbelly, George Square, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £9—£13.50

The Sunset Five Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£11

Filthy Talk for Troubled Times Basic Mountain, 6 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £free—£13

ménage Underbelly, George Square, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 18, £10—£14

17:45

The Outsider New Town Theatre, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £8—£12

A Sudden Burst of Blinding Light Zoo Southside, 7–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£9

Echoes by Henry Naylor HHH Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 19, £5—£12.50

Catalpa Paradise in The Vault, 8–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £3—£6

Oh Hello! Assembly Hall, 17 Aug, £9

Waste of Time: 1985 and 2085 theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £7

Fills Monkey: Incredible Drum Show Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 12, 17, 25, £8—£13.50 Be My Baby! theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £7

17:35 65 Days of Tracy the Marquis Mannequin Spotlites, 6–22 Aug, £7—£9.50 The Very Grey Matter of Edward Blank

Assembly Roxy, 6–31 Aug, not 18, £6—£12

PiTH theSpace on the Mile, 25 Aug, 27 Aug, 29 Aug, £8

Rabbie theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–23 Aug, £10.50

17:50 Gary Busey’s One-Man Hamlet as Performed by David Carl Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 12, £6—£11 Forget About It Paradise in The Vault, 24–30 Aug, £6 The Worry Monster Paradise in Augustines, Various dates from 9 Aug to 29 Aug, £8.50 Five Drinks Paradise in Augustines, Various dates from 8 Aug to 30 Aug, £8.50

17:40 Love in the Time of Gilmore Girls Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £5—£7 Desperate Measures: Below the Breadline C venues – C cubed, 6–15 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Houseplay theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 18 Aug to 29 Aug, £6 Man to Man Underbelly Potterrow, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £7—£12

17:55 The Unknown Soldier Spotlites, 6–31 Aug, £6.50—£10 BLAM! Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 12, 18, 24, £9—£16.50 Vampires in the Vault Paradise in The Vault, 8–15 Aug, £8

18:00 Trainspotting Assembly George Square Studios, 6–31 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £10—£15

The Glorious Damnation of Eddie Small Bedlam Theatre, 5–22 Aug, not 12, £7—£10 I Am Not Mark Twain Basic Mountain, 17 Aug, £13 Diary of a Madman ZOO, 7–30 Aug, not 16, 23, £10 Austensibility Mayfield Salisbury Church, 10–14 Aug, £8 Out of Darkness Buccleuch Free Church, 18–22 Aug, £free The Money City Chambers, 27–28 Aug, £10 Fourth Monkey’s Grimm Tales: Little Red Cap theSpace on Niddry St, 7–29 Aug, £8—£11 Gruesome Playground Injuries HHH Basic Mountain, 5 Aug, 9 Aug, 27 Aug, £free—£13 Fault Lines Basic Mountain, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 21 Aug, 26 Aug, 29 Aug, £13 The Garden Traverse Theatre, 18–30 Aug, not 24, £18 Midnight Cafe Paradise in The Vault, 17–30 Aug, not 23, £5—£6

18:05 Antigone on Antigone theSpace on Niddry St, 7–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £10

18:10 The Edge Effect C venues – C nova, 16– 22 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Belfast Boy Spotlites, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £8.50—£10 At the Break of Dawn C venues – C nova, 5–15 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Splitfoot C venues – C nova, 5–22 Aug, £9.50—£11.50 Dicing With Dr Death Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £5—£7.50 The Lonely Poet (or: The Pleonasm) Sweet Grassmarket, 6–23 Aug, not 12, 19, £5—£7

John Godber’s Happy Jack Quaker Meeting House, 17–22 Aug, £8 In Light of... Sweet Grassmarket, 25 Aug, 26 Aug, 28 Aug, 29 Aug, 30 Aug, £8 Anon(ymous) Church Hill Theatre, 21 Aug, £5 A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride Traverse Theatre, 15 Aug, £20 Much Ado About Nothing The Royal Scots Club, 17–22 Aug, £12

18:20

The Letter: To be or to MBE HH Assembly George Square Theatre, 5–31 Aug, not 12, 24, £6—£12 Abacus Summerhall, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 11, 18, 25, £10—£15

Fair Cruelty Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, 19 Aug, £5 Reconciling theSpace on the Mile, 8–29 Aug, not 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, £8 That Sickness Unto Death SpaceTriplex, 17–21 Aug, £4

18:15 Knowledge and a Girl C venues – C too, 6–15 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

❤

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 16 Aug, £18

How to Keep an Alien Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, 30 Aug, £18 Health Under Fire Cafe Camino, 8–29 Aug, not 26, £free

PiTH theSpace on the Mile, 7 Aug, 14 Aug, 21 Aug, 28 Aug, £8

18:25 Tumbling After SpaceTriplex, 7–29 Aug, not 16, £9—£11 Titania – A Solo Cabaret Summerhall, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 10, 17, 24, £10—£12.50

Facebooked! The Assembly Rooms, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, £9—£10

I’m Not Here Right Now Roundabout @ Summerhall, 7–30 Aug, not 18, 25, £8—£13

Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, £5

Future Honey Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 7–22 Aug, not 16, £8—£10

Quiz theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £6

Frankenstein Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–22 Aug, not 16, £free—£10

If I Were Me HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50

Pardon / In Cuffs Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £12—£18

The Wendy House Trilogy: Dorothy Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £10

Doris, Dolly and the Dressing Room Divas Assembly Hall, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £10—£16

The Dolphin Hotel theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £6

Kursk Te Kore, 10–15 Aug, £8

Grounded Spotlites, 6–31 Aug, £7

18:30 The Alice Effect theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £5

BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 /AssemblyFestival

AssemblyFest

@AssemblyFest

Theatre

Fest recommends

The I Hate Children Children’s Show Award winning magic for kids and cool parents.

Get your tickets now! Best

Children’s Show

IHATECHILDREN.COM

Mornings at 11:45 Pleasance Courtyard Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £5—£10 Help Yourself Just Festival at Central Hall, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £10

festmag.co.uk

Down & Out in Paris and London HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£12.50 Incarnadine Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 7–15 Aug, £4—£8 Parlour Games ZOO, 7–31 Aug, not 16, £5—£9 Fable Summerhall, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 17, 24, £7—£11 Waking Beauty C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £7.50—£9.50 Write Yourself Free Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 14–16 Aug, £free A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride Traverse Theatre, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £20 The Witch of Edmonton The Royal Scots Club, 10–15 Aug, £10 Tomorrow Traverse Theatre, 14 Aug, £20 The Christians Traverse Theatre, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, 30 Aug, £20

Bloody East Europeans Quaker Meeting House, 25–29 Aug, £6 Undermined Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £8 Ashes Afar Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £6—£8 Crash HHH Traverse Theatre, 15 Aug, £18 The Gin Chronicles artSpace@StMarks, 10–22 Aug, not 16, £10 Shakespeare in the Garden: What You Will C venues – C south, 6–31 Aug, not 18, £7.50—£9.50

18:35 Lost in Transition Summerhall, 12–23 Aug, £5—£8 Phantasmagoria C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £4.50—£6.50 101 Reasons Why I #@%$ Katie Hopkins Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £8 Mabinogion theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–22 Aug, £5

18:40 ACOrN: A Crunch or None theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 18 Aug to 29 Aug, £6 The Pie-Eyed Piper of Hamilton Assembly George Square Studios, 5–31 Aug, not 6, 17, 24, £8—£14 The Thomas Clifford Show Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 10–22 Aug, not 18, £9—£11 A Fistful of Hunny theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 17 Aug to 28 Aug, £6 The Graduettes theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 25–29 Aug, £8 Pip Utton: Adolf The Assembly Rooms, 22 Aug, £15

18:45 The Year of The Hare Pleasance Dome, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£10 The HandleBards: Hamlet Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – West Gate, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, 28 Aug, 30 Aug, £12

17 Border Crossings Summerhall, 5–30 Aug, not 6, 10, 17, 24, £10—£14

The HandleBards: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – West Gate, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, 27 Aug, 29 Aug, £12

A Translation of Shadows Summerhall, 25–29 Aug, £10

Francesca, Francesca... Venue 13, 8–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £8

❤

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying HHHH

There’s a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis Momentum Venues @ St Stephens, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £8—£15 Tomorrow Traverse Theatre, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £20 Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour Traverse Theatre, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £20 Crash HHH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £18

❤ Fake It ‘til You Make It HHHH Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, £18

Listings

Assembly HAll 6 – 31 Aug, 16:15

Since You Went Away St.George’s School for Girls, 26–28 Aug, £10 Insensible Spotlites, 6–15 Aug, £9.50 When Blair had Bush and Bunga Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £8—£16.50

❤ Jamie Wood – O No! HHHH Assembly Roxy, 5–31 Aug, not 17, 24, £5—£12

18:50 Jurassic Park Assembly Roxy, 5–30 Aug, not 17, £7—£12

Fawlty Towers theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £7

18:55

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Inveresk Lodge Garden, 29 Aug, £10.50

Phantasmagoria C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £4.50—£6.50 Jane and Lizzy theSpace on the Mile, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £7—£9

19:00 Touch New Town Theatre, 19–30 Aug, £11 Desperately Seeking Sugar Spotlites, 8–15 Aug, £9 And I Ran With the Gang: The Story of Alan Longmuir, the Original Bay City Roller Le Monde, 7–31 Aug, not 8, 15, 22, 29, £12—£15

Radical urban circus where street meets elite

At the Illusionist’s Table The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, 7–31 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, 30, £59 The Ted Bundy Project Zoo Southside, 23–29 Aug, £8 Rap Guide to Climate Chaos Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 18, £7—£12

❤ Fake It ‘til You Make It HHHH Traverse Theatre, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £18

To Sleep To Dream Summerhall @ Tom Fleming Centre, 18–26 Aug, £8—£15

Editor’s Choice

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011

The List No2

at the Fringe 2013

19:05 Confessional by Tennessee Williams C venues – C cubed, 6–31 Aug, not 17, £9.50—£11.50 Phone Whore (A One Act Play With Frequent Interruptions) Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 18, 19, 25, 26, £8.50 Doctor Marigold’s Prescriptions theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £7

The American Soldier Zoo Southside, 7–22 Aug, £7—£9

Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, 28 Aug, £18

360 ALLSTARS

Wojtek the Bear Scottish Storytelling Centre, 6–31 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £8—£10

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011

19:10 The Colours of Kenny Roach theSpace on Niddry St, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £11 Mrs Dalloway theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 25–29 Aug, £8 Bench theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 24–29 Aug, £7

19:15 The Christians Traverse Theatre, 18 Aug, £20 Odd Shaped Balls SpaceTriplex, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £9

❤ Swallow HHHH Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, £20

Butoh Medea Paradise in The Vault, 8–30 Aug, not 16, 23, £5—£9 Woodbine Willie Palmerston Place Church, 25–28 Aug, £11 Light Boxes Summerhall, 7–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £10—£17

RAZ by Jim Cartwright The Guardian (9/8/2015)

Assembly GeorGe squAre 6 – 31 Aug, 16:00

Phantasmagoria C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £4.50—£6.50

Devious Comments Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 22–26 Aug, £free

Exhibit This! The Museum Comedies Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, 20 Aug, £5

Foxfinder Bedlam Theatre, 5–30 Aug, not 16, 23, 24, £7—£10

Down Came the Rain Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, 21 Aug, £5 Terry Pratchett’s Eric Paradise in Augustines, 8–22 Aug, not 16, £9

19:20 Night + Daze H Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 12, £6—£11 Numbers C venues – C nova, 7–14 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow New Town Theatre, 6–17 Aug, £7—£12 Do Not Go Gentle Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5 The Marvellous Mechanical Mesmerist theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 24–29 Aug, £8 Broken Biscuits theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £10 A History of Feminism (As Told By a Sexist Pig) theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–22 Aug, not 9, £5 Hamlet Spotlites, 6–31 Aug, £12 Strawberries in January C venues – C nova, 16–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 The Raven theSpace on the Mile, 7–22 Aug, not 9, £7—£8

19:25 My Name is... HHH Northern Stage at Summerhall, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £11—£14 Jethro Compton presents Sirenia C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £11.50—£13.50

19:30 Noises Off St Ninian’s Hall, 10–22 Aug, not 16, 20, £12 Fourth Monkey’s Grimm Tales: Hansel and Gretel theSpace on Niddry St, 7–29 Aug, £8—£11

The Game’s Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays Murrayfield Parish Church Centre, 6–15 Aug, not 9, £10—£12 The Pilgrim’s Progress Edinburgh Elim, 18–20 Aug, £11 God’s Smuggler Buccleuch Free Church, 18–22 Aug, £free The Remnants: As Thyself C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £9.50—£11.50 The Trepidation of the Tower Traipsing Troglodytes C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £8.50—£10.50

❤ Swallow HHHH Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, 28 Aug, £20

The Game’s Afoot. An Encounter With Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, 12–14 Aug, £10 Darkness Falls – John’s Gospel Palmerston Place Church, 19–21 Aug, £10 Underneath Dance Base, 7–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £8—£10

19:35 The Greatest Stories Never Told theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £7 Maiden: A Recycled Fairy Tale Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £8

Party Paradise in The Vault, 24–30 Aug, £7

Donald Does Dusty Summerhall, 17–30 Aug, not 25, £8—£12

Festivus C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £8.50—£10.50

Phantasmagoria C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £4.50—£6.50

The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour Outside the Beehive Inn, 3 Aug–6 Sep, £14 Bortle 8 Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £free

19:40 One for My Baby theSpace on the Mile, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £7

19:45

The Good Doctor Duddingston Kirk Manse Gardens, 12–30 Aug, not 17, 18, 24, 25, £10

E15 Gilded Balloon , 16–31 Aug, £8—£10

Bear Hug Paradise in The Vault, 7–22 Aug, not 16, £6—£7

Nina Simone Black Diva Power New Town Theatre, 6–30 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £7—£14

64 Squares Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 18, £6—£10 Whisky Galore South Leith Parish Church Halls, 13–21 Aug, not 16, £10 The Cheshire Cats Saughtonhall United Reformed Church, 10–15 Aug, £7 Leftovers ZOO, 7–31 Aug, not 12, 18, £6—£8 Pre-View Traverse Theatre, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, £6

This Much (or An Act of Violence Towards the Institution of Marriage) ZOO, 7–31 Aug, not 16, 24, £5—£9 The Fairmer Wants a Wife Mayfield Salisbury Church, 7–21 Aug, weekdays only, £10

19:50 The Empire Builders C venues – C, 5–18 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

19:55 Phantasmagoria C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £4.50—£6.50 An Audience With Jimmy Savile Assembly George Square Studios, 11–22 Aug, £15—£16

20:00 The Litvinenko Project Summerhall, 14–30 Aug, not 20, 27, £5—£10 Filthy Talk for Troubled Times Basic Mountain, Various dates from 8 Aug to 30 Aug, £13 I Am Not Mark Twain Basic Mountain, 19 Aug, £13 Thief Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, £10 Morro and Jasp Do Puberty Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, £5—£10 Faulty Towers The Dining Experience B’est Restaurant, 6–31 Aug, not 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29, £45—£49.50 Toys theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 24–29 Aug, £7 Stockholm Te Kore, 10–14 Aug, £8 Hula House Zoo Southside, 11–23 Aug, not 17, 18, £7—£13.50 Village Pub Theatre Village Pub Theatre, 16–29 Aug, not 19, 26, £6 Gruesome Playground Injuries HHH Basic Mountain, 12 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, 23 Aug, 28 Aug, £13 Fault Lines Basic Mountain, Various dates from 6 Aug to 31 Aug, £free—£13 To Sleep To Dream Summerhall @ Tom Fleming Centre, 27–29 Aug, £15

Sexmaniac. Anarchist Theatre Only for the Mentally Unhinged theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 17 Aug, 19 Aug, 20 Aug, 21 Aug, 22 Aug, £8 Twelve theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £7

20:10 Stuart Bowden: Wilting in Reverse Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£11

Munch Underbelly Med Quad, 5–31 Aug, not 19, £7—£10 Lear’s Daughters C venues – C nova, 7–14 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

20:25 The Hobbit Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, 20 Aug, £5 Submarine theSpace on Niddry St, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £7.50

20:15 Swing By Around 8 C venues – C nova, 5–18 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5 Willie and Sebastian Gilded Balloon , 5–31 Aug, not 17, £6—£14 Comfort Slaves New Town Theatre, 6–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £7—£10

Jethro Compton presents Sirenia C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 28, £11.50—£13.50 Antiwords Summerhall, 10–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £12

20:30 Katie O’Kelly’s Counter Culture Just Festival at St John’s , 7–30 Aug, not 8, 17, 24, £12 Trainspotting Assembly George Square Studios, 5–31 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £10—£15

A Study on the Stillness of Love Zoo Southside, 7–22 Aug, £5—£9

Letters to Aberlour Just Festival at Central Hall, 7–31 Aug, not 17, £12

Threesome C venues – C nova, 19–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Anon(ymous) Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5 Troublesome People by Jill Haas Quaker Meeting House, 10–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £9.50—£12

Bakersfield Mist The Royal Scots Club, 17–22 Aug, £12 Roughs (for Radio) C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £9.50—£11.50 Rhapsody In Green by Mike Maran Valvona & Crolla, 11 Aug, 28 Aug, £12

Heart of Darkness SpaceTriplex, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 23, £8

A Divine Comedy Valvona & Crolla, 14 Aug, 19 Aug, 22 Aug, £15

Invisible City Venue 13, 8–29 Aug, not 17, 24, £8

Medea of the Laundromat The Laundrette, 342 Leith Walk, 10–16 Aug, £free

20:20 Charlie and the Philosorappers Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–29 Aug, not 18, £6—£10

20:05

No Strings theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £5—£10

Gods Are Fallen And All Safety Gone Summerhall, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £12

Heartlands Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £8

Denial Just Festival at Central Hall, 17 Aug, £10 Loot C venues – C, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £9.50—£11.50 The Long Road to Mrs MacIntyre’s Mrs MacIntyre’s Coffee House, 10–31 Aug, £7 On Track Summerhall, Various dates from 8 Aug to 30 Aug, £10

BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 /AssemblyFestival

AssemblyFest

@AssemblyFest

Theatre

20:35 Past Glories Paradise in The Vault, 24–26 Aug, £6 The Rules: Sex, Lies and Serial Killers theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £8—£9 Patriots Paradise in The Vault, 8–22 Aug, not 16, £8

20:40

festmag.co.uk

Sing for Your Life Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, £6—£12

Girls and Dolls New Town Theatre, 11–16 Aug, £12

❤ Fake It ‘til You Make It HHHH Traverse Theatre, 15 Aug, £18

Pardon / In Cuffs Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 25 Aug, 30 Aug, £18 Mistaken: A Quartet of Plays for One Actor C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £9.50—£11.50

White Poppies Paradise in The Vault, 27–30 Aug, £6

Bill Hicks: Dark Poet Just the Tonic at The Caves, 10–23 Aug, not 18, £5

The Bastard Queen! theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £10

The Hampstead Murder Mystery! Pleasance Dome, 14 Aug, £9.50

Distinguished Gentlemen (But Really Just a Couple of ***ts) theSpace on the Mile, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £9—£11

20:45 International Stud C venues – C cubed, 6–31 Aug, £9.50—£11.50 Butterfly Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 8–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £12 Coughing Sheep Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms), 6–29 Aug, not 18, 24, £free Elysium Fields Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 17–22 Aug, £8

Penny Arcade: Longing Lasts Longer Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, 24, £6—£12 That Deadly Noir Magic Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £8—£12

Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£11

21:00 Death and the Maiden The Royal Scots Club, 10–15 Aug, £10 Atomkraft Summerhall, 24–28 Aug, £10 Tomorrow Traverse Theatre, 15 Aug, £20

❤ A Gambler’s Guide to Dying HHHH Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £12—£18

How to Keep an Alien Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, £18 Uttoradhikaar (The Inheritance) Spotlites, 28–31 Aug, £10 Crash HHH Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, 28 Aug, £18

❤ The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven

21:10 HP Lovecraft’s The Statement of Randolph Carter theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £8 Vagabonds: My Phil Lynott Odyssey ZOO, 7–31 Aug, not 19, £6—£10 Flight Lessons theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £8 Master Shoko and Margarita Paradise in Augustines, 14–15 Aug, £9.50 Happy Birthday Without You Roundabout @ Summerhall, 7–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £8—£12 Jekyll C venues – C, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £9.50—£11.50 Padraig Potts’ Guide to Walking Spotlites, 6–31 Aug, £8.50 Jethro Compton’s Frontier Trilogy: The Clock Strikes Noon C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £11.50—£13.50

20:55

21:05

21:15

To Kill a Machine ZOO, 7–31 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £6—£9

No Exit? theSpace @ Venue45, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £12

The Temptation of St Anthony Summerhall, 13–30 Aug, not 24, £7—£12

Tripped C venues – C south, 6–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £18

360 ALLSTARS

Assembly HAll 6 – 31 Aug, 16:15

Tomorrow Traverse Theatre, 21 Aug, 27 Aug, £20

Radical urban circus where street meets elite

Love and Money theSpace on the Mile, 18–20 Aug, £6

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour Traverse Theatre, 25 Aug, 30 Aug, £20

The Long Road to Mrs MacIntyre’s Mrs MacIntyre’s Coffee House, 10–31 Aug, £7

In Case We Disappear – Free Laughing Horse @ Moriarty’s, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 20, £free The Sacred Obscene SpaceTriplex, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £8

Sunny Runny Runcorn theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £5 Punk Rock by Simon Stephens theSpace on the Mile, 24–29 Aug, £8

Police Cops Zoo Southside, 7–31 Aug, not 19, 26, £6—£10

❤ S.E.N HHHH Janis Joplin: Full Tilt The Queen’s Hall, Various dates from 24 Aug to 30 Aug, £12

❤ Now Listen to Me Very Carefully

HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, not 16, £6—£9

Bette Midler... and Me Gilded Balloon , 6–31 Aug, £5—£12

Five Feet in Front (The Ballad of Little Johnnie Wylo) Northern Stage at Summerhall, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £8—£10 The Absence Of theSpace on the Mile, 10–15 Aug, £7

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour Traverse Theatre, 19 Aug, £20

Bedlam Theatre, 5–30 Aug, not 18, £9

21:20

21:25

❤ Fake It ‘til You Make It HHHH

The Remnants: Threadbare C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 17, £9.50—£11.50 The Christians Traverse Theatre, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £20

The Emperor of America C venues – C too, 6–31 Aug, not 18, £9.50—£11.50

The Wendy House Trilogy: Peter Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 24–29 Aug, £10

Dearly Beloved theSpace on Niddry St, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £5—£7.50

21:30

How to Keep an Alien Traverse Theatre, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £18

Dark Lantern Just Festival at Central Hall, 17 Aug, £10

HHHH

Summerhall @ Artspace at St Mark’s, 23 Aug, £15

The Christians Traverse Theatre, 14 Aug, £20

The Wendy House Trilogy: Edmund Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–22 Aug, £10

Picasso Stole the Mona Lisa C venues – C nova, 16–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Listings

Crash HHH Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 16 Aug, £18

20:50

❤ Where Do Little Birds Go? HHHH

IamI Venue 13, 8–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £8

21:35 Free for All theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £10 slut (r)evolution (no one gets there overnight) Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 18, 25, £8.50

RAZ by Jim Cartwright The Guardian (9/8/2015)

Assembly GeorGe squAre 6 – 31 Aug, 16:00

Theatre

21:40 The Turn of the Screw Assembly Hall, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£11 After We Danced theSpace on the Mile, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £5—£9

21:45 Normal is an Illusion theSpace on the Mile, 25–29 Aug, £7 A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, £20 ErictheFred Assembly Roxy, 8–30 Aug, not 12, 17, 24, £7—£12

❤ Swallow HHHH

Traverse Theatre, 23 Aug, 29 Aug, £20

21:50 The Rules: Sex, Lies and Serial Killers theSpace on the Mile, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £8—£9 The Star Rover Spotlites, 6–22 Aug, £5—£8

21:55 The Last Kill Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 7–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £5—£10 The Ascension of Mrs Leech Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–29 Aug, not 16, 23, £free

Hula House Zoo Southside, 12–23 Aug, not 17, 18, £13.50

Mwathirika C venues – C, 15–31 Aug, £9.50—£11.50

❤ Swallow HHHH

Titus Andronicus theSpace @ Venue45, 13–22 Aug, not 16, £8—£9.50

Traverse Theatre, 18 Aug, £20

Today is My 100th Birthday or The Disappearance of Ubu Roi Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–22 Aug, £7 Near Gone Summerhall, 25–29 Aug, £10 Scott Smith: Wonders at Dusk The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Various dates from 6 Aug to 31 Aug, £7—£12 A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride Traverse Theatre, 22 Aug, 28 Aug, £20

22:05 Daze of My Life Paradise in The Vault, 20 Aug, £6 This Being Human Paradise in The Vault, 17 Aug, £6 Beautiful, Terrifying, Love Paradise in The Vault, 21 Aug, £6 Dancing with Crazies Paradise in The Vault, 18 Aug, £6 Madame Wu’s Reprieve Paradise in The Vault, 19 Aug, £6 La Ronde C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, not 18, £8.50—£10.50

22:00

22:10

A Midsummer Night’s Dream theSpace on Niddry St, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £7—£8

Turning Leaves Sweet Grassmarket, 12–16 Aug, £5

22:15 Indie as F*ck theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 25–29 Aug, £7 Fiesta de los Muertos theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £6.50—£12.50 The Main Yvette theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 25–29 Aug, £8 Blake Remixed Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–29 Aug, not 19, £6—£10 Over There Paradise in Augustines, 17–22 Aug, £3.50

22:20 Ozymandias theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £5—£7 I Got Dressed in Front of My Nephew Today ZOO, Various dates from 23 Aug to 30 Aug, £9

22:25 5 Kilo Sugar theSpace on the Mile, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £7—£9

22:30 Jethro Compton’s Frontier Trilogy: The Rattlesnake’s Kiss C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £11.50—£13.50 Showbiz, or, Repeat Until Funny artSpace@StMarks, 11–29 Aug, not 16, 17, 23, 24, £10

Lungs Roundabout @ Summerhall, 24 Aug, 26 Aug, 28 Aug, 30 Aug, £15—£17 Satan Speaks: ‘Why I Don’t Exist’ A TED-ish Talk Gilded Balloon , 6–23 Aug, £5—£11 The Great Downhill Journey of Little Tommy Summerhall, 8–30 Aug, not 11, 18, 19, £10 The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–29 Aug, not 10, 17, 24, £free war war brand war Paradise in The Vault, 17–30 Aug, not 23, £6—£8 Comfort Slaves New Town Theatre, Various dates from 7 Aug to 29 Aug, £7—£10 The Rocking Horse Winner Paradise in The Vault, 8–15 Aug, £8

22:40

22:50 Richard Parker C venues – C nova, 5–31 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

22:55 Angry Sweet Grassmarket, 17–23 Aug, £7 Paying the Piper Sweet Grassmarket, 12–16 Aug, £8

Here Is the News from Over There (Over There Is the News from Here) – A Borderless Twitter Ballad Fresh from the Middle East Northern Stage at Summerhall, 8–29 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £10—£12

23:15 If Only Diana Were Queer Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–29 Aug, not 23, £8.50

23:00 The Norman Conquests: Table Manners C venues – C cubed, 8 Aug, 11 Aug, 14 Aug, £10.50

Am I Dead Yet? Traverse Theatre, 18–30 Aug, not 20, 24, 26, £12—£18

Night Just Before the Forests Spotlites, 16–22 Aug, £10—£12 The Norman Conquests: Round and Round the Garden C venues – C cubed, 6 Aug, 9 Aug, 12 Aug, 15 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Oddity Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 6–27 Aug, not 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, £free Daniel Sinclair Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 6–29 Aug, not 11, 18, 25, £free

23:05

23:30

Twin Primes Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 7–15 Aug, not 9, £7—£9

Pussy Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 6–19 Aug, £free

22:45

23:10

#Realiti theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24–29 Aug, £10

Forever House Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 17–22 Aug, £7

Am I Dead Yet? Traverse Theatre, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, £18

I Went To A Fabulous Party... C venues – C too, 6–30 Aug, not 12, 19, 26, £11.50—£13.50

Fourth Monkey’s Grimm Tales: The Bloody Countess SpaceTriplex, 7–29 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £8—£12

❤ Weekend Rockstars HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 6–30 Aug, not 17, £6—£10

23:55 The Furies Summerhall, 24–28 Aug, £12

Glitter and Tears theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 7–22 Aug, not 9, 16, £6—£7

BOX assemblyfestival.com OFFICE 0131 623 3030 /AssemblyFestival

AssemblyFest

@AssemblyFest

Fringe Fashion The Fringe is like a red carpet every single day. Look good, or look out. We find out how Joanna Neary dresses to impress

All clothing for Celia Jesson handmade in UK Style inspiration: Francis Bacon Old Town Clothing Linen Skirt: Holt Church’s shoes: Nottingham Wolfram Lohr bag, Hove God’s Eye Ornament and Hat: Joanna Neary, Brighton Pants: Who Made Your Pants, Southampton Extras: mass produced for Marks and Sparks Face: model’s own The Assembly Rooms, 7:45pm – 8:45pm 11–30 Aug, not 17, £10.00

FRINGE2015 Comedy

100

ST ANDREW

SQUARE GARDEN

THEASSEMBLY

ROOMS

FRANKIE BOYLE BRIDGET CHRISTIE MICHAEL CHE LA CLIQUE PRESENTS VELVET KATHERINE RYAN JAMIE KILSTEIN BEST OF THE FEST SUNSHINE ON LEITH THE AMAZING BUBBLE MAN IDLEWILD ENTERTAINING IDEAS THE MISSING HANCOCKS STEWART LEE STEWART FRANCIS ELAINE C SMITH SOWETO SPIRITUAL SINGERS WENDY HOOSE LES MISERABLES TONY LAW FRED MACAULAY MARK WATSON STEPHEN K AMOS CHRISTINE BOVILLE SEQUAMUR PIP UTTON TOM STADE

7TH AUGUST - 31ST AUGUST www.thestand.co.uk | www.arfringe.com | 0131 558 7272 | 0844 693 3008