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HOT TICKETS SHOWS TO BOOK NOW EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW RUBY WAX SARAH MILLICAN TRUDIE STYLER ART MALIK PAUL MERTON ROGER MCGOUGH
JACK WHITEHALL Talks dating, dads and doing it his way
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CONTENTS
Contents 32
28
56
59
COMEDY
63
FEATURES
28 RUBY WAX Hidden gems from a polished act
26 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY August is stuffed full of fun events
32 JACK WHITEHALL The rise and rise of the young blade
38 FROM A-Z Alphabetically awesome acts
36 SARAH MILLICAN The Loose Woman’s risky business
87 DIANA QUICK Brideshead Revisited star on stage
45 FESTIVAL FAVOURITES Old hands school the new kids
88 ANIMALS AND CHILDREN Taking to the streets with 1927
52 PAUL MERTON Ready to go with the flow
10021 THINGS TO DO Kid-friendly activities in the city
59 BENET BRANDRETH follows in his father’s footsteps
111 DAVID GREIG The playwright takes on teenagers
63 MARGARET CHO on hanging out with Obama
143 SHOPPING Where to find hidden treasures
50 ART MALIK Family comes first for the film star
65 ONES TO WATCH Tomorrow’s stars at today’s prices
149 RELAX Take a break at a top city spa
54 TRUDIE STYLER takes A Dish of Tea with Dr Johnson
109 THE LIST OPERATORS Kids deserve a giggle too
150 KIDS LISTINGS The little ones won’t miss out
60 JULIAN SANDS teams up with John Malkovich
181 COMEDY LISTINGS Feeling funny? Step this way
171 THEATRE LISTINGS Make a drama out of your trip
70 STEVEN BERKOFF on why he’s returning to Oedipus
194 SHAPPI KHORSANDI Walks us through her Edinburgh
193 FREE FRINGE Excellent events without the expense
84 THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE Murakami’s fable comes to life
www.edfestmag.com
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EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 21
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CONTENTS
Contents 73
BOOK 34 PAMELA STEPHENSON Sex and the samba go hand in hand
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90 SAPPHIRE The Precious author’s new book 107 ROGER MCGOUGH Drawing on a new set of skills 112 JOHN BYRNE Tutti Frutti writer’s first kids’ book 167 BOOK LISTINGS Turn over a new leaf and read on
FOOD 94
116 FOODIES FESTIVAL Tim Vine, The Hamiltons & 4 Poofs 119 FOOD LISTINGS Eating, drinking and staying up late
MUSIC 93
DANCE
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56 MARC ALMOND Overcoming Ten Plagues 73 MAGNUS OSTROM returns to music after E.S.L.
77 FREE RUN Parkour is the place to be
75 THE MAGNETS A capella storms the Festival
78 CIRCOLOMBIA Circus skills and thrills
159 MUSIC LISTINGS Strike the right note at the Festivals
80 PRINCESS BARI A Korean tale of bravery and hope 83 ROCK THE BALLET The Bad Boys of Dance are in town
ART
98 SITE SPECIFIC Overnight horror and hot chocolate
94 ANISH KAPOOR Giant bells and piles of pigment
115 TATTOO Pirates and that Navy lark
97 HIROSHI SUGIMOTO Capturing lightning in a photo
178 DANCE LISTINGS Step it up for these inventive shows 22 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
112
153 ART LISTINGS Don’t paint yourself into a corner www.edfestmag.com
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WELCOME
How to book
Explore pastures new
FESTIVAL FRINGE 5-29 August Box Office 180 High Street Tel 0131 226 0000 www.edfringe.com INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 12 August - 4 September Box Office The Hub, Castlehill Tel 0131 473 2000 www.eif.co.uk BOOK FESTIVAL 13-29 August Box Office The Hub until 11 August, Charlotte Sq from 13th Tel: 0845 373 5888 www.edbookfest.co.uk JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVAL 30 July - 8 August Box Office The Hub, Castlehill Tel 0131 473 2000 www.edinburghjazzfestival.co.uk
T
ry something new today, as Jamie Oliver tells us trite words, perhaps, but behind every cliché is a kernel of truth. For every big name act coming up to the Festival, there are dozens of fresh faces and voices just waiting to be discovered. It was a short time ago that we featured our 22-year-old cover star Jack Whitehall in our Ones to Watch section, and now he’s one of the biggest comedians in the country. Sarah Millican was also featured here as a Festival Virgin, and now she’s a big TV star. So take a chance and give an up-and-comer a try: you could see the next Jason Byrne or Ruby Wax before they hit the big time. To help you along the way check out new views and reviews each day of the Festivals on our website edfestmag.com - we’ll be sending our editorial team in early to spot fresh talent and give you the heads up. Don’t forget to explore the Free Fringe acts - award winning comedian Imran Yusuf started there last year!
TATTOO 5-28 August Tel 0131 225 1188 www.edintattoo.co.uk ART 4 July-4 Sept www.edinburghartfestival.com FOODIES FESTIVAL EDINBURGH 12, 13, 14 August Tel: 0871 230 5573 www.foodiesfestival.com EDINBURGH MELA 2-4 August Box Office The Hub, Castlehill Tel 0131 473 2000 www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk.com
Sue Hitchen, Editor ISSUE 21 | JUNE 2011 SCOTTISH EDITION | FREE
HERE ARE THE TEAM’S TOP TIPS FOR EDINBURGH AT FESTIVAL TIME:
A CELEBRATION OF FINE FOOD AND DRINK
WIN A LUXURY WHISKY
EDITORIAL TEAM Editor Sue Hitchen Head down to the Book Festival to see Roger McGough Art Director Nicola Flynn Sarah Millican should be the hottest ticket in town Production Editor Caroline Whitham Take a break from the crowds in Portobello Digital Imaging Malcolm Irving Get on your bike and see the city differently Publicity Roben Hera Don’t miss Foodies Festival at Holyrood Park, 12-14 August Editorial Assistants Stephanie Roggenkamp, Lucy Hitchen Contributing Writers Kelly Apter, Mark Fisher, Jackie McGlone, Isobel Palmer, Jay Richardson, Jonathan Trew ADVERTISING TEAM Advertising Manager Bill Mackay Try a show on the Free Fringe Advertising Assistant Manager Matthew Magee Vive le Cabaret,Voodoo Rooms Advertising Sales Nathan Downs, Chris Wilson, Kelly Smith, Ken McCaskey Advertising & Production Oliver Chandler
BREAK
THAI SPICE Gordon’s Far East dream
GWYNETH PALTROW
Recipes from her father’s kitchen
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RECIPES
and top chefs
Mark Hix Diana Henry Martin Dorey Lotte Duncan Antonio Carluccio
Every month Foodies magazine brings you recipes from top chefs, plus all the latest news and reviews. www.foodiesmagazine.com
s Don’t forget to check our website www.edfestmag.com for daily review 24 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
FESTIVAL OF SPIRITUALITY 6-29 August Box Office The Hub, Castlehill Tel: 0131 473 2000 www.festivalofspirituality.org.uk
EDINBURGH FESTIVALS ISSUE 9 Published annually by The Media Company Publications Ltd. 21 Royal Circus, Edinburgh EH3 6TL Tel: 0131 226 7766 www.edfestmag.com Printed by ETHeronprint. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is strictly prohibitied. All prices and offers correct at time of going to press but subject to change. ISSN 1478-9078
www.edfestmag.com
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Q UO T 2 TE IC FO FO KE R O T 1 D S IE S2 41
Foodies Festival FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL Holyrood Park, August 12, 13 & 14
IN MICHEL CHEFS G COOKIN LIVE ● ● ● ●
Michelin chefs cooking live Eat at top restaurants Try tutored tastings Indulge in fine food and drink
Celebrate fine food & drink at Foodies Festival Edinburgh www.foodiesfestival.com 0871 230 5573
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Diary dates These are the events not to miss at this year’s Festival.
2 August Discover the reel story at the Fringe Film Festival C soco, 10am-3am 3 August Step out at the Dance Marathon Traverse @ Lyceum, 7.15pm 4 August Find out why Bette & Joan were such fierce rivals Assembly, 12.15pm 4 August Fall in love with the sounds of Eli Paperboy Reed Liquid Room, 7pm 5 August Follow in the footsteps of Ian Rankin with Rebus Tours The Royal Oak, times vary 5 August Dedicate your life to the bullring with Devotion Surgeon’s Hall, 7.20pm 6 August Take a spin on Zinnie Harris’ The Wheel Traverse, times vary 7 August Grab your plastic spoons for cult favourite The Room Assembly, 23.59pm
PICTURE: STEVE ULLATHRONE
1 August Open your eyes to Precious Light with artist David Mach City Art Centre, 10am-5pm 9 August Don’t get Busted, it’s former lead singer Charlie Simpson Cabaret Voltaire, 7pm 10 August Let your cares float away at a Buddhist Meditation Buddhist Centre, 11am 11 August Feel claustrophobic with drama After the End Pleasance, 3.50pm 12 August Unleash your inner Vampire Slayer with Buffy’s Tom Lenk Pleasance, 10.40pm 12 August Sink your teeth into local produce at Foodies Festival Holyrood Park, 11am 13 August Explore your imagination with Charlie & Lola Book Festival, 12noon 14 August Howl like you mean it at Maxwell’s Fullmooners Assembly, 11pm 15 August Clown about with The Boy with Tape on his Face Pleasance, 9.10pm
8 August Don’t lose your head at Lord of the Flies St Augustine’s, 3.15pm
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www.edfestmag.com
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PICTURE: BBC PICTURES
DIARY DATES
16 August Grow your fingernails for Itch: A Scratch Event Pleasance, times vary 16 August Make a Jackass of yourself with Steve-O Liquid Room, 7pm 17 August Experience US talent at Booking Dance Festival EICC, times vary 17 August Get creepy crawly with TV’s Steve Backshall Book Festival, 4.30pm 18 August Wave a Black Flag for motormouth Henry Rollins Queen’s Hall, 7pm 19 August Will 2012 be the end of the world? Ask Mark Watson Gilded Balloon, 7.45pm 20 August Don’t even try arguing with Jon Richardson Pleasance Dome, 2.30pm 21 August Spend An Evening with Helen Lederer, star of Ab Fab SpaceCabaret, 9.25pm 22 August Experience the joy of sitar with Ravi Shankar Usher Hall, 8pm 23 August Rock out with US stars The National Corn Exchange, 7pm
24 August Hear Crimson Petal and the White’s Michael Faber Usher Hall, 8pm 25 August Bug out with Joe’s other half, Adam Buxton Pleasance, 10.30pm 25 August Watch your continents, it’s Jimmy Eat World Corn Exchange, 7.30pm 26 August Tape deck brilliance from the Abandoman Pleasance, 9.45pm 27 August There will probably be a Panic! At the Disco HMV Picture House, 7pm 27 August Recover with The English Patient’s Michael Ondaatje Book Festival, 8pm 28 August Pirouette across the stage with Scottish Ballet Playhouse, 7.30pm 29 August Experience an Indian summer with Sriyah King’s Theatre, times vary 30 August Live for One Thousand and One Nights Lyceum, times vary 31 August Are you the chicken or the fox? Find out at Chanticleer Queen’s Hall, 11am 31 August Why won’t you just fall in love with Joan as Policewoman Liquid Room, 7pm
www.edfestmag.com
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COMEDY RUBY WAX
Waxing lyrical As feisty and outspoken as ever, Ruby Wax is on a mission to smash the stigma of mental illness, ably assisted by her best friend Judith Owen. Words Jackie McGlone
I
t’s four years and one month since Ruby Wax last plunged into the dark depths of the manic depression that has plagued her since childhood. “It’s cyclical,” she says, spooning honey into her tea. “So I usually get an attack every five years,” continues the erstwhile fearsomely mouthy and audacious TV interviewer of Pamela Anderson and O J Simpson among many others, and the co-author, with Jennifer Saunders, of Absolutely Fabulous. Does that mean the ballsy broad, who made a career out of shooting from the lip, is living in fear that the black cloud will descend upon her again in 11 months’ time? “No, I am not, although I’ll always have this disease – it’ll always come back to bite me in the ass,” replies the diminutive but indecently youthfullooking fifty-something (she refuses to disclose her age). She’s on low-dose medication and can now recognise the triggers that might make her “crash”. Nonetheless, she’s created a new Wax work, a show called Losing It, a twohander, about mental illness, which she would like to go on playing for the rest of her days. After two sold-out runs at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory, she and her best friend, singer-songwriter Judith Owen (43), also a lifelong sufferer from clinical depression, bring the show to the Edinburgh Fringe, before transferring to the West End. “Then,” says Wax, arms akimbo, “the worldtour.” 28 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
“At a show a man talked about his depression - his wife had no idea” Wax peforms with her longtime best friend Judith Owens
And world domination? “Sure!’ she exclaims, adding that she wants to break down the taboos surrounding mental illness. “It used to be the Cword, cancer, that we were afraid of talking about. Now it’s the M-word, mental illness. We have to get rid of the stigma.” The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama trained actress has already done a successful nationwide tour, with Owen, taking the show to psychiatric wards, performing for fellow sufferers from the disease and their families. Bizarrely, they have also been a hit with hen nights in the north of England. In Edinburgh, they’ll stage after-show forums so that audience members can discuss their personal battles with depression with mental health professionals. “The best minds in the business will be there,” promises Wax. When they’ve done this previously, both women have been deeply moved by people’s responses. “We did one show where a man spoke about his depression – his wife who was with him had had no idea. He’d never discussed it with her,” says Owen. “It’s utterly amazing the way people open up.” So is this theatre as therapy or confessional cabaret? ”It’s neither,” says Wax. “We just want people to know that this is an illness that anybody can get. The show starts off very funny, then it becomes informative in a funny way about how the brain works.” All of her life, Chicago-born Wax had known there was something wrong, but » www.edfestmag.com
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refused to acknowledge that she had a problem, despite having been diagnosed as depressive when she was only 10years-old. But then her childhood was miserable anyway, as she recounts in her memoir, How Do You Want Me? (There was a lot of slapping and screaming in the family home.) “For years, I really feared people seeing how depressed I was and, therefore, how ugly I was,” she confesses. She and her third husband, TV producer Ed Bye, have three children, Max, Maddie and Marina. After the birth of her youngest child, Wax found
Wax says the show starts off funny before becoming informative
“For years, I really feared people seeing how depressed I was” herself drowing in “a tsunami of depression.” She checked into the Priory for six weeks and has been a private patient there four times. Losing It was first performed at the clinic. “If depressives laugh, you’ve got a hit,” she says, explaining that, in 2006, she went back to college, gaining a postgraduate diploma in psychotherapy and counselling. Currently, she’s studying for a Master’s degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy at Oxford University.
PICTURES: TREVOR LEIGHTON AND CATHERINE ASHMORE
COMEDY RUBY WAX
If you like this try... Meryl O’Rourke: Bad Mother at Underbelly, 4-28 August (not 15)
Her professors are encouraging her to use Losing It as part of her academic research. Both she and Owen find the show cathartic. “No one loves me as much as she does,” says Wax of Owen, who divides her time between London and LA with her husband, Spinal Tap and Simpsons’ star Harry Shearer. Although she and Wax had known each other for years, they never hit it off. Owen thought Wax bolshy and bossy; Wax thought she was “an icemaiden.” Then they bonded on a plane journey, when Owen held Wax’s hand through a scarily bumpy landing and they began sharing stories of their mental traumas.
Wax said to Owen, “You’re a good person. Not every woman would be as nice as you were to someone who’s slept with a person’s husband.” “I knew Harry and Ruby had known each other in the Eighties but I never knew they’d had sex,” confides Owen. “But, hey, what the hell! She got him in his prime; I’ve got him in his wealth.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Ruby Wax: Losing It, Udderbelly, 5-29 August (not 15), 4.10pm From £10, Tel: 0844 545 8252
At a glance The comedy show Girls on Top brought Wax widespread fame. Alongside French and Saunders and Tracy Ullman she played - what else? - a brash American.
30 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
As well as appearing on Absolutely Fabulous twice with her good friend Jennifer Saunders, Wax was the co-author and script editor for the entire run of the series.
In addition to being a comedian, Wax is an accomplished interviewer. In 1994 she met Madonna who, she said, “Didn’t like me at all”
www.edfestmag.com
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COMEDY JACK WHITEHALL
Hit the road, Jack It’s been a big year for 22-year-old comedian Jack Whitehall, so as he gets ready for his first mini tour, is it time to take a breath? Words Isobel Palmer
T
hink you’ve seen a lot of Jack Whitehall? Hasn’t the blue-eyed public schoolboy appeared on just about every comedy quiz/panel/stand-up show on television? Um, well, like, yeah, as the boy himself would say, charmingly modest. It’s kind of, um, like, how you would expect a 22-yearold to speak. And I guess, he won’t, like, mind me pointing it out. Because, it’s, like, part of his schtick: self-deprecating posh boy struggles to make his way in the big, bad world. Dropping his consonants all the way. You can see why the producers of Mock the Week, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Have I Got News For You are hungry to get him to appear. When he bounced into their consciousness at the Fringe in 2007, he was a breath of fresh air. He picked up the “edgy” card whilst hosting Big Brother’s Big Mouth for E4 the next year, and has barely paused for breath since. Precocious? Not really. Talented? Most definitely. Hard-working – oh, yes. And here is the conflict; modern media demands so much, so soon. Sometimes, after a feeding frenzy, the victim is spat back out. Fortunately for Jack, a careful upbringing by his actor’s agent father Michael and actress mother Hilary, and a fine education at Marlborough College (the same school as Kate Middleton, now Duchess of Cambridge, although they were in different years), have produced a clever lad. Jack seems to have a realistic perception about himself and how the system works. “I think I’ve been accelerated to where I am a little quickly and I might have to play catch up at times. But I’m not complaining, I’m very fortunate to get to do what I love doing,” he enthuses. “I feel like
32 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
Whitehall says he owes his down-toearth attitude to his parents
I take a step in the right direction every year, but I still have so much to learn.” Indeed. He may speak like an old pro at times, but despite all his awards and TV appearances, the mini stand-up tour, entitled Let’s Not Speak of This Again, which takes in the Fringe, will be his first. It covers the theme of growing up. “Trying to be independent is now a big part of my life,” he says. “Finding someone else to look after me, too – to replace my mother – which is what I’ve being doing for the last year, with very little success.” Meanwhile, life is a constant round
“I’ve learned that when I don’t push myself I get frustrated, sitting around thinking I could be working”
If you like this, try... Daniel Sloss – The Joker at Assembly George Square, 3-29 August (not 4, 5, 16)
of work, travel, work. In July, when I speak to him, he is rehearsing for his first major acting role in a new Channel 4 sitcom called Fresh Meat. It’s about a student flatshare in Manchester. He was a student who shared a flat in Manchester, but he insists the character is not like him. Then there’s his other Edinburgh show to get ready. Jack will also be trying his hand at a chat show – with his dad, 71. Back Chat will see them both interview a Fringe performer. He is clearly delighted at the prospect. “Talking about my dad has dominated a lot of the material in two of my shows so I thought it was the best way to get closure on it. He is funniest when he is out of his comfort zone, meeting people he wouldn’t normally meet, so that’s what the show will involve.” He’s happy to admit being ambitious: “But not in an aggressive way, I just like to do stuff. I probably say yes to too much but I’ve learned that when I don’t push myself I get frustrated, sitting around and thinking I could be working.” So there is a mature man lurking somewhere inside that boyish exterior. But it doesn’t prevent him from lapses into petulance. He has to move out of his apartment because his flatmate is buying a place. He thinks he’ll have to go home. Why? “I don’t know if I would be able to cope on my own; I’m pretty incompetent.” You’re 23 this week. “Yeah, well, I’m still pretty incompetent. No doubt I’ll change on Thursday, when I’m 23.” He’s single again, he tells me, always getting dumped. That must be good for his stand-up, I suggest. “No! They always f*cking dump you just after Edinburgh so you can’t write it in,” he pretend rages. “So selfish!” ★ www.edfestmag.com
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WHERE & WHEN Jack Whitehall – Let’s Not Speak of This Again, Venue 150 @ EICC, 18-20, 25-27 August, 9.30pm, From £13, Tel: 0844 847 1639 Jack Whitehall and his Father – Back Chat, Pleasance Courtyard, 24-28 August, 5.10pm, From £9.50, Tel: 0131 556 6550
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BOOK PAMELA STEPHENSON CONNELLY
Hot to foxtrot Former comedian, sex therapist and wife of Billy-Pamela Stephenson-Connelly certainly isn’t letting the grass grow under her dancing feet. Words Jackie McGlone
“I
happen to be a person who loves good sex,” says Pamela StephensonConnolly, the saucy 61year-old whose shimmering sex appeal on BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing made her the star of the show. Never have sequins looked so seductive, a rumba so risqué, or a pasa doble so passionate. Indeed, never has dance so lived up to its reputation as the vertical expression of horizontal desire. Which is hardly surprising, given that the glamorous blonde, who has been married to exuberant Glaswegian comedian and award-winning actor Billy Connolly for 22 years and with whom she has three grown-up daughters, is something of a sex goddess. She got a new body out of the TV series, losing two-and-a-half stone as she shimmied her way to the final, which, she’s confessed, really turned her 69-year-old husband on. She’s working hard to maintain her sleek new silhouette – running 6k a day and still tangoing, although, sadly, not with the gorgeous James Jordan, with whom she put the sauce into salsa. “We’ve both been travelling, so I haven’t seen him for months,” she sighs. The New Zealand-born, Dr Stephenson-Connolly, a comedienne turned sexologist and clinical psychologist, is “fascinated” by sex. It would, she notes with a throaty laugh, be pointless if she weren’t, as she specialised in sex therapy at the Beverly Hills psychotherapy practice she established in 1994 and, as an Adjunct Professor at the California Graduate Institute, she taught human sexuality and sex therapy to psychology students.
34 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
Sex Life: How Our Sexual Experiences Define Who We Are, Pamela StephensonConnelly, Vermilion, £20
Now she’s written a definitive book on the subject, the 472-page long Sex Life: How Our Sexual Experiences Define Who We Are (Vermilion, £20), which she’ll discuss at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Back in their London apartment, she says: “Most of us struggle enormously with the concept of ourselves as sexual beings and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to write this book. Also, there has been relatively little research into most areas of sexuality – except when someone stands to make serious money from ‘proving’ that enough people suffer from some kind of sexual difficulty.” So, she decided to record the astonishingly frank testimonies of men and women of various ages because she wanted to write a book rich with the language of all kinds of different races and religions. Language, she warns,
“Many grannies and grandpas are having hot sex – get over it!”
If you like this try... Catherine Hakim at Charlotte Square, 27 August
that is raw, sometimes even “coarse.” She wanted to show that there is no such thing as “normal”. While researching her book, she ran into far more resistance from carers of people in their eighties and beyond than from the elders themselves. “The older generation were usually quite happy to talk about their sex lives with someone who was non-judgmental, but even the prospect of such a discussion is distasteful to many younger people. “Our society prefers to think that granny and grandpa are asexual, but I have news: many are having hot sex, so get over it!”
Certainly, Stephenson-Connolly has made no secret of the fact that her husband is a wonderful lover. She told one national newspaper recently that when she and Billy are apart they enjoy bouts of ‘phone sex’. She’s open about her own very active sex drive and says she’s thought long and hard about her personal sexy “beastie,” that troublesome inner monster over which we have no control. “I couldn’t have asked people to share their most intimate feelings with me if I hadn’t been prepared to talk about my own obsession with sex,” she says. “My beastie, for example, can leap out unexpectedly.” She tells how while writing her book in her New York study, she looked out of the window and saw in the window opposite “a gorgeous, young man in tiny briefs posing for the photographer who rents that office.” She called to her 22-year-old daughter in the next room: “Amy! Male-model alert! In tightywhities! Window opposite!” “I was feeling flushed, excited and lucky,” she writes. Then she wondered if she’d behaved inappropriately, either in choosing to look at him, or in including her daughter, who told her she thought it was “hilarious... and awesome.” Nonetheless, Stephenson-Connolly asked her husband what he thought. “Do you think I’m a perv?” “Yeah,” he said, with a smile. ★
WHERE & WHEN Charlotte Square, 15 August, 4.30pm From £8, Tel: 0845 225 5121
www.edfestmag.com
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COMEDY SARAH MILLICAN
Risky business Although comedian and Loose Woman Sarah Millican performs in front of hundreds of people every day, she’d rather have a cup of tea and a sit-down than go bungee jumping Words Julian Hall
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his year marks Sarah Millican’s fourth Edinburgh run after only seven years in comedy. Comedians with twice that history would envy the career path of the 36-year-old, who came to stand-up in the aftermath of a divorce and has since garnered awards, nominations (including a shortlisting for the Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Award last year), critical acclaim, a DVD release in the autumn and a string of radio and TV credits. For someone who threw herself into performing after an emotional upheaval, it’s surprising to learn that much of Millican’s latest show will be about her playing it safe. “I don’t plan a theme,” explains the loquacious and eloquent lass from South Shields. “My priority is an hour of jokes, but there seems to be an accidental thread running through this show about me being risk-averse (some people might call it boring), and I’m quite happy to shape things around it.” Millican says that she would always be the one holding the handbags if friends went on a rollercoaster. “I know this sounds like the kind of show where I’ll be showing a picture of me doing a bungee jump at the end, but I’m not going to do that!” The genesis of this caution seems to come from her mother mollycoddling her. “She would ask me to wave at her through her back door every twenty minutes if I was playing outside. I suppose that means that if I was abducted the furthest anyone could have taken me was Gateshead.” While Millican might, by her own admission, draw up the safest bucket
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Millican traces her aversion to danger back to her mother’s protectiveness
list ever, she’s no wallflower. And besides, other people would consider stand-up to be as risky as jumping out of a plane. “Maybe because risk is my job it can’t be my hobby? Perhaps if you’ve got a job that’s quite scary, then your private life is very indoorsy (no one ever says that do they; it’s always outdoorsy but never indoorsy). Do firemen like stamp-collecting in their spare time?” Spare time is something Millican hasn’t had much of lately, thanks to all sorts of commitments. Her last show played for nearly 200 dates, including the Edinburgh run, and coincided with writing for the second season of her BBC Radio 4 series Sarah Millican’s
“Maybe because risk is my job it can’t be my hobby? Do firemen like stamp collecting in their spare time?”
If you like this, try... Shazia Mirza: Busybody at Gilded Balloon, 3-28 August
Support Group, television appearances including Loose Women, and working on a TV pilot with SO TV, Graham Norton’s company. “April was the most mental month. I was touring the whole time as well as writing and recording episodes of the radio show, so I would get in from a live show, write, have a couple of hours’ sleep and then be off to somewhere else the next day after a TV show recording.” Most of the time Millican didn’t have a tour manager, so the solo nature of her work really hit home. She found herself alone after each show with only the audience tweets on her phone for company. Describing herself as “sociable and outgoing in some respects,” recording her radio show with the likes of Simon Day, Mark Heap, Tim Key, Nick Mohammed and Ruth Bratt proved a welcome contrast. “I love the collaborative aspect of it and being surrounded by funny people who can chuck in ideas and bring the funny out of you, topping each other’s jokes.” Millican is equally complimentary about the team behind her television pilot. One of the show’s elements sees her working with the audience, something she does so well in her live outings. “Real people are the most hilarious. We had one guy tells us about how he had oiled himself up for his boyfriend but his partner slid off him, whacked himself against a wall and broke his ribs!” During her live shows people are equally forthcoming because Millican so often strikes a chord with them. “For a comedian it’s the holy grail to articulate
www.edfestmag.com
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COMEDY SARAH MILLICAN
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Spotlight What's the funniest topic you've ever discussed? I always like it when we talk about sex as we get away with quite a lot. Who's your favourite guest? Usher kissed me on the neck when I moved my head the wrong way. That was pretty good.
something that everybody has thought but nobody has said yet.” Strong opinions are usually welcomed at a Sarah Millican event, but the comedian well knows that it works both ways, as her inclusion on ITV’s Loose Women line up illustrated. “Some people said it was beneath me and one woman even told me that she didn’t like what I was wearing”, Millican admits, adding “but if we made decisions based on what other people think we would never do anything.” That’s the kind of forthright attitude that goes down well on Loose Women, and it’s little wonder that Millican loves doing the show, going so far as to say that it’s “one of my favourite things I have ever done.” Sparring with Loose Women or making Kelvin Mackenzie laugh a lot on The Apprentice: You’re Fired would be challenges that would take most of us way out of our comfort zones, but for the “risk-averse” Millican they are now par for the course. ★
WHERE & WHEN Thoroughly Modern Millican, Assembly Hall, 12-28 August, 7.30pm, From £13, Tel: 0131 623 3030
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AtoZ PICTURE: IDIL SUKAN
Don’t get stuck at the back of the Q, book now for our selection of alphabetically awesome acts.
A AndI Osho Osho after last year’s It’s been a big year for year she’ll be taking an Edinburgh debut. This date after the show. a on audience member , Pleasance Courtyard, ★ All the Single Ladies 3-29 August (not 16)
B Alec Baldwin in 30 Rock star Alec Baldw ge will appear on the Frin – via video – as Hamlet’s father. ★ 3D Hamlet: A Lost s Generation, The Space t gus Au 7 5-2 e, Mil the on (not 14)
C
Cabaret Whore Sarah Louise Young shares cabaret, characters and song.
PICTURE: NBC
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★ More! More! More!, Underbelly, 4-28 August (not 17) www.edfestmag.com
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A TO Z
D Bob Downe Camp comedy from e. Aussie fave Bob Down ★ 20 Golden Greats, Gilded Balloon, 3-29 August (not 16, 25)
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ans Enclosure 99 – Hum The return of last year’s hit show, featuring humans in a cage, this year includes guest Chinese dancers. ★ Edinburgh Zoo, 14-28 August
F Fitzrovia Radio Hour Go back to a golden age of radio comedy – all performed live on stage, of course – with the young wags of Fitzrovia ★ Gilded Baloon, 3-29 August (not 17)
PICTURE: WWW.LONDON SOCKEXCHANGE.COM
I Imran Yusuf From last years Free Fringe to Michael Macintyre’s Comedy Roadshow.
G Guo Rui-yue The actor performs with the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe in a reinterpretation of Hamlet. ★ The Revenge of Prince Zi Dan, Festival Theatre, 19-21 August www.edfestmag.com
★ Bring the Thunder!, Pleasance, 3-28 August
H
The Hamiltons Neil and Christine return with another year of chat and silly fun. ★ High Jinks with the Hamiltons, Udderbelly, 3-28 August (not 15)
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A TO Z
K Kitty Cointreau ers” “Tease, tassels and titt s thi at d tee ran gua are burlesque cabaret.
J
ic, ★ Brahaha, Just the Ton 4-5 August
James Galea rite Ellen deGeneres’ favou nd of bra his ngs bri ian magic the US wonderment to Fringe.
PICTURE: KATE DONOVAN
use ★ I Hate Rabbits, Playho en Gre r at Hawke & Hunte Room, 5-29 August
L
Ladyboys of Bangkok urn with an The Fringe favourites ret prises. sur all-new show and fresh
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M
N
Mr Benn
Nick Grimshaw
Tall Stories, who brought you The Gruffalo, will be dipping into the fancy dress box.
Last year saw him perform stand-up for the first time, this year he’s back to present Radio 1 Live @ Edinburgh.
★ Pleasance Courtyard, 3-18 August (not 6)
★ BBC @ Potterow, 15-18 August
www.edfestmag.com
PICTURE: BBC PICTURES
Knickers, ★ Fur Coat and French Top, 5-27 August Meadows Theatre Big
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A TO Z
O
Oh, Lady Be Good z Relax into a world of jaz as h suc ats and blues gre Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday. ★ The Jazz Bar, 22-28 August
P Paul Daniels Let the master of magic play tricks on your mind – all ably assisted by the lovely Debbie McGee, of course. ★ Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow, Assembly George Square, 3-28 August
R Rich Fulcher n The Mighty Boosh ma er aft f, sel him returns as last year’s sell-out character comedy . Eleanor the Tour Whore
Q Queen’s Speech
, ★ Tiny Acts of Rebellion , iot Tev n Gilded Balloo 3-28 August (not 15)
Elizabeth the First lets rip in this bawdy but eloquent free show. ★ Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 4-28 August, 8pm
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en Those Magnificent M Alcock and Brown fly across the Atlantic in this hilarious play. ★ Udderbelly, 3-29 August (not 17)
S Simon Callow The star takes on transvestitism in Tuesdays at Tescos. ★ Assembly Hall, 4-29 August (not 15, 22) www.edfestmag.com
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A TO Z
V
Velveteen Rabbit loved A toy dreams of being in this life to e enough to com . tale s’ kid classic (not 15) ★ C eca, 3-29 August
Uncharted Waters Strange Bird Zircus perform in this arial dance show. ★ Dance Base, 5-20 August (not 8-10, 15-17)
W
X
We Love Louis
Xuefei Yang
Todd Gordon, Leroy Jones and Clairdee get together to celebrate Louis Armstrong, the great jazz legend.
Yang was the first classical guitarist in China to enter a music school and the first to launch an international professional career.
★ The Queen’s Hall, 23 July
★ The Queen’s Hall, 16 August
Z Zoe Lyons
Y
Young Pretender In an uncompromising portrait of a boy who grew up knowing nothing but war, Bonnie Prince Charlie fights for his right to the crown.
PICTURE: STEVE ULLATHORNE
PICTURE: MARIA FALCONER
U
ed The criminally-underrat t bes the of e Lyons is on on observational comedians the Fringe. nce ★ Clownbusting, Pleasa t Courtyard, 3-28 Augus
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www.edfestmag.com
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FESTIVAL FAVOURITES
Festival favourites If you’re coming to the Festival for the first time, let these veterans guide your steps.
AMANDA PALMER What are you expecting from this year’s Festival? I’m over the moon about coming to the festival this year, because I’m finally coming for the entire month and not just to work! I’ve rented a house with my husband, Neil Gaiman (who’s going to be taking part in the Book Festival) and I plan on drowning myself in music and theatre. It’s my idea of paradise. Come the 17th, I’ll be doing five shows with my secret twin sister, Jason Webley, presenting our musical Evelyn Evelyn. Then I’ll be doing a no-holds-barred rock show on the 25th at the Picture House, one of my favourite venues. By the time I get to that show I expect I’ll have picked up a glorious riff-raff of performers to join me, and the show should be quite a circus. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? My Scottish grandmother used to always tell me: “All things in moderation, including moderation”. Words to live by ... thanks grandma!
Evelyn Evelyn, Assembly George Square, 17-21 August, 9.10pm, From £12, Tel: 0131 623 3030 Amanda F*cking Palmer, HMV Picture House, 25 August, 7pm, From £14
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FESTIVAL FAVOURITES
ISY SUTTIE What are you expecting from this year’s Festival? To have fun with the show and the comics I love. I’m excited about doing the show as I haven’t done one since 2008, and I feel better equipped to deal with it. How are you preparing for the Festival? I try and get a cold in early July, so I’m clear of disease for August. I do this by not eating properly and hanging around with reprobates. Then I realise that’s what I do all year round, anyway. What advice would you give someone coming to the Festival for the first time? Don’t read any reviews. Of anyone. Try to have as much fun with the show as possible and try and be pleased when others do well, as Edinburgh’s one big bubble. Go to Portobello on your day off. What’s your worst Edinburgh memory? In 2005 I got paid £20 by a punter to get off the stage in The Comedy Zone.
Isy Suttie: Pearl and Dave, Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 August (not 15), 5pm From £5, Tel: 0131 556 6550
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FESTIVAL FAVOURITES
FRISKY AND MANNISH What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? Andrew Maxwell on getting onstage: “First of all, just stand there and show them the suit.” Rob Broderick on audience participation: “Make them feel like superheroes.” Sarah Millican on treating yourself: “Have a cake.” What advice would you give performers coming to Edinburgh for the first time?Take it seriously. Don’t drink too much. Have a friend on hand to say “remember you’re loved.” We heard Jennifer Coolidge’s PA saying this to her last year as Jen waited backstage to go on.
IMAGE: IDIL SUKAN
Frisky and Mannish: Pop Centre Plus, Udderbelly, 3-28 August (not 8, 15), 9.30pm, From £7, Tel: 0844 545 8252
www.edfestmag.com
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FESTIVAL FAVOURITES
CHARLIE BAKER What are you bringing to the Festival this year? This year I am bringing my debut play Wedding Band, which is a comedy and has the most brilliant cast. It’s based on my experiences as a singer with a jazz band and set the hour before the reception starts. What are you expecting from this year’s Festival? It’s the hardest, best, maddest, most worthwhile, drunkest, most exciting, most exhausting, most exhilarating month of the year. What’s your best and worst Festival memory? The best was the feeling when I sold out 100 seats for my solo show. The worst feeling was when I realised they had all seen me do my best bits of the show that morning so they weren’t going to laugh. I also had the only three press I’d had in for the whole run to watch me die in a packed, hot room.
Wedding Band: A Comedy by Charlie Baker, Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3-29 August, 14.45pm, From £7.50, Tel: 0131 622 6552
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FESTIVAL FAVOURITES
RUSSELL KANE What are you planning for this festival? To not change what I’m doing too much. I think I may have cracked it: room size the same; embarrassing levels of honesty. What are you bringing to the Festival this year? My Nespresso Machine. I fake my personality with coffee! What’s your best and worst Festival memory? Worst: Getting glandular fever, but being known as an ‘energy’ act. Hard to fake that with your white bloodcells in decline. Best? Easy – winning that big old award last year.
Russell Kane: Manscaping, Pleasance Courtyard, 12-26 August (not 22), 8.50pm, From £15.50, Tel: 0131 556 6550
www.edfestmag.com
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THEATRE ART MALIK
Art’scouncil This year sees Art Malik, one of Britain’s best-loved stage and screen actors, undertaking a very personal project with his daughter, Keira. Words Isobel Palmer
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Gritty prison drama Ghosted was a different type of challenge for Malik, released on 24 June this year
might as well use it. I wanted to explore the idea of Englishness, particularly related to first-generation immigrants, and that’s what the play is about.” Malik is looking forward to his first trip to Edinburgh Fringe as an actor. “I’ve visited a few times but I’ve never performed,” he says. Being close to his family is nothing new, though – when the girls were younger, he would take the whole family on location. Now they’re grown up, Rose represents a good opportunity to spend time together. Indeed Malik’s other daughter, Jessica, 30, has volunteered her services as producer. Mum and wife is actress Gina Rowe – is she disappointed not to be involved? “No, she’s extremely happy not to be,” he jokes. “She has enough on her plate.” So how has Dad been managing with
“From my point of view, it’s great to work with a new generation”
If you like this try... Cutting the Cord at Underbelly, 4-27 August (not 15)
Keira, 28, on their first project? “Too early to tell,” he says with a chuckle. They have had one read-through so far. It went well; however, he blotted his copybook by turning up late and received a good telling off. “I had no excuse,” he reveals, “I suppose I’m known for a lack of punctuality but I always like to think that what I was doing was important.” It’s a classic excuse but Malik seems open about his foibles. He was declared bankrupt last year and is quite charming in his explanation. “I’m like a lot of people who are experiencing financial difficulties and I was advised
that was the best way to deal with it. It will all sort itself out.” He admits that it has affected his lifestyle but is stoical in his pick-youselfup, dust-yourself-off response. “You just have to get on with it,” he says, adding, “it’s just a thing that affects me and my creditors.” And it’s a very pleasant lifestyle he enjoys after nearly three decades of success: home is leafy south London – Kingston-upon-Thames. He has enjoyed a varied career, from TV dramas such as Holby City to blockbuster movies like True Lies. There has been success on stage, too – he and Kristin Scott Thomas took their Royal Court production of The Seagull to Broadway in 2008. His next challenge will be on a much smaller stage but he has no fear of the more intimate surroundings of The Pleasance. “It’s fine to be closer. You perform for the room you’re in. And the nearer you are to the audience, the less you have to do.” He holds no ambition other than to continue working, he says modestly. “The only frustration is missing out on roles because you’ve committed to something else.” For this reason, he has turned down working with Steven Spielberg on three occasions. But he remains philosophical. “If I’m honest, the real joy is having survived so long in the business.”★
WHERE & WHEN Rose, Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 August (not 16), 5.25pm From £6.50, Tel: 0131 556 6550
www.edfestmag.com
PICTURE: FAYE THOMAS
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veryone knows his name, and no doubt his appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe – his first – will be a hot ticket. The press are already anticipating the new play, Rose, while the city has barely recovered from the world premier of his first executiveproduced movie, Ghosted, at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. It’s more than 25 years since Art Malik shot to fame with a series-stealing performance in The Jewel in the Crown, but at 58, he seems busier than ever. His second visit of the year to Edinburgh will be with daughter Keira. The two will perform in a play written especially for them by young Welsh actor and playwright Hywel John. John’s debut, Pieces, earned glowing reviews from The Stage and the Guardian last year. Malik recalls: “When Keira said she wanted to take up a play to Edinburgh with me I thought it would be a good idea to ask Hywel to write something for us. We’ve also got Abbie Wright, a talented young director. From my point of view, it’s great to work with a new generation.” Rose is the tale of a Middle-Eastern immigrant’s battle to bring up his English-born daughter – the perfect characters for a real father and daughter to play – but that’s where the similarities end. Malik was born in Pakistan and left aged three. He has never felt any desire to visit the birthplace of his parents. “I don’t remember it – my childhood memories are in Balham,” he says. John says he wanted to use the father-daughter relationship for his play. “I thought, well. that’s a given, so I
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COMEDY PAUL MERTON
Have I got views for you?
Some comedians just can’t keep away from the Fringe – and improv legend Paul Merton even carries a little reminder of Edinburgh with him. Words Isobel Palmer
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here are those who find improvisation impossible to believe. It’s rehearsed, they insist. How could a group of five comedians riff seamlessly for an hour without some kind of preparation? How could they find humour from a series of random suggestions from a generally sadistic audience? But I am assured by the master of the genre – Paul Merton – they really do. When the TV star and his four old friends, one of whom is also his wife, take to the Pleasance stage for the Edinburgh Fringe, they will do so focused but unrehearsed. What, not even a bit of banter to get over a blank patch? No, he reiterates patiently, blank patches never happen with five performers – they’ve simply being doing it for too long. There’s always one of them ready to step forward with a new character or twist in the tale. “That’s really the great joy for us,” he says, “there is no preparation for it, apart, I suppose, from the preparation of doing it for 25 years.” He’s been bringing this show to the Fringe since 2008 and this time it’s with Mike McShane, Lee Simpson, Richard Vranch and his wife Suki Webster. Each of the 12 shows will be unique, based entirely on suggestions from the audience. They perform at 4pm, then have a civilised evening of celebration and dining. He might sit in his patch of garden at his temporary Edinburgh pad with his wife and a cup of tea. It’s hardly the rock-and-roll end of the comedy spectrum, but as he says,
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Merton made his name on improv show Whose Line is it Anyway?
“there’s no rule about age at the Fringe, or how many times you can come”. And, yes, he does think he still has a place here because he brings in an audience that may go on to see other, newer acts. But as the years go on, doesn’t he worry about having nothing ready? “It’s a show that doesn’t exist until you do it, so there’s really nothing to worry about. If you had a really long part to learn, you might worry about forgetting lines. We don’t have that, so it’s the lesser of two evils.” He’s laughing but it’s clear he means it and is still passionate about the type of humour that first brought him fame. On the other hand, there’s no room
“There’s no rule about age at the Fringe, or how many times you come”
for complacency: “When the hour starts you’re there, ready, focused and concentrated; alive to all possibilities. Then there’s a nice social event at the end plus the euphoria of completing the show.” He’s being modest, and that’s what we have come to expect from one of the most-liked faces on TV. Unassuming, self-deprecating, slightly ruffled and careworn – it’s a genuine persona that has brought him success for over a quarter over a century. These days, he’s mainstream with a capital M but he’s lost none of the whimsy that got him there. He hasn’t forgotten the lessons learned working at the Employment Office in the Seventies, either. For good improv, he says, you have to know how to listen, and that’s a dying art in some quarters. “I was trained in the art of interviewing by the Civil Service, and it
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Mrs Merton If you like this try... Phill Jupitus Quartet at Gilded Balloon, 5-28 August (not 9, 16, 23, 26)
Paul Merton’s wife Suki Webster will also be appearing on the Fringe this year in A Visit from Mrs Prothero with her husband’s Just a Minute colleague, Nicholas Parsons. The pair will be performing the half-hour Alan Bennett play, which is likely to become one of this year’s hottest tickets during its week-long run.
★ Pleasance Courtyard, 23-28 August, Tel: 0131 556 65 50 www.edfestmag.com
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COMEDY PAUL MERTON
requires listening,” he recalls with a chuckle. Once upon a time, before Whose Line Is It Anyway? became a hit for Channel 4 in 1988, improvisation was something acting students used to broaden their skills. And there were the early comic pioneers in the States – Richard Pryor, Robin Williams – who amazed audiences with their surreal flights of fancy. Paul Merton was one of those early stars, of course, and it wasn’t long before he was on Radio 4 in Just A Minute and settling into the seat opposite Ian Hislop on Have I Got News For You – still his best known role. These days, he’s mentioned in the same breath as these greats, and alongside peers like Eddie Izzard and Steve Carell. He’s done stand-up and he’s done sketch shows; he’s acted, and he’s followed his passion for travel with television documentaries on India, China and Europe, and early cinema with Silent Clowns – a series about silent comedy. He’s even filled in on The One www.edfestmag.com
Richard Vranch, Lee Simpson, Mike McShane Paul Merton and his wife Suki Webster make up the Impro Chums
Show – a bit different from the more irreverent Room 101 that he made his own. His latest series – Birth of Hollywood – aired to good reviews in May and June and marks his move into directing. “I’m making baby steps towards directing all the time,” he says, “and I’m pleased with the way these programmes turned out. I absolutely adore directing. Like improv, it’s a collaboration with all these other skilled people.” But whatever new ventures he explores, he still returns to the regular Sunday slot at the Comedy Store Players in London. “If I’m home, I’ll be there,” he says. “I love live performing, particularly this kind. You keep your skills sharp for the TV programmes. And I love Edinburgh. It’s great coming back every year.” He may have enjoyed a series of good reviews here, but it’s not all good memories. Back in 1987, Merton broke his leg playing football on the Meadows. In hospital he developed a
life-threatening pulmonary embolism and followed it up with a dose of Hepatitis A, “from the hospital food, the doctors told me”. “It was grim but I still went back in ‘88. Now I get the odd twinge walking up hills, particularly in Edinburgh. It’s like my knee has an Edinburgh memory, reminding me what happened – an echo. Or maybe it’s coming home; twitching with enjoyment when it’s near the Meadows!’ It’s a moment of pure Paul Merton surrealism – endearingly familiar – and you realise just how ingrained into the British comedy psyche this unpretentious 53-year-old has become.★
WHERE & WHEN Paul Merton’s Impro Chums, Pleasance, 19-27 August, times vary From £11.50, Tel: 0131 556 6550
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THEATRE A DISH OF TEA WITH DR JOHNSON
Styler and substance With a rock-star husband and a tantric sex life, most people forget that Trudie Styler is also a talented actress, as A Dish of Tea with Dr Johnson proves. Words Jackie McGlone
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rudie Styler is having a fit of the giggles. I’ve just asked the actress, film producer, entrepreneur and eco-warrior whether she’s ever been to the Edinburgh Festival. “I’m ashamed to say I haven’t,” she replies, adding that she’ll be remedying the situation, however, when she makes her Fringe debut at the Traverse in A Dish of Tea With Dr Johnson. “So, you’re a Fringe virgin, Trudie?” I ask. And that’s when she explodes with laughter. “Yes, I suppose I am, although years ago I appeared on the London Fringe, but it’s the not same is it?” It certainly is not, I tell her. Nonetheless, suggesting that this glamorous woman who has been married to her rock-star husband, Sting, since 1992, and with whom she famously shares the joys of tantric sex, is coming to Edinburgh to lose her virginity is cause for merriment. Styler will never live down the fact that her husband once boasted about how they enjoyed five-hour sessions of tantric sex. Even critics reviewing her return to the stage earlier this year in the delicious A Dish of Tea With Dr Johnson, have alluded to their legendary sex life. “Ah, the Fourth Estate,” sighs Styler. “But far worse things have been written about me; I’m not complaining about it. “My life is very happy; I am immensely privileged and my husband and I still love each other madly after 30 years together.” (They have four children, whose ages range from 26 to 15; Sting also has a son and daughter with his first wife, Irish actress Frances Tomelty.)
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How does she do it? “Passion! and 90 minutes of yoga every day” Mrs Thrale was rumoured to be Dr Johnson’s lover
If you like this try... Victoria and Abdul at Assembly Hall, 4-29 August (not 15)
Suffering decades of tabloid tittletattle, Styler says, certainly helped her with her role as Mrs Thrale, whose relationship with ‘Dictionary Johnson’ was the subject of much scandalous gossip and salacious speculation in the 1760s. Dr Johnson lodged in Mrs Thrale’s house for more than 20 years, and she was his final, unrequited love.“Some dreadful things were said about her. And, of course, Boswell – his biographer – was incredibly jealous of her, as the play reveals. “She was vain,” remarks Styler. “But her first marriage was not happy – she had 19 children, 13 of whom died – and her husband gave her VD! But she had a blissfully happy second marriage, a real love match – she was a sensual woman. So, I certainly identify with her enormous appetite for life.” Like Sting, Styler was born into a working-class family. She grew up on a council estate in the West Midlands and went on to act with the Royal
Shakespeare Company and in the TV bodice-ripper Poldark. After having her children, her career declined. Then in 1989, she almost drowned in Brazil’s Xingu River. This near-death experience was her “wake-up call,” she says. “I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life waiting for the phone to ring.” So she set up a production company, Xingu Films, whose credits include Boys From Brazil, Moon and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. She even introduced Guy Ritchie, Lock, Stock’s director, to his future, now former, wife, Madonna. Styler has also made a number of wellreceived documentaries and had cameo roles in several films, the latest being Russell Crowe’s The Next Three Days. In addition, she’s evangelical about healthy eating and has just launched a range of ready-meals, Lake House Meals, named after her organic farm in Wiltshire, and coming to a supermarket near you soon. How does she do it? “Passion!” she exclaims. “And 90 minutes of yoga every day.” So what does Sting think of A Dish of Tea with Dr Johnson, which transfers to London’s West End after the Fringe? “Oh, he loves it so much he’s seen it twice. He’ll be in the Edinburgh audience for our final night. I’m so lucky – he could not be more thrilled or more supportive.”★
WHERE & WHEN A Dish of Tea with Dr Johnson, Traverse Theatre, 23-28 August, times vary, From £6, Tel: 0131 228 1404
www.edfestmag.com
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ged Marc Almond A terrible accident chan er of Soft Cell back to from the confident sing school, but Ten at en be ’d he y bo d ar the awkw to overcome his fears. Plagues is helping him Words Jay Richardson
s n o m e d y b Plagued
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THEATRE MARC ALMOND
www.edfestmag.com
PICTURES: EUAN MYLES
A
renowned torch singer, lamenting the poor souls excluded from life’s feast and fortune’s favour, few can articulate a survivor’s emotional journey with more empathy than Marc Almond. Bullied at school, he would hyperventilate and black out in order to avoid being attacked, while as Soft Cell’s frontman and as a solo act, his debauched lifestyle saw him narrowly cheat death on several occasions. Famously, he survived a horrific motorcycle accident in 2004 that left him with memory lapses, his childhood stutter resurgent and having to learn to sing anew. The thought of acting always caused him dread. And yet, in rehearsals at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory, preparing for his Edinburgh Fringe debut in Mark Ravenhill and Conor Mitchell’s one-man song cycle Ten Plagues, his fears about delivering its breadth of classical, opera, musichall and showtune have been surpassed by the puckish singer’s delight in the challenge. “In concert, I’m very organic and different every night,” he explains. “But with a director I have to hit my marks. I always thought I’d be wooden, having to sing and act at the same time but I’m really enjoying the surrender, the freedom of being told what to do.” As his albums reflect, the 54-year-old has always been fascinated by London’s history, its alternative cultures, the marginalised, the dispossessed and the alienated. After seeing Mother Clap’s Molly House, Ravenhill’s 18th and 21st century-straddling exploration of gay awakening, he approached the playwright about collaborating. And so it was that Ten Plagues came to pass. Written specifically for Almond and based loosely on the eyewitness accounts of Daniel Defoe and Samuel Pepys, the show recounts the year the narrator spends travelling through London during the Great Plague of 1665, which wiped out a fifth of the city’s population. “He’s stuck there and he becomes like a journalist,” Almond explains. “Whether it’s morbid fascination, vanity or selfishness, he wants to see all this death. “It’s about hysteria and the absurd behaviour patterns people go through in times of pandemics, say the AIDS crisis, e-coli or bird flu. So there are lighter moments, cynical and sarcastic moments, with contemporary allusions. I hope people come out feeling very life affirmed. But I most relate to when he loses people, when he becomes
Mark Ravenhill, Marc Almond and Stewart Laing collaborated on the piece
solitary, when he becomes a survivor.” Survivor’s guilt weighed heavily on Almond in hospital following his bike accident. “A young lad came in, hit on the head with a brick and with head injuries not a million miles away from mine” he recalls. “He died and I could hear his grieving parents. You just think how amazing and dreadful that one person lives and one doesn’t. “You go through this weird feeling of thinking ‘I shouldn’t be here’ and ‘I’m not a real person’ because you’re in this psychological state of living death. You’re a phantom. You find it hard to
“You go through this weird feeling of ‘I’m not a real person’ because you’re in a state of living death”
If you like this try... Douglas Trio at Acoustic Music Centre St Brides, 14-19 August
relate to even close friends because despite their sympathy, they don’t really know what you’ve been through. And you get that blur of emotions in these songs, that loneliness and terrible feelings of not being able to connect with others.” His initial misgivings about Mitchell’s 16-song score, that it was “majorly beyond what I’ve trained for”, receded when he realised it was an extension of his previous work. “When I’ve recorded albums and shows, I’ve often put them into song cycle themes, I’ve imagined it like a film or a narrative” he explains. “Even if it’s abstract, I would look for a beginning, middle and end. Eventually I’ve found myself in them through singing them.”
Moreover, the process helped the flamboyant performer to realise he’s been an actor all along. “I still can’t do phone interviews because of my stammer and I find readthroughs like reading in school, with this fear that if the word starts with a vowel I won’t be able to get it out. But I’ve come to realise that I’ve effectively always acted within my songs, through the personas and characters I’ve created.” Working with Stewart Laing, Traverse Theatre’s artist in residence, has proved liberating too. Planning to “isolate” himself in Edinburgh – “I’m not good socially with people and with lots of confusion” – Almond maintains he’s looking forward to the discipline of performing the same material every day. “What I love and want more than anything now is regimentation. Whether that’s part of getting older, whether it’s because of my hectic past life, or coming through the accident, I like routine. You strip all the art away and the pressure, you’re just an entertainer, a vehicle, trying to move people, to make them cry, to make them laugh. “I prefer the straight and narrow path now. It keeps me from going off into chaos when I’m left to my own devices.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Ten Plagues, Traverse Theatre, 1-28 August (not 2-5, 8, 15, 22), times vary, From £6, Tel: 0131 228 1404
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COMEDY BENET BRANDRETH
F
If you like this, try...
ollowing in your father’s footsteps can be a daunting prospect for any young man, and even more so if it’s performing comedy. Or if your dad is the country’s foremost teddy bear enthusiast, former Tory MP, novelist, broadcaster and all-round eccentric Gyles Brandreth, whose various Fringe productions culminated in last year’s well-received slew of gossip, The One To One Show. “I’m nervous about the comparison because he’s so brilliant” admits Benet Brandreth. “He’s one of the world’s best after-dinner speakers, really astonishing. He’s done some amazing things and met some amazing people, so he’s got a lot of stories to draw upon, whereas I’ve lived a more sheltered, ordinary life and have to delve into fantasy to find the humour that his life already embodies. “He’s been very encouraging and I’ve learned from him without becoming a clone, so although I’m becoming increasingly like him, our comedy comes from a different place.” A practising barrister, he can, and literally has, talked for England.
Mark Dolan – Sharing Too Much at Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3-29 Aug (not 16)
n o s e k i l , r e h Like fat He has twice been World Public Speaking Champion. “As you can imagine, debaters are very cool young men and women,” he dryly deadpans, “the envy of our classmates.” He became a storytelling comedian last year, seduced by the notion of “telling an enormous lie. The best kinds of lies are mad but entirely believable”. With the public’s interest in the monarchy renewed by Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, the Royal Family seemed The Brandreth Papers’ natural inspiration. Even if his account of saving Prince Charles from a genetically-modified monster of his own creation casts a flicker of doubt on the show’s veracity. “They’re a soap opera like Dynasty or Dallas. Their lives are surrounded by magnificence, so any tragedy seems darker because it’s set against that bright background” he reasons. “William seems like a good egg. Looks good in a uniform, has a beautiful wife and flies around saving people in a helicopter. What’s not to like?” www.edfestmag.co.uk
net r and now comedian Be te is rr ba at th s ou vi ob in his It’s fairly ng – not even following hi yt an of id ra af t n’ is h Brandret otsteps. Words Jay Richardson famous father Giles’ fo Retaining the day job – “I do occasionally try to make a joke in court and it doesn’t go down as well as I’d like,” – he’s unlikely to follow Gyles into politics. “Irritatingly, I’d have to be elected first” he laments. “While my father was willing to risk a public vote on his popularity, I just want to be judged on making people laugh, not on my solution to the deficit. Besides, I’ve not done nearly enough brown-nosing.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Benet has huge admiration for his father, Giles
The Brandreth Papers, Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3-29 August, 6pm, From £5, Tel: 0131 622 6552
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THEATRE JULIAN SANDS
Pause for reflection Harold Pinter revolutionised British theatre – so much so that powerhouses John Malkovich and Julian Sands have teamed up to pay tribute to him. Words Jackie McGlone
W
hat does John Malkovich listen to on his iPod? Apart, that is, from arias by Beethoven and Mozart, which make up the exquisite soundtrack to The Infernal Comedy, a musical play about an Austrian serial killer, which he’s currently touring around Europe? The compelling American star of films such as Dangerous Liaisons and In the Line of Fire, has downloaded a recording of his friend, the British actor, Julian Sands, reading poetry. Apparently, Malkovich is never without Harold Pinter’s poems on his iPod, tucked into the pocket of an elegant suit from his own fashion label. “John saw me performing the poetry at a benefit performance for homeless women in Los Angeles, in 2009, and immediately wanted the recording for his iPod,” says 53-year-old, LA-based Sands, who has known Malkovich since they appeared together in the Oscarwinning 1984 movie, The Killing Fields. Malkovich so loved the power and emotion of Pinter’s poetry, which was new to him, that he couldn’t stop talking to Sands about it. And about his reading, for which Sands was “tutored” by the Nobel laureate, who died of cancer in 2008. The result is A Celebration of Harold Pinter, which Sands brings to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and which Malkovich directs, in between playing Casanova in a chamber opera, Giacomo, and the mesmerising murderer in The Infernal Comedy. Yorkshire-born Sands was 21 when he made his name as the tall, blond, handsome George, who crushed Helena Bonham-Carter to his manly bosom with devastating results in A Room With a View (1985). He has appeared in only 60 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
PICTURE: MARTIN ROSENBAUM
”It’s like having a conversation with the audience about Pinter” Harold Pinter was one of the most celebrated playwrights of the British stage
If you like this try... The Dumb Waiter at Paradise in the Vault, 16-29 August (not 22)
one Pinter work, The Room (1987), with Annie Lennox, which Robert Altman directed. However, he has loved the playwright’s work since he was a schoolboy at Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire, where he acted in productions of Pinter’s plays, studying them for A-level GCE’s. He remembers writing an essay on the enigma of the “Pinter Pause.” “Harold taught me that it is actually the actor taking a breath. You don’t just stop and there’s silence and dead air,” says Sands, adding: “When Harold realised that his voice was being impaired by his illness, he asked me to take over a charity reading he’d agreed to do in London for a women’s shelter.” Still golden-haired and with cheekbones you could cut yourself on, Sands is soon to star in Hollywood’s version of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, due for September release. He still doesn’t know why Pinter chose him. “We were having lunch together and he
suddenly asked me, so I suppose I was on his radar. Nonetheless, it was a tremendous compliment. “He said that there was one condition: we had to spend time together, rehearsing the work – and that was an absolute gift.” The ailing playwright cared deeply about his poetry, so is there one nugget of advice that Pinter gave Sands? “He would say, ‘Slow down’,” he replies. “But the whole thing was an immense privilege for me. Imagine having all that time with someone you’ve admired since your school days! It’s like having a marvellous conversation with the audience about Pinter.” When Sands read the poems at the London benefit, Pinter came and sat in the front row, fixing the actor with his glittering gaze. “It was nerve-racking, but it was also one of the most moving moments of my career,” Sands confesses. For the Pinter homage, in which he also reads some prose and tells anecdotes about his friend, he’s dressed by Nicole Farhi. “My suit is so beautiful; I feel empowered by it,” he says. “John and I actually talked about me wearing something from his own collection, but we decided against it. I do wear his designs, though, and love them.” Being John Malkovich, he’s even given Sands the clothes off his own back. “Which is yet another gift.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Julian Sands in A Celebration of Harold Pinter, Pleasance Courtyard, 4-21 August, 3pm From £7.50, Tel: 0131 556 6550
www.edfestmag.com
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THEATRE JULIAN SANDS
At a glance Sands first attracted international attention in A Room with a View (1985), when he made a sheltered Helena Bonham Carter fall in love with him.
www.edfestmag.com
David Cronenberg cast Sands as a gay serial killer in his seminal film Naked Lunch (1991), alongside talking insects and typewriters that come to life.
Sands is next to appear in the Hollywood remake of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). The original Swedish version starred Noomi Rapace (left).
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COMEDY MARGARET CHO
s s e n i s u b Cho Drop Dead Diva Margaret Cho returns to her first love – stand up comedy – and is as ready to skewer conservative sensibilities as ever.
PICTURE: LINDSEY BYRNES
Words Julian Hall
I
t is exactly ten years since outspoken American comedian Margaret Cho last played the Edinburgh Fringe. The show she brought over in 2001, Notorious C.H.O., about her bisexuality, was eventually turned into a film that won great acclaim in the US, and the 41-year-old is hopeful that her latest Edinburgh show will help her to another landmark in her career, one that has so far ranged from sitcoms to films and from Dancing With The Stars and comedy drama Drop Dead Diva to a Grammy-winning album. “If you do that many performances in a relatively short space of time, then something great always comes of it” says Cho of her first Fringe experience. “Comedians are always in the moment, writing while performing, and the intensity of the Fringe made Notorious C.H.O. possible.” Cho, who started performing comedy at the age of 16 in her native San Francisco, feels that the Fringe’s pull on transatlantic acts can only get stronger as the world gets smaller: “We’re viewing a lot of the same information now, as we become more globallyfocused and less localized, and this means that, for comedians, much less translation is needed for our material. In Edinburgh you have the added advantage that the audiences themselves are very diverse in the first place.” Diversity is key to Cho’s act, with its focuses on sexuality, gay culture and Asian-American stereotypes. Given www.edfestmag.co.uk
As well as being a celebrated stand-up, Cho has a GrammyAwardwinning album to her name
these themes, it was perhaps inevitable that the comic has taken a proactive campaigning stance on various issues, gay marriage in particular. Gay rights is one area where Cho feels that President Obama, who she campaigned for, could do more. “I know him personally and I know that his stance is very similar to mine on gay rights; but politics is about playing games, something that I’m not a fan of.” It would be difficult for any president to be as frank as Cho who, in advance
“I know President Obama personally and I know his stance on gay rights”
If you like this, try... Dana Alexander at Underbelly, 4-28 August (not 15)
of the last presidential election, [reportedly] called Sarah Palin “the worst thing to happen to America since 9/11”. That was in 2008, of course, but four years later Cho found herself brushing up against another Palin, Sarah’s daughter Bristol, in Dancing With The Stars, the US version of Strictly Come Dancing. For some of Cho’s following this might have seemed like an odd career step, but Cho maintains that indulging
in such a mainstream romp made sense: “If other people were puzzled by it, I wasn’t. It was a fun thing to do and it is, after all, representative of a very old fashioned kind of showbusiness. In my mind it is also pretty gay; so I loved it, and even though the show has a conservative audience I was still able to get my gay pride message across.” Older fans may have been fleetingly bamboozled but there is no doubt that new fans have come from participating in this primetime distraction: “People now know me from that show, and they come up to me and tell me that I was robbed because I was voted off early. I don’t think that’s the case, unless you consider someone breaking into your house and leaving $200,000 there as being robbed. It was a very lucrative thing for me and I didn’t have to work very hard!” ★
WHERE & WHEN Margaret Cho: Cho Dependent, Assembly George Square, 3-29 August (not 10, 17), 9pm, From £8, Tel: 0131 623 3030
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ONES TO WATCH COMEDY
James Acaster of last year’s Off Who is he? The winner Boy Award and w The Kerb Laughing Ne d World War III rke spa rly a man who nea edy agents recently as assorted com fought to sign him. t? Audience What is the show abou part of big a is tion interac can James’ schtick, but he at and th dep also speak in how ut abo length is. desperately uncool he ely WTF? He is strang knowledgeable about the pricing policy of London’s major railway station toilets. ★ Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 Aug (not 16), 9.45pm, Tel: 0131 556 6550
Chris Martin Who is he? Well, despite the name, he isn’t Gwyneth Paltrow’s husband, a.k.a. the lead singer of Coldplay. What’s his show about? It’s called Chris Martin. No. Not That One. He once called his bank to extend his overdraft. The teller asked him if he was ‘that’ Chris Martin. Politely, the comic explained that were he the lead singer in one of the world’s biggest bands then he probably wouldn’t need to extend his overdraft, would he? WTF? Chris holds the World Record for appearing on the most crappy, talking head, list shows ever. ★ Underbelly, Cowgate, 4-28 Aug (not 15), 7.35pm, Tel: 0844 545 8252
★★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★
h c t a w o t Ones
Words Jonathan Trew
n, jumps on the bandwago e els y od yb er ev re fo s be Catch these Fringe virgin at you saw them first th t as bo ly so you can smug
Hal Sparks
Eric Lampaert Who is he? He’s not entirely sure. As a child he travelled the world with his French/English parents. When he was fifteen, they divorced and both left Eric to fend for himself. His first language was Dutch and he learned English by watching Eastenders. What’s his show about? Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s about identity. WTF? His father kicked horses for a living. Oh, all right, he was a jockey. Same thing. No need to get narky about it. ★ Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 Aug (not 16), 6pm, Tel: 0131 556 6550
www.edfestmag.com
Who is he? Where to start? He was in the American version of Queer as Folk and has played roles in films as diverse as Dude, Where’s My Car?, Spiderman 2 and the unforgettable Chopper Chicks in Zombietown. Hal also plays in metal band Zero 1. What is the show about? Pop culture and why it’s the future of our civilisation; a subject Hal is well placed to dissect. WTF? Hal holds several martial arts black belts but, as Spiderman noted, with great power comes great responsibility. He may be able to chop a house brick in half but he is also a trained First Aider and has saved three people with his CPR skills.
★ Gilded Balloon, 3-29 Aug (not 17), 10.45pm, Tel: 0131 662 6552
Katherine Ryan Who is she? Rapidly rising, potty-mouthed stand-up who you may recognise as George, the gimlet-eyed Canadian management consultant in C4’s Campus. What’s her show about? The fall-out from being raised by a strict Irish father and a Canadian stage mom and the possible effect this might have on Katherine’s own parenting methods. WTF? Katherine is surely the only person to have won the Funny Women competition and also to have held the title Miss Hooters of Midtown, Toronto. ★ Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 Aug (not 15), 10.55pm, Tel: 0131 556 6550
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ONES TO WATCH COMEDY
Meryl O’Rourke Who is she? A journalist, stand-up and prolific TV writer who’s having trouble coming to grips with motherhood. What’s the show about? The clue is in the title: Bad Mother. Meryl’s own upbringing was unconventional, thanks to a mother whose colourful past included escaping from Nazi Germany. WTF? Meryl’s own parenting record has had its moments. She was once the only adult to turn up at a kids’ fancy dress party wearing a costume. Many of the Dads liked her PVC interpretation of Catwoman’s outfit. The other mums were less warm. The kids were frightened. ★ Underbelly, Cowgate 4-28 Aug (not 15), 2.45pm, Tel: 0131 545 8252
Brett Goldstein Who is he? A stand-up, novelist and proper actor wot has done Mamet and everything. What’s the show about? A decade ago, Brett’s Dad had the mother of all mid-life crises. He left his wife; sold his bookshop and bought a strip club in Marbella. Brett ended up running the club. Mafia, drugs and nipple pasties featured prominently for the next few years. WTF? Brett writes erotic fiction for Agent Provocateur’s Secrets and Confessions books. ★ Pleasance Dome, 3-29 Aug (not 15), 5.30pm, Tel: 0131 556 6550
David Reed
PICTURE: IDIL SUKAN
, of The Penny Dreadfuls Who is he? One third e hav as ram lod me ian whose mirth-filled Victor the Fringe and Radio 4. long been a hit on both t? For the first time at What’s the show abou is flying solo with a Edinburgh Fringe, David called Shamblehouse. one-man sketch show nted young blade, WTF? A revoltingly tale alongside David ok Co er David played Pet nkie Howerd biopic, Walliams in BBC 4’s Fra is also a professional Rather You Than Me. He with Jarvis Cocker. yed drummer and has pla ★ Pleasance Courtyard, 4-29 Aug (16), 8.30pm, Tel: 0131 556 6550
W. Kamau Bell Who is he? A San Franciscan comic whose highly politicised sets have sent his profile in the States sky high. What’s his show about? It’s called The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour. His central theme is that Barack Obama being President doesn’t mean that racism is dead and buried in America. However, Bell hopes that his show is the shovel that will help dig its grave. WTF? Rumour has it that Chris Rock is taking a close personal interest in shepherding Bell’s debut US TV show on to air. ★ Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 Aug (not 10, 17), 9.30pm Tel: 0131 556 6550 www.edfestmag.com
Men of War Who are they? A four strong sketch troupe composed of several seasoned improvisers, stand-ups, writers and actors. Most recognisable is David Schall, who plays Jay’s dad in the BAFTA winning comedy The Inbetweeners. What’s the show about? It’s a sketch show so it’s about everything and nothing at all. WTF? Between them they have notched up one Bafta, two Golden Globes, one Whatsonstage.com nomination, two mortgages, one failed marriage, one knee replacement and two cataract operations. ★ Pleasance Courtyard, 3-28 Aug (not 17), 11pm, Tel: 0131 556 6550
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ONES TO WATCH COMEDY
Matt Rudge performing Who is he? As well as , Matt makes proper, observational stand-up documentaries, nal grown-up, observatio all the major UK on wn sho n which have bee film work, such as My channels. To be fair, his bably lends itself more Dad The Serial Killer, pro than giggle-a-minute ary to a serious document
Who is she? A Dorset woman who has won fistfuls of comedy newcomer awards. This, her debut Edinburgh show, is directed by Tim Arthur, comedy editor of Time Out. What’s it all about? Called Luxury Tramp, it’s about being yourself. Even if that does mean you think that chianti is an appropriate accompaniment to a doner kebab. WTF? As well as comedy and acting in TV shows such as Psychoville, Jessica has a law degree from the London School of Economics. You can insert your own gags about her briefhandling abilities here.
★ Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 Aug (not 10, 17) 7.15pm, Tel: 0131 556 6550
Totally Tom Who are they? Two twenty-three year olds called Tom who met when they were thirteen and have been chums ever since. Awww. They recently filmed a C4 pilot for Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow production company. What’s the show about? Eton and Oxbridge feature prominently in the lads’ past ,which makes them well-placed to send up the UK’s more privileged bastions and some of the numbskulls that attended them. WTF? Radio 4 presenter Edward Stourton is father to one of them.
★ Gilded Balloon, 3-28 Aug (not 16), 7pm, Tel: 0131 556 5375
★ Underbelly, Cowgate, 4-28 Aug (not 18),
PICTURE: IDIL SUKAN
Tom Rosenthal Who is he? In real life, he is the son of sports presenter Jim Rosenthal. In TV land, he plays Johnny Goodman in Channel 4’s Friday Night Dinner with Tamsin Greig. What’s his show about? The perks and the pitfalls of being the son of a television sports presenter. Access to global sporting events isn’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be. WTF? Tom’s lifetime ambition was to appear on Sky’s Soccer AM. He achieved that dream earlier this year but, embarrassingly, fell on his Harris taking a penalty in the Can He Kick It? segment of the show. ★ Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 Aug (not 16), 9.30pm, Tel: 0131 556 6550
68 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
3.45pm, Tel: 0844 545 8252
Naz Osmanoglu doing his solo Who is he? As well as the much show, he is 33.333% of WitTank. acclaimed sketch show t? As you may ou ab What is his show e, Naz has nam the m fro d have guesse ly, his father was Turkish roots. Apparent teen-year-old thir disappointed when his rd. bea a son failed to grow lic, but Naz, or WTF? Turkey is a repub hness Prince rather His Imperial Hig Osmanoglu, has a Nazim Ziaeddin Nazim . one thr h claim to the Turkis
PICTURE: IDIL SUKAN
Jessica Fortiskew
stand-up. a child, Matt always What’s it all about? As way, t adult life has, so far any wanted to be a hero, bu ? nge cha t that field. Will tha proved disappointing in . mit Gro and for Wallace WTF? Matt has written
★ Underbelly Pasture, 3-28 Aug (not 17), 9.15pm, Tel: 0131 545 8252
www.edfestmag.com
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THEATRE OEDIPUS
Long live the king Theatrical force Steven Berkoff revisits the story that made his name – Oedipus. Words Mark Fisher
T
he scene is the Sahara desert. Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Berkoff are on location, filming a movie called Legionnaire. The shoot is going painfully slowly. There is time to kill. But Berkoff has a solution. “In a trailer you go mad,” he says today. “You read books, you read the papers, you roll up cigarettes. What is better to do in a trailer than write? I wrote two works over two or three weeks – and I suddenly got involved with Oedipus.” It wasn’t the first time Berkoff had focused on the Sophocles tragedy. His 1979 play Greek relocated the myth to the modern-day East End of London. Here the story of the king who inadvertently murders his dad and marries his mum was told in terms of waitresses in a decaying Britain and a hero called Eddy. Like his debut play East, Greek became a mainstay of student theatre groups in Edinburgh and helped secure Berkoff’s place as an unofficial Fringe figurehead. Now he has brought his new, more faithful, version of Oedipus, originally published in 2000, to the stage for the first time. Having directed it in Liverpool and Nottingham earlier this year, he is joining the cast himself to play Creon. Simon Merrells – last seen in Edinburgh in Berkoff’s adaptation of On the Waterfront – reprises the central role of the arrogant king and is joined by Anita Dobson as Jocasta, his wife and mother. Performed around a long table, with imagery drawn from Renaissance paintings, the production is a prime example of ensemble playing – heightened, intense and visceral. 70 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
Berkoff is passionate about making Greek theatre accessible
“My theatre is actor-led,” says Berkoff, 73, sitting in his East End studio flat overlooking the Thames. “In a Greek play, you have the ensemble who are the storytellers and the chorus who reflect on the events. I see the ensemble as the backbone of the company, therefore they must have absolute control and command over the material and over the play. They are a dynamic reflection of the events, telling the story and articulating the doubts of the people. The leading actors are enhanced by this meteor tail of the ensemble. For that they must be ambitious, versatile and physically dextrous.” To return to the Greeks, he says, is something audiences have an appetite
“You’ve got to make it real, give it substance, give it gravity, give it some kind of grittiness”
If you like this, try... Ovid’s Metamorphoses at Pleasance Dome, 19-28 August
for, but it is an appetite rarely satisfied. “The Greeks do speak to us very profoundly,” he says. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t see enough of them – or, when we do see them, they’re not put on in a way that expresses the underlying depth of humanity.” It makes perfect sense that filling the wall opposite him should be a collection of nine Peter Howson originals. The Glasgow artist, with his bold, masculine directness, finds an ideal match in Berkoff’s muscular theatre. “All my savings go into Peter Howson,” says Berkoff. “There’s an intensity, a compassion, a strong feeling, an identification with the common man
and also the poetic description of labour. That’s something you don’t get very much of in the present art world.” Today Berkoff, dressed in a black tracksuit and rolling a cigarette, is in benign spirits, but whether as an actor, director or writer, he is a tough-talking artist who despises mediocrity. Far from the prim Greek tragedies of the classroom, his version of Oedipus is an abrasive play that talks of "new-born brats”, “black bile” and “sceptic poison”. “You’ve got to make it real, give it substance, give it gravity, give it some kind of grittiness,” he says. “Most Greek plays have been made dull as dishwater. They’re so boring: ‘Oh! Great Zeus, mighty king – la, la, la!’” He demands a similar kind of forcefulness from his actors and knows exactly what he’s looking for: “I can just see the rhythm of their body language, the swiftness of response, the way they read, whether they have good timbre in their voices.” As a director, he has no qualms about cutting his own script when he needs to, but he also enthuses about it as if someone else had written it. “The text flows, it has a drive,” he says. “It’s rhythmic, because I’m a very rhythmic person – I’ve studied dance, I love music – so it’s great to work on this text. It’s not so much about muscularity as the jazz of text. It was the same in the blues, when the people took hold of music and made it their own. When the working man started making music, it was the sound of the people that was exciting. You have to make theatre as dynamic, thrilling, awesome as possible. I want the audience to see something they have never before seen.” ★ www.edfestmag.com
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THEATRE OEDIPUS
WHERE & WHEN Oedipus, Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 August (not 9, 10, 17or 24), 1.20pm, From £10, Tel: 0131 556 6550
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MUSIC MAGNUS ÖSTRÖM
Phoenix from the flames The tragic death of his E.S.T. bandmate made Swedish jazz musician Magnus Öström all the more determined to keep his vision alive. Words Rob Adams
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agnus Öström likes visiting Edinburgh. It was just after they played their first Edinburgh gig, at Henry’s Jazz Cellar in May 2001, that E.S.T., the group he played drums in at the time, became jazz’s hottest property in the Noughties. From tiny venues like Henry’s the group progressed to playing in rock and pop arenas. They were, comparatively speaking, making the sort of impression internationally that their fellow Swedes ABBA had made decades before. “We were very conscious that there had been great jazz musicians from Sweden before us,” says Öström, who brings his new band to Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival to headline its Jazz from Sweden strand. “The saxophonist Arne Domnérus and pianist Bobo Stenson, for example, both had international reputations and we knew that we were standing on the shoulders of giants. But I think E.S.T.’s success did show the younger generation that it was possible for Swedish musicians to make an impression on the world at large.” E.S.T. had become the familiar shorthand name for what had begun life as the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, originally a conventional piano, bass and drums trio that then embraced electronica, drum ‘n’ bass and influences ranging from
If you like this, try... Maxime Bender Quartet at The Bosco Theatre, £20
“I think E.S.T.’s success showed the younger generation it was possible” Östrom’s new band personifies his sound
Thelonious Monk to Bach and Radiohead. Öström’s highly-detailed drumming was central to the E.S.T. sound. America had been conquered, a huge achievement for a European jazz group, when, in June 2008, Svensson died in a diving accident. For Öström, who had been friends with Svensson since they were fouryear-olds growing up together, it was like losing a brother. “We were preparing for a tour of America and Canada,” he says, “and I got a phone call from Esbjörn’s sister. It was like life stopped, a terrible shock.” Like his E.S.T. bandmate Dan Berglund, Öström didn’t know
what to do. For six months he sat at home, wondering if he should change career. Then a friend, bassist Lars Daniellson, called and asked if he would join his group for gigs in Poland and Hungary. Öström decided he should try to get back into the saddle. Swedish singer Jeanette Lindström then asked Öström’s opinion on some songs for her next album – and Öström ended up co-producing the sessions. Meanwhile, the ideas that Öström had been working on at his piano at home, as much to help him cope with Svensson’s death as to plot a new future, were beginning to coalesce into “proper compositions”. He played them to E.S.T.’s record company, ACT, and the response was immediately positive. “I invited some of the musicians who had worked on Jeanette’s album to get involved, and we ended up jamming in exactly the same way that E.S.T. used to at rehearsals,” he says. “Then we worked on the tunes and it came together very fast.” The resulting album, Thread of Life, was released earlier this year to favourable reviews and features a guest appearance from guitarist Pat Metheny on Ballad for E, Öström’s tribute to Svensson. “I’m really pleased with the way things are going with the band,” says Öström. “There’s no way of knowing how long it’s going to last but I hope we can develop in a way similar to E.S.T. I’m particularly looking forward to bringing the band to Edinburgh because E.S.T. always did well there, and it’ll also allow me to investigate some good malt whisky.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Magnus Öström Band, The Hub, 24, July, 8.30pm From £20, Tel: 0131 473 2000
www.edfestmag.co.uk
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MUSIC THE MAGNETS
Inthesing of it Huge Festival stars and now Vodaphone advert stars The Magnets return to the Fringe, and they’ve inspired up-and-comers to join their a capella ranks. Words Fiona Shepherd
S
ince making their Fringe debut eight years ago, “sixman sound machine” The Magnets have successfully funked up the image and reputation of a cappella harmony singing with their inventive interpretations of unexpected pop hits, backed by judicious beatboxing. Their music is infused with a playful irreverence you wouldn’t get from old school ensembles. “The immediate appeal of a cappella singing is that you can do it anywhere, anytime, and people will always stop and listen,” says The Magnets’ Michael Welton. “Even in our earliest days, when we were still pretty rough, we found we could draw a crowd on a street corner or tube platform just by breaking into song. It’s such a simple medium, and we’ve been lucky to have had the chance to find that it translates up to the biggest arenas as well.” Where one group leads, others will follow. This year another couple of contrasting a cappella ensembles aim to seduce by harnessing the power and adaptability of the human voice. Finnish four-piece Fork share The Magnets’ elastic approach to pop and rock by imitating instruments and www.edfestmag.co.uk
The Magnets are Britain’s biggest a capella group, with hit albums to their name
If you like this, try... The Alleycats at C, 14-29 August (not 22)
deploying loops and effects. Their repertoire encompasses songs by Katy Perry, Michael Jackson, Coldplay, Pink and a storming Bohemian Rhapsody. Founding member Mia Hafren testifies to the “total freedom” their format allows, “because with the voice you can be whatever instrument you want.” Current show Pink Noise is a bells and whistles presentation, with costumes, dynamics and pyrotechnics more in keeping with a rock show. Like The Magnets, Fork don’t forget to bring a sense of humour to their work – which is just about the only element they share with the more esoteric Spooky Men’s Chorale. This Aussie male voice choir of a dozen singers was formed by Stephen Taberner ten years ago, inspired by the haunting Gregorian male choir tradition. “It was a time in my life when I was into contemplation,” says Taberner, “and I dreamed up the idea of this choir that would be quite mysterious and dark. But instead this archetype emerged of the Spooky Man as a bit of a genial, bearded buffoon.” So what qualities does one require to be a Spooky Man? “I think you need the ability to raise your eyebrows slightly
and appear incredibly deep, maybe accidentally. You do need to be able to sing a few notes, but it’s not about super tonsils, it’s just about being in the comfort zone of man sounds.”★
WHERE & WHEN The Magnets, Assembly George Square, 5-29 August (not 16), 6.10pm From £10, Tel: 0131 323 3030 Pink Noise by Fork, Assembly George Square, 3-28 August (not 10, 17), 6.05pm From £5, Tel: 0131 623 3030 Spooky Men’s Chorale, Acoustic Music Centre @ St Brides, 20-21 August, times vary From £10, Tel: 0131 668 2019
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PHYSICAL THEATRE FREE RUN
The great leap forward It’s featured in Hollywood films and on edgy TV shows such as Misfits. Now parkour is coming to the Fringe stage thanks to Sam Parham and his company 3Run. Words Jonathan Trew
F
or a man whose working day might involve jumping between rooftops, flipping over speeding cars or indeed being chased by zombies, Sam Parham has a spotless injury record. “I’ve never had a major injury or broken anything,” says the 24 year-old free runner. “It’s as dangerous as you make it. I’m all about pushing my body’s limits but that doesn’t mean I’m going to launch myself off a threestorey building to see if I can take the impact.” Sam is a member of 3Run, the UK’s highest-profile exponents of a discipline that combines action sports such as parkour, martial arts and acrobatics. Based in Basingstoke, the 15-strong crew has turned a childhood obsession into a thriving business. From working on films such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Casino Royal and 28 Weeks Later to starring in promotions for global brands, 3Run travel the world spreading the free-running word. At the Udderbelly in August the team will transform their street skills into a stage show called Free Run. A spectacular mix of acrobatics, martial arts and choreography, the show’s roots are in parkour. A French term, it describes an acrobatic way of moving through a usually urban environment using jumps, climbing and
www.edfestmag.co.uk
“Its beauty lies in the fact that it’s so free. You can do anything you want” The 3Run crew are in demand around the world
If you like this, try... Images at C eca, 3-29 August (not 15)
running. In parkour, the emphasis is on efficiency, on moving from one point to another as quickly and cleanly as possible. While the lines between parkour and free running are not clearly defined, the latter trades some efficiency of movement for individual flair. ““Free running still has those powerful, efficient movements,” explains Sam, “but it allows for more personality. By adding, say, flips or somersaults, you can show off your personality more.” Free running practitioners are reluctant to even name their moves on
the grounds that to do so would define them too narrowly. Not being restricted by labels or set methods is a key part of the ethos, according to Sam. “Its beauty lies in the fact that it’s so free. You can do any movement that you want. I could be with three of my teammates and we’ll decide to move from point A to point B. We will all get there using a completely different route and completely different moves. Or, if we all used the same moves they would still look different because we all have our own style.” Fitting that freedom of movement into a stage setting is a challenge that 3Run have relished. “How do you take something that is predominantly an outdoor art form, put it on the stage and ensure that it still represents free running?” asks Sam. “It was a difficulty, but not one that was going to stand in our way. The whole point of free running is to adapt to and overcome obstacles. This was another obstacle that we had to tackle in a creative way and we have done that.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Free Run, Udderbelly, 3-29 August (not 16, 22), 6.20pm, From £15.50, Tel: 0844 545 8252
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THEATRE CIRCOLOMBIA
From the barrio to the big top Bringing talented circus performers – who just happen to be Columbian street kids – to a UK audience has been a labour of love for Felicity Simpson. Words Kelly Apter
E
ven as a toddler, Felicity Simpson had an adventurous spirit. The woman behind circus troupe Circolombia has spent her whole life travelling the world, starting at just 16 when she made the move from her West London home and family to join the circus in Paris. “I don’t know if it was brave,” says Simpson, “it didn’t feel that way for me. I was raring to go. My mum says that from the age of 18 months, whenever anybody went to the door to go out, I’d put my coat on as well.” When Simpson finally put her coat on for good, there was no stopping her. Circus school in Paris was too “clean” for her tastes, so she headed for Brazil and formed her own troupe with like-minded artistes. Many years of touring followed, during which the idea for Circolombia was born. “While we were travelling we would pop into acrobatic or circus schools,” says Simpson, “and always think how we could make one that was better.” Simpson’s professional partner, Hector Cobo Plata, hailed from Colombia and was keen to put something back into his country, so, in 1997, Circo Para Todos opened in the Colombian city of Cali, an area dogged by violent crime. Yet, once again, Simpson was unfazed. “It wasn’t scary,” she says. “They’re the greatest people to work with. There are very few opportunities there, so when you come along, people are really welcoming.” But as the first successful graduates went out into the world, Simpson 78 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
If you like this, try...
Bang Bang Circus, Assembly George Square, 3-11 August
realised not everybody had their best interests at heart. “They were getting the most scandalous offers from circuses,” she says. “Because they came from a social project, they were easy to exploit. So I set up an agency to see they had fair pay and conditions.” In 2005, Simpson took a step back from the Colombian project and set up Circolombia in the UK, largely due to the frustration of watching talent wasted “wiggling their hips” when they were capable of so much more. Which is the key point she makes – these performers, who are masters of acrobatics, should be viewed as professionals, not street kids in need of sympathy. For years, Simpson said nothing about the troupe’s background – until now. Suggested by the performers themselves, Circolombia’s Fringe show, Urban, mixes jaw-dropping circus skills with real life stories from the streets of Cali. “I’ve never wanted to say where they came from before,” says Simpson. “But they wanted to make a show about what it’s like to be part of a gang, the problems of identity and violence. And it’s really powerful because it’s so authentic – they’re performing on stage, they’re really living it. I think that’s why it’s been so successful.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Circolumbia will be celebrating their roots in this show
Circolombia – Urban, Assembly Hall, 4-29 August, 12noon From £10, Tel: 0131 623 3030
www.edfestmag.co.uk
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DANCE PRINCESS BARI
The princess and the free
Colourful costumes and humour hide a serious message about bravery in Eun-Me Ahn’s dance piece Princess Bari. Words Kelly Apter
O
n Eun-Me Ahn’s website there is a photograph that captures her work in a nutshell. Dressed in a pale pink ballgown, with delicate lace gloves, the Korean choreographer is the picture of feminine beauty. Between her fingers, however, is a flower that has been tugged from the ground, its muddy roots exposed and dangling. Not for her the pretty bouquet – Ahn is far more interested in looking at what lies beneath. The same could be said for her Edinburgh International Festival show, Princess Bari. A 300-year-old tale, told with a blend of modern and traditional dance styles, the show is very easy on the eye. Dancers cross back and forth across the stage in a stunning array of patterned dresses (all designed by Ahn), clutching colourful fans and bright parasols. Yet dig a little deeper and you find that Ahn is posing some interesting questions about gender politics – not least because the eponymous heroine is played by a man. It seems somehow fitting that the UK’s first experience of Ahn, and her unique brand of dance theatre, comes dressed in a vibrant array of frocks, because for her, that’s how it all began. “It was one day during my pre-school years that I became fascinated by dance,” recalls Ahn. “Completely by accident I came across Korean traditional dance in the street, and the costumes impressed me so much. This unrealistic world looked very mysterious to my young eyes. “That day, as a 5-year-old girl, 80 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
Princess Bari fuses traditional dance with contemporary movement
I begged my mother to let me learn to dance. Seven years later, when I was 12 years old, she finally gave me the tuition fees and I began to learn.” The seed sewn in childhood eventually led to Ahn dancing for six years with the Korean Modern Dance Company in Seoul, before soaking up a whole new set of experiences at New York’s Tisch School of the Arts. “I felt at ease in the noise of Manhattan,” she says, “and I found peace in that crazy world. New York was my first experience of travel – I left behind the familiar place I had lived in for 30 years to go to a strange world with a language barrier. But at the same
time, I was tired of the bitter life in Seoul. New York is a city full of variety where everything co-exists, and it was a good opportunity for me to look at Korea from a distance.” After a successful time working in the US, Ahn returned to South Korea and took over as artistic director of Deagu City Dance Troupe. It was during this time that the unlikely alliance of football and dance came together, when Ahn was asked to contribute to the opening ceremony of the 2002 World Cup. “Deagu City Dance appeared at the Deagu match, and I choreographed them,” explains Ahn. “I tried to show www.edfestmag.com
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the world the humour inherent in the Korean tradition by expressing football through dance, and putting small footballs on the dancers’ heads. It was very cute.” That same wit is to be found in Princess Bari, despite the show’s somewhat tragic subject matter. Born the seventh daughter of a king and queen who longed for a son, Bari is thrown into the sea by her disappointed father. Sixteen years later, the fisherman
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If you like this, try... Pinocchio: A Fantasy of Pleasures at New Town Theatre, 4-28 August
“As a 5-year-old, I begged my mother to let me learn to dance. 7 years later she gave me the tuition fees” who raised her finally tells the princess who she is, and Bari sets off to find her family – encountering many trials and tribulations along the way. Ahn calls the rites of passage tale an “allegory for human life”, and her admiration for the fictional heroine is clear. “Princess Bari shows a positive transformation,” says Ahn. “She is a victim but generously forgives her detractors. Most of the people in the dance are afraid and cautious, but they want to have Bari’s courage when they are in trouble. She is a role model to them all. The history of Korea, with its many changes, and Princess Bari's life are much alike.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Princess Bari, Edinburgh Playhouse, 19-21 August, 7.30pm From £10, Tel: 0131 473 2000
www.edfestmag.com
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DANCE ROCK THE BALLET
Can’t stop the rock New York dance rebel Shane Ohmer is bringing his particular brand of physical expression to the Fringe stage with Rock the Ballet. Words Kelly Apter
H
e’s one of New York’s Bad Boys of Dance, so it stands to reason that shortly before talking to me Shane Ohmer was holding a gun. Could it be that this year’s hot dance ticket, Rock the Ballet, is a little too hot? “No, we’re not criminals,” laughs Ohmer. “We’ll set the stage on fire, but not in the literal sense.” In fact, Ohmer is on a rare trip home to his parent’s house in Ohio when we speak. At the age of 24, the young dancer has already lived in six different cities across the US and Canada, so a visit to the folks is a special occasion. “I don’t get back to Ohio very often,” he says. “But I’ve been fishing with my father and an hour ago I was shooting a new gun he just bought. In between I’m doing ballet steps through the kitchen.” Being an adaptable all-rounder serves Ohmer well, both at home and work. Created by Rasta Thomas – one of the most successful ballet dancers America has produced in recent years – Rock the Ballet is a mix of musical theatre, tap, hip hop, ballet and gymnastics, set to a string of rock and pop hits. So if Thomas invites you to join the Bad Boys of Dance, you’d better have more than one string to your bow. “Everybody in the troupe beings an extraordinary talent and multiple dance
www.edfestmag.co.uk
“I instantly connected with dance. It was like an addiction” Growing up in rural Ohio gave Ohmer a rounded outlook on dance
If you like this, try... Physical Graffiti at Greenside, 15-19 August (not 17)
styles to the table,” says Ohmer. “I’m the lead of the show and would say I’m a Jack of all trades, but everybody brings a wow factor.” Ohmer started learning those trades as a young boy at elementary school. Hearing that a neighbourhood friend was part of the Drill Team, Ohmer thought he would go along and learn how to drill wood, too. It turned out to be a cheerleading dance team, but despite being made fun of by some fellow pupils, he never looked back. “I didn’t let it get to me – I was so happy to be dancing,” he says. “I instantly connected with it, especially
once I started performing. It was like an addiction.” From there, Ohmer attended a performing arts high school, leading to a ballet apprenticeship with a professional company and guest appearances with dance groups around the world. Given that the Bad Boys of Dance are very easy on the eye, it comes as no surprise to learn that Ohmer also had a spell as a catwalk model and appeared in GQ magazine. What about the crowd-pleasing acrobatics of Rock the Ballet – where did he pick those up? Back in Ohio, of course. “When I was younger my brother and I would take out all the mattresses from the house and teach ourselves gymnastics in the backyard,” he says. But even back then, the Bad Boy knew how to get away with things. “We planned ahead,” he laughs, “and made sure we got them cleaned and back in the house before our parents got home from work.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Rock the Ballet, Assembly Hall, 4-28 August (not 15, 22), 6pm, From £10, Tel: 0131 623 3030
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The puppet master After rubbing shoulders with the likes of Madonna and Colin Farrell, why is Stephen Earnheart’s latest production, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, giving him sleepless nights? Words Jackie McGlone
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THEATRE THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE
A
s a Hollywood producer Stephen Earnhart has made a mega-hit movie with Madonna and created rock music videos for David Byrne, The Who, Sheryl Crowe, K D Lang and Limp Bizkit. He also directed the acclaimed 2009 documentary, Source of Pride, about the making of the feature film Pride & Glory, starring Ed Norton, Colin Farrell and Jon Voight. Over 18 months he did late-night shifts with NYPD narcotics squad and met some real low-life criminals, as well as hanging out with the three actors to make the documentary. “I went very, very deep, but then that’s what I do,” confesses the 45-year-old New York-based filmmaker. But nothing has challenged Earnhart as much as his latest project, which has its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Ferstival. More than six years ago he read the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami’s gorgeously sensual, surreal 1995 detective novel, The WindUp Bird Chronicle. Immediately after he read the mesmerising, 607-page book, he says, he knew he had to create his own stage version, confessing that the award-winning novel so impressed him that he even had recurring dreams about the various characters that people the story. “Nowadays, I never dream – I’m lucky to get any sleep at all,” he sighs, adding that he and his company of nine actors, puppeteers and technical crew have been rehearsing and workshopping the two hour-long show, which is performed in English and Japanese, for almost three months. “It never occurred to me that I might film the book – a movie would not have been enough because Murakami layers so many worlds and different dimensions into his writing,” Earnhart explains. “Nor did I see it as a straight play because it’s such an incredibly complex, dreamlike narrative.” The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which begins seemingly innocently with a lost cat, is narrated by Toru Okada, a young, unemployed man who has been receiving mysterious, sexually explicit telephone calls in between searching for the missing feline and completing mundane tasks such as doing the laundry while his wife is at work. Eventually, she disappears, too, and Toru embarks on a bizarre journey, encountering a succession of strange characters, each with a compelling tale to tell. “I knew instinctively that it had to be a combination of live performance and film, with a terrific soundscape,” www.edfestmag.com
Toru meets some very strange characters on his travels
says Earnhart. “Multi-media theatre, I guess, which is what I always intended to work in when I left film school anyway – I really wanted to make theatre that uses the language of cinema. A theatre of dreams, I guess.” A trained actor and a graduate of New York University’s Film School, Earnhart admits that the production has become “a magnificent obsession,” then he adds, with an ironic laugh, that his therapist would say that he’s prone to obsessions anyway. He spent four years, for instance, making another well-
“I really wanted to make theatre that uses the language of cinema. A theatre of dreams, I guess”
If you like this try... The Moment I Saw You I Knew I Could Love You at Summerhall, 22-27 August
received documentary, Mule Skinner Blues (2001), a unique and charming tribute to American eccentricity. He was actually winding down from that exhausting experience when he first read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle while travelling around the Far East. Shamefaced, he admits he’d never even heard of Murakami, who is widely regarded as Japan’s greatest living writer. “I’d been living in a cave,” he jokes. Again, he became obsessed, voraciously reading every Murakami novel he could find back-to-back. “I always knew it was going to be the most tremendous commitment to translate this book into a piece of theatre,” says Earnhart, who met the reclusive Murakami while living in Japan – such was his passion for the
book he moved there for a while – and the two men discovered that they had a great deal in common, including a love of “the dream logic” of David Lynch. Eventually, Earnhart hopes to film one of Murakami’s twelve novels himself, although he won’t say which one. “In any case, I can’t think about anything else at the moment,” he confesses wearily. “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which I’ve co-authored with the writer Greg Pierce, is definitely the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life, although I’ve no regrets that I’ve dedicated six years to it. “When I first read the book, I was looking for something to stretch me creatively and it sure has! It’s intense – I have no life at all. I live, breathe, eat The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. “If I do fall asleep, I have nightmares about shipping our set to Scotland, losing it, then filling in endless insurance policy forms. I also have nightmares about our first night. After all, I’m a first-time theatre director. Nonetheless, it’s thrilling – a big adventure, a journey into the unknown.” Who knows where his own Wind-Up Bird will wind up? “Exactly!” he exclaims. ★
WHERE & WHEN The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, King’s Theatre, 20-24 August, 7.30pm, From £10, Tel: 0131 473 2000
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THEATRE DIANA QUICK
k c i u q e h t o t Cut e made Forty-six years after sh Edinburgh her stage debut at the visited’s Fringe, Brideshead Re back. Diana Quick is coming Words Mark Fisher
W
hen it comes to the Edinburgh Fringe, Diana Quick has pedigree. She made her debut in the city as an 18-year-old undergraduate, performing on the Royal Mile with the Oxford Revue, in a show directed by Michael Palin. She remembers her impression of Marlene Dietrich going down well. “It was enormous fun and I met lots of people whom I still know,” she says. She was back again in 1992 with her own sell-out adaptation of Simone de Beauvoir’s The Woman Destroyed. Two years ago, she was at the Book Festival after the publication of her family memoir A Tug on the Thread. She has only happy memories of the place. So the actor who played Julia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited and, more recently, our very own monarch in the Channel 4 docu-drama The Queen is delighted to be back on the Fringe, even if she’s a trifle alarmed at being in a one-woman show. “It’s much more challenging when there’s only you,” she says. “You have to be very on the ball.” Nervous or not, Quick, 64, is in the privileged position of having a play specially written for her. As a sponsor www.edfestmag.co.uk
Quick’s character can only communicate with her daughter via Skype
of the HighTide new play festival in Suffolk, she got to know Adam Brace, a 31-year-old writer starting to make a name for himself. He wrote Midnight Your Time with her in mind. “Adam is a very interesting playwright,” she says. “He’s a real talent.” The play is about a retired lawyer whose controlling instincts are put to the test when her daughter takes up a
“It’s the problem of parents letting their children be who they want to be”
If you like this, try... An Instinct for Kindness at Pleasance Dome, 3-29 August (not 10, 17)
five-year contract in Palestine. Their only contact is via weekly Skype conversations, which only intensifies the mother’s helplessness at a point when she is still adjusting to retirement. “It’s a subject that speaks to people,” says Quick, whose own daughter, the actor Mary Nighy, is in her mid-20s. “It’s the problem of parents letting their children go and letting them be whoever they want to be. It speaks to both the parent’s generation and the child’s generation. I was just as bad at that age; I wanted to get as far away from the family as possible.”
In the play, the mother is a lobbyist, while the daughter believes in direct action. But the play is not about the particularities of the Palestinian conflict as much as the idea of seeing your offspring put themselves in any kind of danger. As such, the preview performances have been striking an emotional chord with parents. “One man came out with tears running down his face, saying, ‘That’s my relationship with my son,’” she says. “There are things that really seem to touch people, that they recognise.” Glad to be in a play that raises the question of the invisibility of older women, Quick is all too aware of the paucity of roles in Britain for her generation. At the same time, she is not the type to be defeated by it. “Life continues to be interesting,” she says. “There’s enough to keep me focused.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Midnight Your Time, Assembly George Square, 3-28 August (not 8, 15, 22), 5.20pm, From £12, Tel: 0131 623 3030
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THEATRE THE ANIMALS AND CHILDREN TOOK TO THE STREETS
Last time they came to Edinburgh, Suzanne Andrande’s 1927 company won just about every award. So what’s in store from her new show, The Animals and Children Took to the Streets? Words Mark Fisher
r o o d e h t t a The wolf
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uzanne Andrade is a girl out of time. She is a woman captivated by the 1920s, not only in the way she dresses, but also in the work (and indeed the name) of her multi-award winning theatre company, 1927. Edinburgh Fringe audiences got a taste of this obsession in the run-away hit Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, a sepia-tinged gothic cabaret that evoked the pioneering days of cinema. And now, four years later, they will get another taste in The Animals and Children Took to the Streets, a darkly comic amalgam of animation, live music and archly spoken narration set in a pre-welfare state world of deprivation and cruelty. “I just really like early cinema, crude drawings, grainy old film and having my ear and eye to the past,” says Andrade, sitting in London’s Battersea Arts Centre in an ever-so 1920s beret. She developed this retro interest at uni while studying grand guignol, the Parisian horror shows that peaked in popularity in the inter-war years. She says she loves to listen to early musical recordings, not so much for the music itself as the crackly quality of the period technology. When it came to naming the theatre company she founded with animator Paul Barritt, it seemed appropriate. “1927 just came up 88 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
“It came from Otto Dix and George Grosz, the decadent side of the 20s” 1927 use a mixture of live action and animation to tell their story
If you like this, try... The Pretender at Underbelly, 4-28 August (not 15)
because it was the year the first talkie came out,” she says. “It’s got some resonance with what we do, the look of it and being about storytelling.” At the same time, she doesn’t feel hidebound by the name. The Animals and Children Took to the Streets marks a move into colour and a step away from the deliberate graininess of her Fringe First-winning show of 2007. “This one is slightly less set in the 1920s era,” she says, “although a lot of it came from looking at some Otto Dix and George Grosz pictures, looking at this decadent side of the 20s.” A big hit in London before Christmas,
the show is a creepily comic tale of disappearing children in a decaying tower block known as Bayou Mansions. There is perfect synchronisation between actors and image, as animated insects crawl the walls and characters sweep the stage just as a cartoon dust cloud blows up behind them. With the speech all emotionally detached BBC English, it is both funny and disturbing. It is also a step forward in the sophistication of the company’s singular technique. A dazzling combination of live performance and pre-recorded cartoons, it is a multimedia marvel. To make sure it works as a piece of theatre with seeming spontaneity, Andrade is exacting in rehearsals, repeatedly returning to the editing room to get the pace right. “What I do theatrically is all about rhythm,” she says. “Because we’re combining performance, live music and the film, it’s really important that the rhythm doesn’t drag.” ★
WHERE & WHEN The Animals and Children took to the Streets, Pleasance Courtyard, 19-28 August, 4.10pm, From £12, Tel: 0131 556 6550
www.edfestmag.co.uk
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BOOK SAPPHIRE
Precious gifts A fearless voice for America’s oppressed underclass, novelist and performance poet Sapphire debuts her follow up to Push at this year’s Book Festival. Words Isobel Palmer
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PICTURE: LIONSGATE
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apphire is in the mood to take stock. She turned 60 last year and suddenly, she tells me forcibly, has a real sense of her own mortality. “Time is not on my side,” she says with a chuckle. “Of course in reality, it’s not on anybody’s side.” So with the double Oscar-winning movie, Precious, which was adapted from her first book, Push, behind her, and a second book just out called The Kid, not to mention her career as a performance poet and a teacher, what ambitions are left? “If I want to be what I say I want to be, then I’ve got a lot of writing and learning to do and not much time,” she says modestly. “Yes, I’ve had success, but I don’t equate success with excellence. Now I’d like to write a bigger novel.” Fans will be pricking up their ears at this news. How could a woman who sent a tidal wave of outrage across America with her first novel tackle anything bigger? Push examined issues of abuse, AIDS and race through the life of Claireece Jones, Precious to her friends, a teenager from Harlem. Although some reviewers accused it of racial stereotyping, it was generally critically acclaimed. A strong voice was unleashed as Sapphire allowed her main character to tell her own story. Her second work follows the life of Abdul, the son of Claireece, beginning as he prepares for his Mother’s funeral. Again it is his voice and its stream of consciousness that takes us on a journey of pain and triumph over adversity. The issues here are more subtle, Sapphire explains – foster care and adoption; the fact that “a stray dog is more likely to find a home than a dark-
“A stray dog is more likely to find a home than a dark-skinned child”
The Kid, Sapphire, Hamish Hamilton, £12.99
If you like this try... Dinaw Mengetsu & Kirsten Tranter at Charlotte Square, 22 August
skinned male child” – but equally in need of cracking open. “I try not to beat people over the head with that issue but it does come up in the book,” she sighs. Sapphire delivers all her views powerfully and with passion. There’s a lyrical, rhythmic quality to her delivery that makes every sentence seem like music. It’s no surprise that she is still a leading light in performance poetry. Her next work will continue to look at themes of healthcare and poverty by looking at women in recovery, she reveals. “I want to examine how women work together; explore some of the travails of what it means to be a young woman in society.” Is she still involved in sexual politics? Hers was a loud voice on the black lesbian scene, when she found her way to Brooklyn College in the Seventies, where she got a degree and joined the United Lesbians of Colour For Change. She is not a member any more. “I didn’t deliberately uninvolve myself but I started going out with a man and
the community was very unforgiving of that,” she explains. But if she’s softened on sexual politics, she certainly hasn’t anywhere else. On America’s wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, she is incandescent. “Twelve years of war have devastated the economy, but rather than look at the cost of that, they start reducing social services to save money.” On American stars adopting African children: “They go all the way to AFRICA to adopt a black child! There are beautiful black children here.” On trans-racial adoption? “They should stop putting roadblocks in its way – I know it can work. And against lesbian and gay adoption; single women, too. The authorities constantly posit the nuclear family and will not allow anyone else to have children.” These are some of the issues she explores in The Kid and she hopes her book will stimulate debate and change, just as Push did. “I know that Push helped. When I was in Detroit, the head of the Black Psychiatrists of America came up to me and said, ‘this happens every day, thank you for telling people.’ I know that people take Push to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Therapists have told me they give the book to their clients.” She wants her readers to see the positives in The Kid too. How through the arts, her main character finds a life. “I’d like people to see him as a winner in some ways. He turns his life around through dance. He dares to dream.” And then she pauses to quote: “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, Life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” The famous line from Langston Hughes has never seemed more apt. ★ www.edfestmag.com
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WHERE & WHEN Sapphire with Bidisha, Charlotte Square, 22 August, 8pm From ÂŁ8, Tel: 0845 373 5888
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BOOK JULIE MYERSON
If you like this, try... Steven Amsterdam at Charlotte Square, 19 August
Then and now When Julie Myerson exposed the effects of her son’s drug addiction to the world, things seemed bleak. Now, however, the future looks bright. Words Isobel Palmer
Then by Julie Myerson (Jonathan Cape, £12.99) is out now
J
ulie Myerson has just made a surprising admission. Not one you would ever expect to hear from someone in the public eye – even one mired in such controversy two years ago. But in declaring her remaining ambition is to be short-listed for a literary prize, she is perhaps revealing the one character trait that led both to her writing success and to her downfall: honesty. “People say that I’m bestselling and prize-winning and it’s a lovely compliment but I’m neither,” she says with a laugh. “It would make my day to be short-listed.” Since Sleepwalking was published in 1993, written whilst on maternity leave, there have been a string of novels and a smattering of
“It’s a cliché but I found out who my real friends were. My faith in human nature was restored” non-fiction books. Hers is a distinct, if dark, voice and as she freely admits, “I will always divide opinion,” she says. At 51, she feels at a great place in life – content to be able to write exactly what she wants and earn a living from it. There isn’t really any ambition that she hasn’t achieved, and yet... “I’ve never even been long-listed for the Orange Prize and I’m a woman and I write about women. I feel a bit left out. Come on guys!” She’s so sweet about it, adding that she doesn’t want to complain, and one can see her point. There is comfort in the fact that Martin Amis doesn’t have a prize either, we agree. Maybe next year. The critics so far have mostly loved her latest book, Then – the Observer describing it as an “uncompromising book, written with a deftness of touch www.edfestmag.com
that marks out Myerson as a truly interesting and risk-taking author.” She describes her work as “very much a reflection of my state of mind at the time.” Given the timeframe, what was her state of mind? She does not baulk from referring to the episode in her family’s life that arguably still defines her. She had published The Lost Child: A True Story, which detailed her son Jake’s descent into drug addiction and its effect on her family, ending in his ejection from their home. He retaliated in the tabloids, and she endured trial by media. It was a harrowing time that resulted in her suffering from acute anxiety and a collapse in confidence. She is better now, back to her old self and full of bounce, but it’s taken those two years. “I’m absolutely great and my family is fine again. I’ve promised not to talk about Jake but it couldn’t be better. He’s back at home.” And there are other positives. “It’s a cliché but I found out who my real friends were. It was no surprise that my husband and family were great but there were friends and complete strangers who gave their support. Although there were one or two disappointments, my faith in human nature was completely restored.” In the light of this, how about a brighter book next time? “I can’t write well unless it’s truthful and searching. If I could make a conscious decision I think I would go for something brighter but I’m not able to do that. My writing comes from a place deep inside me.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Charlotte Square, 21 August, 12noon, From £8, Tel: 0845 373 5888
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ART ANISH KAPOOR
Audacity of huge Working on a grand scale is something that sculptor Anish Kapoor is well used to doing, as he’ll prove at this year’s Art Festival. Words Mark Fisher
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pare a thought for the poor curators who have to install Flashback in the sculpture court of Edinburgh College of Art. There are only two pieces involved in the Anish Kapoor exhibition, but one of them is massive. Untitled (2010) is a wax bell the colour of blood. Previously unseen in the UK, it stands at 5m high and 5m wide. ‘It’s absolutely huge,’ says Natalie Rudd, sculpture curator of the Arts Council Collection. “It’s incredibly ambitious for us to be showing it in Edinburgh and we won’t be showing it anywhere else, so it’s a real coup.” With Kapoor’s work, it is often sheer volume that makes the first impression. The Turner Prize-winning British sculptor creates pieces that are elemental in shape and arresting in scale. A case in point is the ArcelorMittal Orbit. When this twisting steel observation tower is completed, it will stand at 115m high, a permanent legacy of the London Olympic Games in 2012 and the largest piece of public art in the country. “Anish has always been interested in this idea of something being self-made, auto-generated,” says Rudd. “So in the wax installation, this arm sweeps around and creates this form. There’s an absence of the artist’s hand, it looks like it’s been touched by a robot rather than by a human. Its sheer volume will dwarf everybody standing alongside it.” Edinburgh gallery-goers have already been enjoying the Indian-born sculptor’s Suck the Neck at Jupiter Artland. Locked in a 5m square cage, it is a vortex of smooth cast iron spiralling into the ground in such a way that you can never see the bottom. For the duration of the Edinburgh Art Festival, that piece 94 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
Untitled (2010) is a huge piece of work, 5 metres high
“There’s an absence of the artist’s hand, it’s been touched by a robot”
If you like this try... David Mach: Precious Light at City Art Centre, 1 August 4 September
is being joined by Untitled (2010) and also White Sand, Red Millet, Many Flowers. This work from 1982, when Kapoor was an up-and-coming player in the new British sculpture movement, is a set of four organic-looking objects made from plaster and coated in bright, primary coloured pigments. “We feel this is a really special Anish Kapoor work and it’s one he returns to in his thinking,” says Rudd. “He talks about it as a critical piece for him. Many of the subsequent themes and ideas in his practice can be visualised in that initial piece. They look like icebergs rising out of the floor or piles of
pigment you might see in Indian market places. This approach to sculpture catapulted Anish into the international art scene in the 1980s.” To get the full Flashback experience is no easy task. The touring exhibition is designed to highlight the way the Arts Council Collection has supported artists at the start of their careers through the purchase of their work, hence the piece from 1982 as well as from 2010 in Edinburgh. But although Flashback is showing in Manchester (run ended), Nottingham (in the autumn) and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (next year), it will have different sculptures in each venue. “It’s a bespoke exhibition that changes because of the nature of the spaces,” says Rudd. “Some are historical, some are purpose-built galleries, so we’ve had to adapt. We see that as a positive because it means every venue will be different.” Working in consultation with Kapoor, Rudd and the head of the collection Caroline Douglas put together this miniretrospective. “We invited Anish literally to flashback on his career to date,” she says. “It’s been fascinating to work with such an esteemed artist. We wanted to put Anish back into contact with those early works to see where he took it. He really appreciated the opportunity to reflect.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Anish Kapoor: Flashback, Charlotte Square, 4 August - 9 October, 10am-5pm, FREE, Tel: 0131 221 6000
www.edfestmag.com
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ART HIROSHI SUGIMOTO
Inspiration strikes Hiroshi Sugimoto Japanese photographer pective in the work has found a fresh pers pioneer. of a 19th century British Words Mark Fisher
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hotography is all around us. There’s a picture on my computer screen, a Polaroid snap stuck to the wall and a glossy face staring out from a magazine. The form is so ubiquitous it’s easy to forget the technology was still rudimentary as recently as 170 years ago. That’s why when leading Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto looks back at the work of Henry Fox Talbot, who invented the calotype process in 1841, he is full of admiration. “Not only was he the inventor of negative/positive photography, he was a mathematician, a botanist, a politician, an archaeologist, a poet, a physicist and one of the first decipherers of the Sumerian written language of Cuneiform,” he says. “He was truly a ‘gentleman scientist’.” Investigating Fox Talbot’s techniques for himself, Sugimoto was humbled by the achievements of the British pioneer. His attitude, he says, went “from curiosity to awe”. It is that sense of awe he hopes to convey in his Edinburgh Art Festival exhibition – a collaboration with the Edinburgh International Festival – which is deeply rooted in the story of photography. “I feel it’s important to understand the history of the medium I work in,” he says. On show in Europe for the first time, Photogenic Drawings (a term coined by Fox Talbot) are enlargements of the www.edfestmag.co.uk
“I feel it’s important to understand the history of the medium I work in” Sugimoto is inspired by the early work of Henry Fox Talbot
If you like this, try... Roads by Night, Lanes by Night at C, 3-29 August
master’s earliest negatives unearthed by Sugimoto in the darkest corners of museum collections. Fox Talbot himself never saw their startling, painterly effects because these negatives pre-date his invention of a reliable technique to turn them positive. Also on show is Lightning Fields, a series of amazing light effects created by Sugimoto using a Van der Graaff generator. “It took many years of testing – different generators, film emulsions, techniques, and so on,” he says. “Using the scientific method, I would change one parameter for each experiment and keep detailed notes of the results. This technique is very similar to the procedures Fox Talbot used in
developing his Photogenic Drawing process. “While the results may seem somewhat unpredictable, depending on the tools and techniques I use, I can predict the character of the spark,” he says. “I discharge the electricity on to large sheets of film that come on a roll, and then cut the film down to a printable 8x10 size, so I have complete control of the final composition.” These old-school methods are a reaction to the chemical-free processes of 21st-century cameras. “With the rise of digital photography, perhaps traditional silver-based photography can have a self-reflexive moment, since it no longer has to concern itself with representing the world around us – much like what happened with painting after the invention of photography. “As for deciding what looks good,” he adds, “well, that’s my job as an artist.” ★
WHERE & WHEN Hiroshi Sugimomoto: Lightning Fields and Photogenic Drawings, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 4 August - 18 September, 10am-6pm, £7 (£5), Tel: 0131 624 6200
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THEATRE HOTEL MEDEA
Watch for mother Immersing the audience into a world of site-specific terror and hot chocolate is all in a night’s work for Zecora Uta Theatre Network, with their adaptation of Medea. Words Jay Richardson
If you like this, try
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s the breeze of midnight shivers, Hotel Medea opens its doors. For the six hours until dawn, the new Summerhall Fringe venue will be staging this interactive retelling of Euripedes’ tragedy and the Jason and the Argonauts myth. It’s an ambitious, promenade performance that features everything from Brazilian carnival and live video streaming to mugs of hot chocolate – compelling, disorientating and seducing the audience into participating. “Before the interaction, before Medea and before we even considered a Brazil/UK tension, the first thing that existed was the concept of an overnight event,” explains Jorge Lopes Ramos, artistic director of the London and Rio de Janeiro-based Zecora Ura Theatre Network, who have developed the production over six years with Peris-Jade Maravala. “All of these were answers to the question of ‘how can we spend the night with our audience and go through something together?’” During the first part, in which Medea and Jason meet and marry in a blaze of passion, the audience is surrounded by painted dancers as a DJ spins. The action spans a military invasion, a football game, ceremonial rites, murder and betrayal. “The rhythms of the music immerse you immediately,” Lopes Ramos says. Subsequently split into three groups, audience members are coerced into reflection and discussion after experiencing the second part in a different order to other people. As part of this section, they are allowed to rest in 98 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
ALMA MATER St George’s West, 5-29 August (not 15) every 10 mins from 11.00am, From £3, Tel: 0131 225 7001
“There shouldn’t be any applause – we’ve created a shared event” bunkbeds, where they can overhear snatches of Jason and Medea arguing, effectively casting them as the couple’s ill-fated children. Many Greek myths have lost their capacity to shock, yet the murder of one’s offspring remains taboo, “the very darkest,” says Lopes Ramos. “There are no surprises in Medea, yet the audience is asked, ‘what perspective do you want to experience this from? What if you were the child that knows?’” Ultimately, just as people are starting to flag, the tempo of the production is raised one last time, before the audience is invited to eat with the actors. Lopes Ramos smiles. “There shouldn’t be any applause. We’ve created a shared event and ought to be rewarded for that. What better way than with some nice food? “Everyone has different experiences,” Lopes Ramos maintains. “They describe them in different ways and the reasons they believe they remember them tend to be different. It’s fascinating.” ★
TOUR GUIDE Departing from Market Street, 3-28 August (not 8, 15, 22) times vary, From £5.50, Tel: 0131 226 0000
WHAT REMAINS Traverse @ University of Edinburgh Medical School, 4-28 August (not 8, 15, 22) times vary, From £6, Tel: 0131 228 1404
WHERE & WHEN Hotel Medea, Summerhall, 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 25-27 August, 11.45pm, From £25, Tel: 0131 226 3000
www.edfestmag.com
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21
Lucky
medy and theatre you co e th l al en se ve u’ yo Once es ce of fun family activiti oi ch r ou ’s re he , le nd can ha beyond the Fringe.
1 Experience 13.7 billon years of history at
Our Dynamic Earth Beginning with the Big Bang, children and adults alike can witness the creation of the planet, follow the Earth through its evolution and even catch glimpses of its future, all within the funky dome of Our Dynamic Earth. » www.dynamicearth.co.uk
2 See history come to life at
Edinburgh Castle Throughout August there will be a daily programme of events at Edinburgh Castle showing the glamorous side of court life alongside the strifes, seiges and weaponry of Renaissance Scotland. Soldiers will be on hand to explain what prompted some of the bloodthirsty battles. » www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk 100 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
3 Be the pick of the crop at
Craigies Fruit Farm Spending time picking fruit with your kids not only involves them in choosing their own food and encouraging them to eat healthily, it also creates family memories that they’ll treasure. » www.craigies.co.uk www.edfestmag.com
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5 Run wild at
The Royal Botanic Garden Play amidst models of tigers, orangutans, crocodiles and hornbills. More than 100 imaginatively-painted animals will be taking up residence at the Royal Botanic Garden between 16 August and 4 September as part of Jungle City, a charity project to save endangered Asian animals. » www.rbge.org.uk
4
6 Panda to the little ones at
Edinburgh Zoo
Freshen up your food at
Edinburgh Farmers Market
With the arrival of the Zoo’s new pair of giant pandas, visitors to Edinburgh Zoo are sure of a special show. As well as Tian Tian and Yang Guang, there are regular features including the UK’s only koalas, the UK’s largest chimpanzee house, the world famous Penguin Parade, over 1,000 animals, 82 acres of parkland and two new restaurants. » www.edinburghzoo.org.uk
If you’ve been living off chip butties and deep-fried Mars bars, now is the moment to pick up some delicious local produce from Edinburgh’s own farmers’ market, each Saturday on Castle Terrace from 9am to 2pm.
7 Escape the city at
Fringe by the Sea If the city crowds are getting too much for you, hop on a train to North Berwick – it only takes half an hour or so – and enjoy festival acts such as Eddi Reader, Capercaillie, Fish, LAU, Gervase Phinn, Christopher Brookmyre and The Toy Hearts. » www.fringebythesea.com
9 8 Be a sweet sensation at
Bibi’s Bakery Young cooks and those with a sweet tooth will love the cupcake masterclasses at this pretty city centre bakery. Have fun and be creative with your toppings! » www.bibisbakery.com www.edfestmag.com
Give a little, live a little at
Mary’s Living and Giving Shop TV star and Queen of Shops Mary Portas chose Edinburgh’s charming Stockbridge as the location for one of her famous charity shops. Previous stock has included Dolce & Gabbana shoes and designer dresses, so see what you can snap up. » www.savethechildren.org.uk EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 101
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10 Hoist yourself heavenwards at
Alien Rock Swing from wild-coloured holds as you make their way up strangely angled walls before being lowered safely to the floor. Built inside an old fisherman’s church overlooking Newhaven Harbour, general fitness is all that’s required to give it a try and it’s suitable for almost everyone aged 8 or over. Courses, tasters and groups are all available. » www.alienrock.co.uk
11
12
Barrel about at
The Scotch Whisky Experience
Get the inside story at
The Scottish Storytelling Centre
Take a barrel ride through a replica distillery as you become part of the whisky-making process. Grown ups can then discover the aromas and flavours that appeal to their palate and will lead them to their perfect single malt. » www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk
There’s always a tale to be told at The Scottish Storytelling Centre – just the thing to get young minds moving! Learn about how our ancestors kept their history alive through oral storytelling and make up stories of your own. » www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk
13 Get snappy at
Stills photography If you love taking photos but can’t get a handle on your new camera, or you’ve been taking pictures for a while but you want to get more creative, a course at Stills could be just the thing. Scotland’s centre for photography is stocked up with all the equipment you need and all the friendly experts you can handle. » www.stills.org
14
15
Venture deep below the city at
Mess around at
The Underground Vaults
Kiss the Fish
Join Mercat Tours’ award-winning guides on an underground adventure, revealing the true history of Edinburgh and Scotland and bringing it alive with passion, humour and flair. » www.mercattours.com www.edfestmag.com
This Fair Trade gift shop runs workshops, drop-in arts and crafts sessions and parties for children of all ages;. You can drop in and choose from the huge selection of papier-mâché animals, frames, boxes, masks and letters and then decorate them. » www.kissthefishstudios.com EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 103
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16 Look like a right tube at
Hillend Ski Centre Chucking yourself down a dry ski slope in an inflatable rubber tube is a ridiculously fun way to spend an afternoon. It only costs £4.45 per child between the ages of 4-12. » ski.midlothian.gov.uk
17 Sleep with the fishes at
18
Snappy Soles Well, you may or may not fall asleep while dozens of tiny fish nibble away at the dry skin on your feet. You’ll submerge your feet into a warm pool of finned therapists for an exotic exfoliation by a team of tiny mouths.Tend the body, expand the mind feel the soul! » www.snappysoles.co.uk
Learn about another culture at
Young China Shines Enjoy traditional song, dance, drama, and martial arts from some of China’s most talented young people. Hear the Drums of Shanghai, explore contemporary Chinese fashion and have fun with free performances from China’s stars of tomorrow. » www.edfringe.com
19 Spot seals and seabirds on a
Seafari Adventure Hop onboard a high-speed boat taking you on an exciting journey out to some of Scotland’s best wildlife viewing sites. You could see seals, puffins and even a dolphin. Trips depart from Newhaven for the inner isles, or from North Berwick to Bass Rock and the Isle of May. » www.seafari.co.uk
20
21
Have an art attack with
Race around the track at
The Magic Drawabout
Xtreme Karting
Armed with a drawing board, join a professional artist to stalk the streets of Edinburgh looking for interesting people to draw, with roving minstrel and improvising fools in tow. People tell their story, you can draw it! » www.edfringe.com www.edfestmag.com
A quick train trip to Falkirk will see you within revving distance of Scotland’s newest go-karting centre. Xtreme Karting has all the latest cars and a brand new track for driving enthusiasts to enjoy. Race against your family and see whether Dad really is the best driver! » www.xtremekarting.co.uk EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 105
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KIDS BOOK ROGER MCGOUGH
Pictures of you With everything that Childern’s Poet Laureate Roger McGough has achieved, there’s still one secret ambition he’s finally fulfilling – becoming an illustrator. Words Dennis Johns
A
lmost half a century after his first Edinburgh appearance, poet Roger McGough is close to the status of national treasure. With over forty published volumes to his name, his regular show Poetry Please on Radio 4, and a place in the heart of generations of readers, there will undoubtedly be fans of all ages clamouring to see him at this years’ Book Festival. He’ll be performing poems from his most recent work, An Imaginary Menagerie – as well as illustrating them. Why the switch to drawing as well as writing? “I’ve always been a frustrated artist,” says McGough. “In fact, whenever I take my poems to the publishers they’re covered in my drawings, but they always ignore those and get someone else to do them.” First published over twenty years ago, An Imaginary Menagerie is one of the poet’s most popular collections. However, it had been out of print until publisher Frances Lincoln, in his words, “resuscitated” it and released it again with several new
poems as well as the new illustrations. McGough has worked with a number of illustrators, including Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam, but now the selfconfessed technophobe will be drawing live as part of the show – “as long as someone else sets up the equipment.” After so many decades as a public figure, first coming to prominence as one of the three featured poets, alongside Adrian Henri and Brian Patten, in the million-selling Mersey Sound anthology and then finding further fame as an unlikely pop star
An Imaginary Menagerie, Roger McGough, Francis Lincoln, £5.99
with The Scaffold, the soft-voiced Liverpudlian is still a prolific writer, as well as an increasingly busy visual artist. He’s currently working on an installation based on doors in Liverpool, but poetry remains his first love. “I first became interested in poetry listening to Under Milk Wood and Adrian Mitchell reading his stuff,“ he says. McGough is particularly enthused about bringing poetry to a younger audience. “One of the best things about kids coming to my shows is that they get to hear the poems, instead of having to read them. It’s really an aural form, and when it’s combined with the drawing they’re really captivated.” It’s typical of the older, more
“Kids coming to my shows get to hear the poems instead of read them” If you like this, try... Words, Pictures and Creating Characters at Charlotte Square, 20 August
confident McGough, who despite “missing out on a lot of fun in the Sixties,” is now increasingly “melting into the foreground”, as he puts it. He has revisited his own early work, updating his classic Let Me Die A Youngman’s Death to the more meditative Not For Me A Youngman’s Death. “Carol Ann Duffy made me do it,” he protests. Still going strong at 73 and with no signs of his pen drying up, there’s plenty of life in this lyrical trickster yet. ★
WHERE & WHEN Roger McGough, Charlotte Square, 29 August, 5pm, £4.50, Tel: 0845 373 5888
www.edfestmag.com
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KIDS COMEDY THE LIST OPERATORS
Operation fun ators are here Scatalogical, irreverent and very, very silly, Aussie team The List Oper to entertain kids, not educate them. Words Jay Richardson
F
lying back to the Fringe with their biggest and most interactive show yet, The List Operators’ Do Compooters promises an alien attack, robots with “fartificial intelligence” and more than 200 props – and nothing educational whatsoever. “If you come, you’ll learn nothing about computers” Matt Kelly enthuses. “Our shows are loud, rude and raucous. We don’t hold with the idea that kid’s shows have to have a moral or to slip education in under the radar, because sometimes it’s just good to laugh. Adults get the privilege of going to the theatre simply to be entertained – why can’t kids, too?” Alongside Richard Higgins, a clown doctor in their native Australia, who “cheers up kids having injections or getting their dressings changed”, Kelly has built a reputation for shows that engage the whole family. Do Compooters finds them pitting parents against their offspring and every youngster in the
crowd getting to be a puppeteer. In a role reversal of their real personalities, when they’re onstage the moustachioed Higgins is “the sensible guy: he wants the show to be educational and serious, whereas I’m the cheekier character, a little bit naughtier,” admits the boyish Kelly. “I have tremendous fun sidetracking him.” Although they’ve performed plenty of shows for adults, The List Operators originally met doing theatrical adaptations of Roald Dahl and Andy Griffiths books over a decade ago, so they’ve never patronised their younger audiences. “With both our kid and adult shows, it’s about pushing buttons and seeing
Higgins plays the voice of reason in the List Operators’ show
“Adults go to the theatre simply to be entertained – why can’t kids?”
If you like this, try... Potted Potter at Pleasance Grand, 3-16 August
what we can get away with, really walking that line of acceptability” Kelly explains. “Kids love when they know you’re being naughty, that you’re bringing them along. A lot of adult performers just do exactly the same show for children but take away the swearing and perhaps add a few poo and fart jokes, when it’s much more complicated than that. You have to really engage with kids at their level.” The List Operators appreciate Edinburgh audiences, because: “UK kids are just a little bit savvier about the conventions of theatre, they understand when to participate and when not to participate. They get the jokes that bit faster and we can play around with things like blackouts. Aussie children simply don’t see as much theatre, they don’t have the same tradition.” As the first children’s show to be nominated for Australia’s prestigious Barry Award, as well as being hailed as Best Kids’ Comedy at last year’s festival by BBC Scotland, Kelly knows that they’re facing a certain amount of pressure. Especially as this is the first time they’ll be unveiling Do Compooters outside of Melbourne. “It would be really silly of me to say I’m not frightened of the enormity of the Edinburgh Fringe and the many, many things you can’t control,” he admits. “But in the end, I know that once we’ve got the kids in front of us, they’re going to laugh because it’s funny and we absolutely love doing it.” ★
WHERE & WHEN List Operators for Kids Do Compooters, Pleasance Courtyard, 3-21 August (not 14), 11.30am From £5, Tel: 0131 556 6550
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KIDS THEATRE DAVID GREIG
With a fair claim to be Scotland’s current national playwright, David Greig turns his attentions to the forgotten world of young carers. er Words Mark Fish
W
hen David Greig was asked by Glasgow’s TAG Theatre to write a play about young carers, he thought he’d better talk to the teenagers themselves. The company hooked him up with a group of young people in Fife who were responsible for looking after family members. He asked them how they would like to be represented and their message was clear: make it funny. “My initial instinct was informed by quite a lot of assumptions,” says Greig. “I thought of them as poor things in a
Greig was determined to represent his subjects well
“ It’s a farce about a girl trying to pretend everything’s OK” terrible situation. And, of course, they’re just normal teenagers who are in a particular situation which they respond to just as you or I would.” That was all the inspiration he needed to write The Monster in the Hall, an entertaining four-hander about a girl with the unlikely name of Duck, who has to keep an eye on a father who has multiple sclerosis while getting on with the serious business of dating. “I started to think about some of the dilemmas inherent in teenage life about authority or doing as you’re told,” he www.edfestmag.co.uk
If you like this, try... Show Me the World at Underbelly, 4-28 August (not 16)
says. “And it was interesting to think about those dilemmas in a reversed situation.” The work is one of two teen-friendly (albeit unsuitable for those under the age of 14) plays by Greig on the Fringe. In Short Productions is reviving his Yellow Moon: The Ballad of Leila and Lee, a piece of storytelling theatre about two teenagers who are forced to go on the run. Both plays work equally well for adults but by taking teenagers seriously, they strike a particular chord with an age group often neglected by the theatre. Performed in stripped-down fashion by four excellent actors, Monster in the Hall plays with a teenager’s fear of being taken into care. Many such carers go to great pains to appear to be in control and that made Greig think of farce. “Farce is exactly about pretence,” says Greig, whose CATS award-winning adult comedy The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart is also appearing on the
PICTURE: TIM MOROZZO
s l e g n a n e Te Fringe. “It’s about someone desperately trying to hold up a picture to the world that’s respectable, while in fact it’s crumbling all around them. “My assumption was I would write a very tragic, noble story about a brave young person and their struggle, but in fact I realised I had to write a farce about a girl desperately trying to pretend everything’s OK when plainly it isn’t.” It was an approach that worked and, although it’s been critically lauded, there was only one audience Greig cared about. “The young carers saw it at a gym hall in Methill and they responded fantastically. It got a great response on tour, and that’s always extremely gratifying, but I felt immune to any other responses because my primary audience had enjoyed it.” ★
WHERE & WHEN The Monster in the Hall, Traverse Theatre, 4-28 August (not 8, 15, 22), times vary, From £11, Tel: 0131 228 1404 Yellow Moon: The Ballad of Leila and Lee, C Soco, 3-29 August (not 16), 7pm, From £8.50, Tel: 0845 260 1234
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KIDS BOOK JOHN BYRNE
Draw your own conclusions Artist and writer John Byrne has just published his first children’s book, and it’s a testament to the loving family he’s built with former partner Tilda Swinton Words Jackie McGlone
W
hen their children were small, John Byrne and his partner, Oscarwinning film actress Tilda Swinton, would always tuck them up at night with a bedtime story, which was told by their father since he’s not only one of Scotland’s most acclaimed artists, he’s also a renowned writer. Their twins, Honor and Xavier, are now 13-years-old and Xavier is an inch taller than his father, but their childhood was embroidered with surreal and adventurous tales of derring-do involving a gangly, gingerheaded French boy – Benoît – and his googly-eyed black cat, Donald, who live in Fishertown, part of Nairn, where the couple still own a big house and where the family has its base. Byrne, a magnificently mustachioed, rakishly thin 71-yearold, dressed in matelot stripes and sporting a red “Prefect” badge on his waistcoat, recalls: “Xavier would always fall asleep when I was telling stories, but Honor would stay wideeyed and wide awake wanting to know what happened next. Perhaps that says something about the differences between boys and girls.” Xavier may have nodded off listening to his Dad’s tales, about a cat that can read, count up to nine and is a demon 112 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
“I sit down at a blank sheet of paper and I never have an idea in my head”
drummer, but when Swinton told him that their father’s bedtime yarns were being published – Donald & Benoît: The Story of a Boy and His Cat – he was peeved. “But it’s our story,” he pointed out. “Well,” murmurs Paisley-born Byrne, sloping off to smoke the cigarette he’s just rolled, his long fingers kippered with nicotine, “they’re having to share them now.” It had long been his ambition to write for children. “I actually wanted to write and illustrate a children’s book when I left Glasgow School of Art in the 1960s; it’s only taken me almost half a century!” The enchanting picture-book, gorgeously illustrated by Byrne, has been worth the wait. It’s dedicated to Honor and Xavier, while in his acknowledgements Byrne speaks of his “undying gratitude to their beloved mother, whose unswerving belief in this book resulted in its ending up in the very capable hands” of his American publishers. Swinton met a literary agent at a New York party and the rest is history. Byrne also offers “heartfelt thanks” to his partner Jeanine and stepdaughter Becca, for putting up with him through the entire process of redrawing and rewriting the book, which went through four versions, and for bringing www.edfestmag.com
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KIDS BOOK JOHN BYRNE
If you like this try...
Peedie Peebles with Mairi Hedderwick, Charlotte Square, 14 August
peace and serenity to “a rattled old geezer.” An old geezer who, by the way, paints, draws and writes every day, seven days a week. “I sit down at a blank sheet of paper or canvas and I never have an idea in my head,” claims the author of Tutti Frutti, the much-loved 1987 TV series that made stars of Robbie Coltrane and Emma Thompson, and the quartet of great stage plays, The Slab Boys, which were staged on Broadway with Sean Penn and Val Kilmer. Despite his status as one of Scotland’s greatest living national treasures, tabloid interest of late has often centred on Byrne and Swinton’s private lives. Romantic partners for almost a decade, they are each in new relationships – the luminously beautiful Swinton with German artist Sondro Kopp and Byrne with his “sweetheart,” Edinburghbased lighting designer Jeanine Davies – although they still share the parenting of Xavier and Honor, www.edfestmag.com
Donald & Benoît is published by Universe, £12.95 John Byrne: Art and Life by Robert Hewison is published by Lund Humphries, £35
as well as a profound love and respect. Mention the red-tops’ obsession with their living arrangements and Byrne sighs. “It’s like being reduced to a cartoon character,” he says, with a smoky laugh and a shrug of his narrow shoulders. With DVD s of Tutti Frutti topping best-seller lists and the publication of Donald & Benoît, you might think Byrne has enough on his hands, but you’d be wrong. A major exhibition of his paintings, drawings and etchings, including original artwork for Donald & Benoît, will be at Edinburgh’s Open Eye Gallery during the festival. And a lavishly illustrated biography, John Byrne: Life And Art, has just been published by the critic and cultural historian Robert Hewison, which discusses how Byrne’s “outsider art” has been informed by the deep tragedy of his childhood – his mother became mentally ill after being sexually abused by her father for many years. One of his ways of dealing with that
trauma has been to adopt the mask of comedy, remarks Hewison, adding that that can be the saddest of all. “It was an interesting childhood,” Byrne admits. “It was laden with drama, with broken windows, chases down the road, the police coming to the house – all down to my mother’s illness. I remember saying to myself, ‘This is just wonderful.’ I must have known that this was all the material I’d ever need.” ★
WHERE & WHEN John Byrne, Charlotte Square, 18 August, 4.30pm, From £8, Tel: 0845 373 5888 John Byrne RSA, Open Eye Gallery, 13 August - 5 September, MonFri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-4pm, Tel: 0131 558 9872
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TATTOO
n o g n i h c r a M As the Navy takes the lead in this year’s Tattoo, new producer Brigadier David Allfrey lets us in on what to expect at this year’s extravaganza. Words Jonathan Trew
“T
here will be pirates,” promises Brigadier David Allfrey, the new chief executive and producer at the helm of the 61st Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Apart from being in the limelight at the moment thanks to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the buccaneers will fit right into the maritime theme of this year’s event, which has the Navy as its lead service. “As well as the Royal Navy, almost all the other countries represented have a pedigree as maritime trading nations, and that has given us a common thread for this Tattoo,” says Allfrey. “Visitors to the Tattoo will be taken on a world journey that not only reflects Scotland’s maritime past but also the UK’s heritage as a great trading nation.” Allfrey only succeeded Major-General Euan Loudon in April, but his thoughts on the enduring appeal of the Tattoo are already ship-shape and Bristol fashion. “It’s an extraordinary show,” he says. “To put between eight and nine hundred performers on one stage is pretty uncommon. Add that to the incomparable backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, and you have a unique and world-class event. “It’s also a great family show. Everyone you speak to remembers going to the Tattoo as a child. The Tattoo is something that families can enjoy together, and they know that they are not going to be upset or find something unsuitable.” www.edfestmag.co.uk
The Massed Pipes and Drums are always at the heart of the Tattoo
“Visitors to the Tattoo will be taken on a world journey” The Massed Pipes and Drums remain, as ever, at the heart of the Tattoo but among the other announced acts is The Fanfare Band of The Royal Netherlands Army Mounted Regiments, who perform on their bicycles in World War One uniforms. Also appearing is the South African Navy Band from Simon’s Town, who will be playing kudu (water buffalo) horns. Apparently, they sound nothing like the vuvuzelas which were such a … er … memorable feature of last year’s World Cup. Joining the international contingent, the Tattoo will boast performances from the combined Bands of Her Majesty’s Royal
Marines, which encompasses some 120 musicians from HM Royal Marines Scotland, Portsmouth and Lympstone. Allfrey started his military career in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, which meant he has spent most of his life surrounded by military music. He also has prior experience in putting on military spectaculars for the public, having been involved in the 50th D-Day Commemorations on the South Coast. For the Brigadier, producing a show is not a million miles from the campaign tactics and strategies he learned in the Army. “In a military context, ‘producing’ is about bringing large and often disparate resources together for a single effect. To put in a battle group attack is effectively a business of coordination. A rock concert is a battle group attack with lights and sounds. The principles are exactly the same for the Tattoo.” ★
WHERE & WHEN The Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo, 5-27 August, Monday to Friday at 9pm, with two performances on a Saturday at 7.30pm and 10.30pm. Tel: 0131 225 1188 www.edintattoo.co.uk
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FOOD FOODIES AT THE FESTIVAL
Local heroes If you love great Scottish food and drink, there’s only one place to go during the Festivals – Foodies at Holyrood Park. Words Roben Hera
T
he Festival’s only dedicated food and drink event lets you discover the finest produce that Scotland has to offer. Returning for a fifth bumper year, the three-day festival is held in the beautiful setting of Holyrood Park beneath Arthur’s Seat and overlooked by the royal palace. Meet Scotland’s Michelin starred and top chefs, including Tony Borthwick of The Plumed Horse and Geoffery Smeddle of The Peat Inn, and sample dishes from Martin Wishart’s new restaurant The Honours. Scotland’s chef of the year Neil Forbes and Harvey Nichols’ head chef Stuart Muir will cook signature dishes live. In an unusual twist, the Fringe Festival’s star comedians including Tim Vine, The Hamiltons and Four Poofs and a Piano will take to the stage in the Chefs Theatre, where they will try to match the skills of the Michelin star chefs with hilarious consequences. Sample authentic tastes and purchase the best fresh food that Scotland has to offer, including Caledonian oysters, 116 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
There’s something to suit every taste at Foodies
Perthshire Summer Harvest rapeseed oil, Dunkeld smoked salmon and Thistly Cross Scottish cider. Try unique oak-aged and rum cask-finished beers in the Innis & Gunn pagoda or sip quintessentially English teas including plum jam and honey in the Tregothnan Tea Tent. Tregothnan are the only company in the UK who grow tea on these shores! The new Great Taste Market features
Festival’s star comedians including Tim Vine and The Hamiltons will cook in the Chefs Theatre stallholders whose products have won a prestigious Great Taste Award in the last three years. You could also try a refreshing glass of the delightfully curious Hendrick’s Gin, infused with rose and cucumber in a remote Scottish distillery. Get a taste of the Caribbean sunshine with Levi Roots’ delicious, vibrant dishes from the Reggae Reggae van.
1 2 FOR FOR TS E K C I T GH R U B N EDI IVALS FEST ERS READ On the Edinburgh Festivals magazine entertainment stage, you’ll be treated to exclusive Fringe highlights with the best music and dance performances. In the Drinks Theatre visitors can try tutored tasting sessions, nosing and tasting Scotland’s national tipple, food and wine matching and cocktail mixing, while in the pop-up cook school try cheese, chocolates and oils, learn how to shuck an oyster and create the most divine cakes. Budding young chefs are not forgotten, as the cooking with kids classes will keep them busy. » Ticket Offer: 2-4-1 Tickets for our readers, quote Foodies241 when booking online at www.foodiesfestival.com or call 0871 230 5573. www.edfestmag.com
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★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Funny faces Tim Vine A glowing success at last year’s Foodies, Tim Vine returns to set the kitchen alight (hopefully not literally!). The stand-up will be hoping to impress with his skills.
Chefs Geoffrey Smeddle, The Peat Inn Tony Borthwick, The Plumed Horse Neil Forbes, Cafe St Honoré Stuart Muir, Harvey Nichols Paul Tamburrini, The Honours Jacqueline O’Donnell, The Sisters Charan Gill, Slumdog Bar & Kitchen Paul Whitecross, Angels with Bagpipes Paul Hart, North Bridge Brasserie Mattia Camorani Cucina at Hotel Missoni Iggy Campos Iggs Simon Whitley The Old Course
www.edfestmag.com
Exhibitors Taste, sample and buy. Stop at the beautiful ice cream tricycle to try some Bleasdale’s Ice Cream. Pick up vintage sweets from I Love Candy. Spencerfield Spirit Co’s unusual range includes Sheep Dip and Pig’s Nose whisky and the award-winning Edinburgh Gin. Only the fieriest people should try Mr. Singh’s chilli sauce. Pick up unusual meats, including squirrel from Ridley’s Fish & Game. Or tuck into sirloin steaks from Well Hung and Tender: Tom Parker Bowles is a fan.
Four Poofs and a Piano Formerly Jonathan Ross’ house band, the Poofs are off the leash and ready to shock and delight in equal measure. Will too many cooks spoil the broth? Come along to Foodies and register for your tickets to the Chef’s Theatre to find out. The Hamiltons Christine Hamilton may have survived on rice and baked beans on I’m a Celebrity, but she’s also a genuinely accomplished chef, having reached the finals of Celebrity Masterchef. She and husband Neil will be showing off their culinary skills at Foodies.
WHERE & WHEN Foodies Festival Edinburgh, Holyrood Park, 12, 13, 14 August, From £6, Tel: 0871 230 5573
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FOOD Check out daily reviews at www.edfestmag.com
From Michelin stars to delicious diners, Edinburgh has some of the best food in the country – don’t miss out on these cracking choices. Words Jonathan Trew TOP END 21212 3 Royal Terrace TEL: 0845 22 21212 www.21212restaurant.co.uk NEAR: 5 minutes from the Playhouse Having opened in May 2009, Paul Kitching’s opulent restaurant was awarded a Michelin star the following January. The dining room and open kitchen are housed in an elegant Georgian townhouse but the food is cutting-edge modern. Expect the unexpected from the daily changing menu. A typical dish might be his Lamb with Bacon Crisps, a simple sounding dish that contains over a dozen perfectly balanced ingredients. ANGELS WITH BAGPIPES 343 High Street TEL: 0131 220 1111 www.angelswithbagpipes.com NEAR: Ten minutes to Tattoo Opened in July 2010, this restaurant on the Royal Mile specialises in the finest Scottish ingredients with the occasional little Italian twist. Loin of Highland venison with pearl barley, turnip and bitter chocolate sauce is an example, along with the roast rump of Ross-shire lamb served with pancetta, cabbage and white beans. Check out the cosy little Halo Room that seats four people and hangs out above Roxburgh’s Close. It has already witnessed several marriage proposals. AMBER RESTAURANT Scotch Whisky Experience 354 Castlehill TEL: 0131 477 8477 www.amberrestaurant.co.uk NEAR: 2 minutes from the Tattoo With 300 malts on hand, this restaurant café at the top of the Royal Mile will put a smile on the face of any malt fan. During the day, the café menu includes dishes like the peat-smoked haddock served with a poached egg. In the evening, the candles come out and the operation kicks www.edfestmag.com
friend and colleague Dominic Jack, who has had a similarly stellar career to Kitchin, is the main man in the kitchen. Think Roxburghshire rabbit, wrapped in Ayrshire smoked bacon and served with crisp pastilla, carrots and a caper sauce. The threecourse set lunch for £20 is a bargain.
Amber Restaurant, The Forth Floor
3 festival bars BANNERMANS 212 Cowgate Tel: 0131 556 3254 www.myspace.com/ bannermanslive This Cowgate favourite will be playing host to four free Fringe acts this year. FOREST CAFÉ 3 Bristo Place Tel: 0131 220 4538 www.theforest.org.uk This eclectic and ethical venue lives up to its artistic ideals by running its own mini-Fringe every year although this year could sadlly be the last due to financial woes. MALONES 14 Forrest Road Tel: 0131 226 5954 www.malonesedinburgh.com A lively programme of free music is on the cards at this everpopular Irish bar, which also stocks Tayto crisps!
up a couple of gears with options such as the roast lamb rump with a skirlie mash, honey-roasted parsnips and a red wine sauce. Real whisky-heads can ask the sommelier to match malts to each course of their meal. LE CAFÉ ST HONORÉ 34 North West Thistle St Lane TEL: 0131 226 2211 www.cafesthonore.com NEAR: Five minutes to National Gallery of Scotland Hidden off Thistle Street, this long established little restaurant is worth looking out. The classic Parisian brasserie style décor remains but the food is much more modern British cooking. Organic where possible, seasonal and locally produced, the menus at Café St Honore make sure to name check their suppliers. Head Chef Neil Forbes, winner of the Chef of the Year award at the 2011 Scottish Restaurant Awards, is passionate about dishes such as the carpaccio of Borders wild pigeon with heritage potato salad. CASTLE TERRACE 33-35 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh TEL: 0131 229 1222 www.castleterracerestaurant.com NEAR: Five minutes from Traverse Tom Kitchin, the Michelin hotshot chef and owner of The Kitchin, opened this new venture a year ago and it was given Rising Star status by the Michelin Guide the following January. Kitchin’s old
THE FORTH FLOOR at Harvey Nichols 30-34 St Andrew Square TEL: 0131 524 8350 www.harveynichols.com NEAR: Five minutes to The Stand With views across the city skyline, very professional staff and a good wine list, Harvey Nicks has a lot going for it. In the restaurant, head chef Stuart Muir rustles up meals such as the breast and leg of guinea fowl served with pumpkin puree, buttered leeks and salted almonds. The brasserie menu is simpler and correspondingly cheaper. THE HONOURS 58a North Castle Street TEL: 0131 220 2513 www.thehonours.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to Book Festival Having kick-started Edinburgh’s Michelin star rush with his eponymous Leith restaurant, the city’s food fans have been all aquiver about Martin Wishart’s new city centre venture. Not open as we went to press, pre-opening publicity promised an “interpretation of the Parisian classic - a restaurant where traditional French cuisine meets the flavours of the Scottish market.” Paul Tamburrini, an old compadre of Wishart’s kitchen campaigns, is head chef. Steak fans are drooling at the prospect of sampling beef cooked on the kitchen’s snazzy Josper charcoal grill. THE KITCHIN 78 Commercial Quay, Leith TEL: 0131 555 1755 www.thekitchin.com NEAR: Ten minutes by taxi to city centre EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 119
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Open less than a year before gaining its first Michelin star, Tom Kitchin’s eponymous restaurant has lit up Edinburgh’s dining scene. The chef trained with big names such as Pierre Koffmann and Alain Ducasse, which is reflected in the classical French slant to the food. ‘From nature to plate’ is the restaurant’s philosophy and a recent menu boasted dishes such as a ‘rockpool’ of West Coast shellfish and Highland lamb served with locally foraged wild garlic. You’ll pay top whack but remember the meal long after the bill stops stinging. LA CUCINA AT HOTEL MISSONI 1 George IV Bridge TEL: 0131 240 1666 www.hotelmissoni.com NEAR: Two minutes from Underbelly Opened in June 2009, Hotel Missoni’s first floor restaurant is a buzzy space that majors in a modern take on classic Italian cooking. Well sourced, seasonal ingredients treated simply are the main focus of the menu from Head Chef Mattia Camorani, a protégé of Giorgio Locatelli. Think along the lines of potato gnocchi with a wild boar ragout or the grilled tuna steak with a fennel and rocket salad. Just like designer clothing, there is the occasional feeling that you are paying quite a premium for the label but nobody said fashion was going to be cheap. MARK GREENAWAY AT NO 12 PICARDY PLACE 12 Picardy Place TEL: 0131 557 0952 www.hawkeandhunter.co.uk/ restaurant.html NEAR: Two minutes Playhouse When he opened earlier this year, Chef Mark Greenaway made no secret of his ambition to join the top ranks of Edinburgh’s restaurants. Having done his time in both Scottish and Australian kitchens, he describes his inventive food as progressive British. What this means on the plate is starters such as his Loch Fyne crab cannelloni with smoked cauliflower custard, lemon pearls, herb butter, baby coriander and beetroot mayo. Visually, it is often spectacular. 120 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
relinquish when he first moved the Plumed Horse from its Castle Douglas roots to the capital. Now an established feature on Leith’s Michelin Mile, he is cementing his position in Edinburgh’s top flight restaurants with dishes like his roast breast of Gressingham duck with marmalade, pineapple and Gewurztraminer braised pak choi, sweet potato purée, buttered salsify and a Pedro Ximinez vinegar sauce.
Ondine, Number One, Plumed Horse NUMBER ONE Balmoral Hotel, 1 Princes Street TEL: 0131 557 6727 www.restaurantnumberone.com NEAR: Five minutes to Playhouse Head chef Jeff Bland secured a Michelin star at Number One in 2003 and shows no sign of relinquishing it. With its rich, red lacquer walls the basement restaurant is as sumptuous as you might expect and it has the deluxe food to match. Halibut, Jersey Royals, white asparagus and spiced squid featured recently on the dinner menu. The a la carte is £62 for three courses. The more informal Hadrian’s Brasserie upstairs should not be overlooked either. OLOROSO 33 Castle Street TEL: 0131 226 7614 www.oloroso.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to Book Festival Sleek, contemporary looks and progressive cooking are a hot combo at Oloroso. As well as its rooftop restaurant, Oloroso also boasts a hip bar and terrace with views to the castle in one direction and Fife in the other. Chef Tony Singh has developed a broad range of seasonal menus that encompass locally sourced ingredients matched with
flavours from around the globe. Think Loch Duart salmon with a Buckie crab mousseline or Singh’s spicy Perthshire rabbit with an Asian slaw. ONDINE 2 George IV Bridge TEL: 0131 226 1888 www.ondinerestaurant.co.uk NEAR: One minute to the Underbelly Roy Brett’s keenly anticipated fish and seafood restaurant has been pulling glowing reviews since opening in the summer of 2009. It’s a smart, chic place whose distinguishing feature is a horseshoe crustacean bar where diners perch on stools, sip champers and tuck away the bar menu or oysters, clams and lobster. Brett used to work for Rick Stein and shares the Padstow chef’s enthusiasm for sustainability. It’s always nice to know that your grilled langoustines in pastis butter are ethically sourced. PLUMED HORSE 50-54 Henderson Street TEL: 0131 554 5556 www.plumedhorse.co.uk NEAR: Ten minutes by taxi to the city centre In January 2009, chef proprietor Tony Borthwick regained the Michelin star that he had to
RESTAURANT MARTIN WISHART 54 The Shore TEL: 0131 553 3557 www.martin-wishart.co.uk NEAR: Ten minute taxi ride to city centre The first of Edinburgh’s five chefs to be awarded a Michelin star, Martin Wishart’s eponymous restaurant remains one of the very best in Edinburgh if not all of Scotland. Wishart trained with Michel and Albert Roux and worked alongside Marco Pierre White, so it is no surprise that his elegant cooking is strongly influenced by the classic French tradition. A typical dish might be the fillets of red mullet with Isle of Mull dived scallop, braised fennel, artichoke, crisp aubergine, confit shallot and a tomato vinaigrette. Securing a table in the evening can require a lot of forward planning. Lunch is easier and incredible value at £28.50 for three courses. Three courses from the a la carte are £65. RHUBARB Prestonfield House TEL: 0131 225 1333 www.prestonfield.com NEAR: Ten minute taxi to Pleasance Rhubarb is part of the James Thomson empire, which also includes the Witchery and the Tower. Before he took over, Prestonfield House was showing its considerable age; Thomson has turned it into a riot of baroque colour and drapes, which the theatrically minded will appreciate, with wonderful lawned grounds. A typical dish might be the roast loin of Strathspey roe deer, venison liver farce, white carrot purée, pickled carrots and walnut butter. Expect to pay around £50 for a three course a la carte dinner. www.edfestmag.com
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5 cocktail bars AMICUS APPLE 17 Frederick Street Tel: 0131 226 6055 www.amicusapple.com Aiming to be a cut above the George St masses, Amicus Apple is a funky basement bar with a good selection. LEBOWSKIS 18 Morrison Street Tel: 0131 466 1779 www.lebowskis.co.uk No bar dedicated to anti-hero The Dude would be complete without a choice of White Russians Lebowskis has 19. TONIC 34 North Castle Street Tel: 0131 225 6431 www.bar-tonic.co.uk With a long cocktail list and a small heated and sheltered outdoor area, this could be the place to spend the Scottish summer. TREACLE 39–41 Broughton Street Tel: 0131 557 0627 www.treacleedinburgh.co.uk Totally unpretentious, Treacle is the place to go if you love cocktails but don’t like making a fuss about it. VILLAGER 49–50 George IV Bridge Tel: 0131 226 2781 www.villager-e.com Manly types will enjoy the Burt Reynolds section of the menu, with twists on the classics.
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TEMPUS AT THE GEORGE 19-21 George Street TEL: 0131 240 7197 www.eh2tempus.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from the National Gallery With its raised captain’s table, antique chandeliers and outsized flower displays, the flagship restaurant at the George looks invitingly decadent. The evening menu majors on modern British dishes such as the corn fed chicken breast with baby gem, streaky bacon and spring onion mash or the sticky toffee pudding and banana ice-cream. THE TOWER Museum Of Scotland, Chambers Street TEL: 0131 225 3003 www.tower-restaurant.com NEAR: Five minutes to Festival Theatre Now in its second decade, James Thomson’s Tower is still very much a place to see and be seen in Edinburgh. Perched on top of the Museum of Scotland , great views of the Grassmarket are to be had. Rock oysters and handdived scallops are among the shellfish options while the Tower Venison Wellington and Eggs Benedict with Bodega Ham and calves liver are favourites. The wine list has won a Wine Spectator Award for Excellence. THE WITCHERY BY THE CASTLE 352 Castlehill, Royal Mile TEL: 0131 225 5613 www.thewitchery.com NEAR: Two minutes to the Tattoo The Witchery fulfils a lot of people’s fantasies about Edinburgh as a romantic and atmospheric city steeped in history. The building that houses the restaurant goes back centuries and the two dining rooms look as though they may have been there since the adjacent castle was built. Candlelight, oak p;anelling and beamed ceilings complete the picture. The food is hearty with seafood platters jostling for space with loins of Cairngorm venison; roast Gartmon Farm chicken stuffed with foie gras and double sirloin steaks served with goose fat chips. Light lunch and supper menus are available at £14.95 for two courses.
A Room in Leith
MID RANGE A ROOM IN TOWN 18 Howe Street www.aroomin.co.uk TEL: 0131 225 8204 NEAR: Five minutes to St George’s West End A ROOM IN THE WEST END 26 William Street TEL: 0131 226 1036 NEAR: Ten minutes to Usher Hall A ROOM IN LEITH 1c Dock Place TEL: 0131 554 7427 NEAR: Ten minute taxi ride to city centre These casual but cosy bistros have a distinctly Scottish feel. This is borne out on menus which feature seared Shetland king scallops with spring onion and Buckie brown crab potato cakes, or roast Scottish chicken breast on haggis dauphinois. All three establishments are licensed but also do BYOB with a small corkage charge. BIA BISTROT 19 Colinton Road TEL: 0131 452 8453 www.biabistrot.co.uk NEAR: Ten minutes from King’s Theatre Roisin and Matthias Llorente are the couple who run this 2010 debutante. Both chefs, they have worked all over the world in some serious, including Ramsay, restaurants. Fresh, seasonal, local, sustainable and homemade, is their guiding mantra. On the plate this means starters such as the roasted bone marrow with red onion jam. Main
courses on the regularly changed menu might feature grey mullet fillet served with buttered broad beans, potatoes and a red wine jus. Very well reviewed since it opened, Bia Bistrot nonetheless offers rather decent value for money. BONSAI 46 West Richmond Street TEL: 0131 668 3847 www.bonsaibarbistro.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from Festival Theatre Living up to its name, this Japanese restaurant is a petite, homely affair that serves sushi, sashimi and yakatori dishes at surprisingly reasonable prices. If the fish doesn’t appeal then try the enoki mushrooms in garlic butter or the beef teriyaki. For those whose tastes don’t adventure much beyond meat and two veg, Bonsai does do French fries but they come with Japanese brown sauce. BRITANNIA SPICE 150 Commercial Street TEL: 0131 555 2255 www.britanniaspice.co.uk NEAR: Ten minute taxi ride from city centre Named after the Royal Yacht Britannia, which is berthed less than a nautical mile away, Britannia Spice has a seafaring bearing to its interior. The menus are also well travelled with options from North India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Without getting your passport out, you can skip EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 123
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between Thai tom yum soup, Himalayan spicy trout and king prawns cooked in Bangladeshi style with mustard paste, green chillies and yoghurt. CALISTOGA 70 Rose Street Lane North TEL: 0131 225 1233 www.calistoga.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to National Gallery of Scotland Californian cooking is the flavour of the day at this just off the beaten track, city centre restaurant. The menu changes regularly but a typical starter might be the tuna, cilantro and lime fishcake with mango and chilli salsa while pork loin chop with smoky BBQ sauce and lemon rice is the sort of dish that appears among the main courses. The owner is mad for Californian wines and sells a wide and interesting selection of them in the restaurant at just £5 above cost price. Three courses at dinner will come in at under £25. CENTOTRE 103 George Street TEL: 0131 225 1550 www.centotre.com NEAR: Five minutes to Book Festival Just turned seven years old, this snappy, family-run Italian sits in an imposing converted bank. The menu is stripped down and relies on the quality of the raw ingredients to provide the fireworks. From a simple salad of raw Italian courgettes, rocket, Parmigiano Reggiano and Amalfi lemons to homemade pasta, all the way up to big guns such as the chargrilled, mature Inverurie sirloin steak, it’s all about letting the flavours speak for themselves. CLUB INDIA 105 Lothian Road TEL: 0131 229 7747 www.club-india.com NEAR: Five minutes from Traverse This recently opened restaurant tries to be a little different from the usual Anglo-Indian curry house. The familiar lamb rogan josh, samosas and tandoori dishes are all there but so are less commonly spotted choices such as the marinated halibut rolled in fresh spiced spinach leaves. www.edfestmag.com
The Dome, Club India, First Coast CREELERS 3 Hunter Square TEL: 0131 220 4447 www.creelers.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to Festival Theatre There are few dedicated fish restaurants in the centre of town and Tim and Fran James’ venture has been here the longest. The couple have roots in and extensive contacts with the fishing industry on the West Coast and the fruits of those relationships end up on the plate in dishes such as the trio of Tim’s smoked and cured salmons or the fillet of Isle of Gigha halibut with a soft herb crust and a vegetable and saffron broth. The seafood platters are a huge favourite but if the fruits of the sea don’t float your boat then venison or beef options such as the slow braised daube of beef will take up the slack. Al fresco dining may be available. THE DOME 14 George Street TEL: 0131 624 8624 www.thedomeedinburgh.com NEAR: Five minutes to Book Festival Former headquarters of the Commercial Bank of Scotland, it is no surprise that the Dome looks suitably grand. The most striking feature of the Grill Room is the eponymous glass dome which soars above the island bar. Wicker chairs and myriad plants give it a Colonial feel. The indoor dining options include the Club
Room, which serves burgers, club sandwiches and steaks, and the Grill Room where dishes such as the breaded pork escalopes are served with sautéed potatoes, pancetta, sage and a creamy mushroom sauce. If the weather is unusually clement, the garden out back is worth a visit. DIVINO ENOTECA 5 Merchant Street TEL: 0131 225 1770 www.divinoedinburgh.com NEAR: One minute from Underbelly Tucked away under the George IV Bridge, Italian wine is the driving force at this new, suave and rather grown-up wine bar. However, they recently introduced an inviting menu of antipasto, pasta, meat and fish dishes. Think along the lines of real Italian salami, imported cheeses, made in-house ravioli and showstoppers like the baked pheasant served on a bed of baby spinach with an orange reduction and aubergine emulsion. L’ESCARGOT BLEU 56 Broughton Street TEL: 0131 557 1600 www.lescargotbleu.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to The Stand L’ESCARGOT BLANC 17 Queensferry Street TEL: 0131 226 1890 www.lescargotblanc.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to Book Festival A hint of Piaf, Pernod ads on the
wall and the smell of slowly cooking Boeuf Bourguignon drifting in from the kitchen make this pair of family-run French brasseries very popular. Carefully-sourced Scottish produce is used extensively here to make dishes such as homemade, line-caught, Scottish pike quenelle with lobster sauce, Comté cheese and fresh buttered spinach. FIRST COAST 97-101 Dalry Road TEL: 0131 313 4404 www.first-coast.co.uk NEAR: five minutes from EICC This simple, buzzy, bistro is worth seeking out. Starters might feature ham hough and Gruyere terrine while roasted pork belly, bok choi, rice and a sweet black vinegar dressing is the sort of dish that crops up on the regularly-changing menu. Three courses from the dinner a la carte menu should scrape in under £25. FISHERS The Shore www.fishersbistros.co.uk TEL: 0131 554 5666 NEAR: Ten minute taxi ride to city centre FISHERS IN THE CITY 54-58 Thistle Street TEL: 0131 225 5109 NEAR: Five minutes to National Galleries As well as offering meaty options, the Leith branch of Fishers and its city centre offspring make full EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 125
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use of the teeming waters of Scotland’s coastline. Scrabster hake, Gigha halibut, Arbroath smokies and North Sea pollock all make appearances. Dishes can take on exotic flavours like the monkfish skewers with satay sauce and papaya salad or go for the trad lobster thermidore. LA GARRIGUE 31 Jeffrey Street www.lagarrigue.co.uk TEL: 0131 557 3032 NEAR: Ten minutes to the Pleasance 14 Eyre Place TEL: 0131 558 1608 NEAR: Fifteen minutes to The Stand Named after his place of birth in the Languedoc, La Garrigue is the award-winning baby of JeanMichel Gauffre. The restaurant is comfortable without being grand and features chunky Tim Stead furniture. French provincial cuisine is the general order of the day. The house speciality is the cassoulet made with pork, lamb, duck confit, Toulouse sausage and lingot beans. An appearance on Gordon Ramsay’s Best Restaurants show led to Gauffre opening a second branch in the New Town. Two courses at dinner are a set £26.50. GATEWAY RESTAURANT Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Arboretum Place TEL: 0131 552 2674 www.gatewayrestaurant.net NEAR: Five minutes from Inverleith House Part of the John Hope Gateway visitor centre which opened last year, the Gateway Restaurant has cracking views over Edinburgh’s Botanic Gardens as well as offering some welcome respite from the chaos of the city centre. Locally sourced, seasonal food is the mantra. The menus change with what’s available but typical dishes might be a Szechaunseared Ayrshire pork loin served with shredded cabbage. HARD ROCK CAFÉ 20 George Street TEL: 0131 260 3000 www.hardrock.com/edinburgh NEAR: One minute to the Art Festival, St Andrew’s Square Celebrating forty years of www.edfestmag.com
3 outside spaces THE OUTHOUSE 12a Broughton Street Lane Tel: 0131 557 6668 www.outhouseedinburgh.co.uk There’s a spacious, enclosed beer garden and a programme of Free Fringe events plus other acts, PEAR TREE 34 West Nicolson Street Tel: 0131 667 7533 At the heart of the Fringe, right around the corner from the Gilded Balloon, the Pear Tree couldn’t be handier. SKY BAR Point Hotel, 34 Bread St Tel: 0131 221 5555 www.pointhoteledinburgh .co.uk A pop-up bar experience with the best views in the city – check the website for more.
Fishers, Hotel: DuVin, Igg’s
thumping Americana this year, the Hard Rock brand continues to dominate the globe. The Edinburgh branch is reassuringy familiar, with burgers, steaks and home-smoked baby back ribs on the menu.
the Isle of Mull soufflé and the Donald Russell ribeye steak. Providing that the weather behaves then the recently opened Veuve Cliquot bar in the courtyard is a pleasant spot for something cold and wet.
HEWAT’S 19-21b Causewayside TEL: 0131 466 6660 www.hewatsrestaurant.com NEAR: Five minutes from Queens Hall A family run restaurant, Hewat’s has been building up a strong local following since opening seven years ago. Modern Scottish cooking is the name of the game which means starters such as pan fried black pudding on haggis risotto with pancetta or main courses like the roast tenderloin of pork wrapped in Black Forest ham with braised pork belly and crackling, Arran mustard mash and braised Savoy cabbage.
IGG’S 15 Jeffrey Street TEL: 0131 557 8184 www.iggs.co.uk NEAR: Ten minutes to the Pleasance Iggy Campos made his home in Edinburgh a long time ago, but his menu hints strongly at his Spanish roots. A typical starter might be the air-dried Iberian meats, gazpacho olive tapenade and tomato chilli jam while the mains might contain options such as the grilled fillet of hake, langoustines, globe artichoke and pea puree and coral jus. While Iggs is aiming towards the top end of the market, next door is his jolly Barioja tapas bar which is particularly good at catering to large dining parties.
HOTEL DU VIN 11 Bristo Place TEL: 0131 247 4900 www.hotelduvin.com NEAR: One minute to Udderbelly The rustic bistro in this newish Edinburgh branch of the national chain has found favour with locals as well as guests. Head chef Matt Powell is an enthusiastic promoter of local suppliers and they feature on dishes such as
IRIS 47a Thistle Street TEL: 0131 220 2111 www.irisedinburgh.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from National Galleries This city centre restaurant boasts a modern menu that matches its smart-casual looks. Some of the starters look abroad for their culinary cue, such as the fried chorizo and morcilla with caramelised apple or the duck spring rolls served with a wild herb salad and lemongrass. Others, such as the ribeye steak with black pepper and a squeeze of lemon or the roast duck breast coated with Drambuie and raspberries, find inspiration closer to home. A three course dinner will set you back around £25. Two courses at lunch are £11.95. KWEILIN 19 Dundas Street TEL: 0131 557 1875 www.kweilin.co.uk NEAR: Ten minutes to National Galleries The Kweilin has been serving Cantonese food in the New Town for over a quarter of a century and a recent change of ownership has done nothing to EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 127
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rock the boat. Dim-sum, crispy duck and crab soup are among the popular starters, while main courses range from familiar char sui pork to rather more adventurous stewed duck feet and Chinese mushrooms. LOCANDA DE GUSTI 7-11 East London Street TEL: 0131 558 9581 www.locandadegusti.com NEAR: Ten minutes from The Stand If ever you wanted enjoyable proof that there is an awful lot more to Italian food than pizza and pasta, Rosario Sartore is your man. Working in Edinburgh for some twenty or so years, he first made his name at La Partenope in Dalry. The southern Italian food that the Neapolitan chef served there continues to work its magic at the bottom of Broughton Street. The menu changes regularly but the seafood is always worth investigating. There is also a quirky Italian bar below the restaurant called Serendipity. MONTEITHS 61 High Street TEL: 0131 557 0330 www.monteithsbar.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from Pleasance Courtyard A sense of humour makes Monteiths stand out from some of the more tartan offerings on the Royal Mile. Half funky bar, half proper restaurant, it serves grown-up dishes like this starter of grilled Queenie scallops with a fennel and sorrel sauce or main courses such as the slow braised pork cheek with buttered langoustines. The serious intent of the kitchen is contrasted with a playful décor that includes a spider lamp made with several Anglepoise lights, clear Perspex seats and a 3D paper stag head. It’s a sister operation to the West End’s fashionable Sygn and the West Room bar. The lantern-lit, outside seating area offers respite from the Royal Mile. PETIT PARIS 38 Grassmarket TEL: 0131 226 2442 www.petitparis-restaurant.co.uk NEAR: One minute from C Edinburgh’s Grassmarket has a different charm from that of the Left Bank of the Seine but Petit www.edfestmag.com
The Rutland, The Shore Paris injects some French flavour into the mix. Founded in 1998 but recently revamped, this is a cosy and often bustling little bistro that serves all the classics. Steak, grilled snails with garlic and Pernod, bouillabaisse, grilled Toulouse sausages and crème brûlée: it’s all here. The intimate atmosphere makes it seem all the more continental. THE RUTLAND 1-3 Rutland Street TEL: 0131 229 3402 www.therutlandhotel.com NEAR: Five minutes from the Usher Hall Featuring a hotel, boutique basement nightclub; snazzy bar and first floor restaurant, The Rutland has found a new confidence after it underwent a complete overhaul a few years back. The striking decor in the first floor restaurant may be distracting for some but traditionalists can soothe any ruffled feathers by enjoying the tremendous views down Princes Street and across to the Castle. Local sourcing and not much faffing around is the deal in the kitchen. The puds are fab and the wine list is a belter. SCOTTISH CAFE AND RESTAURANT The National Gallery of Scotland The Mound TEL: 0131 226 6524 www.thescottishcafeand restaurant.com NEAR: In the garden space
below the National Gallery. The Continis are synonymous with the authentic Italian food they serve in their Centotre restaurant. At the National Gallery of Scotland, they have switched focus a little and concentrated on sourcing the best possible ingredients direct from some 50 independent Scottish producers. This might mean salads made with handsliced Dickson’s oak smoked salmon or Aberdonian butteries stuffed with Clava brie, local spinach and red onion marmalade, starters like the Findlay’s of Portobello haggis balls served with East Lothian white turnip a la Grecque and main courses along the lines of the Inverurie sirloin steak served with Mull Cheddar.
THE SHORE 3 The Shore TEL: 0131 553 5080 www.fishersbistros.co.uk/ theshore/ NEAR: Ten minute taxi ride to city centre One of Leith’s many bar restaurants where the relaxed atmosphere belies the carefully prepped food, the Shore has a small but smartish dining room off the lively bar area. It was bought by the Fishers restaurants a few years back but retains long standing Shore favourites such as the ham hash cakes with poached egg and Hollandaise. From the main menu, look out for dishes like the potted crayfish tails with toasted brioche; the pork belly. Live music every Tuesday and Thursday evening.
SHILLA 13 Dundas Street TEL: 0131 556 4840 www.shilla-edinburgh.com NEAR: Ten minutes from National Gallery Edinburgh’s only Korean restaurant, Shilla is tucked away in a New Town basement. It has four different dining rooms, all decorated in a different style. Understandably, given Korea’s location, the food is somewhere between Chinese and Japanese. We’re talking fiery seafood hotpots, savoury omelettes, hot and sour soups, sushi, assorted stews and a selection of char grilled meats. Good fun and quite different
STAC POLLY 29-33 Dublin Street www.stacpolly.com TEL: 0131 556 2231 NEAR: Two minutes to the Stand 38 St Mary Street, Edinburgh TEL: 0131 557 5754 NEAR: Five minutes to Pleasance Courtyard The two Stac Polly restaurants mix locally sourced ingredients with more cosmopolitan flavours. Sample dishes might include a starter of North Sea white crab with spring onion, horseradish mayonnaise and a tomato and red onion salsa while a typical main course would be something along the lines of the honey roast fillet of Ayrshire pork; a fennel, EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 129
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star anis and carrot cake, broccoli and toasted flaked almond served with a sage and apple jus. Their list of malt whiskies is wider than most if you want to finish your meal with a dram. VALVONA AND CROLLA 19 Elm Row TEL: 0131 556 6066 www.valvonacrolla.co.uk NEAR: Two minutes to the Playhouse Regarded by many as Scotland’s finest Italian delicatessen, Valvonas also runs a very busy café bar at the back of the deli. You can feast on meals such as the spaghetti with fresh clams, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and a little chilli or the free range chicken breast pan-fried with sage, prosciutto and white wine. Valvonas also boasts a remarkable wine collection and you can have any bottle with your meal for a corkage of £6. Open for reservations in the evening during the Festival. VINCAFFE 11 Multrees Walk TEL: 0131 557 0088 www.valvonacrolla.co.uk/ html/vincaffe.html NEAR: Five minutes from The Stand Sassy offspring of the venerable Valvona and Crolla, VinCaffe is a smart, stylish Italian that makes the most of the seasons. A platter of antipasto and a glass of Barbaresco will keep dainty appetites happy. More substantial choices could include the crab linguine or the Sicilian stew made with Borders lamb, preserved lemons, apricots and Vitale tomatoes. Thanks to a complicated looking bar contraption that keeps opened bottles fresh, VinCaffe offers a large range of wines by the glass.
3 new venues THE PARLOUR 142 Duke Street Tel: 0131 555 3848 www.theparlour edinburgh.com Leith is the happy recipient of another cool and funky pub. Word to the wise - it’s also dog-friendly. RED SQUIRREL 21 Lothian Road Tel: 0131 229 9933 www.fullerthomson.com Sister pub to the equally good Holyrood 9A, Red Squirrel stocks Brooklyn Beer and planks of snacks. THE SALISBURY ARMS 58 Dalkeith Road Tel: 0131 667 4518 www.thesalisburyarms edinburgh.co.uk A little out of the way, but this light and airy venue with a beer garden is worth a visit.
VALUE
buying ready made cakes and so on. It can sort you out with everything from a cup of coffee and slice of home-made carrot cake or a chunk of their aptly named banana bonanza to a healthy three-course lunch. The fresh fruit smoothies are a good pick-me-up after a long night’s carousing and it does Fairtrade coffee so you can feel good about your caffeine addiction. A little oasis of calm among the maelstrom of the Fringe.
ALWAYS SUNDAY 170 High Street TEL: 0131 622 0667 www.alwayssunday.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to Tattoo It’s worth wading through the crush of the Royal Mile to get to this sunny café which prides itself on making as many goodies as possible in-house rather than
AMORE DOGS 104 Hanover Street TEL: 0131 220 5155 www.amoredogs.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from National Gallery The slightly younger, possibly slightly funkier Italian cousin of The Dogs, Amore offers hearty, rustic Italian cooking at knock-
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Stac Polly down prices. Much more than a run-of-the-mill pizza-pasta joint, it offers less well-known dishes such as chargrilled ox tongue with salsa verde; coley with olive crushed potatoes, lemon and caper sauce and octopus and potato salad. A favourite lunch time spot for festival agents and star spotters. ANN PURNA 45 St Patrick’s Square TEL: 0131 662 1807 www.annpurna-edinburgh.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to Queen’s Hall A modest vegetarian restaurant that specialises in Gujerati cooking, the Ann Purna has long been a quiet success. A temple to healthy living, it is one of the few kitchens in Edinburgh that can take vegan customers in its stride. You can wash the dishes down with a large range of exotic fruit juices and lassis. BEIRUT 14-20 Marshall Street TEL: 0131 667 9919 NEAR: Two minutes to Gilded Balloon You can get food from most corners of the word in Edinburgh but Beirut would seem to be the city’s only Lebanese restaurant. As you would expect, they serve a massive range of mezze, or hot and cold starters, such as hummus topped with marinated lamb, falafel and tabouleh salad. Char grilled meat takes pride of place in the mains selection. For a taste of the Middle East, try the apple flavoured shisha pipe.
BLACK BO’S 57-61 Blackfriar’s Street TEL: 0131 557 6136 www.black-bos.com NEAR: Ten minutes to the Pleasance Despite the fact that it has buzzed along in the heart of the Old Town for almost twenty years, Black Bo’s vegetarian restaurant still has a welcome underground feel to it. The cooking is adventurous and colourful. Think along the lines of avocado and mango salad with passion fruit, rocket and chilli almonds or beetroot and cashew balls stuffed with feta cheese with chilli and garlic yogurt. An easy-going affair, the kitchen is happy to cater to any non-meat dietary requirements. The restaurant is not quite as bohemian as the cracking adjacent bar but it still makes for a unique Edinburgh experience. BLUERAPA 6 Torphichen Place TEL: 0131 629 0447 www.bluerapathai.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from EICC Compact and simply decorated, this new Thai restaurant next to Diane’s Pool Hall is a wee cracker. A family-run affair, its menu offers a tempting mix of familiar Thai restaurant dishes plus some less well known choices. This means that the expected green and red curries plus pad Thai are all present and correct but there is also a much wider than usual range of spicy salads and lots of seafood. The prices will be a pleasant surprised to visitors. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 131
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CAFE ANDALUZ 77 George Street TEL: 0131 220 9980 www.cafeandaluz.com NEAR: Five minutes to Book Festival This spacious and largely hidden tapas restaurant looks the part: all Moorish tiles and ceramics. The brand is part of a small but steadily growing group of tapas restaurants but it doesn’t feel like a chain. There are several value for money set menus available along with the a la carte. In general, the tapas selection is fairly lively. The albondigas and gambas pil pil that you might expect are all present and correct along with slightly more intriguing options like the Andalucian black pudding with onion and apple chutney. CAFÉ FISH 15 North West Circus Place TEL: 0131 538 6131 www.cafefish.net NEAR: Five minutes to Edinburgh Academy Cafe Fish moved from their original Leith premises to the former Zanzero building in Stockbridge at the end of June this year. While the new venue may be larger, they have retained the sleek, almost industrial looks of the Leith restaurant as well as their policy of almost exclusively using fish and shellfish landed in Scotland. Donegal oysters and Cornish sardines are the happy exceptions. Cafe Fish offers a modern take on a seafood restaurant . CHEZ JULES 109 Hanover Street TEL: 0131 226 6992 NEAR: Five minutes to National Gallery Having founded and then lost the Pierre Victoire chain hasn’t dented Pierre Levicky’s appetite for running several restaurants at the same time. The dynamic Frenchman now has Chez Jules in addition to his flagship Pierre Victoire on Eyre Place. Expect simple French bistro dishes such as steak frites and fondue at knock-down prices. Occasionally, Levicky has a brainstorm and runs astonishing deals such a three course lunch for £5.90, a price point last seen sometime around the mid-Eighties. www.edfestmag.com
THE DOGS 110 Hanover Street TEL: 0131 220 1208 www.thedogsonline.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from Assembly Hall Idiosyncratic restaurateur David Ramsden has got it right with this down to earth but quirkily stylish, city centre venue. The old school British food is honest, straight forward and priced to go. It’s earthy, filling stuff. Think along the lines of lamb rissoles with homemade garlic mayo; warm roast duck leg salad with chicory and pickled beetroot or stargazy fish pie with puff pastry. One of Edinburgh’s more unlikely but lovable success stories, The Dogs has gone on to sire Amore Dogs and Sea Dogs.
David Bann, Always Sunday, Chez Jules CHOP CHOP 248 Morrison Street www.chop-chop.co.uk TEL: 0131 221 1155 NEAR: Five minutes from EICC 76 Commercial Quay TEL: 0131 553 1818 NEAR: Ten minute taxi to city centre Several steps removed from the sweet ‘n’ sour chicken gloop that characterises many Chinese restaurants, Chop Chop offers authentic dishes from the north west of China and there is nothing else quite like it in town. The utilitarian décor and canteen setting at the Morrison Street branch have improved in recent years but still mean that this isn’t the place to try and charm a young thespian, while Leith is prettier and with outside dining. Highlights of the menu are the dumplings which come boiled or fried. Try the pork and coriander versions although the beef and chilli versions also have their fans. An appearance on Gordon Ramsay’s F Word has made it harder to get a table. DANIEL’S BISTRO 88 Commercial Street TEL: 0131 553 5933 www.daniels-bistro.co.uk NEAR: Ten minute taxi ride to city centre A Leith stalwart, Daniel
Wenckler’s cheery bistro specialises in provincial French cooking (with more than a passing nod to his home region of Alsace), and has prospered in a location where many restaurants with more high-flying menus have floundered. Raclette, fish soup, escargots, moules marinieres, cassoulet and confit duck are all present and correct. There are all manner of lunch and set dinner menus but the a la carte is pretty reasonable as well. DAVID BANN 56-58 St Mary’s Street TEL: 0131 556 5888 www.davidbann.com NEAR: Two minutes to Pleasance Courtyard Long a champion of vegan and vegetarian food in Edinburgh, David Bann’s much lauded venture is a smart 21st century vegetarian restaurant and bar. As well as snacks and light meals, main courses include dishes such as the chilli crepe with griddled potato and chocolate sauce or the beetroot, apple and Dunsyre Blue pudding which arrives as a soufflé. There are some interesting wines and local beers on the drinks list. Edinburgh’s best vegetarian restaurant? Lots of people would say yes, and many would just call it one of Edinburgh’s best overall.
LA FAVORITA 3-331 Leith Walk TEL: 0131 554 2430 www.la-favorita.com NEAR: Ten minutes from Playhouse The sister operation to old favourite La Vittoria and swish newcomer Divino, La Favorita is a smart casual pizzeria and gourmet pasta restaurant. Using two wood-fired ovens, Tony Crolla wants to make “the best pizzas in Scotland”. Few would argue that he makes a very decent stab at it and his claim is backed with an AA rosette. Try the house special: mozzarella, smoked salmon, capers, prawns, cherry tomatoes, caviar, crème fraiche and lemon rind. If pizza isn’t your thing then investigate the extensive secondi section where pan-fried pork escalopes in a cognac apple sauce will set you back £11.95. Unusually, Gluten free pizza are available here. GUCCHI 9/10 Commercial Street TEL: 0131 555 5604 www.guchhi.com NEAR: Ten minute taxi to city centre Located in Leith, Guchhi is something of a rarity: an Indian seafood restaurant. Yes, they serve the pakora, kormas and jalfrezis that everyone else does but they also dish up more adventurous choices such as the oven-baked scallops in a Bombay Duck sauce, tandoori crab and a seafood platter with Indian dips. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 133
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HANEDAN 41 West Preston Street TEL: 0131 667 4242 www.hanedan.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from Queens Hall This small, plainly decorated, Turkish restaurant has made itself a welcome fixture in the Southside. The mixed mezze are fresh and zingy but save space for the chargrill. There are veggie options available but the various kebabs are a meat-eater’s dream. There isn’t a single dish over a tenner which, combined with the generous portions, means you would be hard pushed to eat more than £15 per head here. They sell raki but the Efe’s pilsner is a better bet if you want to remember how the night before panned out. THE HOLYROOD 9A 9a Holyrood Road TEL: 0131 556 5044 NEAR: Two minutes to Pleasance Courtyard Love beer? Like burgers? Step this way. Just a short lurch from the Pleasance, The Holyrood is a neat bar restaurant. They have twenty beers on tap including Scottish artisan brews. Gourmet burgers form the meaty heart of the menu. Choose between the original six ounce burger with fried onions and beer mustard mayo or take a walk on the wild side with, say, The Bohemian which pairs the burger with chilli Gouda, sliced turkey, prosciutto and pesto mayo. HOWIES VICTORIA 10-14 Victoria Street www.howies.uk.com TEL: 0131 225 1721 NEAR: One minute to Underbelly HOWIES BRUNTSFIELD 208 Bruntsfield Place TEL: 0131 221 1777 NEAR: Ten minutes to King’s Theatre HOWIES WATERLOO PLACE 29 Waterloo Place TEL: 0131 556 5766 NEAR: Ten minutes to Festival Theatre HOWIES ONE ALVA STREET 1a Alva Street, Edinburgh TEL: 0131 225 5553 NEAR: Five minutes to St George’s West This is a popular group of Edinburgh restaurants that www.edfestmag.com
3 great cuppas CUCKOO’S BAKERY 150 Dundas Street Tel: 0131 556 6224 www.cuckoosbakery.co.uk Sixteen loose -leaf teas complement a daily choice of ten cupcakes at this cute venue. LOUDON’S CAFÉ Lochrin Square Tel: 0131 228 9774 www.loudons-cafe.co.uk Modern style and light eating are at the heart of this new bakery with lots of glutenfree choices. PETER’S YARD 27 Simpson Loan Tel: 0131 228 5876 www.petersyard.com At the vanguard of the new Quartermile development, Peter’s Yard is a haven for lovers of good bread.
thrives on cooking Scottish produce at agreeable prices. The four branches have individual chefs who are all encouraged to develop their own style and dishes under the Howie’s umbrella. As a result, each will have its own menu but a bowl of Isle of Lewis mussels cooked in white wine, garlic, cream and parsley or a main course of Parma ham-wrapped, free range Scottish chicken stuffed with goats cheese mousse, served with leek and chervil mash and a roast garlic and tomato dressing would not look out of place in any of them. The premises are all light, airy and laid back. Expect to pay a little over £20 for a three course dinner. ILLEGAL JACK’S 113 Lothian Road TEL: 0131 622 7499 www.illegaljacks.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to Lyceum A relatively recent settler on Lothian Road, the eponymous Jack has quickly made a name for himself thanks to his fresh, fast and good value take on Tex Mex or South West food. Burritos, tacos, quesadillas, chilli bowls and fajitas form the backbone of the menu. Where Jack differs from his High Street competitors is that all his food is fresh and prepped on the day, except the
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meat which is marinated overnight. Good music too. KALPNA 2-3 St Patrick Square TEL: 0131 667 9890 www.kalpnarestaurant.com NEAR: Two minutes to Assembly George Square On the go for nearly thirty years, the Kalpna is obviously doing several things right. A vegetarian restaurant specialising in Punjabi, Gujerati and southern Indian cooking, its lunchtime buffets are well loved while many swear by their thali or set meals served on a tray. Their signature dish is the dam aloo kashmeri, potato barrels filled with mixed vegetables, paneer and nuts served in a combination of a fresh tomato, honey and ginger sauce and a creamy almond and saffron sauce. KASTURI 35-37 Shandwick Place TEL: 0131 228 2441 www.kasturi-ed.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to St George’s West A smart, newish Indian, the linen table cloths and ornate cornicing of Kasturi make it very much an Indian restaurant rather than a down home curry house. The menu doesn’t stray too far from the staples of Anglo-Indian cuisine but they do them with care. The spicing is spot-on and the meat seems cooked to order. You can watch the chefs slap the naans in the tandoor oven from the dining room; a little perk that makes the bubbly, crisp-edged bread taste all the better. KHUSHI’S DINER 32b West Nicholson Street TEL: 0131 667 4871 www.khushisdiner.com NEAR: One minute from Gilded Balloon You could walk from Edinburgh Uni to Khushi’s in less time than it takes to chant ‘No to tuition fees’. As a result, prices at this basement canteen are very competitive. Specialities include a starter of king prawns marinated with sesame seeds, cashew nuts, spices and yoghurt before being cooked in the tandoor. Biryanis are also a big feature. They do great slassi and fruit drinks but it’s also BYOB. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 135
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LOS CARDOS 281 Leith Walk TEL: 0131 555 6619 www.loscardos.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from Out of the Blue Halfway between a takeaway and a cantina, this new place is ideal for a quick bite between shows. They call it ‘fresh Mex’ and the friendly staff whip up burritos, quesadillas and tacos to order. Fill ‘em up with marinated steak, chicken, slow roasted pork or even haggis. ‘Arriba, pal!’ as they say on Leith Walk. MAMMA’S 30 Grassmarket TEL: 0131 225 6464 www.mammas.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to Gilded Balloon Mamma’s American Pizza Company has been going strong in the Grassmarket for a quarter of a century. It’s a laid-back place that packs out quickly, especially on sunny days when the Grassmarket is heaving and the outside seating looks especially inviting. All the pizzas are freshly made with many on the menu designed by loyal customers, and, as well as standard toppings such as mushroom and ham, you can choose from exotics such as banana, haggis and cactus. Pizza is the point here but if that don’t float your boat then try the steak and Cajun salmon served on a hot stone. MOSQUE KITCHEN 29-33 Nicolson Square TEL: NA. www.mosquekitchen.co.uk NEAR: Two minutes to Gilded Balloon For years, The Mosque Kitchen fed the faithful, students and anyone else looking for a decent, cheap curry from the car park of Edinburgh Central Mosque. It recently relocated around the corner to proper restaurant premises but the USP remains the same: filling plates of curry for not much moolah. Within easy walking distance of the big four venues, the Mosque Kitchen looks set to be a hit with Fringegoers looking for a quick, walletfriendly refuelling stop. During the day, a plate of curry is under a fiver. At night, a £10 buffet runs so tremendous value. www.edfestmag.com
Pink Olive, Mums, The Olive Branch Bistro MUMS 4a Forrest Road TEL: 0131 260 9806 www.mumsgreat comfortfood.com NEAR: Five minutes to Gilded Balloon Mums is run by the crew who originally opened the Monster Mash Cafe on this street a few years back. Here you’ll find good, home style cooking with no poncing about. This means pies, burgers, fish ‘n’ chips, mac ‘n’ cheese, thick milkshakes, great Scottish beers and, of course, a wide selection of bangers and mash available in several hundred different mash/banger/gravy permutations. MOTHER INDIA’S CAFÉ 3-5 Infirmary Street TEL: 0131 524 9801 www.motherindia.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to the Pleasance The brand is already a success in Glasgow thanks to their confident use of fresh herbs and spices. This first Edinburgh branch, opened in 2008, brings the same new school of Indian cookery to the east coast. Boy, are we grateful. The menu is a tapasstyle affair offering a few dozen choice dishes, all under a fiver. Options like the chilli chicken dosa, lamb cooked with mint and aubergine fritters are winning new fans for owner Monir. Good for a quick bite if time is of the essence but at peak times don’t expect to just drop in for a table.
THE OLIVE BRANCH BISTRO 91 Broughton Street TEL: 0131 557 8589 www.theolivebranch scotland.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from The Stand This airy, all day bistro has done well since opening on a previously volatile site on the ever hip Broughton Street. It’s a breezy, informal place but they take care over what comes out of the kitchen whether you pop in for breakfast, a gourmet sandwich or something more substantial like the apple and cheese crusted pork chop served with colcannon mash and cider jus. THE OUTSIDER 15-16 George IV Bridge TEL: 0131 226 3131 NEAR: Two minutes to Underbelly Now in its eighth year, The Outsider is a funky joint, with outside eating space, that attracts many of Edinburgh’s young hipsters. The menu includes a section dedicated to ‘chunky, healthy lines’ which are skewers served with pitta bread and an apple, beetroot and raisin slaw. Typical fillings include roast monkfish, bacon, vine cherry tomato and sauce vierge. More conventional choices range from the whole roast sea bass with a leek, tomato and sweet cicely gratin to the skirt steak with pepper, a good squeeze of lemon, wild mushrooms and hand cut well cooked chips.
PIERRE VICTOIRE 18 Eyre Place TEL: 0131 556 0006 www.pierrelevicky.co.uk NEAR: Fifteen minutes to The Stand The founder of the infamous Pierre Victoire chain is back in the city where his collapsed empire first started. Older, wiser but just as chirpy as before, his venture offers a greatest hits-list of French bistro cooking with some exotica thrown in for good measure. Fans of the Pierre Victoire restaurants may be pleased to see the grilled mussels with garlic and Pernod butter back on the menu along with dishes such as the Moroccan style lamb shank with cumin, cinnamon and mint, dates, prunes and almonds. He also offers sharing dishes for two such as the roast suckling pig with garlic and parsley crumbs. PINK OLIVE 55-57 West Nicolson Street TEL: 0131 662 4493 www.ilovepinkolive.co.uk NEAR: One minute from Udderbelly This cheery little neighbourhood bistro is in the heart of studentland and is priced accordingly with lunchtime main courses starting at just over a fiver and three courses in the evening coming in at somewhere between £20 to £25. Handily placed for a lot of Fringe venues, it serves up dishes such as smoked salmon EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 137
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and herb pate with Arran oatcakes; grilled lamb gigot chop, pea and mint salsa and spring onion mashed potatoes and desserts like the banana bread with toffee sauce and banana ice cream. PORTO AND FI 9 North Bank Street TEL: 0131 225 9494 www.portofi.com NEAR: Two minutes to Assembly Hall The new city centre branch of a popular, family-run Newhaven cafe deli, Porto and Fi on the Mound is well placed to capitalise on the festival. It has stunning views out over Edinburgh and on to Fife and, inside, the cake display is also pretty easy on the eye. The menu is very flexible. From breakfast and light bites through to more substantial dishes like the fish pie or the beef olives with horseradish mash, much of the menu is available in smaller portions. RED SQUIRREL 21 Lothian Road TEL: 0131 229 9933 www.redsquirreledinburgh.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from Traverse The brains behind the equally enticing Holyrood 9a bar have just opened this new pub on the bottom of Lothian Road. Blokey without being boorish, it offers some twenty interesting beers on draught as well as a dozen or so bottled brews. The handmade gourmet burgers, which come on sour dough, take pride of place on the menu but don’t body swerve the beer battered haddock or the selection of ‘soft, strong and stinky cheeses’. A handy option for a bite when you don’t have time to book. RICE TERRACES 93 St Leonard’s Street TEL: 0131 629 9877 www.rice-terraces.com NEAR: Five minutes to Queen’s Hall Edinburgh’s first Fillipino restaurant is a homely little place. It won’t win awards for its decor but deserves plaudits for the pride and passion invested in the food. The menu is a mix of Chinese, American, Spanish and Malay influences. Fried pork www.edfestmag.com
3 stay up late GRAND CRU 79 Hanover Street Tel: 0131 226 6427 If you’re not ready for your bar experience to end, Grand Cru is the perfect spot to keep your night going until 3am on Saturdays. WEE RED BAR Edinburgh College of Art Tel: 0131 229 1442 www.weeredbar.co.uk Not just for art students, the low bar prices are balanced by a minimal cover charge on the door at this steamy little venue. WHISTLEBINKIES 4-6 South Bridge Tel: 0131 557 5114 www.whistlebinkies.com Live music is the mainstay of this warren-like venue, where you can boogie on the dancefloor or snuggle in a vaulted booth.
spring rolls sit next to pork meatloaf and papaya salad among the starters while pork belly cooked in a vinegar, garlic and soy sauce; chicken with plantain bananas, chorizo and vegetables and breaded shrimps in a sweet and sour sauce give an idea of the range of main courses available. Wash it down with San Miguel pale pilsner, brewed in the Philippines. SEADOGS 43 Rose Street TEL: 0131 225 8028 www.seadogsonline.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes to National Gallery Joining The Dogs and Amore Dogs, the most recent addition to David Ramsden’s pack of good value, city centre restaurants repeats the restaurateur’s winning formula of back to basics
Tapa cooking at value for money prices. As the name suggests, fish and seafood are the mainstay of the menu. Typical dinner dishes might be the Cullen skink; the herring parfait with rhubarb jam and toast or the barley seafood paella. Seadogs offers a variety of different fish either batter or coated in oats and served with mushy peas and chips. Most of the main courses are under a tenner. SPRIO AND CO 39 St Stephen Street TEL: 0131 226 7533 www.sprio.co.uk NEAR: Two minutes from Edinburgh Academy This family-run Italian café is tiny but the simple panini and soups are lip-smacking. Copies of the sports pages from the Italian press sit under the glass tables or just sit at the window seats and watch Stockbridge’s genteel street life stroll by. TAPA 19 Shore Place www.tapaedinburgh.co.uk TEL: 0131 476 6776 NEAR: Ten minute taxi to Playhouse 97 Hanover Street TEL: 0131 623 1934 NEAR: Five minutes to National Gallery Run by the man behind the much-loved and long deceased Tapas Ole restaurants, both the Leith Tapa and it’s more recent city centre sister operation are good value, fun and as authentic as you are likely to find in
Edinburgh. From meatballs in tomato sauce to chilli prawns via aubergine crisps drizzled in honey, the menu switches between the familiar and more inventive dishes. Take a risk with a big plate of Padron peppers - one in twenty is supposed to be fiery. There is even a global tapas selection of fusion bites. The white washed Leith venue feels more like an authentic bodega but the city centre is handier for most festival venues. THE TAILEND RESTAURANT AND FISH BAR 12-14 Albert Place, Leith Walk TEL: 0131 555 3577 www.tailendrestaurant.co.uk NEAR: Ten minutes from the Playhouse A collaboration between an Arbroath fish merchant and an award-winning chippie owner, this popular restaurant/chippie offers foam-fresh seafood in simple surrounds at wallet friendly prices. Pride of place goes to the classic haddock fish tea at £10.35 but more chi-chi choices include griddled king scallops served with a herb butter at £5.90 or a plate of Fraserburgh langoustine tails at £11.15. TIAN TIAN 8 Gillespie Place TEL: NA NEAR: Five minutes from King’s Theatre With no phone number or website, this Chinese hotpot restaurant is not the most accessible but it’s worth persevering with. Guests are EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 139
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5 Clubs THE BONGO CLUB Moray House, 37 Holyrood Rd Tel: 0131 558 7604 www.thebongoclub.co.uk From the latest dubstep joints to 1930s themed evenings, the Bongo Club is always jumping. THE LIQUID ROOM 9c Victoria Street Tel: 0131 225 2564 www.liquidroom.com A welcome reopening for this happy-golucky club, which was closed by fire several years ago. LOLA LO 43B Frederick Street www.lolaloedinburgh.com A complete facelift sees the former Po Na Na become sister club Lola Lo. The theme is retro tiki, so look out for drinks in coconut shells. HMV PICTURE HOUSE 31 Lothian Road Tel: 0844 847 1740 www.edinburgh-picture house.co.uk Alongside the Liquid Room, HMV Picture House is one of the main venues for this year’s Edge Festival. THE LANE 3 Queensferry Lane Tel: 0131 467 7215 www.thelaneedinburgh.co.uk The place to go for proper house music, whether you enjoy it from the dancefloor or the 70s pornstar bedroom.
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served a cauldron of spicy, boiling broth and a tray of thinly sliced meats, a mass of raw seafood and plenty of fungus, seaweed and noodles. The rest is up to you. Like an Asian fondue, the idea is to cook the ingredients yourself and hook them out of the broth with a selection of tongs, ladles and chopsticks. It’s messy and a bit daunting at first but it’s also one of the cheapest seafood feasts in Edinburgh. URBAN ANGEL 121 Hanover Street www.urban-angel.co.uk TEL: 0131 225 6215 NEAR: Five minutes from Assembly Hall 1 Forth Street TEL: 0131 556 6323 NEAR: Five minutes from The Stand A breath of fresh air when it opened in 2004, Urban Angel expanded in 2008 to include a slick new branch just off Broughton Street. The menu in each will be slightly different but will stick to the core ethos of being, as far as is possible, free range, Fair Trade, organic and locally sourced. Just as importantly, it’s delicious. The menu changes regularly but runs from breakfasts of organic porridge with heather honey to dishes of Arbroath smokie and haddock fishcakes via salads and gourmet sandwiches. They also do a selection of tapas if you just fancy a quick snack between shows. VIETNAMESE HOUSE 3 Grove Street TEL: 0131 228 3383 www.vietnamhousescotland.com NEAR: Five minutes from EICC Seating less than twenty people, this new place is not Edinburgh’s biggest restaurant but it is the city’s only Vietnamese diner. Pho, Vietnam’s favourite noodle dish, takes pride of place on the menu alongside chicken curries, fresh spring rolls, spicy braised fish and chao ga, a sort of rice based porridge with chicken. It’s not the best looking place in town but the service is hyper friendly and the prices are a bargain. VITTORIA 113 Brunswick Street www.vittoriarestaurant.com
Wannaburger, Sea Dogs, Urban Angel TEL: 0131 556 6171 NEAR: Ten minutes from Playhouse 19 George IV Bridge TEL: 0131 225 1740 NEAR: Five minutes from Gilded Balloon Something of a Leith Walk institution, this family-run Italian is a bustling sort of place at most times of day. The extensive menu does pretty much everything from pizza and pasta to steak dishes and creamy milkshakes. When the sun is out the chairs and tables on the pavement are quickly taken with people soaking up the warmth and a Peroni or two. It’s equally as handy for those mornings after the night before when the restorative powers of the full Vittoria breakfast with spicy Italian sausage come into their own. Children are made to feel very welcome. The more recent George IV Bridge branch is cut from the same, cheery cloth. WANNABURGER 7/8 Queensferry Street TEL: 0131 220 0036 www.wannaburger.com NEAR: Five minutes from Usher Hall Good fast food usually seems like a contradiction in terms but this locally owned burger bar does its
best. Their beef is reared humanely in the Scottish Borders. Their Aberdeen Angus Scotch beef burgers start at £2.95. There are plenty of variations on the burger theme and, of course, a few veggie options. Shakes, salads and breakfasts complete the picture. THE WESTROOM 3 Melville Place TEL: 0131 629 9868 www.thewestroom.co.uk NEAR: Five minutes from Usher Hall The Westroom, appropriately located in the West End of Edinburgh, is part of the same group as Monteiths and Sygn, so you know that good quality will be a top priority when it comes to the food. The menu is a cut above the regular bar choices, with starters such as whitebait giving a cheeky nod to traditional British cooking. Steak sandwiches come stacked high with a cute bucket filled with proper chips on the side, while soup is delivered in great steaming mugs with piles of fresh bread. Smoked haddock fishcakes are deliciously crisp on the outside and softly flavourful in the middle, and even something as seemingly simple as ham and chips comes with a twist - a poached duck egg on the side. www.edfestmag.com
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SHOPPING
Retail therapy Leave the big names behind and fall in love with quirky little boutiques and fashionable furniture stores. Words Ruth Walker
A
sk anyone in Edinburgh and they could tell you where to find Harvey Nichols, H&M and a whole host of well-known high street names. Finding the hidden gems, however, where you can pick up something unique and unforgettable -– now that’s a little harder. Come with us on a meandering tour of Edinburgh’s retail nooks and crannies. Many are just a hop, skip and a jump from the city centre, others might be a short bus ride away, but all offer something a little special. But first, we couldn’t ignore the opening of Scotland’s first Anthropologie store, on George Street. With perfect
Anthropologie is a one-stop shop for a dreamed-of idyll, where looking gorgeous is easy
summer dresses, ethnic-style jewellery and scrumptious things for the home, it is a one-stop shop for a dreamed-of idyll, where the sun always shines and looking gorgeous is easy. Just beyond the bustle of the west end of Princes Street, take a wander around Studio One, set in a discreet basement in Stafford Street. Established in 1966, it sells artisan jewellery and luxurious bath products, designer kitchenware, unusual books and homewares and – a personal favourite – all manner of traditional wooden toys and pocket-money goodies. Around the corner in William Street you might just stumble into Arkangel and Felon. Owned by former fashion stylist Sarah Cosgrove, who returned to her native Scotland after working for years in London, she has drawn on her vast experience to stock a range of independent labels, ranging from American Vintage, Lilith and DAY Birger et Mikkelsen, to jewellery from Philippe Audibert and shoes from Melissa. Further along the road, Odyssey Boutique was the only Scottish entry for the top five places picked out by Harpers Bazaar for waxing in the UK. It also has a boudoir full of lingerie and swimwear, from the likes of Fleur, Mimi Holliday and Aubade. Sizes go up to a » GG cup and it’s all fitted by experts.
Must buy There’s something very Alice in Wonderland about these High Lace-up Shoes. With a cream and pink upper and curved red heel, the ribbon laces tie the look up perfectly, £195, Goodstead
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Clockwise from left: Arkangel and Felon, Covet, Odyssey, watch from Covet, Tatty Devine
Must buy This chrysanthemumprint dress silk dress is essential summer wear that will take you anywhere. Designed by Corey Lynn Carter, it’s tied into a knot at a keyhole back. So sexy and stylish. £218, Anthropologie
I can’t get enough of these Soop stacking rings. Made from colourful acrylic, each features a fox or a pig, a toadstool or a pine tree. Create your own forest or farmyard scene depending on which way you wear them. Cute. £6.50 each, Studio One
No night out would be complete without the Angel Jackson foldover clutch. Available in blue and pink snakeskin, it is big enough to carry all the essentials but chic enough to take you anywhere. There’s also a slim strap, should you want to carry it on your shoulder. £203, Covet
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Bucking the trend for mass-market, lowest-common-denominator books, Analogue in Candlemaker Row is a wonderfully cool and arty book store. In Rose Street you’ll find Goodstead, stocking quirky pieces of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories. Look out for APC, Burlington, Folk and MHL by Margaret Howell. Look out, too, for specialist trainers like the Nike Toki Premium with punch-hole ‘swoosh’. Covet, in Thistle Street will have you breathless with desire for jewellery and accessories from Tatty Devine, Angel Jackson and Anouk, with something for every budget. Those who love a rummage round a junk shop should head straight for Unicorn Antiques in Dundas Street, where brass doorknobs and companion sets rub shoulders with mirrors, light fittings, a small selection of clothing and jewellery and random curiosities. You could spend hours in this cramped, stuffed-to-overflowing store and still not
feel you’ve milked it for all it’s worth. And if vintage is your style, check out Those Were the Days in Stockbridge – a well-curated collection of goodies. There are more beautiful bits for the home at Homer on Howe Street. An anti-Ikea, it prides itself on providing an unhurried and fun shopping experience. There are cookie cutters and muffin cases for the kitchen and everything from birdhouses and tools to croquet sets for the outdoors. Portobello is only a 15-minute drive from the city centre, yet worlds away from the madding crowd. Nip into Friday Street Antiques and Curiosities, on the corner of the High Street and Bellfield Street. There is no focus on any particular era; just a little bit of everything and an ever-changing stock of vintage ephemera, sold by an extremely helpful owner. Urban Igloo, also on the High Street, is a studio-cum-gallery-cum-shop that sells an eclectic range of ‘up-cycled’ furniture, artworks, jewellery and quirky gifts, as well as a hand-picked selection of retro finds. ★ www.edfestmag.com
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Beyond the Fringe Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the Festival and relax at one of the city’s top spas. Words Sue Hitchen
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he Balmoral Spa in the heart of the city offers a new range of Sundari treatments created by yoga enthusiast and supermodel Christy Turlington. Inspired by Ayurvedic principles and based on eastern philosophies, your treatment will start with a dosha consultation. We can highly recommend the Sumana Signature treatment, incorporating a balancing back exfoliation and massage, rejuvenating facial, Bindi Touch Mar massage and deep neck, face and scalp massage (£105). Treatments over £70 include full use of the spa facilities for the day with access to the pool, Finnish dry sauna and Turkish steam sauna. For the ultimate in summer luxury, indulge in The Balmoral Champagne Tea Spa day with a 55-minute spa treatment followed by a champagne afternoon tea in the opulent surroundings of the Bollinger Bar at Palm Court. If your aspirations for your Edinburgh stay include views of the city skyline, why not luxuriate in the warm, bubbly waters of the rooftop pool at One Spa at the Sheraton Grand Hotel. We love the thermal experience, which features a journey through a hammam, laconium, bio and rock saunas and rainforest showers. As you move between hot and cold areas, toxins are washed away along with your festival stresses and strains. In the Serail mud chamber up to four of you can indulge in their signature treatment mud – cover yourself in the stuff and relax in herb infused vapours as the combined earth and chalk ingredients eliminate all toxins.
The spa in the former home of The Scotsman newspaper offers a great range of marine-inspired Thalgo treatments. Start your visit with a swim in the dramatic, dimly-lit 16-metre pool in stainless steel and slate – the first of its kind in Scotland. All body treatments begin with Modelage de la Mer to relax the body and ease tension. Follow this with an aromatic massage tailored to you, using oils chosen to relax, invigorate or detox (£65) with a shimmer of sea salt and algae petal salt scrubs to eliminate dead skin cells (£27). The deluxe spa pedicure at Zen is the last word in pedestrian pampering, with a pressure point foot massage, warm paraffin wax treatment, customized eye mask and a stress relieving scalp massage (£68). At Nails Inc, meanwhile, you can keep yourself amused by people-watching at the nail bar on the ground floor of Harvey Nichols while enjoying a glass of champagne. You could even opt for the ultimate in bling – the Swarovski pedicure.★
The Balmoral Hotel www.thebalmoralhotel.com Sheraton Grand Hotel www.one-spa.net The Scotsman Hotel www.scotsmanspa.com Zen Lifestyle www.zen-lifestyle.com Nails Inc www.nailsinc.com
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Both big kids and small will love the brilliant children’s shows at this year’s Festivals. Words Mark Fisher THE ADVENTURERS CLUB: THE GREAT ARCTIC ADVENTURE Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August, 4.10pm Tim FitzHigham and Tiernan Douieb venture to the Arctic in search of polar bears and opportunities for silly jokes. THE ART AND CRAFT OF HERGE’S TINTIN BOOKS Charlotte Square 20 August, 3pm In his own right, Book Festival regular John Fardell is a writer of children’s adventure stories (not to mention a witty contributor to Viz), but here he pays homage to the Tintin books from which he still draws inspiration. BABA YABA Duddingston Kirk Manse 1-14 August, 11am An atmospheric setting on the far
side of Arthur’s Seat for Theatre Alba’s journey through magical gardens where a wicked witch meets a girl with a kind heart. BABY LOVES DISCO Electric Circus 7, 14, 21, 28 August, 11am & 2pm Sorry parents. Word has got out among the toddler community that dancing is fun, which means the disco is no longer the preserve of the grown-ups. BAGPUSS Assembly George Square 3-28 August (not 15), 12pm; 25-28 August, 10.30am What’s the betting that this adaptation of the much-loved TV series will be attended by nostalgic grown-ups as much as a new generation of youngsters ready to be beguiled by the scruffy cloth cat?
BUBBLEWRAP AND BOXES Gilded Balloon 3-21 August (not 8, 15), 10.45am Twice winner of the Melbourne Fringe Festival Best Family Show Award, Asking for Trouble fills the stage with cardboard for an acrobatic show. CAROL ANN DUFFY Charlotte Square 26 August, 3.30pm The poet laureate treats younger ones to readings from The Gift, to the accompaniment of musician John Sampson. CLOUD MAN Hill Street Theatre 5-24 August (not 15), 11am Venture into the skies with cloud expert Cloudia, who is on a mission to see a Cloud Man with her very own eyes. COMEDY CLUB 4 KIDS Bongo Club 3-28 August, 5.30pm A chance to see the kind of stand-up comedians the grownups see on the Fringe, but with all the adult references stripped out. CURTAIN UP WITH JULIA DONALDSON, VIVIAN FRENCH AND SIMON PUTTOCK Charlotte Square 16 August, 11am The new children’s laureate Julia Donaldson returns to the Book Festival and joins fellow picture book writers to help you develop a play based on a story. THE DREAM OF THE TRAVELLING ACTOR Zoo 5-29 August (not 7, 14, 21), 11.15am Georgi Spassov of inventive Bulgarian puppet company Theater Atelie 313 in a play about a travelling actor who dreams to find a princess of his own. FLAMENCO FOR KIDS! C ECA 3-29 August (not 15-19), 1.30pm Get kitted out in costume and learn the rhythms of flamenco, plus all the foot stamping and hand clapping you want.
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GREEK MYTHS FOR KIDS C ECA 3-29 August (not 15), 2.15pm Backhand Theatre uses storytelling and puppetry to take you soaring above the clouds with Pegasus.
Bubblewrap and Boxes, Baby Loves Disco, 1000 Paper Cranes, Chickenshed, Hurry Up
HURRY UP AND WAIT C Aquila 4-29 August (16 August), 2.40pm Another chance to see Nonsenseroom’s adaptation of the lively stories about the scruffy dog. THE I HATE CHILDREN CHILDREN’S SHOW! Zoo Southside 7-20 August, 12.30pm No sentimentality here as badboy magician Paul Nathan treats youngsters to the kind of show that won’t set their parents’ teeth on edge. I HOPE MY HEART GOES FIRST St George’s West 5-16 August, 2pm The excellent Glasgow company Junction 25 turns the idea of youth theatre on its head by giving teenagers a genuine voice. IAN BILLINGS: DUMBS UP! Gilded Balloon 3-29 August, 11.15am Comedian Billings joins forces with cartoonist Chris White for a morning of silly comedy and whatever comes into their heads.
some explosive entertainment in a show featuring a vacuum sphere and a carrot cannon. JAMES CAMPBELL’S COMEDY 4 KIDS Assembly George Square 11-14 August, 2.30pm Stand up Campbell is much loved for his whimsical storytelling and rude word-free gags.
ONE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES Assembly George Square 4-27 August (not 9, 16, 23), 1.10pm Catherine Wheels presents Abigail Docherty’s enchanting and moving play about a 10-yearold victim of Hiroshima. Its themes of friendship, love and creativity make it uplifting.
LAPIN WANTS BREAKFAST Scottish Storytelling Centre 5-23 August (not 6, 7, 17, 18), 11am Le Petit Monde introduces children to the French language while entertaining them with tabletop puppets.
TALES FROM THE SHED Zoo Roxy 6-28 August (not 10, 17, 24), 10.30am For younger children, this interactive show by Chickenshed is full of puppets, songs, stories and the power of theatre.
THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES Scottish Storytelling Centre 5-21 August, 3pm Loved by adults as much as children, this beguiling show by Puppet State Theatre Company is about a man who transforms the landscape by planting trees.
THE TIM BAT TRICK SHOW Pleasance Courtyard 3-18 August, 10.20am The self-styled gentleman juggler was part of the 1983 Perrier Award-winning Pookiesnackenburger and has been delighting audiences with his spinning tops and ropes ever since.
Foodies Festival FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL Holyrood Park, August 12, 13 & 14
I, MALVOLIO Traverse 16-28 August (not 22), times vary Tim Crouch re-imagines Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night from the point of view of the pent-up steward, Malvolio. THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 16), times vary At just five minutes long, Bootworks Theatre’s adaptation of Oliver Jeffers’ award-winning story is performed in a special black box theatre. INVENTIONS GOING BANG Assembly George Square 3-21 August (not 15), 1pm The One Show’s resident scientist Dr Marty Jopson brings www.edfestmag.com
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Cooking with kids masterclasses for budding young chefs
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Try not to make an exhibition of yourself at this year’s exciting art shows ANTON HENNING Talbot Rice Gallery 4 August – 22 October www.trg.ed.ac.uk In his first solo show in Scotland, internationally renowned German artist Anton Henning has created one of his Gesamtkunstwerks (total works of art) within Talbot Rice Gallery. They bring together furniture, lighting, easel painting and sculpture. BORIS BITTKER: PASSING THROUGH ZERO Atticsalt 6-27 August www.atticsalt.co.uk Boris Bittker (1916–2005) was a prominent American legal academician. A professor at Yale Law School, a prolific author of textbooks and articles on tax law, he was also an accomplished photographer. His passion for recording people and places has survived as a rare, complete and vast collection of photographs. CHARLES JENCKS – METAPHYSICAL LANDSCAPES Jupiter Artland Until 18 September www.jupiterartland.org This show gives a rare insight into the practice of the international landform artist, philosopher, collaborator and architect Charles Jencks, and includes studio works often used by the artist as visual prompts as well as sketches that inform his landform practise. CHRIS DRURY: LAND, WATER AND LANGUAGE Dovecot 4 August – 4 September www.dovecotstudios.com Land, Water and Language began when the artist Chris Drury and curator and filmmaker Andy Mackinnon made a two-day journey by canoe across the Isle of North Uist in 2009. Celebrating the very physical experience of this journey, the exhibition includes the installation of a suspended woven canoe made from heather, willow and salmon skins, which acts as an open vessel for ideas, sensations and the material landscape. www.edfestmag.com
COSTUME AND CUSTOMS IN JAPANESE ART Central Library 4-31 August www.edinburgh.gov.uk/libraries Edinburgh City Libraries showcases a selection from their collection of original Japanese woodcut prints and handscroll paintings, brought back to Scotland by engineer and academic Henry Dyer. Featuring the work of Furuyama Moromasa, Kuniyoshi and Kunisada I among others, this exhibition offers a view of Japanese ritual and delight in daily tasks. ELIZABETH BLACKADDER Scottish National Gallery 2 July – 2 January 2012 www.nationalgalleries.org The major summer exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery is devoted to the art of Elizabeth Blackadder, organised in honour of the artist’s 80th birthday. One of Scotland’s most popular artists, she is celebrated for her paintings, watercolours and drawings.
Charles Jencks, Five Centuries of Scottish Portraiture, 400 Women
ELIZABETH BLACKADDER, NEW PAINTINGS The Scottish Gallery 5 August – 3 September To coincide with the major retrospective at the Scottish National Gallery, The Scottish Gallery will host a major show of Blackadder’s new paintings. FIVE CENTURIES OF SCOTTISH PORTRAITURE Bourne Fine Art 29 July – 10 September www.bournefineart.com This exhibition explores the long tradition of Scottish portraiture, from the Renaissance to portrait artists in the 20th century via Alexander Munro and John Watson Gordon in the early to mid-1800s. 400 WOMEN Canongate Venture 4 August – 4 September www.400women.tumblr.com 400 Women is a large-scale conceptual work by artist Tamsyn Challenger. The work responds to EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 153
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the brutal rape and murder of thousands of women in the Mexican town of Ciudad Juarez and, more generally, to gender violence across the globe. GARAGE Garage 13-28 August www.edinburghnewtown garage.blogspot.com Selected UK-based international artists exhibit site-specific, collaborative work, developed during a series of microresidencies. HAYASHI TAKESHI: HAKU-U Corn Exchange Gallery 28 July – 22 September www.cornexchangegallery.com Hayashi Takeshi is one of Japan’s most impressive and talented stone sculptors. His works, often large-scale pieces created by splitting and paring stone, invite the viewer into a realm of serene contemplation. THE INDIRECT EXCHANGE OF UNCERTAIN VALUE Fettes College 7-28 August www.collectivegallery.net Developed by Collective with Joanne Tatham & Tom O’Sullivan, this project presents a major new public work with commissions by Chris Evans and Elizabeth Price. The artworks will be sited ‘against context’ at Fettes College. IN JAPAN Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture 30 July – 18 September Artists have long been fascinated with Japanese art and culture. This exhibition examines a number of projects by RSA members whose work is directly influenced and inspired by Japan, investigating elements of collaboration and practice. INGRID CALAME The Fruitmarket Gallery 4 August – 9 October www.fruitmarket.co.uk The first solo exhibition in Scotland of the work of the American artist Ingrid Calame, whose beautifully-coloured, intricate drawings and paintings have a specific, if abstracted, relationship to the world. Bringing
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Ingrid Calame, Lineage together drawings and paintings from 1997 to 2011, the exhibition will include a new wall drawing made especially for the Fruitmarket Gallery. KAREN FORBES, SOLAR PAVILION St. Andrew Square Gardens www.edinburghartfestival.com At the heart of the city where Sir David Brewster invented the kaleidoscope and dedicated a life to exploring the physics of light, Forbes’ glass chamber uses the latest technology in glass façade engineering to create a space that celebrates the play of light and shadow.
MYSTICS OR RATIONALISTS? Ingleby Gallery 4 August – 24 September www.inglebygallery Inspired by Sol LeWitt’s famous Sentences on Conceptual Art, a sequence of 35 statements that defined personal parameters for the making and understanding of conceptual art, this exhibition questions perceptions – what it means to look, and think and look again.
NORMAN MCBEATH & ROBERT CRAWFORD ECA Main Building 4 August – 4 September www.eca.ac.uk This installation is a collaboration between one of the country’s leading poets, Robert Crawford, and the highly acclaimed photographer Norman McBeath. Connecting writing from over 2,000 years ago with contemporary wars in the Middle East and with acts of remembrance, McBeath’s black and white photographs are paired with Scots translations of epitaphs by the ancient Greek poet Simonides. THE NORTHERN RENAISSANCE: DÜRER TO HOLBEIN The Queen’s Gallery 17 June – 15 January 2012 www.royalcollection.org.uk This exhibition at The Queen’s Gallery, Edinburgh celebrates the art of the Northern Renaissance, bringing together over 100 paintings, drawings, prints,
LINEAGE Edinburgh Printmakers 4 August – 3 September www.edinburghprintmakers.co.uk An exhibition of new and recent editions by Michael Craig-Martin, Ian Davenport and Julian Opie, all of whom push the boundaries of printmaking in their practice. All prints in this exhibition explore the use of the line, whether drawn, dipped, cut or printed. MARTIN CREED, WORK NO.1059 Scotsman Steps www.edinburghartfestival.com A major new public artwork by Turner-Prize winning Scottish artist Martin Creed for the historic Scotsman Steps, commissioned by the Fruitmarket Gallery. Work No. 1059 comprises 104 steps leading from the Scotsman Hotel on North Bridge to Waverley Station, The Fruitmarket Gallery and City Art Centre on Market Street, each step clad in a different colour of marble.
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manuscripts, miniatures, and sculpture by the greatest Northern European artists of the 15th and 16th centuries. NORTH WEST BY KATRI WALKER Peacock Visual Arts 9 August – 4 September www.peacockvisualarts.co.uk North West is comprised of two video works, The Making of Three Guns for a Killing and North West. With each piece Walker explores Scotland’s historic and contemporary relationship with Wild West visual culture. PLEASANCE PHOTO EXHIBITION Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August www.pleasance.co.uk Talented Fringe photographer Idil Sukan will be taking pictures throughout the Fringe, which will then build daily to become a collection. Head down to Pleasance Courtyard to become a part of the show.
workshop as a convivial means of production and distribution. The artists will be invited to use Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop’s resources to assist 12 invited participants in their learning.
Robert Rauschenberg, The Northern Renaissance THE QUEEN: ART AND IMAGE Scottish National Gallery 25 June – 18 September www.nationalgalleries.org To celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the Scottish National Gallery is showing The Queen: Art and Image. This stunning exhibition brings together remarkable images of Queen Elizabeth II, spanning the 60 years of her reign. Works include formal
painted portraits, official photographs, media images and those by contemporary artists. Featuring photographers such as Beaton and Leibovitz alongside modern masters such as Freud, Richter and Warhol, this rich exhibition explores the changing face of royal portraiture. ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG: BOTANICAL VAUDEVILLE Inverleith House 27 July – 2 October www.rgbe.org.uk The first large-scale exhibition of works by Robert Rauschenberg (1925 – 2008) to be presented in the UK for thirty years, Botanical Vaudeville focuses on works from the 1980s and 1990s, when the great American artist began exploring the reflective, textural, sculptural, and thematic effects of metal, glass, and other reflective surfaces. RUNAWAY SUCCESS Stills 5 August – 30 October www.stills.org This exhibition focuses on Sutcliffe’s study of self-doubt and the idea of what it means to be ‘cultured’. Sutcliffe mines cultural history, pulling out the awkwardness of the archives of culture with a tender heart. SHIFT/WORK Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop 30 July – 7 August www.edinburghsculpture.org Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop presents Shift/Work, a workshop running between 30th July and 7th August 2011. Neil Mulholland will work with three artists to devise a rota-based curriculum that draws attention to the
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SPRING HAS SPRUNG BUT THE STANCE STILL STANDS Stockbridge justlostinthought.wordpress.com Recent art graduates Hilary Donald and Joe Sloan collaborate on a conceptual work responding to the built environment, through online messages and physical drawings displayed in an empty flat. THOMAS HOUSEAGO: THE BEAT OF THE SHOW Royal Botanic Garden 29 July – 21 June 2012 www.rgbe.org.uk The first major outdoor exhibition of sculptures by the British artist Thomas Houseago ever to be staged, The Beat of the Show comprises new and recent largescale works, mostly in bronze. One of the most original and compelling sculptors of his generation, Thomas Houseago is known for his often monumental sculptures. TONY CRAGG: SCULPTURE AND DRAWINGS Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 30 July – 6 November www.nationalgalleries.org Tony Cragg’s first museum show in Britain for more than a decade, this exhibition centres around fifty major sculptures, some of which are on a monumental scale and are sited in the Gallery’s grounds. Focusing mainly on Cragg’s work from the past fifteen years, this exhibition offers the opportunity to see new work by one of the world’s greatest living sculptors. WASP FACTORIES Various locations 1-13 August www.waspfactories.blogspot.com Wasp Factory is an on-going project devoted to developing cooperative practice. Initiated in Finland 2008 when a team of sculptors came together to build a wooden nest in a public park, the Edinburgh team consists of artists from Finland and Great Britain. www.edfestmag.com
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If music be the food of love, then you’re in for an epic romance at this year’s Festivals. Words Mark Fisher ADMIRAL FALLOW Liquid Room 14 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Much excitement surrounds Boots Met My Face, the debut album by Louis Abbott and his Glasgow band of folk-influenced indie popsters, released to acclaim last year and re-released this year for good measure. ARDITTI QUARTET Queen’s Hall 1 September, 11am The internationally-acclaimed contemporary music quartet performs a brand new piece by Dai Fujikura, as well as other Japanese work and Ravel’s String Quartet. BAMBERG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Usher Hall 2-3 September, 7.30pm Conductor Jonathan Nott leads pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus in two performances, the first featuring Messiaen and Bartók, the second focusing on Ravel. BARB JUNGR SINGS BOB DYLAN Queen’s Hall 19 August, 10pm While Dylan’s never-ending tour continues apace, it’s refreshing to hear Jungr’s singular reinterpretations of his classic songs such as Don’t Think Twice and It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue. BEARDYMAN UNSHAVED Assembly Hall 23-24 August, 11.59pm Twice a UK beatbox champion, the man known as Darren Foreman to his parents is a master of vocal effects and live loops as well as being a gifted improviser. BENNY GALLAGHER Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s 14 August, 8.30pm Once half of Gallagher and Lyle, the Scottish songwriter has had his songs recorded by everyone from Simon and Garfunkel to www.edfestmag.com
Status Quo. He’s also one of the best players around. THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI WITH LIVE SCORE BY MINIMA Assembly George Square 22-28 August, 23.59pm The classic of German silent expressionist cinema is given a new lease of life with a live score by Minima, a band dedicated to creating movie accompaniments. CAGE THE ELEPHANT Liquid Room 13 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com The slacker funk-punksters from Kentucky hit the festival with a fearsome live reputation. They’ll be showcasing this year’s Thank You Happy Birthday as well as their eponymous debut.
Admiral Fallow, Barb Junger, Das Parade und die Peri
CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN: FEEL Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 9, 15, 18, 24, 27), 8pm A big Fringe favourite, the IrishFrench singer brings a special intensity to her cover versions of Jacques Brel, Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Radiohead. DAS PARADIES UND DIE PERI Usher Hall 12 August, 7.30pm To open the 2011 Edinburgh International Festival, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra is teaming up with the Edinburgh Festival Chorus to tackle Schumann’s take on Persian mythology. DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN Festival Theatre 1-3 August, 6pm This sumptuous opera by Richard Strauss takes us into a fantasy world of spirits at large in the human world. Valery Gergiev conducts the Mariinsky Opera. ELIZA CARTHY BAND Queen’s Hall 12 August, 7.30pm Twice nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and the winner of last year’s BBC Folk Awards, Carthy EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 159
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Foodies Festival FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL Holyrood Park, August 12, 13 & 14
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Michelin chefs cooking live Eat at top restaurants Try tutored tastings Indulge in fine food and drink Eat at top restaurants
Celebrate fine food & drink at Foodies Festival Edinburgh www.foodiesfestival.com 0871 230 5573
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LILI LA SCALA: SONGS TO MAKE YOU SMILE Assembly George Square 3-18 August (not 8, 15, 22), 5pm Vintage cabaret classics with a burlesque spin from the woman we would call Mrs Boy With The Tape On His Face, if only it tripped off the tongue a bit better.
will be showcasing songs from her latest album, Neptune. EXAMPLE HMV Picture House 24 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Upbeat English rapper whose real name – Elliot Gleave – provided the initials to suggest his stage name. He’ll be airing chart hits such as Kickstarts, Won’t Go Quietly and Last Ones Standing. FILTHY DUKES Sneaky Pete’s 17 August, 7pm Electropop outfit founded by Olly Dixon and Tim Lawton who show great affection for the synth sounds of the 1980s. Expect plenty of Nonsense in the Dark. GOMEZ HMV Picture House 23 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Southport’s finest indie rockers have just released Whatever’s On Your Mind, so expect plenty of fresh material alongside the expansive repertoire they’ve built up while collecting their Mercury, NME, Brit and Q awards. GUILLEMOTS Liquid Room 7 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com The Brit and Mercury-nominated indie rockers led by Fyfe Dangerfield will be stomping through their atmospheric Walk the River, released earlier this year. JAMES BLAKE Liquid Room 30 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Time to slow down the pace with the pioneer of post-dubstep and his distinctly chilled-out vibe. He was pipped to the post by the rather more raucous Vaccines in the BBC’s Sound of 2011 poll.
Gomez, Example JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN Liquid Room 31 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com The Connecticut singersongwriter born as Joan Wasser has a formidable track record in the studio, with everyone from Lou Reed to Lloyd Cole, in addition to her own three solo albums. KITTY, DAISY AND LEWIS Cabaret Voltaire 15 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Unexpected throwback to primitive R&B from the three Durham siblings with a love of swing, jump blues and country and western. Infectiously elemental stuff.
THE LEGENDARY MUSIC OF RAJASTHAN National Museum of Scotland 27-29 August, 9.30pm; 28-29 August, 7.30pm The exploratory approach of the Edinburgh International Festival draws us into fascinatingly unfamiliar territory with a series of concerts showcasing the folk music of the Langa and Manganiyar desert communities.
LUKE HAINES, CATHAL COUGHLAN AND ANDREW MUELLER Cabaret Voltaire 22-23 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Haines, the former Auteur and Black Box Recorder man, joins Coughlan, ex-Microdisney, and Mueller, journalist and rock critic, for some cod investigations into the truth behind the North Sea Scrolls. MONA Liquid Room 28 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Hotly tipped Nashville rockers promoting their recently released
KRISTIN HERSH (PARADOXICAL UNDRESSING) Cabaret Voltaire 18-19 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com The Throwing Muses frontwoman combines spoken word and music as she reflects on an extraordinary childhood, brought up in a hippie commune and setting up her own band by the time she was 14.
JIMMY EAT WORLD Corn Exchange 25 August, 7.30pm www.theedgefestival.com Arizona alt rockers bring their post-punk, post-emo sound to town, trading on the success of last year’s Invented, not to mention their six previous albums. www.edfestmag.com
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SAMBA SENE AND DIRWAN: AFRICA CALLING Assembly George Square 3-9 August (not 6); 15-22 August, 2.30pm Infectious Afrobeat rhythms from Senagal by way of Scotland. Specialising in the dance music fusion known as Mbalax, Sene’s band throw in ska and rock to the world music mix.
eponymous debut album. People are mentioning them in the same breath as Kings of Leon and Bon Jovi, so expect stadiums next time round. MORCHEEBA Liquid Room 19 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com The trip-hop pioneers are back with the original line-up of brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey and vocalist Skye Edwards, proving the intervening years were just all Part of the Process. THE NATIONAL Edinburgh Corn Exchange 23 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Celebrating the success of last year’s album High Violet, the moody Cincinnati indie rockers – they of the many brothers – are one of the most anticipated acts in the Edge festival’s 2011 line-up. NEWTON FAULKNER Liquid Room 8-9 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Intimate club setting for the number one-selling graduate of Guildford’s Academy of Contemporary Music, who has been both Hand Built by Robots and Rebuilt by Humans. ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE MONTREAL Usher Hall 16-17 August, 8pm The award-winning orchestra gives two performances conducted by Kent Nagano. Contrasting music from the west and east, the programme includes Debussy and Stravinsky as well as Tan Dun and Toru Takemitsu. ORLANDO PALADINO Usher Hall 25 August, 7pm The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra gives a concert performance of Haydn’s exotic opera about love, jealousy and magic. PANIC! AT THE DISCO HMV Picture House 27 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Las Vegas graduates of the school of emo bring their big rock sound to town, promoting third www.edfestmag.com
Joan as Policewoman, Passionflower album Vices & Virtues, which was recorded by the slimmed-down two-man team of Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith. PASSIONFLOWER New Town Theatre 4-28 August, 10pm You might expect a jazz singer to include La Vie En Rose in a flower-themed set, but you’d be more surprised – and delighted – to hear Becc Sanderson covering Radiohead and Elvis Costello in this classy performance.
ROD JONES AND THE BIRTHDAY SUIT Cabaret Voltaire 31 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Roddy Woomble is the Idlewild member who attracts most attention for his extra-curricular activities, but let’s not overlook guitarist Jones, whose A Sentimental Education, released last year, has an attractive country swing to it.
SEBADOH Cabaret Voltaire 24 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com The lo-fi offshoot of Dinosaur Jr have been reliving their 1990s heyday with the re-releases of their Bakesale and Harmacy albums, so expect a noisy celebration of alt-rock. SEMIRAMIDE Festival Theatre 25 and 27 August, 6pm Rossini alludes to the archetypal power of Greek drama in this opera about murder, politics and forbidden desire. Alberto Zedda
PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA Usher Hall 30 August, 8pm; 31 August, 7.30pm Two performances conducted by Charles Dutoit. The first focuses on 20th century masterworks by composers including Stravinsky and Ravel. The second turns to Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Berlioz. THE QATSI TRILOGY Edinburgh Playhouse 13-15 August, 8.30pm A rare chance to see the trilogy of hallucinatory films by Godfrey Reggio (one on each evening) accompanied by the Philip Glass Ensemble, with Glass himself on keyboards. THE REVENGE OF PRINCE ZI DAN Festival Theatre 19-20 August, 8pm; 21 August, 3pm With its Oriental theme, the Edinburgh International Festival has naturally included Chinese opera in its programme. This one from the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe is a reworking of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 163
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WILLY MASON Cabaret Voltaire 25 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com The first Scottish show in four years for the singer-songwriter who combines the lyricism of Bob Dylan with the rougher edges of grunge and punk.
conducts the Vlaamse Opera in a production directed by Nigel Lowery. SEOUL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Usher Hall 24 August, 7.30pm Making its Edinburgh International Festival debut, the orchestra introduces us to the work of Unsuk Chin and the sheng, a 17-pipe mouth organ, as well as the more familiar Messiaen and Tchaikovsky. Philadelphia Orchestra, Semiramide THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS HMV Picture House 29 August and 3 September, 9pm; 3 September, 7pm Scottish Opera and Company Chordelia return to the Depression era for this collaboration on the Bertolt Brecht satire about temptation. Also on show is documentary footage from the time. SHLOMO: MOUTHTRONICA Underbelly 4–28 August (not 15), 9pm Beatboxing adventures with the classically trained percussionist who realised he could create the same noises he was making with his drums using his mouth alone. SHONEN KNIFE Sneaky Pete’s 15 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Joyful pop punk Osaka-style with the all-female Japanese trio much loved by Sonic Youth and Nirvana. Noisy guitars and great tunes. THE SIXTEEN Usher Hall 15 August, 8pm Soprano Rosemary Joshua joins the EIF favourites for the cantata Silente venti. Other Handel pieces being performed are Nisi Dominus and Dixit Dominus, with Harry Christophers conducting. SOMA RECORDS NIGHT (2OTH BIRTHDAY NIGHT) Cabaret Voltaire 19 August, 11pm The revered Glasgow record label has been shaking its stuff for two decades and it celebrates in the only way it knows how: by shaking its stuff some more. Slam DJs and more. www.edfestmag.com
SOWETO ENTSHA: STUNNING VOICES FROM SOUTH AFRICA Udderbelly’s Pasture 3-29 August, 4.30pm The stars of the opening ceremony of the 2011 world cup, this inspirational a cappella group can move as well as they can sing. And they can sing stunningly. T’ANG QUARTET Queen’s Hall 17 August, 11am Return visit for the Singapore quartet, fitting in nicely with the Edinburgh International Festival’s oriental theme, performing the work of composers from the west and east.
In Princes Street Gardens, Garry Walker will be conducting the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. WARPAINT Queen’s Hall 23 August, 8pm www.theedgefestival.com Dreamy art rock from the allfemale Los Angeles quartet nominated in the BBC’s Sound of 2011 poll after the enthusiastic reception of their debut album.
WITHERED HAND Queen’s Hall 25 August, 8pm Dan Wilson, the man of whom Malcolm Middleton once said “thank f*ck for Withered Hand,” celebrates conquering South by Southwest with a performance at Queen’s Hall. YOGYAKARTA COURT GAMELAN KRIDHA MARDHAWA The Hub 19-21 August, 7.30pm & 9.30pm Ancient music and dance from the royal palace in Yogyakarta based on the meditative metal and wood sounds of the Javanese gamelan.
THAIS Usher Hall 18 August, 7pm A concert performance of Massenet’s study of romantic and religious love in which a 4thcentury Egyptian monk rescues a courtesan. THE VACCINES HMV Picture House 24 August, 7pm www.theedgefestival.com Trying to live down the hype of being labelled next big things almost before they’d started, the London quartet fill a Strokesshaped hole in any indie fan’s heart. VIRGIN MONEY FIREWORKS CONCERT Ross Theatre 4 September, 9pm A new sponsor, but the same magical display that brings the residents of Edinburgh on to the streets to mark the end of the Edinburgh International Festival. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 165
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Start a new chapter with the wordsmiths of Charlotte Square at this year’s Book Festival. Words Mark Fisher PETER ACKROYD 28 August, 6.30pm The Whitbread and James Tait Black award-winning historian talks about expanding his horizons from his regular patch, London, to the whole of England, from the earliest settlements. IAIN BANKS 18 August, 8pm The Edinburgh writer gives an insight into the combination of planning and imagination that went into his latest novel, Surface Detail, and makes a case for science fiction as a commentary on the real world. SEBASTIAN BARRY 16 August, 1.30pm On Canaan’s Side straddles seven decades as it tells the heartbreaking story of an Irish family’s emigration to post-war America. The award-winning writer gives an insight into his latest novel.
Above: Sarah Brown. Right: Melvyn Bragg Glasgow novelist is a festival favourite. In the newly published Where the Bodies Are Buried, he ventures into gangland Glasgow. SARAH BROWN 14 August, 6.30pm Listen out for juicy titbits as the wife of the former prime minister explains what it is like to have 10 Downing Street as your address.
STEVE BELL 23 August, 8pm The Guardian’s brilliant political cartoonist has published an anthology of his work since 2006. Find out how he came to put John Major in underpants and David Cameron with a condom over his head.
JOHN BURNSIDE 17 August, 10.15am Expect a varied session with the talented writer who will be talking about his latest collection of poems, Black Cat Bone, as well his latest novel, A Summer of Drowning.
PAULINE BLACK 22 August, 8.30pm Back in the day she was the lead singer of The Selector, pioneers of the two-tone scene in the late70s. In her memoir, Black By Design, she talks about growing up feeling like an insider.
JOHN BYRNE 18 August, 4.30pm This year the sometime Paisley slab boy added children’s author to his list of accomplishments, with the publication of Donald and Benoît, which he illustrated himself.
MELVYN BRAGG 27 August, 11.30am The TV and radio regular has written a book about a book, the Good Book in fact. His history of the King James Bible looks at the part it has played everywhere from the American Civil War to the abolition of slavery.
TAM DALYELL WITH JAMES NAUGHTIE 17 August, 6.30pm Two heavyweights for the price of one as Naughtie, the veteran BBC broadcaster, interviews Dalyell, the maverick politician, he of the still contentious “West Lothian question”.
CHRISTOPHER BROOKMYRE 16 August, 8pm As much a comic entertainer as a crime writer, the much-loved
EVAN DAVIS 20 August, 4.30pm Journalist Iain Macwhirter puts the Today presenter in the hot
www.edfestmag.com
Foodies Festival FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL Holyrood Park, August 12, 13 & 14
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Michelin chefs cooking live Eat at top restaurants Try tutored tastings Indulge in fine food and drink Eat at top restaurants
Celebrate fine food & drink at Foodies Festival Edinburgh www.foodiesfestival.com 0871 230 5573 EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 167
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seat as he talks about Made in Britain, his study of this country’s output in technology, manufacturing and design.
about the way international conflicts are reported. IAN RANKIN 23 August, 6.30pm; 24 August, 8pm It wouldn’t seem like a Book Festival without the entertaining Edinburgh novelist and creator of the ever popular Rebus series. Here, he gives a sneak preview of his next Malcolm Fox novel.
MICHEL FABER 24 August, 8.30pm Whether you are a fan of the novel or the TV adaptation, this discussion about The Crimson Petal and the White will be a fascinating insight into the transition from page to screen. NEIL GAIMAN WITH AUDREY NIFFENEGGER 17 August, 3pm Artist and author Niffenegger quizzes Gaiman on the strands of Americana, myth and fantasy running through his work, which ranges from sci-fi to fantasy and children’s work. JANICE GALLOWAY 26 August, 11.30am She gave us the facts of her early years in This is Not About Me, now the Scottish author has moved onto her time as a teenager growing up in Ayrshire in All Made Up. AA GILL 19 August, 1.30pm The waspish Sunday Times journalist is not only a restaurant and television reviewer, but also an accomplished travel writer. AA Gill is Further Away is an anthology of essays on countries including Sudan, India and Cuba. ALASDAIR GRAY 13 August, 11.30am To mark the 30th anniversary of the publication of his landmark novel Lanark, Gray is top-andtailing the Book Festival. In this opening event the idiosyncratic writer and artist talks about his work. JACKIE KAY 25 August, 3pm Having given his autobiography last year, the Scottish writer has returned to poetry with Fiere, a collection about our journeys through life. AL KENNEDY 21 August, 6.30pm It’s been four years since her last novel, so the launch of The Blue Book here at the festival is a red letter day. www.edfestmag.com
Left: Denise Mina. Right: Alexei Sayle OLIVIA LAING WITH JOAN BAKEWELL 22 August, 7pm One of a number of sessions chaired by veteran broadcaster Bakewell, this discussion is about the way the landscape shapes our identity. Laing’s To the River is about the river where Virginia Woolf drowned. LIZ LOCHHEAD 28 August, 11.30am She’s a Book Festival regular, but this is the first year Lochhead has been able to appear with the title of Scottish makar to her name. Expect a joyful morning of poetry. DAVID LODGE 25 August, 11.30am The novelist talks about how he came to fictionalise the life of that other great writer, HG Wells. ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH 13 August, 6.30pm; 19 August, 8pm; 20 August, 6.30pm Repeated chances to catch up with the Edinburgh author, always a Book Festival favourite thanks to his warm and generous wit. WILLIAM MCILVANNEY 15 August, 11.30am Broadcaster and journalist Ruth Wishart welcomes the multiaward winning Kilmarnock novelist to the stage to talk about how he gives such vivid life to the West Coast Scottish male. DENISE MINA 27 August, 6.45pm The dazzling Glasgow crime writer talks about her latest novel, The End of the Wasp Season, in which a heavily pregnant police officer investigates the savage murder of a young woman.
CAITLIN MORAN 14 August, 12.30pm The lively Times columnist has been making waves in all the right places with How to Be a Woman, an attempt to reclaim feminism for the 21st century woman. GRANT MORRISON 20 August, 9.30pm A fantastic opportunity to hear the Glasgow graphic novelist talking about a subject very dear to him: the history of superheroes from 1938’s Superman to today. JULIE MYERSON 21 August, 12pm Journalist Jackie McGlone introduces Myerson as she returns to fiction writing. Her ninth novel, Then, is set in a postapocalyptic London. EDNA O’BRIEN WITH ANDREW O’HAGAN 19 August, 11.30am It’s not even lunchtime and already O’Hagan, himself a fine novelist, is welcoming the 80year-old O’Brien to the stage and quizzing her on her latest collection of tales. BEN OKRI 21 August, 4.30pm Lots of food for thought in the Booker-winner’s latest collection of essays, A Time for New Dreams, in which he considers such topics as self-censorship, beauty and global economics. JOHN PILGER 21 August, 3pm Expect an afternoon of polemics as the veteran campaigning journalist talks about The War You Don’t See, a documentary
STELLA RIMINGTON 19 August, 4.30pm You can’t fault Rimington in her research. As the director of MI5, she spent a career building up all the background material a thriller writer could ever need. JAMES ROBERTSON WITH IRVINE WELSH 25 August, 4.30pm The Trainspotting novelist is a great fan of Robertson’s And the Land Lay Still, an epic story of Scotland’s recent history. Expect a scintillating exchange of ideas as the two writers share the stage. JON RONSON 24 August, 4.30pm The entertaining writer has been alarming even himself as he investigates what makes the bad guys tick in The Psychopath Test. Ruth Wishart quizzes him on what he learnt. ALEXEI SAYLE 13 August, 7pm The stand-up comedian turned novelist reflects on his Liverpool upbringing as the child of communist parents, in Stalin Ate My Homework. MARTIN SIXSMITH 17 August, 2pm With a 20-year record as a BBC foreign correspondent, Sixsmith has few rivals in his understanding of global politics. In Russia: the Wild East he investigates 1,000 years of the country’s history. LOUISE WELSH 25 August, 6.45pm A very special chance to hear the Glasgow novelist read from a novel that she hasn’t even finished. All we know is it takes inspiration from The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 169
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If all the world’s a stage, Edinburgh is the centre this month. Words Mark Fisher THE ADVENTURES OF WOUND MAN AND SHIRLEY Pleasance Courtyard 20-29 August, 12.10pm The enterprising writer, director and performer Chris Goode – last seen here in Tim Crouch’s The Author – revives his much admired monologue about a teenage boy who gets through his troubled adolescence with the help of an imaginary superhero. ALMER MATER St George’s West 5-29 August (not 15), times vary The iPad makes its debut on the Fringe as Glasgow’s Fish and Game constructs an installationexploring a child’s experience of growing up. ALPHONSE Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 17), 11.45am From Canada comes this acclaimed performance by the award-winning Alon Nashman. About a boy who wanders off by himself into the countryside, it is a celebration of childhood imagination. AT THE SANS HOTEL Assembly Hall 4-28 August (not 15), 7.20pm Nicola Gunn’s play is a surreal exploration of identity, inspired by the true story of a mentally ill woman who was assumed to be an illegal immigrant, the show draws on Gunn’s own experience of a nervous collapse. AUDIENCE St George’s West 5-28 August (not 10, 17, 24), 10.55pm In its one-to-one Fringe hits Smile Off Your Face and Internal, Ontroerend Goed has overturned expectations of what a piece of theatre could be. Here, the Belgian company turns its focus on you, the audience. BASHIR LAZHAR Assembly George Square 3-28 August (not 8, 15, 22), 2.25pm Wishbone Theatre hotfoots it from the Edmonton Fringe, where www.edfestmag.com
it received enthusiastic reviews for this play by Evelyne de la Chenelière about a teacher using unorthodox techniques on a class of disadvantaged students. BELARUS FREE THEATRE Pleasance Courtyard 22-29 August, 1pm Alexander Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since 1994 and doesn’t take kindly to opposing points of view. That’s why he’s not a fan of the Belarus Free Theatre, a company doing all it can to resist him. BELLEVILLE RENDEZ-VOUS Bedlam Theatre 8-20 August (not 14), 11am FellSwoop Theatre Company brings to the stage the quirky animated movie by Sylvian Chomet about a kidnapped cyclist and his plucky grandmother. To achieve the full effect, it’s using puppeteers, dancers and jazz musicians.
At the Sans Hotel, The Adventures of Wound Man, Black Slap
BEOWULF: A THOUSAND YEARS OF BAGGAGE Assembly George Square 10-29 August (not 15), 4pm A raucous retelling of the ancient monster-killing tale, this awardwinning "song play" from New York’s Banana Bag & Bodice uses live music and an expansive theatrical style to give new energy to Old English. BLACK SLAP Gilded Balloon 3-28 August (not 15), 1pm Paul Haley was one of the Black and White Minstrels, so knows what he’s talking about. This play, set in 1964 as Harold Wilson was coming to power, is about blacked-up entertainers preparing for the Royal Variety Performance. BLOOD AND ROSES St George’s West 5-27 August, times vary Scotland’s Poorboy hands you an MP3 player and sends you on to the streets to listen to a richly layered play about several generations of women whose stories interlink in the city itself. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 171
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CASABLANCA: THE GIN JOINT CUT Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 8, 15, 22), 4.30pm Gavin Mitchell plays the Humphrey Bogart role in this stage adaptation of the favourite movie. With a cast of only three, Morag Fullerton’s production captures the wartime claustrophobia of the original. CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY Hill Street Theatre 5-28 August (not 10, 17 24), 9pm True-life story by Steven Fales who was brought up as a Utah Mormon, but was rejected by his community when he came out as gay. Divorce, prostitution and drugs came next. THE DARK PHILOSOPHERS Traverse 9-27 August (not 15, 22), times vary The life and work of the muchloved Welsh writer Gwyn Thomas is celebrated in this collaboration between National Theatre Wales and Told By an Idiot, building a tapestry of touching 1930s stories from the valleys. THE DIARIES OF ADAM AND EVE Assembly George Square 4-29 August (not 16), 11.45am Fringe favourite Guy Masterson directs a new adaptation of Mark Twain’s satire about relationships, starting with the world’s very first couple. Rebecca Vaughan stars. DUST New Town Theatre 4-28 August (not 16) With the Conservatives back in power and social unrest returning, it’s a timely opportunity to reflect on the legacy of Arthur Scargill and the miners’ strike of the mid-1980s. Ralph Bernard’s play is set in a present haunted by the past. FLEETO AND WEE ANDY Pleasance Courtyard 4-29 August (not 8, 15, 22), 2pm Showing on alternate days, these two poetic dramas by Paddy Cunneen create a powerful vision of a Glasgow crippled by knife crime. Modelled on the Illiad, they are rich and intense plays. www.edfestmag.com
fantasy about a village football team that somehow manages to defeat all in its way, right up to Glasgow Rangers at Wembley. Mark Jardine stars in the production by Fringe First-winner Paul Hodson.
Left: Futureproof, right: Golden Dragon FREE TIME RADICAL Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 9, 16, 23), 1.10pm The team behind the Fringe Firstwinning Paperweight create a show about two men caught in a flat trying not to think about the massive flood outside. FUTUREPROOF Traverse 6-28 August (not 8, 15, 22), times vary Lynda Radley is best known for appearing in her own one-woman plays, but here she shifts gear with a play about a freak show whose time has come. Directed by Dominic Hill, outgoing artistic director of the Traverse.
tragedy is ambitious; to do it single-handedly is even more so. Here, Wu Hsing-kuo of Taiwan’s Contemporary Legend Theatre does just that in a performance that draws attention to our isolation in the world. HOW STEEPLE SINDERBY WANDERERS WON THE FA CUP Gilded Balloon 3-29 August (not 16), 1.15pm An adaptation of JL Carr’s comic
JASMINE GWANGJU EICC 13-19 August, 5.30pm In 1980 the people of Gwangju rose up against a brutal dictatorship. Their rebellion was crushed but it set in motion the process that led to the arrival of democracy in South Korea a few years later. This is their story. KADDISH FOR PINTER Spotlights @ the Merchants’ Hall 5-28 August (not 10, 22), 5.45pm Radio drama producer David Ian Neville pays homage to Harold Pinter in this three-hander that is less about the late playwright than the political state we’re in today.
THE GOLDEN DRAGON Traverse 5-28 August (not 8, 15, 22), times vary A huge hit in Germany, Ronald Schimmelpfennig’s awardwinning tragic-comedy is set in a Chinese take-away where the effects of globalisation make their mark. Ramin Gray directs the Actors Touring Company production. I, THE DICTATOR New Town Theatre 4-28 August (not 15), 2pm From Poland, Teatr Wiczy uses the image of Charlie Chaplin’s landmark movie The Great Dictator as the jumping-off point for a consideration of the world’s attitude to Nazi Germany and its legacy. KING LEAR Royal Lyceum 13-16 August, 8pm Staging Shakespeare’s great EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 173
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Funeral actor champions a hit French play about life and death among the shopping trolleys. In this first English-language production about a daughter, carer and transvestite.
LEO St George’s West 5-29 August (not 10, 17, 24), 8.30pm Comic physical theatre ingenuity as Tobias Wegner appears to defy gravity thanks to live video projections and his own dexterity. Brought to us by Germany’s Circle of Eleven. LIGHTS, CAMERA, WALKIES Gilded Balloon 3-29 August (not 10, 17), 2pm The leading man has walked off a Hollywood set, so the producer makes the logical decision to replace him with a dog. Tom Glover’s comic three-hander is about the race to canine stardom. LODESTAR St George’s West 5-18 August (not 10), 5pm A journey into the universe, fuelled by a rock’n’roll soundtrack and multimedia effects, asking the big questions faced by all star-gazers: what does it all mean, why are we here and are we alone? LOVE SONGS FOR A TIMEWASTER Gilded Balloon 18–29 August (not 22), 6.45pm Playwright Iain Heggie is busy this Fringe, presenting Jonathan Watson in King of Scotland, starring in People I Tried to Like and turning up for this blend of comedy, song and drama that considers love from an adult perspective. A MACHINE TO SEE WITH St George’s West 24-28 August, 2pm Blast Theory turns you into the star of your own adventure with this interactive heist movie. You get instructions on your mobile phone and from then on in you’re on a secret mission to rob a bank. MISSION DRIFT Traverse 3-14 (not 4, 5, 8) August, times vary Fringe favourites the TEAM (which stands for theatre of the emerging American moment, since you ask) makes another trip from New York for a piece of theatrical deconstruction of the capitalist system. www.edfestmag.com
Left: Lights, Camera, Walkies. Right: Mission Drift, ONE MILLION TINY PLAYS ABOUT BRITAIN Hill Street Theatre 5-28 August (not 9, 16, 23), times vary Highly entertaining staging of the miniature plays written by Craig Taylor as a newspaper column. Ros Philips’ production for three actors is a colourful tapestry of comic and poignant moments. ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS Royal Lyceum 21 August – 3 September, times vary Performed in two three-hour chunks, Tim Supple’s staging of the ancient Arabic stories aims to find the dark heart of the originals before all the sex and violence was stripped out for Western consumption.
actor/writer Gareth Armstrong in this investigation into the antihero of The Merchant of Venice. The one-man play questions whether the character is an antiSemitic cliché or something more intriguing. SIMON CALLOW IN TUESDAYS AT TESCOS Assembly Hall 4-29 August (not 8, 15, 22), 2pm The Four Weddings and a
A SLOW AIR Traverse 4-21 August (not 8, 15), times vary An excellent play by David Harrower, seen for the first time earlier this year, starring real life brother and sister Kathryn and Lewis Howden. It’s about two estranged siblings and their journey towards being reunited. SNAP. CATCH. SLAM. Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 23), 1.50pm Three short plays based on real events. The first is about a teacher who attacked a pupil, the second about a baby dropped from a burning apartment and the third is about a woman attacked and left with a brain injury.
PIP UTTON IS CHARLES DICKENS St George’s West 5-29 August (not 10, 17, 24), 1.30pm The master of the Fringe solo show, Utton brings to life the great Victorian novelist. RITUALS New Town Theatre 4-15 August, 1.10pm Battling on despite the cast being imprisoned for four days by the Zimbabwe authorities, Rooftop Promotions tells five stories about the journey towards reconciliation in a country with a history of violence. SHYLOCK BY GARETH ARMSTRONG Assembly Hall 4-29 August (not 8, 15), 3.45pm Guy Masterson takes over from EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 175
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SOMEWHERE BENEATH IT ALL, A SMALL FIRE BURNS STILL Gilded Balloon 3-29 August (not 15), 12pm Phil Nichol marks his 20th year performing on the Fringe with this absurdist monologue by Dave Florez about seeking forgiveness in an unrelenting world. SPENT Pleasance Dome 3-29 August (not 17, 23), 2.55pm Who’ll have the last laugh about the financial crisis? If there is justice in the world it will be Spent, an award-winning physical comedy from Toronto about suicidal traders. THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART Traverse @ Ghillie Dhu 2-27 August (no 8, 15, 22), 3pm Brilliant CATS award-winning satire and celebration of the Borders ballad written by David Greig and staged by the National Theatre of Scotland. THE TEMPEST King’s Theatre 13-16 August, 7.30pm Mokwah Repertory Company filters Shakespeare’s great island fantasy through the lens of ancient Korean folklore. Expect Taoist magic as well as colourful costumes. THIRSTY Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 15), 5.45pm The Fringe First-winning Paper Birds in a show about a nation hooked on alcohol. Physical theatre, live music and a few sobering statistics about our love affair with the demon drink. TONIGHT SANDY GRIERSON WILL LECTURE, DANCE AND BOX Assembly George Square 3-28 August (not 8, 15, 22), 7.50pm The award-winning actor Sandy Grierson goes into surrealist territory in this unlikely tale involving iconic figures from the glory days of Dadaism THE TOUR GUIDE Market Street 3-28 August (not 8, 15, 22), 6.15pm and 8.15pm All aboard for a trip round town www.edfestmag.com
voice from Iran as playwright Nassim Soleimanpour reflects on being part of a generation forbidden to travel. Performed by a different actor every day.
Left: Thirsty. Right: Tonight Sandy Grierson Will Lecture on a genuine vintage tour bus and a play by James Graham about a tour guide taking his last party through Edinburgh. TURANDOT New Town Theatre 4-27 August (not 17), 3pm Not the opera, but a play inspired by it, focusing on Puccini as he wrote it and – for reasons you can only guess at – William Burroughs’ Naked Lunch.
THE WHEEL Traverse 6-28 August (not 8, 15, 22), times vary Playwright Zinnie Harris considers whether it is possible to live through the violence of war without being affected by it. WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT St George’s West 5-29 August, 12.15pm A rare chance to hear a theatrical
WONDROUS FLITTING Traverse 4-28 August (not 8, 15, 22), times vary Mark Thomson, artistic director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum, moves next door to present his own play inspired by a chapter in The Secret Lives of Buildings by Ed Hollis. It’s about a man trying to make sense of the miracle that appears to have happened in his living room. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BERTIE C Soco 4-29 August (not 15), times vary Novelist Alexander McCall Smith is all over the Book Festival and his work is here on the Fringe too, in this world premiere adaptation of one of the stories in the 44 Scotland Street series.
2401 OBJECTS Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 9, 16, 23), 4.40pm An investigation into how our experience is shaped by our memories and about what happens when our memory fails. Performed by Analogue, the company that caused a stir with Mile End and Beachy Head on previous Fringes. UNTITLED LOVE STORY St George’s West 5-29 August (not 10, 17, 24), 6pm The enterprising David Leddy, who brought us Sub Rosa, Susurrus and White Tea, travels through time for a meditation on love and loss in Venice. WHAT REMAINS Traverse @ University of Edinburgh Medical School Anatomy Department 4-28 August (not 8, 15, 22), times vary David Paul Jones, a captivating Scottish singer and pianist, takes us on a promenade into the atmospheric corners of the anatomy department for a moody consideration about life, death and creativity. Staged by Ben Harrison and Grid Iron. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 177
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Tap into the spirit of this year’s Festivals at the best of Edinburgh’s dance shows. Words Kelly Apter THE BALLET RUSE Dance Base 5-21 August (not 8, 15), times vary Two dancers don their starched white tutus for this comic look at the ballet world, with a soundtrack ranging from Tchaikovsky to Lady Gaga.
Canadian company bluemouth inc. give you two options – spend four hours on your feet joining in the Dance Marathon, or sit back and watch the theatrical endurance test unfold.
BOOKING DANCE FESTIVAL Venue 150@EICC 17-21 August, times vary The eclectic programme of US dance returns to the EICC, showcasing the best talent from America. Cutting-edge modern dance and rapid-fire tap are two elements of this year’s festival.
DROUGHT AND RAIN King’s Theatre 1-3 September, 8pm During the Vietnam War their singing consoled soldiers on the frontline. Now, the elderly female cast in Ea Sola’s powerful dance/music show gives us an insight into their country’s troubled past and the human legacy of war.
DANCE MARATHON Traverse @ Lyceum 3-14 August (not 4, 8, 11), 7.15pm Inspired by the spectator sport from Depression-era USA,
ENCLOSURE 99 – HUMANS Edinburgh Zoo 14-28 August, 10am-7pm Janis Claxton and dancers recreate their award-winning 2008
Fringe show, by once again taking up residence behind glass in Edinburgh Zoo. A ‘zoo keeper’ will be on hand to impart knowledge on the lesser-spotted contemporary dancer. FLAWLESS: INTERGALACTIC DREAM Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 15), 6pm The 2009 Britain’s Got Talent finalists wowed audiences at last year’s Fringe with their sold-out show, Chase The Dream. This time they’re taking their energetic streetdance, sharp suits and crowd-pleasing soundtrack into outer space. FORGETTING NATASHA Zoo Southside 6-27 August (not 10, 17, 24), 12.30pm Contemporary dance, poetry and digital film combine in this poignant work from State of Flux about one woman’s struggle with dementia. Three dancers weave in and out of digital imagery as Natasha attempts to remember her past. FREE RUN Udderbelly’s Pasture 3-29 August (not 16, 22), 6.20pm The incredible art of free running (or parkour) moves from the streets to the stage in this athletic show featuring 3RUN, the UK’s number one freerunning team. IN THE DUST Zoo Southside 5-29 August (not 11, 17, 23), 4pm The always watchable and endlessly energetic 2Faced Dance Company returns to the Fringe with another helping of contemporary infused hip hop – this time on the theme of destruction. LAST ORDERS Traverse Theatre 16-28 August (not 22), times vary David Hughes Dance and Al Seed – the winning team behind 2009’s dance theatre piece, The Red Room – reunite to tell the
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nightmarish tale of 16th century Scottish cannibal Sawney Bean. LOL (LOTS OF LOVE) Zoo Southside 22-27 August, 2.05pm Protein Dance Company explores how our love lives and friendships are being shaped by mobile phones and Facebook, in this critically-acclaimed mix of dance and theatre. PARALLEL MEMORIES C 14-29 August, 2.15pm Brazilian-born, London-based choreographer Jean Abreu teams up with fellow countryman Jorge Garcia for this dance theatre duet inspired by the differences and similarities of their childhoods in Brazil. THE PEONY PAVILION Edinburgh Festival Theatre 13-15 August, 7.30pm One of China’s oldest and most popular tales (the country’s equivalent of Romeo & Juliet) gets the dance makeover in this large-scale production by the National Ballet of China.
ROCK THE BALLET Assembly Hall 4-28 August (not 8, 15, 22) 6pm Classical ballet, hip hop, tap, gymnastics and musical theatre combine in this large-scale, highly accessible show. It stars America’s Bad Boys of Dance, and is all performed to a soundtrack of rock and pop classics. SCOTTISH BALLET Edinburgh Playhouse 26-28 August, 7.30pm A double-bill of old and new from Scotland’s national ballet company, featuring Kenneth MacMillan’s death-inspired Song of the Earth (with operatic accompaniment), and a new work from exciting Finnish choreographer, Jorma Elo. SOY DE CUBA Assembly Hall 2-29 August (not 15) 10.30pm Direct from Havana, this allsinging, all-dancing show fuses
a passionate love story about two dancers with insight into the Cuban way of life, backed by live music and song by one of the country’s finest salsa bands. SRIYAH King’s Theatre 26-29 August, 8pm (Sun 3pm) India’s Nrityagram Dance Ensemble makes its International Festival debut this year with a programme of works created over the past ten years, all performed in the Indian Classical dance style of Odissi. SWIMMING WITH MY MOTHER Dance Base 5-21 August (not 8, 15) times vary Award-winning Irish company CoisCéim brings its inimitable brand of dance theatre back to the Fringe, with this heartwarming tale of a mother and son with a shared love of swimming and dancing.
PINOCCHIO: A FANTASY OF PLEASURES New Town Theatre 4-28 August, 7pm New York’s Company XIV returns to the Fringe with another decadent offering, this time based on the tale of the wooden boy with a penchant for lying. Expect adult content and a touch of nudity. PRINCESS BARI Edinburgh Playhouse 19-21 August, 7.30pm Korean choreographer Eun-Me Ahn brings her vibrant and colourful production to the International Festival, fusing modern and traditional dance styles to tell the allegoric tale of an abandoned princess.
Parallel Memories, Enclosure 99, Forgetting Natasha, Peony Pavillion. LOL
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RE-TRIPTYCH Edinburgh Playhouse 1-3 September, 7.30pm Chinese-born, New York-based choreographer Shen Wei explores three Asian countries in this captivating trilogy. Travelling from China to Tibet to Cambodia, each piece brings new music, set and dynamics. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 179
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Up for a giggle? Laugh along with some of this year’s top comedy stars. Words Jay Richardson ALUN COCHRANE: MOMENTS OF ALUN The Stand Comedy Club 5-29 August (not 15), 6.50pm More effortless, understated humour from the droll, Scotsborn Yorkshireman. His worldweary but consistently entertaining grumblings and observations on domestic mundanity befit a man three times his age. ANDREW LAWRENCE – THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN COMEDY TOUR Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August, 8pm Multiple award nominations and a belated run of primetime television appearances make Lawrence’s show title seem something of a misnomer. Regardless, his comedy of bile and bitterness still draws deep from a hatred of the less talented but more successful. ANDREW MAXWELL: THE LIGHTS ARE ON Assembly George Square 3-29 August (not 16), 9pm One of the most consistently funny hours on the Fringe, cheeky Irishman Andrew Maxwell returns to the Fringe with another meandering show. ANDREW O’NEILL: ALTERNATIVE Assembly George Square 3-28 August (not 15, 22), 10.30pm Andrew O’Neill’s veganism, transvestitism, love of heavy metal and steampunk might characterise him as alternative. But this cult act and former Jack the Ripper tour guide would be one of the most distinctive comics on the circuit anyway, thanks to the impressive breadth of his routines. ARTHUR SMITH’S PISSED-UP CHAT SHOW Pleasance Dome 8-27 August (not 15-18), 9.40pm With unapologetic roguishness, a sober Smith invites his guests to submit to his interrogation under the influence of alcohol. www.edfestmag.com
ASHER TRELEAVEN: MATADOR Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 9, 16), 8.40pm One of the odder delights of last year’s festival, Edinburgh Comedy Award best newcomer nominee Treleaven is back with a provocative show about racism. The spruce Aussie marshalling his cape to fight the bigots. BARRY AND STUART – SHOW AND TELL: THE SHOW Udderbelly’s Pasture 3-28 August, 10.15pm In a double-header with Show and Tell: The Tell at midnight, the gruesome twosome from BBC One’s The Magicians will be dazzling their audience, then defying Magic Circle convention to explain just how the illusions were achieved. BRING ME THE HEAD OF ADAM RICHES Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August 4.45pm Featuring all new creations, including Rex Monolith, Monster Hunter and Pedro Azul, who dreams of becoming the world’s greatest swingball player, the Fringe’s most restless portrayer of alpha masculinity swaggers back into character comedy. CARL DONNELLY 3: CARL DONNELIER! Udderbelly’s Pasture 3-29 August (not 15), 7.50pm With a habit of getting himself into weird situations and embarrassing scrapes, the
Above: Andrew Lawrence, right: Barry and Stuart
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immensely unaffected, likeable Donnelly returns with more anecdotes of daft behaviour, his trademark tinted glasses and Sean Penn in Carlito’s Way hair having been surprisingly ditched. COLIN HOULT’S INFERNO Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 16), 7.05pm A final instalment in Hoult’s trilogy of character comedy showcases finds the versatile actor focusing on heroes, some obvious, others less so. Although never as straightforwardly creepy or macabre as his shows about monsters and villains, he maintains this is his darkest yet. CRAIG CAMPBELL The Stand Comedy Club III & IV 3-28 August (not 4, 15), 9.20pm With his hulking wildman, “Crazy Jesus” look and booming, nononsense proclamations, the widely travelled Canadian is a master storyteller who commands the stage the second he steps onto it. Rough and tumble rambunctious, he’s an irresistible force. DAVE GORMAN’S POWER POINT PRESENTATION Assembly George Square 3-28 August, 7.40pm As the comic who popularised power point presentations, it seems typically contrary that he’s embracing them again just as they seemed to fall out of fashion. So techy is this hour that he’s already taken to describing his projector as his double act partner.
ED BYRNE: CROWD PLEASER Venue 150 @EICC 3-27 August (not 10), 7.40pm Despite revealing himself to be a nerd and reinforcing his position as an unforgiving pedant, the nub of the garrulous Irishman’s show is the seismic changes his son’s arrival has wrought upon his life and marriage. A much-covered theme for sure, but Byrne possesses the requisite wit and self-deprecation to make it fresh and funny.. Left: Dead Cat Bounce, right: Colin Hoult, below: Carl Donnelly DAVID O’DOHERTY IS LOOKING UP Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August, 7.20pm Unveiling a succession of dubious facts about sharks, the former Edinburgh Comedy Award winner is back with his cape, child’s keyboard and songs of intermittently gentle and aggressive whimsy. The Irishman is also performing his one-man play, Rory Sheridan’s Tales of The Antarctica at the Underbelly.
DIANE SPENCER: ALLPERVADING MADNESS Gilded Balloon Teviot 3-28 August (not 16), 5.45pm The deceptively filthy Diane Spencer’s follow up to her wellreceived Fringe debut lingers upon graphic tales of sex and excruciating embarrassment. With a warmly engaging style, she can still startle with gags about comedy groupies and unabashed smut.
EDWARD ACZEL DOESN’T EXIST Underbelly 5-28 August, 7.20pm Taking the concept of an anticomic to unprecedented levels, Aczel reveals his rules for making it as a moderately successful stand-up and the limits of his backstage demands, even while contemplating the stiltedness of his ad-libbing. With virtually no jokes and precious little stagecraft, he remains an undoubted phenomenon.
DEAD CAT BOUNCE: CAGED HEAT Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 15), 10.30pm Distinguishing themselves with their musicianship as much as their comedy, Ireland’s foremost rock ‘n’ roll sketch band are masters of countless different musical genres. New songs include the fire station rap My Hose and the Eighties-style rock anthem My Party Now.
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GLENN WOOL: NO LANDS MAN Assembly George Square 3-29 August (not 15), 9.30pm A hard-living rolling stone who’s gigged all over the world, the playfully philosophical, selfdestructive Canadian can switch between tales of opening for Iron Maiden and drugs misadventures with rubber gloves, dancing between devil-may-care joy and barking belligerence at the crowd. HANNAH GADSBY – MRS CHUCKLES Gilded Balloon Teviot 3-29 August (not 15), 4.45pm Christened Mrs Chuckles on an awkward date, Hannah Gadsby would like you to know just how far she’s come from being a desperate introvert. Low-key and aridly witty, the Tasmanian moves from tales of small town life to a character building trip to Vietnam, learning to take confidence in her quirkiness. HENNING WEHN: NO SURRENDER Just The Tonic At The Caves 4-28 August (not 16, 17), 9.15pm Following on from 2010’s My Struggle, the provocative Wehn not only capsizes the notion that Germans aren’t funny. He also forces us to accept that we British shouldn’t be so smugly secure in our own supposedly world-beating sense of humour. HOLLY WALSH – THE HOLLYCOPTER Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 15), 6pm Co-scribe of the forthcoming BBC 3 prison comedy Life Story, the children’s television fixture here relates an unfortunate stay in hospital following her leap off a 40ft pier in a homemade helicopter. THE HORNE SECTION Assembly George Square 3-27 August (not 6,14,21), 11pm Alex Horne’s hybrid night of comedy and spontaneously haphazard jazz returns to the Fringe by popular demand. The workaholic bandleader also delivers his solo show Seven Years In the Bathroom at the Pleasance Dome and hosts his comedy challenge competition, Taskmaster II, at the Gilded Balloon Teviot. www.edfestmag.com
ISY SUTTIE: PEARL AND DAVE Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 15), 5pm Described as a one-womanmusical-cyber-love-story, Pearl and Dave is the latest opus from the endearing Isy Suttie, who’s found wider recognition playing Dobby in Channel 4’s Peep Show.
Left: Ed Byrne, right: Hannah Gadsby HOT TUB WITH KURT AND KRISTEN Assembly George Square 12-27 August, 7.35pm Transplanting their variety night from New York, with bizarre sketches and polished stand-up from various guests, former Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler are guaranteed to be a big draw. Braunohler also presents his storytelling hour, The Amish Guide To F**king, at the Assembly Hall.
IMRAN YUSUF – BRING THE THUNDER Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August, 7pm If anyone can convey the power of positive thinking and actually make it funny, it ought to be the breakthrough star of last year’s festival. With a television pilot in the works and an irresistible blend of infectious enthusiasm and self-confidence, Imran Yusuf ought to be a big name soon.
JASON COOK – THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS Pleasance Dome 3-29 August (not 10, 17), 5.30pm Last year, Cook requested his audiences tell him “the best thing they’d ever done”. Armed with their suggestions, from running a half-marathon to drinking tea through a Kit Kat, the affable Geordie has tried them out and is ready to report back. JERRY SADOWITZ – COMEDIAN, MAGICIAN, PSYCHOPATH Assembly Hall 6-14 August, 9pm One of Scotland’s greatest, most underrated performers, Jerry
HUMPHREY KER IS DYMOCK WATSON: NAZI SMASHER Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 17), 7.15pm Ker has done well for himself this year, taking a starring role on the BBC’s improv show Fast and Loose. As the only member of sketch troupe The Penny Dreadfuls returning to historical comedy this year, it will be interesting to see if he can turn his easy style into stand-up. IAN D MONTFORT – SPIRIT COMEDIUM Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August, 6.15pm With greater focus on comedy than mind-reading this year, Tom Binns’ second standout creation after Ivan Brackenbury might well obscure the inept hospital radio DJ if this show proves anywhere near as much fun as the Sunderland psychic’s debut. IDIOTS OF ANTS Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August, 8.30pm It’s back to basics this year for the Fringe’s top sketch troupe, after last year’s high-tech adventure. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 187
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Top: Idiots of Ants, left: Caroline Mabey, right: The Behemoth
Sadowitz remains a cult, enigmatic figure. A misanthropic monster onstage, appalling, obscene, ferocious, he rarely holds anything back – not his nastiest thoughts about his fellow comedians, or his oft-exposed penis.
Laurence Clark’s show recounts his trip to America to defend the NHS. With references to Stephen Hawking, Shane MacGowan, George Washington, Mussolini and the Queen, it was an educational journey for all involved.
JIGSAW Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August, 5.45pm Pooling the talents of established Fringe stand-up Dan Antopolski and promising upcomers Nat Luurtsema and Tom Craine, this sketch trio has already proved itself on the BBC’s comedy website, so there’s plenty of anticipation for their debut.
LITTLE HOWARD’S BIG SHOW Assembly George Square 3-29 August (not 17), 4.40pm A brand new live extravaganza from children’s television favourites (Big) Howard Read and Little Howard. Featuring the Royal Monkey Philharmonic Orchestra, the human-cartoon double act have to deliver the performance of their lives to thwart a government inspector planning to throw Big Howard in jail.
JOHN-LUKE ROBERTS AND NADIA KAMIL: THE BEHEMOTH Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 16), 4.45pm Reunited at the Fringe, this surreal duo return with plenty of goodwill towards them, memories of their playful subversion and clever invention in previous shows ensuring that there’s already buzz about their new sketches. JOSH WIDDICOMBE: IF THIS SHOW SAVES ONES LIFE Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 15), 7.15pm One of the more keenly anticipated first shows at the Fringe, Josh Widdicombe’s drily sharp wit and engaging delivery won him FHM’s lucrative StandUp Hero contest. His signature whinge at Madame Tussauds is sure to be a highlight of the festival. LAURENCE CLARK: HEALTH HAZARD! Udderbelly’s Pasture 3-28 August (not 16), 6.40pm Shooting a BBC documentary while performing in Edinburgh,
MARK THOMAS: EXTREME RAMBLING (WALKING THE WALL) The Bongo Club 8-20 August, 7.30pm The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is sporadically tackled by comics from a distance but Mark Thomas actually went to meet the protagonists face-to-face. There are episodes of genuine danger and exceptionally warm hospitality, yet he effectively juxtaposes the laughs and silencing horror. MATT KIRSHEN: WIDE-EYED Underbelly 4-28 August (not 15), 8.35pm After so many years masquerading as a teenager, the preternaturally youthful Matt Kirshen has arrived at the conclusion that they’re all idiots. Lauded in America, he’s seeking to match that same level of appreciation in his homeland. MATTHEW CROSBY: ADVENTURE PARTY Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 16) 4.45pm Another sketch troupe member cut free from his former group – this time Pappy’s, Matthew Crosby (the tiny, beardy one) will be exploring the wonderful world of adventure. And parties. MILTON JONES: LION WHISPERER Assembly Hall 4-11 August, 7.30pm Promising a condensed hour of
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the greatest hits from his touring show, Britain’s favourite Milton delivers more of the best one liner jokes you’ll ever hear and reflects upon his many, many grandfathers. Even the so-so gags have his loveable eccentricity to recommend their utterance. MY NAME IS HANNIBAL: THE HANNIBAL MONTANABAL EXPERIENCE Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 15), 9.45pm A return to Scotland for a comic who’s already impressed at the Glasgow Comedy Festival, Hannibal Buress is one of the hottest acts in the States right now, his distinctive stand-up overshadowing the fact that he’s a former writer for Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. NEIL DELAMERE: DIVILMENT Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 15), 7.40pm A television regular in his native Ireland, this acclaimed instrument of divilment has always brought solidly impressive shows to Edinburgh. NEIL HAMBURGER: DISCOUNTED ENTERTAINER Assembly George Square 15-28 August, 10.40pm Last year’s show attracted more plaudits than walkouts but Gregg Turkington’s washed-up showbiz lag will once again be one of the more divisive acts of the festival. Alternating between sick and superb punchlines with astonishing doggedness, his utter disdain for celebrity is a welcome late night tonic. NEW ART CLUB: QUIET ACT OF DESTRUCTION Assembly George Square 3-28 August (not 9,16), 6.20pm Formed a decade ago, Tom Roden and Pete Shenton have emerged as the UK’s foremost practitioners of dance-based comedy in a field of few. Combining elegance with slapstick and the inevitable bickering of a double act in leotards, this latest show follows the pair rampaging through a placid English village like a whirlwind. Be prepared to witness the uncomfortable spectacle of men in tights. www.edfestmag.com
NICK HELM – DARE TO DREAM Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 10,17), 4pm With a compelling blend of berserk aggression and lost soul vulnerability, the distinctive Helm has paid his dues after years of performing without recognition. With comedy, poetry and music, he’s ready to drag you forcefully into his world. THE PAJAMA MEN: IN THE MIDDLE OF NO ONE Assembly Hall 4-29 August, 9pm Like cartoons brought to life, an hour from The Pajama Men hurtles by with absolutely no time to pause for breath, their uproariously funny, multiple character scenes unfolding at breakneck speed. This year, they’re learning the secrets of time travel after stumbling across an alien spacecraft. PAUL FOOT: STILL LIFE Underbelly 4-28 August (not 16), 7.40pm An eccentric figure with his idiosyncratic, 1970s attire and distinctive mullet, Paul Foot is a comic who can elicit laughs simply by hesitating to express a line rather than actually delivering it. With offbeat charm, he invites comedy connoisseurs to another hour suffused with wit, invention and frequent bafflement.
Top: Mark Thomas, left: Matthew Crosby, right: New Art Club
PAUL SINHA: LOOKING AT THE STARS The Stand Comedy Club III & IV 5-28 August (not 15), 10.40pm Recently signed up to appear on ITV gameshow The Chase as one of their expert chasers, Paul Sinha’s redoubtable intellect is still best parlayed into his thoughtful, provocative shows. PHIL NICHOL: THE SIMPLE HOUR The Stand Comedy Club V 5-29 August (not 15), 8.50pm Soon to be seen as Terry Gilliam in a television drama about the making of Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, the award-winning, whirling dervish is back with another hour of manic jokes and songs. The Canadian can also be seen delivering the monologue Somewhere Beneath It All, A Small Fire Burns Still, at the Gilded Balloon Teviot. EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011 | 191
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COMEDY Check out daily reviews at www.edfestmag.com
RICHARD HERRING: WHAT IS LOVE ANYWAY? Udderbelly’s Pasture 3-29 August, 8.50pm Richard Herring is never reluctant to tackle the big subjects, muse on the relationships of men and women or wallow in his own lovelessness, so expect a thorough analysis framed by personal highs and lows. He’ll also be recording a podcast at the Stand almost every day. ROISIN CONATY: DESTINY’S DICKHEAD Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 15), 5.45pm Fosters Comedy Award winner for Best Newcomer last year, Roisin Conaty is back on the Fringe and this time meditating about fate making a fool of her. SAMMY J AND RANDY: RICKETTS LANE Udderbelly’s Pasture 3-29 August (not 15), 6pm Winner of best show at last year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival, the
proverbial out of some of the terrible monstrosities – and rather good cartoons – that Disney churns out as DVD sequels to its cinematic films. Expect mermaids, pirates and genies. this is not a show for children.
Left: Roisin Conaty, right: Thom Tuck human-puppet team behind Fringe hit Forest of Dreams return with an hour packed full of musical numbers and zinging banter. Randy can also be seen in Randy Is Sober at the same venue and Sammy J’s solo offering can be caught at the Underbelly. SEANN WALSH: YING AND YOUNG Pleasance Courtyard
3-28 August (not 15), 8.15pm Tipped as one of the more likely among the current crop of young comics to find mainstream success, the shambling Walsh rails impotently at a world that feels designed to frustrate and confuse him. STUART GOLDSMITH: ANOTHER LOVELY CRISIS Pleasance Courtyard 3-28 August (not 17), 7pm Inept in everyday situations but handy in a disaster, Stuart Goldsmith is out to reiterate that there’s more to his personable exterior than meets the eye. One of the breakthrough acts of last year’s festival, garnering a clutch of strong reviews for his debut, it’ll be intriguing to see if he can repeat the feat. THOM TUCK GOES STRAIGHT TO DVD Pleasance Dome 3-29 August (not 21), 8.10pm Unlike his comrades-in-comedy Humphrey Ker (historical comedy) and David Reed (sketch comedy), Penny Dreadful Thom Tuck will be trying something entirely new at this year’s Fringe – ripping the
TIM CLARE: HOW TO BE A LEADER Underbelly 4-28 August (not 15), 8.55pm Equipped with a water pistol, loquacious poet Tim Clare will be holding forth on dictators and revealing his golden rules of leadership. He can also be found alongside Luke Wright and John Osborne in Aisle 16 R Kool! at the Banshee Labyrinth and as part of The Poetry Takeaway, free every day in Bristo Square. TIM KEY – MASTERSLUT Pleasance Dome 3-29 August (not 15), 9.45pm Having spent a year off since winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award for his 2009 show The Slutcracker, intermittently gloomy bard Tim Key promises another leftfield, wryly amusing diversion into awkward verse. TOBY – LUCKY Pleasance Courtyard 3-29 August (not 15), 4.30pm One of the highlights of 2010’s Free Fringe, squabbling sibling sketch act Toby, real-life sisters Sarah and Lizzie Daykin, haven’t been performing together long. Yet they’re already showing signs of blossoming into a uniquely entertaining duo. TONY LAW: GO MR TONY GO! The Stand Comedy Club II 5-28 August (not 15), 12noon One for seasoned comedy fans who know a leftfield, risk-taking comic when they see it, Tony Law won’t be to everyone’s taste. But the Canadian’s surreal streams of consciousness are quite unlike anyone else’s on the circuit. TOM BELL BEGINS Just the Tonic at The Tron 4-28 August (not 16), 3.40pm Tommy of Tommy and the Weeks returns with a Hollywood reboot. Silly fun.
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ONES TO WATCH FREE FRINGE
Tricity Vogue irlwind of What’s going on? A wh ukelele brilliance from and accomplished musician will also e Sh ue. funny lady Tricity Vog the of ny ma as g be welcomin as she can Fringe’s uke performers Three the pack on to her stage at the m the Sisters and giving chance to shine. e audience will And another thing! Th rowdy singbe invited to join in with judging and alongs and Tricity will be inburgh Ed of e presenting the Uk awards. ★ The Three Sisters, 4-28 Aug (not 5, 12, 13 19, 26), Tel: 0131 622 6801
Parents Evening What’s going on? Fresh from last year’s smash hit free show Success! A Success Story, Kieran Hodgson teams up with Natalie Dibsdale to present a comic storytelling show about what happens when teachers and parents collide. Although this a show about school, it’s definitely suitable for over 18s only. And another thing! Natalie and Kieren call themselves “mixed gender Pajama Men wannabes”, so that should give you an idea of the kind of comedy you’re in for with these two. ★ The Voodoo Rooms, 17-27 Aug, Tel: 0131 226 0000
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d r i b a s a Free
am Words Caroline Whith
edy cabaret, fantastic com ing az am e se to ne rtu d a fo free shows. You don’t need to spen k out our top picks for ec Ch e. ing Fr e th on and brilliant theatre
Norman Lovett
Fringed Bloomers What’s going on? If there’s one thing the world of performance poetry has been crying out for, it’s the glamour and excitement of burlesque styling. The South West’s Muriel Lavender is determined to bring you the very finest in raw raunch and steamy sex appeal allongside her rambunctious rhyming. And another thing! To prevent your sides from splitting, Muriel suggests you follow her example and wear a corset – the boys as well as the girls! ★ Laughing Horse @ Cafe Renroc, 5, 6 Aug, Tel: 0131 556 00432
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What’s going on? The beloved star of Red Dwarf, Norman Lovett will be taking to the stage to muse about life, the universe and everything. And another thing! Lovett is strongly opposed to the commercialisation of the Fringe, saying, “The Free Fringe is what it’s all about and I’m really pleased to be a part of it. It reminds me of when I first came up here in 1983 and was putting up A4 posters. Now the posters are life-size and it’s all about the money. We have to change that and I believe the Free Fringe will do so.”
★ The Canon’s Gait, 6-29 Aug (not 15, 22), Tel: 0131 226 0000
Eastend Cabaret What’s going on? The Revolution Will Be Sexual promises “communist-flavoured carnal education” of the cabaret kind from salacious chanteuse Bernadette Byrne and androgynous musician Victor Victoria. Musical comedy is the order of the day, with one simple mission statement - sex is the only way to equalise the masses. And another thing! Byrne and Victoria recently appeared on the cover of Time Out magazine and caused a scandal with their steamy songs on BBC Radio London’s The Late Show. ★ The Counting House, 4-28 Aug (not 15,26), Tel: 0131 667 7533
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MY EDINBURGH SHAPPI KORSANDI
MY EDINBURGH
since 2003, Shappi A regular Fringe fixture g for penguins and Khorsadi will be huntin is year’s Fringe. celebrating family at th Words Sue Hitchen
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? We’re a microphone-friendly family – my brother, Peyvand, is my support act on tour, and my father has done stand-up all over the world. The most important thing to remember is to face the audience. Face forward and don’t look at your shoes. Advice for the festival? Don’t just see TV comics. You’ve already seen them on the telly, so be adventurous and see someone new. Try three-hander The Age of Treason at Three Sisters. Favourite place to eat? I’m a cheap date and love the Angus steak burgers from the street food vans near the Gilded Balloon in Nicholson Square. If I’m going out for lunch or dinner I like Urban Angel – their food is gorgeous! What are your plans for this year’s festival? My three-year-old son Cassius will be with me for two weeks of the festival and we’ll be spending a lot of time walking up Arthur’s Seat. Cassius has an amazing concentration span. He’s joined me on stage several times. We’ll be seeing as many kids’ shows as possible – he particularly likes shows involving penguins! What do you like best about Edinburgh? Edinburgh is the most romantic city in the world – I met my husband and my fiancé here, and my son was conceived here. Last year I was chatted up by a lovely Australian comedian. He had a wonderfully unique chat up line, asking me, “What’s your favourite photo of you as a little girl?” I started thinking hard about it and the picture I thought of is the inspiration for my new show - Me and My Brother in Our Pants Holding Hands. What’s this year’s show about? My new show is a tribute to siblinghood, and particularly to my brother Peyvand who is amazing and has supported me through challenging times. It’s a picture of the two of us when we were still living in Iran; I was about two and a half years old and as you can see I look absolutely terrified. My mother has no idea when the photograph was taken or even who took it! 194 | EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2011
Shappi’s show was inspired by a conversation with another comedian at last year’s Festival
WHERE & WHEN Me and My Brother in Our Pants Holding Hands, Pleasance, 3-28 August, 7.50pm, £5
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