The List Festival Week 3

UROOJ ASHFAQ

SINCE YESTERDAY

SCOTT SILVEN

MARIANNA SPRING GASPAR NOÉ

LUMINESCENCE

UGLY SISTERS

TEN THOUSAND HOURS

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FESTIVAL DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Welcome

It’s always a curious feeling while wrapping up our final Festival magazine to realise that we’re not even halfway through August. Once this puppy has been let loose, we go full pelt with online reviews all the way to August’s last few days. Plus, there’s a little matter of some Festival Awards that we’re handing over on Friday 23rd. Keep an eye out on the socials for shortlist announcements on Monday 19th.

CEO

Editor

But let’s not quite wish it all away just yet. For now, we have another busy issue featuring interviews with Indian stand-up Urooj Ashfaq, back after her triumphant Fringe debut in 2023, and Scottish illusionist Scott Silven who becomes (we’re almost certain) the first magic act to perform at the International Festival. We chat to Carla J Easton whose co-directed documentary Since Yesterday shines a light on those all-female Scottish bands that have been conveniently forgotten by history; it’ll make for a fitting and raucous finale to the Film Festival. And we explore Queerly Beloved at the Book Festival asking whether contemporary queer literature has gone a bit tame.

And, of course, we have another plethora of reviews (could be technically more than that: a pair of plethorae?) including wonderful shows from Natalie Palamides, Gravity & Other Myths and Chris Grace, and very positive verdicts on Garry Starr, Catherine Cohen, I Wish You Well, Anna Akana, Ugly Sisters and The Outrun (the film one this time). While we’ve handed out several five-stars to date, there’s curiously not been a single one-star. Could this be a vintage year (if that’s how we’re measuring it now)?

So, folks, we’re halfway there. And yes, I have a curly-haired New Jersey boy in my head now, too. Apologies.

Brian Donaldson EDITOR

Writers Alekia Gill, Brian Donaldson, Claire Sawers, Dominic Corr, Eddie Harrison, Emma Simmonds, Eve Connor, Gareth K Vile, Greg Thomas, Isy Santini, James Mottram, Jay Richardson, Jo Laidlaw, Katerina Partolina Schwartz, Katherine McLaughlin, Kelly Apter, Kevin Fullerton, Lauren McKay, Lucy Ribchester, Marissa Burgess, Megan Merino, Murray Robertson, Neil Cooper, Oscar Lund, Rachel Ashenden, Rachel Cronin, Rachel Morrell, Robyn Bell, Rosie Castle, Sean Greenhorn, Zara Janjua

front

Mouthpiece

From the moment you tick the ‘other’ box, you have effectively elected yourself as a spokesperson for an entire diaspora, whether you want to be or not. I’m only half Pakistani and yet this tenuous link somehow qualifies me to represent the whole of the Arabic world and its 473 million population. Edinburgh Festival audiences are 99% white, something theatre companies and venues say they’re keen to change. But then they pass the buck to us to write stories that resonate with ‘our communities’. The criteria is set by an often-white majority, thirsting for spicy immigration stories or ‘halal’ historical dramas. I’m a second generation, Scottish Muslim, female Indiana Jones wannabe, obsessed with finding the best pistachio gelato on the planet: what the hell do I know about Partition?

The question really comes down to this: do I see me or people like me telling stories that reflect my experiences? And for the Global Majority, the answer is still, broadly, no. Because we are not being afforded the freedom and opportunity to tell our stories. It’s not enough to have a great idea; it has to be a great ‘South Asian’ idea. Over the years, grants have been launched to support BAME performers at the Fringe, like the Charlie

Are Edinburgh’s festivals too white?

Zara Janjua addresses the barriers to participation for people of colour and suggests a radical reform

Hartill Fund from the Pleasance, which provides two packages to support Global Majority-led theatre shows. But there’s a myriad of barriers to entry disproportionally affecting us all, from culture to socio-economics. You might tell everyone they are free to watch a game of cricket but some of us need a ladder to see over the fence.

The Fringe boasts an entry process that is open to all, anyone is allowed to enter, but that doesn’t mean that everyone can. We have to interrogate, understand, confront and make allowances for the barriers to entry if we want to move the dial. But as it stands, cultural intelligence is missing from the process to address intersectionality. Let’s blow this open with a wildcard thought: what if we slashed the number of shows in half and started curating the Fringe? I realise my disregard for traditions and cultural norms may ruffle a few feathers but this is not my first rodeo. This year, I’m performing stand-up with Brown Women Comedy, a South Asian comedy troupe from Australia, spearheaded by Daizy Maan and Shyaire Ganglani. And I’m doing it all for the fortune and glory, kid (as Indy would say).

 Brown Women Comedy, Hill Street Theatre, 15–25 August, 5.30pm.

In this series, we ask veterans of numerous Edinburgh Festivals to name the shows and performers that have touched their hearts or pushed their buttons. For this final issue, Shooglenifty drummer James Mackintosh tells us which things . . .

Made me cry: Playing with the GRIT Orchestra can be quite an emotional experience at times. Martyn Bennett was an old friend and is still hugely missed. There’s a section of his arrangement of ‘Blackbird (What A Voice)’ when the string section kicks in which without fail brings me to tears; it seems to encapsulate an expression of Martyn’s love for the beauty and majesty of Scotland’s landscape and culture.

Made me angry: Generally, large corporations making a fast buck with overpriced beer. And lowest common denominator entertainment.

Made me laugh: A former partner, Mary Shields, was a programmer for Assembly Rooms and Gilded Balloon in the 80s and 90s, so I was fortunate enough to attend some vintage shows. I recall a young Alan Davies had me crying with laughter and early Lily Savage and Jo Brand were always top notch. The craic in the artists’ bar was also brilliant.

Made me think: A production of The Street Of Crocodiles in the King’s Theatre (I think) blew my mind; when theatre works well, with phenomenal production, there’s nothing to match it.

Made me think twice: The Fall performing with Michael Clark’s dance company at the King’s with I Am Curious, Orange. Iconoclastic stuff! Loved the confusion at the beginning when the British national anthem was played, and some audience members stood to attention; then the Dutch national anthem drowned it out, and then The Fall kicked in: utterly brilliant. It opened my eyes to the potential which bands and theatre have to educate, inform and excite in sometimes quirky and unconventional ways.

 James Mackintosh plays with GRIT Orchestra, Edinburgh Playhouse, 25 August, 8pm.

the

CUTE PIC OF THE WEEK

Changing tack for this last Festival issue, we thought it might be a good way to round up this spot by highlighting a cute thing. And it doesn’t get any more ‘aaawww’ than a stand-up comic clutching an adorable animal. We’ve seen plenty of them this month, but thought we’d pick out Mr Stuart McPherson who is snapped here with a quite delightful pooch.

 Stuart McPherson: Horse, Monkey Barrel, until 25 August, 7.10pm.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Festival people choose the one Edinburgh event they’re most excited about. Last up: Kelsey Taylor

As someone who watches particularly violent sequences through my fingers, I see the irony in my excitement for Steppenwolf. But I can’t wait to see the film’s female protagonist tear it up on a ruthless mission to save her son from organ traffickers. Bleak backdrop, genre straddling, absurdist: what’s not to love?

 To Kill A Wolf, directed by Kelsey Taylor, has its world premiere at Cameo, 18 August, 9.35pm; also screening on 19 August at 50 George Square, 11am, Inspace, 6pm, Summerhall, 8.45pm; Steppenwolf, Inspace, 16 August, 8pm, Cameo, 17 August, 9.30pm; both films screen as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival.

from the festival archive

We look into The List’s 39-year back catalogue to see what was making headlines this week in decades gone by

Picture this: it's the third week of August, the year is 1990. David Lynch's film Wild At Heart is about to close Edinburgh International Film Festival (hence our gorgeous cover star Isabella Rossellini), Nina Simone is performing at the Queen's Hall and a young Stephen Fry is in town to present a compilation night called On The Fringe Of Hysteria at the Playhouse. Not a bad time to be frolicking around the largest arts festival in the world, eh?

 Head to archive.list.co.uk to read our past issues.

In honour of Since Yesterday: The Untold Story Of Scotland’s Girl Bands, Carla J Easton’s documentary which premieres at Edinburgh International Film Festival, this issue’s compilation exclusively features songs by girl bands (a few of which also contain non-binary members). Hear songs by Strawberry Switchblade, The McKinleys, Lung Leg, Le Tigre, MUNA, Honeyblood, Warpaint and many more

Scan and listen as you read:

SCOTLAND

This Innis & Gunn Lager’s for celebrating the great things that make Scotland, Scotland.

It’s for passion, pints and punching above our weight. For inventing inventions, Grand Slam wins and that glorious 64TH minute top corner at the Parc de Princes.

It’s for rolling out the BBQ at 14°C, our one day of summer and a lifetime of pride in where we’re from.

It’s for the pubs and people we love. But most of all, Scotland, this pint’s for you.

SCOTLAND’S PREMIUM LAGER

The quantity of queer literature has increased in recent years but how about the quality? As the Book Festival prepares to take a deep dive into the subject with its Queerly Beloved event, Rachel Cronin hears from some panelists and finds them lamenting a gradual de-radicalisation of the genre

C H AS I N G

R A I N B O W S

Oh, you read LGBT+ literature? Are you a Heartstopper or The Song Of Achilles queer? The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo or a Red, White & Royal Blue queer? Today’s young readers have access to a whole plethora of queer-romance novels (with accompanying fanbases) that generations of LGBT+ readers before them would have never dreamed of. At Edinburgh Futures Institute, author Kirsty Logan will chair a panel of writers that will discuss the ever-changing terrain of rainbow literature. The Queerly Beloved panel will include poets Jackie Kay and Sanah Ahsan, as well as culture journalist Barry Pierce. Reflecting on the LGBT+ stories that built them, they’ll discuss the queer-lit industry and what it means to be a gay writer. From the transgressive literature of the AIDS and post-AIDS eras to Harry/Draco fanfiction, and with bookshops selling out shelves of gay-tween romance novels, just how has the landscape evolved in the past few decades? Kirsty Logan, author of The Gloaming and Now She Is Witch (and The List’s former books editor) grew up reading literature which she feels shaped her worldview. She names GenderQueer: Voices From Beyond The Sexual Binary by Riki Wilchins, Clare Howell and Joan Nestle as a book that queer-ified her perspective. ‘It blew my mind. A lot of it was just about questioning things,’ notes Logan. ‘I’m a cis person and I’ve questioned my gender and found that I’m happy with it. But just knowing that this was something that I could ask is really interesting. One of my favourite things about queerness isn’t about sexuality or gender, it’s

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about questioning what you’re given. To me, reading queer literature when I was young was learning that it was actually OK to question and to not just take what I was given all the time.’

Logan grew up in the shadow of Section 28. But Barry Pierce, culture writer and panelist for the Queerly Beloved event, was a young reader in the early 2010s when every second book for young people seemed to be a loose adaptation of The Hunger Games. ‘I’m only in my late 20s, but queer young-adult literature and stuff like that hadn’t happened just yet when I was that age,’ explains Pierce. ‘So I didn’t really have that. Now you can go into Waterstones and there’s a whole LGBTQ section with two or three aisles of books. But no more than ten years ago, that wasn’t a thing. Kids these days don’t know how easy they have it.’

While Pierce didn’t have access to a lot of LGBT+ literature as a young reader, he became invested in heterosexual novels that he could project his queerness onto. ‘Honestly, you can make anything queer,’ Pierce notes. ‘If you have a queer brain, it’s kind of difficult to not view everything queerly. You can be reading the most heterosexual novel and you can still kind of find a bit of queerness in it, no matter what. There are plenty of queer readings of Jane Austen or the Brontë sisters. When you read them now from a gay point of view, it feels almost explicitly queer, when it couldn’t have possibly been at the time.’

But in a modern literary landscape fuelled by BookTok (the novel-obsessed side of TikTok), gay romance for young people has burst into the mainstream. Pierce believes this to be both good and bad. While literary stereotypes of doomed love, queer villains and gay tragedies have fortunately begun to wilt, Pierce is critical of the new wave of soft LGBT romances, such as the Heartstopper series. ‘There was an era in the world where being gay was a death sentence,’ says Pierce, ‘and a lot of literature that came out of the AIDS and post-AIDS era dealt with that as a reality. So it’s nice that

young kids can have a queer love story. There’s no danger. There’s no threat. But there’s no anything: it’s kind of like “these characters are gay”, but then it’s like “so what?” That’s just not enough anymore.’

This de-radicalisation of queer literature is most definitely a two-sided coin. But Pierce believes that trans writers, in particular, are pioneering a new era of revolutionary LGBT+ literature. ‘Trans stories still have that kind of kick and punch of 80s queer fiction, because trans-ness is still seen as a transgression,’ he says. ‘Being trans now is viewed in the same way as being gay was in the 80s, and the best kind of transgressive literature today is being written by trans writers. They’re having a lot of fun with it. And it’s a lot of fun to read.’

Kirsty Logan feels similarly about the new wave of loveydovey queer romance novels and their lack of edge. Like Pierce, she believes light should be shed on more radical stories. ‘A world where you’re queer and there’s just no friction whatsoever is not for me personally,’ says Logan. ‘There’s been a lot of softening in terms of queer representation. But there’s a huge amount of diverse queer stories that aren’t being told because they’re still seen as a little bit too extreme and a little too different. We all like to choose the path of least resistance and I think publishers and readers are no different in that.’

The Queerly Beloved panel will debate this rise of tame queer fiction in the mainstream. But Logan believes the world of queer literature should be colourful ‘as long as there’s variety, and there are different types of stories you can choose from,’ she concludes. ‘It’s not just about seeing ourselves in books. I don’t want to read a book about myself. Queer people have spent most of their lives resolving to heterosexual love stories. But human emotion and human experience is universal.’

Queerly Beloved, Edinburgh Futures Institute, 24 August, 6.45pm.

Clockwise from above: Netflix series Heartstopper, Jackie Kay, Sanah Ahsan, Kirsty Logan, Barry Pierce

THE WONDER STUFF

Focused and driven from an early age, Scottish illusionist Scott Silven is breaking new ground at the Edinburgh International Festival. Any sceptics out there should check in with Claire Sawers who experienced the full baffling power of his abilities over Zoom

SCOTT SILVEN

O‘h my goodness, I love Limmy!’, beams Scottish illusionist Scott Silven, when I ask him if he knows the Glasgow comedian’s TV character, Raymond Day, a stage-show medium with a jewelled pinky ring. ‘Whenever I want to feel more connected to Scotland, I watch Limmy’s clips on YouTube. He’s just hilarious. Raymond Day gives terrible, disturbing information on stage from beyond the grave: “your mother is in hell”. But no, that’s mediumship, which I find a little bit icky. That’s definitely not what I do.’ Silven isn’t a medium. He’s not a hypnotist either. But he is the first illusionist to ever bring magic to the Edinburgh International Festival programme. His show Wonders has toured the world, stopping at Sydney Opera House, Auckland Arts Festival and Brighton Festival, among a string of other international pit stops. This morning his brain is adjusting to the jetlag as he drops into Venice after a month performing in Tokyo.

‘I call what I do “theatre of the mind”,’ he says in a Scottish accent, dropping his T on theatre, just as he does on words like ‘exciting’ and ‘metaphor’. Although he grew up in Lanark, and moved to Hamilton when he was 12, he’s called New York his home since 2017. He got his start at the Edinburgh Fringe, where he met his manager and never looked back. ‘My manager asked me what my five-year plan was. I said I’d always wanted to move to New York. It was like this weird goal as a kid. I’d never visited but just learned about it through osmosis in films and on TV; it was like this North Star I always followed. He told me we could work towards that and get me there in three years. Four weeks later I was moving to New York City. The show was meant to run off-Broadway for four weeks and it ran for 18 months.’

Wonders is a show about the power of the imagination, beginning with his own memories of Scottish landscapes when he was growing up and inviting the audience to explore their own personal sense of awe. ‘The essence of wonder can inspire creativity; it motivates us, it lets us engage with the world in a different way. For me what’s most exciting is that it lets you look at your life in a different way. The bubble you live in can be changed.’

I’m still not sure what to expect from the show, although he’s been trying to give me a flavour without letting slip any of the actual tricks of his trade. ‘Sure, there’s a degree of psychology involved, but that’s just one element. There’s a lot of stagecraft and storytelling. I weave it all together to make this impossible experience.’

I ask for a sample over Zoom and he asks me to think up a book in my mind. I’ve just put an old copy of The Catcher In The Rye on a pile for the charity shop. He wants me to focus on the main character and after a few questions about my son and an internet search that he puts me on about Wikipedia stats, he quickly and quietly comes up with Holden Caulfield. I have no idea what tells I gave away, what suggestions he planted, which distractions he fooled me with. But take my money, that was cool.

His back story begins with a simple magic trick taught to him by his grandad when he was five. He became hooked on coin and card tricks, and loved testing out new ones on his family. Nowadays he admits they are his toughest crowd. ‘They know me too well, so I fail every time. There’s a different level of rapport; they know behind the facade of the mentalist and the techniques don’t work. If they ever come along to my shows, and I end up fooling them and they have a great experience, I know I’ve got a really amazing, powerful illusion.’

SCOTT

Seven-year-old Scott was drawn from the Clyde Valley to the tiny Tam Shepherds Trick Shop in Glasgow, the oldest magic shop in the world. The owner Roy Walton (who passed away in 2020) took Scott under his wing, training him up. ‘The shop is a little strip of wooden display cabinets, about the size of a shoe closet. When you walk in the store there are very simple magic tricks, then the further up you go it gets more advanced. You’re not allowed in the top part when you first go in. I started with the card tricks and developed that, before focusing more on body language and hypnosis.’

A man with a plan from an early age, teenage Silven told his mum he was going to a school camp, and made the 40-hour journey to Milan to do a hypnosis course instead. He boarded a bus at Buchanan Street and went via London and Paris, with almost no money on him. ‘I was either 13 or 14. It’s something I wouldn’t do now, but as a kid you have that sense of indestructability, don’t you?’

Years later when he was studying at Edinburgh University, he would walk past the Scotch Malt Whisky Society on Queen Street. ‘I had no budget. I was a struggling student and getting a venue for shows was really challenging. I saw this fascinating old Georgian townhouse and thought I’d love to perform there. I laid my cards on the table and they were onboard. We sold tickets (including very special drams of whisky) for £59, which was controversial as I think that was the most expensive Fringe ticket at that time. It just worked really well so we repeated it the next year. That was about ten years ago now. It’s going to be very exciting to come back.’

You’ll find him upstairs in The Hub, guiding his audience into what he calls ‘the grey area between light and dark. There’s nothing mystical. And I’m definitely not trying to control anyone. It’s more like I’m a conduit for everyone to feel something impossible, collectively. It’s not heavy either. It’s meant to be fun.’

Scott Silven: Wonders, The Hub, 23 August, 7.30pm, 10.30pm.

EVERY WEEKEND DESERVES A FRESH MIX

Fighting talk

Having taken the Best Newcomer comedy crown last year with her first full show in English, Urooj Ashfaq is back with a work which may or may not feature her two therapists. This rising Indian star talks to Jay Richardson about the quandary of attempting political comedy in her homeland, getting into fisticuffs and winning a long battle against insecurity

Second acts tend to be darker than their predecessors. Nevertheless, it’s surprising to learn that It’s Funny To Me, Urooj Ashfaq’s follow-up to her Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer-winning debut Oh No!, showcases her ‘violent streak’.

time around, she laughingly warns ‘I’m giving them a heads up,

Last year she explored how her parents’ divorce affected her and the years she’s spent in therapy. But to potential audiences this time around, she laughingly warns ‘I’m giving them a heads up, I’m letting them know that I’m not afraid to spar. I was in a few fist fights when I was younger and I’m telling those stories now.’

show ‘may need another seven years’. Of course, she’s still in therapy. But after that award success, her relationship with her therapist has changed. She’s publicly acknowledging that she has two of them for starters. ‘They were so lovely! Both of them sent me a message saying “we’re so proud of you and good job!” And then when I went back, they were like “so how are you feeling now?” and “what does that do to your sense of self?” And I was like “OK, I guess we’re doing therapy again then!”’ At the time of writing, these once-unwitting collaborators (or ‘muses’) don’t feature in the new show. ‘I’m giving them a beautiful break,’ she suggests, ‘but I think they will make an appearance again. Just not as happily as they did in the first one.’

It’s Funny To Me is directed by established Indian comedy star Kanan Gill, who makes his own Fringe debut this year. And Ashfaq is grateful to once again have a coterie of acts from the subcontinent around her in Scotland, as she likens the Festival to a ‘gruelling’ daily gym which improves and inspires her as a performer.

Ashfaq is delivering ten shows of It’s Funny To Me and a fivenight reprise of Oh No! at the Fringe. The success of that debut last year (her first time performing a full show in English) means that the instinctively self-deprecating comic is ‘doing expectation management’ when it comes to the follow-up. ‘Because it says work-in-progress and the tickets are cheaper, I’m feeling much more relaxed about it,’ the diminutive 29-year-old maintains. ‘Secretly though, I still want to do really well.’

Having toured Europe and recorded Oh No! as a special for release post-Edinburgh, she began working on It’s Funny To Me this summer and worries that after eight years as a comic and a debut that was ‘the best of everything I’ve done’, her sophomore

‘Yeah, I think we’re inseparable at the Festival,’ she laughs. ‘Last year I was with Sapan [Verma] and Biswa [Kaylan Rath] and we were just like a family. We’d meet in the Meadows, talk about all the amazing shows we’d seen, go to shows together, discuss our anxieties, moving as a group and making friends as a group.

Coming from similar backgrounds and navigating similar things, I hung out with them at home too, so of course we were going to stick together. We’re maybe a little too co-dependent at festivals; I will say that.’

Ashfaq is mindful that ‘just being Indian can’t be my shtick forever’ when other comics from her homeland are now performing in the UK. But finding herself at the vanguard of her nation’s nascent stand-up scene as it explodes internationally has been tremendously exciting. ‘Any of us who started from 2010 onwards are pioneers,’ she enthuses. ‘Even now, in India, when I ask audiences who’s watching stand-up for the first time, half the room will raise their hands; everyone’s still learning and appreciating the different ways to do it. It really feels like we’re in the right places at the right time, being the first ones.’

Selling out her first UK tour earlier this year was a considerable achievement. But it’s not the benchmark of artistic integrity as far as she’s concerned. Winning Best Newcomer, however, ‘opened doors and opened my mind to a world of possibilities, how many different spaces there are

to exist in as a stand-up comedian, while also giving me a sense of self and calm. That’s the biggest blessing because I was really struggling before, quite insecure and without direction. My insecurity hasn’t gone now but it’s milder, more manageable. You do need a little bit of that void to fill to make art.’

She appreciates the ‘louder laughers’ in her homeland for trying to fill that hole but reckons it’s easier to be more experimental and political in the UK. Beyond some occasional, light-hearted observations on the differences between Muslims and Hindus though, she’s sticking to personal anecdotes. ‘I’m not brave enough to do political stuff beyond a certain point yet; there are consequences,’ she suggests darkly. ‘I would love to move into that but I would have to be smart about it.’

That said, the self-declared introvert observes that ‘it’s fun to call white people out for cultural transgressions or colonisation in general. But it’s mostly just nice to have a voice. It’s definitely fun to be in a room and have the power. On stage, I’m in control, I know it’ll go relatively OK. I just feel less threatened when I’m there.’

Right now, the already expressive comic hopes to pursue a newfound ‘obsession’ with clowning, having been blown away by the likes of Julia Masli, Viggo Venn, Bill O’Neill and Piotr Sikora (aka Furiozo) at last year’s Festival. ‘I’m a huge admirer of it and it’s a direction I hope I can grow in, maybe take a few workshops so I can get the fundamentals,’ she enthuses. ‘India has a rich tradition of the performing arts and we have physical comedy but not out-and-out clowning just giving it everything; that hasn’t filtered through yet. These are only thoughts. But it would be really interesting if I could learn from a clown in the West and then learn from a traditional clown in India and try to figure out how to put the two together.’

Urooj Ashfaq: It’s Funny To Me, 16–25 August, 12.30pm; Oh No!, 20–25 August, 9.35pm; both shows at Assembly Roxy.

It’s a human right to make noise, to make music ” “

As Since Yesterday makes its world premiere in Edinburgh, the documentary’s co-director Carla J Easton wants to fill in the gaps of people’s music knowledge where many Scottish girl bands should be. She speaks to Dominic Corr about major-label apathy and a sea of forgotten trailblazers >>

T‘he term “girl band” is completely outdated: it’s not inclusive, for one.’ These may not be the words you’d expect to hear from musician and filmmaker Carla J Easton (herself a former member of Teen Canteen) ahead of the Edinburgh International Film Festival world premiere of Since Yesterday: The Untold Story Of Scotland’s Girl Bands, the documentary she made with co-director Blair Young.

In charting the girl bands of Scotland, from The McKinleys in the 60s to the upcoming generation being mentored, it becomes staggeringly obvious how the term has grown obsolete as the industry opens and diversifies. But for now, it’s still useful to use the phrase when looking back at Scotland’s music industry. ‘I think to progress forward, you need to go back and address the past,’ explains Easton. ‘You need to rewrite women back into the narrative. We need to look at the mistakes of the past and look at the lack of support . . . and then you realise this is still ongoing.’

Since Yesterday seeks to fill in the gaps on young girls’ walls, where the posters of acts like Sophisticated Boom Boom, Lung Leg or The Twinsets should hang. It’s been quite the process for Easton and Young, initially launching a Kickstarter campaign in 2018 before a forced hiatus through the pandemic. All the while, the pair were rifling through archives to research

the film. ‘We uncovered 1500 artefacts of long-lost demo tapes, reel tapes, fanzines, ticket stubs, posters, photographs and TV performances locked away in the BBC archive,’ says Easton who hit the motherlode when she met Jill Bryson of Strawberry Switchblade. Bryson came armed with a polka-dot suitcase crammed full of memories.

For some acts, though, there was little to go on. ‘The biggest challenge was what you do when there’s no archive. Bands like The Ettes: I think there are about three photographs of them and one four-track demo tape.’ In cases where there was limited physical history, Since Yesterday pays tribute by using the medium of animation, in turn paying homage to some of Easton’s original inspirations: Jem And The Holograms or Josie And The Pussycats, the animated girl bands who ruled the TV world.

Speaking musician to musician with the various women who lend their voices to the documentary, Easton is clear about who this film belongs to and the importance of capturing their unrestrained voices. ‘It’s not my film. It’s not Blair’s film. It’s their film. Let them tell their stories in their own words.’ Since Yesterday recognises the importance of honestly depicting what was going on without judgement of the band’s choices. A rippling misogyny throughout the industry becomes

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PETER

MCARTHUR

Directors Carla J Easton & Blair Young; (opposite page, clockwise from top right) Lung Leg, The Twinsets, Strawberry Switchblade, Sophisticated Boom Boom, The Ettes

quite subtle in the film, creeping into every decade slightly differently, adapting to new generations but with identical malicious intent. Even in fairly recent times, with The Hedrons in 2010, big labels refused to take a risk by investing in the band. The demoralising general attitude was, says Easton, ‘“we’re not signing you because you’re pregnant”, or “we’re sacking you because you are pregnant”, or “we’re not even going to entertain the idea of you because you might get pregnant.”’

Since Yesterday never claims to have all the answers. ‘I think I’ve got more questions rather than answers since making it,’ Easton jests. The film asks how, as a nation, we can be so blind to so many issues, while expressing repugnance at how few Scottish festivals sign up to sexual misconduct policies or where the governing body to help raise concerns and grievances about the treatment of artists even is.

Before addressing the bands of now and the DIY grassroots communities supporting Scotland’s all-women and nonbinary bands (as well as black artists and performers of colour), Since Yesterday looks at the eruption of ‘angry’ girl bands in the 90s; a burning fuel of third-wave feminism, boiled with post-punk culture in their veins. Tired of being offered a hobbled, token seat at an already skewed industry table, there was a change in the air. It all plays into Easton’s rejection of pitching the film around nostalgia, instead focusing on the harsh truths of the matter and those communities which have emerged as a result, through organisations such as Amplify, Hen Hoose Collective or PopGirlz.

But at no point does Easton think any of these issues minimise the film’s principle goal. ‘We celebrate incredible people, incredible music and incredible achievements which have just been forgotten and should be protected. This is a film to inspire. I wanted this to be the kind of film I saw as a teenager and thought “fuck this, I’m getting a guitar and starting a band”.’

Still amazed at being chosen to close the Film Festival, Easton talks of the documentary as a reminder of music’s human elements. ‘Festival director Paul Ridd said it was the right mix of celebration but also frustration; we talk about the problems within the music industry, but we also celebrate some incredible human beings.’ It’s in this revelry where Easton speaks enthusiastically of the community and families which emerge from their time within (and meeting) girl bands.

The questions have been asked so it’s time to seek out answers from those at the top about where we go from here in an industry obsessed with promotions and big money-making titles. Since Yesterday puts the names of neglected Scottish acts back in the frame, with audiences encouraged to make some noise about the girl bands missing too long from the narrative. ‘It’s a human right to make noise, to make music,’ argues Easton. ‘Whether it’s a baby learning handclaps or bashing on kitchen pots, it’s in us all to want to make a noise. And it’s so amazing when you do that with a group.’

Since Yesterday: The Untold Story Of Scotland’s Girl Bands, Cameo, 21 August, 9pm, 9.20pm.

PICTURE: COURTESY OF THE ETTES

Unmissable! A punchy, provocative, and powerful small show exploring the concept of Capitalist Realism and its effects on the art world. Inspired by the writings of Mark Fisher, this exhibition features fascinating artists from the UK, NZ, Aus and the USA Open 11-5pm Mon to Sat, 3-24 August Curator’s talk @ Noon on Sat 10, 17 and 24 Aug.

Venue 492: Wasps, Granton Station, 1 Granton Station Sq, EH5 1FU

Patricia Piccinini, Teenage Metamorphosis, 2017 © The artist.

scottish-gallery.co.uk | 16 Dundas Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6HZ image: Paul Preston, Prawn Brooch, 2015, photograph: Gabriela Silveira

JUPITER RISING

Wilkieston reverberates to the sight and sounds of art and music that is firmly on the experimental side but which still knows how to party. For seven hours on the 17th, Jupiter Artland hosts a Queer Summer Fete, a late-night stage curated by Femmergy, performance from Ebun Sodipo, music by Iceboy Violet, in-person tarot readings courtesy of Tara McGilvray-Guard (pictured) and poetry from Waterwings. (Brian Donaldson) n Jupiter Artland, 17 August, 6pm.

IBRAHIM MAHAMA

SONGS ABOUT ROSES llll l

Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama’s first solo exhibition in Scotland draws from an archive of his country’s now-defunct colonial-era railway system prior to liberation in 1957. It transforms its raw material of rusty train tracks, customised leather and formal papers into something that honours those who did the heavy lifting.

Charcoal drawings of men at work are set against a backdrop of papers from the Ghana Industrial Holding Company, resembling murals on repurposed billboards. A series of staged photographs sees a group of men drag a German-built Henschel train along the track.

Life-size dioramas of those who worked on the railways are lined up like some large-scale team picture. Photographs of the arms of Mahama’s female studio assistants focus on their tattoos, which themselves depict Ghana’s history.

The exhibition’s title is drawn from lyrics to a song by Owl John, the solo project by late Frightened Rabbit vocalist Scott Hutchison, who sang how we must ‘have faith that there is consequence in protest songs’. In this sense, Mahama’s large-scale works go beyond documentary, bringing home this hidden history with a weighty form of visual poetry that makes for something monumental. (Neil Cooper) n Fruitmarket, until 6 October.

ADE ADESINA

INTERSECTION llll l

Intersection speaks true to its title, bringing together motifs from Ade Adesina’s Nigerian roots and Aberdeen where he is now based. Through a series of linocuts, lithographs and screenprints, all done spontaneously without sketches or plans, the artist displays his sheer skill. Adesina experiments with colour for the first time, which perhaps doesn’t do justice to the mastery he demonstrates in the rest of the show, evoking tattoos and simple symbols, silhouetted rather than painstakingly etched.

Despite this, his meaning comes through, commenting on the environmental crisis and immigration through his large-scale lino of a flower-filled boat. In the middle of the room is a ladder leading to unreachable doors, resting on the same cracked stone as the prints. Though this sculpture is simple, it serves to bring his illusory settings to life. Throughout, Adesina explores how signs shape the spaces we inhabit, and how they can designate varying meanings despite being initially fixed; personal yet prescribed. (Alekia Gill) n Edinburgh Printmakers, until 10 November.

GROUP SHOW WOMEN IN REVOLT! ART AND ACTIVISM IN THE UK 1970–1990 lll ll

Boasting an impressive diversity of forms, Women in Revolt! is a collaboration between Tate Britain, National Galleries Of Scotland and The Whitworth gallery, showcasing the progression of female empowerment in the UK from 1970–1990. Like those who influenced this exhibition, the rooms encompass multiple social issues.

The first room introduces us to the idea of labour and enterprise under oppressive societal structures and the power of community.

Filled with zines, videos and archival evidence, it is a treasure trove of endeavour and determination. After rifling through records, we move to the Gabrielle Keiller Library, where fascinating pieces are nestled in an array of feminine forms. Knitted pieces and comforting colours reflect the vulnerability of motherhood, contrasted with the strength it takes to bear the weight of household responsibility.

The upstairs levels, however, are the antithesis of the lower rooms. From bodily autonomy to racism, ableism, nuclear protest and oppressive healthcare, this is a punk celebration of sisterhood and intersectionality, complete with screaming audio and BDSM. As we descend into the last section, the struggles of LGBT+ women throughout history are shown alongside the response to the AIDS epidemic and the repressive effect Section 28 legislation had on activist groups.

Women In Revolt! continually highlights the resolve of marginalised communities rising against systematic inequality, creating alternative spaces and questioning authority, leading to structural change in the UK for future generations. Dynamic, insightful and bold, this is an exhibition to spend hours in. Don’t be surprised if you spend a pretty patriarchy-free penny in the gift shop too. (Rachel Morrell) n National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two, until 26 January.

ART HIGHLIGHTS

TAYO ADEKUNLE

Stories Of The Unseen challenges our prevailing historical narratives and takes umbrage with the ongoing fetishisation of black women.

n Edinburgh Printmakers, until 10 November.

MÁS ARTE MÁS ACCIÓN

For this closing event, academics, performers and poets have been invited to gather around a particular tree for a ritual which aims to bring everyone closer to the environment around them.

n Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 25 August, 11am.

HAYLEY BARKER

This Los Angeles-based painter makes a European debut here with works which balance the real with the imaginary, suggesting a new world of dreams.

n Ingleby, until 31 August.

GEOFF UGLOW

Beyond The Clouds takes viewers into the world of this canvas artist featuring work inspired by Edinburgh alongside the equally muse-like rural environs of Italy.

n The Scottish Gallery, until 24 August.

PREM SAHIB

The eagerly anticipated Alleus (give it a little backwards read if you’re unsure what it means) gets into gear with a polyphony of live and pre-recorded voices.

n Castle Terrace Car Park, 16 August, 6.30pm.

BOTANIC LATES

Time to revel in the magic of mushrooms with a fungi sound installation, a silent disco around the apple trees, and an interactive play experience with plants.

n Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 15 August, 6.30pm.

AGNĖ JOKŠĖ

An approximate 30-minute performance by this Lithuanian artist zeroes in on a love story set in a district in Vilnius where Jokšė grew up.

n City Art Centre, 24 August, 3pm.

FERN BRADY

The Bathgate comedian’s upward trajectory in the world of showbusiness continues apace now that she has added bona fide author onto an already impressive CV. The book sales of Strong Female Character would have been given a bump when Bob Odenkirk announced his love of her writing, and no doubt her confidence soared too. This 90-minute event is certain to be both funny and impactful. (Brian Donaldson)

n Edinburgh Futures Institute, 21 August, 9pm.

BOOKS

PICTURE: RAPHAEL NEAL

Putting herself firmly in the line of fire, Marianna Spring is both unafraid and highly compassionate when it comes to exposing conspiracy theories and disinformation. Jo Laidlaw examines the shocking background to this BBC correspondent’s tireless work

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Marianna Spring’s book Among The Trolls: My Journey Through Conspiracyland is at times far more terrifying than any imaginary dystopian world. As the BBC’s first ever disinformation and social-media correspondent, Spring’s bad days at work are not the same as most bad days at work. According to Among The Trolls, in six months, 11,771 of the hateful social-media messages flagged in the BBC’s internal system were directed at her, from a total of 14,488.

When Elon Musk tweeted about a BBC Panorama investigation into Twitter/X’s stance on protecting users, a landslide of abuse followed with around 14,000 tweets directed at Spring. This included a deluge of DMs featuring ‘misogynistic slurs with abusive and sexualised language’. For 28-year-old Spring, this hate is ‘spilling out into the real world’, with men harassing her in-person outside her BBC office.

Yet this is all background to the conspiracy theories that are her focus. Spring is remarkably compassionate towards those caught up in conspiracies, as well as their victims, skillfully using individual stories as jumping-off points to illuminate complex issues. This allows her to analyse bots, key social-media players, shock troops (‘trolls deployed to defend lies and to target anyone who disagrees with or undermines their alternative “truth”’), as well as the hot topic of state-sponsored disinformation, no doubt keeping her particularly busy as the US election rages on social media.

As well as regular podcasts and BBC appearances, Spring’s solo Edinburgh International Book Festival event with Jenny Niven is required viewing for anyone with an interest in how our brave new media landscape is evolving and managed (or not). Yet, astonishingly, Spring remains optimistic. While at pains to point out she is an investigative reporter rather than a campaigner, Among The Trolls includes basic tools for combating what she calls conspiracyland. This includes lobbying policymakers, protecting children and young people, and, above all, borrowing a little of Spring’s patience and compassion to understand the root causes of conspiracy theories and why they are attractive to so many people in the first place. It’s only through doing this that we can prevent our loved ones, and perhaps ourselves, from being drawn into the mire in the first place.

Marianna Spring, 14 August (with Peter Pomerantsev), 12.15pm; 15 August, 12.30pm; both events at Edinburgh Futures Institute.

TROLL ORDER

Top 5

US literary detectives

One of Britain’s leading crime writers, Chris Brookmyre has built a formidable back catalogue over almost three decades in the business. Here he tells us about his five favourite detectives from American crime fiction

Harry Bosch

Unquestionably the definitive detective of the modern era. Bosch is driven by a thirst for justice, but remains in constant conflict with everyone around him, and most problematically the people supposed to be on his side. Nothing is straightforward in Bosch’s world, where the only things black and white are the liveries on the squad cars; the role of the policeman is under author Michael Connelly’s constant evaluation.

Charlie Parker

Haunted by the murder of his wife, ex-cop turned private investigator Charlie Parker inhabits a unique shadowland not merely between both sides of the law, but between our world and that of the supernatural. In John Connolly’s books, there is always a shadow of a deeper evil cast by the deeds he investigates, making for irresistibly gothic stories.

Sara Howard

Laszlo Kreizler is the eponymous alienist of Caleb Carr’s novel, but if Laszlo is the mind, then police secretary turned private eye Sara Howard is the heart that drives the

investigations forward, no matter how dark the territory they lead into, and despite the many doors closed to her as a 19th-century woman.

Clarice Starling

Created by Thomas Harris and immortalised by Jodie Foster’s Oscar-winning turn, Clarice Starling is just as compelling on the page. A brilliant student and promising young FBI field agent, her troubled background nonetheless causes her to develop a fascinating rapport with Hannibal Lecter, in perhaps crime fiction’s greatest example of a vulnerable protagonist riding a tiger.

Lucius Boggs & Tommy Smith

A two-for-one here, as Thomas Mullen’s Darktown introduced us to the first AfricanAmerican police officers recruited to the force in 1940s Atlanta. Boggs and Smith have to deal with as many obstacles thrown at them by their own less-than-welcoming white colleagues as by the criminals they are pursuing, in brilliantly immersive works of historical crime fiction.

n Chris Brookmyre, Edinburgh Futures Institute, 17 August, 2.15pm.

PROFILE RICHARD OSMAN

When he sat down to write a crime novel set in a retirement village, Richard Osman could scarcely have imagined how popular it would become. But four years and four novels later, with a film of book one in the pipeline, he has readers chomping at the bit for a new instalment of The Thursday Murder Club series.

An unlikely bunch (to solve murders or draw in readers), the gang of four OAPs Osman dreamed up have proved to be worth their weight in gold. Who knew the world needed an M&S-loving, cake-baking widow (Joyce), a feisty former trade-union activist (Ron), a fiercely intelligent ex-psychiatrist (Ibrahim) and an ex-MI5 agent with more underground connections than a mole (Elizabeth)? And when Celia Imrie, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Helen Mirren (respectively) take on these roles in the film, no doubt Osman will win another legion of fans.

But what keeps him on the bestseller list? It’s probably because Osman is the Kevin Bridges of authors, appealing to all ages and tastes. And the comparison to Bridges doesn’t end there; the man knows how to construct seriously funny lines. He’s also adept at keeping his readers guessing, and in book four he even made us cry.

Now though, we have a whole new set of characters to love in We Solve Murders, which is being exclusively unveiled by Osman at his Edinburgh International Book Festival event. We’ll miss Joyce et al but no doubt this new book (about another retiree) will be just as unexpectedly gripping. (Kelly Apter) n Richard Osman in conversation with Ian Rankin, McEwan Hall, 24 August, 1.30pm.

PICTURE: KRISTINA VARAKSINA

LORRAINE KELLY

The nation’s favourite reassuring morning-TV sofa companion has just published her Orkney-set debut novel about the solace people find in the sea.

n 16 August, 6.45pm.

HISHAM MATAR

The Pulitzer Prize winner sets his latest between London and Libya, with My Friends tackling political exile and friendship.

n 21 August, 2.15pm.

ANNA BOGUTSKAYA

This film critic from The Final Girls podcast is the perfect person to consider exactly why the horror genre is so popular right now on screens both large and small. n 18 August, 5pm.

DAVID MAMET

A must for fans of the heavyweight playwright and screenwriter as he meets Hannah McGill for an indepth chat about his glittering (and often-contentious) career.

n 22 August, 3.15pm.

BOOKS HIGHLIGHTS

RAJA SHEHADEH

It’s a big question but Shehadeh is asking it anyway: ‘what does Israel have to fear from Palestine?’ n 15 August, 4pm.

KARL OVE KNAUSGÅRD

Switching between 1980s Norway to present-day Russia, Knausgård’s new book The Wolves Of Eternity is about a reunion of siblings. n 19 August, 12.15pm.

ES DEVLIN

If you’ve ever marvelled at the stage set for a Beyoncé or U2 arena gig, then it’s likely to have been the work of Es Devlin.

n 24 August, 7.30pm.

BABY BELLE

Two shows from the non-binary and neurodiverse cabaret comic headed up by a reprise of 2023’s Young, Dumb And Full Of Autism. Compassion and understanding are at the core of Baby Belle’s act as they deliver a show that’s for anyone who has felt a little out of place in this world. DTF is a work-inprogress affair and revolves around dealing with tricky feelings: ignore the ‘with’ there and you’ll get it. (Brian Donaldson)

 DTF, 14, 21 August, 5.30pm; Young, Dumb And Full Of Autism, until 24 August, 5.30pm; both shows at Greenside @ George Street.

CABARET

TOMAS MCCABE 1 MURDER: THE MIND-READING LAWYER lll ll

PICTURE:

SARAH-LOUISE YOUNG I AM YOUR TRIBUTE llll l

It’s hard to believe that this is a free show. Sarah-Louise Young gets everyone involved, whether you want to or not. The talented singer manages to change from Freddie Mercury to Britney Spears in mere seconds with the help of her wigs, which she reveals are just a fraction of her huge collection back home in her ‘wig shed’.

Young, who also performs and is co-creator of An Evening Without Kate Bush, is full of energy and you can’t help but smile and sing along. Her storytelling, song parodies and insider top tips make for a great lunchtime cabaret show, on top of her amazing voice. But remember, she isn’t an impersonator: she’s a tribute act.

The comedy is spot on, the wigs should definitely be nowhere near a live flame and the song choices are what you’d expect from a karaoke line-up in the pub on Saturday night: the tunes that everybody knows. This is the perfect way to kickstart a day of shows at the Fringe. (Robyn Bell)

n PBH’s Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms, until 25 August, 12.05pm.

Despite a fussy set-up where audience members are enlisted as jury, judge and accused, Tomas McCabe offers an old-school display of mind-reading with gentle humour. Uniformly accurate in his predictions, he rolls out trickery with numbers, secret messages and hidden replies, with the emphasis on his abilities which reach towards the uncanny. He reveals the foundation of his mind-reading in the close observation of natural human tics and twitches, but is less concerned with deconstructing than with impressing the audience. The courtroom drama is a flimsy conceit that promises more than it delivers; it’s his sharp and slick delivery that keeps the action moving. Since McCabe has now trained as a barrister, this show should act as a warning to those whom he faces in court, if his attention to detail in the law is as formidable as it is on stage. (Gareth K Vile) n TheSpaceTriplex, until 17 August, 5.20pm; theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall, 19–24 August, 8.10pm.

PICTURE:

JAMES PHELAN THE DREAMER llll l

Ever since he was a toddler, James Phelan dreamt of being a magician. We know this, because he talks about his formative years during the show, but he also shows us via a series of home videos played as the audience arrives. It’s a seemingly innocuous screening of baby James crawling and playing, which (of course) has an unexpected twist. Because nothing in The Dreamer is wasted, no conversation between Phelan and an audience member, no apparently random comment or number. He’s storing everything up to blow our minds further down the track.

At the age of 31, Phelan is now living his dream, and he’d like us to, as well. If, as he points out, he can plant a thought in our heads (or remove it), then doesn’t that prove how powerful the human mind is? Each person he enlists to help with his increasingly impressive set of tricks is asked not only their name, but what they do for a living, and what they dreamed of doing as a child. As he fuses people’s feet to the floor, makes them forget their own name, pushes subliminal thoughts inside our heads and predicts which number we’re all thinking of, he’s certainly a spokesman for making the impossible possible.

It’s easy to be sceptical about this sort of ‘mind-reading’ magic but what would be the point? Our ancestors may have thought there was some dark devilment at play, but we know it’s a mix of psychology and showmanship. And what a joy it is to watch it executed so masterfully. (Kelly Apter) n Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 24 August, 5.15pm.

ANDY JORDAN PRODUCTIONS

Internationally acclaimed sell out play packed with Sinatra classics reveals the man behind the myth

Written and performed by

Richard Shelton

‘phenomenal’ ★★★★

MUSIC ‘sophisticated & polished’

REVIEWSGATE ‘compelling masterpiece’

LONDONTHEATRE1 ‘masterful’

THE TIMES ‘unmissable!’ ONE4REVIEW ‘extraordinary’ ★★★★★ THE AMERICAN ‘outstanding’ BROADWAY WORLD

Written and performed by Richard

‘Sinatra perfectly captured’ THE GUARDIAN ‘Dazzlingly

Global sell-out show reveals the staggering synchronicities linking Richard Shelton and Frank Sinatra

Shelton

BROKEN VENTURES

BROKEN PLANET: THE ABSURD CABARET OF APOCALYPTIC PROPORTIONS lll ll

Hailing from Chicago, Broken Ventures offer up a loosely themed sketch show that’s firmly in the Fringe tradition of anything-goes theatre. This diverse, varied cabaret is presented by a clown god and features substantial levels of audience interaction and participation, so consider seating options with care.

The company aims to depict a broken planet, with plenty of division, and this cabaret has a remit to help the audience make connections with the performers, and each other. That means satire on dating, the audience battling it out after being divided into cat and dog lovers, a full-on dance party, musical interludes and a lot of on-stage energy.

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if each individual in the room were provided loaded Nerf guns and allowed free rein to fire at a performer singing ‘Danny Boy’ with a target visible on the crotch of his underpants, Broken Planet finally provides the visually dynamic answer. This is a manic, surreal show that’s happy to coast by on the magic of live interactivity; it’s not always clear exactly what they’re getting at, but it’s fun taking part, and the performers’ enthusiasm translates to a genial time for all concerned. (Eddie Harrison) n C aquila, until 25 August, 6.50pm.

DOLLY DIAMOND

THE UNBURDENING OF DOLLY DIAMOND lll ll

An Australian drag cabaret with a personal touch, Dolly Diamond and her psychiatrist sidekick delve into the queen’s past in a live music-therapy session. This charming duo take us along for an hour of songs and cabaret comedy, ideal for lovers of classic drag. From being cut from her childhood production of Annie, developing a love-hate relationship with her personal trainer and ‘doing enough cocaine to kill a small family of donkeys’, this cabaret host is really hanging it all out to dry. Pleasing to watch, Diamond has some great one-liners (mostly addressing the empty seats in her audience).

Clearly an experienced performer, she knows how to delight a crowd, no matter how big or small. She reworks the lyrics to some classic songs like ‘Que Sera, Sera’ and throws in a little bit of rap for good measure, delivering a perfectly likeable show in the process. (Rachel Cronin) n Assembly Roxy, until 25 August, 8.40pm.

POLLY AMOROUS & ESTHER PARADE

POLLY & ESTHER lll ll

Oh, this is a bit of a cute-meet for a drizzly Edinburgh night. With a pinch of musical theatre, a splash of cabaret, a generous dash of drag and a sprinkle of panto-style backdrops on curtain rails that never quite fully open or close, Polly & Esther promises the perfect recipe for a fun night (plus bonus makeover montage).

The premise is simple: a touch of magic brings mother and daughter drag-duo Polly Amorous and Esther Parade together to navigate their big break as spokespeople for a shady yet well-known low-fat yogurt-based probiotic yogurt-not-yogurt drink. Chaos inevitably ensues, until they reclaim their power and stick it to the (milk) man. Along the way there are plenty of songs: both own a pretty powerful pair of pipes and their version of ‘Let Me Entertain You’ (smushing together Robbie Williams’ hit with the one from the musical Gypsy) is the mashup we didn’t know we needed.

Shizz gets real as the intrepid pair reach their goal (a performance at the London Palladium), but unfortunately a low-powered acting performance from Twm Bollen-Molloy as Polly means the comedy doesn’t quite catch fire here. Still, we soon hit the final musical montage and all’s right with the world, particularly as it includes the first (but probably not the last) ‘Pink Pony Club’ rendition of the Festival. This is a goodhearted ode to chosen family; a fun night which shows that, even if we are all sluts for milk, we’re good enough just as we are. (Jo Laidlaw)

n Assembly Checkpoint, until 25 August, 9.05pm.

PICTURE:JANE HOBSON

PICTURE: KIRSTEN MCTERNAN

ANDREW FROST

Cards On The Table time (quite literally) as this sleightof-hand genius proves why the likes of Derren Brown and David Blaine have been hugely supportive.

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 August, 3pm.

A LOT TO UNPACK

Suitcase Dance Theatre have come all the way from Seattle to entertain you folks, as they do their beatbox, contemporary, ballet and tap gear in this extravaganza.

n TheSpace On The Mile, 21–24 August, 10.35pm.

AN EVENING WITHOUT KATE BUSH

Sarah-Louise Young is busy paying tribute to several acts with her other Fringe show, but this one is very much dedicated to the icon behind ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘This Woman’s Work’.

n Assembly Checkpoint, until 26 August, 7.20pm.

LITTLE SQUIRT

Australian musical comedian Darby James gets into the sperm donation game and wonders (in a cabaret style) if folk should really still be having children.

n Summerhall, until 26 August, 7.40pm.

CABARET HIGHLIGHTS

JANIE DEE’S BEAUTIFUL WORLD CABARET

Entertaining the masses while also attempting to save the planet. Not a bad goal for a ’mere’ cabaret show. n Pleasance Dome, until 26 August, 2.20pm.

AN EVENING WITH DAME GRANNY SMITH

The legend of stage, screen and your fruit baskets is here for an intimate conversation sharing her vaudeville debut and later appearance in Snow White n Greenside @ George Street, until 17 August, 7.50pm.

VILLAINS

The Dizney In Drag folks bring us a show about those nasty types who crop up spreading malice and meanness in these otherwise wholesome films. But that’s how you achieve dramatic tension, isn’t it? Either way, much fun is to be had with The Hairy Godmothers.

n Assembly George Square, until 25 August, 10.35pm.

JAY LAFFERTY

No, you haven’t stumbled into the Dance & Circus section early, this is in fact the fine Scottish compere and stand-up Jay Lafferty as she give us another slice of Bahookie. So, what’s the pole all about?

Well, within her latest show, the Inverclyde comic celebrates movement, body positivity and joy while tackling all the misogynies, including the internalised kind. (Brian Donaldson)

 Gilded Balloon Patter House, 22–26 August, 6pm.

PICTURE: MINDY TUCKER

TOM STADE RISKY BUSINESS llll l

It would be easy to hit Tom Stade’s latest hour with the beloved hack term ‘growing old disgracefully’, but the Canadian comic’s easy-going, expletive-laden observational style still feels as fresh and youthful as it did three decades ago. That’s part of the point of Risky Business, in which Stade, now 53 years old, discusses the disconnect between looking older and still feeling mentally like a man in his early twenties.

We’ve all watched comics mine the degradations of age, but it’s thanks to the whirlwind force of Stade’s persona that he finds fresh angles on his inability to change in an era of internet speak, doomscrolling and entitled teens. It helps that he’s a slick operator, wrangling anecdotes about cheap holidays and family discord seamlessly, and welcoming audiences along for the ride with crowd work that never threatens to throw his rhythm out of whack.

His show may be about how most people don’t grow wiser as they get older, but the athletic finesse he’s moulded onto his style is a case study for how a lifetime on the circuit can yield jokes that are both machine-tooled in their precision and effortless in their delivery. (Kevin Fullerton)

n The Stand, until 25 August, 8.15pm.

GABEY LUCAS

A BERKSHIRE BOAR WALKS INTO A BAR (AND GETS SHOT IN THE FACE) lll ll

With such a quirky title, Gabey Lucas sets expectations high in this unusual and unbalanced show. But it’s unclear how exactly this hour is meant to tie together. The main story is centred on a pig-based almost-war in the 19th century, about which Lucas lectures us in a manner that is more history lesson than comedy show. There are some strong moments of humour, with various tangential offshoots, but it’s not consistent as a whole.

Lucas’ nervous, occasionally monotone delivery feels forced and appears to come from a lack of confidence in the material, which informs the room’s frequently muted reaction. She needs to adapt her stage presence and delivery to build a more energetic atmosphere before her audience can fully engage with this particular history lesson. (Katerina Partolina Schwartz) n Gilded Balloon Patter House, until 26 August, 2.20pm.

PATRICK & HUGO MCPHERSON PEAR llll l

Hugo and Patrick McPherson are the only twins in the world. At least that’s what they want us to believe for the 60-minute duration of their double act Pear. Like being a first-time guest sitting at the end of a familial dinner table, we are thrown into the deep end of a two-person monologue (no, it’s not a dialogue) that is so quick and densely packed, laughter often bleeds over the next gag.

The siblings’ writing is sharp and relentless, only enhanced by prompt light and sound cues executed to perfection. But there’s an underlying chaos, too. A choice to perform in socks, because the ceilings are too low for their height of six foot and seven inches (a story that made local news), has a fortuitous domino effect on multiple sketches, and audience participation segments bring a wildness to the otherwise painstakingly orchestrated hour.

A ‘quest for satire’, imposed on the duo by a whip-cracking producer, forms a vague central thread from which sketches hang. Musical numbers also feature, including one ‘white boy diss track’ about the sketch duo performing directly upstairs. Lyrics are sloppier than the spoken sections and often take too long to arrive at a punchline but that’s perhaps just a reflection of the rest of the show’s pace. Pear’s sketches are varied and dynamic, creatively oscillating between fairly high and extremely low brow. Whether it’s the herculean height, twins star power or sheer talent, it feels like the McPhersons are destined for greatness.

(Megan Merino)

n Underbelly Cowgate, until 25 August, 7.20pm.

PICTURE:

KEMAH BOB

MISS FORTUNATE llll l

With a style of stand-up which is the dictionary definition of ‘selfaware’, Kemah Bob brings renewed life into conversations that audiences have heard repeatedly. Bob is a comedian confident of their ability, spinning a tale of travel and life-threatening danger into a seriously humorous adventure in this Fringe debut.

She has made numerous successful appearances on quiz and TV panel shows, as well as supporting big names like Hannah Gadsby and Nish Kumar. And while musing on her success, Bob figured it was time to make the trip to Edinburgh. Given that level of exposure, it’s a relative surprise to find the Texan comedian, creator of the FOC IT UP Comedy Club, performing to a smaller audience than is probably deserved but making everyone in the room feel as though they’re at a Fringe staple. The central set-up for this show’s routine concerns one nightmarish trip to Thailand which shattered her mentally and physically: everything else is just witty collateral fall-out.

A spirited measure of musicality is thrown in for good measure, justified within the context of the storytelling and comedic style. But Miss Fortunate’s intricately woven and fast-flowing structure takes unnecessary avenues that, while admittedly amusing, serve little to the set as a whole. By the time we’ve made it out of Bangkok in a blaze of hysterical misadventure, these additional anecdotes feel extraneous. (Dominic Corr) n Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 August, 7.05pm.

CHRIS GRACE SARDINES (A COMEDY ABOUT DEATH) lllll

After seeing this show, I drop my phone accidentally in a Fringe venue toilet, then rescue it. I can imagine ultra-skilled American comedian Chris Grace somehow turning the mildly ridiculous, everyday mishap into some quietly profound metaphor for life. A mundane moment re-examined through his wise, witty, gay, Chinese 51-year-old lens that will have his crowd wiping away a stream of sad tears with the collar of their denim jacket or snorting out loud with laughter (both happened during his performance).

He has a beautiful, tender storytelling style (oddly reminiscent of The New Yorker fiction pages) and dark funny bones from his training with Chicago’s Baby Wants Candy comedy ensemble (he’s performing in their improv musical show upstairs and has also revived last year’s sell-out solo hit, Chris Grace As Scarlett Johansson, for three nights).

Dressed all in white, he mimes a powerful PowerPoint of imaginary family photos, takes fake audience selfies and leads a camp Rihanna singalong. He controls the crowd like a dumpling-loving, John Goodman-fancying boss; cue the tears, kill the laughter, bring back the poignant smiles again with that Donna Summer bit. Sudden death, illness and dying have never been funnier than in this truly memorable comedy play. (Claire Sawers) n Assembly George Square Studios, until 26 August, 1.40pm.

ELEANOR MORTON HAUNTED HOUSE lll ll

Eleanor Morton says there are three types of ghost. First are the tape-recorder ghosts, found on the same spot at the same time every night, week or year, making the same groaning noises. Then there are unfinished-business ghosts: ‘admin ghosts’, as if they’re staying late in the office to finish that one last bit of filing. Finally, there are poltergeists, literally ‘noisy ghosts’ in German. Typical of the Germans to focus more on the disruptiveness than the spookiness.

It’s spookiness rather than ghosts that Morton is interested in unpicking. Why do we like feeling haunted? Why do most people say they don’t believe in ghosts just before describing that one time they saw one? Paraphrasing her ‘undiagnosed, on-the-spectrum’ dad, she muses at one point that god is a human construct which distracts us from the meaninglessness of the universe. Well, what’s a ghost but a little fragment of left-over religion?

The show is not just about that. It’s also about the ways in which people can be haunted by things that have happened to them and the things they’ve done to other people. Fun stuff, right? Sometimes the shift between hee-hee and sombre silence is tricky for the audience to manage. But lots to like here, and lots to be haunted by later. (Greg Thomas) n Monkey Barrel, until 25 August, 12.05pm.

PICTURE: ERIC MICHAUD

PICTURE: SARAH

HARRY-ISAACS

MICHELLE SHAUGHNESSY TOO LATE, BABY lll ll

JOSH JONES PUT A SOCK IN IT lll ll

Since his Fringe debut two years ago (for which he picked up a Best Newcomer nomination), Josh Jones’ career has been on a roll. Not bad for someone who had, for many years, been studiously working the Northern (England) club circuit, performing to stag and hen dos. Now with a batch of prestigious TV appearances under his belt, he says that he loves the fact that people actually go to see him specifically, and it’s not hard to see why they do. Jones is a delightfully sweet presence on stage, with a wonderful tic where he’ll contort into furious rage for a brief second before instantly returning to his otherwise perpetual state of bliss. It’s an interesting quirk that he controls with remarkable moderation. The selfconfessed history buff weaves torrid tales of Henry VIII, WWII and the slave trade into stories about his ‘gay coat’, bouldering and the Manchester-adjacent town of Failsworth. Put A Sock In It is a typically ramshackle affair from Jones but he’s obviously enjoying himself and it’s impossible not to get swept up. While he claims to relish the status of outsider, he’s clearly found his home on stage. (Murray Robertson) n Monkey Barrel The Tron, until 25 August, 8.40pm.

JOSEPHINE LACEY AUTISM MAMA lll ll

It’s a funny old thing, the Fringe. One minute you’re sweating bollocks and contemplating spending £5.50 on a can of beer, the next you’re sitting in a bunker finding out how to teach teenagers to masturbate. Context is, of course, everything: Josephine Lacey’s son is autistic and, as he reaches puberty, she finds herself in a support worker’s office perusing a range of resources to help him learn about masturbation.

There’s plenty of comedy to mine and Lacey’s delivery is always engaging. But when the social storyboards come out, things drift into a bit of a lecture before she gets back on track with her little box of tricks (balloons and lube: you’ll maybe want to skip the front row). Packed with obvious affection, parents of neurodiverse young people, in particular, will feel seen, although we could all pick up a couple of tips about unconditional love from Lacey. (Jo Laidlaw)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 August, 6pm.

While damning both women with faint praise in making the comparison, fans of Katherine Ryan ought to find plenty to enjoy in Michelle Shaughnessy’s latest nakedly confessional Fringe hour. A Canadian emigre of Irish heritage, Shaughnessy is similarly upfront about the cosmetic enhancements she’s undertaken and her desire to be financially comfortable. Crucially though, unlike her more temperamentally steady, celebrated compatriot, Shaughnessy is not financially comfortable. And considerably more of a hot mess. Most of her anecdotes are informed by the disconnect between her material horizons and the depressing reality. And where she really scores, at least as a stand-up, is being painfully self-aware as a person and yet seemingly powerless to change her spendthrift habits, or the body dysmorphia that often prompts them. Related without self-pity for the most part, but with a keen observational eye, it’s as if she’s almost as divorced from reality as she is from her husband, with neither quite there yet but impending.

This isn’t simply shtick either. Whereas Ryan has always spoken positively about how she was sexualised by her former employers (the restaurant chain Hooters), Shaughnessy faces sharper dilemmas about dating older men for cash or selling underwear online tips into prostitution. A grey area festooned with red flags, it’s to her enormous credit that she can remain open-minded, even as she entertainingly agonises. She’s funny too about her ageing and fertility insecurities, though there’s a lack of resolution to several of her routines. Still, it’s to be hoped she can find contentment, even if it might necessarily transform her comedy.

(Jay Richardson)

n Underbelly Bristo Square, until 25 August, 2.45pm.

PICTURE: JIKSAW

PICTURE: JIKSAW

PICTURE:

CATHERINE COHEN COME FOR ME llll l

GRACE MULVEY

TALL BABY llll l

Grace Mulvey was awarded the inaugural BBC Galton & Simpson Bursary for comedy writing in 2020, so there is certainly a level of expectation for this debut show. And she doesn’t disappoint. This is a sharply penned comedy hour to be proud of. The gags are well crafted and full of rich turns of phrase, from her fungal/not fungal nail infection and living with cautious lesbians to London burglaries and her dad’s unusual choice of dance location. Her delivery is breezily camp and not exactly hindered by the musicality of that Dublin accent nor the speed of her speech.

Mulvey tells how she moved to London from Ireland because she felt she deserved some good in her life. Needless to say, it wasn’t quite what she expected; for a start, everyone ignores a woman crying in public. Mulvey eventually discloses why she felt she deserved a fresh start though races through it, signposting it as ‘the sad bit’; it’s nevertheless heartfelt. It also suggests there’s a whole future show in there, perhaps next year’s sophomore offering. In the meantime, this is a highly promising introduction to Mulvey’s comedic talents of which, it seems, there are plenty. (Marissa Burgess)

n Assembly Roxy, until 25 August, 7.05pm.

ANESTI DANELIS ARTIFICIALLY INTELLIGENT lll ll

This is Anesti Danelis’ fourth solo show and he’s somewhat emotionally exhausted. So he’s looked to AI to help write this one. As ChatGPT has a think, or rather a scroll through the internet for info on Danelis, he takes us on a musical tour of his world.

Though it’s not his first rodeo, the show nevertheless works as an introduction to the Canadian comedian. His Greek heritage looms large with plenty of teasing jokes about feta cheese and an enjoyably surreal song about his strict mum’s love of the slipper as a disciplinary tool. Elsewhere his bisexuality gets dissected too.

This is a light-hearted hour, gently funny and displaying his musical skills well, whether it be on guitar or a bit of rap. He also gets the audience involved with some warm and fuzzy interaction; his creation of a congenial atmosphere ensures that no one is going to feel picked on. (Marissa Burgess)

n Underbelly Bristo Square, until 25 August, 2.15pm.

A lot of comedians are self-deprecating on stage, getting the dig in first before anyone else can. Catherine Cohen takes a different approach to attacking her inner demons, displaying instead an inordinate amount of self-love. Much like her Netflix special, The Twist . . . ? She’s Gorgeous, which opens with Cohen saying into the mirror ‘I look literally stunning’, this live experience is an exercise in well-crafted narcissism.

Of course, there’s already more than enough love in the room from us, the devoted audience. With her shiny silver boots and outfit, and even more sparkling personality, Cohen is impossible to dislike. From the moment she walks on stage, it’s clear she’s got this. Whatever comes her way, be it latecomers or a random shout-out from the crowd, her pre-planned narrative is briefly set aside for a friendly and hilarious comeback.

Cohen’s other USP (yes, she’s so special she can be unique in more than one way) is her beautiful singing voice. So glorious, you almost want her to cut the witty lyrics and set up stall in the next room for a post-show jazz gig. Cohen’s songs, like her chat, bounce from reallife reflections (shopping online, freezing your eggs, keeping your sex life interesting, going to therapy) to utterly random non-sequiturs that make no sense but don’t need to. To quote Gaga, Cohen lives for the applause, and when she delivers assured, confident, antiwholesome content like this, we’re more than happy to give it to her.

(Kelly Apter)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 August, 10pm.

Awellspring of outré alternative clowning has flown to these shores from America over the past decade, from dark prince Doctor Brown and banana enthusiast Bill O’Neill to the sex robot shenanigans of Courtney Pauroso. Merging the no-holds barred maulings of Jackass with the Rabelaisian theatrics of Alfred Jarry, they’ve reshaped clowning into something invigorating, cooly subversive and a little bit dangerous.

The reigning champ of the group, Natalie Palamides, has crashed back onstage with Weer, her most accessible work yet after the breakout hit Nate introduced her to a host of new fans and earned her a shiny Netflix special. Mining 90s romcoms for inspiration, Weer finds her playing couple Mark and Christina simultaneously, Mark played by one half of her body and Christina the other.

The result is a ‘romantic dramedy’ strained through a demented kaleidoscope of explicit gags and body-warping physicality in awe of Looney Tunes-style anarchy (it’s no coincidence that Elmer Fudd is mentioned at length in one scene).

Although presented as cartoon grotesques, there’s an entertaining drama in Mark and Christina’s fractious relationship, brought to life with comic broad strokes and sweet character flaws that make an audience root for them.

•ydemoc comedy• 5 STARS

review of the issue

Natalie Palamides confirms her status at the top of the clowning tree. In Weer she plays two characters simultaneously while creating an atmosphere of pure joy along the way. Kevin Fullerton declares it nothing short of astonishing

Viewers of a certain vintage may even get a little dewy-eyed by the expertly curated song selection, which embeds the shows in its 1999 period setting like the soundtrack of some long-forgotten teen comedy. That same sense of depth is carried over to the technical aspects of the show; there’s a mind-boggling array of moving parts onstage, with Palamides resembling a Heath Robinson tribute act as she pulls wires, stumbles over props and changes costumes to cram more sight gags into one scene than most acts fill in an hour.

Within the controlled chaos of these intricately structured skits, the excitable tension of her hyperreal world creates an atmosphere of pure joyous panto in the audience, whooping, cheering, clapping and hollering. Nate may mean there’s plenty of good will in the room already, but even newcomers to her work would struggle not to join in on the carnal carnival lighting up in front of them.

The audience interaction that Palamides has become known for returns here, but it’s more light touch and less invasive than in previous shows, mimicking the delicate heart at the centre of Weer’s delightful violence. It may be wild, gory and nerve-shredding, but Palamides’ latest creation is a heart-warming and elaborate paean to love.

Natalie Palamides: Weer, Traverse Theatre, until 25 August, 9.30pm.

ERIC RUSHTON

REAL ONE lll ll

Eric Rushton, a Birmingham comedian (and 2014 Sixth Form Prom King according to his social media) has warned his audience that we might flatline post-show after experiencing feelings of elation while he’s performing. He’s not lying, but the elation comes in waves, dipping every so often then picking up again with faux humblebrags and cute one-liners (‘I always pay on dates. Psychologically’). Dating gets a lot of mentions, as does his bad-boy past selling chocolate in the school playground, then an incident that led to him being fired from a job at the same school.

The sleepy-eyed, unpretentious nonchalance with which he delivers his nonsense boasts and surreal reveries is a pleasure to watch. His crowd work is also top tier, with some of the best laughs coming from off-the-cuff patter; he’s clearly got heaps of potential (contrary to what some of his teachers might have said). It’s tempting to imagine where his set could go if he went a bit deeper with the bizarre stuff or maybe branched out with video, characters or visuals to mix up the fun, laidback, bar-pleasing material. (Claire Sawers) n Monkey Barrel The Hive, until 25 August, 3.20pm.

ALEC SNOOK

DECOMPOSING, LIVE lll ll

In a world of trauma dumps and overshares, there’s something comforting about Alec Snook’s approach to mining his misery for comedy. There are no critical moments of revelation in his ragtag hour about death, nor is there a sudden moment when jokes dissipate to reveal a searing inner truth about his night terrors or disastrous marriage. Instead, he’s happy to play the oddball with off-the-wall gags, sudden bursts of song and lascivious silliness about his time in a petting zoo.

Grounding Decomposing, Live is the passing of Snook’s mother and his sudden urge to be funny while delivering her eulogy. Yet much of his material is unapologetically leftfield, seemingly satisfied with some of his punchlines unsettling audiences more than making them laugh (although plenty unambiguously hit the mark). Amid his low-key strangeness, there are plenty of strong gags and a few anecdotes that are crying out for a sturdier anchor. (Kevin Fullerton) n Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters, until 25 August, noon.

TRYGVE WAKENSHAW SILLY LITTLE THINGS llll l

If it seems a tad rich for a mime to be sending up magicians for the hoariest cliches of their routines, Trygve Wakenshaw’s return to the Fringe after seven years is affectionate rather than snide towards his fellow speciality acts. His mostly speech-free ballet of buffoonery is a typically joyous exploration of the human condition. Indeed, at one point, the pipe-cleaner-limbed Kiwi presents an entire life, from courtship to conception, birth and vitality, right through to death. It’s amusing but undeniably affecting and with a satisfying circularity to rival Finnegans Wake

Elsewhere, Wakenshaw is more irreverent, the bodies piling higher and higher during his card tricks, sword swallowing and other sketches. But the act is so strongly executed that a volunteer can later recreate aspects of it almost beat-forbeat, a triumphant note that virtually concludes the show. With limited, judicious use of muttered dialogue and music, the pace of the skits is varied, with an early highlight a cartoonish embodiment of loneliness, while magic is woven throughout and escalates in showiness. Without so much of the surprise element of his breakthrough years, it’s nevertheless a pleasure to simply admire Wakenshaw’s physical control and invention, allied to his goofy desire to just entertain. In these troubled times, no one is desperately calling for mime’s resumption of a place at art’s top table as far as anyone is aware. But it’s good to know it’s still flourishing somewhere. (Jay Richardson) n Assembly Roxy, until 25 August, 8.15pm.

PICTURE:

katzenmusik

By Tom Fowler

CHLOE PETTS

HOW YOU SEE ME, HOW YOU DON’T llll l

Chloe Petts is well over her trolls. This new hour is basically a middle finger to a certain brand of internet under-bridge dweller who, it’s no stretch to say, made Petts’ life a misery during a stint on the telly doing that most outrageous of things: talking knowledgeably about football while not looking like a standard female Sky Sports News presenter.

If it sounds like an hour of trauma-dumping, it really isn’t: Petts’ unusual combination of whip-sharp comedy smarts, head-girl energy (it’s no surprise to find she was awarded the badge in real life) and general air of competence creates enough distance to make the audience feel safe to laugh at her tribulations. And, after all, isn’t our laughter the thing those men hate the most?

There’s little crowd work but what’s there is truly delightful: it’s kind of a beautiful thing to feel the warmth of the room. She’s even brought a glossary, because that’s how much she cares. As she winds backwards and forwards from her school career to today, it feels like Petts delights in showing us her resilience: unbroken, unbowed, she’s shrugging off the gender identity crisis that the trolling pushed upon her and is very firmly having the last word. But it’s in that last word that her vulnerability shows, and by the end of the hour, every single person sitting in the hot and humid darkness is fully on her side. (Jo Laidlaw)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 August, 7pm.

ELAINE ROBERTSON DELULU lll ll

Elaine Robertson’s Delulu is a fine show that doesn’t quite come together as a cohesive set. Some gags are entertaining once Robertson gets into them, but she fails to build on that momentum. Her jokes require too much context before reaching punchlines that often don’t pay off enough to justify their lengthy set-ups.

Time and again, Robertson doesn’t capitalise on laughter from her audience. She ends with monologuing about her experience as a carer during the pandemic, but it’s a finale that doesn’t seem to fit, killing whatever energy has sputtered into being. It gives the impression of confusion over what the show is supposed to be. Despite her best efforts, there’s a sense of slightly aimless storytelling, where unfortunately the ratio between set-up and punchline is too unbalanced for her jokes to fully land. (Katerina Partolina Schwartz)

n The Stand 4, until 25 August, 12.05pm.

BOBBY DAVRO

EVERYTHING IS FUNNY . . . IF YOU CAN LAUGH AT IT lll ll

Bobby Davro absolutely nailing a sung impression of Elton John (significantly better than Reginald Dwight himself manages these days) was not one of my predictions for this Festival. Without the hissy-fit self-pity of a Jim Davidson, Davro nevertheless starts from the tiresome canard that comedy is being stifled by woke political correctness and gently pushes back with a polished performance of predictably old-fashioned but expertly delivered gags.

The odd allusion to burqas, the cosily impotent sexism, even a routine about his children coming out as gay that prompts your sphincter to twitch in anticipatory fear: there’s little here to truly upset the liberal sensibilities of an arts festival. OK, so some of the jokes are hoarier than Davro himself (who, conversely, is looking fighting fit after his recent stroke) but not as many as you might anticipate.

His cajoling of three women in the crowd to be a backing band for his Elvis shtick won’t win any awards for equality or traditional gallantry. But more Fringe shows ought to embrace his mix of comedy and sincere songs as a novelty. A smattering of well-pitched Operation Yewtree cracks plus jabs at the likes of Huw Edwards and Phillip Schofield affords him a little edge and relevancy, while reiterating his status as an all-rounder and rare showbusiness survivor. (Jay Richardson)

n Frankenstein Pub, until 25 August, 9pm.

STEVIE MARTIN CLOUT llll l

SASHA ELLEN

MY MILF-SHAKE BRINGS ALL THE BOYS TO THE YARD lll ll

Sasha Ellen is already feeling the change in her life as she marches towards her mid-30s. Ellen’s already been called a MILF yet she’s still four years off the original one’s age (a 38-year-old Jennifer Coolidge in American Pie) and she’s not even a mum. Her latest Fringe show presents a snapshot of the current state of play in her life: she’s learning to manage her anxieties, has received a new medical diagnosis and has discovered the true role of the lone chair in her bedroom. Though there’s plenty of talk about her rocky mental health, she maintains an engagingly ebullient demeanour throughout Elsewhere there are more regular elements of a millennial’s life: talking to her therapist and the eternal renter’s tussles with letting agencies. It’s familiar material but all presented through Ellen’s engaging and warm delivery and peppered with some zinging punchlines. There’s also a pleasing dichotomy to be found in that she’s unafraid to nip below the belt for laughs (at odds with her demure ‘primary school teacher’ look) and she’s straight in there with a rude reworking of a CBeebies show. You can’t say she didn’t give fair warning. (Marissa Burgess) n Just the Tonic At Cabaret Voltaire, until 25 August, 6.30pm.

This is a proper funny show. It’s got jokes in it, Stevie Martin admits at the start, and she’s worried about that because she read a Guardian review which mused in self-important terms whether a stand-up act can really get by on laughs any more. Sure enough, every Fringe, the number of stand-up shows which turn out to be disguised trauma narratives seems to grow (and why not, we might hastily add). But this hour of material from the viral online comedian feels curiously fresh in its insistent refusal to do anything more than be really, really funny. And it is funny. Not because it’s actually full of jokes you understand. It’s full of brilliant, Russian-doll type skits where anecdotes and observations keep on folding in on each other in unexpected ways. Lots of this seems to owe a debt to the way jokes and memes become more and more precariously self-referential online. Suitably enough, the delivery relies on the performer playing a game of back-and-forth with a pair of screens that serve up punchlines or sidenotes to what’s happening at the mic.

Clout is basically about social-media culture: the perils of chasing metrics and algorithms to stay fresh as a content creator, and the impossibility of originality. Which is ironic because that’s another thing the show is: original. And proper funny. (Greg Thomas) n Monkey Barrel, until 25 August, 3.35pm.

KATE CHEKA A MESSIAH COMES lllll

Prepare your mind, body and spirit for a white-knuckle ride through the musings of a potentially higher power, clad in a pink jumpsuit, as Funny Women Award-winner Kate Cheka brings her debut show to the Fringe. Putting the world to rights and making the case for her divine status in a yurt lit with pastel lights, Cheka discusses everything from family, race and the environment to the Kardashians, drugs and threesomes in Berlin. Reminiscent of a sleepover in heaven, the atmosphere is contemplative and no-holds-barred as stories rush in and out of focus.

While we’re regaled with tales of her travels, politics and, of course, Bob Geldof, the audience are quickly drawn into her world and end up feeling welcome to share our own. By the end, Cheka has us all planning the revolution and, pushing the limits of audience participation, swept up in a singalong socialist rendition of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’.

Witty and charming, this comedian’s Fringe run will surely be followed by many more, hopefully before she runs off to the woods to eat berries (with a guillotine and DJ in tow). Cheka clearly has a determination to stick to her values while lighting the comedy world on fire with one of her own sacredheart candles. And judging by the reaction of the audience, if god is a woman, Cheka might just have the masses converted.

(Rachel Morrell)

n Hoots @ Potterrow, until 25 August, 12.25pm.

ANNA AKANA IT GETS DARKER llll l

Absolutely no subject is off-limits in Anna Akana’s new show. It starts dark and does, indeed, get darker. But it’s bloody funny too, testament to Akana’s stand-up abilities: all the more remarkable when we learn she’s been off the stage for six years after a series of stalking incidents. Still, it’s all grist to her comedy mill: with 2.8 million YouTube subscribers, there’s not much she won’t monetise in a life she describes as OnlyFans for trauma.

Family features heavily in the opening half: Asian culture, her dad’s stint in the Ukrainian war and her mum’s food all pop in and out. Her puckish energy and knowing grin build rapport; not every joke lands perfectly on a night with a Scottish-heavy audience, but that’s OK as her warmth and charm brings us with her. What she’s really doing though is building trust for a blistering, heartbreaking second half that explores and embraces the darkness, discussing her sister’s suicide, its immediate aftermath and the impact it has had on her life.

No doubt, this is tough stuff to hear (and indeed to perform), but Akana creates enough safety to allow us to laugh at a journey that is both shattering and funny: her ultimate hope being that together, we can laugh the darkness away. Akana is a remarkable comedian and a remarkable human, with a vital message about mental health, resilience and, above all, love. Bring tissues and catch her while you can: this one is a star in the making. (Jo Laidlaw) n Pleasance Courtyard, until 24 August, 5.30pm.

FLO & JOAN

ONE MAN MUSICAL lll l l

Comedy duo Flo & Joan’s irreverent boutique musical about the master of the form, Andrew Lloyd Webber, is a devilish wheeze, superbly executed. It finds the Dempsey sisters taking back seats for their Fringe theatrical debut (on piano, drums and backing vocals) with George Fouracres centre stage as the oft-maligned and litigious impresario. It follows his life, from difficult youth as a bullied child with only a mass of privilege and connections to pursue his dream of ruling London’s West End, to the initial blaze of success collaborating with Tim Rice.

Tracking the fallow period, the Phantom years, the loves of his Sarahs (plural) and Margaret (highly singular), the piece charts Webber’s international rise, fall and, well, let’s be charitable, consolidation of his reputation, with a bathetic, sweeping scope worthy of his own overblown productions (albeit adjusted for budget). Flo & Joan's qualified love for their quarry shines through in the musical homages, while the sprightly and versatile Fouracres imbues the preening, prickly lord with overweening ambition, pathos and consistent hilarity. (Jay Richardson) n Pleasance Dome, until 25 August, 7pm.

ELVIS MCGONAGALL GIN & CATATONIC? lll ll

With his material supposedly hampered by the snap general election, satirical poet Elvis McGonagall digs deep to deliver his musings on the state of our nation. Whether it’s because of the events of 4 July or not, his work struggles a bit for relevancy, despite McGonagall’s charm and skill as a poet.

Thumbing through his poetry collection, McGonagall jumps from one political subject to the next with exuberance. On the one hand, this gives a playful intimacy to things, like being at the pub with a quick-witted and opinionated mate. On the other hand, the performance sags with the lack of any throughline. It doesn’t help that a lot of his work feels a bit dated: it’s four years on from the 2020 lockdown, so do we really need more reflections on that or Boris Johnson?

McGonagall is undoubtedly a skilled wordsmith and buoyant speaker. While the show might lack urgency, his talent and personality pull through, making for a fun, yet ultimately unmemorable afternoon. (Sean Greenhorn)

n Gilded Balloon Patter House, until 25 August, 12.20pm.

COMEDY HIGHLIGHTS

ROSIE JONES

Jones escapes the ridiculous trolls for a bit to get out and do what she does best: entertain the masses. And it’s two nights at the Grand so that is massive.

 Pleasance Courtyard, 14 & 15 August, 9.20pm.

HANNAH GADSBY

She may have threatened to quit the standup game just before riding the wide acclaim of Nanette, but it’s good to still have the Tasmanian comic in our orbit.

 Underbelly Bristo Square, 18–25 August, 5.20pm.

WHORE’S EYE VIEW

Kaytlin Bailey takes us on a comedic wander through the history of how sex workers went from being deified to demonised.

 C alto, until 25 August, 7.20pm.

ALEX KEALY

With The Fear , this erudite and often painfully funny stand-up (reaching near-veteran status at the Fringe by now) discusses how his anxious overthinking really gets in the way.

 Monkey Barrel The Hive, until 25 August, 4.15pm.

NAUGHTY CABARET

Time for the patriarchy to get a swift boot where it hurts and this queer feminist circus should help deliver it (but in a fun away).

 Underbelly Cowgate, 16, 23 August, 10.50pm.

ANDREW O’NEILL

The cult yet highly polished and very accomplished stand-up thrashes on with a redux of his History Of Heavy Metal show.

 The Stand, 19–25 August, 10pm.

ANDREW WHITE

Young, Gay And A Third Thing has the comic we once called ‘rampantly engaging’ continue his steady rise in the stand-up world.

 Assembly Roxy, 20–24 August, 9.20pm.

A showcase of world class performance from Scotland

Common is as Common Does: A Memoir

A Giant on the Bridge

Futuristic Folktales STUMPED

The Show for Young Men

Love Beyond Puddles and Amazons

A History of Paper Catriona Price & Friends

June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me

Flock & Moving Cloud

SHOW PONY

The never less than fascinating Bryony Kimmings is at it again, this time hooking up with Still Hungry and Chamäleon Berlin for a work that looks at the ageing process. On this occasion it’s from the perspective of an acrobat who is hurtling towards middle age; the show aims to make audiences consider the patriarchy a little bit more and asks us to confront our own prejudices about women who are daring to get older.

(Brian Donaldson)

n Summerhall, until 26 August, 10.35am.

DANCE & CIRCUS

Sweet Dreams

MIn his Fringe show, dance legend Wayne Sleep journeys down the long and winding road of an astonishing career. The diminutive star who helped bring dance to mainstream audiences tells Kelly Apter how his lack of height spurred him on to be the best he could be

any performers struggle to pare their shows down to the ‘Fringe hour’, but Wayne Sleep had a bigger task then most. Taking a walk down memory lane to share tales from his long, diverse and glittering career, he had to cherry-pick from a bountiful tree. ‘We’ve chosen iconic moments,’ he says, ‘starting off with me growing up in a one-parent family and how I got into the Royal Ballet School. But then we jump to some of the great people I’ve worked with, such as Angela Lansbury, David Niven, Peter Ustinov, Mia Farrow, and so on. Being asked by Andrew Lloyd Webber to be the first Mr Mistoffelees in Cats, and getting into the Guinness Book Of World Records: those kind of moments.’.

At 5’2”, Sleep was the smallest boy ever admitted to the Royal Ballet School, and when he didn’t grow he then became the smallest principal dancer in the Royal Ballet. A disadvantage which Wayne turned into a positive after receiving some sage advice.

‘When I didn’t grow, it was a huge smack in the face and I was very depressed for years about that,’ recalls Sleep. ‘But Ninette de Valois, who founded the Royal Ballet, said to me “you’re just going to have to spin twice as fast as everybody else and jump twice as high”. And when famous

choreographers started wanting me to be in their new ballets, I suddenly realised I must have something extra.’ That something extra led to the 76-year-old casting his net wide early in his career. On days off from the Royal Ballet he began learning tap and contemporary dance, making him something of an all-rounder. Dance isn’t known for producing too many household names but Sleep soon became a regular fixture on the small and large screen, although his heart always lay in the theatre. ‘When I was asked to go on TV shows, people in the street started saying “oh, there’s Wayne Sleep”. And I thought, this could be useful. If I do more television, I’ll become more well-known and then maybe theatres will take my show. So I did that purposely to get my name around, not because I’m big-headed.’ Initially rejected by theatre programmers because ‘dance doesn’t sell’, he eventually found a taker, and glorious reviews led to him touring the world with his own company. As for today, despite his advanced years, Sleep still knows how to cut a rug. Will Fringe audiences be treated to a display? ‘Oh yes, you bet,’ he says excitedly. ‘If I’ve only got five minutes left, I’ll stop talking and put on my tap shoes.’

Wayne Sleep: Awake In The Afternoon, Pleasance Courtyard, 19–25 August, 2.30pm.

WES PEDEN ROLLERCOASTER llll l

CIRQUEWORK

YOAH lll ll

Expect to gasp in wonder when you see Yoah, the new show from Japanese circus company Cirquework. Its acts are fitted into a loose, non-specific plot, in which a young woman finds herself surrounded by masked figures in black and must find her way up and away from them. Each performer has a particular talent and gets about ten minutes to show it off, and there truly is some breathtaking skill on display. The chair acrobatics are a highlight as one performer does a heart-stopping handstand atop six precariously stacked chairs. There are a few mistakes made here and there (a tower of diabolos comes tumbling down at one point) but in a way these serve to make the rest of the show more exciting.

Most of Yoah consists of incredibly impressive diabolo juggling, with the performers able to juggle four diabolos on a single string. The only issue is that it gets somewhat repetitive after they pull out their most thrilling tricks too early. Similarly, while the techno soundtrack complements much of the action, it occasionally builds to a crescendo, the intensity of which doesn’t always match the trick we’re seeing. Yoah is imperfect but there’s enough here for people to leave feeling satisfied. (Isy Santini)

n Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 18 August, 8.40pm.

With the amount of energy, athletic skill and concentration demanded by performing an hourlong solo juggling show, it’s no wonder performer Wes Peden needs a lie down halfway through Rollercoaster. Peden (who appeared in 2016’s juggling smash-hit Water On Mars) has created a love letter to rollercoasters, drawing parallels between the beauty of a painted cart flying, twisting and looping through steel knots, and the beauty of juggling balls, hoops and clubs following the same weightless trajectory.

He sends a single red ball ricocheting through a plastic tube he has curved intricately around his body; he orbits spinning plates like flying saucers in slow motion through pretzel knots of his legs and arms; and he sets himself wacky challenges, performing forfeits when he drops a club. It’s wondrous and colourful, cartoonish and mesmerising, all the more beautiful for the snippets of voiceover which detail the rollercoasters that fascinate him. (Lucy Ribchester) n Assembly Roxy, until 26 August, 5pm.

JAVA DANCE THEATRE ANATOMY FOR ACCOUNTANTS lll ll

Anatomy For Accountants revolves around worth. We are told there is nothing to be nervous about while Sacha Copland, artistic director of Java Dance Theatre, undresses and has her naked body priced by a stoic accountant in the corner. The show reveals the market value of every single body part, from nerve endings to eyeballs. This offers up huge potential for an interrogation of ourselves and our place within society, and although the show does raise these questions, they are often left in the air.

The concept is intriguing, boiling human existence down to a matter of pounds. The combination of dance, anatomy and accounting is a dynamic one, and with Copland’s dancing background, we are able to see the human body at the brink of anxiety, joy and exhaustion. Unfortunately, the show’s dialogue doesn’t quite match up to her talent, nor the musical prowess of her co-star Tristan Carter.

For a show interrogating our effect on the world and how this delineates our worth, comments on gender, race and age should have been thought-provoking and powerful but erred towards flippant and almost uncomfortable. While the dynamic between a fluid Copland and a dispassionate Carter is unique and entertaining, you may find yourself wishing that they had explored what lies beneath the surface of these dynamics, and ultimately it’s difficult to understand what to take away from it all. (Alekia Gill) n Summerhall, until 26 August, 4.30pm.

@recirquel #recirquel

It has been said that 10,000 hours of practice can make you an expert in anything, or at least so goes the theory popularised by author Malcolm Gladwell. Adelaide’s prestigious contemporary circus company Gravity & Other Myths explore this notion in their latest show which manages to combine otherworldly physical stunts with a philosophical concept that is as self-referential as it is symbolic.

When audiences enter Assembly Hall, all members of the troupe are already on stage warming up. They nonchalantly wander around the relatively bare set, testing handstands and stretching like dancers in a studio. Watching them apply liquid chalk, drill partner lifts and josh around allows us to see their human form, as opposed to the freakish athletes waiting in the figurative wings.

Made up of multiple chapters, the show opens with some rhythmic floor work (which makes us aware of a live drummer positioned stage right) and nerve-frying human tower variations. The choreography here, and throughout, plays a lot with repetition and hands-on adjustment, with tension building and diffusing constantly as the bodies on stage attempt increasingly high-stakes moves. These drill-like sequences make the audience feel on edge, as though improvement and mastery is happening in front of our very eyes. This,

Does practice make perfect? If Aussie circus troupe Gravity & Other Myths’ new show Ten Thousand Hours is anything to go by, then Megan Merino reckons it very much does

review of the issue

of course, is all by design, and our gasps and grand applauses slot into the performance like interlocking parts of a collaborative puzzle.

These mesmerising circus sections are broken up with solo performances, the first of which sees one member perform a dance break in various different styles suggested by his teammates and audience members (a ‘Simone Biles meets salsa’ rendition of his elaborate piece received raucous applause). Returning to this idea of repetition, we see how the artist is able to imbue the same moves with different emotions and flair once the technique is locked firmly in his body.

Clever forms of improvisation, audience participation and prop work, including a water bottle being intermittently flipped (there’s something very satisfying about watching some of the best acrobats in the world fail at this), keep the audience firmly present while continuing to reinforce the show’s raison d’être.

It’s clear every member of this troupe has put in their 10,000 hours and the result is nothing short of breathtaking. They are living proof practice makes perfect, though something tells me a million hours wouldn’t bring me to their level.

Ten Thousand Hours, Assembly Hall, until 24 August, 11.40am.

MARGOT MANSFIELD

B.L.I.P.S.

lll l l

JAJACK MOVEMENT SLEEPER lll ll

There is a moment halfway through Sleeper, showing as part of the Fringe’s Korean Season, that is so terrifying, so fraught with smothering panic and electric fear, it feels like all of the piece’s climate-anxiety themes wrought into one image. Dancer Myunghun Jung has been slowly unfurling inside a telephone boxshaped structure wrapped in plastic, while a troupe of four women dance abstract drills around him. Now as the music climaxes, the lighting strobes and he presses his face against the plastic, floundering, suffocating, drowning. It’s unforgettable.

There are other moments in this piece, choreographed by Kim Yumi to address climate change with both warning and hope, that are arresting, beautiful or startling too. Jung breaks free from his box and wages fiery movements in red light. The troupe of four women appear dressed in white and hand him heavy skeins of bold-coloured, knotted fabric to bear. These they will later unfurl into a pinwheel around him.

It doesn’t all quite hang together, and Yumi is stronger on theatrical images than on choreographic complexity. There’s an intensity and reverence to the dancers, making their movements feel almost ritualistic, while Jaedeok Kim’s score melds the powerful beats of Korean traditional drums with electro sounds. But the gravitas all this gives the piece does mean it shuts us out emotionally for the most part. Still, the act of making art in response to such issues helps keep them urgent and alive in the minds of audiences.

(Lucy Ribchester)

n Assembly @ Dance Base, until 18 August, 8.30pm.

There is a distressing moment towards the end of this performance of B.L.I.P.S. where performer and creator Margot Mansfield can’t continue her song. She explains she hasn’t been sleeping well; both a symptom and the cause of her momentary episodes of psychosis that form the show’s basis. In a piece which constantly trades off its blurred boundaries between real and imaginary, we don’t quite know what is going on. Her director and technician start singing for her, metaphorically holding her (later her director confirms the breakdown was real).

And yet, after that, Mansfield comes back fighting, ending the show with a wild, buoyant and life-affirming hula hoop finale. B.L.I.P.S. (which stands for Brief Limited Intermittent Psychotic Symptoms) is in many ways about the redemptive power of creativity. Theatre (and by extension circus, Mansfield’s discipline) is a world where we are all collectively delusional; where nothing makes sense. Mansfield plays into this, lip-syncing to recordings and rewriting the beginning of The BFG with herself as the protagonist. She offers us communion at one point, alluding to a world where biscuits are flesh and grape juice transubstantiates into blood.

The piece fizzes with frenetic, brilliant ideas. As art, it’s messy, truthful and raw. But some shows transcend their artistic status; for many artists, finding a language to make sense of their stories can be a lifeline. (Lucy Ribchester)

n Summerhall, until 26 August, 10am.

NA DJINANG CIRCUS OF THE LAND ON WHICH WE MEET lll ll

With a title drawn from Australia’s Acknowledgement Of Country (a recitation that honours the Aboriginal people and their connection to the land), it’s only fitting that the foundation of Na Djinang’s acrobatic piece rests on how said land supports and shapes the lives of those who live on it.

It’s unfortunate, then, that far too much time is devoted to watching the performers tumble across the stage without much meaningful interaction. Only near the end do the physical feats reach an impressive crescendo as bodies contort and climb over bodies, sometimes lifting each other up to reach greater heights, other times clawing each other down.

Of The Land . . . is, at its climax, a thrilling acrobatic performance. More importantly, as a comment on the tension between nurture and abuse, and the cooperation and exploitation of the Australian land and the people who inhabit it, it’s a stirring piece of theatre. (Eve Connor) n Assembly Checkpoint, until 25 August, 5.30pm.

Reaching beyond the edge 19–25 AUGUST

Dickson Mbi

Enowate

Krishna Istha*

First Trimester

Luca Rutherford You Heard Me

Nwando Ebizie* Distorted Constellations

Tim Etchells with Bert & Nasi

L’Addition produced by Forced Entertainment

Wet Mess

TESTO

Ziza Patrick

Dandyism

* Delegate event

Dickson Mbi.

Photo © Nick Thornton Jones & Warren Du Preez

Skinny

DANCE & CIRCUS

WEAVING ME, WEAVING MUM

Sounds like an Alan Partridge welcome but in fact is the Fringe’s only dance show which features knitting installations (to our knowledge).

ENOWATE

As part of the Here & Now Showcase, Dickson Mbi delivers a solo performance where he ‘plays’ many different people, all of which are inspired by a trip to Cameroon.

n Pleasance Courtyard, 21–25 August, 12.30pm.

FAULT LINES

Humanity’s relationship with nature is put under the microscope in Lila Dance’s new show, which wonders whether we even know what progress means.

n Assembly @ Dance Base, 20–25 August, 3.50pm.

n C aquila, 19–23 August, 1.50pm.

MAN & BOARD

A wooden board meets Rob Heaslip as the artist celebrates his Irish heritage and aims to pass only good things down to his son.

n Assembly @ Dance Base, until 25 August, 5.15pm.

BARBAREN BABIES

This ‘wild women circus’ features dance, comedy, acrobatics and some very silly moments as these Berliners arrive in Edinburgh with a bang.

n Underbelly George Square, until 16 August, 4pm.

ASSEMBLY HALL

Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young bring the EIF a hugely imaginative work as the boundaries between myth and reality crumble at a community hall.

n Festival Theatre, 22–24 August, 7.30pm.

CIRCA

The legendary Fringe circus act are back with Human 2.0, a pure symphony of acrobatics, light and sound. n Assembly George Square Gardens, until 25 August, 3pm.

THE CEREMONY

In glorious black and white, and shot against a rolling Yorkshire landscape, Jack King’s The Ceremony packs more than just the one powerful punch. When a tragic death occurs after a fight over stolen property, this disaster brings together two migrant workers as they go on the hunt for a place to bury the corpse. (Brian Donaldson) n Cameo, 20 August, 1pm; Summerhall, 20 August, 3.45pm; Inspace, 20 August, 6pm; 50 George Square, 21 August, 10am.

Still standing

Director Gaspar Noé’s confrontational and controversial career comes under the microscope as he sits down for a much-anticipated ‘in conversation’ event at Edinburgh International Film Festival. James Mottram takes a look back at Noé’s career and speculates on what might come next for the Argentine-born filmmaker

A‘ttention. You have 30 seconds to leave the screening of this film.’ So says the title card in Gaspar Noé’s 1998 feature debut I Stand Alone before the number begins counting down on screen to zero. It was a typically bravura moment in Noé’s early cinema, what felt like a mandate for his work to come. With films like the trippy Enter The Void (2009), the erotic Love (2015) or the downright terrifying Climax (2018), Noé has been daring audiences ever since to either sit and watch or get the hell out of the theatre.

None more so than his sophomore feature Irréversible, his raperevenge drama that felt like a true assault on the senses. Playing out Memento-style in reverse (vengeance for the sexual assault is seen before the attack itself), the film was a cause célèbre when it premiered in Cannes in 2002. With the film starring real-life golden couple Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel, audiences were left shocked by its no-holds-barred brutality. At the screening I attended, all you could hear was the thud of seats flipping upwards as viewers left in their droves.

Those that toughed it out, however, bore witness to a director totally unafraid to show the ugly side of violence. No doubt as he unpacks his career at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival for an exclusive ‘in conversation’ event, he will address his youthful tendencies to shock. But what can’t be denied is that the power of Irréversible endures; when Noé released the ‘straight

cut’ of the film, re-ordering scenes chronologically, the scene where Bellucci’s character is raped in an underpass remains as sickening as it ever was.

Since then, he’s continued to push buttons and boundaries; notably in Love, in which he filmed unsimulated sex scenes in 3D. But the Argentinean-born filmmaker, who grew up in France, has matured across the seven works he’s made.

Witness his most recent movie, 2021’s Vortex, a split-screen drama which starred Italian horror maestro Dario Argento and Françoise Lebrun as an aged couple. Potently dealing with dementia in a way that very few films have ever managed, this was a rare moment in his usually divisive career, with critics almost universally praising the film. What Noé will do next is an intriguing thought. There were rumours a year ago that he was scouting locations in Italy for a film starring Cate Blanchett and rising star Franz Rogowski, which would be the starriest cast of his career. But as it turned out, it was fake news, sent spinning around the internet. Still, the idea of Noé putting two-time Oscar-winner Blanchett through the ringer was tantalising. You can just imagine audiences staying glued to their seats, warning signs or not.

In Conversation: Gaspar Noé, Central Hall, 17 August, 1pm; Gaspar Noé presents: Suspiria, Cameo, 17 August, 3.45pm; Gaspar Noé Presents: Surprise Film, Summerhall, 19 August, 1am.

THE SUBSTANCE (DIRECTED BY CORALIE FARGEAT) llll l

In the entertainment industry, youth and beauty equals currency for women. In Coralie Fargeat’s satirical follow-up to Revenge (a brutal spin on the rape-revenge genre), Demi Moore stars as celebrity aerobics instructor Elisabeth Sparkle who is confronted with unattainable Hollywood beauty standards placed on her by her boss Harvey (Dennis Quaid). The answer to all her problems is presented in a mysterious substance which offers a fountain-ofyouth type treatment.

Films like The Neon Demon and Death Becomes Her have examined the desperate measures women are driven to in order to maintain their careers under a patriarchal system. Fargeat continues this conversation for the digital age with a twisted and violently gory body horror. The film plays out in a heightened way with the neon 80s aesthetic, synth-heavy score and surreal camera angles all nodding to an industry consumed by artifice.

Fargeat visually reflects how women have been represented in media through both Moore and co-star Margaret Qualley’s changing appearance and costumes. The conventional Disney princess archetype is worshipped while the wrinkled skin of an ageing woman is presented as witch-like and undesirable. It may all sound depressingly familiar and obvious but there’s something daring in the way Fargeat contorts the monstrous pressures placed on women to conform via cosmetic surgery into a discomforting and darkly fascinating fairytale. Her flashy direction (reminiscent of Gaspar Noé’s enfant terrible days crossed with David Cronenberg’s visceral horror), Moore’s unhinged performance and the excessive self-destructive tendencies her character exhibits effectively get under the skin. (Katherine McLaughlin) n Cameo, 20 August, 11.59pm; Inspace, 21 August, 3pm.

MONGREL

(DIRECTED BY CHIANG WEI LIANG) llll l

The themes of Mongrel hinge on a litany of cruel ironies and oppositions: the decent caregiver in an indecent, exploitative world; the dreams of migrants in an economically depressed wasteland; and the physically infirm straining against cruelty and ambivalence. Set in a Taiwanese backwater, the film follows undocumented migrant Oom (Wanlop Rungkumjad), who finds work as a caregiver for the families and clients of people traffickers. Oom’s key workers include a severely disabled man and his infirm mother, and his job is to be compassionate towards them, so much so that he exposes himself to the same exploitation he sees all around him.

Director Chiang Wei Liang has created a stark and austere work of unbroken shots and an unmoving camera, punctuating the rundown setting with viscerally confronting imagery. Within these bleak tableaux is a story of incredible empathy, one that studies caregivers with awe and the travails of migrant life with unflinching horror. (Kevin Fullerton) n Summerhall, 16 August, 3pm; Cameo, 18 August, 3.30pm; Summerhall, 19 August, 12.30pm.

ARMAND

(DIRECTED BY HALFDAN ULLMANN TØNDEL) lll ll

Renate Reinsve, who made such an impact in 2021’s The Worst Person In The World, returns to her native Norway to deliver another indelible performance in this potent but sometimes puzzling drama. In her maroon coat, she cuts a striking figure as Elisabeth, mother of the titular six-year-old (who, like every other child mentioned, is never seen on screen). She’s been called to the primary school that her son attends for a meeting with nervy young teacher Sunna (Thea Lambrechts Vaulen), where she learns that Armand has been accused of sexually abusing a fellow classmate named Jon.

The film, which won the Camera d’Or in Cannes this year, is written and directed by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, the grandson of European filmmaking legends Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Bergman. He wears his legacy lightly, creating an intense exploration of social values that his grandparents would surely admire. Admittedly, Armand is a curious beast, from a scene where Reinsve laughs uncontrollably, so blindsided is she by the accusations her son faces, to a third-act ‘dance’ that really takes the viewer out of the piece’s dramatic realism. Leaving more questions unanswered than solved, this is a mysterious work destined to divide audiences. (James Mottram)

n Cameo, 19 August, 9pm; 50 George Square, 20 August, 9pm; Inspace, 21 August, 6pm; Summerhall, 21 August, 9pm.

A

SUDDEN GLIMPSE TO DEEPER THINGS

(DIRECTED BY MARK

COUSINS)

‘It’s nearly seven decades since Willie’s climb; Grindelwald still does sleepy sublime,’ is typically gnomic rhyme offered by Mark Cousins in the latest of his series of personally minded, publicly funded ruminations on well-kent artists. His look at St Andrews-born Wilhelmina Barns-Graham is full of passion for her ‘Rubik’s Cube meets Rothko’ artwork, a product of her synesthesia, Cousins asserts, his voice tremulous as he imagines links to The Beatles, David Lynch and Hitchcock’s Shadow Of A Doubt. Such references reflect more about Cousins’ own enthusiasms than the work of the artist herself, but that’s surely the point of a personally motivated essay.

Cousins recalls how a Christmas gift from his partner led him to investigate the workings of Barns-Graham’s ‘brain machine’ and how it was stimulated by her cathartic 1949 climb of the Grindelwald glacier. ‘How close have I got to Willie?’ he asks; an interviewee suggests that she wouldn’t have been thrilled about a film being made but Cousins makes his ‘portrait of an infected brain’ a consistently entertaining ride. Visualisations of Barns-Graham’s interest in maths and grids provide potent visual elements here, with Cousins offering an accessible entry point for those unfamiliar with this legendary Scottish artist. (Eddie Harrison)

 Cameo, 21 August, 1pm.

KING BABY (DIRECTED BY ARRAN SHEARING & KIT REDSTONE)

Two men on holiday stumble upon a ruined castle and decide to abandon their life and play pretend as king and servant among the ruins in King Baby, a new film co-directed by Arran Shearing and Kit Redstone. They are content in their roles until one day the king (Graham Dickson) gets an idea: to carve himself a queen made of wood. What follows is a humorous yet disturbing satire of hierarchy, patriarchy and masculinity.

Dickson and his co-star Neil Chinneck fully commit to the ridiculousness of their characters, delivering regal speeches about ‘jism and belly buttons’ with gusto and screaming in fury at the disobedient mannequin queen. Despite the small cast and single location, the duo’s role reversals as monarch and flunkey are sure to keep audiences engaged. One rules as a tyrant, the other as a benevolent and seemingly enlightened king, but as the power dynamics shift and slip away, the savagery within both men emerges. (Isy Santini)

 Cameo, 19 August, 23.59pm.

THE OUTRUN

(DIRECTED BY NORA FINGSCHEIDT) 

A four-time Oscar nominee and still only 30, actress Saoirse Ronan has shown the breadth of her talent across comedies, period pieces and action. In The Outrun, from director Nora Fingscheidt, she tackles the challenging territory of addiction, playing alcoholic Rona, and, as ever, she’s sensational. Based on Amy Liptrot’s memoir and set on the Orkney Islands, the film is a vivid portrait of redemption and rebirth, and a love letter to the rugged Scottish landscape.

‘I can’t be happy sober,’ Rona despairs in this sometimes devastating, but ultimately hopeful drama. We see her selfdestruction in flashbacks, as Rona throws away her relationship with Daynin (Paapa Essiedu) and a promising scientific career in London, due to an inescapable desire to be drunk. Sloping reluctantly back to Orkney when it all goes wrong, she is revealed to have a difficult relationship with her kind but suffocatingly religious mum (Saskia Reeves), while Rona’s bipolar farmer father (Stephen Dillane) needs care and support from her.

There are some optimistic depictions of rural internet connection, but otherwise this feels bracingly authentic. The Outrun might be stunningly shot and alive to the healing power of home, but it’s also beautifully unsentimental on Rona’s relationships with her family and the local area. It captures the fierceness of the wind, waves and rain, with the ferocious Scottish weather turning out to be a powerful ally in Rona’s battle against her demons. (Emma Simmonds)

 Cameo, 15 August , 8.45pm, 9pm; Summerhall, 16 August, 12.30pm; 50 George Square, 16 August, 4pm.

FILM HIGHLIGHTS

THE RADLEYS

From Matt Haig’s novel comes this adaptation starring Damian Lewis and Kelly Macdonald about a family of vampires who decide they might just stop drinking human blood.

 Cameo, 20 August, 9pm, 9.20pm; 50 George Square, 21 August, 3.15pm; Inspace, 21 August, 9pm.

ALIEN: ROMULUS

The latest in a very long-running sci-fi horror franchise has a new heroine in town battling the same old gloopy baddies. A young cast includes Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson.

 Cameo, 15 August, 11.59pm.

BLACK DOG

Directed by Guan Hu and starring Eddie Peng, this Cannes-winning movie revolves around a celebrity who is released from prison and strikes up an odd-couple relationship with a dark canine.

 Cameo, 16 August, 6.15pm; 17 August, 1.15pm; 18 August, 6.30pm.

SCHIRKOA

In a future ‘perfect’ society, citizens live with paper bags on their heads to nullify all difference. This animation wonders what would happen if the bagged people found out about a place where no one wore anything on their heads.

 Cameo, 21 August, 10.30am; Summerhall, 21 August, 1pm.

AND MRS

When a reluctant bride-to-be’s fiancé drops stone-cold dead, she insists on marrying him anyway. Why not? Aisling Bea, Colin Hanks and Harriet Walter all star.

 Cameo, 19 August, 6.15pm; Inspace, 19 August, 9.15pm; 50 George Square, 20 August, 3.15pm; Summerhall, 20 August, 6pm.

LOLLIPOP

A young woman released from prison struggles to regain custody of her children but a chance encounter with a childhood friend changes everything.

 Cameo, 20 August, 6.30pm; Summerhall, 20 August, 9pm; Inspace, 21 August, 10am; 50 George Square, 21 August, 12.30pm.

GALA & KIWI

An Argentinean film about two friends who are reunited after years apart and slowly realise why they should have maintained their distance.

 Cameo, 18 August, 6.45pm; 50 George Square, 19 August, 1.30pm.

KIDS

A BEE STORY

Yes, we know, there’s a real buzz about this show. But in all seriousness, Australian acrobatics group ARC Circus tell the story of Queen Bee and Worker Bee whose home (hive) has been destroyed by a bushfire. If you look hard enough you’ll see themes of ecology, community and sustainability told through circus, dance, acrobatics and live music. (Brian Donaldson) n Assembly George Square Gardens, until 25 August, 12.10pm.

MONIQUE WARREN THE COMEDY GAMES WITH COACH MON llll l

For kids who are all jacked up after watching the Olympics, or even just giving it their absolute all at school sports day, Coach Mon presents a fun morning show for children, all about sport. Dressed in cycling shorts, shellsuit top and baseball cap, with a whistle round her neck, Monique Warren (Australian singer, clown and former actor in an advert for Vicks VapoDrops) is at the top of her game when it comes to talking to kids. She wrote the show after teaching children over Zoom during lockdown and she clearly knows various ways into their hearts, including fart jokes, slow-mo running races and sports trivia (she even improvs a mention of Aussie rules football for a fitba’ mad boy in the front row).

The pace feels gentle, but Mon slots in a make-your-own-gold medal session, live cartwheels and blasts of rousing sporting tunes, including Vangelis’ iconic theme from Chariots Of Fire. Two-yearolds and nine-year-olds are equally entertained on the morning we visit and Mon holds their attention like a pro, with lots of audience interaction and nonsense humour. Blending up healthy smoothies (with some gross results), following your dreams and practising hard make up the loose plot of this relaxed, silly show, where everyone’s eyebrows (yes, eyebrows) get a workout. Expect a welcoming atmosphere (it’s fine if kids want to stay on the bench) and a coach full of pep. (Claire Sawers)

n TheSpace @ Niddry Street, until 20 August, 11am.

GARRY STARR MONKEYS EVERYWHERE llll l

There’s monkey business going on inside the head of wordsmith Garry Elizabeth Starr. The ruff-wearing playwright is attempting to finish off his latest work, while simultaneously battling the simian mischief-makers that keep hijacking his thoughts. Starr enters cavorting around the stage, inviting us to toss grapes into his mouth, while smashing bananas on his head. Then he solemnly proclaims: ‘I will perform my mental health.’

It is brilliantly refreshing to see a show that tackles child (and adult) mental health in such a joyous, silly, uplifting way. Starr conjures up the restless disorder of the ADHD brain, trying in vain to settle down to some work while distractions keep encroaching on his concentration, such as a power nap, a game of toss-the-paper-into-the-bin or a literal cuddly monkey joyriding a jeep across the stage. He is a disarmingly loveable clown who draws us into his chaotic world and straddles the divide between adult in-jokes and child humour (not always perfectly, but endearingly).

Above all Starr creates a safe, welcoming space in which mayhem is celebrated and kids with equally monkeyish brains can feel at home, joining in, shouting out and feeling the acceptance of a kindred spirit. (Lucy Ribchester)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 August, 11.30am.

THE LISTIES THE LISTIES ROFL llll l

The Aussies make the best children’s entertainers: fact. And it’s plain to see why, with the likes of Richard Higgins and Matthew Kelly, a double-act who take the art of being silly very seriously. There are no elaborate metaphors or set-ups, deeper meanings or agendas. The Listies ROFL is just rollicking fun; silly for the sake of a smile, the one thing most audiences could do with right now.

A simple set-up: it’s time for bed but Matthew wants to do everything but sleep, including watering the plants, some tidying and even a mini-panto adventure of Jack And The Beanstalk, complete with (very) low-budget pantomime cow.

Turning bedtime (every parent’s least favourite time of day) into what could be their highlight of the week, there’s a lot of rambunctious humour. The Listies ROFL embraces the scatological, the ridiculous and enough puns to fill a Christmas-cracker factory thrice over. (Dominic Corr)

n Assembly George Square Studios, until 18 August, 11.50am.

PICTURE: TERESA HARRISON

PICTURE:

THE NORTH WALL

ROSIE AND HUGH’S GREAT BIG ADVENTURE

lll l l

Truck-obsessed Rosie and her prickly friend Hugh set out on a mission with one goal: to make the summer holidays last FOREVER. A five-piece cast of top-tier talent carries us along an adventure filled with catchy songs that honestly seem too good to be in a children’s show. The show’s set up is modest but very effective, with some creative homemade costumes that add to its charm. Plucky Rosie and Hugh the very hungry hedgehog venture through a forest to find a witch that can grant them their wish. We bump into some cleverly created characters along the way, including a tap-dancing dragon, a very sensitive polar bear and a squirrel with a lisp. While the show remains entertaining and funny throughout for both kids and grown-ups, its strongest element by far is its original songs by CBeebies’ Nick Cope.

The entire soundtrack is played live by the cast themselves on ukulele, fiddle and guitar. With unreasonably catchy tunes that parents will honestly love, The North Wall could give some artists in the charts a run for their money. As well as its incredible music, this great big adventure is a heartwarming story of friendship that will delight kids. (Rachel Cronin)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 18 August, noon.

BRIDIE GANE & CATHERINE WHEELS THE LAST FORECAST lll ll

There’s huge joy to be found in a brilliantly conceived set, and Alisa Kalyanova’s retro-psychedelic haven, which forms the backdrop to children’s dance theatre piece The Last Forecast, is an absolute delight. Seventies-influenced orange-pink geometric patterns cover everything, from the walls to the picture frames. Even Gael (Shanelle Clemenson), the gecko-like creature who lives in this strange, isolated world, wears a camouflaging costume (designed by Alison Brown) of the same fabric.

The Last Forecast is a sweet, lovingly performed piece that takes the subject of rising water levels and climate change and forges a tender fable about community and hope. Into Gael’s unique solo world, where her only contact with the outside is via a radio, comes a human stranger (Kieran Brown). He makes himself at home, scrubbing the walls and floors, helping himself to Gael’s household objects, while she hides, cautiously assessing him from afar.

As the radio continues to broadcast foreboding weather warnings (in surreal shipping forecasts that capture the alarming strangeness of the situation without actually alarming children), Gael and the stranger gradually acknowledge each other. A simple, folksy dance is the symbol of their newfound kinship and the high point of the piece, as both performers revel in the joy of movement and music. The story is slight and each beat in it eked out perhaps a touch longer than needed. But the message is an optimistic one to give children: there is hope if we pull together. (Lucy Ribchester) n Assembly @ Dance Base, until 18 August, 1.15pm.

LES FOUTOUKOURS NOVA lll ll

Despite starring a pair of clowns, NoVa is an oddly serious show. Playing with themes of hope through on-stage lighting against a dark environment, Les Foutoukours offer an episodic ramble through spectacular acrobatic and juggling routines that are performed in a mostly sombre atmosphere.

The duo are clearly talented (the acrobatics are familiar but executed with precision) but their non-verbal exchanges fail to generate warmth, with the audience applauding politely more often than laughing. The mimed narrative is broad (shivering at bursts of cold, groaning in surprise at sudden, remarkable physical extensions) but the action meanders gently without picking up the pace or inviting empathy.

With a tinkling musical score that is underscored with melancholy, NoVa wanders around its themes but lacks dynamism or a sense of connection with the audience. The impressive routines are linked by the clowns’ vulnerable exchanges, but the production fails to focus its gentle energy. (Gareth K Vile) n Assembly Roxy, until 25 August, 3.45pm.

PICTURE: HOI KI CHAN

TRASH TEST DUMMIES

Let’s hope the Edinburgh refuse strike doesn’t go ahead or this show might seem a little misplaced what with its emphasis on bin nights and folk putting out their trash/garbage/wheelie bins.

n Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 24 August, 12.05pm.

THE SHOW FOR YOUNG MEN

A spot of choreography which highlights the need for men to look out for one another, with the two performers coming from different points on the age continuum.

n Assembly @ Dance Base, until 24 August, 5.30pm.

TWEEDY’S MASSIVE CIRCUS

He told his pals he was about to enter a proper Big Top, but that wasn’t quite the truth. Still, Tweedy may well have the tradclown hit of the Fringe.

n Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 21 August, 1.05pm.

BABY ROCK

This bilingual children’s musical (English and Spanish) is the story of Anastasia, a young girl who learns how to make a new friend regardless of language barriers and differences.

n C aquila, until 24 August, 10.20am.

KIDS HIGHLIGHTS

VENTRILOQUIST QUEEN

Her Majesty Queen Angelique-Monet of Eti-Oni (joined by her puppet Milk The Cow) hosts an interactive theatre piece with music, comedy, stories and, yes indeed, ventriloquism.

n Assembly George Square Studios, until 18 August, 10.55am.

THE ALPHABET OF AWESOME SCIENCE

Explosions and eruptions ahoy as Lexi Con and Noel Edge (you’ll work them out if you say them quite slowly) take us all on a thrilling escapade across the alphabet.

n Underbelly George Square, until 25 August, 12.30pm.

THE BUBBLE SHOW

Every kind of bubble you can think of will be aired here as Mr Bubbles unleashes a wonderful blend of magic, science and storytelling.

n Assembly George Square, until 25 August, 10.30am.

BALIMAYA PROJECT

The balafon (a xylophone-type instrument) and the kora (a kind-of harp lute) are among the items being brought to the fore as West Africa meets London for a celebration of diverse cultures and energetic sound. This supergroup have two vibrant albums in the bag, the most recent of which is When The Dust Settles, led by UK-based djembe player Yahael Camara Onono. (Brian Donaldson) n Queen’s Hall, 20 August, 8.30pm.

MUSIC

of faith Leap

Edinburgh’s St Giles’ Cathedral has witnessed much over the last 900 years, since it was founded in 1124 by King David I. Civil war and the Reformation may have put what was once John Knox’s parish church at the centre of history, but neither Knox nor the king could have foreseen Luminescence. This unique collaboration between internationally renowned Edinburgh-born saxophonist Tommy Smith and Russian émigré artist Maria Rud will see the pair improvise their responses both to each other and the building.

As Smith’s solo saxophone absorbs the cathedral’s acoustic, Rud will project her live paintings onto its stained-glass windows. The result should make for an ever-changing fusion of sound and vision that utilises the venue’s atmosphere to make something monumental. ‘St Giles’ is very much the third performer in the show,’ says Rud. ‘The architecture dictates what I paint and the acoustics are also very special. St Giles’ to me is like a different dimension; it’s almost like a portal. It has incredibly powerful energy, especially as we’re projecting directly onto stainedglass windows, so light is important as well.’

For Smith too, Luminescence is a liberating experience. ‘It feels like solo saxophone is the perfect instrument for St Giles’. It’s just a trip. I’ve played lots of solo concerts where it’s just been me, and I’ve had maybe 30 songs, and I just go from one to the other. But with Luminescence, I’m composing in the moment and I can see that Maria’s reacting to me,

With its distinctive crown steeple, St Giles’ Cathedral is a much-loved landmark on Edinburgh’s skyline. As Neil Cooper discovers, artist Maria Rud and sax king Tommy Smith are celebrating the cathedral’s 900th birthday with a unique cross-genre collaboration

and I’m reacting to her rhythmically.’ Rud’s previous live painting and music collaborations include Shamanic with Rezillos vocalist Fay Fife, plus members of Edinburgh band The Filthy Tongues and actor Rula Lenska, staged at Edinburgh University’s Old Quad. More recently, Rud teamed up again with The Filthy Tongues and actor Tam Dean Burn for Revelations Of Rab McVie in more conventional theatre spaces.

Rud and Smith first collaborated on Where Rivers Meet, a 2021 series of four concerts in St Giles’ that saw Smith playing with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra across works dedicated respectively to free-jazz greats Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman, Anthony Braxton and Albert Ayler.

Again, Rud projected her live paintings as the band played. Presented during lockdown, these events were filmed without an audience and broadcast online. As powerful as the films remain, it’s being there that counts. ‘I think the most important thing about Luminescence is that it is a live experience,’ says Rud. ‘It is very different to watching something on YouTube. It’s about the atmosphere we experience. That makes it something else, something unique.’

Luminescence, St Giles’ Cathedral, 15–17 August, 9.30pm; an exhibition of Maria Rud’s paintings (alongside sculptures by Ewan Allinson) runs at the cathedral until 24 August.

ATG PRODUCTIONS WHO DO YA LOVE? lll ll

There’s something irresistible about Who Do Ya Love?, a new jukebox musical about the life and work of Harry Casey (better known as KC of that there Sunshine Band). Maybe it’s the tunes: seriously, it’s disco banger after disco banger. Maybe it’s the camp: no spoilers, but be prepared to get wet and tick off your first roller-skates moment of 2024. Certainly though, it’s the talent and commitment of the cast of eight (huge by Fringe standards) who bring enough theatre-kid energy to this Edinburgh premiere to single-handedly power the rest of the fest.

Unfortunately, they’re slightly let down by a script that clunks in spots and seems to struggle internally about the darker parts of the decade and beyond; Casey’s dread of the draft, early closeting and losses are either skipped over or played for comic relief, so the excellent Fionán O’Carroll doesn’t have much to get his teeth into dramatically. A deeper dive into the darkness would balance the light. Still, from costumes to choreo, disco to divas, this is a glitterball of a crowd-pleaser with a terrific ensemble (particular props to Paige Fenlon as Dee) who are most definitely bringing the sunshine. (Jo Laidlaw) n Assembly George Square Studios, until 25 August, 4.50pm.

PAUL TAYLOR-MILLS & VICTORIA LANG SILENCE! THE MUSICAL lll ll

Finding the humour in serial killing and FBI procedure seems a tough call, but Silence! (subtitled ‘The Unauthorised Parody Of The Silence Of The Lambs’) races through the film’s plot with a lively set of musical numbers, impressive and comedic dance sequences and an uncanny ability to strip away the horror for laughs. The humour does descend into the crude at times (it’s very much a late-night show) but the energy of the ensemble cast and a balletic heroine manages to keep things light and playful. Bawdy and boisterous, it consistently aims for the easiest targets.

Hannibal gets to be his iconic sinister self, and cheeky nods to the absurdity of the production gloss over the suspect psychological simplifications of the source. There is no attempt to deconstruct the more troubling themes of the film, rendering Silence! a show that aims for fans of the thriller who are looking for broad humour and a few toe-tapping routines. (Gareth K Vile) n Underbelly Bristo Square, until 25 August, 11.15pm.

PAUL TAYLOR-MILLS I WISH

YOU WELL: THE GWYNETH PALTROW SKI-TRIAL MUSICAL llll l

The campest possible adaptation of the campest possible celebrity trial in history. A glittery musical adaptation of Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski accident court case, where she was sued by a 76-year-old man for allegedly crashing into him in 2016, this musical is fantastically ridiculous, with enough pop-culture references to feed an X fanatic for a year. What’s craziest about it, though, is that this story’s most unhinged elements were lifted directly from the actual trial (minus the music and choreography, obviously).

Selling candles that smell like her vagina, having to answer questions about Taylor Swift on the stand, and counter-suing an old man for a single dollar because she ‘lost half a day of skiing’: you can only imagine the field day musical-theatre fans were having with this much material to work with. And they don’t disappoint.

Our four-person cast includes a death-dropping judge, sexually confused lawyer, old man Terry (in fishnet tights) and, of course, our heroine. Performing against a Mount Rushmore backdrop featuring the many faces of Gwyneth in her different film roles, the cast bounce off each other, delivering a hilarious performance with comedic timing as strong as their vocals.

Gwyneth’s character is perfectly smarmy and her exaggerated Paltrow-esque mannerisms are painfully on-point. Terry’s lawyer, Kristen Fangirlen, is skittish and bubbly, and her solo songs add even more unserious backstory to this hour of pure stupid joy. In fact, it’s impossible to pick a favourite from this diamond cast, as each perform to an admirably high bar. With energy to spare, this celebrity spoof is a sheer pleasure to watch. (Rachel Cronin) n Underbelly George Square, until 26 August, 5.45pm.

PAUL TAYLOR-MILLS & SAM NORMAN COME DINE WITH ME: THE MUSICAL lll ll

It’s a truth universally known that the Channel 4 hit Come Dine With Me started out as a serious cooking programme which escalated into a bitchy rat race. In this musical hot take, we see the eyes, ears and brains of the show in the guise of a timid sound engineer, a camera operator and a fearless producer who alienates her crew in an attempt to hike up viewer numbers through controversial means.

To humorous effect, the contestants represent the Come Dine With Me archetypes: the snob, the vegan, the carnivore and the girl next door. Each of them presents their contrasting world views and culinary skills (or lack thereof) through distinct musical numbers. The conflict that ensues, however, isn’t between the contestants but the crew.

While you’ll spend the entire musical wondering when the skit about sore loser Peter Marsh and ‘sad little’ Jane will appear, this behind-the-camera view is enjoyable for anyone who has ever caught an episode. The TV show’s formula lends itself well to a Fringe hour, with a dose of sincerity and light comedic relief, without breaking any boundaries. (Rachel Ashenden) n Underbelly Bristo Square, until 25 August, 2.20pm.

KT PRODUCING A GIANT ON THE BRIDGE llll l

This big-hearted gig-theatre piece tells the story of people coming home after experiencing the criminal justice system. Weaving together songs with a solid narrative, it stands out both for its musicianship and the genuine nature of the tales being told, having been born of the Distant Voices project, which facilitated songwriting workshops in criminal justice settings.

There are five performers onstage, each sharing musical and storytelling duties. The music mostly sticks to widescreen guitar rock with folk elements, although the inclusion of hip hop and synth-pop keeps things interesting. Considering the performers are musicians, it’s perhaps not surprising that some of the monologue elements fall short dramatically, but there is always a rousing music number round the corner to pick things up.

While the show might not be uncovering any new truths, it is difficult not to be moved by how these songs came into existence. The early start time may put some people off, but those who do commit will be richly rewarded. (Sean Greenhorn) n Assembly Roxy, until 18 August, 10.40am.

This world-premiere musical explores the ‘un-factchecked’ story of gay besties, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. Discovering that sodomites are not in favour with the church, the pair try to play it straight in order to become famous artists. The show opens with a catchy number, ‘I Want To Be Your Renaissance Man’, which immediately draws comparisons to hit musical Six, with its combination of well-trodden history retold with witty, contemporary references.

The production feels unashamedly aimed at a young, queer audience, although some references are so niche that the majority of the (young, queer) audience don’t get them. Still, there’s plenty of laughs that do land, from songs such as ‘Don’t Be A Pick-Me Girl’ to the incessantly vaping pope, who listens to Machiavelli’s The Prince as a bedtime podcast. Although the reality of gay persecution is treated in a light-hearted way, the show is not overly sanitised, and certainly not family-friendly. Power bottoms, gay orgies and crude sexual punchlines (‘I want a man to fuck me and for God not to mind’) all get their share of the limelight.

Some of the set-ups are a bit tired, like the obligatory reference to the Mean Girls high-school cafeteria scene, though the show’s medieval take on this is fun: ‘those are the goths; they like gargoyles and pointy buildings.’ The story wraps up chaotically, trying to pack a lot into an hour. But this is an enjoyable (if not ground-breaking) show, packed with plenty of memorable tunes. (Rosie Castle) n Gilded Balloon Patter House, until 26 August, 6.30pm.

BLAIR RUSSELL PRODUCTIONS POP OFF, MICHELANGELO! lll ll

KÖ LN CONCERT 50

Nostalgia for freeform jazz fans as a classic gig is recreated: piano guru Keith Jarrett’s 1975 show in Germany which took the levels of that genre to fresh heights (yes, maths fans, next year is the actual half century). Dorian Ford takes on the job.

n ArtSpace@StMarks, 18 August, 8.30pm; 19 August, 6.30pm.

CAT POWER

We’re back in 1966 all over again as Dylan takes to the stage for one of his infamous ‘going electric’ gigs. Except here it’s this modern US singer-songwriter who gives us her own take on that night.

n Edinburgh Playhouse, 18 August, 8pm.

NADINE SHAH

Quite a year for this acclaimed Tynesider with a supporting role on Depeche Mode’s excellent tour plus strong chart action with tunes from her Filthy Underneath album

n Queen’s Hall, 22 August, 8.30pm.

FIRE IN MY MOUTH

Conducted by Marin Alsop, the Philharmonia Orchestra help tell the tale of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 New York. This is the UK premiere of an impassioned elegy.

n Usher Hall, 21 August, 8pm.

MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS

THE GREATEST MUSICAL THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN

Quite a claim this, but it’s being made by Matt Haughey in character as one Randy Thatcher in this musical which takes on issues such as heartbreak and intergalactic warfare.

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 August, 4.40pm.

OCEAN COLOUR SCENE

A Summer Sessions all-day gig revelling in late 90s nostalgia. The Britpop bluesy Brummies are joined by contemporaries Republica, Alabama 3 and Reverend & The Makers (plus relative whippersnappers The View) for an assuredly big one.

n Royal Highland Centre, 17 August, 2pm (doors).

SHOWTIME

Amelia (or is it The Master?) presents a one-person musical which explores the overworked life of a true artist. All of it takes place in a warped version of the Kit Kat Club.

n C aurora, until 25 August, 7.45pm.

HERE & NOW SHOWCASE

England comes to Edinburgh with a full programme of work created in Birmingham, Nottingham, Gateshead and London specialising in drag, installation, multimedia, performance and sound. Among those bringing theatrical work to the Fringe are Wet Mess, Luca Rutherford (pictured), Patrick Ziza and Krishna Istha with major topics being tackled such as gender, identity, neurodiversity, race, empowerment and queerness. (Brian Donaldson) n Dance Base, Summerhall, Pleasance and Zoo, 19–25 August.

GREY CASTLE PRODUCTIONS IS THE WIFI GOOD IN HELL?

Join 12-year-old Dev on a decade-long coming-of-age journey as he strives to get out of his sleepy seaside town and make his way to London, navigating what it was like to be gay during the 2000’s. Along the way we meet prominent figures from throughout Dev’s life including best friend Ang, plus Bobby, Luke and Barney. There are blasts from the past for millennials (and older): Bebo, Jane Norman bags, Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Boom Boom Pow’, foundation on lips.

As the play progresses, we witness Dev realising he is gay, hiding his sexuality, then coming out, experiencing Tinder and the big city’s gay clubs. The show is a rollercoaster of very raw emotions, moving seamlessly from one part of Dev’s life to the next, offering a true insight into the growing pains of a teenage boy coming to terms with his sexuality in the ‘dystopian wasteland’ of Margate. (Robyn Bell)

 Underbelly Cowgate, until 25 August, 12.40pm.

NEW DIORAMA THEATRE

LYNN FACES

 

Leah has just had a break-up and formed a band called Lynn Faces with her friends. None of them can play any instruments properly, but that doesn’t matter; they’re a punk band (even if one member isn’t sure what that means) inspired by Alan Partridge’s downtrodden assistant Lynn Benfield. And now, on the eve of Leah’s 40th birthday, the band’s doing its first gig and we’re the audience watching the awkward performance unravel.

The band gets big laughs as we watch them fumble their way through a series of poorly rehearsed songs with titles like ‘Snazzy Cardigan’, ‘Sex Fingers’ and ‘Snazzy Cardigan Part Two’. But the real meat of the story comes between songs, as the banter back and forth slowly reveals more about Leah’s relationship with her ex, Pete.

Writer Laura Horton told a sensitive story in Breathless, her previous (award-winning) outing at the Fringe, and Lynn Faces treads similar ground. There’s a serious story of coercive control here, framed by absurdity which doesn’t always quite land. It strikes a hopeful note, touching on how to take back power, and while the ending feels rushed, leaving us wanting to know more about Leah rebuilding her confidence, we get the feeling that she’s got this. (Lauren McKay)

 Summerhall, until 26 August, 7.35pm.

BRONZE BOY PRODUCTIONS THE BRONZE BOY

When gun law meets the art world, the survivors take no prisoners in Nancy Hamada’s play, which looks at the long-term side effects of a school mass shooting on a mother and a best friend left behind. Artist Taylor Kriss deals with the trauma by making a fivefoot-high bronze sculpture of her best friend Jessie to keep his memory alive. For Jessie’s grieving mother, TV actress Fedelis Spector, the sculpture is a memorial that gives her comfort as it graces the living room which her son once inhabited.

When Taylor wants to hitch a ride with bronze Jessie from New Jersey to Chicago, where it will form part of her debut exhibition, the pair end up on an epic road trip that will put them all in the spotlight. Especially as Taylor’s swag includes a bag full of 50 guns, one each bought with ease from every state.

This set up makes for an at times comic trip that in Todd Faulkner’s production comes on like a cross-generational Thelma & Louise, with Nicole Greevy’s Fedelis sparring with August Kiss Fegley’s Taylor in a way that sees them find enough common ground to heal as they embark on their adventure.

A word too for the finished artwork itself, an interactive multimedia installation that is a genuinely thought-provoking idea that wouldn’t look out of place in a real gallery. Here, it becomes the all-too-pertinent punchline of a movie-in-waiting, delivered with wit and style without ever losing sight of its serious intent.

(Neil Cooper)

 Greenside @ Riddles Court, until 24 August, 3pm.

by Maariya Khalid

SORA BAEK

SELL ME: I AM FROM NORTH KOREA  

ROAST PRODUCTIONS CYRANO

Virginia Gay’s lively script redeems the long-nosed gallant from toxic heteronormativity. Deconstructing the chorus into a lively trio of actors seeking their moment, and gender-swapping Cyrano, director Clare Watson explores a dramaturgy that subverts the masculine expectations of Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac.

This Cyrano is a delicious whirl of theatricality: predictable paths of performance are parodied, as the chorus reminds the actors that even balcony scenes have particular rules. Gay’s Cyrano dominates the stage, stripped of the source’s machismo while clinging to their tenderness. Roxanne has wit and charm and agency, to the extent that her fascination with Yan, the boneheaded glamour boy, feels as shallow as she admits it to be. Unlike Rostand’s Roxanne, she is a fine match for Cyrano.

The script initially refuses to flinch at the most troubling element of the plot. When Cyrano provides Yan with the words to seduce Roxanne, her failure is that she denies Roxanne informed consent. Suddenly, darkness enters into the fantasy and the lovers are rendered asunder. This provides a moment of tension, which is rapidly removed with a cheery song.

Yet the ease of the reconciliation is a misstep, a refusal to follow through on the script’s subversive reading of the romance. With so much to admire, from the ensemble’s ability to work as a unit while also imbuing their performances with individual panache, to the rapid pace and the witty banter, it flounders to find a convincing redemption without brushing off the serious issues it exposed. (Gareth K Vile)

 Traverse Theatre, until 25 August, times vary.

North Korea is a mystery to most of us, a place of propaganda and false idols shrouded in secrecy. In a bid to pull back the curtain, South Korean-born, New York-based performer Sora Baek created ‘Jisun’, a 15-year-old girl desperate to defect from North Korea to China. Jisun may not be real, but her character is an amalgam of many actual North Korean women who face the everyday hardships of life under a dictatorship.

Wearing the typical school uniform we see in parades (one of the few sights the ruling Kim family is happy to share with the world), Baek is the picture of innocence and hope. Watching her mother in pain and with no access to medication, she puts herself forward to be sold. Apparently, a man in China will pay for her if she promises to cook, clean and ‘lie next to him and under him’. Jisun’s perilous journey is expertly told, aided by photographs of North Korea’s ‘supreme leader’ and other iconic images, with twists and turns as her plans fall apart.

Baek, whose own father defected from North Korea, has an engaging stage presence. And as we hear about constant hunger, fantastical lies (‘Christians will give you food to make you fat, so they can eat you’), paranoia about not worshipping the Kim family enough, and the confusion defectors face when everything they’ve known to be true proves otherwise, North Korea emerges less mysterious but far more troubling. (Kelly Apter)

 Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 August, 12.35pm.

JULIE FLOWER GRANDMA’S SHOP

Julie Flower’s exploration of her eccentric grandmother, based around the excavation of hoarded stock in her local shop, seems to speak to Flower’s childhood ambitions to be both actress and historian. The format imitates a series of presentations at a family history club, with Grandma providing a mildly provocative biography that includes supporting other eccentrics, refusing to conform to marital conventions and creating a space in 1980s Sheffield for community to thrive. Flower takes delight in relating her discoveries (at times, she seems to race through the story, almost stumbling in her enthusiasm) but she builds up both a sense of era, through sage musical choices, and the matriarchal personality. Her investigative process is explained, while her childhood memories support her adult reflections, capturing the wonder of her grandmother and arguing that history need not be merely the listings of great men: it exists within extraordinary lives lived within the ordinary. (Gareth K Vile)

 Gilded Balloon Patter House, until 26 August, 12.20pm.

PLOTNEK PRODUCTIONS REVENGE: AFTER THE LEVOYAH llll l

Written by Nick Cassenbaum and directed by Emma Jude Harris, Revenge: After The Levoyah is hilariously fast-paced and packed with energy from start to finish. Set in Essex and following twins Lauren and Dan, the play examines the fallout from allegations of antisemitism made against Jeremy Corbyn in 2018. We witness the ramifications on the Jewish community, watching the twins spiral, eventually deciding to kidnap Corbyn with the help of some former gangsters.

The dynamic pair cycle through a multitude of characters, creating the sense of a much-bigger ensemble; an impressive feat from only two actors. Each character is instantly recognisable once introduced, but a screen on the side of the stage running through the script is a helpful addition to the set, especially with faster lines. Comedic timing is spot-on and there’s not a moment when the cast don’t have the audience’s attention, which can become slightly overwhelming especially when the stakes begin to increase.

Revenge: After the Levoyah ingeniously satirises the intergenerational fear held by Jewish people when the threat of an antisemitic leader presents itself, and the sense of having to take matters into your own hands. Deftly navigating the confusion propagated by the media, its farcical nature makes for an absurdly funny watch. (Alekia Gill) n Summerhall, until 26 August, 3pm.

CLOCKFIRE THEATRE PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA lll ll

Hailing from Sydney, Plenty Of Fish In The Sea is an absurdist fantasy not easily forgotten. If you’re looking to inject a bit of obscurity into your Fringe, this is the show for you. A madcap yet perfectly syncopated journey through the seas, involving a French nun, a woman who doesn’t speak and a castaway’s obsession with fish, the story is guided by an unknown yet very real (at least during this performance) religion. As the sailors on stage lose their inhibitions and revel in their desires, this strange world creates an inexplicable and skillfully choreographed 45 minutes of wonder.

Stuffed with surprise, oddly sexy and extremely silly, the actors’ brilliant and sincere performances are delivered with perfect timing, a knack for tickling very odd funny bones and a completely unhinged crescendo. Although the narrative has its limits, you will be thoroughly entertained: don’t expect answers, just enjoy. (Rachel Morrell) n Assembly George Square Studios, until 24 August, 11.25am.

3HAMS 3HAMS ll lll

Directed by Billie Aken-Tyers, 3HAMS puts a tongue-in-cheek spin on self-image and eating disorders. The play places its two characters, best friends Max (Charlie Traisman) and Ry (Makena Miller), into a fleshy dreamscape inside their collective mind. Central to the drama is an ominous glowing ham which forces the pair to confront the trauma at the core of their friendship. The viewer is taken on a whistle-stop tour through the pair’s struggles with eating and body image. 3HAMS bounces between serious discussion of trauma and light-hearted skits that satirise pervasive social manifestations of eating disorders. While delivering on a sense of psychological chaos, this back and forth is a little disorientating and damages the coherency of the main conflict between Ry and Max.

Traisman and Miller exhibit an energetic and entertaining stage presence, engaging well with the audience and never missing a beat. The writing, however, leaves something to be desired, with some subjects brought up and never resolved, while others are expressed with the subtlety of a reversing HGV. 3HAMS is certainly entertaining and delivers wackiness in spades but this comes at the cost of the seriousness we’re expected to attribute to its more sober moments. (Oscar Lund)

n Just The Tonic At The Mash House, until 25 August, 2.25pm.

PICTURE: ALEX BRENNER

PICTURE: GEOFF

review of the issue

Hailed as a feminist trailblazer, Germaine Greer’s attitude to the trans community is less worthy of admiration. Ugly Sisters revisits a key encounter between Greer and a trans woman in what Dominic Corr praises as an urgent piece of theatrical experimentation

When Germaine Greer’s The Female Eunuch was issued in America, a trans woman approached Greer and thanked her for all she’d done ‘for us girls’. Piss/ CARNATION’s Ugly Sisters explores the contradictory relationship between Greer’s pioneering genius for feminism and her derision of trans women. It embraces the unsightly, the broken and the powerful in a fluid fight to express, without outright attacking Greer’s transphobic positions, showing Greer more empathy than she has offered to the trans community.

Ugly Sisters asks the audience to allow themselves to be drawn into a cacophony of turmoil and intimate passion emerging from creative expression and cabaret. It opens (without ruining things) violently though comedically in a twisted manner.

In 1989, Greer quoted the trans woman who approached her in a follow-up article, ‘On Why Sex Change Is A Lie’, a degrading piece which reduced the trans woman to a non-entity in ‘flapping draperies’, a puffy green number which makes frequent appearances in Ugly Sisters. Various sensationalist quotes from the article are projected onto the back of the set throughout the performance. The crux is to repeat the opening encounter of Greer and the trans woman, time and again, with varying angles and outcomes, the pulsating sound design

and discombobulating lighting growing more volatile. Each sense is challenged in the one-hour performance, creating a space that is fervent and stylish as award-winning writers and performers Laurie Ward and Charli Cowgill’s choreographed storytelling ripples in moments of pathos-ridden absurdist vigour to give this unnamed trans woman agency.

Through urgent scenes, Ugly Sisters builds on the impact of being seen by someone you admire, exploring the betrayal once they step beyond a first encounter. Threading fauxQ&A, intimacy and a smattering of audience participation, Ward and Cowgill’s thought-provoking expression of art, absurdist as it may be, gets over every intended beat, ensuring the audience knows it’s okay to be an ally but not grasp every intricate detail.

There are no apologies here. Ugly Sisters plunges verbatim theatre into the ruthless outskirts of performance art and alternative body-comedy. For this alone, it does more than most to express itself and make its intention and identity clear, never backing down.

For those who resonate with this intense psychedelic grapple of sisterhood, transphobia and femininity, it’s a rare, stimulating form of expressive alternate theatre.

Ugly Sisters, Underbelly Cowgate, until 25 August, 6.30pm.

‘A PERFECTLY PROGRAMMED HIGH-ART THEME PARK RIDE’

EXEUNT MAGAZINE

STRANGE WORLDS UNFOLD INSIDE SHIPPING CONTAINERS

31 JULY - 26 AUGUST

PLEASANCE POTTEROW PLAZA

A journey through two worlds and two realities

TERRACE

An 80’s inspired choose your own path experience

RACHEL E THORN ME FOR YOU

Holly (Rachel E Thorn) and Alex (Elizabeth Hope) completely capture the audience as we navigate their new relationship, from initial affair to joining Extinction Rebellion to having a baby. What appears on the surface to be a play about love, Me For You explores one of the biggest issues of our time: climate change.

Holly is desperate for a baby but does she want to add to the over-population of our planet? She’s also joined Extinction Rebellion; Alex is unsure about this decision, but to keep Holly happy, she signs up too.

The characters connect by talking directly to the audience at points, and what starts out as a bit cheesy and comedic, progressively gets more serious, real and raw. It’s a show that leaves quite the impact as it navigates difficult issues. Thorn and Hope confidently convey a couple in love and the lengths they are willing to go to for social justice. (Robyn Bell)

 Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 August, 6.10pm.

PULPO ARTS AC COMALA, COMALA

How many Fringe shows begin with a shot of mezcal? Not enough, frankly. But so the immersive experience of Comala, Comala begins, a show deeply rooted in Mexican storytelling traditions. Entirely performed by musicians doubling as actors, the company interpret Juan Rulfo’s famous book Pedro Paramó (a favourite of Gabriel García Márquez).

The show is bookended by English sections which help distinguish our protagonist Juan’s journey to and from the ghostly town of Comala, where he meets a series of spectral characters from the past while on the hunt for his long-lost father. While the Spanish sections come with handy surtitles, these occasionally fell out of sync at this particular performance and made some sections of an already knotty narrative hard to follow. Nevertheless, the show’s original folk compositions are charming and the transportative stage design makes us feel like we’re in a rustic cantina in rural Mexico.

Vocal performances are also strong and the interplay between the characters, particularly the older members of the cast, are soul-filled. There’s no doubt that being familiar with the plotline of Pedro Paramó before entering will increase your enjoyment of this hour but those looking for a hit of Latin American culture will be well served. (Megan Merino)

 Zoo Southside, until 25 August, 5.15pm.

ADAM RICHES JIMMY

Switching comedy for the (tennis) court, Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Adam Riches makes his Summerhall debut with Jimmy, a solo performance about one of the greatest sporting comebacks in history. Despite being in the theatre section of the Fringe programme, Riches is still lobbing the jokes high, smashing punchlines down with full force.

Through the 70s and 80s, Jimmy Connors was among the greatest tennis players on the planet. But by 1991, he’s getting crushed by the younger brother of his nemesis. Age has caught up with the now 39-year-old player, an age considered practically decrepit in tennis years. In a play which rattles the cage of ageing, we rewind the clock and find Connors in his prime. Riches showcases an enviable physicality to sell the sporting elements but opens the performance with sincerity as we see Connors grappling with his professional shelf-life. The physicality and pacing are mesmeric as Riches ricochets around the space, with full credit to the tech booth who synchronise each thwack and slice with pin-point sound effects, never missing one of Riches’ returns as they replicate live tennis matches.

Riches’ comedic delivery, unsurprisingly, shines and there isn’t so much audience interaction, as jostling, with adrenaline pushing Riches’ into breaking the stage boundary as the swaggering alpha-male mentality of the role leaks out in explosive moments. Jimmy has the scent of a victorious performance, though that might just be Riches’ sweat. (Dominic Corr)

 Summerhall, until 26 August, 9.30pm.

PICTURE: OLGA KUZMENKO

PICTURE: PAULINA CHAVEZ

LOUISE ORWIN

FAMEHUNGRY

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Louise Orwin’s multimedia set-up in Famehungry is an interesting gimmick, but nothing more. It loses its novelty quickly by her inability to contribute anything new or interesting to the over-dissected issue of social media culture. Unable to give us a reason as to why we should be concerned, the show simply elicits feelings of apathy.

A fourth wall is created by Orwin’s phone screen as she livestreams the show. But she appears to be far more concerned with the audience on TikTok, quickly creating a sense of boredom in the room. It begs the question, why buy a ticket when you can watch the livestream from the comfort of your home and get as much out of the experience?

She provides a general glimpse into the struggles of creators as they try to cut through the online noise, but it’s difficult to care enough to sympathise, maybe because Orwin actively censors herself, thereby failing to convey any real meaning. Famehungry’s ‘criticism’ of social media is as shallow as the trends Orwin performs. If our attention is a currency that everyone is competing for, Orwin fails to hold it. (Katerina Partolina Schwartz) n Summerhall, until 26 August, 4.15pm.

NORMAN BOWMAN & FRANCES RUFFELLE THE SCOT AND THE SHOWGIRL llll l

With so much fiction being enacted across the Fringe, it’s nice to see something based on reality. Or as Norman Bowman and Frances Ruffelle put it, ‘true(ish)’. The musical theatre stalwarts first met 24 years ago during a chance encounter at Edinburgh’s Waverley Station. And while the set-list may not reflect their relationship exactly, at least we know these love songs are being sung by actual lovers.

Bowman has played the lead role in many a West End musical, Ruffelle most notably was the original Eponine in Les Misérables, both have a packed CV and fine musical theatre pedigree. So we know they can deliver a tune with character and flair, injecting humour or pathos as required. What The Scot And The Showgirl needed to do to keep things interesting was curate a song list with a sense of flow, without treading a well-worn path.

Happily, it does both. Some numbers will be more recognisable than others to the average person on the street, but chances are musical theatre die-hards will recognise every line. Cleverly charting a relationship from first meeting to rocky patch to falling back in love, we bounce from Stephen Sondheim to Cole Porter, Burt Bacharach to Ira Gershwin, and even The Proclaimers. There’s little in the way of anecdotes (although these two must have more than a few juicy tales to tell), but enough humour in the between-song banter to keep the room lively. And a chance to see Ruffelle sing her Les Mis classic ‘On My Own’ is not to be sniffed at. (Kelly Apter) n Pleasance Dome, until 26 August, 3.50pm.

ZOË BULLOCK & LOUISE OLIVER GRACIE AND THE START OF THE END OF THE WORLD (AGAIN) lll ll

An immortal jellyfish, inspired by romantic vampire stories, who conspires to destroy all life on earth: it certainly makes for an unconventional protagonist which ultimately confuses this show’s environmental message. Gracie’s initial love for humans, because of their stories, is replaced by a savage hatred. Through jokes about reproduction, hive minds and comic conventions, the plot concludes with Gracie observing the first stirring of new life after the apocalypse.

The lightness of the dramaturgy and the wit of the script never quite grapple with the seriousness of the theme: the nuclear destruction seems almost an aside in Gracie’s self-obsessed journey to fulfilment. The show is filled with memorable incidents (animals sabotaging humans, a tragic death, an idyllic romantic interlude) but the ideas are never allowed to develop. The spectacular jellyfish costume and a winning performance from Zoë Bullock aside, the production ultimately offers an episodic script with an unsure message. (Gareth K Vile) n TheSpace @ Niddry Street, until 17 August, 1.20pm.

PICTURE:

PALI & JAY

An immersive theatrical deck battle as our spinning heroes reach a crossroads in their career. Can they ever get higher than being Southall’s 19th best DJ duo?

n Assembly George Square Studios, until 25 August, 8pm.

LORENZO

Ben Target reprises his joyous hit from 2023, the true story of how he dropped all career ambitions to care for an irascible octogenarian.

n Pleasance Dome, 16–25 August, 1.20pm.

ALL THIS MUST PASS

Aurelia Gage brings us the story of a woman traveling through time discovering people both good and bad as she faces the prospect of being a ghost in someone else’s story.

n TheSpace @ Venue 45, 19–24 August, 12.35pm.

CHEMO SAVVY

A moving tale for sure as Grant Stott, Jordan Young and Gail Watson pay tribute to their late pal Andy Gray as we join a family that’s been hit by similar circumstances.

n Gilded Balloon At The Museum, 15–24 August, 7.40pm.

THEATRE HIGHLIGHTS

MY ENGLISH PERSIAN KITCHEN

Fresh starts and even fresher herbs embellish this tale by Hannah Khalil of a woman who attempts to recreate the dishes of her childhood while trying to make a life for herself in a new homeland.

n Traverse Theatre, until 25 August, times vary.

BORN IN THE USA (LEAVING VIETNAM)

The Trumpian MAGA slogan is ripped to shreds in this play set in the Michigan rustbelt as a war veteran realises that such empty phrases hide the real truth. n C alto, until 25 August, 4pm.

HOUSE OF LIFE

Sheep Soup usher us into a holy(ish) location where a new kind of worship takes place. This half-sermon half-party aims to heal you through music and joy. n Underbelly Cowgate, until 25 August, 8.55pm.

1 2 festival hot shots

The International Festival has done it again with their secret Up Lates. Introducing trumpet legend Wynton Marsalis with an incredible band for the first of two special nights (next one is 16 August, 10.30pm), EIF director Nicola Benedetti expressed some suspicion that word may have sneaked out that he was appearing.

Comic Stuart Laws did a whole online bit during lockdown in which he impersonated Michael Caine being directed by Christopher Nolan in saying ‘nevah’ to Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne. Now he’s doing it at Monkey Barrel Tron for a whole hour (22 August, 11.30pm) with very special guests playing Bale and Nolan.

Brian De Palma's 1987 crime movie The Untouchables gets an airing at the Film Festival (Inspace, 18 August, 7pm), with a cast helmed by Robert De Niro. Let’s face it, either before or after the November election, how many of us want to see Bobby go head-to-head with Trump in some mad celebrity boxing bout? 1 2 3

PICTURE: ED MOORE