The List Festival Week 1

FESTIVAL DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Welcome

‘Shiver me timbers, is it nearly that time already?’ I’m not sure any of us could encapsulate the looming excitement of another Edinburgh Festival better than Tony Mills has done with this opening gambit in his Festival Mouthpiece (and it also serves as a timely reminder that we need more pirate-speak in the mag). To say that this issue is jam-packed is quite the understatement and there are brilliant articles and amazing interviewees that won’t make it into this brief introduction. However, there’s no way we could bypass our cover star, Camille O’Sullivan aka the undisputed queen of the Fringe. We met her in Dublin to talk (and talk) about all the icons of music that she’ll be paying humble and glorious tribute to in the first half of August. Noticing an intriguing number of siblings heading our way, we had some things to ask two sets of them: Jessie and Bebe Cave, and sketch twins Patrick and Hugo McPherson. No doubt looking in the mirror every morning to remind themselves who they are, we heard from Diana Vickers, Adam Riches and Emma Sidi about the living, breathing celebrities they’ll be portraying soon.

We also explore the worlds of Brazilian dance, Ghanaian art, Italian quick-change artistry, Persian cuisine, a Scottish indie supergroup, and Australians doing a variety of endeavours (you can’t say this Festival isn’t international). And there’s also plenty going on for fans of improvised comedy, Frank Sinatra, Scooby-Doo inspired musical theatre, monkey japes, the Cold War and drag bingo. Hold on to your tricorns, people, it’s going to be a blast.

Brian Donaldson EDITOR CONTRIBUTORS

CEO Sheri Friers

Editor Brian Donaldson

Art Director

Southam

Designer Isabella Dalliston

Brian Donaldson, Carol Main, Claire Sawers, Dom Czapski, Eve Connor, Fiona Shepherd, Gareth K Vile, Haneen AlEid, Isy Santini, Jay Richardson, Jo Laidlaw, Kelly Apter, Laura Davis, Lucy Ribchester, Marissa Burgess, Matthew Hayhurst, Megan Merino, Murray Robertson, Neil Cooper, Rachel Ashenden, Rachel Cronin, Rebecca Crockett, Sean Greenhorn, Tony Mills, Zara Janjua

The unforgettable true story of one son, a DNA test, and 35 half-siblings

Patron’s Pick

Toronto Fringe Festival 2023

Best of Fringe

Toronto Fringe Festival 2023

Mouthpiece front

Shiver me timbers, is it nearly that time already? August is around the corner and we are looking forward to curtain up on the 2nd of the month. It has been an immense privilege to hold the responsibility for curating the Dance Base Festival 2024 in partnership with Assembly. The programme is a result of many conversations, smooth and tough negotiations, video calls, industry stalls, seeing shows, and a few highs and lows. I’ll take this moment to thank the whole Dance Base team and partners Assembly in bringing this together.

This year we will continue to do what we always do and bring the world to Dance Base. You can discover performances from 16 countries and 29 companies/artists, presenting shows from classical Indian to dance-meets-sculpture. It is an eclectic mix with something for everyone. A few highlights include Australia’s Lewis Major bringing some sumptuous work in collaboration with Russell Maliphant, a dance and drum odyssey from Ireland’s Jessie Thompson, powerful solo work from Singapore in the shape of Nak Dara by Hasyimah Harith, a dialogue between Man & Board from Scotland’s Rob Heaslip, and a chance to get lost in limbs with Palingenesis from Taiwan. Loads of other great work

Dance Base artistic director Tony Mills believes the potential for dance to happen is in the air around us. Enthused by the eclectic programme his Grassmarket venue hosts this August, he urges us all to be moved by movement

is also on show, so make sure you pick up a brochure. And if you get itchy feet watching a performance, you can join us in class. We will present a regular programme of public and professional classes and workshops from local and guest teachers.

As well as international artists, we’ll be presenting 11 Scottish dance artists, from emerging to established makers and those who are part of the Made In Scotland showcase. The Fringe remains a valuable platform for artists’ visibility and industry engagement. We will continue our partnership with the British Council to deliver the Industry Hub, supporting showcase and Fringe partner events, pitches and meetings.

I like to think of dance, or the potential for dance to happen, as always being present in the air around us. Under the right conditions it emerges. Sometimes this can be due to what is taking place in our environment and how that makes us feel: a response. And when you see that response in someone, it can resonate with you because the body can speak. If we allow ourselves, we can naturally understand it. This programme is also in part a response. And I hope that when you come into Dance Base, you can encounter different perspectives on (our) shared experiences and most of all be moved by movement. This is what I believe dance can do. Have a great Festival!

n Assembly @ Dance Base, 2–25 August, dancebase.co.uk

In this weekly series, we ask Edinburgh Festival veterans which shows or performers have touched their hearts or pushed their buttons. For the opener, campaigning comedian Mark Thomas tells us which things . . .

Made me cry: Paines Plough’s Every Brilliant Thing which is back again at Roundabout @ Summerhall, performed by Jonny Donahoe. Probably more well-known for his work in the musical-satire duo Jonny & The Baptists, Donahoe is an astounding performer, playing a child remembering things that made him happy while facing his mother’s attempt on her life. I saw it three times, and each time ended up with a mote in my eye. What made the show was Jonny’s interaction with the audience as they helped read out each brilliant thing from notes around the theatre. Gorgeous.

Made me angry: The cost of the Festival makes me furious. The venues have to pay more to rent the spaces, the performers have to pay more, and inevitably this impacts the audience. The Airbnb takeover in Edinburgh should be answered with mass squatting. Venues that don’t pay their staff the living wage should be banned from the Fringe Society’s programme. The greatest arts festival in the world being milked by wealthy chancers: that pisses me off.

Made me laugh: Major Tom by Victoria Melody. Vic is an amazing performance artist but don’t let that put you off. In this show, she put her dog (a Basset Hound called Major Tom) and herself through the beauty-pageant wringer. She has funny bones has Vic; assisted by Major Tom live onstage, she is fantastically funny.

Made me think: I loved seeing Dear Home Office. Barely a play, initially, it was a group of unaccompanied 16-yearolds who had fled various terrors from around the world to end up here. Working with Phosphoros Theatre Company, they created and performed the stories of coming to Britain and living through the care system. What was fantastic was seeing the people tell their own stories and show a world that is unknown to most of us. Absolutely unique. Made me think twice: Ed Edwards wrote a play called The Political History Of Smack And Crack. I came out of it at the Roundabout and said ‘that was the best thing I have seen in years’ and a voice behind me said ‘I wrote that’. That is how Ed and I met. He is a remarkable writer who grabs big social changes and sweeps of time, and places beleaguered people in that world. It’s a play about addiction and how it has been allowed to happen. And, of course, I got to work with Ed Edwards a few years later with England & Son. I’m a lucky chap.

n Mark Thomas: Gaffa Tapes, The Stand, 31 July–25 August, 6.30pm, 26 August, 1.15pm.

the festival insider

WEIRD PIC OF THE WEEK

This snap is definitely in the once-seen-it-can-never-be-unseen category. There’s obviously a serious and sensible side to this show about sexual attitudes in modern Britain. But still . . . what we have here is a puppet receiving oral sex from another puppet.

 The Sex Lives Of Puppets, Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–25 August, 9.30pm.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Festival people choose the one Edinburgh show they’re most excited about. First up: Sophie Duker

Nadine Shah said she made her latest album after her head ‘fell off’. And to be fair, I’d probably risk the guillotine if it gave me pipes like her. I’ve definitely indulged in the hyperactive, bratty fun of the Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter ‘Espresso’fuelled Chappell Roan-naissance trend in pop music over the last little while. But the aching, twisty beauty of Nadine’s voice in Filthy Underneath shows that sometimes a deep, dark drink of epic sound mixed with intoxicating vocals is exactly what you need. By the last week of this Fringe, I expect a lot of us will have lost all pep and be feeling messy, maudlin, perhaps slightly unhinged. I need this performance to decapitate me, then put me back together again.

 Sophie Duker, Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–25 August, 7pm; Nadine Shah, Queen’s Hall, 22 August, 8.30pm.

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

Before we unleash you into the contents of this first Festival issue, we’re taking a 34-year trip down memory lane to see what was causing a stir at the beginning of August 1990. On the cover was Welsh theatre company Volcano who performed a post-punk play based on Tony Harrison’s controversial poem ‘V’. Equally notorious was our chainsmoking interviewee Denis Leary whose No Cure For Cancer was set to cause a big stink that summer. We also shone a spotlight on the explosion of Japanese theatre in Edinburgh, and took a closer look at the Film Festival’s premiere of The Big Man starring Liam Neeson and Billy Connolly.

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

playLIST

Silly season in Edinburgh is upon us so it’s only right that we match the vibe with our equally eccentric and occasionally tangential soundtrack. Hear songs by Sinéad O’Connor, Nick Cave, Basement Jaxx, Fleetwood Mac, Frank Ocean, Queens Of The Stone Age, Björk and several others.

Scan and listen as you read:

KEITH BRYMER JONES

DAVID O’DOHERTY

National Winner of Scotland’s Outstanding Festival 2023*. 250+ music, comedy, literature, wellbeing and exploration events across 10 days in North Berwick.

Heaven sent

A master of interpreting other people’s songs, Camille O’Sullivan is turning her attention to singers no longer with us, among them her good friend Shane MacGowan. Kelly Apter headed to Dublin and met the talkative Fringe queen who reflects on the huge impact Edinburgh has had on her life and how she embarked upon capturing the essence of much-loved performers after their death

Asmall dog is squirming around in my lap, overexcited, highly entertaining and unable to keep its mouth shut. Qualities which, in the nicest way possible, could also be ascribed to its owner. I’m sitting in a car driven by Camille O’Sullivan, who has generously picked me up from Dublin airport. We’ve stopped for coffee, bought provisions, collected the aforementioned puppy, and are now heading to her back garden for some chat about this year’s Fringe show, Loveletter. And at no point has she stopped talking.

‘I could talk for Ireland,’ confesses O’Sullivan, as we settle into chairs and let the puppy loose. We’re surrounded by boxes and the usual chaos of packing up a home, as O’Sullivan prepares to move house. She’s dwelled here for over 20 years but a new life beckons across the city with her long-term partner, the actor Aidan Gillen, and her daughter Leila. Again, much like the dog, our surroundings reflect their owner. O’Sullivan jumps from subject to subject like a butterfly landing on flowers, and the result is just as beautiful. Her stream of consciousness is unfiltered, fascinating and refreshingly honest, both in her back garden and when she’s standing in the spotlight.

Celebrating her 20th year at the Edinburgh Fringe, O’Sullivan looks back with fondness at her debut performance and the opportunities it opened up. ‘It was a small journey from Ireland to Scotland but psychologically it was the biggest step I’d ever taken in my life as a performer,’ she recalls. ‘I hadn’t realised what a shop window Edinburgh is. I remember thinking at the time “don’t ever forget this because it will be a big

CAMILLE O'SULLIVAN

moment in your life”. But I didn’t know how big, and that it would take me all over the world and back.’

This Fringe, she’ll be digging deeper into her emotional reserves than ever before. Known for stunning renditions of songs by the likes of Nick Cave, Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf, her new show turns its attention to singers the world (and, in some instances, O’Sullivan in particular) has loved and lost. Paying tribute to David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Shane MacGowan and Sinéad O’Connor, Loveletter will feature a catalogue of songs that capture the essence of these beloved performers.

‘Singing somebody’s songs when they’ve passed is really different to singing them when they’re alive,’ says O’Sullivan.

‘With their passing, the songs take on a different meaning; they become like living hymns and you see them in a clearer way than you ever did before. They created some of the best songs I’ve ever heard in my life and all I want to do is gift them back to the audience.’

As much an actor as she is a singer, O’Sullivan has the capacity to make you hear and experience songs in a different way. She may perform other people’s work, but to call her a covers singer would be akin to calling Michelangelo a painter and decorator. Accompanied by long-time collaborator and talented musician Feargal Murray, she takes the lyrics and sentiment of a song and makes it her own, while paying endless respect to its originator.

Since her first appearance in 2004, as part of the La Clique cabaret, O’Sullivan has become a regular fixture at the Fringe with more than a few tales to tell. Not least the time she was electrocuted on stage but carried on regardless (she jokes that the band only knew there was something wrong because she’d stopped talking for a whole minute). This time around, the emotional vulnerability and openness she conveys on stage will be even more personal, due to her connection with those involved.

honour,’ she says. ‘I was also terrified because I was thinking “don’t mess this up”. But Feargal said “just remember you’re saying goodbye to your friend and that’s all you need to do”. There was such a feeling of love and joy in the church but I was scared I was going to forget my words, and there was a moment when I was about to burst into tears. Then I looked at the coffin and I thought: what would Shane do? “Haunted” was so beautiful to sing and that’s why it has to be in my show, because it will always conjure up that memory.’

David Bowie’s death in 2016, on the other hand, rendered O’Sullivan voiceless. She recalls singing ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide’ on stage the night before and travelling home afterwards planning to investigate Bowie’s back catalogue further. ‘The next morning he died and I couldn’t sing,’ she says. ‘He was my big thing when I was growing up; I loved him and thought I was gonna marry the man. I hate social media, but I went on to Facebook and it was wonderful for moments of connection, with people sharing stories and everybody saying how lovely he was. So I thought of doing a show about him, but I couldn’t. What’s funny is that now I’m finally ready and my agent says “Camille, the world and its mother has already done Bowie”. But I’ll do unknown songs.’

When O’Connor died last summer, O’Sullivan found solace in discovering the singer’s more recent output, which she had previously been unaware of. ‘Sinéad was a very complex girl,’ says O’Sullivan. ‘I didn’t know her as well as I knew Shane, but she was very kind and very funny. It was a real comfort to listen to her songs after she died and all of them were great. I hadn’t listened to them before because I was a stupid fool and just thought, well, those were the hits. I wish I had listened to them and I wish I’d known how great she was after the late 80s and 90s. It’s unbelievable what she wrote and everything was autobiographical.’

In December last year, she joined Irish music royalty (and some Hollywood stars) at MacGowan’s funeral, where she sang The Pogues’ 1986 single, ‘Haunted’. O’Sullivan had known MacGowan since 2000 when she first joined him on stage in Dublin to sing Kirsty MacColl’s part in ‘Fairytale Of New York’.

She later went on tour with The Pogues (‘anarchy but amazing’) and remained good friends with MacGowan until the end, visiting him in hospital just a few days before he died. ‘I felt very blessed to sing at his funeral because it was such an

Although O’Sullivan was already well versed in MacGowan’s material, she also found comfort in seeking out lesser-known recordings to inform her setlist in Edinburgh. ‘I had listened to all of Shane’s stuff before but it was so lovely listening to different versions. And that’s what I did with Bowie and Leonard Cohen, too. I spent ages listening to recordings and interviews, trying to discover something more. I went into a kind of deep study, just listening, listening, listening.’

Research may play a part in what O’Sullivan delivers on stage, but it’s her capacity to absorb the pain, sadness and wit which a songwriter imbues in their work, then share its

CAMILLE O'SULLIVAN

universality with the audience that makes her so special. So by the end of Loveletter, we’ll not only feel entertained and moved but perhaps know the soft underbelly of these musical giants a little better.

‘Both Shane and Sinéad’s songs have heartbreak in them in some way. Even when she was being tough, she was vulnerable; her fierceness was heartbreaking. So was Shane’s, because even though he was all bluster, how else can you write “A Rainy Night In Soho” or “A Pair Of Brown Eyes” or lines in “Fairytale Of New York” like “I could have been someone”? So I want to take some of the words out of the songs and just say them. Because people may know the lyrics and have heard them 5000 times, but I’m just going to take a sentence and land it, and go “that’s the man.”’

Camille O’Sullivan: Loveletter, Assembly Roxy, 31 July–17 August, 9.35pm.

‘A PERFECTLY PROGRAMMED HIGH-ART THEME PARK RIDE’

EXEUNT MAGAZINE

STRANGE WORLDS UNFOLD INSIDE SHIPPING CONTAINERS

31 JULY - 26 AUGUST

POTTEROW PLAZA

A journey through two worlds and two realities

SIBLING RIBALDRY

Sisters Bebe and Jessie Cave have worked separately and together in showbiz for many years, and even cropped up as flatmates for one scene of BBC’s financial filth fest Industry. At this year’s Fringe, Bebe is in the theatre section with a one-woman character piece about a 1930s Hollywood star, while Jessie has a stand-up solo show about anxiety and couples’ therapy while also doing some workin-progress shenanigans with Alfie Brown. This related pair kick off our siblings special by answering questions about comedy idols, a successful August and Nick (no relation) Cave

Can you tell us about a childhood memory you have of the other one being really funny or saying something really funny?

Bebe: When Jessie was a teenager, she wanted to be a children’s TV presenter and so she decided to film a demo reel on her camcorder. I was her ‘guest’. I was maybe five or six. She filmed us in her bedroom decorating gingerbread men and then she tried to sound really adult as she frantically ripped them out of my hands mid-icing and produced some others she ‘made earlier’. Then she filmed me jumping on the trampoline for a bit while she shouted moves I should do. I’m not sure what segment of Blue Peter that would be.

Jessie: It’s less one thing and more how amazingly compliant Bebe was to all my mad ideas. I forced her into so many awkward sketches. In my first Edinburgh show, I made Bebe hide inside a cardboard Wendy house for the first ten minutes, so when she came out it was a nice surprise. Often, I would run offstage in a panic having forgotten my lines, and Bebe would be onstage alone, looking out of the cardboard house, with a brilliant, confused and scared face, and it would get the biggest laugh of the whole thing.

Who were your childhood comedy idols and why did you love them so much?

Bebe: I was obsessed with Amanda Bynes from The Amanda Show. She was such a good actress with such lovely shiny hair, and it was really inspiring seeing a young girl play the comedic lead in almost all of the sketches. I also thought she lived on the set and I was curious about how she was able to fall asleep with a whole live studio audience sitting there.

Jessie: I was instantly enamoured with Jennifer Aniston and Jim Carrey. Jennifer because she was so natural, and Jim because he created characters that had (and still have) never been seen before. My brothers and I would do Ace Ventura impressions. My kids are now old enough to watch Friends, and I’m so glad to be able to relive my discovery of Rachel Green though them.

Who are your comedy idols now and why do you love them so much?

Bebe: Julia Louis-Dreyfus! She’s my idol. Her performance as Selina in Veep is the best thing I’ve ever seen. Her timing and delivery are perfect

and surprising every single time. She manages to be evil and relatable in a single breath. And I think that’s really all we can aspire to achieve in this life.

Jessie: I don’t have many, if any, but that’s only because my free time is limited right now and I mainly watch shows that are appropriate for 9 to 12-year-olds. However, I think that Claudia Winkleman should have done stand-up, and will always watch anything that Sarah Silverman puts out there.

What’s the most profound/memorable/inspirational thing your sibling has said about the art of comedy?

Bebe: Cut out the boring bits and focus on the funny parts.

Jessie: What’s the point if you’re not enjoying it?

Please give us five words to describe each other’s comedy

Bebe: Whimsical, colourful, bizarre, profound, artistic.

Jessie: Wonderfully abstract, profound, emotional, goofy.

Please give us five words to describe your own comedy

Bebe: Desperate, actress, afraid, of, death.

Jessie: Honest, strange, hopeful, carefully considered.

If you had a chance to say just one thing to Nick Cave, what would it be?

Bebe: I wish we were related. That would be very cool.

What would constitute a successful 2024 Edinburgh Fringe for you?

Bebe: No sprained ankles and no major mental breakdowns.

Jessie: My kids having a good, active summer holiday, seeing me enjoy my work and helping me along the way.

The Screen Test, Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–26 August, 3.10pm; Jessie Cave: An Ecstatic Display, Assembly Roxy, 31 July–26 August, 12.45pm; Jessie Cave And Alfie Brown Share A Work In Progress, Just The Tonic At Cabaret Voltaire, 1–25 August, 5pm.

TWINS SPEAK

Jo Laidlaw speaks to brothers born on the same day (aka twins) who also just so happen to be equally funny and talented. The McPhersons discuss mucking about on a TV quiz show while wondering if we’re currently riding a wave of silliness

Self-billed as the tallest, most identical comedians at the Fringe, twins Patrick and Hugo McPherson certainly do their best to live up to that description. At 6ft 7” tall (that’s just over 2 metres, metric fans), the helpful addition of a pair of specs and slightly different hairdos are essential to tell them apart as they appear over a joint Zoom link. Identity-swapping twin-style japery is off the menu though. ‘We went on Pointless a few years ago and thought it would be great to switch name tags,’ recalls Patrick. ‘But no one found it funny, because only we knew.’

It’s the third year out for self-penned sketch-show-with-music Pear ‘Patrick first performed at the Fringe in 2017,’ says Hugo. ‘I was in the wings gently knocking at the door, wondering when we could have a go at it together. We planned to come up in 2020, and obviously covid happened, but that allowed us a lot of time to work on the script. We had our first crack in 2022 and went from there.’

McPherson fans (and there are many given they regularly sold-out last year) shouldn’t expect a repeat: Pear has been completely rewritten. ‘This is our freest, loosest, silliest hour yet,’ says Patrick. ‘Over the last couple of years we tried to structure a lot of stuff, but this year we’ve taken the shackles off and are trying to have as much fun as possible.’

Everyone knows the twin-based clichés: finishing each other’s sentences, secret languages, even telepathy, but what’s it really like to be the McPherson twins? ‘It’s more like editing each other’s sentences,’ explains Patrick. ‘Hugo might say something and I’ll pick it up and improve it. We’ve done that for ages. It can be a lot, but for writing

comedy it’s great; not so much twin telepathy as two streams of consciousness constantly trying to improve the other . . . it’s a dynamic that’s immensely enjoyable, though at times frustrating for others.’

It’s safe to say that comedy is currently in its silly era; both put this down to a post-covid impetus to get back to bare-bones humour and unashamedly daft characters. ‘We hope we’re on a wave of people wanting escapism, where they walk out and say “that was really fun,”’ explains Patrick. Has that meant changing their schtick? ‘We’re leaning into our USP, which is twins,’ he adds. ‘We are, in some ways, a walking freak show, so we lean into that and don’t think “hey, the people are coming for our intellectual satire.”’

Naturally, Hugo agrees. ‘Hopefully everyone wants to see two massively overly tall twins doing silly stuff. But even if they don’t, that’s what we do best. This year, it’s about throwing it back to what we want to do.’

Pear, Underbelly Cowgate, 1–25 August, 7.20pm.

Relatively speaking

Aparna & Ashwini Ramaswamy

Sisters (and brothers) are doing it not so much for themselves but with each other at this year’s Festival. Here are four more duos we uncovered

Not all siblings manage to stay in showbusiness for the long game, but Jesus And Mary Chain gang of two, Jim & William Reid (Edinburgh Futures Institute, 14 August, 6.45pm) definitely prove to be the exception. Which is not to say they haven’t had their moments and they’ll be discussing some of those at the Book Festival in conversation with Nicola Meighan. Hopefully this event will last longer than their notorious truncated early gigs.

Knowing the beauty of a tight 60 minutes is a Flo & Joan forte given they have a very respectable number of Fringe hours on the CV now. This year, sisters Nicola & Rosie Dempsey are branching out a little with One Man Musical (Pleasance Dome, 31 July–25 August, 7pm). That man was recently announced as being George Fouracres, he of Globe Theatre and sketch-trio Daphne renown. Aparna & Ashwini Ramaswamy make their duet dance debut with Ananta, The Eternal (Assembly @ Dance Base, 13–25 August, 1pm), a spiritual piece from these experts in Bharatanatyam, the oldest classical dance tradition in India. In town but far from joined at the hip are stand-up bros and online sensations (do people still say that?) Paul & Mark Black The latter delivers The Drink. The Drugs. The Scratchcairds. (Gilded Balloon Patter House, 31 July–13 August, 9pm) while the other one is up to All Sorts (Gilded Balloon Patter House, 16–25 August, 8pm). And the dates have been arranged very neatly so that they can go and see/heckle each other.

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

KEEPING IT REAL

What have former top civil servant Sue Gray, tennis champ Jimmy Connors and controversial candle creator Gwyneth Paltrow got in common? A) they’re alive and B) they’re appearing at this year’s Fringe (sort of), portrayed by Emma Sidi, Adam Riches and Diana Vickers respectively. Claire Sawers caught up with this talented trio to find out the pros and pitfalls of portraying a living, breathing person

No, Emma Sidi assures me, she did not have a crystal ball when she wrote a show about former civil servant Sue Gray. Character comedian Sidi had zero clue that a UK general election would be called for July, let alone that Labour would win. We’re chatting the morning after the vote, and Gray is now chief-of-staff to the new Prime Minister. Suddenly Emma Sidi Is Sue Gray has added appeal. Gray isn’t the only person in the spotlight getting the Fringe treatment this year: alongside homages to Joan Of Arc, Kurt Cobain and Frank Sinatra, look out for shows about still-living famous folk too, including Donald Trump, Dolly Parton and the drummer from Slade.

Sidi, who performed in Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge Live: Stratagem and will appear in the new Taskmaster series, thought there was something inherently funny about Sue Gray, an enigmatic woman who found herself at the heart of British politics after conducting the Partygate investigation which helped oust Boris Johnson.

‘She has this boring name, yet her career trajectory is bizarrely exciting,’ says Sidi. ‘My character is a loveable hun, a basic bitch who knows what’s bollocks and calls it out. But she’s also a heart-over-head person, a hopeless romantic, overly taken in by charisma.’ Sidi is very inspired by Steve Coogan’s writing and acting process and just spent the week filming Channel 4 drama Brian And Margaret with him. ‘He acts from the inside out, which is why he is so good at both drama and comedy. It has to ring true. He’d try eight versions of a joke before settling on a punchline. He’d say “Alan wouldn’t say that”. He makes these fully formed characters that don’t exist.’

Sidi’s portrayal of Gray will not be an impersonation; it’s a satirised invention that she thinks Gray would approve of. ‘She’s like the office colleague you’ve known for years; followed all their ups and downs, their awkward romantic and sexual trysts. When Sue reminisces about Rishi Sunak, it reminds me of pointless ex-boyfriends I’ve had.’

An imagined scene where Gray finds it enchanting as Sunak pretends to make an office stapler talk will be safe from any libel claims too. ‘UK parody law is amazing,’ says Sidi. ‘We have a fantastic, democratic set-up here: it’s why Spitting Image or Dead Ringers could exist.’

Over at Summerhall, Adam Riches will be darting about a court playing Jimmy Connors, the American former tennis number one. The comedian is making the shift into theatre with Jimmy, his one-man show about Connors who was ‘raised by women to conquer men’.

‘People like him fascinate me,’ says Riches, who watched an ESPN documentary about the sportsman and became drawn in by the story of an overbearing mother, ageing champion and historic comeback. ‘He’s a really unlikeable guy; crude, aggressive, fanatically competitive. His mother and grandma created this weapon, full of anger. He brought that fire to the court. But

watching him struggle, feel humiliated: that’s when we can identify with him. I can’t play tennis but I know what it’s like to die onstage. To not feel simpatico with industry politics. There are chimes I could find in my life.’

Riches has famously lampooned Sean Bean and Daniel Day-Lewis in the past, but says this role is less about an exaggerated, comedic performance. ‘In a dramatic setting there is more responsibility to have some accuracy. But also the play is speculation based on my thoughts, my readings. My body shape isn’t the same; I’m taller, he’s stockier, so I have to adjust my physicality to stand more like him, more hunched. I think my version of his accent is respectable but it’s a challenge to keep all the plates spinning. I’m not an impressionist. I zero in more on his tough-ass attitude.’

Diana Vickers is choosing to put her own stamp on portraying Gwyneth Paltrow in I Wish You Well, a musical based on the A-list actor’s infamous court trial about a skiing accident (curiously, Awkward Productions are bringing us Gwyneth Goes Skiing, their queer drag musical about the same case). Vickers found fame on The X Factor before starring in a West End version of The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, where she impersonated Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. To prepare for playing the actor-turnedbusinesswoman, Vickers watched a lot of YouTube court footage and analysed Paltrow’s mannerisms. ‘She’s very minimal. Quite a smug smile, very slow and considered. She looks calm, confident and a bit exasperated, like “why are we all here? This is ridiculous”. I speak with my hands! She keeps them in her lap. My energy is more manic. Maybe I’ll have to meditate before I go onstage; burn a Goop candle and get my dressing room smelling like a vagina.’

With choreography by former Strictly judge Arlene Phillips and featuring big singing numbers, Vickers is hoping the show will draw in her LGBTQIA+ fans. ‘The show is a big camp farce, so it’s silly and satire, me tarting about with my gay followers!’ She’d love for it to transfer to London after Edinburgh, and even New York where she thinks it would go down well. As for celeb takes, Vickers is tickled at the thought of a Fringe show about herself one day (‘The Rise And Rise Of Diana Vickers, Please, Not The Fall!,’ she jokes).

The singer has had her own tribute acts too; she loved it when she was sent up by drag act Bailey J Mills after her X Factor fame. ‘I absolutely adore Bailey. I find them absolutely hilarious. Obsessed. We chat all the time now. They had the back-combed hair; they made it so ridiculous and funny.’ Reflecting on that period in her life, Vickers recalls ‘I had the concealer on my lips; I was a caricature of myself. It was real hun culture; it was 2008. Now we all look back on that time and laugh.’

Emma Sidi Is Sue Gray, Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–25 August, 4.15pm; Jimmy, Summerhall, 1–26 August, 9.30pm; I Wish You Well: The Gwyneth Paltrow Ski-Trial Musical, Underbelly George Square, 31 July–26 August, 5.45pm.

SPIN DOCTOR

Acclaimed in their home country, Brazil’s Grupo Corpo have been making dance for almost 50 years. Ahead of the company’s latest Edinburgh visit, choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras talks to Lucy Ribchester about the musical icons and religious practices that have inspired their double bill

Founded in 1975, Brazilian contemporary dance troupe Grupo Corpo now has over 40 choreographies in its repertoire. So when it came to selecting a programme for this year’s Edinburgh International Festival (their first visit since 2010), lead choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras was spoilt for choice. High on his list of priorities was work that had not yet been performed in the UK. But he also wanted to present pieces that reflected the dance troupe’s ethos: to showcase Brazilian culture and the diversity of Brazilian bodies. With this in mind, he settled on Gil Refazendo and Gira: the former an ode to iconic Brazilian composer Gilberto Gil, the latter a passionate homage to the spinning rituals of Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda.

‘Gilberto Gil is one of the icons of Brazilian music,’ says Pederneiras. ‘His music is very vibrant, with strong Brazilian roots, reflecting a rich blend of rhythms and styles. We had long wanted to collaborate with him.’ Gil has been a key figure in Brazilian music since the 1960s, known for blending samba and bossa nova styles, as well as his politically charged lyrics. He was involved over the years in music activism (even landing in jail for nine months after the country’s 1964 military coup) and later served as Brazil’s Minister for Culture.

Gil Refazendo was created a couple of years ago by the troupe to honour Gil’s 80th birthday. Working alongside Corpo’s artistic director Paulo Pederneiras (brother of Rodrigo), the choreographer used Gil’s music as a springboard to shape the dance, reflecting both the music’s moods and its political themes. ‘I aimed to reflect Gil’s energy through the choreography, while Paulo designed an incredible set featuring 400 sunflowers,’ Pederneiras

says. ‘We filmed these sunflowers continuously for weeks as they wilted, and then reversed the footage. During uncertain times, this served as a symbol of hope: the flowers appeared to come back to life.’

The Refazendo of the title translates from Portuguese as ‘remaking’ and refers to the fact that the piece itself has been reborn since its first incarnation. In 2017, the company created a work simply titled GIL, but for some reason Pederneiras felt it wasn’t living up to his expectations. Then when covid hit, the ‘tragedies, pauses, reversals, reflections and numerous upheavals’, as he describes them, made him bring it back out for a rethink. Global turmoil had cast new light on the piece’s social themes. ‘We had a deeper understanding of our objectives,’ says Pederneiras. He went back to the studio with it and tried again, refining the details while keeping the emotional integrity of the work intact.

The second half of the double bill turns to another cornerstone of Brazilian culture: spirituality. Gira, says Pederneiras, is built around the ceremonies of Umbanda, a 20th-century Afro-Brazilian religion which Pederneiras describes as ‘syncretic’ (comprising different beliefs and practices). Umbanda is one of Brazil’s most widely practiced African-derived religions, and brings together elements of African faiths, Catholicism, spiritism and indigenous beliefs. ‘It centres on spiritual healing, mediumship and communication with spirits,’ Pederneiras says, ‘including Orixás [minor Gods who trace their roots back to the Yoruba religion] and ancestors.’

The piece’s title comes from the Portuguese word ‘girar’, which means ‘to spin’. Spinning holds particular significance to Umbanda practitioners, performed by mediums to bring them closer to trance states, or to allow

them to connect with spiritual energies. ‘This ritualistic spinning serves to intensify their spiritual connection, enabling them to receive messages from spirits, offer healing and provide guidance to participants seeking spiritual assistance,’ says Pederneiras.

As with Gil Refazendo, an original score was composed for Gira, this time by São Paulo-based jazz group Metá Metá. While composing, the band came up with the idea of paying homage to the Orixá Exu, the most human-like of the Orixás, known both as a trickster and as a master of movements.

‘At that point, I had little knowledge about the Orixás and the Afro-Brazilian religions they represent,’ says Pederneiras. He dived into the culture, ‘immersing’ himself in its universe, and the more he learned, the more his fascination grew. But he still had the dilemma of how to capture the essence of the religion’s movement style, while acknowledging he was working in the secular setting of a theatre. ‘It’s essential to acknowledge that these rituals are sacred and intended for their own sacred spaces,’ he says. ‘Gira is a powerful creative work, inspired by these rituals, but presented in the contemporary dance context. It does not seek to narrate a story or replicate religious practices. Instead, this performance should be appreciated solely as an artistic expression.’

Ultimately, Pederneiras hopes the programme goes some way to presenting a flavour of the group’s core mission: to recognise and share Brazilian culture. ‘Both physically and culturally, these works feed into the group’s ethos by exploring and celebrating fundamental elements of Brazilian heritage.’

Grupo Corpo, Edinburgh Playhouse, 5–7 August, 7.30pm.

Other boys & girls from Brazil

Boys & Girls from Brazil

Across the various festivals are the sights, sounds and words of a vibrant nation

‘Mandolin or bandolim’ sounds like one of those weird rounds you’d get in a Reeves & Mortimer gameshow. But here, the former is the instrument imported by Brazil from Portugal and which was then turned into the latter. And now it’s played in virtuoso style by Hamilton de Holanda (The Hub, 9 August, 7.30pm) as he merges choro with jazz for this International Festival gig.

In residence at the EIF between 14–17 August are Ilumina, the São Paulo-based ensemble who advocate for inclusivity and aim to provide world-class music training for everyone. During their stay, they lay on a very special gig (The Hub, 15 August, 8pm)

As part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival comes Literary Brazil (Edinburgh Futures Institute, 15 August, 2.30pm) ahead of Rio becoming 2025’s World Book Capital. Renowned authors Jeferson Tenório (The Dark Side Of Skin) and Itamar Vieira Junior (Crooked Plow) will be guiding this event.

Over at the Fringe, Brazil-born Vivian Allvin welcomes us into Ulysses In Babel (C alto, 12–18 August, 9.30pm), a theatre piece about languages based around the ancient Greek myth, while jazz band Pitchblenders (Valvona & Crolla, Fridays & Saturdays, times vary) bring us a French, Spanish and Brazilian programme including some hot bossa nova.

PICTURE: JOSE LUIZ

PEDERNEIRAS

Jeferson Tenório

Ilumina

It’s a very precious thing that we’re all sharing

Improvised sketch shows and made-up musicals form a sizeable chunk of the Fringe comedy programme every year, yet receive way less respect than their stand-up, character and sketch peers. Isy Santini talks to critics and ad-libbers about improv’s poor reputation and the sheer thrill of making things up on the spot

At the Fringe, it feels like there’s an improv show for everything. Want ad-libbing rhymes about the past? Check out What If History? by Impro Poet. Desperate for a dose of medic-centric silliness? Get yourself admitted to St Doctor’s Hospital. After some on-thespot routines about bad relationships? We’ve got Incognito Improv’s Toxic. On top of that, you can also sample the likes of Murder, She Didn’t Write, Shamilton! The Improvised HipHop Musical and MC Hammersmith with The MC Stands For Middle Class

But despite improv being a Fringe mainstay, it’s often ignored or labelled as cringey and lazy. ‘There is a big amateur improv scene, so I think improv can get bracketed with amateurism,’ says Brian Logan, The Guardian’s comedy critic. ‘There is to some degree a sense that it’s not quite high enough up the cultural food chain to deserve our attention.’

Though it may conjure up images of awkwardness and amateurishness, there is as much variety in improv as in any other genre; perhaps even more so due to its limitless possibilities. The team behind Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, for example, create a new musical every night from scratch, from orchestrations to choreography. ‘One of the things we tried to do

PICTURE: LAURENCE WINRAM

PICTURE:

STEVE

ULLATHORNE

Making it up as they go along (main page): Showstopper! (clockwise from above) Shamilton, St Doctor’s Hospital, MC Hammersmith, Paul Merton and Suki Webster

from the beginning was to make it really look and feel like a musical, not look and feel like improv,’ says Showstopper! co-creator Adam Meggido.

Other shows at the Fringe lean more towards the traditional, focusing on short-form games and skits. Paul Merton returns to the Fringe this year with Paul Merton And Suki Webster’s Improv Show, which promises all-new games and big-name guests such as Mike McShane and Kirsty Newton (established members of Merton’s Impro Chums group).

Student team Blind Mirth also bring us a new short-form show, A Guide To Disappointing Your Parents. Blind Mirth’s Finn Bender is quick to highlight that even short-form improv is extremely diverse. ‘There’s this connotation of “it’s all the same” and I think that’s actually really bad for improv comedians because we all function differently.’

Comedy collective Ladies Who Ranch are making their Fringe debut this year, and they like to play up the goofiness by spinning a big wheel filled with audience suggestions. Ladies Who Ranch member Sophie Zucker also feels that their status as an all-female collective ultimately sets their improv apart. ‘I don’t want to say “boys be improvising like this and girls be improvising like this,”’ she laughs. ‘But I do think we bring an equally wacky but less bulldozey approach to improv. We love to play weird women, women in pain, women suffering.’

Zucker has felt the dismissal of improv even in her native New York. ‘There was an era where improv used to be the thing that you saw young comics do, and if they were good at it then they could go on to have a career in the industry,’ she says. ‘Now it feels like it’s become so ubiquitous as a tool that people don’t see the art of improv as something that can translate into critical acclaim.’

Bender, meanwhile, has noticed that critical reactions vary depending on the type of improv and the group performing it.

‘Snobbery against student theatre is a big part of it,’ he insists, while also conceding that short-form, games-based improv shows can be difficult to review. ‘Shows with a continuous narrative lend themselves to critics better because you have a baseline of “can these comedians make up a story in the slot they’re given?”’

But to some extent, all improv presents a similar problem for critics. How do you review a show that’s different every night? ‘One conventional part of reviewing is giving a flavour of what the audience is likely to experience: the content of the show,’ explains Logan. ‘You would do so in a different way with improv and I can understand why some reviewers might give it a swerve.’ But, he says, that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. ‘You find yourself describing the technique: how they do things, the formats.’

Meggido agrees that improv can be fairly reviewed. ‘When you go to review an improvised show, you’re not reviewing the show, you’re reviewing the group. I appreciate it’s tricky for the reviewer,

but then also I don’t care,’ he quips. Logan has his own theories as to where dismissive critical attitudes towards improv might come from. ‘At its best, it’s a threat to some of the ways that we think about cultural production and art in this country. Because we’re a Protestant country, we’re deeply attached to the idea that good things can only be achieved by hard work, so the idea that people can walk onstage and pluck something profound, creative, funny and moving out of thin air is very threatening. It’s also threatening to the consumerist model in the sense that usually the creation of art ends with an artefact that can be sold, whether that’s a play or a work of art. Improv doesn’t fit into those consumer-capitalist models.’

In Logan’s view, though, that’s exactly what makes improv so great. ‘You know that in that room only that audience will ever have that experience; it’s a very precious thing that we’re all sharing fleetingly.’ Not all improv performers believe the genre does get a bad rap, however. ‘I’ve never encountered any critical snobbery,’ says Meggido, who has been with Showstopper! for 15 years. ‘The element that’s unfortunate is sometimes when a reviewer doesn’t understand improv and has made comments and associations that just aren’t researched and aren’t backed up.’

Paul Merton has much the same view. ‘If there is snobbery, I’m not aware of it myself,’ he says. With a career spanning decades, Merton remembers a time when improv was far more ostracised than it is now. ‘There was a certain reluctance from stand-up comedians back in the 80s to give it any credence because they thought “well you’re just making stuff up. We have to write and work and rehearse, and all you do is turn up and do it!” But, of course, that’s a skill if you can make it work.’

Improv may be difficult to review and its uniqueness may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Merton is of the opinion that it doesn’t really matter. ‘A review can be useful of course, but as long as the audience are enjoying it and you’re enjoying it, that’s the key thing. In a sense, you get an instant review; you do something you think is funny, and if the audience don’t laugh, then you know it’s not funny.’

Showstopper!, Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–25 August, 5.30pm; Ladies Who Ranch, Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–12 August, 11.05pm; Blind Mirth, theSpace @ Niddry Street, 19–24 August, 8.05pm; Paul Merton And Suki Webster’s Improv Show, Pleasance Courtyard, 9–19 August, 3.30pm.

PICTURE:

JUAN CARLOS

Plucking it out of thin air: Ladies Who Ranch (above) Murder, She Didn't Write

EVERY WEEKEND DESERVES A FRESH MIX

DO HO SUH

The concept of ‘home’ is a recurring theme across Edinburgh Art Festival this season, and here the Korean artist gives us his particular take on that notion. Through immersive installations, paper sculptures, watercolours, prints and thread drawings, Suh considers whether home is a place or a feeling. Born in Seoul but a resident of America since the early 90s, Suh is in a unique position to ponder that question.

(Brian Donaldson)

n National Galleries Of Scotland: Modern One, until 1 September.

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

image: Koji Hatakeyama, Patinated bronze boxes, 2024

Objects sometimes whisper, and Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama is interested in translating what they say. Mahama’s artistic roots trace back to his grandparents’ ‘peculiar’ home in Accra, Ghana’s capital, where a mechanic’s workshop became his childhood playground. ‘I used to play in these cars,’ he recalls. ‘Some of the scars on my body are remnants of those days.’ This early immersion in a world of cast-off materials and repurposed objects would profoundly shape his artistic vision.

With his new place secured as an internationally acclaimed artist, Mahama approaches his craft with a deep sense of civic duty. ‘When you live in this part of the world,’ he explains, ‘you cannot just live and make art away from the society that you live in because of its history and also precarity.’ This philosophy infuses itself into Mahama’s work, which, while often abstract in appearance, is firmly anchored in social and historical realities.

One of the first materials Mahama began collecting was jute sacks. ‘I was interested in the history of the material in relation to the history of labour, commodities, globalisation, the movement of things and how that goes a long way to shape and affect, let’s say, local women who live in these areas,’ he says. His interest in that material stretched beyond its initial purpose; he studied how it was repurposed after carrying cocoa and its relationship to the history of Ghana’s post-independence era. In a monumental installation, Mahama draped entire buildings with these repurposed sacks, transforming urban spaces into vast, textured canvases.

‘It is very important to do work that reflects the society you live in,’ Mahama insists. ‘Not in an illustrative way, but more in a very poetic sense of trying to connect different histories, because a lot of the conditions that we have now are a result of accumulated conditions over time.’ Mahama’s creative process requires patience. This is secondary to his fascination with materials and objects. Whether it is a fabric that has trapped the smell of fish or medic stretchers deployed during WWII, objects have fascinating pasts. ‘Normally when you’re making a painting, you are trying to influence a canvas, to shape it into something, but these collected materials have already been shaped by themselves.’

His first-ever solo exhibition in Scotland, Songs About Roses, takes its title from a powerful song by the late Scott Hutchison which told of revolution, renewal and truth. Staged at Fruitmarket, Mahama reflects on the impact of rail, drawing inspiration from Edinburgh’s Waverley station (which the gallery perches above) and Ghana’s now-defunct colonial-era railways. He presents drawings, videos, sculptures and archival material to explore the transportation of iron and the migration of Ghanaians south to build railway stations, asking his audience if a colonial object or enterprise can re-inspire our imaginations towards new forms of thinking.

Ibrahim Mahama: Songs About Roses, Fruitmarket, until 6 October.

Inside track

In a near-perfect synergy of venue and subject matter, Ghana’s Ibrahim Mahama is staging his first-ever Scottish solo show at Fruitmarket, a gallery which sits above Edinburgh’s Waverley station. As Haneen AlEid discovers, Mahama uses the prism of railways to shine a light on postcolonialism and its impact

CHRIS OFILI

THE CAGED BIRD’S SONG llll l

Home is very much at the heart of Manchester-born Chris Ofili’s monumental tapestry that forms the centrepiece of Dovecot’s summer exhibition. Ofili’s seven-metre-wide mix of classicist myth and contemporary stylings is drawn from the Turner Prize-winner’s adopted Trinidad residence. This first Edinburgh showing of a work commissioned by London livery institution, The Clothworkers’ Company, is making a prodigal’s return to the space where it was created over almost three years, between 2014 and 2017, by a team of five weavers at Dovecot Studios.

The result across the work’s three panels finds a man and woman in repose in a fantastical island Eden. While the man plays guitar, the woman is fed cocktails from on high as birds sing in the trees. While figures at either end suggest some kind of intervention, there are also references to Italian footballer Mario Balotelli as well as the Trinidadian pastime of keeping caged birds.

The tapestry itself is the culmination of a series of displays charting its evolution, from Ofili’s original watercolour and charcoal painting through the meticulous processes leading to the finished artwork. A documentary for the BBC’s Imagine strand did something similar, and although not included here, is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

First shown at the National Gallery in London before taking up residence at the city’s Clothworkers’ Hall, this welcome stop-off in Edinburgh is a rare chance to witness the powerful result of a truly collective collaboration that looks at the possibilities of freedom. (Neil Cooper) n Dovecot Studios, until 5 October.

HAYLEY BARKER THE RINGING STONE lll l l

GROUP SHOW COLD WAR SCOTLAND lll ll

National Museum Of Scotland’s latest free exhibition, while squeezing a huge chunk of history into a relatively small space, successfully showcases some impacts of the Soviet Union and America’s 40-year nuclear stand-off which can still be felt in communities across Scotland today. After some context providing visitors with basic information on how the Cold War came about, who the key military players were, and who coined the term (George Orwell, unsurprisingly), we learn about Scotland’s role in UK civil defence, its housing of US army bases, and the unusable land resulting from decommissioned nuclear power plants.

A series of films spotlight human stories from those who were personally and professionally moulded by the ever-present threat of atomic devastation in Scotland. CND activist Kristin Barrett is the central figure of one as she recounts her painstaking journey from Inverness to Edinburgh in 1982’s Peace March Scotland. Digital components, archived paperwork, artefacts, and installations of control rooms and equipment used to measure radiation give the show a tangible feel. But whether it was a space or resource issue, a few threads, particularly a culture section aiming to spotlight Scottish art made in response to the Cold War, feel slightly underdeveloped. (Megan Merino) n National Museum Of Scotland, until 26 January.

Curiously, during a characteristically Scottish summer, a huge painting of a Christmas tree stands out at Ingleby Gallery. Los Angeles-based artist Hayley Barker has taken over the category A-listed building with her whimsically nostalgic works that serve as a firm reminder of nature’s uncontrollable cycles and the passing of time.

The breathtaking scale of her landscapes juxtaposes their intimacy and the space they create for introspection. In the gallery's main space is her garden series, captured through the changing seasons in a soft colour palette which is achingly beautiful. Above them, a painting of an autumn equinox moon is out of reach on the high wall. Upstairs, the exhibition layout is less intentional as Barker’s paintings are somewhat lost among the other objects on display by different artists. Regardless, this solo exhibition is a serene haven during the August festivals. (Rachel Ashenden) n Ingleby Gallery, until 31 August.

LAURA ALDRIDGE

Working across textile, ceramic, glass, video and found objects, Aldridge’s Lawnmower is emboldened by rich colour and sensual textures, aiming for a ‘push and pull between dualities’.

n Jupiter Artland, until 29 September.

EL ANATSUI

Wooden reliefs, paper works and wall hangings come together in the renowned Ghanaian artist’s retrospective exhibition entitled Scottish Mission Book Depot Keta

n Talbot Rice Gallery, until 29 September.

ADAM BRUCE THOMSON

The late Edinburgh College Of Art tutor worked across various media, and his contribution to 20th-century Scottish art has perhaps been overlooked. That is being fixed this year.

n City Art Centre, until 6 October.

LAVERY ON LOCATION

Dubbed ‘the Belfast-born Glasgow Boy’, Lavery was best known for his portraits and war art. This exhibition transports you to locales such as Tangier, Palm Springs and Venice.

n National Galleries Of Scotland: National, until 27 October.

ART HIGHLIGHTS

ADE ADESINA

This Aberdeen-based Nigerian printmaker, sculptor and painter has created Intersection, a new show which reflects global politics, the migrant crisis and ecological turmoil.

n Edinburgh Printmakers, until 10 November.

KOJI HATAKEYAMA

Scenes In Bronze showcases an artist who studied metalwork before settling into a career of creating patinated cast boxes with gold or silver interiors, often trying to convey the sense that something is concealed within.

nThe Scottish Gallery, 1–24 August.

HOME

An exhibition of contemporary Ukrainian photography which starkly explores the meaning of home and belonging, featuring artists such as Daria Svertilova and Alexander Chekmenev.

n Stills, 2 August–5 October.

Fringe artists, industry and media!

Visit Fringe Central: your Fringe home away from home.

Fringe Central programme 2024

Panel and networking

One-to-one advice sessions

Mental health and wellbeing support from Health in Mind

Practical facilities (eg wifi and printers)

Fringe Central: 86 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh, EH1 2QA

SEX, CAMP, ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

CABARET

Legend has it that Ryan Patrick Welsh possesses the ‘eighth best legs in San Francisco’ and who are we to challenge that? Here, he brings us a ‘musical cabaret fantasy’ which zooms in on his life as a campaigner for the decriminalisation of sex work. This is a person who will go the extra yard: on Monét X Change’s podcast, Welsh declared that he had cloned his genitals. Clearly a guy who was born for the Fringe. (Brian Donaldson)

 TheSpace @ Niddry Street, 2–10, 19–24 August, 10.35pm, 12–17 August, 10.55pm.

Breaking Narrative presents...

AUGUST 12-17th

13:10 (45mins) £11 ( Adult) / £9 ( Conc) theSpace @ Symposium Hal l

TIME TO SPLIT

Through a mix of magic and storytelling, Ava Beaux charmed critics and audiences last year. Lucy Ribchester discovers that with her new show, she’s ready to catapult us into a world of dual personalities where actions have consequences

For most magicians, a divide exists between their real-life and stage personas. But for rising star Ava Beaux, who uses storytelling to weave a path through her magic performances, one character just isn’t enough. This year, her new fantasyinspired show, Ava And Beaux: Tales Of Magic, sees her take on the roles of cats, witches, barmaids and tarot readers, not to mention two opposing sides of herself: ‘Ava’ and ‘Beaux’.

‘“Ava” is probably a more confident version of me,’ she explains over Zoom. ‘And then “Beaux” is the alter ego that’s been repressed, but she comes out mid-show.’ While ‘Ava’ is garrulous and loves to spin a yarn, ‘Beaux’ is darkly silent, communicating through mime and clowning.

‘I’ve always aspired to have a show that feels like a piece of theatre, where a story is being told.’

Beaux’s entry into the world of magic came via performing close-up sleight-of-hand at corporate events (a feat she says is far easier to do in front of adults than children, because adults follow the social etiquette of eye contact, making it easier to misdirect them). But her heart was always in magical storytelling: ‘I love being able to immerse an audience into a secret world.’

With this in mind, her latest piece is inspired less by the world of stage conjuring and more by the deeper concept of magic that lies within fantasy fiction and archetypal literature. Beaux studied English at university and has always felt the pull into ‘real escapism fiction, stuff like Neil Gaiman’s books’. Tales Of Magic draws on the lands of Gaiman’s novels Stardust and Neverwhere to build its world, but Beaux says the show is also constructed around the theme of actions and consequences. ‘Little actions matter,’ she insists. ‘The actions of one character unknowingly affect another, which leads to something happening to another character, and so forth. I want to inspire audiences to remember both the positive and negative effects of our actions, regardless of how small they might feel at the time.’

It has taken a while for Beaux to find her niche in the magic world. As one of very few women in the industry, she’s had to fight to claim something beyond simply ‘being a woman’ as her USP. ‘It is an uphill battle,’ she says. ‘I realised very quickly that people saw me differently. They saw me being a girl as a USP, so I was determined to make myself different in another way, which is why I got into storytelling.’

Only three women are listed as performing magic in this year’s Fringe brochure, out of a total of 80 magic shows, with only two (including Beaux) presenting solo pieces (she gives a shout out to her friend, The Zoollusionist, who isn’t in the brochure but is performing on the Free Fringe). Sobering as that stat is, there is an even darker side to being a woman in magic. Another of Beaux’s friends was once assaulted on stage at a magic conference, when a man put his hand down her top professing to look for a card.

Although Beaux has found male allies in the industry, particularly magicians Kane & Abel, with whom she’s performing a cabaret panel show this August, the reality is that magic as a performance discipline still has a way to go in terms of its attitude to women. ‘You do get intimidated, and people undermine and underestimate you,’ Beaux says. ‘But I’ve learned to harness that. It can be quite useful being underestimated.’

Ava And Beaux: Tales Of Magic, PBH’s Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms, 3–25 August, 3.25pm; Absurd: A Live Cabaret Panel Show, PBH’s Free Fringe @ Whistlebinkies, 4–25 August, 6.30pm.

TEN AND PERFORMED BY

hristine Cir

A young boy’s life is thrown o course. He nds his way with the help of rock music, his mom and God.

13:30 | 01 - 26 AUG

ASSEMBLY ROXY: OUTSIDE

ADA CAMPE BIG DUCK ENERGY

Magician, comedian and style icon Ada Campe returns to the Fringe this year with her third solo show. A larger-thanlife figure with a look to match, how did that idiosyncratic style come about? ‘It’s so fun to create unique looks for Ada,’ says Naomi Paxton, the woman who knows her best. ‘I spend a lot of time online and in vintage shops looking for the right things. All Ada’s headgear is by the incredible Fish Head Hats, who construct colourful, outlandish and gravity-defying pieces that are also light and portable. I’m actually only 5ft but the feathers make Ada seem much taller on stage.’

This year Ada is sporting ‘big duck energy’ as well as a special ‘guest’ created by costumier Sophie Molyneux. ‘It’s a fun and funny look at how Ada’s career dreams and aspirations have changed with experience; through regrets, mistakes and learning to embrace her uniqueness and versatility. There’s magic, songs and a very big duck!’ Ada was originally inspired by a magician’s assistant character which Paxton played in a late-night magic cabaret show. ‘A friend encouraged me to try her as a solo act . . . I was very nervous but also curious too, so I had to go for it. She got a new name, a new look, and once she began to emerge, it felt like there was no stopping her! Ada is a great way of sharing my love of comedy, silliness and the best bits of old-school variety entertainment.’ (Marissa Burgess)

n The Stand 5, 1–25 August, 3pm.

HAUS OF DRAG THAT’S DRAG BINGO

No longer are bingo nights dull gatherings in village halls with pensioners snoozing in the corner. Swap the drab for drag and discover this colourful twist on the classic game. Queen of the ball and hostess for your evening, Orange Gina, will guide you through 60 minutes of interactive joy, lip-sync battles and the unpredictable cheek of the Bingo Ball-Gag. Come for the riotous humour but stay for a beating heart lodged at the core of this wild show.

While That’s Drag Bingo follows in the footsteps of the queens that came before, Orange Gina insists there’s a lot more here than meets the eye. ‘This isn’t just a show; it’s a culmination of our journey and creativity, blending inclusivity, entertainment, interactivity, excitement, surprise, lols, and deep genuine moments.’ Together with her husband and DJ, Ariel Bold, the two create a joyful celebration of their love and the power of unapologetic selfexpression. Beginning as a local event in the heart of Brixton, That’s Drag Bingo is now ready to take Edinburgh by storm.

‘With our combined creative powers, my husband and I have crafted a gameshow that’s not only delightful and embracing but also leaves you feeling warm and hopeful,’ states Orange Gina. ‘Drag is the dramatic reimagining of our assigned gender, and we are all doing it every day.’ Best of all, no two nights will be the same as every audience brings new stories, fresh energy and different hilarious antics each time. So have a gamble and you might win more than a great night of entertainment. (Rebecca Crockett)

n Hoots @ The Apex, 1–25 August, 10.30pm.

PICTURE: ALEXIS DUBUS

PICTURE: FREDDIE TALBOT

THESE ARE THE CONTENTS OF MY HEAD

A star of the New York circuit, Salty Brine channels Judy at Carnegie Hall with this take on the Annie Lennox album, Diva. But if you’re expecting a straight-down-the-line ‘tribute’ show, very much think again.

 Assembly Checkpoint, 31 July–25 August, 9.05pm.

AIDAN SADLER

In Melody, this cabaret whirlwind attempts to fend off a world that’s collapsing in on itself by indulging us all in 80s-esque synth affairs.

A Wilma Award nominee, they will also regale us with tales of shipyards and meal deals.

 Voodoo Rooms, 2–25 August, 7.50pm.

DANCEFLOOR CONVERSION THERAPY

Jonny Hawkins went from the straight and narrow to the ‘queer and wide’ by swapping the cult of Jesus for the gospel of Disco. Since then, they have become one of Australia’s most beloved DJs and a ‘disciple of joy’.

 Assembly George Square Studios, 3–24 August, 11.15pm.

MESSY FRIENDS

‘Messy’ is indeed the word as Adelaide Fringe winners

Gendermess unleash a vivid (and occasionally barmy) cocktail of drag, burlesque and choreography.

Take a friend: messy or otherwise.

 Assembly George Square Gardens, 1–25 August, 8.55pm.

CABARET HIGHLIGHTS

POLLY & ESTHER

The brilliantly named Polly Amorous and Esther Parade are a Welsh mother/daughter combo and domestic goddesses who have sharp wits and encyclopaedic knowledge of low-fat yoghurt.

 Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–26 August, 7.40pm.

1 MURDER: THE MINDREADING LAWYER

New magic-show formats can’t be easy to come by but Tomas McCabe has concocted one with this part mind-reading show, part courtroom drama. If you’re arrested at the very start of this, don’t worry: it’s all just part of the fun . . .

 TheSpaceTriplex, 2–17 August, 5.20pm; theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 19–24 August, 8.10pm.

COLIN CLOUD

Local boy made very good, Mr Cloud is in the McEwan Hall for a full month helping us to consider Consequences. This show promises to unravel the mysteries of the mind and challenge audiences to examine their own beliefs.

 Underbelly Bristo Square, 31 July–26 August, times vary.

TRYGVE WAKENSHAW

In 2017, acclaimed mime comic Trygve was partially upstaged by his toddler in a show that was almost too cute for words. Now he’s back on his lonesome but aided by trusty clown partner Barnie Duncan who has co-devised Silly Little Things. This hour marks the beginning of a whole new wordless trilogy that will undoubtedly be epic. (Brian Donaldson)  Assembly Roxy, 31 July–25 August, 8.15pm.

Getting up in front of a crowd and trying to make them laugh is a tough gig. But for some comedians, hidden and rare health conditions add a whole other layer of complexity to performing live. Or equally, as Jay Richardson finds out, it can form the heart of an entire Fringe show

THIS IS GOING TO HURT

PICTURE: STEVE

ULLATHORNE

In stand-up, as in life, cancer is everywhere. Rhod Gilbert, Janey Godley, Miles Jupp, Mark Steel, Richard Herring and Laura Smyth are just some of the acts currently performing shows about a disease that, unfortunately, half of us will develop in our lifetimes. But if the Big C is instantly relatable, what about the comics who live with more obscure but still debilitating conditions, too impactful to ignore but not necessarily easy to discuss? For whom performing itself can be difficult (even life-threatening) but still feel essential?

Rosco McClelland says he always seeks to wear his heart on his sleeve. The year after his wife was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, he naturally did a Fringe show about it. But the Glaswegian, who has long QT syndrome (an inherited heart condition that can cause blackouts, seizures and palpitations) thought he was ‘at peace’ with his own situation. ‘Death isn't shocking; it’s like an old friend that’s given me this bleak sense of humour,’ says McClelland.

Yet revealing his long QT in a 2018 debut, he wasn’t temperamentally prepared for an audience member fleeing in tears because she’d lost two teenage sons to the disorder, with the rest of his modest crowd also subsequently walking out. He rewrote his show to include the incident, but casting himself as the victim: ‘not the best idea in hindsight’. Things got worse. Instead of cancelling his run, ‘I finished a show by telling an audience to “fuck off!” I went and stood behind the curtain and looked at the wall until I could tell there was nobody left.’

Now at 35, he’s a more thoughtful, accomplished stand-up. He can talk straightforwardly about the dilemma of whether he should have a child, the genetic ‘ticking timebomb’ he carries, and can dedicate an hour to his possibly literal expiration on stage in Sudden Death.

But he doesn’t take the beta blockers he’s been prescribed, fearing the impact on his personality and performance. ‘I don’t like what they turn me into,’ he admits. ‘They slow me down and I stopped taking them a long time ago. I can feel the threat of arrhythmia when it comes and it only happens when I push myself to my physical limits. So as long as I’m not running any races I should be ok.’

Kyle Ayers can empathise, to an extent, as the US healthcare system has saddled him with enormous debt and a wariness of opioids. Reflecting McClelland’s experience, the Fringe debutant sums up one of the key reasons behind comedians’ hesitancy about taking medication: ‘is what’s wrong with me what makes me good at this?’

The Los Angeles resident started experiencing chronic pain in his head and face in 2017 and has been ‘in and out of surgeries’ ever since for trigeminal neuralgia, sometimes branded the suicide disease. His daily experience of what he describes as ‘electrocution, like a downed power line resting on me’, causes a high proportion of sufferers to take their own lives.

Recalling routines has become tougher, his memory affected. ‘I have to take a second if it gets really, really bad but people are pretty forgiving,’ says Ayers. Soberingly, he’s met ‘a lot of others who’ve had it but aren’t around anymore’. Yet belatedly starting to talk about it last year has been a relief, while affording him perspective. ‘Someone heckling or a light audience doesn’t even slow me down at this point,’ he says. Ayers also feels greater confidence, realising he’s ‘funny in other sorts of ways’, shifting from being an observational act doing short spots to a personal storyteller delivering his first hour, Hard To Say

‘This is the first time I’ve ever been vulnerable on stage,’ he explains. ‘That’s probably the hardest part beyond the physical pain. Being more blunt and honest has come with time and helped the show a great deal. I still need to take the wind out of the sails of “suicide disease”. I deflate that enough to have fun with it while not trivialising or minimising it. I’m just being funny about something that people aren’t normally funny about.’

Winner of Chortle’s best club comedian award last year, Nina Gilligan similarly prioritises the laughs but concedes that her latest show, Goldfish, is ‘a departure, but an authentic departure’ for the circuit stalwart. Beset by chronic migraines for 18 years

that cause transient aphasia (a temporary inability to speak or find the right words), she channels this condition and the brain fog she occasionally experiences into a ‘little quiz’. This is a way of attuning the audience to her language circumventions, such as ‘wet cupboard’ when she can’t remember ‘shower’, or ‘breadspringer’ in place of ‘toaster’.

Yet beyond the goldfish metaphors she waggishly deploys (and touching on the menopause), Gilligan believes the memory loss she experiences is symptomatic of the fibromyalgia she lives with. This mental and physical illness is as little understood as it is stigmatised, and which, she argues, is emblematic of a wider issue of ‘women not really being believed when it comes to their health’. Or, she says, when it comes to the effects of trauma.

Co-founder of Get Off! Live Comedy, an organisation launched in 2021 to tackle sexual harassment in the industry, Gilligan is exploring how memory can be manipulated and how gaslighting takes place.

‘There are some quite dark jokes and when I go into detail [about being sexually assaulted], it lands as a bit of a shock. But I know how to pull it back to a place of joy and silliness.’ For the former probation officer and special needs teacher, revisiting her trauma has proved surprisingly helpful.

‘I always say that the impact belongs to the survivor and that whatever their experience, it’s valid. But I’ve been shocked by how moved people have been by this show. My experience was horrible but things could be a lot worse. I’ve striven to make this funny and uplifting. And while I might lose some people, I might also gain some and that's OK.’

Rosco McClelland: Sudden Death, Monkey Barrel The Hive, 31 July–25 August, 9pm; Kyle Ayers: Hard To Say, Just The Tonic At The Caves,1–25 August, 7.25pm; Nina Gilligan: Goldfish, Just The Tonic Nucleus, 2–25 August, 8.40pm.

2 - 26 August 4.40pm

HHHH SYDNEY MORNING HERALD / HHHH TIME OUT

There was an innocence before we knew about slut shaming

In her new show, Grace Campbell confronts the physical and emotional pain of having an abortion. Despite the sensitive subject matter, she insists there are still plenty of laughs in her latest hour, and tells Claire Sawers that it might even make men better partners

I‘f I’d kept the baby, it would have been here a few weeks ago,’ nods comedian Grace Campbell, voice flat, pushing her thick curls back from her face. ‘Speaking about abortion is still incredibly difficult for a lot of people, which is why I knew I needed to write about it. I couldn’t go through such a painful phase and have it all be for nothing.’

Grace Campbell Is On Heat looks back at the day when she got her on-heat dog spayed: the same day she found out she was pregnant. The decision to have an abortion left her with deep feelings of grief, not to mention seven weeks of bleeding.

‘Four days after the abortion, I’m on set of a short film I wrote, directed and acted in [Don’t Hate Me will premiere at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival]. I’m bleeding out, wearing a nappy and I had to get on with it. My boobs were huge and my hormones were all over the place. Someone like Andrew Tate ranks individuals in terms of how many people they’ve slept with. To him I’d be “very low value”. God, women are so high value. The point of this show is the inner resilience which it takes to get through difficult times.’

Thirty-year-old Campbell describes the brand-new set as her raw reflections on sex, men and the female friends that have been consistent in her life. And despite the sensitive subject matter, she insists it’s very funny too. ‘I’m like a conductor, moving things from really high-octane jokes to dark moments, then something silly and fun again. The show begins by looking back on my teenage years, when me and my friends were on heat. There was an innocence before we knew about body counts and slut shaming.’

She decided to keep the focus on her personal story, rather than addressing the wider political issues around body autonomy and reproductive health. But the daughter of Alastair Campbell (Tony Blair’s former spin doctor) can’t avoid putting her story in the context of societal gender roles and everyday misogyny. ‘We need to look at what behaviours we let men away with. That makes some men uncomfortable.’

In June, Campbell wrote an article for The Guardian her abortion and says the response to it was ‘mind blowing’, making her certain she’d done the right thing to speak so candidly about a subject that can be loaded, triggering and still controversial for many. ‘Newsflash: men don’t like wearing condoms. One night, because of my desire to please a stranger in the moment, I had agreed to forego [wearing a condom]. A momentary decision that was followed by consequences I had to deal with alone.’

She describes her comedy as being ‘for the girls and the gays’, but recognises that she’s in a potentially prime position to educate not only women but also men who still have no clue about the physical and psychological realities of terminating a pregnancy.

‘Maybe 20% of the crowd will be men that have been brought along by girlfriends. I’ve had guys tell me after reading my article “this really helped me understand what she was going through, when I couldn’t”. I actually went on a date not long ago with a guy who said his ex had had an abortion. I asked if he’d reached out to her since. He hadn’t. I told him he should really check in on her.’

My place. of show her have subject a jokes and again. teenage heat. knew Alastair doctor) of need about her making done candidly about a subject that can be loaded, triggering and still wearing a stranger in the moment, I had agreed to forego [wearing a the recognises position but have brought reading she was going through, when I couldn’t”. I actually went on a long abortion. in a non-confrontational way. ‘I get why men feel powerless. Women inferior.

Campbell hopes to talk about the delicate topic of abortion in a non-confrontational way. ‘I get why men feel powerless. Women are liberating themselves and that makes some feel inferior. So men and women keep butting heads. I reckon my legacy is training men to be better boyfriends!’

Grace Campbell Is On Heat, Gilded Balloon At The Museum, 2–11 August, 7.40pm; Gilded Balloon At The Queen’s Hall, 12 & 13 August, 8pm; Don’t Hate Me screens with Timestalker as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival, 17–21 August, venues and times vary. of I back she she abortion with deep feelings of grief, not to mention seven weeks of at bleeding

SHIP SHAPE

Self-confessed adrenaline junkie Mel McGlensey steers audiences through waves of award-scooping clowning. Jo Laidlaw brings along her sea legs and jumps aboard Motorboat’s maiden Edinburgh voyage

Mel McGlensey Is Motorboat debuted at the 2024 Adelaide Fringe, but its genesis came en route to Edinburgh the year before. After stopping off in France for a clowning summer school at worldrenowned École Philippe Gaulier, Mel McGlensey recalls ‘having a conversation with some clown friends about weird body talents. One had webbed toes, another could lick his elbow, mine is that I can motorboat myself. This whole year has been about me finding a way to motorboat myself on stage.’

After trying out the character in a series of Fringe guest spots, McGlensey and director Sharnema Nougar decided this little boat had legs. ‘In December and January we were devising, devising, devising, with the plan to take the show to Adelaide as a work-in-progress.’ It didn’t quite work out like that though. ‘I’m a little too Type A to show up with nothing,’ she admits. ‘So the show was pretty solid. Then, on my second night it got a weekly award. At that point, we were like, OK, maybe it doesn’t need changing too much.’

Motorboat also went on to win Adelaide’s Best Comedy Award (alongside Elf Lyons) and The Hollywood Fringe Tour Ready Award. Does that sort of recognition make a difference? ‘I think you’re supposed to say it’s just nice to have,’ McGlensey laughs, ‘but for me the awards were earthshattering. I wasn’t expecting them at all . . . I don’t think I’ll ever have such a profoundly beautiful career experience, because now I’ve won awards there are expectations. And awards can change your relationship to your show.’ Is that good or bad? Probably good, she reflects. ‘One of the things I’m experimenting with is destabilising it, because I’m at my best when off-balance. The beauty of this show is that the audience can surprise me and I can surprise them. I’ve always been an adrenaline junkie, that’s why I’m a comedian, not an actor. I need to not know what’s coming next. Clown is play: when it’s time to do my show I don’t think “time to do the show”, I think “time to play.”’

But play can also be a serious business. Motorboat exists to make us laugh, but still waters run deep. ‘If people want to take away messages of questioning patriarchal norms or body and sex positivity then that is purely accidental,’ twinkles McGlensey. ‘All the sexy in the show is there because I thought it was funny. There’s nothing sexy about being mentally a child in a woman’s body, right? The show is like a boat version of Betty Boop, but Betty Boop is not OK. Sexy isn’t a helpless baby woman.’ Rather, she prefers to claim space. ‘It’s super rare to see a plus-sized woman doing clown; it’s rare that we’re up there in our big floppy curvy bodies, embracing them unapologetically saying “this is me”. And not only am I sexy, but I’m funny as hell.’

Mel McGlensey Is Motorboat, Assembly Roxy, 31 July–25 August, 8.25pm.

Others To See Australians

& Sam

There’s an actual ton of Aussie comedy waiting to tickle your funny bones this Fringe (exactly 100 shows: we checked). Here’s where to start Down Under. Fresh from Adelaide Fringe and Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Mel & Sam: High Pony (Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–25 August, 9.50pm) is a masterclass in musical sketch comedy, with enough highenergy songs and impressions to hit you right in the suitably coiffured cranium. Returning to Edinburgh with a brand-new hour, Josh Glanc: Family Man (Monkey Barrel, 31 July–25 August, 3.20pm) promises to make the most of this brilliant improviser: let’s just hope he’s kept the moustache too. Geraldine Hickey is an Australian comedy veteran, starting her career back in 2001 and going on to win a Melbourne International Comedy Award a full 20 years later. Don’t Tease Me About My Gloves (Assembly George Square, 31 July–25 August, 7.20pm) explores grief, grieving and Hickey’s diagnosis with Raynaud’s disease with a typically deft touch. In contrast, Reuben Solo: Please Clap (Just The Tonic At The Caves, 13–25 August, 3.30pm) is an adjective-defying hour of Jedi mind control, teenage bedroom in-jokes and off-the-chart crowd work that’s definitely Marmite but also definitely brilliant.

Mel

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It’s a load of goons and a Spotify playlist

Back with not one, not two, but three shows at this year’s Fringe, Ivo Graham is either a glutton for punishment or actually loves what he does. Murray Robertson chats to the selfconfessed ditherer about entering heavier territory, reinventing clubbing, and why the lure of Edinburgh in August still draws him in

You have a mighty busy Fringe ahead of you: first up, can you tell us about your stand-up work, Grand Designs?

I’m a big fan of the TV show Grand Designs and though it’s not explicitly about that show, and it’s certainly not about my own limitations as a home renovator, it is about how I tend to bite off a bit more than I can chew. I’m also writing a book called Yardsticks For Failure, and I think it and Grand Designs are quite synonymous in that they’re about my eyes being bigger than my stomach, as my mum would say.

You also have Carousel in the theatre section, which musical lovers may be disappointed to learn is not, in fact, a revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic. What’s it about?

It’s about some of the heavier things in my life and in my head. It’s simultaneously the thing I’m most excited and nervous about in my career. There are so many very rich pleasures in my life, primarily my daughter who’s five now. My brain is very cluttered with the big stuff of life: of family and friends that I’ve lost and domestic upheavals that have been quite exhausting. I found myself over the last few years talking more and more about stuff in my life that isn’t expressly comic. A lot of it is comedy adjacent and linked to the stuff I talk about in my stand-up, but I was increasingly intrigued to see how that might fit into a show that didn’t feel as pressured to find the funny in things.

That sounds like a bit of a departure. How did it come about? I booked in a work-in-progress slot at the Fringe last year to do that

and just threw a bit of stuff against the wall. I included some music in the show and tried to talk over it just because I’ve always been very intrigued by whenever someone has a lovely bit of spoken word in their show or a bit of performance poetry. Indeed, I love it when I’m listening to music and a bit of spoken word pops up unexpectedly and the two interweave. And suddenly, that was the thing that I felt most alive doing, both for the extra tonal potential of saying powerful things over dramatic music but also, as someone whose stand-up is quite shambolic, the theatre show has really made me much more disciplined too.

In terms of performance, how does it compare to your stand-up?

I’ve written a tight script. I’m not talking around the words: specifically, with the music bits, they have to hit certain beats, so it’s involved much more rehearsal. Still, obviously vastly less rehearsal than most people do for proper plays or anything with a big cast but, for me, it’s been a real technical leap forward. I had a director who’s given me some pointers to do with stagecraft that’s made me feel so much more three-dimensional on stage. And I hope that will feed into the stand-up show as well. I’m trying to keep them separate but inevitably they’re interweaving a bit. Basically, it’s heavy stuff with music.

Is it fully formed or do you think it will continue to evolve?

I’m sure it will evolve a bit over Edinburgh and then maybe I’ll do it a little bit more after but I see it as a finished piece of work. I don’t see it as a finished set of autobiographical conclusions, by any stretch.

And that’s the slightly scary thing about putting a bit more of myself out there. I think that some of it feels a little bit raw and I’m still wondering what the long-term ramifications of that are. But I’m proud of the show; I think it’s relatively cathartic for me. Unfortunately, I am a ditherer. I certainly make some rash decisions in my life but I also put loads of things off. And if I put off doing a show like this until I felt like my life had resolved itself enough to do it, I think I probably would never do it.

In a completely different vein, tell us about your third show, Comedians’ DJ Battles?

I’m reinventing nightclubbing just to blow away the cobwebs after another hard day of examining my failings. It’s quite a ludicrous third prong to the trident but I’ve had a huge amount of fun doing it. I love music. I was at a wedding last weekend and the DJ was superb but then they went home at midnight and it was my turn! And I was able to put all of my carefully applied research into action and play nonstop bangers ’til 2am. I would like to think I have quite an eclectic, at times wilfully niche music taste. I went to a great wedding about a year and a half ago where, instead of having one DJ, all of their friends had a half-hour DJ slot and it made for the most fantastic, packed night because everyone was trying to make their half-hour the best of the night. And everyone was celebrating each other but it was also quite competitive. So it’s about getting comics or comedyrelated people to come on. Fundamentally, it’s a load of goons and a Spotify playlist.

How do you choose which ‘goons’ get to take part?

I am hoping that as it grows in repute and largesse that more people will come to us wanting to be part of it. It’s not meant to be a private members’ club or anything remotely exclusionary, and you can get through a lot of people in the course of a night. We probably had 30 or so guests last Fringe and we’ll do the same again.

Many performers find the Fringe a gruelling experience. You’ve done a lot of shows and been to Edinburgh many times now. What brings you back year after year?

I’m very lucky that I’m in a position where I can do shows and people will come to them. I have great sympathy for how stressful it is for new acts; it doesn’t exist as the same shop window it was maybe ten years ago. A lot of other people have spoken much more articulately about that than me but I think it’s very distressing and problematic. But I have a lovely time; my daughter comes to visit now and she gets excited about it. And now I’m doing a theatre show and a club night as well, which still feel like fresh new adventures, and I’m enjoying my stand-up more than ever. So there’s a lot that feels new about it. I’m not tired of the Fringe.

Ivo Graham: Grand Designs, Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–25 August, 9.20pm; Carousel, Assembly George Square, 31 July–25 August, 2.20pm; Comedians’ DJ Battles, Assembly George Square Studios, 2, 9, 16 August, 11.30pm; La Belle Angele, 24 August, 11pm.

like putting glitter on trauma that we haven’t dealt with ” “

It’s

Domestic abuse in same-sex relationships doesn’t sound like an obvious subject to build an hour of comedy around. James Barr talks to Rachel Cronin about the difficult process of finding humour in personal trauma and hopes laughing about it can lead to some healing

H‘ealthy, unhealthy, traumatising and freeing’ is how James Barr describes writing his third Fringe comedy hour. While the queer comedian’s previous Edinburgh shows featured quick-fire jokes and continuous punchlines, his newest performance will take his audience to a darker place somewhere over the rainbow.

Co-helmed by Maddie Parry, director of Hannah Gadsby’s Emmy Award-winning Nanette, Barr recounts an abusive same-sex relationship that he hopes will shed light on the complexities of queerness. ‘We don’t share these stories with people because we carry their shame of what happened,’ the Hits Radio host explains. ‘As a man with a man, I’m like “why didn’t I hit back?” There’s all this internalised shame. But it isn’t my shame . . . it’s his.’

After ending the years-long relationship with his partner, Barr decided to take a six-month hiatus from comedy. ‘I was doing a comedy show very soon after we broke up and I just was like “I can’t do this. I don’t feel confident, happy, safe, or >>

any of those things.’” Following the break, Barr decided to do a twoweek run of the Free Fringe in what he describes as a ‘horrible pub that smelled like chips’. After slipping in a joke or two about his experience with abuse, an audience member’s reaction prompted an epiphany that birthed the idea for his 2024 stand-up. ‘Afterwards, she said “I didn’t want to be strong either, but I knew I had to be safe.” And that’s when I realised “OK, I need to do this.’”

But the process of writing a comedy show that tackles such personal trauma wasn’t easy. ‘It was really difficult trying to work out how to tell jokes that tell my truthful opinion and don’t undercut the story whilst also being funny,’ states Barr. ‘So much of comedy undermines the truth to make it palatable, so I feel like I’ve started again, because I’ve been learning how to make it safe for people to laugh at things that aren’t nice. I want my audience to feel good, but at the same time, I want to tell them the truth. I think comedy should say something.’

Barr believes that domestic abuse in gay relationships, specifically, isn’t an issue that’s raised enough, in comedy or elsewhere. This, he believes, is partly due to a ‘sunshine and rainbows’ perception of the queer community.

‘It isn’t talked about because, you know, “Love Is Love,”’ he notes. ‘I think, subconsciously, we’re terrified to be honest about the complications of our love lives and the difficulty we face. Because that’s not “on brand”. I think we use “Love Is Love” to get gay marriage, to get our rights, to tell straight people we’re the same as them. And we are the same as them because we’re also being abused by partners, just like straight people. It’s like putting glitter on some trauma that we haven’t necessarily dealt with.’

Despite its wider purpose of raising awareness about same-sex domestic abuse, Barr’s comedy is, at its core, a personal story that he’s choosing to share for himself. ‘I think I’ve turned a corner where I’m actually being authentic and telling my truth. I think that we do need to laugh at horrible things that happened to us. It’s part of our healing.’

James Barr: Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex To My Mum), Underbelly Bristo Square, 31 July–25 August, 5.15pm.

Others To See Trauma comedy

In 2019, Kelly Bachman (Assembly Rooms, 1–25 August, 7.45pm) made headlines when she confronted an audience member at a comedy club night in New York. The person skulking in the crowd that night was Harvey Weinstein, a year away from his conviction and imprisonment for sex crimes. In Patron Saint, she recalls that night and her own rape trauma.

One of last Fringe’s most surprising hits was the atypical Dissolve from Paul Foot (Underbelly Bristo Square, 14–18 August, 7.50pm) in which the quasi-surrealist brought his fans crashing down to earth with the true story of a blinding moment that appeared to resolve all his previous sadness. This powerhouse show is back for a limited run.

The Fringe blurb for Logan, A One-Woman Show (Gilded Balloon Patter House, 17–26 August, 7.40pm) lays it all out at the start: ‘the true story of my brother’s murder, so of course, it’s comedy’. Part funeral, part macabre gameshow, part memorial to a beloved sibling, it might not get any darker than this.

What You Thinking About?, the debut hour from Scottish comic Amanda Dwyer (The Stand 4, 14–25 August, 5.25pm) tackles OCD, anxiety, depression and exposure therapy while the ‘dead dad’ sub-genre is revived by Moni Zhang (Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–25 August, noon), with the less than ambiguously titled, Asian Daddy, Dead

And the misery is more or less complete with It Gets Darker, as Anna Akana (Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–24 August, 5.30pm) recalls her experiences with a stalker which led her to lying low for a whole six years.

Paul Foot

Everyone pictures Australia as a penal colosseum of snakes and spiders ”

Now a resident of Scotland, Australian comic

Laura Davis took up our offer of telling us what their new show is all about. Haunted household goods, naked dessert eating, and a woman called Linda are just a few areas of intrigue

Imoved to Scotland a year ago. I was living in London for a while but I think I swear too much for that city so I had to move north. It’s been fucking great. I really like Edinburgh. I live out west towards the Pentlands and there are beautiful walks even though I am very afraid of ticks and nettles. I’m from Australia which everyone pictures as a penal colosseum of snakes and spiders but I would give all of those creatures a little kiss every day if it meant I didn’t have to deal with nettles. If you want to scare snakes away, you just stomp your feet a bit when you’re walking but it doesn’t work with nettles.

I love how easy it is to get out to nature in Scotland; I accidentally ended up living in the woods a couple of years ago (long story) and kind of got used to spending time roaming about outdoors. That’s how I put these shows together, really. I go for a long walk every day and write down everything I might want to say to you if you came to my show at the Edinburgh Fringe and then wait until August to tell you. Really, it would be a lot easier if you just came on the walks but I understand that’s a bit impractical.

People always ask what the show is about and I find it a difficult question, even though I know the answer. Albatross is about the man who works at the charity shop and puts all the weirdest stuff aside for me to look at. It’s about a ghost that has been haunting my microwave. It’s about other people watching you eat a tiramisu in the nude. It’s about dead birds and chips and a woman named Linda. It’s about some bigger issues like isolation and fascism but also topics like ice-cream and dog parks which help to take the pressure off.

The world feels like hot boiling chaos at the moment and no one truly seems to be thriving except for cold-blooded psychopaths (and Lizzo for some reason). I try to make work that can maybe offer some catharsis to people, but if you’re not into stand-up comedy then I do have a few other tried and tested methods that I can recommend. You could start with digging a hole and then shouting into it. Or you could register your enemies for quote calls about life insurance or stand on a cliff and heave a pudding into the sea. You do you.

Laura Davis: Albatross, Monkey Barrel, 1–25 August, 2.55pm.

PICTURE: CHAYLA TAYLOR

NATALIE PALAMIDES

WEER

After winning 2017’s Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer with Laid, an often disturbing meditation on womanhood, Natalie Palamides brought us Nate the following year, examining vulnerability, consent and toxicity through masculinity. This celebrated US clown comic is now world premiering her latest show, Weer, an affectionate 90s pastiche that finds her portraying a pair of star-crossed lovers. With her face split down the middle, Palamides plays a young man and woman, quarrelling before midnight as the millennium approaches.

‘I love romance as genre, “coms” and “drams” alike,’ the LA-based act ventures of her latest offering. ‘I think the 90s really nailed it with their casting of relatable people with tangible chemistry, compared to nowadays where they mainly seem to cast people who are only really hot. Nineties rom-drams leaned into the melodrama of love and the rom-coms embraced and harnessed the absurdity of the journey of falling in love in a way that you don’t see much now. The dramedy era has killed all silliness and the sweeps-you-off-your-feet kind of melodrama in modern romances.’

After the avant-garde daring and provocative themes of Laid and Nate, Palamides believes Weer is a more commercial, accessible experience. ‘In this show we’re exploring both the masculine and the feminine. I’m echoing each of the energies [of her previous hours] and exploring both at once . . . in a way. This show departs from Laid and Nate in that I put the audience on the spot less.’

Palamides insists that, for now, Weer contains no extensive, uncomfortable moments. ‘I’m not asking the audience to answer a tough question, or watch me give funerals to my children that I’m eating. It’s an exploration of a romantic relationship which is inherently more digestible because it’s something we’re all accustomed to seeing in the cinema and on our televisions. The major departure from Nate and Laid is that my parents are actually interested in seeing it!’ (Jay Richardson) n Traverse Theatre, 5–25 August, 9.30pm.

JOE KENT-WALTERS

JOE KENT-WALTERS IS FRANKIE MONROE: LIVE!!!

There is definitely something of the night about Frankie Monroe, a white-faced, sinister beanpole in a manky suit, who might just nick your wallet off you if you sit too close to the stage. Monroe owns The Misty Moon, a working men’s club in Rotherham, which is also a portal to hell. The hunched-shouldered, longlegged Monroe is the unearthly alter ego of Joe Kent-Walters (who describes himself as ‘Yorkshire’s biggest bastard’) whose macabre MC schtick won the 2023 BBC New Comedy Awards. Before scooping the prize (which has previously been given to promising newcomers including Josie Long and Dan Antopolski), Kent-Walters was, and continues to be, one half of sketch comedy and clowning duo The Lovely Boys, alongside Mikey Bligh-Smith.

This debut hour, Joe Kent-Walters Is Frankie Monroe: Live!!!, won Best Show at Leicester Comedy Festival in February for its grotesque and surreal take on slapstick (comparisons have been made to The League Of Gentlemen and Reeves And Mortimer), so there is some buzz around this Fringe debut. He’ll be slathering his face in Sudocrem for a run of late-night (of course) shows at Monkey Barrel should you wish to dance with the devil or watch some low-rent cabaret magic with criminal undertones. (Claire Sawers)

n Monkey Barrel, until 25 August, 11.25pm

PICTURE: JILL

ERIC RUSHTON REAL ONE

‘I reckon I could beat most comedy journalists at table tennis.’ This is Eric Rushton’s first and only brag during an hour-long conversation, and it’s a humble one at that. Self-deprecation is the first thing you notice when talking to Rushton, and it’s the cornerstone of his act. ‘I’m not a very good comedian,’ could be his catchphrase, despite it being categorically debunked over the last few years. He won the prestigious Leicester Mercury Comedian Of The Year in 2020 and scooped Channel 4’s inaugural Sean Lock Comedy Award last year. Not bad for a self-proclaimed ‘rubbish comic’.

Rushton’s unassuming act is underpinned with a quiet confidence and thoughtfulness. He’s incredibly open when talking about his mental health, only reticent when answering questions regarding his comedy and is intentionally vague regards his new show. ‘It’s mainly about me being an immature 20-year-old teaching assistant who got fired. There are jokes in it too.’

Rushton has been performing at the Fringe since 2015. Almost a decade later, and with two critically acclaimed solo shows under his belt, he’s learned to deal with the challenges that the Festival presents. ‘Drink loads, read every review, don’t flyer, disrespect your audience, eat pies every day, and you should be alright,’ he says flippantly, before dishing out some genuine advice to newcomers. ‘Rest, don’t compare yourself to other people and don’t go out every night. I try to exercise most days; I do those Yoga With Adriene YouTube videos. She’s the love of my life.’

As with most comedian conversations, mortality is eventually broached. Rushton ponders what he wants written on his gravestone. ‘I’d probably have to plug my socials. If I’ve still got space, I’d put my mailing list on there too.’ With that, he heads to Ryman to buy some paper clips. Rushton is a very funny person, despite his protestations otherwise, and probably a seriously good table-tennis player. (Matthew Hayhurst) n Monkey Barrel The Hive, 31 July–25 August, 3.20pm.

JULIET COWAN FUCK OFF AND LEAVE ME ALONE

Though a familiar face on TV as a successful actor, Juliet Cowan started out in stand-up, making her mark as a So You Think You’re Funny finalist in 1999. So why return to comedy now? ‘My kids are grown and I’m single; I love my acting but I need a challenge and couldn’t face taking up running,’ she laughs. ‘I’ve always loved stand-up. I don’t know how it ends but I signed up for the adventure, so . . . ’

And this, her debut solo show, certainly promises to be a lot more fun than running. Now post-menopause, she explores herself at two crucial points in her life: as a teen and as a menopausal woman. ‘There is so much going on: dancing, a museum of me, sandwiches, badges, aliens, and my own little patriarchy. In the museum of me, members of the audience are allowed in but only if they fancy me or want to be my best friend.’

The inspiration for her show started eight years ago at a crazy time in Cowan’s life. ‘As the smoke cleared, it seemed to me that I was trying to talk about what it feels like to be a middle-aged woman and how the peri and menopause affect us. And then I started thinking about how the times before and after oestrogen were related, and I spent some time wondering about my teenage self . . . the show was born.’ (Marissa Burgess)

n Pleasance Dome, 31 July–25 August, 7pm.

PICTURE:

KARLA

GOWLETT

BEN HART

SHEEPS

Al, Liam and Jonno return after six painfully long years away with more inventive and often silly sketches. You’ll have seen at least two of these chaps on the box.

n Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–16 August, 18–25 August, 8pm; Pleasance Dome, 17 August, 9.50pm.

CONNOR BURNS

Gaining a higher profile each August, this tour support for Larry Dean and Daniel Sloss is back with 1994, a musing about the year in which he landed upon the planet. Which makes him sound like an alien. He’s not; he’s just a funny human guy.

n Just The Tonic Nucleus, 1–25 August, 9.45pm.

REGINALD D HUNTER

No doubt he’ll hate being called it, but Reg D is now one of the true veterans of Fringe-time. He’s survived many controversies down the years so he’ll be nonplussed by any stir caused by the title of this August’s offering: Fluffy Fluffy Beavers

n Assembly George Square Studios, 31 July–26 August, 9.30pm.

FURIOZO

Confrontational comedy par excellence in this highly physical show as Polish clown Piotr Sikora takes himself (and the audience) right to the very edge.

n Underbelly Cowgate, 1–25 August, 9.40pm.

COMEDY HIGHLIGHTS

MARJOLEIN ROBERTSON

The Shetland stand-up had an astounding 2023 Fringe and we were marginally miffed that an award shortlisting didn’t come her way. This time around, she’s tackling body matters, in particular blood.

n Monkey Barrel The Hive, until 25 August, 5.40pm.

SHITTY MOZART

Beethoven fans might argue that there’s no other kind, but we’ll ignore that. The set-up for this musically comedic hour is that they cloned Wolfgang but messed it up. Watch (and listen) to the results.

n Gilded Balloon Patter House, 31 July–26 August, 11pm.

AMELIA BAYLER

The Best Newcomer at the Scottish Comedy Awards is on her Easy Second Album, and amid the tuneful and funny bangers is a tale of heartbreak and loss.

n Scottish Comedy Festival @ Waverley Bar, 2–14 August, 12.15pm.

THE SHOW FOR YOUNG MEN

What does it mean to be a man today? And, in particular, a young man who has so many influences and opinions, both good and bad, constantly flying into his cranium. This piece from GuestHouse Projects features ten-year-old Alfie and fortysomething Robbie Synge as they play, sing, wrestle and dance, all the while exploring what it takes to be a compassionate male in this world. (Brian Donaldson) n Assembly @ Dance Base, 2–24 August, 5.30pm.

DANCE & CIRCUS

There’s a lot of shedding and vomiting of culture” “

FJessie Thompson’s work straddles the worlds of freestyle and contemporary dance, both of which feed into Crawler. She tells Dom Czapski about the tensions and dynamics of performing across different forms and why she hates the pressures of social media

or Jessie Thompson, it’s all about the adrenaline, the joy of performing, and becoming a vessel for energy. ‘Our connection was built off a 2am meeting in the middle of the street because he busks,’ she says of Jason McNamara, her creative partner on Crawler. ‘I was on a night out and stumbled across him. He was busking, and as soon as I saw him I was like “OK, we’re going to do some cool stuff.”’

Two or three years ago they began working together on what would become Crawler, a dance solo performed by Thompson with live drumming and sound by McNamara. ‘Really, it’s duet-like in its nature; there’s just one dancer and one musician. Jason’s not dancing with me, but we are dancing together and we’re making noise. So, the show itself is basically this journey of chaos, calm and collaborative climax. That’s kind of how it feels.’

At 23, Thompson’s career navigates the intersection of two worlds. She’s a regular fixture on the Irish freestyle scene and last year won the Irish National Final of Red Bull Dance Your Style 2023. But her work has also taken her to the comparatively austere

world of contemporary dance and theatre, working with established figures such as Emma Martin of United Fall and Shaun Dunne. It’s the adrenaline of hip hop and freestyle dance that Thompson draws from again and again in her work. She tries to transfer the energy she finds in battles (the high-octane hip-hop events where dancers compete in heats in front of an enthusiastic audience) to the more subdued light of the contemporary dance scene.

For people inside the hip-hop world, contemporary seems almost like an abstraction. ‘It’s so funny because in my own battle events in Ireland, or with people I’d be teaching in hip-hop forms, I’ll say “come to my show; it’s 40 minutes long and it’s in a theatre”. And they’re like “what?” Because I have worked with companies as a dancer, I’ve been to the Edinburgh Fringe so, to me, it’s absolutely right. Of course it should be this long. It deserves a place in the theatre.’ Is there a tension between these two strands of her work? ‘I’m constantly living in these two cultures and that’s really enjoyable for me because they fill my cup in different ways.’ Thompson muses over whether

she feels pressure from the more self-promotional aspect dictated by the commercial dance world, where performers seem to constantly have to upload new content in order to get seen. ‘As an artist, social media actually cripples me. And it’s interesting because on my socials, it doesn’t look like that. It looks like I enjoy it but I actually hate it. I haven’t engaged with TikTok, but I do appreciate the value of documentation and footage and videos. I look back at the videos from two years ago and I’m like “oh, there’s actually some really nice ideas in there.”’

For Thompson, drawing on past experiences and encounters is what Crawler is all about, insisting that the show is a vessel for stories to come through. ‘When this character faces the real world, there’s a lot of shedding and vomiting of culture and society that happens. And that is embodied through endurance and extreme physicality. And then once those layers get shed, it’s almost as though it’s empty and time to start again. Or not. It’s a cyclical vessel.’

Crawler, Assembly @ Dance Base, 2–11 August, 2.40pm.

BOOK THE JOURNEY EXPERIENCE Of fLAVOUR

“Am A z INg”

“ mA gIC”

“ INCREdIBLE”

Experience

TA s TE s & TALE s

Audio guides are available in French, Spanish, German and Mandarin, subject to availability.

CIn OH OH, continental maestros Compagnia Baccalà conjure up a wordless tale evoking the pre-talkies film era. Eve Connor finds out more about a hybrid performance style that audiences will adore without any need for translation

ENJOY THE SILENCE

lowning and physical theatre have a long and storied past. From their Ancient Greek forebears to the medieval court jester, and from Bozo to Harold Lloyd, clowns have more than proved their pedigree and longevity. It’s perhaps a pity, then, that the 21st century has seen fit to relegate physical theatre to playing second fiddle beside its louder, brasher cousin: verbal comedy. Luckily (though talkies have well and truly taken over), the spirit of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton lives on through Compagnia Baccalà.

Primarily composed of performers Simone Fassari and Camilla Pessi, Compagnia Baccalà takes a hybrid approach to physical theatre. The duo seek to embrace the many faces of clowning, simultaneously inhabiting the roles of acrobats, clowns, jugglers, musicians and poets. Italian-born Fassari’s career trajectory was set at a young age, as he admits he has ‘always been attracted to street performance’; an interest that naturally developed into becoming ‘very passionate about making people laugh without using words’.

Meanwhile, Pessi’s early years were spent as a member of the Swiss national ski team before she switched her attention to acrobatics. Their shared love of clowning led them to Switzerland’s Accademia Teatro Dimitri and then to separate circus troupes, until reuniting to establish Compagnia Baccalà in 2004.

The company has flourished in the last 20 years, capitalising on what they describe as people’s ‘fascination with seeing physical things that apparently only we can do’. Their previous show, Pss Pss, toured worldwide (including a stop-off in Edinburgh) and won 16 international prizes. They return to the Fringe with latest project OH OH. First devised alongside directors Valerio Fassari and Louis Spagna in 2018, Fassari and Pessi have perfected it since then, achieving what they delightfully term as the ‘ping-pong’ between themselves and their audience.

OH OH promises to enchant Fringe-goers with a truly universal theatre experience, transgressing the boundaries of a single language through a union of expression and bodily movement. Indeed, Fassari and Pessi note how it’s ‘fascinating to see how there is no need for translation for our shows and how everyone understands and enjoys our story.’

For those whose interest is piqued by the prospect of an hour-long award-winning love letter to the likes of Chaplin and Fellini, Compagnia Baccalà are equally excited to offer ‘a wonderful experience and a cultural exchange that fills our soul’.

OH OH, Underbelly George Square, 31 July–25 August, 2.15pm.

NA DJINANG CIRCUS

OF THE LAND ON WHICH WE MEET

‘As a circus company, hands and feet are a key part of what we do,’ director Harley Mann says, explaining the company name Na Djinang (an Australian Aboriginal term for hands and feet). ‘But more importantly, the hands are essential in telling stories and connecting, while our feet are the thing that drives us forward.’

Of The Land On Which We Meet follows the journey of three contemporary Australian artists with distinct relationships to their land: an indigenous Australian, a descendant of migrants, and a descendant of colonial settlers. ‘We wanted to embody the diversity of voices and stories that inhabit our continent today. Bringing an Australian indigenous style and context to the creation process also means that the physicality in our show has a distinctive and unique flavour,’ says Mann, explaining the synergy between circus and the world’s oldest living culture. ‘They are both support-based groups. Circus is inherently similar to the way Aboriginal people function; learning from elders, sharing, coming together at night and performing.’

The show combines acrobatics with spoken word to present the 60,000-year history of First Nations people alongside their modern spiritual connection to the world. It’s the first time these acrobats have spoken on stage. ‘While trying to learn our lines, we have read them, said them in a handstand, sung them, delivered them in the street, on a tram, whilst doing a cardio circuit,’ reveals Mann.

Taking to the stage at the charming and spiritual Assembly Checkpoint (a former church), the show is designed to challenge audiences to think critically about the world around them. ‘I’m constantly reminding myself and the team that we need to take a chance and try something new. Hopefully audiences are daring enough to do the same with us.’ (Zara Janjua) n Assembly Checkpoint, 1–25 August, 5.30pm.

5 FEET UNDER AND LOVE IS THE DRUG B.L.I.P.S.

There is a certain beauty in chaos, a resilience in madness. Margot Mansfield, an emerging circus performer from Australia, understands this intimately. Aged 19, she began experiencing Brief Limited Intermittent Psychotic Symptoms, a fragmented reality she now captures in her debut solo show, B.L.I.P.S., cowritten and directed by the seasoned circus artist Jess Love.

B.L.I.P.S. is billed as a physical-theatre experience; a visceral dive into the tumultuous waters of psychosis where acrobatic feats blend with raw, personal storytelling. The audience is taken through a maze of insomnia-induced delusions, where controlling a light switch with sheer will seems plausible, and believing yourself to be Jesus incarnate becomes a fleeting truth.

The show premiered at Adelaide Fringe where it received glowing reviews and clinched the Arts SA Edinburgh Tour Ready Award. Mansfield’s collaboration with Jess Love, known for their work with Circus Oz and The Candy Butchers, brings a sharp directorial lens to the performance, turning the aforementioned chaos into a beautifully orchestrated spectacle. B.L.I.P.S., as a showcase of circus prowess, is a testament to the human spirit’s capacity for finding light in the darkest corners of the mind, and a ‘peek through the beautiful lens of the batshit crazy’. (Dom Czapski)

n Summerhall, 1–26 August, 10am.

PICTURE:

Living on the edge

Berlin-based bambule.babys have created a ‘ballad for the marginalised’ in their new performance installation. Lucy Ribchester explores a piece which blends religious visions with society’s outcasts for a message of empathy and acceptance

It was an unorthodox love letter that propelled Anna Valeska Pohl, the Berlin-based performance artist and one half of duo bambule.babys, to begin making her latest piece. ‘I volunteered as an acting teacher in a US prison,’ Pohl says over Zoom, ‘and this inmate gave me a love letter at the end of my time there.’ Torn over what to do (‘it was not something I could in any way follow up,’ she says), Pohl nevertheless found herself unable to forget the gesture.

Three years later, she had an encounter with someone else on the margins of society. At a workshop led by radical theatre troupe La Pocha Nostra on LA’s Venice Beach, she was asked to source an object without paying for it. She scoured the beach looking for something to beg or steal. Amid the myriad of people, her attention kept being drawn to a homeless man wearing an amulet.

‘I was like “I cannot take something from a homeless person,”’ she says. ‘But for some reason, I went back and talked to him.’ He told her his name was Shorty and that his family had died. He had a friend with him. ‘The other guy said “give the amulet to her. It is hers.”’ In return, Pohl promised the man she would always honour marginalised people in her work. She still wears the amulet, which she holds up to the Zoom camera. Along with that love letter from the inmate, it became

the stimulus for My Home Is Not My Home, a piece of performance art which Pohl describes as ‘a ballad for the marginalised. It was a kind of calling that came to me, that I should do something about those people who usually don’t have a say in our society, who usually never have access to something like art or theatre.’

Using Christian iconography as a starting point, Pohl, along with cocreator Michael Pöpperl, began building characters of ‘trash prophets’: incarnations of Jesus and the Virgin Mary costumed in threadbare clothes and rubbish. ‘It is all trash, not in any way sacred; the opposite,’ Pohl says. ‘And still from this comes some form of dignity and sacredness.’

The blurring of Christian icons and societal outcasts has provoked strange reactions in audiences, Pohl says. People have been repelled by them, scandalised by the implications, outraged by the nudity. In extreme cases, audience members have poured beer on them. Still Pohl is firm in her belief about the piece’s message. ‘We’re not saying “this is bad”. The Christian message, if you really read the Bible, spreads a message of love, and that everyone should have a place in society. This is at the core of the piece.’

My Home Is Not My Home, Zoo Playground, 2–25 August, 8.35pm.

GHOST LIGHT

If a spinning teeterboard makes you giddy, brace yourself for Quebec company Machine de Cirque. A duo take themselves to the very brink of what a human body is capable of.

n Underbelly’s Circus Hub, 3–24 August, 4.10pm.

APRICITY

Australia’s Casus Creations explore human connection for this contemporary circus show which apparently was inspired by the sight of a winter sun breaking through the cold air.

n Assembly George Square Gardens, 1–25 August, 3pm.

THESE MECHANISMS

In her 80th year, Christine Thynne has created her debut dance performance. The functions and limits of what a body can do is at the core of this intriguing show.

n Assembly @ Dance Base, 2–4 August, 7.45pm.

LOOK AT THEM!

Wen Xiaochao Physical Theater examine the walls that exist in our hearts and whether they can be broken down by human connection. But could this be a generational problem?

n Zoo Southside, 2–9 August, 8.30pm.

TRIPTYCH

The rising star of Australian dance, choreographer-director Major puts on two shows this Fringe: Lien which is designed for a single audience member, and this triple bill devised alongside Russell Maliphant.

n Assembly @ Dance Base, 2–25 August, 9.40pm.

ANATOMY FOR ACCOUNTANTS

Java Dance Theatre present this hour which draws allusions between the human body and spreadsheets with profit and loss figures. Sacha Copland runs you through the numbers.

n Summerhall, 1–26 August, 4.30pm.

COSMOS

French circus artist Clement Dazin and Palestinian aerial acrobat Ashtar Muallem collaborate for a piece about a woman in her thirties who goes on various journeys in order to find some meaning in her life.

n Summerhall, 1–11 August, 9.15pm.

MONKEYS EVERYWHERE

Garry Starr has been a must-see, no-holdsbarred physical comedian on the grown-up stages at the Fringe. But now he’s seeking out a whole new crowd to boost his fanbase (while also astonishing the big folks this August with Classic Penguins). Devised alongside Olivia Jacobs (of Tall Stories fame), this show taps into everyone’s inner monkey and wonders whether we should even attempt to keep some of our more mischievous urges under control. (Brian Donaldson)

n Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–25 August, 11.30am.

Putting the fun into the Fringe for little ones (and their grown-ups) for more than a decade, kids’ comedy kings The Listies now tackle the troublesome topic of getting your offspring to nod off. Here, they talk props, Prodigy and posteriors with Claire Sawers

DREAM TICKET

This year marks the 11th visit to the Edinburgh Fringe for Australian kids’ comedy duo, The Listies, and new show ROFL will be zooming in on that dreaded time of day for any parents of kids that are full of beans: bedtime. Richard Higgins and Matt Kelly play an utterly knackered parent plus a rambunctious child who has a bottomless pit of ideas for delaying going to sleep. Some of his infuriating ruses involve a flying shark, a giant green dinosaur costume, gargling each other’s mouthwash, cold baked beans, a mini panto, flying limbs and ‘possibly too many jokes about Aldi aimed at humans aged 4–400. All the calm family things that you would expect in the evening. Basically everything that is not sleeping,’ explain The Listies.

Freshly uploaded to their YouTube channel is their music video ‘Craftwork’, featuring papier-mâché balloons and wonky artworks fashioned from cardboard boxes, pipe cleaners, seashells, glitter and paper plates. Their electronic earworm tribute to Kraftwerk (look out for the red shirts and black ties) is also a Daft Punk pastiche, showing off just a couple of the musical references that they often chuck in to keep the adults equally as amused as the kids. ‘We don’t want to spoil anything but we have always thought that there should be more drum

and bass tracks about brushing your teeth. There also may or may not be a Prodigy remix of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.’

The men (who once moved comedian Frank Skinner to describe their show enthusiastically as ‘without a doubt the funniest kids’ show I’ve ever seen’) are thrifty as well as funny. ‘For a comedy duo that has schlepped their show from the other side of the world every year for a decade, we still haven’t learned the lesson that less is more. We discovered early that popping into Edinburgh Bargains is so much easier than writing jokes.’

When asked by to pick out some of their favourite props and costumes from this year’s show, The Listies share a list of five that they prepared earlier. ‘It’s hard to choose our fave. It’s not like choosing your favourite child which is easy: it’s the youngest, right? But our top five have to be: an inflatable crocodile (patriotic), a mini version of Rich that farts into space (a gastronaut), a green thumb prop (for a sight gag about gardening), a bum that hangs in space (the ‘moon’: are you seeing a theme here?) and a number of fake legs for the yoga scene.’

The Listies ROFL, Assembly George Square Studios, 2–18 August, 11.50am.

SHOWMEN PRODUCTIONS CIRCUS: THE SHOW

Having won Best Children’s Event in the Adelaide Fringe Weeklies awards in 2021, 2023 and 2024, Showmen Productions finally bring family-friendly Circus: The Show to Edinburgh, offering a fantastic mix of magic, humour and tricks. Founded by Sam Hume and Justin Williams, the company has impressed previously here with their adult and family magic shows, and Hume promises a production where ‘every artist is an archetypal circus character: we have a ringmaster, a clown, a juggler and hula hoops, and I do a couple of magic acts!’

Fast-paced and emphasising comedy alongside skills, Circus: The Show responded, says Hume, ‘to a gap in the market for a well-produced and branded circus show that can appear in venues from the big top to an upside-down cow! This will be our fourth year in Edinburgh. It’s a fantastic place to be: so many shows! And our shows always do well there. We always love going to the UK because it has a very similar sense of humour to what we have in Australia.’ Despite concerns about whether their banter would work as well outside of their home country, they’ve found a welcome base here for their style of comedy magic.

From MC Magnus Danger Magnus to their multi-clubbed juggler, the company curated the line-up for their latest show from the best of a dynamic Australian circus scene. Hume himself is a dedicated magician and entertainer who started performing magic at age 11 ‘and just kept going’.

‘There’s a lot of variety in the hour,’ he says. ‘Scottish audiences love the humour and grandness of the magic shows. So, we are expecting good houses and people having a good time.’ And after producing the show, Hume can’t wait to perform. ‘It’s a lot of fun to be on stage and to see all that come to fruition.’ (Gareth K Vile) n Underbelly George Square, 31 July–26 August, 10.50am.

THE NORTH WALL ROSIE AND HUGH’S GREAT BIG ADVENTURE

Every child wants the summer holidays to last forever, and that’s exactly what Rosie and her best friend, Hugh the hedgehog, set out to do in Rosie And Hugh’s Great Big Adventure. ‘The story delves into themes of friendship and family, with the characters learning about courage, kindness and hope on their adventure together,’ says Ria Parry, director of Oxford-based arts centre, The North Wall, about this new musical aimed at young children.

The North Wall has already won a number of accolades at Edinburgh in past years, including two Fringe Firsts. ‘We believe in the importance of new work, creativity and community,’ Parry explains. To that end, they’ve engaged feedback from local families as well as the songwriting talent of Oxford’s Nick Cope, best known for his CBeebies Popcast series. ‘Whether you’re coming along as an existing fan or if you’re totally new to his music, you’ll definitely be dancing and singing along by the end,’ Parry promises.

Boasting a host of whimsical characters including a wobbly-toothed squirrel and a rusty robot, Rosie And Hugh’s Great Big Adventure aims to unlock everyone’s inner adventurer and teach young audience members an important lesson. ‘It’s about facing our fears, embracing who we are and supporting those around us.’ (Isy Santini) n Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–18 August, noon.

A BEE STORY

This Australian physical theatre show buzzes back to Edinburgh with another display of circus, dance, music and acrobatics as the Queen and Worker bee work together to save their hive.

n Assembly George Square Gardens, 2–25 August, 12.10pm.

LOST IN THE WOODS

Back after a successful 2023 Fringe, Hawk And Hill Theatre’s production is once again trying to finds its way out of a forest while simultaneously attempting to work out how to get this story under control.

n Gilded Balloon Patter House, 31 July–11 August, 11.30am.

BABY ROCK

This musical delivered in both English and Spanish arrives in Edinburgh after an exciting run in New York. Anastasia is keen to explore the world but will language problems prove a barrier too far or will she overcome them?

n C aquila, 31 July–24 August, 10.20am.

The Happy Singing Kids and their mum Susie are here (twice a day) to celebrate the joys of childhood with catchy tunes, dancing and general merriment.

n Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–13 August, 10am, 11.30am.

KIDS HIGHLIGHTS

FERNANDO AND HIS LLAMA FRIEND

This is a heart-massaging story of a deaf Colombian boy and the llama he befriends after his mum moved to Canada, leaving him in the care of his aunt. Dancing Hands Theatre and 258Signs deliver a very different and extremely welcome Fringe show for kids.

n Zoo Southside, 6–11 August, 10.30am.

HOW TO CATCH A BOOK WITCH

Why have all the words started to disappear from books in the library? Could a weird monster be removing them? Can bookworms Kira and Barry save the day and keep the library open?

n Underbelly Bristo Square, 31 July–18 August, 11.30am.

THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS

Another Tall Stories’ classic adaptation of a Julia Donaldson story as a far-off planet hosts two groups who simply can’t be friends. But what if a Smed and a Smoo fell in love? What then . . . ?

n Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–18 August, 1.15pm.

SIMONE SEALES

A brand-new venue for the Fringe and a different kind of show, too, as this Floridaborn, Glasgow-based intersectional cellist continues their search to create spaces of radical joy, rest and healing within the genre of classical music. The evening includes poetry, performance, sonic meditation and a discussion as well as vibrant and dynamic cello playing. (Brian Donaldson) n Number 22, 1 August, 7pm.

MUSIC

JAILHOUSE

A decade-long project in Scotland’s criminal justice system has been transformed into a Fringe show starring a top crew of indie musicians. Fiona Shepherd chats to Jo Mango and Louis Abbott about the workshops which inspired A Giant On The Bridge and bringing their storytelling skills to a whole new audience

As musicians, the writers and artists behind A Giant On The Bridge are no strangers to getting up on a stage and performing. But gig theatre? That’s a whole other ball game. Singer/songwriter Jo Mango, Admiral Fallow frontman Louis Abbott, Kim Grant aka Raveloe, Dave Hook (rapper Solareye) and singer/producer Louise McCraw, also known as Goodnight Louisa, are all regulars on the Scottish gig circuit and beyond. With guidance from dramaturg/ director Liam Hurley, this indie supergroup are your guides through the tale of D, returning home from prison to daughter Faye and his sister June, who has been holding the fort in his absence.

ROCK

The show is part of the Fringe’s Made In Scotland showcase and has its roots in the Distant Voices project, set up by community arts organisation Vox Liminis to mount gigs and songwriting workshops in Scottish prisons and with anyone interfacing with the criminal justice system, be they employees, victims of crime or relatives of prisoners.

Abbott and Mango were among the many professional musicians who mentored and co-wrote on the programme, which has produced 150 songs in the past decade. The dozen songs in this show include contributions by their peers C Duncan, Rachel Sermanni and Emma Pollock.

‘Distant Voices was owned by no one and everyone at the same time,’ says Abbott, who worked as creative lead on the project. ‘We’ve encouraged the musicians in the show to take the songs on as if they were their own and put their own slant on them.’

D’s story, with all its challenges and apprehensions, unfolds alongside a fairytale about the eponymous giant, who has been imprisoned for many years. ‘Giants are a figure of fear but they are also quite heroic,’ says Mango. ‘They can do great things because they have great size.’

Likewise, the imagery of a bridge has been a touchstone throughout the creative process. ‘Songs are good at bridging perspectives,’ says Mango. ‘If you have a political debate about something it can get a bit fierce, but if you go to a gig you listen in a different way. Music connects loads of different people that wouldn’t normally be connected. Letters are little bridges as well and a lot of songs are in that format.’

Mango says a lot of people wrote about ‘freezing their emotions’ as a result of imprisonment. ‘One of the songs in the show is called “Autopilot”, a description of how you have to be to survive prison, so what does that mean for when you come out of prison, to have put your heart aside like that? The show doesn’t make any political points. It’s about humanising what it’s like at the moment, but I think it’s timely.’

As to their own experience of mounting a Fringe show, Abbott insists ‘we are definitely not actors’ while acknowledging that storytelling is part of the songwriter’s innate skillset. ‘I realise I have a character that talks between my songs at my shows,’ says Mango. ‘It’s been terrifying but amazing to stretch different muscles.’

A Giant On The Bridge, Assembly Roxy, 2–18 August, 10.40am.

Others To See Frank Sinatra tribute acts

Skank Sinatra

He may have had questionable acquaintances, but there’s no doubt that Francis Albert Sinatra could hold a tune. And there is unlikely to be any better interpreters of the Hoboken bloke’s oeuvre than Richard Shelton who has two shows on the go this August. Sinatra & Me (C aurora, 17–25 August, 10.30pm) considers the curious links between the two men, while Sinatra: Raw (C aurora, 12–25 August, 9pm) aims to reveal the man behind the myth.

Taking a slightly different tack is the deliciously titled Skank Sinatra (Assembly George Square Studios, 31 July–22 August, 10.40pm) as Jens Radda reinvents some of the classic songs with a saucy drag twist. Would Frank have approved? Ah, who cares? For old-schoolers, Sinatra: The Greatest Hits (Frankenstein Pub, 2–24 August, 7.30pm) is back on safer terra firma as Georg Tormann croons and swings his way through all the top numbers, while Sinatra: The Final Curtain (Greenside @ George Street, 19–24 August, 4.10pm) is a musical which features Sinatra reflecting back on his life from a hospital bed as he faces . . . well, the clue is in the title.

LEONORE PIANO TRIO CHAMBER MUSIC

While great strides are being made elsewhere, classical music by women composers is minimal at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival. This is especially the case in the Queen’s Hall programme of chamber music where women’s names are but a thin dusting across three weeks of morning concerts. A notable exception is the Leonore Piano Trio who are making their EIF debut.

Formed 12 years ago out of the virtuoso Ensemble 360, they bring the only piano trio written by Clara Schumann (herself a highly regarded pianist and teacher of the 19th century) and ‘The Brook Sings Loud’ by Helen Grime. Originally commissioned by Aberdeen Chamber Music Club, Edinburgh-raised Grime says ‘as this was one of the first pieces that the club commissioned, I thought it would be appropriate for the piece to have some sort of Scottish theme or influence.’

Having always been interested in pibroch (the classical music of the bagpipes), Grime’s score is shaped by some of the techniques associated with pibroch (or piobaireachd in Gaelic) while not imitating the sound of the bagpipes as such. Extending their EIF presence, the Trio will remain in town to mentor young string players at The Hub. (Carol Main)

n Queen’s Hall, 6 August, 11am; Rising Stars With Leonore Piano Trio, The Hub, 8 August, 8pm.

NICOLE

CASSANDRA SMIT

‘26’ SONGS NICOLE CASSANDRA SMIT WANTS TO SING/ AAAH LOOK WHO IT IS: JED POTTS AND NICOLE SMIT, AGAIN!

Nicole Cassandra Smit is an Edinburgh-based, Swedish-Indonesian blues and jazz artist who has been performing in the capital for around ten years, both solo and with bands. Her smoky and dramatic voice has gained her the ‘Queen Of Blues’ mantle in Scotland, and this year she returns to the Fringe with two shows: ‘26’ Songs Nicole Cassandra Smit Wants to Sing and Aaaah Look Who It Is: Jed Potts And Nicole Smit, Again!

When we catch up, Smit is just days away from a sold-out show at Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival with the same quintet who will join her for ‘26’ Songs. These tunes were the soundtrack to her youth, but she always felt they were just outside her grasp, believing they were ‘too technical’ for her. Now, after ten years of singing professionally, she finally feels ready to tackle them.

Aaaah Look Who It Is . . . is more within Smit’s comfort zone, reuniting her with former bandmate Jed Potts, who she met after first moving from Sweden. After the pandemic, the two started doing duo shows and quickly discovered a shared love of country-leaning music. They were quickly diving deep into songs by artists such as Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline, cherishing the emotions behind them and the impact they had on audiences.

For Smit, the Fringe has been ‘the perfect bootcamp to becoming a performer’ finding herself going from never performing to suddenly having to do 23 nights in a row. She quickly learned all aspects of performance: the tech, the press and what it takes to turn a gig into a show. Smit describes the thought that goes into a Fringe music affair venturing beyond just what songs to play to thinking ‘how do I package this? What’s the narrative?’ All of this experience has helped her climb the ranks in the Scottish music scene and ensure she’s bound to be a popular draw in August. (Sean Greenhorn)

n ‘26’ Songs Nicole Cassandra Smit Wants To Sing, The Jazz Bar, 2 August, 10pm; Aaaah Look Who It Is: Jed Potts And Nicole Smit, Again!, The Jazz Bar, 13, 15 August, 4pm.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Edinburgh

CARMEN

It may have premiered way back in 1875, but Bizet’s smouldering opera remains a must-experience event, here with mezzo soprano Gaëlle Arquez in the formidable title role.

n Festival Theatre, 4 August, 6pm, 6, 8 August, 7pm.

BIRDWORLD

Featuring an interplay between industrial and natural soundscapes, Nurture is the title of a new project from BirdWorld boys Gregor Riddell (cello, electronics) and Adam Teixeira (drums, percussion) as they venture deep into a lyrical musical terrain.

n Summerhall, 1–11 August, 3.35pm.

ELIZABETH LLEWELLYN & SIMON LEPPER

Works by Puccini, ColeridgeTaylor, Dvo ř ák and Duparc are given a special treatment by pianist Lepper and soprano Llewellyn as they delve into the late Romantic period.

n Queen’s Hall, 7 August, 11am.

DEL AMITRI

Justin Currie’s band were initially brought to the public’s attention by none other than John Peel but they soon found their own way, cementing a place in the nation’s hearts with ‘Nothing Ever Happens’. Here they will assuredly delight Fringe By The Sea.

n North Berwick, 3 August, 8pm.

THE BEATBOX COLLECTIVE

What’s Your Sound? ask Hobbit, BallZee, MC Zani and Bass6 as the vocal super-quartet will have even the most anti-beatbox fan spitting out beats by the show’s finale.

n Assembly George Square Studios, 31 July–11 August, 6.15pm.

SHOWTIME!

Hard to know who is in control in Showtime!: is it Amelia or her seductive alter ego, The Master? All will be revealed as we take a peek behind the curtain of a lair which doubles as Cabaret had it been directed by Tim Burton.

n C aurora, 31 July–25 August, 7.45pm.

DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL!

Luke Bayer gives it absolutely everything in this one-person clawing at Broadway’s soul for a searing tale of rivalry, revenge and red-hot ambition, all told from the pits of a fiery hell.

n Underbelly Cowgate, 1–25 August, 8.30pm.

& OVER 15 MORE DANCE FLOOR ANTHEMS

SON OF A BITCH

Famed for her immersive comedy shows about brides, Anna Morris has moved on to another landmark stage for some women: motherhood. And as with her previous work about wedding days, the focus is on how these might not in fact be the best times of your life. Through the character of Marnie, this one-woman show explores why new mothers are somehow expected to be totems of perfection but, like all humans, are prone to being less than spotless. (Brian Donaldson) n Summerhall, 1–26 August, 6.10pm.

THE BIG RETURN

With Please Right Back, eclectic theatre group 1927 are on the Edinburgh comeback trail. Gareth K Vile talks to composer Laurence Owen about their collaborative process and his own wide-eyed introduction to this playful team’s immersive work

Theatre innovators 1927 are a genuine success story. From their foundation in 2005, the core creative team of Paul Barritt (illustrator), Suzanne Andrade (writer and performer) and Esme Appleton (performer) have developed a distinctive brand of performance that defies conventional definition. From a breakout success with Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea at the 2007 Fringe, 1927 have revelled in their creators’ diverse interests. Mixing animation, music and live performance, grounded in a powerful sense of storytelling, 1927 create immersive shows that, in the words of composer Laurence Owen, are uniquely rich and detailed. Co-directed by Andrade and Appleton, Please Right Back marks their return to the International Festival, following the celebrated interpretation of The Magic Flute

When Kim and Davey’s father, Mr E, goes missing, he remains in touch with his children through letters which weave a fantastical world, turning traumatic experiences into colour myths in order to liberate anguish; through this, the company explore the potential of their animation-driven process. For composer and sound designer Owen, the return to Edinburgh marks a special moment for the company. ‘The show has existed once before in Vienna for a year, but in the German-language version. Since it was written in English and feels very British, it is nice to see it receive its proper UK premiere.’

RETURN

As with 1927’s previous work, the amalgamation of different media celebrates the imaginative dynamism of live drama. Owen explains how even their creative process is grounded in collaboration, playfulness and eclecticism. ‘Suz and Paul and Esme are just a real joy to work with. They have a real sense of fun while taking the show very seriously and we all feed off each other. The script will come first, then it’s the music and songs afterwards, and the animation follows. The challenge, and also the joy, has been trying to make the sound as rich and as beautiful as the visuals.’

This is the first time that Owen ‘has been given the keys to the music’, as he puts it, and ‘the first time I’ve been a big part of the creative process’. He has known 1927 since he first met them, in Edinburgh: ‘I was a snotty teenager handing out my CDs and they were doing pop-up events. And I thought “these guys are really exciting.”’ Having worked on sound design for their 2014 Golem and collaborated with Barritt on a film and another production, he finds that their eclectic approach to dramaturgy is a great match for his own aesthetic.

‘Having watched them [1927] grow has been really inspiring, seeing them go from caves and pubs right up to huge opera houses; it has been a real pleasure to be a part of it all. In Please Right Back, there is film noir, a samba, some circus music, and what actually sounds like a video game and a punk song. I’m not a classical composer, I’m a musical magpie, a jack-of-all-trades. I don’t see much of a difference between composing and sound design, especially in storytelling. The two things go hand in hand.’

This variety speaks to 1927’s own ability to juxtapose genres and modes, tracing a clear and emotive story through experimental strategies and deep attention to the telling detail. ‘The nature of this show is that it’s fantastical and free-wheeling, and ever changing and highly varied, and that is reflected in the music that I’ve made. It crashes wildly between various fantasy sequences because of the plot. There is a lot of stuff happening . . . ’

Please Right Back, The Studio, 2–11 Aug, times vary.

16:50 | 13 - 18 AUG

Desert Thirsts esert&Thirsts

An original dramatisation of Muhammad Asad’s uplifting autobiography “The Road to Mecca” & into the & into the to Berlin to Berlin 11920s 920s Nufud Nufud

Aug 19-24 13:50 (1h20m) £9.00 (£6.50) ( )

Written and performed by Gary McNair | Directed by Joe Douglas

” “

I’m still doing Wonder Woman at the age of 67

Arturo Brachetti brought the lost art of quickchange performance back to life in the late 1970s. Almost 45 years later, as he prepares to make his Edinburgh Fringe debut, the Italian icon talks to Megan Merino about the importance of surprise in his act, helping audiences find their inner child, and alleviating tedium by learning to paint upside down

Magic and religion have had an interesting relationship throughout human history. But for Italian quickchange artist Arturo Brachetti, the two go hand-in-hand. When his parents sent him to school at a seminary, Brachetti was bullied by his peers. As a way of occupying the 13-year-old, his teacher (a young priest named Silvio Mantell) taught him traditional magic tricks and encouraged him to read about Leopoldo Fregoli, ‘the greatest quick-change artist during the turn of the century’.

‘I had a room full of props and books and spent all my afternoons there,’ recalls Brachetti. ‘I started to fall in love with his life and his

pictures and looking for the secrets. But none of the books told me what they were, so I started to invent my own.’ Brachetti began with six characters that he could transform between in the blink of an eye and took this act to Paris in 1978. ‘They took me straight away and into a cabaret show, because I was the only one doing quick change at that time. Since then, I have gone from just having six costumes to 450.’

His talents took him all across Europe, even working stints at the National Theatre in London and completing a successful West End run of Y: A Musical Cabaret in 1983. Decades later, he returned to the Garrick to perform his show Change, a similarly structured piece to his latest show Solo, with which he’ll make his Edinburgh Fringe debut.

‘This is an occasion I think for the public in Edinburgh to see something which I’m sure is unique,’ Brachetti insists. ‘I started with this work when I was the only one in the world. There are many quick-change artists now but they are just showing the performance; the trick, but nothing behind it. Of course, they robbed me of all my secrets through the years. But who cares, because they didn’t steal my software, which is to invent a story.’

Sat in an extravagant dressing room at the Arcimboldi Theater in Milan, Brachetti is performing multiple nights of Solo here as part of a European tour. The show, which he can perform in multiple languages, packs over 50 different costume changes into an autobiographical

tale rooted in Brachetti’s childhood familial home. The audience is taken through a small-scale replica of this house using a hand-held camera and transported down various rabbit holes, from the television set to his busy kitchen, where characters (both well-known to all and personal to him) make increasingly surprising appearances.

‘It’s not just a question of “how does he do it?” but what’s the jump to arrive at the next character. And that surprise is wonderful. But after a surprise, you want an even bigger surprise and there’s no end to that.’

This may explain the inclusion of a handful of different tricks throughout Solo, including shadow puppetry and sandbox-drawing sections. ‘I get bored very quickly,’ Brachetti admits. ‘So I like to learn things all the time. During covid, I learned how to paint upside down! I’m always trying to find different ways to tell a story.’

A bona fide celebrity among adults in Italy, Brachetti believes part of his life’s work is helping audiences access their inner child. ‘Imaginary reality is the one that makes us happier,’ he explains. ‘If a little lie that we know is a little lie makes us happy, we prefer it to plain truth. I’m still doing Wonder Woman at the age of 67 . . . I think that’s my best trick now.’

Arturo Brachetti: Solo, Pleasance At EICC, 31 July–25 August, times vary.

ANDY JORDAN PRODUCTIONS

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

C

Written and performed by

Richard Shelton

‘phenomenal’

‘sophisticated

‘compelling

‘masterful’

‘unmissable!’

‘extraordinary’

‘outstanding’

Written and performed by Richard

‘Sinatra perfectly captured’ THE GUARDIAN

‘Dazzlingly entertaining’

‘Simply astounding!’

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

Shelton

C Aurora Venue 6 www.CtheArts.com 0131 581 5555 ‘Perfection’

VIRGIN TERRITORY

No stranger to Fringe glory, Gary McNair is back on stage for his hit show Dear Billy as well teaming up with collaborator Kieran Hurley to revisit a couple of likely lads in VL. Neil Cooper finds out just what those initials stand for and predicts it may not be the last we see of teenage pals Max and Stevie

Gary McNair has never been shy about putting his heroes in the spotlight. This has been the case both with the Glasgow-based writer and performer’s masterful solo shows, as well as works penned for others. As far as his self-performed pieces go, McNair has paid tribute to an unholy trinity of poets of one form or another.

McGonagall’s Chronicles (Which Will Be Remembered For A Very Long Time) saw McNair hail Dundee rhymester William McGonagall, while Letters To Morrissey dissected McNair’s fandom of the mercurial former vocalist of The Smiths. More recently, Dear Billy was McNair’s loving homage to the man who is arguably Scotland’s greatest comic talent: Billy Connolly.

‘Talk about the perfect dinner party,’ says McNair, who will be appearing on stage in Edinburgh for National Theatre Of Scotland’s production of Dear Billy. This comes following a sell-out tour that included dates at Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre. ‘Juliet Cadzow was there,’ McNair says, mentioning one of Scotland’s acting greats. ‘She said that when she was on her way out to see the show, she just happened to get a phone call off Billy Connolly, and she said “I can’t talk, because I’m going to see a show about you”. So Billy Connolly says “tell me if he’s any good”, and Juliet says that she will, which is nice.’

Presuming Cadzow gave Connolly a rave review alongside pretty much everyone else who has seen Dear Billy, this should buoy McNair up, both for his own performances and for his second Fringe show, in which he revisits a couple of heroes of his own making. These come in the form of Max and Stevie, the two secondary school likely lads last

spied in Square Go. McNair’s 2018 collaboration with fellow playwright Kieran Hurley had the duo coming of age by way of preparing for a fight at the school gates, with the stage becoming a wrestling ring.

In VL, which receives its world premiere at the Fringe, Max and Stevie are forced to navigate similarly high-pressure territory, as they pucker up to find someone willing to give them their first kiss lest they become an object of scorn and remain a VL (Virgin Lips) forever. Even at such a tender age as the pair are at, it seems sex and violence reside at the heart of the unreconstructed Scottish male’s rites of passage.

‘When Square Go landed in London,’ McNair remembers, ‘a lot of people were talking about toxic masculinity by then, but when we wrote it, that wasn’t really part of the discourse yet. We never set out to make a show about that. We were making a show about this horrible thing that we all had to go through and trying to make sense of it all.’

After Square Go, McNair and Hurley carried on talking, imagining Max and Stevie in various situations, and making each other laugh. ‘We got to a point where, essentially, we built a world around them and it felt like we had to take them on this next part of their journey of growing up,’ says McNair. ‘They’re not that much older than they were in Square Go, so it’s not that they’ve grown up and learned things from the previous piece. It reminds you that growing up is a constant onslaught of being lost in these big things that happen; we are pressurised to think that we know things about them, but we’re not.’

VL not only reunites McNair and Hurley with actors Scott Fletcher and Gavin Jon Wright, who played Max and Stevie in Square Go, but with director Orla O’Loughlin, whose credits include McNair’s play,

Locker Room Talk, as well as Hurley’s drama, Mouthpiece. Also on board is producer Francesca Moody, without whom it is possible that Square Go would never have made it on stage.

‘Square Go took seven years to get on,’ says McNair. ‘People seemed to like it, but it wasn’t until it landed on Francesca’s desk at Paines Plough theatre company, where she was then, that things started happening. She had faith in it, and when she went freelance it was the first thing she did with Francesca Moody Productions. If she hadn’t taken a risk with it, I’m not sure where we’d be now.’

Moody went on to produce Fleabag and Baby Reindeer on the Fringe prior to the massive success of both shows on the small screen. McNair and Hurley’s comedy about violence between young working-class Scottish men ‘that really lives or dies on the strength of its patter’ has been to London and New York, with a new production in Philadelphia pending.

While the universal appeal of Dear Billy could easily run and run (depending on McNair and NTS’ other commitments), you also suspect that VL won’t be the last we see of Max and Stevie. ‘We’ve been talking the whole time about what happens next, but it has to be the right story. Whatever happens, I think Kieran and I will definitely write together again. It’s so much fun. As for Max and Stevie, let’s see what happens. I’m sure we’ll think of something.’

VL, Roundabout @ Summerhall, 1–26 August, 8.10pm; Dear Billy, Assembly Rooms, 13–25 August, 4.50pm.

By Sarah-Lina Sparks

As well as telling a dramatic true escape story, My English Persian Kitchen aims to give audiences a taste of Iranian culture. Zara Janjua chats to playwright Hannah Khalil about bonding over exile and craving food from your homeland

Pomegranate seeds are scattered across the front cover of Atoosa Sepehr’s cookbook, the amber light from a burning candle dancing over two ruby ripe fruits.

Following its release in 2018, From A Persian Kitchen was named The Irish Times Best Food Book Of The Year and became a Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2019 finalist.

‘I have cooked my way through every recipe in there,’ says playwright Hannah Khalil. ‘I was looking for a dish that could be prepared live on stage; something that was visually stimulating that could also tantalise an audience’s sense of smell. Once I tried āsh, I knew I’d found it.’ Ash-e-reshteh (or āsh) is a hearty Persian noodle soup prepared with fresh herbs and vegetables. ‘It’s a very common dish in Iran; apparently there are trucks similar to ice-cream vans selling only this. Āsh was also the last meal Atoosa had before she left Iran, so it felt very poignant for it to come full circle.’

Sepehr fled a disastrous marriage in a dramatic overnight escape from Iran in 2007, settling in London where she found herself alone, homesick and craving the flavours of her Arabic culture. When Khalil was asked to adapt Sepehr’s story for My English Persian Kitchen, she looked for commonality to connect her Palestinian roots with Sepehr’s experience. ‘When I met her, I quickly realised that this play is about a woman who is forced into a position where she had to start again; that’s very much what happened to my mum after my parents got divorced. Atoosa and I really bonded over food from our Arabic heritage and the fact that we both have an enforced exile feeling because we can’t go back.’

Throughout the show, Iranian-Italian actress Isabella Nefar (from Apple TV+’s Tehran) sustains a physically demanding, emotional performance, drawing on both her bilingual skills and culinary capabilities. ‘Isabella has a very generous spirit, an incredible work ethic and is absolutely fearless, which helps when it comes to delivering lines in Farsi. Luckily, she isn’t just a fantastic actress, she’s also a great cook,’ Khalil says, detailing the process of coordinating live cooking elements with the script. ‘I told her “don’t worry too much about the lines, just make sure you don’t chop your fingers off.”’

Khalil wants to give audiences a taste of Iranian culture, which according to her is jewel-like, similar to the pomegranate seeds spread across the pages of Sepehr’s cookbook. ‘I hope audiences see this as a moment to exhale and get into a conversation with their neighbour. And I’m sure that once they have been introduced to this dish, the whole of Edinburgh will run out of herbs and noodles.’

My English Persian Kitchen, Traverse Theatre, 1–25 August, times vary.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

TIN CAN BROS SOLVE IT SQUAD

Zoinks, Fringe-goers! Have you ever wondered how the Scooby gang would fare in their mid-thirties? Could Velma combat crushing existential dread? Could Shaggy navigate millennial malaise? LA-based trio Tin Can Bros have taken this idea and ran with it. Though the Fringe will mark the company’s international debut, the Tin Can Bros have gained a considerable following over the last decade. Composed of University Of Michigan theatre graduates Corey Lubowich, Joey Richter and Brian Rosenthal, the trio have produced YouTube parodies, narrative podcasts, and improv livestreams. But the Fringe signals a return to their live theatre roots.

The self-proclaimed ‘goofy and absurd’ Solve It Squad was first conceived in 2017, with the cast of Ashley Clements, Gabe Greenspan, Lauren Lopez, Richter and Rosenthal remaining consistent throughout. Once-famous teen sleuths Scraggs, Esther, Kevin and Gwen reunite 20 years after their heyday to investigate the case that ended their nascent crime-fighting careers and claimed the life of their beloved canine companion, Cluebert. Interspersed within this dramedy are musical numbers by composer Nick Gage, which promise to reveal the inner struggles of the ‘jaded, traumatised adults’ which the erstwhile heroes have become.

Song-and-dance sceptics can relax though, as the Tin Can Bros are eager to clarify that Solve It Squad is ‘not a traditional musical’. The exact particularities of the show’s musical unorthodoxy, however, remain to be seen. And for those unconvinced by a Scooby-esque remix, rest assured: the Tin Can Bros explain that riffing off well-established archetypes provides ‘a launching pad to subvert expectations . . . to flip familiar tropes on their head and create something fresh and exciting.’

(Eve Connor)

n Assembly George Square Studios, 1–7, 9–25 August, 6.40pm, 8 August, 4.40pm.

JAXBANDED THEATRE HYPER

Back in 1988, hyperpop was first used as both a word and a pop concept in an article about the Cocteau Twins. More recently, hyperpop as a micro genre of electronic music is more related to artists such as Charli XCX and the late Sophie, with Dazed magazine hailing the music’s futuristic maximalist rush as ‘the sound for a post-pandemic world’. A use of vocoder and Autotune-based voice modulation in particular has allowed hyperpop performers to play with different voices and identities in a manner that chimes with a gender-fluid zeitgeist.

The hyperpop scene forms the backdrop to Hyper, a new play by Ois O’Donoghue for Ireland’s Jaxbanded Theatre, a company co-founded in 2020 by O’Donoghue (who also directs) and the show’s composer/sound designer Ruairi Nicholl. A mini hit at the 2023 Dublin Fringe, the piece focuses on hyperpop duo Conall and Saoirse, whose forthcoming gig in a gay bar is given an extra frisson of anxiety by Saoirse’s recent transition. A bathroom incident prompts an intervention that turns the play on its head by way of audience interaction, musical numbers and a whole lot more in an exploration of trans identity that sounds as hyper as its title.

(Neil Cooper) n Summerhall, 1–26 August, 8.15pm.

SWOOP PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

WINDOW SEAT

A PLAY BY CLEOPATRA COLEMAN

PARADISE IN THE VAULT 2ND-24TH AUGUST

STARRING HELEN ROSE-HAMPTON AND MAUD MAY

@WINDOW_SEAT_SWOOP

TRAVERSE THEATRE/STREET SOCCER SAME TEAM

Aside from its year-round programme of innovative new writing and quality touring shows, the Traverse has developed a reputation as a Fringe venue that presents the best of Scottish and international theatre. Same Team could be emblematic of the space’s commitment to emerging artists, politically engaged content and a daring embrace of theatre’s aesthetic and social power.

Written by Robbie Gordon and Jack Nurse, the Glasgow duo behind Wonder Fools theatre company, and directed by Bryony Shanahan who, until recently, was co-director of Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, the production evolved from workshops with Scotland’s Street Soccer organisation and tells the story of a women’s team chasing the first Scottish triumph in the Homeless World Cup.

Its origins with Street Soccer provide the script with an insight into the challenges faced by many in Scotland and beyond.

Yet appropriately, it celebrates a community inspired by team sports, as the players attempt to bring the trophy home. With five women banding together to chase a singular dream, reallife experiences have fed the writing of the characters.

Gordon and Nurse (who only formed their company in 2016 and are also presenting Òran at the Fringe) have demonstrated a distinctive style of socially engaged writing and innovative dramaturgy; no strangers to serious issues, they have tackled subjects as serious as pornography addiction in the past. Through workshops, they actively engage with the communities who provide raw material for their work.

Far from dwelling on misery, Same Team aims to be joyous and emancipating with homelessness not depicted as a defeat. Rather, the abiding power of human connection and the path to redemption promise an uplifting and theatrically imaginative production.

(Gareth K Vile)

n Traverse Theatre, 3–25 August, times vary.

ELLIE BRELIS DRIVER’S SEAT: OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISASTER

Cast your mind back to 2020 and you might not find much to laugh about. Yet writer and performer Ellie Brelis has turned her heartbreak and mental illness into Driver’s Seat: Obsessive Compulsive Disaster, an earnest dark comedy solo show which puts the silly into Sertraline. Based on Brelis’ real experience of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the show takes audiences on a moving journey through the events leading to her psychiatric hospital stay four years ago. In just 45 minutes, we learn about a break-up, the death of a loved one, a sexual-identity crisis and months of intensive treatment.

Having spent her life without a driver’s licence due to the fear that her OCD might cause an accident, maybe it’s time to discover what life behind the wheel feels like.

‘I don’t care if you think I’m crazy,’ states Brelis. ‘I care if you think you’re crazy because OCD is horrible and isolating but I promise you’re not alone. If you’re lucky, you will find times where the funny outweighs the fear, and that can lead to freedom . . . and writing a solo show.’ After critically acclaimed runs across America, Brelis now takes her story to Edinburgh for a UK debut in the hope that she’ll pass with flying colours. Not just in theory. (Rebecca Crockett)

n TheSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 2–24 August, 3.10pm.

THE STATE OF

19:05 | 01 - 24 AUG

IN TWO MINDS

Olivier Award-winning Fishamble return to the Traverse with this examination of a troubled mother/daughter relationship shaped by mental-health issues but softened by love and humanity.

n Traverse Theatre, 1–25 August, times vary.

STUFFED

Clown shows about food banks are not ten a penny at the Fringe, so this Ugly Bucket production starts from a strong vantage point as it aims to deliver with its transformative personal testimonies.

n Pleasance Courtyard, 31 July–26 August, 2.25pm.

NAOMI GROSSMAN

A real treat for fans of American Horror Story with actress Grossman (Pepper) revealing the behind-the-scenes tales plus relationship failure and trips to fan conventions.

n Gilded Balloon Patter House, 31 July–26 August, 9pm.

PENTHESILEA

Rock gig meets tragic love story as we are transported back to the Trojan War to follow the bitter story of a warrior who falls for the wrong man. A frantic, sensual and grungy affair is in store.

n Lyceum Theatre, 3–5 August, 7.30pm, 6 August, 2.30pm.

THEATRE HIGHLIGHTS

A LETTER TO LYNDON B JOHNSON

Childhood innocence in the face of war is explored in this piece by Fringe First winners Xhloe and Natasha. Based on their own experiences of being raised in US military families, it puts to bed the whole ‘greatest country in the world’ lark.

n TheSpace @ Niddry St, 2–24 August, times vary.

COMMON IS AS COMMON DOES

It’s chucking out time at the Grand Ole Opry but that’s when the place starts to come alive. Still, it’s not all rosy here, with this tale’s backdrop of poverty and violence.

n Zoo Southside, 2–17 August, 12.30pm.

GAMBLE

Based on Hannah Walker’s personal experiences of being in a relationship with a compulsive gambler, this is a bittersweet multimedia production that looks behind the glamour of jackpots and big wins to reveal the harsh complexities of addiction.

n Summerhall, 1–26 August, 4.30pm.

festival hot shots

With a rich recent history going back through Red Bastard, Dr Brown and Julia Masli, the hunt for contemporary clowning’s next big thing at the Fringe is an annual pursuit. Paulina Lenoir could be a contender with an absurdist affair about birth, life and death (Assembly Roxy, 31 July–25 August, 10pm).

For many, the EIF’s opening event is a true marker that we are in full Festival mode. Things are being kept nicely under wraps, but if past years are anything to go by, a fiesta of sight and sound can be expected for Where To Begin (George Heriot’s, Friday 2–Sunday 4 August, 9.45pm).

Setting aide all those rubbish jokes about ‘fun guys’, respect is totally due for the eukaryotic organisms which do their job in helping sustain life on earth as we know it. Part of the Art Festival, Fungi Forms explores their cultural, scientific and ecological importance (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 2 August–8 December). 1 2 3

PICTURE:

PICTURE: DAVID PICKENS