The List Festival Week Three

FESTIVAL DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL

11–27 August edinburghartfestival.com

We’re not quite facing the final curtain, but this is our last magazine of Edinburgh Festival season. It feels like a long time ago when we were considering whether to have Bridget Christie on the cover of our Festival Guide dressed mainly in yellow or in the Bridgerton look (a Bridget/Bridgerton link was almost too good to resist) or with some vaguely J-horror style images. Here we are three more print mags later and Festival fever remains at a high pitch.

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL

12–28 August edbookfest.co.uk

As well as some cracking interviews with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Annie Macmanus, Jack Whitehall and the String v SPITTA guys, we are reviewing as though our lives depended on it. As well as this mag with five-star showings for Marjolein Robertson, Lady Dealer, The First Slam Dunk, and Recirquel, and strong four stars for the likes of Gail Porter, Lindsey Mendick, Havana Street Party, Larry Owens, Mr Sleepybum, Lena and KlangHaus, we have a site that is going to be buzzing with new reviews all the way to the bitter end of a frantic month. And keep an eye out on our socials for the latest behind-the-scenes shenanigans.

And then it will be September . . .

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

18–23 August edfilmfest.org.uk

Brian Donaldson EDITOR

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE 4–28 August edfringe.com

CONTRIBUTORS

CEO Sheri Friers Editor Brian Donaldson

Art Director Seonaid Rafferty Designer Carys Tennant

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 4–27 August eif.co.uk

Sub Editors Paul McLean, Megan Merino

Writers

Becca Inglis, Bidisha Mamata, Brian Donaldson, Carol Main, Claire Sawers, Danny Munro, Eddie Harrison, Gareth K Vile, Greg Thomas, Isy Santini, James Mottram, Jay Richardson, Jo Laidlaw, Katherine McLaughlin, Kelly Apter, Kevin Fullerton, Lucy Ribchester, Marissa Burgess, Megan Merino, Murray Robertson, Neil Cooper, Paul Dale, Rachel Ashenden, Rachel Cronin, Rory Doherty, Suzy Pope, Zara Janjua

Social Media and Content Editor

Megan Merino

Senior Business Development Manager

Jayne Atkinson

Online News Editor Kevin Fullerton

Media Sales Executive

Ewan Wood

Digital Operations & Events Manager

Leah Bauer

Events Assistant Eve Johnston

Editorial Assistant

Jessica Matthewson

TIMES

@recirquel #recirquel

ASSEMBLY @ MURRAYFIELD: ICE RINK

Bidisha

Mouthpiece front

H‘ello everyone and welcome to this session, my name is Bidisha and I’m delighted to welcome our guest . . . ’ That’s how I begin every chairing stint, interviewing an eminent thinker, artist, leader or activist onstage. My job is to steer the session, listen, ask good questions, move the discussion along and keep the energy flowing so my guest can shine.

If the chair isn’t skilled, the audience notices. If the chair is skilled, the audience simply glides through, totally engaged, without feeling stuck or bored or frustrated. The audience wants me to do my research, make insightful queries, pick up on interesting points and take the conversation somewhere fascinating and relevant.

It’s rare for an event to tip into chaos, but when it does, it usually involves guests with big drinking problems, big egos and big mouths, who’ve been getting worked up all afternoon. The opposite is more common: someone being so nervous that they can’t get a word out. It’s my job to put them at ease. I’ll say one thing though: many journalists, including me, avoid interviewing comedians. I’ll just leave that there. And it’s a depressing truism that whoever is Mr Gentle Feminism Anti-Racist Ethics And Human Rights Beacon onstage is an egotistical, bullying, sleazy creep in reality. Every time.

There was one uniquely edgy moment when I was chairing an event on Middle Eastern politics several years ago. A woman in the audience didn’t like what my guest was saying. She turned red, squirmed, shot out of her seat, approached my guest and said into his face, ‘your parents will spit on your grave’. He blanched but I laughed, repeated what she’d said to the audience (who gasped in disgust) and then we all watched as the woman attempted to leave, buzzing back and forth trying to find the exit. A good life lesson: behaving like you’re in a mafia movie doesn’t work in real life, and neither does flouncing out. But that’s just one incident out of literally thousands that went without a hitch. Even though the last few years have accelerated our migration towards watching and participating in events online, human nature never really changes. We still want to be in a room together, live, listening to someone interesting, gifted and insightful, enabled by a masterful and tactful interviewer who knows when to probe and when to shut up.

 Bidisha Mamata will be in conversation at Edinburgh International Book Festival with Simon Sebag Montefiore (27 August, 1.30pm), Kübra Gümüsay and Elif Shafak (27 August, 5.15pm), and Shehan Karunatilaka (28 August, 1.45pm); all events at Edinburgh College Of Art.

In this weekly series, we ask veterans of numerous Edinburgh Festivals which shows or performers have touched their hearts or pushed their buttons. This week, film director Hope Dickson Leach tells us which things . . .

Made me cry: Vox Motus’ extraordinary Flight remains one of the most profound and devastating pieces of theatre I have ever seen . . . the story of two young boys who are fleeing for their lives across countries and continents is told with audio performances and small model boxes depicting scenes of their harrowing journey.

Made me angry: The original production of Black Watch by National Theatre Of Scotland made me angry and sad and filled me with all kinds of complicated questions about national pride. Going to the pub afterwards in tears to chew it over exemplifies everything I love about the Edinburgh Festivals; that the whole city is a cradle for emotional experiences.

outright

Made me laugh: The outright delight and shock of Tom ‘Crystal’ Rasmussen throwing lube around the room while in their underpants singing Cher in the top of Underbelly Cowgate remains one of the most joyous evenings of my life and proves that stars are born at the Fringe.

Made me think: The Wooster Group’s Hamlet in 2013 . . . it blew my mind and was one of the inspirations behind the live version of The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde that we produced at Leith Theatre in 2022, which formed the basis of the final film we’re premiering this August.

Made me think twice: The incredible Bryony Kimmings’ one-woman Fringe show about becoming a mother, I’m A Phoenix, Bitch, made me sob, and laugh, and sob again when it turned out our sons share a name . . . It started in the Pleasance but stayed in my head, and heart, for months.

 The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde, Everyman, 21 August, 6pm; Vue Omni, 22 August, 2.30pm.

while in their underpants singing Cher in the top of Underbelly Cowgate remains one of the most joyous the turned August,

the festival insider

Mamata is an expert in the art of chairing events and discussions. Here the author and broadcaster spills trade secrets and gives us the gossip on some tricky customers

playLIST

Festival fatigue may well have set in at this stage of the month so if you’re in need of instant rejuvenation, we recommend diving into the playlist of our third and final Festival issue.

Expect music from featured artists such as Clara-Jumi Kang, Choir!Choir!Choir!, Halle Bailey and Barbara Pravi, as well as some less obvious choices along the way . . .

Scan and listen as you read:

Fit bits

the festival archive

Our latest blast from the past takes us back to 2007 when the previous iteration of Connect music festival had a certain 'Queen Of Quirk' headlining (clue: there she is on the cover). Joining her were Beastie Boys and Primal Scream, the latter coincidentally also headlining this year's Royal Highland Centrelocated Connect with Fred again.., boygenius and Loyle Carner (among others).

Meanwhile, in the Edinburgh Festival Supplement, Ricky Gervais donned a tartan get-up, and a freshfaced comic called Josie Long wrote a column on surviving week three of the Fringe slog.

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

We’re at the midpoint of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe and stand-up Ian Smith is just about holding it together. With happy-talk doc Ed Patrick a mere voice note away, help is close-ish to hand. For this final salvo, Ian’s beside himself with fear over . . . stress

IAN

I recently went on a car-demolition, tank-driving experience in Slovakia with my hairdresser. Big opening sentence. I’d seen it online described as ‘the ultimate de-stressing experience’. It’s usually a six-person event so the price is actually pretty stressful for two. The demolition itself was incredible! Smashing a car with hammers alongside a man who occasionally washes my hair, and then driving a tank over it. In that moment, I felt completely stress-free. My problem is, that can’t be how I deal with things. If every time I’m stressed I have to book a return ticket to Slovakia and check my hairdresser’s availability, it won’t be sustainable. So, is there something you can recommend replacing this with during the Fringe?

ED

The Fringe can be stressful, so it’s important to find something that helps relieve the constant doom. It sounds as though mindfulness, taking a walk or screaming from Arthur’s Seat might not have the wrecking energy you need. But luckily, Edinburgh seems to be in a constant cycle of roadworks: I’m not sure if they’re trying to improve things or if it’s a ploy to trap tourists. Of course, it could be that these are also demolition experiences and everyone is just wrecking the roads to stay calm. So buy yourself a hard hat and a hi-vis vest, and head over to a street to start some demolition. And have a chamomile tea break.

 Ian Smith: Crushing, Monkey Barrel The Tron, until 27 August, 1.35pm; Ed Patrick: Catch Your Breath, The Stand’s New Town Theatre, 16–21, 26 & 27 August, 3.10pm, 24 & 25 August, 1.30pm.

PARTY FEST IVAL

The List Festival Party, aka the metaphorical ribbon-cutting to open Edinburgh’s Festivals, was another night to remember. On Thursday 3 August, party-goers made their way to Summerhall to celebrate and revel in the madness of Festival season while enjoying entertainment from some of the month’s hottest acts.

As always, it takes a village, so a heartfelt thank you is in order to everyone involved in making the night such a success.

Thank you to our generous sponsors Hendrick’s Gin, Monkey Shoulder, Innis & Gunn, Seedlip, Adelaide Fringe and LNER, as well as Playbill, Citizen Tickets and Dishoom. Special thanks to the team at YOURgb Events for managing the smooth running of proceedings, and to Summerhall for allowing us to take over their iconic Edinburgh venue.

A tremendous well done to our events team Leah Bauer and Eve Johnston, who have been working very hard behind the scenes, as well as their crew of Napier Events Management students present on the night.

Now to the numerous acts that kept us entertained throughout the evening; our hosts Gareth Waugh, Matt Hale, Magic Gareth, and Aunty Ginger; and performers Fred Deakin, Anna Piper Scott, Emmanuel Sonubi, God Catcher, Improbotics, YUCK Circus, Angel Monster, Dizney In Drag, Leather Lungs, Ben Hart, Uma Gahd, Katy Berry, Creepy Boys, OSCAR At The Crown, Flat & Curves, Otto And Astrid, KlangHaus, Hooked, Scaredy Fat, Bill’s 44th, Bits N Pieces, Ginava's Messy Friends, Flamenco Fiesta, Lucky Pigeons, Throw Catch Collective, Drag Queens Vs Vampires, Paradise Palms DJs and DJ Trendy Wendy. Thank you for sharing your talent with us.

Finally, a massive shout out to Silent Adventures’ silent disco experience and Face Painting By Laura for making things all the more vibrant. Special thanks to Neil Stewart Photography, Heather Gershonowitz for Playbill and Stuart Brooks for Innis & Gunn for capturing the night.

Hopefully The #ListFestivalParty kicked off your 2023 Festival in style. We're already looking forward to seeing you again in 2024 . . .

Hotly anticipated musical comedy String v SPITTA, a chaotic kids' birthday bash for adults, is about to make its Fringe debut. Stars Ed MacArthur and Kiell Smith-Bynoe chat to Rachel Cronin about looming deadlines, embracing mayhem and the new-found joys of fatherhood

CHILD’S PLAY

It’s the only children’s party where the audience are advised to leave their wee ones at home, as two rival entertainers mash-up magic, grime and nursery rhyme for a night where the grown-ups get to be the kids. In String v SPITTA, Ed MacArthur plays Sylvester String, an upper middle-class clown who rules the kids’ party scene. His nemesis, Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe is east London’s MC SPITTA, String’s beatboxing opposite. Having first met at the Fringe, the duo are returning to Edinburgh with a show that’s been years in the making.

‘I play the bossy character who’s all about structure, order and compliance,’ explains MacArthur. ‘Kiell plays a freewheeling, free spirit who’s just in the moment and improvises. I think that’s a reflection of what we both bring. Backstage before we go on, I’m doing my breathing exercises and getting my diction sorted. Kiell’s just sort of noticing that he’s not had breakfast yet, but it’s 9pm.’

‘It’s been a while since I’ve done the Fringe,’ notes Smith-Bynoe, who fittingly woke up six minutes before

this online interview. ‘I feel like it’s going to take some getting used to. Fringe is like its own time zone. Especially if your working day starts at 8pm.’

The performer will also be hosting a late-night improv show, Kool Story Bro this August, which justifies a few lie-ins. The pair, who do seem to embody their characters in real life, met at MacArthur’s one-man show during the Fringe in 2016. ‘If I may speak on your behalf, Kiell,’ he says to his friend, ‘you found it funnier than everyone else on that day. We chatted afterwards and discovered we were both children’s entertainers at one time. And we decided to make a show. It’s kind of wonderful the way we’re bringing it here finally.’

String and SPITTA’s humble beginnings were fuelled by the duo’s friend and producer Adam Brace, who sadly passed away earlier this year. The pair dedicate their newest version of the show to him.

‘He was just this amazing strategic mind, and very creative,’ notes MacArthur. ‘And he kind of kept the momentum going long after we’d thought “maybe this has

run out of steam”.’ Brace got the boys into two work-inprogress runs at Soho Theatre in 2017 and 2018, and after the pandemic, String v SPITTA has enjoyed two stints at the theatre.

‘This is probably the longest gap that we’ve had between shows,’ adds Smith-Bynoe, thoughtfully. ‘But it’s OK, we’re not worried about it!’ he adds with more than a tinge of gleeful panic. ‘I think the lesson we took from the workin-progresses,’ his co-star chimes in, ‘is that people enjoy the chaos. And that’s possibly more fun to watch than it being too slick.’

As if having just finished a run at Soho Theatre followed by this tail-end-of-the Fringe appearance isn’t enough, the showbiz twosome are currently drafting a script for a possible BBC pilot, that could (fingers crossed) take String v SPITTA to our screens. ‘Oh yeah, we’ve got to get that finished today,’ MacArthur says, as if he’s just remembered. ‘I'm never going to be rude about any television ever again. Because it seems to be so difficult to make everything make sense. And also funny.’

‘We’re not just putting a theatre show on TV,’ adds Smith-Bynoe. ‘But we do want to have that sort of idea that anything could happen. We’re working on it like a bit of a jigsaw puzzle to see how we can fit all those things in. The main thing is that it’s fun.’

Despite the current Fringe and Soho Theatre dates being the pair’s first shows since their friend’s passing, they can’t wait to hit the stage. Now a parent himself, MacArthur is looking at the looming marathon of performances with a fresh pair of eyes. ‘A wider perspective is that this used to be the most important thing in the world,’ says the new dad. ‘And it's still important; but there are no real stakes attached. With a baby, you do kind of go, “well, you know, if our show goes well, then great. And if it doesn’t, there's always tomorrow’’.’

String v SPITTA, Pleasance Courtyard, 18–26 August, 8pm; Kiell Smith-Bynoe And Friends: Kool Story Bro, Pleasance Courtyard, 21–23 August, 10pm.

Right, from top: Ed MacArthur prepares to get Humoresque in 2019; Kiell Smith-Bynoe looks like he’s seen a Kylie in the Ghosts Comic Relief 2023 special

PICTURE: KIM

GRIBBON

PICTURE: BBC/GUIDO MANDOZZI

NO ME

It’s tempting to call Annie Macmanus’ latest novel a piece of autofiction. Set on the cusp of the millennium, it follows would-be music producer Orla as she leaves behind Ireland to pursue her dream career in London. The comparisons between The Mess We’re In’s protagonist and the ex-radio DJ are difficult not to draw. ‘As a writer, you can’t help but write your own experiences,’ says Macmanus. ‘I did hold down a lot of jobs and live in a big, chaotic, disgusting house. It’s viscerally evocative when you’re writing, because it brings back those sensory memories.’ Yet, she insists, ‘it’s not my story’.

The novel explores how music can save you, but the opposite is equally true. We witness the rise and plummet of Orla’s friends’ band, the music media’s brutality, and the struggles to get your music heard by sceptical executives. ‘An interesting question is whether Orla gets there or not,’ says Macmanus. ‘Ninety-nine per cent of artists who are signed do not make it. I don’t think enough is written about those people and the machine that sucks them in, builds them up and spits them out again.’ Leaving Radio 1 in 2021 gave Macmanus new perspective on her past life as a cog in that machine. ‘That was my role as a gatekeeper for a long time, making or breaking bands by playing them on the radio,’ she says. ‘Maybe part of me was trying to reconcile myself with all that.’

One thing Macmanus has kept from radio is her love for discovering people and places. Writing her first book, Mother Mother, took her back to Belfast, where she encountered the legacy of the Troubles among Protestant and Catholic gravestones, and met a mother who fell

Making the transition from treasured DJ to acclaimed author has been a big move for Annie Macmanus. Ahead of her Book Festival appearance, she talks to Becca Inglis about her ‘weird rebirth’ and discovering a sense of belonging as an Irish woman in England

ANNIE MACMANUS

SSING

pregnant as a teenager. The Mess We’re In continues that journey home. ‘I wanted to write about being Irish in England, but I didn’t realise how much I needed to explore,’ says Macmanus. ‘I think, deep down, I needed to decide whether to go back or not.’ Ireland looms large in the book, with a lot of action taking place on Kilburn High Road (a hotbed of Irish immigration throughout the 20th century) and Orla mingling with barflies in the Irish pub where she works. ‘It was an interesting parallel, that Orla was running away from Ireland, but I was running back in my head,’ says Macmanus, who spent time exploring her own Irish local, eventually choosing it as the book’s launch venue. ‘It felt like a beautiful full-circle moment where I found my place to belong in London,’ she says. ‘Writing the book helped me come to the decision that being Irish in England is OK.’

Macmanus is reassessing a lot lately, a compulsion she shares with her twentysomething protagonist, who is flush with the possibility of youth. Yet, unlike Orla’s haphazard naivety, Macmanus treads carefully, rediscovering what fits now in her forties. ‘It feels like a

weird rebirth,’ she says of swapping radio for writing. Gone are the days of restricting herself to the hottest music releases, replaced with the pleasures of digging for obscure tracks, podcasting and novel crafting. ‘It felt good to pull the rug and jump off the edge of something,’ she says. ‘I’d joke with my friends at the time: “what else is there to change?” I even changed my name.’

Two years on, has Macmanus successfully recalibrated her identity from DJ to author? ‘What I’ve accepted is there’s not going to be such a clean transition,’ she says. She still performs at Before Midnight, her early-doors club night tailored for older ravers and her dulcet tones float out occasionally over the airwaves; but now she works on her own terms with wiggle room for change. ‘I would love to have an adventure,’ she says. ‘I want to incorporate that into the next book; really let it take me on a journey, you know?’

Annie Macmanus, Edinburgh College Of Art, 26 August, 5pm.

ANNIE MACMANUS

Playbill, the monthly theatre magazine distributed across America known internationally as a symbol of the arts, is thrilled to bring you the Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition–a sustainable and modern cruise ship–as the inaugural Playbill FringeShip for the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The beautiful and recently renovated ship will be the official ‘Floatel’ by the Fringe, docked in the buzzing port district of Leith. Playbill FringeShip will have direct transportation to and from the festival, as well as bringing the life and vibrancy of Edinburgh Festival Fringe on board.

Along with ultra-comfortable lodging in an array of accommodations on board, all guests of the Playbill FringeShip will enjoy a number of amenities on and off the ship, including:

• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day in our many restaurants and lounges, paired with a drink package of your choice

• Exciting Fringe entertainment within the FringeShip’s state-of-the-art theatre and cabaret lounge, for onboard guests only

• Access to roundtrip coach service from Leith to the centre of Edinburgh

• Wellness centre, gym, two swimming pools, and a top deck open-air lounge with a pizza parlour

Make your stay at Fringe easy and comfortable–join us on the Playbill FringeShip!

Prices starting at £179 per day, per person!

POSH

SPICE

With a film career on the up and fatherhood on the near horizon, life seems pretty sweet for Jack Whitehall. Ahead of a two-night Fringe stint, the arena-filling comic shares his thoughts with Jay Richardson on nepo parents, being graphic on US TV, and trying to avoid becoming the new Kardashians

stint, the arena-filling comic

Jack Whitehall has made himself a hostage to fortune, sharing his fatherhood plans in new show Settle Down and recording them for his latest Netflix special, months before the baby’s arrival. The 35-year-old comic admits that it was ‘depressing’ how quickly after his girlfriend Roxy Horner told him she was pregnant that he started thinking of the child in terms of material.

‘It’s like a switch goes on in your head, it was pretty instant,’ he recalls. ‘As a comedian, it’s so hard to just feel anything in your life, the highs and lows. There have been moments where I’ve tried to catch myself and be like, “can you please experience this first scan like a human being and be present? Turn off your comedian brain for just half an hour?” But it’s such fertile subject matter.’

It was at the Edinburgh Fringe where Whitehall first performed stand-up in 2006, aged 17, as part of an ill-conceived sketch show called Comic Abuse. He later signed with his first management and his comedy became a family business after he shifted from joking about his father Michael in routines to inviting the characterful former showbusiness agent on stage, ‘where I tried to host a chatshow and he just derailed it’

It spawned the BBC series Backchat and long-running Netflix travelogue, Travels With My Father, which sent the Whitehalls globetrotting for four years and helped break the stand-up in America. Whitehall now enjoys a burgeoning Hollywood career, acting in family films like Jungle Cruise, Clifford The Big Red Dog and, more recently, sci-fi comedy Robots

He acknowledges that the ‘nepo parent’ trend that himself, Romesh Ranganathan and Russell Howard kickstarted by putting their parents on screen is ‘kind of crazy. My parents were sat around doing nothing and my mum, in particular, is a frustrated performer, so it’s great they’ve got their podcast and might even be doing stage work together at some point. It’s a strange situation but I’m happy for them.’

Filming a three-generations Travels With My Father has already been mooted, though Whitehall reckons that’s probably ‘a bit further down the line’ for long-suffering, now 83-year-old Michael. ‘I might have to put in a little bit of groundwork to convince my girlfriend that our child could be onscreen at some point in the future too,’ adds the comic, who has started making programmes through his own company, Jackpot Productions, including the upcoming Netflix special shot last month at London’s O2 Arena.

He accepts that he’s got ‘to keep some stuff sacred, as hard as it can be because I’m so indiscreet. I’ve talked about so much of my life. And maybe our child should be shielded from some of that. I’m in danger of turning my family into a posh version of the Kardashians if I keep putting everyone in TV shows.’

The standout routine in Settle Down, which finds Whitehall fuming with incredulity, is his reaction to press coverage of his privileged alma mater, The Dragon School in Oxford, with the tabloids only mentioning him as a famous old boy when the institution is in disgrace. Still, the UK’s best-known posh comic, with the flourishing movie-star lifestyle, is mindful that many of his fans are struggling in a cost-of-living crisis.

‘No one wants to see a comedian gloating and rubbing any success in their face,’ he reflects. ‘I always try to make myself the butt of the joke and be as self-deprecating as I can. I’m very conscious of that.’ Not that he’s fully inhibited himself though, even if he has to slightly ‘recalibrate’ his humour on the US publicity trail. ‘I don't necessarily have the best filter in the world,’ he admits. ‘I remember the first time I did James Corden’s show, I told a really graphic sex story which completely stunk out the room. They’re a little more sensitive and I have to check myself. But I like the fact that I can save all that for the stand-up, be a bit more unshackled.’

Jack Whitehall: Settle Down, Edinburgh Playhouse, 20 & 21 August, 7.30pm.

Never MIX THE SAME

“

There’s something about that sorrow and that search for hope that’s universal ”

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater first performed at Edinburgh International Festival in 1968. Now they’re back with two triple bills in a programme that mixes old and new choreography, including Ailey’s globally acclaimed masterpiece, Revelations. Lucy Ribchester meets some of the people keeping the legendary choreographer’s spirit alive

I‘clearly remember Revelations,’ says Matthew Rushing, associate artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, about his first encounter with the iconic choreographer’s work. ‘I had recently been baptised. And within the middle of Revelations, there’s a depiction of a baptism. And you see a procession of people, all dressed in white, walking near the riverside.’ His mother took the 12-year-old Matthew to see the performance. ‘I sat there in awe, because I never thought it was possible for me to come to a theatre and see my life danced in front of me. As a young person, being able to connect to a high artform like that, and to have such a close understanding of what was going on onstage, changed my life.’

The significance of Alvin Ailey on American dance, in particular African-American dance, cannot be overstated. Born in Texas at a time when racial segregation was still openly practised, to a single mother who worked back-breaking jobs to provide for him, Ailey nevertheless went on to study languages and dance (from tap to Native American to ballet), and founded his own dance company in 1958 at the age of 27.

In the 1960s, AAADT represented the US on international cultural tours (including to the Edinburgh Festival in 1968), and in 1988 Ailey received the Kennedy Center Honor for contribution to American culture. He was a leading light in his era and collaborated with other Black luminaries such as Maya Angelou (they had a cabaret act together called Al And Rita) and Duke Ellington (who wrote the score for his piece The River, which will be performed as part of Programme 2 at this year’s EIF).

Ailey’s ability to channel a whole culture, while also creating work that feels intensely personal, may account for Revelations having achieved a status that is extraordinary: it’s acknowledged as the most widely seen piece of modern dance in the world.

‘I do feel that different people have different experiences [of Revelations],’ says Rushing. ‘A lot of those experiences fall simply with the music. That’s where we start. The Negro spirituals possess a spirit of lament, a spirit of expressing one’s sorrow, but only in order to reach hope.’ It’s a sentiment that transcends cultural boundaries, says Rushing. ‘Yes, it came from AfricanAmerican culture. Yes, it came from oppressed people in slavery. But there’s something about that sorrow and that search for hope that’s universal.’

Rushing has spent his career with AAADT, first studying at the company’s Ailey School before coming up through the ranks of Ailey II, the repertory company. He joined the main group in 1992, before working with them as a choreographer, and is now associate artistic director.

It’s not unusual for the company to attract dancers who want to stay and grow with them in this way. Principal dancer Sarah DaleyPerdomo, who will be performing in Edinburgh, has been with the main company for 13 years. Like Rushing, she also spent time in Ailey II, and before that trained at the Ailey School. It’s given her a close relationship to Ailey’s repertoire and an understanding of how roles are earned or matured into.

‘I have danced a few different roles in Revelations,’ she says. ‘As you go on in your years within the company, you graduate to more heavy roles. You wouldn’t be a first-year member and be cast as the woman who holds the umbrella. That’s one of the roles that carries a lot of weight.’

Rushing concurs. ‘You’re not allowed to do certain roles until you have lived a certain amount of time on this earth,’ he says. ‘Because you are expected to bring those life experiences into the choreography. So as people come and they watch this genius of a work, they’re also seeing it portrayed and

articulated through individual voices that have lived, that have served, that have travelled the world, that have experienced both heartache and trauma.’

In Programme 1, Revelations will be performed alongside two contemporary pieces, BUSK by Aszure Barton and Are You in Your Feelings? by Kyle Abraham, while Programme 2 sees it paired with Ailey repertoire The River and In Memoria. It was important to Rushing to create a programme that balanced old and new while capturing the essence of Ailey’s ethos. Throughout his career, Ailey invited peers to share the stage with him. Part of celebrating his legacy involves showcasing the work of choreographers whose styles may be quite different to his.

‘From the beginning, Mr Ailey invited other voices to be a part of his programmes,’ says Rushing. ‘So when I see that tradition of inviting other choreographers, sometimes I immediately feel that essence of Mr Ailey; and other times I don’t feel it at all, because I think that’s what he wanted. He wanted diversity. He wanted different voices.’

Daley-Perdomo too says that while no one would deny Ailey’s influence on American dance, his legacy is not as simple as his style having percolated down into that of his successors. ‘Sometimes it’s deliberate, and what you see is referencing [Ailey]; historical works or his own technique that he’s created. But other times, choreographers are just inspired by the space that he gave to dancers of colour, and influenced by that freedom for a choreographer to be completely themselves and create art in whatever way is significant to them, whether it be about the Black experience or just a celebration of dance.’

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Programme 1, 23, 25 August, 7.30pm; Programme 2, 24 August, 7.30pm, 25 August, 2.30pm; all performances at Festival Theatre.

MARKÉTA LUSKAČOVÁ

The Prague-born and UK-based photographer is exhibited for the first time in Scotland with a collection of pictures which focuses on children and young people. Luskacová has been producing striking work since the 1960s, much of which will be exhibited here, including images of London markets, youth jazz bands and carnivals in her Czech homeland. (Brian Donaldson) n Stills, until 7 October.

GROUP SHOW

SCOTTISH LANDSCAPES: A NEW GENERATION llll l

This show offers viewers a whistlestop tour of some of the most exciting emerging art practices engaging with Scottish landscapes in 2023. The selection of works (all created by graduates from Scottish art schools since 2018) is pitted against the historic prevalence of representational painting within Scottish landscape art, and a related concern with visual aesthetics which, the exhibition copy argues, risks devaluing the ‘ecological worth’ (and fragility) of Scottish landscapes.

Pieces by Katie Taylor (whose sequential, suspended squares of glass seem to melt into viscous liquid) and Siobhan McLaughlin’s earthily toned collage works on recycled materials dramatise some of the issues at stake: the rise of marine waste and the ominous tick-tock of warming temperatures. Elsewhere, the focus is more on landscape as a setting for struggles of human identity and society. Iman Tajik’s remarkable photographic series ‘The Dreamers’ shows him symbolically transporting a flag made from an emergency safety blanket across remote terrain, reminding us that Scotland’s depopulated countryside has historically been (and continues to be) a site of forced migration.

At certain points, an emphasis on landscape falls away, but the general cogency of the curatorial thread carries us through. A special mention, by the way, for Brandon Logan’s beautiful and unusual minimalist hangings. Created from string caked with acrylic paint and recreating the atmospherics of seasonal floral blooms on Orkney, they suggest that aesthetic concerns in responding to landscape might not be so dead after all. (Greg Thomas)

n Dovecot Studios, until 7 October.

SEBASTIAN THOMAS A NEW FACE IN HELL lll ll

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop’s vision for its Hawthornvale Space (a large window filled with an installation) is to connect the artists they support with their local community and passers-by. Without any exhibition labels to enhance the art on display, we might stumble across the window, glance puzzlingly at it and move on with our day. This is far removed from proactive engagement with an audience who ‘might not regularly visit art galleries’.

This is not to say that A New Face In Hell by Sebastian Thomas doesn’t have anything to show of substance; in fact, quite the opposite is the case. The sculptor is preoccupied by how medieval Jewish mystics looked to the mythological fable of Golem to become closer to God. Structurally, the installation is vast and impressive, a solid indicator of how Thomas can sculpt with an array of materials. However, this complex story behind the work could be brought to the fore more effectively for people strolling by. (Rachel Ashenden)

n Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, until 16 September.

LINDSEY MENDICK SH*TFACED llll l

‘Booze makes everything better, until it makes everything worse,’ says Lindsey Mendick in her voiceover to ‘Shame Spiral’ (2023), her 20-minute warts-and-all gonzo film documenting a big night out and the morning after. These lines are the driving force of Mendick’s debut show in Scotland which charts her topsy-turvy relationship with alcohol. This is done in a monumental display that mines what lies beneath the surface of everyday politesse once a messy night on the lash has unleashed the beast within.

In the show’s title piece, Mendick draws from Dante’s Divine Comedy to create a ceramic-based model of a nightclub, one half of which shows off the calm before the storm as businessmen and hen parties unwind. The other half lays bare the depraved nightmare of what altered states can reveal. A full-size reimagining of a club bathroom sees similarly monstrous forces inveigle their way into assorted sinks as well as the under-the-influence psyches of those seeking sanctuary there.

‘I tried so hard to be good’ (2023) looks to Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic novella The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde by way of 12 vases lined up on a mirrored table like dinner party guests; their torsos easily shattered shells of buttoned-up Victoriana and a morass of excess. While the depths of Mendick’s confessional confrontation with herself cannot be understated, neither can its elaborately honed sense of craft in a show that attempts to purge old demons as it calls time on the after-hours excess that fires it.

(Neil Cooper)

n Jupiter Artland, until 1 October.

KATIE TAYLOR PICTURE: PHIL WILKINSON PICTURE: JOSH YOUNG

HAVEN FOR ARTISTS

This Beirut-based feminist culture collective host a residency until the end of the Festival in which they will connect with local organisations and initiatives.

n French Institute, until 27 August.

DECADES

Subtitled ‘The Art Of Change 1900–1980’, this large-scale exhibition features pieces from the gallery’s collection which shine a dazzling light onto the way in which artists created work that was constantly in rebellion against prior generations.

n National Galleries Of Scotland: Modern Two, until 7 January.

LEONOR ANTUNES

From this Portuguese artist comes a series of sculptural installations aimed at destabilising notions on how art, design and craft are distinct disciplines.

n Fruitmarket, until 8 October.

RACHEL MARS: FORGE

Live welding occurs to the backdrop of an atmospheric soundscape as Mars aims to replicate the ‘welcome’ gate which was stolen almost a decade ago from the Dachau concentration camp.

n Lyceum Workshops, 23–25 August.

SHIFTING VISTAS

Some 250 years of Scottish landscape art is analysed here, featuring work from more than 30 artists including SJ Peploe, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (pictured), William Gillies and Joan Eardley.

n City Art Centre, until 2 June.

ANDREW CRANSTON

This Glasgow-based painter layers, lacquers, bleaches and collages his way to creating art, with his show Never A Joiner featuring large-scale canvases and cover art for books.

n Ingleby, until 16 September.

DOROTHY TOWERS

A series of events explore some themes of Sean Burns’ exhibition, in particular examining regional specificities of queer experiences in Britain during the often dark days of the 1980s and 90s.

n French Institute, until 27 August.

PICTURE: ALEX WARD

PICTURE: WILHELMINA

BARNSGRAHAM TRUST

ith over 500 events to choose from, there’s something for everyone at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

This year’s Festival is a particularly exciting one, as it marks 40 years of bringing the world’s finest writers and thinkers to Edinburgh. Join us at our Festival Village in Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, as we celebrate the joy of words. Pick up a copy of our programme where we’re sure you’ll find your Book Bliss. Or book now at edbookfest.co.uk.

CONSTANCE DEBRÉ

Born into a famous French family (prime ministers, judges and resistance fighters share her surname), Debré was a defence lawyer, wife and mother when her life turned upside down. She came out as gay and was plunged into a fierce custody battle over her son, leaving her at the mercy of a judicial system she had been an integral part of. Her books are fictionalised versions of that story and in this event she talks to Kirsty Logan about the struggles people sometimes have to endure in order to be their own best self. (Brian Donaldson) n Edinburgh College Of Art, 27 August, 3.30pm.

The write stuff

From growing up in the care system to inspiring Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen, Alex Wheatle’s life has been full of ups and downs. Now the author is capturing that story in his latest book and tells Zara Janjua how writing has been a transformational force for him

W‘hen you’re born into immediate poverty and immediate lack of potential through no fault of your own, you’re a sufferer,’ says Alex Wheatle. ‘Or as reggae heads would say, yuh ah sufferah.’

Wheatle’s remarkable life is one of triumph over adversity, a struggle against systemic racism, abuse and repression. In his latest book, Sufferah: Memoir Of A Brixton Reggae Head, he takes readers on an autobiographical journey from his early years in the care system, through a term in prison, to an MBE and beyond.

‘When you have hardly anything to cling on to, to give you hope or meaning, you scratch around,’ he says. ‘When I discovered reggae, I found my tribe; the lyrics spoke to me and my struggle. Reggae became the gateway to my Jamaican identity.’

Wheatle’s life story featured in the fourth episode of Steve McQueen’s 2020 Small Axe series, an anthology of stories about London’s West Indian community. Wheatle was recruited for the writers’ room, unaware his own story would inspire the Oscar-winning director.

‘Steve came in one morning and he said he was looking for a narrative that tells the story of a young Black man who had experienced institutions. One of the other writers pointed at me. I was shocked when he ran with it.’

Wheatle is the author of more than a dozen young adult novels, with two of his series, Brixton Rock and Crongton, earning him the title of Brixton Bard and trailblazer for the Black British community. He admitted the Small Axe episode validated the significance of his story, compelling him to turn the pen on himself. ‘There was so much in my personal story that couldn’t be told in one hour of TV. I just wanted to capture that in a wider canvas.’

Born in south London in 1963, his childhood was punctuated by the trauma of being sent into care at the age of three to the notorious Shirley Oaks children’s home in Croydon. ‘When I was growing up, it was all about survival; I wasn’t worried about passing arithmetic, I was trying to avoid getting my head kicked in.’

As a young adult he participated in the 1981 Brixton uprising and served four months in prison for his involvement, a transformational incident that drew him into the world of fiction. ‘The best thing I ever did was to learn how to use my talent for writing to get what I needed in life. There were lessons in those reggae lyrics: “you have to get up, stand up, stand up for your rights”.’

Alex Wheatle, Edinburgh College Of Art, 22 August, 7pm.

Top 5

Lucy Jones' latest book, Matrescence, examines how pregnancy and early motherhood radically affect the brain and the body. Ahead of her Book Festival appearance, the author picks her top five works about being a mother

Of Woman Born

ADRIENNE RICH

For me, this is the OG text of modern motherhood. The Bible. Decades after it was first published, Rich’s conceptualisation of the institution of motherhood (an invented social structure) is still helping to free women from the old myths and lies that control and shame.

Soldier, Sailor

CLAIRE KILROY

It felt as if I held my breath until I’d finished reading this electrifying thriller about the madness, the strains and the utter lunacy of early motherhood. Sharp, eviscerating, so astute. As if maternal subjectivity is boring!

The Nursery

SZILVIA MOLNAR

Szilvia Molnar is the most exquisite writer. She crafts the kind of sentences so pleasurable they require repeated reading. I’ve never seen the eeriness and uncanniness of the early post-natal experience rendered so accurately and viscerally.

PROFILE LAUREN ELKIN

A lifelong diary keeper, Lauren Elkin’s writing yields an immediacy of thought and feeling while conveying a distinctive critical depth. Observing that Elkin’s words hold such gravitas, Deborah Levy once dubbed the writer and translator as ‘the Susan Sontag of her generation’.

Flâneuse: Women Walk The City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice And London (2017), Elkin’s first solo book, pushed a feminist re-assessment of the woman wanderer into a personal realm. She traced her own memories of her movements across cities on an international scale, while connecting them to the lives and legacies of the likes of Agnès Varda and Virgina Woolf. Against a lively backdrop of contested cultural criticism surrounding the very existence of the ‘flâneuse’ (female equivalent of that quintessential flâneur), Elkin devised her own imaginary definition of the noun and subsequently injected a spring into her readers’ steps. From iPhone notes amassed on journeys to and from work, Elkin went on to author No 91/92: Notes On A Parisian Commute (2021), a diary which maps the city, its political turmoil, and the experience of a pregnant woman on a bus. Her latest book, Art Monsters: Unruly Bodies In Feminist Art (2023), presents a bold examination of how feminist artists have radically utilised the body in their art. From the physical manifestations of queerness to sickness, Elkin explores artistic methods and materials enacted to ‘transcribe’ bodily experiences, pulling in analysis of works by the likes of Carolee Schneemann and Kara Walker. In dialogue with Katrina Brown, Elkin will delve into representations of the female body, situating it within a tradition of feminist art. (Rachel Ashenden) n Edinburgh College Of Art, 16 August, 7.30pm.

Mom Rage: The Everyday Crisis Of Modern Motherhood

MINNA DUBIN

I learned a lot from US writer Minna Dubin’s brave and bold book which analyses why so many mothers are furious, why society can’t deal with it, and what to do about it (Germany has a legislated prescription, ‘Kur’, for burntout caregivers to be looked after for a while in a clinic, for example).

My Black Motherhood: Mental Health, Stigma, Racism And The System

SANDRA IGWE

In this moving memoir, Sandra Igwe recounts her life as a Black woman becoming a mother in England and the stigma women of colour may experience. It is a damning indictment of our society today, when racial and social inequalities account for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Essential.

n Lucy Jones & Szilvia Molnar, Edinburgh College Of Art, 27 August, noon; Matrescence: On The Metamorphosis Of Pregnancy, Childbirth And Motherhood is out now, published by Allen Lane.

PICTURE: SOPHIE DAVIDSON

PICTURE: STUART SIMPSON FOR PENGUIN

BOOKS HIGHLIGHTS

OLAF FALAFEL

This quirky human joke machine arrives in the world of children’s books with his Trixie Pickle series, a set of illustrated adventures starring a wannabe Banksy.

n 18 August, 1.45pm.

DENISE MINA

The queen of Tartan Noir has often reflected on the past in her writing, and with Three Fires, she’s heading all the way back to 15th-century Florence for a tale which holds a mirror up to our own times.

n 16 August, 5pm.

ALEKSANDAR HEMON

Born in Sarajevo and living in New Jersey, Hemon returns to his homeland for a 1914-set novel, The World And All That It Holds, a love story being played out just as the globe is plunged into mass conflict.

n 27 August, 6.45pm.

ISABELLA HAMMAD & CECILE PIN

Love and displacement are on the agenda with this event featuring two rising stars. Hammad’s latest is set in Palestine while Pin (pictured) published her debut this year centring it around Vietnamese refugees seeking shelter in Britain.

n 17 August, 4.30pm.

MICHEL FABER & RODGE GLASS

Biographer meets subject as Glass chats to the author of influential works including Under The Skin and The Crimson Petal And The White, as they discuss Faber’s particular literary style and his equally unique life.

n 20 August, 12.30pm.

ALI SMITH

Quite simply one of our finest novelists, the Invernesian is taking stock here of her own output and considering the real-life moments which inspired her to put pen to paper and fingers on keyboard.

n 26 August, 11.45am.

GARY YOUNGE

In his new book, Dispatches From The Diaspora, the acclaimed journalist reflects on race, racism, life and death, from Nelson Mandela through to Black Lives Matter.

n 21 August, 7.30pm.

PICTURE: SARAH WOOD

PICTURE: VELIBOR BOZOVIC

CABARET

OASISSY

The drag king rock’n’roll ‘tribute bampots’ are back and promising more joy, chaos and catharsis with Don’t Look Back In Anger, Babes

In the publicity chat about the duo (Kirsty Biff Nicolson and Annabel Cooper), both the Gallaghers are quoted making favourable comments so who knows who you might bump into shuffling around in the BlundaGardens. So far as we know it, this is the only queer Oasis tribute act on the planet. Maybe. Definitely. (Brian Donaldson) n BlundaGardens, 21–25 August, 10.40pm.

THE HAIRY GODMOTHERS

DIZNEY IN DRAG: ONCE UPON A PARODY lll ll

Shows don’t come much clearer in terms of doing what they say they will than Dizney In Drag (the z is to stop any lawsuits, and once you’ve seen this you’ll understand why). If any megalith of popular culture is ripe for the drag treatment, it’s vintage Disney, with its doe-eyed heroines, mulleted princes and rigidly defined gender roles. To all of this, Australian cabaret troupe The Hairy Godmothers take an affectionate and diamond-encrusted pickaxe, sending up characters from Snow White (with her dwarves Grumpy, Dopey and Sleazy) to Gaston (for whose name the cast find an inspired rhyme in the finale).

This is basically an X-rated panto which follows Prince Charming and his Hairy Godmother on a quest to find the owner of a lost glass slipper. On the way we meet various princesses in their new drag guises. There’s BDSM Ariel whose ‘gadgets and gizmos aplenty’ take on a brand new meaning; Snow White who likes to snort her namesake; and Tinkerbell, whose take on a classic Pocahontas song sees her flinging a used tampon into the crowd.

There are more sex puns in the show than gold coins in Aladdin’s cave, but serious (if superficial) references to consent and gender freedom also find a place here. And while the humour is one-note (relying almost entirely on the dissonance between Disney and the bawdy treatment it’s given), who can complain when both cast and audience are having such raucous fun? (Lucy Ribchester)

n Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose, until 27 August, 6.30pm.

GENDERMESS PRODUCTIONS

GINAVA’S MESSY FRIENDS lll ll

Bringing an alternative style of drag to the Fringe, this variety show presents an eclectic mix of lip-synched performances which range from the transfixing to the outright bizarre. Uniquely, the show is segmented with pre-recorded interviews shown on screen. While the interviews offer sincere insights into the performers’ queer expression, for a performance which is otherwise wildly energetic, watching a pseudo-documentary is underwhelming. This is especially the case as some of the questions could have used with an injection of imagination; the kind that the performers have clearly poured into their costumes and choreography.

This show is crying out for an MC to take charge of the entertainment as it unfolds, engaging an audience through conversation and gags. Surely the natural lead would be Ginava, the founder of Gendermess Productions; without any live dialogue, the showreel of performances borders on repetitive. Nonetheless, Ginava’s Messy Friends pushes the genre of drag into rarely witnessed territory.

As Ginava explains in an interview snippet, ‘pretty’ and ‘commercial’ drag just didn’t work for them. Instead, they created a dustbin-guzzling monster who charms the crowd even without a traditional burlesque routine. Captivating group performances, which open and close the set, give a glimpse into the powerful potential of Gendermess as a collective force of creativity. (Rachel Ashenden)

n Assembly George Square Gardens, until 27 August, 5.55pm.

KANE AND ABEL

MAGICIAN TWINPOSSIBLE lllll

Twin magicians Kane and Abel have been performing their show, Magician Twinpossible, at the Fringe for seven years now. With such seasoned pros at the helm, you might expect it to be a more entertaining experience. They’re certainly charismatic and easily establish a good rapport with the audience, but the comedy rarely lands, jokes feeling too random to make sense.

The magic tricks themselves are fairly basic, and in some cases the audience can quite easily see how they’re being done. They trot out a number of card tricks that most people will have seen before, but among them there are a few gems; one involving body writing provides a real shock and prompts the most genuine round of applause in the whole show. For those who have never seen a magic show before, Magician Twinpossible might blow them away; otherwise it’s fairly forgettable. (Isy Santini)

n PBH’s Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms, until 27 August, 2.45pm.

PICTURE: EMMA BASC

CABARET HIGHLIGHTS

DANNY BEARD AND THEIR BAND

The Drag Race UK victor and self-confessed ‘sassy, shady, singing, cartoon clown’ lets rip over five sizzling nights in the Udderbelly.

 Underbelly George Square, 21–25 August, 9.40pm.

DOM CHAMBERS

A Boy And His Deck is the title of this year’s Fringe show from Chambers who scooped a big award at the Melbourne Magic Festival. This is a coming-of-age tale mixed with jaw-dropping conjuring.

 Assembly George Square Studios, until 27 August, 5.35pm.

ANTON DU BEKE & FRIENDS

The Strictly favourite brings us a touch of glitz and good-old fashioned showbiz patter with his afternoon variety show which features a live band, a guest singer and a plethora of dancers.

 Underbelly Bristo Square, 23–28 August, 1.30pm.

DEE CHRISTOPHER

It surely cannot be a coincidence that The Psychic Vampire is playing this venue for the last draining (blood and otherwise) week of the Fringe. If you’ve ever wanted a member of The Undead to read your mind, now’s your chance.

 Frankenstein Pub, 21–28 August, 4.30pm.

ZOE PADLEY

If you like your cabaret to be on the absurdist and alternative side of things, grab a pew in the BlundaGardens. The Wrong Numba: THE WRöNG PLANET…!? is the mindboggling title of this affair.

 BlundaGardens, 18–22 August, 11pm.

DAVID ALNWICK

Busy boy is our David this Fringe with various projects on the go. Here we draw attention to david alnwick is a magician at Voodoo Rooms and his slightly spookier affair, Necromancer

 PBH’s Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms, until 27 August, 1.25pm; Banshee Labyrinth, until 27 August, 3.35pm.

PUPPETS

There are, of course, plenty of puppet shows out there but few will have them playing ex-boyfriends in this musical excitement about one woman’s misadventures with dating apps.

 Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose 15–27 August, 8.20pm.

PICTURE: LIV PUPPETS

PICTURE: MONICA PRONK

HEALING KING HEROD HEALING KING HEROD HEALING KING HEROD

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Follow Grant on a stranger than fiction journey home, as his whole body slowly reaches paralysis after contracting a rare and unheard of neurological virus while on a motorcycle trip through the mountains of northern thailand.

Eight years in the making and a true story down to every detail, “one room sleep one night” is a bizarre, hilarious, poignant introspection into the human psyche and the lengths we will go to survive; relying on humour as the light that will guide us to safety.

A SHOW FOR GARETH RICHARDS

Shock and sadness greeted news in April that musical comedian Gareth Richards had died from his injuries two weeks after a road accident. This outpouring among the British comedy community was a testament to his talent as a comic and status as a thoroughly good person. This goodwill has unsurprisingly filtered into the Fringe where Richards performed to acclaim many times, with a daily show helping to raise funds for his family. By the end of this month, and with an ever-changing line-up, the likes of Nick Helm, Stewart Lee, Shaparak Khorsandi, Dara Ó Briain and Larry Dean will have performed here. Get along and laugh for a very good cause.

(Brian Donaldson)

n PBH’s Free Fringe @ Whistlebinkies, until 27 August, 4pm.

TOM BALLARD IT IS I lll ll

Tom Ballard presents a chaotic hour with flighty diversions into choice subjects such as climate change, mortality and Rupert Murdoch. Despite Ballard’s credible leftleaning credentials (he’s written a book railing against the right), it’s not the media baron’s political control that sets the comedian’s teeth on edge but something much more frivolous and unedifying.

At the start of It Is I, Ballard makes an offbeat claim about his sex life that he repeats for effect, somehow startled at the crowd’s insouciance; this becomes a habit of his, particularly during an extended tirade against the late Queen. As a two-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, he should be experienced enough by now to push a crowd without constantly remarking on his perceived edginess.

Ballard is a substantial but cordial presence, dominating his small stage with intense physicality and a sporadic penchant for eruptive rage; that’s slightly at odds with his crowd work which is unerringly affable, sometimes to a fault. In tonight’s audience, a quiet-spoken heckler constantly interrupts his flow but rather than shut her down he politely acquiesces to her intrusions. Ballard is at his best on one of his characteristic rants, and when he builds momentum (and volume), he’s unstoppable. (Murray Robertson) n Monkey Barrel, until 27 August, 6.10pm.

LIZ GUTERBOCK GERIATRIC MILLENNIAL lll ll

In her debut hour, Liz Guterbock presents a portrait of being 41, bisexual, perimenopausal and still something of a fish out of water as a Californian living in the UK. She’s a geriatric millennial; essentially someone born in the earlier bracket of that age group. It’s a position that provides Guterbock with the role of translating tech speak for the boomers, but she also worries about the invisibility of middle-aged women and their role in society if, like her, they are child-free.

There are a couple of stand-out routines to be found here about the length of time it takes to do laundry in the UK and the bafflement of a male doctor about menopause. Plus she showcases her ear for an accent with brief, unexpected appearances from the likes of Maggie Smith and even Richard Nixon. Overall, an enjoyable hour from an assured performer. (Marissa Burgess) n Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 August, 4.15pm.

GAIL PORTER HUNG, DRAWN AND PORTERED llll l

Despite mining the depths of despair for material, this might be the warmest hour of comedy you’ll see at the Fringe this year. Gail Porter takes us on a meandering journey from the primary school bullies who called her ‘snobby Porter’ to being involuntarily sectioned and hunting for ghosts with unhinged psychics in the US. Porter jumps from topic to topic, throwing in off-the-cuff memories and thoughts as she goes. The informal, chatty style doesn’t have a lot of structure, but her bubbly personality keeps it an engaging watch.

We get a peek behind the curtain of her TV persona as she’s brazenly honest about her opinions of fellow Big Brother contestants, and upfront about the weird characters who populate paranormal investigative TV. Even when she talks about her darkest moment (being sectioned, homeless and mentally unwell), it’s with a smile and a laugh. Speaking of bringing her dad’s ashes back from Spain, she breaks down into tears. Shouts from the audience encourage her to go on and you can feel the support and emotional investment in this room.

There are laughs, there are audible gasps and there are quiet tears. The show really picks up in the final 15 minutes, when it feels as though Porter has settled in and is willing to expose the most vulnerable moments of her career. At this point, we fully realise we’re not here for the biggest laughs and most outrageous jokes of the Fringe, but a story about being messy, imperfect and human. (Suzy Pope)

n Assembly George Square Studios, until 28 August, 7pm.

PICTURE: IPRODUCTIONS

PICTURE: KARLA GOWLETT

ANIA MAGLIANO

I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’VE DONE THIS llll l

Bisexual. Gen Z. Curly haired. She’s literally the whole package. Ania Magliano’s candid conversational style and colourful delivery create a brand of stand-up for the social media generation, cracking jokes about her trauma (really bad haircut) and subsequent therapy sessions. After her sell-out Fringe debut last year, the fresh-faced comedian’s second rodeo is another full-run sell-out, with extra dates added.

Magliano takes us along her road to recovery after experiencing the most harrowing hairdresser appointment of her life. From taking up boxing to getting surgery, she does everything to avoid letting ‘the haircut’ win. What is so special about Magliano is her confidence in delivering anecdotal comedy that packs a punch. ‘This haircut was the worst thing that ever happened to me,’ she explains, ‘and I’ve been sexually assaulted.’ Her bold material might make some audience members shrink into their seats, but this harsher truth simmers under the surface of her stories, adding layers to her jokes without taking away from the stand-up. She turns the narrative of her trauma (again, the haircut) into wise cracks and quick quips that are perfect for the post-Tumblr generation. Why overshare online when you can let it all out on stage?

Her improvised observations and quickfire crowd work illustrate a natural ability in stand-up and storytelling. In short, she’s just really, very funny. Magliano’s material is earnest, honest and hilarious without ever being overstated. She delivers a joke-after-joke set, all while remaining crucially self-aware (she is a bisexual woman with a boyfriend, which she understands is the worst sexuality). It’s no wonder her Gen Z comrades are catapulting her to fame. (Rachel Cronin) n Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 4.35pm.

SIAN DAVIES THIS CHARMING MAN ll lll

Sadly, to Morrissey’s escalating charge sheet, we can now add Sian Davies’ promising but ultimately disappointing second Fringe show. Coming of age as a butch, workingclass lesbian in 1990s Liverpool during the height of laddism and superficial lipstick lesbianism, she cast around in vain for queer role models and retrospectively arrived at The Smiths’ frontman. Although only explicitly stated towards the finale, Moz’s fall from grace as a right-wing reactionary has prompted her to explore whether we can truly separate the art from the artist.

In the process, she’s also been inspired to dig further into her own identity, the gender expectations society has placed on her, her class, northerness and Irish ancestry. It’s a lot but she’s thrown considerably more at it, with a succession of clips, sound cues and props, weaving through narrative lines about Shania Twain and problematic pop icons t.A.T.u, not to mention arch, out-of-context commentary from the once-sainted Stephen Patrick himself. And the result is a bit of a mess.

Throughout, in seeking connections between her life and pop culture, Davies has also developed an irritating quirk of calling attention to her more clever-clever, obscure gags, jumping in straight away to explain the lines as soon as she’s delivered them, betraying insecurity about the material. (Jay Richardson)

n Assembly George Square, until 27 August, 3.45pm

NATALIE PERLIN ATTACK OF THE 36 TRIPLE-G WOMAN lll ll

Natalie Perlin introduces herself by actively encouraging the front row to look her in the breasts, not the eyes. And so follows a tirade of humorous self-aggrandising and several mentions of buttholes and OnlyFans in a naughty, giggly hour of comedy.

There’s a slightly unstructured sense to the narrative, though there are a few welcome callbacks. Anecdotes meander and repeat in places. It feels as though the show is on two levels: one for the lads who are here for big tits and sexual innuendo, and a clever, absurdist level that plays with images of smothering Hitler to death during sex to become the new, glamorous poster child for anti-Nazism.

Perlin’s set is definitely edgy and the audience visibly winces at some of the Anne Frank material. Like a spoiled child who’ll never be told no, she talks her way out of trouble, building a hilariously self-absorbed persona that one hopes is only for the stage. (Suzy Pope) n TheSpace @ Symposium, until 19 August, 11.20pm; TheSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 21–26 August, 10.40pm.

PRIYA HALL GRANDMOTHER’S DAUGHTER lll ll

This Welsh-Indian writer and comic lights up Monkey Barrel’s basement with a story of how she turned her life upside down. Priya Hall is a participant in the postpandemic ‘great cabinet reshuffle’ where everyone quit their jobs and dumped their partners for new ones. She left work, swapped out her boyfriend of six years for a tiny lesbian, and accidentally bagged herself a lead role in a Welshlanguage musical (without an audition). Oh, and somehow, this all relates back to her grandmother, who really wants to try speed again.

Through engaging anecdotes and silly stories, the comic recounts her struggle as a woman in a gay relationship trying to have a baby (apart from the obvious). Having written for The Guardian on this very topic, it’s interesting to hear Hall’s uncensored and over-the-top version of the story. Painting a very vivid picture of how she and her girlfriend are trying to conceive (cue sperm jokes) she scores a good few belly laughs among other near misses.

Hall’s quips range from effortless and charming to overthought at points. However, she is an avid storyteller whose material is brilliantly obscure and original. Despite a few nonfatal wobbles, a comedy hour focused on motherhood, queer joy and female connection is refreshing to see. (Rachel Cronin) n Monkey Barrel, until 27 August, 4.20pm.

AARON SIMMONDS

BABY STEPS lll ll

Aaron Simmonds comes onstage to ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’ and heads off an hour later to ‘I’m Still Standing’. The comic has cerebral palsy and set himself the challenge of delivering the whole of his new stand-up routine . . . stood up. He’s also from Watford, so the triumphant closing strains of Elton John (born in neighbouring Pinner and a lifelong fan of Watford FC) make for a nice in-joke.

This is a smart, likeable show which generally avoids the kind of I-can-say-this-but-youcan’t shock tactics whose effect wanes quickly. Sure, the theme of physical impairment is usually somewhere in the mix, like in a nicely layered sequence about trying to win a weightlifting competition in order to have sex with a Paralympian. But so too is Jewishness, whiteness, maleness and sexuality.

Energy ebbs and flows throughout, with some set-pieces stronger than others. But a hilarious ending pulls Simmonds through, and a naturally likeable manner and remarkable life story make for an enjoyable hour . . . of unbroken standing up. (Greg Thomas)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 August, 4.25pm.

LARRY OWENS LIVE llll l

Triple threat Larry Owens describes himself as ‘the Black James Corden’. But please don’t let that put you off. This flamboyant New Yorker is an extraordinary character, a frequently hilarious queer man blessed with an outstanding voice. His sound is infused with the power of a whole church choir and his influences are distinctly broad, from disco divas to Lil Nas X.

Over a brisk hour, Owens performs a mini musical melodrama that is sparked into life by a tantalising email from his agent. He punctuates his tale with comedy songs, at times performing as Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o. A short section as ‘Black Chuckie’ from Rugrats suggests a darker turn before he swiftly brings it back to the light with a barnstorming arrangement of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air theme tune. It’s a trick that’s been done before but not quite like this: at once impressive, affecting and uproarious.

Owens’ songs are unfailingly catchy and, despite requiring serious lyrical dexterity to perform them, he loves to get his audience in on the action, their vocal stumblings further emphasising just how good our host is. While the frivolous plot is part of its charm, one can only wonder what would happen if Owens applied his talent to something more profound. Nevertheless, it’s a joy to listen to his resonant, soulful voice. Charismatic and dazzling, Larry Owens is an uncontainable talent. (Murray Robertson) n Assembly Roxy, until 27 August, 8.35pm.

PICTURE: STEVE ULLATHORNE

PICTURE: RACHEL SHERLOCK

PICTURE: CALLUM WALKER HUTCHINSON

DANIEL FOXX VILLAIN llll l

Daniel Foxx is on a mission to convince us that all the popculture villains we loved to hate in our youth were secretly gay: Jafar and Captain Hook for two. Catty men with jewels in their hats dressed in plum? Join the dots. His other job is as a musical theatre writer and, at various points, the bleach-blonde songster with the devil horns slides behind his electric piano. From there he regales us with Disneyesque show tunes about why it’s evil to be gay, why it’s gay to be evil, and why straight men over 35 want to be Bond.

The themes and style of Villain may not exactly scream originality, but Foxx’s delivery is mostly pitch-perfect, his piano fingers are lithe, and his jokes are funny enough to carry the whole thing off. Moreover, at the show’s emotional core, is material about the casual homophobia of earlynoughties school life, delivered with a straight(ish) face, that reminds us why the themes being broached here are still relevant, even if cultural discourse around identity has moved on. As a teenager, the young comic recalls, he was spat at, pushed down the stairs, and more.

Things, amazingly, never get heavy among all the cathartic recollection. But neither does Foxx style everything out with gags, as if it had all been some big camp adventure. This is a proper funny show with hidden depths. (Greg Thomas)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 7.05pm (plus 19 August, 10.50pm; 18, 26 August, 11pm).

LULU POPPLEWELL ACTUALLY, ACTUALLY ll lll

In this debut hour loosely built around a childhood appearance in Richard Curtis’ film Love Actually, Lulu Popplewell attempts to marry up that trauma-ridden experience with an even more harrowing journey to sobriety and self-acceptance. But while the London stand-up manages to keep things light and fluffy with fun multimedia components, a lack of flow and original writing handicaps this otherwise solid concept.

Actually, Actually is at its strongest when that 2003 film is being explored, whether through a factually accurate yet hilarious synopsis of the plot or via character analysis through the lens of different addictions (Alan Rickman’s character is hooked on shopping for women). But it’s when Popplewell veers away from romcom territory that things derail. A lack of assurance on stage, suggested by constant caveats and apologies for covering serious topics, kills momentum, leaving Popplewell grasping for the next Love Actually-themed set-piece to wrap everything in that signature red bow. (Megan Merino)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 4.35pm.

AMOS GILL THE PURSUIT OF HAPPY(ISH) lll ll

US-based Aussie comedian Amos Gill describes himself as a ‘toxic masculinity exhibit’, so you could be forgiven for being somewhat apprehensive about The Pursuit Of Happy(ish)

In fact, for the most part, he’s surprisingly genial company, just trying to better understand his own various complexities.

He spends much of the show questioning why so many people of his generation are sad. This line of inquiry later segues to euthanasia and adoption rates, two contentious subjects for which he has some bold (and perhaps not entirely serious) ideas. Throughout this hour, there are moments when a fiery temperament rises to the fore, particularly during a passionate rant against the British monarchy. Later, a scatological tale about his Croatian grandparents’ enduring love brings out his softer side before he realises he’s running out of time and needs to wrap things up.

Clearly excited about his grand finale, he rushes through to an eye-watering routine about sexual role play. It does feel like we’ve missed out on a warm-up but, thanks to his confident charm, he just about keeps the audience on side. (Murray Robertson)

n Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 24 August, 8.30pm.

PICTURE: JIKSAW PICTURE: ED MOORE

Shetland storytelling and impish character building are at the heart of her finest show to date as Marjolein Robertson totally bowls

Jo Laidlaw over

You’ll hear a lot of callbacks at the Edinburgh Fringe, but probably not that many calling back to the comic’s 2022 show. Such is the confidence and sheer chutzpah of Marjolein Robertson’s Marj, a phenomenal 60 minutes of accomplished stand-up with an important message to share. Great writing and solid construction are at the heart of this show’s success and Robertson’s forensic attention to detail essentially allows her to bring three different acts, with three different arcs, to one single stage.

First up is Comedy Marjolein: impish and upbeat, able to mine an everyday observation to almost absurdist lengths. Not in a clever-clever-surreal way though; when Robertson tells you she ate a bit of the moon, you believe she ate the moon. It’s like listening to your pals’ chat, if your pals were really funny.

Then there’s Professional Shetlander Marjolein, the act that perhaps most of the audience expect to see, despite men from Aberdeen taking umbrage at her accent. This Robertson veers between vivid recreations of her childhood (Shetland’s school system and her family’s work ethic feature strongly) and hauntingly lyrical storytelling, as she drops in and out of telling a traditional fairytale. It’s telling that you could hear a pin drop in the normally rambunctious Stand as she does so, with the audience not just accepting the gear change but hungry for more. Clearly, there’s some Shetlander storytelling witchcraft at play here.

And finally, there’s Just Marjolein Robertson: survivor and thriver, authentic and emotional, with the confidence to stand up and simply be herself as she delivers a final third that very much needs to be heard (including that callback). No spoilers, but as Robertson says, if the original story managed to horrify a straight, white male comic then you know it’s bad.

Pulling these three threads together to create such a cohesive show is an achievement many talented playwrights would be proud of. That it’s also properly funny and proper stand-up shows Robertson is scaling new heights as a creator as well as a performer. Though clearly tightly controlled, it feels effortless; a reclamation and celebration of an oral tradition that obviously inspires Robertson which she has remade to be fully relevant to today. They do say there are no new stories. That might be true. But, thanks to Marjolein Robertson, we now have a whole new way to tell at least one of them.

Marjolein Robertson: Marj, The Stand, until 28 August, 5pm.

review of the issue

“An extraordinary presence. Fresh, funny, smart, surprising.” KATE COPSTICK (THE SCOTSMAN)

BEE BABYLON CANCER CULTURE  

This powerful debut hour from Bee Babylon is sure to gain traction. The Icelandic-born, Scotland-based comedian grew up a hypochondriac. As someone who was semiregularly convinced that she had cancer, she was unsurprised to hear of her stage 2 cervical tumour in 2021.

Babylon survived horrific radiotherapy treatment and bitchy hospital cliques (the breast cancer patients are the popular girls, obviously). After getting rid of the tumour (which she named Russell), she re-emerged into the world as the only cancer survivor who refuses to run a marathon. Making sly pokes at the NHS and male doctors, the stand-up delivers dry jokes in her Icelandic accent with a straight face and keeps the crowd’s energy up for her full hour.

At times, Babylon ditches the anecdotes for long-winded and imaginary scenarios (her untimely death in the supermarket ketchup aisle, for example) which continue until her audience erupts into laughter. Also, she wants us to know that, yes, they do have Eric Clapton in Iceland. Cancer Culture is a strong debut that’s sure to shoot the comic to further success. (Rachel Cronin)

 The Stand 4, until 27 August, 5.25pm.

PHIL GREEN

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A BREAKDOWN  

Phil Green’s new show marries persuasive, witty analysis on the differences between generations, candid anecdotes and a sustained exploration of male mental health, all to the contrived backing of The Sugababes. It’s an ambitious, consistently funny hour that nimbly skirts many of the pitfalls associated with Fringe shows incorporating dense multimedia elements and framed by personal upheaval and loss.

Warm and personable, Green found his life falling apart in 2011, with his coping mechanisms and the support network among his friends sadly lacking. Nevertheless, he’s come through that experience and uses it as the robust perspective for smart social observations on four weddings he attended last year, each with different characteristics based on the era the betrothed were born in. The career and constant line-up changes of The Sugababes afford the show an enjoyable added throughline, as well as amusing commentary on middle-aged men’s capacity to deflect from their real issues. (Jay Richardson)

 PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth, until 27 August, 2.40pm.

CELYA AB

SECOND RODEO  

Dwelling in London these days but originally from SeineSaint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, this French-Algerian comedian is not enjoying adulthood. A bad break-up and some homesickness mean she’s not loving British life much either. In fact, slagging the Brits used to be a big part of her schtick until she found herself feeling guilty and actually sympathising with them in the current messed-up UK political climate.

So besides the odd swipe about old people voting for Brexit, she focuses more on whimsy now. Odd observations from a self-confessed ‘bath-head’ make up her meandering, laidback routine, where she offers surreal reflections on seeing Abba Voyage or riding a rollercoaster as a grown-up. She dips into her French childhood for stories of inappropriate romantic behaviour or getting into juvenile debt, usually cringing at the recollections.

Although her delivery is confident and the crowd quickly warm to her, her onstage persona is a deliberate kind of lowkey tragic: single, bad at crowd work onstage, rubbish at the thing she always longed for (being an adult). Not all her gags land, unfortunately, and as charismatic as she may be, perhaps seeing her act with a better script (either ramping up the strangeness and fiction elements or casting her as someone in a more focused storyline) could see Celya AB hit the highs she seems tantalisingly capable of. (Claire Sawers)

 Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 7.30pm.

PICTURE: SWISS CHOCOLATE PICTURES

PICTURE: RACHEL SHERLOCK

RUBY MCCOLLISTER TRAGEDY ll lll

Cool people will outshine you at every turn, a problem Ruby McCollister faces regularly throughout Tragedy. In her quest to prove that ‘we’re all obsessed with tragedy’ she conflates the lives of subversive women who met a tragic fate with her own misguided, but often pedestrian, teenage years.

There’s an undeniable appeal in hearing about these titans of tragedy, whose stories add spice to an otherwise misguided hour. Far less appealing is McCollister’s self-absorbed tendency to use herself as a conduit for the stories of women as diverse as Marilyn Monroe and Edie Sedgwick. Her performance style vacillates wildly from comically overwrought (think Matt Berry on an off day) to painfully earnest at random intervals. She gesticulates, breaks into song, then affects an Elvira-esque cackle, before shifting gear entirely to underscore the demise of another victim of the 20th-century art scene.

While her over-the-top delivery can have its charms and the topics she’s discussing are frequently engaging, they’re stymied by an hour that’s over-indulgent and trapped in a tonal tailspin. Like the personality crisis she documents throughout Tragedy, McCollister needs to get out of her own way. Sometimes the teller is better off removing themselves from the story. (Kevin Fullerton) n Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 August, 5.45pm.

TIM MURRAY

TIM MURRAY

IS WITCHES lll ll

Set against the insidious backdrop of America’s movement towards Don’t Say Gay in the classroom, teacher and musical comedian Tim Murray delivers a fun, fearless romp through his pop-culture obsession with witches. Heavy on Wicked iconography but with multiple costume changes, Murray has been bullied and inhibited all his life, first as a closeted child hiding his sexuality and now by otherwise enlightened students mocking his age. His solaces are sorceresses, crones and hags, shunned but fierce, empowered outsiders to whom he pays tribute in arch, witty observations and varied, original songs. The opening number, ‘I Wanna Be Witches’, sets the tone for a prideful spell of self-expression.

Appreciators of 1990s ‘hot sluts’ movie The Craft and those whose spirit animal is poor, lamented Doctor Dillamond will find this an enchanting brew. Yet while Witches is niche, it carries a universal appeal for tolerance that everyone, not least JK Rowling, should be able to get on board with. Murray has a great set of pipes and straddles an imaginary broomstick with sass and self-deprecation. (Jay Richardson)

n Underbelly Bristo Square, until 27 August, 9.20pm; 28 August, 2.55pm.

GRUBBY LITTLE MITTS HELLO, HI lll ll

Scenes of a sexual nature are to be expected in this sketch show, warns the programme listing from London comedy duo, Rosie Nicholls and Sullivan Brown, aka Grubby Little Mitts. Scenes of a sexually repressed, romantically desperate, emotionally distant and criminally horny nature should also be expected as they gleefully bounce between the sweet, the sick, the wrong and the surreal.

An ebullient, wholesome opening number to the tune of ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ quickly turns rancid, with both performers looking stunned at its rapid derailing. The audience jump willingly onboard their nonsense train where puns, role play, physical comedy and sublime use of both unflinching deadpanface and corpsing make for an infectious hour. Their 2022 debut won Best Sketch Show in the Amused Moose Fringe Awards, and after a Crowdfunder raised more than double the amount they were looking for, they’re back in the same room. They bring a cat, some hens and awkward British character comedy in the dysfunctional style of The Fast Show or Smack The Pony as they prat about in their red (or red-stained) clothes.

Some of the gags don’t quite land where they’d intended and although they recover a few by faux-petulantly blaming the other (‘Sullivan wrote that one!’ and vice versa), a number of jokes lie tangled in the comedy tumbleweeds. But their easy chemistry is palpable, the bizarre levels are high, and the finale is sensational. A filthy, funny and strange two-hander. (Claire Sawers)

n Assembly George Square Studios, until 28 August, 3.50pm.

NABIL ABDULRASHID THE PURPLE PILL llll l

From the intricate way that Nabil Abdulrashid describes it, the west end of Croydon’s High Street sounds like a bizarre place indeed. His neighbourhood is peppered with extraordinary personalities such as the various halal butchers who, having recently fought the Taliban, will brook absolutely no shit with the area’s contingent of petty crooks. He categorises all his friends there as either semiretired criminals or conspiracy theorists, with Abdulrashid bouncing between the two camps, frequently agog at what he sees.

He claims to have had ‘severe rage’ ever since he was a child, and confesses that he always sides with the monster in horror films, yet in person he’s as amicable as can be. Awkward situations bring out the interloper in him; this could be down to his split upbringing in south London and Nigeria which has blessed him with an outsider’s perspective.

As someone diagnosed with ADHD before (as he suggests) it became trendy post-pandemic, he posits that much of his singular worldview has been formed by this condition. Another comedian recently used his own ADHD as an excuse for a serious crime, and Abdulrashid stamps all over that with relish. He also has an interesting take on how best to tackle toxic masculinity, something that’s been heightened by the arrival of his two young daughters (who he brings to life with sweet imitation). Clearly enjoying himself, Abdulrashid is a likeable raconteur with a unique perspective. (Murray Robertson) n Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 6.05pm.

SIÂN DOCKSEY POLE YOURSELF TOGETHER llll l

Siân Docksey’s got the dread: can pole dancing help? As she says, it’s hard to think about the ice caps when you’re melting off a pole yourself, and continuing to claim her classes as a business expense doesn’t hurt either. In a beautifully chaotic, laugh-out-loud funny performance, Docksey creates a world where astrology rules, funeral tributes are pole dance-based and that dread simply cannot be allowed to win. She also does a mean line in pole impressions, surely a world first.

People are, of course, free to have all sorts of opinions about pole dancing, but this is Docksey’s world and it’s her joy (and dread) that matters; we’re simply visitors. Lucky us then, to be able to step inside the existential crisis of a performer reaching peak power, with a final three minutes that are as life-affirmingly brilliant as anything you’ll see in Edinburgh this month. Leave your preconceptions at the door, argue about her feminist analysis in the pub later (to be fair, there’s plenty to debate). But for now, it’s enough to jump on and pursue joy in all its inconvenient forms. In other words, see for yourself: it’s OK, she wants you to look. (Jo Laidlaw) n Pleasance Dome, until 28 August, 7.10pm.

PICTURE: MATT STRONGE COMEDY

PICTURE: MILLIE ROBSON

ALISON SPITTLE

Named in homage to her preferred lunchtime meal, Alison Spittle’s routine reaches far and wide into the preoccupations of a London-based Irish millennial who lives in a house with six other people. Her floral-themed set and kaleidoscopic outfit bring to the stage a slice of her London balcony/refuge, which she uses to harvest potatoes and strawberries with mixed results. From worms to managing Complex PTSD, Spittle lays all bare for an audience who might be unsuspecting of a show which is so innocently titled.

For diehard fans of Spittle’s stand-up, or avid listeners of The Guilty Feminist, some of the anecdotal gags will be familiar and therefore lack the freshness we crave at the Fringe. That being said, her charm sees her through, as she merges older material with the new. For all her sweetness (a quality she explores in Soup), she is not beyond confrontation, yet still handles distracting audience interactions with grace. When it transpires that a keen audience member is filming her entire set, she first jokingly asks her to send it to Netflix, then politely insists she stops. After a sell-out show at last year's Fringe, Spittle’s quick wit and delivery continues to flourish, much like her London balcony. (Rachel Ashenden)

 Monkey Barrel The Hive, until 27 August, 1.25pm.

CONNOR BURNS

VERTIGO  

Connor Burns has all the hallmarks of a brilliant club comic: a quick response to unexpected audience input, gags coming at you at a terrifying rate, with particularly eye-watering lines scattered liberally throughout. But what elevates Burns’ act is his sheer fearlessness. He’s unafraid to cut close to the bone, whether it’s with jokes aimed at Oscar Pistorius, Stephen Hawking or the Ukrainian woman on the front row. No one is spared. But it’s skilfully balanced and carefully pitched; there’s no punching down here.

Edinburgh-based Burns is fast rising and, after a successful run last year, it’s not difficult to see why. This working-class boy from a council estate tells of his travels to Australia and its comedy festivals, and his upwardly mobile life among the middle classes; but he’s always got his salt-of-the-earth Glaswegian dad to ground him. Hard to imagine he’s only been gigging six years: he’ll go far. (Marissa Burgess)

 Just The Tonic Nucleus, until 27 August, 8.30pm (plus 24–27 August, 5.50pm).

/ FRI / SAT / SUN

ʻFew Fringe shows this year will be more inspiring or perfectly executed.ʼ  The Scotsman “Bound to hit the spot.ʼ The Times

ʻA raucous house party that doubles as a wistful meditation on countercultural extinction.ʼ The Guardian

PICTURE: MELODY JOY

COMEDY HIGHLIGHTS

ZOË COOMBS MARR

This hugely innovative comic returns with Dave, her uber-male creation who revelled in crossing a line or five. Now, though he’s apparently all woke and about to plunge headlong into the cancelculture debate. Oh dear . . .

 Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 9.20pm.

SOFIE HAGAN

It’s a mystery to many why Hagan isn’t better known among the general populace. This Danish comic is always thoughtful and frequently hilarious. The title of her 2023 show is already funny: Banglord

 Monkey Barrel, until 27 August, 2.50pm.

MIKE BIRBIGLIA

Already a big hit on Broadway, The Old Man & The Pool is the comic’s latest storytelling show in which he tackles his own dif cult health issues which appear to be rampant.

 Underbelly Bristo Square, 22–27 August, 7.15pm.

THAT DON’T HURT MY FEELINGS NONE

Directed by Saturday Night Live’s Liz Patrick, this one-woman show from stand-up and actress Kassie Thornton is a tale of self-discovery in the face of growing up in a conservative household in Kansas.

 Assembly Rooms, 21–27 August, 9.50pm.

SALMA HINDY & DANIELLE DELUTY

A comedic two-hander as Hindy and Deluty discuss being brought up in very different religious households, yet their paths to where they are now are surprisingly similar. That’s why they’ve called the show Parallel

 Just The Tonic At The Caves, until 27 August, 3.20pm.

SHOWSTOPPER! THE IMPROVISED MUSICAL

You surely know the Showstoppers schtick by now: a brand-new musical is created every night by this talented bunch of adlibbers, all from suggestions made by you, the audience.

 Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 9.10pm; plus Museum Late: Fringe Fridays, National Museum of Scotland, 18 August, 7.30pm.

JACK DOCHERTY

Comedic storytelling is absolutely this guy’s thing and his tale of meeting David Bowie on his Channel 5 chat show 26 years ago should be a mesmerising ride with lots of layers underneath.

 Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 August, 8.30pm.

PICTURE: RAY BURMISTON

PICTURE: MATT CROCKETT

DANCE & CIRCUS

PHAEDRA/ MINOTAUR

Met with rave reviews last year, this dance/ opera/theatre double bill with a strong filmic aesthetic keeps immortal Greek mythology at the forefront of our cultural minds. Phaedra is a version of Britten’s cantata for orchestra and mezzo-soprano, with Christine Rice in the title role, while Minotaur is a striking new piece choreographed by Kim Brandstrup. (Brian Donaldson)

n Lyceum Theatre, 18 & 19 August, 8.30pm, 19 & 20 August, 3pm.

VIBHINNA RAMDEV WHY ENGLISH? lll ll

Britain’s colonial fervour is the unwanted gift that keeps on giving. The wounds are still open and until our history lessons put it front and centre, we’ll never pay the respect due to those we dominated. That’s the message running through Why English?, this important new show from dancer/choreographer Vibhinna Ramdev.

On the surface, this is a very personal exploration of why Ramdev’s ‘mother tongue’ is English, despite growing up in Bangalore and being of Indian heritage. The city’s main language is Kannada, followed by Tamil, Telugu and several others with ties to the region. So why on earth is Ramdev fluent in English, yet struggles in those other languages?

Through dance, spoken word anecdotes, characterisation and some fun audience interaction, she tells us her tale. Essentially, Ramdev is one of ‘Macaulay’s children’, educated in a convent school that followed the doctrine of British politician Thomas Macaulay, who felt Indian culture and education wasn’t fit for the modern world. Ramdev is a likeable performer with an engaging delivery style, and buried just beneath the surface is a more polished and harder-hitting production that the world needs to see. (Kelly Apter) n ZOO Southside, until 19 August, 5.50pm.

MAX PERCY AND FRIENDS BAKLA lll ll

The Tagalog word baklâ can be used in multiple ways: anything from a noun describing gender non-conformity to a slur. Max Percy’s one-person show uses this as a jumping-off point, taking inspiration from the way words shift, move, reflect and shape our world to explore ideas of belonging, colonisation, identity and sexuality.

Moving between 1521 (the beginning of Spanish colonial rule in what’s now known as the Philippines) to a non-consensual sexual encounter in the present, Percy’s performance switches between direct address, balletic physicality and moments of jaw-breaking tension in the intimacy of Summerhall’s Demonstration Room. A lesser performer might let their audience off the hook; Percy compels us to not look away. But there’s humour, and gentle poetry too; for example, in describing a difficult relationship with a grandparent: ‘separated by seven kitchen tiles’. Ultimately this is a story of survival, told through a beautifully human and committed performance. (Jo Laidlaw)

n Summerhall, until 27 August, 1pm.

AGIT-CIRK INSOMNIAC’S FABLE lll ll

Described as a Hitchcockian love story, Insomniac’s Fable is a subverted tale of ‘boy meets girl’ told through dance and circus tricks. It begins with circus artist Sakari Männistö acting almost as a puppeteer, manoeuvring his dance partner, Erin O’Toole. As the show continues though, she starts to take control of the dance, exerting more and more dominance over him, before they perhaps reach a balance of power.

At times reminiscent of old Hollywood (O’Toole seems to channel Cyd Charisse in particular) and at other times Lynchian, Insomniac’s Fable creates a captivating dreamscape that delves into ideas of gender, power and love. The show uses everything at its disposal, telling its story not only via dance but also through an extremely varied soundtrack and beautiful woodcuts projected onto the curtain. The performers themselves utilise this curtain well too, projecting dynamic shadows or otherwise dancing behind it, further adding to the sense of unreality. However, while Insomniac’s Fable broadly succeeds in its surreal exploration of relationships, it does sometimes cross the line into deliberately esoteric territory.

The dancing and tricks themselves are very beautiful and a pleasure to watch, but in contrast to the storytelling, they often feel a bit simplistic visually; there is nothing to truly take your breath away (plus there are a few mistakes during the juggling tricks). Nevertheless, Insomniac’s Fable is certainly a show that will captivate audiences and leave them thinking about it well after exiting the theatre. (Isy Santini) n Summerhall, until 27 August, 11am.

PICTURE: BHUSHAN BAGADIA

PICTURE: JOE MAGOWAN

PICTURE: PATRICK BALDWIN

review of the issue

Recirquel answer our prayers with a magical merging of dance, aerial and ballet to deliver something utterly iconic. Megan Merino believes audiences will be altered by this physical display and spiritual force

Hungarian dance-circus company Recirquel’s latest piece IMA (or Pray), sets a new bar for what can be achieved by solo aerial performances. Set in a black-out dome inside Murrayfield Ice Rink, this immersive and physically altering show uses sophisticated lighting design, an original score and wildly talented circus and ballet professionals to achieve something otherworldly.

Bence Vági is responsible for the show’s choreography, which seamlessly blends elements of contemporary dance, aerial acrobatics and ballet sensibilities, executed both on the ground and high above the audience’s heads. Without any clear references to religion in the piece, sitting inside this installation feels acutely spiritual, the dancer’s form often landing in positions of worship or resembling iconography. This is mirrored musically in composer Szirtes Edina Mókus’ score, as sounds resembling Gregorian chants and choral harmonies weave their way into orchestral arrangements.

The soloist begins as a ghostly figure under a shimmering veil standing in the middle of audience members, who are sitting in the round on stools or cushions. They begin with slow sweeping movements around the floor, as speckles of light peek through the dome like stars against a dark sky. This suspenseful opening, although simple compared to what’s coming, already showcases

the strength and flexibility of the dancer, who captivatingly extends every vertebrae with no visible sign of weight or struggle.

Every moment of IMA flows exquisitely into the next, even when beaming strobe lights reach into corners and our dancer is lifted into the air by a looped black rope. Their fluid transitions from floor to air against depthless black play a trick on the senses, making us feel suspended and buoyant. IMA may be awe-inspiring for its showcase of physicality, but at punctuated points in the choreography when music, movement and light combine at once, something entirely non-physical takes over.

One sequence of circular stag-like leaps and a section where the dancer swings back and forth in a foetal position over the ropes capture a juvenile vulnerability totally at odds with this masculine form in front of us (something that may well elicit an entirely different reaction when performed by the show’s three other rotating dancers).

Presumably a result of balancing sensory deprivation and stimulation, Recirquel’s masterpiece allows pure visceral emotion to flood in. This performance is a feast for the eyes but even greater nourishment for the soul.

Recirquel: IMA, Assembly Murray eld Ice Rink, until 27 August, times vary.

20–27 AUGUST

Vital, genre-defying performances

The Talent Action Hero & Deborah Pearson

Birthmarked Brook Tate

TOM BULLYACHE

Little Wimmin Figs in Wigs

Always Already Haranczak/ Navarre Performance Projects

Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World The Javaad Alipoor Company

FORGE Rachel Mars

A Crash Course in Cloudspotting Raquel Meseguer Zafe/ Unchartered Collective

BODIES

Ray Young

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Litt le Wimmin.

Photo © Rosie Collins

FOSTER GROUP DANCE DOUBLE GOER llll l

The title of this duet, from New-Zealand’s Foster Group led by choreographer Sarah Foster-Sproull, is the literal English translation of ‘doppelgänger’. Various lore surrounds the notion of seeing your double, such as it heralding imminent death or echoing a lost state of twinship. Both of these ideas, along with a more general sense of the unearthly or other-worldly, permeate this fascinating and hypnotic piece, which examines the intimate relationship of two similar souls in all its beauty and ugliness.

Dancers Tamsyn Russell and Rose Philpott begin gnarled together as one, naked from the waist up, almost like conjoined twins; an idea made more visceral by Andrew Foster’s score of amniotic sounds. After they separate, passages of mirroring follow, first gently harmonious, then growing into something more warrior-like as they take up space around them, flinging their limbs and spreading their stances. There’s a Polynesian feel to the choreography sometimes, and an underlying sense of myth that holds the piece together even in its more exploratory sections. These curious explorations, though, make for some of the most striking choreography. Foster-Sproull’s eye for an image is mesmerising: both performers use their long hair brilliantly, at one point draping it forwards over folded arms to hide their faces, so their torsos become faces, their breasts forming bulbous sea-creature eyes. It’s a startling and ingenious piece of dance, thought-provoking as much in its visual creativity as in its ideas of female solidarity and competition. (Lucy Ribchester) n Assembly @ Dance Base, until 27 August, 2.25pm.

UNDERBELLY & WORLD FESTIVAL HAVANA STREET PARTY llll l

Graffiti-style banners hang from the rafters. There’s a table set with a bottle of rum, and here come the dancers, partying their way onto the stage, dressed in splashy colours and looking like they’re having the time of their lives. The cast of Havana Street Party, made up from several Cuban dance groups, definitely know how to create a fiesta atmosphere.

The music is a mix of Latin-pop hits and more traditional-flavoured Cuban tunes, and the dance similarly flits from salsa to various types of hip hop and Cuban rumba (the African-influenced fast dance, as opposed to the slow ballroom kind you’ll see on Strictly). There are dance battles and live singing, close partner dancing and coordinated formations. The dancers combine tight unity with loose flair and natural musicality, reminding you of Cuba’s unique place in the dance world; a country that balances rigorous training with a culture of dance in everyday life.

They create such an easy, welcoming vibe that, as an encore, the cast of another show who have come along to watch (Yes-Ya-Yebo! from South Africa, playing at Laughing Horse @ The Counting House) join them onstage for a brilliant improvised dance-off. Fabulous, uplifting fun.

(Lucy Ribchester)

n Underbelly Bristo Square, until 27 August, 5.30pm; plus Museum Late: Fringe Fridays, National Museum Of Scotland, 18 August, 7.30pm.

THROW CATCH COLLECTIVE ESCALATE llll l

These juggling rhythm-makers are among Australia’s best and their medley of contemporary movement is a Fringe stand-out. The troupe consists of three men who seem to operate as some kind of hive-mind; moving like separate limbs of the same body, they stretch over each other as they dance, all the while keeping (almost) perfect rhythm.

The trio’s energy is that of a group of three siblings. Two of them appear like twins, carrying the majority of Escalate with their seemingly impossible tricks. The third presents like a younger brother, assisting the others with some seriously impressive guitar playing (and simultaneous juggling) and operating the soundboard when the twosome are entertaining the crowd.

Don’t expect the group to get through their entire hour without dropping props at some point: it almost serves as a relief. Their moves are so skilful that, had they not let a ball thud to the floor once or twice, the audience would be convinced that they were AI-generated robots.

(Rachel Cronin)

n Underbelly George Square, until 28 August, 4pm.

PICTURE: JOCELYN JANON

DANCE & CIRCUS HIGHLIGHTS

BULLYACHE TOM

Musical and dance duo Bullyache present this tale of what a queer working-class lad has to do in order to survive and thrive in this world. A hyperactive and hyperreal experience awaits.

BEYOND BOUNDARIES

A re ection of past, present and future as Scottish hip hop is brought to the fore in this exploration of culture, technology and our existential uncertainties.

 Assembly @ Dance Base, 22–27 August, 9.30pm.

COMMON DISSONANCE

This contemporary circus work considers the long period of history when Dreamtime stories shaped Australia’s understanding of the world. This is all undermined and threatened by our globalcentric present day.

 House Of Oz, until 27 August, 4.30pm.

TANDAVA

Scottish guitarist Simon Thacker teams up with India’s Piah Dance Company to shape a work which is there to simply be enjoyed, as delicate melodies and stunning choreography merge triumphantly.

 TheSpace @ Niddry Street, 18–26 August, 8.25pm.

 ZOO Southside, 21–27 August, 6.25pm.

RECLAIM

Innovative Belgian company Théâtre d’un Jour insist that this work is ‘an act of resistance’ with its efforts at somehow envisioning a wholly sustainable future. And it’s all achieved with two cellists, a live opera singer and dizzying acrobatics.

 Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 26 August, 3.10pm.

THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER

Using dance, text, visuals and music, this piece by the Alison Ray Company tells the stories of Black British war veterans and how they were effectively kept hidden and not acknowledged for their part in the military efforts of WWI and WW2.

 Army @ The Fringe, 26 & 27 August, 5pm.

FOR YOU: WICKED

Fimbo Butures presents a dance-based assault on capitalism as it uses people’s experiences in life modelling, stripping and camming to ask whether the economic system we have been landed with keeps people safe.

 Assembly George Square Studios, 17–26 August, 7.45pm.

PICTURE: BRIDGET BRIGG

PICTURE: GENEVIEVE REEVES

PICTURE: SUMIT KUMAR

PICTURE: DANNY WILLEMS

Edinburgh’s award-winning tram network is helping everyone to make the most of a packed programme of events in the city by running all night trams at weekends.

NEWHAVEN - CITY CENTRE - AIRPORT

AIRPORT - CITY CENTRE - NEWHAVEN

ORLANDO, MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY

An award-winner at Berlin Film Festival, this feature by Spanish filmmaker Paul B Preciado brings both Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel and Sally Potter’s 1992 movie starring Tilda Swinton bang up to date. Trans and non-binary people are at the forefront of the ongoing culture wars when all they really want to do is live a life without fear or favour. The film blends fiction and reality as Preciado invites 26 trans and non-binary would-be actors to apply to play Orlando, bringing their own experiences to the audition process.

(Brian Donaldson)

n Vue Omni, 21 August, 8.30pm, 8.40pm, 8.50pm; 22 August, noon, 12.20pm.

Corridors of power

Narcissism and control combine to life-changing effect in Ira Sachs’ latest film, Passages. The director talks to Katherine McLaughlin about on-screen intimacy, successfully portraying the human experience and the risk-taking of youth

The heart of Passages is the possibility of change to happen in a moment,’ explains writer-director Ira Sachs on his darkly humorous drama and character study of narcissistic and volatile film director Tomas (an explosively brilliant performance by Franz Rogowski). When, on a whim, Tomas leaves his husband Martin (Ben Whishaw) to begin a relationship with teacher Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos), his actions alter each of their lives forever.

All the characters in Passages are searching for meaning through the passionate relationships they strike up, and as Sachs so succinctly puts it, ‘in every moment of the film the question of power is central’. For the most part it is Tomas who wields the power in his life.

Sachs specifically took inspiration for Tomas’ behaviour from a behind-the-scenes excerpt of French director Maurice Pialat directing the 1985 film Police. ‘Pialat was significant. That [clip] was in such a brief and economic way an example of what kind of power can be used and potentially exploited on set by men. When do men with power become repellent?’

Pialat’s 1983 masterpiece À Nos Amours was also a huge influence on Passages, as was the work of John Cassavetes and Chantal Akerman whose 1974 film Je Tu Il Elle informed the steamy, elongated sex scenes in the movie. ‘Chantal’s work and particularly that film gives me permission to create images that, in the culture

that I live in, might otherwise be forbidden. I hope that my film reminds people of what is possible in terms of depiction of intimacy in the movies.’

Sachs explains that in his work he is predominantly looking to portray ‘honest moments’. The semi-autobiographical Keep The Lights On followed a gay couple whose relationship is damaged by addiction, while in the tenderly crafted Love Is Strange, finances and prejudice intrude on a beautiful long-term relationship.

In Passages, Tomas’ destructive behaviour is a catalyst for chaos. ‘In general he is a man who believes that the rules of the world are not made for him,’ says Sachs. ‘This is also a film of youth. I think of the risks that young people put themselves through in order to try and figure out what they want and who they will be.’

Which brings us back round to À Nos Amours, with Sachs reflecting, ‘I was talking to someone about my Sight & Sound Top Ten and so many of them were about adolescence . . . because it’s perfectly cinematic. Everything happens with self-consciousness and with such poignancy at that age. My kids are that age now. They are right at the age where play ends and pain begins.’

Passages, Vue Omni, 19 August, 8.15pm, 8.30pm, 8.45pm; 20 August, 11.35am.

Sunday Salon with Ira Sachs, Brandon Taylor & Kate Taylor, Edinburgh College Of Art, 20 August, 6.30pm.

AFIRE (DIRECTED BY CHRISTIAN PETZOLD) lll ll

Pompous, charmless writer Leon (Thomas Schubert) and his best friend Felix (Langston Uibel) are spending the summer at a woodland cottage. Leon is there to knock his problematic second novel into shape while Felix is supposed to be collating his art portfolio for university. One problem: their creative retreat is already occupied by the beautiful and mysterious Nadja (Paula Beer). While Felix, Nadja and her lover Devid (Enno Trebs) rejoice in the summer heat, the nearby sea, and a certain creative and sexual frisson, Leon broods, sulks and obsesses.

Auteur Christian Petzold is one of the older graduates of the Berlin School, a 21st-century movement of German filmmakers with realistic/political tendencies reminiscent of French New Wave cinema. This, his follow up to 2020’s dark romancer Undine, is a likeably odd tale of emancipation versus artistic constipation. Leon’s pretensions and obstreperous self-importance repeatedly clash with the wisps of pleasure and joy around him. Not everything is as it seems, however. The great German poet and critic Heinrich Heine’s hand lies heavy on this slender tale, from the encroaching forest (read cultural) fire to the subtle revolution played out here which ‘succeeds and fails people of great hearts’ who will ‘always be sacrificed to it’. Afire intrigues and delights on many levels. (Paul Dale) n Vue Omni, 22 August, 6.15pm, 6.30pm; 23 August, 2pm.

IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE? (DIRECTED BY ELLA GLENDINING) llll l

‘Is there anybody out there with legs like me?’ asks Ella Glendining, the writer, director and subject of this documentary from Glasgow’s Aconite imprint. Mixing family footage and her own video diaries, Glendining sets out to find someone, anyone, born with the same rare disability as her. That search is complicated when she becomes pregnant, and the birth of her son raises questions about how able-bodied people see others. ‘People aren’t born with this prejudice, it’s learned . . . being this way is not the problem,’ says Glendining, and this sincere documentary makes a strong case.

With a soundtrack including Cake, Perfume Genius and Björk, it’s a personal journey that addresses how the ‘able-ist’, as Glendining terms them, sideline members of society for being different from them. Lowering the light switches might not solve such problems, but as Glendining’s film artfully suggests, it might be a good way to start. (Eddie Harrison)

n Vue Omni, 19 August, 6.30pm; 20 August, 11.10am.

FREMONT

(DIRECTED BY BABAK JALALI) llll l

Shot in black and white and featuring an evocative score by Mahmood Schricker, Fremont follows a young Afghan woman named Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) who has trouble sleeping. She insists to her psychiatrist (Gregg Turkington) that all she needs are pills, but it becomes clear that she is plagued by survivor’s guilt for escaping Afghanistan. When Donya gets a job writing sayings for fortune cookies, she uses the opportunity to reach out and seek love.

Director Babak Jalali’s latest film interrogates what it means to be displaced from your home but also how people are able to find connection across cultures and countries. Donya seals herself off from others, but as the film progresses, she begins to find kinship with her kindly Chinese boss (Eddie Tang), a lonely Turkish restaurant owner (Fazil Seddiqui), and a talkative American mechanic (Jeremy Allen White), who all in their own way seem to be as lonely as she is. Though Donya rarely speaks of her past, it is impossible to not feel her hurt in the moments when her neighbourhood patriarch Suleyman shuns her, or when the well-meaning mechanic calls her Afghanistani rather than Afghan. Much of this is down to the understated but powerful performance of Zada, herself an Afghan immigrant.

Among all this, there is a pleasantly surprising undercurrent of deadpan humour, and you can’t help but crack a smile as Donya’s psychiatrist weeps over the novel White Fang in the middle of a session. While its slow pace occasionally drags, Fremont is a contemplative and tender look at the immigrant experience. (Isy Santini) n Vue Omni, 23 August, 7.45pm.

FEMME (DIRECTED BY SAM H FREEMAN & NG CHOON PING) llll l

A highly accomplished debut feature, this British character study about sexuality, bigotry and vengeance bristles with tension for much of its tightly wound 99 minutes. It also boasts two phenomenal central performances. Nathan StewartJarrett, best known for his turn in Channel 4 comedy Misfits, is sublime as Jules, a gay man living in contemporary London who oozes confidence when we first see him, as a drag queen who commands the stage of a local club.

Yet things change when Jules is beaten up by Preston (George MacKay), a bullish ex-con who has more front than Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Suddenly, Jules is left frightened and unwilling to leave the house. When he does, venturing to a gay sauna, he encounters his tormentor, who has clearly repressed his own sexuality. Failing to recognise his victim, Preston enjoys rough sex with Jules, and so begins an uneasy relationship between the two; a power play that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Is Jules out for revenge, determined to expose his attacker’s sexuality to his macho housemate and others? Is he addicted to the danger that he puts himself in?

First-time directors Sam H Freeman and Ng Choon Ping keep the narrative on a knife-edge, aided by cinematographer James Rhodes, painting London in shadowy hues. 1917 star MacKay is compelling as a man unable to come to terms with his innermost desires, though it’s Stewart-Jarrett that steals it with a multi-faceted performance as the victim who reclaims his spirit. (James Mottram)

n Everyman, 20 August, 8.45pm; Vue Omni, 21 August, 3.30pm.

JORAM (DIRECTED BY DEVASHISH MAKHIJA) llll l

Joram, the gorgeous, wide-eyed baby at the centre of this intense Hindi cat-and-mouse-style thriller, provides light relief and convincing motivation for the actions of its central character Dasru (Manoj Bajpayee) as he goes on the run following his wife’s murder. Set between Mumbai and Jharkhand, this is a gritty, political tale about a man on a quest for freedom in a place plagued with corruption.

Dasru’s journey leads us through the plight of an indigenous population protesting against illegal land grabs and deforestation. Hot on his heels are a beleaguered policeman, drunk locals and menacing politician Phulo Karma (Smita Tambe turning in a truly intimidating performance) and her right-hand woman Bidesi (Megha Mathur). The blend of fast-paced chase scenes (including a gripping train sequence) and provocative social commentary brings to mind The Fugitive if it was directed by Satyajit Ray. (Katherine McLaughlin)

n Vue Omni, 20 August, 6.20pm, 6.40pm; 21 August, 10am.

THE FIRST SLAM DUNK (DIRECTED BY TAKEHIKO INOUE) lllll

The First Slam Dunk is pure cinematic agility. Writer-director Takehiko Inoue, who originated the Japanese smash-hit basketball manga the film is based on, demonstrates not just a reflexive command over his beloved characters, but a cinematic confidence that builds relentless momentum, deepens character bonds, and scores point after point in the fistpumping, knee-slapping, jump-out-of-your-seat game sequences. It dilutes the underdog sports story down to a frenetic, raw simplicity, leaving only what’s most moving and impactful.

Over the course of an inter-high championship final, the five scrappy, disparate players of Shohoku school struggle with overcoming both internal and external adversity; by grounding the stakes in personal drama, Inoue makes the game feel life-or-death, as if winning the final guarantees each player spiritual redemption. Grief and existentialism fuel the young men, and well-timed flashbacks give us a rich understanding of their intense, all-consuming drive (even if the pacing gets muddied around the midpoint as backstories pile up).

The film mixes 3D computer graphics, hand-drawn animation and motion-capture technology to give a modern and expressive feel, while the game itself is like a battle: ruthlessly complex in design but gripping and dynamic to watch. There won’t be a more fittingly titled release this year. (Rory Doherty)

n Vue Omni, 22 August, 5.45pm; 23 August, 11am.

FILM HIGHLIGHTS

CINEMA UNDER THE STARS

If you love your film screenings to be in the great outdoors, this weekend is for you. Among the al fresco delights are Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, Parasite, Safety Last! and Hero

n Old College Quad, 19 August, 10.30am–11pm; 20 August, 10am–10pm.

KILL

The EIFF loves a good rural Scottish thriller (see Get Duked! for details) and here, an abusive father (Paul Higgins) is taken into the forest by his three sons. But this is only the beginning of their torment.

n Everyman, 22 August, 6pm; Vue Omni, 23 August, 11.20am.

PROPERTY

A home-invasion movie with a twist in this contemporary Brazilian film by Daniel Bandeira which will apparently have you sympathising with landlords. Wonder what the outcome would have been had it been set in Edinburgh during August.

n Everyman, 19 August, 10pm; Vue Omni, 20 August, 2pm.

SHOWING UP

Kelly Reichardt directs Michelle Williams in this feature about a sculptor who is finding life hard trying to balance family, a day job and her art. Having a fellow artist as a landlord doesn’t help matters.

n Vue Omni, 22 August, 8.45pm, 8.55pm, 9.05pm; 23 August, 11.10am.

CHUCK CHUCK BABY

Louise Brealey plays a divorced factory worker living out a mundane life in a dull Welsh town. So far so humdrum. Then a figure from her past arrives and turns everything upside down.

n Everyman, 20 August, 6pm; Vue Omni, 21 August, 10.10am.

RAGING GRACE

A gothic horror with a conscience, Paris Zarcilla’s film has a Filipina cleaner doing various jobs to keep her head above water when she begins to believe that someone is slowly poisoning one of her wealthier clients, played by David Hayman.

n Everyman, 21 August, 8.30pm; Vue Omni, 22 August, 3pm.

YOUR FAT FRIEND

Author and activist Aubrey Gordon hates words such as ‘chubby’, ‘curvy’ and ‘chunky’ when those saying it mean ‘fat’. This documentary follows her life over six weight-gaining years as she tackles antifat bias.

n Vue Omni, 21 August, 6pm, 6.15pm; 22 August, 12.10pm.

KIDS

MARCEL LUCONT

If ever this dryly laconic and massively sarcastic Frenchman was going to produce a kids’ show, you just knew (in hindsight) that it would be called Les Enfants Terribles. And this has come to pass with Lucont morphing into a miserable gameshow host and on a mission to honour the worst child in his audience. Assuming everyone is on board with his catty-like non-bonhomie, more than a few contenders are likely to emerge. (Brian Donaldson) n Assembly George Square Gardens, until 21 August, 2.55pm.

PUNCHDRUNK ENRICHMENT THE LOST LENDING LIBRARY lllll

It would be very easy to ruin the magic of this gorgeous show with a few clumsy spoilers. So to maintain the mystique, let’s just say it’s a truly memorable one, beautifully designed and full of cool things.

A big chunk of what makes it so special is the spell that is cast quickly over the small group of primary school-age kids, thanks to Perry, the cardigan-wearing apprentice at the Lost Lending Library. He builds the hype around the 314 floorhigh building, with its millions of books inside and its ability to travel the world. We’re in luck, he explains, as today the wooden door to the amazing library has landed in Edinburgh, behind a velvet curtain that he’s about to pull back.

But as book lovers know, the best stories involve obstacles and conflict, so first there are riddles to solve, hidden rooms to explore and smoking clues to find. Enchanting things are stashed in corners of the Church Hill Theatre, which works well as the multi-room setting for the interactive adventure. Punchdrunk Enrichment, the community theatre charity behind Lost Lending Library, know how to fire up imaginations with their well-woven yarn about flying buildings, spider worlds, hot air balloons and dusty books. Peabody, the guardian of the library’s Miscellaneous Department, helps Perry tell the story, but the kids play a crucial role in the writing too. A very fun 55 minutes in another wonderful dimension. (Claire Sawers) n Church Hill Theatre, until 27 August, times vary.

THAT SCIENCE GANG THE ALPHABET OF AWESOME SCIENCE lll ll

Audiences get a lot of bangs for their buck at this energetic kids’ show from Australia. Professor Lexi Con and Noel Edge are a couple of self-confessed nerds, bringing along lessons about vocabulary and science, with 26 experiments and heaps of big words shoehorned into an hour-long performance with songs.

Bubble displays, smoke doughnuts, fireballs and dry ice are among the highlights as Noel teaches us about physics, acoustics, chemistry and meteorology. Meanwhile, Lexi enlightens us on the meaning of words including idiopraxist, tenebrous or the obsolete yepsen.

The age five and above advice seems spot on as lots of younger kids are visibly restless (and some adults too, it has to be said). As fascinating and fun as the content is, the pace often feels too frantic with not enough time to let it all sink in. Running through the alphabet in a mixed-up order seems one extra layer too far, over-complicating things. That said, families will find plenty to marvel at with leaf blowers, drills, liquid nitrogen, and bike pumps all brought in for this proudly geeky and slapstick demonstration. (Claire Sawers) n Underbelly George Square, until 28 August, 2.15pm.

RUBBISH SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

RUBBISH ROMEO AND JULIET lll ll

Gone is the tragedy in this vivacious and hilarious retelling of Romeo And Juliet. While still following the broad strokes of the original play, Rubbish Romeo And Juliet transforms the familiar tale into a family-friendly farce filled with slapstick and crazy props (sausage rolls, anyone?).

It deftly moves between Shakespeare’s words and Essex slang, and while a few jokes are a tad too cringe-inducing to really land, the majority are side-splittingly funny; particularly enjoyable was the decision to play Paris, Juliet’s fiancé, as a French stereotype.

As fun as the script is, Rubbish Romeo And Juliet’s success is mainly down to the tremendous energy brought by the three-strong cast. Their physical comedy is fantastic, and even more so their onstage chemistry, bouncing off each other (and the audience) at lightning speed. Striking the perfect balance of random and witty, Rubbish Romeo And Juliet is sure to entertain audience members of all ages. (Isy Santini)

n Pleasance Courtyard, 15, 17, 21–28 August, 10.35am.

PICTURE: BURKE PHOTOGRPAHY

PICTURE: MIHAELA BODLOVIC

JODY KAMALI MR SLEEPYBUM llll l

Can you remember all your dreams from the past week? Mr Sleepybum can. And he’s going to re-enact them for us in this high-energy show that’s packed to bursting with silly sketches. Bristolian physical comedian Jody Kamali convinces unsuspecting audience members to help him recreate his craziest dreams, the results of which are often funny, and sometimes hilarious. We begin this sleepy-time adventure with our host snoozing soundly in his cosy bed. His alarm jolts him awake and he introduces himself, springing out of bed complete with cartoonish blue-andwhite-striped pyjamas. ‘WAKE UP!’ screams the packed room of wee ones as Mr Sleepybum dozes off standing up (or on various people in the crowd) throughout his show. This interactive comedy hour includes skits and scenarios that would be impossible outside of dreamland. From swimming with sharks to solving the mystery of a stolen chocolate cake, Mr Sleepybum’s imagination knows no bounds. Kids are left screeching with glee while their parents are grinning at this circus of sheer silliness.

Kamali goes the extra mile to keep his show as interactive as possible, making sure to answer any eager questions from the excited kiddies. He even stops mid-sketch to hear what a curious little one has to say while his use of audience involvement is perfect. Children are left in stitches seeing their parents dress as frogs or chickens, performing under the haphazard direction of Mr Sleepybum as he describes his dream. It’s obvious why this bouncy and wonderfully hectic show was nominated for Best Kids’ Show at Leicester Comedy Festival this year. (Rachel Cronin)

n Assembly George Square, 15, 17–20, 26 & 27 August, 11.40am.

LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE THE SLIGHTLY ANNOYING ELEPHANT lll ll

A musical adaptation of David Walliams’ children’s novel, this 45-minute sing-song shows the dire consequences of failing to read the small print. Silly boy Sam signed a contract at the zoo to adopt an elephant. What he didn’t expect was for an enormous bossy housemate to show up on his doorstep.

The tyrannical animal destroys Sam’s house. His demands to be bathed, fed and napped are met with apprehensive agreement from the boy as he appeases his home invader. The last straw for poor Sam is when his brand-new bike (which was a birthday present!) is carelessly squashed by the inconsiderate elephant. The play’s set is notably well established (complete with bubbles) and includes a mammoth-sized, puppet-style costume (think the stage version of The Lion King).

Those unfamiliar with the novel’s plot may expect the pair to become unlikely friends and live happily ever after by the end. But this ‘terms and conditions’ nightmare only spirals further out of control for little Sam as all his house guest’s giant friends also descend upon him. A fun, silly show that’s impressively put together and includes a few catchy songs; the main drawback is that this elephant is definitely more than slightly annoying. (Rachel Cronin)

n Underbelly Bristo Square, until 28 August, 11.30am.

DOUBLE & CROSS THEATER GROUP WORLD IN A WORD lll ll

Taiwan’s Double & Cross Theater Group bring a sweet start to the day with this intriguing, lo-fi kids’ show. Advertised for threes and up, two-year-olds were mesmerised by the performers’ slithering snake and flapping bird actions. Origami kitchen-towel gifts helped relax a few shy guys, too. Peaceful birdsong chirped as the dancers elegantly roly-polied around and threw their limbs into angular shapes, acting out Chinese characters for a brief writing and vocabulary lesson.

A traditional Taiwanese song about sheltering under an umbrella with a friend brings to mind the gentle charm of Studio Ghibli’s classic My Neighbor Totoro. Line-by-line translation gives an introduction to Chinese language, using actions, stickers and drawing materials to help everyone get onboard. While glow-in-the-dark pens may have got stage fright in one drawing bit, the performers and some simple props carry things along with simple, enchanting storytelling. (Claire Sawers)

n Summerhall, until 27 August, 9.45am.

KIDS HIGHLIGHTS

ROGER MCGOUGH’S MONEYGOROUND

Jam Jar present this musical adaptation of the legendary Liverpudlian’s Wind In The Willows-inspired 2020 book about Mr Toad who nds a coin which curiously seems to nd a way back to its original owner.

 Assembly Rooms, until 21 August, 11.55am.

MAGIC GARETH

Games, japes and outstanding levels of trickery abound in this show from the Fringe staple who launched a book on April Fools Day, all about duping your pals with cunning conjuring.

 Pleasance Courtyard, until 20 August, 10.30am.

LOST IN THE WOODS

Being lost in the woods (hence the title) is bad enough, but what if you also happen to be unsure of your place within a story? Energy and silliness meet in this funlled show.

 Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 28 August, 11.15am.

A BEE STORY

All the way from Australia come ARC Circus who tell the tale (probably with a sting in it) about the bees who try to rebuild their hive after a terrible bush re. And yes, there is a real buzz about this show.

 Assembly George Square Gardens, until 27 August, noon.

TALES FROM A HAUNTED BOOKSHOP

Not sure many of us would walk into a bookshop owned by people with names such as Cordelia Hemlock and Ransome Squelch. But let’s just go with it as the pair pore over some spooky passages from books.

 Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 20 August, 11am.

AMAZING BUBBLE MAN

This man, it feels, has been forever blowing bubbles. A true veteran of the Fringe, Louis Pearl is back once again with his fun blend of art, magic and science.

 Underbelly George Square, until 28 August, 12.30pm.

FAMILY PORTRAIT

Choreography meets a children’s show set in a stunning Scottish landscape for this interactive video installation created by Natasha Gilmore, artistic director of Barrowland Ballet, and her kids.

 ZOO Dovecot, until 20 August, times vary.

PICTURE: EMBELLYSH

PICTURE: GIACOMO GIANELLI

PICTURE: NEAL MEGAW

ABEL SELAOCOE

If you think you pretty much know by now what a cello can do, it’s time to get some of this South African-born, Manchestereducated innovator in your life. Improvising and singing are just the half of it, as he becomes ever more unclassifiable the more you listen to his work. The ideal place to start is his 2022 debut collection, Where Is Home, which takes in African traditions, dance rhythms, and a Bach suite performed in a way that your ears will struggle to compute. (Brian Donaldson) n The Hub, 22 August, 8pm.

PICTURE: CHRISTINA EBENEZER

World on a string

Award-winning solo violinist ClaraJumi Kang started playing aged just three and made her concert debut at the wise old age of five. Carol Main gets the lowdown on what audiences can expect as Kang takes to the stage for her first-ever appearance at Edinburgh International Festival

Speaking from Seoul, with summer temperatures soaring in the high 30s, violinist Clara-Jumi Kang declares she is very much looking forward to coming to Edinburgh. Her excited anticipation is not, of course, primarily about more tolerable temperatures for her and her 1702 Stradivarius violin, but about giving a debut recital in a Festival which she has followed for 20 years. That it is a solo recital, with no accompanist, no chamber ensemble, no orchestra, makes it all the more special.

‘When Nicola Benedetti first asked me, I assumed it would be for a duo recital. But she said, “no, it’s solo”.’ In thinking about solo violin repertoire, the six sonatas and partitas by Bach usually come to mind. For Kang, they are currently uppermost in her mind along with six sonatas by Belgian composer-violinist Eugène Ysaÿe which have their 100th anniversary in 2023. ‘I’ve been performing Bach and Ysaÿe together for the past couple of years,’ says Kang, ‘and wanted to include as much Ysaÿe as possible in Edinburgh, but without making too long a programme.’

The perfectly balanced end result will combine Bach, including the monumental ‘Chaconne’ from Partita No 2, three Ysaÿe sonatas and music from Ukrainian-born 20th-century violin legend and pupil of Ysaÿe, Nathan Milstein. ‘He regarded Bach solo works very highly. There is also a very hidden message in Milstein’s music,’ says Kang, ‘as he took excerpts from the earlier Paganini Caprices for solo violin, starting with the famous 24th. It’s an opportunity to tell the audience about the full circle of our solo repertoire for violin.’

Kang’s own story about playing the violin is no less fascinating than the stories behind her repertoire. Born in Germany, she started playing at the age of three, the third of four siblings in a musical family who granted her Christmas wish for a smallsized violin. ‘I loved the sound,’ she says, ‘but also that I had my very own toy!’

As a 21st-century virtuoso violinist, life is rather different. ‘We very rarely play our own violins,’ Kang says, ‘and are very grateful if we’re called to take care of a violin for a couple of years.’ Auction prices of Stradivarius violins can reach millions of dollars; the one Kang plays in Edinburgh belongs to a private individual and, while it’s not polite to ask the price, it will undoubtedly be worth going to hear her play it.

Clara-Jumi Kang, Queen’s Hall, 17 August, 11am.

DAVEED GOLDMAN & NOBU ADILMAN CHOIR!CHOIR!CHOIR! llll l

Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman have spent the last decade and more developing their interactive show, Choir!Choir!Choir!. Now finally at the Fringe, this charismatic pair don’t skip a beat all evening as they guide their crowd through a series of renowned, audience-friendly bangers. Armed with boundless self-confidence and heaps of musical talent, Goldman and Adilman employ a wry sense of humour and strong dose of innocuous banter to ensure that everyone is suitably comfortable from the get-go.

After warming the sizeable audience up with some vocal exercises and a couple of singalong tunes, the chipper Canadian duo embark on the main task: attempting to organise all 400 attendees into a fully functioning, potentially tuneful choir, complete with harmonies, dancing, kazoos and a good few ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’. To quote Adilman, ‘you are the show’, and the onus is on audience members to make the most of it. Everybody who can is asked to stand throughout, in what feels less a performance, and more a community-minded coming together.

While the hosts tend not to pick on individuals (though latecomers should, of course, be wary), those who don’t plan on singing along will likely find that their hour will be better spent waiting at the bar. People who approach Choir!Choir!Choir! with an open mind are guaranteed to get a lot more out of it than anyone who’s looking to enjoy a quiet night of entertainment from the safety of a back row. (Danny Munro) n Underbelly George Square, until 27 August, 17.45pm.

BREACH THEATRE AFTER THE ACT lll ll

Unlike the 1960s, if you can remember the 1980s, you were almost certainly in the thick of some protest or other. Breach Theatre’s Ellice Stevens and Billy Barrett’s new verbatim musical looks back in showtunes at the implementation by a Tory government in 1988 of Section 28, a hysteria-led piece of legislation which prohibited the so-called ‘promotion of homosexuality’ by local authorities.

By making a song and dance of things (using four performers and a brand-new synth-led score played live by Frew and Ellie Showering), Barrett’s production excavates an important piece of social history before celebrating those who protested against it prior to its eventual repeal in 2003 (earlier in Scotland, as one of the first pieces of legislation enacted by the fledgling Scottish Parliament in 2000).

As Stevens, Tika Mu‘tamir, EM Williams and Zachary Willis lead us on a whistlestop tour of invading TV studios, abseiling into the House Of Lords and the irresistible rise of marching for gay and lesbian rights, the result is a piece of old-school, pub-theatre agit-prop, but with brighter suits.

If hearing one of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s speeches set to music is worth the ticket price in itself, the show also points up how protest can galvanise communities as they learn to not just say it loud and proud, but sing it too. (Neil Cooper)

n Traverse Theatre, until 27 August, times vary.

TKD PRODUCTIONS BED: THE MUSICAL lll ll

Despite a minimal set (it’s a bed and some covers) and an ambitious attempt to cover an entire marriage, this musical manages to hit a series of emotive highlights. From the early excitement of newlyweds through to their tragic separation, the show moves rapidly across a range of situations and emotions, capturing the highs and lows of the couple’s experience.

Although the tone never veers into sentimentality, the plot is not afraid to deal with affection and drama. Rather than have a honeymoon, a husband-and-wife invest in an expensive divan, and it becomes the focus of their joys and tribulations. An affair, later-life revival of their mutual passion, parenting and tragic illness are all explored in a sequence of songs which are melodic and immediate. While some of the songs are underdeveloped and the characterisation can be slim, the strength of this production lies in a lyrical capacity to capture moments.

Both performers work hard to sell the numbers, and even the final sadness is lent a gentle charm by their energy. Bed does not strike into new territory or introduce surprising twists: it does, however, provide a series of snapshots that reveal the power and challenges of love. (Gareth K Vile) n Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 28 August, 2.20pm.

PICTURE: JOSEPH FUDA

PICTURE: ALEX BRENNER PICTURE: STEVE ULLATHORNE

TERRE

Commissioned by Aberdeenshire’s Sound Festival, Aurora Engine delivers what they’re dubbing as ‘environmentally inspired electroacoustic compositions’. Another intriguing participant from the Made In Scotland roster.

n Summerhall, 16–19 August, 4.30pm.

MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS

LANKUM

The gothic Irish quartet are set to raise hell at the International Festival with a show on the back of their latest album, False Lankum , making the Mercury Prize shortlist. An homage to Sinéad O’Connor is almost certain.

n Queen’s Hall, 17 August, 9pm.

ISIDORE STRING QUARTET

An Edinburgh debut from the New York string players as they give an International Festival audience quite the morning treat with pieces by Mendelssohn, Haydn and Billy Childs.

n Queen’s Hall, 24 August, 11am.

NICKEL CREEK

Having recently reformed after a decade out of the game, this Grammy-winning Americana trio, and exponents of mandolin, guitar and violin, will play tracks from their comeback album, Celebrants

n Edinburgh Playhouse, 24 August, 8pm.

REBECCA VASMANT ENSEMBLE

Producer, DJ and curator extraordinaire, Vasmant brings her jazz-infused group (featuring members of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra) to lay on a Nothing Ever Happens Here gig.

n Summerhall, 20 August, 7pm.

CLARA POPLE

Busking by day and gigging a residency at night is the way of it this month for a rising young singer-songwriter. If you like what you hear, there’s a four-track EP on the way in September.

n PBH’s Free Fringe @ Little White Pig, until 27 August, 11pm.

SONGS FROM THE LAST PAGE

As part of the Made in Scotland showcase, Gareth Williams has a residency with this project, transforming the final pages of classic Scottish literature (think Ali Smith, Alasdair Gray and Robert Louis Stevenson) into songs.

n Scottish Storytelling Centre, 15, 17 & 18 August, 7.30pm; 16 August, 4pm.

MUSIC

PICTURE: CHARLES CHESSLER

PICTURE:

SORCHA FRANCES RYDER PICTURE: IAN GEORGESON

spotlight CANADA en vedette

The High Commission of Canada in the UK celebrates all the Canadian talent on show across Edinburgh this August.

For details of the amazing Canadian work to see this year – follow the QR code to check out the online listings.

‘A PERFECTLY PROGRAMMED HIGH-ART THEME PARK RIDE’ EXEUNT MAGAZINE

STRANGE WORLDS

UNFOLD INSIDE

SHIPPING CONTAINERS

SÉANCE & EULOGY

PLEASANCE, BRISTO SQUARE

2-28 AUGUST

COMA SUMMERHALL TERRACE

2-27 AUGUST

BOOK NOW

DUAL

Actor, writer and puppeteer Peyvand Sadeghian draws on her own life as a dual citizen of the UK and Iran for this new show. You may recognise her from the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte, but after seeing Dual you’re unlikely to forget her again, as she vividly explores a parallel existence she could have lived were she to have grown up in the Middle East rather than Britain.

(Brian Donaldson)

n Pleasance Dome, 17–28 August, 2.55pm.

NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND THROWN lll ll

Sketching out a manifesto for a diverse Scotland is an admirable goal for any new writing, and with its non-male cast, a fixation with national and racial identity, and embrace of Highland Games traditions, Thrown makes a worthy effort. But while Nat McCleary and Johnny McKnight’s collaboration is packed with the unapologetic and fierce aspects of Scottish identity, it lacks the grace and sharpness needed to render it a classic.

The five characters training as backhold wrestlers all vary in age, race, class and nationality, but coach Pam (Lesley Hart) is a standout as she tries to grapple with a gender identity that won’t bow to her will. The confident actors dynamically navigate their stage, and even if the jokes don’t all land, Thrown’s clashing, clearly defined characters remain amusing and engaging; but the play ultimately buckles under its hefty ambitions. Like backhold wrestling, this is unsophisticated but impressive to witness. (Rory Doherty) n Traverse Theatre, until 27 August, times vary.

NORTHERN LINE PRODUCTIONS THE BALLAD OF TRUMAN CAPOTE llll l

Derived from that ever-impressive mind of writer Andrew O’Hagan, The Ballad Of Truman Capote endeavours to understand the inner workings of a complex 20th-century thinker. Set in a swanky suite in New York's Plaza Hotel in 1966, Capote (Patrick Moy), steps out of the star-studded party he is in the midst of hosting to catch his breath, and proceeds to spend the next hour alone in his room, thinking out loud about fame, politics, death . . . and everything in between.

Delivered in an hour-long monologue, O’Hagan’s one-man play is crammed with insightful musings about the notion of celebrity, the majority of which are as relevant now as they would have been in the 60s. This melancholy sermon acts as a rather apt representation of the cloud of existentialism that appeared to have plagued the troubled writer throughout his tumultuous career.

Though the character is initially somewhat jarring, Moy’s embodiment of Capote proves to be exceptional, portraying accurately his flamboyant movements and perturbingly piercing, child-like voice. Whether you have studied Capote’s work extensively or haven’t so much as watched a minute of Breakfast At Tiffany’s, you could do a lot worse than spending an hour tuning into this impressive piece of theatre. (Danny Munro)

n TheSpace @ Niddry St, until 26 August, 6.05pm.

FEATHER, MJE & GLASS HANDBAG LENA llll l

A tragic true story of the wee Scottish lassie with the voice of Shirley Bassey. This compelling musical, complete with live band, is brought to us by BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning writer Tim Whitnall. In 1974, Lena Zavaroni was spotted by a producer while singing in her local pub on the Isle Of Bute. Shot to stardom at just ten years old, the child singer suffered greatly with the complications of fame.

Zavaroni was the youngest person in history to achieve a top ten album in the UK, with the play portraying her struggle on leaving her island home for London, where money-hungry producers and tabloids control her life and lead to a sad demise. Erin Armstrong is a fantastic singer whose portrayal of the tiny celebrity remains gripping throughout. This poignant, very Scottish play is funny at times, but tackles serious themes, including harrowing depictions of anorexia and depression.

Little Lena’s parents bring a brilliant dynamic to the stage; her functioning alcoholic mum and chip-shop worker dad are left worlds away on Bute as their daughter is catapulted to fame on Opportunity Knocks, ITV’s biggest talent show at the time. Jon Culshaw plays television host Hughie Green marvellously, his accent and toothy grin the perfect embodiment of a certain type of 1970s TV celeb. The small cast’s convincing performances carry this fantastically written musical, a tear-jerking true story that deserves its moment in the spotlight. (Rachel Cronin) n Assembly George Square, until 28 August, 12.35pm.

PICTURE: JULIE HOWDEN

PICTURE: BENJAMIN EALOVEGA

TRAVERSE & DUNDEE REP THE GRAND OLD OPERA HOUSE HOTEL llll l

The sublime decorates the mundane. So sing the star-crossed lovers at the centre of Isobel McArthur’s new opera-themed farce, set in a former theatre and cinema repurposed as a soulless, Hilton-style hotel. This show has a conceit which is impossible to relay without making it sound like it would be really irritating. A musical comedy in which more and more of the characters start delivering their lines in song, anyone? What about one in which we’re gradually invited to realise the magical power of classical music. No?

But it all comes off brilliantly, thanks to a genuinely funny (and in places filthy) script and uniformly excellent performances, including an understated female lead in Karen Fishwick. She plays Amy, a hospital porter who falls for error-prone, earnest new staff member Aaron (Ali Watt), after he becomes besotted with her singing voice without realising who it belongs to.

The plot spins off in multiple directions from there. Without giving too much away, there’s a nicely poetic, supernatural sub-narrative and some great turns from a compact supporting cast possessing formidable chops. Throw in some smart pokes at soulcrushing, service-sector labour and you’ve got yourself a winner. (Greg Thomas)

n Traverse Theatre, until 27 August, times vary.

CHRISTOPHER C GIBBS

WIESENTHAL

llll l

When Wiesenthal begins, you feel yourself settling into the rhythm of typical mid-morning Fringe theatre fare. The staginess of a modest set is charming, and seams in the show’s technical aspects are apparent; all symptoms of what would seem to be an engaging but unremarkable history lesson.

But Wiesenthal, the story of Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, grows into something profound and compelling: a case study of the political and social failures to memorialise the Holocaust, seen through the frustrated but determined efforts of a man who never forgot.

Christopher C Gibbs’ lone performance is commanding in its warmth, broken only by a sincere, trembling fury at fascist atrocities. He acts as our mournful historian, reminding us of the ease of repressing an ugly past and the difficulty individuals face trying to level with mass historical amnesia. Seen through the lens that is Wiesenthal, reckoning with history becomes a heartrending and necessary ordeal. (Rory Doherty)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 11am.

KLANGHAUS INHAUS llll l

By reconfiguring the traditional gig into an informal setting (somewhere between a living room and a studio, with screens, projections and scattered instruments), KlangHaus make a sharp comment on the pomposity of rock while retaining a sense of urgency and musical power. The proximity to these performers, and their genial presence, offers an intimacy impossible when the stage separates band from audience, yet their songs have a postpunk immediacy whether in pastoral or transcendental moods.

As a band, The Neutrinos (who along with visual artist Sal Pittman make up KlangHaus) oscillate between folk and jazz influences, while injecting a rock dynamism and electronic pulse. The vocals coo or demand, the lyrics conjuring a world of compulsion, anxiety and promised escape. After a brief gentle interlude, with the audience gathered together and invited to hum, they return to the serious business of driving towards a savage ecstasy, a reminder of how rock’n’roll yearns to evoke a Dionysian spirit.

Their ability to suggest different genres and styles (there are elements of space rock, terse punk-funk and stentorian New Wave polemics) is focused into a scathing, acerbic ferocity and a hauntological mysticism: the images of streets, people and stop-motion captures, and looming waves and birds trapped forever in a snatch of flight, encroach on the ensemble. Even as the band chase that profound release, they are hemmed in, the repetition of beats, chants, choruses or riffs dragging them back to earth in a comment on the contradictions of a music that simultaneously revels in abandon and is caught in its context. (Gareth K Vile)

n Summerhall, until 27 August, 5pm, 7pm, 9pm.

review of the issue

MIn Lady Dealer, Charly's spliff-filled world comes to life in a powerful rhyming verse monologue. Suzy Pope hails a stellar solo performance from Alexa Davies which binds this compelling show together

artha Watson Allpress’ Lady Dealer is fast, frenetic and utterly charming. Written in verse, the patter of protagonist Charly ticks along like a metronome, building up with words alone a claustrophobic world of piles of dirty laundry, instant coffee and old pizza boxes. Charly is a loveable rogue, a weed dealer who spends every day doing the same thing and, on the surface, loving it. There’s a powerful sense of lockdown déjà vu to the show as she moves from bedroom to kitchen, back to bedroom, and a brief stint out to McDonald’s on a failed quest for some hash browns. After a while, you forget that the speech is in rhyming verse as the cadence flows naturally and none of the words ever feel forced.

Lady Dealer is a meta treat, with Charly addressing the audience several times, asking for a moment alone on the toilet and repeatedly shouting ‘don’t judge me’ as she steps on a discarded pizza box. And there are plenty of laughs. Posh boys called Hugo, Morrissey wannabes and Tories all take a beating from Charly’s witty repartee in a series of commentaries that are simultaneously sharp and endearing. One-liners are delivered with a glint in her eye. We are on

her side wholeheartedly as she dances to the Beastie Boys, psyches herself up for another deal and brandishes her two phones like a cowboy in the Wild West. It’s as if we’ve been given a sneak peek into her private world, and we’re welcomed into a web of in-jokes and insights told with a wink. ‘You know what it’s like, eh?’ Charly’s narrative seems to say.

But all is not as it seems. Behind the bravado, we catch a glimpse of Charly’s loneliness. A break-up has left her alone and vulnerable, and when a powercut takes away her means to do business for a day, the cracks start to show. ‘I’m fine,’ is repeated more manically, with urgency, and in a way that says our protagonist is really not fine at all. Her puffed-out peacock chest and bold humour give way to raw moments of pure abandonment and vulnerability. You can feel the isolation seep into the room. It’s a stellar performance from Alexa Davies, who sucks you right into Charly’s tiny, spliff-filled world and holds you there for an hour until you emerge, blinking into the light with her monologue still echoing in your brain.

Lady Dealer, Summerhall, until 27 August, 4pm.

PICTURE: MIHAELA BODLOVIC

TRAVERSE THEATRE COMPANY ADULTS llll l

When a middle-aged married man called Iain turns up at Zara’s Edinburgh New Town des-res (a block overloaded with Airbnbs), she mistakes him for an intruder. Given that Zara’s take on temporary accommodation is to front her own flat as a co-operative brothel, the negotiations that follow take an interesting turn. Especially as Iain is her former teacher and has booked a session with a ‘boy’ who turns out to be just-turned-30 Jay.

Business is business in Kieran Hurley’s new play, a dark farce given a rollicking production for the Traverse by Roxana Silbert. With a cast led by a brilliant Conleth Hill as Iain, the unholy trio is completed by Dani Heron as a fierce Zara and Anders Hayward as Jay. As Zara takes charge, she reveals a working knowledge of the contradictions inherent in the system, and calls out Thomas The Tank Engine and other kids’ classics as exploitative tools of the state. Jay, meanwhile, has his own problems, as the indoor playground all three attempt to make their own becomes swamped with infinitely more grown-up stuff from afar.

The merry dance this trio embark upon across Anna Orton’s nouveau-tenement bedroom set reveals a series of not-quite midlife crises as all involved are forced to confront their everyday failures. As broken dreams collide, however, unlikely alliances are formed as each finds some kind of comfort with the other to form something resembling a family unit in this strangest of ménages. (Neil Cooper) n Traverse Theatre, until 27 August, times vary.

RICHARD CLEMENTS HOW TO BURY A DEAD MULE llll l

A heavy, thoughtful silence is followed by a standing ovation for Richard Clements’ raw retelling of his grandfather’s traumatic life. Norman Clements enlisted while underage into the Royal Irish Fusiliers in 1939. The soldier’s mind was lost to Italian minefields and raining shrapnel for the duration of WW2; his consciousness never left the trenches, even into his old age.

Nominated for Best New Play at the 2022 UK Theatre Awards, this heart-rending, oneman take on a deeply personal story leaves its mark. Clements Jnr delivers his family’s history with a flawlessness that builds in intensity as we encounter the inner workings of a spirit shattered and never restored.

Wartime photos and footage are projected onto a backdrop that casts the soldier’s shadow across the screen. Real audio recordings of the writer’s grandfather echo through the atrium at this show’s closure, bringing a harsh realistic element to a dramatic interpretation of his life. There’s no shortage of historical theatre at the Fringe, but this powerful and personal story, shared so candidly, is a rare find. (Rachel Cronin) n Pleasance Dome, until 27 August, 11.50am.

THE GEORGE LUCAS TALK SHOW THE BARON AND THE JUNK DEALER llll l

A minor Star Wars character faces an existential crisis in this ‘Waiting For Godot In Space’. Fans of the Dead Eyes podcast will instantly recognise the distinctive vocal croak of Connor Ratliff as the mysterious Baron, here joined by Griffin Newman (his sidekick on The George Lucas Talk Show) as Watto, the controversial quasi-Jewish junk dealer/slave trader from The Phantom Menace

The two characters have crash-landed on a mysterious planet and they’re the only survivors of the spaceship on which they were illicitly travelling. As they anxiously await rescue, they bicker, drink urine and snipe, occasionally bonding but more frequently butting heads. While Star Wars aficionados will likely get the reference to Watto (although its existence is so vanishingly slight that it won’t alienate non-fans), the Baron’s presence is a more cryptic one.

Thanks to many years of working together, Ratliff and Newman have chemistry to spare. And while the script isn’t always laugh-out-loud funny, it is packed with intricate wordplay and delivered with aplomb. Ratliff broadly plays it straight, giving his partner every chance to shine as the bombastic Watto. It’s a delightful piece of comedy theatre, simply staged and deftly performed. (Murray Robertson)

n Assembly Roxy, until 24 August, 5.55pm.

THEATRE

PICTURE: MINDY TUCKER

PICTURE: MIHAELA BODLOVIC

AMY ENGELHARDT IMPACT lll ll

Amy Engelhardt has a personal link to the Lockerbie tragedy: a graduate of the same university that lost students in the plane explosion. She discovered a series of connections which led her to visit the Scottish town and reflect on how it was shaping her own experiences. Having made that sombre pilgrimage, in the company of two fellow Americans, her production is an intimate and emotive monologue with musical numbers; it frames and explains her journey and concludes with an optimistic call for community in the face of horror.

Engelhardt interrupts her reflections on Lockerbie with her own songs, variously evoking episodes from her engagement with the event or exploring her relationship to it. The most intense moments draw on the young lives lost in the explosion, lending them a dignity and presence. Impact operates as a memorial to the dead, but also a celebration of the kindness of those local people who keep their memories alive. Engelhardt searches for meaning, for answers, recognising how her difficult childhood connects to a need for some kind of closure. Her songs capture moments of growth, building to a final acknowledgement of the importance of simple kindness and concern.

While the show’s pacing is uniform and those songs often emotionally subdued, her performance is driven by sincerity, occasionally leaning into the human tragedy too heavily. Engelhardt’s hard-won conclusions, however, are presented with warmth and honesty, while the story she tells retains its humanity rather than being transformed into theatrical drama. (Gareth K Vile)

n Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 28 August, 1pm.

PATRICK SANDFORD GROOMED lll ll

The lasting psychological effects of child sex abuse are complex and devastating, and in Groomed, writer-performer Patrick Sandford explores them with a full-bodied, vulnerable conviction. Now in his 70s, this survivor maps out the shattered emotional trajectory of a pre-teen queer schoolkid who feels his abuse determined the course of his life, and how he reached out for kinship with disparate people from history.

Sandford’s voice is powerful, especially when jumping between his perspective and the imagined testimony of his abuser, or when he confronts a fountain pen as a stand-in for the teacher that raped him. But while Groomed seems cathartic for Sandford, its emotional power is hampered by unsophisticated writing, with a reliance on rhetorical questions and platitudes that threaten to derail the charged momentum he builds. Still, there’s something to be said about the uncomfortable but poignant intimacy forged here. (Rory Doherty) n Pleasance Dome, until 28 August, 1.30pm.

HANNAH MAXWELL NAN, ME AND BARBARA PRAVI llll l

Hannah Maxwell’s one-person show got a flurry of press early in its run after Phoebe Waller-Bridge made up ‘20%’ of her audience. ‘She said she liked it!’ Maxwell declared in an interview afterwards, now the proud winner of the ultimate Fringe promotional jackpot. For what it’s worth, we heartily agree.

Nan, Me And Barbara Pravi is a semi-autobiographical tale of a particularly conflicted time in Maxwell’s life when she spent her days as a live-in carer for her beloved nan after the death of her grandfather. Terrestrial television drives the show’s narrative, with Mastermind, Countdown and Eurovision becoming interactive set-pieces that further paint our protagonist as a most righteous grandchild. When we see her become increasingly obsessed with a certain French Eurovision contestant, a hunch creeps in that things may not be as they seem.

Maxwell’s writing is electric, witty and charmingly delivered, efficiently bringing audiences into the intricacies of her character’s daily life while withholding just the right amount of information to be chaotically revealed later. The script is laden with jokes and silliness, but tender moments are expertly handled, while audience participation and slick use of projector screens to visualise surreal episodes all contribute to the show’s overall genius. (Megan Merino)

n Summerhall, until 27 August, 5.15pm.

LUNG & THE NORTH WALL WOODHILL llll l

This explicitly activist work of modern dance from writer-director Matt Woodhead focuses on stories unearthed at the infamous HMP Woodhill. The prison in Milton Keynes has seen an epidemic of suicides and prisoner deaths since it opened in 1992 (more than at any other institution in the UK), and most notably since the cuts of David Cameron’s era. A soundtrack collaged together partly from the testimony of family members (voiced by actors) spurts out tales of neglect, corruption and systemic entropy, over a speaker system that at times controls the flickering bulbs overhead.

Beneath this stark light source, a three-strong dance crew (under the direction of choreographer Alexzandra Sarmiento) jerks and twitches as if possessed by all the glare and noise; as if they were expressions of the forces of grief and rage compelling the lives of survivors and loved ones. A fourth dancer shifts and slides between the others, by turns menacing and doleful. They release handfuls of dust and petals to mark each life lost at Woodhill. And each name is spoken.

This is not just a work of dance-theatre but also a document of investigative journalism. Woodhead spoke to scores of people while developing the work, including prison governors, staff and politicians. All of their voices are heard. But at the centre of the narrative are three former inmates who took their lives inside: Chris, Kevin and Stephen. Woodhill offers testament to these young men and others like them, and casts a howl of anger at the structures that failed them. (Greg Thomas) n Summerhall, until 27 August, 8.55pm.

LUCY MCCORMICK LUCY AND FRIENDS llll l

There are some things you can always rely on at a Lucy McCormick show. That she’ll make you laugh (a lot), that she’ll put her strong song and dance skills to good use, that she’ll have something to say about art and politics worth listening to, and that at some point items will be inserted, or pulled out of, her vagina. Tick, tick, tick, tick. Oh, and by the end of this show, there’ll be a whole heap of mess to clear up; only this time, it’s not just the venue staff who need to roll up their sleeves.

The title is misleading: Lucy doesn’t have any friends. We’re her friends and we’re very much all in it together. McCormick never picks on people or makes them feel awkward, but audience participation is a core component here. In among the semishocking, messy and often hilarious vignettes she creates, however, McCormick also fosters a genuine sense of community with those in the room.

If you’ve never seen her perform before, prepare to stumble into a world (and mind) that’s chaotic and brilliant. If you have, you’ve only got yourself to blame when you once again find yourself thinking ‘no, she’s not really going to do that, is she?’. Yes, she is. (Kelly Apter)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 23 August, 5.20pm.

JACOB STORMS

TENNESSEE RISING: THE DAWN OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS lll ll

Jacob Storms’ one-man play delves into the foundational years of one of America’s great playwrights. It offers an insightful look at a seldom-discussed period in Tennessee Williams’ life (the years 1939–45), which helps us peer into the traumatic development of this lauded Southern eccentric.

The play, which was originally directed by Alan Cumming, sees Storms treat his audience as a supportive stranger, the shoulder of which he leans upon as he regales this tumultuous story of how Williams went from being virtually unknown to the forefront of American theatre throughout his late 20s and early 30s. Employing wry humour and an ironic sense of wit, Storms ensures his crowd needn’t work hard to imagine itself in the shoes of the late dramatist. Engaging throughout and tightly packed with well-researched information, Tennessee Rising tackles heavy subjects at a digestible pace. Storms’ Southern accent does take a moment to get used to, but the result is a satisfying hour of succinct historical storytelling. (Danny Munro) n Assembly Rooms, until 27 August, 5.05pm.

PICTURE: ALEX POWELL

PICTURE: ELLEN MCDERMOTT

SIDE EYE PRODUCTIONS DUGSI DAYZ  

In this riff on The Breakfast Club, four Somali girls are forced to endure ‘dugsi detention’ together in a London mosque. Over the course of an afternoon, they engage in rapid-fire banter and swap stories about what they wished they had been told as children; namely to watch out for meddling aunties and unexpected holidays. The references in Dugsi Dayz might be culturally specific, but the humour is universal to anybody who remembers being a teenager.

The characters are also wonderfully fleshed out for a run-time of only one hour. Yasmin (Faduma Issa) and Munira (Sabrina Ali) are frivolous but endearing best friends; Salma (Susu Ahmed) is the approval-seeking latecomer; and Hani (Hadsan Mohamud) sits in the corner nursing a secret. They speak and behave like authentic teenagers, but it is the performances that really make these characters so endearing; Ahmed’s, in particular, is a comedic tour-de-force, vacillating between berating the other girls for their sins and enthusiastically joining in their silliness. Beyond the comedy, though, Dugsi Dayz has a big beating heart. As the girls reveal secrets to each other, they bond over a lack of freedom and difficult relationships with their parents, and when they leave detention, it’s with a newfound empathy for one another. This is a well-trodden story (strangers stuck in a room learning to respect each other) but Dugsi Dayz’ vibrant characters, razor-sharp dialogue and easy tonal balance ensure that it feels fresh and entertaining. (Isy Santini)

 Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 August, 12.40pm.

HIGHLIGHTS

LIFE IS A DREAM

Renowned international theatre group Cheek By Jowl adapt a classic Spanish story for a contemporary crowd. Hailed as one of the greatest plays of all time, this is Cheek’s first production in Spanish.

n Lyceum Theatre, 23–26 August, 7.30pm (26 & 27 August, 2.30pm).

EVENING CONVERSATIONS

Actress, playwright and co-founder of Tamasha Theatre Company, Sudha Bhuchar delivers a heartwarming story that takes in mother/son relationships, ageing, and the sometimes comical tensions between second and thirdgeneration immigrants.

n Pleasance Courtyard, 22–27 August, 2.30pm.

WHO KILLED MY FATHER

Based on the acclaimed book by Édouard Louis, this tells of the pain of growing up gay in a small town in France with an abusive father. How possible is it to forgive the torments inflicted upon a son by the man who was meant to care for him?

n Summerhall, 22–27 August, 10.10am.

THE THREEPENNY OPERA

Bertolt Brecht’s savage lampoon is brought to us by The Berliner Ensemble, directed by EIF legend Barrie Kosky. Love, morality and betrayal are at the heart of this tale of a criminal, the woman who loves him, and the man who is determined to bring him down.

n Festival Theatre, 18 & 19 August, 7.30pm, 20 August, 5pm.

1984

George Orwell’s notorious 1948 story barely seems to lose an iota of relevance even as history marches on. The perfectly named Proletariat Productions presents this new adaptation of an iconic novel.

n Assembly Roxy, 18–28 August, 6.55pm.

BLUEPRINTS

Is it possible to protect yourself from the dark parts of history that have shaped you and could mould those who follow in your path? This is the key question in a new work by Ashlee Elizabeth-Lolo.

n Pleasance Courtyard, 17–28 August, 11.50am.

NASSIM

In a sealed envelope is a script that is about to be read by an actor for the first time. Nothing unusual about that, except this is all happening in front of a paying audience. Nassim Soleimanpour’s bravura work returns to the Traverse.

n Traverse Theatre, 22–27 August, times vary.

PICTURE: ALEX BRENNER

PICTURE: JAVIAR NAVAL

PICTURE: BERLINER ENSEMBLE

festival hot shots

An August institution, Museum Late: Fringe Fridays (National Museum Of Scotland, 18 August) has a collection of some top acts gathering up across three stages, including YUCK (pictured), A Comedy Of Operas and Havana Street Party.

The Fringe is not exactly short of American absurdist performers, and here is another one as Claire Woolner gives us A Retrospection (Banshee Labyrinth, until 27 August), a slice of surrealist clowning and (possibly) authentic breakdowns.

A bit of Hollywood glamour arrives for Jupiter Rising (Jupiter Artland, 19 August) as Lena Dunham joins Lindsey Mendick for a discussion while performances from the likes of Ziah Ziah and Pink Suits carry on around them long into the wee small hours.