Category Archives: EdFestivals

+3 Interview: Rory O’Keeffe: The 37th Question

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2018, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

“I got a job writing interactive story apps, which has inspired the style of this year’s show.”

WHO: Rory O’Keeffe, Writer/Performer

WHAT: “Stuart and Zoe meet for their first date and do ‘The 36 Questions’, a psychological experiment designed to make strangers fall in love. It works. Now, after four years as a couple, is it time for the next question? Thirty Six Questions. One couple. One interactive Choose Your Own Adventure-style story. Award-winning comedian Rory O’Keeffe makes his first foray into the pretentious comedy/theatre world of storytelling (or Rorytelling*).‘Thoughtful and self-aware’ **** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Comedy for a post-recession graduate generation’ **** (Fest). ‘Downright clever show’ **** (Edinburgh49.org). *He promises not to make this pun in the show.”

WHERE: Banshee Labyrinth – Cinema Room (Venue 156) 

WHEN: 13:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is actually my 10th time in some form or another. I have been re-reading last year’s Edinburgh diary to get myself excited. Here is a sample entry (background info: my girlfriend is called Charlotte).

“Walked home disconsolate, bought parmesan, rang Charlotte, basically just complained at her which is unfair.”

So needless to say I am ABSOLUTELY. PUMPED. (for the parmesan).

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

I got a job writing interactive story apps, which has inspired the style of this year’s show. The company make The X Factor Life and Love Island: The Game. They’re Choose Your Own Adventure style stories so you decide what happens and you choose your appearance and your name. Most people choose their own name but I like to mix things up and try to win Love Island as ‘Boris Johnson’ or ‘Stewart Lee’.

Tell us about your show.

‘The 37th Question’ is a comic storytelling show about a couple (Stuart and Zoe) who met doing ‘The 36 Questions’, a psychological experiment designed to make strangers become intimate. It’s about what happens 4 years later when they approach the ‘37th Question’. It’s about choices, jealousy, miscommunication, and has a lot of laughs if you are that way inclined. It’s also slightly interactive as the audience can choose which way the narrative goes at certain points, including choosing between a happy and sad ending.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Beard, Lazy Susan, The Pin if you’re into your sketch comedy. Matt Winning for a funny and insightful look at Climate Change. Kieran Hodgson for what sounds like a good Ted Heath impression (I will be Youtube-ing in advance to cross-reference). You should also check out the best novelist at the Fringe, Christopher Bliss. He writes two to three novels a day, which I think is really impressive actually.

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Hamilton (Lewis) (Assembly George Square: 1-26 Aug: 21:30: 60 mins)

Posted in 3*, EdFestivals 2018, EdFestivals 2018 – Reviews, Musical Theatre by

“A good fun show”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars: Nae Bad

How does a bastardised musical, shown in a hall in Scotland, drop in the story of a driver and take top spot with the audiences in Edinburgh?

For me, London’s King’s Head Theatre easily take pole position with this compelling concept for a show – telling Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton’s life story in the style of hit (and very current) musical Hamilton. There are many crossovers to be made, and how figures within the driver’s life seem to fit into Hamilton’s character list is almost uncanny, making it an intelligent move with some decent thought behind it. The opening rap number introducing the main man is an impressive homage to the original, setting up a potentially thrilling and funny performance.

Yet what follows unfortunately feels quite rushed and clompy, lacking the narrative arc required to make it feel like a complete piece – the ending in particular feels like the writers just ran out of ideas and decided to quit while they were ahead.

In saying that, there are plenty of references to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit throughout, with lyrics, characters, and musical motifs (that die-hard Hamilton fans will appreciate) woven in seamlessly. The bulk of the music, however, more closely resembles run-of-the-mill musical theatre, and it’s a shame there isn’t more stylistic overlap with the original. Perhaps erring on the side of caution of not getting sued for copyright reasons comes into play here, but it’s a shame a few more risks aren’t taken to draw more parallels.

The cast are a talented bunch, and well suited to the roles they take on. They each make the most of the comedy inherent within the production and pleasingly don’t take themselves too seriously given the overall feel of the piece. It’s a big ask for four actors to bring the energy and power required to create the sense of epic storytelling Hamilton excels at, and occasionally the action falls a little flat between musical numbers, making it hard to stick with it.

What doesn’t help with the plodding nature of the piece is the very simple staging, and lack of interaction with the set and props decorating the space. The direction (like the script) feels very rushed just to get the show on, and more creativity with the space and better integration of performance and design would help give the piece a more professional feel.

This is a good fun show, but just feels unfinished.

 

nae bad_blue

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

—

Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 1 August)

THIS REVIEW HAS NOT BEEN SUBEDITED

+3 Interview: Casanova Dreaming

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2018, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

“The story is autobiographical and it does what it says on the tin. I have been telling these anecdotes in the pub for years.”

WHO: Martin Foreman, Writer / Director

WHAT: “The greatest master is passion, who makes slaves of us all… Asleep in bed with his first true love, 19-year-old Giacomo Casanova is visited by an old man who shows him his future – but is what he sees a promise or a warning? In this one-act drama, award-winning playwright Martin Foreman casts a sympathetic eye on the famous libertine and the women in his life. Following previous Fringe successes (Now We Are Pope, Tadzio Speaks), Casanova Dreaming continues Foreman’s exploration of love, loss and death focused on the city of Venice.”

WHERE: theSpace @ Niddry St – Upper Theatre (Round) (Venue 139) 

WHEN: 14:15 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No. We’re Edinburgh-based and this is our third year at the Fringe. We started off with three one-man plays in 2014, took a year off in 2015, came back with J B Priestley’s The Rose and Crown in 2016. This year we have two very different productions – a one-act intense drama, Casanova Dreaming and a full-length farce, Volpone. Casanova, which explores the life of the famous libertine and the women and men who knew him, is getting its premiere at the Fringe. Volpone was at the Fringe for a week last year. The run was so successful we decided to bring it back for the full three weeks in 2018.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Winning the 2018 Pitlochry Festival Theatre Short Play Award. That and finding two great casts for this year’s Fringe.

Tell us about your show.

I’m the jack-of-all-trades producing, directing and writing both shows (with a little help from Ben Jonson for the original version of Volpone). We came together in the usual way – some of us have worked together both as part of Arbery Productions and in other Edinburgh based groups such as EGTG and Edinburgh People’s Theatre. Then we auditioned and found some fantastic actors, including the lead actors in Casanova Dreaming (Patrick Bergamo and Creighton King), both of whom moved to Edinburgh for rehearsals and the run.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Difficult to say because I haven’t seen anything, but based on previous Fringes, I’d recommend EGTG’s Skirt and Much Ado About Nothing, and Arkle’s You Remind Me of You – but they’re on at the same time as Volpone so go see them another night… I don’t know any of the groups on in the afternoon, but I’ll be checking out The Devil You Know from Nottingham New Theatre, Hamlet – Horatio’s Tale from Guy Masterson and (late night) The Maids from Sudden Impulse Theatre.

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+3 Interview: How to Be Amazingly Happy!

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2018, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

“I’m the Director of the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and so I usually come to choose show’s to bring back to the venue. This year I’ll be hoping people choose me!”

WHO: Victoria Firth, Writer and performer

WHAT: “How do you find a new ‘once upon a time’ after the ‘happy ever after’ never turned up? Victoria is on a quest to discover how you make a new life when you can’t have the one you imagined. In this big-hearted, big-thinking show of storytelling and physical comedy our heroine’s mid-life search for joy, identity and belonging features public displays of playfulness, private truths and sheer bloody mindedness. Join Victoria as she asks – what do you do with the rest of your life when you don’t have kids?”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Below (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 11:35 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first visit to the Edinburgh Fringe as a performer, well apart from over 20 years ago when I was in a youth theatre production of ‘The Hired Man’. I do come to Edinburgh most years as a programmer – I’m the Director of the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and so I usually come to choose show’s to bring back to the venue. This year I’ll be hoping people choose me!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

This year I decided to make theatre again and to go both feet in. I’ve been shadowing the Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange in Manchester, Sarah Frankom, learning to be a clown with Jamie Wood, trying out stand-up comedy with Logan Murray and making this show.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote and produced the show and I’ll be performing it. However it takes a lot of help to make a one-woman show and I’ve been delighted to have the support of Deborah Newbold, who won five star reviews with her show ‘Lost in Blue’ in 2016 and I’ve also had help from Ellie Harrison who has being producing a long running series of artworks on the theme of grief. They’ve both been enormously helpful in helping me explore different performance forms and the best ways to communicate with audiences.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

It depends on what interested them about my show. If you want to explore ideas about the role of parenting, or not, then I’d recommend No Kids by Ad Infinitum or for more thought-provoking stuff on women’s empowerment and their bodies – Vessel by Laura Wyatt O’Keeffe. For a look at how medical issues have an impact or your life and perceptions then Pricks by Jade Byrne is a lovely show. For more queer experience go to see Gypsy Queen by Hope Theatre Company and for more fun and playfulness Love letters from Blackpool by Ruth E Cockburn is a joy.

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+3 Interview: Ada Campe and the Psychic Duck

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2018, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

“There’s a mystery, a dance, a bit of magic and lots of jolly nonsense.”

WHO: Naomi Paxton, Writer and performer

WHAT: “Variety! Comedy! A psychic duck! Join 2018 NATYS winner, Ada Campe, for a show about wonderful women, strange encounters and a fairground mystery that occurred on the Welsh coast many moons ago… ‘Extravagantly mischievous persona… brilliantly crowd-pleasing act’ (Chortle.co.uk). ‘Resembles an unhinged super-villain’ (Diva). ‘Sorcery wrapped in the kind of storytelling that would make Scheherezade jealous’ (Kate Copstick).”

WHERE: The Stand’s New Town Theatre – Studio (Venue 7) 

WHEN: 14:50 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, I first performed at Edinburgh when I was a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow in 2001. Since then I’ve been back as both an actor and as a magician’s assistant in various shows… but performing as Ada Campe is definitely the most fun I’ve had at the fringe so far!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Ada Campe came Top of the Bill at the 2018 New Act of the Year Show (NATYS) – the third woman to have done that ever! She also won the 2018 Old Comedian of the Year competition, held by the Museum of Comedy. It’s never too late to be discovered!

Tell us about your show.

The show is about Ada’s experiences of working at a funfair when she was younger – and how the women she met have influenced her career. There’s a mystery, a dance, a bit of magic and lots of jolly nonsense. It’s variety, comedy, magic, cabaret, and good fun!

I wrote the show and have produced it too – there have been previews in London and I’m now raring to release Ada Campe and her Psychic Duck on Edinburgh. I’d love to take her on tour afterwards…

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Mat Ricardo vs the World, The Creative Martyrs, Charmian Hughes’ new show Bra Trek, Singalong Sitcom Quiz, Magic Faraway Cabaret, That Daring Australian Girl.

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+3 Interview: My Kind of Michael

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2018, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

“The show is about my childhood hero Michael Barrymore, his life and how it influenced me.”

WHO: Nick Cassenbaum, Performer and Co-creator

WHAT: “Ever since he was a kid, Nick has loved Michael Barrymore. In this heartfelt and playful tribute, Nick invites you to examine the turbulent relationship between showman and spectator. Using his unique and praised style of storytelling, and Barrymore’s iconic shticks, Nick intertwines his own personal stories with tales of Barrymore’s rise to fame and ultimate downfall. With live music and gags-a-plenty, it promises to be ‘Alwight’! Nick returns to Summerhall after his 2016 hit Bubble Schmeisis. Created with Danny Braverman (Wot? No Fish!!).”

WHERE: Summerhall – Red Lecture Theatre (Venue 26) 

WHEN: 19:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my second time bringing a show. I came in 2016 with Bubble Schmeisis, which was on at Summerhall and had a ball. The show has been touring since, this year Malta and Detroit! before that I used to work as a technician at the Pleasance, that is what got me excited about the fringe. Cramming in as many shows as possible. And then there was the year i bought my first street show to the Royal Mile. I did a trick with a cucumber….we made about a tenner.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Oh it has to be taking Bubble Schmeisis to Detroit. The University of Michigan brought us over. The show is all about going to steam baths in East London. The venue they got us was an actual steam baths call the schvitz. It was fantastic, it is a real historic place in Detroit and to be there was a real treat. Everything about it was amazing, the tiles, the history, the people and most importantly the steam.

Tell us about your show.

The show is about my childhood hero Michael Barrymore, his life and how it influenced me. But more than that it is about the relationship between entertainer and audience, and how disposable entertainers are to us. It borrows a lot from Barrymore’s style and features live music, storytelling and audience interaction. I wrote the show with Danny Braverman, we worked together on Bubble Schmeisis after I saw his show Wot! no FIsh? and thought…I have to work with this person. S

Sian Baxter is producing who I have been working with for a couple of years now. The show was previewed at NOW18 at the Yard Theatre and will be headed to the Batterseas Arts Centre in the Spring…where else…who knows?!?!

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

I am super excited to see Thatcher Queen of Soho back. It is a fantastic show, hilarious with plenty of audience interaction. If people like my show…I think they will love this one.
My mates Sh!t Theatre who are bringing back DollyWould, a great show.
The really funny Top Joe. He’s great and wears a high vis so you can’t miss him!

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+3 Interview: The Red Shoes

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“We have a very short rehearsal period to create a huge, glamorous ensemble show which is really exciting and a completely unique experience.”

WHO: Josh Myers, Performed

WHAT: “A reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, the ‘superbly talented’ (List) Young Pleasance bring the glitz, glamour, and seedy underworld of interwar Berlin to life with characteristic high production values, ‘sheer professionalism and talent’ (EdinburghGuide.com). Follow Lotta as her Red Shoes lead her on a rags-to-riches journey from the steps of the orphanage through the hedonism of its dance halls, and finally as an actress on the silver screen as Germany teeters on the brink of disaster. Vivaciously light with disturbingly dark undertones. ‘Always one of the hottest tickets at the Fringe’ (The730Review.co.uk).”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Beyond (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 15:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my second time performing at the Fringe (I also performed with Young Pleasance last year) but I first visited with my family when I was 8 and have done a number of times since. And while just going to see shows at the festival is exciting and hectic, performing is even more so!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Turning 18 and supposedly becoming an ‘adult’. It’s weird because I definitely don’t feel like one.

Tell us about your show.

It’s based on Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘The Red Shoes’. Our version is set in early 20th-Century Berlin, so as we see the protagonist grow up we move from the seedy yet glamorous nightclubs of the Weimar period to the Nazi’s rise to power. We have a very short rehearsal period to create a huge, glamorous ensemble show which is really exciting and a completely unique experience. Working with new people has been lovely and has meant I’ve been learning a lot in such a short amount of time, as well.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

They should, of course, come and see our show again and recommend it to everyone they know! But Incognito and Spies Like Us, two companies of Young Pleasance alumni, promise to put on brilliant shows (‘Tobacco Road’ and ‘Woyzeck’ respectively). I also love seeing comedy at the festival and last year Adam Riches’ show made me howl with laughter.

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+3 Interview: Voldemort and the Teenage Hogwarts Musical Parody

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“I’m just as excited as ever to be in Scotland.”

WHO: Chris Grace, Producer

WHAT: “Before Voldemort was He Who Must Not Be Named, he was just Tom Riddle, another moody teen at Hogwarts. Join Tom and his best friend/snake Nagini on a hilarious musical adventure packed with magic, hormones, and more than a few murders. From two co-creators of Thrones! The Musical and fresh from sold-out performances at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles comes a Harry Potter musical parody that is sure to leave you spellbound!”

WHERE: Assembly George Square Studios – One (Venue 17) 

WHEN: 17:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, it’s my seventh in a row in fact, and I’m just as excited as ever to be in Scotland.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

I got married! Well, I was already married, but my husband and I had a public ceremony and reception, so we threw a big party and everyone watched us so lovely things to each other. It was very nice, sorry we didn’t see you there!

Tell us about your show.

Our show is a loving prequel to Harry Potter following Tom Riddle as a teen before he became He Who Must Not Be Named. It was written by Zach Reino, Fiona Landers, Richie Root, and Scott Passarella, all great friends of mine, and I saw their show a year ago and loved it and thought “I want to bring this to Edinburgh”. It did show in LA before and it sold out, and after Fringe we’ll be doing it again in the US and also licensing the show out if UK companies want to put it on.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

They should see as much circus and magic as possible, and then see Baby Wants Candy (which I’m also performing in) and then go see a random show that you have no idea about! And then go see Jordan Brookes, who I saw for the first time last year and loved!

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+3 Interview: Bilal Zafar – Lovebots

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“A hairless cat wondered into my room through my window … it took me 30 seconds to even figure out what it was.”

WHO: Bilal Zafar, Writer / performer

WHAT: “Best Newcomer nominee 2016 and Hackney Empire (NATYS) winner is back with a brand-new show! Social media has been taken over by bots spreading hate, fear and influencing how we vote. In Lovebots, Bilal has made his own bots to fight back, except these bots only want to spread love and compassion. As seen/heard on BBC Three, Channel 4, MTV, BBC iPlayer, and BBC Radio 4. ‘Witty and absorbing… highly entertaining’ (Times). ‘Delivers big laughs’ (Guardian). ‘A natural storyteller with a very likeable stage presence’ ***** (Shortcom.co.uk).”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Mash House – Just the Cask Room (Venue 288) 

WHEN: 15:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Nope, this is my third show in a row. The first one was nominated for an award, the second wasn’t but I still like it. This is the third which will be completing a little trilogy of shows that are predominantly about social media and how it affects our lives. I’m very excited to be back.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

I got to record my latest show for BBC Radio 4. I loved getting an opportunity like that and it all went a lot better than I expected. Apart from that, a hairless cat wondered into my room through my window and it took me 30 seconds to even figure out what it was.

Tell us about your show.

I always write my stuff, although this year I have a director for the first time and it’s my friend Josie Long. The show is all about how we have been manipulated in recent Western elections with twitter bots and all sorts of other scary stuff. In my show, I’ll be trying to fix the world by creating my own bots that only spread love and compassion. I have been previewing it around the UK and will hopefully be taking it around the country as a finished tour show.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Trevor Lock. He does the same show every year but it’s heavily improvised. One of the funniest things I’ve ever seen and it’s free!

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Top home-grown shows to catch at the Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Posted in EdFestivals, EdFestivals 2018, Features, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

In any national arts publication worth its salt you’ll see a list of recommended shows from all around the world that are coming to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. But as local experts, we’d like to shine a light on some of Edinburgh’s finest home-grown artistes (that we get to enjoy all year-round) who are stepping up to present their work to global audiences this summer. Perhaps you’ll join them?

Musical madness

Musicals and musical revues are always popular in Edinburgh, and we start this section with Edinburgh Music Theatre’s double-bill of Mouse Music and Anthems – From West End to Broadway, which will no doubt be of equal (if not better!) quality than their 5* production of Guys and Dolls earlier this year. And speaking of 5* hits, Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group have thoroughly impressed us with their previous two Fringe shows, will their production of The Drowsy Chaperone make it a hat-trick this year? We have high hopes.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is the debut show from Bare Productions, featuring the talents of several established names on the Edinburgh musical theatre scene, while those who fancy some G&S will enjoy the consistently excellent Cat-Like Tread’s offering, Patience.

Amateur companies up and down the country rejoiced some months ago when the rights to Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s masterpiece Jesus Christ Superstar finally became available. One of the first to jump on the bandwagon were prolific local company Captivate, who as well this, are also producing rock musical RENT with a stellar young cast.

We’re also excited to see new and emerging works from new and emerging companies in our city, including Dogfight by Room 29; Bare by Edinburgh Little Theatre, and the musical we didn’t realise we needed from Malachi Reid & Jonnie Grant: Tenacious D: The Musical of Destiny.

If music be the food of love…

When it comes to music, we’ve been long-time fans of Edinburgh Quartet, and their latest offering The World’s Greatest Chamber Music will undoubtedly be very well received. A must-see for classical music aficionados.

If swing’s more your thing, may we recommend Hollywood Swings, which takes well-known songs from stage and screen and infuses them with big band razzle dazzle. The show will also feature some of our city’s very fine vocalists.

More jazz and blues, you say? You can have your fill at any number of the shows presented by local band Blueswater, who’ll be showcasing some of the hottest talent on the Edinburgh scene.

A Toast to the Lassies

It’s encouraging to see an abundance of fab work from all-female or female-led companies in Edinburgh this year. For starters, there’s Sob Story by Pretty Knickers Productions – an all-female company who aim to empower their audiences through unapologetic new writing – which follows the story of six friends attempting to win Yorkshire’s Got Talent.

Another all-female local company to watch out for are Scene Change Productions, who are sharing their exciting new show A Good Enough Girl? throughout the month. Bonus – it’s a family friendly show for ages 8+.

And last, but not least,  we’re looking forward to Morna Burdon’s follow-up to last year’s triumphant Bonnie Fechters. New work Gie’s Peace is a collection of inspiring stories about women of courage.

On Bard

One of Shakespeare’s finest comedies, Twelfth Night, is being presented by the rascals at Some Kind Of Theatre, who also provide a mobile theatre service – so if you ever want the show brought directly to the comfort of your home or office, you can keep the spirit of the Fringe going all year round!

The Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group – one of the most prolific on the Edinburgh scene – are producing a post-war inspired Much Ado About Nothing, which will also be heading to Stratford later in the month. It’s got a cracking comedic cast, so pop along for a giggle, bardic style.

Are you ‘avin a laugh?

Speaking of laughs – we don’t tend to dabble in comedy at Edinburgh49, but we wanted to give a shout-out to a couple of local funsters sharing their work this summer. First up is Matt Duwell who is returning with new show Snowflake it ‘til you make it, a politically tinged look at life as a millennial.

Also playing for laughs are Headwound Theatre company, presenting their satirical view on break-ups Plenty of Linguine at Home. Interestingly, this show is the result of advice from a relationship counsellor – make of that what you will…

Everything else

For us, the joy of the Fringe can often be found in the unexpected and hard to classify. For example, for those inclined to find out more about our fair city, you could try Reading the Streets: an Old Town Poetry Tour, with local expert Ken Cockburn; alternatively Love Song to Lavender Menace is an ode to one of Edinburgh’s best loved LGBT bookshops in the 1980s.

Paper Doll Militia are Edinburgh’s foremost circus and acrobatics company, and bring new work Egg to Summerhall, while the consistently impressive young company Blazing Hyena will be sharing their latest show Death is the New Porn. As you might guess from the title, this one’s an 18+ show.

And if you’re into things a little more risqué, though, then perhaps you’ll be piqued by our final recommendation: Edinburgh Little Theatre/LR Stageworks’ production of A Virgin’s Guide to Rocky Horror, which is back once again to charm and disarm those brave enough to enter the time warp…

Have a wonderful festival!