FESTIVALS SHAKESPEARE: THE MAN FROM STRATFORD Aug 5-30 THEATRE
places to perform, and none more so than Grid Iron, famed for its sitespecific productions in department stores and airports. This is a tenthanniversary revival of Douglas Maxwell’s 2000 Fringe First Award winner, a rites-of-passage drama, performed, naturally, on the swings of a children’s playground. GUTTED: A REVENGER’S MUSICAL Aug 6-29 (not Tue) MUSICALS
Assembly Rooms, George St, EH2 2LR (0131 226 0000, www. edfringe.com). 11.15pm; £15, concs £14. A few years ago, someone realised Edinburgh was full of comedians Aug 5-30 (not 16) with time on their hands and they THEATRE were in an ideal place to put on an Assembly Rooms, George St, all-celebrity show. While one bunch EH2 2LR (0131 226 0000, of stand-ups perform ‘Itch’, a www.edfringe.com). 5.25pm; selection of new scripts, at the £17.50-£19.50, concs £15.50Pleasance, another lot are doing £17.50. John Godber’s Olivier Award-winning this late-night ‘Rocky Horror’-type rugby comedy was highly popular in musical at Assembly. Check out the famous faces singing on stage for its day and is likely to remain so now it’s back for a 25th anniversary the first time. revival starring Abi Titmuss. The INSIDE Hull Truck production, with Godber Aug 6-14 at the helm, is about a man who DANCE takes out a ludicrous bet in the Zoo Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Pl, EH8 9SU belief an amateur rugby league (0131 226 0000, www.edfringe. team will defeat the reigning com). 6.25pm; £12. champions. Five men evoke the isolation and violence of a life in prison in this PHIL KAY: IN TWEED highly charged physical dance Aug 6–20 (not 16, 23) theatre piece by Jean Abreu Dance, COMEDY featuring music by instrumental Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, EH8 9AL (0131 226 0000, guitar/noise band 65daysofstatic www.edfringe.com).7pm; £10-£11, and drawing on Brazilian and Latin American dance forms. Abreu was concs £9-£10. Wayward, wilful and wonderful, Phil a founder member of Protein Dance and is a Jerwood Award winner. Kay is gloriously unpredictable, as likely to head off on an audienceSTEWART LEE inspired riff for a whole show as he Aug 6-30 (not 16, 18) is to deliver his tried and tested COMEDY material. This year, he is promising The Stand 1, 28 York Place, to smoke the audience’s belly EH1 3EP (0131 226 0000, www. button fluff in a pipe and, with edfringe.com). 4.45pm; £10. this master of anarchy, you can He could command venues many well believe it. times bigger, but the man behind ‘Jerry Springer: The Opera’ loves DECKY DOES A BRONCO the attitude and atmosphere of the Aug 6-21 (not Mon) Stand too much. Catch him here as THEATRE Scotland Yard Playground, EH3 5EJ he develops material for his 2011 TV series, or head to the Edinburgh (0131 226 0000, www.edfringe. Festival Theatre on August 18 for com). Times vary; £17-£19, concs his ‘Silver Stewbilee’, a one-off £12-£13. variety show to launch his new Edinburgh Fringe companies show book, ‘How I Escaped My Certain great resourcefulness in finding 14 EDINBURGH FESTIVALS GUIDE 2010
Fate: The Life And Deaths of a Stand-Up Comedian’. ANDI OSHO: AFROBLIGHTY Aug 6-30 (not 16) COMEDY
The Stand 4, 28 York Place, EH1 3EP (0131 226 0000, www.edfringe.com). 5.35pm; £8, concs £7. Premiering her first-ever hour of stand-up in Edinburgh, Osho has been making a name for herself, not only on ‘Mock the Week’ and as co-host of ‘Click, Click, Boom’, a new talent show at Stratford Circus, but also as an actor, with parts in ‘Waking the Dead’ and ‘EastEnders’. PAUL SINHA Aug 6-30 (not 16) COMEDY
The Stand 4, 28 York Place, EH1 3EP (0131 226 0000, www. edfringe.com). 10.25pm; £9, concs £8. Cornering the market in Asian gay doctor comedy, Sinha is an Asian gay doctor with a love of quiz games and a gift for razor-sharp punchlines. This year he is promising some Extreme AntiWhite Vitriol, in response to being called a racist by a racist. STICK MAN – LIVE ON STAGE! Aug 7-30 (not 16) KIDS
Udderbelly, Bristo Square, EH8 9AL (0131 226 0000, www.edfringe. com). 12.30pm; £10-£11, concs £8-£9. There is a lot of children’s theatre on the Fringe, especially in the mornings, and most is on an intimate scale. ‘Stick Man – Live on Stage!’, however, is aiming for a bigger audience with this adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s story about the hazards of being a tree-dwelling stick man. The same creative team enjoyed West End success with ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’. SUB ROSA Aug 7-30 THEATRE
Hill Street Theatre, 19 Hill St, EH2 3JP (0131 226 0000, www. edfringe.com). From 10.20pm; £10-£15. Extensively nominated in the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland after its first outing in
Glasgow last year, David Leddy’s ravishing promenade production takes the audience behind the scenes at the Hill Street Theatre for an unpleasant gothic tale of Victorian backstage intrigue. JOHN COOPER CLARKE
THE NEON BIBLE PROJECT Aug 20, 21, 23, 25 MUSICALS
Aug 13-19 POETRY
Udderbelly, Bristo Square, EH8 9AL (0131 226 0000, www.edfringe. com). 11.30pm; £11.50-£15. The lanky Salford punk poet has lost none of his wit nor any of his cult standing since his days as support act for The Fall, Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees. He'll be reprising favourites such as ‘Beasley Street’ and ‘I Married a Monster from Outer Space’ in a fast-talking set that includes a wealth of new material. TEENAGE RIOT Aug 17-29 (not Mon) THEATRE
Traverse Theatre, Cambridge St, EH1 2ED (0131 226 0000, www.edfringe.com). Times vary; £17-£19, concs £12-£13. Belgium’s Ontroerend Goed has caused a stir not only with its disorientating one-on-one performances, but also with its performances by young people. After the teenage kicks of ‘Once and For All We’re Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up and Listen’ comes this first-hand report about the darker side of adolescence. TIME OUT LIVE'S EDINBURGH LAUGH OUT LOUD Aug 18 & 25
Assembly @ Princes St Gardens EH2 2BY. (0131 226 0000, www.edfringe.com). 9pm, 11.30pm. £15. After last year’s sell out shows Time Out Live’s highly-acclaimed ‘Laugh Out Loud’ returns to Edinburgh for two nights of manic mayhem at this new venue nestled in the shadow of the castle. Showcasing our choices of the hottest new comedy and cabaret talent as well as established headliners, these hi-octane late night shows are a mini-festival in themselves. Previous acts include Reginald D Hunter, Micky Flanagan, Stephen K Amos and Rhys Darby.
5 GREAT PLACES… FOR FAMILIES Edinburgh Zoo Chimps, rhinos, hippos and a penguin parade. www.edinburghzoo.org.uk
Assembly Princes Street Gardens Daytime family fun under canvas. www.assemblyfestival.com
Museum of Childhood Games your parents and grandparents played. www.tinyurl.com/nxa8kk
Church Hill Theatre, 33a Morningside Rd, EH10 4DR (0131 226 0000, www.edfringe.com). Times vary; £5. Ottawa’s Canterbury High School is an unlikely place for the debut of a musical that has attracted global attention, but it was here teacher Paul Griffin had the idea of turning Arcade Fire’s 2007 album ‘Neon Bible’ into a dystopian fantasy. He contacted bass player Richard Reed Parry, a former student at the school, who gave him the goahead. And here they are. BEIRUT Aug 22 MUSIC
HMV Picture House, 31 Lothian Rd, EH1 2DJ (0131 226 0000, www.edfringe.com). 7.30pm; £15. Switch to waltz time as Zachary Condon puts his band through their Balkan folk paces, not to mention sundry European, Gypsy, Mexican and lo-fi indie rock influences. EELS Aug 25 MUSIC
HMV Picture House, 31 Lothian Rd, EH1 2DJ (0131 226 0000, Travel to the planet’s past. www.edfringe.com). 7.30pm; £20. www.dynamicearth.co.uk Mark Oliver Everett’s American alt-rockers return to the public Gorgie City Farm gaze after the critical acclaim of Farm with goats, pigs and ducks. www.gorgiecityfarm.org.uk this year’s ‘End Times’ – their eighth album – recorded largely on a four-track machine and described as ‘close to a ERA SCHAEFFERA – masterpiece’ by Mojo. They FALLING ON DEAF EARS arrive in Edinburgh with their Aug 20-22 wistful acoustic reflections after MUSIC Edinburgh International Conference dates in Japan and Australia. Centre, 150 Morrison St, EH3 8EE MODEST MOUSE (0131 226 0000, www.edfringe. Aug 29 com). 7pm (and Aug 22, 3pm); MUSIC £15, concs £12. HMV Picture House, 31 Lothian In Poland they call Boguslaw Rd, EH1 2DJ (0131 226 0000, Schaeffer the father of new music, www.edfringe.com). 7.30pm; and to reflect his own avant-garde £16.50. orchestral compositions, jazz There’s good news for people pieces, electronic music and who love bad news as Modest theatrical plays, this 80th birthday Mouse arrive in Edinburgh hot on tribute is a multimedia spectacle. the heels of appearances at the As well as the Polish National Leeds and Reading festivals. Radio Orchestra and the Olga The intelligent Seattle indie band Szwajgier Quartet, the performance now features Grandaddy’s Jim features interactive and audioFairchild on the guitar parts visual elements. once played by Johnny Marr.
Our Dynamic Earth
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FRINGE
FRINGE
Assembly Hall, 1 Mound Place, EH1 2LX (0131 226 0000, www. edfringe.com). 3pm; £10-£12. One-person shows about famous figures are in plentiful supply on the Fringe, but when the person is Simon Callow and the figure is Shakespeare, it pays to take note. Written by Shakespeare scholar Jonathan Bate, it is a comedy that aims to capture something of the real playwright and some of his most enduring characters. UP ’N’ UNDER
FESTIVALS