Edinburgh Festivals Magazine 2015

BEST OF COMEDY MUSIC THEATRE BOOKS DANCE ART SUMMER 2015

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

JULIETTE BINOCHE DANE BAPTISTE JO BRAND ALAN DAVIES JULIAN CLARY MILTON JONES PAJAMA MEN MEERA SYAL MICHAEL CHE SYLVIE GUILLEM GEORGE BENSON

PUDDLES ALL THE WORLD LOVES A CLOWN PEEP SHOW WRITER JESSE ARMSTRONG’S FIRST NOVEL HIGH FLYING, AISLE ROLLING, HEART STOPPING CIRCUS SPECIAL VALORIE CURRY ‘TWILIGHT’ STAR IN LOVE AND WAR

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NEWS, REVIEWS AND UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS AT EDFESTMAG.COM

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29/06/2015 18:04

Fringe2015 ST ANDREW

THEASSEMBLY

SQUARE GARDEN

ROOMS

7TH AUGUST - 31ST AUGUST

www.thestand.co.uk | www.arfringe.com | 0131 558 7272 | 0844 693 3008

what’s on at a glance COMEDY 11am 12.10pm 12.10pm 12.20pm 12.30pm 1pm 1.15pm 1.20pm

1.20pm 1.35pm 1.40pm 2pm 2pm 2pm 2.15pm 2.30pm 2.30pm 2.30pm 2.40pm 3pm 3.30pm 3.30pm 3.40pm 3.40pm 3.40pm

Bridget Christie Michael Legge Fern Brady Tobias Persson Stu & Garry Tony Law Lost Voice Guy Eleanor Morton

Sameena Zehra Tony Jameson Elvis McGonagall Richard Melvin Present...

(7th-20th, not 17th) Jay Lafferty (17th only) Mark Watson (21st-30th) Stewart Lee Seymour Mace Elaine Malcolmson Mary Bourke John Robertson Mitch Benn Simon Munnery Julia Sutherland Yianni Agasilaou Simon Donald Jim Smith

002 EF_TheStandLH_0615.indd 2

3.45pm 4pm 4.05pm 4.20pm 4.25pm

Luke Toulson Rodney Bewes Tiff Stevenson Funny for a GRRRL Katherine Ryan (7th-22nd, not 17) 4.25pm Literary Death Match (23rd-30th) 4.50pm John Scott

4.50pm Michael J Dolan 5pm Paul Sinha 5pm So… That’s What We Voted For? 5pm An Irishman Abroad (LIVE) (17th only) 5pm Ivor Dembina 5.15pm Sam Brady (7th-16th) 5.15pm Virginia Ironside (18th-30th) 5.20pm Tom Allen 5.40pm Bruce Fummey 6pm Ria Lina 6pm Best of Irish 6pm Silky 6.15pm Vladimir McTavish 6.30pm Alun Cochrane 6.35pm Steve Hall

6.40pm 7pm 7.10pm 7.10pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 7.40pm 7.40pm 7.45pm 7.50pm 8pm 8.10pm 8.20pm 8.20pm 8.20pm 8.45pm 9pm 9.10pm 9.10pm 9.10pm 9.15pm 9.15pm

Fred MacAulay Michelle McManus Gavin Webster Susie McCabe Dana Alexander (7th-16th) Imaan Hadchiti Jena Friedman (19th-30th) Michael Che (7th-20th) Imran Yusuf (21st-30th) Joanna Neary Andrew Doyle Jo Caulfield Stewart Francis Martin Mor Viv Groskop Jamie Kilstein Craig Campbell Will Franken Stephen K Amos Bob Doolally (17th & 25th only) Carl Hutchinson Elaine C Smith (13th-16th only) Barnardos Big Comedy Benefit (18th only)

9.15pm Loving Linda Smith Gala Concert (19th only) 9.25pm Frankie Boyle (11th, 12th, 17th, 26th & 27th only) 9.25pm Jerry Sadowitz (20th23rd, 28th-30th only) 9.30pm Gary Little 9.30pm Phil Nichol 9.30pm Hailey Boyle (18th & 19th only) 9.30pm Shazia Mirza 9.40pm Tom Stade 9.40pm Abnormally Funny People 10pm Sajeela Kershi 10.05pm Nick Revell 10.30pm The Man 10.30pm Stand Rising 10.30pm Best of Scottish 10.40pm Ro Campbell 10.40pm Jo-Jo Bellini (7th-16th) 10.40pm Qyeen SweeTs (18th-30th) 11pm Brendon Burns & Colt Cabana (not Sundays) 11pm The Super Serious Show (16th only)

27/06/2015 15:31

5

e

3pm

11pm

Setlist (Fri & Sat – Midnight Sun, Tues-Thurs) 11.10pm Phil Nichol’s Cray Cray Cabaret 11.30pm Very Best of the Fest (Fri & Sat only) 11.45pm Stand Late Club (Fri & Sat only) THEATRE 11am Sequamur (18th-24th) Noon Pip Utton: Playing Maggie 1.15pm The Gospel Enquiry (7th-16th) 1.15pm Hooray for All Kinds of Things (18th-30th) 1.30pm Sunshine on Leith 1.30pm The Last Laugh 3.30pm Wendy Hoose 3.45pm Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies 4.15pm The Missing Hancocks 5.15pm Sunshine on Leith 6.15pm Facebooked!

6.40pm Pip Utton: Adolf (22nd only) 7.45pm Detention SPOKEN WORD 11am The Everlasting Book Tour (7th-16th) 12.15pm Liz Lochhead and Steve Kettley 12.45pm Val McDermid (8th only) 12.45pm John Pilger (9th only) 12.45pm Stuart Cosgrove (10th only) 12.45pm Jon Ronson (11th only) 12.45pm Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (12th only) 12.45pm Robin Ince (13th only) 12.45pm Matt Parker (14th only) 12.45pm Hugh McIlvanney (15th only) 12.45pm Mark Thompson (16th only) 12.45pm Richard Wiseman (17th only) 12.45pm Danny Dorling (18th only) 12.45pm Jo Brand (19th only) 12.45pm Alexei Sayle (20th only) 12.45pm Nina Conti (21st only) 12.45pm AC Grayling (22nd only) 12.45pm Owen Jones (23rd only) 12.45pm Jay Rayner (24th only) 12.45pm Tessa Dunlop (25th only) 12.45pm Jonathan Meades (26th only) 12.45pm Polly Toynbee and David Walker (27th only) 12.45pm Will Hutton (28th only)

002 EF_TheStandLH_0615.indd 3

12.45pm Ricky Tomlinson (29th only) 12.45pm Mairi Hedderwick (30th only) 2pm Jamie Bartlett (8th only) 2pm Myriam Francois-Cerrah (9th only) 2pm Kate Fox (10th only) 2pm Charlotte Green (11th only) 2pm Chris Mullin (12th only) 2pm Mark Thomas (16th only) 2pm Stephen K Amos (17th only) 2pm Susan Calman (18th only) 2.30pm Steve Richards (18th-30th) 2.45pm Carol Anne Duffy & John Sampson 3pm Soak Up the Sun & to Hell With Skin Cancer! (7th only) 3pm Hearing Loss or Deaf Gain? (8th only) 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm

GM Bacteria (9th only) Cervical Cancer – You’re History! (10th only) Scotland in Six Swallies (11th only) Stop Brushing Your Teeth! (12th only) Women! Science is Still Not for You! (13th only) Let’s Turn on the Smart Light (14th only) Not So Native Now (15th only) Alas, Poor Darwin (16th only) Fashion & the Selfie (17th only) Whose Face is it Anyway? (18th only) The Hidden World of Functional Disorders (19th only) Wild, Scottish & Free (20th only) Skating on Thin Ice (21st only) Swords into Ploughshares (22nd only) The Cocaine Conspiracy (23rd only) The War on Drugs is Harmful (24th only) Hug a Thug (25th only) Back to the Statistical Future (26th only)

The Great British Brain Off (27th only) 3pm What if Lance Armstrong Had the Right Idea?

(28th only) 3pm Computers Are Only for Geeks (29th only) 3pm Edinburgh Should Ban Students (30th only) 6.30pm Don’t Tell Him Pike Part 2 MUSIC/MUSICALS & OPERAS 1.30pm Les Misérable (School Edition) (7th-16th) 1.45pm Sarah-Jane Morris (13th-15th only) 1.45pm Barb Jungr & John McDaniel (19th-21st)

1.45pm Carol Grimes with Dorian Ford (22nd-24th) 1.45pm Chris Ingham (25th-27th) 1.45pm Mark Billingham & My Darling Clementine (28th-30th) 5.10pm Worbey & Farrell 5.30pm Spring Awakening (24th-31st) 6.05pm Soweto Spiritual Singers (6th-25th) 6.05pm Dloko High School Choir (24th-30th) 7.20pm Christine Boville’s Piaf (8th-9th, 12th-16th, 19th, 21st-22nd, 26th-30th) 7.30pm Lorraine McCauley & The Borderlands (7th only) 7.30pm Silver Darlings (20th, 23rd & 24th) 7.30pm Christine Boville’s Midnight Coffee (Album Launch)(31st only) 8pm Idlewild (17th only) 9pm Todd Gordon 9pm Old Blind Dogs (10th & 24th) 9.15pm/ The Troubles 11pm (27th-30th July, 10th & 17th August) 9.30pm Jane Austen’s Persuasion (7th-9th)

11pm 11pm 11pm 11pm

Becc Sanderson The Black Sorrows (11th-16th) Late Night Phantasmagoria (18th-22nd, 25th-31st) The Stray Birds (23rd only)

CABARET 12.20pm Butterfly Rammy 5.30pm The 5.30 Cabaret (17th-23rd) 8.20pm Vive La Variété (7th-16th) 7.30pm La Clique Presents Velvet 9pm La Clique Presents Velvet 11.15pm La Clique Presents Velvet

KIDS 10.30am Shakespeare in the Garden: Brave MacBeth 10.30am Shakespeare in the Garden: Romantic Romeo 10.30am Shakespeare in the Garden: Cheer Up Hamlet 11am Martin ‘Bigpig’ Mors Funny Stuff for Happy People (7th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd, 29th, 30th) 11.05am The Amazing Bubble Man 11.45am Shakespeare in the Garden: Brave MacBeth 11.45am Shakespeare in the Garden: Romantic Romeo 11.45am Shakespeare in the Garden: Cheer Up Hamlet Noon The Blunder Games 12.15pm The Periodic Fable 1.40pm Mark Thompson’s Space Cadet’s Training Academy (7th-15th) 1.40pm Gunge! A Show with Gunge in it (16th & 17th only) 2pm Mr Boom (27th-30th July, 3rd-6th Aug) 2.30pm The Garden Man (7th-16th only) 5pm James Campbell’s Comedy for Kids (13th-16th)

27/06/2015 15:32

200 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF LAPHROAIG Established in 1815, this year sees the 200th anniversary of LaphroaigÂŽ Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. To commemorate this landmark celebration, Laphroaig is proud to announce a very special and limited release of Laphroaig 15 Year Old. A long revered expression in the Laphroaig range, Laphroaig 15 Year Old was originally launched more than 30 years ago, with a lower level of peat and a higher bottling strength of 43% all combining to give the whisky a mellow, rounded taste, its briny orchard fruits adding bite and depth, the overall feel rich and smoky.

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Laphroaig Distillery Manager John Campbell decided to re-release this product, one of his long-time favourites, in celebration of Laphroaig’s 200th anniversary. Beautifully made, Laphroaig 15 Year Old pays homage to the original edition, answering the call for its return by many a long term friend, while at the same time introducing new fans of Laphroaig to a whisky that they have yet to taste.

Laphroaig has been dividing opinions for 200 years, always garnering strong and interesting points of view through the years. Some of these varying opinions are featured in videos as part of the Laphroaig Opinions Welcome campaign, which can be viewed at www.laphroaig.com/opinions.

29/06/2015 17:53

JIM STEWART

LAPHROAIG.COM/OPINIONS

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29/06/2015 17:54

006_EF_Ladyboys_0615.indd 1

27/06/2015 15:27

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25/06/2015 12:03

Glasgow

Edinburgh

£11 Late night services during the Edinburgh Festival

.40 RETURN

Customers who hold pre-purchased tickets travel on 900 late night services at no extra cost. For customers travelling on these without a pre-purchased ticket, a fare of £11.40 adult single applies.

• 1.30am and 3.00am services daily from 7th – 31st August.

• The Citylink 900 timetable operates at least every

15 minutes at peak times and half hourly from 7.30pm.

• Travel with us on modern, reliable, comfortable, coaches and arrive relaxed and ready to have a great time.

• Super-fast free 4G WiFi.

Buy tickets in advance online, by phone or from the Citylink Glasgow and Edinburgh Travel Centres

0871 266 3333 citylink.co.uk Calls cost 10p/min from BT landlines. Charges from other providers or mobiles may vary.

009_EF_Citylink_0615.indd 1

25/06/2015 12:13

Visit The

G le n f i d d ich D istil l e ry Speyside #5 ,$-0+ 2'4# -301 5'2& 12#0!* 11 12',%1 G *2 0, #12 30 ,2 6!*31'4# &'1)7 &-. G '!,'! 0# G 0 0)

Open 7 days a week, tours from 9.30am - 4.00pm

By keeping the company in our family, we’ve kept the character in our whisky.

We are now the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky.

Please visit us and experience the unique history and flavour of our whisky for yourself.

THE GLENFIDDICH DISTILLERY Dufftown, Banffshire, AB55 4DH Tel: 01340 820373 glenfiddichbookings@wgrant.com

DIRECTIONS

The Glenfiddich Distillery lies on the A941 half a mile north of Dufftown

ADMISSION CHARGES FOR TOURS Full details of tours and pricing available at www.glenfiddich.com

SKILFULLY CRAFTED, ENJOY RESPONSIBLY

GlenfiddichÂŽ Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a registered trademark of William Grant & Sons Ltd.

Untitled-24 1

29/06/2015 15:53

#birramoretti

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29/06/2015 18:13

#EDINTFEST

ANTIGONE STARRING JULIETTE BINOCHE DIRECTED BY IVO VAN HOVE Sat 8 – Sat 22 August

EIF.CO.UK 0131 473 2000 014_EF_EIFAntigone_0615.indd 1

Supported by

The Pirie Rankin Charitable Trust With additional support from

The Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands and Institut français d’Ecosse Produced by the Barbican and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, in association with Toneelgroep Amsterdam Co-produced by Edinburgh International Festival and Théâtre de la Ville – Paris and Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen Photo Gavin Evans Charity No SC004694

25/06/2015 12:09

WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM CONTENTS

What’s Inside

COMEDY 24 ALAN DAVIES

Laughing at his dark age 26 KATHERINE RYAN

Long live the queen 28 PUDDLES

Clown with a golden voice 40 MICHAEL CHE

Not afraid to offend 43 JO BRAND

Her big return to Edinburgh 46 PUN COMEDY

Milton Jones & Darren Walsh 50 PAJAMA MEN

Two musketeers 62 DANE BAPTISTE

His triumphant return 76 MISSING HANCOCKS

Tony’s legendary half-hour 162 COMEDY LISTINGS

Stand-ups and sketch stars 177 COMEDY PODCASTS

Watch live or listen again

DANCE 34 SYLVIE GUILLEM

A legend retires at the top 44 BALLET AM RHEIN

Conquering Mahler 73 BALLETRONIC

Hot beats from Havana 160 DANCE GUIDE

Unmissable rhythms

THEATRE 22 JULIETTE BINOCHE

Defying expectations 30 VALORIE CURRY

Hollywood star on One Day 48 FAKE IT ‘TIL YOU MAKE IT

Giving depression a funny look 64 URINETOWN

Do you have to pay to pee?

75 HOW TO KEEP AN ALIEN

Fighting deportation for love 85 CIRCA

Masters of the big top return 85 CIRCUS ROUND-UP

High-flying thrills 154 THEATRE GUIDE

Incredible shows you’ll love

www.edfestmag.com

015-017_EF_Contents.indd 15

MUSIC 79 GEORGE BENSON

His tribute to Nat King Cole 81 DAVINA SOWERS

Dixie meets Led Zeppelin 146 MUSIC GUIDE

Now hear this

EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2015

15

23/06/2015 18:53

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM CONTENTS

ART 32 DAVID BAILEY

Photographer to the stars 94 CHARLES AVERY

Imaginary islanders 96 PHYLLIDA BARLOW

Serious playtime 142 ART GUIDE

Get your fill of culture

FOOD 108 FOODIES FESTIVAL

Ten years of delicious fun 111 RESTAURANT GUIDE

Food from all over the world

CHILDREN 104 FUNZ AND GAMEZ

for kids and adults alike 107 DRAGON

A silent boy finds friendship 107 KIDS GUIDE

Shows for the little ‘uns

REGULARS

BOOKS

20 DIARY DATES

What not to miss 36 A TO Z

The alphabet of awesome 53 FESTIVAL FAVOURITES

The Fringe’s top acts 67 ONES TO WATCH

Fringe virgins to look out for 178 MY EDINBURGH

Julian Clary’s fest memories

88 MEERA SYAL

Selling childbirth in India 90 ASNE SEIERSTAD

Mass murder in Norway 93 JESSE ARMSTRONG

Peep Show author’s new book 150 BOOK GUIDE

All the authors not to miss

CITY GUIDE 99 21 THINGS TO DO

Go beyond the Fringe 137 SHOPPING

The best indie boutiques 141 SPA GUIDE

Where to go to relax

www.edfestmag.com

015-017_EF_Contents.indd 17

EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2015

17

23/06/2015 18:55

WELCOME WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM

One for the rebels

Don’t forget to bsite check our we ag.com www.edfestm for daily reviews

R

AISE A GLASS TO THE ONES WHO GO THEIR OWN WAY. This year we’re proposing a toast to the creatives, the brave idealists and the eccentrics. Without them, life would be much more bland, and the festival would be an empty and barren place.

Rebels like Juliette Binoche insist on making art that is equal parts exciting and inspiring. We caught up with her to find out about playing Antigone at the International Festival, and were amazed by her insight and her determination to follow her own path. We think that she and another young Hollywood star, Valorie Curry, would get along famously.

Curry has left her comfortable silver screen existance, appearing in films such as the Twilight saga and high-profile TV shows including The Following to hit the Edinburgh boards and play a woman in love.

On the comedy side, we introduce US comic Michael Che, who recently met with a social media storm over comments he made about a viral video. Thankfully the stand-up shook off the haters and makes his debut Fringe appearance this month. Puddles, the sad clown with the golden voice, chooses to remain silent unless he’s singing. Meanwhile eternal non-conformists Jo Brand and our cover star Katherine Ryan are back and ready to take on the patriarchy once more.

Artists including Oban-born Charles Avery stand ready to give their opinions on what it means to create work on a sweeping scale.

Avery has consistenly painted the same fictional island he invented ten years ago, as well as sculpting its incredible hybrid fauna and its inhabitants. We spoke with him, and with Phyllida Barlow, who has turned the Fruitmarket Gallery into her personal playground.

Dancer Sylvie Guillem is rebelling in her own way, by retiring at the top of her game. A legend in the ballet world, Guillem is completing one last circuit of the globe, saying goodbye to fans. We talked to her as she stops off in Edinburgh at the International Festival. Meanwhile, choreographer Martin Schläpfer is going from strength to strength, as his Ballett Am Rhein discards tradional dance roles and attacks Mahler head on.

However you decide to spend your time at the festival, we have listings for comedy, theatre, dance, books, music and art. So go your own way, do your own thing, forget conventional wisdom and try something new and ridiculous. Cheers!

HOW TO BOOK Festival Fringe 7th – 31st August Box Office: 180 High Street Tel: 0131 226 0026 Web: edfringe.com International Festival 7th – 31st August Box Office: The Hub, EH1 2NE Tel: 0131 473 2000 Web: eif.co.uk Book Festival 15th – 31st August Box Office: The Hub, EH1 2NE Tel: 0845 373 5888 Web: edbookfest.co.uk Jazz and Blues Festival 17th – 26th July Box Office: The Hub, EH1 2NE Tel: 0131 473 2000 Web: edinburghjazzfestival.com Military Tattoo 7th – 29th August Box Office: 32 Market Street Tel: 0131 225 1188 Web: edintattoo.co.uk Edinburgh Art Festival 30th July – 30th August Tel: 0131 226 6558 Web: edinburghartfestival.com

EDITORIAL Editor Sue Hitchen Art Director Angela McKean Sub Editor Catriona Texellus Digital Imaging Malcolm Irving Production Sarah Hitchen Editorial Assistant Lidia Molina Whyte Advertising Design Jordan Porteous

ADVERTISING Matthew Magee, Harmony Hachey, Rowena Tavern CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rob Adams, Kelly Apter, Kate Copstick, Sarah Crompton, Mark Fisher, Krissi Murison, Jay Richardson, Jasper Rees, Claire Smith

Foodies Festival Edinburgh 7th – 9th August Inverleith Park Tel: 0844 995 1111 Web: foodiesfestival.com Edinburgh Mela Festival 29th-30th August Leith Links Tel: 0131 226 0008 Web: edinburgh-mela.co.uk

Front cover image: Katherine Ryan by Idil Sukan/Draw HQ Edinburgh Festivals Issue 13 Published annually by The Media Company Publications Ltd, 26a St Andrews Square, Edinburgh EH2 1AF www.edfestmag.com Printed by Buxton Press. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is strictly forbidden.

All prices and offers correct at time of going to press but subject to change. ISSN 1478-9078

18

EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2014

018_EF_Welcome.indd 18

www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 20:34

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WIDEN YOUR WORLD

25/06/2015 11:52

DIARY DATES WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM

SAVE THE DATE 5 AUGUST The Titanic Orchestra Pleasance Courtyard John Hannah stars in madcap magical comedy.

6 AUGUST The Biggest Marionette Circus in the World Saint Stepens Centre Life size puppets share the stage with circus stars.

7 AUGUST Foodies Festival Inverleith Park Family food festival with top chefs.

8 AUGUST Stewart Lee Assembly Rooms New stand-up from the comedian’s comedian.

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Make a note of these performances – they’re the ones you’ll be talking about for years

13 AUGUST Beardyman Pleasance Courtyard Beat boxing and creative breaks.

9 AUGUST

10 AUGUST

14 AUGUST

Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking Pleasance Courtyard Space-time experiments and comedy songs.

Thünderbards Underbelly A new show from the successful sketch duo.

Anita Harris The Brunton Theatre Carry On star sings her favourites.

11 AUGUST

Alex Horne Pleasance Courtyard More musical mayhem with Alex.

Camille O’Sullivan The Queen’s Hall Live performance of the heartbreaking love songs of Jacques Brel.

12 AUGUST Nina Conti Pleasance Courtyard Strap into the mask with Nina and monkey, as well as some new creations.

15 AUGUST

16 AUGUST Nicola Benedetti Usher Hall The violin soloist plays Brahms.

17 AUGUST Tao Dance Theatre Royal Lyceum Theatre Minimalist contemporary dance.

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM DIARY DATES

18 AUGUST Trans Scripts Pleasance Courtyard Six transgender women’s stories.

19 AUGUST Abandoman Hot Desk Underbelly The consumate master of comedy hip hop improv returns.

20 AUGUST Alexei Sayle The Assemnly Rooms Talking comedy with Ollie Double.

Clockwise Leodo, Freddie Flintoff, Anita Harris, Marionette Circus, Murmel, Einstein, Trans Scripts, Josh Widdicombe, Flaming Lips, Morph, Trevor Noah, Magic Flute, Lang Lang, John Hannah, Abandoman, Thunderbards, Nina Conti, Tao, Nicola Benedetti.

23 AUGUST Adam Hills: Clown Heart Assembly Fringe favourite returns with an hour of spontaneity and joy.

28 AUGUST

24 AUGUST Patrick Kielty Assembly Comedian returns to stand-up.

25 AUGUST Helen Lederer Charlotte Square Talks about her debut funny novel.

21 AUGUST

26 AUGUST

Lang Lang Usher Hall Solo recital from the flamboyant Chinese piano legend.

Leodo: The Paradise Assembly Korean drumming and healing dances.

22 AUGUST

The Flaming Lips Ross Bandstand Psychedelic rockers’ special gig.

Josh Widdicombe Assembly Bringing his XFM show to the Fringe live on stage.

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27 AUGUST

27 AUGUST Freddie Flintoff Pleasance Courtyard Sporting star talks cricket.

Murmel Murmel Kings Theatre Hilarious slapstick production based on one word.

28 AUGUST The Magic Flute Festival Theatre 1927’s production of the classic.

29 AUGUST Alan Cumming Charlotte Square Discusses Not My Father’s Son with Ian Rankin.

30 AUGUST Trevor Noah Assembly South African comedy star about to take over The Daily Show from Jon Stewart.

31 AUGUST Morph Modelmaking Workshop Pleasance Make your own clay Morph at this fun workshop.

EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2015

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23/06/2015 18:48

THEATRE ANTIGONE

The defiant one Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche has always forged her own path.

Now, at 50, she is realising a life-long dream – playing Antigone, the tragic Greek heroine who took on a king and called down the wrath of the gods WORDS KRISSI MURISON PHOTOGRAPHY JAN VERSWEYVELD

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ULIETTE BINOCHE HAS A KALEIDOSCOPIC CV. Best known for her Oscar-winning role in The English Patient and Chocolat with Johnny Depp, she also does a neat line in European art house and theatre, has danced on stage, published a volume of poetry and exhibited her paintings.

Hugely protective of her artistic integrity, she famously turned down blockbuster roles in Mission: Impossible and Jurassic Park. “I would rather play a dinosaur,” she has said, “than one of the humans in that film.”

Now, at 50 years old, Binoche is ready for her next challenge: her first Greek tragedy. In August she brings Sophocles’s Antigone to the Edinburgh International Festival, after a month’s run earlier this year at London’s Barbican. The text has been translated into English by the poet Anne Carson.

Despite her many English-language roles, the prospect of working in her second language is still daunting.

“I don’t think ‘intimidated’ is the right word,” she says, “but you have to have the right muscles in place, because the words have to resonate. Although I speak English a lot, it’s not the same as when you’re born in England and have the rhythm.”

Antigone – the incestuous daughter of Oedipus and his mother Jocasta – is a part Binoche has always wanted to play.

In Sophocles’s version of the story, she courageously flouts the orders of the tyrant ruler of Thebes to secure a proper burial for her outcast brother and is buried alive for her defiance.

“I saw Antigone when I was 18, and it stayed in my mind very strongly,” she says.

Usually she waits for parts to come to her – “It’s not my habit to think what character I’d like to play.” – but this time the production was her idea, and she wasn’t prepared to take no for an answer from director Ivo van Hove. “I told him, ‘I’d like to do Antigone,’ and he said, ‘No, why don’t we do Electra or Medea?’ and my intuition told me this is not right, no, it has to be Antigone. Antigone is very political, and from what’s happening nowadays in the world, I found it urgent to play again.”

In what sense? “Well, the power, and how the women – or the feminine side of every human being – is not accepted yet.

I believe Adam in the Bible is every human being, it’s not men.

It’s men and women, and Eve is the hidden side of the self, the darker side that we have to embody so we can become one.”

As a teenager, she tells me, she had: “hesitated between being a painter, an actress or a director. But the need for company was stronger. It came from very early on, when I was a very little girl, I wanted to be with others. For me, it’s one of the deepest and oldest feelings I had... The feeling that I can share with another, that I’m not alone.”

Her mother was an actor turned drama teacher, her father a theatre director and artist, but they divorced when Binoche was four and she was packed off to boarding school with her sister.

Holidays were often spent with their maternal grandmother and the sisters could go months without seeing either parent.

Binoche has previously spoken of a: “strong feeling of abandonment,” that she still carries with her.

“My way to survive emotionally was to act. I was acting all the time, and it was my best medicine, creating worlds, creating relationships,” she has said.

Perhaps because of this, she always wanted to be a mother herself. “It was a dream of mine. From 11 years old, I was talking to my son already!” she laughs.

Has her own childhood impacted on how she has brought her two kids up? “Yes. It was important to give them structure — mental structure, physical structure.

“Yet I’ve always said yes to my passion because I don’t think I’d be happy if I said no. I don’t like when people say, ‘Oh, I will sacrifice myself for my children.’ For me, you have to embody your task in life, because that’s why you came here.”

Still, raising two children as a lone parent must have had its challenges. She has always refused to talk about their two fathers, although she says she doesn’t regard herself as a single mother.

“I don’t think they’d say they were ‘single children’, do you see what I’m saying? They have their fathers. I’ve lived with different partners, so I don’t feel like I’ve been a single mother my whole life. I’ve been sharing my life, entirely, it’s just it didn’t turn into a long relationship.”

I asked her how she likes to relax in her downtime. She looked confused. “Downtime is off-time? But I relax myself when I work.”

Between projects she uses her time to “learn something new”.

She has started a daily class to “work on the axis, the vertical of the body. In everyday life we tend to be either too forwards or too backwards, it says something, it’s a language. What is it for an actor to be neutral, not to give something, to hide or to prove? I think it’s such a huge question about oneself.”

WHERE & WHEN Antigone King’s Theatre, 7-22 August (not 10, 17), 7.30pm, from £10 Tel: 0131 473 2000

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ANTIGONE THEATRE

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23/06/2015 18:38

COMEDY ALAN DAVIES

Alan Davies is performing far edgier material now he’s hit his forties – and he’s loving every minute WORDS KATE COPSTICK PICTURES TONY BRIGGS

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LAN DAVIES FIRST PLAYED EDINBURGH in 1992, at the Assembly Rooms, but it was at the Gilded Balloon in 1994 that he had what he describes as “the best three weeks of my life.” He was in the Cowgate (“a tragedy when that burnt down”), with Phil Kay doing the show before him and Fred McAuley the show after.

“The whole month was one big party.” Plus he got a Perrier nomination and the critics were, “falling all over themselves to praise me.” He sighs. “That doesn't happen as much now I'm on the telly. But I genuinely

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think the show I’m doing now and the one I did last year are waaaay better than the one I did in 1994.”

I opine that a happy, fulfilled home life – which Davies currently enjoys with wife and two kids – isn't exactly conducive to exciting comedy.

“My comedy is much darker and a lot bleaker than it was then,” he says. A recent review called his last show, “a middle aged howl of anguish,” he tells me, proudly.

“I'm talking about wanting to hit your kids and not having any sex because it hurts...”

He grew up as a comic, he says, at the Gilded Balloon, doing the old Late'n'Live, a rite of passage for many a great comic and a graveyard for the less hardy.

“I used to sneak backstage to watch the other comics.

I remember in 1998 I'd go to watch Rich Hall do Otis Lee Crenshaw four or five times a week” He’s here this year with Work In Progress, which isn't

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ALAN DAVIES COMEDY

"My daughter asked, 'Do you do a proper job, or is it just talking?'"

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really work in progress but is new material, in a show he has really put together to support Karen Koren in her Balloon's 30 year anniversary. He’s a big fan of Big Fringe Comedy's only female impresario.

“Karen is old school,” he says “she understands loyalty – and she'll risk her own money on someone just because she has faith in them.” I mention the year I found her desperately trying to give away seats for a young Australian she had seen, loved, brought over as a complete unknown and trusted with the massive Debating Hall. “Tim Minchin,” nods Davies.

“I remember she was keen to introduce him to Bill Bailey,” – another Koren protégé -– “and when she did there was a distinct … frisson.”

An Edinburgh August is a very different experience for Daddy Davies than it was for his younger self.

“Last year I saw 21 shows,” he says. “Ten kids shows

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and eleven for grown ups. Breakfast comedy for kids is a great idea. We're up at seven.” James Acaster's early shows were a big hit with the Davies family.

“Its great, because kids get used to people standing talking to them. My lot were thrilled.” Do they know this is what daddy does? I ask. They don't, apparently.

When he’s off on tour, he says, he always has Face Time an hour before the show – usually when he’s sound checking. “That is all they see of my job,” he says. “My daughter did ask me recently, ‘Do you do a proper job Daddy, or is it just talking?’ and I had to admit that it is mainly just talking.”

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WHERE & WHEN Alan Davies: Work in Progress 2 Gilded Balloon, 9-15 August, 7.30pm, from £15 Tel: 0131 622 6552

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23/06/2015 18:35

COMEDY KATHERINE RYAN

Whether ripping into celebrity culture or agonizing over her own fading Canadian identity, Katherine Ryan is never afraid to shock – or delight WORDS JASPER REES PHOTOGRAPHY IDIL SUKAN

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N SEPTEMBER KATHERINE RYAN IS DUE back in Canada to speak at her sister’s wedding.

Most people would fret about such duties in private, but most people aren’t stand-up comedians.

Before she gets on the plane, Ryan has a show to do on the Fringe, and she will be angsting in public about how unCanadian she has become.

“My sister used to be my very best friend,” she explains, “and I’ve noticed that I don’t know her any more. So I’ve really had to look back on the experiences I’ve had over here and what I experienced growing up. I talk a lot about who I’ve become.”

Who Ryan has become is a member of a sorority of stand-ups, and an acidic commentator on celebrity culture, especially where it intersects with gender issues. On Live at the Apollo she did a hilarious spoof of Beyoncé’s wide-thighed power dance. For Comic Relief she donned an hourglass body suit for a merciless take-off of Nicki Minaj’s enhanced curves. Does she ever mind that her targets may get the hump?

“I do worry about hurting their feelings. I know these people are human beings, just barely, and my rule, which lets me sleep at night, is that you always punch up.”

The new show is called Kathbum, which is also Ryan’s Twitter handle. “When I first got Twitter

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I didn’t really understand that whatever you chose would be with you forever, but that’s what my family called me growing up. It’s a little comfort blanket for me.”

Ryan came to the UK eight years ago, armed with a degree in urban planning that she had no intention of using. Now 32, she is a panel show regular and a must-see on the live circuit.

Although her mother took part in her first Fringe show (“It was a really weird show. Reviewers hated it”), her family – and indeed her entire country of origin – is not really aware of what she’s doing.

“People from my home town just think I died.

I grew up in such an isolated environment, but a lot of the mentality there is that they have no idea what I’m up to, and they don’t care.”

This is said for laughs, but also with feeling.

Ryan owes Canada too. She acquired the confidence to perform in, of all the radically unfeminist places, the Toronto branch of Hooters. “What I learned there is just that having a voice was something that the customers were really attracted to.”

So are we done talking about women in comedy?

“There will be Neanderthals who still question whether women can be funny or not. And the same goes for trolls on Twitter. They’re not well.

It’ll always be a football team profile picture and they’ll follow porn stars and UKIP. If there’s anyone reading who needs special help, yes woman are funny, and I care about you, too.”

WHERE & WHEN Kathbum, The Stand, 6-22 August (not 17), 16.25 pm, £12 Tel: 0131 558 7272

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23/06/2015 18:32

KATHERINE RYAN COMEDY

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23/06/2015 18:32

COMEDY PUDDLES

AN INVITATION TO THE PITY PARTY Puddles has welcomed over 100,000 people to share his beautiful voice and silent clowning, and Edinburgh is the latest addition to his guest list WORDS CLAIRE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY BRENT LEIDERITZ

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T IS NOT THE SIMPLEST THING IN THE world to carry out a transatlantic interview via Skype with an act that doesn’t talk, but in the case of Puddles, the 6'8", white-faced, sad clown there is no alternative.

Puddles, who is bringing his show to the Fringe this year, never speaks – although he does sing – and I'm glad to see he has brought a pen and paper to write little notes. He is sitting at a piano at home in Denver, in full make up, wearing a shiny white Pierrot clown suit with black buttons and a tiny crown. On top of the piano is a plastic statuette of Mr T from The A Team and a small tartan box.

He opens the tartan box, takes out a clown nose and a little pointy hat and hands them to me through the screen.

I am being invited into the world of Puddles, the Sad Clown with the Golden Voice.

“Would you like to sing for me?” I ask, and Puddles smiles sadly, begins to play and suddenly a rich, high baritone voice soars into the first lines of Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

“I walk a lonely road...”

His remarkable voice may already be familiar.

Puddles is an internet sensation, with 100,000 fans.

More than 20 million people have watched his YouTube cover version of Lorde’s song Royals.

He tells me there will probably be 12 songs in his show, Puddles Pity Party at Assembly George Square, which will include a mixture of old and new numbers.

"It's good to feel sad. #feelings"

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“Are they all sad songs?” I ask him.

Puddles gazes at me with big, dark, liquid eyes and begins to cry. He writes me a note. “It’s good to feel sad. #feelings."

A former member of the Olivier Award-winning alt-cabaret group La Soiree, Puddles has just returned from Australia, where he performed at the Adelaide Fringe and the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

How did that go? I ask him. He writes me a little note. “Australia tastes great. They like coffee.”

For some reason this makes me laugh. Puddles stares into my eyes for a few disconcerting moments then launches into another song.

“Friday night and the lights are low. Looking out for a place to go. Where they play the right music, getting in the swing. You come to look for a king....”

Suddenly I feel all emotional. I’m tuning into Radio Puddles.

I ask the Sad Clown how he feels about coming to Edinburgh. He looks terrified. “It’s a big deal,” I say.

“It’s a huge deal.” He mimes.

“But there are things to look forward to as well,” I comment.

He writes: “I love Highland cows.”

It has been a strange interview, unsettling, disconcerting, emotional. But I think I understand why Puddles prefers to communicate directly with his audience using music and mime. I’m intrigued, strangely moved and charmed, and I think Edinburgh will be as well.

WHERE & WHEN Puddles Pity Party Assembly George Square Gardens, 6 - 31 August (not 18, 25), 7.25pm, from £10 Tel. 0131 623 3030

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PUDDLES COMEDY

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VALORIE CURRY THEATRE A U G U S T

Love is a battlefield

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Hollywood stars Valorie Curry and Sam Underwood are pouring their off-screen passion into a tale of two wartime lovers in One Day When We Were Young, as Curry explains

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HO BETTER TO CAST IN A PLAY ABOUT at 17, I can handle me in my early 40s, but when I a 60-year love affair than a real-life golden start getting into the late 70s, it’s scary. But one of couple? New York actors Valorie Curry and Sam the exciting things is dispelling the stereotypical way Underwood met on the set of The Following, the Sky that older characters behave.”

Atlantic serial-killer series, and quickly established It says much about the couple’s get-up-and-go that an offstage partnership. they’re prepared to swap the comfort of their screen While she graduated from teen-noir series careers for the hurly-burly of the Fringe. “As actors, Veronica Mars to the Twilight saga and comedywe create the opportunities we want for ourselves drama House of Lies, and while he made – and Sam is very much that way,” she says, adding appearances in Dexter and Homeland, the two of that the show is being produced by Underwood’s them started working together on short films and Fundamental Theatre Project. “I’ve really been launching a production company. inspired by his mentality of not recognising any Now, the Surrey-born Underwood has persuaded limitations on what you can and cannot do. I have his partner to make her Fringe debut. They’ll appear creative ambitions beyond just waiting for calls and together in One Day When We Were Young, sifting through scripts. I love stories and I want to a two-hander about a Second World bring people together who are War fling that turns into a heartgoing to have the best vision “I love stories. I want to for telling those stories.” breaking romance lasting decades.

“A lot of people who’ve been to She was also persuaded by bring together the best the festival have said to us, Underwood’s front-line reports people to tell them” ‘If you make it through this you’re from the 2011 Fringe when going to be golden, but we’ll see he starred in 3D Hamlet. “He made a really good sell on Edinburgh. Everyone I how you are at the end of the month,” laughs Curry know who’s been talks about it as the most magical, on the set of her latest movie in Vancouver. “But I’m exhausting experience. We’re not going with the really looking forward to it. I’m sure there will be intention of trying to sell the production for further moments of egos clashing, but that’s to be expected touring, it’s really about the opportunity to do this and it will lend the piece a lot of the real intimacy piece and be part of the festival. And I want to talk and love between these two people.” to the other crazy people!”

Written by Nick Payne, best known for the awardwinning Constellations, the play starts with a oneWHERE & WHEN night stand and continues after a chance encounter One Day When We Were Young many years later. “We sat down and read it, and by Assembly George Square, 6–31 August (not 17, the end of it I was in tears,” says the 29-year-old, 24), 1.45pm, from £7 exhilarated and terrified at the prospect of playing Tel: 0131 623 3030 a woman at all ages of her life. “I can handle me

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23/06/2015 18:29

ART DAVID BAILEY

HERE IN A FLASH A new exhibition celebrates David Bailey’s ability to capture the soul of his subjects PHOTOGRAPHER DAVID BAILEY

WHERE & WHEN Bailey’s Startdust, Scottish National Gallery, 18 July – 18 October, from £9 Tel: 131 624 6200

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DAVID BAILEY ART

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Clockwise from far left: self-portrait, Kate Moss, Johnny Depp, Jerry Hall, Francis Bacon, Mick Jagger, Damon Albarn

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23/06/2015 18:23

DANCE SYLVIE GUILLEM

"When you finish a book, you don’t need to read it again"

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SYLVIE GUILLEM DANCE

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It’s the end of an era, but this year will see the legendary Sylvie Guillem dancing at the International Festival and retiring at the top of her game.

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WORDS SARAH CROMPTON PHOTOGRAPHY BILL COOPER

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ACH NIGHT THAT SYLVIE GUILLEM PERFORMS A Life in Progress is like a closing night. As she takes her farewell tour around the world, audiences arrive to say goodbye. In Italy, people crammed their children into the boxes of the theatre. At Sadler’s Wells, London, they rose to their feet in a standing ovation at the interval. Everywhere, from Athens to Lyon, from Moscow to Sydney, the weight of emotion is intense.

On stage, bowing with a broad grin on her face, Guillem cannot fail to feel it. “In a way I feel that each night is getting me ready for the moment when it all ends,” she says.

“But I cannot think about it. All I am concentrating on at the moment is each performance. I just want each night to be the best it can.”

Her very last moments on stage as a dancer will come in Japan in December. Until then, her diary is packed with engagements, and the greatest dancer of her generation is trying not to look ahead. “I am not frightened of being without dancing because I know I can do that. I know I can spend time not performing, because I have done that. But what I don’t know is how I will feel when I haven’t got this to look forward to, when there is nothing coming up.”

However, she has absolutely no regrets about deciding – “quite suddenly” – to quit at the end of this year, at the age of 50. “Time is time, age is age, when you finish a book you don’t need to read it again,” she says. “That’s it, that’s the story.

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I have made it as long and as beautiful as I could. Now I want to end it beautifully.”

That uncompromising instinct to go out at the top is as much a part of her as those sharp feet and legs that stretch – still – with ease past her ear. She has never hung around once she felt a story was over. She has been dancing now for 39 years, first finding fame as the youngest ever étoile at the Paris Opera Ballet (promoted by Rudolf Nureyev at the age of 19), then coming to Britain to dance with the Royal Ballet as principal guest artist from 1989 until 2007. In 2006 she became an associate artist at Sadler’s Wells and launched the last great flowering of her career, as a contemporary dancer, commissioning and creating works.

Her final programme contains pieces by the choreographers to whom she has been closest: William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Russell Maliphant and Akram Khan. It is poignant, witty and full of joy. “It has been a pleasure,” she says. “The audiences have always been warm, and when I stop at the end of the year I will really miss them.” So she’s enjoying each night, and not thinking of the end.

“I know I will have to stop and breathe the new air,” she says.

“I will have to learn to see life differently.”

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WHERE & WHEN A Life in Progress, Festival Theatre, 8-10 August, 7.30pm, from £14 Tel. 0131 473 2000

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A TO Z EDFESTMAG.COM

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BUTT KAPINSKI Liquid Rooms 8–30 Aug Co-star in Private Eye Butt Kapinski's film noir installation fantasy.

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CAT IN THE HAT Pleasance 5–30 August Children will love this fun and mischievous play based on Dr Seuss's classic

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ALCHEMY OF THE PIANO Summerhall, 7–30 Aug Will Pickvance works his magic on the keys

GET ADVENTUROUS AND FOLLOW OUR

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DIANE SPENCER Gilded Balloon 5–31 Aug gets hammered in the world of DIY

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ED BYRNE Gilded Balloon 5–30 Aug Trademark knife-sharp wit from the Irish comedian

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FOLD theSpace 18–22 Aug Origami and dance come together in this dynamic show

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GEIN'S FAMILY GIFTSHOP Pleasance 5–30 Aug Darker, faster and funnier as the family intro Vol. 2

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EDFESTMAG.COM A TO Z

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HAIRY MACLARY Assembly 6–31 Aug Hairy and friends return to the Fringe for more canine storytelling

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JOEY PAGE Underbelly 6–30 Aug The 30-year-old comedian jokes about living at home with his mum

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IMPOSSIBLE Pleasance 5–31 Aug An enthralling look at the feud between Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

BEST OF THE FEST GUIDE FROM A TO Z

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KINSEYS SICKS Gilded Balloon 5–31 Aug The 'dragapella' quartet's debut show promises to be aca-awesome

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MOVIN' MELVIN BROWN Assembly 8–31 Aug The showbiz legend sings his soul out on stage

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NICHOLAS PARSON Pleasance 7–16 Aug A Happy Hour of the screen and radio star's comedy and chat show

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LEAPIN' LOUIE Pleasance 7–31 Aug Hailing straight from the Wild West, cowboy Louie cracks jokes as well as his whip

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OUT OF THE BLUE Assembly 6–31 Aug The floppy-haired Oxford undergrads mix fab singing with silly choreography

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PAUL MERTON Pleasance 13–22 Aug Paul and his Impro Chums create spontaneous laughs all round

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TITTY BAR HA HA Laughing Horse 6–30 Aug Cabaret stars Hope and Gloria make a vibrant comeback

Q QIUZI Greenside 26–29 Aug China's first modern grand opera is recreated for a new audience

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SY THOMAS Laughing Horse 6–30 Aug Sy's first solo gig offers tales of whimsy, woe and wonder

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ROB BECKETT Pleasance 19–22 Aug Rob's Mouth of the South tackles important issues such as Kit Kats and flatbreads

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EDFESTMAG.COM A TO Z

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THE UGLY DUCKLING Church Hill Theatre 7–11 Aug An endearing musical about inner beauty

V

VERTICAL INFLUENCES Assembly 8–29 Aug Ice dancing in August?

These Canadians say yes

X

XINRAN Book Festival, 19 Aug The journalist reflects on China's spoiled 'one child' generation

Y

YAMA Zoo 22–29 August Dance and nature collide in this show inspired by the mountains of Tohoku, Japan

W

WEDDING RECEPTION B'est Restaurant 11–23 Aug Will & Kate (ha!) invite you to celebrate their marriage

Z

ZAZU Pleasance 5–31 Aug Strange dangers and epic adventure awaits on the island of zazU

www.edfestmag.com

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COMEDY MICHAEL CHE

THE

REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED Named after a famous freedom fighter, New York comedian Michael Che doesn't concern himself with provoking some serious disagreement WORDS KATE COPSTICK PICTURES PAUL MOBLEY

M

ICHAEL CHE IS NOT AN OBVIOUSLY ‘New York’ comic. Despite being born and raised in the city that gave us Joan Rivers, Woody Allen and Eddie Pepitone, Che seems neither acidic, angst-ridden nor angry.

In person he is even more chilled than onstage.

His lowdown, crawling, drawling tones make Iggy Pop sound like a hysterical girlie. “I like to leave it a little loose,” he says of his comedy. He is comfortable with a “loose” audience too: “I like a room where people are drinking a lot,” he says. “People behave differently in a bar than in a theatre.”

Michael Campbell was first called to the mike in 2009. Che is really his middle name (yes, after Che

"I have a big liberal audience, and if I turn out to have conservative views they feel like I've betrayed them" Guevara) and, having been referred to as Michael Che all the way through high school, he kept it as his stage name.

He used to watch comedy in New York clubs and was fascinated that guys could: “get up and be bad at it and still go on trying ... so I thought, maybe I could be bad at it too.”

How long was he bad at it, I wonder aloud.

“According to who you ask,” he purrs “I'm still bad at it”.

Stand up hadn't been exactly a life-long ambition, but he had always wanted, he says “to be opinionated”.

Job pretty much done, I would suggest. He luxuriates in the reactions he generates. I would have said 'revels' but Che is way too chilled to revel.

“It's a weird thing when you are on television:

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people take ownership of you. If they like you, they want you just the way you are on TV and if you deviate from that, they get angry.” Indeed, they did love Che, on everything from guest appearances with Letterman to The Daily Show. “I have a big liberal audience,” he says “and if I turn out to have conservative views on something, they feel like I've betrayed them.”

Late last year, that liberal audience turned on him in a Twitterstorm of outrage after he opined online that the much 'liked' Facebook video of a girl walking through the streets of New York being 'harassed' (my inverted commas) by men making remarks as she passed, might have been overstating the case a little.

A cyber-hate campaign ensued about which he remains sanguine.

“You can't believe everything you read,” he says.

“People write harsher than they speak. I mean some of the things … there is just no way they could be that mad at me.” His belief in a comic's right to a good, ongoing disagreement with an audience is one reason he despairs of the current attitude of TV companies to comedy.

“TV is doing an irresponsible job in letting the audience dictate content rather than allowing the artists to do it and let the audience tune in and out. No matter how many sharp corners they trim off of comedy, they will never get something that doesn't offend anyone. It's like parents who are too lenient with their kids, and the kids end up running the household.” I, for one, am not going to disagree with that.

WHERE & WHEN Michael Che: Six Stars The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4, 6-20 August, 10.40pm, from £10 Tel. 0131 558 7272

www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 18:17

MICHAEL CHE COMEDY

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23/06/2015 18:17

A NEW MU S I CAL

BY ROBERT J SHERMAN

Following the Sherman family musical tradition of Mary Poppins & Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

12.35

PM | 5 - 31 AUGUST

0131 556 6550 | PLEASANCE.CO.UK LOVEBIRDSTHEMUSICAL.COM

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27/06/2015 15:36

JO BRAND COMEDY A U G U S T

BRAND

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ON THE RUN

2 3 4

Jo Brand is returning to the Fringe after 13 years’ absence, paying tribute to old friends and giving her own, acerbic perspective on life. She explains to Jasper Rees why she’s hitting the road again

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“I

T WAS A REALLY EXCITING EXPERIENCE,” says Jo Brand of her time performing at the Fringe in the early 90s, “with the whole comedy community transplanted here – audiences on tap, endless partying, cruel reviews, crowded accommodation and drunken late-night shows.”

In 2015, it’s accepted that rising comedians head to the Fringe like wildebeest to a watering hole.

That ritual migration was established in the early 1990s, at the start of the stand-up boom. One of the comics jostling for attention was Brand, who came to comedy via ten years in psychiatric nursing.

“It was a bizarre experience,” she recalls, “doing the same thing every night for a month like a theatre show. Also, of course, there was the element of ‘getting noticed’ by telly people. A Perrier nomination helped.”

It worked. Jo Brand’s Through the Cakehole was on Channel 4 for three years from 1993, and Edinburgh had worked its magic. She returned once more in 2002. “It was when my children were really young, and that was hard. I think I felt that as a parent and a performer I’d probably shot my bolt Edinburgh-wise, and I haven’t been back since.”

But this year she will be bringing her unflappable drawl and nihilistic dress sense back to the Gilded Ballroom for three nights only, as part of the venue’s 30th anniversary celebrations. It’s by way of a favour to its artistic director Karen Koren: “of whom I am very fond,” Brand says. In terms of material she promises “a hotchpotch of political views, stories from my younger days that relate to current news, personal stories, random unclassifiable jokes and the experience of being a woman growing older on telly”.

She will also, she says, “reminisce about people in my life who are no longer around and whom I miss, like Linda Smith, Malcolm Hardee and Addison Cresswell.” Smith and Hardee were of course fellow comedians. Cresswell, who died at the end of 2013, was the super-charged agent credited with founding the comedy boom and guiding the careers of several top stand-ups, including Brand.

How has she changed since she last graced the Fringe? “I think my style is more relaxed,” she says, “although I don’t believe that I’ve softened in my outlook or been ‘tamed’ by my husband.

Preoccupations change as you age. But I haven’t metamorphosed into a Tory, or become bland in my views.”

Jo, bland? Never.

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WHERE & WHEN Jo Brand, Gilded Ballon-Debating Hall, 17, 19, 21 August, 7.30pm, £15 Tel: 0131 622 6552 Jo Brand: Talking Comedy, Assembly Hall, 19 August, 12.45pm, £12 Tel: 0844 693 3008

www.edfestmag.com

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23/06/2015 18:13

BALLETT AM RHEIN DANCE

LUCKY 7

1 2

Ballett Am Rhein choreographer Martin Schläpfer seeks meaning in Mahler with his explosive, dynamic work, Seven – a confrontation 20 years in the making

3

WORDS KELLY APTER PHOTOGRAPHY GERT WEIGELT

4

I

T’S 1995, AND MARTIN SCHLÄPFER HAS JUST created his first two ballets. A dancer and teacher for many years, he has finally turned his hand to choreography – one piece set to Brahms, the other to Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder. The reaction from press and public has a profound effect.

“The Brahms piece did very well,’ recalls Schläpfer, “but the Rückert-Lieder got trashed. So I never created work to Mahler again, I was so hurt.”

Fast forward 20 years, and much has changed for the Swiss-born choreographer. Taking over the reins at Dusseldorf’s Schläpfer’s work Ballett Am Rhein in 2009, he re-invented the company both is egalitarian, in terms of performers and repertoire. Gone was the structure allowing all that saw some dancers labelled ‘principal’ or ‘corps de ballet’ members of (all 47 dancer are now ‘soloists’) and gone were big story his company to ballets such as Giselle. shine Instead, Schläpfer and his company now concentrate on shorter, less narrative works from the 20th century, along with his own creations – including a highly successful return to his 1995 nemesis, Gustav Mahler.

Choreographed in 2013, and about to have its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival this year, Seven is a dramatic, powerful work set to Mahler’s Symphony No. 7.

Virtuosic pointe work sits alongside dynamic contemporary movement, created in response to the sweeping, evocative score. Abstract references to World War Two pepper the dance with both poignancy and aggression, all the while remaining accessible to a wide audience. Somewhere along the line, Schläpfer learned exactly how to handle Mahler.

“That first piece in 1995 was probably symbolic with too much pathos,” says Schläpfer. “Seven is my first piece to Mahler since then, but now I have a lot more experience – and I am also much more courageous.”

It is works such as Seven which led to Ballet Am Rhein being crowned ‘Best Company of the Year’ in both 2013 and 2014 by Tanz Magazine – and rightly so. Schläpfer’s unique choreographic style is steeped in classical “In every piece ballet tradition, for which he has unending you do, you respect and admiration. But from there, he makes it his own and creates what he terms must ask, ‘ballet art for the 21st century’. why another Specifically, he feels that ballet must communicate with an audience, and, with ballet?”

Seven in particular, he explores the idea of exclusion and the questions about life we all share.

“In every piece you do, you must ask yourself, why another ballet?” says Schläpfer. “Because there’s absolutely no need for another ballet in the world, so you have to ask yourself that question. It’s easy to excite people, because the dancers are very physical and beautiful, the lighting is nice, but I think we need to communicate. If we don’t manage to do that, then there is absolutely no point in doing it.”

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WHERE & WHEN Ballett Am Rhein, Seven, Edinburgh Playhouse, 20-22 August, from £10 Tel: 0131 473 2000

www.edfestmag.com

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COMEDY PUN-OFF

SO YOU THINK YOU’RE PUNNY? With rapid-fire jokes and deadpan delivery, Darren Walsh and Milton Jones are giants in the pun game.

Quite literally, in Walsh’s case WORDS KATE COPSTICK PICTURES STEVE ULLATHORNE AND RUPERT PEACE

Y

OU ARE, I SUGGEST TO DARREN WALSH when we meet, huge in the world of punny comedy…

“Only huge in height” he replies modestly. “I am officially a giant, which is nice, but this girl keeps following me around. I think she's beanstalking me.”

Oh dear, I sympathise – that sounds Grimm.

Milton Jones, on the other hand, is the opposite.

“I am only an intellectual giant,” he says. “For instance, I regularly lecture on primary sources of food (what I call the Beans Talk).”

I wonder aloud if either of them feels that carrying the legacy of the great punsters of yesteryear – Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Parker, Groucho Marx – gets too heavy a burden, which is why they lighten up their acts with silly drawings and a comedy appearance … a sort of heir today and Goon tomorrow approach.

“Sounds like a Tolstoy to me,” says Darren. “Some wonder if I should bother with all the cartoons in my act, but I have no Rugrats.

I drew the baby Jesus in a manger once, even though I wasn't supposed to (there's a boy cot).

The audience hated it, but it was a blast for me.”

“They are great wordsmiths,” nods Milton. “I am more of a wordjones. My heroes were actually people who made silly pictures out of words.

Like Bob Monkhouse – or

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www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 18:12

PUN-OFF COMEDY

1 2 3

Bob Monastery, as I used to call him more correctly.”

“Of course, not everyone likes punny humour,” I say. Milton's face darkens. “If people don't like playing with words and punctuation, you have to put a huge question mark beside them,” he mutters.

“Your chosen form of comedy must be the most labour-intensive of all,” I suggest, changing the subject, “except perhaps the guys who do poetry ... although that is really just a question of mind over metre.”

“All my jokes have been through labour intensive care,” nods Milton thoughtfully. “Most haven't made it, but a few have been saved by an induced comma.

What we do is poetry in a way. Some say our work is para Keats.” Darren nods in agreement. “But poets get all the groupies,” he says. “They must be riddled...”

“Did either of you ever consider another, less demanding profession?” I ask.

“I used to work in a supermarket,” replies Milton, “it was my job to hand out little samples of things for people to taste. However, I was asked to leave after the little cups of bleach incident.” There is a pause. “And years ago I used to supply Filofaxes to the Mafia. You might say I was involved in very organised crime.”

“I was once promoted to manager of a soft drinks factory,” offers Darren. “I schwepped my way to the top.” Hoping for something juicier, I ask about the guys' luck with the ladies. “I went out with a gym instructor,” says Darren. “Didn't work out.”

The interview is turning into a marathon and I feel like flaking out. My inner voice is wispa-ing not to fudge the issue any more, so I get back on topic.

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"I used to supply Filofaxes to the Mafia. You might say I was in very organised crime"

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“They do say that good puns are like a steak – a rare medium well done” I say.

“Well, that’s not the main reason puns are frequently compared to steak," demurrs Darren “but it’s the cattle list,” he looks up guiltily. “Milton mustard done this one...”

“I dream of a world without plagiarism” says Milton sadly. “Now you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...”

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WHERE & WHEN Darren Walsh: Punderbolt Pleasance Courtyard, 5-31 August (not 17), 8.30pm, from £6 Tel 020 7609 1800 Milton Jones and the Temple of Daft Assembly Hall, 7-21 August (not 10, 17), 7.30pm, £18.50 Tel: 0131 623 3030

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www.edfestmag.com

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FAKE IT ‘TIL YOU MAKE IT THEATRE

Patting the black dog

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Tim Grayburn’s lifelong clinical depression is the inspiration behind a surprisingly lighthearted show at the Traverse, as creator Bryony Kimmings explains

8

WORDS MARK FISHER PHOTOGRAPHY RICHARD DAVENPORT

9

F

OR EIGHT YEARS, TIM GRAYBURN was lost for words. Like many people with a mental illness, he had no way to express what he was going through.

“The idea of sitting in a pub and saying, ‘I’ve been crying every day for the last two months, boys,’ – there’s no way I was going to do that,” he says.

It was only because his partner, Bryony Kimmings, discovered his pills that he told her about his chronic clinical depression.

They had been going out for six months and she had had no idea.

“It was a surprise he saved for me,” she says. “I wasn’t angry, but it was shocking: ‘Oh, that’s who you are.’ He didn’t appear in any way depressed, but as soon as he came off the tablets, all hell broke loose.”

Coming out to her (and ‘coming out’ is the expression they use) was both traumatic and liberating. No longer did he have to keep his secret to himself, and letting it all out was not as scary as he’d imagined.

“We’re idiots, because once you do it, it means nothing at all,” says Grayburn, an advertising account manager. “And it’s opened up a gateway for me and my mates to talk about absolutely everything.”

Having gone through that, Grayburn’s next challenge seemed much less daunting.

Kimmings, who shared the stage with her nine-year-old niece in 2013’s Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model, asked him if he would be prepared to make a show with her about his depression. Despite having a horror of performing, he agreed.

10

“The hardest part was telling all my friends about my past and current problems with mental health,” he says.

“Once my friends, family and Bryony knew everything, doing it on stage was easy.”

The show is called Fake It ‘til You Make It, and to date they have performed 50 times on tour in Australia, a process that has helped to turn Grayburn into a mentalhealth activist.

The backbone of the show is a recording of a long conversation between the couple about his eight-year experience of depression. She gave him the option of saying how much he was willing to talk about on stage. Having got it out of his system, however, he realised he was happy for any of the material they’d created to be used.

Neither of them, however, wanted to create a miserable performance. “It’s really light,” says Kimmings, who’ll be seven months pregnant by the time of the Fringe.

“Whenever he says something dark, the next thing is really jolly. A show about depression that’s depressing would be too obvious and not helpful. This show is really hopeful. It’s uplifting. There is crying in it, but it’s positive, I guess because it’s active – it’s trying to do something about mental health. At the end, you feel like you have power.”

So, has doing the show made things easier for Grayburn? “It’s definitely helped,” he says. “There’s been such nice feedback from people who have had issues with mental health. Hearing what the show has done to them is really rewarding.”

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WHERE & WHEN Fake It ‘til You Make It Traverse Theatre, 6–30 August (not 10, 17, 24), times vary, from £8 Tel: 0131 228 1404

www.edfestmag.com

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23/06/2015 18:09

COMEDY PAJAMA MEN

Bananas for Pajamas

A U G U S T

1 2 3 4

Mixing sketch, character comedy and improv, perennial Fringe favourites The Pajama Men return to the festival with a show based on an existing tale for the first time, with the epic 2 Man 3 Musketeers

5 6

WORDS JAY RICHARDSON PHOTOGRAPHY JONATHAN BIRCH

7 8

Why The Three Musketeers?

We were asked to. I wasn’t particularly excited about it but I read it and loved it.

It’s so weird, the book is really long and just kind of meanders, because it was written as a serial. We didn’t want to do it Reduced Shakespeare-style, really quick.

We wanted to be true to the story and add bits about the book’s questionable morals. The code the musketeers follow is so dark and strange.

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In what way?

They’re bullies running the town.

They’re like a militant group and d’Artagnan wants to be in their gang.

But although they’re very shady dudes, it’s very funny writing and good, flowery language. So we took the adventurous arc of the first half of the story and threw in bits from the second half.

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Who are the other characters?

We pop out and play these two people in the front row who are having problems with the show. One wants to leave and the other won’t let her. Shenoah plays the Cardinal and does it really well, he’s really, really fat - the way he embodies it is pretty hilarious. In the book, d’Artagnan’s mother gives him this ugly, knobby-kneed horse, but I play him as a gay centaur.

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You’re known for creating your shows through improvisation. How much will this hour change over Edinburgh?

If our other shows are any indication, dramatically. Even good jokes have a lifespan, and we’ll take them out if they’re not working as well as others.

We have lots of room to improvise, so we’re constantly adding stuff, taking notes after every show, deciding what we like and what we can get rid of.

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So it’s constantly evolving?

Absolutely. The way we work, we have to feel we can always change it. We trust each other, so if something new happens and we like it, we jump on it. It’s usually the most fun part for us, and keeps us alive in the work. We’d go crazy otherwise.

You’re usually the innocent characters in your shows and Shenoah the sinister ...

Yes, for whatever reason, that’s what we gravitate towards. Because Shenoah is so cartoonish with his movement, he plays big characters like the Cardinal.

He used to have this crazy downstairs neighbour, who was legitimately a problem, but he had a distinctive accent and Shenoah would always do his voice. He had the idea of combining that with a really overweight character, so we made that the Cardinal and improvised around it.

You’re also performing your free-wheeling show Pterodactyl Nights. Is that crucial for developing future material and letting off steam?

That’s exactly what it is. Lots of improv and we may or may not have guests depending on the show we want to do.

That’s totally for fun.

WHERE & WHEN 2 Man 3 Musketeers Assembly Roxy, 7-30 August (not 17, 24), 8:20pm, from £10 Tel: 0131 226 0026

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23/06/2015 18:04

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26/06/2015 11:02 10:44 29/06/2015

FESTIVAL FAVOURITES COMEDY

BEST OF THE FEST Our favourite comedy stars return for another year of laughter, tears and lots and lots of beer JASON BYRNE WORDS KATE COPSTICK

20 years? Really? REALLY? Yes, 20 years. I arrived in Edinburgh in 1996, all excited by the hills and noise of the Scots.

We were entering So You Think You’re Funny.

Me, Tommy Tiernan, John Henderson and Patrick McDonnell, all in the final. Karen Koren came up to us before the final and said, “I’ll have to change the name to So You Think You’re Irish.”

Would you change anything over those TWO DECADES if you could?

I should have bought a suit. Apparently if you wear a suit and tell gags, you become more successful. But no, I wouldn’t change anything.

I’m proud of picking audience members up and throwing them out the exit door, proud of hiding 169 people out in an alleyway as we watched the only audience member walk back in after going to the loo. Proud to have fought David O Doherty while wrapped in bubble wrap at Late‘n’Live.

Why would I change these moments that only Edinburgh could create?

Do you see yourself as a clown?

Yes, I suppose I do. We are just jumped up jesters in a way. But I’m physical like a clown, I use my facial expressions a lot, and I’m a sad bastard.

Everyone seems to be chasing awards these days. You’ve done the Best Newcomer thing, did it change your life?

It could have changed my life, but I wouldn’t wear a suit when the time came. Awards are a help for the bit of press recognition, but if you’re good, you’re good, and if you’re shite you’ll be found out. My crowd loves my gigs. I gig for them and not other comics, or press, and once that room is laughing, then I’m winning.

WHERE & WHEN

Jason Byrne: 20 Years a Clown Assembly Hall, 6-30 August (not 17, 24), 9pm, from £10 Tel 0131 623 3030

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23/06/2015 19:18

AISLING BEA WORDS JAY RICHARDSON

So, what’s Plan Bea about?

Currently, about 220 things, including America, confidence, acting, the 1980s-1990s inclusive of every single year, television, single parents, dead parents and North Korea. Oh no, it isn’t about North Korea actually.

Will you be incorporating any hip hop moves into this show?

Not on purpose. But I will be honest, sometimes I can’t help it.

When my body wants to pop and lock, it simply must pop and lock.

You’re fond of a Traxedo. What does that say about you?

Ah, the Traxedo - part tracksuit, part tuxedo, total fashion item.

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It says that I am a fashion-forward woman who likes to power dress and also support young Irish fashion designers (who mostly design clothes for stag parties).

If you were to make a film about meeting your hero/fictional parent, who would it be and why?

If I was to track down a hero, probably Betty White. She’s one of comedy’s leading lights and continues to be fun, edgy, relevant, funny and herself. And I want to meet her before … before … she starts a music career and gives up. Her, or the inventor of the ring pull tin.

What was it like being part of Channel 4’s Election Night coverage?

Very nerve-wrecking. Paxman was a total fox, though. Gráinne Maguire spat a biscuit out over herself when he said “hello” to the writer’s room.

Do you have any Edinburgh rituals?

Before I go on stage, I go through my set list and drink some recently-killed chicken’s blood from a Waterford Crystal cup.

WHERE & WHEN

Plan Bea, Gilded Ballon, 5-30 August (not 19), 9.30pm, from £7 Tel 0131 622 6552

23/06/2015 20:09

FESTIVAL FAVOURITES COMEDY

COLIN CLOUD WORDS KATE COPSTICK

Most tall, good-looking young men head straight for stand-up. What took you into ‘forensic mentalism’?

My inspiration, genuinely, was Sherlock Holmes. I read all the books when I was 8 years old. I used to skim through and just read the bits where he did the cool deductive stuff. I was 10 when I discovered that Sherlock Holmes never actually existed, but by then I was determined to learn more about his methods and the science behind them. So at 15 I was studying Forensic Investigating at college. It was all biology, physics, chemistry and then I specialised in the psychological aspects. People generally amaze me.

How did that take you onstage?

Mentalism is not a million miles away from magic – in both cases you’re basically entertaining people by lying to them. I read a lot of books on deductive techniques and ‘reading’ people but I soon realised that you can’t learn this sort of thing from a book. So I got myself onstage at The Stand and learned how to do mentalism by doing it.

PHOTOGRAPHY JOEY KELLY (COLIN CLOUD) KARLA GOWLETT (AISLING BEA)

And how did that go?

Well, I was up there doing all this Sherlock Holmes-esque stuff and no one cared.

I realised that the most important thing you have to do onstage is to make people give a shit. The comedy in the act helps with that, helps to get the audience to buy into the demonstrations. (NB demonstrations, and not ‘tricks’.)

How do you come up with the theme of the shows?

Last year I wondered, if Sherlock Holmes did a show at the Edinburgh Fringe, what would it be like? This year’s show sort of grew out of that. I asked people, if they had all the skills, if they could ‘read’ people perfectly, what would they use the skills for? Most of them said they would cheat at various things, some said they would get girls’ phone numbers. I thought, if someone had all these skills, they would probably use them to get away with murder, and that was the inspiration for this year’s show.

Do you get many people coming along determined not to let you ‘read’ them?

Sceptics? Mainly at corporate gigs, which I do quite a lot. But I always point out to them that there is a very fine line between a sceptic … and an asshole!

WHERE & WHEN

Colin Cloud: Kills, Pleasance Courtyard, 5-30 August (not 17), 6.20 pm, from £9.50 Tel: 020 7609 1800

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23/06/2015 19:57

PHOTOGRAPHY IDIL SUKAN/DRAW HQ

FESTIVAL FAVORITES XXXXXXX

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23/06/2015 19:19

FESTIVAL FAVOURITES COMEDY

AUSTENTATIOUS WORDS KATE COPSTICK

So what exactly do you do in the show?

Austentatious is an improvised comedy play in the style of Jane Austen. As the audience come into the theatre we give them a small slip of paper and ask them to write down an imaginary book title.

We collect all the titles in a top hat, pick one out and that becomes the title for our play. Our violinist starts playing and we start improvising.

Why Jane Austen?

When we started we chose her just because we all liked her novels and her world. The strong character arc of the hero/heroine alongside all the wonderfully petty and silly characters of Regency life really allows for a satisfying story.

Will people who don’t like Jane Austen like you?

Yes, you don’t have to have read any of her work to enjoy it. The character tropes are so strong, the comedy is accessible and, most importantly, the story is so enjoyable, that even if you don’t like her, you’ll enjoy the show.

Will people who LOVE Jane Austen hate you?

We do hope not! We always try to make sure that whether you’ve never read her or if you’re an academic who specialises in her juvenilia, we want you to enjoy the show.

Do you have a Mr Darcy on offer?

We have three! All very dashing, strapping officers who are regularly accosted after the shows. However, be careful as swooning is guaranteed, so be sure to bring along a friend (anyone called Harriet or Caroline will do) to catch you after you’ve met them!

WHERE & WHEN

Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel, Underbelly, 6-31 August (not 18), from £7 Tel: 0844 545 8252

www.edfestmag.com

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COMEDY FESTIVAL FAVOURITES

PHIL NICOL WORDS KATE COPSTICK

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So this is the tenth anniversary of the Comedians’ Theatre Company, but didn’t it start with just one comedian – you?

I was always very clear that the apostrophe comes after the ‘s’. At the start, people were putting it before, meaning that it was mine, which it definitely never was. The whole point of it was to be as egalitarian as possible, in that we would let anyone be a part of it.

OK so what are the shows?

Giant Leap is written by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, and it really is SUCH good writing. I play this guy who gets five writers in a bunker to create the script for the fake moon landing. Then Dave Florez wrote the final piece in a triptych about mental health – Angel in the Abbatoir.

Originally we couldn’t get it on anywhere but I mentioned it to Karen Koren and she said “I’ll do it”.

You famously take on a crazy workload in August. How many shows this year?

Four shows a day. It really wasn’t meant to be this way and I worry that it looks like I’m showing off, but the first year of CTC when I did Talk Radio, the year I was nominated for the Stage Award and won the Comedy Award, I was doing five shows that year and hosting regularly at Late’n’Live so I am actually doing a little bit less this Tenth Anniversary Year.

What about your own stand up?

I Don’t Want to Talk About It.

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Sorry …

No, that’s the name of the show – about the last year and a half which has been not that great. It’s a monologue really. I started writing about not wanting to talk about something, which at the time was painful. It’s a quieter, more introspective show.

And show number four?

The Stand wanted a cabaret to fill the Assembly Rooms Ballroom and so we’re doing Cray Cray Cabaret – a mix of music and comedy acts. I will have a seven piece Nashville soul band behind me. It will be mayhem, but real fun.

WHERE & WHEN

Phil Nichol’s Cray Cray Cabaret Assembly Rooms Ballroom, 6–30 Aug (not 18, 19), 11.10pm, £12.50, tel: 0844 693 3008 Phil Nichol: I Don’t Want to Talk About It Stand 2, 6–30 Aug (not 17, 18, 19), 9.30pm, from £6, tel: 0131 558 7272 Giant Leap Pleasance Courtyard Bunker One, 6–31 Aug (not 18), 1.50pm, from £9, tel: 0131 556 6550 Angel in the Abbatoir Gilded Balloon Sportsmans, 5–31 Aug (not 18), 12.00pm, from £10 Tel: 0131 558 7272

www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 19:57

XXXXXXX FESTIVAL FAVORITES LUISA OMEILAN WORDS KATE COPSTICK

You seem to have pretty much lived the full Fringe fairy story.

Absolutely! The Fringe really did make my dreams come true.

I don’t think anyone has had a more successful debut show.

But you were not exactly an overnight success.

Beyonce was my tenth show at the Fringe, although it was my first solo show. I had done three shows a year for three years before Beyonce – kids shows, sketch and improv, but always comedy.

Both shows have been a worldwide success… but no telly?

Hmmm. If I was a guy who had had the same level of success with two live solo shows… But it is not just that, I think there is some classism involved. I think my shows are really accessible but they get dismissed a lot of the time because some of the language I use is (as they call it) ‘urban’ … aka a bit common. But I like it that my shows are accessible to women everywhere.

WHERE & WHEN

Luisa Omielan: Am I Right Ladies?!

Assembly George, 13-15 August, 8.45pm, £16.50 Tel: 0131 623 3030

PHOTOGRAPHY IDIL SUKAN/DRAW HQ (PHIL NICHOL) KRISTIAN DOWLING (LUISA OMEILAN)

How hard was it to find something to follow it?

OMG it was terrifying. I just kept thinking how I’d had all these amazing audiences coming to Beyonce and totally losing their shit and how do I not disappoint these women?

And now I have the whole thing all over again with Am I Right Ladies? I think it is nonsense, this idea of a new hour every year. People have no idea how long it takes to get a show just right. And I mean RIGHT. For me it is a minimum

of six or seven months, and a year of working it and doing it to get it really good. I want all my shows to end with a standing ovation. I want everyone in my audiences to have a phenomenal experience. I want them to love every minute and leave feeling inspired.

www.edfestmag.com

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COMEDY FESTIVAL FAVOURITES

NISH KUMAR WORDS KATE COPSTICK

It feels like you’re a fresh-faced newbie, but you are really a bit of a Fringe veteran, aren’t you?

This is my tenth consecutive Edinburgh!

My first year was 2006, as a student at Durham, and I did two years of sketch comedy. Then I did two years of Free Fringe mixed bill shows, the play Mark Watson wrote about the hotel, two more years of sketch comedy in The Gentlemen of Leisure and then my first solo stand-up hour in 2012.

So is this what you wanted to be when you grew up?

Sometimes my mother looks at me and just asks, “What happened?” but I think this is what I wanted to do for a long time.

Although, it was very difficult to admit it openly when I was a kid. When I went to

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Uni, I auditioned for the sketch group in my first year and didn’t get in, and the disappointment of that is what really made me think, ‘oh, I really want to do this, because I’m more disappointed than I thought I was going to be.’

Who were your stand-up heroes?

The first-ever stand-up show that I saw was Ross Noble in the West End. I was about 18 and he was just the coolest guy.

Your stand up now – are you a ‘message’ guy or more ‘these are the jokes, folks?’

My shows are more, “these are the jokes, folks,” but it just so happens that the things the jokes are about are the things that interest me: politics, race and identity. I get very bored with people saying that stand up has to

have a message. I’ve spent a lot of time supporting Milton Jones on tour, and you could argue that there’s nothing better than watching Milton Jones making stupid jokes for an hour.

Is there a through-line to this year’s show?

It’s the fallout from my mother describing me as a left wing comedian. It’s about what it means to be ‘left wing’ and whether there’s any point in performing to largely like-minded audiences. It’s me questioning my own worth. With jokes.

WHERE & WHEN

Long Word… Long Word… Blah Blah Blah… I’m so Clever Pleasance Courtyard, 5-30 Aug, 7.15pm, from £6 Tel. 0131 556 6550

www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 20:03

MARCUS BRIGSTOCKE WORDS KATE COPSTICK

The show is called The Beau Zeaux.

What does that mean?

The name came from a show we did.

Beau Zeaux himself was a dandy clown character and when asked what his name was he said ‘Bozo’. This was met with disappointment because any old clown could be ‘Bozo’. So he corrected the disappointed by saying: “No, no – it’s actually spelled Beau Zeaux.”

to go beyond that. It’s not important. It’s still just playing dress up but it’s really exciting.

What’s the show about?

We are a bunch of improvisers and comedians who had worked together in various forms. The challenge was to see if we could go further with what we were doing. There is always a disconnect when you’re watching improv because you know the players can change their minds at any time. Beau Zeaux are trying

With so many headliners onstage at the one time doesn’t it become a stand-ups’ stand off ?

No, I think they all recognise that I’m the alpha dog.

Are there not enough improv troupes in the world?

Yes! Far too many. That’s why Beau Zeaux is so exciting to me. With all those groups, troupes and Proops no one else seems to be doing this.

Your own shows are always carefully crafted. Isn’t it frustrating not to have the time to hone your lines?

For me it’s a delight to end up saying things I had no idea I was going to say.

The show makes me laugh a lot and very often surprises me.

WHERE & WHEN

The Beau Zeaux: An Improvised Comedy Pleasance Courtyard Beneath, 5.45pm, from £10.50 Tel: 0131 556 6550

PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE ULLATHORNE (NISH KUMAR) IDIL SUKAN/DRAW HQ (MARCUS BRIGSTOCKE)

Are you a good team player?

The best! Oh I see ... damn, erm... ‘One of’ the best.

Lots of musical peeps in there. Is there singing? Even from you?

Not so far. It would be very odd to make the show a musical, but if a character was a singer or liked a certain artist there’s no reason why not.

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23/06/2015 19:22

COMEDY DANE BAPTISTE

TIME TO CHANGE THE GAME Nominated for best newcomer at last year’s festival, the first black British act to be recognised by the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, Dane Baptiste has a new BBC sitcom pilot and a “difficult second album” to deliver WORDS JAY RICHARDSON PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE ULLATHORNE

Why is your show called Reasonable Doubts?

It focuses on the dreams and ideas I had making the transition to a professional comic. And now it’s happened, the pressures that come with it.

Reasonable Doubt is also the name of Jay-Z’s first album. So it’s one for rap aficionados, it’s about my global doubts and the fact that personally, I’m heading deep into adulthood. I’m considering calling my next show Bohemian Blacksody.

And you’ve got doubts about sustaining a romantic relationship as a comic?

I have that angst, whether I want to spend the rest of my life with someone. I’m drawing on my own experiences and those of comedians who are perhaps on their second or third marriages. Comedy, in terms of touring, can be something of a widowmaker.

"You have the status of role model thrust upon you. How am I supposed to speak for all black people?"

How far did the rivalry of being a twin spur you into stand-up?

I was into comedy as a kid, but it was my sister who always wanted to be famous: she auditioned for MTV. I used to look at her and think: “That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t pay the bills.” Growing up, there was this one-upmanship. Being a twin, I had personal space issues and a real desire to be polar opposites with my sister in terms of our interests and goals.

I was always studying my books to get a high-powered job and wear a suit, which was weird because I was

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constantly fighting against what I really wanted to do. But now it’s her that works in sales and I’m doing comedy for a living.

Your BBC sitcom pilot, SunnyD, has a predominantly black cast, which is rare for a British comedy.

Well, the show is quasi-autobiographical and focuses on my home life, so it makes sense my family are black. But it’s a challenge, because there have been very few, if not any, black sitcoms in the last 20 years and I didn’t write it to tick boxes. It’s a good comedy that incidentally has a black cast. Something I address in both the sitcom and my show this year are feelings of tokenism. When you exist in a group that is a minority compared to the dominant culture, you have the status of role model thrust upon you.

Not only that, in the realm of entertainment, we’re expressing a persona as opposed to our actual selves. So how on earth am I supposed to speak for all black people?

Do you have any Edinburgh rituals?

I try to stay active and focused. I can’t control my nerves beforehand, even now, so it’s best that I do a “rich cleansing” before a show. I can’t work on a full stomach.

What’s weird is my body has got so used to it, that if it’s a day where I’m not performing, I get constipated.

My digestive system is linked to my stand-up. It’s not a terrible medical condition but it is terrible.

WHERE & WHEN Reasonable Doubts, Pleasance Courtyard, 5-30 August (not 17, 19), 7.15pm, from £7 Tel: 020 7609 1800

www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 18:02

DANE BAPTISTE COMEDY A U G U S T

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THEATRE URINETOWN

URINE FOR A TREAT Glasgow's Royal Conservatoire students present a subversive musical all about paying to pee WORDS CLAIRE SMITH PICTURES KENNETH DUNDAS

I

"It's a fantastic piece of storytelling, very witty, very political"

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MAGINE A WORLD WHERE everyone had to pay to pee.

This is the premise for Urinetown, a comic modern musical set in a nightmare world where basic bodily functions are commodified and controlled.

Written by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis, the off-Broadway hit will be brought to the Fringe by students from the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow.

Producer and artistic director of Musical Theatre at the Conservatoire, Andrew Panton, says: “It is a fantastic piece of storytelling, very witty, very political and very much in the tradition of Brecht and Weill, which takes musical theatre back to its radical roots.”

In Urinetown a terrible shortage of water has made it impossible for ordinary people to afford their own bathrooms.

All pee-related activities are now handled through a faceless corporation called Urine Good Company.

For the inhabitants of Urinetown, there is no escaping the toilet tax and no sneaking off for a pee for free because: “It’s a privilege to pee.”

It may seem absurd but it is particularly relevant today as California faces the most severe drought in its history and harsh water restrictions become a reality.

Panton says winning the rights to Urinetown was something of a coup for the prestigious Glasgow-based Royal Conservatoire, which was formerly known as the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

“We are particularly excited to be staging Urinetown. We have wanted to stage it for four or five years but the rights were not available until this year.”

The musical, which finished its run in the West End this year, caused a sensation on Broadway when it was first staged in the United States, winning Tony awards for Best Book and Best Score. Panton says: “It is a wonderful ensemble piece with lots

of character changes. It’s also very irreverent, witty and funny.

“It has a very subversive political tone – which is something you don’t always associate with musical theatre.”

Staging a full-scale musical theatre production at the Fringe has become an annual highligh for the Conservatoire's students of music, drama and design.

“It's not many companies that can afford to bring a full cast, a live band and a fully-designed show to the Fringe, but because our cast are students we're able to do that."

The cast of Urinetown has been split into two groups and will also perform two original musicals written by students.

Under The Ground, by Katie Barnett and Megan Hughes, is a story about death set on the Glasgow Underground. A girl loses her father and finds herself on the subway, where, surrounded by strangers she has to face up to her darkest fears.

Taking its inspiration from William Shakespeare, the third production, written by Shannon Thurston, focuses on wild women and goes under the title Willy’s Bitches.

"It's important our students experience how it feels to be a part of a full stage production. It's also wonderful for our students to fully experience the Fringe and we hope they will all go to as many shows as they can.”

WHERE & WHEN Urinetown Assembly Hall, 6-31 Aug (not 17, 24), 9.30pm, from £10 Tel: 0131 623 3030 Under the Ground Assembly Checkpoint, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31 Aug 3.10pm, from £8 Tel: 0131 623 3030 Willy's Bitches Assembly Checkpoint, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 26, 28, 30 Aug, 3.10pm, from £8 Tel: 0131 623 3030

www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 18:00

URINETOWN THEATRE

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23/06/2015 18:01

THREE ROTATING MENUS OF SPARKLING TEN-MINUTE PLAYS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

www.bite-size.org @bitesizeplays

THE BIG

BREAKFAST Fresh coffee/tea + croissant + strawberries! www.pleasance.com 10.30am (60mins) BRISTO SQUARE

0131 556 6550

05-31 Aug (not 18, 25)

TWO PLAYS ABOUT VEILING & HIV/AIDS IN AFRICA European Premiere

Middle-East Playwriting Competition Winner University of Sharjah, UAE (VEILS)

THE BIG LUNCH HOUR VEILS & UKIMWI by Tom Coash

Winner 2015 American Theatre Critics Award

12:10 (50 mins) 09-31 Aug (not 18 & 25) (not 18 & 25)

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ONES TO WATCH COMEDY

DAPHNE DAMIEN SLASH Who is he?

Prolific YouTuber Damien Slash is the alterego of comic actor and musician Daniel Barker, whose creations include shamen, hardcore gamers, garage MCs and mineral water critics.

What’s the show about? Übermen is a satirical showcase of Barker’s inner archetypes and perversions.

WTF? He’s the grandson of the poets George Barker and Elizabeth Smart.

WHERE & WHEN Damien Slash: Übermen, Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 August (not 17), 5.45pm, from £6. 0131 556 6550

Who are they?

Jason Forbes and Youthful trio Phil Wang, t contemporary sen pre res rac Fou George vaudevillian nonsense. ut?

What’s the show abo big characters and es, tch ske k slic of r An hou s and fun. nes silli k songs, featuring dar WTF? languages. Phil is a George can speak three Fu. Jason suffers ng Ku in aol black belt in Sh r of clusters of holes or from trypophobia, a fea bumps.

WHERE & WHEN d, h, Pleasance Courtyar Daphne Do Edinburg . 0131 556 £6 m fro , 5pm 3.1 , 5–31 Aug (not 17) 6550

KYLE KINANE Who is he?

A self-confessed scumbag dubiously approaching middle-age, the American shares some hilariously nihilistic accounts of his shambolic life.

What’s the show about?

There’s no great agenda beyond his nakedly confessional look at the world.

WTF? Created an anti-United Airlines Twitter, @UAListheworst. Appears in the film Cheerleader Massacre 2.

WHERE & WHEN Kyle Kinane: Ghost Pizza Party, Underbelly, 6–30 August (not 18), 10.10pm, from £6. 0844 545 8252

STARTER FOR 15

We take a look at fifteen brand new comedy acts who deserve your attention at this year’s Fringe WORDS JAY RICHARDSON

ALLY HOUSTON Who is he?

Incorporating puns, props, character comedy and meta-theatrical smartarseness, Houston has an understated deadpan style.

What’s the show about?

His pet clown, Shandy, interrupts Houston’s stand-up, and their abusive relationship is laid bare through the medium of song.

WHERE & WHEN Ally Houston: Shandy, Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–30 August (not 18), 9.20pm, from £3. 0131 226 0000

HARRIET KEMSLEY Who is she?

Shy and endearingly awkward, Kemsley’s self-effacing confessions feature surprisingly dark, inventive twists.

What’s the show about?

Believing everyone is trying to kill her, or at least ruin her day, Kemsley suffers from crippling anxiety.

WTF? She’s a vegetarian, but she’s allergic to raw fruit, vegetables and nuts.

WHERE & WHEN Harriet Kemsley: Puppy Fat, Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug (not 18), 5.45pm, from £6. 0131 556 6550

www.edfestmag.com

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UDDERBELLY IS MOO-VING TO GEORGE SQUARE (where there’s real grass!)

Gruffalos, Ladybirds and Other Beasts with Julia Donaldson

AUSTENTATIOUS DILLIE KEANE FASCINATING AÏDA’S

Gobsmacked!

EDINBURGH COMEDY

ALLSTARS

SH*T-FACED SHAKESPEARE SPANKTACULAR HACKNEY COLLIERY BAND

ABANDOMAN

And it’s business as moo-sual for:

UNDERBELLY COWGATE | UNDERBELLY MED QUAD | UNDERBELLY POTTERROW And a brand MOO venue for 2015: UNDERBELLY’S CIRCUS HUB THE MEADOWS

underbellyedinburgh.co.uk | 0844 545 8252 |

UND_EFM_220x300_UDD.indd 1 Untitled-5 1

@followthecow |

underbellyedinburgh

26/06/2015 11:04 12:48 29/06/2015

ONES TO WATCH COMEDY

PHIL JERROD Who is he?

A cynical ranter with an incisive intellect and fulsome beard, Jerrod is engagingly theatrical.

What’s the show about?

An hour long diatribe with an uplifting message about how, if we could just stop worrying about petty, everyday nonsense, we might actually find time to be happy.

WTF? The name “Jerrod” is a mash-up of his original surname and that of his wife’s.

WHERE & WHEN Phil Jerrod: Neanderthal, Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 August (not 17), 7pm, from £6. 0131 556 6550

JENNY BEDE

FUNMBI OMOTAYO

Who is she?

A relative newcomer to live comedy, the comic actress and song parodist blends a pop sensibility with satirical mischief.

What’s the show about?

A silly, occasionally dark 50 minutes on the absurdity of inequality, her vexation with pop music and hip hop’s relentless sexism.

WTF? Has applied to work at MI5 and as a chalet girl, as well as entering her mum into Britain’s Got Talent.

WHERE & WHEN Jenny Bede: Don’t Look at Me, Pleasance Courtyard, 6–30 August (not 24), 3.30pm, from £6. 0131 556 6550

Who is he?

A genial, charming and relaxed performer, this former Leicester Square New Act of the Year winner blends mocking observation and embarrassing personal anecdotes.

What’s the show about?

Growing up in Hackney as the son of immigrants, he moved to Lagos at the age of 10. Returning to London at 16, his musical taste was Boyzone and New Kids On The Block while everyone in Dalston was listening to Public Enemy.

WTF? Won a dance competition performing to Bryan Adams’ (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, even though his routine was based on a hip hop track.

WHERE & WHEN Funmbi Omotayo: Legal Immigrant, Gilded Balloon, 6–30 August, 9pm, from £5.

LARRY DEAN

JONNY PELHAM

Who is he?

A former Scottish Comedian of the Year, Dean opens up about life as an atypical gay man.

Subverting clichés, he combines daft physicality, clever writing and affectionate storytelling.

What’s the show about?

Coming out as gay in a Catholic Glaswegian family and what happened when his brother, a priest, got married.

WTF? Used to be a child Elvis impersonator.

WHERE & WHEN Larry Dean: Out Now!, Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 August (not 17), 5.30pm, from £6.

0131 556 6550

Who is he?

Immensely likeable, with an instinctive selfmockery and deft turn of phrase, this self-confessed “weird human being” shares his experiences at the hands of doctors.

What’s the show about?

When Pelham was 16, the NHS offered him cosmetic surgery to realign his jaw. Having previously been happy with the way he looked, he deliberated over whether he wanted to change.

WTF? Once hitch-hiked to Morocco from a service station outside Newcastle.

WHERE & WHEN Jonny Pelham: Before and After, Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 August, 6.45pm, from £6. 0131 556 6550

www.edfestmag.com

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COMEDY ONES TO WATCH

CHRIS BETTS Who is he?

Originally hailing from Canada, this caustic observational comic is an assured stand-up, mocking the inanity of modern life with a sardonic edge.

What’s the show about?

A long-time bartender, Betts offers a natural documentary-style, first-hand account of the drinking, fighting, storytelling and mating rituals he’s witnessed.

WTF? Was the 2005 Woodford Reserve bartender of the year. And used to live in a Buddhist monastery on the Thai-Burmese border.

WHERE & WHEN Chris Betts: Social Animal, Pleasance Courtyard, 5–30 August (not 17), 9.45pm, from £6. 0131 556 6550

LOLLY ADEFOPE Who is she?

Character comic Adefope is best known for her thinly disguised creation, the often hapless, occasionally inspired, Northern comedian Gemma. But she’s got a wealth of other misfits in her repertoire.

What’s the show about?

Set at an open mic night in a local community centre, Adefope plays all of the would-be talent.

WTF? Runs a comedy night called Women Posing as Comedians, inspired by an infamous Facebook post by comedian Andrew Lawrence. He hasn’t attended yet.

WHERE & WHEN Lolly, Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 August (not 17), 4.30pm, from £6. 0131 556 6550

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KATIA KVINGE Who is she?

A graduate of the US’ most famous improv schools – Second City, The Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade – Kvinge is a character comic whose creations include Wendy the Dating Expert, Cindy, who is auditioning for Saturday Night Live and the sheltered Miss Norway.

What’s the show about?

A fast-paced, one-woman show where Kvinge tries to perform 140 characters in an hour.

WTF? Despite growing up in the UK, she and her younger sister spoke Norwegian when they didn’t want anyone understanding them, thanks to it being her dad’s native language.

WHERE & WHEN Katia Kvinge: 140 Karakters, Just the Tonic at the Caves, 7–31 August (not 12, 18, 19, 26), 7.45pm, free. 0330 220 1212

STEVE BUGEJA

SOFIE HAGEN

Who is he?

Winner of the 2013 BBC New Comedy Award, Bugeja is an excitable geek and social misfit who ingratiates with his good-natured naivety.

What’s the show about?

Picking up a criminal who was leaving prison for the first time in 18 years, and driving him across the country.

WTF? Has only just found out that he’s allergic to cucumber. Also, his cousin was once Prime Minister of Malta.

WHERE & WHEN Steve Bugeja: Day Release, Just the Tonic at the Mash House, 6–30 August (not 18), 8pm, from £5 or Pay What You Want at the venue. 0131 226 0000

Who is she?

Winner of Chortle’s best newcomer award in 2014, Copenhagen-born Hagen has a charismatic, likable stage presence, sharing her body image issues and thoughts on British dating and romance.

What’s the show about?

Beginning with a car chase when she was 13 years old and cringe-worthy reminders about her teenage years surviving on the internet, this is the true account of Hagen growing up.

WTF? Has a weapons licence in Denmark because she once bought her boyfriend a sword.

WHERE & WHEN Sofie Hagen: Bubblewrap, Liquid Room Annexe, 7–31 August, 7.10pm, free.

0131 226 0000

www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 17:57

F R I N G E F E S T I VA L 2 01 5

TH E VO O D O O RO O M S A N D B LO N D A M B ITI O N P R E S E N TS

07 - 30 AuguST* 19:35 {1hr} •

D O U G

S E G A L

How to R ea d

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Mind s

and Influence PeoPle

07 - 16 AuguST* 20:45 {1hr} •

J O N N Y

W O O

&

B A N D

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Transformer 18 - 30 AuguST* 20:45 {1hr} •

C h R I S

J S

W I L S O N

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Coh rist n a B i k e 07 - 16 AuguST* 21:55 {1hr}

“JUST SAW BLAM! ONE OF THE GREATEST, MOST EXCITING AND BRILLIANT SHOWS I HAVE EVER SEEN” RICKY GERVAIS

Mel Frye Will Double Your MoneY ( NOT GUARANTEED)

18 - 30 AuguST* 21:55 {1hr}

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MR B s •

G U I D E

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M O D E R N

L I F E

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07 - 29 AuguST** 23:05 {1hr} •

F R A N K

S A N A Z I

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T H E I R AQ PAC K L i v E f R o m

DAS VEGAS

07 - 29 Aug*** 00:20 / 30 Aug 23:10 {1hr 10M}

ALSO PLAYING... THE FREE FRINGE - 26 SHOWS IN 3 SPACES

HHHHH FUNNY AND IRRESISTIBLE

HHHHH ASTOUNDING! The Scotsman

Financial Times

5 – 31 AUG 5.55PM (7.10PM)

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TICKETS: £10 THu -SAT/£8 SuN -WED * N o S H ow m o N / ** N o S H ow m o N/ TU E *** No SHow moN/TUE/wED (ovER 18S oNLY) TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM: THE vooDoo RoomS, THE fRiNgE box officE (0131-226-0000), www.EDfRiNgE.com, THE AR fRiNgE box officE (ST ANDREw Sq. gARDEN), www. ARfRiNgE.com oR www.TickETwEb.co.Uk (iNfo@THEvooDooRoomS.com)

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www.pleasance.co.uk 0131 556 6550 www.blamtheshow.com

W W W.THEVOODOOROOMS .COM

27/06/2015 15:46

by Samuel Beckett 18 September – 10 October 2015 Tickets: 0131 248 4848 lyceum.org.uk

Production made possible by

Stephen Dunn

Royal Lyceum Theatre Company Ltd. is a Registered Company No. SC062065

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Scottish Charity No. SC010509

29/06/2015 11:13

BALLETRONIC DANCE

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th the rary dance and salsa wi po em nt co t, lle ba ng di Blen lletronic is set to wow Ba , ca ni ro ct ele of s hm pounding rhyt gust Fringe audiences this Au

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s t h g i n K Havana

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WORDS KELLY APTER

PHOTOGRAPHY ALEJANDRO ERNESTO

F

OR FIVE YEARS, BALLET Revolución has been wowing audiences across Europe and Australia with its hot Cuban rhythms and stunning dance technique. But even the best shows need a rest, and this August the company will be putting Revolución to one side to present Balletronic instead.

“Touring Ballet Revolución has been wonderful,” says producer Mark Brady.

“But as a dance company it’s important we spread our wings. So even though that show has a long life ahead of it, we wanted to try something new and head off in a different direction.”

That said, Brady is wise enough to know that some things are worth keeping. So Balletronic will feature many of the same dancers, musicians, choreographers and designers as Ballet Revolución. What will change radically, however, is the music. Artists such as Daft Punk and Afro Jack will feature alongside classical compositions - all played live by

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11 musicians, a singer and DJ, including a 5-piece string section.

“In this show, the music is as important as the choreography,” says Brady.

“It starts very classically, and then goes on this wild journey into the world of electronica – it’s a lot of fun.”

Set in an apartment in the Cuban capital of Havana, Balletronic has been shaped by two choreographers, Australian Aaron Cash and Cuban Roclan Gonzalez Chavez – each with their own unique style “The great thing about Aaron and Roclan, is they’re both totally different characters,” says Brady. “Aaron is more of a neo-classical ballet choreographer, while Roclan works with folkloric styles such as salsa, son and rumba, as well as being a fantastic contemporary dance choreographer.”

“It goes on this wild journey into the world of electronica – it’s a lot of fun”

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Responding to those various styles is a group of dancers trained at two of Cuba’s most prestigious establishments, the Escuela Nacional de Arte and the Escuela Nacional de Ballet. But whether they studied ballet or contemporary, there is something inside all of them that remains distinctly Cuban.

“We’re very lucky to have the cream of the crop,” says Brady. “Dance is one of the things Cuba does so well - its economy is in a terrible state, but they still somehow manage to look after those institutions.

“And it’s interesting, even when Roclan creates contemporary choreography, you can still see folkloric aspects – a look or a hand movement, because it’s just inside them. And the classical dancers have a different style to other ballet dancers – there’s an exuberance they give off, and it’s what makes them special.”

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WHERE & WHEN Balletronic, Pleasance Grand, 5 – 31 August, 9.30pm, from £7 Tel. 020 7609 1800

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EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2015

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23/06/2015 17:52

‘THIS YEAR’S SUMMER-STAGE BLOCKBUSTER’ VANITY FAIR

michael praed noel sullivan carley stenson Gary Wilmot

‘very, very, very funny’ BBC

THE CLASSIC HIT MUSICAL WORTH TAKING A GAMBLE ON!

TRUS

A HILA T US FUNNYRIOUSLY N OR YO IGHT MONE UR Y BAC CONTA K! CT TH BOX O

E FFICE.

TUE 15 - SAT 19 SEPT

0844 871 3014*

www.atgtickets.com/edinburgh*

*FEES APPLY

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29/06/2015 18:02

HOW TO KEEP AN ALIEN THEATRE

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When stand-up Sonya Kelly fell in love with an Australian, she had to fight to keep her girlfriend in Ireland. Her light-hearted new play at the Traverse charts their journey

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WORDS MARK FISHER PICTURES PAUL MOBLEY

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HERE WAS A TIME WHEN SONYA KELLY worked a double shift. No sooner had she taken a curtain call with her fellow cast members at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre than she'd be down to the local comedy club to perform a stand-up set.

Now that she’s returning to Edinburgh after the success of the Fringe First-winning The Wheelchair on My Face in 2012, this whirlwind existence also gives us an insight into to the line she likes to tread between theatre and comedy.

“I like the mash-up,” she says. “I wanted something that contained the immediacy of stand-up, the craft of playwriting and the lyricism of Irish storytelling.”

This is the approach she's taking to How to Keep an Alien, a true-life story about her encounters with the Irish immigration system. It’s a tale with serious implications, but Kelly is as alive to the farcical aspects of dealing with bureaucracy as she is to the political questions it raises.

Until she met Kate, an Australian stage manager and producer, the niceties of the Department of Immigration were unknown to her. But when the two of them fell in love, with the cut-off date of Kate’s visa fast approaching, she found herself being sucked into a bewildering world of form-filling and hoop-jumping.

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“I felt a deep sense of shame that I didn't know more about it before,” she says. “Spending time in an immigration office is a levelling experience, although you feel there’s a red carpet for you and a trap door for the rest, depending on where they come from.

You have jaded immigration clerks whose patience is dependent on what kind of day they’re having.”

To turn this into a play required sensitivity.

“When you’re writing about things that really happened, you have a duty to the people involved to represent them honourably,” she says. “I told Kate about the idea and she said, ‘Yeah, yeah, just don’t take the piss out of my family.’ She was great.”

Presented in Edinburgh after successful runs in Dublin and Brisbane, the play touches on bigger themes than this private experience. Kate is descended from 19th-century Irish emigrants, so a globe-spanning history of migration was repeating itself in reverse.

“It took them something like five months on a perilous voyage, and the death of one child, to arrive in Australia,” says Kelly. “Then 150 years later, you have one of them wanting to get back into Ireland, and can’t.”

So does it have a happy ending? “I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you,” she laughs. “Right till the end of the play, the audience is going, ‘What is going to happen?’ – even people who’ve known us pretty well.”

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WHERE & WHEN How to Keep an Alien Traverse Theatre, 7–30 (not 8, 27, 24) August, times vary, from £12 Tel. 0131 228 1404

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www.edfestmag.com

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23/06/2015 17:51

COMEDY MISSING HANCOCKS

HERE COMES

When actor Neil Pearson found a stash of lost Hancock’s Half Hour scripts, he knew he had to revive these forgotten gems for a new audience WORDS JASPER REES PHOTOGRAPHY KARLA GOWLETT

D

OES COMEDY HAVE A SHELF LIFE? WHAT MAKES one generation laugh is not necessarily to the taste of the next, even if it’s The Goon Show, Monty Python or alternative comedy. But there is one show that is widely agreed to have withstood every change in the public’s taste.

Hancock’s Half Hour ran on the Light Programme from 1954. It starred Tony Hancock as that perennial comedy staple, the little man taking on the world, and mostly losing.

The shows that made Hancock’s name are as funny as ever, and four of them are coming to the Fringe.

The Missing Hancocks won’t feature episodes that aficionados have heard before. There were 102 radio scripts,

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and 20 of them have long since been lost, but the whole lot cropped up in the estate of a freelance comedy writer two years ago. They made their way in the hands of the actor Neil Pearson, whose lesser-known career is as a rare books dealer.

Rather than simply selling the archive, Pearson decided to mark the 60th anniversary of Hancock’s Half Hour by recording some of the lost scripts. He approached the show’s legendary writers, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, who selected five episodes, and then took the idea to Radio 4.

“They said, ‘Yes, but obviously you need a Hancock.’”

Hancock has been played on television by Alfred Molina and Paul Merton, but for Pearson there was only one option.

www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 17:47

MISSING HANCOCKS COMEDY

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HANCOCK “I wouldn’t have gone near this project without being sure that we had a pitch-perfect Hancock in Kevin McNally. He’s a great comic actor, a great mimic, and a Hancock anorak.”

McNally, best known for co-starring as first mate Joshamee Gibbs in Pirates of the Caribbean, duly stepped in on Radio 4, and a second series of lost scripts is coming later this year.

In the meantime Pearson has created a live Edinburgh show.

Make that two shows, each with two episodes exploring Hancock’s world. In one, he’s Prime Minister. In another, he travels to wintry Brighton, “with predictably terrible results”.

Although written 60 years ago, Pearson contends that the scripts still resonate. “The Hancock character’s fears and failures and modest successes are ours. He’s everyman and the audience still identify with him. You worry that you’re about to be reminded of old colonial values, or attitudes to women or homosexuality that might not sit well. Absolutely not a bit of it. We didn’t have to change a thing.”

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The show is not aimed at what Pearson calls “the paramilitary wing of the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society. We are looking to introduce an audience to Hancock.”

Was Pearson tempted to put his other hat back on to join the actors on stage? “Christ no! The thing about this show is that you are recreating characters people know, and also to some extent their actors. We have such precise verbal technicians. If you’ve got people like that at your disposal, why would you get in their way?”

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WHERE & WHEN The Missing Hancocks: Live in Edinburgh! (Show A) Assembly Rooms, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29 August, 4.15 pm, £16.00 Tel: 0844 693 3008 The Missing Hancocks: Live in Edinburgh! (Show B) Assembly Rooms, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 August, 4.15 pm, £16.00 Tel: 0844 693 3008

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www.edfestmag.com

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27/06/2015 16:45

GEORGE BENSON MUSIC

Nat and the scat man

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Jazz legend George Benson is paying tribute to one of his greatest inspirations, Nat King Cole, with his new show at the Jazz Festival

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WORDS ROB ADAMS 6

G

EORGE BENSON REMEMBERS, AS PEOPLE AROUND the world still do, where he was when he heard about President John F Kennedy’s assassination. The multi-million-selling singer and guitarist’s real “JFK moment” – as the phenomenon has become known - came fifteen months after Kennedy’s shooting, however, with the death in February 1965 of his hero, Nat King Cole.

“That really affected me,” says Benson. “I was on tour at the time, playing guitar for the organist Jack McDuff, and I had to tell the guys in the band, I’m leaving. I have to go and do my own thing.

It took me a while to show that that was the right thing to do but I got there in the end.”

Benson was already renowned in jazz circles when he recorded the album Breezin’ in 1976. As well as McDuff, he’d recorded with Miles Davis and was virtually the house guitarist for one of the most stylish and revered jazz labels of the early 1970s, CTI. He had won best guitarist awards and attracted the attention of Warner Records, a major label with big-selling stars including Alice Cooper, The Doobie Brothers and Van Morrison.

The producer assigned to Benson surprised the guitarist.

“He wanted me to sing,” says Benson. “I’d started out as a singer and ukulele player at the age of seven, playing in nightclubs and on street corners, and I’d been recorded singing by the biggest record label in the world, RCA, when I was ten, before my mom put a stop to that. I’d do a song or two in my set but those who knew me, knew me as a guitarist until my producer, Tommy LiPuma, who’d heard me sing Summertime in a club somewhere, suggested we record This Masquerade during the Breezin’ sessions.”

Recorded in one take and intended as a ‘guide vocal’ only – This Masquerade put George Benson on pop radio and Breezin’ took him into the jazz, pop and R&B charts.

A star was born and Benson was able to show the people who’d told him that his simultaneously improvised singing and guitar playing style – scattin’ – would never catch on that they were wrong.

Hit after hit followed, and Benson became a draw all over the world, but it was only in 2013 that he was able to finally pay full tribute to Nat King Cole when he recorded the album Inspiration.

“Nat King Cole was such a great influence on me,” he says. “I’ve been all over the world and I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like Nat, and I’ve always

wanted to be that kind of artist. I’ve borrowed from him – I used to say I stole but I decided I just borrowed – the way I borrowed from great guitarists like Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall.

Jazz is like a school with lots of different classes, and if I was to become one of the classes in that school, I’d be happy.”

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WHERE & WHEN George Benson, Festival Theatre, 26 July, 7.30pm, from £47.50 Tel: 0131 529 6000

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“Nat King Cole was such a great influence on me.

I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like Nat"

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www.edfestmag.com

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23/06/2015 17:46

SCOTLAND OR THE MALDIVES? Be honest.

Do you dream of exploring Scotland; or do you dream of lying on a beach somewhere in the Maldives?

Come on; tell the truth. We won’t be offended….

The Maldives? We thought so.

But here’s the thing.

Beautiful beaches in the Maldives aren’t a short trip.

Nor are they just down the road. Nor is the history super-close to home. And they’re also pretty expensive.

But a trip to Scotland with HAGGiS Adventures is affordable and can be done in a few days.

And take our word for it; you’ll remember it far better than a box-set binge, a couple of nice nights out or whatever else you plan to do with your weekend.

There’s the glorious Harry Potter Steam Train, the eerie banks of Loch Ness, and a whole heap of traditional Scottish dancing parties.

We’ve won plenty of awards, have never cancelled a trip, and our local guides know all the maddy stories, jokes and history of Scotland.

So although that trip to the Maldives may happen (eventually…); right now you can use your weekend to see the historic and bonnie Scotland.

(And we’ve actually got some pretty nice beaches too)

#StayWild HAGGiSadventures.com 0131 557 9393

Save 10% on Day Tours: use promocode “EDFEST10”

CALL 0131 557 9393 TO BOOK

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HAGGIS ADVENTURES .COM

25/06/2015 15:54

DAVINA SOWERS MUSIC

Dixie chic

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A deep love of early blues and Led Zeppelin led Davina Sowers and her band to create an authentic New Orleans sound that resonates here and now

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WORDS ROB ADAMS PHOTOGRAPHY CHRISTIE WILLIAMS 4 5

D

AVINA SOWERS IS LISTING HER music teachers. There was Mrs Love, who taught her classical piano from the age of six and always maintained that the youngster had promise. Then other teachers with names you might recognise took over: Fats Waller, Professor Longhair...

“There were so many,” says the Minneapolis-based leader of rambunctious blues and jazz band Davina and the Vagabonds, who return to Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival after a riotous time that made them an instant hit last year. “I got my agility on the keyboard from being classically trained, but the real college education came from my record player.”

It was a particular kind of record player, too. Sowers wanted to hear the music the way her heroes originally intended it to be experienced, and her vintage Edison allowed her, she says, to absorb the character of the musicians and the real deal, dirty sound on 78 rpm discs.

To anyone who has witnessed Davina and the Vagabonds plying the New Orleans sound, this will come as no surprise. It’s all to do with Sowers’ adoptive father, who was born in 1902 and whose age was the source of much teasing for the young Sowers.

“People used to ask if he was my

grandfather,” she says. “But he was an amazing man. He turned me on to all this pre-World War ll music, Dixieland, going back to the early years of the twentieth century, and I loved it.”

She did have a flirtation – quite a long one – with Led Zeppelin from the age of twelve to sixteen and hadn’t realised that the roots of their music were actually deep blues from the same era of the jazz her father played her.

“When I discovered that, I started digging

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further and found so much great stuff,” she says. “Early blues is a goldmine.”

Sowers started singing in public as a busker back home in Key West, Florida.

“I hated singing the stuff they wanted me to do and I couldn’t push a piano around so I sang with a guitarist,” she says with much distaste. “But it gave me a real feeling for performing and when I moved to Minneapolis I formed the Vagabonds – with no guitarist. I just didn’t hear a guitar in the sound I imagined. We had a saxophone player but he couldn’t stand up by the end of the night so we got a trombonist instead.”

Ten years of solid gigging has developed Davina and the Vagabonds into a roadhardened unit with a mighty punch and a characterful singer and pianist for a leader.

“We go out and play as if it’s a weekend night whether it’s a Friday or a Monday,” she says. “There was more blues than New Orleans in our set when we started out but the balance has shifted over time.

It’s all about helping people forget their troubles – and letting us forget ours too.”

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WHERE & WHEN Davina and the Vagabonds, Tron Kirk, 17 July, 1.30pm, 19 July, 7.30pm, £10 Tel: 0131 473 2000

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www.edfestmag.com

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23/06/2015 17:45

DANCE CIRCA

WRITTEN O return Fringe favourites Circa to all the with a show dedicated an body wonders of the humPH Y DYLAN EVANS

PHOTOGRA WORDS KELLY APTER

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www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 17:44

CIRCA DANCE

Y D O B E H T N N O

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WHERE & WHEN Close Up gust, George Square, 5-31 Au £12 m 7.55pm, fro Tel: 0844 545 8252

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www.edfestmag.com

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CIRCUS ROUND-UP B-ORDERS Be mesmerised by duo Ashtar Muallem and Fadi Zmorrod, as they float across the stage using aerial silk and Chinese pole to shape the air itself, creating captivating poses; a fascinating performance which challenges the notion of borders through contemporary circus and dance.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 7-29 August (not 13, 18, 25), 4.25pm

Circus acts from around the world are coming to the festival. Here are the ones to look out for WORDS LIDIA MOLINA WHYTE

BARBU ELECTRO TRAD CABARET Experience the wonders of pure mayhem with this vibrant extravaganza which sees music, video and circus spectacularly collide to create a wonderfully delirious show.

Featuring heavily bearded, semi naked men, formidable acrobats and a frenetic electro-trad band, expect the unexpected from this exuberant circus rave.

Underbelly’s Circus Hub, 7-29 August (not 12, 18, 26), 9.50pm

BROMANCE Award-winning, all-male Barely Methodical Troupe challenge gravity in this display of avant-garde circus prowess and wild physical theatre.

Watch the energetic trio as they deliver a fresh, dynamic and compelling performance.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 7-29 August (not 12, 17 or 24), 6.25pm

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Be transported to a crisp autumn in 1937 with this Cirque Le Roux show. Experience a world of mystery, intrigue and slapstick tinged with decadent luxury and be amazed by the physical feats executed to perfection by the charismatic quartet.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 7-29 August (not 12, 17, 24), 8.35pm

DOLLS Delve into a mysterious world in this dark circus story which explores the intriguing magic behind the painted faces of dolls.

Masters of trapeze, acrobatics and contemporary dance will hypnotize you as they take the stage by storm with an intensely vibrant, high-energy performance.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 5-31 August (not 12, 18, 24), 3.25pm

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23/06/2015 19:44

ROUND-UP CIRCUS

THE HOGWALLOPS Meet the Hogwallops, a quirky, chaotic and dysfunctional family of misfits, who they take over the Circus Hub’s stage with a splendid range of thrillingly skilful aerial acrobatics that will leave you in awe.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 7-29 August (not 17, 24), 11.25am

OCKHAM’S RAZOR: ‘AC’ AND ‘EVERY ACTION…’ The award winning Ockham’s Razor has put together a double bill blending circus and theatre to create two deeply arresting and thoroughly entertaining shows. Stunning physical theatre is performed on original pieces of equipment, keeping you on edge.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 7-26 August (not 13, 20), 1.25pm

TRASH TEST DUMMIES Superb acrobats and excellent clowns, these three gifted dummies put on a highly entertaining performance suitable for kids and adults alike. Children will love the silly sense of humour and grown-ups will enjoy the skillful, heartstopping stunts.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 7-29 August (not 17, 24), 12.25pm

BREAKFAST AT PIFFANY’S Piff the Magic Dragon and Mr Piffles return to the Fringe to bring you their jaw-dropping show straight from Las Vegas. It’s a wacky, vibrant and fantastic spectacle featuring new tricks, old snacks and sweet, sweet prizes.

Piff was most recently seen wowing the judges on America’s Got Talent.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 14-29 Aug, 10.40pm

LIMBO Join Limbo for an extravagant celebration of heaven and hell, a supernatural party featuring mind-blowing illusions, impossible manoeuvres and enthralling dance moves perfectly accompanied by live music to create an incredible sensory experience.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 7-29 August (not 12, 17, 24), 7.25pm

LES INOUIS Walking the line between documentary and fantasy and real and virtual, five skilled artists showcase their astonishing physical prowess to tell a mesmerising story about the Other.

Underbelly’s Circus Hub, 7-29 August (not 13, 17, 24), 2.25pm

LA MEUTE (THE WOLF PACK) Go wild with this pack of six comic daredevils of the circus world, as they test and challenge each other. Stare in awe as the wolves catapult themselves high into the air and dodge obstacles with grace.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 7-29 August (not 11, 12, 18, 25), 5.25pm

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SOMETHING Relate to this cheerful show as its talented performers search for that abstract, ephemeral something that keeps us going when times are tough. Something is what lies behind the curtain of a crazy dream, leaving you breathless but also making you laugh.

Gilded Balloon, 5-31 August (not 14, 15, 27), 12pm and/or 7pm

www.edfestmag.com

23/06/2015 19:45

Cirque du Soleil ® is seeking new talent!

CIRCUS PERFORMERS ALL DISCIPLINES ORIGINAL AND INNOVATIVE ACTS

PHYSICAL ACTORS/CLOWNS CONTEMPORARY MIMES – STREET PERFORMERS ARTISTS WITH EXCEPTIONAL SKILLS OR UNUSUAL BODY TYPES

INSTRUMENTALISTS – SINGERS – DANCERS For more information on our career opportunities: CIRQUEDUSOLEIL.COM/JOBS FACEBOOK.COM/CIRQUEDUSOLEILCASTING Photo: Martin Girard / shootstudio.ca Costumes: Philippe Guillotel © 2014 Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil is a trademark owned by Cirque du Soleil and used under license.

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25/06/2015 17:48

BOOKS MEERA SYAL

Modern India collides with the UK’s hidden trade in overseas surrogacy in Meera Syal’s new novel about motherhood WORDS CLAIRE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY ANTONIO OLMOS

“I

HAD BEEN WAITING FOR AN IDEA TO come along that would make me want to write about it,” says Meera Syal, of her new novel The House of Hidden Mothers. Split between London and New Delhi, her third novel is a darkly comic tale of a friendship between two women brought together over a surrogacy deal.

Syal, comedian, playwright, actress and co-creator of Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at Number 42, will be appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival to discuss the book and the issues it raises around women’s bodies and women’s rights, both in India and in the UK. She explains: “It started when I watched a documentary on Channel Four about surrogacy.

Until then I had no idea that India was the world capital of surrogacy. It made me think about

"I had no idea that India was the capital of surrogacy. It made me think of childbirth being outsourced" Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and about the idea of childbirth being outsourced. I knew then that it was a story I wanted to write.”

The two protagonists of the story are Shyama, a divorced beauty salon owner living in Little India in London, and Mala, a married woman in a village in India who longs for a better life.

“I was really interested in looking at the relationship between the developed world and the so-called undeveloped world - so much has been outsourced to poorer countries where labour is cheaper, and fertility has also been outsourced.

“On another level there is also a really interesting relationship between two women on opposite sides of the world who, through the course of events, really need each other.”

The novel spans generations, through Shyama’s grown-up daughter Tara and her parents Prem and Sita. Syal’s own daughter from her first marriage is

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now 22, and she also has a son with her Kumars co-star Sanjeev Bhaskar, whom she married in 2005.

“I know what it’s like to have two children of very different ages, and I know what it’s like to have a blended family.”

When she began writing, the character of Mala really took her by surprise. “Mala came out fully formed and fighting.” Despite the comic tone of the novel it deals with real problems facing women in India female infanticide, selective abortion and the Delhi rape case. But Syal believes things are changing, with women, like her fictional character Mala, finding their voice.

“It is good for people to know the issues. Hopefully a lot of them will die out with that generation.”

Syal created Dhruv, a young Indian man working for an NGO to embody this optimism for the future.

“It was really important for me to create the characters of Tara and Dhruv. They are the next generation. They really want to change things and I think they will.”

But it is not just in India where things are changing.

“Those of us who have kids in their twenties are all wondering where they are going to live. Everybody I know is tunneling down or building extensions.

“As a non resident Indian a lot of us still have relatives in India and it is really interesting to see how the balance has shifted and has shifted so much.

“Twenty years ago India was a place where you took an empty suitcase and filled it. Everything was so cheap. But that has all changed now.

“India is an emerging superpower and it will be an economic power in the future.

“That is why it is interesting to look at the third generation. A lot of them now are making a reverse journey – to their grandparents – to look for work.”

WHERE & WHEN Dreams of Motherhood and Freedom, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Charlotte Square, Thursday 27 August, 11.45am, from £10 Tel: 0845 373 5888

www.edfestmag.com

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MEERA SYAL BOOKS

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BOOKS ASNE SEIERSTAD

TRUE HORROR

In 2011, Anders Breivik murdered 77 people in one day. Asne Seierstad's new book examines this staggering tragedy and celebrates the lives of his victims WORDS CLAIRE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY KYRRE LIEN/WRITER PICTURES

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SNE SEIERSTAD, LIKE ALL NORWEGIANS, remembers exactly where she was on July 22, 2011. The foreign correspondent was in the back of a car, driving out of Oslo with her two children, aged one and three. On the same motorway, Anders Breivik, wearing a fake police uniform, drove towards the island of Utoya, where he would kill 69 young people.

“I got a message on my phone saying ‘Stay Away From Oslo’. I could have driven back to see what it was about but I was on holiday, I was with my children.

I was a civilian.”

On the day that is Norway’s 9/11, Breivik started by setting a bomb in Government buildings in Oslo.

By the time he was caught he had killed 77 people.

Seierstad, who has written books about Iraq, Chechnya and Afghanistan, will be at the Edinburgh International Book Festival talking about how she came to write One of Us, about the disaster in her own land.

“First I was going to do a book about the trial – then I realised I had to tell the whole story.”

Breivik emerges as an emotionally deprived and socially isolated individual. Computer games, conspiracy theories, petty crime, steroid use, mental

"Breivik wanted to rid Europe of Muslims. He called the trial his 'book launch'" illness and rejection all contribute to his state of mind.

By contrast the young idealists of Utoya, have lives full of hope, affection and promise, with parents sending them to the political summer camp with solicitude and love.

At the trial there was a great deal of discussion about whether Breivik was fit to stand trial. “The psychiatrists say he was a narcissist, a person who thinks solely about himself. When he was caught the first thing he said was: ‘You can’t imagine how hard this has been for me.’”

Seirestad explains that Breivik saw himself as the leader of a mass movement and the writer

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of an important political treatise. After the trial he continued to try to disseminate his anti-multicultural ideology, even approaching her to be a collaborator.

She turned him down.

“He wanted to rid Europe of Muslims, he wanted a Europe where Muslims had to convert to Christianity.

He wanted to be important. He called the trial his ‘book launch’.”

For Seirestad the story of the victims pulled the narrative together. “The emotional thing was to see all these young aspiring politicians who had saved up for summer camp. They were there to talk about integration, about climate change, they were in the bloom of their youth.”

These were the people who wanted to create a more tolerant, better and healthy world. “It was important for me to find out who they were. They were not random victims.”

Among the stories she tells are those of 18-year-old youth leader Simon Saebo, who tried to protect others on the island, about Viljar Hanssen who was shot in the eye but survived and of Lara and Bano Rashid, sisters from Kurdistan, who worked hard to be accepted.

Seirestad spoke to parents and families and checked the accounts with everyone before going to print.

“It is important I think about the book that it never explains anything, it just tells the story.”

Seirestad says writing the book taught her things about grief and about being a parent that she can never forget.

She tells me Lara, the Kurdish sister who survived, chose to read the book aloud with a group of schoolfriends because she did not want to be alone.

Later the friends went down to Bano’s grave to read the chapters again.

“For me, I learned that when you lose someone when they are young, they will always be with you.”

WHERE & WHEN Åsne Seierstad Charlotte Square, 27 August 2015 3:45pm, from £8 Tel: 0845 373 5888

www.edfestmag.com

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ASNE SEIERSTAD BOOKS

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JESSE ARMSTRONG BOOKS

POLITICS OF PEEP

A U G U S T

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Jesse Armstrong, the writer of Peep Show and The Thick of It debuts his first novel, which mixes the personal with the political

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WORDS CLAIRE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY BARNEY JONES

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HEN WE CATCH UP, JESSE Armstrong is taking a break from rewrites for the ninth and final series of the sitcom Peep Show.

As well as creating Peep Show and Fresh Meat with co-writer Sam Bain, Armstrong collaborated on The Thick of It, Four Lions and the US series Veep. He is also the author of Love, Sex and Other Foreign Policy Goals, his first novel, which he will be discussing at the Book Festival.

“It’s a comic war novel, but it is also a book about being young. It’s also about interfering in other people’s lives.”

Set in 1994, the novel follows a well intentioned, but hopeless, theatre group who travel to Yugoslavia to try and put on a play to bring peace. Andrew, the main character, is hopelessly in love with Penny, a beautiful upper middle class London girl.

He is thwarted by Simon, a Geordie poet.

Class, awkwardness and youthful yearning are set against the backdrop of a country in the midst of a devastatingly messy and confusing civil war.

There are parallels with Peep Show,

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where Mark, played by David Mitchell, and Jez, played by Robert Webb, are often concealing their real intentions. But Armstrong hopes readers will still feel sympathy for the characters in his novel – despite their social awkwardness.

“I hope I’m not too hard on them, because I have got a huge amount of time for people that do anything in life – whether it’s running a business, opening a shop or protesting against war.

“I’ve heard people say that some of the characters are unsympathetic. But I think I probably have an overdeveloped empathy gene.

“It’s not subtle to say ‘I’m anti-war and I want peace’, but it doesn’t matter because that response is the most important thing.”

There is a hilarious scene in the novel, when the theatre group find themselves at a diplomatic function where, despite their air of sophistication, the assembled grandees are evidently talking utter geopolitical codswallop, the kind of deft political comedy that he has made his signature on The Thick of It and Veep.

The Entire History of You, the episode he wrote for the Charlie Brooker series Black Mirror, has been bought by Robert Downey Junior for adaptation into a movie, but Armstrong won’t be writing the screenplay.

He says he found writing a novel “very lonely.

I missed the collaboration. It is nice having the company of other people.” But he would like to write another.

For the moment he is back with Peep Show.

“It’s written with the comic sensibilities of David Mitchell and Richard Webb in mind. It is a four-way baby. It’s been over ten years of my life but it feels like the right time.”

Although he is not about to release any spoilers, he hints that Peep Show is unlikely to end with any earth-shattering surprises for Mark and Jez. “It’s great drama that Michael Corleone in The Godfather starts off not being in the mafia – but that has been in his character from the beginning. It wouldn’t be such good drama if he ended up going off and joining the circus.”

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WHERE & WHEN Jesse Armstrong & Tom Drury Charlotte Square, 28 August, 8:45 pm, from £5 Tel: 0845 373 5888

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ART CHARLES AVERY

Oban-born artist Charles Avery always returns to the imaginary island he created over ten years ago WORDS MARK FISHER

C

HARLES AVERY IS STANDING in his North London studio showing me his wall. He’s looking very proud.

It’s not so much the drawings, sketches and paintings he’s working on – all with characteristic waterside views of the fictional island he has been creating since 2004 – it’s more the wall itself.

The Oban-born artist had always found that dampness in the air gave paper an unpredictable surface, making it more or less absorbent at different times.

His solution, when he bought the nearderelict studio last November, was to warm the wall with the same technology used for under floor heating. He’s also made it magnetic, so however big the sheet of paper, he can easily clip it in place.

This, and the airy two-floor property around it, is the workshop where Avery plans to pull together the maps, books, illustrations and objects that describe the topography, culture and lifestyle of his fictional islanders. “You can’t ever see all of this project together at the same time,” he says. “But I like the fact that if people performed a kind of archaeology on it, they would be rewarded by being fed back into this base system that exists for all of it.”

In front of us is the rusty chain of a fishing vessel given to him by a friend who runs a mussel farm on Mull. The same chain features in one of the pictures he’s working on, which also includes an otherworldly dog with a duck-like head (he calls it a kepew) biting one of the eel-like creatures he calls the ninth. “I don’t feel these creatures are anything stranger than what you’d find in Australia,” he says. “They’re not fantasy, they’re plausible hybrids.”

Such parallel-universe visions, which will appear at the Ingleby Gallery and, in the form of a 5m bronze tree, in Waverley Station, are part of an extraordinary project to which Avery has dedicated his life. Begun more than a decade ago, The Islanders is a singular attempt to catalogue a culture that is at once familiar and strange.

“How they think about time and space slightly differs from us,” he says. “Also how they think about the concept of art.

They don’t have a direct translation for ‘art’, but they do have this thing called ‘sedenda’

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“I don’t think these creatures are anything stranger than what you’d find in Australia. They’re plausible hybrids” that has a lot of the same qualities.”

His Art Festival shows will be a chance to catch up with this landscape that you may have seen at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in 2009 and last year as part of Generation. The more he works at it, the more textured it becomes. “Onomatopoeia, the main town on the island, is a very layered place,” he says. “There have been various processes of regeneration, having been destroyed by wars and developed by extensions and add-ons. As the project gets more evolved and to give it the verisimilitude I want, I want to focus on the texture of the place. The work is richer, more nuanced than it was five years ago.”

WHERE & WHEN Charles Avery: The People and Things of Onomatopoeia Ingleby Gallery, 30 July–26 September, times vary, free Tel: 0131 556 4441

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A U G U S T

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PHYLLIDA BARLOW ART A U G U S T

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A giant, tumbledown playground for a hyperactive child, or a meditation on destruction? Artist Phyllida Barlow is leaving it up to you to decide with her latest work, set

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WORDS MARK FISHER

F

OR PHYLLIDA BARLOW, THE playful and the catastrophic are two sides of the same coin. If you choose to see her installation at the Fruitmarket as a crazy explosion of child-like energy, well, that’s fine. Equally, you may see it as a more sinister explosion of destructive forces – and that’s fine also.

“Because of the way I work, there’s often breakdown, things being destroyed,” she says. “That seems to echo not only normal breakages (a city like London being constantly changed) but also breakages in Syria, Iran or Iraq, this constant snapping of human life. It seems strange that in my studio I’m doing something of that: smashing things up or changing things.”

Barlow is an artist known for turning buildings inside out. Her 2014 exhibition at London’s Tate Britain was an unruly riot of precipitous wooden structures, an anarchic collection of planks and pallets balanced in precarious contrast to the cool classicism elsewhere in the gallery. The juxtapositions make you laugh and Barlow’s sense of humour is never far away.

“If I look at Buster Keaton or Laurel and Hardy films, I see their manifestations of human endeavour going wrong as absolutely fantastic,” says the 71-year-

“Playing is not a childish thing, and I don’t think children’s playing is childish.

It’s very sophisticated”

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old. “For me, that’s what a lot of making sculpture is: the wrong kind of making.

I’m not making a chair or a table, I’m making fakes or stand-ins which are not very good at what they’re meant to do.

I’m not conscious of putting the humour into my work, but I enjoy those chance encounters where something turns out to have humorous connotations.”

This time around, she’s taking inspiration from the tension between the Fruitmarket’s two spaces: the enclosed darkness of the ground floor and the liberating brightness upstairs. “The lower space, which is windowless, allows you absolute freedom to do anything,” she says.

“Then you go upstairs into a place that’s like a continuation of the railway space behind it. It seemed as if something had dropped out of the upstairs space into the bottom space – an inside-out feeling.”

Her response is to build barricades upstairs, improvised quickly in situ, which have “deposited their innards” into the downstairs. This, in turn, has the air of an overcrowded backstage area, full of “space hungry” sculptural objects that are like the upstairs in reverse.

When we speak, she’s just finished making tape-covered cardboard boxes.

She’s well aware of the absurdity of it all, but understands that playfulness is at the heart of what she does. “Playing is not a childish thing,” she says. “And I don’t think children’s playing is childish.

“It’s a very sophisticated process of thinking and reconstructing. It’s a mental framework of guessing and approximating and then having these props approximate something that’s going on in your head. It could be a reverie, a story or an emotion.

Sticks become people and stones become food. For some of us, sculpture is that.”

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WHERE & WHEN Phyllida Barlow: set Fruitmarket Gallery, 27 June–18 October, Mon–Sat, 11am–6pm; Sun, 12–5pm. 1–25 August, Mon–Sun, 10am–7pm, free Tel: 0131 225 2383

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Shuttle Bus from Edinburgh Glenkinchie Distillery will be running daily minibus services from Edinburgh City Centre to the Distillery.

Transport and Tour from £20.00 Call the distillery now on 01875 342 012 to book.

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20 THINGS TO DO CITY GUIDE

Twenty’s plenty Edinburgh has lots to offer beyond the Festival – here are 20 of the best WORDS LIDIA MOLINA WHYTE

KING OF THE JUNGLE Embark on a forest adventure with GoApe’s fun-packed outdoor activities. Tackle zip wires, Tarzan swings and rope ladders with the Tree Top Adventure. Little Monkeys can also enjoy the Junior version, or unveil the mysteries of the forest with the Forest Segway Experience. www.goape.co.uk

FAST AND FURIOUS Experience the rush of motorsport at Edinburgh’s best indoor karting centre, which received a five star rating from

ROOFTOP FUN Head to the roof of Princes Mall for Boxsmall, a family-friendly market. Feast on delicious food and keep the little ones entertained with crafts. www.boxsmall.com

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VisitScoltand. The racing fun is suitable for both junior racers and adults. www.xtremekarting.co.uk

DEADLY DUNGEON MURDER MYSTERY Join the Secret Society of Scottish Scoundrels and investigate the shocking murder of Judge Mental as you move through the gloomy Dungeons.

You will encounter famous characters from Scotland’s past in your quest to unveil the killer’s identity –no one is free of suspicion! www.thedungeons.com

A TASTE OF HONEY Delve into the sweet world of beekeeping while surrounded by the stunning landscape of Edinburgh’s Secret Herb Garden at the foot of the Pentland hills. This one-day course explores the fascinating lifecycle of honeybees, from the different hives to how honey is extracted. You might even get to taste some golden nectar too! www.secretherb garden.co.uk

BECOME A THAI CUISINE EXPERT Learn how to make authentic and delicious Thai dishes or try your hand at fruit carving with the expert guidance of talented Chef Ru at the Krua Thai Cookery School.

Book a day course and enjoy a bespoke lesson and a fun and relaxed afternoon evening of tasty food. www.kruathai.co.uk

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CITY GUIDE 20 THINGS TO DO

A VINTAGE SHOPAHOLIC’S DREAM Head to Miss Dixiebelle for a vintage makeover before you hit Judy’s Affordable Vintage Weekend, where you’ll find a selection of retro garments and collectables from decades past. www.missdixiebelle.co.uk www.judysvintagefair.co.uk

THE STORYTELLING COOK Mrs March shares her unique recipe for interactive food fun. www. mrsmash. com

ENTER THE INCREDIBLE WORLD OF OPTICAL ILLUSION Expect the unexpected at this mysterious, interactive exhibition, where seeing is not believing.

There’s hands-on fun for all ages. www.camera-obscura.co.uk

HISTORY OF PORRIDGE Start the day like a real Scot, with a hearty bowl of porridge, and embark on a journey through the history of the dish that has fed Scotland’s people, kings and armies for centuries. www.contini.com

ANOTHER EARTH Undertake an interactive journey through time to witness the captivating story of planet Earth.

Feel the Earth move as a volcano explodes, touch polar ice and embark on a 4D adventure in Scotland’s only 360º full-dome film theatre. www.dynamicearth.co.uk

CITYDASH Experience Edinburgh in a completely different way with this high-energy steampunk scavenger hunt. Feed your adventurer spirit as you uncover clues and solve puzzles while you evade Dr Spottletoe’s patrolling henchmen. www.fire-hazard.net

BEND IT LIKE BECKAM... ...surrounded by a bubble of pure squish. Bubble soccer is fun for all, whether you like football or not.

Try this revolutionary sport and you’ll feel like you can defy gravity. www.bubblesoccerscotland.co.uk

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1 TO 8 DAY MINIBUS AND MINICOACH TOURS With our friendly guides and luxury vehicles, we’re the best way to experience Scotland. Join our one-day or multi-day tours and get in touch with the real Scotland - its landscape, history and people. Destinations include: Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, Rosslyn Chapel, St Andrews, Skye, Orkney and the Hebrides.We also do bespoke tours if you have something special in mind

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29/06/2015 14:15

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20 THINGS TO DO CITY GUIDE

PHOTOGRAPHY SAM RUTHERFORD

SEAL THE DEAL Meet Deep Sea World’s latest residents, two lively seal pups from Tynemouth. Also just arrived are a colourful bunch of Brazilian seahorses and a quartet of giant spider species to leave you in awe. www.deepseaworld.com

MAKING FACES Explore the theme of heads and faces at the this interactive exhibition. Break down your face, try sculpting and star in your own photoshoot. www.nationalgalleries.org

FOR THE FILM BUFFS The Filmhouse’s summer programme boasts an array of unmissable screenings. Beyond Borders Scotland presents Maidan, a documentary about the recent Ukrainian civil uprisings, followed by an open discussion. www.filmhouse cinema.com

DO A DOODLE Visit Edinburgh’s original ‘paint your own’ workshop and pick and decorate some pottery.

Babies can do footprints, children can have splodgy fun and adults can doodle away to their hearts’ content. www.doodlesscotland.co.uk

JUMP UP AND GET DOWN Reach for the stars in Scotland’s largest trampoline park, where you’ll have the chance to enjoy a wide range of fun fitness activities.

Families are welcome, as jumpers as young as two can take part in all the fun. www.ryzeedinburgh.com

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MAD ABOUT GIN Discover the wonders of gin with this tour, which will give you a behind-thescenes look at Edinburgh Gin Distillery and take you back to the origins of the tipple. You can also craft your very own gin with the Gin Making Experience. www.edinburghgindistillery.co.uk

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CHILDREN PHIL ELLIS A U G U S T

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GAMEZ MASTER

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After winning the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Panel Prize last year, Phil Ellis returns with his pals and more mayhem for kidz and adultz in Funz & Gamez Tooz

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WORDS JAY RICHARDSON

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What funz and gamez can kidz expect from this new show?

We have loads of new gamez for all the kidz to enjoy and fail to win. We have Musical Chairz, Pin the Tail on the Donkey and a new twist on our final ball game.

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The show began under the radar last year. Are you approaching it differently this time?

We’ve already booked in two previews!

We’re planning on hitting the ground running. To be honest, we’ve all had a very busy year and I’ve been dedicating a lot of time to my new 20-year-old girlfriend.

She’s my everything and the main reason I’ve remortgaged my flat three times since I met her. Did I mention she’s 20 years old?

Take that Leanne!

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Is Phil happier with a new girlfriend?

You know I’m Phil right? He’s not a wellcrafted, layered character. He’s just me in my dad’s old M&S green blazer. Leanne

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is real, my bitterness is genuine and my new girlfriend is 20 years old. I’m so much happier. I love paying for her holidays and shopping sprees. Seeing her happy and well-dressed makes me happy.

She spends a lot of time with her friend John so I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like but that’s cool. We all need our own space don’t we? You know she’s 20 years old, right?

Are Bonzo the Dog and Jim Elf excited about returning to Edinburgh?

I think so. Bonzo’s been away doing a lot of weird, off-Broadway plays recently so I haven’t had a chance to speak to him.

Plus, I don’t really care for him much, but he’s cheap and house-trained. Jim Elf went back to Lapland after Edinburgh. I think he got lost along the way though, because from what I can gather, he now works on the stock market. I don’t think he even knows what that is but he seems to be doing well.

But Uncle Mick won’t be back ...

Well, the main reason Uncle Mick won’t be returning is because he’s dead.

Don’t worry, apparently he has an identical twin brother called Uncle Rick who’s joining us. It’s a little odd that he’s never been mentioned in the past and acts and sounds like Uncle Mick. But still, good to have him on board.

Can you tell me anything about the new characters?

The Numbear is a disgraced maths teacher who’s numb from his anti-depressants. We’ve been told we need an educational element, so he’s there out of necessity to teach the kidz that numbers are fun. Which they’re not, numbers are rubbish.

WHERE & WHEN Funz & Gamez Tooz Assembly George Square, 6-31 August (not 25), 3.20pm, from £7.50 Tel: 0131 623 3030

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Fri 15 May – Mon 31 Aug

Celebrating 10 years of

contemporary

ART

in Perth Concert Hall

[ Ten ] Fernando Arias, Ergin Ҫavuşoǧlu, Claude Closky, Vuk Cosiç, Dalziel + Scullion, Jason Dee, Alec Finlay, Lee Cox, Su Grierson, Rob Kennedy, Igor Krenz, Dan Perjovschi, Lala Raščić, John Butle r, Rafaë l Roze nda a l, Janek Schaefer, Thomson & Craighead, Kosta Tonev, Mare Tralla, Julita Wojcik and more.

Thanks to our partners and funders

artspace

www.horsecross.co.uk Horsecross Arts Ltd is registered in Scotland, no SC301328 and a charity no SC022400. Registered office: Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, Perth PH1 5HZ

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DRAGON CHILDREN

A silent boy conjours up winged companions in a remarkable piece of children’s theatre at the International Festival

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WORDS MARK FISHER PHOTOGRAPHY DREW FARRELL

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Here be dragons D

RAGON IS EXCEPTIONAL IN many ways. For one thing it’s the first time a piece of theatre for young people and families has appeared in the programme of the Edinburgh International Festival.

It’s also a rare three-way collaboration between Glasgow’s Vox Motus, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Tianjin People’s Arts Theatre in China. The cast of actors and puppeteers are a true cross-cultural mix.

But perhaps most exceptional of all is that it doesn’t have any words.

It was certainly an unusual brief for playwright Oliver Emanuel when he got the call from co-directors Jamie Harrison and Candice Edmunds. They wanted a script that would allow them to create a dazzling sequence of dragons – the benign Chinese kind rather than the fire-breathing creatures of Western mythology – and they also wanted a story that could be told visually.

For Emanuel, it meant doing all the things a playwright would normally do – just without the words. “They wanted it to be as accessible as possible, so the story would be led by something other than words,” he says. “I didn’t know how to do that. When people ask me how I wrote a play with no words, I always say, ‘Very slowly.’ There are 60 or 70 pages of text and it’s not just a series of stage directions. Although we can’t hear anything, the characters are talking to each other.”

Just as he would with any other play, Emmanuel set about devising the relationships and emotional states behind

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the story of Tommy, a teenager who is going through difficult times at home and school.

He can’t find the words to express his anxieties. “Tommy hasn’t spoken since his mum died a year before, so the whole world is silent,” says the playwright, adding that Dragon has only one stage direction, which is that the actors are not allowed to talk.

The result is a magical piece of theatre, one that genuinely beguiles all ages, not least because of the series of ever bigger and more beautiful dragons that fill the stage.

“Jamie and Candice like telling stories very visually, in images,” says Emmanuel.

“For me, the task was to find the most exciting things that would inspire them to create beautiful pictures. The stuff that other people can’t put on stage is the stuff that gets them excited.”

Realising the directors would be undaunted by anything he threw at them, whether it was a scene set in a swimming pool or a journey above the roof tops, he felt liberated to go anywhere the story demanded. “It allowed me to fully engage my imagination,” he says. “Who would have thought you could write about a boy flying over the streets of Glasgow and for it to be a beautiful and effective scene? The way they make theatre liberated me in how I was able to write.”

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WHERE & WHEN Dragon, Royal Lyceum, 14–15 August, 7pm; 15 Aug, 2pm; 16 Aug, 12pm and 4pm From £8, Tel: 0131 473 2000

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FOOD FOODIES FESTIVAL

TEN YEARS YOUNG Foodies Festival celebrates ten years in Edinburgh with a packed weekend of events, masterclasses and, of course, food, glorious food WORDS LIDIA MOILINA WHYTE

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OODIES FESTIVAL RETURNS TO Edinburgh’s Inverleith Park on 7, 8, 9 August to tantalise your taste buds with a three-day feast.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, this year promises to be bigger and better than ever before as they welcome culinary talents from Scotland and beyond, and host a vast selection of food producers – you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Amongst the talent gracing the stage at the Aga Rangemaster Chefs Theatre this year will be Michelin-starred Marcello Tully, comedian-turned-chef Gyles Brandreth and acclaimed local star Paul Wedgwood among many more. Watch the culinary masterminds at work as they unveil their secrets.

You can also widen your drink horizons, as the Wine, Champagne and Craft Beer Theatre offers food and drink pairings from the hands of industry experts Melissa Cole, Neil Phillips and Charles Metcalfe. For spirit lovers, Gin and Whisky masterclasses are also available.

Learn How to Sniff Chocolate like a Rockstar with Coeur de Xocolat’s fun packed masterclass in the Cake & Bake Theatre. The accompanying Chocolate, Cake and Bake Village is a paradise for those with a sweet tooth. Make sure you stock up on baking essentials and explore the latest gadgets!

The expanded Producers Market showcases

the very best of Scotland’s natural larder. You’ll find an abundance of high quality, local produce with over two hundred artisan producers selling award-winning cheeses, condiments, jams, bakes, confectionary, cured meats and more. The Street Food Avenue has also been extended to accommodate a vast range of cuisines from all over the world, from authentic Japanese sushi to tasty Mexican burritos. Pull up a seat in the dedicated Feasting Tent and tuck in.

Little foodies won’t miss out, either. Kiddy Cook will teach them how to prepare the perfect picnic basket at the Children’s Cookery Theatre, where they’ll learn how to make finger sandwiches, jellies, chocolate bugs and much more.

After a day of feasting and fun, you can find a spot on the grass and soak up the festival atmosphere with live music from the entertainment stage and a refreshing cocktail from the Galleon Mojito Bar, or a chilled glass of bubbly from the Prosecco Bar. WHERE & WHEN Foodies Festival Inverleith Park, 7 - 9 August, From 10am, tickets from £8, Tel. 0844 995 1111

TOP FIVE AT FOODIES FESTIVAL NEW TASTING THEATRE Try your hand at bee keeping, oyster shucking, sushi making and foraging at the brand new Tasting Theatre.

JAMIE SCOTT Catch MasterChef: The Professionals winner Jamie Scott at the Chefs Theatre, as he cooks one of his delicious recipes.

BURGER ROULETTE Love burgers and thrills?

Enter our brand new burger

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PIMM’S TEAPOT Head along to the Pimm’s Teapot for a refreshingly delicious glass of Pimm’s, the perfect way to keep the summer heat at bay.

eating competition – a Man v Food style contest which will challenge your stomach, your endurance and your tolerance for spice all at once. Who will be the burger king (or queen)?

WIN THE CHILLI EATING CROWN Entrants will certainly feel the heat as they attempt to eat fourteen varieties of chillies, which must be chewed and swallowed without a drink, to win the highly-coveted the Chilli Eating Crown.

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FOODIES FESTIVAL FOOD

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ITALIAN RESTAURANT 71 High Street, North Berwick, East Lothian EH39 4HG T: 01620 890589 M: 07708 760607

www.osteria-no1.co.uk

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MICHELIN STARS FOOD

Edinburgh is home to some of the finest restaurants in the world, and is proud of its five Michelin star establishments CASTLE TERRACE 33-35 Castle Terrace Edinburgh www.castleterracerestaurant.com 0131 229 1222

The talented Dominic Jack heads the kitchen of acclaimed Tom Kitchen’s second Edinburgh venue, which has achieved great success since it opened in 2010.

It was awarded a Michelin star barely a year after it launched, and has gone on to win many more accolades, including Restaurant of the Year and Most Innovative Restaurant at the 2012 Scottish Restaurant Awards.

Castle Terrace combines modern British cuisine with French cooking techniques to create deliciously innovative dishes like the tartare of roe deer from Stobo Estate, served with mustard ice cream.

THE KITCHIN 78 Commercial Quay www.thekitchin.com 0131 555 1755

Before his many TV appearances on some of Britain’s favourite culinary shows, including MasterChef, Tom Kitchin became the youngest Michelin star recipient in the world.

His first Edinburgh restaurant, The Kitchin, quickly established itself as one of the country’s top eateries and is driven by a simple, yet clearly effective philosophy: from nature to plate.

Kitchin’s passion for Scotland’s finest, freshest ingredients is reflected in every dish.

Drawing on French flavours, Kitchin creates sumptuous gems such as the stuffed saddle of Highland hogget served with braised lettuce and fondant potatoes or the creel-caught lobster with escargot butter and squid.

NUMBER ONE Balmoral Hotel, 1 Princes Street www.restaurantnumberone.com 0131 557 6727

number one’s remarkable blend of Scottish and French classic flavours has seen the fine dining restaurant retain its Michelin star for thirteen consecutive years. Executive Chef Jeff Bland leads the talented kitchen team behind the creative dishes that continue to excite diners today.

The stylish basement restaurant is part of one of Edinburgh’s most prestigious and beloved hotels, The Balmoral, and is ideal to Clockwise from top: Martin Wishart, The Kitchin and 21212.

Left: Number One.

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indulge in a tantalising meal. The Chefs Tasting menu celebrates stunning ingredients such as Balvenie smoked salmon or Orkney beef.

RESTAURANT MARTIN WISHART 54 The Shore www.restaurant martinwishart.co.uk 0131 553 3557

Nestled in Edinburgh’s historic Port of Leith with stunning maritime views, Martin Wishart’s Michelin-starred restaurant has become an institution of elegant, inventive fine dining. It’s no wonder Wishart has established himself as one of the country’s top chefs, having trained under greats such as Albert Roux, Nick Nairn and Marco Pierre White, before perfecting his unique style.

High quality, seasonal Scottish produce is at the heart of Wishart’s delicate creations, which are best enjoyed as part of the six-course tasting menu.

On it you might find a sumptious

ravioli of squab pigeon with truffle cream, or an exquisite valrhona chocolate and feuilletine biscuit.

21212 3 Royal Terrace www.21212restaurant.co.uk 0131 523 1030

Take your palate on an exciting tantalising journey at Paul Kitching’s multi award-winning restaurant. The innovative, ever changing menu perfectly showcases Kitching’s famous creative flair and takes inspiration from French cuisine to create carefully constructed, modern dishes. 21212 earned its welldeserved Michelin star shortly after it opened in 2009 and Kitching has continued to inspire and delight with his modern cooking ever since. A ‘summer truffle blanquette’, featuring abalone, fregola, duxelles, gigli and coriander, or the sumptuous halibut with egg shells are just some examples of what you can expect on the dynamic, everchanging menu.

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Passionate

about Seafood 61-65 Rose Street Edinburgh EH2 2NH Reservations 0131 225 5979 157 Hope Street Glasgow G2 2UQ Reservations 0141 572 1405

www.mussel-inn.com

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Scotland’s larder takes centre stage at these high-end restaurants AMBER RESTAURANT 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile www.amber-restaurant.co.uk 0131 220 6288

This restaurant is a must-stop for whisky fans as it boasts an impressive collection of 300 malts and blends. Whisky and food matches are available, and are a great way to experience Scotland’s famous amber nectar and its rich larder. Their Taste of Scotland menu features stunning dishes like the cock-a-leekie terrine with prune chutney or the roe deer wrapped in streaky bacon with haggis mash.

ANGEL’S SHARE 9-11 Hope Street www.angelssharehotel.com 0131 247 7000

Angel’s Share’s acclaimed restaurant is as elegant as it is cosy, creating the perfect atmosphere to indulge in the handcrafted, quintessentially Scottish menus. Whether you are looking to enjoy an evening gathering or grab a quick lunch before a show, all the menus elevate local produce to create stunning dishes. The Meat Sharing Board, featuring haggis stuffed mushrooms, smoked salmon, dill and crayfish and ham hock terrine, is the perfect way to get a taste of everything.

ANGELS WITH BAGPIPES 343 High Street, Royal Mile www.angelswithbagpipes.co.uk 0131 220 1111

Angels with Bagpipes’ prime location on the atmospheric Royal Mile makes it an easily accessible

option for those looking to enjoy fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

The sleek yet vibrant décor offers the perfect setting to indulge in a delicious meal, carefully put together by Head Chef Fraser Smith and his talented team.

On the menu you’ll find exciting, creative dishes such as a re-invented Scotch broth, in the form of a lamb rump, pearl barley and carrot risotto, or the vanilla panna cotta with rhubarb foam.

FIELD 41 West Nicolson Street www.fieldrestaurant.co.uk 0131 667 7010

At Field, Michelin-standard cuisine is stripped to the bare essentials and combined with a playful element to create an unpretentious yet exciting dining experience. Chef Gordon Craig’s bold and creative style earned the restaurant an inclusion in the 2014 Michelin Guide. Amongst his wonderful concoctions you can find a starter of seared Scottish scallops with cinnamon satay sauce, black pudding and a peanut tuile or a mouthwatering main of roast rump of lamb, grilled lamb liver with potato terrine and basil jus.

ONDINE 2 George IV Bridge www.ondinerestaurant.co.uk 0131 226 1888

Scottish waters are renowned for being home to some of the world’s best seafood, so what better way to get a taste of Scotland than to visit one of Edinburgh’s most acclaimed seafood restaurants? The locallysourced seafood is prepared in an exquisite manner, celebrating the sea with a vast array of mouthwatering dishes such as the classic grilled or thermidor Dunbar lobster with thin cut chips or the tasty crispy oysters served with oyster mayonnaise . In addition to sumptuous seafoood, it offers a buzzing atmosphere.

PLUMED HORSE 50-54 Henderson Street www.plumedhorse.co.uk 0131 554 5556

The Plumed Horse offers classical yet complex dishes that not only showcase Scotland’s heritage but successfully reinvent it. On the menu you’ll find delights such as the Ballimore oyster panna cotta with passion fruit home-cured salmon or stuffed loin of rabbit with sautéed kidney and cognacspiked rabbit juices.

Top: Ondine Left: Angel’s Share and Restaurant Mark Greenaway

RESTAURANT MARK GREENAWAY 69 North Castle Street www.markgreenaway.com 0131 226 1155

Restaurant Mark Greenaway’s elegant dining room manages a rare feat: its relaxed atmosphere induces a sense of calm whilst its exciting menu encourages eager anticipation. Renowned chef Mark Greenaway has over 22 years of experience behind him, a journey perfectly showcased in his seasonal menu. Using classic methods and flavour combinations with modern accents, Greenaway creates updated versions of firm favourites such as the Scottish beef Wellington or the wild garlic and potato veloute. It’s not about reinventing the wheel; it’s about reinterpreting it.

STAC POLLY 29-33 Dublin Street www.stacpolly.com 0131 556 2231

Descend to this basement nestled on Dublin Street and you will encounter a luxurious restaurant with stone-walled cellars, flickering candles and linen tablecloths in which to enjoy everything Scottish cuisine has to offer. The seasonal menu changes monthly yet fine dining is always at its heart, with a typical dish being baked filo pastry parcels of haggis, sweet plum and red wine sauce.

SYLVESTERS 55-57 West Nicolson Street www.sylvestersedinburgh.co.uk 0131 662 4493

With its prime location, central to many of the city’s favourite attractions, family-run Sylvesters

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FOOD SCOTTISH is a great spot to indulge in a delicious meal showcasing modern Scottish fare.

The ingredients are locally sourced from hand-picked suppliers, ensuring the highest quality, and the creative menu features stunning combinations such as the scallop and crab ravioli with brandy sauce and lime foam or the cod loin served with a poached egg, crushed potatoes with butter and chive sauce.

Jason uses local, seasonal and fresh produce in a menu that changes to reflect this. Ideal if you are looking for an intimate and cosy dining spot.

THE SUN INN Lothianbridge, Dalkeith www.thesuninnedinburgh.co.uk 0131 663 2456

This award winning pub and boutique inn is perfect for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre.

The beautiful old coaching inn lies close to the banks of the River Esk in five acres of stunning, rolling wooded grounds.

With an AA rosette under its belt, the gastropub offers diners mouthwatering dishes that perfectly showcase local produce.

Some examples are the panseared King scallops, Newhaven mackerel fillet and textures of apple or the Borders’ lamb cutlet with slow braised and rolled hoggit shoulder.

THE FORTH FLOOR 30-34 St Andrews Square www.harveynichols.com 0131 524 8350

Harvey Nichols’s rooftop restaurant has a lot going for it, with its stunning views of Edinburgh’s skyline, extensive wine list and stylish atmosphere.

Award-wining executive chef Stuart Muir uses the finest local produce to create dishes that match modern flavours with traditional techniques.

Featuring delicious dishes such as the sous vide Borders beef fillet with braised ox tail roulade and marrow bone and brioche crumb, the menu is sure to excite you.

THE TOWER RESTAURANT National Museum of Scotland, Chamber Street www.tower-restaurant.com 0131 225 3003

Sylvesters and The Witchery by the Castle THE MAGNUM 1 Albany Street www.themagnumrestaurant.co.uk 0131 557 4366

CRAFT BEER & BEER GARDENS

Tucked away in the corner of Albany Street, The Magnum combines fresh local ingredients with traditional flavours to create flavoursome dishes like the crispy haggis spring roll or the seared venison haunch with broccoli and blue cheese purée. With the option to mix and match from the a la carte and the bar menu, you will certainly be spoilt for choice.

You will also find over 70 whiskies to choose from, including a smoky Islay Malt and a deliciously big-bodied Highland single malt scotch.

143 Cowgate www.brewdog.com

THE STOCKBRIDGE RESTAURANT 54 St Stephen Street thestockbridgerestaurant.co.uk 0131 226 6766

Fine dining is given a makeover in this family-run eatery in the heart of peaceful Stockbridge.

Head Chef Jason Gallagher creates exquisite dishes that have all the excitement of a fine dining restaurant without the fuss.

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BREWDOG

Holding the title of the largest independent brewery in Scotland, BrewDog is a must stop for beer lovers. Try one of their own famous beers or have a pint of one of the guest ales, brought in from some of the world’s best breweries.

CUMBERLAND BAR 1-3 Cumberland Street www.cumberlandbar.co.uk

This charming pub is popular for its great collection of fine real ales. Its secluded beer garden is the perfect spot to soak up the

sun on warm days while you cool down with an ice-cold pint.

HANGING BAT 133 Lothian Road www.thehangingbat.com

Focusing on independent suppliers, Lothian Road’s coolest beer spot offers craft ale enthusiasts a wide range of kegs, casks and bottles. Served in Schooners instead of pint glasses to preserve the condition of the beer, the interesting flavours can be enjoyed while marvelling at the onsite brewhouse, Alpha Project.

JEREMIAH’S TAPROOM 7-8 Elm Row www.jeremiahstaproom.co.uk

Stop off at this Leith pub and you’ll be spoilt for choice with their impressive collection of local and worldwide craft beers and lagers. It boasts over sixteen taps and always has some interesting concoctions on the beer menu if you fancy experimenting.

Book a table at James Thomson’s stylish rooftop restaurant and indulge in an evening of fine dining surrounded by stunning views of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town.

On warm, sunny days, you can marvel at Edinburgh Castle from the terrace while sipping on a delicious cocktail or indulging in a tantalising al fresco meal.

Menu highlights include the trio of Scottish salmon and Guy Grieve’s hand-dived scallops with skordalia potatoes, crispy ham and bouillabaisse sauce.

THE WITCHERY BY THE CASTLE Castlehill, The Royal Mile www.thewitchery.com 0131 225 5613

Situated in the heart of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town, The Witchery perfectly captures the romance often attributed to Edinburgh’s historic streets.

Stepping into this dining landmark will take you back a couple of centuries, with its opulent décor and magical atmosphere. The legendary Angus beef steak tartare is a must try for those looking to truly experience amazing local produce.

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THE BEST OF THE FRINGE FEST ON FORTH Join us this August for some cabaret, comedy and cocktails.

Sundays 9, 16, 23 & 30 August Doors open 7.30pm Dinner from 7.30pm, show starts at 9.30pm DINNER, COCKTAIL & SHOW – £35 To book, please call 0844 693 3008, or visit arfringe.com.

COCKTAIL & SHOW – £15 To book, please call 0131 226 0000, or book online at edfringe.com.

A SLICE OF SUMMER THE FUN STARTS AFTER SUNDOWN ENJOY THREE COURSES AND A WELCOME COCKTAIL £20 at the Forth Floor Brasserie £30 at the Forth Floor Restaurant Wednesday 1 July - Monday 31 August 2015* To book, please call 0131 524 8350, or visit harveynichols.com/summerdining. * Selected days only. Terms and Conditions apply.

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Rustic Mediterranean cuisine by chef Patron J-Michel and his team.

www.lagarrigue.co.uk

Festival Opening Times from 1st to 30th August Open 7 days from 11.30am until 9.30pm

“Gordon Ramsay’s Favourite Award winning French restaurant, open for lunch and dinner” Tel 0131 557 3032 Email reservations@lagarrigue.co.uk

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FRENCH FOOD cod with brown shrimps and white beans and finish with a classic apple tarte tatin for a truly indulgent dining experience.

The Auld Alliance remains strong at Edinburgh’s many top-quality French eateries

HOTEL DU VIN 11 Bistro Place www.hotelduvin.com 0844 736 4255

Hotel du Vin’s building has lived through many guises – poorhouse, asylum, science lab, and, most recently, an exquisite boutique hotel with a Frenchinspired bistro. Classic, robust, earthy dishes and slow-cooked foods make up the menu, showcasing a strong Gallic influence yet never forgetting its British roots, something the beef bourguignon on the bone with braised beef short ribs, Portobello mushrooms and smoked pancetta exemplifies.

CAFÉ ST HONORÉ 34 North West Thistle Street Lane www.cafesthonore.com 0131 226 2211

Hidden down a cobbled lane in Edinburgh’s New Town, Café St Honoré is one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Chef Director Neil Forbes and his team pride themselves on cooking fresh dishes, using Scottish ingredients sourced from local producers and suppliers, ensuring they support the local economy and reducing food miles in line with their ‘Slow Food’ philosophy.

Scotland meets France in the Gartmorn Farm confit duck leg with lentil salad or the wild mint creme brulee with shortbread.

CAFÉ MARLAYNE 13 Antigua Street www.cafemarlayne.com 0131 558 8244 76 Thistle Street, Newtow www.cafemarlayne.com 0131 226 2230

Since it first opened its doors in March 2000, Café Marlayne on Thistle Street quickly established itself in Edinburgh’s bustling dining scene as one of the best restaurants serving French cuisine. Its location and its aesthetics are a tribute to the tiny backstreet bistros you can find all over Paris, accentuated by the fact that it squeezes all its flavour into just 35 square metres.

Venison terrine, whole lemon sole with petit pois and creme faiche and rhubarb frangipane tart are just some of the delicious gems on the menu.

LA GARRIGUE CHEZ JULES 109 Hanover Street www.chezjulesbistro.com 0131 226 6992

Nestled in a cosy basement just off George Street, this charming French eatery serves French classics in its chic art deco setting. The busy venue has an intimate feel, accentuated by candlelit tables and a relaxed atmosphere. On the menu you’ll find delicacies such as boudin noir aux pommes and escargots en cocquille a l’ail followed by le canard roti.

GALVIN BRASSERIE Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, Rutland Street www.galvinbrasseriedeluxe.com 0131 222 8988

The Pompadour’s sister restaurant is the Galvin brothers’ second Edinburgh venture, which offers diners a slice of Paris in the heart of the city centre.

The theatrical crustacea showcase built into the bar steals

the show and promises diners great things to come with its vibrant array of seafood.

Start your meal with moules marinières followed by pavé of

31 Jeffrey Street www.lagarrigue.co.uk 0131 557 3032

This acclaimed rustic French eatery is the proud holder of two AA rosettes. The food is inspired

- Wine Bar 9 Randolph Place Edinburgh EH3 7TE 0131 538 1815 www.ledivin.co.uk Le Di-Vin - Edinburgh’s most sophisticated wine bar, located beside La P’tite Folie restaurant in the heart of the city’s West End

Top: Café St Honoré Left: Hotel du Vin

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atmosphere of the city of lights in Edinburgh. Francophiles will be delighted by the traditional menu, starring sumptuous escargots with garlic, parsley and Pernod butter, as well as the authentic checked tablecloths and candlelit romance.

ANFORA WINE BAR 87a Giles Street www.anforawinebar.co.uk

Visit Leith’s newest venue, located in a historic building full of character and rustic flair, to enjoy a vast selection of thrilling wines and fresh, seasonal produce.

PIERRE VICTOIRE 18 Eyre Place pierrevictoirerestaurant.co.uk 0131 556 0006

DIVINO ENOTECA 5 Merchant St www.vittoriagroup.co.uk

Head to this hidden gem in Edinburgh’s Old Town and explore the world of wine with one of their “wine flights.”

The tasting experience will take your palate on a journey in which you will discover the wonders of delicious wine and tuck into some sumptuous Italian food.

ECCO VINO 19 Cockburn Street www.eccovinoedinburgh.com

This intimate wine bar and restaurant has an impressive wine collection which takes over the restaurant’s walls –what décor could be more appropriate? The relaxed atmosphere and welcoming staff will make for a delightful, wine-filled evening.

LE DI-VIN 9 Randolph Place www.ledivin.co.uk

The former Oratory of St Anne has been transformed into a chic and stylish wine bar that exudes elegance and decadence. The wine list is as extensive as its bottledecorated walls.

ROLLO 108 Raeburn Place www.barrollo.com

This family-owned and operated wine bar and restaurant tempts wine enthusiasts with its colourful list of wines from all over the world. It has a vibrant, creative environment, perfect to enjoy a glass of wine– or two!

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by Languedoc, a French region known as ‘Le Midi’, and on the menu you can find exciting concoctions such as pan-fried turbot, fennel and tomato sauce, and pork stuffed squid pocket with parsley.

LA PETIT MORT 32 Valleyfield Street, Tollcross www.lapetitemortedinburgh.co.uk 0131 229 3693

This sensually-named eatery in Tollcross has gained a lot of attention since it opened in April this year. With a strong focus on locally-sourced ingredients and an impressive drinks list, French flavours are reinvented with a Scottish twist. Scallops on home-smoked halloumi with sauce vierge or blanched new spring asparagus spears with poached duck egg and minted beurre noisette are just some of the delights on the menu.

L’ESCARGOT BLANC 17 Queensferry Street www.lescargotblanc.co.uk 0131 226 1890

Visit L’Escargot Blanc and be transported to la Provence with a classic menu created with seasonal produce. Soak up the lively atmosphere while you indulge in a menu that celebrates the Gallic country in all its grandeur. The Gartmorn Farm free range confit duck served with gizard and apple clafoutis is a must try.

L’ESCARGOT BLEU 56 Broughton Street www.lescargotbleu.co.uk 0131 557 1600

Launched in 2009, L’Escargot Blanc’s sister restaurant is the kind of place that compels you to burst into your dimlyremembered and slightly embarrassing school French.

Sit by the windows for some interesting people-watching as you sip on a glass of Ricard and indulge in world-renowned cheese, or enjoy a relaxed candlelit meal with friends.

MAISON BLEUE 36-38 Victoria Street www.maisonbleuerestaurant.com 0131 226 1900

France, North Africa and Scotland meet in this intimate eatery.

Its candlelit interior will attract passers-by, but its eclectic, strongly Gallic menu steals the show. The star dish is, without a doubt, the Bedouin, an exclusive feast experience which must be ordered 24 hours in advance.

It is worth it, however, as the half lamb cooked for a minimum of six hours in North African spices will melt in your mouth.

Modern pale wood tables, blackboard specials and robust, hearty food make Pierre Victoire an excellent choice for those looking to indulge in a filling, delicious French meal. Located a stone’s throw from George Street, restaurateur Pierre Levicky’s menu features classics such as fillet mignon and confit de canard en cassoulet among the affordable specials.

POMPADOUR BY GALVIN Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, Princes Street www.thepompadourbygalvin.com 0131 222 8975

Luxury and elegance are at the heart of this stylish eatery – one of Edinburgh’s most reputable restaurants. Its prime location in the acclaimed Waldorf Astoria makes it one of the most magnificent dining rooms in the city, with panoramic views of Edinburgh Castle, a private salon cocktail bar and exquisite hand-painted wall panels. Michelin-starred chef brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin create classic dishes with a modern twist such as the tagine of Bresse pigeon with cous cous and confit lemon or the pavé of scrabster cod grenobloise with truffle emulsion.

PETIT PARIS 38-40 Grassmarket www.petitparis-restaurant.co.uk 0131 226 2442

The name says it all, as this charming little eatery manages to recreate the flavour and the Top: Café St Honoré Left: Hotel du Vin

THE HONOURS 58A North Castle Street www.thehonours.co.uk 0131 220 2513

Martin Wishart’s second Edinburgh venue launched in 2011 to great acclaim and plaudits. The Scottish Crown Jewels were also known as the Honours of Scotland, but Wishart’s restaurant is decidedly French, both in its elegant and stylish décor and its reinvented traditional menu. Flavours are expertly combined to create brasserie-influenced dishes such as the rabbit a la moutarde with pommes sautees.

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23/06/2015 21:30

NEW SUMMER DRINK & FOOD MENUS OUT NOW!

Seasonal cocktails, Scottish craft beers and over 100 spirits

TO BOOK YOUR PRIVATE PARTY GET IN TOUCH ON OUR WEBSITE

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OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK UNTIL 1 AM FOOD SERVED 12PM - 9PM QUIZ EVERY THURSDAY @9PM LIVE DJS EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT

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FOOD FUSION and delicious food. On the menu, you’ll find a mix of traditional and adventurous dishes influenced by the world’s cuisines, from the black pudding, toast, fried egg, parsley and capers starter to the churros and chocolate dessert.

Refusing to be tied down to one type of cuisine, these fusion mavericks offer a little bit of everything

IRIS BIA BISTROT

47A Thistle Street www.irisedinburgh.co.uk 0131 220 2111

19 Colinton Road www.biabistrot.co.uk 0131 452 8453

At this delightful eatery, Ireland and France meet – bia is Irish Gaelic for food and bistrot is the French spelling of bistro. Roisin and Matthias Llorente create dishes that bring together the flavours of their homelands. Must-tries are the slow-braised pork cheeks, parsnip, leeks and red wine jus and the beetroot, endive and cashew salad.

Clockwise from top: One Square and The Potting Shed Bottom right: Treacle

BLACKFRIARS 57-61 Blackfriars Street www.blackfriarsedinburgh.co.uk 0131 558 8684

This small, independent restaurant and bar just off the Royal Mile offers a relaxed space

IN THE

CITY

Cool Cocktails, Great Food incredible selection of Over 150 Rums

Cocktail Masterclasses The Awesome waffle sandwhich special Tuesday to Sunday 12 noon till Late We are a Child and Pooch friendly bar

13-14 Melville Place Edinburgh, EH3 7PR EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2015

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BEACH

EAT - DRINK - PLAY Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Live Music

120

OR ON THE

Thistle Street is bursting with little restaurants waiting to be explored, and Iris is one of them.

The low-key yet stylish boutique restaurant boasts a myriad of dining options, all of which are refreshingly affordable.

The modern European menu features a strong Mediterranean influence and offers a menu choice of eight wide-ranging dishes for both starters and mains. Try the seared scallops with Bierce ham, sizzling prawns cooked with garlic, chilli and fresh coriander or the classic rib-eye steak simply cooked with black pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

0131 226 4732

Delicious Cocktails Great Real Ales Freshly Prepared Cuisine With Daily Specials We are a Child and Dog friendly bar

Open O pen 7 Day Days Days Da ys 9am 9am am till Late La Late 62-64 Bath Street, Portobello, EH15 1HF

0131 669 0082

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FOOD FUSION ONE SQUARE 1 Festival Square www.OneSquareEdinburgh.co.uk 0131 221 6422

One Square serves a delicious range of high-quality, seasonal dishes by Executive Chef Craig Hart. British cuisine is reinvented and injected with a touch of modernity to create sumptuous flavor combinations such as the pickled, baked and compressed Ayrshire beetroot with goat’s cheese mousse. The Quirky and upbeat Carounn gin afternoon tea is a delicious way to fill in time between shows.

REDWOOD Meadow Place Road www.redwoodbistro.co.uk 0131 281 2576

Inspired by the vibrancy of California, the Sunshine State, this neighbourhood bistro brings diners freshly prepared food and drink in welcoming, comfortable surroundings. The menu will transport you to warmer climates, as it features gems such as the spicy caramel bacon popcorn, crab mango salad with lime and chilli dressing or the soy and chilli marinated flank steak with pesto and sweet potato salad.

RHUBARB Prestonfield House www.prestonfield.com 0131 225 1333

Rhubarb is part of the James Thomson empire, which also includes the Witchery and The Tower, and boasts the city’s most dramatic interiors. A riot of baroque colour and drapes, this hotel and restaurant has served everyone from Oliver Reed to the Dalai Lama. Starters include cream of cep soup with soft and crispy duck egg yolk, while a typical main course might be a tasty loin of roe deer, heritage carrots cooked in salt clay, pickled ginger, glazed

BEST COCKTAIL BARS

‘fine dining without pretension’ approach make Wedgwood the prefered choice for gourmets and first daters alike. Chef Paul is inspired by flavours from around the world and uses many ingredients foraged by himself.

On the menu you’ll find delights such as Skye langoustine and crispy pigs’ tails with green apple, mackerel with sweet potato and sea rocket gnocchi, and mushroom and leek cannelloni with foraged greens, cream, buttered Jersey royal potatoes and onion.

BRAMBLE 16A Queen Street www.bramblebar.co.uk

One of the top 20 bars in the world, according to Bartender magazine, Bramble is a must-stop for cocktail enthusiasts. Stylish, unpretentious and inventive.

DRAGONFLY 52 West Port Edinburgh www.dragonflycocktailbar.com

This unique and award-winning independent cocktail bar serves interesting concoctions featuring fine spirits, fresh fruits, juices and a few ingredients you might not expect. Prepare to be surprised.

TREACLE 39-41 Broughton Street www.treacleedinburgh.co.uk 0131 557 0627

JUNIPER 20 Princes Street www.juniperedinburgh.co.uk

Head to this stylish bar in the city centre and taste some of the best cocktails in town. Seasonal flavours are used to create delights such as the grapefruitinfused Oh Dere.

PANDA AND SONS 79 Queen Street www.pandaandsons.com

It’s easy to miss this trendy and hip cocktail bar in Queen Street’s West End, as it’s cleverly disguised as an old-fashioned barbershop. The décor and

turnips and sauce poivrade.

Finish with their signature trio of rhubarb, or one of their famous cheeseboards.

THE POTTING SHED 32-34 Potterrow thepottingshededinburgh.co.uk 0131 6629788

This recently relaunched eatery has managed to pick up an AA rosette for Culinary Excellence thanks to its deliciously innovative food concept. Small plates, including a wide range of nibbles,

cocktail list will make you feel as though you’ve just stepped into the Mad Men set.

TIGERLILY 125 George Street www.tigerlilyedinburgh.co.uk

If you’re seeking a glamorous spot to enjoy some delicious cocktails, Tigerlily is the perfect choice. Watch in awe as top experts from around the globe perfect each and every drops. your glass.

and dishes “from the sea,” “from the land” and “ground provisions” as well as a vast selection of puddings to finish, take your taste buds on a tantalising journey across the world. Highlights include the lemongrass and mint noodles with preserved lemon and the pigs cheeks with sweet and sour beetroot. Stunning pots, vibrant plants and gardening utensils decorate the walls, creating a rustic yet stylish space – a true green paradise.

WEDGWOOD THE RESTAURANT Royal Mile, 267 Canongate www.wedgwood therestaurant.co.uk 0131 558 8737

Husband and wife team Paul and Lisa Wedgwood opened their restaurant in 2007 to fulfil their dream of offering diners the ‘perfect night out.’ Friendly and unobtrusive surroundings and a

This chic and stylish cocktail bar and Asian-influenced eatery is a must stop for the hipster foodie. Expert mixologists provide entertainment as they work their magic behind the bar to create amazing cocktails, perfect to go with the relaxed, yet delicious menu bursting with supmtuous dishes. The Asian sharing platter features crispy coconut chicken, craft ale-battered prawns, pok pok chicken wings, sweet potato chips and sticky plum dip and red chilli and mint vedita to dunk, adding extra flavour.

For something a little more filling, try the Bang Bang noodle salad or one of the delicious pies.

TWENTY PRINCES STREET 20 Princes Street www.twentyprincesstreet.co.uk 0131 652 7370

Since it recently reopened, Twenty Princes Street has firmly established itself on the Edinburgh food map with its inventive, carefully concocted menu. The opulent dining room and its adjacent cocktail bar are part of the Royal British Hotel, on the city’s favourite shopping street, and offer diners stunning panoramic views of Edinburgh Castle from floor-to-ceiling windows. Award-winning head chef Tony Sarton is known for playing with flavour combinations: the fillet of beef tartare comes with a delicious brown bread ice cream; the seaweed and sesamecoated halibut with Chinese crab dumpling is perfectly complimented by a DIY broth; and the fire and ice banoffee baked Alaska offers a modern twist on two classic dishes.

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ITALIAN FOOD JAMIE’S ITALIAN

Italian cuisine has a long and prestigious history in Scotland, and Edinburgh boasts some of the best Italian restaurants

The Assembly Rooms, 54 George Street www.jamieoliver.com 0131 202 5452

The Naked Chef needs no introduction, as Jamie’s healthy and hearty recipes are known worldwide. True to his signature style, Jamie’s Italian follows simple, traditional recipes which bring out the natural flavours of fresh ingredients. Rooted in authenticity but with an added Jamie twist, the menu features dishes such as turkey Milanese and the famous prawn linguine.

AMARONE 12-13 St Andrews Square www.amaronerestaurant.co.uk 0131 523 1171

This stunning restaurant on the corner between George Street and St Andrews Square exudes grandeur and style. The building is awe-inspiring and its stylish interior offers the cool ambience of a contemporary Milanese restaurant. If it’s a sunny day, you can enjoy al fresco dining in the purpose-built area outside, perfect for people-watching while you sip on a glass of Cab Sauv.

authenticity in mind, the familyrun establishment is the ideal spot to grab a bite after a day of shopping. The veal scaloppine funghi e crema is a must try.

CONTINI RISTORANTE

ASTI 73 Broughton Street www.astirestaurant.co.uk 0131 558 9156

103 George Street www.contini.com 0131 225 1550

From the menu to the staff to the atmosphere, everything about this charming little eatery will make you feel like you’ve just stepped into a busy restaurant in Rome. It’s a great spot to spend a leisurely evening catching up with friends over wine while you tuck into a delicious linguine al granchio.

Victor and Carina Contini’s awardwinning restaurant occupies a former bank, a truly beautiful space. Classic dishes are expertly put together to tantalise your palate with modern versions of classic Italian dishes. Try the asparagus pizza finished off with Ciacca extra virgin olive oil, or the signature piccante sausages with cime di rapa.

BAR ITALIA

ICE CREAM

100 Lothian Road www.baritalia-edinburgh.co.uk 0131 228 6379

Bar Italia is the perfect example of a traditional, family-run, Italian restaurant. It’s family friendly and its welcoming staff and charming décor have been making diners feel at home for years.

Unsurprisingly, homemade pasta and pizza are the stars of the menu yet they are complemented by a wide range of other authentic staples such as the risotto rustico or the pollo al pesto.

BAR NAPOLI 75 Hanover Street www.barnapoli.co.uk 0131 225 2600

Situated just off George Street, Bar Napoli has been feeding Edinburgh residents and visitors for over three decades.

Serving modern and classic dishes yet always keeping

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LA FAVORITA

Top: Contini CUCINA AT G & V ROYAL MILE HOTEL 1 George IV Bridge www.quorvuscollection.com 0131 240 1666

On the first floor of the G & V Royal Mile hotel, the award-winning Cucina delights diners with its modern take on classic dishes.

Head Chef Mattia Camorani is the mastermind behind the fine dining menu, which features stunning dishes such as the juicy pork fillet in ‘sarmoriglio’, as well as the creamy three grain risotto with peas and pancetta. The colourful décor and vibrant atmosphere reinforce the boutique feel of the hotel and restaurant and are the perfect backdrop to enjoy a tasty meal.

AFFOGATO

MARY’S MILK BAR

36 Queensferry Street www.affogatogelato.co.uk

19 Grassmarket www.marysmilkbar.com

If you are craving authentic, melt-in-your-mouth gelato, Affogato in the West End is the place to go. It has a wide range of creamy and refreshing flavours and serves cracking coffee and pastries.

Fresh, homemade gelato and chocolate are the speciality at Mary’s Milk Bar, a glamorous deco parlour. Try one of their interesting ice cream flavours or picnic boxes and you’ll instantly know why.

FRISKY 13 Forrest Road 37 Lothian Road www.friskyfroyo.com

Scotland’s original frozen yoghurt brand, Frisky is a must stop for those looking to indulge in a refreshing cup of creamy froyo.

With a wide selection of toppings and a changing guest flavour (who knew macha froyo was a thing?), you’ll be spoilt for choice!

SCOOPZ 25-27 West Nicolson Street www.scoopz-uk.com

If you are in the city’s Southside and are in need of a sweet treat to cool you down, Scoopz boasts Edinburgh’s largest range of icecreams, sundaes, Belgian waffles, pancakes and sweet crepes to get you through the summer.

325-331 Leith Walk www.vittoriagroup.co.uk 0131 554 2430

Award-winning La Favorita is considered one of the best pizzerias in Britain and, judging by its always busy, bustling atmosphere and delicious menu, it’s no wonder why. Their doughey delights have become very popular in the city. You’ll feel like you are tucking into an authentic pizza on the bustling streets of Rome from the very first gooey bite.

LUCANO’S KITCHEN 37-39 George IV Bridge www.caffelucano.com 0131 225 6690

A vibrant little café by day and a boutique restaurant by night, this charming eatery in the Old Town has something for every palate and every occasion.

Grab a homemade pastry with your morning coffee or enjoy a delightful evening meal, when the restaurant is transformed into a bistro-style Italian paradise.

You’ll want to have something from the changing specials board, which might feature a sumptuous pork belly ragu or scallop risotto.

VITTORIA ON THE WALK 113 Brunswick Street www.vittoriagroup.co.uk 0131 556 6171

This institution has been serving authentic and fresh food for fortyfive years. It is a bustling, vibrant and family-friendly eatery, ideal for little fussy eaters as well as for adults with more developed palates. On sunny, warm days you can sit outside and watch Edinburgh go by while you tuck into their delicious vitello alla parmigiana.

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SPANISH & LATIN AMERICAN FOOD EL QUIJOTE

Spanish and Latin American flavours and flair will transport you to warmer climates at these restaurants

13 Broughton Street www.quijotetapas.co.uk 0131 478 2856

Imitating the décor and food of an old-fashioned Spanish tavern, El Quijote offers dishes bursting with flavours that melt in your mouth. The Sancho, a ratatouille, chorizo and free range egg dish topped with serrano ham and finished with a drop of olive oil and the Caldereta de Venado, a hearty venison stew with chips, are must tries.

CAFÉ ANDALUZ 77b George Street www.cafeandaluz.com 0131 220 9980

Offering diners a taste of the southern region of Andalucia, the home of traditional flamenco dancing, this trendy eatery stands out in bustling George Street.

It is perfect for big groups as it boasts a large and airy space to accomodate everyone. Choose from its great selection of tapas, best shared so everyone at the table can experience a bit of everything. The plato combiando, with Serrano ham and Manchego cheese, will kick the night off before you tuck into a tasty honey battered chicken or some classic crispy chipirones.

INDABA 3 Lochrin Terrace www.edindaba.co.uk 0131 221 1554

This page: Tapa. Opposite: La Tasca

Tucked away in a corner, this tiny restaurant serves an eclectic mix of Spanish and South African dishes. Charlton and Begoña use fresh, locally sourced ingredients to present a great selection of tapas, from the classic chorizos a la sidra – pan fried chorizo with cider and onion – to the boerewords, pap en suis – a sausage with mielie pap and sauce.

OPEN 7 DAYS 12pm -5am 47 Lothian Street Edinburgh EH1 1HB +44(0)131 220 4287 www.botecodobrasil.com twitter: botecoedinburgh Boteco_EF_Half_page_advert_proof.indd www.edfestmag.com

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Hot Pot

火锅

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WWW.CAFECASSIS.CO.UK

Open every Frid

SPANISH FOOD LASAL

that is prepared right in front of you. The mouth-watering menu features flavoursome burritos, tacos, fajitas and nachos and the easy-going, relaxed atmosphere is ideal for stopping to grab a bite before heading to a show.

6-8 Howden Street www.lasal.co.uk 0131 667 3600

A traditional tapas and paella bar is already appealing enough to attract Mediterranean food enthusiasts, but add flamenco performances into the mix and you have a winning combination.

They offer a traditional tapas menu featuring classics such as paella, tortillas, chorizo and Serrano ham and stunning flamenco performances that will make you want to put on your dancing shoes.

SERRANO MANCHEGO 297 Leith Walk www.serranomanchego.co.uk 0131 554 0955

With a name that refers to two of Spanish cuisine’s favourite staples, Serrano Manchego makes a bold statement.

It boasts a stylish setting and takes a modern approach to the country’s famous dishes.

The authenticity of the menu is clear, with lesser known dishes such as Ensaladilla rusa, a tuna, mayonnaise and potato salad, or bocatas, Spanish filled baguettes, stealing the show.

LAS IGUANAS 141-143 George Street www.iguanas.co.uk 0131 226 2107

This colourful and vibrant eatery serves tasty dishes packed with latin flavours. The food’s exotic roots combine into a delightful fusion of native Latin American Indian, Spanish, Portuguese and African influences. The menu is bursting with exciting flavour combinations such as the pato taquito, shreds of roast duck and caramelised onion wrapped in a flour tortilla with a cranberry salsa, and the Tembleque pudding, a mix of creamy coconut with berries and mango purée.

TAPA 19 Shore Place www.tapaedinburgh.co.uk 0131 476 6776

of sangria. Its award-winning menu features a great mix of firm favourites, such as tortilla or paella, and some interesting, lesser known concoctions, such as the slow-cooked pork cheeks with Pedro Ximenez.

asado putting a typical British barbecue to shame. Specialising in ‘just meat’, this eatery offers sumptuous, hearty dishes such as the churrascos de cuadril (Argentine rump steak), in an unpretentious manner.

LA TASCA 9 South Charlotte Street www.latasca.com 0131 220 0011

This famous tapas bar and restaurant is a great spot to share a delicious meal with friends while sipping on a (large) glass

LOS ARGENTINOS

PINTO MEXICAN

28-30 West Preston Street www.losargentinossteakhousein edinburgh.co.uk 0131 668 3111

119 Lothian Road www.pintomexican.com 0131 228 8269

Argentina is just as famous as Scotland for its beef, with an

This rapidly-growing local Mexican chain serves fresh, healthy and exciting street food,

CLUBS

THE BASEMENT

CABARET VOLTAIRE

LULU

36 Blair Street www.thecabaretvoltaire.com

125b George Street www.lulu edinburgh.co.uk

Spanning two floors, home to a cool bar and grungy club, Cab Vol, as locals refer to it, is ideal for a couple of drinks or a boogie on one of the two dance floors.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS 36-39 Market Place www.theelectric circus.biz

With seven karaoke rooms, a great range of live music and unashamedly upbeat club nights, there is a party option to suit everyone at the Circus.

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Set in the Shore area of Leith in a former bonded warehouse refurbished to create a warm and stylish space, Tapa evokes Iberian memories in both its décor and its menu. Head Chef Paco Martin Romano hails from Sevilla, a stunning city in the Andalucia region of Spain. He’s extremely passionate about artisan, traditional cooking with a twist.

On the menu you can find sumptuous tapas such as the delicias de ternera, slowly-braised shin of beef croquettes, rolled in polenta and accompanied by a duo of mojo salsas.

Beneath the stylish Tigerlily, Lulu is the ultimate way to end your night out. Russell Brand, Girls Aloud and Emeli Sandé are among the visitors who have torn up its LED dancefloor in the past.

OPAL LOUNGE 51a George Street www.opallounge.co.uk

As one of the most popular nightspots in Edinburgh,

the Opal Lounge is a thriving late night lounge and nightclub.

The underground venue is home to the Dom Perignon VIP Lounge, the jar bar and the sunken lounge with its own personal DJ. SUPERCUBE 58a George Street www.supercube.biz

What better way to enjoy a night out than to indulge in a session of good ol’ karaoke? This paradise has all the gear to ensure you enjoy a great night with friends – in a private room, in case you can’t hit the right notes.

10a-12a Broughton Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3RH www.basement -bar-edinburgh.co.uk 0131 557 0097

Housed in a basement at the top of Broughton Street is this ubertrendy cocktail bar and Mexican food haven. Its tequila menu is as impressive as its colourful and atmospheric décor and the flavour-packed dishes are perfect for a relaxed meal with friends.

Guacamole is made right at your table so that you can ensure it is exactly the right flavour for you.

Choose to add chilli, lime, or red onion and get ready to dunk some tortilla chips in the best, freshlymade green dip in town.

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Sometimes only a good old-fashioned burger and fries will hit the spot

BURGER. 94a Fountainbridge www.burgeruk.co.uk

OUTSIDE CATERING FOR OFFICES AND PARTIES ALSO AVAILABLE!

Pop into this informal diner to enjoy perfect-size-for-your-hands burgers that melt in the mouth with the first bite. In addtion to burgers, the menu features dogs, sides, a great selection of shakes and ice creams and some interesting beers. The specials menu changes every fortnight, offering seasonal dishes and guest beers. An example of what you might find is the negro y azul, a grilled beef bun with Picos blue cheese, morcilla, quince paste, red onion and saffron aioli.

BURGER MEATS BUN 1 Forth Street www.burger-meats-bun.co.uk 0131 556 7023

Hailing from Glasgow, this burger hotspot has a slogan that really does say it all: ‘Burgers.

But Better’. Using only the best quality, locally-sourced ingredients, including Aberfloyle Butchers’ beef, the culinary minds behind BMB have worked hard to achieve the perfect burger.

If you’re lucky, you might catch the not-for-the-faint-hearted mac nuggets – perfect cubes of breaded, deep fried mac and cheese.

Spoil your loved one with a stunning gift ,choose from romantic roses or elegant bouquets ,Belgian chocolates in heart shaped boxes , champagne and hampers.

Order online now or why not pop into our shop in Morningside.

CLERK’S BAR 74-78 South Clerk Street www.clerksbar.co.uk 0131 667 2701

The Clerk’s Bar’s smoked menu is exactly what you need after a hard day of walking around Edinburgh’s bustling streets and caching a couple of good shows.

The baby back ribs, smoked chicken and pulled pork are all smoked in-house for up to twelve hours and are complimented by a mouth-watering selection of burgers, dogs and nachos that can be washed down with some cracking craft beer. Expect sticky fingers and bags of flavour!

JUST BURGERS AND BEERS 192a High Street, Royal Mile www.justburgersandbeers.co.uk 0131 226 1214

This Old Town eatery’s name is a statement in itself and perfectly

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embodies its ethos; serving a selection of tasty burgers and beers to feast upon. They use fresh, locally-sourced meat, bread and veggies and the humorous menu includes gems such as the Joe Pesci, a beef and salami Milano-filled white glazed bun, or the Rocky Balboa, featuring sweet cured bacon, Scottish dunsyre blue cheese and cracked black pepper.

KYLOE RESTAURANT & GRILL 1-3 Rutland Street www.kyloerestaurant.com 0131 229 3402

The word Kyloe comes from old Scots, when it was used to refer to Highland beef cattle, an ingredient that this gourmet steak restaurant celebrates in all its glory. In addition to the impressive selection of steaks, which include sirloin on the bone and chateaubriand, head chef David Haetzman’s menu also features dishes such as the roast belly of suckling pig with chorizo, lemon and parsley stuffing.

OX184 184-186 Cowgate www.ox184.co.uk 0131 226 2645

This swanky and stylish new restaurant and bar bas just launched in the lively Cowgate, offering a selection of mouthwatering and interesting dishes.

Bites, Mains, Sides and Sweet Stuff make up a funky menu, with each section featuring a great array of catchy dishes.

Highlights include pork cheek nuggets, pulled pork shoulder served in a brioche bun and, of course, the not-to-be-missed OX184 burger.

SHEBEEN 8 Morrison Street www.shebeenbar.co.uk 0131 629 0261

Picking up rave reviews since it first opened in April 2013, this uniquely styled meat haven offers diners a little taste of South Africa in the heart of the city centre. The locally sourced ingredients are perfectly combined to create traditional,

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BURGERS FOOD THE HUXLEY 1 Rutland Street www.thehuxley.co.uk 0131 229 3402

Sit back in one of this gastropub’s comfy leather sofas and relax while you tuck into some of the best burgers and hot dogs in town. Not in the mood for an oldfashioned beef burger? Go for the buttermilk fried chicken burger with brie, spicy mayo, red cabbage, jalapeno and coriander slaw, or the Vietnamese dog, filled with pork belly, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber and sriacha mayo.

CHALLENGES THE BOOZY COW 17 Frederick Street www.boozycow.com

The Boozy Cow just moo-ved into town and is challenging Edinburgh chilli lovers to push their heat tolerance boundaries with its Chilli Challenge. If you manage to polish off a chilli cheese burger, a chilli dog, a portion of chilli cheese fries and an oreo milkshake in fifteen minutes, you will dine for free and be admitted into the Chilli Challenge Hall of Fame.

THE OX 49-51 London Street www.theoxedinburgh.com 0131 556 9808

homemade dishes which make meat the star. If you are in a group of four, or you are two very hungry diners, give the Joburger a go; a 1.2kg homemade patty served in a 10’’ bun topped with tomato, cheese, gherkins, mushroom and more.

SMOKE STACK 53-33 Broughton Street www.smokestack.org.uk 0131 556 6063

This stylish and affordable eatery in trendy Broughton Street serves up tasty, hearty food full of flavour. As members of the Scotch Beef Club and the Sustainable Restaurant Association, the quality of their delicious, locally-sourced beef is proven. Perfectly juicy steaks and burgers are the stars of the menu, which also features tasty mussels.

Additionally, the cheesecake of the day offers the perfect sweet finish to top off your meal.

THE CAMBRIDGE BAR 20 Young Street www.thecambridgebar.co.uk 0131 226 2120

This independent pub hiding in plain sight in the city centre offers

simple, hearty and honest food cooked to perfection. Famous for three things – burgers, beers and sports – you are in for a fun-filled, unpretentious meal. Choose from a veggie, venison, beef, buffalo or chicken patty and finish with as many toppings as you wish, from the sumptuous camembert, the zesty pesto, or the spicy fajita mix with chargrilled peppers and fresh guacamole. All the meats are locally sourced, ensuring they are the star of the dish.

THE HOLYROOD 9A 9a Holyrood Road www.theholyrood.co.uk 0131 556 5044

This beer and gourmet burger joint off the Royal Mile is the newest addition to Edinburgh’s thriving dining scene and offers burger enthusiasts a vast choice to indulge in a truly delicious feast. If you like heat, try the Chilli Death burger, which includes a pickled jalapeno, fresh chilli, chilli jam, sour cream and cheese, and will surely push your tolerance to the limit. You might need a pint, or two, afterwards – good thing they have a great selection of craft beers on offer!

Left: Burger Meets Bun

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Sitting in what used to be the Bellvue, The Ox was born of three good friends’ passion for good food and drink. Here you’ll find carefully thought-out, simple, straightforward and honest dishes. The twice-braised ox cheeks with mash, fondant carrot and the handmade ‘The Ox” burger, to which you can add egg, cheese and bacon, are just some of the gems you’ll find on the delicious menu.

THE SCRAN AND SCALLIE 1 Comely Bank Road www.scranandscallie.com 0131 332 6281

Opened by the same team that operates Michelin-starred The Kitchin and Castle Terrace, The Scran and Scallie joins Edinburgh’s booming gastropub scene. The award-winning pub, located in Stockbridge, offers a warm, family-friendly atmosphere with menus developed by acclaimed chefs Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack, together with head chef James Chapman. The Scran and Scallie gourmet burger and chips will not disappoint.

THE OTHER PLACE 2-4 Broughton Road www.theotherplace edinburgh.com

If you’re feeling ridiculously hungry, check out The Other Place’s burger challenge.

The Other Challenge requires you to tackle a triple chilli cheese and bacon burger with chilli cheese fries and onion rings in twenty minutes to earn yourself a free meal and the Burger King or Queen crown.

THE CITY CAFÉ 19 Blair Street www.citycafeedinburgh.co.uk

Fancy yourself a bit of an Adam Richman in his Man v. Food heyday? Attempt the City Café’s popular Ultimate Burger Challenge for a chance to beat food in what will definitely be a tough fight.

WANNABURGER 7-8 Queensferry Street Lane www.wannaburger.com 0131 220 0036

Drop into this West End burger joint if you’re looking for fast yet fresh food. With the promise of reinterpreted American classics, expect soft buns filled with locally sourced meats and interesting toppings such as peanut butter and mushroom, Leave a special place for dessert – they serve a delicious vanilla ice cream filled with brownie chunks.

WINGS 5-7 Old Fishmarket Close www.wingsedinburgh.com

This cave of wonderful wingyness awaits just off the Mile. Decked out in geeky paraphernalia and offering a hundred different wing toppings, you can fight for a spot in the Wall of Flame if you are feeling brave (or stupid) by taking on the spicy Suicide challenge.

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Theatre Tours International Ltd www.theatretoursinternational.com @GuyMasterson

Guy Masterson 2015

22nd

Edinburgh Season

The Man The Myth a personal journey with Dylan Thomas’ granddaughter, Hannah Ellis, & Guy Masterson “the master of Milk Wood”

Dylan’s life influences and genius... featuring performed excerpts from his poems, letters, stories & (of course) Under Milk Wood!

August 6th to 22nd 2015 (not 19th)

Assembly Roxy Upstairs 13:30 (60 mins)

Tickets: £11 - £14 (Previews - Aug 6th & 7th £10) ww.edfringe.com

THE APARTMENT

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’

semi skimmed (60 mins !)

Under Milk Wood

Guy Masterson’s legendary performance in 60 mins!

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7-13 BARCLAY PLACE | EH10 4HW 0131 228 6456

ONLY 9 SHOWS!

‘relaxed, contemporary bistro dining’

“A feat of multiple characterisation, impeccable timing, vocal dexterity and precise physical control, performed with tremendous sensitivity and panache!” Guardian

August 23rd to 31st 2015

FESTIVAL OPENING HOURS - 12.00PM TO LATE theapartmenthq@hotmail.co.uk | apartmentrestaurant.com

Assembly Roxy Upstairs 13:30 (60 mins) Tickets: £11 - £14

. fixed price set menu available all day . daily specials, steaks & sharing plates . seasonal, local produce . craft beers, luscious cocktails, fantastic wines . private / semi-private dining options available

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These performances are made possible through the generosity of Patricia and Richard Burbidge EFMag Ad Ed2015 Half.indd 1

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INDIAN FOOD MEZBAAN

Glasgow is the curry capital of Scotland, but Edinburgh’s Indian restaurants are turning up the heat

12-14a Brougham Street www.mezbaan.co.uk 0131 229 5578

The owners of Mezbaan are Kerala natives, a beautiful region in the South of India bursting with culinary delights. The exotic, flavoursome dishes include delicious Goan curry and the mouthwatering Wakdi Ali.

GURKHA CAFÉ 25/27 Cockburn Street www.gurkhacafe.co.uk 0131 225 2832

MOTHER INDIA

Specialising in both Indian and Nepalese food, Ghurka Café is the perfect place if you fancy something a little different.

On the menu you’ll find Nepalese delicacies such as the bhuteko kashi, a traditional lamb dish cooked with green chilli, garlic and spring onion, or Mo Mo, steamed dumplings stuffed with spiced chicken mince or vegetables, as well as Indian classics like the special garlic chilli chicken.

3-5 Infirmary Street www.motherindia.co.uk 0131 524 9801

The sister restaurant of the Glasgow institution of the same name, Mother India put their twist on traditional tapas to provide Edinburgh diners with a tasty and adventurous dining experience.

Small plates packed with Indian flavours are best shared amongst the table to ensure you get a taste of everything. Standouts are the ginger and green chilli fish pakora, the classic butter chicken and the spicy potato fritters, rolled in a spicy batter.

KHUSHI’S 10 Antigua Street www.khushis.com 0131 558 1947

Edinburgh’s oldest Indian restaurant has been serving high quality, authentic dishes since the late Mr Kushi Mohammed founded it in 1947. At a time when Indian ingredients were hard to come by, Mohammed imported his spices straight from Punjab, and his passion for food can still be tasted in the restaurant’s dishes today. Highlights include the mixed seafood karahi and the multani tawa paneer.

LANCERS 5 Hamilton Place www.lancersbrasserie.co.uk 0131 332 3444

Located in the charming area of Stockbridge, just a stone’s throw from the city centre, this stylish eatery was voted Scotland’s best Indian restaurant by the Good Curry Guide and has been included in the AA Hotel and Restaurant Guide. Its bespoke wall prints, stylish décor and warm atmosphere offer the

Top: V Deep V DEEP perfect surroundings to enjoy a leisurely evening and indulge in a sumptuous meal. To get a real taste of the delicious menu, try the hand-picked Thalis for one or for two, which include a great selection of modern and classic dishes to feast on. On the vegetarian Thali you’ll find the signature Lancers’ Dal, whereas the meat one features the tasty Lancer’s assorted kebab.

STREET FOOD RESTAURANTS BAR SOBA 104 Hanover Street www.barsoba.co.uk

Head to Bar Soba for a taste of authentic Pan-Asian street food inspired by the bustling markets and noodle vendors of SouthEast Asia. Dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia. Singapore, Korea, China and Japan are accompanied by an extensive cocktail list.

CIVERINO’S 5 Hunter Square www.civerinos.com

From the colourful back streets of Naples to the vibrant avenues of New York, Italian street food has been around for many years,

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and Civerino’s has finally brought it to Edinburgh. Try the twelvehour slow cooked porcini sugo or the aracini rice balls with melting mozzarella centres.

Paul Gregory’s street food is the real deal.

If you drooled over the Cuban sandwiches Jon Favreau whipped up in the movie Chef, head to Fat Yankee’s to try one and fulfill all your food fantasies., from pulled pork samosas to sushi inspired burgers.

This uber-stylish communal craft beer and curry bar opened in Leith just a few months ago to great success. Scottish broadcaster, writer and chef Hardeep Singh Kholi is the business mind behind the chic curry bar while chef Ruaridh heads up the kitchen.

Classic Indian dishes are modernised, and the menu includes a ‘Ruaridh v Hardeep’ section with seven dishes devised by the two men themselves to tantalise your taste buds.

VINYASA 34 Saint Mary’s Stret www.vinyasaedinburgh.co.uk 0131 556 6776

FAT YANKEE’S 27a Marchmont Road www.facebook.com/ fatyankeestreetfood

60 Henderson Street www.vdeep.co.uk 0131 563 5293

TUK TUK 1 Leven Street www.tuktukonline.com

Tuk Tuk’s menu pays homage to the roadside culinary geniuses serving foor in India’s bustling streets. Taste a range of small dishes packed with bags of exotic, aromatic flavours such as the railway station lamb curry, the Daal Makhini or the ginger garlic chicekn.

This new Indian restaurant on St Mary’s Street exudes chic style, from its carefully devised menu to its modern and sleek décor. Chef’s specials include a wide selection of delicious, interesting dishes such as the Vinyasa special murgh, a barbecued half spring chicken off the bone cooked in a delicate sauce, or the shatkora lamb, a sliced leg of lamb with herb and spice mix, marinated in butter and dressed with honey.

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SPICE LOUNGE KITCHEN 1 Craigmount view Edinburgh Eh12 8hg

Mon - sun : 11am - 11pm Phone: 0131 476 9999 www.spiceloungekitchen.co.uk

Spice lounge kitchen is one of the best restaurants in Edinburgh, which serves authentic Indian cuisine as well as continental food.

A must visit restaurant for its dining experience that excites the sense, a vibrant ambience that strikes a balance between fine dining and a warm comfortable inviting atmosphere.

Its delectable menu that is blend of contemporary and traditional cuisine that draws on the vibrancy of Indian culture.

OPENING HOURS Mon – Fri: 12am – 11.30pm Sat/Sun: 11am – 11.30pm

3 Johnston Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2PW (just beside Edinburgh Castle) Tel: 0131 225 1329 or 07888 677 613 www.hanams.com Email: enquiries@hanams.com

1 Antigua Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3NH Tel: 0131 556 8337 www.pomegranatesrestaurant.com

& TATTIES

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Opening Hours: 12pm ’til late 7 days a week for shisha, snacks, lunch & dinner.

Laila’s is an olive grove haven serving an array of delicious dishes from the Mediterranean and the Levant

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TELIER

Edinburgh’s best place for fine food, fine wine, and a friendly atmosphere that’s always buzzing, never crowded.

The Atelier Restaurant 159-161 Morrison Street Haymarket Edinburgh EH3 8AG 0131 629 1344

Laila’s Bistro 63 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1BS tel: 0131 226 5097 www.lailas-bistro.co.uk

Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm 7 days a week

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MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD VEGETARIAN RESTAURANTS

The exotic flavours of the Middle East take pride of place at these atmospheric restaurants

DAVID BANN 56-58 Saint Mary’s Street www.davidbann.com

With a menu that takes inspiration from around the world to create colourful dishes such as the sumptuous chilli pancake with chocolate sauce and the creamy risotto with lemon and asparagus, David Bann is a vegetarian restaurant that meat eaters will love.

BEIRUT LEBANESE 24 Nicolson Square www.beirutrestaurant.co.uk 0131 667 9919

Nestled on a corner on vibrant Nicolson Street, Edinburgh’s only restaurant specialising in Lebanese food, is a great option if you are looking to try something a little different. Labneh, falafel, shawarma, okra stew and baklawa all feature on the mouth-watering menu and are ideal for either a great value lunch or a relaxed, leisurely dinner.

HANAM’S 3 Johnston Terrace www.hanams.com 0131 225 1329

Situated just off the top of the Royal Mile and with stunning views of Edinburgh castle, Hanam’s has grown from a tiny eatery in Tollcross to an awardwinning restaurant serving vibrant, exotic and sumptuous dishes from Kurdistan, Lebanon, Morocco, Iraq and Suadi Arabia.

Get a taste of everything by pickin’ and mixin’ from the wide range of hot and cold starters before you tuck into a hearty main – the shilla and gulf dishes particularly stand out.

LAILA’S BISTRO 63 Cockburn Street www.lailas-bistro.co.uk 0131 226 5097

Owner of Hanam’s and Pomegranate, Jamal’s latest venture is a paradise of colourful, exotic flavour and texture combinations. As with his other restaurants, Jamal and his team have kept fresh produce at the

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Top: Pomegranate HENDERSON’S heart of Laila’s menu to create a wide array of delicious and exciting dishes from the perfectfor-breakfast warm pastries to the sumptuous baclava with saffron and cardamon ice cream.

Sit back and soak up the friendly and relaxed atmosphere while you tuck into a venison salami with rocket and Parmsesan shavings starter followed by a crisp portion of deep fried calamari served with golden gourmet chips.

NAWROZ 26-30 Pottwerrow www.nawrozrestaurant.com 0131 667 2299

Whether you are a bona fide gourmet or you just like eating and exploring the different flavours of the world, Nawroz is an ideal spot to indulge in a sumptuous meal. Its name refers to the celebration of the traditional Kurdish and Iranian New Year and its menu is a tribute to the region’s delicious dishes.

Try the tapsi – fried vegetables cooked in tomato puree – or the tshreeb ba gosht – slow cooked lamb on the bone with chopped tomatoes, onions, peppers and dried lemon, and enjoy a truly delectable dining experience.

POMEGRANATE 1 Antigua Street www.pomegranates restaurant.com 0131 556 8337

Pomegranate is the result of the talented culinary minds behind Hanam’s and Laila’s Bistro’s desire to bring their signature cooking to Leith Walk and add to it a contemporary twist. Walk in and feel transported to a remote, exotic destination far from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Mezze-style dining is the way to go, as you’ll get to taste a vast range of tasty dishes such as the hummus shawarma, which sees the beloved chickpea dish topped with thin marinated slices of lamb fillet or the cheese borek, cigar-shaped pastries filled with feta and mozzarella garnished with parsley.

94 Hanover Street www.hendersons ofedinburgh.co.uk

Henderson’s spreads the veggie love from its city centre location with delicious, bistrostyle dishes carefully devised by talented head chef Barry Baker and his team.

KALPNA 2-3 Saint Patrick Square www.kalpnarestaurant.com

Kalpna is a family-run restaurant specialising in Indian cuisine which has been delighting veggies and meat lovers in Edinburgh for a quarter of a century. You’ll find a range of flavour-packed dishes from the Punjabi, Gujurati and South Indian regions. The signature dish, dam aloo Kashmeri, is a must try.

YENI MEZE BAR 73 Hanover Street www.yenirestaurant.com 0131 225 5755

A glamorous and stylish restaurant just off George Street, Yeni offers relaxed fine dining and a friendly atmosphere.

Serving Middle Eastern and Mediterranean delights meze style, it is the ideal way to get a taste of the many culinary delights of the regions.

Choose three or four dishes per person and then share to experience a wide range of vibrant flavours. If you’re struggling to pick from the vast selection on offer, let the welcoming staff decide and go for the Yeni Sofrasi.

You’ll get to try a selection of hot and cold meze as well as their popular iskendar dish

MEADOWLARK CAFÉ 39 39 Argyle place www.meadowlarkyoga.com

Whether you have embraced the health revolution that has taken over the food scene or simply fancy a delicious-yetalso-good-for-you snack, this café in a yoga studio is the place to go. You’ll find smoothies, soups, salad, cakes and snacks with a wide range of gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan-friendly options.

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A uniquely-styled, South African bar and Edinburgh steak restaurant 8 Morrison St, Edinburgh Enquiries & Reservations: 0131 629 0261 103 Dalry Rd, Edinburgh Enquiries & Reservations: 0131 629 3030

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ASIAN FOOD

Whether you love stylish modern sushi or traditional Chinese feasts, Edinburgh has an Asian restaurant to suit every palatte CHAOPRAYA 4th Floor, 33 Castle Street www.chaophraya.co.uk 0131 226 7614

Elegant, glamorous and stylish, this rooftop restaurant with stunning views of Edinburgh Castle is a fine dining hotspot.

The inventive menu sees traditional dishes reinterpreted with a modern twist. Both the rummit satay fondue and the pad graprao moo grob, a crispy pork belly dish with Thai basil, are chef’s signature dishes bursting with flavour and will tantalise your taste buds.

CHOP CHOP 248 Morrison Street www.chop-chop.co.uk 0131 221 1155

Located just a short walk from Haymarket Station, Chop Chop specialises in authentic NorthEastern Chinese cuisine.

Head Chef and owner Jian Wang originally hails from Changchun, a region famous for its delicious jiao zi (dumplings), and uses fresh, high quality ingredients to create amazing dishes which have the Gordon Ramsay seal of approval.

Top: Harajuku Kitchen

DUSIT

Harajuku owner Kaori Simpson’s family is steeped in generations of classical training, and the recipes he uses to create stunning, traditional Japanese dishes can be traced back as far as the late 19th century. He produces a great range of hot dishes, sushi and sashimi using fresh, locally-

49A Thistle Street www.dusit.co.uk 0131 220 6846 Award-winning Dusit serves highend contemporary Thai cusine inspired by the flavours of Chef Pom’s homeland. High quality Scottish produce is combined

first opened in 2012, including an AA rosette and inclusions in the Michelin Guide 2014 and The List Hitlist 2014. Beloved for its unusually classic approach to sushi, it boasts over forty varieties of roll, including a spicy tuna gunkan nigiri and salmon panko maki, as well as tempura favourites such as the soft-shell crab.

with Thai spices to reinvent classic dishes that taste and look stunning.

Try the talay sam rod, char-grilled monkfish with king scallops and jumbo prawns topped with herbs.

HARAJUKU KITCHEN 10 Gillespie Place www.harajukukitchen.co.uk 0131 381 0526

sourced ingredients. Highlights are the beef takati and the famous takoyaki octopus balls.

KANPAI SUSHI 8-10 Grindlay Street www.kanpaisushi.co.uk 0131 228 1602

This sushi haven has picked up a vast numbr of awards since it

CAFÉS ETEAKET

URBAN ANGEL

41 Frederick Street www.eteaket.co.uk

121 Hanover Street www.urban-angel.co.uk

This boutique tea and coffee house just off George Street is the perfect spot to relax after a busy shopping day. Homemade cakes and a wide selection of delicious teas are on offer. However, if you fancy something a little more glamorous, go for the fizzy afternoon tea, with cakes, scones and bakes aplenty, as well as the eponymous glass of bubbly.

This trendy eatery offers a range of homemade sweet and savoury treats, best enjoyed with a cup of their delicious coffee.

Breakfast highlights include the Guilty Pear, a poached pear served with natural yoghurt, chocolate and quinoa.

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FREDERICKS COFFEE 30 Frederick Street www.frederickscoffeehouse.com

A chic brunch spot in the city

centre, Frederick’s boasts what could potentially be the best homemade waffles in town, as well as a great selection of artisan paninis and sweet treats.

THAI ORCHID 5a Johnston Terrace www.thaiorchid.uk.com 0131 225 6633

This family-run restaurant sits in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, just off the Royal Mile, offering the perfect backdrop to indulge in a delicious meal. Authentic Thai vibrant artworks decorate the modern space. The mixed starters platter, including po pia todd, todd mun goong and chicken satay, is the perfect way to get a flavour-packed taste of everything and will set you up for the delights to follow.

CUCKOO’S BAKERY

VIETNAM HOUSE

150 Dundas Street www.cuckoosbakery.co.uk

3 Grove Street www.vietnamhouse.co.uk 0131 228 3383

Love cupcakes? Love tea?

If you do, Cuckoo’s Bakery is the place to go. With a selection of cupcakes that will make you salivate the second you walk in and a vast range of interesting teas, your mid-afternoon pickme-up is sorted.

Edinburgh’s first Vietnamese restaurant opened in 2011, serving delicious, healthy and authentic dishes. They specialise in the traditional dish pho, a simple, uncomplicated, nutritious and delicious noodle soup which can be enjoyed all year round.

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SS15 Collection Frontiers Boutique 16 Stafford Street Edinburgh EH3 7AU 0131 476 3449

Labels include..

FRONTIERS HAVE BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR THE UK WOMENSWEAR INDEPENDENT OF THE YEAR 2015

Baum und Pferdgarten Cocoa Cashmere Chinti and Parker Gibson & Birkbeck Just In Case Laurence Dolige Marilyn Moore Orla Kiely Clothing Pazuki Rails Shirts Plus many more.

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29/06/2015 12:59

SHOPPING CITY GUIDE

Shop, skip & jump Discover Edinburgh’s exciting range of indie boutiques and the shopping secrets of the locals WORDS LIDIA MOLINA WHYTE

T

HE LAUNCH OF EDINBURGH Fashion Week earlier this year marked a fashion milestone for Scotland’s capital as the industry’s top names and new talent came together to celebrate the world of couture. With the city’s great range of independent shops showcasing the work of Scottish designers and beyond, it’s no wonder why. Here’s a guide to help you navigate through Edinburgh’s vibrant indie scene.

First stop is Thistle Street. Tucked away between trendy George Street and Queen Street in the heart of the city centre, this charming street is home to some of the city’s most glamorous stores. Biscuit is the new kid on the block and stocks small niche brands such as YAYA, Lilla P and Bird of Paradise.

Walking into Pam Jenkins is like stepping into Carrie Bradshaw’s wardrobe, as the latest Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Rupert Sanderson and Kate Spade collections adorn the shelves. For a taste of Scandinavian fashion, head to Kakao by K,where you’ll find relaxed yet decidedly feminine apparel from the likes of Gestuz and Pernille Corydon.

Jane Davidson’s luxury room is the stuff dreams are made of, featuring the likes of Dries van Noten and Temperley.

Next door, Howie Nicholsby creates bespoke, modern kilts at 21st Century Kilts. Looking for jeans that fit like a glove? ALC, just opposite, is the place to go. For little fashionistas, visit Spanish designer Pilar Scott-Elliot’s Selenita, where you’ll find stunning handmade outfits for children aged 0-7. Small European accessory brands like Becksondergaard and Smaak can be found at Covet, where you can also marvel at Scottish designer Moira Warren’s fine jewellery creations.

In Stockbridge you’ll find the glamorous yet affordable Stockbridge Boutique, where ladies can shop stunning designs from the likes of Emily and Fin and Vila, and Dick’s, where a selection of fine menswear is on display.

Head up the road towards the West End and you’ll find Frontiers, a mother-and-daughter-run shop

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Clockwise: Totty Rocks, Baum und Pferdgarten, The Brotique, Rowan, 21st C. Kilts

stocking cutting edge designs from soughtafter brands such as Baum und Pferdgarten and Orla Kelly. The newest addition to the city’s bustling boutique scene is The Brotique, where the trendsetter gentleman will find all he needs to stay groomed, from stylish bow ties to scented beard oils.

Edinburgh also caters for vintage fashion lovers, with the iconic Godiva offering the perfect mix of unique

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CITY GUIDE SHOPPING MUST HAVES CAROLINE TEMPLE Silver leaping hare pendant with rhodolite garnet and glass enamel, £125 carolinetemple.com

FRONTIERS Orla Kelly textured leather sweet pea bag, £139 frontiersboutique. com

GODIVA Karen Mabon Mabel Stark the Tiger Tamer silk twill scarf, £85 godivaboutique. co.uk

Above and left, Godiva

BISCUIT Soludos Smoking Slipper Price, £53 biscuit.clothing

HANNAH ZAKARI Hand-painted Facetnation Necklace

by Steph Marsden hannahzakari.co.uk

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handpicked retro garments and modern designs. Their in-house seamstress, Rowan Joy, creates womenswear that celebrates classic vintage styles and their front showroom features pieces such as Scottish designer Karen Mabon’s gorgeous scarves.

At Miss Dixiebelle’s vintage beauty parlour and retro clothing boutique you’ll find beautiful gowns and lingerie that embracse vintage eras from the 20s to the 60s, from sparkly flapper to sexy pin up.

If you are looking to wow at a special occasion with a bespoke gown or want

to invest in an original piece that reflects your personality, Totty Rocks and Walker Slater offer made to measure, stunning designs. With the former adding Nicola Sturgeon to its list of A-list clientele, which also includes Kate Moss and Gok Wan, and the latter’s innovative use of Scottish fabrics, you’ll certainly be in good hands.

Make a statement with a piece of jewellery from Rosie Brown or liven up your look with a colourful scarf from Hogarth, two of the cities hottest accessory spots. Hannah Zakari is perfect for quirky, original charm bracelets and other bits and bobs. Complete your outfit with a bespoke piece of headwear designed

by Jean at Fabhatrix.

Whether you are looking for something original to stand out from the crowd or are a self-confessed fashionista, you’ll find something to fit the bill at Edinburgh’s vast array of independent shops. You can also catch the latest trends at the upcoming Edinburgh International Fashion Festival, taking place at some of the city’s most iconic venues from 23 - 26 July.

Biscuit, 22 Thistle St; Pam Jenkins, 41 Thistle St; Kako by K, 45 Thistle St, Jane Davidson, 52 Thistle St; 21st Century Kilts, 48 Thistle St; ALC, 61 Thistle St; Selenita, 25A Thistle St; Stockbridge Boutique, 20 Deanhaugh St; Dicks, 3 North West Circus Pl; Frontiers, 16 Stafford St; The Brotique, 39 Queen St; Godiva, 9 West Port; Miss Dixiebelle, 19 Bruntsfield Pl; Totty Rocks, 45-47 Barclay Pl; Walker Slater, 20 Victoria St; Hannah Zakari, 43 Candlemaker Row; Rosie Brown, 148 Bruntsfield; Hogarth, 18 Stafford St; Fabhatrix, 13 Cowgatehead.

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1 TO 8 DAY MINIBUS AND MINICOACH TOURS With our friendly guides and luxury vehicles, we’re the best way to experience Scotland. Join our one-day or multi-day tours and get in touch with the real Scotland - its landscape, history and people. Destinations include: Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, Rosslyn Chapel, St Andrews, Skye, Orkney and the Hebrides.We also do bespoke tours if you have something special in mind No. 1 Parliament Square High Street (Royal Mile) Edinburgh EH1 1RE Tel : 0131 226 1414 www.highlandexperience.com Email : info@highlandexperience.com Twitter : @HEXTours

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297 Leith Walk, Edinburgh 0131 554 0955 Follow us: facebook/serranomanchego twitter@serranomancheg www.serranomanchego.co.uk/

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Stockbridge Its all about looking chic not shabby in the festival!!

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EdinburghAr Shop

We bring the authentic eating culture to Edinburgh, with great food, great drinks and a relaxed atmosphere. You bring the company!

24 hour online booking.

Elemis, Jane Iredale, CND nails & more Bring any festival tickets Mon-Friday 10.30- 5 and receive 10% off your treatments!

58 Raeburn Place Stockbridge Edinburgh EH4 1HJ T: 0131 343 6262 Facebook and twitter www.womankindbeauty.co.uk

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129 Lauriston Place Tollcross, EH3 9JN www.EdinburghArtShop.com 0131 229 1809 Open 7 days

AN APPETITE FOR GREATNESS FROM SCOTLAND’S OLDEST INDIAN RESTAURANT

FIND OUR FOODIE TRAILER AT ASSEMBLY GEORGE SQUARE

INDIAN FOOD SINCE 1947

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10 Antigua Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3NH Tel: 0131 558 1947, www.khushis.com

29/06/2015 13:07

SPA CITY GUIDE

Unwind time We review some of Edinburgh’s top spas, the perfect way to escape festival madness ONE SPA With wonderful views of the cityscape, relaxation begins in the luxurious open air rooftop hydropool.

Then it’s on to the Thermal Suite, where aching muscles are soothed in the powerful heat of the Rock and Bio saunas, followed by a steam in the Hammam and Aroma Grotto and then a tropical rain shower.

After a sensory test to choose body and face oils, the treatment begins with a firm back and shoulder massage, which left me truly warm and relaxed.

The facial starts with a skin vision map to identify problem areas, followed by skin cleansing , facial massage and lymphatic drainage. An intense hydration mask was accompanied by a scalp massage. A slick of mandarin lip balm, a summer hydration spritz and it’s back to the city.

Festival Fever, 80 minutes, £120 onespa.com

WALDORF ASTORIA

BALMORAL SPA

SPA G&V

Guerlain started offering beauty treatments in 1939, and invented an exclusive facial massage technique.

The Guerlain Complete Facial promises to lift the facial muscles, improve oxygenation of the facial tissue and illuminate the complexion.

The result was amazing: fine lines had disappeared completely and my skin was taughtened, healthy-looking and radiant.

Complete Facial, 90 minutes, from £190 Waldorfastoriaedinburgh.com

I arrived early to swim in the heavenly 15 metre pool and then began to wind down in the Finnish dry sauna, followed by a brief spell in the Turkish steam room.

My massage started with me choosing a blend of essential oils. In preparation for the festival I chose the ‘detoxifier’ as the blend of citrus oils help to cleanse and purify, aiding the removal of toxins and stimulating the lymphatic system. The massage was just perfect – firm and highly skilled. If I had more time available I would have added, for the ultimate stress relief, a relaxing head massage and hot towel back treatment.

Essential Body Massage, 55mins, £75 roccofortehotels.com

The wind down begins as soon as you step into the Missoni-styled spa. The Eve Lom signature facial thoroughly cleanses the skin, tones and exfoliates and then a lymphatic massage lifts and shapes. Relaxation really starts when the hot wax mask is applied. A touch of kiss mix lip balm, eye serum and lift and my skin felt beautifully soft. I also spotted the Little Black Dress massage, which sounds like the perfect preparation for festival parties.

Eva Lom Signature Facial, 90mins, £95 GandVHotel.com

EDINBURGH’S TOP NAIL BARS Nail your summer look at Montgomery Beauty Boutique, as Agnieska and her talented team work their beauty magic.

The spa pedicure, £45, is pure bliss and, if you feel like going all out and fancy treating yourself, go for the shellac finish to add a lasting shimmer.

12a Montgomery Street, montgomery12 beautyboutique.weebly.com Recently-launched The Nail Yard is the next generation nail boutique. It embraces the latest technological beauty advances and celebrates organic ingredients through its

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natural, ethical products. Using Kure Bazaar, a nail polish brand free of toxins, therapists tend to your nails with expert care.

38 Morningside Road www.thenailyard.com Sip a glass of bubbly as the therapists at Harvey Nichol’s Nail and Champagne bar achieve hand perfection. Try the English Rose Manicure, £45: hands are soaked in rose-petal-infused water to nourish cuticles and soften nails before colour is applied.

30-34 Saint Andrew Square www.nailsinc.com

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ART LISTINGS WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM Art may be in the eye of the beholder, but you’ll never know what you’re looking for unless you get out there and explore ARIEL GUZIK Holoturian Trinity Apse 30 July – 30 August 2015

For the last 10 years, Mexican artist, musician, illustrator and inventor Ariel Guzik has searched for a way to communicate with whales and dolphins. Guzik’s project has encompassed the creation of underwater instruments and expeditions to contact sea creatures off the coasts of Costa Rica and Scotland. For his first exhibition in the UK, Guzik is constructing a beautiful capsule, the Holoturian, designed to send a living plant and a string instrument for a period of time into the depths of the sea.

ARTIST ROOMS ROY LICHTENSTEIN National Gallery of Modern Art 15 March 2015 – 10 January 2016

This special three-room ARTIST ROOMS exhibition is dedicated to

works by renowned American artist Roy Lichtenstein. This display will bring together a newly assembled group of works by Lichtenstein recently placed on long-term loan to ARTIST ROOMS thanks to the generosity of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.

BEATRICE GIBSON Collective 30 July – 4 October 2015

Crippled Symmetries is a new film by Gibson, taking American author William Gaddis’s modernist masterpiece, JR (1975) as its starting point. The novel is a satire of the American Dream about an 11 year-old capitalist. Devised around an experimental music workshop for kids, the film also draws on the work of radical educators and composers Brian Dennis and John Paynter, who took the work of experimental music artists to primary and secondary schools.

Creative Arts Workshop Programme to suit all abilities.

Writing for Wellbeing: 11th July Create Explore Reflect: 22nd Aug The Leith Gallery 65 The Shore Edinburgh EH6 6RA T. +44 (0) 131 553 5255 E. info@the-leith-gallery.co.uk W.www.the-leith-gallery.co.uk

Intuitive Abstract Painting: 12/13th Sept An introduction to Tapestry: 10/11th Oct For more information:

www.greentreeartsstudio.co.uk T: 01309 651 319 / 07860 867 118 E: contact@greentreeartsstudio.co.uk

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S T U D I O S PAC E S A N D ACCO M M O DAT I O N AVA I L A B L E

Explore your creativity and be inspired!

Top: James Morrison. Right: Roy Lichtenstein BELIEVE South Gallery 30 July – 30 August 2015

Born in Reykjavik, Eva Isleifsdottir completed her MFA in Sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art in 2010. She returns to the city this summer with a solo exhibition for Edinburgh’s newest venue, South Gallery.

BERNAT KLEIN A LIFE IN COLOUR Dovecot Gallery 31 July – 26 September 2015

Serbian-born Klein designed woven textiles and established his own luxury textile enterprise, Colourcraft, in 1952. As a reaction to the utilitarian colour schemes of 1950s Scottish fashion, Klein embraced a new palette, interpreted through his own paintings and designs for Chanel, Dior and Yves Saint Laurent fabrics. A Life in Colour is a retrospective exhibition of tapestries, reflecting Klein’s lasting contribution to Scotland’s international textile design and making reputation.

using computer generated animations to create a seductive and haunting installation of digital art.

ECA MASTERS FESTIVAL 2015 Edinburgh College of Art 15 – 23 August 2015

ECA’s MA and MSc students from Art, Design, Architecture and Landscape Architecture exhibit their final-year artwork. This includes sculpture, painting, illustration, product design and jewellery.

All artworks on display will be available for purchase.

E E E O EE E I A A E E A Rhubaba 31 July – 30 August 2015

Rhubaba presents a group exhibition that brings together a range of existing and new work from the artists Anne-Marie Copestake, Alexa Hare, Sophie Mackfall and John Robertson. The show gives space to drawing, collage and other exploratory, materialbased investigations, with works highlighting visual, tactile and sensual experiences.

DENNIS AND DEBBIE CLUB: THE STRIP

FRANCE-LISE MCGURN

CodeBase, Argyle House 1 – 30 August 2015

Collective 11 July – 30 August 2015

Dennis J. Reinmuller and Debbie Moody, both German-born, Glasgow-based artists, have created an audio-visual installation using 3D computer graphics software to reconstruct several locations such as the greenhouse in which Kurt Cobain shot himself.

These sculptural videos are constructed with information from Google Earth geographical data and crime scene photographs,

Centered on the portrayal of women and the exploration of potential connotations of gender and sexuality in the written word, McGurn’s exhibition will consist of an immersive installation incorporating sound, video and drawn works. McGurn draws on research relating to Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s Epidemics of the Will and Soap by French writer and poet Franci Ponge.

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM ART LISTINGS

JOHN CHAMBERLAIN Inverleith House, at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 18 July – 4 October 2015

Inverleith House presents the first solo exhibition in a UK public gallery by American artist John Chamberlain (1927–2011). With a career spanning six decades, Chamberlain is best known for his dynamic metal sculptures made from salvaged material and car parts. The exhibition features works from his early and mid-career, and will be displayed in the light-filled rooms of Inverleith House, as well as in the Garden.

KWANG YOUNG CHUN: AGGREGATIONS GARAGE 30 July – 30 August 2015

GARAGE is an artist run space conceived specifically for Edinburgh Art Festival. For 2015, new work from artists and collaborators will be presented, featuring a series of live arts events and shows. Other parts of the venue will be used for secret site-specific work. The curators and artists will be available for interview and discussion on site.

HANNE DARBOVEN: ACCEPTING ANYTHING AMONG EVERYTHING Talbot Rice Gallery 31 July – 3 October 2015

One of the most intriguing artists of the last century, Hanne Darboven (1941-2009) has rarely been exhibited in the UK, and this is the first exhibition of her work in Scotland. The exhibition is centred upon the work Life / Living (19971998), a monumental installation of hundreds of framed works that form a systematic representation of the years 1900 – 1999.

HERE COMES EVERYBODY Stills 31 July – 25 October 2015

kennardphillipps, the collaborative practice of London-based artists Peter Kennard and Cat Phillipps, formed in 2003 in response to the invasion of Iraq. Through photomontage, digital prints and found newspapers, the artists will explore ideas around image consumption, production and camera surveillance, highlighting what they describe as the ‘cause and effect’ of a range of global issues such as financial austerity, climate change, disease and war.

Dovecot Gallery 31 July – 26 September 2015

IN OTHER WORDS … DEREK MICHAEL BESANT Edinburgh Printmakers 30 July – 5 September 2015

Acclaimed Canadian artist Derek Michael Besant will present a new body of work created specifically for Edinburgh.

For this exhibition, Besant will consider how the eye depends on the brain to assemble the data we observe, exploring this idea through photography. He will survey the idea that one part of our brain “sees”, while another part “reads”.

Aggregations is the first solo exhibition in Scotland by internationally renowned Korean artist Kwang Young Chun. Chun‘s complex assemblages are made of triangular forms in various sizes, cut from polystyrene and then wrapped in Korean mulberry paper. Following a period spent

LAUREN GAULT: LIPSTICK – NASA Jupiter Artland 1 August – 27 September 2015

Working primarily in sculptural installation, Lauren Gault will create an outdoor sculptural installation, incorporating sound as well as live elements. Gault works in response to a given space and with materials selected for their specific histories. Recent investigations have explored subjects such as divining, phosphorescence, and theories around the ‘object as vessel’.

LEE MILLER & PICASSO Scottish National Portrait Gallery 23 May – 6 September 2015

The American photographer Lee Miller first met Pablo Picasso in the summer of 1937 at the Hôtel Vaste Horizon in the South of France. In the ensuing years she

JAMES MORRISON: THE NORTH WIND The Scottish Gallery 6 August – 5 September 2015

This long awaited exhibition

by Scottish landscape painter James Morrison represents the culmination of three years’ work, bringing new subjects and some adaption of his studio practice, including work made directly in front of the landscape. The exhibition will include a rediscovered picture done in 1963 as an immediate response to the tragic early death of his friend Joan Eardley.

JEAN-ÉTIENNE LIOTARD

East Meets West

Scottish National Gallery 4 July – 13 September 2015

The work of Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702-89) has rarely been exhibited, and this is the first time it will be comprehensively celebrated in Britain. Highlights include famous portraits, such as his Princess Louisa Anne, startling self-portraits, and brilliant experiments with genre and still-life subjects from the end of his career.

www.edfestmag.com

Lesley Banks, Alice McMurrough PAI RGI RSW, Neil Macdonald PAI RGI RSW

28th June 2015 to 9th August 2015 Preview 12-5pm Saturday 27th June 12-5pm

Open weekends 12-5pm or appointments very welcome at any other time. tel.01620 895057 mob.07981 982464 www.fidrafineart.co.uk | info@fidrafineart.co.uk 45 Dirleton Avenue | North Berwick | East Lothian | EH39 4BL EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2015

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exploring the language of Abstract Expressionism, Chun’s distinctive sculptural forms create a tension between the traditions of Korean culture and the international language of art.

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM ART LISTINGS COMMISSIONS PROGRAMME THE IMPROBABLE CITY

JULIE FAVREAU

30 July – 30 August 2015

She century Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 30 July – 30 August 2015

This year’s commissions programme, The Improbable City, takes its title from Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, highlighting how Edinburgh has always felt equally at home in the worlds of reality and fiction. Inspired by Edinburgh’s fairytale and picturesque qualities, the seven commissioned artists selected for 2015 – Charles Avery, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, Ariel Guzik, Kemang Wa Lehulere, Hanna Tuulikki, Julie Favreau and Emma Finn – bring together a broad range of practices and approaches, utopian and dystopian, anarchic and romantic.

EMMA FINN Double Mountain 1 Leith Street 30 July – 30 August 2015

Emma Finn’s darkly humorous films transport us to uncomfortable, liminal places that sit somewhere between reality and invention, spaces where real people have

THRESHOLDS Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop 31 July – 29 August 2015

Artist Toby Paterson, curator Judith Winter and Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres present Thresholds, a collaborative project that focuses on the process of making it through direct experiences with people and places (echoing the sensibility of Maggie’s Centres themselves). At the end of Edinburgh Art Festival the work will be relocated, with one placed in each of the Maggie’s Centres across Scotland.

drawn-on faces, and babies are sent in the post. Finn’s newest work is situated in the mountains.

HANNA TUULIKKI SING SIGN: a close duet 477B Lawnmarket 30 July – 30 August 2015

SING SIGN: a close duet is a vocal and gestural suite devised for the historic ‘closes’ of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. In these confined medieval spaces two performers present a playful Baroque scenario.

Their face-to-face encounter is also relayed in a film installation.

22 – 28 August 2015

A group show of Scottish Turner Prize winners and nominees in association with Tramway, Glasgow and to coincide with Tramway hosting the Turner Prize this year.

WAR ON WAR ROOM Stills 1 – 31 August 2015

kennardphillipps show their work in public spaces of all kinds,

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In his first exhibition in the UK, Wa Lehulere will make a new site specific wall-drawing, 10 metres long. Present for the duration of

In a new performative installation, Chetwynd draws inspiration from the vibrantly rich world of Mary Renault’s historical novels.

Her theatrical installation places the epic action from Mary Renault’s novel The King Must Die within an operatic setting, referencing the legendary Czech stage scenographer, Josef Svoboda. Immersive and sumptuous, Chetwynd’s installation invites us to lose ourselves in an exuberant celebration of the pagan.

ranging from the street, museums, galleries, newspapers, magazines and the internet. War on War Room, presented in accompaniment to Here Comes Everybody (see p.143), is an active space of production sited within the St James Shopping Centre.

WEAVE Open Eye Gallery 3 August – 2 September 2015

To commemorate jewellerymaker Joanne Thompson’s 20th anniversary as a maker, this showcase features new and ambitious work constructed specifically for Open Eye Gallery, including the introduction of gold and precious materials into the work.

WORK OUT

TRAVELLING GALLERY

KEMANG WA LEHULERE Join the Dots New Parliament House 30 July – 30 August 2015

MARVIN GAYE CHETWYND The King Must Die New Parliament House 30 July – 30 August 2015

J D Fergusson, The Blue Hat, Closerie des Lilas (detail), 1909. © The Fergusson Gallery, Perth & Kinross Council

editions. This is the second year, in partnership with Edinburgh Art Festival, that the selection is being brought together in a special exhibition.

Top: Marvin Gaye Chetwynd

Julie Favreau’s film installations transport us to intensely private worlds, peopled by enigmatic figures often engaged in highly charged encounters with peculiar objects. Her new work for the festival, She century, has at its core an elastic rope, from which Favreau builds a richly ambiguous narrative centred on an isolated female figure. Part hunter, part magician, Favreau’s female protagonist conjures an invisible parallel world, all using her rope.

the festival, the work will be erased on the 31st August. His large-scale wall drawings are drawn in chalk on blackboard paint, a medium referencing education or even authority; and its ephemerality also points to a story or history, which can be written and rewritten in multiple ways.

The Number Shop 1 – 30 August 2015

The Number Shop, a collective work studio for artists, will be showcasing new work from their ten studio residents, who are all recent graduates from Scottish art schools. The residents work across a wide range of media, including photography, sculpture, printmaking, painting, drawing, ceramics, costume-design, installation and film projection.

Scottish Art People, Places, Ideas

23 May to 27 September 2015

City Art Centre 2 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DE Tel: 0131 529 3993 Monday to Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 12 noon - 5pm

www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk Follow us

@EdinCulture

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MUSIC LISTINGS WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM Music makes the people come together, as Madonna once sang. Make sure you don’t fall apart and miss your favourite ALIEN LULLABIES Summerhall 12–23 August (not 17, 18), 10.35pm

Scottish/Burmese producer/vocalist Fiona Soe Paing joins New Zealand animation artist Zennor Alexander for a cinema/live gig hybrid.

ANIMOTION SHOW George Heriot’s School Quad 14–29 August, times vary

Virtuoso percussionist Evelyn Glennie and acclaimed Russian visual artist Maria Rud create a sound-and-image extravaganza, as paintings are projected onto the walls of the 17th-century school.

ANNA CALVI AND HERITAGE ORCHESTRA Hub 18–20 August, 10.30pm

Late-night entertainment as the songs from Calvi’s Mercurynominated albums are given the full orchestral treatment.

ANTONIO FORCIONE AND ADRIANO ADEWALE Assembly George Square Studios 23–30 August, 8pm

Forcione, the Italian virtuoso guitarist, has been gigging since the age of 13 and has become a mustsee Fringe favourite. Here he joins forces with Adewale, the Brazilian percussionist, for a musical melange stretching across continents.

ARCANTO QUARTET Queen’s Hall 28 August, 11am

Purcell, Britten and Schubert are on the menu for a string concert with the talented Antje Weithaas, Daniel Sepec, Tabea Zimmermann and Jean-Guihen Queyras.

ARCHIE FISHER Acoustic Music Centre @ St Brides 23 August, 8pm

One of the icons of Scottish folk, Fisher is one of best song

interpreters around with a professional career stretching back over 50 years.

BALKANARANA Summerhall 29 August, 10.30pm

Going well into the early morning, this night of Balkan-related merriment features DJs and live klezmer and gypsy music.

BHUNDU BOY RISE KAGONA Jazz Bar 12, 16, 19, 23 August, 10pm

A night of the Zimbabwean dance music known as jiti, as popularised

by Kagona’s ill-fated band, the Bhundu Boys, and still being celebrated by the guitarist himself.

BILL WELLS AND AIDAN MOFFAT Summerhall 12 August, 8.30pm

A rare chance to catch Wells and Moffat showcasing tracks from their second album, The Most Important Place in the World, the follow-up to Everything’s Getting Older.

BRIAN KELLOCK TRIO Jazz Bar 12–13, 19–20, 26–27 and 30 August, times vary

Led by pianist Kellock, the Edinburgh-born trio ranges from Fats Waller to Cecil Taylor, via Oscar Peterson. Catch them now before expat drummer John Rae returns to New Zealand.

CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN: BREL Queen’s Hall 11–16 August, times vary

A big Fringe favourite, the IrishFrench singer brings a special intensity to her cover versions of Jacques Brel, drawing out the emotional power of his songs.

Top: The Magic Flute Above: King Creosote COLIN CURRIE AND FRIENDS Queen’s Hall 21 August, 11am

The Scottish percussionist teams up with fellow percussionist Sam Walton and two pianists – Simon CrawfordPhillips and Philip Moore – for a morning of John Adams, Steve Reich and Bartók.

CATHAL MCCONNELL AND FRIENDS

COME TOGETHER, BARB JUNGR AND JOHN MCDANIEL PERFORM THE BEATLES

ArtSpace @ St Marks 26–29 August, 2.30pm

Assembly Rooms 19–21 August, 1.45pm

The founder of the Boys of the Lough sprinkles his traditional folk magic over Edinburgh – surprisingly, this is his Fringe debut – in a concert featuring Christine Hanson on cello and Duncan Wood on fiddle.

Cabaret pioneer Jungr and Broadway arranger McDaniel pay tribute to the Fab Four with an afternoon of unexpected treatments of 21st century classics.

CHAMBERS: CHILLY GONZALES FEATURING KAISER QUARTETT

Acoustic Music Centre @ St Brides 24–25 August, 8pm

Hub 8–9 August, 9.30pm

Annual solo appearance on the Fringe from the holder of a lifetime achievement award in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Expect gutsy vocals and equally awesome folk guitar.

DICK GAUGHAN

Piano sensation Gonzales joins the Hub Sessions in the company of the Kaiser Quartett, finding inspiration in everything from Bach to Daft Punk.

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM MUSIC LISTINGS the Chinese pianist returns to the Edinburgh International Festival for a solo recital of pieces by Bach, Tchaikovsky and Chopin.

THE LAST HOTEL Royal Lyceum 8–12 August (not 9), 8pm

Enda Walsh was once best known as the writer of Fringe hits such as Disco Pigs, The Walworth Farce and The New Electric Ballroom.

Now he’s earning a reputation for his adaptations of Once, The Twits and, soon, The Man Who Fell to Earth.

Here, he turns librettist for an opera scored by Donnacha Dennehy about a woman meeting a man and woman in a hotel, preparing to make the ultimate decision.

FAMILY CONCERT

IN THE WAKE OF NEIL GUNN

Queen’s Hall 30 August, 3pm

Acoustic Music Centre @ St Brides 20–22 August, times vary

Warming up for the evening’s Virgin Music Fireworks Concert, musicians from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra treat an audience of all ages to highlights from this year’s International Festival programme.

Mike Vass pays tribute to novelist Neil Gunn and the sea voyage he took around Scotland’s West Coast in 1937 with a new work blending traditional, classical and electronic elements with film, photography and spoken-word.

FFS (FRANZ FERDINAND AND SPARKS)

INDEPENDENCE

Festival Theatre 24 August, 8pm

Summerhall 18, 20, 22, 23 August, 11.20am

Two of the greatest pop innovators of the past thirty years have fused together to form a new band that showcases the idiosyncratic talents of both. Songs from their newly released album, FFS, will be given an airing.

New music group Ensemble Thing performs a new work by John De Simone as part of the Made in Scotland showcase. Blending Scottish and post-minimalist music with spoken word, it is an autobiographical exploration of identity in Scotland from the perspective of an English-born Scottish-Italian whose grandfather was instrumental in the founding of the Scottish National Party.

FROM SCOTLAND WITH LOVE/ KING CREOSOTE Hub 14 August, 10.30pm; 15 August, 9.30pm

Kenny Anderson, aka, King Creosote, has provided the score to a poetic documentary by Virginia Heath.

This is a chance to see the film with the Mercury-nominated singer playing a live accompaniment.

HARMONIUM PROJECT Festival Square 7 August, 10.30pm

We’re used to the Edinburgh International Festival going out with a bang with the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert, but the arrival of artistic director Fergus Linehan means it’s also arriving in style too.

This free outdoor performance features the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus accompanied by digital imagery projected onto the Usher Hall.

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MACGILLIVRAY: DAMN REBEL Summerhall 19 August, 8pm

Making her Fringe debut and showcasing work from her fifth album, Once Upon a Dirty Ear, the Highland Scottish vocalist, performance artist and poet known to her family as Kirsten Norrie presents a night of folk noir electronica.

THE MAGIC FLUTE Festival Theatre 27–30 August, times vary

The Mozart opera as you’ve never seen it before, as director Barrie Kosky hooks up with London theatre company 1927, a specialist in creating animations looking like something from the early days of cinema. Performed by the Komische Oper Berlin as part of the Edinburgh International Festival.

MAGNETIC ROSE/ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER Hub 22 August, 9.30pm

The Edinburgh International Festival presents experimental American composer Daniel Lopatin, who trades under the name of Oneohtrix Point Never, creating a live accompaniment to the Kastsuhiro Otomo film Magnetic Rose.

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO Festival Theatre 13–16 August (not 14), 7pm

The Budapest Festival Orchestra joins conductor Iván Fischer on stage to perform Mozart’s evergreen opera.

JAMES: MAGNERS SUMMER NIGHTS Ross Bandstand 26 August, 6pm

Long-time indie favourites will be beseeching you to Sit Down while showcasing their latest album La Petite Mort.

JANIS JOPLIN: FULL TILT Queen’s Hall 24–30 August (not 27), 9.30pm

Peter Arnott’s play was a sell-out hit last year and here’s another chance to catch Angie Darcy’s thrilling performance as the tragic 1960s blues singer.

LANG LANG IN RECITAL Usher Hall 21 August, 8pm

Expect high-precision virtuosity as

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MUSIC LISTINGS WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS Assembly Rooms 17 August, 9.30pm

Still going strong after all these years, the classic 60s singer will have you Dancing in the Street as she gets the joint jumping with hits including (Love is Like a) Heat Wave, Nowhere to Run, Jimmy Mack and Bless You.

MOZART’S REQUIEM Usher Hall 18 August, 8pm

As well as Mozart’s Requiem, the Budapest Festival Orchestra plays the composer’s other late masterpiece, Symphony No 38 Prague, under conductor Iván Fischer.

NASH ENSEMBLE

MAX RICHTER Playhouse 24 August, 8pm

The pioneering master of electronics and keyboards joins the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for Recomposed, a postmodern remix of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and Memoryhouse, a piece about the extremes of 20th-century Europe.

MOVIN’ MELVIN BROWN: ME, RAY CHARLES AND SAMMY Assembly Checkpoint 8–31 August, 1.25pm

Relive the golden era of song-anddance entertainers as the Fringe regular pays tribute to some of his heroes. Over at C Venue, you can catch Brown reviving his hit show The Tap Dancing Preacher.

Queen’s Hall 8 August, 11am

A morning helping of Vaughan Williams and Schubert from one of the UK’s best loved chamber groups.

moving with its brass-band mix of Ska, porro, Balkan brass, klezmer and funk.

OSLO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Usher Hall 15–16 August, 8pm

Two dates from the Norwegian orchestra under conductor Vasily Petrenko. The first features Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suites and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No 2; the second brings in Nicola Benedetti for pieces by Geirr Tveitt, Glazunov and Sibelius.

DEDICATED

NIKI KING: THE SONGS OF DUKE ELLINGTON

Broughton High School 22–23 August, 11am and 2pm

Spiegeltent, George Square 25 July, 9pm

Two grand pianos and two great composers are put to the service of pioneering women from throughout history. Hilary Brooks and Karen MacIver, aka PianoPiano, celebrate the lives and achievements of those that have come before them.

The elegant Edinburgh chanteuse revisits Duke Ellington’s songbook at the Jazz and Blues Festival.

ORKESTRA DEL SOL: LARGER THAN LIFE

Thomas. The first features the St Lawrence String Quartet and focuses on Mahler’s Symphony No 1, with side orders of Schoenberg and John Adams. The second brings on pianist Yuja Wang for Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 5 plus pieces by Ives and Beethoven.

SARAH-JANE MORRIS: BLOODY RAIN

Summerhall 14 August, 8.30pm

A REQUIEM FOR EDWARD SNOWDEN

Assembly Rooms 13–15 August, 1.45pm

Created in Scotland, but drawing influences from across the planet, the goodtime combo keeps feet

Stockbridge Parish Church 20–22 August, 8pm

She may still be remembered best for joining the Communards on Don’t Leave Me This Way, but the soul, jazz and R’n’B singer is still going strong and showcasing her latest album.

Still living in Russia to avoid the US legal system, Snowden is one of the world’s most famous whistleblowers.

The questions his story raises about faith and security, invasion of privacy and personal sacrifice inform this large-scale audiovisual performance

by Matthew Collings and Magnetic North.

RUDOLF BUCHBINDER 1–9 Playfair Library Hall 8–10, 12–13, 17–18, 25–26 August, 5pm

You’ll hear all 32 of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas across several dates.

Buchbinder has been playing this repertoire since the 1970s SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY 01 AND 02 Usher Hall 27–28 August, 7.30pm

Two separate concerts under the conductorship of Michael Tilson

SCOTLAND’S HARPS St Andrew’s and St George’s West 17, 21 August, 7.30pm Columcille Centre 18 August, 7.30pm

Three evenings celebrating the nation’s harp tradition. The first features sister and brother Màiri and Calum Macleod with original compositions, traditional melodies and Gaelic songs. The second and third feature the Clarsach Society with ancient harp tunes and contemporary pieces.

SILVER DARLINGS Famous Spiegeltent 20, 23 and 24 August, 7.30pm

Edinburgh novelist Alexander McCall Smith has joined forces with composer James Ross for this song Top: Orkestra del Sol and Janis Joplin Left: The Animotion Show

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM MUSIC LISTINGS to lead the big band on a night of free jazz wildness. The support act is songwriter Richard Youngs.

TRIO ZIMMERMANN Queen’s Hall 15 August, 11am Violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann, violist Antoine Tamestit and cellist Christian Poltéra perform stringtrio chamber pieces by Schubert, Hindemith and Beethoven

VIRGIN MONEY FIREWORKS Ross Theatre 31 August, 9.30pm

cycle about Scotland and the sea.

It aims to convey a sense of just how the sea has made its mark on the people of Scotland.

SIMON THACKER’S SVARA-KANTI Summerhall 15–23 August, 9.05pm

Indo-Western fusion featuring guitarist Thacker, Bengali folk singer Raju das Baul and tabla master Sarvar Sabri. Tradition, innovation and imagination.

SOWETO SPIRITUAL SINGERS: C Venues – C 5–31 August, 2.30pm

The 27-strong choir that performed to the world in the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup bring some South African sunshine to the Fringe with an afternoon of song and dance.

ST LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET Queen’s Hall 25 August, 11am

Getting into gear for its performance with the San Francisco Symphony this week, the quartet plays three pieces, including First Quartet, which John Adams wrote specially for it.

STRAVINSKY’S THE RITE OF SPRING Usher Hall 30 August, 7.30pm

Edinburgh International Festival favourite Valery Gergiev conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in the final concert of the Usher Hall programme. As well as the Stravinsky, there are two pieces by Bartók.

SUFJAN STEVENS Playhouse 30 August, 8pm

The prolific songwriter calls into town as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, showcasing the elegiac suite of songs from his latest album Carrie & Lowell.

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SUN KIL MOON Summerhall 10 August, 8.30pm

Singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek has a 20-year folk-rock history, first with Red House Painters, now under the moniker Sun Kil Moon. His latest album, Universal Themes, came out in June.

TALLIS SCHOLARS Queen’s Hall 10 August, 11am

The champions of early choral music perform a programme of Thomas Tallis (Sancte Deus) John Sheppard (Media vita) and Arvo Pärt (Nunc dimittis and Triodion). Peter Phillips directs.

Get ready with your “oos” and “ahs” as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra rounds off the summer festival season with a concert of Strauss, Brahms and Dvorak set to a colourful explosion of pyrotechnics.

WAVE MOVEMENTS Hub 28 August, 9.15pm

Richard Reed Parry moonlights from his day job in the Arcade Fire to join Bryce Dessner, bunking off from the National, and the Scottish National Orchestra to create a string score set to the rhythms of crashing waves.

The whole thing is performed alongside a film of seascapes.

Part of the Edinburgh International Festival.

THE WATERBOYS: MAGNERS SUMMER NIGHTS Ross Bandstand 28 August, 6pm

Rousing tunes in Princes Street Gardens where everyone will be able to see the Whole of the Moon.

VIVALDI’S THE FOUR SEASONS

ZEHETMAIR QUARTET

Usher Hall 26 August, 8pm Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter joins a hand-picked ensemble of up-andcoming soloists to shed new light on Vivaldi, as well as performing Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins and a brand new piece by André Previn.

Queen’s Hall 27 August, 11am

Thomas Zehetmair and his string quartet tackle early and late works

by Haydn and a lively piece by Hindemith. Part of the Edinburgh International Festival.

WORDS MARK FISHER

SHORTWALK & GLYNIS HENDERSON PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

THE BEVVY SISTERS Summerhall 13, 20 and 27 August, 9pm

Feel good fun from Scotland’s answer to the Andrew Sisters, bringing their boogie ryhthms and vocal harmonies to the stage in the company of their old colleagues the Bad Boys.

THE FLAMING LIPS: MAGNERS SUMMER NIGHTS Ross Bandstand 27 August, 6pm

Flamboyant psychedelia from Oklahoma City’s multi-coloured party band sending joy into Princes Street Gardens.

THE GARDEN Traverse 18–30 August (not 24), times vary

What started out as a lunchtime play

by Zinnie Harris has developed into an opera, co-written with husband John Harris, about a couple who discover a tree pushing its way into the kitchen.

THE SUN RA ARKESTRA Summerhall 20 August, 8.30pm

Marshall Allen brings out his alto sax

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BOOKS WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM Get lost in a good book with author talks and events aplenty VIV ALBERTINE WITH IAN RANKIN

JULIAN BARNES 25 August, 11.45am

Best known as a novelist, Barnes has turned his attention to the world of art in Keeping an Eye Open, a collection of essays about Géricault, Cézanne, Lucian Freud and others.

Tim Marlow from the Royal Academy asks the questions.

23 August, 8.15pm

One of a series of Book Festival events in which the Rebus author chats to key figures in popular music, this one focuses on the guitarist from the Slits and her post-punk life, as described in Clothes, Music, Boys.

LOUIS DE BERNIERES SIMON ARMITAGE

16 August, 3.15pm

27 August, 5pm

The author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin returns to the Book Festival to talk about The Dust that Falls from Dreams, set in England at the outbreak of the first world war.

The much-loved poet has been walking the coasts of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall and recording his adventures in Walking Away.

Here are some of his postcards home.

JOANNA BLYTHMAN JULIAN BAGGINI

21 August, 2.15pm

16 August, 2pm

Even this veteran food writer was shocked by what she discovered when she went undercover: salad washed in chlorine and making chocolate éclairs from potato. These and more dark secrets feature in Swallow This.

An afternoon of provocative popular philosophy as Baggini asks whether we really have the freedom to decide.

Are we truly responsible for our actions, or are our decisions all down to conditioning?

Chefs

tasting

masterclasses

GORDON BROWN 30 August, 3.15pm

Time for an update from the recently retired MP and former prime minister, whose book My Scotland, Our Britain made the case for a united nation with a strong Scottish parliament.

M R CAREY AND LOUISE WELSH 22 August, 8.45pm

A double-bill of popular thriller writers, as Carey talks about The Girl With All the Gifts and Welsh talks about Death Is a Welcome Guest, the latest instalment in her Plague Times trilogy.

SHAMI CHAKRABARTI 19 August, 3.15pm

Making light of the soubriquet “the most dangerous woman in Britain”, the author of On Liberty makes the case that human rights should not be compromised in the name of national security.

How to Write About Theatre, while McMillan reflects on her forthcoming anthology of theatre reviews from the Scotsman. In the chair, Jackie McGlone quizzes them on the craft of the critic.

PETER CONRAD

JANICE GALLOWAY

27 August, 2pm

20 August, 11.45am

How the World Was Won considers the post-war rise to global supremacy of the USA and asks whether its influence is on the wain.

It’s been over five years since Galloway produced a work of fiction, so there’s much excitement around Jellyfish.

ANNE ENRIGHT

AC GRAYLING

29 August, 11.45am

22 August, 3.15pm

The Man Booker Prize winner talks about The Green Road, her new novel set on the west coast of Ireland where a family has a Christmas reunion under trying circumstances.

Expect a wide-ranging discussion from the philosophy professor about topics such as conflict, the first world war and freedom of speech.

JENNY ERPENBECK AND MICHEL FABER

21 August, 10am

PHILIPPA GREGORY

27 August, 2.15pm

Book

tickets Now

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Faber is a big fan of German author Erpenbeck ,whose The End of Days was one of his novels of the year.

Later in the day, Faber will launch the paperback edition of The Book of Strange New Things.

Henry VIII’s last wife, Kateryn Parr, takes her place in the spotlight in the latest novel from the queen of historical fiction. Parr was a strong woman, and was having a secret affair when she and the king wed.

CELIA IMRIE 25 August, 8.15pm

MARK FISHER AND JOYCE MCMILLAN 24 August, 2.15pm

In a city full of critics, Edinburgh Festivals magazine contributor Fisher talks about his manual

Much loved for her appearances with Victoria Wood and starring roles in movies such as Calendar Girls, Imrie has stepped out as a novelist for the first time with the publication of Not Quite Nice.

Top: Janice Galloway and Denise Mina Left: David Mitchell

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM BOOKS DAVID MITCHELL

the general election campaign.

15 August, 8.15pm

The author of Cloud Atlas is back with The Bone Clocks, another audacious novel in which he traces the life of Holly Sykes.

ANDREW O’HAGAN

ALI SMITH 15 August, 2.15pm

The award-winning novelist is given the chance to be as playful today as she is in her fiction as she delivers the Not Yet Written Lecture.

28 August, 11.45am

A chance to find out about The Illuminations, the author’s fifth novel.

KATE TEMPEST WITH DON PATERSON 18 August, 8.15pm

LESLEY RIDDOCH 23 August, 1.30pm

The columnist and broadcaster made one of the most fertile contributions to the debate about Scottish independence in Blossom.

Tempest’s editor Don Paterson quizzes the rapper about her poetry collection Hold Your Own, which she’ll perform on 19 August.

COLM TOIBIN 19 August, 1.30pm

STELLA RIMINGTON KIRSTIN INNES AND MELINDA NADJ ABONJI 15 August, 8.45pm

Up-and-coming Edinburgh-born author Innes goes into the world of sex workers in her debut novel Fishnet. She’s teamed here with Abonji, whose Fly Away, Pigeon is about people forced to work away from home.

IAIN MACWHIRTER

25 August, 6.45pm

17 August, 8.15pm

Once best known as the head of MI5, Rimington is increasingly recognised for her spy novels starring British intelligence agent Liz Carlyle. Here she talks about Close Call.

The Sunday Herald columnist and broadcast considers the future of Scotland and the UK in the aftermath of the independence referendum and the subsequent general election.

In the chair, Richard Holloway will be asking him about his book Disunited Kingdom: How Westminster Won a Referendum but Lost Scotland.

CHARLES JENCKS 20 August, 10am

The man responsible for the Landform and Life Mounds sculptures in front of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and at Jupiter Artland is also behind the chain of Maggie’s Centres designed to give cancer patients a hospitable environment.

LIZ LOCHHEAD 26 August, 5pm

Festival favourite shares her love of the French comic playwright Molière, whose work she has translated and whom she has immortalised in her latest play Thon Man Molière.

DAVID LODGE

CAROLINE LUCAS

MARINA WARNER AND KIRSTY LOGAN 24 August, 8.45pm

NICK ROBINSON 20 August, 8.15pm

Unconstrained by the recent operation on his lung, the BBC’s political editor is back with a diary of

Warner, who has been analysing fairy tales in Once Upon a Time talks with Logan, whose latest book, A Portable Shelter, is rooted in fairy tales.

WORDS MARK FISHER

PAUL MASON AND ALEX SALMOND 31 August, 3.15pm

WIGTOWN BOOK FESTIVAL

A fascinating discussion is in store as the Channel 4 economics editor joins the former first minster of Scotland to consider Mason’s Post-Capitalism and the belief that our financial system is not fit for purpose.

25TH SEPTEMBER - 4TH OCTOBER 2015

VAL MCDERMID WITH NICOLA STURGEON 26 August, 6.45pm

As chairs go, you don’t get more prestigious than the first minister of Scotland, but Sturgeon is a fan of crime novelist McDermid and will take the chance to quiz her on her latest collection of short stories.

More than 2oo events for adults, young people & children www.wigtownbookfestival.com southwest scotland o1988 4o3222

23 August, 10am

Quite a Good Time to Be Born is a memoir of life in post-war Britain.

Now at the age of 80, the novelist and critic reflects on the years that helped form him into one of the country’s best novelists and critics.

Ten years in the writing, Nora Webster is the novel the Wexford writer regards as one of his most personal.

PAUL MERTON 17 August, 11.45am

He can be seen elsewhere in town free associating with Impro Chums, but here the popular entertainer is in more serious mode as he discusses the death of his second wife and his experience of mental illness.

29 August, 5pm

Best known as an influential Green Party campaigner, Lucas has now taken a look at her colleagues in the House of Commons and come to the conclusion that our electoral system could be much improved.

She spills the beans in Honourable Friends?

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DENISE MINA 29 August, 8.45pm

The popular Glasgow crime writer talks about Blood, Salt and Water, more of a whydunit than a whodunit, in which investigating officer Alex Morrow tries to figure out a suspect’s motives. Brian Taylor is in the chair.

Charity No. SCO37984

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THEATRE LISTINGS WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM Make a drama out of a crisis – which world-class play should you pick from this year’s best?

AM I DEAD YET?

ANTIWORDS

Traverse Theatre 1–30 August (not 24), 11.15pm

Summerhall 10–30 August (not 17, 24), 8.25pm

Doctors are refining their techniques to revive dying patients. The longer someone can be clinically dead and still brought back to life, the more we may start to question what life and death actually are. These and other death-related themes are explored by Jon Spooner and Chris Thorpe in a morbid but fascinating late-night contemplation.

From the Czech Republic comes this much-travelled show influenced by the works of Václav Havel – especially his play Audience, which was written and performed in secret during the Communist era. It’s a physical-theatre comedy performed by two dancer-actors with outsize heads.

ANGEL IN THE ABATTOIR Gilded Balloon 5–31 August (not 18), 12pm

Comedian Phil Nichol performs the final part of a trilogy by the Fringe First-winning Dave Florez, after 2011’s Somewhere Beneath it All, a Small Fire Burns Still and 2012’s Hand Over Fist. It’s about lost love, betrayal and corruption, and is directed by the talented Hannah Eidinow.

BARBU ELECTRO TRAD CABARET Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows 7–29 August (not 12, 26), 9.50pm

Part of a non-stop circus programme, Quebec’s Cirque Alfonse presents an eccentric display of incredible feats and off-beat curiosities. The threegeneration company from the small town of Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez is loved for its joie de vivre.

THE BIGGEST MARIONETTE CIRCUS IN THE WORLD Momentum Venues @ St Stephens 5–30 August, 11am

Large-scale puppetry from Poland to provide yet another perspective on the world of circus in a Fringe that has gone big-top crazy. This is the only one in which you’ll be able to see elephants, giraffes and lions, albeit in realistic marionette form.

BLIND MAN’S SONG Pleasance Dome 6–30 August, 3.30pm

A wordless story by Theatre Re in which a blind man walks cautiously around his room before memories return to haunt him. As well as being influenced by Beckett and Magritte, the production was created in response to interviews with blind and partially sighted people.

BRUCE Underbelly 6–30 August, 3.15pm

The team that enjoyed a big Fringe hit with The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik reconvenes for more lo-fi puppetry. An epic adventure of love and revenge, it stars a floating piece of yellow foam that has one last shot at redemption.

THE CHRISTIANS Traverse Theatre 8–30 August (not Mon), times vary

London’s Gate Theatre, which had a hit a couple of years ago with Grounded, returns with the story of a pastor who risks losing his congregation with a controversial sermon. Written by Lucas Hnath, it has a cast that includes William Gaminara, Lucy Ellinson and David Calvitto.

the terrible day in 1978 when a fire in an Iranian cinema resulted in the death of 422 people. The cinema cat returns to tell the sorry tale.

CITIZEN PUPPET

CINEMA Northern Stage at Summerhall 8–30 August (not Wed), 10.45am

Previously based in Edinburgh, now operating in the north of England, Zendeh theatre company recalls

Pleasance Courtyard 5–30 August (not 17), 5pm

Blind Summit had a big Fringe hit with The Table, a hilarious and imaginative piece of puppetry for grown-ups. Now the company is Top: The Deliverance and Citizen Puppet by Blind Summit Left: Antiwords

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM THEATRE LISTINGS two journeys from west to east set 175 years apart. One is by a Victorian bluestocking, the other by a schoolgirl jihadist.

887 Edinburgh International Conference Centre 13–23 August, times and dates vary

The great theatre director Robert Lepage returns to his childhood home in Quebec City to consider the nature of memory and forgetfulness. Recalling a revolutionary era of Canadian politics and a formative period in his own life, he blends visual magic with seductive storytelling. Part of the Edinburgh International Festival.

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows 7–29 August (not 12, 17, 24), 8.35pm

back with more comic capers, this time with a fairy-story presented in the manner of a documentary.

CORNERMEN Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 18), 2.45pm

Shortlisted for the Amnesty Freedom of Speech Award at last year’s Fringe with Tinderbox, Smoke & Oakum Theatre return with a play about a young boxer.

CRASH Traverse Theatre 6–30 August (not Mon), times vary

Captivating one-man show, back by popular demand after a run in Glasgow’s A Play, a Pie and a Pint lunchtime season. Written by Andy Duffy and starring Game of Thrones actor Jamie Michie, it’s a powerful piece of storytelling about a man recovering from a tragic event.

CRUSOE Zoo 9–28 August (not 11, 13, 15–17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27), 2.20pm

Solo show by the talented Gavin Robertson who somehow manages to mix the story of Robinson Crusoe with the big bang theory as he weaves together three tales set in an urban landscape riven by loneliness.

hit with The List, in which Maureen Beattie played a woman obsessed with bringing order to her life.

The same team returned last year for the second play in a trilogy by Canadian writer Jennifer Tremblay, about a woman at her mother’s deathbed. Now, the company stages both again plus The Deliverance, about a woman searching for a lost son. John Byrne designs.

The multinational Cirque Le Roux creates a small-scale circus about a woman who leaves her wedding reception and enters a smoking lounge full of dark secrets. Set in 1937, it combines the atmosphere of film noir with the acrobatic skills of the four performers.

THE ENCOUNTER Edinburgh International Conference Centre 8–23 August, dates and times vary

Complicite’s Simon McBurney in a one-man show inspired by the story of Loren McIntyre, an intrepid explorer who was briefly adopted by an isolated Amazonian tribe and found he could communicate by telepathy.

L’ENFANT QUI . . .

Institut français d’Ecosse 7–29 August (not Mon or Thu), 6.30pm

Bringing some big-top action to the New Town, the French Institute welcomes back Belgium’s T1J, which offers an impressionistic child’s-eyeview of the world inspired by the life of sculptor Jephan de Villiers.

For those who like their circus subtle.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING Roundabout @ Summerhall 8–30 August, 2.05pm

Second chance to see one of last year’s best-loved shows. Performed

by Jonny Donahoe, Duncan Macmillan’s play for Paines

DIAL MEDICINE FOR MURDER Gilded Balloon 22–31 August, 4pm

Two real-life doctors, Dr Harry Brunjes and Dr Andrew Johns, discuss the cases of two of the most notorious members of their profession, Dr Harold Shipman and Dr John Bodkin. Drawing on their knowledge of medicine and forensic psychiatry, they pick apart the men’s murderous behavior.

DYLAN THOMAS – THE MAN, THE MYTH Assembly Roxy 6–22 August (not 19), 1.30pm

Who better to celebrate the life of the great Welsh poet than his own granddaughter, Hannah Ellis? She joins Fringe veteran Guy Masterson to share Thomas’s poems, stories and letters.

ECHOES

THE DELIVERANCE Assembly Roxy 6–31 August (not 12, 18, 19, 25, 26), times vary

Two years ago, Stellar Quines enjoyed an award-winning Fringe

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Gilded Balloon 5–31 August (not 19), 5.30pm

Henry Naylor, once best known as a Spitting Image writer, now reinventing himself as a Fringe First-winning playwright, looks at

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THEATRE LISTINGS Plough and Pentabus manages to be both funny and touching, as it considers the difficulty of trying to make other people happy.

FACEBOOKED! Assembly Rooms 5–30 August (not 6, 17), 6.15pm

Playwright Iain Heggie has a gift for writing the perfect Facebook update. He’s forever overhearing conversations in his native Glasgow and relating them to his friends.

Realising he’s on to a winner, he’s adapted them for the stage.

FICTION Pleasance Dome 5–30 August (not 17, 24), 12pm

Director David Rosenberg and writer/novelist Glen Neath, working with music and sound specialists Ben and Max Ringham, have devised a hyper-realistic binaural 3D soundscape that puts you in the centre of the show.

A GAMBLER’S GUIDE TO DYING Traverse Theatre 6–30 August (not Mon), times vary

Gary McNair, who enjoyed a successful run last year with

rcsatthefringe.com

rcsofficial

Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian, returns to tell the true story of his grandfather who got lucky on a bet in 1966 and never lost the gambling bug – even when he was at death’s door.

A GAME OF YOU Traverse Theatre 25–30 August, times vary

The innovative Belgian company Ontroerend Goed completes a trilogy of personal shows in which the audience member is at the centre of the action. After the sensory overload of Smile Off Your Face and the disorientating speeddating of Internal, this one takes you on a gentle journey that reveals how others see you.

GOING VIRAL Northern Stage @ Summerhall 8–30 August (not Wed), 2.10pm

The charming performer Daniel Bye has been looking into the nature of viruses and finding out about how things spread through the population. Whether we’re talking about ideas or disease, our interconnectedness makes us both receptive and vulnerable.

@rcsatthefringe

HAIR PEACE Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 17, 24), 1pm

After needing to wear hair extensions as part of her research on a previous show, Victoria Melody became interested in the market for other people’s hair. It was an interest that got her tied up with everything from a Bollywood financier to a Celebrity Big Brother contestant.

HERE IS THE NEWS FROM OVER THERE (OVER THERE IS THE NEWS FROM HERE) Northern Stage @ Summerhall 8–29 August (not Wed), 11.10pm

A couple of years ago, Northern Stage presented The Bloody Great Border Ballad, a show that grew by the night as new artists added their contributions. It’s repeating the trick here, this time with writers and performers from the Middle East and the UK who’ll weave a topical tapestry from tweets, music and stories.

HOTEL PARADISO Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 17), 3.15pm

An internationally successful German mask comedy about a family hotel in an Alpine resort where all is not what it seems.

Wordless physical theatre suitable for the whole family. Famillie Floz enjoyed Fringe success a decade ago with Ristorante Immortale and Teatro Delusio.

HUMAN RESOURCES Northern Stage @ Summerhall 8–30 August (not Wed), 3.55pm

11:45 6-31 AUG (excl. 17 & 24)

One of three shows being performed by Chris Thorpe on the Fringe, this one is his latest collaboration with poet Hannah Jane Walker after their successes with The Oh F*** Moment and I Wish I Was Lonely. Here, they’re wondering whether there is a right or wrong way of thinking about who we are.

IMPOSSIBLE Pleasance Dome 5–31 August (not 17), 1.20pm

15:10 6-31 AUG (in rep excl. 17 & 24)

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An interesting pairing of Phill Jupitus and Alan Cox in the true story of the deadly feud between Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Written by Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky, it takes us back to a time when the credulous Conan Doyle bought into the fashion for séances and spiritualism, while the skeptical Houdini saw through the fraud.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JESUS, QUEEN OF HEAVEN Summerhall 5–30 August (not 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25), 10.45am

Transgender playwright Jo Clifford combines her interest in Christianity and sexual identity in a heartfelt meditation that, predictably, has rubbed the church’s more reactionary elements up completely the wrong way.

LANARK: A LIFE IN THREE ACTS Royal Lyceum 23–31 August, times and dates vary

This Citizens Theatre production, presented by the Edinburgh International Festival, brings to life in glorious detail the fantasy worlds of Unthank and Provan, drawing on Alasdair Gray’s own artwork for visual inspiration.

LIGHT BOXES Summerhall 7–30 August (not Tue), 7.15pm

Edinburgh’s Grid Iron theatre company uses live music, projection and visual storytelling to bring the absurdist first novel by Shane Jones

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM THEATRE LISTINGS MY BEAUTIFUL BLACK DOG Underbelly, Cowgate 6–16 August, 1.55pm

One of a number of shows this year that considers mental illness, Brigitte Aphrodite’s performance is a gig/theatre hybrid which takes in the highs as well as the lows associated with depression.

Expect dancing and exuberant costumes.

OH HELLO! Assembly Hall, 7–31 August (alternate days), 1.40pm

LOST IN TRANSITION Summerhall 12–23 August, times vary

Romania’s former dictator Ceausescu banned contraception and abortion. The result was a generation known as the decreteii or ‘children of the decree’.

Mona Bozdog’s play tells the story of one of the million of these Romanians who emigrated in search of a better life, only to meet with prejudice in her new life.

the word “murmel”. But Herbert Fritsch has used it as the basis of a crowd-pleasing surrealist comedy in his delightfully silly production for Berlin’s Volksbühne, now rounding off the Edinburgh International Festival in joyful style. Brilliantlychoreographed insanity on a psychadelic set.

Carry On star Charles Hawtrey gets the Fantabulosa treatment in this touching drama. Openly and happily gay, he frequently rubbed jealous co-star Kenneth Williams up the wrong way and had a senile mother at home to alternately argue with and take care of. Hilarious and bittersweet.

OUR LADIES OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR Traverse Theatre 18–30 August (not 24), times vary

A dream-team combination as Billy Elliot playwright Lee Hall adapts Alan Warner’s The Sopranos in

MAN TO MAN to the stage. Published in 2010, it is set in an otherworldly place where winter has been raging for 300 days.

LITTLE THING, BIG THING Assembly George Square Studios 6–30 August (not 17, 24), 3.40pm

Fringe First-winner Donal O’Kelly returns with a dark comic thriller, which he performs with Sorcha Fox in this Fishamble production.

It’s about an ex-con and a nun caught up in a world of international skulduggery as they go on the run across Ireland.

Underbelly Potterrow 5–31 August, 5.40pm

Manfred Karge’s play – once performed by Tilda Swinton – is a fascinating portrait of a woman who takes on her dead husband’s identity in order to survive under the Nazi regime. This revival starring Margaret Ann Bain is staged by the Wales Millennium Centre.

MURMEL MURMEL King’s Theatre 28–30 August, times vary

It sounds impossible: a 178-page script that consists entirely of Top:My Beautiful Black Dog and Hair Peace Left: Hotel Paradiso

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THEATRE LISTINGS WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM a production staged by Vicky Featherstone, former artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland. It’s a wild musical adventure involving a gang of Catholic schoolgirls going AWOL in the big city.

THE PARADISE PROJECT Northern Stage at Summerhall 8–30 August (not Wed), 5.40pm

An international collaboration between Third Angel from Sheffield and Mala Voadora from Lisbon, in which two people try to make a better life for themselves, while considering how successive generations have attempted to create a world that is less dirty, corrupt and immoral.

PARLOUR GAMES Zoo 7–31 August (not 16), 6.30pm

Lecoq-trained theatre company Tooth+Nail present their first show, a Gothic look at childhood games.

It promises to be a dark, frightfully funny hour as the children play and the shadows watch over everything, quietly threatening to engulf the scene.

PAUL BRIGHT’S CONFESSIONS OF A JUSTIFIED SINNER Queen’s Hall 19–22 August, 8pm

A well-deserved showcase for this head-spinning production by Untitled Projects and the National Theatre of Scotland. We go back to the late 1980s, when Glasgow was about to become the European City of Culture and a radical artist called Paul Bright was creating a stir at the Edinburgh International Festival.

POKER NIGHT BLUES Summerhall 10–30 August (not 25), 5.05pm

Intriguing collaboration between US company Theatre Movement Bazaar and China’s Beijing TinHouse Productions. The show deconstructs A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams to discover its essential elements, before building a “touching and steamy” fusion of East and West.

POLYPHONY Roundabout @ Summerhall 7–29 August (not Tue), 12.15pm

Daniel Kitson has proved one of the Fringe’s most consistently inventive

and surprising performers, both as comedian and playwright. His latest foray into theatre is a 20-character epic created by recording each character’s voice in isolation then playing them as required.

RAP GUIDE TO CLIMATE CHAOS Gilded Balloon 5–31 August (not 18), 7pm

On previous trips to the Fringe, the talented Baba Brinkman has brought his rapping skills to such topics as evolution and religion.

Here he focuses his peer-reviewed lyrics on the future of the planet, asking how bad can global warming be.

RAZ Assembly George Square Studios 6–31 August (not 12, 24)

Jim Cartwright, the celebrated author of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, unveils his latest play, a monologue about a 30-yearold party animal gearing up for a weekend of boozy escape. Keeping it in the family, the part is played by Cartwright’s son James.

ROSS & RACHEL Assembly George Square Theatre 6–31 August (not 17), 12.30pm

What happens when the perfect couple stop being so perfect?

Playwright James Fritz looks at the reality behind romantic myth as he charts the deteriorating relationship between two people everyone believed were made for each other.

SWALLOW Traverse Theatre 7–30 August (not Mon), times vary

One of the Traverse’s flagship productions this Fringe is a premiere

by Roadkill playwright Stef Smith about identity, heartbreak and hope.

Artistic director Orla O’Loughlin stages this three-hander about women on the edge. Whoever said smashing things up was a bad thing?

TETHER

SPECTRETOWN Assembly Hall 6–31 August (not 12, 17, 24), 1.30pm

Director Matthew Lenton of Glasgow’s Vanishing Point (whose Tomorrow is at the Traverse) moonlights for north-east company Stoirm Òg to stage a play by Elspeth Turner that’s inspired by bothy ballads. It’s a fusion of poetry, Doric vernacular and song, looking at the loneliness of modern life.

Underbelly, Cowgate 6–30 August (not 17), 2pm

We’re so impressed by the achievement of blind or partially sighted marathon runners that we can easily forget about the guides who must match them step for step. Playwright Isley Lynn focuses on one such person, who has given up his dreams of achieving gold in order to help another runner achieve hers.

Top: The Elephant in the Room and Veils Left: Poker Night

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WHEN BLAIR HAD BUSH AND BUNGA Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 17, 24), 7pm

Casualty actor Clive Mantle plays George W Bush in this satirical comedy about Tony and Cherie Blair going on holiday to Cliff Richard’s Barbados pad, where they find themselves in the company of some of the world’s biggest political players. A first play by Patrick Ryecart featuring unruly maids, a marauding US president and a phone call from the Pope.

WILLIE AND SEBASTIAN THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE FAMILY Underbelly, Cowgate 6–30 August, 4.40pm

Poetry slam champion Ben Norris turns playwright as he re-evaluates his relationship with his father. To do this, he journeys through the nation’s service stations in an effort to get a sense of his father’s world.

THE TITANIC ORCHESTRA Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 17, 24), 5.25pm

Four Weddings star John Hannah makes his first appearance on the Fringe since drama school in Glasgow. He’s in the UK premiere of a Bulgarian comedy by Hristo Boytchev about a group of tramps at an abandoned railway station who receive an unexpected visit from a man claiming to be Harry Houdini.

TONIGHT WITH DONNY STIXX 5–31 August (not 25), 2.45pm

Celebrated playwright Philip Ridley enjoyed Fringe First-winning success two years ago with Dark Vanilla Jungle. He’s returning with a companion piece, this one about a man dubbed by the tabloids as “the most hated boy alive”.

TRANS SCRIPTS Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August, 3pm

Caitlyn Jenner’s appearance on the cover of Vanity Fair means the profile of transgender people has never been higher. Timely, then, that

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this verbatim piece should come along in which transgender women relate the struggles of their lives.

Gilded Balloon 5–31 August (not 17), 8.15pm

Edinburgh favourites Andy Gray and Grant Stott tell a tale of two

old friends with a colourful past who both fell for the same woman and threw away vast fortunues.

Written by Rab C Nesbitt creator Ian Pattison, with Michelle Gallagher joining them in the cast.

WOMEN’S HOUR Summerhall 5–30 August (alternate days), 2pm

Body image and gender role stereotypes are put under the microscope by the spirited, if poorly named, Sh!t Theatre, which pays homage to the BBC Radio 4 magazine programme presented by Jenni Murray while satirising media portrayals of women. Part-comedy, part-theatre, part-performance art.

WORDS MARK FISHER

TRIBUTE ACTS Assembly Roxy 6–30 August, 2.50pm

Tess Seddon and Cheryl Gallacher, otherwise known as Theatrestate, look back in awe at a past of heroic fathers and charismatic politicians.

But when they form a tribute act to relive the glorious moments of the previous generation, they start to question their memory.

VEILS AND UKIMWI Assembly Chekpoint, 9-31 August (not 18, 25), from £11

A high-energy double bill of one-act plays by Tom Coash examining issues faced by African women.

Part of the Big Bite-Size Lunch Hour.

WALKING THE TIGHTROPE: THE TENSION BETWEEN ART AND POLITICS Underbelly Potterrow 5–31 August (not 17), 3.35pm

Last year, a show from Israel was forced to cancel its Fringe run when pro-Palestinian campaigners made it impractical to continue.

The Underbelly has responded by commissioning an impressive set of playwrights, including Caryl Churchill, Neil Labute, Gbolahan Obisesan, Mark Ravenhill and Timberlake Wertenbaker, to write short plays on the subject of freedom of expression.

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KIDS WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM Amazing theatre and hilarious comedy are not just for grown-ups at the festival THE AMAZING BUBBLEMAN

BABY LOVES DISCO

Assembly Rooms 6–30 August, 11.05am

Electric Circus 8–9, 15–16, 22–23, 29–31 August

Whether you like your bubbles square, filled with fog or within other bubbles, Louis Pearl has the bubble for you.

Daytime clubbing with a ten-year track record as club DJs line-up a family-friendly soundtrack of retro favourites. There’s also a chill-out room, karaoke booths and face painting.

ARABIAN NIGHTS Gilded Balloon 5–23 August, 11.15am

THE BOOKBINDER

Young audiences voted Story Pocket Theatre’s magical adventures as 2014 Primary Times Children’s Choice. Join Sheherazade as she spins stories from Ali Baba to Aladdin.

Assembly Roxy 6–31 August (not 17, 24), 1.40pm

Trick of the Light Theatre won the Children’s Theatre Award in Australia for this creepy tale inspired by Chris Van Allsburg and Neil Gaiman, about getting lost in a bad book.

COMEDY CLUB 4 KIDS Assembly Roxy 6–30 August, 4.15pm

Top circuit stand-ups strip their sets of rude words and adult themes and give younger audiences a taste of what they’ve been missing.

Line-up to be confirmed, but don’t be surprised to come across Tiernan Douieb, Nick Doody, Howard Read, Stu Goldsmith

BABA YAGA Duddingston Kirk Manse 5–16 August, 2.30pm

JENNY COLGAN: POLLY AND THE PUFFIN

Atmospheric setting on the opposite side of Arthur’s Seat, where Theatre Alba takes a Russian folk tale and turns it into an outdoor promenade.

Dress for the weather, and expect lots of participation.

Edinburgh International Book Festival, 18 August, 12.15pm

Popular with older readers, Colgan turns her attention to the 5–8-yearold market with a book about a little girl who befriends an injured puffin. .

EDMUND THE LEARNED PIG Summerhall 24–30 August, 11.20am

Everything is going wrong for Bonaparte’s travelling circus until a pig steps in to save the day.

Based on a poem by Edward Gorey and featuring songs by Martyn Jacques of the Tiger Lillies, the show

by Fittings Mutimedia Arts promises a “darkly pleasant rip-snorter of a tail”.

EION COLFER Edinburgh International Book Festival 29 August, 1.30pm

A chance to meet the best-selling author of Artemis Fowl who will be talking about The Hangman’s Revolution, the second book in his WARP series, which takes a nightmare journey into Victorian London.

JOHN FARDELL’S MONSTERS AND BADDIES

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Edinburgh International Book Festival 17 August, 10.30am

The popular Edinburgh author and illustrator reads from The Day Louis Got Eaten before getting everyone involved in inventing their own

monsters and baddies. Find out what sets Fardell’s vivid imagination alight.

FLIGHT Assembly Roxy 6–31 August, 12.30pm

The city is full of circuses this year, so it seems fitting that SaintExupéry’s Little Prince should be retold here by a troupe of acrobats.

A pilot crashes on the Mexican coast and goes in search of his lost friend.

GRANDAD AND ME Summerhall 8–23 August (not 9, 10, 17), 12.05pm

Glasgow company the Letter J tells a touching tale about a girl trying to reconnect with her lost grandfather through the facts of his life that she can remember. Features live music and animation.

GREEN POEMS FOR A BLUE PLANET Gilded Balloon 24–31 August, 11.15am

Illustrated with images by Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit, Martin Kiszko’s spoken-word performance encourages us to take more care of the environment.

GRUFFALOS, LADYBIRDS AND OTHER BEASTS WITH JULIA DONALDSON Underbelly, George Square 6–31 August, 11.30am

The much-loved author acts out her own stories in the company of a group of performers and her husband Malcolm on guitar.

After the show, there’s a chance to ask Donaldson to sign a book.

Top: Edmund the Learned Pig, We Are the Monsters and Grandad and Me Left: Flight

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM KIDS Stick Man and Tiddler, turn to the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Harry O’Hay’s plans to get married come unstuck when he’s replaced by the suave Reginald Rake.

THE SECRET GARDEN C Nova 5–31 August, 1.40pm

Not Cricket Productions brings to the stage the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett about young Mary Lennox and how she transforms the gloomy Misselthwaite Manor into a place of happiness once more.

younger audiences. The Party Planner’s Tale retells Romeo And Juliet, while The Piemaker’s Tale is a version of Titus Andronicus.

TAIWAN SEASON: THE PAPER PLAY Summerhall 7–30 August (not 11, 17, 18, 25), 11.45am

Puppet Beings Theatre presents a double bill – The Park and The Paper Play – which demonstrates the storytelling power of everyday paper.

THE VOICE THIEF

THE SECRET LIFE OF SUITCASES Scottish Storytelling Centre 8–23 August (not 12, 17), 3pm

Sweet-natured puppet fantasy for the over fives about a dedicated office worker whose neat-and-tidy routine is upturned when the natural world intrudes.

THE HAPPINESS PROJECT Summerhall 26–30 August, 11.30am

For older audiences, this piece by Glasgow’s Glas(s) Performance and London’s Roundhouse is created by a group of young artists, scientists and academics. They tell true stories reflecting on the well-being of young British people.

performances over the day for over-sixes. In The Sunset at 11am an old lady shares the memories of her long life. A Table for Two People at 1pm isa a tale about friendship. And Re-Animation at 3pm is all about what your feet and hands get up to when your head is asleep.

Pleasance Courtyard 28–31 August, times vary

Summerhall 7–14 August, 5.05pm

Join an expert Aardman modelmaker and discover the secrets behind making one of television’s most enduringly successful characters.

CHRIS JUDGE AND DAVID O’DOHERTY: DANGER IS STILL EVERYWHERE Edinburgh International Book Festival 16 August, 12.15pm

The world’s only dangerologist, Docter Noel Zone, has now had his heightened fear of danger described in a second book by comedian David O’Doherty and illustrator Chris Judge. That means a double helping of hilarious advice about the hazards that could affect any of us right this minute. Watch out!

Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 12, 19, 26), 12.30pm

Shakespeare’s Globe makes its Fringe debut with two shows for

Award-winning Catherine Wheels’ promenade performance is a gripping adventure about a scientist hell bent on silencing young girls.

WE ARE THE MONSTERS Summerhall 18–23 August, times vary

A humorous dance performance for children, choreographed by Colette Sadler, which demonstrates that no two monsters are alike. Part of the Made in Scotland showcase.

WORDS MARK FISHER

MORPH MODELMAKING WORKSHOP

THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD THROUGH BANALITIES

Belgium’s young people’s theatre company Kopergietery tells the story of a boy trying to find out more about his mother as her life comes to an end.

SHAKESPEARE UNTOLD: DOUBLE BILL

Summerhall 5–30 August (not Mon), times vary

OUR TEACHER’S A TROLL Roundabout @ Summerhall 6–23 August (not 11, 18), 11am

The creepy story of young brother and sister Sean and Holly, whose new head teacher turns the school into a gold mine-cum-slave camp for his own Trollish purposes. It’s also raucously funny.

A POCKETFUL OF GRIMMS Gilded Balloon 5–31 August, 12.30pm

Story Pocket Theatre introduces us to some of the less familiar stories that were collected by the Brothers Grimm. Expect clowning, physical theatre, puppetry and music.

THE METAPHYSICAL CARAVAN Summerhall 13–19 August, times vary

Poland’s Pinocchio Theatre has brought its own venue to the Fringe, offering three wordless puppet

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THE SCARECROW’S WEDDING Underbelly, George Square 6–31 August (not 19), 2.50pm

Scamp Theatre, the company behind the popular Fringe adaptations of

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The world’s best dance shows are coming to Edinburgh this August

BALLETT ZÜRICH Edinburgh Playhouse 7–29 August, 7.30pm

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A double-bill from this highly acclaimed Swiss company, featuring Wayne McGregor’s Kairos, set to music by Max Richter and Christin Spuck’s Sonnett, accompanied by a live rendition of Shakespearean sonnets.

BEAUTY OF THE BEAST Dance Base 18–30 August, times vary

Founded by two former members of Scottish Dance Theatre, Company Chameleon Dance Theatre presents this funny, yet moving, look at male behaviour in group situations.

BOOKING DANCE FESTIVAL Edinburgh International Conference Centre 12–16 August, 3pm

A regular Fringe dance highlight, Stac Polly_quarter_page_advert_proof.indd 1

this all-American festival features 28/06/2015 11:04

diverse work from five different companies, including contemporary, hip hop and international choreography. This year the festival-within-a-festival celebrates its ‘Golden Anniversary’–a celebration of bringing over 50 acts to Edinburgh over its seven-year history.

CORRECTION Zoo Southside 11–19 August, 8.15pm

Seven dancers stand in a row, literally glued to the spot. What they manage to do with their bodies, and with each other, from this confined position is a joy to behold. Clever and powerful choreography from Czech company VerTeDance.

DREAMING IN CODE Zoo Southside 17–30 August (not 19, 26), 4pm

Young, athletic all-male company 2Faced Dance is a sure-fire Fringe hit each year, blending high energy hip hop with intelligent contemporary dance and atmospheric staging.

Award-winning choreographer Tamsin Fitzgerald and Eddie Kay for Frantic Assembly present this topical show.

FOR NOW, I AM Zoo Southside 22–30 August, 5.45pm

After a life-altering car crash in 1997, dancer Marc Brew re-invented his performance style. This moving and powerful solo, with superb lighting design and music, charts his journey.

4X4 EPHEMERAL ARCHITETURES Assembly George Square Theatre 5–30 August (not 12, 18, 25), 5.30pm

A big hit with its 2013 Fringe show Smashed, Gandini Juggling returns with this new show featuring four jugglers and four ballet dancers.

Top: 4X4 Ephemeral Architetures and 360 All Stars Left: Special Edition 2015

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DANCE LISTINGS

GIVE ME A REASON TO LIVE

SMASH IT UP

Dance Base 7–29 August (not 10-13, 17-20, 2425), 3pm

Summerhall 15–29 August, 4.35pm

Captivating performer Claire Cunningham presents her latest show, exploring the way disabled and non-disabled bodies are judged, and the differences between empathy and sympathy.

LAST MAN STANDING Zoo Southside 23–31 August, 12.30pm

James Wilton Dance uses contemporary movement, martial arts, breakdance and capoeira in this work for seven dancers, looking at human fragility and our will to survive.

Inspired by the destruction of a piece of public art on the streets of Newport, this gritty work explores the intersection of art, culture and public spaces.

SMOTHER Pleasance Sanctuary 7–22 August, 6.40pm

201 Dance Company return from recent successes in London and New York with their signature fastpaced hip-hop. Smother focuses on the relationship between two young gay men in an ‘intense urban fairytale’.

SPECIAL EDITION 2015

LO REAL / LE RÉEL / THE REAL Edinburgh Festival Theatre 19–21 August, 7.30pm

Flamenco choreographer Israel Galván brings together singers, instrumentalist and dancers to explore the persecution – and spirit – of Roma and Sinti people living in fascist Spain during World War Two. NIJINSKY’S LAST JUMP Dance Base 7–23 August (not 10, 17), 2pm

Dance theatre production from Company Chordelia, exploring the artistic risk taking and mental illness of Vaslav Nijinsky, one of the world’s greatest ballet stars.

PONIES DON’T PLAY FOOTBALL Dance Base 26–30 August, 9.30pm

Ireland’s ponydance returns to the Fringe, after its previous triumphant visits, to perform its own hilarious and life-affirming brand of comedy dance theatre.

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Dance Base 7–16 August (not 10), 5pm

Dancers from Scottish Ballet step away from the company’s repertoire for a moment, to share their own choreographic creations.

TAO DANCE THEATRE Royal Lyceum Theatre 17 & 18 August, 8pm

Set to the music of Steve Reich, this remarkable work in three parts finds both the music and dancers caught in an endless loop of repetition, leading to duets performed in perfect unison.

360 ALLSTARS Assembly Hall 6–31 August (not 17), 4.15pm

Full-on rotational fun is the name of the game at this exciting circus show, which features athletes, dancers and acrobats, with BMX bikes, breakdancing, basketball and more.

WORDS KELLY APTER

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COMEDY LISTINGS WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM Laugh your socks off with our round-up of the best comedy shows at this year’s festival ABIGOLIAH SCHAMAUN: POST-COITAL CONFESSIONS Gilded Balloon Teviot 5–31 August (not 19), 5.15pm

A show all about sex from the difficult-to-pronounce comedian, in which she heads under the covers and wonders what is the weirdest thing anyone has ever said to you post-coitus. She’s also doing a comedy show for children at the Free Fringe, filming her audience with a GoPro on her head and then uploading the results to the internet.

ADAM HESS: SALMON Heroes @ The Hive 7–31 August, 5.20pm

Significantly calmer since his nervy and excitable arrival on the stand-up circuit, this versatile, accomplished comic brings his much anticipated debut to the festival after several years of shorter sets. Arguably best known as a

writer of surreally witty one-liners on Twitter, where he has 45,000 followers, and being part of the leftfield Bearpit Podcast collective of character acts, Salmon focuses on embarrassing tales from Hess’ adolescence.

ADAM RICHES IS COACH COACH Pleasance Dome 5–30 August, 9.45pm

Speculation as to what sport Adam Riches might propel his intense character Coach Coach into for his first multi-character play was finally answered when it emerged he’d be presiding over Volfsball. Invented by fellow comic Marek Larwood, this bizarre, lo-fi netball-style game will see the Queen Dome Centaurs battling the Courtyard Lizards, with former Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Riches schooling his fellow comics and audience members in his uniquely macho, sweat-dripping style.

ALEX EDELMAN: EVERYTHING HANDED TO YOU Pleasance Courtyard 5–30 August, 8.30pm

Last year’s winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award’s best newcomer gong, Edelman divides his time between New York and his burgeoning career in the UK and Australia, so his real home is a blue suitcase. The young Bostonian Jew with the slick delivery and propensity for talking himself square into trouble is once again focusing on the experience of twenty-somethings, worrying if they’re ever going to acquire what previous generations took for granted.

ALFIE MOORE: A FAIR COP STANDS UP Assembly George Square Studios 5–31 August, 5.30pm

More beat anecdotes from the star of Radio 4’s It’s A Fair Cop, Moore presents an insider’s view of policing from someone who’s technically still on the force. A droll, engaging storyteller with a veritable trove of tales about criminal

stupidity and law enforcement cock-ups, Moore is unabashed about criticising the Thin Blue Line and areas in which the police are failing.

ANDREW MAXWELL – YO CONTRAIRE Assembly George Square Theatre 5–30 August (not 17), 10.30pm

One of the few comedians to directly engage with the Scottish Referendum last year, the waggish Dubliner returns to the Edinburgh of his forefathers with his thoughts on the political scene north and south of the border and the travails of his beloved Hibernian FC. Belatedly striving for the mainstream recognition his position as one of the UK’s most consistently strong live acts deserves, he’ll soon be seen presenting the drone-building show Airheads on BBC Two. ANGELA BARNES: COME AS YOU ARE Pleasance Courtyard 5–30 August (not 17), 8.15pm

With the demeanour and assurance of a seasoned pro, it’s difficult to Top: Bec Hill and Andrew Maxwell Left: Alex Edelman

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it’ll be passionately delivered but with knowing wit and Christie’s desire to never take herself too seriously.

the accomplished gag writer and rapper is reflecting on his survival chances with a show that includes one-liners, improvised lyric salvoes and epic love poetry. He will also be performing in Racing Minds’ familyfriendly improv comedy Aaaand Now For Something Completely Improvised at the Pleasance Queen Dome.

CARL DONNELLY: JIVE ASS HONKY Pleasance Courtyard 5–30 August (not 17), 8.30pm

believe that Angela Barnes only made her Fringe debut twelve months ago. This year, she’s presenting routines about the need to accept yourself, flaws, The Archers obsessions and all.

Not caring what anyone thinks about your “thing” is her new thing, just so long as you’re passionate about it. With her personal tales dovetailing neatly with wider social observation, Barnes is always extremely agreeable company.

BEASTS: LIVE DVD Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 18), 4.45pm

Despite only forming in 2012, Beasts were catapulted into the wider comedy consciousness last year with a wonderfully fractious Fringe show that found Owen Roberts, James McNicholas and Ciarán Dowd constantly bickering as each tried to wrest control of the production. This time around, they’re promising to shoot a live DVD, so expect more knockabout laughs and shambolic scenes from a trio who aren’t slow in humiliating themselves in the service of provoking laughs.

BEC HILL: CAUGHT ON TAPE Gilded Balloon 5–31 August (not 19), 5.30pm

With a blend of puns, low-tech animations, crafty, colourful invention and effervescent energy, Bec Hill is an easy act to warm to.

But she’s also an accomplished storyteller, revealing her one big regret involved a video tape of her as a child. Broadening out from this, she’s asked the public for their life regrets and received 297 replies

of missed opportunities, drunken outings and one case of highly expensive vandalism.

The Australian also stars in the latenight ensemble show, Phil Nichol’s Cray Cray Cabaret, at the Assembly Rooms.

Notwithstanding the frivolous show title, this is an hour that’s not afraid to explore darkness from the former Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee. Reflecting on his divorce, depression, insecurity and therapy, as well as touching on suicide, this natural storyteller makes some tough years not only very funny but also relatable. Although prone to portraying himself as a feckless idiot, Donnelly’s sharp comic brain is always taking notes, even during his most embarrassing moments.

Assembly Hall 6–30 August (not 17), 8.20pm

Corey White had a tough childhood.

He’s the son of a heroin addict mother and violent criminal father, who spent his youth in and out of foster families and his early adult life addicted to the drug ice.

And yet, the charismatic Australian has produced an uplifting Fringe debut, with a wry, witty reflection on his bleak autobiography.

Brutally candid and clear-sighted on familial relationships and addiction, it’s a testimony to his gift with an anecdote that he can mine so many rich laughs from his past difficulties.

CHRIS TURNER: XXV Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August, 9.45pm

At 15, Turner was diagnosed with a genetic condition that gave him 10 years to live. Now at 24,

BRETT GOLDSTEIN: BURNING MAN Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 17), 9.30pm

Probably best known for his roles in Ricky Gervais’s Derek and the Nick Helm sitcom Uncle, Brett Goldstein is also a thoughtful, eloquent stand-up whose last show, Contains Scenes of an Adult Nature, was a penetrating, persuasive analysis of the harmful effects of pornography. This year, he’s still trying to find himself, recalling a sex and drugs escapade at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada. His British superhero film, Superbob, featuring regular collaborator Catherine Tate, won the prestigious Discovery Award at the Loco London Comedy Film Festival earlier this year, so expect to see plenty more of him soon.

BRIDGET CHRISTIE: A BOOK FOR HER The Stand Comedy Club 8–31 August (not 17), 11am

Coinciding with her recently released book of the same name, a personal view on contemporary feminism, the recent Edinburgh Comedy Award winner has furiously crafted a new hour that promises to focus on women’s rights, racism, morality, space, gardening and football. Or it may not, as she’s writing it right up until her first show. Whatever it includes,

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COMEDY LISTINGS DAVID O’DOHERTY: WE ARE ALL IN THE GUTTER, BUT SOME OF US ARE LOOKING AT DAVID O’DOHERTY

FELICITY WARD: WHAT IF THERE IS NOT TOILET? Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 17), 9pm

It takes a certain boldness and considerable skill to make the issues of irritable bowel syndrome and mental illness funny. However, the inventive, live-wire Felicity Ward is nothing if not experienced at sharing her problems with strangers, combining an easy, confessional knack with acute observational wit. Breaking through on UK television as well as her native Australia, expect to see plenty more of this kooky talent.

Assembly George Square Theatre 5–31 August (not 18), 7.15pm

Returning to the festival that he likens to the Tour De France for its gruelling marathon demands but chance for glory, Ireland’s most agitated, kids keyboardwielding, musical virtuoso delivers more bleakly witty songs, dryly thoughtful banter and semi-ironic self-aggrandisement. A former Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, O’Doherty has settled into a productively jazzy groove and his parallel career as a children’s author keeps his perspective joyful.

FERN BRADY: PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4 6–30 August (not 17), 12.10pm

DIANE SPENCER: POWER TOOL Gilded Balloon 5–31 August (not 12), 6.45pm

Seldom shy about opening up on stage, the filthy and indiscreet Spencer has delivered consistently strong stand-up shows at the Fringe.

Here she offers the low-down on what happened when she and her comedian husband bought a house in London and needed to scrape together the money to fix it up, leading to Spencer writing a onewoman festival show for the difficult Nancy Dell’Olio last year, prompting a battle of wits in the messy debacle that followed.

DON’T LOOK DOWN The Assembly Rooms 5–30 August (not 6, 17), 8.45pm

About to perform the highest gig in the world at the base camp of Everest, the barnstorming Craig Campbell is one of the few standups with an obvious affection for the great outdoors. Here the force-of-nature Canadian reflects on his perilous Himalayan undertaking and offers more tales from his wild misadventures.

At the top of his game, he’s a performer no other comic wants to follow.

of his new hour, where he ponders if life is a movie and he’s just in the audience watching it. Who are all these strange minor characters passing through in the background?

What’s their story?

more fun. Gamble enjoys a cult following among discerning comedy fans, so this free, lunchtime show should be in considerable demand.

ED GAMBLE: LAWMAN

Laughing Horse @ The White Horse 6–30 August (not 24), 8.30pm

Canons’ Gait 8–30 August, 1.15pm

A natural comic and for a long time the marginally less idiotic partner in the Peacock and Gamble double-act, the star of E4 and BBC America’s Almost Royal is the cautious, rule-abiding, tidinessobsessed safety freak in his relationship. Here, he reveals why transgressions from the straight and narrow invariably lead to disaster, and why, if we all just stay within the law, we’d all have much

ELEANOR TIERNAN–DON’T CRY FOR ME ELEANOR TIERNAN

Another great free show to catch, Eleanor Tiernan is a low-key, understated act, but also one of Ireland’s most daringly original and inventive stand-ups. This year, she’s exploring the gap between childhood expectations and reality, the quirks of fate that have seen a smart, academic young girl being smuggled out of the back door of a venue in Manila, avoiding the angry bikers who wanted to “teach me some manners”.

ED BYRNE–OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

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GARY LITTLE: JUST TRYING TO BE FRIENDLY The Stand Comedy Club 6–30 August (not 17), 9.30pm

Smashing it in gigs all over Scotland and beyond in the last few years, Little impresses with the searing honesty of his comedy.

The big ex-con shares expertly constructed and established tales of his childhood in Glasgow’s deprived Maryhill, acknowledging his naivety about their poverty and his parents’ cunning in fooling him that they were better-off than they were. Occasionally, he can fall back on more pedestrian material, but when a routine’s finely polished, he has an ability to command audiences like few others.

GEIN’S FAMILY GIFTSHOP: VOLUME 2

Gilded Balloon 5–30 August (not 17, 27), 9pm

Despite a recent BBC Two travelogue with his best friend Dara O’Briain driving across Latin America, Ed Byrne sometimes feels like he’s not participating in life, and that as a touring comedian you’re only observing and reporting what you see. That’s the premise

Just awarded her own BBC pilot, based on her stay in an adolescent psychiatric unit, the opinionated Brady doesn’t suffer fools gladly, not least the hysterical hand-wringing of the Daily Mail. A former journalist and stripper who worked in social support with murderers and sex offenders, the young Scot delivers a potent mix of insecurity and direct social commentary as she returns to her homeland for her Fringe debut.

Pleasance Courtyard 5–30 August (not 17), 10.45pm

Felicity Ward, Don’t Look Down, and Glenn Wool

Plucked to appear in Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s acclaimed television series Inside No. 9 after impressing in Edinburgh last year, this inventive, macabre sketch trio from Manchester mine consistent laughs from bizarre

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photo: Charlie Stive Dagna - Artwork: Francesca Torta

Preview 5-6-7 August 8-16, 18-23, 25-31 August 3.00 pm

Gilded Balloon Teviot - 13 Bristo Square Box Office 0131 622 6552 - Tickets on line at www.gildedballoon.co.uk www.sonics.it Untitled-2 1

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COMEDY LISTINGS JAMES ACASTER: REPRESENT

setups and impressive acting chops. Kath Hughes, James Meehan and principal oddball Edward Easton fill their skits with plenty of crude depravity and will be seeking to surpass last year’s Edinburgh Comedy Award best newcomer nomination.

Pleasance Courtyard 5–30 August, 8.30pm

Thrice nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award but yet to emerge victorious, Kettering’s greatest MID-RANGE RESTAURANTS comedy export last year spun www.edfestmag.com an entire show out of being discourteously sold a banana, salmon cheesecake with caviar Near Five minutes to Usher Hall andpeevishness haggis wrapped in puffa pastry channelling his into sour cream , and main courses such Edinburgh has seen a significant with pepper cream find inspiration fantasy about being an undercover as roast tenderloin of boar with number of craft beer bars opening closer to home. braised pork belly, apple compote up of late. In general, they areThis year, clad entirely in cop. and crackling, served with pulled enthusiastic about Scottish beers, INN ON THE MILE maroon, he’s THE revealing the events pork and black pudding mash and keen on American-style menu 82 High Street that led an overSavoy cabbage with chorizo. items and fashionably scruffy.

Theto him Tel:becoming 0131 556 9940 Huxley is their slightly older, more www.theinnonthemile.co.uk committed jury member. polished brother. The Scottish HOTEL DU VIN Near One minute to The Tron Expect whimsical absurdity but craft beers are still on the taps but 11 Bristo Place Making the most of its prominent killer punchlines too. they also do cocktails. Gourmet Tel: 0131 247 4900 location on the Royal Mile, The Inn

GLENN WOOL: CREATOR, I AM BUT A PAWN Assembly George Square Studios 5–30 August (not 17, 24), 9.20pm

Wool has a raft of entertaining anecdotes from his international travels, and thankfully he’s always kept an open mind, with a strong philosophical streak. Musing on fate’s capriciousness, this year the melodramatic Canadian is wondering whether some higher power is putting obstacles in his path. He also recounts the experiences of his Estonian father in World War II, who, with resourcefulness, daring and sheer luck managed to escape a refugee camp and make it to North America.

GOOSE: KABLAMO Assembly George Square Theatre 6–30 August, 3.20pm

One of the more distinctive and difficult to describe comedy acts at the Fringe, Goose are writer-director Ben Rowse and writer-performer Adam Drake. For their chaotic theatre pieces, self-proclaimed “ginger Tigger” Drake manically and sweatily hurls himself into delivering an inexplicably weird story, full of twists and turns, with an energy and commitment that has to be seen to be believed.

While you marvel at the physicality, Drake is a gifted improviser and elicits plenty of laughter from his capering.

HENRY GINSBERG – 28 YEARS LATER Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters 6–30 August, 12.15pm

Making a late Fringe debut after ten years on the circuit, the unique Ginsberg nevertheless ought to have one of the better attended free shows. Affecting to be one of life’s losers, he projects a deadpan, simmering misanthropy that’s nearoverwhelming in its bleakness.

But while he’s invariably the butt of most of his own jokes, he’s developed a witty and defiant resistance to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, making for memorable and often very funny routines.

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sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs www.hotelduvin.com on the Mile offers an all day menu feature prominently but they are Near One minute to Gilded with a distinctly Scottish flavour.

JOHN-LUKE ROBERTS: well travelled. At The Huxley, the Balloon Naturally, haggis, neeps and tatties STDAD-UP Slum Dog comes with mango mayo, The wine theme here is much are available alongside bangers and crispy onion bhaji flakes and mint Rooms evidenced in terms of the décor, as mash, a steak pie and fish and chips Voodoo crème fraiche. ‘Jai ho!’ as they say well as lengthy, interesting wine list. served with that Edinburgh delicacy 6.55pm around these parts. 8–30 August,salt The food is mainly classic French and sauce. Cleverly, they also bistro dishes such as onion soup, of whisky that the After filteringserve the flights break-up of so his beef Bourguignon on the bone and IRIS curious can sample three different long-term romantic and comedy coq au Riesling. The grill menu, 47a Thistle Street drams from six whisky regions. cutting loose, speaking, partnership through his previous John Luke Roberts especially the Bistro burger,relatively has Tel: 0131 220 2111 proved popular. www.irisedinburgh.co.uk JAMIE’S oughtProper to beafternoon an entertaining show’s absurd box ofITALIAN tricks, tea is served in the Whisky Lounge, Near Five minutes from 54 George Street listen. He’s offering more furious this year the inventive if emotionally IAN D MONTFORT: UNDER while the outdoor courtyard is a Assembly Rooms Tel: 0131 202 5452 reckless Roberts is SCIENCEY CONDITIONS peacefulself-deprecation, haven from the festival niche football This city centre restaurant boasts John-Luke www.jamieoliver.com crowds. references and polite good a modern menu that matches its Near the Assembly Rooms processing the death of his father.

Pleasance Courtyard smart casual looks. Some of the The popular TV chef continues manners, but he’s also threatening Roberts Snr used to feature as 5–30 August, 9.20pm starters such as the fried chorizo to roll out his chain of Italian THE HUXLEY a Street divergence into politics and a disapproving aside inThe hisrecently son’s Tom Binns’ reliably excellent and morcilla with caramelised 1 Rutland restaurants. apple look culinary Assembly Rooms offer 229 3402 on the meaning of abroad life. for their blend of gags,refurbished prop comedy Sunderland psychic character is aTel: 0131ruminations cue. Others such as the lamb loin a suitably grand setting. During the www.thehuxley.co.uk

cut above most charlatans claiming they can read minds, with great gags to match his genuinely impressive abilities. But sceptics abound, so this year D Montfort will prove his talent in a more-or-less thorough laboratory environment. Binns will also appear at the George Square Gardens in The Club Sets, where D Montfort and hospital radio DJ Ivan Brackenbury are joined by his new ventriloquism act, Uncle Jim.

festival, the res bookings for g eight. In 2012, opened, this po ins, particularly could be lookin before tucking tagliolini. One s pulling power h since then.

JEREMIAH’S T Elm Row Tel: 0131 556 www.jeremiah Near Five min Playhouse A former local a hip craft ale b beers on draug Taproom offers burgers, spicy pork dishes on The breakfasts during the wee at the weekend culture vulture wearisome effe We recommen accompanied b made with ma triple sec.

IMAGINE THERE’S NO BEN TARGET (IT’S EASY IF YOU TRY) Heroes @ The Hive 6–30 August (not 18), 3pm

Incrementally developing a 50-minute show over the course of the festival, Ben Target very much rows his own boat when it comes to performing. Like a benevolent cult leader, his gentle mind seems open to including anything, as audience members rush to join in with his joyously infectious games and ridiculous set-pieces. An act to pick you up whenever you find yourself jaded with the festival.

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IVO GRAHAM: NO FILTER Pleasance Courtyard 5–30 August (not 17), 6pm

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The idea of Ivo Graham sharing his darkest inner thoughts and base desires sounds hilarious in itself.

So the repressed young comic

Giuliano’s on the shore 1 Commercial Street Leith (By the water) Edinburgh EH6 6JA 0131 556 7771

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COMEDY LISTINGS and deliberately one-note characters, so prepare for (free) clowning of the most personal – and possibly painfully poignant – kind.

return with a show that, appositely enough, looks at double acts.

Gifted comic actors, adept at conveying troubled souls excluded from life’s feast, Celeste Dring and Freya Parker focus on what it takes to be in, and survive, an “act” with another person. Distinctive and engaging, their characters are richer than most.

JOHN ROBINS: SPEAKEASY Assembly George Square Studios 5–30 August (not 17), 8pm

A gregarious and hugely affable stand-up in his club sets, John Robins’ occasional moments of darkness invariably apply to memories of his most abject humiliation, which he explores in the longer arc allowed by his Fringe shows. This latest hour is no different, opening with the fallout from his girlfriend discovering everything he’s searched for on his laptop. Reflecting how we conceal our real selves when we communicate with the world, he still reckons that true love overcomes all.

JOSEPH MORPURGO: SOOTHING SOUNDS FOR BABY Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 18), 8.15pm

Following on from last year’s brilliantly conceived and raptuously

LEWIS SCHAFFER IS FREE UNTIL FAMOUS, £5 Just the Tonic at The Community Project 6–30 August (not 18), 5.35pm

received Odessa, in which he created a cut ‘n’ paste story full of weird and wonderful characters out of “found” VHS tapes from the 1980s, the wonderfully inventive Joseph Morpurgo has fashioned a (supposedly) more personal tale out of random vinyl records and their cover art–with their significance revealed in a special edition of Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. He’s also part of the returning Fringe improv hit, Austentatious, at the Underbelly.

JULIAN DEANE Just the Tonic at the Tron 6–31 August (not 18), 9pm

Winner of the Laughing Horse’s New Act of the Year competition in 2010, Julian Deane has built a solid standup circuit following ahead of tackling Edinburgh. His stories initially seem like typical jokes you’d hear down the pub but invariably end with brilliant, leftfield punchlines.

Understated and assured, he’s hugely accomplished at the pull back and reveal gag. The Fringe promises to secure him critical plaudits to add to his reputation amongst his peers.

KARL SPAIN: A TIME FOR JOKES Gilded Balloon 5–31 August (not 18), 4.15pm

The affable Karl Spain is an excellent compere, his appetite for goodnatured mischief endearing him to audiences. However, that same instinctive impulse for cheekiness also leads him to crack jokes in the most inappropriate situations.

Here he recounts how he occasionally comes unstuck.

A droll everyman with a cynical streak about modern life, he’s a natural storyteller.

After six years of performing his cult free shows at the Fringe, contrarian American Lewis Schaffer is now charging for the privilege of watching his hours, which on any given night swing between triumph and disaster with entertaining regularity. How much of the real Schaffer you get to see on stage is open to debate. But maybe, just maybe, his upgrade to a nicer room will bring him fame after a quarter century in the stand-up game.

LIAM WILLIAMS: BONFIRE NIGHT Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters 6–19 August (not 17), 11.30pm; 20–30 August, 7.30pm

Twice nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award, the verbose, existentially grim Williams follows up his 2014 show Capitalism with another free hour exploring the unequal distribution of wealth, his relationship breakdown and general apathy. Inspired by Britain’s annual celebration of Guy Fawkes’ downfall, the self-declared “Pilsner socialist” asks why Britain is so inherently anti-revolutionary? He is also appearing in Sheeps Skewer the News at The Cellar Monkey.

LAZY SUSAN: DOUBLE ACT

LOU SANDERS: EXCUSE ME, YOU’RE SITTING ON MY PENIS AGAIN

Pleasance Dome 5–31 August (not 19), 8.10pm

Laughing Horse @ City Cafe 7–30 August (not 19), 5.30pm

Last year’s Edinburgh Comedy Award best newcomer nominees

Lou Sanders’ engagement with the real world can often seem Lou Sanders and Lazy Susan

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THE GODDESS OF GIN HAS RETURNED.

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COMEDY LISTINGS WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM entirely tenuous. But in a blow against sexism and elitism, she’s invaded Eton College for Boys.

With a mildly disturbing sexual dimension being one of her stronger suits, this show offers something of a clash of cultures between the Establishment and her surrealist ego. More structured and with a discernible narrative this year, she’s nevertheless free once again.

Which is more than can be said for private education.

LUKE MCQUEEN: DOUBLE ACT Pleasance Courtyard 5–31 August (not 17), 9.45pm

Luke McQueen’s self-loathing, self-destructive persona directly and painfully embraces a crowd, his 2014 debut show attracting him plenty of admirers. This ludicrous follow-up finds him musing on the break-up of his once promising double act. Hailed as a “stunt pundit”, expect plenty of surprising twists and turns, audience flirtations, fallouts and the ever-looming possibility of a mental breakdown. Perhaps less baked bean-related nudity this year too, but who knows?

LUKE TOULSON: GRANDPA, HITLER AND ME

columnist is amazed by what he’s found. Suffice to say, the renowned leftie wasn’t entirely comfortable with the privileged background he uncovered.

The Stand Comedy Club 5 & 6 5–30 August (not 6, 17), 3.45pm

This promises to be an emotional and engrossing show from Luke Toulson as he relates the true account of his grandparents’ love affair. Marking the 70th anniversary of VE Day, it’s based on 200 letters that Stanley sent home to his wife Kate as he fought in Europe during World War II. Marking a shift in emphasis to a more structured narrative from Toulson, it will be intriguing to see if scratching deeper in his psyche brings out the best in his accomplished stand-up.

MATTHEW CROSBY: SMALLER THAN LIFE Just the Tonic at The Mash House 6–30 August (not 18), 7.40pm

Luke Toulson this likeable, slightly loopy act promises acute observations and nostalgic references to her “pseudoanguished past”. On stage at 13, she’d dropped out of high school two years later.

MAE MARTIN: US

MARK STEEL: WHO DO I THINK I AM?

Laughing Horse @ City Cafe 6–30 August (not 17), 9.15pm

Assembly George Square Studios 5–30 August (not 17), 8.15pm

Mixing stand-up and songs, the puckish Canadian is exploring the labels we apply to ourselves and those bestowed on us by others.

Juxtaposing her liberal upbringing, where “coming out” was easy, with the complications of being referred to as a “lesbian comedienne” on the modern comedy circuit,

Performing a Fringe show for the first time in two decades, Mark Steel is opening up about his adoption and attempts to track down his birth parents. Applying the sort of wry commentary and curiosity he usually reserves for quirky places in his entertaining Radio series Mark Steel’s In Town, the comic and

Combining stand-up and storytelling with silly set-pieces, this latest solo show from the small, bespectacled one out of sketch group Pappys finds him exploring his masculinity, personal and national identity on a holiday to Russia. Though less boisterous than Pappys’ knockabout brashness, Crosby’s self-effacing charm ought to ensure that it’s a typically nerdy, pernickety and entertaining account.

MAX AND IVAN: THE END Pleasance Dome 5–30 August (not 18), 8.20pm

A nuclear meltdown in the decaying coastal town of Sudleyon-Sea is the setting for this latest sketch-narrative hybrid from Max Olesker and Ivan Gonzalez.

COME SEE US AT ST ANDREW SQUARE GARDEN DURING THE FESTIVAL

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WRITTEN BY MICHELLE McMANUS & BRUCE DEVLIN

US N A M c M E L MICHEL

d e d a o Rel

"A very, very good comedian …. the new queen of the one woman show" - Daily Record

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In Glasgow houses were burnt-down, 8 people were killed and 400 Dragoons were sent in to placate this unruly challenge to the union.

Scotland’s whisky distilleries urgently had to do something.

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WWW.EDFESTMAG.COM COMEDY LISTINGS The attention to detail in the pair’s characterisation is always a big part of their appeal and here their creations include a tabloid journalist, a corrupt politician, ultra-competitive sisters, a bigoted blind man and a randy couple who can’t keep their hands off each other. By turns dark, silly and hugely energetic, expect plenty of running jokes and audience interaction.

The pair are also reviving their Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning extravaganza The Wrestling at the Pleasance Grand, which will once more see comedians risk life and limb against professional wrestlers, this time in an all-out free-for-all.

the charismatic American treats controversy as an occupation hazard that needs to be risked for great comedy. Fearlessly honest and open, about his weaknesses as much as anyone else’s, Hunter has little time for accepted wisdom and confronts gender politics head-on.

RHYS JAMES: REMAINS Paul Sinha

Pleasance Courtyard 5–30 August, 4.45pm

recounts his first foray into comedy as a four-year-old novice entertainer.

Expect to hear his ditty Two Little Puppies (In Two Little Pushchairs) and play of his patented version of Pass the Parcel.

A physically unimpressive wordsmith with pretensions to poetic acclaim, Rhys James is a compelling blend of insecurity and cockiness. Aware that as a young, white, middle-class and straight man, life is very much tipped in his favour, he rails against the lack of struggle he’s experienced.

Assured and versatile, with a host of great lines and sense of his own ridiculousness, his career is on an upwards trajectory.

MIKE WOZNIAK: ONE MAN DAD CAT BAND

PAUL SINHA: POSTCARDS FROM THE Z LIST

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters 6–30 August (not 17), 1.15pm

The Stand Comedy Club 5–30 August (not 6, 17), 5pm

Recently seen in the second series of Greg Davies’ sitcom Man Down, arguably the most distinctive moustache on the stand-up circuit and former Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominee is back with an elaborate tale of how he drove from England to Scotland with an unwitting cat in his boot.

With his dry, unassuming patter, Wozniak is an understated class apart, a subtle, naturally funny actor who deserves a higher profile.

Currently ranked as the 17th best quizzer in the world, Paul Sinha is acutely aware of how trivial the celebrity status he’s acquired for his role in ITV’s daytime quiz The Chase is. This, and other moments of self-realisation are explored in his first festival show since 2011, as well as his reasons to be happy – after 20 years of being single, he’s now the stridently left-wing boyfriend to a younger, stridently right-wing man.

Sharp and political, but self-aware about his failings, Sinha is a reliably strong comic.

PAJAMA MEN: 2 MAN 3 MUSKETEERS Assembly Roxy 7–30 August (not 17, 24), 8.30pm

Arguably the most influential sketch act of recent years, The Pajama Men return to the Fringe with their first show based on an existing text, Alexandre Dumas’ epic adventure The Three Musketeers. In many respects truer to the more dubious character of d’Artagnan and his cohorts than most adaptations, Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez are nevertheless taking entertaining licence with their source material, with their other characters including a grossly overweight Cardinal Richelieu, an annoying bird and a gay centaur.

PAT CAHILL: PANJANDRUM Heroes @ The Hive 6–30 August (not 19), 6.40pm

A decidedly off-kilter performer, it’s hard to imagine anyone else doing Pat Cahill’s material, his nonsensical wordplay and musical interludes the voice of a unique comic sensibility.

With a wartime theme, he regales with tales from his underground bunker, dipping into music hall as he

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RICHARD GADD: WAITING FOR GADDOT Banshee Labyrinth 8–30 August (not 17), 11.30pm

An assassin in E4’s forthcoming sci-fi comedy-drama Tripped and

developing his recent Edinburgh hours as a sitcom for Channel 4, this final instalment in Richard Gadd’s trilogy of violence and depravity will again showcase the dark humour that’s made him a cult draw. In a larger room this year but still late-night and free, expect plenty of self-immolation and creative blending of live comedy with filmed inserts.

RONNY CHIENG: CHIENG REACTION Underbelly, Cowgate

6–30 August (not 17), 7.20pm Projecting extreme self-confidence, Malaysian-born Australian Ronny Chieng channels his cool aloofness and desire to succeed into denouncing an Apple store employee who dared to cross him. Although there are traces of irony in his aggressive takedown, he can seem implacable in his desire for conflict, trashing anyone under 25 and everybody on the internet. Sharing the story of when his parents first came to see him perform comedy as well, this is abrasive, uncompromising and enjoyably harsh stand-up.

PIERRE NOVELLIE IS ANXIOUS PETER Pleasance Courtyard 5–30 August (not 18), 9.30pm

The strapping Pierre Novellie was handed an early introduction to entertainment as a baby model in his native South Africa, but he reckons his childhood fostered the anxiety that still dogs him as an adult. With bars on his windows and a loaded shotgun in the house, Johannesburg was a world away from the quiet Isle of Man he moved to later. Intelligent and with an eye for the absurd, Novellie has a compelling perspective on the world.

REGINALD D HUNTER: BITCHPROOF Pleasance Courtyard 5–30 August (not 12, 18, 24), 8pm

Promising an entirely new show from the one he toured around the UK this summer, Reg D Hunter ought to be on typically provocative form with Bitchproof.

Accepting that he drives women mad in his personal relationships,

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COMEDY LISTINGS SAM SIMMONS: SPAGHETTI FOR BREAKFAST

TOM PARRY: YELLOW T-SHIRT Just the Tonic at the Tron 6–30 August (not 18), 6.20pm

Underbelly Potterow 5–30 August (not 17), 9pm

With a theme of “things that shit me”, Australia’s double Edinburgh Comedy award-nominated absurdist delivers perhaps his most accessible show yet (not that that’s saying much). Explaining how Simmons became the crazed oddball he appears on stage, revelling in an hour of makeshift props, songs and his own distinctive physicality, he relates a couple of disturbing incidents from his childhood, offering a rare glimpse beneath the facade of his highenergy weirdness. Seemingly random gags are slowly revealed to be part of his elaborate and unconventionally presented autobiography.

SARAH KENDALL: A DAY IN OCTOBER

Wales to recount the awkward friendship she struck up with George, a victim of her school’s bullying culture. Unfortunately, fate would change Kendall and her friend’s lives forever, and she reflects upon life, death and 20 foottall fibreglass chickens. Constantly keeping the listener engaged with suspense, charm and the vividness of her account, the Australian reiterates that she’s a class act.

Assembly George Square Studios 5–31 August (not 17), 6.45pm

STEWART LEE: A ROOM WITH A STEW

Continuing Sarah Kendall’s progression from stand-up to storytelling, she once again reaches into her childhood in New South

The Assembly Rooms 8–30 August (not 17), 2.15pm

Back in Edinburgh again to refine material for his next BBC Two show,

Stewart Lee manages to be both hilarious and wonderfully insulting all at once. Woe betide you if you don’t laugh out loud at his jokes, but feeling like you’re part of his club is certainly an uplifting sensation.

SUSIE MCCABE: THE DRUGS DON’T WORK The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4 6–30 August (not 17), 7.10pm

A postponed Fringe debut for Susie McCabe, after she was forced to pull out of the festival last minute in 2014 due to a back injury. Interest ought still to be high for the Scottish relative newcomer, who frames her introductory hour with foggy memories of her trials and tribulations with the joys of prescription and non-prescription drugs. More than just a hedonistic or cautionary account, it’s a warm show about human relationships too.

No-one enjoys a fancy dress party like Tom Parry, nor puts more effort into his inventive costumes.

The rambunctious, most animated one in the sketch group Pappys models his debut solo show for discerning crowds. If it’s half as inventive and borderline lunatic as the trio’s most recent Edinburgh forays, then this will be a free show worth seeking out.

TOM STADE: YOU’RE WELCOME! The Assembly Rooms 6–30 August (not 17), 9.40pm

Recently seen shooting his online sitcom M.U.F.F. with Daniel Sloss on the streets of Edinburgh, the Canadian emigre returns to the festival having rolled smoothly into his forties. The self-styled Commander Stade expects little from his followers and has concluded that there’s no point making grand plans, he’s just on the planet to make people laugh. Elevating his thoughts to philosophical declarations, he tackles big and small phenomenon with equal parts wry humour and rollicking wit. He also takes the lead in Giant Leap, a play with Phil Nicol about faking the moon landings, at the Pleasance Courtyard TONY LAW: FRILLEMORPHESIS

TIM RENKOW: KIM JONG-UN, MUHAMMED, JESUS AND OTHER POWER HUNGRY MANIACS Heroes @ The Hive 7–31 August (not 12, 26), 7.50pm

Never shy of courting controversy, Tim Renkow is cynical about the UK but tempers this with wickedly dark routines that flirt with shock tactics but generally make an intelligent point. Having grown up with cerebral palsy, the American barely tolerates the preconceptions and perversions of other people about his condition, twisting them for daring lines about racism, sexuality and paedophilia.

The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4 7–30 August (not 17, 23), 1pm

Promising a return to his more innocent, shouty self, with fewer big set-pieces, ahead of moving with his family to live in Edinburgh, this ought to be another chaotic, early afternoon extravaganza of whimsical buffoonery and entertaining bellowing from Tony Law. Freewheeling and surfing on surreal streams of consciousness, the Canadian is a welcome import to the city and it’ll be great to see him setting up home here in Scotland.

WORDS JAY RICHARDSON Top: Reginald D Hunter and Stewart Lee

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29/06/2015 09:57

PODCASTS COMEDY

POD PEOPLE

Through the wonder of podcasts you can experience Edinburgh’s comedy scene anywhere in the world – or you can see them being recorded live in front of you WORDS KATE COPSTICK

In the first year in living memory that Edinburgh in August is Richard Herringless, the Virtual Throne of Podcasting is empty.

Who are the contenders to fill the Herring-shaped dent in Edinburgh’s ether?

NO SUCH THING AS A FISH From the boffins who source the Quite Interesting factoids for QI comes this delightful chunk of cybernerdery. The team discuss the most fascinating facts they have unearthed each day.

Previously they have been fascinated by dolphins’ drug habits, farts in a jar and illegal doorknobs.

Underbelly, 26-30 August, 7.30pm, £12.50 08445 458252 JANEY GODLEY The woman who makes Mary Nesbitt look like Joanna Lumley has been podcasting with her daughter and fellow stand up Ashley Storrie for five foulmouthed years. Weegie, gallus and the kind of unfettered foulmouthery that only the internet embraces. www.janeygodley.podomatic. com

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GREG PROOPS: SMARTEST MAN IN THE WORLD Part velociraptor, part comic, the smartass’s smartass returns to sneer at those less clever.

Thought-provoking political podcast for grown ups that benefits from being experienced live.

Gilded Balloon, 24-26 August, 8.15pm, £12 0131 622 6552 STUART GOLDSMITH COMEDIAN’S COMEDIAN Goldsmith offers up some comic-on-comic action as he interviews a regularly impressive roster of his peers and eschews mere backslapping for proper probing. A must for genuine comedy fans. www.comedianscomedian.com ANYTHING CAN BE A PODCAST PODCAST John Hastings improvises comedy for an hour a day and it all goes out as a podcast. Definitely worth watching as it happens. Although, if you prefer your comics scripted he is doing an hour that he has thought about in advance later on in the evening.

The Counting House, 6-30 August, 5.30pm, free 0131 667 7533

BRENDON BURNS An absolute blast from Australia’s shoutiest man. Free-flowing and full on this is an experience you should have live in a tent behind a pub. Luckily you can!

For free. Brendon operates a “no c**ts” policy, which he enforces personally. You have been warned.

Liquid Rooms Annexe, 8-30 August, 6.15pm, free 0131 225 2564 CARL DONNELLY AND CHRIS MARTIN PODCAST Quality podcasting from two uber-smart comics with the added frisson that, while Martin is his old self, this is the first Fringe outing for the new, completely reinvented, vegan, non-speccy, sleek haired Carl Donnelly. The transformation will be explained in his main show but the upgrade will be sure to influence this podcast in ways yet unexplored.

The Blind Poet, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 August, 2.45pm, free 0131 667 7533 THE ANGELOS AND BARRY SHOW Angelos Epithemiou and Barry from Watford offer up their “soonto-be award-winning” podcast.

The duo offer a wide ranging look

at life, which has already given the listening world Lucinda Lusardi and Desert Island Dicks, Kim Jong Merrily on High and Celebrity Bullshit Special.

Pleasance Courtyard, 26 August, 10.20pm, £14.50 020 7609 1800 EDINBURGH FRINGE SHOW PODCAST Ewan Spencer boasts a BAFTA, no less, and the podcast is a hugely useful guide to the whole crazy maelstrom that is Edinburgh in August. He broadcasts live with guests from across August’s temporary ecosystem of Fringe flora and fauna. It’s an oasis of calm in a sea of broadcasting craziness. www.edinburghfringe. thepodcastcorner.com LIZ FRASER’S PODLAUGHS LIVE Another ‘let’s look at comedy’ comedy podcast. Examining the strings that hold up the laughter with some of the Festival’s finest funny puppeteers. FYI This podcast is not about puppetry. That was a metaphor.

Gilded Balloon, 24-26 August, 10.45pm, £7.50 0131 622 6552

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MY EDINBURGH JULIAN CLARY A U G U S T

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"Being a punter at the festival is hard work!"

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My Edinburgh

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E

ITHER JULIAN CLARY HAS BEEN living a life much healthier than anyone would give him credit for, or there is a picture of him hanging in his attic. He is looking fabulous. Unbelievably so, when one considers that he first came to the Fringe almost forty years ago.

“I first came to the Festival as a student in 1978,” he says. “I was playing Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night. We all slept in a scout hut, I remember, in sleeping bags.

“I came back in the mid-80s as the Joan Collins Fan Club. The venue was the basement of the Abercraig Lounge, opposite the Playhouse.”

He must, I say, notice a big difference in both Edinburgh and the Fringe.

“Playing at the Festival these days is a lot more businesslike – back in the 80s the show was incidental to the er, socializing.”

I wonder if being so instantly recognisable makes it difficult to get to see any shows?

“Being a punter at the Festival is hard work!” says Julian. “You have to queue up, I believe, and sit in steamy hot venues with people coughing.

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Almost forty years on from his first appearance, Julian Clary returns to the city once again with his new book for children WORDS KATE COPSTICK

“I make the effort to see any friends who are in shows. It would be rude not to. My old chum Alex Dallas is doing a show called Nympho! I look forward to that.”

This year’s visit will be spent at the Book Festival, of course, which might come as a surprise to anyone not aquainted with Julian’s literary bent.

“I see what you did there – slipped the word ‘bent’ in to make a renowned homosexual feel at home. You’re too kind.

“Yes, I’ve written several novels over the years, mostly full of filth, but this one is different, as it’s for the darling children.”

Julian Clary, queen of the single entendre writing a children’s book?

“The Bolds is a story I’ve had in my

head since I was a child. It’s about a family of hyenas living disguised as people in suburbia.

I thought I ought to get it out of my system.

It’s delightfully illustrated by David Roberts.

“I’ve loved writing for children, you can use your imagination more. It’s a lovely, charming, innocent world to inhabit.

Quite frankly it’s a pleasant change.”

Does Julian have any fears that children might be a tough crowd?

“I do hope so. Children are very straightforward, aren’t they? As are Scottish people in general. Although I expect the children will be sober, which will make a change. I shall be reading The Bolds while David Roberts does some ‘live’ illustrations, which will appear by magic on a big screen. It’ll be a hoot, as the locals might say.”

WHERE & WHEN Having a Laugh with Julian Clary & David Roberts Charlotte Square, 17 August, 3.15pm, £4.50 Tel: 0845 373 5888

www.edfestmag.com

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