EFG11-Frontlines-BDJE-LM
6/7/11
16:34
Page 12
{FRONTLINES}
{FESTIVAL NEWS}: IN BRIEF
Skin up
It may get the moral minority’s g-string in a twist, but nudity and Edinburgh go hand in hand. Here are some naked highlights
DAD TALK
TRUDIE STYLER
MAKING HIS MARK
Michael Whitehall, father of Jack, will appear with his little boy at the Pleasance Courtyard for a chat show with a difference. The pair will be sending each other off to shows they wouldn’t normally dream of attending and reporting back.
Co-adapted by Max StaffordClark from a James Boswell book, A Dish of Tea with Mr Johnson will feature Trudie Styler in her first stage role for two decades while Ian Redford reprises his acclaimed performance as Mr Dictionary Corner.
Suffering for one’s art is an unwritten part of the Fringe contract, but Jim Smallman has taken it all-too literally by having the name of his show, Tattooligan, painfully etched onto his body. Hasn’t he heard of flyering?
DRUNK THRIVING
WE CAN BE BOUGHT
ASSEMBLY MOVE
Among this year’s vat of shows about booze and boozing, Arthur Smith’s Pissed Up Chat Show stands out. The affable host will be stone cold sober, but his guests (and apparently, reviewers) will have to be properly sozzled before being allowed to appear.
Important message to all acts and PRs: The List editor is once again availing himself of Festival bribes this year. While a bribe still can’t guarantee a review (never mind a good one), we will feature the best efforts in the magazine throughout the Festival.
While George Street will be significantly quieter this August, Assembly is joining the Old Town throng with a new venue on George Square. Among the names performing there are Al Murray, The Mess, Bryony Kimmings, Dave Gorman and Bang Bang Circus.
SUMMERHALL
STAND UPPED
BBC AT THE FRINGE
In the former ‘Dick Vet’ Edinburgh Uni building is new Fringe space, Summerhall, which will house theatre productions such as the near six-hours long Hotel Medea, while Battersea Arts Centre presents a rolling showcase of devised events and cabaret.
Like the Fringe itself, The Stand is growing bigger each year, now adding a fifth venue at the Metropolitan Hotel in Picardy Place. Among the acts appearing there are Joanna Neary, Dave Fulton, Francesca Martinez and Phil Nichol.
The BBC is taking over the corner of Potterrow and Marshall Street to give us a host of mainly free events, including Stephen K Amos (pictured) fronting Life: An Idiot’s Guide and David Mitchell hosting panel show The Unbelievable Truth.
FIREWORKS CONCERT
JAZZ FEST MOVE
KIDZ STUFF
Virgin Money makes its debut as the sponsor of the International Festival’s spectacular Fireworks Concert which brings the curtain down on the Festival. The 4 Sep event features the Scottish Chamber Orchestra accompanied by over 100,000 fireworks.
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival has brought itself forward a week, taking place this year between 22–31 July. Among the highlights are Courtney Pine (pictured), Trombone Shorty and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. See page 107 for more.
The Pleasance will host an all-improved Kidzone in the Courtyard which is to be transformed into a polar landscape complete with igloos, polar bears and penguins. Plus you can catch shows from the ‘Duke of Uke’ Robin Grey (pictured).
JANNICA HONEY & HOLLY DAVIDSON PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION The multifaceted human aspects of Edinburgh’s lap dancing community are revealed (pictured). Sapphire Rooms, Lothian Road, 7–29 Aug, Sun–Thu 2–6pm, free. THE NAKED BUSKER In nothing but his boxers, Donnie Rust hitchhiked across Britain and came back with tales of girlfriends, employment, masturbation, drunkenness and bathtubs. Laughing Horse @ City Café, Blair Street, 0131 220 0125, 20–28 Aug, 6.45pm, free. STRIP SEARCH A frank performance piece from Titus Rowe about a male stripper who used to be a squaddie. theSpaces on North Bridge, Carlton Hotel, North Bridge, 0845 557 6308, 8–20 Aug (not 14), 9.05pm, £10 (£7). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £7 (£5). SKITCH TEASE Wearing nothing but heels, fishnets and a tiny squeezebox, Liz Skitch delivers an intimate accordion cabaret. C aquila, Roman Eagle Lodge, 0845 260 1234, 4–29 Aug (not 16), 10.30pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£7.50–£9.50). PRINCESS BARI World class Korean dance can also contain some rude bits and there’s a ‘partial nudity’ warning for this EIF show. Edinburgh Playhouse, Greenside Place, 0131 473 2000, 19–21 Aug, 7.30pm, £10–£30.
FOUND IN THE FRINGE PROGRAMME
A favourite entry from 2011
12 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2011 | list.co.uk/festival