The List Festival 2017 - Week 2

l a v i t s fe 10–17 AUG 2017 | WEEK 2 LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL

150+EWS REVI

FREE

+ LAUREN PATTISON

COURTNEY ACT DRAG RACE STAR BRINGS THE GLAM TO EDINBURGH

JAN RAVENS ADAM REQUIEM FOR ALEPPO PARTY GAME SIGMA THE GIANT JAM SANDWICH BOBBY NIVEN VUELOS THE NATURE OF FORGETTING

BOOKS KS | CO COM COMEDY MEDY | D DANCE ANCE ANC | K KIDS I DS | M MUSIC USIC | THEAT THEATRE | ART

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T H E F I R S T S I N G L E M A LT S C O T C H W H I S K Y F I N I S H E D I N I PA C R A F T B E E R C A S K S

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festival

CONTENTS FESTIVAL 2017 | ISSUE 2 | LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL

Big Fat Bribes

2

Top 20

5

News

11

FEATURES

16

Courtney Act

16

Incredible String Band

28

Party Game

35

FOOD & DRINK

36

Eating House at the Meeting House

BOOKS

COVER STORY COURTNEY ACT If you hadn't noticed, drag is big at the Fringe this year. Ahead of her festival appearance, we spoke to drag superstar Courtney Act – who you might already know from RuPaul's Drag Race or Australian Idol – about providing her audience with an escape just when it feels like the world is falling apart. Find out more on page 16.

39

The Outrun

39

Hitlist

40

Nikesh Shukla

41

COMEDY

45

Alexei Sayle

45

Hitlist

46

Jan Ravens

47

Lauren Pattison

48

Ongals

54

Reviews at a Glance

61

DANCE

65

Yo, Carmen

65

Hitlist

66

Sigma

67

The Dreamer

68

KIDS

71

Vuelos

71

Hitlist

72

Is This a Dagger?

73

The Giant Jam Sandwich

74

MUSIC

25

28 Win tickets to Art Late on 17 Aug

REQUIEM FOR ALEPPO Distressed by the Syrian crisis, composer David Cazalet wanted to do something to raise money.

This one-night-only music and dance extravaganza is the result.

8

Win a case of Caledonian Coast to Coast Pale Ale

8

Win a delivery from Blue Moon

8

Win tickets to Meow Meow

8

77

Tokio Myers World

77

Hitlist

78

New European Songbook

79

Martin Creed

80

THEATRE

83

Hot Brown Honey

83

Hitlist

84

Lula Del Ray

88

Adam

91

The Nature of Forgetting

92

Reviews at a Glance

96

VISUAL ART

THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND

Win tickets to Jenny Bede

9

The stalwarts of Edinburgh's 1960s folk scene are celebrated in two events: one at the EIF and another at the Book Festival.

Win family rail travel and free entry to Camera Obscura

9

36

99

Plant Scenery of the World

99

Hitlist

100

Bobby Niven

101

EVENTS

104

Museum After Hours

104

TOP RATED SHOWS AT LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL

You'll find over 150 reviews over these pages, but head to list.co.uk/festival and there's even more to peruse. We're adding new festival reviews every day, so you know what to miss and what's unmissable. Plus, check out our top rated page, where we rank shows by their average review score from multiple publications, for a definitive guide to what's hot at the festival.

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BIG fat BRIBE

Here at List Towers we’re not above a wee bribe to make us sit up and take notice of a show, here’s some of our favourites the postie has brought so far

CONTRIBUTORS CONTENT Editor-in-Chief Yasmin Sulaiman Senior Digital Editor Scott Henderson Content Manager Rowena McIntosh Deputy Content Manager Murray Robertson Senior Content Producer Alex Johnston Content Producers Henry Northmore, Arusa Qureshi, Kirstyn Smith, Louise Stoddart Subeditors Paul McLean, Arusa Qureshi Work Shadow (Editorial) Kenza Marland SECTION EDITORS Comedy Brian Donaldson Dance / Kids Kelly Apter Festival Food & Drink Louise Stoddart Front / News Rowena McIntosh Music Kirstyn Smith Theatre Gareth K Vile Visual Art Rachael Cloughton PRODUCTION Senior Designer Lucy Munro Designers Carol Soutar, Carys Tennant

A David Bowie mask, earrings and a totally legit credit card courtesy of FROM IBIZA TO THE NORFOLK BROADS. We’ll wear it to their Bowie show. Meta. Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug.

Space-themed goodies from Rik Carranza. STAR TREK VS STAR WARS, Heroes @ Monkey Barrel until 27 Aug; I’M A FAN, Laughing Horse @ The Counting House until 27 Aug.

DIGITAL Senior Developer Andy Carmichael Senior Designer Sharon Irish Software Developer Iain McCusker Senior DBA Andy Bowles Data Developer Alan Miller COMMERCIAL Head of Account Management Chris Knox Senior Account Manager Debbie Thomson Account Manager Ross Foley Ad Ops Executive Emma Thompson Affiliate Content Executive Craig Angus Digital Business Development Director Brendan Miles Partnership Director Sheri Friers Senior Events Manager Jade Regulski Events and Promotions Manager Rachel Cree Work Shadow (Events) Alistair Chivers

A ‘shish kebab stick crossbow’, which took some mastering, along with a little refreshment from THE OLDER BROTHERS’ ALMANAC. C, until 28 Aug.

Paper bags to wear over our heads while socialising (apparently, we’re awkward) from Peter Michael Marino of SHOW UP. Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, until 27 Aug.

WANT TO BRIBE US? Send your bribes to: The Keeper of the Bribes The List | Tweeddale Court | 14 High Street | Edinburgh | EH1 1TE

ADMINISTRATION Head of Accounting & HR Sarah Reddie Director Robin Hodge CEO Simon Dessain

Published by The List Ltd HEAD OFFICE: 14 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1TE Tel: 0131 550 3050 list.co.uk, email editor@list.co.uk GLASGOW OFFICE: at the CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3JD Tel: 0141 332 9929, glasgow@list.co.uk ISSN: 0959 - 1915 © 2017 The List Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without the written permission of the publishers. The List does not accept responsibility for unsolicited material.

The List provides this content in good faith but no guarantee or representation is given that the content is accurate, complete or up-to-date.

Use of magazine content is at your own risk.

Printed by Acorn Web Offset Ltd, W.Yorkshire.

2 THE LIST FESTIVAL 10–17 Aug 2017

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DISCOVER NZ AT EDINBURGH 2017

www.nzatedinburgh.com

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE

Modern Maori Quartet: That’s Us! Assembly @14.25

Julia Croft – Power Ballad Summerhall @19.30

Trick of the Light The Road That Wasn’t There Assembly @14.35

Binge Culture – Break Up White Face Crew – (We Need To Talk) La Vie Dans Une Marionette Summerhall Mondays @18.00 Gilded Balloon at the Museum @10.30

Eleanor Bishop - Jane Doe Assembly @15:00

Juan Vesuvius : I Am your Deejay Binge Culture – Whales Assembly @23.00 Assembly Sats and Suns @12.30

Binge Culture – Ancient Shrines and Half Truths Summerhall @15.15 & 18.15

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TOP 20

COMEDY PHOTO: ANDY HOLLINGWORTH

Lauren Pattison: Lady Muck A tremendous coming-of-age tale, with razor wit and brutal honesty from the Geordie comedian and definite one-towatch. See review, page 48. Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 14).

PHOTO: STEVE ULLATHORNE

PHOTO: ANDREA GOERTLER

PHOTO: MAGNUS HASTINGS

CABARET

MUSIC

COMEDY

Courtney Act

Incredible String Band

Andrew Maxwell: Showtime

A love letter to Australia with songs, dance and kangaroos from the ‘fishy’ star of RuPaul’s Drag Race and Australian Idol. See interview, page 16.

Underbelly Circus Hub, 13–26 Aug (not 14,16, 21).

Manager Joe Boyd (pictured) curates a concert, while Mike Heron and poet Andrew Greig discuss their joint memoir. See feature, page 28. Playhouse, 17 Aug & Charlotte Square Gardens, 18 Aug.

Inspired mischief from the comedy veteran who, in 23 years of Fringe visits, has rarely been sharper.

See review, page 55. Assembly George Square Theatre, until 27 Aug (not 14).

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PHOTO: SHAMPHAT PHOTOGRAPHY

KIDS

BOOKS

Is This a Dagger? The Story of Macbeth

Nikesh Shukla: Unwelcome Welcome

Storyteller Andy Cannon presents entertaining and informative theatre for children with this re-telling of Shakespeare’s play in simple, contemporary language. See review, page 73. Scottish Storytelling Centre, until 20 Aug.

The novelist and editor of The Good Immigrant is joined by Coco Khan and Miss L to discuss how you fit into the world if you feel unwelcome in the place you call home. See interview, page 41. Charlotte Square Gardens, 15 Aug. PHOTO: PEDRO ARANY

PHOTO: JANSENBERGER FOTOGRAFIE

DANCE

MUSIC

DANCE

KIDS

Requiem for Aleppo

New European Songbook

Sigma

Vuelos

Composer David Cazalet’s nonpolitical performance raises money for those still living in the decimated Syrian city of Aleppo. See interview, page 25. Pleasance @ EICC, 16 Aug.

EIF and British Council present a pan-European musical collaboration with Conchita Wurst, Matthew Herbert and others. See feature, page 79. The Studio, 11 & 12 Aug.

Juggling balls seem to travel horizontally across vertical lines in Gandini Juggling’s homage to the beauty of patterns. See review, page 67. Assembly Hall, until 28 Aug.

Madrid-based company Aracaladanza present dance theatre for families inspired by da Vinci’s fascination with flight. See preview, page 71. Church Hill Theatre, 11–13 Aug. PHOTO: DANILLO MORONI

COMEDY

THEATRE

Sean Patton: Number One

The Nature of Forgetting

Number One is an expertly paced storytelling hour that analyses love, loss and colossal flatulence. See review, page 62. Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14).

Theatre Ru’s breathtakingly beautiful and punishingly energetic physical theatre show about early-onset dementia. See review, page 92. Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14).

6 THE LIST FESTIVAL 10–17 Aug 2017

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND GIó MARCONI, MILAN

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JERRY SHULMAN

THEATRE

VISUAL ART

Lula del Ray by Manual Cinema

Plant Scenery of the World

A mother and daughter’s bond is tested in a dreamy shadow-puppet play with live music from Chicago-based performance collective Manual Cinema. See review, page 88. Underbelly Med Quad, until 28 Aug.

Nine months since its closure as an art gallery, Inverleith House plays host to an exhibition combining contemporary art with archival material from the Royal Botanic Garden’s collection. See review, page 99. Inverleith House, until 29 Oct. PHOTO: DAVID MONTEITH-HODGE

PHOTO: DAVID RUANO

PHOTO: LOTTE HANSEN

THEATRE

BOOKS

DANCE

THEATRE

salt.

Paul Auster

Yo, Carmen

Adam

Superb show tackling the burden of racism, from performance artist Selina Thompson. See review, page 89.

Northern Stage at Summerhall, until 26 Aug (not 9, 16, 23).

Marking his 70th year, Auster is appearing at the International Festival and Book Festival. See preview, page 40. King’s Theatre, 14 Aug & Charlotte Square Gardens, 18 Aug.

Flamenco-infused reimagining of Bizet’s heroine from choreographer María Pagés, with eight dancers and seven musicians. See preview, page 65. Playhouse, 12 & 13 Aug.

The National Theatre of Scotland’s Adam is the true story of a young trans man fleeing from Egypt to Glasgow. See review, page 91.

Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21).

KIDS

COMEDY

The Giant Jam Sandwich

Bob Slayer: Whatever Next?

New Perspectives bring John Vernon Lord and Janet Burroway’s children’s picture book to the stage in a show that’s great for fans and newbies alike. See review, page 74. Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 14).

A chaotic, freewheeling hour with skilled raconteur and agitator extraordinaire Bob Slayer on the top deck of his bus. See review, page 57. Heroes @ Bob’s Blunderbus, until 27 Aug (not 9, 16, 23).

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READER OFFERS WIN TICKETS TO ART LATE (FEATURING HAPPY MEALS)

Art Late is a unique chance to experience the varied Edinburgh Art Festival programme by night, visiting a selection of partner, pop up and commissions venues.

Art Late starts at Collective featuring a performance from artist Clara Ursitti and the East of Scotland Car Club who have worked together to create a new sound work. The tour will then be split into two groups taking different routes to either Edinburgh Printmakers or Rhubaba Gallery and Studios.

Starting the evening with an artist performance from Pauline and the Matches, and featuring music from Happy Meals. To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets to Art Late 17 Aug, log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

What Glasgow band will play at the evening finale?

ART LATE Collective | City Observatory and City Dome 38 Calton Hill | Edinburgh EH7 5AA Thu 17 Aug, 6.30pm

WIN A CASE OF CALEDONIAN COAST TO COAST PALE ALE The brewers at the Caledonian Brewing Co are continually searching for new ingredients to create interesting and flavoursome beers.

They love in particular the tropical fruit notes from the US West Coast Hops, expressed so well in American Pale Ale. Thinking they’d steal some thunder back from America’s western seaboard, they decided to pair these hops with the renowned Maritime Malt, the world’s best brewing barley from our own east coast.

First brewed in the pilot brewery ‘Wee George’, Caledonian Coast to Coast is a polished bronze ale with pine and citrus fruit aromas, malty spicy flavours and a zesty rounded bitterness.

To be in with a chance of winning a delicious case full of Caledonian Coast to Coast, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Where do the malt and hops come from respectively? a) East Coast of UK and West Coast USA? b) West Coast UK and East Coast USA? c) East Coast UK and East Coast USA CALEDONIAN BREWERY 42 Slateford Road | Edinburgh | EH11 1PH FB: @Caledonianbeer Twitter: @Caledonianbeer Instagram: Caledonianbrewery drinkaware.co.uk. Know the facts.

edinburghartfestival.com TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 11 Aug 2017. Over 18s only. No cash alternative.

The List’s usual rules apply.

WIN WITH BLUE MOON THIS MONTH

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 30 Aug 2017. Promotion is open to residents of the UK aged 18 and over, excluding the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, employees of Caledonian Brewery or anyone connected with the promotion. The List’s usual rules apply.

WIN TICKETS TO SEE MEOW MEOW’S LITTLE MERMAID AT THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

Photo credit: © Andrew Gough

Blue Moon has partnered with The List to offer you the chance to win an exclusive delivery of Blue Moon, so that you and your friends can enjoy this artfully crafted beer at home.

Blue Moon is a refreshing, medium bodied, Belgian-style beer which is spiced with fresh coriander and Valencia and Navel orange peel. This North American craft beer is brewed with malted barley, wheat and rolled oats, giving a smooth, complex beer that is best served with a slice of orange to bring out the natural citrus aroma and taste.

The perfect accompaniment for summer barbecues, Blue Moon pairs well with foods such as grilled seafood and chicken. And since everything at Blue Moon flows from an artistic approach to brewing, you can enjoy a perfectly-served pint at pubs and venues across Edinburgh throughout the Fringe, including the Pleasance Courtyard, the Peartree and many more.

To be in with a chance of winning a delivery from Blue Moon, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Which garnish is the perfect serve for Blue Moon? #OnceInABlueMoon TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 31 August 2017. Entrants must be over 18 years of age.

The List’s usual rules apply.

Forget the Little Mermaid you thought you knew. Meow Meow’s subversive cabaret is a fairytale gone rogue.

The legendary post-post-modern diva takes up residence at the International Festival’s HQ at the Hub throughout August. Joined by The Siren Effect Orchestra and a posse of DIY princes, she gives Hans Christian Andersen’s story of teen self-sacrifice, seduction and salvation a raucous contemporary make-over.

Join her on a her voyage to a land of altered hearts, minds and body parts, in her very personal vision of Andersen’s bittersweet fable.

To win one of five pairs of tickets to see Meow Meow’s Little Mermaid on 21 Aug at 22.30, just log on to List.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Who is the author of the original Little Mermaid fairytale?

MEOW MEOW’S LITTLE MERMAID EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL The Hub 3 - 27 August - 22:30 (1hr 20)

eif.co.uk TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 11 Aug 2017. Over 18s only. No cash alternative.

The List’s usual rules apply.

8 THE LIST FESTIVAL 10–17 Aug 2017

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READER OFFERS WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO JENNY BEDE

Following rave reviews and a sell-out debut Fringe run in 2015, Jenny Bede is back after a year’s hiatus with her brand new show Eggtime… and this time it’s personal. Mostly because deeply personal musical hilarity (with classy dick jokes and the odd political rant) is how Jenny does it best.

“Her humour bites and cuts and has a superb feminist flavour to it, which just gives her work added weight. Jenny Bede is absolutely set on a collision course with stardom” - Daily Mirror ***** “Consistently hilarious…her show is a constant delight” - Three Weeks **** “A slice of harshly funny but true observational comedy from this quadruple threat of a talent” - Edinburgh Guide **** To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets to Jenny Bede with The List, just log onto list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

WIN TICKETS TO ONE OF 22 MADE IN ADELAIDE SHOWS

Australia’s festival city returns to Edinburgh in 2017! Made in Adelaide brings together more than 70 artists, festivals, presenters and producers, highlighting the quality and vibrancy of South Australia’s arts scene through free showcases, networking events and a true-blue Aussie pergola in the Summerhall courtyard.

Meet the artists, sip some South Australian wine and find out why you should move Adelaide to the top of your travel bucketlist.

The List are giving away a double pass to one of 22 shows featured in the Made in Adelaide programme. From cabaret to comedy, music to magic and everything in between, this is your chance to see some of Australia’s best artists as they take to the stages of Edinburgh Festival Fringe. To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

How many festivals are featured on the Festivals page of madeinadelaide.club?

In what year was Jenny’s sell out debut show?

MADE IN ADELAIDE PERGOLA Summerhall | Edinburgh | EH9 1PL 4–28 Aug

PLEASANCE DOME, JACK DOME

madeinadelaide.club

2 - 28 AUG (EXCEPT 14), 8.10PM TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 13 August 2017. The List’s usual rules apply.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 21 Aug 2017. Subject to availability. No cash alternative. The List’s usual rules apply.

WIN FAMILY RAIL TRAVEL & FREE ENTRY TO CAMERA OBSCURA

WIN A BOTTLE OF CAORUNN GIN

Have you made the most of the summer? The train’s perfect for a fun family day out that’s easy on the wallet.

With a Kids Go Free ticket, up to two children travel for FREE with each adult, plus one kid gets free entry to some top visitor attractions across the country.

The school holidays might be coming to an end, but the fun doesn’t have to stop there. We’ve teamed up with Camera Obscura and World of Illusions to give you a free family day out.

You can enjoy the fascinating Camera Obscura Show, fantastic views of Edinburgh, and five floors packed full of an amazing range of optical experiences which have been amusing visitors of all ages and nationalities since 1853!

To be in with a chance of winning family rail travel with ScotRail and free entry to Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

We’ve teamed up with Caorunn Gin to celebrate the launch of the Caorunn Gin Garden; a unique pop up event hosted by Hotel du Vin during this year’s Edinburgh Festival.

Running from 4–28 August, this peaceful yet vibrant outdoor sanctuary gives you the opportunity to escape the bustling festival crowds and indulge in a suite of mouthwatering Caorunn Gin cocktails and al fresco dining. What better way to celebrate than with the chance to win a 70cl bottle of multi award-winning Caorunn?

Caorunn Gin Garden brought to you by Hotel du Vin. To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

What is the nearest train station to Camera Obscura and World of Illusions?

CAORUNN GIN GARDEN 11 Bristo Place | Edinburgh | EH1 1EZ 4–28 Aug

scotrail.co.uk TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 31 August 2017. The List’s usual rules apply. Travel valid on standard class travel on ScotRail trains. This prize is non transferable and there is no cash alternative. Tickets need at least five working days to be allocated.

Where is the Caorunn Gin Garden situated?

caorunngin.com TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 25 Aug 2017. No cash alternative. Subject to availability. Entrant must be over 18 years of age. The List’s usual rules apply.

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NEWS NEWS AND GOSSIP FROM ACROSS THE FESTIVALS

fast ts fac • The Edinburgh International Book Festival joins the festival foray on 12 Aug. Themes this year include Age of Political Earthquakes, This Woman Can and India & Pakistan: 70 Years On. • Visa restrictions have caused complications for several shows. Arab Arts Focus: Dance Double Bill at Summerhall has had to be re-worked after two dancers were denied entry (see review page 67). A similar fate befell Your Love is Fire, while The Elephant Your Majesty, a work by teenage Syrian refugees

• Applications are open until 11 Aug for the Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practice Award 2017.

Eligible shows can enter at creativecarbonscotland.com/ apply-2017-fringe-award • Sir David Attenborough joins the lineup for the Edinburgh International TV Festival. The event celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Natural History Unit, whose documentaries include Planet Earth II and Blue Planet.

FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY

HOTTEST TICKETS IN TOWN

The majority of shows at the Fringe are available for your viewing pleasure across three weeks but a few are only in town for a single evening.

THESE HOTCAKES WON’T BE AROUND FOR LONG, SO GET BOOKING 1 Woman, a High-Flyer and a Flat Bottom: Samantha Baines

A GALA FOR MENTAL HEALTH A night of comedy addressing mental health with honesty and hilarity. Featuring Carl Donnelly, Hannah Gadsby, Seymour Mace, Angela Barnes and Robert White. Pleasance Dome, 10 Aug, 11pm, £10.

Al Murray: The Pub Landlord’s Saloon The Amazing Bubble Man Baby Loves Disco BambinO

THE WRESTLING Max & Ivan’s cult hit returns to the Fringe, with comedians and wrestlers entering the ring to do battle in a night of madcap mayhem. Pleasance Courtyard, 15 Aug, 11pm, £20.

Ed Gamble Giants: For an Hour Heads Up Jan Ravens: Difficult Woman

• Edinburgh Gin has launched a ‘Gin Passport’ for the festival. Collect a stamp at the distiller’s six pop-up bars across the city to claim a complimentary drink at Edinburgh Gin’s flagship venue at The Mound.

BRINGING TO BOOK Fringe veteran and political activist Mark Thomas has organised a benefit for two legal charities working on the Grenfell Tower fire. Performers include Stephen K Amos, Milton Jones, Josie Long and Sara Pascoe. New Town Theatre, 15 Aug, 9pm, £20.

Joseph Morpurgo: Hammerhead Last Queen of Scotland Mark Thomas: A Show That Gambles on the Future Start Swimming Wild Bore

TERS S O P THE

EVE PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER BOWEN

Pic OF

in Lebanon, was cancelled before the start of August.

A YOUNG MAN DRESSED AS A GORILLA DRESSED AS AN OLD MAN SITS ROCKING IN A ROCKING CHAIR FOR 56 MINUTES AND THEN LEAVES . . . 9 That’s right, it’s the ninth year of this cult classic. Everything you need to know is in the title.

Get there early though, it’s non-ticketed. Voodoo Rooms, 21 Aug, 6.10pm, free.

UNDERBELLY’S BIG BRAIN BENEFIT Late-night comedy session, with John Bishop, Danny Bhoy, Jason Byrne and Charlie Baker raising funds for The Brain Tumour Charity. Underbelly George Square, 23 Aug, 11.45pm, £20.

HEAR ME RAW, EVE & WORKSHY Festivaling can be seriously hungry work, so this week we’re especially drawn to posters featuring tasty snacks. Bravo to Daniella Isaacs (Hear Me Raw, Underbelly George Square, until 27 Aug), Jo Clifford (Eve, Traverse, until 27 Aug) and Katie Baird (Workshy, Summerhall, until 27 Aug). Bon appétit!

EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS SHOW See all the comedians nominated for Best Show and Best Newcomer at this year’s Fringe, as well as the winners.

Last year saw a double Scottish victory with Richard Gadd and Scott Gibson. EICC, 27 Aug, 3.30pm, £14 (£12).

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FESTIVAL FEATURES | Festival Party

THE LIST

Festival Party 2017

It was another great year for The List Festival Party – if you were there, thanks for joining us!

Putting it together is a huge operation and, of course, there’s loads of people we need to thank.

Big thanks to our sponsors The Cohon Foundation, Black Bottle, Blue Moon, Red Bull, Popchips, FuturePlay, Made in Adelaide, Pizza Geeks and Chompskys. Thanks also to Lynn Fraser of Fantoosh Face Art, and the team at YOURgb, especially Emily Cuthbert, Gilly Bain, Katie Scobie and Jessica Johnstone McBride.

We couldn’t have done it without any of you.

More thanks go to our awesome photographer Cat Thomson and videographer Bryan M Ferguson; stage managers Katherine Dilworth, Sarah Calmus and Laura Hawkins; Summerhall’s Sam Gough, their amazing tech team and front of house staff; and our volunteers: Joanne Noble, Amy Clarke, Paige Leach, Stephanie Koutny, Julia Hall, Rachael Levy, Georgia Baker and Thrya Molgaard. And how could we forget the karaoke team, Jonty Bredin and Angus Lutton?

We’re also grateful to our dazzling comperes Sian Bevan, Reuben Kaye and Jay Lafferty, as well as DJ Trendy Wendy and our fabulous performers (see full list below), who kept the party going throughout the evening.

And lastly big thanks to our party organisers Sheri Friers, Jade Regulski, Rachel Cree, Alastair Chivers and Amy Russell for putting together the programme – you’re the best.

We’ll see you again next year for another List Festival Party!

#LISTFESTIVALPARTY

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PHOTOS:

CAT THOM SO

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PERFORMERS: Ben Hart, Butt Kapinski, Cirque Éloize, Crap Music Rave Party, Djuki Mala, Dr Carnesky’s Incredible Bleeding Woman, John Hastings, John Kearns, Juan Vesuvius, MANE, Paris de Nuit, Red Bastard, Reuben Kaye, Siri, Steen Raskopoulos, Sweatshop, Thus Spoke..., Un Poyo Rojo, Wanderers

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Festival Party | FESTIVAL FEATURES

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FESTIVAL FEATURES | Festival Party

<<

THE LIST

Festival Party 2017

THE COHON FOUNDATION

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FESTIVAL FEATURES | Courtney Act

SHE COMES FROM A LAND

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Courtney Act | FESTIVAL FEATURES

list.co.uk/festival

Drag superstar Courtney Act tells Arusa Qureshi she plans to keep things upbeat in her new Fringe show with a celebration of all things Oz

L

PHOTO: GREG BAILEY

et me set the scene. It’s the day after the UK general election. Following in the wake of Brexit and Trump, uncertainty and confusion are looming in every direction, and while everything seems to be collapsing around us with no sign of escape, somewhere in London, Australian drag superstar Courtney Act is promoting a show in which she intends to help you do just that: escape.

‘Interestingly when I was putting together this show, it was just before the elections in the US,’ she explains. ‘And I thought about doing a political show and then realised that I just wanted to do something fun because people want an escape.’

The show in question, The Girl From Oz, may not be political in its content but it’s a clever and witty glimpse into the mind of one of the world’s most popular drag queens, with added singing, dancing and all-round hilarity.

‘It’s just a big fun celebration of Australian pop music and pop culture. I’ve been living overseas for the last seven years and I just wanted to cure a little homesickness and also bring a bit of Australia to the world. There are so many songs that I knew were Australian but I was shocked that other people didn’t. I hope that everybody knows that ‘Down Under’ is Australian otherwise if they come and see the show, they might also not realise that I’m not actually a woman and be in for a very steep learning curve.’

As a former runner-up in RuPaul’s Drag Race, Courtney has been a mainstay in the world of drag for some time, profoundly aware of her influence in this niche yet colossal cultural phenomenon. Some may see Drag Race as just another reality TV show, but beyond the familiarity of the formidable judge / gifted contestant format is something greater; a unique insight into gay culture, a lesson in LGBTQ history and a celebration of difference, much needed in today’s increasingly conservative political climate.

For Courtney, the show has been life-changing in many ways, leading to unimaginable opportunities and also an unexpected sense of personal development. But on a grander scale, the impact the show has had on wider discussions of gender and sexuality has been immense. >> 10–17 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 17

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FESTIVAL FEATURES | Courtney Act

‘I slip into the heterosexualised world and then people think, “that doesn’t look too scary or frightening”’

<< ‘The gay community has had a sometimes tumultuous relationship with non-queer people coming to their shows,’ she explains, ‘because it was tourism, like using the queer spaces as a form of comic relief or entertainment. I think it’s really cool that Drag Race has created this space where so many different kinds of people can come together and socialise and have fun on equal terms. Drag can make you a little more fearless and I think girls especially love drag because they get to see somebody define their own standard of feminine beauty.’

Though drag queens have long been a vital part of LGBTQ history, from the Stonewall riots of 1969 to the 90s New York club scene, drag has grown and evolved in ways that are unprecedented for a subculture.

‘You have to constantly pinch yourself,’ Courtney says, reflecting on this extraordinary progression. ‘I always thought there would be one drag queen that broke into the pop music world but now I see that it’s actually like this convergence of drag queens surrounding heteronormative, mainstream media.

There are just so many growing stems of this drag monster. It’s like a hydra, you cut off one of it’s heads and then ten more sprout out.’

Of all the queens that have appeared on the show, Courtney may be known best for serving sickening good looks and always on-point vocals. But behind all the fierceness and flair, she also has a knack for social and political commentary, as seen in her popular YouTube videos and social media channels. So with many different elements to her identity, how does one go about defining Courtney Act? ‘I guess, if Kylie Minogue was a little younger and was a millennial and also happened to be a boy,’ she jokes. ‘My style of drag has always been a little bit more moderate. I feel like I’m subversive in that I slip into the heterosexualised world and then people think, “that doesn’t look too scary or frightening”. And then I sing and I dance and entertain them and hopefully they leave my show thinking, that person actually seemed kind of normal and fun and maybe I could be friends with them.’

The Girl from Oz is a perfect reminder of one of the many functions of drag; to entertain in epic style. But it’s also a chance for audiences to experience and embrace an art form and culture that is transformational, both literally and metaphorically. Through their distinctive talent as artists and performers, drag queens have the innate ability to elevate and inspire. In a world that feels precarious and unsettling at the best of times, lipsyncs, sequins and colourful positivity may just be the answer that we’ve been searching for all along.

Courtney Act: The Girl From Oz, Underbelly Circus Hub, 17–26 Aug (not 21), 6pm, £13–£15 (£12–£14). Previews 13, 15 Aug, £7.

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EDINBURGH’S FAMOUS FOSSIL SHOP 5 Cowgatehead Grassmarket Edinburgh, EH1 1JY

0131 220 1344 www.mrwoodsfossils.co.uk

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C theFestival Gedi Production (South Australia)

C presents

Megan Gogerty (Iowa, USA)

MAC Company (Korea)

Nikola and His Travelling Lux Concordia

Electric Cabaret

Lady Macbeth and Her Pal, Megan

Binari

2 – 28 Aug 19:00 C royale

4 – 27 Aug 23:45 C primo

2 – 28 Aug 19:45 C

2 – 28 Aug 16:45 C royale

Donut Productions

National Theatre of China

Pop Filter (NY, USA)

Tramp

The Dame Dolly Donut Show

Luocha Land

Fauxchella Music Festival

The Sweet Science

2 – 28 Aug 13:35 C

2– 12 Aug 17:50 C

2– 28 Aug 22:15 C

3 – 28 Aug 17:50 C too

C theatre

Love Lee Production

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ThreeWoods Playwright (Hong Kong)

Shakespeare in the Garden: The Tempest

Ursula, Queen of the Jungle

Dickens for Dinner

Smoking with Grandma

3 – 28 Aug 18:30 C south

13 – 28 Aug 16:35 C primo

2 – 28 Aug 13:30 C

2 – 15 Aug 13:40 C royale

With more than 200 shows and events across our venues in the heart of Edinburgh, we celebrate our 26th Fringe with an inspiring international programme of cabaret, comedy, circus, dance, musicals, theatre and family shows. See it all with C venues.

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LGBTQ+ | FESTIVAL FEATURES PHOTO: MARCUS HESSENBERG

OUT AND L UD Courtney Act’s not the only LGBTQ+ performer making waves at this year’s Festival. Here, Arusa Qureshi rounds up some of the shows that deserve your attention for their wide-ranging styles, innovative approaches and inspiring stories, highlighting just a small slice of the diverse entertainment on offer this August >> PHOTO: DAVID MONTEITH-HODGE

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FESTIVAL FEATURES | LGBTQ+ PHOTO: DEREK ANDERSON

Top to bottom: Rainbow Soapbox, James Adomian; previous page: Out, Adam

LILITH: THE JUNGLE GIRL A witty and satirical tale from Australian queer theatre-makers Sisters Grimm, that delves into themes of colonialism and assimilation. See review, page 95.

■ Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21).

EVE / ADAM Two plays which feature the powerful stories of trans people and their lives.

In Eve (see review, page 95), playwright and performer Jo Clifford takes us through her journey from boyhood to the present day, while Adam (see review, page 91) follows the story of a young trans man in Egypt, with a score sung by a virtual choir of trans and non-binary individuals from all over the world.

■ Adam, Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21); Eve, Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21).

YOU’VE CHANGED Kate O’Donnell, the artistic director of Trans Creative, the UK’s first transgender-led theatre company, presents a show about her experiences as a trans woman. See review, page 86.

■ Summerhall, until 26 Aug (not 9, 16, 23).

SCORCH A hit in 2016, Prime Cut Productions’ drama is about first love from the perspective of a gender-curious teen, exploring how life can be different and easier online when compared to the real world.

■ Summerhall, 21–27 Aug (not 22).

RAINBOW SOAPBOX Dive Queer Party bring together cabaret artists, speakers and special guests for a series of ‘Party Political Broadcasts’, where queer identity and history is celebrated with extra special performances.

■ Traverse, 14, 21 Aug. POLLYANNA Join host Pollyfilla for a free fun-filled showcase of drag, comedy, music, performance art and more, and expect to find edgy, filthy cabaret

craziness that you won’t see anywhere else.

■ Paradise Palms, until 24 Aug (not 11 & 12, 18 & 19).

OUT Physical theatre piece Out is a powerful collaboration between writer Rachael Young and choreographer Dwayne Antony that works to challenge homophobia and transphobia in Caribbean communities.

■ Underbelly Cowgate, until 13 Aug. LOUD AND PROUD ON THE FRINGE Loud and Proud, Scotland’s LGBT choir, return to the Fringe once again for their annual concert to raise money for Scottish HIV and hepatitis C charity, Waverley Care. Expect everything from pop classics and gospel numbers to Scottish songs and show tunes.

■ St Cuthbert’s Church, 19 Aug. AFTERNOON T WITH GEORGIA TASDA Star of the London drag scene Georgia Tasda

comes to Edinburgh with a new show where she brings all T and all shade in an hour of free gender-bending comedy.

■ Paradise Palms, until 25 Aug (not 12 & 13, 19 & 20).

MARGARET THATCHER QUEEN OF GAME SHOWS Fringe sensation Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho is back once again for a fun game show packed with songs, games and catchphrases as well as lots of audience participation.

■ Assembly George Square Gardens, until 27 Aug (not 14).

JAMES ADOMIAN: LACKING CHARACTER This stand-up is known for being a great impressionist and his latest show merges his many characters with his real voice in an exploration of pop culture and politics from a queer perspective.

■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug.

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Requiem for Aleppo | FESTIVAL FEATURES

list.co.uk/festival

Tired of watching the relentless pounding of Syria on news reports, one man decided to use music and dance to help heal the country’s wounds.

Kelly Apter speaks to the composer behind Requiem for Aleppo

OUT OF THE DARKNESS I

t’s a sad but true fact, that when most of us are confronted by upsetting images on TV, we feel bad for a moment, resign ourselves to the idea there’s nothing we can do – and move on. Not so composer David Cazalet, who found the reports from war-torn Aleppo so hard to bear, he sprang into action.

‘I felt so passive watching it on the news every night,’ he says, ‘and I thought I want to do something to make a difference and make people think. I just can’t go on watching children being bombed. So I decided to go to bed early, get up early, and write.’

And that’s exactly what he did. The result is Requiem for Aleppo, a non-political work of music and dance being performed at the Edinburgh Fringe to raise money for those still living in the decimated Syrian city. Having already raised £70,000 from a performance at Sadler’s Wells in London, and with plans to tour the show across the Middle East and Europe, Cazalet is most definitely making a difference.

‘With the money from the Sadler’s Wells performance, we’re starting a teacher training facility in Syria,’ he explains. ‘Which might sound unromantic, but one of the real problems is that there are so many kids who

need teachers – because when there are no good teachers, you get the fundamentalists moving back in and radicalisation. So this way we can reach thousands of kids.’

Cazalet’s original score for the show blends the musical style of Andalus (a genre unique to Aleppo), requiem mass lyrics and 11th and 12th-century Arab poetry. Twelve dancers, drawn from around the world, perform the choreography of Jason Mabana, interwoven with poignant moments of spoken word from those who have lived through, or escaped, Aleppo’s bombardment.

‘The testimonies are all reflections on Aleppo as was,’ says Cazalet. ‘Some of them are reflections on the war, some on what people saw – some have been given by people who are now in the UK, others gave them over their mobile phones in Turkey and didn’t want to be named. We’ve got a whole collection of people who are feeling what it’s like to be a refugee.’

One particularly sad testimony from an older man recalls a time when people of different religions lived side-by-side in Aleppo, without cause for disharmony.

‘He talks about how Muslims went to a Catholic seminary, because it didn’t matter

– no one talked about religion,’ says Cazalet.

‘Aleppo was once a place of enormous sophistication, and it shows the fragility of life that in five years it was gone. It’s incredible to think that something so precious could go so fast.

‘And I also wanted to show through the testimonies that these people are just like us.

We get conditioned by all the wrong forces to see refugees as long lines of people trying to get into Europe – but there’s a human tragedy behind every single one of them.’

With so many good causes looking for a slice of our earnings, Cazalet has made sure that Requiem for Aleppo not only provides audiences with a great night at the theatre, but an assurance that their cash is well spent.

‘I’ve raised money through donors and corporate sponsorship so that all the costs associated with putting on the show are dealt with,’ says Cazalet. ‘Which means all the ticket money can go straight to charity – so people who buy a ticket know their money is going to Syria, and not funding the lights for the show.’

Requiem for Aleppo, Pleasance @ EICC, 16 Aug, 7.30pm, £15.

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FESTIVAL FEATURES | Seagulls

DIVE IN

Taking over a derelict church in Leith, Wales’ Volcano Theatre Company promise a bold – and wet – revamping of a Chekhov classic, as Gareth K Vile finds out

I

n the chase for theatrical significance – the Fringe, after all, claims to be ‘defying the norm’, and at least some of its participants want to present a unique selling point – adapting Chekhov’s The Seagull within 45 tonnes of water promises a radical take on the Russian classic.

Chekhov’s script, either a dark comedy or a domestic tragedy depending on the interpretation, has often been the victim of ambitious companies lacking the talent to bring out the nuance of the family relationships and the sardonic commentary on artistic pretention. But Welsh company Volcano insist that their theatre is ‘on the fringe of the Fringe’.

In line with the company’s interest in a dynamic, spectacular and physical style of theatre, Volcano have arrived in Edinburgh and opened a new venue, The Leith Volcano, in association with the Biscuit Factory. Taking a disused and derelict old church on Constitution Street in Leith, they have encased their Seagulls within crumbling walls and steel surfaces. The artistic director, Paul Davis, has an unconventional approach to performance, which is reflected equally in the choice of venue and the genesis of this project.

‘A man called Rob came up to me in the gym and said “do you like Chekhov?”’ he says. ‘And over the puffing, the grunting and stretching, we

had a wonderful conversation about Chekhov and I thought afterwards not only should I get fit but I should read Chekhov too.’ From this inspiration, Davis crafted a production that refuses to bow to the usual polite interpretations of The Seagull’s social conversations which hide depths of emotion. Instead, collaborating with movement director Catherine Bennett, he hurls the characters around the space to a vigorous soundtrack that ranges from the Clash to Arvo Pärt.

The Leith Volcano suggests the ancient and decaying society that Chekhov satirises in the very fabric of the building. By escaping the traditional proscenium arch stage, Davis relocates the action and provides an immediacy that is often lacking in interpretations of classic scripts. With an almost punk rock energy, and an awareness of how the site can shape performance, Seagulls immerses the audience in actions that are increasingly violent and frantic.

‘Performance does need to interrogate, dispute, ridicule, support and contradict ideas,’ he continues, and in the synthesis of direction and venue, Davis is making a clear point about the problems of a theatre that is bound by conventions which were developed in the 19th century.

His early experiences appear to have formed his own tastes for something more immediate.

‘Occasionally I went to the theatre but I couldn’t understand what and why they were acting,’ he says, which led to a reaction. ‘I then started to make quite hard, physical shows. They were probably not very good, but people seemed to like them and so I continued.’

This hardness gives Seagulls its particular drive, and its willingness to rove across diverse dramaturgies – including a touch of aerial, plenty of choreography as well as the brilliance of Chekhov’s portraits of characters in turmoil.

Although there is a formality to Chekhov’s depiction of the family unit, the grand passions that dwell beneath are made more explicit, more dangerous and – symbolised by the tonnes of water – an ever-present threat through Davis’ attitude. And at the heart of his recreation, there is a desire to make the audience feel the power.

‘It is intimate and we move the audience around: and the actors climb over them with very little covering their bodies so hopefully this will enhance the audience’s sense that this is a live and pleasurable experience,’ he concludes. ‘I would like the audience to really enjoy the extravagance of the show, the pleasurable mise en scene.’

Seagulls, The Leith Volcano, until 28 Aug (not 14, 21), 6pm, £12 (£6).

PHOTOS: PHIL REES

‘Performance does need to interrogate, dispute, ridicule, support and contradict ideas’ 24 THE LIST FESTIVAL 10–17 Aug 2017

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FESTIVAL FEATURES | Incredible String Band

THE WORLD ON A STRING Stewart Smith looks at the lasting impact of Edinburgh’s Incredible String Band as the International Festival and Book Festival celebrate the work of the psychedelic music pioneers

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Incredible String Band | FESTIVAL FEATURES

list.co.uk/festival

L-R: Alasdair Roberts, Sam Lee, Karine Polwart PHOTO: PAUL HEARTFIELD

PHOTO: DREW FARRELL

PHOTO: DREW FARRELL

T

he Incredible String Band’s psychedelic folk took them from London’s UFO club to the Woodstock Festival, catching the ears of Paul McCartney, John Peel and Robert Plant along the way. But the influential group’s roots are in the bohemian folk scene of 1960s Edinburgh and this month, the city honours the String Band’s legacy with two major events.

For the International Festival, their producer and manager Joe Boyd has curated a tribute concert, featuring co-founder Mike Heron alongside guests such as Pentangle bassist Danny Thompson, cult pop heroes Green Gartside and Robyn Hitchcock, and contemporary folk innovators Karine Polwart, Sam Lee and Alasdair Roberts. And at the Book Festival, Heron and poet Andrew Greig – a major fan – will be discussing their joint memoir, You Know What You Could Be. Through the stories of a musician and a dedicated fan, the book vividly captures the optimism of the 1960s.

The book paints an evocative portrait of a Scotland going from monochrome to technicolour. The son of an Edinburgh teacher, Heron seemed destined for a respectable middle class lifestyle until he discovered rock‘n’roll. After playing in a series of bands with his schoolmate Atty Watson, he gravitated towards Archie Fisher’s legendary folk club at the Crown Bar in Lothian Street, where he met his future bandmates Robin Williamson and Clive Palmer. ‘I was living with my parents and I idolised the beatniks, particularly Clive, Robin and Bert Jansch too, they’d been living the life for a good while, busking in Europe. Me and Atty were just pretending really.’

Heron began to make a name for himself, and before long, he had traded in his job as a trainee accountant for the bohemian life of a folk musician, moving in with his French girlfriend, Michelle. In late 1965, Palmer and Williamson invited Heron to play with them and the Incredible String Band was born. ‘When they asked me to join the band I was really thrilled,’ he recalls. ‘I joined very much as an apprentice in my mind; I’d been admiring them for ages. I was trying to be accepted by the alien beatniks. It took a little while!’

As Heron understands it, the first part of the tribute concert will evoke this ‘smoggy’ world, which Joe Boyd first encountered in 1965 as a talent scout for the influential US label Elektra. ‘In Joe’s book [2006 memoir White Bicycles], it’s really very funny, because him coming here as an American, what he couldn’t believe was that no one owned anything. It was pretty downtrodden, nobody had any money, but the culture was bubbling away and I think that really impressed him. I think

he’s going for that feel at the beginning of the concert. It’s gonna be smoky beatniks rather than right into the psychedelic.’

In You Know What You Could Be, Heron’s portion of the book ends with the String Band’s transformation into psychedelic butterflies, as acid is dropped and Williamson returns from Morocco with a collection of exotic instruments. As co-author Greig notes, what the band were doing was an early form of world music and to him, as a schoolboy in the East Neuk of Fife, such sounds were a revelation.

‘I liked folk music and I loved rock‘n’roll, but I’d never heard anything like this. They were off the scale of strangeness,’ he says.

‘The fact that they were Scottish, and cutting edge, avant-garde, that changed everything, because the music I loved was all from Liverpool or London or California or New York. To actually have something as amazing as that . . . I think it was like when Alasdair Gray published Lanark; what that did for a generation of would-be novelists, [ISB’s 1967 album] 5000 Spirits did for my generation of would-be creatives, who all promptly decided to start bands with odd names and wear odd costumes and write our own music, with no holds barred.’

Greig’s memoir is a great testament to the power of fandom and DIY culture. He and his friend George Boyter form their own psychedelic folk group Fate & ferret, freaking out their school mates with a theatrical performance of traditional folk tune ‘The Twa Corbies’ involving capes, candles and a painted deer skull. Later, they travel down to London in a scampi lorry, touting their ‘terrible’ tapes to Joe Boyd, and meeting John Martyn and Nick Drake. Fate & ferret were never destined for success, but as the book shows, Greig and his friends had a marvellous ride.

‘I wanted to write about how fandom isn’t necessarily just a passive process, it can completely turn you on to a life that you want, and even give you some clues about how you might get it. And I think that’s why Mike and I called the book You Know What You Could Be because the one thing these stories have in common is they’re both stories about formation, about how we stumbled around, trying to become who we needed to be.’

The Music of the Incredible String Band: Very Cellular Songs, Playhouse, 17 Aug, 8pm, £20–£35.

Andrew Greig & Mike Heron: Incredible String Bands, Charlotte Square Gardens, 18 Aug, 7.15pm. £12 (£10).

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Live re-scores | FESTIVAL FEATURES

list.co.uk/festival

SOUNDS OF CINEMA Niki Boyle takes a closer look at three live film re-scores being presented at this year’s Fringe

George A Romero’s Night of the Living Dead

‘M

y big surprise watching Night of the Living Dead was, in fact, its poignancy.’ So says Ben Singer, half of musical duo Modern Robot and perhaps one of only a handful of people ever to describe a zombie movie as poignant. In fairness, he’s as surprised as anyone. ‘It’s not what I thought it would be, and that’s a reason I now enjoy bringing this film to people so much.’

He’s discussing Modern Robot’s Fringe show, Alive: Music for Night of the Living Dead, an edited version of the classic horror film accompanied by a new live score. This Fringe run of the show may end up being even more poignant than Singer originally intended: the film’s director, George A Romero, passed away just last month.

‘With George Romero’s death, I think people will come out of curiosity and with some amused nostalgia,’ says Singer, ‘and I believe many will find the same surprise. If I can bring out this part of Romero’s work, then I think I’ve honoured his life well.’

The show is also bound to attract at least a few from the film’s cult fan

base – some of whom might understandably bristle at the phrase ‘edited version’. Living Dead-heads can rest easy, though – Singer is sensitive to the source material’s appeal, and has made cuts out of pragmatism, not ego. ‘As a practical matter, I knew a 60-minute show would be a better fit for a Fringe performance. That’s a tall order, coming from a 96-minute film. I was concerned that I would lose the pacing, some core parts of it, or disappoint fans of the movie.’

However, while he praises leading man Duane Jones’ ‘excellent performance’, Singer recognises that ‘some of the acting is, indeed, not very good. So these are the parts I began editing out. I removed a section with some aggravated scientists and government officials, a staple and trope in horror films that I felt didn’t advance the plot, and kept going from there.’ The end result, believes Singer, is ‘sharper, and makes more clear the story that George Romero was trying to tell.’ The new soundtrack even incorporates elements of the original score – Singer describes the process as ‘a bit like sampling’ – and he’s taken pains to ensure Romero’s original dialogue and sound effects remain audible. >> 10–17 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31

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FESTIVAL FEATURES | Live re-scores

‘If I can bring out this part of Romero’s work, then I think I’ve honoured his life well’

Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror

<< That tricky consideration has been deftly sidestepped by two other live film events at the Fringe. Both Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror, by Tess Said So, and Enchanted Tales, by Lizabett Russo and Graeme Stephen, use silent movies as their starting point. The former is an unofficial Dracula adaptation by German expressionist director FW Murnau; the latter, a selection of filmed fairytales from the early 1900s, including a take on the Snow White myth. ‘Lizabett has created a new fairytale by combining these films,’ says Stephen, whose previous re-scores include Metropolis, Faust and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. ‘It’s a great journey!’

He continues: ‘I think everyone is fascinated by fairytales from childhood. It’s amazing how these stories stay with you and the many ways they can be interpreted. They seem so innocent sometimes, yet have so much depth. The way they reflect our own lives and have so many meanings personal to us all. Hopefully this show will take the audience on their own personal journeys.’

That sense of deep-rooted fascination is shared by Will Larsen of Tess Said So, the band behind the Nosferatu screenings. ‘My brother had a poster of Nosferatu up on his bedroom wall when we were young. The imagery of that poster intrigued me even as a kid, so when it came to choosing a silent movie, Nosferatu was a natural choice.

It has very distinct, evocative characters full of depth and hidden agendas.’

Attendees of A Symphony of Horror will have the added thrill of watching the film on sacred ground. The show’s venue, St Vincent’s Chapel, ‘was built in 1857, around the same time Nosferatu is set,’ says Larsen. ‘So not only do the Gothic architecture and high arched windows match the buildings in the film, but the chapel will be perfect for setting the mood both before and during the performance.’

For anyone who fears that a silent film from the 1920s might have limited appeal today, think again. ‘Even though I’ve seen the film literally countless times, I’m still not bored with it,’ says Larsen. ‘I still can’t quite reconcile how Nosferatu was made in 1922, when film was such a new art form, with the way the movie is edited and the way all three acts of the film are so well paced. It’s a remarkably well composed, sophisticated piece of storytelling. I imagine it’s still compulsory viewing for any budding filmmaker, but even for people who just appreciate film, Nosferatu holds up remarkably well.’

Alive: Music for Night of the Living Dead, ZOO, until 28 Aug (not 16), 10pm, £10 (£8).

Enchanted Tales, The Outhouse, 15 & 16 Aug, 10pm, £10 (£7).

Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror, St Vincent’s Chapel, 18–22 Aug, 8.30pm, £10 (£8).

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07/08/2017 17:30

@AssemblyFest #MyAssembly

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Party Game | FESTIVAL FEATURES

list.co.uk/festival

Gareth K Vile chats to bluemouth inc, the company behind festival hit Dance Marathon, about their latest interactive show

I

n 2011, bluemouth inc presented a Fringe show that chafed at the boundaries of dance, theatre, gigs and clubbing. Dance Marathon evoked the spirit of the endurance contests of the 1930s, in which dancers would compete to stay awake, moving for extended periods of time. With gentle interludes, competitions and plenty of audience interaction, it established bluemouth as serious and playful makers of events that defied easy categorisation.

Stephen O’Connell, one of the company’s founders, recognises that this year’s offering, Party Game, does echo 2011’s sensation.

‘There are certainly some aesthetic and formal similarities,’ he notes. ‘Both shows incorporate dance, music, text, video and engage directly with an ambulatory audience. However, Party Game is certainly the most narrative piece of theatre we have created to date.’ Based around a surprise party, which the audience are invited to help prepare, it developed from an earlier show, It Comes in Waves, which began with a canoe ride to an island.

For Edinburgh, the venue – the Wee Red Bar – is more accessible, but bluemouth’s approach is grounded in the imaginative use of atypical theatrical spaces, lending the drama a sense of occasion and immersing the audience within the story. A live band, and games, contribute to the atmosphere, while a story of loss gradually

emerges from the fun and activity. Dance Marathon was more an experience than a story – at times, the connection between the various stories and the happening was hard to fathom – but It Comes in Waves pursued a more familiar structure: the difficult dynamics of family life and the exposure of hidden emotions lent it an immediacy and pushed the integration of the event’s multiple theatrical strategies.

Emphasising the importance of the venue, however, O’Connell regards Party Game as more than just a further iteration of It Comes in Waves: ‘Because our work is devised and immersive we tend to prototype it over a number of years with regularly scheduled public showings to integrate feedback from the participants. Party Game in Edinburgh will be the premiere of the work that has been several years in development.’ Bluemouth’s approach to theatre, both immersive and site responsive, has become increasingly fashionable – not least due to their success – and, as the various reviews which refuse to divulge details of plot or themes testify, each performance takes on its own character, responding to the audience’s engagement and the environment.

Although it makes considerable demands on the audience, O’Connell believes that this kind of theatre is all the more crucial today. ‘Live performance has become even more necessary in the digital age,’ he says. ‘To be even more

specific, immersive live performance has become more resonate and imperative.’ And it is the act of coming together that determines its importance. ‘Younger audiences have grown up in a non-linear digital world. They process and discard information and ideas at an accelerated rate. Meaningful discussion happens when people take the time to share the same physical space. The impact of that exchange is greater the closer you get to one another, when you turn up the lights and acknowledge that we are all sharing the same space.’

‘Turning up the lights’ is about more than scenography: Party Game’s plot is driven by a light shone into the darker recesses of human experience. Immersive theatre, concerned with placing the audience inside a play, and blurring the lines between actor and observer – as in helping the cast prepare the venue for the upcoming party – also demands a more intimate kind of storytelling and, despite the spectacle that bluemouth provide, it is the closeness of the performers that powers their drama. Through this, Party Game becomes more than just another show, adding in a ritualistic, emotive and disorientating intensity to a grand night out.

Traverse at the Wee Red Bar, until 20 Aug (not 14), times vary, £21.50 (£16.50).

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festival

FOOD & DRINK

Ian Wilson (left) and Ben Reade

BOWLED OVER Eating House at the Meeting House aims to keep festival-goers energised by serving nutritious vegetarian street food, as David Pollock discovers

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ne of the lessons we’ve learned here is that people don’t need much choice, as long as you’re providing quality,’ says Ben Reade, talking about his experience as head chef at the innovative and acclaimed Edinburgh Food Studio. ‘Most of the time people just want something really good, and they don’t know what the most delicious thing on the menu is, so you may as well just decide for them and make the only thing on the menu as delicious as it can be.’

He’s talking us through the rationale behind Eating House at the Meeting House, the Fringe pop-up in the Quaker Meeting House above Victoria Street; a vegetarian café with a difference which Reade has devised alongside Ian Wilson of the much-missed Susie’s Diner. Serving food to sit-in or take away, the Eating House’s main selling point is the ‘one bowl wonder’; rather than choosing from a menu, each diner will be given a bowl containing six set items, which rotate throughout the day as items run out and others are made ready.

Reade and Wilson have taken into account the many visitors who will hit Edinburgh this month.

‘One of the things we find really difficult when we’re travelling is to eat food that’s genuinely nutritious, like good vegetables that are delicious and fresh and prepared with passion,’ says Reade. ‘August is such a wonderful time of year to be using Scottish garden produce, so we’ll be trying to express the very best of that in a way that’s accessible and varied. We’ll also be serving bread from Company Bakery, soups supplied by Union of Genius, and great cakes too.’

So what might we find in a ‘one bowl wonder’?

‘There will be a green salad which will focus on

locally grown leaves, wild foraged greens and edible flowers,’ says Reade. ‘There’ll always be a salad, ranging from a Greek salad or a Japanese salad, to baby beetroots or carrots and toasted buckwheat.

There’ll be a hot component, like coconut and pumpkin curry, saag gobi or broccoli with saffron cheese sauce; a hot starchy element – things like couscous, millet, bulgur wheat or rice, always made to flavour well with dates and dill, cold-pressed walnut oil or lots of herbs; and a leguminous part, like a classic daal, baked butter beans with chipotle or black bean hummus. Finally we’ll have what we can only describe as fork enhancers – guacamole, tzatziki, Greek aubergine salad, salsa verde, or mushrooms and hazelnuts.’

It sounds, frankly, like a revelation to any regular Fringe-goer who has been dismayed by the lack of good vegetarian street food for years. Although Edinburgh Food Studio will be hosting five evening sittings a week during the festival – up from its usual three – Reade knew he couldn’t turn down the chance to try this new idea out after a chance meeting with the Quaker Meeting House’s kitchen manager on his allotment. ‘They wanted something ethical, something that would be genuinely nourishing, and simple and affordable,’ he says. ‘We know it’s a great location for the festival, and that we have a system that will reduce our food waste and keep things moving during the day. It’s a compatibility of values, really.’

Eating House at the Meeting House, Quaker Meeting House, until 26 Aug (not Sun), noon–8pm.

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THE OUTRUN BY AMY LIPTROT

PHOTO: LISA SWARNA KHANNA

Celebrated debut gets a theatrical makeover If you missed Amy Liptrot’s first book, The Outrun, last year, pick up a copy now. One of the finest nonfiction debuts in years, it’s a winning combination of memoir and nature writing, charting the writer’s recovery from alcoholism and her move from London to Orkney.

Now, after much critical acclaim and awardwinning, the Edinburgh International Book Festival is creating a theatrical vision of the show, in association with the Royal Lyceum Theatre. At this special event in Charlotte Square Gardens, scenes from The Outrun are given a dramatic makeover with music. Stick around afterwards to hear Liptrot and the creative team chat about the work.

■ Charlotte Square Gardens, 12 Aug, 8pm, £15 (£12).

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FESTIVAL BOOKS | Books Hitlist

BOOKS HITLIST THE OUTRUN BY AMY LIPTROT Theatrical look into Liptrot’s non-fiction hit, in association with Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre. See preview, page 40. Charlotte Square Gardens, 12 Aug, 8pm, £15 (£12).

TEJU COLE Cole might be well-known as a novelist, but in Blind Spot he shows himself to be a keen photographer too. Here, he talks about writing and seeing. Charlotte Square Gardens, 13 Aug, 4pm, £12 (£10).

PAUL AUSTER Like the Fringe and the International Book Festival, Paul Auster turns 70 in 2017. This month, the celebrated American author joins the city’s festival throng, to talk about his life and work. King’s Theatre, 14 Aug, 6.30pm, £15; Charlotte Square Gardens, 18 Aug, 8.15pm, £12 (£10).

NIKESH SHUKLA The writer and editor of The Good Immigrant comes to Charlotte

Square to continue the important conversation about diversity and perception. See feature, page 41.

Charlotte Square Gardens, 15 Aug, 8.30pm, £8 (£6).

UNBOUND: AFTER DARK A chance to hear two of Scotland’s finest musical talents in action, as Rachel Newton and Ela Orleans are joined by Mariana Enriquez and Samanta Schweblin. Charlotte Square Gardens, 15 Aug, 9pm, free.

JACKIE KAY Here, Scotland’s Makar gives audiences a treat: the first reading of her new poem, a special commission to mark the centenary of Wilfred Owen’s stay in Edinburgh. Charlotte Square Gardens, 16 Aug, 1.30pm, £12 (£10).

SIRI HUSTVEDT A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women is a searing collection of essays by Hustvedt, covering topics including feminism, art and neuroscience. Now, you can hear her speak about them in person.

Charlotte Square Gardens, 17 Aug, 1.30pm, £12 (£10).

who are we now?

PHOTO: LOTTE HANSEN

Our pick of the best events at the first week of the Edinburgh International Book Festival

Paul Auster

1000 authors in 900 events include: The Unthanks, Adrian Edmondson, Siri Hustvedt, Isla Fisher, Limmy, Juno Dawson, Harry Baker, The Last Poets, Reginald D Hunter, Robert Webb, Richard Ford, Maggie O’Farrell, Ian Rankin, Charley Boorman, Eimear McBride, David Mitchell, Luke Wright, Peter Høeg, Hanif Kureishi, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Aravind Adiga, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Ned Beauman, Nicole Krauss, Jackie Kay, Will Self, Ali Smith…

Book & browse events: www.edbookfest.co.uk @edbookfest

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Nikesh Shukla | FESTIVAL BOOKS

list.co.uk/festival

FIGHT Nikesh Shukla has experienced an extraordinary year with the success of his essay collection on race and racism in the UK, The Good Immigrant. Arusa Qureshi chats to him ahead of his Edinburgh International Book Festival appearance

L

et’s stop for a minute to talk about diversity. Or specifically how, in 2017, people of colour are still having to discuss, debate and demand their inclusion in certain spaces. In the arts and media, conscious and unconscious bias loom large, despite the efforts of those who actively attempt to alter what is considered the default.

Nikesh Shukla has been at the forefront of these conversations, particularly in publishing, which suffers from a profound eliteness and monoculture at all levels of the industry. As the editor and driving force behind the massively successful essay collection The Good Immigrant, he has been vocal about the industry’s failure to support BAME authors and diverse voices. But he is also candid about his frustration in having to keep up this fight for representation.

‘I don’t think that any of the work I do around diversity is anything more than the basic work that we should all be doing to push for equality, not only in the arts but also in society,’ he explains. ‘I’m really sick of talking about diversity because I feel like we were beyond that conversation decades ago and we’re still having it and it doesn’t move on. People throw knee-jerk reaction panel events and money at diversity so we can all sit and talk about it rather than actually doing anything that has any long-term benefits.’ >> 10–17 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 41

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FESTIVAL BOOKS | Nikesh Shukla

<< It is this lack of real action along with an increasingly troubling political climate that resulted in the birth of The Good Immigrant, a project which brought together 21 black and minority ethnic writers to examine what it means to be BAME in Britain today.

In September, it will be a year since the collection was released and a year since Shukla and his fellow contributors shifted the conversation surrounding identity and Britishness for the better.

‘It has been a wild year,’ Shukla proclaims when asked about the reaction to the project. ‘I thought we would maybe sell like a thousand copies and people would go “oh yeah, that was good”. But we really did do alright.’

Despite the past year being a whirlwind of praise and accolades, it’s also featured plenty of right-wing trolls and criticisms from a Tory MP, who described Shukla’s work as discriminatory to white people.

Still, The Good Immigrant has certainly caused a stir in publishing, prompting more attention to be paid to non-white writers and readers.

But even though there is an unbridled sense of hope that surrounds the project, Shukla believes that the industry still has some way to go.

‘I think there’s definitely a feeling that diversity’s really on trend right now. Someone told me that they’ve been in a meeting where someone has said “well, black girls are so hot right now”. Here’s the thing, my skin colour is not a fluctuating lucrative or unlucrative marketing trend depending on the whims of the market; it’s my fucking life.’

For there to be a real change in the output of organisations and companies, there needs to be diversity across the board, which Shukla thinks is especially important for young people who don’t see themselves represented in the media and in culture enough.

‘When the thing that makes you feel like you don’t belong is a social construct or the colour of your skin and the history that imbues on

you, it’s really hard,’ he says. ‘And so having those aspirational role models could be so powerful for young people to make them feel, on the one hand, normal and, on the other, like they can do anything.’

Shukla has himself been a positive role model and mentor to many young people of colour, especially in his work as the editor of Bristol-based youth-led magazine Rife.

‘I can’t pay my mentors Salena Godden and Niven Govinden back for that instrumental role they played in my life,’ he says, ‘but I can pay it forward and be that person for other writers. Sometimes just giving someone your time could be the critical thing that they need to further their career.’

Along with a myriad of other projects currently in the works, Shukla has most recently contributed his first YA story to A Change is Gonna Come, an anthology of short stories and poetry from British BAME YA writers. For now though, his sights are set firmly on Edinburgh, where he’ll be making his first appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival with fellow The Good Immigrant contributors, Coco Khan and Miss L. The trio will be discussing, among other things, how you fit into the world if you feel unwelcome in the place you call home.

While we shouldn’t have to keep having these conversations, the reality is that being BAME in the UK in 2017 means constantly being reminded of your difference through systemic inequalities that exist in society. Nevertheless, thanks to writers like Nikesh Shukla and the impact that books like The Good Immigrant have had on readers all over the country, people are finally listening and we’re finally getting a seat at the table to contribute to a working multicultural society.

Nikesh Shukla: Unwelcome Welcome, Charlotte Square Gardens, 15 Aug, 8.30pm, £8 (£6).

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Top Tips | FESTIVAL BOOKS

list.co.uk/festival

TOP TIPS 12 AUG A STONE’S THROW Bosco Theatre, 12–16 Aug, 10.30am, £5 Start the day with this family show at the Book Festival’s new space on George Street. In A Stone’s Throw, Giddy Aunt Theatre tell the story of a girl who knocks the sun from the sky, through live music and puppetry.

PADDY ASHDOWN Charlotte Square Gardens, 5pm, £12 (£10) The former leader of the Lib Dems discusses his new non-fiction book, Game of Spies, in which a Special Operations agent is betrayed by the Resistance in Nazi-occupied France.

ARAVIND ADIGA Charlotte Square Gardens, 5.30pm, £12 (£10) The author of the Man Booker Prize-winning The White Tiger returns to chat about his latest novel, Selection Day, an insightful look into modern India told through the story of two brothers pushed by their father to be cricket stars.

PAUL HAWKINS Charlotte Square Gardens, 6.45pm, £12 (£10) The author of runaway success The Girl on the Train – recently made into a hit Hollywood film starring Emily Blunt – released her second book Into the Water, earlier this year.

LIMMY Charlotte Square Gardens, 8.15pm, £12 (£10) You’ll know Limmy from Twitter, if you don’t already know him from TV. His latest book That’s Your Lot distils his offbeat humour into a collection of short tales, and he’s just as entertaining on the page as he is on screen.

13 AUG SPECTACULAR TRANSLATION MACHINE The Greenhouses, 10.30am–5.30pm, free This all day installation offers a glimpse into the translation process.

Drop in and take part, with the help of real literary translators, as the Book Festival attempts a mass translation of a new French book that’s yet to be published in the UK. TEJU COLE Charlotte Square Gardens, 4pm, £12 (£10) The author of acclaimed novel Open City returns to the Book Festival to talk about his latest work, Blind Spot, which looks at writing and photography.

Denise Mina

WILL SELF Charlotte Square Gardens, 5pm, £12 (£10) In his most recent work, Self turns his attention to the object that most of us can’t live without – our phones. Here, he talks to Stuart Kelly about how phones are continually changing the present.

RACHEL MCCRUM & MIRIAM NASH Bosco Theatre, 6.30pm, £12 (£10) See two of Scotland’s finest poets chat about their debut collections.

Nash captures the sound of island voices in All the Prayers in the House, while McCrum’s The First Blast to Awaken Women Degenerate is one of our favourite debuts of recent years.

NO DOGS, NO INDIANS Garden Theatre, 7.30pm, £15 (£12) Part of the festival’s India & Pakistan: 70 Years On series, Siddhartha Bose marks the anniversary with an evening of performance, music, reading and talk about the legacy of the British in India.

OUTRIDERS: THE REUNION Charlotte Square Gardens, 8.45pm, £12 (£10) For their Outriders series of events, the Book Festival sent five Scottish writers on a journey across the Americas, each accompanied by a local writer. Here, all 10 Outriders – including playwright Stef Smith, poet Harry Giles and novelist Jenni Fagan – get together to talk about their travels.

14 AUG SEBASTIAN BARRY Charlotte Square Gardens, 11.45am, £12 (£10) Celebrated Irish author talks about his latest book, Days Without End, set in 19th century America.

JAKE HOPE & AMY MCKAY ON A MONSTER CALLS Charlotte Square Gardens, 1pm, £15 (£12) Alert to all Patrick Ness fans: here’s your chance to talk about his hit novel A Monster Calls with other likeminded book fans. Librarians Hope and McKay lead the discussion, in this event marking the 80th anniversary of the CILIP Carnegie Medal.

METAPHROG: THE LITTLE MERMAID Bosco Theatre, 2.30pm, £5 Scotland’s acclaimed graphic novel duo present their latest work, an exquisitely illustrated version of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.

PAUL AUSTER AT 70 King’s Theatre, 6.30pm, £15 In this much-anticipated event, presented together with the Edinburgh International Festival, the author of the New York Trilogy talks about his life and work.

PHOTO: OLLIE GROVE

A longer selection of this week’s best events at the Edinburgh International Book Festival

15 AUG NADEEM ASLAM Charlotte Square Gardens, 2pm, £12 (£10) The novelist chats about his latest, The Golden Legend, in which a Christian woman and Kashmiri man fall in love in an intolerant Pakistani city.

INSPIRING STORIES WITH MEG ROSOFF Charlotte Square Gardens, 5.30pm, £5 Since Mal Peet’s death in 2015, Rosoff has been completing his final novel, Beck. Here, she reads from the coming-of-age story.

NIKESH SHUKLA Charlotte Square Gardens, 8.30pm, £8 (£6) See feature, page 41.

UNBOUND: AFTER DARK Charlotte Square Gardens, 9pm, free Argentinian writers Mariana Enriquez and Samanta Schweblin are joined by two of Scotland’s most exciting musicians, Rachel Newton and Ela Orleans.

16 AUG JACKIE KAY Charlotte Square Gardens, 1.30pm, £12 (£10) Scotland’s Makar premieres a new poem, commissioned to mark the 100-year anniversary of Wilfred Owen’s stay at a Craiglockhart Hospital, where he met Siegfried Sassoon.

ANDY HAMILTON Charlotte Square Gardens, 3.15pm, £12 (£10) The co-creator of Drop the Dead Donkey and Outnumbered comes to Charlotte Square to discuss his first ever novel, The Star Witness.

SABRINA MAHFOUZ Bosco Theatre, 6.30pm, £12 (£10) Writer and performer Mahfouz this year edited the impressive collection, The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write, featuring work from 20 women including Kamila Shamsie and Asma Elbadawi.

17 AUG DEAR ZOO TURNS 35 Charlotte Square Gardens, 1.30pm, free Celebrate the 35th anniversary of Rod Campbell’s cross-generational favourite Dear Zoo with an afternoon of animal-themed activities.

SIRI HUSTVEDT Charlotte Square Gardens, 1.30pm, £12 (£10) Acclaimed novelist and commentator comes to Edinburgh to chat about her work, A Women Looking at Men Looking at Women.

ELIF SHAFAK Charlotte Square Gardens, 7pm, £8 (£6) Celebrated Turkish author returns to the festival to talk about her 10th novel, Three Daughters of Eve, a tale set in Oxford and Istanbul.

DENISE MINA Charlotte Square Gardens, 7.15pm, £12 (£10) One of Scotland’s best crime writers talks about her latest work, true crime novel The Long Drop.

UNBOUND: THE DONALDSONS STRIKE BACK! Charlotte Square Gardens, 9pm, fee Julian Donaldson and her husband Malcolm go late-night on us, with music and stories for over 18s.

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ALEXEI SAYLE

PHOTO: STEVE ULLATHORNE

A slightly predictable if highly opinionated return from the Liverpool legend When he arrived back on the Fringe scene in 2013 after decades away, Alexei Sayle had a running gag about his wife worrying that a return to the stage would be ‘diluting his legacy’. His short but compelling run at The Stand showed that there was plenty life in the old dog yet. Fast forward four years and the Liverpudlian legend is in a cavernous hall in the middle of Edinburgh, and the flame that burned to volcanic levels in 2013 has been, if not extinguished, certainly dampened down.

It all starts promisingly enough with an unexpected tirade against the pretty fountains around King’s Cross station serving as a preamble to an anecdote of being harassed by a spurned prostitute in the same area. From there he takes a swipe at Jihadists by imagining an end-of-year job appraisal in HR for failed suicide bombers, pokes

fun at Channel 5 and targets young people for their gullibility. Slightly predictable targets from within the stand-up world (McIntyre, Whitehall) get it firmly in the throat while he finds a spark of hope in Corbyn. But too often, the intricate imagery he sets up and impassioned wordplay he indulges in are a little lost in both the room and his rapid volley of crowd-pleasing cursing.

There’s no doubt whatsoever that Alexei Sayle helped shape the future of live British comedy in the late 70s / early 80s (he playfully suggests here that it was pretty much all his doing), but if ever the case was to be made that stand-up always works best up close and personal, this is it.

(Brian Donaldson) ■ Underbelly Med Quad, until 11 Aug, 6.45pm, £13–£15 (£12–£14) ●●●●●

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COMEDY HITLIST Brian Donaldson picks out some of the comedy highlights from week two of the Fringe

about their iPhones. See review, page 54. Assembly Roxy, until 28 Aug, 6.05pm, £15 (£12).

LAUREN PATTISON One of the finest Fringe debuts in years as the likeable Geordie lass delves deep into her soul for a gagladen emotional trip. See review page 48 Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 14), 5.45pm, £7.50–£10 (£7–£9.50).

JAN RAVENS The expert impressionist does Sturgeon, May and Merkel in a politicsheavy Fringe debut. See review, page 47. Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug (not 16), 7pm (plus 14 Aug, 8.15pm), £12–£14 (£10–£13). Extra shows at Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 12, 19, 26 Aug, 4.30pm, £14 (£12).

SEAN PATTON This New Orleans storyteller confesses all in the few-holds barred Number One. See review, page 62, Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 8.15pm, £9–£10 (£6.50–£9).

ONGALS An expert physical comedy which proves that modern comedy isn’t just all young white men worrying

ANDREW MAXWELL Being an Irishman married to a Muslim, Maxwell’s home is practically a test lab for British multiculturalism.

Shame they’re living in a Brexit-lovin’ part of the country. See review, page 55. Assembly George Square Theatre, until 27 Aug (not 14), 9pm, £13–£15 (£12–£14).

BOB SLAYER The man who has become a one-man spirit of the Fringe entertains anyone who hops aboard his Blundabus. See review, page 57. Heroes @ Bob’s Blundabus, until 27 Aug (not 16, 23), 6.15pm, £5 (£3) or Pay What You Want.

PHOTO: ANDY HOLLINGWORTH

STEEN RASKOPOULOS The one-man sketch machine is on top form once again, bringing us a chess player, a horse with big dreams and an employee being disciplined. See review next issue. Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug (not 14), 8pm, £11.50–£12.50 (£10.50–£11.50).

Lauren Pattison

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46 THE LIST FESTIVAL 10–17 Aug 2017

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Reviews | FESTIVAL COMEDY

list.co.uk/festival PHOTO: STEVE ULLATHORNE

MICHAEL LEGGE: JERK

TIFF STEVENSON: BOMBSHELL

SOFIE HAGEN: DEAD BABY FROG

Gripe-happy and ranty surrealism ●●●●●

Light relief and misplaced rants ●●●●●

The talented Danish comic returns ●●●●●

Shouty misanthropy and indignant outrage are what Michael Legge is good at. Although the Fringe is full of soapboxers who forget to make the ranting funny or give it any kind of point, Legge’s loud, bilious bitterness comes with big laughs even if not all of them make much sense. The show is named after his dearly departed dog, Jerk, who he pays tribute to with a baffling musical comedy bit. Hopefully it’s not too much of a spoiler to say that lyrics from Texas pop songs are given a white supremacist twist.

Describing himself as a childless, alcoholic vegan, Legge treads a good tightrope between absurd non-sequiturs and legitimate gripes: visiting the Apple store, hate-watching Ed Sheeran and being cornered by his alt-right friend (albeit a made-up one) have all got him livid lately. Dressed in a Hansa Tonstudio t-shirt (the Berlin studio where David Bowie’s Low and Heroes were recorded), he goes to elaborate lengths to compare his dog’s life to Bowie’s music career.

There’s also a surreal bit about a masturbation fantasy that gets ruined by an interruption from a butterfly. Sharing his spite and trips down the shame spiral might lead to burst eardrums but it’s very good fun along the way. (Claire Sawers) ■ The Stand II, until 27 Aug (not 14), 1.20pm, £9 (£8).

One too many bombshells have dropped in the past year for Tiff Stevenson. Things started feeling ‘apocalypsey’ for her when Trump got into power, and the Grenfell Tower fire in the area where she grew up seemed like more soul-crushing proof of the government’s ‘contempt for the poor’. Her bile rises as she calls out Victoria Derbyshire for taking offence at Grenfell resident Peaky Saku, who swore while giving an eyewitness account, as he suggested it wasn’t an accident. The policing of his language made her blood boil and leads to a soaring rant: ‘that’s no joke,’ she says, defiantly. ‘That’s just anger.’

Stevenson makes excellent points (manspreading on the underground, toxic masculinity among world leaders, numbskulls on Twitter) but a confrontational delivery slaps a barrier between her and the crowd.

It’s as though she assumes they want a square go.

Comparing reticent Edinburgh crowds to her nondemonstrative Scottish boyfriend, she doesn’t seem to consider that they could actually be on her side (or craving more laughs among the vitriol). A 70s disco finale is a welcome attempt to lighten the heavy mood as she acknowledges that traumatised London (and maybe herself) needs to heal now. (Claire Sawers) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug, 5.30pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11).

The men in Sofie Hagen’s family are, to put it mildly, quite the pieces of work. After poring over her absent father in last year’s Shimmer Shatter, the comic turns her attention to the grandfathers in her clan: all three of them. It’s a convoluted set-up which you should hear from Hagen herself amid a story that involves Nazi memorabilia, animal cruelty and psychological torment.

There’s never a point during Dead Baby Frog when you’re not on her side, even when she’s giggling at a funeral or threatening to break Brian ‘Westlife’ McFadden’s lap while, whatever your views, she’ll have you punching the air when she fights back against those who condemn fat people without knowing their backstory. And Hagen is so sensitive to the needs of others that prior to the show, she offers a get-out clause for those who might not want to listen to an hour about abuse.

Ultimately, this is a compelling tale of resistance and breaking free from the shackles of tyranny, with Hagen’s finale revolving around a pivotal familial example which she witnessed first-hand.

As an added bonus, your command of the Danish language will marginally improve after 60 minutes in her company. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Bedlam Theatre, until 28 Aug, 2pm, £10 (£8).

JAN RAVENS: DIFFICULT WOMAN Joyful, poignant hour from impressionist extraordinaire ●●●●● Already one of the hottest tickets at this year’s festival, Jan Ravens might have been tempted to coast along on her reputation as one of Britain’s top impressionists and deliver something safe and unimaginative. But dismiss her at your peril: this show from the Spitting Image and Dead Ringers star is a joy from start to finish, a gleeful mix of top-notch impressions and pointed political comedy.

Ravens is on a quest to reclaim the term ‘difficult woman’, the phrase with which Ken Clarke famously branded Theresa May last year, and she spends much of this show calling out sexism where she sees it, in politics and in the media. Plenty of political figures get a look in, from the Prime Minister and Nicola Sturgeon to Diane Abbott and Angela Merkel.

Merkel, in fact, is Ravens’ weakest turn and the sympathetic note she ends on will probably gall some of Theresa May’s more virulent opponents. But these limper moments are pretty forgettable, eclipsed by the slickness of the rest of the show’s remainder. Watch out for a particularly pointed routine of Joanna Lumley filming a ‘travel documentary’ in Mosul, ignoring the carnage around her. Best of all is a heartbreaking ode to Victoria Wood, who passed away in the Year of Doom (aka 2016), which brings more than a few tears to the eye: hers, and ours.

Unsurprisingly, Difficult Woman is pretty Radio 4 in its tone; indeed, when she asks the audience how many in here are Radio 4 listeners, the majority raise their hands. But even in potentially tired material about getting older, Jan Ravens is a gutsy comic and a remarkable entertainer, with one of the most satisfying hours at this year’s Fringe. (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug (not 16), 7pm (plus 14 Aug, 8.15pm), £12–£14 (£10–£13). Extra shows at Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 12, 19, 26 Aug, 4.30pm, £14 (£12).

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LAUREN PATTISON: LADY MUCK Coming-of-age tale with razor wit and brutal honesty ●●●●●

PHOTO: ANDY HOLLINGWORTH

Opening the door herself with a bright ‘hello’, Lauren Pattison’s entrance to her outstanding debut Fringe show sets the tone for an hour of chummy chat from a comedian with no pretensions.

At its essence, Lady Muck is a break-up show, tracking the past 20 months since she moved to London and found herself single, starting with her job in Boots and ending two weeks before she arrived in Edinburgh. But it’s so more much more than that: a coming-of-age story about the long journey to being comfortable in your own skin.

Life post-heartache is a fairly common topic in comedy but rarely will you see it tackled with such genuine vulnerability and openness: at one point there are tears in her eyes (or they might be the tears in my eyes). Throughout the pathos there’s a constant wicked sense of humour from a Geordie lass that likes a drink and suffers the often hilarious consequences.

There’s a wealth of relatable content: hungover vomiting in supermarkets, Facebook envy, making getaways in Ubers, and beating yourself up unnecessarily over an ex, as well as insight into being a female comic. Her stories so often lead you one direction before she sweeps the rug away, subverting the clichés with razorsharp wit and brutal honesty, be the topic sex, drugs or meal deals.

Previously, jokes about her nephew have been met with mixed reactions but Pattison argues we’re living in a cotton-wool society and that we shouldn’t be taking offence on behalf of the person a joke is directed at.

Aged 23, a youthful face means people often assume she’s the sister or girlfriend of a comedian. Assume at your peril, as she herself proclaims, as with this hilarious and empowering debut hour, Lauren Pattison is going places. (Rowena McIntosh) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 14), 5.45pm, £7.50–£10 (£7–£9.50).

PHOTO: STEVE ULLATHORNE

JORDAN BROOKES: BODY OF WORK Unpredictable battle against the elements ●●●●● Jordan Brookes falteringly takes to the stage and efficiently sets the tone: he’s a rakish, belligerent performer blessed with an expressive face and macabre disposition. After a hilariously inappropriate vocal warm-up, he launches into a painfully absurd explanation of the complex relationship he claims to have developed with his now-deceased gran.

This allows Brookes to weave a grotesque narrative featuring deeply unsettling thoughts about his closest family members and his beloved dog.

Performing in a side room within a rowdy venue, he is seasoned enough to make significant capital from the noise bleed. He’s also capable of turning audience interaction to his favour, keeping everyone on edge. Brookes is unafraid of drawing out silence for maximum effect, although viewers at the back may miss out on some more subtle physical gags.

A truly captivating comedian, Jordan Brookes is wonderfully unpredictable and gloriously menacing, but it’s a shame that he doesn’t have a stronger ending here. Mind you, it’s perhaps in keeping with his chaotic persona that he can’t more succinctly bring things to a close. (Murray Robertson) ■ Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, until 27 Aug (not 14), 6.15pm, free.

JOHN PENDAL: HOW TO ESCAPE FROM STUFF

SIBLINGS

How to break free from a cuffed past ●●●●●

Fine character comedy with hilarious highs and elongated lows ●●●●●

After a strict Baptist upbringing, John Pendal won the International Mr Leather contest in Chicago, then toured the world, having adventures in assless chaps and rubber cop uniforms as an ambassador for fetishwear. That was a pretty good premise for his debut show last year, but Pendal somehow forgot to mention that he also happened to spend ten years as an escapologist: the premise for his second show.

The comedian described as ‘a deviant you could take home to mum’ greets his audience individually as they arrive, with The Great Escape theme playing in the background. He goes through the basics of rope-play, where a ‘rigger’ (often straight men, occasionally straight cowboys) tied him up and he’d have to escape. Tips on safe words, handcuffs and recognising knots add a Boy Scout-practical tone, where Pendal wipe-cleans any smut from his BDSM tutorial, focusing on his cat-loving, geek side instead.

His gentle delivery is possibly overly scripted (he does mention his uptight, control-freak tendencies; unlike his ropes, it’s more fun when he loosens up), but observations on the ‘nambypambyfication of Britain’ and Michael Gove’s creepy confidence tie everything together nicely. (Claire Sawers) ■ The Stand 4, until 27 Aug (not 14), 4.45pm, £8 (£7).

Maddy and Marina Bye are real-life sisters who have taken different paths on their respective journeys to ending up doing late-night sketch comedy in a basement room at the Fringe. Maddy went to clown school in France (the steep fees weren’t wasted, based on a strange slapstick scene with a leaf-blower to the face), and Marina had classical training as an actress, which she haughtily reminds the crowd of at regular intervals with faux self-importance.

Skits about an anti-bullying campaign in an Australian high school, two very plummy yummy mummies enjoying some ‘chitty chatty time’, and a Most Haunted-style TV show work with varying degrees of success. They definitely enjoy letting scenes unravel into ridiculousness, sometimes with hilarious consequences, while other times it just feels like they ran on a bit too long.

The girls are possibly upstaged by a home video of toddler-age Maddy, refusing to take part in a drama class, gazing into space with a 1000-yard stare instead. Some added sound-effects over the top are a nice touch. Smart character comedy, although it comes with peaks and troughs. (Claire Sawers) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 28 Aug (not 14, 23), 11.30pm, £8–£9 (£7–£8).

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PHOTO: SUSIE BRADY

THÜNDERBARDS: 4ND Solid foundations but shaky punchlines ●●●●● For a show that’s 90% spot-on, it seems odd for it to be given the middle-ground damnation of a three-star review. Sadly, a lot of the crucial stuff in sketch play (punchlines and pay-offs) lurked all too-often in an overcrowded 10%. For 4nd, their tricky-to-get-yourtongue-around fourth show, the Thünderbards duo of Glenn Moore and Matt Stevens do plenty right.

There’s proper ingenuity in most of the routines and the sense that each sketch is about to go somewhere amazing is almost too hot to handle. But the lukewarm finale to far too many of their bits leave you feeling thoroughly unsated. Clever and silly (and sometimes cleverly silly) ideas abound including the weather forecast-style announcements for various forms of measurement, an echo that gives away Glenn’s dark secret, the all-male Grease, and a Sinn Fein Shakespeare.

There’s an enjoyable meta-narrative underlying all this with both of them having their dreams interrupted by a voice analysing both their work and working relationship. Whether they'll listen to any advice proffered while they sleep is unclear, but it’s surely time for them to wake up to the serious polishing required on those pay-off lines. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug, 3.15pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11).

BEN FOGG: HOW I WON BEST NEWCOMER 2017

LUCY HOPKINS: POWERFUL WOMEN ARE ABOUT

Rambling hour that fails to be profound ●●●●●

Baffling clownish work ●●●●●

Formerly the youngest associate producer in US TV history, Ben Fogg chose to spurn his party lifestyle and six-figure salary to chance his arm as a comedian. His late father, a surgeon with a proclivity for fast cars and for driving them too fast, was horrified by his son’s career change, penning a significant missive to crystallise his disdain.

During a rambling preamble, Fogg disingenuously assures his audience that How I Won Best Newcomer 2017 is definitely not a ‘dead dad’ show, constructed to cynically cash in on his bereavement.

In mitigation, it is an interesting and unpredictable story which Fogg assures us is all true.

Fogg is a charming performer and his disarming nature to some extent helps gloss over a significant lack of jokes. Throughout the show it’s hard to shake the feeling that he’s warming up to something more profound. When events do come to a head, a twist of sorts threatens to inject some life into the hour before it all peters out with a lackadaisical conclusion.

Despite his hopeful show title, it’s hard to imagine Fogg will bother the shortlists anytime soon.

(Murray Robertson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 14), 4.45pm, £8–£12 (£7–£11).

Legend has it (or so her website says) that clowning impresario Philippe Gaulier told Lucy Hopkins she looked like a sausage and was boring. This review won’t contain anything quite so damning, but it has to be said that Powerful Women Are About resides rather unconvincingly in the Fringe comedy section.

Menacingly taking to her stage in the semi-dark, the highly expressive Hopkins arrives clad in seductive wise-woman garb, and making tiny vomiting noises.

Her running ‘gag’ of bringing the house lights down between scenes through a clawing action almost acts as a catchphrase. There’s lots of mystical talk of the battle between Logos and Mythos while a cosmic Theremin gets played now and again. If you’re waiting for the punchlines to all this, join the club.

Still, we all get to hand round an invisible baby, and for no discernible reason, Hopkins concludes by guiding two of her (distinctly non-planted) followers through an onstage rendition of ‘Man in the Mirror’.

The fact that they happened to be either word-perfect in the song or proficient in beatboxing utterly saved the day: the awkwardness on that stage would have been unbearable otherwise. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Heroes @ The Hive, until 27 Aug (not 9, 16), 5pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.

FERN BRADY: SUFFER, FOOLS! Hesitant new show from rising Scottish stand-up star ●●●●● After two successful Fringe shows, a BBC pilot and an ensemble travelogue about Brexit on Viceland, this Scottish comedian is known as a force to be reckoned with. However, Suffer, Fools! sees her in a less-than-confident mood. Brady begins by bemoaning the previous day’s unreceptive crowd before confessing that she tried to cancel her Fringe run but couldn’t get out of it. Resigned to continuing, what follows is a blend of politics, relationships and personal struggles.

Brady breezes comfortably through her views on politics in Northern Ireland, abortion and homophobia going just far enough to tease at the edge of propriety. She is devastating on the topic of ‘women in comedy’, a continuation of her exploration of gender politics in last year’s Male Comedienne (a recording of which is released on 11 August). On relationships she gives us the gift of the phrase ‘tally-smally’ to describe partners with significant height discrepancies.

At 31, Brady has already lived a full life and has covered her time as a stripper in previous hours. As she veers into more personal territory, divulging her ‘inappropriate’ responses to events, she becomes less certain. Raw is the word that best describes both her performance and the material that comprises the show’s latter part – it’s not quite finished and Brady is still working from notes, although that’s not unusual at the beginning of a Fringe run.

Vacillating between hesitance and bravado, her discussion of an abusive relationship is painfully honest to the point where if the audience were to laugh, that would be inappropriate. Finding the balance between constructed material with emotional honesty is difficult but Fern Brady is a highly competent comedian with a lot to offer. We should all be glad she’s continuing the run.

(Suzanne Black) ■ The Stand II, until 27 Aug (not 14 & 15), 12.05pm, £10 (£9).

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19 SHOWS 9 VENUES

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19 SHOWS 9 VENUES EDINBURGH 2017

8-27 AUGUST, TIMES VARY TRAVERSE.CO.UK 0131 228 1404 10–17 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 50

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PHOTO: EDWARD MOORE

PHOTO: ANDY HOLLINGWORTH

ELF LYONS: SWAN

NAOMI SHELDON: GOOD GIRL

Puzzling yet captivating slapstick ●●●●●

Uplifting show about tight friendship ●●●●●

DAN ANTOPOLSKI: RETURN OF THE DAN ANTOPOLSKI

She plays a shark, lizard and several swans at the same time, stripteases an audience member, speaks Frenglish, and completely changes the ending of Swan Lake. In short, Elf Lyons is one of the most bizarre yet captivating stand-up comics at this year’s Fringe.

After leaping onto the stage in a parrot costume to the sounds of Notorious B.I.G, she explains (in French, or English: we’re not quite sure) the basic concept of ballet. The audience are then taken through all three acts of Swan Lake, but not quite how Tchaikovsky intended. Her interpretation of the ballet is so beyond the bounds of possibility that it perfectly captures her obscure likeability. Stressing her annoyance at the use of mime in traditional ballet, she comically commentates scenes to clarify any confusion; none of which is any benefit to those puzzled from the moment she arrived.

Lyons is a master of her game, and although not everyone’s cup of tea, her self-assurance and natural style is admirable. Or as she puts it, ‘even if you don’t find me funny, we can all agree that I’d make a great imaginary friend’. An hour of sheer, silly fun with well-timed slapstick. (Louise Stoddart) ■ Underbelly Med Quad, until 28 Aug (not 15), 9.30pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).

GG has been told she is, or should be, a ‘good girl’ many times in her life, but what exactly do they expect? And should she conform? This is a beautifully penned one-woman show from Naomi Sheldon. From its opening evocative scene of a moment of rebellion at a swimming gala and taking us through her teenage years in Sheffield before moving to London for her literature degree, all of it explores her emotional response: or lack of it.

The entire enjoyable hour is poetically conjured and precisely performed, particularly the uncannily depicted tight female friendship between the four friends whose ‘emergency conferences’ are convened on Laura’s pink bedroom carpet, usually to frankly discuss something newly discovered about their vaginas.

But the main theme snaking through the show is GG’s struggle with overwhelming emotion not just in the turmoil of adolescence but beyond too; she feels anger, sadness or joy so fiercely it feels like it’s going to break out of her skin. A perfectly pitched and utterly identifiable debut, this moving, feisty and uplifting show proves that Naomi Sheldon is certainly one to watch. (Marissa Burgess) ■ Just The Tonic at The Mash House, until 27 Aug (not 14), 1pm, £6–£8 (£5–£6) or Pay What You Want.

After a seven-year gap from doing solo shows, Dan Antopolski returns to the Fringe. He’s been busy doing sketch comedy and kids telly, for anyone wondering, and also went through a difficult separation. His description of the ‘cloud of hatred’ descending on the ‘ghoulish simulacrum’ of what was once a happy relationship is dark and eloquently to-the-bone. The horror is palpable as he talks of ‘muffled screams’ coming from his soul before he and his ex split, but six years on, he’s able to spin comedy gold out of that traumatic phase.

He talks affectionately (and cuttingly) about bringing up his daughters, and recognises his own gothic and absurd leanings in each of their senses of humour. He also touches on the therapy that’s helped him get a better handle on his feelings. Now when he and his male friends get together, ‘there’s a lot of oestrogen in the room’, he nods.

As ever, his wordplay is excellent (probably through training from his ‘Scrabble nemesis’ mum) and there is still plenty room for jokes about embarrassing moments with his genitals among the sincere, sage stuff too. (Claire Sawers) ■ Assembly George Square Studios, until 27 Aug, 9.15pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11).

A stirring return Fringe comeback ●●●●●

ANNIE SERTICH: HOW TO NOT KILL YOURSELF FOR 30 DAYS . . . AND THE NEXT 330 A gloomy tale lifted by an effervescent approach ●●●●● Americans at the Fringe have mined a rich seam from their own misery in recent times. Last year Chris Gethard charmed watchers with his morbid story of crippling mental health issues, and Sean Patton is currently storytelling the hell out of severe frailties, natural disasters and road accidents. To that list you can safely add Annie Sertich. This actor and improv star of the legendary Groundlings troupe in LA has been through quite the wringer on her road to this Edinburgh debut (and hats off to her for, more or less, pronouncing Scotland’s capital city correctly).

Cheated on not once, but twice, by her video-games obsessed husband, the trauma and paranoia she suffers leads Sertich to thinking she might be better off not being on this planet. Battling suicidal thoughts, she comes up with a day-to-day plan to stave off ending her life. Sounds like a depressing hour, right? Well, not in Sertich’s capable hands as she effervescently walks us through the story of how she got to that desperate point.

As she teases with a couple of false happy-ish endings, we are drawn into the moving story of her relationship with her dad.

Through old slides (not for nothing was she known as Tan Ann as a teenager), and a thankfully brief introductory appearance from a life-coach character, we get the context of Sertich’s less than charmed life (as a jobbing actor she had to consider such artistic triumphs as an ad for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter) while she takes comfort from sharing Nicolas Cage’s birthday and seeing Luke Wilson almost everywhere.

The joy of Sertich’s debut is in the details, forming a fascinating collective, which make this a satisfying show as she portrays friends and family with levity and love. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 8.30pm, £9.50–£12.50 (£8.50–£11.50).

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HARRIET BRAINE: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE ART An educational and entertaining musical meander around the history of art ●●●●●

PHOTO: CLAUDIA MARINARO

Musical comedy is a genre of the laughter business that, somewhat ironically, gets quite a bad rap. Despite the likes of Bill Bailey, Flight of the Conchords and Bo Burnham giving it a credibility boost down the years, there remains a certain waft about it that puts a lot of people right off. Just a bit too cleverclever, some critics would say, as though a little bit of intelligence is a bad thing.

No one who hates musical comedy is likely to despise it any less upon encountering the work of Harriet Braine, who showed that the form can still make in-roads after her 2016 success in scooping the Funny Women competition and earning a spot on the So You Think You’re Funny final lineup. Dressed up as an art history seminar, Professor Braine is here to educate us on the great artists and, more importantly, show us how their names can fit into instantly recognisable tunes.

So, without giving too many of the surprises away, Matisse is merged with a classic country number, The Police put on the red light for Cezanne, Da Vinci meets Kate Bush on a moor and the longstanding confusion some might have with Monet and Manet won’t be helped by being mashed up in an Abba standard about cash.

The number which perhaps best sums up the experience of being at a Harriet Braine show is her version of a Lou Reed classic in ‘Walk on the Mild Side’, penned for one of her contemporary art heroes, Grayson Perry. Clearly Harriet Braine is never going to have the coursing energy of a Bo Burnham but while she has a perfectly delightful act, there’s just that little something missing that could take her onto the next level. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Laughing Horse @ The Golf Tavern, until 27 Aug (not 14), 1.15pm, free.

PHOTO: STANO MURIN

ZACH & VIGGO Whimsical clowning and tomfoolery ●●●●●

SCOTT GIBSON: LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

JAYDE ADAMS IS JAYDED Classic outsider story with hilarious spin ●●●●●

Award-winner's sad family tale ●●●●● Sexy dancing, flying baguettes and lots of dick jokes. This may sound fairly simple or run-of-the-mill for a comedy show, but Zach & Viggo are anything but your average double act. Back in town after a successful run in 2016, the American-Norwegian duo’s new show is packed with their familiar nonsensical sketches and improv, with characters ranging from a sketch artist to a hungry bird.

Their whimsical brand of clown comedy has already won over audiences around the world but here, they prove that they’ve mastered the art of anarchic silliness, delivering skits that platform their sleek partnership. It’s the contrast between Zach’s showmanship and Viggo’s eccentricities in particular that demonstrates their strength in spontaneity.

The best moments arise as a result of some unexpected audience banter and prop glitches, which work in their favour by emphasising the farcical nature of the whole affair. It may not make a heap of sense, as any kind of storyline takes a backseat to the pair’s puzzling tomfoolery. But that’s the point: they’re not asking you to understand. Instead, they’re hoping you’ll join them in their many goofy antics.

(Arusa Qureshi) ■ Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug (not 16), 9.30pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).

Scott Gibson’s show from 2016 about his brain aneurysm garnered him the Best Newcomer award.

This year he turns his attention to his dad. Some people’s relationships with their fathers aren’t straightforward and Gibson’s is a classic case. As the comic and his partner consider having children, he’s worried about turning out like his father who left when Gibson was five. He remained absent for many of those intervening years but when he returns, the comic has to deal with him, and isn’t slow in telling us his feelings about all that.

Much of the opening section features Gibson the shouty Glaswegian, venting his incredulous anger at vegans and anyone born after 1984 (not entirely coincidentally the year in which he was born). The material about his weight gets a touch pedestrian in sections but he soon drops his red-faced tirade to display the softer, quieter storytelling Gibson as he relates his familial tale.

Comedically the best lines here are ostensibly the ones that cut closest to the bone but overall it’s an interesting exploration of a difficult and contradictory relationship. (Marissa Burgess) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 28 Aug, 3.45pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).

There’s much to love about Jayde Adams, who thought she’d try stand-up after the death of her sister gave her a wake-up call. Looking like a cross between the Divine-inspired Ursula from The Little Mermaid and Adele (working as an Adele impersonator is on Adams’ long CV, as well as trying to be the ‘world’s fattest contemporary dancer’ and touring Spain as a drag queen’s assistant), the Bristolian has many hidden talents.

A nominee for last year’s Best Newcomer award, Adams struggled to fit in at school, but those years of rejection and binge-watching Edward Scissorhands are finally paying off. Not only has she rebooted herself as a proud lover of the Body Positive movement and full-fat Coke, she’s stopped being a doormat and apologising for her love of musicals.

It’s rare that a solo-woman duet from The Phantom of the Opera would count as a comedy highlight (an audience member is enlisted to point a fan in her face), but it’s one of many surprise skills she has (reciting films and lifting garden benches are others in the show). Jayde Adams has found an oddball niche with excellent underdog charm. More power to her strong, Spandex-wrapped arms. (Claire Sawers) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug, 9.30pm, £8–£12 (£7–£11).

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FESTIVAL COMEDY | Reviews

ONGALS: BABBLING COMEDY Old-school circus skills from talented baby-like crew ●●●●● Anyone who couldn’t look during those ‘bitty’ sketches with David Walliams in Little Britain is advised to give this one a wide berth. For those who can handle watching grown men acting like babies, this is a circus show from Korea with magic, tricks and beatboxing. Initially the sight of three adult men in pastel pyjamas, crawling about the stage, bickering and gurgling like babies is, let’s not lie, a bit weird. Turns out it’s not a fetish night though. Nope, it’s an hour-long comedy circus that works well for kids, fans of fart jokes, slapstick enthusiasts or people (especially handy for non-English speakers) that love old-school circus skills.

The show is non-verbal; like toddlers, the cast communicate with baby gibberish, and play out a range of Laurel and Hardy emotions with body language and bendy facial expressions, from joy, to mild huff, through to outright tantrum. Warming the crowd up with some gentle clowning for starters, the three Ongals play with props, making balloon animals for the crowd, then do the U-rated version of a sword-swallowing act, using a long balloon instead of a blade for minimal carnage.

In among the bum jokes (the crowd goes wild when the balloon pump gets used on the Ongals’ back-door area), there’s a lot of impressive skill on show, and some lo-tech, traditional tricks too.

Beautiful Korean handbells ring out the tune of ‘Oh! Susanna’, a bullwhip gets cracked very close to an Ongal’s quivering face, a Coca-Cola can gets magically uncrushed and refilled, and some real knives are juggled with a blindfold on.

The second half brings in beatboxing, with nice twists on the volume control before a finale of juggling, glowing neon lights spinning through the air. Good clean fun for the family, and luckily not an adult nappy in sight. (Claire Sawers) ■ Assembly Roxy, until 28 Aug, 6.05pm, £15 (£12).

JOHN KEARNS: DON’T WORRY THEY’RE HERE

GIANTS: FOR AN HOUR Big sketch laughs from double act ●●●●●

Oddball antics that border on tedium ●●●●●

Wistful weirdness from award winner ●●●●● Being an award-winner doesn’t mean people are going to like you. John Kearns knows this, perhaps better than most. Three years after his Edinburgh Comedy Award win for Best Show – which in turn was a year after his Best Newcomer victory, an unprecedented feat – Kearns is back at the Fringe with another oddball, absurd hour of character comedy, balding wig and oversized false teeth still in place. And some people in this packed and humid room are still just not getting it.

Kearns is hyper-aware of the tension, and seems on edge. But some of the best lines come from his interaction with clueless audience members, and it’s in these moments his talent shines brightest. The show itself is characteristically wistful, and nostalgic in its charming deference to Eric Morecambe.

There are some solid laughs, but more than anything, Don’t Worry They’re Here feels like a study in loneliness, a portrait of someone who’s not sure where to go after running ‘the race of his life’ (as he puts it himself in an apt horse-racing anecdote). It needs a little more cohesion, but overall it’s sad and lovely, falsies and all. (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Heroes @ Monkey Barrel, until 27 Aug (not 16), 5pm, £7 or Pay What You Want.

SEYMOUR MACE’S MAGICAL SHITCAKES FROM HEAVEN

Entering their small stage with a high energy that threatens to blow the roof off the place, Norwegian musical duo Fjord are here to show exactly why they came second in Eurovision. Except, of course, ‘bad boys’ Lars and Ulrik do not really exist. Not only are they the main characters in this new show by Giants (aka Will Hislop and Barney Fishwick), they represent the key trigger behind the hour’s narrative.

Pals since boyhood, the pair invented Fjord at school but while Will needs that band to continue in order to feel whole in the world and connected to his mate, Barney longs to ditch this childish crutch so he can break free and pursue his acting career (he certainly possesses the limbs to wield a particularly impressive swan dive).

This double-act game in which one person is holding back the ambitions of the other can be traced back to, at the very least, Morecambe and Wise, while in Fringe terms, The Pin had a very similar conceit propelling their 2013 show. The familiar power-play meta-narrative does bubble away though and produces some big laughs. And there’s extra kudos for surely the finest referencing this Fringe of the PM’s ‘fields of wheat’ calamity. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 4.30pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10).

A 48-year-old man in a homemade chicken outfit, a clown doll and one of the saddest songs committed to vinyl. Put them together and you get the opener to Seymour Mace’s latest concoction of diverting silliness juxtaposed with bouts of abject misery, and a good indication of the remaining hour’s content.

Mace has made a name for himself with his brand of homespun daftness and, as in previous shows, the wonky props are all there along with the gameshow moments and the aim of injecting some childlike laughter into our often bleak existences. It’s certainly a noble goal and, for existing initiates and new fans alike, may provide a comedic respite from modern life’s many tensions; but the apotheosis of absurd humour to some is merely tedious antics to others.

Mace clearly has his followers and they will not be disappointed by his latest round of silliness. If whimsical illustrations, oddball skits and an attempt to heal society’s alienation through dressing up like pirates sounds like time well spent then this may be the one for you. But it’s undoubtedly not for everyone, as his Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated 2015 show title Niche as Fuck! attests. (Suzanne Black) ■ The Stand III, until 27 Aug (not 14), 1.30pm, £12 (£10).

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PHOTO: STEVE ULLATHORNE

REFORMED WHORES: GRAND OLE CUNTRY Big laughs and hi-jinks with degraded country duo ●●●●● Katy and Marie are a pair of pure filthy ‘southernbred but NYC-based’ ladies over here in Edinburg’ (sic) to share their tales of sexual exploits. In fact there are perhaps only a couple of diversions from their vaginal / penile adventures, but then the clue was in the duo’s name and that the ‘country’ of the title ain’t got no ‘o’ in it: so what the hell would you expect?

It’s like the darkened back room at your local Ann Summers shop has escaped, gone on a rampage and formed a country and western duo along the way. And a magnificently bawdy celebration of female sexuality it is too.

While admittedly the show is in danger of being a bit one-track, their songs are so beautifully put together that it’s all indubitably enjoyable. Musically they clearly know their stuff, creating gorgeous harmonising and catchy melodies and the laughs are consistent throughout. Particularly popular with this night-time weekend crowd were a couple of gleefully outrageous moments: an unexpected arrival on stage and an especially inventive masturbation technique that produces some big laughs. (Marissa Burgess) ■ Sweet Grassmarket, until 27 Aug, 9.50pm, £7 (£5).

LARRY DEAN: FANDAN

ANDREW MAXWELL

Charming take on Scotland and the world ●●●●●

An unstoppable hour of comic mischief ●●●●●

Larry Dean’s 2015 show Out Now was all about growing up gay in a working-class, Catholic, Scottish household and examined the consequences of not conforming to stereotypes that shouldn’t, but do, exist. His 2016 show covered similar territory. This year he moves from one of the big venues to one that works on the Pay What You Want model, a shift that is becoming common among comedians, but the smaller venue does not mean a squeeze on ambition.

Since we last saw him, Dean has travelled: and it shows. Added to his unique takes on Scottish and UK politics, dating, sex with others and sex with oneself, is an influx of anecdotes, accents and perspectives that give breadth to his highly charming brand of personal observational comedy.

Dean’s work is as good as Kevin Bridges and he deserves to be in venues just as large. It’s a sad indictment of contemporary society that as a working-class, gay Scot, Dean provides a voice not often heard at this international festival. He is just so damn likeable that, should he be weaponised and unleashed on the masses, homophobia’s remaining adherents in the UK wouldn’t stand a chance.

(Suzanne Black) ■ Heroes @ Monkey Barrel, until 27 Aug (not 15), 6.40pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.

If this is what he’s like having driven up the country for half a day, it’s staggering to imagine what a fresh Andrew Maxwell might be capable of. He might insist that he’s arrived in Edinburgh woefully unprepared and clutches a bundle of notes as physical evidence of the safety net he relies on for opening night, but the Dubliner has no need to refer to anything other than his own inspired thought processes. Once his mojo is up and running, he’s an unstoppable force.

Like so many in town this month, Brexit and Trump are firmly on his mind but Maxwell uses them as triggers to make other points about how the world doesn’t need to be hellbent on division and opposition. Take the Maxwell household, occupied as it is by an Irish Methodist and a prosecco-loving Muslim in a contemporary show of diversity and unity.

It’s not all high-minded bigot-baiting though, as he zeroes in on curious elements which eschew normality: such as gorillas on slides and cockney gangster-like vicars. As Maxwell remarks early on, he’s been doing the Fringe for 23 years now. But his powers of persuasion and ability to conjure up comedy mischief have rarely been sharper.

(Brian Donaldson) ■ Assembly George Square Theatre, until 27 Aug (not 14), 9pm, £13–£15 (£12–£14).

EVELYN MOK: HYMEN MANOEUVRE Show of two distinct halves makes comedy out of a crisis ●●●●● For the first half of Hymen Manoeuvre, Evelyn Mok more than justified the expectations that have been building ahead of her Fringe debut. She has a mass of insecurities to discuss, about her body and identity (she’s Swedish by birth but Chinese by heritage as she amusingly continues to point out by waving a finger around her face), and a less than successful love life (‘time to feed the vagina!’ has not worked for her as a chat-up line as she’d hoped).

Mok’s anecdotes, turns-of-phrase and truly engaging stage presence bring out the terrors and joys (though mainly terrors, admittedly) of modern existence as a human being, but more specifically as a woman. She imagines a world where men are the menstruating ones, and as someone who lost her virginity in her mid-20s and was largely underwhelmed with the experience, she’s fairly sure that she’d choose ‘cake over dick’ every single time.

As half of a debut, Hymen Manoeuvre is truly exhilarating stuff, but even before the traditional lull-point of 40 minutes, something has started to seriously flag. It could have been down to Mok’s inability in fully taking care of a back-row senior citizen who was keen to participate, but it’s more likely that a full hour ended up stretching her writing powers at this stage of her career.

Having set up her Scandinavian upbringing with much humour, she moves the story on to her new life in multicultural London where she finally found that she could be herself. Perhaps coincidentally this is where the show’s vitality begins to wane. The ‘Swedish Amy Schumer’ tag doesn’t really do her many favours (a struggling comic’s tormented take on things should always have more going for it creatively and credibly than a huge Hollywood star’s) so it might only be when she becomes ‘Sweden’s Evelyn Mok’ that her stock will properly and deservedly soar.

(Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 6pm, £7–£9 (£6–£8).

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Reviews | FESTIVAL COMEDY

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NORTHERN POWER BLOUSE Gleeful plundering of stereotypes ●●●●● Cassie Atkinson, Kat Butterfield and Charlotte Pearson are a trio of writers and performers, all sharing a fondness for a synthetic, 1980s patterned blouse. The threesome bring a hit-andmiss, bargain multipack of sketches, where they work their way through a checklist of Northern stereotypes about pies, coal mines, gravy, flat caps, Alan Bennett and Morrissey.

There’s also a female slant to much of what they do, with lots of the gags revolving around beauty treatments, advertising and the invisibility of certain women when they either hit middle age or don a beige fleece with the magical ability to shield them from unwanted attention from men.

Their knack for serving up a buffet spread of regional accents and rubbery facial expressions is impressive, although some of the skits let them down with weaker, wobbly writing. DC IBS, trying to solve crimes while suffering from stomach pain and bloating doesn’t quite hit the spot; but a twist on George Formby’s banjo song where he ends up in court after spying on women while cleaning windows gets bigger laughs. Although their talents are obvious, a rushed pace dilutes the quality. Still, the lasses are good company. (Claire Sawers) ■ Opium, until 26 Aug (not 15, 22), 3.45pm, free.

JULIO TORRES: MY FAVOURITE SHAPES

ELLIOT STEEL: NEAR LIFE EXPERIENCE

Trinket-laden assessment of the US ●●●●●

Potential-filled hour from young comic ●●●●●

Julio Torres sits behind a desk littered with glittering baubles among other objects. A phone camera magnifies his hands’ manipulation of each item with the resulting images displayed on a big screen. The young Brooklynite, by way of El Salvador, selects a piece and accompanies it with a name, a joke, an observation, a story. Ostensibly he is working through a catalogue of his favourite shapes, like the David Attenborough of the tchotchke.

Moving from political commentary to whimsy through non-sequiturs to observational titbits (that occasionally don’t land as well on this side of the pond), his rollcall of artefacts is juxtaposed with the spectre of the US’s current political situation.

As an immigrant and artist, Torres suggests he is the antithesis of Trump voters. Projecting a delicate presence underpinned with an iron confidence in his abilities, Torres reminds us that while politics defines the landscape, we can reclaim what lies within it. It is a great misfortune then that, given the diminutive size of many of his trinkets, it’s often difficult to see them as the lower third of the screen is not clearly visible from the back rows. (Suzanne Black) ■ Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug (not 14), 5pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50).

Totally likeable and very nearly great, Elliot Steel gives a pretty enjoyable performance. Credit is due to a performer who gets the audience onside from the off, something Steel does easily with his charm and gift of the gab. With his strong London accent, the Croydon comic tells a well-meaning and entertaining tale of his transition into adulthood in the digital age.

The show’s content encompasses social media habits, millennial behaviours, relationships and what it means to finally grow up. At times, however, it’s perhaps a bit over-ambitious in its scope, as Steel jumps between narrative threads too quickly, though he does pull it together with a neat wrap-up in the final section.

Steel is genuine but nervous. If he could relax into the performance then it might eliminate the few jarring moments of fluffed words or slightly meandering stories. The focus of the show needs tightening – it feels as if there’s a point trying to be made here, but it’s maybe a slightly confused one. Still, this remains a promising hour from a talented 20-year-old observational comedian who has bags of potential.

(Kenza Marland) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug (not 14), 8.15pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).

BOB SLAYER: WHATEVER NEXT? Loveably chaotic master of one unique Fringe experience after another ●●●●● Frankly everyone at the Fringe should pop in and spend an hour with Bob Slayer on the top deck of his bus. Last year one of Slayer’s main projects was organising the reading of the entire Chilcot Report into the Iraq War, which took almost two weeks and won the Edinburgh Comedy Award’s panel prize. So, Whatever Next? It’s a very good point. How do you follow that? Slayer hasn’t a clue either.

What he talks about from one show to the next will inevitably change, so freewheeling is the experience. Though one sure-fire and hilarious constant will be his fresh-faced newly qualified legal adviser sat alongside him throughout the show: anyone familiar with Slayer’s work will know that this is certainly a very wise move.

Slayer reminds his adviser that they still need to conduct a proper briefing, including a chat about the fact that Slayer almost got sued in 2011. Legal begins to look worried. It won’t be for the first time during the run. This reminder provokes an anecdote about Cockgate when posters around the Fringe ‘mysteriously’ had penis stickers stuck to them. Being core to such stunts has made Slayer a name for himself as something of an agitator extraordinaire in August. That said, he’s an extremely productive one as he now runs four venues full of extraordinary acts, capturing the Fringe’s true spirit each year.

The skilled raconteur goes on to chat about his dad’s chickens, other people he’s annoyed and, surprisingly, even ends on a poignant note. It’s also an eye-opener that he manages to wrap up his show on time and without leaving any narrative loose ends dangling. This pretty much sums him up: loveably chaotic but still able to get the job done. (Marissa Burgess) ■ Heroes @ Bob’s Blundabus, until 27 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), 6.15pm, £5 (£3) or Pay What You Want.

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MURIEL: BAD MASTER A sketch trio who might be in trouble with their improv pals ●●●●● They’ve packed a lot into their Fringe debut have sketch trio Muriel. You may know them already from such online japes as ‘If Tube Lines Were People’, ‘If Festivals Were People’ and ‘The Great British Political Bake Off’. Others might have been tempted to simply regurgitate or remould for the Fringe stage those kind of successes (yes, ‘Gap Yah’, we’re looking at you) but this threesome (America’s Janine Harouni, England’s Meg Salter and Ireland’s Sally O’Leary) have clearly laboured hard to get a whole new collection of broken comedy together for August.

Bad Master (a delightfully ambiguous title) kicks off with a meeting of live action and screen work as the trio have trouble getting much sense out of their elderly parents who either have no understanding of their offspring’s life, do their best to undermine them or can’t quite get the technology to work.

But it’s not just old folk who get it firmly in the neck from the Muriels as the vlogging community are deservedly ripped into, while in a bold move that you’d imagine won’t make them especially welcome down the Adlib Society, the worst aspects of improv are brought out into the open.

In order to keep things ticking over and get those awkward costume-switches turned around smoothly, the Mu crew have opted for running video while they get the next outfits on. In one very amusing moment it’s clear that one bit of footage isn’t quite long enough to cover up the time required for them to change: if it wasn’t in fact planned, this may well stay in the show given the positive audience reaction. Fresh ground might not be smashed open during an hour of Muriel, but there are likely to be fewer more enjoyable sketch affairs this month. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug (not 14), 1.20pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).

PHOTO: ANNELIESE NAPPA

PHOTO: STEVE ULLATHORNE

PHIL ELLIS HAS BEEN ON ICE

TWAYNA MAYNE: BLACK GIRL

NICK CODY: ON FIRE

Comedic and chaotic sci-fi farce ●●●●●

Disappointing debut from this likeable and deadpan performer ●●●●●

A deceptively laid-back delivery still packs a punch ●●●●●

Twayna Mayne is on a quest to be more black.

Having grown up a fan of The Archers and Poirot, she knew she needed to become more street so turned to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Role models have been something of a sticking point for black British females such as Mayne and the tendency is to look across the pond and find the likes of Beyoncé or Michelle Obama. Mayne has problems with both of them and she’s not afraid to, well, hint at them.

There’s a lot that could be said in this show, but Mayne doesn’t seem overly confident in her own material. The deadpan delivery doesn’t help, and neither does her projector being turned on at all times so that her name and show title are awkwardly lit up across her head and body through the entire show.

Mayne rightly criticises the comedy world for being the domain of young, white, male comedians but she doesn’t especially offer anything of substance that will result in a power shift somewhere down the line.

Perhaps she’s just too nice (there aren’t many comics who wait by the door and thank their audience), but hopefully she’ll have a more incisive follow-up to this disappointing debut. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 16), 4.45pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10).

Since last year’s show, Nick Cody has clocked up that 30th birthday and got married: but that’s pretty much the extent of his growing up. The Aussie comedian is still embracing excess, though not in the laddish boozy way you might imagine, more making a mess in lifts while having trouble with menswear.

This is Cody’s third Fringe show but by the time he produced his 2015 debut, he’d already shot his first stand-up special, played the invite-only Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and performed all the way around the world. But it’s easy to see why his CV is so packed as Cody’s deceptively laid-back style of delivery means that it packs one hell of a punch when he lets slip a big old, close-to-the-bone gag. Nothing, it seems, is off limits, from diabetes, terrorist attacks and tales of his ‘loose unit’ parents.

The big beardy guy’s charm and, at first glance, apparently mellow storytelling lulls the audience into a false sense of security, which only serves to intensify the laughs. His subjects may be familiar – stag dos, weddings and tales of beery over-indulgence – but that dark seam of humour gives Nick Cody’s hour its edge. (Marissa Burgess) ■ Underbelly Med Quad, until 27 Aug (not 14), 8.20pm, £10–£14.50 (£11.50–£12.50).

The premise behind Phil Ellis Has Been on Ice is that the Funz and Gamez guy has been cryogenically frozen since 2014. What sounds like a set-up for a quick run through the state of the world over the last three years heads in a completely unexpected direction. The 2017 Ellis wakes up having more in common with Space 1999 than our current reality. In this endearingly lo-fi comedy, he tries to pass tests set by his smiley, vaguely psychotic robotic sidekick TK Maxx before he can be released into the world.

Emerging from his cryo-tube in tight cut-off shorts (and not much else), his chaotic hour lurches from physical comedy to self-deprecating angst and the nature of love. The banter between Ellis and Maxx is a highlight, the ultimate mismatched couple, one desperate and needy, the other logical and deadpan.

The shambolic goings-on are part of its charm, but ultimately the show is too messy. Some sections drag and a couple completely fall apart (including a misfiring knob gag). It’s great that Ellis is trying something completely different and when it works the effect is inventive, bizarrely brilliant and incredibly funny. There’s so much potential but it’s in need of a whole load of fine tuning. (Henry Northmore) ■ Just the Tonic at The Mash House, until 27 Aug (not 14), 7.40pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.

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Museum After Hours

2014

2015

Friday Fringe Takeover

National Museums Scotland Scottish Charity, No. SC011130

Experience a taste of the Fringe with handpicked performers, music, comedy and more

Friday 11, 18 & 25 August 19:30–22:30 £18/£16 Over 18s only Includes admission to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites

HELEN DUFF WHEN THE GOING GETS DUFF www.helenduff.com

#NMSAfterHours www.nms.ac.uk/afterhours

@duffmarvel

19:35 02 - 27 AUG (NOT 14)

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Reviews at a Glance | FESTIVAL COMEDY

list.co.uk/festival

REVIEWS AT A GLANCE For full length versions of these reviews, see list.co.uk/festival

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN TO SASHA ELLEN ●●●●● This autobiographical tale by Sasha Ellen is a whimsical journey through her 27 years on Earth and deals most significantly with her mother’s teenage pregnancy, her own unplanned pregnancy, and the significant consequences of those two events. Although it’s by no means a complex story, the haphazard structure sometimes makes it difficult to know where all the pieces fit into place.

(Murray Robertson) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, until 27 Aug (not 14), 8pm, £5 (£3) or Pay What You Want.

ADAM LARTER: L’ART NOUVEAU ●●●●● This man clearly began making his props back in about February: there are hundreds of them.

A homemade plastic saxophone, a Sonic the Hedgehog cardboard helmet, masks of the moustachioed Pringles mascot man, a baby doll painted with Kiss make-up. Obviously a very dedicated oddball, Larter has created a giddy, bizarre whirlwind of a show.

(Claire Sawers) Heroes @ The Hive, until 26 Aug (not 12), 1pm, £5 (£4) or Pay What You Want.

ALEX KEALY: THE ART OF THE KEAL ●●●●● Alex Kealy describes his show as ‘low on laughs but high on interesting facts’, which is a typically self-deprecating comment from the comedian who ‘turned socialist after being bullied at private school’.

It’s also completely untrue as the gag-per-minute ratio for this show is impressive, even if you forgive some low hanging fruit. (Craig Angus) Just the Tonic at The Caves, until 27 Aug (not 14), 4.20pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.

ALICE MARSHALL: BLOOD ●●●●● The hour is split into five sections each showcasing a different character.

Inevitably it’s a mixed bag. The most successful are a bolshie Latina flight attendant savaging the Brits’ love of the holiday hellhole that is Magaluf and an awkward singleton where Marshall finally dares to drag the audience into ugly and uncomfortable territory.

(Henry Northmore) Just the Tonic at The Caves, until 26 Aug (not 14), 5.20pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.

ANGELA BARNES: FORTITUDE ●●●●● Barnes loves a secret bunker and it’s from within one (on a special birthday) that she reasserts many of her life beliefs: not to have children and never to start a bucket list. It also so happened to be the day Trump was elected. Solid stand-up from one of the circuit’s most reliable comics. (Brian Donaldson) Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 7.15pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9).

ARI ELDJÁRN: PARDON MY ICELANDIC ●●●●● With a name that translates pretty spectacularly as ‘Eagle Fire Iron’, this ex-flight attendant has swooped in from his homeland of Iceland to deliver some Scandi humour.

Once he’s got past the introductions, and is trading less on his Icelandicness, it seems there could be more interesting stuff going on beneath the surface. (Claire Sawers) Heroes @ Monkey Barrel, until 27 Aug (not 23), 1.40pm, £5 (£3) or Pay What You Want.

BEAK SPEAKS ●●●●● Step into the world of Gillian Beak, a Fringe veteran and old school ‘ac-TOR’ as she imparts her wisdom in this theatre masterclass.

Sarah Thom, the woman behind the Beak, knows that the real secret to good character comedy is to never overstep the mark: Beak is blinkered, pompous and ridiculous but ultimately Becky Lucas

sympathetic. (Henry Northmore) Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 4pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50).

BECKY LUCAS: LITTLE BITCH ●●●●● It’s a highly relatable comedy show that Becky Lucas delivers, judging by the constant stream of laughter throughout and the groups of friends turning to each other to nod their heads in unspoken understanding as Lucas tells of her misadventures. Little Bitch is a solid, and occasionally brilliant step towards greatness. (Craig Angus) Assembly George Square Theatre, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 7pm, £10–£12.

BERNIE KEITH: LIFE WITHOUT SAT NAV ●●●●● At 54 and a single, gay man, Keith is feeling left behind and out of sync with the world; dating is bemusing, his passwords are predictable and his testicles disappoint. Though the show could do with a bit of pruning in places, there are some lovely gags to be found here, such as his sending of the Communards’ Richard Coles to the priesthood and a great Sooty analogy.

(Marissa Burgess) Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug (not 16), 8.45pm, £11–£12 (£9–£10).

BOYS & GIRLS ●●●●● Boys & Girls isn’t the crass write-off the first minute suggests it could be. If anything, it’s a sensitive and occasionally perceptive show – as perceptive an hour where the parameters are ‘the war of the sexes’ will allow, anyway. Exploring the male vs female relationship through the eyes of royalty, fumbling teenagers and siblings, a lot of what’s said rings true.

(Craig Angus) Laughing Horse @ The Mockingbird, until 27 Aug (not 14), 10.15pm, free.

BRONSTON JONES: GOD BLESS ‘MERICA (3) ●●●●● This is the third of US comedian Jones’ shows where he ‘takes a look at the state of the nation’, and boy has he got plenty to chew on this year. Jones is one of the shockingly small number of Americans with passports, but venturing away from his country gives him the perspective to stand back and ask ‘what the hell’?

(Marissa Burgess) Laughing Horse @ Espionage, until 27 Aug, 6.15pm, free.

CAROLINE MABEY: QUETZALS ●●●●● Caroline Mabey’s fifth fulllength Fringe show focuses on memory.

She utilises a variety of methods to remember audience names and builds to her reciting all 103 of the twoletter words acceptable in Scrabble, except she forgets a few. Mabey is captivating to watch in a light-hearted and whimsical hour. (Rowena McIntosh)

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Just the Tonic at The Caves, until 27 Aug (not 14), 7.40pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.

ED NIGHT: ANTHEM FOR DOOMED YOUTH ●●●●● Night has some cracking stories up his sleeve and he sells them effortlessly with a confident and verbose delivery. When he dips into political territory the jokes sometimes take a back seat, but this is a tremendously assured hour with lots to think about and much to laugh at.

Night has a very exciting future ahead of him. (Murray Robertson) Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 14), 8.30pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£6.50–£8.50).

ESHAAN AKBAR: NOT FOR PROPHET ●●●●● There’s a confident swagger to Akbar which initially puts you at ease, but soon it’s clear that his puffery is less than justified by the material: the end message is a very vanilla ‘hey, just enjoy your life’, which actually manages to be counter-productive in its dispiriting emptiness. (Brian Donaldson) Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug (not 15), 2.45pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).

FRANCESCO DE CARLO: COMFORT ZONE ●●●●● As De Carlo points out at the top of the show, within a short amount of time of him moving to the UK to follow his dream, the UK voted to leave the EU and shuts down its borders. Was it something he said? Aside from the musings on Brexit, there are other, more familiar, cultural difference observations as well as some playful and teasing silliness. (Marissa Burgess) Underbelly George Square, until 28 Aug (not 14), 9.20pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10).

GEOFF NORCOTT: RIGHT-LEANING BUT WELL-MEANING ●●●●● Even keeping the most open of minds, it’s tough to warm to this comedian who admits at the start that he’s ‘shamelessly mined a niche angle’.

Outing himself as a right-leaning, Leave-voting member of the Tory party in the largely leftie comedy world means work on telly and in newspapers has come rolling in. While some salute his entrepreneurial, opportunistic spirit, others wet-boak in their mouths at the cynical desperation of it all.

(Claire Sawers) Underbelly George Square, until 27 Aug (not 14), 6.40pm, £10.50–£11.50 (£9.50–£10.50).

THE HARRY AND CHRIS SHOW 2 ●●●●● Last year’s debut, The Harry and Chris Show mark one, went down so well they’re back with a follow-up and, having been told that they’re funny too, they took the plunge to list this year’s show in the comedy section rather than spoken word. It’s true, they are funny, and a thoroughly amiable and 10–17 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 61

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FESTIVAL COMEDY | Reviews at a Glance the existential stuff, he spends a lot of time discussing how his parents are bored of him now he’s grown up, and would sooner be out in the garden or on the town than hang out with their son. (Craig Angus) Assembly George Square Studios, until 27 Aug (not 15), 9pm, £10.50–£12 (£9.50–£11).

Nath Valvo

PAT CAHILL: THE FISHERMAN ●●●●● In a crowded downstairs room at the Fringe, Cahill is as far away from the calming open waters where he indulges his passion of fishing as it could get. There’s a touch of the Sean Locks about Cahill as he taps into his dafter side to play us his lengthy edited snippets of vocalists such as Dolores O’Riordan and Enrique Iglesias.

(Brian Donaldson) Heroes @ Monkey Barrel, until 27 Aug (not 16), 2.50pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.

likeable pair. (Marissa Burgess) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, until 26 Aug (not 14), 2.20pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.

JEN WAKEFIELD: GIRL IN DA CORNER ●●●●● Wakefield’s show brings together character comedy and slam poetry over a very slick and accomplished 45 minutes. The premise is that Wakefield is making the shift from a career in teaching to one in broadcasting and performance. For the former, she must decide what label she fits best, and what her USP is.

(Craig Angus) Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, until 27 Aug (not 13, 20), 1.15pm, free.

JOHN ROBERTSON: DOMINANT ●●●●● If you’re looking for an easy way into the weird and wonderful then this show might be just the thing.

Robertson is a self-declared oddball: a bondage-loving, musical-theatre aficionado, who dabbles in his own unique take on stand-up comedy.

Prepare to be on edge, as he takes many members of the audience to town in an impressively astute and witty manner. (Kenza Marland) The Stand V, until 27 Aug (not 14), 6.15pm, £9 (£8).

JULIETTE BURTON: BUTTERFLY EFFECT ●●●●● There’s a long history of comedy as therapy at the Fringe, and Butterfly Effect follows that tradition with a candid confessional.

Burton is a joyful bundle of energy although her enthusiasm is unmatched by the quality of the material. A more disciplined focus on her battles might have made for a more engaging show.

(Murray Robertson) Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug (not 14), 4.30pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50).

MARK SILCOX: I CAN CURE ●●●●● Silcox presents what he

describes as a two-part lecture focusing first on cough medicine and then on the origins of homosexuality.

He further intersperses I Can Cure with erratic diversions on hydrogen, quantum physics and atheism, but there’s no rhyme nor reason to the collapsing structure of what ensues.

(Murray Robertson) Ciao Roma, until 28 Aug, 2.10pm, free.

MARNY GODDEN IS ONE TOOTH ●●●●● One Tooth, a punk of indeterminate gender, is questioning their place in the world. Relatively willing volunteers are grabbed from the crowd to help out our unconventional hero and there’s also a bit of good natured corpsing from Godden which only serves to add to the camaraderie in the room. (Marissa Burgess) Heroes @ The Hive, until 27 Aug (not 16), 3.45pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.

MIKE BUBBINS: RETROSEXUAL MALE ●●●●● Even after insisting that he’s not a character comedian, it still takes a few minutes to convince yourself that Welshman Bubbins is not doing all this for an elaborate bet. Dressed head to foot in double paisley, big collars and brown leather jacket, and sporting a killer ‘tache, this Retrosexual Male is the real 70s deal. Once your eyes have got used to the dramatic sight they’re beholding, your ears will be less than impressed with the material he has in store.

(Brian Donaldson) Assembly George Square Studios, until 27 Aug, 6.30pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10).

NATH VALVO: NOT IN THIS HOUSE ●●●●● This is a thoroughly entertaining take on that most universal of themes, the passing of time and aging. In the hands of Valvo, it feels like a completely fresh topic. Rather than getting overly bogged down in

PELICAN: THE CAT MAN CURSE ●●●●● Edinburgh has witnessed some fantastic sketch comedy shows in recent years, and Pelican’s The Cat Man Curse is up there with the best of them. It’s a fast-paced effort that commits to a proper story and is a joy to watch. (Craig Angus) Bedlam Theatre, until 28 Aug (not 16, 23), 8pm, £8 (£6).

PHIL JERROD: SUBMERGED ●●●●● Unashamedly and selfadmittedly average, Jerrod flings pot-shots at beauty standards, obesity, Brexit, the divide between babyboomers and millennials, and those perennial butts of the joke, hipsters.

Drawing deep from the well of selfdeprecation and peppering his routine with asides about how certain types of comedy are constructed, he also offers a bit more insight than your usual standup hour. (Suzanne Black) Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 8.30pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9).

SEAN PATTON: NUMBER ONE ●●●●● A storytelling wizard with the conspiratorial bonhomie of Glenn Wool, Sean Patton should be top of anyone’s list of go-sees this month with this vivid, lurid and ultimately very moving analysis of love, loss and colossal flatulence.

(Brian Donaldson) Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 8.15pm, £9–£10 (£6.50–£9).

SINDHU VEE: IGUANA MUM ●●●●● ‘Iguana mum’ isn’t really an iguana, nor is it the name of a weird parenting attitude like ‘tiger mom’.

Instead, Sindhu Vee is a comedian, a wife and a mother. After bemoaning how certain sources of comedy material are inapplicable to her life situation, she follows the old adage of ‘write what you know’, turning the focus to domestic matters. (Suzanne Black) Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, until 27 Aug (not 14), 6pm, free.

SUZI RUFFELL: KEEPING IT CLASSY ●●●●● Slick as a massive oil spillage, Ruffell really does keep it classy as she considers her own family,

her journey into the middle-classes and that time she was accidentally dubbed a racist on TV. (Brian Donaldson) Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 9.45pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9).

TERRY ALDERTON: ALL CRAZY NOW ●●●●● With Alderton unable to make it to his stage on time (he does show up later), we are introduced to Chops Not Ham, a musical duo which, curiously, also goes by the name of Johns. Clad in threadbare rock-band vests, the camp pair (Alderton and Johnny Spurlring) thrust us headfirst into a toxic stew of awful tunes about cornflakes, moustaches and polevaulting chickens. (Brian Donaldson) Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 10.40pm, £8.50–£11 (£7.50–£10).

TESSA COATES: PRIMATES ●●●●● In her first solo show, the gags are liberally spread with Coates employing an easy, off-the-cuff style and there are some big laughs in here including a cracking routine about JK Rowling before she was famous. In this promising debut, there are also a couple of imaginative analogies employed too, particularly evolution as presented as the stages of a party. (Marissa Burgess) Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug, 3.30pm, £7–£9 (£6–£8).

TEZ ILYAS: TEZTIFY ●●●●● There’s no sheepish shuffle onto the stage for Ilyas. Bounding into the space, dishing out the double highfives and christening his audience ‘Tezpians’, he’s a confident comedian keen to get started. Having recently moved from London back to his home in the North, he has spent more time around both his family, and racism, which drive the narrative of Teztify.

(Rowena McIntosh) Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 16), 8.30pm, £10-£12 (£8-£10).

TOM ALLEN: ABSOLUTELY ●●●●● There’s little pretence to Allen. His material is delivered with warmth and in a manner that makes it relatable for everyone in the room. He could have gone bigger for his tenth year at the Fringe, but by using his cheeky eccentricity to simply speak his mind, the hour flies by.

(Louise Stoddart) Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 8pm, £8.50–£11 (£7.50–£12).

TOM WARD: LOVE MACHINE ●●●●● Ward’s initial impression as a purveyor of self-pitying gags about his lack of luck in love and difficult childhood belies a more nuanced performance in which he plays around with words, the experience of sex and his love of music in a way that undercuts machismo, lad culture and the drugfuelled masculinity of 90s Manchester.

(Suzanne Black) Just the Tonic at The Tron, until 27 Aug (not 14), 3.40pm, £7 or Pay What You Want.

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DANCE IN ALL ITS GLORY! Choreography: Philippe Lafeuille

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YO, CARMEN

PHOTO: DAVID RUANO

Flamenco-infused reimagining of Bizet’s legendary heroine For almost 150 years, Carmen has been synonymous with images of a dark-eyed temptress who brings a world of trouble to the men in her life. Growing up in Seville, the setting for Prosper Mérimée’s original story and Bizet’s opera, choreographer María Pagés was acutely aware of this skewed vision of womanhood.

After a long period of reflection, Pagés finally felt she was ‘strong, experienced and mature enough’ to offer an alternative view of what she terms a ‘misogynist novel’ and ‘stereotype of women’ – and so Yo, Carmen (I, Carmen) was born.

Over the past 27 years, Pagés has built up a reputation for creating thought-provoking flamenco that respects the genre’s traditions yet takes it somewhere new. This latest venture is no exception, with eight dancers and seven musicians combining to deliver a new incarnation of the famous tale.

‘Yo, Carmen is not the story of Carmen,’ explains Pagés.

‘It’s a way to give a voice to women and what women want to be in this world – not just what a man wants a woman to do, or imagines about us. We are women who work, who are mothers, who teach, who run the family, who are very strong but at the same time very fragile – real women.’

(Kelly Apter) ■ Playhouse, 12 & 13 Aug, 8pm, £11–£35.

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FESTIVAL DANCE | Dance Hitlist

DANCE HITLIST Kelly Apter picks out some of the dance highlights from week two of the Fringe REQUIEM FOR ALEPPO Twelve dancers from across the world perform to an original score fusing a Requiem Mass with Arabic poetry and testimonies of those displaced from their homeland in Syria. Every penny of every ticket sold goes to the people of Aleppo.

See feature, page 25. Pleasance @ EICC, 16 Aug, 7.30pm, £15 (£10).

YO, CARMEN Innovative flamenco choreographer María Pagés and her company take on the themes of Prosper Mérimée’s novel and Bizet’s opera, Carmen, in this exploration of womanhood. See preview, page 65. Playhouse, 12 & 13 Aug, 8pm, £11–£35.

SIGMA Another Fringe hit for Gandini Juggling, this time blending their sharp circus skills with the Indian classical dance style of Bharatanatyam. See review, page 67. Assembly Hall, 623 3030, until 28 Aug (not 14, 21), 1.30pm, £10–£12.

Requiem for Aleppo

TUTU: DANCE IN ALL ITS GLORY All-male French company Chicos Mambo takes an affectionate poke at the world of dance, with a hilarious mix of classical ballet, tango, hip hop, a Strictly Come Dancing pastiche and more. See review at list.co.uk Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 15, 22), 4pm, £11–£14.50 (£9.50–£13).

THE HUMOURS OF BANDON There’s more to Irish dance than curly hair and velvet dresses, as we find out in this witty, touching and insightful one-woman show from former competitive dancer Margaret McAuliffe, of Dublin’s award-winning Fishamble company. Dance Base, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 6.30pm, £12 (£10).

THE DREAMER Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is fused with Chinese tale The Peony Pavilion, in this clever new collaboration from Gecko and Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. See review, page 68. Pleasance Courtyard, until 15 Aug, 1.30pm, £11.50–£14.50 (£9.50-£13).

DJUKI MALA They’ve travelled all the way from Elcho Island in northern Australia to bring you their infectiously joyful mix of Aboriginal dance and Western

music and styles, so it would be rude not to join them. See review, page 67.

Assembly George Square, until 28 Aug (not 14, 21), 4.30pm, £15–£16 (£13–£14).

GANDINI JUGGLING

SIGMA

‘STUNNINGLY SKILLFUL AND IMAGINATIVE CIRCUS WITH A POTENT CORE’ THE STAGE

13:30

03 - 28 AUG

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Reviews | FESTIVAL DANCE

list.co.uk/festival

Compromised by visa restrictions, this unplanned offering still has much to share ●●●●● Clearly for Egypt-based choreographer Shaymaa Shoukry, the show must go on. Presented under the auspices of the Arab Arts Focus, this bill was meant to pair a solo Shoukry created for Sudanese dancer Nagham Saleh, and another by the Palestine-born choreographer Yazan Iwidat. But visa restrictions imposed upon dancer Hamza Damra meant the entire performance had to be quickly reconfigured.

What we see instead is a single live solo and two short films (an extract from Shoukry’s ‘Mayhkomsh’ plus Iwidat’s ‘Running Away’ in its 17-minute entirety).

It’s the live solo that counts most. Shoukry originally created ‘The resilience of the body’ for herself. In Edinburgh, it’s danced by Mahmoud el Hadad, a long, lean man with an unassuming yet quietly authoritative manner. He spends about 15 minutes running in circles at a steadfast pace, accompanying himself with utterances that tend to commence ‘I will keep on running until . . . ’ and end with phrases like ‘ . . . my skin colour is no longer a problem.’ This challenging, vicarious act of physical endurance and protest might seem hard to take, but it expands in the mind as it carries on. (Donald Hutera) ■ Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 1.35pm, £8.

PHOTO: VIKTOR KRONBAUER

PHOTO: SEAN YOUNG

ARAB ARTS FOCUS: DANCE DOUBLE BILL

DJUKI MALA

GOSSIP

Aboriginal traditions meet modern-day music ●●●●●

A surreal storm of human behaviour ●●●●●

There’s a little video intro before this performance begins, explaining where the Yolngu people live: in Elcho Island, a remote spot in Arnhem Land, Australia. Slavery, disease, high suicide rates and the forced removal of children are part of the Aboriginal Australian people’s colonised past and the show’s mixed-race director Joshua Bond doesn’t want that to be forgotten. But he also doesn’t want his family’s story to be a downer. He’s spent ten years touring with Djuki Mala, a troupe of dancers who mix traditional styles with Michael Jackson moves they’ve watched on YouTube.

Didgeridoo drones introduce the first dance, where clapsticks and wailing chants accompany the five male dancers. Crouching, creeping moves morph into rhythmic full-body spasms, which blend into a wavy-armed Bollywood sequence with infectious drumming. The dancers facial expressions – sometimes coy and girly, sometimes filled with swagger – add a nice touch of comedy to their routines. It’s an energetic hour, keeping the focus on this full-on display of fun, infectious moves.

(Claire Sawers) ■ Assembly George Square, until 28 Aug (not 14, 21), 4.30pm, £15–£16 (£13–£14).

Czech choreographer Lenka Vagnerová has a fascination for animal behaviour and has previously choreographed pieces that explore wolves and birds.

Here she turns her eye to a different type of animal, one that exhibits no less baffling traits: the human.

Gossip takes place over the course of one man’s birthday party, a loose frame for the surreal collection of vignettes that make up the piece. At first it feels as if we are in a comic strip. Revellers move in clockwork jerks, tipping back champers, sizing one another up. There’s something monkey-ish about their curious, greedy gestures. They ostracise, manipulate, point, laugh.

Two men are turned into puppets, one man rips apart chicken as another has his bones broken, and one couple has their secrets pulled from them in the form of black tape, ending in a stormcloud of the stuff, billowing and suffocating as it is tossed around the stage. Vagnerová’s dance palette echoes her earlier work in its animalistic movement and passages of breakneck speed. These varied textures are the driving force behind the piece, and while the ideas don’t always come fully to the fore, there is never a dull moment – like any good debauched gathering.

(Lucy Ribchester) ■ ZOO Southside, until 15 Aug, 8.30pm, £14 (£12).

SIGMA Gandini Juggling’s homage to the beauty of patterns ●●●●● In the nimble hands of the Gandinis, juggling always falls more in line with choreography than circus stunts. Two years ago the company collaborated with Scottish Ballet in 4 x 4 Ephemeral Architectures. Before that, Smashed – their homage to Pina Bausch – saw a cast of nine destroy a tea set’s worth of crockery every night in a chaotic finale.

Chaos is present in Sigma too, which turns to the rhythms and lines of Bharatanatyam dance – a South Indian classical dance rich in intricate hand movements – to riff and balance with juggling. But it’s a chaos of a subtle and sophisticated kind, in a piece that is broken down neatly into 12 segments, segueing through peaks and troughs of tempo, creating patterns both minimal and sinuous.

The four performers – Gandini co-founder Kati Ylä-Hokkala, Bharatanatyam choreographer Seeta Patel, dancer Indu Panday and juggler Kim Huynh – stagger introductions to themselves throughout the show. These are complete with the dates and places of the birth of their parents, a plotting in time and space of the lines reaching backwards and intersecting human lives.

This sense of interconnectivity channels a current through the show that is quietly mesmerising. Juggling balls seem to travel horizontally across vertical lines; spotlit hands produce an infinite variation of geometries and melt in and out of holding a red ball; connections are drawn between Bob Fosse’s jazz choreography and Bharatanatyam postures. Underscoring it all is music with mathematical structures: electro pips, metallic percussion, Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

If all this makes it sound terribly conceptual, Sigma’s simple beauty and playful tone reaches beyond its complicated ideas. On the way out a tiny girl toddles up to Patel. ‘I love your dancing!’ she cries. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Assembly Hall, until 28 Aug (not 9, 14, 21), 1.30pm, £10–£12.

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FESTIVAL DANCE | Reviews

THE DREAMER Historic texts meld to create a distinctly modern dream ●●●●● Created originally for the British Council’s project to commemorate 400 years since Shakespeare’s death, this collaboration between Gecko and Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre marries together A Midsummer Night’s Dream and 16th-century Chinese play The Peony Pavilion. Both toy with the significance of dreams and the complications of unrequited love. In Midsummer’s case, two men are in love with Hermia, leaving Helena in the cold until magic comes onto the scene. The Peony Pavilion’s central character is a woman who dreams she falls in love with a man who in the real world enters her locality only after her death.

In The Dreamer, the focus of the story is on Shakespeare’s Helena, with the action wittily transported to present-day Shanghai. Helena works in an admin role for a generic company and is in love with her colleague Demetrius. He in turn only has eyes for Hermia, who is in love with Lysander. To escape the grind, Helena reads, and her book conjures up visions of mythical love such as in Peony’s central story. Gradually her imagination overtakes her in waking dreams and she fantasises about meeting Oberon and Titania.

It’s a neatly crafted concept and updates the texts with modern resonance while leaving space for their mythical surrealist sides.

The dialogue is in Mandarin and there are no supertitles, but this barely detracts, as the physical storytelling is so alive.

Though some of these dream sequences have a tendency to ramble, the stagecraft keeps our interest piqued with surprise entrances and exits, and splashes of colour. Ni Peiwen’s live violin playing is exquisite and the ending rescues Helena from Shakespeare’s stale double wedding, transforming her path into that of a contemporary woman taking control. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 15 Aug, 1.30pm, £11.50–£14.50 (£9.50–£13).

PHOTO: FOTO JAAP REEDIJK

PHOTO: JANE HOBSON

PHOTO: PATRICK REDMOND

THE HUMOURS OF BANDON

BORDER TALES

WERELDBAND: SLÄPSTICK

Golden yarn about Irish dancing ●●●●●

Post-Brexit Britain under the spotlight ●●●●●

Maestros with a flair for musical comedy ●●●●●

Writer-performer Margaret McAuliffe spins a yarn of gold about the world of Irish dancing in this solo show, a monologue punctuated by flashes of her own mastery of the dance. Riverdance may have made some of the steps universally recognisable, but here they are only the iceberg’s tip of a sprawling world of relationships, power battles, self-esteem struggles and blind passion – as knotty as the Celtic emblems embroidered on the famous traditional dresses.

We follow teenager Annie though three open championships, each with its own life lesson about winning and losing. Meanwhile, she has to navigate pressure from her teacher, well-meaning support from her mother, and the unfairness of her rival having a dance teacher for a father.

McAuliffe’s script is neatly crafted and flows with an easy warmth that makes time fly in her company.

Neither scorning nor putting the dance on a pedestal, the play leaves you with the same mixed feelings as Annie: awe at the discipline required, frustration and curiosity in equal measure at the ingrained traditions, and respect for any child who learns about the spirit of competition and compassion in such a unique environment. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Dance Base, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 6.30pm, £12 (£10).

Political events in the UK and globally have made this lively and intermittently engaging collage of movement, speech and music even more relevant than when Luca Silvestrini’s company Protein premiered it in 2014. Devised by the original cast, most of whom are still performing in it, and stitched together from their experiences, this now slightly reworked show takes immigration and the great (and sometimes greatly troubled) British cultural melting pot as its main subjects.

Loosely structured around a welcome party for a group of disparate guests, Silvestrini and an international cast of seven have some serious fun playing with a host of stereotypical assumptions, often based on appearance or country of origin, that might arise before people can truly begin to know each other. Standouts in the cast include the gently leonine Salah El Brogy and Yuyu Rau, while Andy Gardiner gradually transcends caricature as a camp, motor-mouthed bigot.

Forced or phoney bits – mainly in the script – are kept to a minimum, while the dancing is uniformly excellent, especially an exhilarating, full-throttle ensemble finale. (Donald Hutera) ■ Summerhall, until 26 Aug (not 14, 21), 2.40pm, £13 (£11).

No prizes for guessing the focus of this show: the stage is a carnival of musical instruments. Over in one corner is a tree of mandolins and banjos, scattered on the backdrop are violins and violas, and in the middle a pianola tinkles away to itself.

But those are barely half of what this awesomely versatile troupe of slapstick maestros use to serenade us during an hour that is as impressive as it is funny.

The five performers from the Netherlands have an eclectic and eccentric hoard of influences. A motormouthed fairground conman plies his trolley of games between musical numbers, four tramps with shaving-foam noses play bandoneon in lonely harmony, and a battle between Spanish and Italian seduction songs turns gracelessly vicious.

It’s hard to pinpoint sometimes what alchemy the group has hit on that makes them so funny. Why, for instance, does ‘Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head’ sung earnestly in German sound so daft?

The answer probably lies in the fact that underneath the eponymous slapstick is an enormous amount of musical showmanship and a library of knowledge for pastiching styles and instruments. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Assembly George Square Theatre, until 27 Aug, 6pm, £12–£14 (£10).

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The founder of Madrid-based dance company Aracaladanza, Cabrera has been creating shows

VUELOS

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Temos ex et harum quid et re, sequo et, sequae peliqua atethe volumquis for children and eriamusapedi young people for past two eosRorrorent que esequos quassitate decades, oftenutfinding inspiration in visual artists. parumquam rem His past threeilliciant works acesequam have captured thereperume work of Hieronymus Bosch, René Magritte and Joan Miró – and now it’s time for da Vinci’s turn on the dancefloor.

Remarkably, da Vinci was sketching designs for ‘flying machines’ as early as 1488 and Cabrera has packed his latest production, Vuelos (Spanish for ‘flight’) with dozens of fun, quirky

PHOTO: PEDRO ARANY

Dance theatre for kids and families inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s fascination with flight and surprising props and costumes that draw on his vision.

‘I have so much respect for da Vinci,’ says Cabrera. ‘He was a genius, and if you look at all his work, it’s incredible. But the work of Leonardo is so enormous, I had to concentrate on just one thing – and flight felt like the best way.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Church Hill Theatre, 11–13 Aug, 6pm (also 2pm, 12 & 13 Aug), £20 (£10).

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FESTIVAL KIDS | Kids Hitlist

KIDS HITLIST Kelly Apter picks some of the highlights from week two of the Fringe action

fun. See review, page 73. Scottish Storytelling Centre, until 20 Aug (not 17), 3pm, £9 (£7).

VUELOS Madrid-based dance company Aracaladanza continues in its 20year quest to make engaging work for children and young people, with this visually striking show inspired

by Leonardo da Vinci. See preview, page 71. Church Hill Theatre, 11–13 Aug, 6pm (2pm mat Sat & Sun), £20 (£10).

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS Bristol Old Vic Theatre School fuses characters from the Greek myth with people fleeing peril in the modernday refugee crisis in this absorbing, highly physical show for families.

See review, page 74. theSpace on Niddry Street, until 19 Aug (not 13), 9am (9.35am from 14–19), £8 (£6).

THE GIANT JAM SANDWICH New Perspectives bring John Vernon Lord and Janet Burroway’s children’s picture book to the stage, resulting in a 5-star show that’s pretty much perfect. See review, page 74.

Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 14), 10.20am, £9.50-£11.50 (£8.50-£10.50).

THE GRUFFALO’S CHILD Tall Stories theatre company is selling out its 500-seater venue at the Pleasance on a daily basis with this gorgeous Julia Donaldson adaptation – and for good reason. Get a ticket while you can and find out why.

Pleasance Courtyard, until 20 Aug (not 16), 10.30am, £9.50–£11.50 (£8.50–£10.50).

IS THIS A DAGGER? THE STORY OF MACBETH Andy Cannon’s one-man show about Shakespeare’s Scottish play is a masterclass in storytelling for all ages. With its clever use of props and laughter among the tragedy, this is entertaining and informative family

CALVINBALL Perfectly pitched for toddlers with a desire to roam during a performance, this fun new show from IpDip Theatre blends song, dance and gentle interaction. See review, page 73.

Royal Botanic Garden, until 27 Aug (not 15, 22), 11am, 2pm & 3pm, £5.

PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER FINN

The Giant Jam Sandwich

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Reviews | FESTIVAL KIDS

list.co.uk/festival PHOTO: LORNA JANE NEWMAN

THE TOPSY-TURVY HOTEL

MAVIS SPARKLE

CALVINBALL

A fun hour for families ●●●●●

Captivating and magical solo show ●●●●●

Perfectly pitched outdoor show ●●●●●

If you found yourself staying at this far-fromreputable establishment during your holiday, it would be a living nightmare of 4am breakfasts and double-booked rooms. But for an hour during the Fringe, the Topsy Turvy Hotel is a fine place to be.

Inside you’ll encounter incompetent hotel manager Fernando, cleaning-obsessed chamber maid Peggy Pillow, loathsome property tycoon Roger Bungalow, his wannabe artist sidekick Brenda Bagshot, and kitchen worker Jeff the Chef. All of whom are played by just two people – Fringe comedy scene regulars, Jody Kamali and Jo Neary.

Not only do these performers know their way around a quick behind-the-scenes costume change, their back-and-forth with the audience (both scripted and improvised) sets everyone at ease, producing more than a few laughs.

While this may not be the slickest production in town, or the most sophisticated storyline, there’s something loveably rough around the edges about both the hotel and the show. And what’s not to enjoy about an entire audience throwing plastic balls at the cast, and them reacting, all in slow motion?

(Kelly Apter) ■ Sweet Grassmarket, until 20 Aug (not 9), 12.25pm, £7 (£5).

If only cleaning the house was as much fun as Mavis Sparkle makes it, kids would be helping out like a shot. Standing next to her trolley, filled with mops, brushes and sprays, she takes a break from her job as a cleaner to chat to the audience. We learn about her long-held dream to see the Northern Lights, and watch her re-enact her childhood, touring theatres with her magician parents.

Produced by the M6 Theatre Company, this charming one-woman show is a mix of magic, storytelling, puppetry and imaginative set design.

Performer Eve Robertson has an infectious enthusiasm, while the aforementioned trolley is a gift that keeps on giving, with one door after another opening to reveal something new (including Spikey the hedgehog, Mavis’ faithful companion).

The sleight of hand illusions are relatively basic; raising a smile more than a sense of awe with today’s savvy kids. But each one is performed by Mavis with a flourish, giving little ones something new to hold their interest, while older children and adults take in the show’s deeper meaning about embracing new things and looking for the miraculous in the everyday. (Kelly Apter) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 20 Aug, 11am, £7.50–£9.50 (£6.50–£9).

Toddlers are natural anarchists, so they take to the almost completely rule-free game of Calvinball like small, squirming, noisy ducks to water.

Calvinball is the favourite sport of Bill Watterson’s beloved Calvin and Hobbes, recreated as an outdoor show by Ipdip theatre company, who speak fluent baby. Our comic-strip heroes are notably absent, as is any real story or characterisation – this show pitches itself squarely at under-fours who aren’t particularly interested in sitting still, and uses physical clowning, fluffy props and balls and direct interaction to keep everyone engaged.

It’s no mean feat to keep even one toddler focused in the open air for a whole show, let alone 20 of them. The cast interact with each audience member on their own level, improvising wildly, chucking in song and dance, and accommodating potential scene-stealers who demand to be part of the action. My own tiny reviewer loved it so much he tried to stage-invade the next performance.

Grown-ups be warned: this is not the sort of show to offer a sly wink to any adults in the audience.

Switch your irony meter off and give in to the orange chaos, just for a while. (Kirstin Innes) ■ Royal Botanic Garden, until 27 Aug (not 15, 22), 11am, 2pm & 3pm, £5.

IS THIS A DAGGER? THE STORY OF MACBETH A new and accessible Scottish Play for younger audiences ●●●●● Storyteller, performer and ex-artistic director of acclaimed children's theatre company Wee Stories, Andy Cannon has hit upon a perfectly realised piece of entertaining and informative theatre here, in association with Red Bridge Arts. Performed on the Royal Mile in the Scottish Storytelling Centre, it's hard to imagine Is This a Dagger? The Story of Macbeth finding a more appropriate setting or context in which to be enjoyed.

This re-telling of Shakespeare’s Scottish Play in simple, contemporary language is suitable not just for younger audiences, but for anyone who may not feel comfortable contending with the original text.

As ever, Cannon is a dependably reassuring performer who keeps a tight hold on every beat of the tale, giving the story more of the flow of a contemporary film. It's an exciting and not disrespectful treatment, given the show’s intended audience. That he performs the story wearing a kilt may not be unexpected, but the manner in which he makes so much out of so little certainly is. Props are very limited, and thoughtfully effective: there's the folded paper crown of King Duncan made from a map, for example, and different pairs of sunglasses represent each of the witches.

Long after he's established our confidence, Cannon breaks off from the expressive and involving re-enactment to point out that the tale is in fact a tragedy and not a comedy. Yet the infectious, easy-going humour that he brings to the famous tragedy papers over the more gruesome events without diminishing them. And even if you know Macbeth well already, look out for the intriguing short epilogue about the origins of the play and its characters. (David Pollock) ■ Scottish Storytelling Centre, until 20 Aug (not 17), 3pm, £9 (£7).

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THE GIANT JAM SANDWICH Perfect adaptation of much-loved picture book ●●●●● Bursting with songs, humour and clever references for the grown-ups, New Perspectives Theatre Company have brought John Vernon Lord and Janet Burroway’s fabulous children's picture book to the stage in a full-fruit version with added bite.

Jack McNamara, who is responsible for the adaptation, certainly knows what is needed for such an enterprise. Trading on the familiar with a recorded introduction, the main plot is quickly underway, as many wasps arrive in the village of Itching Down and the villagers don't know what to do.

McNamara makes no attempt to reproduce the book, but fleshes out the bones of its plot and rhymes, creating fully rounded characters as the driving forces behind the villager's plan to create a huge sandwich and trap the swarming wasps.

Music provides another dimension – and none of your halfhearted ditty nonsense for James Atherton. His score allows the actors to throw back their heads and let it rip – particularly Paul Critoph as Bap and Sarah Ratheram's strongly vocal Seed.

Expanding the plot allows Bun a backstory – his wife left him for a cheese maker. Crucial to the story now is Mayor Muddlenut, who Christopher Finn creates as kindly and knowing but with the prickliness of an exasperated teacher.

The wasps now have voices while the villagers themselves swarm around thanks to the judicious use of hats to create a succession of quick-change characters. The giant loaf feels suitably huge and is made with a nicely finessed bit of audience participation, and the odd extra character brings this into the 21st century, while maintaining its 1970s feel.

This is exactly how to adapt picture books for the stage, and it’s perfect for fans and newbies alike. (Thom Dibdin) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 14), 10.20am, £9.50–£11.50 (£8.50–£10.50).

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS

SARAH AND DUCK

A STRANGE NEW SPACE

Highly physical take on Greek myth ●●●●●

Stage adaption of CBeebies animation ●●●●●

Moving journey into space for ages 4+ ●●●●●

Greek myths may be full of action and adventure, but they’re also big on complicated names and intricate plotlines. So it’s testament to the talented young actors of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School that this absorbing production charts a clear path from beginning to end.

The story of Jason and his quest to bag the Golden Fleece in order to take his rightful place on the throne is otherworldly and unfamiliar in the present day.

But the scene that greets us as we enter the theatre here is, sadly, far more recognisable: refugees, dirty and devoid of hope, sitting around aimlessly waiting for their lives to take a turn for the better.

It’s this disparate group of people who become Jason’s crew, sticking closely to the original myth with their tales, but with a poignant sub-plot about the need for tolerance in the face of difference.

The exciting narrative is matched by energetic performances that dial down the drama and turn up the compassion as and when required, to create a show that’s both absorbing and touching.

(Kelly Apter) ■ theSpace on Niddry Street, until 19 Aug (not 13), 9am (9.35am from 14–19), £8 (£6).

There is a slightly surreal feel to this hour-long stage adaptation of CBeebies animation, Sarah and Duck which reflects the original but which isn’t quite in sync with a live performance.

The plot includes all the necessary elements and characters, as Sarah and her companion Duck discover that it’s Scarf Lady's birthday, and conspire to create a big top birthday bash for her.

John and his Flamingo, the Ribbon Twins, Moon and even Bug make their appearances. Aficionados will also happily note that Sarah plays tuba.

Roger Allam provides the voice of the narrator, with his off-key comments which go above Sarah's head, and Lesley Nicol is the voice of Scarf Lady – the only character not represented by a puppet.

With its episodic structure, the show hits the right pacing to engage its audience. The big quibble, though, is in the puppetry itself. The five puppeteers / actors never embody their puppet's desires, largely because nearly all the dialogue is recorded. It’s noticeable that on the one occasion they do speak – to interact with the narrator and build the big top – the pace and immediacy pick up. (Thom Dibdin) ■ Underbelly Med Quad, until 20 August (not 14), 11.10am, £11–£12 (£9.50–£10.50).

The furiously imaginative power of child’s play is recreated in this one-woman piece by Tessa Bide and her company, with the simplest of materials adapted to create a journey into outer space. Bide, gleeful and ready for adventure, makes an old juice bottle into a rocket to the stars and two bike lights into the eyes of an alien creature. She produces mother-and-daughter dolls from the large cardboard box centre stage, grabs a storybook which guides her adventures from her bag – and then creates a little robot guide to help her on her travels in a lovely, touching moment.

The combination of silent physical theatre and puppetry is a winning one, and smaller children will be enthralled by the imagination at play (there’s a large behind-the-scenes staff, and the work of designer Sarah Dicks and lighting designer Joe Stathers is particularly effective). Yet the greater meaning behind the piece – that the girl played by Bide is a refugee, escaping the mundane horror of her existence with the junk around her in lieu of toys – is so light touch as to be hard to spot. However, the sense of absence from a parent is poignantly expressed, along with the feeling of wariness in setting foot into a new world.

(David Pollock) ■ Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 10.45am, £8 (£6).

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The Complete History of Europe ((MORE MORE O OR R LLESS) ESS) S)

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VENUE 26

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME 2017

“ Summerhall has effectively rewired the Fringe, becoming home to some of the most exciting work at the festival.” The Stage, August 2016

PERFORMANCE Ridiculusmus - Give Me Your Love Eggs Collective - Get A Round Thomas Eccleshare - Heather Protein Dance - Border Tales … and many more …

Image: Give Me Your Love

VISUAL ARTS FREE exhibitions Colombo Art Biennale European Women’s Video Art Protestimony … and many more …

11-18:00 Exhibitions are free

Image credit: Zahra by Rajni Perera. Courtesy of the artist

MUSIC 5th - NEHH presents… Ice Age 12th - NEHH presents… Orkestra Del Sol 22nd - NEHH presents… Blanck Mass … and many more …

Image: Charlotte Church

FOOD AND DRINK The Royal Dick Summerhall Cafe ´ Rost ` Lov Mexican … and plenty more …

Image credit: Peter Dibdin

Box Office

0131 560 1581

2 Aug - 27 Aug

festival17.summerhall.co.uk Photographer - "© SANAE MATSUZAKI"

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TOKIO MYERS WORLD Britain’s Got Talent winner sets up in Edinburgh for the week Leith’s Biscuit Factory has slowly been making waves across the city, though most visitors to the Fringe are unlikely to cross paths with it day-to-day. For a week this month, they’re hosting multi-instrumentalist and composer Tokio Myers – now pretty much a household name thanks to his recent Britain’s Got Talent win.

Having played with a host of musicians, from Kanye West to Sting, Myers’ unique blend of electronic beats and piano has won him fans across generations and genres. This Fringe show is the perfect chance to catch him in action – and though it’s just an hour and a half, there’ll be DJs after the show too.

■ The Biscuit Factory, until 13 Aug, 7pm (& 9.30pm 11 & 12 Aug), £14.50.

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FESTIVAL MUSIC | Music Hitlist

MUSIC HITLIST BENJAMIN CLEMENTINE The 2015 Mercury Prize winner heads to Edinburgh for this International Festival gig, which features a variety of special guests. Festival Theatre, 10 Aug, 7.30pm, £20–£35.

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR The internationally-renowned sitar player, and daughter of sitar legend Ravi Shankar, plays works from her album Land of Gold. With an opening performance from Pakistan’s Qawwali star Faiz Ali Faiz. Usher Hall, 16 Aug, 7.30pm, £14–£34.

KAREN CARGILL & SIMON LEPER Scotland’s celebrated mezzo soprano is joined by pianist Simon Lepper for a musical journey through French song.

The concert will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. The Queen’s Hall, 10 Aug, 11am, £9–£32.50.

LIFT TO EXPERIENCE Following their one-off reunion show in London last year, the legendary American rock band from the early 2000s head up to Edinburgh for one of the most exciting gigs in Summerhall’s Nothing Ever Happens Here programme. Summerhall, 17 Aug, 8pm, £32.

NEW EUROPEAN SONGBOOK Part of the British Council’s Spirit of ‘47 programme, this EIF event features a variety of musicians, including Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst. See feature, page 79. The Studio, 11 & 12 Aug, 7pm, £19.

MARTIN CREED’S WORDS AND MUSIC The Turner Prize winner’s EIF show charms, as he brings the audience into his own world. See review, page 80.

The Studio, until 27 Aug (not 9, 15, 21), 10.30pm, £20.

TOKIO MYERS WORLD The composer and Britain’s Got Talent winner heads to Edinburgh for a week. See preview, page 77. The Biscuit Factory, until 13 Aug, 7pm (& 9.30pm 11 & 12 Aug), £14.50.

ALIVE: MUSIC FOR NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD Ben Singer re-scores George A Romero’s classic horror film. See feature, page 31. ZOO, until 28 Aug (not 16), 10pm, £10 (£8).

PHOTO: JAMIE-JAMES MEDINA

Musical highlights from across the Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival

Anoushka Shankar

Art Late Enjoy art by night with tours, talks, performances & music BOOK NOW edinburghartfestival.com @EdArtFest #edartfest 10 August Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and Jupiter Artland / music from BooHooHoo.

17 August Collective, Edinburgh Printmakers, Rhubaba Gallery and Studios, Custom Lane / music from Happy Meals.

24 August Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Stills, Edinburgh Art Festival Commissions and The Fruitmarket Gallery / music from Hamish Hawk.

In partnership with:

Major funders: Supported through the Scottish Government Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund

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New European Songbook | FESTIVAL MUSIC

list.co.uk/festival

PHOTOS: AYSE BALKOSE

I

Arian Sadr PHOTOS: MARGARET SALMON

f your peace has been interrupted lately by the sound of political leaders in Britain and America desperately winding back clocks, maybe it’s time for some musical relief. The Edinburgh International Festival’s Spirit of ’47 programme is a celebration of the very essence of the festival spirit, international cultural collaboration, and at its heart is the New European Songbook, two nights of music from all over Europe and beyond, celebrating movement, diversity and cultural change – or, to be blunt, migration.

The Songbook project brings together emerging and established musicians from Britain, Syria, Ghana, Argentina, Austria, Iran, Egypt, Albania and Switzerland, in two concerts where cultural differences can be put to work and celebrated. It’s an initiative of the European Broadcasting Union, the people who bring us Eurovision, so it should come as no surprise that one of the stars of the Friday 11 August programme is Austria’s own Eurovision diva, Conchita Wurst. The singing sensation bewitched the 2014 audience with ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’, hands down the greatest LGBT empowerment ballad ever to have not featured as a Bond theme; here, Ms Wurst is backed by Basalt, a Syrian indie trio based in Vienna. Also performing on Friday are Britain’s innovative composer-performer Matthew Herbert with Iranian percussionist Arian Sadr; Portuguese Fado singer Carolina with Argentinian jazz bass

Matthew Herbert

master Demian Cabaud; and Egyptian rocker Ramy Essam, whose ‘Irhal’ (‘Leave’) was an anthem of the 2011 Egyptian revolution.

The Saturday 12 August concert is no less diverse. Scotland’s Karine Polwart’s broke through to the wider public with her 2016 show Wind Resistance, a hit of last year’s EIF; it’s going to the Dublin Theatre Festival in October, and returning for a limited Festival Theatre run in November. In the Songbook concert, Polwart is paired with Naa Densua Tordzro, a Glasgowbased singer and artist originally from Ghana.

Syrian classical violinist and composer Shalan Alhamwy performs with Syrian singer Rasha Rizk, whose work spans genres from opera, traditional Syrian music and hard rock. Swiss jazz singer-songwriter Scilla Hess, whose bigband song ‘Champagne and Sugar’ has won a slew of international and US awards, appears in a small group with the fine Albanian jazz pianist Markelian Kapedani, whose music is an invigorating blend of bop with Balkan motifs. Finally, there’s a performance from Mala Youssef, a virtuoso of the Syrian qanun, a zither-like instrument.

The concerts are presented by BBC Radio 3’s Sarah Walker. Both concerts are being streamed live by BBC Arts Digital online, and are being recorded for later broadcast.

New European Songbook, The Studio, Fri 11 & Sat 12 Aug, 7pm, £19.

SOUNDS OF TOMORROW In New European Songbook, the EIF and British Council present a pan-European musical collaboration featuring Conchita Wurst, Matthew Herbert, Karine Polwart, Ramy Essam and others. Alex Johnston tells us more PHOTOS: JANSENBERGER FOTOGRAFIE

Conchita Wurst

‘There’s more good music being made now than ever before’

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FESTIVAL MUSIC | Reviews

MARTIN CREED’S WORDS & MUSIC Turner Prize winner creates an engaging universe of his own ●●●●●

PHOTO: HUGO GLENDINNING

‘I made some notes,’ ponders Martin Creed after he’s taken to the stage, talking to himself as much as anyone else. ‘I thought it might help but I don’t know if it does. I wish I knew what was going to happen…’ Yet none of us do. Creed – who grew up in Glasgow, famously won the Turner Prize in 2001 for switching a lightbulb on and off, and is responsible for two Edinburgh landmarks in ‘The Scotsman Steps’ and ‘Everything is Going to Be Alright’ at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – is here to talk to us about whatever comes into his head.

Periodically during this late-night show, he also picks up one of the guitars alongside him and plays something from his extensive repertoire of quirky indie tracks, or keys up occasional text-based interventions on the screen behind him. Tonight’s jumping-on theme is feelings, and how easy it is to betray yourself when your instinct to say ‘no’ is counteracted by the ease of saying ‘yes’. The words ‘NO’ and ‘YES’ flash alternately in monochrome on the screen, and Creed’s trying to find a way of merging them into some new word which sums up this sense of line-straddling uncertainty.

The unscripted show makes use of pauses, not all of them dramatic, and meanders more than once. Yet the wild-haired Creed is a compelling character, and he regularly hammers home lines of glowing insight or humour (‘art galleries are like public toilets, they’re white and brightly lit and I’ve worked with dicks in a lot of them’ was a favourite) while displaying an effortless ability for pop structure and melody on songs like ‘Let’s Come to An Arrangement’ or the protest short ‘Let Them In’. He’s created a world of his own here, and those who love his work will relish the chance to step into it. (David Pollock) ■ The Studio, until 27 Aug (not 9, 15, 21), 10.30pm, £20.

PHOTO: PETER DIBDIN

HANS: MEIN CAMP A generic evening of cabaret fun ●●●●●

ANYA ANASTASIA: ROGUE ROMANTIC

WILL PICKVANCE: PIANOLOGUES

Cabaret star's witty look at romance ●●●●●

A deeply personal show from the Fringe’s favourite pianist ●●●●●

Hans pretends to be German, wears revealing outfits and sings camp versions of popular songs, sometimes changing the lyrics to give them a satirical edge. There are spectacular costume changes, cheeky exchanges with the audience and references to World War II. It’s a predictable mix of ideas previously seen in shows by Dusty Limits, Frank Sanazi and even Meow Meow.

Despite the lack of imagination, Hans does have a few additional skills: the turn on the piano is a virtuosic display of thumping rock’n’roll, the accordion numbers are intimate and funny, and Hans keeps the party atmosphere going until the balloon heavy finale.

Yet he doesn’t have a strong enough singing voice to stand out in an increasingly busy cabaret scene and the lack of bite in the humour is disappointingly predictable.

The video footage of Donald Trump is unnecessary – a trick to cover Hans’ costume changes, it’s little more than a YouTube hack – and Hans’ charm prevents the show descending into either crudeness or tedium. But until Hans discovers a voice – and trains it – this is merely a fun evening without much of an identity. (Gareth K Vile) ■ Underbelly Med Quad, until 28 Aug, 10.15pm, £11–£13 (£10–£11).

Cabaret as a genre is intimate, alluring and subversive. It relies on establishing a strong performer-punter rapport while provoking and pleasing in equal measure. Anya Anastasia takes this definition and amplifies it, with added physical theatre, witty songwriting and the occasional handstand over someone’s lap.

Rogue Romantic is a glorious romp through tales of love, sex and loneliness, where audience members are cast in Anastasia’s unhinged saga of romance.

She teases and seduces, choosing many ‘one true loves’, before deciding she’s perfectly fine on her own. In the process, we join her in a calypso-infused apocalypse love party, a fiery flamenco inspired number and an emotional ballad of heartbreak.

Backed by her all-female band, Anastasia’s melismatic vocals deliver innuendo-filled original songs. Whether behind the piano or armed with her ukulele, her quirky take on the rollercoaster of emotions that come with being in and out of love is charming, if chaotic. She promises to make you fall in love with her and by the end, you can’t help but be swept up in the absurdity of it all. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Assembly Checkpoint, until 27 Aug (not 14), 7.30pm, £11–£13.

Following on from his previous Fringe shows, Will Pickvance has claimed an annual space at this venue which might almost be described as a residency.

It’s an ideal match of show and space, because the weary old pipes and peeling walls of Summerhall reflect perfectly the lived-in nostalgia of Pickvance’s show. He sits at a careworn piano under a vintage standard lamp and tells us stories that interweave perfectly with the continual stream of virtuoso music.

For the early part of his performance, these stories seem unrooted in any shared context, from Pickvance’s carnivalesque tale of his granddad fighting a boxing match, to his own rock’n’roll-styled story of playing backing for an Elvis impersonator, to drawing room reveries of drunken, late night sessions playing music with his father. These tales, and the show, take time to coalesce and at times they feel like almost frivolous sketches, music hall comedy tales told in an intimate piano bar manner.

Yet an hour hearing Pickvance play is never wasted, and his final, deeply personal reflection upon being a son and a father – to the sound of Schubert’s version of Goethe’s ‘Erlkönig’ (The Elf King), sung in German, no less – is worth holding on for. (David Pollock) ■ Summerhall, until 20 Aug, 7.40pm, £12 (£9).

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COMING UP AT THE QUEEN’S HALL FRINGE 2017 Monday 7 - Friday 18 August 2017 BOOK NOW

www.edfringe.com 0131 226 0000

Thirty four classical concerts in two weeks ROSL ARTS VENUE 19 www.rosl.org.uk

HENNING WEHN: WESTPHALIA IS NOT AN OPTION Thu 3–Sun 6 August, 7.30pm Thu 10–Sun 13 August, 7.30pm Thu 17–Sun 20 August, 7.30pm

ter?

-ever-af y l What i p p happens after ha o6OEPVCUFEMZ POF PG UIF æOFTU musical performances you will see at this year’s festival!”

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11:30

3 - 27 AUG

(Broadway World, for Urinetown, RCS, 2015)

KARINE POLWART Wed 9 August, 7.30pm

RANT Mon 14 August, 7.30pm

BLAZIN’ FIDDLES Wed 16 August, 7.30pm

MOISHE’S BAGEL Thu 24 August, 7.30pm

PLAYING POLITICS: THE LAST HURRAH Fri 25 August, 7.30pm

MARTIN CARTHY Sun 27 August, 7.30pm

THE QUEEN’S HALL CLERK STREET | EDINBURGH EH8 9JG THEQUEENSHALL.NET | 0131 668 2019 @queens_hall

@queenshall

10–17 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 81

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Pleasance

Suspicious Minds

Featuring spine-tingling live music, visuals and movement, Gecko’s awardwinning collaboration is inspired by the dreams of Shakespeare and his Chinese contemporary Tang Xianzu. A UK premiere commissioned by British Council’s Shakespeare Lives.

It’s been a tough year for Mark and Fran. In a final attempt to fix their relationship, they book a package holiday with the pioneers of commercial time-travel. Romantic comedy meets high-concept timetravel meets live radio theatre.

Pleasance Courtyard, Sat 5–Tue 15 Aug (not 9) 1.30pm, £11.50–£14.50 (£9.50–£13)

Pleasance Dome, Sat 5–Mon 28 Aug (not 9, 16) 5.30pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9)

This year, the Pleasance, Summerhall and ZOO have joined forces for the first time to create a brand new guide to the best in theatre, dance and music across all three venues.

Workshy

The Sky is Safe

For the last two decades, Katy has been at the frontline of the customer service industry. From getting you high to super-sizing your whopper meal, she has done everything she can to make you happy.

“Frank, unflinching and celebratory” ღღღღ Reviews Hub

The latest work from Dogstar – creators of the multi award winning The Tailor of Inverness - is set in the alleys of Istanbul, and follows a Syrian refugee and a privileged westerner as they get to know one another.

The Narrator

#JeSuis

A stunning visualisation of the deep memories the body cannot completely forget. Award-winning Spitfire return with a one-woman tour de force of spellbinding performance commitment. Part of Czech Showcase 2017, organised by the Czech Centre London.

#JeSuis is an edgy new choreographic work by renowned British dancer Aakash Odedra.

With dancers from Turkey, Aakash explores the strangulation of freedom of speech, the rise of xenophobic attitudes and the displacement of people through conflict.

Summerhall, Fri 4–Sun 27 Aug (not 9, 16, 21) 9.10pm, £12 (£9/5)

Summerhall, Fri 4–Sun 27 Aug (not 14, 21) 7.45pm, £15 (£10)

From new writing to devised work, physical theatre to circus, this exciting collaboration highlights the very best performances on offer this August. With hundreds of shows to choose from, there’s no better way to celebrate the Fringe’s landmark 70th anniversary.

ZOO

Summerhall

The Dreamer

ZOO Southside, Mon 14–Sun 27 Aug (not 16, 17, 20–22, 24), 5pm, £14 (£12)

ZOO Southside, Wed 16–Sat 26 Aug, 8.30pm, £14 (£12)

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festival

VISUAL ART THEATRE

For m info gootroe

LIST.CO.UK /FESTIVAL

ABOREHENAT DOLUM Id qui berum fugita sa nonseriam fugiature vereritisi dolum ius molo endae. Ut quia parchit, venis quae maion est Toriame que volo magnate molorum quoditatis aperit acesto excesciatque voluptatet, iusci moluptas et aut expeliquisit aut ex es con porectem ex et que volesse quiamus, ipicabo reictatur, tenis eturio dit escitae pel sunt fuga. Im imil mod que pore, tet debis maximusant fuga. Tioreriatur si occus sendae. audis velecat dolescipiet fugit, simusandi Oditatem quoditat fuga. Os aut ex elesequid ut seque dende inum quamus exerum, performer isdoloratur, swathed and gagged delici aciassincit ea si aces etur, quod maximet Getting down to feminist discourse velesequas in a dress made from thevoloreperum Australian qui si archil mo te aut erita faccum has nevercus.Rem been as fun as it ex is ea que plandem inum sitis mil eic tem. flag and triesdoluptatur?Evenda to break free. Contrast ex evendigendel eiur?Ommoloratia acesendis with Hot Brown Honey.

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Orest earuptasita voles of large spheres nimagniet is elignam, oditistor ab illectopopping a couple it’s still every bit the party, sitting fugitaround offictem et, omnim dia doluptat down her topnecerum and running essintenis apelest arion essiti quoditi ossitati somewhere between a genrefaccum eat. willing to finding audience members ut latqui variety corem show non por pushing andanihil the ilibeate nus.

Busdande Fringe’s bestque clubvoluptu night. reperis inihit motorboat her.Temos ex et harum quid et re, sequo et, sequae peliquamoments eriamusapedi ate volumquis these more ludicrous aborporrum quis es aut pra net, samBut restia MC’d by DJium Busty Beats, Hot eosRorrorent ut que esequos quassitate never detract from the serious volore, Honey sum, que sitio molores nis untio Brown mixetur dance, circus, parumquam illiciant message are conveying: thatacesequam rem reperume con est omnissi modita veliquis ad HBH physical performance and hip hopaut to officiur women of colour have been ignored take down the patriarchy one note for too long. Doing this through one at a time. A rallying call for both of the liveliest nights out on the feminism and the rights of people Fringe makes the show even more of colour, the show straddles the irresistible. (Yasmin Sulaiman) perfect line between devastating ■ Assembly Roxy, until 27 Aug (not 14, social critique and silly fun. Take 21), 9pm, £15–£16 (£14–£15) ●●●●● one scene, for instance, when a

HOT BROWN HONEY

PHOTO: DANIKA YAKINA

Riotously fun hip hop feminist party

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Theatre Hitlist

THEATRE HITLIST PARTY GAME Get immersed in the drama that leads up to a very special celebration: bluemouth inc champion the theatre that ignores the gap between spectator and performer in a venue that is more familiar for art student hedonism. See feature, page 35.

Traverse at the Wee Red Bar, until 20 Aug (not 14), 8.30pm (& 2pm 13, 19, 20 Aug), £21.50 (£16.50).

ADAM Cora Bissett directs another outstanding and challenging piece of theatre. The struggles of transgender people are a hot topic at the Fringe, but Adam has the grace and the theatrical wit to make this show stand out – especially with its magical choir. See review, page 91.

Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), times vary, £21.50 (£16.50).

MARIE Every Fringe experience needs at least one Scottish historical play.

Playing with an actor who is playing the Queen of Scots, this is a witty Free Fringe gem, with wry commentary on contemporary values alongside the ever-present past. See review, page 86. The Wee Tap, until 26 Aug (not 14, 19, 20, 21), noon, free.

A HUNGER ARTIST Either an adaptation from the master of the dark and surreal, or a comment on the nature of performance itself, A Hunger Artist is driven by a remarkable central performance of physical virtuousity. See review at list. co.uk ZOO, until 28 Aug (not 15, 22), 5.45pm, £11 (£9.)

THE NATURE OF FORGETTING A story about dementia that uses live music, movement and very few words.

Profoundly moving and finding the joy in the pain, Theatre RE are a reminder of theatre’s capacity to make difficult subjects inspiring. See review, page 92. Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), noon, £10.50–£12.50 (£9.50–£11.50).

The Nature of Forgetting

LULA DEL RAY Manual Cinema play with the edges of liveness and cinema, and are become firm Fringe favourites. This time, they project a tale of one woman’s journey away from home and towards a musical obsession. See review, page 88.

Underbelly Med Quad, until 28 Aug (not 14), 4.30pm, £12.50–£14 (£11.50–£13).

tshepang: The Third Testament

TOBACCO

‘Searing and compassionate!’

The Stage

‘Sophisticated theatre-making’ Sunday Independent

‘Recording history in the making’ Cape Times

THE GUARDIAN

Baxter Theatre The Season Inconvenience of Wings Cutting edge, award winning theatre from South Africa

‘Masterful direction... consummate performance’

–

‘Will change you forever’

Critter

City Press

‘Riveting theatre’ Theatre Review

@AssemblyFest

www. baxter .co.za BaxterTheatre

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Reviews | FESTIVAL THEATRE

list.co.uk/festival PHOTO: WILL OHARE

MOONLIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT

STEGOSAURUS

BREXIT: THE MUSICAL

An evocative vignette of love’s fine vicissitudes ●●●●●

Unflinching take on eating disorders ●●●●●

A greatest hits tour of political gaffes ●●●●●

Greek writer Ersi Niaoti’s solo show dives into the damaged mind of a woman with multiple eating disorders, conveyed in a suave, charismatic performance by Elpida Stathatou. She describes her difficult relationship with the parents she still lives with – and how it’s such a drag attempting to keep her bingeing and vomiting at least partially hidden – as well as her seemingly insatiable sexual appetite.

There are strong setpieces in Niaoti’s smoothly flowing script – a tempestuous affair with the psychiatrist meant to be helping her, for instance, or a blow-by-blow account of making herself throw up that spares few details. And it’s revealing on the connections between eating disorders and depression – Stathatou’s description of her mental condition as a weight she needs to remove hits home with appalling force.

But Stegosaurus’ strengths – its harrowing intensity, and its focus on this woman’s unstable mental state – become its weaknesses, in its unremitting bleakness and inescapable claustrophobia. Nevertheless, Stathatou delivers a nuanced, determined performance that tackles a difficult subject with passion and honesty. (David Kettle) ■ C royale, until 19 Aug, 2.45pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£6.50–£8.50).

Brexit: The Musical wisely dispenses with the idea of a plot. After all, it’s a story we know too well. There’s a vague thread regarding George Osborne’s missing plan for Brexit being recovered but really this is a greatest hits tour of political gaffes from the past year.

Musically, the show takes cues from classic Broadway. The songs are safe crowd-pleasers delivered with complete professionalism while the choreography is slick and energetic.

Unsurprisingly, one man steals the show. Boris Johnson’s larger-than-life oafishness isn’t necessarily a natural fit for a musical comedy. However, by channelling Rik Mayall, the alchemy of blending idiot and schemer is achieved.

The jokes are predictable, with references to fields of wheat shoehorned in where possible. The exception is the presentation of Samantha Cameron as a machiavellian figure, manipulating a simple David, which seems to be writer Chris Bryant’s attempt at adding his entry to the Brexit canon.

Brexit: The Musical is not blistering satire, and won’t provide any fresh insight to most audiences. It is, however, a well-produced, slightly nonsensical romp through a tumultuous political year. (Liam Hainey) ■ C, until 28 Aug (not 15), 6.55 pm, £13.50–£15.50 (£11.50–£13.50).

A cheap hotel room provides the venue for an awkward encounter between an escort and her customer, which spirals into a series of interlocking meta narratives that follow the twisting course of their brief but intense relationship.

Martin Dockery and Vanessa Quesnelle handle the complex plot with aplomb, capturing their layered characters with clarity and precision. By highlighting its performances of everyday life, the show gestures towards some thoughtful questions regarding performance and spectatorship, yet these never quite come to fruition. The show seems to battle with time constraints as it cobbles together a conclusion to the pair’s tryst, making some awkward narrative jumps in the final third to generate enough pathos to give their evening a satisfying end.

But for the most part, Moonlight After Midnight is a captivating theatrical experience. Martin Dockery’s meticulous script does a stellar job of weaving together its multiple plot threads and offers rewardingly nuanced insight into our relationship with relationships, in all their ever-shifting iterations.

(Jordan Shaw) ■ Assembly George Square Theatre, until 28 Aug (not 9,16), 3pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11).

MEDEA ON MEDIA Dynamic and disrupted reframing of Greek tragedy ●●●●● Although Hyuntak Kim’s Medea on Media is faithful to Euripides’ play in both structure and script, it reimagines the classical myth through a frenetic filter of contemporary genres, from police drama through reality television to online fantasy role-play gaming. In a series of dynamic episodes, punctuated by the cast changing costumes in a contrasting stillness, Kim’s production updates the story of a spurned woman’s revenge until it speaks more of contemporary pressure than ancient jealousy.

The precise meaning of some scenes’ references are lost in the cultural gap between Korean and British theatre: the stylised drama of Medea’s argument with the King of Corinth appears to pastiche a traditional Korean classical tradition, unfamiliar to European audiences, while the fulsome finale suggests an embarrassing celebrity TV special. Yet the energy of the cast infuses the scenes with a passion and humour that communicates roughly and frantically the production’s wit and intelligence.

At times, the energy spills into incoherence, as when Medea’s decision to kill her children is rendered as an online gaming session, and the fragmented, episodic structure deconstructs Greek tragedy into a mundane series of domestic disputes that end in horrific violence.

The choice of Medea as the foundation for Kim’s meditations on contemporary media is obscure: the ruptured narrative refuses to add much to her specific story, but uses it as an outline for witty comments on the clichéd absurdity of the various genres. It builds not towards tragedy but parody, and Medea herself is lost in the translation. The comic scenes are occasionally too broad but Kim’s vision of Medea as a modern woman questions the problems of a society saturated by information, in which emotions are merely an expression of media tropes. (Gareth K Vile) ■ C, until 28 Aug, 8.50pm, £10.50–£12.50 (£6.50–£10.50).

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Reviews

MARIE An actress gets lost in the role of Mary, Queen of Scots ●●●●● A one-woman show about Mary, Queen of Scots sounds like the most generic of lo-fi fringe fodder, but Marie, a new play created by actress Sarah MacGillivray and director Phil Bartlett manages to dodge the expected clichés and come up with something fresh.

As a play, Marie isn’t a biopic of Mary; the central character of Marie is a Scottish actress who enjoys playing the part of the Scots queen at a regular, historically themed booze-up in a London pub. The pub itself is run by Liz and her husband Barry: as Marie’s search for acting work grows more and more frustrating, the young actress finds herself retreating into Mary’s character, and tensions begin to rise between Marie / Mary and Liz. Confusing a stage persona with real life is nothing new; the Oscar-winning 1947 film A Double Life features an actor who mixes up Othello’s problems with his own to tragic effect. At first, this variation on the theme seems content to make some trenchant remarks and score a few easy gags about the difficulties of a girl’s endless auditions and the problems of finding good acting work.

‘It seems that Girls Gone Wild isn’t a feminist survival show after all . . . ’ Marie laments. But MacGillivray soon gets stuck into the real drama and extracts tension from the domestic strife between Scottish Marie and English Liz, reflecting a traditional historical animosity, and she and Bartlett skillfully build the material to a Gothic, dark, and violent climax.

Marie is a free-to-enter show that’s got a lot more to offer than many costlier alternatives; with only a dress, some minimal lighting and a lot of energy, MacGillivray manages to ensnare audiences with a well-told tale, with wry observation and caustic humour giving way to a deliciously twisted story of obsession.

(Eddie Harrison) ■ Laughing Horse @ The Hanover Tap, until 26 Aug (not 7, 14, 19–21), noon, free.

PHOTO: LEE BAXTER

YOU’VE CHANGED

SHOW ME THE MONEY

LITTLE BOY

A thoughtful and beautiful look at identity ●●●●●

An honest chat about art and commerce ●●●●●

Confusing meditation on love ●●●●●

In this thought-provoking, tender and witty look at how she transitioned from Drew to Kate and the changes within the trans community over the last 14 years, Kate O’Donnell is engaging company.

She doesn’t suffer fools – or trans-exclusionary radical feminists – gladly, while her dashing butler Sean Murray attends to her every whim, a stoic and deadpan comic foil.

Structured around classic silent movies and icons like Carmen Miranda and Josephine Baker, the show is divided into chapters representing misconceptions about trans lives. O’Donnell makes a poised storyteller, cheekily interacting with the audience and giving insights into the process of transitioning.

The sequence with her ‘talking vagina’, set up like a carnival curio, is an inventive way of introducing a question and answer session about genital surgery, but which also serves as a pointed antidote to the prurient curiosity around gender reassignment.

The final Hollywood dance sequence, gorgeously choreographed by Lea Anderson, becomes a triumphant paean to becoming true to yourself.

Glamour has rarely been so oppositional — or so fierce. (Lorna Irvine) ■ Northern Stage at Summerhall, until 26 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), 8.30 pm, £12 (£10).

Introducing her attitude towards money with a gentle spot of audience interaction, Paula Varjack is troubled by the British reticence about financial matters. Through a series of interviews, she attempts a conversation about the relationship between a living wage and remaining creative with the help of taxi drivers, an economist and even an arts administrator.

Varjack’s onstage presence is charming: her confession of her own privileges and the cost of this show add honesty to the meditations on the business of art. Breaking the performance into distinct and sometimes unconnected scenes, she reflects on the instability of her career, a manifesto for creativity, specific financial worries and her complex relationship with funding bodies.

Unfortunately, references to austerity ignore wider concerns: an early question about the connection between art and money is answered only vaguely, and the description of her own funding only suggests that Varjack’s anxieties are solipsistic rather than political. Even in a conversation with her father, she avoids relating the artist’s lack of wealth to nonartists’ poverty, leaving the impression of an underdeveloped concept hidden beneath a performance style that privileges self-interest. (Gareth K Vile) ■ Bedlam Theatre, until 13 Aug, 3.30pm, £10 (£8).

It’s never a good sign when you emerge from a show unsure of what it is you’ve just seen. Not, in the case of Little Boy from Japan’s My Complex theatre company, because of theatrical ambition, nor intellectual complexity, but because of linguistic incomprehensibility. Despite the energetic, focused performance from solo actor Yuuya Ishizone (who also wrote the show), his heavy accent and unconvincing English phrasing make a lot of what he says downright unintelligible – not helped by a sometimes unidiomatic translation of a text that was presumably originally Japanese.

You end up forced to piece together the story from fragments of Ishizone’s text, which jars with the elegance of the show’s design. What emerges, however, is the story of two brothers, and of a scientist father so successful that a whole town is built around his research. The twist in the show’s tail is effective, and casts earlier material in a whole new light, but it can’t make up for the earlier lack of clarity.

There’s definite potential here for a touching, quietly horrifying meditation on love and destruction, but Little Boy needs a lot more work on its delivery if it’s to be successful. (David Kettle) ■ C royale, until 28 Aug (not 15), 4pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£6.50–£8.50).

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M E O W M EO W’s

L I T TL E M ERM A ID

‘Meow Meow has star quality to burn’ HERALD SUN

UNTIL 27 AUG BOOK NOW EIF.CO.UK 0131 473 2000

An Edinburgh International Festival production of the original Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Festival production

Photo Andrew Gough | Charity No SC004694

Forget the Little Mermaid you thought you knew. Meow Meow’s subversive cabaret is a fairytale gone rogue.

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Reviews COURTESY OF JERRY SHULMAN

LULA DEL REY A mother and daughter’s bond is tested in a dreamy shadowpuppet play about familiar bonds ●●●●● Chicago-based performance collective Manual Cinema create big screen entertainment, but they do so live. The action unfolds on two planes; the interaction of shadow-puppets and silhouettes takes place onscreen, while off-screen, the audience are allowed to peek behind the scenes and see the creative process unfold, as the crew line up the images on overhead projectors and musicians play.

It’s a bold and original way to present a story; Lula Del Rey may have a delicate, fragile narrative, but it’s always fascinating to watch not just the story, but how the story is told.

There’s a dash of the late playwright Sam Shepard about Lula’s situation. She’s a young woman growing up with her mother in the remote American south west. A shared interest in space and rockets bonds them together, but Lula has girlish dreams of a wider world, and picks up on the attractive music and image of a boy band called the Baden Brothers. Rejecting parental authority, headstrong Lula heads into the big city to pursue her idols at a live concert, testing the strength of her relationship with her mother.

This is an ambitious story with considerable nuance, and it’s remarkable that Manual Cinema manage to convey such depth through simple means. Lula Del Rey might sound pretentious, but it’s actually highly accessible; the entire piece is dialogue free, and the lo-fi images tell the story in such an ingenious way that even a child could understand. That said, Lula Del Rey’s gentle story of coming into adulthood may be too tricky for very young children to grasp, but creatively minded adults should have no such difficulty.

With live music in a Roy Orbison style, Lula’s heartbreaking story should work for dreamers of all ages. (Eddie Harrison) ■ Underbelly Med Quad, until 28 Aug (not 14), 4.30pm, £12.50–£14 (£11.50–£13).

PHOTO: DAVID MONTEITH-HODGE

PHOTO: HARRY DUFF WALKER

THAT MOMENT

COSMIC SCALLIES

A true shaggy dog story ●●●●●

Friendship study that lacks depth ●●●●●

That Moment (directed by Marcus Marsh) is a gentle farce which succeeds because of the effortless charm that radiates from Madeline Gray in the role of Alicia.

The plot is prosaic. Alicia is a actress struggling to forge a career while her peers appear to be thriving.

This is not an original tale or even a particularly interesting one — post-graduation blues are familiar to many who’ve experienced higher education.

However, Gray’s flair for a good shaggy dog story is magnetic. Her talent for spinning a yarn is such that large parts of this hour-long show feel like a onesided, but pleasant, conversation.

Gray regales us from a set dressed as a living room while making the audience feel entirely at home in this intimate venue. The atmosphere is so comfortable that were she to pour a glass of wine or a cup of tea for the front row, it wouldn’t seem at all out of place.

The pacing occasionally goes awry, becoming bogged down in detail. The strength is in its race towards an inevitable, but unfortunate conclusion, and each moment spent slowing the momentum diminishes the final impact. But Gray’s excellent performance ensures this remains an endearing, if unimaginative, play. (Liam Hainey) ■ C cubed, until 28 Aug, 10.20 pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£6.50–£8.50).

Dent (Rachel Denning) and Shaun (Reuben Johnson) are unlikely best friends in the town of Skelmersdale.

She’s an articulate student, he’s pretty dodgy and unemployable. She is struggling with her health, he can get her illegal painkillers. Writer Jackie Hagan sets them up together in stultifying environments — job centres, chemists and corner shops — to denote the class barrier straining their fraught relationship.

Despite some sharp one-liners, nice use of surtitles and two excellent performances throughout, the play never really ignites. It’s too keen to make points about working-class culture without any real depth, and the use of references to children’s shows Supergran and Button Moon in VHS format seem out of place amid talk of scratchcards and documentaries by Grayson Perry. It’s bewildering and seems like the writer’s childhood, as opposed to those of the characters.

The clichés of the poor as feckless and unwilling to be educated are also a problem. It’s a pity, as there is potential for an interesting character study here, of a lasting friendship which transcends boundaries.

Still, Denning and Johnson make a great double act with a lot of chemistry, and there is an undeniable sweetness amid the urban cynicism. (Lorna Irvine) ■ Northern Stage at Summerhall, until 26 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), 6.30pm, £12 (£10).

JESS AND JOE FOREVER Wordy but occasionally fun drama ●●●●● Around a functional patch of earth, which doubles up as both children’s play area and place of burial, posh gushy Jess (Nicola Coughlan) and rural misfit Joe (Rhys Isaac-Jones) have hung out together since they were little. Zoe Cooper’s pair of young outsiders (Jess is small, a bit chubby and prone to kookiness; Joe’s a lanky lad with a secret) are not what they seem, and as the years pass, the drip-feed of information, with frequent asides to the audience, provides clues to the true identity of Joe. It’s a likeable enough two-hander, but too verbose, all too reliant on the constant ping-pong of chitterchat from the duo, which squeaks and buzzes like a radio. There is a lot of fun with the quirks of regional accents. However, a lot of Cooper’s dialogue is a little prosaic, meditating on small town foibles like narrowmindedness and a worrying fondness for livestock – even when the somewhat predictable twist occurs.

The lapses in time are not always made as clear as they could be. But the young actors give impressive, high-octane performances, and there are some affecting moments to cherish, particularly when they eventually, using baby steps, navigate an awkward path to each other as romantic partners. (Lorna Irvine) ■ Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), times vary, £19.50 (£14.50).

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Reviews | FESTIVAL THEATRE

list.co.uk/festival

Superb one woman tackling of racism ●●●●● Selina Thompson’s delicate, moving look at family and legacy has a lyrical script which ebbs and flows like mighty oceans. A profound examination of her ancestors, she traced their journey through the Slave Triangle by cargo boat last year in a pilgrimage to the black diaspora. With her gentle wit and intelligence, she possesses a real sense of restraint.

Clad in a 19th century white dress, she emulates slaves’ struggle, talks of the resistance to calling anyone ‘Master’, and takes a hammer to a huge pile of rock salt on the ground. She is both effortless storyteller and iconoclastic performance artist.

The piece never descends into ire, didacticism, or simple gesture politics, though. Thompson is far too subtle a writer and performer, and her nod to her loving, adoptive Jamaican parents is beautiful.

Somewhat incongruously, too, she plays a wellchosen and heart-rending clip from Channel 4 sitcom Desmond’s, in which Carmen Munroe as matriarch Shirley Ambrose gratefully acknowledges her bloodline, but also speaks of Britain as her real home.

Representation of ethnic diversity is vital and salt. is an evocative, powerful piece which should be seen by as wide an audience as possible. (Lorna Irvine) ■ Northern Stage at Summerhall, until 26 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), 2.30pm, £12 (£10).

PHOTO: THE OTHER RICHARD

PHOTO: RWD16

SALT.

FROM IBIZA TO THE NORFOLK BROADS

THE BELIEVERS ARE BUT BROTHERS

David Bowie unites a father and his son ●●●●●

Tech savvy show focuses on extremism ●●●●●

With a title lifted from David Bowie’s Life on Mars, this one-man show by Alex Walton trades heavily on knowledge of and appreciation for the late star.

Although Martin hasn’t seen his father since he was two, the occasion of his 18th birthday sees him open a letter from his dad which sends him across London to visit locations central to their shared hero David Bowie. Martin travels from place to place trying to piece together an understanding of both the singer and his father. Enjoying Bowie’s work seems to connect father and son, but how will this journey of self-awakening affect Martin?

That question isn’t answered in this extended monologue: Bowie’s work, despite the various forms it took, never played on sentiment in the way that writer-director Adrian Berry’s show does.

That said, From Ibiza to The Norfolk Broads is performed empathetically by Walton, whose slight frame explodes with energy as he relates his story. He makes the play something more than just nostalgia for Bowie enthusiasts, managing to capture the emotional spine of a personal, if not entirely developed story. (Eddie Harrison) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug, 1.55pm, £9–£12 (£8–£11).

Javaad Alipoor’s show is a compelling look at the way modern technology disseminates information, and the way that groups like ISIS, can provide a sense of community for disaffected young men.

Using powerful onscreen imagery, Alipoor draws the audience in with cheeky banter and cat memes, before taking them into darker territory. After all, as he states, ‘we are only ever a couple of clicks away from the darker side of the internet’.

By focusing on a young man’s stream of consciousness in a prison cell, or the fall-out from Gamergate, Alipoor suggests that online identities walk a thin line between freedom of speech and the freedom to attack others for certain ideologies.

He is a superb performer, even when the technology breaks down. Yet, for someone who doesn’t want to engage in echo chamber discussions, there is a sense that he has surrounded himself with similar world views. His monologues, while evocative, are of a similar pace.

Nonetheless, The Believers . . . is an intelligent piece which will provoke wider discussions on censorship, war and masculinity. (Lorna Irvine) ■ Northern Stage at Summerhall, until 26 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), 12.45pm, £12 (£10).

THUS SPOKE . . .

Rock’n’roll collides with philosophy in this irresistible show ●●●●● Doing its bit to cement Montreal’s reputation as the world’s coolest city, Thus Spoke . . . is an unexpectedly winning slice of dance, theatre, music and philosophy. Four performers – Fréderic Lavallée, Marilyn Perreault, David Strasbourg and Anne Thériault – bounce around, their energy filling the bare, backlit stage more than any props ever could. They each take turns at the mic, taking on a variety of loosely existential themes: salaries, for example, are awesome, and some shows, you know, are just shit, no matter how hard you look for the good in them. And in between, they move around in sensual shapes and striking rhythms, to a stonking soundtrack of guitars and electro-pop.

If it sounds nonsensical, it is. But surrender to its philosophical drumbeat and you’ll find yourself in the middle of a show that pulses with experimental spirit and makes thinking hard fun.

Directors Frédérick Gravel and Étienne Lepage are two of Montreal’s most celebrated artists. Here, Gravel’s choreography and Lepage’s words come together in an impressive display of Canada’s theatrical talent. Keep an eye out especially for Lavallée’s ‘backspace’ routine, a masterclass in absurd physical humour.

As is clear from its title (a play on Nietzsche’s novel, Thus Spake Zarathustra), Thus Spoke . . . is unrestrained in its existential engagement. It’s refreshing to come up against a show that doesn’t make allowances in its aesthetic for the sake of a few more people through the door. Go, be challenged and have fun – you’ll come out energised and grinning.

(Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ CanadaHub @ King’s Hall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 7.30pm, £10 (£8).

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LEYLA JOSEPHINE

A Stel e lar a Qu ar Quine ine ness Prod ro ucttion o

HOPELESS “THE WORDS THIS WOMAN SPEAKS ARE WORTHY OF YOUR ATTENTION (AND RESPECT)” -UPWORTHY

£7/5 19:05 50 minutes 4-26th August (except Sundays)

Commi mm ssion s ed and and suppo supp ported porte o d by T The he Nation atio o al Theatre Theatre of Scotla cotl ot n otla nd d & Dunde Dundee e Rep

By Jaim Jaimini ini ni J Jeth e wa w Dire irected cted by Jem mima Levic mima mi Levic evick k

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6.50PM (7.50PM)

03 - 26 AUGUST 2017 (NOT 09 & 16)

3 CENTURIES. 1 GOAL. A GLORIOUS TALE OF STRUGGLE AND SWEAT

OFFSIDE

by Sabrina Mahfouz and Hollie McNish

‘If you only catch one show at the Festival this year, make sure it’s Offside’ Emma Thompson

+++++ ++++ ++++ Morning Star

Edinburgh Guide

The Scotsman

10–17 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 90

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Reviews | FESTIVAL THEATRE

list.co.uk/festival PHOTO: BEN WINGER

MY NAME IS IRRELEVANT

GOOD WITH MAPS

A journey through a broken mind ●●●●●

Rewarding journey into the unknown ●●●●●

Matthew Hall’s arresting poetic performance in My Name is Irrelevant skilfully guides the audience through a fractured psyche.

Hall uses an old-school slide projector to show pictures of a huge roster of colourful characters. Each one has a name and a story delivered with rising intensity by an increasingly manic Hall. The click of the projector as it changes slides punctuates the end of one tale and the beginning of the next, giving Hall, and the audience, a moment to breathe.

Hall’s verse is accompanied by a live original score written and performed by Jim Harbourne. Using a drum box and guitar, the rhythmic music blends effortlessly with his poetry, and the effect is almost hypnotic.

The stories Hall tells about the people in his head vary enormously, and the diversity of his imaginary companions makes real the struggle to keep a grip on reality when the fiction is so tempting.

However, this isn’t a tragic tale. The message is one of hope. Hall’s display of a tragic descent into madness is so convincing that his ability to pull it back and leave on an optimistic, but realistic, note is all the more remarkable. (Liam Hainey) ■ Assembly Hall, until 28 Aug (not 14, 21), 3pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10).

Nikolai Gogol, Joseph Conrad, Virginia Woolf: these and plenty more get namechecked in Noëlle Janaczewska’s unashamedly intellectual solo show from Australia’s Siren Theatre. Jane Phegan gives a brisk, ideally pitched performance as Janaczewska, so bewitched by the uncharted wildness of the Amazon that she embarks on a voyage of discovery, while shuttling back and forth between Australia and Hertfordshire to care for her ailing father.

There’s a lot going on: Janaczewska’s script darts between psychogeography and literary references, the perils of suburban life and the slow debilitation of Parkinson’s. But it’s never less than ringingly clear in its quicksilver connections – and, best of all, wears its considerable learning very lightly with gags and gracefulness. In the end, not all of Good with Maps’ copious themes coalesce, but by its heartfelt conclusion the show’s provocative intellectual explorations have come to mirror Janaczewska’s Amazonian voyage – and the very different journey into the unknown being taken by her father.

This is a complex, deeply rewarding piece of theatre, one that balances cerebral exuberance with shattering emotional power. (David Kettle) ■ C primo, until 28 Aug (not 14), 5.30pm, £9.50– £11.50 (£7.50–£9.50).

SARAH, SKY AND SEVEN OTHER GUYS Disappointing exploration of sexuality ●●●●● Sarah, Sky and Seven Other Guys tries to tell the story of a woman and a gay man, seeking to assert their sexuality in a world that wants to repress it.

It’s immediately apparent that the performance has sex placed firmly at the centre. The titular ‘seven other guys’ stand silently around the fringes of the stage in various states of dress or undress.

Only when Sarah (Hanna Shields) or Sky (Shafeeq Shajahan) pull them into their bed do they become active participants. It’s an effective bit of staging that rejects traditional gendered power dynamics.

It’s a shame then that the rest simply can’t live up to its early promise. Shields’ and Shahjahan’s performances are stilted and awkward and because their friendship is unconvincing, its eventual breakdown fails to resonate at all.

The script is equally adept at building emotional barriers between audience and actor. The social commentary of Sarah, Sky . . . is not woven into the narrative, but rather highlighted through sharp segueways. This stylistic approach makes engagement impossible, which ultimately makes the whole piece feel disappointingly hollow. (Liam Hainey) ■ C royale, until 28 Aug, 4.40pm, £10.50–£11.50 (£8.50–£9.50).

ADAM

PHOTO: DAVID MONTEITH-HODGE

Deeply moving realisation of a real trans experience ●●●●● When we first meet modern-day Adam, he is alone and ruminating on the complexities of language. ‘In Arabic, our words are either masculine or feminine’, he notes. English, in comparison, doesn’t address gender but speaks to ‘the soul of the person’.

He is eventually joined on stage by Egyptian Adam, the female incarnation of our title character, who admonishes him for disparaging their mother tongue. In these few opening exchanges between the two, we are given a striking glimpse into the internal intricacies of a character tormented by opposing forces of gender, sexuality and home.

Adam is a true story of journeys; from Egypt to Glasgow, female to male, and border to border. Condemned for his desire to live openly in his native Alexandria, Adam flees to Glasgow with the intention of seeking asylum. It is here, in the confines of a cramped Glasgow flat that he has an epiphany. ‘Can the soul of a man be trapped in a woman?’, he types nervously into his laptop and suddenly the answer is visible and real for the first time.

This moment is amplified through the presence of the Adam World Choir, which features the voices of 120 trans and nonbinary individuals from around the world. Their stories of hope provide the comfort and reassurance that sets Adam’s transition in motion, providing him with the impetus to embrace his true self.

In Frances Poet’s script and Cora Bissett’s direction, there is an innate sensitivity, which comes through emphatically in the outstanding performances of Adam Kashmiry and Neshla Caplan.

In particular, their sharp mirroring of one another symbolises the competing impulses at play within a body and mind in transition.

With an extraordinary story at its heart, Adam is ultimately a compelling piece of theatre, which seeks to fully interrogate the challenges of the trans experience. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), times vary, £21.50 (£16.50).

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Reviews

THE NATURE OF FORGETTING Exquisitely beautiful and moving physical theatre inspired by dementia ●●●●● If a physical theatre show about early-onset dementia doesn’t sound like your thing, think again. This is a breathtakingly beautiful, punishingly energetic show from Fringe regulars Theatre Re that immerses us deep in the fractured mind of 55-year-old Tom – now struggling with the simplest tasks, but with vivid memories of his past jostling for attention in his brain.

The Nature of Forgetting is probably the most immediately accessible of Theatre Re’s shows, and despite its almost complete absence of text, its scenes are blissfully lucid through the evocative movement of director Guillaume Pigé, who also brings a startling intensity to the central role. At times the stage teems with such richness of movement that it borders on the euphoric, while at others Pigé suddenly pares things down to a single, fragile figure, lost amid emptiness. His three supporting cast members give hugely characterful performances in their own right, assertive but exquisitely nuanced as figures from Tom’s past.

Alex Judd’s Sigur Rós-style music, played live behind a battery of on-stage instruments, only adds to the show’s huge emotional punch, but that impact never feels calculated: it comes entirely from the story itself, told with disarming sincerity. This is a very special show, one that finds something joyful in the bleakest of tragedy, and one that inspires both celebration and compassion. (David Kettle) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), noon, £10.50–£12.50 (£9.50–£11.50).

BABY MAMA: ONE WOMAN’S QUEST TO GIVE HER CHILD TO GAY PEOPLE

DR CARNESKY’S INCREDIBLE BLEEDING WOMAN

Motherhood from a new perspective ●●●●●

A journey into a lost past, an alienated nature and a future reconciliation ●●●●●

In a solo show about motherhood, you may expect stories that are celebratory, joyful or transformative. Mariah MacCarthy’s Baby Mama is an amalgamation of all three but it’s not your typical tale. Rather, it’s a story about making an impossible but selfless decision, relinquishing your right to an experience that many consider universal.

From ultrasounds to burlesque performances, MacCarthy provides an insight into her journey from pregnancy to adoption, with every detail laid bare.

There’s hilarity in her candid stories about orgies and men with fetishes for pregnant woman but the show’s real strength lies in her ability to delve deep into the remorse and emotion of having to let go.

Her openness is refreshing and unrelentingly brutal, as if getting the words out and reliving that period of her life is agonising but necessary. In the end, the quest is not to find the perfect gay couple but to come to terms with huge internal complexities. With moving and thoughtful narration, Baby Mama offers an unconventional but optimistic perspective on motherhood. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Greenside @ Infirmary Street, until 12 Aug, 7.45pm, £10 (£7).

Dr Carnesky may play ironically with her academic credentials but this show is a serious reclamation of female power. Introducing her ‘menstruants’ and ancient mythologies that celebrated, rather than abhorred, the female cycle, Dr Carnesky uses wit and intelligence to identify menstruation as a connection between the human and the natural world.

The menstruants themselves are part cabaret performers, part pagan high priestess. Their ritualistic routines draw on aerialism, Japanese performance, sword swallowing and body art to demonstrate the meanings of menstruation. From Dr Carnesky’s lecture, the atmosphere gradually becomes more intense: the woman-sawn-inhalf magic trick is reversed, and female physical strength and endurance is expressed before the symbolic finale presents a bloody and spectacular triumph of the feminine. And even while rigid notions of biological gender are challenged, The Incredible Woman revels in the bodily, the sensual and the remarkable: (Gareth K Vile) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 9, 21), 2pm, £8–£10 (£7–£9).

TODD AND GOD Lyrical tackling of faith and atheism ●●●●● Todd (Richard Marsh) is part of a generation for whom atheism is almost fashionable. This lyrical performance tells the story of what happens when this unremarkable and faithless individual is asked

by God (Sara Hirsch) to found a new religion.

As well as being an atheist, Todd is in possession of a significant ego, which overrides his scepticism: initially furtive and quizzical, his confidence swells as he settles into his messianic status.

Marsh also portrays Todd’s wife and his father in law, equally in command of these roles. Indeed, Marsh seems to reserve much of his energy for these ancillary parts, providing effective emotional punches while also highlighting Todd's ordinariness.

Hirsch’s God also thrives while presenting a dichotomy: both saviour and corrupter, she lacks some menace during the play’s grisly denouement, but her performance is rich in suggesting danger.

To criticise a piece which revolves around the creation of a religion for being preachy feels absurd, yet the heavy handedness of the final monologue suggests the writer (also Marsh) lacks confidence in his work. There was no need to evangelise, the audience already believed. (Liam Hainey) ■ Pleasance Dome, until 28 Aug (not 15), 2.50pm, £11–£13 (£10–£12).

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FRINGE VENUE 134/168 BOOKINGS 0131 225 53 66 info@ifecosse.org.uk

Between the Crosses devised by William Huggins directed by Daniel Llewelyn-Williams

A true story and metaphysical dialogue between the living and the dead.

In life WW1 veteran Edgar held his tongue.

This unique theatrical experience questions society’s need to create heroes and invites us to understand the guilt of the survivor.

WWW.IFECOSSE.ORG.UK

3.30pm at Army@TheFringe, Venue 210, Tickets £12.50 (£10 concessions), £20 family tickets, Dates: 10th - 16th August

“A truly superb play!”

Wales Arts Review 10–17 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 93

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04/08/2017 17:17

y Comic a DarKl era PoP Op

DIRECTED BY TOM MULLEN MUSIC & LYRICS BY LAURENCE MARK WYTHE

Pleasance.co.uk 0131 556 6550

2 - 28 AUGUST

Dan O’Brien

Julie Shavers

Chris Grace

Mike McShane

How I Met Your Mother Fringe First Winner

Royal Court Theater NY Residency

Baby Wants Candy

Who’s Line is it Anyway

design and marketing booments.com

PRODUCED BY LESSLIE LTD ORIGINAL PRODUCTION BY CHICAGO THEATRE WORKSHOP AND STL CITYWORKS

(not 15, 22) 16:00 (17:15)

Janie Haddad Tompkins Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Lauren Olipra

Harriet Weaver

Tony Rodriguez

JoJo Nwoko

Sleight

Hamlet, Yale Rep

The Late Late Show with James Cordon

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13:25 03 - 28 AUG

Heather Litteer’s

WEDNESDAY 16 AUGUST · 7.30PM A CHARITY GALA IN AID OF SYRIA RELIEF

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— TimeOut NY

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‘PASSAGES OF BEAUTY AND LAMENTATION’

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Incognito Theatre is back for their fourth consecutive year! Following a sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe 2016 and subsequent transfer to SoHo Playhouse, NYC. On the 100th anniversary of the Great War, Incognito use their signature physical style to create a poignant and visually stunning theatrical experience that exposes the personal sacrifices that were made for the sake of the war.

‘Enthralling, moving and fundamentally, beautifully human’

14:00 Pleasance Dome until 15 August

(ThreeWeeks).

10–17 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 94

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Reviews | FESTIVAL THEATRE

list.co.uk/festival

PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER BOWEN

PHOTO: DWC IMAGERY

GYPSY QUEEN

HEATHER

EVE

Drama about gay seduction and boxing ●●●●●

A captivating blend of light and dark ●●●●●

A meditation on identity ●●●●●

There’s a crackle of electricity when two young fighters from two warring boxing dynasties meet in Rob Ward’s two-hander from About Hope theatre company. Dane is struggling to find his killer instinct and live up to the glories of his father. ‘Gorgeous’ George, on the other hand, is a bare-knuckle fighter, tempted to the ring to legitimise his talent.

That electricity, though, comes not only from their bristling, competitive masculinity, but also from their immediate attraction for each other, and Gypsy Queen charts – quite tenderly at times – the two men’s unlikely relationship, as well as painting in a rich cast of memorable supporting characters, all ably played by writer Ward and Ryan Clayton.

Director Adam Zane keeps things moving smoothly, and he has a sure command of mood, from the comic to the sensual to the downright brutal.

It might feel like one or two characters or plotlines could have been trimmed to focus the themes more tightly, and the shock ending comes unconvincingly out of nowhere to ensure that heartstrings are tugged. But this is a slick, rewarding piece of work nonetheless, that offers fresh and surprising perspectives on gay experience. (David Kettle) ■ Assembly Rooms, until 26 Aug (not 14, 21), 1pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).

This new play by Thomas Eccleshare follows the relationship between a debut author and their publisher. Heather Eames has written a book about a witch named Greta that becomes wildly successful, spawning a series of sequels and films.

The actors, Charlotte Melia and Ashley Gerlach are captivating, deliberately cast to undermine assumptions and expectations of a person’s name.

Melia’s delivery is perfectly paced, leaving us hanging on her every word as the narrative shifts into a dark place. The staging is initially very simple, the pair reading a lengthy email exchange at mic stands. But it steps up as we enter the climax of a Greta book, with microphones and strip lights wielded as props in a dramatic action sequence.

Paralells with JK Rowling are obvious and played for laughs, lightening up the bleak subject matter with witty lines and excellent comic timing. It gleefully ribs fantasy books: the silly place names, the orphaned heroes, and their simplistic duality of good versus evil. But, as the Greta scene plays out, the fantasy format draws us into the young witch's fate, reinforcing the question — if a story is good, does it matter who wrote it? (Rowena McIntosh) ■ Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 5.55pm, £12 (£10).

Jo Clifford and Chris Goode’s Eve is almost soporifically gentle, with Clifford’s soft beautiful voice drawing the audience in. There are righteous bursts of anger, though: first, at the pain she suffered in losing her mother very young, and then at the exclusion of not being able to come out as a girl growing up.

At times, it’s incredibly hard to watch, too raw, as Clifford puts her life right in front of the audience through a series of beautiful photographs of herself as a little boy, John, and as an adult with her late wife. The soothing, hypnotic tone won’t be for everyone: Kai Fisher’s exquisite lighting and director Susan Worsfold’s pared-down set, complemented by an ambient wash of sound by Matt Padden, bring a hymnal quality to the piece.

But for those seeking lucid and emotive storytelling, it’s an evocative depiction of someone now at peace with the woman she struggled to be.

Change takes time, and progress never moves as quickly as it should. Clifford and Goode’s words stand as a reminder that for so many, it is a long and dangerous journey to gaining acceptance.

(Lorna Irvine) ■ Traverse, until 27 Aug, (not 14, 21) times vary, £19.50 (£14.50).

LILITH: THE JUNGLE GIRL

PHOTO: JEFF BUSBY

Audacious, gloriously kitschy experience ●●●●● Sisters Grimm’s Lilith looks set to be a cult hit at this year’s festival. It’s nothing short of fabulous, a psychedelic mashup of film parody, cartoon and live art with characters which feel like a fish-eye-lens view of LGBTQ culture.

Candy Bowers is hilarious as Doctor Charles Penworth, a misogynist of the Rex Harrison stripe, complete with pipe and RP English, who tries to socialise his latest discovery, a feral girl covered in primordial pink gloop (Ash Flanders).

This is in spite of the obvious unswerving adoration from his unhinged assistant Helen Travers (Genieve Giuffre) who is threatened by a naked ‘she creature’ in their midst. A love triangle, inevitably, ensues. Expositions of the kind of British melodrama where women are slapped then kissed by patrician type men are stretched to breaking point like knicker elastic, and it’s always on the brink of falling apart entirely, which only adds to the delight.

The best element of the show is that the crazy tangents it wanders off into are entirely unexpected. There is something life-affirming about ‘peng-lions’ spitting out rhymes about authenticity and being forced into prostitution, or Lilith’s irrational fear of penguins. The cast of three never flag, deadpan to the last slip on stage (the gloopy substance is everywhere). Scratch the innuendo though, and there’s an intelligent undercurrent about exoticism, gender conditioning and the vagaries of Freudian analysis which sought to put women in their place.

Lilith is an audacious, gloriously kitschy experience, with a plea for tolerance at its sweet and sticky centre.

(Lorna Irvine) ■ Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), times vary, £19.50 (£14.50).

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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Reviews at a Glance

REVIEWS AT A GLANCE ABOVE THE MEALY-MOUTHED SEA ●●●●● Performance poet Jemima Foxtrot leads this one woman show revolving around the theme of growing up and the stories we choose to tell. Set on a monochrome background and sandy floor, the play relies on lighting to signal changes of narratives. It is a clever trick but doesn’t provide enough clarity for the overly convoluted structure. (Adeline Amar) Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug (not 16), 2pm, £9 (£8).

BABA BRINKMAN’S RAP GUIDE TO CONSCIOUSNESS ●●●●● Fringe stalwart Baba Brinkman is no stranger to controversial or intellectual subject matter. In his latest effort, the Fringe First-winner has consciousness on his mind, as he delves into the many unanswered questions surrounding topics currently dividing the scientific community. Relevant, educational, and a huge amount of fun. (Jordan Shaw) Assembly George Square, until 28 Aug (not 15), 5.40pm, £9–£10.

CATHERINE AND ANITA ●●●●● When a play tackles subjects as weighty as severe mental ill health and paedophilia, the performance must be incredibly strong to carry it to a satisfactory conclusion. These subjects are obviously complex and sensitive.

To be handled successfully they require delicacy and compassion. Catherine and Anita offers neither. (Liam Hainey) Assembly George Street, until 28 Aug (not 15, 22), 9.05pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).

DUST ●●●●● In an unflinching examination of a suicide, this strippedback monologue for one woman inspects the unavoidable practicalities, heart-wrenching decisions and pain – plus the laughter. What could be a bleak monologue is, however, peppered with dry humour through its sharp, quick writing and excellent delivery. (Adeline Amar) Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug (not 15), 4.40pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).

FIX ●●●●● ‘This is a tale about love and connection. About the bonds within brains. And the bonds between brains.’

So reads the inscrutable flyer for Fix, billed as a ‘unique mix of song, science and soliloquy’ from Worklight Theatre.

But it feels like a work in progress that needs a radical re-think before going back before the public. (Eddie Harrison) Underbelly Cowgate until 27 Aug (not 16), 5.40pm, £10.50–£11.50 (£9.50–£10.50).

FOREIGN RADICAL ●●●●● A provocative show that tackles difficult contemporary questions head-on. It’s carried off with such slick persuasion that you’ll hardly notice how much you’re giving away, or compromising yourself. Foreign Radical is urgent, timely and necessary. (David Kettle) Canada Hub @ King’s Hall in association with Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 15, 22), 1pm, £10 (£8).

GAMES AND AFTER LIVERPOOL ●●●●● Blind Elephant are a youthful collective who are writing and producing this as their third production, and their youthful zest goes a long way to making James Saunders’ work feel vibrant. This double bill is an agreeable blast from the past from an unjustly neglected writer. (Eddie Harrison) Underbelly Med Quad, until Aug 28 (not 15), 11.55am, £9–£10 (£8 -£9).

HERO ●●●●● Right at the start of their ambitious show, Anglo-Icelandic company Rokkur Friggjar immerse us in an authoritarian regime, all bigoted nationalistic anthems and harsh, unforgiving discipline. There’s enormous potential here, but Hero needs its themes and storylines teased apart if they’re to strike home with impact. (David Kettle) Upper Church @ Summerhall hosted by RBC, until 14 Aug, 10am, £8 (£6).

THE MAN ON THE MOOR ●●●●● The show eventually lands a strong central idea; that our lives are held together in a way that’s more fragile than we might imagine. Much like Andrew O’Hagan’s book The Missing, The Man on the Moor shines a light on the darker recesses of modern society.

(Eddie Harrison) Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug, 3pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50).

Siri

PHOTO: JULIE ARTACHA

For full length versions of these reviews, see list.co.uk/festival

(Gareth K Vile) The Hub, until 27 Aug (not 15, 22),10.30pm, £15.

NASSIM ●●●●● A charming play around issues of home and language, this follow-up to Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour’s hugely successful White Rabbit, Red Rabbit follows a similar format: a different actor is selected each night to read unrehearsed Soleimanpour’s words, with surprising results. (Lorna Irvine) Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), times vary, £19.50 (£16.50).

PETER & BAMBI HEAVEN: WHEN LOVE IS MAGIC ●●●●● Peter and Bambi’s skills don’t lie in producing innovative magic tricks. Instead they win the crowd’s hearts by neatly subverting the tropes that define Las Vegas magic.

There are tricks that miss the mark and the humour is certainly crude. It doesn’t really matter though. Peter and Bambi have full command of an enraptured audience. (Liam Hainey) Assembly George Square, until 27 Aug (not 14), 10.35pm, £12–£13.

A ROBOT IN HUMAN SKIN ●●●●● Nicole Henriksen has clearly agonised about how to present herself here; the result is a show which goes some way to blowing away the stigma around mental health issues. If that sounds like tough going, Henriksen has the charm to smooth things over. She’s real, she’s raw, and she’s honest to a fault. (Eddie Harrison) Underbelly Med Quad, until 28 Aug (not 15), 8.30pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).

FAG/STAG ●●●●● Best mates Jimmy and Corgan have both dated Tamara. But now she’s getting MEOW MEOW’S LITTLE MERMAID married to Jack, whom neither of them like. You’re wondering, of ●●●●● Surprisingly, it is not the course, whether the two guys will show-stopping musical numbers themselves get it together – but that prove the cabaret superstar’s regardless, the show’s ending is intelligence, but the theatrical as inevitable as it is joyful. This is a interludes: torn between love and NAME HERE very fine of work, frank, MeowWritten Meow’sby: charisma lends SIRI Some of piece the best comedy in tender the Fringe’smisery. first week.

Brian Donaldson Some of the It’s best comedy in the ●●●●● a slow-developing and thought-provoking.

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Some issues, and which Donaldson – sometimes Underbelly Some Cowgate, until 27 comedy cabaret are predictable of the(not best14), comedy the Fringe’s first week.the Written by: antics Brian Donaldson frustratingly – regularly flips back on Aug 4pm, in £11.50–£12.50 against her witty meditations on love. itself in a stop-start structure. But as a (£10.50–£11.50).

show that asks us to look again at our increasing reliance on advanced technology, Siri is a brave, thoughtful work. (David Kettle) CanadaHub @ King’s Hall in association with Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 5.30pm, £10 (£8).

THE SKY IS SAFE ●●●●● Matthew Zajac’s at times harrowing two-hander looks at the Syrian conflict from a woman’s perspective. Woven in among the dark drama are the agonising testimonies from other Syrian women, forced to betray their husbands, or abused at army checkpoints, or whose infants are the targets of snipers.

(David Kettle) Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 7.45pm, £15 (£10).

TAIWAN SEASON: EVER NEVER ●●●●● Taiwan’s Co-coism theatre company beguilingly captures that strange feeling of long-haul air travel in this often beautiful show, with scenes that sometimes seem to evaporate before we can grasp them. But it’s pulled off with nimble gracefulness: this is a gem of a show. (David Kettle) Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 4.25pm, £12 (£10).

WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY! OR, A GUIDE TO MANAGING SOCIAL ANXIETY USING THEORETICAL PHYSICS ●●●●● Josh Lucas is an honest and likeable performer, and watching him take tentative steps across the dance floor towards an invited audience member is a heart-swelling moment. Filled with humour, audience interaction and extravagant dancing, it might not be earth-shattering stuff, but it is lovely nonetheless. (Irina Glinski) ZOO Southside, until 28 Aug, 9.30pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10).

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“YOUNG PLEASANCE IS EXTRA-ORDINARY” BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE

The Curse of Cranholme Abbey 4th - 19th August 2:00 pm

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FESTIVAL 3 1 J U LY - 2 8 A U G U S T 2 0 1 7

W W W . O P E N E Y E G A L L E R Y. C O . U K 34 ABERCROMBY PLACE EDINBURGH EH3 6QE JACK KNOX • JOHN BELLANY • BARBARA RAE LEON MORROCCO • ALBERTO MORROCCO ANDY SCOTT • VINCENT BUTLER

John Bellany, detail of &HOWLF 6DFUL¿FH, oil on canvas, 1971

04 - 28 August 2017 | Tickets available at edfringe.com

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VISUAL ART

For m info gootroe

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PLANT SCENERY OF THE WORLD PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND SUPPORTICO LOPEZ.

Inverleith House plays host to a new botanical-themed group show Nine months since its closure as an art gallery amid great furore, Inverleith House is open again, with an exhibition which combines contemporary art with archival material from the Royal Botanic Garden’s collection. If the building has a future as a gallery, it seems that will mean building closer links between the art and the RBGE. Despite its rather uninspiring title, Plant Scenery of the World, curated

by Chloe Reith, contains a wealth of ideas, carefully and thoughtfully explored in its seven distinct rooms. The show has been triggered by the 50th anniversary of the garden’s modernist glasshouses, but invites much wider discussion around glasshouses in general, utopianism and colonialism (glasshouses being invented to house the spoils of our botanical conquests) as well as allowing artists to work with some of the plants themselves.

Charlie Billingham turns a satirical eye on the era of empire with his colourful paintings and prints, juxtaposed with original plans for

the Victorian palm houses. Laura Aldridge covers a floor with fabric, handprinted from leaves of exotic plants, and installed with a series of plans for the garden’s 1960s glasshouses.

Bobby Niven has cast a selection of seed pods from the garden’s collection in bronze and used them to make sculptural assemblies, resting on hand-shaped plinths, a fine companion piece to his Palm House commission for Edinburgh Art Festival. Ben Rivers’ 2016 film ‘Urth’, filmed at Biosphere II in Arizona (itself a kind of failed utopian experiment), responds evocatively to some of the events which happened there.

Alongside the contemporary art, there are paintings from the 1850s by Robert Kaye Greville and large botanical paintings of the ‘Titan arum’, the world’s largest flowering plant which gives off a foul odour akin to rotting flesh, and which, at the time of our visit, was flowering in its dubious splendour in one of those very same glasshouses. (Susan Mansfield) ■ Inverleith House, until 29 Oct, free. ●●●●●

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ART HITLIST Rachael Cloughton picks out some of the best visual art to explore in the festival’s second week BOBBY NIVEN: PALM HOUSE Hidden down Patrick Geddes steps just off the Royal Mile is a beautiful wildlife garden. Few would know it existed – it’s usually closed to the public, but over August it has been opened up and houses one of the Edinburgh Art Festival’s most impressive new commissions, Bobby Niven’s latest bothy. Niven has invited

artists to take up residency here throughout the festival and will host playful sculpture workshops on Friday afternoons using his handmade mud oven on site. See feature, page 101.

Johnston Terrace Wildlife Garden, until 27 Aug, free JOSEF KOUDELKA: THE MAKING OF LANDSCAPE Another fascinating space to open up for the Edinburgh Art Festival this year is the Signet Library on Parliament Square. The WS Society have

organised an incredible exhibition of works by Magnum photographer Josef Koudelka. The show features large displays of Koudelka’s 20-plus-metre long concertina photo-books and dummies from his personal collection, many unpublished. See review, page 103. Signet Library, until 27 Aug, free KATE DAVIS: NUDES NEVER WEAR GLASSES Two of Davis’ films are being presented at this, her first gallery show: ‘Charity’ (2017) and ‘Weight’ (2014), both of which explore the claustrophobia of motherhood and domesticity. See review, page 103. Stills, until 8 Oct, free.

PLANT SCENERY OF THE WORLD Remarkable new exhibition at Inverleith House inspired by the 50th anniversary of the modernist glasshouses in the grounds of the Botanic Gardens. Archival material is placed alongside newly commissioned work by emerging artists. See review, page 99.

Inverleith House, until 29 Oct, free.

DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE A fascinating interweaving of the work by artists who are investigating women’s stories and work in the textile industry, both past, present and future. Dovecot Studios, until 20 Jan 2018, free.

PHOTO: © JOSEF KOUDELKA / MAGNUM PHOTOS

Josef Koudelka: The Making of Landscape

27 July— 27 August

45+ exhibitions across the city.

Historic surveys / leading international & Scottish artists / the best emerging talent.

New publicly sited artwork for the city.

Children & family activities.

Art Late, events, talks & tours.

edinburghartfestival.com @EdArtFest #EdArtFest

Major funders and supporters: Supported through the Scottish Government Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund

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Bobby Niven | FESTIVAL VISUAL ART

list.co.uk/festival

SMALL WONDER Susan Mansfield talks to Bothy Project creator Bobby Niven about his latest venture, a special commission in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town

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ather proudly, Bobby Niven shows me a consignment of thick wooden beams. Discarded by a timber-frame company for being too curvy, they are perfect for his latest project: an artists’ bothy he is calling Palm House, which has just opened at Johnston Terrace Wildlife Garden near Edinburgh Castle as part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

The wood and glass structure provides a space for artists residencies (Neil Bickerton, Alison Scott, Daisy Lafarge and Deirdre Nelson will take a week each), as well as a focus for activities, conversation, growing plants and eating pizza baked in a mud oven.

Niven is known as one of the creators (with architect Iain MacLeod) of the Bothy Project which currently runs three small-scale off-grid artist residency spaces at Inshriach near Aviemore, on the island of Eigg, and the distinctive tilted Pig Rock Bothy at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Palm House is a bothy with a difference, however, the first Niven has built without MacLeod, and the first to draw on elements of his own sculptural practice.

‘The other bothies have been in collaboration so I’ve not fully had a chance to let rip in terms of adding more sculptural elements,’ he says. ‘I don’t think of the others as art works, whereas this is. The curved beams supporting the roof will be carved into arms.’

One of the festival’s The Making of the Future: Now commissions, the bothy is also an homage to town planner and polymath Patrick Geddes, who envisioned a series of green spaces around Edinburgh’s Old Town, and has been cross-pollinated by Niven’s other commission this summer, a group show at Inverleith House which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Botanic Gardens’ modernist palm houses.

Plant Scenery of the World, which runs until October (see review, page 101), places work by five contemporary artists next to rare and unseen archive material from the Botanics’ collection, and is being heralded as a tentative new beginning for the gallery which has been closed for over a year. ‘It’s a bit of a compromise, but maybe it’s a good one and good results will come from it,’ Niven says. ‘I’ve really enjoyed working in the herbarium, I was there for ten days, they gave me my own pass.’

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FESTIVAL VISUAL ART | Bobby Niven

He shows me seed pods from around the world – many of them brought back to Scotland by intrepid plant hunters from more than a century ago – which he plans to cast in bronze and make into assemblage ‘portraits’. They will echo elements from his distinctive sculptural style, weaving found objects into intriguing structures which look part-primitive, part-modernist.

He admits his own practice has been forced to take a back seat by the success of the Bothy Project, which was inspired by Scotland’s traditional mountain bothies. ‘I was enjoying going to bothies with the sketchbook, and wanted to try to think of ways to extend that experience for a creative stay, to remain off-grid, but have a few more comforts.’

The grassroots success of the project caught the imagination of those in the art world, such as the SNGMA and Edinburgh Art Festival director Sorcha Carey. The Bothy Project is currently being formalised as a charity, with a trading arm to sell prefab bothies (‘We’ve had lots of emails asking “how can I get one?”) and further bothies are planned in Scotland and further afield.

Meanwhile, the work in Johnston Terrace is a chance to sample things to come. Niven says: ‘It’s not like Geddes, it’s not born from trying to create a space that will change people’s lives, it’s just a simple appreciation of being in a small space which is a nice environment. I think a space that has a bit of good feeling around it is something we need right now when there’s not a lot of good feeling going on.’

The Making of the Future: Now – Bobby Niven: Palm House, Johnston Terrace Wildlife Garden, until 27 Aug, free; Plant Scenery of the World, Inverleith House, until 29 Oct, free.

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Reviews | FESTIVAL VISUAL ART

list.co.uk/festival

PHOTO: © JOSEF KOUDELKA / MAGNUM PHOTOS

KATE DAVIS: NUDES NEVER WEAR GLASSES

CHARLOTTE BARKER: FLOTILLA Tactile sculptures by the RCA graduate ●●●●●

Margaret Tait winner’s solo exhibition ●●●●● Nudes Never Wear Glasses includes the first gallery presentation of Kate Davis’ ‘Charity’ as well as earlier film ‘Weight’. Presented alongside photographs and collages, her films playfully reimagine domestic labour as a recognised profession.

Combining an intimate first person narrative with allegorical images of breast-feeding from art history, ‘Charity’ explores a mother’s relationship to her baby and the associated domestic labour. This is made palpable through oppressively close-up shots: tumbling around inside a washing machine mid-cycle, for example. Similarly, a section in which the camera is submerged in a washing-up bowl echoes the faux partition walls that break up the gallery space.

Though both films convey a sense of claustrophobia, they are joyful in their celebration of the tactile experiences particular to women.

‘Weight’ presents photographs of domestic settings accompanied by an authoritative voiceover that adopts a formalist manner of speech.

Though the collages displayed come across as overly cerebral, the barbed wit of both films poetically acknowledges the creativity of domestic labour with unusually subtle humour. (Jessica Ramm) ■ Stills, until 8 Oct, free.

JOSEF KOUDELKA: THE MAKING OF LANDSCAPE Extraordinary exhibition of work ●●●●●

Visiting the striking if well-hidden Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop in the rain feels somehow appropriate to the work of ceramic artist Charlotte Barker. Her works, as the title of her Edinburgh Art Festival show suggests, are like a fleet of dry-docked new vessels, kept pristine under cover as they wait to set sail.

Perhaps the illumination could be better, however, for Barker has requested that the lights be kept off in the venue to allow the natural light from the gallery’s many windows to offer the best perspective on her work; a dull day doesn’t precisely capture this.

Yet the textural precision of this Royal College of Art ceramics graduate’s work is impossible to miss.

The majority of her potteries stand atop thin-legged, smooth-surfaced tables which look as though they were carved from found lumps of slender branch and trunk, and varnished clean. None appear strong enough to carry the weighty objects which stand on top, funnel-like black and white pots whose surfaces speak of a tactileness, that kind of soft, mottled purity that a stone worn clean by the ocean possesses.

Again, that’s another nautical resonance, although perhaps these aren’t new craft after all, but fragile shipwrecks worn down by the elements.

(David Pollock) ■ Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, until 26 Aug, free.

Walking the full length of the Signet Library during this show of complementary photo essays by Czech-born but French-domiciled photographer Josef Koudelka, it initially feels as if you’re striding through an airport lounge, that vast and teeming thoroughfare of free movement en route to arrivals and departures. Two rows of glass-topped display cabinets that contain the two displays disrupt the space, acting as both barrier and gateway, each side in opposition and conjoined defiance.

So it goes too for the contents of the cases, two monumental 20-metre-long concertina books with their black and white pages laid out to tell a story of landscapes modified, remodelled and ultimately defiled in the name of progress. The first, ‘Black Triangle’ (1994), charts how the Czech Republic's once heavily populated Ore mountain region was overwhelmed and gradually devastated by the coal mining industry. The second, ‘Wall’ (2013), follows the route of the ongoing atrocity of the wall dividing Israel and Palestine.

Not one person is in view in Koudelka’s images.

Their mark is everywhere, however, in a fiercely emotive but exquisitely calm display. (Neil Cooper) ■ Signet Library, until 27 Aug, free.

STEPHEN SUTCLIFFE: SEX SYMBOLS IN SANDWICH SIGNS

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Vivid reclaiming of post-war outsiderdom ●●●●● On the big screen in Talbot Rice’s downstairs gallery, a film shows two men at work and play on an imagined film set. One is a macho brute, who uses his physical prowess to torment the other, more effete, and hopelessly devoted object of his ire. A second film shows the same actors playing similar characters, but with a blunter, more melodramatic denouement.

This is ‘Casting Through and Scenes from Radcliffe’, Stephen Sutcliffe’s reimagining of a very northern English form of pop cultural iconoclasm that forms the core of his show. The first part is a re-enactment drawn from diary entries of director Lindsay Anderson while working with actor Richard Harris on his adaptation of David Storey’s novel, This Sporting Life.

The second depicts scenes from Radcliffe, Storey’s Booker Prize-nominated but critically panned 1963 novel. Storey’s tale of unrequited cross-class homosexual desire appeared the same year as Anderson’s film of This Sporting Life, with the Morrisseyesque title of the show taken from a damning review of the book.

Having actors Ali Craig and Paul Cunningham performing Sutcliffe’s texts script-in-hand suggests an early rehearsal of a bigger, still unfinished staging. In execution, this is as meta as some of Anderson’s own work, both in his 1973 O Lucky Man!’ and his rendering of Alan Bennett’s TV play, The Old Crowd.

Elsewhere are excerpts from the Lindsay Anderson Archive, as well as books and videos from Sutcliffe’s own archive, and a showreel of short works. With ‘Casting Through and Scenes from Radcliffe’ at the show’s centre, Sutcliffe gives voice to a vivid reclaiming of post-Second World War outsiderdom in terms of class and sexuality. One yearns for it to burst through the screen, so that voice can be given living flesh as well. (Neil Cooper) ■ Talbot Rice Gallery, until 30 Sep, free.

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EVENTS

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR PACKED FESTIVAL EVENTS PROGRAMME

Clockwise from top left: Samantha Baines, Ben Hart, Pippa Evans, Tago

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM Enjoy a flavour of the Fringe at the National Museum of Scotland with Museum After Hours

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his series of adults-only evenings was a sell out in 2016 and offers a unique flavour of the Fringe, with performers showcasing highlights from their festival acts.

You can also nosey about the museum’s galleries after hours with curators and scientists on hand to bring the collections to life, tour the Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites exhibition and visit the various pop-up bars (it is Friday night after all).

The lineup at Museum After Hours is truly eclectic, with music offerings ranging from Tago, who pair gigantic drums and other Korean traditional instruments with martial arts, to Gareth Cooper’s Nerd Rock, a musical comedy show celebrating all things geeky. Fans of magic should check out Ben Hart, star of BBC series Killer Magic, and Fringe veteran and cheeky chappy, Chris Cook.

The grand gallery’s main stage plays host to physical performance, with highlights from Fauna, an exploration of primal behaviour created by performers from leading circus companies Gravity & Other Myths, NoFit State Circus, Seven Fingers and Poivre Rose. And from Arnhem Land in Australia, Djuki Mala are making their UK debut at the Edinburgh Fringe. The group, who’ve won Best Dance honours at both the Adelaide and Perth Fringes, fuse popular culture and traditional indigenous dances in a high-energy show.

It wouldn’t be the Fringe without comedy: Samantha Baines explores the lost women of science, while Chortle award-winner for Best Music & Variety Act, Pippa Evans, performs excerpts from her comedy show Joy Provision! and the aptly named Night at the Museum is an unrehearsed show-and-tell performance, with comedians prompted by the historical artefacts housed in the National Museum of Scotland’s archives. With thousands of objects to choose from, expect fiction over fact.

National Museum of Scotland, 11 Aug, 7.30pm, £18 (£16). Museum After Hours returns on 18 and 25 Aug, with a different lineup each week.

EVENTS CALENDAR ART LATE FEATURING HAPPY MEALS This edition of Art Late visits Collective, Edinburgh Printmakers and Rhubaba Gallery and Studios. The evening finishes up at Custom Lane in Leith, with an artist performance from Pauline and the Matches and music from Glasgow synth-pop duo Happy Meals. Collective, 17 Aug, 6.30pm, £9 (£8).

ART LATE FEATURING HAMISH HAWK Choose one of three routes for the final Art Late, with featured works including Bobby Niven’s Palm House at the Johnston Terrace Wildlife Garden and Kate Davis’ exhibition at Stills.

The evening finale is at the Fruitmarket Gallery, with music from Hamish Hawk. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 24 Aug, 6pm, £9 (£8).

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A BEER

AS RARE AS ITS SERVE.

Enjoy one this August in Edinburgh.

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