The List Festival Week 2

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PICTURE: JENNY WATTS

FESTIVAL DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

The show, they often say, must go on. But what if it doesn’t or very nearly doesn’t? When you’re knee-deep in the world’s biggest arts festival, you can expect the odd hiccup here and there, whether you’re a performer, a producer, a venue or festival boss. Or even a busy team putting together a larger magazine in a smaller timeframe than normal: fire alarms and food poisoning have been two of the reasons why we weren’t able to review shows we had booked to see over the past week.

We’ve heard of one drag quartet having their (very fabulous) costumes trapped in the labyrinthine depths of an international airport, while people far outside of the Edinburgh August bubble are well aware that the most famous 20-year-old in the world cancelled their Book Festival event after she or her people decided to read up on the sponsors months after agreeing to appear. From a purely selfish perspective (and we love the planet, we really do), there was a slight worry that this might have the knock-on effect of us trying to find a different cover star at the eleventh hour but (and with this being written just hours before sending the magazine off to our very lovely and patient printers), the brilliant Mikaela Loach is still booked to appear at Spark Theatre.

But there are also stories of overcoming the odds. Fans of Cuban culture might recall that Havana Street Party was sadly unable to make it over to the Fringe last year. Twelve months on, more red-tape wranglings meant that another postponement was looming, with severe losses set to be incurred. But all’s well that ended well and that show is happily going on (even if the dreaded fire alarm prevented their first Sunday show starting on time). Still, if things are looking bleak, you could always turn to social media and post an emotional message in the wee small hours that might get you attention and support. And hey, if some people are suggesting you did the exact same thing at last year’s Fringe, well boo-hoo to them and all power to your enterprising elbows. Anyway, hope you enjoy this issue: we’ve got loads of interviews and reviews and bits and bobs and stuff. Have fun out there.

Brian Donaldson EDITOR CONTRIBUTORS

CEO Sheri Friers

Editor Brian Donaldson

Art Director Seonaid Rafferty

Designer Carys Tennant

Sub Editors Paul McLean, Megan Merino

Writers

Brian Donaldson, Carine Seitz, Claire Sawers, Eddie Harrison, Ellie Carr, Gareth K Vile, Greg Thomas, Isy Santini, Jay Richardson, Jo Laidlaw, Jodie Griffiths Hagan, Kelly Apter, Kevin Fullerton, Lucy Ribchester, Marissa Burgess, Megan Merino, Miranda Heggie, Murray Robertson, Neil Cooper, Rachel Ashenden, Rachel Cronin, Rory Doherty, Sean Greenhorn, Suzy Pope

Social Media and Content Editor Megan Merino

Senior Business Development Manager

Jayne Atkinson

Online News Editor Kevin Fullerton

Media Sales Executive Ewan Wood

Digital Operations & Events Manager Leah Bauer

Events Assistant Eve Johnston

Editorial Assistant Jessica Matthewson

Circus Abyssinia: Tulu [Ethiopia]

Reclaim [Belgium]

Sophie’s Surprise 29th [UK] Lucky Pigeons [UK]

Circa’s Peepshow (Club Remix) [Australia]

The 7 Fingers: Duel Reality [Canada]

The Wing Scuffle Spectacular [UK]

Aloft Presents Sanctuary [USA]

The Revel Puck Circus:

Trash Test Dummies [Australia]

La Clique [UK]

Miranda Heggie, festival manager of Just Festival, urges people to look beyond August’s big-hitters and explore some of the boutique festivals taking place in and around Edinburgh this month

Mouthpiece front

In a way, Edinburgh’s festivals are a bit like a game of pass the parcel. Lots of fun, often hectic, and with layer upon layer of hidden surprises. While those such as the big Fringe promoters and International Festival bring some of the top names in arts and culture to Scotland’s capital, the magic of Edinburgh’s unique festival brew lies both in this and the more boutique August offerings.

2023 will be my second year as Festival Manager for Just Festival, a small, multi-art series of events with a focus on human rights, social justice and interfaith dialogue which takes place at St John’s Church on Princes Street. Our theme for this year is ‘Displacement’, exploring stories of climate, environment, displaced people, objects and sounds. The central installation, ‘Pathways To Peace From Disparate Points’, brings together artworks created by Ukrainians and Edinburgh locals, and examines the potential of art objects in building compassionate and constructive relationships between people from disparate points of geography, life and culture.

Another of our exhibitions is Displaced Waters, a series of paintings which capture the power and majesty of Scottish oceans by artist Catherine King, with accompanying reflections on how these will be affected by the melting of the

polar ice caps. Continuing with the climate change-focused strand, we’re excited to welcome Toronto-based Dance Fachin, debuting in Edinburgh with their piece The Fourth R: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, REVOLUTIONIZE, a powerful dance work rooted in climate activism.

Of course, Just is not the only small festival that’s going on. Among that number is Edinburgh Deaf Festival, an accessible celebration of language and heritage that gives deaf people access to the arts in a fresh way and allows hearing people to immerse themselves in deaf culture. The Islam Festival Edinburgh celebrates the Islamic world with an exhibition in Edinburgh Central Mosque and offers a chance to ask questions about an often misunderstood faith. A little further out of town, Jupiter Rising has more of a music-festival vibe with a late-night party in the stunning grounds of Jupiter Artland, and Fringe By The Sea returned to North Berwick for a programme in one of East Lothian’s prettiest coastal towns. So, this year, why not unwrap another layer of Edinburgh’s festivals, and prepare to be surprised, delighted and inspired by what you uncover.

a programme in one of East Lothian’s prettiest coastal towns. festivals, and prepare to be surprised, delighted and inspired

 Just Festival, St John’s Church, until 26 August, just-festival.org

In this weekly series, we ask veterans of numerous Edinburgh Festivals which shows or performers have touched their hearts or pushed their buttons. This week, Scottish author Catriona Child tells us which things . . .

Made me cry: A War Of Two Halves, the story of the Hearts footballers who joined McCrae’s Battalion in WWI. This story means a lot to me anyway as a Jambo, but it was incredibly moving seeing it brought to life and told in a unique way with Tynecastle Park as the stage.

Made me angry: I saw three of my favourite Scottish writers (Alan Bissett, Des Dillon and Anne Donovan) at the Book Festival and, during the Q&A, a woman stood up and said to them that she couldn’t take Scottish writing seriously as it felt like an adult version of The Beano or The Dandy!

Made me laugh: When I was a teenager, I had a bit of an obsession with the TV show Jonathan Creek, so persuading my dad to bring me through to Edinburgh to see Alan Davies was a real highlight.

Made me think: Whatever Gets You Through The Night, which was a collaboration between Scottish writers and musicians. A patchwork of different stories told through various mediums, with all of them set between the hours of midnight and 4am. My husband is still slightly traumatised by one of the performers shouting ‘chips and cheese’ in his face!

Made me think twice: David Vann and Willy Vlautin at the Book Festival. Vann gave me his personal interpretation of Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian while I was getting my book signed. I felt privileged that I was being bestowed with this insight but also a complete fraud as it went totally over my head!

 Growing Up Lost In Song With Catriona Child & Emma Grae, Edinburgh College Of Art, 15 August, 5.30pm, as part of Edinburgh International Book Festival.

PICTURE: CALLUM MOFFAT

PICTURE: ALEX WALKER

playLIST

It's week two of the largest arts festival on planet earth, so grab a cuppa, pop your headphones in and take a brief break to the sounds of this issue, featuring some more tangential delights, and songs from Cocteau Twins, Taylor Swift, Mariza, The View, Bikini Kill and many more . . .

Scan and listen as you read:

Fit bits

IAN

the festival archive

In this blast from the past, we've landed in 1996 when a rather seedy cover led us into week two of festival madness

In our Film Festival coverage, Steve Buscemi wrote, directed and starred in Trees Lounge and we interviewed a then 19-year-old Liv Tyler for her appearance in Stealing Beauty In comedy, Bill Bailey was on the cusp of stardom, while we named Dylan Moran a strong contender for that year's divisive Perrier Award; pretty Nostradamus-like behaviour on our part given that he actually won the thing. In Moran’s acceptance speech, he declared that the shortlisted Bailey should have won. A few short years later they were on TV together in Black Books. Lovely stuff.

 Head to archive.list.co.uk to read our past issues.

I shout a lot in my stand-up and after the first week I’m already losing my voice. I’ve tried everything from drinking honey, lemon and ginger, to the time I lived in a leisure centre steam room for the entirety of 2018’s Fringe. Someone told me I should shout from my stomach instead of my throat, but I refuse to believe it’s possible to change which body part my voice comes from. Maybe this year I’ll do the show from my kneecaps? How do death-metal singers scream every night with no problems? Why can fire-breathers double up with a day job at a call centre with no consequences? Basically, is there any way I can make my voice invincible?

ED

You say you’ve tried drinking honey, lemon and ginger, but was it fresh enough? Processed foods too often get in the way of natural ingredients, and it’s drinking fresh that counts. Did you scrape the honey from a beehive and glug like Winnie The Pooh? Did you pluck the lemon fresh from a lemon tree, tear it open with your teeth and squirt in a few drops? And ginger: when was the last time you went for a pint with a red-haired friend? If you do lose your voice, ask a death-metal ventriloquist to join you on stage and you’ll win every award going.

 Ian Smith: Crushing, Monkey Barrel The Tron, until 27 August, 1.35pm; Ed Patrick: Catch Your Breath, The Stand’s New Town Theatre, 10–27 August, 3.10pm (25 August, 1.30pm).

The Fringe’s first big weekend has taken down many an unsuspecting victim across the years. For stand-up Ian Smith, the primary concern and nightmare scenario is losing his voice. Mirthinducing medic Ed Patrick is here to deliver some beneficial bon mots for our fretting funnyman

WONDERWOMEN

The Fringe, friendship and fangirling over Taylor Swift: all this and more gets an airing as comic buddies Megan Stalter and Catherine Cohen set the world to rights. Megan Merino goes along for the ride

In the infamously insincere world of showbiz, genuine friendships can be hard to come by. But against all odds, American comedy starlets Catherine Cohen and Megan Stalter have managed to cultivate just that. Having first met through the interconnected worlds of the Chicago and New York comedy scenes, Stalter and Cohen were immediately drawn to each other’s unique styles of performance and have since navigated their careers side by side, albeit from opposite coasts (Stalter is currently based in Los Angeles while Cohen remains in New York).

Cohen has made the pilgrimage to Edinburgh several times before, even taking home the 2019 Best Newcomer award for her debut show The Twist . . . ? She’s Gorgeous, now a special on Netflix. But Stalter, known for creating acutely observed character sketches online, as well as playing Kayla in HBO series Hacks, makes her highly anticipated debut this year.

In this conversation, the comics reveal their pre-show rituals and reminisce about meeting for the first time,

while Cohen imparts wisdom on the chaos of Fringe runs. But first, following a serendipitous meeting at The Eras Tour a few days earlier, Taylor Swift was on the brain . . .

Megan Stalter: So I went to see the show in Colorado because our friends MUNA were opening for Taylor there, so got us tickets.

Catherine Cohen: And I was on vacation with my family so I said ‘hey, I’m in Colorado, you freak!’ and made you add me on Find My Friends and followed you around. We are both big fans. I felt so weird that Taylor didn’t ask me to open . . .

MS: Don’t you wonder when you see any show, ‘why am I not allowed to go up and shake my thing for a second?’ Do you think if she knew who we were she would let us go up and do like ten minutes?

CC: Totally. Alas we were just in the crowd. It was such an intense experience, like my whole body was sore for the next two days from standing and crying.

MS: Did you cry during the concert?

CC: I did. I didn’t expect to but during the ten-minute ‘All Too Well’, hearing the crowd scream the lyrics . . . anyone whose heart has been broken was like, ‘yes Taylor, that's me!’ Great art makes you feel less alone and like you’re not crazy. Like the feelings you have, even if they’re bad, will pass and are part of the human experience.

MS: That gave me chills down my spine. It’s fun to see adults just being like, let’s forget about work for the night.

CC: One million percent. I hope that in her 40s she cares about me and has the nerve to invite me on stage. But yes, it’s fun to see adults on their nights off and hopefully that’s what we’ll see a lot of during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 . . .

MS: I’ve always wanted to go! I think you’re one of the first people that introduced me to it. I love the idea of a ‘run of a show’ where things change every night; it’s so exciting.

CC: It's my favourite thing in the world. You’re so focused and the show gets better every day, with ideas that you would never think of if you were just living your life. By the end of the Fringe run, I feel like a superhero. I haven’t seen your show in a while. Is it a lot of audience stuff? Or what do you have planned?

MS: It’s one character, or more of a persona I’d say. A woman who wants to be famous but shouldn’t be. But there is still a lot of audience stuff. You know I love to be a brat and a sassy girl . . .

CC: It’s my favourite thing in the world. Will you do your scary dance?

MS: If you’re watching the show, I have to. I haven’t done it in so long!

CC: Years ago we were in Chicago and Meg was like, ‘this next bit is my dance that’s a little bit scary’ and then she does her scary dance.

MS: It’s actually pretty scary.

CC: Good art does scare you. It should make you uncomfortable.

PICTURE: ZACK DEZON

MS: I do feel like people from the UK are so smart and they like weird stuff so maybe I’ll do it. Wait, you also have a show that I haven’t seen yet!

CC: Yes, ma’am. Last year I did a work-in-progress and this is what it’s turned into. I got to tour it in the UK earlier this year and I just did it at Joe’s Pub in New York for a month which was so fun. What do you do to prep for a show? I’m very diva.

MS: I definitely need most of the day free so I have time to go print things off (I always have weird props to get ready) but I think the trickiest thing is eating. I can never figure it out.

CC: I think about this all the time. It’s the Goldilocks of being alive: not hungry, not full. It’s impossible. Are you obsessed with sleep? Are you a good bedtime girl or night-owl naughty?

MS: I’m night-owl naughty that’s trying to be more good bedtime girl.

CC: If I don’t get enough sleep I’ll feel it in my singing voice! The emotional, mental and physical energy that it requires to do a Fringe run, it’s like you have to be so cocoon.

MS: I do want to party, but I shouldn’t stay up too late, you’re right. I should be good.

CC: No, be a night-owl naughty! I’m just curious about an artist’s process.

Megan Merino: Now you are both doing more TV and film, does that tempt you away from live performance?

MS: I always wanted to act when I was little, but I will say that I’ll never stop performing live, there’s nothing like it. You're not going to disappoint anyone if the show’s bad because it’s your show. And it’s the connection with the audience you just don’t feel anywhere else. I’m so addicted to it.

CC: I feel the same. I’ll absolutely never stop doing it. It’s my favourite thing. Doing both is obviously heaven on earth, but growing up as a theatre kid, live is my bread and butt.

MM: Do you remember how you met?

CC: I’ll never forget. I had just started my show at Club Cumming and our mutual friend Sarah Sherman was doing the show and she’s like, ‘can my friend Meg from Chicago do the show? I promise she’s funny.’ Then Meg did a set and I was dying, losing it, I’d never seen anyone like her. Meg told one of the audience members

to ‘frog on over towards her’ which I'll never forget. Afterwards we went to a diner and I felt so lucky to be around all these fascinating, hilarious people. I’ve always had great friends but not necessarily ones that I’ve looked up to creatively. And the rest is history, wouldn’t you say?

MS: The rest was history! I was so excited to do your show. It was literally my favourite moment on that first New York trip. When I first met you, I thought you were the funniest, most beautiful star I’d ever seen.

CC: It’s so fun when you think someone’s funny but then you talk to them and you actually really connect. My life’s been sort of punctuated by meeting very funny women who make me feel like I’m floating.

MS: I will say that Cat and Sarah have always been on my list of the world’s funniest people.

CC: It’s been a rollercoaster (picture me smoking a cigarette) and it’s just the beginning. It’s just the beginning, baby.

MM: What’s the ultimate dream?

CC: Meg and I star in a movie about two girls with everything to gain and nothing to lose.

MS: If I were to do a movie with you, you’d have to take me to the hospital and revive me and I’d go, ‘honey, I died and went to heaven after I heard the news’ . . . It’s gonna be a road trip movie.

CC: And it’s gonna be in a car sans top.

An Evening Of Mayhem With Megan Stalter, Gilded Balloon Teviot, 12–27 August, 8.30pm; Catherine Cohen: Come For Me, Pleasance Courtyard, 14–27 August, 10.30pm.

A show without words comes to the International Festival for a story that tackles climate change head on. Performer and writer-director Sandrine

Heyraud tells Gareth K Vile that theatre is the perfect medium for debating and dreaming

Coming from Belgium’s celebrated Focus and Chaliwaté companies, Dimanche not only combines mime and puppetry, but promises to be a masterclass in theatrical possibilities. Without using words, the production develops a unique visual language, delving into a broken and apocalyptic world. Yet the seriousness of this theme is balanced by their inspirations.

‘Dimanche plays on comedy within tragedy in line with Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton,’ says Sandrine Heyraud, one of three performers, writers and directors. ‘We use humour to speak about the human condition, highlighting our vulnerability. We are very influenced by these silent clowns.’

Like these familiar entertainers, Focus and Chaliwaté have discovered a way to tackle issues through a provocative artistry. ‘The starting point was an observation of the gap between our awareness of the need to act as we face climate change and our incapacity to translate this consciousness in our daily routines and lives,’ Heyraud continues. ‘This gap led us to see many surrealistic situations combining comedy and tragedy. Humour brings an emotional distance that can be very powerful. It gives us another reading and understanding of a situation.’

SUNDAY SERVICE

The respective skills of these two companies (physical theatre and puppetry) share an aesthetic that has been called ‘visual theatre’, a broad category that emphasises the theatrical power of imagery rather than the spoken or written word. At the heart of both puppetry and mime is the power of gesture, building a movement vocabulary that evokes dance choreography and visual art. The scenography of Dimanche enhances the atmosphere of disorder and chaos, within which the characters, both human and inanimate, play out their dramas.

‘Gestures are a way of creating evocative, suggestive and metaphoric images,’ Heyraud says. ‘You can play with different levels and scales, creating spaces which are both realistic and oneiric. It proposes a metaphoric and poetic language. As for marionettes, they can be very poetic and magical. But these different tools, multiple styles and medias are at the service of the story being told.’ Dimanche chronicles an emotional response to climate change through the story of three cinematographers attempting to document animals who are on the point of extinction.

In this apocalyptic world the group have sparse equipment, but their dedication is a glimmer of hope within an environment that speaks of human hopelessness.

For Heyraud, this process of artistic creation is a political action. ‘We believe that art, humour and poetry are inherently anti-power; they invite us to resistance by the singularity of their expressions.’ Live performance is key to this belief. ‘Theatre creates a moment of fellowship and of sharing. Dreaming collectively, watching something collectively. Looking at and listening to performers moving and acting in front of us brings the desire to be a community.’

And it is in this coming together, a collective awareness, that Dimanche most vividly articulates a positive message through its dark themes. ‘Theatre opens doors that give us the possibility to go somewhere else, to experience something different,’ Heyraud concludes. ‘That power triggers discussions and possibly great changes.’

Dimanche, Church Hill Theatre, 15–19 August, 7pm.

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GOOD VIBRATIONS

Gillian Cosgriff may have an awardwinning show and rave reviews on her CV, but that doesn’t stop the Aussie comic feeling nervous. She chats to Jay Richardson about accentuating the positive, celebrating small wins and rewiring her brain

GILLIAN COSGRIFF

Winner of the most outstanding show award at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, as well as the Golden Gibbo prize for pursuing artistry over commercial gain, Gillian Cosgriff marvels that nearuniversal acclaim for the uplifting Actually, Good hasn’t quelled her performing insecurities. ‘Oh, not less imposter syndrome: more! We’ve doubled it!’ the musical comic wryly observes. Only with a concerted effort from her ‘speedy, anxious little brain’ has the outwardly chipper Australian convinced herself that ‘everyone is not just being nice to me now; there’s evidence I should trust myself and keep going.’ Arriving in Edinburgh, with the tailwind of a hit hour for the first time, makes it a ‘tiny bit’ less daunting, she says. ‘But not much less so. It’s still a big deal.’

She recalls her 2016 Fringe debut. ‘I was like, “listen up self. Get $10,000. Burn it. No one’s gonna come. And if they come by accident, they’ll hate it.” I beat myself down to a very low level. However, it was an unseasonably warm year and I had quite a nice time.’ The next year, Cosgriff had a more typical Edinburgh experience. ‘More challenging and soul-destroying in all the ways that it can be,’ she grins. ‘We talk about it a lot on the Australian scene. It’s such a big journey for us, geographically if nothing else. The only thing you know is that it’s going to make you better. Rather than thinking about my soul and my art . . . well, calling it boot camp is too aggressive. It’s a heightened training environment.’

Tentatively approaching comedy again for the first time in five years, following a lockdown-prolonged spell in the stage show Harry Potter And The Cursed Child (playing the phantom Moaning Myrtle and villainous lead Delphini), Cosgriff had passed a wretched, rain-soaked holiday with her partner in which they invented a game listing ten things

they liked and loved. Having started to ask mates for their own top ten lists and putting them in her phone with some other ideas, she sat down with a friend in November to try to figure out what her stand-up return might be.

Cosgriff recalls the conversation: ‘“A lot of this is a big fear salad,” she said, “you’re very afraid of things.” But as I’d asked her for her ten likes the day before, she explained that I’m also a very positive person who picks things up and goes, “look at this! Isn’t this amazing?” She was like, “that’s your show!”’

Having long performed improv as a sideline, Cosgriff also began chatting to audience members during her show, then writing a song for them. ‘I enjoyed that rapport,’ she explains. So it felt natural to ask crowds for their little loves, building an inclusive feeling to Actually, Good while keeping it fresh for her night after night.

‘It is remarkable what people will tell you when you have a microphone,’ she laughs. ‘I’ve been very fortunate in how generous they’ve been with their suggestions. And it’s a gift; you can do so many callbacks. You still don’t quite know where it’s going to go though, so it’s still a little terrifying and beautiful in that respect.’

She shows me the chunky, rather ornate book in which she now records the lists that she’s given, looking (appropriately enough for Edinburgh) worthy of a spell-casting boy wizard. Speaking of which, Cosgriff spent much of lockdown absorbing storytelling virtuosos Daniel Kitson and James Acaster. And from 2020 she had the ‘absolute privilege’ to direct Michelle Brasier’s show Average Bear, studying how these music-loving acts structured their shows, the threads that would ultimately ‘tie together into a bow’. It might be expected, then, that she’d deploy her songs as ‘building blocks’

for her hour; instead, they serve as ‘underscore’. Currently developing a musical, The Fig Tree (named after the metaphor of choice in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar), she cites Australian singer-songwriter-comedians-turned-stage showrunners Tim Minchin and Eddie Perfect as her career templates. ‘I’ve always wanted my shows to feel like you’ve come to my house for a dinner party,’ she explains. ‘We’ve eaten everything, we’re having the last bottle of wine or whisky, I’m sat at the piano, noodling, and we’re all just having a chat, rather than a big production spectacular.’

But Cosgriff isn’t always comfortable sharing her opinions. ‘I feel like I’m always trying to figure something out,’ she reflects. ‘I treat my mental health like I’m a detective when something bad sets me off.’ However, by crowdsourcing the tiny delights of others, ‘I get this beautiful experience where I remember them all,’ she explains. ‘The other day I was driving in the rain and went under a bridge. And you know how it’s quiet for a second? I was like, “ah, my dad. Number six.”’

In fact, she’s essentially rewired herself cerebrally. ‘Evolutionarily, we’re made to look for threats because it’s helpful to your monkey brain to stay alive,’ she suggests. ‘But as a comedian, you’re constantly poking the world to see what falls out. Is this a joke? What if I turn it this way? Or say it three times? Because of this show, I’m poking the world for good stuff. I came home from tour the other day and happily thought about having a whole row to yourself on a plane. Or walking briskly on a travelator.’

When a friend’s boyfriend recently suggested ‘skies that look like Renaissance paintings’ in his top ten list, Cosgriff judged him worthy of her. ‘I’ve weaponised my anxiety so that it doesn’t just remind me of every embarrassing thing I’ve ever said, but also every nice thing anyone around me has ever said. It’s lovely.’

Gillian Cosgriff: Actually, Good, Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 8.20pm.

THINK PINK

Trying to save the planet may seem a pretty daunting goal. But author and activist Mikaela Loach tells Claire Sawers she wants to take the fear out of climate justice and make the fight for our future joyful and accessible

It’s the cinema release day for Barbie when Mikaela Loach and I chat. Sitting in a park, the climate justice activist (and longstanding lover of the colour pink) is explaining how gutted she was when, for ethical reasons, she had to take down her Instagram stories about the film’s premiere. She’d been gleefully riding the wave of hype surrounding the film, posing in glorious bubblegum, magenta and raspberry outfits at Barbie promotional events, when she realised last night that this was considered scabbing behaviour by SAG-AFTRA strikers.

‘I mean, this was my moment!’, she jokes, with faux indignation, referring to the missed opportunity with her ready-made pink wardrobe; all responsibly sourced second-hand on Depop and Vinted, obviously. But Loach’s work is nothing if not intersectional, and striving for green justice will always be entangled with fighting against the patriarchy and white supremacy. Her vision for global transformation cannot be achieved without addressing systemic inequalities around race, gender and wealth. So although she was trying to leverage the Barbie trend to bring attention to climate activism, the conflict with workers rights was never going to sit right with her.

‘The way I present myself helps people engage with climate justice,’ says the 25-year-old author of It’s Not That Radical, her supremely well researched, compelling, often horrifying but doggedly joyful call to action about saving the planet. ‘I believe strongly in making [climate justice] accessible, not overly academic or off-putting. People already feel anxious and overwhelmed by what they see as an insurmountable problem. The Barbie thing seemed a good platform to reach new audiences, until I realised the dilemma with strikers and knew I couldn’t compromise on it.’

Surely, as someone passionately devoted to combating not just climate change, but also its links to poverty, sexism and migrant rights abuses, among other burning issues, she must find that social justice dilemmas

present themselves on a daily basis? ‘I’m hugely far from perfect. But perfectionism is restrictive. I am perhaps too hard on myself sometimes, but I also take the perspective that you can’t wait to be totally perfect before you start to organise and campaign.’

Loach explains that sometimes she can’t go to five separate small shops and instead she has to go to one supermarket instead. ‘But that’s because I’m doing a thousand things and I need to focus my time on campaigning. In my book, I go into detail about how that individual guilt can actually be totally immobilising. And that individualisation of responsibility really needs challenged. Yes, behaviour change from individuals is important, but also big corporations and the ruling classes really should be taking the brunt of the responsibility.’

Some of the most powerful passages in her book level the blame for climate change squarely with those politicians and businesses actively supporting the fossil fuel industry and, time and again, ignoring urgent calls for change, while simultaneously crushing those already living on the margins. But her message is not one of despair; instead she calls for collective action. Loach believes that the solutions lie in community building and a stance of hope, not despondency.

Loach used to live in Leith while studying medicine at the University Of Edinburgh, and during that time helped co-found Climate Camp Scotland, who in July protested outside Scotland’s biggest polluter, the INEOS oil refinery in Grangemouth. She then moved back to Jamaica, where she was born, before relocating to Brighton at the end of last year. Her work has taken her to COP27 in Egypt, where all activists were kept under constant surveillance, something she fears could happen in the UK soon too. She has locked on for eight-hour stretches in Extinction Rebellion protests in London and taken the government to court

over North Sea oil pollution. When billionaire Bill Gates and his Gates Foundation invited her to their convention in New York, Loach spoke of the need to abolish billionaires and gave her fee to Indigenous land defenders in Mexico.

Comparisons with Greta Thunberg have been made, which Loach has mixed feelings about. ‘I think that happens to lots of women in the climate movement and everyone is kind of over it!’ she laughs. ‘I think Greta is pretty over it too. The movement is much more expansive than that.’ Loach’s network of collaborators and allies is wide reaching and growing; her passions are deepening and strengthening, but she recognises the importance of self-care too.

‘There are times when I feel hopeless, like when they passed the new UK refugee bill and my blood ran cold. But I never allow myself to sit in that hopelessness for long. Even after unsuccessful campaigns, we must remember we are building power and we have to keep going.’ There have been several points where Loach has felt exhausted by her activism, particularly in 2021, after attending COP26 in Glasgow and opposing the UK government in the High Court.

‘By January 2022 I was burnt out badly. I didn’t have any space as a person to find joy. Now I’m really intentional about my boundaries. I need evenings off sometimes to watch Drag Race It’s essential for me as an individual but also for climate justice in general; we can’t compete for who is the most burnt out if we want the movement to still exist in ten years’ time.’

When Loach returns to Edinburgh for her appearance at the Book Festival, she’s looking forward to walking in Holyrood Park and revisiting FacePlant on Duke Street, where she’s already excited about eating one of their vegan mac and cheese toasties. ‘There’s this unhinged musical parody of Twilight that I really want to see too, I can’t wait for that one. I need time to not be a serious person!’

Mikaela Loach, Edinburgh College Of Art, 12 August, 7pm.

MIKAELA LOACH

THE RITE OF SPRING

spotlight CANADA en vedette

The High Commission of Canada in the UK celebrates all the Canadian talent on show across Edinburgh this August.

For details of the amazing Canadian work to see this year – follow the QR code to check out the online listings.

WORLDS APART

Javaad Alipoor’s latest play probes the links between real life and internet culture through a lens of pop music, political assassination and true-crime podcasts. The artist and writer tells Neil Cooper we need to arm ourselves with the best knowledge possible to navigate modern society

According to Wikipedia, Fereydoun Farrokhzad was an Iranian pop sensation who, between 1962 and 1992, became a household name in his home country. His life as a TV star, showman and sex symbol saw him sell out multiple shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

As a political activist not shy of speaking out against the Islamic government in Iran following the 1979 revolution, Farrokhzad was forced into exile, and latterly lived in Bonn, Germany. It was here his body was found in his apartment in 1992, having been stabbed repeatedly in the face and upper torso. While his killing was widely believed by many to have been sanctioned by the Iranian government, his murder has never been solved.

This is the starting point for Things Hidden Since The Foundation Of The World, Javaad Alipoor’s latest exploration of the relationship between real life and the digital world. Jumping down assorted online rabbit holes, Alipoor takes in Iranian pop music and the murder-mystery podcast boom in a show one reviewer has likened to ‘the Wikification of the human psyche’.

‘Part of the show is about pop music and pop culture,’ Alipoor explains. ‘There’s a lot of music in it, with video and images of this incredible kind of psychedelic period of the Middle East in the 70s, when the music from that period was amazing. At the same time, it’s also about this really contemporary, really difficult political stuff.’

In this way, the play demonstrates the power of pop music in terms of artists speaking out against forces of oppression, as well as the dangers inherent in taking a stand in such regimes.

‘If it was the Iranian regime that killed Farrokhzad, that’s not a story of the past,’ Alipoor argues. ‘That’s the story of the beginning of now. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, if you fled a dictatorship and you came to the democratic countries of the West, you had safety there. But actually, from the 1990s onwards, that’s got worse and worse. If you’re fleeing Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Nigeria, China, their arm will still get you. We know about the network of secret police stations that the Chinese Communist Party were running in the UK, and there are currently 15 Iranian journalists and artists in this country who have credible threats

to their lives, according to the Metropolitan Police. All of that is probably at the heart of the show.’

Written with Chris Thorpe, and presented by Alipoor’s own company, Things Hidden Since The Foundation Of The World is the final part of a trilogy exploring the interactions between technology and society. Alipoor began this with The Believers Are But Brothers, a hi-tech look at the crisis of masculinity through a lens of online fantasy and violence. Alipoor’s followup show, Rich Kids: A History Of Shopping Malls In Tehran, looked at entitlement and consumption in a world where digital technology becomes complicit in social apartheid and gentrification while it promises a world of online aspiration and glamour. Things Hidden takes things further.

‘The show is also about internet culture and how we behave on the internet,’ says Alipoor. ‘What this story allows us to do is have a lot of fun with the way we investigate stuff on the internet. Because if you hear about a story like what happened to Fereydoun Farrokhzad, there are two ways that you immediately think about how to investigate it on the internet. One is through Wikipedia, and the other is murder-mystery podcasts which are so ubiquitous these days and which we have fun sending up.’

With so many elements feeding into this show, how would Alipoor describe it to any random festival surfers who might stumble upon it online? ‘I would say it is quite a surreal and fun show, because it’s a deep dive like the internet can be. One of the things the internet has done, and connectivity has done, and globalisation has done, is left us all a bit dizzy as we look for an answer and someone to tell us how to think.’

But Alipoor insists that when he talks about the show, and the places relevant to it like Iran, China and Ukraine, there’s an empowering note. ‘It’s about going, “we’re all connected to these places all the time, and it’s up to us to find a way of arming ourselves with the best knowledge and the best understanding possible.” The days of someone being able to tell you what’s right and wrong about it are so gone.’

Things Hidden Since The Foundation Of The World, Traverse Theatre, 15–27 August, times vary.

JAVAAD ALIPOOR

PICTURE: CHRIS PAYNE

JOHNNIE WALKER PRINCES STREET

Johnnie Walker Princes Street Edinburgh offers exciting adventures in an unbeatable location for whisky connoisseurs and novices alike. A winner of the Icons of Whisky award for World Visitor Attraction of the Year 2023, there is so much to discover at this five-star destination this summer.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Once again, Johnnie Walker Princes Street proudly takes its position as the Official Partner Destination of The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023, providing locals and tourists with an ideal location to enjoy incredible stories and immersive experiences and tastings.

Positioned conveniently near many Edinburgh Fringe venues, it really is an essential stop on any Fringe itinerary for fun, food, or whisky.

Journey of Flavour

If you are new to whisky, the popular Journey of flavour experience is your best bet, because your 3 whisky drinks will be tailored to your flavour preferences. In a 90 minute extravaganza, you’ll dive deeper into the world of whisky flavours and enjoy an immersive storytelling that brings the iconic Johnnie Walker brand to life.

STIR

Food lovers and whisky fans won’t want to miss STIR, an innovative cocktail and small bites concept at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, in collaboration with Michelinstarred team James & Maria Close from Raby Hunt.

From Wednesdays to Fridays, indulge in exclusive dishes, flawlessly paired with meticulously crafted cocktails by Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s Head Bartender, Miran Chauhan.

Playbill, the monthly theatre magazine distributed across America known internationally as a symbol of the arts, is thrilled to bring you the Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition–a sustainable and modern cruise ship–as the inaugural Playbill FringeShip for the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The beautiful and recently renovated ship will be the official ‘Floatel’ by the Fringe, docked in the buzzing port district of Leith. Playbill FringeShip will have direct transportation to and from the festival, as well as bringing the life and vibrancy of Edinburgh Festival Fringe on board.

Along with ultra-comfortable lodging in an array of accommodations on board, all guests of the Playbill FringeShip will enjoy a number of amenities on and off the ship, including:

• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day in our many restaurants and lounges, paired with a drink package of your choice

• Exciting Fringe entertainment within the FringeShip’s state-of-the-art theatre and cabaret lounge, for onboard guests only

• Access to roundtrip coach service from Leith to the centre of Edinburgh

• Wellness centre, gym, two swimming pools, and a top deck open-air lounge with a pizza parlour

Make your stay at Fringe easy and comfortable–join us on the Playbill FringeShip!

Prices starting at £179 per day, per person!

PLATFORM

The Art Festival’s showcase of Scotlandbased artists at the beginning of their careers continues for its ninth year. The work of Aqsa Arif, Crystal Bennes (pictured), Rudy Kanhye, and Richard Maguire will tackle an array of subjects including race, climate change, food justice and cultural identity in Scotland. Pop into this Gothic church off the Royal Mile and glimpse into the future of Scottish art. (Brian Donaldson) n Trinity Apse, 11–27 August.

Walls soundof

Annea Lockwood’s eerie, droning soundtrack is a highlight of the opera-film History Of The Present. Now in her ninth decade, this legend of improvised music and sound-art created the work by ‘playing the Peace Lines’, as she described it prior to an earlier screening of the film in Belfast. By attaching geophones to the huge, corrugated metal barriers that divide up communities across writer Maria Fusco’s home city of Belfast, the composer and field recordist was able to eke strange, unearthly swellings of vibrations from the walls, which remain potent symbols of division and trauma for many Belfast residents.

Born in New Zealand in 1939, Lockwood moved to England in 1961 to study at the Royal College Of Music, with summers spent in Darmstadt, Germany, then a hub of experimental classical composition. Inspired by figures such as Pauline Oliveros and John Cage, her early work extended ideas around experimental performance. For her iconic Glass Concert of 1968, Lockwood and her partner struck and smashed a range of glass objects and hangings in front of a live audience, periodically performing in total darkness.

She has also long been drawn to environmental recording, tapping into the hidden sound-worlds of natural objects and environments. Working on a film tracing the emotional impacts

of the Northern Irish troubles presented a very different set of possibilities, obliging Lockwood to think about the sound-worlds of objects and environments much more impacted by (and symbolically connected to) human activity.

‘One of my first questions to Maria when I came on board was, “when the wind blows, do the Peace Lines make sounds?”’ says Lockwood. Fusco replied that they were ‘too massive’ to move in this way. However, working with experts from Belfast’s Sonic Arts Research Centre, Lockwood was able to use geophones (devices that convert ground movement into voltage) to create collages of yawning, heavy, low-frequency noise. ‘We were actually able to learn how to play the walls,’ she recalls. ‘It felt like learning how to play an instrument. And they made extraordinary sounds, just from the slightest movement on the surface.’

History Of The Present is centrally concerned with ideas of repressed or deferred speech. Suitably enough, much of Lockwood’s composition has the quality of thwarted or stilted vocal communication, as if a human voice had been trapped within the Peace Lines. For visitors to the Edinburgh Art Festival performance screening of this film, the prospect of live improvisation from percussionist Angela Wai Nok Hui promises a still more intriguing and immersive experience.

History Of The Present, Queen’s Hall, 11 August, 8pm.

By attaching devices to the physical barriers which still form a sectarian divide across Belfast, Annea Lockwood has created a compelling soundscape for opera-film History Of The Present. This sound-art icon tells Greg Thomas how she learned to play the controversial Peace Lines like an instrument

LAWRENCE ABU HAMDAN 45TH PARALLEL llll l

The Haskell Free Library And Opera House is a ‘400-square-metre anomaly’. So says DanishPalestinian filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel, narrator of Lawrence Abu Hamdan’s 45th Parallel. This 15-minute film takes the form of a four-act monologue, in which Fleifel (wandering between shelves, orating in the auditorium) recounts some strange events that have unfolded within the Haskell as a result of its straddling the Canadian-US border.

Citizens of both countries can enter the library through the same door, but must return to their own jurisdiction afterwards; a tiny wrinkle within the USA’s ever-more authoritarian border policies. Inside, a boundary guarded elsewhere with guns and sniffer dogs takes the form of a strip of black tape on the floor, across which readers can amble back and forth. A few years ago, a gun-smuggling operation was foiled by librarians. More recently, families separated by Trump’s anti-Muslim travel ban used the space as a meeting point. This microscopic zone of interstate porosity provides a typically rich seam for Abu Hamdan to explore through his forensic, investigative art. In this case, much is made of the related story of a Mexican teen killed by a US border patrol agent firing across the country’s other, more contested borderline. Gripping, smart and nuanced, the Turner Prize winner’s first solo show in Scotland is a must-see. (Greg Thomas)

n Talbot Rice Gallery, until 30 September.

GROUP SHOW THE SOUNDS OF DEEP FAKE llll l

Finding your voice isn’t easy in the AI age. As the title of this state-of-the-art show implies, however, all that glitters is not necessarily authentic. Everest Pipkin’s ‘Shell Song’ is a push-button recorded monologue that takes in face blindness, talking books and a personal history of the recorded voice. The Unit Test collective’s Samuel Beckett-referencing ‘Not I’ is a film-based show and tells of Speech2Face, a newfangled construction that attempts to generate an image of a speaker’s face based on their recorded voice.

‘Whose Voice Is It?’ finds Holly Herndon, Never Before Heard Sounds and Rachel Maclean compiling a jukebox of machine-age bangers generated by Herndon’s digital twin, Holly+, which puts voice cloning at its mechanical heart. Best of all is ‘All The Boys Ate Fish’, Theodore Koterwas’ interactive installation that records and cuts up the voices of those speaking in front of it before playing back what it hears through underfloor speakers: the future has started to sound a lot more fun. (Neil Cooper) n Inspace, until 28 August.

CHRISTIAN NOELLE CHARLES WHAT A FEELING! | ACT 1 llll l

Edinburgh Printmakers’ ground-floor gallery has been transformed into a hot-pink salon which feels alive and vibrant, even if you’re the only visitor occupying this space. There’s no awkward small talk inside the salon, as infectious laughter and thoughtful affirmations among friends pull you into Christian Noelle Charles’ solo show.

The Glasgow-based artist, whose practice accentuates the value of self-love and self-worth as a Black woman, has immortalised five friends who are also practising artists in a new series of kaleidoscopic screen prints. These portraits celebrate a collective of Black women artists performing the act of getting ready. To enhance the portraits through movement, two TV screens play videos in which the cohort take turns to moisturise, wash and touch their faces and hair. In a culture where Audre Lorde’s pioneering philosophy for self-care has been buried under suffocating levels of commodification, these peaceful and political videos are soulnourishing to watch.

Keeping you company as you move around this exhibition, the recorded interviews which comprise a dynamic soundscape are perhaps the most compelling component. Punctuating the viewing experience with warmth, and imbuing the art with political significance, this soundscape reaffirms self-care as ‘an act of political warfare’ (in the words of Lorde). When Noelle Charles asks collaborator Cass Ezeji about her self-care routine, she responds by sharing an experience of not being able to access her own bathroom for several months due to mould and damp. Addressing such living conditions as a consequence of governmental neglect, Ezeji rejoins the roots of self-care with Black feminism. (Rachel Ashenden) n Edinburgh Printmakers, until 17 September.

PICTURE: ALAN DIMMICK

HAVEN FOR ARTISTS X ARRAY COLLECTIVE

Beirut’s cultural feminist group come together with the Belfast-based collective who won the Turner Prize in 2021, for a conversation about nding support internationally with like-souled art practitioners.

 National Galleries Of Scotland: National, 12 August, 2pm.

HAEIN KIM

Out on Ferry Road is a new exhibition from this Australiabased artist whose seemingly playful and vividly colourful work masks questions about fear and anxiety.

 Sierra Metro, 13–27 August.

ALBERTA WHITTLE: THE LAST BORN

An addition to Whittle’s blockbuster exhibition at Modern One, this live performance will re-enact some scenes from her lm Lagareh: The Last Born How can acts of resistance be represented through conceptual storytelling?

 Parliament Hall, 13 August, 7pm.

SEAN BURNS

Filmed by this artist/writer/publishing imprint co-founder, Dorothy Towers examines the residential blocks in 1970s Birmingham which became a haven for the city’s LGBTQ+ community.

 French Institute, 11–27 August.

TAREK LAKHRISSI

In I wear my wounds on my tongue (II), this French artist and poet dips into desire, language and queerness with an installation inspired by the late performance artist Justin Chin.

 Collective, until 1 October.

PORTRAIT

While Christian Noelle Charles will be eating up most attention at this gallery, Portrait is far from a sideshow with work by Rachel Maclean, Adrian Wiszniewski and Moyna Flannigan (pictured) all featured here.

 Edinburgh Printmakers, until 17 September.

GABECARE

Taking in locations such as Leith Library and WHALE Arts, this literal travelling gallery hosts a new exhibition from the project co-run by Rachel Adams and Tessa Lynch which explores the chaos of 21st-century home living.

 Travelling Gallery, 14–16, 18 August.

PICTURE: ALESSIA CARGNELLI

PICTURE: MATTHEW A WILLIAMS

PICTURE: EOIN CAREY

BEVVIN’ WITH BUCHAN, MONKEY SHOULDER’S BRAND AMBASSADOR

MONKEY SHOULDER’S Jody Buchan SHARES HIS KNOWLEDGE OF SCOTLAND’S FINEST WATERING HOLES, SO YOU’LL NEVER BE SHORT OF A PLACE TO GRAB A DRAM

As brand ambassador for Monkey Shoulder, the 100% malt whisky that’s made for mixing, it’s my job to shout about our nation’s spirit. It’s a position that takes me all over the UK and, since 2020, I’ve noticed a huge change in the landscape. Many venues failed to reopen after lockdown, others cut their hours and an estimated 10% of remaining hospitality sites are facing closure.

To show my support, I recently hopped on the Monkey Shoulder motorbike and toured Scotland on my Random Adventure To Interview Local Legends (aka Speed RAILL), to visit some of the best bars I know, talk to some of the finest bartenders you’ll ever meet and

letting them show off their favourite cocktails. Not only can you read about my encounters here, you can check them out on my YouTube channel ‘SpeedRAILL’ or on my Instagram @_the_moto_monkey.

In these articles, I’ll point you towards some of my favourite hangouts across Scotland. This month’s edition is all about which bars you should peruse during the Edinburgh festival. Keep your eyes peeled for my next round of recommendations in future issues and scan the QR code for videos of venues and more across Scotland.

Dizzy Izzy’s @dizzyizzysedinburgh

Newly opened in July, Dizzy Izzy’s is an indie venue from Shandy Martin, the person behind 4042 on Grindlay Street. Dizzy has live music, fantastic drinks and amazing smash burgers with the aim of bringing the true spirit of hospitality to people. Situated on Bristo Place and open until 3am throughout August, this is a venue you’ll want to hit while taking a break between shows.

Satyr @satyr_edinburgh

The genius duo behind Wildcat bring you Satyr, a cocktail-led bar on Leith Walk, just far enough away from the whirl and rush of the city centre to be a safe- haven. With the trams now operating, there’s every reason to visit this delicious new addition to the Edinburgh cocktail scene. Charcuterie and cocktails for the win.

Lucky Liquor @luckyliquorco

The sister bar to Bramble and The Last Word, Lucky Liquor is a firm favourite in Edinburgh among bartenders and bon vivants alike. It only stocks 13 spirits at a time, for a menu of 13 drinks and these all change every 13 weeks. If you’re triskaidekaphobic (fear of the number 13) this one ain’t for you. If you’re a fan of great drinks, neighbourhood welcomes, hot dogs and pool tables, this is the place to be. Also open until 3am throughout August.

Nauticus @nauticusbar

A local with a twist, showcasing all Scottish products (where possible) on the menu, from beers to cocktails. Sister to Panda & Sons and Hoot The Redeemer, this is a place to go with a group to let your hair down after a long day of shows. Whether you want a well-made cocktail, a delicious local beer or a dram of Monkey Shoulder, it’s a great place to start or finish your day at the festival.

drinkaware.co.uk for the facts

BEN OKRI

The 1991 Booker winner for The Famished Road returns to Edinburgh for a discussion on that most topical of subjects (and something the Book Festival might be smarting over right now), environmental activism. His latest publication, Tiger Work, comprises stories, poems and essays revolving around climate change as he makes a passionate plea for something to shift. Not sensing too much hope in the future, Okri writes of nothing less than humanity’s ‘suicidal relationship with the earth’. (Brian Donaldson) n Edinburgh College Of Art, 13 August, 11.45am.

Campaigner Gina Martin believes meaningful discussions on thorny social justice issues have never been more important. She tells Rachel Ashenden how her latest book aims to change the conversation in the face of increasing polarisation

Listen up A

t the age of 26, Gina Martin’s activism career ignited as she spearheaded the successful campaign which criminalised upskirting. Her latest book, No Offence, But . . . , was written for her 21-year-old self in mind, a 21-year-old self who felt less equipped to respond to what she calls ‘conversation stoppers’: antagonistic phrases which are typically put forward by people from ‘dominant groups’. Ranging from ‘I don’t see colour’ to ‘men aren’t doing anything to help feminism’, there are 20 conversation stoppers explored in the book by expert essayists.

As Martin explains, these commonly heard phrases are ‘often the most annoying or frustrating’ but were purposefully chosen to equip readers with memorable prompts for when conversations derail into uncomfortable territory. ‘If I went to dinner with a biologist, I’m not gonna start arguing about biology,’ laughs Martin, when I bring up my own humiliating memory of conversing with a ‘devil’s advocate’ (read: date who doesn’t believe in the gender pay gap) and losing terribly. ‘People try to purposely rile us up’, says Martin. Importantly though, the premise of her educational book isn’t all about winning arguments; Martin hopes that readers will feel ‘confronted and challenged’ by their own biases across the intersections of gender, race, disability and religion.

Weaving in her own experiences, No Offence, But . outlines how the upskirting campaign taught her how to use the art of diplomacy to achieve political change. Fuelled by ‘righteous anger’ and spurred on by her own experience of being repeatedly failed by policing, she recognises that this rage can ‘de-legitimise’ women. When it comes to public and persuasive speaking, Martin tries to strike a balance between her own authenticity and anger to reach a constructive outcome. Just as she herself enters a ‘calm space in [her] body’ before delivering a message, it’s this ‘comfortable confidence’ that her book seeks to enact in the reader.

The intersectional editorial approach of No Offence, But . . . underlines how Martin has moved away from the ‘white feminism’ of her early twenties. Rather than harnessing feminism for ‘selfoptimisation’, she is using an intersectional lens to prioritise the ‘work, frameworks and research of all different types of people’. Before pitching the book to publishers, she thought carefully about who should pen the essays. Resulting in a combination of campaigners and educators she has profound respect for, Martin's face lights up when she mentions that Aja Barber and Ben Hurst, two close friends of hers, also contributed to the book. No Offence, But . . . repeatedly illuminates the power Martin has found in friendships which are bound by shared experiences, particularly of genderbased violence. At Edinburgh International Book Festival, she will be joined by her friends Barber and Hurst for an event which will provide the audience with advice on how to implement constructive feminist messages in otherwise infuriating conversations. As Martin explains, she feels comfortable 'dial[ling] up' her 'righteous anger' when she's in the right company; the kind of company we can expect from this panel of speakers.

Gina Martin, Edinburgh College Of Art, 13 August, 3.15pm.

ith over 500 events to choose from, there’s something for everyone at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

This year’s Festival is a particularly exciting one, as it marks 40 years of bringing the world’s finest writers and thinkers to Edinburgh. Join us at our Festival Village in Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, as we celebrate the joy of words. Pick up a copy of our programme where we’re sure you’ll find your Book Bliss. Or book now at edbookfest.co.uk.

Top 5

Harry Baker was the youngest ever World Poetry Slam champion and is one half of Harry And Chris, ‘the nation’s favourite comedy-rap-jazz duo’. Ahead of his Book Festival appearance, the verse-loving lad took time out to select his top five performance poets

BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH

Benjamin Zephaniah was one of the first poets I remember reading as a kid, and I was captivated by the playfulness of rhythm and rhyme and language. It wasn’t until years later when I saw him at Latitude Festival that I realised he was a performance poet: of course he is! A genuine legend on the scene, I’m especially grateful to him as his Life & Rhymes series on Sky Arts was one of the only gigs I got to do to an actual audience during the pandemic (and now means I can tell people I’m BAFTA-winning!).

ZIA AHMED

If you’ve ever met Zia, chances are he is your favourite poet. A genuinely delightful human being, he manages to hold a vulnerability and poignancy on stage alongside some of the most delicious puns you’ve ever heard in your life. I don’t think I’ve ever been more in awe of the way someone writes as I have watching Zia perform.

HELEN SEYMOUR

Helen is the best thing in Kent after Owlet apple juice. One of the most thought-provoking and funniest performers I’ve ever seen, her poems stay with me for days after I’ve heard them;

even her in-between poem chat feels like a work of art. The first time we met at a gig we decided to be friends, so I can also confirm she is a valuable contributor to any WhatsApp group.

HOLLIE MCNISH

Hollie is my poetry hero. As well as her poems being fantastic and clever and funny and heartfelt, I love the way she carries herself offstage as well as on. She gave me the courage to think I could tour the country as a poet, and her book is my go-to present for anyone. I literally agreed to do a gig in Helsinki recently just because I knew it would mean we’d get a chance to hang out.

ZENA KAZEME

The first time I saw Zena perform live she took my breath away, and has done so every single time I’ve been lucky enough to share a stage with her since. She encapsulates everything I love about spoken-word poetry, managing to combine the personal with the universal and leaving the world looking like a different place to how it did at the start of her performance. n Harry Baker & Courtney Stoddart, Edinburgh College Of Art, 15 August, 2.15pm.

PROFILE

OLGA RAVN

‘I feel always that writing is like some kind of fist fight with tradition.’ Danish author Olga Ravn said those words in 2021 and continues to land a blow on storytelling norms. Ravn made her debut as a poet and has long been celebrated in Denmark for her evocative and sensory writing. It was her sci-fi novel The Employees, however, that gained the author worldwide attention after it was shortlisted for 2021’s International Booker Prize. The Employees documents interactions between human and android workers aboard a futuristic spacecraft, and is radical both for its biting critique of the capitalist workplace as well as its disconcerting experimental structure. Wholly unorthodox in her style, the word ‘novel’ is too limiting for Ravn’s concoctions of different literary forms. Her superpower is not simply an eccentricity though; underlying much of her writing is a powerful commentary on societal expectations and their influence upon identity; she consistently asks what it means to be human.

In her new novel My Work, Ravn tackles the struggles of motherhood and the perceived duty of reproduction. Drawing on her own postpartum experience, both the novel and Book Festival events promise an honest and raw conversation as audiences gain deeper insight into Ravn’s creative processes. (Jodie Griffiths Hagan)

n Olga Ravn & Camilla Grudova, 13 August, 1.45pm; Olga Ravn, 15 August, noon; both events at Edinburgh College Of Art.

PICTURE: DAN PICK

PICTURE: LAERKE POSSELT

BOOKS HIGHLIGHTS

COLSON WHITEHEAD

The Pulitzer Prize winner is in town to discuss his New York-set crime novel series which travels back to the 60s and 70s. Crook Manifesto is a depiction of that city and a portrait of survival.

n 15 August, 8.30pm.

THOMAS MORRIS

The Dublin-based Welshman is here to chat about the craft of short stories, having caused a positive stir when his own debut set, We Don’t Know What We’re Doing , was published in 2015. n 12 August, 2.30pm.

MARTIN MACINNES

Having just received a spot on the Booker longlist for In Ascension, this Inverness-born writer is likely to be riding a wave for this appearance in which he discusses humanity’s relationship with the rest of the universe.

n 12 August, 10.15am.

NADINE AISHA JASSAT

This award-winning author shows up for two events. In the first she joins Katya Balen to analyse the storytelling process, and in the latter will contribute to a debate on how authors connect with ancestral tales.

n 12 August (with Katya Balen), 2.15pm; 14 August (Scottish BPOC Writers Network event), 5.15pm.

SPROG ROCK

Day two of the Festival kicks off in raucous style as the Courtyard Stage reverberates to the sound of this band, aided and abetted by Glasgow beatboxer/actor Bigg Taj. n 13 August, 10am.

AMBROSE PARRY

Edinburgh’s Victorian underworld has been brought to very vivid life by Marisa Haetzman and Christopher Brookmyre aka Ambrose Parry, and you can expect that atmosphere to be invoked during this event.

n 14 August, 5.45pm.

ELEANOR CATTON

Bringing a fresh perspective on Shakespeare is two a penny in theatres these days, but less prominent in print. The New Zealand author bucked that trend by using the Bard as a jumpingoff point for her eco-thriller Birnam Wood

n 12 August, 6.45pm.

PICTURE:

DANIELLE WATT

PICTURE: MURDO MACLEOD

SUMMER JUST GOT TASTY

WET

Given the overarching censorious attitudes of the authorities in Edinburgh this summer, it’s probably just as well that this adults-only cabaret night was retitled by The Hairy Godmothers. What was once called Pussy is now merely Wet, but the fun still errs on the raucous side. This surreal all-female variety collective explore notions of womanhood in a society that seeks to inflict shame and guilt on those it wants to keep in place. Good luck with that when attempting to shackle this lot.

(Brian Donaldson)

n Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose, 15–27 August, 9.45pm.

CABARET

BEN HART JADOO llll l

It seems to be a rite of passage these days for magicians to cut their teeth on Britain’s Got Talent, and so Ben Hart is one of three alumni conjurers of that contest’s finals appearing at the Fringe. Hart’s latest production, however, could not be further from the loud razzmatazz of BGT. In Jadoo he takes us to the heart and homeland of some of the world’s most famous magic tricks, tracing his own Indian heritage through the country’s ancient street magic, as practiced by Jadoowallahs.

Hart explains that the Jadoowallahs makeshift stage is nothing but a circle drawn in the dust, introducing the idea of magic as a collaborative contract between audience and magician. He tells us anecdotes about his family and past (although obviously with a magician you can never be sure of the line between truth and illusion). The atmosphere he creates is exquisitely beautiful; a form of magic in itself. A walking stick opens into a lotus flower in which he lights a sprig of incense and he magics a candle into flame.

Jadoo mixes the high-end aesthetic of Derren Brown (whose influence can be felt more than once during the show) with something far more pared back and pure. However, in setting himself boundaries of such simplicity, Hart does limit the scope of what he can do, and the show’s climax echoes a trick Brown has performed before with flashier showmanship. It feels as if Hart is still finding his place as a magician, but what a wonderful journey to witness. (Lucy Ribchester)

n Assembly George Square Gardens, until 27 August, 6pm.

LEATHER LUNGS HIGHER LOVE lll ll

It’s all coming back to them now, sings likeable Kiwi-Aussie drag queen Leather Lungs (alter ego of Jay Chasland), covering Celine Dion’s hit in a thick bogan accent, while giving the mic stand some deeply suggestive strokes. We’re warned to brace ourselves for ‘trauma dumping’, before Leather Lungs lets rip under House Of Oz’s shimmering disco ball with impassioned versions of Queen, Prince and Aretha songs.

There’s lots of saucy leg splaying and sassy crowd asides as we hear of romantic run-ins with a dangerous criminal, sexy dentist and abusive narcissist. If it becomes blurred where the dialled-up drama is fiction or truth, what’s clear tonight is that Leather Lungs has a genuinely sore throat and is singing in pain. Their sincere gratitude as the crowd howls with laughter and cheers loudly reveals an authenticity that elevates the camp showtunes, life lessons and savage quips above the cabaret act, and into a sweet, 3D person. Fun singalongs and innuendos galore from a grafter in stilettoes. (Claire Sawers) n House Of Oz, until 27 August, 9.30pm.

TIM MOTLEY BARRY POTTER AND THE MAGIC OF WIZARDRY lllll

Tim Motley hosts a charming magic show heavily influenced by, well, you can probably guess. Barry Potter And The Magic Of Wizardry is jampacked with conjuring tricks performed together with countless jokes and puns about the famous boy wizard and his cohorts. It’s a family show with broad appeal to young and old, the latter in particular catered for by some seriously impressive psychological routines.

The audience is frequently invited to join in, and Motley strikes a nice balance with his temporary assistants; gently teasing the adults and cajoling his more junior apprentices, while gamely implying that they too are in control of magical powers. There’s an endearing simplicity to the staging and most of his gags are firmly ‘dad joke’ fare, but it’s a well-constructed hour of playful magic featuring some impressive tricks, all neatly wrapped up with a startling finale. (Murray Robertson)

n TheSpace @ Symposium Hall, until 26 August, 6.05pm.

PICTURE: MATT CROCKETT

PICTURE: MATTO LUCAS

CHRIS DUGDALE ETHERMIND  

Chris Dugdale has performed for plenty of notable names in his career, from Elizabeth II to Beyoncé, and the US-based trickster’s show is a no-brainer if you’re into magic. He doesn’t need a fancy set-up; just a deck of cards and a couple of books. With this minimalist inventory at his disposal, he controls his audience for a full hour with hypnotic ease.

Dugdale's material becomes more and more impressive as the show progresses, from a card-trick warm-up to ‘the closest thing to mind reading we will ever get’. Audience members are invited to pick a random word from a random book, that he then plucks directly from their brains with his miraculous, unexplained mind-bending technique. The volunteers’ faces fold and their eyes widen as he gets every word right without fail. Sceptics among us (notably, some inquisitive children in the audience) may try and guess how he manages to teleport a uniquely signed card from the deck and into a closed trinket box. But really, nothing the light-fingered artiste can do is explainable (to the audience, that is). Even those of us who don’t frequent magic shows will enter as a cynic and leave astounded. This charismatic cardsmith lands every single trick. (Rachel Cronin)

 Assembly Rooms, until 27 August, 8.35pm.

HOUSE OF GAHD ARE YOU THERE MARGARET? IT’S ME, GAHD  

Uma Gahd’s childhood best friend Margaret has stood her up on a date. Luckily she has a whole audience on hand to help her pass the time, which she does by recounting her life story, interspersed with tangents about dating and some killer lip-synched musical numbers. Drag is such a polymath art, comprising stand-up, dance, fashion and generally holding a room, and Gahd is particularly gifted at the latter.

She is warm, slightly daft, and thoroughly loveable, even when schooling straight men in the audience on consent or sharing tips on how to respond to unsolicited dick pics. She’s also an absolute assassin at lip-synching, serving us a glorious cocktail of clowning and drama. The show’s blend of warm-hearted storytelling, feminist messages and stand-up doesn’t always switch gears smoothly. But Gahd is such marvellous company that by the end she’s found a room full of besties to happily stand in for Margaret. (Lucy Ribchester)

 C cubed, until 16 August, 9.30pm.

THE KINSEY SICKS DRAG QUEEN STORYTIME GONE WILD!  

This year sees a welcome return for America’s ‘Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet’ with a tour-de-force of a show that’s a veritable blend of below-the-belt humour and astute political satire. If that wasn’t enough, it’s all set to pitch-perfect harmonies, as you’d expect. We are transported back to elementary school for this alternative storytime, though thankfully we’re not required to sit on those tiny chairs. They are, of course, all real ladies, not men in dresses: that wouldn’t be allowed. They’re also under strict instruction not to use the ‘gay’ word. Happily they fail.

The US quartet’s show has never been more timely, thanks to their country’s current state of affairs, with curbs on trans and women’s rights, and the ongoing Trump debacle. Here, the Christian Right gets more of a skewering than meat at a barbecue, and in a standout number, the disgraced former president is pleasingly and innovatively rebooted as a Disney villain. Elsewhere, unexpected parallels are drawn between Jesus and Kim Kardashian.

They are, as ever, a sight for Fringe-weary eyes, too. All retro styling, beehives and bouffants, winged glasses and twinsets. Like the Spice Girls, they have their own distinctive dynamic: there’s the none-too-bright Trampolina, the golddigging Marilyn Monroe-esque Trixie, Winnie the competent organiser, and the muscular Angel (the one you’d be wise to pick to escort you home on a dark night). Top Fringe stuff.

(Marissa Burgess)

Gilded Balloon At The Museum, until 27 August,

The US quartet’s show has never been more timely, thanks a Disney villain. Elsewhere, unexpected parallels are drawn pick to escort you home on a dark night). Top Fringe stuff. 7.20pm.

CABARET HIGHLIGHTS

LADY MARMITE

No, it’s not actually Lil’ Kim, Christina and co in front of your astonished eyes, as Lady Marmalade are given a more savoury spin in this burlesque cabaret. You won’t find yourself sitting on the fence with Lady Marmite.

n Gilded Balloon Teviot, 13 & 14 August, 10pm.

LA CLIQUE

The world-renowned circuscabaret variety spectacular is back on the Fringe again and almost certainly looking at a string of evenings where the sold-out signs will be clattering up outside.

n Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 26 August, 7.20pm.

DOOM & GLITTER

This is probably really just for devotees of Tom Waits but if you’re into taking a Fringe chance, why not. A drag tribute from Mr Brake Down of the man who has never sold out to commercial imperatives in his life. Tickets for Waits’ last Scottish shows were pretty steep, mind.

n C cubed, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 August, 3.30pm.

ADULTS ONLY MAGIC SHOW

Sam and Justin bring a wealth of experience of doing magic across the world with this raucous affair. A cheeky spot of nudity is promised/threatened.

n Assembly George Square Studios, until 27 August, 9.15pm.

TOM BRACE

A Trick Down Memory Lane isn’t the worst magicky pun you’ll have ever heard. Backing it up with top-notch mind-reading and stylish conjuring is a man who is now more than just the next big thing.

n Pleasance Dome, until 28 August, 4.15pm.

CLOSURE AT A SELF-SERVE CHECKOUT

Bobbie Viney presents a onewoman comedic cabaret about love, life and all the bad stuff that gets in the way of having a good time.

n TheSpaceTriplex, until 12 August, 11.05am; theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 16–26 August, 1.15am.

AIDAN SADLER

Award-winning queer cabaret superstar Sadler follows up last year’s Fringe hit Tropicana with Melody, which merges a bit of stand-up with top synth-pop tunes.

n TheSpace On The Mile, 14–19 August, 9.50pm, 21–26 August, 9.35pm.

PICTURE: JAMOIS PICTURE: JODY HARTLEY

PICTURE: STEPHEN CAIN

COMEDY

ABISHEK & NIRMAL

Plenty of people look down on the craft of working a crowd (aka crowd work) perhaps viewing it as the easiest thing in the world. Yet watch someone fail at it, and boy does it no longer look so simple. Abishek Kumar and Nirmal Pillai are Instagram influencers who just so happen to be cracking at engaging with an audience in the room and here they are going from ‘Reel To Real’. Which is almost very clever when you think about it. (Brian Donaldson) n Assembly George Square Studios, 15–27 August, 4.40pm.

Dane Baptiste hasn’t been at the Fringe for five years and doesn’t sound overjoyed to be back. The comic talks to Jay Richardson about impending fatherhood, frustration over unfulfilled TV projects, and what grinds his gears about Edinburgh in August

“

Danger. Dano. Shaolin. Open Mike Tyson. Bruce Dane. The Dark Mike. Just several of the soubriquets that tortured pun enthusiast Dane Baptiste has been introduced with and could have chosen to name his latest Fringe show: instead, he went with Bapsquire. ‘It’s a nickname that my university friends came up with,’ the stand-up explains. ‘We all struggled to get employment after graduating because we didn’t have any nepotistic connections. And incidentally, all of my friends were either Gujarati or Arab. We joked about anglicising our names to appear more attractive to potential employers.’

Returning to the Fringe for the first time in five years, the 41-year-old is revisiting his youth for the last time on stage as he prepares for the birth of his first child in December. Still, he’s not going gently into those sleepless nights. He’s just released The Chocolate Chip, his previous and very polemical show, as a YouTube special. Although Baptiste says Bapsquire is not as explicit or as angry, ‘it’s still the classic Dane that people know and appreciate my comedy for.’

Since becoming the first Black solo British Best Newcomer nominee of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2014, it’s fair to say that Baptiste has enjoyed a love/hate relationship with the Fringe. ‘The Festival, in general, is discriminatory to people of a certain extraction,’ he says.

‘And with the obligations I have in my life now, where it’s very hard to justify the outlay, coupled with the sanitation strike of last year (which is my worst nightmare), it’s basically made me re-evaluate the necessity of going. Especially when I’ve seen so many acts that no longer have to follow that trajectory in order to realise success.’

Baptiste does acknowledge that he’s received support from critics and audiences at the Fringe. ‘But most

creatives have limited resources to achieve their potential and I don’t think that’s considered by Edinburgh’s ignorant, elitist, critical and managerial class. Plus, the profiteering landlords and other institutions making money off people’s dreams: that’s the hate part for me.’

Baptiste is also frustrated yet philosophical that neither his 2021 satirical sketch pilot Bamous or his 2016 online sitcom Sunny D were picked up by the BBC for a full series, having received only limited promotion.

‘Sometimes, you have to be prepared to plant trees for shade that you won’t necessarily enjoy,’ he observes.

‘If Sunny D had come out in 2020, as the first Black British sitcom on the BBC in 25 years, it would have got a lot more fanfare. And I would probably have been better able to promote it through social media. But you shouldn’t use recognition as your motivation to create. Besides, these things can happen slowly. If you make something that is timeless, and of a certain quality, people will get to it in the end, even if I may not be around to see it myself.’

He calls Bapsquire ‘a love letter to my unborn child’, but just don’t call it political comedy. ‘It only appears that way,’ Baptiste maintains, ‘because people are weaned on this collective ideology of keeping calm and carrying on. As an observational comedian, with the corruption and cronyism within our bipartisan political system, if you’re not making observations on that then you’re not paying attention. What I say might appear incendiary because, these days, people tend to try to avoid reacting to things. I’m just aware of the implications of ignoring or not addressing corruption.’

Dane Baptiste: Bapsquire, Monkey Barrel The Hive, 14–27 August, 4.15pm.

The Festival is discriminatory to people of a certain extraction ”

MATTY HUTSON

DON’T HOLD BACK llll l

If you’ve ever wondered what Jolene, Delilah or Stacy’s mother would say in response to the songs written about them, then wonder no more. Matty Hutson has given a right to reply to the characters dreamed up by Dolly Parton, Plain White T’s and Fountains Of Wayne, and the world is a funnier place for it. This is just one string to Hutson’s musical bow, but you get the feeling he could fill an entire show with them and nobody would mind.

Setting up shop with a guitar, keyboard, loop pedal, mouth organ and myriad of preprogrammed digital goodies, the Warrington-born comedian is master of his domain. With the aid of a backscreen announcing the arrival of each new section, he strolls amiably through ‘Musical Comedy’, ‘Non-Musical Comedy’, ‘Crowd Work’, ‘A Song For The Fellas’, ‘A Song About How It’s Awkward To Meet People At Any Age’ and many more such enticing titles. When he’s not replying to other people’s songs, Hutson’s own compositions have an unexpectedly pure delicacy; as does his voice. Each number starts life as a gentle, serious ballad which, in another context, would be well worth a listen. But we soon learn the format and each seemingly emotional melody hits a wisecrack ending that has everyone dissolving in laughter. It’s not just Hutson’s sharp wit, musical acumen, ability to work a crowd, or infectious silliness that wins us over; his self-effacing honesty and warmth also makes him impossible not to like. (Kelly Apter)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 7.15pm.

FIELDING EDLOW

GASLIGHTING IS MY LOVE LANGUAGE l llll

There are plenty of modish titles at the Fringe, but none so much as Fielding Edlow’s Gaslighting Is My Love Language, two therapy-speak terms smooshed together with the try-hard tone of Steve Buscemi asking, ‘how do you do, fellow kids?’ Actor and writer Edlow has peoplepleasing cringe in spades throughout this hour, in which she barrels through troubling aspects of her marriage at the breakneck pace of a performer being paid for words by the minute. Recently divorced, Gaslighting finds Edlow emerging from the poisonous cocoon of a toxic partner, alongside jokes that feel as though they were ripped from a failing US sitcom. Her ex does seem awful but not compelling. To complain is fine but, without the texture of what made him marriageable in the first place, he’s simply a grotesque. We’re glad Edlow’s found happiness as a singleton, but this marriage should have stayed behind closed doors. (Kevin Fullerton)

n Just The Tonic At The Grassmarket Centre, until 13 August, 7.10pm.

SUSIE MCCABE FEMME FATALITY llll l

Glaswegian Susie McCabe has been a regular feature on TV in recent years, thanks to numerous appearances on Have I Got News For You and the late-lamented Frankie Boyle’s New World Order. The latter show, in particular, was a real treasure trove of interesting comedians from diverse backgrounds, and McCabe was a genuine stand-out.

In 1980, homosexuality was decriminalised in Scotland. That was the year McCabe was born, and she’s convinced it’s no coincidence. ‘I’m SO lesbian’, she insists, and has an arsenal of stories to back it up. Despite this landmark act, she points out that in the 1980s, homosexuality was ‘the hardest thing in the world’. She details the absurd protestations following the introduction of gay characters in EastEnders; that seemingly innocuous event led to a barrage of homophobic coverage in the tabloids with The Sun notoriously censuring the storyline with an article headlined ‘EastBenders’, written by one Piers Morgan. She joyfully and infectiously celebrates her life as an outsider, painting a vivid picture of how, as a young girl, she resolutely failed to conform to the behaviour of her peers. And there’s some great material about her career in the construction industry and the way that she used her charismatic guile to navigate potentially awkward encounters. McCabe is a warmly confident and upbeat performer, and it’s a real pleasure to hear her individual take on the world. (Murray Robertson)

n Assembly George Square Studios, until 27 August, 8.35pm.

PICTURE: BEN WOOD

PICTURE: ANDREW JACKSON

PICTURE: TROY CONRAD

“CHILLING JOKES, THE ABSURDITY OF THE SITUATION AND EFFORTS AT TRIVIALISATION”

ZOO PLAYGROUND 1 VENUE 186

17:45 | 7–27 AUG (NOT 14 & 21)

Two Russian artists in exile reveal the cruelty of Soviet life with a good dose of dark humour. The award-winning Spitfire return to Edinburgh with a project influenced by the books of Nobel Prize laureate Svetlana Alexievich. Chilling jokes, the absurdity of the situation and efforts at trivialisation are the key features of a production built on the testimonies of witnesses of wars, the Chernobyl disaster and the collapse of the USSR. Live cinema employing puppet animation and starring food, inspired by works of Jan Švankmajer, provides fitting stylisation.

ZOO Box Office Number: 0131 356 0349 zoofestival.co.uk

DAN TIERNAN GOING UNDER llll l

Dan Tiernan takes many of the staples of stand-up and toys with them. Beginning with that classic introduction of acknowledging people who they look like, Tiernan’s list goes on and on, getting more and more ridiculous as it progresses. Sometime later, a visual representation of the special needs kids’ dance troupe at his high school is pant-wettingly overlong too. Of course, therein lies the hilarity: milking the joke for everything its worth. But Tiernan ups the ante everywhere; he’s a crazed, full-on performer, frequently coming at his audience with a guttural roar.

Tiernan has been a fast-rising presence on the Manchester comedy scene for a few years. After getting noticed locally, he went on to win the BBC New Comedy Award last year, so this debut is much anticipated. It doesn’t disappoint; in fact it would be no surprise to see him on an award shortlist by the end of this run. Blessed with a low brow and beady deep-set eyes, much material plays on what’s ‘wrong with him’ (it’s dyspraxia he reveals early on).

Tiernan paints a largely inept figure, bemused by the lack of loo roll in his flat. The laughs come thick and fast; some of the set-ups might seem familiar but the punchlines are innovative. He’s even got a poignant bit about something in his life he’s not happy about, but it’s there and so he mocks it mercilessly. This boy is going places. (Marissa Burgess) n Monkey Barrel, until 27 August, 10pm.

FIONA ALLEN ON THE RUN lll ll

What with work, a husband and three kids, it’s no wonder Fiona Allen is on the run. Where else would she escape to but stand-up comedy? And, in a world over-populated by angsty navel-gazing male comics, it’s refreshing to hear her declare stand-up is neither hard nor scary, at least compared to the pressures of phoning the GP and dealing with the NCT mums. Best known (and beloved) for her stint on Smack The Pony, in recent years Allen has been majoring in TV acting gigs (where she’s usually the kidnapper). There’s certainly no doubting her gift for well-observed characterisation; whether it’s her mother, her cleaner, her hairdresser or more well-known faces, slipping into the people that populate her life provides some of the funniest moments of an easy-going and well-paced show. When Allen wanted a new hobby, she could have taken up yoga or camping. But comedy beats downward dogs, and now she’s driving up and down the country telling stories to strangers. There’s something quietly subversive about the way she makes that seem like the most sensible choice, while every woman in this audience cheers her on and secretly makes plans to jump into a suitcase and join her. (Jo Laidlaw) n Pleasance Courtyard, until 20 August, 4.15pm.

CERYS BRADLEY NOT OVERTHINKING THINGS 2019 ll lll

We’re told that people have described Cerys Bradley as mean, rude and abrasive, adjectives that seem to stick during a dishevelled, chaotic entrance in which they perform a (deliberately) awkward striptease while throwing around sweets and berating a small but game audience. Bradley has autism and they use a ‘mean-ometer’ to help us rate the way they’ve responded to a variety of personal situations. It quickly becomes clear that the really big issue to resolve is their parents’ divorce and father’s subsequent (and abhorred) relationship with ‘Sue from work’.

Not Overthinking Things 2019 is a ramshackle therapy session that flaps about all over the place. At one point, after losing their train of thought, Bradley thinks aloud, ‘where were we in the show?’ before quickly reasoning, ‘it doesn’t really matter.’ And when a divorcee in the crowd casually makes an absolutely jaw-dropping confessional, it’s a great shame that Bradley chooses not to take it on but instead keeps well clear. (Murray Robertson)

n Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, until 27 August, 3.30pm.

PICTURE: DREW FORSYTH

PICTURE: NATASHA PSZENICKI PICTURE: STEVE ULLATHORN

LASER KIWI RISE OF THE OLIVE llll l

Did you know that Laser Kiwi are the world’s only surreal comedy sketch circus? If you didn’t, don’t worry, they’ll tell you. This trio of New Zealanders take their audience on a meticulously planned yet completely chaotic journey of comedy carnage. Grab your 3D glasses and sketch-by-sketch programme for the evening and prepare to become an olive.

Laser Kiwi’s absolutely nonsensical sketches blur together into a whirlwind of total confusion. From impressive rope-climbing to slightly less skilful popcorn throwing, one thing is certain about this lot: they’re very entertaining. They were also Overall Circus Award-winners at Australia’s FringeWorld 2023; and for good reason. It wouldn’t be sketch comedy (sorry, surreal sketch circus comedy) without a few hiccups, which only strengthen the performer-audience bond (we’re all in this together).

Performer Zane Jarvie stands with his face to the ceiling, a Martini balanced five feet above his head on a pole. We’re forced to watch for a painful however-long until he finally manages to toss an olive into the glass. Or until a rogue audience member falsely informs him, at some volume, that his fly is down. Despite a few obvious filler scenes and some cracks that don’t quite hit the mark (cough cough, the Bible rap), Rise Of The Olive is unhinged and undoubtedly hilarious. (Rachel Cronin)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 29 August, 7.15pm.

PIERRE NOVELLIE

WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING? llll l

Pierre Novellie is a man of contradictions. Opening his set with the declaration that he will not discuss his background, he ends up spending a chunk of time doing just that. He fully acknowledges the problems with British culture but chose to live here, nonetheless; most notably, he is a stand-up who may make you question the very morality of watching stand-ups.

In Why Are You Laughing?, Novellie’s observational comedy tackles big concepts such as what it means to be British along with small, personal anecdotes from his past. While some of this stuff is hardly groundbreaking (Brits are repressed?), he has an affable enough presence that allows him to pepper each bit with smirk-inducing jokes before the big punchline. What is remarkable, though, is how he eventually turns his observations inwards and manages to pose some interesting questions around our enjoyment of comedy. It is an unexpected note to end on which helps elevate everything before it. (Sean Greenhorn)

n Monkey Barrel, until 27 August, 7.05pm.

LORNA ROSE TREEN SKIN PIGEON llll l

A two-time Funny Women comedy award-winner with over two million likes on TikTok, Lorna Rose Treen has made her way onto many ‘names to watch’ lists this Fringe. In her first full hour, Skin Pigeon, Treen performs a roster of original characters that showcase her wide range of comedic talents, from razor-sharp writing to more physical clowning and intricate prop work. Book-ended by a raspy voiced Girl Guide from Birmingham who is preoccupied by acquiring new badges and hating her stepfather, this debut show is dynamic and playful, constantly straddling the line between sharp witted and outright silly. A number of creations are more developed than others, while some are reprised to layer jokes and create more structure to an otherwise erratic series of sketches. Joining her Girl Guide in the ‘well-developed’ camp is a mildly abusive Australian PE teacher, a farcical cowboy with guns for hands, a cutting depiction of Sally Rooney, and a Self Esteem-esque popstar singing an aspirational ‘feminist’ song to normalise having a tail. Although Treen throws in quite a few deep cuts that speak to specific core millennial memories, she keeps the full room engaged with witty audience participation, improv and leftfield set pieces delivered in perfect cadence. Accents and mannerisms are employed to build her characters but are often executed very loosely. Instead, Treen seems more concerned with seeing the world through their eyes, using unique circumstances to write comedic prose that is stylistically singular and fascinatingly observed. (Megan Merino) n Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 4.35pm.

review of the week

•ydemoc comedy• 4 STARS

Already a Fringe favourite with critics and audiences, Kieran Hodgson’s role on TV comedy Two Doors Down triggered wider recognition and a lifechanging move north of the border. He explores this and much more in his new show Big In Scotland which combines penetrating insight with plenty of laughs, says Jay Richardson

If citizenship of a country depended on cultural endeavours, then Kieran Hodgson’s Scottishness ought never to have been in doubt. Already an Edinburgh Fringe stalwart, Hodgson is a purveyor of reliably hilarious, niche-interest hours that nevertheless have widespread appeal. Personal, formative tales are underpinned by rascally but scholarly, informed social observations, and amiable, self-deprecating monologuing is enlivened by sublime, contained act-outs and cracking impressions. To his CV, the Yorkshire native has lately added the west of Scotland sitcom, Two Doors Down

In the retelling of it, after delivering a poorly received best man speech, Hodgson casts the decision of him and his husband to relocate from London to Glasgow for the BBC comedy as, intermittently, slumming it and saving him, filling the gaping hole in his soul with a Caledonian theme park experience. With the likes of Elaine C Smith and Gordon Brown as his advisors, he has naïve assumptions about integrating with the earthy Celts, bringing some imperialist preconceptions to Scotland’s place in the union. Still, he’s swiftly committed to his new nation and gets possessed by the fantastical spirit of Harry Lauder himself for a showy, Pollyanna-ish number in which Glasgow cleaves this effete yet pompous Englishman to its cheerful, rough-and-ready bosom. Later, he even hurls himself into learning Gaelic, his best intentions for acceptance through absorption into a deeper, oral tradition not even surviving his first hostelry in the north.

The clanging, shortbread-tin romanticisms and cultural cringes from either side of the border eventually all but recede into the smir. But throughout, the charming Hodgson strikes a wonderful balance of supplementing his past wide-eyed and smug middle-class ignorance with penetrating insight and commentary on contemporary Scotland’s foibles and failings. The pithy, occasionally thorny satire invariably hits its mark thanks to him living and breathing just about every aspect of his adopted home. Ah, to see oursels as ithers see us! Affectionate and droll, there’s just so much packed into Big In Scotland But it merrily skips along rather than labours, with the considerable weight of the comedian’s effort. A humour-filled, exaggerated personal journey, it’s also a smart state of the nation(s) assessment, touching on the independence debate only lightly, and focusing on the ties that bind rather than divide.

Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 7pm.

ENJOY AT ASSEMBLY

GEORGE SQUARE GARDENS

gag-dense,

19:30

14-20 August

Master of the lightning-paced,

TATTY MACLEOD FUGUE  

Best known for her TikTok presence comparing the French and the English, Tatty Macleod’s show plays to her strengths. Swaying and swaggering through a series of anecdotes about being an English girl in France in her formative years, Macleod uses her whole body to elicit hearty laughs, particularly from French members of the audience. She skillfully slips between the two languages without leaving any section of her audience confused.

Across an hour, Macleod insults both sides of the Channel, picking on a few audience members, but each jibe and joke comes across as good-natured rather than offensive. We’re introduced to her formidable mother, a series of French lotharios, English lads, and a crotch-led Parisian waiter, the characteristics of whom Macleod takes on like a chameleon, resulting in guffaws and the odd tear of laughter. The over-arching theme is one of identity, and there’s a tinge of melancholy to her feeling both French and English while not quite being accepted as either.

By the finale, it feels as though Macleod has woven the audience into her in-jokes, as we all laugh together at Pam the American tourist bumbling through Paris. Some of the observations are a little obvious, with jokes about the differences in French and English flirting tripping into the realm of repetition. But Fugue is a delightful hour of comedy for the French and English; or for anyone who has simply had a shit time in Paris. (Suzy Pope)

 Monkey Barrel, until 27 August, 2.10pm.

BIG TOBACCO BAD PLAY  

Woody and Mabel are awaiting the return of their prodigal sons, Noble and Bad Brad. Woody is a gambling man, and neither he nor anyone else can remember the name of the only woman on stage, as homecomings take an absurd turn in this wild pastiche of that once much sought after beast, The Great American Play. Where such epic endeavours once upon a time swaggered into view like a wounded bear, the Los Angeles-based sketch-comic quartet behind theatre company Big Tobacco are having none of it.

Like an extended improv game, the show ticks every cliché-laden box of its inspirations’ terminally dysfunctional family affairs before demolishing them with absurdist abandon. The spirit of MAD magazine and Saturday Night Live abound throughout, with Brian Fitzgerald, Lyndsey Kempf, Eli Lutsky and Brad Beideman hamming it up like billyo. Clocking in at 55 minutes, it’s mercifully shorter than any of its overbearing inspirations. If only Jack Nicholson had showed up as billed, even the audience might have been able to handle the truth. (Neil Cooper)

 TheSpace @ Surgeons Hall, until 26 August, 7.05pm.

JOSH JONES GOBSMACKED  

With his camp voice and chatty manner, Josh Jones can elicit strong reactions. But the Mancunian stand-up either confronts aggression with provocative mischief or some brook-no-bullshit, steely hardness of his own. Notwithstanding that he’s been intimidated by geese and is not above pettily grandstanding over fellow (child) bridesmaids at a friend’s wedding, he came up on the northern working-men’s club circuit and retains some rough edges to his TV-friendly persona.

When a series of events led to him being invited onto MOTDx as a pundit, he leaned into his lack of football knowledge to enrage its predominantly cis heterosexual male fanbase. And when Jones has been assailed because of his sexuality, he’s tended to bypass his youthful boxing training for a blunter, rudimentary and more ultra-violent riposte.

Not that Jones is incapable of refinement, explaining in patient detail the diligent cleaning regime he follows to keep his anus pristine for sex. However, that’s simply the set-up for a hilariously viscous visual image that incites as many gasps of horror as it does laughs. Roguishly, he also challenges the prevailing wisdom that all homophobic bullying is wrong, for a counter-intuitive bit of rascally messing that nevertheless contains a persuasive kernel of truth. (Jay Richardson)  Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 8.20pm (extra show 12 August, 10.50pm).

PICTURE: RACHEL SHERLOCK

KRYSTAL EVANS THE HOTTEST GIRL AT BURN CAMP lll ll

Digging deep for this debut solo show, Krystal Evans certainly shares some difficult truths about her life. Blessed with a natural sardonic tone, the Washington-state native divulges her uncertain upbringing at the mercy of an unstable mum. A chaotic homelife eventually leads to the seismic moment that is her show’s core: a fire in the family home.

Though measured in her delivery, you can feel the weight of Evans’ trauma and the huge emotional impact of what happened to her family. She deftly weaves wry observations and gentle jokes into this compelling story with teasing callbacks galore; a sign of the consummate stand-up she is.

Evans communicates the most difficult piece of information in her story particularly well. Rather than smothering it with jokes, she allows a moment for that detail to settle and be absorbed before cutting back in with the gags. Elsewhere, she recreates her family members vividly: an almost comedically erratic mother, laidback dad with terrible taste in drinks, and an unpredictable stepfather. The Hottest Girl At Burn Camp is a moving piece of work and a debut to be proud of. (Marissa Burgess) n Monkey Barrel The Hive, until 27 August, 7.35pm.

DANE SIMPSON DIDGERIDOOZY lll ll

It speaks volumes that when a fire alarm goes off midway through Dane Simpson’s tale of his revenge prank on a former boss, there’s no question of anyone leaving the late-night show. We intuitively sit before him on the concrete steps outside, demanding closure on this story of him playing merciless, hilarious mind games on his flummoxed, so-called superior, whose racist slight more than earned him his comeuppance. Immensely stoked to be making his solo debut at the Fringe, Aboriginal comic Simpson hails from small town Wagga Wagga in Australia. A giggly, likeable raconteur, he is impish with racial stereotypes even as he patiently sets out some of the cultural nuances of his indigenous group, intermittently playing and explaining the didgeridoo. Though still raw in some aspects of stand-up, Simpson takes tremendous inspiration (and some frustration) from his eccentric, Elvis Presley-loving father, who has stolen the comic’s thunder at every opportunity. (Jay Richardson) n Assembly George Square Studios, until 13 August, 10.30pm

ELLIOT STEEL LOVE AND HATE SPEECH lll ll

Elliot Steel is the son of veteran comedian Mark Steel, a fact which he discusses at length throughout his new show, Love And Hate Speech. Even if his pater familias was never mentioned, you could most likely hazard a guess at his father. He has a similar vocal cadence to Steel senior, off-handedly mentions attending Socialist Workers Party meetings and, like his dad, has a relaxed but surgically precise delivery.

But Elliot Steel’s perspective on life is far from a tribute act. The thrust of the show’s beginning deals instead with topics specific to his place as a young male in the Gen-Z bracket, with impeccably paced material on how male mental health is portrayed in the media, eating disorders, and generational gaps on liberal issues. These are dark subjects not being mined to make an overarching thematic point (although a consistent thread running through the show is that many of the coping mechanisms men adopt are far from healthy), but to strike grand nuggets of brutal and gloomy humour.

In a few long monologues (one which will have anyone with a weak stomach groaning in their chair), Steel proves he’s a dab hand with impressive callbacks with the storytelling skills of a mate reeling off an anecdote in the pub. And yet these protracted sequences can also sag, turning Steel’s twentysomething predilection towards drug-taking from bawdy and laddish to tiresome. He can go toe-to-toe with his dad for gags, but still has some growing to do.

(Kevin Fullerton)

n Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 August, 9.55pm.

Damet

ANNA PIPER SCOTT SUCH AN INSPIRATION llll l

As the show starts, Anna Piper Scott is already in the room, perched on the edge of her stage amiably chatting to folk as they arrive. It’s a sign of things to come as the Aussie stand-up is exceptionally personable. She’s keen to prep us for what is to come, worried that it will get a bit dark or a touch ‘spicy’. For hers is a difficult story to tell; one of mental ill-health, abuse and finding her place in the world as a trans woman.

Citing the three tropes that trans women are labelled with (punchline to a joke, villain or victim), she examines them in turn to figure out which one she is. But Scott is also keen not to be an inspiration. Of course, what she actually happens to be is a normal woman who is also a very funny stand-up, and one who presents a highly articulate and dramatically compelling tale of the last few years of her life. The signposted moment where she divulges a significant traumatic experience brings a tear to the eye. We’ve been given permission to laugh if we want to but, of course, no one does. A must-see. (Marissa Burgess) n House Of Oz, until 27 August, 8pm.

NIAMH DENYER GET BLESSED! lll ll

The spoof self-help guru has become a Fringe comedy fixture since Will Adamsdale scooped the Edinburgh Comedy Award with Jackson’s Way almost two decades ago. Happily, Niamh Denyer’s creation, the celebrant Áine Reilly, is one of the more fully rounded examples of this genre. Bracingly, breezily cynical, and infatuated with Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, she’s exploiting her course in teaching the audience to conduct ceremonies (specifically a funeral on this occasion) to turn a fast buck wherever she can. Contriving euphemisms to enliven the boring life of the deceased, Reilly foists extra costs on a grieving family and her students. This is a recognisable monster, never so far removed from reality that Denyer’s debut surrenders its gently satirical edge, as she cheerily snipes with shallow spirituality. The mercenary tone does become slightly predictable by the hour’s end, not least when she puts her PowerPoint teachings into practice at the actual funeral. But by that point, the engaging Irish comic has built a strong bond with her audience thanks to some attentive interaction. (Jay Richardson) n Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose, until 27 August, 1pm.

CHLOE PETTS IF YOU CAN’T SAY ANYTHING NICE lll ll

With the evidence she’s accumulated from countless heterosexual weddings, Chloe Petts’ appeal lies in the balance between her laddish, football-loving countenance and her ‘beautiful, gentle queer’ side. Throw in the unresolved anger that she physically bristles with and you’ve got a compelling, combustible enigma. So why then does the current incarnation of her persona, even if it’s tongue-in-cheek (belittling and barracking her audience as part of her aggressively fronting-up to haters), feel so forced and performative?

The key story in her second Fringe show is one where, having allowed anger to get the better of her once again, Petts had to face the consequences, in a flashpoint with a stranger on a bus. The aftermath, where she’s schooled by another, more emotionally articulate stranger, is held up as a revelatory moment. Yet even after therapy and an hour here raking over the coals, Petts can only suggest that the source of her fury is a vague, existential malaise, currently gripping a significant proportion of her generation. That doesn’t seem seismic enough to justify hanging her show and belligerent swagger on, not least when she’s capable of much more entertaining drilling down into her personality.

The wedding party material, for example, is gold. Petts might not fully respect her acolytes, marvelling at the beautiful, accomplished women who’ve settled for sub-standard men. But the messianic panache with which she becomes a pied-piper figure to all sectors of the guestlist is a hoot, both for her irresistible confidence and smart social observations from which she draws her authority. There’s considerably more light than heat here compared to elsewhere during her hour. (Jay Richardson) n Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 6.40pm.

PICTURE: MATT STRONGE

FREYA PARKER IT AIN'T EASY BEING CHEEKY  

Since 2014, Freya Parker has been performing as one half of acclaimed sketch duo Lazy Susan. She makes her solo debut in It Ain't Easy Being Cheeky, a sweetnatured show about trying to be slightly naughty in the face of adversity. She begins by christening her audience as ‘Chuckle’ (an awkward name that she perseveres with), and we’re asked to rate her historical behaviour as ‘cheeky’ or ‘not cheeky’. Ironically, she begins by making much of her short stature: at five foot tall, she’s been variously compared to Danny DeVito and Kylie Minogue, and is equally flattered by both. When a very tall woman makes a very late entrance, the dichotomy is too good to resist, and it affords her some nice impromptu material. After Parker states that she’s ‘a lovely girl’, she tries to undercut her sunny image by owning up to a few misdemeanours, but they’re resolutely harmless anecdotes and the crowd is entirely unconvinced.

It later transpires that she’s working to exorcise some personal trauma and has set herself the goal of reaching a significant personal milestone. It feels like there might be a more significant show behind those events but it’s obviously up to Parker how she best processes that. Nevertheless, she’s entertaining company in this gentle hour. (Murray Robertson)  Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 5.50pm.

AVITAL ASH

AVITAL ASH WORKSHOPS HER SUICIDE NOTE  

The combination of confessional trauma and stand-up is a line that few manage to walk without developing a lopsided gait, failing to balance jokes and impactful storytelling. Avital Ash Workshops Her Suicide Note finds a way around this problem with our host asking audiences to help her develop the perfect farewell letter that will inject some humour into a morbid situation.

This sturdy anchor gives Ash the freedom to discuss personal experiences of depression, rape, misogyny, queer identity and religion in a slowly unspooling monologue of evermounting upset, leavened with gallows humour and pitch-dark punning.

Ultimately, this is an overly diffuse mixture that never quite reaches a conclusion beyond acknowledging the overwhelming forces of life stacked against an individual. But perhaps the end goal isn’t the point; her broader theme seems to be that purging our demons (the catharsis of confession itself) is the best chance we have to stay alive. (Kevin Fullerton)

 Monkey Barrel The Tron, until 27 August, 10.05pm.

ROBIN INCE MELONS: A LOVE LETTER TO STANDUP COMEDY  

An audience with the chorus of voices in Robin Ince’s head, most of them belonging to great comedians, gone but not forgotten, Melons is a lovely, maddening hour. As the serial Fringe attendee acknowledges, his recent ADHD diagnosis has been immensely freeing and self-revelatory. But it’s also a licence to tangent at dizzying speed, with anecdotes rarely concluded but piled high, higgledy-piggledy atop one another, the introduction of one story sparking memory of another.

The structure, such as this show has any inclination towards, has it bookended by an explanation of Ince’s melon-smashing, sustained grudge against light entertainment lag Vernon Kay, and a poignant poem dedicated to the true artists, those whose contributions need to be recognised and conveyed to these living legends while they can. Some beats of the tale, such as his earliest introduction to comedy through The Goodies, the roistering magnificence of Alexei Sayle, and the profound decency of late American stand-up Barry Crimmins are doubtless in the show every night. But otherwise, Ince’s scatterbrain invariably seems prompted by whim, supplemented by the avalanche of notes and memorabilia he fishes from his bag.

The ghosts of bygone Edinburghs and the 1990s comedy scene loom large, the set-up of Ince fleeing a tedious Tory with Sean Lock more compelling than its denouement of him sharing a flight with an actual madly right-wing MP. No matter, there’s always some uproarious Barry Cryer gags along in a minute, their hoary Jewish ancestry in the Catskills reinforcing the sense of a great comedy lineage that Ince has modestly yet appreciably played his part in. (Jay Richardson)

 The Stand’s New Town Theatre, until 27 August, 8.35pm.

COMEDY HIGHLIGHTS

ELEANOR MORTON

Fans will be down that Morton isn’t on stage for the whole month but at The Stand she’s doing character gear, and at Monkey Barrel, it’s all about working in progress towards another fine stand-up hour.

n The Stand, 14 August, 6.45pm, 19 August, 1.30pm; Monkey Barrel, 14–16 August, times vary.

GARRETT MILLERICK

Among the more thoughtful comics in the British game, albeit one who’s never afraid to have a good ole rant, Millerick is back with a show featuring some railing against charity fundraising and Star Wars sequels.

n Monkey Barrel The Tron, until 27 August, 4.25pm.

ANDY PARSONS

In the legendary Cabaret Bar, the man who was (a very long time ago) one half of Parsons and Naylor (the playwright guy these days), returns with a pop, claiming to be Bafflingly Optimistic We’ll see.

n Pleasance Courtyard, 14–27 August, 7pm.

JONNY & THE BAPTISTS

The duo are back to mark Ten Thankless Years of their musical comedy/political tunesmithery not ever being properly appreciated. Now’s the time, people.

n Assembly George Square Gardens, 9–14 August, 8.55pm.

FEMME NATALE

This New Zealand crew fire some comedy out there about the whole parenting game in the form of songs, sketches and physical comedy.

n Just The Tonic At The Mash House, 15–27 August, 9.05pm.

KIRAN DEOL

The comedian, filmmaker and actor rolls into town with a story about once being attacked by a stranger and ending up in hospital. Laughs will be dragged out of this horrible scenario, fear not.

n Gilded Balloon Teviot, 14–28 August, 9.40pm.

REGINALD D HUNTER

If anyone can see through the shit that life throws at us all, then it’s Reg. Lucky then, that his new show is entitled The Man Who Could See Through Shit n Assembly Rooms, 11–20 August, 7.55pm.

PICTURE: EDWARD MOORE

PICTURE: MATT STRONGE

L-E-V

The Brutal Journey Of The Heart is the final segment of a Love Cycle trilogy begun in 2018 by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar’s acclaimed dance company. Soundtracked by a mix of techno and popular songbook, a set of nine dancers move together in unison before some split from their pack in an attempt to seek freedom and individualism. But the dark side of love pulls them back in, a cycle of damage and repair endlessly repeating itself. (Brian Donaldson) n Festival Theatre, 13 & 14 August, 9pm.

DANCE & CIRCUS

Dancers are no strangers to feeling exhausted after a performance. But what if that state of fatigue itself becomes the show’s focus? Lucy

Ribchester explores a new piece from Danish choreographer Andreas Constantinou which tests the relationship between endurance and euphoria

You might assume choreography starts with the body, especially when creating a piece about resilience. But for Danish choreographer Andreas Constantinou, the kernel of his new work Mass Effect all began with the mind. ‘It came at a period in my life where I was extremely busy but also not feeling particularly great emotionally,’ Constantinou says. He chose to hire a therapist which led eventually to an interest in investigating endurance. In fact, the relationship between Constantinou and his therapist grew so strong they ended up collaborating on a piece, Champions (part of the 2021 online Fringe), which dealt with the emotional fortitude of Constantinou, following his upbringing as a queer child with homophobic parents. After it had premiered, however, Constantinou wasn’t done with the idea. ‘Mass Effect became a counter-work to Champions,’ he says. ‘Where in Champions my interest was in digging into emotional, psychological resilience, to literally sit with difficulties, Mass Effect is digging into the physical aspects of endurance and resilience to explore what happens when groups unite to overcome physical exhaustion.’

He became fascinated by sports, running, clubbing and any collective rituals that lead to physical exhaustion, but that also invoke the spirit of community, bringing people together to bolster a whole group’s stoicism. Groups moving together, says Constantinou, ‘essentially create an energy that pushes and transcends people to an altered state’. For the dancers, training to perform a piece

Push it

deliberately designed to push your physical limits has not been easy. The rehearsal process has seen them take up running on a daily basis, as well as drilling military formations with ‘obscene time signatures’, says Constantinou. They also explored ideas of synchronised animal movements, such as flocking and herd running. ‘We would seek organic formations that fluctuate as the group runs and listens to each other. Pretty much as happens in the animal kingdom.’

And then there is the pulse. Movements that echo the rhythm of the pulse, says Constantinou, can unlock a kind of primal energy that connects us to the power of our own bodies, keeping us going when we are tired. It’s an energy that can even seep over into the audience during performances. ‘When the mass pulse their bodies in unison, very often people can’t help but pulse along with them. It’s very primal. It’s the rhythm of the heart, the breath, the sounds of the feet, the witnessing of exhaustion, the sweat, the scent, their eyes, the humanity.’

Mass Effect, Summerhall, 15–26 August, 12.55pm.

#DANISH SPECIAL EVENT BEFORE MASS EFFECT

WHEN: 15 August, 11.30am–12.40pm + show 12.55pm at Summerhall Main Hall.

SPECIAL EVENT LOCATION: Lady And The Bear, 1 Hope Park Terrace, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9LZ.

The #DANISH showcase invite you to an exclusive event before the first performance of MASS EFFECT. Enjoy lovely organic finger food at Lady And The Bear and sample luscious chocolate from Denmark, plus you can meet the creative people behind the showcase. Sign up at https://danishedfringe.com to see the show and attend this special event. Ticket-holders will also be offered a 10% discount on any other purchase in Lady And The Bear on any day during MASS EFFECT’s Fringe run.

TAIWAN SEASON 2023:

Launched in 2014, Taiwan Season has during the past decade developed a strong and sustained presence at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe thanks to its world-class range of dance, theatre, circus and music performance for both adults and children. Presented under the umbrella title A Glimpse of Taiwan, this year’s

roster of four outstanding productions can be seen at Taiwan Season’s valued partner venues: Summerhall and Assembly. Inaugurated in 2020 as a creative response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Taiwan Season Symposium continues this year in a special retrospective edition marking our tenth anniversary.

Find the full Taiwan Season programme at twseason-edfringe.com Please note: All groups offer 2 for 1 and group bookings.

in this interactive, family-friendly production. How much delight can we find together exploring the different sounds and shapes that are the tools of cross-cultural human communication?

Double & Cross Theater Group is at the forefront of creating performances for children in Taiwan, but there is plenty here to engage and tickle the fancy of grown-ups too. This show will win over audiences of any age. European premiere.

and female-led performance by the innovative Eye Catching Circus is sky-high, but spectacle isn’t the top priority. Expect instead a questioning, stereotype-busting group portrait of a handful of young women, all under the age of 30 and each trying to maintain her balance in a contemporary society loaded with expectations. Join them for a compelling rite of passage and a voyage of self-discovery. European premiere.

10TH ANNIVERSARY 2 - 27 Aug 2023

trying to find itself in a time of war. Using movement, text, light, sound and puppetry with great ingenuity, The Double Theatre’s family show is a creative response to the state of the world now. Funny, heart-felt and poetic, the result is devastatingly good entertainment. European premiere.

is an eloquent, subtly layered feat of artful invention. In the spotlight are two agile performers who know how to imbue their extreme technical prowess with considerable feeling. Whether lifting each other up or bringing each other down, ultimately everything this onstage couple has to ‘say’ is in their bodies. British premiere.

Since 2020 the award-winning Taiwan Season Symposium has provided an evolving and always forward-thinking platform for stimulating conversation and international and inter-cultural knowledge exchange.

Subtitled Challenges

Achievements Change, the 4th edition is an invitation to come celebrate a decade of Taiwanese performance in Edinburgh as we consider, as members of the arts industry and the arts-loving public alike, ‘Where do we go from here?’

RECOIL PERFORMANCE GROUP HARVEST lll ll

The earth moves in this show by Danish company, Recoil. Really it does. Sit in-theround, if you can. The floor becomes a giant speaker; benches lining the stage thrum with a Lars Greve farm-machinery soundscape. The performer/co-creators (one a floor-rolling, sometimes-breakdancing contemporary dancer; the other barefoot ‘neo-flamenco’) use audience seating as percussion. It’s eyeball-to-eyeball. We see every shoulder ripple, wrist flick and eyelash flutter.

You don’t watch Harvest, you step into it. Choreographer Tina Tarpgaard takes as source the ‘working body’ in agriculture and dance. There is grass onstage. Compelling Jossette Reilly stamps and shakes soil from feet in suitably earthy flamenco steps. She talks about creative evolution; about dance shaping her body, her skeleton. Meanwhile, Hilde Ingeborg Sandvold has tidal-wave energy. She tumbles, trembles, stops in a headstand where, impressively, she delivers an anecdote about the dichotomy of mind and body.

Spoken-word snippets dangle insight into Harvest’s big ideas (and extensive research interviews with farmers) but never really expand. And at points the choreography is disjointed. But in sections like the closing one, when Reilly dons heels and hammers a rhythm that becomes one with the soundtrack (and audience), this is a gloriously bone-shaking, immersive piece. (Ellie Carr) n ZOO Southside, until 19 August, 6.30pm.

CIRCA

PEEPSHOW (CLUB REMIX) lll ll

No strangers to the Fringe, this year Circa bring an updated ‘club remix’ of their 2018 hit, Peepshow. It mixes cabaret and circus, so at various points during the show, burlesque, hula hoops and juggling rear their heads. The other connective tissue is the ‘club remix’ context. However, despite a live DJ, the clubbier side of things doesn’t fully come to life. Due to the precision of their performances, the beautiful and messy symbiosis between music and dancing that characterises a great club is never really achieved.

It’s hard to fault the displays of strength and agility by the troupe, however. Whether they are launching one another into the air, clambering on shoulders to create three-storey totems or yo-yoing up and down ribbons with grace, what they can achieve with their bodies is undeniably impressive. It’s just a pity that the unique and conceptual aspects of this show never take flight in the way the performers do. (Sean Greenhorn)

n Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 26 August, 6.20pm.

HELEN SIMARD & WE ALL FALL DOWN PAPILLON lll ll

Montreal-based choreographer Helen Simard channels loops and patterns of mathematical precision through the vitality of the human body in this energetic, abstract piece of pure dance. Three performers take turns as the main focal point, or sometimes come together in a moving Mobius strip of harmony, spinning and jogging around the stage to a soundtrack that mirrors their repetitions with its own loops and refrains.

It’s a relentlessly demanding physical feat for the dancers, and they throw themselves into it with marathon stamina. Nindy Banks is particularly magnetic to watch, as she pulses through every passage and fugue of movement. Stretching each pendulum swing of momentum through her body to the tips of her fingers, it feels sometimes like she’s being driven by a force she is powerless to resist. From an audience point of view, however, the choreography is testing in its determination to keep its dancers in their own individual worlds, and the patterns are so abstract and repetitive that it’s only the performers’ passion that keeps it from tipping over into self-indulgence.

Roger White’s score of electro-pips and repeated refrains is also likely to be divisive. It feels heavily influenced by Steve Reich, but with a more aggressive synth edge, and is played at brain-shaking volume. With its complex structure and non-stop energy, Papillon might appeal to hardcore contemporary dance fans, but it needs to shift its balance away from patterns and towards human connection to really make an impact. (Lucy Ribchester) n Summerhall, until 27 August, 7.20pm.

PICTURE: KURT PETERSEN

PICTURE: SØREN MEISNER

In Stuntman, Sadiq Ali and David Banks form a powerful duo as they examine violence and masculinity through words and movement.

Lucy Ribchester believes this thrillingly original work can reach out to audiences beyond the typical dance and theatre crowd

review of the week

Cand dance performer Sadiq Ali (creator of 2022’s brilliant The

Haram) pairs up with former MMA fighter and parkour practitioner David Banks to explore the relationship between masculinity and violence in this thoroughly original piece of dance theatre from company Superfan. What starts out as horseplay ends up pulling no punches.

There may be a case to argue that masculinity gets enough attention in art; men have, after all, been the default protagonists of most books and plays for centuries. However, rather than unquestioningly carrying this archetypal macho hero along, Stuntman chooses instead to stop and stare at him.

The piece starts out as deceptively light-hearted. The theme from Top Gun is playing as we enter, and Banks and Ali, trussed up in skin-tight clothing and gun holsters, are posturing their way through some choreographed fight moves. They parody scenes from action films, repeating the line ‘see you in hell, motherfucker’ as they come up with creative ways to simulate death. Their tomfoolery in flinging each other around is so gleeful it’s almost charming, and they milk their boisterous physical comedy for every drop.

Then the fight sequences begin to be interspersed with personal anecdotes about each performer’s own encounters with violence; these too start out lightly. Banks tells us enthusiastically about an action movie he appeared in, and later about his first MMA fight. Ali talks about his love of dance and demonstrates the power of the male body to create beauty rather than destruction in a fluid, elegant passage of movement. But gradually the storytelling grows darker until, before we know it, the seductive pull of inane fun has sucked us into something hellish and terrible.

If there is one tiny criticism, it’s that the stories seem slightly imbalanced towards Banks (he’s listed as part of the original creation team) and it would be good to hear in a little more depth the anecdotes about Ali’s relationship to violence; some of his earlier experiences seem to pass by relatively swiftly compared to Banks’ tales. But it is the slightest of complaints in a show that genuinely feels like it is reaching out to an audience beyond the regular dance and theatre crowds. Stuntman has thought painstakingly carefully both about the nuances of its ideas and the ways in which it puts them across. This is the kind of theatre we need.

Summerhall, until 25 August, 5.50pm.

ircus

Chosen

BRAINFOOLS LUCKY PIGEONS lll ll

A flock of city-dwelling pigeons is the inspiration for this familyfriendly story wrapped in circus tricks, presented by BrainFools, a London performing arts troupe. Against the grey and drab backdrop of urban life, one glum, suit-wearing man finds himself dancing and finding fun with the brightly coloured, tinsel and glitter-covered pigeons.

After a slow start to set up the loose plot (younger kids in the crowd were restless as performers marched and postured with newspapers for what seemed like longer than they needed to) comes the showing-off part. Stunning aerial work from one of the airborne female pigeons sees her carving out soft curves with her limbs and imaginary wings, while jugglers on the floor roll onto their backs and send freshly laid pigeon eggs into arcs above them. Handstand walking and front-row strokes of a tiny toy pigeon also prove to be crowd pleasers, with a graceful handdance display to music from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake making another feathery highlight.

One pigeon verges on slapstick with a clownish routine involving sticky plastic bags that keep getting caught in their feet (which could be an anti-litter message), alongside the anti-corporate, pro-fun themes for those who like a bit of moral guidance in their kids entertainment. An athletic, quirky and sweet tale, told through acrobatics and lots of pecking. (Claire Sawers) n Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 26 August, 1.05pm.

MO-KO PIANO & CIRCUS OAT MILK & HONEY lll ll

The opening preamble to this music and acrobatics hybrid gently warns us that anxiety and panic attacks will be explored in the show. As if we’re listening to a guided meditation, the audience takes a deep breath in and sits back in unison, readying ourselves for an hour of catharsis.

Avant-garde in its approach to poetics and movement, to the point that this narrative is sometimes impenetrable, the two-person show keeps circling back to a rather unusual question: ‘have you ever seen an alpaca run?’ Unlike the collective deep breath at the beginning, when the voiceover asks us to take our phones and YouTube an alpaca running, no one does; apparently watching the movement of an alpaca’s knees helps to ease anxiety.

During the set, the pianist keeps returning to fix a wire on his second keyboard, but it’s not discernible whether this is deliberate or not. While it might be an indicator of losing control of the immediate moment during a panic attack, it is quite distracting. Despite the challenging points of access, Oat Milk & Honey compensates with an engrossing exhibition of acrobatic talent, pleasingly synched up with a beautiful score. (Rachel Ashenden) n Summerhall, until 27 August, 10am.

MUI CHEUK-YIN & HONG KONG SOUL DIARY VII: THE STORY OF . . . lll ll

Draped across a white silk backdrop, intricate shadows drift across the stage, painting a silhouette of Hong Kong’s industrial skyline. A story of a woman’s unlikely friendship with a street cat creates an abstract piece that explores the futility of life and death. Mui Cheuk-yin’s mesmerising dance and gymnastic ability explain her long-time success in Hong Kong physical theatre with this autobiographical piece addressing her beloved city’s societal changes from a diary beginning in 1986.

A series of voiceovers create a poetic account of the performer’s life as her family leave Hong Kong to migrate across the world. At 63 years old, Cheuk-yin’s command of her body through controlled isolations and cat-like stretches illustrate an impressive expertise in contemporary movement. Despite its slowness and repetitiveness at times, Diary VII is a beautiful retelling of a city that continues to encounter life, death and change. (Rachel Cronin) n C aurora, until 13 August, 2.40pm.

PICTURE: LUKE CHADWICK JONES

PICTURE: KYAHM ROSS

HABITAT

Petrikor Danse present a performance all about the rather fascinating creature, the hermit crab, and is a broader musing on transformation, emigration and growth.

n Assembly @ Dance Base, 15–27 August, 1pm.

DANCE & CIRCUS HIGHLIGHTS

BEATS ON POINTE

From the very confident group entitled Masters Of Choreography comes a crowd-pleasing selection of classic and commercial music and dance with a sprinkle of ballet and street.

n Assembly George Square, until 28 August, 5.40pm (plus Saturdays, 10.55am).

FALL AND FLOW

A very physical work from Theatre de la Feuille and one that might attract a new crowd to dance. If you love Hong Kong action movies, this could be one for you as they lay on a multistory production which covers love, hate and war.

n Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 August, 12.30pm.

SOPHIE'S SURPRISE 29TH

From Three Legged Productions comes a wildly interactive circus and cabaret show which is the last thing that Sophie expected. Just wait until she sees what they’ve got planned for her 30th.

n Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 26 August, 9.45pm.

THE MAIDS

As part of the Korean Season, this physical theatre work (featuring chairs, windows and water) details the fightback against domestic imprisonment.

n Assembly George Square Studios, until 27 August, 1.05pm.

THE (HONG) KONG GIRLS

A triple bill by female choreographerdancers from Hong Kong which tackles the phrase ‘Kong Girl’ which was once something of an insult but has now been joyfully reclaimed.

n Summerhall, until 13 August, 5.30pm.

DANCES LIKE A BOMB

Junk Ensemble includes Finola Cronin who was once a member of Pina Bausch’s company and is joined here by Mikel Murfi as they celebrate the strength of bodies despite no longer being in the earlier flushes of life.

n ZOO Southside, 15–27 August, 2.40pm.

PICTURE: DENIS MARTIN

THE MIGHTY KIDS BEATBOX SHOW

Beatbox and looper guru Hobbit and New Zealand stand-up Jarred Christmas might not immediately seem like the obvious couple to put on a show that will draw a crowd of young ones; but their merging of beats and gags turns out be irresistible. How close is hip hop to the knock knock joke? Closer than you might think. You’ll laugh, you’ll tap your feet, and you might even learn something. (Brian Donaldson) n Assembly George Square Gardens, until 27 August, 4.25pm.

KIDS

WILL PICKVANCE FIRST PIANO ON THE MOON (REVISITED) lllll

Contorting himself casually into a yoga crab pose, Will Pickvance manages to tinkle the ivories upside down and back to front. He also shows how to play very tuneful piano with a roll of duct tape, or play a familiar classical tune in reverse with sheet music the wrong way up.

Clearly a very polished pianist, Pickvance has created a solid narrative for a gentle, family-friendly story around his playing, so we follow the young Will to Salzburg where he has won a chance to represent his school as part of Mozart’s birthday celebrations. The hyper-competitive world of concert performance doesn’t faze wee Will and he has fun instead, making friends with Wolfgang Amadeus’ ghost and teaching him the theme tunes to Bluey and Super Mario. It’s a chance to gawk at his clever playing (taking familiar ditties like ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ or ‘Happy Birthday’ and giving them a jazz or rock’n’roll reworking) mixed with a light lesson about the history of music and some famous composers.

Pickvance is joined by the enthusiastic Ben Winger (or Sam Jameson every other day) to slip on wigs and act out extra characters in the story. Animated projections liven up the production, which should appeal to junior musicians but is pretty entertaining for grown-ups too, with its message about embracing new creative styles and not getting too wrapped up in ego. (Claire Sawers) n Summerhall, until 27 August, 11.50am.

KIKI VITA THE SPANISH GENTLEMAN JUGGLER lll ll

Children are a tough crowd to please but a wonderful barometer for how entertaining, engaging and well-structured a 45-minute performance really is. In this Free Fringe family show, Kiki Vita’s slick manoeuvres elicit audible gasps and manic screams in both children and guardians alike, proving traditional juggling and object-manipulation routines can still land with 21st-century youngsters.

Using balls, spinning plates, poles, hats and knives to showcase his higher-than-average hand-eye coordination, Vita’s skills just about manage to keep the fire burning, despite numerous lulls and extended segues causing a bit of restlessness in little ones. Out-ofsync musical cues and slight stiffness in the physical comedy portions make the show feel unpolished, but strong audience participation sections (featuring one mother, two fathers, and one very sceptical child) add spontaneous chaos that is genuinely funny to watch.

Nods to the performer’s native Spain (including a matador dance portion and some bilingual elements) inject a bit of worldly culture but could be taken even further, while well-intentioned negging throughout the performance doesn’t always land with the adults in the room. But based on reactions from Vita’s toughest critics (those under the age of ten), his act was an undeniable hit. (Megan Merino)

n Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters, until 27 August, 11.15am.

JON AND OLLIE

STRICTLY BARKING llll l

Slapstick, Strictly and satsumas all play a part in this story of an unlikely friendship between an elderly man and his canine companion. Hogarth befriends stray dog Easy Peeler (citrus fruits take up a much bigger space in the show than you’d expect, but it works) as they enter a ballroom dancing competition in their town of Barking. Jon and Ollie’s energy is enough to keep wee ones fixated for the full hour, as the characters’ clownish antics carry us along in a heartwarming tale of an ‘opposites-attract’ friendship. Expect bouncy balls, water pistols and some seriously high-energy dance routines (notably the Charleston).

Strictly Barking’s villains, a scathing dog-hating feline and his sheepish owner (also played by Jon and Ollie), steal the show, and the classic cat-versus-dog dynamic creates a pantomime of pandemonium as the two animals and their respective humans have a hilarious dance-off.

Strictly Barking scooped a Fringe World 2023 award, and deservedly so. (Rachel Cronin) n Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 20 August, 1pm.

Part of Taiwan Season, The Way Back is a charming wordless production about the impact of war. Eddie

Harrison lauds this beautifully conceived ballet of puppetry which has lessons for grown-ups in the room too

What’s been happening in Taiwan is very much a hot-button geopolitical issue of today. From that country comes The Way Back, a show that’s very much for kids, but also one that, like the best of Pixar’s movies, can offer plenty of insight for open-minded adults. Taking place against a sparely sketched background of political turmoil and war, The Double Theatre’s wordless, visually potent production is a parable in the style of Günter Grass’ The Tin Drum; a slight narrative about a young boy torn apart by conflict who sets about connecting his own body back together.

The boy has been blown apart by an explosion; his right arm is the first to realise that all is not lost, and forms an alliance with the left arm, which becomes disengaged while the search for the legs and torso goes on.

So there’s a universal meaning for children about pulling yourself together in a crisis, but it’s also something that can be seen as a political metaphor for those inclined to think about the symbolism. Either way, The Way Back is a beautifully conceived and performed wordless ballet of puppetry; in a style familiar from

Avenue Q, the puppeteers are visible on stage, but the audience are able to filter them out because the illusion they create has a genuine uncanny magic about it. With a single puppeteer behind each appendage, individual body parts seems real in movement and intent, and the way that expressiveness is somehow conjured up on a limb-by-limb basis is extraordinary to watch.

The Way Back ends with the expected coup de theatre for a climax, as the boy comes back to a cohesive whole, arms and legs swinging with life. But there’s also little micro details in this production that sing, from the use of models and shadow to artfully suggest landscapes, to the spectacular, colourful streamers that represent the explosive nature of military conflict.

Gentle and lyrical rather than hectoring and frightening, The Way Back may have different meanings for different audiences, but it’s very much in the spirit of the Fringe to create such an intense and unusual work with these simple ingredients. The charming puppetry here eventually conjures up a show that’s far more than the sum of its parts.

Summerhall, until 27 August, 4.20pm.

review of the week

SHOWMEN PRODUCTIONS THE GREATEST MAGIC SHOW 

It’s not the size of your wand that matters, it’s the scale of your dreams. That’s according to Sam, Justin and The Ringmaster, who sets the tone of this high-pace, high-energy show from the very beginning by adding stinky-butt babies to his top-of-the-show welcome. Now in its sixth year, this is a silly, skillful and slick production with plenty of audience participation, expertly handled so that even the shyest wee volunteer feels comfortable.

Sam and Justin’s classic double act is at the heart of its success: Sam is polished and very much in charge while Justin’s funny bones make the perfect foil. This generates a panto-like energy, with back-and-forth routines, plenty of puns and balloon business getting lots of giggles from the young audience. But it would be a mistake to downgrade this pair’s magical abilities: tricks come thick and fast among the slapstick and fart jokes, and there are genuine ‘how did they do that?’ moments.

The Greatest Magic Show is for the whole family but its unrelenting energy means very small children might find it a bit too much. Just as the adults in the room could be reaching that same conclusion, they slow it right down for a touching and sweet finale, where the secret to all magic is revealed. As Justin would say, ‘the crowd goes mild’ and are sent back into the gardens sprinkled with stardust and a new sense of wonder to go with their free magic wands. (Jo Laidlaw)

 Assembly George Square Gardens, until 28 August, 2.30pm.

WHO STOLE MY HAMMER?  

Who Stole My Hammer? is an educational and interactive introduction to Norse mythology. Can you help Myth-Fits’ Fiona and Rosie find Thor’s missing and all-powerful hammer? Enlightening for children and grown-ups alike, this simple piece of children’s theatre is sure to light up little minds.

From hearing the news with Odin’s ravens to flying with Freya (Norse goddess of love) and her magical cloak, we’re gently introduced to an array of characters that are bound to kickstart a kid’s obsession with classics. Some impressive props (including a papier-mâché ogre head, a crocheted crown and some artistically crafted wooden-spoon puppets) assist the Myth-Fits in the telling of an engaging ‘whodunnit’ story for the wee ones.

After a slightly slow first 15 minutes, this piece gets into the swing of things after we’ve covered our background knowledge and are ready to dive deep into the plot. The duo bounce off each other with a natural comedic chemistry. This is only enhanced by a couple of minor technical difficulties that add to the show’s light-hearted silliness. Despite a notable lack of background music and sparse use of sound effects (apart from some well-timed Thor burps), this is a delightful Fringe hour of education for all the family. (Rachel Cronin)

 Underbelly Bristo Square, until 28 August, 11.30am.

SHELF THE KIDS’ SHOW  

Comedy double act Shelf, aka Rachel WD and Ruby Clyde, bring their kids’ show to this year’s Fringe following the success of their grown-up debut in 2022. High energy and full of silliness from the start, this pair are instantly likeable; their confident and hilarious routines are brilliantly delivered and super entertaining for adults as well as kids. Sketches, pranks, a smattering of mime, very silly noises, and even a dramatic monologue are delivered to rapturous giggles and shouts from children who are clearly loving this combination of clowning, physical theatre and slapstick.

The show encourages lots of audience participation and features a considerable amount of improvisation as a result, handled seamlessly from Shelf even when put through their paces by a particularly persistent child in the front row. This hour of engaging, funny and wholesome entertainment should be top of your list if you have kids aged four to ten. (Carine Seitz)

 Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 1.15pm.

PICTURE: KRISTIAN LAWRENCE

PICTURE: MATT CROCKETT

KIDS HIGHLIGHTS

GLOM GLOM AND THE MUSICAL MONSTER MILLIPEDE

The Glom Immersive Theatre crew get stuck in as they attempt to locate this very large insect, along the way encountering worm holes, bean-bag mountains and a bubble hurricane.

n Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 14 August, 11am.

MADAME CHANDELIER’S OPERA PARTY FOR KIDS

This is certainly one way to start getting little ones interested in a high-art form as La Chandelier invites you all to join her and meet a few characters along the way such as the mean queen who sings too high.

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 15 August, 2.30pm.

WORLD IN A WORD

Taiwan’s Double & Cross Theater Group take great delight in exploring the various shapes and sounds which are core to human connection.

n Summerhall, until 27 August, 9.45am.

THE LISTIES MAKE SOME NOISE

Celebrating their tenth year at the Fringe, this pair return with a boisterous call to arms for both the duo as well as their audience in a show full of songs, sketches and general tomfoolery.

n House Of Oz, until 20 August, 1pm.

MONSKI MOUSE’S BABY DISCO DANCE HALL

Monski and her dancers keep everyone moving in what they call a ‘retro-fabulous’ event for parents/ carers and the under-fives.

n Assembly George Square Gardens, 12 & 13, 19 & 20, 26 & 27 August, 10.40am.

GROW

Created by Niall Moorjani, this show for 0 to 5-year-olds begins with a dilemma. A gardener is happy to be looking after a pal’s allotment but the instructions to help it grow are missing. Help may be about to reveal itself, though.

n Scottish Storytelling Centre, until 27 August, 10.30am.

GREEN FINGERS

Musical pair Fladam (Flo Poskitt and Adam Sowter) put on a piece about a young lad born with the aforementioned coloured digits. Live music, puppetry and general japery will make this 50 minutes fly by.

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 15 August, 10.35am.

PICTURE: RERE CHANG

PICTURE: ANDREW WUTTKE

PICTURE: ALICE TUCKER

HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

A 7pm start is a bit of an early kick-off, isn’t it? Yes, it probably is except when a night isn’t set to last over five hours. But that’s what you get in the land of Hot Dub, as Sydney’s Tom Loud takes audiences on a globe and era-spanning trip across different decades and genres as he throws the ultimate party. It’s the best music lesson you’re ever likely to attend. (Brian Donaldson)

n Royal Highland Centre, 19 August, 7pm.

PICTURE: CURDIN PHOTO

SOUL MINING

Mariza is back in Edinburgh bringing a touch of urban Lisbon to the International Festival. Isy Santini talks to this fado superstar about staying true to her roots

I‘don’t remember my first words, but I remember my first fado song,’ says Portuguese singer Mariza. ‘I’ve sung fado since I was five years old growing up among traditional singers and musicians. It’s natural to me, like breathing. I don’t have to think.’ She became famous in the early 2000s for singing this form of Portuguese folk that originated among the 19th-century working class of Lisbon, but Mariza has developed a style all her own.

Singing a blend of traditional and new songs, her musical style weaves gospel, soul and jazz together to create a thoroughly modern brand of fado.

‘Like all urban music, fado grows and develops,’ she insists. ‘These days we have a fado that speaks about this new Lisbon, this new generation, this new world. It’s about keeping the roots, but also bringing the modernity of the days in which we are living.’

Over a decade after she last performed in Edinburgh, Mariza is finally returning for one-night-only. ‘Playing in Edinburgh last time was an amazing experience. I’m really happy to have a chance to show what I’ve been doing in the past years,’ she says enthusiastically. With three new chart-topping albums under her belt, Mariza has a lot to show. ‘More and more people now come to see me rather than to see fado. I think it’s amazing.’ But while she welcomes being seen as an artist in her own right, she always stays true to her roots, and with this upcoming concert she hopes that her music will transport audiences to Portugal. ‘I want to help them imagine the culture and the people. It’s a very sensorial experience.’

Despite the genre’s specific cultural background, Mariza extols its universality and ability to touch people around the world. ‘Fado is very emotional music. It talks about the feelings of life, and those feelings are common to all people. We all know about jealousy and lost love, and about happiness.’ For Mariza, it is the music which conveys these things, not the lyrics. ‘It’s about heart, about feeling yourself inside of the melody, inside of the sound of Portuguese guitar. Even if you don’t speak the language, it’s very magical.’

It is that very universality which allowed Mariza to develop this individual take on fado, drawing inspiration from everything around her including a multicultural childhood. ‘I was born in Africa and my mom is African, but she had a very open mind about music. She was the one who introduced me to Brazilian music, African music, American music, to Nina Simone and Frank Sinatra. That open mentality helped me to see that fado was not untouchable but something to which I could bring my soul.’

Mariza, Festival Theatre, 15 August, 8pm.

LIZZY CONNOLLY & KAT KLEVE

TINK lll ll

We all know what it feels like to be diminished and to have our spirits dampened by external forces. For most people, the lion’s share of that happens via peer pressure at school, and this energetic yet poignant one-woman musical sets out to encapsulate those feelings.

Performer and songwriter Kat Kleve is a human dynamo on stage. Bursting with energy, she commands the space with ease, looking fabulous in a pale green fairy outfit. The ‘Tink’ of the title, unsurprisingly, is a reference to Peter Pan’s sidekick sprite; only here, she takes the starring role. Our ‘Tink’ is a strong young fairy trying to find her place in the world, determined not to lose her spark but struggling to bat back the negativity flowing in her direction from ‘best friend’ Chloe.

What hits most here is the very visual manifestation of her diminishment, the lights flickering and growing dimmer each time she receives a barbed comment or put-down. Lizzy Connolly’s book is cleverly written in rhyme, with some laugh-out-loud moments, and Kleve’s songs carry a gentle sweetness. Dressed up and delivered like a show for family audiences, but with content that’s squarely teen-plus, Tink falls between two stools a little but will leave you with a full heart. (Kelly Apter)

n Underbelly Bristo Square, until 20 August, 12.55pm.

ALCHEMATION HELLO KITTY MUST DIE llll l

The kicky, catchy soundtrack to Hello Kitty Must Die powers us through a tale of sex, murder and feminism. The opening track compares the stereotype of Asian women to Hello Kitty (demure, innocent and silent) and then presents us with protagonist Fiona Yu who is a million miles from all of that. One belter of a tune sees Yu singing an ode to dildoes, and her monologues to the audience are filled with eyerolls at the patriarchal expectations imposed upon her by a Chinese father.

Flashbacks to meeting her best friend in school end in bludgeoning a classmate with a lunchbox full of rocks and the story only gets darker from there. From air-head associates to slimy lawyers and a completely unhinged pseudo love-interest, each character is drawn effectively in broad strokes by the chorus cast. No one is especially likeable, but they are certainly compelling, and the whole enterprise has the delightfully twisted feel of Heathers. (Suzy Pope) n Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 4.50pm.

DUNDEE REP & TRAVERSE NO LOVE SONGS llll l

The sentence ‘Kyle Falconer from The View has co-written a musical about post-natal depression’ may feel like the product of a fever dream for those more aware of his career as an indierock tearaway. But the result is a charming story of young love which is insightful and deeply human, and which incisively charts unspoken truths about the difficulties many women face after pregnancy.

Described as gig theatre, No Love Songs is inspired by the real-life experiences of Falconer and his partner Laura Wilde, with the book written by Wilde and Johnny McKnight, and featuring songs from Falconer’s second solo album No Love Songs For Laura. It revolves around student Lana and struggling songwriter Jessie, who meet in a nightclub, have a one-night stand and, nine months later, find themselves with a baby boy. When Jessie’s band finds its feet and Lana is stranded with their child while he tours the US, the walls of depression and a failing body begin closing in on her.

A sharp script finds light within this gruelling subject matter (childbirth is described as ‘like shiteing out Tannadice stadium’), bolstered by vivid chemistry between leads Dawn Sievewright and John McLarnon. Sievewright, in particular, gives a layered performance, her face a masterpiece of comic elasticity which slowly morphs into a portrait of exhaustion. While its chocolatebox response to romance leaves a syrupy aftertaste, No Love Songs earns this sentimentality with a complex discussion of parenthood and likeable tunes evoking the highs and crashing lows of long-term relationships. (Kevin Fullerton)

n Traverse Theatre, until 27 August, times vary.

PICTURE: MICHAEL WHARLEY

PICTURE: TOMMY GA KEN-WAN

PICTURE: JUSTIN BARBIN

MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS

2020 THE MUSICAL

The prospect of seeing this is likely to either make you thrilled to your spine or have shivers going up and down it. The year 2020 won’t be a popular one to look back on, but for material to get into a musical, it’s quite the rich vein.

n Underbelly Bristo Square, 14–27 August, 3.55pm.

LADY BLACKBIRD

Jazz, soul, R&B and pop may well be coming at you from all different angles in this highly anticipated gig. Check out her 2021 album, Black Acid Soul, which may be a good homework tool ahead of the game.

n Festival Theatre, 12 August, 8pm.

EMMANUEL CEYSSON & FRIENDS

Ravel, Debussy and Caplet are among those being honoured by the French harpist for a concert that is likely to show off the delicate glory of his stringed instrument.

n Queen’s Hall, 10 August, 11am.

KATHRYN JOSEPH

For You Who Are The Wronged is the latest album from the evocative SAY Award winner as she sings about quiet anger and unspoken truths.

n Summerhall, 12 August, 7pm.

WOVEN

Attending a wake, seven women discover that they may have more in common with each other than they first believed. But soon, they must untangle the threads that were binding them.

n Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 14–19 August, 1.45pm, 21–26 August, 2.55pm.

KIRSTEN ADAMSON & THE TANAGERS

The daughter of Big Country’s late great leader Stuart Adamson is steadily emerging from her dad’s shadow and forging a very solid career all of her own. This one-off gig will show exactly what the fuss is about.

n Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose, 10 August, 10.30pm.

PROJECT SMOK

Merging trad with pop has long been a source of joy for many musicians, and Project Smok have followed down that road too, with their non-conformist approach to the Scottish canon.

n The Hub, 12 August, 10pm.

PICTURE: CHRISTINE SOLOMON

PICTURE: JOHN MACKIE

THEATRE

AS FAR AS IMPOSSIBLE

There are few more dangerous yet potentially fulfilling jobs on the planet than that of the humanitarian worker who puts themselves directly in harm’s way in order to help others in desperate need. Director Tiago Rodrigues brings documentary style theatre to Edinburgh as tales of true-life aid workers bleed into histories of natural disasters. Not for nothing was this placed in the EIF’s ‘hope in the face of adversity’ strand. (Brian Donaldson) n Lyceum Theatre, 11–14 August, 7.30pm (plus 13 August, 2.30pm).

Secret passages

Global hit en route takes participants on an immersive walking and listening journey through the streets of their city. Multi award-winning creator Richard Jordan talks to Gareth K Vile about the organic nature of a show that inspires new discoveries for locals and visitors alike

Thirteen years after its debut, en route re-emerges at the Traverse and returns to the Fringe, inviting audiences to stray beyond the theatre and out into the streets. Using mobile phone technology, the production introduces the city as a venue and leads the audience through an intimate engagement with the choreography of society.

‘It’s a love letter to and from each city it inhabits,’ explains creator Richard Jordan, ‘created with a score of the city from the music of many local and emerging new musicians. The show is a pathway of discovery where locals to the city will find places they possibly never knew existed, whilst for visitors, it’s a great way to discover a new city.’

Far from being a mere walking tour or a Fringe novelty, en route grapples with serious dramaturgical questions and challenges received ideas about where drama happens; in an Edinburgh that can feel ‘occupied’ by performance arts, en route explores a city that might otherwise be reduced to mere background. ‘At festivals, the streets can be busier, but the show is playful and very nimble,’ explains Jordan. ‘Even in the hub of a busy city, as well as the show capturing the thrill of all that, I promise we will still also find you some beautiful places to think, breathe and reflect.’

With the suggestion of psychogeography (a process of finding personal and informal connections between city and individual), en route may reflect something of the inquisitive and questing nature of Jordan himself. Now celebrating 25 years as an artistic producer, he has worked with the National Theatre in London, becoming a specialist in musical theatre and socially engaged performance. He’s won a Tony, an Emmy and an Olivier Award, as well as staging en route around the world, including a permanent version in Melbourne which has been running for a decade. He was also the first producer to visit Ukraine after the current conflict began.

‘En route is a show that is organic, as the city is its stage and canvas,’ Jordan says. ‘Therefore, every journey taken in the show is unique and personal to each person who experiences the work. There are few shows where the artistic experience and the other traveller beside you is the city itself, thus enabling a big city to be intimate. If you’re lucky, it may tell you a secret or even hear one from you.’

Certainly, in a city filled with performances, en route offers a different path (or series of paths) that simultaneously use modern technology and restores a sense of place that is often lost because of the pressures of a technological society. Escaping from the predictability of plot and familiar theatricality, the work transforms the ‘audience member’ into a traveller and creative partner.

‘I hope that everyone who plays feels inspired,’ concludes Jordan, ‘and that they will be brave enough to take the chance to walk down that secret passage or open that door they think they shouldn’t, to see what’s behind it. But don’t worry: we will take care of you!’

En route, Traverse Theatre (starting point), 15–26 August, 11.30am, 3pm.

MYTHOLOGICAL THEATRE MYTHOS: RAGNAROK llll l

‘We’ve sold out 80% of our run already,’ announces wrestling pro Ed Gamester amid a sea of applause at the end of Mythos: Ragnarok, an early success story at this year’s festival. Last year, this wrestling/Norse mythology mash-up slowly gathered an audience through word of mouth, but 2023’s edition has hit Edinburgh riding a wave of plaudits for its fast-paced slobberknockers and excitable approach to ancient stories.

Anyone familiar with the tales of Odin, Loki and their pals will already understand why it’s a natural fit for a wrestling show. Theirs is a world of heels, hasty alliances and unexpected double turns, a violent soap opera encapsulating grand themes of death, greed and betrayal. Following Odin and Loki as they face off against gods and goddesses to create the world of Asgard, this cast of wrestlers turn epic battles recounted in Norse mythology into intricate grapple-fests that could put The Rock to shame. Alongside expository explanations of the myths themselves, the dialogue is loaded with humour with every one of Odin’s cohort vividly drawn.

This isn’t a cast of actors, and their limitations become glaring when the stakes are raised dramatically in the second half; but it’s easy to forgive a line flub or two when the rest of the package is so much fun. In its mission to reverse the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s sanitisation of Norse mythology and show the grisly side of the old gods, this is an action-packed thrill ride that’ll leave you applauding every bone-crunching body slam. (Kevin Fullerton) n Assembly Roxy, until 27 August, 9.20pm.

ELLIE KEEL PRODUCTIONS AN INTERROGATION lll ll

After 72 hours, the chance of finding a missing person alive drops drastically. At the beginning of An Interrogation, it’s been 68 hours since a young woman disappeared. Young, driven detective Ruth Palmer is left alone in the interrogation room to interview suspected murderer Cameron Andrews. Taking place in that single location, An Interrogation is as gripping and claustrophobic as the best TV detective dramas. Live camera footage projected onto a big screen provides interesting insights into body language under the table and close-up facial expressions, but the overall effect is distracting rather than insightful.

On the surface, An Interrogation is a straightforward police procedural narrative, leaning on classic detective tropes (the slimy suspect, the bolshy male boss). But there are moments of barbed social comment too: ‘men like you always get away with it,’ remarks Ruth Palmer at the play’s turning point, and that underlying sentiment elevates the production. (Suzy Pope)

n Summerhall, until 27 August, 1.10pm (plus 18 & 19, 25 & 26 August, 10.20pm).

TRAVERSE THEATRE COMPANY SEAN AND DARO FLAKE IT ‘TIL THEY MAKE IT ll lll

Maybe it’s fitting that Sean And Daro, Laurie Motherwell’s new comedy about the sunny and frosty spells of ice-cream truck salesmanship, leaves you craving something more filling. Taking a sabbatical from uni and grieving his late mum, Sean (Sean Connor) is coaxed into a too-good-to-be-true Mr Whippy van investment by loose cannon Daro (Cameron Fulton). For two friends on the verge of estrangement, making something of themselves is too exciting to miss; if only the same could be said for the play.

No one expects challenging drama from Sean And Daro, but a romp like this needs surprising plotting and well-crafted emotional moments. There’s a whiff of both being attempted here, but the story’s unimaginative plot quickly becomes tiresome. Despite confident turns from Connor and Fulton (who barely take a breath between them throughout the 75-minute runtime), their energy feels wasted in a script that gets stuck in repetitive dramatic circles and overstretches basic character beats as substitutes for meaningful catharsis.

For all its many, many descriptions of nostalgic memories, there’s something hollow about Sean And Daro’s emotional heart. The success of ice-cream may be down to its massappeal sweetness, but it’s frustrating being denied anything more here. (Rory Doherty)

n Traverse Theatre, until 20 August, times vary.

PICTURE: FELIX MOSSE

PICTURE: MIHAELA BODLOVIC

GEOFF SOBELLE FOOD lll ll

Beginning with a guided meditation, FOOD is an episodic study of the human relationship to consumption. Through a series of scenes, from a comic waiter routine to a longform tabletop creation of an industrial landscape, creator and performer Geoff Sobelle does not offer any moral commentary, but simply presents the set pieces which allude to different themes. The consequences for the environment, human greed, development of agriculture, modern global economy, preparation (and expectation) of restaurant meals: all of these are suggested without drawing any clear conclusions.

Sobelle is a confident performer, able to hold attention and guide the audience into absurdist territory. At times, there is a lack of clarity or apparent structure to the episodes. When he devours large quantities of food or crawls across the table to unearth hidden buildings, it’s the strength of his presence that holds this work together. Some of the effort is handed to audience members who read from prepared scripts: this interaction is not always fluid, slowing the pace. This production is not afraid to be difficult or obscure. In fact, it seems to delight in defying audience expectations. However, FOOD’s final scene is the slow evolution of a modern cityscape from its origins as an empty plain where buffalo roamed. Here, the show manages to describe the growth and impact of human civilisation, from agriculture onwards; the slowly fading light as machines appear and buildings shape a new terrain provides a quiet yet evocative finale. (Gareth K Vile)

n The Studio, until 27 August, times vary.

TIM CROUCH AN OAK TREE lllll

The power of suggestion is everything in Tim Crouch’s remarkable construction, drawing its title from Michael Craig-Martin’s 1973 artwork, which put a glass of water on a gallery shelf and said it was an oak tree. Like Craig-Martin, Crouch asks his audience to have faith in order to find meaning in what follows.

Crouch sets up a story where he plays a stage hypnotist who killed a 12-year-old girl by running her over. A year later, the girl’s father visits the hypnotist’s show and volunteers to join him on stage. Rather than dramatise a naturalistic confrontation, Crouch invites a different actor who doesn’t know anything about the show to play opposite him, feeding them lines through various means. At this performance, Crouch’s foil was award-winning Scottish actor Nicole Cooper who was, as Crouch rightly pointed out, brilliant.

As too is Crouch’s revival of a show he first brought to Edinburgh in 2005, and which remains a mesmeric and at times emotional meditation on blind faith, loss, grief, transformation and the belief in something beyond what we might think we’re seeing. Like the hypnotist’s volunteers, the audience becomes complicit (or not) in an exercise fired by the imagination, but which transcends its metatheatrical roots to become something both devastating, mind-expanding and unmissable. (Neil Cooper) n Lyceum Theatre, until 27 August, 8.30pm.

COMPAGNIE LE FILS DU GRAND RESEAU THE ICE HOLE: A CARDBOARD COMEDY lll ll

Compagnie le Fils du Grand Réseau’s dramaturgy is undeniably distinctive: an absurdist, episodic story told in a language that hovers around the edges of comprehensibility and a scenography of cardboard objects labelled with descriptive words. The Ice Hole is a striking and at times hilarious visual production that demonstrates how imagination is key both to the performers and an audience. There are times where repetition of set-pieces stretch the comedy, and a gradual tension between the two performers feels like an attempt to justify its 75-minute running time and preempt the audience’s potential frustration. Yet this broad comedy maintains the energy and covers the inconsequential narrative with a charming playfulness. The Ice Hole is a display of theatrical inventiveness that may at times lose direction (rather like our protagonist in a quest for his beloved mermaid) but it thrives on good humour and two charismatic performances. (Gareth K Vile)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 August, 1pm.

PICTURE: MARIA BARANOVA

PICTURE: FABIENNE RAPPENNEAU

PICTURE: MIHAELA BODLOVIC

Blue is a tension-filled two-hander inspired by the murder of George Floyd and the Trump-fuelled Capitol riots. Kelly Apter hails its powerhouse performances and gripping script

There are pros and cons to performing in one of the smallest venues the Edinburgh Fringe has to offer. On the downside, The Box at Assembly George Square holds a much smaller audience than this compelling new play deserves. But in its favour, we’re gifted an opportunity to watch two masterful actors at close proximity. With a clutch of TV and film appearances between them, June Carryl and John Colella have honed their craft, and every single word spoken is delivered with complete conviction.

Set in a police interview room, Blue starts out with a convivial air. Two old friends greet each other with genuine warmth, laughing at the way fate has brought them together. Both belong to the Los Angeles Police Department, but LaRhonda Parker (Carryl) is now part of the Force Investigation Division while Boyd Sully (Colella) is here to answer some tough questions about a recent incident. It’s not long before the laughter falls away, replaced by duels of race and gender, of beat cop versus internal affairs and, ultimately, of wrong versus right.

Immediately on the back foot, Sully tries to offer up some liberal defences: ‘I’m not a racist’ and ‘I voted for Obama’. But his trigger-happy response to a Black man evading

questions and attempting to drive away, implies otherwise. Another young man of colour has lost his life at the hands of a police officer, and Parker wants to know how, why and whether it was a justified response or racial profiling. To complicate matters further, Sully (who has clocked up 29 years of service) used to partner with Parker’s husband, and there’s some shady history there muddying the waters.

Carryl is not only a powerhouse performer but also wrote the play. Her investment is clear in every line, both written and spoken, and by the end she’s wrought with emotion. Despite Carryl’s character having right on her side, as a playwright she found it in her heart to throw Sully a plate of sympathy scraps. He’s in the wrong (he knows it and so does the audience) yet his struggle to reconfigure his place in a changing world after so many years on the frontline does not go unnoticed.

Carryl cites the murder of George Floyd and the Capitol riots as the jumping-off points for putting pen to paper, and her fury at these outrageous events (and many more) is writ large in her script, in her face and throughout this tight, tension-filled drama.

Assembly George Square, until 28 August, 5.05pm.

review of the week

LARISA FABER STARK BOLLOCK NAKED lll ll

Ironically, the title Stark Bollock Naked leaves everything to the imagination. But we recommend leaving your thoughts at the door when entering this innovative, multimedia theatre piece which gives women’s reproductive shelf-life a medical-grade dissection. The use of ingenious projections lifts Larisa Faber’s already-strong written material, while tactile props, including tampon bunches, forceps, petri dishes and a speculum, are absurdly incorporated by her co-star to add texture and depth. Tracking Faber’s personal gynaecological journey after she hit 30, this show covers themes of bodily autonomy, abortion access, societal gender roles, and women’s internal dialogues around all of the above. Although the script occasionally struggles to find a tonal balance between serious and utterly bonkers, the choice of visual symbols used in projections are original and effective (bar one overdone sequence of chickens’ eggs). But it’s the slick physical back and forth between actors that keeps this show utterly captivating. (Megan Merino) n Assembly Roxy, until 28 August, 3.10pm.

CELESTE LECESNE POOF! lll ll

Grab a magic wand (in this case, a red pencil) and be ready to delve into Celeste Lecesne’s wondrous world of fairies, witches and elves. A sometimes nonsensical series of monologues and purposefully on-the-nose metaphors have the core of the queer community at heart. Dressed head-to-heel in pink sparkles, Lecesne single-handedly conducts a crowd (no matter how big or small) with the flare only a real-life fairy could conjure.

Our winged friend prances around the stage (in front of a beautifully painted floral backdrop), sharing stories of how the fairies (and the witches!) came out from hiding to overcome their oppressors and save the world with wishes. Part anecdotal, part storytelling, and part post-apocalyptic lesbian cottage-core sketch (a personal highlight), Poof!’s colourful metaphors might be too obvious for some, but they would be missing the point of this unapologetically camp hour of afternoon theatre.

The actor and queer-rights activist spins off on tangents that could make their material lose its message. However, Lecesne seamlessly strings their words together with such conviction that it doesn’t really matter what’s being said, they’re just a treat to listen to. A ‘no plot, just vibes’ kind of show that leaves you feeling lighter. (Rachel Cronin) n Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 28 August, 1.30pm.

THISISPOPBABY PARTY SCENE llll l

When one of four powerful, masculine performers questions why gay sex is so frequently associated with trauma, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Party Scene, ultimately, follows the same line that they are excoriating. Dancers in darkness; rough, heaving choreography; interludes with bodies either in extremis or wasted and prone: Party Scene poses as hedonistic abandon, even resistance, but rapidly degenerates into anxious phone calls and an urgent quest to find out what exactly happened in the night. A few of the monologues celebrate pleasure and rejection of the heterosexual morality of repression, while the music’s energy allied to this ensemble’s grooves speak of wild nights of physical joy. Yet the message remains that drugs and sex can lead to destruction. Each of the four performers establish distinctive personalities: whether naïve or knowing, strident or shrinking, they pursue their desire and flee their demons. It is a harsh mixture, with the pounding club beats both bringing them together and containing them in personal, alienated patterns where words cannot breach the rhythm’s uniformity. Refusing to flinch, embracing danger, ignoring the wounded: this production marches to its inevitable bleak finale, the stage lights looming like approaching truck headlights. Party Scene is raw and heady: the montage of bodies having sex while still reading their phones has a chilling resonance for those who simultaneously preen and fail to connect. Yet the joy of vigorous movement and power of unashamed passion rides Party Scene towards oblivion. (Gareth K Vile) n Summerhall, until 27 August, 5.35pm.

PICTURE: JEANNINE UNSEN

PICTURE: OLGA KUZMENKO

BROOK TATE BIRTHMARKED lll ll

Starting out in a sharp suit and finishing up as a painted, striped zebra, Brook Tate is quite a guy with a backstory to match. He was drummed out of the Jehovah’s Witnesses for being gay, and now he’s a hard-rocking star, front and centre of his own cabaret, with a hint of his idol Barbra Streisand in the mix.

While Tate doesn’t favour the power ballads or disco rock of his heroine, this concept gig does offer multiple costume changes and a giant sequined high-heeled shoe extravaganza. Backed with a full and fabulous onstage band, including a gigantic (if not biblical) whale on drums, Tate retells the story of exactly how he got from there to here; his struggle to accept himself for who he is, and how he learned to love (rather than conceal) the birthmark on his forehead.

Self-acceptance can only be a good thing, and Birthmarked is an upbeat celebration of one man’s ongoing struggle to be himself in a sometimes repressive society. If there’s a flaw with director Sally Cookson’s show, it’s that a rock band on stage always has an uphill struggle to generate atmosphere when they start cold with an audience. Tate’s plentiful anecdotes sometimes interrupt his own songs, stifling the development of his narrative just when the music is beginning to flow. But overall, Birthmarked is a fun and entertaining show that revels in its own outrageousness, ably connecting the life Tate rejected to who he is in the glittery, spectacular now. (Eddie Harrison) n Assembly Rooms, until 27 August, 7.15pm.

ADAM LENSON ANYTHING THAT WE WANTED TO BE lll ll

When Adam Lenson was diagnosed with cancer aged 34, his first-world, middleclass existence was understandably turned upside down. Having diverted from the path he was on once already (after dropping out of medical school to become a theatre director), Lenson found himself questioning his choices and taking stock of both his past and potential selves.

As life flashes before his eyes by way of a series of TV monitors rewinding the days, the end result in Hannah Moss’ production is a playful offloading of assorted what-ifs amid the sliding doors of his own mortality. Using a microphone and loop pedals to create a kind-of karaoke lecture, Lenson channels his experience into a focused meditation made even more life-affirming by the fact that he is here at all.

In a show developed at Camden People’s Theatre, geeks might also pick up on the lesser-spotted connection between children’s comedy gangster musical Bugsy Malone and Daft Punk (simples, once you know it). The former not only gives Lenson’s show its title, but that intertwining lends it a synchronicity that shows how very different parallel lives intertwine. Like the song says, you give a little love and it all comes back to you. (Neil Cooper) n Summerhall, until 27 August, 12.30pm.

FLAWBORED IT’S A MOTHERFUCKING PLEASURE llll l

Despite the abrasive title, FlawBored (Samuel Brewer, Chloe Palmer and Aarian Mehrabani) are a cheerful, accommodating trio of educational presenters, with a proper satirical intent behind their disability-led show, which deals with the ‘mass-marketing of identity’. Two of the presenters happen to be blind, and the show opens with a slew of excuses, statements and disclaimers about the nature of disability and able-ism; it’s clear from the get-go that this parodic tactic is very much an attack on the way that today’s social media attempts to force-feed us a sense of who we are.

What earns It’s A Motherfucking Pleasure a fourth star is the disturbing climax, which is deliberately triggering; as a device, it reveals the serious intent behind what is an accessible and funny show. There are ongoing questions about how the term disabled is used; hopefully such debates will include the jet-black wit that FlawBored bring to the discussion. (Eddie Harrison)

n Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 August, 4.45pm.

PICTURE: JANE HOBSON

PICTURE: PAUL BLAKEMORE

PICTURE: ALEX BRENNER

FIX+FOXY DARK NOON llll l

All the American tropes get yanked out for this farcical, dark retelling of how the Land Of The Free came to be. Danish director Tue Biering and co-director/choreographer Nhlanhla Mahlangu lead seven South African actors through a curdled, sordid tale of the American Dream, from the dash to claim land by European immigrants, through the Gold Rush, slave labour and soldiers with PTSD.

Putting a fabulously tawdry and ridiculous spin on the traditional heroic tales of frontiersmen and their winning of the Wild West, cheap wigs topple skew-whiff and hastily whited-up faces become smeared in sweat, lipstick and grime as the frantic show unfolds. American football shoulder pads and fridges full of Coke poke fun at Yankee pride but there is a constant line-dance between wholesome hoedown cliché and genuine horror and corruption. Using live cameras moving around the vast stage, the audience is dragged, almost literally at points, between a grinning sports commentary with maniacal cheerleaders while First Nation tribes are massacred, to an auction of humans, backdropped by tongue in cheek nods to Little House On The Prairie

Wooden banks, saloons and brothels are built before our eyes, conveying the country’s rapid growth, with bent sheriffs, greedy capitalists and depressed pioneers acting out scenes simultaneously at points. Unpacking America’s cinematic legacy of violence and colonialist brutality, we watch the links between Africa and the West develop, with all the good, the bad and the ugly consequences. (Claire Sawers)

n Pleasance At EICC, until 27 August, 5pm.

GRAEAE THEATRE COMPANY SELF-RAISING lll ll

Jenny Sealey, founder of Graeae and innovative director of disability-led art, takes to the stage for the first time to speak of her family secrets through intimate and charming autobiographical storytelling. Moving between a deconstruction of her projected adaptation of a favourite novel and the slow unfolding of hidden ancestry, Sealey’s performance is warm and charismatic, and suits the gentle way in which she, and her siblings, deal with dramatic revelations about their parents. While the discussion of an aborted production serves to introduce Sealey’s own story, it lacks a pay-off, and it’s the calm sharing of secrets that lends Self-Raising both empathy and compassion. The post-dramatic format (set and images are explained, and there is support for visual and audio impairments integrated into the dramaturgy) supports the show’s inclusive dynamic, while allowing a very personal tale to be explored in a way that intrigues and satisfies. (Gareth K Vile) n Pleasance Dome, until 27 August, 12.30pm.

VICTOR ESSES THE DEATH & LIFE OF ALL OF US ll lll

Looking good in a fez, theatre and performance maker Victor Esses and his autobiographical show look back fondly at notable members of his family, principally his great-aunt Marcelle. Having converted from Judaism to Christianity as she moved from Lebanon to Italy, Marcelle’s existence inspired Esses to start making a documentary about her.

Clips from that uncompleted project are presented here in a largely spoken-word piece; Esses reads directly from notes while text appears on screens, although the blocking sometimes obscures them. There’s some technical tightening to be done, but it’s very clear that Esses is sincere in his admiration for his elders.

A text conversation he displays seems to suggest some self-recrimination yet to be explored, but the show’s title is perhaps too dramatic for the assemblage of family memories assembled here. As a work in progress, it does feel like a compelling narrative is emerging, but there’s a bridgeable gap between what we hear and what Esses wants us to understand. (Eddie Harrison)

n Summerhall, until 27 August, 11.30am.

FRINGE MANAGEMENT MYSTERY HOUSE llll l

The Winchester Mystery House is a sprawling, labyrinthine Gothic mansion designed by American heiress Sarah Winchester, and which began life as a shabby farmhouse near San Francisco. From 1886, she spent almost four decades expanding her home until her death, at which point construction finally stopped.

The legendary manor has 40 bedrooms, numerous Escher-esque staircases and a séance room, and it’s fair to say it would make a wild Airbnb. Writer and performer Wendy Weiner grew up in the nearby Bay Area and became fascinated by the estate, and in Mystery House she guides her audience through a gripping exploration of this spectacular folly.

After a time, she subtly interweaves her own story: one of love, loss and grief. While the lives of these two women seem, initially, to be worlds apart, she builds a beautiful, profound connection. Weiner is a spellbinding storyteller and her fascinating tale is utterly bewitching. (Murray Robertson)

n Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 28 August, 12.20pm.

THAT WHAT’S WILD LOOKING FOR GIANTS llll l

Looking for meaning in the transitory connections with people we’re attracted to may seem an utterly foolish exercise. Looking For Giants is convinced that this act of selfsearching is less about the outcome and more about the experience. Cesca Echlin’s debut play is a trifecta of monologues performed by Abby McCann, each built around a nameless character’s perception of men who excite, frustrate and compel her.

This is not a play about men, but the lens one woman looks at them through. Our speaker talks in the third person throughout (making her testimony feel both confessional and invasive) as she walks a shifting, conflicted path of sexual identity and self-realisation. Echlin’s writing is sharply observed and McCann’s performance is fearless; together, their work is entrancing. McCann’s expressive agility keeps the rhythm of Echlin’s script electric throughout, no matter how vulnerable or assertive that writing asks her to be.

The final monologue pales in comparison to the gripping first two, feeling more inert than what we’ve already seen, but Echlin still closes the play on a poignant note of (selfdirected?) romance. Some may think its scope is too slight, but Looking For Giants artfully breaks open a whole world of feeling. (Rory Doherty)

n Underbelly Cowgate, until 13 August, 2.35pm.

TEATER KATAPULT THE INSIDER llll l

The Insider takes a serious look at major financial fraud. Based on the investigation of a tax-refund scam, operated by multiple international banks, it focuses on a single lawyer who decided to admit to his own involvement and become an informer. With the actor encased in a transparent cage and dialogue piped into earphones, the production is claustrophobic, intense and ferocious. Describing the strategy in detail and taking on the characteristics of an interrogation, its script is simultaneously an explanation of this fraud and a taut study of one man’s conscience. In just over an hour, The Insider seeks to identify a corruption at the heart of contemporary global capitalism. There are allusions to evolutionary biology as a justification for the rapacious behaviour of the financial classes, while we witness the human consequences of what at first appears to be merely an exploitation of certain legal loopholes. The unnamed protagonist has opportunities to demonstrate his humanity, yet he is exposed as complicit in a system that not only oppresses society but believes that it is morally correct. Jumping between different time periods, the production’s disorientation mirrors the violent consequences of big-business machinations. This is urgent theatre. If the protagonist appears one-dimensional, and his boss an almost Bond-villain caricature, the show’s message is uncompromising. A brief scene which follows our protagonist as he celebrates his financial windfall articulates heartlessness, decadence and moral weakness. The Insider exposes both human and systematic wickedness. (Gareth K Vile)

n ZOO Southside, until 27 August, 4.30pm.

PICTURE: JENS PETER ENGEDA

PICTURE: RAPHAËL NEAL

ALL ABOARD AT TERMINATION STATION

A comedy cabaret about abortion won’t be for everyone (but then what is?), as we hear the autobiographical tale of Lily, a story of body autonomy and the rejection of victim status.

 Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 August, 3.30pm.

BLOODY ELLE

Returning for a brief run after its glorious success at the 2022 Fringe, this gig-musical is an honest and funny dissection of those moments when the heart skips a beat in the company of someone who might just be The One.

 Traverse Theatre, until 13 August, times vary.

THEATRE HIGHLIGHTS

BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY VOICE

Celebrating its tenth anniversary at the Fringe, this award-winning solo show from Apphia Campbell is inspired by the life of Nina Simone as it follows a singer and activist who seeks redemption after her father’s untimely death.

 Pleasance At EICC, 14–19 August, 3pm.

CONCERNED OTHERS

Tortoise In A Nutshell produce a multi-textured piece about rates of substance addiction across Scotland, using tabletop figures, immersive soundscapes, micro-projections and showbox installations.

 Summerhall, until 27 August, 2.45pm.

THROWN

Writer Nat McCleary teams up with director Johnny McKnight for a story about ve very different women coming together for a common cause. But will their differences act as a glue or drive them apart?

 Traverse Theatre, until 27 August, times vary.

COME TO OUR SHOW (PLEASE)

Quite a curious title for a theatre show, but you just do whatever gets you through. This piece centres around two clowns who are yearning to return home but they’ve wound up in a country where no one speaks their language.

 C aquila, 14–20 August, 5.30pm.

DECLAN

Set in rural Wiltshire, we meet Jimbo, who is haunted by the disappearance of his friend, Declan. The ghosts of the past and present crop up to make life hell just when he’s been trying to make sense of his own identity.

 Underbelly Cowgate, 15–27 August, 2.35pm.

festival hot shots

Composer, cellist and singer Ayanna Witter-Johnson teams up with the LSO Percussion Ensemble (The Hub, 15 August) for a performance which features a number of her own compositions that skirt around in the realms of jazz, reggae, soul and R&B, as well as classical.

Dundee-based French contemporary dance and performance artist Solène Weinachter last entertained us with her solo take on Antigone and she’s back this Fringe with After All (Assembly @ Dance Base, 15–27 August), a piece that asks us to seriously confront (albeit with a little levity) the death rituals that surround us.

If you go down to House Of Oz today, you’re in for a big surprise. Because there’s a massive inflatable Skywalker Gibbon over the entrance. Not just a huge and impressive gimmick, this is intended as a firm statement on environmental sustainability.

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