Fest 2014 Issue 4

EE FR

Full hour y b r hou ings list

Fame & Fortune

OLA TALKS DS U Q C A P R CELIA TAROT CA D N A S IC H PSYC

15–18 August 2014 — YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE FESTIVAL

UNDERBELLY PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

‘YOU CANNOT FAIL TO BE AMAZED...

A MASTERPIECE’ BERLINER MORGENPOST

HERALD ANGEL

‘WICKED, FORBIDDEN, WEIRD,

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INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED

CIRCA

Photo: Andy Phillipson

INVITE YOU TO STEP...

7PM (8PM)

30 JULY - 25 AUGUST 2014

THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

Your complete guide to the Festival

FRIDGE

PUBLISHER Sam Friedman

They’re oddly overlooked amid the frenzy of the Festival. But fear not: Fest brings you coverage of Fringe performers’ best-stocked fridges.

EDITOR Evan Beswick CREATIVE DIRECTOR Matthew MacLeod DEPUTY EDITOR Tom Hackett THEATRE EDITOR-AT-LARGE Matt Trueman COMEDY EDITOR-AT-LARGE Lyle Brennan WEB EDITOR & SUB EDITOR John Hewitt Jones

The Beta fridge during the Fringe is split into what each of us needs to survive. Guy a bad energy drink. Adam - a banana. John Henry - butter, olives, cheese, beer, ketchup, piccalilli, dominoes pizza es l a M ta e sauce. Rich - an egg.

B e Th

PHOTO EDITOR & COVER IMAGE Weronika Bachleda COVER IMAGE, ISSUE 3 Idil Sukan

WRITING TEAM Ed Ballard, Billy Barrett, Sean Bell, Lyle Brennan, Jo Caird, Tom Hackett, Julian Hall, Si Hawkins, Dan Hutton, Ben Judge, Miranda Kiek, Andrew Latimer, Catherine Love, Edd McCracken, Brett Mills, Lewis Porteous, Stewart Pringle, Arianna Reiche, Lucy Ribchester, Jay Richardson, Alice Saville, Joe Spurgeon, Tom Wicker

SALES & MARKETING Gillian Brown, Lara Moloney, Tom McCarthy, George Sully, John Stansfield

@festmag www.festmag.co.uk hello@festmag.co.uk Founded by Dan Lerner and Helen Pidd Published by Fest Media Limited, Registered in Scotland, number SC344852. Registered office 3 Coates Place, Edinburgh, EH3 7AA Every effort has been made to check the accuracy of the information in this magazine, but we cannot accept liability for information which is inaccurate.

Show times and prices are subject to changes always check with the venue. All rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reprodiced in whole or in part without the explicit permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within this publication do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the printer or the publisher.

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THE BETA MALES: HAPPENSTANCE Pleasance Courtyard, 7:00pm – 8:00pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 12 Aug, £9 – £11

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Contents 8 Nish Kumar Unafraid to go against the populist grain, the science fan explains why he hates The Big Bang Theory

12 Nothing to Fear Children’s theatre is big money at the Fringe. But should it just be fun and games to keep the kids quiet?

16 Celia Paquola She’s the rationalist who visits psychics. She’s also hilarious.

19 - Comedy

Keiran Hodgson won’t be hidden away in a small venue for much longer

39 - Theatre 64 - Music 67 - Kids 70 - Listings www.festmag.co.uk

Polish company Song of the Goat are back with Return to the Voice

Blues! does exactly what it says on the tin – and it’s absolutely rocking

Six-year-old Isabella Kinver-Tait helps out Marina the fairy in Once Upon A...

Your essential guide to what’s on at the world’s biggest arts festival 15–18 August 2014 fest

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COMEDY

man

A of reason Everything is subjective, but these things Nish Kumar knows: nobody can tell him how to discuss race; his dad will always wish he’d been a lawyer; and The Big Bang Theory is tripe Photos: Weronika Bachleda. Thanks to Armchair Books, West Port

B

azinga! That was the word that started it all – a catchphrase that, depending on your viewing habits, might stir giddy fandom, mild disgust or nothing at all. If you’re Nish Kumar, though, it’s cause to despair of humanity.

When he spotted it on a T-shirt in the crowd at last year’s Fringe, he asked the girl wearing it, what did it mean? “She said it was from The Big Bang Theory,” he recalls. “And I said: ‘I fucking hate that show.’”

That’s quite an abrasive response for Kumar—to all appearances a model of good-natured, self-effacing rationality—but it’s hard to overstate how seriously he takes comedy. The US sitcom, whose cast have just become the highest-paid on TV, offends his sense of humour. Its glossy, sanitised version of socially inept scientists is an affront to this warts-and-all nerd. He’s not about to budge on that, but his inability to see why 21.3 million Americans might tune in every week got him thinking.

“There’s something interesting about starting a

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comedy show by going ‘you might not enjoy this, there’s comedy I don’t like – and it’s fine’,” he says.

“From there the thing started bubbling.”

One year on, that thought has since sprouted legs and grown into the mockingly titled Ruminations on the Nature of Subjectivity. It’s a lively, witty look at opinion and self-doubt that undermines pigheadedness wherever it’s found. Beginning gently with the verdicts of armchair TV critics, it opens out to politics, race, and dumbed-down expression in the age of the internet troll.

“Experience gives me the confidence to embrace complexity on stage,” says Kumar, whose third solo hour marks his ninth Fringe, including stints with the Durham Revue and the Gentlemen of Leisure, his sketch duo with best friend Tom Neenan. “I started out feeling like I constantly had to explain myself, and increasingly I’ve just felt less and less need to simplify something for an audience.”

That self-assurance might never have bloomed had he taken the advice of his old agent. She told

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COMEDY

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COMEDY him to stop mentioning his ethnicity in case it alienated the audience. These days he’s able to laugh about it. But back then, when he was starting standup around 2007, it eroded his confidence at a time when he needed it most.

“You’re being told that you’re doing comedy wrong,” he says. “In the short term it was really damaging to me because it gave me a false view of how people perceive minority comedians.”

Rather than adapt his material, he trudged on—albeit “with 70 per cent less conviction”—and his perseverance has gradually paid off. That presumptuous meddler is now one of the villains of Ruminations, and Edinburgh audiences are relishing hearing her “profoundly unhelpful” suggestion being roundly dispatched.

Kumar has never wanted to patronise his public, and for this he credits the major influence of his formative years: The Simpsons. He calls it “the reason I started watching comedy”, and only now, aged 29, does he feel his standup comes anywhere near his favourite programme’s intelligence and lightness of touch.

“People are way smarter than they’re given credit for,” he says, “and so if I just want to interpret data from a survey, as long as there’s a punchline at the end, people will go with it.”

He’s referring to a new routine challenging the 34 per cent of voters who told YouGov they’d be uncomfortable with an ethnic minority prime minister. It’s signature material from a comic who’s in his element kicking out the foundations from under faulty, reactionary logic – a style that, to his amusement, has earned him comparisons to ex-Daily Show doyen John Oliver.

To his mind, that’s a ludicrously flattering connection to one of his heroes, and he would never have made it himself. (“My friends would’ve just ripped the shit out of me.

I can imagine Neenan looking at me going ‘mate, what are you doing?’.”) Such a claim is unthinkable to Kumar, who, both on stage and off, likes to give himself a hard time.

“There’s two things going on here,” he explains. “One is that you stop being funny when you’re a really high-status comedian and you have all the answers. Asking questions is great, but as soon as you think ‘I’m really gonna tell you guys some truths’, that’s the end of the comedy.”

He admires more radical left-wing comics such as Mark Thomas and Jeremy Hardy, but says: “I’m not as smart as those guys, I don’t have enough of a sense of what to do about any of these problems.”

“The other side of me undermining myself is that I genuinely have a low opinion of myself. As much as it’s comedically helpful for me to play a low-status figure, I also have nothing but open contempt for myself,” he laughs.

Kumar acknowledges that it’s getting harder to sustain his self-loathing now that he’s in a stable relationship and his comedy’s paying the bills. He’s content with his lot in life, yet his parents, who always had high expectations of their bright-spark boy, remain unsure what to make of his vocation. “Every so often my dad will go ‘you’d have been a great lawyer’, apropos of nothing. I don’t even know what the fucking context is. I’ll be like: ‘What are you doing?! I’m trying to watch the cricket.’”

But at long last, his mother and father have a way to set his success in context. In the past year he’s written for the

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Sky One revival of The Kumars, and was the warm-up act for BBC2’s Goodness Gracious Me Reunion Special. Nish’s parents, who come from Kerala and raised their family in Croydon, watched him being patted on the back by Sanjeev Bhaskar, an icon of British-Asian humour. Something finally clicked.

“My parents met him and he was treating me like somebody who did the same job as him. So the penny fell a little further, and whilst it’s not dropped completely, it’s in freefall now.”

Still, he can’t share with them his excitement at the milestones of a standup career. He says that when he gushes “Mum, I’m doing an opening 20 at Up The Creek” or “Dad, I’ve got a weekend at the Stand”, it’s met with a shrug.

It must be frustrating for someone who takes such pleasure in his job.

His comedy obsession isn’t going to waste, though.

He suspects it’s the reason why he—“a fairly straightforward act”—has found an affinity with clued-up fans with more adventurous tastes. “I am an enormous, enormous nerd,” says Kumar, who’s currently on Stewart Lee’s TV showcase The Alternative Comedy Experience. “And I think people are going ‘one of us made it through – good work’.”

Recently, he’s noticed it’s becoming harder and harder to tell “one of us” from one of them, the phonies who “self-identify as nerds because of the proliferation of things like iPhones and Marvel movies”.

He says: “Particularly in comedy clubs, you’d walk out and the front row would be people who look like they’re in the maths club, and you’re like ‘my people!’.” But increasingly, he finds appearances can be deceiving. “Because it’s trendy to dress like people who I’d imagine I’d get on with instinctively, it means there’s a lot of arseholes in disguise,” he says. “You need to telegraph your arseholosity more clearly.”

Perhaps next time he’s out to spot an impostor, one sight should be a giveaway; he can walk on stage and skim the front row for a T-shirt that reads “Bazinga!”. n LYLE BRENNAN Pleasance Courtyard, 7:15pm – 8:15pm, 1 – 24 Aug, £9 – £12

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KIDS

NOTHING TO FEAR Should we be worried about exposing young children to theatre on issues such as death and anxiety? Miranda Kiek examines a trio of shows determined to do more than just entertain kids

“I

f you keep bogies and goblins away from children they will make them up for themselves. One small child in the dark can invent more hells than Swedenborg,” wrote G.K. Chesterton in an essay on fairy tales.

That was the late nineteenth century and in the twenty-first we seem not to worry about fairy tales frightening children any more.

In children’s theatre, especially panto, wicked witches and evil stepmothers are fine. They can be booted headfirst into the oven or have their eyes pecked out by doves. Yet the bogies and goblins of real life—like Death, Relationship Breakdown, Fear and Anxiety—are rarer visitors to this world.

In Edinburgh this year, three plays for younger children take precisely these real-world anxieties and place them centre stage.

“Is death really an appropriate subject for a children’s play?” I ask Peter Wilson, the creator and star of a moving puppet adaptation of Wolf Ehrlbruch’s children’s story, Duck, Death and the Tulip. “I don’t see why not,” Wilson replies. “Children have pets, they die – we just don’t really talk about it.” He is a firm believer that theatre is the right place to start start such important conversations: “Plays should allow children to experience life as they experience it outside.”

When Wilson was only five years old, his own brother died. Nobody told him it was going to happen, and afterwards nobody would talk about it. “I just wish I could have

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KIDS

Above: Tiger Tale Below: Duck, Death and the Tulip Next page: Emily Brown and the Thing

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read Ehrlbruch’s book then,” he says. Perhaps this goes someway to explaining his commitment to a production which has death at its heart.

One of the most distinctive aspects of Duck, Death and the Tulip is the way in which Death is not made into a bogey to be cheerfully vanquished but is, rather, a kindly old gentleman. Death is part of life, not its final tragedy.

In this decidedly un-panto approach, it resembles Tiger Tale, a theatrical dance work choreographed by Natasha Gilmore. The adult issue it tackles is not death but family breakdown. As her parents argue, a girl feels evermore ignored. In one particularly disturbing sequence, she imagines being a tiger and brutally ravishing her mother. Then an “actual” tiger appears. The dangerous, prowling beast causes chaos, but also jolts the family out of a destructive cycle of soul-eroding routine. They learn to play, and everyone lives happily ever after. (But who, one might legitimately ask, does the washing-up?)

“In effect,” explains Gilmore “the daughter conjures up the tiger unwittingly because she needs something in her life she’s not getting. Tiger is risk, Tiger is wildness.” It’s a sophisticated concept for a child or an adult. Something bad, violent, angry can be attractive, vital even. Like William Blake’s Tyger, stalking the “forests of the night”, our own “tigers” may be wild and dangerous, but they also contain the vivid, revolutionary energy which makes us human.

Tall Stories’ Emily Brown and the Thing tackles not so much an object of fear, but fear itself. The play is adapted from the best-selling book by Cressida Cowell and tells the story of the young Emily as she tries to get to sleep.

Every time she tries to close her eyes she is disturbed by a

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KIDS

noise. Upon investigation, she finds the noise is caused by a moaning Thing. He’s moaning because he wants his comforter, then his warm milk, then his special cough medicine.

Emily goes on an adventure with her pet rabbit, Sidney, to fetch the missing items. But the Thing keeps on moaning, until eventually Emily discovers that he is scared.

“Why didn’t you say so?” exclaims the fearless adventuress, before explaining that to conquer anxiety it helps to think of nice thoughts.

As Anna Wheatley, who plays Emily, explains, “It’s pretty clear as an adult that all the fears are Emily’s own, projected on to the Thing. She is scared of going to sleep, and the cuddly, the milk and the cough medicine, they’re all distraction techniques.” She believes fear of going sleep is an almost universal childhood experience and recalls that she herself went “absolutely crazy before bed as a child, and I did exactly the same things as Emily, because I was afraid of being alone in my room with the light off.”

She even remembers her mum giving her the same advice—to think nice thoughts—as Emily gives the Thing.

It’s one aspect that Wheatley loves about the book and the play – it allows Emily to take the parental role. It displays Emily’s fear, without diminishing her. It allows Emily to inhabit the heroine role completely: “Rather than have Emily Brown scared of the noise, she goes on an adventure.”

Social realism and real-world issues are not new to the family stage – Coram Boy and War Horse have been two

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of the biggest hits of the decade. Even Jacqueline Wilson’s Tracey Beaker, the last word in gritty real life, has been made into a stage play. But these are aimed at older children and have no element of magic. For younger children it is often the magical and the fantastical that enables them to appreciate and accept the reality.

As Bruno Bettelheim argues in his seminal defence of the fairy tale, although magical devices may be “unreal”, they are not “untrue”. In fact what these three plays resemble most is a fairy tale in which the metaphorical coating has worn thin. There is still magic and wonder, but their unreality is made synonymous with truth.

The last thing to note, of course, is that children are pretty resilient; we can probably worry too much about upsetting them. As I exit Duck, Death and the Tulip, I overhear a mother and her daughter discussing the play. “That was so sad,” says the mum, slightly teary. “The duck was funny,” says the daughter, oblivious. n MIRANDA KIEK TIGER TALE Venue150@EICC, times vary, 1–19 Aug, not 4, 11, £8 DUCK, DEATH AND THE TULIP Summerhall, 10:00am – 10:45am, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £8 EMILY BROWN AND THE THING Pleasance Courtyard, 2:05pm – 3:00pm, 1 – 24 Aug, £10

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COMEDY

TEMPTING FATE les clairvoyance in Celia Pacquola tack t she’s no sceptic. her current show, bu r a reading Ed Ballard gives he leda

Photos: Weronika Bach

sion with a psyneed to book a ses even ou shouldn’t really knocking before you e com uld sho c chic. A psychi atever reason (maybe wh for But . one d know you nee of ten thousand ge of work in the form ked up August delivers a sur irvoyants are all boo cla ’s rgh nbu Edi experianxious creatives), ossible to recruit an imp it’s So ek. we Pacquo till the end of the p me interview Celia hel can o wh nal ut enced professio written a show abo orn comic who has gs. din la, the Melbourne-b rea t taro tune-tellers and her fondness for for far less psychic there are chancers But as far as I know, a pound a pop. for e Mil al Roy es on the read the to than me telling for tun n itio intu d nee s you only morise the I find a blog that say t say you need to me tha s one or the ore ign tarot (I 78 cards of the min ary meanings of all primary and second k. I reject the first dec a buy to out and set and major arcana) tures of druids. “I bet it’s covered with pic I find because that ring if this might be nde wo , self my to I say Celia hates druids,” e before the a premonition. a relaxing atmospher are It’s crucial to create es, circumstances com e tim the en wh reading begins, but rain, while the noisy ting spit , ble era mis is a not ideal. Outside it from how I imagine Pacquola is a far cry cat). bar in which I meet cushions, moulting y frill , tea of ps (cu cheerfulness of psychic’s parlour has the slightly wired at both Moreover, Pacquola g the mystic candle nin bur n bee has o get here she somebody wh ance today, but to form per no es. had ends. She has broadcast at the Cav lengthy BBC Three ents. “I lam she had to rush from a ,” will my h to keep up wit do “My body is refusing to get up early and have fun and I want day.” a want to stay up and for m roo k dar a is to stay in things. What I need access to a drawbar staff don’t have Disappointingly, the best we can do, the so e, ens stals and inc set up with a pint, erful of healing cry h bot ’re we ce ohol. On relaxation -wise, is alc ds. three car I ask Celia to select

Y

0pm – 9:00pm, 30 Gilded Balloon , 8:0 £9.50 – £10.50

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Jul – 24 Aug, not 12

Aug,

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COMEDY

THE STAR: THE PAST I feel confounded by this strange image—the jugs, the mid-day stars, the bird perching on the branch—but Celia is breezily confident.

“So this is my past in Australia,” she declares. “These are the stars of the Southern Cross.

She should not be wasting water like that in the outback. She could do with some sunscreen.

And she’s me. My star-sign is Aquarius, the water-carrier.

She’s naked, and I am also sometimes naked.”

She reflects for a minute.

“Maybe it’s about learning? This is me toiling, learning how to do things. Like, ‘Don’t pour the water on the ground, you idiot.’ And maybe she’s learning she should put some clothes on – I was quite slutty in the past.”

What about the bird, I wonder.

“That’s this terrifying bird we have near us called an ibis. If you got a flamenco—flamenco? flamingo—and turned it into a zombie, that’s an ibis. I still have nightmares about them.

So that’s my early childhood.”

Pacquola saw a psychic for the first time when she was 19, travelling in California with her mother. He told her she was cursed. Despite the fact that this is apparently a common ruse—I can lift the curse, but it’ll cost you—Pacquola stuck with it. She’s not somebody who feels she has that much control over her life (she began her career eight years ago when a boyfriend entered her in a competition which she proceeded to win), and a palm reading or tarot session can be reassuring.

“My life’s extremely coincidental. It feels good to have somebody tell you that everything’s going to be fine, and that’s not something you can do for yourself – that’s the service they give you.”

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COMEDY SEVEN OF PENTACLE S: THE PRESENT

the credulity spectrum.

She scoffs at the idea of washing it und er the moonlight, as crys tal experts suggest. But Orthodox interpretatio she’s still ns of Pacquola’s got a crystal in her bra first card leave out the . zombie birds (its The sho primary meaning is to w’s theme sets it apart do with fertility from Pacquola’s previous effo – as fate would have it, rt, an hour of something that straight standup with crops up in Pacquola’s lots of material show) but the about making a long-d way she reads her sec istance relation ond card squares ship work. The relation with the internet’s clai ship in question rvoyant commuended not long after; nity. now she can’t bring herself to watch “This one’s about looking the per formance at the big on DVD. pile of work I’ve done and thinking, ‘Look “I even used his real nam how far I’ve come’. e,” she says.

“That’s how sure I was “I’m proud of this sho .” I ask Pacquola w,” she says. whether a psychic told “I’ve written a show abo her that he was ut a subject that The One. She shrugs.

I haven’t heard anyone Some did, some talk about before. said otherwise.

It’s a risk. Before this I wouldn’t normally What about the way the tell people I see psychic peasant s – let alone on on the card is leaning stage. People have actu on his spade? ally told me that He’ s got the look of somebo they think less of me dy pausing because I do it.” for a breather. He’s dug She understands whe up a good few re those peo cab bag es, or something, but ple are coming from. the har vest Pacquola derides isn’t finished. psychics who get eve rything wrong—the Pac quo line that gives the sho la says: “You’re only as w its title, Let Me good as your last show. The Know How It All Works re are still days Out, was uttered when I wonder whethe to her by one par ticularly r this is what I guileless and should be doing. All you shortsighted seer—but can do is make she’s no sceptic. a living and keep improvi The crystal she sometim ng. There’s neves carries in her er a point when somebo bra is a good indicato dy says, ‘Well r of her position on done, you’ve won com edy.’”

THE FOOL: THE FUTURE

don’t get to know “It bugs me that you pen,” Pacquola what’s going to hap on an entertaining says. She veers off that few people ing erv tangent, obs ted that the Newwould have predic k ornament with ton’s Cradle, the des outlive the fax uld wo ls, bal the clicky to the possion ves mo n the machine, ld go tits up. cou eer car her t bilit y tha ss again in five “I could be a waitre s cheerfully. She lare dec she rs,” yea bet ween Australia reckons that flitting e slowed her hav ht mig ain Brit and e. When she left progress down a littl w last year, she after her Fringe sho ving behind a was conscious of lea in the UK comedy number of people ing nice things world who were say s all about about her. “Comedy’ never really folmomentum, and I’ve the momentum.” lowed through on

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this year, but She’ll stick around how long. The she doesn’t know for expression and his Fool, with his blithe ings, seems sim ong bel of dle little bun quola reckons Pac But se. tloo ilarly foo ning heat, is bur its h wit d, car that this does put down she en wh t tha a sign tralia. roots, it’ll be in Aus tiny happy dog, “And there’s a little ion in the future,” pan com a e hav I’ll so she adds. haps insenThen I observe, per l has his eyes sitively, that the Foo closed. walk off “Oh no! I’m going to an I’m blindly a cliff! Does this me ster and the dog’s approaching a disa Well, we’ll see. I trying to warn me? am cursed, after all.”

She brightens up.

Indiana Jones, “But maybe it’s like cliff but there’s the off lks wa where he Is it a leap of ge? brid ret sec a actually faith.” of p lea a it’s k thin faith? I

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COMEDYREVIEWS

Kieran Hodgson HHHHH A tale of teenage experiences on a school French exchange trip, stuffed with vibrant comic characters PAGE 36 Photo: Weronika Bachleda

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COMEDY

Lyle Brennan LEAD COMEDY CRITIC

Andrew Lawrence: Reasons To Kill Yourself

HHHHH Bec Hill in… Ellipsis

HHHHH

T

here’s a neat trick in Andrew Lawrence’s repertoire that really elevates his sets. Here and there, along a landscape of misanthropic potshots and knee-jerk nihilism, he’ll pick up momentum and hurtle into a wordy, sustained assault.

It’s like someone’s released a valve: out comes this unrelenting surge of venom that knocks his target to the ground and just keeps flowing.

There’s no rage, only resignation and a sneering, thin-voiced denouncement of whatever’s been eroding his faith in humanity of late.

Here, Lawrence does it to rain on the parade of po-faced feminist standup, which he sarcastically applauds for foisting guilt on comedy crowds. He does it to demonise payday loan firms, with their predatory greed. He does it to mount a fluent, thesaurus-trawling hate speech on the obese. And woe betide anyone who wastes his time with such a tedious question as “How was your weekend?”.

Between these tirades, more fleeting lines imagine an assisted suicide app, Lawrence’s last words or his death row meal. He presents a world where love is delusion, where owning a motorhome or a breadmaker is a

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cry for help, and where we are just “gene-carriers” for the next wave of insipid, small-talking cretins. Oh, your kids did something annoying? “Kill them,” comes the response.

Lawrence makes a virtue of his charmlessness, casting himself as the voyeur in the wardrobe or the sicko fantasising about interrupting Valentine’s dinners with a shotgun.

This is his ninth consecutive Fringe, and he’s found an audience that takes grim satisfaction in what a wretched creature he is.

But it seems that’s not enough for him. At various points, he makes

mention of how he was dumped last summer, both by his agent and his long-term girlfriend. Then, for the final third, he breaks out another stream of invective for an extraordinary, bridge-burning swipe at a comedy industry he feels hasn’t given him his dues.

Ruthless agents and indifferent commissioners get it in the neck, as well as the mediocre peers promoted to fame ahead of him. He conveys the death of hope and the myth of meritocracy – and a hefty sense of entitlement. Granted, it’s inflated by those who brown-nosed him during

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COMEDY “…his honesty’s welcome after all the personaheavy shtick, but you’re also left with a sense of being implicated in his demise.” his Live At The Apollo peak, but it’s entitlement nonetheless. What’s more, considering he’s just stuck the boot into feminist comics for bringing divisive, uncomfortable material into the clubs, there’s a double standard here.

You feel for him, and his honesty’s welcome after all the persona-heavy shtick, but you’re also left with a sense of being implicated in his demise. He’s ready to give up, and if this is indeed his last-ever Fringe, it’s a hell of a low note to end on.

Bec Hill’s Ellipsis is also preoccupied with a lack of success, though you couldn’t imagine a more different approach. Last year she bumped into a childhood idol and drunkenly boasted to him that she was an award-winning comedian – it was a lie, and now she’s got to make it a reality.

That’s a good excuse to toy with the stereotypical traits of a gong-worthy hour: impassioned, slick, emotionally manipulative. None of these comes naturally to this chirpy Aussie optimist, who’s best known for animated flip-chart wizardry and gloriously cheesy puns.

So now she’s out to diversify, dabbling with a playful clowning intro, some knowingly weak observational fare and an exercise in forcing herself to get angry over subjects picked off a spinning wheel. In riffing on her supposed blind spots as a comic, Hill not only defers to those who do specialise in weightier material, she also gives a good account of what her own strengths are.

There’s a goofy conceit where her self-doubt rings in on a tin-can phone to pour scorn on her efforts and chas-

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Left: Andrew Lawrence Above: Bec Hill

tise her for veering off track. These tongue-in-cheek theatrical sections give a handy route to a feel-good conclusion, even if there’s some dead air in Hill’s delivery.

For all the talents on display here, it’s the two main pillars of her act that shine most. In an impressive pun-based interlude, the rule is: the more tortuous the setup, the sweeter the payoff. And then there are those incredible cardboard contraptions.

With tabs and flaps and spinning discs, a punter’s imagination fills the page in real time, but the showstopper comes when Hill illustrates a morbid Phil Nichol tune, her hands a blur as she

brings her doodles to life.

Maybe in a few Fringes’ time she too will be up there, a dead gaze behind the ‘60s-style eyeliner, animating her enemies in pop-up and punning on her grudges. Don’t bet on it. This year, she’s a ray of sunshine. n LYLE BRENNAN BEC HILL IN... ELLIPSIS Gilded Balloon , 5:30pm – 6:25pm, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, not 12 Aug, £8.50 – £9.50 ANDREW LAWRENCE: REASONS TO KILL YOURSELF The Assembly Rooms, 8:45pm – 9:45pm, 31 Jul – 24 Aug, not 11 Aug, 18 Aug, £10

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COMEDY Andrew Maxwell: Hubble Bubble

HHHHH The very definition of a safe pair of hands, Andrew Maxwell, the bestubbled Irish enchanter, has somewhat implausibly chalked up two decades of performing at the Fringe. It is a remarkable achievement given that he still looks about 25, leaping onstage to the radioworn strains of U2, resplendent in boxfresh Nikes, floppy fringe and boyish white t-shirt.

The meat of Maxwell’s set—understandably perhaps for a Dubliner living in London and performing in Edinburgh—is national identity, and yes, not sure if you’ve clocked this one yet, but Scotland’s impending independence referendum.

Maxwell’s become “obsessed” by it all, he tells us, hoovering up the column inches and feasting on the internet forums. Know what’s peculiar about the voting habits of Dumfries and Galloway’s residents?

Maxwell does. He’s even signed up for their online news bulletin.

It’s a surely a tempting subject to home in on and Maxwell duly wrings it dry, taking easy potshots at the sexual appeal of the Yes/ No poster boys, slamming the campaign slogans and berating the “missing million” unstirred Scotsfolk who haven’t even bothered to register to vote.

It’s a tad staid and Maxwell is far, far better when he allows himself to freewheel into the absurd – personifying Scotland as a happy homeowner poking a teacake around its belly, volunteering his own scale for measuring royalism and dispatching European history lessons (“we’re descendants of everyone’s unwanted rowdy messy fuckers, basically”).

It’s a solid hour-plus and we forgive the odd trailing thought and telegraphed punchline as Maxwell is just so damn likeable, his appreciative sign-off smacking of a seasoned Fringe vet in his pomp. n JOE SPURGEON The Assembly Rooms, 10:20pm – 11:20pm, 1–12 Aug, £15

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John Hastings: Adventure

HHHHH “Is he standup, sketch, or character? I don’t know anything about this guy.”

So runs the queue chat of one punter before tonight’s show. It turns out that this is a prescient question, as there is some calibration to be done of Hastings’ shtick and persona.

The Canadian’s storytelling jive is not immediately accessible. His dramatic tone and absurdist perspective don’t at first seem like they will draw you in. However, when it is clear that this conceit is a constant one, you submit.

The retelling of his post-Canada life story so far starts with a yarn about his little brother being picked on because none of his friends believe his brother is a comedian. It’s

slightly loopy and cartoonish, but a neat payoff propels us into the rest of his set.

Hastings’ arrival in the UK is the cue for a few cultural observations with a theatrical twist. He imbues the warped British sense of romance with a Shakespearian legitamacy, futher highlighting his thespian impulses, before laying bare our more mercenary instinct with his Megabus odyssey.

This passage, and the tales that come afterwards, play out with a mix of goofy hilarity and morbid fascination tempered with some searing turns of phrase that keep us on board and keep the funny on track. There’s alway the risk that Hastings might veer into a flight-of-fancy too far. That he doesn’t do this is part of the reason why the build of this impressive debut hour is so intriguing. n JULIAN HALL Pleasance Courtyard, 9:45pm – 10:45pm, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, £8 – £9.50

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BEST OF

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COMEDY

Hannah Gadsby: The Exhibitionist

HHHHH A couple of times in the course of an entertaining but under-developed hour of comedy, Hannah Gadsby hints that this is a show with a mission. (That is, other than making people laugh and earning a few quid.) Gadsby has beef with the internet. She shared a selfie recently, only to see it attract a wave of hateful comments. More broadly, she laments the power the visual image has lost in an era when images proliferate endlessly. This thread culminates in a peculiarly muted section

Short & Curly: Who Dunnit?

HHHHH The basement of an Italian restaurant may not sound like the most promising venue for a comedy show, but the cramped, dimly lit atmosphere actually suits this interactive murder mystery rather well. Unfortunately, ambience alone cannot save Who Dunnit? from the weakness of its own material, despite the consistent comic energy on display.

Following the classic format, Short & Curly (Rebecca Shorrocks and Paul

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in which Old Masters tick past on a screen while a cover of ‘Hurt’ by Nine Inch Nails plays.

But most of the show consists of Gadsby (a laconic Aussie who looks appropriately professorial with whiteboard and laser pointer) talking us through a succession of images.

Some are unflattering pictures from her childhood which she talks about self-deprecatingly; others are Old Masters.

Gadsby knows her art history but she doesn’t extract much comic value from this. She scrolls through masterpieces pointing out amusing things – a mighty codpiece here, an unnaturally long arm there. This is good for a giggle, but the problem with a show which revolves around

contriving witty captions for images is that no single human could ever come up with wittier captions than those produced by the hive-mind of the internet, Gadsby’s nemesis.

This threatens to undermine another segment, in which she pokes fun at all those pictures of a halfdressed Vladimir Putin doing virile things like aiming a big gun or riding a magnificent steed. What’s left to say about these pictures?

Thankfully, Gadsby raises her game at this point, puncturing the photos’ pomposity with two far more inventive comedic tactics. More of that, please. n ED BALLARD

F Taylor, so named for their respective hairstyles) discover their new partner Andy (a much-abused mannequin) has been murdered. Via a series of breathless, desperately zany sketches, a range of potential suspects are introduced, leaving the audience to decide which of them is the killer. These include an obvious parody of Macho Man Randy Savage, a Blue Peter-esque children’s TV presenter, two refugees from a 1980s theme park, a strangely accented illusionist, and Gonzo the Muppet (a cameo the Jim Henson Company probably didn’t sign off on).

None of these characters is as funny as as the nameless narrators who appear periodically to explain the

proceedings, clad in hastily-donned dressing gowns and clutching an ever-more ridiculous array of smokables (pipe, cigar, fish).

Short & Curly are likeable, confident and quick-witted, but they render these talents largely moot by depending too heavily upon the audience.

When the victims they pluck from the crowd turn out to be less than amusing, whole sketches are liable to be quickly curtailed, or abandoned entirely. While the duo may resent their audience’s shortcomings, they would do well to focus on their own. n SEAN BELL

Assembly George Square Studios, 8:00pm – 9:00pm, 1 24 Aug, not 18, £11.50

Ciao Roma, 3:20pm – 4:20pm, 2–23 Aug, not 12, 19, free

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COMEDY John Robins: This Tornado Loves You

HHHHH There’s something Nick Hornby-like about John Robins. They’re both Oxbridge-educated indie fans, clever but not too clever, and they share a fondness for lists. (Robins opens by demonstrating the three varieties of “pussy-line” male comics drop in to their shows to reveal to lady audience members that they are sensitive and good at sex.) The show is about love, and like Hornby, Robins has a gift for talking about emotions and relationships with a conversational ease that obscures his perceptiveness. The show’s heart is the story of a relationship that ended last summer, but he ranges widely, telling a note-perfect anecdote about his first crush and analysing the doomed love that exists between a groom and his best man.

In his sixth solo show, in his early 30s, Robins shows he has become a consummate performer. He has almost perfected the art of addressing everyman concerns without seeming like just another lad. Almost, but not quite. In one overlong routine he acts out a conversation with his premenstrual girlfriend. Burbling platitudes about sisterhoods and cycles of nature, he backs away fearfully until he’s almost off the stage. This goes down okay: we’re all familiar with the hormonal she-wolf who bites men’s heads off. The problem is, we don’t

Clever Peter: The Dreams Factory

HHHHH Clever Peter are far better at ideas than the hapless ad execs they spoof in their latest show. This award-winning group have spun a tale of lunatic comedic gold out of the sketch format.

William Hartley, Edward EalesWhite and Richard Bond hurtle around the stage with an energy that never drops throughout the hour. Welcome to The Dreams Factory: where ad pitches come true – however insane.

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know her from real life – she’s an archetype who lives in magazines.

Fortunately, such bum notes are rare. Robins nails the simple gags and chucks in just the right amount of sophisticated snark (a riff on “multimillionaire underdog Stewart

Lee” is nicely cutting). And at times the personal material achieves, or seems to achieve, a kind of penetrating honesty. n ED BALLARD

This is the narrative frame for a volley of inspired sketches. From campaigns for Rat’s Milk and AA to Groupon, Clever Peter launch their unique brand of humour at us. In general, it’s acutely funny.

The parody of ad speak— something hardly underexplored in comedy—is actually the least interesting element. The show is at its best when the ideas cascade like a chain reaction. It’s all in the sideways glance – two pheasants dancing on a road becomes a breathlessly hilarious piece of leftfield comedy.

Water pistols, plastic cocks and bad wigs all feature in the show’s playground of a set. The whole hour

is primary-coloured clownishness anchored by a sharp eye for the off-kilter, some killer lines, and major improvisational chops. A few of the sketches get too caught up in their cleverness – leaving you admiring their conceptual slickness rather than feeling genuinely rib-tickled. But a fast-flowing stream of properly laugh-out-loud moments hook you back in again.

This is a confidently bonkers hour of skilfully performed comedy, which twists the traditional sketch show into a surreally brilliant new shape. n TOM WICKER

Pleasance Courtyard, 9:45pm – 10:45pm, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, not 11 Aug, £9 – £12

Pleasance Courtyard, 5:45pm – 6:45pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 12 Aug, £9 – £11

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COMEDY

Andy de la Tour: Stand-Up or Die in New York

HHHHH From arch political satirist at the birth of alternative comedy—or, at least, a comic self-admittedly perceptive enough to cry “wanking” and “Thatcher!” in his sets—Andy de la Tour has developed into a convivial raconteur.

The 66-year-old actor and screenwriter retired from live comedy in 1990 but in 2010, feeling in the professional doldrums, resolved to try standup

Jonny Lennard: Tale Blazer

HHHHH Jonny Lennard finds himself in an awkward predicament when his niece asks for a bedtime story. He wants to rush her off to sleep so he can catch the second half of The Lost World: Jurassic Park, but doesn’t want to fob her off with the outdated morals of nursery rhymes. At a crossroads, he chooses to unpick children’s literature, and for us, delivers a smart, well-drilled hour of deconstructive comedy.

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once more. Yet this time, he chose to perform in New York, where no one knew him.

Painting a vivid-ish picture of the open mic circuit in Manhattan and Brooklyn, he boldly resolved to criticise Barack Obama when most comics fought shy of knocking the first black president. Those routines carry a mild frisson, even if Obama remains resolutely standing afterwards. Regrettably though, de la Tour surrounds his tale with easy pot shots at the conservative cranks dominating the right wing of US politics, familiar subjects of derision for most in the UK, to which he adds little fresh understanding. Considerably worse, he pads out his hour with wry

musings on the size of American food portions, when most in the crowd, I’m sure, would much rather hear more about his days performing at the Fringe with Ben Elton and the late Rik Mayall.

Most criminally of all though, the most compelling narrative thread in his recent book of the same name, about how he challenged himself to talk about 9/11 on New York stages, is conspicuous by its absence. Who wants waffle about pancakes and hash browns when there’s this much more appealing, spiky line of enquiry to explore? n JAY RICHARDSON

Stepping on stage in blue jumper and jeans, Lennard’s innocuous appearance complements his benign material. His observations are clever but his punchlines lack the clout that will generate real belly-laughs. His is a garrulous, offhand style closer to one-liner comedy than anecdotes, but time after time it falls flat. When unravelling the contradictions in ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’, Lennard rolls his eyes at the lines: “And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand / They danced by the light of the moon.” Of course, neither animal has hands nor has the moon ever emitted its own light. The delivery of this is the nucleus of Lennard’s standup, but it’s dry

enough to dehydrate audiences.

Disillusioned with children’s literature, he pens his own. And this is where Lennard is at his best: intelligent, subversive, lyrical. There’s no need for Lennard to go through such painstaking literary send-ups to present us with his own artful material. His stories are perfectly timed, metrical and exquisitely well written.

One wishes that Lennard would throw out the smarmy nursery rhyme routine and simply tell us his own stories. n ANDREW LATIMER

Gilded Balloon , 5:00pm – 6:00pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 12 Aug, £11.50 – £12.50

Assembly George Square Studios, 5:20pm – 6:20pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 12 Aug, £10 – £11

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COMEDY Jon Bennett: Fire In The Meth Lab

HHHHH There’s a Breaking Bad-style poster and meth lab props on stage, but don’t fret if you’ve never watched AMC’s druglord drama. The main link between the rise and fall of Walter White and that of Jon Bennett’s jailbird brother is the intriguing question of how a villain is born.

It begins, like many criminal biographies, in childhood. Bennett grew up in rural Australia as the youngest son of a minister. Next up the food chain was Tim, a devil child whose torment of his little brother is recalled with howling indignation. This litany of wrongs—a penis in the ear, various slanders— shows off Bennett’s knack for lurid storytelling, with a modest but steady stream of laughs coming from the horrors Tim inflicts.

His story also finds sweetness in strange places, such as an unlikely moment of bonding when Tim is exorcised at Bible camp. Bennett’s determined to find his sibling’s hidden depths, adding in dimensions such as his doctor phobia or his love for ‘80s cheeseball Jason Donovan (whose official board game features trivia so ludicrous it does Bennett’s job for him).

When Tim discovers drugs, his mischief spins out of control, and a compelling study of unconditional love develops. However, it’s saddled with some unnecessary bells and whistles: fictionalised letters between the pair, projected and read out in a dopey voiceover.

This distracts from the sort of skill employed in three climactic stories. A dog attack, a bad trip, Tim’s run-in with the cops – in each Bennett speaks with the urgency of a Grand National commentator, waving hectic action in your face to conceal an imminent emotional gut-punch. While others attempt this kind of manoeuvre, few do it as well as him. n LYLE BRENNAN Assembly Roxy, 8:15pm – 9:15pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 13 Aug, 20 Aug, £9 – £10.50

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WitTank: Old School Secrets

HHHHH The title of this latest offering from WitTank, an increasingly caustic sketch troupe who tonight profess their disdain for the young demographic with whom they’re most popular, suggests a nostalgic look back at our formative years. In reality, these privileged performers are the products of a boarding school education, and so present us with a brilliantly self-aware hour that proves almost impossible for the average person to relate to. Some among us will have personal experience of teachers who exert an inordinate degree of discipline over their own spawn in a bid to appear fair and even-handed. Others may recognise the sadistic prefects to whom staff members respond with admiring deference. Most, however, will know Old School Secrets’ alien,

antiquated world only from the pages of Boys’ Own magazine.

The environment inhabited by their characters is surreal enough that the cast needn’t resort to anthropomorphic orcas or Winston Churchill busts which speak in a Jamaican patois. Still, both crop up and the hour zips by. Slick to a fault, it’s only at certain points that the trio allow themselves to be constrained by the personas associated with sketch comedy. Mark Cooper-Jones shows flashes of being the uninvolved straight man, while comedy nerd Kieran Boyd’s routines have a more classicist, self-contained feel that doesn’t always serve the show as a whole. Token wildcard Naz Osmanoglu is clearly an elemental talent, but given too much opportunity to indulge in improvised outbursts, runs the risk of diminishing returns. n LEWIS PORTEOUS Pleasance Courtyard, times vary, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, £10 – £12

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COMEDY Candy Gigi: I’m not Lonely

HHHHH There’s not all that much to say about this show, which is odd because lots of things happen in it.

Weird things. Candy Gigi grating a doll. Candy Gigi squirting Anchor Thick Spray Cream all over her backcombed hair. Candy Gigi brushing her teeth with a toilet brush and ordering a man in the front row to kiss her. Watching Candy Gigi pretend to breastfeed a huge bunch of parsley, there’s a feeling that the punters lined up in this dank cellar would dearly like to be shocked into fits of laughter—that’s presumably why they came to the dank cellar in the first place—but the atmosphere doesn’t progress beyond polite, encouraging bemusement.

Candy Gigi is a 25-year-old with a deviant grin who looks, in her own words, like a cross between Billy Piper and Amy Winehouse. She says she’s from “quite an orthodox family”. It would be interesting to know their thoughts about her career: she’s unorthodox even by alternative comedy standards.

Towards the end of her set she breaks spectacularly into song in a way that suggests a background in musical theatre, but the show is all about her clowning, which is undeniably inventive. Unfortunately the spectacle lacks enough variety to remain interesting.

There’s a sense that maybe Gigi is using comedy to work through some personal crisis – she says she does this “to feel sane” and mentions counselling.

Meanwhile, a placard on the back wall requests that we please find all this funny. It’s a joke, of course, but one that taps into a slightly desperate note that runs through this show. n ED BALLARD Heroes @ The Hive, 4:00pm – 4:40pm, 31 Jul – 24 Aug, not 5 Aug, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, £5

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Kevin Day: Standy Uppy

HHHHH You can understand why Kevin Day delayed his Fringe return for so long.

An influential stalwart of the late-‘80s alternative scene, he helped popularise the concept of candid Edinburgh shows with 1993’s I Was a Teenage Racist, but then lurched sideways into the more lucrative world of TV gag-writing, plus a bit of football presenting.

Hence he clearly isn’t sure who his audience might be these days. Football fans? The politically engaged? Randoms attracted by his poster’s Clare Balding quote?

Taking no chances, Day throws a bit of everything into the mix. “This is a theatrical show,” he announces during an enjoyably astute preamble that both rattles through some clever gags and prepares the crowd for “quiet bits.” Ac-

tually it’s only really the second half that moves into more experimental territory.

First up, there are issues to tackle, notably some newsworthy court cases.

Day has more insight than most, having worked with the great, the good and Nigel Farage, as a HIGNFY “programme associate”. Brief football references pepper the set too (including one fabulous bit of off-field gossip), to appease those punters.

The early-evening kick-off was actively chosen to deter the overly refreshed, however, as the show then takes a leftfield turn, via an intriguing ghost story, hints of recent trauma, a few special effects and an unexpectedly beautiful ending. Day is anything but the bolshy geezer some might assume, and nerves are evident on occasion – not that they detract. As the comedy world learned again this week, even the greats are human too. n SI HAWKINS Gilded Balloon , 6:15pm – 7:15pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 12 Aug, 19 Aug, £10 – £11

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COMEDY Tommy Rowson: Down and Out in Powys and London

HHHHH It’s a bad sign when Tommy Rowson kicks off his debut by furnishing a member of the front row with a shot of whisky. “Iechyd da,” he intones joylessly.

Down and Out in Powys and London is the work of a sharp mind dulled by a preoccupation with drinking and emotionally unsatisfying sex. The comedian searches for humour in the tawdry world he’s built for himself, but only succeeds in affirming its ugliness. Lacking Will Hodgson’s ability to imbue gritty tales of local characters with dignity and a sense of unspent potential, Rowson guides us through a mundane gallery of wasted lives.

A recurring foil is routinely, witlessly mocked for being overweight, while at least two routines end

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with the comedian assaulting a love rival.

Even more off-putting than the man’s apparent inclination toward physical violence are repeated references to an ex-girlfriend that make Robin Thicke’s psychotic attempts to scare and ultimately win back his estranged wife seem tactful by comparison. Using her reasons for breaking up with him as a tenuous springboard for his thoughts on City of London spivs, Jesus and, at a real low point, Romany people, the comedian gives no indication that ‘Rhian’ consented to the dubious honour of occupying a place in this show.

There’s no denying that Rowson knows how to construct a satisfying turn of phrase and that he cuts an assured, confident figure on stage. What promise he shows is unfortunately dwarfed by the desperation and banality of his material. n LEWIS PORTEOUS Underbelly, Bristo Square, 6:45pm – 7:45pm, 1– 24 Aug, not 12, £10

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COMEDY Alun Cochrane: (Me Neither)

HHHHH It can be difficult to ascertain what Alun Cochrane’s doing at the Fringe.

Here, after all, is an established standup who’s becoming less of a fixture on television panel shows yet is safely ensconced as Frank Skinner’s sidekick on Absolute Radio. His droll, relaxed style doesn’t suit Mock The Week so much as it would suit Mock The Quarterly he suggests. So it can’t be about the exposure. As a club comic, he remains in the first rank but his delight in simple pleasures and laid-back insouciance really stick out at a festival brimming over with ego and ambition.

What’s more, he hasn’t written a show so much as strung together a series of amusing anecdotes and observations on universalities, content just to plough his assured furrow of being a mildly-challenged family man. Clearly, a prime time slot at the Stand is not to be sniffed at financially.

But I was perversely delighted by the heckler who got the wrong end of the stick on one of his routines, ascribing maliciousness where none was to be found, as it startled the Yorkshireman out of his groove, forcing him to put her down in patient but no uncertain terms.

Thereafter, the show always carried a bit of an edge, with mildly contentious thoughts on the differences

Chris Martin: Responsibilliness

HHHHH It is, perhaps, a measure of the Chris Martin’s discipline as a comic that it’s a full 45 minutes into his set tonight before he finally cracks a joke about Coldplay. Well done that man. But such reserve in the face of so ubiquitous a namesake is by no means the only thing to commend a tight and well-structured routine which, though never outstanding, is consistently entertaining.

Martin sits very firmly in the tall

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between men and women acquiring importance beyond their wry reflection. Cochrane is always compelling when he’s being prickly or contrary, even to the extent of persuasively defending David Cameron against charg-

es of not knowing the cost of a price of a pint of milk. n JAY RICHARDSON

and frivolous tales camp of comedy.

He’s 28 and living with his parents in their shed, and worries that he might not be living up to expectations. By way of investigating the “fictional yardsticks for happiness” we impose, he eschews the pursuit of the hallowed five stars and has set about instead writing, literally, “a four star show” – the stars in question being those awarded to McDonald’s employees for competence in the key McSkill areas of cleanliness, operational excellence, service and quality.

One by one, he (almost) ticks these off. It’s a suitably ludicrous conceit, sending up the idea of a “themed show”, while still picking up laughs via

the obtuse segues required to make it stick. In this sense, Martin has his cake and scoffs it.

Oddly, there are no jokes about cakes here – which comes as a genuine surprise, since most other areas of comfy domesticity are covered: women’s hair; the spelling of “quinoa”; Google auto-complete; big poohs.

Martin’s material tends most definitely towards the humdrum, serving to keep Responsibilliness in the realms of fun but forgettable entertainment. It’s pronounced “keen-waa”, by the way. But you knew that already. n EVAN BESWICK

The Stand Comedy Club, 10:10pm – 11:10pm, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, not 31 Jul, 11 Aug, £10

Pleasance Courtyard, 8:30pm – 9:30pm, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, £9 – £12

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A Split Decision 1.30pm 1-24 Aug (not 11)

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COMEDY Cariad and Louise’s Character Hour

HHHHH At the Traverse, Gary McNair currently embodies a growing trend in sketch and character comedy at the Fringe. Comics are, frequently, rounded actors. Harvey, Garvey and the Kane at Underbelly is almost perfectly symbolic of this in its employment of TV actors; Tom Basden continues to blur the line between play and standup; performers such as Ross Sutherland are fusing the newly plentiful spoken-word genre with straight standup.

The sketch double-act comprised of Cariad Lloyd and Louise Ford, is another group leading the charge in this respect. Their blissfully absurd hour of bonkers character comedy is a complete joy to watch. With mini-musical interludes between sketches right out of Smack the Pony’s handbook, Lloyd and Ford introduce us to haphazard creations, from Alan, a Jesus impersonator with a rather unholy wife, to conceited fashionistas and Tim Burton’s autonomous hedgehog hair.

Prepare also for a wide range of audience participation in this set.

Lloyd and Ford are impishly delightful in their various guises: flirting, teasing and outright reprimanding their crowds. Even when certain sketches go awry, Lloyd and Ford pull us back on track in seconds with grace and

Sarah Bennetto’s Funeral

HHHHH Some people have no respect for the dead. Sarah Bennetto is destined to pass away well before her time and her mother is intent on hijacking the funeral playlist. The comic, best known for her popular Storytellers’ Club, resorted to writing this show so that The Cure’s ‘In Between Days’ would assume its rightful place on the day of her burial. In order to pad out the hour, Bennetto presents us with an eclectic list of lesser demands.

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guile (though they dwell excessively on certain sketches at times). This playful pair are sensationally deft and drilled, and their innovative, intoxicating writing adds further credit to the character comedy genre at the Fringe

– a genre that one hopes will benefit from their talent for many years to come. n ANDREW LATIMER

When the time comes, stoned Hollywood A-listers are to deliver fond sermons on the subject of her lovemaking, while the wake (doubling as a trade fair for online startup companies) is to have an exceptionally high death toll.

Sarah Bennetto’s Funeral really does see the performer contemplate her mortality up to a point, but sentimental lesson learning has no place in this inscrutable sketch show. The entire piece is an exercise in grotesque self-obsession that proves all the more satisfying for its slightly shambolic, DIY aesthetic. Her decision to hold the event miles away

from her family and friends in Australia ensures an awkwardly low turnout, but the well-wishers who gather inside the Pleasance’s inflatable igloo are rewarded for their loyalty, many feeling compelled to deliver eulogies of their own.

Presenting the audience with a sophisticated mix of standup and character comedy, Bennetto succeeded in harnessing the full power of an instinctive comedic mind. May she rest in peace. n LEWIS PORTEOUS

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 4:00pm – 5:00pm, 1–24 Aug, not 12, free

Pleasance Courtyard, 10:00pm – 11:00pm, 4–25 Aug, weekdays only, £9 – £11

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COMEDY Tony Law: Enter the Tonezone

HHHHH Tony Law is a whirlwind on stage.

Boiled down to its essence, the comedian’s latest show is one long, charismatic growl. It sweeps you up in its infectiously free-form wake, even when it seems as though the content has been left trailing behind.

Twinkly-eyed and bouncing on to the stage in a sheer onesie with shreds of cloth dangling from his arms, Law delivers a set with carnivalesque energy from the start. Muttering into his mic while consulting a notebook, he’s daring us to treat him as a joke.

And he does this well, eyebrow permanently half-raised at himself as he freewheels with accomplished eccentricity through funny anecdotes that flare in and out of focus. He quickly makes friends of us with this confidently ramshackle performance.

Law has a way of spinning a story until it sparkles. Whether happily addressing audience members as friends

from the Trojan War or describing his reaction to the death of a family pet, he’s hilarious. And a game of catch with a beachball gets funnier the longer it lasts.

It’s lucky that Law’s so wittily likeable, because it papers over several occasions when we’re basically left to finish the punchlines. It’s one thing to poke fun at your format, but—charming self-deprecation aside—his materi-

al sometimes floats entirely out sight.

Law owns the stage and his unaffected absurdity is a joy to behold – he’s a great companion for an hour. The only thing that this show sometimes lacks is the substance to back up the beach-ball buoyancy of his wit. n TOM WICKER The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 12:10pm – 1:10pm, 1 – 24 Aug, £11

Big Difference Productions, with support from Centre for Comedy Studies Research, presents

a LECTURE SERIES

a LECTURE SERIES

11.10am 13th – 17th August Venue 27 Tickets: 0131 556 5375 www.justthetonic.com

Delivering fab frewse! entry sho

freestival

01 – 25 August

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1-25 August 2014

www.freestival.co.uk 15–18 August 2014 fest 35

COMEDY

Kieran Hodgson: French Exchange

HHHHH It’s heartening to see a comedian willing to wear their heart on their sleeve. Keiran Hodgson’s show recounts his teenage experiences on a school French exchange trip, and is stuffed with vibrant comic characters including zealous teachers, confused bullies and—most impressively—the whole of his host family, each immaculately realised. With a tight narrative, the characters interact faultlessly, and the formative significance of small

Sophie Willan: Novice Detective

HHHHH Sophie Willan is a warm and charming performer, whose show recounts her character’s search for her long-lost father. Delivered via film noir tropes, Willan adopts the hard-boiled detective persona amid moody lighting and a sleazy score. This is an interactive show, with an audience member as her sidekick, and others co-opted along the way. With a wealth of props

36 fest 15–18 August 2014

moments is shown to be what ends up making a man.

Hodgson’s embodiment of the multiple characters is elegant and impressive. This is an excellent performance, capturing the ways in which different people carry their bodies. The humour—and the show is really funny—constantly turns on characters’ misunderstandings of themselves, not least because being a teenager involves spending much time trying to attain authenticity. This means characters are comic because of what they don’t say, highlighting the British fear of honest communication.

But what elevates the show be-

yond its comic narrative is the evident empathy Hodgson has towards his characters. None of them is cruelly mocked, and all are revealed to be the victims of their circumstances. More than that, Hodgson’s story examines the responsibilities a performer has towards his story, the people in it, and the memories they draw on. Is it moral to lie about the past in order to get a laugh in the present? What would the teenage Hodgson think of the adult? Where some shows elicit audience emotions cynically, here this is earned and legitimate. n BRETT MILLS

and physical comedy, the labour is apparent.

But it’s unclear what the intent of all this is. The show ends with a reflective monologue on the child’s search for her father, but this is somewhat at odds with the tone that has preceded it, and the epiphany feels unearned. This is especially the case considering for much of the narrative Willan presumes her father is a particular, real-life famous person (I won’t say who for fear of revealing a spoiler - though the revelation itself comes from nowhere and has little emotional heft). To leap from such knockabout fare to a poignant ending

is confusingly jarring.

And for a show so dependent on audience interaction you’d expect a performer to be more clearly in charge of her participants. I began to feel sorry for her sidekick, repeatedly mocked for his failure to follow instructions, when it was unclear if such incompetence was intended to be part of the show or a genuinely unwelcome hindrance.

Like the rest of the audience, he needed more clues to solve the mystery on offer here. n BRETT MILLS

Voodoo Rooms, 3:40pm – 4:40pm, 2–24 Aug, not 13, free

ZOO, 12:15pm – 1:15pm, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8

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5–7 August 2014 fest 37

COMEDY Lazy Susan: Extreme Humans

HHHHH Contrary to their name, this sketch comedy duo are far from lax. Their generously off-kilter spin on a colourful cast of characters­—and two puppets—is fast-paced and inventive, and gets funnier with every richly observed, throwaway detail.

What Celeste Dring and Freya Parker do so well is to apply a keen comic touch with a warmth that never feels like mockery. Played from the corner of a small black-box space

Joz Norris: Awkward Prophet

HHHHH Joz Norris moonlights as a baby’s party entertainer. And we can tell. At the start of Awkward Prophet we are greeted with bubblegum pop blaring through speakers and plastic props scattered throughout. He is dressed in brightly coloured patchwork layers and loose sweets abound.

There are moments when this goof factor feels fun. But more often than not we feel a bit like we’ve been locked in a toddler’s playroom and there’s no way out. And this toddler, a veteran of the celebrated London-based Weirdos

Hayley Ellis: We Need to Talk About Kevin

HHHHH A show of hands at the beginning of this afternoon’s performance suggests a marketing strategy gone awry.

With a cute pooch both emblazoned across her posters and personally accompanying a flyerer on her rounds outside the venue, Hayley Ellis has attracted an audience almost entirely made up of dog owners. It turns out

38 fest 15–18 August 2014

in Pleasance Courtyard, their show brings to life a recurring crowd of marginalised, socially reclusive figures who earn our affection, not just our laughter.

Thus, we have the likes of Teesside lovebirds Steve and Viv, who gatecrash a wedding so Viv can live out her dream of singing Yazoo’s ‘Only You’ at karaoke; a lonely office worker who talks to her diary; and a Zippy-style puppet bride with major wedding jitters.

This is observational comedy channelled through small-town absurdism – Lazy Susan give us miniature portraits of life that are painted in surreal but not impossible colours.

Love, death and broken homes are the backdrops that fix the humour in place.

It’s not a show that tosses out punchlines. Dring and Parker excel at a kind of escalating nonsense, which builds up to belly laughter. And they’re gifted actors, too, shifting seamlessly between characters with the aid of little more than a comedy wig.

Not every sketch quite sustains its momentum, and some linger too long. But this is a gem of a show – beautifully performed and often sparklingly funny. n TOM WICKER

Collective, wants to talk about love.

Sort of.

Norris has truly solid material - in particular, a trinity of gaffes on an aquarium date earns laughs. But he dresses it up in a clownish wackiness that frankly feels rather creepy. This could well be a layered conceit: Halfway through Awkward Prophet we hit Norris’s deep cuts, mostly revolving around his being stuck in a perpetual state of boyhood, an arrested development that handicaps his dealings with love and—crucially— sex. Either masterful or accidental, this insight into Norris’s psyche begins to feel voyeuristic. And we’ve still got 25 minutes to go.

It’s any comedian’s prerogative to lead his or her audience into un-

comfortable territory. But when we hit material about painful erections (from years of disuse), and tearful mid-snog panic attacks, Norris’s ease starts to wobble. And no quantity of Hawaiian shirts can distract from it. By the end of Awkward Prophet we’re desperate for one final bit of wackiness - which we get, in the form of a brilliantly executed apology to a ghost-shark.

Members of Weirdos like John Kearns have nailed that middle ground between peurile mischief and delicately observed, adult despair. And Norris isn’t miles off it - he just might have some growing up to do. n ARIANNA REICHE

that video footage of their favoured animal is enough to send these people into fits of laughter, but dogs and live comedy have otherwise limited crossover appeal. The comedian plays to a full room, but has to work especially hard to keep this unlikely demographic entertained.

It’s only really her darker moments that fall on deaf ears, as Ellis proves an engaging and quick-witted performer. She resorts to some of her craft’s more over-used conventions, tediously commenting on photos of herself at a young age, but offers us fresh comic perspective whenever her PowerPoint presentation leads

her off on a tangent. Those impressed by such flashes of brilliance may find themselves wishing that she’d abandon the show’s restrictive format altogether, but We Need to Talk About Kevin really starts to drag once she does. When focus shifts away from her titular dog to the recent dissolution of a relationship, the performer appears to lose all focus and struggles toward a trite, muddled point about independence and optimism, or something along those lines. n LEWIS PORTEOUS

Pleasance Courtyard, 7:00pm – 8:00pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 12 Aug, £8 – £10

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 4:20pm – 5:20pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 12 Aug, £9 – £10

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 4:10pm – 5:10pm, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, £8.50 – £10

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COMEDY

Jonny & The Baptists

HHHHH Jonny Donahoe and Paddy Gervers’ musical comedy combo resemble a union between Frank Black-meetsNoel Coward and a younger, more unkempt version of U2’s The Edge.

Together they make beautiful music, or at least belt out some fine satirical tunes.

Their recent Stop UKIP tour made them metrosexual pariahs for Colonel Blimps and disenchanted surbanites. Ironically, Donahoe himself fits a Tory buffoonish mould, and

Beth Vyse: Get Up with Hands!

HHHHH Well now, that was interesting. Beth Vyse has come a long way since her early days at the RSC: she’s veered very much into the leftfield, to be precise, and just kept on going.

Actually, these characters have been fermenting like a fine cheese for a few years now. Her previous show, Going Dark, bewildered many an unsuspecting visitor in 2013, some of whom ended up participating.

www.festmag.co.uk

a song to his father—urging him not to vote UKIP—hints at an upbringing that didn’t anticipate him shouting “boom motherfucker” at racists (or at least wanting to).

A number of the duo’s protest songs fess up to strong spirit, but weak flesh when it comes to their right-on and revolutionary fervour.

The English disease, in this case, is not being able to commit to the moment. Storming the Houses of Parliament is ok as long as you pay for the damage afterwards.

Donahoe is quite unapologetic elsewhere, however. Singing as and for England in the break up power ballad ‘Divorce’, a lament for the prospect of Scottish Independ-

ence, Donahoe’s England accuses Scotland of dalliances across the sea and threatens to lop a bit off of his former partner as part of the settlement.

Linking the topical goofery is Gervers’ continued and heavy corpsing, and Donhoe’s apparent boozing, which is most often the cause of his partner’s clearly staged laughter.

It’s a conceit reminiscent of Justin Edwards’ Jeremy Lion character, but it also points to the conclusion of these reluctant revolutionaries that perhaps only drink can keep us together. n JULIAN HALL

It’s quickly evident that this one will follow a similar path, as we’re greeted at the door by an oddly-dressed chap who hands us a plastic hand, then asks our names, whether we’ve ever participated in live TV before, and if we recognise anyone in a sauna.

This will eventually make a very loose amount of sense.

The next hour passes in an exhaustive mess of waving, hollering, brain-melting videos, catatonic midcrowd breakdowns, onstage audience molestation, dildo smoothies, and much more besides. The main protagonist is Olive Hands, a failing, aging breakfast presenter on the condemned

ITV9 who needs to make a huge splash to get a new gig. That chap is her much-abused son, Jazz Hands (bravura stuff from Ali Brice), who battles manfully to hold it together.

As Jazz Hands suggests, the actual gags can be pretty dire—a breakfast cook called Lusty Bee?—but, like a boy racer in a pimped-up old Metro, they tend to hurtle past quickly.

This is really a vehicle for Vyse’s talents, an extraordinary performance of high-octane hysteria throughout.

How does she keep it up? n SI HAWKINS

Pleasance Dome, 9:40pm – 10:40pm, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, not 11 Aug, £8.50 – £11

Pleasance Courtyard, 9:45pm – 10:45pm, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, not 11 Aug, £8 – £10

15–18 August 2014 fest 39

COMEDY The Colour Ham

HHHHH In the Fringe-centric arms race to make magic cool, there are a few major players: coiffed and eyelinered solo men, the glitzy Vegas-circuit jet setters, and John Edwards-style spiritualist spanners. The Colour Ham provide us with a hugely refreshing alternative: just three dudes. They’re Scottish. They’re funny. They ‘re a little gross. We are sold.

Colin McLeod, Kevin McMahon and Gavin Oattes take us through a spate of low-impact first-act magic tricks, which are artfully punctured by

Don’t Worry Guys It’s Sarah Campbell

HHHHH There is nothing more to do. That’s the proposition from the wired, funny and painfully honest Sarah Campbell, and it seems like her audiences are finding it hard to get on board with that idea. She can back it up however. Just look at the Weekend Guardian with its ‘Do Something’ supplement and its extortions to participate in various contrived and niche pursuits, of which Campbell

The Weegies Have Pokled Edinburgh’s Pandas

HHHHH Robin Cairns, Glasgow’s affable poet-cum-standup, is the sole navigator through tonight’s pandanapping caper, told through several of his broadly-brushed Scottish stereotypes, each with a closetful of secrets to hide.

There’s an overly zealous charity auction and our mild-mannered antihero, Morningside Malcolm, cops the blame when a pair of Corstorphine’s finest monochrome bears go

40 fest 5–7 August 2014

bits of daft fun. McLeod and Oattes tackle a spin-the-bottle bit with— ahem—impressive committment.

There is a black lycra body sock.

There seems to be no recipe, no comedy-to-magic ratio to Ham, which makes us more willing to ooh and aah at the magical bits of their act.

They are happy to have the climaxes of tricks drowned out by a particularly good punchline, perhaps because McLeod, McMahon, and Oattes know their audiences so well (about half of their Caves crowd were clearly already fans). They’re more transparent than most comparable acts - in their strongest moment, McMahon illustrates the power of

misdirection and peripheral blindspots with an onstage volunteer. The result is that we’re genuinely amazed by the more magical qualities of sensory perception, rather than simply getting to the bottom of a gimmicky trick.

Ham aren’t trying to sell us on their edgy brand of party magic - they give audiences an hour of tonguein-cheek mischief and intrigue.

Whether technically skilled magicians would be bowled over is another question. But then, who invited those guys? n ARIANNA REICHE

had some ludicrous—fictionalised— examples. Surely that is the clarion cry that we have run out of meaningful activities?

The 30-year-old is already starting from a low base. Her daily routine inspires nausea, she begins to see how eternal life would be a drag and she cannot abide by the constant newsfeed carpe diem spewed out by social media. The joy of being joyless is a hard sell, but Campbell toils towards it, treading a fine line between bursting other people’s bubbles and being a total buzz-kill. Her alternative New Year update on Facebook is a case in point, a catalogue of misfor-

tune we are invited to savour.

For some of the show, this “Monday crowd” give the impression that they are either in a heat stupor— quite possible in this venue—or that the volley of nausea and existential angst aimed at them is just too much.

At the end of the show, however, they awake to receive it generously.

They made Campbell work for it, and this told in the delivery at times, but despite the huffing and puffing Campbell’s perspective and wit prevail. n JULIAN HALL

missing from the local zoo. Before long, the whole of Edinburgh is crawling with giant mammals, Malcolm’s suffering his own existential crisis and something mysterious is going down in his shed. And just when is it right to broach the subject of perineum stimulation with your wife?

It’s all nicely weird, in a lurid brainsplurge way, with some inoffensive pokes at Central Belt class tensions and resident political ineptitude; but it’s all so mired in home-patch colloquialism that it’s easy to feel you’re on the outside of a joke looking in.

Neds, trams, the local press and the Canny Mans pub are all plundered for easy gags, but even with a few ready-won laughs, the shallow pond

of characters quickly runs dry and the plot—which begins with promisingly oblique daftness—fizzles out fast.

There’s plenty of potential here: that disarming penchant for the absurd, a chest-puffing (Glas)Weegian gangster called Big Urquie who feels like he should be in the lead role, and Cairns’s own undeniable twinkly-eyed mischievousness all hold court, but it doesn’t quite add up to the sum of its parts.

In the end, like one of our poor panda’s overly chewed bamboo roots, it all feels a bit samey and soon goes limp. n JOE SPURGEON

Just the Tonic at The Caves, 7:40pm – 8:40pm, 31 Jul – 23 Aug, not 12 Aug, £8 – £11

Cabaret Voltaire, 5:05pm – 5:55pm, 2–23 Aug, not 12, free

SpaceCabaret @ 54, 7:00pm – 8:00pm, 1–23 Aug, £7

THEATREREVIEWS

Pomegranate Jam HHHHH A fantastic and visually engaging feminist retelling of the Persephone myth PAGE 52 Photo: Weronika Bachleda

www.festmag.co.uk

15–18 August 2014 fest 41

THEATRE

Matt Trueman LEAD THEATRE CRITIC

Party in the USA

HHHHH Broke

HHHHH

I

t’s the economy, stupid. Or is it the stupid economy? Either way, it seems no-one’s got much of substance to say about the dire financial straits in which we find ourselves.

Banking is baloney, say JV Squad.

Gosh, thanks for that. Debt’s a bit of a bugger, according to the Paper Birds.

Who would have thunk it? No-one’s expecting The Complete Works of Thomas Picketty (Abridged), but surely—surely—we should expect something more sophisticated than this?

Let’s start at the beginning: with the big old financial crash itself and JV Squad’s pyschadelic portrait of a broken banking sector, Party in the USA! (2 stars). In 2008, director Joshua William Gelb dropped acid the night before Lehman Brothers collapsed, then returned to his Deutsche Bank temp job, scouring employees’ emails for potentially incriminating evidence of mis-selling. David McGee’s script jumps off from that moment to look at global finance through the pinsized pupils of an LSD-tripper, arguing that the banking sector has no more basis in reality than a drug-induced hallucination.

But you already knew that, right?

McGee and Gelb trade insight for outraged mockery: How could professional moneymen have offset loans worth more than there is money in existence? Moreover how could

42 fest 15–18 August 2014

Party in the USA

Barack “Yes We Can” Obama so fundamentally fail to change a thing since?

There’s a real sense of betrayal at work here that manifests itself in a fizzing piece of ironic agitprop.

The problem, theatrically speaking, is that they retreat so far into psychedelic surrealism that anything

goes and nothing matters. Lowly temp Jeff, played by the gangly Johnny Gasper, swirls through a mish-mash of strudel-obsessed superiors and anarchist squatters to become some kind of monetary Messiah, preaching from the steps of Congress: “Everything Is Going To Be OK.”

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THEATRE “In 2008, director Joshua William Gelb dropped acid the night before Lehman Brothers collapsed” It’s a dizzying whirlwind of a plot that might survive in a clearer production that helped you keep your bearings. However, with the seven-strong cast in red-and-blue shell suits, sprinting this way and that, the whole thing feels like one long improv skit: all wacky characters and trippy non-sequitors. JV Squad have pep and flair, and performances are uniformly strong, but the lack of focus means this bewilders and bamboozles.

In Broke, The Paper Birds set out to examine our relationship with debt, both as individuals and as a wider society. A mix of Creature Comforts-style talking heads, personal testimony and a smattering of facts and figures, all given a twist of physical theatre, it looks neat but ultimately lacks rigour.

Out of a string of vox pops, the piece hones in on Sally, a 28-year-old mother living on—and often under— the breadline. It’s a empathetic portrait of the way debt creeps into every decision and every day: she can’t answer the phone in case a loan’s called in, she can’t socialise and she can’t keep up with other parents. In one heartbreaking scene, the interviewer tries to coax her into describing her ideal home: “It’s got a red door,” she replies. “Two bedrooms.” That’s it.

Debt stops her dreaming.

Alongside this, the company detail their own finances, with Kylie Walsh, in particular, laying out her entire credit history: how, over a decade, she clocked up £13,000 in debt – on bills, holidays, Superdrug spending sprees and so on, before being bailed out by her mother’s pension.

There’s bravery in that: owning up to irresponsibility and checking privilege

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Broke

at every turn. It’s that that gives the Paper Birds a right to take the subject on and, sensibly, they advocate better education over wholesale change.

Broke’s peppered with the imagery of childhood: bedtime stores and toy cash registers. We raise good little consumers and we borrow to give them what they want. “I’m trying really hard,” says Sally. “It’s difficult.”

However, there’s something deeply problematic in this. Broke appropriates Sally’s situation to make a piece of art for selling at one of the most expensive, competitive arts festivals in the world – a festival

Picture: Richard Davenport

renowned for leaving artists in debt.

Without acknowledging that—without interrogating its own terms and conditions—Broke leaves the question of its own utility hanging unanswered: What if the production budget had been used to pay off Sally’s debts instead? n MATT TRUEMAN PARTY IN THE USA! Underbelly, Bristo Square, 3:00pm – 4:15pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, £12 BROKE Pleasance Dome, 4:10pm – 5:10pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 12 Aug, £9 – £12

15–18 August 2014 fest 43

THEATRE

Plastic Rose

HHHHH Brought to the Fringe by California’s Institute for Theatre, Dance and Performance, Plastic Rose is a production with an enormous amount of respect for its author. The minimalism of the play is less a stylistic choice (though it also serves to create simple, unifying aesthetic) than a means of stripping away everything unnecessary or decorative, leaving only the playwright’s words and the strength of their performance.

The work of Õta Shõgo, a

Dinner is Swerved

HHHHH You probably already know if you’ll like this show. If you salivate at the prospect of tasting weird and wonderful locally-sourced vegetarian concoctions sitting barefoot in a room draped with multicultural gapyear throws, meditating to the scent of joss sticks and hearing stories about little squirrels, you might even positively enjoy it. Cynics will struggle.

The evening is nominally a dinner, but while last year’s offering from the company was a fine dining affair, this

44 fest 15–18 August 2014

groundbreaking figure in post-war Japanese theatre, is often permeated with a pained sympathy for the disabled, downtrodden and dispossessed. Plastic Rose is a perfect example. Set in a psychiatric ward, the inmates yearn for a sense of connection, often denied by their inability to do so. The play offers no magic solution to this, but shows how a fragile, semi-illusory bond can grow, even in such impossible conditions.

While the story is episodic and structurally loose, really only tied together by recurrent motifs, several scenes stand out – in particular,

those of two girls who form a nervous friendship over stolen high heels and howling at the moon. With such an expansive cast of characters however, not all of them can charm or intrigue us the same way, and as a result some portions drag a little.

Nevertheless, Plastic Rose is a brave, sincere play, both on the page and on the stage. It treats mental illness, and the people who suffer from it, as subjects worthy of consideration, rather than cheap metaphors to be exploited. n SEAN BELL

year they’ve gone for an approach that’s somewhere between a woodland yoga retreat and your hippy friend’s sixth birthday party. Two hours of relaxed storytelling, games and music give you a chance to get to know your nightcap-wearing audience members or, if you’re on message, new friends. The unifying principle is mindfulness: the calming, Eastern-inspired philosophy of concentrating closely on your surroundings and each inner sensation.

Our host Charlie Byles tells us to return to the state of toddlerdom.

Compliance is essential, as activities involve reverentially examining a mangetout, playing pass the parcel

with vegetables as prizes, and genuflecting to an altar manned by him dressed as a seven foot tree, offering a bucket of edible earth for sweet communion with nature.

Dylan Read as chef musters up a further host of imaginatively presented dainties, inhabiting the gustatory space where Heston Blumenthal meets Hare Krishna. As we’re told at the start of the evening, the Fringe can be a scary, tiring place. For a spoon-licking return to unjudgmental infancy, this could be just the meal ticket. n ALICE SAVILLE

Assembly George Square Studios, 11:45am – 1:15pm, until 15 Aug, £11

C venues - C nova, 11:30pm – 1:30am, 8–24 Aug, not 12, 19, £15.50 – £19.50

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian

HHHHH Standup comedy has become so self-referential in recent years that it’s actually quite common for acts to discuss the mechanics of their routines mid-way through performing them.

Just as mother-in-laws were once the preferred targets of tuxedoed bigots, today’s crop of clued-up iconoclasts oppose the conventions of comedy itself. In this respect, Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian is somewhat redundant, however unaccustomed theatre audiences are to its self-aware fourth wall breaking.

Set in the Edinburgh Chuckle Hut, a venue complete with an incongruously American red brick backdrop, this story is related to us by a mediocre, largely unsuccessful standup. When he first takes to the stage, his nerves get the better of him and he begins to vie for the audience’s attention in the most obnoxious manner possible. Chastened by our response, he requests permission to start again and proceeds to open up to us. He describes his relationship with the young title character, a victim of bullying to whom he briefly taught basic standup skills as a means of self-defence. Along the way, he tells a series of groan-inducing gags and explains comedy terminology such as “the rule of three” and “first person

My Luxurious 50 Square Feet Life

HHHHH If the UK housing market seems out of control, it’s got nothing on Hong Kong. Cinematic Theatre Company uncover a world of massive rent hikes, constant relocation and—as the title indicates—the huge growth of 50 square feet sub-divided housing units. Humans crammed into spaces smaller than prison cells, contending with damp, insect infestation and the constant risk of fire or gas leak.

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fallibility. Ultimately meditating on the desires for control, validation and power that might drive an individual toward a career in standup, this resoundingly masculine work is never

as funny or insightful as the real thing at its best. n LEWIS PORTEOUS

It’s shocking, urgent material, presented using often startling images.

One woman bursts from a bag, while another is wrapped tight in cling-film.

In a blunt satirical film, four reality TV show contestants are filmed living in a sub-divided unit, struggling with cockroaches, claustrophobia and the close, constant presence of one another.

They barely last a day.

While there are powerful moments, however, the piece as a whole is loosely held together. Other than the central theme, there is no connecting thread. The show moves abruptly from scene to scene, image to image, governed by no apparent

dramatic shape. The attempt to make this a partly immersive, interactive experience for audiences, meanwhile, is awkwardly handled.

There is no doubt that this is an issue that needs raising, but in Cinematic Theatre Company’s production we get little clear idea of the reasons behind this housing crisis and the wider web of effects it is having on the population of Hong Kong. Instead, we are offered a view as limited and hemmed in as the housing units themselves, not allowing a full glimpse at the bigger picture. n CATHERINE LOVE

Traverse Theatre, times vary, 31 Jul – 24 Aug, not 4 Aug, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, £18

Run ended

15–18 August 2014 fest 45

THEATRE

The War

HHHHH Roughly 3000 years after Homer wrote The Illiad, men still wage wars and artists still turn those wars into art. Vladimir Pankov plunges into that clash—of beauty and barbarism, creation and destruction—in this operatic spectacular.

The War is a re-enactment of sorts: a Parisian artistic colony learn that their friend George, a painter, has died a week before armistice in 1918, possibly at his own hand. To understand his motives and contest his cowardice, they stage his experiences

Miann

HHHHH It is clear from the detailed programme notes and energetic execution that Miann—Gaelic for craving— has been a labour of love for Scottish Dance Theatre Artistic Director Fleur Darkin and her team of dancers. There are intriguing aims at play, exploring the nature of coming together and the power of community, and the company has gone to lengths to research the project, travelling to one of Scotland’s most sacred spiritual sites, the Callanish Stones.

46 fest 15–18 August 2014

of the Western Front, spliced into The Illiad’s structure.

George is an artist at heart, not a soldier. He’s incapable of hating his enemy, men just like him in different uniforms. Unlike his comrades, he refuses to become an empty, unthinking greatcoat – 60 of which form a ghostly battalion onstage. He’s too human for this hell; of sniper rifles trained on latrines and clouds of chlorine gas.

Pankov conjures that world in a bombastic, determinedly beautiful staging. Atonal arias stream through the space. Grandstanding images abound: a swinging chandelier, gasmasked angels, pianos like tanks. It’s a visual feast, but oddly unfeeling: too

prescriptive in equating beauty and spectacle. There’s no vulnerability, no humanity.

That somewhat scuppers his case.

Pankov argues that art, being innately human, must oppose war as inhumane. But since war is so human—and so extremely human—art must fixate upon it. That sees war glorified, beautified, extended. He never lets us forget that there’s an art to war and a war beneath art.

The War is best as an aesthetics lecture, but, as theatre, it’s impressive without making much of an impression. n MATT TRUEMAN

The music of Glasgow-based The One Ensemble underscores the dance with strange and rippling jazz melodies, eventually melting into haunting ballads. But somewhere along the line, it seems the threads of communication have been frazzled (at least for me) and the choreography—tight and muscular as it is—has no access point to grip hold of, leaving much of it feeling like dancers moving at their own pace and tempo, each in their own separate world.

Granted this might be Darkin’s point on individuality, or it might not be. I have no idea. A woman jumps ferociously up and down. Men enter

slowly, dead-eyeing the crowd or standing cruciform in front of the band. They wriggle on the floor (invisible to all but the front row).

Later a shamanistic figure in a beaded robe Tanoura-spins into his own trance. Nothing seems to evolve from anything else, and while there are flickers of great beauty—when Amy Hollinshead peers through a chainmail curtain, or dancers hurl and twist through the air—much of Miann feels aggressively chaotic, and desperate to alienate. n LUCY RIBCHESTER

Run ended

Summerhall, 7:55pm – 8:50pm, 8–17 Aug, not 12, £12

www.festmag.co.uk

#EdintFest

‘His art speaks tremendously of tremendous things’ FINANCIAL TIMES

Akram Khan Epic storytelling, mesmerising movement – Akram Khan is one of the world’s most exciting and original dance artists.

Tuesday 19 – Thursday 21 August 8.00pm King’s Theatre *Fees apply Photo Richard Haughton Charity No SC004694

The appearance of Fang-Yi Sheu supported by The Ministry of Culture, Taiwan

Book tickets from £12* eif.co.uk/gnosis 0131 473 2000 www.festmag.co.uk

15–18 August 2014 fest 47

THEATRE Origin

HHHHH A group of performing arts students from Louisiana are playing out the genesis of life on earth, and the result isn’t pretty. Three dancers strut in Barbarella tin foil, the others writhe on the stage floor in jungle-patterned lycra and the near empty hall reverberates with dismal world music. It’s Cirque du Soleil: the Tribute Group, and no amount of good intentions can salvage it.

The centre-piece is a huge ball of scaffolding, reminiscent of a cell or a microscopic animal. The opening is quite arresting, as shadows from within it burst outwards and spread across the stage. The theme is life in all its forms, evolving, transforming, conceiving and birthing. The line between science and mysticism is carefully trodden, the images intend to evoke and suggest.

Unfortunately the execution just isn’t up to snuff. There is some genuinely impressive aerial silk work, but even this is overshadowed by lacklustre

movement centre-stage. There is no sense of tension or danger, no drama to drive the stage pictures along.

The music is a genuine problem, deafeningly loud and poorly mixed, failing to impose the structure this piece so desperately needs. Weighty issues require a degree of intellectual vigour, whatever the medium that tackles them, and time and time again this

company fail to hit the mark.

This is a group of young and capable performers, but Origin leaves them undervalued and exposed. What could be a fascinating celebration of life and vitality quickly devolves into low-grade circus and underdeveloped physical theatre. n STEWART PRINGLE

to its laughter. No such bitterness in Dear Mister Kaiser. Instead, we get cartoonish national stereotypes—“I’m always logical, I’m German”—and uncomplicated gestures of friendship tossed across no-man’s land.

What’s worse, Hour Lot Theatre are problematically reductive in their presentation of the Great War. In its tribute to stiff upper lips and gen-

tlemen’s honour, Dear Mister Kaiser comes dangerously close to celebrating one brief glimmer of empathy at the expense of an entire world war’s worth of devastation. One fleetingly redemptive chapter does not rewrite the whole story. n CATHERINE LOVE

Run ended

Dear Mister Kaiser

HHHHH At the height of the first world war, British Prisoner of War Robert Campbell received devastating news from his family. At a loss for what to do, he wrote directly to Kaiser Wilhelm II, who allowed him two weeks’ leave from his prison camp to return home to Blighty.

Unlikely as it sounds, this is a true story, and one that Hour Lot Theatre have latched onto as they jump aboard the first world war centenary bandwagon. But, as the company repeatedly remind us, they are not historians. As such, they take considerable liberties with the truth, turning it instead into the comic tale of a letter of complaint spiralling out of control.

The Very British Problems approach to World War I commemoration.

No one would suggest, after Blackadder Goes Forth, that it’s impossible to make jokes about the first world war. The best of this comedy, however, maintains the bitter taste of the conflict’s horror as an aftertaste

48 fest 15–18 August 2014

Bedlam Theatre, 12:00pm – 1:00pm, 2–24 Aug, £7

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE

Tiger

HHHHH What to do when one’s husband begins acting strangely, displaying signs of ferality, perhaps disappearing one fine morning and returning—spoiler alert!—transmogrified into the spirit of a giant cat?

Well, if you’re a member of the rigidly ordered and unhappily play-phobic family in Tiger, the answer is: let the beast inside spring out and dance with it. This brilliant piece from Barrowland Ballet, choreographed by Natasha Gilmore, is playing as part of

Out of Water

HHHHH It’s always exciting to be taken out of the city centre. Every year, a few shows kick off with a bus ride to the fringe of the Fringe, and Out of Water promises so much. A performance at the edge of the water on Portobello beach, played at sunrise and sunset like a forgotten ritual. On a balmy evening with the sun on your back, it might be irresistible, but when the skies open and the wind lashes across the sand, the emperor stands naked

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the Made in Scotland showcase, and its fable-style story from playwright Robert Alan Evans has a lesson to teach us all about letting go and cherishing our instinctive sides.

Gilmore’s choreography is quickfire and inventive, summing up ideas and moods—such as the brisk mundanity of family routine—with surprising innovations. When mother and father begin to find their wild sides, the cat’s cradle set Gilmore has built around her dancers (caging them in?) comes into its own in a tangling, erotic wrestle.

She has thought of textures too, and how to bring alive more than

just the visuals. Fest does not want to spoil any more of the show’s magical touches, so let’s just say Vince Virr’s interactions with the audience are a multi-sensory delight.

It’s certainly not too much of a spoiler to mention how beautiful and vivacious Kim Moore’s live music is, weaving through the dance with brimming energy. And in one of the final passages, the revelation of mother Kai-Wen Chuang’s inner beauty is as vivid as the spreading of a wild bird’s wings. n LUCY RIBCHESTER

and shivering in the rain.

When the piquant setting turns on you, what might have been an enchanting walk across the sand becomes a forced march, as the recorded score that’s piped through headphones crackles and fades in the storm.

The show proper sees a 30-strong community chorus perform a few perfunctory actions (waving, lifting a rope, walking to the sea) against a recorded soundtrack that sketches memories of the ocean awash with clichés. The music is beautiful but the imagery is painfully threadbare

– laments of the lost at sea, muted evocations of breathing, ageing and dying.

The chorus is given nothing of consequence to do, with one brief moment of audience interaction and a short song the only moments in which they even register as individuals. The setting is the star of the show, the sea and shore centre-stage; and when they’re having an off night, you’re left with a spectacle that utterly fails to conceal its emptiness. n STEWART PRINGLE

Venue150@EICC, 6:00pm – 7:05pm, 1–19 Aug, not 4, 11, £12

Run ended

15–18 August 2014 fest 49

THEATRE The Interview

HHHHH In Michael Franco’s taut drama, it is not so much The Prisoner who is under interrogation as the practice of interrogation itself.

There are two interrogators: one “old school”, who gets a kick out of devising fast-acting torture techniques that leave no external scar; the other, a less enthusiastic inquisitor, wishes to follow protocol. Repeated phone calls from an unnamed Secretary of State urge the pair to get results, and fast. As the pressure builds, interrogation methods change from violent to obscene. “My department is very results-orientated,” explains the reluctant interrogator to The Prisoner, apologetically.

Results. Performance targets. Efficiency. These are the idols which make humans monsters. You spend your life searching for monsters, says the reluctant interrogator in a devastating moment of enlightenment, and then “you look in the mirror and you realise it’s you, you’re the monster.”

His character is by far the most compelling in the play, interrogating himself more deeply than the bound man in front of him.

None of the others show similar development.

The drama is more visceral than intellectual, it makes its anti-torture argument with blows not words. The impact of this is lessened for the audience, however, by the incongruously farcical use of Fringe Programmes as instruments of torture. Is this meant to be a clever allusion to the play’s ultimate message: it could be you? Or did someone forget to bring a prop? Whichever, it looks crass and renders the abominable absurd.

A powerful play at its best, but with the occasional false note. n MIRANDA KIEK Underbelly, Cowgate, 6:00pm – 6:55pm, 31 Jul – 24 Aug, £9 – £10

50 fest 15–18 August 2014

Little on the inside

HHHHH Two nameless women share a single cell. For the time being—eight months, three days and counting—these four walls make up their entire world. That might seem a restriction, but these two cellmates find a rare freedom in their confinement. It lets them forget about the outside world and forge a friendship on their own terms. Together, they talk themselves to Paris and imagine sailing trips, and this prison cell becomes both a refuge and a blank canvas.

Clean Break work with female prisoners, so there’s something really admirable in the way that playwright Alice Birch has used her commission to challenge certain clichés of prison life: the boredom, the banality, the aggression. As well as providing a rare,

positive perspective on prison life, Birch picks up on its quieter aspects: silent, pensive inmates so often drowned out by noisier types. She writes with an eagle eye for images and a real ear for lyricism. You find yourself repeating choice phrases just to appreciate them again.

Lucy Morrison’s minimalist production fizzes and crackles thanks to two brilliant performances from Sandra Reid and Estella Daniels. Reid is all rage, almost ricocheting off the walls, while in contrast Daniels finds a crisp serenity. Though they complement each other beautifully, Birch reminds us that these women are never in control of themselves: it takes one parole hearing to shatter a friendship, and release can feel like a life sentence. n MATT TRUEMAN Summerhall, 5:00pm – 5:40pm, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £11 – £12

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE Swing

HHHHH In the dance class that provides the setting for Swing, a new play from the Dublin-based Fishamble company, most of the participants are only there to kill time. If the audience shares that modest goal, there are better places at the Fringe to achieve it.

May is a graphic designer dissatisfied by her career and love life, while Joe is a middle-aged victim of the recession. Along with a cartoonish cross-section of the local community, both come together to learn swing dancing, and with every lesson, we watch their friendship and life stories unfold and intertwine.

It’s clear what Swing aims to be: a couthy, accessible comedy that demonstrates the value of friendship, interspersed with some neat bits of swing. While there is nothing wrong with that in principle, the lack of ambition at the heart of the play is where its problems begin. There is nothing challenging, daring or adventurous on display here, so eager is the produc-

tion to charm its undemanding audience with its uncomplicated nature.

Unfortunately, the result is a drama that almost reaches the halfway point with barely a hint of plot development, a host of secondary characters with no function except as endearing caricatures, and humour so broad it would shame the laziest ‘70s sitcom. Steve Blount and Janet

Moran bring as much enthusiasm and subtlety as they can to their broadbrush leads—along with all other roles, which they also play—but it’s a lost cause.

Perhaps worst of all, the dancing is nothing special either. n SEAN BELL Dance Base, 7:30pm – 8:30pm, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £10

This summer, you could wander through shadows.

The Scottish National Gallery is open every day.

See what you could do this summer.

The Mound, Edinburgh

www.festmag.co.uk

Peter Graham, Wandering Shadows, 1878. Scottish National Gallery. National Galleries of Scotland is a charity registered in Scotland (No.SC003728)

15–18 August 2014 fest

51

THEATRE Pomegranate Jam

Fest HHHHH Best Pomegranate Jam improves Greek mythology. This is not an achievement that should be taken lightly.

For all the countless works inspired by their example, few interpreters of the ancient stories are brave enough to ask: what would make this story better?

Produced by the CalArts Festival Theatre, Pomegranate Jam powerfully reimagines the myth of Persephone, rewriting it with a conscious, creatively significant emphasis upon female agency. The result is a familiar legend, transformed into a staggeringly beautiful romance. Instead of being kidnapped by Hades, Persephone is invited into his domain, the scene of their epic, silent courtship; when she is presented with a pomegranate, it is a symbol of love, not trickery. And so, Persephone becomes queen of the underworld by choice (because really, why not? It’s a sweet gig). But her choice has consequences...

This story unfolds through an elegant mixture of shadow puppetry and dance, all silhouetted on the same screen, merging seamlessly into a single, poetically formed world. The puppetry is minimalist yet charming, establishing the play’s vistas of colour, while the Balinese-influenced dancers are astonishingly graceful, emotive and dreamlike. A gorgeous, ghostly

Factor 9

HHHHH Rab and Bruce committed no crime; they are just two ordinary Edinburgh men bound together by one common factor. They are both haemophiliacs.

And for this, they and hundreds of others were handed a death sentence by the institution they trusted most.

The National Health Service.

Factor 9 is a piece of political theatre at its most stark and powerful, tracing a through line from the Nazi medical experiments on prisoners of war in the 1940s, via the Nuremberg

52 fest 15–18 August 2014

original score, from composer David Aguila and violinist Kris Rahamad, serves the action better than any dialogue or narration ever could.

In Pomegranate Jam, what was once little more than an imaginative metaphor for the changing of the seasons becomes a timeless, moving

coming-of-age tale which achieves more with its deceptive simplicity than many productions with twice the length or budget. A humble triumph. n SEAN BELL

Code to a prison in Arkansas in which inmates became the raw material in a production line of blood treatments that eventually went on to infect tens of thousands of haemophiliacs worldwide with hepatitis C, HIV and AIDS. In Scotland, NHS patients were told that the blood products on offer were manufactured domestically, the donations rigorously tested. The treatments were safe. And yet...

Telling the story of two men who have campaigned for justice for nearly two decades, this dramatised polemic is grippingly powerful. It’s a play full of righteous indignation, and it sometimes gets carried away on the crest

of its own fury. But there is a lot to be angry about here. This is a story as much about cover-up and conspiracy as it is about the horror and heartache of futures lost and lives cut short.

Stewart Porter and Matthew Zajac both give compelling performances. The multimedia staging is both surgically sterile and filthily desolate, capturing the smallness and fragility of lives lived in the shadow of commercial and state interests that care little for them. The play screams out on their behalf. n BEN JUDGE

Venue 13, 10:00am – 10:45am, 2–23 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £8

Summerhall, 1:55pm – 3:15pm, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £12 – £13

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE FREEDOM IS NEVER GIVEN.

IT MUST BE WON.

Scottish Dance Theatre & The One Ensemble

8 - 17 Aug 7.55pm (55min) Box Office: 0845 874 3001

(venue 26)

www.summerhall.co.uk www.summerhall.co.uk

www.scottishdancetheatre.com

THE HIT SHOW RETURNS DIRECT FROM WEST END SEASON AND UK TOUR

HHHH

BY DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU DIRECTED BY

‘Remarkable tour-de-force.’

DAILY TELEGRAPH

HHHH ‘A delight.’

METRO

6.20pm Festival Highlights.com

www.festmag.co.uk

STEVE BROADNAX

 Edinburgh Spotlight



THE MUMBLE

12:25

31 JUL - 25 AUG

15–18 August 2014 fest 53

THEATRE

Return to the Voice

Fest HHHHH Best Apart from a small harmonium on the floor, the stage is bare. But that’s not to say there is nothing to see. Up above in the stained glass are images of pain and resurrection, humility and adoration. The scent of St Giles’s old stone is in the air.

We’ve already been relaxed and lulled by the “warm up”—as Artistic Director Grzegorz Bral puts it—of Gillebrìde MacMillan’s honest, modest

A Split Decision

HHHHH When writing this play, comedian Keir McAllister apparently took inspiration from Marriage Counselling, a track by Scottish hip-hop group Stanley Odd. One wonders what it was about this particular piece of music that caught the writer’s attention. Comparing the union between Scotland and England to a relationship that’s long run its course is hardly an original idea within discourse surrounding the independence debate. In fact, it’s statistically likely that at any given moment during

54 fest 15–18 August 2014

Gaelic tunes. As an opening harmonium note sounds, Anna Maria Jopek takes a microphone, breath-touching distance from the first row. She is dressed as if for a pagan wedding, her arm adorned with a delicate beautiful tattoo.

When she opens her mouth, the note that grows from inside her is unreal.

Return to the Voice is my first experience of seeing Polish company Song of the Goat—known for their integration of movement and song— and it is extraordinary. The company has based the piece around archival recordings of Scottish songs, arranged for polyphonic voices. As

they sing they turn to each other, extend open palms: comforting, ushering a soloist forward; sometimes like an offering, sometimes to offer us confrontation or sorrow.

Narrative is drawn out as it is in a Medieval painting: no matter how long you spend looking at the performers you can’t figure out exactly what is being exchanged between them. But you can feel it, with the same mystery contained in those sacred stained-glass images above.

And Jopek’s voice is like a drug I could have taken all night. n LUCY RIBCHESTER

the Fringe, at least one proficient but ultimately forgettable standup is performing a routine based on this notion.

Do not see A Split Decision if you’re seeking a fresh perspective on the upcoming referendum, or are interested in gaining insight into British politics. Although his heart’s in the right place, McAllister can offer us neither of these things. Instead, he focuses on articulating the mutual affection and discontent shared by both sides of the argument, his characters speaking in vague generalities.

Set in a therapist’s office, a shabby man clad in a suit of clashing tartans and a much more composed woman

sporting Tory blue argue bitterly over their future. Each feels the same way as the other. But while the man dreams of escaping his overbearing spouse and making a clean break for himself, she insists that both parties must remain together until the bitter end. Their verbal sparring, presented in awkward doggerel, isn’t particularly witty, while the narrative amounts to nothing of substance. McAllister’s writing shows a refreshing lack of bias, but there’s very little of substance in this topical experiment. n LEWIS PORTEOUS

Summerhall @ St Giles Cathedral, times vary, various dates until 25 Aug, £15

The Assembly Rooms, 1:30pm – 2:30pm, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, not 31 Jul, 11 Aug, £10

www.festmag.co.uk

Simon Callow in Juvenalia

Assembly Hall 15:30 31 Jul – 25 Aug Unmissable!

The Herald

Line-ups include Dave Hughes Lili La Scala Chris Martin Charlie Baker Lords of Strut

Line-ups include Chris Ramsey Sam Simmons Aisling Bea Carl Donnelly Felicity Ward

Best of the Fest Daytime Assembly George Sq 14:15 1 – 24 Aug

Best of the Fest Assembly Hall 23:59 14-17, 21-24 Aug

SOUTHAFRICANSEASON SOUTHAFRICANSEASON SOUTHAFRICANSEASON SOUTHAFRICANSEASON Race by David Sunday Hayani The Zulu Silent Voice Mamet Morning George Square Assembly Hall Assembly Roxy George Square George Square Studios 17:10 12:45 14:00 15:20 12:40 Fest

British Theatre Guide

British Theatre Guide

The List

Scotsman

South African Season 31 July - 25 Aug

www.festmag.co.uk

C O N N E C T I N G T H R O U G H C R E AT I V I T Y

Inspiring new ways

15–18 August 2014 fest 55

THEATRE

Nothing

HHHHH The audience of Nothing could be forgiven for thinking they have wandered in on a meeting of Nihilists Anonymous. Existential angst seeps through the play like the smell of unwashed socks in student halls. Unsurprisingly it began life at a university and earlier this year won four awards in the National Student Drama festival.

A man steals simply because he can; a woman slakes her anger by defecating on doorsteps; another sees a leg which has just been hacked

A Walk At The Edge Of The World

HHHHH In Edinburgh during the festival season, walking can be a less-than-edifying undertaking. When you have to climb over four jugglers just to get your morning sausage roll, the simple pleasures of the stroll can get lost.

A Walk At The Edge Of The World is a reclamation and consideration of those pleasures. As such, in both distance and tone, it exists far away from the neverending Fringe bustle.

In 2001, following a hip operation

56 fest 15–18 August 2014

off at the thigh, yet feels – nothing.

Constructed out of eight monologues which explore the anomie of the young and middle-class, Nothing contains no conversation, just intercutting and overlapping lines. This, then, is disconnection – in form as much as in theme.

Extraordinarily the parts are not fixed. It is mere chance as to which actor performs which monologue, and a matter of improvisation how and when they speak. This gives Lulu Raczka’s writing, already vivid, extra immediacy. It is credit to the quality of acting that the commitment to character is never compromised.

The problem with a play about nothingness is that it can provide a narrative excuse for lazy drama. No plot, no cohesion, no engagement with the world – fine, that’s the point, it all adds to the Camus-like disaffection. Don’t care about the characters? That’s ok, it’s a play about alienation. Except it’s not ok. The almost epidemic levels of mental illness, depression, and anxiety disorders among today’s young deserves a response that forces people to care. n MIRANDA KIEK

to address the arthritis that had almost robbed him of mobility, Ian Cameron began to walk again.

Relearning what was previously an unconscious activity caused him to think about walking differently, triggering a very personal journey. Before he explains this to the audience however, Cameron allows them to take journeys of their own.

Beginning in the eerily peaceful grounds of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Cameron leads the audience in a silent procession along the Water of Leith Walkway, taking full, unashamed advantage of Edinburgh’s beauty. A green-gold marvel in sunlight and a goblin forest

in gloom, the walk will be a revelation to those who have never seen this side of the city before.

Of course, such a walk could be enjoyed without a ticket to A Walk At The Edge Of The World. The presentation Cameron gives back at the museum is therefore thankfully engaging, built around the fascinating tale of Donald Crowhurst—who went mad while sailing around the world— and a moving reflection on Cameron’s own life. A worthy exercise in contemplation. n SEAN BELL

Summerhall, 10:50am – 11:45am, 5–17 Aug, £8.50 – £10.50

Summerhall @ The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 5:00pm – 6:10pm, 1–24 Aug, not 7, 11, 18, £12

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE

’Tis Pity Mafia + Incest + Love + Violence

FROM THE MULTI-AWARD WINNING MAKERS OF TRANSLUNAR PARADISE & BALLAD OF THE BURNING STAR

LIGHT LIGHT

STAGE AWARD WINNERS 2009 & 2013 “ADMIRABLE” TIMES | “SUPERB” THE SCOTSMAN

31 July - 16 August (12:15pm) Spotlites @ The Merchant Hall Tickets from: www.edfringe.com www.audleyandcoproductions.com

PLEASANCE KING DOME 30 JULY - 25 AUGUST 2014 17:15 (18:35) (EXCL. 11 & 18) BOX OFFICE 01315566550 | WWW.PLEASANCE.CO.UK WWW.THEATREADINFINITUM.CO.UK @THEATREADINF THE GUARDIAN’S ‘BEST OF THE FRINGE’ 2013

PLAY DOUGH Unlimited Theatre

A playfully interactive show about money for everyone aged 7+, by Clare Duffy

“Right on the money” ★ ★ ★ ★ The Guardian

11am (1hr 10) UNTIL 23 AUG (not 17) Venue 73 NORTHERN STAGE AT KING’S HALL Box Office 0131 477 6630 Book Online northernstage.co.uk www.festmag.co.uk

15–18 August 2014 fest 57

THEATRE Prelude to a Number

Object of My Affection

HHHHH

HHHHH

There are a whole clutch of shows at the Fringe this year looking at the patterns we trace to find meaning in the world: Chris Thorpe’s Confirmation, Standby for Tape BackUp by Ross Sutherland, Ellie Stamp’s Are You Lonesome Tonight and now Geddes Loom’s Prelude to a Number.

Even that observation is an example of doing what humans do best and connecting the dots. As Geddes Loom put it, “you’ll find anything if you look hard enough”. The pattern they are hunting for is the golden ratio, a calculation that can apply to everything from faces to architecture. Over the years, it has been linked to aesthetic beauty and natural order, interpreted as a way of giving shape to the world.

Of course, once you know something’s there you see it constantly. This is the state of mind that Geddes Loom recreate on stage, intercutting songs and snippets of narrative in which various characters use the golden ratio to navigate a route through the chaos of life. One hears the same drum beat, recycled over and over, in all the songs he cares about; another grasps onto numbers when the rest of her world suddenly falls apart.

It’s all charming and smart enough on the surface, but scratch a little deeper and there is relatively little substance beneath these miniature stories of anarchy and order. Geddes Loom are a promising new company, but they could do with drawing more complex patterns than the ones found here. n CATHERINE LOVE

Whether the programme has been curated or hand-picked from applicants, it seems that someone behind the scenes at Greenside Venues has an eye for dance. Their programme this year has been alternately challenging and accessible; great for lovers of the medium and equally good for enticing in new aficionados.

Object of My Affection falls into the latter category and would be a brilliant way of introducing children to both dance and different styles of classical music. Gloriously costumed, eclectic and pacy enough to engage even those with the attention span of a gnat, the triple-bill takes us from short character-based dance sketches through to a purer form of energised choreography.

In ‘Seated’, lightning-quick vignettes about our relationship with

Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 2:50pm – 3:50pm, 2–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £11

58 fest 15–18 August 2014

chairs take us from 18th century courtly desires to a man gracefully grappling with a flat-pack Ikea dining chair. This last is the most engaging; Joshua Royal struts the floor, full of male swagger before getting himself in a pickle and ending up with (curiously pretty) asymmetrical furniture.

The title takes a more metaphorical turn in the second segment, ‘À une passante’. Two couples yearn for each other but only one is able to fully connect. Richard Chappell’s ‘Into Decay’ has less of a direct relation to the theme, but makes for an athletic and climactic finale.

The male dancers aren’t quite up to the level of their female partners—and don’t go expecting to see Scottish Ballet—but MurleyDance has created an admirable programme full of the colours and textures of dance’s entertaining potential. n LUCY RIBCHESTER Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 6:25pm – 7:25pm, 1–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £14

C theFestival Straylight Australia and Bee Loud

DEM Productions

Shrewsbury & Severn Opera

10 – 25 Aug 2.15pm C

30 Jul – 25 Aug 8.30pm C

18 – 23 Aug 12.45pm C

Tokyo Tapdo!

Richard Williamson and CliMar Productions

New Theatre of Ottawa (Canada)

30 Jul – 25 Aug 4.45pm C

30 Jul – 25 Aug 8.55pm C

30 Jul – 25 Aug 7.15pm C too

English Cabaret

Five Point One with C theatre

Point View Art Association

Playing Landscape

Barge Baby

31 Jul – 25 Aug 12.00 noon C south

31 Jul – 25 Aug 8.00pm C south

30 Jul – 25 Aug 7.30pm C

30 Jul – 25 Aug 9.25pm C nova

The Road to Skibbereen

Sushi Tap Show

The Happy Prince

Lysistrata

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story

Notoriously Yours

The Lost Domain

The Player’s Advice to Shakespeare

Sally E Dean

Something’s in the Living Room

6 – 25 Aug 3.00pm C cubed

Haddangse (Korea)

Brush

30 Jul – 24 Aug 12.00 noon C

Bricks and Mortar Theatre

With more than 200 shows and events across our venues in the heart of Edinburgh, we celebrate our 23rd Fringe with an inspiring international programme of cabaret, comedy, circus, dance, musicals, theatre and family shows. See it all with C venues.

THEATRE Please Don’t Cry (At My Funeral)

HHHHH When Josie Dale-Jones and Isabel Della-Porta first played at the Zoo Southside with their whimsical production Everything’s Everywhere, one critic praised their talent, but idly wished for something more ‘substantial’. Naturally, the exuberant duo decided to spend the next year crafting a play about death. This was to be Please Don’t Cry (At My Funeral), a poignant tale about a divided family reunited by tragedy

Playing Landscape

HHHHH This elegant piece of contemporary dance theatre is showing as part of the Made in Macao series at C venues.

It’s directed by Taiwanese stage director Hope Chiang, and perhaps as a consequence of her theatre background there is a definite feel of progression—if not narrative—as the four dancers grow in connection to each other across a series of episodes.

The most strange and beguiling images come in the opening scene; bodies sprawled beneath black silk

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and childhood innocence. The show was even advertised as such... until mid-July, when they suddenly dumped the entire script.

Rather than pulling out of the Fringe (a fate which would have mirrored the death at the centre of the play), Dale-Jones and Della-Porta decided to rebuild the show around how their original plan fell apart, almost wrecking their close real-life friendship into the process. What results is a multilayered meditation on the interplay between reality and fiction and an insightful demonstration into the creative process.

If this sounds dry, don’t be fooled: Dale-Jones and Della-Porta have

such an effusive, inclusive presence that you’ll have no trouble sharing their youthful passion for the power of the theatre.

True, some of the show’s themes could be explored in greater depth, but questions of life and art are never going to be settled in 60 minutes.

What matters is the connection Dale-Jones and Della-Porta make with the audience, the honesty with which they present their story and the wit with which they tell it. If they were aiming for substance, then they have easily achieved their goal. n SEAN BELL

that slowly retreats like an inky tide as the performers are revealed. At first they wear only nude basics, and when they finally don everyday dress they seem bewildered by it, picking at threads, playing and stretching their tops over their heads.

There seems to be a theme of rebirth (or birth and growth) at play, as couples pair off and tease one another. Soon the choreography ramps up a notch in pace, slipping liquid quick embraces and turns through stretched limbs and long lines.

This pleasing quick cleanliness fades towards the end however, and an extended section involving a ritual

with ceramic water bowls feels grave and important but dilutes the build up that has come before it.

Playing Landscape has a feeling of being both ancient and modern; the dancers in their most complex passages are a delight to watch, precision unfolding down each muscle, always focussed and drawing us in. Ink artist Cindy Ng’s designs meanwhile, swirling thick paisley patterns on the backdrop projections in deep colours, are the perfect adornment to the movement. n LUCY RIBCHESTER

Zoo Southside, 3:15pm – 4:05pm, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £8

C venues - C, 7:30pm – 8:35pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 11 Aug, 18 Aug, £11.50

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE Mush and Me

HHHHH Among the avalanche of responses to the current situation in Gaza, one was surprisingly heartening. In support of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, an Arab-Jewish couple tweeted a selfie in which they kissed and held a sign reading “Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies”. The image and its message soon went viral, shared around the globe.

It’s the same spirit that animates Mush and Me, though not without an acute awareness of the inherent complexities of interfaith relationships.

Karla Crome’s play depicts the covert romance between Jewish Gabby and Muslim Mush, co-workers who quickly and inconveniently fall for one another. Interspersed with this narrative, meanwhile, are recorded interviews with various interfaith couples.

The obstacle littered story is told with warmth, intelligence and impressive sensitivity. Isaacs and David Mumeni spit sparks as the central lovers, their relationship as fiery as the

A New Play Combining Text & Physical Theatre

religious debates they passionately thrash out. For Mush, Islam offers him a purpose in life, while agnostic Gabby finds that tradition is not as easily shed as faith. Their search for a concrete explanation of what divides them is as fascinating as it is heart-wrenching.

Crome is not suggesting that love can overcome all barriers and bridge all differences. Conflict and compli-

cations remain, acknowledging the knotty nuances of the play’s subject.

What Mush and Me does suggest, however, is that it’s worth a shot at the very least. After all, as one interviewee puts it, love’s one of the best things we have knocking around in our fucked up world. n CATHERINE LOVE Underbelly, Cowgate, 2:50pm – 3:50pm, 31 Jul – 24 Aug, not 11 Aug, £10 – £11

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15–18 August 2014 fest 61

THEATRE Spoiling

HHHHH A lot has been said about what might happen to the UK/Scotland relationship after independence has been achieved. We’ve had promises from both sides which are likely to be broken. Few questions have been asked, however, of what might happen in the period between referendum and sovereignty. In John McCann’s Spoiling, whose title has multiple connotations, we see the fruits of a “Yes” win slowly eroded by a British leader. For a play whose focus eventually rests on political machinations and language, however, the form doesn’t really interact with the ideas presented.

McCann’s protagonist is Fiona, Scotland’s Foreign Minister Delegate (Gabriel Quigley). Heavily pregnant and the driving force behind the win, she is about to host her UK counterpart, but has been stalled by Northern Irish PR man Mark (Richard Clements). Through his urging her to toe the party line, we see how easily diluted idealism and honesty can become when faced with bureaucracy.

Spoiling urges politicians to say what they feel, not what they ought to say.

The chemistry between Quigley and Clements is palpable, as the former manages to slowly win over the heart and mind of the latter through humour, passion and reasoning.

Their characters may be a little underdeveloped, but each throws

Running Into Me

HHHHH Vickie Tanner might have got her title wrong: Me Me Me would be a better fit.

This self-indulgent solo show is utterly blinkered: less a show than a showcase.

Tanner grew up in a downtown neighbourhood in Compton, California; the sort of place that pins you down and, for many, proves inescapable. She was a troublesome, violent high-schooler with a tumultuous home-life and a burgeoning drug habit. Then, she found her way to New

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themselves into the quickfire pace of McCann’s dialogue.

Orla O’Loughlin’s tight direction sees these two hopeful characters crescendo to a poetic climax, but neither play nor production truly

engages with questions of linguistic power or Scottish independence.

York and a thousand different odd-jobs while supporting her acting career.

She got a part in Law and Order, guys.

She got into teaching. Things are going really well for her.

And that’s great. I’m genuinely pleased for her, but that’s not to say I need an hour of clichéd solo performance to spell out the details. You’ve seen this show before. In fact, you’ve seen the parodies. It’s the sort of show in which an actor plays their every acquaintance. Inspirational teacher: check. Playground nemesis: check.

Therapist: checkmate.

Cut through all this are snippets of

Tyra Banks-style hoochiness, hymning reality TV and its hollow promises of escape, fame and fortune. Two men recur—a child she teaches and a favourite nephew—both of whom fall into cycles of aggression and crime.

The point is that getting out is difficult. Tanner’s been fortunate – and she knows it. What a shame, then, that she choose to crow about her journey, rather than attempting to effect a change that others might follow suit.

n DAN HUTTON

Traverse Theatre, times vary, 30 Jul – 24 Aug, not 4 Aug, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, £18

n MATT TRUEMAN

Underbelly, Cowgate, 1:20pm – 2:20pm, 31 Jul – 24 Aug, not 11 Aug, £9 – £10

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE 10:00

CalArts Festival Theater 11th Season on the fringe 12:30

Shadow Puppetry Tale of Persephone

Pomegranate Jam 16:45

19:45

Premire Tale of Van Gogh's Lust

Kaspar by Peter Handke Yellow Fever August 2-23 - £8 Gen £6 Con tickets: www.venue13.com - 07074 20 13 13

Scottish Dance Theatre & The One Ensemble

8 - 17 Aug 7.55pm (55min) Box Office: 0845 874 3001

(venue 26)

www.summerhall.co.uk www.summerhall.co.uk

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www.scottishdancetheatre.com 15–18 August 2014 fest 63

THEATRE Ganesh Versus the Third Reich

HHHHH Well this truly is, at times, an astonishing piece of work. Bobbing atop gushing rivers of praise, Australian outfit Back to Back Theatre’s long-gestated project is not easily forgotten. The form and convention, which often override the epic fantasy narrative, is based on the simple act of asking a difficult question.

For a mostly disabled, or supposedly “intellectually disabled” group of actors, the conundrums come fast: do they have the requisite faculties to comprehend the fate of a Holocaust victim, for example, or to empathise with Hitler, or to even begin to place their performance within the context of a world war? Does anyone? Who is the real architect of Ganesh… and does it even matter?

Back to Back’s ‘performance’, the rehearsal and casting of which is played out onstage, follows the Hindu deity Lord Ganesh. He is charged with descending to the mortal realm to reclaim the bastardised swastika emblem alongside an orphaned Jew and under the menacing glare of the “White Angel”, Dr Josef Mengele.

By trying to fathom their own limitations as artists, the company force the audience into some steely self-examination which peaks when

Cuckooed

HHHHH It’s difficult to know on what basis to judge Mark Thomas’ one-man play.

As a vehicle for his cry of rage about the infiltration of the tiny Campaign Against Arms Trade by the goliath that is BAE Systems, it works. It’s a hugely engaging piece: the verve and swagger of Thomas’ conversational, humourist’s delivery works well to sustain interest, and he employs some neat tricks to keep things shifting along. Thomas’ writing is predictably tight, with delightful moments of bathos found in the ground between the

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we’re accused, albeit in the abstract, of flocking to gawp at “freak porn”; we laugh as one actor’s mind is compared to a goldfish’s, yet recoil as the able-bodied director physically attacks a vulnerable cast member.

Amongst all the hand-wringing, though, what emerges is a challeng-

ing and striking piece, visually, comically, cerebrally. When they’re done, it takes an endearingly shambolic curtain call to remind you just what a startling theatrical accomplishment this is. n JOE SPURGEON

high ideals and the scrappy drudgery of an activist’s existence. There’s barely a move or line which hasn’t been pored over to keep it as interesting as possible.

But as a piece of theatre, one can’t help but feel this is all a little superficial: a bright bag of tricks and devices to sustain interest. There’s little engagement with the dramatic form; it tells us little beyond the issues directly discussed. The preoccupation with keeping it snappy also leads Thomas down some questionable paths. Too frequently, he goes after cheap laughs, painting those in the arms industry in primary, cartoon colours. Take, for instance, the BAE arms traders who

need the day off work after their bus was hijacked by protesters. To disregard their fears in order to bag laughs diminishes their humanity, and ours.

In essence, Cuckooed feels a lot like a well-written and brilliantly researched newspaper feature, delivered live. It’s not a masterclass in stagecraft. But it’s reasonable to wonder whether this actually matters when dealing with issues so fundamental to the functioning of our democracy. Perhaps it’ll matter when everyone has seen this, and got angry. n EVAN BESWICK

Run ended

Traverse Theatre, times vary, 2–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £19

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THEATRE Bloody Trams

HHHHH If you’ve missed out on this wry verbatim play, you can always conjure a personal performance from any one of Edinburgh’s taxi drivers, shopkeepers or residents. Just ask them what they think of the city’s £700 million white elephant, that spent the best part of a decade gouging its way across the city.

Director Joe Douglas snips and moulds a ream of interviews into a witty, charming and quietly poignant collage of a city held hostage by

over-reaching ambition and incompetent realisation. Two performers stand with iPhones in their hands, feeding scraps of interviews to their ears which they then perform in immaculate, quick-change impersonations.

There’s a laid-back, lounge-bar vibe to proceedings, with performer David Paul Jones resting at an exposed upright piano, allowing the interviews to sway into song. It shaves off the rougher edges of the performance, and stops it from sinking into whining or self-indulgence.

As strong as the performances are, it’s the stats that really impress – the fact that it cost less to put a man

on the moon than to run a tramline from Leith to the airport. There’s also a hint of something deeper here, a suggestion that failures such as the tram and the bloated Scottish Parliament building impact on grander questions of Scottish identity and even independence.

It’s a shame that Bloody Trams doesn’t go a little further down this route, because as enchanting and enraging as it is, without a destination to head towards, this journey can’t help feel a little anticlimactic.

towards machine guns.

This show doesn’t seek to tackle the Great War with any particular nuance, and it certainly doesn’t do anything to soothe the voices crying from the shadows. What about the thousands of soldiers from the Commonwealth who died fighting in the British Expeditionary Force?

The men of the Merchant Navy who

died in the Atlantic? Instead of an exploration of forgotten voices, this show feels more like a perpetuation of the easy myths that surround our perceptions of the titanic conflict.

n STEWART PRINGLE

Run ended

Forgotten Voices

HHHHH “Your Country Needs You!”, the recruitment poster looms large on the back wall of the theatre, Lord Kitchener jabbing at the audience. It’s one of several archetypal first world war images that supports the basic premise of this show: five war veterans have come together to recount their experiences of pain and loss at home and on the western front.

With a script based on oral testimonies of war veterans from the Imperial War Museum’s archives, you’d think this show would provide space to ask disquieting questions about war through vivid personal narrative.

Unfortunately, what we have instead is a piece of theatre that perpetuates stereotypes and does more to encourage generalisations than make us question the necessity of conflict.

The confessional dialogue is powerful, and hellish accounts of drowning in shell holes, close-quarters combat and the execution of deserters certainly evoke the horror of war. What undermines this production, however, are the Blackadder-ish stereotypes onstage in front of us. The cutout characters of the Haig-like colonel, the cheery scouse private and the weeping war widow appear as extensions of easy historical over-simplifications.

Posh privately-educated officers send working class men to the slaughter; women compel men to enlist; young men are forced to walk

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n JOHN HEWITT JONES

Pleasance Courtyard, 1:30pm – 3:00pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, not 5 Aug, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, £11.50 – £14.50

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THEATRE

Pioneer

HHHHH We’re happy to report that Curious Directive, the much touted, prolific young company (mission: “to explore life through the findings of science”) have come good on the ample signs of promise shown on previous outings.

Appropriately enough, Pioneer sees the outfit push their performance in terms of ambition, scope and spectacle (“our largest piece to date” notes the handout) but most vitally, nail down the human microplots that underpin the scholarship and slick theatrical wizardry.

147 Questions About Love

HHHHH Do you eat sugar? How many press ups can you do? Do children smell good? Can you cook? Can you dance?

Is there a natural law that draws a plastic bag to a small child?

You might call Volcano Theatre’s miniature a question-and-dancer format. Inspired by Padgett Powell’s questions-only novel The Interrogative Mood, artistic director Paul Davies fires a volley of queries—personal, trivial,

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It’s 2025 and humankind’s first mission to Mars has vanished without trace. Some time later, take II begins in circumspect fashion, with the eyes of the world—not to say mysterious billionaire funder Mrs Singh—on Dutch co-pilots Imke and Oskar.

Back at mission control, the strain of ensuring success wears heavy on Flight Director Shari and the decisions she and her slippery sidekick Rudi make might mean the difference between failure and success. Though what exactly constitutes success anyway? What drives that essentially human proclivity to peer into the darkness, to curiously press on, to pioneer?

The Curious Directive staples are

all present in the telling: criss-crossing, time-shifting storylines, the Big Idea and an international roll call of characters calibrated to collide. But there’s a previously missing coherence here, which, alongside the elegant, predominantly white staging, video projections and microphones, slowly unpacks a wide-angle story to satisfy both head and heart.

The ending is an extremely moving departure, articulated by an impressively sharp ensemble who are occupying a space all of their own at this year’s Fringe. Go forth and explore. n JOE SPURGEON

philosophical, ponderous—at Catherine Bennett, who dances her replies in turn. There are dismissive stomps of rejection and coy shoulder rolls, but her answers are always elusive and open to interpretation.

That’s the beauty of Volcano theatre’s words-and-movement combo: it’s so ripe with metaphor. It makes love seem like the need to know everything about another person and like the urge to explore the entire world together, hand in hand. It catches the neediness of lovers—men in particular—and the impenetrability of others that means there’s always more to discover.

Sometimes, it speaks about the banal

practicalities that make a relationship seem like a job interview, the details that determine compatibility.

It’s not just about love, though, but language as well. The gap between question and answer—the one in words, the other in action; questions met with yet more questions—neatly conveys the fallibility of words, the way speakers and listeners talk at crossed purposes and language gets lost in transmission. A lovely little piece, content not to have all the answers. n MATT TRUEMAN

Zoo Southside, 1:00pm – 2:20pm, 1–25 Aug, £12

Dance Base, 3:45pm – 4:30pm, 1–17 Aug, not 4, 11, £10

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MUSIC&CABARET

Blues!

HHHHH The blues has always had a bit of a split personality. Take Son House, who sang full-throated paeons to John the Revelator, but also probably killed a man. Or Huddie Ledbetter, the bad man with a voice so beautiful it got him out of jail. And so it is with this whistle-stop tour through 90 years of the blues in 60 minutes.

On one hand, 12-piece-band The Blueswater’s treatment of early electric blues isn’t fantastic. A rendition of ‘Smokestack Lightnin’’ lacks Howlin’

Wolf’s mesmerising aggression – all pantomine howls and a harp that sits too low in the mix. It lacks the foghorn blast that the big bluesman could produce. A Bessie Smith number, ‘St Louis Blues’ is loungey shmultz when it should be a moan of despair. The blues history lessons which punctuate the pieces are genuinely fascinating, but they don’t help detract from an early feeling of this being a museum piece – roots music getrified.

Then comes a version of Koko Lee’s ‘I’m a Woman’, and it’s like a shot going off. Aggressive and unruly, it seems that it’s in the ominous riffs

and scorching solos of the seventies and onwards that The Blueswater really find their stride. ‘Texas Flood’ is simply extraordinary, with guitar-playing that nails the chaotic precision of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s soloing style.

Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Oh Well’ provides possibly the best outlet for frontman Felipe Schrieberg’s light, informal vocal stylings. Released, perhaps, from the burden of scholarship, it’s here where these passionate players do most credit the past masters they so clearly love. n EVAN BESWICK theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 10:10pm – 11:10pm, 1–23 Aug, £9.50

Circo Aereo & Thomas Monckton:

THE PIANIST Assembly Roxy CentRAl, 2–25 August (not 11th) At 12:00 pm www.festmag.co.uk

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MUSIC&CABARET Gone Native

HHHHH In a month when the city opens its hearts, tills and wallets to performers and visitors from across the globe, seasoned folksters Kevin Gore and Robert Nicholson present an hour of song that’s as solidly Edinburgh as the Castle Rock. It’s a show of two halves, one more successful than the other, but still a fine way to pass the time with a pint or a dram of whisky in hand.

Gore is a knockout. His songs balance beauty with fierce rallying cries

The Girl Who

HHHHH Given that it takes its lead from the Choose Your Own Adventure books so popular in the ‘80s, there’s less ‘death by ravine’ in this show than I—at least—expected. The Girl Who is a child-friendly, musical affair, where the decisions we make on behalf of the young heroine are really metaphorical life choices.

Anna’s quest to find her parents, who go missing on the day of her birthday party, is a mix of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, with an all-singing cast of fantastical characters in colourful scenarios.

Imaginatively conceived and staged, it works best when the earnest power ballads stop and a sense of fun reigns.

Director Andrew Panton keeps things fluid and lively in the circus-like Spiegeltent. Neshla Caplan is an engagingly no-nonsense Anna,

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for social justice. Opener ‘Berlin Suicide’ eloquently describes his dismay at the rise of far-right street protestors like the Scottish Defence League, while ‘Freedom Fighter’ considers the role call of great men once decried as terrorists who the world now acknowledges as models of resistance and integrity.

Nicholson has the tougher job, as while elegiac protest songs are thin on the ground at the festival, observational comedy is not. He’s an attractive character, cheekily charming in his flat cap and he works his audience well, but few of his songs deliver the goods,

despite some strong premises. Only ‘Go And See The Pandas’, extolling the dubious virtues of bamboo-munchers and tram construction alike, hits its mark.

Luckily it’s brought to a close with a sublime duet of ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ that leaves you wishing they’d spent more of the running time as a pair. Regardless, it’s a welcoming and sincere hour in a venue that feels like the perfect bolt-hole from the noisy discord of the Fringe. n STEWART PRINGLE

while Martin Murphy stands out as grumpy guardian of the gate, Brook.

And the realisation of evil lord Screwtape with little more than a suitcase and a lampshade is great.

The points at which we decide Anna’s journey are varyingly successful. While a giant noughts-and-crosses game accompanied by flashing lights and rocky music is a blast, our culpability in a moral choice is fudged by it being a case of “Which hand is it in?”.

If nothing else, it makes Anna’s subsequent treatment a bit harsh.

But a bravely sad ending packs a real punch, casting a careless decision we

make right at the start in a poignant light. We don’t always know what’s going to be momentous in life; there is a grown-up conclusion here to the show title’s unfinished sentence. n TOM WICKER

The Royal Oak, 6:00pm – 7:00pm, 1–25 Aug, £8

Assembly George Sq Gardens, 3:50pm – 4:50pm, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £11

www.festmag.co.uk

KIDS Once Upon A...

A great pirate adventure as reviewed

by Isabella KinverTait, aged 6

Play Dough

Play Dough is every child’s dream come true: to have 10,000 real £1 coins to play with... Yes, REAL coins with a security guard and CCTV to guard them! In this show you learn lots of interesting facts about how money is lost or won in the blink of an eye. The basic storyline is about a teenager and what happens when her dad’s business collapses in the financial crisis and how it affects the family.

You have the chance to play lots of fun games with the money and to bet if you will win or lose it. So... Are you a winner? Go and see this great show to find out...

Once Upon A... is a show about a pirate school run by Granny Pirate and her husband who always falls asleep!

This year there is a new horrible student called Captain Nae Beard. He has a funny accent so we don’t know where he comes from, long frizzy hair and NAE beard.

Captain Nae Beard is always trying to steal the magic trident from Marina the fairy (with NAE wings) so he can pull out the plug at of the bottom of the sea. That would mean all the water will drain away, leaving no places for fish to live, no place for ships to sail and no pirate school!!!

So we helped Marina the magic fairy who guards the seven seas, giving her suggestions how to stop Captain Nae Beard... We froze him, put him down the plug hole and sent him to bed.

I really loved this show because it was funny, I got to write my name in the pirate book and shout out lots of things to help Granny Pirate and Marina. There were lots of excellent songs which I got to do actions for.

Arrrr, me hearties - a great pirate adventure!

Northern Stage King’s Hall, 11am – 12:10pm, until 23 Aug, not 17, £11

Edinburgh Elim, 10:45am – 11:35am, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £8

This gameshowstyle play is a dream come true, finds Cameron Searle, aged 11

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KIDS Dean Friedman’s Smarty Pants

HHHHH Theatre for the littlies ain’t what it used to be. A canter through the kids’ programme of today’s Fringe reveals a blitzkrieg of music, toys, tricks, lights, bubbles, bangs, wallops and an army of extremely hard-working actors toiling for their lives for this most candid of audiences. Indeed, “adult” theatre-makers might take note.

Musician and writer Dean Friedman has a few musical shows

Sid’s Show

HHHHH It’s a good job Sid Sloane has already established a mini-fanbase from his presenting roles on CBeebies, as this is perhaps the most unimaginatively named children’s show at the Fringe.

What isn’t conveyed in the title, however, is 50 minutes of light-hearted, interactive games and quests aimed at children aged 3 and over.

As Sid prepares to get ready for the day ahead, he can’t find his socks. Silly Sid! Perhaps if he collects enough wool, he can enlist the help of some trusty friends (that’s us), to knit him some new footwear. On a mission to gather his yarn, Sid takes us on immersive adventures along the way through deep oceans, sunny beaches and rainy jungles; and even rockets us into outer space.

While Sid’s journeys are fun and fantastical, they don’t offer enough in the way of audience participation. There are songs and activities but the potential to get the children involved in more direct ways, even to influence the result of Sid’s mission, is squandered. As a result, there isn’t enough magic to really capture everyone’s attention for the full 50 minutes and, at times, it looks like Sid is having all the fun.

When Sloane does get everyone involved, it’s lively and dynamic; he is effortless and natural when chatting to his audience.

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down at the exotic sounding Sweet Grassmarket this year, including this gentle five-hander which follows five-year-old Abby as she prepares for her first day of school. Sleepless with excitement—for Abby’s the giddy sort—it’s left to her wise old pa to proffer a soothing song and some sage wisdom about the trials that lie ahead.

Not that much seems to faze our effervescent Abby; in fact, it’s only when short-sighted classmate Bridget takes a disliking to her that she begins to deflate at all. But even that’s soon cheerfully resolved thanks to another little dose of life learnin’ from dad.

It’s all pretty simple, catchy and

uncluttered, with a straight-up “school is cool” subtext and some workaday songs set to breezy bluegrass banjoing, but it’s hardly shifting the performance paradigm. The cast summon just about the requisite verve to keep their infant audience seated and sated, though you can’t shake the feeling that there are bigger buzzes for the toddlerati elsewhere at the Fringe.

“Yeah, it was all right,” says one foam hand-wielding redhead to his mum on the way out. Which pretty much nails it, actually. n JOE SPURGEON

Sloane also runs through a roll-call of acts to constantly wow us. From sock puppets and friendly aliens to poems and magic rope tricks, Sloane is quite clearly a gifted entertainer. While it won’t enthral

or amaze the little ones, they can expect a friendly host to slowly win them over. n ANDREW LATIMER

Sweet Grassmarket, 10:30am – 11:30am, various dates until 24 Aug, £8

Pleasance Courtyard, 11:30am – 12:20pm, 30 Jul – 25 Aug, £7.50 – £9.50

www.festmag.co.uk

KIDS

Chalk About

HHHHH Self-identity is a thorny issue at any age, and for the older children that this show is aimed at, it can be practically all-consuming. Through a series of dance sequences punctuated by confessional monologues, Christien Devaney and Hendrik Lebon capture the hesitancy we have when attempting to define ourselves throughout our lives.

The dancers work against a stark black background, on which they chalk the outlines of some brave young volunteers as the audience arrive. White balloons and paper figures are the only other props in a visually impressive show that’s far from black-and-white in the way it treats its themes.

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Some dance sequences start and then stop when the performers admit that they don’t know where they are going. They sketch out what the show might have looked like had they taken all the suggestions of their target audience: the resulting chaos of dinosaurs, rock bands, cute baby pandas, NO PUPPETRY and lots and lots of blood is very funny and helps to set the playful tone.

When Devaney describes her life to us in speech and mime, Lebon follows her, sometimes mirroring, sometimes contradicting her actions, as if she is being stalked by the ghosts of past selves. Lebon instead asks for the audience to define him, asking whether he looks Russian or German, 26 or 37 years old, making himself bravely and beguilingly vulnerable. One sequence seems to portray the moments of physical

intensity that punctuate and give shape to our lives—swimming, firing a machine gun, prostrating oneself in prayer—then gives way to seemingly post-coital intimacy between the pair, suggesting that this was all symbolic of the violent intimacy of sex.

Such moments of dual meaning punctuate the show. This allows it to be admirably unsqueamish about the important aspects of life that are less child-friendly, but also non-literal enough that the show never pushes its “PG” certificate too far.

More importantly, it suggests a mutability that is central to the theme.

However boldly we chalk out our outlines, they remain as subject to rubbings out and redefinitions as figures on a chalk board. n TOM HACKETT Summerhall, 11:30am – 12:15pm, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £9

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COMEDY LISTINGS 07:00 BBC: Today BBC@POTTERROW, 23 Aug, £free

09:00 Japanese Samurai Don Quixote Challenging Giant English Windmills!

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 10–24 Aug, not 13, £free BBC: @BBCEdFest BBC@POTTERROW, 1–24 Aug, £free BBC: Shaun Keaveny BBC@POTTERROW, 22 Aug, £free

10:00 Lulo’s Shitting in Narnia Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free

10:15 An Audience With Walter J Plinge Alter Ego Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 7–24 Aug, £free

10:50 Guns Don’t Kill People, Rabbits with Batteries Do Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free

11:00 Ray Fordyce’s Brunchtime Banter (Part 2) Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free Scotland’s Referend...uhm?

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–23 Aug, not 13, £free

11:10 Bridget Christie: An Ungrateful Woman

HHH

The Stand Comedy Club, 2–25 Aug, not 11, £10

Beyond a Joke?

Comedy, Culture and the Public Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 13–17 Aug, £5 AhhGee Podcast Live theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 12–16 Aug, £6

10:30

11:15

Baby Wants Candy Workshops Assembly Checkpoint, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, £15

I Am Not Malala SpaceCabaret @ 54, 9–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £free

BBC: MacAulay and Co BBC@POTTERROW, 5–22 Aug, weekdays only, £free

10:40 Ben Mepsted: Middle Class Idiots Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 7, 8, 9, 10, £free

10:45 Mean Things I Did to My Sister (and Other Lessons I’ve Learned) Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–16 Aug, £free

11:45 Aaaand Now For Something Completely Improvised Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, £6—£9

12:00 Conor O’Toole’s Manhood St John’s, 1–25 Aug, £free

Ellie Taylor: Elliementary HHH Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–22 Aug, not 11, £free

Tony Law: Enter the Tonezone HHH The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £11

Eleanor Morton: Lollipop The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8

Jana and Heidi Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–23 Aug, not 6, 11, 17, 18, £6—£9.50

GhostCop Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free

12:15

Stand-Up Showdown: Singh vs Whitmer Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free Richard Brown: This Is Not for You Hotel Ibis Edinburgh Centre South Bridge, 2–23 Aug, £free Virginia Ironside: Growing Old Disgracefully The Assembly Rooms, 11–24 Aug, £9—£10 Night of the Living Tories Viva Mexico, 2–23 Aug, £free

Spitfire! Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 5–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free What Shall We See Today?

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Gilligan’s Island Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free

Ian D Montfort’s Midday Seance Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 1–25 Aug, £5—£8

Making the Move Just the Tonic at The Caves, 4–17 Aug, not 12, £free—£2

Dave Waller: Where My Folk To? Laughing Horse @ The Wee Pub, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

12:20

Shit of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 2–24 Aug, £free

12:05 Rosie Wilby: Nineties Woman Voodoo Rooms, 2–24 Aug, not 11, £free

Jessie Cave + Emer Kenny: Grawlix Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–25 Aug, £free

12:10 Off the Top Canons’ Gait, 2–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

Enjoy comedy, cabaret, theatre & more Open every night until 5am

Big Value Comedy Show - Lunchtime Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £4—£6 Felicity Ann: It Takes All Sorts Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 8, 10, £5—£9 Get Divorced and Join the Circus The Stand Comedy Club V, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8

12:40 The Lunchtime Ferret Just the Tonic at The Caves, Various dates from 11 Aug to 17 Aug, £3—£5

Mrs Thundercünt’s Splooge Adventurers!

Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £3—£5 Always Be Rolling - Free Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 1–23 Aug, not 12, £free Up the Auntie C venues - C nova, 10–25 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 BBC: BBC Radio New Comedy Award 2014 BBC@POTTERROW, 19 Aug, 21 Aug, £free

13:05 Austerity Pleasures Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 12, 19, £free The Improveteers! theSpace on the Mile, 12–16 Aug, £3

13:10 Caution to the Wind

HH

About Comedy: Stand-Up Comedy Courses Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Various dates from 2 Aug to 23 Aug, £99

Jon Pearson: Last Supper Whynot? , 2–23 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

12:45

Sophie Willan: Novice Detective

Cupcakes with Colebrook and Khoshsokhan Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 1–24 Aug, £free

Martin Pilgrim: Diary Farmer Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free

72 fest 15–18 August 2014

Pab, Comedy and Poetry Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Various dates from 1 Aug to 22 Aug, £free

Abi Roberts’ Musical CID Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, £5—£9.50

ZOO, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7—£8

Challenge Accepted Suruchi, 1–25 Aug, £free

Jenan Younis: A Masterclass in Anger Management Paradise in The Vault, 12–17 Aug, £free

12:30 The Lunchtime Special Just the Tonic at The Tron, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£6 Pam Ford Happy in Your Skin Too Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 18–24 Aug, £free Patrick Turpin: A Brother for Jonathan Bannermans, 2–24 Aug, not 12, £free LOLympics Live - Free Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 1–17 Aug, £free

Settle Down Electric Circus, 18–22 Aug, £free All the Fun of the Fairburn Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, not 19, £free

12:55 Penny Matthews: Cup of Boiled String Southsider, 2–23 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

13:00 The Tight Six Comedy Showcase Ciao Roma, 2–23 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £free

HH

Banshee Labyrinth, 2–23 Aug, not 13, £free

Derek Johnston’s A Day Oot! The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8 This Slate Is Intentionally Left Blank Chiquito, 2–23 Aug, not 12, 19, £free Girl on Fire Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, 19, £free Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£11

13:15

Afternoon Delight Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5

Yes Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free

Marigold Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£6

Tamar Broadbent: All

By My Selfie Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £free

The Human Loire Cowgatehead, 16–25 Aug, £free

Liam Williams: Capitalism HHH Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £free

Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe Assembly George Square Studios, 2–24 Aug, not 6, 12, 19, £10—£11

Who Is Mr Kirby?

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free

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COMEDY LISTINGS

Peace, Tolerance, Surveillance and Drones - Free Laughing Horse @ Ryrie’s, 2–21 Aug, not 6, £free

Claire Ford: ConsciousMess St John’s, 1–25 Aug, £free

Jen Brister - Wishful Thinking Whistlebinkies, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free

13:20

Gráinne Maguire: What Has The News Ever Done For Me? Viva Mexico, 2–23 Aug, £free

Caimh McDonnell: Southbound and Down Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, not 12, 19, £free

One Man, Five Hats Underbelly, Bristo Square, 9–17 Aug, £8.50—£9.50

Atella the Pun Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free The Beta Males Sessions: Richard and The Storybeast Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free Kwame Asante: Basket Case Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 11–24 Aug, £free Hannah and Barri: Telly Box Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 11–24 Aug, £free Four On Demand Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 18, £free A Robot Presents Comedy - Free Cowgatehead, 3–24 Aug, not 15, £free Nicky Wilkinson and Friends St John’s, 1–25 Aug, £free Matthew Collins: My Favourite Waste of Time Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 1–24 Aug, £free Just Like That! The Tommy Cooper Show Gilded Balloon , 18–25 Aug, £10—£12 Surname and Surname: Last Year’s Show (But Better) Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free The Walking Dead The Liquid Room, 1–24 Aug, £free Amused Moose Comedy’s Laughter Awards Final theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 17 Aug, £12.50

The Night I Died Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 11–15 Aug, £5 Phil Kay: The Wholly Viable II Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 16–25 Aug, £5 Sam Brady: Kindness Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free Dan Nicholas’ Conversation Garden George Next Door, 2–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free

13:25 Alfie Moore: The Naked Stun HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 18 Aug, £9 The Edinburgh Revue Stand-Up Show Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £free

13:30 Plumbing The Depths Paradise in The Vault, 19–23 Aug, £6 Fridge Magnets Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Jake Lambert and Dom Lister Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free My Demons Are Bigger Than Yours Suruchi, 1–17 Aug, not 10, £free Lunchtime of Champions Sportsters, 4–22 Aug, weekdays only, £free Rice ‘n’ Peas ‘n’ Caviar George on the Bridge, 6–17 Aug, £free

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free

13:35 Baron Sternlook’s Big Naughty Improv Musical Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 18, £6.50

13:40 Fat Girl Slim Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £1—£3 Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel HHH Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11 Bob Graham’s Travel Guide for Agoraphobics Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 1–23 Aug, not 12, 19, £free

13:45 The Clinic: An Afternoon of Serious Stand-Up Gilded Balloon , 19 Aug, £5.50 David Jesudason: Things My Dad Says Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Pippa Evans: Don’t Worry, I Don’t Know Who I Am Either Bannermans, 2–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free Phill Jupitus: Shirking Progress The Stand Comedy Club V, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10

This Arthur’s Seat Belongs to Lionel Richie On Top of Arthurs Seat, 16 Aug, £free

Is He a Bit Simon Jay? - Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free

A History of Rome.

With Jokes - Free Sportsters, 2–23 Aug, not 8, 15, £free

BBC: Richard Bacon BBC@POTTERROW, 18 Aug, £free

Robin and Partridge: Robin Dies at the End of the Show Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 18, £6—£9

13:55 Gagging for Attention Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £3

14:00 Shellshock! Improv Live!

C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7.50—£9.50 Tim Vine: Timtiminee Timtiminee Tim Tim To You Pleasance Courtyard, 19 Aug, £15 SmART Attack!

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 14, £free All Made Up: This Time It’s Social Chalky’s , 2–23 Aug, not 13, £free Jasper Cromwell Jones: This is Not a Holiday Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, 22, £free The Durham Revue: Shenanigans Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£10 Narin Oz: Addicted to Love C venues - C south, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £4.50—£6.50 BBC: Radio 4’s Bookclub BBC@POTTERROW, 23 Aug, £free Ali Brice Presents: Eric Meat Wants to Go Shopping Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, £5

The Improvised Improv Show - Free Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, £free Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen (Vol. 2) Pleasance Courtyard, 15–24 Aug, £11—£12

14:05

Dannie Grufferty’s First World Problems SpaceCabaret @ 54, 20–23 Aug, £5 Good Morning, Campers Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 2–15 Aug, £free

Kids With Beards - Quest for the Golden Beard Just the Tonic at The Caves, 15–24 Aug, £free

14:20

14:10

Stewart Lee: A Room With a Stew (Work-in-Progress) The Stand Comedy Club, 2–25 Aug, not 11, £10

Confessions of a Liverpudlian theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 15–16 Aug, £6 The Exeter Revue: Sketchy At Best Ciao Roma, 2–23 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £free Falafel, Houmous and Baba Ganoush Stand in the Square, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £8 The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society Stand in the Square, 6 Aug, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, £10

14:15 Caroline Mabey: Chaos is a Friend of Mine Cowgatehead, 9–17 Aug, £free

The Cleek Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–24 Aug, not 11, 12, 18, 19, £free

Stuart Laws When’s This Gonna Stop?

(1hr Show) Banshee Labyrinth, 2–23 Aug, not 12, 19, £free Sameena Zehra: Homicidal Pacifist The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 2, 11, £8 Rat: Induction Just the Tonic at The Tron, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £4—£7 Let’s Talk About Sketch Baby Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£9.50

14:25

Bryan Lacey: Bry Hard!

Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 16–24 Aug, £free

Josh Howie - AIDS: A Survivor’s Story Canons’ Gait, 2–23 Aug, not 11, £free

POD Comedy Princes Mall, 2–24 Aug, £free

Kriss Foster and Friend Chiquito, 2–23 Aug, not 18, £free

Fall Girl Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 12, £5—£11

The Oxford Revue Presents – Free Jam House , 2–23 Aug, £free

Best of the Fest Daytime Assembly George Square Gardens, 1–24 Aug, £8—£12.50

Once Upon a Time in a Sketch Group Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free

Hooray for Ben Target Banshee Labyrinth, 2–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

Booze, Bombs and Haggis Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, £free

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Comedy With a Dyslexic Geordie Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 3–24 Aug, £free

14:30 Ken Crystal Afternoon Showcase Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free

Gilded Balloon, 13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ 15–18 August 2014 fest 73

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COMEDY LISTINGS Worst Show On the Fringe - Free George Next Door, 2–25 Aug, £free 10 Films with My Dad Voodoo Rooms, 2–24 Aug, £free Matt Forde: 24 Hour Political Party People Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 Wild Card Kitty: The Showgirl Show Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free The Beta Males Sessions: Adam and Guy Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free Dan Cook and Gareth Cooper Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £free Three Shot Mockery Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 1–24 Aug, £free Barbara Nice: Squirrel Proof The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10 Upstairs Downton: The Improvised Episode Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free Mercedes Benson Presents... The Pleasure is Yours St John’s, 1–23 Aug, not 8, 13, 20, £free Ian Fox Presents The Unsearchables - Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–23 Aug, £free Comedy Death: Comics Talking About Their Worst Gigs Cowgatehead, 2–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

#Happy / A Rather Pleasant, Misanthropic Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free

❤ Ellie White: Humans HHHH Viva Mexico, 2–23 Aug, not 13, £free

Narin Oz: Addicted to Love C venues - C south, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £4.50—£6.50 Sy+ Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free The Edinburgh Revue and You Can Too Opium, 2–23 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £free Aidan Killian: Jesus Versus Buddha Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £5 Henry von Stifle: Working Class Hero (With a Valet) St John’s, 1–25 Aug, not 10, 17, £free My Sister Says I’m Special Laughing Horse @ Ryrie’s, 2–24 Aug, £free

14:35 Tom Toal in Prequel Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, not 11, £free Baby Wants Candy present The Improv All Star Explosion!

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £7—£12 Nathaniel Metcalfe: Trivial Pursuits Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, not 13, £free

14:40 The Quest for Coolness Sweet Grassmarket, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50

Alasdair Lists Everything Freestival St Mary’s, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £free

Chris Griffin and Ross Leslie Present Two Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, Various dates from 1 Aug to 25 Aug, £free

Oh Boy! The Quantum Leap Show Cowgatehead, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free

Eric and Little Ern Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £14—£15

The One-Eyed Men’s Cult of Lactos Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, 19, £2—£4 Old Men Walking Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 8–17 Aug, £free

14:45 Frequently Asked Questions Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free The Marijana Method Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 Ctrl-Alt-Sketch Citrus Club , 2–23 Aug, £free The Rat Pack Stand-Up Comedy Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £free Kitten Killers Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £6—£9 Gary Colman: ChUNT - The Verb to Grumble Whistlebinkies, 2–23 Aug, not 18, £free Juliette Burton: Look at Me Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 13, £8—£10 Emily Snee is Bifurious Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Martin Croser: One Night Only! (For Entirely Practical Reasons) Whistlebinkies, 18 Aug, £free Operation You Three Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 1–24 Aug, £free

14:50 Jim Campbell’s Personal Space Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 Two More Liars Capital Bar & Club, 2–24 Aug, not 12, £free

Enjoy comedy, cabaret, theatre & more Open every night until 5am 74 fest 15–18 August 2014

14:55 Ben Verth: Anxious Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £5 Colin Cloud – The Forensic Mind Reader Just the Tonic at The Caves, 20 Aug, £5

15:00 Eddie Hoo: Angry in the Afternoon - Free Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free Separate But Equal Thistle King James Hotel, 1–25 Aug, £free Mitch Benn Is the 37th Beatle The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, £10 Bristol Improv Steals the Show - Free Whynot? , 4–23 Aug, not 5, 12, 20, £free #meetandtweet Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, 18, £3—£5 Minor Delays Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£10 Lizzie Bates: Reprobates Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 9, £6—£10 Narin Oz: Addicted to Love C venues - C south, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £4.50—£6.50 Next Best Thing Opium, 2–23 Aug, not 13, £free Alex Horne: The Percentage Game Gilded Balloon , 12 Aug, 19 Aug, £5 Mark Cooper-Jones - Geography Teacher Globe Bar, 2–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free Russell Kane: The Kaneing Podcast Assembly Checkpoint, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, £9 Aaaaargh! It’s the Monster Stand-Up Show! Free Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, £free

Jenny Collier: Love in the Time of Collier Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–22 Aug, £free James Veitch: The Fundamental Interconnectedness of Everyone with an Internet Connection Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, £6—£10 Mitch Benn: Don’t Believe a Word The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 10, 11, 17, £10 Ria Lina: School of Riason HHH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, £5—£9 Matthew Highton’s Good Luck Sleeping Jerks Heroes @ The Hive, 4–24 Aug, £5 Francesca Martinez: What The **** Is Normal?! - Show plus Book Q&A Venue150@EICC, 15–16 Aug, £14 Winter Is Coming Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 12, 19, £5—£11 Gledhill and Callaghan Pilgrim, 2–23 Aug, not 18, £free The Lift Bedlam Theatre, 2–17 Aug, not 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, £3—£6 Invisible Woman: Maxine Jones Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 12, 19, £7.50 Rachel Stubbings: Doing It for Himself Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£9

15:10 Stories About Love, Death and a Rabbit Dragonfly, 2–23 Aug, £free Charmian Hughes: Raj Rage!

Banshee Labyrinth, 2–24 Aug, not 12, £free

15:15 Catriona Knox Thinks She’s Hard Enough Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 Skimprov Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £1—£8 Surname & Surname: Bang!

Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£9 Rory O’Keeffe is a Fussy Eater Southsider, 2–23 Aug, not 12, £free I Need A Doctor: The Whosical Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, 19, £6—£11.50 The Anglo-Irish Glee Tent Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–25 Aug, £free

15:20 Tania Edwards: Always Rihgt Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£9 The Oxford Revue: Happy Accidents Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 Short & Curly - Who Dunnit? HH Ciao Roma, 2–23 Aug, not 12, 19, £free

15:25 The Canon: A Literary Sketch Show C venues - C too, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7.50—£9.50

15:30 Yes Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Various dates from 4 Aug to 22 Aug, £free Free Footlights Jam House , 2–23 Aug, £free Kevin J: The Urban Truth Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk @gildedballoon www.festmag.co.uk

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk Jason Patterson - All About the Pattersons Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 3–24 Aug, not 17, £free

Dan Jones: New Kid Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£9.50

Krispy Kreems (and Comedy!) 4U Princes Mall, 1–25 Aug, £free

Eric’s Tales of the Sea – A Submariner’s Yarn Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £8—£11

Chris Coltrane: There’s No Heroes Left Except All of Us

HHH

Banshee Labyrinth, 2–24 Aug, £free

Mae Martin’s Workshop Cowgatehead, 2–24 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £free AAA Batteries (Not Included) - Free Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 1–24 Aug, £free Paul Duncan McGarrity: Fail!

- Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free A Bridge Over Toddled Warder Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £free Max Dickins: My Groupon Adventure Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10 Spencer Jones is The Herbert Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £3 John Robertson: A Nifty History of Evil

HHH

The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8

Caimh McDonnell: Southbound and Down The Liquid Room, 9–23 Aug, not 13, 20, £free

15:40

The Hibrow Comedy Hour Summerhall, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 20 Aug, Comedians’ Cinema Club Just the Tonic at The Tron, 1–23 Aug, not 12, £7

FunBags a Go-Go! St John’s, 1–23 Aug, not 8, 13, 20, £free Seriously Now! - Free Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, £free Patrick Morris: Seemingly Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free The Oxford Imps: Pun and Games Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, £8—£10

❤ Kieran Hodgson: French Exchange

HHHH Voodoo Rooms, 2–24 Aug, not 13, £free

Prompter HHH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, £5—£12

zazU Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£10 Show Pony Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 12, £free Maddy Carrick in Maddy’s Carrickters Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 18, £free

Brydie Lee-Kennedy Repeats On You Cowgatehead, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £free Toast with Ruth E. Cockburn Viva Mexico, 2–23 Aug, not 9, £free

15:45

Jody Kamali: One Man Variety Show Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, £free

MommAutism - A Love Story Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 1–25 Aug, £free

Nutjob Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 1–25 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, 24, £free

S D a

Alistair Williams and Daryl Perry Love You St John’s, 17–24 Aug, £free LOLympics Live - Free Laughing Horse @ Ushers, 11–24 Aug, £free

Deborah Frances-White: Half a Can of Worms Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11

15:50 Quiz in My Pants Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, not 12, £free

Six Steps to Joy Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 18, £free

Jagged Little People Cabaret Voltaire, 2–24 Aug, not 5, 13, 19, £free

Makes Something of Himself Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free

Neil Henry’s Impossible Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, £6—£10

Andrew Bird - Up Against It Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 17–24 Aug, £free

15:55 Simon Munnery Sings Soren Kierkegaard HHH The Stand Comedy Club, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £10

Hilarity Bites Comedy Club: Showcase Show Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free

Nick Hall: Helmet George Next Door, 2–23 Aug, £free

Someone’s Pinched Me Yoghurt!

George Next Door, 17–23 Aug, £free

16:00 Jenan Younis: A Masterclass in Anger Management Paradise in The Vault, 19–21 Aug, £free

Jeremy Hunt and Other Spelling Mistakes Wee Red Bar, 17–23 Aug, £free Hatty Ashdown: Hurry Up Hatty Laughing Horse @ The Wee Pub, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £free

Mike Shephard: M*ther of All Parliaments Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 2–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free

The Spork Conspiracy Wee Red Bar, 2–16 Aug, £free

Glenn Cosby: Food Junkie Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7—£14

❤ Cariad and Louise’s Character Hour HHHH Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free Narin Oz: Addicted to Love C venues - C south, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £4.50—£6.50 Dancing with the Inflatable Colonel Suruchi, 13–25 Aug, £free Staple/face are...

Going Down Fighting Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7—£8 Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show 2014: Real Feelings Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, £6—£10.50 Ride of the Wagnerian Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 2–24 Aug, not 12, £3—£6 The Grandees: BaBoom!

Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 Alfie Moore: The Naked Stun HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, £6—£11 iPaddy Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–24 Aug, £free

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A thrilling Fringe debut from Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction 2014. Who killed Judge Mental? It’s up to you to find out! t e he C Di f n om n B oS o e U te m D R R in Y Gh ’S e e aW Re a tU RD Rn S!

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0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk @gildedballoon www.festmag.co.uk

The Thinking Drinkers’ Guide to the Legends of Liquor The Famous Spiegeltent, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £9—£11

Deadly Dungeon Murder Mystery!

« e at « h de « pe « o U nd « f 30 nde en a t r « Ju be Sa « Te l - lly le « il 24 , C gr « Sa o Au w ph « m g, B « a 8. arn « n S co « 50 ts « pm m an « In

COMEDY LISTINGS

1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd August Tickets selling fast!

thedungeons.com/Edinburgh

Gilded Balloon, 13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ 15–18 August 2014 fest 75

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk

COMEDY LISTINGS Al Donegan: The Five Worst Things I Ever Did Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £4—£8 Rice ‘n’ Peas ‘n’ Caviar George on the Bridge, 13–23 Aug, £free War! just Festival, 13–15 Aug, £free Candy Gigi: I’m Not Lonely HH Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £5 Rob Auton: The Face Show Banshee Labyrinth, 2–23 Aug, not 3, 12, £free Do You Remember Rock’n’Roll Radio?

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Twins Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 1–24 Aug, not 18, £free Paul Merton’s Impro Chums Pleasance Courtyard, 7–16 Aug, £12.50—£14.50

16:05 On The Box! Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 1–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £5—£8.50 Anna Morris: Would Like to Thank Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11 The Clean (As Possible) Comedy Show Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 1–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £6

16:10 Hayley Ellis: We Need To Talk About Kevin HHH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10

16:15 ❤ Tom Neenan: The Haunting at Lopham House

HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

The Story of Medieval England From 1066 to 1485 at Roughly Nine Years and Two Jokes Per Minute Incorporating The Hundred Years War as a Football Match and of Course Scottish Independence Performed by Paul B Edwards – Free Bannermans, 3–24 Aug, not 9, 16, 23, £free Big Society Thistle King James Hotel, 1–25 Aug, £free Learn to Laugh with Keep Calm and Improv C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 7, £7.50—£9.50 Lucie Pohl: Hi, Hitler

HHH

Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£9

Old Folks Telling Jokes Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7 Freddie Farrell and Friends Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £free Stephen Bailey: Neon Heart Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£8.50 Another American Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Cracker Jokes - Free Pilgrim, 2–23 Aug, £free Clever Peter: Free for All! Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free Tom Allen: Life/Style The Stand Comedy Club V, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8 The Usual Rejects Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free

16:20 Joz Norris: Awkward Prophet HHH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

Paul Savage Finds Every Joke in the Bible HHH Dragonfly, 2–23 Aug, not 12, £free

Narin Oz: Addicted to Love C venues - C south, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £4.50—£6.50

John Lloyd’s Museum of Curiosity Live Underbelly, Bristo Square, 16–24 Aug, £12.50—£13.50

Adventures on Air - Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–23 Aug, not 12, £free

Alison Spittle Needs an Agent Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £3—£6

16:25 Andy Zaltzman: Satirist for Hire The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 13–24 Aug, £9—£10

❤ Goose (An Odd New One-Man Comedy Whodunit)

HHHH

Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£10

16:30 #The Cult of Comedy presents Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–17 Aug, £free Terry McHugh: Reservoir Dad Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–21 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free Berliner and Stamell: One of Us Will Die Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, not 18, £5 Australia: A Whinging Poms Guide Chalky’s , 1–24 Aug, £free Stephen K Amos Talk Show Gilded Balloon , 17–23 Aug, £13—£14 Rachel Parris: Live in Vegas HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11 Jack Gardner and Liberty Hodes On Ice Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 18–24 Aug, £free The Twins Macabre: Small Mediums at Large Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

Enjoy comedy, cabaret, theatre & more Open every night until 5am 76 fest 15–18 August 2014

Matt Winning and Lolly Adefope Southsider, 2–23 Aug, not 13, £free

16:35 Kate Lucas and Dave Green: Well-Adjusted Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £3—£6 Danny Ward – Infra Dig Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£9.50

16:40 FanFiction Comedy Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 The Rules of Engagement The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8

16:45 David Elms: Nurture Boy HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£9.50 Unicornucopia Globe Bar, 2–23 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £free Almost Sean Brightman Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free

Rhys James: Begins

HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10.50

White Man’s Burden Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free Tom Goodliffe: Thug Liffe- Free Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 1–24 Aug, £free Casual Violence: The Great Fire of Nostril Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 4, 12, 19, £6—£9.50 Neil Pummell: Losing My Identity Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, 18, £3—£5

16:50 Ryan Coffey Live and Loud Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 Abi Roberts: Twerk in Progress Voodoo Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £free

16:55 Harvey, Garvey and The Kane HHH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£12

17:00 BongoLicious Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–22 Aug, not 12, £free—£8 Wilkinson Ford: Kagoolio Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 7, 8, 12, £5—£8.50

Micky Bartlett: I’m Not Even Sorry Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, £free Thünderbards: Seconds Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£12

❤ BEASTS: Solo HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

The News at Kate: Leftie Cock Womble Viva Mexico, 2–23 Aug, not 12, £free Start Wars To Save Us All Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 1–24 Aug, £free Perfectly Goddamned Delightful Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free

Battle of the Superheroes - The Great Superhero Debate Laughing Horse @ Espionage, Various dates from 4 Aug to 24 Aug, £free These Boyz Need Therapy Kilderkin, 2–23 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free Over It - Death, Anorexia and Other Funny Things Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 1–30 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, 24, £free

❤ Adam Hess: Mustard HHHH Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, £5

Bristol Revunions: Bonus Material Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £3—£7 BBC: The Verb BBC@POTTERROW, 23 Aug, £free The Coin-Operated Girl - A Sex-Workers Real Life Revelations of Frivolous Fornications The Liquid Room, 2–24 Aug, not 3, 4, 11, 18, £free Tickled Pig Presents: So Hot Right Now Laughing Horse @ Ryrie’s, 2–15 Aug, not 6, £free Laughter Is the Worst Medicine The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £10 Tom Deacon: Get Your Deac-on!

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–21 Aug, not 8, £free Heavy Petting: Hammer Time Laughing Horse @ Ryrie’s, 16–24 Aug, £free Sid Wick Has No Friends Opium, 13–23 Aug, £free The Kat and Jon Appeal Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £free BBC: Simon Mayo Drivetime BBC@POTTERROW, 18–21 Aug, £free

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COMEDY LISTINGS

Bren and Jenny: Hello!

Freestival St Mary’s, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £free

Sketchbox St John’s, 1–23 Aug, not 5, 11, 12, 13, 19, £free

Jack Samuel Warner and John Pendal: Men and Myths Cowgatehead, 1–24 Aug, £free

Dave Griffiths: C U in Court Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 9–16 Aug, £free

Andy de la Tour Stand-Up or Die in New York HH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 12, £11.50—£12.50

Sean McLoughlin: I Will Prevail Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free

Voodoo Rooms, 2–23 Aug, not 13, £free

Dead Ghost Star Cowgatehead, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £free

Nik Coppin - Mixed Racist Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–23 Aug, not 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, £free

Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, not 12, £free

Jollyboat: Five Stars, F*****ck Yeah!

Beat, 2–23 Aug, £free

Narin Oz: Addicted to Love C venues - C south, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £4.50—£6.50

ComedySportz UK Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 17–24 Aug, £free Nathan Cassidy: Date of Death Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £free

Ahir Shah: Texture Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free

Alan Irwin - Party Hard Laughing Horse @ The Wee Pub, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free

17:05 John Kearns - Shtick

HHH Don’t Worry Guys It’s Sarah Campbell

HHH

17:10 Nicholas Parsons’ Happy Hour Pleasance Courtyard, 1–17 Aug, not 5, 12, £6—£13 Anything’s Better Than These C**ts Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 3–21 Aug, not 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, £free

Danny Stinson’s

17:15 Now That’s What I Call Stand-Up #1 Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 1–24 Aug, £free Adam Belbin: The Third Half of Next Year’s Show Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free The Birmingham Footnotes: Don’t Mind Me Citrus Club , 2–16 Aug, £free Anything Can Be a Podcast! Podcast!

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Andrew O’Neill Mindspiders Whistlebinkies, 2–24 Aug, £free Bulletproof The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10

Planet of the Dans Sweet Grassmarket, 11–15 Aug, £7 Sooz Kempner Defying Gravity Fingers Piano Bar, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free Wendy Wason: Hotel California HHH Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£12 Funny For A Grrrl Stand in the Square, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £10 SomeNews Live Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free Jeff Leach: Fit Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–22 Aug, £free

17:20 Hardeep Singh Kohli: Hardeep Is Your Love Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£12

Sam Avery: Rock and Dole Just the Tonic at The Caves, 2–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£8

❤ Joseph Morpurgo: Odessa

HHHHH

Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£10.50

Jonny Lennard: Tale Blazer HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11

edinburgh 3 South College Street, Edinburgh EH8 Email: edinburgh@callprint.co.uk www.callprint.co.uk

FRINgE pRINtINg FROm A cItY cENtRE lOcAtION

an enlightening Buddha Maitreya afternoon of NATURE’S HEART SONG MUSIC POETRY

LIVE!

Tickets available from Ticket Booking Line 0141 226 0000 or visit www.edfringe.com/whats-on/events/nature-s-heart www.buddhamaitreya.co.uk

£15 Adults £10 Concessions £30 Family (2 adults and 2 children)

.

celebrating life together. sunday17august14 2.30 - 6pm

A5 lEAFlEtS FUll cOlOUR SINglE SIDED 500 - £29 1000 - £58

A3 pOStERS FUll cOlOUR SINglE SIDED 10 - £10 50 - £40

READY IN 2 HOURS cAll - 0131 667 3539 Terms and Conditions *Mon - Fri 9am - 5:30pm *Last orders taken 3:15pm *Collection only * From print ready artwork

Artspace@St.Marks, 7 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2DP

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk @gildedballoon www.festmag.co.uk

Gilded Balloon, 13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ 15–18 August 2014 fest

77

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk

COMEDY LISTINGS 17:25 Benny Boot: Greatest Hits Volume II Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£12

17:30 Dane Baptiste: Citizen Dane Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£12 David Morgan Social Tool Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 Jonny Pelham and George Zach - Subtitles Not Provided Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, £free

Funmbi Omotayo and Prince Abdi: East Meets West Globe Bar, 4–24 Aug, not 18, £free Robert White - The Curious Incident of the Gag and the Gun-Crime… Plus More Stuff!

Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £5 Bec Hill in... Ellipsis Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£9.50 Gary Little: The Thing Is The Stand Comedy Club, 4–25 Aug, not 18, £10 Seymour Mace presents Questionable Time!

The Stand Comedy Club V, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 13, £8

17:35

Dan Nightingale is Trying His Best Not to Be a Dick Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£9.50

Lucy Frederick and the Claw of Anxiety!

Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free

Mark Grist & MC Mixy: Dead Poets’ Death Match Assembly George Square Studios, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£12

Present and Correct: Now Recruiting - Free Sportsters, 2–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free

Chris Kent: Corked Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£9.50

Music, Speech and the Sound of a Wheelbarrow Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£8

Gordon Southern: Your New Favourite Comedian Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, 19, £5—£12 James Christopher - Partially Sighted in All the Big Venues Banshee Labyrinth, 2–24 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £free Knightmare Live Level 2 Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £8—£13.50

17:40

❤ Jason Cook: Broken HHHH Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £6—£11.50

Dan Schreiber: C*ckblocked from Outer Space HH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 9, £6—£11

17:45

Carly Smallman: Made in Penge Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

Matt Price: The Maryhill Dinosaur Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free

Pretending Things Are a C*ck Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £free

Lucy Beaumont: We Can Twerk It Out Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

Matt Forde: The Political Party - Scottish Independence Special Assembly Roxy, 18 Aug, £8.50 Best of Oh So Funny - Free Southsider, 2–23 Aug, £free Comedy Showdown - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–25 Aug, £free Croft & Pearce: Give and Take Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, 21, £5—£10 Toby: Fuzzbuzz HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11 Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, £5—£11 Zoe Lyons: Mustard Cutter Gilded Balloon , 21 Aug, £9.50 Shhh - An Improvised Silent Movie Gryphon@WestEnd, 4–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £10 Aaaaargh! It’s 101 Jokes in 30 Minutes!

Free Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, £free

❤ Clever Peter: The Dreams Factory

HHHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11

17:50 A Controversial Title In Order To Sell Tickets The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8 The Canterbury Tales Remixed Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £7—£13 Phil Wang: Mellow Yellow HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10

Enjoy comedy, cabaret, theatre & more Open every night until 5am 78 fest 15–18 August 2014

17:55

❤ Angela Barnes:

18:10

Colin Cloud – The Forensic Mind Reader Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–23 Aug, not 12, £5—£10

You Can’t Take It With You HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

Simply the West theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £9

18:00 The Craic Was Mighty Gryphon@WestEnd, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £10 Bridge Over Troubled Lager (Volume 2) The Assembly Rooms, 11–24 Aug, £15 Gamarjobat: Boxer Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £6—£13 Drink Carlin Sensibly Canons’ Gait, 1–23 Aug, not 11, £free Stuart Mitchell Work in Progress Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free Is This What You Want?

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 10–24 Aug, £free The Pin Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£11 Rick Kiesewetter: No More Mr Rice Guy Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free Luke McGregor: I Worry That I Worry Too Much HHH Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£11 BBC: Free Thinking BBC@POTTERROW, 17 Aug, £free Folie à Deux Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 9, 12, 19, £6—£9 Greg Proops: The Smartest Man in the World Gilded Balloon , 5 Aug, 19 Aug, £12 Mike Newall is Here All Week (Almost) Just the Tonic at The Caves, 19–23 Aug, £5—£6

Cook and Davies Present: Planet Earth and All Who Sailed in Her Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–17 Aug, not 12, £6—£8 The Best of Irish Comedy The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, £12 Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, £free Overlooked Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free Ian Smith – Flappable Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 Comedy in the Dark Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £10 Will Adamsdale: Borders Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£12.50 Massive Dad Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £6—£9.50 Nick Dixon and Sunil Patel: Two Wrongs Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £free Tim Renkow: At Least Hell Has Ramps Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, £5

18:05 The Church of Zirconium Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 8, 12, £7—£8 Absolute Improv! theSpace on the Mile, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 17, £6—£10 John-Luke Roberts: Stnad-Up Voodoo Rooms, 2–24 Aug, not 12, £free

Murder She Didn’t Write: The Improvised Murder Mystery Sweet Grassmarket, 1–16 Aug, not 6, 13, £6—£8 Every Loser Wins: with Kelly Wenham and Simon Salmon Chiquito, 2–23 Aug, £free Charlie O’Connor Dandyisms Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, £6—£11

18:15 The Brendon Burns Show The Liquid Room, 2–24 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £free Paperclips Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 1–24 Aug, £free The Maggy Whitehouse Experience Laughing Horse @ Ryrie’s, 2–24 Aug, not 6, £free Scottie Road the Musical - From Primark to Prison Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 11, 18, £free Liz Peters: Toybox Cowgatehead, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £free Alexander Bennett: Follow Me Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £free Danny Buckler: Punch Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free Nick Revell - Closet Optimist The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10 How Not to Pedal an Ocean Laughing Horse @ Ushers, 11–24 Aug, £free Australia is F*cked George Next Door, 10–23 Aug, £free

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk @gildedballoon www.festmag.co.uk

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk Christian Reilly: Lost in Music Beat, 2–23 Aug, £free Electric-Hogg’s Dada Garden of Dark Delights - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Legion of Doom’s Fear and Laughter Wee Red Bar, 2–24 Aug, £free Feminism for Chaps Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free Referendum and Dumber New Town Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 12, 13, £6—£12 Geezer Bird Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, £free Prof’s Olympic Legacy Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 6–15 Aug, £free Strudelhead Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free Hollywood Film Fest C venues - C nova, 2–25 Aug, not 11, £7.50—£9.50 Fern Brady and Peter Brush - Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free In Cahoots: Some Like It Hoots St John’s, 1–25 Aug, £free

Four Screws Loose in The Big Screw Up Assembly George Square Gardens, 1–25 Aug, not 8, £6—£11.50 Rory O’Hanlon: Have Jokes Will Travel Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, not 18, £free Danny Mcloughlin Feels Alright Just the Tonic at The Tron, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£10 The Only Way is Downton Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £7.50—£12.50 Jim Holland: Shoegazing Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £2.50—£7.50 Dr Professor Neal Portenza Performs His Own Autopsy Live On Stage.

One Night Only.

(Obviously). HHH Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £4—£8 Matt Forde: The Political Party - Scottish Independence Special Pleasance Courtyard, 20 Aug, £8.50 Lockdown Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£9 Lead Pencil: In Full HB Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

Don’t Tell Anyone About Sarah Callaghan Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £free

18:25

Burke Shire St John’s, 1–23 Aug, not 8, 13, 20, £free

Jojo Sutherland - In Conversation Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 1–23 Aug, £free

❤ Kevin Day: Standy Uppy

HHHH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 12, 19, £6—£11

18:20 Ben Champion: Cracking Up - Free Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free

Christian O’Connell: Breaking Dad Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–16 Aug, £7—£13.50

The Best of The Real MacGuffins Underbelly, Bristo Square, 17–18 Aug, £11 Avent & Monie: Back to Front Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 1–22 Aug, not 10, 17, £6—£9

COMEDY LISTINGS 18:30 Waiting for Hitchcock Hill Street Solo Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7—£12 Laughing Horse Free Comedy Selection Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Old Jewish Jokes Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 12, 19, £9.50—£10 Captains of Industry!

An Improvised Miscellany Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 17–23 Aug, £free Jack Dee’s Help Desk Assembly George Square Studios, 18–24 Aug, £14 Matt Roper: Wilfredo Deconstructed Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, £5 NewsRevue 2014 Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £9—£16.50 No Strings! An Improvised Comedy Musical... with Puppets!

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–16 Aug, £free Philharmonic of Wit Venue150@EICC, 1–24 Aug, not 21, £8—£14 Susan Calman: Lady Like HHH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–24 Aug, £7—£13.50 Amusia - Luc Valvona - Free Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, £free The Nualas in ‘Hello Again, We’re The Nualas’ Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £10—£14 All Star Stand-Up Showcase Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 1–23 Aug, £free Miranda Sings Venue150@EICC, 13–17 Aug, £20

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk @gildedballoon www.festmag.co.uk

Aye Right? How No?: The Comedy Countdown to the Referendum with Vladimir McTavish & Keir McAllister The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10

Kaile, Keeble and Kuntz Globe Bar, 13–24 Aug, £free

18:35

Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, £5—£10

Suzi Ruffell: Social Chameleon Assembly George Square Studios, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

18:40 A Kitchen Nightmare Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£9 Devvo’s Deal or No Dealer Gaymeshow Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 1–24 Aug, prices vary

Abigoliah Schamaun: It’s Pronounced Abigoliah Schamaun

HH

Sy Thomas: Disasterpiece Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free

Kai Humphries: Stuff Protocol Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£12.50

Gary Lynch - Missed Life Crisis Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free

Tim FitzHigham: Hellfire HH Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £7—£12.50

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

Thomas Pocket presents: Me (Oscar Jenkyn-Jones) HH Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10.50

18:45 Bobby Mair: Off Meds Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 1–24 Aug, not 17, 18, £free Kerry Godliman: Face Time The Stand Comedy Club V, 12–24 Aug, £9—£10

Zoe Lyons: Mustard Cutter Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 21, £5—£11

❤ Mr Swallow

Tommy Rowson: Down and Out in Powys and London

Aaah’m Votin YES Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 1–23 Aug, not 11, 18, £5

George and Co (The Solo Tour) C venues - C nova, 20– 24 Aug, £8.50—£9.50

Lou Conran: Subject Matter Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–15 Aug, £free

Tom Binns Has Not Been Himself Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£14.50

Fast Fringe Pleasance Dome, 1–23 Aug, £5—£10

19:00 Stuart Goldsmith: Extra Life Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£11.50

HH

Milo McCabe: Troy Hawke HHH Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, £5—£10.50

– The Musical

HHHH

Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, £6—£14

An Introduction to Twerking Southsider, 2–20 Aug, not 13, 14, £free Red Bastard Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 11, 12, 18, £7—£13

❤ Lazy Susan: Extreme Humans

Chris Turner: Pretty Fly Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, £6—£9

HHHH

Russell Grant: Strictly Edinburgh Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 12, 18, £13—£14

The Irrational Fears of Rillettes Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free

18:50

BBC: Edinburgh 2014 with Sue Perkins BBC@POTTERROW, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, £free

Lloyd Langford: Old Fashioned Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 9, 18, £6—£11.50 Imran Yusuf: Roar of the Underdog Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 17, £6—£11

18:55

Ant Dewson and Mark Silcox: Life in the Bus Lane - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

Nina Conti - Work in Progress Assembly Roxy, 1–17 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

Holly Walsh: Never Had It HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£10

HH

Erich McElroy: The British Referendum Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£10

Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

The Deepest Goldfish Basic Mountain, 15–16 Aug, £7 Darren Walsh: Chicken Meow!

Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 16, 17, 18, £3 Mark Restuccia Stooch Club Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £4—£6 Cal Wilson: It Could Have Been Me Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, £5—£10.50

Gilded Balloon, 13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ 15–18 August 2014 fest 79

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk

COMEDY LISTINGS The Weegies Have Pokled Edinburgh’s Pandas HH SpaceCabaret @ 54, 1–23 Aug, £7

❤ The Beta Males: Happenstance

HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11

Morgan & West: Parlour Tricks Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, £6—£12 Croft & Pearce: Give and Take Gilded Balloon , 21 Aug, £10

19:05 Light Relief Sweet Grassmarket, 1–24 Aug, £8.50 Tom Craine: Thoughts On Love (By a Man With None of the Answers) Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11 Jo Caulfield: Cancel My Subscription

HHH The Stand Comedy Club, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10

The Chronic Single’s Handbook theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 4–16 Aug, not 10, £8

19:10 Ward and Watts in... Journey to the Centre of the Office Serenity Cafe, 13–24 Aug, £free Zombie Science: Brain of the Dead C venues - C, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£10.50 Ladies Live Longer: Volunteerology Just the Tonic at The Caves, 6–22 Aug, not 12, £5

19:15 ❤ Nish Kumar: Ruminations on the Nature of Subjectivity

HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£12

Iain Stirling: Everything Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 Lloyd Griffith: Voice of an Angel, Body of a Trucker HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10.50 AAA Stand-Up Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, £6—£11 Lee Griffiths: Post Traumatic Sketch Disorder HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10.50

❤ David O’Doherty Has Checked Everything HHHH Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8—£15 James Dowdeswell: Wine, Ale and I Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 11–24 Aug, £free Nick Hodder: Insert Comedy Here Banshee Labyrinth, 2–24 Aug, £free Charles Booth: Go Thank Yourself!

Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £free

Al Murray: One Man, One Guvnor Special Previews Assembly George Square Gardens, 7–24 Aug, not 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, £12—£17.50

The Sheriff of Nottingham: A Musical Musing on Middle Management Hotel Ibis Edinburgh Centre South Bridge, 10–16 Aug, £free

Tim Vine: Timtiminee Timtiminee Tim Tim To You HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £9—£17

Craig Hill: Give Him an Inch...

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £10—£15.50

37 Years of Childhood Laughing Horse @ Ryrie’s, 2–24 Aug, not 6, £free

Working Men’s Club Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free

Big Value Comedy Show - Early Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50

Outrageous Courageous Highly Contagious: Israeli Style Improv – Free Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free

Ronnie Golden New Age Pensioner Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–17 Aug, not 12, £2.50—£7.50

19:30 We Love Comedy Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free Rik Carranza: Charming Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free

Tickled Pig Presents Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 12, 13, £free

The Edinburgh Festival Comedy Roast Gilded Balloon , 24 Aug, £12

Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, £free

Fred MacAulay: The Frederendum The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7.50—£15

Carey Marx: Abominable Canons’ Gait, 2–24 Aug, not 12, £free

Susan Murray’s F*ckwit Club The Liquid Room, 2–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

19:20

Jimeoin - Is It...?!

Venue150@EICC, 1–24 Aug, £10—£17.50

Al Murray - The Pub Landlord’s Summer Saloon Assembly George Square Gardens, Various dates from 8 Aug to 23 Aug, £19.50

One Foot in the Gays Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free

Vikki Stone: Instrumental Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, £6—£12

Hennessy and Friends: Murmurs Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £free

Laurence Clark: Moments of Instant Regret Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£10

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical Gilded Balloon , 22 Aug, £15

Brian Just the Tonic at The Caves, 20–24 Aug, £5

Thinking Standing Up Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free

Enjoy comedy, cabaret, theatre & more Open every night until 5am 80 fest 15–18 August 2014

Elf Lyons - Underground Success Voodoo Rooms, 2–24 Aug, not 13, £free Jonny Donahoe: Class Whore Cowgatehead, 12–24 Aug, not 17, 18, £free Paul Currie: Release the Baboons Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, £5 Umbilical Brothers: KiDSHoW (not for kids) HH Gilded Balloon , 1–16 Aug, not 12, £6—£13 Darius Davies’ HBÖ Special Uncensored Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free Bookshop Fringe Encore Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 26–30 Aug, £5 Tiernan Douieb: Read Something Beat, 13–23 Aug, £free David Mulholland’s Conspiracy St John’s, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £free Paul Foot: Hovercraft Symphony in Gammon # Major Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£12 Laughter on the Outskirts: The Return - Free Laughing Horse @ The Wee Pub, 1–24 Aug, £free

Comedy Gala 2014: In Aid of Waverley Care Edinburgh Playhouse , 19 Aug, £25 Dan Lees: Brainchild St John’s, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 11, 18, £free So You Think You’re Funny? Final Gilded Balloon , 21 Aug, £15 About 2.5% Ginger Comedy Showcase - Free Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 1–24 Aug, £free The Comedian and His Future Wife Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £free Jamie McCarney Spermologist Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £free Joe Bor: A Room with a Jew Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Des Clarke: The Trouble with Being Des The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 3, 11, £10

19:35 Luke Toulson: LaidBack Grouch - Free Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, £free Alastair Clark: Vote Russell Brand Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, £free Frisky and Mannish: Just Too Much

HHH

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 8, 18, £7.50—£15

Mark Dolan Changes the World Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£10

Lisa-Skye: Bunny and Mad Dog Get High Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 12, £4—£10 The Bearpit Podcast Podcast Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £3

❤ The Colour Ham HHHH Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–23 Aug, not 12, £8—£11

Craig Campbell: Thrilling Mic Hunt The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 17–24 Aug, £9—£10 Big Brass Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£9 One Man Breaking Bad The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 13–16 Aug, £12 Will Mars: As Good As My Audience Just the Tonic at The Tron, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£7

❤ Bears in Space HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7—£12

19:45 Testiculating (Waving Your Arms Talking B*ll*cks)

HH

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–23 Aug, £free

Lewis Schaffer: Success Is Not An Option Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, not 12, 19, £5 Loretta Maine: Strong Independent Woman (Unless I Am Very Tired) Assembly George Square Gardens, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £5—£10

19:40

Gower Rangers Citrus Club , 2–23 Aug, not 12, 19, £free

WitTank: Old School Secrets HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£12

Alan Hudson: Trick Teaser Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 13, £5—£12

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk @gildedballoon www.festmag.co.uk

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk Rob Deering: Musicface The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10 Spencer Brown Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free Nobody Gets Away Unscathed Fingers Piano Bar, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free Laugh Train Home Presents: Dropkick Comedy Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys, 1–24 Aug, £free Angus Dunican: The Great Indoors Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, not 14, 21, £free

19:50 Men With Nectar Points Dragonfly, 2–23 Aug, £free An American’s Guide to Being Like, Totally British George Next Door, 2–24 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £free Marlon Davis: Once Upon A Grime Assembly George Square Studios, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

One Man Star Wars Assembly George Square Studios, Various dates from 1 Aug to 24 Aug, £12—£16 Luke McQueen: Now That’s What I Luke McQueen HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£9.50 Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall: Success Arms Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10.50 Anil Desai’s Last Night at the Movies Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free Katie Mulgrew: Happily Ever After

HHH Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

Patrick Monahan: Adventures in Monahan Land Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, £5—£12 One Man Lord of the Rings Assembly George Square Studios, Various dates from 2 Aug to 25 Aug, £14—£16

19:55

Nathan Caton: Teenage Mutant Nathan Caton Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7—£11

Oh My Godley!

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, £7—£12

Katia Kvinge presents Karacters Globe Bar, 2–23 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £free

David Kay The Assembly Rooms, 19–20 Aug, £12 Raymond Mearns Live Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £free Jerry Sadowitz: Card Tricks and Close-up Magic The Assembly Rooms, Various dates from 15 Aug to 24 Aug, £17.50

Andrew Ryan: The Life of Ryan Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, £7—£8

❤ James Acaster: Recognise HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£12

Katsura Sunshine, Sit Down Comedy Japanese Style!

New Town Theatre, 1–24 Aug, £7—£12

20:00

Life Deconstructed Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 17–24 Aug, £free

Pete Firman: Trickster Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £8.50—£15

The Half Naked Chef Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 1–25 Aug, £5

COMEDY LISTINGS EastEnd Cabaret: Sexual Tension

HHH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7—£11.50

Sean Nolan: The Joke Manifesto Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£9 Hannah Gadsby: The Exhibitionist HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£11.50

❤ Des Bishop: Made in China

HHHH Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7.50—£13

Rob Deb 20th Anniversary Edition Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–16 Aug, £free

❤ Celia Pacquola: Let Me Know How It All Works Out

HHHH Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, 12, £5—£10.50

[kuh-MEE-dee-uhn]

HH The Stand Comedy Club V, 1–24 Aug, not 10, 11, £8

Billy Kirkwood’s Show Me Your Tattoo - One Night Only!

Studio 24, 15 Aug, £8 101 Comedy Club - Free Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 1–24 Aug, £free Playing Politics Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, £12.50 Mark Simmons - Mr Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7—£9

20:05 Sketch Appeal theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £5 Rhys Nicholson Eurgh Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6.50—£11.50

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk @gildedballoon www.festmag.co.uk

Improvabunga: Scared Scriptless theSpace on the Mile, 2–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £7

20:10 Alistair Green: Nobody’s Twisting Your Arm The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8 Cariad & Paul: A Two-Player Adventure Pleasance Dome, 18–23 Aug, £9—£10 The Explorers Club Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free Alex Horne: Monsieur Butterfly Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£11 Mat Ricardo: Showman Pleasance Dome, 1–16 Aug, not 11, £6—£9.50 Steen Raskopoulos: I’m Wearing Two Suits Because I Mean Business Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6.50—£11.50

20:15 Sara Pascoe vs History Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£12 Eleanor Tiernan Help the Frigid Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free Mick Ferry: What’s Going On? Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£8 Lords of Strut: Chaos Assembly Roxy, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7.50—£12.50

❤ Alex Edelman: Millennial HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£11.50

Neel Kolhatkar in GENeration comedY Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

Romesh Ranganathan: Rom Wasn’t Built in a Day

HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7—£11

Stuck C venues - C nova, 13–25 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Friends With Benefits Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 4–24 Aug, not 17, £free Rubberbandits: Continental Fistfight Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£14 Ivo Graham: Bow Ties and Johnnies Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10 Jon Bennett - Fire In The Meth Lab

HHH

20:30 Carl Donnelly: Now That’s What I Carl Donnelly Vol. 6

HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–23 Aug, not 13, £6—£10

BBC: Poetry Slam 2014 - Grand Final BBC@POTTERROW, 16 Aug, £free AKA MissD Cowgatehead, 1–16 Aug, £free Chris Martin: Responsibilliness

HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£12

Robert Newman’s New Theory of Evolution Stand in the Square, 1–25 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £12

20:20

Daniel Sloss– Really...?!

Venue150@EICC, 1–24 Aug, not 20, £10—£17.50

Carl Hutchinson: Here’s Me Show Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10

Gareth Morinan’s Play: Time Banshee Labyrinth, 2–24 Aug, £free

Christian Talbot: Hello Cruel World Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

Wanted Sweet Grassmarket, 11–24 Aug, £8.50

Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 13, 20, £6—£10.50

Dan Clark: Me, My Selfie and I Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£12.50 Shelby Bond: Fauxmosexual Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 5–24 Aug, not 12, £free The Evolution Will Be Televised Ciao Roma, 2–23 Aug, not 12, £free Eric Davidson - The Independent State of Eric theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £10

20:25 Nick Doody vs The Debonair Assassin

HHH Canons’ Gait, 2–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

Barnardo’s Big Comedy Benefit The Assembly Rooms, 18 Aug, £20 Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, £free Harriet Dyer: Barking at Aeroplanes Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £free Shappi Khorsandi: Because I’m Shappi...

Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7.50—£13 Igor Meerson: Hou I lernt inglish Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£10.50 Who Dares Grins Again 2014 Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free

Gilded Balloon, 13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ 15–18 August 2014 fest 81

0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk

COMEDY LISTINGS Lights! Camera!

Improvise! - The Improvised Movie Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£12.50 The Referendum Review Show!

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Laughdance: The Experiment Paradise in Augustines, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, £free Rhys Mathewson Hombre Lobo HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7—£10.50 Simon Feilder: All The Things I’m Not Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£9 The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society Stand in the Square, 4 Aug, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, £10

20:35 Rice ‘n’ Peas ‘n’ Caviar Madogs Cocktail Bar and Grill, 2–23 Aug, £free Javier Jarquin: Joke Ninja Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£8

20:40 Paul McCaffrey: Paul Or Nothing Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–23 Aug, £6—£10 Gerry Howell’s Portal of Discovery Voodoo Rooms, 2–24 Aug, £free Josie Long: Cara Josephine The Stand Comedy Club, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 16, £11

The Voyage of The Narwhal Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£8

20:45 Damien Slash: Forward Slash Cowgatehead, 1–24 Aug, not 10, 11, 20, £free Paco Erhard: Worst.

German. Ever.

Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free Roger Swift and Patrick Draper - The Energy and the Apathy Laughing Horse @ Ryrie’s, 16–24 Aug, £free The Twilight Region Laughing Horse @ The Wee Pub, 1–24 Aug, £free The Best of Singapore Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 18–24 Aug, £free

❤ Frank Skinner: Man in a Suit

HHHH

Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–24 Aug, £10—£17.50

The Barry Experience Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free Mark Nelson: Please Think Responsibly Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£12.50

Ben Norris: Benny on the Loose The Liquid Room, 10–21 Aug, £free Hurt and Anderson: Bringing Sketchy Back Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free Bright Club: Scotland’s Fringe The Assembly Rooms, 18 Aug, £10 Infinitely More Deluded Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free 99 Club Stand-up Selection - Cowgate - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Billie Was Tap Dancing for the Seagulls St John’s, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 19, £free An Evening With Patti DuPont St John’s, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free Andrew Lawrence: Reasons to Kill Yourself The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £10 Half Baked Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £free

20:50

Baby Wants Candy: The Completely Improvised Full Band Musical Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £10—£15

Michael Fabbri: Oversharing Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, not 11, £free

Gareth Richards: Comedy in the Key of Gareth Beat, 2–23 Aug, £free

HHHH

The Grandees: A Creepshow Heroes @ The Hive, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5

Neil Hamburger Underbelly, Cowgate, 13–24 Aug, £10—£12

Kraken Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7—£12

Pete Dobbing: Dobbing Kilderkin, 2–22 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free

John Robertson: The Dark Room Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10.50

Chris Henry: Only the Good Die Young Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–23 Aug, £free

❤ Sam Simmons: Death of a Sails-Man Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £7—£13

The Incredible Paul F Taylor Cabaret Voltaire, 2–23 Aug, not 12, 19, £free

20:55 Tom Stade: Decisions Decisions The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £15

Enjoy comedy, cabaret, theatre & more Open every night until 5am 82 fest 15–18 August 2014

21:00

❤ Joel Dommett:

BBC: Bridget Christie Minds the Gap BBC@POTTERROW, 24 Aug, £free

HHHH

Russell Kane: Smallness Underbelly, Bristo Square, 20–22 Aug, £15

Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards Show Underbelly, Bristo Square, 24 Aug, £14

Stand Up for Shelter Underbelly, Bristo Square, 23 Aug, £20

No Strings Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £4—£8

Finding Emo

Mark Watson: Flaws Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £9—£15.50 Eddie Pepitone: RIP America, It’s Been Fun HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7—£14 Paul Ricketts’ West End Story Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £3—£5 Tom Shillue: Impossible The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10 Maff Brown: Born Again Comedian Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£12 What Does The Title Matter Anyway?

HHH

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free

The Axis of Awesome: Viva La Vida Loca Las Vegas

HH

Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 21, £8—£14

A Bonanza of Festival Comedy and Cabaret Laughing Horse @ The Paradise Palms, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £free Jason Byrne in You Name the Show Assembly Hall, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £10—£19.50

21:05 Stephen K Amos: Work in Progress The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–23 Aug, not 11, 12, 18, 19, £10 Jamie MacDonald: That Funny Blind Guy 2 - The Good, the Stag and the Ugly Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£7

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 6–19 Aug, £16—£17.50

Dangerfield: Sex with Children Heroes @ The Hive, 4–23 Aug, £5 Tedfest Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10.50 Ricky and Dave Gigglelos Dragonfly, 1–25 Aug, £free

Bob Doolally, Football Legend The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 11 Aug, 19 Aug, £10

21:10 B.J. Novak: One More Thing Assembly George Square Studios, 19–24 Aug, £16

Alpha Fail Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, £free Laughing Horse Free Comedy Selection Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Sol Bernstein: Still Standing Just the Tonic at The Tron, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7—£9

❤ Abandoman: Hot Desk HHHH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £7.50—£15

Larry Dean: Scottish Comedian of the Year 2013 Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 1–24 Aug, £5—£12

21:15 Pierre Novellie is Mighty Peter HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£9.50 Justin Hamilton: Johnny Loves Mary Forever 1994 Assembly George Square Studios, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£10 The Split Note Sessions CC Blooms, 2–24 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £free Richard Gadd: Breaking Gadd Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £free

❤ Brent Weinbach: Appealing to the Mainstream

HHHH

Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£12

Tom Rhodes: Colossus HHH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, 21, £6—£12 Omar Hamdi +1 Globe Bar, 2–24 Aug, £free Markus Birdman: 2B or Not to Be The Stand Comedy Club V, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8 Damian Clark: Go Ahead, Make My Damo Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, £9—£10

❤ Sheeps: Wembley Previews

HHHH

Bedlam Theatre, 2–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10.50

Eddy Brimson Windy Piss Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free Tiff Stevenson: Optimist HH Gilded Balloon , 1–23 Aug, £6—£10 James Loveridge: Funny Because It’s True Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, £free Jim Davidson: No Further Action

HHH

Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 18, £12—£15

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COMEDY LISTINGS

Complete Holmes and Shakeshaft Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free

Jimmy Carr – Funny Business Venue150@EICC, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, 23 Aug, £18.50

Felicity Ward: The Iceberg Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7—£13

Sully O’Sullivan: Nationhood Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 1–24 Aug, £free

Henning Wehn: Eins, Zwei, DIY Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£11.50

21:30

21:20

Evolution of iMaAN Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£10

Natasia Demetriou: You’ll Never Have All of Me Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 8, 11, £6—£10.50

21:25

Seann Walsh: Seann 28 Pleasance Courtyard, 1–23 Aug, not 11, 12, 18, 19, £7.50—£13

Never Mind the Bawbags!

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 13, £free

Andrew Doyle: Zero Tolerance The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8

Ray Peacock: Here Comes Trouble Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10

Ivo Graham: Bow Ties and Johnnies Pleasance Courtyard, 17 Aug, £10 Guilt & Shame: Going Straight Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£10 Cookies and Cream Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–25 Aug, £free The New Wave Laughing Horse @ New Empire Bingo, 14 Aug, 21 Aug, £free BBC: Asian Network Presents… Comedy BBC@POTTERROW, 23 Aug, £free

❤ Sarah Kendall: Touchdown

HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£12

Hamell On Trial: The Happiest Man in the World Assembly George Square Studios, 13–25 Aug, £12—£15 Funny Women Awards Semi-Final 2014 Laughing Horse @ New Empire Bingo, 15 Aug, £free

Pete Johansson: Several Jokes Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£11 Michael Downey: Blue Sometimes Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£12 Glenn Wool: Wool’s Gold Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 3, 11, 18, £7—£14 Justin Moorhouse: This is What I Am Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 2, £5—£11

Künt and the Gang go to Mecca Laughing Horse @ New Empire Bingo, 22–23 Aug, £5

Tom Price: Not As Nice As He Looks Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 21, £6—£10

The Comedy Reserve Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£9.50

Jem Brookes: Punusual Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free

Yacine Belhousse: Made in France

HHH

Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 17, £6—£10.50

21:35 Henry Paker: Unpacked Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10 Back to the Hills!

Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£9 The Oxy Morons in...

Glistening Flanks theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 18–23 Aug, £8 11 Films to Happiness Ciao Roma, 2–23 Aug, £free Casual Violence: Om Nom Nom Nominous - Free Voodoo Rooms, 1–23 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free

A diverse programme of high quality professional dance from Wales presented daily between 18-25 August ZOO Southside (Venue 82)

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Gilded Balloon, 13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ 15–18 August 2014 fest 83

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COMEDY LISTINGS Low Expectations: The Unpublishable Material Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–17 Aug, £5—£10

21:40 Four Stories Four Songs Sweet Grassmarket, 11–24 Aug, £7

Aaah’m Voting NO Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–23 Aug, not 11, 18, £free David Trent: Live at the Pleasance Courtyard HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£12 Ed Gamble: Gambletron 5000

HHH

Jess Robinson: Mighty Voice Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6.50—£11.50

Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10

Tim Key: Single White Slut Pleasance Courtyard, 13–25 Aug, £10—£16

Adam of the Riches Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, £7—£14

Big Value Comedy Show - Late Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50 Another Name for Thesaurus theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £5—£7 Dave Callan: A Little Less Conversation Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 12, 13, £6—£11 George Ryegold: Iron Face in a Velvet Beard Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, £6—£10 Jonny & The Baptists: The Satiric Verses HHH Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£11 Michael Mittermeier: das Blackout Gilded Balloon , 11–25 Aug, £10.50—£12.50

21:45 Born in the 90s Cowgatehead, 1–26 Aug, £free Pat and Paul Get Some Beans Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Bob Blackman’s Local Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 9–23 Aug, not 17, £free

Swedish Oddballs Cowgatehead, 19–23 Aug, £free

Beth Vyse: Get Up With Hands! HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6.50—£10

❤ John Robins: This Tornado Loves You HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£12

❤ John Hastings Adventure HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£9.50

21:50 Quint Fontana ‘I Remember Me’ Voodoo Rooms, 2–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

22:00 Birthday Girls: Party Vibes Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £free Sketch Transfer Deadline Day Pleasance Courtyard, 18 Aug, £10

❤ Stuart Black – The Crossroads

HHHH

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free

Aunty Donna Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, £10 Sunna Jarman: Family Tree Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free Daniel Sloss – Really...?! Extra Shows Venue150@EICC, Various dates from 8 Aug to 23 Aug, £17.50

Marcel Lucont Is Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8—£12 Scott Capurro Islamohomophobia: Reloaded The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10 IT Rock‘n’Roll: Business Trip to the Future Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 1–24 Aug, £free Zombie Science: Worst Case Scenario C venues - C, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£10.50 Bronston Jones: What Comes Out - Free Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free Zapp and Dembina Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free Nev: Gold Laughing Horse @ The Wee Pub, 1–24 Aug, £free

❤ Nick Coyle: Double Tribute

HHHH

Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10.50

Foil, Arms and Hog: Loch’d Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, £7—£11 Brendon Burns and Colt Cabana Sit in a 150 Seater at 10pm and Provide the Commentary to Bad Wrestling Matches Stand in the Square, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £8

22:15

22:30

Pleasance Courtyard, 4–25 Aug, weekdays only, £9—£11

Pumped!

The Voodoo Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £8—£10

Isla Dogs: Down the Dogs CC Blooms, 2–24 Aug, £free

Jonny Awsum: Sexy Noises Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£8.50

Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre - And So Am I Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, £5—£11

Shirley and Shirley: Late Night Lock In Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£11 Soho Comedy Club at the Fringe Freestival St Mary’s, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £free

Imaginary Porno Charades Sweet Grassmarket, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, £7

Sarah Bennetto’s Storytellers’ Club Pleasance Courtyard, Various dates from 9 Aug to 24 Aug, £12

Japanese Terminatol is Back!

Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £free

Chelsea Manders: Don’t Tell My Dad Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£9

Katerina Vrana: Feta with the Queen Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 12, 19, £free

The Good, the Bad and the Irish!

Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, £free

❤ The Circus HHHH

BattleActs! - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 2–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free

Luisa Omielan...

Am I Right Ladies?!

50 Shades! The Musical. The Original Parody Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £10—£15

The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society Stand in the Square, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, £10

22:05 Blind Mirth theSpace on the Mile, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £6 Phlash! theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 13–23 Aug, not 17, £6 Alan Anderson: Whisky For Dafties Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, Various dates from 4 Aug to 24 Aug, £15

Sharma Sharma Sharma Sharma Sharma Comedian!

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, £free

The Shambles theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–23 Aug, not 3, £7—£8

The Mangina Funalogs Cowgatehead, 1–28 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, 25, £free

Jay Handley: Free Comic Dragonfly, 2–23 Aug, £free

The Best of Who’s Available Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, £free Cardinal Burns Pleasance Courtyard, 15–23 Aug, not 18, £12—£13

Enjoy comedy, cabaret, theatre & more Open every night until 5am 84 fest 15–18 August 2014

❤ Sarah Bennetto’s Funeral HHHH

22:10

WOMANz Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 Alun Cochrane: (Me Neither) HHH The Stand Comedy Club, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10

HHH

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 10, 17, £free

22:20 Fin Taylor: Real Talk Just the Tonic at The Tron, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50 Danish Face Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–23 Aug, not 12, £free Come Heckle Christ

HH

Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£9.50

Coppers Uncovered: The Walk of Shame Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 Miss Glory Pearl: The Naked Stand-Up Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£8

Silky: Tribute Act The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8

Assembly George Square Gardens, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8—£16

❤ Lou Sanders in Another Great Show Again HHHH Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 1–24 Aug, £free BBC: Newsnight BBC@POTTERROW, 21 Aug, £free Dave Hughes: Pointless Assembly George Square Studios, 19–23 Aug, £14—£15 Freddie Farrell: Lock, Stock and One Joking Farrell Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £free Sketch Bingo Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 1–24 Aug, £free

Sh*t-Faced Shakespeare Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, £6—£11.50

Political Animal – Scottishreferendogeddon 2014 The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 17–21 Aug, £10

Who Shot Hitler?

Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £2—£4

Scotland Stands Up Gilded Balloon , 8–24 Aug, not 11, 21, £11.50—£12.50

22:25 Now You’re Just Being Silly Paradise in The Vault, 19 Aug, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, 23 Aug, £6

Chris Ramsey: The Most Dangerous Man On Saturday Morning Television Pleasance Courtyard, 16–24 Aug, £12.50—£15

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0131 622 6552 gildedballoon.co.uk Return to Superglad Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free These Is You’re Lifes Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free Joke Thieves Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£7 Craig Campbell: Thrilling Mic Hunt The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, 23 Aug, £10 Al Lubel in... I’m Still Al Lubel HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 Fright Bus Service Necrobus, 1–23 Aug, £9 Hedluv and Passman: Doin’ it Dreckly Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, £5—£11 Ennio Marchetto: The Living Paper Cartoon Pleasance Courtyard, 1–15 Aug, not 11, £8—£14

❤ Demi Lardner: Birds with Human Lips HHHH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£10.50 Showstopper! The Improvised Musical Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 21, 22, £14—£15

COMEDY LISTINGS

One Thing Led to a Mother The Stand Comedy Club V, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8

Mat Ewins: The Six Million Dollar Ewins

22:35

❤ Richard Herring:

Nancy Clench: Down Right Dirty Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 20–24 Aug, £8.50

22:40 ❤ Will Franken: The Stuff They Put in Sleep HHHH Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £10—£11 Scotland’s Pick of the Fringe Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £5 Sex with Animals Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £6—£10.50 Elephant Room Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £9—£15

22:45 Werewolf Erotica, She Wrote Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 18, £free Best New Sketch Act 2014: The Final Gilded Balloon , 18–19 Aug, £10 Titty Bar Ha Ha: Hard Time Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £5—£13

HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, £6—£10

Lord of the Dance Settee HHHH Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–24 Aug, £10—£14

❤ Gein’s Family Giftshop: Volume 1

HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£9

Julian McCullough: Dream Girls HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7—£14 Joey Page: This is Not a Circus HHH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 Joe Munrow: Misinformation Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free Andrew O’Neill’s History of Heavy Metal Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£9.50 The Comedy Zone Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10

22:50 Edinburgh Comedy Allstars Underbelly, Bristo Square, Various dates from 1 Aug to 23 Aug, £10.50—£16

The Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-In Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£13 Le Flop Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10.50 Francesco De Carlo: Italians Do It Later Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£10.50 The Horne Section: Milk the Tenderness Underbelly, Bristo Square, 7–24 Aug, £12—£14

23:00 It Might Get Ugly Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 AAA Stand-Up Late Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, £6—£11 Alfie Brown: Divorced from Reality (and My Wife) Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 The Jest Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast with Stuart Goldsmith Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, 20 Aug, £5 Inspired By Mediocrity Cowgatehead, 5–17 Aug, not 10, 11, £free

Chortle Student Comedy Award Final Pleasance Courtyard, 17–18 Aug, £8.50

Hate ‘n’ Live Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, £free

Late Night Gimp Fight: The Worst of Late Night Gimp Fight Pleasance Courtyard, 21–23 Aug, £12

BBC: BBC Presents…

BBC@POTTERROW, 3–23 Aug, not 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 20, 21, £free

Tom Short and Will Hutchby: Only Child Syndrome Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 10, 12, 17, £2—£4 Nymphonerdiac Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, 12–24 Aug, £free Brains Mcloud: 15 Reasons Why Justin Bieber is Gay Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 21–25 Aug, £5 Queens Of Pop: After Dark Electric Circus, 11–15 Aug, £8 Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrghhh! It’s the Increasingly Prestigious Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards Show - and It’s Free!

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 22–23 Aug, £free Mark Watson’s Comedywealth Games Pleasance Courtyard, 7–16 Aug, £8.50—£11 Stand-Up Comedy Live @ Le Monde Upstairs @ Le Monde, 3–21 Aug, not 8, 9, 15, 16, £10

Foul Play. The F*cking Nasty Show Pleasance Dome, Various dates from 1 Aug to 23 Aug, £10—£12 Excited!!!

Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 8, £6—£8 Adrienne Truscott’s Asking for It: A One-Lady Rape About Comedy Starring Her Pussy and Little Else!

Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 6–16 Aug, not 10, 11, 12, £8 Stephanie Laing: Nincompoop Globe Bar, 2–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free BBC: BBC Presents…

Edinburgh 2014 BBC@POTTERROW, 24–25 Aug, £free BBC: Jazz on 3 BBC@POTTERROW, 18–19 Aug, £free McQueen: McQueen

HH

Pleasance Dome, 1–24 Aug, not 10, £6—£10

23:05 Cheaper Than Therapy Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7

’Tis Pity AL PorT

Mafia + Incest + Love + Violence 31 July - 16 August (12:15pm) Spotlites @ The Merchant Hall Tickets from: www.edfringe.com www.audleyandcoproductions.com

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e theatr

Stories of women in science

Venue18 14:35 July31 £5.00 August1–24 £8.50 (£7.50)

Gilded Balloon, 13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ 15–18 August 2014 fest 85

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COMEDY LISTINGS 23:10 Confessions of a Liverpudlian theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 14–16 Aug, £6

23:15 Jarred Christmas and Jack Hobbs: The Christmas and The Hobbit -A Beat Box and Stand-Up Collaboration Gilded Balloon , 18–20 Aug, £12 Comedy Monkey Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free Beardyman: One Album Per Hour Pleasance Courtyard, 15–17 Aug, £14 Comedian Matt Henry and Friends: A State of the Art Comedy Event Freestival St Mary’s, 1–25 Aug, £free Late Night Dark Show Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, £free A to Z Improv Comedy Kilderkin, 2–23 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free TAKE a coMEdian OUT! Pleasance Courtyard, 19–20 Aug, £10 Choose Your Own Comedy Adventure Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free Shaggers Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–23 Aug, £free All at Sea Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 1–23 Aug, not 16, £free Voices in Your Head Gilded Balloon , Various dates from 1 Aug to 24 Aug, £5—£10 Scotsman and Irishman Walk Inde a Bar Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 4–21 Aug, not 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, £free Carter and Ollerton: Won’t Go Quietly Cowgatehead, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 19, £free

Fat Controller Comedy Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 3–24 Aug, not 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, £free

23:20 American Roadshow Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £1—£5 Tom Rosenthal: Meme, Myself and I Pleasance Dome, 14 Aug, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, 23 Aug, £10.50—£12.50 This is Your Trial Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, £6—£10.50 Laughdance: The Experiment Paradise in Augustines, 12–24 Aug, not 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, £free The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society Stand in the Square, 5 Aug, 12 Aug, 19 Aug, £10 Set List: Stand-Up Without a Net Stand in the Square, 1–25 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £12.50 McNeil and Pamphilon Go 8-Bit! Pleasance Dome, 8 Aug, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, £10.50 Best of Scottish Comedian of the Year Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, £6—£13.50

23:30 Richard Tyrone Jones: What the F*ck is This?

Banshee Labyrinth, 2–24 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £free Smells Like Shite...

Tastes Like Chicken Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–25 Aug, £free Marc Burrows in the Ten Best Songs Of All Time - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–23 Aug, not 11, £free

I am, I am Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £5—£10 The Mac Twins: Mac Yourself at Home The Blackbird, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, 23 Aug, £10

23:40 WitTank: Old School Secrets HHH Pleasance Courtyard, Various dates from 8 Aug to 23 Aug, £12 Russell Hicks: Unprepared Just the Tonic at The Tron, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £free Wil Hodgson’s Records in the Roof Just the Tonic at The Mash House, Various dates from 1 Aug to 23 Aug, £5 Afterhours Comedy Assembly Roxy, 2 Aug, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, 23 Aug, £12.50

The Assembly Rooms Very Best of the Fest The Assembly Rooms, Various dates from 2 Aug to 23 Aug, £15 The Stand Late Show The Stand Comedy Club, Various dates from 1 Aug to 23 Aug, £15

23:59

Best of the Fest Assembly Hall, Various dates from 1 Aug to 24 Aug, £10—£15 Comedy Countdown Gilded Balloon , 1–23 Aug, not 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, £5—£8

00:00

23:45

John Conway Tonight Pleasance Dome, 2–26 Aug, £6—£9.50

Just Jokes Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £free Billy McGuire Ain’t Always Honest Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free Andy Field is a Giddy Manchild Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free Rob Deering’s Beat This Gilded Balloon , Various dates from 1 Aug to 24 Aug, £10—£11

23:50 Mark Watson: Flaws Pleasance Courtyard, 22–23 Aug, £15.50

00:05 Tom Rosenthal: Work in Progress Pleasance Courtyard, 16–17 Aug, £10

The Room Assembly George Square Theatre, 4 Aug, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £8

From Pirates to Pop Stars Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 9–25 Aug, £free

Licence To Laugh Comedy Club Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 1–24 Aug, £free

One Man Breaking Bad The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, Various dates from 18 Aug to 25 Aug, £12

00:15

Will Seaward’s Spooky Midnight Ghost Stories!

Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, 20, £5—£8.50

Diane Chorley Just the Tonic at The Caves, 18–24 Aug, £free

Enjoy comedy, cabaret, theatre & more Open every night until 5am 86 fest 15–18 August 2014

23:55

Late With Kate Canons’ Gait, 3–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free Just the Tonic Comedy Club’s Midnight Show Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 2–25 Aug, not 13, £5—£12 Fright Bus Service Necrobus, Various dates from 9 Aug to 24 Aug, £9 Tomorrow! with Ron Lynch Just the Tonic at The Caves, 2–25 Aug, not 12, £3—£7 Spank!

Underbelly, Cowgate, 2–25 Aug, £10—£15.50 Edinburgh Toilet Duck Award – Grand Final Underbelly, Cowgate, 23 Aug, £9.50

Dr Ettrick-Hogg Presents The Bite - Free Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–25 Aug, £free

00:20 IndieRound (Fool Members Club) with Bob Slayer & Tim Fitzhigham Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 1–26 Aug, £5 Late Show Pleasance Courtyard, Various dates from 2 Aug to 24 Aug, £12.50—£14

00:30 Mr Harris Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 2–25 Aug, £free Hidden Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 2–25 Aug, £free Free Fall Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, £free The Improverts: 25th Anniversary Bedlam Theatre, 3–24 Aug, £7.50 Sam Larner Can’t Say His R’s - With Other Guests Who Can Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–25 Aug, weekdays only, £free

00:45 Improv from the Crypt Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 16–25 Aug, £free Spanktacular Underbelly, Bristo Square, Various dates from 9 Aug to 25 Aug, £15.50 Irish Late Night Mayhem Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 2–24 Aug, £free Young and Here Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–25 Aug, £free Luisa Omielan: What Would Beyoncé Do?!

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 23 Aug, £15.50 W@nk the Dog - Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–25 Aug, £free

01:00 The 1am Apesh*t Show Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–26 Aug, £free Late’n’Live Gilded Balloon , 2–26 Aug, £10—£15 A Catalogue of Characters Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–25 Aug, not 5, 12, 13, 19, £free Late Night TED Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 18–25 Aug, £free

01:15 Trevor Feelgood: Sex Machine Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 11–24 Aug, £free

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THEATRE LISTINGS 09:00 Traverse Breakfast Plays Traverse Theatre, 12–24 Aug, not 18, £14

09:10 Homeless Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 11–16 Aug, £5

09:25 Frozen theSpace on North Bridge, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £5—£7

10:00 Shakespeare for Breakfast C venues - C, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50

❤ Pomegranate Jam HHHHH Venue 13, 2–23 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £8

BigMouth Traverse Theatre, 23 Aug, £19 Unfaithful Traverse Theatre, 2 Aug, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £13—£19 Lippy Traverse Theatre, 5 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £13—£19 Cuckooed HHH Traverse Theatre, 3 Aug, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £19 Theatre Uncut 2014 Traverse Theatre, 4 Aug, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, £8 SmallWar HHH Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 17 Aug, £19

RIVERRUN Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 21 Aug, £19

10:15 Through the Clouds theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £5 Labour of Love Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5

10:20 Antigone Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 11–16 Aug, £6 Alice in Concert Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5 A Collection of Grimms’ Fairy Tales Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 18–23 Aug, £8 Dorian Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 14–16 Aug, £5

10:25 Architects and Anarchists theSpace on Niddry St, 19–23 Aug, £8

10:30 Larkin’ About Valvona & Crolla, 6 Aug, 18 Aug, £10 Story Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing C venues - C too, 11–16 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 The Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£12.50

10:35 Kitty in the Lane Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–25 Aug, £7

10:40 The Madness of Tellaralette Seville theSpace on North Bridge, 19–23 Aug, £7 Harriet - Teen Detective!

Paradise in Augustines, 12–16 Aug, £8

❤ Men in the Cities HHHH

11:15

Traverse Theatre, 1 Aug, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £18

Why Is Life Like Sparrows?

Venue 13, 17–23 Aug, £8

Horizontal Collaboration Traverse Theatre, 3 Aug, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, £18

The Princess Initiative theSpace on the Mile, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, £6

The Carousel Traverse Theatre, 5 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £18

Frozen theSpace on North Bridge, 18–23 Aug, £7

Spoiling HHH Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £18

10:45

❤ The Fair Intellectual Club HHHH

Buffer theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–16 Aug, £7.50

The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10

10:50

The Canterbury Tales Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 18–23 Aug, £9

Nothing HHH Summerhall, 5–17 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Tea Time Story ZOO, 1–25 Aug, not 20, £4—£7

11:00 Glue theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–16 Aug, £8 The Box – Free Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 13–24 Aug, £free The Little Leaf Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 14–26 Aug, £free Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian HHH Traverse Theatre, 2 Aug, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £18

11:05 The Trojan Women theSpace on the Mile, 11–16 Aug, £8—£10

11:10 Dylan Thomas: Clown in the Moon Assembly Hall, Various dates from 15 Aug to 25 Aug, £8—£10 These Are the Best Days: A Revue theSpace on the Mile, 19 Aug, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, £6 Burton Assembly Hall, 16 Aug, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, 21 Aug, 23 Aug, £8—£10

Punk Rock Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 18–21 Aug, £7 Guttermouth Venue 13, 2–16 Aug, not 11, £8

11:20 Two theSpace on Niddry St, 11 Aug, 13 Aug, 15 Aug, £7 Spring Awakening theSpace on Niddry St, 12 Aug, 14 Aug, 16 Aug, £7

11:25 I Am the Wind Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 18–23 Aug, £5

11:30 The Hunting of the Snark Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 11–15 Aug, £8 Shakespeare’s Villains theSpace on the Mile, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £5—£9 Hecat’s Poison: Enter the three Witches Quaker Meeting House, 4–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £5—£6 Oliver Twist theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–16 Aug, £8

Pieces of Eight Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 11–16 Aug, £5 Lavender Junction C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50 Dalloway Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8—£13

11:40 Wretch Like Me (or How I was Saved from Being Saved) theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £8.50 Happy Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, £6—£9 The Decline and Fall of Marcus Distilius theSpace on North Bridge, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £8

11:45 The Dogs of War Assembly George Square Studios, Various dates from 2 Aug to 16 Aug, £9—£11 My Uncle’s Shoes

HHH New Town Theatre, 5–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £10

Plastic Rose HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 1–15 Aug, not 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, £6—£11

11:50 merry christmas, Ms Meadows Pleasance Dome, 19–25 Aug, £9.50—£12.50

A dramatic unpredictable magic performance by actor and magician Robert Jägerhorn

6.30 pm 31 July - 24 August HILL STREET SOLO THEATRE tickets: 0131 226 0000 / universalartsfestival.com

www.festmag.co.uk

15–18 August 2014 fest 87

THEATRE LISTINGS The Electra Project theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 18–23 Aug, £6 Smoking Ban theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 18–23 Aug, £7 The Curious Incident of the Frog in My Sightline Zoo Southside, 10–25 Aug, £7

11:55 The Usherettes theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–16 Aug, £8

12:00 The Silence of Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 11, £free High Vis Thistle King James Hotel, 12–25 Aug, £free Somebody I Used to Know HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 3, 4, 6, 13, 20, £8—£10 The Initiate Summerhall @ Roundabout, Various dates from 2 Aug to 23 Aug, £10—£17 Dear Mister Kaiser

HH

Bedlam Theatre, 2–24 Aug, £5—£7

The Curing Room Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7.50—£13 Welcome to Terezin Gilded Balloon , 12–24 Aug, not 18, £8—£9 Last Christmas HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£11 The Moth of August C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50 Low Tide in Glass Bay Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 Pope Head: The Secret Life of Francis Bacon Laughing Horse @ Ryrie’s, 2–24 Aug, not 6, 13, £free The Hemline Index Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

Animal Farm Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £10—£15 Dead Wait Pleasance Pop-Up: The Game Lab, 2–17 Aug, not 5, 10, 12, £8—£10 The Eradication of Schizophrenia in Western Lapland

HHH

Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 8, 9, 10, 18, £12—£14

Fern Hill and Other Dylan Thomas Assembly George Square Theatre, 18 Aug, £13 Early Doors HHH Pleasance Pop-Up: The Pub, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 19, £6—£10 First Class Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 1–24 Aug, £free Every Brilliant Thing Summerhall @ Roundabout, 5–22 Aug, not 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, £10—£15

12:10 The Hive HH Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£10 A Drinker Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 10–16 Aug, £8.50 Blood Brothers theSpace @ Venue45, 11–15 Aug, £7.50 The Result of a Man and His Ponderings theSpace on North Bridge, 11–16 Aug, £5 Cushion theSpace on the Mile, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £5

Pentimento Gilded Balloon , 1–24 Aug, not 12, 19, £5—£10 Clown Slut Dario’s Restaurant, 2–23 Aug, not 12, £free

Feral Underbelly, Bristo Square, 14–24 Aug, £10—£11

Dylan Thomas Return Journey - Bob Kingdom, Original Direction by Anthony Hopkins HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11

National Loaf Paradise in The Vault, 4–17 Aug, not 11, £9 Landscape with Skiproads Summerhall, 4–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £8—£12.50 Can Stand Up - Don’t Want To! theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 19–23 Aug, £5

88 fest 15–18 August 2014

I’m Thinking of Leaving Facebook Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, £free

...and This is My Friend Mr Laurel Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 6, £6.50—£11

Illyria-on-Sea Paradise in Augustines, 12–16 Aug, £8 Alice in Concert Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5 The God Box: A Daughter’s Story HH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £7—£12

The Waste Land Sisters Summerhall, 14–24 Aug, £10

Once Upon a Nightmare Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 2–24 Aug, not 13, £free

Different is Dangerous theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 19–23 Aug, £6.50

Sonnets for an Old Century Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5

12:15

Saint-Exupéry, a Pilot’s Story Assembly George Square Studios, 1–24 Aug, not 18, £5—£10

12:05

SingleMarriedGirl Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 11–16 Aug, £8—£10

Chaplin Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£12

Banjo Man Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 1–24 Aug, £free

Absolutely Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 13–24 Aug, £free

Things from Before Pt. 4 Venue 13, 2–23 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £8

Chasing Zeds theSpace on North Bridge, 18–21 Aug, £5

McAlister in Wonderland theSpace on the Mile, 19–23 Aug, £8

I Have an Idea for a Film Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free

The Jungle Referendum C venues - C nova, 1–16 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

Sweep Up the Stars Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£10 The 3rd Sector Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£9.50 Labour of Love Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5 Tis Pity Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–16 Aug, £7.50

12:20 The Art of Falling Apart HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11

12:25 The Height of the Eiffel Tower HHH Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £7—£12 Frank Sent Me Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, £6—£12

Playback Impro Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free A World Beyond Man Sweet Grassmarket, 1–17 Aug, not 11, £7.50 Lunchtime with Patsy Cline Hispaniola, 2–23 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free The Time of Our Lies The Life and Times of Howard Zinn HH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£10 Verbatopolis C venues - C, 18–25 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Lippy Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £19 Cuckooed HHH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, £19

❤ Blood at the Root HHHH

Birdwatchers’ Wives Summerhall, Various dates from 2 Aug to 24 Aug, £8—£12

Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 12, £6—£12

Absence Of...

Gilded Balloon , 13–15 Aug, £5

Butterfly in Shades of Blue SpaceCabaret @ 54, 1–23 Aug, not 13, £8

12:35

The Make Up C venues - C, 10–16 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

12:30 Somebody I Used to Know HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 3, 4, 6, 13, 20, £8—£10 Going Out West Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£9.50

L’Annunciazione – The Annunciation Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 23–24 Aug, £6 Giulietta theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £8 Error 404 Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–23 Aug, not 12, £3.50—£7

12:40

❤ Near Gone

Sunday Morning Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8—£11

Summerhall, Various dates from 1 Aug to 23 Aug, £7—£10

Winky HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£10

HHHH

The Pitiless Storm

HHH

The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £15

Manuelita Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£12

12:45 BigMouth Traverse Theatre, 19 Aug, £19 Unfaithful Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £19 Chlorine Zoo Southside, 1–25 Aug, not 19, £5—£8 SmallWar HHH Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 24 Aug, £19 RIVERRUN Traverse Theatre, 5 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £19 The Zulu Assembly Hall, 2–25 Aug, not 11, £12—£13 A Slight Ache HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 13, 20, £6—£9 The Duchess of Malfi C venues - C nova, 1–16 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Cirque Tsuki: Feast C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50

12:50 300 to 1 - Free Banshee Labyrinth, 2–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £free Goodbye Gunther Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 18, £6—£10 Candide: The Optimist theSpace on North Bridge, 18–23 Aug, £8—£10 Forever Young theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 11–16 Aug, £8 Inevitable Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 18–23 Aug, £4

❤ Beowulf: The Blockbuster HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£11

Sochi 2014 Pleasance Courtyard, 1–21 Aug, not 11, £6—£9

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE LISTINGS 12:55 How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found ZOO, 1–16 Aug, £7—£8.50 NSFW C venues - C nova, 10–25 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Good Timin’ Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 14–23 Aug, not 17, £8—£11

13:00 Outings HHH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 6, 13, 21, £12—£13 Sleeping Beauty Institut français d’Ecosse, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £5—£10 Somebody I Used to Know HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 3, 4, 6, 13, 20, £8—£10

❤ Dr Longitude’s Marvellous Imaginary Menagerie HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£12.50 A Play, a Pie and a Pint - Upstairs at Le Monde Upstairs @ Le Monde, 3–21 Aug, not 8, 9, 15, 16, £12 Rants, Bantz and Comas theSpace on North Bridge, 18–21 Aug, £5 Hand Made in China: Moons, Migration and Messages Summerhall, 11–24 Aug, £3 Woyzeck Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 12, £9—£10 Till Death theSpace on North Bridge, 11–16 Aug, £5 A Little Nonsense Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£11

The Psychosocial Gathering theSpace on the Mile, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £4—£7 Government Inspector Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£9.50 Italia ‘n’ Caledonia Valvona & Crolla, 23 Aug, £12 John Muir. Rhapsody in Green Valvona & Crolla, 6 Aug, 8 Aug, 11 Aug, 16 Aug, 24 Aug, £12 Indian Peter’s Coffee House Valvona & Crolla, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 15 Aug, 17 Aug, £12

❤ Pioneer HHHH

Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian HHH Traverse Theatre, 3 Aug, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, £18

Eden Gate C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50

Cutting Off Kate Bush

Lovecraft’s Monsters - Free Laughing Horse @ The Wee Pub, 1–24 Aug, £free

The Duel Venue150@EICC, 5–23 Aug, not 11, 18, 21, £10

The Carousel Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £18

13:05

Summerhall, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £8—£12

Fundamentalists theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 18–23 Aug, £10 Who Rowed Across Oceans theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 12–16 Aug, £7 This Way Madness Lies theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £7 Seven Missed Meals Leads to Anarchy theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 18–23 Aug, £5 First World Problems C venues - C south, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50

13:10 The Boy in Blue Quaker Meeting House, 11–15 Aug, £5 The Selkie and the River God Sweet Grassmarket, 11–25 Aug, £8

Antigone theSpace on the Mile, 19–22 Aug, £5

Inevitable theSpace on the Mile, 19–23 Aug, £5

Somebody I Used to Know HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 3, 4, 6, 13, 20, £8—£10 Forgotten Voices HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £8—£14.50

Leaving Home Party

Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £10—£13

Don’t Let Go HHH Bedlam Theatre, 2–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£8.50

On the Upside Down of the World HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8—£13

Zoo Southside, 1–25 Aug, £7—£12

Night Bus HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £6—£11

www.festmag.co.uk

13:15

HHH

MacBraveheart: The Other Scottish Play The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10

13:20

HHH

Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£11

Romeo and Juliet C venues - C cubed, 10– 25 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Horizontal Collaboration Traverse Theatre, 5 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £18 Spoiling HHH Traverse Theatre, 1 Aug, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £18 Odd Shaped Balls Gryphon@WestEnd, 18–23 Aug, £8.50

King Ubu C venues - C, 10–16 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

Obscura Gryphon@WestEnd, 1–16 Aug, not 10, £6—£10

Wanderlust Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 2–15 Aug, not 12, £6—£7

Pondling Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

Running Into Me H Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

The Picture of Dorian Gray C venues - C, 18–23 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

(BEAT) A Solo Show

by Lizzie Stanton Just the Tonic at The Caves, 23–24 Aug, £7

Love is a Cat Skin Rug Laughing Horse @ The Blind Poet , 14–24 Aug, £free

Let It Fall (After King Lear) Assembly George Square Studios, 12–23 Aug, not 18, £8—£10

A Split Decision HH The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10

13:25 Decade Paradise in The Vault, 4–17 Aug, not 11, £8

Dead Wait Pleasance Pop-Up: The Game Lab, 2–17 Aug, not 5, 12, £8—£10

Silk Road Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 18, £5—£11

The Closure of Craig Solly: A Dark Monologue by Russell Kane Underbelly, Bristo Square, 18–24 Aug, £12.50—£14.50

13:30

Odd Shaped Balls Gryphon@WestEnd, 4–16 Aug, not 10, £8.50

Antiquithon HH Institut français d’Ecosse, 1–23 Aug, not 11, 18, £5

Lorraine & Alan Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 9, £6—£10

Bottleneck Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£13

The Day Sam Died New Town Theatre, 5–24 Aug, not 7, 11, 18, £10

Where to Begin Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, £5

Julie Burchill: Absolute Cult HHH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £6—£12.50

Property Rites Church Hill Theatre, 15 Aug, £5 In the Surface of a Bubble ZOO, 1–25 Aug, £5—£9

13:35 Now’s the Hour The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10 Chrysalis Paradise in The Vault, 4–16 Aug, not 11, £4—£5.50 Land of Smiles H Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £5—£12

Red Tap/Blue Tiger Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7—£11

13:50 The Initiate Summerhall @ Roundabout, Various dates from 5 Aug to 21 Aug, £15 Lungs Summerhall @ Roundabout, Various dates from 2 Aug to 23 Aug, £10—£17 LABOURatory Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 18–21 Aug, £4

The Hardybutts Boys Paradise in Augustines, 12–17 Aug, £5

Years to the Day Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10

13:40

Live Forever H Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11

Mind The Gap theSpace @ Venue45, 12–16 Aug, £7 In The Window Assembly Hall, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8—£13

The Result of a Man and His Ponderings theSpace on North Bridge, 18–21 Aug, £5

13:45

Chasing Zeds theSpace on North Bridge, 11–16 Aug, £5

A TED* Talk with Clay JW Crowne (*not affiliated with TED.com, its members, fellows, organisers, partners, subsidiaries, sponsors or stockholders) Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 12, £5—£9

13:55 ❤ Factor 9 HHHH Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £8—£13

Back Door theSpace on the Mile, 18–23 Aug, £8

Victims of Influence Venue 13, 2–23 Aug, not 8, 9, 10, 11, £8

The 56 Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, £6—£10

Mock Tudor HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

15% of The Seagull Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 2–17 Aug, £7

KATE Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£9

Backstage in Biscuit Land HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–16 Aug, not 4, 11, £6—£11

Echolalia Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, 19, £9—£10

❤ Men in the Cities HHHH Traverse Theatre, 2 Aug, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £18

Blind Pleasance Courtyard, 17–25 Aug, £9—£12 Sleeping with Beauty Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 18 Aug, £4

15–18 August 2014 fest 89

THEATRE LISTINGS 14:00 Such a Nice Girl just Festival, 15–24 Aug, £10 Silent Voice HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £9—£13 The Tarzan Monologues Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10 The Importance of Being Earnest C venues - C too, 10–25 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 You, Me and the World HHH Zoo Southside, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 12, 19, £7—£9 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Edinburgh Elim, 19 Aug, 21 Aug, £8 My Rabbi New Town Theatre, 5–24 Aug, £10—£12 Momma Was a Bad Mutha theSpace on the Mile, 11–16 Aug, £9 Glue theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 18–23 Aug, £8 Domestic Labour: A Study in Love HHH Summerhall, 1–23 Aug, not 11, 18, £10—£12 Sweater Curse: A Yarn about Love Sweet Grassmarket, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £8 Bill Clinton Hercules Assembly George Square Studios, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8—£13 Signal Failure Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£10 Café Ruse Zoo Southside, 1–25 Aug, not 13, 20, £5—£8

❤ The Capone Trilogy: Loki HHHH C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, £11.50—£13.50

No Guts, No Heart, No Glory Sandy’s Boxing Gym, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, 20 Aug, 21 Aug, 25 Aug, £12 MacBheatha Summerhall, 11–24 Aug, not 18, £12.50

Faulty Towers The Dining Experience B’est Restaurant, 1–26 Aug, not 2, 9, 16, 23, £45 Making It! Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–25 Aug, not 18, £7—£10 Shakespeare, His Wife and the Dog Summerhall, 5–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £8—£14

14:05 Pvt. Wars theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 19–23 Aug, £5 Jim theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £5—£8 The Baron Conspiracy C venues - C south, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50 Antiquithon HH Institut français d’Ecosse, 1–23 Aug, not 11, 18, £5 13 Sunken Years The Assembly Rooms, 11–24 Aug, not 18, £13

14:10 Skellig theSpace on the Mile, 11–15 Aug, £7.50 Who’s Afraid of Michael Gove? theSpace @ Venue45, 18–22 Aug, £7 #MyWay HHH Pleasance Dome, 1–16 Aug, £6—£9.50 Wireless Theatre Presents: Couples Who Changed the World Pleasance Dome, 18–25 Aug, £10 Unsung C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50 Wingman Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6.50—£12 We Have Fallen Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, £6—£11 Angel: Take This Body theSpace on North Bridge, 18–23 Aug, £8 Renfield theSpace on the Mile, 18–23 Aug, £5

Show Off HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 19, £6—£11 Bad Boys: Whisky Theatre Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@Jenners, 20 Aug, 24 Aug, £15

❤ Talk About Something You Like

HHHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £7—£12

Normal/Madness Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10 Pygmalion Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, £5 The Road to Skibbereen C venues - C, 10–25 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

The Pure, the Dead and the Brilliant

HHH The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 18, £15

Confusions Paradise in The Vault, 19–23 Aug, £7 Who Did I Think I Was? Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 1–24 Aug, £free My Obsession HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–16 Aug, £5—£9 Keeping Up with the Joans HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7—£13.50 Six Billion Suns ZOO, 8–16 Aug, £8

14:20

History from the Past ... But Now! Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey, 1–24 Aug, £free

Hamlet theSpace on North Bridge, 11–16 Aug, £8

Amazing Grace Palmerston Place Church, 15–16 Aug, £10

Altamont C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£10.50

The Horses Quaker Meeting House, 11–16 Aug, £7

Alice in Concert Church Hill Theatre, 15 Aug, £5

The Sorcerer’s Tale Mayfield Salisbury Church, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, £10

Telling Tales C venues - C nova, 17–24 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

Paras Over the Barras St. Serf’s Halls, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, £10

Black is the Color of My Voice Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 13, £5—£10

Woody Allen’s Writer’s Block St Ninian’s Hall, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, £12

14:25

Woodbine Willie Edinburgh Elim, 13 Aug, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, £11

Two theSpace on Niddry St, 12 Aug, 14 Aug, 16 Aug, £7 Spring Awakening theSpace on Niddry St, 11 Aug, 13 Aug, 15 Aug, £7

14:30 Staggered theSpace on North Bridge, 22–23 Aug, £22

After Aria The Printworks , 15–16 Aug, £8 Baba Brinkman - The Rap Guide to Religion

HHH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£10.50

14:35

14:15

Government Inspector ZOO, 17–25 Aug, £5—£8

A Midsummer Night’s Dream theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–16 Aug, £8.50—£9

Footloose Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5

TalkFest 2014: 02 Traverse Theatre, 18 Aug, £6

No Belles Sweet Grassmarket, 1–24 Aug, £8.50

90 fest 15–18 August 2014

14:40 Antiquithon HH Institut français d’Ecosse, 1–23 Aug, not 11, 18, £5 Mercury Fur C venues - C, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £9.50—£11.50 Rants, Bantz and Comas theSpace on North Bridge, 11–16 Aug, £5 Dead Fresh theSpace on North Bridge, 18–21 Aug, £5 Tea and Jamboree with Queenie Greenside @ Royal Terrace, Various dates from 2 Aug to 23 Aug, £8 Bloom Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 The Europeans Part Two Heroes @ Bob & Miss Behave’s Bookshop, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £5 White Rabbit Red Rabbit Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, £5—£11

Superfluous Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 17–25 Aug, £9

❤ Mush and Me HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£11

Prelude to a Number

HHH

Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 2–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £8—£11

Saving Graces at St Mabel’s Paradise in Augustines, 21–25 Aug, £5 Raymondo Summerhall, 11–24 Aug, £11

14:55 Post-Its (Notes on a Marriage) Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 14–24 Aug, £2—£4 Where the World Is Going, That’s Where We Are Going Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £12.50

14:45

Games of Love and Chance Bedlam Theatre, 18–23 Aug, £7.50

Mark Ravenhill: Product HHH Assembly Hall, 1–20 Aug, £10—£14

The Burning Crowd Just the Tonic at The Caves, 11–24 Aug, not 12, 17, £10

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £7—£12.50

Alive Paradise in The Vault, 19–25 Aug, £7

Paradise Lost Gryphon@WestEnd, 1–16 Aug, not 10, £6—£10 Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £10 The Real Inspector Hound C venues - C nova, 10–25 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Icarus ZOO, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £5—£8

14:50 Travesti HHH Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 5, 19, £6—£11 Blind Hamlet HH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 12, 18, £10—£15

15:00 Drowning Scott Greenside @ Nicolson Square, Various dates from 3 Aug to 15 Aug, £7 Dog, Book and Scandal Gryphon@WestEnd, 1–16 Aug, not 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, £8 Bannockburn Quaker Meeting House, 4–16 Aug, not 10, £8 Zelda- The Last Flapper by William Luce Hill Street Solo Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7—£10 Somebody I Used to Know HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 3, 6, 13, 20, £8—£10

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE LISTINGS The Estate Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 18–23 Aug, £8 Anorak of Fire The Royal Scots Club, 12–16 Aug, £8 The Queen’s Speech Gryphon@WestEnd, Various dates from 2 Aug to 15 Aug, £8 The Matchmaker Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £9—£14 Ruskin Live Scottish National Gallery, 11 Aug, 12 Aug, 14 Aug, 15 Aug, £10 Bottom’s Dream Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 1–16 Aug, not 10, £7—£9 The Ruby Dolls: Fabulous Creatures

HHH

Assembly Checkpoint, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 12, 19, £8—£12

Ctrl+Alt+Delete Zoo Southside, 1–24 Aug, not 7, 13, 20, £5—£7 Mmm Hmmm HHH Zoo Southside, 10–16 Aug, £10

Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope HHH Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £11—£12 Barbara and Yogashwara’s Safe Space theSpace on Niddry St, 6–20 Aug, not 10, 11, 14, 18, £8

15:05 Crazy Glue HH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £7—£11 Gordon theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £7 The Blazers theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–16 Aug, £6—£7 Pennyroyal Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£10 Munich theSpace on the Mile, 19–23 Aug, £7 Amy K theSpace on the Mile, 18–23 Aug, £6

SingleMarriedGirl Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 18–23 Aug, £8—£10

Now We Are Pope: Frederick Rolfe in Venice theSpace on North Bridge, 18–23 Aug, £8

Swimming Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6.50—£11

Smoking Kills theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 18–23 Aug, £5.50

Party in the USA! HH Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7—£12

A History of Falling Things theSpace on the Mile, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £7

Larkin’ About Valvona & Crolla, 13 Aug, 17 Aug, £10

15:10

Kingmaker HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7.50—£14 Mallory: Beyond Everest C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50 The Sorcerer’s Tale Mayfield Salisbury Church, 23 Aug, £10 The Caddington Affair Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 2–16 Aug, not 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, £7 John Muir. Rhapsody in Green Valvona & Crolla, 7 Aug, 9 Aug, 19 Aug, 22 Aug, £12

www.festmag.co.uk

The Lover theSpace on Niddry St, 18–23 Aug, £8

15:15 ❤ Please Don’t

Lippy Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £19 Cuckooed HHH Traverse Theatre, 5 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £19

Zoo Southside, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£8

Mug Shot Paradise in Augustines, 12–16 Aug, £5 Unfaithful Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, £19 The Lieutenant of Inishmore Hill Street Drama Lodge, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 12, 13, 20, £7—£12.50

Lear’s Daughters C venues - C nova, 1–16 Aug, prices vary

RIVERRUN Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £19

Strange Resting Places Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £9—£12

15:20

Where to Begin Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5

Pomme is French for Apple HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£10 The Bunker Trilogy: Morgana C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, £11.50—£13.50 Vanity Bites Back Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£8 Away From Home Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8—£12 Fearnot Wood Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–17 Aug, not 12, £5—£8.50

Property Rites Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, £5 Swiss Cheese Ghillie Dhu, 18 Aug, 25 Aug, £free Are You Lonesome Tonight HHH Summerhall, Various dates from 1 Aug to 22 Aug, £5 Chariot: The Eric Liddell Story Palmerston Place Church, 23 Aug, £11 The Sleeping Trees Treelogy Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £6—£9

Race by David Mamet Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 20, £9—£13

The Secret Wives of Andy Williams HH Underbelly, Cowgate, Various dates from 1 Aug to 24 Aug, £6—£10

15:25

❤ Spine HHHH

Squidboy Underbelly, Bristo Square, 16–25 Aug, £11—£12 Red Jungle Fowl Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£8 Jestia and Raedon C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50

Cry (At My Funeral)

HHHH

The Greatest Liar in All the World Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

15:30 The Penelopiad C venues - C, 10–25 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Dead Wait Pleasance Pop-Up: The Game Lab, 2–17 Aug, not 5, 12, £8—£10

❤ Guinea Pigs on Trial HHHH Summerhall, Various dates from 2 Aug to 23 Aug, £5

Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£11

SmallWar HHH Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £19 Simon Callow in Juvenalia HHH Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 11, 18, £10—£20 Antiquithon HH Institut français d’Ecosse, 1–23 Aug, not 11, 18, £5 Dracula Sweet Grassmarket, 4–17 Aug, £8 Somebody I Used to Know HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 3, 6, 13, 20, £8—£10

Scaramouche Jones Pleasance Courtyard, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £7—£14

147 Questions About Love HHH Dance Base, 1–17 Aug, not 4, 11, £8—£10

Till Death theSpace on North Bridge, 18–21 Aug, £5

18b ZOO, Various dates from 1 Aug to 25 Aug, £8

King David’s Wives St Cuthbert’s Church, 15–23 Aug, not 19, £free

See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil Sweet Grassmarket, 20–24 Aug, £9

The Bastard Children of Remington Steele Underbelly, Cowgate, Various dates from 2 Aug to 23 Aug, £9—£10

15:35 Much Ado About Zombies theSpace on the Mile, 11–16 Aug, £8 I Killed Rasputin Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–24 Aug, £10—£14.50 When It Rains HH Pleasance Dome, 2–23 Aug, not 6, 11, 18, £8—£10.50 This Wide Night C venues - C nova, 10–25 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Post-Its (Notes on a Marriage) Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, 24 Aug, £4

15:40 The Future for Beginners HH Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 12, 19, £8—£10 Llais/Voice theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £5 Sleight & Hand Summerhall, 15–19 Aug, £5—£12 Alison Jackson: A Story in the Public Domain (La Trashiata) Summerhall, 21–24 Aug, £10—£15

15:45

Dead Fresh theSpace on North Bridge, 11–16 Aug, £5

Horizontal Collaboration Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £18

Hot Cat Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7—£12.50

The Carousel Traverse Theatre, 1 Aug, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £18

We Never Land C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 9, £8.50—£10.50 Queen B ZOO, Various dates from 2 Aug to 24 Aug, £8 Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian HHH Traverse Theatre, 5 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £18

❤ Men in the Cities HHHH Traverse Theatre, 3 Aug, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, £18

15:50 Show 6 HHH Summerhall @ Roundabout, 2–17 Aug, not 7, 14, £11—£14

16:00 Like Fireworks, Like Butterflies theSpace on North Bridge, 4–16 Aug, £10 Somebody I Used to Know HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 3, 6, 13, 20, £8—£10 A Game of Soldiers Lauriston Halls, 19–23 Aug, £10 Contractions C venues - C nova, 10–25 Aug, £7.50—£9.50 Hand Made in China: Moons, Migration and Messages Summerhall, 11–24 Aug, £3 FOMO: The Fear of Missing Out Underbelly at Forth 1, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8—£13 Love. Guts. High School.

Sweet Grassmarket, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£9

15–18 August 2014 fest 91

THEATRE LISTINGS Conflict in Court H New Town Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £10—£12 God Is in My Typewriter Hill Street Solo Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £7—£10 The Collector Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£11 Kiss Me Honey, Honey!

Gilded Balloon , 24 Aug, £12.50 Lunch Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 13–24 Aug, £7—£8 Henry V: Here and Now Gryphon@WestEnd, 12–16 Aug, £5 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£14.50

16:35 Lands of Glass HHH Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 16, 19, £9—£12 Casual Encounters theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £5—£8 How does a Snake Shed its Skin? HHH Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 19, £7—£12.50 Flat Pack theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 19–23 Aug, £8 Hats Off To Laurel and Hardy Sweet Grassmarket, 16–17 Aug, £9 Shooting the White Eagle Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£7

❤ Confirmation HHHH Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 2–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £11—£14

16:40 Forty-Five Minutes theSpace @ Venue45, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £5—£9 Nougat for Kings Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10

binôme – Souris Chaos Institut français d’Ecosse, 6–17 Aug, not 11, 12, £5—£7 The Importance of Being Earnest theSpace on the Mile, 11–16 Aug, £9 The Dirty Talk C venues - C, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £9.50—£11.50 Jay-Z and Me: A Fast Talking Memoir Sweet Grassmarket, 1–17 Aug, not 11, £8 A Walk in the Dust Sweet Grassmarket, 15 Aug, £6

16:45 Lie Back and Think of England C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£10.50 Green Snake C venues - C, 20–25 Aug, £11.50—£12.50 Yellow Fever Venue 13, 2–23 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £8 Inheritance Blues Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£11 Cirque Tsuki: Parade C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50 Hamlet C venues - C too, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50

16:50 Tender Napalm C venues - C nova, 10– 25 Aug, £9.50—£11.50 Just Paradise in Augustines, 12–17 Aug, £8 Hiraeth Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£11

16:55 Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £6—£10.50

92 fest 15–18 August 2014

Dead Wait Pleasance Pop-Up: The Game Lab, 2–17 Aug, not 5, 12, £8—£10

Riding the Midnight Express with Billy Hayes Upstairs @ Le Monde, 3–21 Aug, not 8, 9, 15, 16, £16.50

Moonshine, Medicine and The Mob: Whisky Theatre Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@Jenners, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, £15

Tick Tock Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–25 Aug, £9.50

Momma Was a Bad Mutha theSpace on the Mile, 18–23 Aug, £12

Spectrum theSpace on North Bridge, Various dates from 3 Aug to 23 Aug, £6—£8

Nathan Penlington: Choose Your Own Documentary Gilded Balloon , 10–25 Aug, £10.50—£12.50

17:05

Unprescribed Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 1–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £5—£9

❤ Little on the inside

Linwood No More theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 4–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £10

17:00

HHHH

Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £9—£12

Woyzeck!

C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50 Barbara and Yogashwara’s Safe Space theSpace on Niddry St, 6–20 Aug, not 10, 11, 14, 18, £8 The Knee Jerk of Sloth HHH ZOO, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £5—£8 Symphony by Ella Hickson, Nick Payne and Tom Wells HHH Assembly George Square Gardens, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £10—£15 TalkFest 2014: 02 Traverse Theatre, 18 Aug, £6 Man Enough Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 1–24 Aug, £free Sophie Wu is Minging, She Looks Like She’s Dead Wee Red Bar, 2–24 Aug, £free You, Me and the World HHH Zoo Southside, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 12, 19, £7—£9 A Walk at the Edge of the World HHH Summerhall @ The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 1–24 Aug, not 7, 11, 18, £8—£12 Haggis Haggis Haggis Scottish Storytelling Centre, 4–24 Aug, not 12, 13, 14, £10 Civil Rogues HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£11

The Blazers theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 18–23 Aug, £6—£7

An Audience With Shurl Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–23 Aug, £7 Singarevva and the Palace Sweet Grassmarket, 12–17 Aug, £7 Driving with the Parking Brake Up theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £7 The Trojan Women theSpace on the Mile, 18–23 Aug, £8—£10 Gidion’s Knot theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 4–16 Aug, not 10, £9 El Britanico!

(Wrestling Reality) theSpace on the Mile, 11–16 Aug, £6

17:10 ❤ Hayani HHHH Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £9—£13

Soldier Box theSpace on North Bridge, Various dates from 2 Aug to 22 Aug, £6—£8 Perfection C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

17:15 Bad Boys: Whisky Theatre Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@Jenners, 6–23 Aug, not 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, £15

MenSWEAR Collection: Three, Two, F*ck C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50 Occupied Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £9 Treasure Island theSpace on Niddry St, 1–23 Aug, £10—£11 Life on the One Wheel ZOO, 17–25 Aug, £8 Safeword Sweet Grassmarket, 20–24 Aug, £8 Light Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £7.50—£13

17:20 The Sonneteer Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 1–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £8—£14 Klip HH Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 8, 11, 18, £6—£11

17:30 Dead To Me Summerhall @ Roundabout, 6–23 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £8—£11 Burger Van Thistle King James Hotel, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 7, 21, £free

❤ Black Faggot HHHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7—£12.50

Where to Begin Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5

❤ So It Goes HHHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£10.50

After Aria The Printworks , 14–16 Aug, £8 Your Fragrant Phantom C venues - C cubed, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£10.50 Somebody I Used to Know HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 2, 3, 6, 13, 20, £8—£10 Yellow Moon: The Ballad of Leila and Lee theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 18–23 Aug, £8 Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits St Cuthbert’s Church, 11–15 Aug, £10

17:35 Monkeys and Typewriters theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 12 Aug to 23 Aug, £5 The Ukulele Evangelists Bang One Out theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £8 Harry the King Zoo Southside, 10–25 Aug, £9 Ablutions HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£11

17:40 Motortown Sweet Grassmarket, 18–24 Aug, £8.50 True Brits Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£10 Hamlet SpaceCabaret @ 54, 11–16 Aug, £8—£10

17:45 Newton’s Cauldron Paradise in The Vault, 2–17 Aug, not 11, £5—£7

Property Rites Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5

The Human Voice Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 18–25 Aug, £10

PratFall theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 18–23 Aug, £5

BigMouth Traverse Theatre, 21 Aug, £19

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE LISTINGS Our Jackie Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–25 Aug, £6 Fundamentalists just Festival, Various dates from 18 Aug to 25 Aug, £10 Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Revised) Pleasance Courtyard, 17–25 Aug, £12—£17 The Man Who Would Be King ZOO, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £6—£9 No Guts, No Heart, No Glory Sandy’s Boxing Gym, 22–24 Aug, £12 Scots: Double Bill Duddingston Kirk Manse Gardens, 5–16 Aug, not 10, 11, £8

www.festmag.co.uk

16:05 Tadzio Speaks ...

Death in Venice Revisited theSpace on North Bridge, 18–23 Aug, £8 The Return of Savonarola theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 1 Aug to 22 Aug, £5—£10 Antiquithon HH Institut français d’Ecosse, 1–23 Aug, not 11, 18, £5 Macbeth - Son of Light theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £8 The Trial of Jane Fonda HH The Assembly Rooms, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £16 The Tulip Tree- The Love Story of J Enoch Powell theSpace on Niddry St, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 17, £8—£10

An Evening with Dementia theSpace on the Mile, Various dates from 2 Aug to 23 Aug, £10 The Constant Soldier theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £7

16:10 The Piece of Paper Paradox theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £6.50—£8 The Confessions of Gordon Brown Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 13, 20, £10—£16 Freak HHH Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £5—£11 How to Achieve Redemption as a Scot Through the Medium of Braveheart HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£11

Broke HHH Pleasance Dome, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £6—£12

Pygmalion Church Hill Theatre, 19 Aug, £5

The Last Piemen theSpace on the Mile, 18–23 Aug, £8

Jamaica Farewell

16:15 Dead Letters C venues - C cubed, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50 Much Ado About Nothing theSpace @ Venue45, 18–23 Aug, £8 Boxman H Gilded Balloon , 1–25 Aug, £5—£10 Circumcise Me Gilded Balloon , 1–15 Aug, not 2, 9, £11 News Junkie Paradise in The Vault, 19–25 Aug, £6—£7 Spoiling HHH Traverse Theatre, 2 Aug, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £18

HH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, £6—£11

Maybe New Town Theatre, 16–24 Aug, £10 Jack Gryphon@WestEnd, 12–16 Aug, £6 The Exchange Zoo Southside, 1–25 Aug, £10

16:20 Anthem for a Doomed Youth Assembly Roxy, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £8—£13 Alice in Concert Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, £5 Bitesize Chekhov Zoo Southside, 1–25 Aug, £10

16:25 Wolf Whistle Paradise in The Vault, 4–17 Aug, not 5, 11, £6 Gagging for It SpaceCabaret @ 54, 1–23 Aug, not 17, £5—£9

16:30 Somebody I Used to Know HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 3, 6, 13, 20, £8—£10 St Joan Bedlam Theatre, 2–24 Aug, not 12, £8 Theatre on a Long Thin Wire HH Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, £5—£10 Ernest and the Pale Moon Pleasance Courtyard, 3–25 Aug, not 12, £9.50—£12.50

15–18 August 2014 fest 93

THEATRE LISTINGS The Lieutenant of Inishmore Hill Street Drama Lodge, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 12, 13, 20, £7—£12.50 Cuckooed HHH Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £19 John Muir. Rhapsody in Green Valvona & Crolla, 13 Aug, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, £12 Phone Whore: A One Act Play With Frequent Interruptions Sweet Grassmarket, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £8.50 The Great Gatsby Assembly Roxy, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £10—£14 SmallWar HHH Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, £19

17:50 Compulsion Paradise in The Vault, 19–25 Aug, £8 The Greenville Ghost C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50 21st Century Poe: Moyamensing Paradise in The Vault, 4–17 Aug, not 11, £8

Mata Hari In Eight Bullets Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, 17 Aug, 19 Aug, 20 Aug, £15 RIVERRUN Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £19 Somebody I Used to Know HHH Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 2, 3, 6, 13, 20, £8—£10 Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles National Library of Scotland, 11–22 Aug, weekdays only, £6 Victorian Vices – Sweeney Todd and the String of Pearls theSpace on Niddry St, 1–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £8—£11

❤ The Capone Trilogy: Lucifer

HHHH

C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, £11.50—£13.50

❤ The Object Lesson HHHH Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £9—£14

The Duck Pond Bedlam Theatre, 2–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£8

Spoiling HHH Traverse Theatre, 3 Aug, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, £18

The Flood HHH Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £12

Love Thy Neighbour Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–25 Aug, £5

HHH

Letters Home Edinburgh International Book Festival, 9–25 Aug, not 12, 19, £10—£15 Bunbury Is Dead Cafe Camino, 2–23 Aug, not 15, £free Pygmalion Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, £5 Death Shall Have No Dominion Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 1–23 Aug, not 19, £free Too Cool to Care Venue 13, 2–23 Aug, not 11, £8 The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha ZOO, 1–25 Aug, not 6, 13, 20, £9 Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian HHH Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £18 Weekend Breaks The Royal Scots Club, 11–16 Aug, £12

17:55

18:05

Antigone C venues - C, 17–25 Aug, £9.50—£11.50

When My Time Comes theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £5

Footloose Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5

Belfast Boy Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–25 Aug, £7.50—£10

The Alchemist Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£10

18:00 Unfaithful Traverse Theatre, 5 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £19 The Interview HHH Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, £6—£10 Shakespeare in the Garden: A Midsummer Night’s Dream C venues - C south, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £7.50—£9.50 Voca People HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 12, 19, £8—£16 Lippy Traverse Theatre, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £19

Casting the Runes theSpace on the Mile, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £5—£10 Title and Deed by Will Eno HH Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8—£13

18:10 The God That Comes Summerhall, 13–24 Aug, not 18, £12 Chef Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–17 Aug, £6—£10.50

18:15 Labour of Love Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, £5

94 fest 15–18 August 2014

He Had Hairy Hands Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 13, £6—£11.50

Boosters ZOO, 4–24 Aug, £5—£9

❤ Men in the Cities HHHH Traverse Theatre, 5 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £18

Mental Pleasance Pop-Up: The Bedroom, 7–24 Aug, not 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, £10 Broken Dolls (Razbitye Kuklu) C venues - C cubed, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£10.50 Horizontal Collaboration Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £18 The Carousel Traverse Theatre, 2 Aug, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £18 Light Killer Summerhall, 9–24 Aug, £7—£11 Torsten The Bareback Saint Assembly George Square Studios, 5–16 Aug, £16—£19

18:40 Punk Rock theSpace on North Bridge, 18–23 Aug, £7 You’re Never Too Old Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£10

Assembly Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£11

Lace Up theSpace on North Bridge, Various dates from 4 Aug to 22 Aug, £8 Death is the New Porn theSpace on North Bridge, Various dates from 3 Aug to 23 Aug, £6—£8 A Brief History of Scotland - We Done Loads!

Sweet Grassmarket, 2–24 Aug, £9.50 James Bannon: Running with the Firm Assembly Roxy, 18–24 Aug, £10 Noughts and Crosses Paradise in Augustines, 12–17 Aug, £10 Trainspotting HHH Hill Street Drama Lodge, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £7—£14

18:50 Awkward Conversations with Animals I’ve F*cked

Sonnets for an Old Century Church Hill Theatre, 15 Aug, £5

Deprescos theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 11 Aug to 22 Aug, £5

Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£10.50

The Three Peaks Quaker Meeting House, 11–16 Aug, £8

Doctor Marigold’s Prescriptions theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £7

Wastwater C venues - C nova, 1–16 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Working Title: The Orpheus Project C venues - C too, 2–25 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

18:30

I Promise You Sex and Violence HH Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 2–23 Aug, not 7, 14, 21, £11—£14

Silence in Court New Town Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £10—£12

Old Gristle theSpace @ Venue45, Various dates from 12 Aug to 23 Aug, £5

Bazaar and Rummage C venues - C nova, 1–16 Aug, not 7, £8.50—£10.50

Tales from the MP3 Summerhall, 10–24 Aug, not 12, 19, £10.50—£12.50

Hyde & Seek C venues - C nova, 3–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£10.50

A Modernist Event C venues - C south, 3–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50

Underbelly, Bristo Square, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

I’m Not Pale, I’m Dead

Charmolypi Summerhall, 9–24 Aug, not 18, £10

18:25

HHH

18:45

18:35

18:20

Vincent Goes Splat

HHH

Chris Dugdale: More Magic and Mischief Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£12 Beans On Toast Zoo Southside, 1–25 Aug, not 18, £5—£9

18:55 Forever Young theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 18–23 Aug, £8

19:00 Naked in Alaska Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£10

HHH The Despondent Divorcée C venues - C cubed, 1–25 Aug, not 8, 9, £8.50—£10.50 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Edinburgh Elim, 19 Aug, 21 Aug, £8 Legion Buccleuch Free Church, 19–23 Aug, £free Dead Wait Pleasance Pop-Up: The Game Lab, 2–17 Aug, not 5, 12, £8—£10 Miss Julie Scottish Storytelling Centre, 11–15 Aug, £10 Love to Love to Love You Royal Over-Seas League, 18–21 Aug, £7.50 Can’t Stay Away! theSpace on Niddry St, 1–23 Aug, £9—£11 My Name is Saoirse Scottish Storytelling Centre, Various dates from 1 Aug to 19 Aug, £10 X and Y Scottish Storytelling Centre, Various dates from 6 Aug to 24 Aug, £10 Barbara and Yogashwara’s Safe Space theSpace on Niddry St, 6–20 Aug, not 10, 11, 14, 18, £8 And I Ran With The Gang – The Story Of The Original Bay City Roller Upstairs @ Le Monde, 3–21 Aug, not 8, 9, 15, 16, £12

19:05 Stackard Banks is Self-Discovered Ciao Roma, 2–23 Aug, not 12, £free

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE LISTINGS Olaudah Equiano: The Enslaved African theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 8, 10, £8 Hamlet theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 18–23 Aug, £8—£10 Don Quixote theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £5

19:10 Winter of Our Discotheque Paradise in The Vault, 12–25 Aug, not 18, £8 Backstage Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 6–19 Aug, £8—£10 Candy Cigarettes theSpace on the Mile, 19–23 Aug, £8 The Canterbury Crawl theSpace on the Mile, 19–23 Aug, £5 And the Horse You Rode in On Paradise in Augustines, 4–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £7 Beats North Summerhall @ Roundabout, 11–23 Aug, not 14, 21, £11—£14

19:15 The Player’s Advice to Shakespeare C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £9.50—£11.50 Chariot: The Eric Liddell Story Palmerston Place Church, 19–22 Aug, £11 3,000 Trees by George Gunn Gryphon@WestEnd, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £8

19:20 Doing Time With Number 5 Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–25 Aug, £7 The Bunker Trilogy: Agamemnon C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, £11.50—£13.50 In Control Paradise in The Vault, Various dates from 3 Aug to 25 Aug, £6.50—£7

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Rats!

Paradise in The Vault, Various dates from 2 Aug to 24 Aug, £6.50—£7

19:25 Frankenstein: UnBolted Just the Tonic at The Caves, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £1—£9

19:30 Swing HH Dance Base, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £8—£10

Woodbine Willie Edinburgh Elim, 12–16 Aug, £11 Mary Stewart Duddingston Kirk Manse Gardens, 6–24 Aug, not 10, 11, 12, 18, 19, £10 Pre-View: Traverse Theatre, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, £6

19:35 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest theSpace @ Venue45, 11–16 Aug, £7

A Game of Soldiers Lauriston Halls, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £10

The Really Big Diamond theSpace @ Venue45, 19–23 Aug, £7

Relatively Speaking Murrayfield Parish Church Centre, 6–16 Aug, not 10, £10.50

Tinderbox Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 1–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £8—£10

❤ How to Disappear Completely HHHH

A Journey Round My Skull Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £11—£12

Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 13, £6—£11.50

Leave Me Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 10–25 Aug, £7 The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour Outside the Beehive Inn, 1–31 Aug, £14 Kiss Me Honey, Honey!

Gilded Balloon , 17 Aug, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, 20 Aug, 23 Aug, £12.50

Making Light theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £7

19:40 Sins of Seven Tables Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £3—£7

19:45

19:55 Last Call C venues - C cubed, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£10.50

20:00 Victorian Vices – The Picture of Dorian Gray theSpace on Niddry St, 1–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £8—£11 No Guts, No Heart, No Glory Sandy’s Boxing Gym, 22–24 Aug, £12 So What If I Dance?

Sweet Grassmarket, 1–17 Aug, not 3, 6, 13, £5—£7 Faulty Towers The Dining Experience B’est Restaurant, 3–26 Aug, not 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, £49.50 God’s Own Country

HH

Zoo Southside, 1–25 Aug, £8—£10

(Un)tied Sweet Grassmarket, 20–24 Aug, £8 Notoriously Yours C venues - C south, 3–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50 Pint Size Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free

Amazing Grace Palmerston Place Church, 13–15 Aug, £10

The Sorcerer’s Tale Mayfield Salisbury Church, 2–22 Aug, not 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, £10

Grimm C venues - C too, 1–16 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

Mojo C venues - C, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £9.50—£11.50

Bond!

ZOO, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £6—£12

Where to Begin Church Hill Theatre, 15 Aug, £5

Blood Orange HHH Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 10, 11, £14.50

The Quant HHH Hill Street Solo Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £5—£10

Property Rites Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5

Kaspar Venue 13, 2–23 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £8

At the Illusionist’s Table The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, 1–22 Aug, not 3, 7, 9, 10, 17, £59 Claustrophobia ZOO, 1–25 Aug, not 18, £9—£10 Paras Over the Barras St. Serf’s Halls, 4–15 Aug, not 10, £10 Woody Allen’s Writer’s Block St Ninian’s Hall, 4–16 Aug, not 10, 14, £12

20:05

Soften the Grey theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 18–23 Aug, £8 Marijan theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 1–23 Aug, not 13, 14, 15, prices vary An Extraordinary Light theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–16 Aug, not 3, 10, £6—£8

20:10 According To His Need C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7.50—£9.50 The Sorrows of Young Werther theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 13–15 Aug, £6 The 24 Hour Mystery Play Paradise in Augustines, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, 24 Aug, £7 Upper Lip theSpace on the Mile, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 16, £6—£8 Before Us Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £6—£10.50

20:15 Labour of Love Church Hill Theatre, 18 Aug, £5 Captain Amazing Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 18 Aug, 19 Aug, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, 23 Aug, £14 Pygmalion Church Hill Theatre, 15 Aug, £5

A Series of Increasingly Impossible Acts Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 2–17 Aug, not 7, 14, £11—£14 Lippy Traverse Theatre, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, £19 Nancy Dell’Olio: Rainbows From Diamonds Gilded Balloon , 14–24 Aug, £11—£13

20:20 Chatroom C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £9.50—£11.50 Sonnets for an Old Century Church Hill Theatre, 17 Aug, 19 Aug, £5

20:30 The Carousel Traverse Theatre, 3 Aug, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 21 Aug, £18 The Bridge just Festival, 1–25 Aug, not 2, 11, 18, 24, £10 Sirens Summerhall, 12–24 Aug, not 18, £8—£12.50 Dead Wait Pleasance Pop-Up: The Game Lab, 2–17 Aug, not 5, 12, £8—£10 Unfaithful Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £19 The House of Bernarda Alba theSpace on Niddry St, 1–23 Aug, £9—£11

19:50 21 Things You Should Know About Toronto’s Crack-Smoking Mayor Sweet Grassmarket, 1–24 Aug, not 2, £5—£8.50 Keeping Abreast Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £8—£13 God on Trial C venues - C nova, 1–16 Aug, £9.50—£11.50

15–18 August 2014 fest 95

THEATRE LISTINGS Cuckooed HHH Traverse Theatre, 2 Aug, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £13—£19

20:40 ❤ The Capone

The Flood HHH Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 11, 18, £12

C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, £11.50—£13.50

❤ Standby for Tape Back-Up

HHHHH

Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8—£10

Trilogy: Vindici

HHHH Darkle theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–23 Aug, not 10, £10—£11 What Do You Mean Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–25 Aug, not 12, 19, £10

Italia ‘n’ Caledonia Valvona & Crolla, 11 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 21 Aug, £12

Sleeping with Beauty Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 19 Aug, £4

Rumours The Royal Scots Club, 11–16 Aug, £12

20:45

John Muir. Rhapsody in Green Valvona & Crolla, 14 Aug, 23 Aug, £12 Indian Peter’s Coffee House Valvona & Crolla, 6 Aug, 9 Aug, 12 Aug, 18 Aug, £12

Standing on Lego Paradise in Augustines, 19–21 Aug, £5—£8 Mates Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 1–16 Aug, not 10, £10 Take Me Home: A One-woman Odyssey George Next Door, 2–23 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £free

Shrew C venues - C cubed, 1–25 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

Terror Paradise in The Vault, 12–24 Aug, not 18, £10

Lysistrata C venues - C, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £10.50—£12.50

The Cold Clear Elsewhere Cafe Camino, 2–23 Aug, not 15, £free

20:35 Great Artists Steal

HH theSpace @ Venue45, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £5—£9

The Rose of Jericho theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £6—£10

The Rooftops Of Paris Laughing Horse @ Ryrie’s, 2–15 Aug, not 6, 11, £free Donald Robertson Is Not a Stand-Up Comedian HHH Traverse Theatre, 7 Aug, 13 Aug, 19 Aug, 24 Aug, £18

96 fest 15–18 August 2014

❤ Men in the Cities HHHH Traverse Theatre, 6 Aug, 12 Aug, 17 Aug, 23 Aug, £18

SmallWar HHH Traverse Theatre, 5 Aug, 10 Aug, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £19 RIVERRUN Traverse Theatre, 3 Aug, 8 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £19 Serve Cold Gryphon@WestEnd, 11–16 Aug, £8

20:50 Punk Rock Greenside @ Royal Terrace, 18–23 Aug, £6

❤ Janis Joplin: Full Tilt HHHH Assembly Checkpoint, 1–24 Aug, not 8, 12, 19, £10—£13.50

Actors Paradise in The Vault, 12–25 Aug, not 18, £6.50—£8 The Merchant of Venice Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 18–23 Aug, £9

20:55 The Villains, the Vote and the Black, Black Oil Sweet Grassmarket, 18–24 Aug, £7

Private View Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 6–24 Aug, not 12, £7 A Journey Round My Skull Summerhall, 18 Aug, £11 Big Brother: Blitzkrieg Sweet Grassmarket, 4–17 Aug, £8.50 Hunter and Johnny ZOO, 1–25 Aug, £9 Early Doors HHH Pleasance Pop-Up: The Pub, 17 Aug, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, £10 3,000 Trees: The Death of Mr William MacRae Sweet Grassmarket, 1–24 Aug, £8 Trainspotting HHH Hill Street Drama Lodge, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £7—£14 Fragile ZOO, 1–25 Aug, £8.50—£9.50

❤ Return to the Voice HHHHH Summerhall @ St Giles Cathedral, Various dates from 7 Aug to 25 Aug, £15

Hibrow In-Conversations Summerhall @ Roundabout, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, £10

21:05

of Z: Edinburgh

Dave! theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 14 Aug, 16 Aug, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, 22 Aug, £7

Assembly George Square Theatre, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 19, £8—£12

A Quartet of Chekhov Farces theSpace on the Mile, 11–16 Aug, £7—£8

21:00 ❤ The Generation HHHH

Lady GoGo Goch Summerhall, 1–24 Aug, not 4, 11, 18, £11—£12 Totally Devoted theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £6—£9 Seated Reservations theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11 Aug, 13 Aug, 15 Aug, 19 Aug, 21 Aug, £7

21:10 ❤ Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho

HHHH

666 DSM: A Dark Comedy about Sanity, Society and Spirituality Venue 13, 2–23 Aug, not 11, £8 Super Tramp Zoo Southside, 1–25 Aug, £9

21:20 Dracula HHH Pleasance Courtyard, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8—£14

Guaranteed Nudity theSpace on the Mile, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £6

Paperback Time Machine: Book to the Future Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £4—£8

Honest theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 18–23 Aug, £8

London Life SpaceCabaret @ 54, 11–16 Aug, £10

21:15

21:25

Assembly George Square Gardens, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £8—£13

Horizontal Collaboration Traverse Theatre, 2 Aug, 14 Aug, 20 Aug, £18 Spoiling HHH Traverse Theatre, 16 Aug, 22 Aug, £18 Replay C venues - C cubed, 1–25 Aug, £8.50—£10.50 Connected SpaceCabaret @ 54, 18–23 Aug, £8 The Lieutenant of Inishmore Hill Street Drama Lodge, 1–24 Aug, not 6, 12, 13, 20, £7—£12.50 Not I and Rockaby theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 14–16 Aug, £5

Barge Baby C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£10.50

21:30 The World Mouse Plague Summerhall, 13–24 Aug, not 18, 19, £8—£10 Thief Hill Street Solo Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £10 Send More Paper Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 21 Aug, £14 The Unholy Trinity theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 11–23 Aug, not 17, £12

www.festmag.co.uk

THEATRE LISTINGS 21:35 Neverland theSpace @ Venue45, 11–16 Aug, £9 The Temptation of St Anthony theSpace @ Venue45, 18–23 Aug, £8—£9

21:40 Punk Rock Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 17 Aug, £7 Phantom Pain theSpace on North Bridge, 11–16 Aug, £7.50 GoldDust theSpace on North Bridge, 18–23 Aug, £5 The Post Show

HHH

Mata Hari In Eight Bullets Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 7–23 Aug, not 9, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, £10—£15 Wuthering Heights Summerhall, 10–24 Aug, not 11, 12, 15, 18, £12.50 X and Y just Festival, Various dates from 1 Aug to 19 Aug, £5—£10 The Bunker Trilogy: Macbeth C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, £11.50—£13.50 Drunk Lion Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 1–24 Aug, £free

Assembly George Square Studios, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £7—£15

Gidding’s Ward Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 11–16 Aug, £5

21:45

❤ Milk Presents: Self Service HHHH

The Cosmonaut’s Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union C venues - C cubed, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50

21:50 Snoutology for Beginners Summerhall, 18–24 Aug, £5—£7

22:00 Candide Greenside @ Nicolson Square, 18–22 Aug, £7.50

www.festmag.co.uk

Northern Stage at King’s Hall, 2–23 Aug, not 3, 7, 14, 21, £8—£11

My Name is Saoirse just Festival, 6–23 Aug, not 16, 17, 18, 19, £10 Sanitise Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

22:05 MenSWEAR Collection: Spunk C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £8.50—£10.50

22:10 The Noctambulist Paradise in The Vault, 12–17 Aug, £8

Loose Soul Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 1–25 Aug, £9

Looking for Paul Wunderbaum Summerhall, 14–23 Aug, £12.50

22:15

Larkin’ About Valvona & Crolla, 9 Aug, 15 Aug, 16 Aug, £10

We Were Kings theSpace on the Mile, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £5—£7

The Babysitters C venues - C cubed, 1–16 Aug, £7.50—£9.50

Refresh: Stories of Love, Sex, and the Internet theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £5—£7 Tape C venues - C too, 10–25 Aug, not 14, 15, 16, £7.50—£9.50 The Bastard Queen theSpace on Niddry St, 18–23 Aug, £7 A Male Soprano Paradise in The Vault, 4–25 Aug, not 18, £7 Footloose Church Hill Theatre, 16 Aug, £5

22:20 Biding Time (Remix) Summerhall, 5–23 Aug, not 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 22, £6—£12

22:25 Hamlet theSpace on North Bridge, 1–23 Aug, not 3, 10, 17, £4—£7.50

22:30 And They Played Shang-a-Lang The Assembly Rooms, 13–24 Aug, £12—£15

The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven artSpace@StMarks, 5–23 Aug, not 10, 11, 17, 18, £10—£12 A Virgin’s Guide To...

Rocky Horror New Town Theatre, 1–24 Aug, not 12, £12—£14

❤ Return to the Voice HHHHH Summerhall @ St Giles Cathedral, 6 Aug, 13 Aug, 14 Aug, 15 Aug, 20 Aug, £12—£15

22:35 Smoking Ban theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 11–16 Aug, £7 The Devil Without C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 12, £8.50—£10.50

22:55

❤ The Generation

Puzzle the Puzzle C venues - C nova, 1–25 Aug, not 11, 18, £8.50—£10.50

of Z: Edinburgh

Et Tu Elvie C venues - C, 1–25 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

HHHH Assembly George Square Theatre, Various dates from 1 Aug to 24 Aug, £8—£12

Dinner is Swerved

HHH

23:00 ❤ The Generation of Z: Edinburgh

HHHH

Assembly George Square Theatre, 12 Aug, 13 Aug, 18 Aug, 20 Aug, £12

This Is Living Bedlam Theatre, 2–23 Aug, not 10, 17, £7—£9 Shed Brain Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 14–24 Aug, £free

23:10 Case Number Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 20–24 Aug, £6

23:15 What a Gay Play C venues - C, 1–24 Aug, £8.50—£10.50

22:40

Trainspotting HHH Hill Street Drama Lodge, 1–24 Aug, not 5, 12, 19, £7—£14

Engels! The Karl Marx Story Double Bill theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 19–23 Aug, £10

Kim Noble: You’re Not Alone Traverse Theatre, 19–24 Aug, £13—£19

C venues - C nova, 8–24 Aug, not 12, 19, £15.50—£19.50

Bonenkai Underbelly, Cowgate, 1–24 Aug, not 11, £6—£10 Against Nothingness or 3cm Above an Empty Head Summerhall, 18–24 Aug, £10 Séance Sweet Grassmarket, 4 Aug, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, £10

23:55 Alice theSpace on North Bridge, 6–23 Aug, not 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, £10—£14

00:00 tive Get A Round Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 2–25 Aug, £free

01:30 ❤ Margaret Thatcher

22:45

23:30

Queen of Soho

Calypso Nights Assembly Roxy, 1–25 Aug, not 11, £6—£10

Tape C venues - C too, 14–16 Aug, £8.50—£9.50

Assembly George Square Gardens, 16–17 Aug, £13

HHHH

15–18 August 2014 fest 97

TRYGVE WAKENSHAW:

Ten Things I Did Today SQUIDBOY – Underbelly, Bristo Square, 3:25pm – 4:25pm, 16–25 Aug, £11 – £12 KRAKEN – Underbelly, Cowgate, 8:40pm – 9:40pm, 31 Jul – 24 Aug, £11 – £12

I looked after me while I looked after me while I looked after me.

2

I bumped into Sara Pascoe, but she was focussed on something else.

I shared a cigarette with Holly Walsh but it was gross.

4

7

I talked to a woman dressed like an ice cream. She was tiny and delicious.

I discussed that thing with Carl Donnelly. #vegan #blessed #crueltyfreethings

10 98 fest 15–18 August 2014

5

I was showing Tom Monckton a thing and it was SO incredible!

I tried to console James Acaster but he was just too sad. :(

8

3

Fireworks! ARGH! The noises scare me a little.

Carl Donnelly and I took interest in a thing.

6

1

9

I smiled for a poster of a show made by the same me as I am!!

www.festmag.co.uk

www.festmag.co.uk

15–18 August 2014 fest 99

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‘THRILLING! HAD MY HEART PUMPING!’ HUFFINGTON POST

HHHHH ‘A MUST SEE’

EDINBURGH FESTIVALS MAGAZINE

HHHH

‘MESMERISING’ THE LIST

31 July 24 August 6.10pm siddharthathemusical.co.uk

Festival Highlights.com