Because the Fringe website no
longer allows search results to be downloaded as csv files, I wrote a C++
program, main.cpp
that parses the html files results for all of the Theatre category, and stores
the information in a .csv (comma separated file), named theater2025.csv
(note the American spelling). I hadn’t
written C++ code for five years, and main.cpp shows that by being ugly, and
without comments, but I only had a few hours to write it, and it works! I also converted theater.csv to an Excel
file, theater2025.xslx
that has a few extra columns that provide useful information for scheduling
purposes. The coding for the days of
each show is: 0=No show, 1= Sold out, 2= Available, 3= 2-for-1, 4= Preview, 5=
Free Fringe. Please note that all of
these files were created before the Fringe started, and won’t be updated during
the Fringe.
You can change the sorting column
of the table below by first clicking anywhere in its header. Each succeeding click in the header sorts the
table by the column clicked. Succeeding
clicks of a column will reverse the previous sort order. Sorting by the Date column on the right
allows returning viewers to see my most recent reviews.
|
Rank
|
Review
|
Venue
|
Begins
|
Ends
|
Date
|
|
1.
|
The
Nature of Forgetting (*****)
On
his 55th birthday, we see what is going on inside the mind of a fellow
with dementia. The rapid, precise,
complex choreography of the four cancers created an amazing live dreamscape. The first scene with him unable to find the
proper black suit with a red tie in its pocket because search missed the red
tie was a perfect introduction for the rest of the play.
|
Grand
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
13:15
|
14:30
|
18
|
|
2.
|
Ordinary
Decent Criminal (*****)
Mark
Thomas plays all of the parts in a story of a former political protester who finds
himself in a model prison for importing marijuana, and must navigate its
powerful men. Whether playing a Belfast
IRA convict, or the little kingpin of the prison, he imbues each with unique
characteristics that obviates the need for him to use costume changes to
indicate which character he is inhabiting. Many of his characters have a vitality that
makes their interactions tense and riveting for us.
|
TechCube
0 at Summerhall
|
11:50
|
13:00
|
1
|
|
3.
|
Red
Like Fruit (*****)
A
journalist/playwright sits mostly silently in a chair while a man reads aloud
her script about her sexual encounters. The range and ambiguity of her encounters creates
the shades of gray of her reality that are vexing for the journalist who
needs some right or wrong answers. The
use of a male reader makes it easier for the script to remain more
dispassionate than if a woman added her voice to it.
|
Traverse
2 at Traverse Theatre
|
18:30
|
19:45
|
-31
|
|
4.
|
RIFT
(*****)
Four
years after his brother’s sentencing, a grad student of English finally visits
the murderer in prison. I was rivetted
throughout the play as it explored prison life, racism, sexual abuse, and
family dynamics. As the play proceeds,
the turbulence of their relationship facilitates a range of perspectives of
the issues.
|
Traverse
2 at Traverse Theatre
|
11:00
|
12:20
|
-31
|
|
5.
|
Casablanca: The Gin Joint
Cut (*****)
This homage is a remarkable
mix of reverent recital and play-within-a-play antics. I’ve seen Casablanca countless times, and I
was amazed how the cast of three would play every touching scene straight,
but then add every sort of high jinx to the other scenes. I should warn the uninitiated that many of
their funny touches, such as air freshener sprayed all over the set to
simulate fog in the airport scene, will make little sense to you. Note: I saw this play in 2011 with the same
Bogart actor, and thought it the best play that year, and feel uneasy about
not rating this #2 this year.
|
Auditorium
at Ghillie Dhu
|
19:45
|
21:15
|
2
|
|
6.
|
1984
(*****)
A
cast of three, using life-size puppets at times, produce a thorough
recreation of Orwell’s dystopian book. Winston Smith, Julia, and various supporting
characters are here to suffer the history twisting ever watched world from
love to torture. I was truly amazed
how they crammed all of the atmosphere and events into 70 minutes without it
feeling rushed.
|
Above
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
11:25
|
12:35
|
22
|
|
7.
|
Personal
Statement (*****)
A
huge cast of high schools students attend training program where each offers
at least two different college personal statements before the instructor
accepts the last one. Both the script
and the actors were exceptional with only a few weak voices and offkey
statements. This brought tears to my
eyes on several occasions, and is the best high school production I have ever
seen.
|
Auditorium
at Central Hall
|
18:00
|
19:10
|
6
|
|
8.
|
The
Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show (Menu 2) (*****)
This
great set of five sketches were about: a man’s plan to propose on a Ferris wheel;
as a volunteer, an actor offers to apply his craft to a food bank line; a
mundane package delivery initiates mayhem; the last wishes of their close
friend reveal the latent differences among three longtime girlfriends; and a
climate changing denying American TV news duo contends with an English weatherman
who is a scientist. Each of the five
evolves in a funny but reasonable fashion. There were all humorous through and through.
|
Pleasance
One at Pleasance Courtyard
|
10:30
|
11:40
|
3
|
|
9.
|
Locusts (*****)
A gay man must
deal with a his former pastor who had tried to convert his sexuality. This four-hander delicately deals with this
topic in a way that allows each character a chance to express their
motivation and emotional states without being preachy. The
Christian protagonist does a great job of being tender, and conflicted.
|
Studio
at theSpaceTriplex
|
16:05
|
16:55
|
5
|
|
10.
|
Do
You Accept These Charges? (*****)
A
woman describes her real relationship with a convict while he is in and out
of prison. Her acting skills combined
with a screen showing photos from her life and copies of their texts creates
a powerful show. Whether trying to
sneak marijuana into prison, or having phone sex, her recreations are sincere
and heartbreaking.
|
Below
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
15:10
|
16:10
|
14
|
|
11.
|
World's
Greatest Lover -- The New Musical (*****)
Five
famous lovers from history set about saving love by learning from their mistakes.
The lyrics are good, the music and
singing great, and the choreography top notch from this professional company.
Normally I don’t like audience
participation, but when they chose a woman to come on stage and be serenaded
by them it suited the romantic theme of the show.
|
Pleasance
One at Pleasance Courtyard
|
18:00
|
19:00
|
21
|
|
12.
|
Bill
Bailey: Thoughtifier (*****)
Bailey
covers a lot of ground in the two hour show by combining stand-up with
playing an amazing range of musical instruments. The topics of his stand-up routines ranged from
pallbearer in Indonesia to nuclear science. He was accompanied by drums, bass, and violin
as e played instruments ranging from Turkish lute to piano to musical rubber
bouncing balls to laser beams to the audience itself.
|
Edinburgh
Playhouse - Auditorium
|
20:00
|
22:00
|
23
|
|
13.
|
We'll Get Back to You
(*****)
When a free spirited woman
attends a job interview, it takes an odd turn. Her approach to life has a different, but
positive impact on each person she meets. Every scene is heartwarming, well written,and
well acted with only a meeting with a salesman missing a connection in her reasoning.
|
Sanctuary at Paradise in
Augustines
|
11:40
|
13:10
|
9
|
|
14.
|
Flush
(*****)
We
watch five women play 14 roles as they recreate the events in a bathroom of a
night club where a hen party, office party, and three high school girls are
drinking. With three different groups
interacting there was plenty of room for interesting conversations. While all of the intra-group conversations
worked, it was the high school girls dealing with their elders that provided
an opportunity for unique topics.
|
Upstairs
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
12:15
|
FLUSH
|
14
|
|
15.
|
Mark
Thomas: WD40 (*****)
Thomas
combines quips with tales of his rough grandmother, and tirades against the
government and right wing politicians. I suppose I think he is great because I
agree with his politics and love his passion. His over-the-top zeal carries us over some of
his more unrealistic suggestions with its hilarity.
|
Stand
1 at The Stand Comedy Club
|
22:15
|
23:15
|
16
|
|
16.
|
Mariupol
(*****)
An
Ukrainian merchant seaman and a Muscovite college student meet at a wedding
in Mariupol, Ukraine in 1992, and have their lives cross until 2022. There is not a false note anywhere as their
relationship changes with each meeting, though some of the scene changes were
a bit long. The plotting that has them
meeting during wartime is a natural confluence from the previous events.
|
Beneath
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
13:00
|
14:00
|
20
|
|
17.
|
Out of the Blue
(*****)
I traditionally
see Out of the Blue on the last day of the Fringe because they never
disappoint me with their great singing and exuberant choreography. This version fulfilled my
expectations. This year they
again had some newer songs that I hadn’t heard before, but they were still
fun, and seemed well justified by the age of the performers.
|
Gordon
Aikman Theatre at Assembly George Square
|
12:10
|
13:10
|
25
|
|
18.
|
Bairns
(*****)
We
hear of the pregnancy of a young woman who has reluctantly agreed to be a surrogate
for sister. She describes her
indecision and the whole process from the implant to birth with honesty and
humor. Her ambivalence adds the sincere
emotional elements that trans forms this from stand-up comedy to a thoughtful
play.
|
Bunker
Three at Pleasance Courtyard
|
14:05
|
15:05
|
23
|
|
19.
|
Strangewife
(*****)
A
desperate actor is hired by a woman to spend the evening with her. The complex interplay between her
perfectionist requests and his struggle to please her is engrossing. The last act works perfectly.
|
Front
Room at Assembly Rooms
|
19:45
|
20:50
|
14
|
|
20.
|
Body
Count (*****)
This
solo show has a woman become a vigilante who attacks men when she hears of how
they abused her friends. Her righteous
anger is difficult for her to control as we silently cheer her on. As the play continues it becomes darker, but
her perfect characterizations of the offending men kept us on her side. The final, somewhat fantastic, part of the
plot veers into an alternative world that some would wish for, and would
disgust others.
|
Coorie
at Gilded Balloon Patter House
|
21:40
|
22:40
|
25
|
|
21.
|
A
Gambler's Guide to Dying (*****)
A young man
recounts his grandfather’s gambling philosophy, and how it influenced their
close friendship. He described
how to prolong a dream, and allowing a bet to energize a cancer ridden walk
to death. The tale of his Scottish
grandfather’s mob beating in a bar after betting on England revealed a
realist who was willing to accept both the winning and losing in life. Note: I saw this in 2015, and gave it 5
stars, but my poor hearing now meant that I missed much because of his brogue
and would have given it 4 stars.
|
Traverse
2 at Traverse Theatre
|
13:30
|
14:40
|
-31
|
|
22.
|
Chokeslam
(****)
A young woman tells how she came
to love pro-wrestling, then vividly describes famous bouts. She and her friends hold parties to watch
wrestling, her wedding had a wrestling theme with a ring announcer, but the
story of her divorce from the man who turned her on to wrestling shows
another side of her. I saw this last
year, and now realize what a great job of acting this is with her infectious
enthusiasm, pain of an unsatisfying marriage, and surprising confession.
|
Daisy
at Underbelly; Bristo Square
|
20:45
|
21:45
|
10
|
|
23.
|
Giselle:
Remix (****)
This
queer interpretation of the classic French ballet has lip syncing drag queen
as the protagonist with four supporting dancers. The dancing is usually fast and sensual
accompanied by loud rave music. Similar to the ballet, one scene has the
ensemble frantically dance until Giselle must drop from exhaustion.
|
Forth
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
15:40
|
16:50
|
17
|
|
24.
|
Refuse
(****)
In
Ukraine just before the Russians invade, an affable garbage collector helps his
wife and a beautiful woman on his route. The show offers a window into normal life in
Ukraine, and then instances of how they react on the first day of the invasion.
I thought a scene where he appreciates
the offer of a shower demonstrated the purity of spirit of the individuals
involved.
|
Studio
Five at Assembly George Square Studios
|
11:05
|
11:55
|
16
|
|
25.
|
I
Wish My Life Were Like a Musical (****)
Four
singer/dancers take us from auditioning through moving up the ranks to star in
musicals. This clever show has solo and/or
group songs about some less obvious aspects such as understudies, dealing
with divas, and the physical and mental strain of dance numbers. The show had everything you could ask for: good
voices, lyrics, music, and plot.
|
Auditorium
at the Museum
|
17:45
|
18:55
|
23
|
|
26.
|
#Hysteria:
A (History of Human Sexuality with Callaghans Questions (****)
A
Victorian woman/man expounds on the approaches that various civilizations
have taken to sex with particular attention to Victorian values regarding
women’s sexuality. The energetic
performer/writer combines props and frequent screenshots of historic
documents to create a vibrant, satirical lecture that alternates between
myths of the past and real facts. The
show is delightful with just the right amount of audience participation.
|
Ruby
at Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower
|
13:40
|
14:40
|
-30
|
|
27.
|
Down
to Chance (****)
Based
on a true story, a radio journalist steps in, and assumes an important part in
aftermath of the 9.2 earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska. The breadth of the scenes is heartwarming as
we see how many groups steeped up in the crisis. Her argument for withholding some information
has us on appropriately on edge.
|
Beside
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
14:10
|
15:10
|
24
|
|
28.
|
Out
of My Head -- Alan Watts is Alive and Well... Dead (****)
An
actor bounces between being himself, and portraying the 1970s Zen guru
talking about life and philosophy. We
even had a chance to put questions to “Watts”. As someone who listened to Watts each Sunday
in my late teens, I found his answers to our questions remarkably in tune
with that of Watts himself.
|
Upstairs
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
15:00
|
16:00
|
25
|
|
29.
|
Same
(****)
Two
young best friends, one with a single mother, and the other with a golden boy
for a brother, don’t share their troubles with each other. The story deftly shows how two such men would
end up hiding the depth of their issues whether due to timing or shame. The plot smartly provides clues to the other’s
problem that troubled person denies in some way.
|
Olive
Studio at Greenside @ George Street
|
19:40
|
20:25
|
16
|
|
30.
|
One
Man Poe: The Tell-Tale Heart and The Pit and the Pendulum (****)
The
actor conveys all the macabre atmosphere of both stories as he portrays their
protagonists telling their tales. Whether
bragging murderer or terrified prisoner, Poe has us tense throughout each
story as we relive their dark lives. With nary a prop, the actor transports us with
his nuanced storytelling.
|
Willow
Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
|
18:35
|
19:35
|
22
|
|
31.
|
The
Lolita Apologies (****)
An
actress notes that adaptations of Nabokov’s “Lolita” ignore that Humbert Humbert
is an unreliable narrator, and treat Lolita (nee Dolores) as a seducer rather
than the victim of child sexual abuse. As the actress seeks apologies from an actor who is portraying men who were
involved with the adaptations his responses are varied and spot on. I was particularly pleased with the accuracy
of the portrayal of the feisty New
Yorker Stanley Kubrick who, like Trump, would never give an inch.
|
Muse
at Braw Venues @ Hill Street
|
18:15
|
19:10
|
14
|
|
32.
|
Trouble;
Struggle; Bubble and Squeak (****)
An
activist/writer tells of the true story of how she joined a Civil War battle
re-enactment group, and then tried to help a town re-claim a plot of land for
allotment gardens. The interplay
between her two roles makes for an entertaining and uplifting story. Her description of the embattled amateur
soldiers facing a defiant crowd is priceless.
|
Above
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
14:15
|
15:15
|
16
|
|
33.
|
Matt
Forde: Defying Calamity (****)
The
comedian/political commentators lampoons various current political leaders
and parties with wit and great impressions. While I didn’t know all the British political
leaders at the beginning, by the end I felt I had a pretty good understanding
of Keir Starmer and why he deserves Forde’s ridicule. I certainly laughed whenever Forde addressed Trump’s antics, but I was
most impressed by how Forde was able to find so much humor in his own
erectile dysfunction and cancer.
|
Beyond
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
20:00
|
21:00
|
21
|
|
34.
|
Smile:
The Story of Charlie Chaplin (****)
A
mime recreates Charlie Chaplin in parts of the1925 film “The Gold Rush”, and then
enlists audience members in portraying Chaplin’s life in silence. He has Chaplin’s physicality down pat, and covers
all of the big events of Chaplin’s life. My pet peeve is that using audience members takes
time away from the story and is easily avoidable in this instance in all but
the case of a Keystone Kop chase and battering.
|
Below
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
11:10
|
12:10
|
21
|
|
35.
|
Dial
1 for UK (****)
An
illegal Indian immigrant finds that life in the UK is not what he dreamed,
partly because gangsters asked exorbitant fees for illegal student visas and then took
away his passport so the could abuse him. The actor/playwright makes good use of the
8’ x 8’ stage to provide a compelling story using photographs and his trusty
I-phone, Selena. The plot twists
nicely as the happy go lucky former customer service operator becomes
desperate and uses his skills from India to get by.
|
Pickle
Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
|
11:30
|
12:20
|
2
|
|
36.
|
The
Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show (Menu 1) (****)
These
premises of these five sketches are: a status concious couple are
burglarized; two nearby people having different phones conversations sound
like they could be conversing with each other; at the FA CUP at Wembly, a
head coach suddenly has doubts; when a woman is summoned to A&E she
discovers that she is still the emergency contact for her former lover; after
a murder, the leader of an improv troupe is grilled by two cops. We enjoyed all but the twin phone call sketch
because we couldn’t hear the woman. The denouement of the burglary is particularly
clever and funny.
|
Pleasance
One at Pleasance Courtyard (Menu 1)
|
10:30
|
11:40
|
5
|
|
37.
|
One
Man Poe: The Black Cat and The Raven (****)
Without
histrionics that others might read Poe, the actor delivers the two stories with
all the underlying terror they can engender. The slower, subdued cadence of this
performance adds the appropriate dread to the whole show. When he tackles the second story, his makeup
adds subtle, dark, references from “The Black Cat”.
|
Willow
Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
|
18:35
|
19:30
|
9
|
|
38.
|
King
Lear (****)
Pip
Utton edits the lines from all characters of King Lear, and added a few
Shakespearean lines of his own so that his King Lear could perform the play
alone. His work as a playwright is
true to the spirit and text of the play while making it more accessible. His work as an actor gives us a Lear who is,
in turns, naďve, aggrieved, crazy, and grief stricken in this wonderful
interpretation.
|
Baby
Grand at Pleasance Courtyard
|
12:30
|
13:30
|
23
|
|
39.
|
The
Essence of Audrey (****)
An
actress portrays Audrey speaking with her delicate, precise diction of the events
of her whole life. Despite the small
stage, she frequently moved to provide a sense of smooth flow the suits the
former aspiring ballerina’s life. Nonetheless, we learned that the physical and
emotional trauma in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation as well as her
strict mother imbued her with a physical and emotional fragility that was evident
in many of her roles.
|
Cellar
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
11:15
|
12:15
|
23
|
|
40.
|
Wodehouse
in Wonderland (****)
Set
in his 1950s Long Island house, P.G Wodehouse tells of answering the questions
of his biographer. We learn of his
friends, family, and Jeeves while he occasionally provides snippets of some
of the memorable Broadway songs for which he wrote the lyrics. He spent a lot of time defending his four
notorious appearances on Nazi radio in the USA and UK while he was imprisoned
in France.
|
Studio
Three at Assembly George Square Studios
|
18:10
|
19:20
|
-30
|
|
41.
|
Hold
the Line (****)
We watch a day of calls for a fellow who mans the NHS non-emergency phone
line. The range of calls was well
selected to reflect the pressure and occasional impotence for situations that
range from minor to deadly serious. The key call that overarches the whole show
works well to highlight the difficult position such workers are in.
|
Bunker
Two at Pleasance Courtyard
|
16:25
|
17:25
|
24
|
|
42.
|
3
Chickens Confront Existence (****)
This
bit of existential fluff has three actors in chicken suits in three cages in a
broiler house who spend their days chatting while watching other chickens
being taken away to their deaths. The
script does a good job of mining their predicament for many different topics,
including trying to predict when their row will be called, and writing a
creation story for chickens. A
wonderful sequence occurs when a blue feather floats down and lands on the
comb of one of the chickens who immediately assumes that it is a sign that he
should be the leader of the chickens, and proceeds with all that entails,
including sycophants and spies.
|
Belly
Button at Underbelly; Cowgate
|
17:20
|
18:20
|
1
|
|
43.
|
Bury
The Hatchet (****)
A
guitarist, fiddler, and singer provide all the facts and rumors surrounding the
murder of Lizzie Borden’s parents in 1892. Between scenes, they combined to sing songs of
that era. In the end, virtually all of
the evidence, and theories point at her guilt.
|
Queen
Dome at Pleasance Dome
|
15:50
|
17:00
|
13
|
|
44.
|
Ego
Show (****)
A
talented singer presents a show about how our egos affect our lives with emphasis
on his ego. His approach that alternates
between an egotistic self, and a more grounded self allows him to really
display his talent at song writing and performing. As a fellow with a degree in psychology, I found
that I missed at least a mention of actual Freudian purpose of the ego to
mediate between the id and superego.
|
Thistle
Theatre at Greendside @ Riddle Court
|
16:10
|
17:00
|
9
|
|
45.
|
She's
Behind You (****)
A
famous Scottish Pantomine Dame named Dot Trot tells of how his role has
evolved over time to modernize and improve pantomime. The audience really got into the pantomime
spirit with its call and responses, and had great time. Unhappily, with my poor hearing and lack of context
much of the fun was lost on me, but the finale brought tears to my eyes.
|
Traverse
1 at Traverse Theatre
|
19:00
|
20:15
|
1
|
|
46.
|
Miles
(****)
This
two-hander has Miles Davis talking about his in general, and the making of
the 1959 ground breaking “Kind of Blue” jazz album owhile also critiquing the
playing of a livetalented trumpeter. The play covers the significant events of
Davis’ life as well give us some insight into his thought process when
recording that album in just two days with some of the greatest jazz
musicians of his day as side men. The
accomplished trumpeter, Jay Phelps, is indispensable as he provides snippets
from Davis’ development as as the album.
|
TechCube
0 at Summerhall
|
18:00
|
19:00
|
5
|
|
47.
|
Pretty,
Witty Nell (****)
Speaking
in iambic pentameter, an actress portrays Nell Gwyn, Charles II long time
mistress, as scribes her life from orange girl on the floor of the Theatre
Royal to mother of a duke and a lord. She does a remarkable job of covering the
ups and downs of the whole of the witty woman’s life. I found the competition among the king’s
mistresses, and the king’s concern for her welfare a revelation.
|
Bedlam
Theatre
|
18:30
|
19:25
|
13
|
|
48.
|
The
Birthday Party: A Theatrical Catastrophe (****)
A
veteran actor, and fine storyteller, relates his experiences while
participating in producing Harold Pinter’s “The Birthday Party”. This engaging piece gave me a much better understanding
of the steps of preparation of a play, and just how they can go terribly
wrong. He describes the clashes
between the director William Friedkin and the villainous actor Steven Berkoff
with wonderful detail.
|
Theatre
1 at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
11:40
|
12:25
|
6
|
|
49.
|
Fuselage
(****)
With
the help of two other actors, a woman who was a college drama student tells of
the college lives of her friends, particularly her best friend, who were on
the Pan Am 103 flight that exploded over Lockerbie. Though part of the story is about the impact
of the bombing on the performer, most is bringing to our attention the lives
of those college friends. The
recurring snippets of news broadcasts of pertinent events from the previous
decade really added to the production.
|
Above
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
15:45
|
16:55
|
12
|
|
50.
|
Nowhere--Here
& Now Showcase (****)
Using
an extensive multimedia presentation, a man of Egyptian descent tells of his family,
the Arab Spring particularly in Egypt, and the Gaza war. I found his story touching, and most of the presentation
top notch. The show seemed too long,
with too much time wasted watching him dance.
|
Traverse
1 at Traverse Theatre
|
10:00
|
11:30
|
12
|
|
51.
|
Three
Can Keep a Secret (****)
A
mob money man invites two gangsters to a poker game who have other ideas. This show has the audience vote on how the
story should proceed at various very critical points, and then obey their
decision. It is obvious that the cast
is well prepared for the various possible choices, and the whole show
proceeds with an interesting well told story.
|
Space
3 at theSpace on the Mile
|
22:30
|
23:30
|
6
|
|
52.
|
K
Mak at the Planetarium (***)
A
band composed of drums, keyboard, cello, and violin play atmospheric songs
while complex computer videos play on a huge wall behind them. The videos varied from kaleidoscopic to microscopic
to time lapsed flowers. This is one of
the few shows that worked well in the circular Demonstration Room at
Summerhall with its strong reverberations.
|
Demonstration
Room at Summerhall
|
19:00
|
20:00
|
20
|
|
53.
|
Managed
Approach (****)
After
Leed’s created a Red Light district in its Holbeck district, a mother who
lives there becomes very protective of her daughter and neighborhood. Instead of a common expose of the lives of prostitutes,
this is a story that digs into a homelife with no direct connection to
prostitution. The mother-daughter see
saw relationship works well, except that the young mother actress belied her
role by wearing the jewelry of twentysomething girl.
|
Coorie
at Gilded Balloon Patter House
|
13:40
|
14:40
|
9
|
|
54.
|
Amazons
(***)
An
indigenous Amazon woman just days ahead of receiving her British citizenship
talks about famous indigenous women from the time of the arrival of the
European colonizers, and tries tracing her female lineage back a few
generations using tales, miniature models, maps, and photos. I was impressed that the natives were so
fierce that the colonizers had to resort to importing African slaves to work
their farms. Categorizing from a chart
the different types of curly hair she, her mother, and grandmother have
served to highlight the historical mix of bloods that now is common in the
Amazon.
|
Former
Gents Locker Room at Summerhall
|
19:50
|
21:00
|
25
|
|
55.
|
Mrs
Roosevelt Flies to London (***)
A
senior actress plays Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin Roosevelt,
describing her trip around England in 1942 intermixed with other events of
her long life. Her whole life is interesting,
but it loses much of its power by dashing back and forth chronologically. I was surprised to learn that she headed the
United Nations commission that wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights despite the many objections of
the Soviets.
|
Drawing
Room at Assembly Rooms
|
11:00
|
12:15
|
17
|
|
56.
|
Once
Upon a Bridge (***)
Based
on a true story, three characters involved in a jogger pushing a pregnant
woman out of his way tell of their lives before and after the incident. The individual lives cross for only a
moment, and so the tales are separate and more about their lives than the
incident. I was surprised that the
incident made front page news, and that the final, coincidental plot twist
has no basis in reality.
|
Stephenson
Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
14:00
|
14:50
|
22
|
|
57.
|
Consumed
(***)
When
the four generations of women come together for the great grandmother’s 90th
birthday their grievances come to the fore. While there are surprises galore, and each
criticism has merit, the lack of true love and understanding makes it
unpalatable. The final revelation just
seems too unreal.
|
Traverse
1 at Traverse Theatre
|
13:15
|
14:35
|
19
|
|
58.
|
Motorhome
Marilyn (***)
An
aging Marilyn Monroe street imitator in Las Vegas auditions for a new show
composed of past celebrities lives. As
events from her past come back to haunt her ties to Marilyn take a back seat.
She is a good performer who warmed to
the role as the show continued, but, based on other reviews, I had expected
more.
|
Doonstairs
at Gilded Balloon Patter House
|
17:30
|
18:30
|
25
|
|
59.
|
Kirsty
Mann -- Corpse (WIP) (***)
This
solo show had a married couple finally getting to buy a Victorian house she
loved, and find that there are many disquieting reminders of the old woman
who had lived there for many years. Between the old woman sister’s grizzly
revelations and the flickering lights there were plenty of hints of ghosts in
this well told tale. The doctor’s
graphic description of the 5-minute time-of-death routine that she had often
carried out provided an extra connection to death that pervaded the whole
show.
|
eFormer
Gents Locker Room at Summerhall
|
11:40
|
12:40
|
7
|
|
60.
|
An
American Love Letter to Edinburgh (***)
An
American ex-pat combines a story of his own exploration of the UK with that of
Benjamin Franklin’s. His tale works well
as we hear of highlights from both the past and the present. When he lists the men that Franklin met when
he came to Edinburgh, and their accomplishments, it easy to see why Edinburgh
had earned the title of Athens of the North.
|
Netherbow
Theatre at Scottish Storytelling Centre
|
17:00
|
18:00
|
18
|
|
61.
|
F.U.D.S
(***)
Three
twenty something mates share camaraderie, marijuana, and dissatisfaction with
their place in the world. Despite not being
able to understand some of their brogue, I found that I understood enough to
enjoy the eff and flow of their tale. Originally I was upset at the yelling of one
actor, but, in hindsight, I realize that his volatile character would shout
his convictions.
|
Nip
at Gilded Balloon Patter House
|
15:40
|
16:40
|
11
|
|
62.
|
Operation
Blank (***)
When
a nuclear bomb destroys Copenhagen, an advisor to the UK prime minister joins
a video meeting of the top officials of the country. From the minute we see the young PM propped
up on pillows while laying in bed on the call, we expect this to be a wild
satire on how a modern government may deal with such an emergency—with
evasion and procrastination. For some
reason, I just bought into the concept, and joined with the frustrated
advisor as he repeatedly rejected the ineffective solutions offered by the
cabinet.
|
leming
Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
18:15
|
19:00
|
7
|
|
63.
|
The
Beautiful Future Is Coming (***)
Three
couples from past, present, and future deal with climate change. By intermixing their tales, each story loses
much of its impact. Many times we couldn’t
hear the wife of the present which made her story even weaker.
|
Traverse
1 at Traverse Theatre
|
10:00
|
The Beautiful Future Is Coming
|
Traverse 1 at Traverse Theatre
|
|
64.
|
Thanks
for Being Here (***)
This
unusual show relies on videos of the audience with actors mixed in them to completely
demolish the fourth wall. The
constantly panning cameras never focus on anyone in particularly so no one
seemed embarrassed. It is a unique,
albeit a little over long, experience that is well worth visiting.
|
Main
House at ZOO Southside
|
13:45
|
15:00
|
17
|
|
65.
|
Adrienne:
An American in Paris (***)
Set
in the 1920s, a self-described bibliophile from New Jersey finds herself in
Paris among the literati of the time. While she ends up living with a man, it is
books that are always the focus with sex and love never even mentioned. This lack of passion outside of books puts a
limit on the thrill of her experience and the play.
|
Pickle
Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
|
16:00
|
17:00
|
16
|
|
66.
|
Dracula's
Guest (***)
A
lawyer is sent by his company to stay with Dracula for two months. The new story maintains its tension throughout,
including it ending. The lawyer is
perfect, and Dracula is appropriately large and scary, but he doesn’t speak
loud enough.
|
CC
Bloom's (Free Fringe)
|
20:00
|
21:00
|
11
|
|
67.
|
Air
Heart (***)
This
show has Amelia Earhart talk about her whole life from breaking her younger
sister’s front teeth on backyard roller coaster that Amelia had built, to her
platonic marriage to her beloved manager. Throughout the tale she keeps coming back to
her love of flight. I am not sure how
they know the verbatim contents of the letters she had with her on her doomed
solo Pacific flight.
|
studio
at C ARTS | C venues | C alto
|
17:30
|
18:45
|
10
|
|
68.
|
Tadiwa
Mahlunge: Hakuna Ma Tad Tad (***)
Mahlunge starts off by
describing how his family fled their mansion and servants in Zimbabwe for
council housing in Cardiff after death threats from Robert Mugabe, and then
relates tales mostly of his family life, with a few notes about racism in the
UK. While he has had many funny
experiences, his presentation needed work.
His ethnic joke about his assimilated sister’s choice of New Balance
shoes fell flat, and he failed to thoroughly mine the humor of trying to fake
that he has a baby to quiet his downstairs neighbor.
|
The
Tron at Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Tron)
|
16:25
|
17:25
|
-29
|
|
69.
|
Liberace
-- In His Own Words (***)
A
fine pianist emulates Librace’s style both in flamboyantly playing the piano,
and then congenially speaking of Liberace’s life. His blending of songs from classical to pop
matched that of the entertainer. As a
former pianist, I sat in the front row left so I could watch his fingers fly
over the keys.
|
Ballroom
at PBH's Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms
|
12:05
|
12:50
|
15
|
|
70.
|
Chunky
Jewellery (***)
Two
middle aged women provide an hour of song and dance of pop tunes. One had a great voice, and the other had a good
voice and was surprisingly good at dancing. The dance where she slowly throws pieces of chunky
jewellery off was a great symbol for finally dealing with her grief.
|
Music
Hall at Assembly Rooms
|
13:30
|
14:45
|
15
|
|
71.
|
Almost
Everything (***)
A
fellow gets a new, attractive housemate. There is a certain predictability to the story,
but his bond with a later character seems poorly justified. The final act seemed straight out of a soap opera.
|
Alba
Theatre at Braw Venues @ Hill Street
|
17:55
|
18:55
|
16
|
|
72.
|
In
the Land of Eagles (***)
A
English woman tells of joining with her father in a return to the village in
Albania of his birth. Despite her
being a good storyteller, and my companions enjoyment, I found that my
attention wandered for some reason. Nonetheless, her description of their final
destination made want to visit Albania.
|
Baby
Grand at Pleasance Courtyard
|
15:00
|
16:10
|
18
|
|
73.
|
Brits
Abroad: Banned (***)
A
guitarist accompanies three actors who populate sketches veering from Cockney
rhythm slang to British airline tourists modifying hell to dancing to disco tunes.
As you can imagine, this Yank did not
get many of the British references nor the songs, but my English wife loved
it, and helped decide its rating. The
guitarist did a great job of providing the wide range of music asked of him.
|
Baby
Grand at Pleasance Courtyard
|
12:20
|
13:15
|
12
|
|
74.
|
Death
on the Clyde (***)
This
tale of murder in a remote Scottish hamlet at a time when Christianity still
battled river spirits has a wonderful mixture of dance, song, and
criminology. Though the accidental
dropping of a ring seemed a bit contrived, the investigation still was
satisfying. While speaking in a
softer, understandable brogue, the whole play did a great job of keeping the
other possible anachronisms at bay,.
|
The
Speakeasy at The Speakeasy at The Royal Scots Club
|
16:15
|
17:15
|
7
|
|
75.
|
Ghost
Light (***)
A
new wardrobe assistant in a very old theatre finds that she sometimes can interact
with the ghosts of long dead performers. This strange combination of production dance
numbers from popular plays, and a story of murder would work well but for the
fact that we often could not understand the lines. The production of “One (Singular Sensation)”
from “A Chorus Line” was great.
|
Pleasance
One at Pleasance Courtyard
|
15:50
|
17:00
|
3
|
|
76.
|
Lost
Paws (***)
Two
cats escape from their owners and explore London while their two owners
search for them. The interactions
between the cats with each other and their owners are cute, and the slowly
developing romances are heartwarming. This is just a good, solid, fun Fringe play
that doesn’t ask too much of the audience.
|
Haldane
Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
17:15
|
18:05
|
20
|
|
77.
|
People
We Bury Alive (***)
This
solo show explores two aspects of social isolation: self-enforced, and that instituted
by a friend or family member. She does
a good mixing her own experiences with that of others shown in video
snippets. On the whole, it was a quite
satisfying show.
|
Playground
3 at ZOO Playground
|
18:25
|
19:25
|
3
|
|
78.
|
The
Infant (***)
A
mother is interrogated about the death of her baby using a mind reader. While I liked that the play made me think
about some problematic ethical questions, it does have two flaws: 1) in
America, when a suspect asks for a lawyer, any interrogation must stop, or
else nothing said, nor based on what is said may be used in court; and 2) the
twist at the end weakens the play by adding confusion to the whole previous
experience. The whole play would be
better served if it was set in a psychiatrist’s office, or after a guilty
verdict.
|
Theatre
1 at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
10:35
|
11:25
|
20
|
|
79.
|
Seizure
(***)
This
play within a play has a little sister of a powerful attorney invited to come
back home for a big company party. The
interactions between the outer and inner plays are a bit confusing, but,
unlike some other audience members, I found that intriguing. The late reveal does tie up all the loose ends,
but the final event is a little over the top.
|
Grand
Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
15:55
|
17:20
|
6
|
|
80.
|
Cold;
Dark Matters (***)
A
storyteller tells of an author who became interest in a shed on common land
in a Cornwall field. The fellow was
winning as was the story. Only the
last revelations hurt as they didn’t make sense in the context of the
previous story.
|
studio
at C ARTS | C venues | C aurora
|
14:25
|
15:25
|
5
|
|
81.
|
Lost
Property (***)
Every
Fringe I get behind in writing my reviews, and one play is so unremarkable
that I cannot remember it. This is
that play for this year. It was
neither great, nor terrible.
|
Theatre
3 at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
18:05
|
18:55
|
15
|
|
82.
|
The
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (***)
A
large cast of adults portray a spelling contest among primary age kids. The cast is quite capable, and the plotting good,
but the music and lyrics are pretty worthless. The aggressive nerd with his spelling foot is
unforgettable.
|
Forest
Theatre at Greenside @ George Street
|
19:45
|
21:35
|
18
|
|
83.
|
Tilly
No-Body (***)
This
solo show has the early 20th century German theater star, Tilly Wedekind, talking
about her life married to a famous but overbearing playwright/director. From
teen to senior citizen the actress ably conveys the fragility and prowess of
the actress. However, the lack of
chronological signposts severely weakens the power of the play—we cannot tell
whether months or years have passed between critical events.
|
Bramley
at Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower
|
15:00
|
16:00
|
-30
|
|
84.
|
The
Last Rites (***)
A
prisoner facing execution today argues with a priest who is there to save the
condemned man’s soul. The two actors
were very good, but I have heard their debate many times before, and only a
late plot twist piqued my interest. An
incomplete costume change in the last scene really distracted me.
|
Theatre
at Bedlam Theatre
|
20:00
|
21:00
|
-30
|
|
85.
|
A
Gerry Christmas Carroll (***)
The
actor abridges the book to be a one hour tale. He does a fine job of choosing those aspects
of the original that give a real feel for early 19th century London.
With nary a missed line this as good a
performance of the off-season tale as one could hope.
|
Just
the Attic at Just the Tonic at The Mash House
|
14:40
|
15:40
|
7
|
|
86.
|
The
Speakeasy Experience (***)
A
French woman offers two cocktails in a small room decorated as hidden bar while
talking about their origins and how speakeasies came to be in America. The two cocktails were delicious, and she
was entertaining. While she was making
the cocktails we had a real speakeasy experience as we chatted with a fellow
from Brazil, and another from Yorkshire at our table for four.
|
Summerhall
Distillery at Summerhall
|
20:30
|
21:30
|
20
|
|
87.
|
Horny
for the End of the World (***)
After
her boyfriend breaks up with her a young woman hears the news that the world will
end in two weeks. The short play works
well as she responds to several former boyfriends’ telephone calls trying to
hook up with her before the end. It
was a cute bit of fluff to end the day with.
|
Stephenson
Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
23:15
|
23:55
|
1
|
|
88.
|
Do
Astronauts Masturbate in Space? (***)
In
the future, a couple discovers that she is pregnant, and they must spend a week
enduring a state test to determine if they may have the baby. The early scenes well establish their fitness,
but some of the tests seem fantastic. There some chaotic scenes that seemed absurd,
and detracted from the poignancy of the play.
|
Willow
Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
|
19:50
|
20:45
|
15
|
|
89.
|
Newsrevue
(***)
Four
comedians and a keyboardist produced a few short skits and a lot of ditties
lampooning mostly politicians. Since I
could understand little, and Debbie could only understand half, neither of us
enjoyed the show. Based on the muted
response of the audience, we were not alone, and think that even people with
good hearing would think this an unexceptional show.
|
Ballroom
at Assembly Rooms
|
21:30
|
22:30
|
24
|
|
90.
|
A
Murder in Motley (***)
A
pub owner and shareholder in the Globe theatre in Shakespearean times is murdered,
an unidentified boy in a jester costume was seen near the crime so two
jesters are tried for the murder. The
initial scene confused me because of my poor hearing and dense writing, but
after that I did a little better despite some unintelligible lines. The pub dance that became rowdier as it
progressed was perfect, I just was frustrated that I didn’t hear some crucial
lines used to determine guilt.
|
Willow
Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
|
12:50
|
13:40
|
2
|
|
91.
|
Dead
Air (***)
This dense solo show has a
troubled young woman talking to her mother, lover, stepfather, and an AI
generated version of her dead father.
While she was a tour de force of acting the show seems overlong. I did think the AI was well done as she
keeps tuning its personality, though his amplified voice was often hard to
understand because of the reverberation of the bunker.
|
Bunker
One at Pleasance Courtyard
|
11:40
|
12:40
|
-30
|
|
92.
|
Charming
(***)
Cinderella’s
fairy godmother delivers a list of demands to modernize that Prince Charming must
meet, or she will divorce him. This
slight play has fun with the concept of an 18th century senior
citizen royal who is reluctant to catch-up with the 2020s. Even though the plot has a nice twist, the
twist was not explored in a way that justified 55 minutes.
|
Forest
Theatre at Greenside @ George Street
|
17:20
|
18:15
|
2
|
|
93.
|
A
Dress (***)
This
large high school cast portrays life outside the classroom while following a girl
preparing for her senior prom. We see
all the stereotypes and cliques, but in the hands of this troupe their words
and actions ring true. The comments
from fellow students after the show confirmed this, and the depressing fact
that the students are quite aware of gun violence in American schools.
|
The
Great Hall at Nicolson Square Venues
|
13:00
|
13:45
|
6
|
|
94.
|
A
Lie Club (***)
A
fellow joins a group meeting for people who are habitual liars, and is attracted
to one woman there. The pranks
together work well, but the play has trouble dealing with the problem of two
liars forming an honest romantic relationship in a satisfying manner. Without a backstory, the woman seems a
cypher with an inexplicable condition.
|
Studio
at theSpaceTriplex
|
21:15
|
22:20
|
14
|
|
95.
|
Bloomsbury
Bell (***)
Vanessa
Dell literally paints a portrait of her dead sister, Virginia Woolf, while relating
tales from the Bloomsbury group of artists and intellectuals. She covers the liaisons and belief in the arts
of the group without much nuance in her presentation. Though their stories were interesting, m attention
often strayer to watching her water color painting.
|
Cellar
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
13:45
|
14:45
|
13
|
|
96.
|
Good
For You (***)
Three
women lawyers are all vying to handle a big case for different reasons. Three of the four characters are well drawn,
but the youngest is too antic to be real. I found the finale quite satisfying.
|
Space
3 at theSpace on the Mile
|
15:10
|
16:20
|
21
|
|
97.
|
Tom
at the Farm (***)
A
close friend of fellow shows up at the farm run by his brother and mother for
his funeral. The dark, physicality of
this supertitled show is impressive, but I found the story too slow. The ferocity of the brother, particularly
during the fights, cannot be denied.
|
Lennox
Theatre at Pleasance at EICC
|
15:30
|
17:30
|
15
|
|
98.
|
The
Time Painter (***)
Five
young Korean women quietly mostly use paper, scissors, and apples to allude
to the Gwangju Democratic Uprising 0f 1980. While some of their performance was interesting
to me, the bulk was too esoteric for me to understand. Their use of paper razors to create a town was
the highlight for me.
|
Studio
Three at Assembly George Square Studios
|
15:05
|
16:05
|
22
|
|
99.
|
I'm
Ready to Talk Now (***)
A
personable fellow asks about your presentation preferences, then accommodate
any of your needs, and has a multi-presentation derived from his long stay in
a hospital. I think I spent more time
chatting before and after than experience the presentation. He is warm and engaging, and the
presentation felt low key.
|
Traverse
Foyer: Meeting Point at Traverse Theatre
|
12:15
|
13:00
|
8
|
|
100.
|
Sponsored
by The Void (***)
A
submissive woman is offered a chance to have help with a Halloween party. Although we see how many people take
advantage of the protagonist, I never felt that she had the strength of
character to make her momentous decision. Though the Void was literally characterized,
somehow it felt like a thing from a horror story rather than real.
|
Thistle
Theatre at Greenside @ Riddles Court
|
17:20
|
18:15
|
9
|
|
101.
|
The
Scold's Bridle (***)
This
short two-hander has a 17th century misogynistic husband
subjecting his submissive wife to all sorts of physical abuse, including a
scold’s bridle. Part of the play tells
of the witchcraft prisons and test like other such plays, but stepping into a
commoners homelife offers something unique that is well explored. However, a scene with a knife is either out of
place chronologically, or completely unnecessary and confusing.
|
Willow
Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
|
21:15
|
21:50
|
6
|
|
102.
|
Almost
Famous (***)
A
senior actress who has returned to England from Hollywood is about to audition
for a part in a touring play. As she
recounts her career, she takes the opportunity to demonstrate that she can
still dance like she did decades ago. After a life as a single, estranged mother,
we realize that she is a totally self-centered person who never thought of
others in her whole life.
|
Theatre
2 at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
17:45
|
18:35
|
12
|
|
103.
|
The
Thistle and the Rose by Linda Gates (***)
Queen
Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots pass correspondence back and forth as Mary
tries to secure her position among the Scots, and, later, the English. I was impressed by how cordial they were
until almost the end. The staging was
pretty static, but that suited a straightforward, factual exchange of
letters.
|
Haldane
Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
19:30
|
20:20
|
12
|
|
104.
|
Small
Town Boys (***)
A
gay young man leaves his small town for a big city and its vibrant gay scene.
Unhappily, after having just seen
“Giselle: Remix”, the dancing seemed stale. I am afraid that the whole production felt
workman like.
|
Main
House at ZOO Southside
|
19:15
|
20:45
|
17
|
|
105.
|
Read
My Lips (***)
Four
roommates must all deal with one of them who is the troubled girl friend of another
roommate. Sexual contact unnecessarily
permeates the show when the focus should be on the troubled woman’s
backstory. The romantic interchanges
are a bit quiet, but the physical contact avoids studiously erogenous zones.
|
Studio
at theSpace @ Niddry St
|
9:45
|
10:40
|
11
|
|
106.
|
Proust
Effect (***)
A
Korean magician starts by creating an amazing number of playing cards out of thin
air, and then moves on to do magic tricks themed on different countries of
the world. His sleight of hand is fantastic,
but I had seen his magic tricks before, and he didn’t have the entertaining
patter to save them. His final trick
of having provided the results of several audience participations to us
before the show started, only highlighted how little spontaneous magic was
involved.
|
Temple
at WU Asia Pacific
|
21:30
|
22:20
|
1
|
|
107.
|
Body
Count (***)
This
feminist show about unsatisfying sex and male abuse has a woman post an ad
that she wants to have sex with 1000 men, and will do anything each wants. The actress gave her all interspersing early
disappointing introductions to sex with a variety of mostly despicable encounters
with the thousand. The main problems wer
the chotic plotting and her poor ability to differentiate between the
characters.
|
The
Green at Pleasance Courtyard
|
19:15
|
20:15
|
24
|
|
108.
|
The
Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show (Menu 3) (***)
This
five sketches of this menu have: a woman waiting for her date defending a
second chair in a pub; a woman asks her brother to be her sperm donor; at the
end of their first date, a woman sets an unusual rule about becoming more
intimate; a woman is nervous on a flight; a successful apple farmer uses an
unusual planting technique. Unlike the
other two menus, I only found two of the sketches really funny. Working around the dating rule proved the to
be a treasure trove of humorous efforts.
|
Pleasance
One at Pleasance Courtyard
|
10:30
|
11:40
|
10
|
|
109.
|
Articulate
(***)
Two
teams of three get together for their not so friendly yearly game of Articulate.
The overarching theme of biting
rivalry casts a pall over the whole show. The youngest member’s contribution to the
story seemed an afterthought.
|
Theatre
2 at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
17:45
|
18:35
|
8
|
|
110.
|
Pride
and Prejudice (***)
This
high school troupe tackles Austin’s book about five sisters contending with the
conventions of early 19th century England. The cast was capable, and carried off the dance
sequences well, but their director let them down. Besides allowing some of them to speak too softly,
the director chose caricature over character for Mrs. Bennett, Lady Catherine’s
daughter, and Mr. Collins that detracted from the whole production.
|
The
Great Hall at Nicolson Square Venues
|
9:00
|
10:15
|
1
|
|
111.
|
The
Sculpture (***)
After
a sensational beginning to her movie career in 1928, actress Molly O’Day went
to extreme lengths to lose the weight required by her contract. In addition to standard life portrayals, the
large cast also uses songs, poems, and spoken chorus to convey the
dissatisfaction of the public and studios with her. Between the overload recorded music and asynchronous
vocals much of the show was lost on us.
|
Just
The Fancy Room at Just the Tonic at The Caves
|
20:50
|
21:50
|
3
|
|
112.
|
Iago
Speaks (***)
After
the events in “Othello”, we find a jailer dealing with Iago in a prison cell living
up to his promise to never speak again. The first half of the play is slow as the jailer
rails about his life, but the second comes alive as the two interact more. The later events are true to form and
satisfying until the last five minutes where the play steps into farce and a
superfluous final plot twist.
|
theSpace
@ Surgeons' Hall
|
21:25
|
22:40
|
21
|
|
113.
|
Matt
Winning: Solastalgia (***)
A
personable PhD pontificates about the planet’s petroleum peril. He covers both the history of the oil industry,
focusing particularly on John D. Rockefeller, and the global warming crisis
while intermixing a tale of waiting for his wife to give birth to their son. As a former banker, he pointed out that the
companies of the financial industry wont switch their support to energy
alternatives until they all agree to do so. The big problem with this play is that
Winning has not taken enough time to learn his lines, and spends a lot of
time reading them his script.
|
Studio
Five at Assembly George Square Studios
|
16:35
|
17:35
|
-30
|
|
114.
|
Lucky
Tonight! (***)
A
Manchester-born Bangladeshi woman combines tales from her life with a pub quiz
on I-pads supplied to the audience. She makes the show fun at times, but often her
show wastes time on things, a dance sequence for example, that seem too self-centered.
With its concentration on her world of
the 1990s and 2000s, England, and Bangladesh, I was of no help on the pub
quiz.
|
Traverse
2 at Traverse Theatre
|
21:00
|
22:30
|
-31
|
|
115.
|
Lunchbox
(***)
In
a Glasgow high school, a Pakistani girl is subject to bullying while a Scottish
boy is a bully. The play does a good
job of looking into how home life and teachers can have an impact on dealing
with bullying. She is an engaging
performer.
|
The
Green at Pleasance Courtyard
|
16:45
|
17:45
|
14
|
|
116.
|
Whisper
Walk (***)
Armed
with a link to a webpage, I followed its instructed path to six sight where I
listened to four-minute spoken word taled related to the the specific
location. I had visited most of the
sites before in my travels so the lack of information about them was only a
bit of a disappointment. But, hey,, it
was a beautiful day for a relaxing walk that took me 75 minutes partly
because of poor coverage on Cowgate.
|
Meeting
point at Assembly George Square
|
10:00
|
11:00
|
25
|
|
117.
|
Sam
Blythe: Method in My Madness (A One-Man Hamlet) (***)
A
fellow in pajamas wakes up, puts on a red clown nose, and then presents “A One
Man Hamlet” that he supposedly wrote purely from Hamlet’s perspective. There were certainly many beautiful passages
from Shakespeare’s play, but without contributions from the rest of the
characters the play is almost incoherent. The actor’s sleight of hand with the foam
red nose is amusing, but adds nothing to the story.
|
Studio
Four at Assembly George Square Studios
|
10:40
|
11:40
|
24
|
|
118.
|
Mushroomification
(Legs; Legs; Legs) (***)
A
mad scientist and his brother/partner must deal with an unusual mushroom. The musing mushroom character is wonderful
as it grapples with its situation throughout the play. However, the insane brother lacked
consistency and pushes the absurdity to humorless incoherency.
|
Just
the Bottle Room at Just the Tonic at The Mash House
|
12:50
|
13:50
|
5
|
|
119.
|
Myth
Adventures -- Five Greek Classics (***)
This
high school troupe of a male Dionysus narrator and the rest girls tackles these
five myths: Midas’ golden touch, musical Orpheus retrieving his lover from
Hades, Echo and Narcissus paying their prices, Daedalus and Icarus flying,
and Theseus killing the Minotaur. The
group was competent with no missteps nor missed lines, though a few need to
learn to project better. The cast has
a couple of strong actresses that seemed to live their roles.
|
Hall
at Central Hall
|
22:00
|
23:00
|
2
|
|
120.
|
Transfers
(***)
This
show is composed of eight scenes where 500 pounds is transferred from one
person to another in various ways. Though we do see the same 500 pounds
transferred in some scenes, others are completely independent. The motivations varied, and the acting fine,
but the show just felt like nothing special.
|
Space
2 at theSpace on the Mile
|
21:25
|
22:15
|
15
|
|
121.
|
1612
(***)
In
1612, in Lancashire, based on the bribed testimony of a very young girl
several women were tried, found guilty, and hung for witchcraft. Most of the play has the women pleading their
innocence which grows tiresome. The
costumes of the poor accused women were too clean, as was that of original
state of the little girl.
|
Space
1 at theSpace on the Mile
|
12:40
|
13:25
|
21
|
|
122.
|
City
of Incurable Women (***)
This
devised one-woman show investigates the concept of hysteria from ancient to modern
times. Though some of the history was
interesting, there were a lot of superfluous scenes. She took the time to silently peel and eat a
lemon as well as drink an entire bottle of water for reasons that were unclear.
|
Upstairs
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
13:35
|
14:35
|
14
|
|
123.
|
Drama
Girls (***)
Three
young women in drama school train for a showcase show while helping and criticizing
each other. Due to my poor hearing,
two of the three spoke so fast that I could rarely understand what they said.
As such, most the play was lost on me.
|
Annexe
at theSpace @ Symposium Hall
|
16:05
|
16:55
|
23
|
|
124.
|
Jack
Offerman's Big Uncut Flick (***)
A
cast of four recreate a 1950s local TV show that showcases a B film noir movie
using a smarmy emcee. Some of the
audience like their broad, almost slapstick, humor, but much lacked originality.
As with many farces, the director
seemed to believe that louder is funnier.
|
Downstairs
at Assembly Roxy
|
15:50
|
16:50
|
10
|
|
125.
|
Big
Little Sister (***)
A
26-year old woman describes her life in a family with a brother seven years
older than her who was born with severe cerebral palsy. It was surprising to hear of the mix of
meanness, love, and caring that she exhibits. The short video of him late in the show helped
to better understand his disability, but a song he wrote and the mention of
college for him left me confused.
|
Playground
2 at ZOO Playground
|
10:35
|
11:35
|
13
|
|
126.
|
The
Strongest Girl in the World (***)
A
28-year old woman performs a play about her life before and after her father died
of kidney cancer when she was 10. She has a nice singing voice, and created
wonderful pop-up books. However, the
show never escapes being another vanity Fringe show by a twenty-something
woman who believes her story is unique with the telltale repetition of her
name.
|
Snug
at Gilded Balloon Patter House
|
14:20
|
15:20
|
11
|
|
127.
|
I'm
Trying, Please Clap (***)
This
very personal show has a fellow reading his poetry and singing songs drawn from
small, mundane events in his current life. This is definitely a work in progress by a performer
who is learning what it is like to perform. His poem about his effort to learn to swim particularly
touched me.
|
Satyr
Bar
|
14:20
|
15:00
|
6
|
|
128.
|
Standing
in the Shadows of Giants (***)
An
aspiring actress, who is the older sister of a rock star, finds the pills and
alcohol of his parties a fine refuge from her dissatisfying life. From the initial breaking of the fourth wall
this came across as an all too common Fringe vanity piece that had nothing to
offer but self-pity, and by the time of her big revelation occurs I no longer
cared. While she seems a capable
actress with a decent singing voice, as a playwright her talents are wasted
in such a banal piece.
|
Traverse
2 at Traverse Theatre
|
16:00
|
17:00
|
-31
|
|
129.
|
Courier
(***)
A
bike courier has numerous troubles making his one delivery. The play doesn’t work well because the actor does a poor job of
differentiating the different characters he plays. The big plot twist at the end doesn’t fit with
some of the previous events.
|
Playground
1 at ZOO Playground
|
17:45
|
18:35
|
24
|
|
130.
|
David
and Katie Get Re-Married (***)
As
the title indicates, this zany show has a late 30’s couple re-marry at the end
of a show after spending an hour abusing each other and then making up. While there were a few fun parts, most of
the songs and antics were sophomoric at best. The one saving grace was that it was clear that
the two actors enjoyed working together.
|
Friesian
at Underbelly; Bristo Square
|
21:50
|
22:50
|
-30
|
|
131.
|
LA
Baby (***)
An
out of work actress in Los Angeles takes the job of nanny for three children while
dealing with her unstable lover. The
central problem with the play is that the protagonist is a complete
narcissist who never cares for anyone else but herself, and thus I had no
emotional link with her. She only uses
the children as sources of information about their father, and she says
openly that the three little words she cares about are not “I love you,” but
instead “Live with me.”
|
Playground
2 at ZOO Playground
|
15:35
|
16:35
|
1
|
|
132.
|
The
Dropbox (***)
On
the last spaceship to travel from the AI-dominated Earth to the planet Utopia,
the ship’s doctor and its five passengers must deal with unexpected events. This feels like a re-make of a common sci-fi
plot of something dangerous on board a spaceship with an overly evil leader
and impossibly naďve heiress thrown in. The meaning of the contents of the drop box,
and its connection to the others is left unexplained though they are critical
to the plot.
|
Venue
45 at theSpace @ Venue 45
|
20:00
|
20:50
|
6
|
|
133.
|
Stuart
Laws is Stuck (***)
Laws
is a standard stand-up comedian who produces material that appeals to people
much younger than me. Though he made
me smile a few times, the material just didn’t suit me. The crowd laughed, but were not thrilled.
|
Monkey
Barrel Comedy - Monkey Barrel 4
|
22:40
|
23:40
|
15
|
|
134.
|
I
Was a German (***)
After
Brexit begins, the English granddaughter of a Jewish man who emigrated from Nazi
Germany finds out that she can for German citizenship based on her grandfather.
The show is a mish mash of short vides
and live action depicting Nazi Germany and episodes from his and her lives. I was bored during virtually the whole show
as there just wasn’t enough new and/or interesting information, and her
character felt one dimensional.
|
Studio
at ZOO Southside
|
13:50
|
14:50
|
1
|
|
135.
|
The
General Will (***)
This
comedy has two parts: despite having a knowledgeable aide, an incompetent UK clown
prime minister cannot figure out how to address any of the countries troubles;
and two young woman cannot figure out how to make a play that addresses those
troubles. In either case, posing
problems without solutions doesn’t make for good theatre. The clown noses were superfluous in the
obvious satire.
|
Haldane
Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
21:40
|
22:40
|
11
|
|
136.
|
W3:
Filthy Filthy Witches (***)
A
fellow who has invented a way to create drinkable water using garbage
interacts with three witches. Though
there was enthusiasm galore here, I couldn’t make out heads or tails of what
was going on. Most of what was said
seemed like nonsense to me.
|
Banshee
Labyrinth Chamber Room (Free Fringe)
|
15:35
|
16:25
|
20
|
|
137.
|
Love
Is the Greater Labyrinth (***)
In
modern times, the college age daughter of King Midas of Crete and her sister both
have their hearts se on the Athenian hero Theseus, and are waiting for him to
choose. My knowledge of Greek mythology
is limited so I do not know who the two men were supposed to be, and if this
story was supposed to be based on some obscure Greek myth. Without that knowledge, it seemed to lack much
plot other than to make the pursuit of love difficult like the Labyrinth.
|
Ballroom
at PBH's Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms Free Fringe)
|
17:30
|
18:10
|
11
|
|
138.
|
Split
Ends (***)
A
woman has an unusual relationship with a vacuum cleaner, and a talking pair
of scissors. Her sexual interactions
with both seem to be a bizarre reaction to rejection my men. Though she does explain that cutting split
ends supposedly prevents other split ends, we are left wondering why such a
play came to be created.
|
Below
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
12:30
|
13:30
|
16
|
|
139.
|
The
Lost Priest (**)
A
Jewish fellow talks what it is like to be brought up in a practicing Jewish
family, but not taking his religion seriously. Not having read a synopsis, based on its title
I kept waiting for instance of a Catholic priest to show up, and was confused
when that never happened. The title
really spoiled the whole play for me.
|
Theatre
1 at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
10:30
|
11:25
|
14
|
|
140.
|
#CHARLOTTESVILLE
-- The play that Trump does not want you to see! (**)
An
Indian graduate student in drama created this play as her master’s thesis
that highlights her dramatic art skills as well as her complaint against her
chairwoman all at the expense of the time spent on the tragedy of a right wing
driver running down protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. I felt like this was a variation on the classic
Fringe vanity play when she chose to show a video of a speech by the prime
minister of India with no translation. Her fake “special report” videos purportedly
from CNN and NBC, complete with logo microphones seemed like fraud.
|
Bunker
Two at Pleasance Courtyard
|
12:20
|
13:30
|
24
|
|
141.
|
I
See You Watching (**)
This
devised play has a woman dressed in a baton twirlers costume is at an
audition as asked to do increasingly more demeaning things by a director. The acting is great, but her acceptance of
his orders goes on way too long when the time could have been used for more
of her backstory or turn the tables on him to see some sensitivity. I was impressed with her facial contortions,
but thought her later costume unnecessarily revealing.
|
Doonstairs
at Gilded Balloon Patter House
|
20:30
|
21:30
|
22
|
|
142.
|
I'm
Not Saying We Should; But What If We Did? (**)
Two
women with radical political ideas appear on a local TV interview program. The chaos of the studio, and their repeatedly
ducking of questions about the implementation and justification of their
policies reinforced the feeling that the show never answers the question of
its title. This devised show has the
women slowly over-applying their make-up to make them look like clowns in the
end.
|
Studio
at theSpaceTriplex
|
12:05
|
12:55
|
13
|
|
143.
|
Soul
Sucking (**)
An
unsuccessful, self-centered young woman decides that the way out of her rut of
failure is to stage her funeral, rebirth, and baptism. The cast had clearly not rehearsed with the four
cooling fans running because all but the protagonist rarely spoke loud enough.
With her primary characteristic of
self-pity, and much of the dialog missing, I never grew to care about her of
the play.
|
Willow
Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
|
12:50
|
13:40
|
11
|
|
144.
|
How
Not to Fund a Honeymoon (**)
This
show opens with a woman casually talking on the phone with a friend while two
almost dead bodies lie at her feet, and then starts of the beginning of the burglary.
Between inaudible burglar whispering, unexplained
captures, caricatures, and lots of shouting, the story just fell apart for
me. Somehow they thought it would
enhance the show by having a policeman repeatedly try to find an appellation
that would satisfy the picky victim.
|
Studio
at theSpaceTriplex
|
11:05
|
11:55
|
11
|
|
145.
|
The
Unstoppable Rise of Ben Manager (**)
A
fellow acquires a lanyard that allows him to step into the role of manager in
a large corporation. His constant spouting
of teamwork slogans grew quickly boring for me. The show seemed to be a one trick pony that was
beaten to death.
|
Above
at Pleasance Courtyard
|
17:20
|
18:20
|
17
|
|
146.
|
The
Bacchae (**)
From
the very start, when the actor recited part of the play in Greek(?), I should
have known that he valued authenticity more than entertainment. Though he covered the important events of the
play, there was a never a time when I was interested. Even the horrific events were bland.
|
Upstairs
at Assembly Roxy
|
12:00
|
12:55
|
10
|
|
147.
|
Orpheus
(**)
This
interpretation of the Greek myth has a fellow walking back and forth “reading”
from his notebook on the myth interspersed with a guitarist singing original
songs somewhat related to the story. While the rest of the late night audience
seemed to enjoy the show, I was bored. Both the music and lyrics were mediocre, and
the story was nothing.
|
Dissection
Room at Summerhall
|
21:30
|
22:40
|
5
|
|
148.
|
Harriet
the Spy (**)
Eleven-year
old Harriet is always writing in her notebook about the people around her. The plot revolves around the two friends and
nanny who support her and two enemies who work against her. We left halfway through because both the
reverberation in the massive auditorium and the director’s choice to have her
often speak at the back of the huge stage made understanding the actors quite
difficult.
|
Auditorium
at Central Hall
|
13:45
|
14:55
|
3
|
|
149.
|
Jimmy
Made Parole (**)
On
his first day out of prison, a young fellow tries to raise enough money for a
date by any means possible—both legal and illicit. Some of the scams are fun, but the constant use
of audience participation grew tiring, and slowed the show. His scam to obtain better shoes was inspired.
|
Snug
at Paradise in Augustines
|
15:45
|
16:40
|
8
|
|
150.
|
misSfits
(**)
A
real sixth grade teacher tries to use sixth grade techniques to teach us about
various non-cis pupils. The problems
are that we are not children, and already accept gender-diverse people. There was little here of interest except as
reminder of the methods of a sixth grade teacher.
|
Studio
at theSpaceTriplex
|
12:10
|
12:55
|
3
|
|
151.
|
Semi-Automatic
SmokeShow (**)
When
her hosting app is bought, a make-up influencer is told that by modifying her
life she can achieve her goal of the American Dream. The metaphorical tale of gradual
disillusionment never lets us identify with the real woman before she steps
into her unreal world. Her treating a
blow-up doll as a real person is a step too far as a test of cognitive
dissonance.
|
Lime
Studio at Greenside @ George Street
|
11:30
|
12:20
|
18
|
|
152.
|
Railway
200: The Show (**)
This
group of railway enthusiasts present a series of scenes from the past 200 years
of English railroad history. What I
could heard was fun and interesting. The two stars is because they had not prepared
for the very noisy environment of Waverley Station with some sort of amplification,
and I could rarely hear them.
|
Performance
Space between Platform 2 and 3 at PBH'S Free Fringe @ Edinburgh Waverley Station
|
13:30
|
14:45
|
8
|
|
153.
|
Be It (WIP) (**)
This initial attempt at a
Free Fringe show seemed to be a dream come true for the performer who had little
sense of the task at hand. This was
the first day, and it seemed that he entered with a few ideas written on a
sheet of paper, and planned on playing the bulk of the show by ear. There was a five minute section where he
exhibited a quick wit that had the rest of the audience laughing at his
spontaneous quips, but, unhappily I could not make them out because he spoke
them while hiding behind an air conditioner.
|
The
Snug at Laughing Horse @ Bar 50
|
14:30
|
15:30
|
10
|
|
154.
|
A
Monkey Trial: The Gameshow or The True and Tragic Passion of Pauline Campbell
(**)
A
tattooed man in a wig and prison inmate jump suit argues the case for
eliminating prisons to address the problem of women committing suicide in
prison. His choice of portraying the
argument in front of a high court composed of scenes of judicial monkeys from
old PG tips TV commercials was ill conceive as it satirized the judicial
process rather than addressing the question of the efficacy of prisons. The actor/playwright was clearly sincere, but
he needs to provide a realistic alternative to prisons.
|
Muse
at Braw Venues @ Hill Street
|
14:30
|
15:30
|
2
|
|
155.
|
End
of the World FM (**)
After
some cataclysm, a radio host continues to broadcast even though there may be no
listeners left. He rambles on aimlessly
for the whole show. My mind would
drift away, but each time I returned he was still spouting drivel.
|
Theatre
2 at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
23:15
|
0:15
|
14
|
|
156.
|
Human
Nature (**)
The
mayor of a small town decides that she should investigate a murder in a park by
calling all of the suspects together instead of calling the police. The play doesn’t work on many levels: it is
illegal to not call the police immediately; virtually all of the evidence is
unsupported and circumstantial at best; the method of the verdict is absurd,
and many of the characters were not believable. In particular, the priest suddenly offering
candy bars to the happy suspects was weird.
|
Theatre
2 at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
|
11:40
|
12:30
|
20
|
|
157.
|
Aether
(**)
Four
leotard clad young women address physics and the universe. I know that is vague, but their racing through
the text and frequent loud volume combined with the reverberation of the
Anatomy Lecture Room made it virtually impossible for me (and others I spoke
to afterwards) to understand them. This was another example of a show not quieting
their performance to accommodate the unique acoustics of the two Summerhall
lecture rooms that were designed for a time before amplification.
|
Anatomy
Lecture Theatre at Summerhall
|
19:15
|
20:15
|
5
|
|
158.
|
Murder,
Oops! (*)
In
this one woman show, she plays all the characters in a story about a young
woman coming home to her dead lover and his murderer, and then falls in love
with each new visitor to the apartment. Combining endless simulated solo French
kissing, tuneless songs, re-takes because she forgot a visitor, emotional
flights, and grotesque simulated sex took this from absurdist to amateur
drivel. Her father was the techy, and
I was impressed with support of his daughter.
|
Clover
Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
|
17:10
|
18:10
|
22
|
|
159. *
|
Italian
Horror Stories (*)
This
show applies Italian pantomime to three horror stories: woman in black, vampires,
and Frankenstein. None of them
followed the traditional story lines, and a ton of time was spent with the
actors growling and shrieking at the top of their lungs. Between the overriding semi-plot of trying to
scare a Catholic priest, and gratuitous sexual content this was just a jumble
of noise and unmotivated actions with a few interesting facts thrown in to
give it the gloss of preparation.
|
Just
Up The Stairs at Just the Tonic at The Caves
|
22:25
|
23:25
|
3
|
I hope to have the time to write my
traditional three sentence reviews for all the shows I see. In 2020, I had a chemo treatment for neck
cancer that left me with reduced hearing, particularly in noisy
environments. I will note such problems
in my reviews. I try to have a
consistent star rating across the years with 5-stars indicating a show that is
excellent in all aspects of its production.
Usually only around 10% of the shows meet that criterion. Four star shows are usually excellent in many
aspects, but have area(s) that were problematic for me. A three-star rating is not a condemnation,
and just indicates that the show had provided normal enjoyment for me. It is problematic whether, in this era of
star inflation, that I should post my three star shows to edfringe.com. I‘ve decided that I will not because a three
star rating may hurt a play’s attendance.
Shows that I give less than three stars have serious problem(s) for me,
and I feel obligated to warn others on edfringe.com unless they have a school
age cast.