Edfest Review: Best of the Fest

It's been a few days since the festival ended and, predictably, I have a cold. It's been threatening for a while, but I totally believe in mentally pushing it off until a more appropriate time. 

The travel back was a bit of a nightmare. I'm normally a pretty good traveller and unfazed by lenghty bus journeys - I would even go so far as to say I like long journeys; it gives me time to just sit and do things I normally put off in favour of more pressing tasks. On this occasion a lack of communication and a poor attitude from staff made it quite an uncomfortable experience.

But I'm home and have an actual PC which works. This means I can format my blog properly and add pictures. This makes me unreasonably happy. 


I thought I would take a bit of a look back at my month at the fringe and work out some stats. First of all though - my WINNERS...

The Final Countdown - My Overall Top 5

5. Spillikin

4. The Ted Bundy Project

3. Molly

2. 64 Squares

and my ultimate favourite ......

[*Drumroll**Drumroll**Drumroll*Bated Breath*Drumroll**Drumroll**Drumroll*Bated Breath*Drumroll**Drumroll**Drumroll*Checks Watch*Drumroll**Drumroll*]

1. CELL

Of course it was CELL. I knew from the moment I saw it that I'd found my winner... which was a little awkward considering it was waaaay back at the end of week one. I just loved everything about it - the movement, the storytelling, the puppetry, the music - it was a perfect amalgamation of many elements and I could see it had been lovingly crafted. It moved me a lot. It missed out on a few 5 stars from the big publications, regularly getting 4 stars, which mystifies me. To me this is everything a 5 star show should be. I'll be following these guys on twitter to find out what's next for them @cellshow @dogfishtheatre

Some facts and stats:

I saw 51 shows across a broad range of genres.

My top 2 were both performed at Underbelly Cowgate.

My most visited venue (not including forest fringe) was :- Pleasance Courtyard (8 shows)

followed closely by :- Pleasance Dome (6 shows)

This is a total of 14 shows seen at Pleasance venues. This is not surprising in the least. Pleasance has had a pleasantly consistent good standard of shows.

Underbelly and Assembly were my next favourite venue choices with a total of 7 visits each across all their venues. 

Most disappointing shows :- TheSpace

Venue I wish I'd visited more :- Summerhall 


Well, that's it. The Fringe blog is officially over. For this year atleast. Who knows where I'll be, or what I'll be doing next year. As terrifying as that is, it's also incredibly exciting. So here's to the next stage.... 

Edfest Day 26: And now, the end is near; And so I face the final curtain

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Connection. Something I've been thinking a lot about. When a connection comes loose on a computer, it simply won't work. When a connection comes loose in life, it may take a while to notice.  Things still move along until one day you realise you're in a bubble and you can see out but can't touch anything. 

Today's Forest Fringe show was about connection. A show that found me. Literally.  The guy in charge had some no-shows and the nature of the show is dependent on participants. You can't connect if nobody's there.

I'm glad it found me. The show is called "Landline" and connects you with a counterpart in Reykjavik through Skype.  A show about connection that requires an Internet connection.

You are given an Ipod and a map and sent off to wander wherever you want in your local area. The participant in Reykjavik is also listening to the same recording, pressing play at the same moment.  We're wandering on different roads but taking the same journey.

The physical distance and relative anonymity gives us the freedom to be completely open with each other. We are prompted to find places that remind us of certain things and then to share that story with our partner.

It does require some quick thinking and an open approach but the gentle voice and the freedom to say exactly what you want... anything. .. makes it so worthwhile and I got a lot out of this experience.

The same cannot be said for the show I saw after my shift, again at zoo venues. Regrets, I've had a few, and one of them was seeing this show. I don't want to waste any more energy on it than I already have, so I'll simply say - stop when you get to the Pleasance courtyard for physical theatre performance featuring superheroes. Avoid the zoo venue just up the road. Although, given that the festival is wrapping up, I suppose that advice is redundant.

There's definitely a sense of finality in the air on this crisp and clear night. The crowds have thinned, the sound of drills can be heard in the distance as get-outs commence. Greenside has disappeared completely, while the BBC is skeletal.

The city and the remaining people in it are sleepy and looking forward to a long, well deserved rest.

I will probably try to fit in a few more shows tomorrow daytime, but doubt there will be a blog post as I'll be getting to bed early to be up at 5am on Tuesday for the bus home... Have I mentioned I'm not a morning person?

I'm pretty happy with how this daily blog went and glad I decided to do it. It's added an extra dimension to this experience. It's going to be weird not ending my day this way... Time to start a journal? 

Edfest Day 24 & 25: Little Show of Horrors

Tonight's evening meal - subway.  Why? Because if you're a solo diner in busy places at peak food time,  you're not getting in. Fast food places though?  Hell, that shizzle's for everyone to enjoy.  Whatever,  I saved about £8 for it... In money.  I'm probably paying that 8 pounds in calorie content instead.

Finally saw a show at zoo venues this evening, where I bumped into a girl who is clearly my soul mate,  if I were gay and such a thing existed. She was horrified to see I had the same bag as her (which is a pretty unique bag), we chose seats right by each other at the same show. A light hearted choice - "The Ted Bundy Project". I felt the need for something dark and challenging before my musical theatre frivolity this evening.  Plus it comes with the Lyn Gardner seal of approval.

There's something both friendly and eerie about the solo performer in this show. Comforting and alarming. He bounds into the room dressed in tennis gear. White shorts, white tshirt, white socks and white shoes. His piercing blue eyes scan the room trying to make eye contact. He seems friendly and non threatening, but at the same time makes us feel slightly on edge. Like Bundy himself, I suppose. "he seemed nice" said his neighbours.

The show is performed and written by Greg Wohead and examines our morbid curiousity with violence - how we are both attracted and repulsed by it. There are uncomfortable moments in this show. At times my breathing felt shallow and my heart pumped - especially at one particular moment when we aren't sure whether we're about to witness something horrific. The girl next to me covered her eyes. I won't go into details ... spoilers and all.

This show gives us a lot of food for thought and had my attention from start to finish. The hour flew by. If anything, I wish it had been longer... but then I guess that's morbid curiosity for you. We always want to know more.

[An aside. I thought at the time this show was very 'forest fringe'  - experimental, risk taking, challenging, offbeat - and after looking at his website it turns out that he was there with this show last year. Don't tell me I can't identify show types.]  

It was time to lighten up. What better way than with musical theatre.... about a murderous, blood hungry plant. No theme here.

"Little Shop of Horrors" was next on the menu. I love the film but have never seen the stage show and after reading a 5 star review, I was reeled in. It was also my first visit to a Paradise venue - Paradise in St Augustines. 

I wasn't disappointed. This is a strong ensemble and their puppetry of Audrey 2 was exemplary. Every movement and facial expression was synchronised and as each person gets 'eaten' they merge into the plant. I get the feeling this company specialises in puppetry, since the programme says they did Avenue Q last year. 

The singing voices of the lead characters weren't all that strong, but honestly, for a show like this it didn't matter that much; the acting is much more vital and I have no complaints there. Though it must be said, the trio that provide the narrative all had great singing voices. 

I didn't realise how different the ending of the stage show is to the film. It's darker (and darker, of course, means more interestng, as we learned from the Ted Bundy Project) but it meant there was no 'mean green mother from outer space' and that is a great song. Swings and roundabouts.

I didn't blog yesterday as I spent most of the day doing "life admin", before going to Forest Fringe to watch the show "Alba", then volunteering for the evening. (Life admin = tidying up, emails, washing, throwing away all the flyers I forced flyerers to give me, eating an actual proper meal and.. er... watching netflix.)

"Alba" is a show devised and performed by a girl with albinism. It's a quiet, subtle piece which feels like a gentle brush on the cheek rather than a pull on the heartstrings. It leaves us with a soft, warm feeling and smelling faintly of talc. It shows us that people who may be different and unique externally are ultimately exactly the same as everyone else, doing the same mundane things like ironing, making a sandwich and washing their hair.

As I was over at the biscuit factory ushering for volcano again, I stayed to watch the show in the space above, called "Now is the Time to Say Nothing" - an audio visual immersive experience about the people affected by the Syrian conflict.

11 chairs are set up in a circle facing away from each other, each with their own old fashioned CRT television set and a pair of headphones. The experience begins there, as a London based youth drama group deliberate on how we can feel more connected with the people of Syria. 

This is a hard-hitting, sobering peice. Earlier in the evening I smashed my phone and this piece truly made me think about how our first world problems, though often frustrating, are so small compared to what these people go through on a daily basis - the fear, the hopelessness....the horror. 

Edfest Day 23: Jesus, a Robot and an Internationally Ignored Transgender Rockstar

Oh that horrifying moment when you see your bus at your stop on the horizon and no matter how much running and arm flailing is done, you just know you're not going to catch it. Sinking heart moment... not half as much as getting to the stop and seeing this: N16 : 58 mins. Noooooo. It was already 12.30am. I was in for a long wait and my phone died a good few hours ago. 

Oh well, a good time to make progress on that big, hardback book I carry around with me for such occasions ... well, not a good time - it was 12.30am after all, and it meant squinting in what little light the street lights eminated. But one must make the best of a bad situation. 

All this for an average-at-best version of a great show, which overran 15 minutes longer than the already lengthy running time of 1hr50m. Before I go on, I think it's only fair for me to remember that this is an amateur company, not the broadway show I saw only 3 months ago. For that reason, maybe I should have avoided this. 

The show in question is "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and credit where it's due, I didn't know this was an amateur company. I've seen professional companies who seemed more amateur since I came to the fringe almost a month ago. 

That being said, I don't think Jake Benson, in the titular role of Hedwig, fully understood the character. He definitely got her nasty, bitter, unlikeable characteristics perfectly, but at the expense of her raw vulnerability that these traits mark. We should get glimpses of this as the show progresses, culminating in her breakdown at the end. Consequently, the end scenes feel a bit detatched from the rest of the show.

It also needs tightening up. A lot. Even the broadway show only runs at 90 minutes! This one ended up at 125 minutes. There's too much of Benson's attempts at, what he calls, "topical humour" of a stand up nature (much of which is no longer that topical). Too much picking on audience members. Of course, there should be some. Hedwig is grateful but also contemptuous of her audience, but generally it just went on too long. I say this as someone who'd drank a coffee and a lager before going in and desperately needed to pee from about 20 minutes in. 

Suddenly Felicity Ward's show came flooding back to me and I longed to be able to sneak out quickly signifying my intentions with the letter 'T' for toilet, as she requested. There was no escaping from this intimate venue without having to actually walk across the stage .... and that was something I really didn't want to have to do with Hedwig around. 

I also feel like Benson didn't understand Hedwig's relationship with Yitzak properly. Again, he understood the contempt but not the love. Hedwig does love Yitzak but is just incapable of showing it to the point of being abusive. Benson shows us the abuse, but never the affection. 

I guess I found Benson's one dimensional Hedwig a disappointment, because she is such a multi-layered interesting character. 

If I'd never seen a professional version of Hedwig, then I think I may have enjoyed this more. After seeing Darren Criss stripped down to his hotpants after an emotionally charged performance, all other Hedwigs were ultimately going to have a damned hard time winning me over. 

Moving on. 

I'm going to be brief about this next one, which I saw straight before Hedwig at the nearby venue "The Voodoo Rooms". I'm going to be brief because there wasn't much to it, it's basically just for having some laughs with a drink in your hand. The show was called "Christ on a Bike" (a phrase I enjoy) and does exactly what it says on the tin. It is literally Christ... on a bike. The premise of this show is that Christ actually had dyslexia and was "pro-fit", not a prophet, really into spin cycling and exercising generally. 

There are plenty of light laughs and merriment to be had, as well as some hand holding with strangers - who doesn't enjoy that? Maybe don't go if you're super religious, but the title "Christ on a Bike" should have put you off anyway... what are you even doing there?

At the end of the festival,  I'll be totaling up the number of shows I saw at each venue. I don't really need to do the math to know Pleasance is the winner.

The first show I saw after my volunteer shift was yet another Pleasance show. I'd been told that since I liked "Cell" so much, I'd like "Spillikin". They were right. This is another lovely, tender show. Though there are many similarities in theme and portrayal by a human-controlled, otherwise inanimate, object, there are plenty of differences. Spillikin uses a functioning, talking robot, and plenty of dialogue, whereas Cell uses a puppet and physical theatre. 

Both have the heartbreaking story of degenerative diseases at their core though. I forget the name of the husband's degenerative disease, as the wife (Sally) refers to the disease only through the affectionate name she gave him when the disease meant his shaking hands caused him to drop things - a 'spillikin'. 

Now, Sally is suffering with her own degenerative disease, Alzheimers, and struggles to remember that her husband has passed away. Before he did though, he built her a robot to care for her, help her remember, be patient with her, sing with her. All the things he would have done for her, had his illness not taken him away.

Can a show be heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time? I think this one proves it can. 

What's Hot Wednesday - Week Three

This is it, the final What's Hot Wednesday. Feels like it only just begun.......... Probably because it only begun 2 weeks ago.

As the Fringe Festival finishes on Monday, I'll instead do an overall Top 5, probably on the Tuesday - Top 5 Tuesday, yeah that works.

Back to the present. This week I saw 14 shows, a respectable amount considering I've been trying to volunteer as much as I can with Forest Fringe, but could have been better. Of those 14 shows, here are my top 5:

5. Blind Cinema (Edinburgh International Festival Filmhouse)

4. Oog (Dancebase)

3. Felicity Ward: What If There's No Toilet (Pleasance Courtyard)

2. Cleansed (C Nova)

AND NUMBER ONE.......................

..................................

....................

.........

1. 64 Squares (Underbelly Cowgate) 

I knew as I was watching 64 Squares that it had to take that top spot. It was just so perfectly constructed and executed while simultaneously being completely engrossing and entertaining. It was something special. 

Spring Awakening just missed out. I gave it to Blind Cinema for its innovation.

I said this post would be short. The time for bed is imminent as it's another (subjectively) early shift for me tomorrow. 

G'night. 

Edfest Day 22: Toilet Humour

Back in the old favourite space this evening - pleasance above, that of shows Molly and I Am Beast. I should get a loyalty card. Tonight I was there for Felicity Ward's comedy show "What if There's No Toilet?". The title alone was instantly relatable enough to catch my interest.  I wasn't disappointed. Felicity is a frenetic bundle of bouncy anxious energy. I can say this without offending as this show is all about mental illness, anxiety and ocd specifically.

The set is simply a toilet with rolls stacked up either side like a pyramid,  just begging to be knocked down - which Ward herself can't resist and succumbs gleefully to the urge. Talking of succumbing to urges (eh, eh?) Ward tells us candidly about her ibs,  the fear she battles that she's going to wet herself - or worse - during her stand up sets. We meet the niggling voice of anxiety in her head who she, somewhat viciously, named Beryl. I related to so much in this show and laughed the entire way through to the point where I didn't want to laugh anymore because my face ached. Indicative of how funny she is or how little I laugh? I hope it's the former. Is that my anxiety talking?

While we're on the topic of toilets, one of my anxities is public toilets but I also worry about being caught short. Consequently, I've used A LOT of public toilets over the last month and even started making peace with it. I have my routine - only wipe with ther right, so I can pick my bag up germlessly with my left... I've even used portacabins. I feel like I was almost over it... until today. There I was in the old enemy - the portacabin. I'd put my bag on the floor leaning against the toilet door, made the toilet seat paper ring, sat.... and noticed poo streaked on the wall inches away from the shoulder strap of my bag......... I'm not the religious type, but god knows I prayed for my bag not to fall over. 

Let's change the subject, quick....

Before this I saw a brilliant show that people and critics alike have been raving about called "64 squares" (that's right I'm working backwards folks, coz I'm feeling crazy. )

The hype is completely justified. The show is about madness and chess,  not natural bedfellows, but it works. This is a partnership of dialogue and physical theatre which has gelled well. The movement is so beautifully choreographed, it's like a dance, all in sync as though they are one... which, actually, is exactly what they're meant to be.  One person split into 4.

I love good use of facial expression and this show is full of perfectly captured expressions. I think facial acting is such a skill all by itself and the actors in this production were in total control of every muscle with great visual results. 

Everything was just so perfectly controlled and yet so skillfully smooth and slick, like you'd never know it wasn't natural and spontaneous movement.

The plot itself is more like a jigsaw puzzle than a game of chess. Piecing together individual moments to discover the events that led to the demise of the person we know simply as 'B' from the embroidered letter on the coat.

Again, I'd like to speculate and discuss this more but... time, y'know.  I'm discovering time is a real party pooper. 

Talking of pooping....... just kidding.

Finally - er, I mean, firstly (this is confusing) I went back to my roots and saw a musical. One I haven't seen but have very much wanted to - "Spring Awakening". This was in the Famous Spiegeltent in St Andrew's Square, but I think it would have been much better suited to a traditional space. 

There was a stage area, but also a circle of steel deck with the audience seated around on 3 sides. It meant, if you were sitting in the wrong place during an emotional moment, you might be completely cut off from it. In the right seat, you were way too involved.

This is just a venue issue. The show itself was excellent quality. It makes a change to see a show where the characters are actually, realistically the age they are meant to be. The whole cast are excellent all round performers and put so much energy into the show. On a par with RCS, for sure. 

Today was a race around Edinburgh to get to all the shows which started in quick succession. I didn't even get to the first show until 5pm today, after a misguided attempt to get up early and failing, followed by a Forest Fringe shift. I've decided to do separate blog posts for todays show reviews and my what's hot wednesday round-up, which'll be much briefer and will follow shortly..... 

Edfest Day 21: Blindfolds, Blood, Beasts and a Faceful of Issues

Packing 'em in today. I got to see the show at the filmhouse where I was volunteering earlier because not everyone who booked showed up (this is depressingly common for the free shows - it's still courtesy to cancel guys). It's the first show I've seen before midday. Like I said, mornings are not the one.

It's called "Blind Cinema". Donning a blindfold, you experience the show through audio description by children. The children sit behind you and whisper a description of the unfolding events through a device not too far removed from the old plastic cup and string telephones; Similar, but a little more inventive, allowing one child to talk to two audience members at once. The children have never seen the movie before, there is no dialogue and from their descriptions, it sounds like a very arty, surreal film. Actually, I'd quite like to have seen it after to compare with the movie in my mind (points for getting the reference).

I thought this deprivation of sight was a fairly unique idea when I saw "Fiction" at the Pleasance Dome (where I am now charging my phone, incidentally) way back at the beginning of the festival,  but it turns out... not so much.  I've spoken to a few people who've been to similar shows and "Blind Cinema" was definitely in the same vein - sense deprivation, the whispered voice, the disjointed, dream-like narrative. This was a bit more personal, though, given the children were actually present, sitting right behind you and in the moment. 

The children rotate to other audience members throughout the film. My favourite was the first one though and had to laugh at "he takes out a small white ball from his pocket..... It may be an egg. ...........  it's an egg." Still laughing now.

Next was "Cleansed" at C Nova. I knew this was a Sarah Kane show when I booked it, so was steeled for some heavy, depressing, weird stuff.

It was all those things but what I wasn't prepared for is how well this company grabs your attention and keeps it locked in their grip. The space is little more than a black box, adorned with just 2 chairs and it doesn't matter. Your focus is on these damaged characters the entire time.

I can't pretend to completely understand the complexities of this show. I feel like there's a lot to unpack and the nature of the fringe is there is little time for reflection.

There is an audio clip played toward the end of Kane herself giving an interview in which she states there is nothing depraved about her imagination - It's all stuff that's in the news but "with the boring bits taken out". There is violence and gore aplenty in this show. Fake blood washes the stage by the end. There is a scene where a boy is made to eat chocolate till he is sick. One audience member couldn't quite stomach this and had to leave looking quite panic stricken as she clambered over other audience members like a ticking vomit bomb... she returned sheepishly later with a glass of water and stayed near the door!

Next - "I Am Beast" at Pleasance Courtyard, in the same venue where I saw the play "Molly" exactly a week ago. This show attracted me as it offered many elements that I look for - fantasy lands, puppets, new writing, super heroes and villains. It was on the list AND it was half price.

I really enjoyed the general story and rich script. I just wish the puppet hadn't had a voice - a speaking voice that is.  "Cell" showed beautifully how voice can be given to a puppet, wordlessly. I understand why it was needed as it was a vehicle for the central characters personal revelation but I think it could have been thought out more creatively for better impact. Also the puppets appearances didn't feel organic. I like the puppetry for the purpose, I just think it needs more work. 

Next - "Man to Man" at Underbelly Potterrow. I so wanted to love it. It's Welsh (Wales Millennium Centre/ Frantic Assembly) and had rave reviews. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling it. The set, the lighting, the projection are beautiful and all get top marks. The solo actress is incredible as the woman living as a man for necessity and has an admirable army of accents up her sleeve. She gets top marks too. Where this failed for me was at the scripting level. So, so many words. I drifted away in my head at one point to what I was going to see next and what I was going to eat. For me to be thinking about food, it has to be really quite boring. This script could do with a 'kill your darlings' attitude from the script writer and a ruthless edit. 

Finally - "Joanna Neary: Faceful of Issues". This was a whimsical choice. On walking past the Assembly Rooms yesterday, I decided I needed to see more shows at this venue. After so many serious plays today, I needed some light relief - which I'm happy to say I found in this quirky little show. Neary's character, Celia, is taking her "Toxborough Village Hall Chat Show" out on the road to raise money for a kitten who needs an iron lung. It really does have the vibe of being at a friendly, church hall gathering - yes, there is interaction but everyone is so laid back in that space, its not threatening at all. Nor is it an attack of character, as with so many comedians...It's simply a pleasant chat. There's something a bit Vicar of Dibley meets Miranda about this character comedy, which is a mix that very much appeals to me. It takes place in a cosy studio space, ideal for the show, and she even thanked us at the end for "taking a chance on someone you've never heard of".  

Tomorrow, I've taken on an extra volunteer shift to cover Volcano's show between 1.30 - 3.30, smack bang in the middle of the day, but I will get some more shows in, ready for tomorrows 'what's hot wednesday'. So far, this week, I can't see a clear forerunner, so who knows who'll place where.... dun dun DUN. The excitement is too much, isn't it? ;)