The Edinburgh International Festival
Get carted away by this year's theatre, music and dance at the EIF. Take a look at the listings and our reviews.
5 star showsReviews A–Z
Frisky and Mannish - The College Years
(25 Aug 2010)
Not only hilariously funny, they’re also both brilliant musicians
Tommy Tiernan (24 Aug 2010)
A passionate man taking glorious risks
It’s Always Right Now, Until It’s Later (19 Aug 2010)
Achingly beautiful stories from a normal bloke
The Author (19 Aug 2010)
Outstanding show exploring voyeurism in art
Bo Burnham (14 Aug 2010)
How can a guy with an organ be so good?
Extinguish (13 Aug 2010)
One man stares down several abysses
The Boy With Tape On His Face (12 Aug 2010)
A masterclass of mime
Penelope (9 Aug 2010)
Enda in the ascendant
My Romantic History (8 Aug 2010)
Inventive, funny observations of contemporary relationships
David Strassman: Ventriloquism taken to a whole new level (6 Aug 2010)
Duality brilliantly wrong-foots audience and may blow minds
4 star shows
Meredith Monk: Songs of Ascension
(7 Sep 2010)
There is so much beauty here
Mitchell Museum and White Heath (7 Sep 2010)
Edge Festival, Electric Circus, 11 Aug 2010
Plan B (7 Sep 2010)
Rap and hip hop and deep heart-felt soul
Vive Le Cabaret (27 Aug 2010)
Fascinating Aida, Meow Meow and The Penny Dreadfuls head up quality cabaret package
Anthony Burgess: A Clockwork Orange (27 Aug 2010)
Timeless novel given female makeover
Burns: The Video Diary (25 Aug 2010)
Rabbie gets down and dirty in Auld Reekie
The Horne Section (25 Aug 2010)
Late night jazz comedy shambles – in a fun way
Seymour Mace (25 Aug 2010)
Odd, witty and unexpected gags galore
The Unexpected Items (25 Aug 2010)
A spirited rabble of punning linguists
Legend of the Card Ninja (25 Aug 2010)
Flinging playing cards like throwing stars
Transformation (24 Aug 2010)
Harrowing but uplifting tale of survival
Another Someone (24 Aug 2010)
A quirky and colourful production
John Robins (24 Aug 2010)
A master of humour over jokes
Addicted to Danger (24 Aug 2010)
Surreal and innovative sketch affair
Kevin Eldon (24 Aug 2010)
Where hard graft meets titting about
Tim Clare's Death Drive (24 Aug 2010)
A road trip with a difference
Allsopp and Henderson’s The Jinglists (23 Aug 2010)
Refreshingly outrageous jingle-based show
Mrs. Bang: A Series of Seductions in 55 minutes (23 Aug 2010)
An arrogant persona backed up by a powerful and diverse voice
Of Women and Horses I Have Known (23 Aug 2010)
A life in English eccentricity through comedy, theatre and music
Chef! (23 Aug 2010)
Crazy dance, sight-gag comedy and lots of laughs
David O’Doherty (23 Aug 2010)
Mild-mannered Dublin comic returns with less song and more chat
Dead Cat Bounce (23 Aug 2010)
Poised to go from cult hit to Minchin-like stardom
Mark Watson (23 Aug 2010)
Playing on his own inadequacies
Michael Fabbri (23 Aug 2010)
An amiable and engaging storyteller
Nick Sun (23 Aug 2010)
The most gloriously disconcerting experience you’re likely to see
Pension Plan (23 Aug 2010)
A pleasure to see a middle-aged lady dicking about
Phil Nichol (23 Aug 2010)
Delightfully silly succession of unhinged underworld creeps
Russell Kane (23 Aug 2010)
Acutely observed and deeply personal insight
Addy van der Borgh (23 Aug 2010)
Thoroughly engaging show themed around language
Caledonia (23 Aug 2010)
History repeating itself- The Crying Cherry (23 Aug 2010)
Oddball legends of Japanese psychological banditry 
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (23 Aug 2010)
Critical commentary on mankind's hypocrisy
It's Like He's Knocking (23 Aug 2010)
The magic of coincidence revealed, with free vodka
Naked Live and Never Again: My Last Discourse on Dramatic Method (23 Aug 2010)
Witty monologue about an acting guru
Opera Bohemia (23 Aug 2010)
Talented new company's Fringe debut
Stripped (23 Aug 2010)
Insightful, not salacious
Über Hate Gang (23 Aug 2010)
Explosive and well executed play on terrorism
Alun Cochrane (22 Aug 2010)
Making the world a cheerier place
The Ballad of Backbone Joe (22 Aug 2010)
A noirish tale of murder and meat fruit
Carey Marx (22 Aug 2010)
Debunking some myths with craft and guile
Hans Teeuwen (22 Aug 2010)
Gloriously divisive absurdist fare
John-Luke Roberts (22 Aug 2010)
A decadent and deathly hour of brilliance
Nina Conti (22 Aug 2010)
A vast talent for voices and timing
WitTank (20 Aug 2010)
High-octane/high-brow character comedy
Delilah Dix and Her Bag of Tricks (20 Aug 2010)
Queen Latifah's lovemaking secrets revealed
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. (20 Aug 2010)
Electric Circus, Edinburgh, Fri 13 Aug 2010
Bane (20 Aug 2010)
Schizo-frenetic film noir parody
Carl Barron (20 Aug 2010)
Restrained idiocy from Aussie manchild
Freefall (20 Aug 2010)
Take the plunge
Little Black Bastard (19 Aug 2010)
Moving and shocking story of abuse
Pas Perdus (19 Aug 2010)
Delightful family-friendly clowning
Reykjavik (19 Aug 2010)
Get on the next flight
Others (19 Aug 2010)
Impressive piece of verbatim theatre exploring the modern media
Smiler (19 Aug 2010)
Heartfelt story of friendship over disability
Five Guys Named Moe (19 Aug 2010)
Feel-good musical that’s a cut above
Maria De Buenos Aires (19 Aug 2010)
An Argentine feast for all five senses
Plan B (19 Aug 2010)
Nuanced and arresting marriage of text and image
Robert White (18 Aug 2010)
Get him on Shooting Stars
Josie Long (18 Aug 2010)
A joyous kickback against disillusionment
No Child ... (18 Aug 2010)
One-woman performance schools the school system
Bud Take The Wheel I Feel A Song Coming On (18 Aug 2010)
Resonant family drama in the heart of the English countryside
Roadkill (18 Aug 2010)
Relentlessly bleak, necessary drama about sex trafficking
Miles Jupp (18 Aug 2010)
Wonderful, funny and moving
La Lutte (18 Aug 2010)
Contemporary meets combat in a strong male duet
David Quirk (18 Aug 2010)
A worldview containing beauty and beastliness
Speechless (17 Aug 2010)
Giving voice to a powerful story
Sarah Millican (17 Aug 2010)
A consistent pleasure
Barry & Stuart (16 Aug 2010)
A hell of a compelling show
Carl Donnelly (16 Aug 2010)
Getting his stand-up craft down to a fine art
Colin Hoult (16 Aug 2010)
Creepy, disgusting and unsettling
Creatures (16 Aug 2010)
The humour is toe-curlingly awkward
Dag Sørås (16 Aug 2010)
Sørås makes hilarious hay
Greg Davies (16 Aug 2010)
Well-developed and magnetic set
Gyles Brandreth (16 Aug 2010)
Anecdotes of a life in theatre, TV and politics
Henry Paker (16 Aug 2010)
Sends out little constructs of the gleefully absurd in all directions
Simon Evans (16 Aug 2010)
Tightly written and carefully delivered
Terry Alderton (16 Aug 2010)
There’s probably a joke here for all tastes
The Three Englishmen (16 Aug 2010)
This might be as good as it gets
120 Birds (16 Aug 2010)
Glamorous homage to dance gone by
The Axis of Awesome: Songs in the Key of Awesome (16 Aug 2010)
Fringe favourites deliver winning brand of daft ditties
The Du-Rell Family (16 Aug 2010)
Death-country fo' y'all
Lights! Camera! Improvise! (16 Aug 2010)
Movie-centric improv from the Scat Pack
Seann Walsh (16 Aug 2010)
Making the humdrum hilarious
Bette/Cavett (15 Aug 2010)
Confessions of a Hollywood legend
Dr Brown Because (15 Aug 2010)
Physical comedy for willing idiots
Bare (15 Aug 2010)
Hard hitting drama
Be-Dom (14 Aug 2010)
Joyous fun with Portuguese drums
Flor de Muerto (14 Aug 2010)
Mexico City via Cambridge
Threshold (14 Aug 2010)
Disturbing examination of ritual and primality
Arabian Nights (14 Aug 2010)
Tales from old Baghdad
Tabú - I Will Be Bad (14 Aug 2010)
Contemporary circus flying in the face of fear
Wee Willie Gray (14 Aug 2010)
Magical adventure for Burns’ wee boy
Where Did It All Go Right? (14 Aug 2010)
Passion and fun in the nightclub
Jim Jefferies - Alcoholocaust (13 Aug 2010)
Vitriolic rants from the bottom of his LA-based heart
Mark Nelson - Offending the Senses (13 Aug 2010)
A jolt to the comedy system
Like You Were Before (13 Aug 2010)
Home movies and movies about home
My Hamlet with Linda Marlowe (13 Aug 2010)
That’s the way to be or not to be
Pappy's (13 Aug 2010)
Bringing you sketch sunshine
Emo Philips (13 Aug 2010)
Over-familiar but still funny
Mike Keat (13 Aug 2010)
A massively talented and very entertaining tool
Edward Weston: Life Work and William Wegman: Family Combinations (12 Aug 2010)
A pair of fascinating photography exhibitions for the price of one
Movin' Melvin Brown (12 Aug 2010)
Tap dance and song homage to African American music
Meow Meow - Feline Intimate (12 Aug 2010)
Cabaret will never be the same
Ali McGregor (12 Aug 2010)
A versatile diva, doing jazz this time
Plague! The Musical (12 Aug 2010)
Vibrant musical with sassy humour about a quest for fame and fortune
Lach’s Antihoot (12 Aug 2010)
Open stage night from NYC
Decky Does A Bronco (12 Aug 2010)
Winning revival of site-specific coming-of-age drama
While You Lie (12 Aug 2010)
Brave exploration of identity, the body and sexuality
The Fly in the Fridge (12 Aug 2010)
No flies on this
Imperial Fizz (12 Aug 2010)
Fast-talking 1930s drawing room satire with a twist
Running on Air (12 Aug 2010)
Charming road show in a camper van
Hairy Maclary and Friends (12 Aug 2010)
Canine capers
Shakespeare the Man From Stratford (12 Aug 2010)
Spellbinding mix of thundering speeches and historical storytelling
The Fragility Of X (12 Aug 2010)
Blurring the boundaries of behaviour
Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones (12 Aug 2010)
Your plastic friends
Lockerbie: Unfinished Business (12 Aug 2010)
Capturing the human story behind the headlines
The Blue Lady Sings (11 Aug 2010)
A free cabaret-style show full of humour and skill
Jarred Christmas (11 Aug 2010)
Personal set from personable stand-up
Hito Steyerl: In Free Fall (11 Aug 2010)
Sophisticated film captures the global economic crisis
Gemma Holt & Richard Healy: Shapes And Things (11 Aug 2010)
Making art from the everyday
Our Share of Tomorrow (11 Aug 2010)
Strong performances illuminate study of love and loss
Jason Cook (11 Aug 2010)
Well-crafted, life-affirming stuff
Bridget Christie (11 Aug 2010)
Dabbling around the unhinged fringes of stand-up
The Vanishing Horizon (11 Aug 2010)
Idle Motion stick to their winning formula
Joan Mitchell (11 Aug 2010)
Arresting display of abstract paintings
Julie Roberts: Child (11 Aug 2010)
Honest and compelling exploration of childhood
Nick Mohammed (11 Aug 2010)
Fantastically irritating and inappropriate
The Virtuous Burglar (11 Aug 2010)
A clever and lively performance and beautiful design: a winner
Stuart Goldsmith (11 Aug 2010)
On the road to proper glory
New Art Club (11 Aug 2010)
Original, charming and very funny
Soap! The Show (10 Aug 2010)
Water-logged circus show leaves the crowd open-mouthed
Julien Cottereau - Imagine-toi (10 Aug 2010)
Former Cirque du Soleil performer conjures a spectacle from nothing
Lovelace: A Rock Musical (10 Aug 2010)
Respectful tribute to the Deep Throat porn star
Celia Pacquola (10 Aug 2010)
A buoyant performance, surprising and cathartic
Comedy Bitch (10 Aug 2010)
Intelligent, surreal and original
Dan Antopolski (10 Aug 2010)
Confidently entertaining
Edward Aczel (10 Aug 2010)
Somehow incredibly funny without even trying
Henning Wehn (10 Aug 2010)
German humour remains a joke in itself
Jimeoin (10 Aug 2010)
Low-key observations about the little things
Noise Next Door (10 Aug 2010)
It’s very rare to see improv comedy so consistently hit the mark
10 Dates with Mad Mary (9 Aug 2010)
A simple but brilliant study about readjusting to life out of prison
All the Queen’s Children (9 Aug 2010)
An impressive, unflinching piece of fluid theatre
David Leddy’s Sub Rosa (9 Aug 2010)
Atmospheric, immersive Victorian promenade horror story
Derevo - Harlekin (9 Aug 2010)
Sinister, beautiful show from Fringe favourites
Inside features live score from 65daysofstatic (9 Aug 2010)
Dance: not just for girls, okay?
Jonny Sweet - Let's Just Have Some Fun (9 Aug 2010)
Derailing a show about a boat
Keith Farnan: Sex Traffic (9 Aug 2010)
Facts to gasp at and jokes to die for
Kevin Bridges (9 Aug 2010)
Rising star effortlessly wins over the home crowd
Magnus Betnér (9 Aug 2010)
Cult comic in the making
The Not So Fatal Death Of Grandpa Fredo (9 Aug 2010)
Frenetically-paced Vox Motus show lets fly with the satirical dartboards
Paul Foot - Ash in the Attic (9 Aug 2010)
"Comedy connoisseurs" only for divisive yet invigorating hour
Pete Johannson's - Pete's On Earth (9 Aug 2010)
Solid stand-up as it was meant to be
Ray Green (9 Aug 2010)
The 3D adventures of a two-bit character
Ross Sutherland - The Three Stigmata of Pacman (9 Aug 2010)
Life’s daftness exposed via poetry and music
The Silver Darlings (9 Aug 2010)
Strong, unflashy retelling of classic Scottish novel
Storm Large - Crazy Enough (9 Aug 2010)
A musical memoir with bawdy tales
A Corner Of The Ocean (8 Aug 2010)
Vibrant physical theatre that’s set to make waves
Beautiful Burnout - knockout collaboration a success on all fronts (8 Aug 2010)
Raging bulls come to the Fringe
Blackout delivers graceful and hard-hitting insight (8 Aug 2010)
Simple, brilliant, and in the second person
Brazil! Brazil! (8 Aug 2010)
Capeoira kicks, samba hips and footie tricks
Children's show Twinkle Twonkle combines educational with entertaining (8 Aug 2010)
Adventure in the sky at night
Doon MacKichan - Primadoona (8 Aug 2010)
Turning tragedy into comedy
Flawless - Chase The Dream (8 Aug 2010)
Streetdance – and a whole lot more
The Girl in the Yellow Dress (8 Aug 2010)
Challenging, intelligent exploration of neurosis, guilt and obsession
Hot Mess (8 Aug 2010)
Believable take on the hazy suspended reality of a messy night out
Just Macbeth! (8 Aug 2010)
Slick, accessible and boisterous adaptation of classic tragedy
The Last Miner uses puppetry to profound effect (8 Aug 2010)
Moving, melancholic puppet show
The Mole Who Knew It Was None Of His Business (8 Aug 2010)
Making a song and dance about poo
Pedal Pusher is a journey inside riders’ heads (8 Aug 2010)
Physical theatre show takes on the Tour de France
Rhythms With Soul (8 Aug 2010)
Foot-stomping romp through flamenco history
Roam (8 Aug 2010)
Fast-flowing contemporary dance laced with breakdance and martial arts
Sharp-suited sextet The Magnets a solid night out (8 Aug 2010)
Acappella group cover pop hits
Stick Man brings Julia Donaldson's children's book to life (8 Aug 2010)
Lively adaptation hits the spot
Tap Ole (8 Aug 2010)
Tap dance meets flamenco guitar with a sprinkling of razzle dazzle
Elis James - Daytripper (8 Aug 2010)
Scruffy yet sharp show about obsessions
Gemma Goggin - Get Laid or Die Trying (8 Aug 2010)
Hilarious and graphic sex tales
Mysterious Skin boils Heim's novel (8 Aug 2010)
Bleakly powerful adaptation of bestselling novel
Andrew Lawrence gets a few things off his chest (6 Aug 2010)
The end result is some high-pitched and hilarious rantings
Charlie and Lola's Best Bestest Play (6 Aug 2010)
TV siblings take the the stage: utterly charming and engaging
The Emperor's Quest: Chinese folk tale with modern flavour (6 Aug 2010)
A balance of catchy songs, snappy dialogue and a satisfying moral
Gilbert and George exhibit at the National Gallery (5 Aug 2010)
Retrospective of the iconic art duo
Impressionist Gardens (5 Aug 2010)
A remarkable exhibition of iconic, influential works at The National Galleries
Iran do Espírito Santo (5 Aug 2010)
Brazilian artist comes to the Ingleby Gallery presenting visual puns
Kim Coleman and Jenny Hogarth: Staged (5 Aug 2010)
Edinburgh-based artists stage a cultural land grab from August’s invasion
Prints of Darkness (29 Jul 2010)
Playful compendium of new work exploring record cover art
3 star shows
Barbershopera: Apocalypse No!
(7 Sep 2010)
A superb show full of dazzling vocals
Darcy’s Dilemma (7 Sep 2010)
A must for all Austenites
The Sing-along Glee Club (7 Sep 2010)
Hilariously silly, ridiculously twee and delightfully camp
Mission of Flowers (1 Sep 2010)
The life adventures of aviator and dare-devil
Following Wendy (27 Aug 2010)
Unconventional take on the Peter Pan story
Twelfth Night (27 Aug 2010)
By my troth, an afternoon delight (if you’ve got the energy)
The Gentleman of Leisure (25 Aug 2010)
Engaging and sharp
Henry Rollins (25 Aug 2010)
Fast-paced spoken word from the punk-rock raconteur
His Name Is Tim (25 Aug 2010)
A melancholy understanding of first love, lust and desire
The Night Heron (25 Aug 2010)
An interesting watch, but is a bit too broad
Sammy J (25 Aug 2010)
Transgressive flights of fancy
Tales From a Cabaret (25 Aug 2010)
A series of increasingly sinister jokes and songs
Tim Vine: Joke-a-motive (25 Aug 2010)
Quickfire pun-slinging and silly songs
Lip Service (25 Aug 2010)
Matter of fact and moving study of human emotions
Late Night Gimp Fight! (25 Aug 2010)
Padded out with mediocre offerings
Nick Helm - Keep Hold of the Gold (24 Aug 2010)
You’ll get on stage – whether you want to or not
Underneath The Lintel (24 Aug 2010)
A little treat for Dan Brown fans
Helen Arney (24 Aug 2010)
Sweet songs with a tender heart
Josh Howie (24 Aug 2010)
A gag-happy clown tests his crowd
Nat Luurtsema (24 Aug 2010)
An agreeable debut with a twist
Rich Fulcher (24 Aug 2010)
Smutty drag act comes on a little strong
Toulson and Harvey (24 Aug 2010)
A not-so slight return for Perrier-nominated duo
The Love of a Clown (23 Aug 2010)
Clever combination of sentimental storytelling and traditional clown
A Surprisingly Tasteful Show About Nudity (23 Aug 2010)
Well-intentioned schoolboy charm
Baby Wants Candy (23 Aug 2010)
Unappealing coldness between performers and audience
Clarkson and Crouch (23 Aug 2010)
More clever than funny
Felicity Ward (23 Aug 2010)
Has to inflate embarrassing mishaps into excruciating humiliations
Ginger and Black (23 Aug 2010)
Wit and verve
Hannah Gadsby (23 Aug 2010)
Genuine warmth and heartbreak
Idiots of Ants (23 Aug 2010)
A patchy affair that works beautifully in places
Justin Moorhouse (23 Aug 2010)
A likeable show that marries invention with nostalgia
Mark Allen (23 Aug 2010)
Confident delivery often resulting in pleasing set-ups
Matt Green (23 Aug 2010)
Preoccupations with paedophilia and scatology
Mike Newall (23 Aug 2010)
Effortlessly likeable
Sex, Lies and the KKK (23 Aug 2010)
One to keep an eye out for
Shappi Khorsandi (23 Aug 2010)
Falls disappointingly short of expectations
Susan Calman (23 Aug 2010)
A vitriolic manual in self-loathing
Susan Murray (23 Aug 2010)
Interesting and intelligent
Andi Osho (23 Aug 2010)
Serious stuff, but Osho’s funny with it
Andrew O'Neill (23 Aug 2010)
Comedic view of metal music and culture
Barockestra: Rocking the Classics (23 Aug 2010)
Enthusiastic rock take on well-known classical pieces
Frances Ruffelle: Beneath the Dress (23 Aug 2010)
Cheeky, sexy and surprising cabaret-esque show
The Ginge, The Geordie & The Geek (23 Aug 2010)
Well complemented titular trio
The Gospel at Colonus (23 Aug 2010)
Greek tragedy set in an African-American Pentecostal church
Italia ’n’ Caledonia (23 Aug 2010)
Unpretentious tales of the family history behind Valvona and Crolla
Paul Sweeney and Tom Webb (23 Aug 2010)
An hour of average comedy with a respectable laugh ratio
Vieux Carré (23 Aug 2010)
Bold, intelligent and intermittently entertaining play
The Wake (23 Aug 2010)
A nifty, audience-aware caper
Your Days Are Numbered (23 Aug 2010)
Somehow making maths funny
John Moloney (22 Aug 2010)
Stand-up crooner is a little out of tune
Porgy and Bess (22 Aug 2010)
French company take Porgy and Bess to the Deep South
Taking Liberties (22 Aug 2010)
A witty and warped look at freedom
Tom Allen (20 Aug 2010)
Navigating social dilemmas with confidence
Shazia Mirza (20 Aug 2010)
Atheists, parental pressure and sex chronology gone wrong
Bane 2 (20 Aug 2010)
Slightly less-effective sequel to the classic noir pastiche
Ardal O'Hanlon (20 Aug 2010)
Come in, come in!
Feels Good To Be Live (20 Aug 2010)
Glee-ful young rock kids break out of Mumbai
The Lasses, O (19 Aug 2010)
Scots narrative by the Scottish Bard’s women
Borderline Racist (19 Aug 2010)
A humorous discourse on xenophobia
Granny's Gone Wild (19 Aug 2010)
Geriatric jokes and pensioner’s punch-lines
Amy, Fate and Me (19 Aug 2010)
Redemption on the open road
Cape Dance Company (19 Aug 2010)
Pop star-slick, but patchy
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (19 Aug 2010)
Hitler and the Nazis - with jokes
An Evening with Dementia (19 Aug 2010)
Solo show raises big questions of our future with intelligence and understated humour
Atsuo Okamoto: Faraway Mountain (18 Aug 2010)
A strong sense of both exploration and play
Abandoman (18 Aug 2010)
A hip hop celebration of everyday lives
Chris Addison (18 Aug 2010)
Freeform ranting in a show about nothing
Victoria Crowe: Reflection (18 Aug 2010)
Rich but congested series of studies of Venice
Checkley Bush (18 Aug 2010)
A bawdy, musical realm
His Eyes Were Like Oysters (18 Aug 2010)
Pop culture references, surreal concepts and non-sequiturs
Max and Iván (18 Aug 2010)
High energy, fast-paced sketches
Pete Firman (18 Aug 2010)
A cross between Paul Daniels and Vernon Kay
Adam Vincent (18 Aug 2010)
Enjoyably oddball
Gordon Southern (18 Aug 2010)
An enjoyable hour with a cheeky chap
Atrium (17 Aug 2010)
Theatre interrupted
The Penny Dreadfuls (17 Aug 2010)
Hard to see exactly what the mad fuss is about
Sarah Bennetto (17 Aug 2010)
A thoroughly engaging and charming storyteller
The 80s Movie Flashback (16 Aug 2010)
If you like self-aware tackiness, try it out
Asher Treleaven (16 Aug 2010)
Unpredictable and uneven routine
Clever Peter (16 Aug 2010)
Generally very funny and always well-acted
Gareth Richards (16 Aug 2010)
Quaint, bumbling stand-up and surreal, amateurish songs
Holly Burn (16 Aug 2010)
Vivid, boundless and contagious
Ian D Montfort (16 Aug 2010)
Some great shambolics and ad-libbing
Jimmy McGhie (16 Aug 2010)
A set of simple but funny observations
Jollie (16 Aug 2010)
Charmingly silly piece of musical comedy
Jon Richardson (16 Aug 2010)
Fewer laughs per hour than previous years
Lach (16 Aug 2010)
Minutely referential and full of pithy asides
Monster of the Deep 3D (16 Aug 2010)
An amiable and tight performance
The Sunday Defensive (16 Aug 2010)
Decent-enough chemistry
Toby Hadoke (16 Aug 2010)
Well-trodden paths of 80s small-screen nostalgia
Vladimir McTavish (16 Aug 2010)
Thoroughly entertaining crawl through the national beverage
The Wau Wau Sisters (16 Aug 2010)
Chaotic, messy, Benny Hill-style slap and tickle comedy
Yianni Agisilaou (16 Aug 2010)
A lovely hour with some fine, funny company
Andy Zaltzman Swears to Tell the Truth, Half the Truth, and Everything But the Truth (16 Aug 2010)
Slightly patchy, highly politicized stand-up
Eric Burdon & The Animals (16 Aug 2010)
Queens Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 7 Aug 2010
Sean Hughes: Ducks And Other Mistakes I’ve Made (16 Aug 2010)
Extremely embittered ranting from ex-Buzzcocks man
Jarlath Regan: Not So Common Sense (15 Aug 2010)
Musings on life approaching thirty
Jennifer Coolidge (15 Aug 2010)
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Wednesday (15 Aug 2010)
Some interesting observations about violence
Gutted. A Revenger’s Musical (15 Aug 2010)
Elaborate but strangely poorly thought-out revenge
Are You There? (14 Aug 2010)
Above-average student drama
At Home with Mrs Moneypenny (14 Aug 2010)
Smart and funny
The Call of Cthulhu (14 Aug 2010)
Perfectly captures this descent into insanity
The Caucasian Chalk Circle (14 Aug 2010)
Entertaining production of this Brechtian classic
The Harbour (14 Aug 2010)
Folk tale’s inherent poignancy still manages to show through
Mary & William (14 Aug 2010)
Intimate rendition is by turns humorous and poignant
Poignant (14 Aug 2010)
Three Argentinean stories are narrated consecutively
Intertwine (14 Aug 2010)
Works, and dancers, in progress
Reel-to-Real: The Movies Musical (14 Aug 2010)
Less chat more dancin’ and singin’ please
The Regretrospective (14 Aug 2010)
The tiger who came to tea with his ex-lover, the horse
Paul Chowdhry - Not PC (13 Aug 2010)
Self-censorship blunts some impact
Dommett & Lapaert (13 Aug 2010)
Material tossed aside for engaging tomfoolery
Matthew Hardy: Willy Wonka Explained (13 Aug 2010)
Nostalgic trip back to a time of Veruca Salt and Everlasting Gobstoppers
Camille O’Sullivan – Chameleon (13 Aug 2010)
More of a purr than a growl
Caroline Rhea (13 Aug 2010)
Flirting with fame and audience patience
Lorca is Dead (13 Aug 2010)
A lament in the key of surrealism
Des Bishop (13 Aug 2010)
My Dad Was Nearly James Bond
The Railway Children (12 Aug 2010)
A classic revisited
Ray Bradbury’s 2116 (12 Aug 2010)
A dreamy fairytale about the perils of creating perfection
Up 'n' Under (12 Aug 2010)
Enjoyable revival of John Godber’s lively romp
Could it Be Forever? (12 Aug 2010)
A bittersweet comedy will have you recall youthful emotion
Greek Myths For Kids by the new Backhand Theatre (12 Aug 2010)
A bit too few tales of Kings, Heroes and Monsters
Lee Kern opens with Filthy Raucous Soul Bitch (12 Aug 2010)
Promising debut from cheeky Londoner
Call Mr Robeson (12 Aug 2010)
Inspirational story of legendary singer
Andrew Clover’s Almost Famous Story Show (12 Aug 2010)
Free range storytelling
The White Dalmatian (12 Aug 2010)
Fairytale musical with a twist
Alice in Wonderland (12 Aug 2010)
Fast-paced adaptation goes full throttle
Pedestrian (12 Aug 2010)
Fishy tale from an engaging performer
Shirley and Shirley (12 Aug 2010)
Dark twists on familiar sketch topics
Maeve Higgins (12 Aug 2010)
She could talk all day and keep you smiling
Aidan Bishop (12 Aug 2010)
Sounds more like he’s 50 than 30
Expectations (12 Aug 2010)
An earnest, intelligent, and honest piece
Two (12 Aug 2010)
Uneven play about a succession of couples packs a powerful punch
Bec Hill (12 Aug 2010)
An endearing quirkiness
Damion Larkin (11 Aug 2010)
Cuddly Loser has the feel of being hurriedly chucked-together
Dance Doctor Dance (11 Aug 2010)
Joining in with the lord of the dance
Rhythm Of The Drums: Song Of The Cicada (11 Aug 2010)
Show but no tell
Tim FitzHigham (11 Aug 2010)
Irrepressible, energetic and nutty self portraits
Chris Corcoran (11 Aug 2010)
Corcoran makes his people sound rather lovely
Nathan Caton (11 Aug 2010)
Tackles issues of race with refreshing ease and sensitivity
That Moment (11 Aug 2010)
Endearing and comic one-woman performance
Mairi Gillies: Natura Sensus (11 Aug 2010)
Hortisculpturist explores the relationship between art and plants
Suspicious Package (11 Aug 2010)
Immersive fun on the streets of Edinburgh
The Sum of it All (11 Aug 2010)
Ghostly tale of grief
Girl Constantly Fucking Interrupted (11 Aug 2010)
Unnerving descent into madness
George Ryegold (11 Aug 2010)
A gloriously bleak worldview
Dave Hill (11 Aug 2010)
Navigates a fine path between the crass and the classy
Beta Males’ Picnic (11 Aug 2010)
Preoccupation with death and sexual deviance
Jack Whitehall (11 Aug 2010)
Lacking real substance
Jo Caulfield (11 Aug 2010)
Trademark snarky wit
Roaring Boys (11 Aug 2010)
Enjoyable, surreal character comedians
Mike Wozniak (11 Aug 2010)
A frustrated and edgy figure
Of People and Not Things (11 Aug 2010)
An examination of break-up as apocalypse
Rob Rouse (11 Aug 2010)
Spinning the mundane into the finest yarn
Memory Cells (10 Aug 2010)
Exploring the machinations of power
Jacobite Country (10 Aug 2010)
Ramshackle action in the Pictish Free State
Operation Greenfield (10 Aug 2010)
Teenagers getting Christ, no kicks
Stephen Carlin - The Podium of Unconditional Surrender (10 Aug 2010)
Airdrie wag refuses to get tough
Adam Riches (10 Aug 2010)
Riches’ latest show is supremely daft
Alex Horne (10 Aug 2010)
Clever maths, quantum mechanics and pleasingly lo-fi graphics
Ali Cook (10 Aug 2010)
Cook’s magic is both slick and sick
Chris McCausland (10 Aug 2010)
McCausland meanders off on wildly varying tangents
Felix Dexter (10 Aug 2010)
Observational stand-up and nicely realised characters
Geraldine Quinn (10 Aug 2010)
Flash your flesh, your cash and your camel toe
Two Episodes of MASH (10 Aug 2010)
Offbeat charm and wit
Exploring the dilemmas inherent in Dicken's Oliver Twist (10 Aug 2010)
Setting the classic tale during World War II creates a convincing drama
Hamlet for Girls (10 Aug 2010)
A swift, nicely performed, play about juggling work and relationships
Against the Odds (9 Aug 2010)
One-woman show lets audience sympathize but is sometimes baffling
The Bacchae (9 Aug 2010)
A fast-paced production where some plot-twists may get lost amongst writhing
Bound (9 Aug 2010)
Brimming with comedic talent, weaker on emotion, generally lovely
The Day the Sky Turned Black (9 Aug 2010)
One-man show tells the story of the 2009 Australian firestorms
Don't Run with Scissors (9 Aug 2010)
A Betrayal of Penguins can't quite regain of glory of 2009
Jeremy Lion (9 Aug 2010)
Soused kids entertainer goes green
Jessica Ransom (9 Aug 2010)
What would you do with a million?
Joe Rowntree: Peaceful Worrier (9 Aug 2010)
Paranoia revolves around this comic’s past
Laura Solon: The Owl of Steven (9 Aug 2010)
A curious show about owls and oddballs
Love Bites (9 Aug 2010)
A show about food, love, and sex blurs the lines between reality and fantasy
More Light Please (9 Aug 2010)
In search of further illumination
Mussolini: A One Man Political Farce (9 Aug 2010)
Fascinatingly detailed piece about the man to keep audience intrigued
No Son of Mine (9 Aug 2010)
Family secrets uncovered amid a heap of gags
Paul Sinha - Extreme Anti-White Vitriol (9 Aug 2010)
Handling some hot political spuds
Poland 3 Iran 2 (9 Aug 2010)
Merhdad and Chris share the political football
Pros from Dover (9 Aug 2010)
Sketch comedy from accomplished trio inject form with inovation
Reginald D Hunter - Trophy Nigga (9 Aug 2010)
Funny but familiar material
Richard Herring - Christ on a Bike (9 Aug 2010)
A disappointing retread of past glories
Sex Idiot (9 Aug 2010)
Enjoyably loopy journey through Bryony Kimmings’ past loves
Touching the Blue (9 Aug 2010)
A wonderfully constructed character story leaves you hanging
Wolf is a innovative and well-imagined piece of theatre (9 Aug 2010)
Engaging exploration of human/wolf relations
Zambezi Express (9 Aug 2010)
Talented performers bring warmth to cold Fringe
Anatomy of Fantasy (8 Aug 2010)
Impressive if unfocused journey through the subconscious
Continent (8 Aug 2010)
Barton finks too much
Farm Boy (8 Aug 2010)
Country tale in need of a jump start
Lesbian Bathhouse (8 Aug 2010)
A feminist comic romp
Martin Creed: Ballet Work No 1020 (8 Aug 2010)
Oh, do try harder, disgruntled of Sadler’s Wells
Poem Without A Hero (8 Aug 2010)
The first stage production of a Russian masterpiece
Scott Agnew proves himself as storyteller with eye for absurd (8 Aug 2010)
Devilish entertainer with broad appeal
Tiffany Stevenson - Dictators (8 Aug 2010)
Top Trumps of despots
Tony Tanner’s Charlatan (8 Aug 2010)
Russian Ballet’s controversial founding father brought to life
Whenever I Get Blown Up I Think Of You (8 Aug 2010)
Rich, lyrical personal account of the 7/7 bombings
The Cage (8 Aug 2010)
Gun play and fourth-wall rupturing
Daniel Sloss - My Generation (8 Aug 2010)
Teen comic hits home with the personal
Gary Delaney - Purist (8 Aug 2010)
The Basil Brush of stand-up
Kafka and Son (8 Aug 2010)
Goodies and Daddies
Lady Garden - Top Secret Gig (8 Aug 2010)
Slightly too fast-paced sketch show
Paul Zenon - Lounge Wizard (8 Aug 2010)
Old tricks with some new twists
The Real MacGuffins (8 Aug 2010)
Deliciously daft sketches
Sound and Fury - Private Dick (8 Aug 2010)
Playful postmodern romp with knob gags
The Ukulele Project (8 Aug 2010)
Charming folk take on modern classics
Jonno Katz - Cactus: The Seduction (8 Aug 2010)
A manic one-man love story
Flesh and Blood and Fish and Fowl (6 Aug 2010)
Look busy, it’s the end of the world
Hip hop parodist Doc Brown (6 Aug 2010)
Sometimes laboured, but poignant, moving, and convincing
Sitting & Looking (28 Jul 2010)
Innovative group show offers comfortable, close examination of 21st century objects
Edinburgh Art Festival surrealist exhibition Another World leaves potential unfulfilled (27 Jul 2010)
Impressive, if surprisingly straightforward, collection of surrealist works
2 star shows
The Man Who Fed Butterflies
(7 Sep 2010)
Sporadically phenomenal spectacle lacks magic of theatre
Grimm Tales of the Unexpected (25 Aug 2010)
Crudely draws out the latent dark content of the Grimms’ fairytales
I’m Still Here . . . (25 Aug 2010)
Ably flitting between genres
Interrobang? (25 Aug 2010)
Student-y question and answer improv
Now is the Winter (25 Aug 2010)
Confusion abounds
Too Middle Class for Chlamydia (25 Aug 2010)
Fairly pedestrian – not to mention misogynist
Up to Now (25 Aug 2010)
Of limited appeal
Winner By Submission (25 Aug 2010)
Self destructive ethos
Magicians (25 Aug 2010)
Thwarted ambition and misplaced idolatry
Kerry Gilbert (24 Aug 2010)
Talent is wasted on charmless creations
Sara Pascoe (24 Aug 2010)
Disappointing debut from Freud-studying comic
Broad Comedy (23 Aug 2010)
Horribly laboured songs about abstinence, tampons and penis size
Daddy Ate All My Easter Eggs and Never Replaced Them (23 Aug 2010)
One decent pun about Lidl
Everything Else You Always Wanted to Know About Life (But Didn’t Care to Ask) (23 Aug 2010)
Largely-poor material takes us back to the mid-70s
Foil, Arms and Hog (23 Aug 2010)
Sketches that start nowhere and then stay there for a very long time
James Dowdeswell (23 Aug 2010)
Mediocre material and rather uneasy delivery
Mary Barrel is Really Good at Things (23 Aug 2010)
Over-excited, part-improvised but tediously goofy life skills ‘seminar’
Strong and Wrong (23 Aug 2010)
Lame sketches fall an awful long way short of the music
Tara Flynn (23 Aug 2010)
Varying styles from 80s electro to French folk
A Perhaps-Too-Intimate Evening of Music and Hilarity (23 Aug 2010)
Music (certainly) and hilarity (hardly)
Ava Vidal (23 Aug 2010)
Short-lived comedy lessons
James Sherwood (23 Aug 2010)
Sporadically hilarious piano-led laughs
Joe Lycett and Andrew Ryan (23 Aug 2010)
Good-humoured but weak double-header
The Lunchtime Club: Class of 2010 (23 Aug 2010)
Largely uninspiring line-up on lunchtime lads
Miranda (23 Aug 2010)
Bollywood meets Shakespeare in this twist on the Tempest
Pete Jonas (23 Aug 2010)
Just about straddles the right side of offensiveness
Quality Control (23 Aug 2010)
Muddled yet ambitious little play
Alex Zane (22 Aug 2010)
Best leave it to the professionals, fella
Charlie Talbot (22 Aug 2010)
Gag-free life of a decent man
Philip Braham: Falling Shadows In Arcadia (19 Aug 2010)
Insensitively curated exhibition pits the fragility of human life against the enduring landscape
Tales from a House of No Windows (18 Aug 2010)
Why you definitely shouldn't get stuck in a lift
Productivity (18 Aug 2010)
A production about a product
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - A Romantic Comedy! (18 Aug 2010)
Israel and Palestine get it on
Tom Wrigglesworth (18 Aug 2010)
A disconnected dispatch about nuptials
Sophie Black (18 Aug 2010)
A character show with little in the way of actual characters
The Space Between (18 Aug 2010)
Erratic mixed printmaking show
Eric’s Laws of the Land (18 Aug 2010)
Clichés about football, TV and women’s toilets
Radio Hoohah (17 Aug 2010)
Very occasional glimpses of humour
2-Man No-Show (16 Aug 2010)
Gurning in place of gags
The Brothers Streep (16 Aug 2010)
Displaying a total lack of chemistry
Crumpets, Muffins and Afternoon Teas(e) (16 Aug 2010)
More unease than tease
Daniel Rigby (16 Aug 2010)
A ragbag of facial gymnastics and titbits about ghosts
Eirlys Bellin (16 Aug 2010)
Clichés abound and laughs fail
Grainne Maguire (16 Aug 2010)
An engaging performer who would benefit from judicious writing
Joe Bor (16 Aug 2010)
An easy and relaxed way with the crowd
The Leftovers (16 Aug 2010)
Promising if underbaked sketch show
Loretta Maine (16 Aug 2010)
All a bit one-note
Luke Toulson (16 Aug 2010)
Plenty of bonhomie, but not much els
Matt Tiller (16 Aug 2010)
Uninspired musical comedy
Speed... Mating... (16 Aug 2010)
Zoology meets comedy in this lecture on sexuality
Tom Williams (16 Aug 2010)
One wishes the humour was a bit sharper
Wendy Wason (16 Aug 2010)
Intelligent, heartfelt and entertaining
Aleister Crowley: A Passion For Evil (16 Aug 2010)
Theatrical monologue from the renowned occultist
Find Love Make Love Die (16 Aug 2010)
Young cast show maturity but fail to avoid cliche
The Flat (16 Aug 2010)
Spirited if amateurish production
Jason Byrne (16 Aug 2010)
Shouty, sweary, hyperactive man-child
Alfie Brown & Ivo Graham (15 Aug 2010)
Rants and interruptions hamper this newbie duo
Charlyne Yi (15 Aug 2010)
Don’t believe the hype
The Sun Also Rises (15 Aug 2010)
Overlong and unsympathetic Hemingway adaptation
Burst (14 Aug 2010)
Atmospheric as a whole, but the script lacks polish
Cirque de Legume (14 Aug 2010)
They must be aiming to be ‘so bad it’s good’
Elsie and Mairi Go to War (14 Aug 2010)
High on initial interest but short on the requisite drama
The Lonesome Foxtrot (14 Aug 2010)
While imaginative, lacks precision
The Man Who Was Thursday (14 Aug 2010)
Injects some far-fetched fun into a light-hearted romp
Tales From The Blackjack (14 Aug 2010)
Following three people’s descent into addiction
Delete The Banjax (13 Aug 2010)
Hyped foursome not quite there yet
Bang Bang You’re Dead (13 Aug 2010)
Update to 1999 version lacks emotional force of original
Conor O’Toole (12 Aug 2010)
Some good joke-writing
The Master and Margarita (12 Aug 2010)
Atmospheric and exciting, yet a difficult to follow and rough performance
Penguin (12 Aug 2010)
Puppetry and song for young ‘uns
Belt Up's Octavia (12 Aug 2010)
Confused quest in a war zone
The Door (11 Aug 2010)
An unexpected outcome to an ultimately un-engaging play
Maff Brown (11 Aug 2010)
You probably had to be there
Arj Barker (11 Aug 2010)
Disappointing gaggery from much-hyped actor
Emma Thompson Presents Fair Trade (11 Aug 2010)
Verbatim ad nauseam
Andrew Bird (11 Aug 2010)
Like being beaten with a roll of toilet paper
Lee Nelson (11 Aug 2010)
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Unshakeable (11 Aug 2010)
Paul Betney jokingly describes his life with Parkinson's
Sam Simmons (11 Aug 2010)
Somewhat lacklustre
Smith and Smith (11 Aug 2010)
Dry self-deprecation and an irreverent take on immortality
Brendon Burns (10 Aug 2010)
Overly serious rants about killing paedophiles and getting religion
Comedy in the Dark (10 Aug 2010)
Well-known comics pitched out of their comfort zones
Giacinto Palmieri (10 Aug 2010)
This stilted performance was a pile of sweaty meatballs
Kai Humphries (10 Aug 2010)
Desperately needs an injection of sharper gags
Tom Craine (10 Aug 2010)
Achingly upper middle-class meanderingsT_59x42.jpg)
Tony Law (10 Aug 2010)
Some laugh-worthy material
Babbling Comedy: The Perfordian Show (9 Aug 2010)
Slapstick, magic, juggling all lend to adequate family entertainment
Clint’s Reality (9 Aug 2010)
A spirited performance but somewhat lacking script
Jungle Book: The Next Chapter (9 Aug 2010)
Monkeying around with Kipling’s classic
Kate Fox - Kate Fox News (8 Aug 2010)
A slow news day
Dinner For One (8 Aug 2010)
Endearing skit pales in comparison to legendary film version
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (8 Aug 2010)
Chicago fusion of jazz, hip hop and funk
Red Cello Electrified (8 Aug 2010)
South African cellist plugs in
1 star shows
A Midsummer Night's Dream
(25 Aug 2010)
More hood than wood (but still not good)
Getting Over Milk Wood (25 Aug 2010)
Things go from the sub-standard to the ridiculous
Two Bloody Queens (25 Aug 2010)
A noble, but shambolic attempt
Carole Jahme (23 Aug 2010)
Barren, baffling and humiliating for all involved
Nathan Cassidy (23 Aug 2010)
An over-egged, utterly boring hour
The Nelson Twins (17 Aug 2010)
More groans than laughs
Broderick Chow (16 Aug 2010)
Covers too much ground
Dead (14 Aug 2010)
Like an unintentional parody of bad plays
Some Gorgeous Accident (14 Aug 2010)
Overlong travesty
The Tiger Lillies (8 Aug 2010)
Sideshow inspired death-gypsy tunes
