30 top shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2010

Source: Edinburgh Festival Guide
Date: 23 July 2010
Written by: Brian Donaldson

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This article is from 2010.

30 top shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2010

The List's pick of the Edinburgh Festival programme

From Turner Prize-winning Martin Creed and New York theatre experimentalists The Wooster Group to former wild child Storm Large and promising newcomer Jonny Sweet, this is The List's pick of August’s entertainment.

Martin Creed
This busy Turner-winning boy is appearing at the Book Festival to discuss two decades in art, putting on a ballet, and indulging his art fans with an exhibition entitled Down Over Up.

Jonny Sweet
Last year his award-winning show was Mostly About Arthur. This time around, the ex-Footlights wag implores us thusly: Let’s All Just Have Some Fun (And Learn Something, For Once).

Wooster Group
The legendary New York theatre experimentalists do Tennessee Williams as only they can. Vieux Carré merges bits of Elia Kazan and Paul Morrissey to deliver this new take on a classic text.

Elsewhere
A galaxy of literary stars have each written an essay or short story for a special Book Festival project under the Elsewhere umbrella. Alasdair Gray is among those involved.

PinaBausch
The late, great German choreographer wasn’t able to fulfill her final EIF commission but Jonathan Mills received a ready-made replacement that will thrill her fans.

Tim Key
Last year’s proud victor of the main Edinburgh Comedy Award brings us a run of Slutcracker, the winning show of poetry, film and being carried across his stage by the audience.

Tinchy Stryder
The UK rap star, born Kwasi Danquah, is the confident soul who named a tune ‘Number 1.’ Which is exactly where it ended up.

Django 100
A film, a talk and a series of gigs from the likes of Les Doigts de l’Homme are laid down to mark the centenary of Mr Reinhardt.

Diciembre
Guillermo Calderón’s play features a soldier returning home for Christmas, putting his sisters at odds with him and their beliefs.

Tall Stories
The ever-excellent kids theatre company brings us another magical tale, this time inspired by nursery rhymes and the Big Bang.

Gospel at Colonus
This intriguing adaptation of the Sophocles tragedy features an astonshing bundle of talent including the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Steeles and the Legendary Soul Stirrers.

Storm Large
She’s been on a US reality rock show, lost her virginity way too early, and broke free from a serious drug habit. This gentle giant hits Edinburgh with the comic story of her life.

Alan Warner
Having returned with his follow-up to The Sopranos, this Oban-born, Ireland-based author flies back to his old Edinburgh stomping ground with two events.

Porgy and Bess
It’s had a complex and notorious history, but the Gershwins’ iconic ‘American folk opera’ still has the ability to shock and move us. Opéra de Lyon are in town with an exciting fresh version.

Gilbert and George
The Morecambe and Wise of art get a retrospective of some early, controversial works. All of which show that their influence on the Britart generation is more apparent than you’d think.

BalletLORENT
With Blood, Sweat and Tears, Liv Lorent choreographs a new work which looks at parental responsibility, the power of memory and the ultimate beauty of sacrifice.

Magnus Betnér
Sweden’s rising stand-up star fronts an unofficial campaign launched by Scandinavian comics to take over the entire city of Edinburgh.

World Press Photo
Images from the globe’s finest photographers on show at the Scottish Parliament will amaze and appall in roughly equal measure.

Will Self
Everyone’s favourite human dictionary and game show maverick brings his massive brain to Charlotte Square.

Bryony Kimmings
Sex Idiot features the performance artist retracing the steps of her past affairs and finding a bit of filth and frivolity there.

Spirituality and Peace
The tenth Festival of S&P insists that we should ‘treat others as you would like to be treated’. To that end, a feast of concerts, performances, events and talks have been arranged.

Tommy Tiernan
The Irish stand-up and holder of a Guinness World Record makes his long-awaited return to the Fringe on the back of some global controversy. But this Crooked Man refuses to be silenced.

Unbound
One of the Book Festival’s major innovations is this strand which keeps the fun bubbling into the late night. Confirmed attendees include author and stand-up, AL Kennedy.

Impressionist Gardens
The big guns of Impressionism gather up on The Mound for a major exhibition of 90 works from collections across the world. Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Manet and Sisley are all there.

Power of the People
After the furore over the MPs’ expenses scandal, this Festival of Politics event looks at how you, the people, can have your voice heard. Mark Thomas and Martin Bell discuss.

David Leddy’s Sub Rosa
Theatrical maverick David Leddy brings his late-night gothic Victorian promenade to the Fringe. Dare you step into this mystery surrounding the horrible death of a chorus girl?

Guilty Pleasures
If undiluted pop is your bag of musical tricks, then this glorious slab of DJ fun in Princes Street Gardens has got your name all over it.

Rich Fulcher
Within a too-tight safari suit once stood the Boosh man. Now he gets looser as the glam Eleanor, a lady with a taste for fame.

China Moses
The life of Dinah Washington has been a source of inspiration for this France-based singer, as she proves with this gig.

Ontroerend Goed
This innovative Belgian company made a splash two years ago as their young cast let rip. A blistering Teenage Riot awaits us all.

This article is from 2010.

More: Comedy, Theatre, Music, Dance, Talks & lectures, AL Kennedy, Alan Warner, Alasdair Gray, Art Festival, BalletLorent, Big Bang, Blind Boys of Alabama, Book Festival, Bryony Kimmings, China Moses, Contemporary dance, Crooked Man, David Leddy, Diciembre, Dinah Washington, Django 100, Django Reinhardt, Down Over Up, Edge Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh Festivals, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Elia Kazan, Elsewhere, Festival of Politics, Festival of Spirituality and Peace, Fringe, Gilbert and George, Gospel at Colonus, Guillermo Calderón, Guilty Pleasures, Impressionist Gardens, International Festival, Jonny Sweet, les doigts de lhomme, Let’s All Just Have Some Fun (And Learn Something For Once), Liv Lorent, Magnus Betnér, Manet, Mark Thomas, Martin Bell, Martin Creed, Monet, Mostly About Arthur, Ontroerend Goed, Paul Morrissey, Pina Bausch, Pissarro, Pop, Porgy and Bess, Power of the People, Previews, Renoir, Rich Fulcher, Rock, Sisley, Slutcracker, Sophocles, Storm Large, Sub Rosa, Tall Stories, Teenage Riot, Tennessee Williams, the Legendary Soul Stirrers, The Mighty Boosh, The Steeles, Tim Key, Tinchy Stryder, Tommy Tiernan, Unbound, Vieux Carre, Will Self, Wooster Group, World Press Photo