Edinburgh Festivals, Fringe

Fringe ticket sales drop

4 Sep 2008

The Fringe took a double knock last week when figures revealed ticket sales were down by almost 10% this year - the first fall in eight years. Competition from the Olympics, box office problems and bad weather were all noted as factors. Fringe director…

Unseen China

edfest.tv - video

1 Sep 2008

600 documentary photographs taken by 250 Chinese photographers, reflecting daily life in China against the background of modernisation, radical cultural upheaval and urban economic boom over 50 years

Kerieva

edfest.tv - video

1 Sep 2008

Scottish-based Romani musician and singer Kerieva provides a deliciously mesmerizing blend of Gypsy jazz, ska, rhumba, cabaret and traditional sounds

Fringe Hangover: Bad Comedy

Adam Fraser's festival blog

29 Aug 2008

It seems appropriate to muse, just as the last drinks of August are being cleared up and that bloody gormless purple cow is being packed up again for another year, on the latest visitor to the party. Taking to the stage in Chambers Street’s Jazz Bar on…

One Small Step

edfest.tv - video

28 Aug 2008

Check your oxygen, adjust your spacesuit and buckle up for the biggest mission of your life…. to the moon.

Edinburgh Fringe director resigns

Jon Morgan steps down following troubled year for festival

28 Aug 2008

The director of the Edinburgh Fringe is to step down after just over one year in the post.

Matt Kirshen

edfest.tv - video

28 Aug 2008

Last year Matt went to America and got a bit famous. Don't miss his triumphant return to obscurity.

Soweto Gospel Choir

edfest.tv - video

28 Aug 2008

The Soweto Gospel Choir was formed to celebrate the unique and inspirational power of African Gospel music.

Guy Masterson

edfest.tv - video

28 Aug 2008

Guy Masterson provides an insight into the exiting world of theatre.

P.I.E.

edfest.tv - video

28 Aug 2008

I was working on a case… because I didn't have a desk. There was a tap on the window… that's a funny place to put a tap.

The 30 Year Itch

edfest.tv - video

27 Aug 2008

A stand-up show about growing up, moving on, flaring up and flaking out!

The English Gents

edfest.tv - video

27 Aug 2008

One of the highlights from 'La Clique', The English Gents demonstrate their impressive acrobatic feats of strength and endurance.

Richard Mackney's edfest.tv show

edfest.tv - video

27 Aug 2008

Mackney waffles on awards with the likes of Bruce Dessau, Arnold Brown, Tom Wrigglesworth, Tom Allen, Jenny Éclair, Steve Hall and Scott Capurro before presenting the first ever edfest.tv Performers' Award - quite literally the coolest prize in town…

Kiddy-Fiddler on the Roof

edfest.tv - video

27 Aug 2008

At Townsville Comprehensive, teacher Arnold Finkler is falsely accused of molestation and chased by an enraged mob of parents.

Scavengers

edfest.tv - video

27 Aug 2008

100 clues. Nine hours. Register a team and set out in search of fame, glory and £2,000 cash.

Richard Mackney's edfest.tv show

edfest.tv - video

27 Aug 2008

Arnold Brown, Scott Capurro, Will & Greg, Tom Wrigglesworth, Paul Tonkinson, Dara O'Briain and the Wau Wau Sisters all risk the chair this week. It's just as arse-licking as Parkie but for a fraction of the cost.

Arirang Party

Mighty percussion and dance

27 Aug 2008

Arirang Party turns the volume up to a level that would definitely disturb the neighbours. It’s a shame that much of the mighty din comes from a recorded soundtrack, albeit an often beautiful and curvaceous one that emits Andean and Celtic vibes.

Eye to the future at the end of the line for Edinburgh Festival 2008

Alan Bissett's festival blog

27 Aug 2008

Ah, the end of the Fringe. Goodbye rain. Goodbye bright-eyed young hopefuls thrusting flyers. Goodbye posh accents. How was it for you? Depending on who you talk to, plays this year have been too bleak/political/teenage. Given the gloomy political…

Terry Saunders

26 Aug 2008

In the dank bowels of the ghost-ridden Baby Belly 3, where it rains indoors no matter what it’s doing outside (though, let's face it, chances are it’ll be raining there too), two shows from likeably nervy individuals addressed obsessions with varying…

Weights

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

1978: a gunshot in a gritty LA bar. A life changed forever. Lynn Manning's poetic, musical, mesmerising, pulverising 2007 hit returns.

Back to the Future: The Pantomime

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

'1.21 gigawatts? But Marty… the only thing that can generate that amount of electricity is… a pantomime!'

Shoppers Without Borders

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

When an East Londoner meets a West Coast American they discover that when it comes to debt, marriage is about learning to share.

Call Me If You Feel Too Happy

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

Bipolar is a buzzword in celebrity chic, but what if you're not on the A-List?

Torn Out Pages

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

With her pants round her ankles and about to lose her virginity at the grand old age of 39, Elaine Reid has a flashback.

Tom and Sal

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

…want to be Richard and Judy. Not helped by their incapable production team, lack of guests and features.

David Benson

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

David Benson, who first rose to fame following his debut show about Kenneth Williams, returns to the role of Noel Coward whom he portrayed in the BBC series Goodnight Sweetheart.

Fringe hangover: Where have you been?

Adam Fraser's festival blog

26 Aug 2008

That’s it. The Fringe is over. At this point, the hard-working critic, performer, theatre-goer or box office drone might wish to find a darkened room, take a moment to collect their thoughts and let the adrenalin settle, and unpick the events of the…

Barry Cryer

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

Welcome back the Sanatogen snorting comedy legend Cryer and his multi-talented musical carer Ronnie Golden.

Ruby Wax

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

Ruby Wax talks about the BBC's initiative 'Headroom' to encourage the public to look after their mental health.

Omid Djalili

26 Aug 2008

No one can really deny the lofty position that Omid Djalili now occupies in the British comedy world. Having begun in the Fringe wastelands a decade ago, he can pop by to do a week here fresh from a BBC1 Saturday night show deemed so successful by the…

Telling stories while we can at The Edinburgh Book Festival

Alan Bissett's festival blog

26 Aug 2008

Today's theme is stories! The ones we tell about ourselves, our past, our bodies. What prompted this was The Fooligan at the Pleasance, a one-man show from the Arches' artist in residence, Al Seed. Al waddles onto the stage, an obese, grotesque medieval…

Richard Sandling

Format war rant full of comedic gems

22 Aug 2008

In the dank bowels of the ghost-ridden Baby Belly 3, where it rains indoors no matter what it’s doing outside (though, let's face it, chances are it’ll be raining there too), two shows from likeably nervy individuals addressed obsessions with varying…

The Hollywood Outlaw Comedy Tour

Not a killer in the house

22 Aug 2008

You know things have gone badly wrong when comics are blaming the audience for the icy atmosphere at a gig. In this instance it was each and every one of the four stand-ups who comprise the Hollywood Outlaw Comedy gang who in their own individual way…

Sir Barrington Ganch

edfest.tv - video

22 Aug 2008

Britain's quirkiest theatrical relic celebrates his farewell to the acting profession.

Bully

edfest.tv - video

22 Aug 2008

'Bully' is a gripping tour de verse about one man's struggle against a life of violence and oppression.

Limmy's Show

edfest.tv - video

22 Aug 2008

Internet phenomenon Limmy presents his unique mix of imaginary scenarios, daft videos and a rundown of his top five hates.

School of Comedy

edfest.tv - video

22 Aug 2008

Last year's sell out sensation is back with a brand new sketch show for adults performed by 12 to 16 year olds.

Noche Flamenca

edfest.tv - video

22 Aug 2008

Soledad Barrio stars with Spain's leading flamenco ensemble, Noche Flamenca.

I Am Nesia

edfest.tv - video

22 Aug 2008

Frustrated science graduate embarks on an investigation into the human memory, but can't help being distracted by playing games.

The Third Condiment

edfest.tv - video

22 Aug 2008

Dave is courted by media moguls and fair trade activists, but who's saving the world and who's just saving?

Best shows for kids

edfest.tv - video

22 Aug 2008

Hear about the fun at this year's Festival including a low down on The Animal Olympics, The Gruffalo, Potted Pirates and The Amazing Bubble Man.

Richard Mackney's edfest.tv show

edfest.tv - video

21 Aug 2008

More Mackney fun with Nicholas Parsons, Mike McShane, Isy Suttie, Neil Delamere, Alex Horne and Ian Stone.

Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray

Thoroughly modern Oscar

21 Aug 2008

Although no one would bat an eyelid today, Oscar Wilde’s gothic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray caused shock and outrage when it was published in 1890. The tale of an impressionable young man who becomes obsessed with his own image, had a little too…

Janey Godley

Family tale from straight-talking Glaswegian

21 Aug 2008

The title of this show, Domestic Godley, doesn’t refer to the cooking, cleaning, dinner parties ‘domestic goddess’ stereotype. Janey Godley’s candid stand-up is specific to her east end of Glasgow upbringing and subsequently eventful life. With a…

Koko the Crocodile

A little touch of Africa

21 Aug 2008

Mara Menzies is fairly new to the storytelling game, but has taken to it like a duck to water. Or rather, like a crocodile to a riverbank – much like the wriggling, paw-waving one that appears in her charming new show. Based on Menzies’ recently…

Kristen Schaal & Kurt Braunohler

Schaal and pal delve into surreal corners

21 Aug 2008

A warning is gently dispatched: Double Down Hearts will break our minds. Co-written in reverse chronological order by Kristen Schaal, of Flight of the Conchords fame, and Kurt Braunohler, her ‘gift’ of a comedy partner, the play pastiches the melodrama…

Michael McIntyre

The accent is on over-familiarity

21 Aug 2008

Last year, Michael McIntyre apparently harangued two judges on the if.comedy panel for doing this nation the great disservice of not handing him the award on a plate. Still, he could at least reassure himself of his genius with all those flattering star…

Scott Capurro

A mix of the inspired and the obnoxious

21 Aug 2008

It’s been said that the older people get, the less worried they are about causing offence. Scott Capurro, veteran of some 15 Fringe summers, has clearly decided to go for broke this year, trampling all over every sacred cow and totem of political…

Scottish Dance Theatre

Two very different displays of talent

21 Aug 2008

It’s not bombastic patriotism to suggest that some of the most accomplished and satisfying contemporary dance on the Fringe is homegrown. These two works performed by Scottish Dance Theatre are an excellent showcase for the jaw-dropping versatility of…

5 Questions - John Wheeler

21 Aug 2008

What five words best describe your stand-up show? Only the truth is funny. Which comics should be more famous than they are now? Just Jamie Kilstein. Here is a man that is not only funny but also likes ale. Can you tell me one strange thing…