Edinburgh Festivals, Kelly Apter

Into The Hoods

1 Aug 2007

One of the undisputed hits of last year’s Fringe is making a welcome return to Edinburgh.

Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray

Effective storytelling makes for an adaptation with impact

29 Aug 2008

In the closing moments of Dorian Gray, a bright light shines out into the audience, temporarily blinding us. Something most people aren't used to, but those who spend their life in the spotlight are all too familiar with. It's this -- the trappings of…

The Elves and the Shoemaker

16 Aug 2007

When it comes to classic tales, The Elves and the Shoemaker is high up on most people’s lists. Just picturing those little elves beavering away, creating tiny shoes, is enough to excite little ones, and send big ones down memory lane. Well you don’t…

The Greatest Bubble Show On Earth

9 Aug 2007

Louis Pearl (aka The Amazing Bubble Man) has made a career out of blowing bubbles. Big ones, small ones, coloured ones, square ones – if something’s got a hole in it, he’ll blow a bubble through it. Using an assortment of tools and toys – many of…

Trisha Brown Dance Company

Edinburgh International Festival

19 Jul 2007

From rejection to reverement, Trisha Brown has seen it all. Kelly Apter speaks to the woman whose career began almost 50 years ago, and who is playing the Festival for the first time

Edinburgh International Science Festival

27 Mar 2008

Since 1988, the Edinburgh International Science Festival has proved that the words ‘science’ and ‘fun’ are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, the Festival’s extensive programme of hands-on events has become a highlight in the interactive kiddie…

Let The Earth Breathe

Music with a message

7 Aug 2008

When it comes to being environmentally friendly, people are full of good intentions. But few of us follow through quite so impressively as the Kenodeke Arts Collective. Their new show, Let The Earth Breathe not only sends out a positive message about…

Wilde boys - Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray

Edinburgh International Festival

22 Jul 2008

Matthew Bourne is taking his biggest risk yet by revamping The Picture of Dorian Gray. Kelly Apter talks to him about sensuality, satire and the death of Heath Ledger.

Aesop's Fables

9 Aug 2007

Many children’s shows profess to be ‘adult friendly’, but few deliver to the same degree as this hugely enjoyable new production. Written by former children’s laureate, Michael Morporgo, Aesop’s timeless fables have been fleshed out into sharp, witty…

Painting Music Workshop

The art of sound

14 Aug 2008

There are several enjoyable aspects to this imaginative workshop, but the best one is the gift that keeps on giving. In just 40 minutes, Rhuti Carr and her musical cohorts give you a new skill that will stay with you for life. Gathered around a giant…

Andrew Mawson

Social entrepreneur takes matters in hand

7 Aug 2008

When Andrew Mawson walked into Bromley-by-Bow Centre in 1984, the voluntary organisation was neglected, under-used and falling apart, much like the East London community surrounding it. Yet both were filled with enormous potential and today, the centre…

How The Giraffe Got Its Neck

Evolutionary tales

7 Aug 2008

Full of questions about the animal kingdom, two explorers set off on a journey down-river. Along the way, they impart stories about how the leopard got his spots, the elephant got his trunk and finally, how the giraffe ended up with such an elongated…

5 Questions - The Amazing Bubble Man

1 Aug 2007

Louis Pearl (aka The Amazing Bubble Man) explains why his Fringe show, The Greatest Bubble Show On Earth should float your boat

Druthers

1 Aug 2007

Last year, Bristol-based company Precarious Dance proved that dance, physical theatre and technology can work together in perfect harmony.

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…

One More Than One

Love comes in different shapes and sizes

21 Aug 2008

The thing about computer dating is that you never quite know what you’re going to get. Or, more to the point, who. Having met online, two characters meet in person to discover that along with all the things they do have in common – there are a few…

Heartbreak Soup

Two little boys…

14 Aug 2008

Cuddy is lying on a hospital bed, waiting. For what, we don't know, but as the play unfolds a heartbreaking story emerges of a childhood led in slow motion, due to a congenital heart defect. Which all sounds very serious and tragic - and is, of course…

The Echo Chamber

Underground antics

7 Aug 2008

Part history lesson, part scary story, this atmospheric show from En Masse Theatre is a great way to start your Fringe day. Descending down into the bowels of Edinburgh, you find yourself in one of the many caverns and passageways that run beneath the…

Three Billy Goats Gruff

Three is the magic number

7 Aug 2008

He's done it again. Andy Lawrence, storyteller and puppet-maker extraordinaire, has created another perfect kids show. Back at the Fringe for the third year running, following the success of The King's Got Donkey's Ears and The Elves and the Shoemaker…

Scottish Ballet

16 Aug 2007

In 2005, when Scottish Ballet performed at the Edinburgh International Festival after an absence of 20 years, great excitement surrounded their return. Now that the company is back for the third year running, they almost seem old hat – yet there are a…

Modern Cautionary Tales for Children

9 Aug 2007

From the moment Murray Lachlan Young bounds onto the stage, hair wrapped in a towel, dressing gown flapping, you know you’re in for a good time. Young is clearly one of the most likeable performers not just at the Fringe, but in the world. His poetry…

Silly Billy Bum Breath Strikes Back

9 Aug 2007

The bad girls of last year’s Fringe are back, and this time they’re even naughtier. As all those who saw Laura Black and Feri Tezcan’s 2006 show, Silly Billy Bum Breath will know, the eponymous hero is in fact invisible – well, to us anyway. Only Black…

State of Matter

1 Aug 2007

When 2FaCeD DaNcE company first came to the Fringe in 2004, their young, energetic approach to breakdance won them a legion of fans.

Deca Dance 2008

21 Aug 2008

Whenever you read about Batsheva Dance Company, a few key words come up time and again; adjectives like ‘exuberant’, ‘joyful’ and ‘energetic’. This is thanks, in large part, to their choreographer Ohad Naharin. Drawing together short sections from ten…

We All Fall Down

Playing with the Plague

14 Aug 2008

Who'd have thought the Black Death could be so much fun? Or that a tale with such a strong moral heart could be so full of laughs and silliness? The story of two 17th century villages both blighted with the plague, the show explores the selfish and…