Edinburgh Fringe

Deb and I had a cracking long weekend at the Fringe while the girls were on a Guides survival camp.

Here's what we saw:

Friday 25th August

Have A Nice Life ****
Musical Comedy Drama
C, Arts Educational Tring Park
A counselling group performed as Sondheim

Saturday 26th August

Budapest Kiseret ****
Drama
Roman Lodge, Firefly Productions
Two men, a mute gypsy woman and a train carriage

I Can't Beleive It's Not Godard ***1/2
Comedy Drama
Bare Bawds, Pleasance
Students produce a film without film

Floating ****
Comedy Drama
Pleasance, Hoipolloi
Hugh Hughes and Sioned Rowlands tell how Anglesey floated away from the UK in 1982.

Ian Stone ***
Stand-Up
Underbelly
OK, if a bit formulaic

Lucy Porter **
Stand-Up
Pleasance
Disappointing given the reviews

Sunday 27th August

Iliad *****
Physical Drama
C, Asterionshus
Stunning three person minimalist but very physical telling of the Rage of Achilles.
The spitting and the fight scenes were incredible.

Midnight Cowboy ****
Drama
Assembly Rooms, Assembly Theatre directed by John Clancy
Excellent production of the book, almost out Hoffman'd Hoffman.

Past Half Remembered *****1/2
Drama
Pleasance, New International Encounter
Superb performances reminscent of Peoplelykus and Oddsocks. The biscuit scene was just unbeleiveable.

Goodies ****
Comedy
Assembly Rooms, The Goodies (with Bill Oddie on video)
Wonderful clips and reminscences

Stars ***
Drama
Traverse, Nutshell
Anja Hillings play about the death of a friend. Well acted, but poor staging and a just a bit too ordinary.

ASAP ****
Comedy Drama
Roman Lodge,
Simple, fun but very effective telling of the story of two girls, two boys and two deaths (even if one of the men did look like Boris Johnson)

Monday 28th August

Shakespeare for Breakfast ****
Comedy Drama
C, C Theatre
All female Taming of the Shrew as panto. Fun but not quite Oddsocks.

The Syringa Tree ****1/2
Drama
Pleasance, Menagerie Theatre/Gin Hammond
One woman performance of a girl's growing up in South Africa

Perki & Mann are Spooked ****
Comedy Drama
Pleasance, Future Legend Theatre
Fun and inventive scooby-doo type adventure

Spymonkey - Cooped *****
Comedy/Physical Drama
Assembly Rooms, Spymonkey
Outrageous comedy and male genitalia

Reginald D Hunter ****
Stand-Up
UdderBelly ( a big purple upside down cow)
Very funny, very smart, very assured black American (just don't sit on the front row)

The Gaydar Diaires ****
Comedy Sketch Show
Pleasance, City Lights Theatre Company
Sketches based around the gaydar.co.uk gay dating website. An education.

Bars

Restaurants

Hotels

Park View Hotel, Leith - ***
Terrace Hotel, Calton Hill - ****