Summerhall

2-25 August

£7-£10

13.25

“Head in the Clouds: The Peregrinations of Marie Marvingt” is a charming and whimsical show revolving around the extraordinary life of Marie Marvingt. The story of Marie’s life, tragic love story and passion for flying is unwoven through props, audience interaction, mime, songs on the ukele and occasional conversations with a pigeon called Pierre.

Helen Aldrich is a very strong performer, creating warm and personable characters with well sustained accents, good physical performances and mimes, and more than enough charisma to sustain this one person show.

The only point of criticism would be that although it starts off strongly with audience interactions suitable for family audiences these seemed to trail off quite quickly (although this may be due to an entirely adult audience at the time of review) and it seems not quite certain if it’s aiming towards the family market or more towards the physical theatre market. It is certainly a refreshing break from the darker, more harrowing physical theatre performances on the fringe. If you want to see a highly capable performer, and a show that will leave you with a warm sense of nostalgia, Head in the Clouds is certainly worth a visit. FOUR STARS

Reviewer – Lydia Mason

Gilded Balloon Teviot

1-25 August (not 13)

13.00

£12-£13

It was the my first Fringe outing,I met Foxycat Nina for coffee on the Meadows. We decided to see which Shows would be given to us for free. The first was Outings.A play by Mathew Baldwin and Thomas Hescott at the.Gilded Balloon. Stories experienced by Gay people about the pains of coming out since Homosexuality was made Legal in 1967.

The Story of a young lads experience of being called Puff, Queer,Homo,Quentin. Through out his schooling. This brought tears to my eye’s as it reflected my own experience and could totally empathize with the three years of hell,he was describing.

I know that I have always been a Gay girl trapped in a mans body.To hear this experience being described as Trans Gender, was very affirming.

I can not recommend this wonderful piece of theater enough..

Five Stars

Reviewer : Mark ‘Divine’ Calvert

Pleasance Courtyard

14.15

July 30 – Aug 24

£7-12

Byron’s emotive, highly charged account of his time sectioned under the Mental Health act is an uncomfortable journey for us that pushes us and reaches out to us asking for us for be more tolerant of people who have mental illness. He asks us to consider if the treatments that patients in this country receive for being officially “not normal” are worse than the illness itself. The list of side effects of his medication is astounding as is his courage to stand up and give a warts and all account of his journey to get to that point and the personal pain he has suffered by being placed in one of our psychiatric establishments. It’s a serious subject but he gives us moments of plenty of moments of levity.

An interesting and informed performance to make us think about how society judges those with mental illness and the power that those that draw the metaphorical line between sane and insane and the ramifications that that can have for that individual. This is brave and entertaining theatre. THREE STARS

Reviewer David McMenemy

Pleasance Dome

1-25 August (not 12th)

15.00

£7.50-£11

Jane Upton likes to put a bit of her life into her plays, as attested by 2011’s Fringe debut, Bones, which reflected her early years in Nottingham. Now living in the The Isle of White, she’s poured the very scent of the sea into her new play, Swimming, a sample of which you can see here;

The story plunges us into the world of teenage seasonal work, bringing three young ‘uns together to work out the interchanges & interplays of youth. This is done to the constant splish-splash of a wave-soundtrack, which really does soothe the senses as we immerse ourselves in the excelentl theatricals.

Jane Upton is a young writer, & this shines through in her choice of street-slang words & subjects, from masturbating blisters to cunts, cocks & minges. The lines are delivered with real confidence by the cast of three, which includes Bad Education’s Jack Bence. The stage is smartly set & there is one amazing scene where two of the characters strip off & wade into the Solent, which freaks out Mr Bence somewhat, who then simulates driving his car at his cowering semi-nude co-star.

Although aimed at the younger end of the theatre-going public, this play is a real treat & fully deserves its FOUR STARS

Reviewer- Damo Bullen

Gilded Balloon

July 31st-Aug 25th (not 11th)

£8-£10

12.30

And so it begins…

I got a free ticket for this show from a pretty frauline in Bristo Square, & so left it to Karma to commence this year’s fringe-a-thon. The play I was given took place in the Gilded Balloon in the University buildings at Bristo Square, a thought-proving hour which told the story of a young American bombadier in the Second World War – Howard Zinn. Through songs & tapped-out rhythms, Zinn’s musings on the end of the war & his own needless bombing of an innocuous French town form the core of this series of vigenettes which flows together quite seamlessly.

 A reading of some of the play

The company are based in LA, & bring that city’s sharpness & bombast to the stage with a wry aplomb, although with it being the first show of the run, & could feel that the players hadn’t quite gelled completely. They look good, though, five young actors & actresses clad in dining attire, with an equally black & white backdrop including a game of PONG – that mad tennis-game arcade game from the seventies.

So, I left the theatre satisfied, though not enthralled, & feel the show has laid down a great marker for future reviews this month – therefore I can only give it TWO STARS

Reviewer : Damo Bullen

 MAJOR TOM

Summerhall

2-25 Aug

16.45

£10-£12

Highly recommended, I went along to this show in need of some genuine fun.  Easily enjoyable and quietly clever it was positively fun. Nominated for Total Theatre Award – its is definitely ‘innovative, experimental and playing with form’ to take anthropology to the comedy stage.  The show is performed by Victoria Melody (Farnham Maltings/ Harlow Playhouse/ Escalator East to Edinburgh) and her beloved Basset Hound, Major Tom.  It tells the story of Major Tom’s turn at becoming a show dog, and Victoria’s emphatic responsibility as his owner to equally subject herself to such scrutiny and try to become a beauty queen.  And so we enter the world of dog shows and beauty pageants.  The journey she takes us on is one of irony and wry observations.  The personal assaults each of them genuinely experience at the hands of professionals in these worlds allows you to gladly share in the mockery of the industries given how obviously endearing both of these two participants are.

As a piece of theatre the show is engrossing, you eagerly await the next tale.  Its the delivery that makes this show. Victoria Melody makes this show from concept to contest to conquest.  The normality of her sunny disposition is in stark contrast to her subtle satirical sentiments.  Now she does primarily allow you to make your own anthropological observations (or rather judgements) however there are times when you are definitely catching up with her, with the slow realisation that all aspects of the story are real, they really happened… in not giving anything away, staying true to the real story Victoria Melody’s disbelief is beautifully portrayed.  Her co-star is the perfect accompaniment, Major Tom’s brilliance is that he tells his own story without any effort whatsoever!  Delightfully dead-pan.

Sid & Valerie

Summerhall

19-25 Aug

13.30

£8-£10

He’s not in York, he’s not in Chester, he’s Sid Leicester. Old-age has not done anything to dampen’s Sid’s love of vaudeville, & has relaced his dead wife’s role in his double-act with his daughter, Valerie. From ‘Name that Tune’ to dodgy pensioner acrobatics, what follows is an utterly charming hour of light entertainment, delivered warmly by Sue MacLaine (Sid) & Emma Kilby (Valerie), two talented stalwarts of the theatre-scene. Their crowd interaction is the best of I’ve seen all Fringe, as they ply the audience constantly with wurthers originals. Both actresses shine in their roles & the ‘play’ is perfect for those wanting a laugh just after lunch. FOUR STARS

Reviwer – Damo Bullen

Dark Matter

Audience meets 10 minutes before the show starts at the Victoria Bar, 265 Leith Walk.

Thursday 15-Saturday 24 August (no performance on Sunday 18)

22.00

£10-£12

Many shows at the festival are trying to create an interactive, immersive experience, (you can search edfringe.com on interactive shows). This is definitely the best I’ve seen so far. Actress Emma Anderson is fantastic giving a no holds barred passionate performance of a woman at the hinges of losing it, waiting in the garden for her lover.  Audiences are taken from Victoria Bar to a secret garden in Leith and given headphones, as the sound for this performance is kept separate from the live performance, creating a detached and innovative experience. Sound designer Tam Treanor uses original recordings to confuse and delight and the lighting creates an eerie atmosphere which accompanies the gothic theatre piece beautifully.

It’s selling out fast and not much more time left, so if you get a chance this is definitely worth the bargain price of £12 to experience something which suggests the Vision Mechanics production company are going to produce some excellent work in years to come. FOUR STARS

Reviewer – Antionette Thirgood