Last morning at the Edinburgh Fringe

Rather than dash off (and we did have a substantial drive from Edinburgh to London to contend with) we decided that we just couldn't tear ourselves away and another trip to the centre of town was in order. Edinburgh is like that, it gets under your skin and leaving gets harder every time.

Once again we threw ourselves on the mercy of the flyers out and about in late morning sun but it was actually a comic who overheard our conversation that solved the problem of what to do. Of course, a performance showcase! This is the perfect way of getting a taste of some great acts at the fringe but take my advice do this at the beginning of each day and not at the end of your trip to get the real benefits.

image of Lee Camp: standanddeliver.blogs.com

Back in the cave where we had seen Henning Wehn we were treated to an hour of about 8 different performers, from a group doing sketches from Bristol University to a fantastic music comedy and juggling routine from Lancashire. But the highlight, and I really feel we lucked out here, was a young stand up all the way from the US called Lee Camp and we were treated to a tiny taster of his show Destruction! Distraction! Evolution? Oh we wished we'd come across him sooner as his star is definitely on the rise and expect to see (and hear) much more from him.

The Guardian is quoted as saying 'for those still mourning for Bill Hicks, you'll find plenty to enjoy' and although the comedy is very much planted in US culture it translates easily and he references Edinburgh and the UK easily into his set.

He has already been banned from Fox News for being 'anti-American' but he simply puts iPhones, Fox News and all the pressures of modern day living under the comedy microscope. Brilliant delivery, slick, well-written comedy that actually says something - all too rare these days and highly reminiscent of the satirical and political comedy of the Eighties, Lee Camp is a breath of fresh air not to be missed if you get the chance! Alternatively visit Lee Camp and download his podcast for a great sample of his sharp wit and wisdom.

Or check him out here.


   

Edinburgh Fringe - third day out on the streets

Working it on the Royal Mile

A typical August day at the Edinburgh Fringe seems to be slightly warm and wet but that doesn't stop those who need to sell a show on the Royal Mile from coming out and doing what they do. Not so many punters though on day 3 of our trip so we had breathing space to think about what to do next without too much bustle.

The next on our 'to-do' list was Musical Theatre as Edinburgh together brings Musical Theatre Societies from all over the country.

Members of CUMTS when not in costume...

Most are very young (students still at uni) and they bring bags of enthusiasm and energy to Edinburgh and often showcase from one of the two stages set up for the purpose on the Royal Mile. We didn't see these guys here but who can resist a Stephen Sondheim musical we asked ourselves when we came across the Cambridge University Musical Theatre's Society (CUMTS for short) production of The Assassins on the app. 

This is a bit of an odd musical, telling the story of a nine of those who across the centuries have attempted (and sometimes succeeded) in assassinating a US President. Chronologically Assassins is a bit of a mess but you can't blame the cast who not only sang their hearts out (Sondheim is challenging) but often left the stage to pick up an instrument - what an annoyingly talented bunch. It was a bit raw in places and voices not always as strong as they should be but the two girls in the cast were worthy of extra praise as they were very good indeed. Nice to hear some great music sung with gusto in the afternoon!

Following a musical theme we checked out 'looping artist' Adam Page all the way from Australia. Adam uses looping pedals to record and playback, effortlessly recording the sounds he makes or plays and layering others on top of them to create a wall of musical sound and beat. He also has an extraordinary beard which, with the use of a small microphone, he 'plays', recording the scratchy sounds and layering them into the music.
If you want to catch a bit of Adam yourself then check out the following video...




A brief stop to fill up on pizza and we were off to our third show of the day. The Peculiar Tale of Pablo Picasso and the Mona Lisa is a new piece of absurdist comedy performed by the talented Fourth Monkey Theatre Company. They have been working very hard to establish themselves on the Fringe over the past few years and I have to say this was genuinely one of the best things we saw this year.

Fourth Monkey from Colin Hattersley Photography

Taking Picasso's early life, this tells the story of an outrageous theft of the Mona Lisa and the muses who inspired the young Pablo. Using a simple white set, beautiful costume, this play brought to life the spirit of Paris in the early twentieth century. It's visually arresting and great fun with tons of artistic license and an appearance from the Desmoiselles d'Avignon to help and hinder Picasso throughout the story. It's all a bit mad, farcical and shows Picasso as the egocentric bastard that we can all imagine he was. Gertrude Stein and Georges Braque also make an appearance. We loved it for it's energy, sense of fun and absurd storyline and came out of the theatre smiling and uplifted - what more can you ask?

Final stop of the day was to This is a Damage Manual, a piece of dance with physical theatre thrown in for good measure from BONEdanse. It sounded really interesting, using vintage instruction self-help recordings from the 1950s (all on scratchy vinyl record) to explore how universally damaged we all are and how many of us simply stay that way. All with a lot of satire and wit thrown in.

   

Edinburgh Fringe - second day and things get serious

Supermen and women on The Royal Mile

It's when you wake up in the morning in Edinburgh and realise that there are far too many shows to even begin to get your head around, that you realise that just getting up and out there is the best course of action. Experience tells me that 4-5 shows in a day is hard-core but do-able. I am sure there are those who get to do more, but I find that after 4 my brain gets a bit too full.

So second day on the streets of Edinburgh and what did we see?

Well we saw lots and lots of flyer-ing on the Royal Mile - start from there to get a feel for the atmosphere and what you'd like to see.

Selling a show on the Royal Mile

We had already pre-booked theatre in the form of the world premier of An Actor's Lament by and starring Steven Berkoff after lunch, and Adam Hills in the early evening, so had plenty of hours to fill - but what to choose?

So the first thing to get us in the mood was a comedy showcase Just the Tonic off the Royal Mile. We got to see 4 stand-up comedians plus compare for £5 - a pound a pop which was much cheaper than the laughs which were really rather good. Checking out new comics is best done via a showcase - then you can decide to see a fuller set by a particular comic at a later date should you choose. These showcases are often free but if you want quality then it is best to pay something, even if it's just a fiver!

Photo: Berwickshire News

Steven Berkoff's An Actor's Lament was our biggest ticket in terms of price and it was definitely an event that had to be booked way in advance. Joined on stage by actors Jay Benedict and Andree Bernard, this new play gives us an insight into the world of theatre from the point of view of an actor, director and writer.

Never one to miss the opportunity to have a pop at critics (Berkoff is well-known for his intolerance of critics) which he does vociferously in the opening speech, he also puts actors themselves under his own particular spotlight showing up their ego-centricities, vanities and of course their enormous frailty. He takes on the world of theatre but also can't resist pulling apart TV soaps and films that are churned out for the money rather than the artistic value. We see the frustrations of being a performer laid bare for all the world to see, but in my opinion the star of the show is the language itself which is both melodic and has acerbic wit but above all is really quite funny. If you get a chance to see it at a future date then grab it - a real theatrical treat is in store.

The Dance Dome

The wonderful thing about Edinburgh is that you can go and see things you wouldn't normally and it won't be a costly mistake. Our little group all like dance and physical theatre so DanceDome in particular caught our eye. This 'event' took place in a large inflatable dome at the bottom of Cowgate in Dance Base and is a 360 degree film created by an international crew based in Cardiff. Using digital technology, cinema and some great choreography the dancers leapt and wove in film above our heads while the rain absolutely bucketed down outside. There were three films in total featuring everything from contemporary dance to parkour and breakdance - and all with original music. Explore more at The Dance Dome.

The very funny Adam Hills

Adam Hills was our other hot ticket this trip with Adam Hills: Happyism at The Assembly Hall. He opens his show with an audience member joining him on stage for improvised banter which he clearly loves as much as his set. Off-the-cuff and wonderfully spontaneous, Adam Hills is obviously joyful to be alive and although he has a spring in his step his show is one of many layers covering topics from what's not acceptable in society, drawing on his own experiences on US TV, to the differences between Aussie and British culture. It is far more sophisticated than you first imagine seamlessly switching from one topic to another, but he does make an audience laugh - really laugh. He will soon be up with the greats in terms of stand-up and I'm not surprised he has packed out such a large venue for two weeks here in Edinburgh. He overran by 15 minutes - apparently this happens a lot - which isn't great if you've got another show to catch, but it was obvious that he could have gone on all night if time had allowed, we were all having so much fun.

   

Edinburgh Fringe - first day entertainment, Gretchen Frage and Henning Wehn

The real trick to booking a short break to the Edinburgh Fringe is to have one or two things planned and booked before you go up and leave the rest to chance. That way you're not too overwhelmed when you get there as you will have some structure already in place, but will still have lots of time to take in the shows that take your fancy on the Royal Mile or via the fantastic official Edinburgh Fringe app. The app gives you everything on at every time for the whole month - so if you've got a slot to fill from 3pm - 6pm that day, you simply put in the times and order your tickets directly. Of course you will still need to make sure you can collect tickets from the various Fringe box offices when needs be.

I do realise I am writing this right at the end of this year's Fringe (well there are a few days left but not many) but having made my third trip to Edinburgh I do feel that any snippets of advise I have will be just as relevant next year so get that trip planned!

We arrived (after a 7 hour drive up from London) at around 4pm and our first show, Henning Wehn's Authentic German Christmas Do wasn't until 7ish. So using our app (there's a first time for everything) we went on the hunt for something good to see. Coming across Student Medics performing A Midwife Crisis at Space at The Surgeon's Hall we went down there in the hope of buying tickets on the door. Of course it was sold out but the bright and smiley girl on the ticket office managed to sell us into Love: Gretchen Frage and we decided to take a punt on it. By the way Gretchen Frage is a play on the German 'Gretchenfrage' which means 'crucial question'.

Seeing that we were one of about a dozen audience members, and understanding that this was the opening show, we were a bit apprehensive as to what we would find. Well, let's just say any visit to the Edinburgh fringe when you take a blind punt is always a bit risky, and it wasn't awful. But it wasn't great either. Billed as 'Gretchen Frage is on a quest: to unravel the conundrum that is love in the time of capitalism. A confessional, eclectic and whimsical journey interlacing performance art and folk music by sibling duo Lex and Lian' we were quite excited to see what this was going to turn out like. What it turned out to be was a girl with a very sweet voice and songs she had penned herself, accompanying herself on the lute and being accompanied by her brother on box/guitar/harmonica - or did I dream that. There were a couple of actors supporting the thin narrative who needed a hell of a lot more rehearsal than was evident. We did get to make paper airplanes and play sweet whistles, but I wasn't sure why her clothes were cut off at one point leaving her centre stage in a body stocking that left nothing to the imagination. Hey ho the joys of the fringe - it was only about £6 so can't really complain and it did fill an hour nicely.

The Surgeon's Hall, Edinburgh

This did, however, whet our appetites for something really good, and something really good was what we got. Henning Wehn is 'that German comic' off the telly and radio. And he is very, very funny. We caught his show in London and seeing he had something new to offer decided to book for his Christmas spectacular while up at the Fringe. We weren't let down. He's comical, sharp, has an incredible understanding of the British vernacular and even though we were in the Caves (a large cellar underneath the street) and it was rather hot, the hour absolutely flew. I am sure he will be touring with this show nearer Christmas so I highly recommend booking tickets should it come to a town near you. His whole premise is how our Christmas drags on from January through to the following January whereas the Germans are far more ordered in their Christmas festivities which last a whole two days. The Germans obviously know how to do Christmas properly (well Christmas and a whole lot of other things as well). This show has been reprised from one he did a few years ago which I didn't see, but I can only agree that singing German Christmas carols in August somehow didn't feel wrong in a basement in Edinburgh because of the charm of our host, and the fact that you never know what stereotype he's going to tear to shreds next. I hope we see more of him on our mainstream media as he should be encouraged!

   

Where to stay in Edinburgh when the fringe is on

The Edinburgh Fringe is one of the largest festivals of it's type and actually sits alongside a further 9 festivals held in Edinburgh during the month of August. So to say that Edinburgh gets a bit busy is something of an understatement!

This is our third trip in the last decade so are fairly experienced in terms of the best ways of approaching it all. First off is to pre-book your travel and accommodation and in the case of Edinburgh during August, you really mustn't leave everything to the last minute. If you do, all that will be left will be hotels with exorbitant prices - you may be lucky and get into Edinburgh University accommodation but if you're looking for something a bit more comfortable and less crowded, then we've found hiring a holiday apartment well in advance, is the way to go.

The spacious living room

We booked our gorgeous West End Condo around 6-8 weeks before we planned our trip and really fell on our feet. This was still a bit late to book bargain train tickets (think well in excess of £100 return from London this far in advance per person) so we decided to drive which takes around 7 and a half hours from North London to the centre of Edinburgh.

We stayed not too far from Murrayfield Stadium and just in from Edinburgh Zoo - in fact around the corner from the Museum of Modern Art' which was a fair walk in (I reckon about half a hour to the Royal Mile at a good pace) but is on bus routes and costs around £7-8 by taxi. I cannot write enough superlatives about this particular holiday rental. It's been beautifully decorated and fantastically well equipped with everything you would need. Even a torch in the DVD storage cupboard so you can really see what's there!

The kitchen was better than my one at home (always galling when that happens) and there are two bathrooms in this two double bedroom-ed flat, one with an enormous bath and one with a walk-in shower. There is even a spare single bed up in the loft room so it does sleep five adults easily.

There's a large and comfortable sitting room complete with a huge flat-screen TV with Sky. The folder supplied by the owners really does cover everything from the best places to visit in Edinburgh to when to put out the various bits and pieces of recycling and rubbish. Beds were large, very comfortable and with gorgeous cotton bedlinen - even the furniture was fine quality and solid.

We booked this short break in the UK through Holidaylettings.com and our three night stay for 4 adults cost from £92 per night (outside of festival) which for a flat in Edinburgh of this high standard during festival season was an absolute bargain - we will definitely be back!

Other places to stay if a hotel is more your thing (I haven't tested these but they come up time and again)

21212
Perfect for foodies this multi award winning restaurant has 4 beautiful bedrooms with lounge areas to relax over the two upper levels of the house. You can even have restaurant quality breakfast in bed. 3 Royal Terrace, EH7 5AB 0131 523 1030

The Glasshouse
This is truly amazing - architecturally brilliant and based in the centre there are 65 guestrooms and a two acre roof garden with spectacular views. The Glasshouse, EH1 3AA 0131 535 8200

The Sheraton
This is a Sheraton with a rooftop pool and spa and all rooms have mood lighting, media hubs and amazing beds (the Sheraton is known for it's Sweet Sleeper Bed). Ask for a room overlooking Edinburgh Castle. 1 Festival Square, EH3 9SR. 0131 229 9131

The Caledonian (Waldorf Astoria)
A luxury £24 million renovation and investment programme means that this is one of THE places to stay. Formerly a Victorian railway hotel in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle this is a beautiful place to stay and has the largest bathrooms of any in Edinburgh (apparently). Princes Street, EH1 2AB. 0131 222 8888.