Fest Blog: Fringe Preview

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Posted 10 months ago by Ben Judge

The 2007 Fringe Programme is a formidable beast. This year’s Fringe is set to become the largest yet, with 31,000 performances of 2,050 shows taking place throughout the month of August. 18,600 actors, comedians, musicians and street performers are set to descend upon Edinburgh, in addition to the estimated 400,000 tourists that swamp the city, effectively doubling its population. Last year, 1.5 million tickets were sold for Fringe events, a record number that is predicted to be topped next month.

For the uninitiated, these statistics make for daunting reading. Given the semi-anarchic historical structure of the Fringe festival – remaining true to the founding principles of the Fringe Society whereby all a show needs to appear at the festival is a script or routine, some performers, a venue and the cash to pay for a programme listing – the risk of spending an ever increasing entry-fee on an absolute turkey is at an all-time high.

Therefore, in order to avoid disappointment, we recommend the following as a good place to start trawling your way through the Fringe programme:

Our hot comedy tip for 2007 is Australian comic Jim Jeffries, whose ultra-offensive brand of non-PC, puerile stand-up – while not being to everyone’s taste (to which a YouTube video clip of an audience member charging on stage to punch him in the face in Manchester testifies) – is situational story-telling at is most dangerous, exciting and hysterical. His 2006 Fringe show, Second Coming, forced more belly laughs per minute than that of almost any other performer and this year’s 30 comes highly recommended.

Simon Amstell has seen his stock rise several notches over the last 12 months, with his wittily acerbic presenting coupled with the now infamous run-in with celebrity low life Preston (of Chantelle-and-Preston fame), dragging Nevermind the Buzzcocks out of something of a lull. He returns to Edinburgh this year, following critical acclaim for his 2006 debut, with No Self, which is among the most eagerly awaited shows from the new generation of young comics..

After a two year absence, Stewart Lee returns to the Fringe to the merriment of critics, as do last year’s If.comedy Award Winners, Phil Nichol, Josie Long and Mark Watson, the last of whom, again, pushes endurance comedy to the limit with another 24-hour marathon. Others to keep an eye on include the familiar British-TV faces of Russell Howard, Reginald D Hunter, Frankie Boyle, Jimmy Carr, Sean Hughes and Phill Jupitus; If.comedy nominees Andrew Lawrence, God’s Pottery and Paul Sinha; relative newcomer, Limmy; the widely acclaimed Daniel Kitson and festival veterans Rich Hall and Jerry Sadowitz.

Expected to be one of the biggest theatre events of 2007 is the new production from the National Theatre of Scotland, Venus As A Boy. Given the huge critical acclaim and popular success of the epic Black Watch, any follow-up production by the NTS would bear a significant weight of expectation. Venus As A Boy is touted as a dramatic exploration of the power of sexuality and was adapted for the stage by actor-director Tam Dean Burn. Already having received plaudits for its opening performances in Orkney, Venus As A Boy will be one of the top attractions in Fringe theatre this year.

Two other exciting examples of Scottish theatre that will become required viewing over August are Damascus and Yellow Moon, both by David Grieg, which are set in, and which explore, opposing sides of the wealth divide in Scottish society. The Fringe also continues its recent trend of showcasing heavyweight political theatre, tackling issues of illegal immigration (The Container); human trafficking (Not for Sale); art, culture and humanity (England), Israeli/Palestinian conflict (Dai (Enough)) and genocide (Miracle in Rwanda ).

Meanwhile, musical theatre also seems to be taking on political issues, albeit in a somewhat gaudier manner. Tony Blair: The Musical and Tony! The Blair Musical jostle for attention, while Cabaret Auschwitz, Chav: It’s A Musical, Innit and Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical offer what will most certainly be sober, balanced and delicate reflections upon the holocaust, anti-social behaviour and female exploitation. Edinburgh city councillors can prepare themselves for some angry letters…

Also, numerous big names from the music world will be congregating in the city, for the increasingly popular T on the Fringe, including: Kanye West, The Kaiser Chiefs, Silverchair, Interpol, Jamie T, The Happy Mondays, James, Nine Inch Nails, Razorlight and The Foo Fighters.

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