Alan Cumming did a gig for a cat, Tiff Stevenson was drowned out by samba and some performers even made a profit … fringe veterans discuss their first time and how the festival has changedIt was when I still had a fringe of my own: 1974 seems like yest…
Continue ReadingUnderbelly festival, LondonThe acrobatic feats of Jarred Dewey go some way to redeem a show that’s way too high on cliches and exposed buttocksEnough buttock already! It’s not a sentiment one is often moved to express, but there you go: well before Aus…
Continue ReadingPhil Wang makes a heroic return, Ian McKellen stars in a balletic Hamlet and Sophie Duker is gleefully carefree. Here are our picks of the festival’s comedy, theatre and dance 20 great Edinburgh fringe shows we’ve already seenSam Nicoresti: Cancel Anti…
Continue ReadingWhen her family’s code of silence was broken, the writer and performer Helen Wood began a journey that led to a new play, Let’s Talk About PhilipIn the summer of 1985 Philip, my only sibling, died by suicide. He was 27 and I was 26. Very soon after the…
Continue ReadingAdam Meggido’s comedy considers the PM’s blustering school performance as Richard III, drawing potent parallels to his current political positionIt is the tale of a leader’s ruthless ambition, cynical skullduggery and brash mendacity as his country is …
Continue ReadingIn the first of our festival previews, we round up some of the best offerings we’ve already reviewed – including Tim Key, Liz Kingsman, La Clique and HungryThis searing, sweaty disco is a heady exploration of identity through dance. Ayden Brouwers and …
Continue ReadingSaddam gets a Groucho Marx makeover, Gordon Brown sings about macroeconomics – and Cherie is part Lily Savage, part Lili Marleen. The big-collared comic reveals all about Tony!It’s a Tuesday morning and Harry Hill and Steve Brown are discussing their u…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonAs he tells the story of a one-night stand from 30 years ago, the comic explores youthful dreams and midlife disappointmentA bittersweet love letter to the Edinburgh fringe, performed by a middle-aged Scotsman? I may be the optimum …
Continue ReadingIn 2012, he gurned his way around Mumbai on a tiny bike, baffling everyone except the Indian elite, who adore a posh, bumbling Brit. Could this new visit see the PM being compared to Beyoncé?If you Google Boris Johnson while online in India, a brillian…
Continue ReadingAs the hapless Frank Spencer, Michael Crawford brought a light touch to the classic 70s sitcom but the stage version with a game Joe Pasquale feels creakierThink Peckham market traders ducking and diving for a living. Neurotic hoteliers struggling to r…
Continue Reading