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STOP THE BEAT Rebecca Monks gives in to the glitter as Eurovision spoof Eurobeat returns for another noise-fi lled year at the Fringe
T his summer, those of us of voting age have been faced with a monumentally important decision. Such is its signii cance that once the ballots have been cast, the future of Europe will never be the same again. Voters on every side have campaigned, debated, and now there’s only one question to be asked: who will win Eurobeat?
Based on the sequin-soaked wonder that is the Eurovision Song Contest, this show from Beckman Unicorn and the Pleasance sees ten countries compete to be crowned the glitteriest of them all. It’s set in Moldova, a country determined to outshine the rest, which shouldn’t be too hard given the amount of sequins the performers wear. Best of all, the audience have a say in who succeeds, as they can live text their vote while watching the show. All proceeds from the performance go to Waverley Care – a charity closely associated with the Pleasance and
the Fringe in general – which supports people living with HIV and hepatitis C in Scotland.
Make no mistake, this show is a spoof all right, but it’s a serious one at that. Composers Craig Christie and Andrew Patterson have written ten new songs for the production, which has ‘entries’ from the likes of the UK, Spain and Sweden, and, for the i rst time, the Vatican. The soundtrack is available to buy, too (which leaves us wondering if it will be blaring in the Popemobile any time soon). Like most sensible shows in fact, it has its own theme song, ‘Breaking Through’, which is something of an ironic title when you consider the show’s history: it broke through to the Fringe some nine years ago, and has happily returned to give audiences the cheesiest, loudest, most pop-tastic night out.
11–18 Aug 2016 THE LIST FESTIVAL 25