FESTIVAL THEATRE | Hitlist
THEATRE HITLIST The Empire Builders
Gareth K Vile rounds up the best theatre to check out in week three of the festival
THE EMPIRE BUILDERS A Turkish company perform a French absurdist classic. A family attempts to escape an unidentified horror by climbing higher, only to gradually lose everything that gives their lives meaning, hope or purpose. See review, page 88. Institut français d’Écosse, 225 5366, until 21 Aug, 6.30pm, £12 (£10).
ANYTHING THAT GIVES OFF LIGHT
New York’s fabulous The TEAM have won several Fringe Firsts for pioneering works like 2008’s Architecting and 2011’s Mission Drift. This year, they make their Edinburgh International Festival debut with a show about a road trip through the Highlands. Expect the usual weird and wonderful antics. See feature at list.co.uk EICC, 473 2000, until 26 Aug (not 21), times vary, £25 (£12.50).
PARTIAL NUDITY Stripping has become a perennial Fringe subject: this play stands out for presenting both male and female
experiences and avoiding the usual tales of woe, preferring to exorcise the hypocrisy and double standards that surround the action. See review, page 86. ZOO, 662 6892, until 27 Aug, 7.55pm, £9 (£7).
COUNTING SHEEP Offering food and dancing, Counting Sheep is an immersive, award-winning journey to the Revolution of Dignity. See feature, page 19. Summerhall @ The King’s Hall, 560 1581, until 28 Aug (not 22), times vary, £13–£20 (£12–£18).
US / THEM Quietly harrowing but even-handed show on terrorism and young people takes a theme usually avoided and gives it a thoughtful context. See review at list.co.uk Summerhall, 560 1581, until 28 Aug (not 22), 10am, £10 (£8).
ANGEL Henry Naylor offers his third visit to the Middle East, and strikes hard with this monologue that excavates the complexities of the conflict. A stunning performance by Filipa Bragança combines with a rare insight into the battles behind the headlines. See review, page 88. Gilded Balloon
Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug, 4.30pm, £10.50–£12.50 (£9.50– £11.50).
HESS Hess was the last of the Nazi prisoners in Spandau to die, but Derek Crawford’s tour-de-force performance brings him back to problematic life. See review, page 88. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug (not 23), 3pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11).
LIFE ACCORDING TO SAKI Caught up in WWI, Saki tries to escape the horror of the trenches through his rich fantasy life. Melancholic yet offering hope through the transcendence of art, this witty compilation of Saki’s story from acclaimed author Katherine Rundell is a life-affirming meditation on death. See review, page 81. C, 0845 260 1234, until 29 Aug, 2.15pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£6.50–£8.50).
74 THE LIST FESTIVAL 18–29 Aug 2016