FESTIVAL THEATRE | Hitlist
THEATRE HITLIST
Gareth K Vile picks out some of the theatre highlights from week two of the Fringe
A SOCKFUL OF CUSTARD A meta-theatrical look at the career of Spike Milligan, jester to the nation who famously battled depression, expanded British comedy after WWII, was a cult figure to a generation of children and an icon of surrealistic wit. See review, page 88. Pleasance Dome, until 27 Aug (not 13, 20), 8pm, £10–£12.50 (£9–£11.50).
CENTURY SONG A powerfully operatic exploration of the intersection between sex and race, a one-woman show that crosses genres and examines at the experience of women in the past century. Flitting between visual opulence and musical majesty, it is an arresting statement that refuses to pull punches. See review, page 97. ZOO Southside, until 18 Aug (not 8, 15), 3pm, £12–£14 (£10– £12).
BRIDE OF THE GULF International collaboration that fuses a North American script with
contributions from the people of Basra to correct the assumption that the Gulf War was a European drama. Intelligent and moving, it follows one woman’s attempt to find her lost husband. See review at list.co.uk/festival C cubed, until 27 Aug (not 14), 3.10pm £9.50–£11.50 (£5.30–£7.50).
SOLARPLEXUS: AN
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY PLAY Putting their beliefs into action, Project Mercury discuss environmental chaos and power their show via a bicycle on stage. The plot concerns a race to save the planet, but the company’s commitment to making their own electricity suggests that they are more than virtue signalling. See review at list.co.uk/festival ZOO Charteris, until 27 Aug (not 13, 20), 7.35pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10).
WAR WITH THE NEWTS Knaive’s One Man Bin Laden was a Fringe hit. They bring War . . . this year, hidden away in a basement, where, inside a sound installation, an oyster dredging ship becomes the site for a battle against the rise of a monstrous new world order. See review at list. co.uk/festival Summerhall, until 26 Aug (not 20), 5pm, 8.15pm, £12 (£10).
War With the Newts
86 THE LIST FESTIVAL 8–15 Aug 2018