F E S T I VA L T H E AT R E | Top Tips T O P T I P S | W E E K 1
Our top tips for theatre in the first week of the Fringe NOON
10AM
WHERE TO BELONG Summerhall, 3–25 Aug (not 5, 12, 19), 10.10am, £9 (£7). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £5. The rise of the right in Brazil presents Victor Esses with a challenge: travelling to his childhood homeland in 2018, he discovers that his sexuality is increasingly unwelcome. Jewish-Lebanese, gay and Brazilian, Esses reflects on the diverse strands that inform his identity.
11AM BYSTANDERS
Summerhall, 1–25 Aug (not 12,19), 11.30am, £12 (£10). Preview 31 Jul, £8 (£5). Cardboard Citizens, Britain’s leading homeless theatre company, doesn’t mess about: not allowing the audience be bystanders, they discuss the excessive number of homeless deaths (800 between October 2017 and March 2019) and use true stories to get at the reality behind the statistics.
LAUREN BOOTH: ACCIDENTALLY MUSLIM
Summerhall, 1–25 Aug (not 12,19), 11.30am, £12 (£10). Preview 31 Jul, £8 (£5). A personal tale of a women’s journey to Islam – via a life of partying. Lauren Booth talks about her life in a nuanced examination of the path to religion, although whether she’ll mention her famous in-law is not known at this stage.
ALGORITHMS Pleasance Courtyard, 3–26 Aug (not 13), 12.45pm, £8.50–£11 (£7.50–£10). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £6.50. Sadie Clark’s one woman show navigates the online dating scene from the perspective of Brooke, a bisexual woman, as she turns thirty. The preconceptions of women in society, sexuality, FOMO, and feeling (dis)connected through social media are addressed in this witty and moving new show.
BOBBY & AMY Pleasance Courtyard, 3–26 Aug (not 12), 12.45pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £7. Previous
Fringe First winner Emily Jenkins presents her dark new comedy about the impact of foot-and-mouth disease on a boy and girl’s life and friendship. As well as highlighting its catastrophic impact, it also celebrates the importance of British agriculture. three wacky, lovable characters who live cheek-by-jowl in adjoining rooftop bedsits. A remarkable work of physical comedy and set design, Fishbowl has just come off of a sold-out European tour, so we wouldn’t expect anything less for their UK debut. See feature, page 17.
THE CLAIM HOICHI THE EARLESS
Roundabout @ Summerhall, 4–25 Aug (not 6, 13, 20), 12.50pm, £14–£15 (£12–£13). Previews 31 Jul–3 Aug, £9–£14. While political parties claim that it isn’t about racism, the treatment of migrants is getting worse. The Claim responds to the Home Office interview, as one man discovers that he has to put on the performance owf his life to prove the truth of his request for asylum, as absurdism meets political satire.
1PM FISHBOWL
Pleasance Courtyard, 3–26 Aug (not 14), 1pm, £14–£17.50 (£12– £15.50). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £9. Winner of the prestigious Molière Award in France for Best Comedy Play, Fishbowl follows the everyday lives of
C South, 1–10 Aug, 1.05pm, £10.50–£12.50 (£8.50–£10.50). A mash-up of traditional Chinese music, storytelling and physical theatre, Hoichi delves into folklore through the story of a lute player who has an intimate connection to those who have passed.
CATCHING COMETS Pleasance Courtyard, 3–25 Aug (not 7, 12, 19), 1.45pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £7. There are plenty of male macho role models – from Bruce Wayne to Willis, but are they still fit for purpose? When a young man finds the apocalypse is heading his way through an approaching comet, he is forced to emulate his heroes, even when his personal relationships already present enough of a challenge.
MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR How far would you go for financial stability? In the time of austerity, a company made up of Generation Z graduates face the questions that define their lives. Spies Like Us use comedy and physical theatre to ask whether principles and friendship trump getting on the housing ladder. Pleasance Courtyard, 3–26 Aug (not 13), 2.15pm, £8.50–£11 (£7.50–£10). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £7.
116 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2019