FESTIVAL 9am — 1pm
DANC Tbilisi Ballet
*‘kir
The Georgian State Ballet, one of the beautifully trained dance companies of the former Soviet Union, has brought an eclectic production of twelve new works to the Fringe showcasing their talent and versatility. This is a mixed bag of choreographic styles including sculptural and melancholic contemporary dance, a modern Tango, and allegorical dance pieces.
The company originally made its name with its own combination of Georgian folk dance and classical ballet. Although the contemporary choreography of its new repertoire is somewhat patchy, the sixteen dancers come into their own in their classical dance performances complete with elaborate tutus and smatterings of folkloric colour. (Tanya Stephan)
I Tbilisi Ballet (Fringe)The Tbilisi Ballet Company, Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, 74—78 Aug, 77.30am,
£9/f 70 (£8/f 9).
Auc‘; 6-30 33 TIIELIST is—zi Aug i997
THEATRE Dusty Fruit ****
Thankfully, this show does not take itself too seriously. A three-handed comedy-horror-murder-mystery sounds like all the ingredients of a Fringe nightmare — but the humour here makes it a very enjoyable show. The jokes are not just verbal: there are gags physical and musical too, and even the set and props get laughs. The comedy and the slowly-emerging plot work together surprisingly well - even the brief, brilliantly-drilled slapStick dance routine leaves the enigma intact — and the well-paced development and ingenious denouement tie things up very satisfyingly. Dusty Fruit — good clean fun. (Ed Grenby) I Dusty Fruit (Fringe) Rejects Revenge, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 30 Aug (not 79, 25) 72.30pm, [6/f7 (ES/£6).
THEATRE Bye Bye Blackbird ****
Zelda Fitzgerald was the original party chick, whooping it up Wildly in a bid to clamber out of her novelist hubby's celebrity shadow, but when she started hearing voices, she was incarcerated in an instant.
Stephen Rappaport’s
The Museum of Contemporary Art
“llilarious...undeniahly brilliant...don’t miss it."
— Tilt: VANCOUVER COURIER
“The dreamiest, sexiest, scariest date that never happened."
—- Tiii: Kl'l‘Sll.AN() Ntws
“Sham by a level of craft seldom seen on American stages"
-— SEA’T‘TLE: WiziZK LY
The Pleasance 1:45PM
0131-556-6550
Which is where we find her in Willard Sims' one-woman show, holding court before a brood of white coats. Ever the hostess, Zelda moves from backwoods Alabama to nuthouse, taking in a round of endless parties en route. Her frequent moodswings show off a dark side, explored in a no-holds barred performance from Beth Fitzgerald (no relation one presumes), who shows off the brittle vulnerability behind the perfect smile. (Neil Cooper)
I Bye Bye Blackbird (Fringe) Guy Masterson Productions, Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2842, until 30 Aug (not 78) 72.55pm, USO/£8.50
([6. 50/0. 50).
THEATRE Elsa Edgar ****
Definition of an ambitious prOject: 90- minute one-man show With two real- Iife characters (J. Edgar Hoover and Elsa Maxwell), amusmgly but terrifyineg illustrating the parallels between high somety and the FBI in 1950s Manhattan. In drag.
Even partial success would have been a minor triumph, and that's what this is: flawed genius. Undoubtedly, Bob Kingdom’s performance merits the term 'virtuoso’, and his script is well- researched and intelligent. It's frequently witty, and does a pretty good job of marrying the two themes.
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But why? The lasting impression is of a fine but schizophrenic play, just a little bit too ambitious. (Ed Grenby)
I Elsa Edgar (Fringe) Bob Kingdom, Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 30 Aug, 7 lam, {ZED/£8.50 (£6.50/f750).
THEATRE Portrait Game
* fir
Over the years the Fringe has had some notable successes. This, however, is not one of them. Billed as horrifying, surreal and disturbingly funny, Plate IV Theatre Company fail miserably
to live up to the hype. Using rather forced mime techniques to explore facial expression and behaviour, the actors wade through a series of scenes that seem just a wee bit familiar.
Gazing into a mirror while applying lipstick? Showing horror at the onset of adolescent pimples? Sadly, it’s all been done before and with much more style. (Robin James)
I Portrait Game (Fringe) Plate lV Theatre, The Laboratory (Venue 76) 667 2272, until 23 Aug, 1 7.30am, [4.50 ([4).
STAR RATINGS * * t * * Unmissable * t it it Very ood * * * Wort seeing k * Below average it You've been warned
Great Jones theatre co (US) presents...
The Pulitzer-nominated comedy about three American men toying with adulthood ...whi/e trying to get laid.
AUG 8-50
‘2’
£2
“Powerful, powerful acting on the Fringe. ‘ It is so refreshing to come across a company like this.” i — MORRis P.-\\"l'().\i'. BBC Scotland
Assembly Rooms 2:55PM
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()131-226-2428