LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL/THEATRE Fringe for (around) a Fiver {THEATRE}
Fringe for (around) a Fiver Edinburgh Fringe previews start from 3 Aug. Catch some great shows on the cheap
The Strange Undoing Of Prudencia Hart
Alice in Wonderland and Other Adventures with Lewis Carroll Richard Smithies brings to life the writer and his most memorable characters. New Town Theatre, 4 & 5 Aug, 11.30am. Apply Within A musical comedy that looks into the realm of unemployment and the nightmares of the interview process. Pleasance Courtyard, 3–5 Aug, 1.30pm. Around the World In 80 Quid Aindrias de Staic returns with this upbeat play of a travelling fiddle player and his many adventures. Pleasance Courtyard, 3-5 Aug, 10.45pm. The Ballad of Unbeatable Hearts Festival favourite Richard Fry returns with a piece exploring the phenomenon of depression amongst gay teens. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–5 Aug, 12.15pm. Bette and Joan – the Final Curtain While Hollywood legend Bette Davis lies on her death bed she’s visited by the ghost of her co-star, and best enemy, Joan Crawford. Assembly George Square, 4 & 5 Aug, 12.15pm. Blackwood While two English writers work in a New York hotel room, their murderous protagonist appears to be on the rampage on the streets below. Zoo Southside, 5 & 6 Aug, 6.30pm. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl’s tale of sugary goodness as imagined by the recommendedPortobello Community Theatre. Zoo, 5 & 6 Aug, noon. Coffin Up Rubber-faced Festival favourites Village Idiots unleash a comedy of burial plots and doomed romance. Pleasance Dome, 3–5 Aug, 1.30pm. Cry of the Mountain Adelind Horan gets under the skin of 13 different characters and delves into the true stories of the American coal mining industry. Pleasance Courtyard, 3–5 Aug, 2.15pm. Devotion Spanish theatre company Enebro Teatro tackles the controversial world of bull-fighting. Is it a glorious form of art or just barbaric? The Spaces @ Surgeons Hall, 5 & 6 Aug, 7.20pm. Dusk Rings a Bell Two old friends meet by accident and discover that their lives now are completely different to what they dreamt of 20 years ago. Assembly George Square, 3–5 Aug, 2pm. Dust Set in an alternative 2011, the death of Thatcher causes Arthur Scargill to re- evaluate the Mining Crisis. New Town Theatre, 4 & 5 Aug, 3.30pm. Ed Reardon: A Writer’s Burden Stage adaptation of Radio 4 comedy, Ed Reardon’s Week, which features the title character, played by Christopher Douglas, ranting about the government and his more successful counterparts. Pleasance Courtyard, 3–5 Aug, 4pm. En Route to the Enormous Room This new play follows the poet EE Cummings and his companion, W Brown, working as ambulance drivers in WWI Paris. With live jazz accompaniment. The Jazz Bar, 5 Aug, 8.30pm. Fetch A tale of the rivalry between two brothers, told through puppetry, drama and the poems of Robert Burns. Greenside, 5–7 Aug, 12.40pm. The Games A comedy about three Greeks and the epic journey they take in attempting to participate in the ancient Olympics. Zoo Roxy, 5 & 6 Aug, 12.30pm. Happiness A couple celebrate their anniversary in a decaying castle in the Highlands with peculiar consequences. The Playhouse at Hawke and Hunter Green Room, 3 & 4 Aug, 1.40pm. Hex An eccentric black comedy from Tim Primrose and Sam Siggs, writers of last year’s crowd pleaser, Chow Mein. Hill Street Theatre, 5 & 6 Aug, 9.25pm. The Investigation Peter Weiss’ hard- hitting play inspired by the most high- profile trial of Holocaust perpetrators. Performed by the acclaimed 3Bugs company. Zoo Southside, 5 & 6 Aug, 9pm. Just Good Friends Physical theatre show telling the bittersweet story of a man who hopes his companion Filomena will one day return his unrequited love. Hill Street Theatre, 5–7 Aug, 4pm. The Last Days Of Gilda Gilda is confined to the kitchen during the Rio de Janeiro heatwaves, creating meals that make all the men fall in love with her. New Town Theatre, 4 & 5 Aug, 2.50pm. Lights, Camera, Walkies New play by BBC Sitcom competition finalist, Tom
Glover. When the star walks off a film set, she’s replaced with a trained canine. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3–5 Aug, 2pm. Livewire Theatre’s Frankenstein Livewire’s re-imagining of Mary Shelley’s horror masterpiece for a future world. The Spaces @ Surgeons Hall, 5 Aug, 8.50pm. Mary Blandy’s Gallows Tree Performer Lita Doolan tells the story of Mary’s poisoning of her father and her wait for either the hangman’s rope or pardon. Sweet Grassmarket, 4 Aug, 11am. No Holes and the Bard One-man cabaret theatre show performed by Australian singer-songwriter Josef Salvat and co-written with Meg O’Connell. A stirring mix of the sublime and the silly. Zoo Southside, 5 & 6 Aug, 7.40pm. One Night Stan Acclaimed play in which Stan Laurel, waiting backstage for his absent stage partner Ollie, reminisces about their career together. Assembly George Square, 3–5 Aug, 3.45pm. Penny Dreadful’s Etherdome Mick Barnfather directs the award- winning Penny Dreadful’s comedy set in 1850s America where science rubs shoulders with fairground sideshows. Assembly George Square, 3–5 Aug, 2.10pm. Remember This Edinburgh University Theatre Company presents this new drama about a relationship that is put under strain when a couple relive their memories through a series of photographs. Bedlam Theatre, 7 Aug, 12.30pm. Rituals An inspirational theatre, dance and musical journey through the healing processes following the recent political upheaval in Zimbabwe. New Town Theatre, 4 & 5 Aug, 1.10pm. Rules for Drowning New writing from Firefly, which depicts the search for survivors drowning under a tonne of paper following the financial crisis. Hill Street Theatre, 5–7 Aug, 12.15pm. Spent Two-man show about the hardship faced by two financial executives who have lost everything in the stock market crash. Pleasance Dome, 3–5 Aug, 2.55pm. The Strange Undoing Of Prudencia Hart Another chance to see the acclaimed theatre show/ceilidh from the National Theatre Of Scotland. Traverse @ Ghillie Dhu, 2 & 3 Aug, 3pm. Teechers A revival of John Godber’s much-loved classroom-set comedy by the superbly talented Young Pleasance company. Pleasance Courtyard, 4 & 5 Aug, 1pm. Thirsty The new show from the acclaimed Paper Birds company probes Scotland’s relationship with the bottle. Pleasance Courtyard, 3–5 Aug, 5.45pm. Thugz’N’Tearz Inspired by true events, this modern day tragedy gives an insight into the seedy goings-on within an East London drugs empire. Zoo Roxy, 5 & 6 Aug, 8.15pm. Time for the Good Looking Boy Box Clever’s new production, written by Michael Wicherek, is an urban ghost story focusing on the final journey of a seemingly ordinary young man. Pleasance Dome, 4 & 5 Aug, 2.50pm. Uncle Tom: Deconstructed A piece of drama that explores the link between blackface minstrels and today’s racist stereotypes. The Space @ Venue 45, 9–13 Aug (not 12), times vary.
Unnatural Selection A couple of newly reborn vampires struggle to come to terms with their immortality in this new piece from Wavelength Theatre Company. The Spaces @ Surgeons Hall, 5 & 6 Aug, 7.30pm. Waterloo Amusing two-man show, which recalls the famous battle from the point of view of a French brigadier and a cockney corporal. New Town Theatre, 4 & 5 Aug, 4.30pm. You Will Be Rare High-concept show from Jamie Moakes, which finds the performer and his Ram-Man action hero from the He-Man series battling against the world. Zoo, 5 & 6 Aug, 8.10pm. Zanzibar Cats The new poetry collection by internationally renowned writer Heathcote Williams is performed by Fringe veteran Roy Hutchins. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 3 & 4 Aug, 3pm.
Dance
Grab your cut-price tickets quick smart for some of the most exciting Dance shows at the Fringe, all for a fiver
Arnica 9CH A warts and all description of what lies behind the on-stage polish and seemingly perfect body of a professional dancer. Dance Base, 5 Aug, 5pm. The Ballet Ruse Dressed in white tutus and clutching pint glasses, two dancers take a tongue in cheek look at the sugar-coated world of classical ballet. Dance Base, 5 Aug, 7pm.
Falling Man / Decreasing Infinity A double-bill from Smallpetitklein and Balbir Singh Dance Company, inspired by 9/11 and a fusion of contemporary dance and Indian Kathak respectively. Dance Base, 5 Aug, 6pm. Flynch, Looking A tale of seaside hotels, continental breakfasts and lost loves from Paris-based, Lecoq-trained company, Clout. Zoo, 5 & 6 Aug, 8.15pm.
Imprints This moving dance theatre piece explores one couple’s changing relationship, as the symptoms of Alzheimer’s take hold. Dance Base, 5 Aug, 2pm.
Slender Threads New dance theatre piece from Chickenshed, exploring the impact a cancer diagnosis has on a family. Zoo Roxy, 5 & 6 Aug, 5.15pm.
Shutterland Mime, clowning and acrobatics combine in this tale of street surveillance, where every move is monitored and every sound captured. Zoo, 5 & 6 Aug, 4.15pm. State of Mind Z Theatre Company performs a piece reflecting on the kind of love that drives you to the edge of insanity. theSpace on Niddry St, 8–13 Aug, 10.50am & 15–18 Aug, 11.50am.
Swimming With My Mother Award-winning Irish company CoisCéim present this moving duet between a mother and son. Dance Base, 5 Aug, 3pm.
21 Jul–4 Aug 2011 THE LIST 87
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