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My Edinburgh 2007 PreviewDateline: 22nd July, 2007Even for the established and experienced Fringegoer, opening the Frimge programme is a daunting task: for a Fringe newcomer it must be quite scary! It's an A4 publication, 288 pages in length (plus map but including indices). Helpfully it's divided up into categories but the eye-catching enrties - the ads with photos - are scattered seemingly at random, so the section divisions arte not always as helpful as they might be. So where do you start? Or, more appropriately, where do I start? I look for names that I know. They may not be internationally or even nationally known, but by this, my eleventh year as a Fringe reviewer, I know what performers/companies/producers will usually please me. The first name I look for is Pip Utton: I have never yet seen a show of his which I have not enjoyed. He's almost certain to be doing a few performances of his classic Adolf, but it's the new work I'm interested in, and, sure enough, this year he's focusing on Charlie Chaplin with Chaplin at the Pleasance Dome. The first show of his I ever saw, back in '97, also focused on a comedian, Tony Hancock, and I enjoyed that so much that I've never missed a show since. And I won't be this year: it was the first to go on my list. Another banker is Guy Masterson of TTI (Theatre Tours International), whether as performer or producer. He's got seven productions in Edinburgh this year, so there is no way I can fit them all in. One's with David Calvitto and John Clancy (American Poodle), so, because of the Calvitto/Clancy connection, that goes to Philip and everyone else seems to want to see at least one of his shows, so I can't be greedy: I'll just keep one (or possibly two) for myself. As the first national theatre publication to review the Rogue Shakespeare Company (Sweet Love Adieu at Whitby Abbey in 2003, under the name The Dream Theatre Company), I saw their Love Labours Won last year but writer/director Ryan J-W Smith informs us that it's been rewritten to be played by an all-female cast (now that should be interesting!), so that's on the list, too. Incidentally, they have a video of rehearsals on YouTube which gives a taste of what is to come. Then there's Festival Highlights. When I first came across FH supremo James Seabright he had just a couple of shows in Edinburgh: this year it's eleven. It's quite a mix of shows, too, from standup to theatre via music, so that makes choosing easier, so there'll be at least one FH show on my list. Sometimes its doesn't work, of course. I always enjoy (if that's the right word, for it is generally harrowing) the work of Badac Theatre so I eagerly looked to see what they're doing this year. They aren't there. I bumped into Steve, the director, in the bar at the Pleasance Dome last year and he was telling me how expensive it is becoming to bring a show to Edinburgh, so I suspect that's the reason. The Fringe is expensive enough for student groups and others who don't have to be paid, but when you have actors to pay and for whom you have to provide accommodation and subsistence, taking part in the Fringe is a pretty good way of throwing a lot of money away! I also look for local (to me) writers or companies. There are two I know of this year: Fiona Evans, whom I interviewed in 2005, has a new play, Scarborough, at the Assembly Rooms, and Paul Buie, whose first play Jump You Bastard really impressed me, also has a new play, Painkillers, at the Underbelly, so I'll try to fit them in. That's the start. After that, it's simply a case of trawling through the massive tome that is the programme, looking for the shows that will light my lamp! More Edinburgh previews coming very soon!
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