Introduction

It's as daunting for reviewers as for audiences when that 400-page brochure from the Fringe office lands with a thump on the doormat, especially when you add to that nearly 100 pages of Book Festival events and... well I haven't counted those in the International Festival brochure as I tend to leave that to Philip.

As editor, I don't have as full a reviewing schedule as I used to have as I need to leave time to edit everyone else's reviews as well as writing my own. While I don't keep all the bigger productions for myself when I'm allocating shows to review, I am certainly more selective about what I see and even pay for a few tickets to be sure of getting to see certain people or shows.

Plus when you go to Edinburgh with a partner who isn't a reviewer, as I have, on and off, for the last fifteen years, getting two tickets for the same performance can be quite a complicated procedure as it is very rare for a Fringe production to offer a free "+1" ticket due to small venues and vast numbers of reviewers.

Not that I'm complaining. Being able to sample at least three festivals plus all of the other delights that Edinburgh has to offer is a privilege and an experience I would recommend to anyone.

This year I will be in Edinburgh for just over a week, starting from the second week of the Fringe and the first of the Book and International Festivals, before sampling the summer season at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick on my way home.

And so here is my very limited assessment of this year's Fringe based entirely on what I intend to see this year.