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The
Edinburgh Fringe
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Fringe 2000 Diary (3)Monday 7th August, 2000 The first show this morning was at 10.15 so I dashed off down to High Street to collect my tickets, suddenly realising when I reached the Press Office that it didn't open till ten and it wasn't yet 9.30. With my first show being at 10.15 at Dynamic Earth I realised that the chances of making it on time were slim, when - lo and behold! - press officer Martin appeared behind me with my tickets in is hand. Bless him! I walked back onto High Street and, guess what? Right! It started to rain. There's never a taxi when you want one. There were plenty about but they all had passengers. And then, suddenly, one appeared. I dashed over and put my hand on the door handle. "Sorry pal," the driver said. "I've just got a radio pick-up. I forgot to switch off the light." There was nothing for it: I just had to walk. I was drenched, soaked to the skin, but I got there in double quick time. I walked into the mini-Millennium Dome which is the only part of Dynamic Earth which is above ground, and guess what happened? Yes, the rain stopped! So, as I waited for the house to open, I stood outside in the wind to try and dry off. I always try to see one kids' show when I'm in Edinburgh and this was it. The company performing is based just a few miles from where I live, so I chose it for that reason alone. Out at 11.15 and up the hill (All hills in Edinburgh seem to go up: they rarely seem to go down!) to the Pleasance for the RSC Fringe performance of Soho. The RSC Fringe is a time when any member of the RSC company, from directors to stage-doormen, can experiment and perform their own shows. This year, for the first time, they've brought four Fringe productions to Edinburgh, so I chose two to see, Soho in the Pleasance Cabaret Bar from midday to 1.30, and Achilles at Club Pleasance from 2.10 to 3.25. Then a short show (The seX Files) at the Bedlam Theatre, just round the corner from Potterrow, and I bombed off to the Traverse to order my tickets from their press office. Having gone to Lothian Road I couldn't resist the temptation, so I had a meal at the Jasmine, a Chinese restaurant. It's always been good but this year it seems to be better than ever. I certainly had a superb meal: fried crispy won tun followed by Hung Shao prawn balls - minced prawn in batter, served with char siu and chinese mushrooms. Lovely! Then it was right back across town again to Southside for the musical Soho Story which finished at 10.30. I indulged myself with a taxi back to the digs. Well, when you get to my age you deserve a few little luxuries! Next - - Fringe Coverage Index |
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