The Pleasance
Celebrating its 30th birthday The Pleasance, with its buzzing courtyard and many bars and the Dome at Potterow, has 23 spaces and has become the biggest venue at the Fringe.
Several shows look into the effects of war. Forgotten Voices is a series of vivid and deeply moving accounts of battle in World War I and its aftermath.
Whilst The Curing Room is a World War II play based on a true story concerning seven Soviet soldiers captured by the Nazis, stripped naked and locked in a cellar. They resort to murder and cannibalism to survive.
This will push both the characters and the audience to the greatest of extremes—you have been warned.
Lost Watch Theatre’s Kate is a tale set in Iceland during WWII when 25,000 British male troops were sent to Reykjavik, much to the delight of the local women.
International companies include the thrilling original Voca People from Israel and the Afro-Samba smash hit This is Brasil from Rio de Janeiro. It shows how the “beautiful game” emerged from the rhythmic footwork of Capoeira and traditional Afro-Brazilian dance—sounds like a hot samba party.
The Young Pleasance once again returns with #My Way. The Sinatra-obsessed hero is living his life vicariously in the Twittersphere dreaming of his digital darling but she is too busy updating her Facebook page.
Filled with wry observation of the social media vortex in which teenagers revolve, it's a swirling, multimedia love story with a cast of 30 young performers. They continually produce outstanding theatre over the years and this is definitely on my must see list.
Action to the Word’s Dracula promises to be a thrilling new adaptation of Bran Stoker’s classic novel performed by actor-musicians using strong physical theatre.
Glad to see Theatre Ad Infinitum return after its superb Ballad of the Burning Star last year. Its new work is a science fiction play Light, which presents a dystopian future inspired by whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations and the debate surrounding state surveillance. Sounds intriguing.
The excellent award-winning Les Enfants Terribles, celebrating its 13th consecutive Fringe, brings two shows to the Pleasance.
Ernest and the Pale Moon is inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Alfred Hitchcock. It is a spine-chilling tale of obsession and murder.
Ernest spends days watching the beautiful young woman who lives in the apartment opposite. When he sees her with another man he is thrown into a jealous rage and driven to murder and slowly descends spiralling into madness. With live music this should be a thrilling and terrifying experience.
By contrast, its second show, Dr Longitude’s Marvellous Imaginary Menagerie, is a puppet-packed, ludicrously lyrical and magical musical tour of the imaginary Menagerie’s finest exhibits. The zany Dr Longitude, together with his strange travelling players, will regale us with their mesmerizing stories of wit, virtue and courageous endeavours all bursting from their weird and wonderful imaginations. Sounds like fun.