#Edinburgh Festival Reviews

[markagorman]

Edinburgh Fringe and Festival: Day 8

I suppose this was dance day – bookended by the medium. But the real star was Rob Madge. More on that in a minute. We started out at Assembly Dance Base. Crawler is a one woman dance show with live drums and synth. It has two themes in my opinion (and remember I’m a fucking dad dancer extraordinaire so I may be talking shite). The first seemed to be about birth and a metaphor from crawling from…

[fringereviews]

Show 2: Chris Grace as Scarlett Johannson

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into this show, and although I ultimately enjoyed it, I found myself confused at times. The show builds itself up in layers - Chris is himself, then himself playing Scarlett, then Scarlett playing himself playing Scarlett, and so on and so on until the lines blur completely in the second half. As an exploration of racism and the failures of Hollywood casting, the show is sensitive and thought provoking - however, as a comedy show, it does fall flat near the end as it becomes more and more self-referential. The show shines best when Chris is himself, and I’d love to have seen more of that - his anecdotes are excellently delivered, and he’s able to connect with the audience, building rightful tension while also diffusing it every so often. It’s a shame this often becomes lost in the many many wigs and awkward dance sequences.

Rating: 3/5

[hollywoodhandle]

To Kill A Wolf Review: A Twist To A Timeless Tale

We all know how the fairy tale The Little Red Riding Hood goes. A young girl gets tricked by a sly wolf on the way to her grandmother’s home and gets eaten. Growing up, we’re left with an important moral lesson from stories like these and our parents warnings to be careful with strangers. Straying from the path can be your undoing. But what if that story was flipped entirely on its head? To Kill…

[literarylondonhq]

Edinburgh Fringe mini blog. Day 10. Performance 7. The President of the USA!

A video offering from ‘Babe’ Lincoln. I love the fringe for the camaraderie it inspires. Ellie asks me about a joke she thinks is falling flat because of cultural differences – or rather a British audiences knowledge of Abe Lincoln. I hope I help her out and I’m reminded about how kind Sir Ian Rankin was towards me when I was planning the Edinburgh Literary Pub Crawl. There’s some bad people in…

[miriamvowen]

Skilfully executed, fun and atmospheric - Ready Player Seven Debut at Edinburgh Jazz Festival

Ready Player Seven made their world debut at the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues festival on Sunday 26 November 2023. The seven-piece band treated the audience to a wild ride through a multitude of iconic video game themes. Ready Player Seven, led by drummer Vid Gobac, are Tolek Konior (guitar), Mike Kearney (keys), Cameron Bradley (bass), Chuck Dearness (trumpet), Patrick Darley (trombone) and Kassandra…

[teaandseats]

Hive 2, Monkey Barrel

Modern grey fold ups. Fine, if you have a few to yourself.

3***

[lovebooksgroup]

WOMEN'S FICTION FESTIVAL launches in Edinburgh! @EdWomensFicFest @kellyalacey #WhatsonEdi #Readers #Authors #RespectRomFic

WOMEN'S FICTION FESTIVAL launches in Edinburgh! @EdWomensFicFest @kellyalacey #WhatsonEdi #Readers #Authors #RespectRomFic

Edinburgh Readers Get Ready! Last night’s launch of the Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival was held in the stunning McLarens on the Corner restaurant in Edinburgh. It was an impressive setting for a festival that promises to be one of the literary highlights of the year. The event was hosted by the festival committee, who gave an inspiring introduction to the festival. They explained that the…

[sealochs]

a year in review

my therapist recommended that i sit down, go through my diary & calendar & blog, & compile a list of everything i have done this year so that i have incontrovertible evidence of the immense amount of things i have achieved, survived & overcome in the past twelve months. & it has been so affirming & empowering to do; at the end of a year which has felt so overwhelming, i can hardly believe that i actually achieved all of these things. & w. was there for very, very few of them. i deserved & deserve so much better, so much stronger, so much kinder.

anyway, i'm putting the list under the cut, & warmly recommending this to everyone as an activity in self-respect, self-love, self-reflection, etc., etc., & co.

i maintained, cleared and sold my late Mum's house this involved constant emails & phone calls all year, exhausting journeys of over 300 miles by train & then by car once i had my licence, endless tip runs & charity shop runs, selling furniture on eBay & arranging for collections, liaison with estate agents, speed learning a lot about property & finance, exhausting garden maintenance & cleaning, fights with the council who kept fucking up the tax liabilities; and none of this is to mention the emotional difficulty of sorting through my mum's things, deciding what to keep & what to give away & what to sell, & the grief of leaving her house for the final time in july; the house where i had cared for her, the home she had lived & died in. & i did almost all of it entirely on my own.

i bought my own flat in Edinburgh a joyful counterpoint to the above; a safe place finally to land, which i can make entirely my own; i think it's about the best thing i could have done for myself post-breakup, but it is also a very real way of closing the door on my relationship, & i've felt very bittersweet about that. i have also had to make removals plans over the festive period & balance a lot of very time-sensitive admin with similarly time-sensitive end of semester marking. the move in january will be exhausting, but so so wonderful when it is done & i am settled.

i wrote the 2nd chapter of my PhD all 20,000+ words of it! & i have done, of course, all the reading, thinking, editing & rewriting which this involved. but it is now a very solid, very good chapter, & only needs minor edits to be polished. that i managed to pull this off around everything to do with mum's house is truly incredible to me. i don't know how it happened but it did, & it's work that i am so proud of.

i taught on 3 summer schools one in st andrews, one online & one in cambridge. i wrote & gave two lectures, one on mrs dalloway & one on a sketch of the past, & delivered large- & small-group teaching on five different woolf texts. they were such rewarding experiences, & i cannot wait for next year's.

i taught my 1st undergraduate course an introduction to english literature course, 1800 to present day! like the summer schools, this was so wonderfully rewarding. i got to plan & deliver a semester's worth of seminars, & mark coursework essays & exams. i learnt so much about what works & doesn't work for this kind of course, & can't wait to apply those lessons to next semester's teaching. the fact that i even managed to deliver my classes on mrs dalloway the day after w. broke up with me, & find joy in doing so, is probably a highlight, actually. it shows me how good i am at what i do; i can do it with a broken heart.

i went on 2 archive trips one to king's college, cambridge, & one to the british library in london. i made really significant discoveries on both trips & i'm so looking forward to writing them all up into my 3rd chapter next year. both of these archive trips were also done around trips to mum's house to do clearance & maintenance & meet estate agents, & again the fact that i managed still to make them so productive is incredible to me.

i presented at my university's graduate conference & submitted an abstract for next year's international woolf conference! a light conferencing load for me this year, because i simply didn't have time for them, but i already have so many on my cv that i'm feeling very at peace with that.

i passed my theory & practical driving test got my licence finally in may, which made the final stages of dealing with mum's house easier; actually passed in the pissing rain while suffering from a horrendous cold, then did the long drive to the midlands only a few weeks later.

i went to therapy consistently even when it was hard; even when i didn't know what to talk about; even when i felt like i was constantly repeating myself; i trusted the process & i'm so glad i did.

i broke up with my phone this was a gamechanger in september. some of it has slipped since my actual breakup, but some of it has stuck, & i'm hopeful that i'll get back to a more phoneless existence in the new year. at the end of september i felt so much more present, so much more alive, so much more observant & focused & active. i'd like to feel that way again.

i travelled i was so lucky to travel to dublin, iceland, new york, india & france this year; i'm hoping for more european city breaks next year. vienna is already booked for january, & prague, stockholm & copenhagen are on my wish list. solo travel is a big goal.

i reinvested in my hobbies & interests i went pretty regularly to a weekly writing group! i did two blocks of pottery classes! i got a swim membership & took up regular swimming again! i walked & hiked & went wild swimming when i could! i also read 14 books, which maybe isn't a lot, but in the context of everything else i did this year it's something i'm proud of, & i enjoyed every single one. i also cooked a lot of new things, & fed myself well for the most part.

& in addition to all these things; all of this hard work, all of these decisions, all of the admin, & all of my grief, i still held so much time & space for my friends this year. i think this may be what i'm most proud of. going through my diary & calendar, there are so many entries for dinners & visits & trips & drinks with friends, new & old. i have for the most part managed to be present for the people i love & who love me, despite everything. if there's anything i definitely want to take into the new year, it's that.

[notwiselybuttoowell]

The Science Museum has been forced to cut ties with oil giant Equinor over its sponsor’s environmental record, the Observer can reveal.

Equinor has sponsored the museum’s interactive “WonderLab” since 2016, but the relationship is now coming to close, a move that will be seen as a major victory for climate change campaigners.

The sponsorship deal had been controversial because of Equinor’s role in Rosebank, the biggest undeveloped oil and gas field in the North Sea, which the government gave the go-ahead to develop last year.

The company also inserted a “gagging clause” in its original deal with the museum, which prevented staff from making comments that could be seen as “discrediting or damaging the goodwill or reputation” of Equinor.

The move has added to pressure on the museum to cut ties with other fossil fuel sponsors, including the oil giant BP and the Indian coal-mining conglomerate Adani.

Last year the Church of England cut its fossil fuel investments after concluding no big oil and gas company was “aligned with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, as assessed by the Transition Pathway Initiative”.

The move is a major shift in policy by the museum, which has forcefully defended its relationships with oil and gas companies in the past. In 2019, Blatchford told the Financial Times that “even if the Science Museum were lavishly publicly funded I would still want to have sponsorship from the oil companies”.

The move comes after the controversy surrounding investment manager Baillie Gifford and its ties to Israel and fossil fuel companies.

A campaign by Fossil Free Books led to Baillie Gifford ending funding for nine book festivals, including Edinburgh, Cheltenham and the Hay festival, which was the first to decline sponsorship after speakers began to boycott the event.

[markagorman]

Edinburgh Festival Review: FOOD by Geoff Sobell, Day 16.

In 2018 we saw the extraordinary HOME by Geoff Sobell at the King’s Theatre in which he built a home on stage and then residents past present and future enacted a sort of glorious farce. It was five star then (here’s a wee clip to give you the idea). Last night we saw his latest more modestly scaled production, a one man show this time, called FOOD. We had booked early so had a seat at the…

[neil-gaiman]

Rumor has it that you are going to see Young & Moxie at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Any chance you can grace your Tumblr followers with a review?

I'm incredibly unlikely to be at the Edinburgh Fringe but I'm sending everyone I know who will be there to see Young and Moxie anyway.

[scotianostra]

Scottish actor Russell Hunter was born 18th February 1925 in Glasgow.

Born Russel Ellis in Glasgow, Hunter's childhood was spent with his maternal grandparents in Lanarkshire, until returning to his unemployed father and cleaner mother when he was 12. He went from school to an apprenticeship in a Clydebank shipyard. During this time, he did some amateur acting for the Young Communist League before turning professional in 1946.

He was with the left wing Unity theatre, and due to appear in The Plough And The Stars at the first Edinburgh Festival in 1947. At the last moment, the Arts Council withdrew funding - but the show had to go on. It therefore became part of the inaugural Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the posters were altered from "Sponsored by the Scottish committee of the Arts Council" to read "Eliminated by ... "

Hunter worked in repertory theatre and Scottish variety before making his film debut in Lilli Marlene (1950). He appeared with Archie Duncan in The Gorbals Story, which was a major London success the same year. Rarely without work, he was particularly thrilled to join Peter Hall's Royal Shakespeare Company, and loved working with Peggy Ashcroft and Dame Edith Evans. Particularly suited to clown roles, he treasured a review by the Sunday Times's Harold Hobson, who wrote that he had "never seen such a lovely little Bottom".

Of course with his comic style Russell was well suited to the Panto circuit and appeared in numerous performances, many with his wife, the Scottish actress Una MacLean, herself a great actor and comedian.

The role of Lonely - the dirty, unkempt character in Callan made Hunter a household name, and he would remain recognised by the public for that part for the rest of his life, but his bread and butter was Scottish Theatre and he was rarely without work.

Although in the advanced stages of cancer, Hunter's last theatrical stint was in the Reginald Rose play 12 Angry Men back where it all started at The Edinburgh Fringe in 2003, he also appeared in the romantic comedy, American Cousins that year, playing an Italian grandfather in a Glasgow chip shop.

Russell Hunter passed away in Edinburgh's Western General Hospital on February 26th 2004.

A wee bit trivia to wrap up this post up, Peter Jackson is said to have remembered the series Callan from his youth and used Hunter's portrayal of Lonely as the model for the look of Gollum, with the bug eyes, the thin wavering lips, and the sniveling personality, I don't know how much credence to give this but they do look a wee bit similar!

[literarylondonhq]

Edinburgh Fringe mini-blog. Day 2.

In spite of the London traffic and my growing anxiety, I managed to get to Kings Cross station half an hour before the train left. Phew! But then, even having arrived in time, there was difficulty. I paid £1 to get a luggage trolley for my vast and heavy load of print, promotional items and merchandise. (Yep, you can buy my book, a mug or a notebook! More later!) So I paid for the trolley,…

[terastalungrad]

One last plug for this!

I'm recording my solo standup show at Edinburgh TOMORROW at 1.30pm!

It's a high-energy, uplifting comedy show full of gags - and it all secretly builds up to a big thing at the end. Very much a show for Tumblr. Disguised as a mainstream comedy show, but is actually a queer, neurodivergent and Welsh perspective on disability and self-diagnosis. Some poignant bits, but no sad bits! Just a love hour, and you'll have a nice time.

Ticket link:

It's a big room, so every ticket bought in advance will make a big difference to my peace of mind.

This show doesn’t invite reviewers. Instead, here are reviews from audiences who’ve seen the show:

Steffan Alun is the Welsh bisexual Russell Howard.

Funny, light-hearted, and clever (yet still accessible for a tired hungover brain).

I love the way his mind works. I just want to see everything Steffan ever does from now on.

He doesn't waste a single line. Incredibly impressive show.

So satisfying. And crammed full of gags.

Brings everyone along for the ride - a rollercoaster from start to finish.

Warm, inclusive comedy that never takes the piss out of the audience (unless you're an Englishman named Mark).

Every year, Steffan gets better and better.

I took a chance on a whim, and I'm so glad I did.

Hilarious, relatable, and kind. I've never seen a show like this.

Some shows make you laugh until you cry. Some shows take your breath away. Some shows make you feel better about the world. This show does all three.

The most comforting standup I've ever seen.

Unmissable. I always come see Steffan at the Fringe, and this is my favourite show yet.

Last minute decision to catch a show before the train home and so glad I did. Funny throughout and would definitely recommend.

Steffan made everyone laugh throughout. A great start to the morning.

A show packed with laughs but also a healthy amount of poignant self reflection. Exactly the vibe of comedy I needed. I hope I'm allowed to rate a show based on my judgement of him as a person? The support was also really funny. Will be recommending this to others.

[aimeedaisies]

The Princess Royal’s Official Engagements in March 2024

01/03 In Dubai Princess Anne; 🇦🇪

As President of the Mission to Seafarers, visited Dubai Ports World in Port of Jebel Ali. 🚢

As President of the Mission to Seafarers, attended a Women in Shipping and Trading Conference Panel Discussion at Dubai Ports World Pavilion. 👩‍💼🛳️

Opened Donnelly Lines British Forces Headquarters at Al Minhad Airbase. 🛫

Called upon HH Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum (wife of the Vice President and PM of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai). 👑

Attended a Royal British Legion Reception on board the QUEEN ELIZABETH II floating hotel. 🍾

As President of the Royal Yachting Association, visited Dubai Offshore Sailing Club. 🛥️

As President of the Mission to Seafarers, this attended a Dinner at the One and Only Royal Mirage Hotel. 🍽️

02/03 Departed Dubai International Airport and returned to Heathrow Airport 🇦🇪✈️🇬��

04/03 As Guardian of the Chaffinch Trust, held a Management Team Meeting at Gatcombe Park. 🤝

As Guardian of Give Them A Sporting Chance, held a Management Team Meeting at Gatcombe Park. ⚽️

unofficial Along with the Duke of Kent (President of the RNLI), Sir Tim (Vice President of the RNLI) attended a Service of Thanksgiving to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the RNLI at Westminster Abbey. 🛟

05/03 As Patron of Livability, visited New Court Place, to mark its 180th Anniversary. 🦼

Opened First Garden Cities Homes' Sheltered Housing Scheme at John Coxall Court in Letchworth Garden City. 🏡

As Patron of the Butler Trust, visited HMP/Young Offenders Institute Aylesbury. 🔗👮

06/03 On behalf of the King, held two investiture ceremonies at Windsor Castle. 🎖️

07/03 As President, attended the 32nd National Equine Forum at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. 🐴

As Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order, attended Evensong and a Reception at The King’s Chapel of the Savoy. ⛪️🎖️

08/03 As Chancellor of the University of London, visited King’s College London’s Portable MRI Project at the Denmark Hill Campus. 🩻

As Patron of Save the Children UK, attended the International Women’s Day Luncheon at Bluebird on Kings Road. 👭💪

10/03 Attended the Global Fraud Summit at the Guildhall in London. 💻👾

11/03 Attended the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey alongside The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and The Duke of Kent. 🌎🌍🌏

Attended a Commonwealth Day Reception at Westminster Abbey. 🌍🥂

With Sir Tim As Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, attended the Annual City Food and Drink Lecture at Guildhall. 🍽️🍾

12/03 With Sir Tim Attended a luncheon on board Hebridean Princess to mark its 60th Anniversary in Greenock. 🥪

With Sir Tim Visited Peel Ports Group Limited Greenock Ocean Terminal. 🛳️

13/03 unofficial Attended Style Wednesday at Cheltenham Festival. 👒

14/03 unofficial Attended St. Patrick’s Thursday at Cheltenham Festival. ☘️

15/03 With Sir Tim Attended Gold Cup Friday at Cheltenham Festival. 🏆

16/03 With Sir Tim As Patron of the Scottish Rugby Union, attended the Six Nations Rugby Match between Scotland and Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇪🏉

18/03 As Patron of Save the Children UK, attended the International Financial Review Annual Awards Dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.🏅

19/03 As Patron of Sense, opened Sense Hub Loughborough.🦻👨‍🦯

On behalf of The King, with the Duchess of Edinburgh, held a Reception for Korean War Veterans at Buckingham Palace. 🪖

As Patron of the Butler Trust, held the Annual Awards Ceremony at St James’s Palace. 🏆

With Sir Tim As President of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, attended a Presidential Dinner at Fishmongers’ Hall. 🐟🍽️

20/03 Held a morning and an afternoon investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. 🎖️

21/03 As President of the Benenden Society and Founders’ Patron of Benenden School, attended the Centenary Service in Canterbury Cathedral. ⛪️👩‍🦰

Attended the Commonwealth Youth Orchestra and Choir Presentation Concert at Spencer House. 🎻🎼

22/03 Opened the new North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Headquarters Accommodation at the Officers’ Mess in Imjin Barracks. 🌊

Visited the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and Ministry of Defence Medal Office at Innsworth House in Imjin Barracks. ⛑️🎖️

As Patron of Stroud Hospital League of Friends, visited Stroud Maternity Unit. 🏥👶

25/03 Visited MacRebur Limited. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🛣️

Visited the Lockerbie Air Disaster Memorial at Lockerbie Garden of Remembrance. 🌹👼🏻

As President of the Scotch Chef’s Club, opened Browns Food Group’s new facilities at Kelloholm Industrial Estate. 🐄

As Royal Patron of Friends of TS Queen Mary, attended a Reception at the Hilton Glasgow. ⛴️🥂

26/03 Opened the Rural and Veterinary Innovation Centre at Scotland's Rural College in Inverness. 🩺🐑

As Chancellor of the University of the Highlands and Islands, attended the Integrated Land Use Conference. 🚜🧑‍🌾

As Royal Patron of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, visited the Saving Wildcats Project at Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig. 🐯🦁

As Patron and Honorary Member of the Grand Antiquity Society of Glasgow, attended a Dinner at the Trades Hall of Glasgow. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿📜

Unofficial Sir Tim, as Chair of Trustees, attended the opening of the Adani Green Energy Gallery at the Science Museum 🌍🍃💚

31/03 unofficial With Sir Tim Attended the Easter Mattins service held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle ⛪️🐣

Total official engagements for Anne in March: 49

2024 total so far: 134

Total official engagements accompanied by Tim in March: 6

2024 total so far: 29

FYI - due to certain royal family members being off ill/in recovery I won't be posting everyone's engagement counts out of respect, I am continuing to count them and release the totals at the end of the year.

[teaandseats]

Attic, Pleasance Courtyard.

Fold-up; vinyl back and bum pad (glissante; not sweaty). Extremely narrow. Like, tessellated shoulders narrow.

3***