The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019: The Head Scratcher Recommends
It’s that time of year again when Edinburgh is bombarded by an explosion of culture, locals are infuriated by an influx of tourists and wacky street performers, and you’re quicker walking backwards than you are forwards. Despite the inconvenience to residents, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a long-standing and much-celebrated institution and possibly the most famous cultural festival in the world. The sheer volume of shows on offer is truly daunting and there are tonnes of performances worth taking a chance on. However, if you need a helping hand, here are a few of our recommendations for what to see at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019.
Heroin(e) for Breakfast
When: 31/07-26/08
Where: Pleasance Dome (10Dome)
How Much: £6-£12.50
You know when bands do a run of shows to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their eponymous debut album? Well this a little bit like that except hopefully a touch less of a cynical cash grab. Heroin(e) for Breakfast sees the return of the award-winning play that debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2009. You’ll meet Tommy, his drug-addled flatmates and the heroin(e) of the story, a Barack Obama quoting Marilyn Monroe…
The Believers Are But Brothers
When: 19/08-24/08
Where: Assembly George Square Studios (Two)
How Much: £11-£12
One of the breakout hits from 2017’s fringe returns for one week only. The Believers Are But Brothers explores the dark, violent and disturbing world of online extremism. in his one-man show, Javaad Alipoor takes us to the deepest, darkest corners of the internet, lifting the lid on a generation of angry men seeking to tear down old orders under a blanket of virtual anonymity.
The Shark Is Broken
When: 02/08-25/08
Where: Assembly George Square Studios (Three)
How Much: £10-£15
What happens when three famous actors are trapped on a boat at the mercy of a malfunctioning rubber shark called Bruce and left to suffer the consequences of continuous delays and studio politics? Go see The Shark Is Broken, a play co-written by Ian Shaw (and based on his father Robert Shaw’s diaries) and you’ll find out. A must-see for fans of Jaws and anyone interested in the behind the scenes antics of Hollywood.
Harry Baker: I Am 10,000
When: 01/08-24/08
Where: Underbelly Cowgate (Belly Laugh)
How Much: £6.50-£11
What do you get when you cross a mathematician with a slam poet? Well, you get the wonderful Harry Baker. In his new one-man show Harry riffs on his age, the accuracy of So Solid Crew’s 21 Seconds and generally just celebrates the phenomenon of words and numbers. A pretty unique comic that is guaranteed to make you smile. You can watch his take on the German language and falafel above…
Frog’s Legs
When: 31/07-26/08
Where: Underbelly Bristo Square (The Dairy Room)
How Much: £10-£15
What would you do if a “Frenchman” turned your favourite local bar into a pub-themed cafe? You’d plot revenge, right? That’s exactly what Martin and Duncan do in this close to the bone comedy telling a story which wouldn’t seem out of place in an episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. If that sounds like your kind of thing then you could do worse than go to see Frog’s Legs.
Friendsical: A Parody Musical About Friends
When: 01/08-25/08
Where: Assembly Rooms (Music Hall)
How Much: £10-£17.50
Friends is a great show (well up to about Season 5 at least) and if you grew up watching it, you probably still quote it regularly and put it on in the background when you’re at a loose end. Could I BE any more bored? Friendsical: A Parody Musical About Friends is a parody musical about Friends (duh) where you can sing along to all your favourite hits like “(He’s Her) Lobster” or “Richard’s Moustache”. Honestly? This one could go either way.
Friend
When: 02/08-17/08
Where: Pleasance at EICC (Platform 5)
How Much: £7-£13
Love Friends but don’t do musicals? Skip Friendsical and go see Friend instead. Or, just go see both; you can never have enough Friends…well except for anything after about Season 5… Friend is for those who have ever wondered what the entire series of Friends would look like through the eyes of Gunther, everyone’s favourite white-haired coffee shop employee and Rachel Green obsessor. Sure, why not.
(I)sland T(rap): The Epic Remixology of the Odyssey
When: 31/07-26/08
Where: Assembly Checkpoint (Checkpoint)
How Much: £10-£14
A modern retelling or “epic remixology” of Homer’s classic poem The Odyssey. Join Austin Dean Ashford on an epic journey full of ukelele driven island rhythms, rap, poetry, spoken word and the occasional beatboxing. It’s an experience that brings ancient poetry into the 21st Century and a fascinating look at what it means to be black in modern-day society.
She Sells Sea Shells
When: 01/08-25/08
Where: Underbelly Cowgate (Iron Belly)
How Much: £6.50-£11
Hands up if you’ve heard of Mary Anning? It turns out she was a pioneer in the discovery of prehistoric fossils in the early 19th century. She was the first to uncover an Ichthyosaur and Plesiosaur in Great Britain and despite the proliferance and high-profile nature of her discoveries, she was rarely credited by the men in the scientific community. She Sells Sea Shells celebrates a trailblazing woman almost lost to a history written by men.
Apocalypse Cruise Ship Love Affair / Vampire Hospital Waiting Room
When: 31/07-25/08
Where: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (Doonstairs)
How Much: £6-£10.50 (per show)
Apocalypse Cruise Ship Love Affair is the 2016 follow up to the 2012 award-winning Vampire Hospital Waiting Room. I mean it deserves an award for the title alone. Each show is a ridiculous blend of B-Movie Fantasy and over-the-top Musical featuring a live band. If that sounds like your thing in 2019 then you can watch both shows back-to-back in an insane double bill feature.
Beep Boop
When: 01/08-25/08
Where: Assembly George Square (The Blue Room)
How Much: £10-£12
In 2019 we are all obsessed with technology and the pressures of a world that’s constantly connected have never been more real. Richard Saudek brings us his interpretation and exploration of our technological love affair through breakneck physical comedy and clowning. Don’t worry there’re no creepy IT clowns to be seen in Beep Boop, it’s simply an invigorating multimedia clown show.
The De Nova Super
When: 31/07-26/08
Where: Assembly George Square (The Box)
How Much: £8-£12
With an enthralling science fiction storyline that channels mysterious deep space mysteries like Event Horizon and Solaris, The De Nova Super is physical theatre at its best. The De Nova Super, a spaceship essential to the survival of the human race, had seemingly been lost forever. Suddenly the missing spacecraft returns and it’s up to our intrepid adventurers to uncover its secrets.
The Wrong Ffion Jones
When: 01/08-25/08
Where: Underbelly Cowgate (Delhi Belly)
How Much: £7-£11
In the not so distant future, Wales has been reduced to nothing but a theme park for tourists to get their Welsh fix. Ffion Jones stars as a disenfranchised tour guide, torn between selling out as the new “face of Wales” or starting a revolution to restore a sense of national pride to a once great nation. The Wrong Ffion Jones an inventive guide to Wales, mixed with witty stand-up and performed by an endearing young woman.
The War Of The Worlds
When: 31/07-26/08
Where: Pleasance Courtyard (Forth)
How Much: £10-£15
In 1938, Orson Welles performed a version of HG Well’s classic novel War Of The Worlds hidden under the guise of a real-life radio broadcast. This broadcast apparently led to widespread panic over an ongoing extraterrestrial invasion and is often referenced as an early example of “fake news”. This new show takes inspiration from Welles’ provocative original, further exploring how fabricated events can have very real consequences.
Lucy Farrett: Lois
When: 01/08-25/08
Where: Underbelly Cowgate (Belly Laugh)
How Much: £6.50-£11
Lucy Farrett is Lois, your new favourite action hero. A hero ready to bring pain-filled justice to the bad guys of the world. A hero that the world desperately needs right now, Lois sticks up for the little guy, avenges the death of your favourite family member and generally just kicks a whole load of ass. A hugely entertaining show from a supremely talented performer; an experience that shouldn’t be missed.
Nick Helm: Phoenix From The Flames
When: 31/08-24/08
Where: Pleasance Dome (Queendome)
How Much: £6-£14
If you like your comedy safe and Live at the Apollo then Nick Helm is not for you. His stand-up routines are dark, daring and decidedly in your face. He can also be quite loud and angry and you might be afraid not to laugh, so you better bloody laugh. Nah, don’t worry, he actually is quite funny so you probably will laugh, as long as you’re not expecting jokes about garlic bread or Hobnobs.
Harry And Chris: This One’s For The Aliens
When: 01/08-24/08
Where: Underbelly Cowgate (White Belly)
How Much: £7-£12
Harry and Chris are a comedy-rap-jazz duo, apparently they invented the genre, and consist of some parts Flight of the Conchords and some other parts The Lonely Island. Oh and one of them is Harry Baker from earlier on this list. Harry and Chris have performed on The Russell Howard Hour, written an England World Cup song and been on one of those trendy TED x shows. In their new show, the duo reaches out to the extraterrestrials.
The Long Pigs
When: 01/08-25/08
Where: Assembly Roxy (Central)
How Much: £9-£16
A dark and frightening black comedy following a cult of black-nosed clowns whose hideout is a crumbling abattoir. The primary goal of these evil clowns, The Long Pigs, is to rid the world of all red-nosed clowns but there’s still one nose out there…Who could it be? A show for horror fans, comedy fans and haters of red-nosed clowns. They’re super creepy after all.
Police Cops - Badass Be Thy Name / Police Cops In Space
When: 31/07-25/08 (Badass), 01/08-17/08 (In Space)
Where: Assembly George Square Studios (One)
How Much: £8-£13
Police Cops bring their intensely funny and expertly performed blend of fantasy, science fiction and action back to the Fringe with new show Badass Be Thy Name and one of the best shows of 2018, Police Cops In Space. If you’re a fan of horror-comedy, vampires, cop shows and mind-bending time-travelling science fiction then you owe it to yourself to see either or both of these shows.
Moon: We Cannot Get Out
When: 31/07-25/08
Where: Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Below)
How Much: £8.50-£10.50
Moon is a comedy double act who perform a variety of bizarre, dark and enthralling sketches. They made a big splash at last year’s festival and have also been commissioned to write for BBC Four’s popular comedy show The Now Show. This year’s show has one big twist. The venue itself has trapped the performers and it’s dead set on killing them…
Baba Brinkman’s Rap Guide To: Culture, Consciousness, Evolution & Religion
When: 31/07-26/08 (Culture), 16/08-23/08 (Consciousness), 17/08-26/08 (Evolution), 15/08-25/08 (Religion)
Where: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (Other Yin) / Gilded Balloon Teviot (Wine Bar)
How Much: £6-£11.50 (per show)
Baba Brinkman is a critically acclaimed rap comedian mixing hip-hop, science, stand-up and TED talk. At this year’s Fringe you can choose from not one, not two, not three, but four cerebrally stimulating shows covering Culture, Consciousness, Evolution and Religion. Newest show Culture is a perfect fit for the Fringe, exploring the music, art, poetry and other forms of expression we humans create. No matter which show you pick, it’s guaranteed to be dope.
Dreamgun: Film Reads
When: 01/08-25/08
Where: Underbelly Bristo Square (The Dairy Room)
How Much: £6.50-£11
Dreamgun performs joke-filled Film Reads of your favourite movies, re-writing the script over the course of an hour. With a different film every night this is sure to be a hit with cinephiles and casual moviegoers alike. Either that or it will infuriate fans when their favourite films are torn to shreds. Expect classics like Silence of the Lambs, Harry Potter, Jaws and many, many more.
Sage Francis And B. Dolan Are Epic Beard Men
When: 10/08 (one show only)
Where: Gilded Balloon Teviot (Debating Hall)
How Much: £15.50
You may recognise Sage Francis and B. Dolan as successful rappers in their own right but now they’ve combined forces to become the unstoppable Epic Beard Men. The duo serves up expertly crafted rhymes over delicious beats and if you like a bit of old-school 90s hip-hop that blends in jazz and rock then this is the show for you. Their debut album This Was Supposed To Be Fun is out now.
Spray
When: 31/07-26/08
Where: Assembly Roxy (Central)
How Much: £10-£14
The man in apartment #709 has had enough of his job and enough of his noisy neighbour. When he’s mistakenly delivered a parcel for the neighbour in #109 he begins to steal more packages from his other neighbours around the apartment block. But one day he finds something terrible inside one of the stolen boxes… Spray is an extravagant, vibrant and surprising theatre piece from Korea.
John Robertson: The Dark Room
When: 31/07-24/08
Where: Gilded Balloon Teviot (Dining Room)
How Much: £6-£11.50
Fancy being trapped inside a retro videogame whilst being tortured by a sadistic narrator/end of level boss? You’ll also have the chance to win £1,000 but you’re more likely to end up dead alongside the rest of the audience. Fortunately, that’s dead within the confines of the game, not in real life. The Dark Room is a bonkers, interactive text adventure that will please videogame fans and appeal pleasantly to your nostalgia glands.
Phew, that’s a tonne of shows but barely even the tiniest fraction of what’s out there. Hopefully, you’ve now got a few ideas for what to see, otherwise just grab a few leaflets from the street, see some random free shows and take a few chances, you might just end up seeing some of the best the Fringe has to offer. Let us know your favourites.
Peace.
P.S. You can get the full Fringe programme and book tickets over at www.edfest.com. They even have an app now. So very 2019.
