At this point of the Edinburgh Fringe, it can start to feel like the beginning of the end – awards being announced, some shows winding down, people starting to lose it, that kind of thing. But there are still seven days of the fest left, which is plenty of time to catch some of this year’s gems. Details for all shows mentioned below can be found on the Fringe website.
My two stand-out recommendations are The LipSinkers: Evolution of the Fags and The Fabulous Punch & Judy Show. Both are free, both are queer, both offer up warped, alternative-dimension versions of our world – one joyous, one gruesome – and neither is remotely interested in conventional notions of good taste. Both run until Aug 29.
You can see the LipSinkers’ Lisa Lee and Punch & Judy’s Brent Thorpe taking part in my last Cabaret Chinwag of 2015 at 2.30 on Thursday at Fringe Central, alongside the one and only Dillie Keane (whose show runs until Aug 31). The driving force behind Fascinating Aida, Keane’s show this year is her first solo outing in yonks, drawing on the Aida songbook as well as a couple of new numbers. It showcases her superb wit, timing and musical versatility but its broadly autobiographical format makes for a more pensive, even melancholic hour than might have been expected.
Penny Arcade: Longing Lasts Longer is also pretty much essential viewing. In this urgent and ambitious survey of the current state of NYC, the legendary performer articulates a defiant resistance to the forces of normative consumerism that increasingly encroach on both public space and private thought.
• I’ve been filing reviews for the Scotsman every day, which you can find collected on this page. Out of those that have run so far, my recommendations include the following. Click on the titles for the full review:
Tales from a Cabaret (until Aug 30)
A terrific hour of musically buoyant, satirically salutary storytelling from the Creative Martyrs reminding us that the worst obscenities come dressed in smart clothing, speaking politely.
Puddles Pity Party (until Aug 31)
Not just a pretty voice, Puddles proves himself to be a seriously good clown and an inventive, warm-hearted showmaker.
We Can Make You Happy (until Aug 31)
House of Blakewell’s pursuit-of-happiness show is robustly structured and full of smart music, comedy and character notes.
Garden (until Aug 30)
Slyly funny, quietly radical solo theatre piece from Lucy Grace about a regular office worker who hears the call of the wild.
Dive and Summerhall present C U Next Tuesday Cabaret (last one tonight, Aug 25)
A Fringe outing from year-round Edinburgh queer shindig Dive, fronted by Miss Annabel Sings (Eat Your Heart Out)
I Got Dressed in Front of My Nephew Today (until Aug 30)
Shades of early Bryony Kimmings in Feral Foxy Ladies’ funny, messy show about the pernicious effects of beauty culture.
Le Gateau Chocolat: Black (until Aug 30)
An impressive departure for Le Gateau Chocolat, putting his gorgeous voice to the service of an intensely personal memoir about depression.
• A couple more shows I’ve covered for the Scotsman, though the reviews haven’t run yet:
K’rd Strip: A Place to Stand (until Aug 31)
A unique piece combining Maori haka and song with drag, dance and storytelling to depict an unseen side of New Zealand.
Now Listen to Me Very Carefully (until Aug 31)
Lovely and bonkers show in which the audience helps Andy Roberts attempt to make a DIY recreation of Terminator 2.
• Some other shows I’ve seen and would recommend
Fake It Til You Make It (until Aug 30)
The most moving show I’ve seen this Fringe, created by Bryony Kimmings and her partner Tim Grayburn about Tim’s chronic depression. Ceaselessly inventive, elegantly structured and both heartbreaking and empowering.
Miss Behave’s Game Show (until Aug 29)
Immediately after this brilliantly anarchistic game-show pastiche – in fact a savvy metaphor for no less than life itself – a group of women faced with a queue for the ladies instead stormed the gents. Be the change you want to see, innit.
Dandy Darkly’s Trigger Happy! (until Aug 30)
The Deep South drag clown storyteller presents another clutch of supernatural satirical rhymes touching on gay werewolves, zombie shop assistants and online overexposure. His verbal dexterity and cinematic sensibility are unique.
Jack Rooke: Good Grief (until Aug 30)
This young performer delivers a remarkably assured show about bereavement, inspired by the death of his father and involving clever uses of food, video, cardboard coffins and the ‘awkwardometer’. Smart stuff lightly worn.
Megan Ford: Feminasty (until Aug 31)
Otherwise known as half of musical mash-up duo Pistol & Jack, Ford presents a cracking hour of stand-up and character work about media gender misrepresentation. Self-aware, well-judged and very funny – and you get a free zine!
Diane Chorley: Duchess of Canvey (until Aug 31)
This hugely entertaining drag rock act is a gem in terms of both character and music. In the 80s, Chorley ran Essex’s answer to Studio 54. Now she belts out original songs with heart and a wink and makes the crowd and the band crack up.
Trans Scripts (until Aug 31)
The verbatim-theatre formula established by the likes of The Vagina Monologues is put to great use in this overview of six trans women’s lives. It powerfully testifies to rejection and oppression but also accessibly sketches out areas of contention.
Sweet Dreams: Songs by Annie Lennox (until Aug 31)
Michael Griffiths’s follow-up to his Madonna show follows the same format with similarly impressive results. Making no attempt at physical impersonation, he interweaves deadpan biographical detail with strong, clever musical arrangements.
Ecce Homo (until Aug 31)
In this eye-opening and moving memoir show, Naughty Nickers of influential experimental drag theatre Bloolips takes us back to the early 80s for a smorgasbord of showbiz, showtunes, filthy fun and a whole range of meaty political issues.
R.I.O.T. (until Aug 31)
Almost certainly the best piece of metatexual superhero dance theatre you’ll see this Fringe. Created by Joseph Mercier, this four-hander takes a while to get going but develops into an intriguing take on fandom, gender, morality and more.
• And finally a couple of shows I haven’t managed to make it along to yet but am excited about.
Pollyanna (until Aug 28)
This variety night is the Fringe’s new regular showcase for queer cabaret performance.
Smoke and Mirrors (until Aug 30)
I’ve heard nothing but raves about this two-hander circus show.
And finally don’t forget the preview round-ups I put together at the start of the fest. There’s some crossover with the above but some other tips too.
Here’s one about shows in the Cabaret section of the Fringe programme.
And one about shows in other sections of the Fringe programme.
