Edinburgh Festivities

So, as promised, I return from north-of-the-border with tales to tell. Trains were ridden, drinks were drunk and shows were seen.

My friend Amber and I set off from Manchester Wednesday lunchtime, to arrive in 'Burgh just before 4pm. No longer than ten minutes of getting off the train had I bumped into several university peers; all members of the student theatre group, promoting their play. Rucksack and sleeping bag in hand (or on back), I wasn't prepared to chew the fat for too long, so we bought some toothpaste - which we'd both coincidentally forgotten - and settled down in Rabbie Burns cafe on the Royal Mile. Note, if ever you find yourself there, the eerily life-like (at first glance) mannequin in the window, leaning into the seating area, apparently making some sort of geographical discovery. Things could get messy after a few whiskeys.

The first show we saw was Mark vs John; a sort of stand-up meets showdown variety act. Mark does stand-up...John does stand-up...they fight to the death in any context suggested by the audience. In this instance, a rap battle (Mark won, just out of interest, and I'm assured that the score now stands at 6-4). I could recommend this free event to anyone looking for bargain entertainment at the Fringe; topics covered included bisexuality, interactions with children in theme parks, sharing a birthday with one's 80-something grandmother and the fun that can be had when changing the meaning of certain acronyms.
Next came Edinburgh University's 'review' sketch show. It's worth going just for the comfort of the old school cinema style seats, and the fun orienteering exercise when it comes to navigating The Banshee Labyrinth pub. This was what it says on the tin; a sketch show devised and performed by some of Edinburgh Uni's creative students. Hit and miss, but mainly 'hit'.

Me brandishing a tag from one of the posters I found caught on my foot in C Venue. I thought the description fairly accurate.

Thirdly, The Late Show. Slightly more high-brow, this was an Underbelly event (you may be familiar with that big, purple cow). The artist who attracted our attention this time was Henning Wehn, a satirically patriotic German comedian who explores both his native and British culture, occasionally slipping into the surreal. The other comedians on that night didn't disappoint either. I was glad to have seen The Boy with Tape on his Face, who proved to be groundbreaking in his fusion of mime, audience participation, puppetry and classical slapstick. I was almost disappointed to clock a wedding ring on his finger. Then again, I could only see two thirds of his face.