abc Edinburgh

Post-festival thoughts...

Wow what an experience.  I can honestly say that I am totally knackered after such an intensive schedule over the last few weeks, but it has been completely brilliant.

The highlights for me were definitely Barry and Stuart: Part-time Warlocks, Funk it Up About Nothin’, Tim Minchin – Ready for this and Rhod Gilbert and the Award-winning Mince Pie.  Although I didn’t give the show itself 5 stars, one of the most powerful experiences was hearing Joan Rivers talk about her life.  I feel very lucky indeed to have been in that audience.  

So how do you sum up 23 days of Fringe Festival in a few sentences?  I’ve no idea, but I expect “rain” would come into it somewhere along the way, as would Tracker bars and the Piemaker which provided much of my sustenance.  I should mention the Veggie Diner and Mosque Kitchen too whilst we’re on food.  There have been spectacular shows like State of Matter, funny shows like Rebus McTaggart, confusing shows like Victims of Duty and shows that brought me close to tears like The Mozart Question.  There were the offensive shows like Jerry Sadowitz, the downright weird with Liz Bentley-on-Sea and the incomprehensible like Requiem for Mugabe.  Late nights, late mornings, VIP bars and burgers from vans.  New friends, old friends, mad dashes and leisurely strolls.  Hidden gems, rib-ticklers, and major disappointments.  I’ve been in attics, basements, a caravan, a hotel swimming pool (well, not technically in that one) and an enormous upside purple cow to see a range of comedy, children’s shows, music, musicals, dance, physical theatre and standard stage shows.  There have been bubbles, blasphemies, bananas, bikinis and a bridge and much much more.

Over the last 23 days I’ve seen 98 shows (99 if you include the Alex Horne preview), and written almost as many reviews.  I’ve learnt a lot. 

When I first started the project I didn’t feel qualified to give shows a star rating.  I didn’t feel as though I could tell the difference between good and bad, but I quickly realised that I had just been amazingly lucky with the first things I picked.  It rapidly became clear that there is huge variability in the quality of shows here.  I’m not saying I’m any more qualified to pass judgements now, but I have seen enough shows to be able to tell the difference between things that are totally fantastic and will appeal to anyone and those that are fundamentally ill-conceived.  I’d like to think that I’ve just given an average-person’s reaction to the things I’ve seen.  I’ve tried to steer clear of too much of the over-flowery pretentious language that you see in many reviews.  It is hard though, trying to think of new ways to describe “a simple but effective stage” or “engaging performances” but you can hopefully tell from my words when I felt passionate about something (whether positively or negatively!). 

Edinburgh is a beautiful city full of narrow passageways between tall stone buildings, winding streets and lots of hills!  If you’ve never been to the festival before then I highly recommend you add it to next year’s plans.  Be prepared for hostels and hotels to get booked up far in advance, and tickets for the hottest shows will sell out quickly too.  It’s worth talking to people in queues and getting recommendations, comparing reviews (they vary wildly) and picking out the names of reviewers that seem to be on the same wavelength as you.  Tickets prices have rocketed in the last few years, but there is a thriving ‘free fringe’ where you can while away an afternoon or evening being entertained and only spend a penny when you need the loo.  It’s also worth checking out the half-price ticket booth on Princes Street or listening out for people offering 2-for-1 tickets.  The Royal Mile is awash with people hawking their shows and can be a bit much at times, but there are performances on small open-air stages throughout the day so you can get a taster of what’s on offer.  Talk to the people who are flyering you – are they actually in the show themselves?  Do they seem genuinely enthusiastic?  Do they seem like good performers?  It’s worth asking them if they’ve seen anything brilliant that shouldn’t be missed – after all it’s likely they will have been at the festival longer than you and will either have picked up on the buzz or seen something good that they’re happy to recommend.  I also had a lot of fun asking people which shows they would advise me to steer clear of – and why.   

After a while you’ll hear the same few names cropping up and it’s worth following up those leads.  Don’t be afraid to pass on your suggestions to other people too.  It costs a lot of money to bring a show to the fringe and it must be so disappointing to have worked hard on something really good and then not get an audience for it.  If you like something, take an extra flyer and encourage people to see it.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is something that everyone should experience at least once in their life.  There’s no excuse not to as it caters for such a wide range of different tastes.  Some people argue that the big venues are taking over and trying to make their own festival, so make sure you check out some of the smaller, more quirky venues too.  There are lots of hidden gems just waiting to be found, so give it a go and enjoy!  I certainly did.