EDINBURGH - THE WONDERFUL AUGUST FESTIVAL CITY

During the month of August, there are seven separate festival venues. These performances have different venues all over the city. There are 49,000 performances during the month of August. I have found myself running from one venue to another during this busy period. My plan every day is to pay £1.50 to take the bus to the first venue, and then splurge in the evening and take a taxi home for £10.00. I stay in the City, and move from one venue to the next, and schedule time in between for meals. 

The bus system is great. I am living in Leith on the shore, a suburb of Edinburgh, quiet, but 30 minutes by bus into the city (traffic is very heavy ). The streets are "heaving" with "festivalers" 24-7, and I felt like the better option was to stay away from the noise so that sleeping was an option at night.

The festivals are the Fringe , August 1-25th - The largest arts festival on earth!! Cabaret, Children's shows, comedy, dance, physical theatre and circus,events,exhibitions, music,musicals and opera, spoken word and theatre. Edinburgh Art Festival July 31- August 31st. UK's largest festival of visual art. 45 major exhibitions at leading galleries, museums and artist-run spaces accross the city.

Edinburgh International Festival - Augustt 8-31st; Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival August 18-27th. Edinburgh Mela 29-30th; The Edinburgh International Book Festival August 9-25th - 800 of the world's best authors. And the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo - August 1-23rd (I previously blogged on this).

I have labled the events that I have seen FRINGE and the INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL - as, WALKED OUT, NEEDS WORK, and READY FOR BROADWAY.

Here are my impressions. 

THE MAGNETS - Glorious harmonies,incredible beatboxing, infectious sing-a-longs. This group of 6 young men provide a great musical act. Their numbers are unaccompanied, and their repertoire

 has universal appeal. READY FOR BROADWAY

THE BLUES BROTHERS - Two young men in black suits and sunglasses , with a piano player who also sings, and dances rhythmically and two female backup singers and dancers present a great show.

One of the blues brothers plays a mean harmonica. NEEDS WORK

ALTERNATIVE A CAPPELLA - Award winning a cappella ensenble return for their 5th festival. Interesting arrangements of 90's ,R&B, indie rock, soul, and jazz. Good beatboxing and decent vocal gymnastics. This group sounds great as a group, but none of the solo voices can make it alone.

NEEDS WORK 

JOE STILGOE:SONGS ON FILM - Pianist,singer,songwriter and film nerd, Joe Stilgoe pays tribute to 100 years of Hollywood cinema and the film music that shaped his life. His range of songs from Casablanca to Chariots of Fire were epic. At the end of his performace he asked the audience what film songs they would like, and he put them together in one last song....incredible performance.

READY FOR BROADWAY.

PETER STRAKER BLACK MAGIC - Award winning star does many familiar songs. Jamaican who delivers songs from Weill to Mercury. Mr. Straker once worked with Freddie Mercury, and is making a comeback. His five piece band is great, but the performer has seen better days. NEEDS WORK

RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET (Wellington College). A combination of Shakespeare, and Star Trek with some rock n'roll music thrown in. Several talented singers in the group. NEEDS WORK

MOVIN'MELVIN BROWN: THE TAP - DANCING PREACHER and 

MOVIN'MELVIN BROWN: THE RAY CHARLES EXPERIENCE

Melvin Brown, from Austin Texas, calles upon his Southern roots to introduce tap and comedy with inspirational songs. 

Soulful journey through Ray Charles's life, and contemporaries Nat Cole,Sam Cooke, and Percy Mayfield.  

Great Tap Dancing, wonderful singing, and a lot of energy in his performances. His drummer stole the show in the band. His tap dancing was remarkable. READY FOR BROADWAY

CAT STEVENS RECONSTRUCTED - Jess Abrams, a story teller who takes you along the road of precious memories, is joined by pianist Steve Hamilton and bassist Jay Kilbride. Great selection fo Cat Stevens's songs. I did not realize that Cat Stevens was British. While the show was good it NEEDS WORK

SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY - THE THREE BELLES  - This was a musical treat. Two of the UK's 40's favorites, The Three Belles and That Swing Sensation Big Band moved you to the era of the Andrews's sisters and the Glenn Miller Band. The harmonies of the "belles" was perfect. The blend was so perfect they could have been sisters. READY FOR BROADWAY 

THRILL ME: THE LEOPOLD AND LOEB STORY - This musical tells a shocking true story of two rich kids; one obsessed with crime, the other love. Loeb, fascinated with Nietzsche, feeling he is a "super man" beyond good and evil. Leopold, a loner craving attention and unconditional love. The singing and the harmony of this two person show was incredible. The original songs were captivating, as were the intricacies   of the story. A gloriously nasty musical.READY FOR BROADWAY

CRY ME A RIVER: THE SONGS OF JULIE LONDON - Acclaimed London-based jazz, blues and soul vocalist Kerry Jo Hodgkin pays tribute to the legendary, sultry-toned jazz/popular music singer and actress Julie London. She is accompanied by two of Scotland's leading jazz muscians - Colin Steel - trumpet- and Malcolm MacFarlane - guitar. The accompaniment was superb, but Kerry Jo NEEDS WORK. 

BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY VOICE - Based on events in the life of Nina Simone, follows the life of Mena Bordeaux, a successful singer seeking redemption after the untimely death of her father. She reflects on the journey that took her from a young piano prodigy destined for a life in the service of the church to a renowned jazz vocalist at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement. Apphia Campbell was fabulous. She told a beautiful story, and created interest and understanding for the plight of the blacks during the 50's and 60's in the US. READY FOR BROADWAY

CUCKOOED- Mark Thomas - A comedy of Betrayal. A tale of hubris,friendship,loss and undercover deceit told by an awaard-winning comedian. This was one of my top shows at the Fringe. Mr. Thomas was engaging, interesting, captivating, and provided non-stop laughter during his entire show. He told the true story of how he discovered his close friend was spying on him for Britain's biggest arms dealer while he was an arms dealer activist. READY FOR BROADWAY

GANESH VERSUS THE THIRD REICH - A narrative of a conceived story of a fantastical journey of the elephant-headed Hindu God travelling from India to Germany to reclaim the swastika from the Nazis. The actors and the collaborators all thought it was a great conceit. It's a "hero's adventure of epic proportions but the story of its making. It is Back to Back's attempt to test and understand its own cultural and moral limitations. This was a story within a story. It was well praised and well liked    by 

critics. However, if I wasn't in the middle of the aisle, and if there had been an interval I would have WALKED OUT

JACK AND I - The hunt for Jack the Riper is on...from the writer of Guido, Detective Inspector Abbberline as he pursues an impossible murderer while trying to satisify his boss, the media, the public and his wife. College performance. Decent voices. Original songs. Acting was bland.  NEEDS WORK

THE TRIAL OF JANE FONDA - With Anne Archer. Focuses on a little-known event which occured in Waterbury, Conn. in June of 1988. Fonda confronted a room full of hostile war veterans intent on boycotting the filming of her movie Stanley & Iris (co starring Robert de Niro). Many of the controversial and polarizing issues that had festered for years regarding Fonda's activism during the Vietnam War surfaced during the course of this meeting. This was extremely well written, and equally well acted, not only by Anne Archer, but also by her supporting cast. It captured the emotions of the time, and showed the misunderstandings of both sides of the conflct. READY FOR BROADWAY 

Taking time out at the FRINGE to eat at the Witchery......built in the 1400's and used for the trials of the witches.......

MORE TO COME ON THE SHOWS OF THE FRINGE.....