I just got home from 10 days in the UK, including a visit to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Started in 1947 as a response to the new Edinburgh International Festival, the OG Fringe has grown to a massive size and inspired Fringe Festivals around the world, including right here in Minnesota. While our little Fringe is very contained and manageable, with about a hundred shows at set venues all on the same schedule, Edinburgh Fringe features over 3000 shows at hundreds of venues spread out all over town, with various runtimes (although usually around an hour) and start times from morning until well past midnight. I didn't have any plans going in, other than to see some shows. Mission accomplished! I got a good feel for the festival in just a few days. Read on for my experience and a few tips.
I saw 9 shows in 3 days, mostly comedies and/or musicals, from tiny rooms to big arenas. Despite the big difference in size and location between the MN and ED Fringes, the shows felt very familiar - spoofs, mashups, new musicals, solo shows, etc. On two of the days, we started at the Half-Price Hut on the Royal Mile, the busiest street in Edinburgh (which doubles in population during the month of August when the festival is running). That turned out to be a great way to start; we'd look at the list of shows on sale for half price that were starting soon-ish in the neighborhood, and set off. Then after that show, we could use the app to see what else is nearby, or just stay at a venue with multiple performance spaces (like Pleasance Courtyard or the Underbelly at George Square) and see multiple shows there, enjoying the food and drink available for purchase in the location. As opposed to MN, at the ED Fringe shows typically perform at the same time every day, for most or all of the month-long run.
Here's a quick recap of the shows I saw:
- Summoning Sondheim - a perfect start to Fringe, and a loving tribute to the late great genius. In a tiny attic space, Grace O'Keefe attempts to summon her hero with the help of former West End child start Jordana Belaiche. It's very funny and feminist (highlighting other female creators at the Fringe) and chock full of Sondheim and other musical theater references.
- Showstopper! The Improvised Musical - this group are pros. Performing in a large venue with several hundred seats, this seems to be a Fringe standard. Six talented improvisors created a brand new musical in front of us based on audience suggestions - different every night! We saw a musical about a medieval village with a poisoned well called Well, Well, Well, with songs inspired by Hadestown, RENT, and Mamma Mia!
- Come Dine with Me: The Musical - my British friend picked this one. A popular long-running reality show in which a group of people take turns cooking and hosting dinner parties and voting on their favorite is now a musical because... why not? Despite never having seen the show, the musical was easy to follow with a terrific cast, endearing characters, great original songs, and a fun story.
- The Importance of Being... Earnest? - perhaps my favorite show I saw. It seems like this is another one that's been around a while; they know what they're doing, and it works. The premise is that the actor playing Earnest doesn't show up, so he's replaced by an audience volunteer. The "director" of the show comes out to pick someone, guide the proceedings, and eventually pick more volunteers. The actors on stage to a great job guiding the audience members for a really fun and unpredictable romp through this classic comedy.
- Angela Barnes Is Getting Worked Up (WIP) - another pick by my British friend, a well-known British comedian who's done lots of shows and podcasts in addition to stand-up. She's hilarious and relatable, talking about Gen X and anxiety and other common topics.
- Shakespeare for Breakfast - why not start the day at 10am with a fun spoofy Shakespeare - croissant, coffee, and OJ included! This talented troupe set The Tempest at Uni, made all the characters the same age, and led us through the story in less that an hour.
- The Room Upstairs - because it's not Fringe if you don't see a personal and poignant solo storytelling show. In this one, Lani Baloney (who we actually also saw in the next show - what are the odds of that?!) covers the topic of invisible illness. She speaks to her mother as if she were on stage, talking about upcoming doctor appointments and her impending graduation. Also included are flashbacks, musical moments, and puppetry using everyday objects like silverware.
- NewsRevue - political satire as musical numbers. They covered mostly British politics, so while I didn't get all the nuances of the sketches, I could appreciate the big picture. And it's reassuring to know that British politics has just as much to poke fun at as Americal politics. My favorite number - "Welcome to the Loch," all about Scotland and Fringe set to the song from Come from Away.
- Knight, Knight - I made it to the 8:50pm start time to see Minnesota artist Madeleine Rowe in their popular and frequently sold-out debut Fringe show! Like their solo show Honey, I'm Home, in which they personified a house, this show is silly and absurd and very thoughtfully constructed, relying heavily on audience participation. Madeleine is a King Arthur like you've never seen before (it takes chutzpah for an American artist to bring this beloved English legend to the UK), as we see him become king, marry his Queen, set up the Round Table, and go off to war. With a weirdly sweet full circle moment at the end with his horse.
