Edinburgh - the shows

We had two days. If you count them, 34 hours. We fitted a lot in. The Assembly Rooms, unvisited last year, are a fab venue, and became, along with the Pleasance, my favourite.

Sherlock Holmes – Murder in the Garden – Frantic Redhead productions***

We’d seen this company last year doing a walking play. I think you got less exercise with this one, though there were quite a few steps. Some of us got there a little late, as we were stuck in the Box Office queue, and had to be ‘talked in’ by Cat. A fun way to start.

Dai (Enough) – Iris Bahr****

A one woman show by Iris Bahr, set in a Tel Aviv café just before a suicide bomber enters (not as depressing a piece as it sounds). A tour de force, as she performed all the characters. She inhabited each character, and all seemed entirely different and the end of each story was profoundly shocking, even though you were expecting it. She’s been nominated for a Stage award for it.

Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf – Toby Hadoke***

Not nearly as nerdy as it sounds, and one I really wanted to see. It was about growing up really. If Toby has the ‘Rainman gene’ then so do I, as I also know the names of bit part actors from ‘old’ Who. And that was what it was mainly about, the Who you remember from your childhood, not ‘new’ Who, other than discussing feelings about it returning, and a very familiar reaction to some casting decisions (Billie Piper!!, and now, Catherine Tate!!!).

A Tale of Two Cities**

Not quite what it was sold as, which was a bit of a spoof. They actually played it pretty straight but there were a number of anachronisms. They made a feature of Sydney Carton looking nothing like Charles Darnay, but then proceeded to do nothing with it. The best actress played a bit part at the end. The best I can say is that the whole cast attacked it with gusto.

Simon Amstell – No Self****

If how much has stuck in the memory is a reflection of how good a show is, then this was very good indeed. I now can’t look at an Innocent Smoothie, or Justin Lee Collins without thinking of this show. Or indeed, at holiday photos.

Mark Watson’s 24 Hours to save the planet

We were only there for the start of this, on the Royal Mile at midnight – just outside our apartment actually – so I can’t really rate it. Watson is a bit of a Fringe legend, and he was about to set off on a 24 hour marathon – apparently at one point they ended up planting trees. Part of the group were last seen doing a conga up the Royal Mile. Definitely one to do if you have the time.

Shakespeare for Breakfast***

Another one we’d seen last year. Whilst I don’t think this year was quite as good, it was fun, and had some good performances, and we got coffee and croissants.

Phill Jupitus reads Dickens***

He’d never read any Dickens before the Fringe, and by last Tuesday he’d read 10 hours. He was very funny, though we did strike a little unlucky in that we got the opening chapter of Martin Chuzzlewit, which clearly wasn’t Dickens’s finest hour. However, we learned a new word, ‘consanguinity’, and a rhyme.

Love Labour’s Won – Rogue Shakespeare Company***

I have to admit I was flagging a bit by this point, and the room was incredibly hot, but it was well performed, by a talented cast with great costumes. And they gave you free chocolate.

Idiots of Ants****

Comedy sketch show – and they gave you free water (much needed in a tiny sweaty venue) jelly beans and a badge. Great fun and clever as well. I think they’ll go far. If you ask nicely, they'll give you a nickname.

My favourites were Dai, Simon Amstell and Idiots of Ants. We didn’t see any absolute stinkers, and overall, I think the shows were better than last years, as we’d done more research and planning. But you don’t need to, you can just go with the flow. It was exhausting, as we often had only half an hour between shows, but at least there were no crazy dashes the length of Princes Street like last year.

We stayed out drinking till about 2am, we ate Thai food, and Turkish food, and hardly heard any Scottish voices. In fact that was one of the things that struck me after I came home, the lack of Scots.

Even now a week on, reviews are just emerging of other things I’d like to have seen. You don’t really get a flavour of what there is until you’re there, so may be the trick is, like Cat, to go twice. I wish we’d had longer in our apartment, I wish I’d managed to see the show done by the group I used to work with, I wish…, I wish…