4 days, 12 events.
Day One
‘What was your favourite bit?’ I used to ask The Bombers this question after we had enjoyed a day out or event. Sometimes the answers would be clear cut and at other times there would be several moments that had given pleasure or revealed the different ‘take aways’ for them. Sometimes it is difficult, if not impossible, to place one moment above all the others, especially in the entertainment or event spans several days and genres.
Such is the diversity of things to do and see at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that it is difficult to impose a hierarchy of favourites. How can you, for example, compare an art exhibition to a Michelin-starred lunch? A comedian to a jazz quintet? Even within genres, is it fair to compare a seasoned comedian with a 40 year career to a young comedian trying out material in their first stand up show?
We managed to pack 12 events into our short stay in the city and none of them disappointed. After dropping off our luggage we wandered down to the National Gallery to see The Grayson Perry retrospective called Smash Hits. As we were a little early for our timed entry slot we walked round the Elizabeth Blackadder and Robert Houston exhibition which is well worth the visit on its own.
I was lucky enough to see The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman exhibition of Perry’s work at the British Museum in 2011 and was delighted to see some of the pieces exhibited then included in the current show. However, for me, the big wow was the emormous tapestries on display. Each one could have taken hours to pour over in detail as they contain so many different elements. Thank goodness for the exhibition book which can be poured over at leisure giving more detail and information on specific works. The themes of identity, sex and violence the exhibition can prove provocative and challenging but there was a steady stream of people willing to view and appreciate Perry’s works.
Our next event was a stand up show, The Best of Scottish Comedy. I have generally avoided stand-up at previous festivals simply because of the difficulty in chosing from the vast numbers of stand-up shows listed. To others who feel the same I would say start with one of the ‘Best of…’ type shows which will give short introductions to comedians you may like to see more of…or less! Each show will give the audience a flavour of three or four comedians who have shows within the festival programme. Of the three comedians we saw one was not to our taste, one was entertaining and one was hilarious. Robin Grainger told the story of his debut at the Fringe last year when he had only one audience member. That audient (because there is actually a word for a singular audience!) left after the show and spread the word about how funny Grainger was. Then, with the help of social media and a review, word of the show spread quickly. His story of the event and aftermath were hilariously told in the best tradition of comedy. However, his second story of taking a bath to relieve stress on the advice of his girlfriend proves Grainger’s comedy does not rely solely on his debut misadventure. I will definitely make a point of seeing his full show when I get the opportunity.
Significantly Different 