The Edinburgh Blog

Daniel Kitson epitomises everything that is still great about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Every year Kitson returns, either to the Traverse theatre or the Stand comedy club, with something original. This year it’s a play - “It’s always right now, until it’s later”. Kitson never charges an inflated sum of money, even though he’d be guaranteed a sold out run. This year his play starts at 10am, apparently because Kitson wanted to have the rest of the day to “see stuff and eat and sleep and mess about”.

Twenty-eight lightbulbs dangle on stage, accompanied only by a chair and a stepladder. The bulbs represent moments in the lives of two ordinary folk, called William and Caroline. The moments they experience are nothing special, or at least that’s what you begin to think, until Kitson’s script hits you right in the face and shows why all of these moments are special.

This is the perfect play for Kitson’s unique and beautiful talent to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. Words rattle off Kitson’s tongue, in an effortless fashion. We’re guided through life, death, birth, marriage and more. Again, it hardly sounds groundbreaking, but few have been this touching and precise.

“It’s always right now until it’s later” is certainly the most powerful, moving and poignant of Kitson’s work I’ve seen. The scriptwriting ability of Kitson, his astounding delivery and comedic gift make his talent both distinguished and masterly. Astounding.

Daniel Kitson was performing “It’s always right now, until it’s later” at the Traverse theatre, as part of the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Peter Mandelson’s appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival was a late addition to this year’s programme. The event soon sold out and provided Mandelson an opportunity to further publicise his book, “The Third Man”. The book hardly needs further publicity having been serialised in The Times and plastered throughout the media. More interestingly this appearance gave James Naughtie, host of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, to delve deeper into the content of Mandelson’s memoir.

As you’d expect the discussion between Naughtie and Mandelson centred on the Brown and Blair “feud”. At times the exchanges were prickly, with Mandelson at one stage trying to turn the tables on his host. Fancy that from a politician! An early quote from The Third Man gave Mandelson an opportunity to say how “broken” he was before Gordon Brown brought him back in 2008. Mandelson was also eager to say how he “made a hell of a difference” and how the government was more “fun” after his return. This was one of many comments to elicit wry smiles from the audience.

Other highlights:

• Mandelson spoke about how Gordon Brown had changed post 1994; becoming angrier and argumentative. He thought Brown’s confidantes should have defused him and not fuelled the fire. It’s clear Mandelson didn’t think these home truths were delivered and, under pressure, cited Ed Milliband as one of Brown’s inner circle who fanned the flames. Apparently Mandelson is good friends with Ed now and wanted their son to be called Peter. Daniel was the name finally chosen, but Mandelson still refers to the son as “DP”
• apparently intuition was Blair’s thing, which Brown lacked. Although Brown was the strategic thinker, perhaps the best in the Government. A great question asked why Blair so spectacularly misjudged the Iraq war if intuition was his thing. Mandelson’s reply was both slippery and nonsensical. First he turned the tables on those who opposed the war and labelled them as not supporting any conflict (i.e. would oppose any war) and stated he’d like to ask them what they would do in similar circumstances. Then he launched into a diatribe about the late Robin Cook, before hastily trying to force a new question. This provoked a lot of head shaking and murmuring disapproval
• Did Mandelson ever think Labour could win the 2010 General Election? “Not consistently”
• When asked why he didn’t see the furore over a £373,000 loan from Geoffrey Robinson, which caused his first resignation Mandelson was at a loss to explain. The line of questioning revolved around how Mandelson could provide such clear and useful advice to all of his colleagues, but fail to take “his own medicine” when the roles were reversed.
• Was Blair always going to be the better prime minister? Again Mandelson’s political training kicked in as he sidestepped a direct answer, although I inferred it to be “yes”
• When asked whether Brown as chancellor had spent too much during the run-up to the financial crisis, he took the opportunity to talk about Brown’s handling of the econonomy post financial crisis. Apparently in the midst of a terrible financial blizzard Brown absolutely could not have “put the handbrake on”. After prompting by the audience member Mandelson briefly reverted back to the original question with a cryptic answer. I interpreted it as he thought Brown was less prudent than he himself would admit, but far more prudent than his critics would have you believe
• Mandelson spoke about his regret at the circumstances surrounding his first resignation, which meant he could not influence trade policy for many years of New Labour. He said the future must involve Britain at the forefront of new technology, specifically “the green industry” (we shouldn’t import the technology from Germany, Spain and Denmark)
• Mandelson wasn’t happy with the way Peter Watt was treated and he expressed his sorrow at the events leading to his resignation as Labour’s general secretary
• Mandelson would have loved to have been foreign secretary, but seemed less sure of his Prime Ministerial ambition. He stated how getting into the cabinet was his initial ambition, which he achieved. Mandelson stated he was “unfulfilled”, but that definitely does not mean he is a failure. Far from it.
• When asked if he’d follow Tony Blair by donating the proceeds of his book to charity, Mandelson said he wouldn’t because he couldn’t afford to! And while we were asked not to reach for the hankerchiefs he is an unemployed man after all. Mandelson did state that his loyalty to Labour meant he wanted to help financially, together with investing a lot of his time, to rebuilding the party. This would be his contribution.
• Mandelson seemed to doubt he would forge a career as a “national treasure” but was proud that his book was for the people and accessible by everyone, not just politicians. He took a swipe at the format of Alastair Campbell’s diaries and said that factual blow-by-blow accounts, would be written by historians and that definitely was not the aim of “The Third Man”

The “best question” of the evening picked Mandelson up, on his use of the word “Mandelsonian”. When asked whether he’d support its introduction into the English language, Mandelson looked genuinely ruffled. Though he was more sure about the definition: “subtle”, “strategic”, “hard-working” and “loyal”.

An interesting evening. And judging by the enormous queue to have Mandelson sign a copy of his The Third Man book, a profitable one too.

If Fringe shows were measured by how quickly the hour passes then Fibber in the heat, by Miles Jupp, would top our leaderboard. This is a sublime hour of understated comedy and expertly crafted storytelling. While celebrating England’s victory in the 2005 Ashes series, Jupp looked up at the press box. First he decided how lucky those with prized press passes are and secondly he decided that by the time England toured Indian in 2006, he’d be joining them. A few phonecalls later and Miles Jupp had the necessary credentials.

This might sound like a show for cricket fanatics only, but it’s not. Though, a knowledge of cricket and its personalities will mean you get more out of the show. There were also a few cricket loving Indians in the audience, purring at some of Jupp’s statistic recitals. Ultimately anyone can relate to a good story. And this is certainly a good story. Tales of meeting his heroes, blagging his way past armed security guards and experiencing the “delhi belly” are delivered with aplomb.

Fibber in the heat is everything you’d want from a Fringe show, all delivered with humour, charm and charisma. Definite recommendation.

Miles Jupp - Fibber in the heat, is showing at Gilded Balloon Teviot until 29th August at 8pm.

A giant inflatable high heeled shoe bounces off the heads of the crowd, sunflowers adourn the stage and a gentleman wearing a pig’s mask ‘larges’ it up on stage. This is the night Mika decorated Edinburgh’s HMV Picture House. This is the night Mika produced a fun, lavish and completely over the top spectacle. With energy aplenty, including dancing on top of his piano, Mika demonstrated an entertainment and outright fun factor which you couldn’t help but love. This was more than a gig - it was the party which Mika co-ordinated.

The bouncy lyrics of “Relax, Take it easy” set the theme of the evening, with the largest crowd cheers reserved for hits from the 6 million selling Life in Cartoon Motion album. “We are Golden” drew the biggest reaction of Mika’s more recent material, while “Blame it on the girls” provided ammunition for a sing-off competition. The encore of “Sweet Dreams”, the exuberance of “Lollipop” and the excellent “Grace Kelly” turned this serious music venue into a scene usually reserved for a Rio carnival. Certainly not a sight you see at every gig!

Mika’s extravagant outfits and outlandish dance moves drew an affectionate response from one adoring fan, when labelling him “a big tart”. Mika played a full 90 minute set, with exuberance, balance and bounce. Boring it wasn’t. Fun it certainly was. 9.1 out of 10.

Two videos of Mika at the HMV Picture House, Edinburgh for The Edge Festival 2010 are available:

• Video of Mika on stage
• Video of Mika’s ensemble on stage

Nicholas Parsons seems a thoroughly nice chap. He does throw in the odd expletive through his “Happy Hour” show, but apparently we shouldn’t be alarmed. Or as an old lady who he once helped to her feet described it: “during August isn’t everyone supposed to swear in Edinburgh”. Tonight is Parson’s last night hosting the show, before heading off for yet more more work onboard a cruise ship. At 86 years old, the hearing might not be up to former glories, but there’s charm aplenty as he leads the audience through an hour of banter, storytelling and guest slots.

Nicholas Parsons has been coming to Edinburgh for the past 10 years. Many of you will know him as the presenter of Radio 4’s Just A Minute show, or for previously hosting Sale of the Century on TV. His affection for Scotland, especially Glasgow, is in evidence here as story after story revolves around the antics of Scottish folk. Tonight the front-row of the audience, or should that be the civil service, give Nicholas little material to work with. However, it’s not long before he’s handing out the tubes of smarties and shining in the spotlight.

An hour long show for Parsons on his own would be too much and that’s where his guests help out. All are looking to promote their own Fringe shows, but that provides a great way to experience the diversity of Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe. This evening the impressive magician Ali Cook (with his magical goldfish) and the very talented cast of Showstopper! are the guests. The latters act revolves around improvising a musical, or a Shakespearian sonnet, from audience suggestions. It works. These were two great guests to end the 2010 run of Happy Hour with. Impressive too was the fact Parsons finds time to go and see the shows of his guests prior to them appearing on his show.

Nicholas Parsons’ “Happy Hour” may have finished for 2010, but you can be sure he’ll be back next year. Go see him then. A genuinely nice show.

Set in the dark streets of New York, or was it Gotham City, Bane 2 is a one-man show performed with pace, flair, boundless energy and tongue firmly in cheek. This is the world of Sam Spade and film noir: hats pulled low, strong cigarettes, back allies and violence. Our hero, the mob enforcer, Bruce Bane, tumbles through a series of comic encounters with characters from the dark side of town: the snitch, the Russian mobster and his muscle, the fat Italian, the stairwell crazy, the backstreet quack and many others.

Each character was vividly brought to life by employing swift changes of voice, expression and gait – a truly awe inspiring physical and artistic effort on the part of the main man, Joe Bone. The action was accompanied by a dark and brooding live acoustic guitar set, which both propelled the action and added to the fog of drama. With a cunning twist at the end, which made me realise how much I’d been sucked into the story, I was left wanting more of this dark and satisfying brew. Luckily the original version of Bane is being reprised as part of this year’s Fringe for a Fiver (where does he find the energy). There is also the promise of Bane 3 to come.

A great show. Recommended.

Bane 2 is showing at the Pleasance Dome until August 29th, during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2010 at 8.20pm. £9.50 a ticket.
The original Bane is showing at the GRV, Guthrie St, also until the August 29th at 5.40pm. £5 a ticket.

Holyrood Park played host to the annual Edinburgh Foodies Festival this past weekend. The event finished on Sunday, having ran for three days. When the weather is good (and it was really very good on Sunday) the Edinburgh Foodies Festival is a perfect way to spend a lazy day sitting on the grass, while enjoying a tremendous selection of food and drink. The entry fee to the Foodies Festival is £10 per person, but that could be halved by using a 2-4-1 code if booking in advance. It’s worth bearing in mind that food and drink must be purchased separately. The entrance ticket is good for entry on all three days, so like many folk did, you can come and go as often as you please. Overall I really can’t pick fault with the Edinburgh Foodies Festival - it was a lovely day out.

There were three tents at the Foodies Festival: chefs’ theatre, food masterclass and drinks masterclass. On the Sunday we saw two great demonstrations in the chefs’ theatre. First off was Geoffrey Smeddle from the recently Michelin starred Peat Inn. He cooked a summery halibut dish, with tomatoes and gnocchi. Subsequently Stephen K Amos cooked a paella, albeit with a little help. This was very funny, with Stephen throwing in a few of his favourite jokes and generally just being a nice guy; chatting and jesting with the crowd. I managed to sample the fruits of his labour, which was heavy on quality ingredients, strong on taste but hot enough to burn a hole through your tongue! Tim Vine had cooked his scrambled eggs with broccoli the day before, which I imagine would have been equally funny. Unfortunately many folk were understandably confused by the ticketing arrangements - you had to queue up at the registration point by the entrance, to pick up free tickets for the events (first come, first served). An outdoor stage provided the musical soundtrack for the hordes of folk drinking their pimms, sampling their champagne or guzzling a pint of beer.

Despite all the cookery demonstrations, The Foodies Festival is all about trying food for yourself. And that’s going to cost you. Thankfully everything is sensibly priced. My favourites included:

• a high quality pork & jalapeno pepper (a.k.a. The Hot Duchess) sausage barbecued by the Great British Sausage Company (£4)
• an Arbroath smokie from the multi-award winning Arbroath Smokies. Although it was disappointing they completely “soled out” early on the Sunday
• a lovely small piece of gluten and wheat free battered haddock (£1.50) from the owners of the Land & Sea Fish & Chip Shop in Polmont
• one of the best, and largest, chocolate brownies I’ve ever tasted from Linlithgow’s Patisserie Dujardin (£1.40)

A tremendous range of food was on offer and the Edinburgh Foodies Festival is a great opportunity for tourists to sample a wide range of British and international cuisine. One of the largest food stalls was, amongst other offerings, selling prawns and paella from humongous pans. We’d have tried some of their noodles, but the serving staff were ignorant, so we headed elsewhere. The Foodies Festival seemed light on free samples, although we did manage a minute glass of strawberry cider and some rum and raisin fudge. Many stalls were selling their own products, including Anne Hempstock, who unsuccessfully pitched her Cream Cutie liqueur on Dragons’ Den.

Here are some of The Edinburgh Blog’s videos from the 2010 Edinburgh Foodies Festival:

• Stephen K Amos cooking his paella, while engaging in some audience banter
• A 360 degree view of the Edinburgh Foodies Festival

The Edinburgh Foodies Festival 2010 was held at Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park, 13th-15th August. Watch out for next year’s event - if the weather is good, it’s an essential visit.

The Spiegel Garden has long been a favourite of Edinburgh festival goers, so it was a disappointment when it failed to appear in 2009. This year the Spiegel Garden is back and so is the Spiegeltent, fresh from repairs and maintenance afforded by last year’s break from touring action. Thousands upon thousands of folk flock to the Spiegel Gardens for drinks and, at last, a choice of food. When the weather’s good, as it was this past weekend, it’s not uncommon to join a queue before admittance. While the appeal of the Spiegeltent is undoubtable, it’s a shame many garden goers miss out on seeing a show in the amazing Spiegeltent. And what better way to enjoy the Spiegeltent than attending Smoke & Mirrors, the flagship show for 2010.

The Spiegeltent is a stunning venue; light, airy and spacious. They are three words you won’t hear said about many of Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe venues! There’s also a great view of the stage wherever you sit. My particular favourite location is around the small tables, just behind the main rows of seating. There’s a bar which serves refreshments throughout the show and during the 15 minute interval. The Spiegeltent is a fantastic venue and a must visit. Thankfully, Smoke & Mirrors is a production worthy of the setting.

There’s gymnastics, magic, singing, men in white rabbit suits, a bearded woman and furious tap dancing. The band are terrific throughout with the impressive iOTA flawlessly leading the vocal effort. The musical accompaniment is varied, catchy and fun. All this ensures Smoke & Mirrors romps through its run-time. Some of the gymnastic movements could have been more fluid, but seeing strength and agility so close is superb. And I’m still wondering where the two huge white ducks appear from, when the magician takes centre stage.

While leaving Smoke & Mirrors someone commented “I wonder what the story behind all that is”. It’s a good question and provides my only qualm. There are plenty of hugely entertaining scenes and a terrific band providing continuity throughout, but the underlying theme never registers. By the time the lead character wearily left the stage at the end, I should have felt an emotional attachment, but I didn’t. As individual pieces Smoke & Mirrors works well, but as a continuous story it struggles to make itself clear. My advice is enjoy the aural and visual simulation, without trying too hard to find meaning.

At £20 a ticket Smoke & Mirrors is expensive. The List magazine have recently been offering two-for-one tickets if you show the magazine at the Spiegel box office. At £10 a ticket it becomes very good value. While not a show to immortalise, Smoke & Mirrors is a hugely entertaining spectacle and an excellent opportunity to experience this stunning Fringe venue. Recommended.

The Spiegel Garden is open until 30th August at Edinburgh’s George Square Gardens.
Smoke & Mirrors runs until the 30th too.

I am told this year’s show by Dutch comic Hans Teeuwen borrows a lot of material from last year’s short run at the Udderbelly. Last year Mr Teeuwen burst onto the Edinburgh comedy scene to much hype and many 4 and 5 star reviews. Few reviews have been written for this year’s show, but it would seem the knives are out for ‘Smooth and Painful’. Having never seen Hans before I could only review what I found. And what I found was an hour of surreal, inventive, often uncomfortable but totally memorable comedy. Hans is a huge big gust of Dutch fresh air; a sharp contrast to the clone army of comedians invading the Fringe.

Don’t expect conventional comedy from Hans Teeuwen - it’s surreal character acting played out at a tornado’s pace. The mannerisms and conviction of Hans Teeuwen suck you into his own nonsensical world. The giant, the lion and the unwelcome fox in his ‘fantasy forest’ become images conjured in your own imagination. The son who can’t get to sleep out of fear of a shark attacking him, soon realises it’s not thoughts of the shark which will keep him awake. All of these strange scenarios are acted out on stage; sometimes it’s uncomfortable, but it is all hugely compelling.

Hans is an accomplished musician. Piano interludes and a rendition of Mozart using his teeth add balance to the show. Hans finishes Smooth and Painful with a crude song, which is beneath him and most of the audience. When he encourages folk to sing along, it’s only those who have had one too many ciders who take the bait.

Nothing is taboo with Teeuwen, which helps explain the steady stream of folk leaving the Pleasance Courtyard’s Beyond venue. If provocation offends you, then find a different show. By the end of Smooth and Painful I don’t believe a single person left seated didn’t have a firm opinion on Hans, whether love or hate.

Smooth and painful is genuinely different. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but the vividness and raw energy of Hans Teeuwen make this show compelling viewing. Recommended.

Hans Teeuwen Smooth and Painful is showing at The Pleasance Courtyard (Beyond) until 29th August 2010 (excluding Wednesdays). £15.

There are comedians whose humour you get and comedians whose humour you don’t get. My own categorisation places Phil Kay firmly in the latter. In Tweed is Phil’s stand-up comedy show, for 2010, at Edinburgh’s Gilded Balloon venue.

The nightclub venue was a sell-out, helped by this being the last night of the Fringe two for one ticket offer. Phil was certainly happy to find folk on the balcony; even managing to give a high five to someone, in an energetic opening to the show. The set started off with some rather obvious humour (Tiger Woods, Killer Whale at Seaworld, etc) before it launched into the observational humour which most comedians make their bread and butter. In general I’m tired of tales of how the comedian got arrested, how they lost something (in this case a tweed hat) or how the move into their new house went. This coupled with a delivery style, which induced frequent thoughts of “what is he talking about?!” did not help.

A brief interlude when Phil broke open his guitar bag and began a musically accompanied rant against Alpen for putting cereal in a bar, when it belongs in a box, threatened to break the indifference I was feeling. But that was the nearest I came all show to finding anything funny. In fairness, Phil Kay’s animated delivery, wanderings through his imagination and ad lib nature of delivery appealed to the majority of the crowd. Infact many were laughing so hard I begin to suspect my lack of enjoyment was my problem not his. Or maybe the audience were loyal and educated Phil Kay followers.

Phil Kay: In Tweed clearly appeals to some. But not me.

Phil Kay: In Tweed is showing at the Gilded Balloon Teviot until the 29th August (excluding Mondays) at 7pm. £10-£11 per ticket.