We went to Edinburgh during festival season for 11 days this year (21-31 August) during which we saw over 20 shows! It was wonderfully gluttonous. Three lovely couples generously put us up. So... we decided to take a photo of each performance we went to - or if that wasn't permitted, we took something representative of it...
DAY 1
SHOW 1 - POTTED POTTER - The Unauthorised Harry Experience - A Parody
SHOW 2 - Tao Samurai Drummers (Lis' favourite of the week)
SHOW 3 - North Sea Gas - The Best of Scotland (acoustic music - we were the youngest by a long shot)
DAY 2
SHOW 4 - GELABERT AZZOPARDI (the most remarkable thing about this show was that not only had Rick & Mo happened to book for the same show on the same night but their tickets were right next to ours!)
DAY 3
SHOW 5 - The Tiger Lillies - The Songs of Shockheaded Peter and other Gory Verses
DAY 4
SHOW 6 - News Revue 30th Anniversary (like being back at the Sydney Uni law review)
SHOW 7 - Barry & Stuart - Powered by Demons
DAY 5
SHOW 8 - Africaaah! (an African Children's Choir)
SHOW 9 - Triology (in 3 parts as the name suggests - so woeful we left after part 2 - the photo depicts Dwayne howling in anguish at how bad it was... it was supposed to be a modern take on feminism but we didn't really feel it had moved anywhere since the 1970s especially given that at least 45 mins of it was taken up with playing excerpts from a video of a panel of speakers from the 70s - not even the very long scene of 25 naked women of every shape and size jumping around on stage could inspire us to stay)
SHOW 10 - The Dark Party (crazy Australian blokes torturing themselves e.g. hanging a car battery from chains connected to nails through the nipples of one of them, swallowing razor blades... - I had to pretend it was magic, but it wasn't)
DAY 6
SHOW 11 - Afternoon Delight
SHOW 12 - Chris Cox: Mind Over Patter (very clever - used knowledge of how humans behave to pick what choices audience participants would make - both Dwayne & I were called up at different points, and he picked our choices - incredible!)
DAY 7
SHOW 13 - Circa (amazing Australian acrobats/actors/gymnasts)
SHOW 14 - Axis of Awesome: Infinity Rock Explosion (Jess & Byron joined us for this - again, Australian group made particularly famous for a song around time of last Australian election)
DAY 8
SHOW 15 - The Last Witch (play about the last witch to be burned in the UK - bit too predictable for my liking - The Crucible is better)
we also fitted in some Haitian singers who look more exciting here than we thought they were (we saw a few free comedy shows and plenty of street buskers but I haven't included everything!):
SHOW 16 - Edinburgh Tattoo (Lis' twin favourite - but it flew by and I wished it had gone on for much longer - the Swiss were the star attraction)
the Swiss with their glowing batons (they also had flaming batons a little later):
this is at the end when all the bands are out marching back and forth:
DAY 9
SHOW 17 - The Really Terrible Orchestra (we thought they'd be clever or fun but they were just terrible - the feel-good side is that it's a group of relative newcomers to music)
SHOW 18 - Michael Clark New Work (modern dance - I loved the colours in this performance)
DAY 10
SHOW 19 - Charles (I can't remember anything about this unfortunately! and the photo doesn't help really though it is lovely and colourful)
SHOW 20 - The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
We then caught the sleeper train back to London through the night and went straight to work! What a time.
SHOW 2 - Tao Samurai Drummers (Lis' favourite of the week)
SHOW 3 - North Sea Gas - The Best of Scotland (acoustic music - we were the youngest by a long shot)
DAY 2
SHOW 4 - GELABERT AZZOPARDI (the most remarkable thing about this show was that not only had Rick & Mo happened to book for the same show on the same night but their tickets were right next to ours!)
DAY 3
SHOW 5 - The Tiger Lillies - The Songs of Shockheaded Peter and other Gory Verses
DAY 4
SHOW 6 - News Revue 30th Anniversary (like being back at the Sydney Uni law review)
SHOW 7 - Barry & Stuart - Powered by Demons
DAY 5
SHOW 8 - Africaaah! (an African Children's Choir)
SHOW 9 - Triology (in 3 parts as the name suggests - so woeful we left after part 2 - the photo depicts Dwayne howling in anguish at how bad it was... it was supposed to be a modern take on feminism but we didn't really feel it had moved anywhere since the 1970s especially given that at least 45 mins of it was taken up with playing excerpts from a video of a panel of speakers from the 70s - not even the very long scene of 25 naked women of every shape and size jumping around on stage could inspire us to stay)
SHOW 10 - The Dark Party (crazy Australian blokes torturing themselves e.g. hanging a car battery from chains connected to nails through the nipples of one of them, swallowing razor blades... - I had to pretend it was magic, but it wasn't)
DAY 6
SHOW 11 - Afternoon Delight
SHOW 12 - Chris Cox: Mind Over Patter (very clever - used knowledge of how humans behave to pick what choices audience participants would make - both Dwayne & I were called up at different points, and he picked our choices - incredible!)
DAY 7
SHOW 13 - Circa (amazing Australian acrobats/actors/gymnasts)
SHOW 14 - Axis of Awesome: Infinity Rock Explosion (Jess & Byron joined us for this - again, Australian group made particularly famous for a song around time of last Australian election)
DAY 8
SHOW 15 - The Last Witch (play about the last witch to be burned in the UK - bit too predictable for my liking - The Crucible is better)
we also fitted in some Haitian singers who look more exciting here than we thought they were (we saw a few free comedy shows and plenty of street buskers but I haven't included everything!):
SHOW 16 - Edinburgh Tattoo (Lis' twin favourite - but it flew by and I wished it had gone on for much longer - the Swiss were the star attraction)
the Swiss with their glowing batons (they also had flaming batons a little later):
this is at the end when all the bands are out marching back and forth:
DAY 9
SHOW 17 - The Really Terrible Orchestra (we thought they'd be clever or fun but they were just terrible - the feel-good side is that it's a group of relative newcomers to music)
SHOW 18 - Michael Clark New Work (modern dance - I loved the colours in this performance)
DAY 10
SHOW 19 - Charles (I can't remember anything about this unfortunately! and the photo doesn't help really though it is lovely and colourful)
SHOW 20 - The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
We then caught the sleeper train back to London through the night and went straight to work! What a time.
Dwayne has reminded me that the 'Charles' show was the participatory dance workshop we went to! I must have repressed the memory... but it was actually quite fun - who would have imagined??
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