Edinburgh Festival Fringe Focus

@edfringefocus.bsky.social

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All about The Edinburgh Festival Fringe. During August, we signal boost shows, and the rest of the year we talk about new & old acts. Also West End, Broadway, Fringe Theatre and Comedy. 100% unofficial.

Flyers for Billy & Tim stuck under someone's windscreen. This is frowned on.
A moodily lit photo of a police issue protective vest.
David Bates and Friend outside the Famous Spiegel Tent, an elaborate tent. DavidPersephone_TFS_2024_credit_JacquieManning-1
Blue background, pink balloon text. Text reads "3 Little Wigs. " Show description on the space website reads "Three little pigs move to the big city, dreaming of pop stardom. They enter a talent contest run by the sly Big Bad Wolf and hosted by a fabulous presenter. With live vocals, lip-syncing, dance, and comedy, this electrifying show reimagines the classic tale. As the pigs advance through the competition, they revel in the glitz and glamour, unaware of the Wolf’s true intentions. The stakes rise as they discover the chilling truth – they’re destined to be the main course at the Wolf’s annual Feast of Champions. Can they escape before it's too late?"
A deer in headlights - the image is mostly purple, the deer is in shadow. The words Roadkill Bambi dominate the image.
Cartoon picture of Angela Lansbury, promo for - Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote Cabaret and Variety16+ The cult hit returns to the Fringe! Don’t miss an interactive screening of the classic Murder, She Wrote episode, A Fashionable Way to Die, following last year’s riotous presentation of Paint Me a Murder. Jessica Fletcher is invited to Paris to visit a designer friend, but soon gets caught up in a murder mystery only she (or you!) can solve. See the show that has wowed audiences across the UK, Ireland, Australia and the Murder, She Wrote Festival 2025 in Mendocino.
Basil Brush, in a green sequn jacket and ring master attire. He wears a small black 'top hat' with gold trim. Basil Brus is a fox shaped puppet, more a cartoon idea of a fox than an actual fox. Boom, boom.
Black and White photo of Anna Quayle. They are doing 'jazz hands' and their eye make up is exagerrated. The over all look is clownish.
Cheap and nasty clown shoes. These are made of knitted composite sponge, and the sole is made of EVA material, which is soft in texture and aren't as durable as you'd hope. The clown shoes are full of colorful dots, classic style and bright colors. They're mostly yellow, with yellow 'ribbon' laces that don't look at all durable.
Image From the whiskyshop blog. A glass with Scottish Whipped Cream With Whisky, Raspberries, and Toasted Oats arranged in a delicious way.
Poster for "Formby, an ordinary man with an extraordinary talent". One man show, features Ewan Wardrop as Formby on the flyer.
Flyer for 2001's Edinburgh Fringe. "Skullduggery Presents the British Premiere of Rick Vorndran's "I Am Star Trek". Show title is in red, venue details are in white. Background is a 'star theme'
Black and White 'newspaper print' advert for Radio Forth. Features a silhouette of Edinburgh Castle, with 'Forth At The Festival' above, and Radio Forth - Close to You set into the shadow. Rest of the blurb reads: Radio Forth covers The Festival DAILY on 1548 KHZand 96.8 FM Stereo with FRINGE REVIEWS, Interviews with Celebrities, GuidetoTicketSales, uptothe minute FESTIVAL NEWS. Radio Forth will presentan Award forthe BESTORIGINAL MUSIC SCOREand an award forthe BEST MUSIC PERFORMANCE. Application Formsfrom Carol Main, Radio Forth, Forth House, Forth Street, Edinburgh. 031 -5569255.
Statue of Greyfriars bobby, his nose discoloured due to selfish, ignorant tourists getting themselves cursed.
A Hope Mill Theatre Production In celebration of our ninth birthday, we’re presenting NINE the Musical in Concert. Starring Broadway and West End sensation Ramin Karimloo, our production of the Tony Award winning NINE at Lowry in Salford tells the story of movie director Guido Conti, who is staring down the barrel of a mid-life crisis and a bad case of creative block. With only a week left before shooting begins, he desperately searches for answers and inspiration from his wife, his mistress, his muse and his mother. As his chaotic profession steadily destroys his personal life, Guido must find a balance between creating art and succumbing to its obsessive demands. Nine the musical won the 1982 Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Original Score, with hits including ‘Be Italian’, ‘Unusual Way’, ‘Cinema Italiano’ and many more. It was released as a movie in 2009, featuring an all-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz and Sophia Loren. Joining Ramin will be Ruthie Henshall (Chicago, Billy Elliot) as Liliane la Fleur. Also appearing will be Amber Davies (Pretty Woman, Back to the Future) as Stephanie, Josefina Gabrielle (Les Miserables, Oaklahoma!) as Guido’s Mother, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (HEX, Cinderella) as Luisa, Melissa James (Moulin Rouge, Gypsy) as Claudia, Danielle Steers (Just For One Day, Bat Out of Hell the Musical) as Sarraghina and Zizi Strallen (Mary Poppins, Strictly Ballroom) as Carla.
Old Town along Cockburn Street, connecting the Royal Mile to Waverley Station. Colour photo of a picturesque part of Ediburgh.
Counting Sheep (2016) Summerhall, Photo David Monteith-Hodge
Green paper with black ink. Reads: Festival Fringe Club, 54 Lothian Street, Membership Ticket 1971. Stamped in red ink. Cost a total of 30 pence.
1984 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Poster, Arts Festival, entertainer watering can, artwork by Derek Wilson aged 15. Originally done in poster paints and paper, reproduced photographically for mass distribution. This is an poster for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1984 by Derek Wilson showing a giant top-hatted entertainer standing on city buildings, holding a watering can and watering what appears to be a leafy house plant, but is actually the old Edinburgh Festival Fringe Logo. Derek was only 15 and from Portobello High School in Edinburgh.
Photo: George Smith, for The Scotsman. Shown here for educational purposes. Black and white photo, two middle aged men having a cup of tea. Caption: Dr Jonathan Miller took over from Andrew Cruikshank (left) as chairman of Edinburgh Festival Fringe in March 1984.
White on black text. A young Alexi Sayle lurks in the background, holding a duck like a microphone. The advert is for a two nights only gig. The words Alexi Sayle dominate the image, the rest of the picture is taken up with gig details.
N`ewspaper advert from 1984. Features a cartoon of a one man band and a logo of Archibald Arrol’s cask conditioned 70/- ale- (Which is an old mans head). Text reads Busk Conditioned Archibald Arrol’s cask conditioned 70/- ale- Note the crystal clear colour and smooth, creamy head. A sight for sore eyes! Savour the flavour of this rich, full bodied yet delicately hoppy pint - Nectar to the palate. “A pint of Arrols.” Music to the ears. Find it in selected establishments of good taste throughout the capital. ✓ Busking competition To add real flavour Id the Festival Archibald Arrol’s is sponsoring a busking competition in association with the Festival Times. For full details contact Festival Times, 1 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh. EH8 9LW. Tel: 031-667 5718.
Black text on ageing white paper. It is a form for booking tickets. The header reads Ticket Postal Bookimg Form plus Fringe Club Membership
1972. Sean Connery and Wojciech Brusewski. Atelier '72, Edinburgh. 20 August - 9 September 1972. Sean Connery (right) with Wojciech Brusewski (filmmaker from Lodz Film School) with banner for the Happening Fire, in the basement of the RDG, 8 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh during Atelier '72 (contemporary Polish art) presented by the RDG in collaboration with the Lodz Museum of Art for the Edinburgh Festival. Atelier '72 was funded by the Scottish International Education Trust, established by Sean Connery in 1970.
Advert for multiple gigs at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1984, from the programme. Flyer includes details for acts such as Alexi Sayle, Nigel Planer and the Bad Karma Tour, New York Stand Up Comedy Rudner, Amoros and Schlock (sharp enough to draw blood), MacLean & MacLean and an act called Brave New Comedy which includes Red Dwarf actor Norman Lovett.
Cover of the 1984 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme. White background. The word FRINGE is spelled out, two columns, two letters per column (so it could read FIGRNE I suppose). Each letter is also a cartoon of a performer, bent into the shape of a letter. So a high-kicking clown forms an F, acrobats form an R, a singer forms the I, three actors for the N, a puppeteer forms the G and a guitarist forms the E.
Book cover. Background is a pale blue, with a white banner on the top. Title reads Cracking The Fringe, Your Balls-out Guide to Taking On The Edinburgh Fringe. A white sillouette of a man in a top hat with raised arms, surrounded by white balls / a crowd, dominates the cover. Book by Jon Gracey and Viv Egan.
Black text on old (cream) white paper. A programme listing for KONG LIVES, a new Scots play by George Byatt, starring Irene Sunters and Andrew Byatt, tickets are £1. From the 1975 Programme Guide.
Flyer for Dune! The Muscial, A Gurney Halleck prodcution with art fron Nate Donnel. A bald man in a big jacket and a still suit thrusts a guitar forward in a dramatic way. In the background, a giant sandworm plays guitar. Other scenes from the novel, Dune are also depicted. Clearly a parody work.
Slightly worn flyer for Courtney Pauroso show, Gutterplum. Green background, with a distressed looking white, blonde haired woman as the central image. The woman has distressed hair and make-up. Show is described as a character clown show and feminist allegory. Venue is Underbelly.
Screenshoot from page 23 of 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme. Highlighting two shows. 1) Alex Horne: Odds. Picture of Alex Horne's face. He is a brown bearded white man, and looks surprised. Text for Odds says Comedian Alex Horne discusses numbers, the universe, gambling, regrets and quantum physics. He'll also try to distract with his powerpoint skills. Entry 2) Alex Horne: The Taskmaster. Also features of picture of Alex, looking serious. Entry reads 'After twenty challenges including 'Gaining Weight' and 'Sun Headlin Prediction' Alex Horne declares either Dan Atkinson, Tom Basden, Jarred Christmas, James Dowdeswell, Rick Edwards, Tim Fitzhigham, Stuart Goldsmith, Steve Hall, Tim Key, Lloyd Langford, Josie Long, Guy Morgan, Al Pitcher, Mark Olver, Mark Watson, Henning Wehn, Joe Wilkinson, Lloyd Woolf, Mike Wozniak, and Tom Wrigglesworth 'The Taskmaster'.
Mary, Queen of Scots - Scottish Ballet, credit GavinSmart. EIF couldn't be bothered to do a description, so I will - cliche photo of a white woman with black hair in a black dress stepping out of the darkness. An older person with white hair is in the background, trying to reach out.
Red and blue ink on white paper. A simple map of Edinburgh city, with 23 venues marked out as well as landmarks. It has two simple adverts for local businesses, and a confusing illustration of actors, dancers and jesters.
Shona McCarthy standing in front of an Edinburgh Fringe banner whilst smiling. A well-dressed middle-aged, white, red haired women. Photo taken in 2013.
Black and white illustation / line art promoting four Edinburgh Fringe shows from 1990 - Little Shop of Horrors, Under Milk Wood, Getting There and Canterbury Tales. All shows are "At The Roxy" and performed by Ageless Theatre.
Grumpy bearded man in a hat sits on the toilet with notice about the nature of art. Next to it is a rambling manifesto; the first paragraph is below: BIR KIN HEAD DADA has no direct connections with anything or anyone. Clearly our name evokes the memory of the original anti-art movement, but ours is the anti-art of Merseyside where childhoods are spent counting turds floating down the Mersey. However, labels are utterly useless. (It continues in this vein).
Yellow background, blue text. Features a bearded white man with a bat on his head, 'hanging upside down'. Details for 'Olaf Falafels Super Stupid Show' is displayed.
Photo Brian Cox looking very stoic. The actor Brian Cox, not the scientist. Photo by David Ho.
Image of aristocrats daughter and comic actress Phoebe Mary Waller-Bridge photo shopped onto a promo shot of a bottle of gin, standing on a table. A stylised 'city in blue' image is in the background.
Extract from the 1999 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme, showing an advert for comedy duo Mel & Sue alongside an advert for Fanny Hill.
Black and white flyer for Quasimodo! The musical. Assemble early for Feast of Fools 'free' in the Courtyard.
Photo of an older man in a loud, balloon themed shirt handing a balloon flower sculpture to children. Caption is : Stepping Stones (2023). Photo: Lesley Martin.
Gold text on Black with Olivier logos and cast photos Lorraine Ashbourne for Till The Stars Come Down at the National Theatre – Dorfman Priyanga Burford for An Enemy Of The People at the Duke Of York’s Theatre Haydn Gwynne for When Winston Went To War With The Wireless at the Donmar Warehouse Gina McKee for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier Tanya Reynolds for A Mirror at the Almeida Theatre & Trafalgar Theatre
Gold text on Black with Olivier logos and cast photos Will Close for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier & Prince Edward Theatre Paul Hilton for An Enemy Of The People at the Duke Of York’s Theatre Giles Terera for Clyde’s at the Donmar Warehouse Luke Thompson for A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre & Savoy Theatre Zubin Varla for A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre & Savoy Theatre
Stock photo of a woman at a Customer Services desk, with the Edinburgh Fringe logo added, as well as Wallet app logos.
Text is a picture of a performer in mid jump, leaping toward the stage light. Caption reads 'First Shows Revealed'. Photo is from Runners (2022) Zoo Venues, Photo is by David Monteith-Hodge )
Black and White flyer for Stewart Lee's Badly Mapped World show. Picture of a young Lee in a black suit, staring at the camera. Black text on white background, show & venue information and quotes from other performances.
Advert that says 'This is not Doreen'. and an old photo of four elderly people at a flower show, with a white arrow pointing to an elderly lady. No information on the show.
Advert from 1988 Edinburgh Fringe Programme for BBC Radio Scotland's At The Fringe show - black text on pulp.