This August the Edinburgh Festival celebrates its 70th anniversary. To mark the occasion, we have asked a plethora of performers about their personal Fringe experiences.
To kick us off, the cast of the iconic improv show 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' get all nostalgic as they return to the Edinburgh stage once again. Today, Mike McShane.
CLICK HERE to read Mike McShane's answers to the Quick Quiz.
'Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Live At The Fringe' is on at Assembly Rooms from 3-27 Aug.
The TW:TALKS podcast returns for Edinburgh Festival 2017. In this first edition we TW:TALK with Phil Wang as he gets ready to perform his new stand-up show 'Kinabalu'. We discuss Wang's first Edinburgh show, winning Chortle awards, his Footlights stint, the sketch shows as part of Daphne, and his upcoming first UK tour.
CLICK HERE to tune in and sign up for the TW:TALKS podcast.
Phil Wang performs 'Kinabalu' at Edinburgh Festival 2017 at the Pleasance Courtyard from 2-27 Aug.
THREE BITS OF THEATRICAL COMEDY >>
Beak Speaks | Underbelly Cowgate | 3-27 Aug (pictured)
Here's some very promising character comedy, a show focusing on the title character Gillian Beak, who is a doyenne of Fringe with thirty years of experience, and is here to lead a masterclass and share with you her lifetime of experience and theatrical anecdotes. She's the creation of talented multi-tasking creative Sarah Thom, and I think it would be a mistake to miss the opportunity to see her in action. So, er, don't.
Boris And Sergey's One Man Extravaganza | Assembly George Square Theatre | 2-27 Aug
Listed in comedy, but far from being your standard stand-up, Flabbergast Theatre's puppet-starring, physically theatrical shows are clever, funny, poignant and action-packed, not to mention hugely acclaimed and award-winning. If you think that puppets are for kids, it's time to check your culture prejudices and give this a shot, especially if your taste for humour runs to the dark side. I promise you won't regret it.
Puppet Fiction | Laughing Horse At The Counting House | 3-27 Aug
Speaking of which, here's another marionette fuelled spectacle, and how could you refuse it when the tagline is "Everybody be cool, this is a motherf*cking puppet show"? This cracking looking comedy from New Zealand is another award winner, and, as you might expect, pays homage to the work of Tarantino with no doubt hilarious results.
THREE SPOKEN WORD SHOWS >>
Rob Auton - The Hair Show | Just The Tonic at The Caves | 3-26 Aug (pictured)
Rob Auton is actually listed in comedy, but his style is very much a spoken word one, so he fits here. He also very much fits in the sense that he is an absolute favourite of the ThreeWeeks team, and has earned so much glowing praise from us I'm surprised his ears aren't constantly burning. He has an interesting approach to his topics, and this time it's the turn of hair, and is, therefore, "suitable for people who have, or have had hair and hairs". Ha.
Neil Hilborn - Live Poetry | The Stand Comedy Club 3 & 4 and New Town Theatre | 9-27 Aug
He's famous for poems like 'OCD', 'Joey' and 'The Future' and is the author of a book called 'Our Numbered Days', and it may be his Edinburgh debut, but US poet Neil Hilborn is probably already known to many of you, thanks to his super-huge hit rate on YouTube. If you're aware of him, you'll probably want to just go ahead and book those tickets. If you're not, take a look at his online presence, then decide.
The Naked Dietitian | Quaker Meeting House | 14-26 Aug
Acclaimed performance poet and radical dietitian (she believes we need to make fundamental changes in how we talk about lifestyle, health and justice) Lucy Aphramor addresses topics such as clean eating, identity, privilege, queerness, community, and resilience in what's described as a "viscerally, spiritually, intellectually and emotionally compelling refusal to sign-up to a post-truth whitewash". Expect something very interesting.
THREE HELPINGS OF DYSTOPIAN THEATRE >>
Under My Thumb | Assembly Roxy | 3-20 Aug
I think dystopian themes are all the rage at the moment (yes, I did use the phrase "all the rage" like an aged parent, possibly because I am one) and I am pretty sure that's because of things like Donald Trump being president of America and everyone worrying about how that's all going to end. So, I think some dystopian theatrics are in order, starting with this, which tells the story of five women in an alternative present, imprisoned for crimes against society.
The Divide 1 and 2 | King's Theatre | 8-20 Aug (pictured)
"A century from now England is hit by a deadly contagion. Society is decimated as contact between men and women becomes fatal. Under the dictates of an elusive Preacher, an unthinkable solution is enforced. Separated by the Divide, the adult survivors are segregated by gender with men wearing white as a mark of their purity and women - still infected - clothed in black as a sign of their sin". This new work by Alan Ayckbourn is told through two instalments, and looks extraordinary.
Play On Words | C royale | 2-28 Aug
Most dystopian stuff tends to be quite serious, but 'Play On Words' is a comedy, which is nice. It focuses on the daily routine of two lexicographers - Harper and Collins - who survive on a diet of alphabet soup and, imprisoned by a sinister organisation, struggle to reach their daily word quota under the constant threat of death. Argh.
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