Giants: For An Hour (Fight in The Dog Ltd in association with United Agents)
After an opening song from Norwegian dance duo Fjord, we learn these are characters that Giants (Barney Fishwick and Will Hislop) created while still in school. Best friends for 24 years, they recreate events from their friendship and imagine their futures through a series of sketches and songs. These highlight how they have changed over the years - Barney wants to move on, but Will is clinging to the past - causing rising tension during the show. Some of their political satire doesn't quite hit the mark, but the reference to a Theresa May interview is inspired. Possessing a great rapport and the ability to riff easily with their audience, this pair are nearing the level of comedy duo The Pin.
Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Richard Levinson]

Kat Bond: Loo Roll (Kathryn Bond and PBJ Management present)
Pat's life began in a wheelie bin outside a Papa John's in Luton. With only a handful of clues as to who her family are, she's now trying to find them and bring more meaning to her life. While she battles with self-doubt, her loo roll bonnet-wearing mentor is on hand to try to help. Through some brilliantly absurd, off-beat character comedy, she pieces together her past while trying to figure out her future. Plus, she demonstrates that loo roll is surprisingly more versatile than I've ever given it credit for; the stuff is everywhere in this dark box of a venue. It really is as daft as it sounds, but that's exactly why you'd want to go.
Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Daisy Malt]

Michael Stranney: Welcome To Ballybeg (Michael Stranney)
Ballybeg is Irish for little town, and Michael Stranney's hapless tourist rep Daniel Duffy is here to introduce his imagined Northern Irish backwater to potential visitors. There's a film but, inevitably, the rudimentary projector plays up, leaving Daniel to paint us a colourful picture of daft characters and rural Irish eccentricity. For reasons of space, I'll crudely shorthand to a hearty recommendation for all you 'Father Ted' fans out there. There are fine lyrical turns, and Stranney has a nice rhythm of involved set ups and silly punchlines. The hokey film clips which pop up when the projector 'starts working' help vary the pacing and, all in, you could do far worse than spending a little time in Ballybeg this festival.
Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Bruce Blacklaw]

Muriel: Bad Master (Muriel in association with Dawn Sedgwick Management)
Muriel are known for their online videos, and in their debut show the trio have put together a mix of live sketches and short videos, mainly parodying YouTube videos, vlogs and family FaceTime calls. These on-screen sketches are a nice way to introduce the performers and their characters into the live show. Highlights include the rapper trying to come to terms with being dumped by her boyfriend and the women at a protest march, but a sketch about an adaptation of 'Angels in America' lost some of the audience. Great acting and a lack of weak sketches make this an enjoyable hour, but it never quite reaches the levels of their online videos.
Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Richard Levinson]

Nazeem Hussain: Hussain In The Membrane (Nazeen Hussain)
An Australian Muslim who's done time on reality TV and performed for the Sri Lankan royal family, Nazeem Hussain is an amiable, charismatic stage presence: deceptively so in fact, as he deftly lands sharp lines on race, religion, colonial entitlement and Trump. Hussain doesn't feel obliged to define the entire show down those lines, and that's no criticism - quite the opposite, in fact. However, there's an odd disconnect between what goes before and the closing bit, which feels cut and pasted from another show.
Such is the tyranny of the one hour slot (and admittedly this was early in the run), but it felt like an untidy end to an otherwise polished, smart and funny show with plenty to admire and enjoy.
Assembly George Square Studios, until 27 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Bruce Blacklaw]

Sam Goodburn: Dumbstruck (Underbelly and Sam Goodburn)
It's the morning after the night before, and Sam clearly had a good night. Now he's fumbling around Susan's flat, attempting to make her breakfast, but he's finding both the toaster and the bowl of cereal rather more challenging than the rest of us might. He's also got to juggle phone calls from her mother and his best friend Brian - quite literally. Goodburn has some great tricks up his sleeve, although he seems endearingly inept at some; the trouble is, it can be difficult to tell whether this is part of the act, or whether it's actually not quite going to plan. Fortunately he nailed his ambitious finale. If slapstick is your thing, 'Dumbstruck' will hit the mark.
Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Daisy Malt]

MUSIC

Caleidocello (Peter Hudler Cello)
When I'm surprised in a happy way my eyebrows shoot up to my hairline; they haven't reappeared yet! Peter Hudler slapped and strummed his cello like a contemporary guitarist; his acoustic instrument had that rich, chocolatey resonance essential for a traditional solo repertoire - no electronics or gizmos required. His wonderful playing blurred the boundaries between genres and instruments. He even played a hectic blue grass piece - Svante Henryson's 'Black Run' - while 'Blues Chaconne' took a Baroque compositional structure and used it to develop a blues line. In more contemplative moments Hudler played Philip Glass's space-inspired 'Orbit' and the ancient 'Hurrian Hymn VI'. A welcoming performer, he embraced his audience with his artistry and exciting repertoire.
C too, until 28 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Louise Rodgers]

THEATRE

Bacchae (Flying Pig Theatre Company)
This is a carnal, sensual performance, bringing the enchanting hedonism of 'The Bacchae' to the stage through physical theatre and song. A retelling of Euripides' ancient Greek tragedy, Flying Pig Theatre makes the narrative accessible while still engaging with the lustrous depth of the characters and preserving the play's identity. The story follows the vengeful god Dionysus' exacting retribution on the king of Thebes. These two roles are performed with particular force, and the contrast between these two central figures seems to tap into a modern dichotomy between sexual conservatism and sensual freedom. Through hypnotic musicality and a cohesive dynamism, Flying Pig makes watching a classic not just enriching but really enjoyable.
theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 5/5 | [James Napleton]

Losing Days (Initiative 26 / Salt 'n' Sauce Productions)
Sam Underwood thought his life was great. Sure he was angry, sometimes violent and miserable, but things were... great. Weren't they? 'Losing Days' is a deeply personal story about coming to terms with his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, with all the rage, intensity, energy and depression that involved. It's also a tale of love, of a relationship tested to its absolute limits. Underwood shouts and gesticulates as though he's aiming for the back of the circle at some West End theatre. The live musical numbers, all from Frank Turner's brilliant 'Tape Deck Heart' album, can make this feel a little like a clumsy jukebox musical. But Underwood's fervent energy powers what could otherwise be a simple autobiographical tale.
New Town Theatre, until 27 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Gemma Scott]

Staging Wittgenstein (Blair Simmons and Nathan Sawaya Productions)
In this unfailingly enjoyable show, we follows two characters through a journey of transformation, rebirth and the childlike exploration of a new and unfamiliar world. Of the three performers, one is the leader - she fills two human-sized balloons and entreats the other two to climb inside them. What follows is not too dissimilar from imagining baby penguins being introduced to water for the first time by their zookeeper. In a bizarre and comical mixture of trial and error, the two characters give convincing, fascinating performances that prevent the show from becoming farcical. While various allusions to the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein are made, they aren't important. What is important is that this show is fun, very fun.
C, until 28 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [James Napleton]