Edinburgh Fringe

INTERVIEW: Tom Wells on his new musical Drip at the Edinburgh Fringe

Edinburgh Fringe, Features, Interviews, LGBT
Drip by Tom Wells Edinburgh Fringe

Paul T. Davies has been a fan of playwright Tom Wells since seeing his breakthrough play Jumpers For Goalposts, (which is also being performed at the Fringe by Kite in the Storm at The Space on the Mile), and here Tom chats about his and Matthew Robins’ new musical, Drip, performing as part of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Hi Tom, I’m a massive fan of your work! In particular you celebrate working class lives and LGBTQ people and those who feel isolated. What was the inspiration behind Drip? When I was writing the words for Drip the show’s director Jane Fallowfield and I ran a few workshops with young people around Hull, especially the Shout Group for young LGBTQ+ people at The Warren Project. Jane’s company Script Club has a really clear mission: Jane and the playwright do workshops in the writer’s home town (in my case, Hull) to … Read more

Edinburgh Fringe LGBTQ Preview Part Two

Features, LGBT
Bottom Edinburgh Fringe LGBT Preview

Following my first feature on the superb range of LGBTQ work on show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, many companies got in touch to flag up their shows, It felt somewhat remiss to not cover more, and I’m tempted by many of them, so here’s a follow up! Willy Hudson is creating a very promising piece of work called Bottom, and he is being supported by, among others, the superb Bryony Kimmings. Bottom is a ‘queer coming-of-age remix’, exploring performance anxiety, sexual politics and identity within queer culture. He says, “ I’m trying to put queer stories centre stage, and open them up to give true representation in a funny, honest and inclusive way.” Although listed as a theatre piece, it has a fusion of form with comedy, storytelling, and song. (Summerhall, 1-26 August) Staying at Summerhall, A Generous Lover: LaJohn Joseph sounds very strong. LaJohn Joseph is a trans-feminine … Read more

Edinburgh Fringe – New Musical Theatre Preview

Edinburgh Fringe, Features, News
A Very Brexit Musical Edinburgh Fringe

From satirical revues and Scottish song to shows tackling challenging, sensitive subjects, Edinburgh Fringe is a place to seek out exciting new musicals. In answer to your first question, yes, there is a musical about Brexit. Students from the University Of Cambridge are presenting the “all-singing, all-dancing political extravaganza” A Very Brexit Musical by Molly Cook and Anthony Gray, built around a “Maily Dail” journalist drawn into the world of “Joris Bohnson” and “Cavid Dameron” around the EU referendum. It runs from 2 to 26 August at La Belle Angele Just The Tonic. And it’s yes to your next question too: there is a musical about Donald Trump. In fact there are two. Returning after last year’s success is the “all-singing, all-dancing musical journey” Trump’d at C in Chambers Street from 1 to 27 August. New for 2018 is Trump the Musical from Blowfish Theatre who brought us Boris the … Read more

INTERVIEW: Sigrid Neilson and Lavender Menace Creatives

Edinburgh Fringe, Features, Interviews, LGBT
Love Song to Lavender Menace

While London’s Gays The Word bookshop is more in the public eye, (it featured heavily in the film Pride), less is known about Lavender Menace, the bookshop that began in the cloakroom of Scotland’s first gay nightclub and became the beating heart of Edinburgh’s LGBT community. Now celebrated as a play, Love Song to Lavender Menace performs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival following a sell-out run at the Lyceum. Paul T. Davies caught up with Sigrid Neilson, co-founder of Lavender Menace, and the team behind the show. I myself am just catching up with the history of Lavender Menace, so, for visitors to the Fringe, can you give me a brief outline of the history-maybe with one or two good anecdotes? SIGRID NEILSON, CO-FOUNDER OF LAVENDER MENACE: The bookshop grew out of the fact that, for many LGBT people, including me, life in the sixties and seventies mostly had to … Read more

Edinburgh Fringe Preview Part Two

Edinburgh Fringe, Features, News
Edinburgh Fringe Preview Musicals

Mark Ludmon picks out some of the new writing highlights at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe This year’s Edinburgh Fringe offers an incredible choice of new writing, including many world premieres. Alongside the powerhouse of the Traverse Theatre, venues such as Summerhall have now established a reputation for exciting new theatre, especially with the return of Paines Plough’s Roundabout space. But don’t always follow the crowd: there are plays by new writers being staged across the city, giving you a chance to catch new and emerging talent. The Fishermen Having its world premiere at Home in Manchester in July, this new play is an adaptation of Chigozie Obioma’s Man Booker prize-shortlisted novel by Fringe First-winning playwright Gbolahan Obisesan. Presented by Nottingham-based theatre company New Perspectives, it is an allegory of brotherhood, vengeance and fate about four brothers in a small Nigerian town whose lives are changed forever. The cast includes Michael Ajao … Read more

Edinburgh Fringe Preview Part One

Edinburgh Fringe, Features, News
Edinburgh Fringe Preview Musicals

Mark Ludmon picks out some of the new writing highlights at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe This year’s Edinburgh Fringe offers an incredible choice of new writing, including many world premieres. Alongside the powerhouse of the Traverse Theatre, venues such as Summerhall have now established a reputation for exciting new theatre, especially with the return of Paines Plough’s Roundabout space. But don’t always follow the crowd: there are plays by new writers being staged across the city, giving you a chance to catch new and emerging talent. Angry Alan Roger thinks the world’s gone mad: he hates his job, his ex-wife torments him and his girlfriend just discovered feminism. Then he discovers Angry Alan, online activist and “voice of reason”. This darkly comic new play about masculinity in crisis is written by award-winning writer Penelope Skinner and performed by Donald Sage Mackay. Underbelly, Cowgate: 2-26 August. Book Now! The Approach … Read more