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“La Codista” is a solo performance by Maureen Scholten from Netherlands. The piece is created around a true story of an Italian man who, when unemployed, decided to stand in line for others. Some details are invented. Codista means queuer. We all know the frustration of having to wait in a queue. Many cultures relish this. Others become agitated and fear that life is passing by. This piece is a reflection on slowing down, doing for others and ultimately, identity. Who are these people? This is a philosophic monologue, showing us that there is no time that is superfluous – it a condition for meaning, creativity and peace. Apparently, we spend a total of 16 days a year in a queue. The existence of La Codista – the queuer - originated in Italy and there are around 650 people employed in this field. On a bare stage Maureeen Scholten stands perfectly still for most of the hour. Under a bare strip of white light, the space feels cold and bureaucratic. She wears a modern (but classic) trench coat and clutches a briefcase. It feels as if we are thrust back into a time past – some kind of European film perhaps. This disconnect is deliberate as the metaphor is one of time standing still while in line. The impersonal, journalistic style text goes even further to create this impression. This character has a daily game plan and prepares for which ever job is at hand. She meets a range of folk in her profession and is aware of her. The queue becomes a place of chaos, misunderstandings, anger, questions, despair, boredom, relief, or simply relationships between human beings who are stationary in a space with a common aim: wait their turn. A humorous, political, absurd, and lucid reflection on identity. ‘I don't want to be the first, I'd rather be the last. The faster the world goes, the more I slow down. I go against the flow. Like a salmon. For a codista, the world is the other way around.' Maureen Scholten is a captivating storyteller. “La Codista” is a masterclass of technique and proves yet again the wealth of experience on show at Edinburgh Fringe. Seek it out. Kate Gaul

I’d been wanting to experience the “Yuck Circus” and finally, at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe I made it! “Yuck Circus” is an all-female, WA based, Australian high-flying acrobatic, comedy show that gives a thrilling display of strength and dexterity. Each woman has her own unique, impressive talent. “Yuck Circus” shows us that woman can be as strong as men. The troupe has skilfully interrogated how to build a pyramid of women, how to throw, catch and balance without the traditional male ballast at the bottom holding it all up. This is a show that blends incredible shows of strength with hilarious (and sometime horrifying) anecdotes of life as a modern woman in a world of toxic masculinity and cultural norms. Dressed in their signature underwear the troupe exploit the fact that no one onstage is ridiculously skinny and take every opportunity to show off everyone’s raw power. They arrive onstage dressed as “the boys” complete with fake moustaches, bumps in undies and heaps of machismo. Kissing biceps, playing fisty cuffs, leering and enjoying all the bogan tropes. “Yuck Circus” is here to bring them down! I describe the show as unapologetic, daring, and raucous! After the machismo, they dive straight into the taboo subject of menstruation. This means lots of anecdotes supported by the acrobatics and in this case red ribbon choreography. We cover toilet etiquette, body positivity, binge drinking and dating. This is social commentary balanced with humour, wit, and wild abandon! The company cover messy nights out, pubic hair to ‘dick pics’ and a poke at how women are perceived in “other” Circus shows. Some topics more explicit than others. One scene starts as a chilling musical number that descends into hilarity combined with an aerial display that seamlessly combines acrobatics and perfect comedy timing. If it challenge our perceptions of the world you will find it in “Yuck Circus” What else is great about this company? Beyond “Yuck Circus” there is a huge commitment to getting professional circus trainers into remote communities, partnering with women’s’ orgs wherever the company perform to support women and open conversations. Take a look at the website – it’s not all women who get the benefits. Programs exist for men and support isolated communities. I’m all for throwing money at women’s sports in the light of the Matildas emergence but let’s not forget that the arts go a long way to changing hearts and minds too – “Yuck Circus” is at the forefront of change – go support these all-Aussie gals! Kate Gaul

Writer and performer Jenny Witzel and director Luke Lewin Davies have created a haunting, lyrical and mesmerising elegy to the once vital and now disappearing waterfront of Deptford in South-East London. This is a story of a suburb questioning regeneration and its inevitable gentrification. Importantly “Creekshow” is a protest against raging capitalism and the real cost-of-living crisis. It is a great example of high-quality small-scale theatre which packs a political punch, and a call to action. Presented in the gorgeous Zoo Southside Studio this is an unexpected gem and not to be missed. While living on a houseboat in Deptford during the pandemic years, Witzel discovers a vibrant and resonant history of her new home. She mudlarks for pieces of history and actively joins social groups to discover more about the stories that make up a community. When we enter the space there is an incredible mash up of recorded interviews and one that really sticks with me is the story told by a woman of finding a man (presumably tipsy) who has fallen into the river at night. This was an incident before mobile phones. I was hooked! The entire piece is sensitively underscored by Calum Perrin. “Creekshow” is an enthralling multimedia exploration of a place transformed beyond recognition. Witzel is a gentle presence and treats her audience with the same care as she does the found items she has on loan – a toy car, an old VHS tape, a beautiful shoe from the period of the industrial revolution. Each holds it unique story and from that story many other stories grow. We get the chance to examine these relics through the use of her camera and projections. Spoken word supports these lost and found again narratives. What of the current threats to citizens in this area of once social and low-cost housing? What ofdevelopers drawn to the waterside who then build in ways that destroy the very thing that attracted them? These notions resonate strongly everywhere but “Creekshow” allows us a special window into a part of London and by association, beyond. Kate Gaul

A police interview room. A blank room, two chairs, a water cooler on top of a carpet. The actors use the door to the stage as the door to the interview room. Two surveillance cameras are set up and pointing in the direction of where the detective and interviewee will sit. We later learn there are additional cameras under the table and we – from time to time- watch each person’s hands as they talk. These images are projected on a white screen behind the table. I am thinking this will be like the now famous “glass box” scenes from “Line of Duty” – after all theatre is in real time and on that TV program they make it look as if the critical interviews are too. “An Interrogation” a debut play by UK writer and director Jamie Armitage promises much but falls short at the finish. A woman has been abducted and the situation bears similarities to a case occurring a few months earlier. As police race frantically against the clock to locate the latest victim before it is too late, an ambitious young detective is convinced that someone who is seemingly beyond reproach – a respectable businessman and charity supporter – may know more than it would appear. Her boss is unconvinced, but as the businessman agrees voluntarily to speak to the police, the senior detective allows the interview to proceed on condition the younger officer undertakes it by herself. This potentially explosive three-hander is off to a great start. What if she's got this all wrong? But what if she's got it right? The ensemble cast – John Macneill as senior detective John Culin, Bethan Cullinane as DC Ruth Palmer, and Jamie Ballard as businessman Cameron Andrews are uniformly excellent and attuned to the nuances and subtext of this tense scenario. The action is mainly between the detective and the citizen with the senior detective providing departmental and interpersonal context including the tensions beyond the interrogation room. The dialogue deftly reveals the nature of the crimes and the ensuing cat and mouse powerplay is everything you might expect. But the play and production never totally deliver the spine-tingling ride it promises. There’s an inevitability to the storyline and some very clumsy staging that belies the audience’s ability to understand what is going on. To reveal that here would be a massive spoiler. To add insult the play ends with a stab at some male/female workplace dynamics which are kind of inherent in the overall world of the work. The young detective having succeeded in her quest for justice is then shown to doubt her place in this world – albeit ambiguously. It all feels apologetic, added for good measure, and not treated as a serious circumstance of the play – in fact it is possibly an entirely different play – in any case, the writer could not dramatize this theme and for that reason I am giving “An Interrogation” a thumbs down. The bigger question is what can theatre add to our enjoyment and understanding of this kind of scene and concerns that we are not getting in spades via any streaming platform? Kate Gaul

Belgium Théâtre d'Un Jour present ‘Reclaim” in one of the many Spiegeltents that popup across the meadows of Edinburgh. This is circus but not as we know it. “Reclaim” is an imaginary ritual which is performed in the round. This is not a show, but a collective experience. An opera singer, two cellists, five acrobatic circus performers perform inside a circle surrounded by the audience in what sometimes is a disturbing closeness. The company proclaim that “Reclaim” an act of resistance. Inspired by the Ko’ch ritual, “Reclaim” draws the audience close to examine life and imagine a sustainable future. That the acrobatics on display become a form of secular prayer. The event opens with the sound of a drum and a jagged, brutal folk-dance sequence from the company. The performers wear dog-like masks seeming made of skeletal bone and fur and it is intimidating as these dog-like characters know no polite boundaries as they push, nudge and jostle with audience to find each other. On all fours this work is extremely visceral. When the aerial work begins the company throw each other into the air performing somersaults, flips and create tall pyramids of incredible virtuosity. This is all happening very close to the audience, remember, and it is breath-taking. Sometimes they are still animals, sometimes they are an exotic cult conjouring magic! Emotions in the audience are further released as an axe is dragged close to our feet and swung with incredible force above our heads. The drama is accompanied by the work of two cellists and a singer performing baroque music across a range of European languages (Armenian, English, German, Italian). The music performances are key to the overall experience, and, following the themes of transformation, the musicians are not just musicians. One of the cellists continues to play as she is lifted one acrobat on top of another high into the air. The singer, Blandine Coulon takes on simultaneous roles as actor, dancer, acrobat; all without a single quiver in her voice. It’s incredible! As the show progresses, audience members are literally lifted into the experience, as acrobats move them across the performance circle, are stood on, asked to assist with holds. It is daring. Many are drawn onto the stage for the finale. The term immersive theatre is common currency, yet this Belgian company, T1J, creates a visceral experience that is truly worthy of the description. International circus is well celebrated as part of Edinburgh Fringe. “Reclaim” is a stunning combination of singing, acrobatics, dance, drama, and cello that playing fills you with the joy at what the human body can do and be. As the company declares “After years of distancing from each other, this powerful collective experience allows us to recover and reclaim what our world needs urgently – humanity. The future is not what will happen to us, but what we will do.” Kate Gaul

My final show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe was TalkSmall from UK with “Katherine and Pierre” a heightened drag performance with a unique spin on the classic tale of boy meets girl. TalkSmall is an emerging physical theatre company duo. Performers Ellena Begley and Bobbie Twaddle, combine elements of drag and queerness with inventive choreography. They tell stories through powerful pop icons that are relatable, comedic, and DRAMATIC darling! “Katherine and Pierre” is fun, fun, fun. Both performers are highly skilled, and I recommend without reservation their unique brand of laughs – it was the PERFECT show to end my Edinburgh Odyssey! So, we are in an office followed by a post work office boozy night and the love story begins. The content is occasionally edgy but always tempered with hilarity. Being sucked off in an elevator or giving birth has never looked (or felt) this good. A full range of human emotions are expressed across the story of love found, lost, and found again. The set is simple, a bare stage and two office chairs, but the performers ingeniously transform these into various pieces of furniture, seamlessly integrating them into their dances and using them for set pieces. The bright and colourful costumes (and costume changes) reflect the camp, positive and vital energy of the show. The two performers lip synch for their lives to an intricately curated audio mashup for the entire show. As implied by their characters’ names, it’s mostly Katy Perry, whose party, love, and heartbreak songs create the perfect soundtrack to this love story. There are clips from TV, movies, and viral videos. The precision of the lip synching along with the vibrant physicality has audiences open-mouthed in astonishment for the entire 60 minutes! I can say, I probably didn’t “get” all the pop references, but I didn’t need to to have a thoroughly enjoyable experience. There is more going on here. Enough light and shade about genuine relationships, enough variety in the physical language to engage us whether we see the work as a coming-of-age story, a tale of the roller-coaster of human relationships, seeking empowerment or just everyday life. Ellie Begley is responsible for most of the choreography and as an acrobat and dancer they are breath-taking. Bobbie Twaddle is the stronger drag component and is amazingly deft. Both create memorable characters through acrobatics, mime, dance and acting. It all feels very original, very inclusive and made on the smell of an oily rag. The genius of this couple shines like a rare gem! Don’t leave Edinburgh without seeing this show! Kate Gaul

Spitfire Theatre from Czech Republic appear at Edinburgh Fringe for the fourth time with a new work “The Last of the Soviets” based on the work of Belarusian investigative journalist, essayist and oral historian who writes in Russian, Svetlana Alexijevičová. The material deals with the most dramatic eras in the history of her country, such as the Second World War or the fall of the communist empire. Alexijevičová was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time". She is the first writer from Belarus to receive the award. Through dozens of interviews with witnesses, it offers an alternative form of the modern history of the former Soviet Union as seen by ordinary people. Spirfire artistic director Petr Boháč. says "We have taken the theme of food and cooking and in a specific way we are cooking a cocktail of history and statements.” The unsettling cooking show is brought to the audience by a pair of presenters in a grotesque TV session. "They then become witnesses to the statement and destroy themselves more and more. And the 'fashion' beginning becomes a certain destruction of the personality," revealed Boháč. Behind a table with various food and beverage items the actors make their speeches into microphones and use a small camera to create scenarios. The scenarios are made using closeups of the props in increasingly nightmarish ways. The company notes that the live cinematic elements are inspired by the works of employing puppet Jan Švankmajer – that’s a name you don’t hear too often! Given the current situation in Ukraine the production takes on a unique relevance and interest. "We were scared when we played for the first time after the war started. We couldn't believe how much it was the same case as all the previous ones," noted dancer and performer Roman Zotov-Mikšin. In her books, Alexijevicová focuses on the war in Afghanistan, where Soviet soldiers were deployed, or the great patriotic war against Germany. The chilling testimony of the text is relayed with little emotion. It covers the recall from witnesses of war, the Chernobyl disaster, the collapse of the USSR. The artists reveal the cruelty of Soviet life with occasional dark humour. During the performance we are offered caviar on bread and some lucky guests get vodka and cucumber – it is a cooking show after all. Glasses are smashed, violence is seemingly perpetrated, life and death are presented as trivial events. Some audience members found it hard going. The coolness of the delivery could never match the degree of atrocity that has been perpetrated. In the small hot and stuffy Zoo Playground venue it felt as if we were a cabal witnessing a secret message from a world we could never know. The fascination factor drives audiences to the production and mostly we leave with a history lesson we cannot forget. Kate Gaul

0471 Acro Physical Theatre from Taiwan present 50 minutes of sheer bliss and one of my top ten experiences at Edinburgh Fringe this year. Founded in 2020 by Sun, Cheng-Hsueh and Hsia Ling, the troupe is one of the few circus troupes in Taiwan that specializes in stacking acrobatics and is dedicated to using the unique body aesthetics of acrobatics to create visual images that defy gravity and turn the theatre into a world of imagination. Stacking is what it says – humans piling higher and higher into the air via each other. 0471 Acro Physical Theatre started with small-scale experimental performances. In 2022, the troupe embarked on the “Research Project on the Training System of Stacking Techniques”, which aims at bringing more diverse circus arts to Taiwan by developing stacking acrobatics through training and innovation and creating artistic and commercial performances. Dance Base in Edinburgh is the perfect venue for this work – a venue with an outstanding program of dance and theatre for the Fringe this year. It also has that immaculate elegance of a professional dance studio which is the perfect canvas for “Duo” “Duo” is dance-infused, acrobatic creation for two performers, Sun Cheng-Hsueh and Hsia Ling. This is both virtuosic in its inception and heart-breaking in its execution. The space is set up with a large table and 2 chairs. A light bulb swings above the table. The simplicity in the design is deceptive. The acrobat-dancers dance on and under the table and the chairs, they fight over clothes hangers; they use a jacket and dress as puppets to represent themselves, or to represent memories of each other, or to show inner emotional states. There are scenes of domestic life: washing, sorting clothes, playing cards, dancing. They recall their first moments of love. Beyond the love and companionship there is everyday conflict too. The ever-changing shifts, twists and turns of a fluctuating relationship are expressed with a seamless physical grace and strength, loaded at times with a tender emotional vulnerability. Whether lifting each other up or bringing each other down, ultimately everything this onstage couple have to 'say' is in their bodies. When it comes to the acrobatics this is a riveting experience and a must-see for audiences who enjoy the thrills and spills of physical artistry and performers working to their physical limits. The added emotional layer achieved by two bodies in a domestic context creates a tender, elegant and subtly layered experience. Kate Gaul

Inspired by the true story of 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke, who miraculously survived a plane crash and a fall from 10,000 ft, “Her Green Hell” is a reimagination of her physical and emotional journey through the Peruvian rainforest. Presented by TheatreGoose this is new solo writing from UK. After surviving a fall from an exploding plane, Juliane, the daughter of two Amazon zoologists, must endure 11 days alone in the Peruvian rainforest as she fights for her life. Sophie Kean performs in and around three flight seats as the set with a moat of boxes from which she draws various props to help with the story telling – usually miniature figures. Director Emma Howlett keeps it moving in a way that suggest the two do not trust the text to carry the story. I yearned for more stillness and appeal to the imagination. I am not sure how useful the three chairs are – having fallen from the plane they are redundant in a literal sense to the story and have little poetic value. Because the outcome of story is known - Juliane survives and even assists a rescue party to locate other survivors of the crash - it is a tricky thing to keep the stakes high. The production uses video projection, but it is so poorly delivered that the text cannot be read. It all feels clumsy. Adrenaline-fuelled days are recounted and there is some interest in the facts. Julianne knows the forest and its strange animals and has some survival sense. As the plane fell away from the seats at the start of the crash, for example, is a fascinating description explaining exactly why and how she survived the fall. Although her mother and the snoring man in the same row were ripped from their seats, Julianne’s seat belt held, and she fell to earth very much like a Sycamore seed pod. It is winged seed acts like a helicopter rotor. No matter the orientation of the seed as it detaches from the tree, it quickly self-orients and begins autorotating. This slows the seed’s descent to the ground, giving the seed more chance to be carried away by a passing breeze. And so, Julianne in the seat gently arrived atop a liana in a rainforest. This is a traumatic story. It is an elegy to those lost - Julianne’s mother, and those fellow passengers who did not return. The text is the production’s ultimate weakness. It begins with clarity around the chaos at the airport and gathering storm; the view from the plane and the humid and oppressive jungle where the palpable sounds of sex and death are ever present. What the play cannot capture is the interior for the characters minds, thoughts, doubts, nightmares. It is very logical and controlled where the title suggests we may be in for more of a ride. I am very particular when it comes to solo, text-based performance and “Her Green Hell” didn’t cut it for me. But if you don’t know the story of survival and are not squeamish about hearing disaster stories then take a look. Kate Gaul

A powerful slice of non-verbal mask theatre from acclaimed South Korean creative collective Geo Gi Ga Myeon, this show uses comedy, acrobatics, slapstick, and dance to portray the lives of an elderly couple afflicted with dementia. The stakes are high. The company also uses large full-face masks for each character. The masks have exaggerated characteristics for each character and that means that the performers physicality is equally exaggerated and stylised. It is extremely physical work and these performers are exquisite in their execution. This non-verbal play is full of brilliant imagination and unique ideas. Three actors use slapstick, Tatiesque acting and athleticism to invoke the changing expression and physical humour of the characters. “The Messenger” is poignant but from a theatrical point of view this is virtuosic physical and mask theatre. The biggest surprise came at the curtain call when the audience realised it was ONLY three sweaty and dishevelled performers taking on all the roles. The twitching hands of the oldies, the poses and attitude of three K-pop young women, the ferocity of a friendly dog just to name three incarnations. The messenger of the title is death, and “he” sends his henchman to gather an elderly lady on her final journey. But the elderly lady’s husband will fight his off for as long as he can. Along the way there is plenty of detail of the trials of being a carer and many jokes about incontinence – even non-verbally we all understand the jokes. Costume of the henchman is of the Korean Joseon period. He travels through time to the modern day. The blend of contemporary and traditional is striking. “The Messenger “is highly accessible. As an audience we fill the spaces created by the performers with our imaginations based on our own lived experience. The energy created by the live performance and between the performers and audience is essential for this synergy to occur. It is a very poetic form of theatre because sometimes the image presented is suggestive. For example, the figure of death will mean many things depending on your cultural background. The sensations felt watching this work are unique and if anyone is in danger of falling asleep – watch out for the water gun! The is very niche theatre but I loved the experience and recommend “The Messenger” to any theatrical adventurer! Kate Gaul

And then the Rodeo Burned Down The Space – Edinburgh Fringe 2023 Xlohe Rice and Natasha Roland from NYC present “And then the Rodeo Burned Down” – hell! But this ain’t their first rodeo! These gals made their Edinburgh Fringe Debut in 2022, receiving the prestigious Fringe First Award for Outstanding New Writing, followed by a run at the historic King's Head Theatre in London. As they say on their website, they put their “blood, sweat, tears, blood, tears, and more blood into everything we create, so we hope you find us as funny as we find ourselves”. This is a queer comedy clown story about a clown who wants to become a cowboy. And a cow. And rodeo. It’s good. Everyone else can tell you what the story is (and you should go see it yourself) so I’m not going into detail about Dale the rodeo clown and aspiring cowboy. Or Dilly Dally the shadow (yeah, what is that?). It’s good ‘ol singin’, dancin’ and a heap a good actin’ thrown in. Physical theatre, clowning, storytelling, kissing and cuddling - this show has it all. The show is tightly choreographed and scripted even when it appears a bit rough around the edges. It has such a light touch that it often feels like virtuosic improvisation and that’s the point. It eventually becomes absurdly meta, and the audience is on the edge of seats. Like the characters, the performers now jostle for independence inside the structure they have created for themselves. Is this a piece about writing you own queer story, claiming your identity and independence, being true to yourself? This is a big-hearted love story and permission to burn it all down! “And then the Rodeo Burned Down” is a breath of fresh air and a testament that if you put your heart and soul into something you can surprise yourself! Kate Gaul

Shadow Kingdom Assembly Roxy Edinburgh Fringe 2023 “Shadow Kingdom “is a puppet show created and presented by Mochinosha. The company was founded in 2012 by Canadian artist Daniel Wishes and Japanese artist Seri Yanai. The two met while studying puppetry together at the London School of Puppetry. Now based in Japan they create puppet theatre. “Shadow Kingdom” is aimed at young people and the young at heart. Using almost four hundred hand-cut puppets, and original music, it presents a fantastic bedtime story. A live animated movie is created right before our eyes! The puppeteers introduce themselves and the show and then sit downstage next to two compact lights and between then create an hour-long story all by hand. The artwork is intriguing. A comic book comes to life, trees turn into birds, and like the best theatre the world becomes magical. Before the show, Wishes and Yenai showed us how they can make their own shadow puppets at home. With a torch and pair of tongs a dragon is created. A recorded soundtrack accompanies the piece created by Elliott Lorans is also controlled by the puppeteers. They use their own voices to voice the characters. There is a couple of songs that are pre-recorded, and the puppeteers acknowledge that the sound of the voice is different - the audience love the deconstruction of what is happening along with the fantasy. A child, Minerva, is put to bed, but she is waiting to hear about an invitation to a party and won’t stop looking at her mobile phone. Like parents everywhere, her father entreats her to put it away until tomorrow. She doesn’t want to sleep and impatiently checks her phone again and again for messages. This leads to her phone being taken by Hypnos, the God of Sleep. Minerva decides to get her phone back. The adventure begins. Minerva meets Owl who, like Minerva, hates sleep. He takes Minerva on a treasure hunt. When Minerva realizes what Owl wants to rid the world of sleep altogether, it’s too late to stop him — he wants everyone to stay awake forever and he can release nightmares to destroy. Minerva must decide to either keep her phone or help save the city. This is a story that tells us children are heroes, about the importance of standing up to injustice and the power that we possess to resist harmful regimes. It never speaks down to its audience. “Shadow Kingdom” is gripping entertainment and reinforces the importance of sleep and putting away the phone in a way that doesn’t feel too preachy. It’s not often that there’s a chance to see great shadow puppetry and such high-quality children’s theatre. Kate Gaul