THURSDAY 2 AUGUST 2018 THREEWEEKSEDINBURGH.COM
SID SINGH: AMERICAN BOT
Sid Singh grew up in Silicon Valley and this year he is using his Fringe show to take to task big tech and the people who run these multi-billion dollar companies. With so many controversies around this industry in the last year - from fake news to dodgy data to accusations of misogyny and abuse - there's definitely a lot to talk about. We can't wait to hear Singh's personal insights and to find out quite where he manages to find the humour in it all!

Coming on the back of the success of his stand-up album 'Amazing Probably', it feels like Singh's comedy career is really gaining momentum at the moment, even while he concurrently pursues a second career in law back in California. Which means now seems like the perfect time to get the lowdown on him, his comedy and the world and issues he will explore in 'American Bot'.

CLICK HERE to read today's Chris Meets interview.

'Sid Singh: American Bot' is on at Just The Tonic at The Mash House from 2-26 Aug.
Check out the Preview Edition of the TW magazine. Inside you will find interviews with Allegra Marland and Georgie Oulton, Bryony Twydle, Dan Coleman, Ian Smith, John Pendal, Lisa Fa'alafi, Nick Doody, Oliver Lansley and Yianni Agisilaou. Plus 72 show recommendations!

Find out where to pick up a copy HERE or read it all online HERE.
CHARLES PAMMENT FROM THESPACE
We're talking to people who perform or work at the Edinburgh Festival each year to get their perspectives on what performing or producing at the world's biggest cultural event involves. This includes the people who run the numerous venues that pop up each year at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Our next venue director is Charles Pamment of theSpace. He has been running venues at the Fringe since 1995, originally based in a church hall on Jeffrey Street. Since then he has grown the operation considerably, with eight buildings now part of the network of venues that came together under theSpace brand a decade ago.

CLICK HERE to read today's TW:DIY interview.
ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Caro Moses helps you navigate the festival with her Three To See tips. Today auto/biographical theatre shows, tenth celebrations in the comedy programme, new musicals and some classical music.
 


THREE AUTO/BIOGRAPHICAL THEATRE SHOWS >>

Margo: Half Woman, Half Beast | Assembly Rooms | 2-18 Aug
I know there are loads of people out there who are fans of everything biographical and autobiographical, so I thought I'd look for a few events that might cater to that interest at the Festival. So, here we go, here's the first, a biographical piece - one which should also appeal to cabaret lovers - about Margo Lion, celebrated Weimar cabaret star, a contemporary of Marlene Dietrich. It tells the story of her tragic relationship with lyricist Marcellus Schiffer, fuelled by jealousy, drugs and alcohol against the backdrop of political and social upheaval, and is accompanied by lots of great songs of the period.

Tetra-Decathlon | Summerhall | 14-26 Aug
An autobiographical solo outing from Lauren Hendry, who, having never before set foot on an athletics track, suddenly decided to enter the Tetra-Decathlon, a gruelling fourteen (yes, fourteen) event competition comprising nine running and hurdles categories of various lengths, plus high jump, shot put, long jump, Javelin and discus. Phew. The show charts Lauren's journey from training to competition, and asks questions about the psychology of sport and what drives us to compete.

The End Of Eddy | The Studio | 21-26 Aug (pictured)
One from the International Festival now, and it's an adaptation of an acclaimed and unflinchingly honest autobiographical novel, 'En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule' by Édouard Louis, written when he was just 21. "Born into poverty in an isolated village in rural France, a boy grows up amongst hard men and women living hard and violent lives. Relentlessly bullied for being gay, this is the story of Eddy's struggle to understand who he is, who he might become, and his fight to escape". Created by Unicorn Theatre, who create works for younger audiences, this is suitable for 16+.


THREE TENTH CELEBRATIONS >>

Strictly Carl Donnelly | Laughing Horse @ The Counting House | 2-26 Aug
Another thing I noticed when trawling though the enormously large range of comedy on offer at this year's Fringe was a number of comedians who have a numerical reason to celebrate in 2018 - they've all done nine previous shows at the old Ed Fest, and this year it's time for the tenth. First up is Fringe veteran (well, they are all Fringe veterans, I suppose, but we'll no doubt come up with some other labels later) Carl Donnelly, who really has been producing fabulous work here for what feels like eons and I am not sure he quite gets the recognition he deserves.

Nick Doody - PG | Subway | 4-25 Aug
Oh, and over to another comedian who definitely does not get as much attention as I'd like. I mean, why isn't this brilliant comedian on the radio and telly absolutely all the flipping time? I don't know, maybe he prefers live work, and maybe you'd prefer to see him work live, but whatever, he's brilliant, and you should definitely make time to see him perform his tenth Edinburgh show. And what's the show about this time? Well, on this occasion - as the title possibly implies - he has faced full on the challenge of coming up with a PG rated stand-up show. So go and see how he's got on with that, eh?

Paul Foot: Image Conscious | Underbelly Cowgate | 2-26 Aug (pictured)
"Greetings! It's my brand-new show, baybayyy! Ever considered the unique predicament of the soft-shell crab? I have. What about the numerous problems of organising a suburban orgy? The catering, for example. It's an absolute nightmare!" And so to our final tenth-solo-show-celebrating Fringe legend (see, I told you I'd come up with another label). Who is it? Well, as you might have guessed from that intro (if not from his name being scribed plainly above it), it's the almighty and award-winning Paul Foot. Expect something highly original and superbly funny.


THREE NEW MUSICALS AND OPERA >>

Elizabethan | theSpace @ Surgeons Hall | 3-25 Aug
I think every year I say that I really love to pick out new musicals, and there's a reason for that. I love to pick out new musicals. But seriously, so often in the past I've seen the Fringe programme packed with virtually nothing but revivals of things we've all seen eight times before, and it's really refreshing to see brand new stuff. And there are loads this year. Including this one, which also appeals to me because of its historical theme. It's about Tobias Bacon, who died of love in 1618, and we're invited to join him on the 400th anniversary of his death, as he finds out how.

Hunger | Paradise In The Vault | 4-11 Aug (pictured)
Oooh, and I like the look of this one, too, for it is an original short opera (only half an hour) based on Kafka's 'A Hunger Artist', and how often do you see new opera on the Fringe? Well, relatively frequently I guess, but nowhere near as much as new stuff in other genres. Anyway, this sounds excellent, being described as a "radical and claustrophobic piece following a woman artist raging against the reductive categories into which the art world forces her". As a woman I am always raging against the reductive categories the world forces me into, so I can relate.

Hamilton (Lewis) | Assembly George Square Studios | 1-26 Aug
You've heard of the musical 'Hamilton', haven't you? Yes? Well, this isn't it, obviously, this is about Lewis Hamilton, and I think it's going to be good, a musical parody featuring a blend of hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R'n'B and Broadway music: "Hamilton (Lewis) is the epic story of a self-starter who worked a lot harder, by being a lot faster, born and raised in Stevenage, the most successful British F1 driver in the history of the sport." Expect something very fun.


THREE BEAUTIFUL CLASSICAL CONCERTS >>

Vaughn Williams's A Sea Symphony | Usher Hall | 9 Aug
Right, classical music, and there's always a good amount of it to be found over at the Edinburgh International Festival, so that's where we will start. The title of this is a bit misleading because it's actually a performance of two pieces of music, and, much as I do love Vaughn Williams and this brilliant piece, it's the other element I am most interested in. In celebration of the composers 90th birthday, the ensemble perform a Scottish premiere of Thea Musgrave's 'Turbulent Landscapes', a powerful musical journey through six vivid land and seascapes by J M W Turner.

Cello On Fire | C too | 2-9 + 20-27 Aug (pictured)
Celebrated Viennese cellist Peter Hudler returns to the Fringe with a new show, and we are very pleased because we really loved the show he brought to Edinburgh last year. Our reviewer praised his "wonderful playing" which "blurred the boundaries between genres and instruments". This year we are primed to expect a "burning hot mix of styles, genres and characters from the most simple folk tune to the most sophisticated jazz gem, from bluegrass to baroque". Hurrah.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard & Tamara Stefanovich | The Queen's Hall | 24 Aug
Back over to the International Festival now, and a duo of acclaimed pianists for you, playing pieces from brilliant Brahms and marvellous Messaien. "Angels, saints, songbirds; orbiting planets, stars, pealing bells. Messiaen's kaleidoscopic Visions de l'Amen for two pianos is an epic exploration of faith, a celebration of creation, and a tribute to the wonders of human love. By way of complete contrast, they open the concert with the richly Romantic emotions of Brahms's seldom heard Sonata for Two Pianos, which he later transformed into his Piano Quintet Op 34".
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