Ian Smith: Craft | Underbelly Bristo Square | 5.15pm
Every Festival we present our ThreeWeeks Editors' Awards at the close of the Fringe to the ten shows and performers who we think made that year's festivities extra special. Many former winners are back in Edinburgh this August, including Ian Smith, an excellent comedian whose shows over the years have prompted our reviewers to use words and phrases like "beautiful", "funny", "funniest", "skilful", "stylish", "satisfying", "hugely entertaining", "perfectly executed", "endearing" and "some of the finest granite material on the circuit". Go see this year's show 'Craft'!

Yianni Agisilaou: I, Human | Pleasance Dome | 9.40pm
We handed Yianni one of our ThreeWeeks Editors' Awards back in 2013 and he has only continued to impress the TW team with his Edinburgh shows since then. Among the phrases employed by ThreeWeeks reviewers for Yianni's shows are: "accomplished and charming", "vivacious, witty and intelligent", "funny and informative" and a "bloody nice bloke".

zazUtinany | Underbelly Bristo Square | 10.35pm
And one more ThreeWeeks Editors' Award winner from the comedy strand of the Festival, though this time on the sketch and character side of the genre. zazU first impressed us in 2014, while we handed them their award in 2016. They are back for a short run at this year's Fringe.

The Snow Queen (Theatre N16 and Eastlake Productions)
Greta's brother Kay has changed: he doesn't want to play or sing any more. The Snow Queen must have taken him, and so Greta sets off across the wilderness (with the help of a pun-loving, fame-hungry crow puppet) to rescue him. For a children's show, it was rather lacking in visual appeal - the design is all muted browns and greys, with much of the action being described rather than seen. There was some clever found-object puppetry, and a captivating script, but the 3-9 age range seems unrealistic for such a wordy piece. The talented young performers add a real sense of childlike wonder and sincerity to the proceedings, and the narrator showed a real skill for character work, but overall this magical tale was a little lacking in magic.
Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Gemma Scott]

CABARET

Courtney Act: Under The Covers (Courtney Act)
'RuPaul's Drag Race' star, and winner of 'Celebrity Big Brother', Courtney Act is the alter ego of Shaun Jenek, also known for his 'Australian Idol' win. Embracing the literal and metaphorical, the stage is set with a full-size bed, from which she emerges singing Bjork's 'It's Oh So Quiet'. The beautifully polished character chats about her favourite bedroom activities (no, not just that!), as well as performing, with live accompaniment, a selection of songs you many not have realised were themselves covers (plus some slightly dubious original material). With costume changes, glitter and an abundance of playfulness - including taking aim at some of her fellow 'Big Brother' housemates - it's all good fun that Act's cult followers will certainly enjoy.
Underbelly's Circus Hub on the Meadows, until 18 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Daisy Malt]

COMEDY

Adam Riches Is The Lone Dueller (Fight In The Dog)
Adam Riches has carved out a distinct Fringe niche. People going into his shows often know what to expect - as everyone files in, there's a scrum as some desperately attempt to avoid the front row. His character comedy is big on interaction, big on improvisation when things go wrong, and always screamingly funny. 'The Lone Dueller' is a more plot-driven affair than previous outings, a tale of a swashbuckling romantic hero, aided by a cast of (piloted) mannequins. It is deliriously, wonderfully silly, and its willingness to make fun of everything about itself means it survives a couple of over-plotty scenes that drag a little. Riches was born to play this part - his charisma perfectly suits a swaggering Flashheart-type.
Pleasance Dome, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Jon Stapley]

Gráinne Maguire: I Forgive You; Please Like Me (Live Nation in association with Troika)
Some people are just so lovely aren't they? No one could, or would, say a bad thing about them. In Gráinne Maguire's native Ireland they even have a competition to find the loveliest girl (she wouldn't put herself in the running though, by her own admission). Feminist, opinionated and always right, she often gets herself into awkward situations on account of this self-assuredness. Through this lens she takes aim at her love life, politics, Winston Churchill and even 'The Sound of Music'. With so much to say the narrative feels a little meandering at times, but with her quick quips and confident delivery, the audience are on her side and the jokes land every time.
Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Daisy Malt]

Rob Auton: The Talk Show (Rob Auton)
It's with good reason Rob Auton received a ThreeWeeks Editors' Award in 2017, and his latest show absolutely affirms it. It's the importance of talking - communicating and interacting - that Auton is so passionate about this time; even though he sometimes finds it hard. A subtext of mental health weaves through the show, reaching a particularly arresting moment which felt incredibly personal for Auton to be sharing. He views the world a little differently to some of us, so it's not your typical hour of comedy, but then that's not something you should ever expect from him. 'The Talk Show' does have superb one-liners, don't get me wrong, but it's also thought-provoking, heartwarming and heartbreaking.
Just The Tonic at The Caves, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 5/5 | [Daisy Malt]

DANCE & PHYSICAL THEATRE

Sediment (Company 2)
Passionate, poignant and playful, Company 2's 'Sediment' fuses circus and dance in a love story inspired by excerpts from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 'Notes From Underground'. Alice Muntz and David Carberry display immense talent and graft in some awesome acts, executed with impressive sensitivity to character and relationship. One particular sequence left me spellbound, as they created an extremely touching scene with some incredible feats using glass bottles. But whilst certain parts were magical, the piece took some time to get into its stride, and at times the story was lost or the pace flagged. With a little work, this piece could be truly breathtaking, and I think it could be transformed into something remarkable.
Assembly Roxy, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Ela Portnoy]

THEATRE

Dangerous Giant Animals (Christina Murdock)
When Kayla "tantrums", her only comforts are the videos Claire shows her of innocents getting mauled by dangerous giant animals-lions, sharks, tyrannosaurs. But Kayla's disability can turn her and Claire into dangerous giant animals too. The events of one August night, when Claire lost control of herself while trying to restrain Kayla, is the spectre at the centre of this play, haunting all of Claire's other poignant recollections. But disability and care are also plumb lines revealing the depth of the girls' humanity. Christina Murdock is an able performer with great potential, sadly somewhat under-supported here. Straining against static blocking and a canned-pathos soundtrack, she never fully connects with a text that is baggy in places.
Underbelly, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Alexander Hartley]

Island Town (Paines Plough and Theatr Clwyd)
Double portrait: first, a nameless nowhere town, depressed and declining, cut off from the fields around it by the choking girdle of the ring-road. Second, three inhabitants of this town: in the park, sixteen years old, drinking super-strength cider. These three are desperately bored and starved of opportunity, which is what makes Sam and Pete so susceptible to Kate's manipulative charisma. Social realism is a part of 'Island Town', as cuts to care services are part of the cocktail that produces Kate's nihilism. But her captivating personality, played by a haunting, electric Katherine Pearce, is at the centre. It's more a single portrait by the end-one exquisitely painted by Dominic Kennedy and Peter Small's sound and lighting design.
Summerhall, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Alexander Hartley]

Stupid Cupid (Unrestricted View / Liz McMullen)
It's the final exam for a new Cupid, who has to master the secrets of love in order to earn her wings of Cupidity. She's had plenty of training from her mentor, but she discovers that there's a lot more to it than she'd been told as she tries to suss things out with the help of us, the audience, as her test subjects. Liz McMullen absolutely commits to her character, brilliantly playing the eager matchmaker-to-be, which helps to alleviate the awkwardness when she's discovering the physical side of love. A quirky exploration of the complexity of love, 'Stupid Cupid' entertains while light-heartedly making a point about how love is much more than a simple numbers game.
Underbelly Bristo Square, until 27 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Daisy Malt]