The Scotsman

The Merry Widows

WE DEBATED for days about the best place to meet Kate Valentine and Jane Irwin, the two female leads in Scottish Opera's The Two Widows. But we end up (at their request) in a pub in Glasgow's Merchant City, because - stereotypes be damned! - these are opera singers who like their real ales. Pints in hand, Valentine (soprano) and Irwin (mezzo soprano) begin to wind down after a long day in the rehearsal room. Directors Tobias Hoheisel and Imogen Kogge, they tell me, were introducing one of the...

Theatre Review: 1913 or Nude Descending a Staircase

1913 OR NUDE DESCENDING A STAIRCASE ** SWEET GRASSMARKET (VENUE 18) THE beautiful, scandalous Countess Tarnowska, jailed for murder in Venice in 1913, may have been the inspiration for Duchamp's famous painting. This intriguing piece of theatre explores the Countess's story through newspaper reports and a screenplay. While innovative in its presentation, and with a impassioned, brittle performance by Geraldine Dulex as the Countess, it is torn between telling her story and explaining the wide...

Theatre Review: Hot Show: On the Waterfront

ON THE WATERFRONT *** PLEASANCE COURTYARD (VENUE 33) ELIA Kazan's classic film study of corruption and moral pugilism on the New York docks, featuring an unforgettable star turn from Marlon Brando as Terry, was always going to be a tough act to follow. Yet writer Budd Schulberg chose to adapt his own screenplay for the stage while the film was still in production and, as a play, On The Waterfront enjoyed some off-Broadway success. More than 50 years on, Steven Berkoff got his mitts on the UK ...

Theatre Review: A California Seagull

A CALIFORNIA SEAGULL *** C (VENUE 34) RELOCATING Chekhov's masterpiece to contemporary Hollywood makes sense: the vulnerable young starlet, the past-her-prime actress clinging desperately to her youth, the discussion of what it means to be famous, and how artists' work is valued.

Theatre Review: Upstart Crows

UPSTART CROWS *** PLEASANCE COURTYARD (VENUE 33) LONDON in the 1580s. Edward Alleyn, an actor, is seized by Queen Elizabeth I's henchmen and asked to spill the beans on Kit Marlowe - playwright, spy, and (possibly) traitor. With liberal use of flashback, Alleyn tells the story of their relationship, and way in which they changed theatre.

Our Mission

Welcome to The Scotsman's daily Festival Review & Guide magazine, where you will find the most comprehensive coverage of Edinburgh's August festivals available anywhere. It is published six days a week until Saturday 23 August (on Sundays, we can recommend our sister paper Scotland on Sunday, which also carries extensive festival coverage). Here are a few reasons why you should choose The Scotsman to be your daily guide to the festival ... We review hundreds of Fringe shows, substantially mor...

Random Awards

BEST USE OF CONFECTIONERY Using sweets in a children's show is always a crowd-pleaser. This year Dr Bunhead, the Fringe's resident mad scientist, is doing experiments on them (the sweets, not the crowd). Ever wondered what would happen if a Jelly Baby got too close to an erupting volcano? Now's your chance to find out. Dr Bunhead's Crash Test Jelly Babies is on at the Musical Theatre @ George Square, 10am, until 25 August.

Sell Us Your Show: Liz Bentley-On-Sea/Edinburgh-On-Sea

Hello Liz. One show in a swimming pool is a bit eccentric, but two? Explain. Well, I was looking for a venue and I rang up Sweet because they'd been nice to me four years ago. They said they had a swimming pool [in the Apex International Hotel] and I said, "Whaaat? How cool is that?" because swimming is a big part of my life. Then they said, "You'll have to share it," and I thought, I don't want to, I want it to myself. So I decided to do two shows so that no-one else can have it. It's my party.

Today's Choice

MUSIC CAMILLE QUEEN'S HALL, 10PM, TODAY UNTIL 13 AUGUST She's back, with her biggest shows yet, but only for a week, so get in quick. Camille O'Sullivan, right, is the best cabaret singer on the Fringe, crooning, cooing and belting her way through the works of Nick Cave, Jacques Brel and more in a way that's sexy, charismatic, poignant and compelling. Go see. 0131-668 3456 THEATRE BONGO CLUB CABARET BONGO CLUB, 10PM, UNTIL 24 AUGUST Regular readers will know of this magazine's affection ...

Theatre Reviews: Deep Cut; Architecting; Finished with Engines: The Targets of Betrayal

DEEP CUT **** ARCHITECTING ***** FINISHED WITH ENGINES **** TRAVERSE (VENUE 15) THE more a nation is supposed to represent some of the best and highest human values, the more bitter the disappointment of its people when it transpires that the founding myths are false, and the values often betrayed.