EDINBURGH 2015 - Natalie O'Donoghue's Festival Highlights

I have been attending the Fringe as long as I can remember and this year was my third reviewing for Broadway World. This is the toughest year for selecting my favourites as I enjoyed almost all of the performances I saw!

Shows reviewed - 31

High point - Not having a single last minute realisation that I'm at the wrong Pleasance venue.

Low point - Accidentally leaving two jackets behind in venues and not realising until it was too late to go back.

Celebrity spots - I am hopelessly unobservant and the only person I saw out of context (i.e. not outside the venue they were performing in) was Phill Jupitus. Strangely, I did see him on three separate occasions over the month in three entirely different locations!

Best play - I have loved everything I have seen by playwright Johnny McKnight but was still unprepared for how strongly I felt about Wendy Hoose.

Best musical - This was a tough category as I saw so many musicals I loved this year but if I had to choose than it has to be Love Birds.

Best cabaret - I saw some really high quality performances this year but this one really has to go to Christina Bianco for her show Party Of One.

Performer to watch - I'm a little bit in awe of Rebecca Crookshank after her performance in Whisky Tango Foxtrot (which she also wrote). A witty and occasionally unsettling piece based on her time in the RAF, this woman has become my new feminist icon. Rebecca Crookshank is a force to be reckoned with and I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

Tip for transfer - Well, I'm slightly behind on this one as it has already been announced but the Ushers transfer is very well deserved and would have been my top pick.

Most creative - One of the performances that made a huge impression on me was CELL. The piece is absolutely stunning and so cleverly staged.

Best flyering strategy - The ones who sent their granny out on the Royal Mile to do their flyering. Even more manipulative than the ones that send their children to flyer!

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