EDINBURGH FESTIVAL 2009: BEHIND THE SCENES - Best And Worst

I've only been in Edinburgh three weeks, but it feels like a lifetime. I've seen musicals, dance shows, theatre, magic, music and enough comedy to be content never to see another stand-up show in my life. There have been some great discoveries and some shows that everyone involved wishes to forget. Here is my guide to the best and worst shows I've seen or heard about from three of the main festival genres...

Musicals

I've seen a lot of good musicals so far, but nothing that's completely blown me away. The best was probably I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change which is on at C Venues. I also enjoyed Edinburgh University's version of Rent, although certain performers let the side down, while the boy who was understudying for the character of Roger was the unexpected star of the night. One musical I have only seen a little of but am very keen to see in full is Mercy Madonna of Malawi, in which a group of Malawians sing about their recent visit from the Queen of Pop. There's even a Malawian man playing the part of Madonna! As for the bad, I haven't seen it myself but all reports suggest that Bloodbath: the Musical, which stars Antony Costa from Blue, hasn't quite lived up to expectations.

Comedy

My biggest comedy recommendation is Bristol Revunions' show, We Made a Funny. It's a brilliant sketch show which has the seal of approval of Simon Amstell, who was spotted chuckling away in the audience a few nights ago. I also enjoyed Sammy J and the Forest of the Dreams, a comedy musical with excellent puppets, described as a cross between The Wiggles and Avenue Q. The worst shows I've seen have been free shows, but there are a couple that I would recommend, such as Carrie Quinlan's jolly sketch show, comedy magic show Piff-tacular, and Tom Adams, who sings some amusing and slightly disturbing songs at The Royal Mile Tavern every evening, and also appears in the award-winning show The Hotel.

Theatre

As for theatre, I have only seen a few plays I'd highly recommend. Precious Little Talent at the Bedlam Theatre (which has the softest seats of any venue in Edinburgh) is a brilliant piece of new writing from young writer Ella Hickson, and the production of Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things at C Venues showcases some very promising young actors. I've heard great things about Belt-Up Theatre's production of The Tartuffe, set in a squat, and am looking forward to seeing that on Monday. I've also seen some pretty good physical theatre, a genre which was previously quite new to me, including Gecko's The Overcoat (recently performed in London) and Or(f)unny, a crazy but great fun show from the company Teatro Italiano.

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