KEY EDINBURGH FRINGE THEMES IN 2018

First World War centenary
As centenary commemorations continue, many shows at this year’s Fringe explore and remember the impact of the Great War. Musical Fall of Eagles (Gilded Balloon, p.278) uses humour and song to examine the absurdity that led to the outbreak of war and the loss of millions of lives.Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo (Underbelly, p.375) tells the story of a young soldier's final day at war, while in Tobacco Road (Pleasance, p.394), five men and women attempt to carve out a place for themselves in the aftermath of the conflict, in the murky underworld of 1920s London. The Troth (Army @ The Fringe in Association with Summerhall, p.208) uses dance, original music and archive film to tell the tale of a group of young Indian men sent to Belgium to fight for the Allies. Earnest & Wilde: Let's Face the Music (and Franz) (C venues, p.330) offers an irreverent musical retelling of the life and untimely demise of Archduke Franz Ferdinand through vintage jazz covers of contemporary songs, while in Letters for Peace (Out of the Blue Drill Hall, p.254), award-winning composer and guitarist Graeme Stephen and Mr McFall’s Chamber String Trio present a new work inspired by the stories and letters of conscientious objectors who refused to fight in the war.

Class
Class, poverty and social mobility are high on the agenda of performers at the 2018 Fringe. KillyMuck (Underbelly, p.352) explores the trials and tribulations of being a child in a housing estate built on a paupers’ graveyard in 1970s Ireland, where lack of opportunity, educational barriers, impoverishment, addiction and depression are the norms.In The Political History of Smack and Crack (Roundabout @ Summerhall, p.374) Ed Edwards draws on personal experience to tell the story ofthe fallout for communities in the UK, crushed by the heroin epidemic of 1981. Bloomin' Buds Theatre Company consider the struggles that young, working class women face today inBrenda's Got a Baby (theSpace, p.315), and Aye, Elvis (Gilded Balloon, p.309) follows the struggle of a female Elvis impersonator, caring for her elderly mother, who escapes into a fantasy world emboldened by her love for The King. Rap artist Darren McGarvey, aka Loki, brings to life the themes of social mobility, class and identity explored in his recent book, challenging outdated political notions of poverty in Loki, the Scottish Rapper: Poverty Safari Live (The Stand, p.296), while in Martha McBrier – Fur Coat Nae Knickers (Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, p.140), Martha reflects on growing up poor and trying to forget your past, while also trying to stay true to yourself and your roots.

Healthcare
2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service in the UK and health and  healthcare are subjects explored widely at the Fringe this year. In Mark Thomas – Check Up: Our NHS at 70 (Traverse, p.359), Mark examines the current state of play in the NHS, drawing on a series of interviews with leading experts and residencies in hospitals and surgeries. At Summerhall, New Perspectives collaborate with Michael Pinchbeck on A Fortunate Man (p.337), a mixed media performance that considers how GP practice has changed in the last 50 years and, in Where It Hurts (p.402), director Jeremy Weller brings together 18 local non-actors to share their experiences of seeking and providing care in the NHS. 

Performers also share their personal experiences of coming to terms with medical conditions. In Paul Mayhew-Archer: Incurable Optimist (Underbelly, p.154), the TV and screenwriter behind The Vicar of Dibley takes a humorous look at how his life has changed since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, while in Grace the Former Child: The Bi-polar Express (Heroes @The SpiegelYurt, p.109), Grace shares her surreal journey through adolescent mental health services. Coming to terms with a recent diagnosis of autism and agoraphobia is the subject matter in Bethany Black: Unwinnable (The Stand, p.75), and in Maisie Adam: Vague (Gilded Balloon, p.139), the 2017 So You Think You’re Funny winner explores the difficulties of maintaining a balanced lifestyle when you have Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy.

Sex and consent
As #MeToo continues to send shockwaves around the world, Fringe shows consider issues around sex and consent in 2018. It's True, It's True, It's True (Underbelly, p.350)follows 1612 trial of Agostino Tassi for the rape of baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi in Renaissance Rome and asks how much has changed in the last four centuries.In Ayesha Hazarika: Girl on Girl (Gilded Balloon, p.70), Ayesha offers a searing interrogation of where feminism finds itself in the wake of #MeToo, while Harriet Kemsley: Slutty Joan (Voodoo Rooms, p.111) explores the culture of slut shaming, and asks why sexual promiscuity carries such negative connotations. Jet of Blood (Zoo, p.350) is a docudrama telling the true story of a 14-year-old boy, sexually assaulted at one of the oldest and most prestigious prep schools in North America; Freak (theSpace, p.337) follows the sex lives of two women of different ages, exploring female sexuality, self-image, and sexual exploitation; and in Cock, Cock... Who's There? (Summerhall, p.321), Samira Elagoz looks at desire, the power of femininity and the male gaze in a world in which the virtual and the real are inextricably intertwined.

It’s a family affair
Family is a key theme at the 2018 Fringe as relatives take to the stage together to tell their stories. In UNCONDITIONAL (Pleasance, p.397), Josie-Dale Jones and her mother Stefanie Mueller explore the struggles and joy of parent/child relationships, in a celebration of equality and liberation between a mother and her grown-up daughter, directed by Shon Dale-Jones. In 3 Years, 1 Week and a Lemon Drizzle (Underbelly, p.392), two sisters share their experiences of growing up together and managing their close bond when older sister Alexandra developed a severe eating disorder, while in The Ballad of the Apathetic Son and His Narcissistic Mother (Summerhall, p.310), mother Lucy and her 15-year-old son Raedie find a way to connect through the music and motifs of Australian popstar Sia. In Beth Vyse as Olive Hands: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (Monkey Barrel, p.75), Olive attempts to resurrect her daytime TV career with the aid of her son Henry (Beth’s real-life son), while Glas(s) Performance explore the unique bond between grandfathers and grandsons, male family relationships and the legacy that is passed down through generations in Old Boy (Scottish Storytelling Centre, p.367).

Our lives online
As people find themselves living more and more of their lives online, artists ask where the boundaries lie and what the digital future looks like. One Life Stand (Roundabout @ Summerhall, p.367) explores the impact online dating has had on modern relationships, where expectations of love and lust are ever-changing. Community (theSpace, p.322) explores the growing compulsion people have to display themselves online and measure success through their presence on social media, while in You Only Live + (Greenside, p.404), a woman downloads a life simulation app and starts to lose sight of where its algorithm ends, and the real world begins. Angry Alan by Penelope Skinner (Underbelly, p.306) follows Roger, a man on the edge, who is radicalised by an online activist, while in The Last Straw (Summerhall, p.353), experimental theatre collective People Show explore the rise of fake news and the communications overload we face every day. In Anya Anastasia: The Executioners (Gilded Balloon p.12), cabaret star Anya takes on techno obsessives and self-congratulatory slacktivist keyboard warriors, while in Bilal Zafar – Lovebots (Just the Tonic, p.76), Bilal fights back against online bots sent to spread hate and fear by creating his own bots, designed to spread love and compassion.

Disability
Shows exploring disability and starring disabled artists at the Fringe this year include Statements (Gilded Balloon, p.388), a theatre piece that explores the lives of three boys with autism, Asperger’s and Down Syndrome. In their 25th anniversary year, Birds of Paradise collaborate with National Theatre of Scotland for My Left Right Foot – The Musical (Assembly, p.283), following an amateur theatre group as they attempt to stage a production of oscar-winning film My Left Foot. Inclusive theatre company Hijinx partner with Spymonkey for The Flop (p.337) at Summerhall, an anarchic tale set in 17th century France, when impotence was illegal. Captain Cane and Brace Boy return to the Fringe with Prophets of Imperfection (theSpace, p.158), taking a superhero-inspired look at the past, present and future of disabilities, and in Tim Renkow Tries to Punch Down (Monkey Barrel, p.183), Tim considers his position on the social ladder as a disabled Jewish comedian.

Faith
Performers look at religion and faith from different perspectives at this year’s Fringe. At Summerhall, Trojan Horse (p.396)delves into the story behind the government enquiry set up in 2014 to investigate Muslim teachers in 25 Birmingham schools, and in Revelations (Summerhall, p.379), James Rowland shares a story of love, faith and trying to do the right thing by his friends. Rhum and Clay bring Mistero Buffo (p.361) to Underbelly, a retelling of Dario Fo’s seminal masterpiece which takes aim at those who manipulate truth and belief for power and control. At Gilded Balloon, Thomas Green: Doubting Thomas (p.182)looks at life after leaving religion, while in Chris Forbes: Prophecy, (p.83) the Scot Squad star shares his experience of meeting a man who claimed to be the son of God. Judaism comes under the comedic microscope in Ari Shaffir: Jew (Heroes @ The Hive, p.67), Brand-New Jew, a DNA Comedy (Sweet Venues, p.314), and Ashley Blaker: Observant Jew (Underbelly, p.68), and in Eshaan Akbar: Prophet Like It's Hot (Gilded Balloon, p.100), Eshaan looks for humour in the Qur’an and talks about his relationship with faith. 

SPOKEN WORD

Bestselling author and most watched poet of all time Neil Hilborn (p.296) brings his second collection of poems to Summerhall, while at Voodoo Rooms Phill Jupitus presents Phill Jupitus Is Porky the Poet in Living in a World Where They Throw the Ducks at the Bread (p.297). Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd record their hit podcast Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd: Reasons to Be Cheerful (Pleasance, p.292) at the Fringe, discussing politics and ideas with each other and special guests, and in For the Record (Pleasance, p.292), Toby Thompson shares his poetry accompanied by songs from some of his favourite records. Poetry meets stand-up inGreg Byron: Wordshow (Assembly, p.292) as the performance poet tackles the political issues of the day, while Rowan McCabe shares his experience of offering to write poems for strangers in Door-to-Door Poetry (Bourbon Bar, p.291). The Stand’s New Town Theatre returns with its In Conversation With…series, which includes MP Mhairi Black (p.294), human rights campaigner and Scotland’s Lawyer of the Year 2017 Aamer Anwar (p.293), musician KT Tunstall (p.294)and current Scotland football manager Alex McLeish (p.293).

FREE SHOWS 

There are 697 free shows and 260 pay what you want shows in this year’s programme. In Ahir Shah: Duffer (Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, p.59), Ahir discusses life, death and Bohemian Rhapsody, while in The Ballad of Sarah Callaghan (Laughing Horse @ Finnegan's Wake, p.70), award-winning comedian Sarah offers a mash-up of comedy and poetry about gangs, fitting right in and feeling left out. In Dominic Holland – The Glory Year (Voodoo Rooms, p.96) the comedian, author and broadcaster asks why we bother with dinner parties, while in Chris Cook: Concealed (p.16), Chris brings his close up magic tricks to The Street. Roselit Bone (p.264) play apocalyptic cowboy music inspired by the desolation and violence of the American West, both the past and present at Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, and guitarist Ty Gill makes his Fringe debut with Ty Gill: FingerStyle (Leith Depot, p.271) exploring cultures, genres and styles from around the world through his original compositions. The Bureau of Untold Stories (Museum of Childhood, p.37) utilises live sound effects, improvisation and unconventional storytelling to replicate the intrigue of an old radio mystery for children, while The Puppets' Orchestra and the Children's Ball (Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, p.48) is an interactive show, giving children the opportunity to animate puppets and play musical instruments. 

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018 runs from August 3 - 27. Details here.