Info on Reviews of Shows at the 2007 Festival

The main objectives of this page are to:

• tell you where you can find reviews on the web
• provide a summary of those shows which have scored most marks with the critics
• details of some of this year’s awards
• provide links to Visual Arts and Jazz & Blues reviews.

This punter’s personal views (after his visit to this year’s festival) can be found here.

Page final update on 28th August 2007.

Where to Find 2007 Reviews

There are a plethora of sources to satisfy even the most voracious consumer of reviews:

• Scotsman
• Guardian – latest reviews and A-Z of reviews
• Times
• The Stage
• British Theatre Guide
• Fest
• ThreeWeeks
• FringeReview
• Edinburgh Festivals Magazine
• EdinburghGuide.com
• Chortle (comedy)
• Glasgow Herald
• The Independent
• Daily Telegraph
• BroadwayBaby.com – latest reviews and A-Z of reviews
• Total Theatre
• One4Review
• Curio Festival
• Worthwhile blogs … viewfromthestalls and seaninthestalls (it looks as if Sean will be producing a retrospective when he gets home).

Most Critically Acclaimed Shows

Let me start off by stating the obvious: there are many enjoyable shows which never make these lists. We have seen many “minor classics” in Edinburgh over the years that went largely unnoticed by the critics. Indeed, we have a number of shows in our planned schedule for this year that have had little publicity during the “preview season”. So, do not be a complete slave to reviews: listen to the “word on the street” and perhaps try something different – you might be pleasantly surprised.

The minimum requirement to get onto the following lists is that a show must have had a minimum of three reviews … which is not easy. This summary iteration was made at 07:30 on Friday 24th August 2007. This is the final summary for the 2007 festival:

• There is no “absolutely must see” show this year

• In theatre (drama and musicals) England at Traverse 4 tops the list, followed by Ravenhill for Breakfast (short piece – different one every day), Dai (Enough), The Container, Walworth Farce, Traces, State of Matter and Subway. Just behind come Yellow Moon, Long Time Dead, Poppea, Miracle in Rwanda, Get Your War On, The Bacchae, Damascus, Venus as a Boy, Macbeth: Who is that Bloodied Man?, Failed States, Phaedre, Wish I had a Sylvia Plath, Battle of Stalingrad and Someone who’ll Watch over Me

• In the field of comedy Michael McIntyre currently leads the way, closely followed by Mark Watson, Stephen Grant, Jerry Sadowitz, Brendon Burns, Glenn Wool, Adam Hills, Jim Jeffries, Reginald D. Hunter, Russell Kane, Rick Shapiro, Richard Herring and Jason Byrne. A host of other comedians are only just further behind, including Paul Sinha, Stewart Lee, Andrew Lawrence and Simon Amstell 

• Six Women Standing in front of a White Wall, Woyzeck and the much hyped Fuerzabruta lead the way in the dance & physical theatre section. I know that the Fringe programme classifies Fuerzabruta as theatre but I, rightly or wrongly, intend to include it in the dance & physical theatre section. They are closely followed by Victoria, Hangman and On Danse.

A late entry – Trisha Brown (International Festival) in the dance and physical theatre section (added 28^th August 2007).

The Smile Off Your Face has received good ratings but I have been loath to include it as the running time is a mere 20 minutes.

Awards

There is an ever-growing number of awards at the festival. Here is a selection.

The Scotsman Fringe First winners are announced during each week of the Fringe. The initial batch of Fringe First-winners on Friday 10^th August 2007 comprised: The Container, Walworth Farce, England, Scarborough, Truth in Translation and Damascus. The second batch of winners was announced on the 17^th August 2007: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Ravenhill for Breakfast, Hangman, Popsicle Departure 1989, The Smile Off Your Face and Emergence – See. The final batch of winners, announced on 24^th August 2007, consisted of Subway, Mile End, Hugh Hughes in … Story of a Rabbit and Wish I Had a Sylvia Plath.

The Glasgow Herald Angel awards are also announced weekly during the festival. In the initial batch of awards on Saturday 11^th August 2007, the Archangel award went to England, while the Angel awards went to Woyzeck, Victoria, Follow Me, Kidsamonium, and Venus as a Boy. The second batch of winners was announced on the 18^th August 2007: Alan Cumming getting the Archangel award for Dionysus, while Herald Angels went to Jordi Savall, Incarnat, Six Women Standing in Front of a White Wall, Sounds of Progress, Timeless, Hamell on Trial and Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. The third batch of winners, announced on 25^th August 2007, comprised: Archangel to Philip Howard, the retiring artistic director at the Traverse with Herald Angel awards going to The Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Concerto Italiano (for the Monteverdi concerts at Greyfriars Kirk), Siren, Kenny Young and the Egg Plants, Big in Japan (or Three Steves and A Bob) and Subway.

Intelligent Finance’s if.comedy awards (which replaced the Perrier awards in 2006): Brendon Burns (best comedian), Tom Basden (best newcomer) and Arthur Smith for Arturart (show which best captured the spirit of comedy on the Fringe).

The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence at the Fringe: Garry Cooper for Long Time Dead (best actor), Eugenia Caruso and Janet Bamford for Truckstop (best actress), Shalimar for La Femme est Morte, or Why I Should Not F**k My Son (best ensemble) and Madi Distefano for Popsicle’s Departure 1989 (best solo performer).

The Carol Tambor Edinburgh to New York award went to Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

Amnesty International’s Freedom of Expression award went to The Container.

Total Theatre awards: 1927 for Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (best emerging company); Rude Mechs in association with Erich Jungwirth and Richard Jordan Productions for Get Your War On (best original work by a Collective / Ensemble); Ontroerend Goed for The Smile Off Your Face (for experimentation); Traverse for News from Nowhere and Fruitmarket Gallery for England (best small scale works); Sadari Movement Laboratory in association with AsiaNow Productions for Woyzeck (best physical performance); and Jos Houben (Significant Contribution).

FringeReview awards for outstanding theatre shows: Sting for Nolte, Follow Me and Retreat.

Visual Arts Reviews

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/visualart/story/0,,2131894,00.html Reviews of Picasso on Paper, Picasso: Fired with Passion and Richard Long: Walking and Marking –The Observer (22^nd July 2007).

http://living.scotsman.com/visual.cfm?id=1062552007 Review of Picasso on Paper exhibition at the Dean Gallery – Scotland on Sunday (8^th July 2007).

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/d6d2d302-3ca7-11dc-b067-0000779fd2ac.html Review of Naked Portrait – Ft (28^th July 2007).

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/visualart/story/0,,2138329,00.html Review of Andy Warhol: A Celebration of Life … and Death at National Galleries of Scotland – The Guardian (31^st July 2007).

http://living.scotsman.com/visual.cfm?id=1196872007 Shorter review of the Warhol exhibition – Scotsman (1^st August 2007).

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2e288f06-414f-11dc-8f37-0000779fd2ac.html Review of Andy Warhol: A Celebration of Life … and Death at National Galleries of Scotland – FT (4th August 2007).

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/specials/edinburgh/article2181587.ece Review of Andy Warhol: A Celebration of Life … and Death at National Galleries of Scotland – Times (5^th August 2007).

Jazz & Blues Festival

Selected reviews:

http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/reviews.cfm?id=1182962007 Courtney Pine and Tommy Smith Play Coltrane – Scotsman gives it 5 stars (30^th July 2007).

http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/reviews.cfm?id=1189282007 Scott Hamilton & Danny Moss – Scotsman (31^st July 2007).

http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/reviews.cfm?id=1200852007 Jacques Loussier Trio – Scotsman (2^nd August 2007).

http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/reviews.cfm?id=1213672007 Humphrey Littleton Band – Scotsman (3^rd August 2007).

http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/reviews.cfm?id=1220412007 Al Foster Quintet plays Miles Davis – Scotsman (4^th August 2007).

http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/reviews.cfm?id=1218982007 Bad Apple – Scotsman (4^th August 2007).

http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/reviews.cfm?id=1220072007 Time Kliphuis – Scotsman (4^th August 2007).