RAPPORT FRINGE ... MARGINAAL VERSLAG ... FRINGE BERICHT
Reviewing fringe theatre, film, art and performance in London and internationally credits
Please email your views on Fringe Report
venues
|
awards
|
interviews
|
features
|
fashion
|
newsletter
|
recipes
|
news
|
gossip
|
home
|
about
|
dublin
|
edinburgh
|
links
|
contact
|
drinks Monday 1 September 08 Edinburgh Reunion in London
Topping And Butch Hit Leicester Square 26-27 September 08
Edinburgh Fringe 2006 launch
It's here! The Fringe launched in a wash of champagne and fabulous food. Lea Harris was there ...
by Lea Harris
For the second year running Francesca Contini’s Vin Caffe (part of the Valvona and Crolla Empire) is host to the launch of the 2006 Fringe Programme. We are greeted by lovely press and marketing manager Louise Page. She resembles a Flake girl in dreamy pink and white. Tracey Fisher is ultra chic in red and Leroy Harris isn’t wearing pink. The girls at Vin Caffe all wear platinum blond wigs - reflecting the cover image on this years Fringe programme.
The food is excellent. The black pudding is soft and slightly spicy; its cherry tomato cap is warm and sweet. There are no nude pizzas this year; however the mushroom frittata is fragrant and earthy. Here, sausages are wrapped in bacon and cheese oozes out from the ham croissants. There are pink Italian donuts and deliciously chewy meringues stuffed with cream. To drink we are offered pink prosecco, orange juice with crushed berries or latte fredo. There are not enough hands to juggle all of the possible combinations.
Cameras flash. Voices burble like a Scottish burn. Thankfully it isn’t raining, but it is warm and sticky. Fuelled by caffeine, booze and adrenalin, the press jostle for the best seats in the house. When Fringe Director Paul Gudgin takes the stage the crowd hushes. In his speech, he reflects back to the first Fringe performers – eight companies who crashed the Edinburgh International Festival back in 1948. Apparently they incited the same controversy that still surrounds the Fringe today.
Here are some other stats that might not be known about the 60th Edinburgh Festival Fringe - this year there will be 28,014 performances of 1,867 shows in 261 venues. This is up from 26,995 performances of 1,799 shows in 240 venues in 2005. Theatre will make up 32% of the programme, followed by Comedy (27%),and Music (21%). Musicals, Children's Shows, Dance & Physical Theatre, Exhibitions and Events each provide around 4% of the programme.
There will be a couple innovations on the Fringe this year. The Times, this years EdFringe sponsor, has introduced a new system in which votes for productions can be placed via text, by quoting a reference number supplied on the ticket. This means that only those who have purchased a ticket can vote. And if you find yourself confused by the chaos, you can text to receive information about the shows as well.
The theme of this year’s festival is faith and religion. There will be a complete reading of the bible spread over ten days, called Bible Babel Live. Get Carter will be performed by the Red Shift Theatre Company – it will be interesting to see how they get around the smoking ban. Alan Rickman will bring his play, My Name Is Rachel Corrie from the Royal Court Theatre. You can even get your hair cut at Hairdresser in the House - whether they have any scissor skills remains to be seen.
A production of Hamlet will be performed on a bouncy castle. Or, if you are really adventurous you could donate a kiss to Charlie Murphy. Couples will be asked to kiss with mouthfuls of dental goo, and snog until it gets hard -all for the sake of art on a bus. Once again, blond bombshells of aerodynamic bendiness, the Caesar Twins, will be performing their spectacular show – this is one for the ladies and laddies.
As the proceedings come to a close, Paul Gudgin thanks everyone involved in Fringe 2006, including Vin Caffe and the Banks for their continuing support. With the presentation over, the press swarms over the food like locusts, save those who try to corner Mr Gudgin with cameras, tape recorders and note pads.
Linen suits are fashionably crumpled, sunglasses rest on manicured locks and that’s only the men. Clusters and groups form like on the school yard. Tony March flashes his lovely legs, though why is left unexplained. Lovely Tracey Fisher rushes to the castle for a photo call - with doggy bags supplied by Vin Caffe. What a life.
END
(c) Lea Harris 6 June 2006
The Official Edfringe site is at http://www.edfringe.com
article subeditor and additional reporting by Sarah Shavel 7 July 06
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008
