And the sad part is, we were really slacking. They had programs going until 5am, and starting at 8am. We wanted to see a half-dozen other shows, but they all overlapped. But that's part of the magic of the Edinburgh Fringe -- it's crazy, it's chaotic, you never know what to see, and you can never see everything you want to. I think it's celebrated now for its sheer overwhelmingness (if that's a word) as much as for its art.
Sadly, this was also the year comedy surpassed theatre -- at least in number of performances. And that's a shame because while I certainly appreciate good stand-up (and we even went to one show), it's just too easy to stick a comedian on a mike and serve drinks. It doesn't really contribute and, while it definitely has its place, I think it should be a much smaller place.
That aside, it was still a fantastic atmosphere. While the crowds were often thick to the point of annoying, it was not the drunken debauchery I imagined Scotland could be. (I googled one of the venues and inadvertently got the EdinburghPubGuide.com, which listed 75 pubs within a half-mile of my destination!) To be fair, we saw a few legless individuals, but generally it was a very uplifting atmosphere, with people of all ages and backgrounds. They even had three vegetarian restaurants, although we only had time to sample two.
The venues ranged from little black boxes that couldn't seat more than 50 (and didn't have air conditioning) to the Edinburgh Playhouse, which seats 3000 (and also doesn't have air conditioning). Most of the shows were great, especially considering most were very low-budget -- in some, the set consisted of a single chair, while others didn't even have that. Of course we had a couple of duds, but with some 80 performances a night going on, that's to be expected. The worst moment, however, was when I was picked as the 'audience participation' member at Delilah Dix. I absolutely froze under the spotlights...and Jess has the video to prove it.
We had two moments of serendipity:
- On the plane, we sat next to a woman who was visiting on her own, so we invited her to an evening jazz show. As it turned out, I had apparently screwed up and purchased three tickets to that show. (I bought the tickets several weeks ago.) Regardless, we used the third one, and the woman treated us to tea afterwards.
- One our last evening, at the Edinburgh Playhouse, we were seated well in the back, but at the interval a couple approached us and said they had to leave early, and offered us their tickets -- in the fourth row, dead center. The first half was pretty good; the second half was spectacular.
Almost all of the programs were under an hour (except the dud, which felt like an eternity) and all cost under £20, including one that was free. (Jess threw a fiver in the bucket, though.) The hotel was £50 a night, thanks to a misprint at agoda.com. (They made me pay for it, though, changing the hotel three times before agreeing to honor the price.) Jess, of course, got cheap airline tickets, and food is pretty cheap when you're a teetotalling vegetarian. So all in all, it was a grand weekend for a lot less than a grand
Oh, and a shout out to Asher Grayson, the newest member of Jessica's family. :-)
The Pleasance Courtyard had about 30 venutes, including "One," "Two,"
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