MONDAY 23 JULY 2018 THISWEEKCULTURE.COM
OLIVER LANSLEY: FLIES
Edinburgh favourites Les Enfants Terribles are back at the Fringe to co-produce a new show with Pins And Needles called 'Flies'. We're promised an absurdist tale in which the enemy is, well, a fly. "One man is determined to conquer his fear of flies", says the show's blurb, "but as darkness falls, what is that ominous hum behind the door?"

Keen to find out more we caught up with the show's writer - and Les Enfants Terribles Artistic Director - Oliver Lansley. He filled us in on his latest tie up with the creative team at Pins And Needles, shared his thoughts on the state of the Edinburgh Fringe, and gave us the lowdown on a new TV project that puts the spotlight on the weird world of PR. Read the interview here.

'Flies' is on at Edinburgh Festival 2018 at Pleasance Courtyard from 1-27 Aug. 
LAST MINUTE DEALS ON PREVIEW EDITION ADVERTISING - FROM £125
We are putting the finishing touches to our ThreeWeeks Preview Edition, which is delivered direct to the door of thousands of Edinburgh homes as well as being distributed at all the key Festival venues. We have some final ad spots that we are selling off super cheap.

• We have a couple of half pages that we are offering at £250 plus VAT.
• We have a few sixth page ads that we are offering at £125 plus VAT.

We need artwork by 5pm tomorrow, Tuesday 24 July. Click here for specs and email TWadvertising@unlimitedmedia.co.uk to book your slot.

GET YOURSELF A BANNER IN THE TW DAILY BULLETIN FROM NEXT WEEK
The TW bulletin goes daily next week as the Edinburgh Festival swings into action. Landing in thousands and thousands of inboxes every day, this is a really good way to get your show in front of both ticket-buyers and the Fringe community.

We have a couple of slots available for the full festival at just £300 plus VAT - we'll run your ad every day from next Monday. Email TWadvertising@unlimitedmedia.co.uk to book.
STAGE MANAGER GEMMA SCOTT
TW:DIY is talking to people who perform or work at the Edinburgh Festival each year to get their perspectives on what performing or producing at the world's biggest cultural event involves. 

This week, we return to the production side of the Festival to talk stage management with Gemma Scott. Gemma has undertaken a number of roles at the Edinburgh Fringe over the years, including reviewing for and sub-editing at ThreeWeeks.

Though it was when a friend asked her to stage manage an Edinburgh show that those multifarious Fringe projects actually morphed into a new full-time career. Read the interview here.
NEIL CONNOLLY: LAMPLIGHTERS
Up next over at The Old Red Lion Theatre is a new show from interactive and immersive specialists, Rogue Productions. It's a comedic one man show about a spy that promises to be a great experience for those who love interactive, but even those who don't.

To find out more about the show, I spoke to the show's performer and co-writer, Neil Connolly, who's a bit of a legend when it comes to this sort of stuff. Read the interview here.

'Lamplighters' is on at the Old Red Lion Theatre from 24 Jul-18 Aug, see the venue website here for all the info.


TUESDAY 24 JULY 2018 >>

Hot Brown Honey | Southbank Centre | 24-28 Jul (pictured)
You might have noticed that we ran a Q&A with Lisa Fa'alafi from Hot Brown Honey back in June, as part of our Edinburgh Festival coverage, and that's because, well, it's a beyond awesome show that's really taken the Fringe by storm over the last couple of years, and also won one of our TW Editors' Awards. Hurrah, we thought, when we heard they'd be back in Scotland this summer. If you thought hurrah, but then realised that you can't make it up north this year, then here's the great news: you have six chances to see it in London. Head this way to book.

Diamond/Hoard | Bush Theatre | 24-25 Jul
More in the way of Edinburgh fare, now, and a preview double bill over at the Bush Theatre. 'Diamond' is the first play of renowned and award winning TV and film director Beryl Richards, and is about a successful surgeon who rejects the birth mother who gave him up for adoption, but realises following her death that he has no way of finding out where he came from. The second play is another debut from someone established in another arena, Bim Adewunmi, senior culture writer for BuzzFeed News and columnist with Guardian Weekend. 'Hoard' also has a mother theme: Rafi and Ami are meeting their sister's boyfriend for the first time. Then, their mother shows up out of the blue. See this page here for more.

Games and After Liverpool | Tristan Bates Theatre | 24-28 Jul
Another double bill (it's a coincidence, really, I didn't consciously plan it, but I am quite pleased by said coincidence) and this time it's two short comedies by James Saunders. 'After Liverpool' is the first, and it "follows two couples as they attempt the painful, hilarious and near impossible task of communication". The second, 'Games', is a play within a play, which threatens to blur the lines of reality and performance, in which a group of actors rehearse a court room drama about the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War, but keep getting interrupted. See the venue website here for details.


WEDNESDAY 25 JULY 2018 >>

Goodnight Mister Tom | Southwark Playhouse | 25 Jul -25 Aug
"Set during the dark and dangerous build-up to the Second World War, Goodnight Mister Tom follows sad young William Beech, who is evacuated to the idyllic English countryside and builds a remarkable and moving friendship with the elderly recluse Tom Oakley. All seems perfect until William is devastatingly summoned by his mother back to London". A youth production from The British Theatre Academy and one which I presume will be entirely suitable for youthful people to go and watch during their summer holidays. Which I think have begun for most by now. See this page here for more.

Lamplighters | Old Red Lion Theatre | 24 Jul-18 Aug
This looks fab, and feel sure that it would appeal to almost anyone, but particularly those of you into anything immersive, interactive, improvised, or about spies. Your host for the evening is a veteran of the field of said immersive, interactive and improvised stuff, Neil Connolly, who revives the show following a sold-out and award winning run at Vault Festival. Oh, and don't worry, actually, if you're the shy type: "For those who leap from their seat at the chance to be a spy, this mission is for you. For those who want to watch their espionage escapades from a safe distance, we got you covered". Head this way for details.

The Rape Of Lucretia | Arcola Theatre | 24 Jul-4Aug (pictured)
"In Rome, 510 BC, Lucretia is sought out in the night by the prince Tarquinius. In Dalston, 2018 AD, a man and a woman invite you to watch a re-enactment". Arcola Festival's Grimeborn season has begun (hurrah) and this staging of Benjamin Britten's chamber opera 'The Rape Of Lucretia' sounds like it's been directed with a rather radical approach, as it "turns the lens on the representation of women from ancient myths to the #MeToo movement". For information and to book your tickets, see the venue website here.


THURSDAY 26 JULY 2018 >>

Bite Size Plays | Waterloo East Theatre | 26-27 Jul
Nigh on lots of years ago, and I think it must have been at the Brighton Festival, the TW team discovered White Room Theatre's Bite Sized shows and helped to start our love affair with collections of short and snappy plays. It's an Edinburgh preview, along with so many of the picks we've been offering you lately, but this is especially heartfelt: this lot have been doing this for more than a decade and I know you're in good hands should you choose to accept this viewing mission. Head this way for more.

Jumala | The Albany | 26-28 Jul
"Ishmael has lived on Erde estate his entire life. There is nothing glamorous about Erde; when things, and people, are broken, they remain so. Despite his surroundings, Ishmael believes that one day he will become a renowned musician, taking him, and his mum, as far away from Erde as possible. However, when a black resident from Erde is unlawfully killed by the police, an uprising begins and the worth, and weight, of black lives is called into question". An exploration of a social injustice, difficult but always important. See this page here for details.

Love Genius And A Walk | Ye Olde Rose and Crown/Rosemary Branch Theatre | 26-30 Jul
An award nominated play from New York, brought to the stage by an all female creative team that mixes the historical with the contemporary: "Gustav Mahler, a great artist, is devoted only to his work, his wife Alma, has issues of her own. In despair, Mahler goes to see Freud, and they discuss love and sabotage - and both men know well how the responsibilities of genius weigh. Contiguously, a modern couple, a banker and his wife (who is writing about Mahler), mirror Alma and Mahler, and the two stories twist and turn through the quagmires of love and genius". See this page here for more info, and this page here to book.


FRIDAY 27 JULY 2018 >>

Little Mermaid - The Circus Sensation | Underbelly Festival | 24 Jul-12 Aug
"The Little Mermaid longs for life on land, the Prince is consumed by the lure of the sea. When a raging storm brings them together the wheels of fate are set in motion. Sacrificing her voice to the powerful Sea Witch, the Little Mermaid and her Prince will face many more obstacles if they are ever to be together". The traditional tale staged in a format that includes circus and songs, sounds like the perfect recipe for a family outing (recommended for 8+). See this page here for details.

Tokyo Love Hotel | Ovalhouse | 27-28 Jul
Now, this one from Lemonade & Laughing Gas is 18+ and therefore definitely not one for a family outing (unless all your family are 18+, I suppose) but it's a short and sweet work in progress that I dare say might be appropriate to take in with a friend... But what topic does it explore? Well, over to them: "n an age of Tinder and Grindr, of Netflix and chill; in a world of screens and diminishing touch, of decreasing birth rates and increasing levels of social anxiety... what happens to intimacy now?" See the venue website here for more info.

Bury The Hatchet | The Hope Theatre | 24 Jul-11 Aug (pictured)
Back in my teens, I was weirdly interested in reading about famous murder cases (and I assure you, not because I was a serial killer in the making, I am beyond all doubt a very compassionate peace-lover, honest) and I was a bit fascinated by the story of Lizzie Borden and gruesome deaths-by-axe of her unfortunate parents. She was acquitted, of course, but there's been speculation ever since about whether she actually did it. Anyway, this "fun feminist re-imagining" of the story, complete with bluegrass music (which I do love) was a hit at the most recent Vault Festival. Not sure quite how murder can be fun, but I'd like to find out. More here.


SATURDAY 28 JULY 2018 >>

Finding Fassbender | The Bunker Theatre | 28 Jul
Right, you know how we've been tipping lots of Edinburgh previews? Well, today, it's all Edinburgh previews, and that's really evidence of just how many are going on all over the capital, not me especially trying to make a theme of it today. Anyway, here's the first one, directed by Blythe Stewart, and described as "one woman's misadventure as she tries to carve out a life on her own terms". It's one of quite a few that The Bunker are squeezing into just a couple of days, so have a look at the what's on page here for others, but info on this show is here.

Great British Mysteries - 1599? | Museum Of Comedy | 28 Jul
"Do you like mysteries? Do you like historical inaccuracies? Do you prefer Thomas More to Roger Moore? The follow-up to 2017's sold out debut, but set 400 years earlier. Confused? You will be". Hurrah, so glad to see this pairing back with this 'sequel' to their very successful contribution to last year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Don't miss this, especially if you're not likely to get up north this August. All the details are right about here on the Museum Of Comedy website.

Heather and Harry | Drayton Arms Theatre | 28 Jul (pictured)
And so to our final edfringe preview of the day, the work of Stumble Trip Theatre, an acclaimed company of Lecoq-trained clowns. Here they use mime, cabaret, theatre and rap to explore what it means to be human, and to love: "Heather is cast from heaven by her husband Zeus. Finding herself in the midst of London's very sad, mad, bad inhabitants, she seeks solace in the lonely cockney philosopher Harry. Harry shows Heather proof of beauty and love amid the chaos". See this page here for more.


SUNDAY 29 JULY 2018 >>

Swing Sister Swing | Arcola Theatre | 29 Jul
More Grimeborn, and hurrah, this sounds good: a cabaret-inspired show celebrating female choreographers and musicians, featuring pieces created and inspired by jazz-greats Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. Expect lindy hop, swing dance, vintage burlesque, song and comedy, and a line up of performers that includes Cat Foley, Tine 'Machine' Gatchalian, Nancy Hitzig, Katie Stotter, and The Dinahs. See this page here for details.

Eat Sleep Shit Shag and Two Faced Bitchin | Old Red Lion Theatre | 29 Jul
We're coming to a close now with all the edfringe previews because the Scottish culture fest kicks off in just a couple of days time. But at the moment there's still stuff to see, and two tips worth today from us, in fact. Here's the first, a double bill from Richard Hunt and Abbie Murphy, with slightly grim titles but hopefully quality content. 'Two Faced Bitchin' is "a high octane, 80's inspired, dark comedy sketch show" and 'Eat Sleep Shit Shag' sees Murphy telling a life history "which took her from corduroys and football shirts, to feathers, tits and teeth". More here.

How Deep Is Your Duff | The Bunker Theatre | 29 Jul (pictured)
A second Edinburgh preview, as promised, and this one's from one of our favourite acts. A purveyor of clowning and stream-of-consciousness comedy, delivered to make socially conscious points to brilliant effect. If you head to the venue website to look at this listing you'll see a whole host of quotations from extremely complimentary reviews, and it's all justified, because Helen Duff is completely fabulous and excellently funny. Details here.


MONDAY 30 JULY 2018 >>

How To Make Me Happy | The Lion and Unicorn | 30-31 Jul (pictured)
Something really, really, really exciting happens today, and the exciting thing is that Camden Fringe kicks off, and it's got a great programme of events coming up. So I am celebrating by picking two shows from it, and this, of course, is the first, from a company who did a show at last year's edfringe that our reviewer absolutely loved. "From a brisk morning run to belly-laughing with old friends, everyone has things they need to feel okay. We're no different. Unfortunately, we can't move. Can you help make us happy?" See this listing here.

Andrew Bird - Aloof | Camden Comedy Club | 30-31 Jul
"Andrew is aloof. The first time he was called aloof he took it as a compliment because he didn't know what it meant. Since learning it means "not friendly" or "forthcoming"; "cool and distant". He still thinks its a compliment". And straight on to the second Camden Fringe tip, for a show by a comedian we've always liked, though I think it's quite a long time since we actually saw him perform. Maybe because he has been off supporting the likes of Rob Brydon and Michael McIntyre on tour. Book here.

The Boatswain's Mate | Arcola Theatre | 30 Jul-1 Aug
For the last of today's tips, we're leaving Camden Fringe and heading for Arcola's Grimeborn festival instead, because I found a show that really intrigued me, a rare revival of a 1914 opera by Suffragette composer Ethel Smyth. The story is as follows "at a quiet pub set back from the seafront, the landlady has a nuisance on her hands. She's confronted with a suitor who simply won't take 'no' for an answer. When he comes up with a last-ditch plan to win her heart, our formidable heroine gives him more than he'd bargained for..." All the details are here.
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