On Saturday night, Hazel and I finally ventured out to test this year Fringe waters. Following detailed reseach, we selected Ben Willbond at Pleasance Above. The show was a series of sketches that as time went on became tied together into one cohesive story, from a hitman to a rocket scientist. It was a reasonable laugh after a slowish start, but I'd not rush back to see him. Thus is the lottery of the Fringe.
On a positive note, we made it up to the Spiegel Garden, which was packed as ever, and had a great atmosphere on Saturday night, as it it does every night. Many of the shows are already sold out, which is great news ... unless you haven't got organised enough to buy tickets. Doh! If you're visiting Edinburgh just for a day or two, make sure that is on your agenda, even if just for a beer.
In Fringe-related news, it's good to see the edfringe.com site now has reviews from the public on it, as well as an aggregate rating, although why it's at stuck at the bottom of the page I've got no idea. SMS voting has also been brought in, but no costs are shown on the page. Two years ago I had an idea for this, plus lots more. If only I'd had the time... Update: as I was browsing around, I found this page that says the costs are 25p per SMS. Naughty edfringe.com for missing that out!
The wave of technology(!) has clearly been sweeping through the Scottish landscape, with the exciting news that the List has finally put it's listings online. Well done guys! All they need now is a WAP/XHTML-Mobile version, and they'll really be moving on.
The List also has a Behind the Fringe blog, which bills itself as An inside guide to who's hot, what's rot, the laughter, the drama, the politics, the shags - as it actually happens during the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe .... That sounded very promising indeed and I'm sure there is plenty to blog about, but when one of your contributors is in London and repeatedly asks the same question ('seen anything good yet?'), and the other two aren't posting much, it has the feel of a lacklustre effort. Blogging isn't difficult, but The List are clearly discovering that blogging well takes effort.
If you really want to know what's going on, stay tuned to Ewan's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast, as well as the moblog.
Comments
Were you both sure to vote on the edfringe.com site?
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