Help! My girlfriend has dragged me to Edinburgh

When: 18th-21st, 23-28th August at 13:35 Where: Assembly George Squart Studios (Venue 17) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Really well developed storyline through the extreme difficulties of the business world. It's not just suits and sunshine. Very very funny and a really well polished performance. Some great monologues thrown in too. Very impressed. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 A great piece of absurdist comedy which everyone that has ever worked in an office will able to relate to. The plot is quite limited but the actors work well with what they have been giving and all four deliver an engaging experience.

When: 18th-20th, 22nd-26th at 15:00 Where: Underbelly's Circus Hub on the Meadows  (Venue 360) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 This was a bit of a let down to be honest. Always chose to see one acrobatics piece a year and whilst the activities done in this piece were impressive it lacked a star quality that these types of performances need. There was no tying together of the acts in my opinion, not always needed but it helps. The opening made no sense and I didn't feel like the dance portion was particularly well rehearsed. It's good for younger ages maybe but not for the elder viewer The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 I can't deny that the cast were talented and did some impressive acrobatic tricks. However, the format of this show didn't quite work. The idea of it being the childrens' dream was unnecessary, all we got was a creepy projection of a man talking at the beginning. The very opening aside the first sequence was very impressive and high ener

When: 20th-28th August at 22:15 Where: Underbelly, George Square (Venue 300) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Absolutely love this show! The actors in this are brilliant and there quick wordplay was very very impressive. It has been running here for quite a long time as a concept and so has had more time to refine it's art the land the showtime variety and you can really see that. There's something art boutique Shakespeare and Alcohol that was just meant to be. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 I've never seen Romeo and Juliet end quite like this and I don't recall a dinosaur being in the original script. Back in the bard's day booze flowed quicker than water so I likr to think Shakespeare would love this! I laughed pretty much the whole way through. Last night's drunk was on top form, slurring his words, making lines up, going on about misogyny and trying to teach Juliet about bum sex. The cast are excellent at dealing with the drunk -

When: 18th-19th, 21st-26th August at 20:50 Where: Greenside at Nicolson Square (Venue 209) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 This was really really interesting. Definitely makes you think about what the director is trying to get across without making any reading to be too inaccessible. To me it felt like a cross between inside out and Captain America: civil war. Their is a lot of violence and as with a lot of action movies there is only so many ways you can punch someone. But outside of these there are some truly beautiful moments. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Great piece of physical theatre showing the struggle for the last innocent character to destroy evil. I feel this piece is open to interpretation and I saw it as a person's inner struggle to fight off darkness. This show is aesthetically very pleasing, a range of colour with a simplistic, yet creative set and a strong lighting design. The sequences were well choreographed, although it got a bit repetitive

When: 18th-27th August at 19:25 Where: Assembly George Square Gardens (Venue 3) Ben's review: 🌟 This show will not be winning anything anytime soon. For one the title is completely misleading there is no history in this show if you go in expecting a musical romp through the jurassic era culminating in a victorian garden party then you will be very let down (not bitter ). The show relies heavily for any laugh on an over characterisation of certain segments of society that only drives a bigger wedge between different backgrounds and has the very disappointing ending message of don't be yourself. Add this to a very poor vocal performance, some sloppy writing and choreography that was basic at its best. A positive... erm... well if the desired effect was to show that the lead character couldn't act then they certainly succeeded. Plus overran by 15 minutes. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 I feel like I was missing something here as I just didn't get it. I&#

When: 18th-20th, 22nd-26th August at 6pm Where: Underbelly's Circus hub on the Meadows (Venue 360) Additional performance: August 22nd at 23:45, Underbelly George Square (Venue 300) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 This was a much better performance than I was expecting. The songs were on point and her jokes were very funny, if you've watched RuPauls Drag Race. That show has made such drag acts accessible to the public and you can really see the benefit in Courteneys show. If you haven't watched drag race then certain bits might go over your head but you'll still be able to enjoy the incredible vocal range and her on stage antics. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 This woman's vocal range is absolutely incredible! She hit some beautiful notes as she took us through a wide range of music from Australian performers, my personal  favourite song was her unique take on the Bee Gees 'Staying Alive'. Vocal talents aside she looked incredible, w

When: 17th-19th, 21st-26th August at 22:15 Where: theSpace at Surgeons Hall (Venue 53) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 This was very similar to the style of fourth monkey (one of my favourite groups) so if you like them then you'll love this. Artistry in the movement and the minimalism is really thought provoking. I love it as a piece of art, however there are one or two areas that could be improved. Wardrobe might want to rethink the tightness of some of its clothes (sometimes it was a little too graphic). It took me a little too long to follow and understand the characters. And usually following these shows I find there is some kind of modern day message or spin that in this performance was lost on me.  But still very beautiful. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟   This performance was beautifully done and real emphasis was put on the chorus (a key part of any Greek play). Each chorus section had a different approach and all were done with great artistry. The perform

When: 17th-27th August at 13:45 Where: Laughing Horse at City Cafe (Venue 85) Ben's review: 🌟🌟🌟 Good, funny, nothing ground breaking. It really does put performers to the test. Some do rise up to it, I thought the dirty white boys played the game really well but was let down by other acts who were not able to cope. It is a very difficult skill after all and there isn't much time to do it. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 We saw this last year and decided to go back as it is a good laugh plus it is on the free fringe! Four acts perform and then swap acts. Dirty White Boys were standout performers in my eyes they delivered the strongest sketches and then they covered Tamar Broadbent's act perfectly... bringing her stand up act to life through sketches (particularly enjoyed seeing one of them having his eyebrows permanent makered on). The solo performers weren't quite so strong and the show was stolen by an audience member asked to play a snake.

When: 17th-20th and 22nd-26th August at 15:30 Where: Pleasance Dome (Venue 23) Ben's review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 I'm giving this a good score as a piece of emotional theatre. It really does bring home the difficulties and frailties of being in that position. And the legislative theatre at the end will be a really useful tool (if a good crowd is involved). There are a couple of elements I'd have liked to see explored further ( humanisation of council staff and preventative action before eviction) but there is only so much time and this is a pressure group piece so I will forgive that. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Cathy is a story that needs to be told. Marking the company's 25th anniversary, the strong four person cast tells the heartbreaking story of Cathy's journey through the housing system. I was close to tears at some points  as Cathy Owen, in the title role, perfectly showed a mother's desperation to keep a roof over her daughter's head

When: 15th-19th August at 6pm Where: Cabaret Voltaire (Venue 338) Ben's review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Really fun and good audience interaction. I enjoyed pretty much all of it apart from the room size, definitely deserving of a bigger room! It's free fringe as well so well above expectations. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Down to earth, resting bitch-faced Stella shares my hatred for people that don't wash their hands and middle lane hogs... so naturally I loved her. She has a knack for storytelling with her body language and facial expressions perfectly complimenting the tales.

When: 17th-28th at 19:30 Where:  Laughing Horse at the Free Sisters  (Venue 272) Ben's review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It's not as emotionally charged as Cathy but Leo Kearse has some big radiiactive balls to take such a show up to Scotland! A lot of great material, politics usually creates quite a bit, and some quite useful lessons about capitalism and energy. Laugh a minute brilliant RIP Boat McBoatface The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Disclaimer: I didn't come out of the show a Tory. Leo Kearse is brave to stand in front of a Fringe audience and declare that he is a Tory. He doesn't do much to soften theit image but he makes a lot of fair points that the Tories are progressive. The act goes off on a bit of tangent and we get stories about his radioactive penis.... but I laughed almost consistently through this performance.

When: 16th-27th August at midnight Where: Assembly George Square Gardens (Venue 3) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 If this is the best of burlesque then I worry for the art form. There were a couple of stand out acts, Amy Darling and Sheer Madness were exceptional and lived up to my expectations that I would see again. I was what they have termed  a burlesque virgin having only encountered such things in the namesake film so maybe I am not the best to judge but there was more out there than should have been and too little left to the imagination. Nipple tassles and dancing do not make a show. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 With the exception of two standout acts: Amy Darling and Sheer Madness the rest of this show was pretty poor (thankfully for the cast most of the audience were too drunk to notice). The host was okay but talked too much. We could have done with a bit more creativity from the other performers.

When: 16th-28th August at 20:00 Where: Just the Tonic at the Mash House (Venue 288) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 I think a woman next to us nearly died! She was hilarious, with some very relatable stories. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟   Sasha took us on a journey through her crazy life: unwanted pregnancies, break ups and accidental pet slaughter. I was in stitches, some things I probably shouldn't have laughed at but I couldn't help it! She engaged well with the audience and I felt as though we really connected with her personality. Animal activists and kitten lovers probably shouldn't watch this.

When: 17th-27th August at 21:30 Where:  Underbelly Cowgate (Venue 61) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 Yes they are funny and you will laugh but it seems somewhat chaotic all times. They are very good at understanding their audience but in the seeing we went to it felt very much like an in joke. Slightly too much do over and it all got really serious at the end. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 This show is full of energy and a step into the warped minds of Zach and Viggo. Audience interaction is forced on you, you may get sprayed with water (from their mouths) or tickled if you don't look happy enough - personally I love that kind of stuff. Zach corpses quite a bit but that is all part of it. I left wondering how on earth they came up with most of these sketches (smoking weed, according to Viggo) with a smile on my face.

When: 16th-20th, 22nd-26th August at 18:45 Where:  Bar Bados Complex (Venue 32) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 Some very strong performers carried this group I felt.  Did a huge variety of one word which was hilarious and managed to tie it all together at the end in a wierd way. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 I'm not entirely on board with this format for improv. Taking one word from the audience "music" (not very inspiring, we wanted cannibalism!) Creating a first sketch from this and then taking one thing from a sketch to the next one and so on. I couldn't help but think that using just one word from the audience makes it lack the spontaneity that other improv formats have. There were some great sketches but the show was held up by a couple of strong performers and featured one that looked like she had been dragged of the street and had no idea how to improvise

When: 16th-28th August at 16:55 Where: Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Watched this a couple of years ago when I had only seen the first season and it went completely over my head, this time I was fully prepared and only most of it went over my head. Musical numbers were great (beginning to be a theme in my reviews), grasp of contemporary comedy well worked in  and they did fit a lot into a short space of time - there's 7 seasons to be fair! The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 This show is for Game of Thrones fans only. I was laughing practically from start to finish. I'm impressed at the amount of content they managed to fit into a show just over an hour long. The show was full of in jokes and gave us a great taste of all the characters. Unfortunately we had to relive Hodor's death, just when we thought we were over it.... but this song was beautiful. Definitely worth a watch!

When: 16th-20th, 22nd-27th August Where: Assembly Hall (Venue 35) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 This suffers from the problem that the movie has in that the second act feels a bit messy. But that's not a problem with this production it's strengths lie in solid acting, artistic choreography and some brilliant group numbers.  Thoroughly enjoyable. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Into the Woods is a twisted fairytale featuring a number of well known characters including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel. This cast was full of strong performers especially Caroline Lyell (the Witch) and Philippa Cassar  (Cinderella). Sondheim's music is not easy to tackle but the cast nailed it. The choreography and use of staging was excellent.  I have always found the second act of this play doesn't flow and feels a bit desperate to pad out the show, but the cast did well with the material and I left the show singing "Into the Woods to Grandmother&

Well this is the first time we've seen a show start with "Maff Brown can't make it today so I will be standing in his place. Can you give me 2 minutes to pop to the loo as I ran most of the way here". At this point Ben gave me a look of "what have you just brought me to" especially as we were planning a different free fringe show but I changed my mind at the last minute. So instead off Maff Brown we got Jake Lambert.  Ben's review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Not who I was expecting to see so as a stand in Jakes performance was outstanding.  Very funny jokes and worked the room well, loved it. The Girlfriend's review:  🌟 🌟 🌟  Jake did were to handle an audience expecting a different comedian. He interacted well with the audience especially a family with two young children. His performance was entertaining but forgettable. I wouldn't jump to watch another show of his but I laughed at the time. 

When: 15th-28th August Where: Underbelly Med Quad (Venue 302) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Fun, very fun. Some brilliant improvisation and a steely determination from Dorothy to just keep going. As the baby sibling to shitfaced Shakespeare a lot is expected and it doesn't quite reach the same heights but you won't leave this disappointed. The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Is this good quality theatre?.... no. But it is absolutely hilarious. For last night's performance we witnessed the drunk scarecrow "sassing" his way through the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. His references to Ru Paul's Drag Race, demands of Dorothy to be more sassy (as she had the silver shoes on), and stealing the Witch's heals were right up my street. There was a couple of moments of "that was clearly staged" but it was absolutely hilarious. Stand out performance for me came from Dorothy. Her singing was incredible especially when the scarecrow insisted she nee

When: 15-19th, 21st-26th August at 19:30 Where: Greenside at Infirmary Street (Venue 236) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 This is a real shame because the story translation is done really well and the actors do a very good job. The problem is that it is quite boring - Not helped by a noisy fan, uncomfortable chairs and some clumsy backstage movements. @Benleftalone The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 The writer's did well at telling a modern story in a Shakespearean style. We could particularly see the inspiration from Macbeth. The acting was decent but nothing special. For me it was let down by the directing. Placing Pistorious to the side and slightly behind the audience during the trial didn't work for me. There were a number of scenes that looked flat and then a lot of circling witnesses during the trial. To be honest the show felt dull.

When: 16-28th August at 17:20 Where: C Venues (Venue 34) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Nonsensical. Mad. I dont know what I just watched but it was brilliant. Some very quick minded actors led to lots of hilarity, a couple of shaky moments but that is all part of the fun. @Benleftalone The Girlfriend's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Well this was the first time I've seen a musical set in a pickle jar with the Doctor popping in. I'm not entirely sure how to describe what we saw! Stand out performances came from the blue shirted man playing "Pickle Rick" and the burgandy shirted lady playing a "Pickled Onion". There were a few crossed wires with plot lines (oh the perks of improvised theatre) and I'm a little disappointed that the lady playing the "Doctor" said her show had been running 13 seasons (try 50 years!) But I did thoroughly enjoy the one off performance of "The Tight Lid".

When: 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26   at 15:45 Where: theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39) Ben's review: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 A satirical look at the TV industry that isn't too ridiculous to imagine. Funny, well acted and worth a visit. @Benleftalone The Girlfriend's review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 This piece provided an excellent commentary on society's obsession with reality TV, that constant hunger for surprising and innovative entertainment. This piece was well written and well acted. Definitely worth a watch although a slightly disturbing (but my opinion accurate) interpretation of how murder would be perceived on national television.

When: 14th-19th August at 13:10 Where: TheSpace on the Mile (Venue 39) Ben's review : 🌟 🌟 🌟 This show has the potential to be very funny in moments. Aided by some very good acting from the grandparents the general message of the show does come across. However there are a number of themes left underdeveloped throughout which leaves the viewer with an unfulfilled feeling. @Benleftalone The Girlfriend's review:  🌟🌟 Chips and Cheese was intended as a lighthearted comedy piece showing the differences between Scottish and English people. The acting started off a little wooden (this may have been first show jitters) but improved once "Harry" arrived on stage and the jokes started flowing. The grandad was particularly well written and well  acted. What let the show down, and my rating reflects this, is the plot lines that were not developed. I was particularly frustrated by the suggestion that one of the characters was sexually assaulted. This issue was m