On with the Show

At 8:00 in the morning the streets were quiet. An hour later, they were bustling. Luckily, I got to a local breakfast place before the line went out the door.

Breakfast selections ranged from black pudding to haggis and other Scottish delicacies. I went with a simple egg, cheese and hash brown sandwich. It was good and got me ready for my first full day of the Fringe Festival.

My first show was up over the hill on the other side of town, near the University of Edinburgh. I walked through the park where there were an incredible number of strollers lined up. It turns out they have an extensive program for children associated with the festival as well.

My first venue was inside a shipping crate. It was a humorous presentation of five accidents in history and the results, touching on everything from penicillin to Cleopatra to the Titanic. The event was sold out. The performer, noting that the shipping container got a little stuffy and warm, opened the door about halfway through the show. The cool air that rushed in was a welcome relief for the audience.  The room cooled just in time for a woman, dressed as King Richard, to make her appearance.  Spoiler alert: It turns out King Richard the Lionhearted might have been much more French than British.

I grabbed a quick lunch at an Indian restaurant, and moved to a different location for my next event.  It was a one-woman show about being stranded in an airport for six hours.  Her performance took place in a room up a narrow set of circular stairs, in an area that couldn't have been larger than 10 by 20 feet. There were 18 seats in the room, and about half were occupied.

I could see why people have coined the expression "Fringe Fatigue." After just two shows, I was happy to get back to my hotel room and take a little break. 

I saw Dean Friedman in concert back in the US and I've enjoyed his music since the late 1970s. His venue was inside a church built in 1790. That would make it one of the newer churches in town. The acoustics were great and his voice has held up wonderfully over the years. He is a classic singer-songwriter and he set the tone with some personal experiences and stories behind the music.

I returned back to my hotel room in time to catch the fireworks finale at the Royal Tattoo from my balcony.

I've only got two shows on my schedule for tomorrow, so far.  The beauty of the Fringe Festival app is that it makes it easy to find shows and showtimes occurring nearby. That leaves me wide open to select any type of show as my mood dictates. If I can't find anything that strikes my fancy, I can always just watch the street performers.

The energy in this arts community is positive and contagious. It might rain tomorrow, but I doubt that will dampen anyone's spirits.