Edinburgh Festivals daily guide: 5 August

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By The Newsroom
Published 5th Aug 2014, 17:23 BST
Des Bishop set himself the challenge of learning and performing in Mandarin. Picture: ContributedDes Bishop set himself the challenge of learning and performing in Mandarin. Picture: Contributed
Des Bishop set himself the challenge of learning and performing in Mandarin. Picture: Contributed

REVIEWS

The Hemline Index

It feels like everyone’s trying to tell everyone else what it means “to be a woman”, whether it’s Caitlin Moran or Heat magazine. Rather than lay out what you should or shouldn’t be doing, Portmanteau’s piece simply allows two women to describe their experiences of work, relationships and trying to live up to their own and other’s expectations.

He Had Hairy Hands

Ever thought “wouldn’t it be great to mash-up a 1970s cop drama with a gothic noir supernatural werewolf mystery and set it somewhere like Royston Vasey?” No? Well, thankfully the aptly named young company Kill the Beast have.

Sol Bernstein: Still Standing

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Come and sit at the feet of the man the Mexicans loved so much they named a beer after him and listen to his tales of how his talent, nurtured in the fields of the Ukraine, took him to the Catskills and old age homes across two continents.

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INTERVIEWS

How Des Bishop’s love of China helped to transform its stand-up scene

The Chinese are warming to stand-up and showing the way is Des Bishop. Jay Richardson hears how the comedian set himself the challenge to learn Mandarin and perform in it

Genesis P-Orridge on love, Jesus and pandrogyny

Imagine a married couple so devoted they undergo extensive cosmetic surgery to try to look identical, blurring the lines between gender. Welcome to the world of conceptual artist and muscian Genesis P-Orridge, whose explicit and fascinating exhibition at Summerhall charts the creation of a ‘Pandrogyne’.

Versions of the truth: David Leddy on Horizontal Collaboration

Using UN testimonies and a fresh cast each day, David Leddy’s Horizontal Collaboration asks awkward questions about power and abuse in Africa, says Andrew Eaton-Lewis

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GUIDE

Everything you need to know about the Tattoo

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The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an unmissable spectacle that draws in hundreds of thousands of spectators every year. But how much did you know about the show?

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BLOG

My Fringe: Racing Minds

Popular improv group Racing Minds – Daniel Roberts, Tom Skelton, Chris Turner and Dougie Walker – tell us about their best and worst Fringe experiences

Come Fringe Yourself episode one – watch the trailer

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Come Fringe Yourself with Tom Stade is a brand new Edinburgh Festival chat show. Check out the teaser trailer for episode one.

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DAILY DEALS

Half-price Edinburgh Festival tickets

Today’s selection of half-price ticket deals for Edinburgh Festival shows, from The Scotsman and WOW247.

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