Amy Hanson - Page 7

For all that they take their name and claim inspiration from Scotland's most famous folk duo The Corries, this is no mere tribute act. What Douglas Kay and Martin Philip do take from the band that gave Scotland its national anthem is a spirit of easy banter, from jokes about their own souvenir merchandise to a memorable mid-song duelling guitar section, and a great engagement with the audience, who are very much encouraged to join in, an opportunity they find irresistible.

Amidst all of the questions of what the consequences of next year's independence referendum could be, nobody seems to have asked what would happen to an independent Scotland after a worldwide apocalypse. Until now, that is. Preen Back Yer Lugs offers some excellent satirical points on national identity, immigration and whether being prescriptive about culture is ever worthwhile.

The topical story of Bradley Manning, the young US soldier responsible for leaking millions of military documents and now facing a lifetime in prison, is brought to the stage in a new production by the National Theatre of Wales, which examines what brought an American teenager at school in Wales to become the key figure in one of the most controversial stories in the world today.

Vain actors and productions in the process of going wrong are popular, if tedious, topics for Fringe plays, perhaps in an attempt to acquire an audience of theatrical types who will recognise themselves on stage. "God Bless Liz Lochhead" bucks the trend of such shows, not least by having more to talk about than deluded quirky performers, but also by being a sharp and genuinely funny production.

The Fringe simply wouldn't be the Fringe without shows in bizarre venues. Public toilets, garden sheds and even the front rooms of audience members' homes have all been pressed into service in the past as theatres for a few weeks in the summer. This year, we can add a double decker bus to the list of alternative venues, thanks to Funeral Replacement Service, a production by Ghostbus Tours in their first Fringe venture.

It was with a weary sigh that I read Rupert Christiansen's Telegraph piece on 'Why I won't be going anywhere near the Edinburgh Festival', complaining about the Dionysian mayhem that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe brings to the city every August.

Alan Bissett has been making a name for himself in recent years through novels, plays and insightful contributions to the Scottish independence debate, including his fantastic poem "Vote Britain". He tackles a different contentious issue at this year's festival - pornography. In a spoken word performance at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, he weaves together his own present thoughts with past experiences and the writings of radical feminist Andrea Dworkin to tell the story of how he came to a feminist viewpoint, the development of his thoughts on pornography and the complications that being a man bring to consideration of that topic.

'I'm With The Band' is a topical play with an interesting concept. It is a musical drama about successful indie rock band The Union, who comprise an English lead singer, a Welsh bassist, a Northern Irish drummer and a Scottish lead guitarist, the last of whom has decided he wants to leave the group. It's a cute metaphor for the independence referendum, written by Welshman Tim Price and featuring Gordon McIntyre's catchy score of original songs, all played live on stage by the performers.

Many people in their late twenties and thirties will remember the CITV cult classic Knightmare. Part game show, part fantasy adventure, it kept an adoring audience glued to their televisions every week to watch teams of children guiding a sightless dungeoneer around evil monsters and fiendish puzzles. The show went off the air in the mid-nineties, but lingered in the fond memories of a generation, and now lives on in this new show from Objective talent.

Doctor Who remains one of the UK's most popular television shows, with the BBC planning to broadcast a show during primetime this weekend just to announce the casting of the twelfth incumbent of the title role. So it's no surprise that the Time Lord has found himself the subject of a new musical, in the form of 'I Need A Doctor: The Unauthorised Whosical Adventure'.

DC Jackson's latest work is a well-written and witty bodyswap comedy.

XY is a show with an intriguing concept - it comprises several short plays, all written without specifying gender. It's a great idea, and one that makes you consider just how many writers will default to stereotypes when creating characters. Each performance of XY comprises four short plays, and the opening four provided an interesting mix.