This is one show that I was urged by a number of people to see. And our boys from Brussels did not disappoint. The appeal of Cirque du Soleil and performances within that genre had previously been a mystery to me. But it is impossible not to become absorbed in the world they have created, their musical mastery and clever clowning.

As they describe it: “in spite of themselves they have discovered that it is better to take gravity lightly and laugh at everything, despair of nothing”.

They present a place where they perform mundane tasks and are advised to control their emotions by an unseen, authoritative voice. Confined together they constantly compete for their own amusement to the unbridled glee of the audience. There are drawn out scenes which may have the minds of some onlookers wandering but invariably this involves patient development that culminates with an impressive punch. Their smart slapstick and slick circus skills have every man, woman and child laughing and gasping in unison.

The sinister, sad clown of Benji Bernard and the smug but admirable premier in Philippe Van De Weghe would be a perfect pair alone. However, there are another two to enjoy. Unlike many troupes at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year, Les Argonautes were formed over a decade ago and have been touring this particular show for three years. Their understanding of one another and their breathtaking routine is the secret to their success and something other acts will envy.

4/5

By Daniel Baird

I got to the room, same room where Carnivale was put on, and I should have know that something was going to be up. Before we go onto the room a guy comes up to us and informs us what is going to happen. There is off sense of urgency in the way he talks to us and very quickly we find out what is gong to happen. We are to put white ties on our person, around the arm or waist, and we will be fully involved in the performance, if we do not want to be part of it then we have to take off the white tie and hold it ar arms length.

101 put on FOUR shows a day, as well as Dracula at midnight, and they rotate all four plays so no play is played at the same time or in the same order. The play we saw was My Other, the other plays our My Choice, My Own, and My Duty. Walking into the room we are split up onto male and female, the women sat down and talked with ease, and the men stood in s circle to the  far right of the women.

There was little said and you couldn’t really hear what the women had been talking about which would add a lot of polite tension later on. For us the performers would take turns walking over to us and talking to us, making us straighten out, touching our shoulders, hands, and getting more close that you would think acceptable.

The performance itself was intense, provocative, and strange. Your not really given much, your not told much but your loyalties fall in line and you feel strangely connected with the cast. As the play starts to remove us from the performance they begin to create a conclusion for this world.

This was incredibly brave performance, they have really taken their time in developing their idea and the cast worked well together. Your connected to it more than you would think and the way the guys talk to you your almost seduced into this world they have created.

C soco (studio 4) 15-30 Aug at 11:00 (0hr40)
Tickets £7.50-£9.50 / concessions £6.50-£8.50
Additional performances daily at 12:00, 13:00, 14:00 Recommended age 16+
To book tickets call 0845 260 1234.

Dracula - C Soco

Much like Doctor Faustus or any number of Shakespeare plays Dracula is a classic that has seen many interpretations, even a Mel Brooks spoof, so I wasn’t sure what I was going to expect from this. Them being the same people behind 101 I thought it would have a certain feel and look to it and I wasn’t mistaken. As the doors open two of the characters walk down the stairs and we are let into the studio, people dotted all over the place, one guy chained to the central pillar. One thing for sure is this adaptation is not going to be your typical Transylvanian story, and gone to are the fangs and capes…this is like nothing you have seen before.

All the cast where dressed in white sans one or two of the members. The studio added a very scary and realistic backdrop of the asylum which was well lit and and the atmosphere was high. Tension between the key performers was frantic and mesmerising and was very physical with the patients throwing themselves on te floor with a real force during one such scene I could swear I saw some bruises on one of their backs.

One of the most  frightening and beautiful scenes came when the doomed youth walked up the central mast which was handled with class and provided a sad, scary, and memorable moment, also the song sung by the lost souls is terrifyingly haunting.

‘The cast were amazing in their roles, they where believable and creative giving you a genuine sense of who there where and what they wanted to do. Their adaptation was not cheap and they seemed to refuse to pander to an audience who wanted to see something ‘easy’ and forced you to follow them. This was a great play to watch by a cast who are putting in one of the most dedicated performance of the fringe this year. Stand out and beautifully done.’

C soco (studio 2a) 15-30 Aug at 24:00 (1hr05)
Tickets £8.50-£10.50 / concessions £7.50-£9.50
Recommended age 14+ To book tickets call 0845 260 1234.

The Love of a Clown takes us on a journey of love, loss, romance, and Paris in the 1900. You are introduced to a white-faced clown, Jacques Raouso as he recalls the full and beautiful life and experiences he has had, the places he’s visited, the people he has met and the inevitable choices he has made. There is something about this production that hits you hard, its honesty, beauty and gentle delivery reaches in and pulls on your heart.

The play is told to us by Jacques, plained incredibly by Chris Kinahan, and we enter his world and his need and want to be loved and accepted, to be with someone. This play works on an extra level by the level of sincerity and truthfulness that we get from Jacques, his eyes body are animated throughout and his energy electrifying.

It’s difficult to review this because the story is so unique and wonderful to watch I feel like I would be ruining it and spoiling it for those lucky enough to get to come and see this. We get to meet some of the people in his life over time, a lonely french Madam, and the love of his life, and a homeless man. The love that Jacques has for others, for making them happy, and giving them more than he ever could imagine is shown in a beautiful and heartbreaking scene.

Jake Linzey, the play’s writer, also did the three puppets that become the external characters in the play that Jacque interacts with. This is handled with care, realism, and understanding that you get completely taken in by their performances and the two work in tight unison bringing together the story of Jacque. Linzey writing is poetic and holds so much love and truth it sticks with you. There is a natural feel to his writing style that allows the play to unfold gently without it fumbling or become drawn, and at all time Linzey ensures his words are those of Jacque himself. At times this play is warm and funny with Kinahan able to entrance you, but The Love of a Clown is a tragedy.

The Love of a Clown is a marvel to behold, its ability to tell this story and for you to fall in love with a performer who gives a steller performance aided quite wonderfully writer and puppeteer Jake Linzey. Their relationship on stage is magic and at times I felt I wanted Jake to give Chris a hug, though this would break that fourth wall, it non the less was one thing I wished he would do.

‘It’s hard to find something at the fringe that you feel is unique enough, there are over 2000 shows and a lot of them are going to be great and vert simular to one another. The Love of A Clown has that rare distinction of being a genuine original, well acted and performed, with a beautifully written script. This is like no other show this year and is one that will touch you immensely.’

C soco (studio 1) 4-30 Aug (not 16) at 18:45 (0hr50)
Tickets £7.50-£9.50 / concessions £6.50-£8.50
To book tickets call 0845 260 1234

Nothing will quite prepare you for this show and I really don’t think a review can do them much justice if am honest, though the nature of the beast being that am a reviewer I guess I will have to say something about Blues Brothers, this show is a storm, their energy was out of this world and they created such a vibe they could have kept going for 2 or 3 hours and it would have kept the same energy. This show is not to be missed.

I was unsure they where going to be able to pull this off, the film is a classic and the music a staple of 80s cinema with the stage shows being some of the most successful touring shows in the world. What this production does is playfully recreate the feel of the film but then takes it up a notch with two incredible leads (Jake and Elwood) create a real feel of a blues club, I only wish it was.

The drummer performed last night spectacularly and she put in her heart and soul, the drumming was fantastic and the music in general was spot on. In such a small, acoustically dubious venue the band where on fire, expressive, well timed, and in total unison. There seemed to be something of a filter on the mikes which at times you could hear but was insignificant and did nothing at all to their performances.

All the classics where there and when Ray Charles came on to Shake Your Tail Feather the crowd went insane and the stage got rammed with audience members, some of whom where from other shows, but most of them people here for a truly original night. Strong vocals, some amazing banter, and a cast who put in the entire souls to this performance, for them of been doing this since the start of the fringe is nothing more than mind-blowing.

Midway though the show Jake tells the crowd that he’s feeling a lot of love in the room and instructs everyone to look at each other, back and forth, across the room and tell a stranger you love them. For a few minutes the lights went up and people where coming over to one another, hugging and shaking hands, kissing, and saying ‘I love you’, was a sight to behold.

‘There have been some pretty stand out live music shows at the fringe this year with Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens &  Virtuous Flock being two such shows, Blues Brothers Live is respectful to the original, perfectly executed by a cast of incredibly gifted musicians who gave a beautiful performance…dont’t even think about missing this. My hat is doffed to these guys!

C (+1) 4-30 Aug at 23:15 (0hr50)
Tickets £8.50-£10.50 / concessions £7.50-£9.50
Universal To book tickets call 0845 260 1234.