FestBuzz

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Welcome to FestBuzz, the Edinburgh Festivals rating site with a difference. We make the traditional Festival word-of-mouth digital by listening in on what the audiences were saying about events, shows and performances.

Our database is fresh for 2010! (Check out last year's, too.)

Search or browse to a show to find out what the word on the tweet is. No need for need hash-tags, @s, DMs or any fancy trickery - we scour Twitter to find out what people were saying, conduct some wizardry to understand it, and assign it to shows.

Our engines are starting, so for now you can browse the listings and wait for magic to happen!

Find out how FestBuzz works and why it's different.

Found an error? Let us know on oops@festbuzz.com.

The FestBuzz Blog features regular exclusive show reviews and other exciting information - don't forget to visit!

Festbuzz recommends
Top 5 shows

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Free

For the fifth year running Scottish-Aussie comic cowboy and PBH's Free Fringe stalwart Ro Campbell hosts an awesome showcase of professional comics from the UK and international circuits. Over the last few years this gig has achieved cult status amongst top level acts who are happy to play a great gig for free in return for promoting their own shows. 2009 acts included Comedy Store headliners and stars of 'Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow', 'Mock The Week' and 'Live At The Apollo'. 'Effortlessly brilliant' (List); 'Top notch!' (Scotsman); 'Funny as hell **** (Skinny); 'Very wrong, rather funny' (Chortle.co.uk).
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Boy with Tape on His Face

The silent comedy show that has created a lot of talk finally comes to Edinburgh. Stand-up with no talking, this show combines absurdity with genius. Through clever and charming humour; 'The Boy' creates a world of possibilities where the only certainty is laughter. You'll laugh, you'll scream and ultimately end up like 'The Boy' - lost for words. This Boy has to be seen to be believed. ***** (Advertiser, Australia); best established comedian, 2009 - Adelaide Fringe; nominated best newcomer, 2008 - Melbourne Comedy Festival.
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I, Claudia

Charting the raw but beautiful interior life of a misfit adolescent, Claudia suffers the triple afflictions of puberty, unpopularity and her parent's divorce. Using four astonishingly expressive masks, writer/performer Kristen Thomson casts a spell of rare, bewitching power. Triumphantly packing houses and receiving standing ovations, it's an award-winning Canadian gem. 'Blissfully funny, unexpectedly touching, 'I, Claudia' is a must see.' (Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star) 'Go and see it!' (Calgary Herald). Directed by Chris Abraham.
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Colin Hoult: Enemy of the World

Chortle Award nominee Colin Hoult returns with a shockingly different character sketch show; a nightmare of paranoia, prejudice and general pissing about. Praise for 2009 sell-out 'Carnival of Monsters': 'Lewis Carroll meets 'The League of Gentlemen'... will draw out laughter from the deepest recesses of your soul' **** (Time Out); 'Comic genius' (Stage); 'A magical, awe-inspiring hour' **** (Daily Express); 'Tear-inducingly funny' **** (Chortle.co.uk); 'Haunting and hilarious' ***** (ThreeWeeks); 'Demands to be seen. Fest Top Ten Tee Hee Acts for 2010' **** (Sun). Must see!
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Man Who Was Hamlet

In his seventh solo show, George Dillon (Herald Angel Award winner: Berkoff's 'Graft') reveals the tragical, comical and utterly scandalous history of the man behind 'Hamlet' - not the illiterate merchant of Stratford, but the real 'William Shake-speare', Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. 'It's easy to see why Dillon's performances have made him the toast of Edinburgh ... direct and absorbing ... A virtuoso display of dramatic range' (BritishTheatreGuide.info); 'An exciting piece of writing, witty and sharp, ironic, comedic and sometimes philosophical and, as usual, a masterclass in delivery and individual performance' (FringeReview.co.uk).

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Art

Three friends. One painting. Winner of Olivier Award for best comedy, Tony Award for best play. 'A remarkably wise, witty and intelligent comedy... 'Art' has touched a universal nerve' (Times). Serge buys a large, expensive and completely white painting... Marc is horrified; Yvan is caught in the middle, distracted by his own pre-marital mess. This brilliant comedy deals with men's friendship, honesty, the obsession with modernism, social status and questions what makes art 'art'. 'Fringe sell-out 2007, 2009.
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Caledonia

Caledonia is a new play by celebrated playwright and satirist Alistair Beaton on William Paterson, a financial adventurer who in 1698 devised one of the most daring and disastrous speculations of all time - to found a Scottish colony in Darien on the isthmus of Panama in Central America and turn Scotland, one of the poorest nations in Europe, into a prosperous colonial power. A co-production between the Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Scotland. Captioned performance Tuesday 24 August 7.30pm. BSL interpreted and audio described performance Wednesday 25 August 7.30pm. Touch tour Wednesday 25 August 6.30pm. Supported through the Scottish Governments Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund.
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Amateur Transplants: In Theatre

Amateur Transplants (Adam Kay and Suman Biswas) are two doctors who sing smutty songs at a piano. iTunes Comedy top 10 continuously since 2008 ('London Underground Song'). Edfringe sell-out 2005-2009. Book early to avoid (ensure?) disappointment. Contains brand new swear words. 'A wonderfully funny way to spend an hour in a basement. A comedy classic' (Scotsman). 'Extremely funny' (Telegraph). 'Genius' (Radio 1). 'Artistically bankrupt. Gives musical comedy a bad name' (Chortle.co.uk). Twitter: @amateuradam @amateursuman
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120 Birds

Based around the international touring tales of 1920s dance companies. Company Elle is born in Australia in 1923 after Anna Pavlova first visits the country. Madam Lou raises and drags her company of four around the world following Pavlova's footsteps and meeting other companies along the way - Denishawn, Florence Broadhurst, Annette Kellerman and the Australian cricket team. Historical fact and anecdote combine with archival music, film and photos and contemporary dance of the time. Humorous, poignant and fabulous, this work is named after the 120 birds Pavlova toured to Australia with in 1929.
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Memory Cells

A deadly battle of wills plays out in this chilling tale of abduction, sexuality, power, and obsession. Barry has convinced himself that holding Cora as his victim is a legitimate act, an expression of love, a necessary protection. But is Cora as weak as she seems, or does she have her own agenda? Double Fringe First winner Hannah Eidinow directs Louise Welsh's chilling new play. Past praise: 'Eidinow's production - most daring and psychologically complex' **** (Sunday Times). Louise Welsh: 'Rarely has such gothic material been treated with such subtlety' (Telegraph).