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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Soap! The Show

'Awe inspiring' (Stage). Trapeze, stunning acrobatics and water antics abound in this refreshingly fun, exciting and sexy show. Sound interesting? Come and be refreshed. The all singing, all dancing water show! 'Family friendly fun' (Time Out). Dazzing, daring and dangerous, you will be amazed by the agility of the eight acrobats as they perform beautiful and stunning routines in, on and around multiple bath tubs! 'Fantastic' (Metro). Bath time will never be the same again.
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Spring Awakening

Scottish premiere of the radical, explosive and powerful multi-award-winning indie rock musical inspired by Wedekind's banned masterpiece; says the unsayable about sex, religion, freedom and growing up. 'Sheer lyrical beauty' ***** (Independent).
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Azincourt

'Azincourt' is the best bet on the Fringe. Willington School (Wimbledon), on its first Edinburgh visit, brings an extraordinary new musical written and directed by NYMT founder, and seven times Fringe First winner, Jeremy James Taylor. Music by David Nield. Based on extraordinary and tragic events at the Battle of Azincourt as experienced by the young lackeys of Henry's baggage train and the children of the Chapel Royal. Exciting, unusual dramatic theatre, ideal for all ages. Beautiful period music and spectacular staging with a dramatic and challenging final twist! Cast of 10-13 year olds. Period orchestra. Perfect for the whole family.
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Tales from the Blackjack

Hold tight to your seats as you are taken at breakneck speed through the mysterious and mesmerising world of the Casino. A straight-talking Glaswegian croupier introduces three exhilarating accounts of life inside the four walls of the gambling superhighway, stripping away the glitz and glamour to reveal a harsh reality of debt and desperation. Have you ever wondered how you turn a normal human being into a dependant gambling addict? Find out the answer in this energetic tale of corruption and despair, kung fu fights and insane heights.
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Improverts

The Improverts are now entering their third decade of highly-acclaimed improvised comedy at the Bedlam Theatre. The show is based on short-form improvised comedy games, as the players partake in spontaneous sketches inspired by audience suggestions. Each performance features a different combination of players and games to create an hour of quick-witted comedy. It is cheap, hilarious comedic brilliance, and best of all, it's all down to the audience. Always different, always funny. 'Never fails to make you laugh out loud' (BroadwayBaby.com); 'Riotously funny... so joyous that I didn't want this show to end' (Edinburgh Festivals Magazine).