As part of our Surrey in Edinburgh series we sent one of our most experienced theatre reviewers up to the Fringe to see what's going on. Amanda Hodges looks at two of the lighter alternatives on offer at the festival
Each year the Edinburgh Fringe hosts over 3,000 shows and it can be quite overwhelming knowing simply what to choose from the profusion of acts available. Shows like Best of the Fest are ideal as they offer an opportunity to sample ten minute slices of various acts, all neatly sandwiched together and presented amidst the colour and spectacle that is the Palais du Variete. Every day there’s a different selection to tantalise and on the day I attended the quality ranged from the woeful to the superb, the afternoon’s highlight being Nazeem Hussein, a very likeable and quick-witted stand-up who seemed able to tackle pretty much any subject with flair and ingenuity.
But if you’ve seen enough Fringe stuff and have reached saturation point then clearly rest and recuperation are in need. You’ll find nothing more soothing or mellifluous than Ian Millar and Dominic Spencer’s Jazz at Lunchtime, which is exactly as stated, an hour’s top-class jazz standards played in comfortable surroundings where food and drinks are on hand, the perfect antidote to all the madness that engulfs Edinburgh every August. A piano and saxophone combo of the highest calibre, they should be prescribed as necessary therapy for all those who’ve over-gorged on Fringe and Festival fare.
Best of the Fest Daytime is at the Assembly George Square Gardens daily at 12.30pm until August 28 for ticket visit edfringe.com or call 0131 623 3030
Jazz at Lunchtime is at the Novotel, 80 Lauriston Place daily at 12.30pm until August 29 for tickets visit edfringe.com or call 0131 226 0000
You can check out another one of our Edinburgh Fringe reviews by clicking here
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