4

	C aquila (venue website) Theatre 15-30 Aug, 6:15pm (7:10pm)

Here’s a last-minute preview for a show opening tonight, up at C Aquila in the shadow of the Castle.  Stage magician Lewis Barlow won us over in 2009, putting on a low-key, charming, and hugely impressive show to a close-up audience; we could see his every move, but still couldn’t work out how on Earth the tricks were done.  This year, he’s back with a new act in a new venue, but his indisputable command of his craft will surely stay the same.

4.5

	Pleasance Courtyard (venue website) Comedy Until 29 Aug, 11:00pm (11:55pm) Reviewed by Craig Thomson

Late Night Gimp Fight is a five-piece sketch group, highly visible during the 2009 Fringe.  I wasn't able to catch them last time round, but they were a must-see for this year.  And so I found myself in Pleasance Beside, my favourite of the portacabins, at the end of a long, good Wednesday, standing in a long line for a sellout show. It became clear very soon in proceedings exactly why these gimps do their fighting late at night.

4

	C aquila (venue website) Childrens 5-30 Aug (not 17), 12:00pm (12:50pm) Reviewed by Craig Thomson

Greek Myths for Kids is a fascinating adventure into the world of the ancients, a pint-sized clash of the titans that kids and parents alike will laugh with and learn from.  The performance takes in two of the most famous stories from Greek mythology, those of Theseus and the Minotaur, and Perseus and Medusa.  Both tales have an easily-digestible narrative of a hero questing to defeat a monster, and the storytellers evoke the key details in a way that children can relate to and enjoy.

3.5

	Spotlites @ The Merchants' Hall (venue website) Childrens 6 - 22, 28, 29 Aug, 1:30pm (3:15pm) Reviewed by Craig Thomson

Not having a child of my own for cover, I try to be inconspicuous when I attend kids' shows, albeit with my press pass on clear display.  That wasn't possible for Robinson Crusoe The Lost Jedi Knight... on a Thursday afternoon, the place was absolutely packed, every last seat allocated, such that I had to stand at the front while venue staff shouted at the assembled audience to wave if they had a spare seat beside them where this lonely weirdo could sit.  They didn't actually say that last bit, but I offer the story to explain that this show is already wildly popular – and is the latest in a string of hit kids' shows from Spotlites.