3

	Redroaster Coffee House (venue website) Theatre 11-13, 17-20 May, 8:00pm-9:00pm Reviewed by Richard Stamp
Family-friendly. Suitable for all ages.  2-for-1 tickets for Friends of the Fringe members.

To my mind, when assessing any production of The Importance of Being Earnest, you have to start with the handbag.  Lady Bracknell’s outraged exclamation must be one of the best-known lines in theatre; it’s what the whole audience is waiting for, and nobody’s truly relaxed until it’s safely in the can.  In this adaptation, the handbag moment is done curtly and snappily – an imaginative but faithful interpretation, which didn’t feel quite as funny as it could or should have been.  And that, I think, is an equally fair way of summing up the remainder of the play.

2

	The Happy Cell Theatre 10-13, 18-20, 23-27 May, 7:30pm-10:30pm Reviewed by Jonathon Manning
Suitable for age 15+ only.  World Premiere.

Christopher Marlowe’s “Dr Faustus” is the classic tale of a scholar who sells his soul to the Devil.  In a return for Faustus’ soul Lucifer grants the theologian a servant, the spirit Mephistopheles, to do his bidding for “four and twenty years.”  Tanglehead Productions experiments with a number of techniques in an attempt to engage their audience and capture Faustus’ inner turmoil.

4

	The Old Courtroom (venue website) Events 18, 25 May, 2:00pm-3:00pm Reviewed by Darren Taffinder
Suitable for age 18+ only.

I wish my history teachers had been more like Kathryn Ferry. At my school history was boring – a bit like reading a story with all the best parts taken out. As I’ve gotten older, the likes of Horrible Histories on CBBC have proved to me that history is anything but dull. And in the right hands, even the humble beach hut can be fascinating.

5

	The Big Red Van Theatre 14-27 May, 12:00pm-6:00pm Reviewed by Richard Stamp
Warning: Contains strong language.  World Premiere.

In a Fringe full of personal reflections on the topic of mental health, In My Shoes is unique – for it places us, the audience, at the heart of the story.  It’s a radio play, in essence, professionally produced and recorded by the young Post-It Productions company.  As you listen, intimately and privately through earphones, to a distressed character’s inner reflections, you’re invited to imagine it’s your own thoughts you hear.  And thanks to compelling voice acting – matched by skilled editing and delicate use of audio effects – the 40-minute immersive piece triumphantly succeeds.

4

	Dip Your Toe at West Pier (venue website) Theatre 12-13, 19-20 May, 1:00pm-1:20pm, 1:20pm-1:40pm, 1:40pm-2:00pm, 2:30pm-2:50pm, 2:50pm-3:10pm, 3:10pm-3:30pm, 4:00pm-4:20pm, 4:20pm-4:40pm, 4:40pm-5:00pm Reviewed by Richard Stamp
Family-friendly. Suitable for all ages.  World Premiere.

Five people sit round a cloth-covered table, in a tiny, darkened room.  If you’ve visited a camera obscura before, you’ll know what to expect when the fabric’s whisked away; if you haven’t, prepare to catch your breath.  Recreated for the Fringe in a travelling bathing machine, this marvel of Victorian invention projects live pictures from the beach outside, with an elegance and fidelity entirely unmatched by modern CCTV.

3

	Metrodeco (venue website) Theatre 15-17, 19-20 May, 7:30pm-9:00pm Reviewed by Lynne Morris
Warning: Contains strong language.  World Premiere.  2-for-1 tickets for Friends of the Fringe members.

Written, produced and directed by the young Ben Aitken, The Cafe is an enjoyable and entertaining observation of today’s multi-layered working world. Performed in the setting of a pretty cafe in Brighton's Kemptown, the piece offers a fly-on-the-wall view of the inner workings of an ordinary business. Multiculturalism, globalisation, the challenging economic climate, class and the idealism of youth are among the plethora of relevant and current topics touched upon in the 90-minute performance.

3

	Visitor Information Centre (venue website) Tours 5, 9-12, 16-19, 23-26 May, 6:30pm-7:30pm Reviewed by Richard Stamp
Family-friendly. Suitable for all ages.  World Premiere.  2-for-1 tickets for Friends of the Fringe members.

Liberals in power; claims of broken promises; disorder on the streets.  It might sound like yesterday, but it’s 100 years ago – and it’s the evocative backdrop for Karen Antoni’s meticulously-researched walkabout, informed by the archives of the long-gone Brighton Herald and of course, the Argus.  Starting at the Pavilion and finishing close to Western Road, there’s a fair amount of walking on this hour-long tour, but it’s well-rewarded by a wealth of detail compiled by Helen Waddup and members of the Brunswick Westward University of the Third Age.