5

	Hove Lawns Theatre 14-17, 22-24, 29-31 May, 7:30pm-9:30pm; 18, 25, 27 May, 1 Jun, 2:30pm-4:30pm, 7:30pm-9:30pm; 19, 26 May, 2 Jun, 3:00pm-5:00pm Reviewed by Richard Stamp
Parental Guidance. Under-17's must be accompanied by an adult.

I thought I was bored of circus. At least, I was bored of the sort of circus I’ve so often seen at the Fringe: urban, grungy, and just that little bit too serious to be properly fun. But Bianco isn’t like that. Filled with treats for both the eyes and the ears, it manages to feel both resolutely modern and delightfully vintage – and it’s performed up-close, for a standing audience, which the artists often weave their way right through.

4

	Marlborough Theatre (venue website) Theatre 14-15 May, 9:15pm-10:15pm; 17-18, 23-25 May, 10:30pm-11:30pm Reviewed by Richard Stamp
Family-friendly. Suitable for all ages.

It’s called Stuperstition because he’s Stuart Lightbody, and he’s the South African conjurer taking this Brighton Fringe by storm. In front of a packed-out audience at the Marlborough, he plucked coins from the air, cards from the deck and secret words from the audience’s minds – and with his charming manner and faultless showmanship, it’s easy to see why he’s so popular.

4

	The Old Courtroom (venue website) Theatre 23-26 May, 6:00pm-6:55pm Reviewed by Darren Taffinder
World Premiere.  Parental Guidance. Under-17's must be accompanied by an adult.

What do you when you’re waiting for someone to help you die? If you’re British, you have a cup of tea, and squabble about whether mid-afternoon means three o’clock or the hours between two and four.

4

	The Nightingale (venue website) Theatre 22-24 May, 7:15pm-8:15pm Reviewed by Darren Taffinder
Warning: Contains strong language.  Warning: Contains flashing lights.  Suitable for age 16+ only.

Before the start of the show, performer Mary Pearson spent a few minutes talking to us about our health, and whether we’d spoken to our parents recently. As we climbed up the stairs to the theatre she asked us to each take a handful of beans to symbolise our failures. If I’d known in advance, I would’ve taken the lot; but I thought I’d go light and took two.

4

	Redroaster Coffee House (venue website) Theatre 18-19, 21-24 May, 8:15pm-10:00pm Reviewed by Ben Aitken
World Premiere.  Suitable for age 16+ only.

James is a father of twelve, a widower, and a senior manager at the Guinness brewery in Dublin, circa 1930. Son Tom is working at a pawnshop and is in the habit of pinching his father’s black pudding. Son Jimmy has jumped ship (so to speak) and is living precariously in New York as an émigré, and with James’ wife six-feet-under, local chancer Nellie is all too ready to take on the family burden of inheriting ten properties. There’s a wake, a will, a car-crash, and skirmishes are two-a-penny. Breakfast at Dalkey is high-cholesterol stuff.

3

	The Warren (venue website) Theatre 14, 20 May, 7:30pm-8:30pm Reviewed by Richard Stamp
Warning: Contains strong language.  Suitable for age 16+ only.

There are some plays I admire much more than I enjoy. Cold Comfort is squarely in that category: there’s impeccable acting, strong production values, and a more-than-competent script. But the concept, I think, has a serious flaw, which drags the whole performance down. A one-man play, Cold Comfort features a confirmed alcoholic holding a vigil beside his father’s coffin – and imagining a conversation with both the deceased dad and other missing members of his family.

2

	The Warren (venue website) Theatre 15 May, 6:00pm-7:00pm; 1-2 Jun, 4:00pm-5:00pm Reviewed by Richard Stamp
Warning: Contains strong language.  Suitable for age 16+ only.

A blinded man, eyes symbolically covered by a bright red cloth, sits alone on the stage. He’s a king, we discover, who seized power from a one-time ally – paying the price of his sight, plus an unknown cost to his soul. It’s a striking opening, which promises much from this new devised play. But, I’m afraid, it was largely downhill from there.

3

	Laughing Horse @ The Temple (venue website) Theatre 20-24 May, 9:45pm-10:45pm; 25-26 May, 11:00pm-12:00am Reviewed by Ben Aitken
Warning: Contains strong language and nudity.  Suitable for age 18+ only.

Vesta is an act of violence. It is a series of surreal vignettes that when added together make a grotesque poem. It is a poem which troubles the very idea of theatre; a poem that defies expectation, laughs at convention, destroys politeness. It is very queer indeed, and all the better for it.