3

	Sweet Grassmarket (venue website) Music 3-9 Aug, 2:15pm-3:15pm Reviewed by Lynne Morris
Family-friendly. Suitable for all ages.  Free and unticketed. No pre-booking required.

Local singer Paw Lawson is the star of this relaxed and intimate afternoon show. Following a sell-out show in 2001, she is flanked by pianist Tom Finlay and Ed Kelly on double bass as they perform songs by the renowned pair Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The show is clearly a labour of love as Lawson shares anecdotes and tales gleaned from plentiful research on two of her most adored performing icons. The music is all personally selected, and is performed with according affection.

In retrospect, my expectations of the show were ambitious. I foolishly envisaged a stage full of dancers flying around the stage capturing the energy and dynamism of the duo. How Lawson was supposed to do this in what is effectively a one-woman show, I do not know! Despite my naïve disappointment, it is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon and as Lawson herself admits from the off, she can’t dance, so concentrates on the singing instead.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – A Celebration in Song is a very pleasant musical journey, with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. You can expect to hear a good selection of their music as Lawson picks through their archive and warmly interacts with the audience. Lawson is keen to ensure that her public are involved and wholeheartedly supports singing along throughout. A 90-year-old birthday boy is plucked from the front row at one point to join Lawson in a fleeting few moments of tap dancing.

This show is not about Lawson accurately emulating Rogers’ singing voice, nor about the dancing. It’s a trip down memory lane. Lawson is charismatic and adorable. If you demand high-octane performances from your fringe experience, do not pick this one (I have to admit it won’t be on my own to-do list for 2013). But alternatively, if you love the music of Fred and Ginger and would benefit from an hour of musical relief amidst the chaos of the city this could well be the show for you.