YOUR GUIDE TO EDINBURGH'S FESTIVALS
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ED2019 Comedy ED2019 Preview Edition ED2019 Theatre ED2019 Three To See
Three To See 2019: Political Shows
By Caro Moses | Published on Friday 19 July 2019
ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Caro Moses helps you navigate the Festival with her Three To See tips. This time three political shows.
Alex Kealy: Rationale | Just The Tonic At The Caves | 1-25 Aug (pictured)
There are always loads of political shows at the old edfringe, not least because – some would argue – all theatre is political. I’m not sure whether all comedy is political or not. I am pretty sure I can think of lots that isn’t. But our first act definitely has a reputation for his political comedy. Alex Kealy’s set this year focuses on rationality: how we prize it in arguments and in politics, but also how it’s not really how our politics are informed. Instead we form opinions based on emotional responses and then try to justify them with the rational after the fact. Looking forward to seeing him talk about that. Listing here.
Sid Singh: Laughing Horse @ The Counting House | 1-25 Aug
“The world is filled with hate. Good! There’s nothing wrong with hate. The problem is you’re bad at it. Let comedian, human rights lawyer and the guy who helped beat Donald Trump in court in January, Sid Singh, teach you how to hate! At the very least, even if you foolishly don’t learn to hate, you’ll laugh a lot!” OK, well I am mostly convinced by that blurb, to be honest, but also because we first noticed Sid Singh when he arrived at the Fringe last year and he’s a very interesting guy. Absolutely one for your to-see list. Listing here.
Standard: Elite | Bedlam Theatre | 31 Jul-25 Aug
And finally, in this Three To See of things political, we’re leaving the comedy pages and heading over to the theatre section of the programme for this fun and interactive theatre experience about class and privilege. “There are two types of ticket. Everyone gets a Standard ticket. You have to earn an Elite ticket. Together, we’re going to tell a story… of a girl from Lowground spun from spiderweb and a boy from Highground carved from clouds. Standards work to build the story, Elites control which path the story takes. That’s fair, right?” Um, yeah, maybe. Listing here.
