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Audiences get a slice of the creative action with this inspired DIY musical

The Briefing ARTS AND CULTURE NEWS

One of our Fringe reviewers reveals what it’s like to get in on the act Words: Kirstin Innes

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A showstopper A s a critic, I favour stealth and subtlety. Get in quickly, do not sit in the front row or anywhere else where the cast can see your notebook, and sneak out the back during the curtain call. I certainly don’t usually sit on stage, with the director stopping proceedings to ask me what I think, or take centre stage during the curtain call, serenaded by the cast.

Every night in the Gilded Balloon Teviot, the cast of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical sweat their socks off to come up with a different, er, improvised musical. Usually they build up each show from audience suggestions but Sundays are Critics’ Shows, where the show is created around a review of an imaginary musical. For this, they need one critic. Hello. From a checklist of suggestions from The List’s Twitter followers (‘a llama!’ ‘Meatloaf!’ ‘a Greek chorus of evil City bankers!’) Big Society: The Musical, set in a dystopian near-future Newcastle ravaged by public-sector cuts, was born. Director Dylan Emery had

BOOKS Iconic Edinburgh story Trainspotting takes centre stage as the book’s author Irvine Welsh does his bit for charity. A screening of the film will be held at the Dominion Cinema in Edinburgh on Wed 1 Sep to mark the 10th anniversary of charity Scottish Love in Action (SLA), featuring a Q&A with Welsh, as well as the launch of a competition allowing the winner of the prize the chance to be immortalised in Welsh’s new book, Skagboys, the prequel to Trainspotting, due out in 2012. All proceeds from the competition and screening will go to SLA, which provides funding to a grassroots non- governmental organisation running projects in the southeast Indian state of Andra Pradesh, caring for nearly 600 once destitute children in special facilities that double up as home and school. Tickets are £20 and available at www.sla-india.org SHOP Edinburgh says hello this month to another independent fashion boutique, Arkangel and Felon on William Street. Fronted by husband and wife team Sarah Cosgrove and Andy Kidd, and located on the site of the former Arkangel shop, the space has undergone a major facelift, and is set to showcase a mix of fashion including Ilse Jacobsen clothing; Lilith; Anonymous by Ross & Bute; Leona Edmiston; Lolly’s Laundry; and accessories from brands such as Asui and Jago. Jewellery has been created by Fiona Paxton, while Wilbur and Gussie provide the clutch bags.

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encouraged me to write anything I want to see on stage, and to be honest, this Fringe has been far too wimpily apolitical for my liking.

I wasn’t prepared for just how good the Showstoppers are, though. From my 250 words evolved a moving, bloody (and bloody hilarious) story of socialist revolution, complete with villainous Tories and David Cameron having a Bowie moment astride a llama. At times, I had to remind myself that the songs I was hearing hadn’t existed before that moment how could they? I’d made them up. Equally impressive was the way the cast created genuinely emoted characters and movement sequences from a line or two of suggestion. Had I actually been reviewing, I would have slapped five fat stars on the Showstoppers (then docked one for that excruciating curtain call moment).

To read Kirstin’s review for Big Society: The Musical, visit www.list.co.uk/bigsocietymusical

THE DARK LORD COMETH Love him or loath him, it’s sure to be a fascinating night at the Edinburgh International Book Festival when the Prince of Darkness heads to the capital. Following the recent furore surrounding the penning of his swiftly scribed memoirs, Peter Mandelson slinks into Charlotte Square to discuss his recent tome The Third Man: Life at the Heart of New Labour. Talking about the highs and lows of New Labour and his recent service to two Prime Ministers, Mandy will appear with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme presenter James Naughtie on Sun 29 Aug, 8pm. See www.edbookfest.co.uk for more.