Comic Strip at The Fringe: Two Shows to Catch

With the Edinburgh Fringe on now, our readers may already be aware that the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, stars of BBC 3's Comedy Shuffle and Upstaged, whose number includes comic creator Kev F. Sutherland, will be back at this major Scottish arts event with a new show, The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre Goes To Hollywood. They'll be performing at the Gilded Balloon venue every day until Sunday 30th August.

The Socks earned a quick spot on GMTV this week as part of the breakfast's show's coverage of the Fringe - check out their web for their "half second of fame"!



Also at the Fringe is the UK premiere of Scarlattine Teatro's Manolibera, a show celebrating cartoons at the theatre. Written and Performed by Michele Cremaschi, Michele Eynard and Anna Fascendini with music by Django Reinhardt, the show invites the audience to enter the world of the comic book, where the actors interact with the characters and become part of the story. Share the joy and fascination of letting your imagination go in this funny, original and highly visual show.

Drawing on the clowning techniques of Jacques Lecoq and inspired by Dario Fo, Scarlattine intertwine animation, jazz and bubbles in a celebration of life that crosses linguistic and age barriers.

Suitable for all the family, Manolibera is described by its creators as "like the comic story that adults buy for their children only to hide it away to read it for themselves..."

Scarlattine Teatro is part of Espresso! – a selection of four theatre, comedy and dance companies at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival – all performing at C Venues. Sponsored by the Milanese banking foundation, Fondazione Cariplo, Espresso! is part of the Être Project - Esperienze Teatrali di Residenza (residential theatre experiences) that financially supports emerging companies from the Lombardy region in Italy.

Other companies performing at C Venues as part of the Espresso! season include Dionisi with Serate Bastarde (Bastard Nights), Animanera with Or[f]unny and Sanpapiè with Boh!

In addition to comic strip-inspired shows there's a wealth of comics at The Fringe this year, too!

• Manolibera runs until Monday 31st August at 15:55hrs (16:55hrs) at the C VENUE (venue 34). Tickets are £6.50-£11.50. Box Office: 0845 260 1234

• Fringe Tickets from: www.CtheFestival.com or on the door of venues


• Manolibera italian Web Site (In Italian)

• Scarlattine Teatro Web Site

• Luna e Gnac Web Site