Hot on the heels of the Jazz Festival come The Fringe, The International and The Book.  All of them will receive my patronage: some shows are already booked, some will be grabbed on the wings of good reports, some will be stumbled over by chance and others sold out before I can get to them.  What a treat.

Brief reports on seen so far.

Quietly - Traverse.  Excellent.  Meeting between two men from opposite sides of the Irish troubles. Confrontation yes.  Truth yes. Reconciliation maybe.  A future world without prejudice not likely.

Grounded - Traverse. Very good. Great acting from one woman cast. A bit long. You might say it drones on.  Thought provoking.

Fight Night - Traverse. Excellent. Great fun.  Audience participation and improvisation with a difference.

Have I No Mouth - Traverse. Mmm. Didn't quite live up to the heartbreaking poignant strapline for me but the mother and son argy bargy bits struck a chord.

Long Live The Little Knife - Traverse. The set and opening moments were promising.  The actors worked hard.  I wanted to like it and the audience as a whole seemed to love it but I wasn't too thrilled.

Preen Back Your Lugs - Pleasance Dome.  Brilliant show.  Clever. Comic. Talented cast of six do miracles with a handful of props and a dozen wooden boxes.  A must see before the referendum.