Pros: A brave attempt at presenting the correlation between quantum physics and Buddhism. Cons: Unengaging delivery With its 80-minute running time, DNA – Alexandra David-Néel is one of the longest shows at this year’s Fringe festival, where most productions sit within the 60-minute mark. Whoever goes beyond that limit aims at allowing enough time for the narrative to build, but this can’t be said for Mariane Zahar’s work, where the dramatic development is muddled and hard to follow. The French woman Alexandra David-Néel ...

Provoking laughter and tears, storyteller James Rowland shares his intimate revelations on the meaning of life and death.

Pros: The director conveys a consistent message using sound, lighting and movement. Cons: The topical existential conflicts within the piece could be expanded. After a car crash in which his girlfriend Tess (Hannah Benson) dies, Max (Nick Young) wakes up in a hospital bed with a great unresolved dilemma. His memories from a distant past blend with those from the last hours before the incident in nightmarish visions dominated by the presence of Jesus (David Anglandand) and Lucifer (Daniel Leadbitter). Haunting him ...

Exploring life and loss, Fellows takes us on a journey in which we hit the sky with laughter before being dropped from a great height.

Pros: All the stories used in this piece are authentic. Cons: The presence on stage of more women than men might send the wrong message. Using real statements from recovering alcoholics, Mark Jeary creates a powerful choir of voices addressing the most common issues related to alcohol abuse. He plays the role of the old timer, joined on stage by Cameron Fulton as the newcomer. Miriam Sarah Doren as has been sober for a year; Camille Marmié has been in recovery for six ...

Pros: This personal drama stands out for its political message. Cons: Zimmerman’s notes on production indicate that the woman is determined not to be a victim, but during the play we see her entirely losing her clarity of mind with a nearly-irreversible fallout. Working as a teacher in a United States school, a woman (Polly Frame) develops a compulsive fear of falling victim to a shooting. She knows it’s only a matter of time before this happens in her establishment ...

Pros: The main characters were phenomenal, especially for being ages 16-21. Not a note, dance move or line out of place. Truly professionals. Cons: The band was way too loud and drowned out the performers. In The Heights, the popular musical by Lin Manuel Miranda, has been chosen by RicNic Theatre Company for their summer show. It tells the story of a group of Latinos living in Washington Heights, New York and the journey they all take, learning about themselves, each other and their ...

If theatre is meant to provoke a reaction, this is an absolute masterpiece.

Familie Flöz co-founder Hajo Schüler tells us about the company's mask work and creative process as 'Infinita' plays the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Pros: Laugh-out-loud funny. Cons: There are some seriously icky scenes. Best friends Lydia (Evangeline Dickson) and Megan (Flora London) are partying in a club, when the latter realises that her period has suddenly started and she hasn’t got any sanitary products. The toilet attendant Winnie (Savanna Griffiths) wants to charge her £2.50 for a tampon, but the young girls don’t have any cash and the bar’s card reader doesn’t work. The only choice for Megan is to wait inside the ...