◆ Trending: Trending: Five Fringe theatre shows awarded the maximum 5 stars
We’re now past the half way stage of this year’s Edinburgh festivals, but there’s still plenty of time to see some of the most talked about shows.
The Brief Life & Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria (Pleasance Dome): The five-strong ensemble gallop through history with an unstoppable vim and vigour. Their razor sharp wit and faultless timing mean the show is very funny, though they never take their material less than seriously. Susan Mansfield
Land Under Wave (Scottish Storytelling Centre): All three tellers are as gutwrenching as they are humorous and the circularity of show is breathtaking in its final moments. The whole package is a potent response to the Anthropocene and what they describe as a need to rewild the human race with stories that reassert the true value of life. Laura Cameron-lewis André and Dorine (Assembly Rooms): The frustrations of looking after somebody with Alzheimer’s aren’t sugar-coated, but this talented company finds humour in unlikely places. And such is the power of mask work, the nuances communicated without a single word being spoken never cease to amaze. Kelly Apter
JM Coetzee’s Life & Times Of Michael K (Assembly Hall): There is still the occasional show that somehow feels like the year’s main event, the one every Fringe-goer should not miss. The Baxter Theatre of Cape Town’s new version of JM Coetzee’s mighty 1983 novel Life & Times Of Michael K is one of those shows. Joyce Mcmillan Beautiful Evil Things (Pleasance Dome): In an ideal world, Deborah Pugh would be cloned and sent into every school in the country to teach history. That way, even the most complicated aspects of the ancient world would become memorable and alive with meaning. Kelly Apter