ZOE THE BALL

  Edinburgh Festival and The Fringe It's August once again, so Sam and I are venturing out across the border to our favourite place to be at this time of year, the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe. Who should we meet but one of our old friends and a favourite of the Pleasance Fringe, Doctor Kaboom. I was enthralled by his show last year as it was about the science of pressure, and as I am a ball, that is the stuff that keeps me inflated! The good doctor does children's shows that are fun, while you learn important science facts without even realising. I can't wait to see what he can teach me and Sam this year! Me and Doctor Kaboom! The Tom Brace Magic Hour After the informative and entertaining Dr Kaboom, we came across another interesting act, this time a magician called Tom who was performing his show at the Plesance Dome. As we watched Tom, I thought this could be the perfect show for me to join, as Tom was funny and very good at magic with much audience participation. Tom ...

Ordinary Decent Criminal Sam and I have decided to put "Ordinary Decent Criminal" at the top of our Edinburgh 2025 blog journey because of the outstanding performance by the usually comic Mark Thomas, who in this play proved to be an outstanding actor. This single-handed play by Ed Edwards was specially written with Mark in mind to play the role, and what a great decision that was. Mark warned the audience before the performance began that his voice was failing him, and so we should lean in to hear him. What came next was a lesson in acting that all aspiring actors should study if they get the chance. Obviously, as a one-man show, Mark played the many characters without fault; the audience was in no doubt which character was in front of them at any particular moment. There was also no sign that Mark's voice was anything but perfect. In addition to his acting performance, Mark was also the stagehand moving large props from scene to scene and back again. Mark received a wel...