Stage is set for Fringe

FROM big-name comedians to a show where actors wash the audience's feet, it can only be the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Comedian Jimmy Carr, TV personalities Clive James and Nicholas Parsons and performances by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne are among the highlights of the 2009 programme, launched today.

TV star Denise van Outen will be making her Fringe debut in a one-woman musical comedy show, Blondes, at the Underbelly's Cow Barn, while there will also be an appearance by comedy actor-turned reality star Christopher Biggins.

This year will be the biggest-ever festival, with a record 2,098 shows playing at 265 venues. Almost a quarter of the shows will be free, giving a boost to audiences hit by the credit crunch.

Comedy makes up the largest share of the programme, with 35 per cent of shows. Among the hot tickets will be stand-up comics Jo Caulfield, Julian Clary and Stewart Lee. Rhys Derby and Kristen Schaal, stars of the cult hit Flight of the Conchords, will each be performing separate shows.

Actor Bob Golding will bring the legendary comedian Eric Morecambe to life in a new show at the Assembly.

This year's programme also has a more serious side, with dramas exploring the aftermath of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as well as personal accounts of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Guy Masterton's new production, Go To Gaza, Drink the Sea, at the Assembly is expected to be one of the more controversial shows.

There will be a strong Scottish offering to coincide with the year of Homecoming, including new adaptations of Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Girls of Slender Means at the Assembly. A new stage version of the horror film The Wicker Man, is on offer at the Pleasance.

Speaking ahead of the launch today, chief executive Kath Mainland said: "The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the greatest arts festival in the world. Nowhere else can you see such a variety of world-class talent and such a range of work and ideas in one place. The 2009 programme is brimming with energy and inspiration and is packed full of shows to delight , excite, captivate, challenge and entertain."

There promises to be a strong musical line-up, with David Byrne appearing at the Playhouse in the tenth anniversary of the Edge Festival. The Streets, Calvin Harris and The Bluetones will also be appearing, as well as local bands Broken Records and Unicorn Kid.

Promoter Dave Corbet said: "To secure an artist of the stature of David Byrne is fantastic and is testament to the unique nature of The Edge Festival.We've always been keen to support and promote homegrown talent at The Edge, and this year we've secured three of the most exciting and innovative acts in the country."

And of course it wouldn't be the Fringe without some of the quirkier shows. In Foot-Washing for The Sole, Adrian Howell tenderly washes and massages the feet of audience members. Another Heartbreaking But Ultimately Life-Affirming Show About Death will send audiences on a variety of challenges around Edinburgh. And Soul Photography will be the first show presented through online video streaming.

An estimated 18,901 performers will be taking part this year.


WHO'S GOING TO BE A CUT ABOVE?

THEATRE

Highlights of the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe include:

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Assembly: A new stage adaptation of Muriel Spark's most famous work.

Wolfboy, George Square Theatre: Former Steps singer Lee Latchford-Evans and Hollyoaks actor Paul Holowaty make their Fringe acting debuts in a "psycho-sexual musical thriller"

Go To Gaza, Drink The Sea, Assembly: A hard-hitting British-Palestinian collaboration, using drama, dance and music to explore recent events in the Middle East conflict.

Gagarin Way, The Stand: The comedy club's first major venture into theatre is a new production of Gregory Burke's modern classic, a dark comic study of desperation and exclusion.

COMEDY

Jimmy Carr, EICC: The comedian, actor and TV presenter performs a stand-up show.

Clive James, the Gilded Balloon: The writer and broadcaster returns to the Fringe with his popular chat show.

Rhys Darby, the Underbelly: The New Zealand comedian, who stars as Murray in Flight of the Conchords, presents his one-man show.

MUSIC

Denise Van Outen, Blondes, the Underbelly's Cow Barn: The former Chicago star will be performing songs by blonde artists including Doris Day and Madonna.

David Byrne, the Playhouse: The Scottish-American musician, best known as the former Talking Heads frontman, presents his solo show.

The Streets, the Picture House: Mike Skinner and his band return to Edinburgh with their unique blend of rap and hip-hop.

OTHERS

The Chippendales, The Gilded Balloon : Billed as "the ultimate girls' night out", the all-male group return to Edinburgh with their fast-paced, sexually charged show.