Review: One Man Lord of the Rings **

For the last two years, Charlie Ross has delighted Edinburgh audiences with his fast, frantic and inspired one-man blast through the Star Wars trilogy.

This year, he's back with his other show - One Man Lord of the Rings. Filled with the same ingenious impersonations, physical comedy, sound effects and asides which break the fourth wall, this show suffers only from its choice of subject matter.

Whilst nearly everyone in Ross' target audience group knows the Star Wars movies backwards, there are an ever-decreasing number who are as intimately familiar with each of the three LotR movies. So, whilst his Gollum is spot-on and his re-enactment of massive battle scenes is great fun to watch, most of the references are lost on an audience who maybe have only seen the first film in the trilogy.

It works best when he's spoofing the material - such as the references to Orlando Bloom's hair or the self-aware "insert the next DVD now" lines, but all too often you find yourself agreeing with the audience member who shouted out "do Star Wars!" half-way through.

One Man Lord of the Rings' run is now over.

Review: Love Machines by Kataklo **

Italian-based athletic dance company Kataklo brought a stunning sport-themed show to the Fringe 2 years ago, with the troupe performing a series of vignettes that were stunningly beautiful and visually awe-inspiring.

I therefore had high hopes for their return this year with Love Machines, a show inspired by the drawings and inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci. Indeed, their show, running at the Assembly Music Hall, is once again full of wonderful imagery, magnificent lighting and expertly-thrown shapes and poses, performed by a finely-honed and attractive cast.

However, where the previous show benefited from a series of short, varied pieces, Love Machines is hampered by a single abstract tale, told with pacing that is at times tortously slow. Two humans are visited by mysterious beings who inspire and release them from their toil and drudgery. Far too much time is spent where very little actually happens, with the characters playing the humans on stage alone for lengthy periods, striking poses and moving gracefully but never exploiting the full potential of the beautiful set, lighting and costumes.

Some moments are wonderful in terms of visuals and spectactle, but it's unfortunate that these machines seem to be set to a speed which is far too slow.

Love Machines runs until August 31st (not Mondays) at the Assembly Rooms. £13 (£12 concession)

Feasting on Flesh **

We were given free tickets to see this show whilst drinking in the Assembly Rooms and it fitted into the schedule (although the plans for an early night were quashed).

Feasting on Flesh is a burlesque cabaret show performed by 6 Australian players, four men and two women. The theme of food runs throughout, and we are therefore treated to the sight of a naked girl being tightly wrapped in clingfilm, a fat drag artist stuffing his face, and an impatient diner getting cake stuffed up his backside.

Bits of this worked, bits didn't, and despite the nudity and bawdiness, this wasn't quite as shocking as the cast probably believed it to be. That said, it was free and an interesting enough way to spend an hour.

We certainly weren't hungry afterwards...

Phantomysteria **

It is a common misconception that the Edinburgh Festival is filled with experimental and impenetrable Eastern European theatre. However, if you only went to one show this year and chose Phantomysteria, then that conception would probably be pretty accurate...

Performed outdoors in Edinburgh's Old College quad, this is a daring and brave attempt to bring avant-garde performance mime to an audience more used to seeing big name comedians. Unfortunately, the attempt, whilst brave, is misguided, as the pacing and left-field style of Phantomysteria is a bit wide of the mark, even for those of us that had an idea what to expect.

There are moments of style and visual impact, such as a performer barking out lines through a walkie-talkie whilst images of war and conflict are projected behind him; or fire and flames surrounding the performance area whilst bodies writhe and dance. Sadly, these moments are two few and there are two many long-drawn out parts where one character seemingly takes an age to crawl towards another. Only to crawl away again, equally slowly.

That said, this is another aspect of what the festival is all about, and if it was all stand-up comedy and the like, I wouldn't be here at all...

Osaka 1837 **

Osaka 1837 is performed entirely in Japanese by the Akagumi theatre company. I knew that before I went, and have seen many shows in the past that haven't been in English: where the performance itself is evocative and descriptive enough to convey the story without having to understand the words.

Sadly, this is not the case with this play, and although the cast are all excellent and look wonderful in kimonos and period dress, the story is simply not powerful enough and is too dialogue-heavy to translate. A small synopsis in the programme helps a little, and from that you can glean that the plot concerns deep-rooted passion, betrayal and revenge, but sadly all nuance and detail is lost.

Again, I stress this is not a criticism of the company themselves, as their energy and passion were vividly displayed on stage. Though maybe next time they should choose a play which is grander in its visual telling.

Pericles Redux **

There are moments of sheer brilliance and beauty during Pericles Redux, which, as the name implies, takes a remix approach to Shakespeare's original.

Those moments are when the youthful, energetic and talented cast play it straight, emphasising the pathos and emotion of the original whilst offering striking visual and physical theatric interpretations of a storm-wracked ship, a burial at sea or visions of the goddess Diana.

If only the director had stuck to this vision, rather than schizophrenically jumping between that and embarrassingly cringeworthy pantomime. Yes, the majority of Shakespeare's work contains moments of light relief and clowning. But to undermine an impeccably-choreographed scene with a throwaway line in the name of humour doesn't work. Nor do the sixth-form revue shenanigans that begin to appear with depressing regularity throughout.

Other reviewers, and most of the audience, seem to disagree and have lapped this up, and I can agree to a point - the cast are excellent throughout and the stage direction is tight and visually striking. However, the misplaced and laboured comedy effectively ruined what could have been one of the stand-out shows of this year's festival.

A frustratingly missed opportunity.

Bombay To Beijing By Bicycle **

Bombay To Beijing By Bicycle is a one-man show performed by an Aussie physical comedian, relating anecdotes and adventures from a true tale of a cross-country cyclist's epic journey between the two cities of the title.

The performer tries hard and is difficult to dislike, throwing himself around with boundless energy and putting on some great facial expressions and accents. But whilst being entertaining, the story isn't really that interesting, and some of the episodes and comedy falls a little flat. That said, it doesn't drag, and the small venue brings an up-close-and-personal atmosphere to the whole thing (perhaps a bit too up-close, particularly during the 'aftermath of the hottest curry in India' anecdote).

And, by sitting in the front row, I did receive oral gratification from a giant mosquito, so it wasn't all bad...