Edinburgh Festival Insider - Best Newcomer 2009

The Fringe always draws hopeful and enthusiastic performers and groups from around the world to its gigantic stage. Helping to keep it fresh and constantly-evolving, these first-timers often provide some unexpected delights amongst the more established acts that return year after year.

The nominations for the Edinburgh Festival Insider Best Newcomer Award 2009 are:

• Sambor Dudzinski's The Time(less) Machine. Polish 'art-warrior' and multi-talented performance artist Dudzinski unveiled his marvellously original and captivating vision at Edinburgh for the first time this year.
• TBA Collaborative with The Grind Show. A young and enthusiastic group of students and alumni from Washington, TBA Collaborative brought their dark and alluring Grind Show for its Fringe debut.
• Princess Cabaret. Some of the princesses had never left Oz before, let alone brought an original and buzz-creating sketch show to the biggest stage in the world.
• Xavier Mortimer's The Shadow Orchestra. A true hidden gem amongst Universal Arts' excellent programme, Mortimer's Fringe debut was spellbinding, magical and hugely enjoyable.
• The Paper Cinema with The Lost World. A beautiful and charming visit from The Paper Cinema with their unique and lovingly-recreated interpretation of Conan Doyle's classic.

And the winner is...

TBA Collaborative with The Grind Show

For their infectious enthusiasm, for their dark and cleverly-realised vision, for their patronage of fellow performers throughout their visit, for their encapsulation of the spirit of the Fringe - and most of all for the fact they deserve all the encouragement they need to return here again next year with another show which will no doubt surpass the already wonderful Grind Show: TBA Collaborative, here's your:

Review: The Shadow Orchestra *****

The Shadow Orchestra is Xavier Mortimer's charming and creative mix of mime, sleight-of-hand, visual trickery and uniquely Gallic flair.

In a spellbinding and utterly beguiling show, Mortimer delights throughout, whether performing some expertly-honed magic skills or interacting with shadow versions of himself projected onto a screen behind him. The inventiveness and flow of the performance is particularly appealing, with each routine running seamlessly into the next, carried forward by some wonderfully surreal and amusing projected routines of instruments sprouting legs and walking offstage or chairs rearing like horses and galloping after the performer.

Mortimer is a multi-talented artiste, playing several instruments (sometimes at the same time), performing mime routines which make up for Gamarjobat's absence this year; and displaying excellent timing and choreography as in several moments when the screen drops and he appears, in exactly the same place & pose as an animated projected version of himself.

The Shadow Orchestra was an unexpected delight and had little - if anything - to fault. If you're looking for something clever, unique and family-friendly in the run up to the close of the Fringe, this comes highly recommended.

The Shadow Orchestra runs until Aug 30th at Universal Arts. £12 (£10 concession)