Fringe benefits of best ever line up

From the The Argus, first published Thursday 22nd Mar 2007.

Burlesque performers, Thai lady boys and tango dancers are among the fascinating acts on the bill for Brighton Festival Fringe.

The line-up for the three-week arts extravaganza will be launched at The Old Ship Hotel in Brighton tonight.

VIPs, performers and organisers will gather to find out what this year's fringe, which starts on May 5, will hold.

The Fringe brochure, which hits the streets of Sussex today, lists 560 events ranging from cabaret to music, theatre, tours, film, literature and comedy.

Professional artists and amateurs will perform at 240 venues across Brighton and Hove including churches and pubs, a car park and a beach hut.

The Udderbelly, a giant purple upside-down cow first seen at Edinburgh Festival, will be the landmark venue on the Old Steine.

Operations manager Holly Payton has been involved with the Fringe for six years, but said this is the one she is looking forward to most.

She said: "I have seen many transitions and growth and am so proud of it and of everyone who participates."

Among the theatre listings are six Shakespeare plays, including a free open-air performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Preston Park.

Fans of the bard do not even need to leave the comfort of their own home, as theatre company Herald Pearse Productions will deliver their Shakespearian skits to your doorstop for £120.

A beach hut in Hove is the venue for Gite A La Mer, while the Regency Town House heritage centre in Brunswick Square, Hove will be opened up for two nights for a site-specific performance.

There is a lengthy list of cabaret acts to see, including the return of the Lady Boys of Bangkok and Boutique theatre's burlesque experience at the Marlborough Theatre.

Some well known faces will also appear, including comedian Mark Thomas, novelist Jeff Noon and Tom Hodgkinson, founder of the Idler magazine.

The three-day Critical Incident festival of creativity and innovation returns again for another year and will take place in the Freeman Centre at the University of Sussex campus at Falmer.

One-off events include a tango ball, a Eurovision Song Contest party, sushi-making classes, a jazz and gospel brunch at Momma Cherris restaurant and lectures on subjects such as food production, global development and terrorism.

A thousand people on space-hoppers are expected to gather on Hove Lawns for a world record attempt called Bounce Your Balls, to raise awareness of testicular cancer.

Hotels, shops, galleries and private homes will host art exhibitions. There will be tours of Brighton's Victorian sewers, Brighton Station, Middle Street synagogue and the Second World War air raid shelters at Whitehawk Primary school, as well as a variety of ghosts walks and other interesting explorations.

Tickets are now available by visiting www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk, visiting the Dome ticket office on New Road, Brighton or by calling 01273 709709.

For all the latest news, previews, and reviews throughout the Festival and Festival Fringe, click here.

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