WITH a huge chunk of the world’s artist community decamping to one city for a month, the sheer variety of what’s on offer is staggering. 

Where else can you experience bawdiness one hour and sincerity the next? Or transition seamlessly from performances that showcase the athleticism of the human body, to those armed with little more than their own voice and a Powerpoint? 

If you’ve travelled halfway across the world to be here, you’ve got to be pretty good, and I was not disappointed. How Should a Home Be (★★★★★) is told entirely without words, the story is a retelling of the classic historical tale of Lady Wenji's Return To The Han. While this was performed in a small repurposed lecture room, the wonderful costumes and the bright acoustics of the instruments were truly entrancing and created a dreamlike atmosphere that transcended the small surrounds. 

A wonderful hidden gem of the Edinburgh Fringe.  

I’m more likely to associate Shakespeare with dreary English literature classrooms than Saturday night entertainment, but a new production of Twelfth Night got the tone just right for the time and demographic. 

Billing itself as a “zesty” adaptation, which I’m reliably informed by the youth is code for LGBTQ friendly, Malvolio’s Fantasy (★★★★★) takes the gender-swapping silliness of the original and ramps it up, and in the spirit of slash fiction imagines new endings for the Bard’s characters. Zuza Soltykowska and Isabella Olsen-Barone’s script zips along with wit and is delivered with real panache from the cast. Riotously funny. 

Launching in 2022, Mythos Ragnarok (★★★★★) is becoming a firm Edinburgh Fringe tradition. While pro wrestling and Norse theatre may seem like juxtaposition, it’s a combination that is incredibly complementary. What better way to enjoy Viking tales than to experience the physicality of battle up close and personal as Odin, Loki, Thor and the rest chokeslam and piledrive their way through Midgard (or the “midcard” if you’re a wrestling fan). 

As an unashamed hardcore wrestling fan who has long bemoaned the current fashion for treating the art of pro wrestling as a technical sport akin to ice skating, Mythos’s focus on story is a welcome evolution of the genre into something that appeals to more than nerds like myself. Physical, funny, emotional and just great fun, Mythos Ragnarok is the perfect evening show for anyone looking for a bit of punch in their theatre. 

The advertising images for You&It: The Musical (★★★★) were a close-up of a robotic-looking eye amid a green and black technoscape, suggesting this might be a futuristic techno thriller. And while it was certainly futuristic, this was not a thriller, but a slow, thoughtful domestic drama; “not a love story, but a story about love” as lead Sanghyeok Kim said. 

The drama here is not in the plot, as the “twist” is pretty obvious from the start, but in fractured intimacies of the relationship between main characters Mina and Gyujin and it’s a strong performance that lingers in the mind long after the show. Jane Chun was excellent in the challenging role of Mina and was able to mix up the earnestness characteristic of much Korean drama, with the delicate subtleties required of the part. 

The songs here are bright, Disney-esque numbers and if there’s a weak spot here, it’s that there needed to be a bit more variety to the tunes, as they did tend to blur into each other. 

I’ll admit that I am no student of the art of shadow puppetry. But I really enjoyed Shadow Necropolis (★★★★). The puppets and landscapes were beautifully hand crafted and it was an impressive feat in itself to have planned a show around what appeared to be at least 300 separate moving parts. 

The story itself was a meaningful one based around a young girls’ anxiety that was  mixed with a Rick and Morty-style sense of humour that managed to keep things from becoming too syrupy. If there was a flaw, the story became a bit repetitive at times, and they probably could have cut five minutes without effecting the story too much. Still, this was a lovely slice of creative theatre. 

I was worried that 100 limericks in a row might end up becoming tedious. However, The History of Art in 100 Limericks (★★★★★) was a brilliantly engaging poetry performance from Angus Reid, that not only delivered each limerick in a completely unique way, but stitched them altogether seamlessly. 

With a wry smile, Reid takes us through the history of art, from cave paintings to Banksy, with an engaging wit and a few jabs. I particularly enjoyed the swipe at Dali’s fascist politics. 

How Should a Home Be, run ended.
Malvolio’s Fantasy runs until August 24.
Mythos Ragnarok runs until August 26.
You&It: The Musical runs until August 25.
Shadow Necropolis Runs until August 26.
The History of Art in 100 Limericks runs until August 23.
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com.