Previews: Returning stars

Belt Up Theatre 
Has world domination ever been started from the Edinburgh Fringe? If not, then Belt Up are having a good go at it. With a work ethic to shame those mere mortals who think bringing one production to Edinburgh is enough Belt Up pounce on the fringe with eight new shows. Belt Up's claustrophobic and unsettlingly adaptation of of Franz Kafka's The Trial in 2009 demonstrated their aptitude for bringing innovation to the Fringe. A whole range of texts get their special treatment this time round: for those with a classical bent Antigone awaits, for anyone longing for more Kafka, Metamorphosis comes under the spotlight whilst there's even new writing in the shape of James Wilke's gruesome comedy Atrium.

 

Ontroerend Goed - Teenage Riot

Plenty of companies in Edinburgh lay claim to having the most talked about show of the fringe but Ontroerend Goed are one of the few who might actually have a legitimate claim. Their 2009 production Internal, which paired five actors with only five audience members, generated enough word of mouth to keep the most talkative fringe goer happy. This year, Ontroerend Goed turn their penetrating gaze to the teenage experience. Teenage Riot mixes multimedia with sex, drugs and angst. Whether it will prove as unsettling—or as talked about—as Internal remains to be seen but, on previous form, you wouldn’t start betting against them

 

Richard Fry - Homo Asbo and Smiler 

Poetry? Tick. Copious and innovative swearing? Tick. A story that makes you look twice when you read the blurb? Tick. The only conclusion can be that these shows must come from the mouth (and pen) of Richard Fry. Fry's 2008 Bully demonstrated perfectly his idiosyncratic, frenetic storytelling and this year's offerings show equal promise. Less narrative driven than Bully and more a “collection of thoughts” Homo Asbo is the story of a man "coming out and going straight” whilst Smiler picks up Bully’s “tour-de-verse” style for a story mixing drink driving, disability and best friends. Expect wit, anger and Fry’s trademark lyrical beauty.