Once more the National Theatre of Scotland have a play at the official Festival, and this year they have given us a work right bang on the zeitgeist. Playwright Alistair Beaton has struck a rich resonant seam in his new play “Caledonia”. In the 1690s William Paterson, a key player in founding the Bank of England, attempted to make Scotland a colonial power with the ill-fated Darien Scheme. “Caledonia” tells the story of these events, and for many of us who did not know much about this sorry episode in Scotland’s history, they seem almost farcical, unreal, a parable for our times.
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How many friends does one person need? In the age of Facebook when certain young people – usually young men, apparently – like to rack up as many “friends” as possible, this question deserves some examination. |inline

Comedy at the Festival can often be disappointing. Not so Celebrity Autobiography which is so achingly funny there is hardly a moment without gales of laughter from the packed audience.
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Fringe venues come in all shapes and sizes but surely one of the most unusual this year has to be the Aga shop in Frederick Street. And one of the most unusual performers has to be Mrs Moneypenny in her designer little black dress – given a name check- her pearls and her Asprey brooch. |inline