Edinburgh festivities begin with fringe, tattoo
THE FRINGE festival and military tattoo started in Edinburgh on Friday, launching one of the biggest arts line-up with 2,542 shows at the fringe and performances by British, Irish, Brazilian, Australian and Dutch military bands at the tattoo. The Edinburgh International Festival, which is focusing on Asia this year, will begin a week later on August 12.
The fringe, which has comedy, theatre, dance, music and cabaret events in its line-up, has American actor-director John Malkovich directing A Celebration of Harold Pinter starring his friend Julian Sands. American actor Alec Baldwin will be part of a 3D version of Hamlet at the fringe.
Indian standup comedian Vir Das has a series of performances lined up at the fringe which will have performances by Indian theatre and dance groups in the three-week programme.
The military tattoo, which is celebrating its 61st anniversary, has a Dutch mounted bicycle band as one of its highlights this year.
The performers at the floodlit esplanade of Edinburgh Castle include Royal Marines, Highland Dancing, the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the world-famous Massed Pipes and Drums.
Edinburgh International Festival, which is focusing on the cultures of Asia for the first time this year, will feature sitar maestro Pt. Ravi Shankar, who is performing evening ragas, after almost two decades. Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan will perform morning ragas at the three-week festival in August, which includes dance performances by Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, Rajasthani folk musicians from Manganiyar, Bhopa-Bhopi and Sarangiya Langa traditions.
The international festival also includes modernist take of Shakespeare adaptations of Hamlet, King Lear and Tempest by repertories from China, Taiwan and South Korea.
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