@ National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, until Fri 28 Aug 2015 @ 19:30
There are lots of fabulous and unique venues across Edinburgh during the Fringe but perhaps none are more unique than the National Museum of Scotland which flings its doors open for a variety of events throughout the Festival. The Friday Fringe Takeover is one such event, where, for three Fridays during the Fringe, patrons get the chance to see some excellent fringe acts alongside the iconic exhibits of the popular museum.
The opportunity to wander round the diverse collections at the museum at night is wonderful in itself and the idea behind the “takeover” genius, but there is something lacking. Pie and mash and pick and mix seem strange foods to offer at such a cultural event, the bars are limited in choice and although it is understandable to not want champagne in amongst the galleries surely the museum could come up with some solution to make the evening a little less like a school trip.
Seeing a taster of the acts, however, is really what makes the night. Circus act Barbu, drummers Fills Monkey and Danza del Caribe (a wonderful fusion of Cuban dance and music) are just some of the fantastic acts who perform ten minute snippets of their Fringe shows. Most pleasingly surprising of the night was slam poetry champion, Harry Baker – The Sunshine Kid, who packed out the Space Stage during his session.
The acts get good advertising, the museum attracts visitors and the attendees get the opportunity to experience something a little different at the Fringe. All-in-all a great experience but there is room for improvement.