The Pigeon's back and this time it's strutting burlesque style for the seventh Camden Fringe.
Fringing it this year are 14 petite venues stretching the length of the borough from Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate through the Camden Town hub all the way down to Tristan Bates Theatre on the edge of Covent Garden. As always, there are stacks of shows to see ranging from opera to stand-up comedy; physical theatre to puppetry.
Here's what takes our fancy, rifling through the listings:
If you thought the fringe was a good way to avoid London 2012, think again, as four shows tap Olympic spirit: Rosie Wilby's Olympic Swingball Champion 2012, Bowlympics, Not the Olympics and Survive.
Tribute shows are also big this year, with ones to Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand and Kander & Ebb, plus ones about John Clare, John Hunter (he of the Hunterian) and 60's singer Kathy Kirby.
Stand up and sketch comedy that's caught our eye includes people we've seen before, like Robin Ince (one night only), James W Smith and James Mason (who is using two quotes from us in his listing, so we feel obliged to see him again).
New acts we'd like to try include Tony Izzet & Friends, Chris Neill, Matt Tiller, local boy Joe Bor, Sarah Campbell, Nathan Caton, Making Faces, Staple/face, Not The Adventures of Moleman (as recommended by our friends at Snipe) and puppets doing sketches in It's A Puppet Life.
We're also want to see amazing London poet Kat Francois' new solo play, Raising Lazarus, a new version of Genet's The Balcony set in London 2021, one-woman play Listening about 7/7, stories from the Blitz in Keep Your Pecker Up and a weird retelling of Little Red Riding Hood on her way to the Royal Festival Hall.
Camden Fringe runs 30 July to 26 August. We'll bring you weekly posts throughout the festival with feedback on what we've seen and a heads up on what looks good in the coming week. Browse the full programme online and follow @CamdenFringe for updates. Tickets start from £5.
