In a very lively launch event for this year's Bank of Scotland Herald Angel Awards, the sponsor's former banking hall became the temporary home of the Loch Parry Players and their hymn to The Landlord's Daughter, after being made the court for a mimed tennis match, played on violins.
The first treat came with our guest presenter on Saturday, Greg Hemphill, co-writer of the National Theatre of Scotland's An Appointment With The Wicker Man, currently playing at the Assembly Rooms.
He brought his entire performing company and joined them to share an extract from the back-stage farce when his presenting duties, in tandem with Lady Susan Rice, managing director of Lloyds Banking Group Scotland, were done. Lady Susan said: "We are proud to support the Bank of Scotland Herald Angels, rewarding creative and ground-breaking work staged across the Edinburgh Festivals.
"On Friday evening, for the first time, Bank of Scotland sponsored the Edinburgh International Festival's Opening Concert, a wonderful choral work reflecting Europe's fascination with things oriental in the 19th century. We are now looking forward to seeing what the rest of the month brings, and what The Herald will highlight for us."
Saturday's award-winners included the New Rope String Band, who added a tribute to golden boy Andy Murray with their fiddle and accordion exploration of every corner of the space – a number that they have been performing at the Famous Spiegeltent on George Street. Another musical show to receive an Angel was Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells For Two, a live performance of the classic album by Australian musicians Daniel Holdsworth and Aidan Roberts.
It is part of the Assembly programme, as were our two international Herald Angel winners this week. Baxter Theatre from Cape Town flew the flag for the South African season with Mies Julie, a steamy and powerful adaptation of Strindberg set in the aftermath of apartheid. The Russian season at Assembly Roxy won a Herald Angel for its director Anna Bogodist.
Comedian and scourge of the establishment Mark Thomas could not resist drawing attention to the unexpected pleasure of largesse from a bank as he received an award for his very personal show Bravo Figaro!, the tale of how he found a connection with his ailing father through a mutual love of opera. Also at the Traverse is Rob Drummond's Bullet Catch, which explores the world of stage illusions, including the trick of the title and captivating mind-reading. Of course his show programmes predicted his Angel win last week.
A Little Devil Award to Square Peg Circus's Rime, for returning to the fray after a cast member was badly injured, was collected by director Tim Lenkiewicz and the week's singular Archangel was presented to Gareth Brierly, Fiona Creese and Mark Long of The People Show, who have returned to the Fringe this year with work number 121: The Detective Show, also at Assembly. The company's history on the Fringe dates back to 1966, and fittingly another veteran of those days, Traverse co-founder Jim Haynes, joined us to applaud their success.
www.herald-events.com/heraldangels
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