ER at the Fringe!

When the Edinburgh Festival Fringe hits Auld Reekie, the hottest theatre from around the world takes over every stage available in the Scottish capital. August becomes a month-long performing extravaganza. This year, over 2,000 shows graced the festival's more than 300 venues. Erotic Review couldn't pass the opportunity, sending correspondents Kate Copstick and C.J. Lazaretti to report on naughty comedy , lusty burlesque , kinky cabaret and daring drama .

See below our reviews of the best sex Edinburgh had onstage in 2010. Enjoy our video interviews with performers as they reveal the secrets behind the most compelling and thought-provoking erotic entertainment in the festival.

DRAMA

Emma Thompson Presents: Fair Trade
Fair Trade illustrates the food chain of sex trafficking, from the first approaches by recruiters in poor countries to the realities awaiting smuggled immigrants in England.
Read more

Naked Splendour
A man undresses and recalls anecdotes from his run as a live model while striking poses. That simple premise yields a thoroughly absorbing dramatic journey.
Read more

The Enduring Taboo of Nudity (2:12) Philip Herbert on typical reactions to the naked body, in class and onstage. Cowboys and Topless Massages (2:00) Philip Herbert considers the similarities between nude modelling and acting. The Names Have Been Changed (0:49) Philip Herbert reveals the balance between naked and "enhanced" truth in Naked Splendour . A Four-Pence Difference for Getting Naked (2:59) Philip Herbert retraces his live modelling career since his first stint in the mid-70s. Some Form of Eroticism (2:49) Philip Herbert on people turned on by nude modelling.

First Love
Gare St. Lazare Players hits the Fringe with their unabridged dramatization of Beckett's short story about a misanthrope’s affair with a prostitute.
Read more

Dead
Mike Elliston’s Dead follows revolutionary Irish painter Pauric Fermoy as he goes gentle into that bleakest of nights: mainstream acceptance.
Read more

Professing Virginity While Being Something Else (2:14) Director David Verrey comments on the symbolism of Dead protagonist Pauric Fermoy's controversial nude Virgin Vagina. A Muse After Retribution (1:24) Actor Mary Ryder talks about her character Deirdre, the model who regrets posing for the Virgin Vagina painting. Making Money on the Dark Side (1:35) Actor Michael Power examines reflections of his Irish background in his portrayal of sellout photographer Fergus O'Hare. Sleaze With a Sense of Remorse (0:59) Actor Michael Power on the sexual rivalry between protagonist Pauric Fermoy and his nemesis, Fergus O'Hare. Sex, Art and Truth (2:56) Director David Verrey analyzes the role of sex in Pauric Fermoy's reconciliation with his own identity.

The Degenerates
This Orwellian sexual nightmare finds two total strangers locked together in a hospital room with an imperative to mate.
Read more

Stripped
Stripped 's story of lost innocence in the treacherous world of strip clubs is told with little more than a chair, a spotlight and Hannah Chalmers’ radical transformations.
Read more

BURLESQUE

Circus Burlesque
Lola LaBelle’s latest jiggling jamboree features routines ranging from dainty and delicate to daring acrobatics we’d advise you not to try at home. Especially in the bedroom.
Read more

Bump and Grind Around the World (5:22) The Circus Burlesque cast comments on international burlesque scenes they've performed in, and how they differ from each other. Keeping that Little Bit Back (4:05) The Circus Burlesque cast on the appeal burlesque has developed in an age of overexposed sexuality. Adult Shows to Rekindle One's Femininity (2:12) The Circus Burlesque cast on what makes women flood their audiences. Who Enrolls in Burlesque Classes? (1:12) Bettsie Bon Bon recalls the general profile of women she has taught in burlesque courses.

Kitty Cointreau's Brahaha
  In the best vaudeville fashion, Brahaha features something for every taste, parading burlesque belles, comics, musical numbers and circus performers in quick succession.
Read more

CABARET & MUSICALS

Lovelace – A Rock Musical
It takes a bold step to merge worlds as far apart as porn and stage musicals, but “bold” is the operative word in Lovelace – A Rock Musical .
Read more

Meow Meow – Feline Intimate
Meow Meow's current touring show fully honours her tradition of vaudevillian decadence and audience-abusing antics.
Read more

The Blue Lady Sings
  You’re unlikely to see another Fringe production this year as pristinely self-contained and well-rounded as Tricity Vogue's newest character.
Read more

Cabaret Whore Encore
  Sarah-Louise Young plays four characters, all sharing a spot-on repertoire of politically-incorrect commentary sung to hilarious show-tune pastiches.
Read more

La Petite Mort – The Orgasm
Educational cabaret: A mix of covers and original songs interspersed with witty banter about changing attitudes to female sexuality.
Read more

COMEDY

Homo Asbo
Richard Fry's new one-man show takes a bitter look at the caricature that gay men have become in contemporary culture.
Read more

Speed Mating
Whichever species it belongs to, there’s no doubt this hyper-powered stand-up comedy mutant has plenty of funny bones in its anatomy.
Read more

Fun With Opposable Thumbs (1:12) Aidan Killian and Dr. Maggio struggle to find sexual practices unique to humans. Spotting the Inner Pervert (1:30) Aidan Killian and Dr. Maggio on elastic definitions of "pervert". A PG-Rated Sex Show (1:47) Aidan Killian and Dr. Maggio reveal whether any animal sexual practices had to be left out of the show in order to achieve a PG certification.