... Fringe rival 'will revive the old spirit' By BRIAN ATTWOOD EDINBURGH'S fringe festival has moved a little closer to the theatrical mainstream following the creation of a breakaway rival cheekily entitled the Fringe Fringe Society. Ihe idea is the brainchild ot six alternative theatre veterans who claim that the fringe proper has lost its original sense of purpose. This summer the fringe fringe ...

... Woman's sure touch By PETER HEPPLE IT IS a pity that these days the only time a representative selection of star names can be gathered together on the stage of the London Palladium is for a gala charity show. But that presented on June 24 in aid of Birthright and to mark the 50th birthday of Woman magazine at least had the touch of an old Palladium master, Robert Nesbitt, and was given an ...

... Dobson's choice is Thailand By JAMES GREEN WAYNE DOBSON, the Leicester-born young comedy patter magician, is going to Thailand this summer to appear in cabaret for a motor car company. There and back in three days. Now that is magic! It is just one more of the career breaks that are coming to the artist who is often referred to as the next Paul Daniels. Yet it is not surprising. He has a ...

... Going under covers with the blues THE FIRST WEST London Jazz and Blues Festival is being held in a Big Top outside the Beck, Hayes on July 11 and 12, in association with the London Borough of Hillingdon. The Saturday attractions are singers Beryl Bryden, Helen Gould and Rusty Taylor with the World's Greatest Dixie Band, Big Joe Duskin from the USA, Eggy Ley's Hotshots with Betty Smith, Grand ...

... Charisse flies in to present UK's 'grandest' dance awards By ANN NUGENT CYD CHARISSE flew in from Los Angeles last week to present the first Digital Equipment Company Dance Awards. The ceremony took place at the Hyde Park Hotel, at a luncheon attended by nearly 200 people from all sections of the British dance world the largest and grandest occasion ever given by a sponsor to people involved ...

... No Berkoff RED FACED Royal Court staff were forced to apologise to director Steven Berkoff after they entered his name for a charity appeal without telling him first. It was only when a surprised Berkoff read that he was supposed to be taking part in the fundraising event on behalf of the ruined Bush and Tricycle theatres that the organisers realised their mistake. It was all an accident. We ...

... Swamping it the Frisco way r SAN FRANCISCO band LeRue, playing a brand of music which has been dubbed Psycho Cajun, appear at the Pied Bull, Liverpool Road, Nl on July 8. This is one of the music venues now booked by Steve Beggs of the Coastin' organisation, the others being the Dublin Castle, Parkway, NW1, the Royal Albert, Deptford and the Lewisham Labour Club. Beggs also manages the popular ...

... Menzies goes for production first WHEN JEFFREY ARCHER'S, first play, Beyond Reasonable Doubt, opens in the West End on September 22 it will be welcome to a new producer. Lee Menzies, 39-year-old former member of the Stigwood Organisation, is presenting the £250,000 drama which marks the start of Lee Menzies Ltd as a producing management. The show, which will star Frank Finlay, Wendy Craig, and ...

... Janet plumps for rival show PREGNANT FORMER Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis almost landed herself in hot water again over the child she is expecting when she pulled out of a Christmas pantomime. She lost her job on the top children's programme this year when she announced she was to have a second child but said she had no plans to marry the father. Now she has caused a stir among staff at ...

... Producer puts his faith into the New Rainbow By YASMINE KARTAL A PRODUCER, who spent nearly two years trying to get the financial backing for a West End musical and failed, has returned after a three year absence as the consultant to a Christian community, which recently bought the lease on London's old rock venue, the Rainbow Theatre. The sect plan to spend at least £3 million on ...

... No smut, tut, tut BLUE JOKES have been banned from the end-of-the-pier show in the seaside town of Cromer, Nor folk, following complaints from the local council. And impresario Dick Condon admitted It should not have happened. Six minutes of innuendos, suggestive and blue material has been axed. Con don, general manager of the Theatre Royal in Norwich, who is also responsi ble for the Cromer ...

... Les Grands Ballets Canadiens SADLER'S WELLS IT IS a pity, but after two further programmes by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the lasting impression is of a valiant company that lacks individuality. It is perhaps because artistic planners try too hard, setting out both to do homage to a range of twentieth century classics while at the same time couraging Canadian choreographers to develop ...