Tucked away above Valvona & Crolla, The Magicians of Edinburgh may be well outside the normal radius of Fringe activity, but this charming slice of homegrown music and poetry demonstrates how rewarding a venture to the edge of the map can be.
The focus of the hour and ten is the poetry of Ron Butlin, Edinburgh’s Makar (Poet Laureate) since 2008, reading from a published collection of his poems fittingly titled ‘The Magicians of Edinburgh’. The book is a celebration of the historical beauty of the city, with a few light-hearted digs at those in charge along the way. Yes, there are tram jokes. Ron seemed genuinely surprised at how many people had filed into the compact studio and judging by the laughter that greeted the little Edinburgh in-jokes he was very much playing to the home crowd.
Ron, a delightfully gracious host, precedes each of his poems with a short anecdote detailing its history and the circumstances of its composition. He’s an engaging storyteller. The readings are accompanied by live music composed by Dick Lee, who also performs alongside long-standing musical partner Anne Evans. Dick alternates between clarinet and bass clarinet, while Anne takes the flute. The venue is so small and intimate that the audience can hear their sharp drawing of breath between notes. The music is finely tuned to the rhythm of Ron’s poetry and the two musicians work together with the practised ease of experienced hands.
