Puppets at the Edinburgh Fringe

'Bruce' feels like a cross between an adult version of Spongebob Squarepants and the ultimate in minimalist puppetry; he's a sponge with a pair of eyes, and with the addition of a pair of white gloves and the occasional substitution of one of the eyes he became a cast of characters all by himself. Looking at their website The Last Great Hunt seems to be an incredibly versatile and imaginative theatre company. The tale of Bruce is a sad one as he chases his own tail through a timewarp to try and put right his own mistakes, but the execution of it is just hilarious, how something so simple can be so expressive is testament to the skill of the performance. This show will just knock your socks off, get yourself a ticket if there are any left.

Monkey and I noticed 'Sing For Your Life' when it was on at the Vault Festival earlier this year. It was sold out the night we were there, so when we discovered they were coming to Edinburgh it was high on the list of 'must see' shows. I mean, who could resist a show that contains taxidermied roadkill puppets. They are faintly disgusting while being utterly delightful. So a badger and a fox befriend a neglected dog in an attempt to undermine his attachment to human beings. The brilliant selection of songs catalogues the evils that humans mete out to the animal kingdom, and their plans to get their own back. My favourite were the squirrels who popped up as a chorus line throughout the show. Beautifully choreographed with the puppeteers swapping from character to character and flying back and forth across the stage to keep the story flowing seamlessly. Not for the squeamish, watch out for the mink!

We met a couple of the cast members the following day, touting for business outside the Underbelly. They are on every evening at 8.40 until the 30th.

(Tickets for all events can be booked through the Edfringe Website.)