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The Fringe festival began at the weekend
(BBC) | The Edinburgh Fringe Festival
has always been a magnet for
artists and performers from around the world.
American, Australian
and Canadian comedians in particular have enjoyed huge success.
But what is unusual this year is the large number of comedians from
non-English speaking countries - there have never been so many.
Howard Read was the only British comedian shortlisted for the famous comedy
competition the Perrier Award last year. He believes foreign comedians are
often funnier than home-grown talent.
"I think it's easier for them to surprise us," he says.
"A lot of comedy comes from having a different take on a subject. If
someone's lived next to me for my entire life they are probably not going
to say something that will make my eyebrows go up.
"Whereas when you've got a Japanese person talking about something we
find familiar, that's got loads of comic potential because they're
Japanese and our cultures are so different, the language is so different
and the way Japanese people look at the world is so completely different."
But Kate Copstick, the chief comedy critic for The Scotsman newspaper
and a Perrier Award Judge this year, is not so sure.
"People will go along to see non-English speaking comedy, at its best
as a curiosity and to put it at its least charitable, as a freak show or a gimmick," she says.
The Kakashu comedy spectacular from Japan is delighting and perplexing
audiences in equal measure. Described as sit-down
comedy rather than stand-up it features puppetry,
ventriloquism and origami .
"Japanese jokes are not like English jokes," says Ayako, the only
female member of the cast.
"Sometimes English jokes hurt people, they are sarcastic. Japanese
jokes are not like that. We are more likely to poke fun at ourselves."
Carl-Einer Hackner is Sweden's best-known comedian, and is making his
UK debut at the Fringe this year.
His show combines magic, mime and music and features a canine Houdini
and a violin from Ikea. It is proving a popular mix. But he admits he has
had to tailor his performance
for a British audience.
(Agencies) | 
Updated: 2004-08-12 13:37