Tom Thum - Beating The Habit *****

You possibly have your apprehensions about the idea of going to see one man beatbox his way through an hour, but I'm going to start off this review by saying "don't". Tom Thum is easily one of the most incredible, jaw dropping acts you'll see at this year's festival.

A show that sounds as though it might be similar to the likes of The Vocal Orchestra really isn't - although there is some music, with Tom using an expensive looking tool called Chaos Pads to help sample his own voice and then use it to build atmosphere. If anything, it's closer to Michael Winslow. Even that's a slightly tenuous comparison.

The show's packed with sketches and some music - and allows Tom to push the capabilities of his voice. It's absolutely incredible that he can do what he does, and even takes to the floor at one point to allow the audience to "challenge Tom" to pluck his vocal chords and make any noise they so wish. On our night Tom was landed with a bagpipes and...erm, a "helicopter cat" - both of which he managed with ease. 

Another impressive aspect of the show is Tom's relationship with the audience. At various points throughout the show he picked up warm natured heckles from audience members - friendly interactions with fun responses from Tom. Despite the venue being one of the larger you'll find at the festival, Tom has a way of always making it seem like a very intimate gig, as though it's a gathering of friends. He manages to keep the audience in the palm of his hand throughout, and builds on that relationship through the way he progresses the show. Whether you like beatboxing or not, this should certainly be a show you go out of your way to see this month. Absolutely remarkable, and bags of fun.

The Vocal Orchestra (Underbelly) - ****

Brought together by beatboxing legend Shlomo, The Vocal Orchestra are exactly what the name - and origin story - would suggest, a group of people making music entirely through their voice. "But isn't that a capella???" I hear you say..."Not in this case!" I reply.

When you're watching this show you regularly have to remind yourself there aren't any instruments in use - it's easy to forget and lose yourself in the show, and from time to time you will - but then it hits you just how remarkable these people are. You'll hear guitar, drums, bass, violins and other instruments all played through the human voice. It's amazing that vocals can achieve what these guys manage to.

For any show like this to work it needs to be packed with creativity or humour, and luckily this show absolutely is. It never takes itself more seriously than it needs to, and there are some moments of genius creativity that make the hour breeze by. Whoever choreographed the show deserves a massive pat on the back. 

The age range of the audience was mixed, but that didn't change the fact everyone seemed to have a blast. It's not just about making music - although that's heavily the idea behind the whole thing. They create sound effects and sketches jam-packed with fun and gentle wit. It's a great little show to bring in your evening, full of fun, energy and impressive vocal feats. Whether you enjoy beatboxing or not (and trust me, an hour of that would feel like a form of torture to me) it's worth pencilling in to enjoy at some point this month. 

Flash-Mob ***

I really wanted to like this show, and I've no doubt a lot of people will. Technically, I suppose, there's nothing really wrong with it. However, the bar for dance acts at the Fringe over the past few years is exceptionally high, with the likes of Flawless and Rock The Ballet in previous years tipping the benchmark higher and higher. Unfortunately, Flash-mob don't hit the same heights as the acts that have come before them.

There are moments of breathtaking brilliance. Ballet duo Alleviate are incredible - their sections alone are almost worth the price of admission. Almost. Solo dancer Tommy Franzen is also very, very good. The street dance sections drag, however. Once again, from a technical perspective there's nothing wrong with what they do, but creatively it's nothing special. The bar in the UK for street dancers has been set incredibly high, so for something like this to impress it either has to be packed with feats of athleticism or creative routines - there are hints of the former, but not as much of the latter.

One thing that I find unforgivable was that the show finished around ten minutes early. For an hour long show, charging as much as £17.50 for a ticket this simply can not happen. Perhaps generally it doesn't, but the fact that it did doesn't impress me.

I'm also not convinced the mish-mash of dances work well together. People who enjoy ballet don't necessarily enjoy street routines, and vice versa. There are some moments of brilliance - once again, kudos to Alleviate. I could have watched an entire show of these two. They managed to balance genuinely moving routines with great story-telling and impressive athletic moments. They are what dance should be, and I don't think you'd need to enjoy ballet to appreciate and enjoy them.  

As I left the show there were audience members talking about how they enjoyed the 50 minutes or so they'd just seen. I've no doubt plenty people will - but I do think some will leave feeling slightly short-changed. With higher ticket prices, the level of what you watch has to be higher, and overall I don't think Flash-mob was what it should have been, or perhaps could have been. 

Piff the Magic Dragon - Jurrasic Bark (Pleasance Dome)  *****

So first, a little background. 

Piff the Magic Dragon is fairly literal. He's a magician who dresses up in a dragon costume (with his dog assistant Mr Piffles - also donning a dragon costume.) Piff (real name: John) started life as a bog-standard magician. One day he turned up at what he thought was a fancy dress party dressed up as a dragon...but was the only person there who'd bothered to put on a costume. One of the guests suggested - perhaps in jest - that he dressed up as a dragon as part of his magic act, and the rest was history.

The thing about Piff is that the act isn't so much a magic act that incorporates comedy as a comedy act that incorporates magic. If you look back at the show after it's finished you'll realise there isn't all that much going on in the way of tricks. That's not a bad thing though, Piff has the audience in the palm of his hands (or in the grip of his claws) right from the start. His deadpan delivery and razor sharp wit makes his show an absolute delight to sit through. The few tricks there are are impressive and well executed - it's certainly quality over quantity, and the jokes are belly-laugh inducingly brilliant. The whole construction of the show is masterful, it really doesn't feel like an hour and at the end of it you feel a little bit sad inside it's all over . It's difficult to review a show like this without spoiling it - so I won't. 

However, if you want to see a chiuaua get laminated live on stage, and shot out of a cannon of almost-certain-death...this show is for you. Even if not, this should certainly be on your "must see" list. Probably one of the best shows you'll see in Edinburgh this summer. "Almost-certain" about that.