Arts from the radical fringe

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- The Edinburgh Fringe launches into three weeks of artistic mayhem on Sunday, staging a record number of shows and sparking fears the world's largest arts festival may have become too unwieldy.

The Fringe, an anarchic hotchpotch of comedy, music and drama that invigorates the Scottish capital every August, boasts 2,050 shows this year with almost 19,000 performers clamoring for attention and acclaim.

The choice of entertainment on offer can be overwhelming at the Fringe, rambunctious offshoot of the official high arts Edinburgh Festival of classical ballet, music and theatre.

Tony Blair, who stepped down as prime minister in June after ten years in power, is gone but not forgotten. He has two musicals devoted to his premiership at this year's Fringe.

Fringe devotees may also be tempted to singalong to "Jihad: The Musical" and "Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical."

For first-time visitors, picking a winner is especially daunting as performers revel in stirring up controversy and adopting shock tactics in the fierce competition for audiences.

The UK's Evening Standard newspaper, arguing that the festival had become a victim of its own success, said: "The Fringe's new director Jon Morgan faces a major challenge -- make the Fringe smaller, not larger."

Andrew Eaton, arts editor of the Scotsman newspaper, said: "I have mixed feelings. It is becoming very difficult for us to give the Fringe the coverage it deserves. Even with us reviewing hundreds of shows, things slip through the net."

But Fringe director Morgan is phlegmatic about the expanding program at the Fringe, which sold a record 1.5 million tickets last August.

"Audiences have increased every year. It is a free market. The Fringe is currently as big as it needs to be. Because it is a self-regulatory beast, it is all about supply and demand."

The Fringe always attracts legions of eternal optimists hoping their play or stand-up comedy routine will clinch an elusive TV deal with the talent scouts prowling Edinburgh in search of new talent.

Ricky Gervais ranks as the biggest name of the year at the 2007 Fringe -- the award-winning comedian is staging a one-off date at Edinburgh Castle.

And, as always, quirky show titles abound with the surreal 2007 offerings ranging from "Bouncy Castle Macbeth" to "I Kissed a Frog and it gave me Herpes." E-mail to a friend

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