Money talks at the Edinburgh Fringe

The last decade has seen cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin move from the fringes of finance to the mainstream. In 2015, Viv Ford found herself at the centre of this revolution when she moved to the apartments in San Francisco that would come to be known as “Crypto Castle” – only to find she was the sole “normie” in a building full of “tech bros”. In New Kids On the Blockchain, Ford mixes tales of excess and eccentricity with a genuine passion for the industry’s potential (Just the Tonic at
The Mash House, Venue 288, 8pm, ends 25 August).

Neglected female economists and thinkers have found themselves back in the spotlight in recent years, and Making Marx, written and performed by Clara Francesca, is a worthy addition to the genre. Francesca argues that Jenny, Karl Marx’s supposedly “dull and pretty” wife, deserves to be recognised as an important figure in her own right. She supported the author of Das Kapital financially and emotionally, but also served as his editor. Francesca’s intense performance makes a good case for looking at Jenny again, as well as providing a less than complimentary view of a man the show portrays as feckless and self-centred – “…the Victorian equivalent of a hipster”. (Assembly Rooms, Venue 20, 11.35am, ends 25 August).

Dominic Frisby’s shows at the Fringe, delivered at Panmure House where Adam Smith lived and wrote The Wealth of Nations, have become a must-see for those seeking financial education and entertainment, and his latest is no exception. In Shaping the Earth – A Light-Hearted History of Mining, Frisby, a MoneyWeeek contributor, looks at an industry that has had bad press for environmental and economic reasons – a mine is known in investment circles for being  “a hole in the ground with a liar standing on top of it”. Frisby effectively makes a more positive case for an industry that has been a vital part of human history and will continue to have a role in the transition to greener technologies (Panmure House, Venue 305, 2pm, ends 25 August).

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Panmure House is also the venue for two talks by comedian Simon Evans about Adam Smith. Alas, Smith and Hume! looks at the friendship between Smith and philosopher David Hume, while Footnotes to Smith considers the moral philosopher’s wider legacy. Both talks are delivered, wine glass in hand, with a combination of wit and charm, and provide plenty of interesting facts that will surprise even those who consider themselves familiar with both thinkers (Panmure House, Venue 305, 3.25pm and 6.30pm, ends 25 August).

The division of labour and free trade may enrich us, but as Joe Sellman-Leava notes, Smith accepted that there were more important things than material wealth. Part stand-up, part spoken word and part physical theatre, It’s the Economy, Stupid!, by Sellman-Leava and Dylan Howells, shows us through family history and the board game Monopoly why the British economic system can bring us fancy coffees, but not affordable accommodation. It’s hard to dispute their conclusion that we need a few guard rails to complement the invisible hand. (Pleasance Dome, Venue 23, 1.10pm, ends 26 August).

As the NewsRevue sketch group acknowledges in one of their many songs, it is a tough time to be a satirist, but they manage a high-energy show that skewers the British (and French) election results, the Olympics, and Joe Biden’s departure from the US presidential contest. They target all parts of the political spectrum, from Donald Trump and Nigel Farage to Greta Thunberg and French president Emmanuel Macron (Underbelly, George Square, Venue 300, 7.30pm, ends 26 August).

Former MoneyWeek editor Merryn Somerset Webb has earned a reputation for the quality of her Panmure House panel shows, so head over there for the latest edition of The Butcher, The Brewer, The Baker and Merryn Somerset Webb. You’ll have to move quickly as at the time of writing this was nearly sold out. (Panmure House, Venue 305, 12.30pm, 17-20 August). 

Finally, I’m putting on a show – How to Steal a Million – The City Frauds that Made Britain – taking a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the financial scandals that changed history (PBH’s Free Fringe @ Little Plaza, Venue 159, 3.50pm 14-18 August).