Supermarket 86, The Space @ Surgeons Hall.Rose serves behind the counter in Ithaca’s Supermarket 86. It’s just another day until a blizzard drives four young women into the shop to take shelter. When the weather makes it impossible for them to leave, the five of them while away the time by playing Truth or Dare – which inevitably leads to unexpected revelations, forgotten relationships and the tying up of loose ends. Company Dream House’s production features a smartly written and well-structured script and an ensemble of five superb actors, each bringing their characters to life with a lovely balance of comedy and bleakness. The story does rather rely heavily on coincidence, but nevertheless, it’s and enjoyable watch and very well acted. 4 stars.

NIUISA, SummerhallBeth remembers her grandmother as being an angry, difficult woman. But she knows that Grandmother Niusia had an extraordinary life with an important tale to tell. Born in 1922, a Polish Jew, she not only survived the Holocaust, but she also helped others to survive it. Through recorded conversations and memories with her mother Susie, Beth assembles a picture of what this incredible woman represented, achieved and thought. Whilst some of the material is hard-hitting and distressing, it’s also infused with humour and humanity, and Beth Paterson comes across as a very caring and responsible performer and conduit for her grandmother’s voice, directly addressing the audience to share in her love and respect for Niusia and also to think about and prize those who have gone before in our own families. A strongly delivered but sensitive piece, this personal memoir seizes your attention and holds you long after the show is over. 4 stars.

Baby in the Mirror, Summerhall.Lena and Joey are moving into a new place and all their possessions are in boxes. They’re also planning a baby, with Lena’s best friend Ollie doing the honours with his own contribution (the sperm), and they’re planning a party to celebrate. But tensions are running high; Ollie isn’t coming to visit as planned, Lena’s mother is pestering her daughter about the party catering, and when Lena gets it in her head that Joey isn’t as committed to the baby as she thought they were…. It’s not conducive to a party atmosphere. Having three potential parents could always lead to conflict, but when Ollie gets caught between the arguments of his two friends, is every aspect of their relationships at risk? Second Adolescence’s production provides an interesting slant on the subject of sperm donation, and there’s no shortage of talent on stage, with powerful performance from all three cast members. However, the play itself is stodgy, with some unnecessary padding (the sheet and duvet scene appears tacked on purely for laughs), and the selfish bully Lena is so unlikeable throughout, that it makes it hard for the audience to care about her plight. The awkward confrontation scene between all three characters works well, but there’s a lot of faffing around that gets in the way. 3 stars.

Clean Slate, Summerhall.Weaponised incompetence; have you ever heard of it? It’s when someone feigns incompetence deliberately in order to relieve them from the burden of doing something they don’t want to do. It’s not just quirky behaviour though, it can be a serious impediment in relationships. Just ask Louisa Marshall, who plays the central character in this innovative and hilarious production, battling her way to always look on the positive side in her relationship with someone who swept her off her feet and never swept anything again. Boldly staged in traverse, you enter the Gents Locker Room at Summerhall to the strains of Alesha Dixon’s The Boy Does Nothing, setting the scene for this story of a nice chap who never follows through on any promises, and never does anything around the home, from ignoring an Ikea flat-pack project to not remembering where the dishwasher is. What’s different about the ingenious presentation of Clean Slate is how the production relies heavily on audience participation, with almost everyone in the audience representing the boyfriend from Hell at some point. Powerful, thought-provoking and delightfully original, this is Fringe at its best! 5 stars.

Anthem for Dissatisfaction, Summerhall.They say we never forget or fall out of love with the soundtrack of our youth; for siblings Sarah and Jamie that means a joint love of Oasis, the Manic Street Preachers, Fleetwood Mac, and more. Anthem for Dissatisfaction traces the family upbringing of Jamie and Sarah, through the poverty their family faced as the breadwinners lost their jobs and couldn’t get others, through their school lives and on to hopes for university – happy, just as long as they had access to the latest edition of New Musical Express. It’s a heartwarming show rooted in the siblings’ shared love for music, and what their chosen bands mean to them. Written by Gina Donnelly, who also appears as Sarah alongside Simon Sweeney’s Jamie, this is a feelgood show that examines our identities and our relationship with the songs we grew up with. 3 stars.