We are pleased to announce that we will be using a star rating system again in our reviews of Fringe shows. After pressure from our readers as well as venues and companies who haven’t used our many descriptive banners, we have agreed that stars are the clearest and best way to communicate a rating of a show.
So, in future, we encourage companies and venues to use the following star ratings.
If a show is excellent, it gets an Polaris. This is an bright, outstanding star, standing out in the night sky over the fringe (though we recognise that may prove a problem in Edinburgh where the sky is nearly always cloudy).
A Polaris (“Really, really, really, really good show”)
A very good show will get an Sirius. This is a star that has a high level of competence the way it just “Hangs up there”. It is also fairly bright, though we recognise that brightness is a fairly subjective judgement.
A Sirius (“Yeah, baby, almost a Polaris!”)
A good show is rated with an Altair, not very bright but still with the potential to shine brighter with a decent nova.
An Altair (“Bright but sure don’t light up the whole sky”)
Less than an Altair is an Albiero which is far too distant and simply not big nor bright enough to be recommended.
An Albiero (“Not that good”)
Finally, our lowest rating is Icarus which is so tiny and distant as to hardly be worth seeing.
An Icarus (A shite show)
According to FringeReview editor Paul Levy: “We have had to relent. Star ratings are the easiest way for audience to decide what shows to see. What they need is a decent lens onto the Fringe. Things should be simple. Star ratings provide that clarity and accessibility”.
We encourage venues and PRs to put these helpful banners on their posters as reviews come in. We are calling this new system “Astrono-me-me-me!”.
As Levy points out: “We find all these other ratings systems pretentious and self-indulgent. What’s wrong with the star system?”
Your feedback is welcome.
Email us at Complaints_and_Threats_666@fringeskyatnight.org
