Essence of the Edinburgh Fringe: We go down a side street past two bars to a door unlabeled, except for "Fringe Venue 29," file in to a brick room with four rows of seats, facing the "set," a propped-up bit of plywood with a sheet draped over and title scrawled on. For forty-five minutes, makeshift puppets—most of them off-the-shelf action figures & stuffed animals—make gags, shout and beat one another, swearing and whimpering. A woman behind the curtain intones section titles. Some pub is recycling their glass outside, making the puppets inaudible; so they shout louder and ad-lib gags about the clatter. This is "Shitty Deal Puppet Theatre's Guide to the Arts." Hoping to see "Shitty Deal Puppet Theatre's Complete History of Oppressed People Everywhere!" next week.