What makes a good live show a great one?

"What makes a good show a great show?" is the atom-splitting, holy grail-esque question that has tortured acts since Fringes immemorial. Because of the previous awards and sales-based success of themed hours - especially 'dead dad', confessional and 'PowerPoint' shows - there has been a temptation to mull on what elements have to be in the mix for a hit show, one that is either lauded by the critics, the punters or the awards - or ideally all three.

A strict theme has become almost thing of ridicule in more recent years, but there's no denying that there are some...