A drag queen's take on the aftermath of 11 September will be among a number of shows inspired by the attacks to be staged at the world's largest arts festival, the Edinburgh Fringe.

Drama, dance, poetry and music will be used to explore the tragedy - including Tina C, played by UK comedian Chris Green, singing songs with titles like Stranger on the Stairwell from a fictitious tribute album, 9/11: 24/7.

Chris Green says the poster has "integrity" in the context of the show

It is billed as "a heartfelt tribute to the heroes of the Twin Towers disaster" - but has attracted criticism for a promotional picture showing Tina C towering over Manhattan.

Tina C's Twin Towers Tribute will be one of almost 1,500 shows staged at the Edinburgh Fringe, which takes place in August.

The other major global event to inspire shows is the World Cup, which is the basis for five productions, including The World Cup Is Not Enough and The Boy with the Magic Feet.

There will be more than 20,000 performances over the three-week festival, which is a hotbed of new and alternative talent from around the world.

Green says Tina C does not make jokes about the World Trade Center disaster - but satirises the entertainment industry's response to it.

But he admits that some people have reacted strongly to the picture, which shows Tina C standing where the World Trade Center once stood, with an aeroplane heading for one of her legs.

"I can understand that people might feel uncomfortable about [the poster]," he told BBC News Online.

"Especially with the cross-gender aspect, it might appear to be trashy. But if you know any of the context of the show, it really does have an integrity.

"It certainly wasn't done as a cynical attempt to capitalise on a horrible event, and I'm absolutely convinced that people who come to se the show will see how the whole thing fits together, how it works as a piece."

Rainbow's Geoffrey Hayes has promised to spill the beans

Other shows will include Project 9/11, which follows seven people in New York on the day of the tragedy, while Jumpers is about how four New Yorkers cope with the aftermath.

Impressionist Rory Bremner, US political comic Will Durst, and veteran Labour politician Tony Benn will also appear.

Following last year's performance to an audience of one in a Smart car, there will be one-to-one performances in a lift in 2002.

Former MP and TV presenter Giles Brandreth has pledged to take audiences through 100 of the best and worst musicals in 90 minutes in his show, Zipp, while high culture and lowbrow TV will collide in Jerry Springer - The Opera.

Former star of children's TV favourite Rainbow, Geoffrey Hayes, has promised to reveal the real story behind Bungle, Zippy and George in his own show.