Assembly Festival is inviting locals living amongst the world’s largest performing arts festival to celebrate it to the fullest with the announcement of thousands of £6.50 tickets for residents at this year’s Fringe.
Residents of Edinburgh and the Lothians, Falkirk and Fife with an EH, FK, or KY postcode will have access to over 230 of the best shows at Assembly Festival 2024, with over 6000 £6.50 tickets made available for the very first days of the Fringe – Wednesday 31 July – Sunday 04 August inclusive.
Assembly Festival returns this year with a jam-packed programme of world-class entertainment full of jaw-dropping acrobatics, outrageous comedy, show-stopping theatre, energetic children’s shows, live music, and much, much more.
One of Assembly’s top selling shows of 2023, Afrique en Cirque, returns to wow Fringe audiences once more with their daring acrobatics sharing the beauty and artistry of African culture. This 2023 sell-out show is a dazzling circus spectacular and promises a show-stopping night out for the whole family.
There’s plenty more Circus in this year’s programme, with the internationally renowned Recirquel Cirque Danse returning off the back of My Land and IMA with a brand-new show, Recirquel: Paradisum, exploring the myth of regenesis following the silence of a perished world.
Award-winning Australian circus cabaret Rouge is back at Assembly with a non-stop celebration of the astonishing, subversive and the outrageously sexy. Assembly also joins forces with House of Oz and presents the critically acclaimed Gravity & Other Myths’ brand-new show, Ten Thousand Hours, an ode to the countless hours needed to achieve great things, told through spectacular gravity-defying acrobatics.
Festival legend Camille O’Sullivan returns for her 20th Fringe with Camille O’Sullivan: Loveletter, an intimate and heartfelt show celebrating friends and legends of music including Shane McGowan, David Bowie, Sinead O’Connor, and more. Jason Byrne joins Assembly once more with Jason Byrne: NO SHOW and Adam Hills is back at the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time since 2015 with brand-new material in Adam Hills: Shoes Half Full.
TikTok superstar and Queer celeb Dylan Mulvaney brings her debut Fringe show Dylan Mulvaney: F*g Hag and a bucket-load of Trans and Queer joy to Assembly George Square Studios. Fresh off the back of winning the Pinder Prize, Aussie comic Bronwyn Kuss joins Assembly with her award-winning debut comedy show Bronwyn Kuss:Sounds Good,promising an evening of dry wit and tales of misadventure. Takashi Wakasugi brings a fresh new perspective to Japanese and Western cultures, in debut comedy show Takashi Wakasugi: Welcome to Japan.
Assembly welcomes an incredible lineup of international artists bringing Children’s Shows to this year’s festival. Her Majesty Queen Angelique-Monet of Eti-Oni, Nigeria, and her puppet Milk the Cow host a historic vaudeville theatre piece incorporating ventriloquism, comedy, music and storytelling in Ventriloquist Queen: A True African Queen. Returning favourites, and winners of Japan’s Children and Performing Arts Expo 2019, Cartooon!!rejoin Assembly with unparalleled contemporary Japanese clowning.
There’s plenty of local Scottish talent too, including ART Award winner Gracie and the Start of the End of the World (again) from Zoë Bullock and Louise Oliver. National treasure Susie McCabe returns with a brand-new show Susie McCabe: Merchant of Menace. Futuristic Folktales at Assembly @ Dance Basebrings a dance for hope scrutinising reproductive injustices by re-imagining the tale of the first womb told through contemporary movement, storytelling, and Scottish Highland dance, alongside music from Malin Lewis. Edinburgh locals Captivate Theatre are back with their five-star, energetic and emotional production of Sunshine on Leith, and Pretty Knickers Productions debut their brand-new musical Mary, Queen of Rock!
Discounted tickets for all these shows and more will be available to purchase from assemblyfestival.com between 18-25 June at 23.59. Tickets included in the offer are limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
To claim your £6.50 tickets, log in to your assemblyfestival.com account, add the Local Resident tickets to your basket then use the discount code LOCALS24 at the checkout and pay with a card that is registered to an address in an EH, FK, or KY postcode.
This offer is limited to a maximum of two tickets per performance, six per transaction, and is only valid for participating shows between 31 July – 04 August inclusive. Full terms and conditions are available on the Assembly Festival website.
Starcatchers, Scotland’s arts and early years organisation based in Wester Hailes, have travelled to France this week to present their acclaimed co-production with SUPERFAN, “Little Top” at Les p’tites tommettes festival in Creil, France.
The show launches the Scottish showcase for the British Council’s UK-France, ‘Together We Imagine’, Spotlight on Culture, which is building artistic collaborations and celebrating the cultural links between the UK and France throughout this year.
Set in a specially designed ‘little top’ circus tent the show is designed to create a magical first circus experience for babies aged 0-18 months. At a time in their development when young children are discovering their own physicality, and the pleasures and perils of gravity, Little Top invites babies to experience all the fun of the circus.
Rhona Matheson, CEO of Starcatchers, is delighted to bring Little Top to France: “Little Top will transport you to a playful, joyous, upside down, topsy-turvy world where people can fly, patterns fill the air, and anything is possible.
“We are excited to present our award-winning show, a co-production with SUPERFAN, at Festival Premières Rencontres.”
The festival appearance strengthens Starcatchers’ partnership with French arts company Compagnie ACTA, following their recent Erasmus+ collaboration exploring topics around artistic awakening in early childhood.
The two organisations have already collaborated to share research findings and exchange best practices in arts for early years. Starcatchers and Compagnie ACTA presented research at PREMIERES RENCONTRES festival 2024’s European Forum in March. The Early Childhood Principles were developed by Starcatchers, Compagnie ACTA, 2turvenhoog and LaSala Teatre.
Rhona Mathesoncontinues: “We are very grateful to the British Council’s UK-France Spotlight Fund for this invaluable opportunity to strengthen our international connections.
“It’s a huge privilege to showcase Scottish work on this platform as we deepen our understanding of what artistic experiences can mean for very young audiences.”
Starcatchers is one of six Scottish-based awardees to receive over £100,000 in funding from the Spotlight on Culture Fund programme, funded with partners including Creative Scotland and the National Lottery.
Their festival presentation is part of a wider celebration of UK-France cultural partnerships happening throughout 2024, coinciding with major events like the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Norah Campbell, Head of Arts, British Council Scotland added:“What a wonderful opportunity for very young children to experience the magic of physical theatre for the first time. An excellent example of how through cultural exchange, artists can come together to share groundbreaking research and performance.
“We’re proud to help bring this innovative work to France, a fabulous start to the UK-France Cultural spotlight activity for this year.
“All the projects are now helping to maintain vital links between Scotland and France, and creatives across both countries are coming together to connect, collaborate and form lasting relationships.”
THE ICONIC PURPLE COW AND ITS MOO-VELLOUS PROGRAMME RETURN FOR THE 23rd YEAR
Underbelly has officially opened the doors to its incredible venues and line-up at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023, set to entertain locals and visiting crowds alike.
Last night, Underbelly’s iconic McEwan Hall got the party started with the official programme launch. Lucky guests sampled a flavour of what’s on offer this year with a spectacular mix of comedy, dance and circus.
The event was hosted by comedian Sooz Kempner and comedy crime podcasters Kathy and Stella opened the show with a number from their hit musical Kathy and Stella Solve A Murder.
Also performing were stand-up comic Emmanuel Sonubi, Untapped Theatre Award winners Dugsi Dayz, family entertainer Mario The Maker Magician, comedy dance act TUTU, circus troupe Sophie’s Surprise 29th, visionary acrobatics from Circa’s Peepshow, US Drag Race winner Monét X Change and world-class circus performers The 7 Fingers.
An eclectic programme of over 150 shows across the four venues offers everything from dazzling circus performers, awe-inspiring cabaret, captivating theatre, vibrant dance, fun-filled family entertainment, and side-splitting comedy – there’s truly something for everyone at Underbelly.
Underbelly’s Co-Directors Charlie Wood and Ed Bartlam said: “What a wonderful night for our opening event! It’s brilliant to be back in Edinburgh for 2023 and we’re so excited to open the doors to another incredible Underbelly programme.”
For those looking for a good deal, 2-for-1 tickets are available now for a range of shows on the 7th and 8th of August. Families can also make the most of a Book 2 Tickets get 1 Free deal on weekday viewings of the family programme (Aug 16 -28th).
Highlights include:
For one night only in McEwan Hall Underbelly’s fifth Big Brain Tumour Benefit will host a massive line-up of Fringe stars in a raucous evening of comedy to help the fight against brain cancer. This year’s performers include Frank Skinner, Ivo Graham, Chloe Petts, Adam Kay, Hal Cruttenden, Lara Ricote and Emmanuel Sonubi, with more acts still to be announced! All box office income goes directly to The Brain Tumour Charity.
At McEwan Hall, join TUTU on a “hugely entertaining and hilarious” (BroadwayBaby) tribute to dance, where comedy and incredible dance skills intertwine seamlessly to delight crowds of all ages. Featuring an all-male cast of six dancers decked out in flamboyant costumes, this show is a humorous celebration of dance in all its glory… Yes, a bare-chested tutu-clad man can perform a stunningly graceful pointe solo!
Taking over McEwan Hall, Havana Street Party is an exhilarating explosion of urban movement direct from Cuba; Sara Pascoe’s Success Story flies in for one night only; Foil Arms and Hog: Hogwash, the Fringe favourites returns with a five-star comedy for an exclusive limited run; Drag Race double crown winner Monét X Change shares anecdotes and opinions on life in the tireless comedy Life Be Lifein’; and You Can’t Stop the Beat the Fringe’s ultimate musical theatre party night out.
In the iconic upside-down purple cow, the Udderbelly, Mario The Maker Magician brings robot magic direct from New York, with a wild and original family show; Choir! Choir! Choir! is a show where the crowd is the star and you’ll be harmonising to well-known classics in no time and a home-grown Drag Race winner joins the line-up in their debut solo tourDanny Beard & Their Band.
At Cowgate, Underbelly’s new, late night comedy experience is BATSU!Currently a hot ticket in New York and Chicago, audiences join comedy warriors testing their wits to avoid electric shocks, paintballs, giant chickens and other jaw-dropping punishments. Bill’s 44th – a poignant puppet tragicomedy for adults, called “Buoyant, mesmerizing, joy-inducing” as the New York Times Critics Pick; and identical twins Patrick and Hugo McPherson return with Pear: But Braver, after the smash-hit success of Pear in 2022.
The winners of the Untapped award, in partnership with New Diorama Theatre, Concord Theatricals and Nouveau Riche; It’s A Motherf**king Pleasure at Bristo Square, a witty satirical delight straight off the back of a smash-hit London run; Dugsi Dayz is a heart-warming tribute to The Breakfast Club, subverting Somali folktales and exploring friendships; and One Way Out, a powerful drama about four friends on the cusp of adulthood, exploring young British Caribbeans’ experiences of the Windrush crisis.
Over in Circus Hub, East London’s The Revel Puck Circus make their Fringe debut with an exhilarating new show The Wing Scuffle Spectacular; Aloft returns with Brave Space after selling out their innovative 2022 season and also presents Sanctuary, a punk-rock cabaret with a revolving line-up of internationally renowned circus artists backed by a live band.
For six dates only, McEwan Hall hosts An Afternoon with Anton Du Beke and Friends. The Strictly Come Dancing legendary judge takes to the stage with a live band, a guest singer and his dancers. Performing some of his favourite songs and dances that have inspired his career, expect behind the scenes stories from Anton’s time on Strictly.
Matt Forde will bring his hugely successful podcast The Political Party to McEwan Hall for one show only on Friday 18th August. Matt will be joined by one of the most charismatic, compelling, and outrageous politicians in Britain – Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner as she delves into her political career during this special live podcast.
CIRCUS, CABARET + VARIETY
Underbelly’s Circus Hub celebrates the daring and the different. The 7 Fingers present their world premiere of Duel Reality – circus on a whole new theatrical level – a must for fans of Romeo and Juliet and wondrous acrobatics.
Alongside Sanctuary and The Wing Scuffle Spectacular is Brave Space, a stunning, all-female piece of physical theatre that paints a picture of the world we want to live in and Reclaim which draws the audience close to examine life and imagine a sustainable future. Set in Circus Hub’s Spiegeltent, The Beauty, it features circus and acrobatics interwoven with two cellists and a live opera singer.
In addition to their debut solo tour showDanny Beard & Their Band, join RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard and their best friend, DJ Billy Andrew for a very special live recording of their hilariously camp podcast Gossip Gays for one night only in Bristo Square. And, for four dates only (4th – 8th Aug), get involved with Drag & Draw, the art class with a difference, featuring lip syncs, audience interaction and drag queens.
Experience the extraordinary as Suhani Shah, the world’s highest-subscribed mentalist, brings her Edinburgh debut Spellbound to Bristo Square. India’s most famous mind reader has captivated global audiences with her charismatic persona, linguistic deception and comedic charm – an unforgettable evening is guaranteed!
MUSIC & MUSICALS
There is exciting music and musical programming, across all four venue hubs. You Can’t Stop The Beat is a party for musical theatre fans, turning McEwan Hall into a sing-along celebration of all your favourite shows; The Magnets, famously the UK’s number one acapella group; catch the sensational five-voice sound machine to relive the magic of the greatest musicians of all time; and one part sermon, one part purge and three parts house party, House Of Life is a travelling musical cult collective with one mission; to get you happy, at any cost.
With a host of 5-star reviews in their wake, the acclaimed Sheep Soup company promise to achieve their goal.
Debut show 2020 The Musical is a joyful new musical, celebrating human resilience in every form, depicting the true, uplifting stories of everyday heroes and turning the events of 2020 into a heart-warming party (and unlike Downing Street, everyone’s invited); God Catcher reimagines the story of a woman turned to a spider as punishment from the Ancient Greek Gods, exploring the legacies of truth and bravery through catchy tunes and heartfelt lyrics; tender musical Fabulett 1933, sees a liberal queer society in Berlin protest as the authorities close off every opportunity for freedom and expressionism; We’ll Have Nun Of It is a masterpiece, blending contemporary pop, soul and funk music into a unique new musical that navigates the angst and joy of Ireland in the sixties; and Tinkisa nostalgic love-letter to our past selves through the eyes of a very familiar fairy.
THEATRE
Joining Bill’s 44th and the Untapped award winners; The Way Way Deep, blends bold storytelling, spoken word and original music, by sell-out playwright Patrick McPherson, previous writing includes The Man and Colossal; in his Fringe debut, star of stage and screen Declan Bennett brings Boy Out The City, telling a raw survival story of a man in his search for identity, throwing us into a turbulent world of toxic masculinity, homophobia and men’s mental health.
The programme also pioneers wonderfully current topics with shows such as; PLEASE LEAVE (A Message), a devised piece set in a karaoke bar on Yucca Mountain, where a group of scientists are experimenting with time travel, in which ClusterFlux can give a fearful yet joyous address of the impending climate crisis; Temporarily Yours, a journey into sexuality and prostitution, a show made from true stories and earnest questions, pondering our body, soul and relationships; and The Brilliance of Broken Glass, a true story about rising from rock bottom, exploring the aftershock of a medical crisis and championing laughter as the ultimate medicine.
Solo show, Pleasure Little Treasure, takes us back to the downfall of the Soviet Union; a story about growing up in the first strip club in Estonia during the tumultuous 1990; My Dad Wears A Dress is a hilarious yet sincere one-woman show about growing up with a trans female parent; Life With Oscar is a tragicomic satire set in the underbelly of Hollywood (no pun intended); and Looking For Giants is a perplexing and seductive tale about self-discovery, from emerging theatre company That What’s Wild.
In Bristo Square, The Gaffer explores how the beautiful game can turn ugly quickly. Football manager Shaun Woods discovers his private life is set to make the back and front pages. For Shaun, the game doesn’t last 90 minutes, it’s a battle with no full-time whistle. Performed by Fringe First Award winner Chris Larner, this new short play written by acclaimed journalist Rob Crossan is not to be missed.
Ringer is Hughie Shepherd-Cross’s fifth Fringe production, a comedy that sees a heartthrob actor’s reputation left in the hands of his feckless double; winner of Dublin Fringe’s Bewley’s Little Gem award, Frigid is a tender coming-of-age comedy about sexuality in early 2000s Dublin, performed alongside a live DJ; extremely silly, and extremely ruthless The Death of Molly Miller is a pitch-black satire on our world of influencers, inequality and addiction; with performers from The Wardrobe Ensemble, International House of Vape:Redefining Theatre Experience goes where no brand has gone before in a new corporate venture; The Four Worst Things I’ve Ever Done is a wild ride of confessions and consequences; and pitch-black comedy BUTCHERED is a dynamic physical theatre piece with a killer soundtrack, this absurd thriller is set in the kitchen where dreams come to die.
COMEDY
Joining Sara Pascoe in the comedy programme; Pear: But Braver sees identical twins Patrick and Hugo McPherson return after the 2022 hit show Pear, a riotous hour of sketch comedy by two brothers heralded as “like Reeves and Mortimer” (The Recs). Joining them in Cowgate is Adam Riches as hereturns to the Cow Café with a site-specific show; Adam Riches is The Guys Who, a fresh take on the guys who you meet everywhere.
Sounds Like… is a unique improvisational panel show, from Doc Brown and quick-witted wordsmith hosts, based around rhyme and rap with special guests from the world of music and comedy. It’s seriously funny, stupidly clever and addictive.
The Retreat is a camp variety number that mimics a corporate event, questioning our toxic workplace methods, brought to you by stars of Parks and Recreation and Glow including UK songstress Kate Nash and featuring a rotation of incredible and iconic comedy names.
The programme features some special limited-run shows throughout August. Mr Thing, favourites at the Fringe, returning for two nights only to celebrate all the best bits from the past five years; Drag Queens vs Zombies, as Haus of Dench’s monstrous hit returns from the dead for two nights only, as drag superstars Kate Butch and Crudi Dench try to save the audience of their cabaret show from a gruesome death in a camp comedy horror; and Werewolf: Live appears for one night only in a charity spectacular.
An all-star line-up of comedians backstab, manipulate and fight for survival in this cult gameshow; with previous guests including Rose Matafeo, Nish Kumar, Ed Gamble, and plenty more, you know it’s going to be a wonderful kind of chaos.
Meanwhile in Bristo Square, Perrier Award winning Will Adamsdale:Show of Just Songswill regale audiences with the ballad(s) of a man adrift in the modern age (though enjoying heated car seats), for tales of CD hoarding, failed citizen’s arrests and a film career playing murdered schoolteachers, medieval lookouts, and Nigel Havers’ son.
For six nights only at McEwan Hall “Broadway’s greatest comic storyteller” (Deadline) Mike Birbiglia brings his show The Old Man & The Pool to the Edinburgh Fringe. Chronicling his coming-of-middle-age story Mike presents his tale of life, death, and a highly chlorinated YMCA pool that will resonates with audiences ages 12 to 112.
Kelly McCaughan’s show exposes the impossible standards of the confines of religion in Catholic Guilt; performed by US comedian Lane Kewderis and directed by Matt Gehrin; Sex Job is an empowering show about the good, bad and often hilarious ups and downs of being a sex worker, following the inside life of a financial dominatrix; Holly Spillar’sHole is a muff-busting comedy about sex, pain and the brain, showcasing one woman’s determination in the face of a tough diagnosis.
For one night only on 24th August, Bristo Square welcomes the Straight Comedian of the Year ‘Grand Final’ where crowds will bear witness to the epic conclusion of ex-gay comedian Simon David‘s search to find the UK’s funniest heterosexual.
The biggest breeders of the Fringe will battle it out for the title and a Fiat 500. Following a sell-out run in 2022, 4 x Fringe Awards winning clown comic Garry Starr returns for five dates only (23rd-27th) with Greece Lightning. Starr will perform all of Greek Mythology – never before has Medusa been looser, Achilles more sillies, or Uranus so heinous – an anarchic masterclass not to be mythed!
Healing King Herod is a wild, interactive, drag-clown therapy session featuring improvised songs, political parody and cult-like rituals where Herod, famed for massacring innocents, now leads a self-development pyramid scheme, and; Jeromaia Detto: MUSH, nominated for Best Comedy at Sydney Fringe, is a whimsical and absurd clown show, with five stars all round; Max Norman invites you to cross the seven seas with him on a night of nautical nonsense, with piratical puns, 90’s nostalgia and the ultimate audience prize in A Pirate’s Life For Me; and award-winning MANBO is a dead-sexy action-hero mission filled with chaos.
For the theatrical comedy fans out there, Rosalie Minnitt presents Clementine, a debut character comedy-drama involving a hilariously unhinged quest to find love set roughly ‘in the past’; in Dead Dad Show Simon David tackles the ‘dead dad’ cliché, in a show, directed by Fringe First winner Chris Larner, with dangerously high levels of heart; struggling to make sense of a breakup, Sophie hires a life coachin Sophie Santos… Is Codependant and 2022 Best Comedy winner from Hollywood Fringe, A Terrible Show For Terrible People is a raunchy, absurdist physical comedy with 2 spoken words “for perverts, feminists and your mom (not mutually exclusive).”
AAA Stand up and AAA Stand Up Late, return with brand-new line-ups of comedians, including Ross McGrane, Ridwan Hussain, Josh Elton and Sachin Kumarendran, having sold out Edinburgh from 2005-2022, it’s filled with clever wordplay, whimsical observations, and mischievous twists.
For those who are intrigued by games of social deduction, Blood on the Clocktower: Liveis a night of gothic chaos and carnage, featuring a revolving cast of comedians.
More stand-up includes Charlotte Fox encountering a series of crooked and macabre characters in her dark and manic comedy; Ouroboros The Return. Robo Bingo by Foxdog Studios, an interactive show for people who don’t want to talk to anyone; Alice Cockayne is unhinged and outrageously funny in the clowning drama I Showered Before I Came; Chris Turner shares stories of touring with Cirque Du Soleil and his newborn child in Vegas, Baby!; Sara Schaefer teaches how to unlock potential in this perfect mockery of a seminar, Going Up; Maggie Crane’s darkly funny Side by Side, an autobiographical story about family and disability. Internet sensation Josh Baulf with new show Bulldog; Paddy McDonnell in Paddy McDonnell Live, a show full of tales of everyday life; Dan Rath, discussing the ups and downs of neurodivergence in All Quiet Carriage Along The Inner Western Line;Ed Gaughan brings his first solo show in 18 years,Words and Music, with stories, clowning around and plenty of surprises; and award-winning comedian Leif Oleson-Cormack, who pushes confessional stand-up to its limits in The Disney Delusion.
Today, Thursday 11 May, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that more shows for the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be available to book atedfringe.com.
This year’s Fringe takes place from 04 – 28 August 2023 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, children’s shows, events and more all represented in the programme.
Ahead of the full programme launch in June, more shows than ever before are being released, with 1,596 shows on edfringe.com from 12:00 BST today. The official launch of the festival, including the reveal of the iconic printed programme, will take place on Thursday 08 June.
Commenting on today’s announcement,Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘Today’s announcement reflects the wealth and variety of performance awaiting audiences this August, yet it alsohighlights the need to support artists and venues more than ever.
“Thousands of artists are coming to Edinburgh this summer to reach new audiences, and benefit from the many industry opportunities available to them, which is testament to the platform that the Festival Fringe offers them.
“It continues to be a very challenging time for those working across the cultural sector, and I urge you to browse shows, book tickets, and champion these passionate and resilient performers.
“As we move at pace towards this year’s festival, it has never been more important than now to support those at the very heart of the Fringe – the artists.’
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released today can be found at edfringe.com.
Theatre
Disability-led theatre company FlawBored present It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure at Underbelly, ‘a scathing satire on the monetisation of identity politics that spares no one’. Expecting by c21 Theatre Company is at Deaf Action, and ‘explores experiences unique to d/Deaf and hearing couples’.
At Army @ The Fringe, Everything Under the Sun ‘explores complex questions about how lasting peace is achieved, the role of foreign intervention in Mali, and how a state can rebuild after a generation of conflict’ via the story of Ibrihim, ‘a young Malian interpreter attached to the UN.’ Move at Bedlam Theatre follows Mili, who moves ‘from Beijing to NYC to become an artist’ and ‘seeks out people that are the polar opposite of those she grew up with’.
Writer and performer Obehi Janice is in the Casanova-inspired Nova at Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, following ‘a Nigerian-American comedian navigating desire, pussy and power’. Flickering Seasons at St John’s Church presents ‘a woman’s journey as she navigates life through adversity and challenges such as homelessness, addiction, domestic abuse and racism’. And 4/4/4: 4 Real Asians, 4 White Men, 4 Fake Asians is ‘both an autopsy of racial capitalist manifestations in the real world and a wild, virtuosic experiment which completely rips apart Whiteness’ – it’s at theSpaceUK.
An(dre)a Spisto: El Dizzy Beast is an Assembly show about ‘a queer, autistic, latinx caterpillar on the edge’. At the BlundaGardens, Plague Stone Party: Farewell, Tor offers ‘the queerest folktales that Wales and Ireland have to offer, with clowning, puppetry, and 90s trance anthems’. Gate Number 5 at C venues is ‘a half-live, half-virtual interracial lesbian love story between a white European and a black former refugee’. Asexuality! is ‘an autobiographical musical comedy about Rebecca McGlynn‘s pre-transition life’ – it’s at Gilded Balloon. At Greenside, Burnt Lavender takes place within ‘a clandestine cabaret pulsing with physical theatre, lip-synced routines and gut-wrenching confessions’; it aims to amplify ‘LGBTQ+ history through laughter, tears, and a stage full of queers’. And ‘the origin story of the world’s most glamorous Pride parade comes to life’ in ’78 Things I Don’t Want to Tell You About the Love of My Life at Outhouse.
At Palmerston Place Church, Chariot: The Eric Liddell Story tells the story of the famed athlete and his struggle to stay true to his principles at the Olympic Games of 1924. ‘David Hume and Adam Smith, titans of The Scottish Enlightenment and the dearest of friends, grieve – for old age and disease separate them, perhaps for eternity’ in Enquiry Concerning Hereafter at Panmure House.
Set during the French Revolution, The Madwoman at Paradise Green follows Théroigne de Méricourt, who ‘spends her final days crafting her life’s great work, an opera about the revolution she never left behind’. Ludmilla Dabo and David Lescot star in A Portrait of Ludmilla as Nina Simone at the French Institute in Scotland.
Searchlight Theatre Company presents two shows at Charlotte Chapel: The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis is an adaptation by Nigel Forde, while Titanic: The Last Hero and The Last Coward follows the journeys of ‘a church minister and an executive of the White Star Line’ on the ill-fated ship. At the Ian McKellen Theatre, Saint Stephens Stockbridge, Full Show Lane Studio present their take on the famous Ming Dynasty novel Journey to the West, combining physical theatre with original music in ‘a rarely seen blend of ancient and modern’. The Brunton with David Ross and Tommie Travers present an amateur production of The Steamie at Loretto School Theatre, as four women in a 1950s Glasgow laundry ‘blether about the past, the future, and being pals’. At Musselburgh Racecourse, Quantum Theatre present an outdoor adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s classic, Wind in the Willows, while Richard Holloway and friends present Murder in the Cathedral, ‘Eliot’s famous play on the life and murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral,’ in Old Saint Paul’s Church.
The Edinburgh People’s Theatre are staging Whisky Galore! at Mayfield Salisbury Church, in which a community of Scottish islanders ‘rescue’ a shipload of whisky during WW2. Meanwhile, ‘three alcoholics who meet in the night’ discuss fate, destiny and booze in Drink Whole Night at Frankenstein Pub.
House of Oz invites you to meet ‘Maureen: a razor-tongued self-described “working-class glamour queen” with outrageous stories to tell’. Thorns at Laughing Horse is a ‘reimagining’ of Sleeping Beauty, focusing on the voices of the heroine, ‘her daughter and the queen who sought her destruction’.
At Hill Street Theatre and online, Auto-Engrain: A One-Woman Show ‘relays experiences from speed-dating to how a toxic relationship can be engrained’. We Must Do This More at The Royal Scots Club is ‘a one-woman show with original songs and poetry, exploring the life of a burnt-out millennial, struggling to prioritise her best friend’.
Lemon Jelly’s Fred Deakin ‘hosts an immersive joyride through his Clubland adventures’ in Club Life at Summerhall. The 1990-set Better Days at Just the Tonic follows 19-year-old Danny, who ‘stands at the crossroads of football violence and house music’. Bits ‘N’ Pieces at Leith Arches ‘explores the dangers of drug stigma and misinformation in modern society’. And at ROUNDABOUT @ Summerhall, Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz follows Nathaniel ‘on his journey of self-discovery as he explores Black masculinity through Beyonce lyrics, techno raves and the deeply intimate relationship a man has with his barber’.
At Le Monde, Paul Zenon in Monkey Business explores ‘the amazing, strange-but-true story behind the weird stuff advertised in vintage American comics’. Writer, actor and magician David Alnwick presents The Mystery of Dracula at PBH’s Free Fringe, in which ‘Van Helsing’s great, great grandson performs a séance to conjure Count Dracula’s ghost’.
Horizon Showcase: FORGE at Lyceum Roseburn is ‘a durational installation featuring welding and soundscape,’ inspired by the theft of the ‘welcome’ gate from Dachau concentration camp in 2014. Dark Noon at Pleasance is a ‘brutal reimagining of the history of America… told by seven South African actors,’ presented by Danish director Tue Biering and co-director Nhlanhla Mahlangu.
The site-specific Angry Snatch: A Reclamation Job in 15 Rounds is ‘provocative and captivating piece of physical theatre’ at Port O’Leith Boxing Club. At Central Hall, Family Matters is ‘a powerful look at the myriad meanings of the word “family” and the importance of finding where you fit in’.
Comedy
MADE IN AMERICA is ‘a funny yet shockingly raw autobiography by Japanese-born artist Teruko Nakajima’ (featuring her dog Titi) at Gilded Balloon. The Abu Dhabi Dramatic Society presents ‘an original bunch of jokes and sketches based on real-life scenarios’ in On The Tiles at C venues.
In her debut show, The Mandela Effect, Thenjiwe, ‘the Queen of deadpan, discusses how the world has collectively misremembered facts and events that have led to Africa being in the state that it’s in’ at Just the Tonic. Yoshi Obayashi’s Adult Content at Greenside is ‘a show that presents various life stories in and out of the world of sex work – funny, sad, shocking’.
Noam Shuster Eliassi presents Coexistence My A** at Laughing Horse, in which she discusses ‘her Palestinian best friends, Iranian family, and viral marriage proposal to the Saudi Prince’. In his first UK gig, Saudi stand-up, actor and musician Ibrahem Al Hajjaj presents From Riyadh to Edinburgh at theSpaceUK. And, ‘like a 1970s cabaret show but with more colour and less racism,’ The 5th Alternative Black Comedy Showcase is at PBH’s Free Fringe.
In Overweight and OVER IT! at Ian McKellen Theatre, Saint Stephens Stockbridge, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney ‘will talk everything from dating and exercise to having to buy two seats on a plane but only getting one meal’. Keroseno and Finito: Cock O’Clock is ‘a transgressive tragicomedy based on true events that follows two LGBT+ siblings Keroseno and Finito, in the prevention and visibility of suicide’ following their mother’s death – it’s on at both Laughing Horse and Leith Depot. ‘Comedian. Trans woman. Voice of a generation. Anna Piper Scott makes her UK debut’ in Such an Inspiration at House of Oz.
At Hill Street Theatre, Seattle comedian Andrew Frank delivers Ecstatic Blasphemy, ‘a hilarious set about growing up as a pastor’s kid, finding queer joy beyond fundamentalist Christianity, and performing subversive stand-up throughout the Bible Belt’.
‘She’s been famous, she’s been homeless, she’s been sectioned with two guys who both claimed to be Jesus.’ Now Gail Porter prepares to be Hung, Drawn and Portered at Assembly. Troy Kinne ‘shares too much information about all of the things wrong with him’ in Made Wrong at 4042. And at Paradise Green, Bipolar Badass ‘is a one-woman show by Mari (like calamari) Crawford about the humour behind struggling with the illness’.
‘Poppyscotland are proud to host a refreshing, uplifting showcase of laugh-out-loud comedy created by Armed Forces veterans’ in The Recovery Through Comedy Show at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory. ‘Essex-born Gavin Lilley, through his masterful use of sign language, has brought laughter to many deaf and hearing people with his unique perspective on our world today’ – you can catch him as part of Deaf Action Presents: The Gavin Lilley Show.
John Hegley’s The Early Word at Summerhall ‘includes the anxiety of a slug and the four simple rules of Mister Galimore for marking your neighbour’s French vocabulary test’. Jeremy Segway: A Life Out of Balance is a show ‘dedicated to Mr Segway, the man who invented the Segway, all performed entirely on Segways’ – it’s at Bedlam Theatre.
Su Mi: Banana Beard at BlundaGardens ‘invites you on a surreal misadventure of absurdist sketch, untamed thrash metal guitar solos and imaginary costumed personas’. At Central Hall, The Yassification of Jesse James by the Coward Samantha Clementine combines ‘cowboys, karate, a Time Lord, ridiculous slang, and biting social commentary’. And ‘our once hot-bodied men in kilts, now warm-bodied Men in Quilts, navigate the challenges of getting older, not necessarily wiser’ at Boteco do Brasil.
Barry Fern presents his Arthur’s Seat Comedy Extravaganza on the summit of Edinburgh’s favourite dormant volcano this August. The Biscuit Factory hosts a line-up of comedians at Leith Comedy Festival Presents…. And Scottish accordionist Sandy Brechin ‘brings his successful weekly Facebook music and comedy lockdown show, Sandy on Sunday, to the live stage for the first time, with impressions, costume changes, stand-up and some loony tunes’. It’s called Sandy Not Just on Sunday! and it’s at The Saltire Society Headquarters.
There are also plenty of famous and familiar funny faces returning to Fringe 2023. The Duncan and Judy Murray Show is at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, promising ‘another unique show featuring special guests, Q&As and a desperate attempt from Duncan to win his mum’s approval’. Lara Ricote, Rose Matafeo, Sofie Hagen, Dane Baptiste, Ed Gamble and Tiff Stevenson are at Monkey Barrel Comedy; Catherine Cohen, Jordan Brookes, Nick Helm, Rosie Jones, Shaparak Khorsandi and All Killa No Filla are at Pleasance; Glenn Wool is at the Scottish Comedy Festival; Mark Watson has two shows at St Peter’s Church; Jerry Sadowitz proudly presents… Last Year’s Show! at The Queen’s Hall; Foil Arms and Hog, Sara Pascoe and Abandoman are at Underbelly; Mark Thomas and Simon Munnery are at The Stand Comedy Club; and First Thing (Work in Progress by Daniel Kitson) is at ROUNDABOUT @ Summerhall. Bobby Davro, ‘one of the biggest television comedy names of the 1980s and 1990s, makes his Fringe debut’ in My Name Is Bobby Davro at Frankenstein Pub.
Music
‘Led by charismatic Senegalese singer Samba Sene, Diwan is a diverse international collection of musicians, who share a global outlook and love of West African beats’ – catch them at The Jazz Bar. MTO Zendeh Delan‘s Journey of Love at Stockbridge Church is ‘a captivating presentation of the Sufi allegory of Leyla and Majnun depicted through modern Sufi music and the motions of Sama’. Sako Wana at Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC offers a ‘colourful groove for a festive trip to West Africa mixing pulsating rhythms from traditional Mandinka instruments’.
Alafia Ensemble, comprising six musicians from diverse backgrounds, play two shows this Fringe: Amalgamando at Argyle Cellar Bar and Bridges Between Worlds at artSpace@StMarks. At theSpaceUK, David Rivera and La Båmbula ‘will make you dance with their Caribbean sounds from Puerto Rico and Cuba’. Sixty musicians, conducted by composer He Zhanhao, ‘perform one of the most popular works in the modern Chinese classical canon’ in The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and Other Works at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Stockbridge.
Fringe audiences can ‘experience the passionate and mesmerising Flamenco Guitar Odyssey by Philip Adie’ at Alba Flamenca. Flamencodanza at C venues is an ‘inspired, powerful and elegant show of Flamenco dance and guitar presented by Aylin Bayaz, Raul Mannola’. And the ‘award-winning Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company presents their long-awaited second album and production’ Andalucia at YOTEL Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh Fringe Fling at the Old Dr Bells Baths ‘will feature some of the finest acts in Scottish traditional music in: Gleadhraich, Whisky Kiss and The Laurettes’, while guitarist Tony Randle takes you ‘on a journey through different shades and flavours of the acoustic guitar, with a mix of original pieces and classics’ in his Acoustic Guitar Showcase at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre.
Dynamic Earth celebrates ‘the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s 1973 album’ in the immersive Planetarium Lates: Dark Side of the Moon. La Haut (Up There) at the French Institute in Scotland ‘is an audiovisual show that immerses the audience in a unique world through the eyes of bird-like aeroplanes, taking you on a journey exploring emotions of longing and home’.
Tom Robinson is Up Close and Personal at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, offering ‘an hour of classic songs and scurrilous stories spanning five decades of adventures in the music industry’. The Rezillos’ Fay Fife brings ‘an unholy alchemy of country and punk’ to Gilded Balloon with her ‘insurgent alt-country outfit’ The Countess of Fife.
At Bannerman’s, Breakout! is ‘the highly anticipated show from the most beloved up-and-coming indie, pop and rock acts from Edinburgh’. Duane Forrest takes you on ‘a journey through the history of reggae’ in Bob Marley – How Reggae Changed the World at The A Club at the Merchants Hall. And Nothing Ever Happens Here returns to Summerhall with a programme of music gigs throughout August, including Pictish Trail, Kathryn Joseph, Auntie Flo and the London Astrobeat Orchestra performing Talking Heads.
‘Founded in 1947 at the Rose Street Telephone Exchange,’ the Edinburgh Telephone Choir perform Around the World in 80 Minutes at The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps, ‘with styles including pop, traditional and show tunes’. The Absolutely Fab Choir present free, uplifting pop songs at Brewhemia and Le Monde this August. And you can expect ‘timeless classics you know and love, inspirational anthems, and exhilarating gospel arrangements guaranteed to revitalise your soul’ in Get Up and Gospel! at Canongate Kirk and Greyfriars Kirk.
Two different shows are encouraging audience members to sing along this Fringe: Pub Choir – This Worked At Home is ‘the low-effort, high-return show of your dreams’ at The Liquid Room, while Choir!Choir!Choir! at Underbelly is ‘a show where the crowd is the star’.
The South London Jazz Orchestra ‘dazzles you with big-band favourites from the whole history of jazz – as well as some more surprising choices – in an afternoon of funk, Latin, swing and much more’. They’re playing at both Broughton St Mary’s Parish Church and St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St. ‘Award-winning international blues star Giles Robson, one of the greatest living blues harmonica virtuosos, showmen and singers,’ is joined by Edinburgh blues guitar player Sandy Tweeddale in Up Close with the Blues at Ryrie’s Bar. And ‘two-time Grammy nominee’ Beth Nielsen Chapman has released 14 solo albums, with ‘songs recorded by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson and Elton John’ – catch her at The Queen’s Hall.
As part of the Made in Scotland showcase, the Tinderbox Orchestra take to Edinburgh Central Library this August, ‘bringing together rappers and singers with soaring strings, heavy brass, woodwind and a thundering backline’; Tales of Transatlantic Freedom at Greenside is ‘a glorious exploration of our global musical heritage,’ bringing together ‘the richness of spirituals, jazz, blues, gospel, opera, and the songs of Robert Burns’; and ‘Modern Studies frontwoman Emily Scott performs new melancholy folk-tinged record Leave No Shadow with lush string orchestra and band in a soaring chapel acoustic’ titled Chrysanths, at St Vincent’s, with support on various dates from C Duncan, Faith Elliot and LT Leif.
Mark Spalding performs two Philip Glass recitals at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St this August: Piano Etudes, ‘a selection from The Twenty Etudes For Piano composed between 1991 and 2013’ and ‘the piano solo version of the award-winning soundtrack for the 2002 film The Hours’. Meanwhile, Northesk Parish Church plays hosts to three separate programmes of Soloists of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra: André Cebrian and Irene Alfageme, Maximiliano Martin and Scott Mitchell, and Su-a Lee and Hamish Napier. London-based cellist Anne-Isabel Meyer plays the Bach Cello Suites and Bach’s Prelude and Gigue at St Cuthbert’s Church; St Giles’ Cathedral hosts performances by the National Youth Choir of Scotland and NYCOS National Girls Choir; and John Bryden delivers ‘two piano recitals on the Cathedral Steinway’ as part of Cathedral Coffee Concerts at St Mary’s Cathedral.
Attila the Stockbroker has ‘taught himself to play crumhorn, cornamuse, rauschpfeife, recorders and written an album about the Levellers, Diggers and Ranters and the English Revolution of 1649’. Find out more at his Early Music Show at St Cecilia’s Hall.
In Rules Schmules – How To Be Jew-ish at Hill Street Theatre, Suzie Depreli delivers ‘one woman’s passive aggressive mission to educate the world about what it means to have an orthodox family that ate sausages, an Asian Catholic husband that uses more Yiddish words than her Nana, and celebrate Passover without believing in God’. Meanwhile, Endless Sunset Oblivion at Just the Tonic ‘tells the story of Reuben – a young songwriter attempting to combat the accelerated problems the world is facing’.
‘Singing in both French and English, Christine Bovill honours Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg, Francoise Hardy and more’ in Paris: From Piaf to Pop at Loretto School Theatre. In Poesie Geht Ohne Schuh (Poetry Walks Without Shoes), ‘poems of Rilke, Eichendorff and more are set to music and performed by Christoph Hilger and Janet de Vigne’ at Old Saint Paul’s Church.
The Octavoce ensemble present ‘a whirlwind a cappella trip through our favourite Disney tunes’ in 100 Years of Disney at Leith Arches. Searchlight Theatre Company presents two shows at Palmerston Place Church: A Spoonful of Songs features ‘some of the most iconic songs from films like Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Toy Story and The Prince of Egypt’, while Her Majesty’s Musicals celebrate ‘the rule and reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, featuring songs from musicals that have played Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End – including Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom and West Side Story’. AXIOM – ‘11 incredible singers ready to take your breath away’ – present Fundamentals of A Cappella at Paradise Green.
At PBH’s Free Fringe, Marcus Megastar: Live and Controversial is a ‘free LGBTQIA concert circuit-style party after hours, where everybody’s welcome’. At The Three Sisters, AYEbiza Live: The UV Neon Party Sessions is ‘an exciting new visual club experience taking you back to the 00s and 90s with singers, dancers, saxophonists, percussion, glow paint and good vibes’.
And you can witness ‘mind-blowing sound, energy and vocal dexterity performed by international touring beatboxers and world champions, The Beatbox Collective,’ in What’s Your Sound? at Assembly.
Cabaret and variety
In Nails It! at Gilded Balloon, Jesus L’Oreal delivers ‘a sacre-licious energetic hour of song, dance and Jehovah’s Fitness’. ‘Taking to the trial stand, fighting for justice and liberty,’ Karen From Finance Is Doing Time at Underbelly. At BlundaGardens, Joanne Tremarco and Maral: Mother Earth (The Oldest Stripper) is an ‘interdisciplinary BSL-integrated show, blending clown, burlesque, puppetry, live film’. Mr & Mrs Love are at Pleasance, offering ‘a battle of hearts, minds and music… as the two sing for their survival, with a surprising array of musical instruments, outrageous dancing and acidic wit’. And Shakesqueer at Bedlam Theatre is a ‘drag-show parody rewrite of five of Shakespeare’s most famous works’.
Cabaret in the Dark at C venues ‘plunges the audience into darkness, allowing them to step into the shoes of their hosts, VICS, a collective of visually impaired artists from a variety of performing disciplines’. Paradise Palms Late-Night Cabaret is an ‘intoxicated blend of raucous antics, cocktails and rowdiness’ featuring the likes of ‘Fruit Salad, Kweer Kabaret, Shitake Nights’ and more. Meanwhile, audiences can ‘discover the untold stories behind the galaxy’s background characters’ in The Extras Strike Back: A Musical Tribute to the Forgotten Heroes of Star Wars at Greenside.
Australian entertainer, singer and pianist Antony (DrH) Hubmayer presents An Unwasted Evening – The Genius of Tom Lehrer at artSpace@StMarks. Kissing a Fool is ‘a queer clown-cabaret musical tribute to George Michael’ – catch it at Frankenstein Pub. Wela Kapela Productions present two biographical shows at theSpaceUK: A Star Is Born – The Rise and Fall of Judy Garland charts the life of ‘Hollywood’s brightest star’, while Vincent – His Quest to Love and Be Loved is a multimedia cabaret depicting Van Gogh as ‘a complex man with a ruthless drive to create’.
At Assembly, Rutene Spooner’s Thoroughly Modern Maui is a ‘cabaret extravaganza… fusing myth and legend with rhinestones and glitter’. In Child of Sunday at Laughing Horse, ‘Elisa Riddington recounts fables of her childhood as a preacher’s kid, through stories and songs’. And Anna Vanosi’s ‘soulful voice transports you from Billie Holiday to Björk’ in Late Bloomers’ Tales at The Jazz Bar.
Familiar Fringe faces The Lady Boys of Bangkok bring their Party Queens Tour 2023 to the Theatre Big Top. At House of Oz, Leather Lungs: Higher Love ‘reveals all with their heart-stopping four-octave vocal range in a brand new sensual celebration of all things liberation, exploration and vocal sensation’. In GURLBAND: The Show at Brewhemia, ‘Blaze, Angel Beads, Tianah Tucker and Miss Peaches… come together and serve up the most pop-tastic production drag show you’ll see this Fringe’. You can also ‘join two of Scotland’s most fabulous Queens for the ultimate ABBA Drag experience’ in Dancing Queens: The ABBA Drag Party! at The Three Sisters. And Edinburgh-based cabaret group the Little West End Theatre brings ‘a night of sass and show tunes’ to Outhouse as part of The Sassy Belle Cabaret.
Performer Vanity von Glow and wine expert Beth Brickenden are your hosts for Drag Queen Wine Tasting at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Edinburgh City Centre, while The Mother Superior hosts Whisky & Witches Presents Mythical Beasts: An Immersive, Mystical, Musical Whisky Tasting, ‘where folklore, five exceptional whiskies and hauntingly beautiful music meet in perfect harmony’.
‘From classic close-up to parlour prestidigitation, Tim Licata brings his brand of delightful deception to the Scottish Arts Club’ in Close-Up and Personal. Meanwhile, at PBH’s Free Fringe, magician and comedian Chris Cook Asked a Robot to Write Him a Five-Star Show and This Is What It Said.
Dance, physical theatre and circus
Kyiv City Ballet, who ‘remain in exile due to the ongoing war’, perform A Tribute to Peace at Assembly. The Unknown Soldier at Army @ The Fringe is a ‘compellingly captivating ode to Black British war veterans, telling hidden stories of men and women of Black British heritage who fought in WWI and WWII, using dance, text, live music and visuals to capture their contribution’.
‘Based on Japanese folktales, Noh, and butoh that reveal the human unconscious,’ Sun and Crystal at C venues is ‘a poetic dramatic telling of a universal contemporary myth that transcends time and borders’. Oriental Youth Culture and Art Week at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Stockbridge is a ‘children’s art show with the theme of Impressions of the East,’ featuring ‘song and dance, instrumental music, drama, and creative expression of picture books and paintings’.
You can also ‘immerse yourself in the richness of Chinese culture with a showcase of exceptional young dancers from China, featuring traditional and contemporary Chinese dance’ at the Chinese Art Show (Venue150 at EICC). ‘Inspired by classical and contemporary paintings, and supported by a variety of pre-recorded and live music,’ Still Life: A Gallery in Motion at Greenside ‘is an exploration and interpretation of the human condition’.
House of Oz and Na Djinang Circus present Common Dissonance, a show acknowledging that Australia’s ‘understanding of the world came from Dreamtime stories, song lines and oral histories’ and asking how we ‘navigate the complex dialogues of contemporary culture’.
At LifeCare Centre, TaalTales present ‘a contemporary feminist reimagining’ and use Indian classic dance and music to ‘explore characters from the Mahabharata’ in What Draupadi Said to Penelope.
At theSpaceUK, Tandava ‘sees the coalescence of Scottish guitarist Simon Thacker’s startlingly passionate sound-worlds with the infinitely expressive physicality of three gifted dancers from India’s Piah Dance Company’ as part of the Made in Scotland showcase.
From Chicago, ‘a revolving line-up of internationally renowned circus artists combine to showcase their most personal and prized acts, complimented by stunning live music’ in Aloft Presents Sanctuary at Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows.
‘Told through Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theatre‘s powerful emotion and movement, the audience will witness an opulent interpretation of Marie Antoinette’s fate’ in Marie at Bedlam Theatre.
Meanwhile, Laura Murphy, Contra and Carré Magique present A Spectacle of Herself at Summerhall, ‘a cinematic, (in)appropriately acrobatic ride through mental health, queerness, rage and 21st century space race’. Meanwhile, Spirit of Ireland is at Pleasance, offering an ‘incredible night of music, comedy, dancing set in greatest pub in Ireland’.
Available to watch online, A Snake in the House Means the Family Will Never Want is ‘an immersive performance of live electronica, dance and sculptural costuming, on intergenerational healing and transformational futures’. Also online, Eat Me is ‘a story of two women who use the dark web to find one another and together commit an act of “consensual” cannibalism’.
Children’s shows
‘With the rare combination of world champion skills, unprecedented showmanship and a truly original style,’ Cartoooon!! at Assembly ‘fuses circus with Manga cartoons to deliver a masterclass in the universal language of laughter’. Nik Coppin brings Comics vs Kids: The Super Showdown to Laughing Horse, ‘full of jokes, silliness, his own drawn cartoons, competitions based around Disney and superheroes, mayhem and special guests’. The ListiesMake Some Noise at House of Oz in ‘an insane mixtape of silly songs, stupid sketches and crazy clowning’.
Delving into Edinburgh’s gruesome history, Plague, Poo n’ Punishment at The Lost Close features ‘live music and horrible stories from centuries gone by’. In Taiwan Season: World in a Word at Summerhall, ‘language is the springboard for fun and games in an interactive, family-friendly production’. Bumble’s Big Adventure at C venues is ‘a one-act educational play following Bumble, a honeybee, on an adventure to find a bee balm flower’. Smithy’s Scavenger Hunt at Panmure House promises you’ll ‘have a blast while learning about the Scottish Enlightenment and its leading figures’. And 24 Solar Terms at theSpaceUK is ‘an immersive theatre production’ from QFunTheater Children’s Experimental Troupe, ‘condensing the time of each season into a performance.’
Gilded Balloon and Little Angel Theatre present The Slightly Annoying Elephant, a production ‘based on David Walliams’s hilarious book’, while James and the Giant Peach at Greenside is ‘a fabulous retelling of Roald Dahl’s classic peachy tale’.
‘A little girl is sent to retrieve a needle and thread from the ferocious Baba Yaga’ in A Girl Called Grace at The Royal Scots Club. At Central Hall, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane ‘is a wonderful story about love, loss, change and finally, finding your way home’. And the Helena Academy of Drama and Expression presents two productions at Paradise Green: Children of Eden Jr, ‘Stephen Schwartz’s epic and heartfelt musical’, and Journey to the West: In Search of the Way, an interactive show filled with ‘martial art, music and mischief’.
‘Funalicious master magician Alex’ presents Abracadabra With An Apple Magic Show at PBH’s Free Fringe, ‘a children’s magic show filled with excitement, fun, laughs and stories that entangle together in one awe-inspiring performance’. Mario the Maker Magician leads audiences ‘through a romping explosion of contagious energy and belly laughs’ at Underbelly. And ‘one of Scotland’s favourite magicians, Tim Licata astounds audiences with delightful deception’ at Saturday Morning Magic (Scottish Arts Club).
Musicals and opera
‘From the Tony Award-winning producer of Six’ comes Hello Kitty Must Die at the Pleasance, ‘an outrageously irreverent exploration of Asian feminism with a killer score’. Part of the Made in Scotland showcase, SCOTS at Ghillie Dhu is ‘the true(ish) story of Scotland, told by a figure who’s seen it all – The Toilet’.
Are You Worthy? at BlundaGardens is a new musical following Glory, who ‘dreams of singing at the world’s most prestigious festival, the only thing standing her way is a mysterious pyramid’.
At Bedlam Theatre, ‘Death (personified) takes us through the artistry in ensuring that each and every one of us meets our maker’ in Death Suits You. ‘From the stages of London to the shelves of Lidl,’ 2020 The Musical (at Underbelly) ‘celebrates human resilience and everyday heroes’. And Come Die with Me: The Murder Mystery Musical Parody at Just the Tonic is ‘sure to have you giggling, gasping and gagging, and that’s before the choose your own ending’.
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland present two shows at Assembly: Big Fish is ‘based on Daniel Wallace’s novel and Tim Burton’s movie’, while Edges is ‘a contemporary song-cycle which explores universal issues in a charming, honest way, asking – who am I and what will I become?’ Over at George Watson’s College there are two musical adaptations: 1920s gangster comedy Bugsy Malone and classic horror spoof Young Frankenstein.
Warriors (Army @ The Fringe) is ‘a new musical, written by serving Scottish soldiers and veterans, about their own experiences as young soldiers waiting to deploy to Helmand Province, Afghanistan for the first time’. Online and at C venues, Dreams of Peace and Freedom: The Streams of Natural Law is a ‘powerful performance exploring the birth of modern human rights, through the eyes of David Maxwell Fyfe, Nuremberg prosecutor and ECHR champion, with musical settings of the poets who inspired him’.
Pai’ea at Central Hall is ‘a glam-rock opera that covers the early life, tests, and battles of Kamehameha I, the chief who united the Hawaiian Islands’. Blossoming (You Undo Me) at Gilded Balloon is ‘a musical about a young Chinese man growing into his queerness’.
The Legends of Mountains and Seas (Paradise Green) is ‘adapted from the famous play by Nobel Prize-winning author Gao Xingjian. With Western rock music, it shows the characters and stories from Eastern mythology.’ And Legend of the White Snake (theSpaceUK) is ‘a classic love story portrayed by one of China’s leading companies in traditional Kunqu opera, rarely performed in the West’.
At the French Institute in Scotland, Cyborg Experiment #1 is ‘an audacious performative proposal, an opera of the future where temporalities mix and anachronism plays with history’. At Greenside, the California Musical Theatre Ensemble present Bright Blue Sky: The 9/11 Musical – in ‘a series of heartfelt scenes, each character relives their past, revealing hope inside tragedy’.
Edinburgh Music Theatre bring two shows to St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St this Fringe. EMT Does Pop promises ‘anthemic songs that you love, performed with EMT’s signature quality and style’, while Anthems – New Generation Musical Hits has ‘a stunning collection of anthemic songs from newer musicals from recent decades, performed with a live band’.
PBH’s Free Fringe welcomes the return of A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for 56 Minutes and Then Leaves… 14, for one performance only.
Spoken word
In Bards at the Barracks (Army @ The Fringe), ‘Scottish poets will be reading work exploring our collective history and common creative future, including a special evening spotlighting Hamish Henderson’.
Sebastian Michael, ‘author of The Sonneteer and Sonnetcast podcaster,’ presents Some Sonnets and a Bit of Bach at Greenside, exploring similarities between Shakespeare and Bach. And audiences can ‘join guests from the worlds of comedy, literature, music and faith for a series of live recordings’ of the All-Terrain Podcast Live at The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps.
‘Spoken word and performance artist Subira Joy explores their experiences being targeted by the police as a Black, queer and trans person’ in Kill the Cop Inside Your Head at Summerhall. Seventy-Eight Thank Yous at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre ‘joins new conversations arising about suicide and has been appreciated all over the UK’, approaching its chosen subject matter ‘with both depth and lightness’. Performance poet Robert Garnham is at Just the Tonic with his new show, Bouncer, offering ‘an hour of storytelling, poetry and comedy about fame, hope, and dreaming’. And Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard’s Tale (PBH’s Free Fringe) is ‘a darkly comic tale of one man’s journey through the conspiracy underworld’.
‘Bizarre and hilarious (hidden Neurodiverse/Autistic) Eccentrics demonstrate how to enjoy good mental health, be yourself and free everyone’ in Eccentrics Unite! The Guerilla Autistics and Neurodiverse Show – Year Nine at Laughing Horse, while Drs Munro and Kernick are Getting to Grips with Migraine at The Royal Scots Club, exploring ‘exciting new treatments, problems in children, hormones and why it’s not just headaches’.
‘Veteran street artist’ Dave Southern brings his Pavementology tour back this August, telling ‘the story of street performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’. At The Lost Close, Natalie Nardone’s Witch? Women on Trial explores ‘the brutal truth of the witch hunts in Scotland, told with humour and empathy’. The Cathedral Song School Tours at St Mary’s Cathedral give visitors a chance to see the Cathedral’s murals by Phoebe Traquair, painted between 1888 and 1892. And at Panmure House, The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker and Merryn Somerset Webb is a series of discussions and debates with ‘a well-known group of economics, politics and finance gurus’.
LBC presenter Iain Dale hosts a series of discussion events at Pleasance, with guests including Peter Tatchell, Alex Salmond, Harriet Harman MP, Humza Yousaf MSP, Peter Hitchens, Polly Toynbee and Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn’s also part of the line-up at Fair Pley’s In Conversation… series at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, alongside Ken Loach, Andy Burnham, Mhairi Black, Jack Monroe and more. Broadcaster and journalist Kaye Adams is at Gilded Balloon, explaining How to be 60 Live! ‘with the help of her filter-free friend Karen, some well-known guests and most importantly, you’.
More shows to be announced in coming months, as one of the world’s best-loved celebrations of arts and culture returns
Today, Thursday 16 March, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that the first shows for the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be available to book at edfringe.com.
This year’s Fringe takes place from 04 – 28 August 2023 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events and more all represented in the programme.
Tickets for 190 shows will be released at 12:00 GMT today, with more shows set to be announced onThursday 30 March and Thursday 11 May.
The official launch of the festival, including the reveal of the iconic printed programme, will take place on Thursday 08 June.
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released today can be found at edfringe.com.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Along with the programme launch and the first Friday in August, the announcement of the first batch of shows is one of those thrilling moments in the Fringe calendar.
“The whole Fringe community has been working behind the scenes to prepare for the festival for months now, but having actual shows to browse and book makes the build up to this year’s Fringe that bit more tangible.
“The Fringe is made possible due to a cast of thousands – artists, audiences, venue staff, industry, media, sponsors, partners and local businesses. It’s never too early to start planning a trip to the Fringe; booking early is also a brilliant way to support artists, to let them know there’s already an audience waiting for their show to come to Edinburgh.
“We’ll be announcing a lot more over the coming months, including details of our much-anticipated new app, so stay tuned!”
Theatre
At theSpaceUK, Call me Elizabeth joins Elizabeth Taylor in ‘an intimate look at the movie star’s early life, career, and loves as she grapples with the culture of celebrity and her place as Hollywood’s brightest star’. In Gilbert and Sullivan’s Nightmare at Greenside, we join Old Adam on awards night, ‘hoping he might just get the recognition he deserves’. Audience participation such as ‘sharing a memory and joining in with songs’ is encouraged at Memories of the Early 1950s (Just the Tonic). Combining drag, multimedia, audience interaction, puppetry and a lot of queer joy’, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story is at Pleasance.
At C venues, Love is Blue follows Olly, a hard-drinking city trader recovering from the death of his boyfriend, who has ‘a chance encounter with homeless teenager Aaron’. Making History by Stephen Fry (St Ninian’s Hall) is ‘the first-ever stage adaptation of the 1996 novel’ in which a student and a physicist discover ‘they have the power to alter history and eradicate a great evil’. At The Stand’s New Town Theatre, Agent November’s Indoor Escape Game – Murder Mr E is a ‘unique blend of immersive escape room and murder mystery’.
Comedy
Chloe Petts is at Pleasance with her new show, If You Can’t Say Anything Nice, and Grace Campbell is offering A Show About More Me(n) at Gilded Balloon. JoJo Pat is Sober and Alive at Just the Tonic, The Sheraton Grand Hotel is offering its Pick of the Fringe and Marjolein Robertson is presenting Marj at The Stand Comedy Club. At theSpaceUK, Escape Velocity presents ‘an anecdotal, confessional, funny story of a rocket scientist’s journey through sex addiction’.
Some famous folk off the telly are coming to the Fringe this year: Frank Skinner and Gyles Brandreth will be at Assembly, Geoff Norcott is at Underbelly, Gary: Tank Commander will be at Gilded Balloon, and the Pleasance will welcome Adam Kay and Paul Merton (the latter alongside his Impro Chums).
Familiar Fringe faces will also be in attendance: Susie McCabe and Jason Byrne are at Assembly, Daniel Sloss plays the Edinburgh Playhouse, Rhod Gilbert performs his latest work in progress at Gilded Balloon and Danny Bhoy, James Nokise and Jo Caulfield are at The Stand Comedy Club. Ensemble-wise, Sh!t-faced Shakespeare and Showstopper! The Improvised Musical are both at Pleasance this year. You’ll be able to catch at least two Fringe shows online this year: Agatha Is Missing, ‘fun-filled murder mystery’, while The Woke Box is ‘a parody Gogglebox about two slobby Pakistani brothers getting brainwashed by an evil TV’.
Music
A Certain Edge is a ‘singer-songwriter, turncoat-musician collective’ blending influences ‘from Bacharach to Bach, Steely Dan to Dylan’ – catch them at the Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC. At Novotel, Jazz at Lunchtime offers what it says on the tin: a ‘saxophone and piano duo, playing jazz standards and melodic originals in a comfortable, intimate jazz club setting’.
Singer-songwriter Dean Friedman brings his Words and Music to St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, with a back catalogue featuring ‘Ariel’, ‘Lucky Stars’, ‘Lydia’, ‘Woman of Mine’, ‘Rocking Chair’ and ‘McDonald’s Girl’ among others.
Craig Herbertson, Edinburgh singer and songwriter, ‘presents a celebration in song and story of Edinburgh’ in Craig on the Cliff at St Cuthbert’s Church, while ‘South Australian musician/songwriter William Jack presents a free (non-ticketed) multi-style cello recital’, This Old Cello Box, at St Giles’ Cathedral. theSpaceUK is hosting a plethora of different Night Owl productions inspired by music stars of yesteryear, including Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Blondie, Carol King and James Taylor, Whitney Houston and more.
Cabaret and variety
La Clique are back at this year’s Fringe, ‘featuring the best of circus, comedy and cabaret’ at Underbelly, while ‘cabaret legend and variety artiste’Ada Campe will be Naval Gazing at The Stand’s New Town Theatre. Just the Tonic is offering a Best of Cabaret lineup of ‘an all-star diverse rotating cast of international and regional seasoned artists in the genre’, and Dom Chambers: A Boy and His Deck at Assembly offers ‘exotic acts that connect alternative circus with the dark arts of underground burlesque and cabaret’.
Over at Gilded Balloon, JezO’s Car-Crash Magic Show is an ‘unusual blend of comedy, audience participation and magic’, while theSpaceUK hosts ‘magical legend’ The Great Baldini as he uncovers Illusionati – A Magical Conspiracy.
Dance, physical theatre and circus
Dance teacher and caller Ken Gourlay leads you through some Ceilidhs (Scottish Dancing) at 9 Queen Street. Returning to the Fringe are The Black Blues Brothers, ‘five unleashed acrobats’ performing their comedy tribute to the cult movie – they’re at Assembly Rooms.
The Centrepiece Global Sacred Circle Dance, Lighting up the World with Dance is at Craigmillar Park Church, offering ‘sacred, circle and traditional dances which bring communities together’.
Children’s shows
Fringe regular Marcel Lucont brings Les Enfants Terribles – A Gameshow For Awful Children to Assembly, which is also where you’ll find The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show Strikes Back! Pinocchio! The Panto is at theSpaceUK, as the titular puppet ‘learns some hard lessons about what it takes to be a real boy’. At Underbelly, Trash Test Dummies is an ‘award-winning, side-splitting, slapstick comedy circus routine’ about household bins.
Musicals and opera
Potty the Plant at Gilded Balloon is a ‘new dark-comedy musical starring Potty, a singing, talking, tap-dancing pot plant’. Blue Morpho at Greenside tells the story of Juliane Koepcke, a teenager in the 1970s who survived a plane-crash and 11 days in the Amazon. theSpaceUK boasts several musical adaptations including Frozen Jr, Shrek Jr and Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost. And Boys in the Buff at C venues explores issues around body confidence, with two ‘clothing optional’ performances on 15 and 22 August.
TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] by Harry Hill and Steve Brown is at the Pleasance. Another Afternoon at the Opera with Brian Bannatyne-Scott and Friends is at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, offering ‘an enchanting concert of operatic highlights’.
Spoken word
Alice Hawkins – Suffragette at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre is ‘a stirring and passionate account’ of the early-1900s feminist delivered by her great-grandson Peter. In Loft Clearance at Greenside we join Eileen ‘as she rummages through a hundred years’ worth of possessions’ in her loft.
Over 3,300 shows now available to browse online ahead of the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Societyis delighted to announce that tickets for a further 146 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are now available to browse and book at edfringe.com.
This is the fifth set of tickets to be released for 2022, with the first 283 shows revealed in March, 796 in April, 1,281 in May and 1,047 in June. In total, there are 3,385 shows now available.
The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 05 – 29 August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of performance, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events, children’s shows and more all featured in the programme so far.
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released so far can be found at edfringe.com.
Theatre
At Summerhall, Dykegeist “will shift between a supernatural thriller, a sci-fi spider lair, a haunted club scene, a social situation to discuss threat/consent/otherness”, and Peaceophobia is “an unapologetic response to rising Islamophobia around the world”.
An outdoor performance of “Shakespeare’s timeless comic masterpiece” A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at Fisherrow Links, and at Paradise in Augustines, 12th Night Lite is a “true love story for the ages”.
A selection of online shows will include In a Cave, a Voice at C venues, where “a Neolithic girl seeks comfort in imaginary friends”, and Willy’s Lil Virgin Queen explores Terra Taylor Knudson’s “passion for Shakespeare, and connects classic characters with modern experiences”.
Olding is a “multi-story, multi-character solo show, written and performed by Johanna Courtleigh” on Fringe Online, and What Am I, Chopped Suey? is also online, where “Meg Lin shares a raw personal account of growing up Chinese American that is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching”.
The Calligrapher is on at Greenside @ Infirmary Street, where an artist is “followed by the walking, talking, blood-drenched Quran that has haunted him” since he created it, and Elementa is “a one-woman show about a planet-saving superhero who’s lost her mojo” in the same venue.
Shows at ZOO Playground include Chips and Ice Cream, a show about a father-son relationship and the “struggles, the laughs, the joy and the inevitability of the mistakes that every parent will make”. Don’t Shoot the Albatross is where “pop music meets poetry in this new monologue about city lights, queer night life and large seafaring birds”.
At House of Oz, John Bell: A Few of my Favourite Things is “a relaxed hour with Australian living legend John Bell, as he rummages through his swag of favourite things, fishing out poems, stories, backstage gossip”.
Fan/Girl is part of PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth and charts a “tongue-in-cheek ride through adolescence against a backdrop of nineties football”, and A Lady Does Not Scratch Her Crotch is “a look at gender, sexuality, and the near impossibility of growing up”.
At theSpace @ Niddry Street, Laura J Harris presents Bella Donna, “an original queer comedy filled with unexpected twists and turns and more than its fair share of sass”, and theSpace on North Bridge hosts Pool (No Water), “a visceral and shocking play about the fragility of friendship and jealousy inspired by success”.
Sweet FA at Tynecastle Park is “a play with songs exploring the remarkable popularity of women’s football in the early 20th century”, and A War of Two Halves is at the same venue, telling the journey of “the Hearts from the football fields of Gorgie to the battlefields of the Somme.”
Cabaret and Variety
Figs in Wigs: Astrology Bingo is at Assembly George Square Studios, a show which plays “with bingo cards generated from your favourite celebrity’s astrological birth chart”.
Disenchanted: A Cabaret of Twisted Fairy Tales is online at C venues and asks, “Why was the Wolf in Grandma’s bed? Did Sleeping Beauty have an opinion on consent? Were the Ugly Sisters’ feet really that big?”
At BlundaGardens: BlundaBus, Ash and Lisa: Band Practice welcomes you “to this dismantling of music and sanity” in their musical improv show. And for film fans, at Brioche Dundas Street there is See It On Screen Summer 22, “three original short films made in Edinburgh”.
At House of Oz, OZmosis: The Great Australian Variety Pack presents the “hottest line-up of all-Australian talent on the Fringe”, Dolly Diamond’s Bosom Buddies sees the “award-winning, sharp-tongued cabaret diva” return to Edinburgh, and at the same venue, Geraldine Quinn: BROAD explores how “Quinn grew up idolising bold, brassy older women. Now she’s becoming one.”
Pick of the Fringe is at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, presenting “a mixed bill of comedy, music and variety, alongside the finest cocktails and drams in Edinburgh”.
At Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Accordion Ryan’s Pop Bangers brings music from “artists from all across the pop music spectrum… in a way you’ve never heard them before”.
Chris Cook: Reflections asks, “What advice would you give your younger self?” with a magical twist at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms. At Absurd: A Live Cabaret Panel Show, you’re invited to “join host and magician Ava Beaux, and magical team captains Kane & Abel, for an array of games, buzzer rounds, and cabaret acts”; that’s at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Roti. At Planet Bar is Miss DQ Prides Again, an inclusive LGBT show.
“World-renowned songsmith and pianist extraordinaire, John Thorn, returns to the Fringe with a sublime collection of new original songs exploring the meaning of life and the future of humanity” in John Thorn Dirt An Existential Songbook at RSE Theatre.
At the Voodoo Rooms, Mr.B: Twerp in Progress “will feature some chap-hop classics, interpretations of vintage rap ditties and perhaps even some bits made up on the spot”.
99 Red Kitties is at theSpace @ Niddry St, “a highly energetic amateur burlesque show, which is sure to tantalize the audience”.
Children’s Shows
Online at C venues, Risas de Papel is a show created by 11 artists from Mexico and Chile, “fusing clown, gestural theatre and live illustration in a show for audiences of all ages”.
Spontaneous Potter Kidz: The Unofficial Improvised Parody is at Gilded Balloon at the Museum, “an entirely improvised wizarding comedy show, based on your suggestions”. At House of Oz, Dolly Diamond’s Storytime “helps stimulate children’s imagination and expand their understanding of the world”.
At Paradise in Augustines, The Red Thread We Are Holding takes audiences on “a journey of culture, love and free Taiwanese desserts”.
The Mermaid and the Cow is at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, telling the tale of how “adventurer and children’s author, Lindsey Cole mermaided the length of the River Thames to highlight the plastic pandemic.”
Comedy
In comedy, Adam Kay: This is Going to Hurt… More (Work in Progress) brings diary entries “as well as some disgusting favourite stories” to Pleasance, and at Pleasance Dome Drag His Ass with Mary Beth Barone is a “deconstruction of modern dating culture”.
At Laughing Horse venues, Love and Sex on the Spectrum “explores all of the awkward firsts that come with dating, sex and love from a late bloomer’s perspective”. In From Ukraine, “Dima Watermelon (it’s his real name) and Pavlo Voytovych (writer at Comedy Central)” bring “the best comedians Ukraine has to offer”, with all donations going to organisations in Ukraine.
Jew Talkin’ to Me? seesRachel Creeger and Philip Simon live record their “unashamedly Jewish podcast enjoyed by everyone” at Assembly George Square Studios, and Róisín and Chiara: Sex on Wheels is “a whirlwind of synchronised, audience-tickling, stream-of-consciousness mischief”, at the same venue.
At BlundaGardens: BlundaBus, there is “extreme nonsense from award-winning idiot Dan Lees” in Dan Lees: Mustard or Custard?, and at Gilded Balloon at the Museum is Spontaneous Sherlock, an “entirely improvised Sherlock Holmes comedy play, based on a suggestion of a title”.
The In-Laws is at Greenside @ Infirmary Street, a one-man show where you can “join Paul as he meets his in-laws for the first time”, and at House of Oz, Gabbi Bolt: I Hope My Keyboard Doesn’t Break tackles “climate change, feminism, why small towns have too many pubs”.
The Necrobus hosts Fright Bus Service, “an award-winning theatrical sightseeing tour around the darker side of Europe’s most haunted city on a classic 1960s Routemaster bus”.
As part of PBH’s Free Fringe, Mimi Hayes: 20-Nothing details the story of an old woman who’s “sucked into the story of a 20-something who can’t catch a break”. Faces of Glasgow “is a scabrous and salacious satire of modern Glaswegian city life and its idiosyncratic inhabitants”.
The Scottish Comedy Festival presents Ah! My Name is Yoky Yu, about “healing, trauma, love, shame, guilt, mom, intimate relationships, and sexuality”, and The Lunch Rush gives “a taste of some of the best new comedy talent on the Scottish circuit” with Kathleen Hughes.
At The Stand’s New Town Theatre, Des Clarke: One O’ Clock Fun presents “a lunchtime showcase of Edinburgh Fringe legends, celebrity guests and the most exciting new talent around”, while Mark Watson: More Banging on About Time and Similar Issues (Work in Progress) explores “what it means to live and die, and what the hell we’re meant to do with the rapidly passing time in between”.
Trashfuture: Live at the Fringe is at theSpace @ Venue45, covering everything from “nonsense start-ups to the evil tech zillionaires and our garbled nonsense of a culture.”
At Underbelly, Dr Brown: Workdsff intlsdjfj Progressdsdfdfn the “multi award-winning comic” comes to Edinburgh “after a decade in hibernation”.
Call Me Me is at ZOO Playground, a show where Maryellen takes audiences through “stories of medical malpractice, being pigeon-toed, mansplaining in escape rooms”, and Platonic Love Triangle – A New York Stand-up Comedy Show sees comedians “Wyatt Feegrado (Bettor Days on Hulu, Amazon Prime), Lukas Arnold (2 million+ followers on Tiktok) and Otter Lee (Fairview on Comedy Central) present an afternoon of stand-up comedy”.
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus
At Dancebase, an “elaborately costumed dancer performs a tap dance ritual accompanied by a musician” in Le Flâneur, and A Something! No Dragon No Lion! is “a Kung Fu contemporary circus made in Hong Kong”.
Cirk La Putyka and Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Art collaborate on Boom at Underbelly, a “show about family, freedom and borders” where 12% of ticket income will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee.
At ZOO Southside is 40/40: “Kat has always danced, but she has never before been a dancer. But then, she’s never been 40 before either. This is the result of 40 years of joy and hardship, laughter and tears, super tunes and super moves.”
Musicals and Opera
On Fringe Online, Feeling Pretty “tells a story of women reclaiming their power” and at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, The Canterville Ghost: The Musical is a “family friendly comic ghost story” adapted from the Oscar Wilde story.
Spoken Word
At the Stand’s New Town Theatre, Politics and Poetry with Corbyn and McCluskey is an event which “traces the evolution of their political lives and how poetry and modern culture has provided inspiration, enlightenment and comfort”.
In 12 Angry Women, on Fringe Online, “women are on trial by the audience (the camera), they express their monologues and themselves through dance/movement”.
Aural Picnic is at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth where a “local lass brings to life contemporary stories with humour and vigour performed in anthropomorphic characters from nature and myth.”
At Pleasance at EICC, Iain Dale: All Talk with Nicola Sturgeon brings the LBC presenter and the First Minister together for “incisive insight on current affairs”.
Shot in the Face Marvin Herbert is at Shout – Scottish Music Centre @ 111 Holyrood Road, where Marvin discusses having “investigated over 24 murders and eight shootings. Shot five times, axed in the head, stabbed, beaten and bruised” in the service of “reducing re-offending by inspiring, motivating youths and changing lives”.
Music
At ZOO Southside, sanni-leena brings “jazzy covers” with a voice which “will hit you right in the soul – no matter what style she takes on”, and at ZOO Playground, I Dreamed a Dream: The Hunt for a Husband is “an evening of musical comedy, horrendous dating stories, and a relatable truth that we all need to hear.”
At Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC, Jeremy Dion from Boulder, Colorado presents his “blend of folk, bluegrass and Americana”, and Baul, Troubador and Verses on Love, Lust and Flame directed by Ahmed Kaysher “offers the ecstasy and sublime beauty of Indian Vaishnav, Baul and Troubadour music with its interpretation through a haunting presentation of Sufi, Bengali and Greek poetry”.
Duelling Piano Heroes is “an unrivalled, 21st century duelling pianos experience” at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Liquid Room Annexe/Warehouse.
10 Years of Hot Dub Time Machine promises “a night of high energy and non-stop fun and Tom’s incredible selection of the very best tracks from the last 70 years” at Royal Highland Centre.
At RSE Theatre, Bonnie Thorn Little Jazz Bird “showcases Bonnie’s vocal talents with selections from the Gershwins to Amy Winehouse and beyond”, and at St Cuthbert’s Church, Pitchcraft: The Pitch Is Back! is a showcase of “uniquely crafted acapella arrangements, each with its own twist, delivered with humour and passion”.
There is a Lunchtime Organ Recital with free admissionat Stockbridge Church, where “Marion Lees McPherson plays a selection of German, French and English organ music on the theme of Pain and Glory.”
Kings of the Blues: Electric Blues Tribute is at The Brunton, “honouring three masters of the Blues: BB King, Albert King and Freddy King”, and Kyle Falconer in The Old Dr Bell’s Baths with Support from The John Rush Band, The Laurettes and Hunter & McMusard is at The Old Dr Bells Baths where “Kyle, backed by his full band, will be playing a set combining his solo music and classics from The View’s back catalogue.”
The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps hosts Music for the Festival with Newtongrange Silver Band, “a traditional mining village brass band from the outskirts of Edinburgh, but their repertoire is far from traditional”.
At Underbelly, Bristo Square, Symphonic Ibiza celebrates “some of the most famous Ibiza club anthems from the last 30 years”.
Grigoryan Brothers: This Is Us is at the House of Oz. “To mark the National Museum of Australia’s 20th anniversary, the nation’s most respected classical guitarists, the Grigoryan Brothers, composed 18 musical works inspired by items from the museum’s vast collection.” At the same venue, BIRDEE “blends her own lineage of Chinese, Greek and Russian origins to craft her own sound and stories”.
Over 3,000 shows now available to browse online in the lead up to the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August
Today, Thursday 09 June, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that tickets for a further 1,047 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are now available to browse and book atedfringe.com.
This is the fourth set of tickets to be released for 2022, with the first 283 shows revealed in March, 796 in April and 1,281 in May.
In total, there are 3,131 shows now available.The official programme launch will take place on Thursday 07 July.
The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 05 – 29 August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events and more all featured in the programme so far.
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released so far can be found at edfringe.com.
Theatre
At Pleasance, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World is “the Fringe premiere of new kickass-pirational pop musical from one of the producers of hit SIX”, celebrating the lives of Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks, Emmeline Pankhurst and many more. Brown Boys Swim – also at Pleasance – “examines the pressures faced by young Muslim men in this exhilarating new play about fitting in and striking out”, while DARKFIELD revive two of their immersive, pitch-black experiences: Flight and Séance.
David Greig and Wils Wilson revisit The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart at the University of Edinburgh Playfair Library, “a wild session of anarchic theatre, haunting, authentic folk music and strange goings-on”.
At Wee Red Bar, This Is Memorial Device is based on David Keenan’s novel of the same name. It offers a “fictional history of 1980s Airdrie’s mysterious, post-punk legends” and features original music by Stephen McRobbie from Glasgow band, The Pastels.
Art27 Scotland presents several productions at ZOO, among them From the Heart of the Incident – the story of Dr Issam Bassalat Hijjawi, “a highly respected and much-loved Edinburgh medical doctor and Palestinian activist held in a Northern Irish prison for nearly 16 months”. At the same venue, Ontroerend Goed return to the Fringe with Every Word Was Once an Animal, which takes a meta look at performing a show, and Marriage in Progress features Lauren Katz (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Joey Slotnick (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, The Good Wife) who “explore marriage as an improvisation and improvisation as a marriage”. Online, via ZOOTV, Tuesday Night Sleeping Club is “an immersive live-streamed audio experience at your home”.
At Assembly, Brian Cox presents She/Her, a multimedia performance of “a diverse group of women speaking their truth”. Assembly also hosts August Wilson‘s How I Learned What I Learned, the UK / European premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright’s solo show chronicling his life as a Black artist in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.
Fishamble theatre company returns to the Fringe with Kingby Pat Kinevane: A Work-In-Progress. Hosted by Dance Base, “King tells the story of Luther, a man born on the day MLK was assassinated, who only leaves his apartment to perform as an Elvis impersonator”.
Directed by Guy Masterson, Pip Utton is Adolf is at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, exploring “what made Adolf Hitler so compulsive” and how any “cultured person could follow him to destruction, desolation and genocide”.
Just an Ordinary Lawyer is available online with C ARTS, the story of how “Nigerian Tunji Sowande quietly breaks through multiple barriers to become Britain’s first Black judge”. Also available online, Dickin’ Around asks “what does it take to satiate a heartbroken 20-something homosexual with a penchant for deep-diving into the sensory stimuli he finds along the way?”
ThickSkin’s Blood Harmony features music from The Staves combines with “bold new writing and dynamic physicality in this uplifting and powerful new play with songs about love, loss and legacy”. It’s at the Traverse Theatre, as is Happy Meal by Tabby Lamb, “a joyful queer rom-com where Millennial meets Gen Z and change is all around”.
Bastion, Beacon or Bridge? features full readings of three plays from Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian playwrights, with post-reading discussions from the authors. It’s at Army @ The Fringe, as is For Queen and Country, the story of WW2 Major Denis Rake MC, who entertained Nazi officers as a drag queen in a Parisian nightclub.
Buzzing Anonymous, based on an ADHD support group, is at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. The play “watches unlikely relationships form through the chaos and natural dramatic comedy that occurs when neurodivergent people try to navigate through day-to-day life”.
For Example Theatre present: Boat! at BlundaBus, “a tragicomedy combining clowning and physical theatre” following “two friends at sea as they navigate companionship, solitude and altering states of reality”.
Motor Court 103 at Central Hall joins a group of strangers stranded at a motel during a Kansas snowstorm – an “eerie, timeless pocket of Americana”. Also at Central Hall, We Are the Kingdum of Lear uses puppetry, masks and magic to stage “an experimental reimagining of Shakespeare’s great play”.
Dynamic Earth is hosting a series of Planetarium Lates this Fringe, including Under Pressure: The Ocean Show, which takes a deep dive beneath the waves, and You Are Here, “a dramatic journey to the very edge of our solar system and back”.
Hart follows “a transgender doctor in early 20th-century America” who is outed in the newspapers by his best friend, while The Severing Sword is an adaptation of a popular wuxia novel following “men hungry for the legendary Kun Wu sword and its ultimate power”. Both are available to watch online.
At Gilded Balloon, Bluewater is set in London in 2008 and joins a 17-year-old girl “as she attempts to navigate her way from Bluewater shopping centre with the girls to the weekly party happenings on a Saturday night”. At the same venue, Fear of Heights examines the American experience through the lens of Kevin Flynn’s Irish immigrant family.
The Virgin Travels is “a challenging, powerful and often funny piece, using music and movement to explore the tension between queerness and a restrictive Catholic upbringing”. It’s at Gladstone’s Land.
Greenside is home to Silent Gutter’s Playtime, in which “a birthday wish plunges the world into a hellish playground of 90s nostalgia”. At the same venue, Sugar? explores “real life stories of homelessness through a blend of verbatim theatre, physical storytelling and live and recorded sound”.
Conflict in Court, at Hill Street Theatre, is “an immersive courtroom experience where you decide the case’s outcome”. Also at Hill Street Theatre, Independence “looks at the Scottish independence debate with wit and humour as two families decide how to vote”.
Ladies Day is on at Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre; set at a racecourse, it’s an “exuberant, poignant comedy about female friendship and what fortune really means”.
At Just the Tonic, Theatre Paradok presents “a fresh, LGBTQIA+ take” on Constellations by Nick Payne, a multiversal view of a burgeoning relationship with infinite possibilities. Also at Just the Tonic, Cassie Workman: Aberdeen is a “part eulogy, part fantasy, part biography” about Kurt Cobain.
Boy: Looking for Friends is at Laughing Horse, offering a family-friendly solo show from Polish clown, Piotr Sikora. “Boy is happy living in his suitcase until he is forced to journey to the end of the world in the greatest adventure he has ever known.”
At Mayfield Salisbury Church, The Deil’s Awa! is “a roistering tale of smugglers in the East Neuk of Fife”.
Jonathan Price’s Alternate Endings is an “American cautionary tale, told in 10 vignettes, delving into the woes of the modern world as we ponder why we are here.” It’s available via Online@theSpaceUK, as is Call Mr Robeson, which tackles the life of world-famous actor, singer and civil rights campaigner Paul Robeson.
Carnegie at Panmure House explores the life of Andrew Carnegie, one-time richest man in the world and famous philanthropist.
An Evil Thing is a “dark, contemporary one-act play” about bullying set in Tyneside during WW2. It’s at Paradise in Augustines, where you’ll also find The One TEEN Show, “a Sri Lankan teenager’s quest to stage a live theatre show amidst post-AL angst, a pandemic and a country in crisis”.
At PBH’s Free Fringe, in Boys Who Punch Holes in Walls, “two young men explore what it means to be a ‘man’ in the modern world of social media, sexuality and toxic masculinity”, while The Azure Sky in Oz, Yellow and Special is a “powerful, funny and unflinching drama following two women whose lives are profoundly changed by their immersion in the world of the other-abled”.
Kathputli Colony: A Tale of Art and Resistance is at Pianodrome at the Old Royal High, shining a light on India’s biggest community of traditional artists through “Indian folk songs, traditional puppetry, musical instruments and explosive Dhol drumming”. Also at Pianodrome, Playing Beethoven lets you “feed your inner Beethoven with period and contemporary live music, costumes and ideas in an amphitheatre made entirely out of upcycled pianos”.
Sweater Worthy is “a one-woman performance about knitting through grief, heartache and depression”. It’s at Pins and Needles, and “knitting or crocheting is encouraged”!
Mara Menzies’s Blood and Gold returns to the Fringe at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, combining “ancient mythology and modern storytelling” to explore “the legacy of colonialism and slavery”. Also at the Lyceum, Tim Crouch: Truth’s A Dog Must to Kennel is the world premiere of a new solo work by the experimental playwright, in which “King Lear meets stand-up meets the metaverse”.
Cat is “a razor-sharp, subversive exploration of life at its darkest” by Connie Harris; it’s on at RSE Theatre.
At the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Miss Lindsay’s Secret sees a museum curator finding hidden letters binding Glenesk to Canada’s Klondike gold rush – “a true tale of sewing and 1900s sexting”. At the same venue, Mohan: A Partition Story “is a piece of oral storytelling which retells renowned storyteller Niall Moorjani’s Grampa’s experiences” during Partition in India.
At Shout – Scottish Music Centre @ 111 Holyrood Road, The Woman He Lived With tells the story of the wife of William Burke, of infamous graverobbing murderers Burke and Hare.
Marrano, a Tale from the Inquisition is at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St – “a historical play performed in contemporary storytelling fashion”.
At The Royal Scots Club, High Five is “an explosive, high energy, physical theatre production that explores the drug crisis with young people in Scotland”.
At theSpace, Floodgate joins three siblings in 2061 as they clear out their grandma’s belongings in a deserted coastal town, where “they find a diary left behind that will change everything”. Long Nights in Paradise, also at theSpace, is the story of a loving relationship “set in the context of the Grenfell Tower tragedy”.
Surfing the Holyland at Underbelly is a fish-out-of-water tale set in Tel Aviv, blending “bighearted comedy, electrifying storytelling and bold physicality”, while The Endling “explores the interconnectedness of human existence with the lives and deaths of other species”.
Comedy
The Pub Landlord returns with Al Murray: Gig for Victory at Assembly, where Frank Skinner also brings his “highly anticipated” new show 30 Years of Dirt.
At Monkey Barrel Comedy, triple Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Josie Long presents her new show Re-Enchantment, and from the “award-winning comedy collective CHUNKS” comes Chris Thorburn’s Monday Mash-Up Meltdown,“an hour of ill-advised mash-ups and remixes”.
Stephen Robinson brings his award-winning show DeafMimoto Deaf Action, a “storytelling event performed through mime” which is suitable for deaf and hearing audiences of all ages.
“Poet Laureate of Punk” Dr John Cooper Clarke and special guests come to the Edinburgh Playhouse with a “roller coaster of poetry, spoken word, off the wall chat, riffs and wicked stories” in I Wanna Be Yours.
Host of Netflix’s 100 Humans, Sammy Obeid comes to Gilded Balloon with his stand-up show So Comedy, and the “comedy phenomenon” The Guilty Feminist returns with “excitement, confessions, activism and inspiration”.
PBH’s Free Fringe hosts We Are Not In the Least Afraid of Ruins; We Carry a New World in Our Hearts from “non-binary whirlwind” Andrew O’Neill, as well as Clandestina Queer Comedy Triple Bill, “a queer women, trans and non-binary-led comedy show” from Charlie George and Victoria Olsina plus a new “wildcard” act every night.
Jerry Sadowitz returns with his show Not for Anyone (Pleasance at EICC), including “impressions of Greta Thunberg, Frankie Boyle and deep vein thrombosis”, while Pleasance Courtyard is the setting for Catherine Cohen’s double-bill, including her award-winning The Twist…? She’s Gorgeous, as well as a new cabaret show.
Troy Kinne Live marks the return of the comedian from a “sell-out tour” of Australia, NZ and London at 4042.
At the Acoustic Music Centre @UCC, Katya Kan Metaverse 4/20 “recounts the story of an Eton-schooled cannabis dealer” against a “lockdown backdrop”.
At BlundaBus, Amrita Dhaliwal presents “provocative physical comedy” in her show Driving Around, and “frivolity, shock and redemption” can be found in Riss Obolensky’s Healing King Herod.
Online, A Place Like Thisis hosted by Nicole Kidman as she shares “some of cinema’s greatest moments”, Plymouth Presents Theatre Company performs “hilarious comedy” Bartholomew’s Strip, and “the point of view of a tortoise” is front and centre in Daffodil Tramples the Fringe.
At Greenside, Brayden Kerr’s Tales of an Altered Consciousness Within a Comical Lunatic mingles realism and nonsense in a “comedy con carne”, while in Ann Chun: Asian Divorce, the NYC-based comedian takes on the “dissolution of her parents’ marriage in Thailand” while living in America.
Award-winning musical comedian David Hoare “combines wit and flare with precise delivery” in his 100 Songs in an Hour at Hill Street Theatre.
Just the Tonic hosts The Local Tourist, the “hilarious and emotional tale of a local immigrant who gets labelled as a tourist across five countries” from the mind of Ram Adithya Arangi, and Vlad and Kuan-wen: The Wee Aliens provide “fantastic observations about life in Britain” from Vlad Ilich and Kuan-wen Huang.
Sharon Wanjohi and Abbie Edwards can be found at Laughing Horse with their “sell-out show” Not Too Shabby, which covers “everything from babies being racist to Brad Bird’s 2007 masterpiece Ratatouille”; also at Laughing Horse, you’ll find an hour of Stand Up At Seven With Ella Al-Shamahi and Suse Steed.
100% Cotton: In a Spin pits Liz Cotton and two small villages against “the might of a huge sewer company” at Paradise in the Vault, and the same venue hosts Popstar Hair Show, Christina FanMail’s “comedy stream of consciousness”.
Ray Bradshaw: Bald Ginger comes to the Scottish Comedy Festival, along with The Many Faces of Horatio Gould, a “bold hour of high-octane stand-up”.
At Smoke & Mirrors, American stand-up comedian Leah Renee hosts the free showcase, Star-Spangled Stand Up.
For two nights only, Fred MacAulay – What(ever) Next? is on at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, as well as John Lloyd: Do You Know Who I Am?, from the producer of QI, Blackadder, Spitting Image and other British TV favourites.
theSpace hosts Menopause Party, from Essex pub landlady Dolly Slatemen (alias of real-life Essex pub landlady Debbie Baisden), a “taboo-smashing show with character comedy, sing songs, spoken word and the unveiling of Dolly’s arty expressions.” Also at theSpace, How to Be a Girl (In Three Easy Steps) by Gara Lonning is a “love letter to adolescence” on growing up as “a closeted Trans person in the middle-of-nowhere, Iowa.”
“Britain’s funniest, friendliest blind theoretical physicist turned award-winning broadcast journalist and stand-up comedian” Richard Wheatley brings his show Blindingly Obvious to C venues, while online, Nathan Mosher is Injured tackles the comedian’s “failed relationship, bipolar diagnosis, and a year-long breakdown and recovery” through stand-up, music and poetry.
From Soho Theatre, ALOK comes to Traverse Theatre with their new comedy and poetry show, exploring “themes of trauma, belonging and the human condition.” At the same venue, Liz Kingsman presents her One-Woman Show for a limited run.
BC:AD – Before Children: After Diapers is “one mad, brown mommy’s take on how the definitions of words change before and during motherhood” (Underbelly), and Thom Tuck and Tim FitzHigham: Macbeth appears for a limited run, with a different guest director daily.
At ZOO, Aidan Goatley: Tenacious “guides us through a tale that leads to dreams coming true”, and Naughty by Anna Marie Simonsen “confronts the disturbing image of innocence and youth as sexy.”
At the RSE Theatre is Shaun Patrick Flynn RN: Healthcare Anti-Hero, a new comedy about “caring for critically ill Covid-19 patients” described as “dark, dry and full of surprises”, and Emmy-nominated comedian Mike Glazer and Julian Stern present Absolute Friendship!
Music
Rage Against the Machine play “their first Scottish headline show in 14 years” at the Royal Highland Centre ahead of Connect Music Festival this August, where audiences can also catch The National, IDLES, The Chemical Brothers, Little Simz and more.
Singer-songwriter John Otway returns to the Fringe with PBH’s Free Fringe, along with his “surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona”.
At The Liquid Room, First Edition – Helena Hauff provides a “thrilling sonic experience”from the techno DJ, and there’s an appearance from Fife singer-songwriter King Creosote and Band.
At the Acoustic Music Centre @UCC, Iona Fyfe: Scots Sang and Mair provides an “intimate performance” from the award-winning Scottish folk musician, and Ross White: Provenance explores “what is lost and gained when music, and anything else, goes through a filtering process” in a blend of genres.
Argyle Cellar Bar presents Julie London Calling, an exploration of the life of the songwriter of Cry Me a River and Fly Me to the Moon, while The Memphis Music Story takes the listener through the music of “veteran singer / songwriter / keyboardist” Charlie Wood.
Looking Forward, Looking Back features “both compositions by musicians who served in the armed forces, and new work composed in response to the works of these civilian-soldier-musicians”, hosted by the Army @ The Fringe.
Flute Recital: From Darkness to Light is an evening recital of “lyrical and rousing works for flute and piano” by duo Leila Marshall and Ailsa Aitkenhead, and wind quintet Festivo Winds from Manchester present an evening of French music, Poulenc: Sextet, both at artSpace@StMarks.
Assembly hosts Folksville at the Fringe, “Edinburgh’s favourite folk music night returns, packed with outstanding singer-songwriters, acoustic musicians and poets”, and InChorus: Still Standing, a “large, contemporary choir from Peebles” whose programme includes “rock, opera, stage and popular favourites”.
Away Vain Warld: The Music and Poetry of Elizabeth Melville is on at Canongate Kirk, presenting how “traditional Scottish music increasingly became an influence on Scottish nobility” in the court of James VI. At the same venue, Influencing Mozart: An Exploration by Opera dei Lumi examines the “key figures from Mozart’s rich musical life”, with Michelle Dierx (violin) and Edward Keenan (viola) as soloists.
Deaf Action presents Deaf Rave, “the ultimate daytime rave in a unique location”, providing “an amazing clubbing experience with visual performances”.
Inspired by the music of Pink Floyd, Planetarium Lates – Dark Side of the Moon takes place at Dynamic Earth “in explosive surround sound”, including “spellbinding abstract projections on the dome”.
The French Institute in Scotland hosts Jesse Rae: Vive Funk, “a new live, immersive music performance wi’ the spirits o’ Parliament-Funkadelic founding member Bernie Worrell and Zapp founder Roger Troutman”.
A Journey Within: An Artistic Blend of Sufi Music and the Motions of Sama is “a journey of sound and motion through a modern artistic portrayal of this 1,400 year-old spiritual practice”, available online.
The Other Guys return with their “award-winning moves, beatboxing, and side-splitting parodies” to Gilded Balloon.
“Fairy tales and ghosts, loneliness and grit, electric guitar and classical orchestra” come together in Ninotchka at Greenside.
At Greyfriars Kirk, violinist Anna-Liise Bezrodny makes a return to the Fringe with the Orchestra of the Canongait and conductor Robert Dick to play Beethoven – Violin Concerto and Fifth Symphony, while Spirit – Barnsley Youth Choir is “an hour of wonderful entertainment and high quality music making” from the international award-winning choir.
Amy PapiranskyandEllyn Oliver come to Hope City with “a feast of live blues-pop music”, and the Jon Green Quintet deliver live contemporary jazz at the same venue.
The Bunker at Just the Tonic “is a late night of music, mayhem and madness” in the Fringe’s “most infamous late-night venue”.
At C venues is Midnight Wine, where singer / songwriter Chris Milner “shares songs, wine and stories from 50 years on the folk scene, touring UK and Europe”. Also at C venues, Kuniko Plays Reich: Counterpoint and Kuniko Plays Reich: Drumming exhibit the Japanese percussionist’s “flawless technique” and the work of Steve Reich.
The Laughing Horse’s Free Fringe Musicof many genres can be found at range of venues throughout the city, including Ghillie Dhu and The Grand Café.
Marchmont Music at Marchmont St Giles Church is “a free afternoon concert from quality performers for your delight lasting approximately an hour.”
S!nk – Return to the Source is at Pianodrome at the Old Royal High and has “Edinburgh’s acoustic innovators” present their “improvised, experimental new music”, along with Sing Sistah Sing! Tales of Transatlantic Freedom, which traces “threads of power, resistance, migration and emancipation in story and song” as part of Andrea Baker’s series.
Pleasance hosts Countess of Fife, “insurgent alt country outfit led by The Rezillos’ Fay Fife”, and Samba Sene and Diwan, a “fusion of funky mbalax / Afrobeat rhythms with undercurrents of ska, rock, Senegalese soul” from a “diverse international collection of musicians”.
RSE Theatre hosts the Jive Aces, a “mixture of swing, hot jazz and rhythm ‘n’ blues”.
Heal and Harrow comes to the Scottish Storytelling Centre as a “humanising tribute to the victims of the Scottish Witch Trials”, based on commissioned stories by Mairi Kidd with accompanying visuals by Alison Piper. At the same venue, the Poosie Nansie Burns Club presents Robert Burns: A Life in Songs and Poetry to explore both “his familiar and lesser-known works”.
Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha in Concert is a British and European premiere of the South African soprano in this song recital at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, where you can also see Cameron Shahbazi (counter-tenor) and Ashok Gupta (piano) in Shahbazi – Handel en Edimbourg.
At St Cecilia’s Hall, the Shackleton Concert uses instruments from the University of Edinburgh’s Musical Instrument Collection and presents works by Gordon Jacob, Arthur Bliss, Ralph Vaughan Williams and James MacMillan. Spinning the Works sees Lucia Capellaro, László Rózsa and David Gerrard explore the music of Bach and Telemann.
Bach Cello Suites, by a returning London-based cellist, and Back to the Fringe, by “Scotland’s Premier Barbershop Chorus”, can both be found at St Cuthbert’s Church.
St Giles’ Cathedral hosts the National Youth Choir of Scotland, on a four-concert tour across the country this summer, to perform Duruflé Requiem by Candlelight.
At St Mary’s Cathedral, Calum Huggan is an award-winning Scottish marimbist and percussionist who will perform works by Séjourné and Debussy, and Maximiliano Martin, Principal Clarinettist of the SCO, presents a “memorable evening” of works by Poulenc, Saint-Saens, Gaubert, Pierne and Chausson.
The Absolute Jam comes to the A Club at the Merchants Hall with the “uncanny sound and vibrancy of The Jam while playing a full range of songs from the band’s back catalogue”.
Bird ‘n’ Diz – The Music of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie offers the “rare chance to hear the music of two of jazz’s great innovators”, while Brass Gumbo Plays the Music of The Beatles takes a “musical tour through The Beatles’ back catalogue using only horns and drums” – both at The Jazz Bar.
At theSpace,Korean Yeonhee Concert comprises of “four pieces of yeonhee music and dance, with rhythmic, powerful and ritual interpretations of ancient traditions”. At the same venue, in The B-aca-chelorette,The Rolling Tones take on a “journey to find love” through the “power of gorgeous harmonies”.
Climb is at Underbelly, where Jamaican-Canadian singer-songwriter Duane Forrest “shares his stories and songs gleaned from his travels around the world”. Also at Underbelly, a capella “super-group” The Magnets present “the ultimate soundtrack of your life”.
Graeme Leak, of Spaghetti Western Orchestra fame, presents Saved at ZOO, a “retro-mechanical music show built around rescued 70s home organs”.
Cabaret and variety
Dream at artSpace@StMarks is “a new show packed full of drama and musical theatre song and dance”, performed by students from The Performance Academy, Scotland.
At Assembly, Jinkx Monsoon proves She’s Still Got It! with “bawdy stories, unique covers and original music” in her Edinburgh Fringe debut, fresh from RuPaul’s Drag Race all-winners season. Also at Assembly, publicity stunt specialist Mark Borkowski shares his stories in False Teeth in a Pork Pie: How to Unleash Your Inner Crazy.
El Dizzy Beast is “a show about a queer, autistic, Latinx caterpillar”, Andrea Spisto. It’s on at BlundaBus, as is Dark Mother, an “unquantifiably maternal, darkly ceremonial experience by everybody’s favourite shadow-shaman-clown-priestess,” Lucy Hopkins.
Hopkins also performs her Ceremony of Golden Truth at Pianodrome at the Old Royal High – a “ceremonial mess-about, interactive choral laughter bath and collective act of golden manifestation”. At the same venue, Phil Kay and Stacey Clare launch the inaugural Book Festival Fringe – “the funniest, wildest, most happening book festival / book launch-launch ever”.
Blazin’ Hot Summer promises “costume changes, choreography and general fabulosity” from Drag queen Blaze and her team of dancers at Brewhemia.
Paradise Palms is offering an “infamous buffet of raucous cabaret and queer performance alongside comedy, spoken word and the ridiculous” in Late-Night Tropical Cabaret. It’s also staging Paradise Palms Out Eastthis August: a weekend of family-friendly music, cabaret, drag, spoken word, comedy, storytelling, wellness, dance and more at Dalkeith Country Park.
At Deaf Action, theatre company Solar Bear presents “a rude, riotous celebration of Scottish deaf talent” in Spill Your Drink: A Deaf Cabaret.
Forth on the Fringe returns to the Edinburgh Playhouse with “some of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment”.
At Gilded Balloon, Biddy O’Loughlin “weaves her story through dark, dry stand-up and sweet, sad songs” in Funny Girl, Sad Songs.
William Roby stars as a centenarian cabaret artist in An Evening With Mr Noel Howard at Greenside, sharing stories and songs from his long career, while “self-described musical genius James Love and his sequin-clad showgirl wife Stephanie” perform their cabaret show Live, Laugh, Love.
The Burlesque Show at Hill Street Theatre gives Fringe audiences the chance to help choose the winner of the Fringe 2022 dance competition. At the same venue, The Gin Show returns to the Fringe for its third year, “with comedians, dancers, musicians and entertainers interwoven” between gin tastings.
TA DA – The Ramblings of a Magician is “an existential show about one magician’s relationship with his magic”. It’s at Laughing Horse, as is Hot Boys Bathhouse, a “debaucherous extravaganza of devilishly good comedy” written and performed by a trio of international clowns.
Kiki Mellék brings her show Wonder Woman to PBH’s Free Fringe, promising a “new, all dancing, all lip-syncing, all revealing tribute to fierce femmes. Also at PBH’s Free Fringe, Canadian performer Daniel Zindler charts his career as a busker and street juggler in Daniel Zindler Drops.
At Pleasance, Ki and Dee – On the Sesh follows the “two housemates and best friends who went viral during lockdown by singing silly little songs about their silly little lives (mainly their sexual frustrations, hideous dating histories, pulling all-nighters in their 30s and Jack Grealish’s thighs).”
Former Makar (aka National Poet of Scotland) Liz Lochhead rejoins with saxophonist Steve Kettley for Back in the Saddle at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, performing everything “from in-character monologues to heartfelt true confessions”.
Veteran musical theatre performer Peter Straker performs his Adventures of Straker at theSpace, which is also where you’ll find Abby Rose Morris exploring body standards in the entertainment industry in cabaret show More Than Tracy Turnblad.
Mr Brake Down: The Headmaster Will See You Now is a “St Trinian-esque” school assembly hosted by a drag king headmaster at C venues. Online, Chansons: Songs and Stories from Piaf, Brel and Me is a cabaret performance by singer Stefanie Rummel, accompanied by Vignir ór Stefánsson on piano.
At Underbelly, The Bleeding Obvious asks “What happens when you tumble out of the big pink closet and across the LGBTQ+ spectrum in a sprawling queer heap?”
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus
Ballet Freedom at Pleasance features a “world renowned ballet company journey from Kyiv” with 14 dancers in an “intimate, sensual ballet”.
Beyond Signs: International Deaf Narratives takes place in Deaf Action for Edinburgh’s first International Deaf Fringe: it’s “a daring triple-bill show performed by a Deaf-curated International cast of Deaf performers”.
Angel-Monster at Assembly explores “sex, consent, violence and empowerment” through contemporary dance from “one of Australia’s most prolific dance-theatre artists”, while 360 ALLSTARS fuses “BMX, basketball, breakdancing, beatboxing, acrobatics, drumming and more” in a “phenomenal physical performance”.
Across an Irish Indian Sea combines Irish folk dance with the classical North Indian dance style Kathak at the Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC, a show which “highlights the beauty of the two dance styles and live music”.
House of Jack presents Rock What You Got at ATIK, where top dancers will battle it out for cash prizes, with “some of the best physical performance acts from the Fringe”.
At Dance Base, 71BODIES 1DANCE is an “interdisciplinary and choreographic initiative” from Daniel Mariblanca, “inspired by 71 personal experiences and testimonies from transgender individuals living in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Spain”. At the same venue, Sung Im Her examines “how her three identities of woman, performer and migrant intersect” in Nutcrusher, part of the Horizon Showcase.
Rhythms of India by Dr Radha Krishnan, Arabhi Krishnan and students is online, combining “storytelling using complex footwork set to rhythmic music along with facial expressions.” Also online is When the Body Breaks, “a true-life multi-faceted story of sudden ill health, and kindness”, and Young China Shines, featuring recorded performances from schools in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.
Greenside hosts Decision – An Irish Dance Play, where “two very different sisters have a devastating decision to make” with original music from TV and film composer Chris Tolley, and In/Out of Bounds, “a Covid-inspired, thought-provoking and cross-cultural dance show co-curated by Hong Kong and Edinburgh artists”.
From the Erin Fowler Movement, EGG and FEMME are two solo works from the Australian performer exploring “fertility, motherhood and big life decisions”, and “female sexuality, gender roles and female identity”. Both at House of Oz.
At Just the Tonic, Mother Tree is “a solo show about motherhood, the forest and the universe”, combining theatre, aerial silk and spoken word.
Part of C venues’ online programme, I/O (volume 4) is a series of performances from calligrapher and choreographer Chiharu Kuronuma and juggler Teruki Okamoto. Also online at C venues, Tokyo Fugue is “a mesmerising piece of physical theatre, set in the maze-like train system of Tokyo”.
Paradise in Augustines hosts Crying of Four Seasons, created by Chinese dancer / choreographer Zhibo Zhao and using “creative, critical contemporary dance adapted from ancient Chinese poems”. Meanwhile, Pan Gu is a “50-minute physical dance play based on a Chinese mythic story in the Classic of Mountain and Seas”, with “modern interactive techniques” to engage audiences.
Shoes at PBH’s Free Fringe dissects “defining yourself when you feel undefinable” with interdisciplinary dance artist, Kristen Helen Poppe and including tap, Irish, flat-footing, ballet and modern dance.
Pianodrome at the Old Royal High presents Pamoja, “an extraordinary collaboration between dancers from Kibera and Kariobangi, two informal settlements in Nairobi”. This African contemporary dance show features performances and stories from women in Kenya “to challenge our perceptions and normalise the discussion around periods and menstruation in Africa”. Also at this venue is The Music Box, a “quirky and touching comedy show” about a ballerina.
St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St is host to Flamenco in Scotland, “full of bravery, heart, spirit and plenty of home-grown performers”.
At theSpace, The Ticking Clock impresses the “urgency of climate change” in a South Asian contemporary-classical dance performance.
Scene Africa is at Underbelly, and combines original music, dance routines and physical theatre to celebrate “African contributions to world culture” in “the ultimate South African experience”.
At ZOO, Heroes explores the “mind of a severely injured person undergoing a surgery after a serious car crash”, and stars award-winning mime Radim Vizváry. The award-winning contemporary circus company Cirk La Putyka presents the UK-debut of Runners, “featuring a giant treadmill, four performers and two musicians mix dance, running, cyr-wheel acrobatics and original live music, while running almost a whole marathon.”
Spoken word
The Stand’s New Town Theatre hosts the return of the Cabinet of Dangerous Ideas, with top academics discussing provocative subjects including Can the Police Be Feminist?, How Much Do Apps Know About You? and My Neighbour Hacked My Toothbrush!The Stand’s New Town Theatre is also where you’ll find the Fair Pley series of on-stage interviews, with guests including Jeremy Corbyn, David Hayman, Ian Rankin and Elaine C Smith.
The poetry of Robert Burns continues to inspire in I’ll Mak You Be Fain To Follow Me, at Army @ The Fringe, including performances from service persons. Bàrdachd Cogaidh – War Poetry looks at the Gaelic poetry around armed conflict, to help learners and fluent speakers “understand the contribution of Gaelic speakers to the history of the armed forces”.
In Alison Jackson’s Celebrity Fake Takes, join the “BAFTA-winning mischief maker” as she reveals the secrets behind creating “hyper-realistic fake stories” at Assembly. In the same venue, menkind LIVE tackles the topic of masculinity, as well as “straight-vs-gay badinage. Queerness. Profundity. Occasional filth. Sometimes, all of this at once.”
On at Pleasance, award-winning LBC broadcaster Iain Dale hosts a series of interviews with guests Owen Jones, Ash Sakar, Tim Rice and Rory Bremner to discuss current affairs.
At the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre is Mystic Poetry, with “mystical, magical words simple and straightforward” presenting a variety of tales in verse, from company Highland Mystic with Bill Macneil.
MindTravels: Reflections, Meditations and Attentions takes place at artSpace@StMarks, where Unitarian minister and poet Mark Hutchinson and Irish musician and composer Josh Johnston share “musical reflections and meditations”.
Kaye Adams – How to Be 60: Live! comes to Gilded Balloon to meet the approaching age of 60 head-on, with her “filter-free friend Karen, some well-known guests and most importantly, you”.
Anne Harper – Stop the Bus! at Greenside allows life coach Ann to “help you explore your journey in life” in a “light-hearted, entertaining and, maybe, even life changing” show.
At C venues, KC Finn: Free Agent delivers a “high-energy exploration of modern LGTBQIA+ life” and tackles “the tricky business of gender identity”.
“A rare insight into a special art form that will make you look at street arts in a whole new light”, Pavementology takes place at the Meeting Point at East Princes Street Gardens, Corner of Market Street and Waverley Bridge, and tracks “story of street performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.”
At Panmure House, How Heavy? Is “a brief history of weights and measures and how they have defined civilisation, by comedian / financial writer Dominic Frisby.” At the same venue, The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker and Merryn Somerset Webb discusses the economy with “well-known economics, politics and finance gurus”.
Solving problems is a choice in The Biggest Problem in the World: Our Problem With Problems and Why Truth Matters at Paradise in Augustines, while Scotland’s Oldest Poem – The Gododdin delivers a “modern English rendition in free verse” of this “bloody and poignant” dark-age poem at Paradise in The Vault.
At PBH’s Free Fringe, Around the World in 80 Events: The Journey is a “lyrical adventure”, exploring “80 events, 26 countries, 8 months and 2 weeks”, while Door-to-Door Poetry: Nationwide sees Rowan McCabe develop a project where he “knocks on stranger’s doors and writes poems for them, for free, on any subject of their choosing”.
At RSE Theatre, Sport on the Fringe is a new chat show “with leading sports figures from across the UK”.
Fire Is Not the Only Element comes to the Scottish Storytelling Centre bringing “pithy observations” on topics “from womanhood to war, from class and punk to love, and the beautiful game”. Also at this venue, Traditional Tales of Scotland offers “storytelling session with some of Scotland’s best storytellers as they share the wonderful, and sometimes wild, traditional tales that have shaped the myths and legends of this country”.
Children’s shows
Chores is a comedy-circus show from Australia, following “the story of a brother and sister who have to clean up their messy room so they can ride their bicycles”. It’s on at Assembly, as is Sean Choolburra: Didj and Dance!, “an exciting kids’ show from an Aboriginal comedy star” blending traditional dance, didgeridoo, storytelling and humour.
Central Hall is home to two twists on traditional bedtime stories. Bedtime Stories (As Told by Our Dad) (Who Messed Them Up) is about an absent-minded dad trying to settle his three kids into bed but getting fuzzy on story details, while The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig is a musical adaptation of the musical based on the popular children’s book by Eugene Trivizas.
Edinburgh’s underground walking tours have a couple of family-friendly adaptations this August: the Children’s Underground Ghost Show (City of Edinburgh Tours) is led by Minging Annie, a guide who has “been trapped beneath the city streets for 400 years”, while the Children’s Underground Vaults Tour (Auld Reekie Tours) explores the haunts of “criminals, body snatchers and witches alike!”
Mark Thompson’s Spectacular Science Show at Gilded Balloon is an interactive “hour-long show of explosions, chemical reactions and even a toilet roll”. At the same venue, Funbox Present… Funky Farm!, a farm-themed singing and dancing performance where dress-up is encouraged.
Greenside boasts at least two family-friendly adaptations in its programme: Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids, following the “man cub” Mowgli as he grows up in the jungle, and a production of The Grimm Tales as retold by Philip Pullman, featuring Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel.
Reach for the Stars at Hill Street Theatre is a “funny and light-hearted show” featuring four talentless directors and their long-suffering child actors.
Camille Saint-Saëns’ musical suite Carnival of the Animals is brought to life by circus acrobats Circa at House of Oz this August, while at the same venue, Australia’s “kidult comedy duo” The Listies present their irreverent Shakespeare adaptation, Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark.
Shakespeare for Kids: This Rough Magic is a family-friendly introduction to The Tempest at C venues, while online, One Day in Wonderland joins Lewis Carroll’s intrepid heroine Alice as she explores a strange world.
Pianist Will Pickvance plays the First Piano on the Moon at the Pianodrome at the Old Royal High, while spinning a yarn about performing at Mozart’s birthday celebrations.
Pleasance is host to a live adaptation of Dr Seuss’s Cat in the Hat, “a lively and engaging first theatre experience for young children aged 3+”. It’s also where you’ll find two versions of the music-and-sensory performance Moon Dragon – one for babies and one for kids aged five and under.
Storyteller Shona Cowie presents Beware the Beasts at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, delving into Scotland’s mythic past for tales of “bog goblins, dragons, naughty fairies, brownies, bony-backed horsemen” and more. At the same venue, Niall Moorjani and Minnie Wilkinson perform The Girl and the Dragon, in which “our hero Toral… swims uncrossable rivers, braves impassable forests and scales unclimbable mountains, all to fight a great and terrible dragon”.
FlamenKids at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St features eight flamenco artists performing and interacting with the wee ones.
At The Royal Scots Club, Count On Me: A Girl and Her Dog is “a heart-warming story performed live by Haley Grace and her dog Nickel, imparting life lessons and social-emotional learning through storytelling to give hope to young children”.
At theSpace, we join a young hero on the search for a magpie feather in Papageno’s Quest, with songs, dancing and different languages, while School’s Out Comedy Club is a “hilariously silly children’s joke show where the kids are the stars.”
At Underbelly, “top award-winning comedians and improvisors tell extravagant stories all based on” The Extraordinary Time-Travelling Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
Musicals and opera
Underbelly hosts Making a Murderer: The Musical this August, with the legal troubles of true-crime subject Steven Avery adapted for the stage.
Dots and Dashes: A Bletchley Park Musical is being staged at Army @ The Fringe this August, “telling the untold story of six women working at Bletchley Park during World War Two”.
Assembly has two musical adaptations from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland among its programme: Godspell, Stephen Schwartz’s “acclaimed gospel musical”, and the American Civil War-set Little Women.
Good Enough at Central Hall follows Chelsea, a strong-willed but reserved girl, and Steve, a brilliant underachiever. “What happens when the two are forced to work together for the state science fair project?”
At Gilded Balloon, Gigglemug Theatre present The Bean Spillers: The Improvised Musical, “based on scandalous stories from the audience”.
The Princess Pyunggang at Greenside “exemplifies Korean traditional culture and history through the story of a fool, Ondal, and the Princess Pyunggang. Performed in English, it combines Korean music, puppets, and dance.” Greenside is also hosting X: 1969, which uses the discography of Fleetwood Mac to tell the story of the women of the Manson cult.
Hill Street Theatre is home to the Edinburgh Little Theatre company’s staging of popular puppet musical Avenue Q.
At Paradise in Augustines, the University of St Andrews Gilbert and Sullivan Society is presents Iolanthe, a story of “young lovers, immortal fairies and some very lost politicians”, while the Kingdom Theatre Company premieres their adaptation of Highlander: A New Scottish Musical.
Haggis, Neeps and Burns is a “warm, moving and funny look at the life of Scotland’s greatest bard, Robert Burns”, staged at RSE Theatre. At the same venue, Happy Sad Productions stage their version of the William Finn-scored The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
At C venues, My (unauthorized) Hallmark Movie Musical “discovers a writer who dreams herself awake and rediscovers romance in a non-conventional way”, and Re:ACTION: Inspired by the Album How We React and How We Recover by Jason Robert Brown tackles “the American high school experience of the past few tumultuous years”.
Join the Bohemians at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St for A Bohemian Broadway, “an eclectic selection of their favourite Broadway songs”. At the same venue, Edinburgh Music Theatre present two anthemic shows: Anthems – 40 Years of Edinburgh Music Theatre and Anthems – Movie Musicals.
Ordinary Days at The Royal Scots Club follows “the lives of four ordinary New Yorkers… as they all desperately search for the same impossible thing – happiness”.
American Performing Arts International presents Best of the Songs That Made Usat theSpace, “an intimate, cabaret-style concert celebrating music and storytelling”. theSpace is also where you’ll find Edinburgh Youth Theatre’s production of Into The Woods Jr, as adapted from “Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s cockeyed fairy-tale”.
At ZOO, GOYA Theatre Company present Don’t Say Macbeth, a meta-musical set behind the scenes of a troubled Macbeth-themed production.
Over 2,070 shows now available to browse online, with more to be announced monthly in the lead up to the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August
Today (Thursday 5 May), the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that tickets for a further 1,281 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are now available to browse and book atedfringe.com.
This is the third set of tickets to be released for 2022, with the first 283 shows revealed in March and 796 in April.
In total, there are 2,074 shows now available, with more set to be announced on Thursday 09 June. The official programme launch will take place on Thursday 07 July.
The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 05 – 29 August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events and more all featured in the programme so far.
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released so far can be found at edfringe.com.
Theatre
Paines Plough return to Summerhall this August with a programme of work, including Caste-ing, which explores “the experiences of three black actresses using beatboxing, rap, song and spoken word”, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder is “a true-crime podcast reframed as ‘a hilarious murder-mystery musical’”; and Feeling Afraid as If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen is “a dark new comedy about vulnerability, intimacy, ego and truth” starring Samuel Barnett, written by Marcelo Dos Santos and directed by Matthew Xia.
Hamlet with Ian McKellen features McKellen alongside Danish ballet dancer Peter Schaufuss in a new performance concept adapted from William Shakespeare’s play. It takes place at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Stockbridge.
Black Sheep at Assembly follows Livia: an aspiring circus star who uses “poetry, music and performance to speak about the challenges a Black woman faces when daring to move into her power”.
A Hundred Words for Snow follows a teenage girl on “a comic, complex, epic, undulating story” as she journeys to the North Pole with her father’s ashes. That’s at Leith Arches, as is Bits N’ Pieces, “an access-all-areas approach to working-class life and what it’s like to come of age at the height of Scotland’s drug crisis” by Saltire Sky.
Something About Productions present two biographical music shows at Assembly: Something About George deals with Beatles star George Harrison, while Something About Simon tackles the life and work of Paul Simon.
At the French Institute in Scotland you’ll find S-ex-iety, exploring the impact pornography has on the lives of “three roommates on an intense journey through the adult industry”.
Online, Ben Hur: The Theatre Show follows ‘a young prince’ whose eventful life includes slavery, revenge and an encounter with a man from Nazareth; while Outside the Gate is a dramedy about two mums meeting at the school gates, featuring an Iranian and an American living in Middle England.
Tinted at Gilded Balloon, “originally written as a disabled response to #MeToo”, examines bodily autonomy and consent from a blind woman’s perspective. At the same venue is Angel by Henry Naylor: an award-winning story of a female anti-ISIS sniper who allegedly has more than 100 kills to her name. Fans of Naylor can also catch the European premiere of Afghanistan Is Not Funny by Henry Naylor, a description of the playwright’s experiences in the war-torn region performed by the man himself.
Tamara Al-Bassam makes her Fringe debut with Able(ish) (Greenside), ‘a lighthearted monologue about one woman’s uphill struggle applying for disability support while coming to terms with her own strengths and limitations’. Also at Greenside, I just like you | a gay myth is “an intimate two-hander about the messy complexities of the contemporary gay dating experience.”
At Hill Street Theatre is Hey That’s My Wife!, a pastiche of 1950s Americana that follows two advertising executives as they navigate a tale as old as time: who’s sleeping with whose wife? Hill Street Theatre is also where you’ll find OCD Me, a one-woman comedy about what it’s like living with OCD, written and directed by Aisling Smith.
Theatre Paradok, “Edinburgh’s premiere experimental theatre society”, present Paradok Platform at Just the Tonic: ‘more than ten brand new experimental pieces of theatre, ranging from comedy and drama to musicals and movement’.
At Laughing Horse, Horrible History for Adults (Or Those That Think They Are!) offers “a zany mix of stand-up and historical reportage. Fearless lives, fearlessly lived from Lord Byron to Quentin Crisp”. Plus, Apradhini – Women Without Men is by India-based Theatre Nisha. Apradhini is ‘a collection of stories about women who have been incarcerated for life for crimes including armed robbery’ and murder.
Return to the Hiding Place, ‘Corrie Ten Boom’s biographical tale of forgiveness and reconciliation in the shadows of WW2’, is being staged at Palmerston Place Church, and focuses on a Dutch family hiding Jews in their small clock shop. Also at Palmerston Place Church is The Liberator, in which ‘a strange man radiating love’ upends normality in a corrupt, cynical environment. “How long before the powers that be crack down on this subversive, this quiet revolutionary, this liberator?”
Emil Ferzola stars in Bathroom of a Bar on Bleecker (Paradise in The Vault), the “tragicomic final recording of America’s number one comedy podcast”. In the same venue is The Richard Osman Fan Club, “a farcical comedy based around a park bench, where we find an elderly lady and Richard Osman fan Greta, supposedly writing a novel, joined by young jogger and Granny killer Adam who ends up making various futile attempts to end Greta’s life.”
At theSpace on North Bridge, A Young Girl’s Guide to Madness “truly displays how draining it is to be a teenager in the 21st century”; while The Hound of the Baskervilles at the same venue is an adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s “side-splitting, bone-chilling mystery”.
PBH’s Free Fringe is hosting a pair of magic-themed theatrical shows: Reclaiming Harry, “a fabulously queer quest” from Rich Watkins (creator and star of Happily Ever Poofter), and Nightmare Magic: “a ghost story told using magic” by writer and magician David Alnwick.
Fringe regulars Pianodrome are occupying a new space at the Old Royal High this year. Among their shows are Clara: Sex, Love and Classical Music, “the story of 19th century piano star Clara Schumann”, and Some Other Mirror, “a solo show about a gender identity crisis, in the high-pressure isolation of lockdown”, written and performed by Laurence Owen and produced by Chronic Insanity.
Rapsody (Pleasance), is “a raw look at inner-city life in Britain today”, featuring four characters confronting “the realities of our modern-day class system through live rap, trap and drill”. No Place Like Home “is a tragic odyssey into gay club culture and the places we can call home”.
Captivate Theatre brings the comedy One Man Two Guvnors to the Rose Theatre this August, joining Francis Henshall in 1960s Brighton as he attempts to stop his two employers from meeting each other.
At the RSE Theatre, Hiding Anne Frank focuses on the story of Miep Gies, Otto Frank’s 32-year-old secretary who helped him and his family hide from the Nazis at great risk to her own life. RSE Theatre is also where you’ll find The Gay Train, “a vicious love letter to the middle-class horror that is weekday morning TV” by Yellow Mug Theatre that follows the events resulting from an attack of a non-binary student in a pub bathroom.
About Money at Summerhall is a Glasgow drama about family, love and friendship, “drawn from interviews with young kinship carers and inspired by the McDonald’s strikes of 2018”. Also at Summerhall, Isto é um Negro? (This is a Black?) describes itself as a performance essay investigating what is to be a black artist in Brazil today.
The Edinburgh Makars adapt Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park (The Royal Scots Club) this August. “Corrie, a romantic free spirit, decides to set up her conservative widowed mother with an eccentric, bohemian neighbour,” setting up conflict with her strait-laced new husband Paul. The Royal Scots Club also hosts Tay Bridge, “a homage to the victims of the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879 realised as a series of set pieces’ and an ‘insight into the ordinary people of Victorian Dundee”.
Pip Utton as Bacon is at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, depicting “the gutters, sleazy bars, rough sex and alcohol” of artist Francis Bacon’s life. Time’s Plague, also at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, sees David Hayman return as everyman Bob Cunninghame, who rants “about injustice and the state of the world… laughing at everything, including himself.” It’s written by Chris Dolan, and directed by David Hayman Jr.
Winston and David (Underbelly, Bristo Square) sees Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George “wrestle with love, ambition and friendship” as Britain goes to war in 1914.
Comedy
Edinburgh Comedy Award winner John Robins presents his Work In Progress / Progress In Work at Just the Tonic, “a heady mixture of ropey material and competent crowd work”. In the same venue, Taiwanese comic Kuan-wen curates Comedy with an Accent, a line-up of ‘comedians from all over the world who are not native English speakers’.
Shazia Mirza brings her show, Coconut, to Gilded Balloon, reflecting on the events of the past two years, while Rob Rouse (Bottom, BBC’s Upstart Crow) performs No Refunds. At the same venue, Tehran Von Ghasri (who was ‘named to honour the city of his birth’) is a “charismatic, sexy, no-holds-barred, Black, Iranian, Jewish, Baptist, Muslim, Zoroastrian, agnostic comedian” who promises he’s GONNA GET CANCELLED.
Phil Wang assures us he is The Real Hero in All This at Assembly this Fringe, with more material “about race, family and everything that’s been going on in his Philly little life”. At Assembly Rooms, Reginald D. Hunter tackles “climate change, mass unemployment, economic pandemics and the rise of global fascism” in Bombe Shuffleur. And musical comedy duo Flo & Joan “are climbing out of their pits, armed with a piano and percussion section to bring you a brand new show”: Sweet Release.
The Mash Report’s Rachel Parris performs at Underbelly this year, performing “stand-up and songs about sudden love, the highs and lows of relationships, family, weddings, kids, going viral, going mental, and the baffling state of play in society right now”. And Sudanese-Aussie comedian Emo Majok presents his European debut, Black Santa, with “stories of adjusting from a refugee camp in East Africa to gifting out jokes globally”.
Pleasance hosts the return of three Fringe regulars as part of its programme: Nick Mohammed Presents The Very Best and Worst of Mr Swallow, Tim Key: Mulberry and Tim Vine: Breeeep!
At Frankenstein Pub, impressionist Danny Posthill “has decided to put the world to rights with a brand-new show Stand Up for the People, where he takes you on a journey where comedians will be running our country”. At the same venue, This Is Your Trial returns to the Fringe: a “comedy courtroom show where audience members accuse friends of crimes” and comedians take on the roles of judge, prosecutor and defence lawyers.
Online, we have Mo-to-the-oncle, “a socially conscious solo comedy about a teen who must wear a monocle after his dad loses their insurance.” And Rob McLennan: Pool Shark offers ‘smorgasbord of pun-heavy one-liners, quickfire jokes and sight gags’ filmed on the go from various locations in New Zealand.
Potty Training With Joey Rinaldi is at Greenside, sharing “the outrageous and humiliating details of being the only kid at school who peed into a urine bag while battling the church and his tormented mom”. Horrible Herstories presents an opportunity for “the women of history to set the record straight”.
Laughing Horse is home to Thor and Freya: Norse as F*ck, an hour of stand-up from emerging comedians Freya Mallard and Thor Stenhaug; while Sameer Katz (‘three-quarters of a PhD from Cambridge’) presents Agnostic Economist.
Monkey Barrell is home to the debut show from English stand-up and actress Thanyia Moore, Just Being Funny, while All Killa No Filla co-host Rachel Fairburn performs Can I Be Awful?.
I Miss Amy Winehouse (Paradise Green) is the first solo hour from writer / comedian / journalist Suchandrika Chakrabarti, covering her love of the music icon who died 11 years ago. And Brexico is an hour of stand-up comedy that is “half Mexican, half British, full madness”, featuring “two comedy aliens, Andy Casper and Héctor Ayala, making light of their experiences of living as immigrants in Barcelona”.
Fringe regulars #Jollyboat return with two shows at PBH’s Free Fringe: Daft Puns, “a high-energy show of comedy songs,” and The Best of Jollyboat, “their best comedy songs from 10 years” at the festival. Plus, two Edinburgh Newcomer nominees try out new material in Huge Davies and Janine Harouni Do New Jokes (WIP).
At RSE Theatre, Vik Footring’s Blood and Sorbet “recounts the defining moments in growing up in a world where growing up happens later and later”, while Here Goes Nothing! joins New York comedian Brandon Barrera as he shares tales from his eventful life, from “cracking jokes with prostitutes in Amsterdam’s red light district to running with the bulls in Spain”.
I’m Not a Girlboss, Not Yet a Womanboss (The Chrisroads Redux) presents “humour, music and a reason to drink at midday” from Edinburgh locals Chris Weir and Chris Iskander (Scottish Comedy Festival). At the same venue, Jay Lafferty presents Club Sets by herself and guests, offering ‘undiluted, unadulterated’ material honed on the comedy circuit.
Poet, comedian and musician John Hegley returns to Summerhall with John Hegley’s Biscuit of Destiny, incorporating stories of John Keats’ romantic adventures alongside Hegley’s own life. Also at Summerhall, Edinburgh Deaf Festival Presents Perspectives with Gavin Lilley, “a deaf comedian who’s performed his signed shows to audiences across Europe. In his entertaining style, Gavin shares his experiences as a deaf person navigating a hearing world with hilarious consequences”.
The Edinburgh Yes Hub hosts Full Throttle OCD by Jim Dziobek and Kevin Turner: the former offering “fresh takes on life” to help you “forget about this cesspool of a world we are leaving our children’; the latter ‘the fourth of five kids, a military veteran in a divided country, and – as if things can’t get worse – he’s got Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.”
Mark Thomas is back at The Stand Comedy Club this August with Black and White, “about the simple act of being in a room together and toppling international capitalism.” A short distance away at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, “Edinburgh-born supermodel Eunice Olumide” presents AfroPolitiCool: “a hilarious exploration into the crazy and complicated world of the modern day political narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths running the planet we live on today”.
Joffrey! The Pantomime is at theSpaceUK, retelling “the true story of Joffrey’s fight to secure his rightful place on the Iron Throne, untainted by certain Season Eight”. And Siobhan Argyle presents You’re on Mute! (A Musical Walk Down Lockdown Memory Lane). “Come experience the lighter, brighter, funny side of lockdown with songs to make you smile and laugh ranging from toilet roll shortages, online yoga, being on mute, work clothes for the lazy and many more!”
Music
The Nothing Ever Happens HereNEHH Presents… concert series returns to Summerhall this August with a programme including world music DJ Auntie Flo; musician and producer Cate Le Bon; experimental, electronic chamber-pop outfit Efterklang; shimmery, summery indie-pop duo Sacred Paws and off-kilter twosome Tune-Yards.
Mairi Campbell is at the Acoustic Music Centre, performing songs and stories with “deep bardic heritage and masterful Celtic courage.”. At the same venue, John Carnie and Spider Mackenzie explore the bluesier side of a music legend in Tangled Up in the Blues: The Blues of Bob Dylan.
When they’re not busy penning crime fiction novels, Mark Billingham, Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Luca Veste, Doug Johnstone and Stuart Neville join forces as the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, “happily murdering much-loved songs by The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Beatles” and more. You can catch them this year at The Stand’s New Town Theatre.
In “a rare intimate evening of dark and light songs”, Fringe stalwart Camille O’Sullivan will perform Dreaming at Underbelly, Bristo Square, incorporating songs by “Bowie, Cohen, Pulp, Radiohead and Rufus Wainwright”.
At Pianodrome at the Old Royal High, “Sean Logan presents funky and furious keyboard acrobatics with musings on life as a neurodiverse musician” with his show Full Spectrum, while harpist and vocalist Esther Swift “combines her love of folk, jazz, classical and all things in-between” in Sound Effects, a brand-new commission from Celtic Connections.
The Jennifer Ewan Band performs the Bonnie Bayou Blues at the Argyle Cellar Bar, bringing together “a mix of heartfelt original songs, Louisiana accordion blues and old-time Cajun dance music with a Celtic tint”. At the same venue, Los Chichanos bring to the Fringe “a live fiesta of psychedelic Latin vibes” with Tropical Jungle Cumbia Fiesta.
Dancing on the Edge of Blue and Green is a concert of new music for solo piano, performed at at theSpaceUK.
At Assembly, The Three Seas features “an international, cross-cultural ensemble fusing West Bengali Baul music and Himalayan folk song with contemporary sounds from Sydney and Kolkata”. Meanwhile, Stewart D’Arrietta shares “poetry, stories and insights” as part of My Leonard Cohen: Up Close and Personal.
Bannermans hosts a selection of music performances at this year’s Fringe, including Absolutely (Not) Free – An Evening of Zappa (performed by Pygmy Twylyte) and Beefheart – New Beef Dreams! by Orange Claw Hammer.
At the French Institute in Scotland, Christine Bovill explores ‘le yé-yé’ and the Americanisation of French music in Paris: From Piaf to Pop!, while French duo Fergessen ‘create a live synthetic-folk atmosphere’ using the words of Robert Louis Stevenson in Stevensongs.
Gilded Balloon hosts an Epic Film Music Concert, “featuring violin, piano, guitar and a superb light show”, and spanning soundtracks such as Pirates of the Caribbeans, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and more. Plus, The Oxford Alternotives offer creative choral takes on contemporary music.
Scottish troubadour Dean Owens performs songs and stories from his back catalogue in From Leith to Tucson (Pleasance), blending the ‘unfettered enthusiasm of a rock’n’roller and the sympathetic delivery of folk’s best storytellers. Plus The Sorries return to perform “a Corries-inspired hour of uplifting traditional music”.
Perfect Forth’s Athena (Rose Theatre) combines “original music inspired by Greek mythology and fresh arrangements of modern hits”.
Irish trad singer Cara Dillon will take to the stage at Musselburgh’s The Brunton this Fringe, performing old favourites as well as material from her new album, Wanderer. At the same venue you’ll find the Young Classical Artists Trust Showcase Concerts, as performed by Kronberg Academy musicians Irène Duval, Jean-Selim Abdelmoula and Maciej Kulakowski.
The Jazz Bar includes some tributes to musical greats among its Fringe 2022 programme, including Cat Stevens Reconstructed (as reinterpreted by New York vocalist Jess Abrams) and Riding With the King: The Music of Eric Clapton, from ‘up-and-coming Czech jazz fusion guitarist’ Honza Kourimsky.
At The Queen’s Hall, experimental composer Michael Begg’s Black Glass Ensemble ‘reveals new music from the borderlands of classical and experimental music’ in Black Glass in Pieces, while 70s folk-rock pioneers Lindisfarne return with ‘a classic five-piece line-up of long-time members, fronted by founding member Rod Clements’.
Stewart D’Arrietta heads to theSpaceUK to perform Tom Waits For No Man, tackling Waits’ back catalogue with ‘characteristic gravel-voiced sensitivity’. While WeMu “reimagines the traditional in a concert combining Western and Korean instruments, creating modern music based on ancient customs” in Six Stories.
Cabaret and Variety
With late-night cabaret line-ups, the Kaye Hole Hosted by Reuben Kaye returns to Assembly, while Briefs will be “manufacturing a conveyor belt of high-quality circus treats” with their show, Sweatshop.
Cab-arette Showtour, hosted in a taxi cab, offers an immersive experience as it takes an audience of five on a musical comedy tour.
At Underbelly, Definitely Maybe Actually Nevermind, sees drag artist Crystal Bollix in a ‘new cabaret extravaganza all about the pitfalls of chick-flicks and Colin Firth’. At Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows is “subversive break-out hit of the international cabaret and circus circuit” Blunderland, featuring “outrageous nightlife naughtiness, club-kid antics and a heady dose of arthouse weird”.
At Gilded Balloon, Jesus L’Oreal brings Nailed It!, as the “fabulous influencer” tells stories from his life in a “high-octane hour of song, dance and interactive Jehovah’s Fitness”. Meanwhile, A Secret Show by magician Cameron Young offers a show “filled with wonder, illusion and laughs”.
In Darren McGarvey’s The Social Distance Between Us – Live at The Stand’s New Town Theatre the Orwell prize-winning author and celebrated hip-hop artist Darren McGarvey asks: ‘If all the best people are in all the best jobs, why is Britain such f*cking bin fire?’ and more.
At Summerhall is Grandmother’s Closet, in which Luke Hereford (he/they) “stumbles along his journey of queer self-discovery through the glamorous spirit of his very own personal cheerleader – his Nan… all to the tune of Madonna, Kylie, Kate Bush and all of his favourite pop divas”. Also at Summerhall is Life Is Soft by Turner prize-winning artist, performer and composer Martin Creed.
Like Other Girls at theSpaceUK “is the sensible roast of musical theater’s finest historical women that you’ve been waiting for”. And Becoming Chavela “is a docu-cabaret performance of iconic Mexican singer Chavela Vargas Chavela’s life and music, set within the art world and social milieu of mid-century Mexico City”.
In Madame Chandelier’s Opera House Party at Greenside, you can join Madame Chandelier and ‘all her favourite opera characters for jokes, party games and lots of dramatic death scenes’. At the same venue, The Magic Show Starring Liam A Black as the Glittering Prince of Magic, is a “brand-new Las Vegas-style magic spectacular”.
Just the Tonic will host Sugarcoated Sisters: Bittersweet at the Caves as they “unleash their multi-million-hit TikTok personas onto the stage… Armed with original songs, guitar and double bass”. And ‘drag queen Vanity von Glow swaps the studio for the stage as she interviews the stars of the Fringe in this hour-long live podcast’, in The Vanity Project.
In Ask a Stripper at Laughing Horse, ‘Stacey ‘The Legs’ Clare aka the Ethical Stripper is back with her work wife, Morag, to impart stripper-style wisdom into your lives and deliver some no-holes-barred stories from the Pubic Triangle’. And the award-winning Life’s a Drag “takes you on a reality-shaking rollercoaster ride of what it really takes to be a queen” with ‘Australian vocal powerhouse’ Dean Misdale.
Mono Restaurant is playing host to Drag Queen Wine Tasting, in which you can join “drag queen, Vanity von Glow and wine expert, Beth Brickenden to taste through three wines and a snack, with a dash of mischief, a dollop of humour and a twist of glamour”.
At Outhouse, Little West End Theatre Cabaret will present an “evening of sizzling cabaret fun using songs from many well-known cabarets and musical shows”.
Absolute Burlesque Cabaret at Paradise Green is “Edinburgh’s only homegrown burlesque and cabaret show”, demonstrating that “regardless of age, gender, or belief system, everybody is a burlesque body”.
At PBH’s Free Fringe, 1 Hour Straitjacket Escape Magic Show promises “mind-melting magic, showstopping laughs and unexpected twists” from award-winning magician and entertainer Arron Jones. And Laurie Black will be “jump-starting musical comedy into the future with synths and sick beats”, with her show, Dystopiano.
In Fladam’s Musical Comedy Hootennany! at Pleasance, Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter’s ‘heartfelt and humorous songs tackle the topical with witty wordplay, rollicking piano and a dash of the Carry On!’. And The Magic of Jim, is “resident close-up table magician” and annual courtyard fixture’s first indoor residency, promising an “jaw-dropping magic and true tales”.
At the Voodoo Rooms is Elliot Bibby and the Magical Beach Ball. In this show, the multi award-winning magician is supported by his faithful friend Barry the Beach Ball for “an evening of mind reading, illusions and feats of the impossible”. Also Viva GlasVegas Burlesque Showcase, in which GlasVegas Showgirl Roxy Stardust “presents an hour of burlesque performance featuring a host of homegrown heroes and traveling performers from far and wide”.
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus
At Acoustic Music Centre, Kunfetaga and Talking to Mum is a dance piece which explores the question: ‘what’s the worst thing to happen to you?’, as it deals with a four-year-old’s painful death. At the same venue, N’zrama Show, presents “energetic and lively performances of traditional and contemporary dance from several regions of West Africa’s Ivory Coast.” The star of the show, Assiny Toé, will play the toéwu (which he invented).
At Assembly, DONUTS, is “inspired by classic sitcoms from the 90s and 00s” and follows three close friends as their friendship evolves over time, through “hypnotic and playful contemporary dance to jazz and funk”. Plus, JD: (Le) Pain, is a show about “breadmaking, physical heroics, growing up queer in a boulangerie in the south of France, endings and new beginnings.” It “involves circus, dance, storytelling, Béarnaise folklore, video, karaoke and laughter”.
Bamboozled at French Institute in Scotland sees artists Sonia Killmann and Constant Vigier invite you to their house-warming party. Expect “live piano and electronic music, dance and projections”.
Catch Ordinary via Fringe Online, “a modern pantomime solo show depicting all the parts of human life.”
At Greenside, A Death Has Occurred sees Kennedy Muntanga Dance Theatre return to the Fringe with their newest creation. This contemporary work tells the story of the miraculous journey of a young lion-hearted journalist. And Alice in Wonderland is an adaptation of the classic tale told through ballet.
Transhumance – winner of Best Weekly Award for Circus and Physical Theatre at Adelaide Fringe in 2020 – is at Laughing Horse. In this, “award-winning clown Ania Upstill playfully explores what it means to be a trans human.”
At Summerhall, Dance Body sees internationally acclaimed writer and performer Yolanda Mercy (Quarter Life Crisis) “challenge what being a plus-sized body means in the contemporary dance world”. And Taiwan Season: Tomato “is an absurdly funny expression of dancer-choreographer Chou Kuan-Jou’s ongoing interest in gender issues from a feminist perspective”.
At Underbelly, Havana Steet celebrates the street dance culture of Cuba; while Rebel is a live circus rock tribute to David Bowie, bringing to life a body of work spanning more then 50 years.
Spoken word
At Pleasance at EICC, LBC broadcaster Iain Dale will appear in conversation with several public figures, including Keir Starmer, Jeremy Corbyn,Mary Beard, Ruth Davidson and Nadine Dorries.
Tales from the City Below is at Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. In this, Edinburgh medium, Ewan Irvine, “tells the tales of this city where it is said many still reside despite their earthly demise” – including the likes of Burke and Hare.
Triggernometry, the” hit political and cultural podcast and YouTube phenomenon” is in town for two nights only at Gilded Balloon.
At Greenside, Pauline Holmes Goes to the Dogs, is a ”poetry show for dog lovers, celebrating the opportunistic thieves stealing the Sunday roast, the family dogs who vet boyfriends and the rebels running amok on the heath”. Plus, The Taste of Sweat and Sand is “a creative expedition through life after military service, exploring encounters with trauma and struggles with civilian adjustment.”
Guerilla Autistics Year 8 – Scenes From an Undiagnosed Life is at Laughing Horse. “For the eighth year of this universally unique, neurodiversifying, audience-participatory solo show, Paul Wady has changed the name to Guerilla Autistics and wants to take you all back in time.”
At Paradise Green, Poems on Gender is “a series of poems on gender, sex and revolution” by David Lee Morgan.
PBH’s Free Fringe has Attila the Stockbroker – 40 Years in Rhyme. “Celebrating his 40th anniversary earning his living as a poet/musician, Attila is using this year’s Fringe to launch Heart On My Sleeve, his collected works, and 40 Years in Rhyme, his new dub poetry album.” Plus, In This Is Not Therapy, “join Tina as she tackles her fifties with as much humour, grace and sensible footwear as she can muster.”
At Summerhall, Stop Trying to Be Fantastic is a new work from award-winning writer/performer Molly Naylor. It’s a “mostly true story about suffering, saviour complex, self acceptance and a magpie who refuses to quit.”
And at TheSpaceUK, The Church of the Fall is “one man’s award-winning celebration of the work of the late writer, musician and working-class genius that is Salford’s Mark E Smith and his group The Fall.”
Children’s shows
Roustabout adapts Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish, Michael Foreman’s rock-n-roll-fuelled environmental tale of dancing dinosaurs, at Assembly this August. At the same venue, Knuckle and Joint present The Adventures of Bo Peep, “a perfect theatre introduction for 2 to 6-year-olds with an interactive story and sensory learning”.
At Deaf Action HQ you can catch Once Upon a Raindrop, “a cheerful, funny, magic show for toddlers: a walk-through performance with sensory games and magic tricks”; and The Funny Punny Magic Show, “a riot of silly stunts and crazy magic” from Tricky Ricky. Both shows are accessible to deaf and hard of hearing audiences, presented in partnership with Edinburgh Deaf Festival.
Pirates and Princesses vs Sea Monsters is “a family show filled with singing, dancing and comedy” at Gilded Balloon. Meanwhile, Marcel Lucont presents Les Enfants Terribles – A Gameshow for Awful Children, “pitting children against adults and each other to try and find the most awful child”.
Stage Door Enigma Theatre Company presents Game On! at Greenside: “an unexpected adventure with characters from alternative gaming worlds”.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez‘s darkly comic tale, A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, is at Summerhall. Two storytellers share a story “of magic realism… brought to the stage with beautiful, strange, emotional richness”.
Inside the Robot: Quick, I Need Your Help! is on at Just the Tonic, and features “stunning visual effects and immersive interactive technology” for kids aged 5 to 95. At the same venue, comedian Lee Kyle is An Actual Giant, presents “a family show for families who don’t think that kids are little angels”.
Performer Kat Placing devised Bubba-Licious (Laughing Horse) as “a sensory display of colour, sound, light and movement to spark joy and ignite wonder’ in babies and toddlers. For slightly older kids, Grumpy Pants is “a children’s show that entertains parents alongside kids with a mix of perfectly crafted juggling routines, clowning, physical comedy and fork throwing!”.
An ’enchanting’ new adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny will be staged outdoors for families at Musselburgh Racecourse.
Betwixt-and-Between present The Princess and The Dragon (PBH’s Free Fringe). It’s described as a “music-full, modern fairy-tale about freedom, friendship and finding boundaries” for children aged 7-11 and their families. Plus, Return of the Maths with Kyle D Evans is a “fast-paced hour of inclusive maths-based family fun”.
I Piano is “an interactive kids show about music and love, told with a piano, shadow puppetry and everyone in the room.” It takes place within the Pianodrome.
At Pleasance, Blue Badge Bunch describes itself as “the disability Taskmaster” – a “game show with humour for all ages, where kids join in the games and learn about disability”. Also at Pleasance, Everything has Changed is “a joyful, kaleidoscopic new show for 5 to 12 year-olds about change, why change happens and how to deal with it”, created by theatre company Rhum + Clay and made in consultation with a child psychologist and children across London.
Physical storytelling specialists NYT bring The Lost Letters to Quaker Meeting House, “a magical portmanteau production of love, friendship and forgotten messages… a collection of heart-warming modern fables for older children and their families.”
At Rose Theatre, Captivate presents Smashing Shakespeare, a revolving selection of comic tales and musical tales adapting the Bard’s work for all ages.
Stockbridge Church is home to at least two “fun, interactive and educational show for babies and toddlers” by Recitals for Wrigglers: The Lion and the Mouse, featuring music inspired by animals, and the international sounds of Wriggle Around the World! (featuring the story of the Gingerbread Man). Both feature violin and cello music.
ETC presents Our Teacher’s a Troll (theSpaceUK, a “colourfully comic show” written by Dennis Kelly (Matilda the Musical). And the Adventure Bubble Show with Milkshake promises “shadow bubbles, light bubbles, square bubbles, smoke bubbles, spinning carousels, track bubbles, vortexes, bubble puppets, giant bubble tubes and a million-bubble finale”.
Underbelly is the home of A Bee Story: “a uniquely Australian physical theatre show for children and families incorporating a kaleidoscope of circus, acrobatics, dance and live music” that also incorporates an important message about the environment. At the same venue, Manual Cinema Presents: Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster is an adaption of the children’s books by Mo Willems ‘realised through puppets, paper cut-outs, DIY cinema and live original songs’.
Musicals and opera
Carpe Diem Productions continue “their tradition of bringing powerful new music to the Fringe” with The Last Judgement (theSpaceUK) featuring Peter D Robinson.
At Assembly Rooms, Friendsical is”‘a 60-minute celebration and loving parody” featuring characters called Ross and Rachel, but is “not to be confused with the Warner Bros Entertainment Inc series Friends”.
As part of the Fringe’s online offering this year, the jazz-flavoured Cooperstown is “an opera about one heart too big and one heart too small that plays out like a present-day Othello”. Also online is Lag: A Zoomsical Comedy, “the world’s first original musical created to be performed over video conferencing”, written and directed by Haddon Kime.
A pair of musicals form part of the programme at Gilded Balloon. I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical “lifts the lid on awful auditions, debilitating dance routines, mid-performance mishaps, and backstage backstabbing – plus those magical moments that make it all worthwhile”. RuneSical, on the other hand, is “an interactive parody musical” inspired by online game RuneScape.
Guilty: A Legal Musical Comedy is being staged at Greenside, giving “fiction’s greatest villains, from Hannibal Lecter to Cruella de Vil,” their day in court. And Dr Theatre uses songs from the likes of Cabaret, The Sound of Music, Blues Brothers, Wicked and more in Last Night a Musical Saved My Life!
Paradise Green is the venue for Gatsby: A New Musical, in which the team behind ‘Jekyll!’ recreate F Scott Fitzgerald’s famous jazz-age masterpiece.
Sex With Friends (and Other Tiny Catastrophes) is a new musical following “six friends as they fall in love and fall apart” – you can catch it at Pleasance.
Edinburgh’s Captivate Theatre has their own mini-season of work at the Rose Theatre – in addition to their own Sunshine on Leith, they’re also staging versions of Lionel Bart’s Oliver!, Shrek the Musical and The Addams Family – A New Musical, as well as an all-female staging of We Will Rock You: Young@part from the Captivate Theatre Summer School.
Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin is the subject of musical production The Mould that Changed the World at The Edinburgh Academy this August.
Seven and a Half Years (theSpaceUK) is a “unique one-man musical” that “tells an extraordinary true survivor’s story, touching on many issues including grief, love and mental health”. And Trial by Jury is “a one-act operatic satire of the British legal system” in the 1960s.
Fat Rascal Theatre’s Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch returns to Underbelly “in a tell-all tale of sex, sorcery and suckers”.
Over 790 shows now available to browse online, with more to be announced monthly in the lead up to the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August
Today, Thursday 07 April, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that tickets for a further 513 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are now available to browse and book atedfringe.com.
This is the second set of tickets to be released for 2022, with the first 283 shows revealed in March.
In total, there are 796 shows now available, with more set to be announced on Thursday 05 May and Thursday 09 June. The official programme launch will take place on Thursday 07 July.
The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 5th – 29th August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events and more all featured in the programme so far.
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released so far can be found at edfringe.com.
Theatre
At Pleasance, Today I Killed My Very First Bird follows a South-East London gangster who starts to lose his grip on reality when he’s forced to look back on his traumatic childhood. Theatre Royal Plymouth co-produce this “unflinching new play based on lived experience”.
In a world first, Irvine Welsh’s Porno has been adapted for the stage. 15 years after Trainspotting, what has become of Renton, Sickboy, Spud and Begbie?
Fills Monkey: We Will Drum You “blends pure joy and comedy with extraordinary musicianship, as two drummers fuse musical styles from rock to heavy metal, and Latin to jazz”.
And in Charlie Russell Aims to Please, Charlie wants to do a show in Edinburgh, and so attempts to “please absolutely everyone by trying to hit as many solo Fringe show tropes and styles as possible within an hour”.
At Gilded Balloon,Swallowed follows a young couple who are separated by an outbreak they cannot speak of. “Desire to connect meets fear of touch”. From emerging Scottish company, Frizz Theatre.
Eve: All About Her sees award-winning actor and cabaret artist Keith Ramsay “fuse spoken word and live music to deconstruct the concept of camp and queer mythology for a post-Stonewall generation”.
After a run in 2021, 1902 returns to Leith Arches. The multi award-winning work from Saltire Sky “takes an access-all-areas approach to working-class life in Scotland as we follow four young wannabe football hooligans in their quest to see Hibs win the Scottish Cup Final”.
At theSpaceUK, Beneath is “a dark and absurd commentary on the effects of climate change”. Four people are trapped under 100 metres of water after an environmental catastrophe. After months of just surviving, each character is forced to examine what their options are and what their futures hold.
And Hiya Dolly! is “the true story of how a cute, attention-seeking lamb became the most famous sheep in history – the world’s first cloned mammal.”
Les Dawson: Flying High is at Assembly. Jon Culshaw stars in in this new play from BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning writer Tim Whitnall and director Bob Golding. “Join Les as he summons forth a wealth of characters and incidents from his eventful life and career.”
Marrow follows a queer artist, who when “forced within the confines of his fabulous mind, takes a euphoric journey to heal”.
She Wolf is a winner of the 2022 Assembly ART Award and the Alpine Fellowship Theatre Prize. It’s a fierce, ferocious monologue “about getting f*cked over and fighting your way back”. Spoken by a woman hiding out at the zoo, this show “tears open questions of gender and class in a capitalist world”.
Sandcastles by Steve McMahon “depicts the tumultuous lifelong friendship of millennials Hannah and Beth”. An Assembly ART Award-winning piece from Brite Theater.
Destiny is at Underbelly. “Destiny dreams big… If J-Lo can make it out of the Bronx, then Destiny can make it off the Hill Rise estate.” A recipient of the Pleasance 2021 National Partnerships Award with Bristol Old Vic Ferment, this work follows a teenage girl growing up on a Chippenham council estate.
The Sian Clarke Experience is “an ode to every man who has belittled her, made her feel unsafe, objectified her, told her she can’t be funny, called her a slut, told her to smile more… a dark, twisted comedic piece full of aggression and discomfort, examining the constraints of a woman biting back.”
Lightweight is “the true story of a complicated young woman’s attempts to survive anorexia and maintain a debilitatingly positive attitude in post-9/11 New York City”. Winner of Best Festival Debut at United Solo Festival 2021, New York City.
The B Collective returns with their high-octane show, Murder Ballads, adapted from the album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. “Explosive gig-theatre meets dark comedy cabaret as four actor-musicians invite you to O’Malley’s Bar in the town of Millhaven, 1882, in the wildest part of the old Wild West”.
At Greenside, Almost 13 is a solo drama about a young girl “surviving a hot, violent summer in Brooklyn”. Can she endure being caught between a disintegrating working-class family at home and racial violence on the streets? Award-winning theatre artist Joan Kane plays all 10 colourful Brooklynites.
And the one-woman show Caitlin is based on Dylan Thomas’s wife Caitlin Macnamara, as she tells the story of her “unfulfilled ambitions”, and her “booze-fuelled, infidelity-riddled marriage to poet”.
Comedy
Monkey Barrel have a roster of stand-up this year, including Catherine Bohart’s “blisteringly funny new stand-up show filled with horrendous life advice, cheery nihilism and reluctant self-discovery.”
Taskmaster winner and co-host of Dave’s Unforgivable Lou Sanders is “tour fresh and still yakking away… is this show the real vaccine?”
Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Sofie Hagen presents Fat Jokes: a show bursting with big jokes and fat punchlines.
And Liam Withnail returns with a new show, on the back of winning Amused Moose’s Outstanding Show Award in 2019.
Plus, Glasgow comedian Christopher Macarthur- Boyd is back, exploring “the end of the world and Italian food”.
The Stand is home to Omid Djalili. “After experimental Zoom gigs where he got muted by 639 people… the multi award-winning comedian and actor is now where he belongs, on a stage.”
Paul Sinha is back on tour and appearing at the Fringe. Audiences can “expect jokes and surprises” from the quizzer, comedian and broadcaster.
Meanwhile, Flat and the Curves sees “hilarious divas perform original songs exploring sex, scandal and sisterhood”.
Frankie Boyle is at Assembly with “ashow largely about politics, satirising whichever new leaders emerge from the irradiated rubble.”
For Nish Kumar, who returns with a new show, “it has been a period of upheaval and uncertainty with COVID and the political situation.” He promises we’ll be “amazed by his capacity to somehow take all these things personally.”
Julia Masil is appearing with “a debut solo comedy hour from the legs behind the sell-out hit show Legs. In this absurd homage to migration, a hungry clown from an Eastern European village voyages to America for a hot dog.”
And after his last Fringe appearance, Rich Hall “had to step away from Edinburgh and consider how to be less devastatingly funny.” In this return, he promises “to dial it back just a little”.
At Gilded Balloon, Best Newcomer nominee Maisie Adam has a brand-new show for 2022, Buzzed, “rammed with witty observations, high-octane energy and some right good jokes.”
Comedy magician Pete Firman returns to the Fringe with a new show. “Expect Pete’s trademark blend of laugh-out-loud comedy and jaw-dropping magic”.
And legendary fox Basil Brush has a brand-new show for the adults, following his sold-out 2019 Fringe debut. “The national treasure will bring more anarchy to the festival, featuring different guests daily.”
At Pleasance, Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle is “a new solo spectacular predicted to spiral into chaos as Mind Mangler attempts to read your mind.”
And in Mischief Movie Night, audiences are promised “an improvised movie live on stage”. Every show is different.
Daniel Sloss is at Just the Tonic and is doing a run of shows to work up some new material for his next tour.
Tom Stade is “trying to remember what was important before responsibility and fear got in the way” in his show.
Underbelly is home to Paul Foot, in which “Paul opens his beak and explores topics including Nanna on the rack, murdering Santas and interfering ambulance drivers.”
Jason Byrne recently lost his father, Paddy Byrne. In this one-man play, Jason brings his dad’s life to the stage, “keeping him alive in stories full of laughter and tears”.
In A Problem Shared, Myra DuBois “steps away from the songs and dedicates her attention to the dying art of conversation”.
Drunk Women Solving Crime returns to the Fringe. “This is a true crime podcast with a twist… of lime. Each episode sees the boozed-up panel of writer / comedian hosts Hannah George, Catie Wilkins and Taylor Glenn welcome a top guest to test out their drunk detective skills and solve true crime cases.”
The Scottish Comedy Festival has a host of Scottish stand-up, including five-time Scottish Comedian of the Year finalist Ross Leslie and a set from Gary Little on “life, relationships, the world!”
Laughing Horse is home to Nathan Cassidy, who presents “stand-up comedy on the death of the planet, the neglect of our leaders and the shield of blame from ourselves.”
PBH’s Free Fringe features Palindrome Fight!, which comprises five panelists, three audience suggestions, and thirty minutes of lurid palindrome history and standup comedy.
Music
Catch The Tiger Lillies at Underbelly. After years away touring the world, the “Olivier Award-winning godfathers of alternative cabaret celebrate their 30th anniversary with a triumphant return to the Fringe”.
Scottish/Danish folk duo The Quiggs are back at Acoustic Music Centre for an hour of folksong and fine singing.
Dougie Mackenzie and Brian Miller are performing together. Dougie is a traditional singer, drawn to Scots ballad language. Brian is a Scottish singer and guitarist.
Massaoke is back at Assembly. Join the house band, Rockstar Weekend, on “a euphoric, spandex-clad journey through the greatest smash hits of all time, accompanied by giant video lyrics and the whole crowd singing together”.
At Pleasance, Shona the Musical Choir is an African/Scottish group presenting original songs from African composer/playwright Neo Vilakazi. “Inspired by historical events around the Shona tribe in Africa and [the] socio-political turmoil of Robert Mugabe’s rule of Zimbabwe.”
Cabaret and Variety
Fascinating Aida are at Assembly. Their latest show is “jam-packed with hilarious songs (old and new), outrageous humour and an elegant charm that belies the biting satire and their potty mouths.”
In Soulful Magic, Britain’s Got Talent finalist Magical Bones returns to the Fringe, with a “brand-new hour of the most awe-inspiring and high-energy magic you’ll see this year.”
Following its sold-out 2019 Fringe premiere, the award-winning An Evening Without Kate Bush returns.Sarah-Louise Young and Russell Lucas “pay glorious homage to the music, fans and mythology of one of the most influential voices in music”.
La Clique are returning to the Fringe, with shows at Underbelly. A decade on from winning the Best Entertainment Olivier Award, this show “promises to be a night of laughs, gasps, naughtiness and the best in international cabaret”.
In More Jewish Chronicles (and Other Musical Stories), multi award-winning musical storyteller Daniel Cainer performs another collection of story-songs, following six off-Broadway runs and 15 Edinburgh Fringes.
PBH’s Free Fringe is home to Caspar Thomas: Sleight of Handkerchief. Having had plenty of time to practice, Caspar returns to the Fringe with a brand-new magic show.
Plus, Ash Pryce’s latest show features paranormal illusions, spooky magic and ghostly goings in the underground vaults of Edinburgh.
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus
Railed is at Assembly. From the creators of Elixir (winner of Best Circus and Physical Theatre award at Adelaide Fringe 2018), “Railed is a western-themed circus spectacular, combining trademark physical talents, finely chiselled bodies and hilarious comic timing.”
International theatre-makers Same Same Collective are bringing drop dead gorgeous, which “combines movement, clowning and a whole lot of fruit.” Expect “intersectional, irreverent theatre, loosely based on Yukio Mishima’s Book of Anti-Chaste Wisdom”.
Circus Abyssinia: Tulu is at Underbelly Circus Hub. “Celebrating the first African woman to win Olympic gold, this showcase is inspired by the true tale of an Ethiopian icon, Derartu Tulu”. It promises “awe-inspiring acrobatics and mesmerising fire juggling with a rocking, exuberant soundtrack.”
At theSpaceUK, SMACK & Spektakel offers “an adventurous double bill of dance, refreshing the commentary on the empowered female body, while questioning the relationship between performance and identity”.
Children’s shows
At Pleasance, catch Shlomo’s Beatbox Adventure for Kids. World record-breaking beatboxer SK Shlomo has performed around the world with the likes of Bjork, Ed Sheeran and Rudimental. Here, Shlomo is “back on his mission to empower the next generation of superstar beatboxers to find their true voice, no matter who they are”.
Clowntown In Space @theSpace is at theSpaceUK. Canada’s award-winning clown band sparks the imagination in this space-themed show. “Full of live music, catchy singalongs, fun adventures and interactive comedy”.
Prehysterical is at Assembly. “A hilarious circus show for children and parents of all ages, following three foolish Neanderthals as they struggle to survive the harsh natural world.”
Meanwhile, Brotipo is “crazy Canadian circus for the young, premiering in Edinburgh after visiting 16 countries”. Watch as “two clowns touch the hearts of the audience and make them laugh through their quarrels, their acrobatics and their lonely moments.”
At Gilded Balloon, catch The Dark Room For Kids. You and your family are stuck inside a live-action video game! How will you escape? “An interactive adventure featuring terrible prizes and total mayhem.”
Fruit Flies Like a Banana: Kids! sees “music, theatre, dance and circus collide in this variety show where you choose the show order”.
In There’s Nothing Quite Like Spaghetti Bolognese!, join Penny “for an unforgettable dinner in this show that is fun for all the family. A piping-hot piece of brand-new children’s theatre that asks the question: Should you play with your food?”
Musicals
At theSpaceUK, Flesh is a “fast, furious and funny rock musical that takes a wry take on the story of Burke and Hare – Irish navvies induced by the Edinburgh medical elite to turn their hands to murdering for profit.”
And in About New Year’s Eve, “minutes before the clock strikes 12, a group of friends rediscover themselves and their goals for the new year.” This show “offers audiences a joyful and dramatic exploration of life through the eyes of young adults.”
More shows to be announced monthly, as the world’s greatest celebration of arts and culture returns for its 75th anniversary this August
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced that the first set of shows for the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe are available to book atedfringe.com.
The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 5th – 29th August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events and more all represented in the programme.
Tickets for 283 shows have now been released, with more shows set to be announced on Thursday 07 April, Thursday 05 May and Thursday 09 June.
The official launch of the festival, including the reveal of the iconic printed programme, will take place in early July.
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book now. The full list of shows released this month can be found atedfringe.com.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “It’s always a hugely exciting moment when the first set of Fringe shows are announced, and this year, it feels more important than ever to celebrate the breadth of creativity and freedom of expression that these shows represent.
“We know that so many artists are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, and getting your tickets early is a brilliant way to support them at this vital time. It’s also an important investment in the value of culture and creativity, and with some shows offering free and Pay What You Can options, the Fringe remains an essential access point to culture for many.
“I can’t wait to see the programme continue to unfold as we get closer to August, and to see Edinburgh filled with live performance once again as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of this magnificent festival.”
Theatre
At theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, acclaimed mystery maestros Highly Suspect return to the Fringe “with a new duo of hilarious and interactive murder mysteries, which you – the audience – must solve”. At the same venue, UK Underdog is a solo show based on true events in a London, Jewish boy’s life. “Bullied and humiliated at school, Steve Spiro realises his strength to move forward, but that ultimately comes at a price”.
BAFTA award-winner Jack Docherty is at Gilded Balloon with Nothing But: a darkly comic tale which grapples with lost youth, love, fatherhood, sex, secrets and truth.
At Underbelly, My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?) is the “joyous, chaotic, autobiographical story of actor, writer and social-media sensation Rob Madge”.
Assembly has a range of theatre to book from today, including Watson: The Final Problem, in which Sherlock Holmes’ pal tells his tale of long-buried secrets; and Myra’s Story, in which a middle-aged, homeless Dublin street drinker relives her back story.
Comoedia at Greenside is a celebration of traditional Italian masked theatre, as the most famous characters of Commedia dell’arte come together in a one-man show. At the same venue, two women use nothing but their imaginations, a skull and some fancy scarves to bring together A Two WomanHamlet.
At theSpace on North Bridge, GirlPlay is “an exploration of love and sex spun out in slam”. On a night of firsts, Lucy opens the door to a world of relationships and sex that she had only ever dreamt about. But is the reality all she had hoped it would be?
Online, Transatlantic is a true story of the French immigrant experience. “Cookie is taking care of the last of her uncle’s estate in New Mexico. As she goes through her family’s belongings, she goes on an emotional journey that echoes the many trips back and forth that she and her family have taken between France and the US.”
Plus, from award-winning writer Lita Doolan comes Audrey’s Art Club. “Audrey wants to know what doodling’s got to do with love and goes back to her lover’s childhood home to find answers.”
Comedy
The Stand has a wide roster of shows on sale today, including Seann Walsh: Is Dead, Happy Now? and Stewart Lee: Basic Lee – a work-in-progress show in which “Lee enters the post-pandemic era in streamlined stand-up mode”. Also catch rising Scottish star Gareth Waugh with Doozy and Jo Caulfield with Bad Attitude.
At Assembly, Fern Brady will be tackling big issues such as “death, shagging, marriage and ageing” in her show, Autistic Bikini Queen.
David O’Doherty is back with his show whoa is me and “all of the misplaced confidence of a waiter with no pad”, while Susie McCabe returns with a brand-new show. In Born Believer, the comedian has decided to leave cynicism behind to be an “all-new positive Susie (optimistic at best, positive is pushing it)”.
Jason Byrne is at Underbelly with Unblocked, as “the constipation of Covid has been cleared, live entertainment has been colonically irrigated and readied up for us all”. At the same venue, Foil, Arms and Hogg return to the Fringe with a mix of sketch comedy, audience participation and improvisation. Plus, Richard Stott: Afterparty sees the stand-up contemplate whether he’s missed the boat. “His friends have families, six-figure salaries and houses. He has a level-two food hygiene certificate and acid reflux.”
Gilded Balloon is home to double Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Andrew Maxwell’s Krakatoa, as well as Justin Moorhouse’s brand-new show Stretch & Think, which “may contain yoga, getting older, Madonna, shoplifters, labradoodles, middle-aged cyclists, The Menopause, running, hating football fans but loving football, not drinking, funerals” and a lot more. Plus, catch Sian Davies,winner of Best Debut Show at Leicester Comedy Festival 2020 and Funny Women runner-up. Her show is all about time, growing up and finding your place in the world.
There’s a range of Laughing Horse shows available to book from today. Shows including Annie and Angela’s Disco Divorce Party: “a drag-infused comedy of musical mirth celebrating friendship and new beginnings”, and Comedy Queers: “a spicy late-night mix of outrageous queer comedians, cabaret and drag acts”. Plus, there’s stand up from the likes of Nathan Cassidy and Dave Chawner.
Fringe stalwart Nina Conti returns to Pleasance with The Dating Show, in which “finding true love can’t be promised, but big laughs are guaranteed”. And after a UK and Australia tour and an Amazon special, Taskmaster runner-up and accidental YouTube cult leader Mark Watson brings his show This Can’t Be It back to where it began (at last year’s “mini Fringe”).
Also on Pleasance’s bill is Angela Barnes: Hot Mess (“trying to live your best life, as it turns out, is really bloody hard”); Ivo Graham: My Future, My Clutter (“bumbling wordsmith and tripe factory returns to discuss three years of heavy-duty pranking / parenting / procrastinating since Dave’s 2019 nominations for Best Comedy Show and Joke of the Fringe”); and NewsRevue, which will return to the EICC to “parody politics in a post-pandemic world”.
At Just the Tonic, Daniel Sloss and Kai Humphries bring their hit podcast, Sloss and Humphries On The Road, to the festival. Plus, Fringe veteran Craig Hill returns with I Always Knew I Had It In Me, and rising Scottish star Connor Burns isat the festival with his show, Live, Laugh, Loathe.
At Queen’s Hall, Henning Wehn returns with It’ll All Come Out in the Wash: a show that promises to “give everything a good rinse and witness him wring sense out of the nonsensical”.
Music
At theSpaceTriplex, California-based Hip-Hop Orchestra, Ensemble Mik Nawooj (EMN), presents music from their new album, Death Become Life, which fuses hip-hop and classical (think full strings, woodwind, French horn and soprano).
There’s also a range of Night Owl Shows to choose from, including 007 Voices Of Bond (featuring hits such as Goldfinger, Skyfall, Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let Die and many more); Back to Black: The Music of Amy Winehouse (which promises to take you on a moving journey through a modern legend’s career); and California Dreams (featuring an immersive trip through California in the late 60s and 70s, with hits by The Mamas & The Papas, The Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, The Byrds and more). All are happening at theSpace UK.
Acoustic Music Centre has a range of shows on sale from today. Acts include The Willow Trio: a band of three clarsach players – Sophie Rocks, Sam MacAdam, Romy Wymer – who will be presenting a mix of Gaelic music and original new work.
The Strange Valentines are a Nova Scotian folk duo, blending acoustic instrumentation and their signature stunning two-part harmonies to tell provocative stories.
Plus, up-and-coming harpist Romy Wymer presents traditional tunes from Scotland and Netherlands in her Fringe / AMC debut. Romy recently earned second place at the World Harp Competition (2021) and was a semi-finalist in the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year (2022).
Cabaret and Variety
Pleasance is home to West End star and multi award-winning magician Ben Hart, as he returns to Edinburgh with his show Wonder. Using only the simplest of props and the minds of the audience, Hart conjures a show that is “always amazing, sometimes shocking and shines a light into the darkest corners of your imaginations”.
Mat Ricardo is at Gilded Balloon with The Extraordinary Gentleman: “a unique, hilarious and unmissable one-man show” from the acclaimed variety artist.
Best of Burlesque is back at Assembly, with award-winning striptease, cabaret and variety from the 2022 Fringe, plus international special guests.
Dirty Tricks – How the Illusionati Rule the World is at Greenside. In this show, The Great Baldini demonstrates “how the illusionati rig elections, launder money and orchestrate assassinations: a wholly (im)plausible conspiracy theory”.
At theSpace @ Symposium Hall,Sue Kelvin stars in Bette Midler and Me: a tribute show to Midler, covering her life and songs from the perspective of a lifelong fan. Expect musical hits, plus highlights from Midler comedy routines and a puppet version of Beaches.
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus
Underbelly Circus Hub returns to the Meadows this year, and with it comes Circa: Humans 2.0:“asymphony of acrobatics, sound and light”, described as “a tightly woven choreography of bodies, pulsing with music”.
Also on the Meadows, Hotel Paradiso is “an irresistibly colourful, loud and fun show for all the family” from contemporary circus company, Lost in Translation. Featuring circus skills, physical comedy, theatrical storytelling and slapstick, this show “sees the staff family tackle the scheming banker as he tries to possess the Hotel Paradiso”.
Cirque Berserk! is at Pleasance. Showcasing “traditional circus thrills and skills”, Cirque Berserk! combines “contemporary cirque-style artistry with adrenaline-fuelled stunt action”, as “this astoundingly talented international troupe includes over 30 fearless acrobats, aerialists and daredevil stuntmen”.
At Assembly, Muse is a circus piece which attempts to answer the question, “what does it mean to be a woman?” Plus, The Black Blues Brothers sees “five extraordinary acrobats perform their comedy tribute to the cult movie The Blues Brothers”. Expect breathtaking jumps, fire, somersault routines, human pyramids and more.
Intambo is at Greenside. This show features Ruciteme Karyenda Culture de Buyenzi: a group of Burundian drummers, founded in 1987. Starting with 27 members, the members range in age from 8 to 50, and they will be performing an old, traditional Burundi dance that used to be played for the Kings.
Also at Greenside is Éowyn Emerald & Dancers. Éowyn presents Your Tomorrow: “an entertaining and deeply intimate jazz dance for two performers”.
Children’s shows
Peppa Pig – My First Concert is at Assembly. This interactive introduction to a live orchestra is “an accessible, exciting concert designed for the youngest audience members, with Aurora Orchestra.”
Also at Assembly, Yellow Bird Chase follows “a clownish maintenance crew” who find a magical bird and a mad chase begins. Appropriate for the whole family and accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.
Plus, from the creative team behind the Hairy Maclary show, young audiences can now see all three of Nick Sharratt’sShark in the Park books live on stage.
At Pleasance,The Smeds and the Smoos is an exciting adaptation of the award-winning book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. On a far-off planet, Smeds and Smoos can’t be friends. So when a young Smed and Smoo fall in love and zoom off into space together, how will their families get them back?
At Underbelly, the Amazing Bubble ManLouis Pearl is back. Louis “explores the breathtaking dynamics of bubbles, combining comedy and artistry with audience participation and enough spellbinding bubble tricks to keep everyone mesmerised”.
Fox Tales: The Pied Piper is at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall. In this family puppet show, Hans the Storyteller, Reynard the Fox and Gripp the Raven give “a hilarious new telling of the classic fairy tale, The Pied Piper of Hamelin”. Expect “jokes, ridiculous rhymes, mischief and nonsense”.
At the same venue, Den of Enquiry “is a fun, light-hearted show that gets kids talking about democracy”.
Musicals
In Soho Boy at theSpace @ Symposium Hall, “young, trendy Spencer leaves home and hits Soho like a whirlwind in a journey of love, laughter, heartbreak and happiness”. This work is a “modern tale of the gay scene, which can be harsh and lonely, surrounded by glamour, sex and songs”.
At theSpace @ Niddry St,Julie: The Musical is an original, new musical telling the life and adventures of historical LGBTQ+ icon Julie D’Aubigny. “One of the first public figures to live as an openly bisexual woman, she seduced nuns, dueled multiple men at once, burnt down convents, was bribed by princes, innovated opera – all before she turned 30.”
Now in its 10th year, The Improv Musical is at Gilded Balloon. Each show is a completely improvised, never-before-seen musical on its opening, and closing, night.
At Greenside, Raft follows four women, seemingly trapped on a raft in the middle of the ocean, hunted by a mystical sea monster. “An original one-act musical around abuse, bravery and friendship.”
