Tag: comedy

More than 1,300 shows added for Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024

 Audiences: start longlisting and booking early to support artists and #UnleashYourFringe  

Today, Thursday 04 April 2024, a new batch of shows to be staged at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been revealed. All shows will be available to view on edfringe.com from 12:00 today. 

The 1,373 shows span many genres of the Fringe programme, including cabaret and variety; children’s shows; comedy; dance, physical theatre and circus; music; musicals and opera; spoken word; and theatre. They join the 274 shows revealed previously, resulting in a total of 1,647 shows so far. 

More shows are set to be announced on Thursday 09 May, while the official programme launch will take place on Wednesday 12 June. 

Audience members are encouraged to start compiling their favourite shows and booking early to support artists, using the hashtag #UnleashYourFringe in the run-up to this year’s festival. 

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “It’s super exciting when a new batch of shows gets announced – you can really feel the momentum gathering as August gets closer and closer! I can’t wait to get stuck in and add some more shows to my favourites list – and to book a few in, just in case they sell out.” 

“Artists are the backbone of this festival and they’re at the heart of everything we do at the Fringe Society.

“Booking tickets in advance, adding free and unticketed shows to your favourites list, giving shout-outs to artists and companies on social media using #UnleashYourFringe – these are things that Fringe audiences can do to show some essential early support and boost morale for the artists they love.

“So if your fave is coming to Edinburgh, or if a show tackles an issue that’s close to your heart, get it locked in now!”  

Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows so far can be found at edfringe.com from 12:00:

Cabaret 

Yes-Ya-Yebo! at Laughing Horse is ‘an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza celebrating South Africa’s 12 official languages, sprinkled with that incredible township vibe’. Meanwhile, audiences are invited to ‘indulge in the hottest pop-up cabaret experience on Cowgate with a rotating selection of the most electrifying and scandalous performers at the festival’ in Big Gay Afterparty at Just the Tonic. 

La Clique brings its ‘breathtaking, hilarious, sexy, dangerous and iconic’ mix of circus, cabaret and comedy back to Underbelly with two shows, the traditional main event and a family-friendly Sideshow. At Eve, ‘the award-winning comedy trio Bad Clowns’ present ‘a night of the best comedy acts from this year’s festival’ in Bad Clowns and Good Friends. And The Burlesque Show at Hill Street Theatre is ‘a competition with a brilliant prize that will satisfy the experienced as well as the novice burlesque watcher’. 

‘Award-winning magician’ Dan Bastianelli returns with an all-new evening of close-up magic’ in Deception at Paradise Green. German magician Thomas W Kuenstner ‘combines applied psychology, storytelling and old-school conjuring to generate original mysteries’ in Truth. Lies. And Other Illusions at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. Caspar Thomas demonstrates The Art of Close-Up Magic at Gilded Balloon while Andrew Frost lays his Cards on the Table at Pleasance. And ‘mind-reading and unbelievable trickery abound in this exploration of how autism and magic make anything possible’: it’s Naughty or Neurodiverse – Magic from Another Planet at theSpaceUK. 

In Melody at The Voodoo Rooms, Aidan Sadler guides audiences ‘through the top steps to surviving the apocalypse with 80s-inspired synth-wave melodies’. Australian piano cabaret entertainer Antony (Dr H) Hubmayer brings two shows to artSpace@StMarks – A Monty Python Cabaret Singalong Circus and Another Unwasted Evening – The Genius of Tom Lehrer – plus a third, Meat Loaf – Just the Best Bits, to PBH’s Free Fringe. At Greenside, Baby Belle: Young, Dumb and Full of Autism is ‘a whimsical, musical exploration of social versus personal identity from the perspective of a late-identified and diagnosed non-binary autistic person’. And in Sawdust Symphony at ZOO, ‘obsessed characters discover and transform their space and themselves, transporting the spectator into a unique DIY experience’. 

‘Rome Mosaic explores sisterhood and the sibling dynamic – with dance, lipsyncing and good old-fashioned sibling rivalry’ in Sisters? at Hootenannies. Award-winning cabaret star Ada Campe shows off her Big Duck Energy at The Stand Comedy Club, while ‘glamorous, hilarious and fiercely clever Jens Radda… reinvents Sinatra’s classics through saucy modern twists’ in Skank Sinatra at Assembly. In The Taylor Swift Eras Drag Party at The Three Sisters, hosts ‘Blaze, Rujazzle and Rozie Cheeks… take you on a journey through the eras of Taylor Swift’. 

Children’s shows 

‘The disability Taskmaster’ Blue Badge Bunch returns to Pleasance ‘as two teams battle it out to come up trumps in a show where disadvantage is an advantage’. At Royal College of Physicians, games-master Jes presents ‘crazy bingo variations like you’ve never seen before’ in Amazing Prize Family Comedy Bingo. And ‘your little ones will move, groove and dream, plus you’ll walk away with your very own custom-made medal,’ in The Comedy Games with Coach Mon (theSpaceUK). 

‘Full of inviting, imagination-tickling charm’, Taiwan Season: Little Drops of Rain (Assembly) ‘is a feat of non-verbal, environmentally-conscious storytelling ingeniously led by Foley sound’. How to Catch a Book Witch at Underbelly is ‘an open-hearted show aimed at children ages 4+ exploring the importance of libraries and sharing stories’. And ‘when the directors call for auditions for new actors, comedy and mayhem ensue’ in Reach for the Stars at Hill Street Theatre. Meanwhile, Dragon Song Productions presents a trilogy of shows for children aged six and under at the LifeCare Centre – Ice Dragon, Moon Dragon and Sea Dragon – plus Dragon Shows for Babies, each ‘a magical and stimulating show to start a love of the theatre’. 

‘Featuring stories by Scottish icon Alan Cumming’, Dragonory: Magic and Music at Edinburgh Fringe! (Hootenannies) ‘offers an unforgettable mix of storytelling and music, promoting love and acceptance’, while Newbury Youth Theatre presents The Fantastical World of My Uncle Arly at Paradise Green, ‘a voyage through the absurd world of Edward Lear. 

‘Reimagined from a beloved Korean tale by Jung-saeng Kwon’, Aha! Doggy Poo (Bedlam Theatre) ‘incorporates dance, magic and Korean music to embody the philosophy that nothing in the world is useless’. Meanwhile, ‘Edinburgh’s gruesome past is brought to life by two performers (as seen on CBBC’s Saturday Mash Up)’ in Plague, Poo ‘n’ Punishment at Greenside. 

FlamenKids at the Edinburgh New Town Church gives kids ‘a fun and visual way to learn about Spanish culture and flamenco art: rhythms, dance movements, clapping, guitar, singing, castanets, percussion and language expressions’. And a ‘professional violinist and cellist perform familiar classical melodies and tell a musical version of Pinocchio’ in Heads, Shoulders, Strings and Bows at Stockbridge Church. 

The Spanish Gentleman Juggler is at Laughing Horse, ‘bringing to life everyday objects such as fishing poles, drinking glasses and kebab sticks alongside invented props and gymnastic balls’. Sing, Sign and Sensory at Gilded Balloon offers ‘an immersive, creative experience in customised, inflatable sensory pods’ for ages 0–2. 

Comedy 

As ever, there’s a strong international flavour at the Fringe. Taiwanese American comedian Titi Lee is a Good Girl Gone Baddie at Just the Tonic, discussing ‘coming out to their immigrant parents as bisexual, and then non-binary, getting pandemic boobs, and renouncing their good girl ways’. Prev Reddy, ‘the first South African comic that is Indian, queer and outspoken’ is at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Prev Reddy is a Triple Threat. In Antidepressed at Greenside, ‘Ege Öztokat talks, sings and screams about the wonderfully terrible predicament of her existence as a young woman in Turkey’. Mumbai-based ‘global stand-up star’ Rahul Subramanian makes his Edinburgh debut with Who Are You? at Assembly. Bodega Bonnies at The Stand Comedy Club features ‘a new rotation of the fest’s best comics from around the globe (but mostly from New York)’. And ‘in his debut hour, Jin Hao walks you through the seascape of his mind, filled with nightmares of being a spider, dreams of joining the yakuza and breezy memories of serving in the military with the boys’ in Swimming in a Submarine at Pleasance. 

Suchandrika Chakrabarti ‘tries to explain our chronically online era to her niece (5), and speculates about the future’ in Doomscrolling at Hootenannies. And audiences are invited to join Jack Freeman ‘as he learns how to love and be loved in this hilarious solo show combining stand-up with lots of heart and even more limp’: Embrace Me: A Solo Show About Dating and Disability That is Also Funny (Laughing Horse). ‘He’s been a TV presenter, DJ, double-glazing salesman, footballer and comedian’ – now James Gardner: Journeyman (WIP) is at Boteco do Brasil. Musical comedian Amelia Bayler ‘navigates a year of heartbreak and learning to be alone’ in Easy Second Album at the Scottish Comedy Festival. And Robin Cairns, ‘with his array of comedy characters, gives us a riotous hour exploring the (hopefully friendly) rivalry between Scotland’s major cities’ in Edinburgh’s Pandas Were Just Weegies in Disguise! (St Columba’s by the Castle Scottish Episcopal Church). 

‘Imagine an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman finally in the same bar as a therapist’ – it’s Five Mugs, No Tea at Leith Depot. The Leith Comedy Festival Presents… The Edinburgh Fringe Edition at The Biscuit Factory, boasting a different line-up every night and ‘your golden ticket to a great night out’. And A Political Breakfast at PBH’s Free Fringe is a ‘political comedy panel show chaired by Chris O’Neill or Harun Musho’d involving up to four comedians (subject to alarm clocks working) and the audience’. 

Lady ADHD is at theSpaceUK and online, ‘tracing how Blaire Postman’s unique comedy bits (fueled by a rollercoaster of flipchart rabbit-holes) at first revealed to her the unexpected connections of life’s intricacies, then panned out further to expose the true nature of her own brain’. Character Building Experience at Bedlam Theatre ‘is a Dungeons-and-Dragons-style comedic interactive roleplaying game show, suitable for the experts, the novices and the uninitiated-but-curious’. At Hill Street Theatre, BBC Radio 4’s ‘cop-turned-comedian Alfie Moore returns with a brand-new show’: Fair Cop – Live!  

‘Shameless, charmingly aggressive and unladylike, she’s the funniest half-Sri Lankan gal from Coventry’ – she’s Stella Graham, and her show Phoenix is on at PBH’s Free Fringe. In Good Girl at Paradise Green, Rhiannon Jenkins goes on ‘an immersive, interactive clown adventure as she plays with male fantasies, female sexuality, and how we navigate 21st century womanhood’. And Daliso Chaponda ‘revisits the themes of [his] ancient debut show’ two decades later in Feed This Black Man Again at Underbelly. 

Among the familiar Fringe faces returning to this year’s festival are David O’Doherty, Flo & Joan, Reginald D Hunter, Milton Jones, Adam Hills, Dara Ó Briain (Assembly); Adam Kay (Edinburgh Playhouse); Bobby Davro (Frankenstein Pub); Andrew Maxwell, Craig Hill, Lucy Porter and Patrick Monahan (Just the Tonic); Raul Kohli (Just the Tonic and Laughing Horse); Sian Davis (Laughing Horse); Sara Pascoe, Nish Kumar and Glenn Moore (Monkey Barrel Comedy); Ahir Shah, Kieran Hodgson, Nina Conti, Rose Matafeo, Sophie Duker, Jordan Brookes, Paul Merton and Suki Webster (Pleasance); and Mark Thomas (The Stand), while former politician Mhairi Black makes her Fringe comedy debut at Gilded Balloon. 

Ivo Graham is at the Fringe in three capacities in 2024: with his stand-up show Grand Designs at Pleasance, his theatre show Carousel at Assembly and as the host of Comedians’ DJ Battles at La Belle Angele. 

Dance, physical theatre and circus 

‘Marrying traditional rhythms with modern dance’, HuXi / Breath (Paradise Green) ‘allows audiences to embody the intricate connection of Qi within and beyond, fostering links between self-realisation and higher realms’. In Korean Painter at theSpaceUK, the Contemporary Yunhee company paints ‘various pictures on stage using the traditional Korean hat called sangmo’, offering audiences a ‘mysterious experience’. 

‘Award-winning choreographer Aparna Ramaswamy weaves together threads of body, memory, desire and devotion to describe the eternal relationship between the deity and the devotee’ in Ananta, the Eternal at Assembly. In The Flock and Moving Cloud at ZOO (part of the Made in Scotland showcase), Scottish Dance Theatre present works by ‘two of the most-exciting female choreographers in the European dance scene: Roser López Espinosa and Sofia Nappi’.  

At Edinburgh New Town Church, Flamenco in Scotland is ‘directed and choreographed by Inma Montero and performed by top flamenco professional artists’. Flamenco Fiesta at Alba Flamenca ‘offers the audience an intimate and delicate atmosphere to enjoy the wonders of the passionate art of Flamenco’. And 2Flamenco brings a ‘powerful, exquisite, beautiful and unforgettable Flamenco experience’ to Argyle Cellar Bar, while ‘Jolly performers from Japan will take you on a journey through a dazzling world of rhythm, tap dance and comedy’ in Sushi Tap Show 2024 at Greenside. 

Part of the Sacred Arts Festival at Old Saint Paul’s Church, Dancing Ash Wednesday is ‘a piece in which movement interacts with the speaker’ in TS Eliot’s titular poem.  ‘Towers grow and decay, bodies leap and are caught, physical limits are pushed to their extreme’ in Circa: Humans 2.0 at Underbelly. the Curve at Just the Tonic ‘stitches together acrobatics, dance, physical comedy and spoken word to form the image of life as a circus performer – and what happens to the body and mind in the process’. And audiences can ‘come and witness Martin and Logy’s ongoing battle against the gravitational pull of the planet’ in Circus Sonas Presents: Down with Gravity at Laughing Horse. 

Music 

‘Hailed by critics and fans alike as one of the finest songwriters of his generation,’ Dean Friedman brings his Words and Music to The Stables at Prestonfield. ‘After nearly a decade-long absence, Sandi Thom makes her long-awaited reintroduction to the iconic Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year’ at The Voodoo Rooms with her new song collection, Warpaint. Valery Ponomarev: The Jazz Messenger! at The Jazz Bar features ‘an unmissable exclusive performance from legendary Russian-American trumpeter and Jazz Messengers alumnus, Valery Ponomarev, who dramatically escaped 70s USSR and toured the world with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers’.  

The songs of Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls ‘tell stories of deals with the devil, demons in love, witch doctors, zombies, ghosts, ghouls, journeys to the deepest jungles and other exotic adventures’ – hear them at the Argyle Cellar Bar. At Greenside, ‘iuchair tells a tale of debauchery played out in the coarsest catches of Henry Purcell and his contemporaries’ in To Your Rude Health! At Paradise Green, The Seas Are Rising: Stories of a Climate in Crisis is ‘a multimedia concert experience calling attention to the urgency of the climate crisis through original songs by American musician and songwriter Dan Sheehan’. And Grammy-winning cellist Leah Coloff ‘has played alongside the greatest names in contemporary music – from David Bowie to Debbie Harry’; her show, Super Second Rate, is at theSpaceUK. 

Audiences are invited to ‘join Delhi maestro Manmohan Dogra for a journey through soulful Hindustani classical music, featuring vocal ragas and a tabla solo in Banares style,’ in Raag Rang: A Journey Through Indian Musical Traditions at Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. Seckou Keita and his Homeland Band are at The Queen’s Hall – formed in 2020, ‘they’ve been lifting audiences to their feet and leaving them buzzing ever since’. And at Valvona & Crolla, Pitchblenders: Só Danço Samba is ‘an evening of vibrant bossa nova, ebullient bal musette and soul-stirring contemporary songs from Spain, France and Brazil’. 

At Assembly, ‘Out of the Blue is an internationally acclaimed a cappella group from the University of Oxford and, after jet-setting across the world earlier this year, the group is excited to return to their home turf to showcase new talent and new songs’. Meanwhile, ‘an all-male a cappella group of nerds from Imperial College London’ deliver The Techtonics: 44 Days of Liz Truss (A Cappella) at Gilded Balloon. 

The Sacred Arts Festival has programmed church performances across the city this August, with Ave Maria: Centuries of Prayer and Praise at Old Saint Paul’s Church, Sacred Jazz at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral and The Lord is my Shepherd: Sacred song of the English musical renaissance at St Vincent’s Chapel. ‘The Howe Street Singers, directed by Les Shankland, perform Faure’s much-loved Requiem and equally beautiful Cantique de Jean Racine alongside Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms’ as part of the Sacred Arts Festival Music at the Church of the Sacred Heart. 

Edinburgh-based chamber choir Calton Consort ‘presents an hour of choral music from LGBTQ+ composers and allies’ in Choral Pride at Canongate Kirk. St Giles’ Cathedral hosts a programme of Celebrity Recitals on its ‘world-famous Rieger organ’, with performances from Francesca Massey, Tom Bell and Michael Harris. St Mary’s Lunchtime Recitals return to St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, featuring ‘a wide variety of performers playing and singing in one of Edinburgh’s most beautiful concert spaces’. And at Edinburgh New Town Church, Scottish Voices and Friends features ‘an imaginative and diverse program, including world premieres of new classical music, with a special focus on settings of Gaelic poetry by Catriona Montgomery and from the Orthodox poetry of Konstantin Balmont and traditional Ukrainian carols’.  

‘16-year-old Brit School pianist, guitarist and singer’ George Cassidy brings his second show, Piano Boy, to Laughing Horse, mixing ‘his own songs with those of Elton, the Beatles and many more’. Lisa Scott and the All-Stars bring their Fabulous Sounds of the 60s to Leith Dockers Club, ‘covering all genres of music and top-class musicians, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner and more’. Vocalist Georg Tormann performs ‘a touching and entertaining tribute to Old Blue Eyes’ in Sinatra – The Greatest Hits at Frankenstein Pub. Absolutely (not) Free – An Evening of Zappa is ‘a smorgasbord of Frank Zappa classics hand-delivered by those finest purveyors of conceptual continuity, Pygmy Twylyte’ – catch them at Bannermans. Brian Kennedy toured the US with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell in 1998 – now he celebrates the latter’s 80th year in Brian Kennedy – A Love Letter To Joni Volume 2 at Greyfriars Hall at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh. And at Le Monde, All the Hits of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons offers exactly what it says on the tin, with ‘favourites including Sherry, Let’s Hang On, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man, Grease and many more’.  

‘Guitar, piano, violin, harmonium, banjo, vocals, and sometimes double bass create a folky sound with elements of classical, ambient metal, spoken word, Celtic reels and Eastern European scales’ in The Seventh Season at The Royal Oak. Fiddler Alastair Savage has two shows at St Cuthbert’s Church: Scotland and Beyond with cellist Alice Allen and The Scottish Fiddle Story ‘alongside Gregor Blamey on piano / accordion, with a specially written script read by legendary actor John Shedden’; he’s also at Canongate Kirk with Scots Fiddle Old and New. Audiences can catch ‘Wendy Weatherby (cello, vocals), John Sampson (trumpet, crumhorn, recorders), Sandy Brechin (accordion, piano), Andy Cannon (storyteller) and Allan and Rosemary McMillan (vocals, guitar) for a cheerful, poignant or nostalgic jaunt through our favourite songs, tunes and stories’ in Mrs Weatherby’s Concert Party at artSpace@StMarks. 

‘Exploring classical works for viola and piano… the Kosonen Ranieri Duo will evoke the feeling of having just woken from a sweet slumber’ in Viola and Piano: Aprés un Rêve at Stockbridge Church. At St Cecilia’s Hall, The Triumph of Time and Truth: Handel and Vivaldi is ‘a vocal programme… threaded with gorgeous instrumental harpsichord and violin instrumental pieces’. Audiences can ‘join Duo Malvina for an afternoon of beautiful Classical Guitar music for two’ at St Columba’s by the Castle Scottish Episcopal Church. And ‘rising American opera star and composer Johan Hartman is joined by Edinburgh’s Ailsa Aitkenhead’ in 2 Artists, 2 Concerts, 2 Premieres at Greyfriars Kirk. 

In Massaoke at Underbelly, audiences ae invited to join Rockstar Weekend ‘for their biggest and most spectacular show ever – a high-voltage, spandex-clad, crowd-powered, sing-along megamix of the biggest hairbrush anthems from across the decades, live and unleashed with giant video lyrics’. 

Musicals and opera 

The Wellbrick Centre on Roswell Drive (Paradise Green) is ‘a conversational musical with poignant, comedic and absurd elements’, focusing on two patients at a fictional NHS facility.  SOFTPLANET Productions bring a pair of grisly historical musicals to the Mackenzie Building: Deacon Brodie is ‘packed with deceit, love, laughs, theft and some great contemporary songs’, while Flesh uncovers ‘the real-life drama of Burke and Hare, Scotland’s first serial killers, with a comic twist and original folk-rock songs’. On a similar theme, Ripper at Hill Street Theatre is ‘a terrifying musical look through the eyes of Jack the Ripper, the officer who pursued him, and one of his victims’. 

Macbeth at Saint Stephen’s Theatre offers a new take on Shakespeare, mixing original and modern text with ‘songs from the likes of Foo Fighters, The Prodigy, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Dire Straits to name a few’. In ‘brand-new comedy musical’ The Weird Sisters (Just the Tonic), Amaranth, Scarlett and Blush ‘attempt to initiate the audience into their coven’ to a soundtrack of ‘punchy power-pop’. At Assembly, You & It: The Musical explores romance and technology with the story of Gyujin, who ‘orders an AI robot that eventually replicates his dead wife’.  

Beowulf the Musical at Greyfriars Kirk ‘presents two medieval myths intertwined: on one side the famous hero as strong as 30 men, and on the other a princess who must live her life in service to her kingdom against her own heart’. 

At Greenside, BANNED the musical ‘follows a group of gender misfits through the events leading up to their debut at a local performing arts festival’. Kafka’s Metamorphosis: The Musical! With Puppets! is at Pleasance, ‘a silly, surreal take on Kafka’s paranoid, mystifying masterpiece to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death’. 

Captivate Theatre brings its own mini-festival programme to The Edinburgh Academy, with performances of The Phantom of the Opera, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical Junior, Disney’s Frozen Junior and Les Misérables School Edition. At Underbelly, DIVA: Live From Hell! is a ‘blood-stained love letter to Broadway – a solo musical about rivalry, vengeance, and killer ambition’. 

Arias in the Afternoon at the Edinburgh New Town Church features ‘international opera singer Brian Bannatye-Scott (bass) with rising stars Caroline Taylor (soprano), Catherine Backhouse (mezzo-soprano), Laurie Slavin (tenor) and James Atkinson (baritone), accompanied by dazzling Polish pianist, Michal Gajzler’. And at theSpaceUK, Fringe – The Musical isn’t what you think – it’s ‘a hilarious musical comedy about a cherished family run hairdressing salon in Essex’. 

Spoken word 

At Hill Street Theatre, writer Gigi Bella explores ‘mental health, feminism and the gospel of Taco Bell through poetry, comedy and music’ with show Big Feelings.  Poets Christine De Luca and Elspeth Murray, in combination with Katharine Wake on the flute, return to Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts at Canongate Kirk, ‘with poetry and music, offering a reflection on home and homelessness’. Also at the Festival of the Sacred Arts will be Sacred Arts Festival Poetry at Church of the Sacred Heart, promising work ranging ‘widely from masterpieces of the Middle Ages, through ballads and hymns of the Reformation, to satirical and meditative poetry from the 20th and 21st centuries’.  

Ben Kassoy brings poems from his ‘spectacularly original book to life in a solo show’ at Zoo. The Funny Thing About a Panic Attack uses ‘physical theatre, dance and traditional poetry reading to reveal the connections between mental health, art and pancakes’.  

Storyteller and classicist Jo Kelen brings a ‘new, poetic reimagining of the myth of Achilles’ with Achilles, Death of the Gods at Paradise Green. ‘The warrior Achilles finds himself in Troy, fighting a war that is not his. When Achilles’ lover Patroclus is killed in battle, Achilles inflicts unspeakable horrors upon those around him.’  Iain Dale returns to the Fringe with his All Talk series of political interviews at the Pleasance including Humza Yousaf, Alex Salmond, Liz Truss, Anas Sarwar and Ruth Davidson. 

Among the familiar faces returning to Edinburgh are David Harmer and Ray Globe, ‘the irrepressible Glummer Twins’, back with The Beat Goes On at theSpaceUK, offering ‘stand-up comedy, spoken word and music from the beat generation through eight decades.’ Performance poet and musician Attila the Stockbroker performs 14 Days, 14 Completely Different Shows at PBH’s Free Fringe, alongside his Early Music Show at St Ceceilia’s Hall. 

‘Humour and horror are woven together with empathy in a shocking insight into the untold stories of ordinary women caught up in a whirlwind of politics, religion and magic’ in Witch? Women on Trial at Greenside. Tales of Haunted Edinburgh – Echoes From Beyond the Grave at Arthur Conan Doyle Centre invites audiences to hear ‘tales of the undead from a paranormal investigator as you discover a host of terrifying stories of hauntings from the city’s dark past’. Anne Bayne of Dunsapie Loch is available online, a ‘poignant audio play [and] a journey into the heart of Edinburgh’s literary history of 1740’.  

Theatre 

Deaf Action present *Smoke Not Included, a scripted stoner stage play. ‘I cannae tell if I’m having fun or I’m scared he’s gonnae murder us aw’. At Edinburgh Palette, a Pan-Africanist painter, Eda, is ‘cajoled by his friend and former agent Reki to go steal some of Da Vinci’s works that are presumably on tour in an art museum in Nigeria’ in Who Tiff Monalisa?  Jeremy McClain stars in Rat Tails (WIP) at Fruitmarket, a new one-man show directed by Matt McBrier. ‘As he muses on his childhood and everything that got him to this moment, follow the Prozac-popping, biracial millennial who’s married into a wealthy, British aristocratic family’. 

The Good Iranian makes its Edinburgh Fringe debut with ‘a mesmerising and moving production directed by Sepy Baghaei. Enjoy the art of storytelling and the triumph of good over evil, all in one educational hour’ at Just the Tonic. ‘Though dementia is increasingly common in an ageing population, it remains an unknown quantity to many’. In William Kite has Memory Issues, follow William’s experience of seeking support for someone with early-onset Alzheimer’s as he faces his changing reality (Paradise Green). When their daughter announces that she wants to transition, a couple ‘find themselves divided in their attitudes and judgements’. In Divided, the mother – who has always seen herself as inclusive – struggles with losing a daughter and gaining a son (The Royal Scots Club).  

A historical satire championing John Kay, one of Edinburgh’s unsung artists, Passing Likeness at Virgin Hotels Roof Terrace is ‘a play of grotesque caricatures and still more grotesque originals’. 

Enjoy a sip of mezcal at Comala, Comala, a ‘Day of the Dead-style theatrical experience’ at Zoo. Adapted from a novel by Johnny Tait, Naked Truth is ‘an extreme satire on false-celebrity culture. Not for the easily offended. A deep, dark rollercoaster ride’ at Saint Stephen’s Theatre. In Why Am I (Still) Like This? at theSpaceUK and online, Nicole Nadler asks why she still can’t ‘leave the house on time, pay her credit card on time or know where she put her glasses’ following her ADHD diagnosis. At Laughing Horse, The Guerilla Autistics show returns for its tenth year and asks ‘are you eccentric?’  The Basement Entertainer at PBH’s Free Fringe is ‘a comedy about being a performer at heart’, as basement-dwelling artist Kate performs her sketches ‘to an audience of miscellaneous junk with faces drawn on’… until one of them starts talking back.  Ne’er the Twain at Mayfield Salisbury Church is a ‘laugh-a-minute comedy’ that tackles the historic joining of Edinburgh with the port of Leith, and a family caught on the boundary line. 

‘Two rising Ghanaian creatives navigate their perception of identity, success, assimilation and home’ in DRUM at Underbelly. A US writer ‘with a big nose grows up hearing stories of mixed ethnic heritage to discover the stories are not true, sort of true, then true in a way that no one expects’ in Journey to Long Nose at Greenside. The Shroud Maker at Pleasance weaves ‘a harrowing story of courage, love, escape and disappointment with comic fantasy and true stories to create a vivid portrait of life in Palestine before the recent heartbreaking events’. In Do This One Thing for Me at Bedlam Theatre, Jane Elias tackles questions of Holocaust remembrance and how we move forward through an ‘acute portrait of her relationship with her father, a Greek Holocaust survivor’. 

Fix Your Mind at Gilded Balloon is a ‘a contemporary exploration of patriarchy, love and the internet’, as two siblings are drawn in different directions by their chosen communities, while I Sell Windows at Assembly is ‘one Black woman’s exploration of what is birthed at the collision of grief, ambition and sex’. 

Stepping Out at Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre ‘charts the lives of seven women and one man attempting to tap their troubles away at a weekly dancing class’, and at Hill Street Theatre, Rave is a jukebox musical set in a nightclub, where ‘we see the lives and battles of a group of friends coming to terms with getting older and the reality of faded dreams’. A musical comedy about coming of age in the 1980s, ‘mashing hundreds of classic 80s songs into both dialogue and song (a la Moulin Rouge). Don’t Stop Believing: A Theatric Remix of the 1980s is at PBH’s Free Fringe. 

Over 100 shows added to Assembly Festival programme

Summer is on the way and the festival season is hotting up, with Assembly Festival announcing a further 110 shows for this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Assembly Festival opens on Wednesday 31 July with the Assembly Gala Launch at Assembly Hall, highlighting some of the biggest and best shows of the year; expect spectacular circus, thought-provoking theatre, riotous comedy, and more to kick-start your festival experience.

Best of the Fest returns with three shows for your regular dose of Fringe fun. The eponymous Best of the Fest will be the highlight of your weekend with a changing line-up of established talent and rising stars at Assembly Hall.

For the best in emerging talent and fresh comedy faces, head on over to Best of the Fest: The New Class in George Square Gardens. Finally Best of the Fest: Daytime will move to a new home at Assembly Rooms to serve up a daily dose of family-friendly Fringe variety from circus to stand up.  

Assembly has a bumper comedy programme in store this year including recently announced shows from the purple felt-faced comedian, Randy Feltface: First Banana; a welcome return to the Fringe  for The Last Leg host Adam Hills: Shoes Half Full; and Dara Ó Briain: My Life is a Work in Progress (Work In Progress), Dara’s first Fringe run since 2005.  Also appearing on Assembly’s largest stage at Assembly Hall is Milton Jones: Ha!Milton; and Reginald D Hunter will be appearing in George Square Studios this year with his new show Fluffy Fluffy Beavers.

Since 1981, Assembly’s stages have launched the career of many a household name, including Eddie Izzard, Jo Brand, Bill Bailey, Sandi Toksvig, and Rik Mayall, so this year’s selection of comedy debuts could well behold the next big thing.

Assembly’s programme is also renowned for its international talent, and this year is no exception; from Australia, TikTok star Jenny Tian: Chinese Australian and winner of Director’s Choice Award, Melbourne Comedy Festival Bronwyn Kuss: Sounds Good; from New Zealand Guy Williams: This Glass House Makes it Easy to See All the Cowards I’m Throwing Stones At (New Zealand Today, Taskmaster NZ) and soon to be the most powerful man in the universe Ray O’Leary: Your Laughter Is Just Making Me Stronger (Taskmaster NZ); Japan’s latest comedy export Takashi Wakasugi: Welcome To Japan; BBC Galton and Simpson Comedy Winner Grace Mulvey: Tall Baby from Ireland; from India Rahul Subramanian: Who Are You?;from the USA, 17 year-old Maeve Press: Failure Confetti; and from the UK circuit, writer of Death Drop Holly Stars: Justice For Holly and self-renowned poet Paulina Lenoir: Puella Eterna.  

There’s more stand-up from the “Bloody Hilarious” (Sarah Millican) Gearóid Farrelly: Gearóid Rage; the award-winning Geraldine Hickey: Don’t Tease Me About My Gloves;  shortlisted BBC New Comedy Award 2023 Jo Griffin: Last Chance Saloon; Kelly Bachman: Patron Saint;  co-writer of Starstruck (BBC) Nic Sampson returns with his new show Yellow Power Ranger; Ireland’s favourite scoundrel Stephen Mullan: Rascal; and the irrepressible Ted Hill: 110 Percent Normal. Plus, work in progress shows from Angela Barnes and Joanne McNally.

From the world of musical comedy, David O’Doherty returns to Assembly with a new megaconcert, David O’Doherty: Ready, Steady, David O’Doherty; acclaimed duo Flo & Joan: The Joan & Flo Show present their greatest hits ; a personal and political hour from Jonny & the Baptists: The Happiness Index; Taskmaster New Zealand star Paul Williams returns to the Fringe with Mamiya 7; and Ivo Graham returns with one of the best nights out at the Fringe with Comedians’ DJ Battles.

There’s off-the-cuff guffaws in Aaaand Now For Something Completely Improvised; a classic murder mystery is created on-the-spot in Murder, She Didn’t Write; the return of the painfully funny improvised medical drama St Doctor’s Hospital, who also bring endless comedy possibilities in The Free Association: 3; and Terry Wogan is back from the dead in Late Night with Terry Wogan.

On the sketch front, expect a raft of comedy sketches with the world’s only surreal, sketch-comedy circus troupe Laser Kiwi: Rise of the Olive; 100 years of TV in one hour in Joe & Rory: Television 1; and comedy duo Grubby Little Mitts are back with two new shows, Grubby Little Mitts: Eyes Closed, Mouths Open and Grubby Little Mitts presents: Sketch Book.

The uniquely eccentric Trygve Wakenshaw returns after seven years with his Dada-esque new show, Trygve Wakenshaw: Silly Little Things; and Jody Kamali is Ironing Board Man with eight ironing boards and one banging soundtrack. Join comedian Benjamin Alborough as he attempts to improve the most notorious property trading board game in the chaotic, interactive gameshow Absolute Monopoly; take part in an hour of mad cap game show and entertainment with Mad Ron and Jerry; Australian cult classic The Late Nite PowerPoint Comedy Showcase makes its way to the Fringe;  and there’s a wild and raunchy, adults-only night of magic and comedy with Sam, Justin, and Magnus ‘Danger’ Magnus in Adults Only Magic Show.

After sell-out runs in 2023, the smash-hit historical-storytelling comedy returns with an all-new collection of 5 Mistakes That Changed History. Less historically accurate but with equally irreverent storytelling is Isabelle Farah: Nebuchadnezzar, a silly show about love and war in Babylon; Edy Hurst’s Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Himself explores a world of witches, neurodivergence and the Vengaboys; Chris Grace: Sardines (a comedy about death) guides audiences through a tragic and hilarious exploration of life’s important questions; and Marc Burrows embarks on a journey through the life and work of one on Britain’s best loved authors and humourists in The Magic of Terry Pratchett.

There’s plenty to entertain the whole family at Assembly this year. The multi-award-winning Circus Trick Tease return to Assembly Festival with their phenomenal Children Are Stinky for another summer of fun.

Expect high calibre circus, a rocking soundtrack and genuine belly laughs, leaving adults and children with their jaws on the floor hooting for more. The Canadian “masters of slapstick” behind Brotipo, Les Foukoutours present a celebration of childhood creativity in NoVa; the harmony of gecko-like Gael is upset by the arrival of a stranger in children’s dance show The Last Forecast; and a chance encounter with a resilient drop of water sends plucky young Hope on a life-changing puppetry adventure in Taiwan Season: Little Drops of Rain.

DJ, performer, and mum of two Monski Mouse is back with her Baby Cabaret and Baby Disco Dance Hall full of bonkers fun for 0-5s and their parents/carers; Mr Sleepybum has more dreams to share in his high-energy, interactive, multi-award-nominated comedy show for the whole family; The Greatest Magic Show returns with more whimsical wonders than ever before; and Mojo the Monkey and Jimmy the Tomato guide audiences on a rollercoaster of amazement in Mojo and Jimmy: The Comedy Magic Spectacular.

For a touch of magic for more mature audiences, look no further than Dom Chambers: Magic Hunt, an untamed magic rampage, a fusion of awe and anarchy and a ‘unique blend of comedy and illusions’™; and a brand-new show from Chris Dugdale: 11, 11 tricks and a message that may or may not change your life. There’ll be audience participation aplenty with the return of Goose’s Quizzes Elimination Game. Scotland’s premiere quiz company bring their raucous five-star game show, with fresh questions every night, brilliant prizes and all-new rounds – will you face elimination, or be crowned a champion?

After taking Australia by storm everyone’s favourite Ogre inspired burlesque and drag parody is finally coming to Edinburgh! The award-winning, critically acclaimed, Swamplesque makes it way to Assembly Festival from far-far-away.

There’s more drag excellence as glamorous, hilarious and fiercely clever Jens Radda explodes onto the Edinburgh scene with Skank Sinatra; Sarah-Louise Young and Russell Lucas pay glorious homage to the music, fans and mythology of one of the most influential voices in music in An Evening Without Kate Bush; and high camp and heartbreaking drama collide in These Are the Contents of My Head (The Annie Lennox Show) as Salty Brine charts his way, track by track, through Lennox’s masterpiece Diva.

Following hit sell-out sensations Macro and The Pulse, Gravity & Other Myths return to Edinburgh with their brand-new critically acclaimed show Ten Thousand Hours, an ode to the countless hours needed to achieve great things. Blending circus and dance, Taiwan Season: I Am The BOSS asks what do three siblings do when home alone; the 600-year-old Korean folk song Arirang is brought to life in ARI: The Spirit of Korea; and Taiwanese choreographer Chuang Po-Hsiang presents Taiwan Season: Palingenesis, an absorbing dance trio inspired by a biological concept of regeneration. 

Assembly Festival and Dance Base team up once again, presenting a programme across two stages at Scotland’s National Centre for Dance.  

Five dancers collide and rebound through urban, breaking, contemporary and everything in between in PACK; the boundary between the inert and the living is blurred in Golem, a captivating dialogue between dancer and sculptor; The Show for Young Men asks what it means to be a man today in a tender dance performance for ages 8+; and the eternal relationship between the deity and the devotee is explored in Ananta, the Eternal. Masquerading as a sequel to an earlier, non-existent version of itself, 

The Passion of Andrea 2 is a mischievous con artist of a dance theatre piece about uneasiness, confusion, and the painful desire for more; Futuristic Folktales scrutinises reproductive injustices through storytelling, contemporary movement, and an evocative soundscape of experimental bagpipe; and the Korean tradition of tying and untying knots faces the climate crisis in Sleeper.

Assembly Festival is proud to present this year’s ART Award winner, Gracie and the Start of the End of the World (Again) from writer and performer Zoë Bullock. Meet Gracie, an immortal, pop culture obsessed, very horny jellyfish. An extinction-level comedy about heartbreak, revolution and surviving the apocalypse; this is excellent new theatre from one of Scotland’s up and coming creative teams.

Other new writing in Assembly’s 2024 programme includes the intricacies of mother-daughter relationships in Glitch and Mum and I Don’t Talk Anymore; plus, Good Luck, Cathrine Frost! a funny one-woman show about philosophy and childbirth. Love is on the menu as Steve Porter is back with a new spicy seminar, How to Mate: The Ted XXX Talk; while Pillock confronts loneliness, hook-up culture and medical role plays.

English American writer/comedian returns to the UK with Alison Larkin: Grief… A Comedy, looking at love, loss and hope;  a doc-com billionaire pays a famous American theatre company to translate the Bard in Polishing Shakespeare; ‘one of the most fascinating experimental theatrical minds at the Fringe’ brings us Honnef’s Lost words; and a clandestine cabal of misfits attempt their ultimate heist in Brian Parks’ new work, Plotters.

Fresh off the back of two successful seasons with Salamander, Scottish, female-led Pretty Knickers Productions bring Mary, Queen of Rock! a brand-new musical that will get Scotland rocking! While the reign of the only Empress–Queen is a prism through which the entire crown can be seen via Victoria’s journals and letters in Queen; and notorious filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl attempts to sanitize her past in the insightful, hilarious wild ride of Leni’s Last Lament.

Comedian Ivo Graham goes around and around, backwards and forwards, to the places he aches to go again in Carousel; a girl with anxiety must rescue her friend from a city of skeletons in Shadow Necropolis, from the creators behind Shadow Kingdom; You&It: The Musical looks at the love between a husband and wife when one of them returns as AI; and aspiring actor and current window salesperson Kacie confronts an existential journey in I Sell Windows.

A group of former kid detectives return to the scene of their greatest unsolved case in Solve It Squad; actor and pro-wrestling fan Tegan Verheul presents a knockout solo show about sports entertainment in Chokeslam; follow Shy Girl’s attempts to open up in Wyld Woman: The Legend of Shy Girl; and myths and legends are told like never before in Remythed.

More mythology from Fringe smash hit Mythos: Ragnarok as they return to Assembly Festival this year, a masterful blend of storytelling, theatre and stage combat. Also coming back this August is hot-ticket interactive theatre piece Temping; ten minutes of a father with dementia and his family is revisited in multimedia theatre piece Layers; and an unexpected patient challenges a counsellor’s commitment in Black and White Tea Room: Counsellor, part of the Korean Season at Assembly Festival. Plus, Captivate Theatre return with Fringe favourite Sunshine on Leith; and Oxford’s internationally acclaimed a cappella group, Out of the Blue return to the Fringe for their 20th year.

Assembly Festival’s Fringe season will begin on Wednesday 31 July and run through to Monday 26 August. Performances will take place across Edinburgh city centre, including Assembly Festival’s year-round home Assembly Roxy, Assembly Checkpoint, Assembly Hall, Assembly Rooms, and Assembly George Square Gardens.

For tickets and further information, and to sign up to receive news about future shows at Assembly Festival 2024, visit www.assemblyfestival.com.

All-star comedy line-up for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 

Get ready to giggle your way into the new year as organisers of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay announce an all-star line-up for its Ho Ho Hogmanay comedy show on Friday 29 December.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, presented by UniqueAssembly on behalf of City of Edinburgh Council, will run Friday 29 December 2023 – Monday 1 January 2024.

Ho Ho Hogmanay marks a welcome return for Hogmanay celebrations at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms and will close the first day of the four-day festival for the New Year.  

The line-up for the evening will be hosted by Live at the Apollo’s Emmanuel Sonubi, and will feature Edinburgh’s Hogmanay alumnus and Scottish comedy royalty Susie McCabe alongside her compatriots, award-winning Larry Dean, and the inimitable Fred MacAulay. 

Emmanuel Sonubi is the epitome of the phrase ‘star of the future’, This year he was nominated for Best Show at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards after being nominated for Best Newcomer the previous year. He recently hosted Live at the Apollo and appeared on Have I Got News For You. In the near future he will appear in an episode of QI and Celebrity Pointless, Rosie Jones’ new show Out of Order and lastly Rhod Gilberts Growing Pains. Working with the likes of Jason Manford, Jack Whitehall, Romesh Ranganathan and John Bishop, and with over 10 million views online, Emmanuel is quickly becoming a household name.   

Emmanuel Sonubi looked forward to the event, saying: “Edinburgh is one of my favourite places to perform. It’s where I was nominated for Best Newcomer and then Best Show from the lovely people at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. “So it’s an absolute pleasure to be invited to perform at the iconic Assembly Rooms where I have seen some of the best comedians of my lifetime perform. I can’t wait!” 

Susie McCabe’s rise through the ranks of stand-up has been nothing short of meteoric. Her brilliant storytelling, acute observations and killer punchlines have made her one of the most sought-after performers in the UK.

She has supported the likes of Kevin Bridges, Frankie Boyle, Ardal O’Hanlon, John Bishop and Jason Manford on their national tours. A firm festival favourite, Susie has enjoyed five sell-out shows at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival and continues to be the fastest-selling artist at the festival, selling out 2 nights at the Glasgow King’s Theatre as well as venues up and down Scotland.  

In addition to her set at Ho Ho Hogmanay, Susie McCabe will repeat her MC duties from Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2022/23 with an appearance at the Concert in the Gardens on 31 December 2023. 

A hot ticket on the touring circuit, Larry Dean has performed his shows across the UK and Ireland to jam-packed rooms. Larry’s fanbase is international, as a regular at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Christchurch Buskers Festival, Perth Fringeworld and the invitation-only Montreal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.  

Having presented the very funny and eventful MacAulay and Co. on BBC Radio Scotland for almost 18 years and with a string of tv appearances, Fred MacAuley’s on-air witticisms and on-screen reputation are the product of years of experience on the live circuit, including a stint as the first ever-Scottish compere at the Comedy Store in London. 

Ho Ho Hogmanay will close the first day of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay four-day programme to bring in the New Year. Earlier on 29 December, an anticipated 20,000 people will shine a light on homelessness at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Torchlight Procession with official charity partner Social Bite, blazing a trail through the capital’s Old Town.  

Celebrations continue with Night Afore Revels and the Night Afore Disco Party on 30 December.

On Hogmanay night itself New Year Revels makes a welcome return to Assembly Rooms with an all-night ceilidh and live band party with Massaoke, while Princes Street and Princes Street Gardens will host 50,000 party goers at the world-famous Street Party and Concert in the Gardens with Pulp and special guests Hot Chip (DJ set).

The four-day programme comes to a close on Monday 1 January 2024 with the family friendly Sprogmanay and family ceilidh, and First Footin’ Culture Trail in selected venues around the city.  

Further information and tickets for Ho Ho Hogmanay and all events at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 30th anniversary celebrations are available now from:

 www.edinburghshogmanay.com. 

Fringe comedy coming to Edinburgh care home residents

Residents at two of the capital’s care homes will feel the buzz of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival after a series of on-site comedy performances at Randolph Hill Nursing Homes was announced today.

Stand-up comedians Carey Marx and Jojo Sutherland will bring their shows to Randolph Hill’s seven nursing homes across Scotland, including its Ashley Court and Blenham House sites located in the city, enabling residents to share in the Edinburgh Fringe experience.

Carey performs regularly across the UK comedy circuit and has appeared in numerous television programmes including Comedy Cuts, BBC Breakfast and Loose Women. In 2009 he gained global recognition after winning Best International Show at the New Zealand Comedy Festival.

Jojo has worked in the UK entertainment industry for more than two decades as a writer, actor, broadcaster, and comedian. A regular at the Edinburgh Fringe, she was a 2022 finalist for the title of British Comedian of the Year.

The pair will perform a daily show at 2pm at each of Randolph Hill’s sites located in Edinburgh, The Lothians, and Stirlingshire. Open to residents, their relatives and Randolph Hill staff, the series of shows includes performances at its Ashley Court site in Morningside on Saturday 26 August and at Blenham House in Sighthill on Sunday 27th.

The full schedule of performances is listed below. 

Randolph Hill currently cares for more than 350 residents and employs over 600 members of staff at its seven sites across east and central Scotland.

Randolph Hill Managing Director Peter McCormick said: “We are very excited to be bringing this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival to our nursing homes including our two sites in the city. 

“With two highly regarded comedians bringing their acts to all of our seven sites, this series of performances will bring a real festival buzz to our residents ensuring they can enjoy the Fringe experience in a familiar setting.

“We look forward to welcoming Carey and Jojo to our two Edinburgh homes where I’m confident they will get a warm audience response during their performances.”

Randolph Hill – Edinburgh Fringe performance dates:

  • Tuesday 22 August – Randolph Hill, Dunblane
  • Wednesday 23rd – Muirfield, Gullane, East Lothian
  • Thursday 24th – Fidra House, North Berwick, East Lothian
  • Friday 25th – Kirk Lane, Livingston, West Lothian
  • Saturday 26th – Ashley Court, Edinburgh
  • Sunday 27th – Blenham House, Edinburgh
  • Monday 28th – Holmesview, Broxburn, West Lothian

Here We Go: Doors open to Underbelly venues for the Edinburgh Fringe

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’s Hole 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 coach in 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: Live is 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.

For tickets and more information head to: www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk

Fringe by the Sea opens this Friday!

HEAD FOR NORTH BERWICK FESTIVAL HUB

The tents are up, the sun is out and we are now counting down the days until we bring you our 2023 festival!

We open the gates to our site in the Lodge Grounds at 10am on Friday and we can’t wait to welcome you inside.

Fringe by the Sea is for everyone: big people, little people, four-legged friends so, whether you’re coming to see a show or not, you can still soak up the festival atmosphere at the North Berwick Trust Festival Hub with free live music and performances from the Lighthouse Live Stage, have a wander round the stalls at the Coulters Makers’ Market, grab a bite to eat at our Street Food Village or Pincho tapas bar, or a drink from our new container bars.

FBTS-Programme-2023-minDownload

All the big headline shows have now sold out but with more than 225 events in the programme, there is a lot more to uncover whether you’re looking for family fun, musical gems or inspiring talks.

BROWSE PROGRAMME

Fringe: Veterans comedy show takes to the stage at Poppy Factory

Is laughter really the best medicine? The ‘Recovery Through Comedy Show’ sets out to prove it is, as a group of Armed Forces veterans, and a currently serving female member of the Armed Forces, bring their unique comedy to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 11th and 12th August at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory.

The performers are all graduates of an innovative veterans’ programme developed by the Royal British Legion. The programme uses comedy techniques to promote resilience, and support mental health and wellbeing. Although they had no previous experience, the participants have been supported to create their own original stand-up comedy sets and received rave reviews for their earlier performances.

This will be the first time Poppyscotland, the nation’s leading Armed Forces charity, has hosted a Fringe event and follows the refurbishment of the historic Lady Haig Poppy Factory building.

Poppyscotland’s Director, Austin Hardie, said: “We’re very proud to be able to bring the ‘Recovery through Comedy Show’ to this year’s Fringe. Not only is it very funny, the show also gives a voice to veterans in a new and inspiring way that challenges preconceptions.

“At Poppyscotland, we provide support for current and former members of the Armed Forces and their families in whatever way works best for them. Initiatives like ‘Recovery through Comedy’ show that there are many ways to help them overcome whatever challenges they face.”

The free, ticketed show will be at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Warriston on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th August, with performances at 2pm and 6pm each day. Capacity is limited so guests are encouraged to secure their tickets as early as possible.

Tickets are available from www.poppyscotland.org.uk/recovery-through-comedy.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023: 1,596 further Fringe shows revealed

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 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, 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 also highlights 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 Listies Make 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’.

Underbelly announces ‘sensational lineup’ for Festival Fringe 2023

Underbelly are thrilled to announce a host of exciting shows for their Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 programme. The stellar line-up includes the best of theatre, comedy, cabaret, circus, musicals, children’s shows and more.

Highlights include:

  • BATSU! the outrageous new late-night comedy experience will replace SPANK! after 20 years in Cowgate.
  • World leading circus company, The 7 Fingers, return to Edinburgh with the world premiere of Duel Reality.
  • Judith Kerr’s Mog the Forgetful Cat in McEwan Hall will be a treat for families as the book comes to life in a new adaptation by The Wardrobe Ensemble, Old Vic and Royal & Derngate, Northampton.
  • Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows returns with the 2022 sell-out La Clique, Peepshow (Club Remix) from CIRCA, the return of Circus Abyssinia’s Tulu and Fringe debuts Lucky Pigeons and Sophie’s Surprise 29th.
  • Direct from Las Vegas, Colin Cloud makes his highly anticipated return home to Scotland with five performances only in McEwan Hall.


Underbelly Cowgate’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.

Underbelly Cowgate’s iconic SPANK! finished its incredible 20-year Fringe run last year and now BATSU! will follow in its footsteps, entertaining the late-night Cowgate crowds all festival. Similar to past shows such as Stamptown, and Werewolf Live, BATSU! is unlike anything you’ve seen before. It promises to be the must-not-miss experience of the festival.

The Circus Hub programme is once again full of incredible circus from all over the world. La Clique returns to its spiritual home, the Fringe, after a sell-out 2022 season. Underbelly is proud to present the return of The 7 Fingers to the Fringe, after many years touring the world, with the world premiere of Duel Reality.

Last seen in Edinburgh with the phenomenal Passagers, ‘wondrous acrobatics from Cirque de Soleil spinoff’ (The Guardian), this is circus on a whole new level. Merging passion with danger, two teams compete, the stage becomes an arena and the audience must pick a side.

Also taking centre stage in the Lafayette are Fringe favourites CIRCA with a brand new show Peepshow (Club Remix). Promising an hour of big beats joined by live DJ, playful acts and thrilling acrobatics, Peepshow (Club Remix) is delightfully funny and razor-sharp featuring the best acrobatics on the planet, directed by Circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz.

Direct from Las Vegas, Scottish mentalist Colin Cloud makes his highly anticipated return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for five nights only with brand-new show After Dark, promising to astound, delight and move you in equal measure.

Judith Kerr’s Mog the Forgetful Cat arrives in McEwan Hall to lead the line-up of family shows, adapted for the stage by The Wardrobe Ensemble, Old Vic and Royal & Derngate, Northampton. A proclaimed ‘miaow-vellus treat’ by The Guardian.

Fast becoming a Fringe home for musical hits such as Marlow and Moss’ Six, Fat Rascal’s Unfortunate and Rob Madge’s My Son’s A Queer, the upside-down purple cow, Udderbelly, will welcome the returning five-star musical Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder, in an expanded new version. A hilarious murder mystery musical from the Olivier Award-winning team behind Fleabag, Baby Reindeer and A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad).

Co-Directors of Underbelly, Charlie Wood and Ed Bartlam, said; “Underbelly was born at the Fringe 24 years ago and we’re so excited to return home for another year with a line-up of exceptional shows.

“We’re looking forward to inspiring audiences this summer and once again working collaboratively with leading international companies. See you in August!”

Underbelly will once again span across four fabulous performance hubs; Bristo Square, Cowgate, George Square and Circus Hub on the Meadows. Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe runs from 2nd – 28th August. Festival goers can purchase tickets via the Underbelly website – www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk.

CIRCUS, CABARET & VARIETY

Joining The 7 Fingers: Duel Reality, La Clique and CIRCA’s Peepshow (Club Remix) at Circus Hub is Sophie’s Surprise 29thmaking its Fringe debut, with an interactive circus and cabaret night in the Spiegeltent. Featuring world-leading performers, it’s the nostalgic house party you’ll never forget.

For the whole family, Fringe debut Lucky Pigeons defies gravity to conjure a magical, surreal world where a flock of energetic, curious pigeons dwell. Returning after a smash-hit 2022 run, Tulu, from Circus Abyssinia is an unmissable showcase of superhuman strength blending breath-taking contortion, awe-inspiring acrobatics and mesmerising fire-juggling with a rocking, exuberant soundtrack.

Over in the Udderbelly, Throw Catch Collective, who have graced stages from Las Vegas to Circus Oz, arrive with a pioneering new show. Escalate pushes boundaries to challenge all preconceptions of the art of juggling and create an explosive hour of entertainment.

Over in Bristo Square alongside Colin Cloud, is Britain’s Got Talent’s finalist magician Magical Bones: Soulful Magic – Volume 2 with a limited run of the most awe-inspiring and high-energy magic show you’ll see and returning favourites The Thinking Drinkers Pub Quiz: Fancy Another Round? returning after last year’s sell-out run.

Rounding off the programme is Daniel Cainer’s Jewish Chronicles, an Edinburgh favourite telling stories through song.

THEATRE AND MUSICALS

Cowgate sees a thought-provoking and diverse line-up of debut and returning writing including The Society for New Cuisine which depicts an existential crisis confronting social taboos and questions how far we’ll go to find true satisfaction; Tomorrow is Not Promised, the story of a Black British woman who finds herself homeless and alone after an earthquake; Molly, delving into the night-time world of substance abuse; and Declan, a surreal, queer monologue with a hazy grasp on reality. 24, 23, 22 is a gig-theatre show set in the heat of a moment about scuzzy beats, stolen bags and reversing the flow of time.

George Square hosts 5-star Best Man, a dark comedy about relationships, regrets and a speech that goes off the rails. Bristo Square’s Jersey hosts Sad-Vents, an irreverent, tragicomedy using live-streaming and music in which audiences are encouraged to use their phones throughout! Audiences can also head to Bristo Square’s Box Office to embark on two immersive productions around the streets of Edinburgh, hosted by Agent November – Robyn Yew and Major X Ploe-Shun.

Joining Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder is: Without is an intimate, vibrant and authentic new contemporary musical, telling a story of unlikely friendship, the power of music, and what a ‘home’ truly is; singer-songwriter Connor Morel fronting a live three-piece band in an original gig-theatre show A Lovely Day To Be Online. Rounding out the programme is Fall and Flow, which will awe and inspire combining traditional Asian arts with western physical theatre training and Nobody’s Talking About Jamie, endorsed by the one-and-only Michael Palin as guaranteed to “make you feel better”.

COMEDY

Alongside BATSU! Underbelly’s comedy line-up is a wonderfully assorted collection of work worth celebrating, spanning from heart-warming stand-up to riotous improvisation including Joe Sutherland is Cancelled. Joe is returning to the stage to put the world to rights with a new PR strategy.

Who else to put in the iconic Udderbelly than iconic comedians? Edinburgh Comedy Allstars returns with a host of your favourite comedy names. Every Friday and Saturday join us for the biggest line-up of comedians, with previous names including Joanne McNally, John Bishop, Ahir Shah, Nina Conti, Phil Wang and Fern Brady.

More stand-up comedy can be found with Geoff Norcott (Have I Got News For You) and his new show Basic Bloke, in which he gives his thoughts on our wider society, as well as the return of Bilal Zafar with a show about how his housemate tried to get him arrested five times.

Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer Emmanuel Sonubi is back with new show Curriculum Vitae, and 2022 sell-out Ange Lavoipierre is back with Your Mother Chucks Rocks and Shells, an absurd sketch show where it’s always 2am. Returning for limited runs are improv-favourites Austentatious and podcast-hit Drunk Women Solving Crime, and making the jump from online success to the Fringe stage are Tim Murray with a Wicked-ly queer comedy Witches, Joe McTernan: Live Advice that Won’t Change Your Life and Tom Lawrinson’s Hubba Hubba . Alongside this is a host of wonderful female-led comedy, including one-woman shows like Coffee Kid; Eme Essien: FINE PRINT; Sophie Sucks Face, a side-splitting musical comedy; Medico; Charlie Vero-Martin: Picnic; and five-star, sell-out one-woman show Bad Teacher; and a brand new hour from Sooz Kempner for everyone who remembers the year 2000 in Y2K Woman.

Ruby McCollister brings her gothic dark comedy Tragedy, about addiction, fame, obsession, and the ghosts of Shakespearian actors to Cowgate; fresh from Off-Broadway Six Chick Flicks… parodies your favourite movies in one hysterical, fast-paced show; in Bristo Square, Ashley Blaker: Normal Schmormal is a heart-warming stand-up show about the joys of raising children with special needs and award-winning Alice Fraser: Twist, is about the moment you think you’ve got a handle on things and life throws you a twist. Viral TikTok sensations Shoot From The Hip bring their unscripted and downright unforgettable improv comedy and Ireland’s favourite internet comedians make an appearance in An Evening With Michael Fry and Killian Sundermann.

The annual highlight of the Underbelly programme, Underbelly’s Big Brain Tumour Benefit is returning to McEwan Hall; a stupendous evening of comedy in which all Box Office income is doubled and donated to The Brain Tumour Charity.

Don’t miss the improvised murder mystery CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation; award-winning Haus of Dench with Drag Queens vs Vampires and Britain’s Got Talent winner Jon Courtenay with Mental Flavour. Grace Jarvis’ This Is The Last Goldfish That I Am Going To Eat For You; Anesti Danelis’ comedy concert This Show Will Change Your Life; Myq Kaplan’s advice to his past-self in ImPERFECT; award-winning Durham Revue with Death on the Mile; and a hilariously heart-warming show celebrating Guy’s and St Thomas’ Chemotherapy Ward Tom GK: Chemodian.

Also joining the comedy line-up are Mitch Benn: The Point; Alex Franklin: I Must Reach The Summit, Please God I Must Reach the Summit; Finlay and Joe: Past Our Bedtime; Aidan Greene: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Stutter!; Will BF: The Last Gun; Sigmund the Viking: Valhalla Calling; Elliot Steel: Love and Hate Speech; Failed By Design; Troll; Jazz or a Bucket of Blood; Paul Foot: Dissolve with more names to follow.

FAMILY SHOWS

Following a national tour and a summer at London’s Old Vic, stepping onto the McEwan Hall stage is The Wardrobe Ensemble, Old Vic and Royal & Derngate, Northampton’s adaptation of Judith Kerr’s Mog The Forgetful Cat, a ‘miaow-vellus’ musical treat for all.

Mog is a very forgetful cat. She forgets that she has a cat flap, she forgets that she’s already eaten her supper and she forgets that cats don’t have eggs for breakfast every day! But Mog’s forgetfulness might come in handy…

Following their aquatic adventure Splash Test Dummies, the Dummies will be back in town with their original family favourite, Trash Test Dummies. This side-splitting, slap-stick circus-comedy takes the household wheelie bin to new heights and delivers a dump-truck full of hilarity.

Brace yourself for an hour of award-winning, explosive, scientific chaos with The Alphabet of Awesome Science. Join professors Lexi Con and Noel Edge for a thrilling voyage, a tongue-twisting race from A-Z that is equal parts messy, fascinating and gross.

Newcomer to the festival, Who Stole My Hammer?, is sure to be a family favourite with Vikings, villains and mayhem in a journey of Norse mythology and mischievous tales for all ages.

Edinburgh Fringe favourite, Louis Pearl, is back for his fifteenth Fringe year with Amazing Bubble Man. Be amazed by the breathtaking dynamics of bubbles, combining comedy, science and fun to keep you mesmerised.

Free Chicken Western coming to Edinburgh next month

Adrenalism Theatre Presents 

The Good, The Bad and The Poultry

Give a man a chicken and he’ll eat for a day, give a chicken a gun and he’ll be the most ‘impeckable’ gunslinger this side of Texas.

Touring Scotland, Spring 2023. 

Adrenalism Theatre are clucking proud to present the first full tour of their chicken western The Good, The Bad and The Poultry.

Taking in venues across Scotland from 18 March – 7 May, this non-verbal exploration of fear sees two cowboy chickens, a turkey  and ‘Hennio Morricone’ (the live poultry band) explore being brave in the face of danger. 

The Good, The Bad and The Poultry is a free, outdoor performance for cowboys of all ages. “The Good” and “The Bad” chicken, along with the dim-witted turkey, find themselves in a typical Western Showdown, over the highly coveted big golden egg. Tensions rise, with all the tropes of your favourite western from a fast-paced chase to a tense standoff, and a musical shootout with everyone’s weapon of choice – handbells. Will our poultry find a way to coop-erate?

Once the precious big golden egg is laid in the perfect place, the peaceful coop suddenly becomes a saloon with a musical barman, seed shots and classic Wild-West interior.

This epic western will roll into town in Giffnock, Fife, Dunoon, Irvine, Arran, Aberdeen, Wick, Edinburgh, Cumbrae, Mull, Hawick, Duns and St Andrews.

Wrap around activities for families will see little cowboys making their own wanted poster, going on egg hunts and more – a whole day of eggcellent fun for all! 

The Good, The Bad and the Poultry is an outdoor, walkabout performance suitable for all ages. A fun, silly show featuring audience participation for all of the family. 

Adrenalism is a recipient of the Creative Scotland Open Project Fund.

Press Kit available to download here

Run Time: 40 mins

Age Recommendation: 4+

https://www.adrenalism.com/the-good-the-bad-and-the-poultry

Listings

March 

Eastwood Park Theatre, Giffnock -18 March

Forgan Arts Centre, Fife – 25 March

Dunoon Burgh Hall, Dunoon – 26 March

April 

Harbour Arts, Irvine- 1 April

Aberdeen City Council, Duthie Park – 6 April

Lyth Arts Centre, Wick – 8 April

WHALE Arts, Edinburgh – 11 April

Millport Community Hall, Cumbrae – 12 April

Mull Theatre, Mull – 15 April

Hawick Museum, Hawick – 22 April

The Beacon, Greenock – 29 April

Arran Theatre Trust, Arran- 30 April

May

Dunsplayfest, Duns – 1 May

The Byre, St Andrews – 7 May

Further Dates to be added

Creative Team

Created By Lewis Sherlock, Andrew Simpson, Ruxy Cantir and Richie Merchant

Produced By Christiana Bissett

Designed By  Fergus Dunnet