Over 200 shows to come to Assembly Festival 2024

Assembly Festival has announced a further 90 plus shows for its 2024 programme, bringing its Fringe season to 222 shows to be presented from Wednesday 31 July to Monday 26 August.

Performances will take place on 28 stages around eight venues across Edinburgh city centre.

Assembly’s popular festival hubs will return at Assembly Rooms and Assembly George Square Gardens and Studios, headline acts return to Assembly Hall, plus performances at Assembly Checkpoint and the festival’s year-round home of Assembly Roxy.

Bridging the gap between Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns, Assembly Festival will have a new stage at Assembly @ Virgin Hotel, alongside last year’s partnership with Scotland’s Centre for Dance featuring two stages in the Grassmarket venue Assembly @ Dance Base.

Paradisium, Recirquel Cirque Danse

Internationally renowned Recirquel Cirque Danse, the company behind Fringe-hits IMA (2023) and My Land (2018), returns with a new show directed by Bence Vági; Paradisium, where the body is the medium and movement is the common language.

A bevy of international circus comes from Colombia with Circolombia: Corazón, a fun-fuelled circus concert with a beating Latin heart; Canadian acrobats Agathe and Adrien redefine gender roles in N.Ormes; and from Australia comes the return of hit grown up circus by Highwire, Rouge, a circus for grown-ups, and three contemporary Australian circus artists hope to re-discover the connection we once had with the earth in Na Djinang circus’ Of the Land on Which We Meet as part of the House of Oz programme.

Rising star of Australian dance, choreographer-director Lewis Major brings two new dance shows to Assembly @ Dance Base as part of the House of Oz programme; a unique collaboration with the legendary Russell Maliphant OBE in Lewis Major: Triptych, and an intimate one-on-one performance between one audience member and one dancer for an encounter never to be repeated in Lewis Major: Lien.

Dance Base’s in-house companies Lothian Youth Dance Company and PRIME come together in Timeless, featuring dancers aged 14 to 80+ in one life-affirming showcase; a double-bill performance by two Hong Kong artists in It’s not my body chapter 3.5 / This Is; and READY weaves around a series of Beethoven piano sonatas purposely selected for each performance. 

Fringe Fragments is a new platform showcasing dance talent from around the world produced by Dance Base; Fault Lines pulls at the tension in our relationship with nature; READY is a solo piece celebrating over half a century of dance practice; and Impasse presents an attempt to understand the politics of the Black body in a contemporary western society.

Through dance, drums and electronic music a duo embarks on a journey of chaos, calm and collaborative climax in CRAWLER; blending dance, mime, and aerial acrobatics, The Weight of Shadow depicts mental health deterioration; Man & Board is an unlikely pairing of a dancer’s moving body with a ritualised wooden board; and Transhumanist is a popping male duet to an electronic soundscape.

Award winning choreographer Mathieu Geffré presents What songs may do…, shining a light on our deep-rooted connection to memory through music; Scotland based seminal choreographer Alan Greig looks at the ageing body and plays with gender, identity and LGBTQ+ icons in Within Reach; and desires and fears collide in two explosive but intimate physical poems by Charles Pas and Courtney May Robertson in Victory Boogie Woogie / the pleasure of stepping off a horse when it’s moving at full speed.

Beats on Pointe, Masters of Choreography

The whole family can enjoy non-stop five-star entertainment as Beats on Pointe returns to Assembly Festival, where ballet meets modern street dance in Australia’s hottest commercial dance theatre production.

The street meets the elite in 360 Allstars, a supercharged urban circus; and as seen as part of the Tokyo Olympic Opening Ceremony, GABEZ bring their international award-winning physical comedy, LIVE MANGA.

For younger families, the world-famous unicycle acrobatics show Cartoooon!! takes audiences on a magical journey to the big top; when Doctor Tuneless threatens the planet, only Granny Norbag can save the day – can she complete her quest in time for tonight’s Emmerdale? And the riotous, gratuitous and possibly hazardous, kids’ comedy duo The Listies return to the Fringe as part of the House of Oz programme, taking on the torturous subject of bedtime in The Listies ROFL.

Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer winner 2023 Urooj Ashfaq returns for a limited run of her award-wining show, Urooj Ashfaq: Oh No! Plus, a mix of stories and observations in a new work in progress Urooj Ashfaq: It’s Funny To Me (Work in Progress). Hoping to follow in her footsteps with their Edinburgh debuts are Kate Dolan: A Different Kind of Unhinged, exploring the bizarre expectations put on women; the camp and chaotic world of Alex Hines: Putting On A ShowAlexandra Hudson explores her experiences as disabled woman in Making Lemonade; a glittering hour of fastidiously-curated spontaneity from Will Owen: Like, Nobody’s Watching; the world’s youngest, smallest, most normal comedian, Sarah Roberts: Silkworm; and a darkly funny comedy set within the world of two co-dependent sisters and their cow in The Sisters Fig.

2023 Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer, Urooj Ashfaq

Britain’s Got Talent star Nurse Georgie Carroll: Sista Flo 2.0 returns to Assembly Festival after a sell-out debut season; Australia’s favourite comedy duo return with their banger show The Umbilical Brothers: The Distraction; Superstore star Chris Grace brings his homage the greatest living Asian actor in Chris Grace as Scarlett Johansson; and returning to Assembly Festival for its third year, Liars & Clowns: A Late Night Comedy Show is a jam session for comedians showcasing the best alternative comedy from around the festival.

The masters of improv Spark Creative return with their two smash hit shows, Baby Wants Candy and Shamilton! The Improvised Hip-Hop Musical; a magical adventure awaits in Spontaneous Potter: The Unofficial Improvised Parody; and the ground-breaking fusion of improv comedy and live jazz of Giant Steps comes to the Fringe after sell-out London shows. 

Dancefloor Conversion Therapy presents the history of dance floors and joyful regret as part of the House of Oz programme; BAFTA-nominated comedian Rachel Parris brings a dazzling new hour of stand-up and songs in Rachel Parris: Poise; and for one night only NZ Taskmaster star Paul Williams Plays the Hits in a special late-night gig, featuring the best of Surf Music and his brand-new album.

The rise of the clowns continues as Trygve Wakenshaw disciple Tom Greaves: FUDGEY, an award-winning comedy about privilege; solo Edinburgh debutante, Aussie Yozi is adamant about the rules in Yozi: No Babies In The Sauna as part of the House of Oz programme; there’s ‘very funny stand-up’ from I am Claire Parry (very funny stand-up); and you become the orchestra led by the virtuosic Boorish Trumpson.

There’s more interactive fun as pictionary meets pub quiz in the adult gameshow Laser Kiwi’s Sketch Game; comedians Sweeney Preston and Ethan Cavanagh guide you through tasting five wines, using at least five jokes in In Pour Taste: A Comedy Wine Tasting Experience; and a healing ceremony unlike any you’ve ever experienced with Namaste Bae: Blessings & Kombucha.

Comedy meets cabaret in actress, comedian and content-creator Dylan Mulvaney’s Fringe debut, Dylan Mulvaney: F*G HAG; the obscenely intelligent, rib-crackingly funny Reuben Kaye returns to the Fringe with The Kaye Hole Hosted by Reuben Kaye and the UK debut of Reuben Kaye: Live and Intimidating; and the legendary Ghost-Whisperer returns in Séayoncé: She Must Be Hung! 

More LGBTQ+ stories are told as Ricky Sim brings back his stand-up/storytelling show An Asian Queer Story: Coming Out to Dead People; and Andrew White is Young, Gay and a Third Thing in a hilarious hour of new material tackling identity, authenticity, and Musical Theatre themed weddings.

The cult cabaret, idiots… GAY idiots makes its Edinburgh debut with vaudevillian variety ranging from weird to very weird; fresh from their acclaimed Australian Tour MESSY FRIENDS explore the world of enchanting glamour; vocalist Victoria Mature pays homage to one of the most popular leading men of Hollywood’s Golden Age in Victor’s Victoria; and Australia’s reigning Queen of comedy cabaret makes her way to Assembly Festival as part of the House of Oz programme in The Unburdening of Dolly Diamond.

Camille O’Sullivan: Loveletter

The celebrated “Queen of the Fringe” (BBC) returns to Edinburgh for her 20th Festival. Camille O’Sullivan: Loveletter pays tribute to those loved and missed, a heartfelt show celebrating Shane McGowan, Sinead O’Connor, Leonard Cohen, and David Bowie.

The multi-award-winning live music sensation makes its Edinburgh debut with a celebration of Aussie hit-makers in Down Under: The Songs That Shaped Australia as part of the House of Oz programme; witness mind-blowing sounds and vocal agility with The Beatbox Collective: What’s Your Sound?; and dance through the decades as the Fringe‘s newest Saturday night entertainment takes over Assembly @ Virgin Hotel with DecaDance Silent Disco.

Get your boogie shoes ready for the official KC & the Sunshine Band musical, Who Do Ya Love?; or take a magic carpet ride into an enchanted castle of adult fantasies and fairytale follies as The Hairy Godmothers present Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody and Villains: A Dizney in Drag Parody.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland bring two musicals to Assembly Festival for the Fringe, Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music and the pop-infused score and gore of Fountain of You; and history’s most mysterious ruler is uncovered in House of Cleopatra, an immersive musical with an original high-octane pop score.

Music is the catalyst for a trip down memory lane in The Imitator, the journey of one man’s dream of becoming an artist; and award-winning theatre maker Liam Hurley teams up with songwriter Jo Mango to present A Giant on the Bridge, unflinching gig theatre as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase 2024.  

There’s more Scottish theatre with an a-typical love story in Love Beyond, also presented as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase 2024; and The Old Queen’s Head in which only one Queen can prevail. Plus, a score of plays from across the world.

Finland’s most decorated touring theatre company, Red Nose Company return to Assembly Festival with their acclaimed Don Quixote; Japanese comedian Akira Ishida teams up with actors to present a non-verbal comedy show with traditional Japanese sword fighting in CHALLENGE; from the USA 3 Chickens Confront Existence at the Edinburgh Fringe; and as part of the House of Oz season, two actors present three short plays in Summer of Harold, a trio of comedies about clinging on and letting go.

In new writing, award-winning artist Michaela Burger explores the legacy of a high-class sex worked in a brand-new one-woman show, The State of Grace as part of the House of Oz programme; new play DEADHEADS looks at the complexity and joy of loving someone while also allowing them to grow and change; a new queer love story in Conversations We Never Had, As People We’ll Never Be; an ode to young Belfast student life in Float; anda soul-searching, delightfully human roller-coaster ride through music and the Artist formerly known as Prince in K. Lorrel Manning’s Lost…Found.

Lost…Found, The Barrow Group

A traveller is rescued from the surging seas to the devout fishing village in physical theatre piece Plenty of Fish in the Sea as part of the House of Oz programme; ‘The Thick of It’ meets NHS A&E in In The Sick of It, a satirical state of the nation dissection; a one-man reimagining of Hamlet, told entirely from the perspective of the Dane in Sam Blythe: Method in my Madness (A one-man Hamlet); and Olivier winning Guy Masterson directs Clara Francesca in Making Marx, a look at the formidable woman behind Karl Marx.

Assembly Festival begins its season with the opening of Assembly George Square Gardens on Friday 12 July for the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, closely followed by the tenth anniversary of the Edinburgh Food Festival, Friday 19 – Sunday 28 July.

Assembly Festival’s Fringe season will begin on Wednesday 31 July and run through to Monday 26 August.

For tickets and further information about this year’s programme, and to sign up to receive news from Assembly Festival, visit www.assemblyfestival.com.

Fringe: One Last Week

A whole new batch of shows at theSpaceUK!

It’s not over yet: hidden gems galore, more new musicals, and juicy comedies are hitting theSpaceUK stages for one last rip-roaring week of shows.

Week 3 is here: bringing you one last knockout selection of shows. Fascinating ancient tales, energetic music bands, and frogs improvising in a box: it’s all go as we plunge into a fantastic final week at the Fringe.
 
Here’s a just a sample of the new shows gracing theSpaceUK from 21st – 26th:

Dive into ancient China
Legend of the White Snake (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
A classic love story portrayed in traditional Kunqu opera form. Rarely performed in the West, Kunqu is one of the most ancient forms of opera in the world and the North Kunqu Opera Company is one of its leading ambassadors. Sung in Chinese, with English surtitles.

Get ready for a Musical Fiesta!
David Rivera la Båmbula (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
David Rivera and La Båmbula will make you dance with their Caribbean sounds from Puerto Rico and Cuba. The 13-piece band is the first-ever Puerto Rican band to perform at the Fringe.

Croaky laughs guaranteed
Improv Comedy with Box of Frogs (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
Box of Frogs, Birmingham’s premier improv group, brings you a helping of high-octane improvised comedy nonsense, based entirely on your suggestions. Expect the unexpected as quick-witted players conjure up hilarious, spontaneous songs, sketches and scenes on the spur of the moment!

Yes, you’ve already seen this show!
Good and Gaslit (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
Good and Gaslit. A young director launching her career. A less-than-young TV executive performing her first one-woman show. It’s gonna be a gas! Come see the rehearsal, I mean, the show.

Is impostor syndrome even real?
this is a scam. (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
Fake it ’til you make it. Lean In. How far can you stretch the truth in the name of self-optimisation? When does charisma, boldness, and self-promotion become fraud? This play aims to find out.

There’s a first time for everything
Does My Fanny Look Big In This? (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
The anxious sex-ed class you never got in school. An exploration into the sexual world through spoken word, uncomfortable noises, an inflatable sex doll, (bad) singing, anxiety and a limerick.

An insightful play
A Night With Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda (theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 21-26)
A captivating one-woman show, based on the critically acclaimed Amazon bestseller Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda. Former Coronation Street actress and current Bipolar UK ambassador Natasha Rea smashes down barriers and raises awareness of bipolar, drawing on her own real-life story in this hilarious but heart-wrenching solo production.

Monsters, Inc (but it’s children)
Vida Slayman in Comedy of Terrors (theSpace on the Mile, 21-26)
Sold out at the Adelaide Fringe, now in Edinburgh! After fleeing two wars, Vida Slayman was prepared for anything life could throw at her. But then she faced a battle she couldn’t flee.

Razzle Dazzled
Las Vegas in Edinburgh (theSpace on the Mile, 21-26)
At this show, a sleight-of-hand spectacle bringing a little Vegas to Edinburgh. Marvel at the two magicians’ mind-bending illusions, brilliant comedy and incredible stage presence at the Fringe premiere on a stunning night of entertainment.

A night with a movie star
Call Me Elizabeth (theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall, 21-26)
Fresh off her 1961 Academy Awards triumph and a recent brush with death, Elizabeth Taylor is struggling with her hardest role yet: herself.

Therefore AI am
Ctrl (theSpace on the Mile, 21-26)
Eager to stand out from the crowd, a group of teenagers turn to the assistance of AI. But what starts as a fun experiment soon turns to alarming obsession. Co-written by AI, this play questions reality and creativity.

Sailing through the high C’s
The Impresario (theSpace @ Venue 45, 21-26)
It’s 1930 and “talkies” are taking off – a film producer has the daunting task of bringing opera to the masses through the silver screen, made more challenging by diva two sopranos who both insist on top billing!

Wedding night gone wrong
Blueballs (theSpace Triplex, 21-26)
One bedroom. Two 20-year-olds. Just married and strangers until hours ago – now they are alone for the first time. A twisted version of the twisted tale Bluebeard, Blueballs is a thrilling, 40-minute tequila-shot of theatre in free verse.

Fringe 2022: 50+ new shows arrive at theSpaceUK this week

For over fifty shows at theSpaceUK, the Fringe is just about to begin. It’s the perfect opportunity to get your second wind and see some fabulous new shows:

 
As we move into Week 2 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, for many artists at theSpaceUK their Fringe is only just beginning.

From politically charged drama to quirky cabaret, catchy musicals to tempestuous tango, Shakespearean spectacle to cake-based violence. Take a chance and find something to entice, excite and entertain in the 50+ new shows starting this week at theSpaceUK.  

Here’s a small taste of the new shows that you can catch in Week 2 at theSpaceUK: 

Cabaret for Musical Theatre Fans
More Than Tracy Turnblad (theSpace on the Mile, 15-27)
Abby Rose Morris details her experiences as a plus-size performer while dismantling cultural stereotypes about fat people through musical theatre. This quirky, snarky cabaret exposes the absurdity of the entertainment industry’s body standards.

Brand New Musical
Antigone: The Musical (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 15-27)
A radical and fun musical retelling of an Ancient Greek myth, about one young girl standing up to tyranny, packed with humour and super catchy tunes that will have you humming all the way home!

Politically Charged Drama
Life Before the Line (theSpace @ Venue 45, 15-27)
Manchester, 2016. The terrorist alarm goes off in class… and it’s no drill. Set during the rise in anti-Semitism, this is a heartfelt coming-of-age story following four Jewish teenagers growing up in politically charged times.

Smashing Fun (& Cakes)
Cake and Violence (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 15-27)
Welcome to Cake & Violence, a food-fetish-fever-dream in which Nat delivers a bunch of monologues and smashes a LOT of cakes in an effort to get you to feel SOMETHING. It’s comedic. It’s dramatic. It’s a lot of frosted fun.

Tempestuous Tango
Los Guardiola – The Comedy of Tango (theSpaceTriplex, 15-27)
The international stars of tango, Los Guardiola lead you into their fantasy world of TangoTeatro, where tragedy, comedy, poetry and humour collide.

The Norse Will Rise
Glister (theSpace @ Niddry St, 15-20)
A smorgasbord of Viking gods, an enchanting Norse soundscape and a pair of wise-cracking ravens accompany a Yorkshire lass on her journey from childhood to motherhood, revealing myth, mirth and magic in the most unexpected of places.

Surviving in a Man’s World
Fake It Till You Make It (theSpaceTriplex, 15-20)
A one-woman show about Leda, an actor struggling to make it, and how her perfect mask of control shatters when she is taken advantage of by a famous male actor.

An Imaginative Re-telling
The Macbeth Inquiry  (theSpace @ Niddry St, 15-20)
Shakespeare’s great tragedy is reimagined in a modern political context asking how politics is shaped from, and tarnished by, a pursuit for power. It’s time to see the Scottish Play through a whole new lens!

Legendary Theatre
Artorigus (theSpace @ Niddry St., 15-27)
Based on the legends of old and inspired by the classical lyricism of Shakespeare. This modern adaptation of King Arthur blends prose with verse to create a unique look into the themes of stagnation, idleness, betrayal and love.

Chart-Topping Vocals
I’ll Tell You Mine (theSpace @ Niddry St., 15-20)
A musical coming-of-age journey, featuring classics from Whitney Houston and chart-toppers by Olivia Rodrigo. Follow Oxford’s original all-female-identifying a cappella group through this story of fragmentary femininity. If you tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.

Ecological Shakespeare
Midsummer (theSpace @ Niddry St., 15-27)
The last fairy lurks in a dying forest. A ragtag crew of office drones tries to put on a play. Midsummer remixes Shakespeare for an era of ecological crisis. In a broken, wintery world, can we imagine a future?

Greek Tragedy
The Lacehouse (theSpace @ North Bridge, 15-27)
Wanna see a real Greek tragedy? On the eve of a funeral, three sisters conduct a seance to awaken the secrets of their ancestors, unearthing family secrets that refuse to stay buried. A tragicomedy in one act.

La Dolce Vita
The Olive Tree (theSpaceTriplex, 15-20)
‘A real gem of a show!’ The Olive Tree is a bitter-sweet comedy, taking you on a journey from London to Italy, telling stories of change and loss through sketch, poetry and soundscape.

Sharp Stand Up
Kill the Frippery (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 15-27)
A brand-new stand-up show from David Watson about getting rid of the things that hold you back, which would be: vanity, pastry and Twitter. A personal, frank and funny dip into a life spent focusing on the wholly unimportant without realising it.

A Marrow Filled Musical
Plague (theSpaceTriplex, 15-27)
The year is 1348 and the small Yorkshire village of Bogsfield is about to be hit by the Black Death. With catchy folk music, this is a fun-filled medieval tale of hope, community… and root vegetables.

Miner’s Strike Gold
The Collie’s Shed (theSpaceTriplex, 15-27)
Based in a local Men’s Shed in East Lothian, THE COLLIE’S SHED follows four retired miners as they discover how a review into the policing of the mining strikes in the 80’s and a potential Miners Pardon Bill by the Scottish Government suddenly affects them.


About theSpaceUK
Established in 1995, theSpaceUK hosts the largest and most diverse programme at the fringe. Companies, both professional & amateur, are given an affordable, supportive and professional platform to showcase their work. 

About the venue
With 7 Venues, 19 Theatres, over 400 shows theSpaceUK operates 18 venues across 7 sites including: theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, theSpace @ SymposiumHall, theSpace on North Bridge, theSpace on the Mile, theSpaceTriplex, the Space @ Venue45.

Follow us
www.thespaceuk.com
@theSpaceUK         
facebook.com/thespaceuk

Tickets for further 146 shows made available just before the beginning of Fringe 2022

Over 3,300 shows now available to browse online ahead of the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that tickets for a further 146 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are now available to browse and book at edfringe.com.

This is the fifth set of tickets to be released for 2022, with the first 283 shows revealed in March, 796 in April, 1,281 in May and 1,047 in June.  In total, there are 3,385 shows now available.

The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 05 – 29 August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of performance, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events, children’s shows and more all featured in the programme so far.

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

Theatre

At Summerhall, Dykegeist “will shift between a supernatural thriller, a sci-fi spider lair, a haunted club scene, a social situation to discuss threat/consent/otherness”, and Peaceophobia is “an unapologetic response to rising Islamophobia around the world”.

An outdoor performance of “Shakespeare’s timeless comic masterpiece” A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at Fisherrow Links, and at Paradise in Augustines, 12th Night Lite is a “true love story for the ages”.

A selection of online shows will include In a Cave, a Voice at C venues, where “a Neolithic girl seeks comfort in imaginary friends”, and Willy’s Lil Virgin Queen explores Terra Taylor Knudson’s “passion for Shakespeare, and connects classic characters with modern experiences”.

Olding is a “multi-story, multi-character solo show, written and performed by Johanna Courtleigh” on Fringe Online, and What Am I, Chopped Suey? is also online, where “Meg Lin shares a raw personal account of growing up Chinese American that is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching”.

The Calligrapher is on at Greenside @ Infirmary Street, where an artist is “followed by the walking, talking, blood-drenched Quran that has haunted him” since he created it, and Elementa is “a one-woman show about a planet-saving superhero who’s lost her mojo” in the same venue.

Shows at ZOO Playground include Chips and Ice Cream, a show about a father-son relationship and the “struggles, the laughs, the joy and the inevitability of the mistakes that every parent will make”. Don’t Shoot the Albatross is where “pop music meets poetry in this new monologue about city lights, queer night life and large seafaring birds”.

At House of Oz, John Bell: A Few of my Favourite Things is “a relaxed hour with Australian living legend John Bell, as he rummages through his swag of favourite things, fishing out poems, stories, backstage gossip”.

Fan/Girl is part of PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth and charts a “tongue-in-cheek ride through adolescence against a backdrop of nineties football”, and A Lady Does Not Scratch Her Crotch is “a look at gender, sexuality, and the near impossibility of growing up”.

At theSpace @ Niddry Street, Laura J Harris presents Bella Donna, “an original queer comedy filled with unexpected twists and turns and more than its fair share of sass”, and theSpace on North Bridge hosts Pool (No Water), “a visceral and shocking play about the fragility of friendship and jealousy inspired by success”.

Sweet FA at Tynecastle Park is “a play with songs exploring the remarkable popularity of women’s football in the early 20th century”, and A War of Two Halves is at the same venue, telling the journey of “the Hearts from the football fields of Gorgie to the battlefields of the Somme.”

Cabaret and Variety

Figs in Wigs: Astrology Bingo is at Assembly George Square Studios, a show which plays “with bingo cards generated from your favourite celebrity’s astrological birth chart”.

Disenchanted: A Cabaret of Twisted Fairy Tales is online at C venues and asks, “Why was the Wolf in Grandma’s bed? Did Sleeping Beauty have an opinion on consent? Were the Ugly Sisters’ feet really that big?”

At BlundaGardens: BlundaBus, Ash and Lisa: Band Practice welcomes you “to this dismantling of music and sanity” in their musical improv show.  And for film fans, at Brioche Dundas Street there is See It On Screen Summer 22, “three original short films made in Edinburgh”.

At House of Oz, OZmosis: The Great Australian Variety Pack presents the “hottest line-up of all-Australian talent on the Fringe”, Dolly Diamond’s Bosom Buddies sees the “award-winning, sharp-tongued cabaret diva” return to Edinburgh, and at the same venue, Geraldine Quinn: BROAD explores how “Quinn grew up idolising bold, brassy older women. Now she’s becoming one.”

Pick of the Fringe is at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, presenting “a mixed bill of comedy, music and variety, alongside the finest cocktails and drams in Edinburgh”.

At Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Accordion Ryan’s Pop Bangers brings music from “artists from all across the pop music spectrum… in a way you’ve never heard them before”.

Chris Cook: Reflections asks, “What advice would you give your younger self?” with a magical twist at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms. At Absurd: A Live Cabaret Panel Show, you’re invited to “join host and magician Ava Beaux, and magical team captains Kane & Abel, for an array of games, buzzer rounds, and cabaret acts”; that’s at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Roti.  At Planet Bar is Miss DQ Prides Again, an inclusive LGBT show.

“World-renowned songsmith and pianist extraordinaire, John Thorn, returns to the Fringe with a sublime collection of new original songs exploring the meaning of life and the future of humanity” in John Thorn Dirt An Existential Songbook at RSE Theatre.

At the Voodoo Rooms, Mr.B: Twerp in Progress “will feature some chap-hop classics, interpretations of vintage rap ditties and perhaps even some bits made up on the spot”.

99 Red Kitties is at theSpace @ Niddry St, “a highly energetic amateur burlesque show, which is sure to tantalize the audience”.

Children’s Shows

Online at C venues, Risas de Papel is a show created by 11 artists from Mexico and Chile, “fusing clown, gestural theatre and live illustration in a show for audiences of all ages”.

Spontaneous Potter Kidz: The Unofficial Improvised Parody is at Gilded Balloon at the Museum, “an entirely improvised wizarding comedy show, based on your suggestions”. At House of Oz, Dolly Diamond’s Storytime “helps stimulate children’s imagination and expand their understanding of the world”.

At Paradise in Augustines, The Red Thread We Are Holding takes audiences on “a journey of culture, love and free Taiwanese desserts”.

The Mermaid and the Cow is at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, telling the tale of how “adventurer and children’s author, Lindsey Cole mermaided the length of the River Thames to highlight the plastic pandemic.”

Comedy

In comedy, Adam Kay: This is Going to Hurt… More (Work in Progress) brings diary entries “as well as some disgusting favourite stories” to Pleasance, and at Pleasance Dome Drag His Ass with Mary Beth Barone is a “deconstruction of modern dating culture”.

At Laughing Horse venues, Love and Sex on the Spectrum “explores all of the awkward firsts that come with dating, sex and love from a late bloomer’s perspective”. In From Ukraine, “Dima Watermelon (it’s his real name) and Pavlo Voytovych (writer at Comedy Central)” bring “the best comedians Ukraine has to offer”, with all donations going to organisations in Ukraine.

Jew Talkin’ to Me? seesRachel Creeger and Philip Simon live record their “unashamedly Jewish podcast enjoyed by everyone” at Assembly George Square Studios, and Róisín and Chiara: Sex on Wheels is “a whirlwind of synchronised, audience-tickling, stream-of-consciousness mischief”, at the same venue.

At BlundaGardens: BlundaBus, there is “extreme nonsense from award-winning idiot Dan Lees” in Dan Lees: Mustard or Custard?, and at Gilded Balloon at the Museum is Spontaneous Sherlock, an “entirely improvised Sherlock Holmes comedy play, based on a suggestion of a title”.

The In-Laws is at Greenside @ Infirmary Street, a one-man show where you can “join Paul as he meets his in-laws for the first time”, and at House of Oz, Gabbi Bolt: I Hope My Keyboard Doesn’t Break tackles “climate change, feminism, why small towns have too many pubs”.

The Necrobus hosts Fright Bus Service, “an award-winning theatrical sightseeing tour around the darker side of Europe’s most haunted city on a classic 1960s Routemaster bus”.

As part of PBH’s Free Fringe, Mimi Hayes: 20-Nothing details the story of an old woman who’s “sucked into the story of a 20-something who can’t catch a break”. Faces of Glasgow “is a scabrous and salacious satire of modern Glaswegian city life and its idiosyncratic inhabitants”.

The Scottish Comedy Festival presents Ah! My Name is Yoky Yu, about “healing, trauma, love, shame, guilt, mom, intimate relationships, and sexuality”, and The Lunch Rush gives “a taste of some of the best new comedy talent on the Scottish circuit” with Kathleen Hughes.

At The Stand’s New Town Theatre, Des Clarke: One O’ Clock Fun presents “a lunchtime showcase of Edinburgh Fringe legends, celebrity guests and the most exciting new talent around”, while Mark Watson: More Banging on About Time and Similar Issues (Work in Progress) explores “what it means to live and die, and what the hell we’re meant to do with the rapidly passing time in between”.

Trashfuture: Live at the Fringe is at theSpace @ Venue45, covering everything from “nonsense start-ups to the evil tech zillionaires and our garbled nonsense of a culture.”

At Underbelly, Dr Brown: Workdsff intlsdjfj Progressdsdfdfn the “multi award-winning comic” comes to Edinburgh “after a decade in hibernation”.

Call Me Me is at ZOO Playground, a show where Maryellen takes audiences through “stories of medical malpractice, being pigeon-toed, mansplaining in escape rooms”, and Platonic Love Triangle – A New York Stand-up Comedy Show sees comedians “Wyatt Feegrado (Bettor Days on Hulu, Amazon Prime), Lukas Arnold (2 million+ followers on Tiktok) and Otter Lee (Fairview on Comedy Central) present an afternoon of stand-up comedy”.

Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus

At Dancebase, an “elaborately costumed dancer performs a tap dance ritual accompanied by a musician” in Le Flâneur, and A Something! No Dragon No Lion! is “a Kung Fu contemporary circus made in Hong Kong”.

Cirk La Putyka and Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Art collaborate on Boom at Underbelly, a “show about family, freedom and borders” where 12% of ticket income will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee.

At ZOO Southside is 40/40: “Kat has always danced, but she has never before been a dancer. But then, she’s never been 40 before either. This is the result of 40 years of joy and hardship, laughter and tears, super tunes and super moves.”

Musicals and Opera

On Fringe Online, Feeling Pretty “tells a story of women reclaiming their power” and at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, The Canterville Ghost: The Musical is a “family friendly comic ghost story” adapted from the Oscar Wilde story.

Spoken Word

At the Stand’s New Town Theatre, Politics and Poetry with Corbyn and McCluskey is an event which “traces the evolution of their political lives and how poetry and modern culture has provided inspiration, enlightenment and comfort”.

In 12 Angry Women, on Fringe Online, “women are on trial by the audience (the camera), they express their monologues and themselves through dance/movement”.

Aural Picnic is at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth where a “local lass brings to life contemporary stories with humour and vigour performed in anthropomorphic characters from nature and myth.”

At Pleasance at EICC, Iain Dale: All Talk with Nicola Sturgeon brings the LBC presenter and the First Minister together for “incisive insight on current affairs”.

Shot in the Face Marvin Herbert is at Shout – Scottish Music Centre @ 111 Holyrood Road, where Marvin discusses having “investigated over 24 murders and eight shootings. Shot five times, axed in the head, stabbed, beaten and bruised” in the service of “reducing re-offending by inspiring, motivating youths and changing lives”.

Music

At ZOO Southside, sanni-leena brings “jazzy covers” with a voice which “will hit you right in the soul – no matter what style she takes on”, and at ZOO Playground, I Dreamed a Dream: The Hunt for a Husband is “an evening of musical comedy, horrendous dating stories, and a relatable truth that we all need to hear.”

At Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC, Jeremy Dion from Boulder, Colorado presents his “blend of folk, bluegrass and Americana”, and Baul, Troubador and Verses on Love, Lust and Flame directed by Ahmed Kaysher “offers the ecstasy and sublime beauty of Indian Vaishnav, Baul and Troubadour music with its interpretation through a haunting presentation of Sufi, Bengali and Greek poetry”.

Duelling Piano Heroes is “an unrivalled, 21st century duelling pianos experience” at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Liquid Room Annexe/Warehouse.

10 Years of Hot Dub Time Machine promises “a night of high energy and non-stop fun and Tom’s incredible selection of the very best tracks from the last 70 years” at Royal Highland Centre.

At RSE Theatre, Bonnie Thorn Little Jazz Bird “showcases Bonnie’s vocal talents with selections from the Gershwins to Amy Winehouse and beyond”, and at St Cuthbert’s Church, Pitchcraft: The Pitch Is Back! is a showcase of “uniquely crafted acapella arrangements, each with its own twist, delivered with humour and passion”.

There is a Lunchtime Organ Recital with free admissionat Stockbridge Church, where “Marion Lees McPherson plays a selection of German, French and English organ music on the theme of Pain and Glory.”

Kings of the Blues: Electric Blues Tribute is at The Brunton, “honouring three masters of the Blues: BB King, Albert King and Freddy King”, and Kyle Falconer in The Old Dr Bell’s Baths with Support from The John Rush Band, The Laurettes and Hunter & McMusard is at The Old Dr Bells Baths where “Kyle, backed by his full band, will be playing a set combining his solo music and classics from The View’s back catalogue.”

The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps hosts Music for the Festival with Newtongrange Silver Band, “a traditional mining village brass band from the outskirts of Edinburgh, but their repertoire is far from traditional”.

At Underbelly, Bristo Square, Symphonic Ibiza celebrates “some of the most famous Ibiza club anthems from the last 30 years”.

Grigoryan Brothers: This Is Us is at the House of Oz. “To mark the National Museum of Australia’s 20th anniversary, the nation’s most respected classical guitarists, the Grigoryan Brothers, composed 18 musical works inspired by items from the museum’s vast collection.” At the same venue, BIRDEE “blends her own lineage of Chinese, Greek and Russian origins to craft her own sound and stories”.