The Man Who Almost Killed Himself

The Man Who Almost Killed Himself

The Man Who Almost Killed Himself is a funny and tragic true story inspired by the work of anthropologist Andrew Irving in Uganda and Eastern Africa. 

Antonio Forcione: No Strings Attached

Antonio Forcione: No Strings Attached

Antonio Forcione is such an established and adored Fringe regular it almost seems redundant reviewing him because, just as day follows night, a five star review follows Foricone’s … 

Biding Time (Remix)

Biding Time (Remix)

Biding Time (Remix) holds some interesting ideas and memorable visuals, but it’s often hard to decipher what the aim of the company’s design and concept really is. 

Larkin' About

Larkin' About

Larkin’ About is a retrospective-come-biography of renowned contemporary poet Philip Larkin. 

Hooray for Ben Target

Hooray for Ben Target

Hooray for Ben Target is a show in development, the idea being that by the 25August it will be full of great ideas. 

Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe

Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe

Mervyn Stutter has been sourcing and sharing his picks of the Fringe for, unbelievably, 28 years and he is clearly not waning when it comes to separating the wheat from the chaff. 

Eric Davidson - The Independent State of Eric

Eric Davidson - The Independent State of Eric

Eric Davidson’s blend of wordplay, poetry, rhyme, song and comedy is somewhat legendary among Fringe savants and he doesn’t disappoint with his new show. 

Klip

Klip

Klip describes itself as “a collage of carefully chosen coincidences”. 

Fragile

Fragile

Let it be known now: this show is not an easy watch. 

Simon and Garfunkel – Through the Years

Simon and Garfunkel – Through the Years

Folk duo Bookends, made up of David Haynes and Pete Richards, pay homage to one of the greatest pairings in modern folk music with this heartfelt, competent and surprisingly mult… 

A Kitchen Nightmare

A Kitchen Nightmare

There are only two jokes in A Kitchen Nightmare. 

Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies

Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies

Writer and performer Jessica Sherr claims she has always been in love with the 1930s and 40s and it shows in this enjoyable and insightful one-woman show. 

Strange Face - Adventures with a Lost Nick Drake Recording

Strange Face - Adventures with a Lost Nick Drake Recording

Mike Burdett’s one man show has all the signs and potential for being a Fringe hit but, sadly, due to some underdeveloped writing and wayward lessons, it doesn’t quite hit the mark… 

Janis Joplin: Full Tilt

Janis Joplin: Full Tilt

Grab your feather boas, slug down a bottle of Jack Daniels in one and prepare yourself for this rocking, superb and moving show. 

The Confessions of Gordon Brown

The Confessions of Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown was, according to the blurb for this show, our greatest failing as a Prime Minister in 200 years. 

Government Inspector

Government Inspector

Born from the Young Pleasance brood, Incognito theatre in association with Pleasance present their wild and witty take on this secondary school favourite – Gogol’s Government Ins… 

Mick Ferry: What's Going On?

Mick Ferry: What's Going On?

Mick Ferry’s flyer has quotes from John Bishop and Jason Manford declaring his genius so from the offset is pretty predictable what one is going to receive in this amusing but forg… 

Circumcise Me

Circumcise Me

Yisrael Campbell is just your average Irish, Italian, Catholic, American, recovering alcoholic, Reform Jew, Conservative Jew, Orthodox Jew, husband, father of four, comedian. 

My Obsession

My Obsession

Suki Webster’s debut play explores the relationship between comedians and their superfans. 

Early Doors

Early Doors

Famed fan of the sauce Oliver Reed once said, “You meet a better class of people in pubs. 

Jason Cook: Broken

Jason Cook: Broken

Jason Cook reveals near the beginning of Broken that his journey into stand-up comedy was a stereotypical one. 

Cutting Off Kate Bush

Cutting Off Kate Bush

Lucy Benson-Brown’s one woman show explores mid-to-late twenties inertia, family values and how we pin hopes and philosophies on the tunes of our favourite musical artists. 

Boxman

Boxman

Boxman, the eponymous star of this one man show, is a lad, no doubt about it. 

Normal/Madness

Normal/Madness

One issue addressed in this powerful and moving one-woman show is the unfortunate truth that mental illness is still massively misunderstood - a symptom that also seeps into thea… 

...and This is My Friend Mr Laurel

...and This is My Friend Mr Laurel

Laurel and Hardy are widely considered to be the greatest comedy pairing of all time and this touching one-man show does a lot to display the deep affection and loyalty the two men… 

Shostakovich Late

Shostakovich Late

After a long day trotting around Edinburgh from venue to venue, taking chances on shows that turn out to be rubbish, take yourself down to The Royal Over-Seas League and ease away … 

Beethoven for Breakfast

Beethoven for Breakfast

Beethoven for Breakfast is a soft ease into an Edinburgh day. 

Moonshine, Medicine and The Mob: Whisky Tasting

Moonshine, Medicine and The Mob: Whisky Tasting

Is there any better way to spend an afternoon than sitting in a wood panelled, beautiful, archaic board room, sipping on an array of expensive, high class, tasty beverages from aro… 

Cat Stevens Reconstructed

Cat Stevens Reconstructed

Cat Stevens Reconstructed is far more than a tribute act to the legendary singer songwriter. 

School Night

School Night

School Night joins the ranks of late night, best of the fest numbers at Pleasance Courtyard, the setup being the audience are the pupils and the comedians the teachers, all there t… 

Cassetteboy vs DJ Rubbish

Cassetteboy vs DJ Rubbish

I am middle class. 

The Graveyard Slot

The Graveyard Slot

The Graveyard Slot, a ‘live radio show’, attempts to throw its audience back to the days of must-listen wireless drama with a story of death, deception, spectres, spirits and all t… 

India Flamenco

India Flamenco

This exploration of the relationship between traditional Indian dancing and flamenco does exactly what it says on the tin. 

Whodidit

Whodidit

The question that arises during the viewing of Whodidit, a spoof murder mystery that riffs on long running mega-success The Mouse Trap among others, is not the eponymous one but a … 

Thor of the Common Man

Thor of the Common Man

Theatre SanTuoQi bring their famed blend of dance, physical theatre, puppetry and Nuo Opera to the fringe for their exploration of everyone’s favourite Norse deity. 

MurleyDance Double Bill

MurleyDance Double Bill

Through the two pieces that make up this double bill, La Peau and Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, MurleyDance show off their immense skill and enviable talents in a production t… 

Paul Foot: Words

Paul Foot: Words

Paul Foot, the backwards-haircut (short on top, long on the sides) staple of comedy panel shows, brings his slurring style of delivery and love for all things surreal to the Fringe… 

The Bread and the Beer

The Bread and the Beer

In our day to day anodyne world of commuting and spam e-mails it’s easy to forget that sometimes we all need to swill a beer, dismiss our troubles and dance to our sweaty content. 

The Greatest Liar in All the World

The Greatest Liar in All the World

The Greatest Liar in All the World is an extension/parallel exploration of children’s favourite Pinocchio. 

Jonny & the Baptists: Bigger Than Judas

Jonny & the Baptists: Bigger Than Judas

Jonny & The Baptists have in the past, unfairly in my opinion, been likened to Tenacious D. 

My Pregnant Brother

My Pregnant Brother

This harrowing story of platonic love, loss and the things we do for our families is absolutely gripping from the moment it starts. 

Sad Faces Threw a Party

Sad Faces Threw a Party

After the success of their debut Edinburgh show last year, Sad Faces return with more jokes, japes and some crisp-based canapés. 

John Lloyd: Liff of QI

John Lloyd: Liff of QI

John Lloyd has worked with some of this country’s most plaudit burdened comedians, many of whom cut their teeth on the mile and were discovered performing in the dingy venues of … 

The State vs John Hayes

The State vs John Hayes

With the much publicised and ongoing arguments concerning the American death penalty and justice system, it would be easy to write a play concerning the issue which stank of lofty … 

Akmal

Akmal

Akmal, the Aussie comedian and radio star, returns to the Fringe for another show exploring his fundamentalist Christian upbringing, his race and his views on the world around him. 

Sex Guru

Sex Guru

Wolfgang Weinberger has been described by the Guardian as ‘Austria’s most prominent sexologist since Sigmund Freud’; he has performed to over half a million people around the world… 

Absolutely Free Live Music

Absolutely Free Live Music

If you find yourself staggering down the Royal Mile at 2am desperately looking for a drink, there is a string of late-night live music bars ready to keep your liver happy and suppl… 

Flowers for the Living - Free

Flowers for the Living - Free

In an interview for the seminal concert movie Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, acting as the interviewer in his own interview asks himself, ‘I don’t think… 

Telephonic

Telephonic

Part story-telling, part lecture,Telephonic is an insightful and absorbing trip into the mesmerising and impressive world of Foley artists. 

The Cagebirds

The Cagebirds

David Campton’s The Cagebirds is a tight, gritty and intelligent meditation on confinement and rebellion. 

Two for None

Two for None

Two for None comedians Mark Simmons and Danny Ward display, between them, vastly different comedy styles. 

Mendelssohn at Teatime

Mendelssohn at Teatime

The Royal Over-Seas League is fast establishing itself as the venue for classical music concerts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

Rookie Mistakes

Rookie Mistakes

There’s a something heartbreaking about seeing a bad show - it really claws its way into the caverns of your soul and ceaselessly picks away at it as you feel grief for the peopl… 

Folk at the Pleasance

Folk at the Pleasance

Presented by folk singer-songwriter Sophie Ramsay, who opens the evening with a beautiful a cappella performance of a traditional Gaelic song, Folk at the Pleasance is a welcome mu… 

The  Pain of Desire

The Pain of Desire

For a music concert advertised as performance art and with the worryingly jejune title The Pain of Desire, one could be forgiven for thinking that this show might be worth a miss. 

A Guide to Second Date Sex

A Guide to Second Date Sex

A terrifyingly authentic portrayal of the awkwardness and obstacles we all face when sleeping with a new sexual partner for the first time. 

Tea With Terrorists - Free

Tea With Terrorists - Free

Sameena Zehra, the writer and performer of Tea With Terrorists, has led an extraordinary life and has been raised by an extraordinary family but her collection of stories, no matte… 

Tommy Talks

Tommy Talks

‘You are the true heroes of the Fringe!’ announced Tommy Holgate, the bikram-yoga-obsessed host-cum-compere of Tommy Talks. 

2 Facedbook 3

2 Facedbook 3

Being lecherous can be funny but if the letch is a winner it can come off as, well, perverse. 

It's Not Us, It's You - Free

It's Not Us, It's You - Free

With so much free fringe it’s can be a daunting prospect wading through the guide to find what’s worthwhile. 

Rubies in the Attic

Rubies in the Attic

As a reviewer, I am expected to be an emotionally numb pillar of analytical prowess and critical acumen. 

Asher Treleaven: Troubadour

Asher Treleaven: Troubadour

Edward De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, for those unversed in the Maltese physician’s guide to lateral thinking and problem solving, is a self-help book from 1985 that teaches the … 

Chris Mccausland And Liam Mullone

Chris Mccausland And Liam Mullone

Can a comedy show be rated on its interesting subject matter rather than its comedic merits? If so, Chris McCausland’s Not Blind Enough is definitely worth a look in. 

Swordy-Well

Swordy-Well

Swordy Well Family Meatworks is in crisis – as the last independent slaughter house in Britain it is facing a huge drop in sales, a mutiny from within the ranks, and assimilation… 

The Vocal Orchestra

The Vocal Orchestra

A message reminding people to turn off their mobile phones plays through the theatre. 

Broken

Broken

Set in a dystopian future where foetuses are harvested for their organs and boys dress like off-casts from a poorly funded production of ‘Oliver!,Broken, which displays some half… 

Jody Kamali: Dirty Filthy Rich - Free

Jody Kamali: Dirty Filthy Rich - Free

Dirty Filthy Rich wants to make you stinking, filthy rich. 

The Awesome Show

The Awesome Show

The Awesome Show is a creative project that has been in the making for nine months. 

Owen O'Neill: Struck By Lightning

Owen O'Neill: Struck By Lightning

According to Owen O’Neill’s show his life started around the time of his 13th birthday when, whilst up a tree stealing apples from a local nunnery, he was struck by lightning. 

The Triumph of Time and Truth

The Triumph of Time and Truth

Tickets to see Scottish-grown chamber orchestra Ludus Baroque at Canongate Kirk are now bought by many as a matter of ritual, so strong is the group’s popularity and reputation f… 

Kevin Tomlinson: Crazy Little Thing Called Love!

Kevin Tomlinson: Crazy Little Thing Called Love!

There is such an abundance of improvised shows around the fringe this year it’s a near impossible task to sift through them all to find the gems. 

Misanthropy

Misanthropy

Misanthropy, as the title implies, is not a cheery play - it is miserable. 

Christian Reilly: This Is Not A Love Song

Christian Reilly: This Is Not A Love Song

Christian Reilly has walked upon and calmed the boiling seas of the Royal Mile and resurrected the flogged and lifeless corpse of comedy music. 

Hikapee Moonfall

Hikapee Moonfall

Amazing performances, dazzling circus and some well-placed gags save this lacking and unambitious two-handed children’s show. 

The News at Kate 2012

The News at Kate 2012

A left-wing, atheist, ultra-feminist comedienne performing a politically fuelled stand-up show sounds daunting to say the least. 

Chris McCausland: Not Blind Enough

Chris McCausland: Not Blind Enough

Can a comedy show be rated on its interesting subject matter rather than its comedic merits? If so, Chris McCausland’s Not Blind Enough is definitely worth a look in.