The original detective story.
A celebration of the enduring friendship between the brilliant and tragic composer and war poet, Ivor Gurney, and Marion Scott, writer and trailblazer of women musicians, written a…
For 50 years Allan has travelled worldwide to festivals, concert halls and clubs, establishing a reputation as a foremost singer-songwriter with over 150 recordings of his songs by…
Sam Hurst leaps onto the stage in a black sequin suit and skull-covered tie ensemble that screams “entertainer”.
There’s popcorn and candyfloss on sale as the audience make their way into the Lafayette big top at Underbelly’s Circus Hub.
The original detective story.
The original detective story.
That moment when your life flashes before your eyes.
If you’ve ever been to a surprise party, you know the awkward anticipation of waiting for the guest of honour to arrive.
As we enter the dimly-lit environs of the gorgeous Spiegeltent Palais du Variété, the scent of incense hangs in the air, music plays, and ornate lighting hangs low around the sta…
Starting with a single spotlight shining down like a streetlamp on a romantic Parisian street we see a man and a woman slowly dance in an intimate embrace.
What do you do when Ms Alzheimer’s – a hideous and befanged monster – comes to live with you? Local author and journalist, Susan Elkin, talks about her new book, …
What if your favourite characters didn’t quite like the way they were written? What if they decided enough was enough? When an unnamed author is found dead, his characters are br…
Based on Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s novel, Matilda tells the story of a precocious five-year-old girl who loves books, hates bullies, and is revealed to have telekinetic p…
The Hot Clown Company is a relatively new troupe that set out to blend sketch comedy and physical theatre with a particular emphasis on clowning.
In a big top tent, ten performers, upon a brilliant white, circular stage, perform a series of ever more amazing acts of acrobalance, tumbling, throws, and aerial skills.
Clownfish Theatre has returned to the Edinburgh Fringe with an updated version of their show which saw sell-out audiences in 2019 as well as similar success in Adelaide.
A graduate of London’s National Centre for Circus Arts, Sadiq Ali brings humour, sensuality, and skill to this tale of boy meets boy, boy gets into the club scene and chemsex, bo…
Mischief is one of those companies that gives the struggling Fringe performer hope.
I have a soft spot for classic, big top style circus even if it is being presented in a conference centre by a company that are famed for bringing this genre to West End stages.
Some shows are Fringe standards, you can’t help but think that they’re like the ravens at the Tower of London; that if they weren’t here, everything would come tumbling down.
Ben Hart is already a star by any measure, having headlined his own BBC shows and reached the final of a certain UK-based TV talent show, but when Hart enters the vast stage of the…
Mat Ricardo is a juggler with 35 years’ experience performing in front of audiences all over the world.
Touring productions of West End musicals can often feel like a poor shadow of their original run as they usually require considerable downscaling to easily fit into a multitude of …
Ivor B Gurney and Marion M Scott had a very special friendship.
A celebration of the friendship between the First World War poet and composer, Ivor Gurney, and violinist, musicologist and champion of women musicians, Marion Scott.
Romancero Books with the support of the Office for Cultural and Scientific Affairs of the Spanish Embassy in London presents the Festival of Queer Spanish Literature in London…
Freyja Westdal and Beth Heyward join the ranks of such excellent Fringe female musical comedy acts as Fascinating Aida, Flo & Joan, and EastEnd Cabaret with a smart, funny, che…
Allan Taylor is the consummate professional who has taken songwriting to a high level.
When he was seven years old, Edward Hilsum attended a party at which a magician was performing.
Some shows do exactly what they say on the poster.
Alyona Ageeva’s Physical Theatre PosleSlov return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the third year with a piece that feels very much like a direct sequel to last year’s Sky …
It’s Twonkey’s tenth year on the Fringe and he’s here to celebrate with a show that may or may not be the most baffling yet.
For those who don’t know, Frisky & Mannish are Fringe royalty.
It’s a sell-out audience in the huge space at Assembly Rooms.
A cabaret with desserts could have been light, fluffy fare but Michelle Pearson isn’t afraid to get into the more bitter ingredients in life.
Gary Tro and Tom Livingston have picked the perfect subject for their improv show.
Carol Cates sits on a tall stool strumming away on her ukulele and chatting with the audience as they arrive.
A packed room at Gilded Balloon’s new Patter Hoose venue shows that even a rainy Friday morning can’t dampen the enthusiasm for bubbles.
Since the last time I saw this show, we’ve gotten a new Doctor in the strangely controversial form of Jodie Whittaker and Any Suggestions, Doctor? has moved from Sweet Venues to …
Are female writers deadlier than the male? What do they think of violence in crime fiction and how do they handle it in their books? Do crime novel have to be bloody? Ou…
Featuring musicians from the internationally acclaimed Complete Songs of Robert Burns (Linn Records). ‘Great voices, great songs… Who could ask for more?’ (fRoots).
Allan Taylor is the consummate professional who has taken songwriting to a high level.
Like a piano player in brothel or a chanteuse at an orgy, Sabrina Chap is the fallen woman of cabaret.
In the moments before his death, America’s most celebrated author of the macabre reveals how his sins and the tragedies of his life lead to his descent into madness and alcoholis…
When a show opens with the introduction of Captain Skidmark sailing the seven seas upon the good ship, Red Rubber Duckie, you know exactly the level of humour to expect for the nex…
Up ‘til now, I had only ever seen Tom Crosbie perform short spots at Fringe cabaret shows where his skill with a Rubik’s Cube and his awkward, amiable persona intrigued me.
This is one of those shows where to review too closely is to spoil the experience for future audiences, so I’ll stick to the abstract.
Considered to be one of the greatest plays ever written, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot is famously a play about nothing.
This is one woman’s tale of the many heartbreaks in her life and the lessons she learned from each that allowed her to be able to love herself instead of seeking it in others.
Reviewing Mr.
Having absolutely loved Posolev’s other work at the 2018 Fringe, (Some)Body, I’m a little nervous at the start that this may not be of equal standard.
Last year, I was lucky enough to catch Alyona Ageeva’s Physical Theatre PosleSlov perform to a small audience and immediately became a fan.
I was lucky enough to be in the audience when Briefs made their Fringe debut at the Gilded Balloon back in 2011.
All month I have spotted Scott Swinton, star of Karaoke Saved My Life, on the streets of Edinburgh, flyering for his show.
You’ve seen him in Mad Men, you’ve seen him in Billions, you’ve seen him in Hail Caesar! Now see why he’s one of the best stand-ups in the world working today.
Direct from winning the Weekly Award for Best Children’s Show at the Adelaide Fringe, circus performers Derek Llewellin and Julian Roberts have brought their fun show to Edinburg…
When you’re considered the best at what you do, some of us might rest on our laurels but Mat Ricardo wants (indeed, needs) new challenges.
As a genuine YouTube sensation, TV talent show star, and with a Las Vegas residency, Tape Face is a comedy rock god but he isn’t here to play the hits; this is an hour of brand n…
Ben Hart is concerned with the Butterfly Effect; the part of chaos theory that suggests a small event (such as the flapping of the wings of a butterfly) can have huge consequences …
Some shows are a must-see simply because of the title, and Tilda Swinton Answers An Ad On Craigslist is about the best title for a play I’ve encountered in several years of revie…
Gamarjobat shows that comedy is truly without language barriers.
Thom Monckton of Finland’s Circo Aereo returns to Edinburgh with a hugely entertaining hour of silliness.
Celebrating the friendship between composer and war poet, Ivor Gurney, and musician and first woman music critic, Marion Scott; written and performed by Jan Carey.
Maureen Lipman more than qualifies for National Treasure status; she’s shared the stage with everyone from Olivier to Hugh Jackman and has appeared in Oscar winning movies and na…
Excalibow features a String quartet consisting of Mitch McGugan (first violin), Ollie Izod (violin), Bertie Anderson (viola), and Ezme Gaze ('cello) who are all talented musici…
A man enters and, La Cage Aux Folles style, he sits at a mirror that isn’t there and paints his face in lurid make-up.
Cazeleon, the self-proclaimed ‘cabaret chameleon’ – resplendent in monochrome make-up and a jaunty red, wide-brimmed hat - opens her show with a pitch perfect rendition of �…
For almost thirty years, Gandini Juggling has been setting the bar for juggling performances across the world.
This comedy revue is billed as a ‘celebration of (and for) every body’, an admirable theme for our times when people of all genders, persuasions and body types are finding thei…
Grant Busé wants to talk about sex and he’s determined that we should join in the conversation.
At the start of the show there’s a lot of emphasis on switching off and putting away our mobile phones.
On arriving at the Strathmore Hotel, my companion and I are directed to the bar to secure our drinks order for dinner and to wait until Mr Faulty arrives to seat us.
As one quarter of the amazing Pants Down Circus and one half of hit children’s show The Circus Firemen, Idris Stanton has absolutely earned the right to put his name above the ti…
Returning to Adelaide for the third time, Fuego Carnal is a combination of traditional circus, cabaret and spectacular fire performance.
Inspired by some lesser known writings of the great novelist, poet and playwright, Jules Verne, The Man in the Mail tells the story of a lovelorn fellow who decides to send himself…
Some shows at Fringe are reviewed because the artistes or their producer approaches you and requests that you come along to see their show.
The apocalypse is here! No-one is sure how it started or what’s going to happen but luckily, Laurie Black has gathered us in the safe environs of La Boheme to wait out the worst …
Using a combination of Bharatanatyam (an Indian classical dance style) and contemporary, interpretive dance, this show is a feast for the eyes, ears, heart and soul.
I’m not entirely sure of the point of Naked Girls Reading.
Rich acapella singing opens this show as Melvin Brown takes to the stage.
As we wait to enter the Speigel Zelt at Gluttony, Gingzilla is out front, working the crowd.
Some performances defy genre and this production features elements of solo theatre, sketch comedy and stand-up.
Circus is changing; different art forms are being encompassed into the genre and many shows are far removed from the classic days of traditional circus, crossing the line into perf…
Destroy the Fantasy is unashamedly feminist with a humorous take on the political implications of the fantasy of circus.
Like Morecambe and Wise smashed together with the two best Spice Girls (Sporty and Scary), Michelle Brasier and Laura Frew have created a brand-new show that easily puts to rest an…
Leather Lungs, aka Jason Chasland, has something of a following in his home country of New Zealand and with good reason.
There’s mischief going on in the Cornucopia at Gluttony and it’s not coming from the packed-out audience of children and accompanying adults.
It was hot in the Speakeasy at Gluttony.
Inspired by the hardboiled crime noir of the 40’s and 50’s, Cirque Nocturne has a narrator rather than a master of ceremonies.
There’s weird science going on in the Octagon at Gluttony; three scientists are attempting to create elixirs that will improve on humanity and perhaps even grant superpowers.
Brodie John has a story to tell and it’s a raw tale of sexual assault, consent and how to move on.
Cirque Alfonse return to Adelaide with their newest show and it’s a very different beast to their last hit, BARBU.
We enter the Speakeasy at Gluttony to pounding techno music and, as the first performer takes the stage dressed in dance leotard and denim shorts, there’s a bawdy whistle from so…
As one half of the excellent EastEnd Cabaret and a founding member of the awesome Fringe Wives Club, Victoria Falconer is already considered an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist with…
Indigo’s Pianolympics is a very silly show.
With seats at the back reserved for the adults, the children are encouraged to sit on the floor right up against the stage for this lovely show that aims to educate and entertain i…
Everyone thinks of children when they think of circus and yet so many shows are completely unsuitable for younger children; they’re either too bombastic and overwhelming or the f…
The audience in The Box at The Garden of Unearthly Delights is clearly ready to party and expectations for a great show are high.
Many stand-up comedians like to be super punchy in their comedy.
The line between circus and physical theatre has been blurring for years now and The Displaced is a magnificent example of how the two art-forms are merging.
The initial impression of this show is that it’s going to be an hour of magic with a bit of banter and it’s exactly that but it’s also wonderful.
Featuring an all-female cast of three, this is most definitely not your granddad’s idea of circus.
Meeting at a prearranged location in Gluttony to await being led to a secret spot, the small audience for this intimate performance – including myself – are intrigued.
The Old Married Couple may be married but they’re certainly not old.
Elaine Davidson is something of an Edinburgh icon.
Katherine O’Neil really knows gin.
Alyona Ageeva’s PosleSlov Physical Theatre Company presents the UK premier of this contemporary physical theatre performance.
This play is an abridged version of the stage adaptation of late novelist Terry Pratchett’s sixth Discworld book which is in itself a parody of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
I wasn’t really in the mood for this show.
I think a naked magic show is a brilliant idea; two magicians with no way to hide anything up their sleeves, in their pockets (or anywhere else) amazing us with their skill at slei…
Circolumbia was formed in order to provide professional opportunities for the graduates of Columbia’s national circus school, Circo Para Todos which provides circus training for …
As a child of the eighties, I dreamed of appearing on Knightmare; the high-tech fantasy adventure game where three adolescent friends used their inability to discern left from righ…
A bed sits in the centre of the huge Lafayette big top at Underbelly’s Circus Hub.
Dabek is an old-school showman; his banter is honed to a bleeding edge and you can easily imagine him holding forth on classic Saturday night TV, perhaps as a guest on The Paul Dan…
Marcel Duchamp was an artist who is famed for creating work in the cubist style and had a huge impact on the conceptual art movement, particularly Dadaism – He’s the one who fa…
I remember when Doctor Who was a practically forgotten, long cancelled show that was only the domain of nerds (like me).
Animikii Theatre’s Origins is an intriguing piece of physical theatre that isn’t afraid to be subtle with it’s plot.
A small group of survivors huddle in a bunker, eating beans and reminiscing on their favourite foods.
Camille is the Fringe.
Lady Carol, doyenne of cabaret and comedy ukulele songs for over ten years has reinvented herself and now she’s just Carol Cates.
Cirkopolis begins from the moment the doors open and the audience filters into the massive space at the EICC.
Enlightenment is an unusual concept.
New Zealand’s Barnie Duncan has created a perfect comedy persona; he’s believable enough as a character but ridiculous in so many perfectly pitched ways.
Rob Mulholland assures us that he’s a popular comedian and then launches into a tirade against the so-called middle class comedians who sell out at the Fringe.
Twonkey is lost in the jungle.
How does one describe Betty Grumble? No really, I’m at a loss.
Four shrouded women take to the stage.
A single red lamp shade hangs above the stage in Assembly’s Spiegeltent Palais Du Variete.
Peter Michael Marino greets the audience as we arrive.
Coppélia is originally a comic ballet based on the writings of Prussian romantic author, E.
Assembly’s foray into digital entertainment returns after last year’s debut of the exhibition with more cutting-edge technology and a fantastic representation of how it can int…
Massimilliano Rosetti and Manu Tiger are like a live action cartoon or perhaps a 1930’s Laurel and Hardy short where the boys have joined a circus.
Djuki Mala, formerly known as the Chooky Dancers, rose to fame ten years ago with a viral YouTube video of Aboriginal dancers performing Zorba the Greek in homage to a Greek woman …
Chris Dugdale is a master of the art of sleight of hand and, even when encouraging the audience to closely watch his every move he manages to repeatedly stun them with his apparent…
Improv comedy at the Fringe? It’s practically become a punchline in itself but the art of making it up on the spot is big business in Edinburgh in August.
Stand-up comedian Sam Gore has been taking down celebrities and politicians with his cutting, satirical, absurdist diatribes on Facebook since 2014 and garnered over fifty thousand…
Jack Rooke won a scholarship to attend Westminster University to study Journalism.
Ben Hart opens his hour-long show with a simple but beautiful magic trick that has a playful story attached.
Michael Redmond did indeed write a joke in 1987, a good one that still gets a laugh today.
Created through a series of devised rituals performed every month during the dark moon (when the moon is black against the sky) for three months, this show is part lecture, part si…
The New York musical is so much of a trope that it could almost be its own genre.
The ladies of Hot Brown Honey are back in Edinburgh and they’re still bringing the power! This mix of burlesque, beats and brashness plays with our preconceptions of what a burle…
The Bastard is back! Returning after taking a year away from the Fringe to conquer the world, Red Bastard, the beastly bouffon, is here to feast on our lies and he has prepared a s…
Last year, 201 Dance Company shattered the stereotypes associated with hip-hop dance with the critically acclaimed Smother.
Colin the Country Cockatoo is on a mission to reunite all the notes of the stave and save his friends from the dastardly plans of Calando the duck who wants to bring eternal silenc…
The Fringe is full of mind readers but Colin Cloud’s framing device of presenting his skills as deduction and manipulation creates a whole different feel.
Upsala Circus have been doing incredible work in St.
Back after last year’s fantastic show, the Listies are just as wonderfully ridiculous as ever.
There is a woman sprawled across the keys of a grand piano.
Reuben Kaye is a cabaret god; he’ll tell you so himself.
Brighton’s Storyland Press is a place where the story comes first, regardless of genre or where it sits on the commercial/literary spectrum.
There’s one deliciously unique—sadly never repeatable—moment during the opening night of Allan Stewart’s Big Big Variety Show, when Stewart introduces the singer Susan B…
Allan will sing his songs of the road, written from a lifetime of travelling throughout the world.
Hal Cruttenden is an accomplished comedian.
Norman Lovett’s deadpan face will be instantly recognizable to a generation as the dim-witted ship’s computer, Holly of Red Dwarf fame.
Steele Edge: Martial Arts Illusion Show bills itself as “a dynamic fusion of physical excitement and visual wonder” but it’s more of a bizarre fusion of vague ‘oriental’ …
Paul Dabek is back in the spotlight at the Free Fringe and, without giving anything away; this is man who really knows how to make the most of a spotlight.
Louis CK is undoubtedly backstage in the Edinburgh Playhouse, prepping for his show while his audience stretches around the block.
Where a show like Mind Games has to shine is in the mind reading and Aaron Calvert has chosen some lovely tricks that suitably stun the participants onstage and the audience alike.
Hip Hop is a strange medium with which to tackle the homosexual experience.
Assembly’s Supper Club is up against the big, flashy late night circus revues and cabaret shows and sets out to compete with these by presenting many of the very best guest acts …
Chris Henry is a frantic comic.
I have to start this review with an admission; I had never heard of Lady Colin Campbell and I’ve never watched I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Andy Stedman: 9 Months and Counting is a gentle burble through the perils of impending fatherhood, combining musical comedy with sustained audience interaction.
You know you’re in for a good time when a variety show opens with one half of cabaret legends Frisky & Mannish belting out a pop medley, whilst self-proclaimed “sex clown” Be…
There are many children’s shows at the Fringe that seem to follow the formula of throwing a couple of popular franchises together with whatever kids currently like, before adding…
Michael Griffiths is obscenely talented.
Snap is an incredible display of the very best magic performance that South Korea has to offer.
A History, w Nowell Edmurnds is a surreal examination of celebrity culture which is by turns extraordinarily captivating and deeply funny.
As a mournful cello plays, Sarah Gatzonis dances a playful ballet around three sturdy wine barrels.
In a tiny room at Sweet Grassmarket a man has placed a wide array of props, toys, figurines, dolls and detritus in an apparently haphazard way.
Amelia Ryan used to be a mess.
Jennifer Kingwell has a voice like whisky liqueur and a talent on the piano to rival her own hero, Tom Waits.
At last year’s Fringe, Colin Cloud packed out the house with his show Kills where, amongst the baffling displays of supernatural prowess, he killed and resurrected an audience me…
For a fan of legendary lyricist Tom Lehrer this show is a delight.
With a script and songs by Desmond O’Connor, this new musical tells the tale of the legendary night that TV superstar, Kenny Everett and rock god, Freddie Mercury dressed Lady Di…
It’s a pretty short drive to Stockbridge, I’ve got a full tank of gas, no cigarettes whatsoever, it’s dark.
At the end of Trickhead, Ben Hanlin asks the audience to tell everyone about the show but not to spoil the tricks.
Micky Bartlett: Blissfully Ignorant is fast-paced and ill-mannered comedy which successfully integrates an abundance of crudity into an intelligent set.
Sam Carrington: Awkwardly Mobile is intended as a celebration of the awkward moments of social life.
Charles Addams’ cartoons have been adapted numerous times for TV, film and as an animated series.
Allan will sing his songs of the road, written from a lifetime of travelling throughout the world.
Dandy Darkly, resplendent in a fringed and spangled cowboy costume complete with tiny Stetson and incredibly pointy snakeskin boots opens his show with a request: should anyone dec…
Les Misérables is a musical based on the 1862 French novel by Victor Hugo that tells the tale of an ex convict who flees his parole, meets a generous priest, becomes mayor of a to…
From Rope to Psycho, Hitch by the Mary Bijou Circus Theatre Company covers all the famous Hitchcock thrillers plus at least one you may not know, as admitted to by a sheepish audie…
In a tiny, hot, almost claustrophobic room on Hanover Street, a poet is performing miracles.
Bill shows (where the show is made up of several guest acts) can be a mixed bag especially when the format is to showcase one venue’s acts from across their programme.
We are welcomed into the Stand 2 by a red-headed young woman in the guise of an older man.
La Clique has been a feature on the Fringe for over ten years and has a well deserved reputation for slick circus cabaret and variety.
Yve Blake is fascinated by the lies we tell and has even gone so far as to set up a website where you can anonymously reveal the various untruths you’ve told.
(previews start on Jan.
For over 40 years Taylor has been considered to be the consummate performer, a writer of literary gracefulness whose troubadour chronicles encapsulate the realism of otherwise unsu…
Last year the Creative Martyrs offered weary Fringe-goers refuge from the apocalypse in their musical show at the end of the world.
It’s always a delight to see a Free Fringe show doing well and, on arriving at the venue for this show, the queue is stretching into the distance.
Two very different performers have arrived at the Fringe to find that a scheduling conflict means they’re sharing the same one hour performance slot.
This stripped-down mind reading act doesn’t have any music, set, lighting changes or bells and whistles and it doesn’t need them.
Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School is an international phenomenon with events on six continents and an army of dedicated ‘Art Monkeys’ attending these life drawing classes where ar…
Ray Gunn and Luke Reel were expecting to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but a misunderstanding about the eligibility criteria means that they’re going to have to f…
Colin Cloud strolls confidently on stage and announces that he already knows what we’re thinking.
It’s probably not acceptable for a review to simply take the form of OMG! This show is amazing.
Lady Rizo has quickly become a darling of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Felicity Fitz Frisky and Hansel Amadeus Mannish are the quintessential Fringe success story.
As the audience files in to Bec and Tom’s Awesome Laundry, the two leads are on stage blowing bubbles and playing a game to see how far into the venue they can float the soapy sp…
One can’t help going into La Clique with a certain expectation.
Too much, too close.
Recently, in another review, I wrote that La Clique was showing every other cabaret on the Fringe how it should be done.
Sophie Walsh Harrington is talented, beautiful and a little bit unhinged – but in a good way.
Broadway Enchanté is a delightful piece of entertainment.
As a man who has seen more cabaret and burlesque than any sane person should; I was unconvinced by the promise of ‘An all out rebellion against female sexual stereotypes’ but a…
In a new adaptation of Luigi Pirandello’s disturbing masterpiece, Cambridge ADC chop, change and miss the point entirely.
Described as Scotland’s best schlock horror cabaret burlesque sideshow, Triskaidekaphilia is a show that certainly managed to live up to its publicity.
Before watching this performance, I was eagerly expecting to be impressed by the promise of circus skills, puppetry, and a beloved writer.
An author, two actors and an audience member discuss Tim Crouchs last play, an unnamed and violence-filled two-person production whose effects on the actors and writer are slowly…
I’m not convinced there’s still a place for The Lady Boys of Bangkok anymore.
This show is certainly value for money.