Frankie is doing some shows at the Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy to try out some brand new jokes.
Frankie is doing some shows at the Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy to try out some brand new jokes.
Frankie is doing some shows at the Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy to try out some brand new jokes.
‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (SingOut.
For one night only, the Taskmaster NZ star and Lorde’s favourite Kiwi musician (‘That was really nice of her’ – Paul) plays the hits at this year’s Fringe.
Ave Maria: Centuries of Prayer and Praise.
After three consecutive sold-out runs, Paul Black returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a brand-new hour.
Paul makes fun of the French and they love it.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
TS Eliot’s poem Ash Wednesday is widely regarded as a work of great spiritual depth.
Each summer, young Jamie comes to the same spot on the same beach and speaks with a mysterious figure – the king of a magical realm far, far away.
In 2012, two girls stabbed their friend 19 times at Slenderman’s instruction.
Returning to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Czech fusion guitarist and composer Honza Kourimsky blends the music of Eric Clapton with high-energy jazz, funk and soul.
The first banana appeared on earth 10,000 years ago.
Fresh from their residency at London’s iconic Comedy Store, Fringe favourites Paul Merton and Suki Webster, two of the UK’s leading improvisers, bring their highly anticipated bran…
The Spatz Trio return with part two of their award-winning tribute. Hit songs, and the wonderful stories behind them. Musically polished, fascinating, nostalgic.
Jakub Hrůša and the Bamberger Symphoniker bring a little-known symphonic masterpiece to light.
Hot Chocolate in Old Saint Paul’s: an evening of classical music by candlelight, accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate.
Performance poet/musician Attila the Stockbroker has been writing and performing since 1980: 4,000 or so gigs in 25 countries so far.
A coincidence or an act of a god? Are the children who created a god as a game truly responsible for the unexplained events unfolding around them? Ten years after their last plea, …
New, dark comedy exploring how suffocating hiding the truth can be.
Kick off your International Festival in style with Festival Director Nicola Benedetti and handpicked music icons.
Start each morning with this curated variety showcase, featuring the very best solo shows at the Fringe! Rotating daily line-ups include storytelling, theatre, clown, cabaret, spok…
When blind-date newbie Aaron is set up with serial-dater Casey, a casual drink at a busy New York restaurant turns into a hilarious high-stakes dinner.
Journey through these two remarkable intertwined careers.
1572.
Boyhood is all about spit-shakes, rope swings and playing soldiers.
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…
‘It was my nemesis, I hated Croydon with a real vengeance.
Ring-a-ding-ding, you’ve got the King! Master of the crowd and slave to the laugh, Kyle Legacy is back with more riffs and less hair.
The tales of the dragons are special for many reasons.
Ever sat in a comedy show about falling in love and wanted to speed run through to the breakup? Sometimes it takes years to find out why it all went wrong.
Ralph’s festival show last year was all about how unlucky he is – then in the middle of one show, he and his unsuspecting audience were taken hostage at gunpoint! See? Very unl…
It’s the EURO 2020 Final at Wembley and Billy’s gone viral for sticking a flare up his arse! Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England is a blisteringly funny new play that return…
Hey, this is Paul’s show.
The star of Taskmaster New Zealand returns to the Edinburgh Fringe for the third time after sell-out shows in Melbourne, New Zealand and London.
Abby awoke in hospital after a late miscarriage and, high on anaesthesia, decided to become a comedian.
TEET makes a welcome return after its 2021 debut (during the weird quiet post-Covid Fringe).
The Guardian’s Top 50 shows to see! Jillian is back at the Fringe with her yoga mat and blender after a hit premiere at last year’s Fringe and subsequent sell-out runs in New York …
Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of The Lion King with this Film in Concert spectacular.
One King. One Kingdom. And literally no time to rule. Based on historical events, House of the Onion debuts the untold story of the world’s shortest reigning monarch.
BBC Popcorn Award Nominee Abigail Paul, a “transformative talent” who “lights up the stage” (★★★★★, Theatre Weekly), dives into her sophomore solo show Miss Communication…
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Out of the swirling maelstrom he steps, his sword of jokes, his shield of whimsy and his armour made of a third amusing thing.
Out of the swirling maelstrom he steps, his sword of jokes, his shield of whimsy and his armour made of a third amusing thing.
A theatrical and musical performance dedicated to the condition of farewell explored through a world suspended between hope and uncertainty.
Multi-award-winning writer/performer Paul Richards returns with a radical percussion-led comedy about the perils of turning middle age and suddenly doubting absolutely everything.
A blistering new hour from Jacob Hatton about home and the people in it.
Join multi award-winning double act Low Effort Sketches for an hour of silly sketch comedy! Andy and Alice desperately want to be respected, adored (and ideally paid) for their wit…
Do you ever experience the feeling of missing out? Brighton Fringe makes you confused – where to go, what to choose with so many options? Other people might be having more fun? S…
Paul and Laura are nice, kind and funny people who make work about tiny details, joy and finding light in the smallest of places.
Ever sat in a comedians show about falling in love and wanted to speed run through to the breakup? Sometimes it takes year to find out why it all went wrong.
Thirty-one, single and living with his Chinese immigrant mother.
Does your kid want to have awesome skills! Do they love the circus? Well this is the class for them! An hour long workshop learning all the foundations of circus skills taught b…
Before Tom Cruise, Cary Grant or Clark Gable, Douglas Fairbanks was the King Of Hollywood! Now virtually forgotten, Doug was a remarkable actor and gifted visionary.
A networking opportunity to meet other Brighton Fringe artists and venues who are also taking part for the first time in 2024.
Experience the thrill of the world’s most famous ballet with your little ones, in this specially adapted version for children aged three upwards.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The Longest Running and most listened to Glasgow Rangers podcast presents a live recording with ex Rangers Legend Paul Gascoigne in his first London Glasgow Rangers show…
The Longest Running and most listened to Glasgow Rangers podcast presents a live recording with ex Rangers Legend Paul Gascoigne in his first London Glasgow Rangers show…
The longest running Tottenham Hotspur Podcast presents a live recording with Spurs and England Legend Paul Gascoigne in his first West End show in many years.
The longest running Tottenham Hotspur Podcast presents a live recording with Spurs and England Legend Paul Gascoigne in his first West End show in many years.
Danny Sapani (Misfits, Killing Eve, Black Panther, the National Theatre’s Medea) is King Lear in this intricate, striking production directed by Yaël Farber.
Helen George, best known as Trixie in the hit BBC One series Call The Midwife, will star as Anna Leonowens.
Saddle up, little donkeys! It’s time for another ride.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Rugby fans across the country will remember exactly where they were the moment Jonny Wilkinson kicked a last-minute drop goal to secure England Rugby’s first ever Rugby World…
BEFORE THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN… Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries.
The America’s Got Talent winner is back with a brand-new comedy show for 2023.
The America’s Got Talent winner is back with a brand-new comedy show for 2023.
First- look rehearsed readings This is an exciting opportunity to catch early draft development scripts from exciting new contemporary voices.
Kyle is a New York based comedian, actor, writer, songwriter and improviser.
The Rachel Baptiste Programme is a paid and mentored script development programme for Black Irish theatre makers and writers of colour, named after the 18th Century sing…
The sold-out National Theatre production transfers to the West End this Autumn.
The play’s excessively long title has a folktale ring to it and with only limited knowledge of Balkan history sounds like a work of comic fantasy.
Paul Smith is back with a brand new tour! ‘Joker’ is his biggest and funniest tour show to date in which the scouse funny man mixes his trade mark audience i…
My First Time was in a Car Park tells the story of Mira who lives by the sea with her mum and loses her virginity to her teacher.
'Because the world revolves around me and all I see is what I see.
Niki King is an award-winning singer, songwriter and producer.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (SingOut.
Join Darren Harriott and Rachel Fairburn for a very special Edinburgh Fringe edition of You Dress Funny, the event where comedy meets fashion.
The UK premiere of a new and uniquely contemporary American comedy for all of us searching for the essentials in life: adventure, friendship, and a boy who’s kind of like Hugh Gr…
Arriving in Australia in 1989, Bob planned a six month stay.
Duruflé Requiem: Life and Death in Music with Poetry.
Xu Xin, Ma Long, Ray Badran, Jan-Ove Waldner, Mark Silcox, Fan Zhendong.
King Herod, famed for his Massacre of the Innocents, now leads a self-development pyramid scheme.
In the Steps of the Master: Jesus and Landscape.
Let’s face it, you need a very big man to follow Elvis Presley, and Paul Francis certainly is! Standing at an impressive 6’ 5”, ladies would describe him as a ‘hunk of burning love…
Rising to the Life Immortal: Organ Music for Easter and Ascension.
From his years as the visionary in Simon and Garfunkel through to his many solo hits, journey through one of the greatest back catalogues of all time.
Do you ever experience the feeling of missing out? The Fringe confuses you – where to go, what to choose? Worry not! After a sold out BlundaGarden show A Divination in 2022, Dr K…
Finally, a Family Meeting in the UK.
Social media star Paul Black returns to the Fringe this year with his new stand-up show, Nostalgia, a look back into his childhood as a gay wee boy growing up in Glasgow as the son…
Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote some of the finest songs for a golden age of musical theatre.
An ‘imaginative and emotional’ storytelling and poetry show with ‘several laugh-out-loud routines’ by ‘fabulous performer of spoken word’ **** (NorthWestEnd.
Andy Williams was one of the world’s greatest light music entertainers and, in celebration of his legacy, Paul performs many of Andy’s biggest hits.
Paul Merton’s infamous Impro Chums return to the Fringe after a four year hiatus and is warmly welcomed by the Pleasance Grand’s 750 seat capacity bursting at the seams.
Celebrating two musical icons, paying homage to their hits, both in melody and lyrics. Musically polished, relaxing, informative. Pure nostalgia.
Charlie Dinkin is a WGGB Award-winning writer, comedian and star of cult hit sketch podcast SeanceCast.
Charlie Dinkin is a WGGB Award-winning writer, comedian and star of cult hit sketch podcast SeanceCast.
Ace in the Whole is a hilarious show by comedian Paul Connell.
Join Nicola Benedetti and artists from across the 2023 opening weekend for an evening of music celebrating community.
Rise up against your neurotypical overlords! ‘One of my favourite comics’ (Frankie Boyle).
The amazing, strange-but-true story behind the weird stuff advertised in vintage American comics.
Brand-new, non-verbal immersive comedy show, created by award-winning Belfast comedian and clownarchist, Paul Currie.
The Northern Irish comic is back with a brand new show.
Wonderfully absurd stand-up from a fool’s thinking man.
There is secret connection among all of us.
All jokes.
The play follows Billy, a young man whose love of football is the dominant feature in his life, religiously attending every match day without fail.
Olivier and triple Fringe First-winning Fishamble’s KING, by Herald Archangel winner Pat Kinevane, tells the story of Luther, a man from Cork named in honour of his Granny Bee Ba…
This nostalgic journey through the lives and careers of music legends Carole King and James Taylor is a masterpiece.
A lot has happened to Ross since last year’s Fringe.
Lee Kyle has been a comedian for 14 years and very good for the last few.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Two comedians.
24 different award-winning or nominated comedians perform their full shows, recorded for Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube. See FringeSpecials.com for listings.
There’s a new king in town, and his name is Angus Coutts.
In her second hour, Arzoo returns with more jokes and lots more to say.
London-based Chinese comedian Alvin Liu’s debut show delivers distinctive cultural humour with his playful views on China and the UK.
You are cordially invited to a comedy show! Comedians and married couple Katharyn Henson (USA) and Mark O’Keeffe (IRE) met at the Fringe in 2019, had a lockdown wedding in Melbourn…
A one-woman show about growing up with a trans female parent, written and performed by Maria Telnikoff.
In a desert of hot flushes – refreshing repartee from award-winning, climacteric comedian.
In Married at First Sleight, married magicians Kat and Alan Hudson introduce their show with boundless enthusiasm, demonstraing the obvious chemistry you'd hope to witness from…
‘Any nation that devours another will one day devour itself.
Mozart, via blues, tango and rock’n’roll.
Following a complete sell-out, extended national tour, star of global hit Live Innit, Taskmaster and the first British-Asian stand-up to sell-out London’s Wembley Arena returns to …
A few days ago I saw a little boy slapping a wall.
This is a brilliant show.
Acclaimed comedian, daytime TV star and global TikTok sensation, Paul Sinha is at least two of these.
Bulgaria just told Hitler to f*ck off, saved nearly 50,000 Jewish lives.
From design classics to cutting-edge catwalk creations, Beyond the Little Black Dress deconstructs this iconic garment and examines the radical power of the colour black in fashion…
Wonderfully offbeat stand-up comedy from one of the UK circuit’s most distinctive and uniquely talented comedians.
Wonderfully absurd stand-up from a fool’s thinking man.
About the show My Dad Wears A Dress is a one-woman show written and performed by Maria Telnikoff based on her personal experience of growing up with a trans-female pare…
Join the award-winning comedian Alasdair Beckett-King on a ramshackle jaunt through a multiverse of wonders.
Join the award-winning comedian Alasdair Beckett-King on a ramshackle jaunt through a multiverse of wonders.
The universal love story. Where you fall in love with someone for the first time but also for the last. Four Actors, cast live, whose story will you see?
The one and only King Tafari Love Muzic Sound System bring the Island feels with their authentic sound system.
The one and only King Tafari Love Muzic Sound System bring the Island feels with their authentic sound system.
In a desert of hot flushes – refreshing repartee, rants and banter from award- winning, climacteric comedian.
In a desert of hot flushes – refreshing repartee, rants and banter from award- winning, climacteric comedian.
Award-winning comedian Lara A King brings her unique brand of clever observational comedy, uplifting melodies and lyrical wordsmithery, to her spiritual home of Brighton with this …
Who Let Him In? Paul Merryck re-emerges from the Essex Swamplands with a new show telling a lot of stupid jokes and daft short stories, tenuously held together by the narrative th…
Who Let Him In? Paul Merryck re-emerges from the Essex Swamplands with a new show telling a lot of stupid jokes and daft short stories, tenuously held together by the narrative th…
”There are Edinburgh Fringe legends and then there is Arthur Smith” Bruce Dessau (The Times) This is Arthur Smith’s love letter to the world of comedy and the playground of the…
”There are Edinburgh Fringe legends and then there is Arthur Smith’ Bruce Dessau” (Times).
Come and enjoy a night of great comedy to help support women, children, mothers, and babies in some of the world’s most rural, remote communities.
‘Ace in the Whole’ is a hilarious show by comedian Paul Connell.
In 2022 Charlie Phillips and Eddie Otchere, two of Britain’s leading photographers were commissioned by the University of Sussex to photograph Black alumni as the starting point …
In 2022 Charlie Phillips and Eddie Otchere, two of Britain’s leading photographers were commissioned by the University of Sussex to photograph Black alumni as the starting point …
‘Ace in the Whole’ is a hilarious show by comedian Paul Connell.
A work in progress show from Joe Wells.
A work in progress show from Joe Wells.
Following a complete sell-out 2021 tour and 2022 extension, star of Taskmaster and global smash hit ‘Live Innit’, Paul Chowdhry brings his hit show ‘Fa…
The friendship between Carole King and James Taylor played a vital part in both of their incredible careers.
The friendship between James Taylor and Carole King played a vital part in both of their incredible careers.
It’s 1936.
Best way to solve any argument is with a few laughs! Comedians and married couple Katharyn Henson and Mark O’Keeffe will talk proposal stories, wedding disasters, & then each do a …
Best way to solve any argument is with a few laughs! Comedians and married couple Katharyn Henson and Mark O’Keeffe will talk proposal stories, wedding disasters, & then each do a …
It’s 1936.
“Because the world revolves around me and all I see is what I see.
“Because the world revolves around me and all I see is what I see.
'You never allow me tell my story.
The current production of Joe DiPietro’s F**king Men at Waterloo East Theatre is an updated version of his original 2009 script that successfully takes note of developments on th…
The hit play F**king Men returns to London this Spring for a strictly limited engagement.
Paul Black's brand new show 'Nostalgia' follows on from the Glasgow-born comedian's debut Edinburgh Fringe run, which sold out in minutes.
Stag King is a performance lecture / drag show about personhood, productivity and what happens when your role is made redundant.
Ira Sylvester in his first one-man show takes to the stage to deliver an auto-biographically generated story of his journey where he tries to delve into where one of mixed-heritage…
Paul Smith is back with a brand new tour! ‘Joker’ is his biggest and funniest tour show to date in which the scouse funny man mixes his trade mark audience i…
Paul Smith is back with a brand new tour! ‘Joker’ is his biggest and funniest tour show to date in which the scouse funny man mixes his trade mark audience i…
Tamina was from Pakistan but living in London’s Notting Hill area during the 1950s, in the times before the decriminalisation of homosexuality came in 1967.
Kelly wants change.
King Herod, famed for his Massacre of the Innocents, is now the face of a self-development pyramid scheme.
“Blindness isn’t sexy.
Serena Flynn, as seen on BBC Comedy and at Soho Theatre, and Morag Davies Productions present Lizard King.
Wonderfully offbeat stand-up comedy from one of the UK circuit’s most distinctive and uniquely talented comedians.
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, …
Heads up all you wannabe drag kings scattered all over the globe - we are kicking off the Year Of the King by bringing back our most popular online workshop, Drag King 101 with Dor…
For the first time in London, Paul Mirabel presents “Zebre” “Terribly funny” Telerama “The new sensation” Le Parisien
Due to huge popular demand, after his first tour-de-force, smash hit, sell out tours with ‘My Life Story’, Suggs is treading the boards again.
A compelling, humorous and emotion-filled solo show, written and performed by Mark Stratford, which charts the life and times of William Charles Macready, one of the greatest actor…
Lisa O’Hare’s debut show at the Greater Manchester Fringe in 2019 was described as ‘a perfect little package of fringe theatre.
Lisa O’Hare’s debut show at the Greater Manchester Fringe in 2019 was described as ‘a perfect little package of fringe theatre.
Join a ritual performance around Bosnian coffee-reading to both slow down time and look to the near future.
As seen on Taskmaster (Channel 4), Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC Two), Never Mind the Buzzcocks (Sky) and his critically acclaimed series Hate Thy Neighbor for Vice, Jamali …
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…
William’s dream comes true, chosen to play at Mozart’s birthday celebrations.
In Every Corner Sing: The Choir of Old St Paul’s with Director of Music John Kitchen MBE, Edinburgh City Organist.
King Herod, famed for his Massacre of the Innocents, is now the face of a self-development pyramid scheme.
‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out!).
Cutting Edge Theatre: Hope Rises.
Paul Brown Sings Andy Williams is a solo acoustic concert showcasing many of Andy Williams’ greatest hits.
Mind reader Mason King returns to the Edinburgh Fringe for another journey into the inner depths of your mind! In this brand new mind reading, magic and mentalism show, Mason invit…
Sacred Arts Festival 2022 Opening Service High Mass for the Feast of the Assumption, celebrated in accordance with the Scottish Liturgy of 1970 in the beautiful setting of the hist…
Born in the UK to Bengali doctors, the early 1990s saw Paul qualify as a doctor and take his first steps on the stand-up comedy circuit.
Out of the swirling maelstrom he steps, his sword of jokes, his shield of whimsy and his armour made of a third amusing thing.
The America’s Got Talent winner brings his latest smash-hit show to Edinburgh for the first time.
Time to relax and listen to classical music in this beautiful historic church.
On April 3rd 1968, Martin famously gave a speech that was a premonition of his own death.
First Impressions is a stand-up comedy show written and performed by Stefano Paolini featuring impressions, characters and beatboxing.
Making its debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, up-and-coming Czech jazz fusion guitarist Honza Kourimsky blends the music of Eric Clapton with high-energy psychedelic jazz.
First Impressions is a stand-up comedy show written and performed by Stefano Paolini featuring impressions, characters and beatboxing.
First Impressions is a stand-up comedy show written and performed by Stefano Paolini featuring impressions, characters and beatboxing.
Paul Richards literally can’t stop drumming; he’s performed all over the world, from huge gigs in China to grotty working men’s clubs, posh corporate gigs to the whole of the UK to…
Paul Savage wanted to do a fun, silly show but shows about trauma win awards.
Art27’s First Hand: Women Artists combines the work of four award-winning artists who have had residencies at Art27 scotland.
A nostalgic journey through the lives and careers of two music legends in this international sell-out show.
Father-son stand-up comics Paul and Paul wish life was more like television and they had the power to rewrite and recast the characters in their lives.
Writer and performer Paul Black brings his theatre show Self-Care Era to the Fringe for the first time.
It’s four years since George Steeves brought his Magic 8 Ball show to Edinburgh, winning the heart and mind of at least this reviewer with such an honest, bold theatrical collage…
Tired of the goose? Swan Power is here.
Paul Sinha is probably best known as one of Bradley Walsh’s TV team of ‘Chasers’: a characterful crew of six champion quizzers whose aim is to stop four plucky hopefuls getti…
From Mozart to Muddy Puddles! Peppa Pig – My First Concert is a fun interactive introduction to a live orchestra with everyone’s favourite Pig family! Join Peppa as she discovers…
The continuing story of PD’s perpetually interrupted life.
A brand-new show from the grand master of Dada nonsense that will endeavour to kick both the stigma of mental health and the patriarchy right in the non-binaries! Hold onto your re…
A hilarious new stand-up show from the star of Live at the Apollo, Russell Howard’s Good News, Impractical Jokers UK and Stand Up Central.
Looking like an ethereally pale, and bearded, pre-Raphaelite muse, Alasdair Beckett-King cuts a striking onstage figure.
Join New Zealand’s fastest comedian (5km and 10km) for an enchanting afternoon In the Moonlight.
There’s anarchy in the monarchy as renowned swordsman and dumb hussy Don Rodolfo has risen from humble peasant to the highest seat in the land.
Today I Killed My Very First Bird, a piece of new writing by poet, playwright and performer Jason Brownlee and directed by Lee Hart, is a strange beast.
There’s significant anger in One of Two; a sense of injustice felt by a young man whose experience of the not-so-subtle cruelties and discrimination endured by disabled people is…
According to The Stage’s recently departed Scotland editor, Thom Dibden, comedy first overtook theatre as the largest proportion of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s programme du…
It must be a baker’s dozen years since Scottish author, playwright and performer Alan Bissett first introduced us to Moira Bell, his much-loved tribute to the hard-working, hard-…
You won’t have had children yet, as Jenny is the first person to ever go through this particular ordeal, but you might be keen to learn a little something about this incredible new…
Playwright/director James Ley first gained some attention as a co-producer and writer of Leith-based The Village Pub Theatre, which provided performing space to a fresh band of act…
Experience the best upcoming talent from the North of England as one cast stage two of Shakespeare’s least known plays… What comes to mind when you thi…
Eccentric, scandalous, provocative, exuberant, and funny as ever, Jean Paul Gaultier is set to shake up London this summer when his stunning creation, Fashion Freak Show - 50 years…
Maverick comedian Fool F Taylor returns .
Maverick comedian Fool F Taylor returns .
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 …
Porn is a form of entertainment that has always had mixed reactions, yet brings a lot of pleasure to many individuals.
What are you willing to do to become a legend? A porn actor performing his last record-breaking movie: a sex marathon with 100 women.
“Brilliant”, “amazing”, “fantastic”.
Come and enjoy a night of great comedy to help support women, children, mothers, and babies in the world’s poorest communities.
“Brilliant”, “amazing”, “fantastic”.
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.
Serena Flynn (as seen on BBC Comedy, Soho Theatre) and Morag Davies Productions present ‘Lizard King’.
Sensational Brighton swingers The Soultastics are returning to Brighton Fringe 2022 with a brand new show celebrating the icon musician Louis Prima and his sidekick Keely Smith.
A work in progress show from award-winning stand-up comedian Alasdair Beckett-King (‘Mock the Week’).
A work in progress show from award-winning stand-up comedian Alasdair Beckett-King (‘Mock the Week’).
Come and enjoy a late night comedy and drinking session at The Caxton Arms with the legendary Essex life-coach, philosopher and comedian, Paul Merryck, and some of his boozier mate…
He’s survived another year and he’s back! For the fourth year running (he even did a show in 2020), it’s the Brighton Fringe gig that is fast becoming a very dodgy institution.
The friendship between James Taylor and Carole King played a vital part in both of their incredible careers.
The truly mind-boggling story of how a long, long time ago two hunter-gatherers, Ugg and Ogg, palled up with their enemies the wolves and invented man’s best friend, the dog.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
This show was originally scheduled for 21 November 2020 The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
Dublin, 1742.
Dublin, 1742.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
Performing live on stage - Paul Middleton at 8pmTicket link
Mira loses her virginity in the car park at her school.
SIMPLY THE BREAST - Drag King Fundraiser The m*n, the myth, the legend, Jamie Fuxx, is undergoing some gender affirming surgery this October.
Rat King at The Hope Theatre, Islington, is a new production written and produced by Bram Davidovich for Kryptonite Theatre Company.
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…
A lot has changed for Paul in recent years.
Come and enjoy a night of great comedy to help support women, children, mothers and babies in the world’s poorest communities.
Dreamgun present their first film read that is intentionally for young audiences instead of accidentally for young audiences.
Mercurial, subtle and rousing Starting from First Position is a blend of dance and poetry performed by Nigerian born poet Ben Okri (also 1991 Booker prize winner for his novel, The…
Find your place on the path to The Clapham Grand for our LION KING MOVIE NIGHT Weve already given you Mamma Mia, but were roaring back to full capacity Movie Nights here at T…
Multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter and stand-up, Paul Dennis brings his music and comedy together for the first time.
Paul Black's Fringe debut had a lot to live up to.
So far, Paul has lived his life content in the understanding that stability and emotional happiness were lovely ideas but not really for him.
Join ‘Selfish’ Creativity Workshop with poet Antonia King to to better understand yourself and events in your life!Workshop overviewSo, this workshop will be all about how to use w…
Come immerse yourself in the steamy hot waters of TEET as Paul Currie dissolves, froths and fizzes all around you.
In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy.
In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy.
In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy.
An English adaptation of an award-winning comedy from Iceland that looks at all the firsts: first class, first place, first rate, and even love at first sight.
Half-man half-piano, Will Pickvance combines storytelling and musical madness in this rollercoaster show about Mozart, music and the moon! Will daydreams of playing in front of a b…
Take a nostalgic journey through the career and music of two award-winning legends in this internationally sold-out show.
King Richard the Lionheart is dead.
You will need a group of 2-5 detectives, internet access on your phone, your brain and your legs! We’ll provide the specialist kit.
Come and enjoy a late night comedy and drinking session at The Caxton Arms with the legendary Essex life-coach, philosopher and comedian, Paul Merryck, and some of his boozier mate…
Come and enjoy a late night comedy and drinking session at The Caxton Arms with the legendary Essex life-coach, philosopher and comedian, Paul Merryck, and some of his boozier mate…
Think it’s been a weird year? Meet The Lizard King.
Sara Segovia Rodao and Lachlan Werner are cuties by nature, cancers by astrological sign and clowns by trade.
Think it’s been a weird year? Meet The Lizard King.
King Henry VIII is ‘brought to life’ in this most dramatic of performances! In all his splendour and magnitude, the King, now in old age, recounts the events of his long life a…
King Henry VIII is ‘brought to life’ in this most dramatic of performances! In all his splendour and magnitude, the King, now in old age, recounts the events of his long life a…
Period music greets loyal subjects as they enter the Friends Meeting House to attend Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: An Audience with King Henry VIII, written and directed by John Wh…
In this new show, singer-songwriter Gary Edward Jones not only recites the music of one of his idols but also tells the unique story of Paul Simon combining visuals, stage design a…
In this new show, singer-songwriter Gary Edward Jones not only recites the music of one of his idols but also tells the unique story of Paul Simon combining visuals, stage design a…
Tl;dr: Two female comedians debut their 30 minute solo shows on one bill.
In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy.
Politics, power and war drive much of our history, but what about those who drive world-changing events? How would one of the history’s greatest winners face the moment of his own …
Politics, power and war drive much of our history, but what about those who drive world-changing events? How would one of the history’s greatest winners face the moment of his own …
This compelling one-man show by Mark Stratford charts the life and times of William Charles Macready, one of the greatest actor-managers of the 19th Century.
Unless you have studied the history of theatre it's easy to imagine that performances on stage have always been very much as they are today.
Neo-classical electronic composer King Jamsheed brings together a year’s work.
Neo-classical electronic composer King Jamsheed brings together a year’s work in livestream.
A journey into the broken heart of a young boy, who, through creativity, imagination, and determination, teaches us that the rehabilitation of things broken and discarded gets to i…
A journey into the broken heart of a young boy, who, through creativity, imagination, and determination, teaches us that the rehabilitation of things broken and discarded gets to i…
Armed only with a drum, a guitar, a knife and a chair, this irreverent, inventive and highly accessible one-man adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ is presented from the poin…
Armed only with a drum, a guitar, a knife and a chair, this irreverent, inventive and highly accessible one-man adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ is presented from the poin…
Thursday 22nd October, 7.
Je m’appelle Paul, je suis Anglais et j’habite en France.
This event was rescheduled from Fri 01 May 2020 OFF THE KERB PRODUCTIONS PRESENTSPAUL McCAFFREY: LEMONAs seen on Live At The Apollo.
Ceridwen the witch has a problem.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
“Drama King” is a compelling new one-man show, written and performed by Mark Stratford, which tells the story of William Charles Macready, one of the greatest actor-managers of the…
An international sell-out show taking you on a nostalgic journey through the career and music of two legends.
King Richard the Lionheart is dead.
Following sell-out runs in 2016, 2018 and 2019, mind reader Mason King returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his unique brand of entertainment! Having been a fan of time-th…
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
UK premiere: from his years as the visionary in one of the most successful duos through to his many solo hits, travel through one of the greatest back catalogues of all time.
An international sell-out show taking you on a nostalgic journey through the career and music of these two legends.
A hilarious new stand-up show from the star of Live at the Apollo, Russell Howard’s Good News, Impractical Jokers UK and Stand Up Central.
Tired of the goose? Swan Power is here.
Out of the swirling maelstrom he steps; his sword of jokes, his shield of whimsy and his armour made of a third amusing thing.
Je m’appelle Paul, je suis Anglais et j’habite en France.
A lot has changed for Paul in recent years.
Come and enjoy a night of great comedy to help support women, children, mothers and babies in the world’s poorest communities.
PAUL MERTON & SUKI WEBSTER’S IMPRO NIGHT Paul Merton and Suki Webster present a night of fast, and fabulously funny improvised games, scenes, stories and laug…
All the King's Men are a world-renowned, award-winning all-male a cappella group based in the heart of London.
All the King's Men are a world-renowned, award-winning all-male a cappella group based in the heart of London.
“It’s about us—together,” explain Jake Jarratt and Cameron Sharp, in their new play in which two drama students – straight “Jake”, gay “Cameron” – end up trying…
Join The Family Jewels for a full frontal night of comedy, song, and a disarmingly sexy exploration of gendered power.
Mrs Puntila and her Man Matti is that relatively rare thing for the Royal Lyceum Theatre—a star vehicle, rather than an ensemble production, that happens to have two audience fav…
Edinburgh’s Traverse has long-championed new drama—indeed, the venue’s self-description is the simple goal of being “Scotland’s new writing theatre”.
Don’t miss John Kani’s highly acclaimed play Kunene and the King marking the 25th anniversary of the end of apartheid with a strictly limited London run, following its …
PAUL MERTON & SUKI WEBSTER’S IMPRO NIGHT Paul Merton and Suki Webster present a night of fast, and fabulously funny improvised games, scenes, stories and laug…
Many Scots first experience of comics is likely to be two series published by Dundee-based D C Thomson in their long-running newspaper, The Sunday Post.
From The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Paul O’Grady Show and ITV’s The Imitation Game, the girl with a thousand voices returns to the UK with a brand new show.
“We do not live in the back of beyond, we live in the very heart of beyond,” argues Roman Stornoway, a struggling musician and the central protagonist in Kevin MacNeil’s thea…
KING OF POP - THE LEGEND CONTINUES showcases the extraordinary talent of an impersonator who has performed for 28 years in over 350 international shows, 62 different cou…
From the producers of the West End hit shows 'Seven Drunken Nights - The Story of The Dubliners' and 'Walk Right Back - The Everly Brothers Story', t…
From the producers of the West End hit shows 'Seven Drunken Nights - The Story of The Dubliners' and 'Walk Right Back - The Everly Brothers Story', t…
I well remember when Jenni Fagan’s explosive debut, The Panopticon, first appeared in 2013.
Having this year reached the notable landmark of their 500th new production, the team behind the award-winning lunchtime theatre phenomenon that is “A Play, A Pie and a Pint” i…
Everyone’s favourite Pig family is back, leading an interactive introduction to live orchestra.
The creator of Freaks and Geeks and director of Bridesmaids brings his perspective on the global television and film landscape in this special one-off event.
Cora is at the festival to see her ex-boyfriend perform.
‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out!).
A courageous new work by twice BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winning songwriter Rowan Rheingans.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme for Fringe participants.
Vikings, giants and magic await you in this fun-packed historical adventure.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir and organ of this historic Anglican Catholic church directed by Dr John Kitchen.
Following his first national tour in 2018, which saw him go from circuit act to one of the biggest selling names in UK stand-up in less than a year, Paul Smith returns w…
Misha Rachlevsky and the multi award-winning Russian String Orchestra return for seven special evening concerts, each totally different, showcasing major works from the 18th centur…
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
Time to relax and listen to classical music in this beautiful historic church just off the Royal Mile.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme for Fringe participants.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church with renowned choir and organ directed by John Kitchen.
This story is based on Chinese traditional myth, Zhong Kui.
Whether it’s because Hollywood has force-fed us with them for decades, or simply because the concerns of teenage life are pretty universal across most of the Western world, we’…
I have absolutely nothing but admiration to the performers of Recirquel Company Budapest, given that some of their number must have spent their entire lives training their lean, mu…
Let's be honest here: I've never particularly liked clowns.
Paul Savage is no stranger to shame.
This one time I got a pre-emptive divorce.
Paul Currie is bringing his sell out 2014/2015 award-winning masterpiece back to Edinburgh.
Paul Zenon is one of the UK’s most beloved and sought-after magicians – a veteran of TV shows, corporate events, and high end cabaret, as well as becoming a regular guest on th…
The Byrd International Singers, directed by Markdavin Obenza, participates in an annual Renaissance course offered by the Byrd Ensemble (US).
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has, for many years, produced and maintained a “Red List” of species which are either already extinct or in danger of bei…
Two used actors, recycled utensils, hand-carved Czech puppets, live music and you, the court, bring Shakespeare’s poetic drama of power and abdication to life.
An interesting insight into the man who stole Christmas, leader of the ‘doomsday cult that controls eight million lives’.
There are two challenges at the heart of Fox-tot!, a new work from composer Lliam Paterson and director Roxana Haines for Scottish Opera.
It’s the ruby anniversary of Madness and Paul Putner celebrates the past 40 years as a lifelong fan.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme for Fringe participants.
What are you willing to do to become a legend? A porn actor performing his last record-breaking movie: a sex marathon with 100 women.
Following sell-out runs in 2016 and 2018 Mason King returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a brand-new show! As a child Mason always dreamt of mastering the art of sleight of hand.
Discover the true story of Valentina Tereshkova, a young textile worker plucked from obscurity to lead the Soviet Union’s race to the stars.
Actor/writer Christopher Tajah of Resistance Theatre Company gives an impassioned performance in Dream Of A King at theSpace Triplex, as he reimagines the hours leading up to the a…
Following sell-out shows and standing ovations in 2017/18, The Carole King Story returns to take you on an incredible journey through the career of six-time Grammy Award winner and…
As a reviewer, there are several situations that I normally hope to avoid while covering the Fringe: it may surprise you, given that essentially I’m here to force my opinion on you…
There appears, these days, to be an almost apologetic desire among directors and producers to find ways of presenting traditional circus acrobatics and high-wire acts with some add…
James Barr is single.
With First Impressions, Christina Bianco further cements her reputation as the First Lady of Impersonation.
Delightfully deranged and beautifully berserk, Ukrainian group Misanthrope Theatre re-ignite the flames of rebellion and fervour that saw Alfred Jarry’s play close upon its openi…
Clean your heads, strap yourselves in for the brilliant new show from ‘cryingly funny’ (Bath Chronicle) 2019 Musical Comedy Awards finalist, as seen on BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, Par…
In the last couple of years, Paul McCaffrey has performed to over half a million people while supporting his comedy heroes Sean Lock and Kevin Bridges on their UK tours, and has go…
Paul, now a fully-disqualified swan psychologist, delves deeper to discover the origins of the gay sperms and once again unleashes his bag of Disturbances.
Character comedy is a difficult discipline at the best of times and, with a trope as thoroughly picked-over as the oblivious action-hero, it asks at lot from a performer to find so…
Disappear down the rabbit hole of a fool’s mind.
As might be expected, the environment – specifically, the “environmental emergency” we currently face – is one of the more notable themes running through this year’s Frin…
Searching through the Fringe guide for a show worth seeing is a job that could perhaps be likened to archaeology – you spend hours carefully probing, sorting the dross from the d…
A story of a man who decides to be a dancer.
It’s a fact of life that any standup on the Fringe who is neither white nor straight is likely required to spend at least part of their show addressing it.
Genders and non-genders, come plunge your human meat gloves into this zeitgeist pavlova as you gently take each other delicately by the frontal cortex and we all ascend into the sp…
Andy Quirk, the UK’s premier rapper of first world problems and his surly lead backup dancer Anna J invite you to join their crew for their latest musical comedy show dealing wit…
Paul Foxcroft is back with his first second show! A new hour that combines stand-up, sketch, character comedy and almost certainly improvisation.
I have a slight confession of bias.
Thus far, Paul has lived his life content in the understanding that stability and emotional happiness were lovely ideas but not really for him.
There are lots of words you can use to describe Jon Long, purveyor of clever gags and witty songs.
It may be because of the stage productions and films which I saw growing up, but my innate and core expectation about musical theatre is that it tends to be on the big size, if not…
Biographical performances like LipSync, produced by Cumbernauld Theatre as part of their Invited Guest project, don't always have some obvious, political point to make; they…
"I could be one of the Boys," New Zealander Chris Parker sings ecstatically at the start of Camp Binch, wearing a shirt and leggings echoing Elaine Stritch's iconic o…
This is definitely not the first time I have seen a play about being gay or about the AIDS epidemic, but it is the first time I have seen an eclectic and moving look at life post H…
Leo Kearse isn't, by his own admission, a 'woke' comedian.
In a festival where comedians eager to share their personal histories, foibles and perspectives on the world can oft seem ten-a-penny, it makes a pleasant change of pace to spend a…
Award-winning silliness and choose-your-own-adventure poems for the whole family as you work to transform your writing skills.
Apparently, Richard Stott got into comedy “for all the wrong reasons”; at least, that’s what the aforementioned Richard Stott says.
Pathetic Fallacy, at heart, has a Unique Selling Point—the show’s creator, Anita Rochon, isn’t actually in Edinburgh.
What makes a home? It’s one of a number of questions that Victor Esses asks of audience members as they come in, taping their responses for use later on in his show.
For All I Care is, first and foremost, the story of two women.
"Poor Fellow.
Have you ever been to a comedy show by someone who can travel through dimensions, from one world to another? No, me neither.
Tales of woe, tales of science, tales of curses, tales of defiance.
Her name is Lila, and she’s a proud Blackfoot woman, she tells us.
You’ll learn two things from Aaron Simmonds’ Disabled Coconut.
Bystanders begins with staging reminiscent of a police detective’s office – plain desks, a few chairs, and piles of boxes full of paperwork and evidence.
It takes a certain bravery, or innocence, to name your debut full-hour show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Don’t Bother.
Adapting Mozart, Chopin and Scott Joplin for outer space requires a specially equipped pianist.
"It looks nice.
Liam Malone, it’s fair to say, is not backwards at coming forwards.
Titania McGrath may just be a young Kensington girl with a modest Trust Fund and a thirst for social justice, but she’s in Edinburgh to make a difference, and inspire us common peo…
Ryan Calais Cameron’s powerful new work plays with the meanings of its title in many ways: our central, point-of-view character has the “distinctive qualities of a particular t…
All the King’s Men are a world-renowned, award-winning all-male a cappella group based in the heart of London.
The award-winning Alasdair Beckett-King returns to this timeline with a dimension-hopping stand-up comedy show.
Paul, now a fully-disqualified swan psychologist, delves deeper to discover the origins of the gay sperms and once again unleashes his bag of Disturbances.
Paul returns to the Great Yorkshire Fringe with a preview of his upcoming Edinburgh Festival show.
A mixture of best bits and new material for Paul's next touring show about the life-changing effect a couple of drinks can have.
At first glance, The Ugly One looks somewhat clinical.
Punk supergroup, Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, have covered every genre under the sun and now they're bringing their extensive range of tunes to the big smoke.
First, let’s get the biggest disappointment out of the way first: Them!, a joint production between the National Theatre of Scotland, writer Pamela Carter and director Stewart La…
Jim Brown's Sea Changes is a play that delightfully and unashamedly embraces the info-dump, to the extent of having most of its characters directly introduce themselves to the …
Led by the world’s number one Michael Jackson tribute artist ‘Navi’, which alone sets this show above the rest.
Curious Shoes is a show that's unashamedly dominated by the perceived needs of its target audience, people living with dementia, and those who care and support them.
Arguably a surprise word-of-mouth hit during the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this physical-theatre exploration of a mass hostage-taking returns to the Scottish capital with - t…
It's appropriate that this particular production within the 2019 Edinburgh International Children's Festival is the only one slotted into the schedule for the Netherbow sta…
I have a confession: I’d never previously heard of Erich Kästner's 1929 novel, Emil and the Detectives; It just wasn't a part of my childhood.
From the age of sieges and chivalry comes a show about medieval love, adrenaline junkies and an insane quest for glory.
BA Theatre Arts at GBMet.
4 April 1968.
Agatha Christie’s dark and chilling play - The Rats.
Leicester Mercury Comedian of The Year 2017, Alasdair Beckett-King returns to this timeline with a dimension-hopping stand-up comedy show.
1980’s Pittsburgh, a city in decay.
There's little doubt that The Duchess of Malfi has become the most popular and successful work written by the English Jacobean playwright John Webster.
Three, as the song goes, is a magic number.
Super Human Heroes from theatre group The Letter J (in association with Paisley Arts Centre) has a simple message: We all need to do our little bit to help make the world a better …
Come and enjoy a night of great comedy to help support women, children, mothers and babies in the world’s poorest communities.
Hands up anyone who was bored rigid by studying Shakespeare at school.
Paul Cox has been cutting his teeth on the London and UK comedy circuit since 2015.
Following its sell-out run at Wilton’s Music Hall in 2018, Paul Bunyan will receive its first revival at Alexandra Palace Theatre this May.
A pole-esque tale, telling the story of one woman’s journey through pole, from the seedy underworld of Brighton, to her respectable reinvention as a drag king.
The first one-man show from one of the most original and outrageous character acts on the UK circuit.
There’s something reassuringly "classy" about this production of Patrick Marber's The Red Lion, now touring Scotland for the first time courtesy of Glasgow-based Ra…
This incredible production stars the world’s leading MJ tribute artist Navi who is joined by Jackson’s original lead guitarist - Jennifer Batten.
This incredible production stars the world’s leading MJ tribute artist Navi who is joined by Jackson’s original lead guitarist - Jennifer Batten.
The debut stand-up hour from the multi award-winning co-writer of ‘The Vicar of Dibley’.
One of The Guardian’s Best Shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2018.
KIDS OFFER: free child ticket with every adult ticket purchased, subsequent child tickets are half price.
English National Ballet present the classic fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, in a colourful and spellbinding show for all the family.
Come and see the comedy powerhouse Paul Chowdhry - star of Taskmaster, Live at The Apollo and Wembley Arena Sell Out.
Come and see the stand-up comedy powerhouse & star of Taskmaster and Live at The Apollo.
When Noel Coward warned a certain Mrs Worthington against putting her daughter on the stage, it's highly likely that he didn't have Matilda The Musical in mind at the time.
It’s seldom fun to leave a venue thinking: "Well, that's an hour of my life I'm never getting back.
The sketch show can be a difficult beast to tame.
This is a Spoiler.
When Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre announced that they were producing a stage musical based on the iconic 1983 Scottish film Local Hero, I must admit to wondering if it was …
In drama, an audience can either be ahead of what the characters know, or behind them, catching up; each approach has its dramatic advantages and disadvantages, but what is needed …
Paul Carrack, one of the most revered voices in music and a figurehead of soulful pop for decades, will return to the delight his legions of admirers with the new album ‘Thes…
“The music I listened to between the ages of 11 and 21 probably affected by life more than pretty much anything else.
Paul McCaffrey has recently appeared on major UK tours with two of Britain’s foremost stand ups, Sean Lock and Kevin Bridges – playing to more than half…
How Many Tears in a Bottle of Gin?Trust me, this job is the shit Paul Currie - Trufficle MuskSurreal Python comedy with the twisted nonsensical sequiturs of Dadaism &nbs…
Greetings.
Greetings.
All the King’s Men are a world-renowned, award-winning, all-male a cappella group based in the heart of London.
Duration: Approx 2hrs 20mins More information to follow
All the King’s Men are a world-renowned, award-winning, all-male a cappella group based in the heart of London.
Tuesday 29th January, 7pmTickets: £15 or £11 for school groupsSuitable for: no age suitability has been given yet for this screeningDuration: …
A “highly engrossing”, ‘pocket epic’ staging of Shakespeare’s Richard II.
A gripping psychological drama with moments of intensity and also unexpected comedy.
£50 for both sessions (ticket price is joint)Saturday 19 & 26 January10.
When Jo Clifford ("proud father and grandmother") first performed her play, The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven, at Glasgow's Tron Theatre, it attracted bo…
It's said that Edinburgh is a city, the size of a town, that feels like a village; or, in other words, the Scottish capital is sufficiently small and compact that you don't…
What makes a "traditional" pantomime? It's certainly not just a case of blowing the dust off a 1970s panto script and hoping for the best; here, the Brunton’s now r…
At the exact same time that Theresa May’s cabinet is in turmoil over the UK’s withdrawal agreement with the EU, Golden Age Theatre Company has set up camp in the Museum of Come…
Bestseller Sam Blake brings you some of the strongest new voices in crime fiction and finds out just how they did it.
With three drummers, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison and Jeremy Stacey, as well as the return of multi-instrumentalist Bill Rieflin on keyboards, guitarist and original founding mem…
An audio drama performed live and scored, produced by the team behind the podcast series Whisper Through The Static.
The works by French poet and playwright Edmond Rostand, just one of the victims of the influenza pandemic which swept the world in 1918, are today largely forgotten; the one except…
Watching Clare Duffy's one-act play "Arctic Oil", a particular phrase kept coming back to me: that mantra of 1960s' student protests and second-wave feminism, &qu…
An hour of sensational Improvised Comedy.
"Best leave history in the history books—get on with living.
Within a cluttered clearing in some woods that's neither town nor countryside and so somehow feels like nowhere, an unnamed Man (David McKay) sleeps the sleep of the just-finis…
It's just four years since Pitlochry Festival Theatre put on a production of Anne Downie's 1989 play The Yellow On The Broom, based on the autobiographical novel by Betsy W…
Steadily establishing a reputation as specialists in music from the Enlightenment era, Opera dei Lumi return to the Edinburgh Fringe with a rare performance of the very first Engli…
From Show Boat to Showman, there’s always Another Op’nin, Another Show about the sparkling self-obsessed world of musical theatre! And why not? Some of the best shows are all a…
Whoever you are, you’ll only know first love once.
For two nights only! ‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out).
End your Fringe day with relaxing classical music by candlelight in this beautiful historic church.
Anna Phylactic and Ruth Cockburn come together to bring you a cabaret show about love and friendship, with a few history lessons along the way.
The Skits, Cornell University’s original sketch comedy troupe, has crossed the Atlantic to deliver some cold, hard jokes.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir and organ of this historic Anglican Catholic church directed by Dr John Kitchen.
One-man show telling King Lear’s story in his own words, using text from the original and new words.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church with renowned choir and organ directed by John Kitchen.
King Creosote, aka Kenny Anderson, returns to the International Festival three years after he performed his glorious soundtrack to the nostalgia-soaked film, From Scotland With Lov…
A series of very special evening concerts which combine the wonderfully vibrant playing of the Herald Angel Award-winning Russian String Orchestra with the atmospheric and historic…
From pin-drop delicacy to infectious grooves that leave you smiling.
Direct from the USA, the defending three-time National Shakespearean Acting Champions present Shakespeare’s rarely done history, King John.
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
When Uther Pendragon passes away England falls without king.
Born in the UK to a family of Bengali doctors, the early 1990s saw Paul qualifying as a doctor and taking his first steps on the stand-up comedy circuit.
Come and join the members of the First Dates dating agency on their journey into the world of love.
One of the hardest calls for a reviewer to make is where to draw the line between production and play.
Following a successful Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2016, mind control artist Mason King returns for another journey into the inner depths of the human mind.
Award-winning silliness for all the family from one of the nation’s most successful spoken word artists.
It’s hard to do good when everything’s falling apart.
New(ish) for 2018! Not featuring televised comedians or Fringe legends, just friendly unknowns being friendly.
Paper Dolls is advertised as a one-man show, but the person standing in front of us for the next hour isn't the show’s performer, writer, director and producer Shaun Nolan; r…
‘I think it’s high time women let themselves just be women for a change.
Sayara has always wanted to be a leader.
Mark Thompson is quite clear about what his (modestly) titled Spectacular Show isn't: "It's not a science lecture," he insists.
The Traverse One stage looks more ready for a gig than a piece of theatre, but while music undoubtedly runs through the heart of Cora Bissett's latest, most autobiographical wo…
It seems that Cardiff-based Hijinx Theatre Company are happy to take risks.
Phyllis M.
Paul Currie is a disturbingly brilliant comic who plays his crowd like the conductor of an orchestra.
After a sell-out run in 2017 The Carole King Story returns to take you on an incredible journey through the career of this six-time Grammy Award winner and 20-time platinum hit mak…
Feeling pressured by his success last year with The Elvis Dead, Rob Kemp returns with ten(!) shows stuck to a spinning wheel.
He doesn’t know it all but Silky can make up something plausible really quickly.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme for Fringe participants.
Following his army demob, Elvis Presley joins Frank Sinatra’s 1960 Timex TV show special.
One of the most valuable functions of theatre is to offer us a way to explore difficult issues without fear of blame without fear of censure.
What a difference a decade can make.
Tales of woe, tales of science, tales of curses, tales of defiance.
For anyone who thinks they don't make physical comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton any more, here's a word from the wise—which, in this context, essentially …
Tim Renkow insists he’s spent the last decade on the comedy circuit trying to find a social or racial group that he’s NOT able to insult, because that would mean – as a disab…
Do you struggle to fit in in an ever-changing world? Does the speed of change make you feel old before your time? Then you know how Paul feels.
From the age of sieges and chivalry comes a show about medieval love, adrenaline junkies and an insane quest for glory.
Though now a household name thanks to a semi-final place in last year’s Britain’s Got Talent, singing impressionist Jess Robinson is a familiar face of the Fringe.
"Life is a hideous thing," we're told by the lean figure of Simon Maeder, dressed for dinner and sitting in a leather armchair like some classic teller of ghost stori…
Paul Patin is a French actor/singer/dancer who has performed around the world with international companies for more than 10 years.
As a huge number of the entries in the Fringe programme could tell you, the life of a stand-up is a tough one – hours and hours of unpaid work just to get a decent set together a…
There are going to be two kinds of people who read this review: fans of Paul Foot, and people who are curious about Paul Foot.
Perhaps it is because of the multi-show venue, or just the financial realities of bringing any production to the Edinburgh Fringe nowadays, but Peter Darney’s production of Charl…
Wild young Hal becomes King and lays claim to the French crown.
Paul Revill, Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year 2014, returns with a work in progress.
The jig is up! Paul Williams is a quadruple threat – song, dance, comedy and opinion.
Wonderfully unexpected opportunities can occur at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; even more so at the 'Free' variety.
The devilishly addictive live music experience is back! Join TV presenters and best friends Tim and Gendle for their high-paced game that gives you a show and a party rolled into o…
So what exactly IS the Trouble with Scott Capurro? Is it that this left-leaning liberal American (yes, he’s the one, apparently) seemingly talks without pausing for breath? (“Are y…
East London’s premier rapper of first-world problems, Andy Quirk, and his backup dancer, Anna J, invite you to join their crew for fist-pumping therapy tackling the inconsequential…
It was irresistible, I suppose: part way through Dan Freeman’s absurdist play A Joke, the acclaimed Scottish actor John Bett turns to his co-stars to start a joke with: "Doc…
Paul Foxcroft (Cariad and Paul, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show) is a professional improviser who, for some reason, has decided to script an hour’s show in defiance of his many years o…
“Welcome to Blackpool!” Cockburn beams as her audience files into Summerhall’s Anatomy Lecture Theatre.
Those familiar with the work of the National Theatre of Scotland won’t be surprised by the style or the content of First Snow / Première Neige.
David Mills is always well turned out: sharp-suited, finely tuned, sitting on his stool like some Easy Listening Singer from a bygone age.
Returning to Edinburgh for their eighth year, All the King’s Men are the voices that are defining a genre.
Rik Carranza is a Star Trek fan.
It's obvious from the loud, excited audience in Assembly Studio 3 that London-based comedy theatre trio The Pretend Men – Nathan Parkinson, Zachary Hunt and Tom Rose – have…
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.
People Show have been producing work for more than 50 years which, given the self-indulgence of People Show 130 (or The Last Straw, to give its more Fringe-friendly title), is some…
There are books which are called seminal largely because so many people have read them.
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve.
This November happens to mark the 55th anniversary of the BBC broadcasting the first ever episode of Doctor Who, so it’s hardly surprising that several shows on this year’s Fringe …
Join Paddington Bear on his adventures as he leaves home, meets his new family and enjoys his first concert – not without causing his fair share of mayhem, of course! The charmin…
Marmite: it’s the breakfast spread that we apparently love or hate, and the word has – in that way the English language often does – subsequently evolved far wider metaphoric…
Free speech is a right fiercely protected in today’s society.
Until relatively recently in Western society, children with physical, sensory or learning disabilities, or a wide range of neural and behavioural challenges, were either institutio…
In For A Penny is Libby McArthur’s true-life tale of the unforeseen consequences of an unpaid parking ticket - how one person can fall foul of a system that sees only the facts a…
Tom Neenan has been a regular Fringe attraction for several years now, bringing a succession of one-man pastiches - Edwardian ghost story, Vaudeville Horror tale, 1950s British Sci…
To say that Paul Mayhew-Archer is not afraid to poke fun at himself would be the understatement of the last decade.
With the advent of the internet, smartphones and social media, today’s politics happens under an unprecedented level of scrutiny.
Home is a powerful concept.
Erewhon: or, Over the Range is a fantasy novel by Samuel Butler which, first published anonymously in 1872, presented itself as the experiences of its narrator on discovering the m…
After last year’s sell-out run, Paul returns to Edinburgh with his life, seemingly, still bordering on disarray.
I'm sure that history will suggest otherwise but, after seeing George Steeves perform his one man show, I couldn't help but think that Stevie Wonder must have written his s…
If silent Hollywood star Buster Keaton is remembered for anything, it's his emotionless, mask-like expression; so the initial shock here is that this Buster speaks and smiles.
If there’s one thing the majority of people at the Fringe can empathise with, it’s how hard the life of a jobbing actor can be.
An enigmatic title is the hallmark of many Fringe shows – I’m sure no one knows quite what to expect from Duckpond: An Element of Mystery in Umpteen Samples or Lights Over Tesc…
After last year's sell-out show, Paul returns to the Great Yorkshire Fringe with his life, seemingly, still bordering on disarray.
For those who pertain to be students of the Theatre of the Absurd movement prevalent in the 1950s and 60s, there is nothing of value to you in this review.
Trump.
King Courgette is an old-time vegetable string band Featuring Wild Zucchini Bill from international trash-bashing phenomenon STOMP! Expect a righteous mix of fiddles, ba…
★★★★★ “Ian McKellen reigns supreme in this triumphant production.
Greetings.
Tipped to be London’s theatrical event of 2018, the multi-award winning and critically acclaimed Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and…
"Grow up, mature, and come back when you have something to contribute!" It's not the most sympathetic way to address a young audience; nevertheless, it succinctly sho…
Part of the inherent challenge for Noel Jordan and the Imaginate team when putting together their annual Edinburgh International Children's Festival is their very diverse poten…
Fairy tales survive because they can be constantly retold, uncovering new depths and relevancies to the world today.
Andy Manley is undoubtedly one of the treasures of Scotland’s current theatrical landscape, all the more so given his seemingly innate (but presumably hard-learned) skill in hold…
Do you struggle to fit in in an ever-changing world? Does the speed of change make you feel old before your time? Then you know how Paul feels.
More camp than a row of pink tents! This on-screen/off-screen couple fight for the limelight as well as deciding who wears the trousers.
By popular demand! Original musical journey from 400 AD Boerthelm’s Tun to present day Bom-Bane’s, with portraits of all the colourful inhabitants along the way.
Paul Savage spent last year trying to be better.
Step right down for a debauched carnie cabaret within tent, hosted by magic roustabout and snake-oil peddler Paul Zenon, TV trickster and longtime ‘La Clique’ ringmaster.
Bringing us four short scenes, Puck’s Players – consisting of Bill Poulton, Phillip Lee and Aaron Thaddeus Lee – were able to exhibit outstanding versatility as performers, d…
Queen Elizabeth II is dead.
East London’s premier rapper of first-world problems, Andy quirk, and his backup dancer Anna J, bring fist-pumping therapy for modern living to the masses.
Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2017 Alasdair Beckett-King returns to this timeline with an inter-dimensional, work in progress stand-up comedy show.
Remember when Nazis were only found in Germany, Austria, and Clacton-on-Sea? Well now they’re in the White House, Downing Street, and Clacton-on-Sea.
All the King’s Men bring their five star, sellout tour to London’s West End… AtKM’s astonishing vocal colour and arresting, creative choreograp…
August Strindberg apparently subtitled his play Creditors (in Swedish: Fordringsäxgare) a “tragicomedy” but, while David Greig’s 2008 adaptation does indeed contain a few de…
Sometimes, when it comes to suspending our disbelief, we just have to go with the flow.
“In my day, we trusted people.
A road movie, according to Wikipedia, is “a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip,” during which “the hero changes, grows or improves over the cou…
Helen and Gordon spend their retirement on their Mediterranean balcony, reading and drinking gin, quite a lot of it.
The ever popular My First Ballet series returns with a new beautifully adapted version of Swan Lake, in a unique collaboration between English National Ballet and English National …
Due to huge popular demand, after his first tour-de-force, smash hit, sell out tour, ‘My Life Story’, Suggs is treading the boards again with a brand new show.
If theatre is home to lies that impart truths, then this Actors Touring Company’s production of Roland Schimmelpfennig’s Winter Solstice (translated by David Tushingham) makes …
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…
“It’s sweat on your brow that gives life meaning,” says one of the supporting characters in Chekhov’s Three Sisters, and it’s fair to say that, on occasions, there’s a …
Join this potentially lifesaving journey with beloved cartoonist First Dog on the Moon and prepare for the looming collapse of civilisation and the demise of everything you ever ca…
Ever wondered what wine goes best with Fairy Bread? Why hasn’t the ‘Champagne Spider’ caught on? These questions and many more will be inadequately answered by the self-sty…
King of the comedy, master of the crowd & slave to the laugh.
Terry Who? (Final Touch/Gen XYZ) performs a tribute to the fantastic works of Sir Paul McCartney (Singer/Songwriter, Beatle, Trainee Bass Player, Trainee Piano Player, multi-lingua…
AN ADAPTATION BY LOUCAS LOIZOU.
Adelaide’s 2016 Award Winner and 5 Star performer returns to show you why he is widely regarded as one of the funniest magicians on the planet! Dressed to impress and with more th…
“Get around pres at Danni’s.
As seen on The Project.
So who was Hollywood’s first Australian? Bet you thought it was Errol Flynn? But no, that was not even close.
IN GOOD COMPANY – a fabulous 40 voice acapella group will sing original arrangements of many of Paul Simon’s hits such as “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes”, “Cecilia�…
Songs of beauty, songs of heartbreak, old squabbles and spontaneous nonsense.
Perhaps it was tempting fate, but David Leddy’s decision to call his latest work The Last Bordello now comes with a certain irony, given that it could well prove to be his final …
While not even Herbert George Wells’s own first dalliance with the concept of time travel, his 1895 novella The Time Machine has nevertheless become pretty much the definitive te…
Writer and director Tony Cownie has established a particular niche at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, taking potentially overlooked 18th century comedies (like Carlo Goldoni’…
Most stand-up comedy these days is based on the lives of the people standing behind the microphone, albeit reshaped to varying degrees to ensure their material matches the “rule …
It’s 36 years since Andrea Dunbar’s breakthrough play announced the all-too-brief flowering of a new writing talent – “a genius straight from the slums,” as the Mail on S…
The central metaphor running through Frank McGuinness’s 2012 monologue The Match Box is almost breath-taking in its simplicity; it’s that all of us, all of our lives, are ultim…
Alan McHugh has played in enough pantomimes down the years to ensure It’s Behind You! reeks of authenticity, albeit the heightened theatrics of the genre.
Dark and challenging, epic and shocking, human and uplifting.
David Harrower’s debut play, Knives in Hens, made a big splash back in 1995, recognised as a modern classic which has since seen revivals by companies as diverse as the Nation…
When watching the stage adaptation of any book, especially one I’ve not read, there’s often a question lingering at the back of my mind; would I appreciate this more, would I…
There’s a deliberate cheapness to the temporary, painted proscenium arch erected in the Brunton’s theatre-space, indicative of this local panto’s rough ’n’ ready (and n…
This revival of Shona Reppe’s acclaimed puppet retelling of the iconic fairytale is a fascinating jewel of a production, ideal for young children and families alike; subtle, s…
It’s a real shame temporary roadworks make accessing this show’s venue ever-so-slightly off-putting; also, that the venue is still relatively new, especially when it comes t…
As Scotland’s self-declared “new writing theatre”, Edinburgh’s Traverse does like to offer up an alternative to the pantomimes and decidedly family-focused fare on offer…
It’s said that actors should never work with children or animals, presumably because of their unpredictability and the extra work this requires.
Stories illuminate the truth, lies hide it; that’s just one of the lessons audiences of all ages can take from Suhayla El-Bushra’s energetic new adaptation of The Arabian N…
Constella OperaBallet return to the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells this November with their award-winning Sideshows.
Award-winning artist; Bafta-winning TV presenter; Reith Lecturer and bestselling author with traditional masculine traits including having the desire to “always be right and …
It’s mildly amusing to see two grown men briefly falling into a childish bragging-match about their fathers—one a retired Church of Scotland minister, the other a former Bis…
“We’re beautiful, wild, free and full of joy,” say the titular Maids, Solange and Claire, towards the close of Jean Genet’s 1947 drama, courtesy of Martin Crimp’s 1999…
There’s a wonderful clarity to Linda McLean’s short play Thingummy Bob, a firm favourite with Scotland’s leading theatre company for people with learning disabilities, Lung H…
“Lavender Menace”, according to Wikipedia, were “an informal group of lesbian radical feminists formed to protest the exclusion of lesbians and lesbian issues from the fem…
There were a lot of expectation around this new Wales Millennium Centre production of Manfred Karge’s one-woman play, Man to Man.
There’s little obvious theatrical artifice on show; just four actors, in casual clothes, sitting or lying on the plain black floor of an empty stage as the audience comes in.
There’s no doubting the raw energy and physicality of this show, a work of dance theatre that definitely prefers choreography to speech, and uses it—along with some pretty st…
Site specific theatre is nothing new in Scotland; from the numerous innovative creations by the likes of Grid Iron Theatre Company to much of the work by the “without walls” …
Historically speaking, the original “Damned Rebel Bitches” were—according to the “butcher” Duke of Cumberland—the Jacobite women who marched behind their men in order…
During the early years of the British Broadcasting Corporation, its first Director-General Lord Reith established the BBC’s mission as being to “inform, educate and entertai…
Given that she’s such a much-loved public entertainer, an all-too-obvious challenge in creating a musical based on the early life of the late Cilla Black—born Priscilla Mari…
From pin-drop delicacy to infectious grooves that leave you smiling, this renowned singer-songwriter brings you songs of love and seafood with some very special guest appearances.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
America’s Got Talent winner, ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, heads to Fringe for three nights only, fresh from headline shows in Las Vegas, with a sparkling new show featuring his all-s…
The award winning & brilliantly imaginative Paul F Taylor is BACK.
Join us for a Burns Night with a difference! Revisit old favourites and discover more about Scotland’s bard in this light-hearted performance of his much loved songs and poems.
This play, set against the historically accurate backdrop of the first day of the Somme, features fictitious soldiers from the Durham Pals regiment, preparing for the big push.
Heart-warming, laugh-out-loud comedy delivered in the most relatable way.
For one night only! ‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (SingOut.
The life of Elvis Presley told through 17 women: some enthralled, some appalled, all obsessed! From Tupelo, Mississippi where 12-year-old Elvis wanted a BB gun instead of a guitar,…
Classical music close up where wriggling is allowed.
If you had to pick one writer to sum up the inventive spirit of the post-war transatlantic era, you could hardly do better than Paul Auster.
Join us for traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy with the renowned choir, organ and congregation of this historic church, directed by City and University Organist Dr John Kitchen.
Join us for traditional Choral Evensong and Benediction with the renowned choir, organ and congregation of this historic Anglican Catholic Church.
Part confessional monologue, part lecture and part nostalgic trip back to the days of the BBC’s Jackanory, there’s no doubt that There Were Two Brothers is a funny, personal—…
World-renowned Elgarian Sir Andrew Davis conducts a rarely heard masterpiece: Elgar’s Viking cantata Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf.
There’s a real sense of excitement in the run-up to Stand By, not least thanks to the slightly-unusual venue—inside an Army Reserve Centre in the north of the New Town.
Brought to you by EnjoyMedia Cultural Company, Carry King is a visually striking, experimental piece of theatre.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
After sell-out shows at last year’s Fringe and Celtic Connections festivals, Bwani Junction return with their joyful rendition of Paul Simon’s Graceland album.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
This startling, if indistinct production from Mind the Gap, England’s largest learning disability theatre company, gets straight to its point, with cast members slipping into ‘…
New for 2017! Not featuring televised comedians or Fringe legends, just friendly unknowns being friendly.
Paul Savage gets himself into good places, and then blows it all up.
There’s nothing that says ‘Edinburgh Festival Fringe’ quite like the portrayal of sex on stage: that said, compared with many of the thousands of shows in Edinburgh this August, …
East London’s premier rapper of first world problems invites you to join his crew for a chart rundown of fist-pumping therapy for modern living.
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…
Upbeat Gordon Southern may dress like the kind of supply teacher that the kids love to bully (his words) but, despite his repeated mantra of ‘Not Laughing, Learning’, his lates…
Unwritten, according to the flyer, is ‘a secret history of Scotland’; specifically, though, it uses the individual experiences of three disabled people to talk about Inclusive …
With Hollywood’s recent adaptation of his works, the name JRR Tolkien has come to be associated with huge spectacle and epic scope.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
The Californian pianist and composer’s improvisational flights through bebop and beyond – sometimes highly structured, sometimes wild – are rhapsodic, heartfelt and boldly melo…
One night can change your life.
Ever wondered what would happen if karaoke had consequences? If Stars in Their Eyes involved real glory in front of a baying, boozed-up Gladiator-style crowd? Well wonder no more, …
A brand-new show from this hairy idiot man-child, strap in for more fun and nonsense as the entire audience is taken by the hand into a true circus of silly.
“I need more light,” our protagonist Caravaggio says at one point, and it’s fair to say that the 16th century Italian’s use of light and darkness is one of his paintings’…
The Carole King Story premiers at the Fringe to take you on an incredible journey through the career of the six-time Grammy Award winner and 20-time platinum hit-maker.
What would an unpublished Agatha Christie mystery be like if, by some strange quirk of fate, its editor had given it over to P G Wodehouse for a final literary polish? Well, thanks…
Zinnie Harris has five plays on in Edinburgh this August, including two within the Edinburgh International Festival’s theatre programme.
The summer is coming.
Award-winning performer Paula Valluerca, aka Madame Señorita, is committed to reconnect with the pleasure of being a totally deluded idiot.
Andrew Doyle has, allegedly, lost quite a few friends this last year.
It might seem all-too-witty for a SCRABBLE World Champion, when asked by the media for “a few words” on his victory, to admit ‘I don’t really know any’.
When you see Leo Kearse — and you should — there’s a very good chance it’ll be a four-star experience.
To hell with the consequences! Jon loves jumping in feet first when it comes to the big decisions.
If the illustrious names that have performed as part of The Rat Pack Presents is a guide, then it is worth heading along to the Cabaret Voltaire during this year’s festival.
Paul Revill, Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year 2014, returns to the Fringe with his debut hour.
The blurb suggests this is a show about nothing, but amidst the surreal humour there is a deeper meaning.
Wakefield’s poet son may have a self-confessed tendency for lewd social observation but Matt Abbott is also an unpretentious recorder of life in the raw, with a talent for coming…
This acclaimed show from award-winning Australian theatre company Sisters Grimm clearly aims to put the “lion” back in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, through a startlingly …
Time and again during Zinnie Harris’s new adaptation of Eugène Ionesco’s famous farce, people tell each other not to be absurd.
Star of Impractical Jokers (BBC Three).
The truth about fairy tales, all too often forgotten by us grown-ups, is that the best ones are meant to be scary, albeit in an ultimately reassuring context.
Very much in the spirit of the Fringe, Phill Jupitus steps out of his comfort zone with a show of improvisational comedy that sees him inhabit two wonderfully diverse characters th…
When Phill Jupitus commits to the Fringe, he does so 100 per cent.
The alternative RSC’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s works might more succinctly be titled Shakespeare: The Pantomime.
Confession time: I’ve never been a fan of The Smiths or Morrissey.
Ding dong the witch is back! Multi award-winning Fringe sensation Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho returns with the most fabulous game show of all! Join the Iron Lady for songs, gam…
One figure doesn’t appear in Performers, Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh’s new play inspired by some of the behind-the-scenes stories surrounding the making of 1970 cult film Pe…
Given that so much of the stand-up comedy you’ll find on the Fringe is blatantly autobiographical—at least to some extent—it’s not surprising that a lot of Jamie MacDonald�…
Thanks to the numerous adventures of Sherlock Holmes, we arguably don’t have the best impression of the Victorian Police Detective—especially when it comes to either their inte…
Culminating in an audience member punching a stuffed monkey named Jonnie whilst Paul Foot shouts ridiculous syncopated mottos about equality for all mankind, this show provides alm…
Fundamental Theater Project’s Dickless is a tale of rumours, girls, a headless cat and bizarre sexual conquests in the small-town of Dunningham.
You are what you eat.
When a comedian comes on clutching notes you would expect that you were about to watch something that was underdeveloped and in need of refinement.
After sold out Fringe shows in 2014 and 2015, Angela Barnes is back with a new routine that is, at times, remarkably and worryingly prescient.
Snowflake, a new play written and directed by the former Artistic Director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, Mark Thomson, feels a necessity to explain its title right from th…
Anna Mann is, according to herself, the greatest actress of her generation—a quote she can now legitimately edit for future Fringe posters with no fear of censor.
South African-born, New Zealand-based award-winning Urzila Carlson’s natural, straight up style has audiences eating out of her hand the moment she takes the stage.
Time has not withered Moira Bell, Alan Bissett’s 2009 tribute to the hard-working, hard-playing, straight-talking working class women of Scotland, and Falkirk in particular.
Ed Byrne’s latest show is based around the notion that as a generation we are all spoilt.
A two-woman show starring only one woman – not a typo but the conceit at the centre of the latest show by Canadian actress and interactive artist Laurence Dauphinais.
Theatre today increasingly falls into one of two broad camps.
It’s a hard task to sum up quite what The Andy Field Experience is about without using the words surreal and odd.
The King is back, long live the King.
There’s one point during Geoff Norcott’s latest show when it really flies, when you sense he really has most of the audience on his side — even though at least one or two of …
The art of the comedic double act is a difficult one and its success largely based on chemistry between the two performers.
Much as it is a pleasure to discover a hidden gem amongst the mass of shows in Edinburgh, there’s also something very reassuring about having a list of reliable prospects.
In 2011, Charly Clive and Ellen Robertson were women without a mission.
The award-winning comedian Alasdair Beckett-King is legendary, in that there is little historical evidence he exists.
It’s four years since Rob Lloyd first brought this autobiographical, Doctor Who-related show to Edinburgh.
Burly Glaswegian stand-up Scott Agnew has for many years joked about “blow-job knee”—wear and tear arising from too much time on his knees providing oral sex.
Given the way that Jan Ravens effortlessly reels off her startling array of impressions it begs the question why it has taken so long for her to branch out on her own.
Choose Your Battles is Lucy Porter’s 11th Edinburgh Show and it’s a wonderfully crafted hour that is both funny and, at times, a poignant look at someone who goes out of their way …
Returning to Edinburgh for a 7th year, All The King’s Men are the voices that are defining a genre.
It’s 54 years since the last conscripted British citizens returned to civilian life after completing their National Service.
From the team behind Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs comes a brand new adaptation of David Walliam’s children’s book The First Hippo on the Moon.
Victor Hugo once said “You can resist an invading army; you cannot resist an idea whose time has come.
Many an article’s been written on how the gay scene appears dominated by drugs and sex.
“Ah yes.
Alan Bennett’s Bed Amongst the Lentils is one of the great observational pieces from the master wordsmith’s influential Talking Heads series.
The finals of the Great Yorkshire Fringe New Comedian of the Year competition as ever throw up a talented assortment of acts.
There is a tongue planted firmly in cheek with this affectionate tribute to the music of the Carpenters and in particular the legacy of Richard, forever doomed to be the “other�…
The show that offended a thousand piglets is back.
There’s a lot wrong with the world at the moment, but I reckon if you gave everyone a ukulele then you could go a long way to curing all that’s troubling.
Everyone's favourite rags-to-riches story, in a beautifully adapted ballet version for children aged three upwards.
A site specific, immersive play invites the audience into Danni’s student flat for pre-drinks and Ring of Fire with her best friend, Jack.
“O, what a tangled web we weave,” Sir Walter Scott wrote in his epic poem Marmion, “when first we practise to deceive!” It’s a life lesson we can only hope unfortunat…
A marriage isn’t just the joining of two people, or even two families—it marks the coming together of two communities.
Much-loved guitarist, Paul Gregory, returns to perform a solo recital of J.
It’s fair to say that Bounce!, created and performed by French company Arcosm, is a delightfully playful blend of music and dance, performed with real skill and alleged wild a…
Recent years have seen a significant rise in the number of (usually) London theatre productions being transmitted live to cinemas and other venues across the UK.
Join us for some drag king cabaret by the seaside as we celebrate the bois from previous King of the Fringe competitions.
Brighton’s Storyland Press is a place where the story comes first, regardless of genre or where it sits on the commercial/literary spectrum.
At one point during Glory on Earth, its two main characters—stage right, the young, romantic Mary, Queen of Scots; stage left, the firebrand Protestant preacher John Knox—ar…
Alasdair Beckett-King is a legendary comedian, in that there is little historical evidence he exists.
An original musical & gastromonical journey from the 5th Century settlement of Boerthlelm’s Tun to Brighton in 1795, with affectionate portraits of the colourful inhabitants of 24 …
“Keep going,” actor Andy Clark says repeatedly to the musicians behind the glass screen in the unsubtly-named Limbo Studio created on stage, ensuring that we find our seats …
Andy Quirk and Andy Onions go halves on a uniquely energetic and entertaining comedy show.
Escaped psychiatric patient Kevin Haggerty is not pleased about his diagnosis, even less pleased about being on a section of the Mental Health Act and distinctly upset about being …
Paul Prem Nadama is a singer-songwriter-guitarist of beautiful, soulful acoustic songs, with a new-age twist.
In 1983, the BBC published a retrospective about “the first 25 years” of the by-then globally famous BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
“The true mystery of the world is the visible .
The London-born artist Joan Eardley, who settled in Scotland to study and whose artistic career was cut short when she died—aged 42—in 1963, is best known for two very diffe…
The 306: Day is the second of a three play trilogy instigated by the National Theatre of Scotland, inspired by the stories of the 306 British soldiers that we know were executed…
Paul Revill, Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year 2014, heads to Brighton Fringe with his debut hour.
This is Richard II as you’ve never seen him before, in a purple shell-suit wielding power over his puppet kingdom with subjects that range from beautiful two foot high hand carve…
This is a homecoming, of sorts; the revival of a play, first performed at Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre back in 1989, which subsequently enjoyed successful productions in the West …
“I used to be Shirley Valentine,” explains the focus of Willy Russell’s 1986 one-woman play; a 42 year old Liverpudlian woman who, now that the children have flown …
The comedic tone of David Weir’s Confessional is clear from the start; as Schubert’s beautiful Ave Marie fades into silence, “Good Catholic” Kevin—or, as he puts it, th…
There’s much to admire, to even love, in Douglas Maxwell’s new play at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum; a script full of humour and subtle characterisation, if not always …
Based on the first novel of The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster and the graphic novel by Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli.
After a sell out show at Theatre503 in November of 2016, Foreign Goods returns with ‘Visions of England’ in April 2017 featuring fully-formed short plays by Chinese, South East…
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s debut novel has become so iconic in Western culture that the word “Frankenstein” is now used pejoratively to describe any scientific o…
If the usual writerly advice is to always “show, not tell”, then biography is arguably one of the few artistic forms where a certain amount of direct author-to-audience expl…
The Biblical narrative that is the foundation of the Christian faith has been described, on numerous occasions, as “The Greatest Story Ever Told.
Children’s entertainer Jango Starr is a total clown, but that’s certainly not meant as a criticism; sans white-face, he instead relies on a pair of trousers just sufficientl…
Almost at the start, Gilchrist Muir—here inhabiting the tweed suit of our lecturer, Glasgow University-based Theoretical Zombiologist Dr Ken House—insists that Zombies are no…
A young girl, annoyed by being made fun of by her seven older brothers, joins in the family’s evening game of throwing stones and unintentionally shatters the sun from the sky…
From the start of his exploration of the scientific method, through the prism of the 17th century rivalry between Isaac Newton and the now little-remembered Robert Hooke, playwr…
In one sense, this Lyceum revival of Caryl Churchill’s 2002 play is exactly the “dynamic two-hander” described in the programme: the only actors on stage are Peter Forbes,…
The symbolism is hardly subtle; when we enter the Traverse Theatre’s principal performance space, we have to choose which side of a massive shipping container we sit next to.
There’s always a risk attempting to present previously “unknown” stories as theatre.
I’m not a fan of promenade performances, especially those involving the audience being led in a group from one set piece to another.
Science Fiction isn’t the most common genre you find on stage; ironic, really, since it was Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.
Paul Carrack is one the UK’s great singer songwriters and multi-instrumentalists.
Dominic Hill, artistic director of Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre, apparently doesn’t like to constrain any theatrical experience with the blunt instrument of a rising or falling c…
Evan Placey’s Girls Like That (first performed at London’s Unicorn Theatre three years ago) came to Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre—courtesy of the neighbouring Lyceum Thea…
There’s much to love about this new touring production of La Cage Aux Folles; gloriously Technicolor™ sets, gorgeous costumes, tight choreography, clearly enunciated sin…
Three-quarters of a century on, there are still stories of the Second World War that aren’t as well known as they should, but Stuart Hepburn’s new play—while promoted as t…
The old showbiz adage that “the show must go on” is usually invoked—in the aftermath of some behind-the-scenes calamity—before curtain-up, but the point of The Play That…
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…
The writer and historian James Truslow Adams once defined the “American Dream” as the potential for life to be “better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity …
3pm-4pm The first show of the day will feature about as wide a variety of improvisation styles as one could ask for, with three groups that could not be more different from each o…
Set against the majesty of the Serengeti Plains to the evocative rhythms of Africa, this spectacular production explodes with glorious colours, stunning effects and enchanting musi…
Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale has all the characteristics of a Tragedy, as we speedily witness the horrendous consequences of King Leontes’ groundless jealousy for pregnant …
“I’m so excited”—that iconic 1982 hit by the Pointer Sisters—is an apt intro to a show with a predominantly female audience that’s already wound up to have a good ti…
“Not a circus, it’s a Berserkus!” Cirque Berserk! boldly comes with two USPs.
18 years after her death, “blue-eyed soul singer” Dusty Springfield remains many things to many people—not least a gay icon, thanks to her emotional fragility and memorabl…
If politics is about people—specifically the ever-fluctuating power imbalances between people in different situations—then Federico García Lorca was right to focus his “po…
There is, ironically enough, a lot that’s incredibly old-fashioned about Thoroughly Modern Millie; it’s a feel-good, song and dance show about a young gold-digger who, while se…
You can always feel a particular kind of excitement in an auditorium, before “curtain up”, when a significant proportion of the audience are (a) less than five years old, an…
Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland isn’t known for its plot; in fact, it’s essentially a succession of wonderfully fanciful sketches which happen to share …
In Sartre’s existential drama, three characters are placed in a mysterious room with no way out.
As titles go, Picnic at Hanging Rock is a fine conflation of the innocent and disturbing, although the cultural impact of Joan Lindsay’s novel is arguably more down to Peter W…
Pantomime, as we’re reminded by the Ambassador Theatre Group’s pre-show video (narrated by Brian Blessed), is a peculiarly British theatrical tradition, although it’s a sha…
“I can be pretty dim, sometimes,” says Sion Pritchard as Tom, an office-working film school graduate who doesn’t, initially, come across as particularly sympathetic.
Scottish writer Stuart Paterson now has a back catalogue of sufficient scale to warrant a revival or two; his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s George’s Marvellous Medicine is curre…
It’s a brave show which starts with the words: “I don’t like it.
Inside Out Theatre’s second pantomime for relatively news arts venue Websters (located in Glasgow’s Kelvinbridge area) is another self-consciously low-rent production which …
Reviewing Mamma Mia! almost feels like a lost cause; it’s an unstoppable global phenomenon and, if this touring production—setting up home in the Edinburgh Playhouse for Chri…
There’s no doubting the energy in Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre before this show starts; many kids are already singing along to a soundtrack of current chart hits.
As a rule, the best children’s stories—be they novels, comics or TV shows—all inspire the same question: “What on Earth were they taking when they came up with that?” …
“Small boys are not to be trusted,” says the titular George’s gleefully malevolent Grandma in this new production—by Dundee Rep’s Associate Artistic Director Joe Dougla…
The master of the English ghost story, M R James, once described Irish author Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu as “absolutely in the first rank” among supernatural storyteller…
First performed in 1775, Sheridan’s The Rivals remains surprisingly relevant, not least thanks to its inter-generational conflict.
You get a strong sense of what Jumpy is going to be like from Jean Chan’s impressive set—two jumbled piles of household goods, surrounded by an off-kilter frame of plain wall…
A risk when putting any historical figure on stage—let alone a writer and thinker of the calibre of Dr Samuel Johnson—is that using their own words makes them appear less a …
It’s not every play that starts with a reaffirmation of one of the basic fundamentals of theatre: that things which aren’t true can be imagined, and that what can be imagine…
“It’s quite comfortable being old,” 80 year old actor Tim Barlow tells us at the start of his latest one-man show, a work co-devised with the writer Sheila Hill.
For at least some of its audience, it’s enough that Grain in the Blood reunites actors Blythe Duff and John Michie—long-time compatriots on STV’s Taggart.
There’s no hanging about with Morna Pearson’s Walking On Walls; when the lights come up, we see a bespectacled woman observing a man who’s bound on an office chair, tape a…
This one-man show, written and performed by Gary McNair, won lots of praise during its initial run as part of the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
It was the head-to-head that, even at the time, seemed almost unthinkable; a televised face-off between British chat-show host David Frost—certainly at the time not exactly kn…
We’re somewhere among the Western Isles, and at least a thousand years back in time.
Edinburgh-based Grid Iron Theatre Company has long specialised in creating immersive, site-specific theatre.
If you’re a student theatre company with somewhat limited resources, but still want to try your hand at a reasonably successful Broadway musical, then [title of show] is argua…
Children are often said to be the most “difficult”—or, to put it another way, most honest—theatre audience performers are ever likely to face: they’re not “adult” …
In ancient Greece, it was the practice before any theatrical performance to name those citizens who had financed it, and for a respected citizen to give “the libation” to th…
Among the gifts bestowed on the world by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the one-hour slot, into which everything—stand-up, spoken word, circus, dance or drama—has become s…
R C Sherriff’s Journey’s End, inspired by his own experiences of life in the trenches during the First World War, stands as an authoritative exploration of men “in extremis…
It’s fitting, in the weeks running up to the latest Arctic Circle Assembly (running from 7-9 October in Reykjavik, Iceland) that the team behind A Play, a Pie and a Pint opted…
Fife’s Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote, has become one of Scotland’s most acclaimed and prolific singer-songwriters: a squeezebox Casanova and a seafaring pop heart-breaker who…
For one night only! ‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (SingOut.
Edinburgh Fringe veteran, Perrier nominee, co-founder of the Comedy Store Players, multiple BAFTA-winning Horrible Histories songwriter, inadvertent creator of the phrase ‘comedy i…
A scintillating 13-piece live band, featuring percussion and brass sections and fronted by Stu Goodall pay reverence to the songs of Paul Simon with an explosive show.
Performed by a company of young actors, this is a credible adaptation of Shakespeare’s rarely performed King John that revels in the high stakes of its historical narrative.
Paul Kelly has recorded over 20 albums as well as several film soundtracks.
One of Ireland’s most respected, best-loved singers, this renowned international entertainer, ‘a mixture of all the great voices of the 20th century’ (Guardian), has few peers for …
James VII (reigned 1685-8), Scotland’s last Catholic king, was overthrown by his son-in-law William of Orange in the revolution of 1688-9.
One of Ireland’s most respected, best-loved singers, this renowned international entertainer, ‘a mixture of all the great voices of the 20th century’ (Guardian), has few peers for …
Shoot the Women First revolves around a mercenary company.
Apparently, even circuses nowadays feel a need to satisfy the public’s desire to glimpse behind the scenes, to smell the greasepaint and discover how the magic happens.
Upstairs Downton and Petting Zoo (‘Improv supergroup’ TimeOut) star creates a staggering array of characters using his mouth, brain, hands and body.
This is a true story.
Join us for traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir, organ and congregation of this historic Anglican Catholic Church.
Join us for traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy with the renowned choir, organ and congregation of this historic church, directed by City and University Organist Dr John Kitchen.
From pin-drop delicacy to infectious grooves that leave you smiling.
Later, considerably ruder and darker shows from internationally acclaimed, award-winning Scottish stand-up comedy meteor.
In this one-performer play by writer Donald Smith, actor Robin Thomson plays King James – at once James VI of Scotland and James I of England.
Paul Merton returns to the Edinburgh Fringe this year with an improvised comedy show.
The music of Egberto Gismonti is like a microcosm of his native Brazil – diverse, joyful and unique.
There’s something wonderfully uncluttered and unpretentious about this particular wander down literary lane from the Mercators, one of Edinburgh’s oldest amateur drama clubs.
Mason King’s Mind Control mixes card tricks, deception and mind-reading into just under an hour of delving into the human psyche.
Paul Foot pits two teams against each other, discussing a series of real-life, perilous, yet bizarre situations and attempting to work out which of Paul’s unusual items will save…
Paul Wady’s unique and controversial mass autism conversion show returns for a second year.
Offbeat one-liners, flights of fancy and a totally absurd storyline from surrealist fool and NATY 2013 winner, Paul F Taylor.
A gloriously friendly show packed with hopes, dreams, snacks and drums.
The show’s stated theme is a philosophical discussion of how we end up where we end up, In actual fact this thread isn’t really followed up.
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.
Back for his seventh Edinburgh Fringe, comedy magician and juggler Robbie Cockburn is here with a brand new stage show Badinage.
Almost twenty years ago, Guy Ritchie changed the landscape of British cinema with his love letter to the charismatic psychopaths of the East End underbelly Lock, Stock and Two Smok…
It’s pretty clear what kind of show we’re about to see when – as it becomes obvious that there isn’t actually a sufficient number of seats for all of the audience that’s …
There’s a certain size and scale that one gets used to at the Fringe.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
It’s apt, if a little predictable, that the pre-show music Doug Segal selects for his latest Fringe show is the classic James Brown track I Feel Good.
Comedian Paul Johnson guides his two sons through first loves, playground fights, youth sports and the timeless longing to fit in and be one of the cool kids – an urge Paul still…
New work is at the heart of the Fringe experience; new work by new companies all the more so.
When deciding on a show to bring to the Fringe, you have two main choices: one, a piece of new writing - exciting and impactful but harder to market - or two, a take on a classic -…
“Poggle’s not scared of climbing trees,” we’re told early on in this beautifully clear and uncluttered piece of vibrant dance theatre aimed at very young children.
Northern Irish master of surreal nonsense and bohemian clownarchist.
Trust me, Fringe magic still happens.
Some stupid adults, having forgotten what it’s actually like to be children, are often surprised, disturbed and horrified by the serious issues lurking in the heart of the most s…
It’s clearly an uncomfortable time of life for Jo Caulfield; a succession of musical heroes have died, she’s moved from middle-class Morningside to somewhat more “cosmopolita…
The gamut of performers at Fringe brings with it a spectrum of experience; from shiny new student companies, powering forward on naive enthusiasm and off-brand energy drinks, to ve…
For a comedian with such a cult following, renowned for surrealist originality, I was very excited about my first encounter with Paul Foot’s comedy.
Throughout history, every generation has thought they would witness the end of the world.
Ding dong, the witch isn’t dead! And this time it’s definitely cause for celebration! After her previous success as an ‘international cabaret superstar’ Maggie is back in b…
Adele Cliff and Tom Mayhew are hosting a joint party and don’t want to be alone.
Theatre audiences are, for the most part, quite comfortable with their self-assigned role of secret voyeurs of the people on stage who go about their lives with no apparent knowled…
Andrew Doyle has now brought five solo shows to Edinburgh, each noticeably different in style and tone; even Doyle’s on-stage persona has shifted somewhat from one year to the ne…
Paul Revill, Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year 2014, returns to the Fringe with his debut hour.
Tim Renkow has a handy tip for anyone who feels uncomfortable around him as a result of his cerebral palsy.
In Paul Duncan McGarrity’s eighth show at the Fringe, Ask An Archaeologist, interesting and funny are blended to create a must see stand-up at the heart of the Free Fringe Festiv…
While categorised in the Fringe programme under theatre, this work – created and directed by Kai Fischer with contributions from its cast – is certainly not a play, at least in…
There are two ways to reach the small room where UK-based American character comedian Will Franken is performing.
Aidan Goatley’s stand-up show isn’t, despite its title, about ELO; indeed, there’s no obvious guarantee that he will get round to telling us why he chose one of that band’s…
Despite the commanding tone of his show’s title, John Gordillo doesn’t actually come across as a fan of Capitalism as an economic and social system.
Underbelly’s largest venue is the huge tent – shaped like an purple cow tipped onto its back – that this year has been transplanted into the western half of George Square Gar…
Bob drives his BlundaBus around Europe looking for adventures.
Just one glance at this year’s stuffed-to-bursting wedge of a programme is enough to see that there are bewildering array of performance disciplines represented at this year’s …
Alistair Williams is a bit of a lad.
“Orthodox”, according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, is an adjective that suggests “following or conforming to the traditional or generally accepted rules or belie…
“Every woman is a riot,” is roughly painted on the wall behind the stage area of this hidden-away New Town bar’s seldom used attic space.
The word “fabulous” is defined as being extraordinary and wonderful, and having no basis in reality.
Star of Impractical Jokers (BBC Three), Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC Three), and Stand Up Central (Comedy Central), Paul returns with a brand new stand-up show.
Several years ago, a couple of wannabe stand-ups decided to do a Free Fringe show based around some of the odd things their respective fathers had said and done down the years.
There’s an anarchic edge to the Trash Test Dummies – as might be expected from a circus troupe who go on to perform a succession of tricks and humorous gymnastics using that mo…
In a festival saturated with comedy shows about Shakespeare, the Reduced Shakespeare Company continue to reign supreme as the undisputed masters at reimagining the Bard into hilari…
My name is Lara and I broke the law.
Fresh from London, Boston, New York performances, returning to Edinburgh for a sixth year.
Story Pocket Theatre bring Michael Morpurgo’s novel about King Arthur to life with a solid and enjoyable production.
Scott Agnew is looking good, these days; whether that’s down to him drinking less is unclear, though it’s clearly a bit of a culture shock on the night of this review as it’s…
Geoff Norcott, as he points out quite early on in his set, has not been seen on television.
The sharp-suited David Mills is already seated on stage when his audience comes in, chatting with us, riffing along to a Barry Manilow hit; while he later insists that the role in …
When life gives you lemons, those with an optimistic, can-do attitude invariably suggest you make lemonade.
Mikey and Addie is a story about two pre-teen kids who couldn’t be more different – Mikey’s life is all about imagination and play, while Addie’s is focused on enforcing rule…
Tom Neenan appears to be making his way through the genres with his one-man/many characters shows: Edwardian ghost story in 2014, and 1950s-styled British science fiction thriller …
A lot has happened to Boris Johnson since Boris: World King’s runaway success at last year’s Fringe.
Improv comedy is a tricky beast - when it’s good, it’s very, very good; when it’s bad, it’s pointless.
Pretend news reporter Jonathan Pie – the creation of actor Tom Walker – has risen to public attention, during the last year, thanks to a succession of videos on YouTube which a…
Paul McMullan’s debut fringe show is stuffed full of clever insights into the world of British drinking culture and its potentially destructive nature.
Puppet pioneers Flabbergast Theatre have made an interesting move this year, establishing their own dedicated performance space, The Omnitorium, within the confines of Assembly Ge…
Male stand up comedians from certain parts of Glasgow often face a significant impediment; they can’t help but sound like Billy Connolly, and so inevitably find themselves compar…
I’m sure we’re all used to growing the Fringe brochure and seeing shows with enigmatic titles which tell you nothing about the eventual content.
There’s surely no better sign that mental health issues – and depression in particular – are becoming more openly discussed than for the likes of Colin Hoult to come along an…
Some things never change; despite more than a decade performing stand-up, Laurence Clark still opens his set by drawing attention to his cerebral palsy: “This is just how I talk.
Making a musical out of poetic animal stories aimed at children is nothing new but, while Andrew Lloyd Webber opted to turn T S Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats int…
If theatre is all about holding a mirror up to ourselves, then Tales From the Hanging Captain certainly makes the grade – it’s the first performance piece arising from the thr…
The Wee One starts with a scenario familiar enough from numerous television sitcoms – a couple well into middle-age who appear to be stuck with an adult child who has failed t…
Strange Town is an Edinburgh-based company which offers opportunities for young people between the ages of five and 25 to fulfil their creative potential though drama and perfor…
There’s a definite shift in the second play in this double bill from Edinburgh-based theatre company Strange Town.
A selection of pieces dealing with current day issues.
Part of the attraction of seeing magic tricks performed well – beyond the sheer spectacle – is trying to work out how they’re done.
“The here and the now is wow!” we’re told at the start of Broken Dreams.
There’s a simple idea at the heart of Australian company cre8ion’s show Fluff; rescuing and giving a new home to lost and abandoned toys.
Straight from London’s comedy duo ‘Carroll and Hodgson!’ Paul brings his absurd and sometimes downright nasty characters to life in this one hour spurt of bad language, bad d…
Traces is a theatre show with no obviously clear-cut beginning or end; if there’s a start at all, it might be when the two principal performers – Marko Werner and Michael Lur…
Sometimes words feel unworthy of the task when it comes to describing and reviewing a performance, especially a dance-piece as vibrant, colourful and joyous as this.
This is a true story.
This is a true story.
On 4th July 1845 – Independence Day, suitably enough – the young Henry David Thoreau went into the woods at Walden Pond, near the town of Concord, Massachusetts, and lived t…
There is much more to history than just learning dates and facts.
The physical core of the The Little Gentleman is a large wooden crate, addressed to the show’s venue, which is slowly revealed to include numerous small doors and openings from…
Alasdair Beckett-King - “One to Watch” (Time Out) - is a legendary comedian, in that there is little historical evidence he exists.
She fought her way into the record business as a teenager and, by the time she reached her twenties, had the husband of her dreams and a flourishing career writing hits for the big…
Adele Cliff and Tom Mayhew are hosting a birthday party, and you’re all invited! Come along for party games and lots of laughs - with special guest Catherine Bohart.
Winner! 4 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical! Tony Award® winner Kelli O’Hara (The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific) and Jose Llana (Here Lies Love) star in a magni…
Touring stand-up George Egg has spent – and, presumably, continues to spend – a lot of his life in hotels the length and breadth of the UK.
Never, ever underestimate the stupidity of the rich and powerful; that’s certainly one of the obvious lessons you can get from Liz Lochhead’s brilliantly funny take on the sc…
There are some incredible strengths in this latest production from Edinburgh’s most inspiring new theatre company.
A work-in-progress show from the star of BBC3’s ‘Impractical Jokers’ and ‘Russell Howard’s Good News’.
I must admit to feeling a tad confused after experiencing Dirty Dusting.
Glasgow-based Birds of Paradise Theatre Company continues to lead the way in producing theatre that’s fully accessible to people with physical and/or sensory impairments, both …
Brighton’s only drag king competition is back! It’s time for bois to become men as they battle it out to win the crown (and 100 quid)! Expect a night of bulging biceps, protruding …
All theatre requires some degree of “suspension of disbelief”.
Surreal one-liners, flights of fancy and a totally absurd storyline from the NATY 2013 winner.
A show inspired by Hetty King (an emblematic, early 20th century drag king), which embraces the possibility of women making connections across stages, in time.
A show inspired by Hetty King (an emblematic early 20th-century drag king), which embraces the possibility of women making connections across stages, in time.
Join Brighton Comedy Festival Squawker Awards finalist Paul Jones, as he presents his guide to parenting for nerds.
London-based comedian Paul Laight and guests deliver a free hour of jokes, puns, observations and a song or two about the horrors of everyday life.
They say you should never meet your heroes.
During the 2008 Spring Season of “A Play, A Pie and A Pint” at Glasgow’s Òran Mór, writer and director Selma Dimitrijevic presented audiences with a delicate, poignant e…
This is the second time Michael Pennington has donned the crown of Lear and this time it’s a Lear clearly made for a 21st Century audience; cut down and pacey.
It’s not immediately obvious where Second Hand is located; Jonathan Scott’s set for this latest production in the Spring 2016 season of “A Play, a Pie and a Pint”, at Gl…
It says something about us as a species that one of our oldest myths, crystallised in the form of Homer’s epic poem Iliad, is about war – specifically the bloody climax of th…
Theatrical serendipity currently means that, after some masculine brutality set during the latter stages of the ancient siege of Troy (in the Royal Lyceum’s new adaptation of H…
As a playwright, David Edgar long ago sped past the number of plays written by Shakespeare, but it’s fair to say that – while often making a big impact at the time – not m…
First lines are important; as attention grabbers, but also as indicators of what’s to come, tonally at least.
Ring roads are not usually places you go to; they’re a means of avoiding congestion, of giving a wide berth to somewhere.
On 10 January 1992, the container ship Ever Laurel, several days out from Hong Kong en route to Tacoma, Washington, hit a storm in the North Pacific Ocean.
There’s are plenty of laughs in this imaginary conversation between King James VI of Scotland – preparing in March 1603 to make his stately progress south from the Palace of…
It has become traditional for Lung Ha Theatre Company – Scotland’s principal theatre group for people with learning disabilities – to present at least one large show every…
Giulia Rozzi debuts this clever take on the stand-up show.
A love-triangle comedy with a supernatural streak, this excellently cast new play by J.
Most of us come to fairy tales – folk tales in general – courtesy of their so-called “traditional” retellings by Disney or the local panto.
In the near-century since Czech writer Karel Capek first gave us the word “robot” (in his play R.
As a baby, Princess Aurora is cursed by the evil Carabosse: on her 16th birthday, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die.
It is a tad ironic that, initially, the most overpowering element in this new show from Stellar Quines Theatre Company – established in 1993 to “celebrates the energy, exper…
David Leddy’s apocalyptic fable International Waters certainly starts as it means to go on; loud and bold, with the memorable image of four gas-masked figures performing a tab…
Phil Differ is not someone you’d immediately recognise.
This fast rising and consistently delightful American tenor presents a wide-ranging recital of songs by composers including Schumann, Wolf, Berlioz and Villa-Lobos, as well as the …
Most theatre audiences have an anonymous – some might even suggest voyeuristic – role, viewing the action on stage from the safety of a darkened auditorium.
Brighton’s only drag king competition is back and tougher than ever! It’s time for bois to become men as they battle it out over three heats to make their way to the final.
In one sense this latest production from Edinburgh-based Blazing Hyena Theatre Company is nothing more than a theatrical game in which writer Jack Elliot creates a succession of…
Legendary Sheffield-born singer, songwriter and former frontman of Ace, Squeeze and Mike & The Mechanics returns to the road with his band in early 2016 for a 34-date UK tour v…
In Greek mythology, princess Iphigenia is the eldest daughter of King Agamemnon, sacrificed to the goddess Artemis in order to allow her father’s warships to sail off to Troy.
(performances begin on Thursday) It’s a royal spring at the Brooklyn Academy of Music when the Royal Shakespeare Company arrives with a quartet of celebrated productions: …
There’s a beautiful symmetry to this new production from Glasgow-based Birds of Paradise Theatre Company; the start and end deliberately remind us that the four disabled men o…
At the risk of sounding ageist, an immediate concern with any student theatre company taking on Shakespeare’s tragedy of tragedies, King Lear, is that it is in many respects a …
Drawing on contemporary sources, unsullied by Tudor propaganda, ‘Good King Richard’ dramatises for the very first time, the true events which propelled Richard III onto the thr…
I’ve long been a fan of Howard Phillips Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, in which an Antarctica exhibition uncovers the still-living legacy of a previously unknow…
With typical modesty (not), Glasgow-based Vanishing Point describe themselves as “Scotland’s foremost artist-led independent theatre company, internationally recognised and …
Steve N Allen (MC): “Apollo-quality live comedy” - ThreeWeeks Rhodders: Award winning radio presenter Rosie Holt: “disgustingly talented” - TheatreWales.
Arguably, the most important part of any Agatha Christie play doesn’t happen on the stage at all; it takes place in the rest of the theatre during the interval, when there’s…
The playwrights, directors, and actors who constitute the loose confederation that is the Village Pub Theatre once again moved in to the more upmarket, city central Traverse Thea…
The Village Pub Theatre’s second evening of short new dramas at the Traverse, in celebration of LGBT History Month, came with a wonderfully louche vibe, thanks to the easy MC-i…
Outside of the almost factory-like default setting of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s one hour time-slot (long-since exported around the world), it actually feels somewhat odd…
In the face of something terrible, we can either laugh or cry.
Mike Bartlett’s beautifully worded imagining of a constitutional crisis without a constitution invites us to witness the starkness of the Royal Family stripped bare whilst presen…
Valentine’s Day may have a cheesy reputation, but the heart-filled holiday has inspired plenty of great live comedy for devoted couples, optimistic daters and determinedly si…
In the run-up to Mike Bartlett’s play Cock opening at the Tron Theatre, a lot of people – myself included – clearly couldn’t help have some innocent adolescent fun with …
All theatre requires a certain suspension of disbelief, musical theatre even more so.
“Finished, it’s finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished.
Coming to a “classic” Agatha Christie whodunnit after a full day’s binging on the latest series of the BBC’s Silent Witness – oh, the life of a reviewer! – is, frank…
“A dastardly attempt was made in the early hours of yesterday morning by suffragists to fire and blow up Burns’s Cottage, Alloway, the birthplace of the national poet,” rep…
If there’s one moment in this new production of Conor McPherson’s The Weir that encapsulates the quality of its cast and director, it’s towards the close when a moment of …
Carole King, the chart-topping music legend, was an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent.
John F.
Strange Town is a theatre company based in Edinburgh which aims to “enable young people to fulfil their creative potential”, by providing five to 25 year olds with the opport…
At a time of year when most theatres across the land are bursting with colour, raucous laughter and the panto spirit, it’s typical of Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, long-esta…
When it comes to retelling Cinderella, two of the three most important roles in terms of plot and audience participation are Cinders’ best pal Buttons and her Fairy Godmother.
Like most of Scotland’s producing theatres, the Citizens Theatre does not, as a matter of principle, “do” panto.
The Classical Theater of Harlem’s new Christmas musical means to tug at the heartstrings, and it does — but thanks to the musical performances, not the formulaic story …
Pantomime is arguably the most self-aware and self-mocking of theatrical forms, with the most successful shows seeing cast and audience mutually shattering any metaphorical four…
To Breathe starts with its six performers standing in a circle, staring at the audience, just breathing.
“Smells like Seton Sands” is precisely the kind of line you expect in a pantomime at The Brunton theatre in Musselburgh; it’s hooked on local rivalries, and grounds the ubi…
There is an intrinsic roughness to this latest production from Edinburgh-based Blazing Hyena productions: performed “in the round” in a student bar within city’s Art College, th…
Beethoven’s final three piano sonatas are the subject of this White Light Festival event, featuring this British pianist of uncommon eloquence and depth.
“A truce is a truce, but war is war,” we’re told early on in Ben Blow’s history play focusing on the all-too-forgotten consequences of Robert the Bruce’s victory over …
The soprano Christine Brewer may disappoint some admirers of her sumptuous voice by not performing more often in opera.
The Construction Company, a 45-year-old arts organization, presents an evening of new and revivified works by the veteran choreographers Sally Silvers and Kenneth King, as well as …
Leicester-born David Campton, who died in in 2006, was a prolific British dramatist, especially adept at writing thought-provoking one act plays that make us laugh as much as we …
“Juke-box musicals”, which essentially use existing songs as their musical score, may strike you as a relatively modern theatrical phenomena – think Mamma Mia! or We Will …
Panopticon, written and directed by second year University of Edinburgh student Liam Rees, is set in a women’s prison, into which well-meaning dramatist Julia comes to run a s…
“One day every company will fear a geek in a garage,” we’re told early on in Elliot Davis and James Bourne’s Loserville.
One of the strengths of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company during the last half-century has been its ongoing commitment to providing quality drama education and performance opport…
The first thing that strikes you about this new stage adaptation of William Golding’s classic dystopian novel is Jon Bausor’s astounding set: the huge section of a passenger…
The family at the heart of Nina Raine’s Tribes is liable, at least initially, to make you yearn for the exit.
“I must learn to keep my mouth shut when there’s an angel in the room.
A criticism sometimes made about Edinburgh – especially by Glaswegians – is that, while the city appears sophisticated and morally upstanding, this is just a facade hiding a …
(previews start on Saturday; opens on Nov.
Mr.
(previews start on Oct.
There are many good reasons for launching the celebratory 50th anniversary season of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre Company with a new production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiti…
Arguably the most significant work of new theatre from “north of the border” in recent years is the National Theatre of Scotland’s Black Watch, an excellent example of inve…
(performances start on Wednesday) The Emerald Isle meets the Big Apple in this festival devoted to work from Irish artists.
Through their use of improvisation and mime, backed with a fantastic live band (The Glue Ensemble), Cariad and Paul bring to life a series of hilarious stories, based solely on one…
Barry Bonaparte’s Travelling Circus is in trouble.
For one night only! ‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out).
Theatre is, for the most part, about telling stories with the aids of actors, scenery and props; in contrast, stand-up comedy is usually about a single person sharing their perspec…
Vesper Walk describe themselves as a “quirky five to eight piece band performing art-pop music in a gothic style.
Recent cinematic reboots notwithstanding, there’s arguably at least one generation of television viewers for whom Star Trek’s starship captain of choice is not James Tiberius K…
Glasgow-based Birds of Paradise Theatre Company is arguably Scotland’s most innovative and ground-breaking theatre company when it comes to exploring disability and producing ful…
Matt Abbott admits that poetry is a hard sell on the Fringe, impossible to talk about without coming across as pretentious – which may well explain why one of his bespoke marketi…
Every successful show needs a Unique Selling Point – or, put simply, a gimmick.
Donald Torr was, apparently, the best big brother any little girl could have, especially growing up on the outskirts of 1960s’ Aberdeen.
Let England Shake is a dark and funny performance full of good ideas and performed by a great all-female ensemble.
The best humour is the kind which refers to shared experiences Luckily, The King of Monte Cristo picks up on the stereotypes and personalities familiar to anyone who’s worked in …
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church close to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with renowned choir and organ.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction in the catholic Anglican style with the renowned choir and organ of this historic church close to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
For those of you not lucky enough to live in Edinburgh all year round, Village Pub Theatre (VPT) is a regular “let’s put the show on here” brand of new theatre based in the f…
From pin-drop delicacy to infectious grooves that leave you smiling.
Due to massive demand, six later, quite probably ruder, shows! Scotland’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning comedy half-man-half-Xbox.
Paul works as the Scottish agent for Keddie Scott Associates Ltd, a London based agency.
Become autistic.
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
The English have been typecast as imperial snobs, rule-bound, repressed, class-ridden, prejudiced – their racism cuts and scars.
The bard gets replaced by the baaard in Missouri Williams’ eccentric production King Lear With Sheep at The Courtyard Theatre.
Many religions insist that humanity was created in God’s image; others argue that, throughout history, the process has been the other way round.
Dr Niamh Shaw is that relatively rare thing – a skilled and engaging stage performer who also happens to be a scientist and engineer, with both a degree and PhD to her name.
A comedy show about comedy.
Some cabaret performers attempt to lull you into a false sense of security about what they do, but thankfully any audience finds out quickly enough what they’re going to get from…
The Creative Martyrs, that white-faced Laurel and Hardy of existential cabaret terrorism, are not men to be trifled with, as some rather talkative front-row audience members discov…
Paul Savage can’t sleep.
There are some shows that you just get a good feeling about from the moment you step into the theatre.
Where do letters and parcels go, when – because of an incomplete address, or lack of forwarding address – they can’t be delivered? According to Catherine Expósito and Marli …
Stephen Sondheim’s score for his self-described “black operetta” Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, must rank among his most complex and challenging works, if on…
Fancy Dress Fun – the brand new family sing-a-long show from Anya, Gary, Kevin and Bonzo (formerly of The Singing Kettle).
The Fringe is a place for new discoveries – the freshest, young talent rubbing shoulders with the world’s best at their craft.
A man is desperate for a job.
It’s easy to get lulled by the constant flow of shows at the Fringe, to give in the mid-afternoon slump and the heavy-eyed semi-slumber.
Block is a production that constantly surprises, though not always in ways that are comforting.
Sailor – he had a real name once, but he believes “Sailor” suits him now – is a street hustler, thief and raconteur; the illegitimate son of a prostitute who has taken up h…
Margaret Thatcher was – still is, two years after her death – a divisive figure, loved and hated in equal measure.
“Just go with the magic,” says one of the three singers on stage to a slightly reluctant compatriot.
It’s fitting that, given how this is the centenary of its original publication by Edinburgh-based publisher Blackwood’s, that at least one version of John Buchan’s classic th…
This play tells the story of Benji and Alf, next-door neighbours becoming best friends, bonded by their love of the titular ‘Fairly Tales’.
‘God, what a day’ is the first thing said to us by Scaramouche Jones, the red-nosed, white-faced clown who – sensing the ghosts of an audience in his dressing room – decide…
Last year I used the word Schadenfreude in my description, and it seemed to frighten off dumb people as I had lovely audiences.
There is something inherently heartbreaking about the small metal-framed chair standing centre-stage as the audience comes in, but no more so than when one of the show’s co-devis…
Surrealist comedian Paul Foot is an Edinburgh Fringe institution.
Great Scott! 2015, still no hoverboards.
Having rummaged around the UK, Paul takes you on a tour of some of his charity shop finds.
Paul Currie returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with his anarchic, bread-filled 2014 masterpiece Release the Baboons after a triumphant run at Adelaide Fringe.
Despite being one of Jack London’s more obscure works, his 1915 novel The Star Rover or The Jacket is one that feels oddly contemporary.
Return of acclaimed and libellously funny storytelling show on how to find outrageous nightly adventure on a budget of £5.
During the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe, What A Gay Play gained a certain amount of attention, given that its late-night scheduling and blatant use of the cast’s flesh on the flyers sug…
British Asian, Paul Sinha, makes a very welcome return to the Stand Comedy Club during the Fringe after a four-year absence.
FUBAR Radio and Underbelly present The Underbelly Radio Shows recorded live from 12:30pm each day at Ermintrude, Underbelly hosts a series of live radio broadcasts brought to you b…
Like every other animal on the planet, humans need to eat in order to survive, but arguably no other species has developed such complicated social etiquettes around the consumption…
A series of personal portraits of extraordinary men.
Boris: World King is a giddy, silly and savagely satirical delight.
Graeae Theatre Company, according to the information sheet handed out before the start of the show, sees itself as ‘a force for change in world-class theatre – breaking down ba…
Following last year’s generally well-received comic homage to the Edwardian Ghost Story (The Haunting of Lopham House), writer and performer Tom Neenan shifts his genre gaze forw…
When boredom threatens at the Fringe, a hero will rise.
At first it’s almost as if George Dimarelos has chosen to counter any preconceptions about loud Australians by opting for the least dramatic stage entrance possible; he’s alrea…
The legend of Faustus, the man who sold his soul for knowledge, wealth and power is one which has been in the public consciousness for over 500 years.
One of the challenges of reportage theatre – works in which the words and experiences of real people are edited and put into the words of actors – is to justify the process as …
If at first you don’t succeed, try online dating.
Collegiate a cappella has become a major trend in recent years at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Yes, the man with the silver shoes is back, and each of his 58 minutes on stage are as weird and wonderful as ever.
Paul Merton and his “Impro Chums”: Mike McShane, Lee Simpson, Richard Vranch and Suki Webster, have been practising short form improvised comedy for decades and bring their com…
Mr.
I was reading about a Gay Pride event in Glasgow last week that had banned drag acts from performing for fear they may offend transgendered members of their community who were conf…
An all-new, all-female production of Shakespeare’s war play, King Henry V follows Henry and her band of brothers as they face the challenges of life on the front line, exploring …
(previews start on July 13; opens on July 27) The career of a sport agent is a high-testosterone avocation, but Liz Rico does it a as well or much better than her male colleagues.
It’s not often that I’m asked back to see a show, let alone because those involved have openly taken on some of the points I made in my review!When the War Came Home is a …
German dramatist Frank Wedekind’s play Frühlings Erwachen – written around 1891 but not performed until 1906 – deliberately kicked against sexually-oppressive fin d…
Described as “a metaphysical shocker” on its release in 1970, The Driver’s Seat was apparently author Muriel Sparks’ favourite amongst her own stories, in part thanks to th…
“This is not just about me,” says one of the cast at the start and close of Chris Goode’s Stand.
(previews start on Saturday; opens on June 29) Having just brought us Moss Hart’s entrancing “Act One,” Lincoln Center offers another piece of showbiz reminiscenc…
Having enjoyed a relatively carefree childhood and colourful teenage youth during the 1970s, I’m often still annoyed by the apparent cultural consensus which dismisses those y…
Saturday May 23rd All Saints Church, Hove, 7:30pm.
Site-specific works can be accused of relying on their location to do the heavy-lifting, theatrically speaking.
It’s 2015, and still no hoverboards.
Hanuman is half human, half monkey.
Through movement and play participants will identify their own Fools and Kings to explore the beautiful, ridiculous and poignant conflict of this unlikely alliance.
The Improverts are back for two Exam Specials in the Teviot Debating Hall! A different combination of players will take to the stage each night for a round of high-class, high-ener…
Dress Me Up Dress Me Down - a debut one woman show by XaXa Mason - uncovering shared vulnerability and exploring the territory of intimacy.
Drag Queens are over and the boys are back in town! Strap on a strap on, bang on a beard and join your hosts for the Drag King competition of the century! Be amazed by the figurati…
Star of ‘Derek’, ‘Being Human’ and ‘Carnival of Monsters’ returns to the Brighton Fringe with two entirely new shows: Sit on the Ledge and Jump Down to the Ground (7, 2…
Rebel armies, the pub darts team, political parties, chaps who drive Audi TTs, religion, Cornwall, knitting clubs, men who wear crocs with socks.
1926: Houdini’s right-hand man deals with the death of his boss.
At first glance, Alonzo King and San Francisco make an unlikely pair.
Alan Spence is not the first to imagine a meeting between two famous people from different worlds, though there’s certainly a whiff of wishful thinking in this thoughtful, if …
For some, he was “Italy’s Shakespeare”, “the Moliere of Venice”; yet it’s only relatively recently that British theatre audiences have warmed to work by 18th centur…
On 5th February 1941, during heavy gales, the cargo ship SS Politician ran aground off the Island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides.
Written very much in the tradition of the suspense-filled, atmospheric ghost stories by M R James, Susan Hill’s gothic novel, The Woman in Black, has been adapted numerous time…
It’s fitting that, this Eastertide, a resurrection of sorts lies at the heart of this latest collaboration between Glasgow’s Òran Mór and Edinburgh’s Traverse theatre.
Even the greatest of parties end with the hangover of cleaning up afterwards.
Fools and their stories were the theme of this latest set of short plays, dramatic monologues and glorified sketches presented in rehearsed readings by the Village Pub Theatre t…
Many of the world’s greatest Tragedies – Shakespeare’s in particular – are grounded on the character flaws of their titular characters: Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and so …
No less a figure than Inspector Rebus creator Ian Rankin once insisted that the only author to ever “nail” Edinburgh was Robert Louis Stevenson in his classic 1886 novella, S…
The History Boys – at least according to the programme notes accompanying this latest tour – is “generally regarded as Alan Bennett’s masterpiece”.
Life was so much simpler, back in 1980.
Only a clever or ignorant writer would deliberately choose to begin a play with that most egregious of sitcom clichés: “Hi Honey, I’m home.
There’s one thing I hate about musical theatre, which is especially common with “amateur” productions – there’s seemingly no way of stopping audiences full of family an…
There’s something particularly appropriate about experiencing Peter Shaffer’s Equus at the Bedlam Theatre.
It’s never too late to reinvent yourself: After 60 years as the Paul Taylor Dance Company, the group returns this year as Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance, a more in…
(previews start on March 12; opens on April 16) Fans of the midcentury musical are most likely whistling a happy tune as Lincoln Center revives this Rodgers and Hammerstein show fr…
At one point in the first act of The Judas Kiss, Oscar Wilde admits to always having had “a low opinion of what is called action.
Since its first publication in 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has been adapted for stage, cinema and television hundreds of times.
There’s rumbustious joy aplenty in this new adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s infamous examination of legality and justice.
Unexpected pre-show choice of “Easy Listening” music notwithstanding, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag is an exciting theatrical ride, slipping from laugh-out-loud humour to…
They say that, while you can choose your friends, you can’t choose your family; even when you pick a partner, you have no say about the family that comes along with them.
A play about the battle between celebrity and “art” with a good dose of codpiece and a ghost thrown in!
Those who don’t know history, according to the Irish statesman Edmund Burke, are destined to repeat it, while the Bible insists more than once that the sins of the father will b…
American film actor and comedian Bill Murray allegedly fields offers of work via a voice mailbox which, according to Wikipedia, “he checks infrequently”.
When reviewing a play – especially one verging on farce – where two of the main characters are professional theatre critics, it’s hard not to become a tiny bit defensive …
Jan-Paul Sartre, the great French existentialist, displays his mastery of drama in NO EXIT, an unforgettable portrayal of hell.
Men – especially working class men from the West of Scotland – are not known for expressing their emotions, instead hiding behind either brutish silence or dry humour.
Lincoln Center’s popular Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts series offers rewarding, mostly younger artists in 60-minute programs starting at 11 a.
The “Scottish Play” is among Shakespeare’s shortest, but for critically acclaimed theatre company Filter to edit it down to barely more than 90 minutes, without missing an…
The First World War is often described as the first “total war”, that is involving the entire population, at home as well as on the battlefield.
Reality and performance lie at the heart of this solid production of Irish playwright Brian Friel’s Faith Healer.
Always Different, Always Funny! After a sell out run at Edinburgh Fringe 14 and comedy residents during term time Edinburgh University, The Improverts are performing two shows in L…
John F.
This friendly, formulaic jukebox show about the New York-born singer-songwriter might as well be called “Brooklyn Girl,” so closely does it adhere to the template of th…
Rona Munro’s comedy drama, originally produced for Radio 4 in 2008, tells the story of a period in the life of Walter Scott when he was tasked with commissioning a kilt for King …
In a protection unit far away from the Earth’s surface, two strangers wonder what earth used to be like, as the fast paced nature of humanity races before our eyes.
There’s a moment in Pamela Carter’s play Slope when the 19th century French poet Paul Verlaine, ensconced in a seedy London flat with his young lover Arthur Rimbaud, fears t…
Nikoli Gogol’s The Gamblers (premiered in 1843) is relatively rarely-performed, at least in comparison with the writer’s most famous work, The Government Inspector.
“Nobody thought to save any of the roots,” says Sara towards the end of The Bondagers.
There’s a strong whiff of Farce about Cardinal Sinne from the off; only that particular genre, after all, requires quite so many doors in a set—in this case three interior d…
Kill Johnny Glendenning is a play of two halves; each a brutally funny, finely-tuned treatise on the various overlapping hierarchies of power and violence that, while shaping ou…
There are five characters in Tennessee William’s breakthrough “memory play” The Glass Menagerie.
When a work of fiction becomes so iconic a cultural “classic” that it’s known and understood by people who have never read it, it’s unsurprising that a few inaccuracies cre…
For one night only! ‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out).
First Draft tries to explore some interesting territory, but gets weighed down in its own symbolism and confused opinions.
Gowanus Art and Production presents its quarterly choreographic showcase with a broad spectrum of investigative artists, who were selected from an extensive submission process.
A sharp, satirical show examining the annoying habits of those trying to change the world, while finding themselves.
During the last few years, the Belarus Free Theatre company has built a strong reputation in issue-based theatre, utilising a wide range of performance techniques to frame and ex…
Successful stand-ups usually have a memorable on-stage persona; it may be manic, taciturn or just ‘nice’, but it’s what they’re remembered for.
A completely spontaneous improv adventure, taking one word from the audience and immersing them in a bespoke world of bizarre scenes and bold characters.
Kiss Me Honey Honey! appears to be attracting a decidedly local crowd of middle-aged women, at least if this performance is anything to go by.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction in the Catholic Anglican style with the renowned choir and organ of this historic church close to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
The Old Testament story of King David is quite a romp.
In January 2014, Mercury Music Award nominee Kenny Anderson (AKA King Creosote) completed his first ever film soundtrack for Virginia Heath’s poetic documentary, From Scotland With…
Some shows take the audience on challenging yet rewarding journeys through layers of meaning, interpretations, and staging.
The Fisher Lassies are an a cappella group with a well-established reputation in their home territory of the Scottish Borders.
Leah wants to rest, Goneril and Regan want to party, Cordelia’s off to France and matricide is in the air.
This trinity of new plays by Scottish playwright Rona Munro are a timely study of nationhood, identity and the consequences of political actions.
We don’t see one of the most important events in the life of James II, just its immediate consequences; a hurried, chaotic, almost dream-like explosion of fear and movement fo…
If we’re to believe Rona Munro, the third James Stewart to rule Scotland was the country’s answer to England’s Edward II; a monarch who, while undoubtedly a man of culture…
This is a solid performance of a classic play which, while it doesn’t amount to a re-telling in anything but the literal sense, does a creditable job of rendering the whole thing w…
King Ubu was performed only once in playwright Alfred Jarry’s life.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church close to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with renowned choir and organ.
King’s exciting new show pays tribute to the timeless songs and musical genius of one of the greatest jazz musicians and composers of the 20th century, Duke Ellington.
As anyone who’s ever dealt with a three-year-old can tell you, keeping their attention can be a Herculean task.
Due to massive demand, six extra, later, and quite probably ruder shows from comedy’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning half-man/half-Xbox.
Newcomers to the city should come to the Jazz Bar regardless of what’s on.
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
I’ve often wondered how Edinburgh locals truly feel about the Fringe - is it a huge party or just a massive disruption? Given the wealth of subjects from around the world being d…
Gary Little isn’t.
The Story of Medieval England From 1066 to 1485 at Roughly Nine Years and Two Jokes Per Minute Incorporating The Hundred Years War as a Football Match and of Course Scottish Indepe…
Paul Dabek deceptively weaves a tangled web of comedy, magic and lies.
There’s a sort of delicious irony to queuing for a show about rationing whilst watching one of the cast frantically stuffing their face with crisps.
Newton’s Cauldron is an unexpected gem, a brisk little piece which mixes storybook, history book and textbook deftly and amusingly.
Accompanying Paul Savage on his quest to find every joke in the Bible is an enjoyable way to spend an hour.
A magical medley of music, stand-up and stories.
Theatrically interesting in the most accessible of ways, Paul F Taylor opens the show in the guise of an infomercial, claiming to be taking pills that cure him of his comedy lifest…
For several decades, it was the habit of the acclaimed medieval scholar Montague Rhodes James (who died in 1936) to entertain his Christmas guests with an especially composed tale …
“Gossip,” we’re told, “travels fast in a valley.
If this show was a stick of rock, it would have “Anger” written all the way through it in blood red: specifically anger at the medical, commercial and political establishments …
Dawn State’s sharp, modern adaptation of Kipling’s classic novella could be deemed a classic in itself.
Regulation 18b of the Defence (General) Regulations 1939 is a now little-remembered piece of legislation which came into force just before the outbreak of the Second World War.
Free Fringe comedy can be a risky prospect but it can be a risk worth taking in service of finding a night worth seeing.
Science-theatre is in vogue at the moment.
The centrally-located art gallery, Dovecot Studios, has provided a lovely break from the madness of fringe with its current offering of exhibitions.
“When a man starts a war against the State, it’s a war he cannot win,” says our nominal hero Willie McKay at the point in this play when the writer presumes we will sympathis…
The Fringe’s late-summer position in the calendar means that few of those who visit the Scottish capital ever experience one particular form of indigenous theatre — pantomime…
The award-winning comic’s libellously funny story-telling show on how to find outrageous adventure on a nightly budget of £5.
My first clue should have been the warmup.
Following on from last year’s acclaimed show Awkward Hawk, Paul Duncan McGarrity (Amused Moose finalist 2011) looks at the power of schadenfreude, embarrassment, and how being hi…
There’s a particular pleasure in seeing someone do their job incredibly well.
In addition to their main show at the Pleasance, the writer-performer foursome known as the Beta Males have split into pairs to do something a bit different in the afternoon.
Irish comedian Aidan Killian certainly cuts a surprising figure with his new show; not so much for the long, simple robe he wears, but the fact that he’s shaved off half his bear…
Sometimes, we can miss what’s important.
As a card-carrying, paid-up member of the Grumpy Old Men squad, I occasionally look at all those fresh-faced stand-ups staring out from the posters plastered across the city like S…
Patrick Mulholland and Paul McDaniel return to Edinburgh, and this time they’re full of beans.
Paul Foot’s offstage microphone isn’t working, so the pre-show announcement of Paul Foot - Hovercraft Symphony in Gammon # Major is apparently ruined.
Tim Renkow has cerebral palsy.
The long walk to the remote control.
“Are you ready to party?!” blares the PA at the start of the show and the audience roars in the agreement.
First Class takes the form of three intercutting monologues which follow the lives of three different people.
Scheduling is an often overlooked aspect of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, not least by venues attempting to squeeze in as many popular shows as possible.
Billed as ‘Comedy (mime, physical theatre)’ I was a little unsure about what to expect from Kraken, but whatever it was that I had been expected was soon proven to be way out.
‘This is the most inventive and hilarious act I have seen in years’ (Director, Leicester Comedy Festival).
For all its claims of being a one-man show, the stage can get pretty crowded during The Pitiless Storm.
Stephen Bailey—all silver dickie bow tie, floral grey suit and camp demeanour—is clearly in love with love and romance.
Lord of the Dance Settee marks Richard Herring’s 23rd Fringe show, an accumulated Edinburgh residency of just under two years; enough, as he himself points out, to make him mor…
Paul Chowdry is perhaps one of the most interesting comedians at the Fringe this year.
Sometimes in this show, there’d come some songs like this.
We all have them, if we’re honest; those moments in our lives where we’ve reacted without thinking and “put our foot in it”, slipping from innocent victim to outright offen…
Growing up as a kid in the 1970s, my first experiences of academic lectures were either snatches of TV programmes aimed at those studying courses with the Open University (thankful…
One of the best things about the Fringe is the energy and ingenuity of the young companies performing here and these are both words that apply perfectly to Double Edge Drama, creat…
The Trouble with Being Des, according to Des Clarke, is that he has an inner demon man child inside him which makes him “weird”—not least within the context of growing u…
During the last few years, Andrew Doyle has made a name for himself as a frequently hilarious, sharply intelligent, and fearless comedian, ready to push his audiences’ tolerance …
“You’ve proved my point: nobody has any respect for me”, McCaffery laments as four latecomers traipse across his stage to their seats, interrupting his flow.
This excellent one-man show from Mark Farrelly portrays the transformation of Denis Charles Pratt, born in suburbia, into Quentin Crisp.
As Ethel Merman famously sang in Gypsy, ‘you gotta get a gimmick if you want to get ahead’.
David O’Doherty is one of those rare stand-ups who is a familiar face without being plastered everywhere, who is successful without being packaged.
Rachel Lincolns’ latest production gives the brutally honest lesson in Sexual Education that Britain needs.
“There has not been a single incidence of Zombieism anywhere in the world to date,” according to Doctor Austin of the Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies, but “this does…
In themselves the Beasts’ sketch personas are fairly standard; the nutcase, the buffoon and the straight man.
Edinburgh stalwarts Dan and Jeff are back for another energetic hour and, following Potted Potter, Potted Pirates and Potted Panto, it’s the turn of Baker Street’s own Sherlock…
“What is it that frightens you?” Tom Neenan asks at the start of this one-man pastiche of an Edwardian ghost story.
Dane Baptiste is a confident performer.
Standing centre stage in a dress and a dodgy blonde wig, Mark Grist jokes that this is what two guys with Arts Council funding really look like.
It’s heartening to see a deserving standup successfully transfer from the Free Fringe to the larger potential audience of the mega-venues.
Being visually impaired, Glaswegian stand-up Jamie MacDonald definitely brings a new meaning to “observational humour”.
Age hasn’t softened Scott Capurro; nor, it has to be said, has marriage.
Four times Scottish champion of close up magic Michael Neto is an assured and amiable stage magician, whose slight of hand is smooth, assured and doubtless the result of decades …
As the audience takes their seats, they see a man hunched over an easel, drawing pictures on a large sheet of paper with feverish intensity.
Phil Roach isn’t the first man to be dumped by his girlfriend and realise his life isn’t quite working out as expected but, as Julian Wickham’s “Lifeline” quickly shows, he’s pos…
Louis is one of Canada’s most respected teachers of classical literature.
Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente, the husband-and-wife playwrights behind this supple production about the towering comic book artist Jack Kirby, deftly compressing much informa…
Having never been to a Drag King pageant before I was not entirely sure what to expect from King of the Fringe.
A celebration of children and young people in the Performing Arts featuring theatre, literature, music and movement.
The King and Country World War I Opera is a show presented in a rather strange format at the Brighton Fringe Festival.
Come along to a fun and friendly Plantswap and exchange of anything horticultural.
CrAzYToWn: my first psychopath, is creative arts therapist Jude Treder-Wolff’s comic take – and true story - about a shocking encounter with a deceptive, dangerous person - the n…
A dress-up sing-along celebration of everyone’s favourite musicals.
Paul F Taylor and Nick Hodder test out material.
Energetic, dynamic and refreshingly unique, King Porter Stomp celebrate the release of their new single ‘pocketfulofrocketfuel’ with an intimate and very special performance.
If I told you there was a Liza tribute act at the Fringe, you’d probably expect sequins, smoke, mirrors, lights, kick lines and, of course, an awful lot of dancing around chairs.
Master character comedian and star of ‘Derek’ and ‘Being Human’ performs all his critically acclaimed, sell-out, weirdly wonderful comedy shows, fresh from his hit Radio 4 series.
“You will not like me,” insists John Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester, at the start of The Libertine; not so much presented an unreliable narrator, more the self-created bad …
Us inhabitants of the British Isles can spend an inordinate amount of our time discussing the weather, yet it doesn’t automatically follow that our “four seasons in a day”c…
Host of Channel 4’s Stand Up For The Week and Star of BBC1’s Live at the Apollo Paul Chowdhry is back in 2014 with his biggest tour to date tackling everything borderline within th…
As part of its contribution to the many debates in Scotland during 2014—sparked into life, of course, by this September’s independence referendum—new National Theatre of Sc…
‘BABY/LON’, the second work by Hackney-based theatre company The Big House, is a big story; one of homelessness, violence, motherhood on the lowest rungs of society and the strug…
When the Glasgow-born poet, playwright, song-writer, musician, cartoonist, humorist and story-writer Ivor Cutler died in March 2006, the nation’s obituarists remembered an “una…
Edinburgh’s revered Traverse Theatre has, for many years, defined itself as “Scotland’s new writing theatre”, regularly giving over its stages to a variety of new voices …
This program of six short plays is both unsatisfying and perplexing in its disregard for its audience (1:15).
There’s no doubting that Philip Ridley’s debut play, even now, feels like a strange beast; a modern fairytale of two infantalised and orphaned twins, Presley and Haley, somehow…
Paul Sinha is a stand-up comedian, but you might know him as ‘The Sinnerman’, from ITV’s tea-time quiz, The Chase.
Big, bold and buxom; playwright Tim Barrow’s Union, directed for the Royal Lyceum Theatre’s artistic director Mark Thomson, starts as it means to go on, with blocks of “sce…
Act One is a company full of high quality actors, all of whom were captivating to watch.
In Arin Arbus’s thoughtful and affecting production, Shakespeare’s most daunting play lowers its voice, the better to be heard more clearly.
A common factor in the best sitcoms–and dramas, for that matter–are situations from which the characters can’t escape, most notably from each other: the binds of family (t…
‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out).
A modern twist on an ancient tale.
Singer-songwriter Shaun Shears sort of fancies himself as a 21st Century reincarnation of the medieval Troubadour, travelling the country performing his songs about life, love and …
After an unassuming entrance where he wanders onstage in jeans and a checked shirt, Jason Manford thrust aside his microphone stand and quipped “Alright chairs in here, aren’t …
Two wooden chairs, some books, an otherwise empty stage.
The idea of some supernatural being falling down to Earth and helping change the lives of us mere mortals is a powerful myth that resonates down human history, from the biologicall…
Comedy improvisers Matt and Ian are sensible enough to start their show with what the unkind might describe as their get-out clause; they admit, from the start, that they ‘might …
Given that, at one point, Jon Ronson describes himself as ‘essentially [just] a humorous journalist out of his depth,’ you might be surprised that the Cardiff-born writer and docum…
Even on paper, this ‘reconnaissance mission into the no-man’s land where death borders storytelling’ has the potential to be either really good or a recipe for self-indulgence; a…
Written by celebrated folk musician Alan Reid, storytelling and songs relate the tale of this controversial and extraordinary 18th-century Scots mariner.
Double act comedy is very difficult.
‘Wow’ doesn’t even begin to describe the talents of these two comedians.
Honesty’s important in stand-up; so’s making stuff up, obviously, but audiences can generally sniff out if the person on stage doesn’t – at least for that moment – believe in …
For me, female acapella is really difficult to get right.
John Rivers is the first to admit he’s not an entertainer and that Poems and Pots isn’t a ‘show’ as such, but hopefully a relaxing opportunity to tease out and encourage the creati…
There are two rules to improvised comedy: One, you’re only as strong as your weakest member and two, never, ever say no.
Playwright Idgie Beau sets out the parameters of A Hundred Minus One Day quickly and economically; 20 year old Jen, who has lived away from home for many years, has returned to her…
UK’s No.
I have to admit, I was not convinced by Gavin Crawford to begin with.
A capella group All the King’s Men return to the Fringe for their fourth consecutive year with Knight Fever! It is a professional, well presented and well executed performance, t…
Perhaps I’m experiencing a cappella fatigue, but the singers at this show did nothing to wow me particularly.
There’s an unfortunate earnestness to this short piece from the Bangor English Drama Society, as they attempt with both script and performance to be all grown up and serious about …
‘A successful bachelor is always a puzzle to others,’ says the singer James Dinsmore, playing the composer and actor Ivor Novello.
Slaves of the Kingdom is a new musical based around the Bible story of Moses and the Exodus and it’s one hell of an ambitious undertaking.
Philip Contini and his Be Happy Band celebrate 20 years with our favourite numbers from Prima, Porter, Martin, Sinatra and Naples.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir and organ of this historic church.
Kourtney Kardashian.
In May 2013, David Piper - the modestly-titled ‘Global Ambassador’ for Scottish boutique gin producer Hendrick’s - accompanied master distiller Lesley Gracie and celebrated a…
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church with its renowned choir and organ.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church with its renowned choir and organ.
Due to massive demand six extra, later, quite probably ruder shows from comedy’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning half-man, half-Xbox.
Equipped with his electro-acoustic guitar, Paul Gilbody promises for a magical evening of hearty tunes and ripping beats to drive home a funky Fringe show full of imagination.
Paul Merton and his impro chums return to Edinburgh for their tenth festival run, delivering many more hours of top quality improv.
Doogie Paul may not be the most familiar name in music, but amongst those who know him, both directly and indirectly, he is spoken of with a great deal of admiration.
Improvised comedy is a difficult art to master.
It was wonderfully refreshing to come upon something on the Fringe that, by its very nature, had blown the one hour slot to smithereens; further, that tapped into a reserve of fun …
Playwrights’ Studio Scotland is an independent development organisation for playwrights, working with them across the country, including through its talent development programme.
Philip and The Band celebrate 20 years (!) at the Fringe.
Straight from Alaska comes a new piece of musical theatre from a 40-strong cast.
The British geneticist and evolutionary biologist J B S Haldane once stated his suspicion that ‘the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose’.
When you’re looking for a kids’ show at the Fringe, there are a few names which ought to be a safe bet and, of these, none more so than Roald Dahl.
Life’s not easy when you’re a pedant; not that you see yourself as being pedantic, according to Jim Higo, a self-described ‘punk poet, social commentator and general irritant’.
International experiment sharing a story about a woman called Thyme, with local interpretations.
Mike Shephard likes his history and, as a cash-conscious volume-drinker, the prices of rounds of drinks have always easily segued for him into historical anecdotes from the relevan…
Chops is not a piece of naturalistic theatre, but then that’s hardly to be expected, given that this ‘linguistic farce’ by Brooklyn-based artist Kirin McCrory, performed by an all-…
Folk is a big deal at the moment, with bands such as Mumford and Sons bringing English traditional music to the stadium stage, while American artists such as Alison Krauss enjoy a …
Death Ship 666 is Airplane meets Titanic; an exuberant rollercoaster ride of humorous grotesques, which revels in its own clichés and absurdities.
It’s said that the Devil has all the best tunes, but why shouldn’t the Godless also enjoy the fun and sense of community that comes from gathering on a Sunday morning to enjoy coff…
Canadian Shawn Hitchins bounces onto the stage with puppy-like energy, rushing straight into a ‘blond, brunette and a ginger’ joke to make the point that, as ‘a person of primary c…
Most magic shows you find on the Fringe nowadays are necessarily intimate, close-up affairs – not least because of the size of the available venues, budgets and the ‘close magic’…
Two pm - neighbours changed Wi-Fi password.
This all-female spoken word cabaret claims to offer ‘a veritable smorgasbord of poetry’; yet even though it is, to a certain extent, a daily-changing ‘sampler’ of numerous performa…
Now enjoying its third year in Edinburgh, the Magic Faraway Cabaret has a reputation for presenting the best burlesque, variety and sideshow skills available in the Scottish capita…
Cabarets are, by their very nature, fluid and changeable beasts, especially those in Edinburgh which act as convenient samplers of what’s available elsewhere on the Fringe.
Paul Savage sometimes lies awake at night, convinced he’s a sitcom character.
Paul F Taylor is like a puppy: he has very fluffy hair, oodles of energy and even when he slips up, we still like him.
Picture, if you will, your idea of a swing band leader.
I first saw Alexis Dubus perform in 2008, when his ‘A R*ddy Brief History Of Swearing’ provided an interesting spine on which to hang some very funny material – and a justificati…
Last year, with Activism is Fun, comedian Chris Coltrane explained how he had returned to political action after years of apathy, not least because – thanks to the likes of direc…
According to the neat-suited Paul Dabek, the Magic Circle demands that all its members must include a card trick at some point in their act, otherwise there’s a terrible risk of ‘m…
Christian Reilly is on a mission to save the world through music.
King Creosote is no stranger to Queen’s Hall.
Comedy duo Dan & Dan, famous such YouTube hits as Requiem for a Wardrobe and the brilliant Daily Mail Song, have graduated to the real world of live comedy.
Rolling into Edinburgh with a brand new barnstorming show, The Horne Section will yet again provide the festival’s best musical mayhem.
Are you tired of the persistence of peer pressure to be cool and to fit in? Ruth E.
Popular culture often gets derided by critics because, unlike many of the so-called ‘great’ works of art (you know, the ones that allegedly make you look good when ‘appreciat…
It’s the 1930’s and a few years have passed since Carl Dunham, the fabled showman brought King Kong from the jungle to New York.
To a certain generation of British people, Adam Buxton is a bit of a legend.
Is this your first time? Edinburgh can be daunting for new participants, so come and meet Fringe Society staff who can support your experience.
From the start, I must point out that I fully accept that standing up on a stage, making people laugh in a foreign language, even if it’s the ‘lingua franca’ of the western world (…
It has been said that the one ‘mercy’ dementia offers is that the person who has it doesn’t know they do; so it is with the emotive subject of this solo play written and perf…
Stephen Schwartz’s musical about Jesus might not be quite as famous as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s counterpart, but it’s just as notorious.
In some 4,000 High Schools across the US, you’ll find a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) group.
One of the delights of the Fringe is that it can throw up the unexpected; so, for example, the first time I hear a delightfully bad-taste joke about a recent double suicide in one …
The story of the Fringe is a story of the periphery.
Returning to, and re-staging, the “classics” is not without challenges, not least because they were often originally written at a time when actors were considerably cheaper to hire…
Ping Pong is an energetic game usually involving two or four people, but this latest stand-up show from Alistair Green is very much a one-man endeavour, with the only significant b…
Identity is a complicated matter for Rick Kiesewetter; not least because, as he points out from the start, his Asian face doesn’t match most people’s expectations of his adoptive f…
In the right hands, theatre is an immensely powerful tool for taking large issues and bringing them down to a manageable level.
The anthemic song ‘We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place’ by The Animals sets the scene for this one-woman, biographical monologue by the writer and performer Monica Bauer.
Is this your first time? Edinburgh can be daunting for new participants, so come and meet Fringe Society staff who can support your experience.
Nominally, a Gay Straight Alliance is a pupil-based group found in some (though sadly too few) US schools, which meets regularly to discuss issues around homosexuality in order to …
‘I’ll save you yet,’ says the precocious Antony Sandel to the object of his desires, David Rogers.
I’m not a morning person at the best of times.
My favourite thing about the Edinburgh Fringe is the sheer concentration of talent in creates in the city, an array of people with skills that I can only dream of having.
Kevin Dewsbury is a bloke.
When Broadway veteran and world-famous mime Bill Bowers starts his show talking about sitting in a Hollywood make-up truck at three in the morning, with Hugh Grant to his left and …
Beachy Head in East Sussex has the tallest chalk sea cliffs in Britain, offering some fabulous views along the south east coast and across the English Channel.
Music, video, comedy and theatre? A physical performance and an eBook? Attempting to tackle the subject of the apocalypse? From reading the show description of ‘The Flood’, you…
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…
Nearly 30 years after his death, Richard Burton still stands tall among the ghosts of Hollywood, the poor boy from a Welsh mining village whose acting talent and ambition took him …
It was the 13th century Persian poet, Islamic jurist and theologian known to the English-speaking world as Rumi who said that ‘travel brings power and love back into your life’…
‘Officer don’t be a Benny/the thing we saw was MGM-y.
There’s a playful, rough-round-the-edges physicality throughout this new show by Megan Heffernan and Sophie Fletcher.
Having bought a house with his girlfriend the Edinburgh-born comic explores how a decision that comes from a place of love can lead to such fear and uncertainty.
Watching Ellis and Rose in the dank damp of the Bunker gives a moment of odd synchronicity.
The Islanders tells the simple tale of a young Dorset couple, Amy and Eddie; the beginnings of their love, the slow disaster of their living together and the titanic struggle of or…
While the BBC’s iconic sci-fi series Doctor Who is currently one of the biggest, most popular shows on television at the moment - and it’s likely to be everywhere this November, wh…
Science reveals, magic conceals, but both can inspire a sense of wonder, according to stage magician Oliver Meech.
This is not the first time Doctor Who has been put on trial.
In the past Kevin Shepherd has apparently used his Fringe shows as a kind of confessional, finding thoughtful humour in his past social and legal misdemeanours.
If you, like me, are skeptical on the subject of the existence of ghosts, go and see Paul Gannon Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghost.
Often high marks are awarded to those companies who create a new world in the theatre through their use of advanced set, puppetry, props or movement so it is good to sometimes be r…
A poignant adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s tale, The King and Queen of the Universe, produced by Slippers and Rum, tells a story of adulation and bereavement set in the depths of t…
We see a lot of Rich Hall on panel shows these days: QI, Have I Got News For You?, Eight out of Ten Cats, Never Mind The Buzzcocks.
Heard of screenwriter William Goldman’s rule about Hollywood? ‘Nobody knows anything.
Rik n Mix is actually a showcase of three comedians combining their short sets to make an hour long show compered by Rik Carranza.
It’s likely that, when you think of France at its coolest, there are certain figures who spring to mind –Francois Truffaut, Jean-Paul Satre, Brigitte Bardot.
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.
The force and power of a child’s imagination against adversity has long been fodder for writers.
You’d be forgiven for assuming that the top British universities these days offer a BA (Hons) course in A Cappella Singing and you’d also be forgiven for assuming that that mea…
I’m sure any fringe veteran worth their salt has had the experience of seeing a famous face from their childhood appearing out of an Edinburgh side-street to bring back a flood o…
Feast your eyes and teeth on the bizarre, absurd and delicate world of Paul Currie.
Ensconced in an inflatable dome, in the children’s area of the Pleasance, bravely struggling through a voice ravaged by cold and flyering, Jay Foreman does not have an easy job o…
In a new adaptation of Luigi Pirandello’s disturbing masterpiece, Cambridge ADC chop, change and miss the point entirely.
Sotho Sounds in the band’s current form is four men: cheerful front-man Khuti, guitarist Tankiso, string-player Josepha and frowning powerhouse percussionist Paseka.
There’s a point in every show when stand-up Scott Agnew drops what he calls ‘the G bomb’; that is, he mentions that he’s gay.
Witty, full of puns, and anything but uninteresting, Name in Lights is a free-flowing performance that bears an aura of genuineness.
Though a wayward arachnid hanging from the ceiling threatened to steal Walsh’s show on the night I was there, his genuine reaction to it – ‘HOLY SHIT’ – turned into ten m…
Dan Nightingale wants us to like him.
Katie Goodman absolutely delivers – a gutsy comedian with a satirical side and a fairly foul mouth.
I often revisit companies and venues at the Fringe, simply because I know that their work works for me.
Mime and physical theatre can be risky aspects of a comedy show.
When a performer reaches a certain level of stardom, the reviews may come in easier than ever before; with prime venue, time slots and media attention, life is made all that much e…
The Fringe isn’t always the best place for magic.
The Phill Jupitus Experiment.
Given that the original award-winning novel by Mark Haddon is told from the very singular, focused perspective of a 15-year-old boy on the autistic spectrum, it’s surprising that…
It’s not that The Improverts aren’t funny.
I am Google is listed as Comedy, Interactive and Stand-up.
We are in the American Deep South.
Set in Oyo, Nigeria in the middle of World War II, Wole Soyinkas Death and the Kings Horseman centres around the battle between British colonialist views and the local traditio…
There’s been a bit of a pattern to Fringe children’s theatre over the past few years.
Are our lives ruled by fate or chance? It’s hard to decide most of the time but even harder when a stage magician is making the seemingly impossible happen before your eyes.
You may have heard of a play-within-a-play but a musical-within-a-musical is another matter entirely.
I feel a little drained after seeing this show but in the best possible way.
‘What goes by the name of love is banishment, with now and then a postcard from the homeland, such is my considered opinion, this evening.
At the heart of Allotment is a simple, visual metaphor: the burial and later uncovering of objects in the earth that clearly mirrors the suppression and later resurrection of memor…
Joe Bor stands out by sheer force of personality.
‘Andrew and the Pony’ is, oddly enough, the story of how performer Andrew Bridges has always, since early childhood, desperately wanted a pony and of all the bizarre situations…
Right, listen here.
Paul McCaffrey seems less like a performer and more like a mate in a pub.
Can a magician’s hand really be faster than the human eye? Paul Dabek may well use that serious question as an excuse for a simple physical joke, but by the end of this excellent…
The concept of Bite Size is a perfectly simple, yet novel one, and the clue really is in the title.
Yorkshire-born Chris Cassells seems such a trustworthy young man that it’s somewhat disconcerting to realise that he’s already recognised as a rising star among the UK’s stag…
I haven’t been to the circus for a while and there’s a reason for that.
Matthew John Curtis is famous.
This is a one-man show with a difference: the actor is also a magician.
Say what you will about ventriloquists, theres no denying their talent.
A dinner party and a stand-up comedy performance might not seem to have much in common - and, in social terms, they don’t - but Xavier Toby gamely welcomed his first Edinburgh au…
Like much of the comedy currently clogging up Edinburgh, Toby Hadoke’s latest show is fundamentally about the man on stage, about his life experiences and his personal relationsh…
Daniel Sloss delivers a supposedly darker, meaner show in his later slot but most of his material is relatively clean, geared towards an audience who can laugh at him as well as wi…
Five stars only go to a show that is to all intents perfect, that wakens something inside you and keeps you utterly captivated for an entire hour.
Matador, you say? As in, red capes and bulls and Spanish people? For an hour? And it’s comedy?Thankfully, the matador pretence is dropped in the first ten minutes of Asher Trelea…
King Creosote’s iron-clad strengths are his songwriting - whimsical and understated - and his voice - fragile and melodic.
When someone sits down to write a musical, it’s rare that they dream up a piece of work that is befitting to a small performance space, shying away from spotlights and microphones …
How many US Presidents does it take to run a country? Three, apparently - and in the late 90s that was Bill, Billy and Hillary Clinton.
We live in the age of the cultural mash-up, of old names reimagined into new forms.
This piece, performed by students of Howard Payne University, tells the tragedy-laced story of Joseph Grimaldi, father of the modern day clown.
Imagine if David Starkey did a Fringe show.
Everyone remembers storytime – that happy time at the end of the day when the hard work of colouring in and sticking bits of paper to other bits of paper could be safely put behi…
Contrary to what some critics might suggest, it’s not a comfortable experience seeing someone ‘coming off the rails’ on stage, especially when they’re clearly talented and …
Paul Ricketts is a natural storyteller.
Barry and Ian are two estranged brothers in their late middle-age.
If we believe everything we see, at least on the video screen, the stage mentalist Doug Segal can get from his hotel bed to the venue — stopping off mid-route to buy a lottery ti…
Those looking for a bit of relief from the frenetic pace of the Festival can find it underground, in the idiosyncratic Jazz Bar on Chambers Street.
Elis James bounds onto the stage with wonderful energy and a poetic way with language; there is something wonderfully friendly about this Welshman that gives you the feeling that r…
You know you’ve experienced a genuine one-man Fringe show when the guy who’s been performing on stage for the previous 50 minutes has to jump down, run to the tech desk at the …
Is Judas Iscariot the ultimate fall-guy, unfairly damned for his necessary role in what was once called The Greatest Story Ever Told? Is his sin — of “selling out the Son of Go…
There’s a certain type of show that prompts a degree of fatigue in me.
The Jazz Bar’s crowd on Sunday the 12th August was a bit of a mix.
Particularly when compared to the polite folk of Edinburgh, Glaswegians have a reputation for talking.
Taking immersive theatre to the next level, Applespiel have launched into this year’s Fringe with a set of corporate seminars, designed to improve everyone’s awareness of thems…
It’s no small challenge to summarise a country and its history in a single hour, which is perhaps why Carolyn Anona Scott and Jack Foster instead choose to pay ‘homage’ to Sc…
If there’s a book you’re guaranteed to come across in a literature degree, it’s Beowulf.
Conference of Strange is in the form of a lecture, and it’s 30 minutes (not an hour as billed), and it opens with a woman ironing a projection screen, and then the air, and then …
La JohnJospeh is the Boy in a Dress in this flamboyant autobiographical performance.
In his book about the onset of his wife’s dementia, former ITN journalist John Suchet explained that the one ‘mercy’ he could see about the condition was that the person with…
Few would argue that the Fringe isn’t all about showcasing up-and-coming talent.
Paul Merton introduces a selection of silent film classics, featuring Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Laurel & Hardy.
There’s a reason Charles Dickens’ stories endures in popularity.
This is Soap takes improv comedy to a new level - forget sketch shows, musicals or short-form games.
Tim FitzHigham is a true eccentric and a sucker for a challenge.
Where Theatre In Heights’ production of this new musical is strongest is in its capacity to entertain.
You know something’s different about a show when the people in the first three rows - also known as the slosh pit - are issued with cheap Scotland-branded ponchos.
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…
It’s a funny thing - children’s TV has changed a lot recently.
I must confess to having felt more than a little embarrassed at turning up at a childrens show in the middle of the day; we had a heated debate in the queue on the way in as to w…
This new adaptation of Dracula plays slightly with the order of the original; the voluptuous vampire orgies of Dracula’s castle take place in the second half as opposed to the firs…
Love Child is the story of two women - a mother and daughter - who have never met; the former gave the latter away at her birth, the daughter returns to seek out her lost parent.
Be prepared, the caption warns, to laugh and cry, probably at the same time! This is unfairly self-deprecating; I felt both shows were well-performed, with considerable ent…
A stellar performance from an all-singing, all-dancing cast of miscreants and their formidable opponents from the local neighbourhood watch, Asbo: the Musical is the story of Darre…
Do you remember the days of yore? Of gum detentions, boredom pure? Deep in the Smirnoff Underbelly, a group of Scottish students are putting on a play in memory of those school day…
Sordid Lives is the story of the overwhelming weirdness of small-town American life and the empowerment of its women, through the discovery of pink sequins and two-barrelled shotgu…
Greshams have been performing at the Fringe for many years and have a history of approaching traditional works in a new way.
Andre King’s style is an endearing one.
In three short years, All the King’s Men have gone from a little-known university a cappella group to the third best collegiate group in the world, and from the simply phenomenal…
I’ve a confession of my own to make; when I chose to review this show I thought it was something entirely different.
I must start with two clear statements.
The exquisitely moustached showman Donny Vomit was just 14, visiting an Oklahoma County Fair, when he saw a man swallow a long balloon.
There’s one small, very special audience that most of us will be legally obliged to join at some point in our lives — a jury.
Bad things shouldn’t happen to nice people.
There’s something about the marriage of the arcane and the amusing, the faux Victoriana of shows like ‘Bleak Expectations’, that I always find enjoyable.
Given the importance many people put on their annual holiday — the glittering gift to themselves for enduring the hard slog of everyday life for the rest of the year — there�…
When a grim-faced man takes the stage with a bag of frozen peas, carefully selects two after rejecting many and places them neatly on the floor before smashing them smithereens wit…
Principal Parts is a play within a play.
There’s a long tradition of the gentleman thief - not least in Edinburgh, the city of Deacon Brodie - so it probably seemed apt to bring to the Fringe an adaptation of Eleanor Up…
Fringe regulars may remember the moment towards the beginning of last year’s Festival, when performers, media and audiences alike slowly caught wind of the London riots, followin…
I’m one of those people.
Science Shows for Schools have take three of their popular science presentations for schools and turned them into a 50 minute production for children at the Zoo Aviary.
There’s basically no-one who doesn’t like Roald Dahl – he’s been a cornerstone of kids’ literature for 50 years and with good reason.
Glasgow’s Tramway has a reputation for cutting-edge visual and performing arts; so it’s something of a radical change for them to join Glasgow’s other theatrical venues with …
Written and animated by the alleged French “polymath” François Sarhan, Enough Already incorporates live music, theatre and film in a frustratingly pretentious, paralysingly du…
The Pathhead Halls on the corner of Commercial Street and Broad Wynd, Kirkcaldy, Fife were built in 1882, originally as a theatre and music hall although one room was later used fo…
There’s a brazen, wonderfully self-conscious theatricality in how director Dominic Hill approaches Chris Hannan’s new stage adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s iconic novel, C…
There is one word that, quite deliberately, is never uttered by anyone on stage during the National Theatre of Scotland’s Let The Right One In—vampire.
Although based on true events, the story of Calum’s Road is so unique that it comes with a strong sense of some greater story being told, one of mythical proportions.
Children’s and young adult’s fiction have long been populated by orphans, characters who are both usefully free from parental restraints while also cut adrift from the traditio…
Inter-generational relationships are always controversial, especially when questions of predatory abuse arise in these Savile-dominated times.
Now I’m all for messing with Shakespeare.
There are actually plenty of comedy options at the Fringe if you want to avoid the ‘affable young bloke in jeans and a t-shirt telling jokes’ but perhaps none further removed t…
Can you do anything of theatrical note in under 10 minutes? Is there a place for a theatrical equivalent of flash fiction, whether as a testing ground for new writers or as a form …
Presumably the mention of Katrina and the Waves, Lulu or Bucks Fizz will have a reader questioning why they’re making an appearance in a review about a cappella electro singing.
When does real life stop and the cabaret begin? Or the cabaret stop and real life return? On this occasion, Markee de Saw and Bert Finkle offer no simple or easy answers in this in…
A one-man show about a spare British poet - a challenging prospect for a sweaty Sunday in a tiny black box theatre.
Chris Coltrane is the first to admit that any political radicalism he might once have possessed had faded over time, thanks in part to a depressing sense of powerless after the UK …
Paul McCaffrey can very much be categorised as an observational comedian.
There are many things that make for a successful comedian.
Arguably the most famous Scottish story written by an Englishman is re-imagined as One Flew Over The Cuckoo Nest by the National Theatre of Scotland, and showcases a remarkable sol…
From the start, you know that Tomás Ford isn’t your ordinary late night showman.
Sketch comedy is, by its nature, a slightly hit-and-miss affair.
At one point in this freewheeling show, Paul Foot pulls out a heap of colourfully illustrated flashcards and asks us to yield to the ‘glimpses’ of jokes they contain.
The downside of performing in a multi-show venue must surely be that you may have very little time to set up a show beforehand — often little more than 10 minutes — while alway…
Arguments and Nosebleeds is becoming a little nugget of tradition, a one-off poetry performance — now in its third year — that gives a platform to a host of Scottish poets, alo…
One song short of a Spice Girls Tribute band, the boys from King’s have smashed another year at the Fringe.
Jean Paul Jones is an eighteenth-century US naval commander with Scottish roots; and this is the musical of his life.
Paul Merton, Lee Simpson, Suki Webster, Richard Vranch and Jim Sweeney improvise for an hour using suggestions from the audience.
Too often, fringe theatre can be overly serious and overly worthy.
British folklore is packed with some of the most iconic figures anywhere in the world.
Whether you know much about Chekhov or not, Anton’s Uncles still has something for you.
I’m upside down, the blood’s rushing to my head and I’m swinging madly like some sort of unwieldy pendulum.
Paul Zerdin is clearly an accomplished ventriloquist.
Structuring a review is basically fairly straightforward.
Palimpsest One is a bit of an odd beast.
Take two of Cambridge’s Footlights, give them guitars, throw them in front of a crowd full of people and watch the magic happen.
Character comedy is one of the most difficult types to do well.
In a Fringe increasingly dominated by comedy it can be difficult for stand-ups to stand out.
Paul Sinha has yet to really breakout, although hes been building a solid stand-up foundation over the years at the Fringe.
What happened in this hour long show is still not quite clear; there was singing, nudity, drag, and a large cupboard to be sure.
It’s a beautiful day at the Fringe and I’m sat on the top deck of a red bus in the Meadows.
In these increasingly cash-strapped times putting on any musical on the Fringe is worthy of praise, even if — with a cast of six accompanied by electric piano and drums — the d…
As a show, NGGRFG has one obvious problem: people are either uncertain how to say it, or are simply reluctant to say out loud the two words it represents, because — quite underst…
Among the delights of the Fringe are the opportunities it occasionally presents to see quality performers in more intimate, personal projects.
In the perfect setting of the Scottish Storytelling Centre, sixty or so children of varying ages and sizes sat enraptured by the accomplished storytelling and puppetry of the Theat…
The things we love as children stay with us forever.
The Camden Fringe is home to many different types of performer; opera singers, musicians, burlesque dancers and poets.
It’s been said before, it will be said again, people will say it for years and years to come.
Sat atop a hill in Highgate town, beneath the clouds but throned over London’s starry spread sits a gem of Fringe theatre and a pleasure unrestrained.
One-man fringe shows tend towards extremes.
Few talents serve a stand-up better than audience rapport and I’m happy to say that Matt Tiller has it in spades.
In an increasingly categorised Fringe (this year added Spoken Word to an already multi-colour-coded Fringe programme), it can still be a delight to come upon a show that just doesn…
The Australian duo of musical comedian Sammy J and puppeteer Heath McIvor - best known for his purple puppet Randy - are now experienced Fringe regulars who, quite rightly, are mor…
Nick and Andrew are brothers, but that doesn’t mean they’re alike.
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a director’s dream.
Three tables, each filled with the paraphernalia of different daytime meals; on each table, there’s an hourglass, progressively smaller.
On its face, ‘It’s a Puppet Life’ seems like a fairly straightforward concept.
From the start Richard Purnell (the short one) and Gary From Leeds (the horribly tall one) insist that their teaming up as ‘360 degree poetry consultants’ is not a gimmick.
Sketch comedy duo Chris O’Niell and Paul Valenti started last night with a bit of a mountain to climb.
While Green’s professionalism for going ahead with his solo performance with a tiny audience is worth a mention, this shouldn’t distract from the most important point: that his…
Despite a long and successful career in both British film and theatre, Dame Margaret Rutherford is now best remembered for a role she didn’t, initially, care for at all — Agath…
Tania Edwards is a strange sort of stand-up for the Fringe.
A show about shows is not the most original idea there has ever been but Dan Nightingale’s ‘what might have been?’ take on performing in this year’s Edinburgh Fringe provid…
Describing his genre as ‘racist comedy’ and insisting that the show is not funny, Paul Chowdhry presents 55 minutes of offensive material that is often as uncomfortable as it i…
Other Voices promised much — ‘comedy, politics, naughty lyrics, free sweets… And a veritable smorgasbord of poetry antics’, but the most significant terminology on its titl…
Making their Fringe debut under a year since their foundation, All the Kings Men is comprised of twelve charming, charismatic, but, unfortunately, not musically satisfying chaps …
This summer’s clutch of blockbuster popcorn-bait has been dominated by the four colour heroes of the comic book.
You might think that a visual gag involving a woman with hair not dissimilar to that of King Charles II, dressed up as King Charles II might get old after a time.
Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut comes to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a strong pedigree and reputation, built on its debut as part of Glasgow’s Òran Mór’s iconic A Play, …
Were I a paying customer in the audience of The Madness of King Lear, I would have walked out when Lear - Leofric Kingford-Smith – began his imitation of Rammstein using Shakespe…
Many comics wouldnt risk starting a show chatting about their hernia, but Tonkinson quickly gets up close and personal with his audience and their experiences.
Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly played to a packed Queen’s Hall with his own brand of low-key folk-rock, featuring only him and his nephew Dan Kelly, who played guitar an…
The Glasgow King’s Theatre panto, which last year marked its half century, is a much-loved institution in the city.
I live in Edinburgh and choose to go to this throughout the year because it is so good week after week.
Mid-afternoon, an audience of just 10 people is not what most standups would want to see in front of them.
There are many things you can say about Chris Cross; that he’s a shrinking violet is not one of them.
Neil LaBute’s companion plays Land of the Dead and Helter Skelter explore a sudden change in life situations, portrayed through the lives of two couples.
As a rule, I’m not always the biggest fan of ‘issue’ theatre.
Following last year’s success with Sunday in the Park With George, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s OneAcademy Productions have returned to the work of Stephen Sondheim in…
Lara A.
‘O wad some Power the giftie gie us/To see oursels as ithers see us!’ wrote Robert Burns in his famous poem To A Louse, apparently inspired by seeing the insect roaming over th…
Trevor Griffithss short (very short) play written in 1981 is a fascinating choice for a young company to present in 2010.
We all live our lives within walls.
Do you love Alex? Let me tell you, if you are going to put A Clockwork Orange on, the audience simply has to love Alex.
If comedy often rises out of adversity, could this help explain how Northern Ireland has proved such fertile ground over the years — from Frank Carson and Roy Walker to Patrick K…
Taking up the action with Kate’s harassment by the rakish Sir Mulberry Hawk and Nicholas and Smike’s return to London, this second half of Space Productions’ revival of the R…
It was the title, I must admit, which first attracted me to review Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation; its promise of combining "stage action and illust…
Theatre-making manifestos always make me wary, in part because I'm inherently suspicious of portentous artists in any field: "The aim is not to depict the real, but to mak…
Double Fringe First Winners, Xhloe & Natasha talk to us about the Edinburgh Fringe and what made them want to bring their Fringe First winning shows, And Then The Rodeo Burned Down...
A coveted Bobby has been presented to five shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year.
We talked to Clare Cockburn, who, at the age of 54, is presenting her debut play Tennessee, Rose at this year's Edinburgh Fringe.
Ditch the messy arts and crafts this half-term and entertain your little darlings with the best live family friendly performances Brighton and Hove have to offer instead.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year (apart from Brighton Fringe, of course) and there are plenty of delightful performances to entertain you this winter.
Welcome to our top 5 picks from the third year of Brighton HorrorFest, the spooktacular celebration from Sweet of all things that go bump in the night.
All this week we've got some fantastic offers on your favourite West End shows. Check back daily for the latest offers.
Tipped to be London’s theatrical event of 2018, the multi-award winning and critically acclaimed Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King And...
Rehearsal photos released of Julian Clary and James Nelson-Joyce in the world première of the two-handed black comedy, Le Grand Mort.
When Matthew Shepard was brutally tied to a fence, beaten, and abandoned outside Laramie, Wyoming, members of Tectonic Theatre Group came to ask questions.
Greenwich Theatre is set to have an unprecedented profile at this year’s Brighton Fringe, with no less than eight productions heading for The Warren either co-produced or support...
With Easter on the horizon it’s time to turn attention to Brighton Fringe with a look at some shows that are likely to sell out. Book early – you have been warned.
We don’t know quite how big the 70th Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be this year quite yet – the final number’s a closely guarded secret until the official press launch in Ju...
Bobby Winner Ten Storey Love Song (adapted by Luke Barnes from the Richard Milward novel) is a play cum techno gig about five wretched tower-block inhabitants who deserve better fr...
A delicious Fringe First cocktail at Brookes Bar with the super funny and talented Naomi Petersen! Go see her show I Am Telling You I'm Not Going... and tonight she didn't!
The festival is a place for the taboo and James Wilson-Taylor has brought the final taboo to Edinburgh… sort of? Ginger is the New Black sets out to rebrand redheads and challeng...
Our exclusive Bobby Award has found its first EdFringe home, in the hands on Pepperdine Scotland for their 5-star show Interference at C venues.
In a world boiling over with police invasion of privacy, romance and rising sea levels, what could possibly go wrong? Part eco-political rally cry, part meditation on the collapse ...
In the first of three sets of Charlie Gray’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child portraits, joining the previously announced Jamie Parker as Harry Potter are Poppy Miller who will ...
Brighton Fringe has officially launched.
Following a successful run at Brighton Fringe in 2015 and two previous sold-out and critically acclaimed runs at the King's Head Theatre, 5 Guys Chillin' returns this February.
Christmas is the one time of year you can drag your non-theatre-going friends to the theatre.
Rona Munro, writer of the three James Plays – critically acclaimed and popular with audiences at the 2014 Edinburgh International Festival – has a new collaboration with Stephe...
Luke Wright is a British poet, performer and broadcaster.
Our first Bobby Award of the year goes to the inimitable Luke McQueen, whose playful and genre-breaking show Double Act wowed our comedy editor, Martin Walker, and t...
Acclaimed choreographers and performers Ramesh Meyyappan and Claire Cunningham bring two startling – and highly personal – shows to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
New York City's "rapid-fire raconteur of sex and death" returns to Edinburgh with a brand new show, where it’s fair to say he’s decidedly Trigger Happy!
The King of Monte Cristo will explore the nature of theatre through theatre. Broadway Baby has a little chat to find out more.
Arches LIVE, the annual festival of new performances and artwork by some of Scotland’s most exciting creative talent returns to Glasgow’s The Arches this October.
The musical based on the 1924 'thrill killers' Leopold and Loeb, Thrill Me, has been named as the first Broadway Baby 'Bobby Award' winner for 2014.
Doctor Austin of the renowned Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies, based in the University of Glasgow, has come to educate the Edinburgh Fringe about the inevitable Zombie Apo...
Described as a “theatrical maverick” with “a propensity for fearless experiment” by the Financial Times, writer-director David Leddy returns to Edinburgh with two productio...
Game-keeper turned poacher? Liam Rudden may be Entertainment Editor for the Edinburgh Evening News, but he also has decades’ experience as a writer and director for the stage–i...
There's something funny going on under St George's Church in Bloomsbury.