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