The curtain is about to rise on another year of the Prague Fringe Festival which is entering its 23rd year. This year's line-up features about forty different shows over six days. With a diverse array of performances spanning theatre, comedy, and spoken word, there's something for everyone to enjoy at this year's festival. Here are some of the highlights from this year’s programme:
Leading the charge in the theatre category is Henry Naylor's Let the Bodies Pile, an exploration of murder and mystery from a superb playwright who has won multiple plaudits and awards. First performed at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe, to admittedly mixed reviews, it does promise to keep audiences on the edge of their seats as it unravels the chilling connection between two mass deaths separated by nearly three decades.
There’s a bold reinterpretation of Shakespeare's King John. Despite its reputation as the Bard's worst play, Rendered Retina is determined to prove the critics wrong with its innovative approach to this classic tale.
For those in search of laughs and heart-warming moments, look no further than Getting Over Hugh by the multi-award-winning Irish company Acting Out. This supernatural queer romcom follows the journey of Alan as he navigates the complexities of love, loss, and the supernatural.
On a more introspective note, Bibiana Nesvadbova's Why I Won't Miss My Mother is a raw and unflinching exploration of familial bonds and personal demons. Set against the backdrop of a dollhouse, the play forces audiences to confront the question of how much of our mothers we carry with us throughout our lives.
Meanwhile, Alice no takes a comedic approach to two urgent and challenging subjects: abortion and the desire for motherhood. Winner of the Prague Fringe 'Best of Catania' Award, this monologue promises to challenge preconceived notions and spark important conversations about choice and autonomy.
Rounding out the theatre line-up are When We Died, which looks to be an interesting exploration of trauma and resilience, and On the Edge, which is a character comedy that promises laughter and tragedy in equal measure.
In the comedy category, likely the best-known name (at least to British audiences) is Russel Hicks, who has several TV appearances behind him and brings Russel Hicks: Connects, a show about feeling left out, invisible, and the desire to connect. There is, however, quite a bit of depth to this comedy line-up with alternative comic Dan Lees (winner of the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality) bringing forgotten album covers back to life with Dan Lews: The Vinyl Countdown.
Representing the female comedians (and, in fact, the only female comedian as far as I could see), Rebecka Vilhonen is a Finnish comedian with a 33-year-old woman’s quest to find a man to spank her, but in a nice and equal way in Do I Want to F**k My Dad.
There’s plenty more on offer at the 2024 Prague Fringe Festival which is shaping up to be a well-curated and interesting festival for theatre lovers and comedy fans across the continent. You can catch the full line-up here.
