Latest Reviews

The Comedy of Errors / La Commedia degli Errorir

The mother of all mistaken identity comedies, The Comedy of Errors gets a lockdown makeover in the hands of the bilingual theatre group The Blind Cupid Shakespeare Company.

Warhol: Bullet Karma

Everyone has an opinion about Andy Warhol.

Prison Games

Marcus Hercules, Artistic Director of Hercules Productions, is the one-man wonder behind Prison Games, currently live on-stage at The Pleasance in north London having previouslybee…

Beginning

Two people are left standing on opposite sides of the room at the end of a housewarming party in Crouch End: the hostess and a guy who came as the friend of a friend, but on whom s…

Alexithymia

Alexithymia is a short play about conflicting human emotions and the disability to connect with your inner feelings.

Bard Heads: The Third Witch from the Left and the Whirligig Of Time

These neat little monologues are a sort of fan fiction inspired by various works of Shakespeare (The Tempest, Romeo & Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth, Twelf…

This is Paradise

This is Paradise, Michael John O'Neill’s new play at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, is a lengthy monologue in which Kate (Amy Molloy) provides a complex interweaving of the…

Sugar

At just 22 years old, writer and performer Mabel Thomas brings her debut solo show Sugar to the Fringe.

Starting From First Position

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…

Isabelle Farah: Ellipsis

Ellipsis is an exploration of bereavement, the nature of turning everything into punchlines, and desperately trying to stay afloat amidst the two.

Semi-Toned Presents: A Study in Burgundy

Set in the wonderfully open, socially-distanced and drinks-to-your-seats Garden Theatre of theSpaceuk’s Symposium Hall, the a capella group Semi-Toned return to the Fringe with f…

Sweating the Small Stuff

Writer and director Annabel Lunney used the inspirations from anonymous submissions to create the play Sweating the Small Stuff.

Intricate Rituals

Intricate Rituals by York DramaSoc at theSpace Triplex is a monologue with alternating actors.

It's Fraser Brown, I'm Afraid

It is absolutely not Fraser Brown who needs to be afraid.

Absolutely Burlesque Cabaret

One of the great things that the Edinburgh Fringe has always done is to give a platform to local schools of various performing arts within an actual arts festival.

Éowyn Emerald & Dancers – Your Tomorrow

Éowyn Emerald & Dancers return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a somewhat different context from previous years with their new work Your Tomorrow.

Smile Like You're Happy

Smile.

Love Me

Aisling Lally's Love Me is one of three plays bought to the Edinburgh Fringe 2021 by York DramaSoc.

Iconnotations

Music-theatre with solo cello plus dance, Iconnotations is extraordinary: surreal, wry, expressionistic, at times baffling, profoundly sad but at the end joyous.

Brave Face

Hoo Hah House's production Brave Face is by far the bravest and powerful production I have seen at the Fringe this year.

Somebody Special – The Aca-Betrayal

This twelve-strong company are enthusiastic, bright young things who sing, sway and beat-box with great spirit.

Amy Matthews and Krystal Evans (WIP)

There was a comment made in an article in the Edinburgh Evening News just before the Fringe began about how, after the amount of time comedians have had to prepare for the 2021 Fri…

Afterparty

A group of teenage friends celebrate after their final exams and look towards the future.

A Suffocating Choking Feeling

What can an aspiring popstar do to get her big break and rise to stardom? Faking brain cancer might not be your first guess, but that is exactly what Simone Hamilton did.

1001 Open Mic Nights

This energised group of youngsters bounce about the stage with glee, making a capella look far easier than it truly is and throwing themselves into the Fringe vibe with abandon.

Tues Night @ Social Club

Tues Night @ Social Club is one of those 'Marmite' shows that some people would consider their worst nightmare, while others could consider it tailor-made for them.

Tick Tick

Tick Tick could give The Wolf of Wall Street a run for its money when it comes to the frequency of “Fuck”.

Swallow the Sea Caravan Theatre

Puppetry, shadow theatre, mime and music all contribute to this charming oddity, which Caravan Theatre do indeed perform in a caravan.

Spontaneous Potter: The Unofficial Improvised Parody

Edinburgh Fringe is usually teeming with high-end improv shows to choose from, but pickings this year are, unsurprisingly, slim.

Police Cops: Badass Be Thy Name

For regular fringegoers this year, there are markedly few of the regular staple performers returning to contribute to the semblance of normality the festival is offering up.

Bard in the Yard: The Scottish Play

Meet Shakespeare, but not the Shakespeare you know.

Fear of Roses

Fear of Roses follows three women as they grapple with each other’s careers in a power struggle which soon turns deadly.

On Your Bike

On Your Bike comes with a lot of hype.

Still

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
Scotland
21st Aug, 2021

Still by Frances Poet makes its world premiere courtesy of The Traverse Theatre Company at their theatre.

Burnt Out

Following the recent United Nations climate report, which has been described as a “code red for humanity,” it is more important than ever that we explore the issue of the clima…

The Preacher

One of the strangest Fringe shows of recent memory is A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for 56 Minutes and Then Leaves – a sh…

SKANK

SKANK is about a woman in crisis.

Press

Press sets its satirical sights on Hollywood.

Madhouse

Madhouse by Nottingham New Theatre at [email protected]’s Hall does what it says on the tin.

A Highly Suspect Murder Mystery

Highly Suspect is a highly novel theatrical experience in which four actors take on the roles of supporting players from the Sherlock Holmes stories - Watson, Le Strade, Mycroft an…

Shakespeare's Fool

Fringe roulette is part of what keeps us coming back year after year.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

The year is 1894: three years since the world-famous Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis Professor Moriarty plunged to their deaths in The Reichenbach Falls.

Tickbox

In a moving one-woman show, Lubna Kerr explores race, heritage, gender and health in the context of her and her family's experiences as a Pakistani family in Glasgow.

The Bank Job

What are the ingredients for a bank robbery comedy? A ragtag criminal gang, a double serving of double-crossing, a training montage, and many pairs of dark sunglasses.

Paul Black: Worst Case Scenario

Paul Black's Fringe debut had a lot to live up to.

Patricia Gets Ready (For a Date With the Man That Used to Hit Her)

Patricia has been concocting the perfect speech in her head over the last year, of what she would say if she were ever to face her ex-abusive boyfriend again.

Friend (The One With Gunther)

As times of heady redolence go, the 1990s lacks the brittle style of the 1920s, sepia-tinted upper-lips of haunted men in WWI uniforms, or groovy pereniorange of the 1960s… And y…

It's Not Rocket Science

It’s Not Rocket Science at [email protected]’ Hall is presented by Nottingham New Theatre, England’s only fully student-run theatre venue.

For All The Love You Lost

For All the Love You Lost is presented by Morosophy at [email protected]’s Hall.

Rossetti's Women

Lemon Squeeze Productions are presenting a new adaptation of Rossetti’s Women at the [email protected]’ Hall, written and directed by Joan Greening, award-winning writer of ITV si…

John & Jen

Tom Greenwald and Andrew Lippa’s John and Jen is a true masterpiece on what it means to be a family.

Opia

How do we interpret the world through our senses, particularly through sight? A mesmerically beautiful triptych of two solos and one duet, choreographed by Finnish Johanna Nuutinen…

Pool (No Water)

Oddly Ordinary Theatre Company has made a highly successful adaptation of Mark Ravenhill’s Pool (No Water) at theSpace Triplex as part of the contribution by the graduates of Que…

Plasters

Plasters is an original play by Emma Tadmor who founded RJ Theatre Company with co-producer, Daniel Feldman.

Corpsing

For a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe entitled Corpsing you might be forgiven for thinking it’s a comedy about laughing out of place.

Grin

Challenging, daring, with longeurs but also explosive moments, this makes for uncomfortable viewing but is a much-needed and to be applauded show.

BOBBY WINNER

1902

In 1902 Hibs won the Scottish Cup.

Bromance

Say hello to Adam, Arthur and Pete.

The End of the Line

At the end of the line; a story of waiting for life to begin and the delays we experience to get there.

Saving Mr Ultimate

Saving Mr Ultimate by John McEwan-Whyte at theSpace Triplex is the debut show of Extra Arca, a young theatre group within New Celts Productions, a consortium of young theatre compa…

Dance Base Unwrapped

Review
★★★
Amy Macrae
Edinburgh Fringe
Dance Base
14th Aug, 2021

Tucked in between the bustling pubs of the grassmarket is the capital's home of dance and its latest exhibition, Dance Base Unwrapped.

Dirty Tricks: How the Illusionati Rule the World

Review
★★★
Victor Black
Camden Fringe
Canal Cafe Theatre / Hen & Chickens Theatre
14th Aug, 2021

The Great Baldini sets the stage excellently for his show, greeting each audience member at the door, and asking their name, which he will repeat when he invites them to volunteer …

BOBBY WINNER

Family Portrait

A charming, funny and touching interactive video installation, Family Portrait by Natasha Gilmore’s Barrowland Ballet features Natasha herself as mother and single parent and her…

Theatre-19 Presents: John

Described as a ‘wonderfully chaotic and colourful tragicomedy’ Theatre-19 Presents: John is a particularly silly devised piece at [email protected] Hall from a group of Bristol…

Saving Wonderland

One worry has kept me awake at night: What happened to Wonderland after Alice returned home? I’m about to find out, as me and my fellow rabbit hole divers play the part of Alice …

Miss Lindsay’s Secret

Safely stowed in a sewing box and found utterly by accident, join the cast of Miss Linsday’s Secret in the reading and exploration of love letters that have been hidden for over …

Margaret Thatcher Queen Of Soho

Perfect for fans of disco, politics, and drag (this Venn diagram overlaps more than you'd think), Margaret Thatcher becomes transformed into a cabaret Soho star in this hilario…

Laura McMahon, One of the Gals

One of the Gals is completely packed.

Agent November's "Major X Ploe-Shun": OUTDOOR Escape Game

An outdoor theatrical escape room as a fringe show is pretty much a dream tagline for me, and for many others across the country too, I'm quite sure.

Run

Jonathan Smeed is making his Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut in Run by Stephen Laughton at Lauriston Halls, courtesy of No Frills Theatre Company.

Tunnels

In 1968 East and West Germany were far from united.

Paddy the Cope

Paddy the Cope, written and directed by Raymond Ross, makes its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the delightful Netherbow Theatre at the Scottish Storytelling Cen…

Dandelion

Dandelion, by Creative Electric, takes place in the garden opposite the [email protected] building.

Aladdin

The word that most immediately springs to mind is 'joy'.

Mediocre White Male

Come forth for a cautionary tale venturing through ancient history to modern masculinity; welcome to Mediocre White Male.

Moonlight On Leith

Moonlight on Leith, by Emilie Robson and Laila Noble, at theSpaceTriplex is inspired by the ‘Save Leith Walk’ campaign; a grassroots movement seeking to preserve the historic s…

Wish List

New Celts Productions and Bone struck Theatre present Wish List by Katherine Soper, winner of the Burntwood Prize for Playwrights in 2015.

Matt Green: Look Up

Veteran comic Matt Green returns to the Camden Fringe with his new show Look Up.

Styx

How good is your memory? The night begins with a little laughter and audience participation as we are asked to remember the age old story of Orpheus.

Fugue in Two Colors

If Carl Knif’s Fugue in Two Voices is a joke, then it’s a dud.

Jane Eyre

There are a handful of stories which truly stand the test of time.

Amina Khayyam Dance – Catch the Bird Who Won't Fly

Amina Khayyam’s Catch the Bird Who Won’t Fly, a Kathak dance piece using animation and green screen is beautiful, subtle and moving despite its grim subject matter: domestic vi…

Under the Floorboards

What do Silence of the lambs, Psycho and Texas Chain Saw Massacre have in common? The characters of Buffalo Bill, Norman Bates and Leatherface are all based on the real-life killer…

Shook

Three lads have certain things in common.

Femme Ta Bouche

Femme Ta Bouche: a gender-bending cabaret star with cancer, cooped up in rural Arkansas, wants to make a statement.

#txtshow (on the internet)

Do you think that most fringe shows are utter rubbish? That you can write a better script? Well, here’s your chance! In #txtshow, if you don’t like the script, just blame yours…

Taiwan Season: Fighters

We need heroes in these strange times is the thesis of this show, and Les Petites Choses’ Fighters brings us five.

BOBBY WINNER

Myra's Story

A ninety-minute monologue about a homeless person? Embrace it.

Jay Lafferty: Blether

There is an incredible sense of comfort that I feel upon entering the Dining Room at Gilded Balloon to see Jay Lafferty’s Blether.

Sunshine on Leith

Captivate Theatre returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year with their production of Sunshine on Leith, at Multistory, first performed in 2014 and twice thereafter.

Medicine

The banner proclaims, ‘Congratulations’ as it hangs from the ceiling above the unimaginable mess left by the previous afternoon's party in which inmates and staff seemingly…

Black is the Color of My Voice

A tale of the songs that lead us into the future and the ones that call us home; this show is a masterpiece in storytelling and soul.

Esther Manito: #NotAllMen

Review
★★★
Millie Bayswater
Camden Fringe
Hen & Chickens Theatre / Museum of Comedy
9th Aug, 2021

Esther Manito, still a relatively fresh-face in the comedy scene, brings her new show #NotAllMen to the Camden Fringe.

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