What has quickly became an annual tradition.
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 performance only. Turn up early, sell-out expected.
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.
It’s all in the title (hahahahahahahaha).
Alastair returns to the magical Canongate Kirk for a special celebration of the Scottish fiddle tradition, featuring a stellar cast of top performers.
Music that makes people wanna shake their bones! This trio are known for their unique live show, transporting the audience to a bygone era when witches and black magic were rife.
Festival closing service: Vespers.
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.
Faure’s Requiem and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms – The Howe Street Singers, directed by Les Shankland, perform Faure’s much loved Requiem and equally beautiful Cantique de Jea…
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.
Living stones.
TS Eliot’s poem Ash Wednesday is widely regarded as a work of great spiritual depth.
One day you’ll be in M&S and you’ll suddenly go ‘Ooh, a beige cardigan with elbow patches.
Guided Tours.
Live performance of selections chosen by the editors from the new edition of Scottish Religious Poetry.
Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts 2024 opening service, Sunday worship.
From Bach to The Beatles and beyond, South Australian cellist/songwriter William Jack presents a free (non-ticketed) multi-style cello recital in the heart of Edinburgh.
Orange Claw Hammer, following their triumphant appearance at the Zappanale Festival in Germany, continue to rework the music of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band for the 21st ce…
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…
Old Git (Jim Bryce) has had enough! Having inhabited an increasingly wizened body for 74 years, he blows the gaff via a head-banging ride powered by comedy, songs and non-sequiturs…
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.
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…
In 1916, Christabel Mennell writes a letter of apology to Katie Marsh.
Title says it all! *Evil laugh*.
The tales of the dragons are special for many reasons.
Patron Saint is an hour of stand-up about spirituality, sexuality, virality and why anyone is funny.
Second great year! Old-school jokes meet lived experiences.
Turn on the radio, have a cup of tea – and don’t forget to take your pills! Get ready for an action-packed journey through the imagination of a playful, solitary old man as he di…
Covering everything from history to religion and folklore, this walking tour is an original tour of Edinburgh’s medieval Old Town.
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).
Who’s your go to? Your ride or die? Your best friend? Your mum? Not David.
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 …
In February 2023 a letter hit the world news cycle and captured imaginations across the globe.
Old Movies Saved My Life: 2.
BBC Popcorn Award Nominee Abigail Paul, a “transformative talent” who “lights up the stage” (★★★★★, Theatre Weekly), dives into her sophomore solo show Miss Communication…
Following ‘Candace’ as she retells the story of what drove her to leave home, ‘Saint’ explores how religion and expectation can affect a queer person’s life.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
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.
Paul and Laura are nice, kind and funny people who make work about tiny details, joy and finding light in the smallest of places.
Bank holiday 6/5 classical music with the Elegia Consort [Daria Robertson, soprano, Paul Houston, clarinet, Andrew Storey, piano] including music by Rimsky-Korsakov 12/5 Ellie Bl…
Tours of St.
Clive Copeman (BBC New Act competition runner-up) and Arna Spek (99 Comedy Club Female bursary Winner) are this year teaming up with Michalle Paker (Go New York Finalist)! All 3 …
Enjoy a warm welcome to Brighton’s ancient mother church and hear and see some of the 1000-year history, treasures and characters of this beautiful building.
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.
Love Mooves In Mysterious Ways.
What has quickly became an annual tradition.
Christmas by Candlelight invites you to sit back, relax and experience the most beloved festive compositions performed by a live string quartet in the heart of London’s West …
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
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.
A sincerely told story, a captivating performance and a wealth of humour make for a well-spent eighty minutes upstairs at The Lion & Unicorn Theatre with David Patterson, who makes…
Join the HandleBards at the Actors Church for a hilarious, high-octane production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The contribution of Stephen Sondheim to musical theatre was commemorated in a one-off tribute show last year, following his death in 2021.
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…
Broadway’s greatest comic storyteller” (Deadline) Mike Birbiglia plays a strictly limited run in the West End this Autumn with his hit show The Old Man & The Pool.
Robin Hood by The Three Inch Fools, presented at The Actors' Church as part of their Theatre in the Garden Summer Season.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
‘Broadway’s greatest comic storyteller’ (Deadline.
Old movies saved Mel Byron’s life a few Fringes ago and they can save yours too.
This year, celebrating his 50th birthday, one of Scotland’s leading fiddle exponents presents an extra-special journey of classic folk music accompanied by his closest collaborator…
The Robin Chapel, built in 1950 at the centre of a unique Edinburgh housing complex, The Thistle Foundation, is a memorial to Robin Tudsbury and well known for its excellent choir.
Duruflé Requiem: Life and Death in Music with Poetry.
Doctor Dolittle by Tethered Wits, presented at The Actors' Church as part of their Theatre in the Garden Summer Season.
Come and enjoy our blend of Scottish traditional instruments! In decades of developing our sound we’ve brought together fiddles, concertina, clarsach, wire-strung harp, flute, smal…
Sanctified Royalty: Jacobite Relics and the Divine Right of Kings.
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…
One performance only. Turn up early, sell-out expected.
Rising to the Life Immortal: Organ Music for Easter and Ascension.
A young couple meet by chance by Stari Most, the bridge which unifies the multicultural city of Mostar.
The Crocodile of Old Kang Pow is a compelling story told with an intoxicating blend of musical styles, set against the fetid backdrop of 18th-century Paris.
Join Tony Law as he warms you up for 25 minutes of some recent classic routines featuring ww2 bombers and finishes the hour with brand new forays into Space, serial killers and som…
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.
Join Tony Law as he warms you up for 25 minutes of some recent classic routines featuring ww2 bombers and finishes the hour with brand new forays into Space, serial killers and som…
Gilbert Scott’s dramatic architectural landmark, with its three spires prominent in Edinburgh’s distinctive skyline, provides a magnificent setting for the Opening Service of t…
From Bach to The Beatles and beyond, South Australian musician/songwriter William Jack presents a free (non-ticketed) multi-style cello recital in the heart of Edinburgh.
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.
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.
Ace in the Whole is a hilarious show by comedian Paul Connell.
Raymond will lead you on a comedy walking tour of Edinburgh’s Old Town.
This trio are known for their unique live show, transporting the audience to a bygone era when witches and black magic were rife.
The amazing, strange-but-true story behind the weird stuff advertised in vintage American comics.
When shy Aaron joins the hotel’s ramshackle team, he encounters volatile guests, inept management and even rumours of singing ghosts stalking the corridors.
50 years on the planet.
Brand-new, non-verbal immersive comedy show, created by award-winning Belfast comedian and clownarchist, Paul Currie.
The exhibition features people, street images and architectural details, all taken in the area surrounding the studio in Blackfriars Street.
The Northern Irish comic is back with a brand new show.
Wonderfully absurd stand-up from a fool’s thinking man.
All jokes.
The Odyssey by Troubadour Stageworks, presented at The Actors' Church as part of their Theatre in the Garden Summer Season.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
10th great year! Edinburgh’s funniest, and most successful ever kosher comedy show.
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.
Is anybody really listening to you? Under the cover of mid-to-late afternoon, a group meet with just one thing on their mind.
Edinburgh solo debut from London’s favourite 75-year-old stand-up comic.
Winner of Best Kids Show at Adelaide Fringe 2023.
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 …
Acclaimed comedian, daytime TV star and global TikTok sensation, Paul Sinha is at least two of these.
The Actors' Church welcomes Illyria Theatre's production of Jane Austin's classic Pride and Prejudice as part of our Theatre in the Garden Summer Season.
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.
The Actors' Church welcomes RABBLE Theatre with their new production of Henry I, a dramatic piece of new writing which form part of the Theatre in the Garden Summer Season.
This summer join Slapstick Picnic for a theatrical treat like no other as they whip up a three hander version of JM Barrie’s classic play Peter Pan, presented by The Actors&r…
Romeo & Juliet by Troubadour Stageworks, presented at The Actors' Church as part of their Theatre in the Garden Summer Season.
Mark Robert Petty presents Don’t Tell The Bishops! The After-Pride Concert at The Actors’ Church on Sunday 2nd July at 7.
Venue B hosts a monthly sell out gig of local young up and coming bands and DJs.
Venue B hosts a monthly sell out gig of local young up and coming bands and DJs.
Yosi will be playing an exciting programme of classical music to herald the start of summer including Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata ,Partita no.
As You Like It by The Three Inch Fools, presented at The Actors' Church as part of their Theatre in the Garden Summer Season.
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…
‘Ace in the Whole’ is a hilarious show by comedian Paul Connell.
‘Ace in the Whole’ is a hilarious show by comedian Paul Connell.
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…
A Funny Old Life is the largely fictional autobiographical story of one middle-aged man’s journey through the ups and downs of life.
A Funny Old Life is the largely fictional autobiographical story of one middle-aged man’s journey through the ups and downs of life.
If you had the opportunity to be your most authentic self.
Saint Michael’s church was established in 1862 but then the building greatly extended some twenty years later.
Saint Michael’s church was established in 1862 but then the building greatly extended some twenty years later.
OLD BONES, by Jen McGregor, is the debut production of Third Pier Theatre.
Enjoy a warm welcome to Brighton’s ancient Mother church and hear and see some of the 1000 year history of this beautiful building, including among other treasures the ancient and …
Paul Black's brand new show 'Nostalgia' follows on from the Glasgow-born comedian's debut Edinburgh Fringe run, which sold out in minutes.
A new comedy about devotion, desire and dancing queens.
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…
London’s fave trash-pot party-starters are back underground to serve up sweet, sacrificial love in the Church of Pussy Liquor! Be bad, be very bad with a GLITTER-TASTIC, DISCO-T…
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.
Stand-up from a holy cowpat masquerading as a woman.
In her solo show Adventure of an Old CxNT or Living my Dream Helen Prior tells a hilarious story of life with the help of her own curated gallery of art masterpieces.
Wonderfully offbeat stand-up comedy from one of the UK circuit’s most distinctive and uniquely talented comedians.
The Actors' Church is delighted to present its first Christmas Sing Along! Bring the whole family to join in the festivities with some rousing Christmas singing.
For the first time in London, Paul Mirabel presents “Zebre” “Terribly funny” Telerama “The new sensation” Le Parisien
Old Vic Artistic Director Matthew Warchus’ big-hearted, smash hit production of Charles Dickens’ immortal classic returns to The Old Vic, joyously adapted for the stage…
Join storyteller Laura Sampson, accompanying sound artist Sam Enthoven and special guests for a selection of grown-up folk and fairytales on the theme of mortality.
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) is pleased to present its 2022 MFA Graduate Showcase.
Boris who? Join the panelists from Britain’s premier rage-driven politics podcast to “welcome” our new Prime Minister – whomever he or she turns …
Stand-up, sarcasm and uncomfortable confessions combine in this true story about life as a Jesus girl.
From Bach to The Beatles and beyond, renowned South Australian musician/songwriter William Jack presents a free (non-ticketed) multi-style cello recital in the heart of Edinburgh.
Les Shankland directs the Chapter House Singers in Choral Evensong.
In Every Corner Sing: The Choir of Old St Paul’s with Director of Music John Kitchen MBE, Edinburgh City Organist.
Cutting Edge Theatre: Hope Rises.
Paul Brown Sings Andy Williams is a solo acoustic concert showcasing many of Andy Williams’ greatest hits.
A musical and a film about Queen and not one show about The Fall? That’s bobbins! One man’s award-winning celebration of the work of the late writer, musician and working-class g…
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…
Painting the Way of the Cross.
One of Scotland’s leading fiddle exponents returns to the wonderful Canongate Kirk with a spectacular line-up and new 2022 album release.
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.
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.
One performance only. Arrive early, sell-out expected.
Work in progress - a debut solo comedy show.
Work in progress - a debut solo comedy show.
Work in progress - a debut solo comedy show.
‘Superb and fun’ ***** (TheWeeReview.
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.
A musical and a film about Queen and not one show about The Fall? That’s bobbins! One man’s award-winning celebration of the work of the late writer, musician and working-class g…
Old Town – New Perspective is a collection of contemporary photographs of Edinburgh taken by Ewan Barry and Audrey Pinard, founders of Tete-a-Tete Photo.
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…
2019 Pick of the Fringe award sell-out sensation.
The continuing story of PD’s perpetually interrupted life.
Title says it all! (Evil laugh).
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.
Join New Zealand’s fastest comedian (5km and 10km) for an enchanting afternoon In the Moonlight.
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…
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s darkly comic tale brought to the stage for children and adults to share.
Life begins at 56 and 3/4s – having raised four kids and divorced twice, Jojo is starting life all over again with the emphasis on living and Don’t Stop Me Now as her funeral mus…
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-…
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…
A fascinating insight into Edinburgh’s past, hear incredible stories of royalty, writers, sieges, battles and plagues.
This entertaining tour will take you through the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town covering history, culture, folklore and much more.
A musical AND a film about Queen and not one show about The Fall? That’s bobbins! My show (nominated for Best Spoken Word and winner of Greater Manchester Spirit Of The Fringe, 20…
A musical AND a film about Queen and not one show about The Fall? That’s bobbins! My show (nominated for Best Spoken Word and winner of Greater Manchester Spirit Of The Fringe, 20…
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…
A musical AND a film about Queen and not one show about The Fall? That’s bobbins! My show (winner of Greater Manchester Spirit Of The Fringe, 2021) is one man’s attempt to celeb…
A musical AND a film about Queen and not one show about The Fall? That’s bobbins! My show (winner of Greater Manchester Spirit Of The Fringe, 2021) is one man’s attempt to celeb…
Maverick comedian Fool F Taylor returns .
Maverick comedian Fool F Taylor returns .
Work in progress - a debut solo show.
Work in progress - a debut solo show.
Ahoy Shipmates! All aboard for a night of singing, dancing and sea shanties at a show like ye’ve never been to before! Old Time Sailors is an immersive, audience participation, …
Ahoy Shipmates! All aboard for a night of singing, dancing and sea shanties at a show like ye’ve never been to before! Old Time Sailors is an immersive, audience participation, …
“Brilliant”, “amazing”, “fantastic”.
“Brilliant”, “amazing”, “fantastic”.
Rising star, Chloe Petts presents an hour of stand-up, including old bits, new bits and stuff she probably just made up on the spot.
Rising star, Chloe Petts presents an hour of stand-up, including old bits, new bits and stuff she probably just made up on the spot.
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…
Robert Hamberger and Simon Maddrell deliver armchair poetry readings and intimate discussion between two old queens with subjects ranging from fatherhood to serenity, celebration t…
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.
Robert Hamberger and Simon Maddrell deliver armchair poetry readings and intimate discussion between two old queens with subjects ranging from fatherhood to serenity, celebration t…
“The disability ‘Taskmaster’!” A hilarious rip-roaring game show with humour for all ages, where kids join in the games and learn about disability! A panel of comedians attempt…
Enjoy a warm welcome to Brighton’s ancient Mother church and hear and see some of the 1000 year history of this beautiful building, including among other treasures the ancient and …
“The disability ‘Taskmaster’!” A hilarious rip-roaring game show with humour for all ages, where kids join in the games and learn about disability! A panel of comedians attempt…
We run comedy nights at this venue all year round but we have something special planned for the Fringe.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
Since her first stand-up special launched on Amazon Prime in 2020 it's received a huge amount of critical acclaim, amassing a staggering 60 million v…
Since her first stand-up special launched on Amazon Prime in 2020 it's received a huge amount of critical acclaim, amassing a staggering 60 million v…
This show was originally scheduled for 21 November 2020 The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
When Michał Piwowarski’s granddaughter, Tasha, finally moves out, Michał's whole world changes.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
ANTHEM - OLD SKOOL REUNION - LOVE MUSCLE CLASSICS A SPECIAL EVENT PAYING TRIBUTE TO LOVE MUSCLE DJ LEGEND MARC ANDREWSWith DJsSTEVE BENNISONANDY ALMIGHTYPlus live PA from MOTI…
Performing live on stage - Paul Middleton at 8pmTicket link
A lot has changed for Paul in recent years.
A musical AND a film about Queen and not ONE show about The Fall? That’s bobbins! The Church of The Fall is one man’s attempt to do justice to Mark E.
A musical AND a film about Queen and not ONE show about The Fall? That’s bobbins! The Church of The Fall is one man’s attempt to do justice to Mark E.
A musical AND a film about Queen and not ONE show about The Fall? That’s bobbins! The Church of The Fall is one man’s attempt to do justice to Mark E.
Please join us for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Graduating MFA Actors London Showcase where there will be a selection of monologues and duologues delivered by our …
1868.
1868.
1868.
1868.
Multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter and stand-up, Paul Dennis brings his music and comedy together for the first time.
Lunchtime lecture: Theology in Stone – Faith and Art in Edinburgh’s Church Architecture.
Pick of the Fringe award winner (2019).
One-day exhibition: Faith in Fabrics Church Vestments and Ecclesiastical.
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.
ITS GREAT TO BE BACK.
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.
Pick of the Fringe award winner (2019).
Visit the largest network of 1700s Old Town underground vaults and hear tales of how the poor and unfortunate lived in these former slums.
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.
Covering everything from history to religion and folklore, this walking tour is our original tour of Edinburgh’s medieval Old Town.
Discover the sinister side of Edinburgh’s Old Town from villains to aristocracy; slums, prisons, execution sites, and the architecture of its famous sons.
Exploring Flow Experiences.
Exploring Flow Experiences.
I was five when I first heard them.
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…
I was five when I first heard them.
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…
Is anybody listening.
Sara Segovia Rodao and Lachlan Werner are cuties by nature, cancers by astrological sign and clowns by trade.
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.
Memory, loss, mother-daughter relationships and the hokey-cokey.
Memory, loss, mother-daughter relationships and the hokey-cokey.
Traditional, Victorian ‘Old Time Music Hall’ All the songs you love to sing and the jokes you love to hear.
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.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
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.
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.
Je m’appelle Paul, je suis Anglais et j’habite en France.
A lot has changed for Paul in recent years.
Jeremy Herrin (This House) directs Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread, Long Day’s Journey into Night) and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings) as former …
If you want to be a ‘successful independent woman person’ you better have something you want to say and you better be wearing a Serious Black Jumper™.
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…
“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…
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…
Traditional, Victorian ‘Old Time Music Hall’ All the songs you love to sing and the jokes you love to hear.
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”.
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.
Straight from Edinburgh 2019 where it was selected in Editors’ Top Ten Pick of The Fringe’ by Three Weeks.
Forget any notions of political correctness, civility or polite drawing room conversation.
“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…
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…
A couple confront impending death with bawdy humour and burgeoning sadness in Ridiculusmus’s unsettling two-hander, set in a future cursed by eternal life without eternal youth.
See a scratch performance about the unique bond between real life grandfathers and grandsons that explores male family relationships and the legacy that is passed down through gene…
The Whistlebinkies’ rich blending of the tones and rhythms of fiddles, flute, concertina, lowland pipes, Scottish small-pipes, double bass and percussion has captivated audiences a…
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.
Alastair, together with long-time collaborators Euan Drysdale (guitar/piano) and Iain Crawford (double bass), celebrates Scotland’s proud fiddle tradition.
Cora is at the festival to see her ex-boyfriend perform.
Die! Die! Die! Old People Die! Ridiculusmus.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir and organ of this historic Anglican Catholic church directed by Dr John Kitchen.
Last year I weighed 24 stone and was a Finalist in Old Comedian of the Year 2018.
I need to preface with this review with a disclaimer – this is either a one-star or a five-star show, depending on your sense of humour.
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.
Enjoy a relaxed walk through the historic Old Town with a bona fide Scottish Historian.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church with renowned choir and organ directed by John Kitchen.
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.
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 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…
Help Michelle celebrate her first time.
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.
‘Too young to stay in, too old to go out!’ Nigel Osner casts a quizzical eye over life’s challenges for those that little bit older.
At 32 Kate should have so much more: a great career and perfect family.
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.
This tour will take you into parts of Edinburgh that you did not know existed, off the tourist trail.
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.
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…
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…
Seventh consecutive year for the UK’s longest-running and most successful ever Jewish comedy show.
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…
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…
Rebecca Perry’s one-women tribute to four icons of the Golden Age of cinema is a cheery and bouncy hour celebrating Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Betty Hutton and Lucille Ball.
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.
Jayde Adams is back and this time it’s serious.
For All I Care is, first and foremost, the story of two women.
"Poor Fellow.
Mutch returns to the Fringe with a hilarious new hour chock-full of his trademark comedic tales of personal woe.
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.
"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…
The Grand Old Uke of York will twist your perception of the tiny ukulele.
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.
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 …
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.
June 25th 2018 - weight was 22 stone.
Sometimes the best education comes from the most unexpected places.
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.
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 …
Back by popular demand for the second year running! TotRockinBeats throw down an amazingly funky, three hour, outdoor, family-friendly, hip-hop, funk and soul block party.
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 funny and fragile farce about ageing, dying and mourningExpect fumbling, coffee, call centres and cat food… rants, dribbles, pills and cough bombs… symbolist mysticism and sy…
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…
The debut stand-up hour from the multi award-winning co-writer of ‘The Vicar of Dibley’.
In this show of songs and character vignettes, Nigel Osner casts his perceptive and somewhat mischievous gaze over the poignance and ridiculousness of clinging to the illusion of y…
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.
Old Clown Wanted is a show produced by a young group of international people called The Void Theatre Company in their first collaboration with Ementior Dance Company.
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 …
A brand new nostalgia show, taking you back to the good old days of variety entertainment.
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…
ANGER IS AN ENERGY! Old punk rocker Annie and young African Dub Dave strike up an unlikely friendship in this tale of marginalisation, alienation and regeneration.
“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…
Traditional, Victorian ‘Old Time Music Hall’ All the songs you love to sing and the jokes you love to hear.
Greetings.
Greetings.
Tuesday 5th February, 1.
Director: David Lowery Cast: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford), from his audacious escape from San Q…
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…
Bestseller Sam Blake brings you some of the strongest new voices in crime fiction and finds out just how they did it.
The packed audience at The Old Market leant in expectantly towards an ordinary looking closed shipping container dominating the stage, oblivious to the surprises enclosed inside.
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…
Tales from the Shed are vibrant, interactive theatre shows that are perfect for young children.
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…
Managing a venue at the Fringe can be a hugely rewarding experience, but is also a mammoth undertaking for all involved.
The Whistlebinkies’ rich blending of the tones and rhythms of fiddles, flute, concertina, clarsach, lowland pipes, Scottish smallpipes, doublebass and percussion has captivated aud…
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…
Do you remember when we used to go camping? And when you helped me make an ATM out of cardboard for my school project? Do you realise what a big impact you’ve had on who I am? Fr…
Nigel Osner takes a quizzical look at the challenges and opportunities for those no longer young.
End your Fringe day with relaxing classical music by candlelight in this beautiful historic church.
Three Northerners and three Southerners residing in one nursing home.
The original show, performed for the first time in 10 years.Turn up early.Sellout expected.
Free (ticketed).Sellout expected.
The original show, performed for the first time in 10 years. Turn up early, sell-out expected.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir and organ of this historic Anglican Catholic church directed by Dr John Kitchen.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church with renowned choir and organ directed by John Kitchen.
With the theme ‘the starting point of love, silk road and art’, our festival has a variety of performances and art from countries on the One Belt One Road.
Join award-winning oddballs Fire Donkey as they blur the lines between fiction and reality in this interactive madcap comedy seminar about their imagined experience of living with …
The Bird, the Bell, the Fish, and the Tree.
Alastair celebrates Scotland’s magical fiddle tradition in the glorious Canongate Kirk acoustic.
An Almighty Night Out with PA JILL SAWARD, the voice of Almighty’s JACKIE ‘O’DJs ANDY ALMIGHTY and SEAN SIRRS will play all the big Almighty remixes and productions.
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.
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
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.
It’s hard to do good when everything’s falling apart.
Weaving through courtyards, kirkyards and vennels, hear poems about Edinburgh past and present written by residents, tourists and those who visited only in imagination, including R…
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…
A heart-warming comedy play following Rosie and Vera who are brought together through a ‘befriend the elderly’ scheme.
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.
Paul Currie is a disturbingly brilliant comic who plays his crowd like the conductor of an orchestra.
Sometimes the best education comes from the most unexpected places.
Feeling pressured by his success last year with The Elvis Dead, Rob Kemp returns with ten(!) shows stuck to a spinning wheel.
Original photographs of the people, streets and architecture of Edinburgh’s Old Town taken by Ewan Barry and Audrey Pinard.
He doesn’t know it all but Silky can make up something plausible really quickly.
What a difference a decade can make.
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.
"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.
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…
Paul Revill, Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year 2014, returns with a work in progress.
Sixth year of the UK’s most successful ever Jewish comedy.
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.
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…
Everyone is offended, everyone is a victim, no one is happy.
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…
After a severe case of writer’s block, Owen has thrown caution to the wind and decided to let a child write his show for him.
David Mills is always well turned out: sharp-suited, finely tuned, sitting on his stool like some Easy Listening Singer from a bygone age.
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…
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…
“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 …
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…
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…
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.
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.
More stories-in-song from this multi award-winning Jewish songwriter and Fringe favourite.
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.
After last year's sell-out show, Paul returns to the Great Yorkshire Fringe with his life, seemingly, still bordering on disarray.
Returning to the Fringe for the third time, this 13 strong ukulele collective began playing together 7 years ago.
Greetings.
After a severe case of writer's block, Owen has thrown caution to the wind and decided to let a child write his show for him.
Award-winning alternative comedy from Fire Donkey Productions who blur the lines between fiction and reality in this surreal genre-bending cult recruitment seminar thinly disguised…
Forget cheery optimism & skinny jeans.
"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…
“Hello” La Voix is the brand new show from ‘Ab Fab the Movie’ star La Voix! La Voix’s new show is a feast for the senses, with a show featuring her amazing live musicians, side-s…
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.
In his new show Nigel Osner casts a quizzical eye over life’s challenges for those, shall we say, just that little bit older.
Traditional, Victorian ‘Old Time Music Hall’ All the songs you love to sing and the jokes you love to hear.
After a severe case of writer’s block, Owen has thrown caution to the wind and decided to let a six year old child write his show for him.
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.
An amazing, three-hour, outdoor, family-friendly, old-school, Hip-Hop, Funk and Soul block party.
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.
Come and take a look around our beautiful church.
Folk tunes, stories and song inspired by the Scottish, Irish and English folk music traditions come alive with the immaculate fiddle and cello mastery of An Dhá.
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…
Forget cheery optimism & skinny jeans.
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…
Forget cheery optimism & skinny jeans.
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 …
“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 …
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…
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…
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…
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�…
Church of the Trinity and Trinity Sessions present Fringe Church where you can be inspired by music from Adelaide’s Tara Carragher, Snooks La Vie, Courtney Robb, Cosmo Thundercat a…
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.
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…
Our fab disco for Under 7s returns! Grab your pink leg warmers, don your ankle boots and make you hair as big as can be! It’s our retro disco for the digital generation to party …
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.
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” …
For those who don’t know much about mid-20th century Russian literature – I’m sure there must be one or two – satirical playwright Evgeny Schwartz’s 1943 play, Drakon …
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…
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
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.
Up the dark, dark stairs, upon the bloody gallows of soft rock, through the oubliette of cheese, into the torture chamber of disco, you are welcomed to the Late Night Pop Dungeon.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
Jim Everett, AKA Jimmy Francis, is relatively new to comedy.
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.
The legendary retired football manager turned alcoholic pundit from hell is back with a show to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Wembley 1967.
Ivor Dembina is very funny and manages to entertain the audience for an hour by conforming to as many stereotypes of a Jew as he can.
One performance only. Turn up early, sell-out expected.
A selection of favourites, old and new, from those (ouch) fifty years of performance poetry, theatre pieces and bittersweet, polemical, comical, in-character monologues by the form…
Debut stand-up hour from Ben Shannon about cats, growing up and being easily distracted.
Alastair presents his annual celebration of the Scots fiddle tradition in the Canongate Kirk’s vibrant acoustic.
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—…
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.
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 ‘…
There are lights in the sky.
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, …
America’s gun culture is pervasive.
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…
Old Town – New Perspective is a collection of contemporary photographs taken by Ewan Barry and Audrey Pinard.
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 …
All the way from Austin, Texas, it’s The Cowgirl Mary Old West Puppet Theatre Show.
The Californian pianist and composer’s improvisational flights through bebop and beyond – sometimes highly structured, sometimes wild – are rhapsodic, heartfelt and boldly melo…
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 Old Men, Rod Hunter and Les Sinclair return for a 6th year, joined again by the fantastic and slightly more youthful Raymond Mearns.
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.
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.
Debut stand-up hour from Ben Shannon about cats, growing up and being easily distracted.
The blurb suggests this is a show about nothing, but amidst the surreal humour there is a deeper meaning.
Raised a devout Christian, Kevin knew sex was meant for marriage only.
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…
Extra performance on the 21st at Laughing Horse @ Counting House with full run from 3rd to 27th (excluding Tuesdays) at Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake.
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.
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.
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.
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 …
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 …
It’s 54 years since the last conscripted British citizens returned to civilian life after completing their National Service.
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.
“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.
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…
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 …
Old people, eh? A bunch of forgetful wasters who always have a hatchet to unbury or a cup of tea going cold.
Indie theatre legends David Woods and Jon Haynes of ‘Ridiculusmus’ as two crustaceous elders putting off death in a snail paced farce.
Come and take a look around our beautiful church.
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 .
Will and Heidi are two thoughtful, principled stand-ups who will do anything to get a laugh, including dropping all principles.
Guided tours of this magnificent Grade I* listed church - one of the finest Victorian churches in the country.
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 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.
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…
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…
Based on the 1920’s Alberto Cassella play La Morte in Vacanza, Death Takes A Holiday is a chamber musical with a book by Thomas Meehan and Peter Stone, music and lyrics by Maur…
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…
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
This famous traditional music ensemble has thrilled audiences around the world, from China to the USA, with their unique blend of fiddles, smallpipes, harp, flute, concertina, doub…
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.
One performance only. Turn up early – sell-out expected.
Paul Kelly has recorded over 20 albums as well as several film soundtracks.
‘Downton Abbey with gardening tips’ (Guardian).
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.
Ranging from the bittersweet to the rude and raunchy, Scotland’s former national poet and recent recipient of the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry weaves a spellbinding and beguiling …
Delighted to turn 40, Julia is having a breakthrough, not a breakdown! Typically a time to reflect, re-assess.
After Fringe sell-out shows in 2014 and 2015, plus releasing their debut EP This Old Guitar this year, the trio return to AMC for two shows.
Join us for traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir, organ and congregation of this historic Anglican Catholic Church.
Alastair presents a concert of music from Scotland’s proud fiddle tradition in the wonderful ambience of the Canongate Kirk.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mark Smith (Russell Howard’s Good News) returns to Edinburgh with a new show and Lord have mercy is he excited.
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 …
Rod Hunter and Les Sinclair, two of Scotland’s more mature stand-up comedians return for the fifth year in a row with their successful Old Men show.
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.
Released from the family basement after 300 years, alleged cannibal James Douglas (1697-1715) invites you to join him and his guests for a depraved late night horror show splattere…
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…
“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…
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…
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.
This show doesn’t disappoint.
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.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a French pilot, poet and writer, who is best known as the author of children’s classic The Little Prince.
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…
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 …
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.
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…
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.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
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.
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.
Our Flower Festival, entitled “LOVE IS .
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…
It’s a dangerous move to end your fringe show with a cover of Peggy Lee’s Is That All There Is? as you run the risk of audiences leaving with that very question ringing in…
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 …
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.
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…
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…
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.
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.
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.
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 …
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 …
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.
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 …
Once in a lifetime, in the world of theatre, you’d hope you could say you bore witness to a theatrical event that would be engraved into the history books for eternity.
(previews start on Jan.
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.
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.
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 …
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…
This annual concert has built up a wide and loyal following, with listeners surprised by the beauty of melody and power of rhythm growing from the group’s blend of Scottish smallpi…
Managing a venue at the Fringe can be a hugely rewarding experience, but is also a mammoth undertaking for all involved.
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.
Church Night takes place as a monthly variety show in Washington DC, where they attract large crowds every night.
Older women have the comedy edge because they are less inhibited and have more stories to tell.
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…
Alastair returns to the wonderful surroundings of the Canongate Kirk for his annual celebration of the Scottish fiddle tradition.
At 70, Virginia Ironside writes a regular agony column for the Independent and the OIdie, and her latest comic novel is Yes! I Can Manage Thank You! In her one-woman show she expla…
This show is reviewer proof.
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.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church close to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with renowned choir and organ.
How can you review Barry Cryer? He’s a British comedy legend, practically an institution.
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.
Free morning films for the whole family.
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.
Outdoor cinema returns to the Fringe with a season of classic films in the iconic Old College Quad.
Since forming in the early 1990s, Old Blind Dogs have stood on the cutting edge of Scotland’s folk and roots revival.
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.
Ursula K Le Guin, noted author of A Wizard of Earthsea, is visited by an alien adopting her form.
Dr Harry Reid, author of Outside Verdict, discusses his new publication The Soul of Scotland.
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.
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…
‘Did you know that the German word gift means poison? It used to mean present – like in English – but then people started using it sarcastically.
The Nursery together with Freestival is bringing an improv only venue to Edinburgh - a Fringe first! Every night for three weeks, the Holyrood Suite at the Thistle Hotel will trans…
He’s a true-blue, straight-talking Aussie and he’s in town for some old fashioned stand-up, knock-em down comedy.
A man is desperate for a job.
Rod Hunter and Les Sinclair, two of Scotland’s more mature comedians, return for a fourth year with their Old Men show, for a longer run after last year’s full houses.
Old Town – New Perspective, is a collection of contemporary photographs taken by Ewan Barry and Audrey Pinard.
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…
The second ever Scots Makar (national poet) Liz Lochhead has teamed up with saxophonist Steve Kettley for this nostalgic selection of her favourite poems from a 50-year career.
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…
‘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.
Return of acclaimed and libellously funny storytelling show on how to find outrageous nightly adventure on a budget of £5.
Return of last year’s brilliant hit kosher comedy show.
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…
The Church of Malcolm is a live rock gig sprinkled with a Kurt Vonnegut like worldview.
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…
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…
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…
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 …
They say 50 is the new 30, if that’s true then I am only 27.
With a flourish, a whirl and the ring of the reception bell, the Grand Hotel has duly opened for business at the Southwark Playhouse, taking a well earned place in the Tarento /…
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…
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…
See the best in live performance for and by young people (and open to everyone!) at Venue B, Brighton’s only dedicated venue for young people. Check our website for full details.
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.
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…
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…
1926: Houdini’s right-hand man deals with the death of his boss.
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…
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.
Gods and Monsters by Russell Labey at the Southwark Playhouse is the latest nugget in credible maestro Danielle Tarento’s forever blooming theatrical scrapbook.
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…
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…
‘John and Mark’ is a new play about a musical legend and his killer that sees prisoner Mark David Chapman visited by John Lennon, the man he shot dead years earlier.
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…
Managing a venue at the Fringe can be a hugely rewarding experience, but is also a mammoth undertaking for all involved.
Since forming in the early 1990s, Old Blind Dogs have stood on the cutting edge of Scotland’s folk and roots revival.
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.
One performance only. Turn up early, sell out expected.
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.
Could you tell your life story in the space of a moment - the length of a sonnet? Award-winning playwright Jose Rivera’s thoughtful investigation of what it means to be alive takes…
Some shows take the audience on challenging yet rewarding journeys through layers of meaning, interpretations, and staging.
There is a character in Old Gristle who carries a bin bag and, within it, the liquefied remains of his dead dog.
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…
Virginia Ironside writes a regular agony column for the Independent and the OIdie and her latest comic novel is No! I Don’t Need Reading Glasses! In her one-woman show she explai…
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church close to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with renowned choir and organ.
Rod Hunter, John Purves and Les Sinclair, three of Scotland’s more mature comedians, return to the Fringe for the third time with their popular Old Men show.
Due to massive demand, six extra, later, and quite probably ruder shows from comedy’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning half-man/half-Xbox.
Danielle Tarento has done it again – this time in the guise of a European première of the 2012 award winning American musical Dogfight.
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.
Once in a while at the Edinburgh Fringe you stumble across an interesting and adventurous piece of theatre, a so-called diamond in the rough, proving the point of the festival and …
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.
Accompanying Paul Savage on his quest to find every joke in the Bible is an enjoyable way to spend an hour.
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 …
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.
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.
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…
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…
There is no doubt that an audience of a certain age will fondly remember the two famous actors starring in You’re Never Too Old, although audiences of any age could not fail to e…
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.
“Are you ready to party?!” blares the PA at the start of the show and the audience roars in the agreement.
The Church of Zirconium is a piece of new writing by Will Farrell and Milo Gough which invites us into the world of a poorly run cult populated by the charmingly gormless, the easi…
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.
Liz Lochhead’s solo spoken word show at Assembly Rooms opens with songs from Joni Mitchell’s delicately moody album ‘Blue’ on the sound system; appropriate not only for her…
‘This is the most inventive and hilarious act I have seen in years’ (Director, Leicester Comedy Festival).
The African Sahara, a wrecked plane, a stranded pilot and a vastness of sand.
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.
Ivor Dembina cut his teeth on the alternative comedy circuit with original material, so I was surprised to discover him performing a show called Old Jewish Jokes for the third y…
Paul Chowdry is perhaps one of the most interesting comedians at the Fringe this year.
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…
It’s hard to imagine an audience that won’t enjoy this show, based (exceedingly loosely, one hopes) on the boarding school experiences of WitTank’s cast of three: Mark Cooper…
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.
“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…
A stand-up show about feeling bamboozled by the modern world.
One of the most enjoyable things about the festival is watching a good staple comic; someone who has honed their craft, knows how to play it and gives what everyone is looking for,…
“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.
Lucie Pohl is an enigma and a clever one to boot.
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 …
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.
A celebration of children and young people in the Performing Arts featuring theatre, literature, music and movement.
Ever thought about running your own Brighton Fringe venue? Then this panel discussion is for you! Hear about the practicalities, pleasures and pitfalls of running a venue from a va…
What kind of music do you like? We got it.
2 big days, several SECRET locations and a mash-up of live music and epic performance! Special guest stars, festival fever, dance off, skate jams and all the weird and wonderful�…
Unfortunately, the likeability of these two ladies wasn’t enough to reject the notion that they should have, to quote an age old cliché, ‘stuck to the day job.
A dress-up sing-along celebration of everyone’s favourite musicals.
Paul F Taylor and Nick Hodder test out material.
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…
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 …
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…
Directed by Patricia McGregor, José Rivera’s drama uses the micro (family ghosts, turbulent love triangles) to explore the macro (Puerto Rico’s future), but the la…
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…
Managing a venue at the Fringe can be a rewarding experience, but is also a mammoth undertaking.
Managing a venue at the Fringe can be hugely rewarding, but is also a mammoth undertaking.
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 …
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…
Performed in the round as an acoustic quartet, Saint Seven is a dramatic hybrid of voices and instruments that interweaves elements of experimental, folk and classical chamber musi…
Written by celebrated folk musician Alan Reid, storytelling and songs relate the tale of this controversial and extraordinary 18th-century Scots mariner.
‘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 …
The Blueswater is the 12-piece band behind award-winning show Blues!, and they will be performing a limited run of five shows at the enigmatic Venue 45.
In a society where the older generation is generally ignored and marginalised by the media, Two Old Gits comes as a welcome change.
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…
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…
It is very difficult to appreciate a show when the performer alienates you from the rest of the audience.
Before this show, every time I walked past the nondescript sign on Nicolson Street imploring me to give the Scientologists a try, I was tempted to stop.
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.
Virginia Ironside is witty and sparky as she discusses the triumphs, as opposed to the tribulations, of growing old.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir and organ of this historic church.
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.
The affably natured Rod Hunter, John Purves and Les Sinclair bring their charming stand-up routine of one-liners galore and light observation to the Bee Hive Inn.
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.
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’.
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-…
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’…
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.
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…
Through the darkness of a subterranean music bar, in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town, glimmers a gem of theatrical history.
Rolling into Edinburgh with a brand new barnstorming show, The Horne Section will yet again provide the festival’s best musical mayhem.
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…
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 …
Stand-up legend and Red Dwarf star returns to continue The Sugababes debate plus much more.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The St Andrews Revue is a sparky and clever collection of original great British comedy that restores your faith in the wonderful talent this country has to offer in both writing a…
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.
Jokes that everyone’s heard before are always the hardest to make funny, so spare a thought for that most venerable of comedian: the ‘Jewish comic’ who has decades of comedic folkl…
Heard of screenwriter William Goldman’s rule about Hollywood? ‘Nobody knows anything.
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…
Feast your eyes and teeth on the bizarre, absurd and delicate world of Paul Currie.
The three hander that is The Pin is a pristine, progressive pulsation of comedy heaven that I urge everyone to experience.
It’s clear from the get-go that Below the Belt by Richard Dresser is just a bit odd.
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.
Dan Nightingale wants us to like him.
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…
Previous visitors to the Scottish National Gallery will be familiar with Frederic Church’s Niagara Falls from the American Side, the only major work by this American artist featu…
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.
The title doesnt exactly sell the show as an evening of mirth and anarchy.
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.
Stand-up comedy can be awkward when the audience is small.
You may have heard of a play-within-a-play but a musical-within-a-musical is another matter entirely.
As an avid fan of old noir movies, crooked cops, and general hard-boiled quick witted cynicism, needless to say I was looking forward to this show.
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…
The Pauly Show – Episode One, is a brilliant idea on paper: a stand up comedian with a ramshackle sitcom pilot live on stage.
Hailing from radio one and an award winning stand-up, I had high hopes for the Deaconator.
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…
With her phenomenal voice and subtle and sexy ambiance, Ali McGregor knows how to make an entrance.
For their debut, Libertine Productions presents Diana Son’s simple yet touching story of friendship, unexpected love and a memorable first kiss, with vitality and fresh, minty br…
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…
Belt Ups interactive oeuvre is kind of perfect for childrens theatre.
Thea Skot is an outright clever and funny young lady.
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…
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…
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 …
The Old Spice Boys make their debut on the Fringe with a fun show that will get your toes tapping to swing, jazz, reggae and blues rhythms.
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.
Imagine if David Starkey did a Fringe show.
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.
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.
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…
For all the excellent performances and wonderfully controlled aesthetic, this production amounts to nothing more than average; because it’s Belt Up, that’s disappointing.
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.
Before I walk into the theatre it is quarter to six in the afternoon.
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 …
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…
Paul Merton introduces a selection of silent film classics, featuring Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Laurel & Hardy.
This is Soap takes improv comedy to a new level - forget sketch shows, musicals or short-form games.
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.
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.
The works of Lewis Carroll are some of most overused in all of the arts.
Something consistently excellent about Belt Up’s productions is their dedication to preserving the illusion.
I must start with two clear statements.
Embracing the wonderful world of Wilfredo feels like it’s going to be quite an arduous task once this misfortunate creature greets you, but how wrong you can be.
Michael Twist is an 87 year old charmer living all alone at Anne Diamond House.
The exquisitely moustached showman Donny Vomit was just 14, visiting an Oklahoma County Fair, when he saw a man swallow a long balloon.
Becoming an established part of the Edinburgh fringe festival is no easy feat, but Tim FitzHigham secures himself immensely with his latest offering, Stop The Pigeon.
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.
Like so many fringe productions this year, the Super Serious Show looks to be one of those stand-up variety, mash-up shows that is used as a platform for many of the acts out there…
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�…
Fringe favourites Belt Up return with their highly acclaimed The Boy James, now transferred to the entirely new venue of C Nova, where up several flights of stairs the audience is …
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.
Three of the happiest, and I have to say, most talented musicians at the fringe, jam a cool funky jazz in the Wine bar at the Gilded Balloon as the audience take their seats.
Once in awhile the gods in comedy heaven will align the stars and deliver us a sublime female duo to embrace.
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…
In the cold hard light of day we all know stand-up is a tough gig - the Fringe is a buyers’ market and we’re all on the look out for the next best thing.
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…
You could be forgiven for thinking that Jim Campbell was Mark Watson’s twin brother.
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…
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.
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.
As she shuffles onto the stage assisted by a Las Vegas showgirl, Ida Barr hardly looks like Grandma-rapper billed in the programme; but Ida is the lesser-known creation of Christop…
A modern interpretation of Macbeth, with atmospheric effects, bright lights and the songs of Frank Sinatra.
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 fantastically immersive theatre of Belt Up has once again managed to captivate the minds of their audiences, with a new adaptation of Sophocless Antigone, reworked into m…
Nearly ten years on since its fabulous and successful debut in London’s West End, Boy George’s musical Taboo returns in spectacular form, re-imagined and reworked for the Brixt…
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…
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.
Dave Levinsohn and Loyiso Gola are billed as South Africa’s premier comedians, and Barely Legal does not disappoint as a platform to bring both these talented men together.
Whether you know much about Chekhov or not, Anton’s Uncles still has something for you.
Paul Zerdin is clearly an accomplished ventriloquist.
Take two of Cambridge’s Footlights, give them guitars, throw them in front of a crowd full of people and watch the magic happen.
Paul Sinha has yet to really breakout, although hes been building a solid stand-up foundation over the years at the Fringe.
Tom Stade is a formidable comic.
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.
Citymoves Productions’ ‘GOD (Grumpy Old Dancers)’ combines two contrasting personalities in a darkly comic exploration of grumpiness.
It’s been said before, it will be said again, people will say it for years and years to come.
This show is exactly what it is.
After selling out Londons Regents Park Open Air Theatre for a series of three special midnight storytelling shows this summer, Daniel Kitson returns once again to the Traverse …
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.
Hailing from Switzerland, Tom Lauri (and his fingers) is attending to all our magic needs at the Sweet Grassmarket with his deadpan offering of comedy/cabaret magic.
A popular nursery rhyme gets a reality check: just like in real life, the story of the children of the old woman who lived in a shoe, whom she whipped black and blue, did not just …
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.
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.
As audience members, we are trained to see and hear, but what if you take away one of those senses.
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…
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…
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, …
Home is where Daniel Kitsons heart is.
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.
‘Come in girls, sit anywhere you like.
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.
The classic tale of Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, which this production is based on, is a wonderful children’s adventure that has stood the test of time and had m…
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.
Packed to the rafters without a single seat left The Three Englishman, of which there are four, are off to a blazing start.
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…
‘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…
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…
Graham Woolnough’s lusciously bizarre backstage peek at the lives of royalty is a theatrical treat for those with any political disposition.
It’s 2012, we are in a field, I’ve forgotten my tent, Hunters and pac-a-mac, but who cares; it’s Music In a Field with Jonni Music, the Great(ish) and most bizarre music fest…
This new musical, by award winning composer Laurence Mark Wythe and writer Roberto Trippini, is about an illegal immigrant who fled his country of political turmoil.
Kings Hall has been taken over by Summer Hall and transformed into the Canada Hub over the festival, showcasing a series of Canadian acts exploring the issues surrounding Canada’…
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…
Greenside makes a dramatic move to The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) on George Street for 2024 Fringe.
VAULT, the creators of VAULT Festival have found their new London home which will open in Spring 2024 with VAULT Festival returning in the Autumn.
A coveted Bobby has been presented to five shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year.
Unlike its sister crawl, Old Town North, Old Town South traverses more of the South Side’s bars that lie adjacent to many Fringe venues.
The third of our pub crawls, the Old Town North trail has an extensive list of both core and optional bars to choose from.
The Old Market are excited to announce that they have managed to raise £1,057 for Brighton Women’s Centre throughout their Reigning Women season.
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.
The Scottish Storytelling Centre is, in its own words, ‘a vibrant arts venue with a seasonal programme of live storytelling, theatre, music, exhibitions, workshops, family events...
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.
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 beautiful show incorporating theatre, live music and song.
Edinburgh venue St Stephen’s Stockbridge returns in 2016 as the latest addition to the C venues stable.
Brighton Fringe has officially launched.
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...
Actor William McGeough was terrified to perform a sexually explicit extract from his one-man play Mistaken to the august Edinburgh establishment that is the Scottish Arts Club.
Acclaimed choreographers and performers Ramesh Meyyappan and Claire Cunningham bring two startling – and highly personal – shows to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Church Night is a Washington based production company bringing a show of the same name to Edinburgh. But this isn't your average service..
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!
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.
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...