Frankie Boyle Work In Progress Shows at Leicester Square Theatre & Museum Of Comedy

Frankie Boyle Work In Progress Shows at Leicester Square Theatre & Museum Of Comedy

Frankie is doing some shows at the Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy to try out some brand new jokes. 

Frankie Boyle Work In Progress Shows at Leicester Square Theatre & Museum Of Comedy

Frankie Boyle Work In Progress Shows at Leicester Square Theatre & Museum Of Comedy

Frankie is doing some shows at the Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy to try out some brand new jokes. 

Frankie Boyle Work In Progress Shows at Leicester Square Theatre & Museum Of Comedy

Frankie Boyle Work In Progress Shows at Leicester Square Theatre & Museum Of Comedy

Frankie is doing some shows at the Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy to try out some brand new jokes. 

Felicity Ward: I’m Exhausting!

Felicity Ward: I’m Exhausting!

Star of ‘The Office’ (Australia), Felicity Ward returns for her first national tour in 5 years… only to make you laugh! Out loud. 

Christopher Hall: Girl For All Seasons

Christopher Hall: Girl For All Seasons

Social media sensation Christopher Hall tells of his life, as a ‘boy who’s a bit girly really’. 

Christopher Hall: A Girl For All Seasons

Christopher Hall: A Girl For All Seasons

Social media sensation Christopher Hall tells of his life, as a ‘boy who’s a bit girly really’. 

Tom Ward: Choose Your Delusion

Tom Ward: Choose Your Delusion

Do you ever feel like this isn’t how it was meant to be? You wanted your life to be a series of stylish, cinematic moments… shots of you in a silk robe walk… 

Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher

‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (SingOut. 

Assembly Hall

Assembly Hall

SCOTTISH PREMIERE The boundaries between reality and myth crumble in Crystal Pite and Jonathan Young’s imaginative new dance work. 

Beldon Haigh: World Got So Dumb

Beldon Haigh: World Got So Dumb

Beldon Haigh performing their stunning new album World Got So Dumb in the world-famous masks of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. 

Bruce Davies – You've Got A Friend

Bruce Davies – You've Got A Friend

Great songs of the 70s from James Taylor, Carole King, John Denver, Don McLean and many more from the singer/songwriter era. 

Still Got It!

Still Got It!

Still Got It is a show by older comedians for all adults to enjoy. 

Attila the Stockbroker: 14 Days, 14 Completely Different Shows

Attila the Stockbroker: 14 Days, 14 Completely Different Shows

Performance poet/musician Attila the Stockbroker has been writing and performing since 1980: 4,000 or so gigs in 25 countries so far. 

One-Person Shows / Solo Shows: Daily Picks of the Fringe

One-Person Shows / Solo Shows: Daily Picks of the Fringe

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… 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance? Join DJ Monski Mouse and her dancers for this award-winning, epic session of bopping, bonkers, beautiful fun. 

AL! The Weird Tribute (and How Daniel Radcliffe Got Mixed Up in This Nonsense)

AL! The Weird Tribute (and How Daniel Radcliffe Got Mixed Up in This Nonsense)

“Weird Al” Yankovic and Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe were destined to be together onstage, and now they are! (Sort of. 

Anna Clifford: Got Jokes? (Work in Progress)

Anna Clifford: Got Jokes? (Work in Progress)

After the successful debut of her comedy hour, I See Deadly People (available on YouTube), Anna is back with new jokes, a nearly there show, and you decide what stays and what goes… 

Highlight Tours of St Cecilia's Hall

Highlight Tours of St Cecilia's Hall

Join us on these guided tours of the musical treasures on display at St Cecilia’s Hall, Scotland’s oldest concert hall and home to the University of Edinburgh’s Musical Instr… 

Danny O' Brien: Killa-Dan-Jaro

Danny O' Brien: Killa-Dan-Jaro

Award-winning Irish comedian returns to the Edinburgh Fringe for his 13th year at the Festival with a brand-new high-octane show Killa-Dan-Jaro! 

Simon Hall: 4 Big Cs

Simon Hall: 4 Big Cs

A tale of comedy, Covid, cancer and some complete and utter c*nts! Four years ago Simon went through a break up and decided to try comedy. 

Dragon Shows for Babies

Dragon Shows for Babies

The tales of the dragons are special for many reasons. 

Diona Doherty: Got MILF?

Diona Doherty: Got MILF?

She’s the comedian, the mother and the owner of a bunch of frozen embryos. 

Louise Atkinson: She's Got the Look

Louise Atkinson: She's Got the Look

With this new comedy show, the Amused Moose Best Debut Show winner revisits the unsolicited feedback she once received; ‘Louise Atkinson – sounds good, looks like a mess’; and di… 

Tom Ward: Choose Your Delusion

Tom Ward: Choose Your Delusion

Tom Ward (Live at The Apollo, QI) is back, and talking all the big topics of our times – masculinity, three-star hotels, erectile dysfunction, reality TV, adverts, mental health … 

Simon Hall – Unhappily Ever After

Simon Hall – Unhappily Ever After

We all know the fairy tales and their immortal final line: happily ever after… But that isn’t real life. 

Ellie MacPherson: Babe Lincoln

Ellie MacPherson: Babe Lincoln

Only one person can save the Union now, and it’s comedic historian Ellie MacPherson! Inspired by her historical hall pass, Ellie wants your vote and she’s getting it the only way s… 

Abby Wambaugh: The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows

Abby Wambaugh: The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows

Abby awoke in hospital after a late miscarriage and, high on anaesthesia, decided to become a comedian. 

Christopher Hall: Girl For All Seasons

Christopher Hall: Girl For All Seasons

Social media sensation Christopher tells of his life, as a ‘boy who’s a bit girly really’. 

Danny Clives: Danny Explains It All

Danny Clives: Danny Explains It All

Fresh off the back of his triumphant sold-out Leicester Comedy Festival show and supporting Nigel Ng (Uncle Roger) on his world tour performing at Hammersmith Apollo, Dublin’s 3Oly… 

Yoga with Jillian: The Guardian Top 50 Shows to See!

Yoga with Jillian: The Guardian Top 50 Shows to See!

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 … 

Erika Ehler: I Got Some Dope Ass Memories With People That I'll Never F*ck With Again

Erika Ehler: I Got Some Dope Ass Memories With People That I'll Never F*ck With Again

Erika Ehler navigates the disturbing reality of what it’s like to be young, hot and yet so alone; platonic relationships and the bittersweet transition of hangouts becoming reuni… 

Louise Atkinson: She's Got The Look (Work in Progress)

Louise Atkinson: She's Got The Look (Work in Progress)

Winner of the Amused Moose Best Debut Show, nominee for NextUp! biggest Award in Comedy and nominee for Comedians Choice Award, Louise Atkinson brings you a show about how we false… 

Lena Hall

Lena Hall

TONY winner and Grammy Nominee Lena Hall is set to bring her latest one woman show “Little Career of Horrors,” to London’s Cadogan Hall. 

Danny Lee Grew | 24K Magic

Danny Lee Grew | 24K Magic

Join top magician Danny Lee Grew in his brand new show ‘24K Magic’ featuring magic, illusion, laughs, gasps and sleight of hand sorcery. 

Still Got It

Still Got It

Still Got It is a show by older comedians for all adults to enjoy. 

What's Love Got To Do With It?

What's Love Got To Do With It?

Ali Jay brings a Work In Progress show to Brighton Fringe 2024. 

Rich Hall: Shot From Cannons

Rich Hall: Shot From Cannons

Fresh on the heels of his critically acclaimed memoirs, Nailing It, Montana’s transatlantic messenger returns with new rants, knife-edge observations, thrilling mu… 

Rich Hall: Shot From Cannons

Rich Hall: Shot From Cannons

Fresh on the heels of his critically acclaimed memoirs, Nailing It, Montana’s transatlantic messenger returns with new rants, knife-edge observations, thrilling mu… 

Lukey Newms' New Talent Night

Lukey Newms' New Talent Night

Lukey Newms presents a New Talent Night, headlined by one of the hottest talents on the circuit, Onojie Idemudia. 

Steve Williams & Steve Hall

Steve Williams & Steve Hall

After crushing it opening for Russell Howard’s SOLD-OUT UK Tour, Steve Hall and Steve Williams are in town with a double dose of fantastic stand up. 

Steve Williams & Steve Hall

Steve Williams & Steve Hall

After crushing it opening for Russell Howard’s SOLD-OUT UK Tour, Steve Hall and Steve Williams are in town with a double dose of fantastic stand up. 

You Got It, Boss! | Stand up, Smack down!

You Got It, Boss! | Stand up, Smack down!

You Got It, Boss! Life at #2: A Henchman's Tale Stand up, Smack down! Where comedy and wrestling collide You Got It, Boss! - Charisma CheckWhat's a goon su… 

THE CURIOUS CASE OF ALBERT CASHIER: Lincoln’s ‘Lady’ Soldier

THE CURIOUS CASE OF ALBERT CASHIER: Lincoln’s ‘Lady’ Soldier

Quintessence Theatre, In association with Droichead Arts Centre, Present The Curious Case of Albert Cashier: Lincoln’s ‘Lady’ Soldier&nb… 

Christopher Hall: Self Helpless

Christopher Hall: Self Helpless

Join Chris on his (un)wellness journey of discovery (of procrastination methods), personal development (of his anxious thoughts) and self-help(lessness), as he wades sar… 

Danny LoPriore Live in London

Danny LoPriore Live in London

Dannny is a Podcast host, Social Media Star, musician & comedian. 

Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton

Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton

After a hugely successful sell-out world premiere performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2013, and a further two performances in December 2014, Danny Elfman’s Music from the… 

Christopher Hall: Self Helpless

Christopher Hall: Self Helpless

Join Chris on his (un)wellness journey of discovery (of procrastination methods), personal development (of his anxious thoughts) and self-help(lessness), as he wades sarcastically … 

Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher

‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (SingOut. 

Horizon Showcase: The Talent

Horizon Showcase: The Talent

On stage is a small sound booth; inside sits a woman, alone. 

Danny Beard and Their Band

Danny Beard and Their Band

The winner of Drag Race hits the Fringe as part of their debut solo tour! Join Danny as they take to the stage with their live band in a show which promises to be bigger, better an… 

Danny Bhoy – Now Is Not a Good Time

Danny Bhoy – Now Is Not a Good Time

2023 finally sees the return of Danny Bhoy to the Edinburgh Fringe for the world premiere of his brand-new show. 

Still Got It

Still Got It

Two Scottish comedy legends, who’ve chalked up over 40 years of live gig experience between them, are back for two performances only at the Fringe, delivering a guaranteed, great h… 

I've Got You Under My Skin: The Songs of Cole Porter

I've Got You Under My Skin: The Songs of Cole Porter

Philip Contini sings your favourite, unforgettable, classic songs of Cole Porter, one of the greatest composer-lyricists of the 20th century, accompanied by the sensational 6-piece… 

Bristleburg Town Hall

Bristleburg Town Hall

Residents of Bristleburg, USA: Meet at the bus to begin our exploratory Fringe Festival tour. 

Little Ward of Horrors

Little Ward of Horrors

Little Ward of Horrors, unfortunately, seems to somewhat fall into the category of sketch shows that sell tickets due to their name, The Malignant Humours. 

The Lock-In Cabaret

The Lock-In Cabaret

Back for its eighth year, this chaotic institution is the only way to end your night at Edinburgh Fringe! Join high-energy hosts, Griffin and Jones, for an hour(ish) of late-night … 

Trevor Lock: Share

Trevor Lock: Share

Residing somewhere between a conversation, a debate and group therapy with Salvador Dali, Share both transgresses and redefines normal social relationships, turning human interacti… 

Danny Ward: A Ward Winning!

Danny Ward: A Ward Winning!

Mark Simmons’ tour support, co-host of the Jokes podcast, BT Sport personality, award-winning comedian and documentary filmmaker, Danny is the undisputed champion of the Ward! A br… 

STILL GOT IT!

STILL GOT IT!

We are five stand-up comedians coming from diverse backgrounds. 

STILL GOT IT!

STILL GOT IT!

This stand-up comedy show features friends who want to share their stories, fun and laughter. 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance? Join DJ Monski Mouse and her dancers for this multi award-nominated, epic session of bopping, bonkers, beautiful fun. 

Danny O' Brien: Sweet Child O' Brien

Danny O' Brien: Sweet Child O' Brien

After a sell-out run at last year’s Fringe, multi award-winning Irish comedian Danny O’ Brien is back with a nostalgia-packed high-energy stand-up show bringing the big laughs to t… 

Will Hall: Mild Peril

Will Hall: Mild Peril

Will Hall: Mild Peril – Rising star Will Hall (seen on BBC Three and Channel 4) brings 45 minutes of his ‘electrically witty’ (BroadwayBaby. 

AL! The Weird Tribute (And How Daniel Radcliffe Got Mixed Up in This Nonsense)

AL! The Weird Tribute (And How Daniel Radcliffe Got Mixed Up in This Nonsense)

Combining two of his great loves – Weird Al Yankovic and Harry Potter – Steve Goodie creates an all-out musical performance with some killer lyrics and accordion skills. 

24 Shows in 24 days: Live at the Big Cave

24 Shows in 24 days: Live at the Big Cave

24 different award-winning or nominated comedians perform their full shows, recorded for Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube. See FringeSpecials.com for listings. 

Christopher Hall: Self Helpless

Christopher Hall: Self Helpless

Join Chris on his (un)wellness journey of discovery (of procrastination methods), personal development (of his anxious thoughts) and self-help(lessness), as he wades sarcastically … 

Heaven by Eugene O'Brien

Heaven by Eugene O'Brien

Heaven is set in County Offaly, Ireland, during the weekend of a local wedding. 

I've Got Some Things To Get Off My Chest

I've Got Some Things To Get Off My Chest

According to Google, Eva’s boobs weigh the same as: two and a half bottles of tequila; two bricks; or the average newborn baby. 

Geraldine Hickey: Of Course We've Got Horses

Geraldine Hickey: Of Course We've Got Horses

Join the winner of Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Best Show Award – Geraldine Hickey as she shares stories about acknowledging and enjoying new-found privileges, like … 

Priya Hall: Grandmother’s Daughter

Priya Hall: Grandmother’s Daughter

There is just something so wholesome about Priya Hall’s Grandmother’s Daughter. 

Venue B Takeover Gig

Venue B Takeover Gig

Venue B hosts a monthly sell out gig of local young up and coming bands and DJs. 

Venue B Takeover Gig

Venue B Takeover Gig

Venue B hosts a monthly sell out gig of local young up and coming bands and DJs. 

Jake Cornford & Jake O'Brien Murphy: Two Jakes Don't Make A Right

Jake Cornford & Jake O'Brien Murphy: Two Jakes Don't Make A Right

Two Jakes do not make a right, but what they DO make is a right good laugh! One Welshman and one Scouser join Jake & Jake for an hour of hilarious stand-up comedy. 

Jake Cornford & Jake O'Brien Murphy: Two Jakes Don't Make A Right

Jake Cornford & Jake O'Brien Murphy: Two Jakes Don't Make A Right

Two Jakes do not make a right, but what they DO make is a right good laugh! One Welshman and one Scouser join Jake & Jake for an hour of hilarious stand-up comedy. 

Smooth Sailing & Soggy Biscuit at the Gallery Lock In

Smooth Sailing & Soggy Biscuit at the Gallery Lock In

Constant Escape Productions presents a 2 in 1 experience. 

Still Got It!

Still Got It!

We are four comedians whose total ages add up to over 250 years. 

Still Got It!

Still Got It!

We are four comedians whose total ages add up to over 250 years. 

Farm Hall

Farm Hall

Summer 1945. 

Priya Hall: Sertraline Dreams (Work in Progress)

Priya Hall: Sertraline Dreams (Work in Progress)

TV’s Priya Hall brings you her new WIP all about her 2021 breakdown. Expect cats, breakdowns and BIG REALISATIONS. 

Still Got It

Still Got It

This stand-up comedy show features four friends who want to share their stories, fun and laughter. 

I've Got Some Things To Get Off My Chest

I've Got Some Things To Get Off My Chest

According to google Eva’s boobs weigh the same as an average newborn baby and that’s quite a weight to have on your back, metaphorically, and physically. 

The David Johnson Emerging Talent Award

The David Johnson Emerging Talent Award

A mixed-bill comedy, cabaret and variety show to celebrate the life of maverick producer David Johnson who died in 2020. 

Still Got It

Still Got It

Still Got It invites you to come along to enjoy jokes, stories and craziness from four comedians whose total ages are well over 250 years! You will find a great welcome from a team… 

Rock What You Got

Rock What You Got

House of Jack presents Rock What You Got, an event packed full of all-style two vs two battles featuring some of the best dancers from around the UK. 

Nick Hall: Restart

Nick Hall: Restart

Nick had a bit of breakdown in 2021, but now he’s coming back strong! Hilarious and inventive stand-up, as seen and heard on BBC2, BBC3, and BBC Radio 4. 

Nick Hall: Restart

Nick Hall: Restart

Nick had a bit of breakdown in 2021, but now he’s coming back strong! Hilarious and inventive stand-up, as seen and heard on BBC2, BBC3, and BBC Radio 4. 

Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher

‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out!). 

Rich Hall SOLD OUT: TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE

Rich Hall SOLD OUT: TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE

After my last Fringe appearance (August, 2016), I had to step away from Edinburgh and consider how to be less devastatingly funny. 

Angelos Epithemiou: Can I Just Show You What I've Got?

Angelos Epithemiou: Can I Just Show You What I've Got?

Angelos is here standing in front of people for about seven days, maybe more if he can get time off at the stables. 

Medea – Main Hall

Medea – Main Hall

Liz Lochhead’s slick modern take on a sadly relevant ancient tale is brought to life with intelligent staging and a ferociously powerful central performance from Adura Onashile. 

The Lock-In Cabaret

The Lock-In Cabaret

Back for its seventh year at Edinburgh Fringe, this chaotic institution is the only way to end your night at Edinburgh Fringe! Join high-energy hosts, Griffin and Jones, for an hou… 

Jinkx Monsoon: She's Still Got It! (with Major Scales)

Jinkx Monsoon: She's Still Got It! (with Major Scales)

It took little time for Assembly’s Spielgeltent Palais Du Variété to evolve into a glittering exhibition of luminous flair and seduction, teased out by one of Drag Race’s mos… 

Danny Ward – You Get What You Pay For

Danny Ward – You Get What You Pay For

As seen on BT Sport’s DIY Pundit, the Amused Moose Comedy Award winner Danny Ward returns to Edinburgh with his seventh solo show. 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance? Join DJ Monski Mouse and her dancers for an epic session of bonkers, bopping, beautiful fun. 

I Got Bit by a Monkey Once

I Got Bit by a Monkey Once

A comedic storytelling show with four true stories: a monkey bite, a bus trip, an arrest, and a mugging. 

STILL GOT IT!

STILL GOT IT!

We are four stand-up comedians coming from diverse backgrounds. 

Johnny Got His Gun

Johnny Got His Gun

A grenade hits Joe Bonham in WW1. 

A Talent to Amuse: The Noël Coward Story

A Talent to Amuse: The Noël Coward Story

Playwright, composer, actor, singer; Noël Coward defined and shaped the 20th century. 

Highlight Tour of St Cecilia's Hall

Highlight Tour of St Cecilia's Hall

Join us on these free guided tours of the musical treasures on display at St Cecilia’s Hall, Scotland’s oldest concert hall and home to the University of Edinburgh’s Musical … 

Danny O'Brien: The God of All Things Bad

Danny O'Brien: The God of All Things Bad

The award-winning Irish comic has stayed busier than ever over the last two years! From making one of the highest-viewed stand-up specials in Irish television history to somehow sp… 

Love and Sex on the Spectrum

Love and Sex on the Spectrum

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… 

Chris Hall and Mark Bittlestone: Two Sour Gays

Chris Hall and Mark Bittlestone: Two Sour Gays

One of the (many) great things about Fringe is that new comics, who don’t yet have an hour’s worth of material, can buddy up to put on a show — Chris Hall and Mark Bittleston… 

Anthony DeVito: My Dad Isn't Danny DeVito

Anthony DeVito: My Dad Isn't Danny DeVito

All little boys want their dads to be superheroes. 

Tom Ward: Anthem

Tom Ward: Anthem

It’s a loud and rowdy Saturday night at Monkey Barrel. 

One of Two

One of Two

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… 

Feeling Afraid as If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen

Feeling Afraid as If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen

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… 

Moira in Lockdown

Moira in Lockdown

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-… 

Ode to Joy (How Gordon got to go to the nasty pig party)

Ode to Joy (How Gordon got to go to the nasty pig party)

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… 

Sunday Cabaret with Danny Beard and Tanya Hyde

Sunday Cabaret with Danny Beard and Tanya Hyde

SUNDAY CABARET AT THE RVT WITH DANNY BEARD AND TANYA HYDESunday Cabaret at The RVT is a unique mix of world-class cabaret performers and fantastic DJs. 

Simon Hall is Completely Fine... in the Mania

Simon Hall is Completely Fine... in the Mania

Simon Hall brings his manic energy and style to Brighton Fringe in his new show Simon Hall is Completely Fine. 

Sam Avery: Role Model

Sam Avery: Role Model

Sam needs to step up. 

Sam Avery: Role Model

Sam Avery: Role Model

Sam needs to step up. 

Still Got It: Four Older Comedians having Fun!

Still Got It: Four Older Comedians having Fun!

We are four friendly comedians and we’ve still got it! Plenty of laughs, stories and craziness. Come and enjoy an hour hanging out with us! 

Still Got It: Four older comedians having fun!

Still Got It: Four older comedians having fun!

We are four friendly comedians and we’ve still got it! Plenty of laughs, stories and craziness. Come and enjoy an hour hanging out with us! 

The Recollection of Tony Ward

The Recollection of Tony Ward

Tony moves back into his childhood home after his divorce. 

The Recollection of Tony Ward

The Recollection of Tony Ward

Jim Spencer Broadbent is a playwright based in South-East London, so he is delighted to be presenting his play The Recollection of Tony Ward as one of twenty-seven companies contri… 

...The Secret Comedy Club by Artista (Voted audience choice award best Fringe venue 2021)

...The Secret Comedy Club by Artista (Voted audience choice award best Fringe venue 2021)

We run comedy nights at this venue all year round but we have something special planned for the Fringe. 

Sunday Cabaret with Danny Beard and Marsha Mallow

Sunday Cabaret with Danny Beard and Marsha Mallow

SUNDAY CABARET AT THE RVT WITH DANNY BEARD AND MARSHA MALLOWSunday Cabaret at The RVT is a unique mix of world-class cabaret performers and fantastic DJs. 

James O’Brien Full Disclosure Live with Sir Keir Starmer

James O’Brien Full Disclosure Live with Sir Keir Starmer

Full Disclosure With James O’Brien: Live James O’Brien is recording his podcast live on stage to raise money for LBC’s charity Global’s Make S… 

Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

James O’Brien is recording his podcast live on stage to raise money for LBC’s charity Global’s Make Some Noise. 

James O’Brien Full Disclosure Live with Sir Keir Starmer

James O’Brien Full Disclosure Live with Sir Keir Starmer

Full Disclosure With James O’Brien: Live James O’Brien is recording his podcast live on stage to raise money for LBC’s charity Global’s Make S… 

West Five Bar ''Got Talent''

West Five Bar ''Got Talent''

Join us!Join us for an evening of Talent at West Five Bar - You can just turn up on the night as this event is free entry! Want to be a contestant?If you wish to be a contesta… 

DANNY RYAN | RegularSuburbanWoman

DANNY RYAN | RegularSuburbanWoman

DANNY RYAN A story of stunted romantic understanding. 

Sunday Social with Danny Beard and Tanya Hyde

Sunday Social with Danny Beard and Tanya Hyde

SUNDAY SOCIAL AT THE RVT WITH DANNY BEARD AND TANYA HYDESunday Social at The RVT is a unique mix of world-class cabaret  and fantastic DJs. 

FunnyBoyz London presents

FunnyBoyz London presents "Britain's Got Talent LORRAINE BOWEN"

FUNNYBOYZ LONDON presentsLorraine Bowen ( ages 18+ )CITY OF QUEBECFriday 10th December 2021 Britain’s Got Talent star Lorraine Bowen, known for her song ” Crumble ” is coming … 

We Never Got Off at Sloane Square

We Never Got Off at Sloane Square

We never get off at Sloane Square is an adaptation of Helen DeWitt’s novel, The Last Samurai – the story of a mother, Sibylla, who singlehandedly homeschools her son, Ludo, whi… 

Sunday Social Halloween with Danny Beard and The Vixens

Sunday Social Halloween with Danny Beard and The Vixens

This year Halloween falls on a Sunday and we are going all spooky on your cabaret asses, it will be bats in the belfry and monsters in the mash as we welcome Pixie Poltergeist Poli… 

Sunday Social with Danny Beard and Holestar

Sunday Social with Danny Beard and Holestar

SUNDAY SOCIAL WITH DANNY BEARD AND HOLESTARThis Sunday we welcome back the incredible Danny Beard and the amazing Holestar to Sunday Social, plus DJs Simon Le Vans and guest TBC. 

Your Playground Voice is Gone By Libby Hall

Your Playground Voice is Gone By Libby Hall

“Miss Polly had a dolly and its head popped off” On a rainy afternoon, at a fly tip in the woods, an eclectic group of teenagers are catapulted head first into the unknown te… 

Your Playground Voice is Gone By Libby Hall

Your Playground Voice is Gone By Libby Hall

“Miss Polly had a dolly and its head popped off” On a rainy afternoon, at a fly tip in the woods, an eclectic group of teenagers are catapulted head first into the unknown te… 

Your Playground Voice is Gone By Libby Hall

Your Playground Voice is Gone By Libby Hall

“Miss Polly had a dolly and its head popped off” On a rainy afternoon, at a fly tip in the woods, an eclectic group of teenagers are catapulted head first into the unknown te… 

Your Playground Voice is Gone By Libby Hall

Your Playground Voice is Gone By Libby Hall

“Miss Polly had a dolly and its head popped off” On a rainy afternoon, at a fly tip in the woods, an eclectic group of teenagers are catapulted head first into the unknown te… 

My Boy Danny

My Boy Danny

**** (4-Stars) “Satisfying, enjoyable, emotive and intriguing” (Broadwaybaby. 

My Boy Danny

My Boy Danny

**** (4-Stars) “Satisfying, enjoyable, emotive and intriguing” (Broadwaybaby. 

Sunday Social with Danny Beard and Son of a Tutu

Sunday Social with Danny Beard and Son of a Tutu

SUNDAY SOCIAL WITH DANNY BEARD AND SON OF A TUTUThis Sunday we welcome back the incredible Danny Beard and the amazing Son of a Tutu to Sunday Social, plus DJs Simon Le Vans and gu… 

We Are Each Other – Trevor Lock

We Are Each Other – Trevor Lock

Trevor’s new attempt at making a thing that only some people will like is similar to Community Circle and Girl v Boy but funnier and not as good. 

Community Circle – Trevor Lock

Community Circle – Trevor Lock

A social experiment? A support group for people looking to find their own comedy? 12-step meeting? Literal mind-reading show? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? (Unless you go back … 

Tom Ward: Work in Progress

Tom Ward: Work in Progress

Oh thank God Tom Ward is back. 

Tom Ward: Work in Progress

Tom Ward: Work in Progress

Oh thank God Tom Ward is back. 

Trevor Lock's Show

Trevor Lock's Show

Something different every day! Brand new social experiments that will heal your soul. 

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

With caller Ken Gourlay and ceilidh band. 

Trevor Lock's Show

Trevor Lock's Show

Something different every day! Brand new social experiments that will heal your soul. 

Clown Nipples and Nice Try (Two Solo Shows - Works in Progress)

Clown Nipples and Nice Try (Two Solo Shows - Works in Progress)

In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy. 

Nice Try and Clown Nipples (Two Comedy Solo Shows)

Nice Try and Clown Nipples (Two Comedy Solo Shows)

In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy. 

Clown Nipples and Nice Try (Two Solo Shows - Works in Progress)

Clown Nipples and Nice Try (Two Solo Shows - Works in Progress)

In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy. 

Live @ The Drill Hall

Live @ The Drill Hall

Celebrate the return to live entertainment with an exciting evening of variety hosted by radio personality Mark McKenzie in the home of the Army. 

Live @ The Drill Hall

Live @ The Drill Hall

Celebrate the return to live entertainment with an exciting evening of variety hosted by radio personality Mark McKenzie in the home of the Army. 

Avery Street

Avery Street

This sketch comedy trio are opening the doors to all of their larger than life characters living on the same street. 

Sherlock's Secret Challenge – The Puzzle Solving Game That Shows You The City

Sherlock's Secret Challenge – The Puzzle Solving Game That Shows You The City

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. 

Conversations by Rob Ward

Conversations by Rob Ward

Four stories. 

Avery Street

Avery Street

This sketch comedy trio are opening the doors to all of their larger than life characters living on the same street. 

Tom Ward: Return of the Love Machine

Tom Ward: Return of the Love Machine

Tom ‘The Haircut’ Ward is back. 

Tom Ward: Return of the Love Machine

Tom Ward: Return of the Love Machine

Tom ‘The Haircut’ Ward is back. 

Will Hall and Sharlin Jahan: Work in Progress

Will Hall and Sharlin Jahan: Work in Progress

Will Hall (as seen on BBC Three and Channel 4) and Sharlin Jahan (BBC Asian Network) present a brand new work in progress split bill. 

Will Hall and Sharlin Jahan: Work in Progress

Will Hall and Sharlin Jahan: Work in Progress

Will Hall (as seen on BBC Three and Channel 4) and Sharlin Jahan (as heard on Union Jack Radio) present a brand new work in progress split bill. 

Sara Segovia and Lachlan Werner are making shows (WORK IN PROGRESS)

Sara Segovia and Lachlan Werner are making shows (WORK IN PROGRESS)

Sara Segovia Rodao and Lachlan Werner are cuties by nature, cancers by astrological sign and clowns by trade. 

Still Got It: Four Comedians Who Are Up For It, Whatever It May Be!

Still Got It: Four Comedians Who Are Up For It, Whatever It May Be!

We are four friendly comedians and we’ve still got it! Plenty of laughs, stories and craziness. Come and enjoy an hour hanging out with us! 

Clown Nipples and Nice Try (Two Solo Shows - Works in Progress)

Clown Nipples and Nice Try (Two Solo Shows - Works in Progress)

Tl;dr: Two female comedians debut their 30 minute solo shows on one bill. 

Clown Nipples and Nice Try (Two Solo Shows - Works in Progress)

Clown Nipples and Nice Try (Two Solo Shows - Works in Progress)

In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy. 

The Players’ Theatre: Old Time Music Hall

The Players’ Theatre: Old Time Music Hall

Traditional, Victorian ‘Old Time Music Hall’ All the songs you love to sing and the jokes you love to hear. 

The Woman Who Finally Got Inside Her Husband's Brain

The Woman Who Finally Got Inside Her Husband's Brain

We peek into the private lives of a couple, now in their later years yet still wrestling with the complexities of relationship and the desire to be seen and understood in a place w… 

Centenary Music Hall

Centenary Music Hall

Westcliff High School for Boys’s troupe of players from all year groups brings the late 19th century tradition of Music Hall back to life with some wonderful old songs, glorious … 

Spider MacKenzie and Danny Britt: Texas Americana Meets the Blues

Spider MacKenzie and Danny Britt: Texas Americana Meets the Blues

This pair of renowned musicians met and regularly play in Texas. 

Five Lock Down

Five Lock Down

Conceived, written and acted by Timothy Quinlan, this short film features some of the better acting on offer at the Fringe, and like so many others, is inspired by the strange real… 

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

With caller/dance teacher Ken Gourlay, ceilidh band and piper. 

My Boy Danny

My Boy Danny

It’s worth noting first off that My Boy Danny was never originally intended to appear as an MP3 available for streaming on YouTube, with that compromise being a happy result of l… 

W*nk Buddies

W*nk Buddies

“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… 

Sam Avery: Toddlergeddon

Sam Avery: Toddlergeddon

The time is 4. 

Mrs Puntila And Her Man Matti

Mrs Puntila And Her Man Matti

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… 

Sam Avery: Toddlergeddon

Sam Avery: Toddlergeddon

The time is 4. 

The Players’ Theatre: Old Time Music Hall

The Players’ Theatre: Old Time Music Hall

Traditional, Victorian ‘Old Time Music Hall’ All the songs you love to sing and the jokes you love to hear. 

James O’Brien Full Disclosure Live with Surprise Guest

James O’Brien Full Disclosure Live with Surprise Guest

Full Disclosure With James O’Brien: Live James O’Brien is recording his podcast live on stage for the first time to raise money for LBC’s charity Globa… 

James O’Brien Full Disclosure Live with Surprise Guest

James O’Brien Full Disclosure Live with Surprise Guest

Full Disclosure With James O’Brien: Live James O’Brien is recording his podcast live on stage for the first time to raise money for LBC’s charity Globa… 

Pride Plays

Pride Plays

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”. 

Oor Wullie

Oor Wullie

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. 

Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off

Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off

The Edinburgh University Theatre Company Presents Liz Lochhead’s 'Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off'. 

Ellie Taylor: Don’t Got This

Ellie Taylor: Don’t Got This

Fresh from recording her debut Netflix stand-up special, the star of The Mash Report, Live at the Apollo and QI is back with a brand-new show. 

Ellie Taylor: Don’t Got This

Ellie Taylor: Don’t Got This

Fresh from recording her debut Netflix stand-up special, the star of The Mash Report, Live at the Apollo and QI is back with a brand-new show. 

Sean Lock Live

Sean Lock Live

Sean Lock is one of the UK’s most highly acclaimed and original comedians. 

The Stornoway Way

The Stornoway Way

“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… 

Al Stewart - Cadogan Hall

Al Stewart - Cadogan Hall

Hits & Misses with his Electric Band The “Empty Pockets” After touring for the last year in the USA with his band the Empty Pockets, Al has decided to bring this s… 

The Panopticon

The Panopticon

I well remember when Jenni Fagan’s explosive debut, The Panopticon, first appeared in 2013. 

Fly Me To The Moon

Fly Me To The Moon

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… 

ELLIE TAYLOR : DON'T GOT THIS

ELLIE TAYLOR : DON'T GOT THIS

Friday 27th September, 8pm  Tickets: £16Duration: approx 2hrs including an intervalSuitable for: ages 16+. 

The Home: The Talent Show

The Home: The Talent Show

The Home prides itself on being integrated within the community, so what better way to show it than with crowd favourite, The Home’s Got Talent! Come and see our residents compet… 

Got Soul Choir

Got Soul Choir

Led by soul powerhouse Maryam Ghaffari, Scotland’s funkiest choir will kickstart the final weekend of this year’s Fringe with their patented brand of uplifting, foot-stomping soul … 

Danny the Champion of the World

Danny the Champion of the World

Danny lives happily in a gypsy caravan with his father, but his world is turned upside-down when he learns that his father poaches pheasants from the estate of the vicious, greedy … 

I Went to Barcelona and All I Got Was This Lousy Comedy Show

I Went to Barcelona and All I Got Was This Lousy Comedy Show

All the way from the land of sun, sea and Mexican* sombreros (*not Spanish!) these intrepid comedians have made their way to Edinburgh by sea, air and Megabus, to show the world th… 

Questions for Quiz Shows

Questions for Quiz Shows

Cora is at the festival to see her ex-boyfriend perform. 

Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher

‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out!). 

Scottish Jazz and Beyond – A Night at the Queens Hall (Parts 1-3)

Scottish Jazz and Beyond – A Night at the Queens Hall (Parts 1-3)

Three of Scotland’s leading contemporary jazz groups each play a 40-minute set in one stunning concert with world-class musical guests from India and Shetland. 

Rock What You Got

Rock What You Got

House of Jack presents Rock What You Got, an event packed full of all-style two vs two battles featuring some of the best dancers from around the UK. 

I've Got You Under My Skin

I've Got You Under My Skin

Edinburgh-born Italian crooner Philip Contini sings a selection of Cole Porter’s best-loved repertoire with anecdotes from the colourfully flamboyant life of one of the world’s gre… 

Highlight Tours of St Cecilia's Hall: Concert Room and Music Museum

Highlight Tours of St Cecilia's Hall: Concert Room and Music Museum

Join our curators, conservator and volunteers on special highlight tours of St Cecilia’s Hall, Scotland’s oldest concert hall and home of the University of Edinburgh’s world renown… 

The Lock-In Cabaret

The Lock-In Cabaret

The only way to end your night at Edinburgh Fringe! Join high-energy hosts, Griffin and Jones, for an hour(ish) of late-night chaos, decadence, and mischief from some of the very b… 

Filament

Filament

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’… 

My Land

My Land

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… 

Danny MacAskill's Drop and Roll Live

Danny MacAskill's Drop and Roll Live

Led by world-famous trials rider and YouTube sensation Danny MacAskill, Drop and Roll make their long-awaited Edinburgh Fringe debut with a brand-new show featuring jaw-dropping st… 

Kombini

Kombini

Let's be honest here: I've never particularly liked clowns. 

Danny Ward: Danny's Got Talent

Danny Ward: Danny's Got Talent

Following a short run at The London Palladium I return to the Fringe for the 10th time. 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance?! Selling out shows around the world; come find out why. 

Vigil

Vigil

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… 

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

With caller Ken Gourlay, ceilidh band and piper. 

Fox-tot!

Fox-tot!

There are two challenges at the heart of Fox-tot!, a new work from composer Lliam Paterson and director Roxana Haines for Scottish Opera. 

Shattered

Shattered

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… 

Paris de Nuit

Paris de Nuit

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… 

Laura McMahon and Will Hall: In Hindsight

Laura McMahon and Will Hall: In Hindsight

As seen on BBC Three and Channel 4. 

When the Birds Come

When the Birds Come

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… 

Danny O'Brien: Reformer

Danny O'Brien: Reformer

What happens when a touring stand-up comedian can no longer stand up? A food-obsessing cheese lover tries veganism for a month? After a near career-ending knee injury, O’Brien is t… 

Sam See: Coming Out Loud

Sam See: Coming Out Loud

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. 

Danny Posthill Is That Bloke Who Does Voices

Danny Posthill Is That Bloke Who Does Voices

See That Bloke Who Does Voices where impressionist Danny Posthill tells us about how Johnny Vegas helped him get over his anxiety, the incident of Dianne Abbot blocking him on Twit… 

Angelos Epithemiou: Can I Just Show You What I've Got?

Angelos Epithemiou: Can I Just Show You What I've Got?

Angelos is up in Edinburgh to do his stuff and to stand in front of people for about 13 days, maybe more if he can get time off at the stables. 

Still Got It!

Still Got It!

Raymond Mearns and Gary Little have Still Got It! Between them they’ve nearly 40 years of experience in stand-up comedy and at an age when most are coasting to retirement, Raymond … 

Son of Dyke

Son of Dyke

I have a slight confession of bias. 

Jon Long: Planet-Killing Machine

Jon Long: Planet-Killing Machine

There are lots of words you can use to describe Jon Long, purveyor of clever gags and witty songs. 

Normaler Than Everyone

Normaler Than Everyone

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… 

LipSync / Cumbernauld Theatre

LipSync / Cumbernauld Theatre

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… 

Chris Parker: Camp Binch

Chris Parker: Camp Binch

"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: Transgressive

Leo Kearse: Transgressive

Leo Kearse isn't, by his own admission, a 'woke' comedian. 

Marcus Brigstocke: Devil May Care

Marcus Brigstocke: Devil May Care

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… 

Richard Stott: Right Hand Man

Richard Stott: Right Hand Man

Apparently, Richard Stott got into comedy “for all the wrong reasons”; at least, that’s what the aforementioned Richard Stott says. 

Pathetic Fallacy

Pathetic Fallacy

Pathetic Fallacy, at heart, has a Unique Selling Point—the show’s creator, Anita Rochon, isn’t actually in Edinburgh. 

Where to Belong

Where to Belong

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. 

Jordan Brookes: I've Got Nothing

Jordan Brookes: I've Got Nothing

No tricks. 

For All I Care

For All I Care

For All I Care is, first and foremost, the story of two women. 

Deer Woman

Deer Woman

Her name is Lila, and she’s a proud Blackfoot woman, she tells us. 

Aaron Simmonds: Disabled Coconut

Aaron Simmonds: Disabled Coconut

You’ll learn two things from Aaron Simmonds’ Disabled Coconut. 

Cardboard Citizens: Bystanders

Cardboard Citizens: Bystanders

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. 

Don't Bother

Don't Bother

It takes a certain bravery, or innocence, to name your debut full-hour show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Don’t Bother. 

Liam Malone: No Limbits

Liam Malone: No Limbits

Liam Malone, it’s fair to say, is not backwards at coming forwards. 

Titania McGrath: Mxnifesto

Titania McGrath: Mxnifesto

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… 

Adam Riches: The Beakington Town Hall Murders

Adam Riches: The Beakington Town Hall Murders

Somewhat new to the interactive theatre scene, and a little suspicious of what I would find, Adam Riches: The Beakington Town Hall Murders was an unexpected delight. 

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In

The eleven-time sell-out sensation returns for an evening of improvised anarchy with the biggest names in comedy. 

Trevor Lock's Community Circle

Trevor Lock's Community Circle

A social experiment? A support group for people looking to find their own comedy? 12-step meeting? Literal mind-reading show? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? (Unless you go back … 

Typical

Typical

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 Ugly One

The Ugly One

At first glance, The Ugly One looks somewhat clinical. 

Them!

Them!

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… 

Sea Changes

Sea Changes

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

Curious Shoes

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. 

Us/Them

Us/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… 

I Wish I Was A Mountain

I Wish I Was A Mountain

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… 

Emil & The Detectives

Emil & The Detectives

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. 

BA Theatre Arts Graduate Shows

BA Theatre Arts Graduate Shows

BA Theatre Arts at GBMet. 

The Hunters of Ghost Hall

The Hunters of Ghost Hall

An interesting addition to the Fringe schedule, The Hunters of Ghost Hall's paranormal premise, pitch-black stage and eerie soundtrack seems to lend itself more to a Halloween … 

The Duchess (of Malfi)

The Duchess (of Malfi)

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. 

This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing

This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing

Three, as the song goes, is a magic number. 

Super Human Heroes

Super Human Heroes

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 … 

The Red Lion

The Red Lion

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… 

Micky P Kerr: Z-List Celebrity - Life After The Britain’s Got Talent Finals

Micky P Kerr: Z-List Celebrity - Life After The Britain’s Got Talent Finals

In June 2018 musical comedian, Micky P. 

Micky P Kerr: Z-List Celebrity - Life After The Britain’s Got Talent Finals

Micky P Kerr: Z-List Celebrity - Life After The Britain’s Got Talent Finals

In June 2018 musical comedian, Micky P. 

Danny Dorling: Rule Britannia, Brexit and the End of Empire

Danny Dorling: Rule Britannia, Brexit and the End of Empire

How unusual and odd are we in Europe? For this we can blame the legacy of the British Empire, but we can’t blame anyone else for the Empire. 

The Jerry Hall Show

The Jerry Hall Show

The Jerry Hall Show' is a bizarre narrative comedy, based loosely on the life of celebrity Jerry Hall. 

Rich Hall's Hoedown

Rich Hall's Hoedown

Rich Hall’s critically acclaimed new show begins its second leg of touring. 

Matilda The Musical

Matilda The Musical

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. 

(Can This Be) Home

(Can This Be) Home

It’s seldom fun to leave a venue thinking: "Well, that's an hour of my life I'm never getting back. 

Get a Life!

Get a Life!

The sketch show can be a difficult beast to tame. 

Sam Avery: The Learner Parent

Sam Avery: The Learner Parent

Parenthood is a crafty beast. 

Local Hero

Local Hero

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 … 

Felicity Ward: Busting A Nut

Felicity Ward: Busting A Nut

Fresh off the back of her new BBC Radio 4 series (Appisodes) and a Netflix special (Live from the BBC), multi-award winning comedian and regular co-host of The Guilty Fe… 

Felicity Ward: Busting A Nut

Felicity Ward: Busting A Nut

Fresh off the back of her new BBC Radio 4 series (Appisodes) and a Netflix special (Live from the BBC), multi-award winning comedian and regular co-host of The Guilty Fe… 

The Funeral Director

The Funeral Director

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 … 

Lost in Music

Lost in Music

“The music I listened to between the ages of 11 and 21 probably affected by life more than pretty much anything else. 

The Players’ Theatre: Old Time Music Hall

The Players’ Theatre: Old Time Music Hall

Traditional, Victorian ‘Old Time Music Hall’ All the songs you love to sing and the jokes you love to hear. 

Danny O' Brien: Lock-In

Danny O' Brien: Lock-In

A perfect mix of brains, banter and brilliance"- Great Scott ★★★★★ Award-winning Irish comedian Danny O' Brien went to prison. 

Sam Avery: The Learner Parent

Sam Avery: The Learner Parent

Parenthood is a crafty beast. 

LBC in Conversation with James O’Brien

LBC in Conversation with James O’Brien

James O'Brien’s giving you the chance to join him for an exclusive stage show to raise money for LBC's charity Global's Make Some Noise - get your t… 

LBC in Conversation with James O’Brien

LBC in Conversation with James O’Brien

James O'Brien’s giving you the chance to join him for an exclusive stage show to raise money for LBC's charity Global's Make Some Noise - get your t… 

ComedySportz @ The Piece Hall

ComedySportz @ The Piece Hall

After delighting audiences at last years Kids Comedy Club event at Piece Hall, ComedySportz return to the Spiegeltent this Christmas for more all action, all improvised comedy fun!… 

The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven

The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven

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… 

Sam Avery: The Learner Parent

Sam Avery: The Learner Parent

Parenthood is a crafty beast. 

Mouthpiece

Mouthpiece

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… 

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

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… 

Cyrano de Bergerac

Cyrano de Bergerac

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… 

Arctic Oil

Arctic Oil

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… 

Scotties

Scotties

"Best leave history in the history books—get on with living. 

Nests

Nests

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… 

The Yellow on the Broom

The Yellow on the Broom

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… 

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Managing a venue at the Fringe can be a hugely rewarding experience, but is also a mammoth undertaking for all involved. 

Felicity Ward: Busting a Nut

Felicity Ward: Busting a Nut

Fresh off the back of her new BBC Radio 4 series Appisodes, a Netflix special Live from the BBC, and regular co-host of The Guilty Feminist Podcast, Felicity Ward returns to the Ed… 

A Show About Shows About Show Biz

A Show About Shows About Show Biz

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… 

Ryan Ward and Joe Molander: Natural Born Performers

Ryan Ward and Joe Molander: Natural Born Performers

Britain’s most popular magicians and amateur bounty hunters, Joe and Ryan, perform an hour of classical music and salsa dance, with Claire Sweeney on banjo. 

Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher

For two nights only! ‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out). 

Danny O'Hare: I Feel Fuzzy

Danny O'Hare: I Feel Fuzzy

Music, comedy and crisis in a puppet show for grown-ups. 

Rock What You Got

Rock What You Got

House of Jack presents Rock What You Got, an event packed full of hip hop and breakin’ two v two battles featuring some of the best dancers from around the UK. 

Show And Tell at The Queen's Hall

Show And Tell at The Queen's Hall

The Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, Live at the Apollo star, the Lidl Enya, the broken Bublé… DAVID O’DOHERTY headlines. 

I've Got You Under My Skin

I've Got You Under My Skin

Philip Contini sings Cole Porter’s most famous, best-loved songs with anecdotes from the colourfully flamboyant life of one of the world’s greatest songwriters and lyricists. 

The Lock-In Cabaret

The Lock-In Cabaret

This ever-growing Edinburgh Fringe institution is back for its fifth year! With a different line-up of top, hand-picked, Fringe acts every night, join hosts Griffin and Jones for t… 

You've Got To Be Kidney Me!

You've Got To Be Kidney Me!

Inspired by the true story of Dr Horror: a 2008 case against a man from Brampton, Canada guilty of organ theft. 

The Trevor Lock Experience

The Trevor Lock Experience

New and improved for 2018! If you think you’ve seen it before, look again. 

Nick Hall: Peninsula

Nick Hall: Peninsula

No man is an island. 

The Show Between Shows Show

The Show Between Shows Show

New(ish) for 2018! Not featuring televised comedians or Fringe legends, just friendly unknowns being friendly. 

Paper Dolls

Paper Dolls

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… 

The Monster in the Hall

The Monster in the Hall

The Monster in the Hall by David Greig follows a day in the life of Duck Macatarsney as she cares for her dope-smoking biker father who suffers from multiple sclerosis. 

Mark Thompson's Spectacular Science Show

Mark Thompson's Spectacular Science Show

Mark Thompson is quite clear about what his (modestly) titled Spectacular Show isn't: "It's not a science lecture," he insists. 

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

With caller Ken Gourlay, a ceilidh band and piper. 

What Girls Are Made Of

What Girls Are Made Of

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… 

The Flop

The Flop

It seems that Cardiff-based Hijinx Theatre Company are happy to take risks. 

Brenda's Got a Baby

Brenda's Got a Baby

Brenda’s Got a Baby was birthed from a concept created by Molly Rumford, financed via Crowdfunder and the culmination of interviews and news stories from real people. 

Rob Kemp's Wheel of Shows

Rob Kemp's Wheel of Shows

Feeling pressured by his success last year with The Elvis Dead, Rob Kemp returns with ten(!) shows stuck to a spinning wheel. 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance!? Sell-out shows around the world, come find out why DJ Monski Mouse is a hit with under fives and their parents/carers. 

What's Mark Zuckerberg Got to Do With It?

What's Mark Zuckerberg Got to Do With It?

A tender look at the humble homo sapien and how 200,000 years of steady progress have led us to. 

Midsummer

Midsummer

What a difference a decade can make. 

Will Hall: Netflix and Will

Will Hall: Netflix and Will

Forty-five minutes of free (or £5 guaranteed entry) stand-up from a comedian who’s fresh out of the Cambridge Footlights and hoping this isn’t all a terrible mistake. 

Tom Ward: Popcorn Lung

Tom Ward: Popcorn Lung

On the back of last year’s critically acclaimed Love Machine and an appearance on Live from the BBC (BBC Worldwide), Tom Ward is going in for a closer inspection of his favourite t… 

Kaput

Kaput

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 Tries to Punch Down

Tim Renkow Tries to Punch Down

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… 

Danny O'Brien: Lock-In

Danny O'Brien: Lock-In

Award-winning Irish comedian Danny O’Brien went to prison. 

Providence

Providence

"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… 

Free and Proud

Free and Proud

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… 

Still Got It

Still Got It

Raymond Mearns and Gary Little have Still Got It! Between them they’ve nearly 40 years experience in stand-up comedy and at an age where most are coasting to retirement, Raymond an… 

James Barr: Thirst Trap! – Free

James Barr: Thirst Trap! – Free

Wonderfully unexpected opportunities can occur at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; even more so at the 'Free' variety. 

Scott Capurro: The Trouble With Scott Capurro

Scott Capurro: The Trouble With Scott Capurro

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… 

A Joke

A Joke

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… 

David Mills: Focus People!

David Mills: Focus People!

David Mills is always well turned out: sharp-suited, finely tuned, sitting on his stool like some Easy Listening Singer from a bygone age. 

Nina's Got News by Frank Skinner

Nina's Got News by Frank Skinner

It’s hard to review Nina’s Got News without revealing what Nina’s news actually is. 

Police Cops in Space

Police Cops in Space

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… 

The Last Straw

The Last Straw

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… 

My Left Nut

My Left Nut

“Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve. 

Space Doctor

Space Doctor

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

Marmite

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… 

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In!

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In!

The 10-time sell-out sensation returns to Edinburgh with a jaw-dropping, side-splitting evening of finely-tuned anarchy, featuring a cavalcade of incredible special guests and some… 

Statements

Statements

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… 

Nick Hall: Spencer

Nick Hall: Spencer

Spencer Percival has one claim to fame. 

Tom Neenan: It's Always Infinity

Tom Neenan: It's Always Infinity

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… 

Erewhon

Erewhon

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… 

Magic 8 Ball (My Life With Asperger's)

Magic 8 Ball (My Life With Asperger's)

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… 

When You Fall Down: The Buster Keaton Story

When You Fall Down: The Buster Keaton Story

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. 

We've Got Each Other

We've Got Each Other

Jukebox musicals are undeniably hit and miss. 

Nick Hall: Spencer

Nick Hall: Spencer

Spencer Percival has one claim to fame. 

Nick Hall: Spencer

Nick Hall: Spencer

Spencer Percival has one claim to fame. 

Hall Together

Hall Together

Join us on a journey of music and dance telling the story of York's community Tang Hall. 

Metropolis Music Presents Tom Jones (Ragley Hall)

Metropolis Music Presents Tom Jones (Ragley Hall)

The Welsh singing legend, who is known for hits such as Delilah and What New Pussycat is. 

Expedition Peter Pan

Expedition Peter Pan

"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… 

Tom Ward: Work in Progress

Tom Ward: Work in Progress

Chortle Best Newcomer Winner 2017, Tom Ward, returns with his difficult third album. 

Mbuzeni

Mbuzeni

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… 

Gretel and Hansel

Gretel and Hansel

Fairy tales survive because they can be constantly retold, uncovering new depths and relevancies to the world today. 

Stick By Me

Stick By Me

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… 

Todrick Hall

Todrick Hall

Broadway Actor and Streamy Award Winner Todrick Hall announces his new world tour Todrick Hall American: The Forbidden Tour. 

The Jerry Hall Show

The Jerry Hall Show

Jerry Hall bursts her way into Brighton Fringe, in this riot of a cabaret developed at Soho Theatre. 

The Players’ Theatre: Old Time Music Hall

The Players’ Theatre: Old Time Music Hall

Traditional, Victorian ‘Old Time Music Hall’ All the songs you love to sing and the jokes you love to hear. 

A Musical History of 24 George St, Brighton - and Other Shows

A Musical History of 24 George St, Brighton - and Other Shows

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. 

Bloom: Emerging Talent Showcase

Bloom: Emerging Talent Showcase

After the first SOLD OUT production, we are back at The Hen & Chickens for 4 more nights this month. 

Rich Hall's Hoedown

Rich Hall's Hoedown

Rich Hall’s critically acclaimed new show begins its second leg of touring. 

You've Got Dragons

You've Got Dragons

With live, original music, this highly visual, sensitive production is a humorous and touching exploration of the dragons we all face. £7 / £24 family 

Classical Duets for Violin and Cello: Ellie Blackshaw and Esther Ward-Caddle

Classical Duets for Violin and Cello: Ellie Blackshaw and Esther Ward-Caddle

Come and hear the acclaimed ‘Duo’, Ellie Blackshaw, violin, and Esther Ward-Caddle, cello, delight in playing beautifully-crafted melodies from the Austrian classical composer, Jos… 

Miraculous Magic with Danny Lee Grew

Miraculous Magic with Danny Lee Grew

Mix stunning magic, baffling illusions and cheeky comedy with a young, energetic, enthusiastic magician and what do you get? ‘Miraculous Magic’ is a brand-new magical experience fo… 

Have You Got a Stamp?

Have You Got a Stamp?

Rarely do we get a chance to change someone else’s life, be it for a moment or forever. 

Esther Manito: But I've Got One (Work in Progress)

Esther Manito: But I've Got One (Work in Progress)

Esther Manito, a finalist on ‘So You Think You’re Funny? 2017’ and heard on BBC radio 4 Extra, is working on her first solo show. 

The Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-In

The Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-In

The sell-out smash hit returns to Brighton with a hefty dose of ‘The Noise Next Door’s’ trademark off-the-cuff madness, two stand-up stars and some once-in-a-lifetime comedy curi… 

BA Theatre Arts Graduate Shows

BA Theatre Arts Graduate Shows

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… 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance? Join our resident dj-mumma, Monski Mouse and her Dancers for an hour of bopping family fun. 

Andy Quirk's Got First World Problems

Andy Quirk's Got First World Problems

East London’s premier rapper of first-world problems, Andy quirk, and his backup dancer Anna J, bring fist-pumping therapy for modern living to the masses. 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance! Parents and under-5s are let loose on the dance floor in the friendliest of discos. 

Creditors

Creditors

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… 

Eddie and the Slumber Sisters

Eddie and the Slumber Sisters

Sometimes, when it comes to suspending our disbelief, we just have to go with the flow. 

Gut

Gut

“In my day, we trusted people. 

Passing Places

Passing Places

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… 

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice

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 … 

DANNY BHOY – A WORK IN PROGRESS

DANNY BHOY – A WORK IN PROGRESS

Just announced! – Danny Bhoy will return to the Adelaide Fringe for a run of special gigs to work up material for his next tour. 

Rich Hall

Rich Hall

Winner: Barry Award Melbourne International Comedy Festival Everyone’s favourite sardonic straight shooter, Rich Hall, returns! After a sell-out Fringe season in 2016 the crank… 

Three Sisters

Three Sisters

“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 … 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance?! Selling out shows around the world, come find out why Adelaide’s own, DJ Monski Mouse is a hit with the under fives and their parents/carers. 

Adam Hall's Dance Party - The Soul Rhythm Spectacular

Adam Hall's Dance Party - The Soul Rhythm Spectacular

Award Winning Adam Hall & the Velvet Playboys bring the dance Party! Bring your dancing shoes! 6 piece band with full horn section featuring the music of Prince, Bruno Mars, Marvin… 

Ethan Hall - From Hiccups to Broadway

Ethan Hall - From Hiccups to Broadway

Having “hiccuped” his way to fame in 2015 with the Australian National Anthem at a baseball game, 9 year old Ethan Hall will perform a solo event to showcase his singing abilities … 

Alex Ward: Good, great.

Alex Ward: Good, great.

Alex is a Melbourne based stand-up comedian currently achieving her life long dream of being brave enough to live outside her home state of QLD. 

The Last Bordello

The Last Bordello

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 … 

H G Wells' The Time Machine

H G Wells' The Time Machine

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… 

The Belle's Stratagem

The Belle's Stratagem

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’… 

Welcome to the Music Hall

Welcome to the Music Hall

The Old Married Couple may be married but they’re certainly not old. 

Showtime from the Frontline

Showtime from the Frontline

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 … 

Rita, Sue and Bob Too

Rita, Sue and Bob Too

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 Match Box

The Match Box

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… 

It's Behind You!

It's Behind You!

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. 

We Got Now

We Got Now

Five remarkable individuals take stock of where they are now. 

Knives in Hens

Knives in Hens

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… 

The Lover

The Lover

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… 

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

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… 

Shona Reppe’s Cinderella

Shona Reppe’s Cinderella

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… 

The Tin Soldier

The Tin Soldier

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… 

How To Disappear

How To Disappear

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… 

Tommy and the Snowbird

Tommy and the Snowbird

It’s said that actors should never work with children or animals, presumably because of their unpredictability and the extra work this requires. 

The Arabian Nights

The Arabian Nights

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… 

Side Shows

Side Shows

Constella OperaBallet return to the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells this November with their award-winning Sideshows. 

Danny Bhoy Makes Something Great Again For Stronger Better Future Tomorrow Together

Danny Bhoy Makes Something Great Again For Stronger Better Future Tomorrow Together

Scottish Comedian Danny Bhoy embarks on his maiden tour of his brand- new show this autumn is selected theatres throughout the UK. 

Our Fathers

Our Fathers

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… 

The Maids

The Maids

“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… 

Thingummy Bob

Thingummy Bob

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… 

Love Song to Lavender Menace

Love Song to Lavender Menace

“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… 

Man to Man

Man to Man

There were a lot of expectation around this new Wales Millennium Centre production of Manfred Karge’s one-woman play, Man to Man. 

One Mississippi

One Mississippi

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. 

Without a Hitch

Without a Hitch

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… 

Cockpit

Cockpit

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” … 

Damned Rebel Bitches

Damned Rebel Bitches

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… 

The Coolidge Effect

The Coolidge Effect

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… 

Cilla – The Musical

Cilla – The Musical

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… 

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants. 

Penetrating Europe, or Migrants Have Talent

Penetrating Europe, or Migrants Have Talent

Penetrating Europe, or Migrants Have Talent is a mix of verbatim theatre and talent show based on real-life stories of undocumented migration to the UK. 

I Got Rhythm – Night and Day

I Got Rhythm – Night and Day

One of Scotland’s most respected musicians and a versatile keyboard improviser in all styles, Richard Michael BEM brings his dazzling fingers and presentation skills to the fore in… 

Sustainable Shows: Emerging Trends

Sustainable Shows: Emerging Trends

Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants. 

Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher

For one night only! ‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (SingOut. 

Moisés Kaufman at theSpace @ Symposium Hall

Moisés Kaufman at theSpace @ Symposium Hall

Moisés Kaufman, recipient of the National Medal of Arts from President Obama, speaks about creating new work for the theatre. 

Avery Pierson

Avery Pierson

In this modern interpretation of the classic morality play Everyman, Avery Pierson discovers that she is to be taken away by death. 

Anyone's Guess How We Got Here

Anyone's Guess How We Got Here

Barrel Organ’s new show Anyone’s Guess How We Got Here feels like a natural development of the company’s practice and philosophy whilst also managing to delve into a very dif… 

The Polis Live at Merchant's Hall

The Polis Live at Merchant's Hall

The Polis are Scotland’s number one Police tribute act. 

There Were Two Brothers

There Were Two Brothers

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—… 

Stand By

Stand By

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. 

US Tour Booking For Small And Independent Shows

US Tour Booking For Small And Independent Shows

Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants. 

Live Shows in an Internet Media Age

Live Shows in an Internet Media Age

Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants. 

Mia: Daughters of Fortune

Mia: Daughters of Fortune

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 ‘… 

The Show Between Shows Show

The Show Between Shows Show

New for 2017! Not featuring televised comedians or Fringe legends, just friendly unknowns being friendly. 

The Lock-In Cabaret

The Lock-In Cabaret

The Lock-In Cabaret is back for it’s fourth year at Edinburgh Fringe! With a different line-up of top Fringe acts every night, hand-picked by hosts Griffin and Jones, this ever-gro… 

Trevor Lock's Community Circle

Trevor Lock's Community Circle

The no-two-shows-the-same, expectation defying Fringe classic that never actually starts. 

The Amorous Ambassador

The Amorous Ambassador

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, … 

Danny Ward – Extra Dates Added

Danny Ward – Extra Dates Added

He’s back! The Amused Moose People’s Champion returns with another hour of upbeat, fast-paced and hilarious stand-up. 

Andy Quirk's Got First World Problems

Andy Quirk's Got First World Problems

East London’s premier rapper of first world problems invites you to join his crew for a chart rundown of fist-pumping therapy for modern living. 

Nick Hall: Spencer

Nick Hall: Spencer

Spencer Percival has one claim to fame. 

Gordon Southern: That's a Fun Fact!

Gordon Southern: That's a Fun Fact!

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… 

Comedy Lock-In

Comedy Lock-In

Daniel Audritt will be joined each evening by three of his favourite acts on the circuit. Stand-up, sketch, improv, musical comedy… every night will be a different bill. 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance?! It’s time to get heads, shoulders, knees and toes bopping along to lashings of swing, pop, rock, latin and more! Selling out shows around the world,… 

Bella Freak: Unwritten

Bella Freak: Unwritten

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 … 

Lush Lock-in!

Lush Lock-in!

Come experience the Lush Life in our exciting shop with 90 minutes of product-making, bath art demonstrations, talks from local charities, live acoustic music, a complimentary cupp… 

Caravaggio: Between the Darkness

Caravaggio: Between the Darkness

“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’… 

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Whip out some dancing shoes and get ready to whirl around a dance floor at the fantastic event that is Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall brought to the Fringe by Edinburgh Ceilidhs. 

A Charlie Montague Mystery: The Game's a Foot, Try the Fish

A Charlie Montague Mystery: The Game's a Foot, Try the Fish

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… 

Meet Me At Dawn

Meet Me At Dawn

Zinnie Harris has five plays on in Edinburgh this August, including two within the Edinburgh International Festival’s theatre programme. 

Madame Señorita: 25 Different Shows, Come Every Day!

Madame Señorita: 25 Different Shows, Come Every Day!

Award-winning performer Paula Valluerca, aka Madame Señorita, is committed to reconnect with the pleasure of being a totally deluded idiot. 

Andrew Doyle: Thought Crimes

Andrew Doyle: Thought Crimes

Andrew Doyle has, allegedly, lost quite a few friends this last year. 

Blank Tiles

Blank Tiles

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’. 

I Can Make You Tory

I Can Make You Tory

When you see Leo Kearse — and you should — there’s a very good chance it’ll be a four-star experience. 

Matt Abbott: Two Little Ducks

Matt Abbott: Two Little Ducks

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… 

Tom Ward: Love Machine

Tom Ward: Love Machine

Tom Ward (Chortle Award Winner 2017, BBC Worldwide, Comedy Central) returns with a picnic of broken dreams to share! And the dome-haired, exuberant loner brings forth quite a banqu… 

Lilith: The Jungle Girl

Lilith: The Jungle Girl

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 … 

Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros

Time and again during Zinnie Harris’s new adaptation of Eugène Ionesco’s famous farce, people tell each other not to be absurd. 

The Road That Wasn't There

The Road That Wasn't There

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. 

Danny O'Brien: RaconTour

Danny O'Brien: RaconTour

Award-winning Irish comedian Danny O’Brien returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with his most adventurous and unique solo show to date. 

Letters to Morrissey

Letters to Morrissey

Confession time: I’ve never been a fan of The Smiths or Morrissey. 

Margaret Thatcher Queen of Game Shows

Margaret Thatcher Queen of Game Shows

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… 

Performers

Performers

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… 

Jamie MacDonald: Designated Driver

Jamie MacDonald: Designated Driver

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�… 

Danny McLoughlin: 01/02

Danny McLoughlin: 01/02

01/02 is a stand up show about one particular week in a young man’s life. 

Danny Condon: Songs from the Black Sheep

Danny Condon: Songs from the Black Sheep

From a hit season at Adelaide Fringe, Danny Condon finds a grey area between art and science and lifts the lid on some hilarious family dynamics. 

Victorian Gothic

Victorian Gothic

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… 

Danny Condon: Songs from the Black Sheep

Danny Condon: Songs from the Black Sheep

From a hit season at Adelaide Fringe, Danny Condon finds a grey area between art and science and lifts the lid on some hilarious family dynamics. 

Snowflake by Mark Thomson

Snowflake by Mark Thomson

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… 

Colin Hoult / Anna Mann in How We Stop the Fascists

Colin Hoult / Anna Mann in How We Stop the Fascists

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. 

(More) Moira Monologues

(More) Moira Monologues

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. 

Geoff Norcott: Right Leaning but Well Meaning

Geoff Norcott: Right Leaning but Well Meaning

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 … 

Who, Me

Who, Me

It’s four years since Rob Lloyd first brought this autobiographical, Doctor Who-related show to Edinburgh. 

Scott Agnew: Spunk on Our Lady's Face

Scott Agnew: Spunk on Our Lady's Face

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. 

Rosco McClelland: How I Got Over

Rosco McClelland: How I Got Over

Scottish Comedian of the Year Rosco McClelland delves deeper to find out what makes him tick, using psychedelic storytelling to traverse through a life-changing event. 

Knock Knock

Knock Knock

It’s 54 years since the last conscripted British citizens returned to civilian life after completing their National Service. 

5 Guys Chillin'

5 Guys Chillin'

Many an article’s been written on how the gay scene appears dominated by drugs and sex. 

St Cecilia's Hall and Museum of Music

St Cecilia's Hall and Museum of Music

Originally opened in 1763, St Cecilia’s Hall is the oldest purpose-built concert hall in Scotland. 

Nick Hall: Spencer

Nick Hall: Spencer

pencer Percival has one claim to fame. 

The Lying Kind

The Lying Kind

“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… 

Michael Ball and Alfie Boe Together Again - Lincoln

Michael Ball and Alfie Boe Together Again - Lincoln

Following the success of their platinum-selling album Together, which entered the UK charts at number 2 on its release last November, before going on to be the biggest selling albu… 

The Waves on the Seas

The Waves on the Seas

A marriage isn’t just the joining of two people, or even two families—it marks the coming together of two communities. 

Penelope Solomon: I was a Penis at the Royal Festival Hall

Penelope Solomon: I was a Penis at the Royal Festival Hall

Following her success of last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, Penelope brings her unique combination of stand-up, character comedy and songs in this nationwide tour of ‘I was a penis. 

Bounce!

Bounce!

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… 

Falling Dreams

Falling Dreams

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. 

Glory on Earth

Glory on Earth

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… 

Bom-Bane's Musical History of 24 George St, Brighton & Other Shows

Bom-Bane's Musical History of 24 George St, Brighton & Other Shows

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 … 

Music Is Torture

Music Is Torture

“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 … 

Avery*Sunshine & Yakul

Avery*Sunshine & Yakul

US Soul vocalist Avery*Sunshine is, without a doubt, one of the most dynamic voices on the creative music scene, known for her invigorating live performances and compelling, reveal… 

Daphne Oram's Wonderful World of Sound

Daphne Oram's Wonderful World of Sound

In 1983, the BBC published a retrospective about “the first 25 years” of the by-then globally famous BBC Radiophonic Workshop. 

BA Theatre Arts Graduate Shows

BA Theatre Arts Graduate Shows

“The true mystery of the world is the visible . 

Heidi Regan and Will Rowland Present: Some Comedy in a Venue

Heidi Regan and Will Rowland Present: Some Comedy in a Venue

Will and Heidi are two thoughtful, principled stand-ups who will do anything to get a laugh, including dropping all principles. 

Joan Eardley: A Private View

Joan Eardley: A Private View

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… 

Nick Hall: Spencer

Nick Hall: Spencer

In 1812 Spencer Percival became the first, and only, British Prime Minister ever to be assassinated. 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance! Parents and under-5s are let loose on the dance floor in this friendliest of discos. 

What's Love Got To Do With It?

What's Love Got To Do With It?

From National Bulgarian TV to the London stage, we present a musical sketch comedy show taking a unique look at the lives of people who are either in or starting relationships, oft… 

The 306: Day

The 306: Day

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… 

Tom Ward: Work In Progress

Tom Ward: Work In Progress

Tom Ward (Comedy Central / BBC Worldwide / Radio 4 Extra) is back! After a hugely successful debut hour at Edinburgh 2016 he returns to Brighton for a work-in-progress of his follo… 

Travels With My Aunt

Travels With My Aunt

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 … 

Shirley Valentine

Shirley Valentine

“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 … 

Confessional

Confessional

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… 

Charlie Sonata

Charlie Sonata

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 … 

Monstrous Bodies

Monstrous Bodies

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… 

Orlando

Orlando

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 Edinburgh Easter Play

The Edinburgh Easter Play

The Biblical narrative that is the foundation of the Christian faith has been described, on numerous occasions, as “The Greatest Story Ever Told. 

One Man Shoe

One Man Shoe

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… 

Zombie Science: Worst Case Scenario

Zombie Science: Worst Case Scenario

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 Stone’s Throw

A Stone’s Throw

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… 

Isaac’s Eye

Isaac’s Eye

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… 

A Number

A Number

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,… 

Girl in the Machine

Girl in the Machine

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. 

Cosmonaut

Cosmonaut

There’s always a risk attempting to present previously “unknown” stories as theatre. 

Dr Stirlingshire's Discovery

Dr Stirlingshire's Discovery

I’m not a fan of promenade performances, especially those involving the audience being led in a group from one set piece to another. 

The Nether

The Nether

Science Fiction isn’t the most common genre you find on stage; ironic, really, since it was Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R. 

Hay Fever

Hay Fever

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… 

Girls Like That

Girls Like That

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… 

La Cage Aux Folles

La Cage Aux Folles

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… 

The Beaches of St Valery

The Beaches of St Valery

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 Play That Goes Wrong

The Play That Goes Wrong

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… 

Allan Stewart’s Big Big Variety Show

Allan Stewart’s Big Big Variety Show

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… 

Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman

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 … 

The Shoreditch Improv Festival Sunday Funday Shows

The Shoreditch Improv Festival Sunday Funday Shows

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… 

The Winter's Tale

The Winter's Tale

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 … 

69 Shades of Gay

69 Shades of Gay

“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… 

Cirque Berserk!

Cirque Berserk!

“Not a circus, it’s a Berserkus!” Cirque Berserk! boldly comes with two USPs. 

Dusty Won't Play

Dusty Won't Play

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… 

The House of Bernarda Alba

The House of Bernarda Alba

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… 

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Thoroughly Modern Millie

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… 

Faulty Towers (Kingsway Hall Hotel)

Faulty Towers (Kingsway Hall Hotel)

Inspired by one of Britain's greatest ever comedy series, this 2 hour interactive production is set in a restaurant where you the audience are the diners. 

We're Going On A Bear Hunt

We're Going On A Bear Hunt

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… 

Wonderland

Wonderland

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 … 

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Picnic at Hanging Rock

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… 

Cinderella

Cinderella

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… 

Last Christmas

Last Christmas

“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. 

Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel

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… 

Black Beauty

Black Beauty

It’s a brave show which starts with the words: “I don’t like it. 

Snow White and the Seven Wee Muppets

Snow White and the Seven Wee Muppets

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 … 

Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia!

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… 

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

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. 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

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?” … 

George’s Marvellous Medicine

George’s Marvellous Medicine

“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… 

Green Tea

Green Tea

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… 

The Rivals

The Rivals

First performed in 1775, Sheridan’s The Rivals remains surprisingly relevant, not least thanks to its inter-generational conflict. 

Jumpy

Jumpy

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… 

Dr Johnson Goes to Scotland

Dr Johnson Goes to Scotland

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 … 

Invisible Army

Invisible Army

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… 

Him

Him

“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. 

Grain in the Blood

Grain in the Blood

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. 

Walking on Walls

Walking on Walls

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… 

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying

A Gambler’s Guide to Dying

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. 

Frost/Nixon

Frost/Nixon

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… 

Mischief

Mischief

We’re somewhere among the Western Isles, and at least a thousand years back in time. 

Crude: An Exploration of Oil

Crude: An Exploration of Oil

Edinburgh-based Grid Iron Theatre Company has long specialised in creating immersive, site-specific theatre. 

[title of show]

[title of show]

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… 

The Shape of Things

The Shape of Things

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” … 

The Suppliant Woman

The Suppliant Woman

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… 

The Course of True Love

The Course of True Love

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… 

Journey's End

Journey's End

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… 

Breaking The Ice

Breaking The Ice

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… 

If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You

If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You

Casey and Mikey cannot escape: not from who they are, not from how their lives have moulded them and, more immediately, from the rooftop onto which they have just clambered. 

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants. 

Venue Marketplace

Venue Marketplace

Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants. 

Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher

For one night only! ‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (SingOut. 

My Dog's Got No Nose

My Dog's Got No Nose

Stand-up comedy can be a very demanding form of performance. 

Penetrating Europe, or Migrants Have Talent

Penetrating Europe, or Migrants Have Talent

Molodyi Teatre combine verbatim accounts of migration from the Ukraine to the UK with a Britain’s Got Talent pastiche in a bizarre satire of modern-day xenophobia. 

Dame Nature – The Magnificent Bearded Lady

Dame Nature – The Magnificent Bearded Lady

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. 

Penelope Solomon: I Was a Penis at the Royal Festival Hall

Penelope Solomon: I Was a Penis at the Royal Festival Hall

With stand-up, character comedy and a sprinkling of original songs, BBC Radio 4 TV critic Penelope (BBC’s Goodnight Sweetheart and Fist of Fun and BBC Radio 2’s Sony nominated King… 

Simon Lukacs Shows His Range

Simon Lukacs Shows His Range

Upstairs Downton and Petting Zoo (‘Improv supergroup’ TimeOut) star creates a staggering array of characters using his mouth, brain, hands and body. 

Daniel Sloss: So? (Late Shows)

Daniel Sloss: So? (Late Shows)

Later, considerably ruder and darker shows from internationally acclaimed, award-winning Scottish stand-up comedy meteor. 

Freaky Family Funk @ Merchant's Hall

Freaky Family Funk @ Merchant's Hall

Freaky Family are back! Aki Remally, Jamie Graham and Allan Ferguson head this groundbreaking band traversing funk, jazz, hip hop beats and groove sensibility. 

Arthur Conan Doyle – Man of Mystery

Arthur Conan Doyle – Man of Mystery

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. 

Spring Break Live at the Merchant's Hall

Spring Break Live at the Merchant's Hall

A vaguely outrageous, psychedelic three-piece hip-hop folk funk outfit, hand-crafting screwball anthems deep in the Scottish Highlands. 

BLD presents Pop Lock-in

BLD presents Pop Lock-in

Let the kids be the stars of Fringe 2016! Following 2014-2015 sell-outs, Pop Lock-in returns to take over Edinburgh’s coolest nightclub. 

The Lock-In Cabaret

The Lock-In Cabaret

Among its loyal fans the Lock-In Cabaret is fast becoming a Fringe institution! Hosted by the pioneers of slapdash magic Griffin and Jones, and starring the best acts on the Fringe… 

Nick Hall: Szgrabble!

Nick Hall: Szgrabble!

Frantic, fun and frivolous, this fast-paced one-man show is an entertaining comic thriller of Cold War intrigue and Scrabble. 

Anna Morris: It's Got to Be Perfect

Anna Morris: It's Got to Be Perfect

The critically acclaimed character comic and star of ITV2’s Bad Bridesmaid and BBC One’s Outnumbered returns with her smash hit, sell-out 2015 show. 

Dave Lemkin: The Village Hall

Dave Lemkin: The Village Hall

Lower Swell is having its summer festival! Come and be a part of the village as character comedian Dave Lemkin brings to life all the guest speakers: Colin Jackson, a self-employed… 

The Man Who Knows Everything

The Man Who Knows Everything

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 … 

I Got Superpowers For My Birthday

I Got Superpowers For My Birthday

Ethan, William and Fiona are about as different as three almost-teens can be. 

Doug Segal: I Can Make You Feel Good

Doug Segal: I Can Make You Feel Good

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. 

Poggle

Poggle

“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. 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance? Get glam and get dancing at this international hit, retro-fabulous vintage disco for under-5s (babies under 6 months can go free). 

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

With caller Ken Gourlay, ceilidh bands Flaming Heather, HLI, Scott Leslie, Willie Fraser and piper. 

Dani Girl

Dani Girl

Trust me, Fringe magic still happens. 

Fraxi Queen of the Forest

Fraxi Queen of the Forest

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… 

Jo Caulfield: Pretending to Care

Jo Caulfield: Pretending to Care

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… 

Danny Buckler: Showman Shaman

Danny Buckler: Showman Shaman

Buckler returns with an action-packed hour combining critically acclaimed stand-up, incredible sleight of hand and his love for all things showbiz! Expect big laughs, spontaneity, … 

Danielle Ward: Seventeen

Danielle Ward: Seventeen

Being a teenager in the 90s was hard (is your favourite band Blur, Oasis or Throbbing Gristle?), but now there’s a whole new set of things to worry about. 

Danny McLoughlin: Phillip Was Right

Danny McLoughlin: Phillip Was Right

When Danny was 10 something bad happened, he was fine. 

Margaret Thatcher Queen of Game Shows

Margaret Thatcher Queen of Game Shows

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… 

Expensive Shit

Expensive Shit

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: Future Tense

Andrew Doyle: Future Tense

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… 

Last Dream (on Earth)

Last Dream (on Earth)

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… 

Will Franken: Little Joe

Will Franken: Little Joe

There are two ways to reach the small room where UK-based American character comedian Will Franken is performing. 

Aidan Goatley: Mr Blue Sky

Aidan Goatley: Mr Blue Sky

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… 

John Gordillo: Love Capitalism

John Gordillo: Love Capitalism

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. 

The Amazing Bubble Man

The Amazing Bubble Man

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 Slayer: 24 Hour Shows

Bob Slayer: 24 Hour Shows

Bob drives his BlundaBus around Europe looking for adventures. 

WWE Hall of Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s 2x4 Tour One-Man Comedy Show

WWE Hall of Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s 2x4 Tour One-Man Comedy Show

Just one glance at this year’s stuffed-to-bursting wedge of a programme is enough to see that there are bewildering array of performance disciplines represented at this year’s … 

Joe Jacobs: Orthodox Joe

Joe Jacobs: Orthodox Joe

“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… 

Samantha Pressdee: Sextremist

Samantha Pressdee: Sextremist

“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. 

Wayne Carter Teaches You to Be Fabulous

Wayne Carter Teaches You to Be Fabulous

The word “fabulous” is defined as being extraordinary and wonderful, and having no basis in reality. 

Danny Deegan is Taller Than Jesus, More Visible Than God

Danny Deegan is Taller Than Jesus, More Visible Than God

Join Danny as he goes through a year that has seen him dumped by his girlfriend on the set of a BBC drama, nearly get beaten up by his dad, discover internet dating, have a health … 

Bricking It

Bricking It

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. 

Trash Test Dummies

Trash Test Dummies

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: I've Snapped My Banjo String, Let's Just Talk

Scott Agnew: I've Snapped My Banjo String, Let's Just Talk

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: Conswervative

Geoff Norcott: Conswervative

Geoff Norcott, as he points out quite early on in his set, has not been seen on television. 

David Mills: Shame!

David Mills: Shame!

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 … 

Loren O'Brien: Who?

Loren O'Brien: Who?

A cross between the mass appeal of Amy Schumer and the niche quirkiness of Jenna Marbles, Loren O’Brien is trying to work out her own identity. 

Johnny Cochrane: Appeal

Johnny Cochrane: Appeal

When life gives you lemons, those with an optimistic, can-do attitude invariably suggest you make lemonade. 

Mikey and Addie

Mikey and Addie

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: Vaudeville

Tom Neenan: Vaudeville

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 … 

Jonathan Pie: Live

Jonathan Pie: Live

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… 

Mike Ward: Freedom of Speech Isn't Free

Mike Ward: Freedom of Speech Isn't Free

At the end of his show, Mike Ward took a moment to emphasise the importance of free speech, the vital importance that comedians are free to offend; he even handed out badges to hel… 

Cosmic Fear or The Day Brad Pitt Got Paranoia

Cosmic Fear or The Day Brad Pitt Got Paranoia

This is a bold and ambitious production, brought to life by three very talented young actors: Sam Ducane, Jack Gordon, and Jessica Sian. 

Felicity Ward: 50% More Likely to Die

Felicity Ward: 50% More Likely to Die

Delivered with buckets of energy and enthusiasm, Felicity Ward’s new show is lively, facetious and a little erratic. 

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In

Do you like improv? Do you like standup? Hate having to choose between the two? Well, at The Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-In, you don’t have to settle – you can see both! Ye… 

Tom Ward: Sex, Snails and Cassette Tapes

Tom Ward: Sex, Snails and Cassette Tapes

Bigmouth Strikes Again by The Smiths is playing loudly when Tom Ward ambles into his Pleasance performance space, setting an informal tone which persists throughout this enjoyably … 

Larry Dean: Farcissist

Larry Dean: Farcissist

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… 

Colin Hoult / Anna Mann: A Sketch Show for Depressives

Colin Hoult / Anna Mann: A Sketch Show for Depressives

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… 

Laurence Clark: Independence

Laurence Clark: Independence

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. 

What Can You Do to Make Your Venue Autism-Friendly?

What Can You Do to Make Your Venue Autism-Friendly?

Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants. 

The Hairy Maclary & Friends Show

The Hairy Maclary & Friends Show

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… 

Nick Hall: Szgrabble

Nick Hall: Szgrabble

Nick Hall’s one-man cold war thriller is an active piece, darting through London, Amsterdam, and under the Iron Curtain to the heart of the Soviet Union, all in the pursuit of a … 

Tales From The Hanging Captain

Tales From The Hanging Captain

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

The Wee One

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… 

What Next?

What Next?

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… 

What Now?

What Now?

There’s a definite shift in the second play in this double bill from Edinburgh-based theatre company Strange Town. 

Nick Hall: Szgrabble

Nick Hall: Szgrabble

Character comedian Nick Hall brings a one-man Cold War thriller to Brighton. 

The Great Illusionist

The Great Illusionist

Part of the attraction of seeing magic tricks performed well – beyond the sheer spectacle – is trying to work out how they’re done. 

Broken Dreams

Broken Dreams

“The here and the now is wow!” we’re told at the start of Broken Dreams. 

Fluff – A Story of Lost Toys

Fluff – A Story of Lost Toys

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. 

Traces

Traces

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… 

Constellations

Constellations

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. 

Walden

Walden

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… 

Tales of a Grandson

Tales of a Grandson

There is much more to history than just learning dates and facts. 

The Story of the Little Gentleman

The Story of the Little Gentleman

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… 

Tom Ward: Sex, Snails and Cassette Tapes

Tom Ward: Sex, Snails and Cassette Tapes

Join BBC Radio New Comedy Award finalist Tom Ward as he spins tales and impressions of his favourite unsung heroes into a dreamlike narrative of voices and sounds. 

George Egg: Anarchist Cook

George Egg: Anarchist Cook

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. 

Thon Man Molière

Thon Man Molière

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… 

Living Like a Moth

Living Like a Moth

There are some incredible strengths in this latest production from Edinburgh’s most inspiring new theatre company. 

Dirty Dusting

Dirty Dusting

I must admit to feeling a tad confused after experiencing Dirty Dusting. 

Role Shift

Role Shift

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 … 

Loren O'Brien: Who?

Loren O'Brien: Who?

After finishing her successful run on SNL and nationwide tour with Sarah Silverman - okay, maybe she didn’t, but she was flagged up by The Times “to become one of the biggest fem… 

Avenue Q

Avenue Q

All theatre requires some degree of “suspension of disbelief”. 

Baby Disco Dance Hall

Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance! Parents and under 5s are let loose on the dance floor in this friendliest of discos. 

A Talent for Lying

A Talent for Lying

Set in a cafe, this helping from Octopus Soup Theatre initially provides nothing that an audience wouldn’t have seen before. 

Gods Are Fallen And All Safety Gone

Gods Are Fallen And All Safety Gone

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… 

Second Hand

Second Hand

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… 

The Iliad

The Iliad

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… 

This Restless House

This Restless House

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… 

Mary Barnes

Mary Barnes

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… 

Right Now

Right Now

First lines are important; as attention grabbers, but also as indicators of what’s to come, tonally at least. 

Alice Tully Hall

Alice Tully Hall

The week’s most illustrious guest here is the German baritone Matthias Goerne, a powerfully dramatic Lied interpreter, who on Wednesday presents a recital of songs by Schuman… 

Ring Road

Ring Road

Ring roads are not usually places you go to; they’re a means of avoiding congestion, of giving a wide berth to somewhere. 

Lost at Sea

Lost at Sea

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. 

Neither God Nor Angel

Neither God Nor Angel

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… 

The Silent Treatment

The Silent Treatment

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… 

Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall

A magnificent week at 57th and Seventh begins with *Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax giving a rare performance of all five Beethoven cello sonatas in the Stern Auditorium (Friday at 8 p. 

Little Red and the Wolf

Little Red and the Wolf

Most of us come to fairy tales – folk tales in general – courtesy of their so-called “traditional” retellings by Disney or the local panto. 

Uncanny Valley

Uncanny Valley

In the near-century since Czech writer Karel Capek first gave us the word “robot” (in his play R. 

The Air That Carries The Weight

The Air That Carries The Weight

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… 

International Waters

International Waters

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… 

An Evening with Phil Differ

An Evening with Phil Differ

Phil Differ is not someone you’d immediately recognise. 

Rapid Departure

Rapid Departure

Most theatre audiences have an anonymous – some might even suggest voyeuristic – role, viewing the action on stage from the safety of a darkened auditorium. 

For the Love of Cousins

For the Love of Cousins

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… 

Iphigenia In Splott

Iphigenia In Splott

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. 

Purposeless Movements

Purposeless Movements

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… 

King Lear

King Lear

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 … 

At the Mountains of Madness

At the Mountains of Madness

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… 

The Destroyed Room

The Destroyed Room

With typical modesty (not), Glasgow-based Vanishing Point describe themselves as “Scotland’s foremost artist-led independent theatre company, internationally recognised and … 

Witness for the Prosecution

Witness for the Prosecution

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… 

Village Pub Theatre LGBT Innovators 1

Village Pub Theatre LGBT Innovators 1

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… 

Village Pub Theatre LGBT Innovators 2

Village Pub Theatre LGBT Innovators 2

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… 

My Name is Saoirse

My Name is Saoirse

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… 

The Crucible

The Crucible

In the face of something terrible, we can either laugh or cry. 

Valentines Shows

Valentines Shows

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… 

Cock

Cock

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 … 

Blood Brothers

Blood Brothers

All theatre requires a certain suspension of disbelief, musical theatre even more so. 

Endgame

Endgame

“Finished, it’s finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished. 

James I: The Key Will Keep The Lock

James I: The Key Will Keep The Lock

There’s the feel of a gladiatorial arena to the staging of Rona Munro’s trilogy of James Plays, not least because some audience members seated on a raised area above the sta… 

A Murder is Announced

A Murder is Announced

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… 

CauseWay

CauseWay

“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… 

The Weir

The Weir

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 … 

Chen Dance Center

Chen Dance Center

In “Newsteps,” a semi-annual showcase of emerging choreographers selected by a panel of veterans, Takeshi Ohashi looks at dynamics in relationships; Gina Montalto wonde… 

Aladdin

Aladdin

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… 

Tracks of the Winter Bear

Tracks of the Winter Bear

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… 

A Belter of a Cinderella Story

A Belter of a Cinderella Story

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. 

Rapunzel

Rapunzel

Like most of Scotland’s producing theatres, the Citizens Theatre does not, as a matter of principle, “do” panto. 

Ali Bawbag and the Four Tealeafs

Ali Bawbag and the Four Tealeafs

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

To Breathe

To Breathe starts with its six performers standing in a circle, staring at the audience, just breathing. 

Cinderella

Cinderella

“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… 

One, Two, Three, Yippee

One, Two, Three, Yippee

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… 

Center for Performance Research

Center for Performance Research

Fall Movement is a short festival featuring six choreographers whose work will each be seen twice over three nights. 

The Bruce in Ireland

The Bruce in Ireland

“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 … 

Cagebirds

Cagebirds

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 … 

The Smallest Show on Earth

The Smallest Show on Earth

“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 … 

Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance

Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance

Grab some popcorn and settle in for “Revelations. 

Panopticon

Panopticon

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… 

Loserville

Loserville

“One day every company will fear a geek in a garage,” we’re told early on in Elliot Davis and James Bourne’s Loserville. 

Hidden

Hidden

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 Talent Show

The Talent Show

Elna Baker and Kevin Townley host this ever-changing variety show, with each edition based on a different idea. 

Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies

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… 

Tribes

Tribes

The family at the heart of Nina Raine’s Tribes is liable, at least initially, to make you yearn for the exit. 

Lot and his God

Lot and his God

“I must learn to keep my mouth shut when there’s an angel in the room. 

The MsFits: Fur Coat & Magic Knickers

The MsFits: Fur Coat & Magic Knickers

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 … 

Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot

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… 

The Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black, Black Oil

The Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black, Black Oil

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… 

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Managing a venue at the Fringe can be a hugely rewarding experience, but is also a mammoth undertaking for all involved. 

Edmund the Learned Pig

Edmund the Learned Pig

Barry Bonaparte’s Travelling Circus is in trouble. 

Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher

For one night only! ‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out). 

The Misfit Analysis

The Misfit Analysis

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… 

The Fallen Angel Show

The Fallen Angel Show

Vesper Walk describe themselves as a “quirky five to eight piece band performing art-pop music in a gothic style. 

Jean-Luc Picard and Me

Jean-Luc Picard and Me

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… 

Danny Dorling: Economic Inequality and Our Grandchildren’s Future

Danny Dorling: Economic Inequality and Our Grandchildren’s Future

Did Scotland vote the wrong way on independence? Predicting the future is hard, but if we carry on the path we’re on what becomes of our grandchildren? There is no way that every… 

Wendy Hoose by Johnny McKnight

Wendy Hoose by Johnny McKnight

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 is Skint and Demoralised

Matt Abbott is Skint and Demoralised

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… 

Rhymes with Orange

Rhymes with Orange

Every successful show needs a Unique Selling Point – or, put simply, a gimmick. 

I Got Rhythm – A Tribute to George and Ira Gershwin

I Got Rhythm – A Tribute to George and Ira Gershwin

Come and join Pam Lawson, a Little Jazz Bird, as she performs her tribute to the amazing partnership of George and Ira Gershwin, with an hour of timeless songs such as Nice Work If… 

Donald Does Dusty

Donald Does Dusty

Donald Torr was, apparently, the best big brother any little girl could have, especially growing up on the outskirts of 1960s’ Aberdeen. 

Village Pub Theatre

Village Pub Theatre

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… 

Hall and Edhouse: The Two Syds

Hall and Edhouse: The Two Syds

Ian Hall and Bruce Edhouse (both former Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival award winners) present a daft but affectionate tribute to some of the great comedy double acts of our time. 

Daniel Sloss: Dark: Extra Shows!

Daniel Sloss: Dark: Extra Shows!

Due to massive demand, six later, quite probably ruder, shows! Scotland’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning comedy half-man-half-Xbox. 

God's Waiting Room

God's Waiting Room

Many religions insist that humanity was created in God’s image; others argue that, throughout history, the process has been the other way round. 

To Space

To Space

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. 

The Lock-In Cabaret

The Lock-In Cabaret

After last year’s smash-hit, sell out run, the Lock-In Cabaret is back! Award-winning magicians Griffin and Jones, ‘bizarre, hilarious and anarchic’ (MagicNight. 

BLD presents Pop Lock-in

BLD presents Pop Lock-in

Sell-out 2014. 

Thrill-Seeking Pianist WLTM Like-Minded Audience for NSA Fun and Good Times

Thrill-Seeking Pianist WLTM Like-Minded Audience for NSA Fun and Good Times

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… 

Tales from a Cabaret

Tales from a Cabaret

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… 

Anna Morris: It's Got To Be Perfect

Anna Morris: It's Got To Be Perfect

I’ve always somewhat despised weddings. 

Danielle Ward: Dani Frankenstein

Danielle Ward: Dani Frankenstein

Nottingham’s third best lady female hip hop MC (from the Bestwood Park/Top Valley area) Dani Frankenstein brings her unique mix of sexy ballads and high energy beats to Edinburgh. 

A Ward Winning Storey

A Ward Winning Storey

Tom Ward (BBC Radio New Comedy Award finalist 2014) and human curiosity Andy Storey (Leicester Square New Comedian finalist 2012) gloriously unite for an hour, where the carefully … 

Dead Letter Office

Dead Letter Office

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 … 

Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd

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… 

The Nursery Improv Venue at the Edinburgh Fringe

The Nursery Improv Venue at the Edinburgh Fringe

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… 

A Ward Winning Storey

A Ward Winning Storey

Tom Ward (BBC Radio New Comedy Award finalist 2014) and human curiosity Andy Storey (Leicester Square New Comedian finalist 2012) gloriously unite for an hour, where the carefully … 

Complex

Complex

A man is desperate for a job. 

I Got Dressed in Front of My Nephew Today

I Got Dressed in Front of My Nephew Today

Don’t wear make up to this show. 

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

No matter who you are, where you come from or if you’ve danced The Gay Gordon before, the Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall will inject a traditional Scottish night into your Fringe exper… 

Archie Maddocks Ain't Got No Behaviour

Archie Maddocks Ain't Got No Behaviour

Ain’t got no behaviour! That’s the accusation Archie has had shouted at him his whole life. 

Block

Block

Block is a production that constantly surprises, though not always in ways that are comforting. 

Thief

Thief

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… 

Pip Utton: Playing Maggie

Pip Utton: Playing Maggie

Margaret Thatcher was – still is, two years after her death – a divisive figure, loved and hated in equal measure. 

Doris, Dolly and the Dressing Room Divas

Doris, Dolly and the Dressing Room Divas

“Just go with the magic,” says one of the three singers on stage to a slightly reluctant compatriot. 

39 Steps by Patrick Barlow

39 Steps by Patrick Barlow

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… 

Scaramouche Jones

Scaramouche Jones

‘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… 

CELL

CELL

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… 

Steve Hall: Zebra

Steve Hall: Zebra

It has been four years since Steve Hall last appeared at the Fringe. 

I Went To A Fabulous Party...

I Went To A Fabulous Party...

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… 

Felicity Ward: What If There Is No Toilet?

Felicity Ward: What If There Is No Toilet?

What if there is no toilet? Well, you needn’t worry. 

Nick Hall: Dodekahedron

Nick Hall: Dodekahedron

Noun (Doh-dek-uh-hee-drun). 

The Underbelly Radio Shows

The Underbelly Radio Shows

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… 

May I Have the Bill Please? by Robin Mitchell

May I Have the Bill Please? by Robin Mitchell

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… 

aLOne – Loren O'Brien

aLOne – Loren O'Brien

It all begins with a suicide threat. 

Danny Ward – St Vitus Dance

Danny Ward – St Vitus Dance

Slick, quick and packed with funny material, high energy comedy from 2013 Amused Moose Award winner and 2013 Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year nominee. 

The Solid Life of Sugar Water

The Solid Life of Sugar Water

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… 

Tom Neenan: The Andromeda Paradox

Tom Neenan: The Andromeda Paradox

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… 

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In

It’s back… An entirely unique entertainment experience every night with the quickest wits in comedy and their astonishing special guests. 

George and Co (the Solo Tour)

George and Co (the Solo Tour)

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… 

Trans Scripts

Trans Scripts

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 … 

Danny Elfmans Music from the Films of Tim Burton

Danny Elfmans Music from the Films of Tim Burton

It might be difficult for patrons in Edward Scissorhands costumes to get past security at Avery Fisher Hall. 

Lincoln Center Festival

Lincoln Center Festival

 (performances start on Thursday) All the world’s onstage when this internationally engaged summer festival encamps at Lincoln Center. 

When The War Came Home

When The War Came Home

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 … 

Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening

German dramatist Frank Wedekind’s play Frühlings Erwachen – written around 1891 but not performed until 1906 – deliberately kicked against sexually-oppressive fin d… 

The Driver's Seat

The Driver's Seat

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… 

Stand

Stand

“This is not just about me,” says one of the cast at the start and close of Chris Goode’s Stand. 

Shows for Days

Shows for Days

(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… 

Yer Granny

Yer Granny

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… 

Come to the Music Hall

Come to the Music Hall

The Victorian Music Hall, vulgar, jingoistic, patriotic, slightly naughty to downright rude, with a mix of songs still sung and loved today. 

Venue B @ Brighton Youth Centre

Venue B @ Brighton Youth Centre

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. 

Persevere

Persevere

Site-specific works can be accused of relying on their location to do the heavy-lifting, theatrically speaking. 

The Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-In

The Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-In

The sell-out smash hit returns to Brighton with a hefty dose of The Noise Next Door’s trademark off-the-cuff madness, as well as two stand-up stars and some once-in-a-lifetime co… 

The Hidden History of St Stephen's Hall

The Hidden History of St Stephen's Hall

Built in 1766 as a glamourous Georgian Ballroom in the Old Steine, it was the place to be seen for Brighton’s fashionable crowd! The building later became the Chapel to the Royal P… 

The Improverts - Exam Shows

The Improverts - Exam Shows

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… 

The Colin Hoult Shows

The Colin Hoult Shows

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… 

Anna Morris: It’s Got to be Perfect

Anna Morris: It’s Got to be Perfect

The critically acclaimed character comic and star of ITV2’s ‘Bad Bridesmaid’ and BBC1’s ‘Outnumbered, returns to Brighton with a work in progress of her new show. 

Baby Disco Dance Hall

Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance! Parents and under 5s are let loose on the dance floor in this friendliest of discos. 

Kids in the Hall

Kids in the Hall

All five original members of the influential Canadian sketch troupe reunite for a night of live sketch comedy. 

No Nothing

No Nothing

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 … 

The Venetian Twins

The Venetian Twins

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… 

Uisge-Beatha Gu Leòr / Whisky Galore

Uisge-Beatha Gu Leòr / Whisky Galore

On 5th February 1941, during heavy gales, the cargo ship SS Politician ran aground off the Island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides. 

Fridays at Noon: Remembering Clark Center

Fridays at Noon: Remembering Clark Center

In the second half of the 20th century, as modern dance hit adulthood, Clark Center for the Performing Arts nurtured a new — and more diverse — generation of artists. 

The Woman in Black

The Woman in Black

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… 

Broth

Broth

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. 

Boys

Boys

Even the greatest of parties end with the hangover of cleaning up afterwards. 

Fools

Fools

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… 

Music Hall

Music Hall

Jean-Luc Lagarce’s beautiful, incantatory play is about a company of three performers who cling to art and shredded dignity as they hoof from stage to ever more pathetic stag… 

Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler

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 … 

The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde

The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde

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

The History Boys

The History Boys – at least according to the programme notes accompanying this latest tour – is “generally regarded as Alan Bennett’s masterpiece”. 

Beating McEnroe

Beating McEnroe

Life was so much simpler, back in 1980. 

Edgar and Annabel

Edgar and Annabel

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. 

Chess - The Musical

Chess - The Musical

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… 

Equus

Equus

There’s something particularly appropriate about experiencing Peter Shaffer’s Equus at the Bedlam Theatre. 

The Judas Kiss

The Judas Kiss

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. 

Jekyll & Hyde

Jekyll & Hyde

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. 

The Caucasian Chalk Circle

The Caucasian Chalk Circle

There’s rumbustious joy aplenty in this new adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s infamous examination of legality and justice. 

Fleabag

Fleabag

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… 

Netting

Netting

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. 

When The Rain Stops Falling

When The Rain Stops Falling

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… 

Village Pub Theatre: Bill Murray Night

Village Pub Theatre: Bill Murray Night

American film actor and comedian Bill Murray allegedly fields offers of work via a voice mailbox which, according to Wikipedia, “he checks infrequently”. 

The Real Inspector Hound

The Real Inspector Hound

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 … 

Butterfly

Butterfly

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. 

Filter's Macbeth

Filter's Macbeth

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… 

When The War Came Home

When The War Came Home

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. 

Faith Healer

Faith Healer

Reality and performance lie at the heart of this solid production of Irish playwright Brian Friel’s Faith Healer. 

The Improverts - London Shows

The Improverts - London Shows

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… 

Slope

Slope

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… 

The Gamblers

The Gamblers

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. 

Bondagers

Bondagers

“Nobody thought to save any of the roots,” says Sara towards the end of The Bondagers. 

Cardinal Sinne

Cardinal Sinne

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… 

You Got Older

You Got Older

(previews start on Oct. 

Kill Johnny Glendenning

Kill Johnny Glendenning

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… 

The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie

There are five characters in Tennessee William’s breakthrough “memory play” The Glass Menagerie. 

1984

1984

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… 

Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher

For one night only! ‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out). 

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Managing a venue at the Fringe can be a hugely rewarding experience, but is also a mammoth undertaking for all involved. 

merry christmas, Ms Meadows

merry christmas, Ms Meadows

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… 

David Kay

David Kay

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. 

Kiss Me Honey, Honey!

Kiss Me Honey, Honey!

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. 

Ward and Watts in... Journey to the Centre of the Office

Ward and Watts in... Journey to the Centre of the Office

We all have a job. 

Fisher Lassies

Fisher Lassies

The Fisher Lassies are an a cappella group with a well-established reputation in their home territory of the Scottish Borders. 

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Though the inviting Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park is just over 90 years old, this summer is the 109th season of free classical music at  that site. 

Danny Stinson's Planet of the Dans

Danny Stinson's Planet of the Dans

Psych nurse turned comic Danny Stinson feels like he has lived a thousand lives and he has stories to tell from all of them. 

James I: The Key Will Keep The Lock

James I: The Key Will Keep The Lock

This trinity of new plays by Scottish playwright Rona Munro are a timely study of nationhood, identity and the consequences of political actions. 

James II: Day of The Innocents

James II: Day of The Innocents

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… 

James III: The True Mirror

James III: The True Mirror

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… 

Gidding's Ward

Gidding's Ward

Nine people all connected by nothing more than their own humanity, stuck on a ward because what’s outside is far worse. 

Daniel Sloss – Really...?! Extra Shows

Daniel Sloss – Really...?! Extra Shows

Due to massive demand, six extra, later, and quite probably ruder shows from comedy’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning half-man/half-Xbox. 

The Music Hall Menajerie

The Music Hall Menajerie

Join the gang as they sweep you down to the grand old days of London, packed full of extreme patriotism and purpose, The Music Hall Menagerie promises singing, dancing, comic caper… 

The Lock-In Cabaret

The Lock-In Cabaret

Award-winning magicians Griffin and Jones, ‘bizarre, hilarious and anarchic’ (Magic Night), bring their own brand of late night variety entertainment, joined by the finest acts… 

Pop Lock-in

Pop Lock-in

Let the kids be the stars of this year’s Fringe! Pop Lock-in takes over Edinburgh’s coolest nightclub with their alternative entertainment for primary school age kids. 

Nick Hall: Helmet

Nick Hall: Helmet

Nick Hall: Helmet is a splice of easy going, bittersweet stand-up from a man in his early thirties re-evaluating his life. 

Got It Covered Comedy Hour

Got It Covered Comedy Hour

The stars of this years Fringe come together for an hour of madcap fun, with a new line-up every night! A mix of stand up, character and musical comedy, and cabaret all hosted by … 

Sam Avery: Rock and Dole

Sam Avery: Rock and Dole

Sam Avery wanted to be a rock star. 

Freddie Farrell: Lock, Stock and One Joking Farrell

Freddie Farrell: Lock, Stock and One Joking Farrell

Now that Freddie is a family man he is trying his best to be responsible. 

Danny Buckler: Punch

Danny Buckler: Punch

Danny Buckler is incurably absorbed in the world of fantasy. 

Casting the Runes

Casting the Runes

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 … 

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

With caller Ken Gourlay and ceilidh bands Flaming Heather, HLI, Scott Leslie, Willie Fraser and piper. 

God's Own Country

God's Own Country

“Gossip,” we’re told, “travels fast in a valley. 

Factor 9

Factor 9

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 … 

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

Ray Gunn and Luke Reel were expecting to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but a misunderstanding about the eligibility criteria means that they’re going to have to f… 

18b

18b

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. 

3,000 Trees by George Gunn

3,000 Trees by George Gunn

“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 Pure, the Dead and the Brilliant

The Pure, the Dead and the Brilliant

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… 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance, dance, dance! Parents and under fives are let loose on the dance floor in this friendliest of discos. 

Danny Bhoy: 12 Nights, 12 Charities

Danny Bhoy: 12 Nights, 12 Charities

There’s a particular pleasure in seeing someone do their job incredibly well. 

The Beta Males Sessions: Richard and The Storybeast

The Beta Males Sessions: Richard and The Storybeast

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. 

Aidan Killian: Jesus Versus Buddha

Aidan Killian: Jesus Versus Buddha

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… 

3,000 Trees: The Death of Mr William MacRae

3,000 Trees: The Death of Mr William MacRae

Sometimes, we can miss what’s important. 

Old Folks Telling Jokes

Old Folks Telling Jokes

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… 

Four Screws Loose in The Big Screw Up

Four Screws Loose in The Big Screw Up

“Are you ready to party?!” blares the PA at the start of the show and the audience roars in the agreement. 

Playdough Face

Playdough Face

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. 

Danny Mcloughlin Feels Alright

Danny Mcloughlin Feels Alright

Danny Mcloughlin feels alright. 

The Pitiless Storm

The Pitiless Storm

For all its claims of being a one-man show, the stage can get pretty crowded during The Pitiless Storm. 

Stephen Bailey: Neon Heart

Stephen Bailey: Neon Heart

Stephen Bailey—all silver dickie bow tie, floral grey suit and camp demeanour—is clearly in love with love and romance. 

Laurence Clark: Moments of Instant Regret

Laurence Clark: Moments of Instant Regret

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… 

Shirley and Shirley: Late Night Lock In

Shirley and Shirley: Late Night Lock In

Like any sketch show there is often a sense that the evening may play out something like lucky dip. 

Zombie Science: Brain of the Dead

Zombie Science: Brain of the Dead

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… 

Felicity Ward: The Iceberg

Felicity Ward: The Iceberg

Those who have seen Felicity Ward perform will know that she is a vocal personality; never afraid to speak her mind or call it like it is, even if it is considered controversial. 

Des Clarke: The Trouble with Being Des

Des Clarke: The Trouble with Being Des

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… 

Andrew Doyle: Zero Tolerance

Andrew Doyle: Zero Tolerance

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 … 

Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope

Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope

This excellent one-man show from Mark Farrelly portrays the transformation of Denis Charles Pratt, born in suburbia, into Quentin Crisp. 

Danny Ward – Infra Dig

Danny Ward – Infra Dig

Infra Dig, which we learn is Latin for “beneath your dignity”, is a show about dignity but also pride and respect. 

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock-In

It’s back. 

Zombie Science: Worst Case Scenario

Zombie Science: Worst Case Scenario

“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… 

Tom Neenan: The Haunting at Lopham House

Tom Neenan: The Haunting at Lopham House

“What is it that frightens you?” Tom Neenan asks at the start of this one-man pastiche of an Edwardian ghost story. 

Dane Baptiste: Citizen Dane

Dane Baptiste: Citizen Dane

Dane Baptiste is a confident performer. 

Jamie MacDonald: That Funny Blind Guy 2 - The Good, the Stag and the Ugly

Jamie MacDonald: That Funny Blind Guy 2 - The Good, the Stag and the Ugly

Being visually impaired, Glaswegian stand-up Jamie MacDonald definitely brings a new meaning to “observational humour”. 

Scott Capurro Islamohomophobia: Reloaded

Scott Capurro Islamohomophobia: Reloaded

Age hasn’t softened Scott Capurro; nor, it has to be said, has marriage. 

Lincoln Center Out of Doors

Lincoln Center Out of Doors

This three-week festival brings free performances of music, dance and spoken word to the plazas of Lincoln Center. 

Lincoln Center Festival: The Passenger

Lincoln Center Festival: The Passenger

Suppressed when it was written in Soviet Russia in the late 1960s, Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s unsparing Holocaust opera, based on a radio play by Zofia Posmysz and with a libretto… 

Lincoln Center Festival: Rosas

Lincoln Center Festival: Rosas

Last fall, the renowned Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Belgian company was in New York with a pair of new, starkly minimalist works that bore little resem… 

Tragic Magic

Tragic Magic

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 … 

Lifeline

Lifeline

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… 

In My Father's Words

In My Father's Words

Louis is one of Canada’s most respected teachers of classical literature. 

Children's Shows and Workshops

Children's Shows and Workshops

A celebration of children and young people in the Performing Arts featuring theatre, literature, music and movement. 

How to: Run a Venue at Brighton Fringe

How to: Run a Venue at Brighton Fringe

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… 

Venue B

Venue B

What kind of music do you like? We got it. 

Venue B Presents the Mystery Weekender

Venue B Presents the Mystery Weekender

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�… 

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock In!

The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock In!

‘The Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-In’ is a brand new breed of comedy club. 

The Greatest Shows on Earth

The Greatest Shows on Earth

A dress-up sing-along celebration of everyone’s favourite musicals. 

The Colin Hoult Shows

The Colin Hoult Shows

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. 

Baby Disco Dance Hall

Baby Disco Dance Hall

Why toddle when you can dance, dance, dance! DJ Monski Mouse and her team bring high energy smiling in a fabulous retro music and dance event for parents and children under 5. 

The Libertine

The Libertine

“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 … 

Nights at the Music Hall

Nights at the Music Hall

I love a bit of late night showbiz. 

Pressure

Pressure

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… 

Dear Scotland

Dear Scotland

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… 

The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler

The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler

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… 

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Musicians including the violinist Daniel Hope, the clarinetist Romie de Guise-Langlois and the cellist David Finckel offer a program exploring music by 20th-century composers who w… 

The Best of Village Pub Theatre

The Best of Village Pub Theatre

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 … 

The Pitchfork Disney

The Pitchfork Disney

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… 

Union

Union

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… 

This Wide Night

This Wide Night

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… 

Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher

‘One of Britain’s finest song interpreters’ (Sing Out). 

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Managing a venue at the Fringe can be a rewarding experience, but is also a mammoth undertaking. 

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Fringe Guide to Running a Venue

Managing a venue at the Fringe can be hugely rewarding, but is also a mammoth undertaking. 

The New Age Labrador

The New Age Labrador

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 … 

A Reason to Smile

A Reason to Smile

Two wooden chairs, some books, an otherwise empty stage. 

Landfall

Landfall

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… 

Matt and Ian's Improv Show

Matt and Ian's Improv Show

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 … 

Jon Ronson - The Psychopath Test and Other Real Life Mysteries.

Jon Ronson - The Psychopath Test and Other Real Life Mysteries.

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… 

Story's End

Story's End

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… 

WeGotTickets New Talent Showcase

WeGotTickets New Talent Showcase

WeGotTickets 2013 Award Winners Showcase. 

Our Father

Our Father

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 … 

Blues! Live at Venue 45

Blues! Live at Venue 45

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. 

Medea

Medea

Many readers will be familiar with the experience of almost falling asleep in a lecture theatre; it is probably less common for the urge to arise while a Greek tragedy is in full s… 

Poems and Pots

Poems and Pots

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… 

A Hundred Minus One Day

A Hundred Minus One Day

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… 

Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs

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 … 

The Ivor Novello Story

The Ivor Novello Story

‘A successful bachelor is always a puzzle to others,’ says the singer James Dinsmore, playing the composer and actor Ivor Novello. 

The Perilous Botanical Expedition

The Perilous Botanical Expedition

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… 

Daniel Sloss - Stand-Up (Extra Shows!)

Daniel Sloss - Stand-Up (Extra Shows!)

Due to massive demand six extra, later, quite probably ruder shows from comedy’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning half-man, half-Xbox. 

Patrick Monahan and Bob Slayer Set a World Record!

Patrick Monahan and Bob Slayer Set a World Record!

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 … 

A Play With Songs ... and Music and Film and Dance

A Play With Songs ... and Music and Film and Dance

Playwrights’ Studio Scotland is an independent development organisation for playwrights, working with them across the country, including through its talent development programme. 

Robin Ince - Importance of Being Interested

Robin Ince - Importance of Being Interested

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’. 

Danny the Champion of the World - Plays for Children

Danny the Champion of the World - Plays for Children

When you’re looking for a kids’ show at the Fringe, there are a few names which ought to be a safe bet and, of these, none more so than Roald Dahl. 

That's Not How You Spell Pedantic

That's Not How You Spell Pedantic

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’. 

BiDiNG TiME - Various Shows

BiDiNG TiME - Various Shows

International experiment sharing a story about a woman called Thyme, with local interpretations. 

Everything That Happened in the 20th Century, Seen Through the Eyes of a Liar

Everything That Happened in the 20th Century, Seen Through the Eyes of a Liar

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

Chops

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

Death Ship 666

Death Ship 666 is Airplane meets Titanic; an exuberant rollercoaster ride of humorous grotesques, which revels in its own clichés and absurdities. 

The Sunday Assembly

The Sunday Assembly

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… 

Ginger Nation

Ginger Nation

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… 

The Lock In

The Lock In

Breaking Tradition, together with the BBC Radio 2 award-winning folk powerhouse The Demon Barbers, presents The Lock In: an hour-long dance-off combining hip-hop and folk, and acco… 

Young & Strange - Magic, Illusion and a Hate for Each Other

Young & Strange - Magic, Illusion and a Hate for Each Other

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’… 

Other Voices: Spoken Word Cabaret

Other Voices: Spoken Word Cabaret

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… 

Magic Faraway Cabaret

Magic Faraway Cabaret

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… 

Magic Faraway Cabaret

Magic Faraway Cabaret

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. 

Nick Hall: Live!

Nick Hall: Live!

It always seems like a good idea to take a chance on the Free Fringe, to discover your new favourite comedian before they start charging a fortune for their tickets. 

Alexis Dubus - Cars And Girls (2013 version)

Alexis Dubus - Cars And Girls (2013 version)

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… 

Chris Coltrane: Compassion is Subversive

Chris Coltrane: Compassion is Subversive

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… 

Paul Dabek - Stand Up and Be Conjured

Paul Dabek - Stand Up and Be Conjured

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… 

The Horne Section Live in a Cow - Extra Shows

The Horne Section Live in a Cow - Extra Shows

Rolling into Edinburgh with a brand new barnstorming show, The Horne Section will yet again provide the festival’s best musical mayhem. 

We Are All Orange Ghosts

We Are All Orange Ghosts

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… 

Björn Gustafsson

Björn Gustafsson

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 (… 

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

  • Listing
  • Dance Physical Theatre and Circus / Dance Physical Theatre and Circus
  • Edinburgh Fringe
  • 2nd - 24th Aug 2013

With caller Ken Gourlay and ceilidh bands Flaming Heather, HLI, Scott Leslie, Willie Fraser and piper. 

In Tune With Dementia

In Tune With Dementia

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… 

Gay Straight Alliance

Gay Straight Alliance

In some 4,000 High Schools across the US, you’ll find a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) group. 

French Kiss

French Kiss

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 … 

Pop Lock-in

Pop Lock-in

The bassline reverberates through the floor as the DJ blasts the latest anthems. 

We, Object

We, Object

‘We, Object. 

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Ceilidhs in Lauriston Hall

Uninitiated to the world of sweaty, foot-stamping organised dance most of us would rather watch Scottish Highland music than participate in it. 

Macbeth

Macbeth

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… 

The  Noise Next Door Comedy Lock-In

The Noise Next Door Comedy Lock-In

Improv can be the most hit and miss of comedy styles. 

Alistair Green: Ping Pong

Alistair Green: Ping Pong

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… 

Rick Kiesewetter: Chink

Rick Kiesewetter: Chink

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 Year I Was Gifted

The Year I Was Gifted

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. 

Gay Straight Alliance

Gay Straight Alliance

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 … 

Sandel

Sandel

‘I’ll save you yet,’ says the precocious Antony Sandel to the object of his desires, David Rogers. 

Kevin Dewsbury Out Now

Kevin Dewsbury Out Now

Kevin Dewsbury is a bloke. 

It Goes Without Saying

It Goes Without Saying

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 … 

Way Back

Way Back

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. 

Danny Ward - Pressure Point

Danny Ward - Pressure Point

Could six months living in Auntie Annie’s conservatory push you over the edge? Find out in this hilarious debut from Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2013 nominee Danny War… 

Burton's Last Call

Burton's Last Call

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 … 

Tyke Rider: A Yorkshire Lass's Driving Adventure from the City of Angels to Graceland via the Big Easy

Tyke Rider: A Yorkshire Lass's Driving Adventure from the City of Angels to Graceland via the Big Easy

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’… 

Rich Hall

Rich Hall

Rich Hall becomes immeasurably funnier if you try not to laugh at him. 

Luke Wright: Essex Lion

Luke Wright: Essex Lion

‘Officer don’t be a Benny/the thing we saw was MGM-y. 

Roll It in Sequins

Roll It in Sequins

There’s a playful, rough-round-the-edges physicality throughout this new show by Megan Heffernan and Sophie Fletcher. 

Iain Stirling: At Home - Extra Shows

Iain Stirling: At Home - Extra Shows

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. 

The Pyramids of Margate

The Pyramids of Margate

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… 

Oliver Meech: When Magic and Science Collide

Oliver Meech: When Magic and Science Collide

Science reveals, magic conceals, but both can inspire a sense of wonder, according to stage magician Oliver Meech. 

Rich Hall

Rich Hall

Strident apocalyptic invective. 

Rob Lloyd: Who, Me

Rob Lloyd: Who, Me

This is not the first time Doctor Who has been put on trial. 

Kevin Shepherd: Confess Nothing - Free

Kevin Shepherd: Confess Nothing - Free

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. 

Rich Hall's Hoedown

Rich Hall's Hoedown

We see a lot of Rich Hall on panel shows these days: QI, Have I Got News For You?, Eight out of Ten Cats, Never Mind The Buzzcocks. 

Rich Hall's Hoedown

Rich Hall's Hoedown

Join Rich and his virtuoso musical mates, Ronnie Golden, Rob Childs, Nick Pynn, Antonio Forccionne (‘nuff said) for a mashup of music, comedy and gratuitous coloration. 

Desperately Seeking the Exit / Free Festival

Desperately Seeking the Exit / Free Festival

Heard of screenwriter William Goldman’s rule about Hollywood? ‘Nobody knows anything. 

Get Got

Get Got

American Television audiences have always enjoyed the chat show genre, from the likes of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to David Letterman and of course Oprah. 

Britain's Got F*ck All Talent! 2013

Britain's Got F*ck All Talent! 2013

Been to a load of shows already? Tired of sitting back as the passive audience member? Want to have your say? Then Britain’s Got F*ck All Talent is for you. 

Helen O'Brien: Bronagh's Big Weekend

Helen O'Brien: Bronagh's Big Weekend

Most of us remember our early teenage years with a mixture of mortification and despair, but then again, most of us don’t have the ability to translate our stories into devilishl… 

Scott Agnew - Something's Gotta Give

Scott Agnew - Something's Gotta Give

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. 

Dan Nightingale: Love in the Time of Cholesterol

Dan Nightingale: Love in the Time of Cholesterol

Dan Nightingale wants us to like him. 

Felicity Ward: Irregardless

Felicity Ward: Irregardless

Felicity Ward is back after last year’s award-winning The Hedgehog Dilemma, and has proven herself a gifted and confident force to be reckoned with. 

Danielle Ward - Speakeasy / Playdead

Danielle Ward - Speakeasy / Playdead

Speakeasy, one of two shows stand-up Danielle Ward is performing on alternate nights at the Fringe, starts with the offer of a gin and tonic. 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

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… 

Isy Suttie: Pearl and Dave

Isy Suttie: Pearl and Dave

Some suggest that you have to like a performer to be able to laugh at their work. 

Damion Larkin: Cuddly Loser

Damion Larkin: Cuddly Loser

Early in his set Cuddly Loser Damion Larkin describes himself as ‘five foot seven and made of pies. 

Exsomnia

Exsomnia

It’s an old cliché that there is nothing more boring than listening to someone talking about their dreams. 

Precious Little Talent

Precious Little Talent

Ella Hickson was the darling of the Fringe last year with her debut play, Eight. 

Laurent Piron - Unusual Day

Laurent Piron - Unusual Day

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. 

Henning Wehn No Surrender

Henning Wehn No Surrender

This is the second year running that I have seen a Fringe set by Henning Wehn – and although the man is a brilliant stand-up, the common threads running through his material are … 

Hitler! The Musical

Hitler! The Musical

Satirical portraits of Adolf Hitler have been around since Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Great Dictator’, through ‘The Producers’, to the Mr T Experience’s ‘Even Hitler Had A Girlfriend’. 

Alfie Brown - The Love You Take

Alfie Brown - The Love You Take

This is a show which will divide audiences, causing disputes of both an interpersonal and internal nature. 

Allotment

Allotment

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… 

Wondrous Flitting

Wondrous Flitting

The title of Wondrous Flitting is a double reference: it stands for both the miraculous appearance in 24-year-old waster Sam’s house of the Holy House of Loreto, a medieval site of… 

Wyrd Sisters

Wyrd Sisters

An am-dram production in a church hall, this show comes from another world entirely to even the worst of fringe shows: a world where a serviceable witch’’s hat can be made from a … 

Fever Chart: Three Visions of the Middle East

Fever Chart: Three Visions of the Middle East

War! What is it good for? Well, in this case, it’s good for about half of this Warwick University student production of Naomi Wallace’s The Fever Chart: Three Visions of the Middle… 

Allegra Levy and the Boston Blue

Allegra Levy and the Boston Blue

At the age of 18, Allegra Levy is already a considerably more compelling performer than handfuls of Parky regulars. 

Songs For a New World

Songs For a New World

Songs For a New World is a perennially popular Fringe favourite, a revue of cabaret numbers by Jason Robert Brown loosely themed around the American experience. 

Andi Neate Band & Guests

Andi Neate Band & Guests

“I fell in love with somebody completely by accident, just by sitting beside them,” is a great way to introduce a song. 

Night Heron

Night Heron

If you’ve ever been anywhere near the Fens you’ll probably have realised that they’re fucking mental, but if unlike me you haven’t visited Spalding’s Springfields Centre for a fun … 

Jazz at Lunchtime

Jazz at Lunchtime

The duo of Ian Millar on tenor and soprano saxes and Dominic Spencer on (electric) piano play a standards-based set at the Radisson Hotel every lunchtime (though, 12:30 is breakfas… 

Secret Agents

Secret Agents

Based on Conrad’s novel, “The Secret Agent“, transplanting its protagonist to modern-day Soho, attaching the story to a real alleged bomb plot on the London Eye, incorporating so… 

Festival Folk @ The Oak/The Wee Folk Club

Festival Folk @ The Oak/The Wee Folk Club

Byrne’s material tonight takes in a range of styles and moods, but is mostly taken from poetry written in Scots dialect traditions, and there were clearly a number of jokes that I … 

Yellow Moon: The Ballad of Leila and Lee

Yellow Moon: The Ballad of Leila and Lee

A terrible crime sends Leila and Lee running into the Scottish highlands. 

Your Last Breath

Your Last Breath

In 1999, Anna Bagenholm became trapped under ice after a skiing accident. 

Paul Dabek - Nothing Up My Sleeve!

Paul Dabek - Nothing Up My Sleeve!

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… 

Grainne Maguire - We Need to Talk About Bonnets

Grainne Maguire - We Need to Talk About Bonnets

There are about ten people in a dank attic room for what Grainne Maguire repeatedly describes as a ‘late night bonnet show’, meaning that for the majority of her set she doesn’t ev… 

The Big Bite-Size Breakfast /Matinee Shows

The Big Bite-Size Breakfast /Matinee Shows

The concept of Bite Size is a perfectly simple, yet novel one, and the clue really is in the title. 

Fee Fie Foe Fum

Fee Fie Foe Fum

Kids are a notoriously tough crowd. 

From Houdini to Potter

From Houdini to Potter

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… 

Stitching

Stitching

Various media have opted for sex as the defining theme of this year’s Fringe, and a number of the shows I’ve been able to see are characterised by a clear-eyed recognition of the d… 

Ed Byrne: Crowd Pleaser

Ed Byrne: Crowd Pleaser

It’s hard to fault this set by Ed Byrne, although it’s very tempting to do so. 

Wednesday

Wednesday

Brutality is hard to sustain onstage. 

Danny Bevins: Infectious Waste

Danny Bevins: Infectious Waste

Danny Bevins is not a gentle comedian. 

Trevor Lock's Amateur Sex Tape Theory

Trevor Lock's Amateur Sex Tape Theory

Thankfully, the title of this show is misleading. 

Ford and Akram: Humdinger

Ford and Akram: Humdinger

Ford and Akram are versatile and genuinely likable performers with an excellent character dynamic; Akram is confident and arrogant, walking all over the intelligent but overwhelmin… 

Parents Evening

Parents Evening

Parents Evening promises an hour of character-based sketch comedy in a school setting, which is already an idea devoid of originality, but is handled particularly poorly. 

Wild Allegations

Wild Allegations

Matthew John Curtis is famous. 

You've Got To Laugh

You've Got To Laugh

As I entered this new space at ten thirty last night after a full day’s reviewing my heart sank. 

Xavier Toby: Binge Thinking

Xavier Toby: Binge Thinking

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… 

My Stepson Stole My Sonic Screwdriver

My Stepson Stole My Sonic Screwdriver

Like much of the comedy currently clogging up Edinburgh, Toby Hadoke’s latest show is fundamentally about the man on stage, about his life experiences and his personal relationsh… 

Daniel Sloss - Extra Shows!

Daniel Sloss - Extra Shows!

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… 

Belgrave and Manera's Music Club

Belgrave and Manera's Music Club

Over the last few years at the Latitude festival Robin Ince’s Book Club has been a runaway success. 

Spent

Spent

Have you ever seen a man sweat through the back of a business suit? If that’s an experience in which your life is lacking, it’s one of many reasons why you might be interested in s… 

Steve Hall's Very Still Life

Steve Hall's Very Still Life

Steve Hall, part of the sketch comedy show We are Klang, is an appealing comic. 

Wretch

Wretch

Written, directed and performed by Gari Jones, Wretch is clearly a deeply personal project. 

My Romantic History

My Romantic History

‘Isn’t memory funny?’, comments Amy, one of the two main characters of DC Jackson’s My Romantic History. 

Bec Hill Didn't Want to Play Your Stupid Game Anyway

Bec Hill Didn't Want to Play Your Stupid Game Anyway

It’s easy to see where Australian comic Bec Hill is coming from in this set about refusing to conform to the pressures of adulthood. 

Bashir Lazhar

Bashir Lazhar

French-Canadian drama Bashir Lazhar draws its tension from the point at which two forms of loneliness intersect – that of an Algerian immigrant trying to make his way in a new wo… 

Stories from the Middle

Stories from the Middle

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 … 

Doug Segal: How to Read Minds and Influence People

Doug Segal: How to Read Minds and Influence People

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… 

I Got It - An Actor's Tale

I Got It - An Actor's Tale

The Fringe has always been a breeding ground for new writing especially in the musical category. 

Age of the Geek

Age of the Geek

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 … 

Henning Wehn - My Struggle

Henning Wehn - My Struggle

Henning Wehn might be the most bizarre stand-up comedian I have ever seen, but I think that’s intentional. 

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

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… 

Monsters Got Talent

Monsters Got Talent

First things first, every ticket for this show costs a fiver, which is far better value than so many other children’s productions on in Edinburgh during August and for this £5, … 

Last Easter

Last Easter

Bryony Lavery’s Last Easter is a one-act comedy about cancer, euthanasia and the vestigial presence of religious imagery in our hopeless, secular lives. 

Des Clarke: Final Destination

Des Clarke: Final Destination

Particularly when compared to the polite folk of Edinburgh, Glaswegians have a reputation for talking. 

Mr Kolpert

Mr Kolpert

Adapted from a 1990s German play by David Geiselmann, this student production is a thrilling race through the cruelty and aggression underlying social etiquette. 

Project Adorno's Top Ten of Popular Culture

Project Adorno's Top Ten of Popular Culture

Do you like Art Brut? Half Man Half Biscuit? Have you ever heard of Ian Sinclair? If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’ then you may be bemused, vexed and possibly appall… 

Scotland in Song

Scotland in Song

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… 

Dream Pill

Dream Pill

Dream Pill is a tale of modern slavery. 

Stuart Goldsmith: Another Lovely Crisis

Stuart Goldsmith: Another Lovely Crisis

Stuart Goldsmith can win an audience over in seconds. 

Chris Martin: No. Not That One

Chris Martin: No. Not That One

Three years ago, at my first Fringe, I saw Chris Martin do a fifteen-minute free set in a basement room. 

An Evening With Dementia

An Evening With Dementia

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… 

Chris Addison

Chris Addison

Picture Chris Addison in your mind for a minute. 

Pork

Pork

David Egan’s Pork is an interesting stab at an interesting topic; set in a future dystopia where pigs live side by side with feral humans in a sinister charitable enclave known onl… 

Lach: The Day I Went Insane

Lach: The Day I Went Insane

Previous reviewers have compared Lach to Woody Allen and Woody Guthrie, and while these two are good reference points I’d like to start by pointing out just how much he looks, and … 

Re-Animator The Musical

Re-Animator The Musical

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. 

Caligula

Caligula

Although his writing is poetry as much as philosophy, there is a danger that any performance of a work by Albert Camus might neglect the more intriguingly human aspects of his lite… 

Rich Hall: Fifty-Cent Words

Rich Hall: Fifty-Cent Words

Rich Hall is familiar to most of us mainly through his work as a comedian on TV, particularly on panel shows. 

Sherica

Sherica

Last year, Wednesday by Ian Winterton was one of my picks of the Fringe. 

Danny Bhoy - By the Way

Danny Bhoy - By the Way

This is consumate top-class stand-up comedy from Danny Bhoy. 

Bridget Christie: Housewife Surrealist

Bridget Christie: Housewife Surrealist

When Bridget Christie bounds onto the stage in a bishop’s vestments and mitre, running around the audience distributing crackers and squeezes of water, and then a couple of minutes… 

Terry Alderton

Terry Alderton

Terry Alderton is a surrealist stand-up. 

No Holes and the Bard

No Holes and the Bard

William (Josef Salvat) is about to perform for the first time in his one-man show and finds himself looking back at his life. 

Felicity Ward: The Hedgehog Dilemma

Felicity Ward: The Hedgehog Dilemma

A broken engagement, recovery from alcoholism, unemployment. 

Body of Water

Body of Water

There’s a comedy show at this year’s Fringe entitled All Young People Are C*nts. 

The Curious Couple from Coney

The Curious Couple from Coney

The exquisitely moustached showman Donny Vomit was just 14, visiting an Oklahoma County Fair, when he saw a man swallow a long balloon. 

Irreconcilable Differences

Irreconcilable Differences

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. 

When Holidays Attack

When Holidays Attack

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�… 

'Dream Man' by James Carroll Pickett

'Dream Man' by James Carroll Pickett

A word of warning: if an hour of explicit homosexual phone sex is the sort of thing that sends you running to complain to Mary Whitehouse, then look away now. 

Montmorency

Montmorency

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… 

Ward No 6

Ward No 6

‘The people who are fond of visiting lunatic asylums are few in this world’ says Chekov in his famous anti-intellectual story, ‘Ward No. 

Fairy Liquid And The Burst Bubble ... And Other Science Shows

Fairy Liquid And The Burst Bubble ... And Other Science Shows

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. 

Richard O'Brien's Mephistopheles Smith

Richard O'Brien's Mephistopheles Smith

Having seen the Janus Theatre Company productions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens, perhaps my expectations were simply too high for Mephistopheles … 

Bluebird

Bluebird

Bluebird is the story of Jimmy, a London taxi driver the various people – ‘fares’ – he meets. 

Red Shoes

Red Shoes

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 … 

Enough Already

Enough Already

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 Time o' Strife

In Time o' Strife

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… 

Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment

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… 

Let The Right One In

Let The Right One In

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. 

Calum's Road

Calum's Road

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. 

Carnivale

Carnivale

If you’ve ever seen or read JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls you’ll be broadly familiar with the message of UnWish Theatre’s Carnivale, a dinner party with a difference where the … 

Running On The Cracks

Running On The Cracks

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… 

Harold and Maude

Harold and Maude

Inter-generational relationships are always controversial, especially when questions of predatory abuse arise in these Savile-dominated times. 

Josie Long: Be Honourable!

Josie Long: Be Honourable!

Josie Long’s Be Honourable! is on some level about being nice – not the easiest subject for laughs, but one with which she succeeds partly by being such a shining example. 

Any Objections?

Any Objections?

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 … 

Apples

Apples

Adapted from Richard Milward’s 2006 novel, Apples is a slice of teen life in all its grottiness, expanded to cartoonish proportions from a starting point of Northern reality. 

Markee De Saw & Bert Finkle

Markee De Saw & Bert Finkle

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… 

Richard Herring: What is Love Anyway?

Richard Herring: What is Love Anyway?

Love is a pyramid scheme, suggests Richard Herring, in an extended fifteen-minute segment of his strongly-themed set, in which he contemplates the devastating consequences of a lov… 

Don't Call Us We'll Call You

Don't Call Us We'll Call You

Ring-ring! Ring ring! What’s that sound? It’s the sound of ten students from London trying to get to grips with an un-winable war. 

Activism Is Fun

Activism Is Fun

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 … 

Macbeth

Macbeth

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… 

The Meeting

The Meeting

Reuben Johnson’s The Meeting commands a strong central performance by Reuben Johnson, speaking the lines of Reuben Johnson under the keen directorial eye of Reuben Johnson. 

The Gilded Red Cage

The Gilded Red Cage

I actually feel guilty about disliking this play so much. 

An Audience With Tomás Ford - Free

An Audience With Tomás Ford - Free

From the start, you know that Tomás Ford isn’t your ordinary late night showman. 

Rob James: Magicana

Rob James: Magicana

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… 

Tim Turnbull's Tales of Terror - Free

Tim Turnbull's Tales of Terror - Free

It ought to be mentioned from the beginning that Tim’s Turnbull’s Tales of Terror aren’t particularly terrifying, but it soon becomes apparent that actual thrills and chills aren’t… 

Danny Robins – Dannyfest

Danny Robins – Dannyfest

Get the whole summer festival experience over with in just an hour as Danny Robins takes you through all you need to know – from the Dance Tent, to the Main Stage to the drugs and… 

Arguments and Nosebleeds - Free

Arguments and Nosebleeds - Free

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… 

Phillipa and Will Are Now in a Relationship

Phillipa and Will Are Now in a Relationship

‘I wuv you with the intensity of a thousand suns,’ yells Will (Jack Swain) in Misshapen Theatre’s Phillipa And Will Are Now In A Relationship, a romantic comedy told entirely throu… 

A Slow Air

A Slow Air

The set is nothing more than a small section of floor and two chairs. 

Pink Noise by FORK

Pink Noise by FORK

There’s not a lot of pink in this show – the four Scandinavian singers who make up FORK spend most of it clad either in dazzling white or figure-hugging black leather – but the… 

Threshold

Threshold

Some would say the journey is more important than the destination, but this rule doesn’t apply to 19;29’s Threshold, a choose-your-own-adventure psychodrama presenting the implosio… 

Gary Delaney: Purist

Gary Delaney: Purist

Most comedy shows, like most reviews, come with some kind of inbuilt narrative, some trajectory from A to B that allows the performer to hook on their best jokes, anecdotes and obs… 

Andy Zaltzman: Armchair Revolutionary

Andy Zaltzman: Armchair Revolutionary

If you only see one stand-up comedy set at this year’s Fringe, it should probably be Andy Zaltzman. 

The Red Bus Puppet Shows

The Red Bus Puppet Shows

It’s a beautiful day at the Fringe and I’m sat on the top deck of a red bus in the Meadows. 

Have a Nice Life

Have a Nice Life

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… 

Nggrfg

Nggrfg

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… 

Just a Gigolo

Just a Gigolo

Among the delights of the Fringe are the opportunities it occasionally presents to see quality performers in more intimate, personal projects. 

The King's Got Donkey's Ears!

The King's Got Donkey's Ears!

In the perfect setting of the Scottish Storytelling Centre, sixty or so children of varying ages and sizes sat enraptured by the accomplished storytelling and puppetry of the Theat… 

Nick Helm - Dare to Dream

Nick Helm - Dare to Dream

‘I’ll keep you alive. 

Jest Like Danny Kaye

Jest Like Danny Kaye

For many thousands of even seasoned Fringe-goers, the mystique and delights of the Famous Speigel Garden can frequently be passed by, with the comparatively few shows that it offer… 

The National

The National

There’s something a little unusual about The National’s rise to power as a festival-filling headline band; their sound is so hushed, so intimate, so suited to a guttering candle an… 

Legs 11

Legs 11

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… 

Sammy J and Randy - The Inheritance

Sammy J and Randy - The Inheritance

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… 

Frisky and Mannish: The College Years

Frisky and Mannish: The College Years

I’m a newcomer to the Frisky and Mannish experience – a fresher, as they address me at one point – I came into this show lacking any point of comparison with last year’s smash hi… 

Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-in

Noise Next Door’s Comedy Lock-in

Comedy addicts were treated to a night of raucous belly-laughs by the stars of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Sketchorama’, The Noise Next Door, last night at the infamous Komedia in Brighton. 

Matt Rudge - We Could Be Heroes

Matt Rudge - We Could Be Heroes

Opening the show with some very impressive and fast-paced wordplay, Matt Rudge sets the bar high and despite occasional lulls in energy, manages to be consistently funny throughout… 

Man Who Was Thursday

Man Who Was Thursday

There are few good things about international terrorism, but this show is one of them. 

Kin

Kin

Three tables, each filled with the paraphernalia of different daytime meals; on each table, there’s an hourglass, progressively smaller. 

Matt Forde: Dishonourable Member

Matt Forde: Dishonourable Member

Matt Forde is a chatty, friendly man who quickly gets an audience on board. 

Withered Hand

Withered Hand

‘I’m Withered Hand, and these are my friends’, announces Dan Willson as his three-piece backing band join him on the stage of the Electric Circus. 

The Long and the Short of It

The Long and the Short of It

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. 

The Degenerates

The Degenerates

In a dystopian future society where all homosexuals are ‘rehabilitated’ by being forced to have straight sex in a sinister hostel, one man and one woman do a lot of shouting in Rib… 

Alistair Green: Jack Spencer - Why Anything?

Alistair Green: Jack Spencer - Why Anything?

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… 

Murder, Marple and Me

Murder, Marple and Me

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… 

Mandrake

Mandrake

The Mandrake charts familiar territory for a Renaissance city comedy – cuckoldry, trickery, and professional stereotypes – but as might be expected from a play by Machiavelli, th… 

Dan Nightingale: The 11 and a 1/2 Ill-conceived Edinburgh Shows of Dan Nightingale

Dan Nightingale: The 11 and a 1/2 Ill-conceived Edinburgh Shows of Dan Nightingale

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… 

DJ Danny - Music Therapy

DJ Danny - Music Therapy

High-school teachers by day, DJ Danny and his glamorous assistant (the P. 

Other Voices: Alternative Spoken Word Cabaret

Other Voices: Alternative Spoken Word Cabaret

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… 

The Tempest

The Tempest

Aces High promise a radical, multimedia, re-gendered re-imagination of The Tempest, but deliver a bit of a damp squib, something more like a light drizzle or a power shower when th… 

Allsopp and Henderson's The Jinglists

Allsopp and Henderson's The Jinglists

Comedy is subjective – a cliché the truth of which I’d never truly experienced before seeing Allsopp and Henderson’s The Jinglists. 

The Sexual Awakening of Peter Mayo

The Sexual Awakening of Peter Mayo

The Sexual Awakening of Peter Mayo is the story of a sexually repressed man accidentally stumbling onto the world of swinging and no-frills sex after a text goes awry. 

Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut

Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut

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, … 

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs

The Glasgow King’s Theatre panto, which last year marked its half century, is a much-loved institution in the city. 

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall

I have faint memories of being taken to a children’s dance and movement class when I was about two. 

Damien Crow: The World According to Damien Crow

Damien Crow: The World According to Damien Crow

Mid-afternoon, an audience of just 10 people is not what most standups would want to see in front of them. 

Guilt & Shame

Guilt & Shame

Guilt and Shame is a sketch show about the failure of a sketch show, or more specifically its utter breakdown. 

Chris Cross: Loose Cannon 2012

Chris Cross: Loose Cannon 2012

There are many things you can say about Chris Cross; that he’s a shrinking violet is not one of them. 

Alan Bissett: The Red Hourglass

Alan Bissett: The Red Hourglass

‘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… 

Danny Buckler: The Phantom

Danny Buckler: The Phantom

This debut show from Danny Buckler is a resounding success. 

Danny McLoughlin - The Truth, the Half-Truth and Nothing Like the Truth

Danny McLoughlin - The Truth, the Half-Truth and Nothing Like the Truth

The Truth, the Half-Truth and Nothing Like the Truth promises an hour of solid stand-up. 

In This Lonely Town

In This Lonely Town

Andrianna Smela and her accompanist Maria Dessena are classically trained musicians playing cabaret music, and my main gripe with this programme of the songs of Kurt Weill and othe… 

We Got Rhythm

We Got Rhythm

According to the publicity, We Got Rhythm ‘smacks the audience in the face with a satirical spectacle of choreography, slapstick and farce’. 

An Evening With David Sedaris

An Evening With David Sedaris

While undoubtedly a good show by anyone’s standards - apart from someone who doesn’t like American men with high, nasal voices reading comic but ultimately touching stories, presum… 

Ward and Bartlett's Double Impact

Ward and Bartlett's Double Impact

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… 

Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation

Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation

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… 

La Reprise Histoire(s) du theatre (I)

La Reprise Histoire(s) du theatre (I)

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… 

Fruitcake - Ten Commandments from the Psych Ward

Fruitcake - Ten Commandments from the Psych Ward

Comic, poet and reformed psychiatric nurse Rob Gee presents a user-friendly guide to losing the plot. 

VAULT Announces New London Venue and Return of VAULT Festival for 2024

VAULT Announces New London Venue and Return of VAULT Festival for 2024

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. 

Five outstanding EdFringe shows scoop a Broadway Baby Bobby in 2023

Five outstanding EdFringe shows scoop a Broadway Baby Bobby in 2023

A coveted Bobby has been presented to five shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year. 

Alistair Hall is Walking Tall

Alistair Hall is Walking Tall

Simon Ximenez talks with Alistair Hall, whose success with his gripping one-man play Declan, was one of the few positive outcomes of lockdown. 

Lily Wolff Gives Mary Lincoln a Voice

Lily Wolff Gives Mary Lincoln a Voice

Editor-in-Chief, Richard Beck, talks with director Lily Wolff, who is bringing Mrs President to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. 

David Ian - I got death threats from my flatmates after losing my virginity

David Ian - I got death threats from my flatmates after losing my virginity

James Macfarlane chats with stand-up comedian David Ian about his debut Fringe show (Just a) Perfect Gay, queer role models and just what it means to be 'a perfect gay'. 

An interview with the fabulous Danny Beard

An interview with the fabulous Danny Beard

James Macfarlane sits down with the one and only Danny Beard to discuss their debut Fringe show Danny Beard and Their Band, life since winning RuPaul's Drag Race UK and why the art... 

Slaughtered at theSpace Surgeons' Hall with Kate Copstick: Episode 6

Slaughtered at theSpace Surgeons' Hall with Kate Copstick: Episode 6

Copstick is back at Surgeons' Hall chatting to Martha McBrier, Darcie Silver, Pope Lonergan and Lisa Frischemeier. 

Slaughtered at theSpace Surgeon's Hall with Kate Copstick: Episode 4

Slaughtered at theSpace Surgeon's Hall with Kate Copstick: Episode 4

Kate Copstick chats to Paul Wady of Stealth Aspies about questioning labels on the topic of autism. 

Slaughtered at The Surgeon's Hall with Kate Copstick: Episode 1

Slaughtered at The Surgeon's Hall with Kate Copstick: Episode 1

Kate Copstick presents episode 1 of Slaughtered at The Surgeon's Hall with President Obonjo and Zach Zucker.  

4 Family Friendly Shows in Brighton This Half Term

4 Family Friendly Shows in Brighton This Half Term

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. 

5 Brighton Shows To Entertain You This Christmas

5 Brighton Shows To Entertain You This Christmas

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. 

5 Brighton HorrorFest Shows To Sink Your Teeth Into This October

5 Brighton HorrorFest Shows To Sink Your Teeth Into This October

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.  

Black Friday Deals on West End Shows

Black Friday Deals on West End Shows

All this week we've got some fantastic offers on your favourite West End shows. Check back daily for the latest offers. 

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Danny Smith

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Danny Smith

Edinburgh is Festival City for good reason, and amongst all the theatre, comedy, books and arts there's even a Scottish Gin Festival. 

The Scottish Story Telling Centre: A Venue for Voices

The Scottish Story Telling Centre: A Venue for Voices

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... 

Eight shows heading to Brighton Fringe with the support of Greenwich Theatre

Eight shows heading to Brighton Fringe with the support of Greenwich Theatre

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... 

Brighton Fringe: 10 Shows to Book Before They Sell-Out

Brighton Fringe: 10 Shows to Book Before They Sell-Out

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. 

​Dracula Director Danny Wainwright on Mixing Politics with Comedy

​Dracula Director Danny Wainwright on Mixing Politics with Comedy

There couldn’t be a more poignant time to retell the story of Dracula with a 21st-century twang. 

Playwright Becky Owen Fisher Lets Actors Change the Order of her Scenes

Playwright Becky Owen Fisher Lets Actors Change the Order of her Scenes

In a world boiling over with police invasion of privacy, romance and rising sea levels, what could possibly go wrong? Part eco-political rally cry, part meditation on the collapse ... 

Interview: Baby Disco Dance Hall

Interview: Baby Disco Dance Hall

We talk to the kid-rocking, dance-loving DJ Monski Mouse about her disco-dancing extravaganza perfect for under fives (and their parents too) 

C Venues launches new flagship venue at St Stephen’s Stockbridge

C Venues launches new flagship venue at St Stephen’s Stockbridge

Edinburgh venue St Stephen’s Stockbridge returns in 2016 as the latest addition to the C venues stable. 

Unmissable shows at Brighton Fringe this year

Unmissable shows at Brighton Fringe this year

Brighton Fringe has officially launched. 

Five Christmas Shows You Shouldn’t Miss In London This Year

Five Christmas Shows You Shouldn’t Miss In London This Year

Christmas is the one time of year you can drag your non-theatre-going friends to the theatre. 

James Plays Playwright Rona Munro does Christmas at the Traverse

James Plays Playwright Rona Munro does Christmas at the Traverse

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... 

'Wreaking havoc on the interactive whiteboard' - Richard O'Brien's Free For All

'Wreaking havoc on the interactive whiteboard' - Richard O'Brien's Free For All

Richard O'Brien is the author of several plays and four books of poetry. 

Choreographers Claire Cunningham and Ramesh Meyyappan talk Hieronymus Bosch and Madame Butterfly

Choreographers Claire Cunningham and Ramesh Meyyappan talk Hieronymus Bosch and Madame Butterfly

Acclaimed choreographers and performers Ramesh Meyyappan and Claire Cunningham bring two startling – and highly personal – shows to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

Three Minute Interview: Dandy Darkly

Three Minute Interview: Dandy Darkly

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! 

Glasgow: Arches LIVE festival to present self-help theme this October

Glasgow: Arches LIVE festival to present self-help theme this October

Arches LIVE, the annual festival of new performances and artwork by some of Scotland’s most exciting creative talent returns to Glasgow’s The Arches this October. 

The Samuel Ward Three Minute Interview

The Samuel Ward Three Minute Interview

Samuel Ward is the director of GRIMM, which tells the story of a woman in a dystopian psychiatric institute, whose memories are replaced with Brothers Grimm fairy tales. 

The Doctor Austin Three Minute Interview

The Doctor Austin Three Minute Interview

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... 

The David Leddy Three Minute Interview

The David Leddy Three Minute Interview

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... 

The Liam Rudden Three Minute Interview

The Liam Rudden Three Minute Interview

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...