Frankie is doing some shows at the Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy to try out some brand new jokes.
Frankie is doing some shows at the Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy to try out some brand new jokes.
Frankie is doing some shows at the Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy to try out some brand new jokes.
Described as ‘the funniest dad on Instagram’, stand-up comedian George Lewis has racked up hundreds of millions of views for his hilarious online sketches ab…
Kenneth starts his first day and manager Chris has big plans for the McGonagle Tavern: clean the place up, serve gourmet dishes, but above all else make the place a stylish and tra…
The funniest dad on Instagram has racked up hundreds of millions of views online.
Ave Maria: Centuries of Prayer and Praise.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
TS Eliot’s poem Ash Wednesday is widely regarded as a work of great spiritual depth.
Fresh from their residency at London’s iconic Comedy Store, Fringe favourites Paul Merton and Suki Webster, two of the UK’s leading improvisers, bring their highly anticipated bran…
Performance poet/musician Attila the Stockbroker has been writing and performing since 1980: 4,000 or so gigs in 25 countries so far.
Start each morning with this curated variety showcase, featuring the very best solo shows at the Fringe! Rotating daily line-ups include storytelling, theatre, clown, cabaret, spok…
The entirely fictional absolutely true story of what happens when F Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway’s wives have had enough of their husbands’ philandering ways and get even …
When there is no one left but a handful of the human race, what keeps them going? Are we hardwired to self-destruct or can we find something that unites us all to survive and thriv…
Somewhere, on an island, Gael, a gecko-like creature lives alone, in harmony with the surroundings.
A queer adaptation of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years presents an emotionally charged musical following Jamie and Cathy as they fall in and out of love over their turbul…
Revealing the man behind the myth.
The tales of the dragons are special for many reasons.
The award-winning, 7th highest rated comedy of the Edinburgh Fringe 2023 returns! When disaster strikes in Gary’s brain, it’s up to his brain cells to try and fix everything.
In Leni’s Last Lament, which swept top awards at the United Solo Festival, Hitler’s controversial filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl, attempts to sanitize her past.
The Last Laugh sees three legendary comedians – Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse – sitting in a dressing room, discussing the secret of life, death, comedy and wh…
Hey, this is Paul’s show.
Humans have started developing a genetically modified onion that doesn’t make you cry when you cut it.
The star of Taskmaster New Zealand returns to the Edinburgh Fringe for the third time after sell-out shows in Melbourne, New Zealand and London.
Abby awoke in hospital after a late miscarriage and, high on anaesthesia, decided to become a comedian.
While everyone’s settling down – marriages, mortgages, motherhood – Jo’s busy doing all the naughty stuff she’s yet to try! From clubbing with Gen Zs (she’s the hype-girl keepi…
In a world with only 1 gun, 1 man stands in the way of world peace.
BBC Popcorn Award Nominee Abigail Paul, a “transformative talent” who “lights up the stage” (★★★★★, Theatre Weekly), dives into her sophomore solo show Miss Communication…
Known as the King of Rant, Lewis Black uses his trademark style of comedic yelling and finger pointing to expose the absurdities of life.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Multi-award-winning writer/performer Paul Richards returns with a radical percussion-led comedy about the perils of turning middle age and suddenly doubting absolutely everything.
Paul and Laura are nice, kind and funny people who make work about tiny details, joy and finding light in the smallest of places.
After decades of procrastination, comedy writer Steve Parry (8 Out Of 10 Cats, Live At The Apollo, Gladiators, I’m A Celebrity, Love Island) has finally turned his back on the gl…
Set in the head office of TPL inc.
A woman has entered the chat.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The Longest Running and most listened to Glasgow Rangers podcast presents a live recording with ex Rangers Legend Paul Gascoigne in his first London Glasgow Rangers show…
The Longest Running and most listened to Glasgow Rangers podcast presents a live recording with ex Rangers Legend Paul Gascoigne in his first London Glasgow Rangers show…
The longest running Tottenham Hotspur Podcast presents a live recording with Spurs and England Legend Paul Gascoigne in his first West End show in many years.
The longest running Tottenham Hotspur Podcast presents a live recording with Spurs and England Legend Paul Gascoigne in his first West End show in many years.
The Hole.
Join comedians and living embodiments of the Nature vs Nurture debate Connor Yeates and Orion Lewis in a split hour of stand-up comedy, exploring complicated family dynamics, race …
Amy Johnson had her ambitions and she flew at them.
Combining striking visuals and physical storytelling with dynamic projection and a resonant soundtrack, Ad Infinitum’s new non-verbal solo show explores a powerful journey of lov…
When 24 year old Bess Malone steals from the local ice cream van she doesn’t expect it to impact her life at all, and she certainly doesn’t expect to find a new friendship with…
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The America’s Got Talent winner is back with a brand-new comedy show for 2023.
The America’s Got Talent winner is back with a brand-new comedy show for 2023.
Paul Smith is back with a brand new tour! ‘Joker’ is his biggest and funniest tour show to date in which the scouse funny man mixes his trade mark audience i…
WINNER: OFFCOMM COMMENDATION (Off West End Awards, 2023) WINNER: TOP OFF WEST END PRODUCTION (Centre Stage Stars, 2018) ‘Oliver Twist’, Charles Dickens’ dark tale of crime and pu…
WINNER: OFFCOMM COMMENDATION (Off West End Awards, 2023) WINNER: TOP OFF WEST END PRODUCTION (Centre Stage Stars, 2018) ‘Oliver Twist’, Charles Dickens’ dark tale of crime and pu…
Come and see student sketch comedy groups battle it out for the ultimate prize, power.
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Welcome to the Last Thursday Club! An evening of theatre, comedy and storytelling hosted by acclaimed writer-performers and poolitzer prize winners Roann Hassani-McCloskey and Jame…
Not For Anyone returns! Please note that I might just do card tricks and say nothing for a whole hour or I might just do the usual ‘screaming fascist’ schtick. Or both. No refunds.
The Last Vagabonds explores the life of Western society’s hallowed offspring.
Duruflé Requiem: Life and Death in Music with Poetry.
In the Steps of the Master: Jesus and Landscape.
Let’s face it, you need a very big man to follow Elvis Presley, and Paul Francis certainly is! Standing at an impressive 6’ 5”, ladies would describe him as a ‘hunk of burning love…
Rising to the Life Immortal: Organ Music for Easter and Ascension.
A performance from acclaimed composer/songwriter Gareth Williams, lyrically transforming iconic final pages from Scottish fiction into brand-new ‘literary chamber pop’ songs.
From his years as the visionary in Simon and Garfunkel through to his many solo hits, journey through one of the greatest back catalogues of all time.
New York-based comedians and writers, Liz Goldblatt and Matthew DuBois, deliver fresh and personal takes on sexuality, language, and religion.
Social media star Paul Black returns to the Fringe this year with his new stand-up show, Nostalgia, a look back into his childhood as a gay wee boy growing up in Glasgow as the son…
Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote some of the finest songs for a golden age of musical theatre.
Andy Williams was one of the world’s greatest light music entertainers and, in celebration of his legacy, Paul performs many of Andy’s biggest hits.
This critically acclaimed, award-winning comedy is back! Nigel Forde’s ‘sparkling script’ and David Robinson’s ‘impressive Screwtape’ (Stage) bring to life Lewis’ classic book, whi…
Paul Merton’s infamous Impro Chums return to the Fringe after a four year hiatus and is warmly welcomed by the Pleasance Grand’s 750 seat capacity bursting at the seams.
Charlie Dinkin is a WGGB Award-winning writer, comedian and star of cult hit sketch podcast SeanceCast.
Charlie Dinkin is a WGGB Award-winning writer, comedian and star of cult hit sketch podcast SeanceCast.
Ace in the Whole is a hilarious show by comedian Paul Connell.
John Harper and Joseph Ismay.
Two Russian artists in exile reveal the cruelty of Soviet life with a good dose of dark humour.
The amazing, strange-but-true story behind the weird stuff advertised in vintage American comics.
Brand-new, non-verbal immersive comedy show, created by award-winning Belfast comedian and clownarchist, Paul Currie.
The Northern Irish comic is back with a brand new show.
Wonderfully absurd stand-up from a fool’s thinking man.
With a plethora of Sherlock Holmes shows to catch at this year’s Fringe; our fascination with the super-sleuth showing no signs of abating.
There’s been a mix-up in the weekly appointment with her Sanatorium psychiatrist.
All jokes.
The only stand up comedy show at the Fringe with jokes, stories and a definitive list of my favourite smells from last year.
If you had told me that halfway through Wildcat’s Last Waltz, I’d be witnessing a Northern grandmother and three audience members performing wild dance moves combined with yoga…
Life is a stress: full of rushed breakfasts, angry people, internal conflict, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Two comedians.
24 different award-winning or nominated comedians perform their full shows, recorded for Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube. See FringeSpecials.com for listings.
If we’re technically speaking, there is one (1) person invited to this show, but you (yes, you) are allowed (and inarguably encouraged) to come to the debut Fringe show from Canadi…
Following the success of last year’s show, comic songwriter Liz Cotton is back.
“Chopin’s Last Tour” is set in Scotland, 1848, the year before his death.
Following a complete sell-out, extended national tour, star of global hit Live Innit, Taskmaster and the first British-Asian stand-up to sell-out London’s Wembley Arena returns to …
I have collected, for your enjoyment, an anthology of all the weird things I have done in my life to try and make friends.
Ell and Mary have been dead for three years, but now they’ve come back to life (and the stage) with one question on their minds: how do you know when it’s the end? Inspired by …
Acclaimed comedian, daytime TV star and global TikTok sensation, Paul Sinha is at least two of these.
Vault Festival People’s Choice Award nominee 2023.
The Last Living Libertine is the debut hour from John Tothill as he tries to dissect our attitude to life and prove that techno music is the true expression of human spirit and the…
“Chopin’s Last Tour” is set in Scotland, 1848, the year before his death.
In a world with only one gun, one man stands in the way of world peace.
Wonderfully offbeat stand-up comedy from one of the UK circuit’s most distinctive and uniquely talented comedians.
Wonderfully absurd stand-up from a fool’s thinking man.
1916.
1916.
Jonas (Michael Batten) would ideally like to be in full-time employment as an actor on stage.
7 Years after it's first tour, Luke Adamson's critically acclaimed comedy-drama about Alzheimer's is being published.
The universal love story. Where you fall in love with someone for the first time but also for the last. Four Actors, cast live, whose story will you see?
If Fringe tickets are SOLD OUT visit www.
The very last splash of magic and sparkle this season with some of the amazing acts of our Spiegel family, including spots from Sassy, Head First Acrobats, Cabaret Continentale and…
Known as the King of Rant, Lewis Black uses his trademark style of comedic yelling and finger pointing to expose the absurdities of life.
It’s been a year since Sophie disappeared from David’s life.
It’s been a year since Sophie disappeared from David’s life.
Join John Tothill, the Last Living Libertine [citation needed], for an evening of exaggeration, emancipation and dense theoretical speculation in a show that straddles cabaret and …
Join John Tothill, the Last Living Libertine [citation needed], for an evening of exaggeration, emancipation and dense theoretical speculation in a show that straddles cabaret and …
Two Comedians give their view on a number of topics; whoever you are - you will relate.
Who Let Him In? Paul Merryck re-emerges from the Essex Swamplands with a new show telling a lot of stupid jokes and daft short stories, tenuously held together by the narrative th…
Who Let Him In? Paul Merryck re-emerges from the Essex Swamplands with a new show telling a lot of stupid jokes and daft short stories, tenuously held together by the narrative th…
Orion Lewis is a quick, no-filter comedian who’s turned out way worse than she expected as a kid.
Joe Orton’s Last Laugh is a fresh take on the fraught relationship between the celebrated writer Joe Orton and his aggrieved partner Kenneth Halliwell.
‘Ace in the Whole’ is a hilarious show by comedian Paul Connell.
‘Ace in the Whole’ is a hilarious show by comedian Paul Connell.
Set in mid-1930s New Orleans, Suddenly Last Summer has all the power and richness of Williams’ more famous works, but with a tighter, more deadly focus.
Set in mid-1930s New Orleans, Suddenly Last Summer has all the power and richness of Williams’ more famous works, but with a tighter, more deadly focus.
“Move over Dame-Jude; there’s a new national treasure in town!” In this “raucously funny hour” the Wildcat welcomes the audience into her Sheffield home, makes everyone …
“Move over Dame-Jude; there’s a new national treasure in town!” In this “raucously funny hour” the Wildcat welcomes the audience into her Sheffield home, makes everyone …
7 people are about to have a very bad day, but which will be the last man standing? Join comedian and author Aidan Goatley in his first play - a dark absurdist satire that proves, …
7 people are about to have a very bad day, but which will be the last man standing? Join comedian and author Aidan Goatley in his first play - a dark absurdist satire that proves, …
Following a complete sell-out 2021 tour and 2022 extension, star of Taskmaster and global smash hit ‘Live Innit’, Paul Chowdhry brings his hit show ‘Fa…
In a world with only 1 gun, 1 man stands in the way of world peace.
Join Ben Carter and Joe Bunn two of the UK’s limpest forces that have been proper melted together for one hour of entertainment.
For one night only, the iconic London Palladium welcomes a star-studded cast in the gala concert performance of an extraordinary new musical ‘AT LAST, IT’S SUMMER&rsquo…
Paul Black's brand new show 'Nostalgia' follows on from the Glasgow-born comedian's debut Edinburgh Fringe run, which sold out in minutes.
Tension and comedy come together in this historical drama centred on David Lloyd George, where family dynamics provide much of the intrigue, and no one is who they seem.
Paul Smith is back with a brand new tour! ‘Joker’ is his biggest and funniest tour show to date in which the scouse funny man mixes his trade mark audience i…
Paul Smith is back with a brand new tour! ‘Joker’ is his biggest and funniest tour show to date in which the scouse funny man mixes his trade mark audience i…
Been crying into ya SAD lamp and on the bakerloo line just to feel ya toes? Well worry no more lads, lasses, ENBY’s and beyond, cos LoUis, and his talented pals will give you the f…
Tamina was from Pakistan but living in London’s Notting Hill area during the 1950s, in the times before the decriminalisation of homosexuality came in 1967.
The Last Incel A woman has entered the chat Imagine If You Will.
Gary is in an accident and his condition is worsening by the minute.
Wonderfully offbeat stand-up comedy from one of the UK circuit’s most distinctive and uniquely talented comedians.
‘Oliver Twist’, Charles Dickens’ dark tale of crime and punishment, is stunningly re-imagined in this award-winning stage adaptation, recognised by The Queen for its part in Dicken…
‘Oliver Twist’, Charles Dickens’ dark tale of crime and punishment, is stunningly re-imagined in this award-winning stage adaptation, recognised by The Queen for its part in Dicken…
It’s our last shout of 2022 at Dalston Superstore this 10th of December.
For the first time in London, Paul Mirabel presents “Zebre” “Terribly funny” Telerama “The new sensation” Le Parisien
Mixing survivalism with psychoanalysis, Dave Bain’s Last Sales Conference of the Apocalypse is a fractured and confused trip that leaves us with more questions than answers.
Stories! One magical night with the best solo theatre makers and storytellers in the Fringe, nay, Britain! Nay, the world! The Last Thursday Club is a London institution so Fringe …
In this new work, Peter D Robinson – MTM: UK nominee for Best Composer on the Fringe 2007 for Sailing to Tomorrow – combines ancient and contemporary, sacred and secular texts …
Rebecca has been labelled the miracle girl after waking from her own murder.
This show revolves around a fairly well-trodden premise: idealistic young creative seeks similar to make beautiful art with.
In Every Corner Sing: The Choir of Old St Paul’s with Director of Music John Kitchen MBE, Edinburgh City Organist.
Cutting Edge Theatre: Hope Rises.
Paul Brown Sings Andy Williams is a solo acoustic concert showcasing many of Andy Williams’ greatest hits.
David and Emma arrive at work on Christmas Eve – the only two people in the office the morning after the Christmas party.
We live in a crazy world of fear and anxiety! But don’t worry, Dr Theatre is here to solve your problems in a show packed full of fabulous musical theatre songs with all the answ…
Sacred Arts Festival 2022 Opening Service High Mass for the Feast of the Assumption, celebrated in accordance with the Scottish Liturgy of 1970 in the beautiful setting of the hist…
Born in the UK to Bengali doctors, the early 1990s saw Paul qualify as a doctor and take his first steps on the stand-up comedy circuit.
The America’s Got Talent winner brings his latest smash-hit show to Edinburgh for the first time.
Time to relax and listen to classical music in this beautiful historic church.
Live from one of the Barbican’s largest cupboards*, roll up for a romantic evening stroll through the Norfolk countryside in the charming company of Dave Hazelnut, singer and multi…
Live from one of the Barbican’s largest cupboards*, roll up for a romantic evening stroll through the Norfolk countryside in the charming company of Dave Hazelnut, singer and multi…
Paul Richards literally can’t stop drumming; he’s performed all over the world, from huge gigs in China to grotty working men’s clubs, posh corporate gigs to the whole of the UK to…
Paul Savage wanted to do a fun, silly show but shows about trauma win awards.
Award-winning comedian and activist Kate Smurthwaite takes one last long shot at saving us all from global fascist-led environmental Armageddon.
Greetings, weary traveller.
Father-son stand-up comics Paul and Paul wish life was more like television and they had the power to rewrite and recast the characters in their lives.
Last year, while clearing out my grandfather’s house, I stumbled across hundreds of hidden envelopes.
Writer and performer Paul Black brings his theatre show Self-Care Era to the Fringe for the first time.
It’s four years since George Steeves brought his Magic 8 Ball show to Edinburgh, winning the heart and mind of at least this reviewer with such an honest, bold theatrical collage…
Tired of the goose? Swan Power is here.
Paul Sinha is probably best known as one of Bradley Walsh’s TV team of ‘Chasers’: a characterful crew of six champion quizzers whose aim is to stop four plucky hopefuls getti…
The continuing story of PD’s perpetually interrupted life.
A brand-new show from the grand master of Dada nonsense that will endeavour to kick both the stigma of mental health and the patriarchy right in the non-binaries! Hold onto your re…
LAST WEDNESDAY’S WORK SHIRT: This is the story of one man’s pointless job.
A hilarious new stand-up show from the star of Live at the Apollo, Russell Howard’s Good News, Impractical Jokers UK and Stand Up Central.
Susan Morrison is at an age and stage to get some funny stuff off her chest.
LAST WEDNESDAY’S WORK SHIRT: This is the story of one man’s pointless job.
Join New Zealand’s fastest comedian (5km and 10km) for an enchanting afternoon In the Moonlight.
There’s significant anger in One of Two; a sense of injustice felt by a young man whose experience of the not-so-subtle cruelties and discrimination endured by disabled people is…
Award-winning Irish comedian Aidan Greene has stammered since he was four years old.
According to The Stage’s recently departed Scotland editor, Thom Dibden, comedy first overtook theatre as the largest proportion of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s programme du…
It must be a baker’s dozen years since Scottish author, playwright and performer Alan Bissett first introduced us to Moira Bell, his much-loved tribute to the hard-working, hard-…
Playwright/director James Ley first gained some attention as a co-producer and writer of Leith-based The Village Pub Theatre, which provided performing space to a fresh band of act…
“It’s hard to tell where the grief ends and the nervous breakdown over the dropped profiteroles starts.
“It’s hard to tell where the grief ends and the nervous breakdown over the dropped profiteroles starts.
Eccentric, scandalous, provocative, exuberant, and funny as ever, Jean Paul Gaultier is set to shake up London this summer when his stunning creation, Fashion Freak Show - 50 years…
Freud’s Last Session returns to the King’s Head Theatre after a sell-out run in January and February 2022.
The very last splash of magic and sparkle from this years Spiegel Fringe season, with some of the most amazing acts of our Spiegel family, plus special guests - Laurie Black, Alfie…
Maverick comedian Fool F Taylor returns .
Maverick comedian Fool F Taylor returns .
Porn is a form of entertainment that has always had mixed reactions, yet brings a lot of pleasure to many individuals.
What are you willing to do to become a legend? A porn actor performing his last record-breaking movie: a sex marathon with 100 women.
Set in a 21st-century world troubled by a deadly plague, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s 1826 novel ‘The Last Man’ is poignant and hugely relevant today.
Set in a 21st-century world troubled by a deadly plague, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s 1826 novel ‘The Last Man’ is poignant and hugely relevant today.
“Brilliant”, “amazing”, “fantastic”.
“Brilliant”, “amazing”, “fantastic”.
Come and enjoy a late night comedy and drinking session at The Caxton Arms with the legendary Essex life-coach, philosopher and comedian, Paul Merryck, and some of his boozier mate…
He’s survived another year and he’s back! For the fourth year running (he even did a show in 2020), it’s the Brighton Fringe gig that is fast becoming a very dodgy institution.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
Throughout his life, on his birthday, Krapp records a review of his year using an old fashioned tape recorder.
The first of September, 1939.
This show was originally scheduled for 21 November 2020 The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
Performing live on stage - Paul Middleton at 8pmTicket link
As director Dominic Hill welcomes us to the Tron theatre for this triumphant double bill, the audience cheers midway through his announcement at his mention of the return of live t…
A lot has changed for Paul in recent years.
After reaching the final of Britain’s Got Talent 2020 (3000 Ofcom complaints), Nabil Abdulrashid brings his brand-new stand-up show on tour.
Colin Connor stars in this powerful production of Samuel Beckett’s classic one-man show, Krapp’s Last Tape.
After reaching the final of Britain’s Got Talent 2020 (3000 Ofcom complaints), Nabil Abdulrashid brings his brand-new stand-up show on tour.
Colin Connor stars in this powerful production of Samuel Beckett’s classic one-man show, Krapp’s Last Tape.
Colin Connor stars in this powerful production of Samuel Beckett’s classic one-man show, Krapp’s Last Tape.
Colin Connor stars in this powerful production of Samuel Beckett’s classic one-man show, Krapp’s Last Tape.
“Princes, start your engines! And may the best Princess WIN!” Love Disney? Love Drag Race? Then you’d be mad to miss out on the RETURN of London HOTTEST Drag Parody event: Dis…
Jason Robert Brown’s award-winning musical, The Last Five Years, returns to London’s West End for the first time in over ten years, after two sensational sell-out seaso…
Set against the backdrop of a Woodstock-vibe music festival in the height of the Summer of Love, Tomorrow May Be My Last marks a key moment in Janis Joplin’s all too brief existe…
Multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter and stand-up, Paul Dennis brings his music and comedy together for the first time.
Paul Black's Fringe debut had a lot to live up to.
So far, Paul has lived his life content in the understanding that stability and emotional happiness were lovely ideas but not really for him.
Evening concert: one of Scotland’s most renowned string ensembles, The Edinburgh Quartet, plays Haydn’s Seven Last Words from the Cross, with the movements interspersed by poet…
Come immerse yourself in the steamy hot waters of TEET as Paul Currie dissolves, froths and fizzes all around you.
Gangsters, attempted murder and actual sharks? Award-winning comedian and TV writer Kate Smurthwaite tells the most mind-blowing lockdown story you’ll ever hear.
In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy.
In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy.
In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy.
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.
By Karrim Jalali.
Two men, two different approaches to creating a good play.
Come and enjoy a late night comedy and drinking session at The Caxton Arms with the legendary Essex life-coach, philosopher and comedian, Paul Merryck, and some of his boozier mate…
Global warming, fake news, Brexit, climate change, terrorism.
Global warming, fake news, Brexit, climate change, terrorism.
Come and enjoy a late night comedy and drinking session at The Caxton Arms with the legendary Essex life-coach, philosopher and comedian, Paul Merryck, and some of his boozier mate…
Sara Segovia Rodao and Lachlan Werner are cuties by nature, cancers by astrological sign and clowns by trade.
In this new show, singer-songwriter Gary Edward Jones not only recites the music of one of his idols but also tells the unique story of Paul Simon combining visuals, stage design a…
In this new show, singer-songwriter Gary Edward Jones not only recites the music of one of his idols but also tells the unique story of Paul Simon combining visuals, stage design a…
Tl;dr: Two female comedians debut their 30 minute solo shows on one bill.
In between lockdowns, two masked up American comics met at a Camden gig, bonding over their expat status and comedy.
Je m’appelle Paul, je suis Anglais et j’habite en France.
This event was rescheduled from Fri 01 May 2020 OFF THE KERB PRODUCTIONS PRESENTSPAUL McCAFFREY: LEMONAs seen on Live At The Apollo.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
The multi-award winning comedian presents his brand new show.
After a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2018 and 2019, The Last Five Years returns! Written by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown, this two-character musical tracks the emot…
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
Three friends from high school revisit a shocking event from five years before.
A modern musical by the Tony Award-winning Jason Robert Brown that follows the comedy highs and heartfelt lows of Jamie and Cathy’s five-year relationship.
UK premiere: from his years as the visionary in one of the most successful duos through to his many solo hits, travel through one of the greatest back catalogues of all time.
A hilarious new stand-up show from the star of Live at the Apollo, Russell Howard’s Good News, Impractical Jokers UK and Stand Up Central.
Tired of the goose? Swan Power is here.
Award-winning Irish comedian Aidan Greene has stammered since he was four years old.
When you type ‘George Lewis’ into Google, the suggestions that follow are pretty boring.
Artist of the moment, Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi scored the biggest selling album and single of 2019.
Je m’appelle Paul, je suis Anglais et j’habite en France.
A lot has changed for Paul in recent years.
Mr Bear can’t sleep because Mrs Bear is snoring, so he goes to sleep in Baby Bear’s room.
PAUL MERTON & SUKI WEBSTER’S IMPRO NIGHT Paul Merton and Suki Webster present a night of fast, and fabulously funny improvised games, scenes, stories and laug…
“It’s about us—together,” explain Jake Jarratt and Cameron Sharp, in their new play in which two drama students – straight “Jake”, gay “Cameron” – end up trying…
Mrs Puntila and her Man Matti is that relatively rare thing for the Royal Lyceum Theatre—a star vehicle, rather than an ensemble production, that happens to have two audience fav…
Edinburgh’s Traverse has long-championed new drama—indeed, the venue’s self-description is the simple goal of being “Scotland’s new writing theatre”.
PAUL MERTON & SUKI WEBSTER’S IMPRO NIGHT Paul Merton and Suki Webster present a night of fast, and fabulously funny improvised games, scenes, stories and laug…
Many Scots first experience of comics is likely to be two series published by Dundee-based D C Thomson in their long-running newspaper, The Sunday Post.
“We do not live in the back of beyond, we live in the very heart of beyond,” argues Roman Stornoway, a struggling musician and the central protagonist in Kevin MacNeil’s thea…
I well remember when Jenni Fagan’s explosive debut, The Panopticon, first appeared in 2013.
Having this year reached the notable landmark of their 500th new production, the team behind the award-winning lunchtime theatre phenomenon that is “A Play, A Pie and a Pint” i…
The creator of Freaks and Geeks and director of Bridesmaids brings his perspective on the global television and film landscape in this special one-off event.
The artists have collaborated intensely on tango projects nationally and internationally, especially with the opera/tango/dance-fusion show Violetta’s Last Tango.
One man sits alone in a room. Why? Beckett’s master work brought to life for the modern day.
Cora is at the festival to see her ex-boyfriend perform.
In 1815, seventeen European states declared war on one man and committed over a million soldiers to his capture.
Coming from their success at the 2017 All-England Theatre Festival semi-finals, Our Star Theatre Company proudly presents their award-winning comedy, The Last Bread Pudding – a h…
The Last Supper invites you to confess your deepest, darkest and funniest sins.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir and organ of this historic Anglican Catholic church directed by Dr John Kitchen.
Following his first national tour in 2018, which saw him go from circuit act to one of the biggest selling names in UK stand-up in less than a year, Paul Smith returns w…
Misha Rachlevsky and the multi award-winning Russian String Orchestra return for seven special evening concerts, each totally different, showcasing major works from the 18th centur…
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
Time to relax and listen to classical music in this beautiful historic church just off the Royal Mile.
Young socialite Catherine Holly has been left traumatised and confined to a mental hospital after witnessing the horrific murder of her cousin Sebastian during a trip to Europe.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church with renowned choir and organ directed by John Kitchen.
Whether it’s because Hollywood has force-fed us with them for decades, or simply because the concerns of teenage life are pretty universal across most of the Western world, we’…
A 50-minute long devised comedy, heading to the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2019.
Amused Moose Award nominee: Best Show, Edinburgh Fringe 2015.
I have absolutely nothing but admiration to the performers of Recirquel Company Budapest, given that some of their number must have spent their entire lives training their lean, mu…
Let's be honest here: I've never particularly liked clowns.
Paul Savage is no stranger to shame.
Paul Currie is bringing his sell out 2014/2015 award-winning masterpiece back to Edinburgh.
Paul Zenon is one of the UK’s most beloved and sought-after magicians – a veteran of TV shows, corporate events, and high end cabaret, as well as becoming a regular guest on th…
If you walk into a production of The Last Five Years without any previous knowledge of the show things can get a little confusing.
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…
Black Light Theatre Company features a boisterous and lively cast in their production The Last Bubble.
Last Life feels like a social experiment.
There are two challenges at the heart of Fox-tot!, a new work from composer Lliam Paterson and director Roxana Haines for Scottish Opera.
It’s the ruby anniversary of Madness and Paul Putner celebrates the past 40 years as a lifelong fan.
What are you willing to do to become a legend? A porn actor performing his last record-breaking movie: a sex marathon with 100 women.
Formed in 1965 in Edinburgh, Fayne and the Cruisers are still going strong, capturing the essence of those 60s dances in church halls and clubs and performing everything from The B…
Direct from great success in Australia, A Stand-Up for the Mystery Hour is a show like no other.
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…
Lewis Costello has taken his act around the UK, opening for the likes of Doug Stanhope, Ed Byrne and Johnny Vegas, as well as playing major festivals like Download and Latitude.
There appears, these days, to be an almost apologetic desire among directors and producers to find ways of presenting traditional circus acrobatics and high-wire acts with some add…
James Barr is single.
What’s that you can smell? It’s Lewis Blomfield and Jimmy Slim’s new droppings and ooh baby they positively stink of a great night out.
Clean your heads, strap yourselves in for the brilliant new show from ‘cryingly funny’ (Bath Chronicle) 2019 Musical Comedy Awards finalist, as seen on BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, Par…
In the last couple of years, Paul McCaffrey has performed to over half a million people while supporting his comedy heroes Sean Lock and Kevin Bridges on their UK tours, and has go…
Paul, now a fully-disqualified swan psychologist, delves deeper to discover the origins of the gay sperms and once again unleashes his bag of Disturbances.
Disappear down the rabbit hole of a fool’s mind.
As might be expected, the environment – specifically, the “environmental emergency” we currently face – is one of the more notable themes running through this year’s Frin…
It’s a fact of life that any standup on the Fringe who is neither white nor straight is likely required to spend at least part of their show addressing it.
Genders and non-genders, come plunge your human meat gloves into this zeitgeist pavlova as you gently take each other delicately by the frontal cortex and we all ascend into the sp…
Paul Foxcroft is back with his first second show! A new hour that combines stand-up, sketch, character comedy and almost certainly improvisation.
I have a slight confession of bias.
Thus far, Paul has lived his life content in the understanding that stability and emotional happiness were lovely ideas but not really for him.
Lewis Schaffer is a New York Jewish comic.
There are lots of words you can use to describe Jon Long, purveyor of clever gags and witty songs.
It may be because of the stage productions and films which I saw growing up, but my innate and core expectation about musical theatre is that it tends to be on the big size, if not…
Biographical performances like LipSync, produced by Cumbernauld Theatre as part of their Invited Guest project, don't always have some obvious, political point to make; they…
"I could be one of the Boys," New Zealander Chris Parker sings ecstatically at the start of Camp Binch, wearing a shirt and leggings echoing Elaine Stritch's iconic o…
Leo Kearse isn't, by his own admission, a 'woke' comedian.
In a festival where comedians eager to share their personal histories, foibles and perspectives on the world can oft seem ten-a-penny, it makes a pleasant change of pace to spend a…
Apparently, Richard Stott got into comedy “for all the wrong reasons”; at least, that’s what the aforementioned Richard Stott says.
Pathetic Fallacy, at heart, has a Unique Selling Point—the show’s creator, Anita Rochon, isn’t actually in Edinburgh.
What makes a home? It’s one of a number of questions that Victor Esses asks of audience members as they come in, taping their responses for use later on in his show.
For All I Care is, first and foremost, the story of two women.
The Wardrobe Ensemble is back at the Fringe with a powerfully emotional story of family.
"Poor Fellow.
Her name is Lila, and she’s a proud Blackfoot woman, she tells us.
Celebrity impression shows have a Marmite-esque quality: whether they are a hit or a failure depends largely on their consumer and there is rarely an 'in between'.
You’ll learn two things from Aaron Simmonds’ Disabled Coconut.
Bystanders begins with staging reminiscent of a police detective’s office – plain desks, a few chairs, and piles of boxes full of paperwork and evidence.
It takes a certain bravery, or innocence, to name your debut full-hour show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Don’t Bother.
"It looks nice.
Liam Malone, it’s fair to say, is not backwards at coming forwards.
Titania McGrath may just be a young Kensington girl with a modest Trust Fund and a thirst for social justice, but she’s in Edinburgh to make a difference, and inspire us common peo…
Ryan Calais Cameron’s powerful new work plays with the meanings of its title in many ways: our central, point-of-view character has the “distinctive qualities of a particular t…
Paul, now a fully-disqualified swan psychologist, delves deeper to discover the origins of the gay sperms and once again unleashes his bag of Disturbances.
Paul returns to the Great Yorkshire Fringe with a preview of his upcoming Edinburgh Festival show.
A mixture of best bits and new material for Paul's next touring show about the life-changing effect a couple of drinks can have.
At first glance, The Ugly One looks somewhat clinical.
First, let’s get the biggest disappointment out of the way first: Them!, a joint production between the National Theatre of Scotland, writer Pamela Carter and director Stewart La…
Jim Brown's Sea Changes is a play that delightfully and unashamedly embraces the info-dump, to the extent of having most of its characters directly introduce themselves to the …
Curious Shoes is a show that's unashamedly dominated by the perceived needs of its target audience, people living with dementia, and those who care and support them.
Arguably a surprise word-of-mouth hit during the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this physical-theatre exploration of a mass hostage-taking returns to the Scottish capital with - t…
It's appropriate that this particular production within the 2019 Edinburgh International Children's Festival is the only one slotted into the schedule for the Netherbow sta…
I have a confession: I’d never previously heard of Erich Kästner's 1929 novel, Emil and the Detectives; It just wasn't a part of my childhood.
From the age of sieges and chivalry comes a show about medieval love, adrenaline junkies and an insane quest for glory.
A new piece of work by a new BAME theatre ensemble The Last Company Theatre, Last Rehearsal is written and directed by Chilean Maria Jose Andrade.
BA Theatre Arts at GBMet.
There's little doubt that The Duchess of Malfi has become the most popular and successful work written by the English Jacobean playwright John Webster.
Three, as the song goes, is a magic number.
Super Human Heroes from theatre group The Letter J (in association with Paisley Arts Centre) has a simple message: We all need to do our little bit to help make the world a better …
Paul Cox has been cutting his teeth on the London and UK comedy circuit since 2015.
Following its sell-out run at Wilton’s Music Hall in 2018, Paul Bunyan will receive its first revival at Alexandra Palace Theatre this May.
The first one-man show from one of the most original and outrageous character acts on the UK circuit.
There’s something reassuringly "classy" about this production of Patrick Marber's The Red Lion, now touring Scotland for the first time courtesy of Glasgow-based Ra…
Ridiculous Honeybee Sci-fi.
The debut stand-up hour from the multi award-winning co-writer of ‘The Vicar of Dibley’.
“At Last, the Muppet Men”, a show many said would never happen and a few feared would.
Join us as we celebrate the impending end of the world with an evening of show tunes from the West End and Broadway, at the Crazy Coqs Live at Zédel on the 8th of April at 9:15pm.
Come and see the comedy powerhouse Paul Chowdhry - star of Taskmaster, Live at The Apollo and Wembley Arena Sell Out.
Come and see the stand-up comedy powerhouse & star of Taskmaster and Live at The Apollo.
Possibly less famous than Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape, Andy Barrett’s Tony’s Last Tape has much in common with it; not least the obsession each of the eponymous heroes had …
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.
It’s seldom fun to leave a venue thinking: "Well, that's an hour of my life I'm never getting back.
The sketch show can be a difficult beast to tame.
This is a Spoiler.
When Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre announced that they were producing a stage musical based on the iconic 1983 Scottish film Local Hero, I must admit to wondering if it was …
In drama, an audience can either be ahead of what the characters know, or behind them, catching up; each approach has its dramatic advantages and disadvantages, but what is needed …
Paul Carrack, one of the most revered voices in music and a figurehead of soulful pop for decades, will return to the delight his legions of admirers with the new album ‘Thes…
“The music I listened to between the ages of 11 and 21 probably affected by life more than pretty much anything else.
Paul McCaffrey has recently appeared on major UK tours with two of Britain’s foremost stand ups, Sean Lock and Kevin Bridges – playing to more than half…
How Many Tears in a Bottle of Gin?Trust me, this job is the shit Paul Currie - Trufficle MuskSurreal Python comedy with the twisted nonsensical sequiturs of Dadaism &nbs…
Bold GirlDying Is No Excuse, Ma.
Greetings.
Greetings.
When Jo Clifford ("proud father and grandmother") first performed her play, The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven, at Glasgow's Tron Theatre, it attracted bo…
It's said that Edinburgh is a city, the size of a town, that feels like a village; or, in other words, the Scottish capital is sufficiently small and compact that you don't…
What makes a "traditional" pantomime? It's certainly not just a case of blowing the dust off a 1970s panto script and hoping for the best; here, the Brunton’s now r…
What We Did Next presents ‘The Last 10 Years’, an evening of celebration for the company’s 10th anniversary.
Bestseller Sam Blake brings you some of the strongest new voices in crime fiction and finds out just how they did it.
The works by French poet and playwright Edmond Rostand, just one of the victims of the influenza pandemic which swept the world in 1918, are today largely forgotten; the one except…
Watching Clare Duffy's one-act play "Arctic Oil", a particular phrase kept coming back to me: that mantra of 1960s' student protests and second-wave feminism, &qu…
An hour of sensational Improvised Comedy.
"Best leave history in the history books—get on with living.
Within a cluttered clearing in some woods that's neither town nor countryside and so somehow feels like nowhere, an unnamed Man (David McKay) sleeps the sleep of the just-finis…
It's just four years since Pitlochry Festival Theatre put on a production of Anne Downie's 1989 play The Yellow On The Broom, based on the autobiographical novel by Betsy W…
Susan McNaught (soprano), Taylor Wilson (mezzo) and Robert Melling (pianist) present a recital of beautiful German lieder including the Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss and Fraue…
Harriet Stand (Hatty to her friends) is auditioning for a part in the critically acclaimed play Life.
Membership of the local amateur drama society has dwindled to four.
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…
When things are coming to an end, the best thing to do is to go back to the beginning.
The Last Burrah Sahibs is a one-hour, one-man, spoken-word show about the mansion house dwelling life led by ordinary Scottish mill workers in the old jute colonies along the Hoogh…
The last word in Celtic Gypsy Klezmer.
End your Fringe day with relaxing classical music by candlelight in this beautiful historic church.
A man and a woman wait in a flat in Camden for a phone call from a colleague.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir and organ of this historic Anglican Catholic church directed by Dr John Kitchen.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church with renowned choir and organ directed by John Kitchen.
The Edinburgh Quartet, founded in 1960, is one of Britain’s foremost chamber ensembles.
A series of very special evening concerts which combine the wonderfully vibrant playing of the Herald Angel Award-winning Russian String Orchestra with the atmospheric and historic…
From pin-drop delicacy to infectious grooves that leave you smiling.
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
Born in the UK to a family of Bengali doctors, the early 1990s saw Paul qualifying as a doctor and taking his first steps on the stand-up comedy circuit.
An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, the show's unconventional structure…
Explore how the Wars of the Roses still has relevance today.
It’s hard to do good when everything’s falling apart.
New(ish) for 2018! Not featuring televised comedians or Fringe legends, just friendly unknowns being friendly.
Paper Dolls is advertised as a one-man show, but the person standing in front of us for the next hour isn't the show’s performer, writer, director and producer Shaun Nolan; r…
Foolish woman still expects to live a happy and comfortable life without releasing a sex tape.
After a hugely successful run in 2017 – ‘I didn’t expect for it to be that damn excellent’ (LexicalLunacy.
Mark Thompson is quite clear about what his (modestly) titled Spectacular Show isn't: "It's not a science lecture," he insists.
The Traverse One stage looks more ready for a gig than a piece of theatre, but while music undoubtedly runs through the heart of Cora Bissett's latest, most autobiographical wo…
It seems that Cardiff-based Hijinx Theatre Company are happy to take risks.
Paul Currie is a disturbingly brilliant comic who plays his crowd like the conductor of an orchestra.
The Matrix, but with bees.
Feeling pressured by his success last year with The Elvis Dead, Rob Kemp returns with ten(!) shows stuck to a spinning wheel.
He doesn’t know it all but Silky can make up something plausible really quickly.
The Last One is the end of all things, and still needing more.
Tape Face presents an evening with the best acts at the Edinburgh Fringe with a social media twist.
Anything goes at the Scottish Comedy Festival’s new official late-night Pick of the Fringe showcase with a phenomenal handpicked selection of our favourite acts from across the F…
What a difference a decade can make.
For anyone who thinks they don't make physical comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton any more, here's a word from the wise—which, in this context, essentially …
Tim Renkow insists he’s spent the last decade on the comedy circuit trying to find a social or racial group that he’s NOT able to insult, because that would mean – as a disab…
Do you struggle to fit in in an ever-changing world? Does the speed of change make you feel old before your time? Then you know how Paul feels.
From the age of sieges and chivalry comes a show about medieval love, adrenaline junkies and an insane quest for glory.
Something’s up with Lewis Schaffer.
"Life is a hideous thing," we're told by the lean figure of Simon Maeder, dressed for dinner and sitting in a leather armchair like some classic teller of ghost stori…
Paul Patin is a French actor/singer/dancer who has performed around the world with international companies for more than 10 years.
There are going to be two kinds of people who read this review: fans of Paul Foot, and people who are curious about Paul Foot.
Steve Bennett is the happiest man on the planet.
Perhaps it is because of the multi-show venue, or just the financial realities of bringing any production to the Edinburgh Fringe nowadays, but Peter Darney’s production of Charl…
Paul Revill, Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year 2014, returns with a work in progress.
The jig is up! Paul Williams is a quadruple threat – song, dance, comedy and opinion.
Wonderfully unexpected opportunities can occur at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; even more so at the 'Free' variety.
So what exactly IS the Trouble with Scott Capurro? Is it that this left-leaning liberal American (yes, he’s the one, apparently) seemingly talks without pausing for breath? (“Are y…
It was irresistible, I suppose: part way through Dan Freeman’s absurdist play A Joke, the acclaimed Scottish actor John Bett turns to his co-stars to start a joke with: "Doc…
Paul Foxcroft (Cariad and Paul, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show) is a professional improviser who, for some reason, has decided to script an hour’s show in defiance of his many years o…
As a genuine YouTube sensation, TV talent show star, and with a Las Vegas residency, Tape Face is a comedy rock god but he isn’t here to play the hits; this is an hour of brand n…
Hamilton (Lewis) is the epic story of a self-starter who worked a lot harder, by being a lot faster, born and raised in Stevenage, the most successful British F1 driver in the hist…
David Mills is always well turned out: sharp-suited, finely tuned, sitting on his stool like some Easy Listening Singer from a bygone age.
Rik Carranza is a Star Trek fan.
It's obvious from the loud, excited audience in Assembly Studio 3 that London-based comedy theatre trio The Pretend Men – Nathan Parkinson, Zachary Hunt and Tom Rose – have…
People Show have been producing work for more than 50 years which, given the self-indulgence of People Show 130 (or The Last Straw, to give its more Fringe-friendly title), is some…
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve.
This November happens to mark the 55th anniversary of the BBC broadcasting the first ever episode of Doctor Who, so it’s hardly surprising that several shows on this year’s Fringe …
When George was 12 he fell for the most beautiful, orangest girl in Stockport.
Marmite: it’s the breakfast spread that we apparently love or hate, and the word has – in that way the English language often does – subsequently evolved far wider metaphoric…
Until relatively recently in Western society, children with physical, sensory or learning disabilities, or a wide range of neural and behavioural challenges, were either institutio…
Tom Neenan has been a regular Fringe attraction for several years now, bringing a succession of one-man pastiches - Edwardian ghost story, Vaudeville Horror tale, 1950s British Sci…
To say that Paul Mayhew-Archer is not afraid to poke fun at himself would be the understatement of the last decade.
Friendly Cornish giant Matt Price was going out with a woman.
Erewhon: or, Over the Range is a fantasy novel by Samuel Butler which, first published anonymously in 1872, presented itself as the experiences of its narrator on discovering the m…
After last year’s sell-out run, Paul returns to Edinburgh with his life, seemingly, still bordering on disarray.
I'm sure that history will suggest otherwise but, after seeing George Steeves perform his one man show, I couldn't help but think that Stevie Wonder must have written his s…
If silent Hollywood star Buster Keaton is remembered for anything, it's his emotionless, mask-like expression; so the initial shock here is that this Buster speaks and smiles.
After last year's sell-out show, Paul returns to the Great Yorkshire Fringe with his life, seemingly, still bordering on disarray.
Greetings.
Chronic Irish over-thinker Eleanor Tiernan would like to think it’s possible to keep some things private. Is she delusional?
The last splash of magic and sparkle with some amazing acts and friends of our Spiegel family including spots from Elixir, Showtime, Les Femmes and more! Join us on this unique an…
"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…
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…
Two women are on stage, their mouths are taped shut with broad, black gaffer tape.
Fairy tales survive because they can be constantly retold, uncovering new depths and relevancies to the world today.
Andy Manley is undoubtedly one of the treasures of Scotland’s current theatrical landscape, all the more so given his seemingly innate (but presumably hard-learned) skill in hold…
Do you struggle to fit in in an ever-changing world? Does the speed of change make you feel old before your time? Then you know how Paul feels.
WINNER of the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence in association with Brighton Spiegeltent A tale of deranged fans and A-list rivalries.
By popular demand! Original musical journey from 400 AD Boerthelm’s Tun to present day Bom-Bane’s, with portraits of all the colourful inhabitants along the way.
Paul Savage spent last year trying to be better.
Step right down for a debauched carnie cabaret within tent, hosted by magic roustabout and snake-oil peddler Paul Zenon, TV trickster and longtime ‘La Clique’ ringmaster.
An anonymous man and woman, confined in a space, are trying to pin down the facts.
Micronian Theatre make their return to the stage with their first original two-act play and debut at Brighton Fringe, fundraising for our charities, The Clock Tower Sanctuary and t…
Kevin and Babs Chisholm run The Dog and Dumplings pub along with a mute parrot and a lesbian cat.
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…
It was a balmy Sunday evening at the end of another warm and sunny weekend and many in the audience seem to have to enjoyed the weekend (and perhaps the wine) a bit too much by the…
August Strindberg apparently subtitled his play Creditors (in Swedish: Fordringsäxgare) a “tragicomedy” but, while David Greig’s 2008 adaptation does indeed contain a few de…
Sometimes, when it comes to suspending our disbelief, we just have to go with the flow.
“In my day, we trusted people.
A road movie, according to Wikipedia, is “a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip,” during which “the hero changes, grows or improves over the cou…
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 …
As one quarter of the amazing Pants Down Circus and one half of hit children’s show The Circus Firemen, Idris Stanton has absolutely earned the right to put his name above the ti…
“It’s sweat on your brow that gives life meaning,” says one of the supporting characters in Chekhov’s Three Sisters, and it’s fair to say that, on occasions, there’s a …
Ever wondered what wine goes best with Fairy Bread? Why hasn’t the ‘Champagne Spider’ caught on? These questions and many more will be inadequately answered by the self-sty…
Lewis Garnham’s dad is very smart.
Alice is becoming more and more forgetful.
Terry Who? (Final Touch/Gen XYZ) performs a tribute to the fantastic works of Sir Paul McCartney (Singer/Songwriter, Beatle, Trainee Bass Player, Trainee Piano Player, multi-lingua…
Adelaide’s 2016 Award Winner and 5 Star performer returns to show you why he is widely regarded as one of the funniest magicians on the planet! Dressed to impress and with more th…
As seen on The Project.
IN GOOD COMPANY – a fabulous 40 voice acapella group will sing original arrangements of many of Paul Simon’s hits such as “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes”, “Cecilia�…
Songs of beauty, songs of heartbreak, old squabbles and spontaneous nonsense.
Perhaps it was tempting fate, but David Leddy’s decision to call his latest work The Last Bordello now comes with a certain irony, given that it could well prove to be his final …
While not even Herbert George Wells’s own first dalliance with the concept of time travel, his 1895 novella The Time Machine has nevertheless become pretty much the definitive te…
Writer and director Tony Cownie has established a particular niche at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, taking potentially overlooked 18th century comedies (like Carlo Goldoni’…
Most stand-up comedy these days is based on the lives of the people standing behind the microphone, albeit reshaped to varying degrees to ensure their material matches the “rule …
It’s 36 years since Andrea Dunbar’s breakthrough play announced the all-too-brief flowering of a new writing talent – “a genius straight from the slums,” as the Mail on S…
The central metaphor running through Frank McGuinness’s 2012 monologue The Match Box is almost breath-taking in its simplicity; it’s that all of us, all of our lives, are ultim…
Alan McHugh has played in enough pantomimes down the years to ensure It’s Behind You! reeks of authenticity, albeit the heightened theatrics of the genre.
David Harrower’s debut play, Knives in Hens, made a big splash back in 1995, recognised as a modern classic which has since seen revivals by companies as diverse as the Nation…
When watching the stage adaptation of any book, especially one I’ve not read, there’s often a question lingering at the back of my mind; would I appreciate this more, would I…
There’s a deliberate cheapness to the temporary, painted proscenium arch erected in the Brunton’s theatre-space, indicative of this local panto’s rough ’n’ ready (and n…
This revival of Shona Reppe’s acclaimed puppet retelling of the iconic fairytale is a fascinating jewel of a production, ideal for young children and families alike; subtle, s…
It’s a real shame temporary roadworks make accessing this show’s venue ever-so-slightly off-putting; also, that the venue is still relatively new, especially when it comes t…
As Scotland’s self-declared “new writing theatre”, Edinburgh’s Traverse does like to offer up an alternative to the pantomimes and decidedly family-focused fare on offer…
It’s said that actors should never work with children or animals, presumably because of their unpredictability and the extra work this requires.
Stories illuminate the truth, lies hide it; that’s just one of the lessons audiences of all ages can take from Suhayla El-Bushra’s energetic new adaptation of The Arabian N…
Constella OperaBallet return to the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells this November with their award-winning Sideshows.
It’s mildly amusing to see two grown men briefly falling into a childish bragging-match about their fathers—one a retired Church of Scotland minister, the other a former Bis…
“We’re beautiful, wild, free and full of joy,” say the titular Maids, Solange and Claire, towards the close of Jean Genet’s 1947 drama, courtesy of Martin Crimp’s 1999…
There’s a wonderful clarity to Linda McLean’s short play Thingummy Bob, a firm favourite with Scotland’s leading theatre company for people with learning disabilities, Lung H…
“Lavender Menace”, according to Wikipedia, were “an informal group of lesbian radical feminists formed to protest the exclusion of lesbians and lesbian issues from the fem…
There were a lot of expectation around this new Wales Millennium Centre production of Manfred Karge’s one-woman play, Man to Man.
There’s little obvious theatrical artifice on show; just four actors, in casual clothes, sitting or lying on the plain black floor of an empty stage as the audience comes in.
There’s no doubting the raw energy and physicality of this show, a work of dance theatre that definitely prefers choreography to speech, and uses it—along with some pretty st…
Site specific theatre is nothing new in Scotland; from the numerous innovative creations by the likes of Grid Iron Theatre Company to much of the work by the “without walls” …
Historically speaking, the original “Damned Rebel Bitches” were—according to the “butcher” Duke of Cumberland—the Jacobite women who marched behind their men in order…
During the early years of the British Broadcasting Corporation, its first Director-General Lord Reith established the BBC’s mission as being to “inform, educate and entertai…
Given that she’s such a much-loved public entertainer, an all-too-obvious challenge in creating a musical based on the early life of the late Cilla Black—born Priscilla Mari…
From pin-drop delicacy to infectious grooves that leave you smiling, this renowned singer-songwriter brings you songs of love and seafood with some very special guest appearances.
Wicked musical comedy from the political parody specialists, singing truth to power for their ninth (and final) Fringe year and raising their game with a one-off, full-length extra…
The final anarchic annual two-hour charity variety show celebrating the life and random irresponsibility of the godfather of British alternative comedy, filled with bizarre acts, e…
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
CS Lewis and a troubled, questioning student in a scintillating and spellbinding 90 minutes in the study of the famous Oxford don and bestselling author.
America’s Got Talent winner, ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, heads to Fringe for three nights only, fresh from headline shows in Las Vegas, with a sparkling new show featuring his all-s…
The award winning & brilliantly imaginative Paul F Taylor is BACK.
An Eric Liddell inspired fundraising event encompassing a legends vs celebrities football match with family-friendly athletics activities for all age groups.
Trumpet, electronics and text.
If you had to pick one writer to sum up the inventive spirit of the post-war transatlantic era, you could hardly do better than Paul Auster.
Join us for traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy with the renowned choir, organ and congregation of this historic church, directed by City and University Organist Dr John Kitchen.
Join us for traditional Choral Evensong and Benediction with the renowned choir, organ and congregation of this historic Anglican Catholic Church.
‘Punch the air to character comedy.
Acclaimed storyteller Max Scratchmann celebrates seventy years of Indian independence from British rule and brings the lost world of the infamous Hooghly River Scottish colonies vi…
Part confessional monologue, part lecture and part nostalgic trip back to the days of the BBC’s Jackanory, there’s no doubt that There Were Two Brothers is a funny, personal—…
There’s a real sense of excitement in the run-up to Stand By, not least thanks to the slightly-unusual venue—inside an Army Reserve Centre in the north of the New Town.
Elgar songs for solo and trio featuring Judith Gardner Jones and pianist Richard J Lewis, with Madeleine Trépanier, and Alicia Pettit.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
After sell-out shows at last year’s Fringe and Celtic Connections festivals, Bwani Junction return with their joyful rendition of Paul Simon’s Graceland album.
Part of the Fringe Central Events Programme, for Fringe participants.
This startling, if indistinct production from Mind the Gap, England’s largest learning disability theatre company, gets straight to its point, with cast members slipping into ‘…
New for 2017! Not featuring televised comedians or Fringe legends, just friendly unknowns being friendly.
Paul Savage gets himself into good places, and then blows it all up.
There’s nothing that says ‘Edinburgh Festival Fringe’ quite like the portrayal of sex on stage: that said, compared with many of the thousands of shows in Edinburgh this August, …
Dabek is an old-school showman; his banter is honed to a bleeding edge and you can easily imagine him holding forth on classic Saturday night TV, perhaps as a guest on The Paul Dan…
Actors from the US, UK and Germany present this theatrical tour de force by Pulitzer winner Stephen Adly Guirgis that makes a case for the redemption of history’s most famous betra…
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…
Physical theatre can always lend itself to a degree of interpretation, and inevitably the risk of confusion.
You’ll die laughing at this outrageous show about the thing we all have in common.
‘The more I try to remember her, the more I’ve forgotten her.
A historical comedy exploring the life of Maximilian I, the last emperor of Mexico.
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 …
The Californian pianist and composer’s improvisational flights through bebop and beyond – sometimes highly structured, sometimes wild – are rhapsodic, heartfelt and boldly melo…
A brand-new show from this hairy idiot man-child, strap in for more fun and nonsense as the entire audience is taken by the hand into a true circus of silly.
“I need more light,” our protagonist Caravaggio says at one point, and it’s fair to say that the 16th century Italian’s use of light and darkness is one of his paintings’…
What would an unpublished Agatha Christie mystery be like if, by some strange quirk of fate, its editor had given it over to P G Wodehouse for a final literary polish? Well, thanks…
Zinnie Harris has five plays on in Edinburgh this August, including two within the Edinburgh International Festival’s theatre programme.
Each day the London-based New York comic will read an unopened letter from his mother, sent before she died alone in New York.
Samuel Beckett’s moving meditation on time, memory and ageing is performed by renowned Irish actor Barry McGovern, one of the world’s most revered interpreters of the great pla…
“Death Part 7: The Last Word” is the barely anticipated final installment in Jack Trinco’s fabled, quasi-epic, multi-part exploration of the theme of death.
The summer is coming.
It’s very easy to write a story that grabs someone’s attention.
Award-winning performer Paula Valluerca, aka Madame Señorita, is committed to reconnect with the pleasure of being a totally deluded idiot.
Andrew Doyle has, allegedly, lost quite a few friends this last year.
It might seem all-too-witty for a SCRABBLE World Champion, when asked by the media for “a few words” on his victory, to admit ‘I don’t really know any’.
The Last Queen of Scotland is a bold and original new piece of writing by Jaimini Jethwa, commissioned by the National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep, and produced by Stellar Q…
When you see Leo Kearse — and you should — there’s a very good chance it’ll be a four-star experience.
Meet Luke McQueen: The Boy With Tape on His Face, not Tape Face.
If the illustrious names that have performed as part of The Rat Pack Presents is a guide, then it is worth heading along to the Cabaret Voltaire during this year’s festival.
Paul Revill, Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year 2014, returns to the Fringe with his debut hour.
The blurb suggests this is a show about nothing, but amidst the surreal humour there is a deeper meaning.
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…
This acclaimed show from award-winning Australian theatre company Sisters Grimm clearly aims to put the “lion” back in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, through a startlingly …
Time and again during Zinnie Harris’s new adaptation of Eugène Ionesco’s famous farce, people tell each other not to be absurd.
Star of Impractical Jokers (BBC Three).
The truth about fairy tales, all too often forgotten by us grown-ups, is that the best ones are meant to be scary, albeit in an ultimately reassuring context.
Very much in the spirit of the Fringe, Phill Jupitus steps out of his comfort zone with a show of improvisational comedy that sees him inhabit two wonderfully diverse characters th…
When Phill Jupitus commits to the Fringe, he does so 100 per cent.
Confession time: I’ve never been a fan of The Smiths or Morrissey.
Ding dong the witch is back! Multi award-winning Fringe sensation Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho returns with the most fabulous game show of all! Join the Iron Lady for songs, gam…
Abrasive satire for Guardian readers, disguised as sensationalist whimsy for Sun readers so as not to alienate the proletariat.
One figure doesn’t appear in Performers, Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh’s new play inspired by some of the behind-the-scenes stories surrounding the making of 1970 cult film Pe…
Given that so much of the stand-up comedy you’ll find on the Fringe is blatantly autobiographical—at least to some extent—it’s not surprising that a lot of Jamie MacDonald�…
After Muslims Do It Five Times A Day and Aatificial Intelligence, Aatif Nawaz returns to the Fringe to have The Last Laugh.
Thanks to the numerous adventures of Sherlock Holmes, we arguably don’t have the best impression of the Victorian Police Detective—especially when it comes to either their inte…
Culminating in an audience member punching a stuffed monkey named Jonnie whilst Paul Foot shouts ridiculous syncopated mottos about equality for all mankind, this show provides alm…
Fundamental Theater Project’s Dickless is a tale of rumours, girls, a headless cat and bizarre sexual conquests in the small-town of Dunningham.
You are what you eat.
When a comedian comes on clutching notes you would expect that you were about to watch something that was underdeveloped and in need of refinement.
After sold out Fringe shows in 2014 and 2015, Angela Barnes is back with a new routine that is, at times, remarkably and worryingly prescient.
Snowflake, a new play written and directed by the former Artistic Director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, Mark Thomson, feels a necessity to explain its title right from th…
Derevo are a legend.
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.
The beginning of Last Resort definitely hooks you in.
Time has not withered Moira Bell, Alan Bissett’s 2009 tribute to the hard-working, hard-playing, straight-talking working class women of Scotland, and Falkirk in particular.
Ed Byrne’s latest show is based around the notion that as a generation we are all spoilt.
It’s a hard task to sum up quite what The Andy Field Experience is about without using the words surreal and odd.
The King is back, long live the King.
There’s one point during Geoff Norcott’s latest show when it really flies, when you sense he really has most of the audience on his side — even though at least one or two of …
Tape Face, a show that mixes circus, variety, clowning and who knows what else, presents me with somewhat of a dilemma.
It’s four years since Rob Lloyd first brought this autobiographical, Doctor Who-related show to Edinburgh.
Burly Glaswegian stand-up Scott Agnew has for many years joked about “blow-job knee”—wear and tear arising from too much time on his knees providing oral sex.
Brought to you by Parallax Theatre, Stephen Adly Guirgis’s The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a riotous look at life beyond.
Given the way that Jan Ravens effortlessly reels off her startling array of impressions it begs the question why it has taken so long for her to branch out on her own.
Choose Your Battles is Lucy Porter’s 11th Edinburgh Show and it’s a wonderfully crafted hour that is both funny and, at times, a poignant look at someone who goes out of their way …
It’s 54 years since the last conscripted British citizens returned to civilian life after completing their National Service.
Many an article’s been written on how the gay scene appears dominated by drugs and sex.
“Ah yes.
Alan Bennett’s Bed Amongst the Lentils is one of the great observational pieces from the master wordsmith’s influential Talking Heads series.
The finals of the Great Yorkshire Fringe New Comedian of the Year competition as ever throw up a talented assortment of acts.
There is a tongue planted firmly in cheek with this affectionate tribute to the music of the Carpenters and in particular the legacy of Richard, forever doomed to be the “other�…
The show that offended a thousand piglets is back.
There’s a lot wrong with the world at the moment, but I reckon if you gave everyone a ukulele then you could go a long way to curing all that’s troubling.
“O, what a tangled web we weave,” Sir Walter Scott wrote in his epic poem Marmion, “when first we practise to deceive!” It’s a life lesson we can only hope unfortunat…
A marriage isn’t just the joining of two people, or even two families—it marks the coming together of two communities.
Join Tape Face as he brings his uniquely hilarious and moving comedy to London in a multi-award winning spectacle that needs to be seen to be believed.
The last splash of magic and sparkle with some amazing acts and friends of our Spiegel family including spots from Double-Oh Heaven, Showtime, Elixir and more! Filled with Circus, …
Much-loved guitarist, Paul Gregory, returns to perform a solo recital of J.
‘Eve’s Dawning’ combines storytelling, live music and animation to tell the dystopian fairy tale of Eve, the last girl in the world, as she navigates a post-apocalyptic waste…
Loud rhythmic music and screens with flashing slides with We Are Ian written on them in different colours and fonts, provoke high expectations for something cool and exciting fo…
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…
Part Classical, part Folk - part Hymnal.
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.
The sympathetic and entertaining presenter Donal Vaughan reveals scientific magic tricks, but breaks magic’s golden rule as he explains how he does them, as well as the scientifi…
An umbrella for a sword, a lamp as a tree and a wooden spoon as a nun, are just a few examples for the smart and innovative use of objects in The Tale of the Cockatrice.
At one point during Glory on Earth, its two main characters—stage right, the young, romantic Mary, Queen of Scots; stage left, the firebrand Protestant preacher John Knox—ar…
An original musical & gastromonical journey from the 5th Century settlement of Boerthlelm’s Tun to Brighton in 1795, with affectionate portraits of the colourful inhabitants of 24 …
“Keep going,” actor Andy Clark says repeatedly to the musicians behind the glass screen in the unsubtly-named Limbo Studio created on stage, ensuring that we find our seats …
A name as loaded with dark, romantic foreboding as Poe’s Last Night incurs comparison with the titles of Poe’s own works; it suggests mystery, a locked room of buried secrets.
The bizarre tale of the boy Eli Hum, born with a baffling condition: his tummy can only digest honey.
Paul Prem Nadama is a singer-songwriter-guitarist of beautiful, soulful acoustic songs, with a new-age twist.
Boogaloo Stu’s dark comedy ‘Last Orders At The Dog & Dumplings’ is an uproarious and merciless exposé of the cold-blooded takeover striking our communities in the name of regene…
In 1983, the BBC published a retrospective about “the first 25 years” of the by-then globally famous BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
“The true mystery of the world is the visible .
Awarm-heartedadaptation of the well-known children’s book about a plucky guinea pig – Christopher Nibble.
A brand-new show in preview from Jessica Fostekew.
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…
An hour of friendly, casual entertainment and standup comedy for kids, with a few ‘jokes’ that only adults would get.
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…
Abrasive satire for Guardian-readers disguised as sensationalist whimsy for Sun-readers so as not to alienate the proletariat.
Paul Revill, Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year 2014, heads to Brighton Fringe with his debut hour.
Pick of the Fringe Launch Night Special, kicked off Brighton Fringe at The Warren with fragments of 7 shows.
This is a homecoming, of sorts; the revival of a play, first performed at Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre back in 1989, which subsequently enjoyed successful productions in the West …
“I used to be Shirley Valentine,” explains the focus of Willy Russell’s 1986 one-woman play; a 42 year old Liverpudlian woman who, now that the children have flown …
The comedic tone of David Weir’s Confessional is clear from the start; as Schubert’s beautiful Ave Marie fades into silence, “Good Catholic” Kevin—or, as he puts it, th…
There’s much to admire, to even love, in Douglas Maxwell’s new play at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum; a script full of humour and subtle characterisation, if not always …
Based on the first novel of The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster and the graphic novel by Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli.
After a sell out show at Theatre503 in November of 2016, Foreign Goods returns with ‘Visions of England’ in April 2017 featuring fully-formed short plays by Chinese, South East…
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s debut novel has become so iconic in Western culture that the word “Frankenstein” is now used pejoratively to describe any scientific o…
If the usual writerly advice is to always “show, not tell”, then biography is arguably one of the few artistic forms where a certain amount of direct author-to-audience expl…
The Biblical narrative that is the foundation of the Christian faith has been described, on numerous occasions, as “The Greatest Story Ever Told.
Children’s entertainer Jango Starr is a total clown, but that’s certainly not meant as a criticism; sans white-face, he instead relies on a pair of trousers just sufficientl…
Almost at the start, Gilchrist Muir—here inhabiting the tweed suit of our lecturer, Glasgow University-based Theoretical Zombiologist Dr Ken House—insists that Zombies are no…
A young girl, annoyed by being made fun of by her seven older brothers, joins in the family’s evening game of throwing stones and unintentionally shatters the sun from the sky…
From the start of his exploration of the scientific method, through the prism of the 17th century rivalry between Isaac Newton and the now little-remembered Robert Hooke, playwr…
In one sense, this Lyceum revival of Caryl Churchill’s 2002 play is exactly the “dynamic two-hander” described in the programme: the only actors on stage are Peter Forbes,…
The symbolism is hardly subtle; when we enter the Traverse Theatre’s principal performance space, we have to choose which side of a massive shipping container we sit next to.
There’s always a risk attempting to present previously “unknown” stories as theatre.
I’m not a fan of promenade performances, especially those involving the audience being led in a group from one set piece to another.
Science Fiction isn’t the most common genre you find on stage; ironic, really, since it was Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.
Paul Carrack is one the UK’s great singer songwriters and multi-instrumentalists.
Whilst strong acting and a passionate script provided an exciting performance, there’s work to be done to see this show develop further.
Dominic Hill, artistic director of Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre, apparently doesn’t like to constrain any theatrical experience with the blunt instrument of a rising or falling c…
Evan Placey’s Girls Like That (first performed at London’s Unicorn Theatre three years ago) came to Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre—courtesy of the neighbouring Lyceum Thea…
There’s much to love about this new touring production of La Cage Aux Folles; gloriously Technicolor™ sets, gorgeous costumes, tight choreography, clearly enunciated sin…
Three-quarters of a century on, there are still stories of the Second World War that aren’t as well known as they should, but Stuart Hepburn’s new play—while promoted as t…
The old showbiz adage that “the show must go on” is usually invoked—in the aftermath of some behind-the-scenes calamity—before curtain-up, but the point of The Play That…
There’s one deliciously unique—sadly never repeatable—moment during the opening night of Allan Stewart’s Big Big Variety Show, when Stewart introduces the singer Susan B…
The writer and historian James Truslow Adams once defined the “American Dream” as the potential for life to be “better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity …
3pm-4pm The first show of the day will feature about as wide a variety of improvisation styles as one could ask for, with three groups that could not be more different from each o…
Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale has all the characteristics of a Tragedy, as we speedily witness the horrendous consequences of King Leontes’ groundless jealousy for pregnant …
“I’m so excited”—that iconic 1982 hit by the Pointer Sisters—is an apt intro to a show with a predominantly female audience that’s already wound up to have a good ti…
“Not a circus, it’s a Berserkus!” Cirque Berserk! boldly comes with two USPs.
18 years after her death, “blue-eyed soul singer” Dusty Springfield remains many things to many people—not least a gay icon, thanks to her emotional fragility and memorabl…
If politics is about people—specifically the ever-fluctuating power imbalances between people in different situations—then Federico García Lorca was right to focus his “po…
There is, ironically enough, a lot that’s incredibly old-fashioned about Thoroughly Modern Millie; it’s a feel-good, song and dance show about a young gold-digger who, while se…
You can always feel a particular kind of excitement in an auditorium, before “curtain up”, when a significant proportion of the audience are (a) less than five years old, an…
Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland isn’t known for its plot; in fact, it’s essentially a succession of wonderfully fanciful sketches which happen to share …
In Sartre’s existential drama, three characters are placed in a mysterious room with no way out.
As titles go, Picnic at Hanging Rock is a fine conflation of the innocent and disturbing, although the cultural impact of Joan Lindsay’s novel is arguably more down to Peter W…
Pantomime, as we’re reminded by the Ambassador Theatre Group’s pre-show video (narrated by Brian Blessed), is a peculiarly British theatrical tradition, although it’s a sha…
“I can be pretty dim, sometimes,” says Sion Pritchard as Tom, an office-working film school graduate who doesn’t, initially, come across as particularly sympathetic.
Scottish writer Stuart Paterson now has a back catalogue of sufficient scale to warrant a revival or two; his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s George’s Marvellous Medicine is curre…
It’s a brave show which starts with the words: “I don’t like it.
Inside Out Theatre’s second pantomime for relatively news arts venue Websters (located in Glasgow’s Kelvinbridge area) is another self-consciously low-rent production which …
Reviewing Mamma Mia! almost feels like a lost cause; it’s an unstoppable global phenomenon and, if this touring production—setting up home in the Edinburgh Playhouse for Chri…
Fresh from their sell-out hit shows Midnight Tango and Dance ’Til Dawn, Strictly Come Dancing superstars Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace have created their most movi…
Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Jason Robert Brown will helm a new London production of his acclaimed musical The Last Five Years, starring Samantha Barks and Jonathan Bailey.
There’s no doubting the energy in Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre before this show starts; many kids are already singing along to a soundtrack of current chart hits.
As a rule, the best children’s stories—be they novels, comics or TV shows—all inspire the same question: “What on Earth were they taking when they came up with that?” …
“Small boys are not to be trusted,” says the titular George’s gleefully malevolent Grandma in this new production—by Dundee Rep’s Associate Artistic Director Joe Dougla…
The master of the English ghost story, M R James, once described Irish author Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu as “absolutely in the first rank” among supernatural storyteller…
Kenny Rogers will perform at London's Palladium in November! The country music legend, known for tracks such as Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town, The Gambler and UK c…
First performed in 1775, Sheridan’s The Rivals remains surprisingly relevant, not least thanks to its inter-generational conflict.
After numerous Off-Broadway and international productions as well as a film adaptation starring Pitch Perfect’s Anna Kendrick, The Last Five Years finally arrives on the West…
You get a strong sense of what Jumpy is going to be like from Jean Chan’s impressive set—two jumbled piles of household goods, surrounded by an off-kilter frame of plain wall…
A risk when putting any historical figure on stage—let alone a writer and thinker of the calibre of Dr Samuel Johnson—is that using their own words makes them appear less a …
It’s not every play that starts with a reaffirmation of one of the basic fundamentals of theatre: that things which aren’t true can be imagined, and that what can be imagine…
“It’s quite comfortable being old,” 80 year old actor Tim Barlow tells us at the start of his latest one-man show, a work co-devised with the writer Sheila Hill.
For at least some of its audience, it’s enough that Grain in the Blood reunites actors Blythe Duff and John Michie—long-time compatriots on STV’s Taggart.
There’s no hanging about with Morna Pearson’s Walking On Walls; when the lights come up, we see a bespectacled woman observing a man who’s bound on an office chair, tape a…
This one-man show, written and performed by Gary McNair, won lots of praise during its initial run as part of the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
It was the head-to-head that, even at the time, seemed almost unthinkable; a televised face-off between British chat-show host David Frost—certainly at the time not exactly kn…
We’re somewhere among the Western Isles, and at least a thousand years back in time.
Edinburgh-based Grid Iron Theatre Company has long specialised in creating immersive, site-specific theatre.
If you’re a student theatre company with somewhat limited resources, but still want to try your hand at a reasonably successful Broadway musical, then [title of show] is argua…
Children are often said to be the most “difficult”—or, to put it another way, most honest—theatre audience performers are ever likely to face: they’re not “adult” …
In ancient Greece, it was the practice before any theatrical performance to name those citizens who had financed it, and for a respected citizen to give “the libation” to th…
Among the gifts bestowed on the world by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the one-hour slot, into which everything—stand-up, spoken word, circus, dance or drama—has become s…
R C Sherriff’s Journey’s End, inspired by his own experiences of life in the trenches during the First World War, stands as an authoritative exploration of men “in extremis…
It’s fitting, in the weeks running up to the latest Arctic Circle Assembly (running from 7-9 October in Reykjavik, Iceland) that the team behind A Play, a Pie and a Pint opted…
A scintillating 13-piece live band, featuring percussion and brass sections and fronted by Stu Goodall pay reverence to the songs of Paul Simon with an explosive show.
A contemporary song cycle musical that ingeniously chronicles the five-year life of a marriage, from meeting to break-up.
Krapp stands frozen staring into the distance, barely living in the present, heading to an unknown future and transfixed on the past.
Paul Kelly has recorded over 20 albums as well as several film soundtracks.
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.
On October third, 1849, Edgar Allen Poe was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland.
‘Poster Girl for awkward’ (Chortle.
Upstairs Downton and Petting Zoo (‘Improv supergroup’ TimeOut) star creates a staggering array of characters using his mouth, brain, hands and body.
Join us for traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir, organ and congregation of this historic Anglican Catholic Church.
Join us for traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy with the renowned choir, organ and congregation of this historic church, directed by City and University Organist Dr John Kitchen.
From pin-drop delicacy to infectious grooves that leave you smiling.
Later, considerably ruder and darker shows from internationally acclaimed, award-winning Scottish stand-up comedy meteor.
Paul Merton returns to the Edinburgh Fringe this year with an improvised comedy show.
The music of Egberto Gismonti is like a microcosm of his native Brazil – diverse, joyful and unique.
There’s something wonderfully uncluttered and unpretentious about this particular wander down literary lane from the Mercators, one of Edinburgh’s oldest amateur drama clubs.
Paul Foot pits two teams against each other, discussing a series of real-life, perilous, yet bizarre situations and attempting to work out which of Paul’s unusual items will save…
Paul Wady’s unique and controversial mass autism conversion show returns for a second year.
Offbeat one-liners, flights of fancy and a totally absurd storyline from surrealist fool and NATY 2013 winner, Paul F Taylor.
A gloriously friendly show packed with hopes, dreams, snacks and drums.
Paul Dabek is back in the spotlight at the Free Fringe and, without giving anything away; this is man who really knows how to make the most of a spotlight.
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 …
Stuck between failure and fame, the artist known only as Tape invites you to witness the creation of a pop-cultural Frankenstein.
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.
Comedian Paul Johnson guides his two sons through first loves, playground fights, youth sports and the timeless longing to fit in and be one of the cool kids – an urge Paul still…
In the final days of mankind, the last nine human beings left in existence are holed up together in a sanctuary base dubbed ‘Plan Z’.
“Poggle’s not scared of climbing trees,” we’re told early on in this beautifully clear and uncluttered piece of vibrant dance theatre aimed at very young children.
Northern Irish master of surreal nonsense and bohemian clownarchist.
Trust me, Fringe magic still happens.
Some stupid adults, having forgotten what it’s actually like to be children, are often surprised, disturbed and horrified by the serious issues lurking in the heart of the most s…
It’s clearly an uncomfortable time of life for Jo Caulfield; a succession of musical heroes have died, she’s moved from middle-class Morningside to somewhat more “cosmopolita…
The set-up is simple: an armchair, a side-table, and a teapot, cup, and saucer.
Early on, Schaffer decided that the show wasn’t going so well.
For a comedian with such a cult following, renowned for surrealist originality, I was very excited about my first encounter with Paul Foot’s comedy.
Throughout history, every generation has thought they would witness the end of the world.
Ding dong, the witch isn’t dead! And this time it’s definitely cause for celebration! After her previous success as an ‘international cabaret superstar’ Maggie is back in b…
Theatre audiences are, for the most part, quite comfortable with their self-assigned role of secret voyeurs of the people on stage who go about their lives with no apparent knowled…
Andrew Doyle has now brought five solo shows to Edinburgh, each noticeably different in style and tone; even Doyle’s on-stage persona has shifted somewhat from one year to the ne…
Enter the fascinating mind of Edgar Allan Poe.
Paul Revill, Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year 2014, returns to the Fringe with his debut hour.
In Paul Duncan McGarrity’s eighth show at the Fringe, Ask An Archaeologist, interesting and funny are blended to create a must see stand-up at the heart of the Free Fringe Festiv…
While categorised in the Fringe programme under theatre, this work – created and directed by Kai Fischer with contributions from its cast – is certainly not a play, at least in…
There are two ways to reach the small room where UK-based American character comedian Will Franken is performing.
Aidan Goatley’s stand-up show isn’t, despite its title, about ELO; indeed, there’s no obvious guarantee that he will get round to telling us why he chose one of that band’s…
Despite the commanding tone of his show’s title, John Gordillo doesn’t actually come across as a fan of Capitalism as an economic and social system.
Underbelly’s largest venue is the huge tent – shaped like an purple cow tipped onto its back – that this year has been transplanted into the western half of George Square Gar…
Bob drives his BlundaBus around Europe looking for adventures.
Alistair Williams is a bit of a lad.
Lewis Macleod’s impersonation skills are unlike anything I’ve seen - though they are like plenty of things you will have heard.
“Orthodox”, according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, is an adjective that suggests “following or conforming to the traditional or generally accepted rules or belie…
“Every woman is a riot,” is roughly painted on the wall behind the stage area of this hidden-away New Town bar’s seldom used attic space.
The word “fabulous” is defined as being extraordinary and wonderful, and having no basis in reality.
Star of Impractical Jokers (BBC Three), Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC Three), and Stand Up Central (Comedy Central), Paul returns with a brand new stand-up show.
Several years ago, a couple of wannabe stand-ups decided to do a Free Fringe show based around some of the odd things their respective fathers had said and done down the years.
There’s an anarchic edge to the Trash Test Dummies – as might be expected from a circus troupe who go on to perform a succession of tricks and humorous gymnastics using that mo…
Scott Agnew is looking good, these days; whether that’s down to him drinking less is unclear, though it’s clearly a bit of a culture shock on the night of this review as it’s…
Geoff Norcott, as he points out quite early on in his set, has not been seen on television.
The sharp-suited David Mills is already seated on stage when his audience comes in, chatting with us, riffing along to a Barry Manilow hit; while he later insists that the role in …
When life gives you lemons, those with an optimistic, can-do attitude invariably suggest you make lemonade.
Mikey and Addie is a story about two pre-teen kids who couldn’t be more different – Mikey’s life is all about imagination and play, while Addie’s is focused on enforcing rule…
Tom Neenan appears to be making his way through the genres with his one-man/many characters shows: Edwardian ghost story in 2014, and 1950s-styled British science fiction thriller …
Winner, Director’s Choice 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Pretend news reporter Jonathan Pie – the creation of actor Tom Walker – has risen to public attention, during the last year, thanks to a succession of videos on YouTube which a…
Paul McMullan’s debut fringe show is stuffed full of clever insights into the world of British drinking culture and its potentially destructive nature.
Male stand up comedians from certain parts of Glasgow often face a significant impediment; they can’t help but sound like Billy Connolly, and so inevitably find themselves compar…
There’s surely no better sign that mental health issues – and depression in particular – are becoming more openly discussed than for the likes of Colin Hoult to come along an…
Hardeep Singh Kohli was meant to talk about seven nostalgic songs within his hour show, Mix Tape.
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.
Njambi McGrath’s 1 Last Dance With My Father sells itself as a dark comedy telling the story of her Kenyan upbringing and her violent relationship with her father.
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…
Last Orders is a post coming of age tale, exploring the loyalty of childhood friendships and how one of life’s greatest challenges is choosing between who you are and who you wan…
If theatre is all about holding a mirror up to ourselves, then Tales From the Hanging Captain certainly makes the grade – it’s the first performance piece arising from the thr…
The Wee One starts with a scenario familiar enough from numerous television sitcoms – a couple well into middle-age who appear to be stuck with an adult child who has failed t…
Strange Town is an Edinburgh-based company which offers opportunities for young people between the ages of five and 25 to fulfil their creative potential though drama and perfor…
There’s a definite shift in the second play in this double bill from Edinburgh-based theatre company Strange Town.
A selection of pieces dealing with current day issues.
The last splash of magic and sparkle with some amazing acts and friends of our Spiegel family including spots from Elixir, Showtime, Les Femmes and more! Join us on this unique and…
Part of the attraction of seeing magic tricks performed well – beyond the sheer spectacle – is trying to work out how they’re done.
“The here and the now is wow!” we’re told at the start of Broken Dreams.
There’s a simple idea at the heart of Australian company cre8ion’s show Fluff; rescuing and giving a new home to lost and abandoned toys.
Straight from London’s comedy duo ‘Carroll and Hodgson!’ Paul brings his absurd and sometimes downright nasty characters to life in this one hour spurt of bad language, bad d…
Traces is a theatre show with no obviously clear-cut beginning or end; if there’s a start at all, it might be when the two principal performers – Marko Werner and Michael Lur…
Sometimes words feel unworthy of the task when it comes to describing and reviewing a performance, especially a dance-piece as vibrant, colourful and joyous as this.
On 4th July 1845 – Independence Day, suitably enough – the young Henry David Thoreau went into the woods at Walden Pond, near the town of Concord, Massachusetts, and lived t…
There is much more to history than just learning dates and facts.
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…
Touring stand-up George Egg has spent – and, presumably, continues to spend – a lot of his life in hotels the length and breadth of the UK.
Never, ever underestimate the stupidity of the rich and powerful; that’s certainly one of the obvious lessons you can get from Liz Lochhead’s brilliantly funny take on the sc…
There are some incredible strengths in this latest production from Edinburgh’s most inspiring new theatre company.
A work-in-progress show from the star of BBC3’s ‘Impractical Jokers’ and ‘Russell Howard’s Good News’.
I must admit to feeling a tad confused after experiencing Dirty Dusting.
Glasgow-based Birds of Paradise Theatre Company continues to lead the way in producing theatre that’s fully accessible to people with physical and/or sensory impairments, both …
“God is beauty with feeling” insists Nijinsky, gazing searchingly at his audience.
All theatre requires some degree of “suspension of disbelief”.
Surreal one-liners, flights of fancy and a totally absurd storyline from the NATY 2013 winner.
Join Brighton Comedy Festival Squawker Awards finalist Paul Jones, as he presents his guide to parenting for nerds.
London-based comedian Paul Laight and guests deliver a free hour of jokes, puns, observations and a song or two about the horrors of everyday life.
They say you should never meet your heroes.
During the 2008 Spring Season of “A Play, A Pie and A Pint” at Glasgow’s Òran Mór, writer and director Selma Dimitrijevic presented audiences with a delicate, poignant e…
It’s not immediately obvious where Second Hand is located; Jonathan Scott’s set for this latest production in the Spring 2016 season of “A Play, a Pie and a Pint”, at Gl…
Get the party started with Maclemore & Ryan Lewis! Head downtown to see hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis live at the O2 Arena, and enjoy a delicious international mea…
It says something about us as a species that one of our oldest myths, crystallised in the form of Homer’s epic poem Iliad, is about war – specifically the bloody climax of th…
Theatrical serendipity currently means that, after some masculine brutality set during the latter stages of the ancient siege of Troy (in the Royal Lyceum’s new adaptation of H…
As a playwright, David Edgar long ago sped past the number of plays written by Shakespeare, but it’s fair to say that – while often making a big impact at the time – not m…
First lines are important; as attention grabbers, but also as indicators of what’s to come, tonally at least.
Ring roads are not usually places you go to; they’re a means of avoiding congestion, of giving a wide berth to somewhere.
On 10 January 1992, the container ship Ever Laurel, several days out from Hong Kong en route to Tacoma, Washington, hit a storm in the North Pacific Ocean.
There’s are plenty of laughs in this imaginary conversation between King James VI of Scotland – preparing in March 1603 to make his stately progress south from the Palace of…
It has become traditional for Lung Ha Theatre Company – Scotland’s principal theatre group for people with learning disabilities – to present at least one large show every…
Most of us come to fairy tales – folk tales in general – courtesy of their so-called “traditional” retellings by Disney or the local panto.
In the near-century since Czech writer Karel Capek first gave us the word “robot” (in his play R.
It is a tad ironic that, initially, the most overpowering element in this new show from Stellar Quines Theatre Company – established in 1993 to “celebrates the energy, exper…
David Leddy’s apocalyptic fable International Waters certainly starts as it means to go on; loud and bold, with the memorable image of four gas-masked figures performing a tab…
Phil Differ is not someone you’d immediately recognise.
This fast rising and consistently delightful American tenor presents a wide-ranging recital of songs by composers including Schumann, Wolf, Berlioz and Villa-Lobos, as well as the …
Most theatre audiences have an anonymous – some might even suggest voyeuristic – role, viewing the action on stage from the safety of a darkened auditorium.
In one sense this latest production from Edinburgh-based Blazing Hyena Theatre Company is nothing more than a theatrical game in which writer Jack Elliot creates a succession of…
Do not miss the amazing Leona Lewis! Two unique shows at the unique London Palladium! A singer and the third series of The X Factor's winner will perform only 2 shows at the…
Legendary Sheffield-born singer, songwriter and former frontman of Ace, Squeeze and Mike & The Mechanics returns to the road with his band in early 2016 for a 34-date UK tour v…
In Greek mythology, princess Iphigenia is the eldest daughter of King Agamemnon, sacrificed to the goddess Artemis in order to allow her father’s warships to sail off to Troy.
There’s a beautiful symmetry to this new production from Glasgow-based Birds of Paradise Theatre Company; the start and end deliberately remind us that the four disabled men o…
At the risk of sounding ageist, an immediate concern with any student theatre company taking on Shakespeare’s tragedy of tragedies, King Lear, is that it is in many respects a …
(performances start on Thursday) The acclaimed experimental director Robert Wilson steps onstage (and into white makeup and ample hair gel) as the sole performer in Samuel Beckett&…
I’ve long been a fan of Howard Phillips Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, in which an Antarctica exhibition uncovers the still-living legacy of a previously unknow…
With typical modesty (not), Glasgow-based Vanishing Point describe themselves as “Scotland’s foremost artist-led independent theatre company, internationally recognised and …
Arguably, the most important part of any Agatha Christie play doesn’t happen on the stage at all; it takes place in the rest of the theatre during the interval, when there’s…
The playwrights, directors, and actors who constitute the loose confederation that is the Village Pub Theatre once again moved in to the more upmarket, city central Traverse Thea…
The Village Pub Theatre’s second evening of short new dramas at the Traverse, in celebration of LGBT History Month, came with a wonderfully louche vibe, thanks to the easy MC-i…
Outside of the almost factory-like default setting of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s one hour time-slot (long-since exported around the world), it actually feels somewhat odd…
In the face of something terrible, we can either laugh or cry.
Valentine’s Day may have a cheesy reputation, but the heart-filled holiday has inspired plenty of great live comedy for devoted couples, optimistic daters and determinedly si…
In the run-up to Mike Bartlett’s play Cock opening at the Tron Theatre, a lot of people – myself included – clearly couldn’t help have some innocent adolescent fun with …
All theatre requires a certain suspension of disbelief, musical theatre even more so.
“Finished, it’s finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished.
Coming to a “classic” Agatha Christie whodunnit after a full day’s binging on the latest series of the BBC’s Silent Witness – oh, the life of a reviewer! – is, frank…
Glistening with sweat, Megan Hill’s comedy is essentially a real-time Jazzercise class with a wacky plot fused to it, as a willfully chipper exercise instructor (Ms.
“A dastardly attempt was made in the early hours of yesterday morning by suffragists to fire and blow up Burns’s Cottage, Alloway, the birthplace of the national poet,” rep…
If there’s one moment in this new production of Conor McPherson’s The Weir that encapsulates the quality of its cast and director, it’s towards the close when a moment of …
FreddyG hosts this free late-night stand-up show at an up-and-coming Astoria space. Headliners include Aparna Nancherla and Mike Recine.
Strange Town is a theatre company based in Edinburgh which aims to “enable young people to fulfil their creative potential”, by providing five to 25 year olds with the opport…
At a time of year when most theatres across the land are bursting with colour, raucous laughter and the panto spirit, it’s typical of Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, long-esta…
When it comes to retelling Cinderella, two of the three most important roles in terms of plot and audience participation are Cinders’ best pal Buttons and her Fairy Godmother.
Like most of Scotland’s producing theatres, the Citizens Theatre does not, as a matter of principle, “do” panto.
Pantomime is arguably the most self-aware and self-mocking of theatrical forms, with the most successful shows seeing cast and audience mutually shattering any metaphorical four…
To Breathe starts with its six performers standing in a circle, staring at the audience, just breathing.
“Smells like Seton Sands” is precisely the kind of line you expect in a pantomime at The Brunton theatre in Musselburgh; it’s hooked on local rivalries, and grounds the ubi…
There is an intrinsic roughness to this latest production from Edinburgh-based Blazing Hyena productions: performed “in the round” in a student bar within city’s Art College, th…
Beethoven’s final three piano sonatas are the subject of this White Light Festival event, featuring this British pianist of uncommon eloquence and depth.
“A truce is a truce, but war is war,” we’re told early on in Ben Blow’s history play focusing on the all-too-forgotten consequences of Robert the Bruce’s victory over …
The soprano Christine Brewer may disappoint some admirers of her sumptuous voice by not performing more often in opera.
Leicester-born David Campton, who died in in 2006, was a prolific British dramatist, especially adept at writing thought-provoking one act plays that make us laugh as much as we …
“Juke-box musicals”, which essentially use existing songs as their musical score, may strike you as a relatively modern theatrical phenomena – think Mamma Mia! or We Will …
Panopticon, written and directed by second year University of Edinburgh student Liam Rees, is set in a women’s prison, into which well-meaning dramatist Julia comes to run a s…
“One day every company will fear a geek in a garage,” we’re told early on in Elliot Davis and James Bourne’s Loserville.
One of the strengths of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company during the last half-century has been its ongoing commitment to providing quality drama education and performance opport…
The first thing that strikes you about this new stage adaptation of William Golding’s classic dystopian novel is Jon Bausor’s astounding set: the huge section of a passenger…
Some lives are touched by war.
The family at the heart of Nina Raine’s Tribes is liable, at least initially, to make you yearn for the exit.
“I must learn to keep my mouth shut when there’s an angel in the room.
A criticism sometimes made about Edinburgh – especially by Glaswegians – is that, while the city appears sophisticated and morally upstanding, this is just a facade hiding a …
There are many good reasons for launching the celebratory 50th anniversary season of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre Company with a new production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiti…
Arguably the most significant work of new theatre from “north of the border” in recent years is the National Theatre of Scotland’s Black Watch, an excellent example of inve…
Through their use of improvisation and mime, backed with a fantastic live band (The Glue Ensemble), Cariad and Paul bring to life a series of hilarious stories, based solely on one…
Barry Bonaparte’s Travelling Circus is in trouble.
For those who like their dance without frills, Last Man Standing provides an hour of unrelenting raw movement.
Theatre is, for the most part, about telling stories with the aids of actors, scenery and props; in contrast, stand-up comedy is usually about a single person sharing their perspec…
Vesper Walk describe themselves as a “quirky five to eight piece band performing art-pop music in a gothic style.
Recent cinematic reboots notwithstanding, there’s arguably at least one generation of television viewers for whom Star Trek’s starship captain of choice is not James Tiberius K…
Glasgow-based Birds of Paradise Theatre Company is arguably Scotland’s most innovative and ground-breaking theatre company when it comes to exploring disability and producing ful…
Matt Abbott admits that poetry is a hard sell on the Fringe, impossible to talk about without coming across as pretentious – which may well explain why one of his bespoke marketi…
Every successful show needs a Unique Selling Point – or, put simply, a gimmick.
Donald Torr was, apparently, the best big brother any little girl could have, especially growing up on the outskirts of 1960s’ Aberdeen.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church close to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with renowned choir and organ.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction in the catholic Anglican style with the renowned choir and organ of this historic church close to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
For those of you not lucky enough to live in Edinburgh all year round, Village Pub Theatre (VPT) is a regular “let’s put the show on here” brand of new theatre based in the f…
From pin-drop delicacy to infectious grooves that leave you smiling.
Due to massive demand, six later, quite probably ruder, shows! Scotland’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning comedy half-man-half-Xbox.
Last show ever – will sell out.
Paul works as the Scottish agent for Keddie Scott Associates Ltd, a London based agency.
Become autistic.
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
Rory Lewis Photographer has made an outstanding contribution to photography and the visual arts, creating consistently imaginative and thought-provoking portraits.
Many religions insist that humanity was created in God’s image; others argue that, throughout history, the process has been the other way round.
Dr Niamh Shaw is that relatively rare thing – a skilled and engaging stage performer who also happens to be a scientist and engineer, with both a degree and PhD to her name.
Some cabaret performers attempt to lull you into a false sense of security about what they do, but thankfully any audience finds out quickly enough what they’re going to get from…
The Creative Martyrs, that white-faced Laurel and Hardy of existential cabaret terrorism, are not men to be trifled with, as some rather talkative front-row audience members discov…
Paul Savage can’t sleep.
Where do letters and parcels go, when – because of an incomplete address, or lack of forwarding address – they can’t be delivered? According to Catherine Expósito and Marli …
Mr Susie has one hour to save cabaret.
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…
I remember hearing Tony Benn speak many years ago, when I was still in school.
Phillip Aughey’s favourite composer is the great pianist Frédéric Chopin and, having been present at a number of recitals of his work last year, he has been motivated to create…
A man is desperate for a job.
The Last Kill follows a Scottish soldier, Michael, falling apart as he tries to find the answers he needs to justify his actions in war.
The rhythm of obsession, a journey into mental illness.
Block is a production that constantly surprises, though not always in ways that are comforting.
Sailor – he had a real name once, but he believes “Sailor” suits him now – is a street hustler, thief and raconteur; the illegitimate son of a prostitute who has taken up h…
Margaret Thatcher was – still is, two years after her death – a divisive figure, loved and hated in equal measure.
“Just go with the magic,” says one of the three singers on stage to a slightly reluctant compatriot.
Stand-up comedy and theatre rarely interact in meaningful ways.
Lewis Schaffer states that although he normally occupies rooms on one of the free fringes during August, for his 2015 run he’s charging folk a fiver.
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…
‘The damn sea rolls on as it always has.
‘God, what a day’ is the first thing said to us by Scaramouche Jones, the red-nosed, white-faced clown who – sensing the ghosts of an audience in his dressing room – decide…
Last year I used the word Schadenfreude in my description, and it seemed to frighten off dumb people as I had lovely audiences.
There is something inherently heartbreaking about the small metal-framed chair standing centre-stage as the audience comes in, but no more so than when one of the show’s co-devis…
Surrealist comedian Paul Foot is an Edinburgh Fringe institution.
Great Scott! 2015, still no hoverboards.
Having rummaged around the UK, Paul takes you on a tour of some of his charity shop finds.
Paul Currie returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with his anarchic, bread-filled 2014 masterpiece Release the Baboons after a triumphant run at Adelaide Fringe.
Mr Susie has one hour to save cabaret.
Return of acclaimed and libellously funny storytelling show on how to find outrageous nightly adventure on a budget of £5.
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…
Like all good pieces of children’s theatre, The Last of the Dragons does not talk down to children.
British Asian, Paul Sinha, makes a very welcome return to the Stand Comedy Club during the Fringe after a four-year absence.
FUBAR Radio and Underbelly present The Underbelly Radio Shows recorded live from 12:30pm each day at Ermintrude, Underbelly hosts a series of live radio broadcasts brought to you b…
Like every other animal on the planet, humans need to eat in order to survive, but arguably no other species has developed such complicated social etiquettes around the consumption…
Graeae Theatre Company, according to the information sheet handed out before the start of the show, sees itself as ‘a force for change in world-class theatre – breaking down ba…
Following last year’s generally well-received comic homage to the Edwardian Ghost Story (The Haunting of Lopham House), writer and performer Tom Neenan shifts his genre gaze forw…
At first it’s almost as if George Dimarelos has chosen to counter any preconceptions about loud Australians by opting for the least dramatic stage entrance possible; he’s alrea…
Creating a show focusing on the idea of regret is frankly an extremely brave one: regret be an extremely sad and prickly topic, something which Hill alludes to in the first five mi…
Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years is not an easy undertaking.
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 …
(previews start on Tuesday; opens on Aug.
Yes, the man with the silver shoes is back, and each of his 58 minutes on stage are as weird and wonderful as ever.
Paul Merton and his “Impro Chums”: Mike McShane, Lee Simpson, Richard Vranch and Suki Webster, have been practising short form improvised comedy for decades and bring their com…
Mr.
I was reading about a Gay Pride event in Glasgow last week that had banned drag acts from performing for fear they may offend transgendered members of their community who were conf…
It’s not often that I’m asked back to see a show, let alone because those involved have openly taken on some of the points I made in my review!When the War Came Home is a …
German dramatist Frank Wedekind’s play Frühlings Erwachen – written around 1891 but not performed until 1906 – deliberately kicked against sexually-oppressive fin d…
Described as “a metaphysical shocker” on its release in 1970, The Driver’s Seat was apparently author Muriel Sparks’ favourite amongst her own stories, in part thanks to th…
“This is not just about me,” says one of the cast at the start and close of Chris Goode’s Stand.
(previews start on Saturday; opens on June 29) Having just brought us Moss Hart’s entrancing “Act One,” Lincoln Center offers another piece of showbiz reminiscenc…
Special turns from Showtime, Lost In Transit, Elixir and other friends from the Spiegeltent and around town.
The Last Five Years, by the darling of the Contemporary musical theatre world Jason Robert Brown, is about struggling actress Cathy and successful novelist Jamie’s five year rela…
Richard Lewis’s long-form, fury-driven stand-up has influenced scores of comedians over the last 40 years.
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…
Site-specific works can be accused of relying on their location to do the heavy-lifting, theatrically speaking.
It’s 2015, and still no hoverboards.
Hanuman is half human, half monkey.
The Improverts are back for two Exam Specials in the Teviot Debating Hall! A different combination of players will take to the stage each night for a round of high-class, high-ener…
Star of ‘Derek’, ‘Being Human’ and ‘Carnival of Monsters’ returns to the Brighton Fringe with two entirely new shows: Sit on the Ledge and Jump Down to the Ground (7, 2…
1926: Houdini’s right-hand man deals with the death of his boss.
Though the music is catchy, the band is terrific, and the cast is strong, this jazz musical by Nancy Harrow and Will Pomerantz hasn’t reconciled its improbable source materia…
Alan Spence is not the first to imagine a meeting between two famous people from different worlds, though there’s certainly a whiff of wishful thinking in this thoughtful, if …
For some, he was “Italy’s Shakespeare”, “the Moliere of Venice”; yet it’s only relatively recently that British theatre audiences have warmed to work by 18th centur…
On 5th February 1941, during heavy gales, the cargo ship SS Politician ran aground off the Island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides.
Written very much in the tradition of the suspense-filled, atmospheric ghost stories by M R James, Susan Hill’s gothic novel, The Woman in Black, has been adapted numerous time…
It’s fitting that, this Eastertide, a resurrection of sorts lies at the heart of this latest collaboration between Glasgow’s Òran Mór and Edinburgh’s Traverse theatre.
Even the greatest of parties end with the hangover of cleaning up afterwards.
(previews start on Tuesday; opens on May 17) In the second play in A.
Fools and their stories were the theme of this latest set of short plays, dramatic monologues and glorified sketches presented in rehearsed readings by the Village Pub Theatre t…
Many of the world’s greatest Tragedies – Shakespeare’s in particular – are grounded on the character flaws of their titular characters: Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and so …
No less a figure than Inspector Rebus creator Ian Rankin once insisted that the only author to ever “nail” Edinburgh was Robert Louis Stevenson in his classic 1886 novella, S…
The History Boys – at least according to the programme notes accompanying this latest tour – is “generally regarded as Alan Bennett’s masterpiece”.
Life was so much simpler, back in 1980.
Only a clever or ignorant writer would deliberately choose to begin a play with that most egregious of sitcom clichés: “Hi Honey, I’m home.
There’s one thing I hate about musical theatre, which is especially common with “amateur” productions – there’s seemingly no way of stopping audiences full of family an…
There’s something particularly appropriate about experiencing Peter Shaffer’s Equus at the Bedlam Theatre.
It’s never too late to reinvent yourself: After 60 years as the Paul Taylor Dance Company, the group returns this year as Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance, a more in…
At one point in the first act of The Judas Kiss, Oscar Wilde admits to always having had “a low opinion of what is called action.
Since its first publication in 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has been adapted for stage, cinema and television hundreds of times.
There’s rumbustious joy aplenty in this new adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s infamous examination of legality and justice.
Unexpected pre-show choice of “Easy Listening” music notwithstanding, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag is an exciting theatrical ride, slipping from laugh-out-loud humour to…
They say that, while you can choose your friends, you can’t choose your family; even when you pick a partner, you have no say about the family that comes along with them.
A play about the battle between celebrity and “art” with a good dose of codpiece and a ghost thrown in!
Those who don’t know history, according to the Irish statesman Edmund Burke, are destined to repeat it, while the Bible insists more than once that the sins of the father will b…
American film actor and comedian Bill Murray allegedly fields offers of work via a voice mailbox which, according to Wikipedia, “he checks infrequently”.
(performances on Jan.
When reviewing a play – especially one verging on farce – where two of the main characters are professional theatre critics, it’s hard not to become a tiny bit defensive …
Jan-Paul Sartre, the great French existentialist, displays his mastery of drama in NO EXIT, an unforgettable portrayal of hell.
Men – especially working class men from the West of Scotland – are not known for expressing their emotions, instead hiding behind either brutish silence or dry humour.
Lincoln Center’s popular Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts series offers rewarding, mostly younger artists in 60-minute programs starting at 11 a.
The “Scottish Play” is among Shakespeare’s shortest, but for critically acclaimed theatre company Filter to edit it down to barely more than 90 minutes, without missing an…
The First World War is often described as the first “total war”, that is involving the entire population, at home as well as on the battlefield.
Reality and performance lie at the heart of this solid production of Irish playwright Brian Friel’s Faith Healer.
Always Different, Always Funny! After a sell out run at Edinburgh Fringe 14 and comedy residents during term time Edinburgh University, The Improverts are performing two shows in L…
Known for his long-running “Back in Black” segments on “The Daily Show,” Mr.
Jo Firestone hosts this wonderfully ridiculous twist on a comedy show by challenging the audience to sit through five hours of “miserable, purposely boring and unbearable com…
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…
Nikoli Gogol’s The Gamblers (premiered in 1843) is relatively rarely-performed, at least in comparison with the writer’s most famous work, The Government Inspector.
“Nobody thought to save any of the roots,” says Sara towards the end of The Bondagers.
There’s a strong whiff of Farce about Cardinal Sinne from the off; only that particular genre, after all, requires quite so many doors in a set—in this case three interior d…
Bathe in the risqué for an evening of all girl comedy, cabaret & burlesque hosted by Unruly Scrumptious with resident cabaret wrong’uns - plus special guests.
Kill Johnny Glendenning is a play of two halves; each a brutally funny, finely-tuned treatise on the various overlapping hierarchies of power and violence that, while shaping ou…
There are five characters in Tennessee William’s breakthrough “memory play” The Glass Menagerie.
(previews start on Sept.
This renowned comedian, often considered an heir to Lenny Bruce, is a master of long-form storytelling who turns his endless neurotic energy into brilliant comedy.
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…
During the last few years, the Belarus Free Theatre company has built a strong reputation in issue-based theatre, utilising a wide range of performance techniques to frame and ex…
Successful stand-ups usually have a memorable on-stage persona; it may be manic, taciturn or just ‘nice’, but it’s what they’re remembered for.
Entering into a world of 1950s dating, Last Chance Romance is a fun hour for any adult.
The Last Piemen follows the story of two rival pie makers, one of whom favours the traditional approach, while the other is an innovator.
A completely spontaneous improv adventure, taking one word from the audience and immersing them in a bespoke world of bizarre scenes and bold characters.
Kiss Me Honey Honey! appears to be attracting a decidedly local crowd of middle-aged women, at least if this performance is anything to go by.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction in the Catholic Anglican style with the renowned choir and organ of this historic church close to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
Originally from the US, now based in Singapore, Vernon Lewis has quickly become one of the rising stars in the comedy scene and has opened and performed with comedians such as Tom …
Brandishing a Tesco clubcard, Dr Mhairi Aitken warns us that a loyalty card can say a lot about you.
Some shows take the audience on challenging yet rewarding journeys through layers of meaning, interpretations, and staging.
The stunning Grand Auditorium of the Ghillie Dhu provides a spectacular setting for Violetta’s Last Tango and raises high hopes for a marvellous milonga and an evening of songs f…
This trinity of new plays by Scottish playwright Rona Munro are a timely study of nationhood, identity and the consequences of political actions.
We don’t see one of the most important events in the life of James II, just its immediate consequences; a hurried, chaotic, almost dream-like explosion of fear and movement fo…
If we’re to believe Rona Munro, the third James Stewart to rule Scotland was the country’s answer to England’s Edward II; a monarch who, while undoubtedly a man of culture…
An ageing singer in a Buenos Aires cabaret, Violetta refuses to let illness overcome her as she sings her impassioned tango songs each night for her clients.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church close to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with renowned choir and organ.
Fast-paced drama set solely in a motel room where three old high school friends reunite after 10 years apart.
Due to massive demand, six extra, later, and quite probably ruder shows from comedy’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning half-man/half-Xbox.
Newcomers to the city should come to the Jazz Bar regardless of what’s on.
Paul Merton and his highly acclaimed Impro Chums are wonders of nature.
Gary Little isn’t.
The Story of Medieval England From 1066 to 1485 at Roughly Nine Years and Two Jokes Per Minute Incorporating The Hundred Years War as a Football Match and of Course Scottish Indepe…
Paul Dabek deceptively weaves a tangled web of comedy, magic and lies.
Jon Pearson’s tale of a marriage erupting over chewy calamari and rum based cocktails, but who gets the Breaking Bad box-set and how do you split a cat? ‘Brilliant’ (Shropshire Sta…
Accompanying Paul Savage on his quest to find every joke in the Bible is an enjoyable way to spend an hour.
The actress-playwright Laoisa Sexton — who wrote and starred in the bleak, funny and winning “For Love” at the Irish Rep last year — returns with this darkl…
Theatrically interesting in the most accessible of ways, Paul F Taylor opens the show in the guise of an infomercial, claiming to be taking pills that cure him of his comedy lifest…
Paul Foxcroft (everyone’s imaginary friend) and Briony Redman (sitting-room dancer) are doing their hit 2013 sketch show with a couple of new bits to keep each other surprised.
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 …
Performed in the stately Edinburgh Elim church, Mary the Last Farewell is a historical drama about the life of the Queen of Scots.
“Gossip,” we’re told, “travels fast in a valley.
If this show was a stick of rock, it would have “Anger” written all the way through it in blood red: specifically anger at the medical, commercial and political establishments …
Mr Susie, the innocent yet hopelessly confused alien, has one hour to save cabaret.
This is a show about seeing patterns in the random; about time’s ability to change perception; about coming to terms with death and working through depression.
Regulation 18b of the Defence (General) Regulations 1939 is a now little-remembered piece of legislation which came into force just before the outbreak of the Second World War.
The centrally-located art gallery, Dovecot Studios, has provided a lovely break from the madness of fringe with its current offering of exhibitions.
“When a man starts a war against the State, it’s a war he cannot win,” says our nominal hero Willie McKay at the point in this play when the writer presumes we will sympathis…
The Fringe’s late-summer position in the calendar means that few of those who visit the Scottish capital ever experience one particular form of indigenous theatre — pantomime…
William Luce’s 1984 play comes to life in this rendition by the Thespis Studio that is made vivid by the solo acting of Loana Pavelescu.
The award-winning comic’s libellously funny story-telling show on how to find outrageous adventure on a nightly budget of £5.
Following on from last year’s acclaimed show Awkward Hawk, Paul Duncan McGarrity (Amused Moose finalist 2011) looks at the power of schadenfreude, embarrassment, and how being hi…
The fastest and funniest globe-trotting impressionist returns for more comedy action, laughable adventures and romance in this mix of stand-up and stories featuring over 50 movie s…
When seeing a piece of new writing it can be best to have no expectations, to let the play lead you where it will.
Welcome to the World Championships of Boozing 2014! Doesn’t matter if you’re a pitiful alcoholic or a hypocrite teetotaller, this invitation is for you! Come and see what happens …
In addition to their main show at the Pleasance, the writer-performer foursome known as the Beta Males have split into pairs to do something a bit different in the afternoon.
Irish comedian Aidan Killian certainly cuts a surprising figure with his new show; not so much for the long, simple robe he wears, but the fact that he’s shaved off half his bear…
Sometimes, we can miss what’s important.
As a card-carrying, paid-up member of the Grumpy Old Men squad, I occasionally look at all those fresh-faced stand-ups staring out from the posters plastered across the city like S…
Patrick Mulholland and Paul McDaniel return to Edinburgh, and this time they’re full of beans.
The Last Motel by Sheepish Productions is a dark two-hander with a neo-noir style akin to the works of cult film directors Tarantino and Lynch.
Paul Foot’s offstage microphone isn’t working, so the pre-show announcement of Paul Foot - Hovercraft Symphony in Gammon # Major is apparently ruined.
Tim Renkow has cerebral palsy.
Two Soviet cosmonauts orbiting the earth they left behind twelve years earlier.
“Are you ready to party?!” blares the PA at the start of the show and the audience roars in the agreement.
Lewis Schaffer, a 57 year old New York Jew, greets each audience member with a warm handshake as they walk into the dingy, dubiously smelling venue of Lewis Schaffer: Success Is …
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.
‘This is the most inventive and hilarious act I have seen in years’ (Director, Leicester Comedy Festival).
For all its claims of being a one-man show, the stage can get pretty crowded during The Pitiless Storm.
Stephen Bailey—all silver dickie bow tie, floral grey suit and camp demeanour—is clearly in love with love and romance.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I shall now bid you all good day.
Paul Chowdry is perhaps one of the most interesting comedians at the Fringe this year.
We all have them, if we’re honest; those moments in our lives where we’ve reacted without thinking and “put our foot in it”, slipping from innocent victim to outright offen…
Growing up as a kid in the 1970s, my first experiences of academic lectures were either snatches of TV programmes aimed at those studying courses with the Open University (thankful…
The Trouble with Being Des, according to Des Clarke, is that he has an inner demon man child inside him which makes him “weird”—not least within the context of growing u…
During the last few years, Andrew Doyle has made a name for himself as a frequently hilarious, sharply intelligent, and fearless comedian, ready to push his audiences’ tolerance …
“You’ve proved my point: nobody has any respect for me”, McCaffery laments as four latecomers traipse across his stage to their seats, interrupting his flow.
This excellent one-man show from Mark Farrelly portrays the transformation of Denis Charles Pratt, born in suburbia, into Quentin Crisp.
“There has not been a single incidence of Zombieism anywhere in the world to date,” according to Doctor Austin of the Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies, but “this does…
“What is it that frightens you?” Tom Neenan asks at the start of this one-man pastiche of an Edwardian ghost story.
Dane Baptiste is a confident performer.
Being visually impaired, Glaswegian stand-up Jamie MacDonald definitely brings a new meaning to “observational humour”.
Age hasn’t softened Scott Capurro; nor, it has to be said, has marriage.
Four times Scottish champion of close up magic Michael Neto is an assured and amiable stage magician, whose slight of hand is smooth, assured and doubtless the result of decades …
Phil Roach isn’t the first man to be dumped by his girlfriend and realise his life isn’t quite working out as expected but, as Julian Wickham’s “Lifeline” quickly shows, he’s pos…
Louis is one of Canada’s most respected teachers of classical literature.
Legendary DJs, live music, special guests from ‘Lost in Transit’ and other shows around town and who knows what else… see website for details.
A celebration of children and young people in the Performing Arts featuring theatre, literature, music and movement.
This was by far one of the most outstandingly bizarre pieces of theatre I have ever seen; I am still not entirely sure what I actually witnessed, but I know that I liked it.
An intimate musical about two New Yorkers who fall in and out of love over the course of five years.
A dress-up sing-along celebration of everyone’s favourite musicals.
Paul F Taylor and Nick Hodder test out material.
It’s Sunday lunch,and where the roast should be,there’s a tofu casserole! Butcher Albert’s table’s set for a monumental clash of values,knives and hearts.
You must experience the joy in your trousers, projectile vomit, rectal prolapse, bloody urinatin’, baby terminatin’, meth overdosin’, aubergine starin’, racist a-tweetin’, Sharia c…
Something Underground Theatre: Winner, Best New Play Brighton Fringe 2012.
If I told you there was a Liza tribute act at the Fringe, you’d probably expect sequins, smoke, mirrors, lights, kick lines and, of course, an awful lot of dancing around chairs.
Playwright Werner Schwab was just 35 when he died from what must have been quite a drinking spree after a New Year’s Eve party in 1994.
Master character comedian and star of ‘Derek’ and ‘Being Human’ performs all his critically acclaimed, sell-out, weirdly wonderful comedy shows, fresh from his hit Radio 4 series.
“You will not like me,” insists John Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester, at the start of The Libertine; not so much presented an unreliable narrator, more the self-created bad …
Do you have any regrets about your life? Celebrating ten years as a company, The Maydays pose questions to the audience about the last ten years of their own life: whether you have…
Us inhabitants of the British Isles can spend an inordinate amount of our time discussing the weather, yet it doesn’t automatically follow that our “four seasons in a day”c…
Host of Channel 4’s Stand Up For The Week and Star of BBC1’s Live at the Apollo Paul Chowdhry is back in 2014 with his biggest tour to date tackling everything borderline within th…
As part of its contribution to the many debates in Scotland during 2014—sparked into life, of course, by this September’s independence referendum—new National Theatre of Sc…
From the team that brought you the huge success that is Dreamboats and Petticoats, Save the Last Dance for Me will take you back through the “music and magic” of the e…
When the Glasgow-born poet, playwright, song-writer, musician, cartoonist, humorist and story-writer Ivor Cutler died in March 2006, the nation’s obituarists remembered an “una…
Edinburgh’s revered Traverse Theatre has, for many years, defined itself as “Scotland’s new writing theatre”, regularly giving over its stages to a variety of new voices …
Lisa Tierney-Keogh’s sensitive, static drama set on an Irish farm comprises three intertwined monologues.
There’s no doubting that Philip Ridley’s debut play, even now, feels like a strange beast; a modern fairytale of two infantalised and orphaned twins, Presley and Haley, somehow…
Paul Sinha is a stand-up comedian, but you might know him as ‘The Sinnerman’, from ITV’s tea-time quiz, The Chase.
Big, bold and buxom; playwright Tim Barrow’s Union, directed for the Royal Lyceum Theatre’s artistic director Mark Thomson, starts as it means to go on, with blocks of “sce…
Act One is a company full of high quality actors, all of whom were captivating to watch.
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…
Singer-songwriter Shaun Shears sort of fancies himself as a 21st Century reincarnation of the medieval Troubadour, travelling the country performing his songs about life, love and …
Two wooden chairs, some books, an otherwise empty stage.
The idea of some supernatural being falling down to Earth and helping change the lives of us mere mortals is a powerful myth that resonates down human history, from the biologicall…
Comedy improvisers Matt and Ian are sensible enough to start their show with what the unkind might describe as their get-out clause; they admit, from the start, that they ‘might …
Given that, at one point, Jon Ronson describes himself as ‘essentially [just] a humorous journalist out of his depth,’ you might be surprised that the Cardiff-born writer and docum…
Even on paper, this ‘reconnaissance mission into the no-man’s land where death borders storytelling’ has the potential to be either really good or a recipe for self-indulgence; a…
Written by celebrated folk musician Alan Reid, storytelling and songs relate the tale of this controversial and extraordinary 18th-century Scots mariner.
‘Wow’ doesn’t even begin to describe the talents of these two comedians.
Honesty’s important in stand-up; so’s making stuff up, obviously, but audiences can generally sniff out if the person on stage doesn’t – at least for that moment – believe in …
John Rivers is the first to admit he’s not an entertainer and that Poems and Pots isn’t a ‘show’ as such, but hopefully a relaxing opportunity to tease out and encourage the creati…
Playwright Idgie Beau sets out the parameters of A Hundred Minus One Day quickly and economically; 20 year old Jen, who has lived away from home for many years, has returned to her…
There’s an unfortunate earnestness to this short piece from the Bangor English Drama Society, as they attempt with both script and performance to be all grown up and serious about …
‘A successful bachelor is always a puzzle to others,’ says the singer James Dinsmore, playing the composer and actor Ivor Novello.
Last Embrace, a folk musical based on Romeo and Juliet set in Northern Ireland in 1970 at the height of The Troubles, is a true masterpiece of theatre.
Traditional choral evensong and benediction with the renowned choir and organ of this historic church.
In May 2013, David Piper - the modestly-titled ‘Global Ambassador’ for Scottish boutique gin producer Hendrick’s - accompanied master distiller Lesley Gracie and celebrated a…
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church with its renowned choir and organ.
Traditional Catholic Anglican liturgy in this historic church with its renowned choir and organ.
Due to massive demand six extra, later, quite probably ruder shows from comedy’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning half-man, half-Xbox.
A haunting glimpse into one family’s past, Last One Out is a bittersweet tale of loss, memory and grief.
Equipped with his electro-acoustic guitar, Paul Gilbody promises for a magical evening of hearty tunes and ripping beats to drive home a funky Fringe show full of imagination.
Paul Merton and his impro chums return to Edinburgh for their tenth festival run, delivering many more hours of top quality improv.
Doogie Paul may not be the most familiar name in music, but amongst those who know him, both directly and indirectly, he is spoken of with a great deal of admiration.
Improvised comedy is a difficult art to master.
It was wonderfully refreshing to come upon something on the Fringe that, by its very nature, had blown the one hour slot to smithereens; further, that tapped into a reserve of fun …
Playwrights’ Studio Scotland is an independent development organisation for playwrights, working with them across the country, including through its talent development programme.
The British geneticist and evolutionary biologist J B S Haldane once stated his suspicion that ‘the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose’.
On the 26 June 1284, 130 children mysteriously vanished from the town of Hamelin, Germany, for which the Pied Piper has been blamed in legend.
Life’s not easy when you’re a pedant; not that you see yourself as being pedantic, according to Jim Higo, a self-described ‘punk poet, social commentator and general irritant’.
International experiment sharing a story about a woman called Thyme, with local interpretations.
Mike Shephard likes his history and, as a cash-conscious volume-drinker, the prices of rounds of drinks have always easily segued for him into historical anecdotes from the relevan…
Chops is not a piece of naturalistic theatre, but then that’s hardly to be expected, given that this ‘linguistic farce’ by Brooklyn-based artist Kirin McCrory, performed by an all-…
A host of eclectic characters emerge in this electrifying play / poem.
Death Ship 666 is Airplane meets Titanic; an exuberant rollercoaster ride of humorous grotesques, which revels in its own clichés and absurdities.
It’s said that the Devil has all the best tunes, but why shouldn’t the Godless also enjoy the fun and sense of community that comes from gathering on a Sunday morning to enjoy coff…
Canadian Shawn Hitchins bounces onto the stage with puppy-like energy, rushing straight into a ‘blond, brunette and a ginger’ joke to make the point that, as ‘a person of primary c…
Most magic shows you find on the Fringe nowadays are necessarily intimate, close-up affairs – not least because of the size of the available venues, budgets and the ‘close magic’…
This all-female spoken word cabaret claims to offer ‘a veritable smorgasbord of poetry’; yet even though it is, to a certain extent, a daily-changing ‘sampler’ of numerous performa…
Now enjoying its third year in Edinburgh, the Magic Faraway Cabaret has a reputation for presenting the best burlesque, variety and sideshow skills available in the Scottish capita…
Cabarets are, by their very nature, fluid and changeable beasts, especially those in Edinburgh which act as convenient samplers of what’s available elsewhere on the Fringe.
Back by popular demand.
Paul Savage sometimes lies awake at night, convinced he’s a sitcom character.
Paul F Taylor is like a puppy: he has very fluffy hair, oodles of energy and even when he slips up, we still like him.
Before the curtain goes up on one of the most whispered about shows at the Fringe, The Boy with Tape on His Face looks at his already delighted audience with wide eyes and what mus…
I first saw Alexis Dubus perform in 2008, when his ‘A R*ddy Brief History Of Swearing’ provided an interesting spine on which to hang some very funny material – and a justificati…
Last year, with Activism is Fun, comedian Chris Coltrane explained how he had returned to political action after years of apathy, not least because – thanks to the likes of direc…
According to the neat-suited Paul Dabek, the Magic Circle demands that all its members must include a card trick at some point in their act, otherwise there’s a terrible risk of ‘m…
Rolling into Edinburgh with a brand new barnstorming show, The Horne Section will yet again provide the festival’s best musical mayhem.
Popular culture often gets derided by critics because, unlike many of the so-called ‘great’ works of art (you know, the ones that allegedly make you look good when ‘appreciat…
From the start, I must point out that I fully accept that standing up on a stage, making people laugh in a foreign language, even if it’s the ‘lingua franca’ of the western world (…
A musical black comedy staged as an interaction between actor, screen projection and local choir.
In Last Land and Il gioco, DanceBase presents an engaging double bill of contemporary dance which is certain to be loved by dance connoisseurs.
It has been said that the one ‘mercy’ dementia offers is that the person who has it doesn’t know they do; so it is with the emotive subject of this solo play written and perf…
Stephen Schwartz’s musical about Jesus might not be quite as famous as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s counterpart, but it’s just as notorious.
In some 4,000 High Schools across the US, you’ll find a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) group.
One of the delights of the Fringe is that it can throw up the unexpected; so, for example, the first time I hear a delightfully bad-taste joke about a recent double suicide in one …
Returning to, and re-staging, the “classics” is not without challenges, not least because they were often originally written at a time when actors were considerably cheaper to hire…
Ping Pong is an energetic game usually involving two or four people, but this latest stand-up show from Alistair Green is very much a one-man endeavour, with the only significant b…
Identity is a complicated matter for Rick Kiesewetter; not least because, as he points out from the start, his Asian face doesn’t match most people’s expectations of his adoptive f…
The anthemic song ‘We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place’ by The Animals sets the scene for this one-woman, biographical monologue by the writer and performer Monica Bauer.
Nominally, a Gay Straight Alliance is a pupil-based group found in some (though sadly too few) US schools, which meets regularly to discuss issues around homosexuality in order to …
‘I’ll save you yet,’ says the precocious Antony Sandel to the object of his desires, David Rogers.
Kevin Dewsbury is a bloke.
When Broadway veteran and world-famous mime Bill Bowers starts his show talking about sitting in a Hollywood make-up truck at three in the morning, with Hugh Grant to his left and …
Beachy Head in East Sussex has the tallest chalk sea cliffs in Britain, offering some fabulous views along the south east coast and across the English Channel.
Paul Foot, the backwards-haircut (short on top, long on the sides) staple of comedy panel shows, brings his slurring style of delivery and love for all things surreal to the Fringe…
Nearly 30 years after his death, Richard Burton still stands tall among the ghosts of Hollywood, the poor boy from a Welsh mining village whose acting talent and ambition took him …
It was the 13th century Persian poet, Islamic jurist and theologian known to the English-speaking world as Rumi who said that ‘travel brings power and love back into your life’…
‘Officer don’t be a Benny/the thing we saw was MGM-y.
There’s a playful, rough-round-the-edges physicality throughout this new show by Megan Heffernan and Sophie Fletcher.
Having bought a house with his girlfriend the Edinburgh-born comic explores how a decision that comes from a place of love can lead to such fear and uncertainty.
While the BBC’s iconic sci-fi series Doctor Who is currently one of the biggest, most popular shows on television at the moment - and it’s likely to be everywhere this November, wh…
Science reveals, magic conceals, but both can inspire a sense of wonder, according to stage magician Oliver Meech.
This is not the first time Doctor Who has been put on trial.
In the past Kevin Shepherd has apparently used his Fringe shows as a kind of confessional, finding thoughtful humour in his past social and legal misdemeanours.
Character comedy is slowly but surely leeching into stand-up.
If you, like me, are skeptical on the subject of the existence of ghosts, go and see Paul Gannon Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghost.
All new for 2013.
Heard of screenwriter William Goldman’s rule about Hollywood? ‘Nobody knows anything.
You’d be forgiven for assuming that the top British universities these days offer a BA (Hons) course in A Cappella Singing and you’d also be forgiven for assuming that that mea…
Feast your eyes and teeth on the bizarre, absurd and delicate world of Paul Currie.
There’s a point in every show when stand-up Scott Agnew drops what he calls ‘the G bomb’; that is, he mentions that he’s gay.
Witty, full of puns, and anything but uninteresting, Name in Lights is a free-flowing performance that bears an aura of genuineness.
Dan Nightingale wants us to like him.
When a performer reaches a certain level of stardom, the reviews may come in easier than ever before; with prime venue, time slots and media attention, life is made all that much e…
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…
Rosie Thorn lives in Featherington-On-The-Wold and Patsy Cornish lives in Chavlington-On-The-Wold.
It’s not that The Improverts aren’t funny.
Eat $h*t has a strong environmental presence and the message is clear: our excrement could save the world if we could just leave behind the taboo and get over our poo phobia.
It might seem an absurd idea to run a musical in the West End for just a week.
The challenge with this musical has always been that, with only one actor on stage for most of the play, he or she must always be acting and can never take refuge in reacting or in…
I am Google is listed as Comedy, Interactive and Stand-up.
Sarah Archer’s adorable daughter invites us into the venue and welcomes her mother onto the stage, a fitting introduction for an adorable show.
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.
We are warned at the beginning of this show that audience interaction is imminent.
Stand-up comedy can be awkward when the audience is small.
You may have heard of a play-within-a-play but a musical-within-a-musical is another matter entirely.
Can watching someone else’s psychedelic trip be interesting? This show proves that with the right cast, it can certainly have dazzling moments of fun.
At the heart of Allotment is a simple, visual metaphor: the burial and later uncovering of objects in the earth that clearly mirrors the suppression and later resurrection of memor…
The Putney Players, a US ensemble comprised of High School students who only met three weeks ago, bring an original interview-based docu-play to the Fringe for the fifth year.
Ellipsis Theatre, comprised of 18-year-old A-Level students Tess Gee, Georgia Evans, and Lucy Johnstone, put on an incredibly ambitious performance that they should be highly comme…
Percurso aims to emulate human emotions and relations through the movements of a river, but the water they inhabit is cluttered and murky.
Tom Owen does well to capture the raw physicality of Beckett’s anti-hero in this new production of Krapp’s Last Tape.
The ‘last days’ of the title is used in a Milennarian sense – we are at Judas’s Judgement Day, at a trial which ostensibly will determine whether Judas should be released f…
There’s a point in the torpid Last Train From Holyhead when the actor, Mick Lally, is left alone on stage waiting, it appears, for a light cue.
In 1999, Anna Bagenholm became trapped under ice after a skiing accident.
Paul McCaffrey seems less like a performer and more like a mate in a pub.
Can a magician’s hand really be faster than the human eye? Paul Dabek may well use that serious question as an excuse for a simple physical joke, but by the end of this excellent…
Lewis Schaffer’s schtick is that he is an ex New York Jew making his way in this strange foreign land and hating every minute of it.
The concept of Bite Size is a perfectly simple, yet novel one, and the clue really is in the title.
Based on the best-selling book by John Gray, this one-man educational show starring Ian Houghton is like a much funnier (and much cheaper) relationship counseling session.
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…
Thankfully, the title of this show is misleading.
Matthew John Curtis is famous.
Starting with a school-girl strip routine that ends in crucifixion, The Wau Wau Sisters Last Supper continues at a strapping pace, moving from Southern Country Singers to Hippy-c…
This is a one-man show with a difference: the actor is also a magician.
Say what you will about ventriloquists, theres no denying their talent.
There is no such thing as a show that is too silly.
Lisa Tierney-Keogh’s Four Last Things is an evocative, but turbid, journey through the Irish country landscape and all unspoken things.
A dinner party and a stand-up comedy performance might not seem to have much in common - and, in social terms, they don’t - but Xavier Toby gamely welcomed his first Edinburgh au…
Like much of the comedy currently clogging up Edinburgh, Toby Hadoke’s latest show is fundamentally about the man on stage, about his life experiences and his personal relationsh…
This is a highly ambitious musical that seeks to shed light on the history of Redditch, a Midlands town that was responsible for Britain’s needle trade in the 19th century.
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…
An actor Jack Treadwell known to his friends as Tread is giving his very last lecture/performance on dramatic method and the art of acting.
From the bewildering title to the closing dance number, this show is an hour of surprises, both comic and moving.
Matador, you say? As in, red capes and bulls and Spanish people? For an hour? And it’s comedy?Thankfully, the matador pretence is dropped in the first ten minutes of Asher Trelea…
An old man living in a shed is starting to lose his memory and starts to post lists of things to remember on the shed’s walls.
When someone sits down to write a musical, it’s rare that they dream up a piece of work that is befitting to a small performance space, shying away from spotlights and microphones …
How many US Presidents does it take to run a country? Three, apparently - and in the late 90s that was Bill, Billy and Hillary Clinton.
Imagine if David Starkey did a Fringe show.
Contrary to what some critics might suggest, it’s not a comfortable experience seeing someone ‘coming off the rails’ on stage, especially when they’re clearly talented and …
A marvellously vulgar performance of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape was performed upstairs at The Lectern last night, by the absolutely faultless Aidan Stephenson.
Paul Ricketts is a natural storyteller.
If we believe everything we see, at least on the video screen, the stage mentalist Doug Segal can get from his hotel bed to the venue — stopping off mid-route to buy a lottery ti…
Those looking for a bit of relief from the frenetic pace of the Festival can find it underground, in the idiosyncratic Jazz Bar on Chambers Street.
Backed by ethereal, moody themes produced by the aptly titled Ragged Ragtime Band, Rex Ingram’s silent film version of The Magician was brought up from the vault to revel in the …
Oh dear.
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 …
The surreal, imaginative landscape of Chris Harrison’s Last Night Things Happened is a journey to the implausible, back-flipping through the nonsensical, spiraling into the whims…
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…
Traverse has presented the most elegant of double bills for the Fringe by showcasing two of Scotland’s prized playwrights, David Greig and David Harrower.
A man singing Liza Minnelli in drag.
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.
The youth of Captivate Drama’s front of house staff and their venue at the Edinburgh Academy led me to expect a school play.
The focus in this studio production is on the music and on the actors voices: Jason Robert Browns jazz pop score and our double-star combo can hardly fail to please! Every son…
The Jazz Bar’s crowd on Sunday the 12th August was a bit of a mix.
Particularly when compared to the polite folk of Edinburgh, Glaswegians have a reputation for talking.
Imagine a story with two puppets struggling for consciousness, a sinister East-End Orator, and an arty pinch of German Expressionism and what do you have? A modern fairytale that a…
Taking immersive theatre to the next level, Applespiel have launched into this year’s Fringe with a set of corporate seminars, designed to improve everyone’s awareness of thems…
It’s no small challenge to summarise a country and its history in a single hour, which is perhaps why Carolyn Anona Scott and Jack Foster instead choose to pay ‘homage’ to Sc…
If there’s a book you’re guaranteed to come across in a literature degree, it’s Beowulf.
Conference of Strange is in the form of a lecture, and it’s 30 minutes (not an hour as billed), and it opens with a woman ironing a projection screen, and then the air, and then …
In his book about the onset of his wife’s dementia, former ITN journalist John Suchet explained that the one ‘mercy’ he could see about the condition was that the person with…
Paul Merton introduces a selection of silent film classics, featuring Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Laurel & Hardy.
This is Soap takes improv comedy to a new level - forget sketch shows, musicals or short-form games.
Where Theatre In Heights’ production of this new musical is strongest is in its capacity to entertain.
You know something’s different about a show when the people in the first three rows - also known as the slosh pit - are issued with cheap Scotland-branded ponchos.
Love Child is the story of two women - a mother and daughter - who have never met; the former gave the latter away at her birth, the daughter returns to seek out her lost parent.
From Richard Lloyd’s first movements onto the stage as the recently bankrupted and homeless Samuel Thwaites, I knew this would be an exceptional performance.
A broken engagement, recovery from alcoholism, unemployment.
I must start with two clear statements.
The exquisitely moustached showman Donny Vomit was just 14, visiting an Oklahoma County Fair, when he saw a man swallow a long balloon.
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.
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�…
Principal Parts is a play within a play.
There’s a long tradition of the gentleman thief - not least in Edinburgh, the city of Deacon Brodie - so it probably seemed apt to bring to the Fringe an adaptation of Eleanor Up…
Fringe regulars may remember the moment towards the beginning of last year’s Festival, when performers, media and audiences alike slowly caught wind of the London riots, followin…
I’m one of those people.
Science Shows for Schools have take three of their popular science presentations for schools and turned them into a 50 minute production for children at the Zoo Aviary.
It all starts with two boys and a girl, sat in a bare living room, late one evening.
Glasgow’s Tramway has a reputation for cutting-edge visual and performing arts; so it’s something of a radical change for them to join Glasgow’s other theatrical venues with …
Written and animated by the alleged French “polymath” François Sarhan, Enough Already incorporates live music, theatre and film in a frustratingly pretentious, paralysingly du…
The Pathhead Halls on the corner of Commercial Street and Broad Wynd, Kirkcaldy, Fife were built in 1882, originally as a theatre and music hall although one room was later used fo…
There’s a brazen, wonderfully self-conscious theatricality in how director Dominic Hill approaches Chris Hannan’s new stage adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s iconic novel, C…
There is one word that, quite deliberately, is never uttered by anyone on stage during the National Theatre of Scotland’s Let The Right One In—vampire.
Although based on true events, the story of Calum’s Road is so unique that it comes with a strong sense of some greater story being told, one of mythical proportions.
Children’s and young adult’s fiction have long been populated by orphans, characters who are both usefully free from parental restraints while also cut adrift from the traditio…
Inter-generational relationships are always controversial, especially when questions of predatory abuse arise in these Savile-dominated times.
Now I’m all for messing with Shakespeare.
There are actually plenty of comedy options at the Fringe if you want to avoid the ‘affable young bloke in jeans and a t-shirt telling jokes’ but perhaps none further removed t…
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 …
There is very little I can say about Adolf without ruining the game.
Presumably the mention of Katrina and the Waves, Lulu or Bucks Fizz will have a reader questioning why they’re making an appearance in a review about a cappella electro singing.
When does real life stop and the cabaret begin? Or the cabaret stop and real life return? On this occasion, Markee de Saw and Bert Finkle offer no simple or easy answers in this in…
Chris Coltrane is the first to admit that any political radicalism he might once have possessed had faded over time, thanks in part to a depressing sense of powerless after the UK …
Paul McCaffrey can very much be categorised as an observational comedian.
Arguably the most famous Scottish story written by an Englishman is re-imagined as One Flew Over The Cuckoo Nest by the National Theatre of Scotland, and showcases a remarkable sol…
From the start, you know that Tomás Ford isn’t your ordinary late night showman.
Fiona Paul wants to take us to ‘Pleasure Level 10’; starting with handing out Jaffa Cakes on the door, she very nearly succeeds.
At one point in this freewheeling show, Paul Foot pulls out a heap of colourfully illustrated flashcards and asks us to yield to the ‘glimpses’ of jokes they contain.
The 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…
Ideally Edgar Allan Poe’s works should be read in the dead of night, in an armchair by a crackling fire with the slow tap of wintry branches against the window.
Arguments and Nosebleeds is becoming a little nugget of tradition, a one-off poetry performance — now in its third year — that gives a platform to a host of Scottish poets, alo…
Jean Paul Jones is an eighteenth-century US naval commander with Scottish roots; and this is the musical of his life.
Paul Merton, Lee Simpson, Suki Webster, Richard Vranch and Jim Sweeney improvise for an hour using suggestions from the audience.
Whether you know much about Chekhov or not, Anton’s Uncles still has something for you.
Paul Zerdin is clearly an accomplished ventriloquist.
Take two of Cambridge’s Footlights, give them guitars, throw them in front of a crowd full of people and watch the magic happen.
Paul Sinha has yet to really breakout, although hes been building a solid stand-up foundation over the years at the Fringe.
Jason Robert Brown’s The Last 5 Years is one of those musicals whose fanbase has crept up despite seldom being treated to professional productions, but it deserves every fan it can…
It’s a beautiful day at the Fringe and I’m sat on the top deck of a red bus in the Meadows.
In these increasingly cash-strapped times putting on any musical on the Fringe is worthy of praise, even if — with a cast of six accompanied by electric piano and drums — the d…
As a show, NGGRFG has one obvious problem: people are either uncertain how to say it, or are simply reluctant to say out loud the two words it represents, because — quite underst…
Among the delights of the Fringe are the opportunities it occasionally presents to see quality performers in more intimate, personal projects.
It’s been said before, it will be said again, people will say it for years and years to come.
Cover is a show about lies and manipulation.
‘Him’ is a bitter, old, eccentric writer, living alone in a dirty flat writing tampon advertisements while the poetry that made him a best seller gathers dust on the shelves.
In an increasingly categorised Fringe (this year added Spoken Word to an already multi-colour-coded Fringe programme), it can still be a delight to come upon a show that just doesn…
The Australian duo of musical comedian Sammy J and puppeteer Heath McIvor - best known for his purple puppet Randy - are now experienced Fringe regulars who, quite rightly, are mor…
Nick and Andrew are brothers, but that doesn’t mean they’re alike.
The Early Edition covers each day’s news, with different guests for every performance, so it is highly probable that the quality of the show must vary too.
In a small room to the side of a tapas bar, bathed in red and yellow light and curtained from floor to ceiling, a calm, hypnotic voice starts us on a journey through the history of…
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a director’s dream.
Three tables, each filled with the paraphernalia of different daytime meals; on each table, there’s an hourglass, progressively smaller.
From the start Richard Purnell (the short one) and Gary From Leeds (the horribly tall one) insist that their teaming up as ‘360 degree poetry consultants’ is not a gimmick.
Sketch comedy duo Chris O’Niell and Paul Valenti started last night with a bit of a mountain to climb.
While Green’s professionalism for going ahead with his solo performance with a tiny audience is worth a mention, this shouldn’t distract from the most important point: that his…
The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown is one of those shows talked about by Musical aficionados across the world.
Despite a long and successful career in both British film and theatre, Dame Margaret Rutherford is now best remembered for a role she didn’t, initially, care for at all — Agath…
A show about shows is not the most original idea there has ever been but Dan Nightingale’s ‘what might have been?’ take on performing in this year’s Edinburgh Fringe provid…
Describing his genre as ‘racist comedy’ and insisting that the show is not funny, Paul Chowdhry presents 55 minutes of offensive material that is often as uncomfortable as it i…
Other Voices promised much — ‘comedy, politics, naughty lyrics, free sweets… And a veritable smorgasbord of poetry antics’, but the most significant terminology on its titl…
Four girls and their matron retell six Ovidian fables in a Victorian boarding school.
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, …
Many comics wouldnt risk starting a show chatting about their hernia, but Tonkinson quickly gets up close and personal with his audience and their experiences.
Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly played to a packed Queen’s Hall with his own brand of low-key folk-rock, featuring only him and his nephew Dan Kelly, who played guitar an…
The Glasgow King’s Theatre panto, which last year marked its half century, is a much-loved institution in the city.
I live in Edinburgh and choose to go to this throughout the year because it is so good week after week.
Mid-afternoon, an audience of just 10 people is not what most standups would want to see in front of them.
From a rolling mass of protruding limbs, encased in a stomach-like skin which at first appears to be a boulder, five performers are regurgitated.
There are many things you can say about Chris Cross; that he’s a shrinking violet is not one of them.
Neil LaBute’s companion plays Land of the Dead and Helter Skelter explore a sudden change in life situations, portrayed through the lives of two couples.
Lewis Schaffer’s show is called Free Until Famous.
Following last year’s success with Sunday in the Park With George, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s OneAcademy Productions have returned to the work of Stephen Sondheim in…
The Putney players are made up of High School students from the United States, whose premise is that they travel to the UK; interview people, then write a show based on those conve…
‘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…
Hinge Theatre’s Dorian is a stage adaptation of Will Self’s novel Dorian, itself an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde original, The Picture Of Dorian Gray.
It is midsummer night in Sweden, and in the servant quarters of his Lordship’s manor a dance is being held.
The score of this heartfelt musical is stunning.
I never thought I’d describe a strip club as ‘oddly atmospheric,’ but an empty strip club really is.
Do you love Alex? Let me tell you, if you are going to put A Clockwork Orange on, the audience simply has to love Alex.
If comedy often rises out of adversity, could this help explain how Northern Ireland has proved such fertile ground over the years — from Frank Carson and Roy Walker to Patrick K…
Returning after bringing all of the noise in 2018, David’s had time to reflect on one heck of a year.
It was the title, I must admit, which first attracted me to review Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation; its promise of combining "stage action and illust…
Theatre-making manifestos always make me wary, in part because I'm inherently suspicious of portentous artists in any field: "The aim is not to depict the real, but to mak…
A coveted Bobby has been presented to five shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year.
Catherine DuBord provides some insights into the lives of Zelda and Scott F Fitzgerald, the subject of her show, The Last Flapper at the Edinburgh Fringe
Ditch the messy arts and crafts this half-term and entertain your little darlings with the best live family friendly performances Brighton and Hove have to offer instead.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year (apart from Brighton Fringe, of course) and there are plenty of delightful performances to entertain you this winter.
Welcome to our top 5 picks from the third year of Brighton HorrorFest, the spooktacular celebration from Sweet of all things that go bump in the night.
All this week we've got some fantastic offers on your favourite West End shows. Check back daily for the latest offers.
Greenwich Theatre is set to have an unprecedented profile at this year’s Brighton Fringe, with no less than eight productions heading for The Warren either co-produced or support...
With Easter on the horizon it’s time to turn attention to Brighton Fringe with a look at some shows that are likely to sell out. Book early – you have been warned.
Audiences have only six weeks left to see the critically acclaimed West End production of Sir Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser which brings together a multi award-winning cast and cr...
Bobby Winner Ten Storey Love Song (adapted by Luke Barnes from the Richard Milward novel) is a play cum techno gig about five wretched tower-block inhabitants who deserve better fr...
Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter film series, The Syndicate) and Niamh Cusack (Heartbeat, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time) will appear in Unfaithful by Owen McCafferty...
The elderly residents of a care home just off the A1 are waiting to die, some of them less quietly than others.
Brighton Fringe has officially launched.
Christmas is the one time of year you can drag your non-theatre-going friends to the theatre.
Rona Munro, writer of the three James Plays – critically acclaimed and popular with audiences at the 2014 Edinburgh International Festival – has a new collaboration with Stephe...
If you're looking for a late night bite then take a trip to the small but perfectly formed Storries Bakery on Leith Walk.
There's a hidden gem in Nicolson Square, tucked away in a green and pleasant corner, and it's called The Well Cafe.
If you're looking for a beast of a pie then look no further than the massive beauty that is Mums' Venison and Red Currant - Today's Pie of the Day.
Today's sumptuous serving needs no real introduction.
So here it is, Tasty Monster's inaugural EdFringe Pie of the Day! And where better to start than Auld Jock's Pie Shoppe, named for the master of Greyfriar's Bobby, a gem hidden in ...
The much-loved creation of character actor, Joanna Neary, ‘Celia’ - housewife and host – returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2015.
Sophia Walker posted a message to Facebook as encouragement to her fellow Fringe performers. We liked it, and with her permission are re-publishing it here.
From armed robbery to arson and murder, The Kray Twins were a nasty pair - so why has history made them glamorous? Playwright Camilla Whitehill explains how her reaction to po...
Acclaimed choreographers and performers Ramesh Meyyappan and Claire Cunningham bring two startling – and highly personal – shows to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Gideon and Hubcap have toured over 300 of America's living rooms with this, their homemade home-show, and now welcome you into their world of belly laughs, outrageous stories and...
European Slam Champion MiKo Berry is a founder of Loud Poets, a spoken-word collective bringing their second show to the Scottish Storytelling Centre this August.
Focus people! David Mills returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with brand new, razor sharp rants delivered with his signature cocktail swagger and his biting, acerbic wit.
This year, Colin Leggo is bringing his debut hour to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
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!
The Nutty Professor and his Amazing Magic Bubble Show promises to amaze adults and kids alike! Broadway Baby finds out more.
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.
Lewis Ironside is the director of Shit-faced Shakespeare, everyone's favourite inebriated classical theatre series, returning to the Fringe for the fifth year with a run at the Und...
Doctor Austin of the renowned Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies, based in the University of Glasgow, has come to educate the Edinburgh Fringe about the inevitable Zombie Apo...
Described as a “theatrical maverick” with “a propensity for fearless experiment” by the Financial Times, writer-director David Leddy returns to Edinburgh with two productio...
Game-keeper turned poacher? Liam Rudden may be Entertainment Editor for the Edinburgh Evening News, but he also has decades’ experience as a writer and director for the stage–i...
Storyteller, Fiona Herbert tells Martin Walker she knows about everything from tee-total vegan dinner parties to dolphin assault; getting dumped at sea to getting dumped on Skype...