Shows at Assembly George Square Theatre

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Ivy Paige: Seduction

Ivy Paige: Seduction

Ivy Paige opens her show gliding on stage in full sequins and crystals, elegantly poised as the heady beats of It’s Raining Men blasts in the background. She injects energy with her mere presence, and welcomes us as her lovers past, present and future – because ‘pronouns all sound the same when you have a ball gag in your mouth’... 

Laurence Clark: An Irresponsible Father's Guide to Parenting

Laurence Clark: An Irresponsible Father's Guide to Parenting

When I heard the Radio 5 live interview with Laurence Clark at the end of July, I was immediately struck by the sense that this was a really nice guy: level-headed, easy-going, articulate and sensitive... 

Andrew Maxwell: Shake a Leg

Andrew Maxwell: Shake a Leg

Area 51, Brexit, holding midfielders and bouncy castles. There is an odd pattern here against the political backdrop of this show, tied together by the toothy grin of a cheery, well-travelled Irish comedian... 

Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist

Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist

Some shows are a must-see simply because of the title, and Tilda Swinton Answers An Ad On Craigslist is about the best title for a play I’ve encountered in several years of reviewing... 

For Robin Williams: A Benefit Gig in Aid of Mind and SAMH

For Robin Williams: A Benefit Gig in Aid of Mind and SAMH

We miss Robin Williams. Tonight, four years after his passing, we will celebrate him. And hopefully raise a helluva lot of money for two great mental health charities. How can we not, with a show helmed by the co-host dream team of Ed Gamble and Nish Kumar, and a smashing array of ace guests, including Felicity Ward, Sofie Hagen and Stu Goldsmith... 

The Worst Little Warehouse in London

The Worst Little Warehouse in London

The Worst Little Warehouse In London is crammed into The Box, which appears to be an actual shipping crate housed in Assembly Gardens. Such a location could not be more appropriate a place to house Lala Barlow and Robbie Smith, the real life couple that tell the audience the story of their first year in London and the roommates they lived with in a manner that packs a lot of weight onto their shoulders... 

All Change

All Change

All Change is a new bittersweet comedy about growing old. Ivor appears physically robust, but somehow fragile; not unhappy, yet not quite there, the world inside his brain a psychedelic mixture of the present and the past... 

Lazy Susan: Forgive Me, Mother!

Lazy Susan: Forgive Me, Mother!

Freya Parker and Celeste Dring are back at the Fringe with a refreshingly light-hearted slice of sketch show comedy. Their well-structured selection of set-pieces and comedic episodes make for an enjoyable hour of entertainment... 

Maureen Lipman Is 'Up for It'

Maureen Lipman Is 'Up for It'

Maureen Lipman more than qualifies for National Treasure status; she’s shared the stage with everyone from Olivier to Hugh Jackman and has appeared in Oscar winning movies and national advertising campaigns... 

Japan Marvelous Drummers

Japan Marvelous Drummers

Having performed in over 20 countries across the globe, Japan Marvelous Drummers use the traditional instruments of Japan, including drums of all sizes, the Koto harp, bamboo flutes and clarinet, to create a truly unique show... 

Amsterdam Underground Comedy Collective

Amsterdam Underground Comedy Collective

For the last 25 years, comedian collective Comedytrain has been responsible for every major talent in Holland. The collective has its own comedy club (Toomler) in Amsterdam – which was the first Dutch stage for international stars like Trevor Noah, Jim Jefferies, Daniel Kitson and many more... 

A Good Enough Girl?

A Good Enough Girl?

It’s 2025 - a world of mystery, spies and secret missions. The history of women has been erased but in every regime there’s a resistance… are you courageous enough to write their stories all over again... 

Mengele

Mengele

Mengele by Philip Wharam and Tim Marriott. 1979, a beach in Brazil, a drowning man meets a mysterious woman who cajoles, questions and flatters him into defending the indefensible. A warning from the past for what happens when the world buys into hatred and bigotry... 

(sorry)

(sorry)

What does it mean to be a millennial? One stands before you, trying to process her three most pressing concerns: job exploitation, crumbling friendship and the imminent apocalypse. She has an overwhelming need to share... 

Josh Berry: Voice Thief

Josh Berry: Voice Thief

Josh Berry is a Voice Thief. Whether it’s Andy Murray, Jacob Rees Mogg, Daniel Radcliffe or even Prince Harry – his uncanny and hilarious impressions will leave you wondering whether he has in fact stolen these voices from the very people themselves… 

Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue

Oxford's premier all-male a cappella sensation are back for their 15th year in a row! With over 16 million hits on YouTube, the Fringe's biggest selling student show is sure to bring smiles all around... 

Meet the Little Prince!

Meet the Little Prince!

When famous author/pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who lived many different lives, meets The Little Prince, two adventurous explorers discover the world and what is important in life... 

Don Juan

Don Juan

Don Juan: the world's greatest lover, the most audacious of men. He does whatever he wants, lives big and loves big. An epic celebration of the boldness of love, Don Juan is an interactive performance party... 

James Hancox: Sports for the Unsporty

James Hancox: Sports for the Unsporty

Do you have the heart of an athlete, but the skills of a toddler? Then this is the show for you! James Hancox is rubbish at sports. As a response he's invented his own, and plans to unveil them to the world... 

Zimbabwe Sculptures

Zimbabwe Sculptures

Zimbabwean artists make some of the best stone sculptures in the world. Vhukutiwa Gallery continues to present a range of work from young artists and established names. Inspiration is drawn from natural and spirit life... 

Thrones! The Musical Parody

Thrones! The Musical Parody

Total sell-out in 2015, 2016 and 2017! Updated with new deaths and sexcapades from seventh series. From the twisted minds of Baby Wants Candy. 'A resounding success' ***** (Sunday Times)... 

Jon Harvey: TreasuRETROve

Jon Harvey: TreasuRETROve

Intrepid pop-culture archaeologist Jon is on a mission, hunting gems for his treasuRETROve of the world’s most unintentionally ingenious films and telly, to save them from being lost to the ravages of time and good taste... 

David O'Doherty: You Have to Laugh

David O'Doherty: You Have to Laugh

Unhook your mindbras. David O'Doherty is back in Edinburgh with a brand-new show made up of talking and songs played on a crappy keyboard from 1986. As seen on BBC Two's Live at the Apollo and Channel 4's 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. 

Michael Griffiths: Songs by Kylie

Michael Griffiths: Songs by Kylie

He's been Annie Lennox, Madonna and Cole Porter to great acclaim. Now Helpmann Award winner Michael Griffiths explores the songs, stories and locomotion of pop princess, Kylie Minogue... 

Drip Feed

Drip Feed

Cork. 1998. Brenda and her best pal are part of the city's furniture. Dancing on tables and 3am breakfast rolls. But what if you wake up hungover and broken on the wrong person's doorstep, realise you've got it wrong, all wrong, and it might just be too late? From award-winning producers Soho Theatre comes a fast, infectious, dark comedy about the messiness of being youngish, female and queer in Ireland... 

Djuki Mala

Djuki Mala

Best Dance: Adelaide and Perth Fringe 2017. International dance sensations and landmark dance/theatre company that took the world by storm are back with their critically acclaimed smash-hit production... 

Gingzilla: Glamonster vs the World

Gingzilla: Glamonster vs the World

The multi award-winning Gingzilla is on a mission to conquer the world! Gingzilla: Glamonster vs the World presents gender equality and femininity from the 1950s to now. ***** (GlamAdelaide... 

Dilruk Jayasinha: The Art of the Dil

Dilruk Jayasinha: The Art of the Dil

It's been a big year for Sri Lankan born Dilruk Jayasinha. From selling out at comedy festivals around his adopted homeland, Australia, Dil has quickly established himself as one of the most refreshing and exciting voices in Australian comedy... 

Calling My Tribe

Calling My Tribe

We are the ones that fall between Gen-X and Gen-Y. Too young to be old and too old to be young. One minute it was all Ebeneezer Goode and now we're here. But what is here? It's a drawer full of magic youth creams and zero f*cks... 

David O'Doherty: Big Time

David O'Doherty: Big Time

O’Doherty is back with his mini-keyboard, flopping hair, and uninhibited attitude, but this time in one of the most prestigious venues that the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has to offer... 

Perhaps Perhaps Quizás

Perhaps Perhaps Quizás

I have a great admiration for clowning; whilst superficially there is most certainly a stereotype of the heavily made-up children’s entertainer doing nothing more than blowing up dog-shaped balloons and being silly for a couple of hours, there is actually a great deal of technical ability required to clown (especially when utilised in a one-woman show in front of an adult Fringe audience)... 

Half Breed

Half Breed

Natasha Marshall’s Half Breed is a vibrant and moving monologue about what it is like to grow up mixed race in a parochial white community. The one-woman show follows the story of Jazmin, a mixed race girl who lives with her grandmother in a in rural West Country village, where everyone around her is white... 

Jamie Wood: I Am a Tree

Jamie Wood: I Am a Tree

Comedian/guru Jamie Wood returns with his new show I Am A Tree in Assembly’s enchantingly draped gypsy-chic Omnitorium theatre space. The audience are welcomed in warmly with hugs and soothing words into this tribal sanctuary by a druid-like Jamie Wood in his ancient black robes... 

Juan Vesuvius: I am Your Deejay

Juan Vesuvius: I am Your Deejay

New Zealand’s Barnie Duncan has created a perfect comedy persona; he’s believable enough as a character but ridiculous in so many perfectly pitched ways. Using a brilliant blend of wordplay, confused translations and some sublime physical comedy, Duncan shows that he’s deserving of comedy superstar status... 

Tatterdemalion

Tatterdemalion

Solo comedy show Tatterdemalion’s Henry Maynard is charming, ridiculous, adorably pathetic and completely enchanting as he frolics about excitedly miming out conversation to audience members... 

Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue

I remember the time when, several years ago, Out of the Blue came to my school and did an assembly. One of its members had been a student there, and wanted to come and visit again. In an arduous disarray of teenage angst, I remember distinctly thinking that I was far too cool for acapella, and swore I wouldn’t ever be caught at one of their shows, even if you paid me... 

Oyster Boy

Oyster Boy

Oyster Boy is a comic telling of the fictional relationship between two young lovers on Coney Island and their subsequent journey into marriage. As newlyweds on a trip to Paris they are treated to fresh oysters, and soon the aphrodisiac starts to kick in… Fast forward nine months to the birth of their first child - Sam - and we learn that perhaps the seafood has had more of a lasting effect than just a salty aftertaste... 

The Establishment: Eton Mess

The Establishment: Eton Mess

Satire can often be found at the root of absurdism. Usually when the world gets too unusual to be commented on accurately through traditional means, artists look to surreal narratives and comedy to express astute views... 

Boris & Sergey's One Man Extravaganza

Boris & Sergey's One Man Extravaganza

The technical choreography from Flabbergast Theatre that delivers this consistently joyful, yet bleak, puppetry extravaganza is exceptional. Boris & Sergey, leather puppet brothers from the Balkans, are typical anti-heroes who are struggling to hold together their deeply competitive relationship long enough to pull through their hour-long variety show... 

Djuki Mala

Djuki Mala

Djuki Mala, formerly known as the Chooky Dancers, rose to fame ten years ago with a viral YouTube video of Aboriginal dancers performing Zorba the Greek in homage to a Greek woman who cared for the sister of one of the troupe... 

Andrew Maxwell: Showtime

Andrew Maxwell: Showtime

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. Notes aside, this wasn't what you got once Maxwell had finished sashaying around the stage to his entrance music... 

Wereldband: Släpstick

Wereldband: Släpstick

On first viewing the stage I thought I would try and count all the instruments I could see scattered around waiting to be played. My attempt did not last long as I soon realised there were far too many... 

Bump

Bump

If you’re in search of the next big thing this Fringe, look no further. In Bump, 22-year-old Lily is horrified to discover she is pregnant after a one-night stand. With no-one to turn to, we meet her in the waiting room of an abortion clinic as she tentatively recounts the events that led her here... 

Tom and Bunny Save the World

Tom and Bunny Save the World

The novelty musical gets its fair share of traction over the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Fat Rascal Theatre are attempting to stake their claim as rulers of the field. Their other show, Buzz, a musical about vibrators, was a hit at last year’s festival... 

For Robin Williams: A Benefit Gig in Aid of Mind and SAMH

For Robin Williams: A Benefit Gig in Aid of Mind and SAMH

We miss Robin Williams. Tonight, three years after his passing, we will celebrate him. And hopefully raise a helluva lot of money for two great mental health charities. Line-up will include: Ed Gamble, Tom Ballard, Sofie Hagen, Butt Kapinski, John Kearns, and Iain Stirling, alongside Steve Pretty on fanfare duties... 

Moonlight After Midnight

Moonlight After Midnight

If Moonlight After Midnight were easier to follow, I’m sure it would make for an incredible piece from Concrete Drops Theatre. However, as it stands, I felt very much like a ‘lay person’ in the audience, witnessing something that was way above my comprehension, even as a regular theatre-goer... 

Ed Byrne: Spoiler Alert

Ed Byrne: Spoiler Alert

Ed Byrne's latest show is based around the notion that as a generation we are all spoilt. Ed Byrne is spoilt. So too are his children. Though he justifies this by saying that he's giving his children the start in life that he didn't have... 

Brutal Cessation

Brutal Cessation

Described by its creator as a two-actor play of “a relationship rotting” and a manifestation of domestic “purgatory”, it quite quickly becomes apparent through this tense and engrossing performance that this is an understatement... 

Damien Power – Utopia: Now in 3D!

Damien Power – Utopia: Now in 3D!

The translation of the word utopia, if my Ancient Greek (and Wikipedia) haven't let me down, is "no-place". Simply put, utopia is an ideal; it's a fantasy that can never be manifested in the real world... 

Hairy Maclary

Hairy Maclary

Nonsense Room Productions are no strangers to the Edinburgh Festival, having first debuted Hairy Maclary all the way back in 2010. Returning once more, their experience was apparent with a solid, well-structured and energetic performance... 

Whales

Whales

Don't just watch Fringe shows, BE in one! Whales gives you the opportunity to participate in this interactive performance either as a whale rescuer or as a whale. It's easy, fun and once in a lifetime chance to experience being a stranded whale... 

Snap

Snap

'The best magic show in 2016 Edinburgh Fringe' (BroadwayWorld.com) and Best Production at Asian Arts Award 2016. The world's greatest illusion artists from Korea bring you an astounding, enchanting experience of a lifetime... 

One With Everything

One With Everything

Strange physical theatre with soul-lined theatrics and odd feats. Awkward stories and acrobatics with heart. Observe the vulnerable gold. Have no fear. One With Everything is a hybrid of physical theatre, dance, comedy, music and storytelling that dives into an altered-state universe while frolicking in themes of love, desire, masculinity and whales... 

Ruby Redfort

Ruby Redfort

The first ever stage adaptation of Lauren Child's bestselling mystery series, 'one of the best things to happen to British fiction' (Sunday Times). When the world's greatest criminal masterminds target a supernatural statue, it's up to Ruby – code-breaker, special agent and 13-year-old girl – to crack the case... 

One Man Shoe

One Man Shoe

When the headline act fails to show up, Jango, a bumbling theatre caretaker, is suddenly thrust into the limelight and embarks on a hilarious journey of highly crafted and heartfelt silent comedy, as he magically finds his way to realise his dream of transforming into a star! Jango's unique style of silent physical theatre includes contemporary circus clowning, slapstick comedy, puppetry, juggling and absurd magic... 

The Omnitorium's Rotating Roster of Erudite Amusements and Motley Delights

The Omnitorium's Rotating Roster of Erudite Amusements and Motley Delights

Devilish diversions and arcadian amusements to while away the wee hours. Starring favourites from The Omnitorium's programme such as Boris & Sergey, Skrimshanks, and Tatterdermalion and the best of the festival; Red Bastard, Jamie Wood, The Establishment, Lucy Hopkins, Helen Duff and many more... 

Welcome to Paradise

Welcome to Paradise

Strap in for the Captain and Raoul's playfully anarchic bouffon rollercoaster that ventures to the darkest corners of the grotto where the mould festers under the tree. Controversial theatre company Ship of Fools bring their unique brand of bouffon comedy to the Omnitorium for two weeks only... 

Hyprov: Improv Under Hypnosis

Hyprov: Improv Under Hypnosis

It's back! The undisputed late night hit of 2016's Fringe! Join improv legends Mike McShane and Colin Mochrie and master hypnotist Asad Mecci for a mind-blowing, side-splitting show... 

Patti Plinko – Dreadful Little Girl

Patti Plinko – Dreadful Little Girl

Patti Plinko returns with her dark and erotic songs inspired from Virginia Woolf, Joan of Arc to the whore houses of Paris. Mesmerising vocals, drunken fiddles and jumping guitars make for an exhilarating show... 

Charlie Baker: The Hit Polisher

Charlie Baker: The Hit Polisher

Entertainment combined harvester Charlie Baker (Harry Hill's Teatime Sky 1, O2 Comedy Gala Channel 4, EastEnders) sings his nostalgic love letter to pop music of the 80s, 90s and 00s... 

Becky Lucas: Little Bitch

Becky Lucas: Little Bitch

Becky Lucas is a little bitch, but she's also a writer, performer, rat and prolific tweeter. Becky is one of the most exciting new voices on the Australian comedy scene, and she's coming to Edinburgh for the first time... 

The HandleBards: Richard III

The HandleBards: Richard III

The Handlebards are a unique group, reinventing the concept of the company of travelling players. This summer they cycled the length of the country, carting around their bicycle-themed set and occasionally pitching up for performances before arriving at the Edinburgh Fringe... 

Henry Paker: Guilty

Henry Paker: Guilty

Taking to the confined stage of Assembly’s ‘Box’, and looking for all the world like a key-note speaker at the world’s tiniest tech conference, Henry Paker sets the tone of Guilty very promptly: suspenseful music to make the audience both tense but also relaxed, Paker’s one-man narrative is a strange and rambling detective story, concerned with death of his life-coach, and Henry’s determined to find the responsible party... 

Deirdre O'Kane: 1Dee

Deirdre O'Kane: 1Dee

After a seven-year break from stand-up, during which she had babies, made a movie in Vietnam and became the mother of Moone Boy, Deirdre O’Kane returns with a brand new show. She is definitely older but is she wiser? What has she learned from being a stay-at-home mum, achieving the glory of middle age and chasing after collagen as it attempts to leave her life forever? She reveals all (well, nearly all) in 1Dee. 

Andrew Maxwell: Slight Return

Andrew Maxwell: Slight Return

Slight Return’s showbiz opening - jazzy music, searchlight scanning the crowd - is a fun contrast to a consciously dressed-down show, but it’s unfortunately prophetic in an hour which can’t quite find the right direction... 

Torte e Mort: Songs of Cake and Death

Torte e Mort: Songs of Cake and Death

In a little circus salon tent named ‘The Omnitorium’ tucked away behind George Square Theatre, Anya Anastasia proves that she is a force to be reckoned with. Packing her show full of music, UV lights, skeletons, shadow puppetry and even some naked ukulele playing, Torte e Morte: Songs of Cake and Death pushes the boundaries of cabaret, music, theatre and burlesque (even though she doesn’t do burlesque)... 

The HandleBards: Much Ado About Nothing

The HandleBards: Much Ado About Nothing

After cycling 1,500 miles from London to Edinburgh, the four-strong all-male HandleBards present Shakespeare's play as you've never seen it before – fast-paced, irreverent and bicycle powered... 

Amelia Ryan: Lady Liberty

Amelia Ryan: Lady Liberty

Amelia Ryan used to be a mess. She openly admits it. Her career was in free-fall along with her non-existent love life and her lifestyle wasn’t helping. So she decided to take control and transform her life and herself using her own Seven Step Guide To Being a Lady (or Lad) of Liberty and she’s going to tell us how it went... 

Chef: Come Dine With Us!

Chef: Come Dine With Us!

Chef: Come Dine With Us! should not in a way be confused with the TV series Come Dine With Me. Each of the characters in this show is so much larger than life that not one of them would fit around your table... 

Skrimshanks

Skrimshanks

“We have a reviewer in tonight” crows a tall, stunning, grotesquely padded and malformed white-painted clown. The audience and I laugh, but I skim the rest of the crowd looking for a sign on a fellow reviewer, trying not to look to guilty... 

How to Win Against History
BOBBY WINNER

How to Win Against History

On every front, this show is a winner. The writing is outstanding, the music is catchy, and the performances of each of the actors (including the pianist actor/musician) are faultless... 

Dame Nature – The Magnificent Bearded Lady

Dame Nature – The Magnificent Bearded Lady

Apparently, even circuses nowadays feel a need to satisfy the public’s desire to glimpse behind the scenes, to smell the greasepaint and discover how the magic happens. As an audience, we’re immediately addressed as the first lucky group to be invited – for a pre-curtain-up Q&A – into the private dressing room of Dame Nature, the Bearded Lady in Hannibal’s Travelling Palace... 

Tatterdermalion

Tatterdermalion

Puppet pioneers Flabbergast Theatre have made an interesting move this year, establishing their own dedicated performance space, The Omnitorium, within the confines of Assembly George Square... 

Fran & Leni

Fran & Leni

“This shit definitely passes the Bechdel test,” is a statement that can be found emblazoned on the show's marketing material. It sums up Fran & Leni, perfectly: it's brave, brash and challenges the injustices women face as a result of the patriarchal society in which we live... 

Laurence Clark: Independence

Laurence Clark: Independence

Some things never change; despite more than a decade performing stand-up, Laurence Clark still opens his set by drawing attention to his cerebral palsy: “This is just how I talk. I’m not pissed,” he explains, before the screen behind him reveals an image of him allegedly in an inebriated state... 

FanFiction Comedy

FanFiction Comedy

This reference-heavy show fills a key niche for fan fiction comedy at the Fringe. The innumerable pop culture references spangled in the set could make for a confusing experience if the viewer hasn’t seen the works being talked about, which range from Agatha Christie to 50 Shades of Grey to Pokemon GO... 

Mervyn's 25th Gala Show

Mervyn's 25th Gala Show

Join Mervyn and a host of top talent in a glorious two hour variety show to celebrate the 25th year of the legendary Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe showcase. This unique showcase is the longest running show at the festival... 

SNAP

SNAP

Snap is an incredible display of the very best magic performance that South Korea has to offer. The cast of eight magicians represent a diverse range of magical skills and Casa Kim directs the whole show with panache... 

The Piff the Magic Dragon Show

The Piff the Magic Dragon Show

Piff the Magic Dragon is the character creation of comic magician, John van der Put. Since first appearing at the Edinburgh Festival in 2009 at a Free Fringe venue, Piff and his Chihuahua sidekick, Mister Piffles have become famous... 

Katherine Ryan: Work in Progress

Katherine Ryan: Work in Progress

Star of Live at the Apollo, QI and The Jonathan Ross Show, the razor sharp and hilariously funny Canadian returns to the festival. Direct from a complete sell-out national tour throughout the UK and Australia, Katherine premieres her brand new work in progress show... 

Octopus

Octopus

What does it mean to be British? That’s the question that underlies this political, anarchistic play Octopus. Set in a future where Britain has closed its borders and the state now defines quite forcefully what it means to be British, it couldn’t be more topical amongst the post-Brexit mess still hanging over our country... 

Once...

Once...

Russian Company Derevo’s Once takes place early in the morning by Fringe standards and many of the audience members at the George Square Theatre might have been wondering whether they’d woken up yet... 

For Robin Williams: A Benefit Gig in Aid of Mind and SAMH

For Robin Williams: A Benefit Gig in Aid of Mind and SAMH

We miss Robin Williams. Tonight, two years after his passing, we will celebrate him, and hopefully raise a helluva lot of money for two great mental health charities. Line-up TBC (last year's acts included Nish Kumar, Sam Simmons, Sofie Hagen, Alex Edelman, Tiernan Douieb, Trygve Wakenshaw, ACMS hosts Thom Tuck and John-Luke Roberts, and live action Jumanji from the Weirdos)... 

Hold the Front Page with Hardeep Singh Kohli

Hold the Front Page with Hardeep Singh Kohli

The comedian and regular on BBC One’s Question Time, This Week and Sunday Morning Live, and Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, gives his unique take on Brexit, Independence, and all things political in this brand new show featuring a mix of comedy and lively discussion with guests from the worlds of stand-up, politics and current affairs... 

Boris & Sergey: Preposterous Improvisation Experiment

Boris & Sergey: Preposterous Improvisation Experiment

Improv comedy is a tricky beast - when it’s good, it’s very, very good; when it’s bad, it’s pointless. There’s also a massive overabundance of improv acts around this year - 81 at last count - so it’s strange to see an established act, with a proven history of strong writing, willingly enter this maelstrom... 

House and Amongst the Reeds

House and Amongst the Reeds

London-based Clean Break fit two plays into one show: House, a tight family drama set in a British-Nigerian household, and Amongst the Reeds, a nondescript tale of homelessness, friendship and pregnancy... 

Stuff

Stuff

What is love? In an immersive clown show with an interesting lyrical vein, Sean Kempton (of Cirque du Soleil) attempts to find out.Kempton’s oddball sense of humour leads to a number of inventive sketches: he can be seen climbing out of the womb and inexpertly juggling with (thankfully imaginary) knives... 

Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue are something of a Fringe staple by now. It’s their thirteenth consecutive year here, they tell us, and judging by the roar from the audience when asked if anyone’s seen them perform before, some of the crowd might be here for the thirteenth consecutive year as well... 

Shappi Khorsandi: Nina Is Not OK

Shappi Khorsandi: Nina Is Not OK

Nina Is Not OK is the shocking and funny account of a teenage girl slowly coming to terms with the fact she’s an alcoholic – and what happened to her one dark night. Join Shappi Khorsandi as she reads passages from her debut novel and discusses it in a Q&A, followed by an opportunity to buy signed copies of the book... 

Shark in the Park

Shark in the Park

Timothy Pope is looking through his telescope – but wait, what's this he spies – is that a shark, in the park!? From the producers of The Hairy Maclary and Friends Show – see all three of Nick Sharratt's Shark in the Park books live on stage! Including Shark in the Park, Shark in the Dark and Shark in the Park on a Windy Day, this wonderful family adventure features a highly talented cast of actor-musicians... 

The Tap Pack

The Tap Pack

If you only see two shows this festival, see this one... twice! The Tap Pack picks up where the Rat Pack left off. With songs from Bublé to Beyonce, Sinatra to Ed Sheeran and mixed with slick humour, high energy entertainment and world-class tap dance, these gentlemen have a huge package for you... 

Zimbabwe Sculptures

Zimbabwe Sculptures

Zimbabwean artists make some of the best stone sculptures in the world. Vhukutiwa gallery continues to present a range of work from young artists and established names. Inspiration is drawn from natural and spiritual life. 

Worbey and Farrell's Rhapsody

Worbey and Farrell's Rhapsody

In this brand new show following sell-outs in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the internationally acclaimed duo bring their unique touch to the world's greatest music. Expect exhilarating rhapsodies, beguiling boogie-woogies and sensational piano-playing... 

Hyprov: Improv Under Hypnosis

Hyprov: Improv Under Hypnosis

A jaw-dropping, side-splitting comedy experience every night, created with the likes of guest improv legends Colin Mochrie or Mike McShane, with one of the world's top hypnotists (Asad Mecci)... 

The Letter: To be or to MBE

The Letter: To be or to MBE

There’s an enlightening moment in Jonzi D’s dance-based piece where a disembodied voice interrogates him as he ponders whether or not to accept a New Year’s honour. The voice wants to know, whether or not he takes the gong, will he tell people about it? Jonzi freezes... 

Siro-A

Siro-A

The live rhythm action bonanza Siro-A is quite simply multi-layered hyperactivity for the stage. Ramped up generic dance music and a plethora of lights from every direction, translucent sheets, sabres and white squares fill an overwhelming number of set pieces... 

Charlie Baker: Just the One

Charlie Baker: Just the One

Charlie Baker blends song with stand-up, as he intersperses his versions of one hit wonders with tales from his life. He relishes sprinkling Joe Dolce's Shaddup Your Face and DJ Piper's Do You Really Like It? inbetween grown-up content such as parenthood and the successes and tribulations of a long haul marriage, in a way which comes across vaguely arbitrary, completely barmy and lots of fun... 

The Shuffle Show

The Shuffle Show

If The Shuffle Show is anything to go by, life behind the Genius Bar requires a very specific skill-set. First, you need a real passion for customer service. Second, an unquestioning devotion to the late Steve Jobs... 

Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho

Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho

Margaret Thatcher truly is the Queen of Soho. She is fabulous. Immaculately dressed with perfectly arranged hair and a knowing attitude, Matt Tedford’s Maggie oozes stage presence from the get-go, managing to maintain a high-energy performance throughout... 

Chris Ramsey: All Growed Up

Chris Ramsey: All Growed Up

Critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, Celebrity Juice regular and the man who once got pizza delivered to a moving train returns to Edinburgh with a brand new show. Join him as he explores getting older, taking responsibility, realising you are no longer a child and all of the other terrifying realisations that come with being dragged kicking and screaming into modern adulthood... 

This Is Your Trial

This Is Your Trial

The improv concept of This Is Your Trial is sound: two comedians take on the roles of prosecution and defence as they argue over cases that are brought by the audience.On the night I saw it, comedians John Hastings and Keith Farnan acted as prosecutor and defence respectively and both did a competent job of using the format to make witty and interesting jokes... 

David O’Doherty: We Are All in the Gutter, But Some of Us Are Looking at David O'Doherty

David O’Doherty: We Are All in the Gutter, But Some of Us Are Looking at David O'Doherty

This time next year, the Assembly George Square Theatre will not be big enough to contain David O’Doherty. Nor will Murrayfield stadium. At the rate he’s going, he says, next year’s show will be performed from a balloon hovering over Old Town, O’Doherty with mega-phone in hand... 

One Day When We Were Young by Nick Payne

One Day When We Were Young by Nick Payne

Nick Payne's bittersweet love story One Day When We Were Young charts Leonard and Violet's tangled relationship across five decades of love and longing. It is a delicate and utterly charming portrayal of two lives that can't let go of each other... 

Goose: Kablamo

Goose: Kablamo

In Goose: Kablamo, comedian Adam Drake has created a comedy show that doesn’t so much defy description, it just stuffs so much in that it is very difficult to do the act justice by trying... 

Alfie Brown: -ism

Alfie Brown: -ism

Alfie Brown has a real problem with moral absolutism. All the isms, actually. Even vegetarianism. Think what you like about any of them, and have a high regard of them if you will – but fail to question them at your peril... 

Luisa Omielan: Am I Right Ladies?!

Luisa Omielan: Am I Right Ladies?!

Fresh, hilarious and brilliant! Another signature party with jokes from Luisa Omielan, following her unprecedentedly successful debut stand-up show, What Would Beyoncé Do?! An empowering manifesto regarding sex, mental health and body image... 

FanFiction Comedy

FanFiction Comedy

FanFiction Comedy is a chilled-out hour of laughs that doesn’t try to change the world or do anything radically new with the artform; it’s just having fun, despite a few hitches... 

Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue

Out Of The Blue could well be classed as Fringe veterans, returning year after year over the past decade for an afternoon of singing, dancing and suggestive hip-wiggling to guaranteed crowd-pleasers... 

Ross & Rachel

Ross & Rachel

Ross & Rachel is an exploration of beyond ‘happily ever after’, using the two Friends characters we all know so well as a medium through which to explore the artifice of relationships and our expectations of them... 

4x4 Ephemeral Architectures

4x4 Ephemeral Architectures

Ballet and juggling. Yes, it sounds bonkers but within minutes of this show beginning, the similarities between the two are evident. Both are graceful and seem effortless, though require hard work and concentration to pull off successfully... 

The Room

The Room

Bring your plastic spoons and enjoy a Sunday night screening of the cult phenomenon that is The Room. 'The awful movie everyone wants to see' (Time Magazine). 'This has truly been the highlight of my Fringe' ***** (Chortle... 

Japan Marvelous Drummers

Japan Marvelous Drummers

Having performed in over 20 countries across the globe, Japan Marvelous Drummers’ eight performers use the traditional instruments of Japan including drums of all sizes, the Koto harp, bamboo flutes and clarinet to create a truly unique show... 

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

'Timmy Failure is a winner!' (Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid). Total, the polar bear, and his friend and business partner, Timmy Failure, are Total Failure, Inc., the ‘best’ detective agency in town, probably in the world... 

Hairy Maclary's Cat Tales

Hairy Maclary's Cat Tales

A brand new show featuring your favourite characters including Hairy's feline friends. Following the huge success of The Hairy Maclary and Friends Show, Nonsense Room return with a new set of stories featuring Hairy Maclary, Hercules Morse, Bottomley Potts, Muffin Maclay, Bitzer Maloney and Schnitzel Von Krumm as well as, Slinky Malinki, Scarface Claw, Stickybeak Sid and more! The same mix of fun, storytelling and catchy songs will be hugely popular with new audiences and those who saw the original... 

Andrew Maxwell – Yo Contraire

Andrew Maxwell – Yo Contraire

Your friend and ours Andrew Maxwell is back and funnier than ever for his 21st appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He just can't get enough of you, and we know you feel the same! One of the planet’s most natural comics returns to Edinburgh for yet another thought-provoking, charming and hilarious hour... 

Fern Hill and Other Dylan Thomas

Fern Hill and Other Dylan Thomas

Guy Masterson, Stage 2001 Best Actor Award winner, celebrates the brilliance of eleven poems and three short stories from the Welsh wizard in his centenary year. Like his solo Under Milk Wood, Masterson makes the words sing and vibrate in a manner reminiscent of his great uncle Richard Burton, brilliantly conjuring the romantic lyricism and genius wordplay that made Thomas one of the world's greatest writers... 

David O'Doherty Has Checked Everything

David O'Doherty Has Checked Everything

David O'Doherty is one of those rare stand-ups who is a familiar face without being plastered everywhere, who is successful without being packaged. He’s also one of those comedians who seems entirely at his ease and spontaneous while performing what is doubtless a carefully prepared routine... 

Shirley and Shirley: Late Night Lock In

Shirley and Shirley: Late Night Lock In

Like any sketch show there is often a sense that the evening may play out something like lucky dip. Some characters or stories are topical, current and therefore very funny. Others just don’t hit the mark, they may fly over an audience’s head, or simply not be very amusing... 

This is Your Trial

This is Your Trial

An interactive, improvised courtroom drama, This is Your Trial puts the audience under scrutiny, pulling people onto the stage as the accused, charged with ridiculous crimes. It's a comedy roast with a twist, the charges drawn up by Thom Tuck with a little help from the audience... 

The Room

The Room

The Room is the worst film ever made. You already know if you want to see it.Tommy Wiseau wrote, directed, produced and starred in this 2003 film about Johnny, a bank executive inexplicably engaged to the personification of all evil, Lisa... 

Paul McCaffrey: Paul Or Nothing

Paul McCaffrey: Paul Or Nothing

“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. But by the time the hour is up, we have seen conclusive evidence that he is wrong: I leave with a great deal of respect for the writer and performer of such an enjoyable set... 

Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue, Oxford’s all male a capella group, have many things to offer. Their show is polished, musically assured and visually impressive. There are moments of comedy, moments that are genuinely moving and moments where twenty grown men from one of the UK’s most prestigious universities bound around the stage pretending to be monkeys... 

Frank Skinner: Man in a Suit

Frank Skinner: Man in a Suit

‘Knob jokes with depth’ are the words that fifty-six year old Frank Skinner himself uses to describe his new stand up show Man in A Suit. The West Midlands comedian, former lad, is now hitting middle age reluctantly... 

Animal Farm

Animal Farm

The Tumanishvili Film Actors Theatre Company present George Orwell’s Animal Farm in a remarkable, poignant enactment of the dangerous rise of tyranny in a state where ideals of freedom and equality are distorted by figures of authority... 

Making It!

Making It!

Billed as a poignant one-woman comedy drama, actress Davina Leonard delivers exactly that, with more accent on the drama. The piece centres around Jess, a wannabe, naive actress with a sad desperation to get an acting job... 

FanFiction Comedy

FanFiction Comedy

Big-time book nerd Lev Grossman once told Time magazine that "fan fiction is what literature might look like if it were reinvented from scratch after a nuclear apocalypse by a band of brilliant pop-culture junkies trapped in a sealed bunker... 

Richard Herring: Lord of the Dance Settee

Richard Herring: Lord of the Dance Settee

Lord of the Dance Settee marks Richard Herring’s 23rd Fringe show, an accumulated Edinburgh residency of just under two years; enough, as he himself points out, to make him more Scots than the average Lothian toddler... 

The Generation of Z: Edinburgh

The Generation of Z: Edinburgh

Zombies have become a considerable presence across entertainment and pop culture, which has led to a growing fascination with the undead and the world being overrun by them. If you’ve ever wondered how you would fare in a zombie apocalypse, here’s your chance to find out... 

Sunday Morning

Sunday Morning

This new one-man show from South African theatre company Hello Elephant is by turns heartfelt, amusing, and pleasantly evocative of a morning run through Johannesburg. While Nick Warren’s script is occasionally trite and all too quick to gloss over deeper social issues, it is at heart a kind and affecting piece... 

I Killed Rasputin

I Killed Rasputin

The acting is exquisite. Some of the dialogue is extraordinary. So why does I Killed Rasputin feel so limp? Richard Herring’s script argues that whenever history is retold it comes with a sense of theatre... 

Laurence Clark: Moments of Instant Regret

Laurence Clark: Moments of Instant Regret

We all have them, if we’re honest; those moments in our lives where we’ve reacted without thinking and “put our foot in it”, slipping from innocent victim to outright offender in the eyes of society (or at least all the people around us)... 

Away From Home

Away From Home

Away From Home is the sensitive, touching tale of Kyle, who in his capacity as a rent boy is used to his fair share of sensitive touching. Thankfully, there is also a healthy dose of raucous good humour and devilish filth, which ensures a compelling portrait that’s hard not to fall in love with... 

Luke McGregor: I Worry That I Worry Too Much

Luke McGregor: I Worry That I Worry Too Much

I’m not worried that you won’t have a great time at my show though ... because you will ... I am worried that sounded arrogant. Winner of Best Newcomer 2013 at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival... 

Zimbabwe Sculptures

Zimbabwe Sculptures

Vhukutiwa Gallery return, together with renowned stone sculptor Wellington Nyanhongo, presenting a beautiful and haunting range of work, all with a remarkably tactile quality evoking a world part natural, part spirit-orientated from some of Zimbabwe's finest sculptors... 

Japan Marvelous Drummers

Japan Marvelous Drummers

Prepare yourself for a once in a lifetime show, filled with power, humour, dance, and traditional Japanese drums, that has performed in more than 20 countries including the United States, India, Taiwan, Brazil, Korea, and others... 

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