Shows at Underbelly Med Quad

Joan

There are moments of brilliance in this one-person-variety-show, but Joan’s intriguing idea is let down by lack of critical editing.

Hans: Mein Camp

Certain thoughts are inevitable when you hear the title Hans: Mein Camp, and the chances are they will probably be accurate.

Nick Cody: On Fire

Nick Cody returns for his third year at the Fringe after successes with Beard Game Strong and Come Get Some.

Rhys Nicholson: I'm Fine

Rhys Nicholson announces his entrance by welcoming us to this ‘sold-out bring an imaginary friend show.

Brothers

Performing to a deservedly sold out crowd, this piece aims to start a conversation with its audience about a topic that is too often neglected.

Tom Neenan: Attenborough

A thoroughly enjoyable romp through David Attenborough’s imagined early adventures.

Shit-Faced Showtime: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Magnificent Bastard Productions have become a hit at the Fringe throughout the last few years with their productions of Shit-Faced Shakespeare.

Ian Smith: Snowflake

Perhaps you thought, as admittedly I did, that Ian Smith’s 2017 show title was making some kind of reference to the much used and abused colloquial term for “special snowflake�…

Elf Lyons: Swan

After 2016’s slightly disappointing Pelican, Elf Lyons returns to the Fringe this year with a comic masterpiece that elucidates her status as a master of the alternative form.

The Thinking Drinkers: History of Alcohol

I know what you’re thinking: Love alcohol? You’ll love this show.

Games and After Liverpool by James Saunders

Thought-provoking theatre and assured acting are on offer at this show, which is split into two plays, both written by the late playwright James Saunders, a one-time mentor to Tom …

Morgan & West: Return of the Time-Travelling Magicians

I’m guilty of being a magic sceptic.

Laura Davis – Cake in the Rain

Australian comedian Laura Davis makes her Edinburgh Fringe debut after a stand-up career ten years strong, and her experience shows in her show Cake In The Rain.

The Unmarried

The Unmarried is an original piece of writing making its Fringe debut.

Lula del Ray by Manual Cinema

Manual Cinema is a very special kind of company.

Villain

In a darkly comic, brutally honest and extremely current piece of new writing, Martin Murphy depicts the life of one woman who is striving to make a difference in the world.

Saturday Night Forever

I’ve left theatres in all sorts of states from elation to depression, anger to jubilation, in tears and totally numb.

Wil Greenway: The Way the City Ate the Stars

The best shows at the Edinburgh Fringe are the unexpected ones.

No Horizon

Anyone wandering around central Edinburgh this festival will likely have noticed the large billboards and posters advertising No Horizon, a new musical of Broadway styled proportio…

Holly Burn: I Am Special

It’s a struggle to review Holly Burn.

Cut

As you enter the white clinical looking surroundings of a backroom in the medical quad of the Underbelly you are greeted by a Stepford smiling woman who calmly leads you to your se…

Geoff Norcott: Conswervative

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

Princes of Main: Cool

Princes of Main return with another sketch show chock-a-block with odd characters, witty one liners and silliness.

Colin Cloud: Exposé

At last year’s Fringe, Colin Cloud packed out the house with his show Kills where, amongst the baffling displays of supernatural prowess, he killed and resurrected an audience me…

The D-List

Shrapnel theatre’s new Fringe show The D-List attempts to address the issues of celebrity and fame in the modern day world of Twitter, reality TV and a culture that idolises thos…

Karen Hobbs: Tumour Has It

There’s a specific challenge involved when reviewing autobiographical shows surrounding horrendous personal suffering, in this case performer Karen Hobbs’ diagnosis and treatme…

Tracy

Workplace drama can become pretty intense.

Poena 5X1

How can hell be liberal and forgiveness be punishment? Contradictions like these are part of the challenge of this provocative piece of writing and performance.

Chris Stokes – The Man Delusion

Six and a half stone of vegan fury.

The Starship Osiris

Akin to a sort of Galaxy Quest on stage, The Starship Osiris is a non-stop comedic spoof space romp.

Neal Portenza. Neal Portenza. Neal Portenza. Tracey.

I’ve been mulling over more scholarly words to describe Neal Portenza and his show, but I honestly cannot fight the urge to call it batshit.

Impromptunes – The Completely Improvised Musical

The Impromptunes take the first suggestion by the audience and make a musical out of it.

Christian Talbot: C60

A near universal truth about comics is that they will bear some sort of emotional scars from their childhood.

The Thinking Drinkers: Around the World in 80 Drinks

The Thinking Drinkers are back at the Fringe and this year they’re serving up a whistle stop tour of the world’s boozy traditions, mixing up a cocktail of historical facts, fil…

Tom Neenan: Vaudeville

Tom Neenan appears to be making his way through the genres with his one-man/many characters shows: Edwardian ghost story in 2014, and 1950s-styled British science fiction thriller …

Paper Hearts the Musical

It’s always exciting to witness the world premiere of new writing, especially when it’s a British born production.

Royal Vauxhall

With a script and songs by Desmond O’Connor, this new musical tells the tale of the legendary night that TV superstar, Kenny Everett and rock god, Freddie Mercury dressed Lady Di…

Shit-Faced Showtime

It’s not too likely that a straight production of The Pirates of Penzance would garner that wide an audience at the Fringe – a Gilbert and Sullivan musical isn’t the most buz…

Alex Kealy is an Idea Whose Time Has Come

Joining the ranks of slightly nerdy comedians who primarily joke about their non-existent sex lives, So You Think You’re Funny finalist Alex Kealy is a safe bet for some well-tho…

Wil Greenway – For the Ground that Grew Me

When he speaks of his father’s ‘talkative blue eyes’, you know immediately from where Wil Greenway gets his knack for beautiful storytelling.

Laura Lexx: Lovely

There’s probably some truth to the idea that going through a profound personal crisis makes it easier to produce a stand-up show for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Jon Cozart – Laughter Ever After

With over two million subscribers to his YouTube channel and fifty two million views and counting for his first Disney parody video After Ever After, Jon Cozart is something of a s…

The Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show 2015: Love Handles

I’m not entirely sure where the title of the show came from, as love handles are never mentioned or a part of any of the sketches that The Cambridge Footlights perform but, frank…

Munch

Thanks to E.

Christian Talbot is Shite at Being Irish

At the Fringe last year, some members of Christian Talbot’s audience got up to leave part-way through his show, explaining that they thought he would ‘be more Irish’.

Lily Bevan – Pheasant Plucker

This loveable one woman character comedy following the trials and tribulations of a disillusioned ex-falconer might swoop and miss occasionally, but certainly looks hilarious as it…