This year Assembly celebrates 70 years of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with its biggest programme yet – over 200 shows from 12 countries in 26 temporary performance spaces across five different sites – including a return to the Assembly Rooms on George Street where Future Play, a digital entertainment festival showcases the latest in virtual reality and new technology.
Speaking at the Edinburgh launch, William Burdett-Coutts, Artistic Director of Assembly Festival, said:
‘In celebration of the 70th year of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe we are delighted to present one of our biggest and most ambitious programmes to date. As ever at the heart of our programme is theatre and comedy and I hope that all our audiences will find shows that are both memorable and entertaining. Here’s to a wonderful Festival.’
From the international stage there is a welcome return of South Africa’s Baxter Theatre with six powerful productions including the award-winning Mies Julie, a new physical performance piece Kokdu: The Soulmate and Tago drumming from Korea, The Elephant in the Room part of the Edinburgh Indian Season, indigenous dance from Australia’s Djuki Mala, and from New Zealand the Modern Maori Quartet, challenging theatre from Jane Doe and The Road That Wasn’t There – a dark fairytale told through puppets and shadowplay.
The 2017 circus and dance programme includes Transit, a new show from Flip Fabrique. The return of Casus Circus with their contemporary circus show Driftwood, Adelaide Fringe hit Fauna, the juggling wonders of Gandini and the Svalbard Company who walk a fine line with All Genius All Idiot.
Assembly’s comedy line-up brings new laughs from Al Murray, Jason Byrne, Milton Jones, Ed Byrne, Reginald D Hunter, Jerry Sadowitz, Andrew Maxwell and BBC One’s Tom Binns. Colin Mochrie is back with the brilliant improvised hypnosis Hyprov and the legendary Clive Anderson hosts Whose Line is it Anyway?
Edinburgh Comedy Award winners and nominees Sam Simmons, Sarah Kendall and Nath Valvo and Trygve Wakenshaw – with his baby and with long time collaborator Barnie Duncan – all join in, alongside this year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival Barry Award winner Hannah Gadsby, and the 2017 Pinder Prize Winner and Barry Award nominee Damien Power.
Celebrated musicians grace the stage with brand new, unadulterated entertainment from Choir of Man and the Catalonian 12 string music and mime sensation Concerto A Tempo D’Umore. Returning are the soulful Soweto Gospel Choir, The Magnets, acappella from Out of the Blue, West End legends Ferris and Milnes plus (My) Leonard Cohen in the Balllroom and new for 2017, Chamber Pot Opera singing arias in the Assembly Hall toilet!
That should kick off a chain reaction.
The Omnitorium welcomes back Boris & Sergey, Charlie Baker, Jamie Wood and Gabriella Monoz’s Perhaps Perhaps Quizas. For younger audiences there is the the return of festival favourites Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dancehall, Hairy Maclary, the 5 star Fringe sensation Children are Stinky!, the ever popular Comedy Club 4 Kids, Edinburgh first timers Dr Zeiffal Dr Zeigal and the Hippo That Can Never Be Caught, Lauren Child’s best selling Ruby Redfort books, and puppetry from Goblin’s Peter and the Wolf.
As darkness approaches you can go underground to Joe’s NYC Bar, enjoy dark, camp and outrageously funny cabaret from Reuben Kaye, songs from La Clique crooner Mikelangelo, breathtaking cabaret and circus in 1930’s Paris du Nuit, Briefs Factory’s Hot Brown Honey or their late night extravaganza Sweatshop, or join in the dance party at Massaoke Club La La with aftershow DJs on Fridays & Saturdays until 3am.
And finally to see some of the biggest names in comedy during the day enjoy Best of the Fest Daytime, or after hours laugh till late with Assembly’s traditional Best of the Fest.
https://www.assemblyfestival.com/whats-on
