Mr Miyaki, Bluey and The Bard, along with a Pulitzer Prize-winning play and a whole playground of theatrical entertainment for kids is just waiting for you on Edinburgh stages this month.
June is here and with less than eight weeks until The Fringe rolls into town, the press releases and pleas for reviews are already in full flow. As usual I’ll be putting together my Top 5 Must See shows from each category in the programme for August’s Must See Theatre Spread, including a round-up of Edinburgh companies taking part in the festival – amateur and professional. So, if you have a show on in August, let us know and don’t forget to include a hi-res press/publicity shot (not your poster).
Right, onto the matter in hand. Mr Miyagi is heading to the Festival Theatre this month in the stage musical of the iconic 80’s generation defining movie, The Karate Kid The Musical (23-27 June).
A coming of age story that celebrates resilience, mentorship, and the quiet strength that bridges generations, it revolves around Daniel, a new kid in town trying to fit in. When he becomes the target of Cobra Kai’s star student, Johnny, he’s underestimated and outmatched. Enter Ali, Johnny’s ex, who sees something in Daniel that no one else does. As Johnny refuses to step aside, teenage rivalry turns into something more sinister until Mr Miyagi teaches him that karate isn’t about fighting, it’s about balance, respect and that the greatest victories are won from within.
The Karate Kid The Musical comes to Festival Theatre
Staying at the Festival Theatre, for now, where there’s plenty to keep the kids entertained this month. The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival 2026 (until 7 June) takes over the Festival Theatre’s Studio as Imaginate presents an exciting lineup of performances for children aged 0 to 15yrs and their families or, as they describe it, ‘a nine day extravaganza of circus, dance, storytelling and theatre’.
Not to be left out, The Playhouse brings Bluey, Bingo, Bandit and Chilli to their Greenside Place stage in Bluey’s Big Play (18-21 June).
A stage version, featuring ingenious puppets, of the Emmy award-winning children’s TV series,
Bluey’s Big Play is packed with music, laughter and fun for the whole family. When Dad feels like a little bit of afternoon time out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans. Join them as they pull out all of the games and cleverness at their disposal to get Dad off that bean bag. This is Bluey as you’ve never seen it before, brought to real life.
Co-produced by the Royal Lyceum with Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre, Sweat (until 13 June), Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play delivers a gritty portrait of America’s working class, a place where the fate of each generation unravels into the next.
In a small Pennsylvania town at the dawn of the twenty-first century, friendships are forged in sweat and laughter. For decades, Tracey and Cynthia have stood shoulder to shoulder on the factory floor and at the end of Stan’s bar, bound by a shared past and hard-earned pride. But when whispers of layoffs grow louder and opportunity turns into betrayal, a community built on solidarity begins to splinter, as bitter resentments and unspoken racial divides rise to the surface. As Tracey and Cynthia’s sons, Jason and Chris, inherit the fallout of a system that has already failed their mothers, rage and desperation explode in ways no one could have foreseen. Described as a powerhouse social drama of loyalty, loss, and the fight for survival in an unforgiving world, Sweat is one of this month’s sure fire Must Sees.
As Sweat moves out of the Grindlay Street theatre, the Bard arrives in something very different. The Burns Project (24 June-5 July) is an immersive experience with unprecedented access to Robert Burns’ private letters. Exploring the man behind the legend in all his brilliance and contradiction the production blends letters, poetry and live music as Scottish performer James Clements and musician Lisa Rigby bring Burns to life. Co-created with the National Trust for Scotland and directed by multi award-winning director Cora Bissett, the production comes to the Lyceum after a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, two national tours and a US tour.
With strong language and swearing, this piece includes direct and indirect discussion of gender, race, sexual situations and enslaved people with a 14+ age recommendation.
At Traverse 1 this month, the World Premiere of The Table (18-20 June), by Christine Devaney, Maria Oller and Jo Timmins, takes up residence for three days only. The piece, which finds three Edinburgh companies – Curious Seed, Lung Ha and Lyra – collaborating is set in a world we’ve built together and now we have to figure out how we all live in it at once.
Blending movement, live music, text, and playful imagery, The Table offers a multi-layered performance experience that invites us to think about where we belong and how we show up for one another. Running time TBC, tickets https://www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/event/the-table
Finally, if you’re heading to London and are a fan of Judy Garland, here’s my theatre break recommendation for June, Peter Quilter’s End Of The Rainbow (until 21 June), starring Jinkx Monsoon as Garland, Jacob Dudman as Mickey, and Adam Filipe as Anthony, at the Soho Theatre Walthamstow. Blending the voice, the sparkle and the chaos of Garland with some of her most unforgettable songs, End Of The Rainbow charts the final chapter of Garland’s life, pulling back the curtain on Hollywood’s sweetheart and revealing a life lived under the relentless gaze of fame, where every triumph and heartbreak is played out in technicolour.
Witness and celebrate Garland’s extraordinary talent, resilience, and the human story behind the legend in a performance that will stay with you long after the lights go down.
Until July then, do check out all my reviews on MustSeeTheatre.com, where you will also find my new podcast, Theatre Pod with Liam Rudden, the first edition finds me in conversation with Les Dennis talking all things theatre. If you enjoy it, subscribe free to be notified when each new podcast goes live.
In the meantime, here’s to another month of exciting theatre-going.
Liam
The cast of Sweat at the Royal Lyceum The Table at Traverse 1 – Pic Peter Dibdin
