Fringe 2023

Five Stars5 Mistakes That Changed HistoryHey, what’s not to like. Saturday morning in a crate in the grounds of Edinburgh University with Five mistakes that changed history.This really was educational, entertaining and informative.It is all down to the content and all down to Paul’s...

Some of the best storytellers and performers will be part of the Fringe show at the Storytelling Centre this August talking about climate, queerness, friendship and nature.There will also be two productions from the Made in Scotland showcase.I Hope Your Flowers Bloom written and...

Spirit of Ireland features Irish dancing like never seen before, during a dance off you can literary see sparks flying from the heels of the competitors.Thick heels pounding on the floorboards are louder than any drum and are simply mesmerising. The pub landlord is...

The Iron Lady speaks to us from the past.Eight men charge onto the stage, roaring, shouting, chanting; ‘Coal not dole’, ‘The miners united will never be defeated.’ Their physical presence is powerful and threatening; their fury palpable.‘I will never negotiate with people who use...

Comic legend Eddie Izzard has helped to create a new limited-edition gin to support artists at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Izzard's collaboration with Edinburgh Gin will raise funds for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society to support artists.All profits from sales of the "Edinburgh Gin Presents:...

If you like your stand-up comedy delivered on steroids then Josh Elton is the man for you."Hello, Wembley! Have we got a lot of energy. Is this wicked! We are in for a helluva show," he said, bounding on stage after corralling the early-afternoon...

This was a story written before the pandemic, and performed on the Fringe last year, but the importance of the story remains sadly topical.The performers (and there are only two) are formerly members of much lauded circus troupes such as Circa and Cirque...

Gabby Killick: Conversations with my AgentThree StarsTHIS show was a bit of a curates egg. We weren’t entirely convinced that one woman stand up is the best showcase for Gabby Killick’s work.It was only later when we saw her work on social media that...

Pleasance have reported that their 39th Fringe was a great success with more than 36,000 people visiting the Courtyard on the busiest day in August.The company sold more than 480,000 tickets which is a 10% increase on last year. The Pleasance Theatre Trust...

Picture yourself at a birthday party hosted by the twins from The Shining and a collection of aggressive ghosts, where you’re forced to play “pass away the parcel” as you try to get through the event without being murdered.This is the nightmarish premise...

Reviewing can be a balancing act, with actors saying they want reviews but all too often really meaning they only want good ones. Preferably five star.if you see something great, things are straightforward. But what if you see something badly acted, incomprehensible or just...

Twilight Theatre Company in association with New Jersey Repertory Company presents a powerful journey through a family's legacy and America's history of injustice.This summer, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will witness the premiere of The Rosenberg/Strange Fruit Project, a play by American playwright John Jiler,...

Dozens of comedians have joined together in Edinburgh to pay a special tribute to a tragic stand up in a daily show that has become one of the most popular performances on the Fringe.Stars from the world of comedy including Frank Skinner, Dara Ó...

Jack Docherty takes us back to Edinburgh in the 1970s to Carrick Knowe and “love across the divide” with the subject of his unrequited affection Eleanor. In many ways, David Bowie became a passport to another world. Doherty weaves the cataclysmic effect that Ziggy...

The activism group Extinction Rebellion Edinburgh and Lothians are holding a Fringe talk on 22 August.The Liquid Rooms event will be led by two speakers from XR’s Edinburgh and Lothians local group, Dom and Alex Porter as part of PBH’s Free Fringe programmes.XR promote...

Gyles Brandreth is that annoying geezer on in the background of my mother’s telly when I go visit her.And queuing for his Gyles Brandreth Can’t Stop Talking! show (he really can’t) at Assembly George Square it was ladies of a certain age, and a...

From King Charles to Keir Starmer, Prince Harry to Putin, Sunak to Strikes and Sleaze, no stone will be left unturned.Expect 100% brand-new material from this multi award-winning institution where much of the content is written by the preposterously talented cast and creative...

PHYSICAL Theatre is easier said than done. Sophie Kean produces an outstanding performance inhabiting the stage and the story and immersing the audience in a story of survival.TheatreGoose's debut show, Her Green Hell, follows the incredible double survival story of Juliane Koepcke.After surviving a...

There’s lots of comedy and visual humour in Silent Faces Theatre Company’s Godot is a Woman, but this is a clever, slick and entertaining show which conveys a serious message.Why are people so keen to hang on to outdated ideas about gender, and what...

A one-man show about Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, who with Sir Edmund Hillary was one of the first mountaineers to successfully conquer Everest on his seventh attempt.‘Tomorrow is a big day. Our first attempt to reach the summit. That was our plan, but mountains have...

Upstart! Shakespeare’s Rebel Daughter Judith tells the story of the playwright’s younger daughter.Stuck at home in Stratford while her father enjoys life in London, expected to marry well and settle down to the business of childbearing, Judith has other ideas. What she makes of...

Underbelly staged a preview show on Wednesday to officially kick off their programme of more than 150 events at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023.Using their main venue, the grand McEwan Hall, Underbelly got the party started with a flavour of what’s on...

Comedy stars Frank Skinner, Ivo Graham, Adam Kay, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Larry Dean, Chloe Petts, Emmanuel Sonubi, Lara Ricote and MC Hal Cruttenden came together on Tuesday 15 August in support of a special charity gig at McEwan Hall.The fifth annual one-night-only show raised...

Robin Ince has endeared himself to me before his show even starts.First he hands out cards and asks us all to write down any books that have helped us be more empathetic, to understand how someone else thinks and feels. I love lists and...

IN the last full year before the general election, the legendary show returns with all the latest political dramas, characters, questions and unreliable predictions. Can Starmer win? Has Sunak a path to victory? Has the SNP peaked? Can Brexit ever be done? Let's try to make...

The winners of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards which is the highest honour at the Fringe have been announced.The winner for Sky Best Comedy Show has been won by Ahir ShahUrooj Ashfaq has won the DLT Best Newcomer AwardThe Show for Gareth Richards...

Mhairi Black has been MP for Paisley & Renfrewshire South since being elected in 2015, when she was just 20 years old.She took her final exam at Glasgow University after the election, and was awarded her degree in Politics and Public Policy with...

In his 30th year on the Fringe, Mervyn Stutter has announced his Spirit of the Fringe Awards - the MERVs - chosen from all the genres who have performed here.This year’s winners are Horizon Showcase: Birthmarked, Ian Stone Will Make It Better, Death Suits You,...

The Rose Theatre will pop up again for this year's Fringe under the organisation of the Soundhouse live music charity and Edinburgh-based Bellfield Brewery.The venue had been mothballed pending sale, but over 25 days in August it will rock to the sounds of some...

Poetry is an important part of Scottish heritage and the Grand Slam Final promises to be a festival highlight.It will combine fist-thumping music with rib-tickling and also reflective poetry.I Am Loud Productions are officially partnering with Edinburgh International Book Festival for the Loud...