Fringe 2023

New York-based puppeteers Andy Manjuck and Dorothy James bring their wordless tragicomedy Bill’s 44th to the Edinburgh Fringe, in association with Underbelly.This introspective puppet show explores physical and emotional seclusion, a concept that carries added weight following the pandemic, in a tender and hilarious party that...

Vanya is Alive:Five StarsA POWERFUL new play from today’s Russia brought to the Fringe by artists in exile due to their anti-war position. A mother of a mobilised Russian soldier plunges into the abyss as she struggles to comb through state propaganda and lies. What...

Breaking Open at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall is a powerful one-woman play that delves into the life of Oskar Saville, once the lead singer of the multi-platinum band, 10,000 Maniacs.Despite the modest audience turnout, including her supportive teenage kids who are wearing T-shirts...

Dennis Elkins has been passing his life as an ordinary ageing, married, straight white American dad. Humdrum.But the reality is rather different and events bring the seeming certainties crashing down. Three solo shows deftly woven together, provide unique lenses through which we join Mr...

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...

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...

The show is something of a love letter to the Fringe and Edinburgh as a place of cultural adventure. Edward W. Feery has greatly enjoyed the Fringe  'as a performer' for the last few years, and as 'a punter' for over a decade.In...

Gilded Balloon stars Paul Black, Michelle Brasier and The Kinsey Sicks joined Artistic Directors Katy and Karen Koren to paint the town pink for 'Pink Wednesday'.On Wednesday there will be discounted £5 tickets for shows across Gilded Balloon venues, fancy dress competitions, food and drink promos and more. Gilded Balloon...

Two clown friends plan to put on a show but Dede goes off the idea – can Tibeh get him to change his mind? Canadian “masters of slapstick” (The Scotsman) and multiple international award-winners Les Foutoukours make a welcome return to the Edinburgh Fringe with Brotipo.  It’s a hit show...

Colour. It plays a big part in our lives. But what if your skin colour means you don’t seem to fit in anywhere at all?In Tones, Gerel Falconer’s fast-paced Hip-Hop opera, Jerome (also played by Falconer) grows up in a happy Jamaican family in...

A play which will be premiered at this year's Fringe has input from 50 nurses who have shared their experiences working in the NHS.All contributors are anonymous but their stories have resulted in a play which reveals funny, poignant and shocking stories from...

The Queen of Hollywood arrived in Edinburgh this week, Elizabeth Taylor.Often described as the last movie star and certainly of a certain era. Kayla Boye brings the 1961 Elizabeth Taylor back to life discussing her life so far with a biographer. Boye delivers...

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...

What does it mean to be a man in the 21st century? How does toxic masculinity affect those of us assigned male at birth? Here are some answers in a solo musical written and performed by transgender artist Rebecca McGlynn"What’s so great about sex, and why...

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...

If you remember the 1970s you will love this show. And if you don’t, you’ll probably love it anyway because it’s hilarious.In a hugely entertaining 50 minutes, Dermot Petty takes us back to his teenage life in Lisdoonvarna, North Clare‘a village cut off from...

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...

The line-up for Mervyn Stutter’s special charity gala on Monday 21 August has been announced. Mervyn’s gala celebrates three decades of Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe, the legendary showcase that presents a curated mix of Fringe picks, highlighting the Festival’s international acclaim.The choice of shows covers all genres of...

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...

Tom Robinson shot to fame in the late 1970s when the (‘modestly named’) Tom Robinson Band had hits with 2-4-6-8 Motorway and Glad to Be Gay.Over 40 years later he’s still going strong, still performing and now also broadcasting on BBC Radio 6. Three...

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...

Underbelly has added more names to the already star-studded roster of artists who will perform at its charity fundraiser.With Frank Skinner and Adam Kay confirmed today Underbelly has announced that Comedian Larry Dean will host the event with Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Abandoman will also perform on the night....

Christopher Biggins would love you to join him for tea at Prestonfield House where he will entertain Dean Friedman on Friday - (yes Dean who had a hit with Lucky Stars which he sang with Denise Mara in 1978) - and the Artistic Director...

A heart-warming Edinburgh Fringe show organised by comedians to raise money for the young family of a fellow stand-up who died after a car crash earlier this year, has raised almost £23,000, it was announced on Wednesday.Stars including Frank Skinner, Dara Ó Briain and...

Looking for Giants is a fresh, original and impressively performed play in which we see a young woman taking control of her sexuality and making it work for her.In Cesca Echlin's show Abby McCann excels as a unnamed young woman exploring both her sexual...

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...

A Bloody DelightSad-Vents is not a play about making its audience feel comfortable. And maybe that’s exactly why you ought to see this tragicomedy dripping with talent this Fringe. As audiences arrive at the Underbelly’s Jersey space, the actor begins with a disclaimer of the graphic...

The weather might not have been playing ball at the launch of the Assembly Food Festival in Assembly George Square Gardens on Friday night, but it certainly didn’t put a dampener on the event.This is the lull before the storm (which might be...

Scottish jazz guitarist and singer Aki Remally, who also performed in the Hendrix & Us show at this year’s Fringe, brings the music of black conscious American poet and author Gil Scott-Heron back to Edinburgh for a sell-out show.Along with Fraser Urquhart on...