Fringe 2023

Renowned Kiwi/Canadian/Jewish comedienne Deb Filler recounts her hilarious quest to meet ‘The Three Lennys’ in Kravitz, Bernstein, Cohen, and Me.Deb Filler is an internationally acclaimed comic, musician, writer-performer, producer and character actor. Her Jewish identity forms the basis of much of her work, creating...

A self-love story that will break your heart and put it back together again...and again...and again.Breakup Addict is an inspirational solo show that follows the deeply personal story of a woman who loses herself in love and enlists the support of a recovery programme...

The Fringe is often criticised for the dominance of stand-up comedy and a sense that much of it is trivial. In contrast, Marlon Solomon's updated Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard's Tale deals with one of the most serious challenges we face; the rise and mainstreaming...

Geraldine Hickey is a popular comedian in Australia, where she won the best show award at the 2021 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Not yet a household name but a talented comic who has put in the work over many years and whose star is...

A Scots schoolgirl singer who wowed judges on TV's The Voice Kids UK is performing in TWO shows on the Fringe.Elyssa Tait, 13, reached the finale of the hit ITV show last month after stunning judges Pixie Lott, Will.i.am, Ronan Keating and Danny Jones...

The former First Minister Alex Salmond is back on the Fringe in a new show called The Ayes Have It! The Ayes Have It!Appearing at the Palais de Varieté Salmond will spar with David Davis MP, former Brexit minister on important matters such as...

In After Shakespeare, Lexi Wolfe imagines the lives of four of the Bard's characters after their plays have ended.What happened to them? And why?If this all sounds a little Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, it’s not. Wolfe digs deep into each character, and what she...

Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy of Soundhouse took on Rose Theatre as a Fringe venue at the very last minute possible this year - but what a line-up they have on offer until 28 August.With a choice of two spaces big and small...

Here are some suggestions for you at theSpace UK (which is really Surgeons Hall by another name).This is the tip of the iceberg as there are more than 360 shows at this venue with lots of new writing and new companies.www.thespaceuk.comThere is...

When you see a Michelle Brasier show you can be guaranteed of two things: you will laugh and you will feel.This is the unique talent of a comedian whose act is as much an examination of the human condition as it is an...

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...

It's a festival within a festival. This Sunday, 6 August, harp player Karen Marshalsay takes part in the celebration of Scottish music organised by Soundhouse at the Rose Theatre in Rose Street.Karen will be giving her three Scottish Harps presentation, which involves the gut-strung...

Bryan Berlin took up jogging ten years ago after overcoming a fear of failure as a 14-year-old that prevented him from running two miles in 16 minutes to make his American school football team.He now competes regularly in the annual Brooklyn half-marathon...

Chopped Liver and UnionsFour StarsTHIS was a dive into a important part of radical politics, taking us back to the east end of London as seen through the eyes of a Jewish socialist feminist.It did what we hoped it would, educate, entertain and inform...

Singers and shower-warblers, listen up!If you're looking for an unforgettable musical experience, look no further than Choir! Choir! Choir! at Violet Underbelly (Underbelly at Bristo Square).🎤 This show is an absolute blast, and here's why:🎵 It's all about the crowd. You become the...

Edinburgh musician Paul Chamberlain and his duo partner Michael Haywood are looking forward to making their return to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with a concert on Friday 11 August.Last year, Paul received a life-saving heart transplant at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle which he...

Members of the cast of Schërzo were in St Andrew Square, at the phone box on the corner opposite Harvey Nichols on Sunday morning to. promote their show.The award-winning and internationally renowned Släpstick returns to the Fringe with their unique brand of mischief:...

An all-night tram service will run on August weekends to help visitors and local residents to make the most of Edinburgh’s festivals.Edinburgh Trams is gearing up to play its part in helping to keep the city moving as tens of thousands of people flock...

Director of Pleasance venues, Anthony Alderson, wants Edinburgh to do more to welcome the Fringe.He feels the city is not doing enough to offer a collective welcome to reflect the money it makes from all the Fringe events which Pleasance of course is...

So, to me, August means one thing – Festival month.I used to be Head of Press at both Assembly and the Gilded Balloon, so I know a thing or two about ‘how to work the Festival’. I also look forward to August every...

Faith is a member of the Edinburgh Festival of The Sacred Arts committee, who, with friend Peter Holloway, are putting on a drama production which will see a contemporary twist on Twelfth Century ‘The Mystery Plays’. There will be two performances happening on Sunday 13...

In Alison Skilbeck’s Uncommon Ground we are introduced to seven characters, all of whom frequent an unnamed common every day during the Covid lockdowns. Skilbeck portrays each of the characters – female and male – with the help of just a few props. She’s...

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...

If you’re looking to escape the madness that is the Fringe, head to the Outback Bar and Restaurant at the House of Oz, the only venue dedicated exclusively to celebrating Australian creativity and talent.You can’t miss the venue, it’s the one with Melbourne-based,...

Rupert Bevan delivers a powerhouse performance in Darling Boy, a one-man show exploring longing, love and loneliness in a queer coming of age story that is both poignant and mesmerising.It charts a young man’s journey through the dizzying highs and crushing lows of...

Guffy at the Pleasance Courtyard4 starsWE always feel that the mark of a good production is that you want to see more of the work of not only the actors but the writer/director as well.The performance of Georgia Blue Ireland as Guffy was a tour...

Paul Beeson takes on the role of Hearts player and local hero Bobby Walker, a player who had a style of football named after him known as Walkerism.It’s hard not to see something of George Best in his story, a sublime talent undone...

Steve Richard's Rock and Roll PoliticsFive StarsSTEVE Richard’s podcast “Rock and Roll Politics” has become very popular but it is clear that the veteran journalist also really enjoys the live shows.It allows plenty of time for Steve to express his views on a number...

In composer-librettist Scott Eyerly’s new comedy opera My Life Online we meet Kay (Sarah Minns), an American woman who’s not left her apartment for a year. As she announces in her very first song, she’s‘Living my life online.’For why should she do her exercise...

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...