Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Saturday, January 18

REVIEWS

The Accused – theSpace at Surgeons’ Hall
Scotland

The Accused – theSpace at Surgeons’ Hall

After taking our seats in the performance space we waited in spooky red light, listening to eerie music, knocking and screams.  So the mood was set – for murder!  Daniel Hindley is on trial for the murder of pretty young thing Samantha Sutcliffe (names sound familiar?), after she stole the starring role in a show in which he had been promised the lead.  After the charges have been read in the court, we see in flashback, various key moments leading up to the awful crime, although stopping short of revealing the actual killer.  That’s up to the jury to decide.  Before the case was presented, members of the audience had to look under our seats to discover if we had been selected for jury duty in the form of the presence, or not, of a paddle with “G” on one side...
Scotland

Ripper – Hill Street Theatre

Reconnect Theatres brings back its grizzly rock-musical for a second time at the Fringe.  Based on the infamous murderer Jack the Ripper, we watch police officer Frederick Abberline (played by Stephen Kerr) tackle the seemingly unsolvable trail of gruesome murders. Right off the bat, I was hit with chills – Kerr’s vocals are astounding - in fact the whole cast’s vocals are astounding - truly a spectacularly talented lot.  The rock style was perfectly suited to the two leads.  Our ripper is played by Alex Lyne who brings a suave, dogmatic feel to the character – so charming you almost forget he is the villain - or is he?... Being such a small cast, some of the bigger numbers of the musicals are difficult to tackle – with no ensemble to fill the stage certain numbers...
A Jaffa Cake Musical – Pleasance Courtyard
Scotland

A Jaffa Cake Musical – Pleasance Courtyard

While A Jaffa Cake Musical is by no means the most extravagant musical at the Fringe, you’d be hard-pressed to find a show that fills you with more child-like glee. Based loosely on the 1991 trial in which the nature of a Jaffa cake (not biscuit) was decided, Gigglemug’s new musical is hilarious, surprisingly informative, and filled to the brim with catchy songs. The story mostly follows Kevin, played with giddy optimism by Sam Cochrane, who is the defence lawyer hired by the Jaffa Cake company to prove that Jaffa Cakes are indeed cakes not biscuits. In typical musical fashion, Kevin’s parents are devastated he chose to become a lawyer rather than an actor: ‘Why would you want stability when you could be performing in a musical?’ His rival, Katherine, is the far more accomplished of...
The Fabulist – Charing Cross Theatre
London

The Fabulist – Charing Cross Theatre

1920’s Tuscany, Mussolini and the Church hold overwhelming authority and in the mix lives two sisters, their movie studio and their big dreams for the future. Screenwriter Clarice (Réka Jónás) is a well sought after, independent woman. Her 43 previous suitors have never quite lived up to her and her father’s standard- or more appropriately haven’t lived as they all died in their heroic  demonstrations to deem themselves worthy. An unsuspecting 44th suitor tumbles on stage, clownish and down to earth ‘Julian’ (Dan Smith). A ‘fabulist’ or as more often known be a ‘magician’ who is being hunted by the church for fears of the Occult. Julian’s presence alters the course of the play as the question of magic vs science stirs our characters who believe themselves to be logical and marry fo...
An American Love Letter to Edinburgh – Scottish Storytelling Centre
Scotland

An American Love Letter to Edinburgh – Scottish Storytelling Centre

This is a delightful, often hilarious, show beautifully performed by Rick Conte. It will appeal not just to lovers of Edinburgh and history buffs but to anyone who loves a good yarn. Written by Conte and Matt Rudkin, and directed by Andy Cannon, this is the fascinating story of two visits made to Edinburgh in 1759 and 1771 by Benjamin Franklin. ‘Renaissance Man’ Franklin wrote a book on electricity, but is of course most famous as one of the Founding Fathers of the USA. He edited and was one of the signatories of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776. Franklin had initially been sent over from Philadelphia to London to try to persuade the sons of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, to pay tax. While in London he met several fellow intellectuals including Sir John Pringl...
The Academy Trust: Under New Management – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall
Scotland

The Academy Trust: Under New Management – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Mode Theatre’s The Academy Trust: Under New Management is a comedy, written and performed by teachers, that exposes the horrifying realities of modern-day teaching. Taking place over the course of a few days, the show weaves through a series of hilarious yet endlessly relatable scenarios, culminating in the dreaded world book day. The centre of the piece is Rachel, who is internally battling over whether or not to hand in her resignation amidst all the changes at the school. Not only does this make for some great comedic beats, but it wonderfully encapsulates the debate that many teachers are facing. How can anyone continue to teach in an environment that demands so much and provides so little? The three performers, I was sadly unable to find their names, all demonstrated an impr...
Vir Das: The Fool – Pleasance Dome
Scotland

Vir Das: The Fool – Pleasance Dome

Vir Das’s The Fool is a masterclass in comedy that brilliantly blends humour with sharp social commentary. As an Emmy Award winner for Best Comedy Series on Netflix, Vir Das sets high expectations—and more than delivers. From the moment he steps on stage, the energy is electric, with the audience erupting in laughter throughout his set. In The Fool, Das tackles topics like racism, religion, and social media, all with his signature wit and humour. One particularly hilarious bit involves him taking his nephew to an art exhibition. The punchline? The child is disappointed because the paintings don’t fit vertically on his phone. Das then launches into a side-splitting riff on how Instagram has made the world vertical, even joking that when he dies, he’ll die vertically so people can tak...
Juggle (An Aussie Guide to Keeping a Toddler Alive) – The Three Sisters
Scotland

Juggle (An Aussie Guide to Keeping a Toddler Alive) – The Three Sisters

Fresh off her win for Best Comedy at Fringe World Australia, Amy Hetherington brings her high-energy, joyful standup to Edinburgh. Get ready for a side-splitting hour that dives into the chaotic joy, challenges, and hilarity of raising a toddler in Australia’s rugged Northern Territory. From sleepless nights to bizarre parenting tips from strangers, and rediscovering her post-baby sexiness, Hetherington’s stories are both relatable and outrageous. It’s been a while since my boy was a toddler, and I was keen to see a comedic description of this time period. Hetherington’s account is perfect and took me right back to the absolute joy and total bedlam of those preschool years. Raising kids is a universal experience, but doing it Down Under is distinctly unique, and Hetherington dives r...
A History of Paper – Traverse Theatre
Scotland

A History of Paper – Traverse Theatre

World Premier Set in a different time, on the eve of the millennium, before the dawn of the paperless office, Oliver Emanuel’s, A History of Paper, started life as a radio drama. Then in 2016, song writer and composer Gareth Williams contacted the playwright to suggest that it might make a ‘good musical’. Tragically, Emanuel passed away from brain cancer in December 2023,  aged just 43, so sadly never got to see the finished product. Which is a real shame, because it is a sweet thing. Emma Mullen, and Christopher Jordan-Marshall play journalist and would-be writer as an unnamed couple who sing their relationship into existence. Whilst he is a hoarder of paper memories, she couldn’t care less. He has a boxful of tickets and lists and menus and plane tickets, and a half finish...
Suhani Shah: Spellbound 2.0: Underbelly Bristo Square
Scotland

Suhani Shah: Spellbound 2.0: Underbelly Bristo Square

Spellbound 2.0: Suhani Shah's Astonishing Mind-Reading Mastery What can I say about this show? Suhani Shah, the world’s most subscribed mentalist, delivers an experience that truly lives up to her reputation. Going into the show, I was sceptical about how anyone could possibly achieve what she does, but by the end, I was utterly convinced and utterly amazed. Spellbound 2.0 is not just a performance; it’s an interactive journey into the seemingly impossible. Suhani’s ability to guess what people are thinking, down to their exact thoughts and even their date of birth, left the audience in awe. The entire show is a testament to her incredible skill in mentalism, blending psychological insight with showmanship. One of the most astonishing aspects of the show was the level of audie...