Monkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghThe frenetic Mancunian turns to quartz in search of inner peace – but his standup remains as crude and self-loathing as everI’ve seen two prominent comedians on this year’s fringe argue that your belief system is somethin…
Continue ReadingUnderbelly, Cowgate, EdinburghAshley Blair and Drew Reilly send up gen Z anomie with hardcore ditties about awkward dinners, megachurches and centaur boyfriends‘How to feel whole in an empty world?” There are many possible answers to that question, and…
Continue ReadingA succubus, a cycling champ and Sir Elton Scone walk into a bar … and our photographer Murdo MacLeod was there to capture every momentAll our Edinburgh festival reviews Continue reading…
Continue ReadingPleasance Dome, EdinburghSmart, slapstick and silly, this chaotic multicharacter comedy sends up the Pre-Raphaelite BrotherhoodSome of the most revered works of art across history feature women as their primary focus. But though they might appear as fa…
Continue ReadingFrom Taiwanese steampunk dance to Australian climate comedy, here are 13 quick-fire fringe reviewsAll our Edinburgh festival reviewsFor new perspective on the strange ways we behave, we all know the thought experiment “if a visitor from space arrived o…
Continue ReadingPleasance Dome, Edinburgh Heckling herself in character as the Greek goddess, the standup delivers an intelligent, in-your-face show about sex and expectationsYou can’t argue with the opening gambit of Aphrodite: “I’ve never been in love and I don’t th…
Continue ReadingUnderbelly Cowgate, EdinburghMelissa Firlit recreates Dirty Dancing in a one-woman show that mixes trivia, personal memories and a singalongDirty Dancing was the first VHS in our house: snazzy purple box, pure 80s brushstroke title, alluring 15 certifi…
Continue ReadingPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghFrom embarrassing anecdotes to karaoke and lurking on Instagram, this love story sweeps you alongCourtney Büchner is here to tell us a love story. Not the type you’re thinking of – even though she has just married her part…
Continue ReadingPitlochry Festival theatreIain Heggie’s rejigged 2001 play – now ensconced in the world of voice notes and vapes – is very funny, but the lighter moments jar with some sobering subtextsThese days, shows about care homes, dementia and end of life are ve…
Continue ReadingPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThis fantastic comic play from the Radio 4 trio unleashes a torrent of great gags and illusionsHorror pastiche has a proud lineage at this festival – for example Garth Marenghi, and Andrew Doherty’s hit Gay Witch Sex Cult …
Continue Reading