Burning Down the Horse review – entertaining ancient Greek antics

Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh This comedy puts the audience inside the giant wooden ruse, alongside a cast who add fizz to a show with real interest in the classical ageHere is an alternative take on ancient Greece that is not straight from the Trojan hors…

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Beyond the jokes: comedians switch to theatre at Edinburgh festival

Cancel culture, faltering fatherhood and the life of a tennis champ are dramatised as standups including Ivo Graham, Anna Morris and Adam Riches take a theatrical path this summerSam Kissajukian spent 10 years on the Australian standup circuit but incr…

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L’Addition review – superbly absurd comedy is waitering for Godot

Summerhall, EdinburghTim Etchells’ looping performance piece with Bert and Nasi replays a simple restaurant scene over and over with hilarious resultsLike a volley of Ken Dodd jokes or one of the more circular songs by Sparks, L’Addition tickles its au…

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The Sex Lives of Puppets review – kaleidoscope of carnality with no strings attached

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghBased on real interviews, these verbatim-style sketches are often candid and funny, with some emotional revelationsJeremy rubs his nipples and calls Meryl’s vagina “David Schwimmer”. She has dubbed his todger Roger – which…

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‘I can move my body how I want’: standup Stephanie Laing on conquering her fear of public dancing

She used to love cutting a rug – until she gave up drinking. Now, the comic has used dance to heal her wounded self-esteem – and explore the funny side of contemporary choreographyStephanie Laing admits she hasn’t been very kind to her body over the ye…

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At the Edinburgh festival, an extraordinary show lays bare the enormity of grief | Brian Logan

Or What’s Left of Us by Sh!t Theatre is a playful and starkly profound hour in which the duo share their bereavements and stir reflections of our ownWhen someone you love dies, the grief can be almost unbearable, but there can also be a sense of someth…

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Edinburgh fringe theatre 2024 week one roundup: comfort food, wassailing and reasons to carry on

Satirical musicals are trending at this year’s fringe, but there are plenty of intense one-person shows too, a knockout coming-of-age drama, and the unmissable return of Every Brilliant ThingMy biggest mistake of the Edinburgh fringe wasn’t mixing up i…

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Failure Project review – a reality check about being ‘booked, busy and blessed’

Summerhall, EdinburghIn an often raw performance that retains a light touch, Yolanda Mercy delivers a bittersweet and valuable reflection on the theatre industryScroll through the listings on the edfringe app and you’ll find dozens of productions have …

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At the fringe with your kids? Edinburgh festival shows for families

Younger audiences can choose from fart jokes, dancing lizards, acrobatic bees and plenty of other monkeying aroundPleasance Courtyard, 11.30am, until 25 August Continue reading…

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Yurts, a cruise ship, my flat: all the city’s a stage at the Edinburgh fringe

From the backseat of a moving car to a swimming pool, what constitutes a venue at Scotland’s sprawling arts festival never fails to surpriseOf all the extraordinary things about the Edinburgh fringe, the easiest to take for granted is that performances…

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