As much as I simply despise drawing attention to it, I did go to drama school – and so the prospect of diving head-first into the world’s largest celebration of arts and culture is a pretty darn exciting one for me. And the time has come, folks. The Edinburgh Fringe has, once again, descended upon the streets of the city, filling them to the brim with fun, frivolity, and a whole load of flyers.
With thousands of shows jam-packing the programme this year, rummaging through the brochure is an overwhelming experience, to say the least. But fear not. We’ve put together a list of the Edinburgh Fringe shows that have well-and-truly caught our eye this year. So, here’s a handy run-down of what to watch if you want to be amazed, amused, or down-right astounded this summer.
Amy Matthews: Definitions of Toast
🎭 What? Amy Matthews (who you may recognise as one of the newest faces to have graced Albert Square) returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with her shiny new stand-up show about rage, realisations, making potions, and taking up space.
📍 Where? O’Neill’s (The Tron) at Monkey Barrel Comedy
📆 When? August 5 – 30 (not 12, 19, or 26) at 3pm
Andrew Frost: Just Let Me Have This
🎭 What? Hot on the heels of his recent tour as ‘The Greatest Card Magician In The World’, Andrew Frost returns to the Fringe with his new show that’s sure to make you gasp and giggle in equal measure.
📍 Where? Baby Grand at Pleasance Courtyard
📆 When? August 5 – 30 (not 19) at 3.25pm
Spin Cycle
🎭 What? This multi-award-nominated Irish play centres around a launderette meet-cute and puts a refreshing spin on queer love whilst exploring the grey area that sits between ‘loving someone and not, forgetting and remembering, dirty and clean clothes’.
📍 Where? Clover at Underbelly, Bristo Square
📆 When? August 5 – 31 (not 17) at 2.25pm
James Trickey: Split
🎭 What? After his sell-out debut show ended rather unexpectedly last year, James Trickey is back with another show filled to the brim with side-splitting stand-up.
📍 Where? Bunker Two at Pleasance Courtyard
📆 When? August 5 – 30 at 9.25pm
The Last Funny Woman
🎭 What? Multi-award-winning comedian, Kate Cheka, returns to the Edinburgh Fringe to with a razor-sharp show exploring what it means to be a ‘good-time girl’ (and a feminist) in the midst of an apocalypse’.
📍 Where? Carte Blanche at Voodoo Rooms
📆 When? August 8 – 30 (not Mondays) at 5.55pm
Bliss the Musical
🎭 What? The Olivier Award-winning producers of Cabaret are bringing ‘the biggest new musical of the Edinburgh Fringe’ to the Pleasance Courtyard this year. Ripping up the rule-book and rewriting the concept of ‘happily ever after’ as we know it, Bliss is about four sisters who escape their towers and find themselves navigating the outside world.
📍 Where? Grand at Pleasance Courtyard
📆 When? August 6 – 31 at 1pm
Dane Buckley: Darling
🎭 What? Dane Buckley is (probably) the world’s only Irish, Indian, gay comedian – and he’ll be delivering a cheeky and mischievous debut stand-up show at the Fringe this year about the women behind the man. It features an ode to butter, and that in itself has sold it to me.
📍 Where? Bunker One at Pleasance Courtyard
📆 When? August 5 – 30 (not 17) at 6pm
I Think I Hate Actors
🎭 What? Roo Sutcliffe has spent her entire life training to become an actor only to discover that she hates them. Using her prestigiously-trained diaphragm, she will passionately express her disdain for theatre through the medium of – you guessed it, folks – theatre.
📍Where? Just Up The Stairs at Just The Tonic at The Caves
📆 When? August 6 – 30 at 5.05pm
Daniel Foxx: How Lovely.
🎭 What? Daniel Foxx brings his charismatic comedy to Edinburgh in a show about handling break-ups (dis)gracefully, expensive kitchen-ware, and excessive skincare routines. Sounds like a show I can certainly relate to.
📍Where? Monkey Barrel 4 at Monkey Barrel Comedy
📆 When? August 3 – 16 at 3.35pm
Jordan Brookes: The Part of You That’s Always Screaming
🎭 What? One of the funniest people I’ve ever seen at the Fringe brings a new show to the Pleasance, inspired by ‘an absolutely shocking incident on a train’. If it’s anything like his previous shows, prepare for your jaw to ache.
📍 Where? Queen Dome at Pleasance Dome
📆 When? August 5 – 30 at 9.45pm
