Edinburgh Festival

Exceptionally convivial and inclusive, the performances are relaxed and explained ahead by Brigitte herself. It’s loud, and dark, and blindingly bright. But earplugs are provided and leaving or taking a break are completely appropriate reactions. Audiences are encouraged to be understanding.

Italian performer Greta Zamparini takes extracts from Concita De Gregorio and creates a complex solo show about the commodification of the female body. A series of women open up and explain why they do what they do. From a high-end escort to a trafficked woman who’s finally back home, Temporarily Yours provides a very wise and rational take to the subject with an eloquent script that keeps crossing the lines of empowerment and exploitation.

Innumerable sounds of all kinds create a 360-degree retro journey to the future. While the blindfold doesn’t completely plunge the individual into the darkness, it evokes an air of mystery and immerses them in a world of weird delivery methods and pyramidal children. It’s an engrossing adventure that showcases a remarkable use of sound design.

The Parker & Schnell Youth Company showcase the immense talent of young people through their performance of ‘DNA’.

The glam queen showcases her knack for storytelling, comedy and operatic vocals (that RANGE though) in an anecdote-filled, fabulous performance extravaganza.

Faizal Abdullah launches an engaging, thought-provoking, unique and deeply personal exploration of Malay identity in Singapore through his performative lecture Siapa Yang Bawa Melayu Aku Pergi? (Who Took My Malay Away?)

Comedian Sofie Hagen brings Banglord to Monkey Barrel.

A new hour of stand-up by the wee guy with the glasses from Glasgow. Featuring routines and jokes on such topics as Edinburgh Zoo, going for a walk, and the collapse of the British state.

Tones: A Hip-Hop Opera marks fifty years of Hip Hop wonderfully by sticking to the roots of the music all the while showing just how far it has come.

Comedy drag group Alphabet Soup have opted to stay in a nuclear bunker in Edinburgh, rather than pay eye-watering accomodation costs.

A queer immersive nightclub musical based on the life of Oscar Wilde? In theory, this sounds incredible. In practice, I’m not completely convinced. Did I have fun? Yes. Did I know what was going on? Questionable.

Though it comes off as the only reason for the play to exist, the campaign remains an important subject. Cotter weaves religious homophobia and bereavement into this story of sudden homelessness and penance. It would make it an exciting, multi-faceted project to program, but it still has a long way to go.

What ties down the project is the one-woman aspect of it. Wilkinson Wright is a tremendous actress, but this direction gives her a staged personality disorder. The framing of the play throws it straight into the action; the performer modulates her voice to shape the different women, but the result is messy and unconvincing, especially if one isn’t familiar with this part of history. It’s not exactly the most streamlined solo show at the Fringe, but it’s among the most compelling subjects for sure.

Directed by Elizabeth Kaye Sortun, while it offers a look at the complexities of toxic dynamics, coercion, consent, and control, it doesn’t truly achieve its goal. Verlo’s past is colourful and intriguing, but this isn’t the production that makes it shine. It lacks the aplomb that inspires reflection and change, settling on underwhelming attempts at cheap laughs.

Lily Wolff directs with gorgeous brushstrokes. Smooth, creative changes of pace come with gradual shifts in the lighting and sound designs, revealing Mary’s interiority and explaining her history. Leeanne Hutchinson’s First Lady is a complex, hurt mother who can’t seem to overcome the pain in her life. She’s matched in performance by Christopher Kelly, who plays Brady as well as a collection of his peculiar subjects. There’s a tense chemistry between them. The minimalism of the visuals engages the imagination of the audience, putting the actors on a blank canvas.

It’s a tale of resilience, resentment, and regret told with instinctive storytelling and a dash of friendly advice. Photos of her relatives and snapshots of her life accompany her narrative, giving a visual reference to her stories. It’s a delicate, lovely play from a woman whose strength could never be ignored.

Captivating writing is matched by a tireless performance that transports you in time with a complex breakdown of drug abuse. He admits that he makes it sound too good for comfort: the chemsex, the dissociation from his problems, the unbridled fun of it. On the opposite side, he places the drug-induced psychosis that landed him in a psych ward, his erratic behaviour, and the continuous benders that followed. There isn’t any preachiness or superiority in his delivery. Breaking the Castle introduces a humble, charismatic performer whose lived experience makes him an emotionally intelligent and profound man.

The Edinburgh Fringe truly demonstrates that anything can be a musical. Whether it’s recent political events, or a modern cultural phenomenon, On Your Bike gives the humble delivery driver a moment in the spotlight. After winning a best musical award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2021, the show returns to Edinburgh for another spin – pun intended.

Fielding Edlow: Gaslighting Is My Love Language is a celebration of one woman’s independence but also a reflection on life choices and how to move forward after over a decade of a difficult marriage.

As someone who worked in an opera house in New York and volunteers with an opera house in London, I have had quite a bit of experience with the genre and several different shows. I decided to go to see A Comedy of Operas to see how they were able to combine opera, rock, and pop into a fun love story. 

What do bananas, parcels, and a tit on a stick have in common? They all play crucial roles in Olaf Falafel: Look What Fell Out of My Head.

If the show had simply been categorised as “Music” and not “Comedy,” I believe that I would have enjoyed it more, as I went in expecting more comedy than simply singing and playing instruments. There are some good jokes, but they tended to be few and far between the songs.

I’m sick of everyone moaning all the time, so I’ve written a show about how bloody great everything is. I haven’t actually written it at the time of going to print and in previous years I’ve made all sorts of promises in the blurb. Not going to fall into that trap again! But look, I’m going to put a real shift in for you guys, you’ll get value for money. I’m very good at stand-up, I’m actually one of the best at it. Seriously, Google me. I’ve been on telly in America.

There are rare occasions in the theatre when dance, film, music, adaptation, ensemble and puppetry combine to create magic. This is one of them. 

Ella Lovelady’s debut play End of the World really does include everything but the kitchen sink. There’s a fridge, a kettle, plenty of cupboards, a dining table, and more. This could be said of not only the set but the writing too - with everything from being a young carer to climate change to periods, this is a broad, ambitious new play tackling big ideas.