From autobiographical and timely issue-based theatre to contemporary circus, madcap physical theatre productions and light-hearted comedy, there is something for everyone at the Edinburgh Fringe. Here is Part Two of this years theatre shows.
Public – The Musical
Plunge into the pop-rock world of Public – The Musical, exploring identity, connection and compassion, all set to an electrifying new score. Winner of the Pleasance’s Charlie Hartill Fund and VAULT Origins Award, this witty and sensitive new musical follows four unlikely strangers trapped in a gender-neutral public toilet. With an hour to kill until maintenance arrives, the group must stop themselves from going around the U-bend while navigating unexpected challenges, pungent opinions and some seriously sticky conversations. Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Two) from Wednesday 2nd – Monday 28th August 2023 (not 9th, 21st) at 18:30. MUSICAL
Santi & Naz
Winner of the Pleasance’s Charlie Hartill Fund, Santi & Naz captures how ordinary life must continue even as world-shaking events shift everything. Award-winning company The Thelmas return to the Pleasance following their critically acclaimed production Ladykiller, with a vibrant production that explores queer love, identity and loyalty, set against the backdrop of pre-partition India. This complex, lyrical show is a touching and honest story of female friendship. Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Two) from Wednesday 2nd – Monday 28th August 2023 (not 9th, 23rd) at 13:30. THEATRE
Schërzo
The award-winning and internationally renowned Släpstick returns to the Fringe with their unique brand of mischief: Chaplin meets Tchaikovsky, Groucho Marx does Mozart. Schërzo sees a highbrow classical concert glissando into a bacchanal of mishaps and absurdity. With their trademark blurring of physical comedy and musical talent, Släpstick play every imaginable (and un-imaginable) instrument to the highest level as they return to Fringe once again. Pleasance Courtyard (Beyond) from Wednesday 2nd – Monday 28th August 2023 (not 8th, 22nd) at 15:10. PHYSICAL THEATRE/MUSICAL COMEDY
Sex Talks
Writer, broadcaster and podcast host Emma-Louise Boynton is bringing her hugely successful sell-out live event series Sex Talks to the Edinburgh Fringe to get into the nitty gritty of all things sex and intimacy. Each night she will be joined by a special guest star to discuss topics surrounding sex, intimacy and finding love in the age of the dating app. These open and honest discussions welcome audience participation and will close with an anonymous Q&A. Pleasance Courtyard (Above) from Wednesday 2nd – Tuesday 15th August 2023 at 20:00. TALK/COMEDY
The highly acclaimed Young Pleasance ensemble will bring to life the thrilling true story of Florence Waren, an intrepid Jewish resistance fighter and dazzling showgirl leading a perilous double-life in World War II. With soaring ambition and a wellspring of youthful energy, Young Pleasance is truly incubating the stars of the future, with alumni going on to work with the RSC, the Barbican, Curtis Brown, Trafalgar Studios and the Globe as well as in TV and film. Pleasance Dome (King Dome) from Thursday 3rd – Sunday 13th August 2023 at 15:00. THEATRE
Sound Clash: Death in the Arena
Conceived by Levi Roots, the reggae musician, chef and entrepreneur, Sound Clash: Death in the Arena is a contemporary street musical about star-crossed lovers. This world premiere is written by the award-winning novelist and playwright, Alex Wheatle MBE, produced by Adrian Grant (Thriller – Live), choreographed by Jade Hackett (Hex, National Theatre; Get Up, Stand Up), and directed by renowned director and actor Ray Shell (the originator of Nomax in Five Guys Named Moe and Rusty in Starlight Express). It tells a story of young love, betrayal, and murder in the dancehall. Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance One) from Wednesday 2nd – Monday 28th August 2023 (not 8th) at 16:10. MUSICAL
stark bollock naked
Inspired by Larisa Faber’s own experiences, stark bollock naked takes a frank but funny look at abortion and the pressure of the biological clock. The international hit about women’s reproductive shelf life is live-scored using gynaecological instruments. The show considers how our bodies are used as projection spaces by advertising, education, society, social media every day. And how those constant projections influence how we shape our identities and how we feel about our bodies. Assembly Roxy (Downstairs) from Wednesday 2nd – Sunday 28th August 2023 (not 8th, 15th, 22nd) at 15:10. THEATRE
Super
Starring Max Dowler (Line of Duty, BBC; Emmerdale, ITV) as Rick and Edinburgh-born Charlie Vero Martin as Catherine, Super sees two not-very-super heroes share their story of ambition, love and overwhelming failure. Written and directed by Matthew Radway, Super is inspired by a true fascination surrounding uncanny heroes and developed from interviews with the real people behind the masks on Hollywood Boulevard. Pleasance Courtyard (Cellar) from Wednesday 2nd – Monday 28th August 2023 (not 14th) at 13:45. THEATRE
The Black Blues Brothers
The Fringe’s best physical theatre show 2022 (Theatre Weekly) is coming back to Edinburgh for the third time. Wowing audiences with their acrobatic prowess, The Black Blues Brothers bring flips, tricks, firey limbo, human pyramids, hilarious gags and dance challenges like you’ve never seen and all to the soulful tempo of The Blues Brothers’ music. This acrobatic tribute to the cult movie The Blues Brothers has established itself as a must-see international show. Assembly Rooms (Music Hall) from Thursday 3rd – Sunday 27th August 2023 at 15:05. CIRCUS
The Brief Life & Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria
The Brief Life & Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria comes to the Edinburgh Fringe to share a largely forgotten story of World War II. Combining historical theatre and folk music with a modern revisionist twist, the energetic production explores the suspicious circumstances of the King of Bulgaria’s demise, how 50,000 Jewish people were saved from deportation and death, and how the world forgot all about it. 2023 marks 80 years since the events of The Brief Life & Mysterious Death of Boris III, with the anniversary of the mysterious death coinciding with the final day of Edinburgh Fringe. Pleasance Dome (Queen Dome) from Wednesday 2nd – Monday 28th August 2023 (not 14th) at 17:20. THEATRE WITH FOLK MUSIC
The Great Ruckus
Inspired by her own mother’s funeral when she was a young adult, Izzy Tennyson (Grotty, Bunker Theatre; Brute, Edinburgh Fringe, Soho Theatre) returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a wickedly dark play about the absurdity of rigid Western ideas of grief and class. The Great Ruckus brings to life how death strums dangerously at family and class relations. Pleasance Courtyard (Baby Grand) from Wednesday 2nd – Monday 28th August 2023 (not 14th) at 14:00. THEATRE
The Ice Hole: A Cardboard Comedy
The creators of Fringe sensation Fishbowl return to Edinburgh with their latest Molière Award winning production – The Ice Hole: A Cardboard Comedy. This innovative show, in the spirit of Monty Python and with a Laurel and Hardy style twist, is told by two actors with some side-splitting and meticulous theatrical acrobatics. Told using a thousand pieces of cardboard, in a language no-one quite understands, a great actor recounts an epic journey from the fjords of Iceland to the dust of the Spanish desert. Pleasance Courtyard (Grand) from Wednesday 2nd – Monday 28th August 2023 at 13:00. PHYSICAL THEATRE
The Life Sporadic of Jess Wildgoose
The creators of smash hit The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much return with an explosive new show, The Life Sporadic of Jess Wildgoose. This electrifying thriller by award-winning physical theatre company, Voloz Collective, explores the universal themes of ambition, failure, revenge, and high-risk equity trading. With virtuosic acrobatics, live music, and physical theatre, this madcap tragicomedy unnerves and astounds in a genre-defying cinematic adventure. Pleasance Courtyard (Above) from Wednesday 2nd – Monday 28th August 2023 (not 9th, 16th, 23rd) at 14:25. PHYSICAL THEATRE
Unforgettable Girl
Winner of the Pleasance’s Charlie Hartill Fund, Unforgettable Girl was written by and stars Elisabeth Gunawan. Money can’t buy love, but £19.99/month gets you Unforgettable Girl, a mail-order bride direct from the wasteland of Asian stereotypes. As she strives to become unforgettable, she is forced to transform, destroy and rebuild herself in order to survive. This irreverent bouffon-inspired myth is about the violence our culture inflicts on bodies of colour. Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Beneath) from Wednesday 2nd – Monday 28th August 2023 (not 16th) at 15:40. THEATRE
Find out more about each show here.
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