Francisco De Nata to Return to Edinburgh Fringe
The show will run nightly at the Clover venue inside Underbelly Bristo Square.
After bursting onto the scene last year, charming audiences and turning its beloved Giraffe into 'a cult hero' of Fringe 2025, Francisco de Nata, the acclaimed silent clown comedy, returns to the Underbelly for Edinburgh Fringe 2026. Performances will run 5 – 30 August 2026.
A unique blend of British wit and Portuguese soul, this distinctive solo clown show is told entirely without words, inviting audiences into a playful world of absurdity, vulnerability, and wonder, where movement, silence, and stillness collide.
Deceptively simple yet rich with laughter and emotional depth, it follows Francisco, a gentle Giraffe tasked with painting a ceiling. Through clowning, audience interaction and — yes — a very special Portuguese custard tart, what begins as a simple job for his Avó (grandma) soon spirals into beautiful, hilarious chaos, revealing a tender tale about love, the ties that bind us, and the quiet magic found in waiting — and in one another. Imagine a vintage silent film that has wandered into a Portuguese bakery, only to re-emerge wearing a G-string and holding a paintbrush.
Following its breakout Fringe debut last year, Francisco de Nata has since transferred to Soho Theatre and toured internationally, establishing itself as one of the most compelling new clown shows on the circuit — with the Giraffe quickly finding its place in audiences' hearts as one of the most exciting new characters to emerge in contemporary clowning in recent years.
ABOUT THE PERFORMER
Keaton Guimarães-Tolley is a RADA and Ecole Philippe Gaulier-trained clown and actor. His recent theatre credits include work at The National Theatre and Shakespeare's Globe, as well as Off-Broadway, where he has brought a distinctive blend of vulnerability and playfulness to every role. His silent performance in Francisco de Nata has been praised as 'a masterclass in play' and 'clown comedy at its most inventive, intimate and alive'.
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