Skip to main content
My Shows
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

John Rawls' A THEORY OF JUSTICE: THE MUSICAL! to Play Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 31 July – 26 August

By:
Featured Topic Edinburgh Festival More Coverage

John Rawls's A THEORY OF JUSTICE: THE MUSICAL! is an all-singing, all-dancing romp through 2,500 years of political philosophy. The sell-out and critically acclaimed original Oxford production is being revived for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at C Venues, beginning Wednesday 31 July and playing through Monday 26 August 2013.

In order to draw inspiration for his magnum opus, John Rawls travels back in time to converse (in song) with a colourful cast of political philosophers, including Plato, Locke, Rousseau and Mill. But the journey is not as smooth as he hoped: for as he pursues his love interest, the beautiful student Fairness, through history, he must escape the evil designs of his libertarian arch-nemesis, Robert Nozick, and the objectivist seductress Ayn Rand. Will Rawls achieve his goal of defining Justice as Fairness?

A Theory of Justice: The Musical! was written by three final-year undergraduate students of Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Oxford University. It premièred in January 2013 at Oxford's Keble O'Reilly Theatre, where it became Oxford's fastest-ever selling musical.

Accompanying an "eminently highbrow and infectiously funny" script is a "toe-tappingly marvellous" original musical score, performed by a live five-piece orchestra (OxfordTheatreReview.co.uk). The outrageously witty repertoire embraces a range of musical styles, including a tango between Robert Nozick and Ayn Rand, a rap battle between Locke and Hobbes, and a rock anthem from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, all performed by an "unabashedly hilarious and fiercely dynamic" cast (The Oxford Student). This "truly bold production" is accessible to a general audience, which Cherwell called its "major triumph".

Ticket prices: £9.50-£11.50 / concessions £7.50-£9.50

C Venues box office: 0845 260 1234 / www.CtheFestival.com

Need more Scotland Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...


BroadwayWorld TV


Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical in Scotland Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical
Gilded Balloon Patter House (8/05-8/29) PHOTOS VIDEOS
Elvis in Chaos in Scotland Elvis in Chaos
Lime Studio at Greenside @ George Street (8/07-8/15) VIDEOS
Kevin Quantum: Invisible Force in Scotland Kevin Quantum: Invisible Force
Ballroom at Assembly Rooms (Venue 20) (8/06-8/30)
An A to Z Guide to Dating in Scotland An A to Z Guide to Dating
Underbelly (Buttercup) (8/05-8/31)
Trainspotting The Musical in Scotland Trainspotting The Musical
Alhambra Theatre (3/01-3/06)
Baga Chipz - Bagz to Riches - Dundee in Scotland Baga Chipz - Bagz to Riches - Dundee
Music Hall Dundee (9/22-9/22)
Helen Bradley: Painter and Storyteller in Scotland Helen Bradley: Painter and Storyteller
Pleasance Courtyard (Cellar) (8/05-8/30)
One Man Poe: The Black Cat and The Raven in Scotland One Man Poe: The Black Cat and The Raven
Greenside Venue @ Riddles Court (Willow Studio) – Venue 16 - 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG (8/07-8/29)
Mark Thomas: 40 In Stand Up Years in Scotland Mark Thomas: 40 In Stand Up Years
The Lemon Tree (9/24-9/24)
Dracula: Lucy's Dream in Scotland Dracula: Lucy's Dream
Pleasance at EICC (Lennox) (8/06-8/29)