SCOTLAND THEATER REVIEWS

Jake Roche: Neporrhoids certainly has one of the more interesting show starts of the Fringe. Roche kneels in front of a keyboard on the stage, pulling down his trousers and simulating having an orgasm while staring directly at the audience member in front of him....

Taking the classic Smiths’ song Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me as their cue, director, writer and performer Ben Harrison and musician and composer David Paul Jones delve into the wonderful, troubled, exhilarating and oddly innocent decade - the 80s....

A dark comedy that takes aim at corporate greed and questions the kindness of strangers....

We discover the chances of perishing in a commercial plane crash are 29.4 million to one. Comforting—unless you’re that one. Visible Fictions presented the world premiere of original work 'Up' at the Tron in Glasgow last week, which will continue to tour Scotland until the 5th of October. The p...

A pizza express menu. A birthday card. A birth certificate. A note. A shopping receipt. In a world so overtaken by technology, this play beautifully uncovers the quiet power of paper, revealing how much of our lives—birthdays, milestones, even dinner plans—are still shaped by what’s printed on...

An electrifying show full of music and laughter by Brian James O’Sullivan that asks “how would you want to spend your last hour?”...

Walking into Michael Kunze: Infinity Mirror, audiences are greeted by Kunze himself, who is standing on the stage making sandwiches. After taking a few orders from audience members, he then begins some audience participation, tossing slices of fake ham into the audience and encouraging them to throw...

As someone who has seen versions of Stamptown in both Edinburgh and London, I was very much looking forward to seeing the show at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the Pleasance Courtyard - Grand, a 750-seat venue....

Seventeen year old Gwen has 8 siblings and a long list of daily tasks to get them ready and out the door each morning for school; until one day she doesn’t. The wee kids are all still at home eating cereal and no-one knows where she has gone…...

Who knew dissecting global politics could be such a riot? In his latest show, Nish Kumar (best known for The Mash Report and Taskmaster) proves we need punchlines to survive punch-ups. Blending sharp political commentary with razor-sharp wit, the left-wing comic delivers a cleverly crafted set that ...

When Ali heads to the bright lights of New York in search of her mother, she finds herself drawn into a dazzling underground world where the beat of the music and the heat of the dance moves will change her life forever. Among this unlikely family of misfits, dreamers and schemers, Ali will unwittin...

Catherine Cohen: Come For Me is self-described as a “openly glamorous, decidedly horny comedy cabaret,” and that is certainly accurate! Cohen also compares her show to Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More, an immersive theatrical experience, and she’s not wrong....

Alice, saddled with debt by her recently departed husband, is playing in a poker game with a chance to win a seat at the finals in Las Vegas....

Sheeps: The Giggle Bunch (That's Our Name For You) has been performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for over a decade, and now they’re bringing what may be their final show to the Pleasance....

Alexander Bennett: Emotional Daredevil is certainly a show that presents reviewers with a challenge - how do you discuss a show that the performer asks you to not spoil in any way? This request is not unreasonable for this particular show, as it does heavily depend on audience members coming in with...

Riki Lindhome: Dead Inside has Lindhome taking audiences on her infertility journey, a term she hates but still uses. This is not her first time discussing her infertility - she did a television episode about it, which she shows the audience a clip of, giving us a sneak peek at what we’ll be heari...

Character Flaw, written and performed by Philippa Dawson, takes audience members into the mind of Dawson, particularly looking at her experiences with ADHD and queer identity. We begin with Dawson telling us about some of her experiences with embarrassing moments, which then leads into one of the ma...

The Greatest Magic Show begins with a bang as the incredibly energetic ringmaster, Magnus, bursts on stage, singing a parody of Aladdin’s “Arabian Nights” with lyrics about him travelling the world to find what he considers to be the “greatest show.” Now, he’s here to present all of the ...

Alex Kitson: Must I Paint You A Picture? is a show with a strong hook - Kitson, who has been told to be more personal in his comedy, has a big secret, and he is going to reveal it by the end of the show. But, before that secret is revealed, we’re going to be treated to some fun standup comedy....

Ivo Graham: Grand Designs is a show, according to Graham, made up of lists to deal with the chaos that the comedian has been facing. Throughout the hour we have with him, Graham discusses his love for football, his family and friends and how music has made an impact on his life....

From the beginning of Reuben Kaye: Live and Intimidating, you know you are in for something different than your usual Fringe show. This is something that Kaye acknowledges himself as he wanders through the crowd, declaring that he will be starting with the dark stuff, saying that his attitude is lik...

Come Dine With Me: The Musical. is an adaptation of the hit television series that has four strangers cook meals for one another, ranking them in order to win the grand prize by the end. The show follows not only the contestants on the show but also those filming it, particularly the producer, Mary,...

Alex Prescot: I’ve Got A Song About That has quite the explanatory title - Prescot, a musical comedian, claims to have a song for every situation, and he is here to prove it through a show. We begin with crowd work, with Prescot asking audience members a range of questions....

The Irish writer Brendan Behan described critics as “eunuchs in a harem; they know how it’s done, they’ve seen it done every day, but they’re unable to do it themselves”. Quite a damning characterisation. Anand Tucker introduces an ageing critic, Jimmy Erskine, whose name and ruthlessness ...

With a book by Laura Kleinbaum, music by Jeff Daye and lyrics by both Kleinbaum and Daye, House of Cleopatra brings audiences into the world of the iconic queen through pop music in a club-like atmosphere. Audience members stand and watch as most of the action takes place on stage, though it does so...