Well, well, well. If it isn't Rhys James, the guy who said comedy shows are for losers and blurbs are for idiots. Back here with another comedy show, as explained in this blurb. Unbelievable.
The cult-favourite alternative comic humbly invites you to his brand-new, absolutely brilliant hour of extraordinary-absurdist-character-comedy-nonsense-sort-of-stand-up and hubris.
Starring Richard Oliver, Robert Picardo and Sylvester McCoy, A Joke depicts three men meeting in a void and attempting to figure out who they are and what has brought them together. They swiftly realise that they are apparently the set up for an archetypal joke, and attempt to understand the nature of their existence. The result is something akin to Waiting for Godot crossed with Six Characters in Search of An Author.
American theatre company Squeaky Wheelz Productions have brought a new play to Edinburgh set after a nuclear apocalypse has wiped out the United States. The topic is certainly relevant considering current political rhetoric, though the play does not dwell on events leading up to the cataclysm, focusing instead on a small group of survivors. Three cautious young people sharing carefully rationed food in an underground shelter are joined first by a young couple with a baby on the way, then by a pair of siblings. Characters' stories develop and conflict occurs within this 45 minute drama by Freddie Fulton and Matthew Consalvo.
Cool kids, high school identity issues, a whole lot of singing and the starting of engines. Grease may have been the word, but hunty you are not in Rydell anymore. It is 2016 and while the world is in turmoil, the life of an American teenager is no smooth catwalk. Social outsider Matthew comes untucked when they decide it is time to step out the shadows and shine, by running for prom queen.
Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story is the shocking true story of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, two soon to be trainee lawyers who kidnap and murder a 14 year old boy in their desire to commit the perfect crime. Returning to the fringe for the first time since 2014 this production reunites the original creative team, with direction by Guy Retallack and Musical Direction by Kris Rawlinson.
'It Shoulda Been You' opened on Broadway in 2015, with a cast including Tyne Daly, Sierra Boggess and Lisa Howard in a production directed by David Hyde Pierce. It receives one of its first UK presentations here from new Edinburgh company Room 29 Theatre, and it's an inspired choice for their Fringe premiere.
Joe's NYC Bar is a show that really understands the Celtic concept of "craic" - the great pleasure of good company and good conversation. Bringing a touch of Brooklyn to Edinburgh this August, the production is an immersive and often improvisational experience set in the eponymous New York watering hole and featuring its staff and patrons, as well as audience members who are very much encouraged to get involved.
Edges is the first musical from Pasek and Paul, now better known for La La Land and Dear Evan Hansen. More of a song cycle, it is a collection of numbers on the theme of coming of age, from growing apart from siblings via dating and breakups to parenthood.
The typically implausible G&S style plot involves two companies going to extreme lengths to secure good reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe with rival productions. Many of the usual Gilbertian elements are included: an abandoned baby, a sense of duty, love across ranks and an implausible, contrived finale. All-new lyrics, set to Sullivan's music, are accompanied by the usual quota of silly dances.
How would you get through your day without being able to sing a full song, read a poem aloud or even debate at length which Fringe show to see? That's the premise behind Sam Steiner's award-winning play Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons , which returns to the Fringe this year in the lovely Roundabout venue at Summerhall. Focusing on the importance of communication and language, it depicts snapshots in the relationship of musician Oliver (Euan Kitson) and lawyer Bernadette (Beth Holmes) before and after the implementation of a 'Hush Law'. Under this law, individuals are limited to using only 140 words in a day.
Long before the Delorean or the TARDIS ever graced our screens, the story of The Time Machine fascinated the public with the idea of travelling in the fourth dimension. This new musical based on the H.G. Wells masterpiece is not a straight adaptation of the novel, adding in a neat framing device. Set at Radio Woking in the 1950s, this production features Carrie (Lindsay Sharman), a station producer in the finest cut-glass BBC English mould, and George (Laurence Owen), the writer and performer of a radio musical version of the sci-fi classic.
We have several months to wait to see Peter Capaldi regenerate into Jodie Whittaker, but for those needing a Fringe fix of their favourite Gallifreyan, Any Suggestions, Doctor? An Improvised Adventure in Space and Time is offering up a brand new unofficial episode almost every day of the festival.
