Edinburgh Fringe 2025 Reviews

Rating	Show Details	Review
★★★★★ Excellent	After the Service - Tales of Love and Loss AR Hawkins Gilded Balloon Appleton Tower 13:00-14:00	Wow! Perhaps this show is not for everyone: it is raw and close to the bone. We hear two stories involving living with loss (apparently it will change through the fringe to be different two parts chosen from three so I can't guarantee what you will see will be the same) - one the loss of a newborn, the other of the loss of partner to AIDS. It was poignant storytelling, and edge of seat stuff, especially for me in the first part performed by Hannah Marina, which had a tension between two elements that was physically palpable. I was in the front row, with a small audience, and so this performance was significantly directed towards me individually; the power of this performance hit me head on. I was bowled over.
★★★★★ Excellent	Lost Lear Matt Smyth, Riverbank Arts Centre and Mermaid Arts Centre Traverse Various-1h15	Lost Lear was an incredible play, with the protagonist, Joy, a dementia suffer that, within a care home, is only able to come out of her shell practicing and performing King Lear. This is a look at dementia from within this entwinement with King Lear that has many facets: dealing with the relationship between mother and son, actor and work, patient and their own mind. These wider and personal concerns all unfold within the constraints and reflection of Joy's engagement with the Shakespeare play. The different layers of Lost Lear are then enhanced further by the multiple viewpoints, with numerous mixed media -- projections, puppetry, staging -- all of which are valuable, impeccable and seamlessly integrated. The play draws slowly to its resolution, but it is never clear whether that resolution will ever come and what form it might take. The many confusions of the dementia causes ripples that continue through the play. This is the most involved, multi-faceted and layered play I have seen this year. It is a remarkable performance, and could easily benefit from a second watch.
★★★★★ Excellent	Ordinary Decent Criminal Paines Plough with Mark Thomas Summerhall Various-1hr15	A remarkable performance by Mark Thomas brings us to look at the life of a number of different criminals in jail, consider the backgrounds that got them there and see how things play out. Written for Mark Thomas to perform, it matches Mark's political persuasions well. A brilliant play that keeps you thinking for time to come.
★★★★★ Excellent	Circa: Wolf Underbelly and Circa with Chamäleon Berlin Circus Hub on the Meadows 18:20-19:20	This is how it should be done. Circa: Wolf had it all right. The show had excellent acrobatics, originality, diversity of acts, excellent showmanship, clever theming and background ambience; the show had the audience on their toes. The movement was fluid and there was often an element of not knowing where to look given all that was happening. It moved from synchronicity to diversity regularly. Most circus shows I see are on trend. You see the same elements that everyone is copying from everyone. Here you are repeatedly caught by surprise, by both big and little elements of the work. The choreography was brilliant too, smooth, exciting and dynamic. I've seen Circa since they first arrived at the fringe. Their first show was excellent. Circa 2.0 was good but quite similar. However here, they have made a step change. This really upped the ante in my book. I was very impressed and this is amongst the best physical theatre shows I have seen at the fringe over 25 years.
★★★★★ Excellent	The Genesis Copenhagen Collective Assembly Hall 12:30-13:30	The Genesis was an excellent display of acrobatic prowess. It was entirely prop free: just pure acrobatics. There were 17 people, so a lot was happening. 4-person tall towers, and back flip somersaults from on top of one two-tower to on top of another are amongst the many incredible acts. One or two slips and falls as they are really pushing to the edge, but powerful stuff. Between this and Circa: Wolf, which should you see? Both, of course! I think I would say Circa was a better overall show, but if you are just going for the pure acrobatics, then this is the one for you.
★★★★★ Excellent	Art of Andalucia Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company Imaginex at YOTEL Edinburgh Various-1hr20	Art of Andalucia was incredible. Everyone played their part in this performance, and all parts were vital, but the visiting performance by Angel Reyes was in a league of its own. I know little of flamenco compared to many, but this dance was stunning to me. The overall performance was varied, with guitar, bailaor, bailaora, cantaor and cantaora each having their centre stage. It took me back to Seville in an instant. Evocative soulful and impressive.
★★★★★ (from 2017)	The Nature of Forgetting Theatre Re Pleasance Courtyard 13:15-14:30	Okay, this is a cheat, as I didn't go see this show, but did see it in 2017. When I saw it, it was jaw-dropping, and was one of the outstanding shows from that particular fringe. I hear it is also very good this time round, though I think it is a little different (and out of the small room and into a big auditorium). As I didn't see it this year, the rank of this should be considered fairly arbitrary, but I thought it worth a mention.
★★★★☆ Very good	Two Pints The Belgrade Theatre Coventry Assembly Rooms 15:10-16:40	We have two older Irish guys in a pub, and the near-silent publican... and a pub conversation. And that's about it. A mix of the inane and the personal. I really liked it - for me it dealt with the unmentioned tensions in male conversation really well. Funny, in a rather Father Ted like way. The guys in front of me in the toilet queue thought it was inane drivel though. So not for everyone.
★★★★☆ Very good	Triptych Redux House of Oz and Lewis Major Zoo Southside 21:30-22:30	This dance in 3 or 4 Parts is well worth a see. It was well done and pretty original. The fast lighting part especially - brought to mind Tron: Legacy, but the whole thing was an excellent play with the dance of light and the dance of dancers. I thought the last solo dance didn't have the edge of the other ones, but altogether I liked it.
★★★★☆ Very Good	Red Like Fruit 2b theatre company Traverse Various-1hr15	A journalist sits in a chair while her story is narrated. The story is her story, and the story of interviews for an article being written by her about contended sexual and physical abuse. The play explores the borderlines of sexual abuse and sexual experience, its effects near and far, the excuses or even lies of the perpetrators, but as much the rationalising of those who suffer. The play is very singular in its direction, both showing the nuances involved, the experiences and emotions, but also drawing clear lines. As a play, it is perhaps one track, focusing on the sex and abuse in an isolated way. It stoops to telling rather than showing on occasions, but it is a remarkably tight work.
★★★★☆ Very Good	Standing in the Shadows of Giants Traverse Theatre and The Hale Traverse Various-1hr10	Here, we have the personal story of Lucie Barât, the sister of The Libertines' Carl Barât. The story of her personal journey, dealing with the troubles of making it in the theatre, while her brother makes stardom. Now-traditional stories of power-play, drugs, and rehab are handled well and without cliché. A moving and strong performance throughout. There were a few quirks and the "if only I had realised I was gay earlier perhaps everything would have been different" endplay seemed like an aftertake - a little glib and unconvincing. But that is a very minor 2 minutes in an otherwise great performance.
★★★★☆ Very Good	By a Thread One Fell Swoop Circus Assembly Roxy 15:50-16:50	By a Thread demonstrated excellent rope-based circus, with enough variety while maintaining identity. Good performance, and pacy. Comic bits, mix with more serious themes. I have perhaps seen more flowing and seamless circus acts, but you'd have to be hunting for fault for that to matter. The interaction between all the acrobats is fun and helps make the show.
★★★★☆ Very Good	Consumed Paines Plough, Belgrade Coventry, Sheffield Theatres Traverse Various-1hr20	Consumed is a kitchen sink comic melodrama (if that is not an oxymoron), which sticks to the plan. Four generations of Northern Irish women argue over a birthday meal, while packing into the play the topics of eating disorders, alcoholism, vegetarianism, animal rights, hoarding, phobias, and conflict avoidance and whatever else you can think of. The play is all about what is passed down the generations. Plenty of funny; the audience is giggling throughout. Incredible set - real food is cooked, and you can smell the boiled potatoes from the audience. The whole play is very well done, and as with much at the Traverse, it is great to see a show with a full cast rather than a solo show. Too over the top to be profound (though it gives a good try!), the ending somewhat ridiculous and predictable as one might expect from the genre, but definitely a good see.
★★★★☆ Very Good	Rift Luna Stage and Richard Jordan Productions Traverse Various-1hr30	Rift is the tale of two brothers and their relationship across a prison boundary. The play explores the challenges in that relationship. Much gets thrown in the pot: child abuse, issues around actual belief and pragmatics, the nature of dogma and its barrier to relating, as well as how siblings can use one another as well as loving one another. There were flaws. There seemed to be too many unlikely actions in the play - things characters wouldn't do in those circumstances made it hard to relate to the younger brother. It also felt preachy in tone at times, and one was left feeling the target of the preaching was as much the audience as the protagonist. But it is another solid play in the Traverse lineup.
★★★★☆ Very Good	300 Paintings Sam Kissajukian Summerhall 12:05-13:05	300 Paintings is a comic-yet-serious look at an overly long manic episode in Sam Kissajukian's life and the ferocious and infectious but misdirected productivity that can come from bipolar manic episodes. It is also a story that moves to recognition of what bipolar is and learning to manage it. Funny at the time, but also sad on reflection, this fringe show goes beyond stand-up to tell a tale well worth the telling and the hearing.
★★★★☆ Very Good	Blip Tom Bass + Ren Roberts Greenside@Riddles Court 19:40-20:20	Blip was interesting and different. The show was a clowning performance, but within a serious show on a stiff-upper-lip-father and son relationship. The sort of thing the fringe is about. Very well done.
★★★★☆ Very Good	Bebe Cave: CHRISTBRIDE BIGHEAD Comedy Pleasance Dome Various-1hr	Christbride, a show about a young maiden in the middle ages, being set up for marriage, is an irreverent (blasphemous is probably more accurate) look at what happens when that fails and becoming a nun and being married-to-Christ (yes - you are warned where this is going) is all that is left. This comic character-show is edgy, ridiculous, and funny. The show felt unique, and yet there is no one thing that obviously made it so. Even so in the over 500 fringe shows I have seen before I have not seen anything quite like it. With strong hints of pantomime, a feeling of improvisation even in a well rehearsed gig, varying forms of storytelling, funny self reflection and good use of audience asides, the confident performance is what carries this show. Silly, funny, and slightly squirmy, I am very glad I did not miss this. I still can't quite put my finger on what makes it shine.
★★★★☆ Very Good	Shamilton Baby Wants Candy Assembly George Square 19:35-20:35	Imagine a single-theme full-length improv show. Now imagine a hip-hop musical. Now put the two together. Now do it well. Now realise how hard that is, and go see some other people do it much better than you ever will. The performers of Shamilton are those other people, and you are guaranteed to enjoy. Simply, this is low risk, high reward fun.
★★★★☆ Good	Ten Thousand Hours Gravity and Other Myths and House of Oz Assembly Hall 18:00-19:00	This was a core acrobatics show. Good sized troupe kept things moving apace - pretty prop free old-style acrobatics stuff but with a contemporary show feel. Solid performance.
★★★★☆ Good	Baxter vs The Bookies by Andy Linden Andy Linden Snug at Gilded Balloon Patter House 13:00-14:00	Baxter gave us some interesting storytelling. Story about a tipster and the ups and downs. Too linear to be brilliant and lacking layers but acted fairly well.
★★★★☆ Good	...Earnest? Say It Again, Sorry? Assembly George Square 15:20-16:30	...Earnest? is a fun feel-good semi-improv. The premise is simple. For various contrived reasons, audience members have to take the part of actual actors in a rendition of The Importance of Being Earnest. Little more needs saying, apart from that the whole show was done well.
★★★★☆ Good	Michael Shafar – Well Worth the Chemo Michael Shafar Laughing Horse@Kick-Ass Cowgate 21:30-22:15	(Free Fringe) Here, we have excellent comedy from an Aussie living in London. Covers international boundaries, testicular cancer, and lots more. Efficient continuous-laugh comedy. No warm up, no audience chit chat to eat time - just straight in funny and continuing right through to the end. What is not to like.
★★★★☆ Good	The Cadaver Palaver Bare Witness Theatre Co. Summerhall 10:15-11:15	This was a tall tale told and acted well, with a general Burke and Hare like theme. Simple enjoyable theatre like The Cadaver Palaver is what the fringe is all about.
★★★★☆ Good	Bloomsbury Bell Kara Wilson Pleasance Courtyard 13:45-14:45	Bloomsbury Bell is a gentle monologue to a small audience over an on-set active portrait painting of Virginia Woolf by her sister, that isn't trying to be more than it is. A simple exploration of the Bloomsbury Group, from the perspective of Vanessa Bell. Interesting reflections on their life, sexuality, and intellectual optimism, illustrating the invigoration coming from the discussions of ideas. The play focuses on the personal more than the intellectual, perhaps hinting of the feelings that members had at the time. It is well done, and evocative, slowly drawing you in. If you know nothing of the work of the Bloomsbury members, then it might not be for you. But it was a lovely play, and I appreciated it. The painting was a nice touch, and again made it something different and very fringe-worthy.
★★★★☆ Good	A Year and a Day Raising Cain Productions theSpace@Surgeons Hall 18:45-50m	In this solo play, Nathan has a bit of a problem. At the end of each day, he vanishes and jumps forward a year without aging. As few of us have thought through what comes from such a scenario, the way this performance plays it out feels unpredictable. Although time jumps are not an unheard of sci fi concept, I have not seen this precise premise before. The story is told entirely in rhyme; it grated on me at first, but by the end I was in with the flow, and it made for something a little different. As storytelling, it handled the fraught relationships in difficult situations. Leaving, I was surprised to find myself impressed. I had been attentive and thoroughly engaged throughout, and it seemed more vivid than I expected it to be. Glad I went.
★★★★☆ Good	Jacob Nussey: Primed Presented by Mick Perrin Worldwide Pleasance Courtyard 19:15-20:15	This was good comedy from a relatively new comic: deadpan, but funny. A modern worker's look at employment at Amazon and other such jobs. Recommended.
★★★★☆ Good	27 Club Amplified House and Assembly Festival Assembly Rooms 20:35-21:40	This is simply a tribute band playing covers of early departed rock musicians: Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. Capable and a fun evenings entertainment. No one expects these to be as good as the originals, but they did well. The band sound was more suited to grunge, so somehow that came out better than, e.g. Janis Joplin did. Some of the diversity in music sounds was pulled together by the simple fact of the same band doing all of them. But again that should not be surprising. As good as these things can be.
★★★★☆ Good	Shamik Chakrabarti: Despite Appearances Soho Theatre in association with Comedy Wagon Gilded Balloon Appleton Tower 21:00-22:00	Despite appearances is a relaxed, easy-going shaggy dog story looking at life in Mumbai, with comparisons with the US. Shamik loses a laptop bag and laptop in an auto rickshaw... A confident performance that leaves you with a warm feeling after you leave. Good laughs.
★★★★☆ Good	Do You Accept These Charges Laurie Magers in association with Suzanna Rosenthal Productions Pleasance Courtyard 15:10-16:10	Here, we have a first person comic look at the psyche of a person choosing to dysfunctionally commit to a relationship with an incarcerated prisoner. I was pleasantly surprised by this show, which looks at how much we can convince ourselves of our own false beliefs.
★★★★☆ Good	Daniel Kitson The Stand 10:00-11:30	I found this to be a performance that was slightly haphazard, but funny as Kitson always is. I like my comedy with a bit more bite than a typical situation comic provides, so this was always going to fail to scratch the itch. This was very much a mess-around and marketed as such.
★★★☆☆ Fair	Raise the Barre Masters of Choreography Assembly Rooms 15:20-16:20	This felt a bit like a one hour long tik tok video (the old dance kind, not the modern maniac stunt version). Like the reserve backing dances for a concert without the actual concert. Energetic, and continuous movement, but somewhat lacking virtuosity. With random music choices.
★★★☆☆ Fair	Tom Stade Tom Stade / Blue Jeans Management The Stand 20:30-21:30	Tom Stade was fairly funny, but a little one-themed. If you are under 30 expect to be picked on.
★★★☆☆ Fair	Imago Corporeal Imago Assembly Roxy 13:00-13:40	This was a good physical theatre performance. However it felt like an act rather than a show. It seems to be a feature of some Cirque du Soleil performers that come to the fringe. They don't convert well to a whole fringe show.
★★★☆☆ Fair	Matt: Forde: Defying Calamity Avalon Pleasance Courtyard Various-1hr	As someone who grew up with alternative comedy, Spitting Image, Comic Strip, Yes Minister, and war of ideas that was Thatcherite Britain, I find the current dearth of political comedy and satire at the fringe a little sad, but the age of the audience here shows only those from that era care. Matt Forde does his bit, but this time round it lacks the edge. Part of the show is focusing on his cancer experience. No doubt this has significantly impacted his life, and he wishes to share and warn, but it was off-brand and really not that funny. Politically, being a card-carrying Labour supporter made him unable to provide any real critique of the current incumbents other than that they were bad at marketing. His Trump is still better than any, and there were some good laughs along the way, but without the real satirical streak that would make the show excellent.
★★★☆☆ Fair	My Name is Rachel Corrie Sascha Shinder Zoo Southside 19:00-21:30	This is an important story, and a sad reflection on the world that this tale of the deadly tribulations in Gaza is over 20 years old, and things are only worse. However I fear this monologue of a diary doesn’t convert so well to the fringe, important though it might be. A little long for a one person show.
★★★☆☆ Fair	Insiders Bethany Christian Trust: Creative Expressions St John's Church Various-1hr	(Free ticketed) As you might expect from Bethany, Insiders is a look at life inside prison with an overtly Christian undertone. Prepared in conjunction with prison chaplaincies and prisoners, this is a look at the everyday experience in prison. As a fringe show, it felt like a partial success, but was perhaps still a little too pastiche to provide deep insight. The history of how the play came about is interesting, as is its use in prisons. Anything that keeps what happens in our prisons in public consciousness is a good thing in my mind.
★★★☆☆ Fair	Amanda Hursy: Carted Amanda Hursey Gilded Balloon Patter House 18:20-19:20	Amanda Hursy gives an interesting show, and not for her normal audience (she has been doing the rounds for those staying at his majesty's pleasure), Amanda tells the story of growing up in Glasgow, never too far away from her best pals (the polis). Its early in her comedy career, and she is on the up. Once in her stride, she was confidently convincing the audience that just living in Glasgow was comic enough - she just needed to tell the story. Not up there with the great comics yet, but there is time. And not the sort of time her best pals talk about.
★★★☆☆ Fair	Flip Fabrique: Six Underbelly and FLIP Fabrique Meadows Circus Hub 14:05-15:10	This was an enjoyable show. It was not up there with the other acrobatic shows, and the storyline was a bit cryptic, but it was a pleasant watch.
★★★☆☆ Okay	Almost Famous NoLogoProductions theSpace@Surgeons Hall Various-50m	An actor luvvies on about her career, dropping names, and being generally annoying until the admissions arrive. An exploration of what is and what could have been, of what we are and what we make ourselves. A little formulaic, and the acting grated a little, which is an issue in a solo performance. I wasn't overwhelmed, but still happy to have seen.
★★★☆☆ Okay	LEI-LDN Na-Keisha Pebody, Mya Onwugbonu Pleasance Courtyard 18:00-19:00	LEI-LDN is a look at the move from Leicester to London of a mixed-race Caribbean-descent girl. Being another play on identity, it is in big company with many shows doing the rounds. It was in the spirit of the fringe, with plenty of audience participation. The story line was a familiar one of family tensions, but by focusing fairly exclusively on racial identity, it missed the broader elements of real relationships. However, for an exploration of identity, it did a good job, was relatable, and will gel with those that share similar experiences.
★★★☆☆ Okay	The Time Painter ACC, ACCF, Haddangse Assembly George Square 15:05-16:05	The Time Painter didn't quite work. They tried to do something a bit more interesting with paper props but the lack of dialogue and pastiche nature meant it didn't hold together in the first part, which made the punchlines less powerful. Memorable for what they tried to do, but a little disengaging.
★★★☆☆ Okay	Clean Slate Louisa Marshall and Amber Charlie Conroy Summerhall 17:50-18:50	Clean Slate has audience participation taken to the extreme. However I felt that was the whole show; yet the audience members were mostly doing what they were told to do, or being set up for. The show topic and play didn't hold its own and so the participation was supposed to provide the make-it. But it was just audience participation. It's been done before, so it didn't really provide the interest factor it would require to make this fly.
★★★☆☆ Okay	Tattoo The Castle 21:30-23:00	This Tattoo was not up to par on previous ones. It was all a bit samish, the fireworks were naff, the show was very much Scotland the Kitsch and the backstory involved significantly rewriting history. But large pipe bands are always impressive.
★★★☆☆ Okay	Because you Never Asked Roger White and Helen Simard Summerhall 19:35-20:35	This was not one for me. Dancers running around somewhat aimlessly, waving their arms a lot, while a backing track of an interview of a Jewish survivor of the Nazi regime recounts experiences from before and after the Nazis came to power. For me the disconnect was too great. What the dancers were doing was hard to connect to anything that was being said, and lacked interpretability. The dance was not interesting in its own right (apart from the coats). Though the backing interview was interesting, it was a backing interview and what happened on stage distracted from it rather than adding to it. For me, it insufficiently held together as a show.
★★☆☆☆ Poor	Nate Kitch: Something Different!!!!! Nate Kitch Gilded Balloon Patter House Various-1hr	Nothing I say here will make a difference; he already has five exclamation marks. I found it hard to distinguish this from messing about. He got one laughing member of the audience, the rest had an occasional mild chuckle. Fine if there was more to it than just a laugh, but there was not. This is not really alternative. Unless alternative is just a synonym for rather mediocre. It has all been done before, and better.
★★☆☆☆ Poor	A Pound of Flesh Arbery Theater Space on the Mile 20:25-21:15	A Pound of Flesh was billed as an alternative take on the Merchant of Venice, but I felt it was an amdram word for word replay of snippets of the Shakespeare with an unconvincing alternative ending. It did serve to remind me of other performances of this, one of Shakespeare’s better plays, that I had seen in the past.
★★☆☆☆ Poor	Absolutely Magic Tim Licata Uno Mas (Picardy Place) 17:45-1835	(Free Fringe) This was a very drawn out magic show of purchased magic tricks, all of which were fairly obvious. Most performed okay, and patter was fine. But there are better magic shows in town.