Fringe preview

From the sublime to the ridiculous, Amnesty International has already longlisted 40 shows eligible for its Freedom of Expression Award whilst Deliveroo is offering Falstaff with your fish and chips and Portia with your pizza in an initiative to raise money for student-run Bedlam Theatre Company. For a chance to have a monologue written by Scotland-based actor Adam Butler, include #EdinburghBinge with your food order.

On the Fringe, new and established artists offer theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, family shows, musicals, opera, music, and spoken word events, catering to every taste.

Amongst the shows at this year's Fringe are:

  • Brexit

    Tim Bentinck—David in Radio 4's The Archers—Mike McShane, Jo Caulfied and Hal Cruttenden are in this biting satire written by Tom Salinsky and Robert Khanthis, who review the script in response to ongoing developments. Set in 2020, the Conservative government is still tied up in knots over our withdrawal from the European Union, but is the new PM the political miracle worker of his generation?

  • Beetlemania – Kafka For Kids

    There is no existential angst in this Kafkaesque Kaper by award-winning comedian and writer Tom Parry and director Russell Bolam, suitable for family audiences.

  • The Reluctant Fundamentalist

    NYT presents Mohsin Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which looks at the ironies of prejudice and representation in a post-9/11 New York in a stage adaptation by Stephanie Street. It is directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah.

  • Flies

    A nightmarish journey into the mind of a man confined to his room because of a chronic fear of flies. Presented by Pins and Needles Productions and Les Enfants Terribles, Flies is written by Oliver Lansley and the cult electro punk musician Kid Carpet. Emma Earle directs.

  • BIG AFTERMATH of a small disclosure

    Actors Touring Company presents the UK première of this play by Magne van den Berg in a translation by Purni Morell. Looking at one of the most pertinent philosophical issues of our time, it explores words, meanings and the limitations of language. Alice Malin directs.

  • AnimAlphabet

    Despite working with a limited budget in collaboration with disability experts Stacey Stockwell and Carly Jones MBE, the company behind AnimAlphabet has found a way to interpret every one of their Edinburgh Fringe performances using pre-recorded video. Touch tours and relaxed performances are also being offered.

  • Iconic - A Brief History of Drag

    UK drag star Velma Celli, the alter-ego of Ian Stroughair, is Bowie, Boy George, Lady Gaga, Tina Turner and more, supported by backing singers and an onstage band.

  • Queer Words

    Stand-up comedy and poetry meets dance theatre in an outspoken slice of pride, hope, activism, and courage delivered by an all-LGBTQ cast presented by Birmingham-based Autin Dance Theatre. World première.

  • The Korean Cultural Centre is presenting four shows at the Fringe

    About Lady White Fox with Nine Tales recreates Shakespeare’s Macbeth based on the mysterious and exotic White Fox legend of the Orient, Sweet Tango mixes the passion of Argentinian tango with traditional Korean instruments and music, Just One Wise Life is a physical theatre piece that explores the concept of wellness whilst refusing the accepted definition of ethics and Black and White Tea Room—Counsellor presents an intense psychological battle.

  • A Substitute For Life

    Written by Simon Brett and performed by Tim Hardy, this is a stealthy, literary, psychological thriller that tackles the themes of damaged childhood, sexual repression and the construction of fortresses through literary fiction. It is presented by Hint Of Lime and directed by Alison Skilbeck.

  • Gulliver Returns

    After Lil and Lem’s world has been torn apart by loss, Lem has retreated into the imaginary world of Gulliver’s Travels. It is down to Lil to find a way to bring him home. The writer and director is Dan Coleman of a literary inspired work that, as well as tackling the themes of Jonathan Swift’s original novel, touches on the themes of mental health, bereavement, redemption and the desire to escape the real world.

  • Luke Wright, Poet Laureate

    Fringe First winner Luke Wright's new show sees the poet look at his chances of being the next Poet Laureate. He’s a dark horse at best but he does care about Britain, so he’s on a mission to write poems that might be able to unite a nation divided by austerity and Brexit.