# west end — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 6 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover west end. Page: Feed: --- ## [Janette Manrara, Rupert Young, Juliet Cowan and Wallis Currie-Wood join Noah Schnapp in Riverside Studios’ world premiere of Affluenza](https://theatreweekly.com/janette-manrara-rupert-young-juliet-cowan-and-wallis-currie-wood-join-noah-schnapp-in-riverside-studios-world-premiere-of-affluenza/) _2026-08-20 · Staff Writer · Theatre Weekly_ Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp will be joined by Janette Manrara, Rupert Young, Juliet Cowan and Wallis Currie-Wood in the world premiere of Affluenza at Riverside Studios The post Janette Manrara, Rupert Young, Juliet Cowan and Wallis Currie-Wood join Noah Schnapp in Riverside Studios’ world premiere of Affluenza appeared first on Theatre Weekly . ## [Full casting announced for London transfer of Million Dollar Quartet starring Darren Day](https://theatreweekly.com/full-casting-announced-for-london-transfer-of-million-dollar-quartet-starring-darren-day/) _2026-08-20 · Staff Writer · Theatre Weekly_ Full casting has been announced for the London transfer of the Barn Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of Million Dollar Quartet The post Full casting announced for London transfer of Million Dollar Quartet starring Darren Day appeared first on Theatre Weekly . ## [The Stage Debut Awards 2026 shortlist announced with Sadie Sink, Ralph Fiennes and Brendan Gleeson among nominees](https://theatreweekly.com/the-stage-debut-awards-2026-shortlist-announced-with-sadie-sink-ralph-fiennes-and-brendan-gleeson-among-nominees/) _2026-08-20 · Staff Writer · Theatre Weekly_ The Stage Debut Awards, in association with Netflix, has announced its 2026 shortlist, recognising performers and creatives making standout debuts across British theatre The post The Stage Debut Awards 2026 shortlist announced with Sadie Sink, Ralph Fiennes and Brendan Gleeson among nominees appeared first on Theatre Weekly . ## [How I’ve Tried to Change the World by Alexei Sayle review – does protest make a difference?](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/20/how-ive-tried-to-change-the-world-by-alexei-sayle-review-does-protest-make-a-difference) _2026-08-20 · Andy Beckett · Stage | The Guardian_ The comedian charts his life in demos from 1960s Liverpool to 2020s London in this fiery and addictive book At 74, the comedian Alexei Sayle is approaching a dangerous phase for veteran British leftists: becoming a national treasure. Once described by special branch, in a surveillance file gleefully quoted in this memoir, as an “intellectual thug” who made “foul-mouthed comments about the royal… ## [Magicians and margarine: 10 of the funniest jokes from the Edinburgh fringe 2026](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/20/magicians-and-margarine-10-of-the-funniest-jokes-from-the-edinburgh-fringe-2026) _2026-08-20 · Guardian Staff · Stage | The Guardian_ Every year, hundreds of standups from across the world descend on the venerable festival. Here are some of their finest one-liners 10 of the funniest jokes from the 2025 fringe Olaf Falafel : I remember thinking, as I taped a piranha to my boomerang, this could come back to bite me. Richard Stott : To the person who stole my bank card and spent all my money on ancestry.com – you know who you are.… ## [‘Are you ready for some filth?’ Julian Clary and more on comedy’s great smut explosion](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/20/julian-clary-fully-dilated-smut-edinburgh-fringe-comedy-entendre) _2026-08-20 · Tim Jonze · Stage | The Guardian_ Clary’s back with Fully Dilated, a burlesque star called Entendre Entendre is doing lewd singalongs and there’s an A-Z of very dirty words. Our writer investigates Edinburgh’s smut outbreak – and ends up getting his own fantasies turned into erotica On a street in Edinburgh, a woman I’ve only just met is quizzing me on my sexual fantasies. “Do you want softcore or hardcore? What positions do you… ## [Presente: The Case for Latina Visibility​](https://www.fiercebymitu.com/p/presente-the-case-for-latina-visibility) _2026-08-20 · Hady Méndez · FIERCE by mitú_ A love letter to a community learning to speak up while afraid to be seen. ## [Edinburgh Fringe Review: Persona at theSpace Triplex (Studio)](https://theatreweekly.com/edinburgh-fringe-review-persona-at-thespace-triplex-studio/) _2026-08-19 · Ruth Bennett · Theatre Weekly_ Edinburgh Fringe Review: Persona at theSpace Triplex (Studio) "The talented cast make Persona enjoyable for its clever lines" The post Edinburgh Fringe Review: Persona at theSpace Triplex (Studio) appeared first on Theatre Weekly . ## [Edinburgh Fringe Review: The Pitch at Pleasance Courtyard (Baby Grand)](https://theatreweekly.com/edinburgh-fringe-review-the-pitch-at-pleasance-courtyard-baby-grand/) _2026-08-19 · Greg Stewart · Theatre Weekly_ Edinburgh Fringe Review: The Pitch at Pleasance Courtyard (Baby Grand) "A beautifully observed portrait of friendship." The post Edinburgh Fringe Review: The Pitch at Pleasance Courtyard (Baby Grand) appeared first on Theatre Weekly . ## [Edinburgh Fringe Review: Fantasy World Adventures Mega Park! The Musical at theSpace on the Mile (Space 3)](https://theatreweekly.com/edinburgh-fringe-review-fantasy-world-adventures-mega-park-the-musical-at-thespace-on-the-mile-space-3/) _2026-08-19 · Greg Stewart · Theatre Weekly_ Edinburgh Fringe Review: Fantasy World Adventures Mega Park! The Musical at theSpace on the Mile (Space 3) "Joyful, funny and unapologetically daft" The post Edinburgh Fringe Review: Fantasy World Adventures Mega Park! The Musical at theSpace on the Mile (Space 3) appeared first on Theatre Weekly . ## [Make any domain metal (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/a1iGzgDSaw6Q) _2026-08-19 · **Sponsored**_ Turn any domain into a blacked-out metal landing page with an email waitlist ## [Edinburgh Fringe Review: Hope This Helps! at theSpace @ Venue 45](https://theatreweekly.com/edinburgh-fringe-review-hope-this-helps-at-thespace-venue-45/) _2026-08-19 · Nicol Cabe · Theatre Weekly_ Edinburgh Fringe Review: Hope This Helps! at theSpace @ Venue 45 "a great comedy for an afternoon to kick off a Fringe marathon" The post Edinburgh Fringe Review: Hope This Helps! at theSpace @ Venue 45 appeared first on Theatre Weekly . ## [Edinburgh Fringe Review: Don Quixote (is a very big book) at Pleasance Dome (King Dome)](https://theatreweekly.com/edinburgh-fringe-review-don-quixote-is-a-very-big-book-at-pleasance-dome-king-dome/) _2026-08-19 · Nicol Cabe · Theatre Weekly_ Edinburgh Fringe Review: Don Quixote (is a very big book) at Pleasance Dome (King Dome) The post Edinburgh Fringe Review: Don Quixote (is a very big book) at Pleasance Dome (King Dome) appeared first on Theatre Weekly . ## [Edinburgh Fringe Review: Beth and Ben: Your Place in the Workplace at Braw Venues (Hill Street Theatre – Dunedin)](https://theatreweekly.com/edinburgh-fringe-review-beth-and-ben-your-place-in-the-workplace-at-braw-venues-hill-street-theatre-dunedin/) _2026-08-19 · Nicol Cabe · Theatre Weekly_ Edinburgh Fringe Review: Beth and Ben: Your Place in the Workplace at Braw Venues (Hill Street Theatre - Dunedin) "the show is much more entertaining for its sketches than its overall narrative" The post Edinburgh Fringe Review: Beth and Ben: Your Place in the Workplace at Braw Venues (Hill Street Theatre – Dunedin) appeared first on Theatre Weekly . ## [Edinburgh Fringe Review: The Language of Dreams: A Crash Course at Greenside @ George Street](https://theatreweekly.com/edinburgh-fringe-review-the-language-of-dreams-a-crash-course-at-greenside-george-street/) _2026-08-19 · Nicol Cabe · Theatre Weekly_ Edinburgh Fringe Review: The Language of Dreams: A Crash Course at Greenside @ George Street "the final product is both intellectually stimulating and heartwarming" The post Edinburgh Fringe Review: The Language of Dreams: A Crash Course at Greenside @ George Street appeared first on Theatre Weekly . ## [Giraffe review – sparkling one-woman show stands out from the crowd](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/19/giraffe-review-sparkling-one-woman-show-stands-out-from-the-crowd) _2026-08-19 · Mark Fisher · Stage | The Guardian_ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh An unlikely relationship blossoms in Abigail Weinstock’s compelling and touching solo drama It takes a brave writer/performer to make her character a sociopath. How to keep the audience on board with someone who is callous and indifferent? In Abigail Weinstock’s sparkling one-woman show, 30-year-old Eliana has been caught making clandestine recordings in her… ## [My Edinburgh fringe odyssey: ‘The nudity is expressive, shocking – sometimes harrowing’](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/19/my-edinburgh-fringe-odyssey-the-nudity-is-expressive-shocking-sometimes-harrowing) _2026-08-19 · Arifa Akbar · Stage | The Guardian_ There are 3,649 shows at the fringe this year, but how many embody its spirit of radical experimentation? I took a journey through foam, lube and gore to find out ... Somewhere in Edinburgh, a man is drinking his own urine . Elsewhere, the story of a religious sect that commands its followers to use “butt plugs” plays out as a musical. In yet another room, a comedian sings the same song over and… ## [‘I’m not Mr Saturday Night’: the highbrow brilliance of Ahir Shah, past winner of comedy’s top prize](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/19/saturday-night-ahir-shah-edinburgh-festival-comedy-award) _2026-08-19 · Brian Logan · Stage | The Guardian_ Three years ago, he won the Edinburgh comedy award with a work in progress. Now he’s back with a show inspired by Gerard Manley Hopkins and Friedrich Nietzsche. Isn’t this all a bit grownup? Among past winners of the Edinburgh comedy award, few seemed less likely when the starter’s pistol fired than Ahir Shah in 2023 . Not because Shah wasn’t a contender: he had been nominated twice before. But… ## [Larry Dean: Hellbent review – SNL UK star’s cheery riffs on romance and royalty](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/19/larry-dean-hellbent-review-snl-uk-standup-pleasance-courtyard-edinburgh) _2026-08-19 · Brian Logan · Stage | The Guardian_ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Emotionally open and a little weirder than usual, the Glaswegian comic updates us on his recent marriage When SNL UK hit big earlier this year, it made stars of several comics just starting their careers. That was not the case with Larry Dean , who has been peddling his brand of crowd-pleasing Glasgow comedy for well over a decade. You know what you’re going to get… ## [Ihsane review – Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui leads us from brutal tragedy to euphoric harmony](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/19/ihsane-review-sidi-larbi-cherkaoui-leads-us-from-brutal-tragedy-to-euphoric-harmony) _2026-08-19 · Chris Wiegand · Stage | The Guardian_ Festival theatre, Edinburgh The choreographer combines a homophobic killing from 2012 with a remembrance for his father in an often rapturous show about healing In 2019 at the Edinburgh international festival, the Swiss director Milo Rau staged an intense theatrical investigation, La Reprise: Histoire(s) du Theatre (I) , recreating a homophobic killing in Belgium. The murder of Ihsane Jarfi, seven… ## [Shapes and ladders: Edinburgh fringe’s dance shows reach for the sky](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/19/edinburgh-fringe-dance-shows-circus) _2026-08-19 · Lyndsey Winship · Stage | The Guardian_ With brute strength and beauty, party tricks and personal revelations, this year’s dance and circus programme has ambition and a spirit of togetherness If you want to be wowed by technical prowess, I recommend taking a trip to see a couple of New York pole dancers, Donna Carnow and Gina Alm, in their Edinburgh fringe show Dusk/Night/Dawn. The pair are wildly impressive performers with just one… ## [CLI-first decentralized GPU compute (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/RsVUXASXl7Qk) _2026-08-19 · **Sponsored**_ Pay workers or run your GPU for FFmpeg transcode and AI inference. ## [Bumble Just Gave Up the One Rule That Made It Bumble](https://www.fiercebymitu.com/p/bumble-just-gave-up-the-one-rule) _2026-08-19 · FIERCE by mitú_ The app that promised women control just handed the first move back to men. ## [Exit review – a circus squad who really drive each other up the wall](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/18/exit-review-zoo-southside-edinburgh) _2026-08-18 · Chris Wiegand · Stage | The Guardian_ Zoo Southside, Edinburgh The acrobats in this symphony of ins and outs build and break tension as they clamber over the set together Four performers enter the auditorium and walk among us but they’re sizing up the space not the audience. On stage is a scaffold structure with a cutaway design and a white facade featuring several doors, which soon frame a series of comings and goings. With this much… ## [Phyllida Law obituary](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/18/phyllida-law-obituary) _2026-08-18 · Michael Coveney · Stage | The Guardian_ Actor with a long career in theatre and on television who was known for the subtle quality of her work Although she was perhaps best known as the mother of two outstanding actors, Emma and Sophie Thompson, Phyllida Law, who has died aged 94, was supremely gifted herself – as an actor, costume designer and writer. She was not averse to appearing with either daughter: with Emma in her scabrously… ## [‘Audiences ask to feel my calves!’ The endurance extremists pounding treadmills and pumping pedals at the fringe](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/18/endurance-extremists-edinburgh-fringe) _2026-08-18 · Kate Wyver · Stage | The Guardian_ How do you keep audiences gripped while cycling 27km per show? From the Australian recreating a Tour de France win to a ‘toxically positive’ spin queen, we meet the acts bringing Olympian fitness to Edinburgh Blood and sweat drip to the floor. Tears are on their way. In a small room in Edinburgh, Megan Tomei is cleat-clipped into a stationary bike, yelling above the music as she leads a… ## [By a Thread review – soulful circus with a sprinkle of magic](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/18/by-a-thread-review-one-fell-swoop-edinburgh-assembly-rooms) _2026-08-18 · Lyndsey Winship · Stage | The Guardian_ Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Emotional group dynamics and individual skills make One Fell Swoop stand out in the crowded circus genre You cannot move at the Edinburgh fringe for circus shows. There are so many people in this city who can climb a rope, hang upside down, swing on a trapeze – so how do you make a show special when plenty of other folks are hawking the same skills? Melbourne company One… ## [Bigfoot Ripped My Dog in Half I Saw It review – Xhloe and Natasha create a monster hit](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/18/bigfoot-ripped-my-dog-in-half-i-saw-it-review-summerhall-edinburgh-xhloe-natasha) _2026-08-18 · Chris Wiegand · Stage | The Guardian_ Summerhall, Edinburgh With physical and vocal agility, the tricksy clown duo trigger an avalanche of misinformation in this feverish treat Here is a show every bit as breathless as its title, stoked by bursts of high-energy 90s chart hits and delivered just as slickly by Xhloe and Natasha . Their physical precision is such that it’s almost as if these camo clowns with their rosy cheeks and… ## [Laughing on the other side: the fringe shows turning painful breakups into comedy](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/18/laughing-on-the-other-side-the-fringe-shows-turning-painful-breakups-into-comedy) _2026-08-18 · Brian Logan · Stage | The Guardian_ Whether Elf Lyons’ high-concept Hollywood throwback, Kate Dehnert’s disorientating rave or Ele McKenzie’s Bob Dylan fantasy, heartbreak fuels fine humour at the festival Breakups. We’ve all been through them. Sometimes they’re mutual, sometimes not. Sometimes agony, sometimes relief. And sometimes, they’re world-shattering bereavements that seem to end, or at least upend, everything. That’s the… ## [Temi Wilkey: Lover Girl review – wildly intimate comedy goes to infinity and beyond](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/18/temi-wilkey-lover-girl-review) _2026-08-18 · Chris Wiegand · Stage | The Guardian_ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Both outrageous and tender, this stellar follow-up to Main Character Energy gives new meaning to body language Temi Wilkey serenades us, asks if we fancy her and wonders if the love of her life could be here right now. The G spot? Call it the T spot, says Temi, before popping the question: “Do you want to come inside my Infinity Pussy?” It’s seductive stuff and,… ## [‘We are defying the laws of physics!’ How pole dancing exploded into the Edinburgh fringe](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/18/pole-dancing-strip-clubs-serious-art-edinburgh-fringe) _2026-08-18 · Lyndsey Winship · Stage | The Guardian_ With abs like Olympians and skin like hide, pole dancers are besieging the festival. We meet four high-flying, high-octane acts tackling everything from New York’s underbelly to neurodiversity If you tell someone in Edinburgh you’re going to see a pole dancing show, they might direct you towards the so-called Pubic Triangle, where the city’s strip clubs are. But pole dance is actually a big part… ## [Man Sings the Same Song Over and Over Again for an Hour review – fringe gem leaves you ecstatic](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/17/man-sings-the-same-song-over-and-over-again-for-an-hour-review) _2026-08-17 · Brian Logan · Stage | The Guardian_ Summerhall, Edinburgh Connor Dariol, AKA Australian clown Conk, does exactly what he claims – and with such skill and relentless pep we are helpless to resist When I saw the title to the Australian clown Conk’s show Man Sings the Same Song Over and Over Again for an Hour, I thought I knew what the trick would be. Yes, the terms of the show’s billing would be fulfilled, but (I imagined) by twisting… ## [Privacy-first AI-native browser (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/rya7b9Gw88g9) _2026-08-17 · **Sponsored**_ No telemetry or ads — built on Ungoogled Chromium with a built-in AI sidebar and CLI. ## [Lara Ricote: Inkling review – this fizzy standup’s smart new set is her best yet](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/17/lara-ricote-inkling-review) _2026-08-17 · Brian Logan · Stage | The Guardian_ Monkey Barrel Comedy, Edinburgh A show about maturing and learning to listen to life’s signals doesn’t stint on tomfoolery and has some great gags What a rich and enjoyable show this is from Lara Ricote , a leap forwards from her already-excellent first two shows . It finds the Mexican-American comic in as endearing fettle as ever, her urge to communicate bubbling over in a show about divining the… ## [Sam Eley Is Basil Crumbwick review – cantankerous cult hit brings laugh after laugh](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/17/sam-eley-is-basil-crumbwick-review-monkey-barrel-edinburgh-festival) _2026-08-17 · Brian Logan · Stage | The Guardian_ Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh There are shades of Vic and Bob as well as Frank Sidebottom when this embittered git with bloodshot eyes holds court Every room in Edinburgh has its ghosts, and its particular character. This one is all about the late-night cult hits, from Rob Kemp’s Evil Dead-meets-Elvis mashup nine years ago to Joe Kent-Walters’ debut as Frankie Monroe – a character whom this year’s… ## [Tether 인연 review – romantic ceilidh skips from Scotland to South Korea](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/17/tether-review-summerhall-edinburgh-festival) _2026-08-17 · Mark Fisher · Stage | The Guardian_ Summerhall, Edinburgh Love stories ring across the generations in this charming fusion of traditional dance and music from two cultures Connections are found in surprising places. You can get from Scotland to South Korea, for example, via the pentatonic scale. The same five-note structure lies behind Arirang, the ancient Korean folk song, and Celtic airs such as Auld Lang Syne. In an international… ## [Taiwan Season: The Wall review – close encounters in a city that never sleeps](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/17/taiwan-season-the-wall-review-summerhall-edinburgh-festival) _2026-08-17 · Chris Wiegand · Stage | The Guardian_ Summerhall, Edinburgh Seed Dance Company deliver a show that builds in intensity as it riffs on imprisonment and estrangement Taiwan’s Seed Dance Company visited the fringe in 2024 with a rather literal yet haunting show about smartphone addiction, Lost Connection . This similarly coolly executed piece could share the same title as its predecessor but is more enigmatic. It makes use of two… ## [I Made You a Mixtape review – frothy fringe fun as dorm mates party like it’s 1999](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/17/i-made-you-a-mixtape-review-90s-nostalgia-edinburgh-festival) _2026-08-17 · Lyndsey Winship · Stage | The Guardian_ TheSpace Triplex, Edinburgh Nine college students fall out and make up as they dance to punk-pop and alt-rock in this lively show This is such a festival show: uncategorisable, buzzing, slightly chaotic and unlike anything else. As director Christie Lee Manning of Response Theatre Company tells us at the outset, I Made You a Mixtape is not a play, not a musical, not (really) a dance show, even… ## [The Jolly Fisherman review – last orders for an east London boozer in tense tale](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/17/the-jolly-fisherman-review-underbelly-george-square-edinburgh) _2026-08-17 · Mark Fisher · Stage | The Guardian_ Underbelly, George Square, Edinburgh A real-life pub closure inspires a sensitive and subtle drama about friendship and community by John Dinneen Two years ago, it was reported that a pub in Barking called The Jolly Fisherman had found a buyer after five years of dereliction. The prospective owner was a Muslim charity, which planned to turn a former business based on alcohol into a place of… ## [Blackbox review – a legendary escape from slavery is told with magic tricks](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/16/blackbox-review-underbelly-edinburgh) _2026-08-16 · Mark Fisher · Stage | The Guardian_ Underbelly, Edinburgh The story of Henry ‘Box’ Brown, who succeeded in mailing himself out of bondage, is recounted rather than fully dramatised Henry “Box” Brown is wrapped up in chains when he has an idea to claim his freedom. As inspiration hits him, actor Josiah Alpher flexes his muscles and, miraculously, the chains appear to pass through his neck. Magic! It is a neat visual metaphor for a… ## [Four Walls and a Roof review – fascinating tale of Brecht, the red scare and today’s émigrés](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/16/four-walls-and-a-roof-review-studio-theatre-edinburgh-festival) _2026-08-16 · Mark Fisher · Stage | The Guardian_ Studio Theatre, Edinburgh Rabih Mroué and Lina Majdalanie explore the playwright’s life, and their journey from Beirut to Berlin, in an absorbing show at the Edinburgh international festival Bertolt Brecht termed it “cold execution”. He was thinking of the way the US government, in the era of the House Un-American Activities Committee (Huac), could murder its opponents not by directly killing… ## [Angels in America review – Tony Kushner’s five-hour fever dream predicts and reflects the US at 250](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/16/angels-in-america-review-tony-kushner-edinburgh-international-festival) _2026-08-16 · Mark Fisher · Stage | The Guardian_ King’s theatre, Edinburgh People, ideas and scenes wash over each other in Ivo van Hove’s masterly staging at the Edinburgh international festival Could Tony Kushner’s sprawling fever-dream of a play now have come of age? It is 35 years since the two-part epic had its premiere in San Francisco when the memory of its Aids-crisis setting a few years earlier was still acute. Today, enough time has… ## [Abby Govindan: Pushing 30 review – playful comic makes the case for marriage as a side quest](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/16/abby-govindan-pushing-30-review-pleasance-courtyard-edinburgh) _2026-08-16 · Arusa Qureshi · Stage | The Guardian_ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Govindan’s debut takes aim at patriarchal stereotypes with pranks, PowerPoint and easygoing storytelling In south Asian culture, marriage continues to be paramount, with women still largely bearing the brunt of this societal pressure. Tonight, the few south Asian women in the audience that US comedian Abby Govindan calls upon – myself included – verify this, one… ## [Jonno: Here Comes Mr Funny review – Sheeps comic leaves flock for revelatory solo](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/16/jonno-here-comes-mr-funny-review-edinburgh) _2026-08-16 · Brian Logan · Stage | The Guardian_ Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh The Saturday Night Live UK writer, who is one-third of the sketch troupe Sheeps, balances sincerity and shtick in a show with big laughs There are reasons to take up standup, and then there’s Daran “Jonno” Johnson launching this new career aged 38 as a form of exposure therapy for anxiety. At least we have an explanation for why this prodigiously funny and talented man… ## [Not for Glory review – folk dance and bagpipes, but not as we know them](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/16/not-for-glory-review-assembly-dance-base-edinburgh) _2026-08-16 · Lyndsey Winship · Stage | The Guardian_ Assembly @ Dance Base, Edinburgh Jack Anderson and Charlotte Mclean began as champions of classic Irish and Highland steps. Here, with piper Malin Lewis, they give them a new form Jack Anderson was once a champion Irish dancer who toured the world in popular shows. But when he later enrolled at contemporary dance school, he hid his past like a shameful secret. Charlotte Mclean also tried to leave… ## [The Last Drop review – everything is rotten in this dark domestic comedy](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/16/the-last-drop-review-zoo-playground-edinburgh-festival) _2026-08-16 · Chris Wiegand · Stage | The Guardian_ Zoo Playground, Edinburgh Dante Passarelli’s play, part of the São Paulo Showcase, is an atmospheric hour borrowing themes from Hamlet This year’s fringe variously puts Hamlet in the Big Brother house with Lady Macbeth, makes him “ Prince of Sweden ” in an Italian two-hander and grinds the play into what Polonius might call a “tragical-comical” swipe at the meat industry . Dante Passarelli’s The… ## [The Singer review – come on feel the noise with KT Tunstall’s glowing gig theatre](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/16/the-singer-review-traverse-theatre-edinburgh) _2026-08-16 · Mark Fisher · Stage | The Guardian_ Traverse theatre, Edinburgh In Cora Bissett’s highly enjoyable and accessible show, a deaf man reintroduces a busker to the joy of music ‘There are other ways to listen,” says Joe (Jamie Rea) to his new friend Andy (Dylan Wood), a busker he has discovered on the street and invited home for a drink. He takes off his shoes, the better to feel the vibrations through the floor, and straps on a gadget… ## [Endgame review – Beckett’s lonely clowns raise an extra laugh](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/15/endgame-review-lomond-theatre-at-pleasance-at-eicc-edinburgh) _2026-08-15 · Arifa Akbar · Stage | The Guardian_ Pleasance at EICC, Edinburgh Flabbergast Theatre’s production of Samuel Beckett’s desolate play leans into slapstick – and loses some of the searing threat This production by Flabbergast Theatre , which specialises in physical comedy, shows you what a good fit clowning is for Samuel Beckett’s work. The tragicomic characters in director Henry Maynard’s production are wretchedly grotesque. Hamm… ## [Charlene Kaye: Diversity Shredder review – killer riffs slay toxic music industry](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/15/charlene-kaye-diversity-shredder-review-gilded-balloon-teviot-edinburgh) _2026-08-15 · Arusa Qureshi · Stage | The Guardian_ Gilded Balloon Teviot, Edinburgh This is a fun and feverish journey, with well-crafted comedy and screaming guitar, through the star’s career so far In an industry that claims to be inclusive, it’s so easy to feel tokenised. For musician and comedian Charlene Kaye, it has been an uphill battle feeling like the token queer Asian female guitar player, in demand to cater to people’s otherwise… ## [Ayo Adenekan: Homeland Insecurity review – SNL UK writer woos the room with summer romance](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/15/ayo-adenekan-review-cabvol-monkey-barrel-edinburgh) _2026-08-15 · Brian Logan · Stage | The Guardian_ CabVol @ Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh A fringe fling is the backbone for a mischievous set with deft jokes and a fresh perspective but some of this material needs another draft Ayo Adenekan’s ascent has been swift. Last year, the rookie comic cracked a joke on stage about Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa. This year, he scripted jokes for Gatwa, as a writer on Sky’s Saturday Night Live UK . In this second… ## [Good With Faces review – mesmerising power struggle will have you sitting uncomfortably](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/15/good-with-faces-review-summerhall-edinburgh) _2026-08-15 · Chris Wiegand · Stage | The Guardian_ Summerhall, Edinburgh Every comment sparks suspicion in Oisín Kearney’s bold play about a meeting between a mother and a social worker If you book a seat for Good With Faces you might only use the edge of it. This is a hugely assured psychological thriller, performed with just the right precision and edge. It is written and directed by Oisín Kearney, whose collaborations with Michael Patrick… ## [A Foot Is Not an Appropriate Prize for the Tombola review – a fateful day at the fete](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/15/a-foot-is-not-an-appropriate-prize-for-the-tombola-review-pleasance-courtyard-edinburgh) _2026-08-15 · Tim Jonze · Stage | The Guardian_ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Daniel McVey merrily recruits the audience for a fun hour of cosy crime that bleeds into cosmic horror With a title like that, perhaps it’s no surprise that this afternoon’s show is sold out. Who wouldn’t want to find out how a stray limb ended up in a village fete’s raffle? Writer, performer and director Daniel McVey greets us as his drag character Lydia, a woman… ## [Flamenc Oh!! review – frills, flirting and fierce footwork in breezy Spanish comedy](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/15/flamenc-oh-review-assembly-hall-edinburgh-flamenco) _2026-08-15 · Lyndsey Winship · Stage | The Guardian_ Assembly Hall, Edinburgh Can you dance flamenco to Eye of the Tiger? Of course, says the company Yllana, in a flamboyant celebration of breaking down barriers You don’t need to know anything about flamenco to enjoy Flamenc Oh!! That overuse of exclamation marks gives you an idea of the subtlety of this fun/silly dance-comedy by Spanish company Yllana , based on flamenco’s battle between tradition…