Picture the scene, you’re walking towards the doors of a large purple inflatable upside down cow and a pastor decked out in gold, with silver heels and a sparkling beard is dapping glitter upon your cheeks with a broad and welcoming grin. It sounds like the start of a strange dream but this is reality, this is the Edinburgh Fringe and this is The House of Life, the enlightening experience that will guide you towards new heights of happiness. Now on its third year at the fring

We are used to fairy tales wrapping up with the big white wedding, the smiles and the happily ever after, but have you ever given any thought to what happens next to the people left behind? But, here we are with Apparently Ugly, a musical for families and fairy tale fans. Cinderella is married now, away from the home where she was the servant, and left her stepsisters, Agnes and Olga bickering over the brides bouquet. What are they to do now that their sister is gone, especia

A man wearing a giant papier mâché head stumbles through the crowded audience desperately trying to find his mates in order to hand over his mate, he’s overexcited, so much so that if he had a tail he’d be wagging it, drinks going everywhere and no one seems to mind. This is Spencer Jones: Dogs, and it’s his chaotic exciting world and we’ve just fallen into it hook, line and sinker. Surrounded by puppets, masks, paintings and an hilariously scruffy remote control dog that may

Darcy O’Shea is an octogenarian, who has lived a full and interesting life of ups and downs, career changes and love, both found and lost, whilst Maddie is in her thirties not quite sure where her life is headed as she tries to build a career as a writer and embrace that whole new year new me mentality. Their paths cross when Maddie joins Run Relate, where exercise meets elderly community support. But Darcy doesn’t want any help. Nevertheless, an odd but beautiful little frie

Ben Stone is a detective inspector, praised, celebrated, young and at the top of his game. But he’s ready to leave it all behind, much to the shock of his friends and family. As they gather for his murder mystery themed 25th birthday party, the candles are not the only things getting snuffed out. Ben suspects that someone in his circle is lying, and plots to stage his own murder to find the foe, but a black out, a brief moment, and Ben is dead for real in the chair. The third

Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Mulan, Moana, Aurora, Anna and Elsa. All princesses who have had their story told, their songs heard and their happily ever afters granted. But what about the princes? Or, in particular, Prince Charming, left to be a side character with barely any voice and barely any chance of ever being listened too? Well, this Prince Charming has had enough of that nonsense and he’s taking matters into his own hands, with the help of a magical genie of the lamp. G

Did you know that you can travel from London to Patagonia by train? No? Well neither did the cast of Pinch Punch Impro’s Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit. Based entirely on suggestions by the excited and more than happy to be involved audience, the five person cast improvise a thrilling murder mystery full of twists and turns where even they don’t know whodunnit until the the big reveal. You only have to walk a few paces over the cobbles to find a band of impro

Returning once more to Assembly’s Gordan Aikman Theatre, Fringe favourites ‘Murder She Didn’t write’ are back creating murder mysteries, complete with twists, turns, and increasingly ridiculous manners of committing the crime, all on the spot, based entirely on the suggestions of the audience. Improvised comedy is a big hitting genre at the Edinburgh Fringe, with it feeling as if every other person flyering is inviting you to come and see something made up for one night and

Six people who used to be the best of friends at University, but have subsequently grown apart, are all mysteriously invited to take part in an escape room in the Caves at the Edinburgh Fringe. They used to love solving puzzles together, but no one knows why they are suddenly here to solve one last mystery, or do they? In ‘Escape Room: The Musical’ by Grown Up Playhouse Productions, we see the six friends, joined by Pierre, an enigmatic French man who doesn’t seem to know w

Back at the Edinburgh Fringe for the fifth time due to phenomenal demand, Say It Again Sorry’s ‘… Earnest?’ Continues to deliver its unique and boldly brave style of interactive theatre where audience interaction is taken to the extreme in an hilarious laugh out loud retelling of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. When the leading man fails to make his appearance as Earnest, leaving Terry as Algernon (Ashley Cavender) and Graham as Lane (Rhys Tees) flummoxed,

Four generations of women gather for the birthday party of great grandmother Eileen in Northern Ireland, sounds simple enough. But with Granddaughter Jenny and her daughter Muireann returning to the home after leaving for London a number of years before, and both Jenny’s husband and father being mysteriously absent from the party, family drama and unfolding secrecy is pushed to the extreme in this tense and thrilling exploration of generational trauma. ‘Consumed’, written b

You know a show has that perfect balance of high quality goodness, catchy musical numbers, relatability, entertainment, slickness and fun when it entices you back time and time again, and as I made my third annual visit to Alexander S Bermange’s ‘I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical’ I was reminded of what exactly makes this show such a stand out in the hustle and bustle of the Edinburgh Fringe. ‘I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical’ is a comical and witty observational explora

When pretty much any space could become a performance venue at the Edinburgh Fringe, the imagination is given the freedom to roam, after all, who says a little storage container can’t be an 80,000-seat world class concert venue? Because in the vivid, colourful and all together wonderful imagination of comedian and musical performer Katie Pritchard, that is exactly what Assembly’s Roxy Boxy becomes in her one women show ‘I Kiss The Music’. In this production, Pritchard is an

There are over 3000 shows playing at the Edinburgh Fringe over the month of August, lots and lots to discover and whilst you may wish to fill your schedule with new things that you have never seen before, sometimes it can feel nice to return to a favourite and make a repeat visit, and that is what I did here. As an avid fan of those cosy murder mysteries, where you always know that the baddie will be caught and some of the clues stand out like sore thumbs, I couldn’t resist

Henry Cyril Paget, the long forgotten fifth Marquess of Anglesey, written out of history after he died aged just 29 in the 1850s having spent all of his estate’s money staging extravagant plays. His family destroyed any evidence of him, pretended he didn’t exist to bring back their good name, but this production ‘How To Win Against History’ brings Paget’s story back to life with oodles of glitz, glamour and sparkle. Returning to the fringe after premiering back in 2016, we

Apple versus Microsoft. Jobs versus Gates. A battle for the ages. A musical crammed full of comedy, rivalry and a number of great songs. The creation of ‘Nerds’ has been a lengthy process, but now running at the Edinburgh Fringe, I can state that the work has been worth it as this new musical shines, boasting a cast featuring west end names, a quirky and comical tale of truth mixed with a fair dose of imagination, and songs that will have you beaming from ear to ear. Stev

With an introduction along the lines of ‘I’m known for having a big smile’, Alex Prescot instantly creates a warm and welcoming environment in his new one-man show ‘Cosy’, playing at Dexter Underbelly Bristo Square. In a combination of storytelling and brilliantly improvised songs, Prescot showcases not only his musical skills and improv talents but also his natural friendly flair and style as he effortlessly talks to audience members and rewards good and funny responses wi

Drama, Comedy, Music, Dance, you can find it all at the Edinburgh Fringe, and if you are looking for something that will thrill a family of varying ages, then you can’t really go wrong with magic. And if you want to see the best of the best when it comes to magic, a performer more magical than you could ever imagine, then this is ‘The Remarkable Ben Hart’. A firm fringe favourite, Ben Hart has been bringing his effortlessly stylish, full of flair, and simply mind-blowingl

Gwen and Charlie are getting married. Great. But they can’t afford their dream holiday in the Maldives. Not so great. But it’s okay, because they have a plan. Gwen’s aunt Robyn is wealthy, she has a safe in her kitchen, and she’s on holiday in Corfu. Problem solved. All Gwen and Charlie have to do to break in, open the safe, and secure the goods to fund the holiday. Simple right? ‘How Not To Fund A Honeymoon’ is a three-person short play by Very Rascals Theatrical Productio

Albert Cabbage wants to make the best Spy movie ever, but there’s a problem, and it isn’t just that he has much bigger ideas then the writer. They haven’t got the budget to make a movie. So, what can they do? Well, of course, they can stage their spy epic as a play instead! What matter way to bring in the investors, especially man from Hollywood, Gary. But the leading lady is refusing the wear the blonde wig, the leading man is a no show, and the stuntman has realised he’s go