We continue with with our Edinburgh Fringe Festival Guide, with such a variety to acts to choose from, here is Part Seven of our Fringe guide. You can find Links to parts 1-6 below.
UK Legends
These legends need no introduction – but here’s one anyway!
The Good Times Tour is coming to Edinburgh! Well-loved for his legendary stand-up shows, Omid Djalili’s performances are famed for their piercing wit – with routines that range from the provocative, to the downright silly. Omid’s stand-up is always highly energetic, incredibly passionate, and above all, supremely entertaining. With a career in comedy spanning across three decades, his many appearances on stage and screen have won him accolades all over the world.
Omid Djalili: The Good Times Tour, The Stand, 5:20pm, 3-20 August (not 15th), www.thestand.co.uk
Basil Brush is returning to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe once again with his superbly witty show Unleashed…And Uncut – perfect for adult audiences! Expect Basil’s trademark anarchy as he takes on the world, accompanied by a different guest every night. From Love Island to Westminster, it’s all getting a comic Brushing.
Basil Brush: Unleashed and Uncut at the Gilded Balloon Teviot (Debating Hall), 6:30pm, 3-28 August (not 4th or 25th), www.gildedballoon.co.uk
Les Dawson: ‘Flying High’ is a homage to the beloved and much-missed comedy legend Les Dawson, by master impersonator Jon Culshaw. This one-of-a-kind show explores relatable concepts we have all faced, as he magnificently narrates the happy moments, trials, and tribulations of Les’ life. He presents a more philosophical version of the late and great comedian, as he dives into his indisputable literary talent and the origin of such a successful and brilliant character. The show is helmed by the indisputable Jon Culshaw, an award-winning comedian and character actor, often regarded as Britain’s best impressionist. His catalogue includes over 350 characters, ranging from John Bishop to Barack Obama and from Professor Brian Cox to Michael ‘Govey Gove’.
Jon Culshaw: Les Dawson: Flying High, Assembly (Gordon Aikman Theatre), 4:30pm, 3-28 August (not 16th), www.assemblyfestival.com
After 30 years, Debra Stephenson returns to the stage with her one woman show: The Many Voices of Debra Stephenson! Get ready to be transported on a journey through the decades – like magic, Debra is Billie Holliday, Billie Eilish, Shirley Bassey, Kate Bush, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, and many more! Debra’s repertoire includes some of the most iconic celebrities of all time, culminating in a multiverse of musical mimicry and comedic impressions, all with live musical accompaniment from James Stead. It’s sure to be a fun-packed evening of entertainment, with a little something for everyone.
See Debra Stephenson: The Many Voices of Debra Stephenson, Assembly (Studio Three), 4:45pm, 3-28 August (not 16th), www.assemblyfestival.com
Drag Dolls
More popular than ever, drag is taking over the planet. When world domination is this dazzling, who on earth can complain?
RuPaul’s Drag Race legend (fifth season and seventh season of All Stars), actress, comedienne, and singer Jinkx Monsoon wants you to know that She’s Still Got It! She’s back again with a spectacular musical comedy cabaret show, alongside her long-time musical collaborator Major Scales. It’s been nearly a decade since Jinkx hit the global stage, and she’s excited to show off the talent, wit, and humour that’s made her the internationally tolerated drag superstar she is today. Expect the trademark snappy improv and the impressive singing chops that Jinkx is world famous for, alongside the fabulous musical talents of her long-time collaborator and piano maestro Major Scales. It’s Jinkx Monsoon like you’ve never seen her before: upright and conscious!
Jinkx Monsoon: She’s Still Got It! With Major Scales, Assembly (Spiegeltent Palais du Variété), 8:10pm, 6-21 August (not 10th or 15th), www.assemblyfestival.com
This year, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be home to a horrifyingly brilliant show: a comedy cabaret séance led by the Late Great Ghost Whisperer Séayoncé. An intoxicating performance executed with brilliant comedic timing, high calibre theatrics, bewitching characters, extravagant cabaret ballads and tantalising audience interaction. From start to finish, the show is packed to the brim with music, laughter, and spooks galore! Zipping from musical number, to innuendo, to summoning the ghost of Anne Boleyn, Res-Erection is an exclusive peek inside the wonderful world of Séayoncé. It’ll cast a spell – both literally and figuratively – on the audience.
Séayoncé: Res-Erection, Assembly Roxy (Upstairs), 10:00pm, 3-28 August (not 17th), www.assemblyfestival.com
Pride
Conversations about sexuality and gender are ever evolving, with more people excited to explore these topics than ever before. These acts are no different!
Combining storytelling, snappy observations, silliness and some surreal tangents, comedian Ania Magliano delves into her background as a half Polish, half Italian bisexual 24-year-old, in her new show: Absolutely No Worries If Not. Touching on themes of family and her sexuality, she navigates the complicated interpersonal relationships with your parents, and wonders whether she’ll ever be good enough at communicating to confront her hairdresser about her terrible haircut, or get through her early 20s without ending every sentence with ‘absolutely no worries if not’. It’s peak inside Ania’s head – the beautiful mess that is your 20s, wrapped up into one show.
Ania Magliano: Absolutely No Worries If Not, Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Three), 4:35pm, 3-28 August (not 15th), www.pleasance.co.uk
Multi-award-winning comedian, and Radio DJ James Barr is bursting back onto scene following a successful debut in 2019 with his show, Straight Jokes – a revolt against the elitist media industry, as well as the shameful homophobia he’s experienced in the workplace. People constantly tell James that he is “too gay” – Straight Jokes is his fabulous reply to this pool of haters. An out-of-control hour of jokes from the utterly hilarious, nearly national treasure. James exposes his former radio bosses for their shameful homophobia and discusses the pitfalls of pretending to be woke for “fame”.
James Barr: Straight Jokes, Underbelly (Daisy, Bristo Square), 8:45pm, 3-29 August (not 15th.), www.underbelly.com.uk
As seen on Live at the Apollo, Larry Dean is an award-winning comedian and writer. He returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year with his show Fudnut – a retelling of some recent events in Larry’s life – including but not limited to – accidently smuggling illegal substances into a middle eastern country.
Larry Dean: Fudnut, Monkey Barrel Comedy (3), 8:30pm, 5-28 August (not 16th), www.monkeybarrelcomedy.com
Originally planned for 2020, comedian and podcaster Sam Lake’s life turned upside down when he had to postpone the biggest day of his life (his wedding) due to the pandemic. Sam’s debut comedy hour, Cake, is about learning to get comfortable when things in life don’t go as originally planned.
Sam Lake: Cake, Pleasance Courtyard (Cellar), 9:50pm, 3-28 August (not 16th or 29th), www.pleasance.co.uk
Award-winning comedian, podcast host and rising star Sarah Keyworth is premiering her hilarious and poignant show Lost Boy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August. It touches on themes of loss, and how to rediscover your silliness after experiencing great tragedy.
Sarah Keyworth: Lost Boy, Pleasance Courtyard (Cabaret Bar), 5:40pm, 3-28 August (not 16th), www.pleasance.co.uk
Shelf are the fresh-faced musical comedy duo of Rachel WD and Ruby Clyde. One musical, one tone-deaf. Their debut comedy hour is an exploration of gender expression and identity, through vibrant electropop to smooth acoustic. Featuring songs about women’s bathrooms, heterosexual dating, and being so confident in your identity that you don’t realise you’re being bullied.
Shelf: Hair, Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 3), 7:15pm, 3-28 August (not 17th), www.pleasance.co.uk
Hot off her Taskmaster appearance, comedian Sophie Duker is back with a pseudo-sequel to her award-nominated Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut, titled Hag. Hag is a self-assured hour of comedy centred around Sophie’s personal metamorphosis into a more confident, spectacularly cantankerous person. She touches on her experiences of speaking to the dead, the reason why threesomes are a cheap alternative to couples’ therapy, and the chaotic true story of what happened when Sophie chose to get on a cruise ship with seven hundred older lesbians (leaving her long-suffering boyfriend on shore). Traditionally hurled at strong women as a slur, here ‘hag’ is sexy. In Sophie’s own words – Hag is about “gleefully not caring anymore”.
Sophie Duker: Hag, Pleasance Courtyard (Beside), 7:30pm, 3-28 August (not 17th), www.pleasance.co.uk
One for the Kids
Looking for something to do with the whole family? Then look no further – all of these acts have been created especially for little ones!
The Queen Bee has arrived in Edinburgh! ARC Circus & Cluster Arts’ newest venture is called A Bee Story – perfect for the whole family! The show tells the tale of Queen Bee and Worker Bee, who have to re-build their beloved hive after it’s destroyed by a wild bushfire – resulting in an epic adventure! It touches on themes of environmentalism, sustainability, and community spirit, which are increasingly important issues in today’s age.
ARC CIRCUS & Cluster Arts: A Bee Story, Underbelly (Cow Barn), 11:45am, 3-28 August, www.underbellyedinburgh.com
Children’s TV icon Basil Brush will be in Edinburgh this August with his Family Fun Show, guaranteeing an afternoon of side-splitting hilarity! This fabulously funny family-friendly show is perfect for kids – jam-packed with laughs, storytelling, and song. Come see this little dapper fox do what he does best!
Basil Brush: Basil Brush’s Family Fun Show, Gilded Balloon Teviot (Debating Hall), 12:30pm, 3-21 August, www.gildedballoon.co.uk
Get ready for a ROARsome show! Arty’s Animagination is a magical family musical about an adventure seeking ten-year-old girl, who wants something more than anything else – a life free from rules! To her surprise, her wish comes true, launching Arty into a hair-raising adventure, unlocking everyone’s inner animal. Arty’s Animagination is jam packed with monkey business, hyena laughs and toe tapping tunes which are sure to leave you smiling!
Arty: Arty’s Animagination, Assembly (The Roxy), 10:30am, 3-20 August, www.assemblyfestival.com
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