Edinburgh Fringe Festival reviews 2026

Due to a security breach on my original WordPress site I am in the process of moving all my written content over to this new site. Of course, this as happened with fabulous timing just as the 2026 Edinburgh Festival is about to start..!
To keep up to date with me in the meantime, please visit my instagram page @thesmureviews and I will be back up and running shortly.

Marilyn Monroe would have turned 100 this week, and the internet is filled with references to her 'centenary year'. As a lifelong fan, I've felt I should acknowledge it in print somehow, but if I'm honest, I find the concept of a centenary celebration for someone who died at 36 a bit weird. Still, I kept coming back to the idea that I should 'do' something

Last night, I was lucky enough to enjoy a fantastic evening of infectious fun and flamboyant frocks at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, courtesy of The Bohemians' production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Formed in 1909, The Bohemian Lyric Opera Company is one of Scotland’s oldest and most respected amateur companies. But before you say, "Amateur? Oh, bless," let me assure you—this show was anything but amateur in the common usage of the word. In fact, it was a stellar example of the many ways in which 'amdram' productions can equal or even surpass many of the well known professional touring shows

Like its peers among the “mega-musicals” of the 1990s such as Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, and Starlight Express - became legendary for its monumental set pieces. The helicopter sequence was always its most iconic moment, a jaw-dropping feat of stagecraft that symbolised the excess and ingenuity of the era. But what this current production proves, decisively, is that Miss Saigon doesn’t need to rely on spectacle alone to be devastatingly effective

It’s strange that I haven’t reviewed Six the Musical before now, given how many times I’ve seen it - including the recent cinema broadcast. Over the last few years, it has quickly become one of my favourite modern musicals, and seeing it return to Edinburgh, the city where it first premiered at the Fringe in 2017, is always welcome

Can anybody commit a forgery against himself?rnIt may seem ironic to complain about the reinvention of a character so chameleonic, but while Mark Leipacher’s staging of The Talented Mr. Ripley takes Patricia Highsmith’s iconic origin story in a stylishly stylised direction, it is ultimately with mixed results.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival reviews from 2025

The Edinburgh Playhouse is currently hosting a two-month run of this relatively new addition to the musical theatre scene, and it already feels like a classic in the making: bold, immersive, and bursting at the seams with lavish, frenetic, gloriously over-the-top production.

Donovan's Frank of 2025 is not his Frank of 1998, how could it be? And nor should it be. Instead he gives us a Frank that is older, sloppier, kind of washed-up and somewhat tragic in his obsessively libidinous pursuits. It's a brave choice, and it's not going to be for everyone, but for me it was an interpretation that felt fresh and less of a wild take than it might seem on paper.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024 reviews

his groundbreaking and spectacular show clearly displays why it has already taken Broadway and the West End by storm, and it's great to see it now reaching new audiences as it tours nationally. Whilst the lyrics come fast and thick, I never found it hard to follow and though the program includes a historical timeline of events, the broad brushstrokes of the story are deftly punctuated so that no prior knowledge of the period is required. Whether you're a die-hard fan already or experiencing Hamilton for the first time, this production will grip you from start to finish.

While not without its flaws, the production delivered where it mattered most, with stellar performances and moments of genuine emotion. If you're a fan of the musical or just looking for a night of high-energy, blood soaked, entertainment, this is one you won't want to miss.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023 reviews

For listeners less keen on the more theatrical side of suede Autofiction should serve as a welcome salve, for those of us fond of the band at their most overblown and silliest this is still an infectious and mercifully un-embarrassing outing that should blast the cobwebs out of the gothic attics for a while. It might be a costume but they wear it well.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022 reviews

A long-awaited and well-crafted trip around planet Chromatica.

Spinal Tap meets Spice World The Movie via Evil Dead and Repossessed. What's not to like?

Kicking off the first date of their Coming Up tour in Edinburgh, the 90s may be gone but Suede are very much still here.

Children of Nature.