2026 reviews will be added here throughout the festival
The Language of Dreams: A Crash Course
Inspired by the legacy of Charles McPhee's syndicated Dream Doctor Radio Show, the amusingly named REM Doula and his team of REMniacs channel the same spirit, mixing sketches, songs and game-show parody with a quirky, surreal sense of humour to unpack the logic behind our dreams.
It's a hard tone to strike, a unique blend of educational and entertaining, but the show pulls it off, sending you out with real tools for interpreting your own dreams and a smile on your face.
★ ★ ★ ★
A Case for Magic: For Lovers of Magic and Their Ambivalent Friends
Robert Malissa is a warm, engaging host, and this is old-fashioned magic done with charm. A likeable, feel-good show for magic lovers and sceptics alike.
★ ★ ★ ★
Magical Maestro
A highly enjoyable hour of well-presented tricks, including some very impressive sleight of hand.
If you like magic, this is a great family-friendly show, with plenty of ‘how did he do that?’ moments to enjoy.
★ ★ ★ ★
Pajama Talks
Pajama Talks is a warmly melancholic piece of theatre that follows best friends Abby and Nina as they revisit their childhood sleepovers, facing up to some difficult memories alongside the ‘fun’ ones.
A small, tender show that doesn't overreach itself, dealing with its subject matter with sensitivity and emotional intelligence.
★ ★ ★ ★
Cabin
Cabin is a cleverly constructed piece of new writing giving a creepy and unique spin to the well-worn cabin-in-the-woods trope. I don’t want to say too much about the story as it will spoil it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was an original script given how tightly plotted it is, with some unexpected twists along the way.
Some additional lighting or sound effects could have helped enhance the atmosphere and sense of suspense, however the cast do well to convey the mounting paranoia and confusion, and this is a solid piece of theatre that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys horror and psychological thrillers.
★ ★ ★ ★
Sodom, The Quintessence of Debauchery
Based on the Restoration closet drama of the same name, Sodom, or The Quintessence of Debauchery is a frenzied farrago of filth and ‘fucking’.
The direction, staging and visuals are all fantastic and the cast superb. Unfortunately, the source material itself, while an interesting historical curio, was neither artistically nor comically engaging enough to hold my attention for the 50-minute runtime. Had this been a 15-20 minute sketch, it could have been magnificent, but as it was, I found myself surprisingly bored by the end despite the well-executed outrageousness on display.
★ ★ ★ ★
The Fleetwood Mac Story
A joyful tribute to one of rock's greatest catalogues. The seven-piece band - three vocalists, two guitarists, keyboard and drums - bring depth and texture to the sound, doing full justice to the famously rich vocal harmonies and layered arrangements. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a night of nostalgia and genuine musicianship.
★ ★ ★ ★
Among the Pigeons
Hilarious improvised comedy from TBC Improv, this time in the form of one wonderfully rambling hour-long sketch based (loosely) on the life experiences of an audience member. The format made for a great change of pace from the usual short sketches and mini-games, allowing the performers to really dig into the depths of the daftness.
If you like improv, make sure you catch this show - and if you think you don’t, go anyway and be proved wrong!
★ ★ ★ ★
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden is a quietly powerful piece of theatre, drawn from the wartime diary of Welsh paratrooper Neville Neads, who took part in the Arnhem drop during Operation Market Garden in 1944.
A thoughtful, sensitive production that trusts its material rather than hammering home its themes, showing a mature restraint that lets the story’s weight speak for itself.
★ ★ ★ ★
The Body I Left in Susquehanna National Forest
An enjoyable, unsettling piece of dark comedy springing from a deceptively simple setup. Two newlyweds are driving late at night on the way to their honeymoon when they hit a deer. Only, it’s not a deer. To say much more would spoil the surprises, but there were several for me - both in how the plot develops and in how the tone shifts throughout.
The comedy manages for the most part not to undercut the tension, but the show remains funny enough to enjoy in the moment and dark enough to think about on the walk home.
★ ★ ★ ★
TWELVE: Going The Distance
New York choreographer Marisa F Ballaro makes a strong Edinburgh debut with TWELVE: Going The Distance, staged inside a boxing gym and following five women through twelve rounds of shifting rivalry and alliance. Confident, character-driven dance-theatre performed with real commitment by its cast - a promising first Fringe outing worth catching if you can.
★ ★ ★ ★
Improv Comedy with Box of Frogs
Hilarious non-stop improv from the Birmingham-based Frogs incorporating sketches, mini games and songs. If you are looking for a solid hour of silliness and laughter this is the show for you!
★ ★ ★ ★
What Happens in the Dark
What Happens in the Dark runs on a clever, well-executed concept: the audience sees everything the characters, plunged into darkness, cannot - and the lights snap on and off according to what's dark to them rather than to us. It's a well-drilled hour of comedy, and kudos to the actors for commiting to an in-character, in-the-dark curtain call.
★ ★ ★ ★
Bliss
When I saw the poster for Bliss my first thought was ‘the inevitable SIX rip-off’ but the short Instagram trailer I watched hooked my interest with some solid-sounding tunes so I was keen to see the show for myself. And yes, the comparisons do extend further than the flyer, with the opening number bearing more than a passing nod to the Ex-Wives; however, from that point on it very much becomes its own thing.
★ ★ ★★
Detective Heartbreak
A gleefully daft parody that puts a hard-boiled gumshoe on the case of modern romance, tasked with cracking his most baffling mystery yet: why Connor got left on read after a seemingly successful(ish) date. A fun, lighthearted and silly look at the modern dating landscape that is well worth catching.
★ ★ ★ ★