Archive for August 11th, 2026
Prophets
★★★★★ Claustrophobic Horror
Prophets is a claustrophobic and intense hour at the RoxyBoxy. Kerris, a Scottish researcher, arrives at a remote British Overseas Territory, ostensibly to study oxygen levels in coral. As she gradually befriends one of the locals, things start to unravel. Who is the Prophet? What does he want? Why has she really come to the island?
BearGirl
★★★★☆ Star Quality
A woman in a bear suit. She’s not wearing if for you, it’s not comfortable and she doesn’t like it. Rachel De Fontes’s titular BearGirl deals with the oddness of the situation in short order from the start of this significant and engaging piece of new writing by Emery Schaffer at the Boxy Roxy.
Bog Witch
★★★★☆ Electric
Bog Witch by Bryony Kimmings at the Traverse (from Avalon and Tellus) is a tremendous piece of theatre full of apparent contrasts – personal and resonant, knowing and stupid, messy and tightly controlled.
The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness
★★★★★ Moving
The talented two-person team at Moon Rabbit Theatre present The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness at Surgeons’ Hall. Humorous and poignant, this solo show paints the portrait of an Irish nurse (and self-described poet) who contemplates themes of identity and legacy during the Second World War.
You Talkin’ To Us?
★★★☆☆ Expletives not deleted
Authentically False Productions return with Daniel Sanchez O’Brien’s You Talkin’ To Us? a play that delivers on the promises on its flyers, but falls short in several other respects and fails to deliver on its early promise.
SHINJUKU
★★★☆☆ Vital and timely
Production Lines’ new play, SHINJUKU, at Greenside @ George Street, dissects class and male privilege, exploring the rise of the incel (involuntary celibate) movement and how anyone can fall down this dangerous rabbit hole.
In the Cold Light
★★☆☆☆ Strong potential
In the Cold Light, a new play from Scottish writer, director and actor George Grant, is a somber reflection of unresolved grief, masculine friendship, and what is left unsaid.
Roses to the Living
★☆☆☆☆ Ambitious
Pasuz Productions’ latest EdFringe show, Roses To The Living at Paradise in the Vault, is an ambitious fourth-wall breaking piece of theatre that ultimately struggles to execute its concept both in text and in performance.
The Tale of the Original Jekyll and Hyde (Told by a Mad Hatter from Stockport)
★★★☆☆ Atmospheric
The Tale of the Original Jekyll and Hyde (Told by a Mad Hatter from Stockport) is a quiet historical comedy from Tall History Tales, which provides a bit of respite from the hurly burly of the Festival, despite being located in Riddles Court, just moments from the Royal Mile.
Kafka For Beginners
★★★☆☆ Surrealist Satire
Julian Henry Lowenfeld’s Kafka for Beginners, directed here by Derek Douglas, offers an entertaining anti-authoritarian satire for any festival-goer all too familiar with sighing when they check the news.
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.