An Infinite Monkey Attempts To Write the Complete Works of Shakespeare
★★★☆☆ Shakespearean smorgasbord
Greenside @ George Street (Venue 236): Fri 7- Sat 15 Aug 2026
Review by Bri Boehm
Earnest, jovial, and witty, An Infinite Monkey Attempts to Write the Complete Works of Shakespeare: A Variety Show, at Greenside on George Street, is not quite what it says on the tin.
Infinite Monkey is the Edinburgh University’s Shakespeare Company’s approach to the Fringe: a series of variety shows all stemming from, or in conversation with, the work of the Bard. The Fringe website presents the productions as a singular framework, however there are five distinct shows over the nine performances (see details below).
The Infinite Monkey cast. Pic EUSC
The afternoon Æ attended it was Shakespeare Night Live: Shakespeare-related sketch comedy performed by Bella Burgess, Connie Bailie, Michael Butler, Jude Rogers, and James Harvey. Written by cast members Burgess and Rogers, this Shakespearean smorgasbord should pull a giggle from even the most stoic audience member.
From Macbeth’s witches helping a young man go viral on TikTok to a Shakespeare scholar attempting to pass over his Shakespeare/Marlowe fanfiction as a historical artefact, it is packed with tongue-in-cheek comedy and witty social commentary.
The performances might lack a seasoned polish, but they swell with an earnestness that generates a friendly and inviting atmosphere. Throughout, the scenes tend to spiral into a realm of meta-theatricality in which timelines, roles, and settings blur—the actors step in and out of themselves and the script takes on a level malleability.
helpful gesture
This adds a brilliant sense of intimacy, bringing the audience in on the joke and the dynamics of the small cast, while steadily increasing a sense of absurdism that keeps you on your toes, until the cup of theatricality overflows and the show descends into joyful madness.
The monkey does make an appearance, as an actor sitting on stage right types away on a typewriter. This monkey, though interesting in concept and a helpful gesture towards the title of the Fringe listing, ends up underutilized, more a symbol than a framework for the skits at hand.
This actor wears a monkey mask only for the pre-show, leaving their role/identity confusing for much of the performance. This seems to be posed as a transitionary tool, though audience only has few milliseconds of visuals on the monkey clacking away, as the transitions occur in blackouts. Without a framework to ground this monkey, it just ends up as an ineffective element.
A scene from Infinite Monkey. Pic: EUSC
And while the intimacy of the space helps the impact of the meta-theatricality, leaving little room for a fourth wall, the actors unfortunately embody this intimacy in their physicality and volume. Too often they perform at a scale curated to the front-and-centre of the room, rather than seeking to reach its furthest corners.
Worse, the air conditioning fans obliterate all the softer lines of dialogue for those sitting near them. Hopefully, the actors will adjust to the space over the run so that their brilliant writing can be fully heard and appreciated.
Overall, this student production is a silly excursion and a wonderful excuse to laugh. Shakespeare Night Live and the variety of productions Infinite Monkey have to share this Fringe are sure to entertain.
Running time: One hour (no interval).
Greenside @ George Street (Olive Studio), The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-26 George Street EH2 2PQ (Venue 236).
Friday 7 – Saturday 15 August 2026.
Daily: 5.15pm.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
NB: the Infinite Monkey nights are as follows:
Fri 7, Tue 11, Thu 13: Shakespeare Night Live
Sat 8, Fri 14: The Porter.
Sun 9: An Infinite Monkey Actually Attempts To Write the Complete Works of Shakespeare in 50 minutes
Mon 10, Wed 12: A Midsummer Nightclub.
Sat 15: The Bard Unplugged.
Production Instagram: @infinitemonkey.fringe
Company Instagram: @eushakespearecompany
Linktree: @edunishakesoc.
ENDS
