EdFringe Musicals

Jul 29 2018 | By Thom Dibdin More

Musicals Made in Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s musical theatre companies are bringing an unprecedented 28 different productions to this year’s Fringe, with everything from full blown musicals to highlights packages of showtunes.

On this page we list all the shows that are Made in Edinburgh in the Musicals and Opera section of the Edinburgh Fringe programme.

The big hitters are Captivate Theatre with six productions of musicals which are themselves big hitting – Annie, Les Mis, Jesus Christ Superstar, 13, Whistle Down the Wind and Rent. All at the Gilded Balloon’s Rose Theatre in the New Town.

The cast of EU Footlight’s American Idiot. Pic: EU Footlights.

Edinburgh Little Theatre is making an interesting move, too, as it takes over Hill Street – a lovely venue that has become somewhat sidelined in recent years. Their own productions include hit jukebox musical All Shook Up and – something of a rarity this – Bare by John Hartmere Jr. and Damon Intrabartolo.

Hill Street also has Edinburgh Student Opera with The Tumbling Lassie – a brand spanking new short opera by Alexander McCall Smith and Tom Cunningham – and Liam Rudden’s Virgin’s Guide to Rocky Horror.

At the newly refurbished Riddle’s Court, Q Productions has two MGA graduates, Caitlin Tipping and Connor Burnett, in Jason Robert Brown’s intimate and cleverly structured The Last Five Years.

Long-term regulars Forth Children’s Theatre, who are rightly lauded for their consistent high standard of performance, are staging Sister Act. Meanwhile, G&S specialists Cat Like Tread are having some Patience, and Tony Delicata’s Atina Arts return with their Sinatra story Let’s Be Frank!

tight comedy favourite

Student companies are to the fore: Napier has …and Peggy – a reference to Peggy Schuyler who is a character in Hamilton; The Understudies are returning to Bedlam with their improv musical; EUSOG has that tight comedy favourite The Drowsy Chaperone; and EU Footlights are giving it large with Green Day’s American Idiot.

The cast and creatives of Room 29 Productions’ Dogfight. Pic: Room 29 Productions.

Thistle N’ Thorn are bringing back last year’s debut, the steampunk The Dolls of New Albion, and also staging the rarely seen The Burnt Part Boys. Another new company, Room 29, return with their take on Dogfight. And Bare Productions make their first appearance with You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.

There are several frankly quirky productions, too. Charades has The Mould That Changed the World – a musical about antibiotic resistance; Broadsword Theatre bring Lord of the Rings parody One Musical to Rule Them All, and Musical of Destiny have epic rock comedy Tenacious D: The Musical of Destiny, the musical you didn’t know you wanted to see.

Three of Edinburgh’s regular musical theatre companies are staging concert performances this year. Edinburgh Music Theatre has Anthems – From West End to Broadway, the Bohemians have the all-singing, all-dancing Bohemians Reimagined! and EdGas has The Sound of Their Music, an evening celebrating the legendary partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Listings

Click on the name of the show to go to its EdFringe ticketing page.

Clicking on the name of the company will take you to reviews of its previous shows on Æ.

13
Captivate Theatre
Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre (Venue 76)
3 – 12 Aug 2018 12:00 (2 hours)
Evan Goldman’s parents have split up and he is forced to leave the buzz of New York for the ‘lamest place in the world’ in rural Indiana. Will he find his place in the popularity pecking order?

…and Peggy
Napier University Drama Society
Greenside @ Infirmary Street (Venue 236)
3 – 18 Aug 2018 18:25 (55 minutes)
Hamilton spin-off tells the story of Peggy Schuyler who defied the stereotypical roles of the 18th century. Centring around her struggles between juggling her family life and political aspirations, all whilst the American Revolution rages on.

All Shook Up
Edinburgh Little Theatre
Hill Street Theatre (Venue 41)
3 – 26 Aug 2018 18:10 (1 hour 50 minutes)
Jukebox musical based on Twelfth Night and Elvis music sees Chad bring life to a little town where he falls for Natalie, the town car mechanic. People fall in and out of love and all is not as it seems…

American Idiot
Edinburgh University Footlights
C venues C (Venue 34)
12 – 18 Aug 2018 13:45 (1 hour 35 minutes)
Green Day’s visceral and provocative Grammy and two-time Tony Award-winning musical sees three disillusioned men search for meaning in our broken world in ninety minutes of breathtaking raw energy and electrifying music.

Annie
Captivate Theatre
Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre (Venue 76)
3 – 26 Aug (not 13, 20) 2018 14:30 (2 hours)
Young but determined orphan Annie’s luck changes when she gets to spend Christmas with billionaire Daddy Warbucks.

Anthems - From West End to Broadway
Edinburgh Music Theatre
St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St (Venue 111)
8 – 11 Aug 2018 20:40 (50 minutes)
Some of the best known songs from the stage with stunning harmonies and a live band, you will be taken on a musical journey of the biggest hits from London’s West End to the shimmering lights of Broadway.

Bare
Edinburgh Little Theatre
Hill Street Theatre (Venue 41)
3 – 26 Aug 2018: 20:20 (2 hours 10 minutes)
Students Peter and Jason meet and fall in love at a Catholic boarding school but everything is conducted in secret and hidden behind lies. What will happen to the star-crossed lovers? A moving musical about forbidden love.

Bohemians Reimagined!
The Bohemians Lyric Opera Company
Stockbridge Church (Venue 317)
22 – 24 Aug 2018: 19:30 (2 hours 15 minutes)
A fresh perspective on classic anthems in an all-singing, all-dancing evening of entertainment featuring songs from Chicago, Mary Poppins, Moulin Rouge and many more!

The Burnt Part Boys
Thistle N’ Thorn Productions
Sweet Grassmarket (Venue 18)
13 – 18 Aug 2018: 17:20 (1 hour 30 minutes)
Ten years after a tragic mining accident, Pickaway Coal announce that they’re reopening the mines. Armed with a backpack full of dynamite, Pete sets out to prevent another tragedy – and Jake sets out to stop him. Stunning bluegrass infused score by Miller and Tysen.

Dogfight
Room 29 Theatre
theSpace @ Venue45 (Venue 45)
10 – 18 Aug 2018: 20:45 (1 hour 35 minutes)
Written by Peter Duchan and with music from Pasek and Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman and La Land Land) this is based on the 1991 Warner Brothers film.

The Dolls of New Albion
Thistle N’ Thorn Productions
Sweet Grassmarket (Venue 18)
6 – 11 Aug 2018 17:20 (1 hour 30 minutes)
Steampunk opera by Paul Shapera explores how the people of New Albion adjust to the dead walking among them, and how one woman’s actions affect the city of New Albion for generations to come. 2017 review: ★★★★☆ Eager.

The Drowsy Chaperone
EUSOG
Paradise in Augustines (Venue 152)
3 – 11 Aug 2018 21:35 (2 hours)
A satirical masterpiece, paying homage to Jazz Age musicals of the 1920s. The Man in Chair listens to the rare recording of a forgotten production and his dingy apartment is transformed into a Broadway spectacle.

Idomeneo
Opera for All
Stockbridge Church (Venue 317)
9 – 12 Aug 2018 19:00 (3 hours)
The community opera company reimagine Mozart’s opera as a political rollercoaster with Idomeneo, the despotic potentate of a Republican stage being coerced by an even bigger despot to kill Idomeneo’s son, a secret Democrat, to pay a favour.

Jesus Christ Superstar
Captivate Theatre
Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre (Venue 76)
15 – 26 Aug 2018 17:00 (2 hours 15 minutes)
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera tells the story of the last days of Jesus through the eyes of Judas.

The Last Five Years
Q Productions
PQA Venues @Riddle’s Court (Venue 277)
8 – 19 Aug 2018 14:00 (1 hour 30 minutes)
Two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, shown with Cathy’s story running backwards and Jamie’s story chronologically.

Les Misérables School Edition
Captivate Theatre
Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre (Venue 76)
17 – 26 Aug 2018 11:30 (2 hours 30 minutes)
The ultimate story of love, compassion and redemption; featuring hit songs I Dreamed A Dream, Bring Him Home, Do You Hear The People Sing? and many more.

Let’s Be Frank!
Atina Arts
Paradise in Augustines (Venue 152)
13 – 26 Aug (not 19) 2018 19:55 (55 minutes)
When age and illness takes hold, sometimes there is a burning desire to tell the disturbing truth of life’s great triumphs and sadness. A showbiz life… a life that is Frank Sinatra.

The Mould That Changed the World
Charades Musicals and BSAC
theSpace @ Surgeons Hall (Venue 53)
3 – 25 Aug (not 5, 12, 19) 2018 12:30, 17:30 (50 minutes)
Brand-new musical about the threat of antibiotic resistance. At times comedic and at times threatening an all-too-possible dystopian nightmare, this show is suitable for adults and families alike.

One Musical to Rule Them All
Broadsword Theatre
Greenside @ Nicolson Square (Venue 209)
3 – 11 Aug 2018 19:35 (1 hour)
Join reluctant hero Froyo as he navigates the realm of Riddle Earth, guided by ridiculous characters and catchy musical numbers in a hilarious, copyright-free comedy guaranteed to please Lord of the Rings fans and newcomers alike.

Patience
Cat-Like Tread
Sweet Grassmarket (Venue 18)
20 – 26 Aug 2018 19:30 (1 hour 50 minutes)
Gilbert and Sullivan’s razor-sharp satire of the aesthetic movement (the hipsters of their day) in a tale of romance and the Romantic.

Rent
Captivate Theatre
Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre (Venue 76)
16 – 26 Aug 2018 17:15 (2 hours)
Small and intimate take on Larson’s rock musical, inspired by Puccini’s La Boheme, which tells the story of a group of impoverished artists struggling to survive in New York’s East Village.

Sister Act
Forth Children’s Theatre
Edinburgh Tabernacle (Venue 120)
3 – 11 Aug (not 5) 2018: 14:30, 19:30 (2 hours)
Alan Menken’s smash-hit musical comedy features everything from Motown and soul to funk and disco in FCT’s 39th year’s on the Fringe.

The Sound of Their Music
The Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society
St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St (Venue 111)
Sat 4 Aug 2018: 19:30 (2 hours)
An evening celebrating the legendary partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. See preview: Some Enchanted Evening.

Tenacious D: The Musical of Destiny
Musical of Destiny
theSpace @ Niddry St (Venue 9)
13 – 18 Aug 2018 22:15 (1 hour 15 minutes)
This epic rock comedy tells the story of a young rocker JB, from Kickapoo, journeying to find his counterpart in rock KG, and together they form the band… Tenacious D!

Tumbling Lassie
Edinburgh Studio Opera
Hill Street Theatre (Venue 41)
16 – 20 Aug 2018 16:15 (1 hour 10 minutes)
The true story of an acrobat in a circus in 17th-century Edinburgh and her escape from slavery with the help of a Borders family is related in Alexander McCall Smith’s opera set to music by Tom Cunningham. Double bill with Fergus of Galloway.

Understudies
The Understudies
Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49)
13 – 19 Aug 2018 14:00 (1 hour)
A completely improvised comedy musical based entirely on audience suggestions.

Virgin’s Guide to Rocky Horror
Edinburgh Little Theatre
Hill Street Theatre (Venue 41)
3 – 26 Aug 2018 21:10 (1 hour)
Step-by-step guide of the audience participation in Rocky Horror which also reveals the history of this world-famous cult musical. (This tribute to Richard O’Brien is not the Rocky Horror Stage production.)

Whistle Down the Wind
Captivate Theatre
Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre (Venue 76)
3 – 12 Aug 2018: 17:00 (2 hours 15 minutes)
Swallow finds a man hiding in the barn, when she asks who he is his words are ‘Jesus Christ’. Her prayers have been answered and she is determined to protect him in Webber and Steinman’s musical based on the novel by Mary Hayley Bell and the film by Richard Attenborough.

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown
Bare Productions
Paradise in Augustines (Venue 152)
3 – 11 Aug 2018: 19:50, 21:25 (1 hour 45 minutes)
Schulz’s comic characters are brought to life in an adventure with Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang as they navigate the ups and downs of life as a 6-year-old.

Click the following links for listings of:
EdFringe professional theatre.
EdFringe student theatre.
EdFringe amateur theatre.
EdFringe grassroots theatre.
EdFringe Musicals
EdFringe shows for Children.