Festival Theatre Listings
Upcoming shows at the Festival Theatre
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000
Website: www.capitaltheatres.com
The Festival Theatre. Photo © Thom Dibdin
Click on the name of the show to go to its ticketing site.
NB: The Festival Theatre has now re-opened in line with Scottish Government advice. Full details here: welcomeback.
September 2023
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo + Juliet
Tue 19 – Sat 23 Sept 2023
Evenings: 7.30pm; Matinees Thurs, Sat: 2.30pm.
Æ review: ★★★★☆ Radical and inventive.
Shakespeare’s timeless story of forbidden love with a scintillating injection of raw passion and youthful vitality. Bourne’s masterful re-telling of an ageless tale of teenage discovery and the madness of first love. Book here.
2.22 A Ghost Story
Tue 26 – Sat 30 September 2023
Evenings: 7.30pm; Wed, Thurs, Sat mats: 2.30pm.
Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Book here.
October 2023
Sister Act
Mon 2 – Sat 7 October 2023
Mon – Sat: 7.30pm; Mats: Thu & Sat 2.30pm.
This sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, sisterhood and music tells the hilarious story of the disco diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Brace yourselves Sisters: The Broadway and UK smash-hit musical, has been reimagined for the 21st century. Book here.
Dracula: Mina’s Reckoning
Wed 11 – Sat 14 Oct 2023
Evenings: 7.30pm, Sat mat: 2.30pm.
Under the buzzing lights of a psychiatric hospital in Aberdeenshire in 1897, Mina Murray recounts her encounters with the most terrifying of beasts: Dracula. A throng of patients listen with bated breath as they are transported to a world where immortality and ultimate power is possible, even for women – but with terrible consequences… Book here.
Lost in Music
Sun 15 Oct 2023
Evening: 7.30pm.
One night at the Disco! Relive some of the greatest songs of all time from artists such as Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sister Sledge, and Chic. Boasting a sensational live band, incredibly talented cast, and stunning vocals and is sure to have you dancing in the aisles. Book here.
Scottish Ballet: Twice Born
Fri 20 – Sat 21 Oct 2023
Evenings: 7.30pm; Matinee Sat: 2.30pm.
Two thrilling works from two of today’s most exciting dance-makers. Twice-Born is award winning choreographer Dickson Mbi’s first commission for Scottish Balet. Schachmatt (Checkmate) is by Spanish choreographer Cayetano Soto. Book here.
Treason The Musical
Wed 25 – Sat 28 Oct 2023
Evenings: 7.30pm; Wed, Thurs, Sat mats: 2.30pm.
The new musical drama about the notorious gunpowder plot of 1605, set to completely blow you away with stunning original folk and pop songs. This one-of-a kind show tells one of the most intriguing tales in Britain’s history as it’s never been seen before. Book here.
The Barber of Seville (Scottish Opera)
Tue 3 – Sat 11 Nov 2023
Tue 3, Wed 8, Sat 11: 7.15pm; Sun 5: 3pm.
Back by popular demand, Sir Thomas Allen (The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni) creates a riotous production of Rossini’s beloved comedy. When Count Almaviva sets his sights on the beautiful Rosina, he enlists Figaro – barber, fixer, and all-round man of action – to help woo her. It is no easy feat: Rosina’s guardian Doctor Bartolo keeps her under lock and key with the intention of marrying her himself… Book here.
Edinburgh Gang Show 2023
Tue 14 – Sat 18 Nov 2023
Evenings: 7.30pm; Wed, Thurs, Sat mats: 2.30pm.
An eclectic programme of show-stopping musical items, comedy, drama, and dance awaits you. Be part of our incredible adventure on the crest of a wave in 2023! Book here.
The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan
Sat 25 Nov – Sun 31 Dec 2023
Tue – Sat: 2pm & 7 pm. Sun: 1pm & 5pm.
No mats: Dec 5, 6, 7, 13. No evening perf: Dec 14
Join Peter Pan as he sets sail on a brand-new adventure for Christmas 2023. Returning for another year to the Festival Theatre, are pantomime favourites Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young. Book here.
2024
January 2024
Scottish Ballet’s Cinders
Fri 5 – Sat 20 Jan 2024.
Wed – Sat: 7.30pm; Fri 12, Sat, Sun mat: 2.30pm.
Scottish Ballet’s festive favourite returns for the winter season with a new name, glittering new designs, including a stunning art-nouveau-inspired set, and a charming twist to the tale. Book here.
The Magic of Motown
Thurs 25 Jan 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
You will be going loco down in Acapulco as we take you back down memory lane with all the Motown classics from artists such as, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, and many, many more. Book here.
David Suchet. Poirot and more, a retrospective
Fri 26 Jan 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
Go behind the screen and curtain with a legend. Join us in conversation with the man, the actor and his many roles in an unmistakably unique event. A retrospective look at David’s career will have you witness some of his most beloved performances in a new and intimate light. Book here.
Barbara Dickson
Sun 11 Feb 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
Farewell tour 2024: The legendary Scottish singer, songwriter, musician and actress has announced her Farewell Tour with her full band – having played her first headline tour with full band in 1977. It will be, she says, a memorable occasion when a suitable celebration is required. Book here.
On Before (Carlos Acosta)
Fri 16/Sat 17 Feb 2024
Evenings: 7.30pm.
In a framework created by Carlos, On Before tells the story of a doomed relationship between a man and a woman, set to a diverse musical repertoire ranging from Handel to Cuban contemporary composer Omar Puente and culminating in a moving finale featuring a live choir performing Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium. Book here.
Rob Brydon
Sun 17 Feb 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
After a sell-out UK & Australian Tour, Rob Brydon is back in Edinburgh with his critically acclaimed show A Night of Songs & Laughter, featuring a 9-piece orchestra as Rob shares his personal musical journey from South Wales to Hollywood and back. Book here.
Marx in London (Scottish Opera)
Thurs 22 – Sat 24 Feb 2024
Thurs, Sat: 7.15pm.
The UK premiere of Jonathan Dove’s opera, a kinetic new production, plumbing the frivolity and profundity of one man’s existence. London, 1871. The spectre of communism might be haunting Europe, but Karl Marx’s demons are far more mundane. Book here.
Hamilton
Wed 28 Feb – Sat 27 April 2024
Mon – Sat: 7.30pm; Matinees Thurs, Sat: 2.30pm (+Tue 3 April)
The story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and helped shape the very foundations of the America we know today. Book here.
Scottish Ballet: Swan Lake
Thurs 2 – Sat 4 May 2024
Evenings: 7.30pm; Matinee Sat: 2.30pm.
Arching backs, spiralling arms, and mesmerising patterns push the company dancers to their physical limits in this tale of purity versus seduction. David Dawson’s daring, visceral choreography is perfectly paired with the rich, romantic Tchaikovsky score, played live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. Book here.
The Condoliers (EDGAS)
Wed 8 – Sat 11 May 2024
Evening: 7.30pm; Sat mat: 2.30pm.
The Edinburgh Gilbert & Sullivan Society celebrate their centenary year with an enchanting new production of The Gondoliers – take to the streets of Venice, where love, laughter, and mistaken identities abound. Book here.
Edward Scissorhands
Tue 14 – Sat 18 May 2024
Evening: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat mat: 2.30pm.
Based on the classic Tim Burton movie and featuring the hauntingly beautiful music of Danny Elfman and Terry Davies, Matthew Bourne and his New Adventures Company return to this witty, bittersweet story of an incomplete boy left alone in a strange new world. Book here.
June 2024
Simon & Garfunkel Through the Years
Sun 2 June 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
Fronted by Dan Haynes and Pete Richards, the show recreates the unmistakable sound of Simon & Garfunkel, featuring all the iconic songs to make up a most authentic tribute. Book here.
La Traviata
Fri 7 – Sat 15 June 2024
Fri 7, Tue 11, Thurs 13, Sat 15: 7.15pm; Sun 9: 3pm.
This beloved production, which began life at Scottish Opera in 2008, has been seen at opera houses around the world. Violetta Valéry lives on borrowed time. In Paris’ hedonistic high society, she squeezes each day for its joys before her illness catches up with her. When the idealistic young Alfredo offers true love, happiness seems possible – but her past has exacted a price. Book here.
Tue 18 June 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
Now in their 22nd year, Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black return to the Festival Theatre with a new double bill. Mthuthuzeli November contemplates the purpose of life in The Waiting Game and Sophie Laplane explores the complexity of humanity in CLICK!. Book here.
Bluey’s Big Play
Thurs 20 – Sun 23 June 2024
Thurs 10am; Fri 10am, 3pm; Sat 10am, 1pm, 4pm; Sun 10am, 1pm.
When Dad feels like a little bit of Sunday afternoon time out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans! Join them as they pull out all of the games and cleverness at their disposal to get Dad off that bean bag. Book here.
Life of Pi
Tue 25 – Sat 29 Jun 2024
Evenings: 7.30pm, Thurs, Sat mats: 2.30pm.
Jaw-dropping visuals, magic, and world-class puppetry combine in a unique and breathtaking theatrical event. Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive? Five-time Olivier award winner on its first ever UK tour. Book here.
July 2024
Bonnie and Clyde
Tue 2 – Sat 6 July 2024
Evening: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat: 2.30pm.
Two small-town kids from the middle of nowhere became the biggest folk heroes in all America. They craved adventure—and each other. Their names were Bonnie and Clyde. Fearless, shameless, and alluring, this award-winning production has garnered a mass following, much like the infamous pair themselves, and now they are set to take your city by storm. Book here.
Anton and Giovanni – Together
Sun 7 July 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
With a collection of breathtaking routines, innovative choreography, and a seamless blend of traditional and contemporary dance styles, plus musical theatre, Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice are back with their brand new live tour – TOGETHER!. Book here.
October 2024
Rambert’s Peaky Blinders
Tue 1 – Sat 5 Oct 2024
Evening: 7.30pm; Sat Mat: 2.30pm.
Æ review of 2023 tour: ★★★★☆ Razor sharp
Rambert’s thrilling stage adaptation: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby returns to Edinburgh, capturing the Peaky story with stunning performances from Rambert’s dancers and its iconic soundtrack from a live on-stage band. See news preview: Peaky Blinders returns. Book here from Wed 13 Sept.
ENDS
