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.

The 1,915 seat Festival Theatre is Capital Theatres’ flagship venue. It is currently taking all the company’s main-stage performances while the King’s Theatre is dark for a major refurbishment and upgrade. The stage has the largest performance area in Scotland and is the third largest in the UK.

2024

July 2024

Nye (NT Live Encore)
Thurs 18 July 2025
Evening: 7pm.
Michael Sheen plays Nye Bevan in a surreal and spectacular journey through the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain’s welfare state and created the NHS. Confronted with death, Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan’s deepest memories lead him on a mind-bending journey back through his life; from childhood to mining underground, Parliament and fights with Churchill. NB: This is a film, as-live, of the play. Book here.

CATS (The Beyond Broadway Experience)
Fri 26/Sat 27 July 2024
Evenings: 7.30pm; Sat mat: 2.30pm.
The Beyond Broadway Experience’s 200-strong cast present Andrew Lloyd Webber’s dazzling theatrical extravaganza. The whimsical characters from the poems of T.S. Eliot come to life – each with their own unique charm and flair – all against a backdrop of enchanting melodies.Book here.

August 2024

Carmen (EIF)
Sun 4 – Thu 8 Aug 2024
Sun: 6pm; Tue, Thurs: 7pm
The most popular French opera in the world comes to the International Festival direct from Opéra-Comique – the Parisian opera house where it all began. Mezzo soprano Gaëlle Arquez leads as Carmen, a role which she has perfected in international opera houses since 2017. She performs alongside Albanian tenor Saimir Pirgu as Don José, Carmen’s villainous lover.Book here.

The Marriage of Figaro (EIF)
Fri 16 – Sun 18 Aug 2024
Fri/Sat 7pm; Sun: 4pm.
The acclaimed Komische Oper Berlin and director Kirill Serebrennikov, known for his daring, satirical productions, present Mozart’s iconic comic opera. Known for his daring and satirical interpretations of classics, Serebrennikov’s take on The Marriage of Figaro is his UK directorial debut..Book here.

Assembly Hall (EIF)
Thur 22 – Sat 24 Aug 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
The boundaries between reality and myth crumble in Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young’s major new dance work. Set in a crumbling community hall, a group of medieval re-enactors gather for their Annual General Meeting.Book here.

September 2024

A Rebus: A Game Called Malice
Tue 10 – Sat 14 Sept 2024
Evening: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat mat: 2.30pm.
A splendid dinner party in an Edinburgh stately home concludes with a murder mystery game created by the hostess. A murder needs to be solved. But the guests have secrets of their own, threatened by the very game they are playing. And among them is Inspector John Rebus. True crime is his calling. Is he playing an alternative game, one to which only he knows the rules?Book here.

A Chorus Line
Tue 24 – Sat 28 Sept 2024
Evening: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat mat: 2.30pm.
The musical masterpiece that revolutionised Broadway, with creator Michael Bennett using real-life testimonies from late-night recording sessions with dancers. Celebrate the lives of theatre’s unsung heroes, as they tell searing stories of ambition, shattered hopes, and what it really costs to follow your dreams.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.

Dr Louise Newson: Hormones and Menopause – The Great Debate
Mon 7 Oct 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
Dr Louise Newson, the leading medical expert on menopause and hormones, with Dublin-based comedian Anne Gildea with a show which aims to educate and challenge misconceptions about menopause and advocate for better healthcare for women.Book here.

Blue Man Group – Bluevolution World Tour
Wed 9 – Sun 13 Oct 2024
Wed – Sat: 7.30pm; Thurs – Sat: 2.30pm; Sun: 1.30pm & 6.30pm.
Classic Blue Man favourites in a music extravaganza from explosive paint drumming, comedy antics and unforgettable audience interaction along with brand new content, including the addition of a new female character exclusive to the current World Tour.Book here.

Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells
Mon 14 Oct 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
The Tubular Bells UK Autumn tour will feature an expansive live group, conducted and arranged by Oldfield’s long-term collaborator Robin Smith, which will see the iconic Tubular Bells performed in full, as well as other works by Mike Oldfield including Moonlight Shadow, Summit Day, Family Man and Ommadawn.Book here.

Carrie Hope Fletcher – Love Letters
Tue 15 Oct 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
Following the huge success of An Open Book, Carrie Hope Fletcher – Love Letters will see the musical theatre star explore all forms of love; from romantic to maternal, unrequited to obsessive, showcased through a composition of stunning musical theatre classics.Book here.

Ocean Film Festival
Wed 16 Oct 2024
Evening: 7.30pm
Venturing to rarely explored depths of the planet, meet the surfers, paddlers, divers and scientists who have dedicated their lives to answering the call of the ocean. Plunge into the wonders of the big blue – without getting your feet wet!Book here.

Re:INCARNATION (Qudus Onikeku/The Q Dance Company)
Fri 18/Sat 19 Oct 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
Nigeria’s celebrated QDance Company explode onto the stage with their exuberant Re:INCARNATION. An ode to the richness of Nigerian culture, this dance, music, fashion and visual art creation showcases the depth of ancient Yoruba philosophy mixed with Nigerian youth culture bursting with pure and uncompromising joy.Book here.

Ed Gamble: Hot Diggity Dog
Sun 20 Oct 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
Ed Gamble has minced a load of meat (thoughts), piped it into a casing (show) and it’s coming to a bun (venue) near you. There will be all your classic Gamble ranting, raving and spluttering but he’s doing fine mentally. Promise.Book here.

Murder on the Orient Express
Tue 22 – Sat 26 Oct 2024
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat: 2.30pm.
Winter 1934 and an avalanche stops The Orient Express dead in its tracks. One murderer. A train full of suspects. An impossible case. Trapped in the snow with a killer still on-board, can the world’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, crack the case before the train reaches its final destination? Book here.

Edinburgh Gang Show 2024
Tue 29 Oct – Sat 2 Nov 2024
Evening: 7pm; Sat mat: 2pm.
Over 250 young people from South East Scotland Scouts and Girlguiding Edinburgh will dazzle you with their energetic, show-stopping musical items and hilarious comedy sketches. Spectacular performances that are guaranteed to make you smile – “there’s no show like the Gang Show!”Book here.

November 2024

The Horne Section’s Hit Show
Mon 4 Nov 2024
Evening: 7.30pm.
Unruly, ridiculous, and surprisingly satisfying, the six-headed comedy band includes five outstanding musicians and one non-musical stand-up. There’ll be comedy, songs, enthusiastic dancing, and a lot of mucking about. A brand-new show from the hugely talented band and Alex Horne, the creator and co-host of the BAFTA and National Comedy Award winning Taskmaster.Book here.

Don Pasquale (Scottish Opera)
Fri 8, Sun 10, Sat 16 Nov 2024
Fri 8, Sat 16: 7.15pm; Sun 10: 3pm.
Don Pasquale runs a crumbling boarding house in Rome with a chain-smoking chambermaid, an ancient porter, and a greasy cook for company. Determined to keep his fortune to himself, Pasquale decides to marry, spiting his nephew Ernesto. But, when he finds a bride, he discovers that married life is not as simple as he expected. Book here.

Albert Herring (Scottish Opera)
Wed 13 Nov 2025
Evening: 7.15pm.
One of the 20th century’s most beloved operatic comedies, ‘Albert Herring’ is Britten’s loose adaptation of a Guy de Maupassant short story, full of quirky yet loveable characters and 1990s nostalgia. Book here.

Access Opera – Don Pasqualie (Scottish Opera)
Fri 15 Nov 2024
One performance: 3pm.
Scottish Opera’s accessible afternoon performances make coming to a favourite opera as easy and stress-free as possible – keeping the drama on stage where it belongs! With Dementia Friendly values at their core, these shortened performances are open to all. Book here.

Cinderella
Sat 23 Nov – Tue 31 Dec 2024
Tue – Sat: 2pm &7pm; Sun: 1pm & 5pm.
Join returning panto favourites Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young with a new magical pantomime for all the family. Packed with all of the traditional pantomime ingredients, Cinderella features laugh-out-loud comedy, stunning scenery, beautiful costumes and plenty of boos and hisses as Cinders goes from rags to riches, outwits her very wicked sisters and meets her Prince Charming.Book here.

2025

The Nutcracker (Scottish Ballet)
Wed 8 – Sat 18 Jan 2025
Wed 8 & Thurs – Sat: 7.30pm; Fri – Sun: 2.30pm.
Follow Clara on a journey through the worlds of her imagination, as she drifts off to sleep on Christmas Eve. She meets the dashing Nutcracker Prince, takes on the larger-than-life Rat King, sees snowflakes dance in the Land of Ice and Snow, and is whisked into the luscious Land of Sweets by the Sugar Plum Fairy!Book here.

Mary Poppins
Wed 22 Jan – Sat 15 Feb 2025
Evening: 7.30pm.
Cameron Mackintosh and Disney’s spectacular production of the classic multi-award-winning musical arrives in Edinburgh with acclaimed Australian stars, Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers reprising their roles as Mary Poppins and Bert.Book here.

The Makropulos Affair (Scottish Opera)
Thurs 27 Feb, Sat 1 Mar 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm; Mats: Weds, Sat: 2.30pm.
Emilia Marty is a stylish, enigmatic diva with a secret. For over three centuries, she has lived many lives, in a quest to become a great opera singer. Hailed as an ‘unmissable triumph’ (The Telegraph) and nominated for a 2022 Southbank Sky Arts Award, this co-production of Janáček’s mature masterpiece returns to Scottish Opera in its first full staging since 1993.. Book here.

March 2025

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical (Bloc)
Wed 12, Fri 14/Sat 15 Mar 2025
Evening: 7.30pm; Sat mat: 2.30pm.
The Bohemians with the jukebox musical tells the story of three performers, Adam, Tick and Bernadette, who are booked to perform a show in the heart of The Australian Outback. Follow the glamorous trio through the highs and lows of their journey across the desert as they travel on their bus, Priscilla.Book here.

Ghost Stories
Wed 16 – Sat 29 Mar 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm; Mats: Weds, Sat: 2.30pm.
When Professor Goodman, arch-sceptic out to debunk the paranormal, embarks on an investigation of three apparent hauntings – as recounted by a night-watchman, a teenage boy, and a businessman awaiting his first child – Goodman finds himself at the outer limits of rationality, and fast running out of explanations. Book here.

April 2025

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake
Tue 8 – Sat 12 Apr 2025
Evening: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat mat: 2.30pm.
Matthew Bourne’s audacious, rule-breaking reinvention of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece. Thrilling, bold, witty and emotive, this genre-defining event is still best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble, which shattered convention, turning tradition on its head. Book here.

Calamity Jane
Tue 15 – Sat 19 Apr 2025
Evening: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat mat: 2.30pm.
Gosh almighty! Grab a posse because the whip crackin’ musical comedy classic Calamity Jane is a rollin’ on over the plains to Edinburgh. Based on the much-loved Doris Day movie, this plumb fancy new production stars the multi-award-winning West End actor and singer Carrie Hope Fletcher (Cinderella, Les Misérables).Book here.

May 2025

The Crucible (Scottish Ballet)
Thurs 1 – Sat 3 May 2025
Evening: 7.30pm; Sat mat: 2.30pm.
The intense, visceral choreography in this edge-of-your-seat production unleashes the emotional force of Arthur Miller’s famous play about the 17th-century Salem witch trials. Tender, devastating duets are followed by intoxicating solos and wild, feverish ensemble numbers as the tight-knit village community unravels into chaos.Book here.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Tue 13 – Sat 17 May 2025
Evening: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat mat: 2.30pm.
Step through the wardrobe into the magic kingdom of Narnia where a world of wonder awaits. Join Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter as they meet new friends, face dangerous foes and learn the lessons of courage, sacrifice, and the power of love.Book here.

Feel the Fever – Again (The Australian Bee Gees Show)
Sun 18 May 2025
Evening: 7.30pm.
The performers authentic take on the trio’s clothes, style and moves showcase five decades of the Brothers Gibb’s success as rock and disco legends, while audiences groove to their memorable music and are immersed in the disco era.Book here.

The Ultimate Classic Rock Show
Sun 25 May 2025
Evening: 7.30pm.
Dust off your air guitars for an evening of the very best classic rock anthems from legends past and present! Let them take you on a roller coaster journey of classic rock nostalgia, performing hit after hit live with stunning accuracy, high energy and accompanied by an incredible light and projection show, they’re guaranteed to have you on your feet all night.Book here.

The Merry Widow (Scottish Opera)
Thur 29 May – Sat 7 Jun 2025
Both Thurs & Sat 7: 7.15pm; Sun 5: 3pm.
A lavish Parisian party is a grand occasion for dancing, drinking, and (in)discreet love affairs. But Baron Zeta, the ambassador to the fictional cash-strapped state of Pontevedro, has a slightly more serious matter on his mind. Book here.

Trial by Jury (Scottish Opera)
Fri 30 May & Fri 6 Jun 2025
Evenings: 7.15pm.
New production accompanied by the world premiere of Emma Jenkins & Toby Hession’s A Matter of Misconduct! in a double-bill evening. With a comic cast performing contrasting roles in both pieces, this promises an unmissable night of classic G&S comedy and new writing. Book here.

Access The Merry Widow (Scottish Opera)
Tue 3 June 2025
One performance: 3pm.
Scottish Opera’s accessible afternoon performances make coming to a favourite opera as easy and stress-free as possible – keeping the drama on stage where it belongs! With Dementia Friendly values at their core, these shortened performances are open to all. Book here.

Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet
Tue 10 – Sat 14 June 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm; Mats: Weds, Sat: 2.30pm.
Choreographer Paul Roberts and Director Rob Ashford with a new ballet interpretation of The Who’s Quadrophenia, danced to an orchestral score adapted by Rachel Fuller from the original album. Here be sharp suits, soul music, fast drugs, fights on Brighton beach, vespas and parkas. Book here.

War Horse
Thurs 2 – Sat 11 Oct 2025
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat & Sat: 2.30pm.
Æ review of previous tour: ★★★★★ Magnificent
Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-sized horses by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, who bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage. Book here.