Listings Mon 20 – Sun 26 April 2026
What’s on Edinburgh’s stages this week?
It’s a bit of an odds and ends week, this. However there are a couple of strong (and very different) showings at the Traverse from Jessica Hardwick and Jack Docherty, while the Cold War creeps onto the Festival stage.
The biggie is the tour of John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold at the Festival Theatre (ends Sat: tickets). It’s “★★★☆☆ Solid” says Hugh Simpson, “taut and stylish if lacking in real excitement”, with Ralf Little’s Alec Leamas “understated, nuanced and exact”.
The Traverse has the final week of its own GUSH (ends Sat tickets). “★★★☆☆ Fine performance” according to Hugh Simpson, who particularly liked Jessica Hardwick as the young mother-to-be whose internal conflict provides the drama.
No qualms, however, for Jack Docherty in The Chief: No Apologies (ends Fri: tickets). Here be bombastic character comedy writ big and bold.
This is where it gets most interesting, with a trio of smaller but well-appointed pieces vying for your attention on Friday and Saturday.
The Edinburgh Rep Company take Much Ado About Nothing to the Augustine United Church (Fri/Sat: tickets) with Oliver Giggins adapting Shakespeare’s 20th best play (at least according to Michael Billington in today’s Guardian).
At Summerhall, HISSYFIT & Scissor Kick combine for Jackals (Fri/Sat: tickets). A treat for Shrinking fans, this is based on true events between the young Emma Eckstein and her doctor with a point to prove, one Sigmund Freud.
And at the Studio, Lewis Major, a rising star of Australian dance, gets busy with his mentor, Russell Maliphant, in Triptych (Fri/Sat: tickets).
To round things off, The Telling have the intriguing Purcell, The Musical at Assembly Roxy (Sun: tickets), a feverish fantasy as the composer recalls his childhood and romances in death-bed fever dreams.
Elsewhere the Playhouse has a slew of one-night stands. West End songsters Kerry Ellis, Louise Dearman and Rachel Tucker defy Gravity (Thur: tickets), Sue, Matt & Phil are Live (Fri: tickets), Monty Don talks gardens (Sat: tickets) and its Soul 2026 from dancers, Diversity (Sun: tickets).
And the Lyceum is back to its usual configuration for the visit of Andy Zaltzman (Sun: tickets) ahead of next week’s top pick: Windblown from Karine Polwart (Tue – Thur: tickets).
Listing
Click on the name of the show or the Book here link to go to its ticketing site.
Assembly Roxy
2 Roxburgh Place, EH8 9SU.
Purcell, The Musical (The Telling)
Sun 26 Apr 2026
One performance: 7.30pm (Upstairs).
1695: in his final illness, composer Henry Purcell (Niall Ashdown) is suffering from feverish dream-like hallucinations in which the past, present and fantasy collide, and his songs take on a life of their own. His bedroom is transformed into a theatre and Purcell revisits his past including his childhood memories of the Great Fire of London and his early romance with his wife. Book here.
Augustine United Church
41 George IV Bridge, EH1 1EL.
Unhinged (Encapulus)
Sun 19/Mon 20 April 2026
Evenings: 7pm.
Talking ferrets? Derry Girls? Tequila and castration? Sounds like yer usual Friday night. Come along tae see what Isla & Marie get up tae! This dark comedy explores friendship, trauma and survival through the lens of a quarter-life crisis. Blending sharp humour with emotional honesty. The play navigates themes of sexual assault, mental health and identity. Book here.
Much Ado Abut Nothing (Edinburgh Rep Company)
Fri 24/Sat 25 April 2026
Evenings: 7pm.
The only thing Benedict and Beatrice love more than arguing with each other is telling everyone else how much they hate each other. So how much would it take to get them to fall in love? Oliver Giggins’ adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic comedy about love, betrayal and lots of sass, staged by the Edinburgh Rep Company. Book here.
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold
Tue 21 – Sat 25 Apr 2026
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm; Mats Thurs, Sat: 2.30pm.
A riveting journey through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception, and moral compromise. Disillusioned British intelligence officer Alec Leamas is ready to come in from the cold — until veteran agent George Smiley persuades him to take one final mission against the East German Secret Service. Book here.
Lyceum Theatre
Grindlay Street EH3 9AX. Phone booking: 0131 248 4848.
Andy Zaltzman: The Zaltgeist
Sat 25 Apr 2026
Evening: 7.30pm
Following a sell-out 2024/2025 national run, Andy Zaltzman–host of The Bugle podcast and BBC Radio4’s The News Quiz, statistician on Test Match Special, and champion of Taskmaster series 18–extends his hit tour into 2026.
Book here.
Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA. Phone booking: 0844 871 3014.
Gravity – Starring Kerry Ellis, Louise Dearman & Rachel Tucker
Thur 23 Apr 2026
Evening: 7.30pm.
It’s Time To Defy Gravity! West End and Broadway legends Kerry Ellis, Louise Dearman and Rachel Tucker to bring star power to iconic stages around the UK. Three legendary voices will share stages around the UK for a special night from musical theatre’s biggest names. Book here.
Sue, Matt & Phil Live! The Reunion Tour
Fri 24 Apr 2026
One performance: 7.30pm.
Sue Barker, Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell are hitting the road for another unmissable live tour in 2026! Following an acclaimed sold out run earlier this year, the much-loved trio return with A-list celebrity guests, fan favourite quiz rounds and brand-new games created just for this tour. Book here.
Monty Don: A Journey Through British Gardens
Sat 25 Apr 2026
Evening: 7.30pm.
Using beautiful imagery and stories, Monty explores the landscapes, traditions, and tales that reveal who we are through the gardens we create. After years travelling the world — from Japan and America to Italy, the Adriatic, Spain, and the Mediterranean — he now turns his focus homeward. Book here.
Diversity – Soul 2026
Sun 26 Apr 2026
Two shows: 2.30pm, 7.45pm.
The UK’s most successful dance group will bring their new concept tour based around the technological advancements of artificial intelligence, what the future holds, and what it truly means to be human within the digital age.. Book here.
Studio Theatre
The Studio, 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
Triptych (Lewis Major)
Fri 24/Sat 25 Apr 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm.
A unique collaboration performance between the rising star of Australian dance, choreographer-director Lewis Major with his mentor: legendary British dancemaker, Russell Maliphant OBE, in a mixed bill of dance made up of three short works. Book here.
Summerhall
1 Summerhall, EH9 1PL.
Jackals (HISSYFIT & Scissor Kick)
Fri 24/Sat 25 April 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm. (TechCube 0)
On a sunny afternoon in Vienna, Emma Eckstein went to see a doctor. You won’t have heard of her. But the doctor’s name was Sigmund Freud. A contemporary retelling (based on astounding true events) of the bewildering professional relationship between a young, ambitious woman and her fledgling doctor with a point to prove. Book here.
Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404.
GUSH (Traverse Theatre Company)
By Jess Brodie, directed by Becky Hope-Palmer.
Fri 10 – Sat 25 Apr 2026
Tue – Sat: 7pm; Sat mats 18 & 25: 2.30pm (Trav 2).
Æ Review: ★★★☆☆ Fine performance
Ally’s ready to be a mum. She’s done the antenatal classes, cleaned up her diet, and even forgone her beloved tea to avoid the caffeine. So why does something inside her still feel off? Exploring self-identity, sexuality and the tension between compromise and sacrifice, GUSH considers what it means to discover what we want and dare to ask for it. Book here.
The Chief: No Apologies (Gilded Balloon)
By Jack Doherty.
Wed 22 – Fri 24 April 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
Jack Docherty is Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson – your Chief, our Chief, The People’s Chief! Your favourite sketches from Scot Squad and lots of hilarious new jokes as The Chief dissects the state of the nation, from politics to policing, football to families, bams to biscuits. Book here.
*NB: This is intended to be a complete listing of all public theatrical productions on in Edinburgh. If you are staging a show which is not listed, or a listing is inaccurate, please get in touch through the contact page, here.
