Listings: Mon 27 Apr – Sun 3 May 2026
What’s on Edinburgh’s stages this week…
It’s a full week of theatrical entertainment this one, with the return of Karine Polwart’s “★★★★★ Beautiful” Windblown very much the pick of the bunch, although there is plenty else on offer.
First, though, Windblown, at the Lyceum (Tue – Thur: tickets). This “magnificent combination of music, storytelling, poetry and theatre” about the great palm tree in the Botanics was possibly the best thing to come out of Edinburgh theatre last year.
Otherwise the offerings range from the iconic to the ironic, if not all 14 letters in between.
For iconic there is The Ballad of Johnny & June at the Festival Theatre (Tue – Sat: tickets) about Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. You know what you’ll get in a “★★★☆☆ Heartfelt“ production according to Hugh Simpson.
Irony is frothing high on the agenda in Daisy Pulls It Off at the Hill Street Theatre (Mon – Fri: tickets). “★★★★☆ Spiffing” says Hugh, as local amateurs EGTG bring the necessary energy and pizzazz to Denise Deegan’s spoof of the girls school adventure yarn.
Those with a lunchtime to spare should head to the Assembly Roxy and Off The Rails from A Play, A Pie and A Pint (Wed – Sun: tickets), which Hugh Simpson says is an auspicious start to PPP’s first season at the Roxy. “★★★★☆ Hugely promising” he says in his review.
A couple of goodies at the Traverse run Tuesday to Thursday. The first is Tomorrow (tickets), 2Faced Dance Co’s physical response to the things we struggle to say with words. Then Matt Anderson’s Shotgunned (tickets) is about how the people we lose can shape who we become.
Now, for Friday. It’s a bit of a special one this, with a trio of delicious May Day one-offs to grab your fancy.
Top hit has to be the NTS’s Mayday at Central Hall (tickets), a rapid-response theatre project, in direct response to the turbulent social and political climate, curated by Cora Bissett and Hannah Lavery.
The screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Festival Theatre (tickets) includes a Q&A with original performers Barry Bostwick (Brad Majors), Patricia Quinn (Magenta) and Nell Campbell (Columbia). Swoon.
And at the Playhouse, it’s Strictly Come Dancing The Professionals (tickets). The evening performance is nearly sold out, but there is good availability for the matinee.
And finally, Cat Johnston’ autobiographical solo show Dear Wendy is at Summerhall (Sun/Mon: tickets). It’s an intimate and quietly confronting exploration of both the physical mechanics of breath, and breathing as a political statement and rallying cry.
Listings
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.
Off The Rails (PPP)
By: Stephanie MacGaraidh
Wed 29 Apr – Sun 3 May 2026
Daily: 1pm; Thurs eve: 6pm.(Upstairs).
Maggie has had enough. When her childhood nemesis appears at the door on the morning of her 30th birthday, she gives in to impulse and takes drastic action. A witty, uplifting musical using original songs, a loop station and a host of colourful characters to tell the story of an unconventional quarter-life crisis. Book here.
Central Hall
2 West Tollcross, EH3 9BP.
Mayday (NTS)
Friday 1 May 2026,
Evening: 7pm (doors from 6.30pm)
Created as a rapid-response theatre project, in direct response to the turbulent social and political climate by Cora Bissett and Hannah Lavery for the NTS, Mayday gathers together a constellation of Scottish artists for a one-night-only flare of short, urgent performances and interventions. Book here (Pay What You Can).
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
The Ballad of Johnny and June
Tue 28 Apr – Sat 2 May 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm; Mats Thurs, Sat: 2.30pm.
He was a small-town musician and storyteller with a voice that stirred the soul. She was the comedienne of the first family of country music.
Love is a burning thing, and no one burned brighter than Johnny Cash and June Carter. The Ballad of Johnny & June takes you inside the soaring highs and shattering lows of a love story that defined an era. Book here.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (screening)
Sun 3 May 2026
Evening: 7pm.
Join the original Brad Majors – Barry Bostwick; the original Magenta – Patricia Quinn; and the original Columbia – Nell Campbell at a showing of the 4k remastered film and an unforgettable, interactive evening. Featuring a pre-show Q&A with the three iconic stars, a live shadow cast performance throughout the movie, costume contest, memorabilia display with film artifacts, and more. Book here.
Hill Street Theatre
19 Hill Street EH2 3JP.
Daisy Pulls if Off (EGTG)
Mon 27 Apr – Fri 1 May 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm (tbc)
Kate Stephenson directs Denise Deegan’s light-hearted parody of Enid Blyton-esque girls-school escapades. The adventures of Daisy, Trixie and pals in wholesome adventure stories about life in a 1920s English girl’s boarding school. Book here.
Lyceum Theatre
Grindlay Street EH3 9AX. Phone booking: 0131 248 4848.
Windblown (Karine Polwart)
Tue 28 – Thurs 30 Apr 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm. Wed mat: 2.30pm.
Æ EdFringfe 2025 review: ★★★★★ Beautiful
A hauntingly beautiful tribute to a palm tree facing its chainsaw demise, Windblown is a spellbinding blend of folk music, conjured sound, intimate storytelling and stunning, immersive visuals. Book here.
Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA. Phone booking: 0844 871 3014.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals
Fri 1 May 2026
Two performances: 2.30pm & 7.30pm.
Take 11 of Strictly’s world-class professional dancers, a sensational live band and powerhouse vocalists. Add show-stopping choreography, dazzling costumes, and a stunning set. Starring: Julian Caillon, Vito Coppola, Neil Jones, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk, Lauren Oakley, Jowita Przystał, Michelle Tsiakkas, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu. Book here.
Josh Widdicombe: Not My Cup of Tea
Sat 2 May 2026
One show: 7.30pm
By now he has almost certainly mastered the art of stand-up, either that or he has wasted the last 15 years of his life. Come along and decide for yourself. Expect it to be shorter and with lower production values than Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, but funnier and with more references to tea. Book here.
Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High St, EH1 1SR. Phone booking: 0131 556 9579.
Harvest Moon (Everyday Miracle Productions)
Sun 3 May 2026.
One performance: 3pm
An immersive moonlit performance for babies 5–18 months and their grown-ups, celebrating the journey of growing up and the ever-changing bond between parent and child. Blending live traditional Gaelic song, harp and percussion with immersive design and poetic movement, the piece travels through the phases of the moon. Book here.
Summerhall
1 Summerhall, EH9 1PL.
Dear Wendy (Cat Johnston)
Sun 3/Mon 4 May 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm. (Anatomy Lecture Theatre)
A new autobiographical piece about breathing, making sense of yourself, and looking for answers in a world that often doesn’t feel like it’s listening. An intimate and quietly confronting exploration of both the physical mechanics of breath, and breathing as a political statement and rallying cry. Book here.
Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404.
Page2 Stage
Tue 28 Apr 2026
Evening: 7.15pm (Trav 2).
Another evening of new works in progress. A showcase of extracts from four brand new plays, performed as rehearsed readings in front of a live audience and an industry panel providing dramaturgical feedback on the night. The audience, participants and panel are invited the cafe bar post show, to continue the conversation and make connections. Book here.
Tomorrow (2Faced Dance Co)
By Tamsin Fitzgerald.
Tue 28 – Thur 30 Apr 2026
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 1).
A physical response to the things we struggle to say with words. As the world feels ever more at odds with itself, how do we find our place? A new score by Thomas Haines, spectacular visuals from Carl Davies and lighting from James Mackenzie provide the backdrop, as one of the nation’s favourite dance companies returns to ask, what is Tomorrow. Book here.
Shotgunned (Serpentine Productions & Kangeroo Court)
By Matt Anderson.
Wed 29/Thur 30 Apr 2026
Evening: 7pm (Trav 2).
Equal parts hilarious and heart-breaking, this is a relatable and intimate piece of theatre about how the people we lose can shape who we become. Telling the story of Dylan and Roz – a couple who unexpectedly fall out of love – it takes the audience on a non-linear journey through their relationship in a collection of fragmented scenes, like photographs in a shoebox or memories of a bygone age. 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.
