Listings Mon 4 – Sun 10 May 2026
What’s on Edinburgh’s stages this week?
The week opens on the fourth of May, so of course those irascible Penpal production folk are seizing the day as the prompt for this month’s Drama at the Depot – The Force… May it be with you!
Tickets for Star Wars Day drama at Leith Depot are here: tickets, but hurry, they usually sell out . There is also a second chance to see Cat Johnston’s Dear Wendy (ends Mon: tickets) at Summerhall before it goes on a bit of an international tour.
The other early blink-but-don’t-miss-it show this week is Deiseil: Dancing in Time which is part of Tradfest at the Traverse (Tue: tickets). Our Julie was mightily impressed by this exploration of how stepdance, Scotland’s percussive dance, was lost when it was a the Fringe last year (★★★★★ Rare grooves).
Ben Blow (Salieri) and Caitlin Carter (Mozart) in Amadeus. Pic: Robin Mair Photography
Another much welcomed returner this week is at the Pianodrome Bruntsfield, where Strawmoddie are reviving their 2025 hit production of Amadeus (Wed – Sun: tickets). There is currently a 2-for-1 deal on tickets for this “★★★★☆ Intimate” production, so act fast – it is thoroughly recommended.
There are two real biggies in town this week. The first at the Playhouse with the Kinks musical, Sunny Afternoon (Tue – Sat: tickets). Set against the backdrop of Britain on the cusp of the rebellious ’60s, this is an exhilarating and moving celebration of the music, life, and the band that changed it all.
Then dance fans should be absolutely be charging off prestissimo to the Festival Theatre where Scottish Ballet are bringing a new, two-act version of their Starstruck (Thurs – Sat: tickets). This is Christopher Hampson’s updating and twisting of Gene Kelly’s only ballet, Pas de Dieux, and it comes with many shimmering five-star reviews. There’s also a preview of the 2021 tour of Starstruck here.
But there is plenty more on offer around the other stages. Anna Whealing and Aila Swan lead a young company that has revived Simon Longman’s Island Town and is touring to Assembly Roxy (Sat/Sun: tickets). It premiered in Glasgow last week and good things have been heard.
intriguing
The intriguing production of the week goes to the Edinburgh University Spanish Society, which staging En la Ardiente Oscuridad for three nights only at the Bedlam (Wed – Fri: tickets). Performed in Spanish (but with subtitles – whew!), Antonio Buero Vallejo’s “In The Burning Darkness”, tells of an institution for the blind that is upset by the arrival of a student who, although blind like his classmates, is seen to be different because he carries a cane.
There will doubtless be plenty of laughs and not a little up-front drama as the Half Trick and Martyr theatre companies collaborate with Fandemonium at the Gilded Salloon (Thursday/Fri: tickets). Teenage Byro-maniac Mirren is obsessed with heartthrob poet Lord Byron, and thinks he is writing her lover letters…
And finally there are early chances to see a pair of new productions. The first is Lafayette: A New Musical about the magician who died in a fire at what is now the Festival Theatre. This is being presented as a work in progress, with post-show Q&A at the Studio (Sat: tickets).
Then there are the first previews of Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil, Gary McNair’s stage adaptation of Ron Ferguson’s book about Cowdenbeath and small-town football at the Lyceum (previews Fri/Sat, Mon/Tue, run ends 23 May: tickets).
And that is about it. You can check out what is coming up one our various listings pages here – and don’t forget to check the recently announced shows at the three Capital Theatres venues, which is here.
Listings for the week Mon 4 – Sun 10 May 2026
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.
Island Town (Anna Whealing and Aila Swan)
Sat 9/Sun 10 May 2026
Sat: 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Sun 6pm: 2pm.(Upstairs).
First produced by Paines Plough in 2018, Simon Longman’s blistering and darkly funny play captures the ache of growing up in a community that feels forgotten. Anna Whealing and Aila Swan are early career theatre makers, leading a team of emerging artists in this thought-provoking piece of theatre which speaks directly to young people in Scotland today. Book here.
Bedlam Theatre
11B Bristo Place, EH1 1EZ.
En la Ardiente Oscuridad (EU Spanish Soc)
Wed 6 – Fri 8 May 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm.
Performance in Spanish with English subtitles
A play about blindness and an alienated protagonist, written against the backcloth of censorship. En La Ardiente Oscuridad (“In The Burning Darkness”) by Antonio Buero Vallejo is as much a historical allegory as a universal story “cargada de futuro” (“loaded with future”). Book here.
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
Starstruck (Scottish Ballet)
Thur 7 – Sat 9 May 2026
Thur – Sat: 7.30pm; Sat: 2.30pm.
Gene Kelly’s multifaceted brilliance as an entertainer has delighted generations of movie-lovers, and his pioneering choreography has influenced generations of dance-makers. The only ballet created for the stage, Pas de Dieux, is given a new set of wings with a new twist, danced to the sparkling Jazz Age music of George Gershwin and Maurice Ravel. Book here.
Gilded Saloon
45-47 Lothian St, EH1 1HB.
Fandemonium
Half Trick and Martyr TC
Thurs 7/Fri 8 May 2026
Thurs: 7pm; Fri: 6pm
Teenage Byro-maniac Mirren is LITERALLY obsessed with heartthrob poet Lord Byron, and she is completely convinced he’s been writing her love letters. Her father absolutely forbids their meeting, but that won’t keep her from trying. Book here.
Leith Depot
138-142 Leith Walk EH6 5DT.
Drama @ The Depot: The Force (PenPal Productions)
Mon 4 May 2026
Evening: 8pm.
Join Penpals on the North Side: rendezvous at StarPort The Depot for six pint-sized plays written by Edinburgh-based playwrights, rehearsed on the day & read script-in-hand in the evening by professional actors. May the fourth be with you… Book here.
Lyceum Theatre
Grindlay Street EH3 9AX. Phone booking: 0131 248 4848.
Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil (Season 25/26)
Gary McNair.
Fri 8 – Sat 23 May 2026
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm. Mats Thurs 14, Wed 20, Sats 16 & 23: 2.30pm..
Æ review of 2021 Soundstage prodution: ★★★☆☆ Human
Gary McNair’s stage adaptation of Ron Ferguson’s beloved book comes alive with original music performed live on stage by Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue). When Sally returns to Cowdenbeath from her busy city life for her father’s funeral, she’s pulled back into the world of “The Blue Brazil” – the trials, triumphs, and unbreakable loyalty of a small-town football club with a big heart. Book here.
Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA. Phone booking: 0844 871 3014.
Sunny Afternoon
Tue 5 – Sat 9 May 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm; Wed, Fri, Sat mats: 2.30pm.
The Kinks musical returns. Set against the backdrop of Britain on the cusp of the rebellious ’60s, Sunny Afternoon is an exhilarating and moving celebration of the music, life, and the band that changed it all. Book here.
Macbeth
Thurs 7 May 2026
One performance: 1.15pm.
In this fresh interpretation, Out of Chaos invites audiences right into the heart of the story. With two award-winning actors playing more than 20 roles, Shakespeare’s brutal tragedy is given new life in 80 high-octane minutes. Book here.
Pianodrome Bruntsfield
St. Oswald’s Centre, 41 Montpellier Park, Bruntsfield, EH10 4NB.
Amadeus (Strawmoddie)
Wed 6 – Sun 10 May 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm.
Æ review from 2025: ★★★★☆ Intimate
The life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by composer Antonio Salieri, Mozart’s greatest enemy and the established court composer. Salieri has pledged himself to God so that he might realise his sole ambition, to be a great composer. Mozart is a foul-mouthed, obscene little man who has that which is beyond Salieri’s envious grasp: Genius. Book here.
Studio Theatre
The Studio, 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
Lafayette: A New Musical (WiP)
Sat 9 May 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm.
Blending bold storytelling, breathtaking moments of illusion and a soaring original score, this work-in-progress explores the cost of greatness and asks what must be sacrificed to become unforgettable. On 9th May 1911, the world-famous Lafayette was killed by a fire that engulfed the Empire Palace (now Festival Theatre) stage. Now, 115 years to the day, a brand new musical will unearth the great magician’s story once again. 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.
Deiseil: Dancing in Time (Part of Tradfest)
Tue 5 May 2026
Early evening: 6.30pm (Trav 2).
Æ review from EdFringe 2025: ★★★★★ Rare grooves
A powerful exploration of how stepdance, Scotland’s percussive dance, was lost… and how its revival became woven into a lifelong friendship. Experience a compelling journey across centuries of tradition told through fiddle, feet, Gaelic song and story, in an immersive performance which which draws you in to the heart of our heritage. 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.
