Preview & Listings Mon 10 – Sun 17 Feb 2025
What’s on Edinburgh’s stages this week
There’s plenty to see this half-term weekend with the good news that if you want to catch either of the big five-star shows finishing on Saturday, there is reasonable availability.
For family entertainment, Mary Poppins at the Festival Theatre (ends Sat: tickets) has briefs up in the gods for most performances, although the Saturday matinee only has a few single seats left.
Mary Poppins: Florence Swann (Jane Banks) Stefanie Jones (Mary Poppins), Sharon Wattis (Miss Corry:Miss Smythe), Jack Chambers (Bert), Charlie Donald (Michael Banks) and Company. Pic Danny Kaan.
For big ideas, brilliantly told in a cracking Shakespeare, the like which we rarely see in Edinburgh, The Merchant of Venice at the Lyceum (ends Sat: tickets) has a smattering of great single stalls seats with good availability in the Grand Circle and Upper Circle.
For romantics Big Band Does turn their attention to Valentines at the Church Hill (Thurs/Fri: tickets). This should be a hot slice, with a 10 piece big band, joined by a cast of professional and talented youngsters from Captivate Theatre School.
Elsewhere there is plenty to chew on, thanks to the local amateur and student companies.
At the Pleasance, the EU Footlights have an ambitious production of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical (ends Sat: tickets). Press night was marred by technical issues, but there is no doubting the talent on stage.
wrap up warm
At the Bedlam, Edinburgh’s coldest theatre so wrap up warm, the EUTC have a production of Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood (ends Sat: tickets). Here’s hoping they get their Welsh accents down as well as the Footlights got their American tones in place.
Out at the Loretto School in Musselburgh, where the Brunton has temporarily relocated, local company MAMA are doing Shrek the Musical (ends Sat: tickets). MAMA are always a good watch, with a strong and dedicated team.
In Portobello Town Hall, Stage Door’s talented youth company are putting on Frozen Jr (ends Sat: tickets), which should be a real treat and an affordable one too.
The Playhouse has a series of one-off shows; while the brilliant Manipulate festival is at the Studio and the Traverse.
Listing
Click on the name of the show or the Book here link to go to its ticketing site.
Bedlam Theatre
11B Bristo Place, EH1 1EZ.
Under Milk Wood (EUTC)
Wed 12 – Sat 15 Feb 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm.
“To Begin at the Beginning” Croeso, and welcome to Llareggub; Dylan Thomas’s humble, tumble-down town that sits comfortably in its own little corner of Wales. Take a journey along its cockled cobbles, meet its people, see their hearts, and learn their stories… Book here.
Church Hill Theatre
33 Morningside Road, EH10 4DR.
Big Band Does – Valentines (BBD Prods)
Thurs 13/Fri 14 Feb 2025.
Evenings: 7.30pm; Fri mat: 2.30pm.
BBD Productions give their five-star hit, Big Band Does… Broadway a twist to provide the perfect Valentine’s Day treat for friends, couples, groups and solo theatregoers. A 10 piece big band, a cast of professional performers and talented youngsters from Captivate Theatre School celebrate love and all parts of it, from love and laughter to heartache and heartbreak Book here.
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
Mary Poppins
Wed 22 Jan – Sat 15 Feb 2025
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat mats: 2.30pm; Suns: 2pm.
Æ review: ★★★★★ Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
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.
Loretto School Theatre
Loretto School Theatre, Millhill, Musselburgh.
Shrek – The Musical (MAMA)
Wed 12 – Sat 15 Feb 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm, Sat mat: 2pm.
See the original story live on stage, join Shrek and Donkey on their daring quest to rescue the feisty Princess Fiona. Meet a fire breathing Dragon, the wicked Lord Farquaad, a Gingerbread man with attitude, Pinocchio and a whole bunch of fabulous fairy tale misfits who’ll leave you in stitches! Book here.
Lyceum Theatre
Grindlay Street EH3 9AX. Phone booking: 0131 248 4848.
An Evening with: James Naughtie
An “Evening with…” fundraiser.
Mon 10 Feb 2025
One show: 7.30pm.
A mainstay of British political commentary during his 21 years on Radio 4’s Today programme from 1994 to 2015, Scottish broadcaster James Naughtie led every BBC UK election results programme from 1997 onwards. Book here.
The Merchant of Venice
The Theatre for a New Audience production.
Sat 18 Jan – Sat 15 Feb 2025
Daily (not Sun/Mon): 7.30pm. Wed, Sat mat: 2.30pm.
Æ review: ★★★★★ Unflinching
Shakespeare’s perennially contested play about corrosive bigotry and blinding vengeance is poised at the radioactive intersection of race, class and religion in Arin Arbus’s production. Book here.
Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA. Phone booking: 0844 871 3014.
Queen Extravaganza
Mon 10 Feb 2025
Evening show: 7.30pm.
The only official Queen tribute band, produced by Roger Taylor and Brian May, brings its own ‘kind of magic’ back with a triumphant celebration of 50 years of Bohemian Rhapsody. A spectacular 90-minute show featuring more than 20 fan favourites drawn from Queen’s biggest hits. Book here.
The Rock Orchestra by Candelight
Tue 11 Feb 2025
Evenings show: 7.30pm.
Prepare for a spellbinding 90-minute spectacle that infuses iconic Rock & Metal anthems with a hauntingly beautiful energy. In ethereal candlelit, this band of 14 classical musicians unleash effortlessly enchanting melodies alongside powerful walls of distortion. Witness the unexpected union of Classical music and Metal. Book here.
Paul Smith: Pablo
Wed 12/Thurs 13 Feb 2025
Evening: 7.30pm.
Get ready to experience the jaw-aching, laugh out loud comedy that only Smith can deliver. This is Paul Smith’s biggest and funniest tour show yet, and it promises to have you rolling around in laughter with every joke. Book here .
A Country Night in Nashville
Fri 14 Feb 2025
Evening: 7.30pm.
Direct from The Royal Albert Hall, A Country Night In Nashville recreates the scene of a buzzing honky tonk in downtown Nashville, perfectly capturing the energy and atmosphere of an evening in the home of country music. Book here.
Rhod Gilbert & The Giant Grapefruit
Sat 15 Feb 2025.
Evening: 7.30pm.
Multi-award-winning comedian Rhod Gilbert is bouncing back with a brand new live show. Previously, Rhod was dealing with some pretty pungent life citrus, and an idiot called John. Little did he know that things were about to turn even more sour. But Rhod’s not bitter; he’s bouncing back and feeling remarkably zesty. Book here.
Pleasance Theatre
60 Pleasance, EH8 9TJ.
9 to 5 The Musical (EU Footlights)
Tue 11 – Sat 15 February 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm, Sat mat: 2.30pm.
Inspired by the classic 80s film and featured a toe-tapping score from Dolly Parton herself, this feel-good musical comedy is full of mischief and wit, where a touch of office sabotage might be just the trick to get business back in order. After all, revenge tastes better than coffee sweetener! Book here.
Portobello Town Hall
147-149 Portobello High St, Portobello EH15 1AF.
Frozen Jr. (Stage Door)
Wed 12 – Fri 14 February 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm, Fri mat: 2pm.
Based on the 2018 Broadway and West End musical, Frozen JR. brings Elsa, Anna, and the magical land of Arendelle to life, onstage. Performed by Stage Door’s talented youth company. Book here.
Studio Theatre
The Studio, 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
Snapshots (Manipulate Festival)
Wed 12 Feb 2025
Evenings: 8pm.
A platform for artists based in Scotland to try out new or developing work across puppetry, circus, physical theatre, visual theatre and dance. Each artist is given fifteen minutes to test new ground for their work, in a safe and supportive space. This year’s line-up includes work from Craig McCulloch, Ruxy Cantir and Sarah Rose Graber, Disaster Plan and Jordan & Skinner, Romi & Dale, and Shotput. Book here.
When Prophecy Fails (Manipulate Festival)
Fri 14/Sat 15 Feb 2025
Evenings: 8pm.
Award-winning ensemble Groupwork present a daring new piece of physical theatre. Based on a 1954 study outlining a groundbreaking theory of human behaviour now known as “cognitive dissonance”. Step into a world of apocalyptic visions, clandestine observers and the faithful disciples of a suburban housewife. Book here.
Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404.
These Things Aren’t Mine (Manipulate Fest)
By Gabbie Cook and Barney White.
Thurs 13 Feb 2025
Evening: 6pm (Trav 2).
A visceral, abstract and emotive exploration into the psyche of an ex-child athlete living with PTSD and hyper vigilance. Presented through abstract, poetic imagery, the film explores the day-to-day effects of living with trauma; to give voice, physicality and visibility to these experiences, and the process of how healing begins. Book here.
The Law of Gravity (Manipulate Fest)
By Arnold Schoenberg and Philip Glass.
Thurs 13 Feb 2025
Evening: 8pm (Trav 1).
What can puppetry reveal about music? In a new collaboration between Scottish Ensemble and multi-award-winning puppetry company Blind Summit, puppeteers and musicians play together to discover the ways puppetry and music lead each other in a fragile dance. Book here.
Elke/Ratkin (Manipulate Fest)
By Sarah Farrell/Ruben San Roman Gamez.
Sat 15 Feb 2025
Evening: 6pm (Trav 1).
Elke is a devised, interactive piece of theatre exploring the life and work of pioneering lichenologist and Trans woman Elke Mackenzie. Ratkin finds us in a speculative future where human civilisation is nowhere to be found. Living below the tattered dark sky, and amidst the junkyard piles are the scampering, scratching Ratkin, a mutant species of rodent humanoids. 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.
