Preview & Listings to Sun 8 Dec 2024
What’s on Edinburgh’s stages this week?
Plenty! Oh yes there is. All the big professional pantomimes and Christmas offerings are up and running, or they will be, there are big new openers and some braw local companies with top notch shows, panto and otherwise.
The biggest opener of all is the return of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to the Playhouse again – but this time with Donny Osmond as the roof-raising Pharaoh (ends 29 Dec: tickets).
There are two bona-fide panto openers. Up at Goldenacre, at the Inverleith St Serf’s Church Hall, the St Serf’s Players have their Aladdin (ends Sat: tickets), while along at Portobello Town Hall there is Jack and the Beanstalk (Fri – 29 Dec: tickets) from Stage Door Entertainment with an exceptionally strong local professional cast.
Strawmoddie bring their latest Steve Briggs’ adaptation of Terry Pratchett, Going Postal, to the Pleasance Theatre (ends Sun: tickets). Up at the Church Hill Theatre, the Balerno Theatre Company turn to the world of Musicals for this year’s treat with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (ends Sat: tickets). Both companies have strong reputations – get those tickets asap!
Prize for Bizarro Christmas fare of the season goes to Edinburgh’s Christmas, with 16+ rated Swamplesque at the Assembly Hall (Thurs – 4 Jan: tickets) which seems to be drag Shrek. We will report back.
Returns only
Local writers group 4Play have already sold out their two show, four play, four night run at the Trav (Wed – Sat: returns only) but there are tickets for the Napier Drama Society’s winter show at the Scottish Storytelling Centre Capture the Flag (Sun/Mon: tickets).
And finally: the glittery Cinderella, with Grant Stott, Allan Stewart and Jordan Young on top form, continues at the Festival Theatre (ends 31 Dec: tickets); Duncan McLean’s new version of RL Stevenson’s classic swashbuckler,Treasure Island is at the Lyceum (ends 4 Jan: tickets) and Kevin Quantum continues to do magical things in Edinburgh Magic at the Caledonian Hotel (Fri/Sat: tickets)
Listings for the week to Sunday 8 December 2024:
Listings for the coming week are here: On stage Next Week.
For the following week’s listings, look here: On Stage the Following Week.
Click on the name of the show or the Book here link to go to its ticketing site.
Assembly Hall
Mound Place, EH1 2LU
Swamplesque (Edinburgh’s Christmas)
Thurs 5 – Sun 29 December 2024.
Tue/Wed (not 24/25): 8pm; Thurs: 6pm, 8.30pm; Fri: 9pm; Sat: 5pm, 9pm; Sun: 7pm.
Everyone’s favourite ogre-inspired burlesque and drag parody is coming to Edinburgh to celebrate Christmas. The 16+ rated, award-winning, critically acclaimed, burlesque parody show from Far Far Away offers its audience a smorgasbord of performance styles. Book here.
The Caledonian Hotel
Princes Street, EH1 2AB.
Edinburgh Magic (Kevin Quantum)
Fri 6/Sat 7 Dec 2024.
Two shows each day: 6pm & 8.30pm (Versailles Suite).
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Rosy
Kevin Quantum performs an hour of magic that’s fooled some of the most brilliant and creative people ever to have lived, often times with strong links to Edinburgh and Scotland. An elegant, intimate and quite astonishing evening of magic, mystery and wonder in one of Edinburgh’s most historic and enchanting hotels. Book here.
Church Hill Theatre
33 Morningside Road, EH10 4DR.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Balerno Theatre Company)
Wed 4 – Sat 7 December 2024.
Evenings: 7.30pm; Fri Mat: 2.30pm, Sat mat: 2pm.
Enter a World of Pure Imagination and join Balerno Theatre Company as they retell this delicious tale. Based on Roald Dahl’s iconic story, the stage show combines memorable songs from the original 1970’s motion picture with new numbers from the songwriters of Hairspray. Book here.
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
Cinderella
Sat 23 Nov – Tue 31 Dec 2024
Tue – Sat: 2pm &7pm; Sun: 1pm & 5pm.
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Sparkling.
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.
Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre
1a Clark Road, EH5 3BD.
Aladdin (St Serf’s Players)
Wed 4 – Sat 7 December 2024.
Wed – Fri: 7.30pm; Sat: 2pm & 6.30pm.
St Serf’s with Norman Robbin’s version of the time-honoured pantomine with all the well loved character, Aladdin himself and, of course, the well hated character of Abanazar, the evil magician, who provides plenty of opportunity for boos and hisses from the audience. Book here.
Lyceum Theatre
Grindlay Street EH3 9AX. Phone booking: 0131 248 4848.
Treasure Island
Thurs 28 Nov 2024 – Sat 4 Jan 2025
Evenings: (not Sun/Mon): 7pm, Matinees: Sat and daily from Tue 23 Dec: 2pm; Suns: 1pm, 6pm.
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Creative
Following the smash-hit Christmas production of The Snow Queen, the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh presents another epic story for the whole family – a new re-imagining of esteemed Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson’s quintessential adventure story. Book here.
An Evening with: Denise Mina & Chris Brookmyre
An “Evening with…” fundraiser.
Mon 2 Dec 2024
One show: 7.30pm.
Join us for an evening with Denise Mina and Chris Brookmyre, in aid of The Lyceum, hosted by our Artistic Director, David Greig. Book here.
Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA. Phone booking: 0844 871 3014.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Tue 3 – Sat 29 Dec 2024
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm; Mats Thurs, Sat: 2.30pm; Suns: 1pm & 5pm.
Xmas eve: 1pm & 5pm, no show Xmas day. Boxing day: 6pm, extra matinee Fri 27.
Starring the legendary Donny Osmond as the roof-raising Pharaoh, the smash-hit London Palladium production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat returns to Edinburgh Playhouse for Christmas. Book here.
Pleasance Theatre
60 Pleasance, EH8 9TJ.
Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal (Strawmoddie Theatre)
Tue 3 – Sun 8 Dec 2024.
Evenings: 7.30pm; Sat/Sun mats: 2.30pm.
Imprisoned in Ankh-Morpork, con artist Moist von Lipwig is offered a choice: to be executed or to accept a job as the city’s Postmaster General. It’s a tough decision, but he’s already survived one hanging and isn’t in the mood to try it again. Strawmoddie with another of Steve Briggs’ Pratchett adaptations. Book here.
Portobello Town Hall
147-149 Portobello High St, Portobello EH15 1AF.
Jack and the Beanstalk (Stage Door Entertainment)
Fri 6 – Sun 29 Dec 2024.
Fri/Sat: 2pm (not Fri 6) & 7pm; Sun: 5pm. Mon 23/Tue 24: 2pm.
There is a giant in the sky over Porty! With Giant Grotty’s hideous henchman, Fleshcreep, taking all that the townsfolk hold dear, can Jack McTrott take the ultimate leap to save his family and his town? Book here.
Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High St, EH1 1SR. Phone booking: 0131 556 9579
Capture the Flag (NUDS)
Sun 8/Mon 9 Dec 2024.
Evening: 7pm.
A group of fast food workers on a mandatory company retreat to play capture the flag. Tensions run high as interpersonal conflicts flare up and relationships are tested; but which team will win the week? Book here: Sunday, Monday.
Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404.
Fuckers & Colours Run (4Play DB)
By Ruaraidh Murray and Mikey Burnett.
Wed 4/Sat 5 Dec 2024
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 2).
A double bill of plays from the 4Play collective.
In Fuckers by Ruaraidh Murray, An actor and a comedian fall in love at the Edinburgh Festival and embark on a transatlantic romance but will ambition kill it? Can you have it all…love AND success? In In Mikey Burnett’s Colours Run it’s Derby day. A violent Hibs football casual returns home to tell his brother something bad has happened. But has something far worse happened in their past?
Book here.
Butterflies and Benefits & Cheapo (4Play DB)
By Andrea McKenzie and Katy Nixon.
Thurs 6/Sat 7 Dec 2024
Evening: 7.30pm (Trav 2).
A double bill of plays from the 4Play collective.
In Butterflies and Benefits by Andrea McKenzie, Maz dances through hedonistic 1999 where dark clubs and crazy after-parties spawn legendary nights out she’s destined to forget. But when life moves faster than a broken strobe can anything cradle her when she falls?
In Katy Nixon’s Cheapo, Kyla needs Jamie to do something for her. But he only wants to do what’s right. Two teenagers battle out their differences over a game of chess. There are no winners. 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.