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Showstopper! The Improvised Musical  

The Edinburgh must-see, Olivier Award-winning (Best Entertainment and Family Show) West End hit returns for its 13th year! A brand-new musical comedy is created from scratch at every performance of this multi award-winning show. Each night audience suggestions are transformed into all-singing, all-dancing productions with hilarious results. A Fringe favourite and a phenomenon; your Edinburgh is simply incomplete without it.

'The top musical improvisers in the business... Compulsory Fringe viewing... Just book in time' ***** (BroadwayBaby.com).

'Had me weeping with laughter' ***** (Mail on Sunday).

'Achingly funny... Worth seeing again and again' ***** (Time Out).

3rd - 28th August, 9:30pm, The Pleasance


 



 

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Cirque Berserk!   

Britain's biggest theatre-circus spectacular returns following its smash hit sell-out run in 2019– book now! Showcasing the finest in traditional circus thrills and skills, Cirque Berserk! brings this treasured form of live entertainment bang up-to-date in a jaw-dropping spectacular created especially for the theatre. Combining contemporary cirque-style artistry with adrenaline-fuelled stunt action, this astoundingly talented international troupe includes over 30 acrobats, aerialists, dancers, drummers and daredevil stuntmen. Featuring the world's most hair-raising circus act, the legendary motorcycle Globe of Death.

 

'Fearless... you'll believe pretty much anything is possible' **** (Scotsman).

 

‘Insanely thrilling, happy-making entertainment' **** (List).

3rd - 28th August, 1:30pm & 6:30pm, The Pleasance 

 



 

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Fills Monkey - We Will Drum You

A worldwide sensation from Montreal to Beijing, Fills Monkey return with an exhilarating new show. Blending pure joy and comedy with extraordinary musicianship, these two exceptional drummers fuse musical styles from rock to heavy metal, and Latin to jazz. Creating percussive heaven they also play tribute to their favourite artists: AC/DC, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, U2, Phil Collins and more. Their drumsticks are magic and their irresistible beats go straight to the heart! A fun-packed experience to delight the whole family.  

 

'‘Loud, creative, frenzied and immense fun.’ ***** (BroadwayBaby.com)

 

‘Exhilarating.’ ***** (ThreeWeeks)

3rd - 29th August, 4.00pm, The Pleasance 

 



 

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Jeremy Sassoon's MOJO

A foot-stomping, barn-storming celebration of some of the most iconic and best-loved Musicians Of Jewish Origin. Internationally renowned singer-pianist Jeremy Sassoon and his superb band will take you on a journey from the golden era of Gershwin and the Great American Songbook, through to the 21st century, honouring artists such as Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Randy Newman and Amy Winehouse. Full of surprising and hilarious anecdotes and some of the most unforgettable songs you've ever sung along and danced to, MOJO is illuminating, uplifting and joyous entertainment.

 

'Masterfully crafted' (LondonJazzNews.com)

3rd - 28th August, 6.15pm, Assembly Checkpoint

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Watson is alone. His beloved wife, Mary, and the great Sherlock Holmes are gone. London seethes with false reports. It is time to set the record straight. So Watson tells his tale of long-buried secrets, betrayal and death; a journey across Europe pursued by Moriarty, the Napoleon of Crime, and a deathly embrace at the Reichenbach Falls. Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Watson is written with Bert Coules (BBC's Sherlock Holmes), performed by Tim Marriott (BBC's Brittas Empire).

'Superb, authentic, excellent' (BroadwayWorld.com)

'A grippingly fine display – outstanding.' **** (BroadwayBaby.com)

3rd - 28th August, 1.10pm, Assembly Rooms 

WATSON: The Final Problem

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Doktor Kaboom and The Wheel of Science!

So much science, so little time.

Doktor Kaboom is having trouble picking his favourite science experiments, so he's bringing them all! From optical illusions to chemical reactions, a homemade hovercraft and more!

Spin The Wheel of Science and together you'll choose what happens next in the show. Will we turn a water bottle into a rocket or catapult bananas across the stage? Who knows? No two shows will be the same.

So, step right up, and let's spin that wheel!

 

"This show is what you want live children's theatre to be" BroadwayWorld.com

 

3rd - 21st August, 12pm, Pleasance Beyond - Pleasance Courtyard 

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Let's Talk About Philip

When 30 years of family silence is broken, Helen begins a quest to discover the hidden story behind her brother's suicide. As surprising details are uncovered, Helen grapples with loyalty, long-held beliefs and how much we ever really know about those we love.

A fast-paced, candid, darkly comic and gripping new play written and performed by Fringe veteran Helen Wood (National Trust Fan Club; The OS Map Fan Club) and Gregor Hunt.

Directed by 2022 Olivier Award nominee Derek Bond (Dragons and Mythical Beasts; Jess and Joe Forever).

Supporting Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SoBS) Edinburgh.

 

3rd - 28th August, 4pm, Beneath - Pleasance Courtyard

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Boris the Third

When Boris Johnson was 18 he played Richard III. Apparently, he wasn’t prepared, didn’t learn his lines and the result was chaos.

Boris the Third is a comedy imagining of what that school play might have been like. Will young Boris play the clown, charming his critics, or will he be remembered as the villain?

A possible origin story for one of the most colourful and divisive figures in modern British politics. This is one illicit party you won’t want to miss.

Written and directed by Adam Meggido, starring Mischief Theatre favourite, Harry Kershaw, as Boris Johnson.

 

3rd - 29th August, 4.10pm, Pleasance One - Pleasance Courtyard

Starship Improvise

Hilarious new improvised comedy starring members of Tony/Olivier Award-winning companies: Mischief Theatre and The Showstoppers. Smash-hit TV show Celestia 7 ran for 15 seasons. Some of the cast became international celebrities, others faded into obscurity. Now, headlining a sci- fi convention, they share your favourite episodes. Of course, the real drama lay behind the scenes. In-fighting, relationships, sexual tensions, ego... it was 15 years of science friction. An homage to everything from Star Trek to Galaxy Quest, you suggest what's in tonight's episode and Starship Improvise will boldly go where no improv comedy has gone before.

 

6th - 21st August, 3pm, King Dome - Pleasance Dome

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The Twenty-Sided Tavern

Welcome to The Twenty-Sided Tavern, where laughter flows like ale and the story is yours to control.

Every night is a new adventure where you choose the characters, what paths they take and how hilarious their hijinks will be. Battle monsters, solve riddles and be rewarded with a unique ending based on how the game is played.

Grab your friends and your smart phone and embark on the journey of a lifetime that might involve dungeons, might involve dragons and is guaranteed to be unlike anything you've ever experienced.

 

3rd - 28th August, 4.30pm, King Dome - Pleasance Dome

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Love Them to Death

A mother keeps pulling her ill son out of school. But is everything as it seems? 

 

School Attendance Officer Kelly isn't so sure. A piece about who is telling the truth, how we come to that decision, and whether the truth even exists most of the time. A dark and twisty tale set in the borderlands between love and violence – inspired by real events.

Written by Max Dickins (The Man on the Moor, Kin, The Trunk) and directed by five-time Fringe First winner Hannah Eidinow.

 

4th - 28th August, 3.30pm, Underbelly Cowgate

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Something in the Water

'Enter into a wacky world of sea monsters in high heels and angry mobs with tiny pitchforks' (InDaily.com.au). When Grumms transforms from a normal girl into a squid monster (Creature from the Black Lagoon meets The Muppets), they must hide their secret identity in order to pass in society. Stunning video projections, puppetry and physical comedy combine in this absurd exploration of gender and growing up "normal". Winner – Best Theatre, Adelaide Fringe 2021. ***** (StarPhoenix). 'If you like your theatre madcap, thoughtful and combined with what's-coming-next intrigue, don't miss out' (Advertiser, Adelaide)

 

3rd - 28th August, 8pm, Summerhall - Cairns Lecture Theatre 

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Anthony DeVito: My Dad Isn't Danny DeVito

All little boys want their dads to be superheroes. Anthony’s father died when he was just a baby. Armed with only one photo of the two of them, Anthony created a loving, gentle and caring vision of his father, the proud new dad. And his father was all of those things. He was also a fully initiated member of a prominent Italian organised crime family. A compelling storyteller with a gag-rate to match, US comic Anthony DeVito (Comedy Central; HBO) makes his much-anticipated Edinburgh debut. 'Terrifying and heartbreaking... and of course, hilarious’ (Vulture.com).

 

4th - 28th August, 7.30pm, Just the Tonic at The Mash House - Just the Bottle Room

Robert Bathurst (Cold Feet, Downton Abbey, Toast of London) stars alongside Rebecca Johnson (The Trip, The Flood) in this heart-breaking and hilarious double-bill of love and loss, written by Costa Book of The Year Award-winner Christopher Reid and directed by Jason Morell. Intertwined with glorious animations from cartoonist Charles Peattie, Reid's A Scattering and The Song of Lunch are brought to life in this critically acclaimed production.

'Almost unbearably good... A superb evening of wit, wisdom and wine' ***** Daily Mail

'As exquisite as a jewel box' **** Times

'Exceptionally written and perfectly cast' ***** BroadwayWorld.com

3rd - 28th August, 12.55pm (95 mins), Assembly Rooms - Music Hall

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Love, Loss & Chianti

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Flanders and Swann

Direct from London's glittering West End, the boys are back with the songs and wit of those masters of mayhem and mirth: timeless musical comedy legends Flanders and Swann. This international award winner and Edinburgh phenomenon returns with all the favourites: The Hippopotamus, The Gnu, The Gas Man Cometh and many less familiar gems. Following international tour dates and appearances on Friday Night is Music Night (BBC Radio 2), now see it live.

'Muddy marvellous' (Evening Standard).
'Impressive... a delight' (Times).
'Classic... joyously frivolous' (Sunday Times).
Critics' Choice: Evening Standard, Sunday Times, Guardian.

3rd - 21st August, 14.40pm, Pleasance Dome - Ace Dome

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