Sex sells, which explains why performers have been getting their kit off at the fringe for years. But my fleshy odyssey was also mindbending " and profoundly movingFifteen naked people in a …
From patriarchy and perineums to why Donald Trump is like a bikini wax ... the funniest gags so far from this year's standupsAthena Kugblenu: Patriarchy is putting Jane Austen on £10 note…
Laughing Horse @ the Counting House, EdinburghThe comic discusses race, mental health and mortality in a set that's packed with difficult materialAhir Shah made his name " and secured a 2017…
His shocking shows " featuring births, enemas and vomiting " thrilled and appalled. Two decades after his death, why is the influence of this 80s nightclub legend still so pervasive?He was p…
Regents Park Open Air theatre, LondonPerformers crank up the craziness in ever more outlandish costumes in Maria Aberg's even darker take on the cult musicalIf you dig beneath the blood-soak…
Maureen Beattie also hopes anti-harassment measures set out by UK actors' union will be adopted by wider industryWorking class youngsters who dream of becoming actors or performers are incre…
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghIn Theatre Ad Infinitum's latest show, George Mann and Nir Paldi consider whether they can cope with the prejudice that two dads still faceTo procreate or not t…
Monkey Barrel, EdinburghSense and subtlety are in short supply in this hour-long dive into the award-winning comic's 'wackadoo' psycheInspired lunacy or meaningless drivel? In nonsense comed…
Traverse theatre, EdinburghFood's nostalgic power is captured with mouth-watering success in this poignant staging of the popular memoirFood tells stories. The homemade mince pies that whisp…
Roundabout @ Summerhall, EdinburghA desperate love story is set against a broader picture of government hostility in Ed Edwards' gritty two-handerAccording to this urgent two-hander, the nam…
Grosvenor Park Open Air theatre, ChesterThe fun moments cannot lift Bryony Lavery's workaday productionSharks surge between the banked tiers of the temporary auditorium, dorsal fins glide be…
Masculinity rather than #MeToo is a preoccupation this year, for male and female performers alike, along with race, nostalgia " and Harold WilsonWith more than 3,500 different fringe shows p…
Vaudeville; Almeida, London Farce is to the fore in a new West End revival of classic Wilde. Plus a Monopoly-style interactive rompSophie Thompson is a fine comic actor: when she's on her ma…
Sadler's Wells, LondonBizet and Hammerstein get a Cuban makeover, played out here with charm and flairCarmen, the heroine of Bizet's opera, is restless. She won't be stilled or silenced. Thi…
Assembly George Square, EdinburghThis pin-sharp satire on self-love doesn't aspire to comedy so much as 'connect' with its audience, yet positively gleams with surprises and smart impro'I'm …
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghCharacter comedy doesn't come less cutting-edge, but despite his cheesy cliches and nonsense machismo, Dowd has his way with the crowdImagine Zorro struggling w…
The actor on her first performance at the Edinburgh fringe, politics and her pride in Coronation StreetJulie Hesmondhalgh, 48, was born in Accrington, Lancashire. She trained at Lamda, and h…
Summerhall, EdinburghIn monologue and song, Chris Thorpe explores nationality, identity and not accepting the story you're given about BrexitChris Thorpe says his one-man show is not about B…
Traverse, EdinburghA history lesson on the American civil war becomes an exploration of race relations in the US today but soon stirs up ugly racist sentimentsMost arguments about inequality…
Canada Hub @ King's Hall, EdinburghAdam Lazarus gives an uncomfortable performance in a piece confronting attitudes towards women and parenthoodIf I should have a daughter, I don't know that…
Underbelly Cowgate, EdinburghFrom a Deliveroo driver to a dying Christ, Julian Spooner seamlessly shapeshifts in an enthralling restaging of a Dario Fo classicSolo shows are everywhere at th…
Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Matafeo's neurosis, intelligence and flamboyant sense of her own ridiculousness make her a near-perfect comedianLast year, Rose Matafeo cast herself as the per…
The Swedish standup lifts the lid on the things that make her laugh the mostThunderAnt's One Man Show. This is the sketch group that preluded Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein's Portlandia.…
★★★☆☆/★★★★☆ Traverse/Underbelly Cowgate, EdinburghIn two new works, the playwright contrasts how the disenfranchised struggle to w…
Plan your schedule with our roundup of top shows, ordered by start time. This page will be updated daily throughout the festival Continue reading...