As the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe looms, 半岛体育 can鈥檛 help but get excited. After all, it鈥檚 the world鈥檚 largest arts festival, a theatre lover's dream! Ahead of this year's festivities (running August 2鈥�26), 半岛体育 looked through the 3,800+ shows on offer and picked 20 that we're excited for, chosen based on our familiarity with the artists and because the concept piqued our interest.
If you're making your own Fringe plans, here are some shows you should make sure to add to your list if you are going to the Fringe. And if you're at a loss for what to add to your list, we recommend using the official Fringe app (co-sponsored by 半岛体育) which will give you a random show recommendation when you shake it. Because it isn't Fringe without some surprise discoveries!
In a bell tower, Clement and Aspinall are waiting for lightning to strike. Guided by the superstition that ringing church bells can disrupt a growing storm and the fear that the apocalypse is nigh, they鈥檙e willing to give it a shot. Brought to Fringe by The Stage's Producer of the Year award winner, Ellie Keel Productions, the play was a finalist for the 2024 Women鈥檚 Prize for Playwriting.
Award-winning drag king and loveable nature boy Bi-Curious George is back with a raucous celebration of queerness and the animal kingdom. Previously performed throughout England to great acclaim, Queer Planet shatters the heteronormative binaries through which we view the natural world, embracing the queerness present in every facet of life.
Mestiza playwright Conchi Le贸n has reimagined Pedro P谩ramo鈥檚 novel about a son鈥檚 promise to his dying mother: revenge on his long-lost father. The Day of the Dead-style theatrical experience visits the land of the living and the land of the dead through s茅ance, storytelling, and music. The original Mexican musical comes to Fringe for its international debut after a sold out run in Mexico City.
As the world continues to devolve into chaos, and increasingly violent factions question who we call monsters, acclaimed writer-performer Kristen Smyth is reimagining Mary Shelley鈥檚 Frankenstein. Set in Thatcher's Britain (a monstrous world of gothic proportions that Shelley would have been proud of), this transgender-focused adaptation will have audiences searching for the truth that lies between binaries.
When you think of Tony winner Alan Cumming, the first thing on your mind may be his legendary performance as the Emcee in Cabaret. Well, he is also a family-friendly storyteller. Dragonory features an array of stories and songs written by the stage legend. Hosted by the charismatic performer George, the show promises to be a celebration of diversity, adventure and laughter, perfect for families of all ages.
Sometimes real-life鈥檚 absurdities put fiction to shame. In 1932, thousands of World War I veterans went to war with Australia鈥檚 Emu population to turn the outback into an agrarian paradise. Inspired by the true events, this new comedy musical showcases the futility of human hubris against thousands of six-foot-tall birds.
Calling Gen Z-ers! Dylan Mulvaney will debut a new solo musical at the Edinburgh Fringe. Titled F*GHAG, the show will peel back the curtain on Mulvaney鈥檚 life behind the scenes of her joyous TikTok series, 鈥淒ays of Girlhood,鈥� which documented her gender transition. The series, a viral sensation, has made Mulvaney one of the most famous trans women in the United States. F*GHAG will feature original songs by Tim Robinson and direction by Tim Jackson.
A timely tale about life鈥檚 bitter pills, The Gardening Club is a new musical set in 1960s Georgia, where six girls scheme to illegally distribute the birth control pill with their gardening club as a cover up. The pop-rock soundtrack showcases themes of pleasure, self-discovery, and the power of female friendships.
This play from New York-based (and Mexican-led) emerging theatre collective teatrito takes place in Hell, which is suffering from overpopulation. In Sydney Green's play, five women have been chosen to vie for a shot to vacate eternal damnation and transfer to heaven, but first they鈥檒l have to win a poker match with the devil鈥檚 dealer: the one and only Joan Crawford. Sins, sexual identities, dispensability鈥攅verything is up for consideration in this t锚te-脿-t锚te, and with Crawford around, we might even be able to expect a slap or two.
It鈥檚 March 2023. Goop lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow is embroiled in the biggest trial of the year. Retelling the media frenzy that followed Paltrow and retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, Gwyneth Goes Skiing stars British actor Linus Karp as Paltrow and Joseph Martin as Terry Sanderson, with original music by Leland (of RuPaul鈥檚 Drag Race). Court is now in session! Karp's show last year, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story (where they played Princess Diana), was a hit with the 半岛体育 staff and we're looking forward to seeing what hijinks they get into with Gwyneth Goes Skiing.
Off-Broadway favorite Todd Almond is debuting a new show at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and if his previous record is anything to go off of, that it鈥檒l end up coming to NYC seems fairly likely. But you can impress all your theatre friends when you can say you saw it first in Scotland! This solo show is a love story about a man on the hunt for love. The only problem is an unhinged neighbor, a seductive cult, a self-obsessed vampire, and an unruly cat are getting in the way. Almond has collaborated with Tony-winning director David Cromer, Audible Theater and the producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer on this latest project, and we can鈥檛 wait to find out what they have in store for us.
This new show from the Fringe First-winning creators of Labels and Fanboy endeavors to teach us how the economy affects politics. OK, so that sounds more like a college lecture than a fun play. But don鈥檛 worry, Joe Sellman-Leava and Dylan Howells have bags, boxes, and an old board game on hand to make a complex topic understandable and entertaining ultimately exploring how the economy shapes our lives. These quirky, off-beat looks at the world are some of what Fringe does best: stretching the bounds of what theatre can be. We鈥檙e here for it!
What would you do if you woke up as a bug? This surrealist classic is coming to the stage in addictively absurd fashion, just in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Kafka鈥檚 death. Using puppets, shadow-play, and some truly surreal songs and meta humor, Kafka's Metamorphosis: The Musical! With Puppets! has delighted swarms of audiences from New York to Montreal prior to its Fringe debut.
The newest play from award-winning NYC-based playwrights Xhloe and Natasha, A Letter to Lyndon B Johnson or God deconstructs boyhood and what happens when pretend becomes real and childhood memories become hard in the aftermath. Whether it鈥檚 stories around the campfire, letters home to mom, or a prayer to your favorite President, these two Boy Scouts really just want a turn to play the good guy...Scout's Honor. Xhloe and Natasha's two previous shows that played the Fringe won the prestigious Fringe First Awards from The Scotsman so expect this newest show is coming in with a fair amount of buzz. Read our interview with them from last year's Fringe here.
Any Harry Potter or Graham Norton fan will recognize the legendary Miriam Margolyes. Making her triumphant return to the Fringe at 82, the icon is sure to delight and offend as she shares her enduring passion for Charles Dickens through his most colorful characters, before opening the floor to audience questions. You never know what might come out of her mouth, but it鈥檚 sure to be as truthful as it is tickling!
Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner Natalie Palamides (Nate 鈥� A One Man Show), is back at the Fringe with a '90s-style romantic dramedy. Set on New Year鈥檚 Eve 1999, two star-crossed lovers quarrel at the stroke of midnight, prompting the audience to reflect on both sides to every argument. The performance, which showcases 21st-century clowning, has been hailed as 鈥渂oundary-pushing鈥� and 鈥渆lectrifying.鈥�
This is a stand-up show starring a bald, purple puppet. If you need more reasons to get a ticket to this one, the concept is that Randy Feltface feels like humanity has been on a downward spiral ever since the first banana appeared on earth 10,000 years ago. The solution? This stand-up special, in which Randy will fix everything, including his nemeses. This Australian act created by Heath McIvor and Phillip Millar has been entertaining audiences on TV and in live performances worldwide since 2005, and his Edinburgh Fringe debut is something to get excited for.
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Drag performer Salty Brine is breaking the boundaries of cabaret in a track-by-track performance of Annie Lennox鈥檚 solo album, DIVA. Marrying high camp and heartbreak, Brine weaves reflections on defiant women and the little gay boy who loves them into something spectacular.
All aboard! Real-life polyamorous queer pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Read may have been given the nickname 鈥淗ellcats of the Seven Seas鈥� for their notorious crimes. But now, they鈥檙e taking over Edinburgh to rewrite the narrative with their new punk musical. They鈥檙e tired of living in the shadow of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, and ready to assume their rightful place as legends: just make sure to bring earplugs鈥攊t鈥檚 gonna be loud.
骋濒补蝉驳辞飞鈥檚 Willy Wonka-related 鈥渆xperience鈥� fiasco has captured the hearts and minds of many a disaster aficionado, and it鈥檚 no surprise that the parody musical based on the debacle is on a lot of people鈥檚 Fringe lists. The real thing was already so unintentionally campy that one shudders to imagine the levels of camp that this project could achieve when they鈥檙e actually trying for it. You鈥檝e got songs from a number of great musical theatre and comedy artists鈥攊ncluding Riki Lindhome of Garfunkel and Oates, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series鈥� Tova Litvin and Doug Rockwell, First Date鈥檚 Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, and Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical鈥檚 Daniel Mertzlufft鈥攁nd they just announced that two of the original 1971 movie鈥檚 child cast is going to be there too. Do you want to view chaos? Simply get to Edinburgh Festival Fringe!
While the Fringe is known for its theatre and stand-up comedy offerings, a particular alchemy can be found in the physical theatre and circus areas, where the high flying meets the heartfelt. YUCK Circus, the award-winning all-female acrobatic comedy troupe, are back in Scotland this year. They鈥檙e a must-see, especially if you鈥檙e looking for some sapphic physical storytelling.
Check back in August to read our on-the-ground coverage of the 2024 Fringe. Ready to join in on the fun? Book a stay on the 半岛体育 FringeShip, our floating hotel for the 2024 Fringe. It will be docked in Edinburgh and will provide easy transportation to the Fringe. And for those who want a more bespoke Fringe experience, there will be entertainment on the ship just for guests, including 半岛体育 Fringe favorites Rob Madge (of My Son's a Queer), Tim Murray, and BATSU. Let us handle the logistics of your once-in-a-lifetime experience. Visit .
