Unpack your pac-a-mac, fire up your funny bone and gird your loins. In fact, gird everything. It’s the Fringe.
With more than 3,500 shows – from big serious plays in proper theatres to intense one-on-one experiences set in a toilet (yes, really) – no one can claim the world’s biggest arts festival hasn’t returned to its pre-Covid heights. This year boasts some big names in comedy and theatre – previous comedy prize winners Hannah Gadsby and Rose Matafeo, TikTok superstar Dylan Mulvaney – as well as hundreds of Fringe first-timers and the return of old favorites.
By all means take a punt on a debutant in the damp basement of an empty pub at eight in the morning – really, that’s what the Fringe is all about. But if you’re looking for help as you navigate repurposed car parks and lecture halls, rain-battered pop-up tents and overheated office cubicles, here’s our pick of the very best shows coming to the festivals this year.
Comedy
Hannah Gadsby: Woof!
Hannah Gadsby’s 2017 show Nanette transformed what stand-up comedy could do. As they related their experiences of growing up lesbian and neurodivergent in a conservative environment, slowly the jokes trickled away until the show became a kind of cri de coeur about the state of the world. Nanette caused a huge stir at the Fringe, won Gadsby the Edinburgh Comedy Award, before a Netflix special quickly followed, as did an Emmy and global stardom. This is their first Fringe show since then, with the comic working out how to navigate the world since Nanette’s success. 18-25 August, Underbelly
Natalie Palamides: Weer
Palamides’ breakout show came in the form of drag king, clowning spectacular Nate, an exploration of machismo and consent that was turned into a Netflix special. This year, Palamides returns to the Fringe with her new piece Weer, which she describes as “an achingly tender Nineties rom-drom (romantic dramedy)”. 5-25 August, Traverse
Sheeps: The Giggle Bunch (That’s Our Name for You)
The members of this sketch comedy trio, Daran Johnson,
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