Edinburgh Fringe Guide 2023

This guide is your one-stop shop for everything Cambridge related at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer.

The festival is a truly unique platform featuring a diverse range of performances from all over the world, yet within these, Cambridge shows stand out. See below for all the details on the marvellous plays and comedy performances featuring Cambridge students and alumni.

Dazzling

theSpace @ Niddry Street, 14-22 Aug, 13:10

Written by Holly Sewell, directed by Viv Wang, co-produced by Holly Sewell and Ella Catherall

Dazzling is a solo show about love, addiction and art- it’s* Fleabag* for a new generation.

A year on from a depressive episode, Alix is full of the joys of life. But when they meet a beautiful stranger, dark inner conflicts resurface. Obsession, addiction and poetry are combined in this modern, queer tale of a descent into madness. ‘A stunning production that I could not recommend enough’ ★★★★★ (The Tab).

Tickets: £10 (£8 concession)

Secreting

Greenside @ Infirmary Street (Mint Studio), 14-19 Aug, 23:10

Written by Maya Marie, directed by Gabriella Shennan, produced by Amber Ash

Teenage chaos, comedy, and (mis)communication – wrapped neatly into five episodes in the debut project by playwright Maya Marie.

Spotlighting the intimate conversations that take place at the corners of a house party, we watch characters shoot and miss miserably as they struggle to surpass the bubble boundaries of selfhood and connect with others. Creating 'uncannily accurate' (★★★★½ TheTab.com), 'nostalgic and honest... excruciating and thrilling' (★★★★ Varsity) drama out of the seemingly most basic of human interactions, Secreting presents an exciting mixture of comedy and drama, prioritising queer narratives, and produced by an all-female production team.

Access: All performances are in a wheelchair-accessible venue.

Tickets: £11 (£8 concession)

Footlights: Leftovers

theSpace on the Mile, Space 3, 4-12, Aug, 21:50, 14-19 Aug, 22:55

Written & performed by Amy Mallows, Jago Wainwright, James Hazell, Barnaby Evans & Oscar Matthews, directed by Amy Mallows, produced by Liv Bouton

These Footlights present the cream of their comic crop: a compilation of sketches, shorts and various sillies. From the satire to the song, the punny to the downright absurd, Footlights: Leftovers dishes out a taste of comedy guaranteed to leave you hungry for more.

Tickets: £9 (£7 concession), 2 for 1 on 7 & 8th Aug

Garry Bonds' Balanced Breakfasts

Greenside @ Nicolson Square (Lime Studio), 7-25 Aug (odd days, excluding Sunday 13th, preview on 5th), 20:50

Written by Rishi Sharma, directed by Rory Clarke & William Want, executive produced by Qawiiah Bisiriyu, produced by Chris Cai

Mild-mannered Ned Burger is 57 years old, happily married and running a sandwich shop in San Francisco. However, he’s still got a chip on his shoulder from his high school rivalry with world-famous baseball player Garry Bonds. Following a visit from the ghost of baseball legend Lou Gehrig, Ned is given a unique opportunity: to go back in time to his high school days and show Garry who he is, once and for all…

This original comedy-drama by Rishi Sharma asks a fundamental question: what will you sacrifice to be the best? The play is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, and, most importantly, requires no knowledge of baseball, its rules or its history.

Access: All performances are in a wheelchair-accessible venue, and feature no strobe lighting nor loud, sudden noises.

Tickets: £13/£11.50 (student)/£8.50 (disabled, OAP, child, unemployed)/£6 (family); previews £7/£5.50/£4/£3.

Peer Gynt: A Jazz Revival

Greenside @ Nicolson Square (Lime Studio), 4-26 Aug (even days, excluding Sunday 20th, previews on 4th and 6th), 20:50

Directed by Tom Shortland & William Want, Produced by Orchid Balgobin

After a sold-out run in Cambridge, Phonofiddle! presents a new and improved version for the Edinburgh Fringe. “A refreshing take on a theatrical classic” set to “enthrallingly good music” (Varsity, 2022) by way of jazzy re-orchestrations of Edvard Grieg’s iconic suite, *Peer Gynt: A Jazz Revival *invites the audience to step into a dreamlike and intimate world. Building on the “funny and cosy” (TCS, 2022) atmosphere of the show’s Cambridge run, director Tom Shortland has been inspired by his Norwegian heritage and the feeling of hygge, using a small cast of actor-musicians to explore the show’s ideas through fictionality, musicality, and playfulness. Described as “an energetically fun piece of theatre” (Varsity, 2022), *Peer Gynt: A Jazz Revival *is a triumphant tale of love, ambition, and Norwegian culture.

Access: All performances are in a wheelchair-accessible venue, and feature no strobe lighting nor loud, sudden noises.

Tickets: £13/£11.50 (student)/£8.50 (disabled, OAP, child, unemployed)/£6 (family)

Four Cut Sunflowers

Haldane Theatre, theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall, 20:40pm, 14th-26th (not 20th).

Written by Manon Harvey, directed by Elizabeth Laurence, produced by Martha French

Four Cut Sunflowers is a lyrical and timely story of the life of socialist revolutionary Johanna Van Gogh: Vincent's sister-in-law, who single-handedly ensured his legacy after his death. It weaves together real letters and diary entries with original dialogue by Manon Harvey, featuring a stellar ensemble cast (Kitty Ford, Alex Velody, and Dominika Wiatrowska), led by Blossom Durr as Jo.

Tickets: £12 (£10 concession)

ELECTRA/HAIMARA

Greenside @ Riddle's Court (Willow Studio), 4-12 Aug, 1hr (previews on 4th, 5th, and 6th), 12:45

Written by Irisa Kwok, Directed by Temitope Idowu, Produced by Qawiiah Bisiriyu

Famously adapted by the three great Greek tragedians, Irisa Kwok slices open this ancient parable to reveal a cycle of generation trauma that stems from the injustices of imperial conquest, and violence on the queer body; filth teaches filth, blood begets blood and to be mortal is to eschew the intervention of the divine. All we know is this: The House of Atreus is cursed; the gods have set the stage for its fall. One house, one family, one day. What does it take to reveal the brutal limits of human vengeance?

Access: All performances are in a wheelchair-accessible venue.

Tickets £12.00 (full price), £6.00 (preview dates), £10.00 (concession)

Queer Street

theSpace @ Niddry Street (Studio), 4-12, 14-22 Aug, 16:20

Written by Kae Deller, Directed by Jam Greenland, Produced by Katy Lawrence & Zach Lonberg

Once upon a time, a load of gays and their cishet best friend walk into a bookshop, looking for love. Is marriage a patriarchal construct? Should best friends ever date? And what’s so great about queer tragedy anyway? Answers abound in this romcom, featuring eccentric authors, jealous exes, and fabulous, fabulous otters…

Tickets: £10 (£8 concession), 2 for 1 on 7th Aug

Ed: the Parody Sketch Show

ZOO’s Playground 2, 4-19 August, 21:50

Written & directed by James Carroll & Alex Mentzel, Produced by Bella Cavicchi & Katie Kasperson

Accompanied by a glittering live band and fresh from two sold-out London and Cambridge runs, don’t miss the Fringe premiere of *Ed: the parody sketch show *charting the story of a ginger pop sensation. Can Ed deal with fame, fortune and being ginger?

Originally written and co-produced as the Magdalene Musical in 2022 by Magdalene College students Alexander Mentzel, James Carroll, and Katie Kasperson, Ed combines joyful comedy and first-class musical talent.

Tickets: £12 (£10 concession), 2 for 1 on 7th and 8th Aug

The Cambridge Footlights: The Search Continues

Pleasance Dome, King Dome, 2-8, 10-20, 22-28 Aug, 18:30

Written & performed by Jemima Langdon, Joy Adeogun, Izzie Harding-Perrott, Libby Thornton & Daniel Patten, directed by Poppy Maxwell, produced by Michael Elizabeth

Join some of Cambridge’s most talented sketch comedy writer-performers, as the Cambridge Footlights embark on their annual International Tour Show: The Search Continues.

In The Search Continues the troupe presents an hour of their freshest sketch comedy, in a quest to find their sixth and final member. It’ll be a journey packed with everything from canoeing with your dad to mic’d up rats... and the odd moment of soul-searching profundity.

[Tickets] (https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/cambridge-footlights-international-tour-show): £15.50 (concession: £14.50), 2 for 1 on 7 & 8 Aug

Republicca

Edinburgh Academy Senior School, 18 Aug, 18:30

Written & Directed by Bonham Bax, Produced by Bonham Bax, Lara Cornelius, Alex Camp & Abdi Mo

In post-WW2 Italy, a teenage girl emigrates from wealthy Rome to an isolated island in the xenophobic South. However, when she falls for an unprejudiced but powerful local figure, she soon finds herself caught in a political plot that will tear both her and the identity of the nation apart. Come and watch this ‘electrifying and devastating ★★★★★ play’ (Varsity) on the fringes of the Fringe.

Tickets: Free

Palindrome

theSpace on Niddry St, 14th-26th Aug, 16:50

Music by Neve Kennedy, Jas Ratchford, book by Maddy Power, directed by Flo Winkley, produced by Katie Burge

Nestled in the heart of a highland community, the local Glenelg Post Office is on the brink of going out of business. When a huge new packaging and delivery warehouse springs up in the once peaceful village, what was the heart of the community risks being lost to the reality of a world that is moving forwards at a faster pace than the town can keep up with.

Palindrome is a heartwarming story of connection, communication, opening up and writing things down. Palindrome is this years’ CUMTS musical heading to fringe.

Tickets: £11 (£8 concession)

DIRTY LAUNDRY: Spin Off

Just the Tonic, The Cask Room @ The Mash House, 3rd-13th August 21:05

*DIRTY LAUNDRY: Spin Off *is the sequel to our sell out show at Fringe last year. It’s a mixed load of observational sketches, whacky songs and absurd characters, (very) loosely based on the reunion of three best friends and housemates. An all-female and non-binary cast and crew, it’s not one to miss!

Tickets: £9.50 (concession £6.50)

Andy Bucks and Low Effort Sketches: Combined Effort

The Attic at the Mash House, 3-9 Aug, 12pm

Andy Bucks is an ex-Cambridge funny with a silly and slightly nerdy brand of comedy. He was a finalist in both the Chortle Student Comedy Award 2021 and the Max Turner Prize 2020.

Low Effort Sketches is a sketch duo consisting of Alice Wickersham and Andy Bucks. They do smart (but also kinda stupid) sketches in a fairly low energy style. They won Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off 2022, and were Circuit Breakers at this year's Leicester Comedy Festival. “Unfollowable. Hilarious” - Chortle

Tickets: £5, 2 for 1 on 1 & 8 Aug

52 Monologues for Young Transexuals

Pleasance Courtyard, 2-28 Aug, 15:20

Written & performed by Charli Cowgill & Laurie Ward, directed by Ilona Sell, produced by Bronagh Leneghan

52 Monologues for Young Transsexuals is a raucous, irreverent and campy hour of verbatim and cabaret theatre that delves into the unspoken realities of being a trans woman. With outrageous lip syncing, hilarious comedy routines, heart wrenching confessions and lots of baby oil, Nothing More to Say’s debut show promises to shock, move and delight audiences in equal measure.

Tickets: £14 (£12 concession)

Jingle Street

Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose, Other Yin, 2-13, 15-20, 22-27 Aug, 16:15

Written by Joe Venable, composed by Georgia Rawlins, directed by Mimi Pattinson, choreographed & assistant directed by Alix Addinall

*Jingle Street *follows a jaded ad executive who wakes up to find he can only speak in jingles. Desperate to lift the curse, he meets a green campaigner whose sincerity seems to be the antidote - the only problem being that she finds him a repugnant sell-out.

Tickets: £11 (£10 concession), 2 for 1 on 7 & 8 Aug

Will B-F: The Last Gun

Underbelly, Bristo Square, Dexter, 2-13, 15-28 Aug, 14:45

Written by Will B-F, directed by Patrick Wilson, produced by Matthew Murphy

In the far off distant future year of 2025, all the weapons of the world have been melted down into a giant ball and rolled into the sea. World Peace has been achieved, but legends tell of one final firearm… The Last Gun.

Join ex-footlight, Musical Comedy Awards and double Sketch Off Finalist Will BF for the world’s first live comedy documentary about a definitely very very real movie.

Sketches, songs, stunts, socks - do any of these belong in a film? Maybe…Do they belong in a whirlwind narrative sketch show? You tell me, pardner…

Tickets: £11 (£10 concession), 2 for 1 on 7 & 8 Aug

Attachment: The Leech Show

Greenside @ Infirmary Street (Ivy Studio), 14-19 Aug, 17:15

Written by James Allen, produced by Kitsch Theatre

Follow three actors and a terrible technician as they hopelessly attempt to impress the bloodsucking parasite and world-famous theatre critic Bob the Leech in this completely bonkers piece of comedy theatre.

Tickets: £10 (£7 concession)

Moderation

Mint Studio, Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 14–12 Aug, 18:30

Written by Rebekah King, directed by Ben Fleming and Ben Newman, produced by Lily-liver Productions

Drawing on real accounts, Moderation follows two former social-media moderators on a mission to sue the company that exposed them to the darkest corners of the web. Described by Varsity as “a stroke of genius” and “one of the most thought-provoking productions I have seen,” Moderation uncovers the profound price we pay for a safer online existence.

Tickets: £12.50 (£11.50 concession)

The Impresario

theSpace @ Venue 45, 21-26 Aug, 13:50

Directed by Tiffany Charnley, music directed by Richard Decker, produced by Anna Smith

It’s 1930 - silent movies are out and talkies are in! The once-successful silent film director turned theatre impresario, Mr Scruples, has been given the gruelling task of bringing opera to the masses through the silver screen! But, an already difficult task is made frustratingly impossible by two warring diva sopranos who both insist on top billing…

Will they find a solution to make everyone happy? Will Mr Angel ever recover? Will Mr Scruples finally get to retire to the country? And will Mr Bluff ever be allowed to sing professionally again?...

Tickets: £10 (£8 concession)

Cox and Box

theSpace @ Venue 45, 21-26 Aug, 11:10

Directed by Tiffany Charnley, music directed by Richard Decker, produced by Anna Smith

An unscrupulous landlord lets the same flat to two different men: Cox who is out at work all day, and Box who is out at work all night. When Cox is unexpectedly given the day off and the two men discover each other, the landlord’s scheme falls apart. But when the lodgers realise that they have something in common, will they forget their quarrel...

Tickets: £10 (£8 concession)

Pirates: You Wouldn't Steal a Boat

The Space @ Surgeon's Hall, 19, 12:05, 21-16 Aug, 14:55

Written by Kit Livsey and Matt Davies, directed by Kit Livsey, produced by Jyothi Cross

The High Seas. 1705.

Our hero, the overconfident aspiring-captain Sharkbait Mulligan and his overqualified intern Louis are fired unceremoniously by the ruthless Captain Codpiece and marooned on a mysterious island paradise. Undeterred, Sharkbait and Louie accidentally commandeer a trade ship and decide to start their own crew – and to reach the fabled treasure (located on...a mysterious island paradise) before their former captain...

This play is the first production by comedy troupe Spruce Moose Comedy, a group of ex-Cambridge Footlights regulars with a high-energy, low-brow style. The story draws inspiration from the three tent poles of pirate lore: Treasure Island; Pirates of The Caribbean; and Assassin’s Creed 4. It is, however, emphatically foolish, with no moral, no morals, and no deep message other than that pirates are really, really funny.

'Unhinged, absurd, and outrageously funny' ★★★★ The Reviews Hub

Tickets: £10 (£8 concession)

Best of luck to all these shows!

Stay tuned for Edinburgh Fringe reviews. If you would like to review for us, please contact cambridgecreativesclub@gmail.com