Soho Theatre announce a full Edinburgh Fringe programme of 16 comedy and theatre (and some somewhere in between) shows across seven venues from artists around the world.
LORENZO is a new show from critically acclaimed performance artist and multi-award-winning comedian Ben Target. In 2020 Ben became the live-in carer for an irascible octogenarian prankster, Lorenzo, who lived in London for over forty years as an extended part of Ben Target’s family. This life-affirming story about death features shadow puppetry, audience games, and live carpentry. Directed by Soho Theatre’s Associate Director Adam Brace (Haley McGee’s ‘Age is a Feeling’, Liz Kingsman’s ‘One Woman Show’, Leo Reich: ‘Literally Who Cares?!’)
Following runs in London and on Audible, acclaimed actor and writer Sudha Bhuchar presents Evening Conversations, a warm-hearted, humorous and truthful storytelling show inspired by banter with her dual heritage (Hindu/Indian and Muslim/Pakistani), millennial sons who have grown up in leafy Wimbledon. Sudha invites her boys to ‘crack open a cold one’ and share their views on life. Will her fiercely British, mono-lingual sons see their background as a place of strength or an unwelcome inheritance?
Acclaimed performers and long-time collaborators Frankie Thompson and Liv Ello join forces for Body Show, exploring the meeting of dystopia, dysmorphia, and dysphoria in an eclectic and electric piece of unspoken-word. Thompson’s cat-tastic 2022 Fringe show ‘CAttS’ was listed as one of the Top Five Comedy Shows by the Guardian and Top Fringe Shows by The Stage, while anarchist clown and theatre-maker Liv Ello, director of ‘CAttS’, won praise for their 2022 solo show, ‘SWARM’ – ‘a scathing appraisal of Britain’s political parasites’ (The Guardian).
Lucy McCormick, known for her cross-genre interventions and extravaganza theatre shows, is back with her most ambitious medium-concept catastrophic show yet, Lucy & Friends. In this show, Lucy unveils her ensemble cabaret tent spectacular… Unfortunately, she has no friends, no money, and no tent. Still, there’ll be pole dancing, variety acts, strip routines, and some quick reworking of social policy. In a despairing world, lonely Lucy creates community, connection, and conversation the only way she knows how. Directed by Duckie associate artist and La Clique regular, Ursula Martinez (who is probably best known for pulling hankies out of her vagina).
The double Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Spencer Jones returns with a brand-new show about moving to a new area, people he has met and losing his mind. In Making Friends there will be aggressive chickens (not real ones, he’s not that weird), Devon based looped songs (whatever that is), cheap latex masks and a fair bit of Spencer talking. Jones can currently be seen in the smash hit Apple series, ‘Ted Lasso’, and is also known from playing the title role in the BBC’s ‘Mister Winner’ and a regular role in ‘Upstart Crow’, also for the BBC. On top of this, Spencer created, wrote and starred in the BAFTA-nominated BBC Two series – ‘The Mind of Herbert Clunkerdunk’. He is also the co-creator, writer and director of ‘Deep Fake Neighbour Wars’, currently on ITVX.
Following 2022’s sell-out Edinburgh run, cult comedy icon Patti Harrison returns with an hour of comedy that refuses to be categorized: My Huge Tits Huge Because They Are Infected NOT FAKE! One of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch 2019, Harrison – comedian, writer and star of numerous TV hits including the Hulu comedy drama, ‘Shrill’, ‘I Think You Should Leave’ with Tim Robinson and the raunchy Netflix coming of age animation ‘Big Mouth’ – is one of a generation of young American comedians taking the UK by storm.
Megan Stalter, star of whip-smart TV comedy show ‘Hacks’, makes her Edinburgh debut with An Evening of Mayhem with Megan Stalter, a surreal alt-comedy experience with an egocentric performer singing a few ridiculous songs, bantering with the crowd and telling stories about herself. Prepare to feast on a musical talent that is undeniable, audience work so magnetic, and jokes so well written it’ll leave you in awe for the rest of the year. This show is full of surprises, a roller coaster of controlled chaos. Megan has been called “an oasis of invigorating silliness in feeds dominated by wearying tragedy” by the New York Times and “a soothing comedy balm for a scathing grease fire of a year” by Harper’s Bazaar. Megan’s latest film, the comedy-drama ‘Cora Bora’, premiered at SXSW earlier this year.
Mumbai based Urooj Ashfaq, a rising star in the Indian comedy scene, is making waves with her fresh brand of humour. The talented comedian first gained recognition as a finalist on the hit TLC show, ‘Queens of Comedy’. Since then, she has continued to captivate audiences with her witty observations on family, pet peeves, and personal passions. In her latest show, Oh No! Urooj delights audiences with her signature style and distinctive voice. Drawing on her background in psychology and her own experiences, she fearlessly explores a range of topics with honesty and humour.
India’s stand-up star Sapan Verma makes his Edinburgh debut with Shame On Me. A veteran of shows across the globe, Sapan’s killer observations and hilarious storytelling have seen him open for Coldplay and Jay-Z at India’s Global Citizen Festival, headline the first ever Indian comedy showcase at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and train celebrities to perform comedy on two sensational seasons of his show ‘One Mic Stand’ (Amazon Prime).
Stars of India’s favourite improv crowd work double act, Abishek Kumar and Nirmal Pillai of The Reel to Real – Crowd Work Tour make their Ed Fringe debut with their fun and interactive show. Having made a name for themselves in the realms of reels, reality shows, feature films, and web series, the duo has garnered some impressive accolades, including being listed on Instagram’s official roster of 25 Under 25 Influencers for 2021 and ranking #5 on Forbes’ 100 Digital Stars for 2022.
Suhani Shah, the world’s first and most famous female mind reader, is bringing her hit show Spellbound to Edinburgh. The pioneering superstar of South Asian descent was once a child prodigy, and is now a social media sensation, the highest subscribed mentalist globally. Shah will share her incredible life story from kickstarting her career as an illusionist at the age of seven to performing across the globe. Ed Fringe Premiere
Biswa Kalyan Rath, one of the most established comedians in India, brings his trademark observational comedy to the Edinburgh Fringe for the very first time. Biswa’s unique perspective and angry rant-style delivery turns every topic he touches into comedic gold. As seen on the hugely popular YouTube series, ‘Pretentious Movie Reviews’ alongside Kanan Gill. Biswa’s Amazon special ‘Mood Kharaab’ was filmed at Soho Theatre last year.
The Amazing Banana Brothers follows two daredevil brothers attempting the impossible-slip on 1,000 banana peels. Through a surreal exploration of loss, failure, masculinity and death-defying pratfalls, the show challenges the limits of the human body and spirit, one banana peel at a time. The show marks the highly anticipated Edinburgh debut of horseplay artist / teehee-professional, Bill O’Neill, who has been wowing audiences on the Los Angeles comedy scene since 2013. Directed by multi-talented comedic performer and Edinburgh favourite, Natalie Palamides, winner of the 2017 Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer award for ‘Laid’ and the 2018 Total Theatre Award for Innovation for her one-person show, and Netflix hit ‘Nate’.
Following acclaimed sell-out runs at Soho Theatre, Kiell Smith-Bynoe (‘Ghosts’, ‘Taskmaster’, ‘Stath Lets Flats’) and Ed MacArthur (‘Bad Education’, ‘Dreamland’, ‘The Now Show’), star in the Edinburgh debut of String V SPITTA, a musical comedy about two rival children’s entertainers from opposite sides of the tracks, who will do anything to be number one. There’s Sylvester ‘Silly’ String, a charming classical virtuoso and topdog in the lucrative West London kids’ parties market, versus SPITTA, a Grime-obsessed maverick from East London who’s shaken up the scene and quickly become the talk of the Kensington playgrounds. Think Amadeus meets Flight of the Conchords, with musical numbers directed by Dizzee Rascal.
Acclaimed Manchester playwright Miriam Battye’s new piece Strategic Love Play comes to the Paines Plough’s Roundabout at Summerhall this Fringe. This thought-provoking production takes a scalpel to modern romance, interrogating what we really talk about when we talk about love with acid wit and unrelenting frankness. Miriam Battye’s impressive resume includes recent productions such as ‘little scratch’ at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, directed by Katie Mitchell, and ’Scenes with girls’ at the Royal Court. She also served as a story editor for Season 4 of the hit TV series ’Succession’.
Self-Raising is a true-life story about growing up Deaf in a family with a secret. Award-winning Artistic Director of disabled-led Theatre Company, Graeae, Jenny Sealey has spent a lifetime championing stories by Deaf and disabled artists. In Self-Raising, presented by Graeae in association with Soho Theatre and Theatr Iolo she takes to the stage to tell her own… Blisteringly honest, always reflective, and often laugh-out-loud funny, this one-woman show promises to break your heart and put it back together again.
