Edinburgh Fringe is back! And if you’re anything like us you’ll be looking forward to filling your August days (and nights) with the best new theatre, comedy, variety, dance and musicals that the biggest arts festival in the world has to offer. But with over 3000 shows on sale, it can be a daunting task knowing where to get started. But don’t worry, here at Theatre Weekly we’ve pulled together our Pick of The Fringe List, twenty shows to see at Edinburgh Fringe 2022.
Maybe you’re in the mood for some new theatre, like Spies Like Us Theatre’s Speed Dial, or RuniSical a brand new musical from Gigglemug Theatre, who got rave reviews with their last Fringe outing.
If it’s comedy you’re after, maybe Max Fosh: Zocial Butterfly is the show for you, or if it’s physical theatre and circus you’re after, you’re bound to be thrilled by The Black Blues Brothers.
Whether you’re in Edinburgh for a couple of days or the whole month, our twenty shows to see at Edinburgh 2022, is the list of shows you won’t want to miss.
Blanket Ban
Winner of Underbelly, New Diorama and Methuen Drama’s hit-making Untapped Award, 2022. ‘Sometimes I’m afraid of this play.’ Malta: Catholic kitsch, golden sun, deep blue sea, Eurovision – and a blanket ban on abortion. Propelled by three years of interviews with anonymous contributors and their own lived experience, actors and activists Marta and Davinia interrogate Malta’s restrictions on the freedom of women. What does it mean for your home to boast the world’s most progressive LGBTQIA rights, leading transgender laws – and a population that is almost unanimously anti-choice? A rallying cry from award-winning Chalk Line Theatre.
Candy
Do you believe in love at first sight? Will has fallen hopelessly in love with the seductive singer, Candy. The only problem: she’s his best mate in drag. As Will struggles to make sense of his newfound feelings, his life crumbles at the fringes. Should he seize life by his bollocks and tell Candy how he feels? Can he ever be with her? And what does loving her really mean? The sell-out London comedy-drama returns to the Fringe after a special online performance last year.
Max Fosh: Zocial Butterfly
They said he couldn’t make it as a global fashion icon; they were wrong. They said he couldn’t legally become the world’s richest man; they were wrong. They said he couldn’t beat all the odds to become London’s first ever YouTuber mayor… to be fair, they got that one bang on. But now, armed with the rosiest of cheeks and the floppiest of hair, Max Fosh faces his next challenge – the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – as he brings you his hilarious and unpredictable debut live show: Zocial Butterfly.
The Black Blues Brothers
The show that thrilled the world is back! Joining the energy of Africa with a rhythm and blues sound, five extraordinary acrobats perform their comedy tribute to the cult movie The Blues Brothers. In an elegant nightclub reminiscent of the Cotton Club, the surroundings become props for acrobatic feats. Expect breathtaking jumps, fire, somersault routines, human pyramids and so much more. A show acclaimed by more than 300,000 people across the world, including Pope Francis and Prince Albert. After an astonishing appearance at the Royal Variety Performance, they return to Edinburgh… on a mission to entertain!
Colossal
Following his sold-out, five-star debut show, The Man, Patrick McPherson returns to Edinburgh with Colossal: a one-man comedy play that dives into love stories, morality, and the dance between the two. Colossal weaves sketch comedy, gig theatre and spoken word to tell the comedic and candid story of a man called Dan, his affinity for owls, and his messy recent past. An hour of dynamic theatre, comedy and music, that embraces the spectrum of modern romance, from the first date to the last text, from falling headfirst to falling apart.
The Girl Who Was Very Good at Lying
Catriona has a history of making stuff up. But she’s getting better. When an attractive American tourist arrives, she decides to show him around her Northern Irish town. And she might blur the line between fact and fiction, just a little… Soon she’s telling him about cannibal peasants, human roosters, and the largest orgy ever held on consecrated ground. A multi award-nominated show starring Rachael Rooney, about the stories we tell to escape.
how to live a jellicle life
A show that provides a jellicle discussion about the jellicle aspects of the jellicle cats in CATS and how you can apply them to your life in order to make it truly jellicle. No previous knowledge about CATS required.
Charlie Russell Aims to Please
Charlie Russell wants to do a show in Edinburgh, but all she can think about is what she wants people to think of it and, ultimately, of her. So rather than focusing on what she wants to say, she’s just going to create a show that will please absolutely everyone by trying to hit as many solo Fringe show tropes and styles as possible within an hour. That’s doable, right? Because she can’t just be herself… can she? Funny, entertaining with a big beating heart that just wants to be loved.
RuneSical
Sword equipped. Potions ready. High-speed internet connected. Based on the online game RuneScape, join Lance_054 (the first 53 were taken) on a quest where the audience choose what happens next! Whether you’re an experienced player or a total noob, the Stage Award-winning Gigglemug Theatre (Timpson: The Musical) present an interactive parody musical which will have the whole family laughing from start to finish.
BOGEYMAN
‘Our modern life was built on the backs of the oppressed – if they were to demand repayment, would you be afraid?’ In 1791, a voodoo ceremony begins the Haitian Revolution to end enslavement on the island. In the present, a man is haunted by ghosts in his city. From the creators of the highly acclaimed Splintered (***** (Guardian)) BOGEYMAN is a ghost story that playfully combines music, movement and history in the ultimate underdog story of resistance against the oppressor. Powerful, moving and ultimately uplifting, BOGEYMAN is a thrilling, genre-defying tale of hope, rebellion and connection.
Fanboy
Joe has always been a nerd. In his teens, he hid it. In his 20s, he owned it. Now, in his 30s, he’s started to sense something: a great disturbance in the fandom… And when Joe finds himself alone, sorting through his old things, he finds an old video tape… and something incredible starts to happen! Fringe First winner Joe Sellman-Leava explores our relationship with our past and future selves, in this love-hate letter to pop culture and nostalgia. Expect epic storytelling, razor-sharp impressions and a dose of theatrical magic!
Speed Dial
Amongst the spires, spikes and sideburns of a 1970s university, a lonely Professor awaits a call. When he’s chased by the ringing of every passing phone, an ominous voice sets a series of mysterious puzzles that stand between him and his missing daughter. Dodgy deans, grumbling groundskeepers and swotty students are suspects as the Professor capers across campus to uncover whodunnit and why. Set to the sounds of 70s vinyl, multi-award winners Spies Like Us bring their explosively physical comedy-thriller about connection, forgiveness… and cryptic crosswords.
Steve and Tobias Versus Death
Tobias hates mash and Steve hates Tobias, but when they discover their mom to be patient zero in a world of flesh-eating zombies, the torn apart brothers get pieced back together, only to be torn apart all over again. Underpinned by a deep sense of tragedy and fuelled by meticulously choreographed fights, improvised comedy and a dystopian backdrop collide to tell the nightmare story of an absentee father, a bed-ridden mother, and an apocalypse bursting through the door.
Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen
A permanently single, professionally neurotic stand-up finally meets Mr Right and then does everything wrong. But is Mr Right quite what he seems? And how far will the comedian go to get a laugh? A dark new comedy about vulnerability, intimacy, ego and truth from the Olivier Award-winning producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer. Starring Tony and Olivier-nominated actor Samuel Barnett. Written by Marcelo Dos Santos (Lionboy, Complicite) and directed by Matthew Xia (Blue/Orange, Young Vic).
Love Them To Death
A mother keeps pulling her ill son out of school. But is everything as it seems? School Attendance Officer Kelly isn’t so sure. A piece about who is telling the truth, how we come to that decision, and whether the truth even exists most of the time. A dark and twisty tale set in the borderlands between love and violence – inspired by real events. Written by Max Dickins (The Man on the Moor, Kin, The Trunk) and directed by five-time Fringe First winner Hannah Eidinow.
The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much
Wes Anderson meets Hitchcock meets spaghetti western in this multi award-winning, intercontinental, inter-genre, cinematic caper of accusations, accidents and accents. Roger, a Frenchman in 1960’s New York, has followed the same routine for years, until a minor delay saves him from an explosion. Throwing his ordered world into chaos, Roger chases his would-be assassins around the globe. Raucously funny and endlessly inventive, this Lecoq-trained company delights and stuns with live original music and virtuosic acrobatics in this fast-paced, Offies-nominated whodunnit.
Luke Kempner: Macho Macho Man
Star of Spitting Image (Britbox), Steph’s Packed Lunch (Channel 4) and with over 10 million views online, comedian Luke Kempner has found out he is to become a father, but can he be the macho macho man he believes he needs to be? With a razor-sharp roster of contemporary impressions from Piers Morgan and Bojo to Ted Hastings and Paul Hollywood, Luke is bringing his highly anticipated show to Edinburgh.
Making A Murderer: The Musical
A darkly comic, deeply engaging and emotive musical inspired by the case of Steven Avery. Created by and starring BAFTA award-winning Phil Mealey (The Royle Family, Early Doors) this captivating comedy-drama takes you on an eye-opening journey into the story of a man and his family’s fight for freedom that has enthralled people all over the world and helped shine a light on the injustices and failings of a broken system. The shows passion and conviction has captured the hearts of all its supporters. Proud supporters of The Innocence Project.
Autopilot
Rowan is a geospatial engineer earning good money, and Nic is a freelance illustrator who is… not. They meet on a commission for TFL and hit it off. Mostly. But when Rowan takes a job in autonomous vehicle design, Nic’s lefty principles and outspoken technophobia must take a back seat, and the tensions in their relationship begin to pick up speed. Gripping new play about class, power and self-driving cars from Olivier-nominated writer Ben Norris, Autopilot is a deeply modern love story that asks – in the event of a head-on collision – who are we programmed to save?
KIN
The UK’s hottest circus company, Barely Methodical Troupe brings you their five-star hit about group dynamics and camaraderie. Their physical prowess is deftly deployed, as tumbling, flying and catching become challenges and opportunities for individual bids for recognition. KIN was an instant hit with audiences and critics, playing sell-out shows at the Roundhouse and London International Mime Festival 2022. BMT is at the forefront of a new kind of physical performance, creating highly entertaining shows that mix the show-stopping acrobatics of circus with the emotional punch of theatre.
