Edinburgh Fringe Reviews 2026 – Long Way Home, Buggers, The Librarians: A Very Serious Comedy!, An A to Z Guide to Dating, Evaldas Karosas: A Very Capable Man, and 44 Minutes

Posted on August 9, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Long Way Home, Gilded Balloon Patter House.

From the first sentence you’re completely hooked by Layla Warren’s true, inspiring tale of survival, from an early childhood in war-torn Tehran to fleeing to London, a family upheaval to Virginia, back to London and then to Los Angeles. Long Way Home is a story of resourcefulness against the odds, the need for constant flexibility and always reaching for the stars, whilst never losing sight of the pull of home and family. Layla is a riveting storyteller, with a perfectly paced and constructed narrative that leaves you hanging on her every word. She has an extraordinary ability to draw you into her confidence and her insights, so that within minutes the whole audience is on her side – we are all “Team Layla”. And although it is a story of survival, there’s an overriding acceptance that safety is never guaranteed and that everyone is only one hostile government’s step away from disaster. Governments never learn from their mistakes, but we must all carry on as best we can. A must-see.

Buggers, Pleasance Courtyard.

Alistair Hall’s engrossing and authoritative play, written with the consent of the Estate of painter Francis Bacon and after being given access to the Estate’s archives, concerns the relationship between the educated and wealthy Bacon and the charismatic petty criminal George Dyer, the “bit of rough” who became his artistic muse, through their intense, physical and toxic sexual partnership. Imaginative staging conveys both their alcohol-fuelled existence and their artistic creative process, whilst exposing the sadomasochism of their relationship. Rivetingly directed, the production boasts two heartfelt and honest performances by Alistair Hall as Bacon and Peter Clements as Dyer. If you don’t know the works of Bacon, this will make you want to discover them. A brave, thought-provoking and challenging production.

The Librarians: A Very Serious Comedy!, Pleasance Courtyard.

Cabbage Productions present a cunningly woven farce set in a failing rural library where the structure is crumbling and no one knows where the safe is. The previous Head Librarian has shuffled off this mortal coil leaving a power struggle in his wake – who will take over as the next Head Librarian and will they be able to keep this creaking old place going? And is there more behind the series of recent library closures… and who really is the Library Inspector? Well structured and with some extremely funny lines, the cast perform at a cracking pace and make the most of the comic opportunities. Not every joke lands, and occasionally it gets a little exasperating, but overall this is an entertaining show that just about stays on the right side of ludicrousness. Don’t run up any fines and definitely don’t have the Garibaldis!

An A to Z Guide to Dating, Underbelly George Square.

Grace is running late to start her new Fringe show, but fortunately her mother is here to watch it too. When Grace becomes a no-show, her mother decides to take over proceedings and present a potted, musical version of her own book An A – Z Guide to Dating. Sounds like a fun concept for a show, and Grace O’Keefe (it was her all the time, who knew!) is a likeable and confident presence on stage, but, sadly, the material just isn’t there. The songs are rather repetitive and she relies heavily on audience participation (in our show, the excellent Ruby and Tim) who actually provided most of the entertainment. Neither of us could understand what the show was trying to achieve and I’m afraid, despite Ms O’Keefe’s obvious talent and effort, this failed to hit the spot.

Evaldas Karosas: A Very Capable Man, Monkey Barrel at the Cabaret Voltaire.

37,000 people follow Evaldas Karosas on Instagram, so how come I hadn’t heard of him? I’m so glad that’s been rectified with his new show, A Very Capable Man, which is jam-packed full of original and devastatingly funny material, all delivered with a sprinkle of Lithuanian attitude and a brilliant feel for the comic cadences of the English language. Among his comedy nuggets he shared were the reasons men keep their emotions in, why they don’t have Pride marches in Lithuania, and why he fears men who have gone through a relationship break-up. He has a terrific stage presence, great connection with the audience and I didn’t want his hour to stop. A brilliant find – and he really ought to be huge in the comedy world. Can’t recommend him too strongly!

44 Minutes, Assembly Rooms.

Four men are thrown into a cage. They are all strangers, they don’t know why they are there. One of them can’t remember anything but screams in pain and anguish. Then comes an unseen voice: they have 44 minutes to decide which of the four men will die so that the others will live. But 17-year-old Lev Steinberg’s intriguing psychological thriller is not like the old-fashioned Balloon Parlour Game, where you have to choose which of the players will be thrown from the hot air balloon so that the others will survive. There are far more sinister plans afoot here and, unlike many other psychological thrillers, the explanation for it all is made crystal clear at the end. I’m not entirely sure the Sisyphus-like denouement entirely holds water, but tense, taut writing and four excellent performances from John Billinsgley, Dorian Missick, Christopher Ryan and Matthew Petrick make this a very watchable drama.

Edinburgh Fringe Reviews 2026 – Baby Everything, Jitters, A Cat in a Box, Copycat, We Had Fun, The Joker and the Thief, and Table for Two

Posted on August 8, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Baby Everything, Summerhall.

Meet Baby. It’s her day off and she’s not going to waste it. Coffee with a friend, a visit to the art museum and an inspirational talk to attend. She has everything – including hypochondria, but best not think about that. That’s the framework for Lee Minora’s simply brilliant Baby Everything, a show that has so much to say about the state of the world (and especially the USA) that you wonder how she can cram it all into one hour without frustratingly just scraping the surface of each issue – but she achieves it, because of the show’s incredible structure, her comic inventiveness and an extraordinary performance that just knocks your socks off. I’ve rarely laughed so hard at 10:10am and the show’s truly positive and optimistic message means you come away from the show truly grateful for everything you have. Lee Minora is a powerhouse of fun, a tremendous communicator and surely a star in the making; and Baby Everything is one of the most accomplished shows I’ve ever seen at the Fringe – the perfect reason to set your Fringe alarm off early!

Jitters, Summerhall.

Everyone’s nervous on their wedding day, but maybe Charlotte has a bigger reason than most people. After all, she has Elle to contend with, her husband-to-be’s daughter; will she give them her blessing? Ellen Robertson’s Jitters pits two very different people with very different backgrounds against each other – will they find a common ground, or will they both have something to hide as the questions become trickier to answer? Beautifully, wittily written with a terrific feel for the comic awkwardness of conversation, and with two superb performances from Charly Clive as Charlotte, hilariously insensitive and delightfully shallow, and Ellen Robertson as Elle, struggling to come to terms with her preconceptions and jealousies. Simply directed by Emily Burns, letting the words and performances do all the magic. Very funny, very thoughtful – all in all, a stunning piece of work.

A Cat in a Box, TheSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall.
Tom Nemec tells his own story of his childhood and young adult years, from the olive drab house he always hated, to his older siblings with whom he had little in common, his mother whose only disciplinary tool was to hit you (with or without implements) and his drunkard father. Tom saw his life as though he were a cat in a box, tightly confined, prevented from running free and unable to find his own identity. Forty years after his father’s death, he’s finally ready to face his demons publicly and let it all out. Many Edinburgh Fringe shows consist of someone telling their own private story, and sometimes they can be a little on the dull side as the narrator falsely believes their story is more interesting than it is. But this is not the case with Tom Nemec, who speaks with such passion and conviction that you could almost be there every step of the way. An emotional, relatable, powerful tale beautifully told. Recommended!

Copycat, Pleasance Dome.

Joe Sellman-Leava was always a bit of an impressionist at school, doing his best to nail the voices and mannerisms of the teachers. Today he is a writer and creator, but he’s never forgotten the advice of Mr Swift – always remember to make eye contact: you can say a lot with your eyes without ever having to use your voice. Joe extends his observations to take in the growing developments in technology, specifically the rise of AI – should we be worried about it? We’ll all have our own opinions about that, and Joe can see his work opportunities being gobbled up by those greedy machines, giving us many alarming nuggets to take to heart and advice for fighting back against the dreaded AI. His trademark style with which he presented the excellent It’s The Economy Stupid continues here in Copycat, with this informal piece, which is part theatre, part lecture, part warning. A very engaging, fluid delivery, this is a very intense show with a whole lot of information coming at you, only some of which will stick. No matter what you take out of this show, you’ll come out of it feeling a whole lot more uneasy about AI.

We Had Fun, Summerhall.

Consent is such an important issue and any addition to the debate is always welcome. We Had Fun takes the on-off dating of Ela and Oscar and focuses on one significant evening when Ela needed an alcohol-fuelled escape from the bad news of being made redundant. But at the end of the evening, things went further between Oscar and Ela than she had intended – but had she given consent to Oscar’s actions, did he misinterpret them, or did he totally ignore her wishes just to satisfy himself? It’s a thought-provoking play; it’s gratifying that you get to see what actually happened between the two and can compare it with what both of them said had happened. It also very effectively shows how consent, which ought to be a very straightforward issue (no, after all, means no) is actually more complicated than one might think. Unfortunately it’s quite a messy production that gets sidetracked with a lot of unnecessary action as well as two largely unnecessary characters. It also feels about fifteen minutes too long. That said, the main performances by actors and writers Emmeline Hartley and Jack Mullings are very good and you’ll be discussing it for hours afterwards.

The Joker and the Thief, TheSpace Triplex.

Dylan and Will Theatre return to the Fringe after their remarkable Cody and Beau last year with The Joker and the Thief, the story of Sid and Larry, a comedy double-act who split up, one (Larry) to go on to superstar success, one (Sid) to end up playing a 20-seat cellar at the Fringe. It examines enduring friendship, despite intervening years of resentment and misunderstanding, and asks questions of trust, the nature of comedy and the definition of success. This year Dylan and Will are joined by Rufus Goodman as Larry’s wisecracking agent Howard, who seizes every opportunity in a nicely sleazy, villainous role. Will Grice’s Sid is a very believable characterisation of an old-school comic, showbizzily smarmy whilst deep down being pretty sad and desperate, and Dylan Kaeuper gives a smart turn as namedropping Larry, luxuriating in the fripperies of wealth. Unlike Cody and Beau, which was a play of delicate subtlety, this is more of a thigh-slapping rip-roarer of a show, as befits its larger-than-life characters. Watch out for an excellent comic three-way fight scene on a tiny carpet, choreographed and executed beautifully! Great fun, smartly written and with a satisfying conclusion.

Table for Two, TheSpace @ Surgeons’Hall.

One lucky member of the audience is going on a date with magician Jack Kenyon – could it be you? Some magic shows are packed with showbiz pizzazz, but others, like Table for Two, are a much more refined, gentler affair, where Jack tries to iron out where he’s going wrong with relationships by practising a few tricks with his new date for the evening. The date is chosen at random – it could be any member of the audience! A sequence of baffling card tricks and other games had me scratching my head in wonderment as to how Jack does it, and if you like your magic with a quieter, subtler edge, this show is for you!

Edinburgh Fringe Reviews 2026 – An Audience with Virginia Woolf: Writing One’s Mind, The Longer My Mother is Dead the More I Like Her, The Problem, Gareth Waugh: Is Pepsi OK?, Two Halves and SpinQueen

Posted on August 7, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

An Audience with Virginia Woolf: Writing One’s Mind, Assembly Rooms.

You too can have A Room of One’s Own – one where you decide the rules and what goes on there. That’s at least part of the message of Lucy Stevens’ intricate and engrossing play, an intelligent digest of Virginia Woolf’s work and life. Undoubtedly one of the great voices of 20th-century literature, Woolf has fascinated readers and academics over decades and Lucy Stevens gives a quietly authoritative performance as Virginia herself, constantly popping in and out of books as a kind of comfort blanket, reflecting on what motivated her and taking us through the most significant stages and mind-opening awakenings of her life. We learn about how she was sexually assaulted as a child, the achievement of “killing the Angel”, and how the move to Bloomsbury contributed to Woolf’s constant search for truth and identity. As a student, I desperately wanted to like Virginia Woolf’s works, but I always found them annoyingly difficult to read. However, this play made me not only want to revisit her works but also to find out more about her. Ms Stevens easily makes you believe Virginia Woolf is in the room with us! An elegant and literary start to the day.

The Longer My Mother is Dead the More I Like Her, Greenside @ George Street.
There’s an art to mother-management; most of us learn it the hard way. Deborah Unger’s relationship with her mum veers from the tetchy to the impossible, an atmosphere created from her earliest memories when she realised Mom wasn’t the cookie-baking, warm-hugging type of mother but the kind who keeps secrets and deliberately files away information as ammunition for the future. But Debbie doesn’t get it all her own way in this show, as dead Mom also gets to butt in with some observations and home truths. Structurally, it’s a confessional narrative, with daughter Debbie setting the pace, but Ms Unger really comes to life when giving us some of her mum’s unwelcome interruptions. There are some entertaining characterisations of the people in Debbie and Mum’s lives, and the only prop is a sequence of changing photo cards, confirming the time and place of the story’s progress – not that they lend much to the proceedings. Although she likes her mum more now that she is dead – the clue is in the title – we never really see the transformation from irritated, put-upon daughter to loving, mentally at ease daughter. Nevertheless, it’s a smart, engaging hour from Deborah Unger, based on her own experience, and there will be something here that everyone will recognise from their own childhood.

The Problem, Assembly Rooms.

We’ve all been there. A perfect system works perfectly until somehow, unpredictably, a problem emerges. But how to solve it? Hopefully we’d all do better than Slater, Manning and Wilson, who display increasingly bizarre coping and solving strategies which descend into paranoia, chaos and general ludicrousness. Very slickly performed by Matthew Boston, Brian Dykstra and Patrick Frederic, who give their all in a three-way fencing tournament of wits where only the bravest gain attention and only the strongest survive. If you like an ensemble piece of wordplay, this may well be your cup of tea. It’s the kind of show that divides an audience; for me, the absurdity of it all stretched my credulity and, I’m afraid, patience beyond breaking point, but their commitment and skill are never in doubt.

Gareth Waugh: Is Pepsi OK? Monkey Barrel Comedy.

Fans of stand-up comedy are familiar with the concept of comedy as therapy, where a comic relates a tragic sequence of events to help them come to terms with what’s happened to them – frequently sacrificing laughs for the sake of their mental health. In Is Pepsi OK? Gareth Waugh has already come to terms with the hurt and damage caused by a very proficient conman, but there is still an element of healing therapy as he relates the extraordinary events of the summer of 2023. En route, there’s some great material about performing stand-up on cruise ships and at a darts tournament, but it’s the story of his work with Coca-Cola that dominates the hour. Gareth is a terrific storyteller and his tale is engrossing – indeed, frequently anguish-inducing – even if it isn’t always laugh-out-loud funny, and he works hard to spin it into the most positive experience he can. So many morals to this tale: I’d recommend checking the veracity of email addresses first.

Two Halves, TheSpace Triplex.

A thought-provoking two-hander where rising woman’s football star Sophie and fading Welsh rugby player Sean start a relationship following a chance meeting at an American sports awards ceremony. A series of intensely written and tightly performed scenes reveal pivotal moments in their relationship over the coming years, when both sides show the strain of facing scrutiny under the spotlight of social media and the physical demands of their chosen professions. The pressures of both being at very different stages of their careers, and even the importance of superstition rituals provide an additional level of tension. A combination of romcom, sports docudrama and psychological breaking points, it’s riveting to watch, and unusual and original subject matter for this very promising first play by Sam Rowlands and direction by Zoe Lerman, who also appear as Sean and Sophie. Recommended!

SpinQueen, Greenside @ George Street.

Feeling insecure, unfit, or generally worthless? No problem, leave it to Meg to put you through your paces in a 45-minute spin class, where good posture reveals emotional brittleness and measurable numbers count for everything. Our wannabe theatre kid trainer must have a golden existence with that toned body and her inexorable drive. But we’re only human and sometimes the miseries of real life perform mission creep on your daily workout… Megan Tomei gives an outstanding performance as the irrepressible but surprisingly fragile Meg for whom not even exercise is the answer to everything, Three-quarters hilarious and one-quarter absorbingly tragic, it’s simply staged with just a spin bike, a very clever stage make-up effect (I’ll say no more) and one of those hearty musical workout tracks. SpinQueen gives us a heartfelt and horrifying peek into the real life of someone truly on the edge.

The Real Chrisparkle meets Alex Hill (starring in The Jolly Fisherman at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026)

Posted on August 4, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

©Finlay Bourke

The Edinburgh Fringe is almost upon us for another year, and one of the most hotly anticipated shows for 2026 is The Jolly Fisherman, a new play by John Dinneen starring Alex Hill and Jonny Khan. It’s about two childhood best friends, Alan and Amir, and how their worlds try to pull them apart as they get older. Alex, of course, had huge personal success recently with Why I Stuck a Flare up my Arse for England. In between rehearsals, I was lucky to get a few minutes with Alex to ask him some questions about his new show – and life as an actor. Hope you enjoy our chat!

Real Chris Sparkle: Hi Alex, great to have the opportunity to ask you some questions! First, I must ask you about Why I Stuck a Flare… Three years ago, you brought Billy’s story to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time – could you ever have imagined it would become the success that it did?

Alex Hill

Alex Hill: Thank you Chris for the thoughtful questions! Yeah, those three years have flown by. That first Edinburgh was such a scary period of time for me. The show was on at half 10 at night (not a traditional theatre slot), it had a ridiculous title, and it was the first thing I’d ever done out of drama school. It was a bit of a lottery really, in many ways I had so much to lose but also, it was kind of a free hit. Thankfully people responded positively and I was lucky enough to keep getting asked to do it. But no, when I started that play, it was just about getting to the end of that initial Fringe! What came next was a bit of a dream really.

RCS: You’re playing Alan in The Jolly Fisherman – what was it about the role that attracted you? Are there similarities to Billy?

AH: I was ready for a year off the Fringe after doing it for three years. But then John Dinneen put this amazing script in front of me and I knew instantly that I wanted to do it. It has all the makings of a brilliant play and whilst it has similarities to the work I’ve done previously, it feels fresh and like a totally new challenge. Alan and Billy are similar in that they are both young men trying to put their best foot forward in an ever-changing world, but their journeys and personalities are totally different. I think it’s cool to see a character like Alan on stage, who feels completely realistic and like someone you’d definitely meet down the pub.

©Finlay Bourke

RCS: Theatre has the power to change the way people think. Is Alan going to change our thoughts and preconceptions – and can you sense it as an actor when an audience is confronted with uncomfortable truths?

AH: I mean, I hope so! The play is full of conflict and definitely challenges Alan and Amir’s world views. I’m hoping that by watching these two young men on stage trying to figure it all out, people will also be able to confront and challenge some of their own opinions and ideas.

RCS: Taking you back to your early days, was there a moment as a teenager, or as a child, when you knew you wanted to become an actor? And if you weren’t an actor, what would you like to be?

AH: I had an amazing drama teacher at school that made me believe it could be a possibility. Although, I don’t think I was brave enough to admit that I wanted to give it a go until I was forced to make a decision of what I wanted to do next. All my mates were finalising their UCAS applications and I sheepishly walked into her office and said I think I wanted to give drama school a go. There was never any pressure from her, but she laughed as if to say ‘you took your time!’ I’d missed the application windows so I took a year out and went for it the following year but I’m so glad I did.

RCS: You’re coming back to Edinburgh again for the Fringe – what are you looking forward to on your return to the city? Will you have time to see other shows, or do some exploring?

Jonny Khan, Layla Madanat (director) and Alex Hill
©Finlay Bourke

AH: Yeah definitely! Because we have an early slot at 12:45, it means we’ll have the rest of the day for exploring and seeing shows. As always, lots of amazing artists are up there. Just some of the shows I’m looking forward to seeing are ‘You and Me (and Whoever Come’s Next)’ at Summerhall, Philip Stokes’ new play ‘This is Not America’ at Pleasance and ‘An Ode to the Casting Director’ by Sophie Fisher at Gilded Balloon.

RCS: And after the Fringe, what’s next for Alex?

AH: Nothing in the diary at the moment… hopefully something though!

RCS: Thanks for giving me your time Alex and I wish you all the best for this year’s Fringe!

AH: Thanks Chris!

The Jolly Fisherman plays at the Buttercup venue at Edinburgh’s Underbelly George Square from 5^th to 31^st August (except 17^th) Some dates are already sold out so don’t hesitate to book via Underbelly or at the Edinburgh Fringe website here.

Review – The Comedy Crate and Northampton Comedy Festival present Phil Nichol and Paul Tonkinson, Work in Progress, Cheyne Walk Club, Northampton, 30th July 2026

Posted on July 31, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Time for the final Edinburgh Preview show this summer, before the Fringe gets underway next week. Once again, those nice people at the Comedy Crate have put together a double bill of top-quality comedians to hone their material before the Big Event.

Our first act, however, doesn’t have an Edinburgh show this year – instead, Paul Tonkinson promised us an hour of his best material, and he certainly delivered that. He has the aura of an old-school, rather traditional comedian, taking familiar, relatable subjects like wife, kids, sex, etc, but with a deceptively modern twist. We learned about skiing holidays hosted by the mysterious Pierre, how despite hailing from Yorkshire, living in north London means he is surrounded by posh kids, and how doggy style in their household has a somewhat different meaning. Very likeable, very confident, with an easy delivery, his set was an excellent start to the evening.

After the interval it was time for someone we’ve seen many times before, the always engaging and dynamic Phil Nichol. If you search his name in the Edinburgh Fringe site you’ll find he’s involved in no fewer than four Edinburgh shows this year, but his work in progress yesterday was for his new show, Aren’t We Lucky, which will play every day at the Gilded Balloon Teviot from 5^th to 30^th August except the 17^th. Aren’t We Lucky has a rather cosmic premise, which I won’t spoil for you, suffice to say that the odds that we are all together at the same time to enjoy the same performance are pretty low. Lou Reed and the Barenaked Ladies play a part – as do Phil’s very Christian parents – other very non-Christian parents are also available. En route, we discover the benefits of being 61, and the story of how his family managed to gain Canadian citizenship. He presents an eclectic jumble of comedy threads, all delivered in his trademark high-energy, lovable rascal style. He was the first to admit there’s still a little bit of work to do before Edinburgh, but – hey, he’s still got six days! And we were all overdosing on laughter anyway, so I’m sure this show will be a great success at the Fringe.

And that’s it for the comedy previews – next week, the serious business starts!

Review – The Comedy Crate and Northampton Comedy Festival present Finlay Christie and Larry Dean, Work in Progress, The Lamplighter, Northampton, 27th July 2026

Posted on July 28, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Unsurprisingly, the Lamplighter was sold out last night as those nice people at the Comedy Crate spoiled us with another opportunity to witness two young masters of the comedic art sharpening their knives on their material in preparation for their Edinburgh Fringe runs in August.

First up was Finlay Christie, making final adjustments for his Edinburgh show, Champagne Casanova, at the Monkey Barrel from 3^rd to 30^th August. The message of his new show is essentially to beware flattery, a lesson he seems to have learned the hard way. Mr C riffs off his private education background – wise to address that issue in the early stages – and then launches into a few hair-raising sequences, including the lengths you can go to participate in crime in New Orleans, and how to put the North into North Korea. He explains his gratitude for billionaires, and the appropriateness of being congratulated on the size of one’s manhood. Seemingly effortless on stage, he’s always super engaging and likeable, exuding a natural confidence which is constantly being challenged by a delightful hint of self-deprecation. The show is pretty much Fringe-ready, and I’m sure it will be a big hit.

After the interval, it was time for Larry Dean, honing his ideas in preparation for his Edinburgh show, Hellbent, at the Pleasance Courtyard from 5^th to 30^th August (8^th, 10^th and 11^th are already sold out). A marvellous comedy presence on stage, he gets great humour out of his intimidating appearance – those eyes could unsettle you for days – whilst actually being a kindly, people-pleasing soul who wouldn’t want you to go away with a bad impression of Scotland. The main thrust of this new show is his rather tortuous path to getting married – to Michael, cue one of Mr D’s amazingly funny accents, outrageous Black Country. En route, we discover why Stage 1 Autism is called Stage 1 Autism, how a haunted house can rescue you from a lawsuit, and what it was like to meet the King at the Royal Variety. Iranian relatives and an innocent question about a gay couple by an 8-year-old also play a part. Larry Dean enjoys himself tremendously on stage and his enthusiasm spreads to us all; you’ve never a moment’s doubt that you’re in the presence of a true master of comedy. He’s going to go down a storm at the Fringe!

One more Edinburgh preview show coming up on Thursday before the comedy world decamps to the Scottish capital!

Edinburgh Fringe Venue Analysis (just for fun!) – Which venue gets the most five stars?

Posted on February 6, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

With the first shows at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe being announced in less than a week’s time, I thought it would be a bit of fun to take a look back at my last four years of Fringegoing, and analyse which venues get the best star ratings. Obviously, this is (almost certainly) meaningless – but maybe it’s an indication of where you might place a lucky punt if you’ve got absolutely no idea which show to see.

Ignoring the couple of venues that we’ve only visited once over the past four years, I’ve grouped shows within their overall venue umbrella – so, for example, Underbelly includes Bristo Square, George Square, Cowgate and the Circus Ground on the Meadows, and The Space includes Surgeons’ Hall, Niddry Street, High Street, Symposium Hall and more.

To arrive at the results, I simply took the number of shows we had seen at each group of venues, then added up all the star ratings the shows there had received – and divided the one into the other.

Time to produce the results!

Multi-Arts Venues:

12^th – Greenside – 3.333

11^th – Paradise – 3.4

10^th – The Space – 3.406

9^th – Hill Street Theatre – 3.6

8^th – Gilded Balloon – 3.657

7^th – Bedlam Theatre – 3.667

6^th – C Arts Venues – 3.8

5^th – Pleasance – 3.878

4^th – Underbelly – 3.982

3^rd – Zoo Venues – 4.0

2^nd – Summerhall – 4.069

And the winner is:

1^st – Assembly – 4.106

Comedy Venues:

6^th – Just the Tonic – 3.182

5^th – Hoots – 3.222

4^th – Laughing Horse – 3.6

3^rd – PBH Free Festival – 3.833

2^nd – The Stand – 4.167

And the winner is:

1^st – Monkey Barrel – 4.312

There’s one other venue that’s not been included here: Dance Base, which was independent up till 2025 but now comes under the Assembly banner. But their overall rating turned in at a staggering 4.667 (but that is only from three shows!)

Just a bit of fun to get your Fringe saliva going before the first shows are revealed! If you have any favourite or preferred Edinburgh Fringe venues, do let me know in the comments!

Review – Dial 1 for UK, The Place Theatre, Bedford, 20th November 2025

Posted on November 21, 2025 by therealchrisparkle

Dial 1 for UK

No matter how long you spend at the Edinburgh Fringe – this year we were there for four weeks and saw 152 shows – you always remember the ones that got away. And one of mine this year was Mohit Mathur’s Dial 1 for UK; I really wanted to see it but I just couldn’t make the dates work. So, I was delighted to discover that the production was continuing with a post-Fringe tour, and its final performance (for now at least) was held at The Place in Bedford.

©Deven Ahire

I know from first hand of people who lead a pretty good life in India but who still think that the streets of the UK are paved with gold and will consider the most expensive and problematic options to realise that dream of moving, working and one day becoming a Britisher. The insightful Dial 1 for UK tackles that romantic notion from the point of view of Uday Kumar – yes those really are his initials – a call handler in New Delhi on the night shift and a YouTube influencer in his spare time, extolling the virtues of London and the United Kingdom to his subscribers with boundless enthusiasm and, sadly, no knowledge of the reality.

©Deven Ahire

We meet the kindly and upbeat Uday in his new day job as a carer visiting many old people, including Major Robinson from Hounslow, once a proud cricketer and father, now eking out a lonely, not to mention incontinent, existence with only a brief visit from Uday to put a smile on his face. But Uday has plans to study accountancy via the University of Sunderland, and life will be rosy once his visa sponsor arranges his proper accommodation. But it doesn’t take long for all his plans to change and for that kind sponsor to become no more than a slave trader, with Uday living on a pittance and having to sleep in a public toilet.

©Deven Ahire

Beautifully structured, the play takes us back and forth comparing Uday’s life in the UK with his earlier years in India, working at the call centre under assumed English names to give his British callers more confidence; an ambitious young man frustrated at the confines of his existence but at least having a roof over his head and freedom. Feeling he can take India no more, he hatches a plot – disreputable and criminal – to raise the 14 Lakh rupees (that’s about £12,000 – yikes!) he needs to pay the intermediary for the visa, flight and accommodation, and soon he’s away in the skies courtesy of Emirates. We share in his joy at discovering London despite facing some racism, doing Insta-ready posing on his phone and updating his YouTube channel.

©Deven Ahire

There’s a very poignant scene when, in need of some assistance, he encounters another Indian who looks just like him, whom he feels he can trust as a brother from another mother, but who refuses to offer any help. That’s the sharp moment when he realises that, for all its promise of bright lights and success, life in the UK is ruthless and cruel. From then, it’s just a battle of wits and the need to survive, dragging Uday further into a life of crime.

©Deven Ahire

Innovatively staged, a simple office chair effectively doubles up as both his call centre office and the wheelchair used by the Major. He uses photographs to create his supporting cast of characters and creates a veritable and literal web of red tape that links all his connections to a police evidence board, becoming more complex and trickier to negotiate every time he makes a fresh contact.

©Atka Photography

It’s a true tour-de-force performance from Mohit Mathur that instantly endears us to the enthusiastic Uday; so powerful is his connection with the audience that we continue to like him and support him even as a criminal. He is an engrossing storyteller, filling in his narrative with small but perfectly judged elements such as the Indian obsession with Primark, and his choice of whisky on his flight. Primarily, he truly makes us believe every aspect of Uday’s plight; and when he rails on his stupid fellow countrymen for having those misplaced expectations, and beseeches them to read the small print, you know it’s coming from the heart.

With delightful flashes of humour to lighten the undoubted tragedy of the story, Dial 1 for UK lifts the veil on what is essentially people trafficking, making fat lawyers rich and the gullibly ambitious poor. You come out of the show with a deeper understanding of how some people can become used and abused simply by being innocent and hopeful. Insightful, poignant and powerful, this important play fully deserves to reach more audiences in the future; highly recommended!

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!

Review/Preview – Christian Dart: Gumshoe! Soho Theatre Dean Street London, 7 – 8 November 2025

Posted on October 22, 2025 by therealchrisparkle

Christian Dart brings his smash hit Edinburgh show Gumshoe to the Soho Theatre in Dean Street London for two nights in November. It’s a clever mash-up of a Philip Marlowe/Raymond Chandler 1940s New York private detective hero (for want of a better word) with contemporary improv, as a member of the audience provides Christian with the bare facts of what will be his final case to solve. As a result, no two shows are ever the same, which means you never have to confine yourself to just one performance.

His improv skills are second-to-none – he is a member of the comedy group The Bad Clowns – and he manages to create a proper story that genuinely holds water from just fragments of ideas. No spoilers, but expect a lot of gun shooting and twirling, sassy dames, dead colleagues, a real live jewel theft, and even a bit of song and dance. I can only assume Mr Dart has a very high dry-cleaning bill.

The show makes excellent use of a complex and technically demanding sequence of sound cues which constantly keep the audience (as well as Christian) on their toes. It’s very high on energy, and if you sit in the front row you may well get involved in some of the plot – but it’s always funny and never humiliating or stressful!

Unpredictable, frenetic (but in a good way) and exhilarating, this is the kind of show you have to throw yourself wholeheartedly into – the more you put in, the more you get out. You’ll even find out whodunit in the end – although this is definitely a case of the journey being more important than the conclusion! Madcap, racy and pacy, and incredibly good-humoured, this is an hour of enormous fun and impressive imagination. Highly recommended!

Production photos by Johanna Dart Design & Photography

Four He’s a Jolly Good Fellow!

You can get tickets to see the show at the Soho Theatre here.

Edinburgh Fringe 2025 – It’s a Wrap!

Posted on August 27, 2025 by therealchrisparkle

And that’s another Fringe done and dusted! We arrived on 29^th July and we left on the 26^th August. During that time we saw 154 shows, which was four fewer than last year, with just one cancellation due to ill health on the part of the performer, and one sneaky extra booking when a slot became free – which turned out to be a 5 star show!

Here’s a quick reminder of the 4 and 5 star shows we saw, by star rating and in date order of when we saw them:

5 STARS:

Vagabond Skies

Do You Accept These Charges?

Virtuoso

Dead Air

Robin Grainger: People Pleaser

Don’t Tell Dad About Diana

Odds Are

Max Fulham: Full of Ham

Ah-Ma

Cody and Beau

Miss Brexit

Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence

Accordion Ryan’s Pop Bangers

Clean Slate

FLUSH

Matt Forde: Defying Calamity

#CHARLOTTESVILLE

Girlz

Mr Jones

Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares

Don Toberman: Ping Pong Champ

In The Black

Inlet

Arthur Hull’s FLOP

Sam Lake: You’re Joking, Not Another One!

Tom Stade: Naughty by Nature

Liam Withnail: Big Strong Boy

Refuse

The Insider

Hot Mess

4 STARS:

Lovett

Falling: A Disabled Love Story

Falling in Love with Mr Dellamort

MARIUPOL

Kate Owens: Cooking with Kathryn

Christopher Macarthur-Boyd: Howling at the Moon

Call Me Crazy

Chloe Petts: Big Naturals

Bloody Influencers

The Naked Neds

How to Win 5 Grand on the Internet

The City for Incurable Women

Courier

Will Owen: Looking Fab at 50

Three Can Keep a Secret

Homo (Sapien)

Brainsluts

Big Little Sister

Sauna Boy

Trust Me, I’m From Essex

Rachel Morton-Young: Dutch Courage

Some Masterchef Sh*t

Nick it for Munich

The Birthday Party: A Theatrical Catastrophe

LEI – LDN

A Small Town Northern Tale

Alright Sunshine

Supermarket 86

NIUISA

God is Dead and I Killed Him

I Was a German

Motorhome Marilyn

Kieran Hodgson: Voice of America

Going

It’s Gonna Blow!

Ali Woods: Basher

Will You Be Praying the Entire Flight?

Cabin Fever

Windrush Secret

Saaniya Abbas: Hellarious

Ruaridh Miller: It’s Pronounced Ruaridh

Bury The Hatchet

Paul Savage: Hopes Under the Hammer

Help Me!

Stuart McPherson: Crisps and a Lie Down

Derby Day

VOTE: The Musical

Pauline Eyre: Anyone For Tennis

Down to the Felt

Alex Farrow: New Order

An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo

The Leeds Tealights: Never Not Forever

The Essence of Audrey

Aaron Wood: More to Life

Saria Callas

Looking for Laughs

The Truman Capote Talk Show

Managed Approach

Centre of the Universe

Paldem

Our Brothers in Cloth

Seating Plan

Amanda Hursy: Carted

Congratulations to all these great shows. Just as a cheeky comparison, I’ve awarded 4 stars to 17 fewer shows than last year – but there are also 3 more 5 star shows than last year. I did sadly have to award two 1 star shows, which is never something I do lightly, but I have to be honest. And as to working out which of them are the absolute best – you’ll have to wait until the Chrisparkle Awards for 2025 are announced in January!

Remember – reviews are only what one person thinks, they’re purely a personal reaction. And star ratings are even more unreliable!