EDINBURGH FRINGE 2023: OUR TOP EIGHT RECOMMENDATIONS (JUNE 2023)

It may still be a few months away, but with the this year's Edinburgh Fringe fast approaching, and the official Brochures available to pick up for FREE around the UK, we have flicked through the pages and are bringing you our Top Eight recommendations for the fringe so far...

            

1. BIRTHMARKED

A young Jehovah's Witness comes to terms with his sexuality and finds his feet (and high heels...) in a world he once believed would be destroyed at Armageddon. Birthmarked is a new concept gig written and performed by Brook Tate and his grand ol' band of pals. With original music likened to Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell, alongside a whale, a paintbrush and a pair of tap shoes, he hopes to shine a light on what it means to be marked... at birth.

WHY CATCH THIS SHOW?

Directed by Sally Cookson (A Monster Calls, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Hetty Feather) we cannot wait to witness what she has brought to this already intriguing production!

WHERE CAN I CATCH IT?

VENUE: Assembly Rooms - Ballroom

DATES: Aug 3-13, 15-19, 21-27

TIME: 19:15

2. DARKFIELD'S ARCADE

ARCADE is the latest immersive audio experience from DARKFIELD, but this isn’t an ordinary arcade and these are not ordinary arcade machines. Every machine offers you the chance to enter the world of the game and choose your own unique journey. As you guide your avatar through a world ravaged by endless war, there are many routes you can take and there are many different outcomes.

WHY CATCH THIS SHOW?

From the people who have brought FLIGHT, SEANCE, and EULOGY, all set inside cargo shipping containers, the attraction is also huge, with sell out performances each day, so you just know that ARCADE will be in demand!

WHERE CAN I CATCH IT?

VENUE: Summerhall - The Terrace

DATES: Aug 3 - 27

TIME: 11:45 - 20:00 (30 Minute Slots)

3. BACON

London, present day. It’s Year 10’s first day back at school. Mark is new and too scared to make friends. Darren is out-of-control and too scary to make friends. The two need each other but neither of them would ever admit it. Worlds apart, but more similar than they realise, the pair form a complex and manipulative relationship that leads them blindly into a dangerous experiment that alters the course of both their lives.

WHY CATCH THIS SHOW?

Bacon stormed the award season back in 2022 when it first premiered at The Finborough Theatre. Winner of 2 Offie Awards (Lead Performance in a Play, Director) this show is a must see, and will be likely sell well!

WHERE CAN I CATCH IT?

VENUE: Summerhall - Cairns Lecture Theatre

DATES: Aug 2-13, 15-20, 22-27

TIME: 15:30PM

4. THE BEATLES WERE A BOYBAND

The cosy, safe world of three flatmates is rocked by a woman's murder. Now Violet's scared walking home from her late shift. Daisy's become an accidental activist drawing unwanted attention from the manosphere. And Heather just wants to get on with her life. After all, who really needs to change to make women safer? 

WHY CATCH THIS SHOW?

Returning to The Gilded Balloon for 2023 after a successful run in 2022, the production won a Scotsman Fringe First Award, making it a show that should not be missed.

WHERE CAN I CATCH IT?

VENUE: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose - Doonstairs

DATES: Aug 18-27

TIME: 19:30PM

4. SUMMER CAMP FOR BROKEN PEOPLE

A dark comedy about rape, losing your mind and finding yourself. After a violent sexual assault, a 40-something single mum thinks she's fine, until an unexpected email sends her spiralling into a serious mental health crisis. This semi-autobiographical solo show is based on diary entries, letters and essays written during time in a psychiatric hospital.

WHY CATCH THIS SHOW?

Having played at The Pleasance earlier this year, it's going to be a though, but honest look into how mental illness affects so many!

WHERE CAN I CATCH IT?

VENUE: Summerhall - Anatomy Lecture Theatre

DATES: Aug 2-13, 15-20, 22-27

TIME: 13:30PM

5. ADRIAN BLISS: INSIDE EVERYONE

An atom travels to Earth on a quest for greatness, finding himself inside some of the most important people who have ever lived. Join Adrian Bliss on a wild ride through history and give your seven octillion atoms an experience they will never forget.

WHY CATCH THIS SHOW?

Having found a hoard of fans from their incredibly witted TikTok sketches, Adrian is rising in the comedy ranks, and this is sure to be a laugh-a-minute hit with Fringe audiences!

WHERE CAN I CATCH IT?

VENUE: Pleasance Dome - AceDome

DATES: Aug 3-13, 15-27

TIME: 16:10PM

6. AFTER THE ACT (A SECTION 28 MUSICAL)

"Queers in classrooms!" "Perverts panicking parents!" – a new musical about pride, protest… and abseiling lesbians. Section 28: the landmark legislation that silenced a generation and offered a global blueprint for LGBTQ+ oppression. Two decades after its repeal, multi award-winning theatre company, Breach Theatre (It's True, It's True, It's True) sing and dance on the grave of this watershed moment in LGBTQ+ history.

WHY CATCH THIS SHOW?

Receiving a rave reviews following a run at New Diorama earlier in the year, this is a verbatim musical that will be you feel all the emotions!

WHERE CAN I CATCH IT?

VENUE: Traverse Theatre - Traverse 1

DATES: Aug 3, 5-6, 8-13, 15-20, 22-27

TIME: Various Depending on Chosen Date.

7. BLUEPRINTS

Are you destined to repeat ancestral patterns forever? If you could know the entire history of your bloodline, and everything you’re passing on to your children, would you want to know? Adam and Faith do. Welcome to the Blueprints programme, where we can protect you from the past because, after all, knowledge is power. Right?

WHY CATCH THIS SHOW?

Recently played at The Pleasance in London earlier this year, Blueprints will leave you to contemplate it's hard themes throughout your day, as it plays in the morning during the fringe. Produced by the renowned REcreate Agency.

WHERE CAN I CATCH IT?

VENUE: Pleasance Courtyard - Beneath

DATES: Aug 17-20, 22-28

TIME: 11:50AM

8. BITTER LEMONS

In the pressurised worlds of football and finance, two women carve their own path. After the loss of her dad, a goalkeeper prepares for the league final, while an ambitious banker battles her fears of being tokenised to secure a promotion. But as their pitches get closer, worlds collide as life shifts unexpectedly and in parallel. How do you face your biggest challenge yet?

WHY CATCH THIS SHOW?

Winner of a Pleasance Edinburgh National Partnership Award and supported by Bristol Old Vic, Bitter Lemons is an explosive debut play tackling the pressures on women’s bodies and the power society holds over them.

WHERE CAN I CATCH IT?

VENUE: Pleasance Courtyard - Beneath

DATES: Aug 2-15, 17-28

TIME: 14:20PM

You can view the full Edinburgh Fringe Programme here.