EdFest.com, a joint initiative between Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance and Underbelly celebrates eleven years of working in partnership, with the launch of its new programme for 2018. The EdFest venues are an integral part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The group grows year-on-year and in 2018 will collectively bring 827 shows from 29 countries to perform in 91 spaces across 20 venues in Edinburgh LIST CO-PROMOTION
CIRQUE BERSERK 3–27 Aug | 6pm (1.30pm matinees on selected days) | Pleasance at EICC Britain’s biggest theatre-circus spectacular makes its eagerly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut! Cirque Berserk! celebrates the 250th anniversary of the invention of Circus with a jaw-dropping spectacular created especially for the theatre. ‘Heart-stoppingly good fun’ TIME OUT
REVENANTS 1–27 Aug | 5pm | Pleasance Dome A new play by Nichola McAuliffe, directed by Patrick Sandford. Twenty-i ve years after the death of the Romanovs, and twenty-i ve years before Martin Luther King’s murder, a group meet in an English wood. Battling with notions of persecution and bravery, they realise that violent revolutions have unforeseen consequences. KEN 1–27 Aug | 3.20pm | Pleasance Dome 1978. London. An aspiring playwright is wrestling with a play for the Royal Court. Then the phone rings. The man on the other end is called Ken - and he’s about to change the young man’s life forever. Starring Terry Johnson and Jeremy Stockwell, Ken is the wickedly funny retelling of an extraordinary friendship from beginning to end.
MR. SWALLOW AND THE VANISHING ELEPHANT 1–26 Aug | 7.30pm | Pleasance Courtyard Following the i ve-star sellout success of Houdini, Nick Mohammed’s alter ego Mr. Swallow is back with another hour of magic, music and elephants. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (for Mr Swallow - Houdini) GUARDIAN, STAGE, EVENING STANDARD, METRO
STEVIE MARTIN: STEVIE MARTIN VOL. 1 1–27 Aug | 6pm | Pleasance Courtyard One third of critically-acclaimed sketch group Massive Dad, (★ ★ ★ ★ GUARDIAN), Stevie Martin presents her debut solo show. Expect comedy. Expect laughing. Do not expect a live horse because there won’t be one. As seen on Channel 4’s Damned BBC Radio 4’s Sketchorama. Really wanted to incorporate a live horse into her show. THE JOURNEY 1–27 Aug | 5.40pm | Pleasance Dome You’ve just been dumped, but you’re stuck on a spaceship, alone with that person. A play about self- obsession and toxic relationships. A funny, relatable and surprising romantic comedy that rewards repeat viewings. Acclaimed stand-up Stuart Laws’ theatrical debut, starring Will Brown (RSC) and Phoebe Sparrow (Inside No. 9).
DON’T TELL ME NOT TO FLY 4–27 Aug | 5pm | Underbelly Bristo Square This summer some of the West End’s leading ladies take residence in McEwan Hall. Join us each night as a different star takes centre stage to perform songs from smash-hit West End and Broadway musicals and iconic movies. Beginning with Claire Sweeney, more performers to be announced soon.
UNIVERSOUL CIRCUS: HIP HOP UNDER THE BIG TOP 4–25 Aug | 5pm | Underbelly Circus Hub After electrifying US audiences for 25 years, America’s “coolest show on earth” (Newsweek) comes to the UK, combining edge-of-your-seat performances, hilarious audience participation and a soundtrack that will blow the roof off the tent. ‘Show-stopping Spectacles’ PEOPLE
SIX 1–27 Aug | 7.30pm | Underbelly George Square DIVORCED. BEHEADED. LIVE IN CONCERT! From Tudor queens to pop princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII i nally take the mic to tell their tale, remixing i ve hundred years of her-storical heartbreak into a 75-minute celebration of sisterly sass-itude. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ BRITISH THEATRE
BURN THE FLOOR: REBELS OF BALLROOM 1–27 Aug | 3pm | Underbelly Bristo Square Burn the Floor dancers are true rebels of the Ballroom. With their now famous, infectious and rebellious energy, they have totally reinvented the Ballroom dance styles, performed their ground- breaking moves right around the world and are ready to push dancing to the edge. ‘Dazzling’ NEW YORK TIMES
NINA CONTI IS MONKEY 1–27 Aug | 7pm | Underbelly Bristo Square Admitting defeat that she has become the sidekick in her own life, Nina has allowed herself to be fully consumed by Monkey. This is what happens when he is off the leash and fully autonomous. Following the sell-out success of In Your Face, Nina returns with a brand new show. ‘Devastatingly witty’ ★ ★ ★ ★ TIMES
BRAINIAC LIVE! 1–27 Aug | 11am | Underbelly Bristo Square Strap on your safety goggles! Science’s greatest and most volatile show arrives with a vengeance. The West End and international touring favourite celebrates its 10th anniversary year with its i rst appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe. ‘Excellent - Science Museum meets Top Gear’ GUARDIAN
1 Jun–31 Aug 2018 THE LIST 19