We’ve picked out 17 great theatre, circus and cabaret shows to catch in Edinburgh next month, including Cyrano, starring Edinburgh-born David Tarkenter, and a virtual reality musical.
There is also an interesting Fringe show by American singer Victoria Mature, who pays tribute to her late father, the original Hollywood hunk Victor Mature in an intimate cabaret performance.
While, eight world-class acrobats investigate physical skill; how we obtain it, how we perfect it, and how it can transform our lives, in thrilling circus show Ten Thousand Hours.
And, the Olivier Award-winning West End hit ‘Showstopper! The Improvised Musical’ is back for a 15th year. 18 stand-up comedy shows at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024.
9. The Disappeared
The Disappeared is a wild, fun and sexy burlesque cabaret that tells the true story of a queer Latinx voice robbed of their freedom and forced into exile during a government coup in South America. Experience first-hand a final night of joy and freedom of expression, before the Chilean government regime change challenges the country's LGBTQIA+ community and robs them of their personal freedom and identity. Witness the last cry of hope from an oppressed community before joining the ranks of those that have been disappeared. The true story of one person’s journey from Chile to Denmark via Mexico to reclaim their voice after having been robbed of both freedom and identity. The Disappeared, at Summerhall (The Dissection Room) August 1 – 26, not 12th and 19th, 1.45pm. Tickets £17, https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/disappeared?day=05-08-2024. | Michelle Mangan
10. Spy Movie The Play!
In a parody of Bond movies and fringe theatre, a rejected, frustrated screenwriter invites an audience of producers to a one-night-only showing of her spy movie masterpiece… if only it had received the funding. On a fringe theatre budget, Agent Blonde has 24 hours to save the world, facing villains, high-speed chases and outrageous plot devices. ‘Backstage’, the production team use any creative, low-budget trick available to capture every close-up and every wide angle shot, to make every pyrotechnic pop feel like a cataclysmic explosion and every puppeteered toy and epic car chase. Spy Movie: The Play! at Pleasance Courtyard, Beneath, July 31 – August 26 (not 6, 13 & 20), 12pm. Tickets £14, https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/spy-movie-the-play?day=05-08-2024. | Mobius London
11. Victor’s Victoria
Singer Victoria Mature pays tribute to her late father Victor Mature, one of the most popular leading men of Hollywood's Golden Age, in this intimate cabaret using music from Broadway to opera, folk and pop and movie clips inspired by Victor’s extraordinary career. Victor Mature was a stage and film actor in Hollywood during the 40s and 50s. The original Hollywood hunk, his best-known film roles include ‘One Million BC’, ‘Kiss of Death’, ‘My Darling Clementine’, and the biblical epics ‘Samson and Delilah’, and ‘The Robe’. Mature also appeared with some of Hollywood’s most gorgeous leading ladies, including Hedy Lamarr, Rita Hayworth, and Betty Grable. Victor's Victoria, at Assembly Rooms, Drawing Room 1-25 August at 8.30pm, Tickets £16, https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/victor-s-victoria?day=05-08-2024. | TTI in association with Idle Dreams Entertainment
12. Dave Ahdoot: Ethnically Ambiguous
Dave Ahdoot is an actor with one of the most valuable assets in the business: a brown/beige/sorta-dark-ish skin tone that allows him to be cast as any race imaginable. His enigmatic shade of brown has helped him land parts in over 40 TV ads for America’s biggest brands, like Ford and McDonald's. In this high-energy Fringe debut, Dave presses play on his biggest TV milestones, including his very first speaking part and the one ad he’s still mocked for today. Featuring TV clips, trips into Dave’s brain, and original music videos by Daniel Koren, Ethnically Ambiguous is Dave’s humbling and hilarious journey from "token ethnic guy with no lines" to "token ethnic guy who maybe—just maybe!—was finally hired for his talent.” Dave Ahdoot: Ethnically Ambiguous at Gilded Balloon @ Patter Hoose - Bothie, 31 July – 26 August (not 13), 8pm. Tickets £12, https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/dave-ahdoot-ethnically-ambiguous?day=07-08-2024. | Arin Sang-urai