▲ 48 r/edinburghfringe
Thoughts on 52 Shows at Fringe 2026
Nine glorious days in Edinburgh resulted in 102,593 steps that took me to 52 shows this year. (There’s only 50 on the list because we did Stamptown and Holy Shit Improv twice.) As with every year, there were still many shows I wanted to see and more I could have squeezed in but I preferred to have better seats and less rushing so I spent a good amount of time in queues waiting for the show. I’m old, that’s fine by me.
But here are my thoughts on the shows I saw. After the top section, bold entries were the best shows and highly recommended. My family saw some other shows as well, the only one highly recommended (I think) was DUSK/NIGHT/DAWN (makes sense as I saw one of the aerialists in a couple shows and she’s incredible).
Best of the Best
- Stamptown. I feel bad for people who don’t love Stamptown. Genuinely. To me, it is the embodiment of Fringe. Chaos, humor, insanity, talent, experimenting, amazement, joy. I get that some people just can’t embrace all of that, but I feel bad for them.
- Elf Lyons is The Woman on the Edge. Elf is a global treasure. An amazing performer, a passionate advocate of the arts, and a respected educator in the field. This show starts as clown and morphs into something beautiful and perfect and if you aren’t crying at the end then I don’t know what would make you feel anything.
- John Robertson's The Dark Room. Have you been to Fringe if you haven’t seen The Dark Room? It’s like going to China and not seeing the Great Wall. Sure, technically you were there, but c’mon. It’s always great to see John masterfully work a crowd in the midst of a surreal game.
- The Passion of Mr. Cardboard. Breakout clown hit of this year’s Fringe, his solo show is a surprise gut punch. And the character’s appearance in Stamptown is a highlight for everyone. We’re going to see great things from Mr. Cardboard.
- Blood on the Clocktower: Live. Yeah, I’m a fan of BotC, but it’s because of Jon Gracey’s years of experience getting just the right level of game and comedy out of a rotating cast. I wish it had been at the normal time so it wouldn’t have conflicted as much with other shows, but other family members went a few more times so that was great.
- Max Olesker: Making the Cut. A fantastic true story told by a master of the craft. When Max falls in love with an Orthodox Jewish woman he’s forced to convert into a much stricter form of Judaism than he’s practiced his whole life. An amazing tale about how love transforms people.
Interactive Shows
- Grubby Little Mitts: Late Night 70s Game Show. What a treat. The latest show I saw, time-wise, but left me completely energized. The chemistry between the performers is incredible, the audience integration is impeccable, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
- Viggo Venn: Only One. Such a great performer to take a simple three part story and transform it through impeccable clown work. A master at the craft. He should go on one of those TV talent shows.
- Lizzie Sunshine. A two-person clown show runs into some troubles when one member is running late. That simple concept becomes a fun show that turns remarkably and incredibly emotional at the end. You will never forget this show and I hope it gets turned into something recorded for prosperity.
- (No) Refunds. What a gem of a show. In this game show, one audience member actually purchases a special ticket for them to be in the show and compete in mini-games to win their ticket cost back. But all of the mini-games, and the show itself, talk about what it takes to be a performer and have a career in the arts. So much fun, but then it makes you think on several levels. And the host, Tiffany Gold (played by the amazingly talented Katy Murphy) is the perfect mix of sass and earnest to keep the show going.
- CLONG. Six clowns compete in three rounds of clown exercises. Only done once a week, so they give it their all. And one of the few times I laughed so hard I was in tears. Total blast.
- Mark Vigeant: OUT THERE. After The Best Man Show, Mark’s follow-up is a live streamer surviving the Alaskan wilderness with the help of his audience props. Fun story, not as poignant as Best Man, but Mark is so talented I’ll see anything he puts on.
- Ted Hill: Powerpoindexter. We’re fans of his and his style of comedy. I love seeing his growth and development, and although this show wasn’t as personal as last year’s, his story of being at a crossroads resonates with a lot of people. I hope he keeps making comedy for purely selfish reasons.
- Total Sports Mania. Don Toberman’s Ping-Pong Champ is such an amazing show (HIGHLY recommend that one) that wasn’t being run while we were at Fringe. We went to this show which is similar (same characters), but designed for a younger crowd although still fun for adults.
- John Robertson: Excitable Boy. For people who want the crowdwork of The Dark Room without pretending there’s a game to play. Even if our show did devolve into a game based on 9/11. You had to be there, as is true with all of John’s shows.
- Get Your Geek On: A Nerdy Comedy Showcase. Fun little panel show with some geeky comedians and geeky games for the crowd. Juliette Burton runs the show as one of her three (!) Fringe shows and she’s the perfect mix of approachable and geek-outable.
- Shit Arcade. Comedians play crappy video games from the 80s and 90s while you yell at them to JUST JUMP DAMMIT. Fun times.
- Absolute Monopoly. The Game Changers version of Monopoly. Hectic fun, although the fun here felt like it was audience-driven rather than host-driven.
- exit strategy’s How to Win a Game Show. I can’t call this fun but it was a thought-provoking experience. The audience is brought in to compete on a game show either with or against the main participant, who is also being rewarded or shamed/punished based on his performance. Hints at a bigger picture which I’d love to see explored more.
- Christian Dart: GUMSHOE! A mystery panto with a charismatic performer without a ton of story. Good character that needs more.
- I Was Never Here (there is no spy show). A fun spy clown character that keeps getting his memory wiped relies on the audience to get him through his mission. The story part feels a bit awkward, which somewhat clouds the central point he’s trying to convey, but you will walk away saying “Normal, normal.” so there’s that.
Non-Interactive Shows
- Chris Grace: 88%. We’re huge fans of Chris and he could read the phone book for all we care. This show was less of a tear-jerker than Sardines, thank goodness, and incredibly insightful about how people have to live with prejudice even from friends.
- Demi Adejuyigbe Sells Out. Demi is naturally hilarious and when he strings together bits and stories into a cohesive show like this it is a joy to watch. He feels authentic, relatable, and he knows how to work a crowd. So great to see in person (and his Backflip show on Dropout is a must watch).
- Zachary Ruane: Comedy. Amazing stand-up from 33% of Aunty Donna. Dives into comedy history and types while still wrapping the show in that frantic energy he brought to AD. So much fun.
- Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabaret. Fantastic adult cabaret drawing many references from the musical but otherwise modernized with acts and commentary. Tons of fun, fire, swords, nudity, mostly nudity, and aerialists.
- Waiting For Wonka. Fun concept of a show. The four losers of the Wonka tour now live together both as a way of dealing with their traumas but also to not reveal what really happened to them. The writing gets a little loose towards the end and sadly devolves into some fights and yelling sessions, but still a fun view of the world after the Chocolate Factory.
- An Echo in the Void. Great idea of a play where four people are trapped in a computer simulation trying to figure out who is real. But the script feels a little underdeveloped, with lots of cliches and way too much screaming. Less anger, more nuance might make this a great show.
- Circa: Wolf. Imagine the best gymnastics floor routine you’ve ever seen sprinkled with a few amazing stunts. That’s this show. The truly amazing stunts come out of nowhere and feel almost glossed over, I wish there had been more ceremony around them but they’re going for a more fluid, feral vibe and I can respect that.
- FLIGHT. The same group that does COMA and ARCADE, this one is in a plane (a literal plane interior has been built inside a crate). Not as interactive as ARCADE but still a fun one-time experience of being in the dark but needing to keep your eyes open to catch the little flashes of story that don’t come through the headphones.
- How to Feel Feelings. Fantastic premise about a therapy group in a fascist regime being led through exercises to make them more…acceptable/pliable members of the society. It felt a bit young in the way it danced around the edges of the fascism rather than diving in, but some solid work from the small group.
- Fuccbois Live in Concert. Solid production values and a thankful screen projecting lyrics for the songs. A little thin of jokes for an hour, but a fun way to pass the time.
- How to Art. Two bananas duct-taped to a wall come alive and hijinks ensue in this clown show you should expect from a Fringe. Lots of fun, great interactions, and an actual art auction that was fun to watch.
- The Revel Puck Circus: The Wing Scuffle Spectacular. We went on the hottest day to see them so I’ll extend them grace in how the extra heat impacted the show. There was a lot of towel-wiping before stunts and quite a few missed ones which made the show less enjoyable, but the group creates a fun vibe and I hope they keep going.
- Possessive! The Musical! Great concept for a musical about a kid so awful that when a demon possesses his body the family decides to keep the demon instead. The songs felt a little underdeveloped and the notes a bit too ambitious, but this could be a solid show with more work.
- An A to Z Guide to Dating. The performer’s mom wrote a horribly sexist book on dating advice. Great premise, very likable performer, feels like the script needs to go deeper.
- Girlhood in the Bathroom. Five young women in the bathroom on New Year’s Eve is a great way to tackle a number of topics. The performers here are great, the songs written well for their voices. But the script is a bit too surface while trying to address serious topics like sexual assault. I hope they develop this more and pick a direction to take it down, could be great.
- A Man Proposes to a Balloon, or Possibly Something Worse. Decent show about a man using a balloon to work on his proposal speech, but the development beyond that felt a bit forced. Like a narrative vehicle looking for a theme instead of the other way around.
- A Different Kind of Heartbreak. This is a fantastic half of a show. The artist tells the story of discovering holes in her heart, the efforts to repair them, and the recovery. But what should be one half of a matching realization is, instead, the full show with nothing more to elevate it from a book report on a year or so in her life. If she can find a way to connect this with more of her life, this could be an incredible show.
- Forget About Me. A small ghost story told with some stage magic. The story was a bit long and the stage magic bits a bit too unpolished and obvious, but a fun idea that could be great with more tension and practice.
- #SHORN by Elsa McTaggert. A folk musician’s show that starts off about what made her decide to shave her head but then completely abandons it for some songs. Great voice, not a great storyteller.
Somewhere In-Between
- Holy Shit Improv. Fun to see the west coast UCB style of improv in person, a bit more frantic than east coast UCB shows I’ve seen. Super talented, Dropout-heavy cast that showed off more of their talents. First time I’ve seen Chris Grace do improv live and he’s a master of the craft, really elevated everyone around him similar to seeing Birbiglia do improv.
- Take Your Shoes Off Live. We went to see Zack from Stamptown get interviewed for this podcast recording (hosted by Rick Glassman) and left as fans of Rick’s. So much so that we all went to Rick’s show and my youngest became friends with him. Very cool guy, fun interview.
- LEMONFACE. A curated show of comedians that still ties it together with a fun MC and a silly little gimmick involving actual lemons. Great for a late night slot and for discovering new comedians.
- Shamilton! The Improvised Hip-Hop Musical. This show continues to be amazing. Our show was supposed to be about Frodo Baggins but ended up being about Dobby, Harry Potter, and the horniest Moaning Myrtle you’ve ever seen. How do they make an improvised song that advances the plot while a furniture-based orgy is happening? Masters of the craft, always worth a watch.
- REDACTED: The Cover-Up of a Cover-Up of a Cover-Up. A comedy about a conspiracy performed by four artists trained in clown makes this a blast to watch. They recreate stunning visuals and impressive action sequences using virtually no prompts, instead the other actors become the cars in a chase scene or the cliffs during a tense climb to the top.
- Rick Glassman: Me and My Puppet Rick. Seeing him work on new material was a lot of fun. As he was recording the show when a bit landed he took a screengrab of his phone to mark it, which became its own little show. He makes an incredibly safe space where neuroses can be explored, very impressive.
- Ted Hill Teaches You Science, Most of Which Is True. As I mentioned, we’re fans of his. I wanted to see this show since this is his day job. Hopefully he has better behaved kids in real life than he did in this show, although he handled it well. I would have loved taking science lessons from Ted when I was a kid so this was a fun journey to the past.
- Glob. More of a standalone circus duo but they did have some audience interaction which they expect, so I put it here. Fun show, a bit of a slower pace, great chemistry between the two and the audience.
- Depths of Wikipedia. A fun Powerpoint deck that doesn’t need to be a live show. There’s crazy stuff on Wikipedia, folks. That’s it.
Worst of the Worst
- Bliss. Special category just because this shouldn’t have been at Fringe. Money grab for tweens who think Six is too old for them and can totally relate to an antagonist father who…checks notes…wants to keep them safe and provide the best education possible. Yeah, screw that guy! The whole thing feels overly produced and inauthentic and even the talented cast can’t wash away the ick. I get it, the producers are hoping this catches on with an audience who thinks K-Pop Demon Hunters is too edgy and ethnic so they can sell lots of merch and make it the must-see show when Wicked is sold-out. But this isn’t a show for Fringe.
u/ryanmgarcia — 3 days ago