Written by Lucy McIlgorm Directed by Anastazie Toros Review by Dominic Corr Studio Five at Assembly George Square Studios ★★★★ The more one thinks about the title, the stronger the production's merits become. There’s a quiet power in REFUSE—a production that doesn’t shout but resonates. In a festival often saturated with spectacle, this piece from … Continue reading Review: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 – Refuse
Written and Performed by Ewan Downie Directed by Ian Spink Review by Dominic Corr Assembly Roxy ★★★★ There’s a feral pulse running through The Bacchae at Assembly Roxy, a solo retelling that trades grandeur for grit, myth for muscle. Ewan Downie channels Dionysos with a raw, ritualistic intensity, conjuring gods and mortals alike in a … Continue reading Review: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 – The Bacchae
Written and Performed by Annie Davison Directed by Daniel Bainbridge Review by Dominic Corr Pleasance Courtyard ★★★★ There’s a particular thrill in watching a performer sprint headlong into their own chaos—and Annie Davison does so with wit, warmth, and an explosively impressive performance. BAIRNS, her one-woman show about surrogacy, sisterhood, and self-sabotage, is a tightly … Continue reading Review: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 – BAIRNS
Written and Directed by Ellie Coote Music and Lyrics by Jack Godfrey Review by Dominic Corr Pleasance Courtyard ★★★★★ There’s a moment in Hot Mess—a pop musical about the climate crisis masquerading as a romcom—where Earth, played with volcanic intensity by Danielle Steers (The Cher Show), belts a note so pure and furious it feels … Continue reading Review: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 – Hot Mess
Written and Performed by Patrick McPherson Directed by Jonny Harvey Review by Dominic Corr Underbelly Cowgate - Iron Belly ★★★★ There’s a particular kind of silence that falls over an audience when fear is genuine. Not the polite hush of anticipation or the scatter-gun anxiety of jumpscares, but the breath-held, spine-tightened stillness of people bracing … Continue reading Review: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 – Scatter: A Horror Play
Written by Ed Gamester Review by Dominic Corr Underbelly Circus Hub - The Lafayette ★★★★ There’s a moment early in Mythos: Ragnarök when Loki, played with gleeful irreverence by Ed Gamester, locks eyes with the audience and dares them not to laugh. It’s emblematic of the show’s ethos: myth meets muscle, comedy meets chaos, and … Continue reading Review: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 – Mythos: Ragnarök
https://youtu.be/DvEgMH3LcMI Created and Performed by Dougie Mackay and Jemima Thewes Review by Dominic Corr Scottish Storytelling Centre ★★★★ In A Wolf Shall Devour the Sun, ancient myth collides with ecological urgency in a richly textured hour of storytelling, shadow puppetry, and live music. Performed by Dougie Mackay and Jemima Thewes, this Fringe offering is a … Continue reading Review: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 – A Wolf Shall Devour the Sun
Review by Katherine McIntyre Underbelly Circus Hub ★★★★★ In a world that often feels brittle and closed-off, Club Kabarett is a glorious act of defiance—a glitter-drenched, gin-soaked celebration of connection, chaos, and unapologetic joy. Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett is more than a show; it’s a living, breathing organism that pulses with life, lust, and radical … Continue reading Review: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 – Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett
Created and Performed by Emery Hunter and Bobby Bradley Directed by Neil John Gibson and Jen Bates Review by Dominic Corr Scottish Storytelling Centre ★★★★ Revolutionising, modernising, reinventing – however you wish to describe it, it’s tricky to bring an ancient mythos to new audiences, particularly with Scottish folklore. In Dregs, the Selkie myth is … Continue reading Review: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 – Dregs
Written by Courtney McManus Directed by Bec Price Review by Dominic Corr Assembly George Square - Studio One ★★★★ For as much as we may whisper the name of their husband more often, Lady Macbeth will remain one of theatre’s finest characters. The brains behind the crown and dagger. The nuanced, and throned heart of … Continue reading Review: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 – Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence
