Edinburgh Editor Fee Orr writes… There are several standout shows this year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – musical theatre is stretching the boundaries, taking inspiration from the worlds of tech, telly and film hits, a couple of court cases and a strong dash of ‘Scotch’, including a viral failed attempt to re-create one of Roald Dahl’s masterpieces.
Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Dram, 3-28 August (not 15), 13:00
[Kick the Door]
Come Dine With Me: The Musical
Underbelly, Bristo Square – Cowbarn, 31 July, 1-12, 14-25 August, 14:20
Many get hooked on the TV show marking food, drinks and hospitality with a veil of personality judgement. Come Dine With Me is a successful all-round fly-on-the-wall reality show. For Fringe 2024, “an irreverent musical with big laughs and a big heart” written by Sam Norman and Aaron King, this is a promising starting point for an entertaining show.
SILENCE! The Musical
Underbelly, Bristo Square – Cowbarn, 31 July, 1-11, 13-25 August, 23:15
Following a Fringe tradition in parodies, the relationship between Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling is brought to life in SILENCE! The Musical. This clearly unauthorised parody of the Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs promises singing serial killers, tap-dancing lambs, and a show packed with cheerful show tunes with unprintable song titles.
Morag, You’re a Long Time Deid
ZOO Southside – Studio, 2-4, 6-11, 13-18, 20-25 August, 13.25
A heartwarming musical show, weaving together silenced family histories and reimagined traditional music – a love letter to ancestors who ‘didn’t fit’. Inspired by the grandmother she never met, Scottish-Canadian multidisciplinary queer artist Claire Love Wilson and Austrian performance-maker Peter Lorenz present this semi-autobiographical work that playfully warps, disrupts and reconfigures traditional Scottish ballad singing. Told from the perspective of the Scottish diaspora, the show juxtaposes levity and tragedy, celebrating queerness, while grappling with the question “What do we do with broken pianos, people and traditions?”
Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody
Pleasance Dome – King Dome, 9-26 August, 15:00
Last Christmas, a family event in Glasgow became a global phenomenon online following the disappointment from visiting families. Clearly, a ripe subject for a musical parody. Several of the numbers from the show have already been previewed online from writers such as Riki Lindhome, Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, Tova Litvin and Doug Rockwell, and Daniel Mertzlufft, each contributing their signature style to the production.
With Paris Themmen and Julie Dawn Cole joining the cast from the original Gene Wilder movie version of the Wonka story, this will be a popular pick!
Ctrl+Alt+Deceit!
The Space @ Niddry Street – Upper Theatre, 12- 24 August, 18:20
In Ctrl+Alt+Deceit! from the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society, audiences are introduced to Aunt June, a dowdy, kind and lonely woman who ends up with a laptop that leads her to the Dark Web and a low-level drug ring. Aunt June thinks she is being friendly with some gardening enthusiasts and cookery discussions – sounds like a lot to take in for June! Reliably talented, CUMTS is a company always worth seeing.
You & It: The Musical
Assembly Checkpoint, 1-11, 13-18, 20-25 August, 15:55
What makes a human human? You & It: The Musical tells a beautiful and sad love story about a human husband and his wife who dies, leaving him bereft. To overcome his loss, he brings her back to life using Artificial Intelligence. The voice, smile and way of speaking are identical to hers, but she looks unfamiliar. He lives every day believing that everything will be okay as long as she is by his side. Will they ever be able to return to their normal, happy life?
I Wish You Well – The Gwyneth Paltrow Ski-Trial Musical
Underbelly George Square – Udderbelly, 31 July, 3-26 August (not 12), 17:45
A quartet of London’s best West End talent converge for a musical parody all about the courtroom clash that followed ‘that’ legendary crash on the slopes.
The cast is led by Diana Vickers (X Factor, Dial M For Murder, West End); directed by Shiv Rabheru (resident director, Hamilton at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre, West End) and choreography by Arlene Phillips (Strictly judge and Olivier Award winner 2024). This exciting team promises to bring the essence of what could be called the campest trial in history to this production.
The Scot and the Showgirl
Pleasance Dome – Queen Dome, 31 July, 1-5, 7-12, 14-19, 21-26 August, 15:50
The Scot and the Showgirl is a true(ish) wee musical thingamajig about a perfectly imperfect relationship that began 28 years ago at Edinburgh Waverley train station.
She, a Broadway star and Edinburgh Festival Fringe survivor. He, a Scottish musical theatre lover with a tilt to his kilt. Now they bring the world premiere of their love story home to the city where it all started as they celebrate their quirky romance in a touchingly funny song cycle – from Brigadoon to Broadway and from Scotland to Sondheim via Costello, Bacharach, The Proclaimers and more. Starring Tony Award winner Frances Ruffelle and West End leading man Norman Bowman, this is the ultimate fringe night afternoon out for musical aficionados. Expect love, laughter and tartan.
I’m Almost There
Summerhall – Main Hall, 1-11, 14-18, 20-26 August, 14.45
Two years ago, Francesca Moody Productions’ Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder! collected Musical Theatre Review’s Award for Best Musical so there is an expectant air about their new show, I’m Almost There from New York star of stage and screen Todd Almond. Amongst his fans there is no less than Lin-Manuel Miranda: “Todd Almond is one of our best and brightest songwriters. I look forward to anything that comes out of his brain.” I’m Almost There is described as a rueful, hilarious and poignant modern love story in song about a man crossing a sea of doubts to find happiness… and good coffee.
Mary, Queen of Rock!
Assembly Rooms – Ballroom, 1-6, 8-13, 15-20, 22-25 August, 21:20
Borrowing the concept of rock music being banned, this show flips the timeline from happening sometime in the future to the 16th century. A rock heroine, Mary, Queen of Scots, challenges the Reformation as one of the world’s most iconic musical artists. This original new musical features several different genres of music but is a rock opera with a variety of different styles of rock ‘n’ roll. Inspired by the music of Stevie Nicks, Avril Lavigne, ACDC, The Rolling Stones and more… Written by Cal Ferguson, Mhairi McCall and Lewis Lauder, this show aims to challenge the perceived history that has been written by men who have relished in taking her down. But what if she was actually a rock star? What if, in another era, she would have taken the world by storm?
A Jaffa Cake Musical
Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Two, 31 Jul, 1-12, 14-26 August, 15:10
Gigglemug Theatre Company has a steadily improving journey on Edinburgh stages. This latest offering is inspired by the 1991 tribunal which determined once and for all whether a Jaffa Cake is in fact a cake or a biscuit. Their style is to maximise comedy with a collection of original songs to create a show which often seems like a summer panto. Usually great fun, their underlying message this year is to give audiences the chance to help out those who rely on food banks – a collection of Jaffa Cakes will be part of each show.
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