The first big Fringe weekend has been and gone, and our reviewers have been busy assigning stars to shows in the manner of a confused astronomer. To help you discover the best shows happening in Edinburgh this August, here’s every five- and four-star review we’ve scribbled so far.

Five stars

Acid’s Reign
(Musical)
‘Acid’s Reign, the climate cabaret formed in the clink, is making climate change hot (again) in this absolute barnstormer of a new musical that manages to be both a thoroughly enjoyable camp riot and to ask some provocative questions of its audience. What’s more important: staying radical or staying visible? How do you balance idealism with realism, particularly when the bad guys never take a day off? And why are we mucking about with our bags for life when the planet is burning?’ (Jo Laidlaw)
Read the full review.

Catherine Opie: To Be Seen
(Art)
‘The grand rooms of the Royal Scottish Academy are used to being adorned with portraits of people who, apparently, matter. Catherine Opie fills them generously, and spectacularly, with people who have spent their lives being told they don’t. Set against blood-red and royal-blue walls, these portraits are woven through pieces from the RSA’s historic collection, creating a conversation between traditional portraiture and people rarely afforded the same space. Opie is a queer American photographer who has spent decades documenting communities, families and outsiders. Her self-portrait, taken while breastfeeding her son at 40, sits beside a 16th-century Madonna And Child. The baby is pulling at her, the scars and marks on Opie’s body at odds with the staged Madonna. Yet a thread of tenderness connects the two.’ (Afreka Thomson) 
Read the full review. 

A Trial: After An Enemy Of The People
(Theatre) 
‘There is a moment, shortly before the end of A Trial, when it becomes clear why Wagner Moura has a mantelpiece heavy with awards. He has already entertained us with personal interactions (the fourth wall is broken within the first five minutes, and stays partially shattered throughout), pivoting from drama to comedy to pathos as the story unfolds. But it’s in a moment of repetition that his true mettle hits us between the eyes.’ (Kelly Apter) 
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Man Sings The Same Song Over And Over Again For An Hour
(Comedy) 
‘A countdown timer shows 60 minutes. Then there’s a voiceover: ‘Hey. My name’s Conk. I’m about to walk on stage and sing a song for you. Many times.’ You might assume that it’s just a joke, and that despite the title of this show, there’s no way anyone would just sing the same song over and over again for an hour and call it a Fringe show. Maybe it’ll give way to something else once the proper show starts? But it doesn’t. Conk walks out, the timer starts ticking, and he does exactly what he warned us would happen.’ (Lauren McKay) 
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Slay 
(Theatre) 
‘Twentysomething Kit is on the run from her past and home in the North East, living in London, working in a fancy restaurant, seeking treatment (sorta) for PTSD and trying to escape her demons. Add in a pill box with enough anti-depressants to start a drum corps and a raging case of narcissism alongside its millennial-friendly chum, main character energy, and you’ve got Slay, a total joy of an hour.’ (Jo Laidlaw) 
Read the full review.

Collaborator
(Circus)
‘There are spectacular uses of swinging pendulums, illustrating different kinds of momentum and energy, and Holly Khan’s score is gorgeously textured, from Brazilian drumbeats to filmic swooning. But the real soul and fire of the show comes when Mooney and Harvey duet on doubles trapeze in a custom-built rig. From their cats-cradle legs to the way they nest and balance off each other, there is circus magic in this extraordinarily special bond.’ (Lucy Ribchester)
Read the full review.

Four stars

Chris Grace: 88%
(Comedy)
‘Making knotty, zeitgeisty stand-up seem effortless, Chris Grace’s latest Fringe hour was inspired by a casually racist joke and expands into a punchily persuasive call for greater tolerance and robustness in debate, while putting much less stock in the values we all hold dear. Absurdly argumentative, unwilling to cede ground without an insane amount of research, Grace has many reasons to sit in a ‘defensive crouch’.’ (Jay Richardson)
Read the full review.

Bryn Woz: Smut
(Comedy)
‘A comedy to titillate your taste for seduction, until it gets serious. Writer and performer Bryn Woznicki has perfected a shameless cabaret to bring a blush to every cheek. Overt and simultaneously tasteful, Smut opens the door to the world of sex, with a woman who has tried every flavour of seduction.’ (Rachel Morrell)
Read the full review.

Rosie Jones: I Can’t Tell What She’s Saying
(Comedy)
‘Rosie Jones is a rich, famous comedian and a national treasure: her own words. Even if she’s exaggerating, it’s fair to say that Jones’ star has risen markedly of late. As she puts it, she feels sorry for anyone who doesn’t know who she is, because they obviously don’t own a television. Her new hour goes out of its way to put distance between the sweet, excitable persona she projects on shows such as Taskmaster, and Rosie Jones, the 36-year-old professed lover of ‘gravy and tits, preferably at the same time’.’ (Allan Radcliffe)
Read the full review.

Badgers
(Theatre)
‘The fascination with true crime isn’t new: we’re a macabre bunch. From penny dreadfuls to Netflix specials, there’s money to be made from tragedy. Clawing open the ethics of creating content in this area, Malaika Kegode’s Badgers weaves an intimate story of grief with various side-narratives on missing persons, gig theatre, journalistic responsibility and a splash of crimson-coated folk horror. If that sounds like a lot, it is. But this Theatre Royal Plymouth production, created in association with Bristol Old Vic, balances these elements with only minor early-day technical hiccups and, admittedly, convoluted storytelling.’ (Dominic Corr)
Read the full review.

Dan Tiernan: Quartz And All
(Comedy)
‘Challenging the stereotype that new age spiritual woo-woo is the sole preserve of female stand-ups, Dan Tiernan offers a hilariously spirited defence of his collection of healing crystals. Though he’s fairly well established now, his annual update on the latest tweaks to his quirky physiognomy and mental fortitude, allied to his snarlingly intense stage presence, ensures that, once again, he delivers a tour-de-force introduction to himself.’ (Jay Richardson)
Read the full review.

Common Tongue
(Theatre)
‘The tagline of Common Tongue states that it is ‘a play aboot imperfect Scots’. From the well-deserved standing ovation at the finale, there’s no feeling of any imperfection regarding Scots, Scotland itself or the absolute belter of a performance from lead performer Olivia Caw. Expertly written and directed by Fraser Scott, a simple ‘orite?’ starts proceedings; Caw’s wonderfully familiar Glasgow accent and a set covered entirely in tartan instantly puts the whole room at ease.’ (James Macfarlane)
Read the full review.

Phil Nichol: Aren’t We Lucky
(Comedy)
‘It’s 20 years since Phil Nichol won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for The Naked Racist, a full-throated, chaotic and wildly physical account of a debauched weekend in Amsterdam. Now aged 60, you might expect the livewire comic to have calmed down, but there’s no sign of that in Aren’t We Lucky. The Canadian was raised by Scottish parents Ian and Ethel (both now in their 90s), and their infectious joie de vivre clearly rubbed off on their son. Much of the show is dedicated to their various antics and idiosyncrasies which he brings to graphic life with a deft sweetness.’ (Murray Robertson)
Read the full review.

Ania Magliano: Peach Fuzz
(Comedy)
‘Looser than some of her previous work, Peach Fuzz is broadly about Magliano coming to terms with her own body, bridging the gap between a very English repression and a desire to unshackle herself from sexual hang-ups. Her conversational flow (which places her somewhere between the stuttering unsurety of Richard Curtis-era Hugh Grant and a Simon Amstell-ish sense of self-reflection) continues to hold the verve of a friend in the room. As she guides her audience through recent encounters with therapists, floatation tanks and a very labia-focused body positivity, unexpected and delightful punchlines are where she shines. If any SNL UK fans were puzzled by the lack of Weekend Update-style zingers, it didn’t show. Magliano, as ever, courts a warm reception.’ (Kevin Fullerton)
Read the full review.

Confessions Of A Mulatto Love Child
(Theatre)
‘Bellina Logan’s one-woman show Confessions Of A Mulatto Love Child is a funny, tender and heartbreaking tribute to her mother. Averil is a formidable presence: a fierce English woman with a razor-sharp tongue, a complicated past and the inability to remain in one place. With only a chair and considerable storytelling talent, Logan takes us through a childhood of constant house moves, stories of her mother’s life and navigating her mixed-race identity.’ (Robyn Bell)
Read the full review.

Copycat
(Theatre)
‘Fringe First winner and festival veteran Joe Sellman-Leava returns with Copycat, a solo show all about art, fascism and AI. Starting off with a quickfire round of truly excellent impressions (his Gandalf is uncanny), he takes us back to his school days and the advice given to him by an inspiring teacher: you can say a lot with your eyes. Through audience interaction and warm-up games, Sellman-Leava proves just how wise his high school drama teacher really was.’ (Isy Santini)
Read the full review.

In The Black
(Theatre)
‘This one-man dark comedy by Quaz Degraft engrosses the audience with its tale of Ghanaian American Kofi Grady, a black man trying to make his way in the world of finance. Based on Degraft’s own experiences, Grady juggles friendships, family, heritage and a new romance while seeking his own golden path, increasingly finding himself under the pressure of moral dilemmas and a toxic workplace culture.’ (Rachel Morrell)
Read the full review.

David Elms Describes A Room
(Comedy)
‘Perhaps one of the most novel and ingenious improv shows at the Fringe, David Elms Describes A Room should also receive a garland for being one of the more literal titles around. For an hour, as he explains in the intro, David Elms will describe a room. But not the room he’s standing in. It will be an imaginary room created in participation with the audience. And then, at the end of the show, it will disappear.’ (Kevin Fullerton)
Read the full review.

Sydnee Washington: My Black Barbie Story
(Comedy)
‘Sydnee Washington’s best friend as a kid was her life-sized black Barbie doll. Since then, she’s lived a thousand lives. And she’s here to tell you about as many as she can. Armed with a slideshow of clip art and animated text, it’s a whirlwind Fringe debut. Washington talks a mile a minute, skipping through hundreds of slides to stay on time. Raised by her elderly, god-fearing family, she had no friends. In college, she befriends white women and discovers partying, a theme that continues into her days as a bottle girl, where she explores her sexuality and experiments with drugs. It’s a wild ride; a little too wild for some in this mid-afternoon crowd.’ (Lauren Mckay)
Read the full review.

Glob
(Circus)
‘Clowning is surely one of the undersung marvels of the circus world. It’s easy to gawp in awe at human towers and balletic aerials, but clowns still carry around the residue of being perceived as filler, the light relief between shows. Acts such as Les Foutoukours remind you just how intricate, demanding, precise and tender the art of clowning can be. This Quebec duo feel like descendants of Slava, the Russian clown whose elegant 1990s Snowshow became an international hit. While Glob is smaller and gentler than Snowshow, its wintery warm heart, tactile costumes and soft, wordless slapstick cocoon you in a similar world.’ (Lucy Ribchester)
Read the full review.

Deception: A Magic Experience
(Cabaret)
‘Magicians love to talk. It’s the baseline of diversion. Make friends with the audience, lure them into a stage of vulnerability and wham; dazzle ’em. Yet in a field bloated by egos and chasing grand illusions, Dan Bastianelli’s Deception offers a refreshing juxtaposition: he might just be the Fringe’s most honest magician.’ (Dominic Corr)
Read the full review.

Reuben Kaye: Hard To Swallow
(Comedy)
‘This is fearless comedy, the danger palpable, with virtually no topic off the table: the far right, his own Jewishness (only for the food, he quips), infertility, Palestine, nationalism, Charlie Kirk’s funeral, conversion therapy, even a gasp-inducing Ann Widdecombe reference. He gleefully tears down Elon Musk as a man so awful that even the paedophiles on Epstein Island reckoned he was too weird to invite. A mesmerising live presence, Reuben Kaye is a dark, compelling queer voice screaming at us to wake up and smell the fascism. You’d be a fool not to listen.’ (Paul McLean)
Read the full review.

Kirsty Mann: Corpse
(Theatre)
‘Corpse is certainly vivid, helped by Mann’s colourful characters. She may poke fun at her attempt at an Irish accent, but few can muster up a better creaking old woman voice than she can. Firmly in the realm of comedy to begin with, the show builds to a terrifying crescendo as Mann’s haunting intensifies. Loud bangs from an empty bedroom evolve into screaming corpses and full-blown apparitions. Even the most seasoned sceptic would be hard pressed to avoid a chill going through them in an hour that is as goosebump-inducing as it is hilarious.’ (Isy Santini)
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Max Fulham’s Monkey Business
(Kids)
‘Max Fulham’s Monkey Business almost belongs to a different era. Fulham is a ventriloquist, a skill that feels vanishingly, eccentrically rare these days. Impeccable at his craft, with a choreographic timing that is balletically precise, he whips through banter with a range of puppets, each with their own personalities and ways to cause mischief onstage. The setting is an office, a place of boring, inexplicable grown-up things like ties and LinkedIn. Fulham turns this on its head through daft presentations, audience interaction and a roster of misbehaving animal colleagues.’ (Lucy Ribchester)
Read the full review.

360 Allstars
(Circus)
‘A health warning: your hands and throat will be sore from clapping and cheering following this show. The stunts come thick and fast from the cast of seven who flip, spin, drum, MC and juggle, all with the flair and energy of a video game on turbo setting. Two B-boys go head-to-head, in Mortal Kombat mode, while a basketball freestyler provides a mixture of comic relief and skill, finger-spinning and juggling an increasing number of balls.’ (Lucy Ribchester)
Read the full review.

Flesh
(Physical theatre)
‘In a Fringe where ‘dark comedy’ has become a buzzword, Flesh plunges into really awkward, uncomfortable laughter. In a style that echoes Chris Morris’ Jam, this series of extended sketches finds humour in death, thwarted desire, facial mutilation and family rivalry.’ (Gareth K Vile)
Read the full review.

HK Soul Showcase: Gemini And Romantic 4:48AM
(Dance)
‘This double bill, from choreographers Justyne Li and Blue Ka Wing, shows Hong Kong’s dance talent in thriving form. Li’s Gemini is up first, an eerie and intriguing duet where superhuman forces whip the dancers’ bodies around with hurricane strength, or take over their fingers, necks and limbs in blasts of animatronic twitching. The two dancers (performing in moody, muted casual clothes) have awesome control and precision over their movements, making each detailed wrist flick or arachnoid splay of legs look hauntingly uncanny. They tussle at a distance, manipulating each other with invisible energy and, close up, covering each other’s eyes, taking turns at who holds the power.’ (Lucy Ribchester)
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Sand
(Dance)
‘Sand is constantly shifting beneath the performers, footprints disappear as quickly as they are made and the coastline itself becomes a metaphor for memory being steadily eroded. At one point, Dylan appears unable to recognise Heather, pushing her away despite her attempts to reach him. Moments of confusion and agitation become increasingly frantic. Through striking movements and an evocative soundtrack, the effect is quietly devastating.’ (Robyn Bell)
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Tale Of The Firebird – Concerto For Violin, Fire & Acrobatic Orchestra
(Physical theatre)
‘A versatile group of dancers, musicians, fire artists and acrobats from Australia master multiple talents at a time to convey the story. As the audience are stunned by flames and contortion, every scenario pushes the state of excitement further. Musical instruments rise into the air and bodies slink together in unity, creating shapes that further the narrative and allow a story of conflict and victory to emerge. Beautifully balanced, the lighting effects are almost as impressive as the stunts, but the coordination of the cast is exemplary as they listen intently to each note and leap into their next movement in unison.’ (Rachel Morrell)
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Under Mask
(Dance)
‘Wooden martial arts poles, incense sticks and long bird feathers are used as props in this intense, impressive work from the Mailantia Dance Company, choreographed by Lai Yun-Chi. Under Mask takes its inspiration from the faces that we show, the identities we hide and the roles that we follow. Four dancers begin in flesh coloured underwear, with their faces painted in the traditional red, white and black paint often seen in Taiwanese temple celebrations. They cover half of their faces with leather steampunk-style masks, beginning a group dance of strident marching.’ (Claire Sawers)
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Yuck Circus: Naughties
(Circus)
‘The Aussie femme-led circus troupe is back and, as always, it’s worth taking a moment to marvel at how they change the way women view their own bodies by doing, you know, totally normal things like forming a human pyramid. It never gets old. This new show is a homage to the noughties, with a soundtrack of boyband and club classics.’ (Jo Laidlaw)
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All Rise
(Music)
‘Kicking off a programme inspired by the United States, Edinburgh International Festival’s opening concert All Rise was quite the star-spangled springboard. This epic jazz symphony in 12 movements by American composer, director and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis combined the massed forces of the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra (of which Marsalis is the outgoing director after nearly four decades, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers: the sound from the stage was rousing. Built on the blues, All Rise features myriad musical depictions of American life, from powerful gospel singing to keening laments, African chants, Latin rhythms and classic New Orleans jazz.’ (Miranda Heggie)
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Truthmachine
(Immersive theatre)
‘Created by Nathan Sibthorpe, this 30-minute immersive experiment equips participants with headphones, sleek LED dials and a dossier of classified instructions. After a battery of preliminary queries calibrates the room’s nervous tension, one unfortuitous participant is selected for the hot seat. Strapped into a polygraph measuring biofeedback, they are grilled on (very) intimate affairs while the rest of us play human lie-detector. The goal? Well, that’s where it gets clouded.’ (Dominic Corr)
Read the full review.

Tell Me
(Circus)
‘The circus skills are used to brilliant effect, placing the performers within a hair’s breadth of danger (as they leap onto Chinese poles or hang suspended from chains) but also showing their incredible vitality and resilience. A striking scarlet set and score that blends 80s disco with soaring choral music make it visually and aurally arresting as well as moving.’ (Lucy Ribchester)
Read the full review.

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