Fringe Reviews
@fringereviews.bsky.social
Edinburgh Fringe addict, and huge fan of the #pbhfreefringe - it has transformed the Fringe for its performers and audiences.
Going to be on in London next week at Underbelly Boulevard.
Lil Wenker: boyking
Banshee Labyrinth banqueting hall - 16:30 (Mon)
A bonkers & very funny fairy 'work in progress' tale theatre piece on the consequences of a boy who doesn't care about them in their desire to become & stay king.
****
Banshee Labyrinth banqueting hall - 16:30 (Mon)
A bonkers & very funny fairy 'work in progress' tale theatre piece on the consequences of a boy who doesn't care about them in their desire to become & stay king.
****
September 12, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Going to be on in London next week at Underbelly Boulevard.
A longer write-up of my experience seeing as many shows on the #pbhfreefringe as I could is now at lovingboth.dreamwidth.org/1147421.html
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lovingboth.dreamwidth.org
August 28, 2025 at 12:22 PM
A longer write-up of my experience seeing as many shows on the #pbhfreefringe as I could is now at lovingboth.dreamwidth.org/1147421.html
Overall, a contender for the best three weeks two days of my life.
Thank you to all the performers, venues, & other audience members.
Thank you to all the performers, venues, & other audience members.
Can't top that, so that's the end of my #pbhfreefringe 2025.
I think the total of different shows I saw is *217*.
There were also 3 repeats (2 of which were cabaret with different guest acts) & about 4 'I went but nothing happened' shows, but if you allow repeats it'd be easy to get to 300.
I think the total of different shows I saw is *217*.
There were also 3 repeats (2 of which were cabaret with different guest acts) & about 4 'I went but nothing happened' shows, but if you allow repeats it'd be easy to get to 300.
August 25, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Overall, a contender for the best three weeks two days of my life.
Thank you to all the performers, venues, & other audience members.
Thank you to all the performers, venues, & other audience members.
Can't top that, so that's the end of my #pbhfreefringe 2025.
I think the total of different shows I saw is *217*.
There were also 3 repeats (2 of which were cabaret with different guest acts) & about 4 'I went but nothing happened' shows, but if you allow repeats it'd be easy to get to 300.
I think the total of different shows I saw is *217*.
There were also 3 repeats (2 of which were cabaret with different guest acts) & about 4 'I went but nothing happened' shows, but if you allow repeats it'd be easy to get to 300.
August 25, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Can't top that, so that's the end of my #pbhfreefringe 2025.
I think the total of different shows I saw is *217*.
There were also 3 repeats (2 of which were cabaret with different guest acts) & about 4 'I went but nothing happened' shows, but if you allow repeats it'd be easy to get to 300.
I think the total of different shows I saw is *217*.
There were also 3 repeats (2 of which were cabaret with different guest acts) & about 4 'I went but nothing happened' shows, but if you allow repeats it'd be easy to get to 300.
Comedians performing Rocky Horror from memory, again!
Voodoo Rooms carte blanche - 23:35 (one off)
A riotous sing-along of (most of) the songs "und" a little bit of the dialogue from the film. This year, it featured a suitably attired Luke Meredith as Frank'n'furter...
*****
Voodoo Rooms carte blanche - 23:35 (one off)
A riotous sing-along of (most of) the songs "und" a little bit of the dialogue from the film. This year, it featured a suitably attired Luke Meredith as Frank'n'furter...
*****
August 25, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Comedians performing Rocky Horror from memory, again!
Voodoo Rooms carte blanche - 23:35 (one off)
A riotous sing-along of (most of) the songs "und" a little bit of the dialogue from the film. This year, it featured a suitably attired Luke Meredith as Frank'n'furter...
*****
Voodoo Rooms carte blanche - 23:35 (one off)
A riotous sing-along of (most of) the songs "und" a little bit of the dialogue from the film. This year, it featured a suitably attired Luke Meredith as Frank'n'furter...
*****
Sharon Em: I know a guy
Carbon room 1 - 20:00
Good stand up story-telling about the discovery of a WTF secret about something that happened in their family in 1980s Ireland. Particularly well structured piece in that things you think are just scene setting turn out to be more relevant.
***
Carbon room 1 - 20:00
Good stand up story-telling about the discovery of a WTF secret about something that happened in their family in 1980s Ireland. Particularly well structured piece in that things you think are just scene setting turn out to be more relevant.
***
August 24, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Sharon Em: I know a guy
Carbon room 1 - 20:00
Good stand up story-telling about the discovery of a WTF secret about something that happened in their family in 1980s Ireland. Particularly well structured piece in that things you think are just scene setting turn out to be more relevant.
***
Carbon room 1 - 20:00
Good stand up story-telling about the discovery of a WTF secret about something that happened in their family in 1980s Ireland. Particularly well structured piece in that things you think are just scene setting turn out to be more relevant.
***
Dave Ruebens - all out magic
Carbon room 2 - 18:50
A very good mix of magical history & some impressive magic tricks, including teaching people how to do one of them.
****
Carbon room 2 - 18:50
A very good mix of magical history & some impressive magic tricks, including teaching people how to do one of them.
****
August 24, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Dave Ruebens - all out magic
Carbon room 2 - 18:50
A very good mix of magical history & some impressive magic tricks, including teaching people how to do one of them.
****
Carbon room 2 - 18:50
A very good mix of magical history & some impressive magic tricks, including teaching people how to do one of them.
****
Sex, drugs & conscious souls
The Street - 17:15
A high energy show - you would barely guess speed is an ADHD treatment :) - that goes a bit too far over the 'it works for us, therefore it would work for you' line but is an entertaining romp through their very different personal histories.
****
The Street - 17:15
A high energy show - you would barely guess speed is an ADHD treatment :) - that goes a bit too far over the 'it works for us, therefore it would work for you' line but is an entertaining romp through their very different personal histories.
****
August 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Sex, drugs & conscious souls
The Street - 17:15
A high energy show - you would barely guess speed is an ADHD treatment :) - that goes a bit too far over the 'it works for us, therefore it would work for you' line but is an entertaining romp through their very different personal histories.
****
The Street - 17:15
A high energy show - you would barely guess speed is an ADHD treatment :) - that goes a bit too far over the 'it works for us, therefore it would work for you' line but is an entertaining romp through their very different personal histories.
****
Pursed lip
The Street - 16:00
Delightfully off the wall mix of comedy & performance art on art from Lucy Pook who turns out to be - unsurprisingly - an art teacher.
****
The Street - 16:00
Delightfully off the wall mix of comedy & performance art on art from Lucy Pook who turns out to be - unsurprisingly - an art teacher.
****
August 24, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Pursed lip
The Street - 16:00
Delightfully off the wall mix of comedy & performance art on art from Lucy Pook who turns out to be - unsurprisingly - an art teacher.
****
The Street - 16:00
Delightfully off the wall mix of comedy & performance art on art from Lucy Pook who turns out to be - unsurprisingly - an art teacher.
****
Oh, everything today is the last one of its run on the 2025 #pbhfreefringe so I won't mention it again.
August 24, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Oh, everything today is the last one of its run on the 2025 #pbhfreefringe so I won't mention it again.
Sleightly funny
CC Blooms - 15:00
Good magic work from Sean Harrington - one sleight of hand production is particularly good, as is his coin work.
***
CC Blooms - 15:00
Good magic work from Sean Harrington - one sleight of hand production is particularly good, as is his coin work.
***
August 24, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Sleightly funny
CC Blooms - 15:00
Good magic work from Sean Harrington - one sleight of hand production is particularly good, as is his coin work.
***
CC Blooms - 15:00
Good magic work from Sean Harrington - one sleight of hand production is particularly good, as is his coin work.
***
Miss Take presents the straightors
The Outhouse - 13:15
Needed - & got - a large enough 'up for it' audience to play a version of The Traitors with 5 queer 'gayful' vs 2 'straightors'. Bi erasure :) got me eliminated 2nd, boo!
Great fun, especially after exile & seeing who is straight.
****
The Outhouse - 13:15
Needed - & got - a large enough 'up for it' audience to play a version of The Traitors with 5 queer 'gayful' vs 2 'straightors'. Bi erasure :) got me eliminated 2nd, boo!
Great fun, especially after exile & seeing who is straight.
****
August 24, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Miss Take presents the straightors
The Outhouse - 13:15
Needed - & got - a large enough 'up for it' audience to play a version of The Traitors with 5 queer 'gayful' vs 2 'straightors'. Bi erasure :) got me eliminated 2nd, boo!
Great fun, especially after exile & seeing who is straight.
****
The Outhouse - 13:15
Needed - & got - a large enough 'up for it' audience to play a version of The Traitors with 5 queer 'gayful' vs 2 'straightors'. Bi erasure :) got me eliminated 2nd, boo!
Great fun, especially after exile & seeing who is straight.
****
Liberace - in his own words
Voodoo Rooms ballroom - 12:05 (last)
A fun reminder of the over the top style - in piano playing & everything else - that made Liberace a superstar.
Only about 40 minutes long, I think everyone there would have welcomed more.
****
Voodoo Rooms ballroom - 12:05 (last)
A fun reminder of the over the top style - in piano playing & everything else - that made Liberace a superstar.
Only about 40 minutes long, I think everyone there would have welcomed more.
****
August 24, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Liberace - in his own words
Voodoo Rooms ballroom - 12:05 (last)
A fun reminder of the over the top style - in piano playing & everything else - that made Liberace a superstar.
Only about 40 minutes long, I think everyone there would have welcomed more.
****
Voodoo Rooms ballroom - 12:05 (last)
A fun reminder of the over the top style - in piano playing & everything else - that made Liberace a superstar.
Only about 40 minutes long, I think everyone there would have welcomed more.
****
ClownFish
Sandport Tavern - 22:00
A series of not so much sketches as light ideas, with cat pictures from a calendar in between.
Something at the very end reminded me that I had seen this last year. Had I remembered that earlier, I would not have gone this year.
**
Sandport Tavern - 22:00
A series of not so much sketches as light ideas, with cat pictures from a calendar in between.
Something at the very end reminded me that I had seen this last year. Had I remembered that earlier, I would not have gone this year.
**
August 24, 2025 at 10:54 AM
ClownFish
Sandport Tavern - 22:00
A series of not so much sketches as light ideas, with cat pictures from a calendar in between.
Something at the very end reminded me that I had seen this last year. Had I remembered that earlier, I would not have gone this year.
**
Sandport Tavern - 22:00
A series of not so much sketches as light ideas, with cat pictures from a calendar in between.
Something at the very end reminded me that I had seen this last year. Had I remembered that earlier, I would not have gone this year.
**
The magic touch
Sandport Tavern - 20:45 (last)
A series of mind-reading tricks, some more impressive than others, with a couple of others in between.
***
Sandport Tavern - 20:45 (last)
A series of mind-reading tricks, some more impressive than others, with a couple of others in between.
***
August 24, 2025 at 9:16 AM
The magic touch
Sandport Tavern - 20:45 (last)
A series of mind-reading tricks, some more impressive than others, with a couple of others in between.
***
Sandport Tavern - 20:45 (last)
A series of mind-reading tricks, some more impressive than others, with a couple of others in between.
***
Campbell Glazier: trickster
Uno Mas - 19:00
Some of the tricks are sillier than others - I did like Chekhov's rabbit & their part in one of them - but the presentation is very good.
****
Uno Mas - 19:00
Some of the tricks are sillier than others - I did like Chekhov's rabbit & their part in one of them - but the presentation is very good.
****
August 23, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Campbell Glazier: trickster
Uno Mas - 19:00
Some of the tricks are sillier than others - I did like Chekhov's rabbit & their part in one of them - but the presentation is very good.
****
Uno Mas - 19:00
Some of the tricks are sillier than others - I did like Chekhov's rabbit & their part in one of them - but the presentation is very good.
****
Absolutely magic!
Uno Mas - 17:45
Very good presentation, even when something goes wrong. Absolutely packed audience left entertained.
****
Uno Mas - 17:45
Very good presentation, even when something goes wrong. Absolutely packed audience left entertained.
****
August 23, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Absolutely magic!
Uno Mas - 17:45
Very good presentation, even when something goes wrong. Absolutely packed audience left entertained.
****
Uno Mas - 17:45
Very good presentation, even when something goes wrong. Absolutely packed audience left entertained.
****
Loyal family - Stella Graham
Voodoo Rooms carte blanche - 16:30
More good family stories from the reliable stand up who's one of seven kids. This time their mother has died & incredibly she's ended up as executor of the will.
***
Voodoo Rooms carte blanche - 16:30
More good family stories from the reliable stand up who's one of seven kids. This time their mother has died & incredibly she's ended up as executor of the will.
***
August 23, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Loyal family - Stella Graham
Voodoo Rooms carte blanche - 16:30
More good family stories from the reliable stand up who's one of seven kids. This time their mother has died & incredibly she's ended up as executor of the will.
***
Voodoo Rooms carte blanche - 16:30
More good family stories from the reliable stand up who's one of seven kids. This time their mother has died & incredibly she's ended up as executor of the will.
***
Ava & Beaux: tales of magic
Voodoo Rooms speakeasy - 15:25
The evolution of the show has been fascinating to watch: as the explanation of what's happening gets smaller, the audience still get it. That's down to the skill of the unique presentation.
****
Voodoo Rooms speakeasy - 15:25
The evolution of the show has been fascinating to watch: as the explanation of what's happening gets smaller, the audience still get it. That's down to the skill of the unique presentation.
****
August 23, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Ava & Beaux: tales of magic
Voodoo Rooms speakeasy - 15:25
The evolution of the show has been fascinating to watch: as the explanation of what's happening gets smaller, the audience still get it. That's down to the skill of the unique presentation.
****
Voodoo Rooms speakeasy - 15:25
The evolution of the show has been fascinating to watch: as the explanation of what's happening gets smaller, the audience still get it. That's down to the skill of the unique presentation.
****
Caitriona Dowden: dance like everyone's dancing
Carbon room 2 - 14:10
Fabulously different stand up getting laughs both from medieval Catholic theology & her experience of vaginismus. About as unmainstream as you can get, & all the funnier for it.
*****
Carbon room 2 - 14:10
Fabulously different stand up getting laughs both from medieval Catholic theology & her experience of vaginismus. About as unmainstream as you can get, & all the funnier for it.
*****
August 23, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Caitriona Dowden: dance like everyone's dancing
Carbon room 2 - 14:10
Fabulously different stand up getting laughs both from medieval Catholic theology & her experience of vaginismus. About as unmainstream as you can get, & all the funnier for it.
*****
Carbon room 2 - 14:10
Fabulously different stand up getting laughs both from medieval Catholic theology & her experience of vaginismus. About as unmainstream as you can get, & all the funnier for it.
*****
Good girl
Banshee Labyrinth chamber room - 13:10
Good stand up comedy that's mostly about her sex life, from dealing with pooing on dates to knowing what fear is.
***
Banshee Labyrinth chamber room - 13:10
Good stand up comedy that's mostly about her sex life, from dealing with pooing on dates to knowing what fear is.
***
August 23, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Good girl
Banshee Labyrinth chamber room - 13:10
Good stand up comedy that's mostly about her sex life, from dealing with pooing on dates to knowing what fear is.
***
Banshee Labyrinth chamber room - 13:10
Good stand up comedy that's mostly about her sex life, from dealing with pooing on dates to knowing what fear is.
***
Alexander Bennett: light entertainment (WIP)
Banshee Labyrinth cinema - 12:20
Work in progress that's got some good stuff already.
***
Banshee Labyrinth cinema - 12:20
Work in progress that's got some good stuff already.
***
August 23, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Alexander Bennett: light entertainment (WIP)
Banshee Labyrinth cinema - 12:20
Work in progress that's got some good stuff already.
***
Banshee Labyrinth cinema - 12:20
Work in progress that's got some good stuff already.
***
David Alnwick: secret magic show
Whistlebinkies small room - 11:15 (on tour)
A full very small room thoroughly entertained with a bunch of card tricks, some coin work & predictions.
*****
Whistlebinkies small room - 11:15 (on tour)
A full very small room thoroughly entertained with a bunch of card tricks, some coin work & predictions.
*****
August 23, 2025 at 11:15 AM
David Alnwick: secret magic show
Whistlebinkies small room - 11:15 (on tour)
A full very small room thoroughly entertained with a bunch of card tricks, some coin work & predictions.
*****
Whistlebinkies small room - 11:15 (on tour)
A full very small room thoroughly entertained with a bunch of card tricks, some coin work & predictions.
*****
A political breakfast
Hot Toddy - 09:30
Topical panel on whatever is in the news. It's possibly a sign of how bad things are in the UK that it's been full throughout this year's Fringe.
****
Hot Toddy - 09:30
Topical panel on whatever is in the news. It's possibly a sign of how bad things are in the UK that it's been full throughout this year's Fringe.
****
August 23, 2025 at 9:36 AM
A political breakfast
Hot Toddy - 09:30
Topical panel on whatever is in the news. It's possibly a sign of how bad things are in the UK that it's been full throughout this year's Fringe.
****
Hot Toddy - 09:30
Topical panel on whatever is in the news. It's possibly a sign of how bad things are in the UK that it's been full throughout this year's Fringe.
****
99 red hot kitties & a cockatoo
CC Blooms - 22:30
Actually very good mostly (? entirely?) queer burlesque - the routine with a hula hoop that involved minimal losing of clothes but plenty of skill & silliness was particularly great.
****
CC Blooms - 22:30
Actually very good mostly (? entirely?) queer burlesque - the routine with a hula hoop that involved minimal losing of clothes but plenty of skill & silliness was particularly great.
****
August 23, 2025 at 8:35 AM
99 red hot kitties & a cockatoo
CC Blooms - 22:30
Actually very good mostly (? entirely?) queer burlesque - the routine with a hula hoop that involved minimal losing of clothes but plenty of skill & silliness was particularly great.
****
CC Blooms - 22:30
Actually very good mostly (? entirely?) queer burlesque - the routine with a hula hoop that involved minimal losing of clothes but plenty of skill & silliness was particularly great.
****