Make it Happen
Brian Cox returns to the Scottish stage for the first time in a decade to play the ghost of Adam Smith in this brand new play by James Graham that focuses on the fallout of the 2008 financial crash and the disastrous played by disgraced Royal Bank of Scotland CEO Fred ‘The Shred’ Goodwin. With Sandy Grierson as Goodwin, this collaboration between the National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep is Graham’s latest drama drawn from real life incidents. Following the likes of Brexit: The Uncivil War (2024) and Sherwood (2022), it’s well worth the risk.
EIF. Festival Theatre until August 8, 7.30pm (not August 3). August 2, 6, 9, 2.30pm.
She’s Behind You
Johnny McKnight’s reign as twenty-first century queen of Scottish pantomime has long been established, both as a writer of more than thirty shows and playing dame umpteen times over the last twenty years. Originally a performed lecture at the University of Glasgow, McKnight’s opus has been developed with director John Tiffany (Black Watch, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) for the National Theatre of Scotland and the Traverse. McKnight’s voluminous skirts are let loose to show how traditions can be subverted while laying bare his very personal journey.
Fringe. Traverse Theatre until August 24, various times.
A Gambler’s Guide to Dying
Gary McNair’s solo shows over more than a decade have successfully channelled his personal set of fascinations to tell stories that are both witty and profound. With subjects that have included Morrissey and Billy Connolly, this tenth anniversary production of an early breakout show tells the story of how McNair’s grandfather made a fortune betting on the 1966 World Cup, then when he was diagnosed with cancer gambled it all on living to see the year 2000. In a theatrical landscape now saturated with solo memoirs, McNair has proved himself a master of the form.
Fringe. Traverse Theatre until August 24, various times.
The Beautiful Future is Coming
Flora Wilson Brown’s play moves through 250 years of real and imagined history to show an ever-changing world through the eyes of three couples. Presented by Bristol Old Vic Theatre, the play moves from nineteenth century New York on the site of what will become Central Park, to the very near future and the edge of the twenty-second century. As Wilson Brown’s characters navigate the storms and the heatwaves, they may or may not predict the end of the world.
Traverse Theatre until August 24, various times.
Ordinary Decent Criminal
Mark Thomas may be the comic conscience of the Left, but he’s also a brilliant performer in other people’s work. This year sees Thomas reunite with writer Ed Edwards for a new play written especially for him. The pair previously collaborated on England & Son, and here join forces for a play which sees Thomas play a recovering addict just been sent down for drug dealing. In prison he discovers that his inmates aren’t quite what they seem, and, in an optimistic rallying cry, realises that the revolution isn’t dead, but is only sleeping.
Fringe. Summerhall until August 25, 11.50am.
SKYE: A Thriller
Scottish actress Dawn Steele returns to the stage in Ellie Keel’s new island set play, in which she plays Annie, a woman on holiday with her family who think they see their long dead father on the beach. This prompts Annie to go in search of the truth and risk disturbing old ghosts in what promises to be a taut and troubling journey into the unknown. While Steele may be best known these days from her extensive TV work, on stage she has appeared with the National Theatre of Scotland in Tutti Futti and many more. Keel, meanwhile, takes a leap from her career as a successful producer to first time writer.
Fringe. Summerhall until August 25, 3pm.
Karine Polwart: Windblown
Writer/musician Karine Polwart gets back to nature to pay tribute to the Sabal palm, which has been contained in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden for two hundred years. As it outgrows its immediate surroundings, the chainsaw awaits. Using words and song as in her previous show, Wind Resistance, Polwart contemplates historical legacy and ecological loss while imagining the poetic and musical voice of the Sabal itself as it awaits its fate.
Fringe. Queens Hall, August 9-13, 7.30pm
When Billy Met Alasdair
Two legends for the price of one are brought to the stage, as novelist Alan Bissett imagines what might have been said when Billy Connolly turned up at a launch for Alasdair Gray’s 1981 epic novel, Lanark. Taking inspiration from a photograph of Connolly and Gray at the event as Gray signs Connolly’s copy of the book, Bissett intertwines their imagined exchanges with musings of his own. Bissett’s solo stage turns in The Moira Monologues revealed an accomplished comic performer who now brings his personal touch to his homage to these two towering cultural figures.
Fringe. Scottish Storytelling Centre until August 23, 8.30pm.
Pussy Riot: Riot Days
Russian provocateurs Pussy Riot scooped a Herald Angel award when they first brought their dynamic mix of theatre and punk gig to Edinburgh in 2018. The show charted the experiences of band member Maria Alyokhina, who was imprisoned in 2012 with two other members of the collective for ‘hooliganism motivated by religious hatred’ after taking part in Pussy Riot’s performance, A Punk Prayer, in Moscow’s orthodox cathedral. Having transformed this into one of the most exhilarating shows in town, this return after eight years takes stock of current events in what promises to be a thrilling call to arms.
Fringe. Summerhall, August 12-23, 9.30pm.
Faustus in Africa!
South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company are arguably best known in the UK for bringing the equines to life in War Horse, the National Theatre’s epic staging of Michael Morpurgo’s World War one set novel. The company last visited Edinburgh eleven years ago with Ubu and the Truth Commission. Their version of Faust dates back to the mid 1990s, rooting itself in the consequences of colonialism and the climate emergency. This reworked version features the startling animations of regular collaborator William Kentridge, and promises a feat of world-class technical artistry.
EIF, Royal Lyceum Theatre, August 20-23, 7.30pm.
The Herald, August 2nd 2025
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