Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023: Playbill picks their top hits this year
Playbill, the top theatre publication in America, is at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year. And our edit team has seen a whole lot of theatre. When this story runs, we will be winding down with our time in Edinburgh and filing the last of the review of shows we’ve seen. Below, we’ve included a selection of shows that we think you should see before the festival is over. Drama, musicals, circus, shadow puppets—we got it all here!
An Evening of Mayhem with Megan Stalter: “Wow, you suck. This is probably the worst audience ever.” With a show that can only be described as indescribable (mostly because there is no story or plot to follow), Stalter is a chef’s kiss combination of star quality, narcissism, and comic gold.
Shadow Kingdom: The entire show is performed live by the two artists, who sit at the front of the stage, on opposite sides of a light. Each puppet or scene is individually moved by hand, and it’s remarkable to see. We found ourselves alternately gasping or smiling widely throughout this show that’s a delight for all ages.
It's a Motherf**king Pleasure: A young blind man is hired as an influencer by a company under fire for ableism. This play confronts the audience with the knottiest questions about disability, representation, and virtue signaling. Both insightful and uproarious, it's a motherf**king pleasure, indeed.
Strategic Love Play: Him and Her sit around a table with pints in hand. The beginning of the date makes it quite clear that these two have probably insurmountable incompatibilities. But the chemistry between them is absolutely electrifying. Are you rooting for them as a couple for their sake? Or because you don’t want the date—and the play—to come to an end?
Sophie’s Surprise 29th: If you're a millennial and a fan of '90s teen dramas, then this is the show for you. Come for the awe-inspiring tricks, stay for the Twilight fanfiction and the audience singalong of Robbie Williams' "Angels." Williams may be loving angels instead, but we are loving Sophie’s Surprise 29th.
We’ll Have Nun of It: The musical features a quintet of young female students living and studying in a convent in the 1960s. The pop score is reminiscent of Spring Awakening. Some songs will make you want to sing and dance along; others are more somber and reflective. We can't wait to one day see the full-length version.
Read the rest of these reviews or find more Playbill Picks and Playbill’s Fringe coverage at www.playbill.com/playbill-goes-fringe.