The five-star shows you need to see at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

WITH more than 3,000 shows in this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme, deciding what to see can be a daunting task. The Scotsman's expert critics have already reviewed over 300 Fringe shows, and of those only eleven have been awarded a coveted five-star rating. So, if you want to see the very best of what the Fringe has to offer, this list is a good place to start...

Colombian circus company Circolombia perform 'Acelere' on stage at The Underbelly Circus Hub. Picture: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images

THEATRE

Heather

“The standard of writing remains high – award-winning playwright Thomas Eccleshare (Pastoral) has clearly had great fun creating his Rowling-adjacent fictional universe.”

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Summerhall (Venue 26)

Until 27 August

Nina: A Story about Nina Simone

“Rage is the name of the story, in Josette Bushell-Mingo’s magnificent show about the mighty singer, musician and civil rights activist”

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Traverse Theatre (Venue 15)

Until 13 August.

Foreign Radical

“It’s a show that gets under your skin.”

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Canada Hub @ King’s Hall in association with Summerhall (Venue 73)

Until 27 August.

£¥€$ (LIES) – Ontroerend Goed

“The speed at which it all happens; the primal instincts it appeals to; and the sense of chaos, confusion and loss it generates when the system collapses teach you as much about yourself as they do about the global money machine.”

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Upperchurch @ Summerhall hosted by RBC (Venue 26)

Until 27 August.

COMEDY

Phil Nichol: Your Wrong

“It asks genuine questions about right and wrong and the huge, tangled spaces in between. The last story is so beautiful it silences the room.”

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Heroes @ Monkey Barrell (Venue 515)

Until 27 August.

Trevor Lock’s Community Circle

“He has a ­ferociously fast wit which goes from nought to brilliant comeback in a nano-second.”

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Bannermans (Venue 357)

Until 27 August.

Denim: World Tour

“These ladies are not just here for laughs, they are here to make a statement about identity and acceptance. And for laughs. And to celebrate the power of pop music”

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Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61)

Until 27 August.

Terry Alderton: All Crazy Now

“The comedy thrill of a lifetime”

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Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

Until 27 August

DANCE, PHYSICAL THEATRE & CIRCUS

Acéléré by Circolombia

“This is the circus performance that shows others how it’s done. Go”

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Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows (Venue 360)

Until 26 August.

Circa: Humans

“Humans explores how it feels to be made of flesh and blood – although I’m not entirely convinced these people are. The ten performers do things with and to their bodies that would see most people heading to A&E.”

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Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows (Venue 360)

Until 26 August.

Border Tales

“Funny, thought-provoking and consistently entertaining, Border Tales celebrates our differences and acknowledges our sameness.”

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Summerhall (Venue 26)

Until 26 August