Review: Twonkey’s Zip Wire to Zanzibar
Joyous, pointless silliness as Twonkey takes us on a rollercoaster down the rabbit hole
Genre: Comedy 0
Review: Jena Friedman: Motherf*cker
Seeing this show once is not enough. Although you will catch all of the jokes, you will want to hear them again – and again. Every line hits. Friedman is so intuitive, such a great observer of human behaviour and insightful analyst of the political landscape that you want to not only remember her stories but the way in which she imparts them.
Review: A Cause For Laughter
Go see this slick, funny, lively show, get new ideas for stand up shows to see you’d like to see next, and support the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies while you do it
Review: Gavin Lilley Signs of the Times
Authentic, visually rich stand-up comedy that opens doors to an alternative universe for hearing audience members
Review: Abnormally Funny People
Cracking comedy from first rate comedians, who happen to be disabled
Review: Beth Knight: Who Told You to Be Small?
Beth is challenging the beauty myth and owning her talent.
Review: Darren Leo: Good Engrish
A sharp, funny, and heartfelt blend of storytelling and stand-up exploring one family’s leap from Taiwan to Canada.
Review: June Tuesday: Comic Trans
June is not shouting from the rooftops, she just wants to be a woman, even if she gets paid less.
Review: Two Hearts: Don’t Stop Throbbing
The husband and wife pair bring their sharp, observational-comedy songs back to Pleasance Two for a show guaranteed to make you laugh until it hurts.
Review: James Barr: Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex to My Mum)
Domestic abuse isn’t funny, but this show is.
Review: Andrew Doherty – Sad Gay AIDS Play.
Despite the title, one of the funniest shows on the Fringe takes huge swipes at AIDS play tropes and Arts Council England.
Review: Dead Man Talking
A neat premise in a comedy world where “the sad bit” has become well-worn. The vibe is having-fun-at-a-wake.
Review: The Faustus Project
A hilarious evening with an unsuspecting guest who just happens to be the star of the production.
Review: Austentatious
Come for the wit; stay for the reflections on the building blocks of neoclassical romanticism.
Review: Rachel Morton-Young: Dutch Courage
A warm, sharp, inclusive stand-up hour about life between two cultures
Review: Lorna Rose Treen: 24 Hour Diner People
Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe Award Winner 2023 lives up to her reputation in this fast-paced and absurd character show.
Review: 5 Mistakes That Changed History
A range of mistakes to delight even the most ardent history fan.
Review: Lily Phillips: Crying
Delivering double-punch jokes, Crying explores what happens when the birth of your child doesn’t quite match what Instagram promised.
Review: Paul Williams: Don’t Look at Me
Williams creates the intimacy required for exceptional comedy, a challenge given Roxy Upstairs’ leaning toward conventional plays and musicals.
Review: Super Mama
Lithuanian comedian makes her debut at the fringe with a story about almost forgetting yourself after becoming a mum.
Review: Short Plays 2025
Enough here to engage and make anyone who’s not yet ventured to NVT to keep coming back. Do see this collation of crazies.
Review: Top Hat
The most joyous musical of the summer. And it has a summer heart that never cloys. A sizzling must-see.
Review: The Merry Wives of Windsor
Sean Holmes has conjured the most intelligently re-thought Merry Wives of recent years with a convincing take on Mistress Ford. The last few gestures in this show change everything that might follow.
Review: Amour Utopique
A solo clown circus show with the potential to grow into something more refined and impactful
Review: Chez Lui
A superb solo mime and clown show taking the audience into the intimate and mad world of its protagonist
Review: James Inverne That Bastard, Puccini!
With such a script, cast and production values, this is a sure-fire hit, a gem deserving of longer runs too. Don’t let this be a one-run wonder!
Review: Claire Dowie H to He (I’m Turning into a man) Finborough
A must-see for anyone who loves breakthrough: genre-defying, then genre-defining theatre.
Review: Claire Dowie See Primark and Die Finborough
There’s more than a touch of Ken (even more, Daisy) Campbell about the way Dowie structures her circular storytelling. Here it’s at its most consummate, most artful and repays re-reading to catch Dowie at your throat.
Review: Sheridan The Rivals
This company re-thinks Sheridan in his spirit: clear and steady as lead-crystal struck through with sun. The inventiveness of filleting the text to guy the fact of a five-strong cast is part of their distinction. It’s a must-see.
Review: A Canadian Explains Eurovision to Americans
Matti McLean rises like a phoenix in this surprisingly heartfelt trip through the strange world of Eurovision
Review: The Fabulous King James Bible
A fabulous historical comedy about the gayest king and his new bible
Review: Three Minutes Inside My Brain
Get ready to be shrunk down and taken on a whirlwind adventure inside Jennifer's brain
Review: The Heterosexuals
A terrifying(ly funny) stand-up comedy about the scariest thing out there: heterosexuals
Review: Stephen Sondheim, David Ives Here We Are
Altogether this mightn’t be in the top tier of Sondheim musicals, but it’s one of the most interesting, even profound, and Sondheim exits with a rapt question-mark. Unmissable.
Review: Rocky Horror Show
An excellent revival. The strength of this cast led with a special wit by Clune makes it absolutely worth seeing however many times you have. Otherwise, just see it!
Review: The Shark is Broken
Essential theatre for anyone who enjoys new plays with more wit than several comedies. A must-see.
Review: Calamity Jane
See this for the onstage musicians and above all Carrie Hope Fletcher giving Calamity soul as well as heart. Highly recommended.
Review: The Secret Garden/Bleak Expectations
Deliciously wholesome satire, this is a deliriously-paced, superbly-acted production.
Review: Dr Strangelove
Steve Coogan reigns supreme, and a cast like John Hopkins then Giles Terera are a gift to both Coogan and the show.
Review: Perfect Arrangement
There’s never been a more urgent time for this gem of a work: a small hybrid classic that’s never been produced in the UK before. See it now.
Review: Teatro dei Gordi: Pandora
It begs questions: what couldn’t we do, if placed outside our own comfort station in life? Essential theatre. essential questions. A gem.
Review: The Last Laugh
This is a must-see. Never outstaying its welcome, you can leave this show after 85 minutes, but stay for that Q&A. I envy everyone the night I won’t be there for it.
Review: The Gift
How far you’d go to pursue either vengeance or to resolve one, asks just such questions of how we choose to box up our lives. The Gift is for all of us.
Review: Sam Holcroft Rules for Living
Season’s Greetings for robots. It interrogates a therapy many believe works. More than worth seeing in this first-class NVT cast and production.
Review: Now That’s What I Call a Musical
The cast grab this by the scruff of its shoulder pads and make us love them. A must-see.
Review: Twelfth Night
Tom Littler again brings an intimate, wintry music to middle Shakespeare: it’s his unique gift. Never sour, never sweet without salt, and with very few reservations, a definitive close-up Twelfth Night.
Review: My Fanny Valentine: Rebirthed
Megan Juniper is the Disney Princess of Gynaecology in this hilariously funny mix of stand-up comedy, musical theatre, and vagina facts.
Review: Other Side Comedy
A collection of up-and-coming comedians from London take the stage with great humor, stories, and jokes.
Review: The Comedy of Errors
The most intelligent Comedy of Errors I’ve seen since the NT production of 2012 and truer to the play’s temper.
Review: Garry Starr: Classic Penguins
Classic Penguins is an energetic and edgy piece of theatre that truly has it all…except clothing.
