Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Hugo’s Rainbow Show
Hugo Grrrl
Genre: Children's Theatre, Musical Theatre, Storytelling
Venue: Underbelly Bristo Square Dexter
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A colourful, inclusive and wonderfully warm-hearted hour for younger children. With shimmering costumes, catchy songs and gentle audience participation, Hugo creates a welcoming space filled with kindness, fun and plenty of rainbows. A lovely introduction to the Edinburgh Fringe for its littlest audiences.
Review
Hugo’s Rainbow Show is playing at Underbelly Bristo Square on the Dexter stage throughout the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2026.
The delightfully befeathered drag king act Hugo Grrrl greets us at the entrance, making sure to connect with each and every child on the way into the auditorium. He is vividly dressed in a swanky rainbow suit that dazzles from every angle. Hugo is delightfully and authentically friendly and seeks to reassure everybody entering the theatre that the Rainbow Show is going to be lots of fun – and it is.
The show itself follows a relatively simple formula. It takes the five chapters of a self-written book called What Makes a Rainbow? Hugo then intersperses each chapter with an appearance from the various characters in the book as they enter the stage in an increasingly delightful carousel of shimmering drag-king-a-liscious outfits.
Hugo introduces the show and warms up the crowd, letting us know that this is one where it’s okay to respond however you like and to feel free to clap and dance along. The general vibe is incredibly relaxed and is perfect for children of all ages. Interestingly, I took my 11-year-old to watch this and feel that is probably around the upper limit for children when watching the show. She was engaged and enjoyed it. the show is well placed in the 0 to 8 age bracket.
Then we meet the characters within Hugo’s delightful, entertaining and gently educational book. We are greeted by Ray the Sun, Misty the Cloud, Wayne the Rain and eventually Archie the Rainbow. Each one is accompanied by their own special song and set of hand actions, and the crowd gamely clap and sing along.
Hugo has a warm and engaging presence, is a strong singer and the array of beautiful costumes is almost worth the entrance price alone. There is a lovely simplicity to the whole production. It doesn’t need huge set pieces or complicated storytelling to keep its young audience engaged, relying instead on colourful characters, repetition, music and a welcoming atmosphere.
Hugo’s Raainbow Show is a really gentle and beautiful hour for little ones and wouldn’t feel out of place as a CBeebies production, not least because beneath all the colour, feathers and songs sits a simple message promoting kindness, equality and diversity. It is colourful, inclusive and enormously warm-hearted, providing a lovely introduction to the diversity of the Fringe for its youngest audiences.
