Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Darryl J Carrington: Out of the Box
Darryl J Carrington
Venue: The Wee Coo Underbelly George Square
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A warm, silly and skilfully performed hour of family clowning. Darryl J Carrington combines impressive juggling, playful games and gentle audience participation to create a show that keeps children entertained while bringing the adults along for the ride. You never quite know what will come Out of the Box next.
Review
Darryl J Carrington: Out of the Box is playing at Underbelly’s Wee Coo venue throughout the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2026. An uplifting and fun hour of clowning for kids and adults alike, this cheeky and skilful clown comedian will keep you wondering what will come out of the box next.
We enter the Wee Coo, which is wee indeed and are greeted by, quite simply, a box upon a box. Enter also our clown, Darryl J Carrington, who is skilled at warming up the crowd and clueing us into the levels of call and response required. He also carries a football style yellow and red card in order to admonish both himself, us and occasionally the inanimate objects in the space for any transgressions. It’s classic stuff but it works really well and quickly gets the children on side.
We are treated to a number of set pieces, the first of which involves a classic 90s back-flipping toy dog. He whips up support and encourages the toy to do the very act it was born to do. This gives you a good sense of the silliness on offer throughout the show. Each number is set to a well-thought-out soundtrack which enhances the flow of the action. Next up, Carrington begins to juggle. This is clearly a strong area for him and, despite the limitations of the low ceiling in the venue, he absolutely makes the most of the opportunity to demonstrate his mastery of the skill. Using both balls and clubs, he deftly shows why he is deserving of the huge round of applause he receives.
One endearing part of the show is the amount of audience participation involved. Prior to the show beginning, Carrington puts us at ease by explaining that he would never pull anybody up onto the stage who doesn’t want to be there, immediately establishing a general atmosphere of ease and fun. Numerous children and adults (which causes the children to fall about laughing) are brought onto the stage to perform gently humorous actions, such as attempting to juggle with Darryl or being pitted against each other in playful, wacky games.
Importantly, the participation never feels threatening or designed to embarrass anyone. Carrington has an easy warmth with his volunteers and seems particularly adept at judging how much each person is willing to give him. That makes Out of the Box a very safe bet for families who might usually feel a little nervous about interactive shows.
Through all of this, it is clear that Carrington is a skilled performer who has found a fun niche in entertaining younger audiences without forgetting about the adults who have brought them along. Out of the Box is simple, silly and skilfully performed, proving that sometimes all you need is a great clown, a willing audience and a box full of surprises.
