Underbelly Cowgate’s new, late night comedy experience is BATSU! Currently a hot ticket in New York and Chicago, audiences join comedy warriors testing their wits to avoid electric shocks, paintballs, giant chickens and other jaw-dropping punishments. Underbelly Cowgate’s iconic SPANK! finished its incredible 20-year Fringe run last year and now BATSU! will follow in its footsteps, entertaining the late-night Cowgate crowds all festival. Similar to past shows such as Stamptown, and Werewolf Live, BATSU! is unlike anything you’ve seen before. It promises to be the must-not-miss experience of the festival.
The Circus Hub programme is once again full of incredible circus from all over the world. La Clique returns to its spiritual home, the Fringe, after a sell-out 2022 season. Underbelly is proud to present the return of The 7 Fingers to the Fringe, after many years touring the world, with the world premiere of Duel Reality. Last seen in Edinburgh with the phenomenal Passagers, ‘wondrous acrobatics from Cirque de Soleil spinoff’ (The Guardian), this is circus on a whole new level. Merging passion with danger, two teams compete, the stage becomes an arena and the audience must pick a side.
Also taking centre stage in the Lafayette are Fringe favourites CIRCA with a brand new show Peepshow (Club Remix). Promising an hour of big beats joined by live DJ, playful acts and thrilling acrobatics, Peepshow (Club Remix) is delightfully funny and razor-sharp featuring the best acrobatics on the planet, directed by Circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz.
Direct from Las Vegas, Scottish mentalist Colin Cloud makes his highly anticipated return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for five nights only with brand-new show After Dark, promising to astound, delight and move you in equal measure.
Fast becoming a Fringe home for musical hits such as Marlow and Moss’ Six, Fat Rascal’s Unfortunate and Rob Madge’s My Son’s A Queer, the upside-down purple cow, Udderbelly, will welcome the returning five-star musical Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder, in an expanded new version. A hilarious murder mystery musical from the Olivier Award-winning team behind Fleabag, Baby Reindeer and A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad).
Co-Directors of Underbelly, Charlie Wood and Ed Bartlam, said; “Underbelly was born at the Fringe 24 years ago and we’re so excited to return home for another year with a line-up of exceptional shows. We’re looking forward to inspiring audiences this summer and once again working collaboratively with leading international companies. See you in August.”
COMEDY
Alongside BATSU! Underbelly’s comedy line-up is a wonderfully assorted collection of work worth celebrating, spanning from heart-warming stand-up to riotous improvisation including Joe Sutherland is Cancelled. Joe is returning to the stage to put the world to rights with a new PR strategy.
Edinburgh Comedy Allstars returns with a host of favourite comedy names. Previous names including Joanne McNally, John Bishop, Ahir Shah, Nina Conti, Phil Wang and Fern Brady.
More stand-up comedy can be found with Geoff Norcott (pictured middle) and his new show Basic Bloke, in which he gives his thoughts on our wider society, as well as the return of Bilal Zafar (pictured bottom) with a show about how his housemate tried to get him arrested five times.
Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer Emmanuel Sonubi is back with new show Curriculum Vitae, and 2022 sell-outAnge Lavoipierre is back with Your Mother Chucks Rocks and Shells, an absurd sketch show where it’s always 2am. Returning for limited runs are improv-favourites Austentatious and podcast-hit Drunk Women Solving Crime, and making the jump from online success to the Fringe stage are Tim Murray with a Wicked-ly queer comedy Witches, Joe McTernan: Live Advice that Won’t Change Your Life and Tom Lawrinson’s Hubba Hubba .
Alongside this is a host of wonderful female-led comedy, including one-woman shows like Coffee Kid; Eme Essien: FINE PRINT; Sophie Sucks Face, a side-splitting musical comedy; Medico; Charlie Vero-Martin: Picnic; and five-star, sell-out one-woman show Bad Teacher; and a brand new hour from Sooz Kempner (pictured top) for everyone who remembers the year 2000 in Y2K Woman.
Ruby McCollister brings her gothic dark comedy Tragedy, about addiction, fame, obsession, and the ghosts of Shakespearian actors to Cowgate; fresh from Off-Broadway Six Chick Flicks… parodies your favourite movies in one hysterical, fast-paced show; in Bristo Square, Ashley Blaker: Normal Schmormal is a heart-warming stand-up show about the joys of raising children with special needs and award-winning Alice Fraser: Twist, is about the moment you think you’ve got a handle on things and life throws you a twist. Viral TikTok sensations Shoot From The Hip bring their unscripted and downright unforgettable improv comedy and Ireland’s favourite internet comedians make an appearance in An Evening With Michael Fry and Killian Sundermann.
The annual highlight of the Underbelly programme, Underbelly’s Big Brain Tumour Benefit is returning to McEwan Hall; a stupendous evening of comedy in which all Box Office income is doubled and donated to The Brain Tumour Charity.
Don’t miss improvised murder mystery CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation; award-winning Haus of Dench with Drag Queens vs Vampires and Britain’s Got Talent winner Jon Courtenay with Mental Flavour. Grace Jarvis’ This Is The Last Goldfish That I Am Going To Eat For You; Anesti Danelis’ comedy concert This Show Will Change Your Life; Myq Kaplan’s advice to his past-self in ImPERFECT; award-winning Durham Revue with Death on the Mile; and a hilariously heart-warming show celebrating Guy’s and St Thomas’ Chemotherapy Ward Tom GK: Chemodian.
