Assembly Festival has announced over 100 more shows going on April 18 as part of this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Highlights include best-selling author and activist Rose McGowan making her Fringe debut; star of Parks and Recreation comedian Nick Offerman (pictured); legendary screenwriter Russell T Davies (Doctor Who and Queer As Folk); Clive Anderson - the host of Whose Line Is It Anyway; comic legends Frank Skinner, Mark Watson, Russell Howard, Simon Evans, and Hardeep Singh Kohli; impressionists Christina Bianco and Jess Robinson; Scottish stand-up comedian Susie McCabe; Arabella Weir (BBC Two Doors Down); star of Netflix’s Comedians of the World Aditi Mittal; and comedy award nominees Nick Helm, Larry Dean, James Hancox, Joanne McNally, Tom Walker and Nath Valvo.
They will be joining fast-paced sketch comedian Goose: Ctrl+T; high camp, filthy cabaret star Reuben Kaye; abrasive, witty expat-antipodean Kevin the Vampyre; Tom Lenk star of Buffy and the 2018 sell-out Tilda Swinton Answers… ; Pamela’s Palace – a hilarious situational comedy set in a hairdressing salon; comedian Diane Chorley who is turning The Underground (Assembly’s George Square venue) into her immersive 80’s night club The Flick for her two new shows, Down the Flick and Modern Love; and Lolly Jones who returns with her new comedy show about Merkel, May and the EU.
Classic hits are celebrated in our musical theatre programme going onsale today which includesFriendsical: A Parody Musical about Friends a tribute to the iconic TV Show written by Miranda Larson;Cruel Intentions The Musical, based on the cult movie Dangerous Liaisons; Wannabe: The Spice Girls Show; and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s rendition of Legally Blonde The Musical.
After the success of their HighTide: Edinburgh programme last year, HighTide have now partnered with Assembly to present Disruption, a programme of contemporary new writing exclusively at Assembly Roxy.Kenny Emson’s Rust will form the centrepiece of the programme, following its run at London’s Bush Theatre. Other work in the season includes Collapsible by Irish writer Margaret Perry; Pops which sees Fringe favourite Charlotte Josephine return to Edinburgh; a double bill of shows presented by The Queer House written by Teddy Lamb and Mia Johnson; and Suffering From Scottishness a new play from Kevin P. Gilday.
Other highlights in this year’s theatre programme include: The Believers Are But Brothers and the return of The Fishermen both part of the British Council’s Edinburgh Showcase;; Musik a one woman show by Frances Barber about art icon and rock star Billie Trix (Pet Shop Boys); new work from Canadian director Judith Thompson - Watching Glory Die inspired by the shocking and true story of teenage prisoner Ashley Smith, who committed suicide while guards looked on; and What Girls are Made of - the 2018 Fringe smash directed by Orla O’Loughlin and based on the true story of Cora Bissett’s rollercoaster journey from 90s indie-kid hopeful, to wised-up woman.
Dark comedy theatre told through clowning, physical storytelling and live music includes Haste Theatre’s Ex-Batts and Broilers about two delightful chickens on a journey through chickenhood; Bang Average Theatre’s Lucille and Cecilia – a surreal piece about two circus sea lions; and beep boop a multimedia clown show exploring our obsession with technology.
This year’s dance and physical theatre highlights include Fringe favourites Flip Fabrique’s return with their new show Blizzard set in the dead of winter and told using breath-taking acrobatics and visual storytelling; Java Dance Theatre from New Zealand’s new shows Chocolate and Back of the Bus combining physical and kinetic energy with a magical mystery tour of Edinburgh by bus; the return of international smash-hitBromance exploring male companionships and their limits where handshakes become handstands and backslaps become backflips; Forest from the world-renowned Moscow Art Theatre School - 14 contemporary young Russian artists perform a powerful dance fantasia about the natural world; Recirquel from Budapest returning with five star sell-outs My Land and Paris de Nuit; the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts bringing us Peking Opera’s Farewell My Concubine; and Machine de Cirquereturning with a new production La Galerie taking you to the boundaries of art.
For younger audience members there is Jarred Christmas & Hobbit: The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show a sensational interactive show, where kids can make mind-blowing music and win prizes;the return of Comedy Club for Kids; and Valentina’s Galaxy at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh – an intergalactic adventure for 2-6 year olds inspired by women in space and part of the Made in Scotland programme.
William Burdett-Coutts, Artistic Director of Assembly Festival said: “We are looking forward to a fantastic festival this summer. Our programme is packed with new talent, returning favourites and some truly incredible shows, that demonstrate the real breadth of world-class performance that comes to Edinburgh every August under Assembly’s banner.”
Assembly’s programme so far is available at www.assemblyfestival.com
