The Best Theatre Shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Looking for the best theatre at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe? We'll be collating all of our four- and five-star reviews on this page
It's that time again! The 2024 Edinburgh Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival kicked off on Friday 2 August, and we've been busy checking out shows across the city. This page will play host to all of our four-star and five-star theatre reviews from across this year's festivals (click here for our picks of the best Edinburgh Fringe comedy), or scroll on for more features and guides to the best of this year's Fests.
Five-star reviews
A Knock on the Roof @ Traverse Theatre (★★★★★)
A one-woman show set during an Israeli bombing raid in Gaza, A Knock on the Roof is an intense, brilliant play that's surely one of the most important pieces of theatre to emerge from the Fringe in recent years. At Traverse Theatre (Traverse 2), until 25 Aug, various times, £5-22.75. Photo above by Alex Brenner
A Letter to Lyndon B. Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First @ TheSpace (★★★★★)
The back-to-back-to-back Fringe First winners may have outdone themselves with Lyndon B Johnson..., a heartwarming and heartbreaking two-hander following boy scouts and soldiers in the midst of the Vietnam War. Edinburgh run ended; King's Head Theatre, London, 4-14 Sep, various times
Pretty Delusional @ theSpaceTriplex (★★★★★)
Gianna Milici hilariously exposes the agonies, ecstasies, and humiliations of what it means to desire and want to be desired as a young woman in Pretty Delusional.
NATION @ Summerhall (★★★★★)
Making the art of performance seem simple is no small feat, and this simplicity is central to the mode of storytelling in the meticulously executed theatre piece NATION. At Summerhall (Roundabout), daily until 26 Aug, 10.30am and 21 Aug, 2.40pm, £17.
TESTO @ Zoo Southside (★★★★★)
Through drag, audio and movement, Wet Mess wrests the trans body from its sensationalised image in TESTO. Genderpunk at its finest. At Zoo Southside (Main House), until 25 Aug (not 19 Aug), 8.30pm, £15-16.
Through The Mud @ Summerhall (★★★★★)
A powerful journey into the continuing struggle for Black liberation in America, Through The Mud delivers the narrative of two generations of women activists. At Summerhall (Main Hall), until 25 Aug, 5.55pm, £10-17.
No One Is Coming @ Scottish Storytelling Centre (★★★★★)
There's one chance left to catch Sinead O'Brien's stunning solo show No One Is Coming, an unsent love letter about folklore and family. At Scottish Storytelling Centre (Netherbow Theatre), 18 Aug, 8.45pm, £12-14.
Cyrano @ Traverse (★★★★★)
Inventive and delightfully queer, Virginia Gay's adaptation of Cyrano is as much a piece about making theatre as it is a reimagining of Edmond Rostand's classic play. At Traverse Theatre (Traverse 1), until 25 Aug, various times, £16-23.
Weather Girl @ Summerhall (★★★★★)
Our first five-star show of the Fringe, Weather Girl is anchored by a brilliant performance from Julia McDermott, whose Valley Girl falsetto plasters upbeat Californian optimism onto the reality of raging wildfires and American apathy. At Summerhall (Cairns Lecture Theatre), until 26 Aug, 6pm, £10-16.
Main Character Energy @ Summerhall (★★★★★)
Temi Wilkey's solo show is a tour-de-force of comedy, drama and flamboyance, and the most dramatic re-telling of her journey to the stage you can dream of. At Summerhall (Roundabout), until 26 Aug, 9.40pm, £14.50-17.
CRAWLER @ Dance Base (★★★★★)
CRAWLER is a joyful, defiant feat of movement and music from Jessie Thompson and Jason McNamara. At Dance Base, run ended.
Four-star reviews
B.L.I.P.S. @ Summerhall (★★★★)
B.L.I.P.S. is a mental and emotional rollercoaster of an experience characterised by insomnia, paranoia, and even nostalgia. At Summerhall (Old Lab), until 26 Aug, 10am, £17.
Birdwatching @ theSpace at Venue 45 (★★★★)
A teenage trip to the woods gives way to a tense and dark look at the misogynistic structures which haunt our society in Black Bright Theatre Company's new folk horror.
Bark Bark @ Summerhall (★★★★)
Bark Bark is a magical blend of live performance, puppetry and cinema. At Summerhall (Anatomy Lecture Theatre), until 26 Aug, 12pm, £17.
ARCADE @ Summerhall (★★★★)
The latest show from the Fringe's foremost purveyors of container-based immersive experiences, ARCADE unexpectedly teaches us the guilt and privilege of our ability to compartmentalise and detach. At Summerhall (The Terrace), until 26 Aug, various times, £13.
The Disappeared @ Summerhall (★★★★)
An interactive and immersive delight, The Disappeared is a compelling example of cabaret as a powerful medium for exploring both sexy and political themes. At Summerhall (Dissection Room), 13, 15-18 & 20-26 Aug, 1.45pm and 14 Aug, 9.30pm, £17.
Failure Project @ Summerhall (★★★★)
Conveying deep truths about the creative industry and the pressures facing Black working-class artists, Yolanda Mercy delivers a show that gets to the core of what it means to be an artist in 2024. At Summerhall (Anatomy Lecture Theatre), until 26 Aug (not 12 or 19), 1.30pm, £10-17.
Burnout Paradise @ Summerhall (★★★★)
A mix of theatre, teamwork and collective endurance, Burnout Paradise is a very physical look at what modern life expects of us, and what we're able to give. At Summerhall (Main Hall), until 26 Aug, 12.05pm, £17. Photo by Darren Gill.
You're Needy (sounds frustrating) @ Summerhall (★★★★)
Site-specific, one-on-one piece You're Needy (sounds frustrating) tackles self-restriction and self-improvement. At Summerhall, until 26 Aug @ various times (30mins), £12.
Kafka's Ape @ Summerhall (★★★★)
Phala Ookeditse's adaptation of a Franz Kafka short story, Kafka's Ape is anchored by a tremendously physical performance from Tony Miyambo. At Summerhall (Demonstration Room), until 26 Aug, 10.40am, £17.
Stupid Sexy Poem Show @ Scottish Storytelling Centre (★★★★)
RJ Hunter, the current reigning Loud Poets Grand Slam Poetry Champion, continues to break new ground with her debut Fringe show. At Scottish Storytelling Centre (Netherbow Theatre), 10 & 19 Aug, 8.45pm, £12-14.
Or What's Left Of Us @ Summerhall (★★★★)
The latest show from Fringe veterans Sh!t Theatre, Or What's Left Of Us is a refreshingly honest production, using traditional folk sing-arounds and storytelling to explore shared experiences of grief. At Summerhall (Tech Cube Zero), until 25 Aug, 4.45pm, £10-17.
Joyfully Grimm: Reimagining a Queer Adolescence @ Scottish Storytelling Centre (★★★★)
Joyfully Grimm is a meditation on the hiddenness and in-plain-sight-ness of queer people through time, with a captivating performance and clever script. At Scottish Storytelling Centre (Netherbow Theatre), 8, 10, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22 & 24 Aug, 3.15pm, £12-14.
HYPER @ Summerhall (★★★★)
Ois O'Donoghue and Jaxbanded Theatre's HYPER is an intimate, powerful look at trans lives, with a touching connection at its core. At Summerhall (Former Women's Locker Room), until 26 Aug, 8.15pm, £17.
Penthesilia @ Lyceum (★★★★)
It was here for a good time, not a long time – the UK premiere of Internationaal Theater Amsterdam's post-punk take on Penthesilea is a visually and musically stunning example of gig theatre. Run ended.
Tones: A Hip Hop Opera @ Summerhall (★★★★)
Told almost entirely through rap, solo show Tones is a personal story about Blackness, community and creativity. At Summerhall (Roundabout), until 26 Aug, 6.50pm, £10-17.
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For a dedicated guide to the Edinburgh Festivals, check out our sister magazine Fest – their team are all over this year's festival season with reviews, interviews and more. Fest's preview issue is out next week, with review issues dropping throughout August.