The Latest Breaking News from Murdo MacLeod

‘We’ve had one Fleabag. We can’t have another’ – has the legendary Edinburgh hit become a curse?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s uncouth one-woman show is seen as the epitome of festival success. But 10 years on, we speak to three fringe performers battling to escape its long shadow

The Guardian - UK · Aug 21, 2023

James Rowland: Piece of Work review – an affecting account of fathers, sons and Shakespeare

Rowland’s beautifully crafted show considers his, and our, little lives in the context of the Bard’s words

The Guardian - UK · Aug 21, 2023

Pitch: the show about queerness in the beautiful game, made with fans and players

Growing out of the Lionesses’ success, the Edinburgh fringe play Pitch uses interviews gathered from LGBTQ+ grassroots football teams across the country

The Guardian - UK · Aug 20, 2023

‘You need an element of crowd control’: the Edinburgh comics also doing kids’ shows

They might be ‘edgy, queer’ comics by night – but by day Shelf are children’s entertainers, and they’re not the only fringe act with a sideline in making kids laugh

The Guardian - UK · Aug 16, 2023

Leech or saviour? Edinburgh fringe show spotlights theatre’s vexed relationship with critics

Attachment: The Leech Show is a merry romp about an influential reviewer and sums up the industry’s paradoxical attitude to theatre criticism

The Guardian - UK · Aug 16, 2023

The hell and humanity of touting myself at Edinburgh: ‘I sidle up to strangers like a stray dog’

For all but the biggest names, handing out flyers in the street is still essential. That doesn’t make it any less awkward

The Guardian - UK · Aug 15, 2023

Edinburgh’s superstar magicians on secrets and surprises: ‘You have to be very good at lying’

Magic and mentalism abounds at this year’s festival. But how are the tricks done? Some of the best performers remain tightlipped – while others reveal all

The Guardian - UK · Aug 14, 2023

‘My family were horrified’: comedian Sophie Zucker on her hilarious cousin-kissing funeral musical

A writer on The Daily Show who has been compared to Barbra Streisand, the New York comic has an unashamedly attention-seeking show at the Edinburgh fringe

The Guardian - UK · Aug 14, 2023

The week in theatre: Thrown; Dusk; Food review – plenty of fervent grappling with big ideas

Nat McCleary’s new play gets to grips with Scottish identity; a French-language take on Lars von Trier glides between stage and screen; and dinner is served, big time, courtesy of actor-clown Geoff Sobelle

The Guardian - UK · Aug 13, 2023

Edinburgh fringe 2023 week one roundup: Capote, Wilde and a lovesick angler

Single-performer shows dominate this year’s fringe, but standouts include a bold, revisionist western, a strong, silent circus duo, a bed-hopping jukebox opera and an hour of quiet grieving…

The Guardian - UK · Aug 13, 2023