Calling all StageSiders, welcome to StageSideUK’s 2025 Fringe round up for Edinburgh fringe. In this article we will outline the shows we will be watching and some of the shows that really caught our attention when looking for shows to see. Whether you’re into improvised murder mysteries, pitch-black audio adventures or quick-fire comedy, this year’s Fringe promises a diverse line-up that captures the chaotic brilliance of live performance with something for everyone. So keep on reading to find out more about what we will be watching at the fringe and see if any of our picks are on your To Watch list.
Starting with shows we are going to be seeing, (DISCLAIMER: We have been gifted tickets to the following shows) we have:
Murder She Didn’t Write
Genre: Improvised Murder Mystery
Venue: Assembly George Square – Gordon Aikman Theatre
Dates: 30 – 31 July & 1 – 24 August
Price: £20 Full Price
Synopsis: Imagine if Cluedo met Whose Line Is It Anyway. This slick and witty improv show invites the audience to choose the victim, the setting, and the culprit. What follows is a completely unscripted murder mystery that changes every day. Clever, chaotic, and endlessly inventive.
Eulogy by Darkfield
Genre: Immersive Audio Experience
Venue: Summerhall ( The Terrace)
Dates: 30 July – 25 August
Price: £15 Full Price
Synopsis: Step into complete darkness and be guided through a surreal hotel-like journey built entirely in your mind. Using cutting-edge binaural sound and voice recognition technology, Eulogy crafts an eerie and deeply personal experience where memory, identity, and reality begin to blur.
Darkfield Radio
Genre: 360° Immersive Audio (includes “Double,” “Visitors,” and “Eternal”)
Venue: Summerhall
Dates: 30 July – 25 August
Price: £10
Synopsis: Choose one of three immersive audio shows—each experienced lying down, in darkness, with headphones. Whether you’re exploring dual realities (Double), meeting ghostly visitors (Visitors), or facing eternal life (Eternal), this series provides a captivating, unsettling thrill you won’t forget.
AI: The Waiting Room
Genre: Sci-Fi / Experimental Theatre
Venue: studio at C ARTS | C venues | C alto
Dates: 4 – 16 August
Price: £18 Full Price
Synopsis: A mysterious message from the “future self” invites participants into an immersive space where AI unveils their projected histories. In The Waiting Room, choices shape a unique, evolving audio narrative, guiding participants through moments of dreams realised and challenges faced. As their future unfolds, from the fulfilment of deepest aspirations to a global crisis that transforms the world, participants explore a bizarre, unpredictable world where technology and humanity collide, prompting reflection on how our choices shape the future.
You’re Fired – The Musical
Genre: Musical Comedy
Venue: Lower Theatre at theSpace @ Niddry St
Dates: 1 – 9 August
Price: £12 Full Price
Synopsis: We transport you to a corporate London where success is measured by profit, power and personal gain. Steve, a young businessman, is selected to compete on The Trainee, a high-stakes reality show where contestants face tough corporate challenges for a chance to work with mogul Baron Sweetener. As Steve navigates this cutthroat environment, he encounters a variety of characters, each representing different aspects of the corporate world. Through these interactions, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, learning that true happiness may not come from wealth… or does it?
Court 2
Genre: Drama / Courtroom Theatre
Venue: Dunedin Theatre at Braw Venues @ Hill Street
Dates: 1 – 24 August
Price: £16 Full Price
Synopsis: After rave reviews last year, The Court is back with a new case. Was it murder when George Geddes was pushed over the cliff? You decide! Join the jury or just watch. Pie and pint included. Brilliant! Did George stumble or was he pushed? Who did the pushing? You listen to the evidence, you decide the outcome in this fantastic audience participation play. If chosen, you can become part of the jury and cross examine the suspects to get to the heart of the case or, you can sit back and decide. A must see.
101 Naughty Jokes in 30 Minutes
Genre: Adult Stand-up Comedy
Venue: 289Laughing Horse @ Dropkick Murphys – Main Room
Dates: 31 July – 24 August
Price: Pay What You Can £5 – £12.50
Synopsis: Award-winning gag-merchant and three-time Joke of the Fringe winner, Masai Graham, delivers over 100 naughty jokes in half an hour. Expect punchy puns, outstanding one-liners and wizardry wordplay in this 3.3 laughs-per-minute bonanza. ‘Annoyingly good’ (Gary Delaney).
And some shows that caught our eye while searching through the website:
‘Sing The Musicals’
Genre: Sing-a-long / Musical
Venue: Udderbelly at Underbelly, George Square
Dates: 1 – 24 August (certain dates excluded)
Price: £16 Full Price
Synopsis: This limited run live band lunchtime sing-along show is a dream come true for musicals fans of all ages, raising the curtain on all your favourite hits from stage and screen. Featuring songs from Mamma Mia, Hamilton, Frozen, The Greatest Showman, Dirty Dancing, Les Mis, Jungle Book, We Will Rock You, Phantom, Mary Poppins and many more… The entire crowd is the real star of this show, singing together guided by lyrics on a giant screen, accompanied by a brilliant live band. Bring the sing!
An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo
Genre: LGBTQ+ Autobiographical Theatre
Venue: Friesian at Underbelly, Bristo Square
Dates: 30 July – 25 August
Price: £12.50 Full Price
Synopsis: Bobby Award-winning comedy following Johnny, an 18-year-old at an all-boys boarding school. He ambles through daily life, Britney in his ears, failing to fit into the school’s (rather rigid) mould. Enter Harry, the rugby golden boy.
It is life through the lens of a young queer man, navigating Grindr, hyper-masculinity and an institution rife with shame.
Eelmageddon
Genre: Theatre / Comedy
Venue: Theatre at Bedlam Theatre
Dates: 12 – 17 August
Price: Pay What You Can £10 – 100
Synopsis: The world is over: rancid eels reign! Intrepid Fools unleash their freakishly fanciful third Fringe show. A disgraced eel scientist and his hopelessly hungry lab assistant are humanity’s last, least qualified hope. Will they prevent the Eel-pocalypse or pledge allegiance to our new slimy overlords? Will you be on the right slippery side of history? High-stakes absurdity, deep-sea conspiracies, and an alarming amount of eel facts in this eel-ectrifying, surr-eel and frantically fishy farcical comedy.
Delusions and Grandeur
Genre: Adult Stand-up Comedy
Venue: Summerhall – Red Lecture Theatre
Dates: 31 July–25 August (Excluding certain dates)
Price: £17 Full Price
Synopsis: Come for the music, stay for the existential crisis. Genre-blurring jester, Karen Hall peels back the layers of formality leaving you with only the humanity and insanity of the artist behind the instrument.
Have Your Say!
Do you have any Edinburgh Fringe shows booked? What are you going to be seeing? Let me know in the comments and let’s get a discussion going.
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