Ten dramatic productions comedy fans might want to know about

We launch our annual batch of preview pieces for the Edinburgh Fringe, here are ten shows from the theatre section of the programme comedy fans might be interested in, even if they are not all explicitly funny….

11½ Angry Men

In 2003, a bunch of comedians including Owen O’Neill, Ian Coppinger, Phil Nichol, staged a version of Sidney Lumet’s classic 1957 film 12 Angry Men. Now they are all back alongside Joe Pasquale, Spencer Jones, Andrew Maxwell, Stephen K Amos, Terry Alderton, Mark Maier, Glenn Wool, JJ Whitehead and actor David Calvitto for a new parody version, written by O’Neill. Now 11½ very angry comedians attempt to decide the fate of a boy accused of heinous murder in 1950s New York…

Pleasance & EICC, 2.30pm, until Aug 22

Max Olesker: Making the Cut

One half of comedy double act Max & Ivan, who created Fringe institution The Wrestling, is back with an autobiographical story about converting to Orthodox Judaism in the name of love – even though it required him to have a circumcision at the age of 36. It’s adapted from Olesker's memoir of the same name.

Pleasance Dome, 6.50pm, not Saturdays (Orthodox Jewish, remember?)

The Event

Master comedy improviser and Fringe favourite Mike McShane, stars in this witty deconstruction of a theatre performance to examine the unspoken contract between actor and audience. Calvitto – remember him from two entries back – won a Fringe First for this play back in 2019, which was described as ‘delicious, perniciously mind-bending stuff' by the Financial Times.

Pleasance Courtyard, 12.30pm

Kirsty Mann: Corpse

Comedian Kirsty Mann – who previously presented the solo shows Mess and Skeletons at the Fringe –bought a derelict house in a dodgy area, made even cheaper because someone just died in it. But she didn't mind, she says, because she didn't believe in ghosts. She does now.  This tale won Mann, pictured above, a comedy award at Perth’s Fringe World in Australia earlier this year, where on reviewer likened it to ‘The Woman in Black meets Catherine Tate'. Sounds perfect for fans of Uncanny…

Summerhall, 5.15pm

Bog Witch

After launching at Soho Theatre’s swanky new outpost in Walthamstow,  Bryony Kimmings’ latest autobiographical piece of comic theatrical storytelling returns to the Fringe. It tells of how she and her son uprooted their lives to move to a tumbledown cottage in the wilderness, to plug back into nature as a last-ditch attempt to be happy and sane. Read our review here.

Traverse Theatre, various times

Giraffe

Abigail Weinstock has appeared on Such Brave Girls, been a script adviser for James Acaster, made a number of short films with fellow comedians and as a stand-up made the final of Jewish Comedian Of The Year.  Giraffe is a semi-autobiographical story about a sociopathic stalker. That bit’s  fictional, but her neurodiversity and Jewish and queer identities do come into play. A screenplay based on this is already in development with Sherlock and Dracula producers Hartswood Film.

Pleasance Courtyard, 1.45pm

Fragments 

Another autobiographical dark comedy, this one from comedian Martin Bearne, is about a man who has always tried to deflect serious  topics with laughter – even with his therapist. This play ‘explores what happens when the laughter stops and you’re forced to explore the darkness that shaped you’. That he has a citation from Baby Reindeer’s Richard Gadd calling it ‘a  deeply moving piece of personal theatre’ surely suggests the tone. Posting on social media, Scottish comedy stalwart Bearne said: ‘It's dark, brutally honest, and autobiographical – but it does have the occasional dash of humour and even a couple of jokes (I am a comedian after all!).’

Hoots @ Apex, 4.20pm 

This Is How I Got Arrested...

It’s less clear whether this story of a working-class youngster, going from tumultuous childhood to hedonistic and ultimately ill-fated drug-fuelled escapades in the party hotspots of the Med, is also autobiographical. But it’s a frenetic romp through the tale, brought to life with physical comedy, crowdwork and pumping soundtrack. Read our review of an earlier version from the Brighton Fringe here.

Zoo Playground, 7.40pm

Mrs Gary Breath

In this satirical one-woman romcom from former Cambridge Footlights member Ellie Ross, Annie's parents offer her a life-changing sum to get married by 35. The sketch comedian brings to life all the supporting characters in a show directed by Liam Williams, of Sheeps and Ladhood fame.

Assembly Roxy, 4.40pm

Marjolein Robertson: Shetland Folklore

Comedian Marjolein Robertson draws on her other talents as a storyteller in the tradition of her Shetland homeland for a short run of ‘beautiful, sad, funny and magical’ tales – told in a mix of Shetlandic and English.

Scottish Storytelling Centre, 8.30pm, Aug 22-25 and 29-30 only

Published: 6 Jul 2026