Rosie O'Donnell among headline acts at Gilded Balloon celebrations
It is her first ever Edinburgh Fringe show and comes after she swapped America for a new home in Ireland in protest against Donald Trump's election as president of the United States.
And she said: 'I'm beyond excited for my first Fringe Festival! I'm thankful to be a part of this historic gathering of artists of all shapes and sizes - I'm so happy to be included and hope you can stop by and say hello.'
She'll be joined by other top comedians such as Alan Davies, Fred MacAulay and Smack the Pony over the course of the festival.
It is a venue that will see some huge names in August that also includes a Donald Trump musical parody.
Read More
Karen and Katy Koren, Artistic Directors of Gilded Balloon said, 'We can't believe it's been 40 years since Gilded Balloon first presented shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, from small beginnings in the Cowgate.
'We're so proud to still be working with some of the most exciting acts in the country at the world's biggest arts festival. To mark our 40th anniversary, we've revisited our archive to revive iconic shows like Women in Comedy, and invite back some of Gilded's closest friends and success stories like Alan Davies and Jenny Eclair, as well as a Fringe debut for the inimitable Rosie O'Donnell.
'We're thrilled to throw back to the heyday of British sketch comedy with the likes of Smack the Pony and Oblivion Boys joining us and as always, our programme will showcase some of the very best rising talent in comedy as well as hard-hitting theatre and fantastic musicals. We look forward to celebrating 40 years of wonderful talent this summer.'
Alan Davies added: 'The Gilded Balloon is my home from home at the Fringe so I'm delighted to be in their programme for my first Fringe show since their 30th anniversary in 2015.
'I never come to the festival without seeing something or doing something at Gilded Balloon - it's an incredible achievement to run so many venues for so many decades while still championing the quirky, risky, bonkers Fringe shows we all love.'
Hit BBC news podcast Newscast will make its Gilded Balloon debut with host Adam Fleming discussing the news of the day with Adam Fleming.
The programme of shows also includes a host of rising Scottish talent with debut solo shows from Amanda Hursy and Hannah Morton, as well as hard-hitting theatre from Tatty Pants with 24Weeks, which explores a UK transformed by anti-abortion politics.
The Smack the Pony reunion will see Doon Mackichan, Fiona Allen and Sally Phillips get back together and they cannot wait to get on stage.
The trio said: "This is slightly surreal because it's 24 years since we finished - we're not old comedy, we now qualify as vintage, which is cool. Is it?'
"Because we always talk sketch ideas when we get together, on some level it's almost as if Smack the Pony never really stopped - that it just kept going in some parallel universe. So it feels like Gilded Balloon is some kind of portal and we'll be popping into catch up with Series 26. We're very grateful to have this chance to hang out and take the piss out of ourselves again - we've missed it!"
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Caroline Quentin: Jonathan Creek star to perform in Chekov play in Edinburgh seen 'through Scottish lens'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Caroline Quentin is to star alongside a cast of Scottish actors in a production of an iconic Russian play told 'through a Scottish lens'. The Men Behaving Badly and Jonathan Creek star is to perform in Anton Chekov's The Seagull at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh next season in the first show for new artistic director James Brining. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The facade of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. | Eamonn McGoldrick She said she was looking forward to playing in a 'proper' theatre in Edinburgh, decades after her 'first real successes as an actor' on the Fringe. Ms Quentin said: 'This production of The Seagull is the realisation of so many dreams. I have wanted to play Arkadina since I was in a production playing Masha nearly 40 years ago. 'The city of Edinburgh gave me my first real successes as an actor, on the Fringe with An Evening with Gary Lineker, Trench Kiss and Live Bed Show, all by Arthur Smith, and this year I finally get to play in a 'proper' theatre and they don't come any more beautiful and prestigious than the Lyceum.' Mr Brining, who recently moved back to Scotland after a stint at the Leeds Playhouse, said the play, which will be performed from October 9 to November 1, had been carefully selected as his first performance. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Quentin will take takes on the pivotal role of Arkadina, a once-celebrated actress who dominates every room she enters. Her son, the tormented young playwright Konstantin, yearns to escape her shadow, revolutionise theatre and win the heart of Nina - a luminous young woman with dreams of the stage. But when Nina's gaze turns to Arkadina's lover, the celebrated writer Trigorin, egos and passions collide with truly devastating consequences. Mr Brining said The Seagull would 'still be Russian' and have 'Russian references', but 'through a Scottish lens'. He said: 'The play is an examination of theatre itself, which is why it felt like such a perfect introduction for myself as a director in this new role. It felt like a playful choice, in some respects, for my first show, to do something that actually centres, to an extent, on what we're actually doing here, making theatre.' Mr Brining added: 'One of the reasons I was really keen to come back to Scotland to work in the Lyceum was the opportunity to make that kind of work.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Caroline Quentin in The Seagull. Pic: Steph Pyne and Mihaela Bodlovic | Lyceum During his time in Leeds, Mr Brining said he had commissioned a range of 'substantial musicals and opera'. 'I've loved doing that and I want to continue to do that kind of work,' he said. 'But what keen to do over time when I'm here is to make a diverse range of work in order to appeal to a diverse audience. At the Lyceum, I've got the opportunity to do the great plays as well, and The Seagull is exactly that. It is the kind of play we should be doing. It's an option for the Edinburgh audience to reengage in that play or maybe see it for the first time.'
Scotsman
10 hours ago
- Scotsman
Alison Spittle brings new solo show 'Big' to Edinburgh Fringe
Irish comedian and writer Alison Spittle is set to return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer with her brand-new solo show 'Big', running at Monkey Barrel 1 from the 29th of July to the 24th of August. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Known for her work on stage, screen and radio, Spittle's latest hour takes a bold and candid look at body image, self-worth and identity, drawing on a turbulent and transformative year in her life. After a chance encounter on a train triggered a serious health scare, Spittle began an unexpected weight-loss journey—now the subject of this heartfelt and hilarious new show. Big explores what happens when the world treats you differently because of your body, and whether changing yourself can ever really be the answer. Spittle reflects on her experiences as a working-class fat girl trying to fit into a middle-class, mid-sized world. With her trademark mix of honesty and humour, she asks how much of ourselves we're willing to lose in order to feel accepted—and whether it's possible to love who you were as much as who you're becoming. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Audiences can expect sharp, relatable storytelling as Spittle navigates everything from missing trains to fitting on rollercoasters, alongside moments of emotional insight drawn from a year that changed everything. Alison Spittle (c) Matt Stronge A familiar face from Pointless Celebrities, Richard Osman's House of Games, and Celebrity Gogglebox, Alison is also the co-creator of the popular BBC Sounds podcast Wheel of Misfortune, and has written and starred in her own sitcom Nowhere Fast. Big marks her highly anticipated return to the Fringe following two successful back-to-back runs with her previous shows Wet and Soup. Alison Spittle: Big runs at Monkey Barrel 1 from 29th July to 24th August (not 12th) at 4.45pm.
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tanks roll into DC for Trump's massive show of force
Tons of military hardware can be seen rolling into Washington, D.C., for a massive parade celebrating the Army's 250th anniversary on Donald Trump 's birthday. Dozens of tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, along with Strykers and other armored vehicles will all be part of the show of strength in the Nation's capital. Footage released by the Army shows a long line of military vehicles heading toward the nation's capital by commercial rail – with one shot showing the Washington Monument in the background. The images were shot from above by helicopter, providing stunning overhead views as the lethal materiel rumbles across DC's Anacostia River. Another shot shows the city's Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in the background. The new video revealing the scope of the equipment being mustered comes as Trump deployed 300 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles amid protests and mayhem there despite opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said it would escalate the situation. Trump ordered the arrest of everyone wearing face masks and called to 'bring in the troops' to L.A. Local authorities in Washington have already warned of the damage that 60 ton tanks could do to Washington's roads, at a time when it is struggling to preserve federal funding. The White House says the cost of the parade will be between $25 million and $45 million, at a time when the Department of Government Efficiency formerly associated with Elon Musk has been slashing contracts in search of $1 trillion in cuts. The Army posted its video with the comment: 'Right on schedule!' with a stopwatch emoji. Part of the parade route will run down Constitution Avenue just south of the White House with a 'birthday festival location' on the National Mall. Trump returned to the White House from Camp David Monday, where he confirmed the location of another project that will put his mark on the White House.
