Latest news with #AssemblyRoxy
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe theatre reviews #CHARLOTTESVILLE Ohio The Monkeypox Gospel The Ego
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... #CHARLOTTESVILLE ★★★★ Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) until 25 August Ohio ★★★★ Assembly Roxy (Venue 139) until 24 August With the United States thrown into turmoil by Donald Trump's second prsidency, it's fascinating to see those American dramas of doubt, division and aggressive certainty play out across the Edinburgh Fringe; and nowhere more so than Priyanka Shetty's impassioned solo show #Charlottesville, produced by Yellow Raincoat and Richard Jordan in association with the Pleasance. Subtitled 'The play that Trump does not want you to see!', Shetty's show is a powerful docudrama about the events of 2017 in the city of Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia, which Shetty witnessed as a young first year theatre student of Indian origin. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ohio | Oliver Rosser Enraged by a city council decision to remove some statues and memorials commemorating Confederate leaders, the American far right, emboldened by Trump's election the previous year, vowed to stage massive demonstrations in the normally quiet university city; and amid the torchlit white supremacist marches and huge counter-demonstrations that followed, one woman demonstrator was killed by a man who drove his car into the crowd. Shetty chronicles all this in vivid narrative style, with sharp and telling use of projected video images. Alongside this shocking story of a quiet town confronted with an overt politics of hatred, though, she also has a tale to tell of the more subtle oppression and marginalisation she suffers at the hands of her university department, who see nothing wrong with directors repeatedly refusing to cast her for student productions because of her skin colour, and aggressively forbid her to make a show about the Charlottesville events. The result is a riveting tale, told with intelligence and feeling, that cuts to the heart of the lingering racism and overt white supremacism that is helping to reshape American politics. And Shetty's powerful stage presence is a living reminder both of the profound crisis the United states faces, and of its enduring capacity, despite Trump's best efforts, to offer new Americans from across the world the chance to find, and raise, their own voices. In their show Ohio, at Assembly Roxy, US indie-folk duo The Bengsons - Shaun and Abigail - offer their audiences a much more meditative insight into the tensions that divide American society. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In what they call 'an ecstatic grief concert' - a one-hour cycle of songs punctuated by narrative - they chart their own personal journeys from childhoods shaped by religious faith (hers light-touch Jewish, his in a strict and devout Christian sect) through a long youthful process of doubt, rebellion, rejection, and rage, towards some kind of new accommodation with the aspects of life that are both spiritual and unknowable. The experience that shapes them includes Sean's increasing profound deafness, inherited from his preacher father, and the premature birth of their son, when the baby's life hangs in the balance. None of this, though, ever seems to diminish the magnificent, raw strength of their music, of Shaun's guitar and Abigail's wild, magnificent singing, which ranges from the gentlest of dances and laments to heart-tearing rebel yells of rage and grief; in a show whose music comes from the very heart of American culture - religious, folk-based, touched by soul and blues - yet always succeeds in forging it into something brilliant, and new. Joyce McMillan The Monkeypox Gospel ★★★ Underbelly Cowgate (Venue 61) until 24 August There's a lot going on in Ngofeen Mputubwele's debut stage show The Monkeypox Gospel; and so there should be, given the importance of the subjects he tackles, which include the science of pandemics, the politics of vaccination, and the impact of lingering colonial attitudes on human health and health care. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His subject is the monkeypox (now renamed m-pox) epidemic of 2022; but since m-pox, like AIDS, is often transmitted by sex between gay men, Mputubwele fears that by writing honestly about it, he will finally expose himself to complete exclusion from his Congolese family and community. The problem with the show, though, is that in a short 60 minutes, Mputubwele - who is an award-nominated podcast producer, as well as a journalist and lawyer - throws absolutely everything at it, from a massively noisy mixed soundtrack that sometimes drowns out his words (although he is a big man with a big voice), to awkward episodes in which he works through his traumas - as a gay man from a strictly religious background, and a black African living in New York - by performing extracts from Verdi's La Traviata, and dancing to the strains of Tchaikovsky's ballet music. That he has a powerful story to tell is not in doubt; but before he brings it to the stage again, he needs to declutter and re-focus the narrative, and then allow it - through him - to speak for itself. Joyce McMillan The Ego ★★★ ZOO Playground (Venue 186) until 24 August The Ego takes time to heat up, but as with a frog in water, there's no escaping the message at its heart when Anemone Valcke and Verona Verbakel bring proceedings to the boil. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In fact, the play isn't about the ego at all (the softest, most fragile part of a person, as they understand it), but of internalised misogyny and #MeToo. The action comprises videos captured during or after significant life-events – like when Verbakel's part in a movie gets cut, or when she calls her mum in tears before going onstage to do a kissing scene – and direct conversations with the audience. There is an unsettling commentary on informed consent performed to the tune of Marilyn Manson, and a message, written over Google Docs, reveals the soft, fragile centre of the play (what it is, what it isn't, why it is, and where it came from). This is overlayed by footage of manatees, who by law, cannot be harmed. What would it be to have the same rights as a manatee, they ask? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The overall shape of the piece means the final moments are somewhat anticlimactic, but each layer holds intrigue and meaning, and its conclusion poses powerful questions, nonetheless. Josephine Balfour-Oatts Jello Brain ★★★ Greenside @ George Street (Venue 236) until 23 August What starts off as a show about an anxious young woman's fear of getting of getting Alzheimer's disease, following her mother's diagnosis at the age of 55, turns into not so much a demystification of the illness and its effects, but a celebration of a charming mother-daughter relationship that prevails through the challenges. Written and performed by Natalie Grove, it begins with Natalie's Mum going to live in a place called 'Memory Care' and Natalie taking Xanex to deal with her worry of also getting the disease which, conversely, might in the long-term also make her ill. Grove's head is initially filled with the facts she's researched online about the disease, which are adding to her anxiety but also her knowledge. Her worries slowly alleviate as she and her mum adjust to their new lives, with the world of the care home, with its supporting cast of characters and their activities, evoked in a way that feels pleasantly domestic rather than offputtingly institutional. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A day-to-day charting of a series of events, including Natalie's trips to see her psychologist, rather than a piece with a more focussed story, it's refreshing to see such a positive piece about Alzheimer's and caring, with a heartfelt script performed by a warm and identifiable narrator with compassion and, by the end, strength. Sally Stott
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
FRINGE 2025: The Most Thought-Provoking Shows You Shouldn't Miss
From intimate storytelling to bold political theatre, this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe is delivering a quiet storm of shows that challenge, provoke, and linger long after the curtain falls. Here are six performances making a lasting impression across the city. 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... Odds Are Venue: Assembly Roxy Smita Russell blends mathematics, myth, and personal grief in a smart, genre-defying solo piece. Using humour and honesty, she unpacks life's apparent randomness with an elegant thread of logic and emotion. A compelling show that walks the line between science and soul-searching. No Good Drunk Buzz Venue: Assembly Rooms Trish Lyons brings her debut one-woman show, described as a 'stand‑up tragedy,' to the Fringe. In Buzz, she uses dark humour, poetic storytelling, and handcrafted props to confront a series of harrowing events – being stalked in Toronto, witnessing a suicide in London, suffering a breakdown and time in a mental hospital. The show moves between past and present, treating language as both balm and witness, and ultimately stands as a hymn to survival and the redemptive power of art. No Good Drunk BUZZ Venue: Pleasance Courtyard Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stacie Burrows brings a deeply personal tale of generational addiction to life with Southern Gothic flair. Combining storytelling, music and visuals, No Good Drunk explores how families carry their ghosts - and how one woman chose to stop the cycle. Haunting, poetic, and quietly defiant. NIUSIA Venue: Summerhall Odds Are A standout at this year's festival, NIUSIA is Beth Paterson's tribute to her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. Using verbatim text, music, and memory, Paterson creates a deeply moving portrait of survival, womanhood, and intergenerational strength. It's intimate, honest, and unforgettable. I Was a German Venue: ZOO Southside Clare Fraenkel revisits her grandfather's flight from Nazi Germany, weaving in her own questions of identity, nationality, and belonging in post‑Brexit Britain. I Was a German is reflective, historically grounded and politically current - a family history told with grace and urgency. Falling: A Disabled Love Story Venue: Pleasance Courtyard Aaron Pang offers a refreshingly candid look at life after a spinal cord injury, combining humour and vulnerability to explore sex, relationships, and the body. Falling is not just a love story - it's a reframing of disability that feels vital, honest and gently radical. In Summary Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This year's most thought-provoking Fringe shows are personal, political, and powerfully relevant. From ancestral memory to modern-day reckoning, these performances prove that theatre still has the power to change how we see the world - and ourselves.
Scotsman
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews: Sam Nicoresti: Baby Doomer
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... COMEDY Sam Nicoresti: Baby Doomer Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Two) (Venue 33) until 24 August ★★★★☆ Sam Nicoresti's evolution as a stand up has been inextricably bound up with their journey as a trans person. And very specifically in this show with their quest to find the perfect two-piece skirt suit. A mortifying experience in the changing rooms of a high street clothing retailer – during a Pride march no less – could be seen as symbolic of the culture wars. And it unquestionably is at a superficial level. But Nicoresti focuses on the very personal fallout of the tale: the humiliation and novelty of the scenario, those fundamental bedrocks of good anecdotal humour. Sam Nicoresti in Baby Doomer | Contributed Blessed with an interrogative intelligence and self-lacerating streak, they're living at the vanguard of social upheaval, just scrambling to be themselves with audiences the beneficiaries. No shrinking violet exactly, fond of tossing out a challenging aphorism such as 'all kink is autistic' or observations like the trans community being inherently drawn to magic, then winning you round to their point of view, Nicoresti nevertheless radiates fragility and insecurity. Any big laughs they elicit, and there are many, feel like bigger affirmations of self. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There's trauma, certainly, though Nicoresti is bleakly, hilariously forced to confront the reality that their flavour of PTSD may not be quite of the same strength or vintage as those of others. Related in characteristic asides, their parental support network is ambivalent at best. And the episode of their sperm donation is an eye-opening account of what some people have to go through in order to sustain the possibility of a family. With a lovely, precise turn of phrase and an extreme insider-outsider perspective in such ultra cisnormative environments as the gym, Nicoresti remains a highly distinctive act who doesn't seem to have peaked quite yet, with a long way to seemingly go in every respect. JAY RICHARDSON COMEDY Caroline McEvoy: Train Man Assembly Roxy (Venue 139) until 25 August ★★★☆☆ Caroline McEvoy's impressive Fringe debut draws its title from the YouTube channel and abiding obsession of her younger brother, one of the most important shapers of her identity. Jonathan is profoundly autistic. And her family's adaptation to his needs has massively impacted the London-based Northern Irish stand up's upbringing and present circumstances, while likely dictating her future. As the big sister charged with additional responsibilities, McEvoy nurtures some lingering resentments. But she's simply outgunned in the war of sibling rivalry thrust upon her, with the more consequential conflict of sectarian Ireland a backdrop that she archly and tonally astutely weaves into their story. Disney films are another recurring metaphor that she leans on, contrasting their optimistic sentiments with her own, somewhat more jaded perspective. She doesn't lay all of her issues at her brother's door though, with her teenage sexual awakening a confusion entirely of her own experimentation, though girls-only education unquestionably played a part. Keeping it light and entertaining for the most part, the self-mocking McEvoy is alive to her own foibles. But she fully conveys the magnitude of Jonathan's challenges, not just in his endearing, atypical quirks but also the ways in which society fails their family. JAY RICHARDSON COMEDY Sam Williams: Touch Me Not Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) until 25 August ★★★☆☆ Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Such is the idiosyncrasy of Sam Williams' first full-length Fringe show, that the stand up's claims of scratching a living eating cat food for marketing purposes and to be dating an Olympic champion, facilitated in an online netherworld that maybe has some overlap with the real, physical realm, aren't the most remarkable aspects of his debut. If all had gone to plan, the garrulous comic would be in a French monastery right now he maintains, having undertaken a vow of silence. Truly, God moves in mysterious ways. Because as a proudly sex-positive and articulate bisexual, Williams seems an unlikely adherent to the Christian faith. With two queer brothers, and parents who run the gamut from evidence-based rational thinking to hallucinogen-induced mysticism, Williams is that most scallywag of rogues, the charismatically Byronic storyteller with an exposed belly of vulnerability and overarching need to belong. As a lost soul, evoking the parable of The Prodigal Son through the clumsily cringe retelling of Rob Lacey's Street Bible, the text rendered in grasping yoof speak, this is a real curate's egg of an hour. Williams seems open, intelligent and painfully self-conscious. But his naked admission of embellishing his story somewhat undermines the spiritual epiphany, not least as he can't help getting a little too serious in his conclusion. JAY RICHARDSON Make sure you keep up to date with Arts and Culture news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here. COMEDY Fisherman Jon: What's on the End of My Rod? A Clown Odyssey Underbelly, Bristo Square (Venue 302) until 25 August ★★★☆☆ Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A fishy tale to be sure, Coral Bevan's drag clown show has a mythic quality that belies its modest staging. Alone on his boat, endlessly polishing his rod to a gleaming shine, grizzled old sea dog Jon chatters away to himself and casts into the ocean, taking a more than famished interest in what he might catch. To the calming lapping of the waves, What's on the End of My Rod? opens as a gently beguiling character comedy hour, as the wild-eyed, mostly toothless mariner baits and swims amongst the crowd. After reeling in a beauty however, the show takes a starboard lurch for the surreal and becomes epically Homerian, with the storm-tossed angler doggedly clinging to survival, a dream of love and resisting sirens' call. With the grotesquely made-up, utterly unrecognisable Bevan portraying both Jon and his screeching nemesis, the slippery characterisation plays with gender and even species specificity. You wouldn't call it particularly challenging or radical, beyond having a woman artfully assail an environment historically depicted as masculine, from the Greeks to Hemingway. Yet this Asparagus Mousse production is peculiar, throwaway silliness that charms with the fulness of the briny world it evokes. JAY RICHARDSON COMEDY Peter Buckley Hill and Some Comedians Whistle Binkies (Venue 158) until 24 August ★★★☆☆ This can be a tricky room to play as the noise spill from the bar can be overpowering. But it is an absolute joy to see Peter Buckley Hill back on stage with the show that started the whole Free Fringe – and paved the way for all that came after. And he doesn't let us down. Opening with a good old knob gag and moving on into a selection of his finest and jolliest musical ditties, he herds his baby audience from bemused through disbelieving to loving every moment. It is an object lesson in MCing a gig. We herald the start of each new song with the traditional 'Ohhhhhhhhhhhh,' giggle our way through a rousing rendition of Nobody Gives a F**k If You're a Vegan and even join in Peter's highly controversial take on babies' foreskins. The titular Some Comedians tonight are Vinay Sagar who's extraordinary ability to remember (today) Pi to the 467th digit is not best displayed here, thanks to an audience who seem unsure as to what Pi is, and Sam Love, who seems less than enthused about the entire thing. But we are given the parting comedy gift of The Ballad of Adolf and Eva and we all go out singing.
Scotsman
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Rising stars: 12 new comedians to see at the Edinburgh Fringe
Caroline McEvoy: Train Man: Assembly Roxy (RoxyBoxy) at 1:20pm Stand up comedian, host of Chortle Award winning comedy night Comedy Bandits and three time Funny Women Stage Awards nominee, Caroline McEvoy makes her solo debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Train Man - a captivating, hilarious and heartfelt tale of sibling rivalry in post-Troubles Northern Man is a brand new stand up, storytelling hour packed with gut-punch gags and emotional blows as Caroline reckons with her lifelong battle with her autistic younger brother, who loves trains and getting his own way. Ada & Bron: The Origin of Love: Pleasance Courtyard (Attic) at 11pm BAFTA nominated newcomers Ada & Bron invite you to third-wheel an unmissable hour of weirdo soulmates, cursed couples and debauchery. The Origin of Love is an absurd, larger-than-life character comedy for lovers of the strange, stupid and sexy. Wildly inventive and emotionally kaleidoscopic, The Origin of Love plunges headfirst into a surreal mythology of yearning, heartbreak and hope. Told through a patchwork of absurd vignettes, confessional letters and romantic misfires, this genre-defying show examines our messy attempts to connect. Tickets at Rohan Sharma: Mad Dog: Pleasance Courtyard (Below) at 7:10pm British/Indian comedian and reigning Leicester Square New Comedian champion Rohan Sharma presents his hotly-anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut - a fast-paced and surreal, multimedia stand-up odyssey through his harrowing/comfortable upbringing. Rohan will talk about how he's faced racism/no racism and will criticise/champion Britain and its checkered/flawless history, all from the perspective of a man whose brain has been corroded/nourished by modern society. Come see truth become lies, lies become truth and the dog become mad. Moving between seemingly earnest confession, cultural critique and sheer absurdity, Mad Dog is an ambitious, stupid and densely layered exploration of identity, belonging and spiritual disconnection. Tickets at Su Mi: Underbelly Cowgate (Iron Belly) at 6:40pm Award-winning stand-up and drag performance artist Su Mi presents their debut show: an immersive surreal eccentric comedy extravaganza resurrecting every nostalgic moment left forgotten and healing the inner child through play. Seeking to destroy archaic stereotypes of Asian women and challenge the narrative of comedy. Su Mi promises a gripping and raw social commentary on intersectionality, queerness, racism and mental health and a wild exploration of human existence. Join this reckless, spineless chucklehead on a surreal dystopian punk adventure through face melting and untamed (metaphorical) thrash metal solos to your own self discovery. Tickets at Becky Umbers: Put that Cat Back in the Bag: Assembly Roxy (Snug Bar) at 8:40pm In her debut hour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, New Zealand's award-winning comedian Becky Umbers dives into the delicate art of keeping your metaphorical cat (inner weirdo) hidden in a bag. A joyous hour of unique storytelling and observational stand up, told with the voice of a kids cartoon and the cheeky adult wit that has quickly made Becky one of the most exciting rising stars on the comedy circuit. With a distinctive take on life and the voice to match, Put That Cat Back in the Bag sees Becky hilariously exploring why we're often encouraged to hide our quirks in an attempt to fit in with our peers. Tickets at Cabbage the Clown: Cinemadrome: Underbelly Buttercup at 9:45pm Minimum wage cinema employee turned multi-award winning tragic fool with over 8 million views online, Cabbage The Clown makes their hotly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut with a genre-busting hour of multimedia drag-clowning about queer heartbreak, consumerism and the drudgery of working in a cinema. One-part breathless parody of cinematic history, one-part thoughtful dissection of working class career options and one-part rolling around on the floor covered in popcorn, Cinemadrome marries a buffet of genres in polygamous holy drag matrimony. Tickets at Ted Milligan: United: Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Three) at 9.45pm Sketch Off Winner 2024 Ted Milligan makes his highly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut in United - a joyously funny, character led, live mockumentary which follows a fictional football club and their dedicated fans as they scramble to regain their position in the league. The town of Crubchester has fallen on hard times and Crubchester United F.C. finds itself outside the league. Having been purchased by a 6 year old billionaire who brings in a no-nonsense manager, can they return to their former glory in the 92? Inspired by Sunderland 'Til I Die and Ted Milligan's own journeys around the country supporting Plymouth Argyle, United is a unique narrative comedy hour packed with whip-smart writing and nuanced performances of sharply observed characters. Tickets at The Mayor and his Daughter: A Genuine Appreciation of Comedy: Assembly Roxy (Snug Bar) at 4:10pm Leicester Square Sketch Off Finalists The Mayor and His Daughter (Ciaran Chillingworth and Kit Finnie) make their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut with their Leicester Comedy Festival Award Nominated, folk-horror, alternative sketch show. The Mayor and his Daughter are in crisis. The soul of their beloved village is in tatters, besieged by the demonic forces of modern Britain. But there's a light in the darkness; when they discover a sacred tome - a box set of Russell Howard's Good News (Series 2). They make it their mission to repair their fractured community with laughter. This timely exploration of Englishness in the current crisis of national identity will make you question the rules of sketch comedy like never before. Tickets at Douglas Widick: Paperclip: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (The Penny) at 10:20pm Microsoft Word's writing assistant, Clippy, has seen the future and it is bleak. Determined to prove his usefulness and prevent the impending techno-dystopia brought about by Artificial Intelligence, Clippy travels back in time to warn humanity in a thrilling adventure through the internet. Paperclip is a high energy, interactive and nostalgic musical comedy celebration of retro digital mascots, packed with rock tributes to a time when the internet was a simpler place. Paperclip also features some of the astounding musical improvisation that has already seen Douglas Widick become a celebrated performer in New York. Tickets at Jacob Nussey: Primed: Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Three) at 7:15pm Award winning comedian Jacob Nussey spills the secrets of Amazon in a hotly tipped debut hour loaded with his trademark sharp jokes and deadpan delivery. Chortle's 'one to watch' 2023 unpacks the absurdities and chaos of warehouse life, exploring preconceptions, job interviews, stealing, and why things could always be worse. Before becoming a comedian, Jacob dropped out of university, was unsuccessful in a series of lengthy job interviews and finally ended up working for Amazon. From mascots to company scandals, Primed unboxes the realities of minimum wage jobs while hilariously and stealthily tackling issues around working class aspiration, workplace incentives and wealth gaps. Tickets at Josh Elton: Away with the Fairies: Hoots @ The Apex (Hoots 4) at 8pm Drawing on a chaotic and deeply funny reservoir of memories, Away With the Fairies is a riotously funny and disarmingly vulnerable exploration of identity, humiliation, and the strange places we find meaning. Blending rapid-fire stand-up, with vivid storytelling, Josh Elton spins comedic yarns that teeter between the absurd and the emotionally resonant, from playground trauma to public humiliation. Woven through with themes of sibling rivalry, mental health, romantic love and fairy curses, the show plays with truth and fiction to reveal a deeper honesty. Tickets at Steffan Alun: Stand Up: Hoots @ The Apex (Hoots 4) at 9:30pm Welsh optimist Steffan Alun finally presents his hilarious debut hour. As seen on BBC Wales, S4C, supporting Elis James on tour and performing slightly less than an hour of stand up at the fringe every year since 2015. Steffan returns to Edinburgh to work through his latest identity crisis with an hour of excellent comedy about sexuality, pop culture and, of course, all the best things about Wales. Steffan Alun: Stand Up is a rich, raucous blend of politics, identity and unapologetic queerness, anchored by a proudly Welsh perspective and a neurodivergent lens. Underneath the self-deprecating storytelling and playful irreverence lies a clear-eyed warning about complacency, and a passionate call to joy, defiance and community in the face of rising intolerance. Tickets at Related topics: EdinburghTicketsMayor
Scotsman
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Comedian and podcaster Rob Auton announces tour ahead of bringing debut story to Edinburgh Fringe
Multi-award-winning comedian, writer, podcaster, and actor Rob Auton (The Change, Marching Powder, Starstruck) announces a brand new tour with CAN: The Story of a Man Called CAN — his first-ever narrative story, centred on a man who was once the world's leading motivational speaker… until something changed. The show debuts in Edinburgh for the full month this August and tours the UK from 2026. 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... Rob will kick-start the tour with a return to London's Soho Theatre, performing Downstairs for a week-long run from Monday 19th January to Saturday 24th January at 7.15pm. Rob performs his new hour at the Edinburgh Fringe at Assembly Roxy, Upstairs, from 30th July – 24th August at 1.25pm. Tour tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday 18th July and Fringe tickets are on sale now. Full dates and tickets at Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dubbed 'the Fringe's comedian laureate' by the British Comedy Guide, Rob has earned a cult following with his acclaimed comedy, theatre, and spoken word shows exploring specific themes — from time and yellow to hair and even himself — which he has toured nationally and internationally, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival multiple times. Rob performs his new hour at the Edinburgh Fringe at Assembly Roxy A two-time British Podcast Awards Gold winner, Rob is the creator of The Rob Auton Daily Podcast, which has over 500 episodes and 2 million downloads. Praised by The Observer's Miranda Sawyer for 'making you see the world differently,' the podcast features Rob's uniquely humorous reflections on the everyday, blending spoken word with evocative music. On screen, in the past year alone, Rob has starred opposite Danny Dyer in Marching Powder, appeared in Channel 4's hit comedy The Change, and released his debut stand-up special The Time Show with PLOSIVE and Turtle Canyon Comedy. He also featured in the latest series of Starstruck (BBC), adding to credits including Miracle Workers (TBS), The End of the F**ing World (Netflix/Channel 4), The Russell Howard Hour (Sky), Cold Feet (ITV), and Random Acts (Channel 4). His appearance on Stand-Up Central With Rob Delaney (Comedy Central) went viral, amassing over 21 million views. Rob recently partnered with JF Abraham of acclaimed conceptual pop group Public Service Broadcasting to debut their collaborative project, Words With Music, to a packed tent of thousands at last summer's End of the Road Festival. Following its success, the duo will return to perform again this year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rob's latest book, I Strongly Believe in Incredible Things, was published by HarperCollins' Mudlark. He has also released three earlier books with Burning Eye and a spoken word album on Scroobius Pip's Speech Development Records.
