Absolutely brilliant. As part of the International Fringe Encores Series, Awkward Productions is back at SoHo Playhouse with another of their gleefully unhinged shows! In its American debut, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story is the most irreverent, energetic, and frankly absurd retelling of Princess Diana’s story.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Bee… nope. Not saying it. Back on Broadway in its third reincarnation, audiences are no strangers to Beetlejuice. Based on the iconic cult-classic Tim Burton movie, the musical originally opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in 2019, then again at the Marquis after the COVID shutdown. It closed in early 2023, seemingly ending its rocky four years in New York before setting out on tour.

After a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2024, Awkward Productions’ Gwyneth Goes Skiing has crossed the pond and is now playing at the SoHo Playhouse. After seeing their newest show, The Fit Prince (...), in Edinburgh this summer, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see another of their campy productions—and it did not disappoint.

Out of the 24 shows I saw at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, find out which shows triumphed, which performers stood out, and more!

All reviews published. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the largest annual theatre festival in the world. See what was good, and what wasn't, here!

Oh, what a show” indeed. In the newest installment in what seems to be a never ending stream of shows on either side of the Atlantic, director Jamie Lloyd has created another stunning masterpiece.

🌟VERDICT'S PICK 🌟It’s rare to find a musical that toys with perfection—when it happens, it’s something truly special. Opening in October of 2024 at The Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End following two critically acclaimed runs at the Southwark Playhouse, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a masterpiece in storytelling.

In a season of bold reimaginings of classic pieces in the musical theatre canon, some have stood out, highlighting different aspects of a known work and turning it into a new production. However, some have missed that mark by a large margin. 

If there was any more talent on stage at the Friedman Theatre, it might border on illegal. Originally devised by Sir Cameron Mackintosh as a one-night-only event in the West End in 2022, Sondheim’s Old Friends starred the biggest names in London, and celebrated the life of legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim—fittingly held at the theatre named after him.

More like “Hide and Seek with Sarah Snook.” Sometimes she’s visible and downstage, but more often than not, she’s hidden by one of the screens or a set piece. However, that shouldn’t matter because she is always there on one screen or another, but she is always performing to the camera - never the audience. And there lies my gripe with this show - it was a movie that just happened to be filmed mostly live. 

On paper, this musical shouldn’t work: it’s about a man who only became famous after death, and the lead spends nearly half the show playing a motionless corpse - during a rock concert, no less. Yet, somehow, it not only works, but creates one of the most thrilling new musicals of this season.

Curtain up, light the lights—Gypsy is back. Again. Revived on Broadway almost every fifteen years starring the biggest female belter at the time, New York audiences are no strangers to Gypsy. However, this most recent production seemed to promise something different—but it didn’t deliver. Audra McDonald, a six-time Tony Award winner, makes history as the first woman of color to play Rose, one of the most revered roles in musical theatre history.

🌟VERDICT’S PICK🌟 “New ways to dream” is undoubtedly the theme of Jamie Lloyd’s new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical Sunset Blvd, based on Billy Wilder’s 1950 movie. This musical first opened in 1993 on the West End, starring Patti LuPone, who was subsequently (and infamously) replaced by Glenn Close when the production transferred to Broadway.

Described as “A love letter to Sheffield,” Standing at the Sky’s Edge is a peephole into three time periods in British history through three distinct lenses, each offering individual opinions and challenges.