Our Favourite Non-Mobius Edinburgh Shows So Far

We’re halfway through this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe!

The Mobius Press team in the Scottish capital are sharing their top picks of non-Mobius shows they’ve seen so far – perfect inspiration for your must-see list.

Check out our previous blog post from this year's Fringe: Top Tips from Fringe Pros!

Elaine

• Kanpur: 1857 set during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in Kanpur (then anglicised as Cawnpore), this two-hander opens with quite literally a bit of a bang. An Indian man (Niall Moorjani) is tied to the mouth of a cannon which was a very real brutal execution method favoured by the British back then and facing him is a British officer (Jonathan Oldfield) who is getting ready to fire the cannon. What follows is a tight two-hander where the two go back and forth over colonial violence, cultural identity and gender. I loved the scenes between the two actors and their chemistry and learning more about that period of time
• The Monkeypox Gospel this time, the lens on colonialism shifts to Belgium’s occupation of the Congo and its little-discussed role in the spread of HIV and monkeypox. Writer Ngofeen Mputubwele takes us back to 2022, when he pitched a story to The New Yorker about the global monkeypox outbreak, which had begun to ripple through New York’s queer community. What was a huge career opportunity came with personal costs as Ngofeen chose to reveal both his queerness and his broken celibacy in print. Ngofeen is very watchable and there are some really moving moments when he talks about coming out to his parents which had some of the audience in tears. I also enjoyed learning more about this period of history I didn’t know much about

Maryann 

• Ohio blew me away; the Bengsons are an American indie-folk husband and wife duo who have crafted a spellbinding hour of gig theatre. The show tracks Shaun’s childhood growing up in the church, finding his love of music, and learning to live with degenerative hearing loss. It’s a joyful story about losing faith and finding hope, and also showcases the power of creative captions in a more accessible option for Fringe-goers. Ohio is transferring to the Young Vic in London if you miss it here in Edinburgh.
• Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x) was such a well-punched show that unpacked the dramatised experience of actor/writer Jade Franks who went to university at Cambridge and found classism and the disparity of wealth in the UK front and centre of her experience. A Scouser and working as a cleaner through university, Jade hilariously navigates the jarring time she had and poignantly highlights the ridiculous assumptions and prejudices made on those not born into wealth. 

Annabelle

• Sad Gay AIDS Play at Pleasance Dome was so good I had to see it twice in the first week! I’ve seen Andrew Doherty’s Gay Witch Sex Cult and WIP: Female Lawyer already, so I went in with high expectations. It did not disappoint! Such a smart commentary on ACE that’s bonkers, brilliant and totally bizarre.
• I caught When We Were Young at theSpaceUK which was darkly comic and deeply moving. The cast from Geez a Break Productions delivered with razor-sharp timing and a distinctive flair for each character, landing laughs one moment and gut punches the next. I thought about it all the way home. 

Eve 

• Delusional: I Killed A Man is a hauntingly beautiful performance about the trans experience and about not only embracing your true identity but also shedding your previous sense of self. Through an exquisite blend of aerial skills, dance, physical theatre, spoken word, and singing, Diana Salles embarked on a physically arduous journey with grace, skill and a sense of effortless strength. I was utterly mesmerised throughout and left so moved that a kind audience member ended up giving me their whole pack of tissues. I urge you to gift yourself an hour of time to experience this show and sit in the feeling of simply being yourself.
• In another, if quite different, celebration of queer identity, The Platonic Human Centipede, is a hilarious show from returning Fringe artists Mel and Sam. This time they have used their musical, fast-paced, theatre-kid comedy to explore the best (and sometimes most unexpected) pairings that are so good together they simply must be stitched together like a… I cannot get these ridiculously catchy and very inappropriate songs out of my head (Kristen Stewart and a vampire singing about the similarities of blood suckers and lesbians, anyone?) believe that everyone else needs to witness this masterful queer comedy show.

Hayley

• I thoroughly enjoyed the musical retelling of one of Australia's most infamous Olympic athletes in Breaking The Musical. From humble beginnings in Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia, we learn of the rise of Spraygun, with highlights of songs including "I Think I Pulled A Muscle" from her husband, resulting in her entry to the Olympics and "I'm Breaking Down", an emotional ballad after becoming the laughing stock of the world. With the constant threat of a scary lawyer lurking, and cheeky nods to some musical theatre favourites like Rent and Wicked, this musical comedy definitely has something for everyone.
• The one woman show Flick personifies what happens when you let your intrusive thoughts win. It follows the story of an overworked palliative care nurse who develops a massive crush on one of her patients, and ultimately takes things too far. With comedic scenes, but also some extraordinarily heartfelt moments, you end up rooting for main character Flick despite her making some very questionable choices. A fine example of what a solo person show should be.

Emma

• I loved Between the River and the Sea, a late addition to the Edinburgh programme from Yousef Sweid about all the contradictions of his identity as a Palestinian-Israeli raised as a Christian-Arab in Haifa and now raising Jewish-Arab children in Berlin. Yousef is a really open and engaging performer, and I really felt the weight of his struggle with all his conflicting identities, and his desire to keep his children away from that.
• Vic Melody has been a Mobius favourite for years. I’m always happy to spend an hour in her company, and that’s exactly how each of her shows feel. This year’s Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak is about how her divorce led her to join a historical re-enactment society, but is really about community, looking out for each other and all the weird little quirks and enthusiasms that make people great. It’s a big warm hug of a show.

Richard

• Tom at the Farm A taut, brutal two and a half hours (don’t believe the programme if you’ve got something immediately afterwards) of Brazilian homophobia, Catholic guilt, and hugely powerful performances. A spare, foreboding staging really brings home the horrors in the tropical night.
• Cirque Kalabante: WOW A new show from Cirque Kalabante - and an entirely different approach to the depiction of a tropical evening in Guinea, with a company full of joy, musicality and the feeling of community. Another hugely engaging performance, with huge talent in the performers.

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