Prices shown are full price, but almost every show offers a reduction of two or three quid for students – follow the links for tickets and more details on pricing.
Drama
OUDS’ Alice in Wonderland
While the Comedy of Errors arm of OUDS jets off to Japan, these guys will do a leg in Edinburgh. Adapted by Matt Parvin, this hour-long version of Lewis Carroll’s classic is set to be heavy on physical theatre and improv. Cue croquet, ducks and dodos to entertain the youngsters, while a healthy dose of social commentary is designed to bridge the generational gap.
31 July – 26 August, 2:45pm @C Nova, £10.50
Directed by Ramin Sabi, who is also producing Theory of Justice, this version of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis will be a highly naturalistic examination of a patient in the midst of a psychotic breakdown.
14-26 August, 8:20pm @C Venues, C Nova Studio 1, £9.50
An original comedy about Theo, a young hypochondriac who is diagnosed with immortality. Theo immediately goes into mourning at the thought of the delights now denied to him by his diagnosis, such as the glory of a young death, final words and his very own funeral. Described by Cherwell as an “audacious and dynamic production”.
2-17 August, 9:10pm @theSpace on The Mile, £7
Eleanor Keel and Isabel Marr’s production will be a pared-down and slick version of Osborne’s classic. The play follows Jimmy, an ‘angry young man’ incensed by the injustices of post-war Britain, and his destructive relationship with wife Alison. The claustrophobia of the set – the couple’s bedroom – is balanced by Jimmy’s lyrical, expansive and seminal rants.
4-17 August, varying times @Greenside, £9
An eschatological piece of new writing from Trinity Fringe Productions, Gabe Day chronicles the last night before the world is supposed to end. Cue an ironic apocalypse party in a nightclub which resembles Babylove in a last-ditch attempt to coax in some custom. Cherwell described the naturalistic dialogue as “free of cliché and sloppiness”, with a strong cast and a vivacious script.
2-17 August, 10:40pm, theSpace @Surgeons Hall, £8.50
Another dramatic offering from Trinity Fringe Productions, Bluebeard garnered a hefty five stars from Cherwell when it was performed at the BT in Hilary. Becky Banatvala plays an old woman with Alzheimer’s in this fraught yet curiously undepressing piece of original writing. It’s only an hour but it feels like a lifetime, in the nicest possible way.
2-17 August, 9:25pm, theSpace @Surgeons Hall, £8.50
Musical Theatre
A Theory of Justice: the Musical!
Any script which condenses 2500 years of political philosophy into a rollicking musical comedy deserves a look. Described by Cherwell as “spectacularly, delightfully nerdy”, A Theory of Justice: the Musical! has already enjoyed international interest and is tipped as the breakthrough success of the Fringe. Go along and see if its heady mix of the comic and the academic works north of Summertown; Cherwell thinks you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
31 July – 26 August, 12:15pm @C Venues, C Main +3, £10.50
Comedy
Some Funny
Five-strong troupe The Buttless Chaps will be performing their underwhelmingly named show for just five short days. Creator Barney Fishwick assured Cherwell last term that “if the audience get more than some funny they should be fucking grateful really”. However, five stars from our reviewer can be seen as a resounding thumbs up: this amalgamation of musical numbers, historical sketches and pure silliness should not disappoint.
12-16 July @Canon’s Gait on the Royal Mile
Acclaimed Fringe veterans The Oxford Imps return once more with Whose Line Is It Anyway? style comedy. The Imps perform games and sketches based entirely on audience suggestions, from Shakespeare to Broadway musical.
31 July – 26 August, 3:15pm @Gilded Balloon Teviot, £5
The critically acclaimed Revue present an all-new hour of satire, wit, and absurdity from the troupe that nurtured Stewart Lee and Rowan Atkinson in their infancy. Go along, have a laugh and spot a future star
1-25 August, 3:20pm @Underbelly, Cowgate, £10
Racing Minds: Aaaand Now For Something Completely Improvised
Current and ex-Imps take you on a comic adventure based entirely on audience suggestions – anything could happen and no show even resembles the next.
31 July – 26 August, 11:30am Pleasance That @Pleasance Courtyard, free
Racing Minds: The Wireless Podcast
Four comedians plus a virtuoso musician and some sound effects bring a musical twist to Racing Minds’ improv. Laffs and choons abound.
1-25 August, 7:30 pm Laughing Horse @The Three Sisters, free & non-ticketed
Sketch comedy show which supported (to use the term loosely) Phill Jupitus in London last week, and boasts a bonus member (Iain) in addition to the two billed. And their Facebook page is quite funny.
3-24 August, 6:15pm @The Dram House, free
A cappella
Oxford’s The Alternotives will be performing “pop, funk, RnB and jazz” from the 11 to the 24 of August (2:05pm, theSpace @Symposium Hall, £10). Meanwhile, The Gargoyles, the university’s other mixed a cappella group, will provide them with jazzier competition in the form of a mixture of “pop, soul, jazz and Disney” from 31 July – 17 August (2:20pm @C Venues – C, £11.50).
All-female group In The Pink will also be performing “everything, from 90s classics to moden chart-toppers” 11-23 August (4:30pm @C Venues, Adams House, £10.50). Their hunky counterparts Out of the Blue, stars of Britain’s Got Talent, will be performing “an eclectic mix of songs ranging from foot-tapping pop, through jazzy R&B and rock, to sentimental ballads” from 1-26 August (2pm at Assembly George Square, £11).
If you have any additions or corrections to make to this list, or if you would like to review for Cherwell over the Fringe, please get in touch via Twitter (@Cherwell Stage) or else email us at [email protected]
