Theatre

FURNITURE BOYS

In this absurdist comedy from writer-performer Emily Weitzman, boyfriends are armchairs, lampshades and futons. Hailed as 'hilarious', 'weirdly poignant' and 'loopily, luminously charming' (BuzzPei.com), Furniture Boys explores how furniture endures, but boyfriends – not so much. Blending theatre, comedy, clown, spoken word and furniture showroom, this one-woman show has been called 'imaginative, thoughtful, playful, hilarious and relentlessly, infectiously joyous' (BuzzPei.com). Winner of Theatre’s Choice at Off-Broadway’s SoHo Playhouse in NYC, the Fringiest Show Award at the 2025 Orlando Fringe FestN4, and the 2024 Jilline Ringle Solo Performance Award. 'Furniture,' writes one reviewer, 'has never been more moving'.

30 July - 25 August 2025, 12:45 pm

Underbelly George Square

Two white eighteen year old Boys are mid Rugby Scrum. They are both looking forward wearing matching white and red rugby kits. The boy on the left is wearing a black scrum cap and looks nervous, the boy on the right has blonde hair and looks prepared.

Theatre

An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo

Bobby Award-winning comedy following Johnny, an 18-year-old at an all-boys boarding school. He ambles through daily life, Britney in his ears, failing to fit into the school's (rather rigid) mould. Enter Harry, the rugby golden boy. To save time, Johnny and Harry shag. Constantly. This isn't a coming out story or a gay tragedy and it is definitely not porn. It is life through the lens of a young queer man, navigating Grindr, hyper-masculinity and an institution rife with shame.

30 July - 25 August 2025, 12:50 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

Dazed and confused Stage photo/Photographer: Wong de. A man staring at a variety of playing cards floating through the air.

Theatre

Taiwan Season: Dazed and Confused

Magic seamlessly meets theatre in Lin Lu-Chieh's engaging autobiographical solo show. Confident and captivating, this young, self-taught master of prestidigitation offers up a true and touching coming-of-age story that couples delightful 'How did he do that?' sleight-of-hand with warm-hearted observations on the sometimes painful yet often humorous process of growing up. His sincerity and skill shine through. Gently laced with audience participation, this entertaining and universally relatable performance is about finding yourself by doing what you love.  Dazed and Confused tells the story of a child growing up in rural Taiwan, discovering their unique talents amidst the trials of life. While it may appear to reflect a typical Asian childhood, the journey unfolds with youthful confusion, experimentation, pain, and failure. These raw experiences resonate unexpectedly with anyone who has ever navigated the path to adulthood. See it and understand just how wondrous and transformative magic can be. European premiere.  Creator/ Performer|Lin Lu Chieh Director|Lee Cheng Chun  Executive Producer|Chang Huei Ting English Marketing Manager |Huang Yu Ting Lighting Designer|Chen Chung Wen Stage Technician|Chen Xian Da, Lee Cheng Jui

30 July - 25 August 2025, 12:55 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

An image of the back of a man wearing a bucket hat and holding his arms up in the air. He is wearing england pants that are straddled at his lower thigh and there is a red flare stuck in his arse.

Theatre

Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England

Back for a third and final year after sell-out runs and international acclaim, the multi award-winning bum flare play tells the story of ardent football fan Billy Kinley, who sticks a flare up his bum at Euro 2020 and goes viral. What follows is a funny, raw and honest look at identity, loyalty and belonging. Winner of Best Theatre Show at Adelaide Fringe 2025, this show has been a hit worldwide. Bold, sharp and unforgettable. Final Edinburgh Fringe run. One flare. One man. One bum... One story. Don't miss it!

30 July - 25 August 2025, 2:15 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

A young woman sitting looking into the distance with warm light falling onto her face., against a dark background.

Theatre

I Dream in Colour

Sophie has a choice: surgically remove her one remaining eye containing a tumour, or risk eye cancer. Again. No brainer, right? But her parents have done everything to save this one eye in the hope she might see again. Can she do what she wants this time? ‘I Dream In Colour’ is a semi-autobiographical one-woman show from Jasmine Thien; a fully blind writer, poet and comedian. It explores how we experience the intersections between disability, race, gender when we straddle the margins of multiple minority groups. Weaving storytelling, comedy and spoken word, it seeks to ask the question: how do we navigate a world that reminds us every day we should not even exist? Shortlisted for the Charlie Hartill Award 2025. Written & Performed by Jasmine Thien Directed by Max Percy (Baklâ) Produced by The Project People

30 July - 24 August 2025, 2:20 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

A bright orange image with a group of actors looking like things are going wrong. Scripts are flying through the air. A quote from reviewer 'Lost In Theatreland' saying

Theatre

...Earnest?

Fans of The Play That Goes Wrong and Noises Off will love this.  Returning to the Fringe for the FIFTH time due to phenomenal demand, this Oscar Wilde twist is guaranteed to have you in stitches.  When a traditional production of Oscar Wilde's classic play gets underway, everything seems to be going perfectly to plan... that is, until the lead actor fails to arrive on cue.

30 July - 25 August 2025, 3:20 pm

Underbelly George Square

A metallic star on a black background with one smaller metallic star above it to its right.

Theatre

This Blighted Star

During a long summer in a stifling Midlands town, local student Ivan goes missing. Questions and anxieties build, but Ivan's friend – a CCTV operator – is convinced he'll find him. Meanwhile, a skilfully crafted conspiracy surrounding the disappearance proliferates on the web. Hanging over the town is a new star, burning brighter than the rest... bringing with it a haunting sense of unease and uncertainty. Through fragmented footage and reflections on a lost friendship, our surveillance operator is forced to peer into dark places to uncover the truth about what happened to his friend.

30 July - 24 August 2025, 3:45 pm

Underbelly George Square

Two women, colourfully dressed, laugh at a shared joke

Theatre

Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not To Come

In this fierce, funny and frank show, they explore messy realities, fantasies, sexpectations and navigating life and relationships as British Asian women. Their award-winning, groundbreaking BBC Sounds podcast Brown Girls Do It Too, now in its sixth series, has amassed fans who love their honesty and openness, and faced backlash for breaking the silence on sex in Asian communities. With songs, sketches and some graphic content, this is a celebration of brown British women and genital warts.

30 July - 24 August 2025, 4:10 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

Laura Benanti

Theatre

Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares

Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares is a one-woman comedy show from the mind of Tony Award winner Laura Benanti. With her razor-sharp wit, the star of stage and screen blends side-splitting storytelling with original songs co-written with Todd Almond. The New York Times Critic's Pick Nobody Cares is a hilarious, heartfelt and sometimes brutally honest tribute to recovering ingenues, mothers, and anybody working on themselves. 

30 July - 24 August 2025, 4:55 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

Tegan Verheul's face against a grey background. She has curly blonde hair and a bloody nose.

Theatre

Chokeslam

A knockout solo show about one woman's love of pro wrestling. Part confessional, part exuberant oral history of sports entertainment's greatest matches and most loved characters. Acclaimed comedian Tegan Verheul leaves no Stone (Cold) unturned in her unflinchingly raw autobiographical debut that grapples with heartbreak, friendship and the healing power of bloodsport. Riotously funny, unexpectedly touching, brilliantly human. You will leave a wrestling fan. 

30 July - 25 August 2025, 8:45 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

A shadow puppetry scene where a hippo walks through a mysterious crystal cave.

Theatre

Space Hippo

Earth is dying. Nothing can be done. Our only hope is to launch a hippo into space. Along the way she will encounter new worlds, strange alien creatures and end up at the centre of an intergalactic war. Hilarious, weird and epic science fiction from Japan, experienced through award-winning cinematic shadow puppetry. The performers project over two hundred handmade puppets onto a large screen to create a live analogue motion picture before your very eyes.  

31 July - 24 August 2025, 12:30 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A newspaper collage with cut outs of lads magazines and old archive family photos. In the centre there is an old mobile phone with a small child smiling and the title of the show inside.

Theatre

A Small Town Northern Tale

Let’s go back to the 2000s. MSN, Myspace, Big Brother, Nokia Brickphones and lads mags ruling the shelves. But what if you don’t quite fit the mould? What if you’re the only kid of colour in town?  At 13, David finds himself uprooted from the city, navigating life as a Jamaican-English mixed-heritage kid in a small working-class Northern town—trying to carve out his identity while everyone around him thinks they’ve already decided it for him. Hilarious, sharp, and painfully nostalgic, A Small Town Northern Tale is for anyone who ever spent hours perfecting their Myspace bio, knew the exact right time to go “offline and online” for attention, and remembers just how dodgy 2000s fashion really was. But beneath the laughs is a deeply personal, Black-British story about finding your voice in a world that doesn’t quite know where to place you. About the awkwardness of standing out when you desperately want to blend in. And about the quiet, everyday acts of rebellion that shape who we become. For fans of The Inbetweeners, American Pie, and anyone still holding onto an embarrassing Hotmail email address they refuse to delete.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 12:40 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A close up of a woman. She is wearing orange and is staring right into the camera.

Theatre

WANTED

Two girls from opposite worlds are fated to meet on the late 00’s queer scene. After quickly forming an inseparable bond over their mutual idols, Tony Soprano and Lindsay Lohan, Erica and Jessie are on a mission to avenge a world that's only ever left them wanting. And why the hell shouldn’t they? Life’s screwed them, it’s time to screw life right back. Their code? Steal from the rich and give to the poor (that’s them by the way).  But just because Tony Soprano gets to do what he likes... can Erica and Jessie really rationalise their actions? From the creator behind the Fringe sensation, In PurSUEt, comes the hotly anticipated second show.... WANTED.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 12:40 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Smoke drafts from a recently snuffed candle, nestled with a notebook and pen inside a dark wooden box.

Theatre

Undersigned

An invocation, a blindfold and a pointed discussion. This deeply personal, psychological thriller for one offers infinite possibilities and sharp choices. Repeat visitors are forbidden, and nothing said here ever leaves. As such, in place of summary, Management offers you a deal: after your appointment, you can reclaim a portion of your ticket price - or add what the experience was worth to you. Management bets we will exceed your estimation. After three years of sold-out runs and critical acclaim (LA Times, No Proscenium), we make our international debut with limited engagement festival appointments. Opportunity waits; come take it.

31 July - 12 August 2025, 12:55 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Connor Delves as Cadel Evans in the new play CADEL: Lungs On Legs. Delves, as Evans, rides a BMC road bike, following the 2011 win of the Tour de France.

Theatre

CADEL: Lungs on Legs

The epic true story of the first Australian to win the Tour de France, live on stage. Performed entirely on a bike in an epic theatrical feat of endurance by acclaimed Australian actor Connor Delves. Pedalling non-stop for an hour, he recreates the thrilling journey of Cadel's 2011 Tour de France win, and all the triumphs, heartaches and sacrifices made along the way. “Connor's vision for this show is bold and exciting, and I'm thrilled to be involved from the start. He’ll be riding a BMC, just like I did (and do!), wearing the same yellow jersey I wore, and actually riding on stage every night... how cool is that? I love cycling, and I'm deeply honored that an Australian artist has been inspired to bring my story to life for audiences worldwide. I hope you enjoy CADEL, and I encourage you to support Connor and his creative journey in giving the show a long life. See you there!”– Cadel Evans

31 July - 24 August 2025, 1:00 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A woman with long brown hair, wearing a beige floral cardigan, is awkwardly smiling while a small squirrel sits on her shoulder nibbling a nut. To her right, an oval-framed portrait of another squirrel hangs on a deep red, patterned wallpaper.

Theatre

Yes, We're Related

Dysfunctional sisters Sara and Saskia are forced to confront the unpredictable stages of grief. Sara is living in denial, and Saskia is determined to celebrate the anniversary of their mother’s death with her quirky partner Mark and a party to die for. But when a jaw-dropping secret is revealed, things go from bad, to worse, to catastrophic.  Hailed as a comedy echoing the best episodes of Only Fools and Horses, and sisterhood likened to BBC's Fleabag, Lace-Evans' smash-hit dark comedy returns to Fringe. Listed within the 'Top 100 Trending Shows of the Edinburgh Fringe 2024', Yes, We're Related is 'going to be "a thing"' (City AM).  Awarded the Keep It Fringe Fund, and developed by SOHO Theatre Labs, YES, WE’RE RELATED became an immediate hit later going on to enjoy a sell-out London run at The Other Palace.   

31 July - 24 August 2025, 2:00 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A ballerina with blue hair in a blue dress smoking a cigarette

Theatre

SWAN?

The dark and ugly sister to the movie Black Swan. A chain-smoking, half-swan, half-ballerina turns the tragic story of Swan Lake into a dark and raunchy rom com. And who knows... you may even get to open her box. Could you be the hero that helps her escape this living hell?! Adelaide Fringe Best Theatre and Physical Theatre Weekly Award 2025. Edmonton Fringe Holdover Award 2024. Performed and created by Canadian treasure Lauren Brady. Directed by Nicole Maloney. Coached by Karen Hines.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 2:10 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Theatre

Ways of Knowing

Behold! A council of leeches, a mystic hermit, a Victorian inventor, an economics conference, a dark and dripping cave. Uncovering a mysterious series of visions and omens.  Ways of Knowing delves into the ways we predict and prophesy the future. Amidst an intricate system of choreography, found text and live sound, Emergency Chorus wield science and magic to reckon with our precarious present and enter into the unknown. Winner of the Untapped Award, Ways of Knowing follows Emergency Chorus's previous acclaimed shows Landscape (1989) and CELEBRATION. 

31 July - 24 August 2025, 3:30 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

man wearing an  open white shirt with a white tshirt on underneath stares at the lighter he is holding in his hand. the background is black and he is been lit with an orange light

Theatre

Scatter: A Horror Play

Scatter is a new horror play from Patrick McPherson, the award-winning writer of sell-out Edinburgh and Soho Theatre hits The Man and Colossal.  When a man travels to a remote Welsh village to scatter his father's ashes, a horrifying legacy awaits him. Directed by Jonny Harvey. McPherson's previous acclaim:  WINNER - Best Show of the Edinburgh Fringe (Theatre Weekly) WINNER - Best Theatre Show Fringe World 2023 WINNER - Best Theatre Show Fringe World 2024

31 July - 24 August 2025, 3:40 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A young man sits cross-legged against a red background, cradling an old-fashioned iMac. The iMac screen displays an image of his younger self, smiling brightly.

Theatre

Playback

11-year old Euan dreams of becoming a YouTube star... But as his fledgling channel begins to skyrocket in popularity, he quickly finds that fame isn’t as fun as it looks.  Shortlisted for the 2024 David MacLennan Award, Playback combines live performance with Euan Munro's real childhood YouTube videos to tell a deeply personal, darkly comic story about growing up online.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 3:55 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A dark skinned woman (the creator Lula Mebrahtu) is wearing MiMu gloves in one hand and gold jewellery in the other. She is looking directly into the camera as she holds both hands up just under her chin

Theatre

I AM – One of many, many of One

Winner of the Most Memorable Show, Lustrum Award 2023. Part of the modular series I AM. A first-generation immigrant straddles her Habesha (Eritrean/Ethiopian) heritage and British identity only to realise, when you leave everything behind for the promise of something better, it’s not "better". A poetic reflection on memory loss, displacement, tradition and survival, interwoven with language, customs, music and wearable tech MiMu gloves (as used by Imogen Heap). Neither a musical, nor drama: a new kind of storytelling. Outstanding Performance nominee Filipa Bragança Award, 2023.

31 July - 23 August 2025, 5:10 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Three people are dressed as chickens locked up behind bars

Theatre

3 Chickens Confront Existence

In this surrealist and hilarious production, three factory farm chickens passionately explore their impossible situation – awaiting their imminent trip to the broiler. Tragedy morphs to comedy and back again as they explore mysticism, power struggles, class inequality, mythology and religion, with plenty of emotionally charged antics and surprises along the way.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 5:20 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

- Three toilet cubicles in colours: pink, green/blue and purple. - Cubicle one (left): A man (Ollie) dangling off the door with a mahoosive smile on his face. - Cubicle two (middle): Ollie sat on the toilet seat with his legs crossed and his hand on his

Theatre

DESPERATE WEE GAY BOY

DESPERATE WEE GAY BOY dives headfirst into the whirlwind life of Ollie, a chaotic but lovable Scot navigating London's queer nightlife. From tequila-fuelled dance floors to messy encounters with geezers on Grindr, to the high school crush he ached to get with, to Phil Mitchell in a sauna? How iconic can one gay boy be! Join Ollie on a sexy-ass odyssey of a night out in this not-so one-man show exploring what it means to crave connection in a world of fleeting thrills.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 5:45 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A painting of a young man with dark hair facing away from us, toward the mountains. The man's jacket is made only of simple red outlines, revealing the mountains through him and giving him the appearance of a transparent ghost.

Theatre

The Monkeypox Gospel

Summer 2022. Ngofeen gets his first big assignment at The New Yorker. It’s about the global mpox outbreak (known at the time as “monkeypox”), and he’s the ideal reporter: his family comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (the virus’s origin), and infections are spreading through sexual contact within New York’s queer community, including his own social circle. With two million people preparing to attend NYC Pride in a few weeks, getting the word out is critical. But writing publicly about queerness terrifies Ngofeen. He only recently broke a lifelong vow of celibacy and began going on dates. Now, by writing the article, Ngofeen is risking a confrontation with his religious community while fearing the gay man he’s becoming. Combining behind-the-scenes reporting, real audio interviews, flights of fantasy, nerdy tangents, and cameos from John Oliver, Anthony Fauci and more, THE MONKEYPOX GOSPEL testifies to the truth about viruses – they reveal the crises we ignore, the ones waiting to be faced. written by Ngofeen Mputubwele directed by Alex Hare performed by Ngofeen Mputubwele and Alex Hare Adapted from the new podcast. Artwork: @danieleldibujo

31 July - 24 August 2025, 5:50 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A drag artist in white clown make up stands in front of a mirror that has been adorned with many little photographs and images.

Theatre

KINDER

An unexpected call from a library derails a performance planned by newly arrived drag artist Goody Prostate, booked to headline a local reading hour. Forced to scramble together a new act in real time for a crowd of unruly children and their parents, Goody spirals into a chaotic exploration of childhood, memory, stories and what it means to truly grow up. The library is open – sit down, be quiet and listen. Because sometimes, reading is what? Fundamentalist.  

31 July - 24 August 2025, 6:40 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Two men dressed as Jesus hold each other in a field

Theatre

JEEZUS!

Falling for Jesus is a mortal sin. But damn, it feels good! Good South American altar boy Jesús is preparing for his first communion but when he looks at the hot man on the cross, he feels something... unholy. Catholic guilt collides with unrepentant queerness in this sinful, heart-pounding mix of live music, dark humour and Latin heat. JEEZUS! is a musical as irreverent as it is irresistible, tackling colonialism, religion and queer awakening. If Bo Burnham, Brecht and Bad Bunny had a baby, this would be it. Let's burn in hell! Winner of The Untapped Award 2025.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 6:50 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

a poster for pigs fly easy ryan with a person wearing a clown make up in an airhost uniform on a pink background

Theatre

Pigs Fly Easy Ryan

An aviation bimbofication transubstantiation ritual for big-boy audiences 18 and over. Two flamin’ hot crash fetishists illegally impersonate flight attendants to sneaky-weeky onto a plane and live their ultimate fantasy – total destruction. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll attempt to feel something, anything, as we erotically cute-ify freedom in the face of climate collapse and rising global fascism.  Rip off your own oxygen mask before furiously making out with the person next to you, and brace for landing; Pigs Fly Easy Ryan is checking you out. It’s time to check in.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 8:10 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Actor Alex Medland, dressed as the devil with red horns and a grin to match, takes a lit match to a contract signed by 'Faustus.'

Theatre

The Faustus Project

This new version of Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus features a rotating cast of brave guest performers taking on the challenges of a devilish ensemble. One problem... they've never rehearsed with the rest of the cast. The Faustus Project is funny, a little dangerous and an actor's worst nightmare. With a fresh victim every night, this will be the ultimate theatrical torture. Funny, dangerous, devilish.  

31 July - 24 August 2025, 9:05 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Norse Gods wrestling.

Theatre

Mythos: Ragnarök

Hilarious Viking storytelling meets high-octane wrestling in 'the maddest, baddest show on the Fringe' (Daily Mail). Join the adventures of Loki, Thor and legendary gods and monsters in this spectacular adaptation of Norse mythology. Returning from their world tour to make a fourth appearance at the Fringe, this piece of 'genre-bending awesomeness' (HiFiWay.live) is 'so much fun' (List, Pick of the Fringe 2023) and 'the perfect way to tell this story' (Telegraph, Best Shows of 2024). No trip to the Fringe is complete without this 'unmissable blockbuster' (LondonTheatre.co.uk).

1 - 23 August 2025, 8:40 pm

Underbelly's Circus Hub on the Meadows

Sara, an Iranian women with light olive skin is dressed in a dark blue Iranian girls school uniform (blazer, trousers & headscarf). She smiles like a cheshire cat, dancing, with her arms out to her side. The image is edited with a bright Yellow filter.

Theatre

Saria Callas

This sexy, camp, pop-filled tragicomedy unpacks aspirations of becoming a singer while growing up where it is forbidden for women to sing. Already a bottle of red in, Sara reminisces about her experiences from childhood to womanhood. Tehran, the school bus parties, the wannabe prayer-caller and the secret w**ks at the all-girls' school. Did I get used to repression or is music my way of fighting? How does a woman who has experienced firsthand repression of her body and voice react as her child struggles with their own gender identity?

12 - 24 August 2025, 2:10 pm

Underbelly Cowgate