Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England

Theatre

Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England

It’s the EURO 2020 Final at Wembley and Billy’s gone viral for sticking a flare up his arse! Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England is a blisteringly funny new play that returns to the fringe after a sell-out, five-star run last year. Written and performed by Alex Hill, it asks what it means to belong to a club that you live for. Billy and his best pal Adam are die-hard football fans. It’s how they spend every weekend, without fail. It’s their escape, their religion and their life. But when they encounter a new group of mates, they start to take their support one step further. 'Boozy, ballsy, brilliantly executed' ★★★★★ (Entertainment Now) 'A gem of a play' ★★★★★ (Broadway Baby) 'As beautiful as it is thought-provoking' ★★★★★ (Corr Blimey) ★★★★ (The Scotsman)  'Priceless comic charm' (The Reviews Hub)

31 July - 26 August 2024, 12:50 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

The Grim

Theatre

The Grim

London, 1964. Shaun and Robert are trying to get through another shift as undertakers in the East End, but on the day they're due to fit deceased murderer, Jackie Gallagher, for his coffin and with strange happenings afoot, all is not as it seems... Following the success of his 'holler-out-loud funny' (TheSmuReviews.co.uk) Fringe debut You're Dead, Mate, award-winning playwright Edmund Morris is back with his latest, darkest comedy.

31 July - 25 August 2024, 1:15 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

Theatre

Character Flaw

Colourful explosions pop in this hilarious exploration of ADHD and queer identity. A plethora of eye-opening topics and hysterical anecdotes leave the audience educated, moved and highly entertained. Follow Pip as she navigates the challenges and celebrates the joys of neurodiversity. Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence Winner. OffFest New Writing Finalist. ADHD Comedy Award Shortlist. 'A little gem' ***** (British Theatre). 'A show you could see again and again!' ***** (TheatreAndTonic.co.uk). 'A tightrope act between us crying with laughter to genuine heartache. A show that gives in every possible conceivable way' **** (BingeFringe.com). After it's award winning, sell out run at Edinburgh Fringe 2023 directed by the incredibly talented Nat Kennedy, (Sirrah Sisters) Character Flaw is back for a final run! 

31 July - 26 August 2024, 2:25 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

The Sun, the Mountain, and Me

Theatre

The Sun, the Mountain, and Me

Arthur is just trying to finish his painting. It fills his days; it haunts his nights. Nobody understands. Not his girlfriend, not his brother. Everyone keeps telling him to stop. But he can't. Not until it's finished. Whatever the cost... Multi award-nominated solo show that melds ancient myth, historical anecdote and emotive storytelling to explore art, freedom and the mistakes we make when searching for escape. 'Deserves to be seen by audiences around the country' (Longstaff Reviews).

1 - 25 August 2024, 12:20 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Is the WiFi Good in Hell?

Theatre

Is the WiFi Good in Hell?

2008. Margate isn't cool (yet). 12-year old Dev sits on a derelict shack, sandwiched between Margate's sea and the abandoned theme park, Dreamland. He's also recently discovered gay people exist... Is the WiFi Good in Hell? follows Dev from boyhood to adulthood. Margate to London. He's gagging for a good connection, yet with his roots firmly intertwined in his hometown's seabed – can he cope with the realities of a life he's forever put on a pedestal? 'Chapman’s debut play isn’t just genuine; it is brutally real. There is a beauty to his writing that is breathtaking, and there are few emerging playwrights that have the ability Chapman has shown...' ★★★★★ (The New Current) Written and performed by Lyndon Chapman - a queer creator, born and raised in Margate, Kent.  Directed by Will Armstrong - co-creator of queer cabaret ‘idiots. gay idiots.’ (‘London’s Best Cliché Free Cabaret Nights' – Time Out), and director of Abby Vicky-Russell’s GUSH (nominated for Vault Origins award 2023, and The Popcorn Writing Award 2023). Debuted at Brixton House as a part of Housemates Festival 2023.

1 - 25 August 2024, 12:40 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Experiment Human

Theatre

Experiment Human

Blending dark comedy with the surreal, Experiment Human tells the story of Monkion, a non-human creature curious to understand the strange world outside their attic. Having seized actor Benedict Cumberbatch at the height of his fame to protect him from the media, Monkion has failed to give Cumberbatch what he needs to survive. Will the experiment succeed? What will happen if it doesn't? OFFIE winner, 2024. Innovation Award – VAULT Festival nominee, 2023. Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence, 2022. ‘One of the most unique and unusual stories being told on stage’ (LostInTheatreland.co.uk) ‘Physically masterful, witty and simply fascinating’ (FringeReview.co.uk) Photo Credit: @michaeloreillyphotographer

1 - 25 August 2024, 2:00 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Theatre

DRUM

'A civilization flourishes when men plant trees under which they themselves never sit. What you need to understand is, Ghana is home.' As the afternoon sun hits London's BBC Broadcasting House, photographer James Barnor encounters broadcaster Mike Eghan for the first time. Thrown together far from home, two rising Ghanaian creatives navigate their perception of identity, success, assimilation and home. Inspired by real events this joyful and poignant play fuses storytelling, music and dance; capturing a unique snapshot of the swinging sixties. After premiering at Omnibus Theatre, DRUM is set for its Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut. 

1 - 25 August 2024, 2:10 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Theatre

The Mosinee Project

Mosinee, Wisconsin, 1950. An idyllic Midwestern town wakes up to find themselves in a nightmare. Armed Communist forces have taken over; imprisoning townspeople, cutting off communication, marching through the streets with nobody to oppose them. Prices are changed, barbed wire fences erected, and the Mayor is held at gunpoint. Or so it appears. This is just how it begins. Plunging into the dawn of the Cold War and back again, The Mosinee Project follows the true story of a fake invasion. A fevered, darkly funny retelling, interrogating why we fear, control and tell tales about the future.

1 - 25 August 2024, 3:30 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Karen

Theatre

KAREN

Karen invites you into the uproarious world of our Protagonist. Seamlessly breaking the fourth wall, she’ll whisk you through a chaos-filled narrative that has been described as Fleabag meets The Office with Cameron-West's acting described as 'the female Peep Show' (The Nerd Party).  We open on Protagonist's 30th birthday at the Alton Towers, where her life takes an unexpected turn. Mid-calippo, she's unceremoniously dumped by her long-term boyfriend, Joe. Little does she know, this is just the beginning. Protagonist must soon navigate through office hell as Joe starts dating her arch-nemesis: Karen. This creates a perfect storm of heartbreak, societal pressures, and an identity crisis that threatens to engulf our heroine. The final straw unleashes in an explosive office showdown, where the suppression of her emotions can no longer be contained and our Protagonist finally finds her voice. Through laughter, tears, and a healthy dose of sarcasm, Protagonist learns the invaluable lesson that the path to healing lies in moving through the pain, not around it, and in the empowerment of owning one's emotions that allows you to find peace.

1 - 25 August 2024, 3:55 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

You're SO F**KING Croydon!

Theatre

You're SO F**king Croydon!

'It was my nemesis, I hated Croydon with a real vengeance. It represented everything I didn't want in my life, everything I wanted to get away from. I think it's the most derogatory thing I can say about somebody or something: God, it's so f**king Croydon!' (David Bowie). You're SO F**king Croydon! explores noughties club culture and female resilience, interweaving music, dance, comedy, spoken word and Croydon celebrities. It's a f**k you in pink to the cant's and wont's and a strut down Croydon High Street in 2003. Featuring David Bowie. Featuring interactive moments and a fun, ‘Love of Huns’ aesthetic, You’re SO F**king Croydon holds up a mirror to societal perceptions of women from places like Croydon: predominantly working class with a notoriously negative reputation. Challenging Bowie's quote, it looks at stereotypes attached to certain locations, in particular trying to dispel the notion that being from a particular place diminishes someone's worth. At its essence, it's the story of a woman triumphing over adversities. It’s a stomp through pop culture, identity and destiny, blending comedy with profound exploration and personal narrative with societal perceptions.

1 - 25 August 2024, 4:10 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Really Good Exposure

Theatre

Really Good Exposure

Molly was a child star. Now she's considering getting into porn. What would you do if your acting career peaked in 2009 (well before the Me Too movement) and you hadn't booked another role in years? Exposed for working as a stripper, dumped by her agent (and her boyfriend), Molly's giving mainstream success one last shot. Enter a world of child stars, strip clubs, and casting couches, and question what it means to earn a living as a performer.

1 - 25 August 2024, 5:20 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Theatre

Ugly Sisters

A hallucinatory plunge through the circles of sisterhood. Who fits into a glass slipper, and who buys heels for drag queens? The critically acclaimed and multi-award winning piss / CARNATION dance between performance art, alt-comedy and theatre. Ugly Sisters is their latest offering: a brutal ritual for a new kind of sisterhood forged from sleepover confessions, smashed toilets, and the death of Germaine Greer.* *Germaine Greer was not harmed in the making of this show.

1 - 25 August 2024, 6:30 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

House of Life

Theatre

House of Life

House of Life is a travelling musical cult collective, hosted by the Rave-Rend, with one mission: to get you happy, at any cost. A space to celebrate. To elevate. To lay out your shit and wash it away. The chance to achieve absolute euphoric togetherness through the relentless powers of music and vibes. House Of Life is back after a sell-out run in 2023. 'Fringe’s biggest feel-good sensation' ★★★★★ (Dom Cavendish, Telegraph) ★★★★★ (BroadwayBaby.com).

1 - 25 August 2024, 8:55 pm

Underbelly Cowgate