FRINGE REVIEW 2026: Round-Up!
- Mix Up Theatre (Stewart)
- Aug 11
- 6 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Here's a quick run-down of everything else we've caught at the festival so far...
Battle of the Reefs
★★★★
Children's Shows (Science and Technology)
Age 5+
11:15 - Main Cellar at Laughing Horse @ West Nic Records
Stewart - ★★★★
"A joyful mix of aquatic facts and humour in this appealing show. Our hosts Robyn and Elaine have a playful competition to see which reef is best with lots of interactive moments for the kids as well. The songs don't always land but there's plenty of interesting creatures to meet along the way to keep things bobbing along. I learned some new facts myself to be fair and the large group of Mix Up Theatre children we had with us all had a great time."
Olaf Falafel Presents: I Used to Work in a Helim Balloon Factory Until They Let Me Go
★★★★
Comedy
Age 12+
14:30 - Main Room at Laughing Horse @ The Pear Tree - until 30th August
Mix Up Fringe Camp Teens - ★★★★
Maddie (Age 12) - ★★★★★
"I really liked Olaf Falafel, I think it had an amazing mix of funny jokes and chaotic funniness. With lots of audience participation to keep everyone engaged and eager to join in. As well as not staying long on each topic and using a mixture of topics, so people won’t be bored."
Olaf Falafel's Stupidest Super Stupid Show: This Time It's Stupider!
★★★★
Children's Shows (Comedy)
Age 3+
11:30 - The Ballroom at Laughing Horse @ The Counting House - until 30th August
Stewart - ★★★★
"Olaf Falafel once again plays out to a packed-out theatre on the preview day we attended so it’s worth purchasing a ticket before turning up for this free show. Why is it so popular then? Well, because it’s hilarious – if you’ve seen a Falafel show before he doesn’t alternate the material too much this year, so you know what you’re getting with puns and a play on words throughout. If it’s your first time however you are in for a treat! And the added bonus of getting to draw some of Falafel’s characters is a nice addition to the show.”
ComedySportz
★★★★
Children's Shows (Improv, Comedy)
Age 8+
13:45 - The Live Room at Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters
Maddie (Age 12) - ★★★★
"I thought the show was really well structured considering it was predominantly improvised, with funny jokes and games. However I think the show is more aimed at younger people definitely children under 10 years old. So when you’re older than 10 the show is still funny but it’s just a little boring."
Stewart - ★★★★
"This is a firm favourite at the festival every year for us and is a guaranteed laugh, there’s always going to be some hit or miss jokes, and this was a first show preview so did feel a little like the team was getting warmed up. The venue was packed out so definitely get a ticket if coming along to this one and the extra musical additions this year were a nice bonus. The perfect hour of family friendly entertainment and improv at its finest. Go see it!”
Houston (Age 9) and Mum - ★★★★★
"A who's line is it anyway for Children (and adults tongue in cheek).
Hilarious with audience participation of shouting out with ideas and scenarios.
Highly amusing and simple complexity 🤣
Pay what you want show in the 3 sisters, Cowgate. Definitely worth buying the "how to improvise" book (£5) with loads of ideas of how to recreate your own entertaining show
5* from Houston who shouted out some awesome suggestions!"
Supervillain
★★★★
Children's Show (Fantasy)
Age 5+
15:00 - The Live Room at Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters
Georgie (Age 11) - ★★★★★
"It was fun from the start and the story line the audience girls picked was funny. I liked how it was like a comic and the characters had funny names. It was interactive and we all got to join in throwing the dice about the room. It was nice and colourful and the guy was funny. The song was easy to learn and funny and it stuck in my head.
We were at the first ever show which was pretty cool and the cat videos in the show were cute and funny too."
Stewart - ★★★★
"Matty Grey always brings a fantastic interactive kids show to the festival and this year he’s really pushing the boat out to create this intrinsically plotted creation. A hero from the audience is picked and must face a number of villains. It’s a sort of You Choose using slides but it’s more fun than it sounds, it could do with a bit more group audience interaction (other than some fun inflatable dice) but Grey remains a manic, fun host and the best work comes when he’s not tied to his computer and has a bit of a laugh with the audience and kids. We were at one of the very first previews so this might even improve as the run goes on, definitely worth checking out – especially for any comic book hero fans.”
Sarah (Age 12) - ★★★★
"Great Debut Performance, funny and light!
I think Supervillain was a really funny and light show. One of my favourite aspects of Supervillain is that it is kind of like a role play game but instead of one person rolling the dice and deciding your fate its the entire crowd who roles the dice. Another thing that I liked about the show was that it was on a PowerPoint and that most of the slides were hand drawn. I think the comedian who ran the show was really funny and imaginative and even though the show was still a work in progress and the PowerPoint slides were a bit glitchy he managed to keep hi cool and joke about it. Overall i really liked supervillain and I would recommend it to most kids I know.”
Dear Evan Hansen
★★★★
Musicals and Opera (Musical Theatre)
Age 12+
14:20 - Ballroom at Assembly Rooms - until 17th August
Nina (Age 14) - ★★★★
"This is such a powerful and heartfelt Musical. Its absolutely beautiful and the cast are amazing at acting and singing! It tells the story of Evan Hansen, a boy who is pretty much invisible socially. Then a boy called Connor takes his life and Evan pretends he was Connors friend as it comforts Connors family. Recommended 14+ because of teen suicide theme and strong language. The only thing was it was nearly 2 hours with no interval which was really long for a Fringe show."
Disenchanted! The Hit Musical
★★★★★
Musicals and Opera (Musical Theatre)
Age 14+
Various Times - Pentland Theatre at Pleasance at EICC
Nina (Age 14) - ★★★★★
"It was amazing!!!! The dances and songs were so fun!!! The actors were amazing and their voices were incredible!!! Its absolutely hilarious!!! Its a comedy musical about disenchantment about how princesses are portrayed from the Disney movies. Its recommended a 14+ because its quite rude and cheeky in places but overall very funny!!!"
Juliette Burton: Villain Era
★★★
Comedy (Solo Show, LGBTQ+)
Age 16+
18:30 - Turret at Gilded Balloon Teviot
Stewart - ★★★
"Our likeable host Juliette Burton bursts on stage fully sparkling (despite the villain outfit) and deliberating about her joy of being a full on nerd. Burton’s performance mainly dissects the sexualization of females in comic book lore and it’s a sprightly funny hour, though often resorts to numerous pictures of Burton’s costumes at comic-cons. Despite navigating towards the vibe of a “family holiday photos” slideshow, Burton keeps things moving along swiftly and has some great audience interaction – a lot of whom were more than happy to reveal their own nerd tendencies making it feel like one great big geeky cuddle."
Glob
★★★★★
Dance, Physical Theatre & Circus (Circus, Family-Friendly)
Age 5+
15:00 - McEwan Hall at Underbelly, Bristo Square
Mix Up Junior (Age 7) - ★★★★★
"I would give it 100 stars. I liked their funny voices and noises and it was good when they made friends and looked after each other."
Stewart - ★★★★★
"Have a relaxation from the hustle and bustle of the children’s shows at the festival with this enchanting, atmospheric clown comedy. Les Foutoukours are back this year with this delightful piece, it looks fantastic and the cast of two acrobatic clowns are at the top of their game. The languorous pace may be a bit too slow for some restless audience members but for us it was a wonderful little chilled piece of clowning magic."
Black Blues Brothers: Let's Twist Again!
★★★★★
Dance, Physical Theatre & Circus (Acrobatics, Circus)
Age 5+
17:00 - McEwan Hall at Underbelly, Bristo Square
Georgie (Age 11) - ★★★★★
"The show was amazing, watching them throw each other about and doing their acrobatics was good to see. It was mind blowing loads of energy about. I liked the music and the stage theme. It was a
really good show I enjoyed it so much. It's a must see."
Make sure you've booked in for Mix Up Theatre DRAMA CLASSES!
Comments