The Guardian
Roll up, tumble down! The show that imagines the US as a collapsing circus – in pictures 29 August 2026 at 07:00

Roll up, tumble down! The show that imagines the US as a collapsing circus – in pictures

29 August 2026 at 07:00

At the newly reopened King’s theatre in Edinburgh, as part of the international festival, Geoff Sobelle’s Clown Show is a dizzying whirl through US history

Clown Show review – the American dream explodes over one anarchic night

The Guardian
Digested week: Is there anything sadder than the end of summer? | Emma Brockes 28 August 2026 at 13:11

Digested week: Is there anything sadder than the end of summer? | Emma Brockes

The Guardian

By: Emma Brockes

28 August 2026 at 13:11

Plus, views from the Cotswolds of Harry and Meghan’s return, and the embarrassing anachronism that is Ali G

Is there anything sadder than the end of summer? As schools go back next week and parents rely on the boosting effect of a return to routine, we look around for other ways to soften the blow. A few things this year that might make it easier: the need for rain ensures that the advent of autumn is slightly less depressing than usual; people with attic conversions in which you could bake a muffin over the summer will be able to use them again; and if you happen to be a woman of 50 or thereabouts, the fresher weather is ... a relief.

The Guardian
Fairytales pending: the fringe musicals hoping to live happily ever after 28 August 2026 at 10:00

Fairytales pending: the fringe musicals hoping to live happily ever after

The Guardian

By: Chris Wiegand

28 August 2026 at 10:00

Edinburgh has given festival audiences a look at two long awaited musicals – Bliss and Disenchanted! – with both aiming to now scale up their spectacle

The Edinburgh fringe is mostly where new work is forged but that’s not the full picture. Amid all the hot-off-the-press shows are a number of familiar titles that have been around for years yet are only making their professional UK debut now. That’s the case with two fairytale musical productions hoping for a longer life whose festival run is a chance to engineer that happily ever after.

Bliss, co-created by Tyler Beattie and Emma Lively, won a new play award in the US in 2019 and had its world premiere in Seattle the year after. A handful of its songs were released in 2022. Now developed into what is billed as “the biggest new musical of the Edinburgh fringe”, it has a cast of 17 which exceeds regular fringe proportions – as does the running time (80 minutes rather than the standard hour).