An overwhelming number of Edinburgh Fringe shows have been announced – including Alex Edelman, One Man Musical and more

A deluge of new Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are being revealed this week as preparations for the summer event warm up.

Pleasance Theatre has led the charge. Among the returning titles is One Man Musical from Flo and Joan, which revisits the story of a figure (which the marketing material can’t tell you is Andrew Lloyd Webber) turning the focus on his own life. The original runs starred George Fouracres of SNL UK fame, though casting for this run is to be revealed. It may well be Fouracres again.

Musical comedy also features elsewhere in the programme, including Katie Norris’s Mother Succubus and the return of Ada & Bron with Origin of Love. New musical work includes Remember, Remember! from WIT? Theatre, which retells the Gunpowder Plot with songs, and Man!fest: The Drag Boyband Musical, presented in a partnership between OnTheNose Productions and Chichester Festival Theatre.

Alex Edelman brings a new show, What Are You Going to Do, following his previous work which transferred beyond the Fringe. The theatre programme includes revivals and new writing. 11 ½ Angry Men reworks 12 Angry Men with a cast of comedians including Stephen K Amos and Joe Pasquale. New productions supported by the Charlie Hartill Fund include Reparations by Maryam Garad. The Edinburgh National Partnerships programme brings work from companies including Lyric Belfast and Leicester Curve, with titles such as The Pitch and Campitalism: Three Gays Try to Fix The Economy.

New musicals and music-led theatre also appear in The Real Kyle McCarren, which follows the creation of a musical after a bandmate’s death. Other premieres include Gameplay from Carmen Collective and Overtone from The North Wall. Returning work includes The Horse of Jenin and anniversary performances of We Are Ian. Family work includes Showstoppers! The Kids Show from The Showstoppers.

Alongside Pleasance’s programme, London’s Soho Theatre has also confirmed its 2026 Fringe line-up. Among the theatre premieres is Ham from Hotter Project, which reworks Hamlet through an eco-focused lens. Temi Wilkey continues her trilogy with Lover Girl, following a central character through a search for romantic connection, while Max Olesker adapts his memoir Making the Cut into a solo stage piece exploring religion and identity.

Further new work includes a production from Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland, which draws on stories of Bigfoot and conspiracy culture, and Evita Too from Sh!t Theatre – it had a well-received London run at the Southbank Centre over Christmas. Jack Rooke returns with Good Grief for its tenth anniversary, bringing the autobiographical piece back to the Fringe.

Music-led performance features in How Strange It Is from Salty Brine, which combines material from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea with The Diary of a Young Girl, placing teenage experience and first love at its centre. Elsewhere, Frankie Thompson presents a new show structured around a series of staged actions, while Spencer Jones brings Dogs, a piece built around the relationship between animals and their owners, alongside his returning children’s show.

Gilded Balloon has also announced a series of musicals, including HR The Musical and Endometriosis: The Musical, a bold, award-winning and unexpectedly funny show tackling a chronic condition through song. Skating along, Heated Rivalry: The Musical Parody! and Puck Bunnies are both takes on the hit show Heated Rivalry. Alexis Sakellaris will exploring his experience on German Glee with new original songs, unearthed footage and the cringiest moments in Child Star. 

Underbelly has announced its Circus Hub programme, including the Palestinian Circus Company’s Fringe debut A Step And A Half, which blends contemporary circus with traditional Dabkeh dance. Aloft Circus Arts returns to Edinburgh with the UK premiere of The Pieces, following its previous Fringe success with Brave Space, while Below Zero presents Pace, a duet exploring power dynamics and consent through contemporary circus.

International work features Wolf by Circa, using ensemble acrobatics to examine group behaviour, and Yoha from Japan’s Cirquework, which combines circus with digital design and live sound. Magician James Phelan brings Showman, following a West End run.

We’ve got even more to be revealed over the course of the day.