Edinburgh Fringe top picks: day six

Sadly, I’m not able to attend the Edinburgh Festivals this year due to family commitments and logistical hurdles. While not dishing out the stars (there’ll be some lovely WOS critics doing that very soon!), it still felt vital to use WhatsOnStage’s channels to platform exciting work that those frequenting the Fringe may be interested in. So here’s eight days, 24 shows and some tentative recommendations. This time over, we’ve picked three shows from emerging companies that deserve bags of attention.

See the full list of picks so far here.

Meg and Marge

Meg and Marge at ZOO Playground pulls a 15th-century mystic into the world of a modern tradwife with a sharp, raunchy twist. When Megan, a domestic perfection influencer, starts seeing visions of Margery Kempe, her curated life unravels fast. Medieval hysteria and Pinterest-worthy homemaking collide in this funny, time-bending look at faith, femininity and the cost of looking flawless for your followers. Expect ghostly chaos, unexpected desire and a reminder that the past doesn’t always stay buried. Written and performed by Cosima Gardey and Fiona Tarses.

Zoo Playground, to 24 August 

Elysium

Ghouls Aloud make their debut at the Fringe with Elysium, a sharp modern horror thriller that plants you in a new-build garden gone very wrong. This unsettling tale follows a couple who flee London for family bliss, but when the mum-to-be lifts the fake grass on her tiny patch of paradise, things get nightmarish fast. Created by multidisciplinary duo Milly Blue and Jessie Maryon Davies, expect haunting live music, dark laughs and a gothic twist on modern domestic dreams. Not to oversell it, but this feels like it was cooked up in a lab to tick off every box for a new show I can think of.

Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower, to 24 August

Macbeth

Yes, okay, we’ve gone for another one… but this Macbeth is retold with a musical verve! The Barden Party makes its Edinburgh Fringe debut with a bluegrass-soaked, gender-flipped Scottish Play. This raucous reimagining of Shakespeare’s dark tragedy swaps swords for strings and brings fierce new life to Scotland’s most notorious couple. For fans of the Bard and folk ballads – this sounds succulent.

Zoo Southside, to 25 August

Check out our dedicated guide to the Edinburgh Fringe below