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

Don’t call me China Doll

Theatre

Don't Call Me China Doll

As she prepares for the audition of a lifetime—playing Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first East Asian starlet—China Doll must confront and untangle the ingénue’s legacy as she discovers astonishing parallels between them. Disdainful of Anna for perpetuating the stereotypes she still fights to overcome, China Doll wakes up to find herself magically transported to the 1930s in the body of the revered and reviled starlet. Over the course of several nights, she discovers profound similarities in the ways they navigate love, life, and identity as East Asian actors in the west. ‘Don’t Call Me China Doll’ is a one-woman show that explores the intricacies of internalised racism and self-worth. A compelling exploration of identity, discrimination, and progress, it prompts audiences to reflect on how and why East Asian artists still face the same barriers as they did a century ago. Raw, honest, and fearless, Diana Feng deftly manages heavy themes with surprising levity and a large dose of self-deprecating humour. Soon to receive a PhD in Culturally Specific Performance Practice and British East and Southeast Asian Representation, Feng is at the forefront of challenging the cultural narratives that shape our understanding of representation.

31 July - 26 August 2024, 12:55 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

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

The Ghost of White Hart Lane

Theatre

The Ghost of White Hart Lane

Spurs and Scotland star John White was one of the best footballers of the 1960s, however, in July 1964 he was struck by lightning and killed at 27 years old. From humble beginnings growing up just outside Edinburgh, through to football fame and his tragic death, the play shares John's cheeky humour. It also follows the story of his son Rob White, who was just five months old when his dad died. Having premiered at Spurs Stadium, this follows on from the Sunday Times bestseller by Rob White and Julie Welch. 'The Ghost of WHL' is supported by Tottenham Hotspur FC, premiering at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in July before a run at the fringe. The play was commissioned by John White’s son Rob and follows on from his and Julie Welch’s Sunday Times best seller The Ghost of White Hart Lane - 'In Search of My Father the Football Legend'. The play tells the story of John White, from humble beginnings growing up just outside Edinburgh through to football fame & his tragic death, it also tells the story of his son Rob who was just 5 months old when his dad died. The play shines a light on the mental health challenges both father and son face and the way we deal with grief and loss, while dealing with serious issues the play has a very heavy sprinkling of humour throughout.

31 July - 26 August 2024, 1:25 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

HOW TO KILL A CHICKEN

Theatre

How to Kill a Chicken

"On my 29th birthday I died. And went to Heaven. Only it didn’t happen in that order... ” A tropical rollercoaster of love, sex and margaritas. A birthday that turns her world upside down. From the golden shores of Costa Rica, in this journey through paradise, surfboards and salsa nights collide with the raw truths of womanhood.  "I’m saying ‘no’, but maybe I’m not saying it loud enough because he doesn’t hear it?"

13 - 26 August 2024, 7:15 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

MAN A One Woman Show

Theatre

MAN: A One-Woman Show

Inspired by a Hungarian gangster dad, a Sunday school mother, teenage years with Hell's Angels, Emma Taylor (NewsRevue producer) takes us on an unforgettable ride. 'Gorgeously gritty, steeped in remarkable personal experience' (Martin Malcolm, playwright). Made with Russell Lucas (A Night Without Kate Bush). Emma’s childhood seemed normal to her. Inspired by true events and real people re-imagined for MAN, Emma Taylor, (NewsRevue producer) fka Joanne Németh, wanted to create a thought provoking piece highlighting the effects of growing up in a milieu with the mantra ‘serve the man’ at its core. This is not a trauma log and there is no malice. Often surreal, often funny, MAN is ultimately a universal piece about human nature, given that everyone has at least a splinter of trauma in their background, humans are not automatically monsters; we are all flawed and imperfect.  Taylor wanted to make MAN with with Russell Lucas (A Night Without Kate Bush, Tapeface) having been directed by him in the UK premiere of Tennessee Williams’s The Fat Man’s Wife (Taylor is a near perfect Vera, Michael Coveney) and The Understudy by Theresa Rebeck. Lucas keeps Emma and the audience on their toes. Movement plays an integral part in MAN and much of the physicality has been crafted with the input from physicality coach Fin Walker (Four Quartets, Ralph Fiennes)

15 - 25 August 2024, 2:55 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square