10 Shows to Look Out for at Edinburgh Fringe

That's right. Fringe is a great platform for artists to showcase their work for the first time, but it's also often a pipeline to the West End. SIX was first performed by a group of Cambridge students in a hotel conference room at Fringe 2017, and now it's one of the most beloved musicals in the West End and on Broadway. Phoebe Waller-Bridges performed a one-woman show at Underbelly in 2013, won a Fringe First, and now Fleabag is one of the most quotable television shows of the last few years. 

It's hard to say what exactly makes a show 'transfer material' - often times it's just a case of luck and timing. But if a show has the right ingredients - an engaging concept, a talented cast, original material, a strong social media following, rave reviews during its run, and producers with West End connections - it can be a surefire ticket to the West End. 

So here are ten shows we're particularly excited about, including a few that you'll definitely be seeing in London later this year, plus some that we think have potential to make the journey down south.

Bliss

From the Olivier Award-winning producers of Cabaret and Benjamin Button, Bliss is a fearless, razor-sharp fairy tale retelling that rewrites the rules of happily ever after, in which four sisters escape their tower and collide with the outside world. With 17 West End performers, electric vocals and a pop-rock punch, Bliss previously had its workshop run at Sadler's Wells in London in 2025 and performed at West End LIVE in 2026, and is widely anticipated to have a London transfer following its Fringe run.

• Pleasance Courtyard – The Grand, 5 to 31 August 2026

Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorised Musical Parody

Follow golden boy Shane Hollander on his journey from power centre to power bottom as he enters a secret romance with his hockey rival Ilya Rozanov. Hot, steamy, and sexy, this musical parody of the hit hockey romance, Heated Rivalry, is an off-Broadway sensation from Dylan MarcAurele, the New York-based writer behind fringe hit Pop Off, Michelangelo!. This one has already been tapped for a London transfer, and you can see it at the Underbelly Boulevard Soho in October following its Fringe run.

• Underbelly Bristo Square – Udderbelly, 5 to 30 August

Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorised Musical Parody. Photo provided by production.

Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It

NYC’s clowning theatre duo Xhloe and Natasha's visceral, disconcerting new play explores the dark side of American mythos in which a pair of teenagers fake Bigfoot sightings to pass the time in a flood-ravaged, 1990s Appalachian town, blending precise choreography, clowning, and a nine-foot puppet created and operated by the duo. It's also transferring to London this September following its Fringe run, so you can catch it at the Soho Theatre.

• Summerhall, 6 to 30 August

Disenchanted! The Hit Musical

Disenchanted! is the side-splitting, cheeky, musical mash-up of all your favourite fairy tales, where Cinderella's done cleaning, Sleeping Beauty's wide awake and Snow White's calling the shots now. There's no shortage of fairy tale retellings at Fringe this year, and we know they're popular in the West End - just look at the success of Into the Woods.

• Pleasance at EICC – Pentland Theatre, 5 to 30 August.

The Real Kyle McCarren

This darkly funny and unusual musical by Andy Roninson, a recipient of the American Theatre Wing's Jonathan Larson Grant, and singer-songwriter Sean McVerry is pitched as "musical séance" for Andy's late bandmate Kyle, and described as equal parts Bo Burnham and Tick, Tick... Boom! It's also produced by Avalon, whose last two musicals, Jerry Springer: The Opera and the Olivier and Tony-winning Operation Mincemeat, both ended up being West End hits.

• Forth at Pleasance Courtyard, 5 to 30 August

Xhloe and Natasha in Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It. Photo by Morgan McDowell

Endometriosis: The Musical

Making its Edinburgh debut after winning three major awards at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, this is a laugh-out-loud musical about one woman's hilarious, infuriating and ultimately triumphant journey through a healthcare system that seems to value neither health nor care. Set to be both poignant and funny, and utterly relatable, this is one we predict will be really popular with audiences.

• Gilded Balloon Patter House – Doonstairs, 5 to 31 August

MUSE: The Shakespeare Mayhem Musical

Pop musical comedy meets absurdist theatre in this delightful musical featuring a young, pre-fame Will Shakespeare, whose publisher will only print one of his plays, leaving Will in a terrible conundrum. With Puck as instigator, Lear, Cleopatra, the Macbeths and more of Shakespeare’s greatest characters erupt into rebellion as they battle over who will get the chosen slot. Anything featuring Shakespeare is sure to be a big hit with audiences, especially with a quirky concept like this one.

• Underbelly, Cowgate – Belly Button, 5 to 30 August

The Shocking Truth About Flat Earth

In this  gloriously unhinged, surprisingly heartfelt musical comedy, keyboard warrior and flat-Earth truther Sharon Hargreeves heads to a flat Earth convention in Vegas, where a a Shakespearean mix-up sends her spiralling into chaos, conspiracies and unexpected self-discovery. Get ready for big laughs, bigger tunes and absolutely zero scientific credibility - a surefire combination for instant success.

• Queen Dome at Pleasance Dome, 5 to 30 August

The cast of Disenchanted! The Musical. Photo by Pamela Raith.

Penelope

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has quickly become a box office hit, but have you ever wondered about Penelope's side of the story? Having waited two decades for Odysseus to return from the Trojan War, Penelope takes to the stage with a drink in hand to re-tell this great epic from her unique perspective. Starring Broadway's Grace McLean, this contemporary chamber musical features an award-winning folk-pop score. Like fairy tale retellings and Shakespearean retellings, Greek myth retellings are always a big hit, so we expect to see Penelope making waves.

• Underbelly Cowgate – Belly Button, 5 to 30 August

Andrew Doherty: Reviewers Welcome…TO DIE!

From Andrew Doherty, former comedy partner of Ambika Mod and the writer behind Gay Witch Sex Cult and Sad Gay AIDS Play, comes a new horror comedy set at a fringe festival where know-nothing reviewer Felix Chatelier finds himself embroiled with creepy townsfolk and horrific twists, forced to fight for his life and more importantly, his reputation. This one just sounds unapologetically fun, and gleefully topical.

• Pleasance Courtyard, 5 to 30 August

If you're lucky enough to be going to Fringe, we hope you enjoy these shows! And if you're spending your August in London, check out these exciting new theatre openings this month in the capital.