Fringe: Stamptown - Soft Spot

Stamptown
Assembly George Square Gardens, Palais du Variete
Fringe 2026 ★★★★★

Quite possibly the most exhilarating show on earth, Stamptown is an explosion of unbridled chaos as talented performers unleash their most gleefully hilarious mayhem. It's never the same show twice, so I was happy to revisit it at the Fringe, two and a half years after first catching them in London. Here, Assembly's spiegeltent gives the show an even bigger impact, orchestrated by first-rate clown Zach Zucker as our hyperactive host Jack Tucker. "It's a hurricane up here," he says ruffling his already sweat-dampened hair, "or maybe a himicane!" as tech expert Jonny Woolley's sound and light effects create a frenzy of improvisation.

Over the next 80 minutes, regulars keep popping up, including roller-skating DylanBrand®, who does one of the funniest pratfalls imaginable, entangled in Jack's mic cord. There's also the endearingly woolly Cory Peter Lane as a "creation" called Mungus and Steffen Haanes as sneering vampire The Master. Recurring appearances include crowd favourite clown character Mister Cardboard (Miles Calderon), plus a hilarious turn from Lucas Tamaren of Thumpasaurus as James Bond. Britain's Got Talent winner Viggo Venn is also in the mix, as the performers interact with each other and the audience, keeping everyone on their toes.

Tonight's guest turns include the staggeringly entertaining Siegfried and Joy, who keep us laughing while doing some impressive magic, plus burlesque acrobats who are the best in the business: Rowan Thomas on a Cyr wheel, sword swallower Jacqueline Furey, umbrella foot juggler Tara Boom and the heart-stopping pole aerialist Donna Carter. There are also two drag acts: Séayoncé and her deadpan accompanist Lesley Ann do a high-camp cabaret piece about ghosting, and raucous drag king Boots performs a filthy mime to Don't Stop Me Now. The uncontrolled energy of this show is almost impossible to explain, finely performed with skill and precision, but always on the verge of anarchy. The joy on-stage is electric, and the audience wants more.

NB. A filmed Stamptown performance is coming to Netflix later this month, but will it be possible to capture this singular vibe in a bottle?

For more: STAMPTOWN • 15.Aug.26

Soft Spot
Zoo Southside, Main • Fringe 2026 ★★★★★

This riveting Swedish-Finnish circus act features the supernaturally steady acrobatic skills of Stina Otterström and Arttu Lahtinen as they interact with some 300 wine glasses. Working at an astonishingly controlled pace, these performers place themselves in poses that appear to ignore the laws of physics, and their movements certainly seem to be impossibly unwavering in the way they use balance and weight to dazzling visual effect.

Accompanied by a lovely tonal score, the hugely likeable Stina and Arttu silently take the stage balancing wine glasses on boards with simple elegance. Their sure-handed movements are slow and simple, and also absurdly difficult. Early on, a slight wobble results in a broken glass, which is carefully swept up to protect Stina's bare feet. And she cheekily breaks another one to make a point. Otherwise, their movement is intricate and exact, combining boards and glasses with bendy, gravity-defying handstands and manipulating the glasses with feet and slight-of-hand, sliding them from board to board and stacking them in elegant towers. We feel like we have entered Stina and Arttu's own surreal world.

All of this is achingly cool, performed with a playful, almost cheeky edge that vividly captures their close connection. They must work in perfect sync, supporting and also challenging each other. So when Arttu invites Stina to stand on the glasses, it's breathtaking. Seeing her shift her weight to stand on three glasses, then two, then one, is simply heart-stopping. As are the even more elaborate moves to come, as if this is a particularly perilous tight rope act. We feel we should applaud, but don't want to break the spell. And when they upend a container of broken glasses and use a broom to spread the shards across the floor, the setting becomes even more wondrous. It's a mesmerising show that feels magical as it unfolds with gentle precision. 

For more: OLO COMPANY • 15.Aug.26