The Fudge Kitchen Comedy 5-14, 16-28 Aug, 8:45pm-9:45pm Reviewed by Craig Thomson
Recommended for age 14+ only.

You might be attracted to this show because of its unusual location, after-hours in the famous Fudge Kitchen on the Royal Mile.  You could have spotted that free fudge will be given away to the audience.  You may even be lifting your glass to the BYOB policy, and these are all good reasons to consider The Fudge Shop.  But you can be reassured that these are all bonuses to an odd and charming funny story.

	Pleasance Dome (venue website) Theatre 3-15, 17-22, 24-29 Aug, 3:40pm-4:55pm Reviewed by Carmel Doohan
Parental Guidance. Parents or guardians should consider the content of this show if children are attending.

The story - after his wife's death, an old man struggles to move on - is simple and sad, but the performances are complex and full of life-affirming joy. This exploration of a relationship contains no dialogue, with the whistling accordionist and her beautifully mournful ballad providing the only sound.

	The Edge Festival @ Cabaret Voltaire (venue website) Comedy 4-14, 16-29 Aug, 3:45pm-4:45pm Reviewed by Alice de Cent
Recommended for age 12+ only.

Accountant turned stand-up comedian Tom Goodliffe has been cursed with a name that frequently provokes the question “do you have a good life?” from complete strangers.  In The Good Liffe, he sets out to answer that question.

	C venues - C soco (venue website) Theatre 3-29 Aug, 9:45pm-10:40pm Reviewed by Carmel Doohan
Recommended for age 12+ only.

Meet the attractive yet dysfunctional teenagers whose best friend has – well, you can guess the rest. It is written by and stars Eva O'Connor, and is performed by her theatre company Sunday's Child. O'Connor's skill as a playwright is indisputable; she is just 20 years old but her dialogue is smart, funny and confident.

	Paradise in Augustine's (venue website) Musicals 16-20, 23-27 Aug, 11:25am-12:50pm Reviewed by Lee Zhao
Family-friendly. Suitable for all ages.

The Arabian Nights is one of the most famous anthologies of stories and folk tales in the world, and arguably the best-known work of literature from the Arab world. Many of our preconceptions of Arabia come from stories contained in the Arabian Nights: stories like Sinbad, Aladdin and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

	Udderbelly's Pasture (venue website) Comedy 3-7, 9-14, 16-21, 23-28 Aug, 9:30pm-10:30pm Reviewed by Rachel Hartley-Davison
Recommended for age 14+ only.

If you haven’t experienced the comedy juggernaut that is Frisky & Mannish, you really should sign on to their Pop Centre Plus.  You'll claim the full benefit of this ridiculously talented pair, who cram every second of their show with top-notch comedy-cabaret entertainment.

	Pleasance Dome (venue website) Comedy 3-16, 18-28 Aug, 5:40pm-6:35pm Reviewed by Hannah Van Den Bergh
Recommended for age 14+ only.

Accusing BBC Radio 4 of being “witty but not funny”, McNeil and Pamphilon are making big statements in a show that sadly fails to fulfil either criterion. The duo make an unintentional farce of sketch comedy, attempting to clarify for the audience whether they are a ‘McNeil’ or a ‘Pamphilon’ – depressive mortgagee or sexy idiot?

	Pleasance Courtyard (venue website) Comedy 3-29 Aug, 7:00pm-8:00pm Reviewed by Hannah Van Den Bergh
Recommended for age 16+ only.

After his success of last year, receiving a Comedy Awards newcomer nomination, Imran Yusuf advances into the big league.  This sell-out performance, embracing intelligent laughs, maps the past of a comedy starlet who no doubt has a sparkling future ahead of him – with refined material, and stronger punchlines.

	theSpaces @ Surgeons Hall (venue website) Musicals 15-20 Aug, 4:15pm-5:50pm Reviewed by Lee Zhao
Family-friendly. Suitable for all ages.

Eyam (pronounced ee-m) is a small village in Derbyshire, unremarkable save for its local claim to infamy as a "plague village" - a rather tragic and at the same time heroic tale. It is this story of the sacrifice and ultimate success of the villagers in containing the outbreak that forms the source material for The Ring of Stones.

	Bannatyne's Health Club Comedy 3-4, 8-16, 18-28 Aug, 2:15pm-3:15pm Reviewed by Craig Thomson
Recommended for age 18+ only. Venue may not permit under-18's - check with venue before booking.

Every year, you'll see something in the Fringe programme that is being staged at an unlikely venue.  Perhaps saying something about the British state of mind, performances in a toilet seem to be de rigueur, if not de trop.  What you need to know about Sink or Spin is that, yes, it's in an outlandish setting; but it's also a gloriously daft comic performance with a bit of heart and a lot of laughs.