London

Theatre
A GOOD BET
Mabou Mines Dollhouse
Somewhat to the playwright’s disgust, Ibsen’s ‘The Doll’s House’ is credited with kick-starting the feminist movement. Now, Lee Breuer, one of America’s leading experimental directors, gives us the post-modern feminist version in which all the men are tiny and all the women huge. Plus it’s all set in a doll’s house with child-sized furniture. No wonder Nora feels that domesticity’s not for her.
King’s Theatre Aug 24-28

Damascus
Prolific playwright David Greig – who has also adapted ‘The Bacchae’ for the International Festival (see below), has his own new play on at the Traverse directed by departing artistic director Philip Howard. It’s set, naturally enough, in the ancient city of Damascus.
Traverse Theatre Aug 5-26
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The Human Computer
Do you feel the world is leaving you behind because you don’t know have a page on MySpace? If so, this is the show for you, by a committed computerphobe. 2004 Perrier Award winner and 2006 Fringe First winner, Will Adamsdale – best known for his alter ego, the legendary life-coach guru, Chris John Jackson – returns to the Festival.
Traverse 3, University of Edinburgh Drill Hall Aug 1-26

England
In New York, Tim Crouch mixed with some high class celebs who he invited to take part in ‘An Oak Tree’, his two-hander play in which the second person walked on stage having never read a word of the play. Before that, there was ‘My Arm’ about a boy who one day decides to put his arm above his head and keeps it there – for thirty years. How to follow up that? With ‘England’ – a neat title for a Scottish festival – billed as ‘a tour to the end of the world’.
Fruitmarket Gallery Aug 4-26

The Container
Do you really know what it would be like to be an immigrant trapped in the dark in a container not knowing where you are going? Now’s the chance to find out. Clare Bayley’s new play about immigration and the underclass offers just 20 lucky people a seat inside the real thing.
E4 UdderBELLY Aug 3-26

Hippo World Guest Book
Edinburgh favourite Chris Goode invites us to follow him, follow, down to the hollow – well, the Pleasance – where his new solo show traces the rise and poignant fall of an online chat-room for hippopotamus enthusiasts.
Pleasance Dome Aug 1-27

Twelfth Night
If Shakespeare had been alive today, he’d have been… a sound technician? The team behind 2002’s ‘Faster’, Filter Theatre, apply their light-footed sonic talents to the Bard’s most beautiful comedy.
Underbelly Aug 20-26

Claytime
Messing around with clay gets theatrical as the ever-inventive Steve Tiplady and sculptor Sally Brown ask the audience of 3-6 year-olds to create characters, settings and stories which are then fashioned out of the mud. It would be the perfect Edinburgh party if it wasn’t playing at 10.45 in the morning.
Assembly Universal Arts, Freemason’s Hall Aug 2-27

BIG NAMES
Exits and Entrances
European premiere, in the original New York production, of a 2004 play by Athol Fugard, recounting a young writer’s encounter, in 1950s Cape Town, with South Africa’s greatest thespian.
Assembly Rooms Aug 3-27

The Bacchae
There was no doubt about the big hit last year, which to London’s shame has yet to make it down south. Gregory Burke’s ‘Black Watch’ was directed by John Tiffany, associate director of the National Theatre of Scotland, who returns to the festival with a new version of ‘The Bacchae’. Alan Cumming will be in his element as Dionysus, the hedonistic god, who returns home with his female followers to exact his revenge. Cumming is also coming home to Scotland after sixteen years away
King’s Theatre Aug 11-18

Breaker Morant
Now an Edinburgh fixture, this year’s comedians-do-theatre show – directed by If.comedy award-winner Phil Nichol, and starring Adam Hills and Brendan Burns – tells the true story of a Boer War court-martial.
Udderbelly Aug 2-27

NOVELTY VALUE
Auto Auto
‘A renowned concert percussionist performs Bach and Tchaikovsky…’ – yeah yeah, big deal. Oh, wait a minute – ‘… by pulverising a Vauxhall Astra with crowbars, chainsaws and axes.’ Oh. OK, that is a bit strange.
Pleasance Grand Aug 1-27

Wacky musicals
Musical theatre is about joy, epiphany and escapist glee, right? Er, welcome to Edinburgh where you can sing those troubles away with ‘Tony! The Blair Musical’ (C Venues Aug 5-27), ‘Jihad the Musical’ (C Venues Aug 5-27 ), ‘Chav! It’s a Musical, Innit?’ (Underbelly Aug 2-26) and indeed ‘Xenu is Loose!’ (C Venues Aug 5-27), which sets Scientology to some foot-tappin’ tunes.