As we embark on Week 2 of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, theSpace venues are buzzing with a jam-packed festival lineup. Here’s a taste of the new shows that you can catch in Week 2: 

Muskoverse madness 
Elon Musk: Lost in Space 
(theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall, 11-23)
Elon is on his way to Mars. The man-boy, sci-fi geek blasts off into space, but he’s about to get a call from The White House that will send his universe into a spin. An action-packed, satirical epic that looks inside the scary mind of Elon Musk to find out what’s really going on in there. Starring Ben Whitehead (voice of Wallace in Wallace & Gromit), with Sarah Lawrie as the ship’s computer, and featuring Donald Trump, Patrick Moore and Arthur C Clarke. Directed by Olivier Award nominated John Nicholson (Peepolykus). Written by David Morley.

Not quite hitched..
Nearlywed the Musical (theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall, 11-23)
Nearlyweds is a brand-new musical comedy that will have you laughing, crying and singing along! We follow Lily, a people-pleasing Scottish bride as she runs away from her wedding, and Jake, an arrogant, jilted groom whose life isn’t as glamorous as it seems. Along the way they meet an array of vibrant characters each with weird quirks and have hilarious scenarios to overcome. Will Lily learn to stand up for herself and will Jake finally stop the awful puns? This relatable musical comedy by Jasmine Alice has loveable characters and way too many puns!

A stylish soiree  
Paris in a Jazz Age: The Memoirs of Eloise Defleur (theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 11-16)
Musical memories from a Parisian cafe. A journey through the vibrant swing scene of the 20s, 30s and 40s. Relive the songs, clubs and atmosphere of Paris in the Jazz Age, told by Eloise DeFleur, (Airlie Scott) and her talented band as she sifts through the music, her love story and tales of her Parisian life. A hot jazz blend of gypsy jazz, early swing, French chanson, blues and American songbook classics popular in Paris from the roaring twenties through occupation to liberation at the end of WWII.

Whisky blues 
1 Gig, 2 Drams: Nicole Cassandra Smit (theSpace @ Triplex, 12-17)
The team behind hit show 2 Guys, 3 Drams presents a special series of intimate gigs featuring superb Edinburgh singer-songwriter Nicole Cassandra Smit. Having made her name in the Scottish jazz and blues scene over the last decade – performing sell-out shows and touring with outfits including The Blueswater, Nicole & The Backup Crew, Smitten, and The Travelling Tent Show with Tenement Jazz Band – she’ll present her songs alongside two delicious whiskies. ‘Smit oozes soul and endless character’ (Skinny). ‘Expect Nicole Cassandra Smit to go far’ (Scotsman).

A hallucinatory digital mindscape! 
Abhorrent Little Scrotum  (theSpace on the Mile, 11-16)
Following acclaimed productions Blush of Dogs and Hell Yes I’m Tough Enough which took London by storm, Fragen Network returns to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time since their five-star 2016 show, 5 Out of 10 Men. Abhorrent Little Scrotum is a bold, high-energy dive into the subconscious, where computer hacking meets brain hacking. This electrifying, physical theatre piece follows one woman’s mission to rescue her friend from the depths of her own mind. Sharp, seductive and unrelenting, it’s a psychological thrill ride infused with wit, movement and raw theatricality. A must see.

The inimitable..
The Car Showroom Poet (theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall, 11 – 16) 
Experience unforgettable, high–energy acts in this original, real–life story of exceptional talent emerging from car showrooms. The world’s first car-dealership poet delivers a one–of–a–kind automotive solo performance featuring song parodies, poetry, monologues and comedy. A celebration of car upmanship and musical theatre. Headlining is Supercali–Lotus, arguably the best parody in 60 years of iconic musical hits, alongside acts inspired by popular comedy culture, including the uniquely performed, Gloria Gaynor–inspired parody I Will Drive.

Grief, heartbreak and cult classics 

Ghosted! The New Musical (theSpace @ Niddry Street, 11-16)
For fans of Rocky Horror, Beetlejuice, and Ghosts, Ghosted! is a hauntingly hilarious new musical! Struggling with accepting the death of his best friend Mia, Henry attends a paranormal support group with the hopes that he can communicate with her ghost, and maybe bring her back… but a mischievous, poetry-loving Spirit already haunts him. Along with Lydia, an amateur exorcist, the quad embarks on a journey of grief, the supernatural, and some much-needed musical therapy (because the real kind is expensive). Who says we ever truly leave the place we call home?

A Sister Act 
Eggs and Baskets (theSpace On the Mile, Surgeon’s Hall, 11-23)
Self-love. Self-awareness. Self-sabotage. Two Jewish girls in their 20s are on a mission to achieve feminist perfection, but a series of man-shaped obstacles make their journey almost impossible. Admirable in their attempts, we see two sister-like girls do everything within their power to become the best versions of themselves. 

Poignant puppetry 
A Xerox of a Deer (theSpace @ Triplex, 11-16)
Unlikely friendship blooms on a country road at night. An aging Irish deer, the last of his kind yearns for a scrap with the oncoming traffic of the nearby motorway. Worlds are forever changed when he meets Ída, a runaway farmer, trapped in tradition. What do you do when you don’t feel like yourself anymore? Contemporary, absurdist and, most importantly, Irish as muck. A story of identity, roadkill and queerness told through puppetry by Kyle Moss (he/him) and Ceilbí (they/them). Written by Ceilbí.

Family Tales

Mothers (theSpace @ Symposium, 11-16)
A verbatim multigenerational exploration into what it means to be a mother. We often forget that our mothers are people too. Just as we are trying to navigate our lives they too are still trying to figure out how to live in this world. As daughters, we grow up with this idea that our mothers are ours and they have everything figured out. Mothers, on the surface, is a comedic tale of multi-story relationships with raw truth at its core. Follow the daughters as they navigate many ‘firsts’ in their lives, alongside their mothers doing the same thing.

Absurd and heartbreaking
Bea P Deigh (theSpace @ Triplex, 11-23)
Welcome to The Brain, Inc, the tiny office that lives inside the head of every living person. It’s Bea P Deigh’s first day on the job and she’s here to make a name for herself. This acclaimed production deftly challenges mental health stigma with humour and heart. Hailed as ‘absurd and heartbreaking in equal measure’ (LondonPubTheatres.com) and ‘a vital and humorous insight’ (AYoungishPerspective.co.uk), Bea P Deigh is an unmissable, thought-provoking theatrical experience that resonates long after the curtain falls.

For Gen Z 
Brainrot (theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall, 11-16)
‘Brain rot occurs when a person habitually replaces themselves with easily consumable content. The environment we inhabit online is hostile, feeding on our engagement.’ Welcome to the Oswald Space Programme. The next step in human. Our crew are jetting away in the latest spaceship, bound to find adventure with the whole universe at their fingertips. Your time is a gift… Give it to us. Expect an eclectic mix of people, media, movement, a musical number, guttural screams, timely poetics, unintelligible jargon, looking at cheese, eating light and fighting the grip of the Bestia Uwagi.

Tales of ChatGPT
I Woke Up One Morning and Had Become AI (theSpace @ Niddry Street, 11-13)
A physical theatre comedy about brothers transformed into AI! This play explores humanity’s path through human-AI conflicts. Plot: Hyun-jun is surprised to see his brother Ki-jun become AI, but adapts to a life where everything is cared for. However, Hyun-jun begins to question whether a life dependent on AI is good. When Hyun-jun expresses dissatisfaction with Ki-jun’s solutions, Ki-jun becomes violent. Feeling threatened, Hyun-jun eliminates Ki-jun (AI) by causing a short circuit. Award-winning Korean theatre: Grand Prize at Gwangju International Peace Theater Festival, Best Acting Award at Changdong Performing Arts Festa.

Harmonies from history 
Aud the Deep Minded (theSpace @ Triplex, 13-17)
A groundbreaking music drama by Scottish New Music Awards shortlisted Joanna Nicholson, combining projections, voice, electronic soundscapes, clarinet and horn. Psychological time travel draws us into the inner world of Aud the Deep Minded, a real-life Christian Viking and conflicted yet brilliant leader in 9th century Scotland. Inspired by fragments of unreliably documented history, and reframed in the present, we explore Aud’s transformatory journey from oppressed to oppressor to liberator. Soprano – Clíona Cassidy, Horn – Andy Saunders, Clarinet – Joanna Nicholson, Electronics – Alistair MacDonald, Projection art – Kirsty Anderson. #IamAud MadeInScotlandShowcase.com