Masquerade Mask

Try and catch these three hugely talented performers before they return to Italy. It’s a wonderful whirlwind introduction to the world of commedia, done with great humour and energy - they deserve to play to big crowds. Really glad I saw the show.

A truly fantastic show and exactly the kind of gem we come to the Edinburgh Fringe for. Masquerade Mask is the kind of show you won’t easily be able to see in the UK outside of the Fringe. I only knew a little about Commedia Dell’Arte before going into this show and the show is done in a way where they teach you just enough for you to then be onboard when they go into scenes. An absolute delight performed by masters of the craft. We didn’t have many in our audience (unbelievable given how good this was) but the performers maintained a fantastic level of energy and had us all laughing out loud throughout. If you’re still stuck for something to see on a morning then come see this, it was one of the best shows we’ve seen this Fringe.

A real find - laughs, history, mime, slapstick, physical theatre and quite a bit of Italian (PLEASE don’t let that put you off) from three of the most engaging and versatile performers you probably won’t have seen before. Five Stars!

Tremendous fun. Part history of Italian theatre, part cooking demonstration; with Macbeth’s witches and many other scenes thrown in. Slick and lively. We loved it.

What an absolute joy to see such a tight, highly skilled Comedia troupe at the fringe. All the best traditions of Comedia - in terms of skills and characters - are to be found in this joyous show. They are lovely people too. Highly recommended !!

Great show, modern take on what entertained people for centuries, great venue, wonderful performers! 5 out 5 , very recommended

An awe-inspiring take on the traditional Commedia dell’Arte, this masterful show will take you back in time and delight you in melodic Italian (and English too, fret not). The small yet powerful troupe puts on a physical, crafty and engaging performance, skillfully weaving traditional Commedia elements and characters with modern references and household stories. A beautiful ode to Italian culture and classics.

It will make you want to run out of the theatre and make fresh pasta at home with one hand while you book a flight to Italy with the other…

Bravi ragazzi, siete una forza della natura.

I really enjoyed this show, the performers were very professional and their experience illuminated the stage. My friends from China also loved this show, they could see the respect the artists had for the traditions of their trade. I highly recommend this show to adults and children who enjoy laughing out loud.

It is an amazing show, make your day. You will love it.

Highly entertaining: great skills lightly worn, warmth, slap-stick turns that can still surprise, wit, and knowledge shared in the most amusing way. Highly recommend!

Loved it. One of the more entertaining and engaging performances we’ve seen. This troupe from Bologna are fantastic. Highly recommended.

I loved this show! The performers all had incredible energy and were very engaging. I learned. I laughed. I was very entertained. 10/10 would definitely recommend.

Loved this show so much!!!! Super funny and engaging. Highly recommend to everyone.

Meraviglioso! Really loved this Commedia show/ seminar. Enjoyed the mix of performance and education all presented with a great deal of fun interplay between the actors and characters. Highly recommended.

Brilliant and very funny exploration of the history of Commedia del Arte by the talented Fraternal Compagnia from Bologna. Fantastic physical comedy and clever interplay of Italian and English. Five Stars

Very funny take on commedia dell'arte by a group from Bologna with the three actors all excelling at physical and verbal comedy. And good at singing too and bringing in the audience. Bravo! Highly recommended.

Masquerade Mask (****)
Three performers from Bologna, one of whom spoke perfect English, introduce the traditional characters of the Italian Commedia dell’arte using that very style. The combination of education and meta demonstration proved quite winning. It was fun to see the antecedents of MacBeth’s witches, Shylock, and Shakespeare’s many fools.


This is the 8th most enjoyable of the 32 shows I have seen so far at the Fringe this year. I hope to see more than 150 this year. You may see my other three-sentence reviews, in order from most enjoyable to worst, at my non-commercial website: https://fringefan.com/