Edinburgh Fringe 2026: Reuben Kaye and Sam Morrison bring queer comedy, politics and gay swans to the festival

With the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe well and truly underway, award-winning performers Reuben Kaye and Sam Morrison are returning to the festival with their new queer shows.

Australian drag artist, singer and comedian Kaye will bring his award-winning show Hard to Swallow to Assembly George Square Gardens from 6 to 29 August.

The show won Best Show at the 2026 Sydney Comedy Festival and was nominated for Most Outstanding Show at the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

“This world scares me” – Reuben Kaye combining queer humour and politics at the Edinburgh Fringe

Described as brash, queer and unapologetically provocative, Hard to Swallow combines Kaye’s signature comedy, theatrics and live music, while taking aim at far-right politicians and the wealthy, as well as inactive progressives in the culture wars. Both sides take a hit in this show.

The comedian, who has appeared on Pointless Celebrities alongside Reverend Richard Coles, has said the show was inspired by his own fears about the state of the world.

Describing politics today, he said in a news release: “This world scares me and I know I’m not alone in that.”

What is Kaye’s Hard to Swallow about?

What is Hard to Swallow about? “The show acknowledges the monsters, but it’s also about recognising that, underneath everything, most of us are scared of the same things and angry about the same things,” Kaye explained. “Maybe that means we’ve got more in common with each other than we think.”

Kaye will also bring his late-night variety show The Kaye Hole to Underbelly Bristo Square for four performances, following the show’s debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2019.

The production will feature a live band and a selection of Fringe performers. Dates and times include 11.30pm on 21, 22, 28 and 29 August.

What is Sam Morrison’s DUCK about?

Meanwhile, Morrison will perform DUCK at Gilded Balloon Teviot from 5 to 31 August, following his internationally acclaimed show Sugar Daddy, in which he turned his experiences of loss and diabetes into a one-man comedy show.

Morrison’s new one-man production takes a more existential approach, using humorous examples from the animal kingdom – including ducks with corkscrew penises, sexually destructive marsupial mice and gay swans – to explore humanity’s obsession with finding meaning.

The show examines Morrison’s relationship with faith, his Jewish heritage, therapy, organised religion and the gay dating app Grindr, while questioning why humans feel compelled to search for a greater purpose.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs from 7 August to 31 August 2026.