Edinburgh Fringe Review 16th August 2026

I saw The Augur at the appropriately late hour of midnight, in a tiny basement room beneath the City Cafe. The intimate setting suits this gothic puppet show perfectly, although it was so packed on Saturday night that it became a little uncomfortable. I’m delighted the show has found an audience, but I would have appreciated slightly more room to sit!

The performance itself was creepy in the manner of an ancient folk tale. A small altar stood surrounded by candles, their flames providing the room’s only light. From a thousand-year sleep, the Augur emerged to divulge the fortunes of those it sought out or who volunteered.

The improvised, rhyming fortune-telling was great fun and very skilfully done, with each prediction based on a subject chosen by the participant. As the show lasts only half an hour, not everyone at this performance had their fortune told.

I very much enjoyed my short time in the presence of the Augur. It felt like something Mackenzie Crook might create, combining old-world charm with an eerie, gently comic folk-horror atmosphere. A memorable late-night Fringe experience: intimate, inventive and delightfully unsettling.

Show	The Augur
Dates & Times	This reviewed run has ended. Check the production’s official website for future dates.
Production Company	The Unnatural Disaster Theatre Co.
Original Fringe Listing	Edinburgh Fringe
Venue	Hollywood Room at The City Cafe

Disclosure: I attended with a complimentary press ticket.