Don Quixote (Is a Very Big Book)
Don Quixote (Is a Very Big Book) is a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, performing at Pleasance Dome. It has 24 performances listed, running from Wed 5 Aug, 15:25 to Mon 31 Aug, 15:25. The run has finished — every listed performance has taken place.
About this show
Dik Downey's mid-life crisis crashes headlong into Don Quixote's crazed delusions. With a rogue's gallery of puppets and desperate clowning, Quixote embarks on surreal, comic misadventures with sidekick Sancho Panza and decrepit horse, Rocinante. Dik fights to make this huge novel joyous to a contemporary audience. But as Quixote chases impossible dreams, Dik faces his own dwindling relevance and mortality. A laugh-out-loud international co-production on the indignities of fighting the inevitable. 'Show of the year... so funny that your face will hurt' (Bristol247.com) 'Slapstick comedy and touching vulnerability... outstanding' (Scotsman).
Details
- Venue: Pleasance Dome
- Space: King Dome
- Genre: THEATRE, Puppetry, Clown
- Country: UNITED KINGDOM - ENGLAND
- Running time: 55 minutes
- Room size: about 174 seats (King Dome) — the Fringe box office sells a share of the room, not all of it
- Performances listed: 24, of which 0 still to come and on sale
Accessibility
- Wheelchair access: level
- Access features: Step-free access, Accessible toilet, Hearing loop
- Venue notes: Accessible entry: Main queue inside Dome at left of building. Level access to left of venue — ask staff for assistance. Performance space is on First Floor up 20 steps on a permanent spiral stone staircase. Wheelchair access type:Level Access (Building Lift) Stairs: 20+ Number of stairs is provided as guidance and is not in addition to any wheelchair access type (lift/ramp etc) stated above.
What the reviewers said
We have captured 10 published reviews and 43 audience reviews for this show from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s own listing. The excerpts below are the reviewers’ words, not ours — follow each link for the full review.
Wandering on to a large stage surrounded by boxes of props and neatly laid-out armour, Dik Downey recounts how he came to make the show – all while stripping down to a fetching pair of long johns and donning the armour…
This was a beautiful show, it is aesthetically and thematically glorious. Downey dreams the impossible into life with care and expert craft to make a show that is altogether touching, and truly heroic.
— Binge Fringe (4 out of 5 stars)
Opposable Thumb Theatre has created something amazing. The puppets are beautiful, the design is great, and the performance and writing are brilliant. It is an absolute gem of a show.
— A Youngish Perspective (4 out of 5 stars)
Performance dates and ticket availability
- Wed 5 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £10.00
- Thu 6 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £10.00
- Fri 7 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sat 8 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sun 9 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Mon 10 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Tue 11 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Thu 13 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £14.50
- Fri 14 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sat 15 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sun 16 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Tue 18 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £14.50
- Wed 19 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £14.50
- Thu 20 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £14.50
- Fri 21 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sat 22 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sun 23 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Tue 25 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £14.50
- Wed 26 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £14.50
- Thu 27 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £14.50
- Fri 28 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sat 29 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sun 30 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £16.00
- Mon 31 Aug, 15:25 — Already performed — £14.50