The Bookbinder
The Bookbinder is a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, performing at Assembly Roxy. It has 3 performances listed, running from Thu 13 Aug, 15:00 to Sun 16 Aug, 18:15. The run has finished — every listed performance has taken place.
About this show
They say you can get lost in a good book. But it's worse to get lost in a bad one... An old man sits down to read the tale of an erstwhile bookbinding apprentice. As he speaks the story spills from the pages and into the bindery. Marking its 500th performance, The Bookbinder returns to Assembly, weaving shadowplay, paper-art, puppetry and music into a captivating dark fairytale. Best in Fringe (NZ Fringe), International Excellence (Sydney Fringe), Best Children's Theatre (Fringe World). 'A real delight' (Guardian).* (ThreeWeeks).
Details
- Venue: Assembly Roxy
- Space: Upstairs
- Genre: THEATRE, Storytelling, Puppetry
- Country: NEW ZEALAND
- Running time: 60 minutes
- Room size: about 168 seats (Upstairs) — the Fringe box office sells a share of the room, not all of it
- Performances listed: 3, of which 0 still to come and on sale
Accessibility
- Access features: Accessible toilet
- Venue notes: Accessible entry: There is 25 steps into the performance space. The surrounding street area has some cobbles/uneven pavements. 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 2 published reviews and 3 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.
Short answer is that it’s every bit as good as I remember it from last year
4.5 Stars It is magical, and should be experienced in their short run. While it does feel a little rushed towards the ending and could go further with some of the visuals, this is a piece that will ultimately stick in…
Performance dates and ticket availability
- Thu 13 Aug, 15:00 — Already performed — £14.00
- Sat 15 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sun 16 Aug, 18:15 — Already performed — £16.00