The Edinburgh Playhouse

When The Playhouse first opened in the late 1920's, it originally functioned as a cinema - and an impressive one at that, housing 1500 seats in the Stalls, 680 in the Circle and 860 in the Balcony. Sadly, in the 1960's, a drought of punters and dwindling profits forced the building to close with a threat of demolition. But if there's one thing the people Edinburgh don't like to see, it's the waste of a ruddy good building - especially one where there's theatrical fun to be had. Petitions were circulated and the building was saved, listed, and reopened - this time as a theatre.

Nowadays, The Playhouse is pretty much the Edinburgh outpost of London’s West End. In recent years, it's played host to some of the biggest names in comedy (see: Ricky Gervais, Jimmy Carr and Dylan Moran), touring West-End musicals (from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to American Idiot), musicians (everyone from Bob Dylan to Kylie), and erm... psychological trickery (we're looking at you Derren Brown).

Student matinee prices and a healthy number of cheap seats make it a reasonable option when you tire of the clubs, and its location in the heart of town means that skipping all the way home after Mary Poppins is eminently doable.