Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life marks 100 performances at Summerhall Arts
by Best of Theatre Staff on Wednesday 12 August 2026, 1:54 pm in Theatre News
Keith Alessi's sell-out Edinburgh Fringe show Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life has celebrated its 100th performance at Summerhall Arts, having raised £750,000 for the venue and its artists.
Keith Alessi's sell-out Edinburgh Fringe show Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life has today performed its 100th show at Summerhall Arts.
Since 2023, the production has raised its 100,000th pound in Edinburgh and £750,000 overall. Keith Alessi donates 100% of Fringe ticket sales to Summerhall Arts to support independent theatre venues and artist development. At a time when the arts sector is facing “death by slow cuts”, according to former Edinburgh Festival Fringe Director Shona McCarthy, this production provides essential funds to support artists who otherwise could not have afforded to perform.
Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life is an inspirational true story that chronicles Keith Alessi's journey from the corporate world to his pursuit of his passion for the banjo, all of it triggered by a deadly cancer diagnosis. The show is a testimony to the healing power of music, and Keith Alessi has toured it internationally since 2018.
Keith Alessi said: “When I came to Edinburgh in 2022, I never expected for this to happen. Much less at Summerhall. And they scheduled a solar eclipse to celebrate the occasion! Coincidence??”
Tom Forster, Summerhall Arts Fringe Programme Manager, said: “Only two artists in Summerhall history have celebrated their 100th performance with us in our short history, and we're delighted to welcome Keith to the centurion club. There's something absolutely remarkable about how this show keeps growing audiences of all ages and interests — it's truly universal, and a testimony to how anyone from any background at the world's largest open access festival can keep this trajectory going with just 4 banjos, 3 lighting states and 1 story.”
Written and performed by Keith Alessi and directed and produced by Erika Conway, the show runs at Tech Cube Zero, Summerhall, until 31 August 2026 at 11.40am, with a running time of 70 minutes. It carries a warning for distressing or potentially triggering themes, including discussions of cancer.