5 Fringe Festival shows actually worth catching

Hard on the heels of an Ebola outbreak comes the New York International Fringe Festival.

Now in its 18th year, this year’s fest seems as sophomoric and scrappy as ever.

Ridiculous titles? Consider “The Apple Tree, or Penis No. 7.” Odd conceits?

You’re welcome to follow tour guide Xavier the Australian Penguin around the Lower East Side.

All told, running through Aug. 24 are more than 200 shows of questionable quality — let alone the promise of one day reaching Broadway, as ­“Urinetown” did many moons ago.

Nevertheless, we’ve rummaged around and found at least five shows worth catching, especially since you’re out only $18 a ticket. For dates, times and venues, visit fringenyc.org.

“Gary Busey’s One-Man Hamlet”

As performed by David Carl

So demented a concept, it actually works — or, at least, it had a preview audience in hysterics. Carl, whose toothy, unhinged grin recalls Busey’s own, manipulates stick puppets as he relates the Bard’s tragedy, with frequent detours into Buseyland (“Mah Peggy Sue, oo, oo!”)

“Murder, Margaret and Me”

Margaret Rutherford played Agatha Christie’s famous granny sleuth, Miss Marple, in four 1960s movies. Janet Prince plays both Christie and Rutherford in this solo show about the relationship between the two — who started off hating each other. The excellent mystery writer Stella Duffy directs.

“Bedroom Secrets”

Ashlie Atkinson — the brave star of Neil LaBute’s “Fat Pig” — plays a therapist with a wide-ranging roster of clients: men, women, young and old, gay and straight. Intriguingly, they’re all played Stephen Wallem, best known as nurse Thor Lundgren on “Nurse Jackie.”

“Rock God”

Joel Creasey of Perth — which he proudly calls “the shark attack capital of the world” — riffs about one gay Aussie’s quest for fame and his (inexplicable) crush on Belgium tennis star Kim Clijsters.

“Seven Seductions of Taylor Swift”

Just the title alone had us hooked. Seven female playwrights speculate on the busy songbird’s love life through the mouths of her exes — in this case, all embodied by the same actor. It’s billed as “a hilarious satire of fame, innocence, love and douchebags.” Who could resist?