Tag Archives: Assembly Rooms

‘Afrique En Cirque’ (Music Hall at Assembly Rooms, George Street, until AUG 30 – not AUG 12, 17 24)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, 5*, Circus, Dance, Music, Rated: Outstanding by

“What we saw seemed like an Olympic games of athletic talent: somersaulting tumblers who never seemed to get dizzy; physical contortionists who twisted their bodies into eye-wateringly convoluted shapes, always with a cheerful smile on their face; and gravity-defying human pyramids that challenged the laws of architecture.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

As its French title suggests, Afrique en Cirque is a circus-style entertainment that presents a lively showcase of African culture. Created by the Guinean artist Yamoussa Bangoura, the show is produced by the Montreal-based company Cirque Kalabanté, whose house style is to blend contemporary North American circus arts with traditional West African dance, drumming, and live music.

As might be expected, this is a highly energetic and physical show. Just for the removal of any doubt, forget any expectation that you may have of a traditional European circus (you know – clowns and performing animals), but be prepared instead for a highly colourful and vibrant theatrical extravaganza. As one little girl sitting near me exclaimed to her mum: “This is better than The Lion King!”

The spaciously opulent Music Hall auditorium at the Assembly Rooms in George Street was packed with a large and enthusiastic audience, who regularly broke into bursts of spontaneous applause and whoops of delight at the spectacle before them. After a fairly subdued and soulful start, the show steadily builds up energy with a succession of often jaw-dropping acrobatic feats; all performed with joyful exuberance.

At times what we saw seemed like an Olympic games of athletic talent: somersaulting tumblers who never seemed to get dizzy; physical contortionists who twisted their bodies into eye-wateringly convoluted shapes, always with a cheerful smile on their face; and gravity-defying human pyramids that challenged the laws of architecture. As a distinctly unathletic pensioner who feels wary walking down a steep staircase, I often winced at the carefree bravery of the performers on stage. Despite the playful feel exuded by the cast, it must require the steely nerves of a fast jet test pilot to pull this stuff off.

The soundtrack to this incredible show was a lively mix of traditional West African folk music and percussion with contemporary Afro-Jazz. One visually striking feature in this respect was the Kora: a guitar-like African instrument that is strung in such a way as to make it resemble a harp.

This is a show suitable for all the family (age 5+ recommended) and there were dozens of delighted kids in the audience when I was there. The show is already selling very well, so book your tickets soon to ensure a ringside seat.

ALL our recent coverage? Click here!

‘Clive’ (Drawing Room at Assembly Rooms, George Street, until AUG 30)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, 5*, Comedy, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“This grippingly entertaining show carries the audience on a journey from a chirpy domestic comedy to a dark lockdown WFH psychodrama with a superb central performance from Paul Keating as the fragile housebound bureaucrat.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

I’m always on the look-out for new writing at the Fringe, so spotting posters and flyers for this one-man show with a picture of a cactus on them drew me to the Drawing Room at the Assembly Rooms on George Street. The size of the queue waiting to go in suggested that many others had the same idea. It soon became clear that this audience had been doing their homework. Clive is the latest work from writer Michael Wynne, who won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2010 for his play Priory. The solo performer in the show we were about to see is Paul Keating, an actor with a film, television, and theatre rap sheet as long as your arm and a two-time Olivier nominee himself.

The play is a dark comedy about working from home (WFH), the phenomenon that millions of us became abruptly familiar with during the Covid lockdowns a few years ago. Director Lucy Bailey’s production is eminently watchable, with a deceptively simple white set dominated by the eponymous Clive – the large green potted cactus from the posters. This is the flat of Thomas, a likeable and gregarious office worker now transplanted to his home and cheerfully making the best of his new circumstances.

With his previous social life now reduced to Zoom meetings with colleagues and managers, Thomas fills his day with innocent displacement activities involving some entertainingly performed household chores, gazing out of his window to watch similarly house-bound workers coping with their own domestic confinement, and the excitement of doorstep deliveries and taking in parcels for his neighbours.

From the beginning, we’re drawn in to Thomas’s world as he shares confidences with a cheerfully chatty demeanour. He makes himself comfortable with the help of Alexa, the virtual voice-activated computer assistant, whom he uses to create mood lighting to vary the ambience around his workspace. The practical realities of WFH are wryly parodied by Thomas dressing for work from the waist up in a Zoom-friendly office shirt, whilst spending the day barefoot and trouserless.

But all too soon the cheerfully comedic adventure of WFH takes on a darker claustrophobic tone. Is there something obsessive-compulsive about Thomas’s constant cleaning? Will his relationships with his co-workers survive the isolation of Zoom? Was he really the life and soul of office social life we thought he’d been? The lack of human contact in this new virtual environment quickly lays bare the seemingly toxic undercurrents that were once concealed by the protective veneer of civilised society. Even the Clive the cactus becomes a sinister looming presence.

This grippingly entertaining show carries the audience on a journey from a chirpy domestic comedy to a dark lockdown WFH psychodrama with a superb central performance from Paul Keating as the fragile housebound bureaucrat.

 

ALL our recent coverage? Click here!

‘Of Mice and Men’ (Assembly Rooms, Drawing Room, until AUG 30)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, 4*, Assembly Hall, Rated: Nae Bad, Theatre by

“…the way they interact at times resembles a physically reversed Laurel and Hardy, with an oversized Stan causing chaos, as a frustrated, diminutive Ollie gives exasperated double-takes to the audience”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

In a Fringe that, with every year, seems more dominated by stand-up comedy, it’s always a pleasure to see a recognisable title in the theatre listings. Steinbeck’s 1937 novella Of Mice and Men is an evergreen classic which in recent decades has become a familiar feature in the UK’s literary landscape due to its perennial suitability as an English Literature text for schools. It’s become all the more popular due to the influence of a number of star-studded film, TV, and stage adaptations over the years.

The economics of a Fringe production preclude the large ensemble cast that would be required for a full representation of the story, so writer Nigel Miles-Thomas has wisely and effectively adapted this production to focus on George and Lennie, the pair of itinerant workers striving to survive in Depression-era California. Whilst those who know the story well may miss seeing other characters such as Curley’s wife, Slim, or Candy, spotlighting the central duo offers a more intense take on their complex relationship.

Miles-Thomas also plays Lennie Small, the great, lumbering man-child who doesn’t know his own strength. Familiar to regular Fringe-goers in recent years as a cadaverous Sherlock Holmes, Miles-Thomas captures both the childlike innocence of Lennie, along with the dark undercurrent of uncontrolled physical strength that lurks beneath. George Milton, the wise-guy leader of the pair is entertainingly portrayed by Michael Roy Andrew, forever trying to temper his anger at Lennie’s incompetence with tenderly protective understanding. Indeed, as a two-hander, the show is able to highlight the funnier side of this tragicomedy: the way they interact at times resembles a physically reversed Laurel and Hardy, with an oversized Stan causing chaos, as a frustrated, diminutive Ollie gives exasperated double-takes to the audience. Such lighter moments make an engaging contrast to the inevitable tragic darkness of the end.

The show worked well in the Drawing Room auditorium at the Assembly Rooms on George Street; I suspect because the largely middle-aged audience knew the work well. Those less familiar with the story may perhaps struggle a little to follow some of the one-sided dialogues with unseen offstage characters – but this is nonetheless an engaging piece of theatre that is largely successful in bringing this classic to a Fringe stage.

 

ALL our recent coverage? Click here!

‘Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act’ (Assembly Rooms: Drawing Room, until AUG 24 – not AUG 13 or 20)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2025, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“Miles-Thomas gives a performance that is something of a tour de force as he re-enacts a selection of the most famous of Conan Doyle’s tales”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Outstanding)

There’s a handful of Holmes-themed shows at the Fringe this year, ranging in style from Australian improv, to an audience participation murder mystery, to an all-woman show from which the great detective is entirely absent. But for a more traditional take on Conan Doyle’s immortal creation, head to the Assembly Rooms (Drawing Room) on George Street for this gripping one-man show.

This production’s impressive credentials suggest a show with much potential. The script was written by the late David Stuart Davies: a renowned Sherlockian scholar who was editor of Red Herring, the monthly in-house magazine of the Crime Writers Association, and wrote extensively about Holmes in both fictional and non-fictional works. The director is Gareth Davies, an RSC and West End theatre veteran, whose TV acting career boasts credits in everything from Z Cars to Blake’s 7. The solo performer is another stage and TV stalwart, Nigel Miles-Thomas (Minder, The Professionals) who will probably be best remembered by people of a certain age as Mr Davies the PE teacher in Grange Hill.

Set in 1916, the show presents an ageing Holmes as he returns to Baker Street from his retirement in Sussex to attend the funeral of his old friend and sidekick, Dr Watson. With his epic career behind him, Holmes reminisces about his adventures as the world’s first and only consulting detective. Miles-Thomas gives a performance that is something of a tour de force as he re-enacts a selection of the most famous of Conan Doyle’s tales; playing all of the characters from Holmes himself to his brother Mycroft, Dr Watson, and a selection of victims and villains from their adventures.

With a simple set and minimal use of props or costume, a highly atmospheric ambience is nonetheless created – almost gothic at times – by skilful use of light and sound. Miles-Thomas’s highly expressive and mobile face effectively creates striking transformations of character. In a sometimes uncanny exhibition of shape-shifting, he moves at various points from the cadaverous and urbane Holmes, to the hawk-nosed, vampirical arch-villain Professor Moriarty; thence to the lantern-jawed Sir Grimesby Roylott of The Adventure of the Speckled Band.

The medium-sized Drawing Room auditorium was pretty much a full house, standing testament to the enduring popularity of Sherlock Holmes – but I couldn’t help but notice that the demographic was very middle-aged. I’ve written elsewhere that increasingly younger audiences at the Fringe expect a little more in the way of bells and whistles in theatre shows – hence the other Holmes productions I mention above. The TV reboot of Sherlock exemplifies a shift in tastes away from the classical vibe of the original stories and I fear that Fringe theatre productions of this type will soon look more and more like period pieces. (Do they perhaps belong in the Spoken Word/Storytelling genre?)

Nonetheless, I suspect that there’s an audience for this show for the rest of its run throughout most of August and I’m sure that the great detective will continue to please and to pack them in.

ALL our recent coverage? Click here!

‘Kravitz, Cohen, Bernstein and Me’ (Venue 20, until AUG 27th)

Posted in 4*, Cabaret, Comedy, EdFestivals 2023 by

“Drawing heavily on her Jewish ancestry and culture, this is a witty, humour-laden cabaret that had an engaged audience singing along to Deb’s guitar and then cackling at her often highly risqué jokes. “

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

In this one-woman comic storytelling show, the multi award-winning Kiwi/Canadian/Jewish comedienne Deb Filler takes us on a musical journey through her eventful life. Using the three Leonards of the title as a theme, we follow her from her showbiz beginnings as a child prodigy in New Zealand through many a chance encounter with her eponymous heroes.

Drawing heavily on her Jewish ancestry and culture, this is a witty, humour-laden cabaret that had an engaged audience singing along to Deb’s guitar and then cackling at her often highly risqué jokes. Her often self-deprecating humour reveals a musical upbringing in the midst of a close immigrant family in Auckland, New Zealand. Very early success in talent contests set her on the pathway that has brought her to the fringe as a consummate and experienced entertainer. Filler throws her net wide in reminiscing about her musical influences: Judy Garland in the 1950s gives way to the Beatles and the Stones in the 60s – a highlight of which is the unforgettable experience of hearing her sing Hard Day’s Night and Satisfaction in Yiddish. Long before she met the three Lennies, her first musical celebrity encounter was with the folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary, who toured New Zealand in the early 60s. No spoilers here, but the tale of her experience of meeting them as a starry-eyed adolescent is a funny tale well told. We stay in the southern hemisphere for the remarkable story of a truly magical encounter with the legendary conductor, composer, and pianist, Leonard Bernstein. Later on in life, it is an adult Deb in America who meets Cohen and then Kravitz, both times with rather more chaotic results than happened with the debonair Mr Bernstein.

A skilled instrumentalist and singer, Filler plays the musical interludes on her guitar. From time to time throughout the show, her story is illustrated by screen projection: sometimes with colour photos of celebrities she has met; other, more poignant photos in grainy monochrome are family snaps from earlier times, including one of her grandmother, who got the family out of Germany in 1938 – the nick of time before the nazis slammed the door shut. For those who like a singalong, the lyrics to a well-known Cohen song were projected for the audience to join in as Deb Played it.
This 1hr 10min show gives you a little more for your money than the usual hour here at the Fringe and runs until 27th August. So, whether you like jokes or singing, get your coats on and go see it. Go to hear a fascinating life story set to music. Stay for Hard day’s Night sung in Yiddish. Leave with the thought that life can be full of strange and coincidental encounters.

 

‘Dom – The Play’ (Venue 20, until AUG 27th)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals 2023, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“Fresh from a sell-out run in London, this Fringe transfer had the Assembly Ballroom on George Street packed out with an audience laughing from start to finish.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

If there’s one thing us Brits do well it’s political satire and this already critically acclaimed hit did not disappoint. Fresh from a sell-out run in London, this Fringe transfer had the Assembly Ballroom on George Street packed out with an audience laughing from start to finish. This slick production from Bill Kenwright and Turbine Creatives lifts the lid on the whirlwind political career of Dominic Cummings, leaving no stone unturned in the process.

Just for the record, the citizens of Barnard Castle and the employees at their local branch of Specsavers can rest easy; very early on in the show, Dom grudgingly acknowledges his infamous trip to the Teesdale town to get his eyes tested. With that safely out of the way, Dom narrates his rise to, and abrupt fall from, the Westminster merry-go-round. Chris Porter plays the title role with an assured, cynical ferocity. Cummings was never a likeable figure, but Porter raises laugh after laugh from the audience in the opening ten minutes as he reveals the dark arts of data-scraping that drove his campaigns for Vote Leave and the 2019 General Election. The scene well and truly set, there was soon a roar of recognition from the audience as Boris Johnson strode on in the shape of Tim Hudson – every inch the blustering nincompoop, from his mop of unkempt blonde hair to his flapping shirt tails. All other incidental roles were entertainingly played by Thom Tuck and Sarah Lawrie. Tuck’s mimicry of a moon-faced Michael Gove drew chuckles of recognition, whilst the mobile eyebrows of his John Prescott were an amusing reminder of what already seems like a prehistoric age in British politics. Lawrie was no less versatile, with her lightning vignettes as the late Queen and Theresa May, but the greatest howls of laughter from the Edinburgh audience came with her vivid evocation of a diminutive Nicola Sturgeon.

Over the next hour, the turbulent years of recent British political history are brilliantly portrayed as the Westminster farce they so often seemed back in the day. With a quickfire pasquinade of merciless caricatures, our political masters are lampooned and ridiculed. Like an oversized, Woosterish ringmaster, the buffoonish Johnson flails desperately to keep his government on track at the centre of things; whilst to one side of the stage, lurks Cummings, the Machiavellian puppet-master and the PM’s Svengali. It’s an amazing tradition in British political satire how much we can afterwards laugh at events that once seemed so traumatic. But laugh we did, though I can only agree with one lady behind me who chuckled to her partner over the rapturous applause at the end; “It didn’t seem quite as funny as that the time, did it?”

This show is running for the rest of the month, but I wouldn’t hang about if you want to go; I’d say it’s one of the hot tickets for this year’s Fringe. So, whether you’re from Barnard Castle or not, get your coats on and go see it! Go for the political satire. Stay to hear Cummings explain the dark arts of psephological data mining. Leave in the hope that the great British voting public will never allow itself to be fooled again.

 

‘The Elephant in the Room’ (Assembly Rooms, Powder Room, until AUG 27)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals, EdFestivals 2022, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“Shetty’s vigorous physical style, expressive face, and radioactive eyes draw the audience into the action as she regularly makes direct eye-contact with everyone in the auditorium.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

After a very successful tour of the USA including the prestigious Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, this is the Fringe debut for a lively and engaging one-woman play, written and performed by Priyanka Shetty. Here for just the one week in a smallish studio auditorium in a marquee on George Street, be prepared for the driving force of Ms Shetty’s electrifyingly physical performance.

The seemingly autobiographical story tells of what it’s like to grow up in India as a young girl and then defy your family to try and make it as an actress as “a brown girl in Trump’s America”. Shetty’s vigorous physical style, expressive face, and radioactive eyes draw the audience into the action as she regularly makes direct eye-contact with everyone in the auditorium. There is much humour at the expense of the stereotypical features of a female south Asian upbringing: aggressively aspirational parents, judgemental aunts, religion (sometimes in the shape of the elephant-god Ganesha), and Bollywood movies.

Shetty makes full use of the small stage and basic set to vividly re-enact her story in a number of physical styles, including everything from yoga to Bollywood dance and song. As the show progresses, the emotional tone gradually changes from one of youthful optimism underscored by the heartaches of family life and romance, to the stark realities of the American theatre audition circuit. Shetty’s wry depiction of the serial rejections that can be experienced will raise a rueful smile to any fellow Fringe actors seeing this show. As an Asian woman, she often refers to her “otherness”, sometimes self-deprecatingly, sometimes not. This aspect of her life doubles as a significant factor in her own life story and a revealing perspective on everyone else from the perspective of an outsider.

Single-actor shows are quite common at the Fringe, but this one stuck in the mind for me due to Shetty’s often almost conversational delivery. At no time did it seem like a stagey dramatic monologue; rather someone I’d just met showing me the story of their life. Use of props and time-consuming costume changes are sensibly kept to a minimum to maintain pace and story development.

The phrase from which the show takes its title is a common metaphor for embarrassing problems which everyone knows exist, but are scared to mention. After one or two red herrings along the way, we’re left in no doubt at the end by Shetty’s now angry tone what the identity is of this particularly problematic pachyderm – I won’t spoil things for you by giving it a name. This show is only on until the end of this week, so:

Come for the elephant. Stay for a whirlwind performance. Leave having seen a great Fringe debut. So get your coats on and go see this!

 

ALL our recent coverage? Click here!

‘Earwig’ (Assembly Rooms, Front Room, until AUG 27)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals, EdFestivals 2022, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“The three energetic performers beetle away to pack a lot of fun into an hour’s traffic on the stage.”

Editorial Rating:  Stars (Outstanding)

Whilst perhaps not the most attractive of titles, this is one of the most unusual and interesting pieces of theatre I’ve seen at this year’s Fringe. After successfully touring throughout the UK, Manchester-based theatre company Time and Again bring us the quirky story of entomologist Marigold Webb, whose deafness excludes her from conversations not directly before her face.

Laura Crow’s script makes much use of insect life as metaphor, with characters being likened to wasps, hornets, golden tiger beetles, and the like. The production by directors Catherine Cowdrey and Samantha Vaughan offers an hour that is both entertaining and informative without taking itself too seriously. Robyn Greeves anchors the show as the protagonist, calmly and wryly narrating the difficulties faced in the 1920s by a woman who is not only deaf, but trying to make her way in the male-dominated scientific world. Adam Martin-Brooks first comes across as a Bertie Woosterish toff, but as the play progresses he mutates into Marigold’s domineering and abusive husband. Beth Nolan gives eye-catching performances as both Marigold’s down-to-earth mother and as Bryony Varden, the very personification of a flighty jazz-age flapper. A projection screen at the back of the set is used very much as if it were another character, with its captions often interacting with both the cast and the audience.

This is also a very visual and physical piece of theatre. One of the high points was a vividly choreographed set piece between Marigold and Bryony supposedly reading quietly in a library. Their exchanged looks, messages, and attempts to ignore each other and do some studying are expressed with increasingly terpsichorean verve and at one stage even break into a Charleston. Along with the screen captions, the pacy action often has the feel of a silent movie of the era in which the play is set. Throughout the action, we are subtly reminded of Marigold’s deafness and the problems it causes in a number of inventive and dramatically effective ways.

Performed in a smallish black-box auditorium in George Street, this is a little gem of a play, with the three energetic performers beetling away to pack a lot of fun into an hour’s traffic on the stage. Come for the entomology. Stay for the Charleston. Leave with ants in your pants and a spring in your step. Get your coats on and beetle along to see this!

 

ALL our recent coverage? Click here!

+3 Interview: Margo: Half Woman, Half Beast

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2018, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

“I had the idea for MARGO in my head for about six years as her story is quite compelling.”

WHO: Melinda Hughes, writer and performer

WHAT: “Margo Lion, celebrated Weimar Berlin cabaret star and lover of Marlene Dietrich, is gripped by the decadence and debauchery of 1930s Berlin. This is the story of her tragic relationship with the lyricist Marcellus Schiffer, fuelled by alcohol, cocaine and jealousy set within a world of political unrest. Margo is packed with iconic Weimar cabaret songs by Kurt Weill, Mischa Spoliansky, Friedrich Hollaender and original songs by Melinda Hughes and Jeremy Limb who received four and five-star reviews from The Times and Musical Theatre Review for their satirical cabaret. Margo is directed by Sarah Sigal.”

WHERE: Assembly Rooms – Drawing Room (Venue 20) 

WHEN: 17:55 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is actually my third time to Edinburgh and the experience gets better and better. I first came here in 2013 and did a one week run at Space Venues with a cute cabaret show called French Kiss. I returned in 2014 with ‘Cocktails with the Diva’ at Assembly Rooms. This was another satirical cabaret show packed with newly written songs and a jazz trio. We had a lot of fun!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

I’ve done a lot of travelling and have performed twice in Barbados at a small festival which was amazing. I sang a Mahler 4th with orchestra in London which was a wonderful experience and I’ve also completed researching and writing and Margo which was a lot of work!

Tell us about your show.

Margo Lion was a celebrated Weimar Berlin cabaret star and lover of Marlene Dietrich. She’s gripped by the decadence and debauchery of 1920’s Berlin and has a tragic relationship with her husband the Jewish lyricist Marcellus Schiffer. Their relationship is fuelled by alcohol, cocaine and jealousy set within a world of political unrest. Marcellus who suffers from bouts of depression, sees no way out of rise of fascism and overdoses and Margo flees Berlin for Paris in 1933. The show is packed with iconic cabaret songs of the day and is a rollercoaster.

I wrote the show myself. I had the idea for MARGO in my head for about six years as her story is quite compelling. I’m also producing it as I have a small company which produces cabaret, classical concerts and curates seasons.

We had two previews in London at JW3 which were well reviewed. It was quite emotional to see something I had worked on for so long to finally make it to the stage. I would love to take this show to small theatres and particularly to America.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

They should go and see FRAU WELT also on at The Blue Room. Assembly Rooms for a double dose of Weimar. The show is so clever and he is an amazing actor. Its more of a Weimar fantasy but it is extraordinary and compelling!

I’ve only just started seeing shows but I recommend Rachel Parris – (she’s top of my list), Jess Robinson – an astounding singer, Flo & Jo, Dusty Limits, Adele Anderson and Austentatious. Ali McGregor’s show is always amazing. I also love stand up too and there’s just so much to choose from. So far only seen Robin Morgan who was great but will see Christian Talbot tomorrow (another favourite) For drama I recommend Diary of an expat which was clever, De Profundis with Simon Callow which was very moving and Song of Lunch with Robert Bathurst.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Dysney Disfunction

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2018, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

“The show’s a heart-stopper. You’re going to be swept up in the magic of it all, but the rug is also going to be pulled from underneath you.”

WHO: Michelle Sewell, Writer/performer

WHAT: “In Brexit Britain happily ever after (and UK residency) is just a marriage visa away. But Australian Alice’s visa expires today and she’s only got Primark flats for glass slippers, an Oyster card for a pumpkin coach and a prince who won’t twerk. Love, Alice thinks, is a fairy tale. Visa-less and forced to return to a country she doesn’t call home anymore, she waits at the tube for Prince Charming to rescue her. Alice quickly learns love changes people and childhood stories have no place in the adult world. Created by Malcolm Bradbury Award winner Michelle Sewell.”

WHERE: Assembly Rooms – Front Room (Venue 20) 

WHEN: 15:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s the first time I’m bringing a show that I’ve written and performed in. Last year I came up on a StartEast mentorship programme working with British Showcase productions Rhum & Clay’s Testosterone, and had worked on Curious Directive’s Frogman.

Although the first time I ever performed a show at the Edinburgh Fringe was when I was eighteen and it was my first year in drama school in Sydney. I was chosen to be part of this show where I only had like two lines. Now I have fifty minutes to myself. I guess I have a lot more to say now. Haha!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Finding out that I can’t renew my visa at the end of the year. That was a shock (to say the least…). It gave me the impetus to write this show and it has actually made me appreciate my life in the UK a whole lot more. It’s also made me consider that tear between your home home – being Australia for me- and my home – being Norwich in England. I’ve also been thinking about Tim tams a lot more than I probably should be.

Tell us about your show.

The show’s a heart-stopper. You’re going to be swept up in the magic of it all, but the rug is also going to be pulled from underneath you. The director, David Gilbert, has done an awesome job in building the show into a really enjoyable theatrical piece of drama.

I wrote the piece which started as a three minute performance with SOHO and The Barbican’s Stage at the Walthamstow Garden Party. This then became a five minute journey with Cambridge Junction, Vaults Festival and the Lyric Hammersmith. Now it’s a 50 minute Beast of a play. We’ve previewed at Theatre 503, Cambridge Junction and Norwich Arts Centre. This has been such an incredible experience being able to take the show across the UK.

We’re hoping to transfer it to Adelaide Fringe next year then West End (a girl can dream, yeah?).

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Oh goodness, there’s so so many kick-ass shows this year. I would definitely say Weird and Dangerous Giant Animals- two one-woman shows that deal with disabilities, which I think are just going to be beautiful and stand out this Fringe. There’s some really great shows from our Norwich friends, Laughing Mirror, who are on at The Space- definitely go check them out! And F*ck you Pay Me at Assembly.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!